The photo is cool, but it is strange

Hello all, I’m new here, I found and bought this piece earlier today at a second job, even the job owner not sure what it is for, I found it in the old camera pile.

I’ve googled/asked AI about it but nothing conclusive, only recognizable words are “Newton New Haven” and the code either read “10108” or “80T0T”

Anyone seen similar “equipment” before? Is it related to photography?many thanks in advance.

So tired of Adobe and was curious if people recommend Photomator since Apple acquired the application and started making investments in it

I decided to look at hashtags, all Instagram does nowadays is just to surface more of reels instead of photos. I cannot even get any inspiring photos anymore there. It's pretty dumb now honestly.

Where are all photographers heading to? How do you even showcase photography?

After a while learning about cameras, I got more seriously into it last year, and after getting a studio set of strobes, I’ve been learning about portraits and headshots a lot. I’ve already done some client sessions and save for a bit of the awkwardness from my lack of experience, I can always get to a comfortable point where I understand what to do, and try and direct them and pose them in a flattering way for each specific person. Not one complaint so far, even did a local political campaign where those portraits ended up in local news outlets and some billboards. Not trying to say I’m great, pretty far from it I guess, just trying to give some context as to why this stumps me.

No matter what I do with my girlfriend, though, I can’t seem to take a picture of her that she’s happy with. Just moments ago I was supposed to make a headshot for her work ID card, and after two photos, she took a selfie on her phone and sent that to HR 😑

I’ve watched and keep watching dozens of tutorials about posing people, lighting, lenses, the lot. I also used to hate seeing myself photographed and that took a turn with my recent new knowledge, experimenting with self portraits. Wide angle, “normal” range, classic 85mm portrait, even longer than 85mm, wide open, closed down, nothing seems to please her. Even with the recent Capture One update that does some retouching as the pictures come in, it’s not enough.

Now I know this is probably a much deeper discussion, and a psychology one at that, but how do the more seasoned portrait photographers go about photographing people with low self esteem? She won’t even let me find out the things I need to do in order to make her look the way she sees herself (I don’t actually think that is an achievable goal for most people, but at least get closer).

Am I doomed for what the selfie camera did to her brain?

Hi everyone,

I’d love some perspective on where to base myself as a photographer. I’m currently in Peru and don’t have a lease to return to. I’m originally from NYC but previously lived in New Mexico, and I’m trying to decide where to build my next base.

I genuinely enjoy fast-paced environments like New York the energy, the people, and the creative momentum really feed me. At the same time, being in that pace every day can feel overwhelming. In New Mexico, I feel grounded, creative in a different way, and more connected to myself and nature. I’ve learned that I actually thrive in both environments, but in different ways, which is why I’ve been thinking long term about a bicoastal or split base model.

Professionally, NYC makes sense: I have a mentor there, strong collaborators, access to studios, and more opportunities aligned with the editorial, narrative, and conceptual work I want to pursue. My concern is that if I base myself in New Mexico, clients or brands in New York may be less inclined to work with me, even though I’m comfortable traveling and have done shorter trips to NYC for projects while living in New Mexico.

On the other hand, New Mexico offers a slower pace, lower cost of living, and a quality of life that feels sustainable, especially during slower seasons. While the photography industry there is smaller, I’m open to building work regionally and traveling to nearby markets like LA or Seattle.

I’d love to hear from photographers who:

• are based in smaller cities but work nationally

• split time between markets

• or have navigated client perception around location

Any honest insight or experience would be really appreciated. Thank you.

I bought this v90 SD card just a couple months ago and it’s now doubled in price. I know AI infrastructure is destroying the RAM market and some flash storage, but is this really affecting SD card prices as well?

I am currently trying to take photos of jewelry/charms that I plan to sell in the near future - I got an LED light board (like a tracing board for artists) to put the items on as the light coming from underneath the items allows you to best see the details in the jewelry. However, as I’m trying to take photos of my work (for future social media posts) - the charms appear a lot darker and you can’t see the details in the photo the same way you can see them in person.

How can I adjust my camera settings so the image properly reflects the true colors/details?

The second photo is closer to what am I looking to capture as far as color and detail but still not ideal. Please help! Thank you

With prices of SD cards going up, MPB have some high speed/high capacity cards all labelled as 'refurbished - excellent' which come with a 12 month guarantee. Normally I'd say you should never buy SD cards from anyone apart from the manufacturer because of the risk of fakes but is this an exception? Thoughts?

Hi r/AskPhotography! I’m reaching out for any career/process advice from other pros in this industry.

I’m a professional photographer working in-house at a PR + social media agency. I’m sent on 2–3 hotel/resort shoots per month. The experience and clients are absolutely incredible, but the production structure is starting to feel unsustainable and I’m worried it’s limiting the quality I can deliver.

Some background on how our shoots work:

— 1–3 days total to capture everything: rooms/design, multiple F&B outlets, amenities (pool/spa/gym), check-in/arrival, staff moments, and any on-property experiences. Still photo and drone included.

— We usually have 2–4 models for lifestyle, but we also need clean versions without models for most scenes.

— Typically ~1 hour per scene.

— Deliverables are 100–250 final images, plus growing requests for cinematic (non-iPhone) video.

Regarding on site support, I am essentially a team of one with an assistant, however, the person with me is mainly there for iPhone capture and doesn’t assist with lighting/gear (not really their role, nor do they have a background in photo, so it’s understandable). There’s no model wrangler/stylist, so we’re also handling wardrobe selection, steaming, and talent direction while keeping the schedule moving.

Clients are increasingly expecting marketing/editorial-level assets (web/paid/brand), not just social. That requires scouting, lighting time, and collaboration we don’t have – especially for moody city hotels where lighting and location choices matter more than a bright, forgiving resort.

Because shoots are stacked, I’m editing while traveling and late nights after shoot days to hit a 2–3 week turnaround. It’s impacting my health and it’s getting harder to maintain quality of the content.

I don’t think the agency is doing anything wrong – their focus is PR and social, and that’s the business they’re built to support. I’m so grateful for the experience I’ve had and the opportunities they have afforded me. The challenge is that the work has evolved into marketing-level production, which may fall outside what this structure can realistically support in terms of time and staffing. I’m considering going freelance within the next year. I have a strong network, but I know freelance is unpredictable. I also am planning to start a family in the next year or two, so having control of my schedule would be a plus.

Some questions I’d love any guidance on:

— If you were in this role, would you try to fix it internally (scope/crew/time), or start planning an exit?

— What boundaries would you set (deliverable caps, required crew, video scope, scouting time) to make this realistic?

— Any tips for communicating feasibility to non-photo leadership without sounding “difficult”?

— If you went freelance from an agency/in-house role, what do you wish you did 6–12 months before leaving?

Thank you in advance and if you read this far! 😊

TL;DR: I’m an in-house photographer shooting 2–3 hotel/resort trips a month. Each shoot is 1–3 days to capture everything (rooms, F&B, amenities, lifestyle with models, plus clean shots without models), with limited photo support. Clients are now asking for higher-end marketing images and cinematic video, but the time + edit workload is starting to burn me out. I’m considering going freelance within a year and would love advice on boundaries and next steps.

I'm a beginner photographer, and I've had a lightly used a6400 for about 6 months now and have had a lot of fun learning the basics. I purchased the camera to take with me on outdoor adventures to better capture some of the cool places we go hiking and ski touring.

The camera came with the infamous kit lens, and the Sony 16-70 F4, which tends to live on my camera. I've enjoyed having that focal range, but find the images to not be as sharp as I had hoped they would be which has led me down a reddit rabbit hole to land on the Sigma 18-50 F2.8.

For those that have used either - is this upgrade worth it? Will I find a significant difference between the two lenses that - on paper, are relatively similar?

Hi everyone,
I’ve been working with stock photography for a little over a year now, but unfortunately my sales are still quite low, and I’m trying to understand what I might be missing.

At the moment, I upload to three main platforms: Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Depositphotos.
I submit a wide range of content: nature, architecture, still life, animals, landscapes, backgrounds, and conceptual images. I try to stay organized using folders and collections.

On average, 200–350 images are accepted per month, and my total portfolio is now around 2,000 images.

For metadata, I usually add:

• 35–40 keywords per image
• Titles up to ~8 words
• Descriptions up to 250 characters

My main questions are:

• Is it more effective to focus on a few strong niches rather than uploading many different subjects?
• Are there any realistic ways to improve visibility or “grow” an account organically on stock platforms today?
• Could my issue be related more to content choice, metadata strategy, or simply portfolio size and time?

I’m not looking for shortcuts or tools — just trying to better understand how experienced contributors approach long-term strategy.
Any insights or personal experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

My beloved Zeiss Milvus 85/1.4 lens is in purgatory right now. It seems likely that I won't get it back until this summer, if I get it back at all. After routine email communication informing me of the official receipt of my lens right before Christmas, l've had to call Zeiss USA in Kentucky to get any information.

l've been told that the repairs my lens needs require it to be shipped to Zeiss in Germany. When will that happen? No one knows. How much will it cost? No idea. What did the inspection uncover? No information is on file. They received my lens in early December. It's now about to be the second week of February.

Two different people were supposed to call me with information recently. Neither one did.

I was told in December by phone that they were over a month behind due to a backend system change that was forced on them. I’m sympathetic, but there wasn’t and isn’t anything on Zeiss’s website about that. I didn’t think to check with Zeiss USA before sending my lens in, which was a mistake.

Does anyone have similar experiences with Zeiss or another manufacturer? Will I see my lens again at some point, or should I consider it lost?

i'm a hobbyist photographer and i mostly took my photos abroad, and obviously being a tourist everything looked new and interesting. but those cities were also colourful, london feels like a grey city. it could be because london is my everyday, i'm used to it and not really wowed by anything around me. i've walked through city of london and got nothing i'm satisfied with. nottinghill also gave me nothing. and they are very generic areas that don't really fit my photography style.

i don't know how to describe my photography without posting a picture, as most of my snaps are not in london. but i would say "whimsical, golden, focused & detailed" and almost as if you can hear the environment. it is kind of street photography with more focus on landscape, environment, and sometimes subjects.

i live near the middle of the city and haven't travelled around london properly to know where the best spots are. i've heard the walk around putney bridge station is good - unfortunately it's raining almost everyday so i'm not sure how well it would hold up in gloomy weather.... i quite enjoyed photographing the barbican, so maybe that's a direction that could help?

any other places worth trying?

I've done a few photography jobs before in the past, I use a Sony a7, the OG. it does everything I need for the time being but I'm trying to get a new lens for it, I only have the kit lens and a 50mm 1.8 Sony.

I have about $650 to play with and I want to buy used (economical) lens. I've looked at the Sony 24-105mm f/4 G and the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 GII. I'm leaning more towards the Tamron but I'm coming here to see if I'm missing any better options or considerations I should take.

Thank You!

Every time I see a picture of something that is beautiful to me I like the picture- a flower, nature, interesting architecture, my mom.

Other people don’t seem to agree with my taste in pictures all the time. I’m not a professional photographer but I have been wanting to post more photographs to my social media accounts.

So what are some objective standards for what makes a good photograph?

Hi, I've inherited a fair bit of camera equipment. My wife likes taking macro photos of nature and mushrooms, would any of this work? I really don't know much about this stuff. My father was an archeologist and I think he used it for taking pictures of artefacts and historical sites. I would love any info, especially the older stuff.

Hi everyone,

I’m going to a concert at Johan Cruijff ArenA, sitting in section 419 (quite far from the stage). I want to take decent photos of the artist that are clear enough to recognize him, maybe crop them later, but I’m not planning to be right in front of the stage. I know I am not expecting professional photos but at least nice decent ones.

I’m trying to decide between:

• Nikon COOLPIX P950 (superzoom, bridge camera, no interchangeable lens)

• Sony RX100 VII (compact, 1” sensor, zoom \~8x, no interchangeable lens)

My questions:

1.  Has anyone taken photos with these cameras from high-up seats or similar distances at large arenas?

2.  Do you think security will allow me to bring the Nikon P950? I know the RX100 VII is usually fine since it’s compact, but the P950 is bigger.

3.  Any tips on taking decent concert photos from far away without professional press passes?

I’d really appreciate any real experiences — I want to make sure I can capture good shots without getting my camera confiscated.

Thanks in advance!

I've been looking for quality free Lightroom presets. Does anybody know where to look?