FStoppers

The camera industry has never been afraid to experiment. Over the years, manufacturers have pushed boundaries with bold ideas, ambitious technology, and sometimes outright gambles. Innovation often comes with risk, and not every product makes it across the finish line successfully.

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Photo competitions offer a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work to an international audience, enhance your portfolio, and, ideally, advance your photographic career. At the same time, the winning images of many competitions often seem intimidating.

Maybe you’ve asked yourself: How am I supposed to capture a moment like this? I don’t live in breathtaking surroundings, I don’t have access to top models every week, and with a job and family, I definitely don’t have months to chase subjects in faraway countries.

After many years of working with competitions such as the...

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Cityscapes in black and white can give you a completely different way of looking at familiar places. Stripping away color emphasizes structure, light, and movement, and it pushes you to think about form instead of surface details. Black and white also makes you notice what’s often overlooked in a busy city frame.

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I recently shot with a brand-new model who had never been in front of the camera before. No prior shoots, runway experience, nothing. Just raw potential and an open mind. Instead of hiding the awkwardness that comes with a first-time model shoot, I did the opposite—I let the camera roll and documented everything, hoping it helps other photographers.

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The 9mm focal length opens creative doors you don’t get with more common lenses. Its perspective exaggeration can give you drama in landscapes and an immersive feel in tight spaces. At the same time, wide angles aren’t easy to master, so having one that balances performance with portability makes the challenge more rewarding. This lens does just that, giving you options without adding weight or cost to your bag.

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The Panasonic Lumix S 100-500mm f/5-7.1 O.I.S. lens is a surprising release. It manages to pack a long focal range into a lens that feels smaller and easier to handle than you’d expect. If you shoot sports or wildlife, you already know how rare it is to find reach like this in a package that won’t demand a huge bag or tripod every time you take it out.

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The gear keeps getting smarter, but that doesn’t make photographers better. Here are the timeless skills no camera will ever master for you.

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Skin retouching is one of those techniques that can make or break your image. Done poorly, it looks artificial and distracting. Done well, it elevates a portrait without stripping away natural character. Learning how to work on both the tiny details and the larger tones is what separates basic cleanup from professional-level editing.

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I recently shot a roll of side-by-side photos in the Ricoh GR1 and the Minolta TC-1. I loaded both of these compact classics with Kodak Portra 160 and shot the images around Brisbane.

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A 6mm circular fisheye lens isn’t something you come across every day, and it immediately changes how you think about composition. With a 220° field of view, it literally captures more than your eyes can see, making it both a challenge and an opportunity. Shooting with it demands new habits, like holding your camera far out to avoid including your own arms in the frame.

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For portraits on medium format, you may not always want absolute sharpness. There are times when you want softness, glow, and character in your images, and certain lenses can give you that mood in ways others cannot. The choice of lens affects not just the look of your photos but also the way you approach shooting.

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Let’s discuss insights from a video by Pit Haupert on effectively using a 35mm lens for photography. It highlights key composition techniques to enhance the clarity and appeal of images captured with this lens.

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The Viltrox AF 14mm f/4 Air lens is compact, light, and priced at just $200. For travel, street work, or simply keeping your kit lightweight, this kind of wide angle option changes how you think about what you pack, opening up creative framing possibilities without taking up much space in your bag.

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This lens is definitely not what we expected, and I’m saying that as a good thing. Gone are the days of wide lenses being such a hassle to use, and this lens is one of the reasons behind that.

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We’ve reached the limits of physics, but not of imagination. The next great leap in photography will come from computation, not optics.

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For photographers seeking the perfect balance between in-camera creativity and personal style, the quest often leads to a crossroads. On one hand, you have the instant gratification of in-camera film simulations offered by brands like Fujifilm, which deliver stunning, ready-to-share images straight out of the camera. On the other hand, there's the professional's need for a consistent, personalized aesthetic, often achieved through meticulous post-processing and custom presets.

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This article isn’t just another swipe at fluffy branding. It’s about building an authentic photography brand that actually feels believable to potential clients. It’s about tone of voice, copy that works, and knowing the difference between being real and being repeatable.

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Basic retouching changes how your subject looks and how your photo feels. Small distractions like blemishes, redness, or uneven exposure can pull attention away from the person in front of your lens. Learning how to correct them without going overboard makes the difference between an amateur edit and a professional finish.

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The 35mm focal length has always been a workhorse, balancing natural perspective with flexibility across genres. A lens at f/1.2 pushes that versatility further, giving you subject separation and low-light capability that few other options can match.

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Photographing where you live might feel uninspiring at first glance. It’s easy to think that nothing around you is worth documenting, but with the right perspective, even the most ordinary places can become sources of meaningful stories.

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