So many of the tools we utilise in our photography and filmmaking adventures these days are battery-powered. Many of those batteries, whether they’re removable or built-in, are based on lithium-ion technology, which generally doesn’t do well when left for a long time at a near-full or empty charge. Other devices may also use alkaline batteries which can leak when unused for long periods. For the latter, just go and remove them from the devices....

It is a nice thing because, usually, those hotspots are just taking away from your subject attention, and if you apply this technique, those annoying hotspots can become part of your artistic say. Creating your own bokeh shapes is easy and fun, however there are a few repeating questions that I frequently get by email and comments. This is why I was really happy to learn that manimal magic has done some great thinking and have solutions for all questions....

If you’re a portrait photographer, it’s useful to know how to make your models smile naturally. And when you are the person in front of the lens, you’ll see how difficult it is to make your smile look unforced. Mathieu Stern shares seven tips that will help the models smile. And of course, they’re also great for photographers when capturing self-portraits. 1. Close your eyes 1. Close your eyes If you’re feeling nervous, take a few seconds to relax....

Sigma Global has announced an “Online New Product Presentation” set for April 27th. Given some recent Tweets from Nokishita, it looks like it’s going to be the official announcement for the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art series lens for Panasonic and Sony mirrorless systems. They’ve leaked some of the specs for the new lens, along with a price, stating that it’s been added to some overseas retailers already. Surprisingly, there don’t appear to be any product photos of the actual lens yet, which is designed for Leica L mount and Sony E mount systems and expected to cost $899, but no doubt they’ll start to pop up in the next few days....

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are everywhere in photography now. I recently wrote about whether we should be worried about AI in photography. My conclusion is that we shouldn’t. Today I’m demonstrating the power of AI in the form of a battle, putting the leading noise removal software head-to-head. I’ve searched through my raw images to find a particularly noisy shot to work with. Here’s what we’re working with:Advertisements I’ll quickly explain what’s going on here....