Opinion

Software Subscriptions: Spreading the Cost or Gouging the Customer?

Why pay for something outright when you can borrow it? Renting is an obvious solution - particularly when the item is potentially very expensive - to be able to use something you can't afford. Someone else makes the outright purchase and you pay them a small fee to have exclusive use.

The Dos and Don’ts of Giving Photography Criticism

I’d like to start by saying that I feel the word ‘criticism’ is interpreted by some as inherently negative, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Throughout this article, I’ve used the words ‘critique’, ‘criticism', and ‘feedback’, interchangeably, because I consider them to be more or less the same in this particular context.

Samsung

When is a Photo Not a Photo?

We've had variations of this discussion a few times, but recent developments appear to keep moving the goalposts. What was once seemingly a simple question to answer is getting a lot more complicated as technology advances.

6 Ethical Considerations When Doing Street Photography

I love street photography, I teach street photography, I promote street photography, I defend street photography, and want everyone to experience the fun of doing street photography!

Introducing Grammar to the Language of Photography

While photography and linguistic language share characteristics, when it comes to actually applying theories and practices between one and the other, it can be hard to remain coherent. This is down to the flaw in thinking that just because a comparison can be made aspects can be transposed between them.

Canon Cracked Image

Canon Has an Image Problem

Canon has an image problem and I'm not talking about photos. The company currently has a battle on three fronts when it comes to the perception of its brand: no third-party lens options, the actions of its printer division, and the company's stance on climate change.

The Best Way to Access Camera Raw Photos on Your Smartphone

It seems like a small request to a simple need... you shoot an event using your main standalone camera and want to upload a few choice shots to social media or send to a client to give them something to post straightaway. Or - as I've done - undertake some quick processing on your phone before sending it to an Instax printer and giving your customer an instant print.

AI Camera

Where is the Line Between a Photo and AI Art?

Last month, the United States Copyright Office determined that artificial intelligence (AI) artwork cannot be copyrighted. That's great, but with so much AI being added to cameras, where is the line? When is a photo no longer a photo?

My Strange Ongoing Troubles with the Canon R5

I’ve been a Canon shooter since I moved into digital about 15 years ago. I had been using Mamiya and Minolta cameras with film and at that time the Canon 50D came out and I decided to give it a go. Since then I worked my way through the 5D lineup to the 5D Mark III and built up a collection of glass that has served me well.

Good Hobby vs. Great Hobby, and Why Photography is One of the Best

What makes a great hobby? Most people don’t have to ask themselves this, they just naturally gravitate to activities they enjoy and make time for them–but I’ve had to think about this for years. It’s an important question, particularly when your time is being pulled in multiple directions!

Why Film Photography is the Antithesis of AI Art

The camera is a reasonably recent image-creation tool; compared to millennia of paintings, drawings, carvings, and illustrations, we have only a few hundred years of photographs and photographic development. What photography offers compared to those ancient arts is (relative) immediacy and accuracy.

Photos taken with micro four thirds

Your Disdain for Micro Four Thirds is Misguided

Micro Four Thirds (MFT) is perhaps the most derided of all camera formats in modern digital photography. It is constantly overlooked, scoffed at, and is the subject of disdain. It really shouldn't be, and you all are way too hard on it.

The Best and Worst Parts of Being a Wedding Photographer

It looks like a glamorous job, taking photos in beautiful places and a dance party every night. Or maybe it looks like the worst job ever, dealing with high expectations and family drama. Wherever you stand on the subject, listen up because I’m going to share the best and worst parts of the job to help you decide if you should be a wedding photographer.

Will AI Destroy the Professional Headshot Industry?

The world is ablaze with talk of ChatGPT, one of the latest AI (artificial intelligence) applications revolutionizing everything from research and copywriting to blog and ad creation to college essays. Noticed or unnoticed, these applications have seeped into nearly every part of our world.

Nikon Camera

Nikon is Doing Everything Right

It is time to give kudos to a company that was not too long ago floundering at the bottom of the financial heap and appeared to be close to completely collapsing: Nikon.

Are You Really Starting a Conversation With Your Photography?

The social aspects of social media, the propagation aspects of propaganda, and the “logos” aspects of dialogue all depend on one thing: communication. A photograph can be a very powerful medium for communication, using visual symbols to represent what a photographer saw, or created, containing in part or in whole their message.

How School and Sports Photos Made Me a Better Fine Art Photographer

When first starting my photography like many people, young and naïve, I immediately googled "how to be a paid photographer" almost immediately I found a job opening for a local school and sports photography business. I had been dreaming of being a successful artist my entire life and here was my chance!

Bold Predictions 2023

PetaPixel’s Bold Camera Predictions for 2023

Carrying on a tradition we started last year, PetaPixel has gathered its staff together to discuss the things they know, not just think, will take place over the course of the next calendar year. We're ready to be very, very wrong.