FStoppers

Every photographer builds habits over time. Some are good: the little rituals that make your setup faster, your workflow smoother, and your results more consistent. Others are neutral, quirks that don’t matter much one way or another. But then there are the bad habits, the ones that creep in slowly, feel harmless at first, and eventually start sabotaging your work without you even realizing it.

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The Ricoh GR series has built a reputation for being pocket-sized cameras that don’t compromise on image quality. If you want something compact enough to carry anywhere but still powerful enough to replace your phone, this line has been worth watching. The new GR IV continues that tradition while addressing some of the biggest complaints from earlier models.

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In landscape photography, knowledge is often treated like a guarded secret, but I’ve always believed it should be shared freely. With Essential Landscape Photography Skills Volume 2, I wanted to continue what I started with Volume 1—making valuable lessons accessible to everyone at no cost. What surprised me most was how giving away knowledge didn’t just help others grow in their photography; it created a ripple effect that came back to strengthen my own journey too.

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Wedding photographers have been dodging “Uncle Bobs” for decades, but there is a new guest in the way. The content creator is here, and they are not going anywhere.

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The 56mm focal length has long been a favorite for portraits, offering a flattering perspective and natural compression. A lens that brings wide-open sharpness and low-light ability at this focal length is going to attract attention, especially when it’s priced to compete with established options. If you shoot with Sony E or Fujifilm X cameras, a new choice has just arrived that challenges what you might expect from an APS-C lens.

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Introducing Hohem’s latest smartphone gimbal, the iSteady V3 Ultra, an upgraded version of Hohem’s V series gimbal. It brings the functionality of its bigger brother, the M series smartphone gimbal, to this more budget- and consumer-friendly product. This also means that we finally have an affordable AI-powered gimbal that actually allows you to see what it is tracking through the magnetic AI tracker, with the introduction of the detachable touchscreen remote controller.

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The Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II lens is one of those tools that can shape how you approach a wedding day. It’s versatile enough to carry you through both photography and video, which makes it a practical choice when you want to travel lighter or avoid juggling too many lenses. Weddings move quickly, and the ability to adapt in seconds matters.

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Macro photography pushes your camera to the edge of what it can do. The closer you get to your subject, the harder it is to keep details sharp, handle movement, and get enough depth of field to show what matters. Your gear can either make this easier or much harder, and the choice of system has a huge impact on how you work.

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Camera makers design their gear for the broadest possible audience. Out of the box, the settings are meant to serve vacationers, hobbyists, and anyone who just wants to point and shoot without digging into a menu. These defaults are tuned for safety, not precision, and they prioritize avoiding disaster over achieving excellence. That makes sense for casual use, but it’s a silent liability once you start working in professional environments.

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School portrait photographers are usually the joke of the photography industry, but did you know that many of them are profiting over a million dollars a year? Years ago, I tried to break into this industry, but it felt impossible. But now, after talking to Heather Crowder, it doesn't just seem possible, it seems easy.

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Photoshop can feel like a cockpit the first time you open it, and getting your bearings is the difference between guessing and getting real work done. If you edit regularly, knowing where tools live, how panels interact, and which defaults to change saves you hours you can spend making images instead of hunting menus.

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Over the past decade, the number of self-proclaimed photography “educators” online has exploded. With a few clicks and a decent-looking website, anyone can market themselves as a teacher. Many photographers have turned to education as a side income, and some have built thriving communities and valuable programs. Others, however, are selling generic, recycled advice at premium prices without offering real expertise or ongoing support.

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Submit Your Most "Clever" Images!

Welcome to a new Critique The Community! September is usually a month for transition and we want to embrace change. For this month we want to see images that required you to think "outside the box" or use a clever approach that lead you to creating an interesting image.

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The Fujifilm GFX100 II isn’t a casual pick for portraits. It’s a 102-megapixel medium format body that gives you detail and tonal range most full frame systems can’t match.

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DxO PhotoLab has been the editing choice for many photographers since 2017, specializing in correcting optical defects in camera bodies and lenses. It has a large following, but Adobe, with Photoshop and Lightroom, has always been the 800-pound gorilla commanding much of the market.

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The Meike 85mm f/1.8 Pro lens is aimed at giving you a reliable mid-telephoto option without forcing you into the higher prices of first-party glass. If you’re after sharp portraits, controlled depth of field, and a build that feels solid enough for daily use without breaking the bank, it's worth a look.

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A bright and high-quality f/1.2 portrait lens on APS-C is not common, and that makes the Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro worth a closer look. A lens like this gives you shallow depth of field, sharpness, and subject isolation without needing a full frame body.

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In 2025, photography has never been faster or more automated. Cameras track eyes at 60 frames per second and send 45-megapixel raws to your phone in seconds. Yet thousands of photographers are loading Kodak and Ilford rolls, proving film isn’t dead—it’s thriving as a cultural counterpunch.

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As a photographer, have you gotten around to using CFexpress cards despite the higher costs? If not, then this new option just might convince you to change things up.

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Autofocus has gotten absurdly good. Between face detection, subject tracking, and AF that locks onto animals, planes, or even trains, modern cameras often feel like science fiction compared to DSLRs of the early 2000s. You can hand a mirrorless body to someone who’s barely touched a camera, and it will produce usable shots in conditions that used to make pros sweat. But autofocus isn’t infallible, and it never will be.

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