When the Peak Design Travel Tripod was first announced and released, I did scoff at it. I thought it was nothing more than just an overpriced tripod. As someone who currently owns the Manfrotto Befree tripod, I thought this release from Peak Design was silly, to say the least. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Usman Dawood

The post Review: Struman Optics Cinematic Lenses for Smartphones appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lee Herbet. The argument of whether smartphones can take good photos or not has been settled – they can! In this article, we are going to have a look at a set of lenses for smartphones from an Australian company, Struman Optics. While there are many lenses for smartphones on the market, I found a manufacturer that many, including me, had not heard of. Read on to find out how they perform. I remember Scott Bourne once said on a podcast that when he was shooting a wedding, he had an “Uncle Bob” turn up with a “nicer camera” than his DSLR....

It’s here — tomorrow we kick off two full days of live online Lightroom learning featuring two simultaneous training tracks, taught by the very best instructors in the business. Hundreds and hundreds of photographers around the world have already signed up to be a part of this ground-breaking online event, and if you want to join in, it’s not too late. Head over to lightroomconference.com right now and grab your ticket (don’t wait until tomorrow and wind up paying full price — get your ticket at a big discount today). If somehow you’re just hearing about this, check out the video below: We’re bringing the Lightroom superstars together to make this the Lightroom training event of the year, and we’d love for you...

The color that’s portrayed in a photo has a subconscious impact on the viewer. To analyze every hue and how they impact the brain necessitates a chapter of text. Here’s the abridged version: Blue:  tranquility, peacefulness, confidence  Yellow: warmth, caution, energy  Green: life, freshness, growth Purple: luxury, passion, wisdom  Red: danger, heightened emotion, excitement, love Black: mystery, horror, powerWhite: hope, purity, simplicity The primary focal point of color that captures the eye in a photo conveys a message of the above qualities. The more a single color arrests what’s seen, the greater the message. This got me thinking about a topic for this week’s tip: What if a photographer was to highlight a single color? What if you compose an image where just a small section...

To be a great travel photographer it requires more than just the ability to capture pretty photo — in fact, sometimes the photos don't have to be pretty at all. This is a long video, so grab a coffee/tea/beer, and prepare to absorb some quality knowledge from a professional travel and documentary photography. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Mike O'Leary

The Canon C500 Mark II is not cheap, but with that price tag comes an impressive range of features sure to satisfy a lot of professionals. This excellent review gives a great overview of the camera and what you can expect in shooting with it. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Alex Cooke

Sony’s first foray into the world of mirrorless full-frame cameras came in the shape of the a7 in 2013. Seven years later, how does this camera stack up against today’s cameras, and is it still a worthwhile purchase over more recent APS-C models? [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Andy Day

Photo By Timothy Minnick Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Snow Geese” by Timothy Minnick. Location: Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. “Snow geese in flight just after dawn at Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge,” describes Minnick. “Panning while using a shutter speed that blurs the moving wings while still keeping the birds’ bodies reasonably sharp was key to this image.” Canon 7D, Canon 500mm F4 IS L lens. Exposure: 1/40 sec., f/5.6, ISO 400. Photo of the Day is chosen from various OP galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and the OP Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the OP website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo...

Laowa, the king and queen of interesting lenses, have released a 9mm non-fisheye lens. That is, an ultra wide-angled prime lens, with "zero distortion." [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Robert K Baggs

The post 5 Post-Processing Effects to Instantly Enhance Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey. Do you want some quick and easy ways to improve your images with post-processing effects? Look no further. Because this article will give you 5 excellent post-processing effects to take your photos to the next level, instantly. And best of all: You can use them in pretty much any editing program and on pretty much any photo! Sound good? Let’s dive right in. 1. Increase the contrast and saturation for more powerful photos This effect is extremely easy, and yet sometimes easy is best: Boost the contrast. And then boost the saturation. Because here’s the thing: Most photos suffer...

There is no doubt that a lot of photographers have strong opinions about Lightroom, but it remains the standard application for cataloging photos and performing basic global edits for a lot of creatives. This great video discusses three things one photographer loves about the program and three things he hates. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Alex Cooke

Most professional photographers use full frame, medium format, or APS-C cameras, though micro four thirds has been chugging along for a little over a decade now and maintains a loyal contingent of users who value its especially compact size. Are the tradeoffs in sensor size worth the portability and other features? This great video discusses one photographer's experience with the system after two years. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Alex Cooke

Justin and Kirby share some great tips on how to pose normal people. What do you do when your subject isn't an experienced model? Give them lots of encouragement, and show them the poses you have in mind. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Louise Downham

Photo By Max Foster “I had the opportunity to fly over Iceland for three hours in a small plane,” says Foster. “I wanted to see the plentiful river deltas and wasn’t disappointed. Although shooting from the plane was difficult, it was very rewarding! I contended with vibration and wind, but with a fast shutter and shooting in continuous mode, I was able to get many keepers.” See more of Max Foster’s photography at www.maxfosterphotography.com. Photo of the Day is chosen from various OP galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and the OP Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the OP website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By...

California is a place we all seem to hold a special place for. It is the subject of songs, movies, and the dreams of many Americans. Take a moment to see how beautiful the Golden State landscape truly is in this stunning time-lapse video. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Michael B. Stuart

The post Creative Photography Exercises to do at Home (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk. If you are stuck at home and bored, why not try some of these great creative photography exercises to get you upping your photography skills and relieving your boredom at the same time? You can do so with this great video from our friends over at Cooph, who have gone to the effort of compiling some of their great at-home creative photography exercises into one video. Some of the techniques include: Photography with Food and drinks – using things like coffee, avocados and more.Kitchen Views – inside the fridge, using your sink, dishes and cutlery. Using your cupboards as...

A woman from Kazakhstan fell over 100 feet to her death on Sunday after she climbed a safety barrier to take a photo celebrating the end of her city's pandemic lockdown. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Alex Cooke

Fighting off cabin fever while stuck indoors is hard to do. Trying to be creative can also be a real challenge. Check out this video full of tips to break you out of your isolation woes. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Michael B. Stuart

In this video walkthrough watch, as I show you how I created this stylized female boxer composite portrait image in Photoshop. [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Clinton Lofthouse

It was the year of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, iTunes, the final Concorde flight, and the invasion of Iraq. George W. Bush was President, and Tony Blair Prime Minister, whilst Serena beat Venus at Wimbledon and the Devils won the Stanley Cup. In cinemas "Matrix Reloaded," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Finding Nemo," and "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" first aired. But what happened during 2003 in the photographic world? [ Read More ]Original linkOriginal author: Mike Smith