So You Want to Make a Movie? How Are You Going to Pay For That?

In an industry dominated by budgets in the millions, or even hundreds of millions, how can an independent filmmaker get their vision to market? YouTube, VIMEO, luck? The festival circuit? Making a movie is expensive, so how does a rising artist find enough financial support to break into the business of film?

Useful Gimbal Tripod Head Configuration Tips

When I purchased my first large zoom lens it came equipped with a tripod foot. I quickly learned that a standard ball-head wasn't the best way to use one of these beasts on a tripod. This started my venture into the gimbal games and actually helped in ways that I didn't anticipate.

Think You're Getting All The Resolution out of Your Sensor?

It seems each recent camera announcement has brought a higher megapixel count — including Sony's latest 60mp+ release. But whether you're shooting on 24mp APS-C, 50mp full frame, or 100mp medium format, you might not be getting all the resolution you paid for. Check out this list for 3 clarity-robbing problems and their fixes.

First Transgender Woman Cast in Victoria Secret Catalog

Victoria's Secret has cast Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, an openly transgender woman, for a catalog photo shoot. This announcement marks the first time Victoria's Secret has cast a transgender person for a catalog or brand campaign. Does this mean the lack of diversity and inclusion in the advertising industry is finally changing?

A Review of the Sony RX100 VII Camera

Sony's RX100 line of cameras is well known for packing a ton of technology and great image quality into a very tiny package, making them an intriguing option for photographers and videographers looking for something they can carry everywhere. This excellent video review takes a look at the latest version to help you decide if it is right for you.

A to Z of Photography: Tilt-Shift and Train Wreck at Montparnasse

This week we turn to a train wreck of an image — yes the iconic photo "Train Wreck at Montparnasse Station"! But before we get to that, step back to the dawn of photography and understand the principles behind tilting and shifting the lens relative to the sensor. Some of the highest profile photographers use tilt-shift lenses in their day-to-day work, so find out why that is.

Marie Kondo Helped Me Clean My Portfolio

At the start of the new year, Netflix released the cultural hit show, "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo". No show has made me change my lifestyle around more than this one was able to. But I didn’t just use it to clean my room, I used her methods to clean my portfolio.

I Let My Clients Pay What They Wanted and the Results Amazed Me

My business is about 90 percent dealing with individuals, and about 10 percent working with brands. I just moved into a new live/work studio and, to help break it in, I decided to hold a "Pay What You Can" sale and the results made me change my entire business model.

Motorola Has Had Enough of Your Vertical Videos

Smartphones are naturally held in a portrait orientation, which naturally leads to videos being filmed in portrait orientation. Motorola is seeking to change that with their newest phone.

Doing the Vertical Video Thing

Our usual way of looking at scenes and people and all the things in the world is at 120-200° depending upon the different things that we see. We were use to seeing our horizontally. That is until we got into smartphones and further into Instagram stories.

Why Instagram Should Hide Follower Counts and Why It Never Will

Instagram appears to be in the process of rolling out a surprising change to its platform: hiding the number of times that a post has been liked. While the internet giant claims that it’s making the change in to help us focus on the thing we love, the truth is different. If it really wants to improve things, it should go one step further and hide follower counts too. You can be sure, however, that it never will.

The Best Way to Get Into FPV Drones

Drones are great tools for photography and video, but with technology changing at such a rapid pace, racing drones (FPV) are becoming much more popular and in demand for commercial work. It can be a little overwhelming to learn this technology all at once, so I am here to help you with your first setup.

What Can You Accomplish With a $79 Camera?

Photographers love their advanced and expensive gear; it makes our jobs much easier and can produce some absolutely stunning results in the right hands. But what can you accomplish with a $79 camera that's over a decade old? The results might surprise you.

Check Out This Incredible Behind the Scenes Look at Filming a Wedding

Wedding videography is a grueling, difficult job full of all sorts of challenges of both the creative and technical variety, and watching a skilled videography team can be tremendously instructive whether you are new to the field and looking to learn or a seasoned master looking for new tricks and ideas. Check out this incredibly comprehensive behind the scenes look at everything that goes into filming the big day.

The Overlooked Importance of a Focal Point in Photography

It is easy to overlook just how important having a really strong focal point is to making a photograph truly successful. This insightful video discusses the multitude of ways a focal point helps a photo and how you can improve your own.

How Good Is Fujifilm's Budget X-A5 Camera?

The Fujifilm X-A5 is remarkably cheap, coming in at just $499 including a widely respected kit lens, making for inexpensive entry into the popular X Series. But can it hold its own against its more powerful siblings and will it stand up to the demands of a professional photographer? This great review will answer just that question for you.

Published Images that Earned You Money
Critique the Community

Published Images that Earned You Money

Submit your favorite images that have made you money for your chance to win a free Fstoppers tutorial.

When it comes to maintaining a photography business, the images that make you money are the ones that really matter. For the next episode of Critique the Community, we will be providing feedback to only images that have generated income for you. 

This contest has ended.

Critique the Community Automotive

Congratulations to the Winners!

Although Lee and Patrick aren't car experts, they still can discern good photos from poorly executed ones. Listen as they critique 20 images from the Fstoppers Community and let us know if you think they're feedback was on point. 

Getting Paid Multiple Times: What Motivates You?

Recently, a special delivery unexpectedly arrived for me. It was a trophy from the Telly Awards for a Cape Town guide that I filmed for Expedia. Winning awards has never been a motivation for me, but this one felt really good. It made me consider all the different forms of payment we can get from photography.

When Photographers Stop Seeing

On a day-to-day basis, we go through hundreds or even thousands of photographs mainly through social media. Especially for people with many photographer friends, every scroll is a stroll through a usually poorly curated gallery. If you stop and take a close look at most of the photographs, chances are that you will see certain instances where the photographer has "stopped seeing" somewhere in their creative process.

Always Be Patient With Landscapes: Wait for the Right Moment

Everyone who is photographing landscapes knows how important light is. With the right light situations, a boring landscape can transform into something magical. It is not only choosing the golden hour, but also waiting for the right moment. You need to be patient.

These Owls Have Had Enough of This Camera

A common piece of advice given to street photographers is if your subject seems unhappy about the presence of your camera, it's better to simply not take the picture and remove yourself from the situation. It would appear that that advice should extend to owls, as these rather ornery owls took out a camera that was supposed to be secretly observing them, and the resulting video is hilarious.

What Happens When Four Photographers Shoot the Same Model?

The neat thing about photography is how different photographers can have vastly different creative ideas and interpretations of the same subject. This awesome video follows four photographers as they shoot the same model; see what they came up with!

Learn How to Create This Awesome Day and Night Shot in Camera

It is pretty amazing just how much you can accomplish in post-processing software nowadays, but there is something particularly satisfying about creating an image that looks like it took lots of Photoshop work entirely in camera. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to recreate this fascinating day and night image all in camera.

How the Ways We Simulate Sex on Screen Are Evolving

It is a strange thing when you think about it: films have long had fight and stunt coordinators to make the simulation of violence and dangerous situations both look realistic on screen and to protect the actors involved in the scenes. Yet, simulating sexual scenes is often done without expertise and often in very inappropriate ways that can and have seriously affected those involved. Here is how that is changing for the better.

You Shouldn't Be Using Lightroom for That

I'm the first to admit I love Lightroom. Sure, it has its issues, like occasionally slow performance on good hardware and an admittedly aging interface, but I'm comfortable with it. There are a number of tasks, though, that you just shouldn't be using Lightroom for. Want to know what they are?

The DJI Osmo Mobile Just Got... Foldable

There are many smartphone gimbals on the market but one of the most well known comes from the company DJI. The Osmo Mobile 3 is the most convenient version yet considering it is able to fold up for transport, and can be operated with just one hand.

Do You Really Need That Fast, Expensive Lens?

We all love to drool over those beautiful, fast (and oh so expensive) f/1.2 and f/1.4 lenses. But do you really need that top shelf glass, or would you be better served by saving your money and investing in a cheaper version? This great video talks about some of the more intangible facets of lenses and why it's about more than just the widest apertures.

Go Behind the Scenes With a Wedding Photographer and Off Camera Flash

Weddings are a nonstop whirlwind of technical and creative challenges, and the more knowledge and tricks you can have for both categories, the better. This awesome video follows a photographer behind the scenes at a wedding and focuses on his use of off camera flash to help you learn how to quickly and effectively turn dull and drab lighting into professional images no matter where you're shooting.

This Will Help You Book More Photography Clients

Booking clients is easy once you understand how you can be their solution. If a potential client made it from a search engine to your "About Me" page, they've somehow pre-qualified themselves as a client.

Fstoppers Reviews the DJI Smart Controller

The smart controller merges a CrystalSky monitor with a regular controller to offer an all-in-one package. This solution is effective and comes with interesting features.

Why Does the Vibrancy Slider Feel So Good!?

What do oversize truck tailpipes, paleolithic sculpture, and the vibrancy slider have in common? And what might they have to do with helping us create more engaging photographs? Why do some abstract paintings move you and others don't? Why should we react to an abstract work of art at all?