learn

Best Ways to Backup Photos in 2024

Losing priceless digital photographs is something that all too many people experience these days. If you want to make sure you store your digital files properly, read this guide on the best ways to backup your photos for a lifetime.

HSS Does Not Freeze Motion: Light is the Key, Not Shutter Speed

How do photographers freeze motion? With shutter speed, of course! This is something fundamental that everyone starting out in photography learns to do. If you’re shooting sports, for example, just crank the ISO up, set a high shutter speed, and expect a good frozen-in-time image. However, when using a flash, things are a little different. In fact, shutter speed is by far the worst way to freeze motion. Here’s why.

How to Use the Luminosity Mask in Lightroom Classic

The Luminosity Mask is a really great tool to use when it comes to retouching landscape, cityscape as well as portrait. It gives you more freedom when you use different tools in Lightroom and you will see it is awesome!

What Every Photographer Needs to Know About Reflections

Reflections are the sole reason we’re able to see objects. An object that absorbs 100% of the light is invisible. Fortunately, we don’t encounter these in our daily lives. Any lighting-conscious photographer would be aware of the fact that their light positioning directly influences reflection and hence the viewer experience.

The Photographer’s Guide to Beauty Dishes

The beauty dish is one of the most commonly used light modifiers for beauty and portrait work, but being popular doesn’t mean that it’s an easy-to-use modifier without any quirks and intricacies. In fact, you can only harness the true magic of the beauty dish if you know the principles behind it inside-out. In this article, I will explain everything you need to know when using a beauty dish.

A Glossary of Lighting Terms Used in Photography

When starting out in photography, you are bombarded with terms, definitions, and a whole new universe of things you must know as a photographer. Sometimes the definitions are confusing at best, seemingly conflicting at worst. When it comes to lighting, there's a big list of terms and jargon that you need to know. Here are some of the common ones with simple definitions and explanations.

Lenses Don’t Cause Perspective Distortion and ‘Lens Compression’

The focal length of lenses doesn't cause perspective distortion, which is often explained as "lens compression." Period. Now before you call me crazy and dismiss whatever I have to say, I’d like to invite you to take a dive into how lenses work and what actually causes perspective distortion.

Mirrorless vs DSLR: Which Camera is Best For You?

Mirrorless or DSLR? That is the question. It’s a great time to be a photographer considering a new camera purchase. Whether it’s your first camera or twenty-first, there have never been more options available for features, price, and capabilities. Plus, if buying a new (not used) camera, there are really no bad cameras out there. But the first decision you will need to make about your new camera is which imaging system you prefer: mirrorless or DSLR.

The Ultimate Guide to Softboxes: The Anatomy of Light Shaping Tools

Softboxes are among the most popular light shaping tools. Few photographers have never shot with softboxes, and more often than not a softbox is a go-to modifier for beginners. In this article, I will break down the anatomy of a softbox, from physics to possible applications for it. Read on to become a master of using softboxes.

A Brief History of Ground Glass Focusing Loupes

This article is dedicated to a very helpful yet often-overlooked photographic accessory. After scouring the Web, I have only been able to find few brief entries dedicated to those devices, so I hope my writing will be found helpful by inquisitive minds interested in the history of photo equipment.

Basic Advice About Photography for Beginning Photographers

This article is aimed at people who would like to advance their basic photography skills. I assume that you already make decent photos and are familiar with f-stops, ISO, shutter speeds, etc. But I'm hoping that this read will prove worth your time and lead to even greater photographic skills and enjoyment.

Camera Gear You Should Never Buy Used

I previously wrote an article on some of the gear that photographers can buy used and how I saved $15,000 doing so. It feels wrong for me to buy any new gear -- like I'm burning money when doing so. That said, here are a few photography things that even bargain-hunters like me buy new.

A Guide to Traveling with Lithium-ion Batteries as a Photographer

I'm photographer Jay P. Morgan from The Slanted Lens. In this video and article, we’re going to take a look at batteries. What you can fly with, what you feel comfortable checking in your check bags, what you should carry on with you, and what you shouldn’t take with you.

How a Fresnel Lens Works, Explained with a Simple Blackboard Model

If you've heard of Fresnel lenses in photography before but have no idea what they are or how they work, here's a fantastic short primer. In this 3.5-minute video, physicist David G. Willey (AKA the Mad Scientist) explains the science behind the lens style using a simple and easy-to-understand model on a blackboard.

How to Pronounce German Camera and Lens Brands ‘Correctly’

Germany has a long history of producing some of the best cameras and lenses ever to appear in the history of photography, but German brand names can be a bit tricky to pronounce. In this 8.5-minute video, photographer Maximilian Heinrich of Analog Insights shares the native German speaker's pronunciation of some well-known brands.

The History of the Camera… According to North Korea

If you've always wanted to learn about the history of the photographic camera as taught by the North Korean government, today's your lucky day! Here's a 15-minute educational video on camera history that was broadcast for children in the "hermit kingdom" (you can turn on English auto-translation in the video's settings).

Lofoten, Norway: A Landscape Photographer’s Dream

Due to the pioneering adventures of a few, the Lofoten Islands have become a winter magnet for landscape photographers. Light has begotten this new pilgrimage. And February is the high season.

Understanding Fujifilm High Dynamic Range

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and is a setting available on several Fujifilm cameras, including the X-T4. HDR involves merging separate images together to create a single JPEG file in order to provide the maximum amount of dynamic range possible out of your image.

Fixed Prime Lens Photography — Zoom by Cropping

I haven't lusted for a fixed prime camera because it's so easy for me to mount a short prime lens on my ILC. But I am intrigued by the idea of walking around with a short prime on my camera, even though it is limiting compared to walking around with a zoom.

An Intro to the Rule of Thirds in Photography

Learn photography rules, learn to apply them, learn their advantages and limitations. Finally, learn to bend them, break them and explore beyond them.

35+ Rules and Guiding Principles in Photography

A primary question in photography is, “What is composition”? Photo composition governs the manner in which our eyes travel through an image. It defines how objects within an image are placed relative to each other in such a way that generates visual excitement. Used correctly, it transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Understanding Apple ProRAW

My name is Ben Sandofsky, and I'm the co-founder and developer of Lux Optics. We make Halide, the most popular RAW camera for iPhone, so when Apple revealed their new ProRAW image format, we were beyond excited.

Telephoto Reach With Various Digital Cameras

It's common for photo writers to state, "A 100mm lens on a Micro Four Thirds camera has the equivalent reach of 200mm on full frame". While the field of view is equivalent to 200mm FF, the reach is not necessarily equivalent.

What Camera Sensor Size Equivalence is All About

Today we are taking a look at equivalency. Not equivalent exposure, equivalency. What the heck is that? Equivalency is a very, very complicated subject matter, but one people have been screaming about because of the last format comparison we did.

RAW vs JPEG: Explaining the Difference with a Box of Cereal

In running my photography channel, I get a lot of questions about RAW files vs. JPEG, and some people not fully grasping exactly what RAW files really are. So, I figured a box of cereal may simplify things. Read on.