Have you ever wondered why the images you created a few years ago look very different from the pictures you are taking now? Chances are you became a better photographer. You trained your eye and you got better at post-processing. But I am not talking about the craft. I am talking about the art behind photography. The art that feeds off your emotions. How was your life a few years ago?...

In recent tests from DxO, the camera of Google Pixel 2 takes the first place as the best mobile device camera they’ve tested so far. According to the sample images, it really does a good job, but how does it stack up against a professional camera? Tyler Stalman has decided to check it. In this video, he and photographer Jason Eng test Google Pixel 2 and a Hasselblad medium format system in different lighting conditions, and compare the results....

If you’re thinking about moving to micro four thirds or buying the E-M1 Mark II… maybe read this first, it may actually save you money down the line.For the past year and a half I have been shooting both the top of the range MFT and A7RII on professional assignments. Sadly I ended up often quite frustrated by the poor low light performance of Oly’s cameras as well as the lack of 4K which most of my clients ask from me when I shoot for example cinemagraphs....

Being a full-time huge fan/buddy of the guys over at the RAWexchange store, I often get asked to check out their new material. Well friends, let me tell you that their newest endeavor to start selling in-depth tutorials is one of their best ideas yet. Stefan Kohler created a Colors & Photoshop tutorial that is two and a half hours video. And it’s jam-packed with everything you could ever hope to know about colors and how/why they work the way they do in Photoshop....

We’ve shown you a few different DIY LED light panels before, but technology and techniques evolve. LEDs are always coming out that are better, cheaper, brighter and with higher CRI than the previous generation. Photographers and videographers are now able to more easily address their needs with DIY lighting options, and often at a much lower cost than the commercially available options. In this video from Makify, Vinny walks us through the construction of this super bright LED Light Panel....

It’s funny. Olympus seems to have actually become more prolific since they announced their sale to JIP. They’ve announced the new OM-D E-M10 Mark IV camera, the 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS lens, unveiled a new lens roadmap, and told us how their stabilisation works. Ok, admittedly, that last one was filmed last October, but still, Olympus Europe has been going crazy on the video content lately. This one is really something, though....

You’ve probably heard you need to have good light for portraits. Okay great, but what does that mean exactly, and how do you find that elusive good light? In this article you’ll get some tips on how to recognize different kinds of light, and make choices based on the look you want for the final portrait. You’ll also learn about open shade, quality of light, direction of light and how to bring it all together so that you can work faster, smarter, and with less gear....

I’m in a lot of flash and lighting groups on Facebook, and the amount of gear lust shown in them often surprises me. As do the excuses people come up with as to why the light in their images doesn’t look as well as it could. The vast majority of the time, the lighting inadequacies aren’t down to the gear they use, but the application of it. Sure, there are times when the lighting gear absolutely matters....

I’ve seen some pretty weird cameras during my days here at DIYP. Creative folks made them out of most random things: from a pineapple or a mannequin, all the way to giant ones made out of old vehicles, and even buildings. Just when I think I’ve seen all the unusual camera ideas, creative people surprise me with more awesome DIY projects. One of those people is a lady who goes under the nickname amuu....

Guys at raw.exchange offer tons of great resources for photographers and retouchers. They are devoted and serious and put a lot of effort in their packages, and for this article, they shared with us how they built a “rusty wall” background – out of wood! “Why would you make a DIY rusty wall” you may ask. Well, one of the very attractive packages is their Rusty Wall background textures. It features 82 hi-res background textures of a rusty way, taken from different perspectives....

So, you have decided to turn your photographic skill into a business. It’s a big step, but it may not be easy to start and earn your first money as a professional photographer. In this video, Jeff Rojas shares some valuable tips to help you get started. He gives you three ways to market yourself and make your first $1,000 as a photographer. First of all, you should consider your photography as something of value, and not purely as a commodity....

For those of us born in the 1970s and ’80s, this new phenomenon of mottled, cloudy backdrops appearing in modern portraits is an odd one. You see, back when we were kids, we had horrendously cheesy family and school portraits taken in front of these bizarrely arranged patterns, so to us, it’s pretty weird to see these painted, cloudy backdrops now grace the covers of Vogue and Tatler. Truth be told, I am exaggerating a little....

Now that the Festivals season is starting, I already have 3 confirmed festivals and 3 more to confirm, I thought it would be a good idea to write an article about how I prepare for the beginning of the season. This text is about my process, other photographers do it differently, and serves only to share what has worked for me. If you have any other way to prepare for the festivals please share it....

Food and drinks in ads always look so appetizing. It may take hours, a professional studio, and expensive gear to create these inviting food ads. But if your budget is tight – you can film them too, with a smartphone and plenty of creativity. This video by a Chinese studio is full of examples to show you how to take high-end food videos on a low-budget. And even if you’re not into food ads at all, I’m sure you’re gonna love the creativity behind these shots....

Here comes a quick, easy tip on something you can try in your kitchen with a macro lens. Yesterday as I was doing the dishes, the water stream hit an egg cup and bounced up in a concentrated jet, splashing water up all over me. We have all been there, and we all hate when it happens. But this time, the macro photography lover in me noticed that the structure of the jet that splashed up from the egg cup actually looked pretty interesting!...

In this video, macro photographer Jens from Another Perspective walks us through how to take these intriguing ultra-close ups of your own or somebody else’s iris. Once the iris is cut out from the background in Photoshop it provides a unique view of what the eye looks like, in a way that you would never normally see it. Just a quick word of warning: I’m a bit squeamish when it comes to eyes so for anyone of a similar disposition you might want to skip this tutorial!...

Stabilization gimbals are a big thing now (My guess is that they be the most commoditized item at the upcoming photokina show). I mean you can get a decent gimbal for as low as $200 for an action cam/phone or $700 for a mirrorless camera. Those used to cost thousands just 3 or four years ago. But even the best gimbal still needs to be used correctly to get the best out of it....

Catchlights may be a small detail, but they’re very important in portrait photography. In this video from Light Club, you will learn why these little reflections of light are so essential and what they can do to make your portraits more powerful and help you send a message. We often hear that the eyes are “windows to the soul.” When looking at people, as well as at a photo of them, the eyes can tell you a lot about the emotions....

There’s more to getting the “film look” with video than simply shooting your camera at 24 frames per second. It’s not just the colour grading, or the lens used, either. These are, of course, factors, but all components of a much greater whole. Issues other than the framerate are mostly variable. One issue that often gets ignored, though, is the shutter speed. In this video from Wolfcrow, Sareesh Sudhakaran tells us how shutter speed affects our footage....

It is not trivial, but with some trickery, you can fool Photoshop’s Sky Replacement AI to replace more than just the sky. You could, for example, swap water as well. Here are the steps you’d need to take to use the sky replacement tool to swap water. The base image Below is the image I will use as an example image. As you can see, this scene doesn’t need a new sky or reflections, but it’s a good image to see as a base image, and I will use it nonetheless, just for example sake....