Educational

PetaPixel's editorials are in-depth stories, thought-pieces, and opinions on the photography industry led by the minds of our editorial team.

How to Get a Press Pass as a Photographer

Shooting from a photo pit or area is an important part of photography niches such as concert and sports photography, but how do you get access in the first place? This is not an easy task but with a little work and dedication, you can position yourself to be allowed in this coveted area.

What is a Rangefinder Camera?

In the photographic arms race, mirrorless systems are on the rise, having pushed DSLRs into the history books. But, just as film isn’t dead, neither are rangefinders. This seemingly obsolete design remains sharp, fast, and challenging enough to suit even the most confident photographers.

ISO in Photography: A Complete Guide

When compared to the other components of the exposure triangle (shutter speed and aperture), ISO appears to be the most intuitive on the surface. It is also the most misunderstood component, and everything from its definition to its usage has been discussed extensively.

Types of Camera Lenses: A Complete Guide

There are many types of camera lenses out there, and it can be a bit confusing and even frustrating trying to sort it out because not every lens will be right for the type of photo you are trying to capture in a particular situation.

Photojournalism: A Complete Guide

Photojournalism tells a story not in thousands of words but in a series of photos. Just as a written news story presents a complete picture by providing an overview, a thesis, subjects, and various points of view, photojournalism achieves this same objective pictographically.

Canon EOS R7 Teardown: Inside the Prosumer APS-C Mirrorless Camera

Canon pushes for the APS-C market by with the new Canon EOS R7 and EOS R10. It’s no surprise that camera giant Canon is continuing with the massively popular mirrorless camera trend. This time around, they’ve decided to shake things up by introducing mirrorless to the smaller, more budget-friendly crop sensor market with these two new camera models.

Oskar Barnack: The Father of 35mm Photography

Few technological achievements have changed not only their field but also the way our world works. The Gutenberg printing press, for example, revolutionized how we communicate, and in doing so changed the course of history. The advent of the 35mm film camera had a similar effect. Imagine a world without today’s cameras and the last century of photography. Impossible, thanks to Oskar Barnack.

Shutter Speed in Photography: A Complete Guide

As perhaps the most important parameter to understand in photography, shutter speed should be one of your first considerations when making a photograph. It’s one of the biggest reasons that photographers might find themselves unhappy with their shots, and having a great understanding of it is crucial to making great images.

What is a DSLR Camera?

If it seems like there’s more new photography technology than what you can keep up with, you are probably correct. However, don’t let that deter you from learning the industry standards and terms within it. One of those terms that you’ll likely come across is the digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, which has been the leading type of camera for still photography throughout the past decade.

Complementary Colors in Photography

Photography, as the name suggests, is the process of creating images with light. But if you use only light, the entire image will be pure white (or any other color). So we also need the absence of light, or shadows, to create and showcase what we want. It's the interplay between light and shadows that creates the final image.

When Was the Camera Invented?

Modern cameras are complicated pieces of technology but in the camera's earliest form, the concepts that led to its invention were formed in the most basic manner, simply the interplay of light, reflection, and shadow. Since our earliest history is unrecorded, we'll never know the exact date some of these techniques were first discovered and who deserves credit for any undocumented observations that contributed to this area of study in the distant past.

What is a Mirrorless Camera?

There is a constant push for faster and lighter technology across different industries, including laptops, smartphones, drones, cameras, and more. In the photography world specifically, mirrorless cameras have appeared on top of the race to overtake DSLR cameras as the industry standard camera for still photography.

What is an FPV Drone? Everything You Need to Know

It's incredibly satisfying to capture awe-inspiring aerial shots with a drone, and while seeing the world from high above is always intriguing, some pilots make an exciting flight as big of a part of the experience as the beautiful scenery that's being highlighted.

What is a Contact Sheet and How Do You Make One?

Film set the photographic standard in more ways than one. The contact sheet, for example, once an essential aspect of the film process, has survived the transition to digital. Although it serves a slightly different purpose these days, the contact sheet can help you see the results of a shoot and make your best photos easier to share.

What is a TIFF File? Everything You Need to Know

TIFF is a fairly common file type and is often requested by print agencies since it was made with printing in mind by a company that developed desktop publishing apps. TIFF has been around for a long time and is very versatile, handling black and white, various color spaces, such as CYMK, RGB, and even spot colors with ease.

The Beginner’s Guide to Tripods

The trusty tripod has remained relatively unchanged as cameras and lenses become increasingly more advanced and complicated. Sure, manufacturers use increasingly more sophisticated materials, such as carbon fiber, but the fundamental character of the tripod has stood the test of time. A tripod has three legs and is a worthy addition to any photographer's kit. There's not much else to say, is there?

Where to Buy Film in 2026

The delayed gratification of film photography pays dividends. While computers speed up the process incredibly, digital photography remains mere data until printed. Film photography rewards photographers with the tingle of suspense, a purely mechanical workflow, and tangible results on physical film. It's a great idea for serious photographers to experiment with film at some point in their journey, especially because it’s still very easy to find.

What is Focus Peaking? A Guide to the Manual Focusing Aid

When using manual focus, it’s difficult to tell exactly where your plane of focus is. It’s possible to make a guess using your eye, but you can still be slightly off and end up with an image that is out of focus. Similar to how histograms take the guesswork out of exposure, focus peaking uses an algorithm and a simple visual aid to help take the guesswork out of manually focusing your lens.

U.S. Passport Cover with DSLR and iPhone

How to Take Your Passport Photo at Home in 2026

A passport is almost always a necessity when traveling outside your country, and a photograph is required along with identity documents, filling out a form, and paying a fee when applying. The photograph is potentially the most challenging part of the process. The good news is that the photo can be taken and printed at home as long as careful attention is given to the rules.

What is EXIF Data in Digital Photos?

In the digital age, there’s a lot more to a photograph than the image itself. When most digital cameras capture an image, they record certain parameters and write them in the image’s file for later use. These parameters are called metadata and are stored as Exchangeable Image File data, or EXIF for short.

Photo Printing: Using a Lab vs Buying Your Own Printer

I'm surprised by the number of people I meet who love to shoot but hate to process. For me, seeing what I captured and what kind of art I can make of the image is half the fun! Printing, of course, is part of that equation.

Nikon Z9 Teardown: A Look Inside the Monster Flagship Mirrorless Camera

The Nikon Z9 is here and ready to take on the Sony A1 and Canon R3 for the title of ‘Mirrorless Flagship.’ We can argue all day about which camera is the best, but there’s no question that this one is the biggest. Mirrorless cameras have all been lighter and more compact than their DSLR counterparts, but with Z9 and the R3, Nikon and Canon have changed that.

How to Help Your Photos Live On After You Die

My wife and I recently spent some time updating our estate plans, or what will happen to our “stuff” after we die. Since we don’t have children and our other family and friends all know us in different ways and for different reasons, it seemed prudent to go ahead and get a first draft of our obituaries going.

Histograms in Photography: A Guide

If you didn’t believe your grade school math teachers when they said you’d use graphs in the real world, you’re about to. In photography, histograms can seem intimidating, but they are incredibly useful tools that are much easier to understand than they appear. Learning about histograms will help you understand exposure, post-processing, and the overall structure of a photograph.

Light Pollution Filters: A Photographer’s Guide

Astrophotography still is one of the most popular photographic genres in the world and as we are in the middle of the Milky Way season, it is a very good opportunity to take an in-depth look in a very helpful accessory for better night sky photos.

Black and White Photography: The Beginner’s Guide

In this era of ubiquitous high-resolution color screens, it seems hard to recall that photography established itself without color. The medium earned its position in the worlds of journalism, popular culture, and fine arts long before Kodak introduced color film. But this does not relegate black-and-white photography to the basement. The genre remains powerful, present, and widely practiced today, with both film and digital cameras.

What is an HEIC File? Everything You Need to Know

An HEIC is a type of image file that contains compressed data, along with metadata such as the location a photograph was taken, the date it was created, and more. While it does reduce picture information, it typically results in a better representation of the original source than an image saved in JPEG format.

10 Tips for Capturing Incredible Photos of Birds

Ben Knoot is a nature photographer and OM SYSTEM Ambassador whose passion for wildlife photography was born from his love of birds. The 26-year-old has traveled the world to document avian life with his OM SYSTEM OM-1 camera and shares his tips for capturing this fast moving and often unpredictable wildlife.

Blue Hour: The Photographer’s Guide

The period of time when the sun is just below the horizon is commonly referred to as “blue hour,” and comes directly before or after golden hour depending on the time of day. While most people know about golden hour’s benefits for photography, blue hour is often left out when thinking about optimal lighting conditions.