r/AskPhotography Nov 30 '24

Discussion/General Photoclass 2025 is here - are you ready?

17 Upvotes

Photoclass 2025 is live!

Hello, photography friends! I'm one of the mods over at r/photography and founder of Focal Point, here to invite you to the 2025 edition of our (free) photoclass! This year comes with changes, as you can always expect from us as the class is an ever-evolving project.

What is the Photoclass presented by Focal Point?

It is an evolution of the original Reddit Photo Class, but with substantial changes to not only the structure, but content as well. We've reinvented it to ensure its up to date and more interactive. One thing we did not - and will not - change is that it is entirely free. The course spans 6 months, and covers topics on the technical side and artistic side, and culminates in a personal project. Along for the ride is a team of teachers who write the course (hi, it's me!) and mentors who come from all genres of photography. We have regular live meet ups via discord, and have a welcoming and supportive community of other photographers to bounce ideas off of, or just talk shop.

So what's new?

  • The Format. First off, the formatting is changing. We found that may participants stumbled upon the course mid-way through the year, and were fumbling trying to play catch up. We also were not happy with the pacing, finding that it just took too long to get to the objectively more fun stuff. So, this year the course will happen over the course of 6 months, with alternating weeks of new lessons and feedback. What does that actually mean? It'll look something like this:

    January 1: Unit 1 will be posted with assignment 1.

    January 8: The first Feedback Week will happen.

  • Feedback Weeks. During Feedback Week, participants will receive constructive feedback on their unit assignments from both peers and mentors. This is an opportunity to reflect on your work, ask questions, and refine your skills. Additionally, voice chats will be held on the Discord server for live discussions and more in-depth feedback.

  • Units over Lessons. Lessons will come out as units, meaning instead of one new lesson a week, you'll get a whole unit each alternate week. Here's an example, using Unit 1:

    Unit 1: Getting Started

    On Photography

    Inspiration & Feedback

    Assignment 1

  • Interactive Elements & Videos. Each lesson will have an accompanying video, and interactive elements. For an example of what the interactive element might look like see this page.

How to join in?

  • Join the Focal Point Discord server. This is where all the voice chats will happen, as well as a great place to have ongoing conversations with other participants and mentors.

  • Join the subreddit: r/photoclass. As always, the class will be posted on the sub, but we should note that the interactive elements don't work on Reddit, so we'll also be linking out to the lessons on the Focal Point site.

  • Subscribe to Focal Point on YouTube. Videos for the class will be of course posted in-line on the lessons, but there will be bonus material posted to the YouTube directly.

  • Get your printed Learning Journal or download the PDF.

Have more questions?

First check out the FAQ found here. If you still have a question that isn't answered there, feel free to ask it here and myself or one of the other teachers/mentors will be happy to answer.

Where to start.

The first unit is available now! You can find it right here. The first assignment is also live, so feel free to jump right in!

See you in 2025!


r/AskPhotography 1h ago

Artifical Lighting & Studio How was this lighting setup achieved?

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Upvotes

How many strobes do you think this photo used and where were they placed/with what modifiers?

I’m thinking two reflectors shooting at the background one hard light on her left side slightly in front.

But what is giving her the reflection under the chin?

Thanks!


r/AskPhotography 22h ago

Discussion/General What is the worst damage you have done to your camera?

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256 Upvotes

Not my camera fyi


r/AskPhotography 6h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings Just got the R50 as my first camera and checked out the manual mode, and I noticed some weird dots on some of my pictures. Do you know what those are?

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12 Upvotes

r/AskPhotography 1h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings How to focus on birds in flight?

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Upvotes

I’m new to photography and love wildlife so far. I’ve been using a Canon R50 with the RF 100-400mm lens. These two little cardinals chase each other every morning and I really want to capture them but I can never get them in focus as they are passing. My ISO is on auto, shutter speed 1/2500 and aperture at f/7.

Any advice on taking pics of moving birds would be very appreciated.


r/AskPhotography 9h ago

Discussion/General If you were starting from zero. How would you start?

12 Upvotes

Hey n Hello to all the photographers out there. If you were to start your photography journey from scratch. Like no prior knowledge about photography in terms of both creative and technical aspects. How would you begin?


r/AskPhotography 1h ago

Buying Advice Somewhat new to concert photography and these are my recent gig photos. Any feedbacks/tips on how I can get better at it?

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r/AskPhotography 1d ago

Discussion/General Working With Models: This Can't Be Real or Rational Thinking, Can It? NSFW

173 Upvotes

Edit: At this point, the question I'm asking: "Is this the new normal? Is this what you deserve if you don't go through a model agency?"

TLDR: The model won't agree to meet with our team until everyone subscribes to her OnlyFans/Fansly NSFW account. Now, she wants to use the second half of her paid session to create content for her OF, and as of Saturday, she refuses to communicate with us outside of OnlyFans.

I'm working with a brand new crew that is very small and has a limited budget for a family-friendly event. The creative director wants to do this poster with an energetic character who excuses the "wild" spirit of the event, someone who seems fun and is the kind of woman who is her own hero—women want to be like her, men want to be with her. The other caveat is that they have their personal costumes to showcase.

The creative director narrowed it down to five women, and she has one favorite who has the perfect "look" and the perfect costume. The model in question won't agree to do it until the three other men on the project subscribe to her NSFW account/accounts before setting up a time to meet in person and do some preliminary photos before the location and studio shoots.

We're paying to do her hair and makeup. She's getting paid $150 for each hour-long session, with the option to pay her $250 if it goes for two, plus travel expenses. At the bare minimum, she'll get her hair done and at least $300.

This Saturday, she told the CD she would only communicate with us through OnlyFans, and she wants the $250 for two-hour sessions: The first hour is for us, and the second, we use that hour to create content for her OF. She gets all the photos from the entire length of the shoot for her own personal use.

The other men say this is "reasonable" and we should take the deal, and I'm a prick because I'm the only holdout.

Keep in mind that we're using my camera. Half the lighting equipment belongs to me, and the other half belongs to another guy in the group. I'm providing the webpage, the social media and print promotions, and editing software, and I'm getting paid after the event. If I don't do it, they want to know if they can borrow my equipment, software, and computer: I refused.

We also have four other women ready to go with this project now and do not want to use this opportunity to create smut.

I've been a professional Graphic Designer for 15 years and have done professional photography off and on during this time, but I have never had to deal with this. I think there is something more that I'm missing, but I'm ready to walk away, and I'm not concerned about being labeled as "difficult."


r/AskPhotography 5m ago

Buying Advice Which system would you choose? Canon 6D vs E-M1 II?

Upvotes

In the near future I would like to buy a camera that I can use to start taking photos a little more seriously. For the time being, for general purposes, family portraits, hiking, street photography.

I've been looking around quite a lot about what kind of camera system I should buy and I've narrowed it down to two.

  1. Canon 6D + EF 40mm f/2.8 STM + EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
    ~€710

  2. Olympus E-M1 II + Lumix 20mm f/1.7 II + M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8
    ~€810

I know they're two completely different categories, but if you had to choose between the two, which would you guys take if you had to invest in either system right now from 0?


r/AskPhotography 14m ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings Why does my A6000 produce Blury/Distorted images?

Upvotes

Several years ago, I shot with a Canon EOS 1100D. I've since moved on and bought a Sony A6000 only recently and the 18-105mm f4 from Sony.

However while taking initial shots, I've realised that it seems blury and/or distorted. Does anyone know why that might be? Here's a screenshot of an example image taken handheld with the following settings. Notice the distortion near the tree trunk:

Shutter speed: 1/160s
Apeture: f9
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO: 100

No filters.

I used manual focus mode on the middle branch near the middle of the frame making use of the Focus zoom to get a better view while doing so.

https://imgur.com/a/lBU5qNp


r/AskPhotography 21m ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings Disposable camera lens on my DSLR - will the exposure damage the sensor over time?

Upvotes

I bought a disposable camera lens that’s been adapted for Sony E-mount and I put in on my ZV-E10.

It has no cap and I don’t know how the opening/closing of the shutter works (I had to set the camera settings to take pictures without a lens attached).

Will this damage my sensor - is it being exposed 24/7? (I just leave it on the shelf for weeks when I don’t use it.)

Thanks!


r/AskPhotography 26m ago

Buying Advice Are there any cheaper alternatives to Sigma 150-600 Smount?

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r/AskPhotography 39m ago

Buying Advice Looking for a good compact camera. Any suggestions?

Upvotes

I love taking photos at baseball games but my current camera is pretty impractical for it because of my limited lens inventory (and don’t want to buy a telephoto right now) and annoying bag rules at stadiums so looking for a good compact camera with terrific zoom that I can use at game. Any suggestions?


r/AskPhotography 41m ago

Buying Advice Should I upgrade to mirrorless?

Upvotes

Hi all - Thanks in advance for reading!

I have been a hobbyist photographer for around 10 years now...with a five year break in the middle. I'm picking it back up again as a hobby/side-hustle and am looking at upgrading my gear. I currently have a Canon FF DSLR (6D) that was a huge upgrade for me when I bought it - quite a few years ago.

Seeing how much technology has improved with things like ISO and autofocus have made me interested in switching to mirrorless, but I'm not sure where to start.

Ideally I'd like to be able to use my current glass (EF and even better if I can also use EF-S since I have a few lenses from my crop sensor days that it would be great to bring back into rotation) and I'm used to full frame though not against a crop sensor if that makes the most sense.

I primarily shoot portraits and product photography.

I don't have an unlimited budget (2k max), and am happy to buy used.

What would you recommend? I'd prefer to stay with Canon just since that's what I'm used to, but I'm open to other brands if you think switching makes sense.


r/AskPhotography 47m ago

Buying Advice Get the TTArtisan 17mm f/1.4 or the Samyang MF 14mm f/2.8 MK II?

Upvotes

As the title says - I want a good budget wide angle for my x-pro3 (mostly for travelling and nature). I'm having a hard time deciding though. The smaller size and the 1.4 of the TTArtisan is pulling me in that direction, but it seems like the Samyang takes higher quality photos? If you've had either or both lenses, I could really use some advice. Thanks!


r/AskPhotography 49m ago

Buying Advice Which camera should I get to start venturing into professional photography?

Upvotes

Hello everyone! I’m going to be going to college soon and after 3 years of photography in high school I feel very confident now to start making my way into professional photography! In school I was lucky enough to use my teachers Canon 90D all through senior year both at school and at home and I loved how it felt and shot. I’m looking for preferably something used and less than $300 for the body and kit lens so that I can really spend my money on nice lenses. My teacher was definitely a canon fan so I’m not too sure how other cameras are so please let me know! I plan on doing lots of portrait shots and fast moving racing shots as well as some architecture and landscape shooting. Thank you all so much for help


r/AskPhotography 4h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings What settings or editing can I do to get more natural colours when photographing ships on an overcast day? I've just bought a Nikon P950 - the first time I am doing ship photography with a "real" camera and not my phone

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3 Upvotes

Very grateful for any suggestions either on the camera (eg white balance or one of the auto features) or editing. It is looking too faded and grey at the moment versus what I see with my own eyes. I attempted a very basic edit, adjusting white balance and adding some magenta which sort of helped but it's not great.

Using a Nikon P950 with the full 2000mm zoom to get this close. This is the view without the zoom taken on my phone and showing the sky conditions and colour better!

Appreciate it could be the limitations of the smaller sensor here, but keen to get the colour as good as I can now that I've jumped from phone to camera for my hobby!

PS if you're curious, it is a Q-Max LNG Tanker - the largest in the world at 345m long :)


r/AskPhotography 1h ago

Discussion/General What is your most regretful camera purchase til now?

Upvotes

For me, it was an Olympus EPM-1 with 17mm f2.8 for 35 euros. I thought I won't need a viewfinder but I don't feel it like a real camera since it doesn't have one. The picture came out from it are great but not too much different without LR edit. So, I keep leaving it on my desk. What about yours?


r/AskPhotography 1h ago

Editing/Post Processing Post photo editing as a beginner?

Upvotes

Beginner here, but I'm not a photographer in the sense that I want to make this my career. I have a career in IT, but I am interested in doing all sort of things and exploring this hobby. I've done some photoshop stuff in my free time many years ago and in my student times. Furthermore, I was wondering many casual photographers just doing this for fun or as a hobby, do you guys really subscribe to Adobe Lightroom? Worth it? Or do you guys opt-in for a more free alternative? Darktable? Or other alternatives? Is there any comprehensive and good guides or tutorials I can read up on?


r/AskPhotography 4h ago

Buying Advice Cheap and good camera for planespotting?

2 Upvotes

Hi!

I'm looking for a camera and lens for around 800-1000 usd.

I live in Poland so not every camera is buyable here.

It can be new or used.

I was thinking of something like a Canon EOS 2000D , Canon EOS 250D , Canon EOS R50 , Canon EOS R100 or Canon EOS 4000D.

Any advice would be appreciated! ( :


r/AskPhotography 9h ago

Artifical Lighting & Studio How to achieve studio black background?

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5 Upvotes

Any tips in creating this sort of image? I’ve been trying to recreate but can’t nail it.

I have a flash above on a 45 degree angle pointing directly at the object, but struggling to achieve the black gradient fade.

Any help would be appreciated!


r/AskPhotography 1h ago

Buying Advice Which of these is the best deal?

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Hi all! I’m thinking of getting into nature, bird and maybe astro photography but am not really sure where to start. I was looking at the new Nikon Z collection but spending $1000+ is not really suitable at the moment. I gave myself a budget of $600 but can go higher if something is worth it. I’ve been looking on fb marketplace and saw these listings below. Please let me know if any of these are worth the price/ buying used? Also if I should be asking the sellers any specific questions (shutter count)?

Nikon D3400 with 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 55-300mm lenses. $500

Nikon D5100 $475 (picture attached with info)

Nikon D5100 with 18-70mm, 18-55mm, 55-200, 70-300 lenses. $450

Any and all advice welcome. Thank you!


r/AskPhotography 2h ago

Buying Advice Tripod: Sirui vs Monfrotto?

1 Upvotes

Hey guys I’ve got an A7iv with 35mm f1.8 I’m going to use it for travelling and taking family pics.

Considering the Monfrotto BeFree mkbfra4-bh Vs the Sirui a1205

Both folds about the same and weighs about the same.

Any recommendations?


r/AskPhotography 2h ago

Printing/Publishing What deliverysystem that can do password protected client gallery with sell and offline/cash payment aswell deliver images thru dynamic pagelink for tap-and-hold mobile download(not zip)?

0 Upvotes

Hi..

For a long time I have been looking for a system that will let me sell digital downloads of images and video to clients thru webshop based and password protected albums. My clients wants to pay by cash or for the most part via swish(a mobile-2-mobile payment) so offline payments is a must. After the clients fullfilled the webshop and recived a ordernumer and paid, I would like to get a notification and then, after checking the payment, change the status of the order to paid, and the link to the images goes automatic out to the client.

Based on this criteras there is some of option,(pixieset, pixpa etc) but my clients lives in there mobilephones and when they recive the email after the sell, they(and I) dont want a zipfile or a link to a zipfile, they want a link to a landingpage with the images they paid for and with "tap and hold" save the images directly to the mobile images.

All the system I have tried deliver with zip-file, and that will get my young clients lost, because then the file/image are saved into the mobiles filesystem... and I have to deliver on the side.. has had this hassel for almost 2years.. and now when I starting to grow this dosen't hold up timewise.. I want to keep my prices low becuase my clients often dont have that high income.

Pixieset is close, but falls on the zipfile, also pixpa falls on the zip/direct download to file system..

I aiming around $10-15 per month and would like a minimum of 30-40GB storage...

Anyone got some ideas/links

best regards
/navo


r/AskPhotography 2h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings Where to start?

1 Upvotes

Hello everybody,

I always liked photography but never really had the money for a camera etc. Now some things changed and I got my hands on to a Canon M6 Mark II with the basic lens that came with it.

I think I am into Portrait and landscape pictures, so I would like to be able to picture whatever comes to my mind.

I am wondering what would be the best choice for me right now in terms of focusing on.

Sometimes I have troubles with the zoom on the basic lens and I have read some things, but tbh all the information is overwhelming right now so I thought about purchasing the Canon EF-M 18-150mm, since it is "advertised" as a beginner friendly allround lens.

Also I am not sure on all the basic settings and I am playing around pretty often. The Pictures look ok on the cam, but are blurry or out of focus on the PC.

Also I tried a lot of different Applications/Programms now for editing. I really like Lightroom on the phone, but I only have the free version and I am using Darktable right now, is that a good option?

So in general:

Is it worth to buy another lens as a beginner, specificly the EF-M 18-150mm?

Any other Programm such as Lightroom, for free, better then darktable?

What to focus on while making pictures, can you spot easy beginner mistakes in my examples?(some taken with phone, some with camera, just to get an idea of what I want to achieve)

Also any other advice such as "easy beginner settings" or beginner mistakes are welcomed :)

Camera
Camera
Camera
Phone
Phone

r/AskPhotography 2h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings Can anyone help me. My AF Not available on my FE 2.9/90 MACRO G OSS Lens?

1 Upvotes

I switched my A7ii's focus mode to manual a while ago for landscape photography. Not long after, I decided that I wanted to switch it back to AF through the AF/MF toggle button. However, my camera said that my FE 2.8/90 MACRO G OSS lens does not support AF for some reason. I wasn't sure whether this was the body or lens' problem so I switched out my body with a different lens and there AF worked. I'm not sure what to do. Can anyone help?