Don’t Forget to Tell a Story

It’s easy to obsess over gear. We all love new toys, and it’s natural to lust over that hot new mirrorless camera or convince yourself that a lens upgrade is going to take your photos to the next level. But amid the onslaught of pretty-looking shots and gear reviews, never forget: story is king.

In Defense of the Zoom Lens

The question of zoom lenses versus prime lenses is an endless debate in photography, and one that has never really been definitively resolved. Essentially, the whole thing boils down to what’s more important: image quality, or versatility.

Consistent Players: My Portrait of Tim Tebow

There are certain people that seem to play a consistent role in your life. I'm not talking about friends or family -- being part of your life is in their job description. I mean people that seem to always be around. People you know in passing. A name that keeps popping up. A face you recognize from days gone. For me, that person is -- oddly enough -- Tim Tebow.

Nikon’s Year: Digging Into the Latest Financial Results in 2017

Here's the crazy corner Nikon is in: they can claim a modest 7% increase in operating income for the fiscal year that they just finished, but had far lower net sales and, with restructuring costs, had a significant loss. Nikon predicts that they'll recover to profitability next fiscal year, but with lower sales.

How to Build a LED Wand Light for $30

In this 8-minute video by Macroscope Pictures, learn how to build a color changing wand light with your own two hands for only $30 in materials. For an extra 15 bucks, you can add a Wi-Fi controller and control the finished product with your phone.

White House ‘Furious’ About Russian Photos, Photog Slams Spy Stories

The White House was criticized by the media this week for allowing a Russian press photographer into the Oval Office for President Trump's meeting with Russia’s foreign minister while the U.S. media was shut out. Now the White House is reportedly "furious" about being "trolled" with the photos by Russia, and the Russian photographer is calling the media stories "nonsense."

How I Earn $200,000+ a Year from Photography

It's kind of a crazy thing: I believe you can stay true to your roots, values, and ethics, and also get rich. In this post, I'll share some of the secrets of how I earn over $200,000 a year as a "photographer."

Photographer Loses $20,000 in Gear After Airplane Carry-On Taken

If you're flying with pricey camera gear, it's often advised that you bring it with you in a carry-on bag instead of risking all the handling issues that could happen behind-the-scenes with checked-in luggage. But your carry-on isn't necessarily safe either, as photographer Sam Hurd recently discovered: he lost $20,000 in gear when a fellow passenger just walked off with his luggage.

Should Photography Be Relaxing?

What’s the difference between a hobby, and a job? Ignoring money, of course, I’d say that a hobby’s primary purpose is entertainment and relaxation, whereas a job’s primary purpose is to produce value. And yet, defying common sense, photographers seem to have this reversed.

Quality Over Quantity: Two Months with the Leica M 240

Ever since I jumped into photography several years ago, I've always had a fascination with Leica. I used to think their cameras were overpriced and absurd—they were heavy and lacked many of the latest features I was accustomed to being on the latest DSLRs.

A Spine Injury Left Me Immobile… So I Built a Giant 20×24 Camera

I recently found myself with a spine injury, which proved to kinda be a big road block to my photography. My photo projects usually involved lots of driving and walking, two things that proved to be extremely painful due to my crappy health. One day, sitting around bored, I decided to create a camera that was as immobile as I was. Armed with a rough sketch, and a misguided sense of self-confidence, I built a 20x24 camera over a weekend.

The Boys Who Grew Breasts: Portraits of the Effects of Risperdal

Johnson & Johnson has been fined over $3 billion for marketing the antipsychotic drug Risperdal to children. Over 18,000 boys and young men are now suing the company over a side effect of the drug called gynecomastia, which causes adolescent boys to develop female breasts. Photographer Richard Johnson recently completed a photo project to tell the boys' stories: it's titled Risperdal Boys.

Q&A with Bloomberg’s Photo Editor: Diversity of Photography Voices a Must

With a background in literature and journalism, today Eugene Reznik is the Digital Features Photo Editor at Bloomberg. Before grabbing that gig, he was the Director of Photography of the digital publication Hopes&Fears, an editor at American Photo Magazine, and a writer for TIME Magazine’s LightBox photography section.

How to Build Your Own Monitor Hood for Less Than $12

I needed a monitor hood for quite some time but wasn't willing to pay the retail prices charged for them, so I decided to build one myself. In this tutorial I'll show you how to build your own DIY monitor hood for less than $12.

How to Capture a Bold Wine Bottle Photo with a Single Speedlight

If you're interested in product photography, Dustin Dolby's channel workphlo is definitely worth a bookmark. Using minimal equipment, he's able to capture distinct looks like this makeup shot, and in this tutorial he'll show you how a single speedlight can produce a bold beautiful wine bottle photo that looks 100% pro.

How to Build a Simple Sound Trigger for High-Speed Photos With Arduino

Are you stressed? What better way to de-stress is there than to break things while making cool photographs at the same time? You can break anything, from spaghetti to fancy glassware, there is no limit. It will take you about half an hour to build the Arduino circuit and write the code for this sound triggering photographic system.

Tip: Set Custom Develop Defaults in Lightroom With This Hidden Feature

Are there particular settings that you want to apply to every photo you import in to Lightroom? Perhaps you always apply Remove Chromatic Aberration, or you have a particular Camera Calibration Profile that you use every time. In this 45-second video, Lightroom team member Benjamin Warde gets straight to the point demonstrating this simple time-saving technique.