THIRDEYEDESIGNER

The Sony RX1R II was such a unique product for its time, offering high resolution mated to a stunning Zeiss lens, all in a compact size. However, it was always a premium product that demanded an exorbitant price. The RX1R II debuted at around $3,300, and let’s keep in mind that was nine years ago.

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In Calgary, we have an annual Japanese festival aptly named Omatsuri. This is a fun event with lots of vendors, great food, and displays of Japanese culture. It’s also an excellent testing ground for the new Samyang 85mm f/1.8 P FE.

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The post New Gear Alert: Mini Flash, Maxi Fun! iT20/22 from Godox appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Introducing iT20/iT22 iFlash Camera Flash. 45g Ultra-compact body with TTL function, perfect for both indoor and outdoor use, easily fits in your pocket for anytime creativity. Innovative magnetic accessories for quick light effect switching, creating unique atmospheres and creative possibilities.

Smart TTL, Effortless Results
Say goodbye to complex setups. Our mini TTL flash delivers perfect lighting instantly, empowering you to shoot faster and smarter.

45g Ultra-Compact Design
Its featherlight build takes up minimal space, ensuring you’re always prepared to seize life’s precious moments.

One-Touch M/TTL Mode Switching
Toggle between manual and TTL modes instantly via a dedicated button. The high-definition display shows clear, real-time settings for rapid adjustments.

Magnetic Accessories: Creativity Unleashed
Equipped with magnetic snap-on diffusers, color filters (CTO/CTB), creative gels, and honeycomb grids, the iT20/iT22 transforms light in seconds. Experiment with atmospheric effects and craft distinctive visual stories.

700+ Flashes & 1.5s Recycling
Shoot uninterrupted with 1.5-second recycle times at full power and a remarkable 700-flash battery endurance.

Precise Power Control
Adjust flash intensity across 6 stops (1/32 to 1/1 power) in precise ±1/3-step increments for total command over your lighting.

Lightweight Lithium Battery

The built-in lithium battery charges swiftly via USB-C—keeping your creativity powered through extended shoots.

Elevate your flash—literally

The Optional TR TTL Hot Shoe Riser lifts your flash by 30mm, ensuring better clearance from the frame edge when using wide or protruding lenses. Compatible with Canon E-TTL II, Nikon i-TTL, Sony, Fujifilm, OM System and Panasonic TTL systems, it supports both auto flash and High-Speed Sync (HSS) functions. A 0-90° tilt adjustment gives you the flexibility to shoot with direct or bounce flash.

*Recommended for use with Godox camera flashes under 300g for optimal balance and stability.

What’s in the box

Optional

The post New Gear Alert: Mini Flash, Maxi Fun! iT20/22 from Godox appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. As a brand hailing from Britain, Nothing has been around since 2020, and the Phone 3 is its first true flagship aimed at taking on the best in the industry.

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The post Are Lens Filters Still Relevant in the Age of “Fix It in Post”? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

In this, the age of “I’ll just put a filter on it in post” are lens filters still relevant?

In the era of Lightroom presets, AI-enhanced editing, and Photoshop wizardry, it’s easy to assume that physical lens filters are obsolete. “I’ll just fix it in post” has become the battle cry of a generation of photographers—both amateurs and professionals alike.

But are we missing something?

Why Filters Still Matter

Let’s be clear: post-processing tools are more powerful than ever. You can simulate everything from graduated neutral density (ND) effects to polarisation with just a few sliders and layers. But the truth is, filters—especially high-quality ones—still offer something digital can’t quite replicate: real-world optical control.

Here’s where physical filters, like those from OKKO, come into their own.

What Makes OKKO Filters Worth Talking About?

OKKO are a Kiwi brand making a name for themselves in the world of affordable, premium lens filters. They offer a range of filters—UV, CPL (circular polariser), ND, and variable ND—built with solid materials, minimal colour cast, and modern coating tech. Their sweet spot? A solid balance of performance and price, without veering into the eye-watering territory of $300+ filters.

Get OKKO Filters on sale on Amazon

Here’s why OKKO Filters are still very much relevant:

1. You Can’t Post-Process What Was Never Captured

No amount of Photoshop can bring back detail in blown-out skies or remove glare from a car window. A CPL filter, like the OKKO Pro Circular Polariser, physically cuts out reflected light, saturates skies, and lets you shoot through glass or water without distracting reflections.

2. ND Filters = Creative Freedom

Neutral Density filters reduce the amount of light hitting your sensor, letting you drag the shutter and create silky waterfalls, smooth clouds, or isolate subjects with motion blur—even in broad daylight. OKKO’s variable ND filters offer flexible light control in a single filter, ideal for both photographers and video shooters.

3. Lens Protection Without Image Degradation

Sure, you can slap a $5 UV filter on your $2,000 lens, but why compromise image quality? OKKO’s UV filters use optical glass with nano-coatings to protect your front element from scratches, dust, and the occasional toddler fingerprint—without softening your shots.

4. They’re Lightweight, Rugged, and Affordable

OKKO filters are made with aircraft-grade aluminium and Japanese optical glass. The build feels premium, but the price tag doesn’t make your wallet cry. You get that “buy well, buy once” peace of mind without the premium-brand markup.

Real Filters for Real Shooters

Are lens filters still relevant in 2025? Absolutely—especially when you’re after better in-camera results, protection, or creative effects that editing alone can’t match.And if you’re in the market, OKKO Filters are a solid place to start. Whether you’re capturing landscapes, filming content on the go, or just protecting your glass, these filters quietly deliver. No hype. Just good gear.

The post Are Lens Filters Still Relevant in the Age of “Fix It in Post”? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

In May, vintage-inspired analog camera company Reto announced the Reto Pano, a reusable point-and-shoot camera with both an ultra-wide lens and the promise of being able to switch freely between standard 35mm film aspect ratio and panoramic mid-roll. It got my attention.

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The post Digital Photography School on Twitter appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

Today Digital Photography School has made the leap into a new online medium – Twitter.

UPDATE: 

So I was just browsing older articles here on dPS, and came across this gem, remember when Twitter was called Twitter… oh, err, I mean ‘X’ – whatever, you know what I mean! Well we are STILL on X (Twitter) and we’re also on Facebook, we have a private Facebook Group AND we even have an Instagram and Threads account. Do you follow us on any of them / all of them?

Which leads me to my next question, do you share your photography on social media? We would love you to share a link to where you share your work, online, in the comments below!

For those of you who don’t know Twitter – it is a social site that enables people to share short messages with their followers. It’s known as ‘micro-blogging’ because you only get 140 characters to write your message. There are millions of people ‘Twittering’ – it’s fun and quite addictive.

So today we started the Digital Photography School Twitter account.

It’s a place where we’ll post messages when we update our blog, announce new assignments in our forums, ask photography questions, take your questions and suggestions.

To follow the account just signup as a Twitter user and then ‘follow’ us.

The post Digital Photography School on Twitter appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

Wandrd’s Prvke series has earned a devoted following among photographers, and with the launch of the new Prvke V4 21L and the Essential Camera Cube V2, Wandrd promises photographers an even better carrying experience. I find out if Wandrd’s new bag lives up to its billing.

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If you have a Sony E-mount camera body, the world is your oyster when it comes to lens selection. If you have a camera in Nikon Z-mount, you’d better like Tamron and Nikon glass. With all the excellent third-party lenses being manufactured, Nikon users can feel a little left out. But what if you could mount E-mount lenses onto your Nikon body? Megadap decided to allow just that, and we got our hands on the $249 ETZ21 Pro to see if E-mount lenses play nice with Nikon bodies.

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The post 5 Ways to Create More Artistic Photos (Fast!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Looking back at this article from Jaymes, maybe all in one long post it can be a little overwhelming, what about if you were to write down the five points and then tackle them one at a time?

• Use minimalism to improve your compositions

• Add split toning to enhance the colors

• Decrease the depth of field for a softer look

• Look at the work of good photographers for inspiration

• Lengthen your shutter speeds for more abstract photos

Each of the points above are explained in detail below – one at a time, create a photograph employing the points above. Share a result or all five results in our private Facebook group!

Updated 2025 by Simon ?

Are you looking to create more artistic photos? Do you feel like your photos need a bit of an upgrade?

You’re not alone.

This type of struggle is one that most photographers feel at one point or another. I’ve felt it myself, which is why I developed several methods for increasing the artistry in my own photography.

And I’m going to share these methods with you today.

So if you’re looking to add a level of creative and artistic flair to your photos, keep reading.

300mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200

1. Use minimalism to improve your compositions

Creating more artistic photos can start by changing up your compositions.

Because here’s the thing:

After doing photography for a bit, you start to fall into compositional patterns. You’ll take the same type of photo, over and over again. You may not even realize it.

So in order to take things to the next level…

…you should make a strong effort to break free of your compositional patterns.

One of my favorite ways to do that is with minimalism. Minimalism involves using lots of negative space, while also positioning your subject toward the edges of the frame.

400mm, 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400

For instance, a minimalistic photographer might take a single plant and place it down at the very top or bottom of the frame, while the rest of the scene stays primarily white:

100mm, 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320

Minimalism is great, and one of the things I love most about it is how it feels so different from normal compositional techniques. Once you start thinking minimalist, your whole outlook can change.

And your photos will start to look far more artistic.

2. Add split toning to enhance the colors

If you’re looking to increase the artistry in your photos, ask yourself:

How am I doing with color?

Because color is one of the most neglected aspects of photography, despite its important role in most photos.

Color adds contrast, creates harmony and disharmony, and evokes different moods.

(All in a wonderfully subtle way!)

Now, one aspect of improving the use of color in your photography involves looking for interesting color combinations when out shooting.

But you can also make changes after you’ve finished your photoshoots.

More specifically, split toning will allow you to add a bit of mood and contrast to your photos.

Here’s a photo with a bit of split toning to deepen the yellow highlights and the green shadows:

90mm, 1/160 sec, f/9.0, ISO 320

Basically, a split tone just involves putting one color cast in the highlights of your photo and one color cast in the shadows of your photo. Cold shadows and warm highlights are pretty common, so you could easily go with a blue/yellow split-tone combination. But you should also experiment with other possibilities to make things as artistic (and interesting!) as possible.

Note that pretty much every RAW photo editor offers split toning in one form or another. So no matter your preferred post-processing software, you’ll be able to add some color!

3. Decrease the depth of field for a softer look

This is one of my personal favorites for making photos more artistic:

Bringing down that depth of field.

With a shallow depth of field, you can create all sorts of interesting effects: Stunning background bokeh, soft subjects, and even abstract-type images.

50mm, 1/2000 sec, Freelensed, ISO 250

Now, to create a shallow depth of field look, you’ll need to use a lens with a wide maximum aperture (something in the area of f/1.2 to f/2.8 is best). You’ll also want a lens of at least 50mm, and you’ll want to get close to your subject, if possible. The closer you are to your subject, the better the soft-focus effect.

Note that it can be difficult to focus when working at such a wide aperture. So you may need to switch your lens over to manual, in order to ensure you nail focus every time.

To add additional interest, you might try positioning a light source in the background, so that you can create cool bokeh, like this:

90mm, 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320

I’d also recommend thinking about your subject a bit differently. Don’t envision the subject as a single entity; instead, look for shapes and lines that you can use for a more powerful composition. That way, you’ll be able to use the soft-focus effect for more artistic, abstract-style images.

4. Look at the work of good photographers for inspiration

If you’re the type of person who likes to get out and practice photography, you may grumble at this suggestion. After all, practice makes perfect, right?

But it’s important to realize that it’s hard to know what perfect would mean…

…if you haven’t ever seen it.

That’s why I urge you to look at the work of photographers you admire. Do it all the time. If you like, you can simply look at photographers in your favorite genres.

One of the photographers whose work I view over and over again is Jess Findlay. While he and I gravitate toward different subjects, his work serves as a constant inspiration to me.

Or you can expand your horizons, looking for photographers in many different areas.

(In fact, I like to look at work that’s not in my areas of interest; I find that it gives me fresh ideas that would’ve never occurred to me if I’d stuck to my preferred genres.)

When you look at photography that you like, ask yourself:

What is it that makes this work special? What is it that makes it so artistic?

Then come up with some ideas for incorporating that level of artistry into your own work. Don’t copy blindly, but try to pull out bits and pieces of wisdom that you can use to enhance your own photos.

For instance, if you notice that a photographer likes to shoot from a low angle, start shooting from a low angle yourself.

If you notice that a photographer loves to juxtapose two contrasting subjects, try juxtaposing some contrasting subjects yourself.

Just give it a try. My guess is that you’ll notice improvements in your own photos pretty quickly.

And then you won’t want to stop looking at other photos!

5. Lengthen your shutter speeds for more abstract photos

Here’s a final, practical tip for creating more artistic photos:

Use creatively long shutter speeds.

For instance, photograph moving a flower, but drop the shutter speed way down, so you get a cool blur effect.

And then move your camera around, even as you’re taking the photo. That’ll give you an even more interesting abstract:

100mm, 1/6 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250

Personally, I love doing handheld abstracts with long shutter speeds. Sure, they take a lot of experimentation, but they’re also very liberating. And they’re great for situations where the light is too low to get sharp shots handheld and you don’t want to use a tripod.

Now, to pull off this type of abstract image, you’ll need to put your camera in Manual mode (or Shutter Priority) and drop the shutter speed until it reaches 1/10s to 1s (or longer). Then, as you hit the shutter button, move your camera. I’d recommend aligning the movement with compositional elements in your scene (e.g., if there are trees in the scene, move the camera along the tree trunks).

You’ll end up with some very artistic blurs!

Five ways to make your photography more artistic: Conclusion

Hopefully, you now know a few easy ways to make your photos more artistic.

After all, capturing artistic photos doesn’t have to be hard…

…it just involves changing things up!

So try some of the ideas I’ve suggested, and see how things go. I bet you’ll like the result!

300mm, 1/400 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320

Do you have ideas for creating more artistic photos? Share them in the comments!

The post 5 Ways to Create More Artistic Photos (Fast!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.