Tethered Photography: A Step-By-Step Guide

The post Tethered Photography: A Step-By-Step Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

This article was updated in May 2025 with contributions from Simon and Lauren @ Tether Tools.

When I first delved into studio photography, I was so excited. I had my lighting, I had my camera and lenses, and I had some great subjects.

But after spending a few weeks shooting, I became frustrated. In the studio, every little detail counts. A blemish or piece of dust on a product, a slightly out-of-position light on a portrait, a too-powerful flash, an off-color ambient light; each has the potential to ruin the photo and make it useless to both you and your clients. Yet the camera LCD, and even the viewfinder, just didn’t offer large enough previews to check for these issues. I needed a better way to evaluate my studio shots. That’s when I tried tethering, and I immediately realized that it was the perfect solution to my problems.

So what is tethered photography? How does it work? And how can you efficiently tether your camera while shooting?

In this article, I explain everything you need to know about tethering, including:

• How tethering can instantly improve your workflow
• When you should (or shouldn’t) tether your camera
• Two simple ways to shoot tethered

Let’s dive right in.

What is tethered photography?

Tethered photography is the process of connecting your camera to a computer, tablet, or even a smartphone via a cable or wireless app. Once you’ve successfully connected the devices, any new image captured by the camera is then passed directly to the computer and saved in a designated folder.

Therefore, as soon as you press the camera shutter button, you can see your image displayed (in high resolution) on the computer screen. If you’re tethering in a program like Capture One or Lightroom, you can even make adjustments to your file; for instance, you can boost contrast, convert the shot to black and white, and apply presets.

Many tethering programs allow you to adjust camera settings from your computer, tablet, or smartphone – and you can fire the camera shutter from your device, too.

The benefits of shooting tethered

Tethering lets you quickly preview each photo on a large monitor within moments of firing the shutter button. That way, you and your client can scrutinize your shots on a big screen. You can check for perfect composition, focus, exposure, and subject blemishes – and your client can indicate what they like or dislike about each new file.

Depending on the tethering software you use, you might be able to apply various presets to the image, so as to better visualize the final (edited) result.

Tethering also lets you organize your images as you go along. In a program like Lightroom, you can add notes, star ratings, keywords, and more to each new photo. That way, you can stay on top of your file management, and you can record key information while it’s still fresh in your mind.

The downsides of tethered shooting

Tethering is great – but if you’re not careful, it can cause problems, too.

For one, you or your client might get too caught up in little details while inspecting the photos, which can stall a photoshoot. When tethering, it’s important to set expectations with your client. Let them know how you work and do what you can to set a steady pace.

Tethering can also suck the battery life out of both your camera and your connected computer. You should always carry extra batteries and – if possible – shoot near a wall socket in case you need to plug in your laptop. Tether Tools makes an external Camera power system that can give you all day uptime. It connects any USB battery pack to your camera through a battery coupler so you never have to stop your shooting to change batteries.

And tethering software is notoriously finicky. It sometimes stops working for no apparent reason, so you’ll want to get set up and take some test shots before your photoshoot starts (so you have time to troubleshoot). You should also have a backup plan, just in case.

Finally, tethering requires extra equipment, such as a lengthy cord and a laptop or desktop computer. So while it might be tempting to tether for on-location shoots, consider carefully before hauling along your expensive electronics.

Ultimately, whether you tether is up to you. It’s a great way to improve the final product – but it can be slow, plus it involves extra software and moving parts, so if you need to do a fast-paced portrait session or an outdoors product shoot, it might be better to shoot the “normal” way.

Tethering your camera: essential equipment

The traditional and most reliable way to connect your camera to a computer or another device is with a cable. There are a variety of different cables and ports available, so the specifics will depend on your exact devices. (For further information, check your camera manual.)

Some cameras even offer wireless tethering. The image transfer process can be slower compared to cabled tethering, but if you prefer to work without a cord, this is a great method to try.

If you plan to tether with a cable, you’ll need:

• An extra-long (e.g., 15 feet) USB cable to connect your camera to your computer
• Tethering software, such as Adobe Lightroom (paid), Capture One (paid), or Canon EOS Utility (free)

I’d also recommend a portable table to hold your laptop such as the Tether Tools Aero Table, as well as a TetherGuard to prevent your USB cable from being yanked from your camera.

One thing to be aware of: with is the latest USB-C ports on newer cameras, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, the port protocol is designed to transfer both power and data.  Cameras with two USB-C ports may designate one port for power and one port for data/image transfer, so be sure you connect your tether cable to the right port.  For cameras with only one port, you’ll want to turn off camera power in your camera settings so that power is not sent or received through the USB port while tethering.  Another option is to use a cable that does not have Power Delivery (PD) to ensure the power does not conflict with data transfer.

If you’d prefer to tether wirelessly, then you can forgo the cable and the Jerkstopper – but you’ll still need the laptop, the table, and the tethering software.

How to shoot tethered: step-by-step instructions

In this section, I explain how to tether with two low-cost, simple programs: Adobe Lightroom and EOS Utility. I’m assuming you’re tethering with a cable (the process is similar when tethering wirelessly, albeit with a few extra wireless activation steps when starting out).

Shooting tethered in Lightroom

If you already own Lightroom, the quickest way to get started tethering is with the Lightroom Tethered Capture feature.

Step 1: Connect your camera to the computer

Make sure your camera is turned off. Connect one end of the cable to your camera and the other end to your computer. Then turn the camera on.

Step 2: Start Tethered Capture in Lightroom

Open Lightroom. Select File>Tethered Capture>Start Tethered Capture.

Step 3: Choose your tethered settings

In the Tethered Capture Settings dialog box, you can enter a session name, select a file naming template, pick a file destination, and apply metadata and keywords.

Pay careful attention to where the photos will be saved (you need to be able to find them later!).

Once you’re satisfied, click OK.

If all goes well, you’ll see the screen displayed below, with a narrow control panel and a Library where photos captured via the tethered shooting connection will appear. You should see your connected camera listed on the left-hand side:

Lightroom sometimes has difficulty detecting the connected camera. In that case, you’ll get a No Camera Detected message:

If that happens, make sure your version of Lightroom and your camera’s firmware are up to date. Also, check to ensure your camera can do tethered capture in Lightroom. If your camera cannot tether in Lightroom, you can use a third-party plugin as a workaround; do a search for your camera model and you may find a solution.

Finally, try rotating through several different USB cables to make sure they’re working well.

If you’ve done all of the above and you still can’t get tethering to work, you might want to try tethering using a different program, such as EOS Utility:

Shooting tethered with EOS Utility

If you own a Canon camera, you can use the free EOS Utility software, which offers a simple tethering program. In my experience, this method is more reliable and consistent than Lightroom’s Tethered Capture option.

Step 1: Download EOS Utility and connect your camera

Head over to the Canon website, find your camera, then select the latest version of EOS Utility:

Download the program. Then – with your camera turned off – plug in your tethering cable. Turn your camera back on.

Open the EOS Utility program on your computer. The software should recognize your connected camera, which means you can then select the Remote shooting option:

Step 2: Work with the EOS Utility interface

Once you’ve successfully selected Remote Shooting, you should see the following interface:

The display lets you adjust certain settings from your computer, though there are some functions, such as lens zooming, that you’ll need to do manually.

Next, if you have the option, set your camera to Live View mode. Your camera display should appear on your computer screen, so you can see exactly what your camera sees.

Then, when you take a photo, the file will appear on your desktop!

You’ve made it this far, you could pop over and check out ‘best practices’ from the tethering geniuses at Tether Tools – Troubleshooting Tethering

Enhance your photoshoots with tethering!

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know how to shoot tethered in both Lightroom and EOS Utility. And you’re ready to do some high-quality product or portrait photography.

So connect your camera to your computer. Test out tethering. See what you think!

Now over to you:

What type of photoshoot do you plan on tethering? Which software will you use? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Tethered Photography: A Step-By-Step Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

What Do the Numbers on Your Camera Lens Mean?

The post What Do the Numbers on Your Camera Lens Mean? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.

Camera lenses include quite a few numbers – and many of these are often confusing or obscure, especially for beginners.

That’s why, in this article, I’m going to run through all the important camera lens numbers you’ll encounter. I’ll explain what the numbers actually mean, and I’ll also explain why they matter for your photography.

By the time you’re finished, you’ll be a lens number expert, and you’ll never find yourself confused by your lens markings again.

Let’s jump right in.

Common numbers on newer digital lenses

Depending on the age of your lens, you’ll run into different markings. In this section, I’ll discuss numbers frequently found on newer lenses (though note that many will apply to old lenses, as well!).

Focal length

Zoom lenses feature a zoom ring; twist it, and your lens will zoom in and out.

Next to this ring, you’ll generally find focal length numbers. For example, if your lens is a 70-200mm zoom like mine (below), you’ll see markings that span from 70mm to 200mm. I’m currently at around 100mm:

A lens will never display every focal length but will instead offer a few useful intervals, as you can see in the image above.

If you are using a prime or fixed lens, you won’t have a zoom ring. Your lens will simply indicate the focal length on its barrel, as you can see on my 85mm lens:

Maximum aperture

The maximum aperture is the largest aperture opening your lens is capable of achieving. Note that the larger the aperture opening, the smaller the f-number (so f/2.8 corresponds to a very wide aperture, while f/22 corresponds to a very small aperture).

Larger apertures like f/2.8 or even f/1.8 are highly desirable because they allow you to shoot in low-light conditions while maintaining a fast shutter speed. So the best lenses – and the most expensive lenses – tend to offer a very wide maximum aperture.

(Note that some zoom lenses have a variable maximum aperture, where the maximum aperture will change depending on the focal length; this is represented as a range of numbers, such as f/3.5-6.3.)

Now, pretty much every lens has the maximum aperture written somewhere on its body. You can usually find this information in one of two places (or perhaps even in both):

1. Right on the end of the lens barrel
2. On the front of the lens inside the filter ring area

In the photo below, you can see two different lenses: my Tamron 17-35mm and my Canon 85mm. On the Tamron, you should see “1:2.8-4,” and on the 85mm, you should see “1:1.8.”

What does this mean? It’s simple: the maximum aperture on the 85mm lens is f/1.8, and on the Tamron zoom, the maximum aperture changes from f/2.8 to f/4 as you zoom the lens. (At the lens’s widest, 17mm, I can open the aperture to f/2.8. But if I zoom all the way to 35mm, my maximum aperture becomes f/4.)

These variable maximum apertures are pretty common with kit lenses, and especially kit lenses with a large focal length range such as 28-300mm or 18-200mm.

Focusing range and distance scale

On some – but not all! – lenses, you will see a range of distances, usually marked in two scales, feet and meters. These lens numbers indicate the distance at which your lens is currently focused.

So at one end of the scale, you’ll find the infinity symbol, and at the other end, you’ll find the lens’s minimum focusing distance (i.e., the closest the lens can focus).

Check out the two lenses below. The distance scale on the 70-200mm (left) is under a cover, and you can see that the lens is focused somewhere between 10 meters and infinity. The distance scale on the 17-35mm (right) is on the lens’s focus ring, and you can see that the lens is focused quite close, at around 0.5 meters.

Note that, as you focus your lens, the distance scale will change to reflect your new point of focus.

Lens diameter (filter size)

Every lens has a diameter, the distance across the center of the lens. This diameter also corresponds to the filter size (if the filter’s diameter doesn’t match the lens diameter, it won’t properly screw onto the front of the lens).

You’ll find the lens diameter written on the end of your lens (often on the edge of the barrel), preceded by a symbol that looks like a zero with a strike through it:

So for the lens pictured above, the diameter is 77mm. And if I wanted to use a polarizing filter or a clear filter, I’d need to grab one with an equivalent diameter.

By the way, you can also find the lens diameter on the back of the lens cap, as displayed above.

Less common lens numbers (often seen on older, manual focus lenses)

Now that you’re familiar with all the common camera lens numbers, let’s take a look at some of the less common markings. These numbers are pretty rare on lenses designed for digital cameras, but you may come across them if you purchase older, manual focus glass.

Aperture ring

Most newer lenses set and control the aperture through the camera. But back in the days of film, you would set the shutter speed on your camera and the aperture on the lens (via an aperture ring).

So while newer lenses rarely include aperture rings, you’ll find them on plenty of older lenses. An aperture ring displays different aperture settings, like this:

And by rotating the ring, you widen or narrow the aperture.

Note that some modern lenses do include aperture rings; Fujifilm is known for this, as are other brands that offer manual focus lenses (e.g., Samyang).

Hyperfocal distance scale

A hyperfocal distance scale helps you determine the depth of field for a scene, given a particular focal length, point of focus, and aperture.

Most zoom lenses don’t offer hyperfocal distance scales (because depth of field varies with focal length). But if you have a prime lens – especially an older model – you may see an extra ring of numbers on the barrel, such as in the image below:

Note that, in the image, you can see three sets of numbers:

• the distance scale
• the hyperfocal distance scale
• the aperture ring that actually sets the lens aperture

And this is by design. The hyperfocal distance scale uses the distance scale to display the expected depth of field. Here’s how it works:

First, focus your lens and set your aperture. Then look at the hyperfocal distance scale and find your chosen aperture on either side of the red line. Finally, look at the focusing distances that correspond to the apertures – these will be your near and far depth of field limit.

Make sense?

Camera lens numbers: final words

Well, that’s it for lens numbers! Hopefully, you now feel much more confident (and much less confused) when looking at your lens.

And if there are any lens numbers I missed, don’t worry – just share pictures in the comments below, and I’ll see what I can do to help out!

The post What Do the Numbers on Your Camera Lens Mean? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.

Review: Synology DS925+ for Photographers – Is This Your New Cloud?

The post Review: Synology DS925+ for Photographers – Is This Your New Cloud? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Review: Synology DS925+ for Photographers – Is This Your New Cloud?

We were sent the newly released Synology DS925+ a four-bay NAS (Network Attached Storage) unit—for review, and we’ve been putting it through its paces. But rather than focusing only on the raw specs, we’re looking specifically at how the DS925+ can help you build your own personal photo ‘cloud’. Let’s get into it.

We’ve reviewed Synology NAS units before, and we’ve always spoken highly of DSM (DiskStation Manager), Synology’s operating system. Since then, DSM has seen a few updates, but it remains a powerful and intuitive system for managing your NAS—whether you’re working at home on your desktop or accessing files remotely via mobile apps.

As a photographer and content creator, I’ve found the updated Synology Photos app (formerly Photo Station and Moments) to be especially useful. It’s packed with new features that genuinely improve productivity.

New Synology Photos vs. the Old Apps

As a photographer, I also store business files on my NAS—everything from invoices to contracts—which makes the Synology a fantastic central hub for both creative work and admin.

The Elephant in the Server Room…

Now, you might have heard some chatter (ok, a lot) about drive compatibility changes with this new generation of Synology NAS. Without diving too deep, here’s the gist: Synology now requires Synology-branded drives (co-manufactured by Seagate) for full feature support. Using third-party drives may limit features or even block DSM installation.

It’s caused a stir in the community, especially for those who prefer brands like WD Red or Seagate IronWolf. If you want more detail, the folks at DRN have a good wrap-up.

For our review, the unit came pre-installed with four Synology HAT3300 4TB drives, giving us around 10.5TB of usable storage once RAID (We opted for SHR – Synology Hybrid Raid, which allows for one-disk fault tolerance) is configured.

Hardware Overview: Synology DS925+ Specs

The Synology DiskStation DS925+, launched in April 2025, succeeds the DS923+ with several hardware upgrades—along with the aforementioned drive restrictions.

Key Specifications

• Processor: AMD Ryzen V1500B (Quad-Core, 8 Threads, 2.2GHz)
• Memory: 4GB DDR4 ECC (expandable to 32GB via 2x SODIMM slots)
• Drive Bays: 4 x 3.5″/2.5″ SATA HDD/SSD
• M.2 Slots: 2 x NVMe Gen 3 (for SSD caching or dedicated SSD pools)
• Network Ports: 2 x 2.5GbE RJ-45 (supports link aggregation & failover)
• Expansion Support: Up to 9 drives via the DX525 expansion unit
• RAID Options: Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10

Real-World Use for Photographers

So what do these specs mean in practical terms?

The dual 2.5GbE ports are a big improvement over the DS923+’s single 1GbE. I’ve bonded both for link aggregation, and while it’s no 10GbE, the speed is noticeably better—especially when working with large files.

Tip: Add SSD cache using the NVMe slots. This massively improves responsiveness when serving thumbnails or opening frequently accessed image libraries. (It’s REALLY easy to add them, too)

While editing directly from the NAS is possible, I found that working with 90MB Sony RAW files over Wi-Fi 6 (on a MacBook) did introduce some lag. It’s doable, but if you’re editing a 2,000-image wedding, a wired DAS (Direct-Attached Storage) might be a better option. You can always offload and deliver from the NAS later.

Top 5 Ways to Use a Synology NAS as a Photographer

1. Centralised Photo Storage & Organisation

• Store all your photos in one secure, easy-to-access location.
• Organise by date, camera, client, or tags using Synology Photos.
• No more juggling external drives.

2. Automated Backup & Redundancy

• Protect files with RAID redundancy (e.g. RAID 5).
• Schedule automatic or real-time backups from your computer or SD cards.
• Sync to cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Synology C2.

3. Remote Access & File Sharing

• Access your photo library anywhere via app or browser.
• Share RAW files or galleries with clients using expiring links or QR codes.
• Control who sees what with detailed user permissions.

4. Editing Workflow Integration

• Mount the NAS as a network drive for editing in Lightroom or Capture One.
• Use SSD cache for faster previews and file access.
• Restore earlier edits with version control features.

5. Archiving & Long-Term Storage

• Offload completed projects to the NAS for long-term safekeeping.
• Set up automated archiving with task scheduler or scripts.
• Organise archives by job, date, or tag for quick retrieval.

Final Thoughts

The Synology DS925+ is a solid upgrade with impressive performance and real advantages for creative professionals—especially photographers. While the new drive restrictions may be a sticking point for some, the improvements in speed, software, and usability are undeniable.

Whether you’re managing weddings, commercial shoots, or your personal archive, the DS925+ can absolutely become your central photo hub.

Thanks, Synology, for your support for us here at dPS!

The post Review: Synology DS925+ for Photographers – Is This Your New Cloud? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.