Photo of a simple street photography gear setup with a camera, lens, strap, and camera bags.

Street Photography Gear: Pack Light to Focus on What’s Important

Brandon BallwegJan 6, 2022

Street photography gear is often over-thought. Gear, to some extent, is an essential part of making street photos though. My philosophy on street photography gear is to keep things as simple as possible and travel light. Street photography gear is great, but having too much of it can weigh you down, and it can feel like a burden. If your equipment causes you to miss shots or avoid going out…

A closeup of a camera lens with the aperture blades stopped down.

What’s the Best Aperture for Street Photography?

Brandon BallwegJan 5, 2022

Your choice of aperture for street photography is one of the main elements that will determine the look and feel of your images. That’s because it affects your depth of field or how much of your photo is in focus. Having creative control over my field is important as a…

Image of a gray aperture opening on a camera lens.

Street Photography Aperture Priority: When and How to Use It

Brandon BallwegDec 30, 2021

Street photography is an amazing outlet for photographic creativity. But one thing that can get in the way sometimes is keeping up with your camera settings to get the correct exposures. In street photography, moments are fleeting and pass in the blink of an eye, so obviously, you want to…

A portrait of a group of three young women and two young men.

Best Aperture for Portraits: Perfecting Depth of Field in Portrait Photography

Amy GraceDec 29, 2021

When shooting portraits, whether they’re of friends, family, or clients, it’s important to get the most flattering photographs possible. Using apertures creatively can lead to some impressive shots, but there’s also an art to knowing when to use which settings. That’s why portrait photographers need to understand the effects of…

A guy slacklining on a line tied to trees on a beach at night as people watch.

Night Street Photography: Gear, Camera Settings, Techniques

Brandon BallwegDec 23, 2021

Shooting street photography at night can make compelling images, but it’s also very challenging. Obviously, the biggest challenge is that you have less available light to work with. Low light can make it difficult to get proper exposures, and your camera’s autofocus may struggle. Regardless, there are ways to overcome…

Image of the Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS from a diagonal angle.

Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS Review

Brandon BallwegDec 16, 2021

I bought the Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS for those times in landscape photography when you’re far away from the focal point of your scene and you need the extra reach to frame things the way you want. Landscape photography is not a big priority for me (my…

Fujifilm cameras against a gray background: the X100V, the X-Pro4 and X-E4 in the second row, and the XF10 and GFX50R in the back row.

Best Fujifilm Cameras for Street Photography: 5 Top Picks

Brandon BallwegOct 1, 2021

There’s a lot to like about Fujifilm mirrorless cameras for street photography with compact form factors, low weight, intuitive manual controls, and sleek designs. Fujifilm digital cameras do a great job of being an extension of your eye and just getting out of the way so you can focus on…

The Fujifilm XF10-24mmf/4 R OIS WR on the Fujifilm X-T3 outside on a rock surface.

Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS WR Review

Brandon BallwegAug 25, 2021

The Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS WR is a wide-angle, 15-36mm full-frame equivalent X-series cameras. It’s an update to the previous version of this lens, which was released in 2013. New to this version is weather sealing, markings to its aperture ring, and slightly lower weight. I haven’t done…

Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 XF for Fujifilm without lens hood.

Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 for Fujifilm Review

Brandon BallwegAug 11, 2021

The Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 for Fujifilm is a budget-friendly, compact, lightweight, 85mm equivalent focal length prime lens for Fujifilm’s APS-C cameras that offers excellent image quality when you get the focus right (more on that later). It has a maximum aperture of f/1.4, making it a capable lens even in…

A zoom lens on a wood table.

Fujifilm 18-55mm f/2.8-4 Review: More Than Just a Kit Lens

Brandon BallwegAug 5, 2021

The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS is a wide-angle to mid-range zoom lens that is sold as a kit lens with some of Fujifilm’s cameras. There are very few bad new lenses sold these days but to think of this as “just a kit lens” doesn’t really…

Front side angle of the Fujifilm XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro Lens.

Fujifilm XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro Lens Review: Great Image Quality, Disappointing Autofocus

Brandon BallwegJul 20, 2021

The Fujifilm XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro is a 90mm full-frame equivalent lens with very good sharpness and image quality. I’ve had this lens for a couple of years now, so I have a good idea of what it’s best suited for. If you’re looking for a lens that can…

The Fujifilm 18mm f/2 R on a Fujifilm rangefinder style camera.

Fujifilm XF 18mm f/2 R Review

Brandon BallwegJul 2, 2021

The Fujifilm XF 18mm f/2 R is a compact and lightweight wide angle prime lens with a 28mm-equivalent focal length. Its compact size and low weight makes it a great lens for street photography or other types of photography where you’re on-the-go and you need to be light on your…

The Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR up close.

Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR Review: A Speedy Street Lens

Brandon BallwegJun 23, 2021

The Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR is a relatively compact and lightweight lens for Fujifilm’s X series APS-C cameras. It has a 35mm equivalent field of view. The size, weight, and weather sealing of this lens make it a great lens for street photography, documentary photography, or your every…

The Fujifilm 27mm f/2.8 WR on a canvas surface.

Fujifilm XF27mm F2.8 R WR Review: Pancake-Style Street Power

Brandon BallwegJun 16, 2021

The Fujifilm XF27mm f/2.8 WR was released in March of 2021 and is available in a package along with the Fujifilm X-E4, which I reviewed here. The 27mm f/2.8 is a compact, pancake-style lens. This is the second version of this lens and although it has good image quality, Fujifilm,…

The Fujifilm X-E4 on a wood table from above.

Fujifilm X-E4 Review: A Compact Street Companion

Brandon BallwegJun 4, 2021

If you’re looking for a capable small camera for street photography, documentary photography, or your everyday carry, the Fujifilm X-E4 is a really satisfying camera to use and definitely worth considering. The Fujifilm X-E4 is the fourth iteration of Fujifilm’s compact, rangefinder-style APS-C sensor X-E line of cameras. It was…

The Fujifilm X-T3 on a wood table next to a window with sunlight coming in.

Fujifilm X-T3 Review: Still Worth Considering in 2022 and Beyond?

Brandon BallwegMar 22, 2021

The Fujifilm X-T3 was a big hit when it first came out in September of 2018. It was praised for its jack-of-all-trades performance, as it does everything pretty well and doesn’t have many weak spots. Now that it’s been two years since its release and the next generation of this…

A woman in a red scarf and hat taking photos with a camera on a roof.

33 Christmas Images for Inspiring Your Christmas Photography

Brandon BallwegDec 6, 2020

Taking Christmas images is fun and challenging and the photos are something you can look back on and appreciate for years to come, not unlike taking Thanksgiving images, which is a good opportunity to brush up on your photography if you’re rusty. But what you should focus on when it…

A woman photographing a family at Thanksgiving dinner on her phone

22 Thanksgiving Images to Inspire Your Holiday Photography

Brandon BallwegNov 19, 2020

Now that Halloween is in the rearview mirror, Thanksgiving is that wonderful time of year when we count our blessings and get together with family. Who then promptly drive you crazy. Whether your family drives you nuts or not, Thanksgiving can be a fun time to get your camera out…

Collage of golden hour images.

25 Golden Hour Images for Photographic Inspiration

Brandon BallwegAug 9, 2020

If you’ve read any beginner photography book or taken any courses, you’ve probably had the importance of the ‘golden hour’ drilled into you. Golden hour light, right around the time the sun is rising or setting, is a beautiful, soft, reddish-orange light that makes people look great. If you’re shooting…

A pattern of hashtags on a white background.

The Best Photography Hashtags for Instagram +Other Social Media

Brandon BallwegJun 14, 2020

If you’re a photography aficionado, then you know the great feeling you get when sharing your photos with others. One big difficulty, though, is getting people to see your work when you post it on social media. You may have noticed that if you just post your photography on social…