Color spaces are essential in photography; they apply in some way to every photo you take. The most well-known color spaces are sRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB. But what makes them so important? Beware: There’s a lot of misinformation about this topic online. Outdated and inaccurate recommendations abound -...
Post Archive By Spencer Cox - Page 43
The 10 Elements of Composition in Photography
Sometimes, it helps to take a step back from broader discussions on creativity to look at the truly fundamental elements of composition. Although there are countless elements of composition in art as a whole, this article covers the ten most important that are specific to photography - critical parts of...
21 Photography Tips for Intermediate Photographers
In this article, I want to share some of the most important tips I have learned as a photographer over the years - the bits of knowledge that I try to keep in mind for every photo captured, and the things I wish I knew early on. Almost all these...
The Three Elements of a Good Photo
Every successful photo has three things in common, and they’re not particularly surprising. The proper aperture, exposure, and focusing distance? The right camera, lens, and tripod? Successful use of hyperfocal distance, ISO invariance, and ETTR? No! The three variables that matter the most in photography are simple: light, subject, and...
Double the Distance Method Explained
One tricky part of landscape photography, along with other genres such as architecture, is making sure that your nearest and farthest subjects are both as sharp as possible. We’ve written before about a few techniques to maximize front-to-back sharpness, and I thought it would be worth emphasizing one of the...
Best Entry-Level DSLRs of 2024 for Beginners, Ranked
Over the years of working for Photography Life, I've had the chance to test almost every entry-level DSLR out there and review which ones are the best. Today, I’d like to circle back and rank these cameras for photographers who are trying to decide on a DSLR, either for yourself...
Colorado Mountains with the Nikon 58mm f/1.2 Noct
Now that Nikon is releasing a 58mm f/0.95 Noct for their Z system, it’s worth taking a look back at their older Noct lens - the 58mm f/1.2 - if only for curiosity's sake. This is one of Nikon’s most famous lenses, especially for portraiture and nighttime photography, where its...
Comparing 5 Top Wide-Angle Astrophotography Lenses
If you want to shoot sharp photos of stars, it helps to have the right lens for the job. After all, a good lens during the day might be a dud for resolving pinpoint stars in a photo’s corners at night. Here, I’ve tested five popular wide-angle lenses for astrophotography:...
The Refining Process: How to Visualize Your Composition
I suspect that many photographers have realized their best photos frequently come after several “getting there” images - scenes where something interesting stands out, and you gradually improve upon your early attempts, creating a composition that looks more and more refined by the end. The trend has been so clear...
Nikon Z7 First Impressions and Sample Photos
I'm sure you already know that we’re going to test the Nikon Z7 camera to its limits here at Photography Life. We have six orders coming our way in total, and we plan to put each copy through its paces while we travel to Jordan and Turkey throughout October. So...