How the First Camera Phone Photo Was Shot in 1997

Believe it or not, there was a time when photo sharing was a lot slower than in the age of digital photography, smartphone cameras, Instagram, and Snapchat. In the mid-1900s, instantaneously capturing and sharing photos online was unheard of. Then in 1997, the first camera phone was born.

14 Hidden Lightroom Shortcuts That Use the Alt/Option Key

Did you know that there are lots of hidden Lightroom shortcuts? Some of the app’s most useful shortcuts are tucked away in places you might never look. As a result you may be unaware of them until someone points them out to you. Here are 14 you might want to know.

A Real World Comparison of the Sony a9 and Nikon D5

Sony’s flagship a9 camera is the first full-frame mirrorless that can really compete with DSLRs when it comes to overall speed. This 30-minute comparison from Max Yuryev and pro sports photographer Paul Nelson pits Sony’s camera against the Nikon D5 under a variety of conditions.

Best Buy to Let You Rent Camera Gear Before You Buy It

Best Buy already does price matching with Amazon, but it'll soon be launching another weapon in its fight against the giant online retailer: a try-before-you-buy program for electronics. For photographers, this will mean you'll have the opportunity to rent camera equipment before you buy it.

This Experiment Shows How Negative Thoughts Can Impact Your Photos

As a photographer you're probably quite a creative person, and no doubt you are therefore critical of your own work. The 'inner critic' is that voice in your head, badgering you and questioning your decisions behind the camera. Canon Australia conducted an experiment to show the effect your inner critic can have when you allow it to take hold.

Sony Mirrorless Cameras Still Eat Stars

Sony recently released firmware v.4.0 for its a7S II and a7R II mirrorless cameras. The announcement that this firmware version “Improves image quality when Long Exposure NR setting is off” raised hopes for many photographers that Sony had at last addressed the issues caused by their automatic smoothing of all exposures of 4 seconds or longer, sometimes referred to as the "Star Eater" effect because of the way that it removes stars in astrophotography images.

This One Thing Will Make Your Photos Better: Storytelling

Here's an inspiring video by Mango Street about one of the most important things you can learn to do as a photographer, which is storytelling. In addition to organically capturing moments as they happen, you can also conceptualize and execute an idea that inspires you, and Rachel and Daniel show how it's done in the 5.5-minute video above.

Here’s How One Photographer Keeps His Sony Camera Cool

After the highly anticipated Sony a9 began landing in the hands of photographers, there were some reports of the camera displaying its overheating indicator icon after short periods of use in ordinary environments. Israeli photographer Senya Alman came up with a clever way of keeping his own Sony camera cool: he built it a little hot shoe cover for portable shade.

I Shot the World’s First Drone Tintype

I've been shooting tintypes for almost six years now and love to push the boundaries of what is possible with this slow and difficult photographic process. Taking a tintype from the air was an idea that, years ago, I had shelved as the technology wasn't there yet. Drones were pretty scarce and the ones I had seen were extremely limited in payload and stability. But this spring I decided to revisit the idea.

Photos of Europe’s Most Spellbinding Libraries

Nestled away in some of Europe's most culture-rich cities are libraries that have stood the test of time. They are filled from floor to ceiling with books of all sorts, but the architecture of these buildings often speaks volumes about the time periods they were built in.

Father Films Daughter on First Day of School for 12 Years

When Kevin Scruggs's daughter Mackenzie started first grade 12 years ago, he decided to pull out his camera and shoot a short interview with the 6-year-old. He then did the same thing on her first day of school for the next 12 years, and this year he turned all the clips into this touching 3-minute video wishing Mackenzie a happy graduation from high school.

Going Open Source to Make Your Own Loupedeck Alternative

There is an extremely talented landscape photographer called Thomas Heaton whose YouTube videos I find very instructive and entertaining. Recently he featured a new product he was sent to try out: the Loupedeck, a physical console that lets you control Lightroom (the main software I use to sort, catalog and edit my photographs).

Photographing Skydivers: Be Ready for Anything

A little while back, I was working for a small local newspaper outside of Houston, Texas. I was working on a series about adrenaline junkies around the area. One article I really wanted to write was about skydiving at Spaceland Houston.

Portraits of Portland’s Homeless: Eyes as the Window to the Soul

I had just moved to the pretty, but constantly rainy, Portland, Oregon, and the weather was getting to me! After going through a hard period of homesickness and mild depression, following a friend’s advice, I got my very first DSLR camera. I liked the idea of registering anything I wanted, and by anything I mean everything: landscape, objects, wild life (as wild as downtown Portland can get!), you name it…

4 Photographers Shoot 1 Model: Who Did It Best?

Photographer Jessica Kobeissi is back again with another portrait challenge, and this time she invited photographers Brandon Woelfel, Jerry Maestas, and Derrick Freske to participate. For the latest challenge, they pointed their lenses at model Tashi Rodriguez.