Behind The Scenes

Wistia is a video player (think Youtube and Vimeo) for businesses who want a high quality player but don't necessarily want the social features you get with the mainstream platforms. In addition to being a quirky and fun culture and offering a sweet product, the Wistia team also provides tutorials and tips on making your own great company videos. This one offers some great info on choosing a microphone.

I recently wrapped up a kickstarter project that was trying to raise $10,000 for the production of a documentary film. During its 30-day run, and weeks of planning that went into it beforehand, I got my own crash course in fundraising and marketing. I’ll share what I learned in this article.

Few months back we featured a great video showing how Joe Fellows creates his stunning parallax videos. After posting the article, many of you had follow-up questions on his techniques and methods, so he decided to release a 'part 2' video explaining some of the cool tricks he uses to transform a 2D photo into a 2.5D video.

Shooting events is like running a marathon, it often feels like it's never ending. At the end of the day you are sore, dirty, and you may have blacked out for a portion of it from dehydration. Using an ergonomic camera sling for one or both cameras is a great solution for saving your neck and back and also keeping your cameras secure on your body. This is a no-brainer investment if you are an event shooter and may change your life if you haven't been using one.

About 9 years ago, I was a tour photographer for the rock band 3 Doors Down and I had the chance to attend my first Nascar race (from the infield no less!) As a car guy, it was a great chance to watch all of the action from the front row. Never did I imagine in my wildest dreams that I would be getting a call from the National Guard nearly 10 years later to do the official 2014 photoshoot of one of my favorite drivers and his new car, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Are you bored of shooting portraits on white, black, or gray? Are you looking to add some color and creativity to your subjects and environments? Are you looking to shoot more composite photography using backplates you've made on location and subjects you've shot in studio? If you've answered yes to any of these questions and aren't already a genuine wiz at using gels, then this post is for you.

I know it's only a week and a half into the new year, but I'm calling it early. Schwartz Flavour Shots has the most beautiful commercial of the year. Created by DJ MJ Cole with filmmaker Chris Cairns and a brilliant assist from the pyrotechnic wizards 'Machine Shop,' this video is a pretty spicy set of slow motion explosions. Schwartz calls it a 'Sonic Flavourscape.'

Follow Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) as they explain how they created the design for the city of San Francisco in the year 2259 for the film Star Trek: Into Darkness. They also go into depth over the creation of the visual effects for the scene where the USS Vengeance crashes into the city and exactly how large some of the files ended up being.

I'm a huge fan of the Profoto gear. When I came across this behind the scenes video on Profoto's blog, I just had to share it with you guys. To kick off the "Year of the Horse" Tokyo-based photographer Irwin Wong came up with a creative shoot in the middle of the forest.

One of the most important things to know as a photographer is how to balance available light with controlled light. Unfortunately, many in the industry lack the knowledge and the techniques of how to do it. Watch this short video to learn the basics on balancing light bulbs (constant light) with strobes (controlled light) - simple and important.

Max Riché is back with an amazing shoot this time for Bicycle Magazine. During this past summer Max received a surprising email from Stacey, Photo Editor at Bicycling magazine wanting him to shoot the magazine cover for the special 100th Tour de France Anniversary issue. With the help of Google Maps and some friends who lived near the Alps Max was able to pinpoint the best location for the shoot.

Featured last year for his "Wedding Day Zombie Apocalypse" composite, Photographer Josiah Moore is up to his old tricks again. This past fall he shot a wedding where both the Bride and Groom were car enthusiasts. He decided to make a fun chase scene out of a photo from the reception, and this video shows his process in Photoshop.

When looking at portraits, we have a tendency to look at the eyes first. We can't help it, it's part of human nature. This is why I personally believe it is extremely important to capture and refine the eyes in your photos to create more engaging portraits. Retoucher Michael Woloszynowicz created an awesome 4 part video series about how to make your eyes look amazing in post production. See the rest of the post below to watch video parts 2 through 4.

I had the opportunity to hear Greg Heisler speak a few months ago about his book 50 Portraits. I hadn't even thought of it at the time but once it finished I immediately regretted not filming it for our readers here. As luck would have it he repeated a similar lecture in NYC Ilford, and they recorded it! Yes, two hours is a decent chunk of time to devote to watching this, but you need to.

When it comes to marketing yourself, there’s no better time than on the job. There’s also no worse time to be slacking off and looking like you’re not working. This tip will kill two birds with one stone, giving a huge benefit to the couple and their guests, as well as bringing in great leads and spreading your name.

The Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II is presently listed for $1999 (after adding to cart) on B&H, but you can get an addition $300 off by sending in the Canon mail-in-rebate, bringing you down to $1,699. This deal is only good until Saturday January 4 at 11:59 PM EST.

Being a photographer (or videographer) is probably one of the most interesting professions out there. We get to experience so many things no one else can. We get unique access to shoot amazing people, events or places. Personally, I find it hard to remember all these things I do every day and tend to forget some pretty fantastic things. Exactly one year ago I found a great solution for that problem, an app that became the favorite thing on my phone - 1 Second Everyday.

In this behind the scenes video for Malibu Island Spiced Rum, various members of the video crew share nuggets of useful information about the work that went into the commercial. Multiple locations, a huge pirate ship, and fake food are just the start of what it took. The final, edited ad is at the end of the video.

Academy Awards season is swiftly coming and to get the buzz going a little earlier the Oscars have come out with a brand new trailer with talk-show darling Ellen DeGeneres and 250 dancing extras. The trailer was directed by Paul Feig who is best known for "Bridesmaids" and "the Heat". It looks like they used an ARRI Alexa to film the trailer. It's a fun and cute glimpse into what we can look forward to at this coming year's Academy Awards show.

If there’s one thing we know about the Holiday Season, it’s that diamond rings seem to be a popular gift! These few weeks usually end up being the highest proposal time of the year, quickly followed by Valentines day only just over a month away. This means that there are thousands of people around the world, and in your area that are looking for a photographer. How do you make sure they can find you?

Gravity was one of those movies I went to watch by myself this year. I wasn't sure what to expect and none of my family members were interested in seeing it so I grabbed my popcorn, a large orange soda and sat down for a movie experience I won't soon forget. But, watching this recently released BTS of how the movie was put together made the movie even better!

It seems like Stillmotion is never content sitting still for long. These Portland based filmmakers have spent the better part of a decade chasing their dreams and doing so on their own terms. The one consistent thread for Stillmotion has always been executing amazing stories that need to be told.

This year for Christmas I wanted to surprise my father with his dream car, an original Chevrolet Camaro convertible in hugger orange with white rally stripes. Being that I'm a photographer I decided to photograph the car and give my father a framed print of the car before I revealed that I am actually giving him the car.

As most of us are off spending time with our families and loved ones we want to wish all of our readers and fans a Happy Holiday season. Next February (2014) marks Fstoppers' 4th anniversary. It's unbelievable just how much we've grown thus far. With an amazing staff of writers putting out fresh and informative content each and every day, we have grown to over 10 million readers worldwide.

Long gone are the days of being pro- or anti-Photoshop. Today, it's use is ubiquitous in advertising and fashion. Rather, the discussion is now centered around how much Photoshop is appropriate, and at what point is it that something becomes "over 'shop'ed". Ad agency Victors and Spoils aptly demonstrates in this video how marketeers will stop at nothing to get the perfect message across when using Photoshop.

Since the very beginning of my photographic career I have been completely opposed to the use of scenic backdrops. I had always felt that they were cheesy and needed to stay within the confines of cookie-cutter yearbook studios. Please feel free to criticize that opinion, because I was completely wrong. Matt Barnes put together an amazing winter set utilizing

This year's most notable ski film, "Into The Mind" wasn't just your average sports reel. Camp 4 Collective and Sherpas Cinema put together a visually striking feature, along with a narrative that is filled with symbolism. In this behind the scenes video, the filmmakers discuss how certain shots came about, and how the story elements came together serendipitously.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" has been dominating the box office the holiday season. In this thorough fourteen minute b-roll video we get an up-close look at how The Hobbit was filmed using the RED Epic, how the crazy stunts were preformed and the expansive sets that were used. So, if you're curious about epic filmmaking this might interest you.

Do you have a hard time differentiating yourself from the price anchors of other mediocre photographers? Have you considered taking the Starbucks approach to your products? In this two part series by Spencer Lum, of the Ground Glass Blog, he takes you through the psychology and sales techniques to increase your sales. Check out part two below.

If you're a fan of listening to photography podcasts then you're probably no stranger to Jared Polin's (Fro Knows Photo) RAWtalk where Jared and buddy Stephen Eckert (an incredibly talented concert photographer) chat about all things photography. The podcast is also recorded for Youtube and is actually a pretty extensive setup.

This is the third and final chapter from Colin Rich's series "Trilogy of Lights" and is one of the most epic time lapse series I've ever seen. The first two chapters are posted below so watch them in order if you haven't seen the first two.

As a writer for Fstoppers I have seen a lot of behind the scenes (BTS) videos, but some of my favorites are those produced by Simeon Quarrie of Vivida. His videos are always top notch and offer the viewers a wonderful opportunity to see real shoots with actual clients while picking up lots of great tips on how he produces such great photographs.

When winter hit and weddings and senior portraits weren't generating any income, Michael Sasser decided to expand his reach by adding boudoir style photography to his repertoire. If you're looking for a way to increase your business through the slow months, this might be just the thing for you. In this interview, Michael explains how his new sessions have been working out.

San Diego based photographer, Michael Shainblum, is not only a great photographer, he's also an incredible time-lapser. When Michael was young he was diagnosed with Dyslexia and learning disabilities, and got discouraged when he saw that other kids succeed and do well while he struggles. He quickly realized he can excel in art, and decided to take this route to succeed in life. For the past few years Michael has created some of the best time-lapse videos ever created. VICE filmed this very interesting documentary about him and his work - sit back and enjoy!

This video from Golf Digest's latest cover shoot is pretty much all about stroboscopic photography. If you're unfamiliar, this is a technique for depicting the changing features of subjects in motion. It started with the Phenakistoscope (say that a few times) in the 1830's, but didn't really evolve into a photographic use until 100 years later when Harold Edgerton started

This powerful timelapse video called "Wyoming Wildscapes II" was put together by photographer Nicolaus Wegner. Taking 14 months, this video covers the cycle of the seasons, the shifting of the landscape, and the ever-changing weather. To find out more about this project, I interviewed Nicolaus and asked about his gear, workflow, and experiences.

I’ve just had Selina’s answers back for this interview and feel sick. Some numbers - 80 hours shooting, 7000+ stills, 40+ hours of rendering, sleeping in shifts to meet deadlines. I thought my current project was tough - compared to her's, I feel like I'm sat on a beach drinking a piña colada. Her video “Limitless” has had 6+ million views in 2 weeks, so all her hard work paid off. Read on to find out how she put this beautiful video together.

Composite photography seems to be the standard in advertising these days and Erik Almas is one of the photographers leading that race. In this behind the scenes video from Erik, we also see the use of CGI to turn his hometown into an ice winter wonderland.

One of the biggest niches in commercial photography today is food photography. We've all had the same experience, walk into a small local restaurant and ask to see their menu. The photos look atrocious and you wonder to yourself, "who took these photos?" You know you can probably do a better job, but how much better can you really do? "Photographing Food" an ebook series by Taylor Mathis helps you take ordinary food photos and makes them extraordinary.

Trevor Sherwin recently traveled to Kenya, and decided to use this opportunity to create some amazing images for his portfolio. Most people who travel to the area tend to focus on the wildlife, but Trevor wanted to focus on something else - people. He wanted to create dramatic portraits of the local tribes in a way that shows both the people and the location. Check out his great video explaining his method of shooting.

YouTuber Mark Rober, the guy who brought us a creative DIY Rotational Filming techique using a GoPro, has taken it 10 steps further with the help of a NASA engineer. Obviously we won't see photographers building rigs like this in their studios but it's a damn nifty idea. Check out the video in the full post to see their, more entertaining, failed efforts with Dustin from Smarter Every Day.

So you have a priceless Porsche race car to photograph for an ad campaign and you have to make it look like it's driving really fast, but space is tight and you left your stunt driver at home. So how do you get the shot of this car driving fast while parked? This is exactly the challenge car photographer Frederic Schlosser faced for this project. Watch the video and read below to learn how he executed this shoot perfectly.

My passion is shooting outdoor lifestyle and documentary projects, and those shoots often require me to be on the go and in remote areas. Historically, getting an expensive jib or crane in those locations was not possible. With the Aviator Carbon Fiber Travel Jib, taking a jib into the field is not only possible, but easy for everyone.

The majority of successful filmmakers tend to have very similar stories about their humble beginnings. Cheap cameras were often strapped to skateboards or car hoods to emulate the high budget movies or commercials. Professional jibs or sliders were considered a waste of money when there was a perfectly good painter's pole in the garage.

You've likely seen Lee Morris's iPhone fashion shoot by now. One of the common critiques had been the use of expensive lighting. Well here is yet another prime example, by Philippines-based portrait photographer Laya Gerlock, that creative use beats expensive toys. That's not to say an iPad, iPhone or D3 equivalent are inexpensive but you have those already, right?

When I ran across this earlier today I assumed that it was going to be some sort of hilarious disaster. A herd of cats running around a furniture store completely unchecked? Bring on the mayhem! Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be as beautiful and heartwarming as the final commercial is. There is a behind the scenes video after the jump where they talk a bit about "the plan"

When you're successful you get tons of requests, but sometimes there's that one that captures your interest and intrigues you. That's what happened recently to Benjamin Von Wong. A woman by the name of Nicole emailed Benjamin's agent asking what she thought was an impossible favor, to be featured in one of Ben's magical and dream-like sessions, on very short notice.

As the end of the year looms, we begin to look back and reflect on the previous year and think about aspirations for 2014. What will make this coming year successful for you? Getting paid to live and work as a photographer? Producing creative, fulfilling work? Being published? Teaching and helping other photographers? One photographer I've worked with this year did all of these and in this interview, she shares her insights on what success is for her - and importantly, what this could mean for you and your career in 2014.

Corey Rich's work spans both photography and video, often using Nikon DSLRs to capture both. His projects take him to hard to reach places, and being able to manage his gear in both modes quickly, enables him to come away with great images. In this video, Corey explains his choices for gear and shooting style on a climbing trip in Pakistan.

For event videographers, shooting in dimly lit conditions can be big challenge to deal with, and in certain cases an on-camera light is the solution. In this review of the LED Science LS-S6-20, I’ll tell you why this light may or may not be a good choice for you.