Light Trail Photography: Settings, Timing and Troubleshooting
By Matteo Martignago, founder of Artistic Hive. Put the camera on a stable support, frame a safe view of moving lights and time how long one light takes to travel through the part of the picture you want to fill. Start near that shutter duration, then adjust exposure for both the trails and the stationary […]
Get Creative With Square Format Photography
When it comes to photography, there are a variety of formats to choose from. Some photographers prefer the classic rectangle shape, while others enjoy experimenting with square format photography. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the square format and explore its benefits and drawbacks. We will also compare it to […]
How to Take Silhouette Photos: Exposure, Focus and Clear Shapes
By Matteo Martignago, founder of Artistic Hive. A silhouette forms when a subject records much darker than the background. It does not require an absence of light: it requires enough brightness difference, plus an exposure that preserves the background while allowing the subject to darken. Build the picture in four steps Find a brighter background, […]
Landscape Sunset Photography: 7 Easy Tips to Take Incredible Pictures
By Matteo Martignago, cinematographer and colorist. Updated November 2026. There’s nothing quite like watching the sun dip below the horizon with a camera in hand. Over the years, I’ve spent countless evenings chasing that perfect golden glow, learning what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to capturing stunning sunset landscapes. In this post, I’m […]
Medium Format vs Full Frame: Sizes and Practical Tradeoffs
By Matteo Martignago, founder of Artistic Hive. “Medium format” describes several sizes, not one sensor. A 43.8 × 32.9 mm Fujifilm GFX sensor is larger than a 36 × 24 mm full-frame sensor, but smaller than the exposed frame of common 645 film cameras. Compare named cameras and lenses before attributing every difference to format. […]
How to Add Presets to Lightroom: Choose Your App
By Matteo Martignago, founder of Artistic Hive. Choose the Lightroom app first, then the file type. Lightroom Classic, cloud-based Lightroom desktop and Lightroom mobile have different import controls. A preset is a saved set of edit instructions; a profile defines part of the rendering foundation and may appear in a different browser. App Where to […]
How to get a disposable camera developed in 2025 (Online & In-Store)
Found an old disposable camera tucked away in a drawer and can’t wait to see what’s on it? I’ve been there—more than once, actually. Over the past year, I’ve sent film to nearly every major lab still developing disposable cameras in 2025, just to figure out which ones are actually worth using. Whether you’ve just […]
5 practical tips on how to take better pictures starting today!
You know how it is: You are out shooting the day, and everything is going great. The light is amazing, the scenery is gorgeous, and your camera is capturing it all in glorious detail. But then you look at the photos, and they all seem a little too similar. You’re not even sure where to […]
How to Improve Video Quality: Capture and Export Checks
By Matteo Martignago, founder of Artistic Hive. Improve the source before adding filters: light the subject, focus accurately, expose deliberately, stabilize the camera and record clean sound. Then export for the intended destination. A higher-resolution file cannot recreate detail that was never captured. Download the capture and export checklist (ZIP; open the HTML file inside). […]