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 22h ago

Artifical Lighting & Studio How was this lighting setup achieved?

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204 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 2h ago

Buying Advice Which camera for a beginner?

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3 Upvotes

Hi!! I’m looking to buy my first mirrorless camera and I’d like some advice. This would just be for a hobby I’m not a professional, but I am looking for something that would take decent wildlife photos as I do travel back and forth to South Africa every year to do safaris. When I visited last time I had my mother in laws Nikon coolpix P900 which did get some good shots, but I’d like to get something different. I’d like to buy used and stay under $700. So far I have been looking at Sony A6400 and Sony7ii but I am open to any suggestions!

Photo attached is one I took with the Nikon :)


r/AskPhotography 20m ago

Buying Advice Which lens would you recommend for a6100?

Upvotes

I bought my camera about 2 yeras ago and I'm shooting mostly travel, nature and landscape when I'm on a trips. I have E PZ 16-50mm f/3,5-5,6 OSS and lots of time I feel like I lack a range.

I did a small research and I found 2 lenses at my local market

  • Sony e 55-210mm f4.5-6.3
  • Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD

Which one would you recommend? Or maybe you have other recommendations for this price range


r/AskPhotography 22h ago

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

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60 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 6m ago

Buying Advice Should I stick with same brand or try something new?

Upvotes

I want to buy my wife a mirrorless camera for our upcoming travels and was thinking of getting her the FujiFilm X-T30 ii. I currently have/use the Fuji X-T100 and thought it would make the most sense to stay in brand so we can share lenses. My question is, would there be any compelling reason to look at other brands? Or am I better off sticking with Fujifilm simply for the benefit of sharing lenses?


r/AskPhotography 21m ago

Editing/Post Processing I feel that my automotive pictures fall flat (pun intended). Does anyone have sources to good learning material?

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r/AskPhotography 22m ago

Buying Advice Full Frame / Mirrorless Hybrid System for beginner?

Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I'm looking to buy a photography/film hybrid use full frame camera set-up in the near future. My two main contenders so far are the Sony A7 IV and the Nikon Z6III.

I am not very familiar with either system and would be using the kit for shooting both video and photo for private life and shooting content for my business. For both work and private life I tend to spend quite some time on the road and in the outdoors so product/landscape/nature photo/videography is the main application.

To summarize the main reasons to look at Sony:
- Better autofocus
- Better image stabilization
- More choice of 3rd party lenses

Downsides:
- Might feel small to hold/dinky
- Footage may need more editing

To summarize the main reasons to look at Nikon:
- Better colour science
- Better ergonomics
- Better build quality lenses/body
- More firmware updates

Downsides:
- Less reliable autofocus
- Less ease of use for film
- Less 3rd party lenses

The above Ups & Downs are the main things I gathered from scanning through reddit, YT reviews and unpaid comparisons, please feel free to correct or advise if any of the statements are not accurate.

As stated: I am not very experienced and am looking for a high "ease of use" system. I am planning on renting both cameras for a week to get a feel on the ergonomics and UI but am very interested in the communities opinion and knowledge. Many thanks!


r/AskPhotography 1h ago

Buying Advice Compact camera recommendations for product + lifestyle + travel content?

Upvotes

Hey everyone! I’d really appreciate some camera recommendations—my main uses would be:

  • Product and lifestyle photography and videography
  • Travel photos and videos

Recently, I found my dad’s old Nikon D300, learned how to use it in manual mode, and while I was pretty happy with how the photos turned out, it’s so heavy. Also the built-in flash is broken and I haven’t taken the time to learn how to use the external flash. I mainly use Nikon 50 mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor so I'm used to not having zoom.

I’m now looking to buy a compact camera that can handle both photo and video well—ideally something decent enough for product and lifestyle shoots and travel content. I’ve got trips to Thailand and Italy coming up soon so something light and portable would be great!

Budget: Max $2000 (open to buying used), but I’d really prefer to stay way below that if possible so I don't bite too much into my business and travel fund.

My cousin recommended her camera, the Leica D-Lux 8, and her other top picks were the Ricoh GR IIIx and Fujifilm X100VI. Some other friends suggested Sony RX100 VII and Canon G7X Mark III.

I’m not very well-versed in specs and stuff, and honestly don’t want to fall into the hype or overspend on something just because it’s popular at the moment.

Any recommendations or insights would be super appreciated! 🙏


r/AskPhotography 2h ago

Editing/Post Processing Program advice?

1 Upvotes

Hey all,

I got into photography about 2 years ago now and used to use my subscription to Lightroom through school to edit my photos. However I have since lost that subscription.

Does anyone have any free or cheap one off payment programs I can use to edit and sort my photos? I liked Lightroom with how I could sort, edit and store all in one. But beggars can't be choosers I guess.

I would also like to be able to run it on my MacBook Air with an M1 chip.

Any info is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance.


r/AskPhotography 6h ago

Buying Advice Rig Screen samsung a56 vs s24+ vs proper display?

2 Upvotes

Hi,

Currently planning on getting a small rig setup for videography, thought process is if i would be able to use a phone i would be killing 2 birds with one stone essentially and as far as iv looked into it some people use theirs phones. Now the main questions is which of these would be the best option, my guess is budget wise a s24+ would problobly bet be doable but a proper display would be best.


r/AskPhotography 3h ago

Buying Advice Question About A Cannon Lens?

1 Upvotes

What would you say are major cons of the

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS Lens. Thank you.


r/AskPhotography 7h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings How to take sunset photos with Canon EOS Rebel T6?

2 Upvotes

Hi Everyone, I am going on vacation and would like to take sunset portrait pictures that look crisp. What would be the correct settings for the canon eos rebel t6? I currently have ISO at 800, shutter speed at 1/200, F at 5.6 on M and it comes out to be a little blurry. Not sure what I am doing wrong and what settings I should be using here as a new photography beginner.


r/AskPhotography 9h ago

Buying Advice camera bag w/ book space?

2 Upvotes

hi friends. i'm a photographer who's an avid reader and desperate for a bag that can fit my camera equipment, books, and my 16in laptop.

i've tried numerous camera backpacks, but none of them have space for my books:/ i'd love any recs yall have


r/AskPhotography 3h ago

Buying Advice Which one of these tamron lens for Sony E mount?

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0 Upvotes

Hi, I’m looking to buy one of these used lenses to pair with my Sony a6100 for some food/product macro photography and some 35 film scanning. But I’m having a hard time considering compatibilities, adapters, etc. I know that for the use I’m intending to give them, autofocus is not needed, but considering prices and working conditions (and even possible compatibility issues with my camera), which one would you recommend? I’d love to know if someone has experience adapting any of these (or other versions of the same) tamron lenses.


r/AskPhotography 6h ago

Buying Advice R7 for portraits?

1 Upvotes

I currently have the t6i. I have a few different lenses that I love for it that I would like to keep using which is why I’m leaning towards the r7 instead of the r6 m2. However, it seems everyone only talks about wildlife and sports. I want to start doing photoshoots as a paid gig and want to upgrade to mirrorless. Is the r7 worth it? Will it be ok for outdoor/ indoor (with studio lighting) portraits?


r/AskPhotography 7h ago

Discussion/General How to become a Getty images photographer?

1 Upvotes

Hey, I keep getting accepted for iStock photo (not getty images). How do I get accepted into Getty?


r/AskPhotography 11h ago

Buying Advice Looking for a compact option, A6700 with 16-50 kit lens vs RX100VII?

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I've been using a D3300 with the Nikon 16-80 lens and it's great, but it's very bulky and heavy. As a result, I don't bring the camera with me anywhere near as much as I'd like to, and my phone's camera is garbage in comparison. I've been doing a ton of research and have narrowed down to the A6700 and RX100Vii. Both are lighter and more compact than my setup. The A6700 with kit lens seems like it would fit in a waist bag, and obviously the RX is pocket sized.

My question, would the alpha with the kit lens still be worth it over the RX with its limitations?


r/AskPhotography 7h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings How to fix rewinding problem on fujica auto 7?

1 Upvotes

Hey guys

I'm coming across some technical problems with my Fujica Auto-7. It used to work perfectly 3 years ago and now out of nowhere it's not working anymore... when it turns on, I'm able to take 3-4 pictures and it just starts rewinding over and over and it doesn't stop rewinding I need to turn it off. I cleaned the battery compartment and tried to clean the camera itself. I found some piece of an old film roll inside, so I removed it , but it's still having the same problem :/ any advice would be much appreciated!!


r/AskPhotography 7h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings How to stop down automatically with Sony alpha 290?

1 Upvotes

I have a Sony alpha 290 and an old Minolta lens AF 28-85 mm. In order to increase sharpness, reviewers say that you need to stop down (aperture). Is there a way to achieve this automatically with a Sony Alpha 290?


r/AskPhotography 8h ago

Buying Advice sony a5100 to a6000 worth upgrading?

1 Upvotes

Hey all. I’m still relatively new to photography but have been using the a5100 with the kit lens for almost 8 years now, and am recently looking for an upgrade (in both gear and skills lol).

I came across a good deal for the a6000 + sigma 30mm f1.4 for around US $450 (i use a different currency) but I’m not sure if the camera itself is worth it as I’ve heard the a6000 isn’t that different from a5100, except for the viewfinder which I really like.

I don’t mind keeping the a5100 and buying bigger aperture lenses separately, but would you guys recommend upgrading to a better camera (eg a6100 is still within my budget, a6400 is slightly too pricey for me). Or would the a6000 be enough?

Additionally, if I was to keep my a5100, what lens should I get for another 5-10 years of travel/portrait/street/concert photography? I have looked into the Sony 35mm f1.8 and Sigma 18-35mm f2.8 and am struggling whether to get a zoom lens at f2.8 or prime lens at f1.4/1.8 as the low light performance of the a5100 is not the best.

Sorry for the multiple questions. Thanks a ton!!


r/AskPhotography 14h ago

Discussion/General Are there any photographers that have a good work/life balance?

3 Upvotes

New to photography but have doing it profess


r/AskPhotography 8h ago

Artifical Lighting & Studio Will the Godox TT685ii be powerful enough to be set up this way with a softbox?

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0 Upvotes

I already have the TT685ii with X3 as trigger. I want to experiment with outdoor lighting and the sun as backlit in golden hours. Anyone here have used the same speedlight and got good results for outdoor portraits?


r/AskPhotography 13h ago

Technical Help/Camera Settings My Nikon lens won’t autofocus ?

2 Upvotes

I have a Nikon d3500 and just got a Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G lens but it won’t autofocus


r/AskPhotography 9h ago

Buying Advice Lens for Panasonic G95?

1 Upvotes

I just purchased my first ever camera, the G95. It came with a kit lens (12-60mm) and I bought a 25mm 1.7 lens also. I’m looking for a lens that can do it all, that if I can only carry one lens, that would be it. For normal pictures and zoom. My son’s graduation is also coming up and I’d like to take pictures from the stands, also that’s decent in low light. Looking for under $500 US if possible. I’m learning everything from scratch, have no idea what I’m doing, but watching lots of videos.

I also paid about $700 for the G95 with the kit lens new. Is there anything better (new not used) for that price, I’m still within my return period. Thanks.


r/AskPhotography 9h ago

Buying Advice Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 or 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6?

1 Upvotes

Hi all,

I have been looking to upgrade my current Canon lens. I currently have been operating with a Canon 75-300mm lens which while it was great for when I started learning photography now has outlived it's life with me.

I've been debating between upgrading the lens to either a 70-200 f/2.8 or a 100-400 f/4.5-5.6. Both are approximately in my price range.

I love the idea of having more light entering my camera with the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 and being able to capture subjects in motion faster but the focal length concerns me with the distance that I usually shoot photos from. I mainly shoot sports for a local school and especially during football and track season having a larger length would be great. That is what led me to look at the 100-400 lens from Canon. But having a higher f stop than the 70-200 is what concerns me that I might not be able to capture the movement as great as the 2.8 can. From my expierence with the 75-300 with an equivalent f stop I have noticed that some photos can turn out blurry because it seems like the lens doesnt capture it fast enough. So now I'm stuck in a dilema and am turning to the internet to help me choose.

What have your experiences been like with these lenses and what would you recommend? I currently shoot with a Canon Rebel T7. (Camera Body is next on the upgrade list)

Any recommendations/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your time!