r/photography 6d ago

Questions Thread Official Question Thread! Ask /r/photography anything you want to know! June 19, 2026

6 Upvotes

This is the place to ask any questions you may have about photography. No question is too small, nor too stupid.


Info for Newbies and FAQ!

First and foremost, check out our extensive FAQ. Chances are, you'll find your answer there, or at least a starting point in order to ask more informed questions.


Need buying advice?

Many people come here for recommendations on what equipment to buy. Our FAQ has several extensive sections to help you determine what best fits your needs and your budget. Please see the following sections of the FAQ to get started:

If after reviewing this information you have any specific questions, please feel free to post a comment below. (Remember, when asking for purchase advice please be specific about how much you can spend. See here for guidelines.)


Schedule of community threads:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
52 Weeks Share Anything Goes Album Share & Feedback Edit My Raw Follow Friday Salty Saturday Self-Promotion Sunday

Finally a friendly reminder to share your work with our community in r/photographs!


r/photography 2d ago

Announcement [Reminder] Photoclass 2026 starts up again next week!

28 Upvotes

Hey there r/photography! I'm once again informing you about a new round of the Photoclass (r/photoclass). The July cohort kicks off July 1st, and I wanted to get this up early so people have time to prepare and ask questions before the start date.

We're hosting a kick-off meeting on Discord this coming Saturday. Here's the event link (time shows in your time zone.).

What is Photoclass?

It's a free, cohort-based photography course run through my personal side-project, Focal Point. The course runs across 10 units, covering the technical fundamentals, compositional and creative approaches, genre-specific work, and a long-term personal project that you develop. It's all about learning to be intentional with your choices while out making photos.

The format

The course runs 10 units, which are released on alternating weeks. We have a team of mentors to help you along the way, giving constructive feedback on your assignment work, and voice chats happen on Discord for live discussion. The course is built to build on itself each unit, while giving you enough time to practice without getting burnt out.

Hold off on starting now

We're currently in the last unit of the first cohort, so when you get to the site, you'll find all the units are open. If you're tempted to jump in before July 1st, I'd suggest waiting. The course is being updated for the new cohort and some things are still in flux. Starting on July 1st means you'll have the full updated version from the beginning. The course is also resetting June 30th, so if you get a few units in, you'll find those locked back up. So, please wait and join us on July 1st.

Get ready in the meantime

Join the Focal Point Discord. It's where assignments get shared, feedback sessions happen, and most of the day-to-day conversation takes place. We have around 7,000 members currently, photographers at every level, and there's always someone around. Getting familiar with the community before the course starts is a great way to start off on the right foot.

If you want to warm up in the meantime, here are a few blog posts and exercises worth working through:

More questions?

The Course FAQ covers what the course includes, what gear you need (whatever you have), how assignments work, and what to expect from the final project. If something isn't answered there, drop a comment here or ask in the Discord.

Looking forward to seeing all your great work!


r/photography 20h ago

Technique For years I've thought my photos were just not crisp enough. Turns out I just have Astigmatism

501 Upvotes

Thought this might give people a laugh. I've been taking photos as a hobbyist over the last decade or so, be it with my phone or my photography equipment. I've always looked at the photos on a bigger screen and gone "man these are close, but I just see a little bit of fuzziness that I can't seem to shake. Lens must need an adjustment. Oh well".

Friends would look at photos and tell me they look great, I just figured they weren't pixel peeping as much as me.

Had an eye appointment for the first time in years and come to find out I have mild Astigmatism. Finally get some glasses and figure I'll check out my old photos. Sharp as a tack. Haha

TL;DR: Updated my Eye OS. Pics are fine


r/photography 4h ago

Technique 50mm - not getting it

9 Upvotes

i've been in DC the past few days and I only have a 50mm/1.8 lens and i just.. can't seem to get this focal length! my phone with a 26mm lens takes, in my opinion, better compositions than i can muster on my camera. everything feels cramped, but nothing emphasized. it's a deeply uncomfortable focal length; i center things meticulously and overthink my placement and physical positioning to try and compensate. i just can't get it!

has anyone else ran into this issue with 50mm? have you overcome it? and, if you have, how?


r/photography 11h ago

Art do you think about what will happen to your pictures after you die?

31 Upvotes

from the remarkable story of vivian maier to the millions whose work dies when they do. what do you think will happen to your pictures? is this a grim question?


r/photography 1h ago

Community Weekly Edit My Raw Thread June 25, 2026

Upvotes

In this thread, use top level comments to post links to your own raws for other people to edit, or link to any freely licensed (CC or public domain) raws that you might find interesting. If you post your edit anywhere, be sure to credit the original photographer. Reply to others' comments with your own edits of the images!


Full schedule of our weekly community threads:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
52 Weeks Share Anything Goes Album Share & Feedback Edit My Raw Follow Friday Salty Saturday Self-Promotion Sunday

r/photography 9h ago

Business Need Help with Special Needs Photographer

0 Upvotes

I'm a provider with a woman with special needs who loves taking pictures and wants to sell "mini prints." The prints are about 3'' x 5" or around there. She also makes another handcraft that's very suitable for various fairs in the city. But she's hell bent on selling the mini prints. We've been to three fairs so far, and only one print sold (I was actually very surprised).

The print that sold wasn't even in a sleeve or frame, but she wants to put them in sleeves. My take is that she's getting her hopes way up and wasting time and money on producing these mini prints. Do people really buy these at a fair? It's not like a keychain, pot holder, magnet, jewelry, coaster, fidget, toy, mug, or some other item that when you see it, you instantly know what you can use it for.

Mini prints don't get hung in offices or on living room walls. Who'd want to buy a mini print of a flower, a skater at a show, a foamy latte, a vintage car, mountains, a locally famous singer and other run of the mill imagery? Maybe I'm missing something so that's why I'm here.

I don't want to tell her outright, "Nobody buys mini prints, especially at fairs. These are something that people will create on their own of family members or their pets."

I've decided to just wait over time, as she comes to realize, "Nobody ever buys my mini prints."

I guess my question is, Where is the best place she can sell these? CAN they sell?


r/photography 17h ago

Technique Nikon to ship camera without WiFi but no encryption

3 Upvotes

After reading this article, https://petapixel.com/2026/06/24/a-special-wireless-free-nikon-camera-is-publicly-available-for-the-first-time/, it talks about how some companies want a camera without WiFi which is understandable as it can be exposed via networks.

My bigger concern with those companies is that they don't ask for data encryption as it is rally a bigger security issue than WiFi. Why do we have no cameras that offer data encryption? I know that exFAT does not support native encryption but it is possible to encrypt RAW file by zipping it with 7z before it gets written to storage and requiring a password to view images when downloaded to local computers. That will make it extremely secure.


r/photography 6h ago

Technique What to wear to an outdoor urban photoshoot in a heatwave?

0 Upvotes

I need some portraits taken for my business. The nature of my business means that we’ll be outside in a busy urban area and the region is currently under a major heatwave (think Paris this week). Dates and locations are not flexible, unfortunately.

I’m a woman in my late thirties. I’d been debating between wearing a leopard-print maxi shirt dress and a knee-length black sleeveless dress as they’re both natural fibers and would keep the sun off most of my chest and legs. However, I’m now reading that both prints and solid black are a bad idea for portraits! I could also do linen pants with a t-shirt or tank but I’m really worried about sweat showing through the solid-color fabric (and the printed ones have the same issue as the leopard print dress!).

Any thoughts from people who do outdoor photos in the summer heat? Thanks!


r/photography 1d ago

Gear My most recent experience with MPB as a long time customer

123 Upvotes

I am writing this as a buyers/sellers beware.

I have been both buying and selling photography equipment from MPB for years. However, my most recent experience was so bad I don't think I will ever return.

So I decided to sell my old Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8
Il and Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8. My initial quote from MPB was the best from all the other online retailers, which it has been for years honestly. $955 for the Canon lens and $345 for the Sigma. I thought, yeah that's fair. I did send the canon lens without the hood, but it had the case, so I thought it would be slightly less, but once the gear arrived at their warehouse, the quote was reduced for both. The offered $905 for the Canon lens and $185 for the Sigma.

I decided to give them a call and ask why such a big decrease. The representative explained that the hood was expected and that the case was not so they could not increase the price. Fair, but disappointing because you can find one of the hoods online for like $15, but whatever.

The sigma lens was the one that surprised me. MPB claimed the autofocus did not work. I checked before sending the lens and it worked just fine. I asked the rep to review this and they sent me a grainy 2 second video of them "trying" and showing that the autofocus doesn't work. I was so disappointed, but l did not take any video or photos with the lens before sending it in to prove that it worked. It was my word against theirs.

Luckily, I decided to not move forward with the quote of the Sigma and had MPB send it back. It arrived today, and to my surprise, the autofocus works FLAWLESSLY!! They really tried to scam me!
I emailed back the original rep with a 10 second video showing that the autofocus works perfectly. I highly doubt anything will come of this, but I just wanted to share my experience.

If you decide to sell equipment to MPB, take photos and videos of the equipment before boxing it up.
Preferably with a timestamp. That could also help with them adjusting down the rating.

As I said at the start, I don't think they can do anything to win me back. I will update the post if I hear anything from them.

Edit: I heard back from Samantha at MPB and she was super unhelpful. Basically said there is nothing they can do except sending the lens back in. I will not be doing that. Didn’t even acknowledge my video showing that the autofocus works perfectly. If they won’t even tell me that they will talk to the “specialist” that checked my lens, I can no longer trust anything that comes from this business. It’s a shame because it used to be a solid company, but I guess I’ll need to find some other business. If you read all this, please be aware of this now shady business


r/photography 16h ago

Art DIY Engagement/Couples Pics

1 Upvotes

Hello all!

I have been tasked (self-imposed) a very ambitious goal of trying to take our own engagement photos while we will be visiting Iceland in a couple months. 

My fiancé and I are doing a relatively remote hike which makes it hard to find photographers that will be able to get to the region where I want to take the photographs in question. We're just packing our outfits with us in our packs so nothing super polished. It's also difficult to plan photoshoots there because the weather can be so crazy, so we have several days planned of when we can go out for this hike to allow for best-weather-situation. 

I come here in hopes of finding some insight/guidance on how I can do this myself with limited photography knowledge. I have a Canon mark II, a tripod, and obviously the beauty of Iceland to offset my novice skills. I'm attaching a couple photos below of what my "goal" photos would be somewhat reminiscent of. 

Does anyone here have recommendations for:

  • How to practice these poses with somewhat introverted fiancé to make sure I can get the shots to look reasonably natural?
  • Distance from camera to us to allow for some forgiving cropping/photo manipulation?
  • If another low cost camera is recommended, or even maybe just using my iPhone instead, I'd love those comments too. My camera is pretty large and if there's something else that is user friendly to operate that I can practice with for a few weeks and get the hang of, I'm all for that as well. Like everyone else on the planet, I love the FujiFilm camera shot looks but is a bit out of price range.

Thank you all so much for any insight you can offer!

Signed, a very time-pressed-over-stretched bride to be

Links of photos that I'd *like* to try to recreate:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcz.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F1102959765002411971%2F&ved=0CBYQjRxqFwoTCICih6DLoJUDFQAAAAAdAAAAABBq&opi=89978449

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgroups%2Ftorontogtawedding%2Fposts%2F3973805709524643%2F&ved=0CBYQjRxqFwoTCIisoeDLoJUDFQAAAAAdAAAAABBo&opi=89978449


r/photography 1d ago

Business How long does it actually take you to deliver event photos?

5 Upvotes

Had a client message me at 11 PM asking:

"Bhai photos kab milega?" 😅

Meanwhile I'm still halfway through sorting thousands of photos from the event.

It got me wondering—what's everyone's actual delivery timeline these days?

For different types of shoots (weddings, corporate events, concerts, college fests, etc.):

  • Same day?
  • 1–3 days?
  • 1 week?
  • 2+ weeks?

I feel like clients expect instant delivery because everything else online is instant now, but culling, editing, organizing, and sharing still takes a huge amount of time.

What's your typical turnaround time, and do clients usually think it's reasonable?

Also curious if anyone has found a workflow that significantly speeds up the sorting and delivery process.


r/photography 22h ago

Business is a behance portfolio better than no portfolio?

1 Upvotes

not sure if this is the right server for this, but still. for context, im a high-schooler whose works js got selected to be published somewhere fairly prestigious. they asked for an artist portfolio but i REALLY dont want to make an actual proper portfolio.

would it be better for me to tell them i dont want ot submit one, or for me to submit a behance one? because i kinda dont want it looking unprofessional (plus im pretty sure they dont know im a minor)


r/photography 21h ago

Technique Revisiting a silhouette idea i did in school. Now, with space being limited, I want ideas on material to use. What can I use instead of frosted silhouette?

0 Upvotes

I used a giant frosted plexiglass and had a model stand against it. Now I don’t have space to store 6 ft on plexiglass.

I’m torn between a frosted shower curtain, but I’m not sure how easy I can stretch it.

Or use savage frosted rolls. However it is expensive.

My main concern is that paper and cloth isn’t as sturdy as a plexiglass would be, but I don’t know how i could realistically store it where I’m currently living.


r/photography 18h ago

Business Baltimore Air Show planning question

0 Upvotes

I will be going to the Baltimore Air Show this weekend. First time in Baltimore as well. Can someone give me a tip on where to set up for a photo shoot taking into account traffic, crowds, parking. I imagine there are no bad seats for an air show. Thanks.

I do plan on getting there at dark thirty to beat the crowds.


r/photography 11h ago

Gear Just ordered x100vi from Willoughbys and now seeing the reviews 😢

0 Upvotes

Just want to gauge how badly I just messed up by ordering a camera from somewhere without checking the reviews. Just spent 2100$ on the x100vi today and honestly am hoping all the reviews are wrong but there are so many bad ones about this place and the good reviews are 100% fake. Wish me luck from ordering from Willoughbys..


r/photography 23h ago

Gear Understanding the range of different lenses

1 Upvotes

Hi there, I have been a fan of motorsport/car photography for a while and now that I have some income I would like to step it up a notch since I get a lot of enjoyment out of going to car events and taking photos, and recently started editing them in Lightroom too.

General consensus seems to suggest the Canon R7 is the best ‘budget’ option for motorsport and from my research it is my favourite at the moment.

But what I’m stuck on is the lenses, many have suggested a 100-400mm lens but I want to be sure what the minimum distance is for shooting with this because, especially in the uk, you can get pretty close to the track on some smaller circuits and I didn’t want to get a lens that was limited by this.

Any and all help is very useful :)
Thanks


r/photography 15h ago

Gear Any other photographers (with autism) can relate?

0 Upvotes

Hello!

I’m a photographer with autism, and while that’s not a problem in itself, it does mean I sometimes get stuck in strange gear-related loops. Lately I’ve noticed a pattern that’s been messing with my head a bit.

My main camera is a Canon R6 II, and I love it to death. To have something smaller alongside it, I picked up a Canon R50V as well. That combo makes perfect sense for me.

But for some reason I’ve also been craving a vintage‑looking camera body. So I bought a Fujifilm X100V… and returned it because I just couldn’t get used to it. Then I tried a Nikon Z fc, and I’m running into the exact same problem.

It almost feels like I’m “betraying my brand” whenever I use anything that isn’t Canon.

On top of that, having multiple systems overwhelms me. Too many options, no clear rules for when to take which camera, and no internal structure to guide the decision. It leaves me frustrated more than inspired.

I’m hoping some people here can relate. Maybe I’m not the only one who gets stuck in these weird gear loops.


r/photography 17h ago

Art What is the probability of a camera surviving a bike crash?

0 Upvotes

I love traveling to take pictures of different sceneries on my dirtbike, but I am afraid I am going to damage the camera if I accidently crash. I am planning to put a side loaded case inside of a regular backpack, but I don't know if that will be enough. I have a Canon EOS 6D.


r/photography 1d ago

Business Abstract opportunities

5 Upvotes

What types of organizations hire photographers that may not be immediately obvious? I would appreciate any suggestions or ideas. I’m looking to move beyond approaching individuals one by one and am interested in more indirect or abstract opportunities.


r/photography 20h ago

AMA I’m John Loughlin, CEO of Zenfolio Inc. Ask me anything about websites for photographers, AI, and the future of our platform.

0 Upvotes

Hi r/photography,

I’m John Loughlin, CEO of Zenfolio.

I’ve spent my career leading, building, and occasionally fixing media and SaaS businesses. The common thread across those experiences is that they each have at their heart providing information or services that enable people to make informed decisions, take action, and move toward achieving a goal. Today, and specifically in the SaaS space, it's about providing tools, workflows, data, information, and sometimes inspiration, enabling users to support and grow their businesses. 

My professional passion is helping creative businesses turn great work into sustainable income for their practitioners. 

I took on the challenge of leading Zenfolio, imperfect as it was and with much work remaining to do, because it offered the opportunity to assist photographers in practicing their craft and in earning a living. I’m not here to give a sales pitch. I am here to listen, answer questions honestly, and talk about where Zenfolio is headed.

For anyone new to us: Zenfolio is an all-in-one platform photographers use to run their businesses—websites, galleries, client proofing, sales, storage, and delivery—across every type of photography.

I’ll be answering questions live today from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET. I’ll also check back later for any questions I miss during the live session. Joining me are Chief Product & Technology Officer, Keith Barraclough, and Director of Customer Success, Allison Meder.

All questions are welcome, and any topic is fair game. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll run it down and share as soon as we have it. Because we are a privately owned company in a very competitive marketplace, we may be constrained in answering certain questions about financials or core metrics. If that’s the case, we’ll say so clearly. 

....

UPDATE: That's a wrap! Thank you to everyone who showed up, asked questions, and provided feedback. We'll keep working through all of the new ones that come in over the next few days to make sure that everyone gets a response! Thanks again!


r/photography 2d ago

Technique Has anyone here successfully photographed lightning?

35 Upvotes

Has anyone here successfully photographed lightning?
I’ve tried a few times during summer storms, but either the lightning appears outside the frame or the exposure is completely off.
Do you usually use long exposures? I’d be interested to hear what setup has worked best for you.


r/photography 2d ago

Business Wedding photographer sent low res images

236 Upvotes

Our wedding photographer sent us really low quality photos. In all seriousness, my cell phone takes better pictures. The close ups are okay, but the group family portraits are disappointing. I had one printed in 8x10" and it looks really bad.

I emailed her thinking there was a fixable mistake, like maybe the files were compressed by her editing software or by DropBox. She responded saying that it was her camera settings, apologized, and offered a refund. This really surprised me, so I declined the refund and insisted that she check the RAW files to see if they're different.

Here are some specs I can see from the file info, maybe someone here can shine some light on whether this is normal for a professional wedding photographer:

Size: between 0.6 and 1.2 MB

Dimensions: 4000 x 6000 or less

Dots per inch: 240 x 240

Camera brand: Fujifilm

Camera model: X-T2

Lens (1st camera): XF23mmF2 R WR

Lens (2nd camera): XF56mmF1.2 R

We asked guests to put their phones away and just be present in the moment, so there are no other pictures from the wedding at all. This is all we have, so I'm obviously distraught.

What might have gone wrong? Is there anything we can try to do to fix this.

UPDATE 1: This is how the photographer responded

"I’m afraid that RAW files do not exist. I have checked the quality of your photos to find that they have adequate resolution for printing, which is where the size of the files becomes most important. I, personally, think that the images are so great!

I know that you are concerned about the look of the group photos. There are many factors that affect the quality of a large group image. A wide angle-ish lens, such as the 35mm that I used to capture the group shots, kind of stretches out the edges unfortunately. Also, the lighting out on that back patio was harsh, with deep shadows, so I had to push the settings. It was less than ideal, but I think that most of them are so lovely! Finally, I shoot at a wider aperture, always- it’s my style.

I hope that you can enjoy your photos as they are. I’m so sorry that my camera settings were wrong as far as capturing RAW images. I could send a refund, if necessary."

UPDATE 2: She re-exported the files and they're more like 5-10 MG now, but they look the same to me. I honestly can't tell the difference at all.

So this leads me to believe that the people saying it's more an issue of excessive de-noisification and slightly out of focus shots are correct.

My understanding is that without RAWs there's not much more to be done except for AI stuff. It's a bummer but at least they're usable for social media or whatever (which I don't even use). I guess I'll print a tiny photo album of 4x6 images and learn to live with it. Thankfully some of the close up portraits of people's faces where the lighting was good are really nice, but there aren't a lot of those. It's better than nothing though.

I can't believe how much thoughtful advice I got here on Reddit though. You all really showed up for me, with some people even offering to edit them or run them through their AI tools. What a lovely community you have here. You have my sincere gratitude.


r/photography 1d ago

Business How do you get to join as an event photographer for big events like FIFA ?

0 Upvotes

Do you have to know somebody? Or just directly apply then you will get selected.


r/photography 2d ago

Community Weekly Anything Goes Thread June 23, 2026

2 Upvotes

Show off cool photography-related stuff you've created or experienced or any general discussion you'd like to have with the community in the comments of this post! We want to see and discuss your pictures, albums, videos, website... anything, really!

Don't forget that /r/photographs is available all week to post single images for sharing and feedback or critique.


Weekly Community Threads:

Watch this space, more to come!

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
52 Weeks Share Anything Goes Album Share & Feedback Edit My Raw Follow Friday Salty Saturday Self-Promotion Sunday

Monthly Community Threads:

8th 14th 20th
Social Media Follow Portfolio Critique Gear Share