Four Reasons the Camera Market is Shrinking that Aren’t ‘Smartphones’

Photographer and occasional PetaPixel guest author Robin Wong recently published a very interesting take on a question that most people thought was settled: why is the camera market shrinking? While most people would just blame the rise of smartphones and call it a day, Wong shares a more nuanced, and possibly more accurate, list of reasons.

You Need a Telephoto Lens in Your Landscape Kit, Here’s Why

Telephoto lenses and landscape photography may seem an odd pairing. Telephotos are more at home in the hands of wildlife, sports, and portrait photographers. They’re used to get close to the subject, help to compress perspective (cue the comments on "lens compression is a myth") and isolate distracting elements.

5 Creative Photo ‘Hacks’ to Try with a Umbrella

Our friends over at COOPH have put together a fun video that might just inspire you to break out the umbrella for a fun photo shoot this weekend. The rapid-fire video goes through 5 creative photo "hacks" that you can do with a spare umbrella and a few other odds and ends like fairy lights, aluminum foil, and duct tape.

Canon, Sony, and Panasonic ‘Confirm Their Commitment’ to Photokina in Odd Press Release

Photokina is keen to remind you that (1) it is still the industry's "leading trade fair," and (2) trade fairs are still relevant, even if Nikon, Leica, and Olympus dropped out of Photokina 2020. In a press release published last night, the show quotes Canon, Sony and Panasonic executives as they "confirmed their commitment" to the 2020 expo during conversations with Photokina organizers in Tokyo.

Sigma Unveils 40mm f/1.4 and 105mm f/1.4 Art Lenses for the L-Mount

If you've bought into the L-Mount, Sigma just added two very compelling new primes to your list of lens options. The Sigma 40mm f/1.4 Art and 105mm f/1.4 Art 'bokeh master' are both dropping two weeks from today on December 20th, just in time for an end-of-year pick-me-up for your Sigma fp, Panasonic S1 or Leica SL2.

Stunning Super Macro Photos of Minuscule Mushrooms and Fungi

If you've ever taken a walk in the woods, especially after a rain storm, you've definitely walked by one of photographer Alison Pollack's subjects. You may have even stepped on one. But unless you had a magnifying glass handy, you never even knew they were there.

How to Shoot Great Nighttime Street Photography

Ah, the night, what a wonderful time to go out and do some street photography! As a photographer who got his start in the streets of Tokyo, it was inevitable that I would end up photographing mostly at night.

How to Price Your First Photo Shoot

If photography is your chosen career path or even just a hobby, at some point, someone is going to ask you to take some photographs in exchange for a paycheck.

Dad Takes Over Daughter’s Instagram as Punishment, Adds 10K Followers

When 15-year-old Madelynn Sumpter (@madelynn.ellagrace) was caught helping "sneak boys into a sleep-over," her parents gave her a choice: one month without your phone, or 2 weeks without your phone and we get full control of your social media accounts. She chose the latter, and boy are we glad she did.

The State of Canon’s RF Mount, One Year Later

For Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic, 2018-2019 was the first year where they all truly "went for it" when it comes to full-frame mirrorless. All three released full-frame mirrorless cameras, and all three seemed to have different priorities with those releases. In this first of three segments, we're going to take a look at each of these companies in their first year and evaluate where each of them stands today in what is now a very competitive market.

How to Photograph Christmas Light Displays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Streets are filled with joyful songs and gorgeous light displays. Some Christmas trees and illuminations are so large that photographing them can be tricky. Next are some tips and composition ideas, with examples, that can help you take better photos this holiday season.

Beyond Mere Composition: Getting Over the Rule of Thirds and Golden Ratio

There is a wealth of information on the internet about composition—endless blog posts about visual rules, geometric concepts, and photos with all kinds of lines and shapes drawn over them to the prove the point. But all of this information focuses on the "what" of composition rather than the "why." A photographer must stop and ask themselves: "why even bother following visual rules?"

How to Age Film for a Distressed Look, or: How NOT to Store Your Film

A few years ago, I saw an article on water-damaged film that claimed the damage was due to bacteria and fungus eating the film. Having a bit of experience with fungus and bacteria from various scientific projects over the years, I thought I would explore this topic. Could I speed up the process? I also wanted to know which film aged the fastest, and was bacteria or fungus really responsible for the damage?

Unhide Instagram Likes with this Free Browser Extension

The worldwide hiding of Instagram likes has begun, and even if you're not affected by this "test" yet, it's likely you will be soon. If you want to avoid this and continue to see your like counts, there is a solution in the form of a free browser extension called "The Return of the Likes."

Capture One 20 Brings New Features, Camera Support, and Ease of Use

Phase One has announced the launch of Capture One 20, the latest major version of the popular photo editing software. The release brings a refined design, new processing capabilities, and workflow enhancements, many of which were developed directly from feedback from photographers using the software.

Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch: A Film Director’s Perspective

For a several years now, I have been patiently waiting for a “new” MacBook Pro to arrive. There has been a lot of hype about new processors, increased screen size and resolution, improved
features and connectivity, even better battery life. Myself along with many industry colleagues, have been reaching out to Apple for some time to let them know what we need and why.

Are You Leaving Your Children Printed Photographs?

My son texted me the other day asking for my meatball recipe. It’s a rarity that he texts me for recipes, so I was thrilled to my toes. About a week later, my daughter texted me asking for my fresh pumpkin pie recipe. Again, joy spread through my body as I thought to myself, “Finally.”

This Video Explains Why TV Cameras are Still So Huge and Expensive

In recent years, small form-factor cameras—both DSLR and mirrorless—have gotten very good at capturing extremely high-quality video. So how come the broadcast equipment in use today is still so massive and expensive? YouTuber Zebra Zone recently answered this question in an interesting breakdown video.

UPDATED: ProGrade Says Fujifilm ‘Leak’ Was a Typo

Memory card maker ProGrade Digital may have just leaked a tidbit about Fujifilm's future cameras. In a statement that ostensibly goes out to every customer who pre-orders a CFExpress memory card, the company mentions Fuji by name, despite the fact that no Fuji camera uses this kind of card slot.