guides

Best Smartphone for photography comparison

The Battle of the Big Three: Which Smartphone Delivers the Best Images?

With the recent release of the Samsung S24 Ultra, North America now has three premium-priced phones that happen to compete in a very similar way against each other. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and Samsung S24 Ultra, all have state-of-the-art displays, HDR-compliant photos and videos, and a 5X telephoto lens to compliment the main and ultra-wide cameras.

Two versions of the same image of a girl in a wheat field with drastically different colors.

What is Color Space and Why Does it Matter?

For most photographers, color is a crucial component of their images. As a result, it only makes sense to want the colors that you envision to come through in the same way when others view your photographs. That can be easier said than done, however.

Camera insurance guide

Best Photography and Camera Insurance Providers in 2024

Photographers of all skill levels should strongly consider insuring their camera equipment. Whether you are an amateur who cannot afford to replace damaged to stolen gear or a working professional who cannot risk missing out on paying jobs, you should consider protecting your equipment with photography insurance and/or camera insurance.

Essential Apps for Photographers

Essential Photography Apps in 2024

Like most people, photographers are rarely caught without their smartphones. There are so many great apps available on iOS and Android devices that a photographer's phone can become an integral part of their kit.

Portable SSDs

The Best Portable SSDs in 2024

PetaPixel has long been a fan of SanDisk products due to their once-sterling reputation and often excellent performance. However, some of SanDisk's portable SSDs fail so frequently that we can no longer recommend them. So with that in mind, what are the best alternatives?

How to Photograph Sand Dunes

How to Photograph Sand Dunes

It’s never a bad day to capture landscape photography on the dunes. This day, in particular though, was truly one to remember and I share a variety of techniques for how I take photos of sand dunes.

The Best Camera for Photography in 2024

Determining the "best" camera for photography depends heavily on what someone intends to photograph. The best camera for portraits may differ drastically from those for landscape photography, sports, wildlife, or event photography.

How to photograph Manhattanhenge

Manhattanhenge: When and How to Photograph It in 2024

Twice each year, the setting Sun aligns perfectly with Manhattan's street grid, illuminating the north and south sides of every cross street on the island. The event, called "Manhattanhenge," delivers beautiful vibrant colors and, unsurprisingly, is a major draw to locals and tourists alike in New York City.

Canon RF Lenses

The Best Lenses for Canon’s RF Mount

One of our favorite types of video to make is buying guides, to help our viewers decide what products are best for them. It also presents an opportunity for me to share my personal preferences about what I would choose. Our latest episode is all about Canon RF mount lenses, and I give you my favorites in the following categories: ultra-wide, normal primes, standard zoom, telephoto zoom, portrait lenses, and macros.

Best Waterproof Camera

The Best Waterproof Cameras in 2024

Waterproof cameras are the perfect companion for a sunny beachside vacation, an exciting undersea scuba dive, or even shredding snowy slopes. Waterproof cameras allow photographers to capture unique underwater perspectives and photograph beautiful sea life. They also allow for amazing action shots of watersports.

Best-Camera-Drones-of-2022

The Best Camera Drones in 2024

For anyone who has flown a camera drone, there is a lot of fun and excitement unlocked with the new creative angles with their ability to get views and vantage points otherwise inaccessible to a photographer on the ground. While learning how to fly them can be challenging, an epic new view of the area captured from the air is a worthy and exciting reward. Since so many makes and models exist currently on the market, which one is the right choice for you?

What is Crop Factor? Here is What You Need to Know

"Crop factor" is a term that is often heard in the world of digital photography, especially when discussing entry-level cameras. If you have no idea what it means, this article is a basic explanation that should help to fill you in.

The Best Photography Grants and Scholarships in 2024

Every year, millions of dollars in grants are awarded, but most photographers may not know about them. Foundations, non-profits, and private companies are looking for talented photographers with a fresh eye and a new take and are willing to pay them for it. Here are some grants for photographers that are sure to help fund your project in order to tell the story your images will convey, and how to apply for them.

Basic Videography Terms You Need to Know

Photographers who want to expand into videography can often become overwhelmed by the number of terms that are unique to the filmmaking discipline. This glossary of videography terms should help.

No, Grids Do Not Directly Increase Contrast in Photos

One of the biggest challenges for a photographer learning how to light with an off-camera flash isn't necessarily the type of lights they have but rather learning how to control it.

The Best Free Online Tools to Manage Your Photography Business

It is all too easy to fall into a trap of signing up for an ever-increasing number of photography and business tools that entice you with the promise of better organization and communication but lay on costly monthly subscriptions. Shed that overhead and consider these free alternatives instead.

The Best Free Photo Editing Apps in 2024

We are all likely familiar with Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop as far as editing applications go and a lot of people love these apps for their versatility and powerful suite of features. But they do come with a price, and paying a fee isn't always what every photographer is looking for.

Improve Your Minimalist Photography with These 6 Guidelines

Of all of the artistic photography styles, one of the most interesting is also the most basic-looking. However, don’t let that label fool you, there is nothing basic about the process of successful minimalist photography.

How to Take Gorgeous Smartphone Photos of the Lyrid Meteor Shower

The Lyrid meteor shower happens every year from April 16 through April 26, with the peak occurring typically around April 22. Taking great photos of the event does not require a high-end camera though, and you can get some great results with your smartphone by following these simple tips.

7 Reasons to Add a Noctilux Lens to Your Camera Bag

As a professional corporate photographer who completes around 300 professional assignments a year and has done so for many years, I have used a number of modern, ultra-fast lenses made by excellent optical equipment manufacturers, but I keep on coming back to the Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 lens by Leica.

Free Pricing Guides Help Budding Photogs Navigate the Business Side of the Industry

One of the challenges if you're just now carving out your niche in this crazy world of professional photography is figuring out how to price your work. How exactly do you determine how much your photos are worth, what expenses can you expect to run into, what contracts are you likely to run into and what exactly do they mean?

All of this and more is explained in a series of free guides that PhotoShelter has released over the course of the last year. Starting with Magazine Photography, then Corporate & Industrial Photography and finally finishing off the series with a guide for Photojournalists.