2021 was a year when Digital Photo‘s readers spent a lot of time improving their photography skills. That’s the message we get from looking at the below list of the 10 most popular stories on Digital Photo‘s website this past year, which includes a variety of photography how-tos, tips, and tutorials.
From composition tricks to help you shoot better portraits, to advice on how to use Photoshop’s powerful new editing tools, to ways to use your smartphone to shoot striking photos, stories on Digital Photo that received the most traffic in 2021 ran the gamut of photography education. But Digital Photo‘s readers were also interested in learning about the best photo gear out there with our round-up of the top superzoom cameras in 2021 proving extremely popular this year.
To read a full story included in our below list, either click on the headline or hit the “More” link at the bottom of the excerpt. Thanks for visiting Digital Photo‘s website in 2021 and we look forward to giving you more fun and helpful photography content in 2022! (Editor’s note: You can see the top 10 most popular stories on our sister site, Digital Photo Pro, here.)
#1: How to Shoot Better Portraits: 5 Photo Composition Tips for Beginners
We all want to shoot better portrait photos whether we’re photographing a model for a portfolio or a friend for their Facebook page. If you’re a beginner photographer or even if you know a few things about taking portraits, there are some basic things you should always remember to shoot better photos. (More…)
#2: Photoshop’s Astounding Neural Filters
If you ever need proof that we’re living in the future, allow me to introduce you to one of Adobe Photoshop’s most unique new image editing tools: Neural Filters. It may sound like something straight out of science fiction, but Neural Filters are very real. (More…)
#3: How to Easily Remove a Fence with Photoshop
Here’s a common problem you might encounter when trying to photograph animals at a zoo or enclosure: an ugly fence is blocking your shot. But rather than hop over the fence and put you and/or the animal at risk, you can remove it during post-processing if you know a few tricks. (More…)
#4: Sunset Photography Tips
Back when I got my first job as a photographer, I was told by my boss—himself an accomplished pro with four decades of experience—that autumn produces the best sunsets. It has to do with the angle of the sun and cold, dry air that arrives throughout much of the United States. It’s also helpful that sunsets come earlier at this time of year than during the summer months, meaning you can shoot the sunset and make it home in time for dinner. (More…)
#5: Setting Image Size and Quality In-Camera
Most photographers know that for the maximum in versatility and exposure control, RAW image files are preferable to JPEGs. That said, some photographers like the speed of downloading JPEG files for quick delivery, so for these shooters, we suggest capturing RAW files alongside JPEGs. (More…)
#6: 6 Ways to Shoot Striking Photos with Your Smartphone
Want to spice up your smartphone photos? Street and travel photographer Pierre T. Lambert shares six ways below to get creative with your phone snaps so they look like they were shot with a more professional camera. (More…)
#7: Choosing the Right Format For An External Hard Drive
There are several factors to consider when it comes time to format an external hard drive. Whether you’ll be using it to back up photos for travel, shuttle video files from machine to machine or archive files for the long term, the format you choose for the disk makes a big difference. Here’s help to choose the right hard drive format whether you use a Windows PC, a Mac or both. (More…)
#8: The Top 3 Superzoom Cameras in 2021
There’s a reason superzoom cameras are still popular: they do things your smartphone camera just can’t. An all-in-one camera with a built-in optical zoom that’s 25x or more is also substantially cheaper than buying a mirrorless camera or DSLR and a separate long zoom lens. (More…)
#9: 8 Clever Camera Hacks for Landscape Photography
Camera “hacks” are fun, oftentimes do-it-yourself (DIY) ideas or tricks that help you get the most out of your camera gear to capture interesting photos. Frequently, however, camera hack tutorials can be more silly than helpful. That’s not the case with this tutorial where photographer Mark Denney shows you eight camera hacks “that actually work for landscape photography.” (More…)
#10: Picking the Perfect Lens for Portraits
What makes a lens good for portraiture? Several factors come together to make a portrait lens. First and foremost is the focal length. (More…)
