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...
Shooting With The Kolari Vision 720nm and 850nm Anti-Reflective External Infrared Filters
I upgraded from an infrared-converted Nikon D7200/720nm to a Nikon D750/550nm combination this past spring. Although I suspected the D750/550nm filter would suffice for most of my infrared needs, I was hesitant to forego the bright whites produced by the 720nm filter. As such, I decided to test two of...
Tokina 300mm f/4 ATX Review
The Tokina 300mm f/4 ATX lens is a budget lens option for DSLR shooters. Its design dates to the early 90’s and this lens has received rave user reviews on camera forums for its sharpness and durability. Its all-metal design and f/4 max aperture make it stand out from other...
How to Update Firmware on Fujifilm Cameras
If you own a Fuji X-Series camera and you aren't regularly upgrading the firmware you may be missing out on a number of features that your camera has to offer. Firmware is the software that is operating your camera, and it is responsible for a surprising percentage of your camera's...
Using the High Pass Filter for Image Sharpening in Adobe Photoshop
There are a lot of different ways to sharpen images in Adobe Photoshop. In this article I’m going to share one of my favorite methods which uses the High Pass filter. Photoshop offers a number of filters and tools dedicated directly to sharpening images, so it might seem strange to...
Fuji X100F Review
The X100-series cameras have been very popular since they were introduced to the market and the X100F is the fourth iteration of the product. Sporting a 24.3 MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor, a fast X-Processor Pro image processor, an improved 91-point AF system and an updated button layout with joystick...
7 Methods to Create Realistic HDR Images
Mention the phrase "HDR photography," and you will definitely get some cringes. HDR is one technique that you either love or hate. Fortunately for me, I have been using this technique to create many of my images ever since I picked up a DSLR, and it is a tool I...
Photographing Bhutan
Fine art travel photographer David Lazar first became fascinated with Bhutan after winning a photography contest in 2010, and then enjoying the fruits of his first prize – a free trip to the mysterious, “Land of the Thunder Dragon”. When he had the chance to return earlier this year, he...