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Illya Ovchar
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Articles written by Illya Ovchar

Pro Results With a Low Budget: Gear Beginners Should Buy Today

Being a photographer can be a very expensive endeavor. Seeing pros on the internet have the latest and greatest gear in large quantities makes you wonder if this is what you need to be one of them. The truth is, no. Here is our list of basic gear that you need to start a business.

The Worst Advice I've Received as a Professional Photographer

Being quite young and eager to be a photographer, I received tons of advice from all sorts of people. Everything from "quit right now" to "pretend to be someone who you’re not." Between these extremes, I had some decent, but also some horrible advice. In this article, we will look at the worst things I was advised.

Why Film Photography Is the Only Right Way To Start

When I started out in photography, I started learning on film. While it was very much in the digital era, I still shot film. The reason being it was what was available to me at the time, and buying film stock was not as expensive as it is now. Shooting on film has taught me a ton and has helped me be a better digital photographer. Here is why beginners should consider film photography as their first step in the journey.

Is It Time for You to Quit Photography? Signs to Look Out For

Although rare, we all have the thought of quitting photography at one point or another. Despite being young, I have been told to quit several times already, all before even starting. In this article, I want to highlight some valuable reasons why and when you should consider quitting photography.

Best Cameras for Beginners: iPhone 14 Pro and More

When starting out in photography, you are immediately blasted with dozens of potential cameras you can buy. Picking the right one can be one difficult task. When buying a camera, you are not only investing in a device, but rather in a system of lenses, accessories, and much more. This is why picking the first camera is often a very important choice. In this article, we will see which cameras are the best for beginners. The last one might surprise a few of you.

Must-Try Lenses for Beginner Photographers

When starting out in photography, you might want to purchase as much gear as possible. However, professional photographers who have been doing this for decades seem to have every lens in the world. It is natural to strive to buy as much gear to be as professional as possible, but the devil is in the details, as it takes decades to amass gear, and even then, the pros still have some things they want to purchase.

Are You Making This Common Mistake When Dealing With Failure?

One of the most common reactions to failure is saying that you will try harder next time. It’s an easy, quite popular way of dealing with failure at one thing or another. However, simply trying harder and expecting a different result is hardly a great way to progress. Here’s why it doesn’t work, and here is what does.

Jackery 1000 Pro: Big On-Location Power in a Small Package

In recent years, energy has become a very hot topic. With the cost of solar energy at its lowest point ever, it only makes sense to look at products such as the Jackery 1000 Pro. Be it power outages at home or on-location shoots, having a solar power generator is a necessity in the modern digital workspace.

100ASA: A Photo-Sharing Platform Worth Trying Now

If you’re a photographer who has tried using photo-sharing platforms, you might be familiar with the same problems that plague some of them. This can get pretty annoying. If you have been irritated by this, you might be happy to learn about 100ASA, a platform changing the game with its unique community-centered features.

Why You Should Use Presets as a Pro Photographer (I Was Wrong)

My first-ever article on Fstoppers condemned the use of presets and inspired photographers to focus on creating their own color grades and styles. Looking back, I still stand by some of those points, but not all of them. You see, while using presets is bad, creating your own presets might actually be beneficial to your photography and editing workflow.

15 Capture One Hacks and Features You Should Know

I love using Capture One. Recently, I have been working with the latest release: Capture One 23 and Capture One Live. Loved by enthusiasts and professionals alike, it is feature-heavy software. In this article, I would like to share some of the hidden and little-known features of this great software.

Here Is Why I Will Always Use Canon as a Pro

The brand of your camera is perhaps more important than you initially think. Unless you are Jared Polin, you are unlikely to change whole camera systems because one brand does something better than the other. This is why there are camps associated with camera brands. In this article, I will discuss the simple reason I use Canon.

5 Photography Hacks Under $100

As a photographer who constantly experiments with new ideas and techniques, I have been busy playing around with some unconventional things that you may find in a photographer's kit.

Why You Should (Not) Upgrade Your Camera in 2023

Recently, some of my gear broke, and as always, it got me pondering if I should upgrade my gear. I ended up finding the same unit online and purchased it to replace the old one. That was a light, but if it were a camera, what would I do? Very likely, the same. Here is why.

10 Books Every Photographer Should Read Now

As a photographer, focusing on improving your craft is one of the most important things to do. Money can buy the latest equipment, but it can't buy you knowledge of how to use that equipment.

5 of the Most Iconic Cameras of All Time

There are hundreds of cameras in existence, some more successful than others. However, some cameras have become icons that managed to define the industry and technology for years. Despite technology evolving rapidly in the past 20 years and cameras becoming too good to be true, some pieces of gear were so perfect that professionals used them despite newer versions coming out. In this article, I will look at five of the most iconic cameras ever made.

Canon 5DS Long-term Review: Fantastic Image Quality, Even in 2023

When I was looking for a camera that could shoot higher resolution than my Canon 5D Mark IV, I had three options: Phase One, Canon 5DD, or mirrorless. I ended up getting the Canon 5Ds, and after using it for a bunch of work, here are my long-term thoughts.

Photography Will Never Be the Same: Content Creators Are Replacing Photographers

Are you a photographer or a content creator? More and more photographers take on several roles and end up being content creators rather than traditional photographers. The industry is changing every year, and as it looks now, you have to learn content creation to stay in business. Photography is not enough.

Benro Theta: World’s First Smart Tripod You Will Love

As a photographer, you know that having the right gear can sometimes make all the difference, and this includes tripods. With the launch of the Benro Theta, shooting just became more fun and easy. This revolutionary tripod combines portability, stability, and intelligence, making it one of the most essential tools for photographers on the go.

We Review the 2002 Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens: A Reliable Performer

Why would anyone shot with an antique lens from the days of Britney spears and the spice girls? Well, while our opinions of their music might differ, we call can agree that the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 is still an awesome lens, despite being as old as Nickelback's “How You Remind Me”.