Fstoppers

The bell above the door hadn't stopped ringing for twenty minutes. It was a Saturday afternoon in March 1985, and Harrison Camera on 47th Street was packed with its usual crowd: wedding photographers arguing about lens choices, art students pawing through used equipment bins, tourists asking endless questions about film types, and the regulars who came not to buy anything but simply to belong somewhere that understood their obsession.

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The DJI Mini 4 Pro is undeniably a marvel of modern drone technology. It is currently the best compact sub-250 g drone that money can buy. Packed with tons of new features such as omnidirectional obstacle sensing, true vertical shooting, and 4K video recording up to 120 fps, it is clearly designed for creators who demand both performance and portability—and for working professionals like me who prefer a smaller drone for easier flight access in most areas. It's easy to see why it's a popular choice among drone enthusiasts.

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Turning your passion for photography into a full-time career can be more realistic than you might think. Success doesn't hinge on talent or gear but on shifting your mindset and actively creating opportunities.

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When dealing with intricate details like tree branches against skies, creating precise masks in Lightroom can feel like an uphill battle. Precise masking is essential to control edits effectively, especially when working with scenes involving complex edges, such as foliage or fine structures.

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Wide angle portraits are uncommon because most people assume distortion ruins them. But understanding distortion can elevate your photography by giving you deliberate, dynamic control.

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The Meike 85mm f/1.8 Pro AF offers photographers a compact and budget-friendly alternative for capturing striking portraits and detailed telephoto shots. Can it keep up with more expensive options?

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Mastering color channels is a powerful Photoshop skill, crucial for achieving precise cutouts and unique creative effects. Channels can significantly elevate your editing capabilities, especially for handling images with intricate details or soft edges.

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I’ve been a fan of SanDisk’s portable Extreme Pro SSDs for many years. When I travel with my laptop, I take a couple with me so I can back up my photos and videos each day. The ones I’ve been using transfer data up to 2,000 MB/s (sustainable read and write speed). They’re also very durable, with good water and dust resistance (IP65).

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How might you take a night photo of an observatory near the entrance of Joshua Tree National Park? We take you behind the scenes to discuss photographing this image for a local magazine and some quick problem-solving. And you'll learn more about how to create photos such as this.

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The chemical stains on Samuel McKinney's hands told the story of his profession before he ever opened his mouth. Fine brown flecks of silver nitrate freckled his fingertips; years of handling pyrogallic developer had yellowed his nails. His clothes reeked faintly of sulfur and ether no matter how many times his wife scrubbed them.

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Camera settings can make or break your images, yet sorting through endless menus to find the right combinations can be overwhelming. Getting comfortable with just a few important settings can greatly speed up your process and improve your results.

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The Fujifilm X-E5 is a mid-range mirrorless camera aiming to deliver the aesthetics and experience of the popular X100 series, with the added flexibility of interchangeable lenses. For many, a compact form with powerful image quality and lens versatility is exactly what's needed, making the X-E5 an intriguing option to consider.

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Real estate photography has always been about precision, speed, and aesthetic intuition. Photographers are the unsung heroes behind listings that sell fast and above the asking price. But as the housing market shifts faster than ever, the expectations for visual content have reached new heights. Enter artificial intelligence.

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Lightroom's AI tools offer a practical solution for common touch-ups when time is limited. Here's how to make the most of them.

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Landscape photography often brings you face-to-face with frustrating situations where great images feel just out of reach. You know that sinking feeling returning home with a card full of disappointing shots and a sense of wasted effort.

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Photography often gets tangled in gear debates and technical perfection. You might be overlooking simpler principles that actually strengthen your work long-term.

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Landscape photographers often argue about the practical value of superzoom lenses. A lens with a broad focal range sounds appealing, but is it truly effective in real-world use?

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Always photograph with the end in mind. Make life easier for the guy in the darkroom, or the person in Lightroom—usually you.

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The photography was stunning—moody, atmospheric, deeply personal. Each image told a story through dramatic lighting and unconventional composition. The photographer's Instagram followers loved it, fellow artists praised the vision, and it even won a local competition. But six months later, the photographer was struggling to book paying clients, questioning whether to continue pursuing photography professionally, and wondering why artistic recognition wasn't translating into business success.

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Masks are essential tools, but many photographers keep their use pretty basic. Complex masks, where you combine or modify multiple masks, can transform your editing process and dramatically improve your images.

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