Opinion

Carpenters are known to say things like, “Measure twice and cut once.” It’s hard to argue with that advice. But what about photographers? Should we trust the words of folks who deal mainly with images? 

We couldn’t stump you with 13 general photography questions last week, so let’s see how you do on a lens quiz. Answers at the end—peeking is for haters only. 

When getting started in photography, it's easy to get enamored with all the enticing equipment out there and go on a spending spree, listening to everything everyone suggests you need in the process. However, most of the photo gear people say you "absolutely need" to be a successful photographer isn't as important as they may make it seem, and it's critical to develop your own workflow of tools.

We have sung the praises of the Nikon Df on Shutterbug several times before so it’s nice to know we’re not the only ones still infatuated with this retro-styled DSLR from 2013. Photographer Mattias Burling who takes second looks at recent classic cameras on his excellent YouTube channel has put out a video titled “5 Reasons to Buy a Nikon DF in 2018 - As underrated as it gets.

When applied to humans, the word “character” has two distinct meanings, an oddball or eccentric as in “Fred is a real character” or a morally upstanding person, as in “Charlie is a man of unimpeachable character.” When it comes to machines created by humans, the word “character” conveys a slightly different constellation of meanings, hovering somewhere between “having lovable defects” like an old Model T Ford, and expressing a distinctive personality, like a classic Ferrari.

Even people who are passionate about photography often make common mistakes that prevent them from reaching their maximum potential. No one is immune. To advance to the next level of proficiency, overcome the tendency to fall victim to these common goofs.

The flash bracket has become the “forgotten accessory” in photography but it’s still an essential tool if you’re looking to achieve consistent studio-quality lighting on the fly.