Seagull Steals GoPro Camera While It’s Recording

This video has been passed around the internet a good bit in the last week but for those of you who have not seen it, enjoy. It really goes to show you just how small and light GoPros really are.

Photographers/Videographers, Need Motion Graphics? Swell.tv Will Deliver

When Patrick and I started Fstoppers.com we needed someone to create the Fstoppers animation for the beginning of each of our videos. We had over 30 animators create mock ups for us and only 1 of them created quality work. That one agency was Swell.tv. If you need any motion graphics work done (video intro, animated logo, special effects) Swell.tv will create world class quality animations for an insanely reasonable price. Dan from Swell has become a great friend of mine and I simply cannot recommend him enough. Check out his new demo reel below.

Shooting the Titanic: How Do You Light the World’s Most Famous Shipwreck?

Hey everyone! I’m Reese and I’m excited to be joining the Fstoppers team. Lee and Patrick have brought me on to do the FS Spotlight, a new weekly Q&A with professional photographers at the absolute top of their field. The interviews are going to touch on everything from from how they reached rock star status to shooting video to what cameras they shoot with and their advice to all aspiring photographers. Click the full post to read about Titanic Photographer Emory Kristof!

As a writer/photographer myself, I want to hear how they got where they are and how they get these amazing shots, but more importantly I want to know what YOU want to hear from them as well. What’s your interest? Surfing? Combat photography? Food? Retouching? If you could score a 5 minute Q&A with any photographer in the world, who would that be? Let me know!

Time Lapse Video Shows Earth Rotating Instead of Stars

We have posted a lot of great time lapse videos here on Fstoppers but nothing quite like this. A standard time lapse by Stephane Guisard and Jose Francisco Salgado has been edited to show the earth moving and the stars remaining still (what is actually happening).

A Quality Video Crane/Jib For Only $125

Just stumbled upon another great video by OliviaTech which showcases a pretty high quality jib. That in itself isn’t very exciting until you realize that this thing only costs $125! If you know anything about the cost of jibs, you know how good of a deal this is. Head over to eBay and buy one at this incredible price… mine is due to show up in a few days.

BTS Of Vincent Laforet’s New Video “Epic #308″

Vincent Laforet recently released a new short titled “Epic #308″ because this was the first test footage taken with his new Red Epic camera with the serial number of 308. The footage was shot in California, from Big Sur, to Ft Bragg back through Mono Lake and Death Valley. Check out the full post to see the finished product and head over to Vincent’s blog for the full gear list.

An Inside Look At Canon’s Image Stabilization At Work

Just ran across this interesting video of Canon’s “IS” in action on Vimeo. The video is cool but write up by Camera Technica is the best part. Head over to their website to learn how that lens of yours keeps your images sharp.

Chopper With 5DM2 Automatically Follows Wakeboarder With “FollowMe” Transmitter

If you like gadgets as much as me then you will probably find this really interesting, and probably a little scary as well. The guys over at Mikrokopter put a “FollowMe” transmitter on a wakeboarder’s head and the chopper automatically follows and films him around the lake. The chopper was at a very high (and safe) altitude but I can see these getting a lot closer as the technology improves. The concept is really remarkable but I’m not sure I want a flying machine with 6 blades following something attached to my head.

How To Create Your Own Breakaway Candy Glass

Have you ever wondered how to make your own breakaway glass? It’s surprisingly simple and in the video below Jay P Morgan walks us through the process step by step. Jay is also currently giving away 2 bottles from Alfonso’s to one of his Twitter followers so make sure you are in the running!

The Canon Pro9000 Mark II Is Currently $50 After Rebate

Every once in a while a deal comes a long that is too good not to share. I’ve owned the Canon Pro9000 printer for years and have never had a problem with it. I paid $450 for it and I thought that was a great deal at the time. Currently BH is selling the Pro9000 for $250 (hit EMAIL ME A BETTER PRICE on the BH page) and after the $200 mail-in rebate, the printer only costs you $50. If you need a printer, you simply cannot beat this deal.

Multiple Ways To Use A Reflector To Light Your Subject

A few weeks ago we posted a video by SLR Lounge that we called “The New iPhone Fashion Shoot.” In that video a reflector was used to light a model and the results were fantastic. In the video below Pye takes us through a few of the ways that you can use a reflector to get similar results.

A Great Example Of What A Polarizing Filter Does

Many of you may know what a polarizer does in theory, but you may have never seen a side by side comparison like this. The video below from OliviaTech does a great job of showing examples of this filter in use. If you shoot outside, or reflective subjects, a polarizer like this one is a must have.

BTS Of Nike Chosen Campaign: Extreme Sports At Night

I just ran across an incredible ad by Nike called “Nike Chosen.” The concept was to grab the best surfers, snowboarders, skaters, motocross, and BMX riders and film them doing their thing at night. The BTS footage (that can be found in the full post) is not as informative as I would like but if you pay attention to the details, there is a lot to be learned. The lighting, especially for the surfing session, is really amazing and although you may not ever do a shoot of this size, the same techniques could be used for your still photography at night.

Watch EA Sports Shoot The Madden 2012 Cover Live In Time Square

Here’s a clever idea… EA decided to make the cover shoot for Madden 2012 a promotion in itself. How did they do it? Well they created a studio in the center of Time Square in NY and allowed thousands of people to watch the photoshoot take place live, and in person.

An Inside Look At Car Photography Post Production

Have you ever seen a car ad in a magazine and wondered “how did they do that?” The car itself seems to be glowing and the location is always perfect. I’ve always known that tons of photoshop is involved by I didn’t know if the car was actually shot in that location or if it was shot in the studio and dropped into the scene in post. In the case below, the car was shot on location and lit with a very simple rig (umbrella on a stick). The magic happens in Photoshop afterwards.