Chinese customs authorities have detained 14 people suspected of smuggling approximately $63.5 million US worth of photo and video equipment. Officers at Gongbei Customs, Zhuhai City, south China’s Guangdong Province, said the smuggling ring has already transported more than 60,000 cameras, 13,623 lenses, 483 flashlight and 1,025 video cameras from Hong Kong to Guangdong from January 2011 to February 15, 2012. [more]
There are questions regarding the church’s wealth in Russian which have recently received a lot of press due to a scandal over photographs of it’s leader wearing an enormously expensive watch. The Russian Orthodox Church seemingly had editors doctor a photograph, on their site, of the leader Patriarch Kirill I, in attempt to obscure a $30,000 watch that he has claimed to not exist. The amateur shop job extended a black sleeve where there once appeared to be a Breguet timepiece but somehow managed to forget to remove the reflection of the watch. [more]
Your “Likes”, “Tweets”, comments and clicks all help us know which are our best posts of the month. And because we don’t want anyone to miss any of Fstoppers’ goodness we put “The Best of” in a monthly newsletter for you. So, if you think you may have missed anything this last month, check out the top 10 posts and don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter if you haven’t already. [more]
Vimeo Video School with help from Nikon are turning out a video series called “Do More With Your DSLR”, that aims to help educate photographers.
The series does a pretty good job at making, seemingly complicated topics, easy to digest and is visually entertaining to watch. Each video even comes with an in-depth post to help break it all down for you. [more]
When it comes to photography projects, Benjamin Von Wong is one of the most prolific guys I know. It seems like every few posts I’m compelled to bring you something cool Ben is doing. Whether it’s playing with his pliable models, setting them ablaze or just a quick tip. His latest venture has him teaming up with Udi Tirosh over at DIY Photography to show us how to light paint with steel wool. Including the basic technique, location, safety and a few other helpful tips to consider. For someone who plays with fire as much as Ben and with hair that big, he must know what he is doing… right? [more]
It’s bound to happen. With new gear comes new bugs and Canon Rumors has already reported on the first two issues with Canon’s 5D MarkIII.
Issue One:
Image Stabilization Noise
A couple of lenses have been exhibiting strange noises when the shutter button is half depressed on the 5d MarkIII but the image quality is not affected and the noise does not occur during Live View. The two known affected lenses are [more]
This years GPP2012 Shoot-out that pitted David Hobby, Martin Prihoda and Gregory Heisler against one another was brilliant. All three photographers approached their respective photos from completely different points of view, using completely different techniques, resulting in an enlightening experience for all. Don’t get me wrong, last year’s shoot out was great too but his one has definitely encouraged me to make plans to attend GPP2013 in Dubai, featuring workshops, seminars and talks by the world’s best photographers. [more]
TrekPak on KickStarter is one of the lastest funding projects aimed at photographers. A innovated design that allows owners of large camera bags and pelican cases alike, easy adjustments of compartment space without having to fight with velcro inserts.
[more]
Joey L always seems to have some project up his sleeve that’s pushing the boudries of photographic applications. His latest endeavor has him teaming up with Jesse Korman and Thomas Leavy aka All-Nighters, as they turn out Rock Photographer. This iPhone app is a unique game, obviously directed at shooters and has been dubbed, a Guitar Hero for photographers. Check out the behind the scenes video to see this amazing project come to life and all the fresh talent involved. [more]
A hyper, over caffeinated Benjamin Von Wong sent me this super short, super simple but super easy to overlook tip. So, if you plan on traveling any time in the near future and have 38 seconds to spare, give it a look.
Benjimin Von Wong:
Quick Tip # 1 – Bring a powerbar when you travel! Oh, and don’t drink too much coffee before filming! [more]
The crew for Travel Channel’s television show, “No Reservations” with Anthony Bourdain have started posting BTSVs on their Road Bite TV, YouTube Channel. This is an interesting and entertaining look at what the crew, from producers to cameramen, have to go through while traveling the world. Check out the first four videos and decide if life on the road is for you. [more]
The guys over at Omstudios wanted to show off the capabilities of the their OMCOPTER drone, housing a RED Epic. The video clearly shows the drone’s ability to move in, out, around and over the action. Sadly we are cheated out of all the awesome clashes of steel and slashing of viscus as there is no sound to this video. But I’m sure, if you ask nice enough, our very own Patrick Hall will beat box out all the sound effects for you over the phone. Check out the video and a couple of BTS of the OMCOPTER drone, in the full post. [more]
The Limbach-Oderfrohna Zoo in Eastern Germany was holding a big media event to introduce three-week-old Til. Til was (that’s right, I said “was”) a rare earless mutant rabbit, that met a tragic end when a photographer took a backward step into the animal’s pen crushing him. Until that moment (ironically) Til was living in a private enclosure for his protection even though there had been requests to put him on show to the public. [more]
Hello Fstoppers’ Fans. We just wanted to give Peter Hurley a well deserved pat on the back for just being featured in the Gadgetwise section of the New York Times and to toot our own horn over the success of our first full length tutorial DVD. If you’re still in the dark and don’t know what all the hype is about then check out the published article where Peter shares a small part of the DVD with, “Six Tips for Better Portraits”. Or you can skip all that and jump right into grabbing, “The Art Behind The Headshot” DVD. The most comprehensive DVD on how to get the ideal headshots for your clients. [more]
I’m starting this one with a disclaimer: this post is oriented towards the trending, creative use of LEDs. Like the L.E.D. Surfer post or the Invisible Car post. So, watch this video if you have an open mind and a creative urge, cause it’s not photo/video specific.
Now that I got that out of the way… We are seeing more artists taking advantage of the LED tech as it becomes less expensive to work with. Light painters being early adopters of LED use, have opened our minds to the seemly unlimited and magical potential they have to offer in the creative arena. [more]
