Photography topics in the headlines this week: renting high-end photography gear, shooting a meteor shower and nature-saving art. Read on for more of the Very Important Photography Topics currently on our minds at 500px.

1. Would you rather rent high-end equipment than own an affordable kit?

A new article on Fstoppers asks if peer-to-peer renting is the future of photography equipment? It goes on to discuss the new UK company Fat Lama, which allows people and “rent and lend almost anything, including photography equipment.” Meanwhile, Hasselblad has launched the “Rent a Hasselblad” program, aimed at making the famously-expensive gear more accessible to pros and enthusiasts, as well as more convenient for photographers that may just need a high-end kit for a specific shoot.

All this talk of renting begs this week’s Very Important Photography question: Would you rather rent high-end equipment than own a more-affordable kit? We can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments—or hit us up on Twitter and Facebook.

Through the Hasselblad lens by Andreas Müller on 500px.com

2. Meteor shower photos that’ll inspire you to shoot the Leonids

We’ve got stars on the brain this week at 500px HQ, with the peak of the Leonids meteor shower and Tanner Wendell Stewart‘s Astrophotography Class. Check out our gallery of some of the best meteor shower photos from the 500px community (plus, how to shoot a meteor shower) and get inspired to capture the dazzling event on camera.

Perseid Meteor Shower by Matt Payne on 500px.com

Look beyond the stars by Thomas Mørkeberg on 500px.com

Wish Upon A Falling Star by Cat Connor on 500px.com

Medicine Bow Perseids by Ryan Shepard on 500px.com

Star Shower by Dylan Toh & Marianne Lim on 500px.com

3. The Art Rangers: How photography is helping to save U.S. national parks

We interviewed 500px travel photographer Oscar Nilsson about his latest project, The Art Rangers—a community of artists helping to save the United States’ national parks using art. Find out why he chose the national parks and more on some of the big names already involved in the full interview. Plus, check out our U.S. National Parks Quest to get involved!

In between the trees by Oscar Nilsson on 500px.com

4. Recognition for 500px portrait photographers

We were thrilled to spot a number of 500px photographers on Resource Mag Online‘s list of 17 portrait photographers worth checking out. Get a taste of some of their amazing work below, and check out their 500px profiles, below!

Torie by Lee Jeffries on 500px.com

The Wheeler Boys by Zack Arias on 500px.com

Katie Herzig by Jeremy Cowart on 500px.com

Into your Eyes by Joel Santos on 500px.com

An Phuoc by Réhahn Photography on 500px.com

5. A touch of whimsy for the weekend

Fstoppers recently highlighted 500px photographer Juhamatti Vahdersalo‘s creative works fashioned from cardboard, which he creates “when he has nothing else to shoot.” Welcome the weekend with a touch of whimsy from Juhamatti‘s photos:

Cloudmill by Juhamatti Vahdersalo on 500px.com

This Side Up by Juhamatti Vahdersalo on 500px.com

Letter to Pedro by Juhamatti Vahdersalo on 500px.com

Plus, get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how he creates these scenes in the video below: