CPL Filter: Why, When, and How to Use a Circular Polarizer

A CPL filter, or circular polarizer filter, is a popular and powerful filter that can reduce or eliminate glare and reflections from surfaces in your photographs. In this article, we will introduce this filter type and analyze its use and effects.

Philippe Halsman: American Portrait Photographer to the Stars

Philippe Halsman was born in Riga, Latvia, on May 2, 1906. He discovered an old view camera in the family attic when he was fifteen, bought some glass plates, and started making photographs. Like many other photographers, when he first saw that image appearing in the darkroom tray, it was a life-changing moment, and he knew what he was going to be doing with his life.

Elliott Erwitt: A Conversation with the Master Photographer at 93

Renowned American photographer Elliott Erwitt has captured more presidents since Harry Truman than any other photographer. Over the last 70 years, Erwitt has shot iconic photos of Marilyn Monroe, including her famous subway grate pose, the finger-pointing Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate in Moscow, segregated water fountains, a grieving Jacqueline Kennedy, and hundreds of humorous dog images.

Image Quality is More Than Megapixels

The megapixel count of a camera is often viewed by consumers to be the benchmark number for telling whether or not that camera is "good." If that were true, however, why do photographers not just buy a 108-megapixel smartphone to use as their primary equipment? The answer: because image quality has to do with far more than just megapixels.

The 75, 85, 100 Rule of Shooting: How to Be a Happier Photographer

We have all heard that “real photographers get it right in camera.” Whether it is attached to some asinine argument about shooting RAW vs JPEG or a preachy lecture about the pitfalls of using anything but manual mode, there can be a lot of pressure to get perfect images right out of the camera. There can also be an apathetic tendency to just “fix it in post”. Both extremes have their downfalls and I have found that a balanced approach is essential for personal development and happiness.

The Key Elements of Composition: Light and the Relationships of Forms

Photographers, from beginners to the most experienced, search for ways to improve their compositions. To be successful in your search, you have to compose an image based on two things above all else: light, and the relationships of forms.

The Best Plugins for Photoshop and Lightroom in 2026

best lightroom and photoshop plugins

Photoshop and Lightroom are mainstays in most photographers’ workflows for a reason. While other options abound, no other set of programs matches the popularity and widespread adoption of Adobe’s signature photography software. But while Photoshop’s manipulation capabilities and Lightroom’s processing and editing power are certainly robust, both offer even more power beyond the software itself in the form of plugins.

photographer with camera and lens

When Composing a Photo, Think About Where the Camera Is

As a photographer, you might be out on the street or at a vantage point in the landscape. You raise the viewfinder to your eye, compose the framing that you envisioned, then click the shutter. You have a picture that was acquired using the technical elements at your creative disposal: focal length, shutter speed, and aperture. But where was the camera?

HONOR Magic 4 Smartphone ranked best in the world by DXOMark

HONOR Sets A New Bar For Mobile Imaging With the Magic4 Series

HONOR recently announced the successor to the Magic3 smartphone, the Magic4, which has achieved record-breaking photo and video capabilities according to DXOMark. Despite a quick turnaround between models, the Magic4 Ultimate smartphone is (on paper) jam-packed with flagship specifications and a camera system that has been rated the best of its class by DXOMark with a score of 146, and the Magic4 Pro version achieving the Gold Label ranking, showing the company has built a system specifically for photography professionals and enthusiasts alike.

SmallRig RC 220 Bi-Color LED Review: Accurate and Affordable

SmallRig-RC220B-Review

SmallRig's 220 Watt RC 220B LED light is a much-anticipated update to the RC120 series LED. While the D version is daylight balanced, the B model we tested offers a color balance of 2700K to 6500K. After making several smaller vlogger-style LED lights, it seems with this update, SmallRig is officially entering the professional continuous lighting world.

Soft Proofing Your Photos to Get the Most From Your Printer

As photographers, one of the most exciting parts of our job is to print the fantastic photos we capture. As eager as we are to get the prints, we need to ensure we follow the entire pre-printing process to the T to ensure you have realistic prints. One crucial step in the process is soft proofing.

How to Clean a Camera Lens

Realizing that your lens was dirty during a shoot is not a great feeling. While some specks of dust and other consequences of a dirty lens can be fixed via spot healing and other post-processing, it’s much easier to make sure your lens is clean to begin with and save editing time. Plus, attention to the state of your lens will help it retain its value over time and increase its longevity.

Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 Lens Ultra-Wide AF Lens Lands on Indiegogo

The camera equipment manufacturer Viltrox has launched a Indiegogo campaign for the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4, a large-aperture ultra-wide-angle autofocus lens that is perfect for vlogging, landscape, architecture, street, food, and astrophotography.