Even though color photos have been around for several decades now, black and white pictures still have their magic. And for that very reason, many photographers clothe their color pictures in more traditional attire. Especially since black-and-white conversions take just a few clicks.

What’s absolutely required for a good photo? Good exposure. One foundation for that is exposure time. It affects how long light will stream onto the sensor. Take a look at how to work with it and what settings to use in various situations.

Just about every photographer has tried portrait photography at some point. But many of them run into trouble when it comes to portrait lighting. There are several ways to go here. But for all of them, you have to keep in mind basic parameters such as the light’s intensity, quality, and color. Take a look at how to master these.

Black-and-white photography can truly evoke a special mood and atmosphere. That’s one reason why it has so many devotees. But black-and-white pictures don’t always turn out how you expect. And yet you just have to respect a few simple rules to get black-and-white photos with a lot more magic.

A medium format camera is one with a chip that is similar in size to medium format film (typically 6 × 9.6 × 6 or 6 × 4.5 cm). It offers significantly more resolution than full frame cameras, and it has a high dynamic range. But it costs many times more than ordinary DSLRs. Do its advantages make up for its price? We tested this in practice with the Fujifilm GFX50s.

Did you know you can improve your composition while you’re relaxing watching movies on TV? Just think about filmmakers’ reasons for using particular shots. And then use the same approaches in your photography.

Landscapes can take on a variety of forms. They’ll change in your photos based on the weather, the time of day, and the gear you use. You should keep this in mind in your landscape photography, and adapt your compositions and your camera settings to match. So take a look at how to photograph landscapes as they appear in the morning, evening, and night.

Dust and grit can really make life hard for your camera. Fortunately there are several tools and techniques you can use to clean its lens and sensor yourself, to remove the grit without having to head in to a shop. We’ll show you what to do.

Nobody’s perfect, and nobody knows everything, so nobody’s born knowing which photo compositions look elegant and which to avoid. So there’s no harm in doing a simple composition exercise right out in the field. You just need to find an interesting subject.

Mobile phone cameras—they’re always there for you, and they often give you as much quality as a real camera would. Mobile photography has real advantages. And so you see these kinds of pictures more and more often. But even phone photography has its rules that you need to follow to get the best photos possible. Get to know them.