By photography template I mean pre-defined, well-known and efficient photography composition templates that are recurrent and relevant in photography, and fit popular “good taste”. Knowing your usual and favorite photography templates will help you be faster and thus nail the shot when things happen very quickly, which is very often the case when photographing people. So before I talk about the use of these templates and the positives they bring us as well as their dangers, let’s try and define those I personally use on a daily basis....

If I lay my cards on the table, in my personal and professional work I prefer to avoid the use of flash in favour of natural light. In an ideal world, I like nothing better than working with a fleeting beam of winter sunlight that glances across a face full of character, producing the type of photograph that would typically grace the cover of National Geographic. The trouble is, as a busy corporate photographer, it’s much more likely I have to take a series of senior executive portraits from a basement office, generously artificially lit with horrible overhead fluorescent tubes, working to shoot directors who can spare about three minutes of their time and are itching to be off back to work....

Over the past year or so, my trusty Nikon D7000 has collected more dust than it has beautiful memories. Sure, the pandemic was partially the reason, but even with that on the side, I noticed that I more often grab my phone to shoot than I do my camera. It got me thinking – am I going backward as a photographer? Am I downgrading and degrading? In this article, I’d like to reflect on some of the reasons for the change and hopefully give some insights to all of you who may have made the same switch....

Instagram has announced some changes in the app with the aim of protecting teens. From now on, users under 16 (or 18 in some countries) will have their accounts set to private by default. Messaging between kids and adults will be limited as well, and so will the ads teens can see on the platform. Private accounts “Wherever we can, we want to stop young people from hearing from adults they don’t know, or that they don’t want to hear from,” Instagram writes in an announcement....

While the popularity and frequency of use on Instagram can bounce a little up and down, it’s certainly not dying yet. In the last few months, they’ve been adding more features to try to expand the platform’s capability. They’ve taken a leaf from Snapchat’s book with Stories, and they even hope the platform will become the future of online shopping. With over 300 million daily active users and over 95 million photos & videos posted every day, there are, of course, lots of comments....

One of the most inconvenient things about Instagram is that it doesn’t allow you to send direct messages through the desktop app. Well, not for long, as it seems. Instagram is finally testing this feature, and it could soon become possible to read and write direct messaging on your computer. According to Engadget, direct messages on the web are currently available to a “small percentage” of users worldwide. The feature itself doesn’t bring anything new: you can see message notifications, read or write regular and group messages, and “like” the messages in your inbox....

Shark Week is just around the corner, but it seems one lady decided to get into the spirit of things a little early. The BBC reports that “Instagram model” Katarina Zarutskie was on vacation in the Bahamas with her boyfriend and his family. Naturally, she wanted to make the most of the beautiful environment for her feed, so photos were taken. After spotting people snorkelling and interacting with a pack of nearby nurse sharks, she decided that this would be a great opportunity for photographs....

Instagram has been quietly prompting single-account users to set up multiple accounts. While reminding you to take a break, Instagram is simultaneously encouraging you to become even more active on the app. Ironic, isn’t it? According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, single-account users are getting a prompt to “try a new account” when they long-press their profile icon in the bottom right. For those of you with multiple accounts, it’s the same place where you go to toggle between them....

Instagram has launched Remix, a new feature under Reels that lets you collaborate with other users. Just like Reels itself, Remix also comes from TikTok and incredibly reminds of its Duet feature. The Remix feature is automatically enabled under Reels as of today. You can record your video next to someone else’s in real-time, or choose to upload an already filmed video from your gallery. If you’ve already posted some Reels to your account, you’ll have to adapt them for the latest feature and enable it manually in every video....

After announcing the return of chronological feed, Instagram has finally lived up to its promise. The platform has rolled out the global test, so some of you can now choose between three different feeds, including the one that arranges the posts in chronological order. Adam Mosseri announced the new features on Twitter, explaining how they will work. Basically, you get to choose between three different feeds: Home – this is Instagram as you see it now....

How many times have you gone out to shoot landscapes and found yourself hiding from the rain, having the quintessential car-picnic? Depending on where you live it could be pretty often. Childhood holidays were usually spent in Wales or Devon for me so I’m pretty used to wet weather. A Spanish person actually once asked me how was it possible to live in such a wet country? Not only that but so-called bad weather can often yield some of the most beautiful and moody images....

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope sent its first photos earlier this year. Since then, it has come a long way, going through seven stages of mirror alignment. Astrophotography and astronomy fans, rejoice: Webb’s mirror alignment has now reached its final stage, and this is the final countdown until it’s fully operational. Let’s start with a quick recap. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was sent into space on 25 December 2021....

French magazine L’Officiel, announced the creation of an American edition of their magazine, L’Officiel USA, in 2017. Since that time coverage has included fashion shows from around the world, restaurants and other businesses, profiles of celebrities such as singer Chaka Khan and writer Elizabeth Wurtzel. And to create much of this content, they’ve made use of freelance creators. Well, now, L’Officiel USA has been sued by the City of New York, on behalf of freelance photographers, writers, producers, illustrators and more who claim they have either not been paid in a timely manner or in some cases, not paid at all....

This whole Laowa Argus lens lineup thing’s been a bit of a ride. The first indication that they were coming was back in January last year. In March, rumours appeared of six new lenses coming, to be expected in 2021. In December, an image of a 35mm f/0.95 was leaked. And in January this year, it looked like the whole lineup might have been announced. Nope, it was just confirmation they were coming....

If you were wondering what may be in store for the new DJI Phantom 5, here is a hint of what may be coming soon. While those photos are not confirmed (DUH!!), we have a good reason to believe that OsitaLV, the Twitter user who shared the photos is spot on and is not spoofing. Rainproof? One illustration shows that the “cooling hole of the motor has been moved to the bottom, and battery has more sealing rings....

I know things with Leica written on them are supposed to be expensive, but wow. Leica has been producing Noctilux lenses for over 50 years. It kicked off in 1966 with the Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 at Photokina in 1966. That lens today has been updated with an f/0.95 aperture. Leica say that the new Noctilux-M 75mm f/1.25 ASPH is even better, and even more expensive. At $12,795, one would hope so, too....

Somewhere between an action light and a studio light, there is a need for a particular light. For all intent and purposes, we will call that light a mini LED panel. The studio mini panels are brighter than average action lights but they fit in your bag and operates on batteries. We rallied two of our favorite panels – Litra Studio ($399) and Lupo Kickasspanel ($298). But which panel came out on top?...

Darktable is an open-source alternative to Lightroom, and it seems to be growing in popularity, especially since it became available for Windows. The new version is now available for Windows, iOS, and Linux, and just like the previous ones, it’s completely free. The new version of Darktable brings some changes and new features, both big and small. First, the graphic user interface has been completely reworked. You can choose between different themes, and there are eight of them....

Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best ones. This video from Dave Knop a.k.a. Knoptop shows one of such solutions. He uses a simple stretchy keychain to make follow focus, and it seems like this stretchy wristband is a handy knick-knack to have around. Dave uses a Key Band-It Stretch Wristband, a handy little keychain that costs around $8. You can keep it around your wrist to keep the keys with you, but it’s also a handy DIY follow focus....

Light diffusion panels cost very little when you make them yourself, and to do so is very simple. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked about diffusion panels and where I am getting them from. The ones I use in my studio have all been custom-made to fit my needs, and I’ll show you just how to make your own one below. Firstly, you will require a frame or border that encases the paper or cloth....