[embedded content] As mode photographers, we have more information about photo gear and techniques than ever before. But, one thing that seems to get neglected is just how valuable it is for us to be able to visualize our images before we make them. Ansel Adams was quite literally the master of this...

“The light was everything,” says retired electrical engineer Michael Berger of the Tucson area, where he traveled with the Mentor Series last November. “It’s the kind of lighting that’s hard to find in other places, especially in the wet Northwest where I’m from,” says the resident of Portland, Oreg...

There’s no doubt that the Affinity image editing software is an ambitious project. For $50, you get many of the features you typically only find in top-tier editing programs like Photoshop. Until now, only Mac users have been able to get in on the program, but now they Affinity has a ounced that a W...

Shane Wheel captured this breathtaking scene while exploring the Vatnajökull Glacier National Park in Iceland. The park, home to one of the largest ice caps in Europe, was the perfect setting to create an ice-cave self-portrait. “I wanted to capture the color, texture, and size of the cave in a way ...

Several women I know recently signed up for a service called StitchFix, a company that curates clothing and outfits, then sends them out to their users based on a wishlist. If the customers like the clothes, they keep them and if not, they send them back. Parachut is a company offering a similar ser...

There are certain nightmares that wedding photographers have on a semi-regular basis. There’s the one about the failed memory cards, and the one about the bride who told you one date but meant another. One Massachusetts wedding photographer is living the real-life version of the one where someone st...

[embedded content] Now that the weather has warmed up a bit, I’ve been working on a few drone reviews, and each one is a reminder that I’m not yet a skilled UAV pilot. An even better reminder of that fact was watching this totally bonkers on-board footage from the World Drone Prix race held this wee...

[embedded content] It’s a long-ru ing joke that movie director J.J. Abrams really loves using lens flare in his movies. Both Star Trek and Super 8 were packed with it. Apparently his wife took notice and told him to cut it out. In the photo community, lens flare is a pretty polarizing topic. Some ph...

We spend a lot of time talking about the higher-end camera lines here on PopPhoto.com, but it can be easy to forget that the entry-level is still where camera makers do a ton of their business. This mo ing, Canon a ounced the T6 DSLR built to be affordable and cater to those just making the jump int...

[embedded content] A while back, an ammo company made waves by offering shotgun shells specifically designed for taking drones out of the sky. Now, a British company called Openworks Engineering has taken it a few giant steps forward. The new Skywall 100 bazooka fires a smart projectile with a net t...

If you’re shooting film already, you know that you need to develop a tolerance for uncertainty. Film can be fogged, or wrecked in development. Your shutter might drag or the mirror not swing up correctly. Without an LCD screen built into the camera, you have no way to check whether you got the shot—...

Printing has been on a serious upswing lately in the photographic community, and Canon is carrying on their momentum from the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 with a couple brand new, high-end printers for making fine art photo prints. The imagePROGRAF PRO-2000 (24-inch) and PRO-4000 (44-inc) both use 11 indiv...

Off-camera flash is becoming a necessary skill for many photographers and many of the big camera makers are getting into the business of wireless flash triggering. Nikon a ounced its wireless system back at CES, Canon continues to press forward with their EX-RT-series flashes and now, Sony has a oun...

There are quite a few options out there at the moment for creating a hosting a portfolio site, so offering new features on a regular basis has become pretty important. Now, Format has added client proofing to their suite of photographic services regardless of the subscription level. As part of the s...

My pets are truly a part of my family, therefore, I completely understand when couples want to incorporate them into their wedding and/or engagement portraits. While they’re always cute, animals don’t always behave, so here are some tips for making the most of a couple’s pet portrait. Preparing for ...

If you’re shooting film already, you know that you need to develop a tolerance for uncertainty. Film can be fogged, or wrecked in development. Your shutter might drag or the mirror not swing up correctly. Without an LCD screen built into the camera, you have no way to check whether you got the shot—...

For a long time, the cap on zoom lens aperture sat at f/2.8. Then, Sigma created the 18–35mm f/1.8 zoom lens for APS-C cameras. Now, the company is expanding its line of f/1.8 zooms into the telephoto realm with the 50–100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens. On an APS-C-sensor body (this lens isn’t meant to wo...

It seems like there has been a bit of a boom in the photographer-specific clothing market lately. The most recent version to hit my inbox is from the folks at Genius T with built-in lens cloth material at the pocket or on a patch across the hip. The Pocket Tee seems like the most practical option, w...

A sacred land of abounding beauty, the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota are distinguished by a landscape of sharply eroded buttes, pi acles and spires that define the region. Join the Mentor Series and Nikon professional photographers Michael Clark & Reed Hoffma in South Dakota to hone your ...