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Back when Lee and I started the idea of Fstoppers, we contacted a few friend photographers of ours to see if they would allow us to film some of their shoots for our Behind the Scenes website idea. We first featured Eric Bradshaw's beach shoot at launch but I figured I'd post the second video as well. This video was the 2nd BTS video I ever edited and I hope you can draw some inspiration for your own behind the scenes videos. Watching Eric work is also pretty inspiring too! Enjoy this video from the FS vaults. ><

For the last 4 days I have been at Bonnaroo listening to music and living like a caveman. The biggest show of the event was Jay Z Saturday night and to get a decent view we camped out 4 hours before the show. The guy next to me happenend to be David Oppenheimer, a professional photographer, and we ended up chatting. He decided to camp out and shoot from the crowd with a monopod and a remote.

Zak Shelhamer has just submitted his contest entry; a behind the scenes video of him shooting his buddy on a motorcycle. The shoot isn't complicated at all and that is why I love it. Zak uses a van, 2 lights, and a stick to create very compelling images. You can join the dialog about this video below in the comments or head over to his forum post here.

I have learned that there is often a lot to be gained by watching people being creative rather than simply being shown an interesting lighting setup or cool new technical gadget. This video will teach you nothing about lighting or photography in general but it gives you a good glimpse on how two of the industry's top creative people (Heidi Klum and Alexi Lubomirski ) come together to produce something really interesting. Click here to see the final photos (editorial/german vogue/2009/Heidi) along with some other amazing photographs.

HEIDI KLUM GERMAN VOGUE from DVDBIOS on Vimeo.

Joey L is always an inspiration because not only is he really young but because he is really forward thinking with his creativity. Here is the behind the scenes video of his latest project The Mentawai. It's pretty wild to see the logistics of a shoot like this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Click Here to see the final images and the original video posted by Joey L.

Douglas Sonders is an amazing photographer out of Washington DC, and his work is very stylized with studio lighting and exotic action themes. Check out this behind the scenes video as he brings out the weapons, poker chips, and Bond characters during his Secret Agent shoot. Also check out his website for more inspiring work!

Secret Agent Photoshoot - Douglas Sonders Photography from Douglas Sonders on Vimeo.

I was sent this video by Marie-Louise Cadosch of Marc & Louis Photography based out of Switzerland, and I was absolutely blown away by the attention to detail in their planning and preproduction. Their behind the scenes video "Bleed Like Me" is gruesome and not for the faint of heart but I doubt you have seen anything like it. And if you are thinking about our DSLR Contest, you may find some editing tricks for your own video. Click the link to find out how they shot and filmed this series. <

Giuliano Bekor is a famous fashion photographer who has had various covers of Vogue, Elle, and Bazaar to name just a few. Today he takes us to "Africa" where BeBe is doing their summer 09 catalog with wild elephants, lions, and giraffes. This video is crazy but totally awesome! ><

Here is a quick timelapse of one of Pete's latests commercial gigs. It is a bit difficult to see what he is exactly doing in terms of lighting but I am simply impressed by the complexity of this shoot. Look how many people are on the set! After you watch this video head over to his website and be prepared to be blown away. Check the full post to read a message from the photographer.

Behind the scenes on the New Balance photo shoot. from Pete Barrett on Vimeo.

In this video Adam Swords takes us behind the scenes on his sports car photoshoot. Make sure you watch until the end to see the images he has taken. After the video you can head over to his website here. Adam Swords: BTS // Audi R8 from Adam Swords on Vimeo.

I'm sure very few of you will ever have to photograph a huge swim spa in a warehouse or while being used by swimmers. Find out how Frank Salle and John Trotto pulled it off and why they needed scuba gear to do it.

The Making of a Commercial Web Video and Photography Shoot from Frank Salle on Vimeo.

Last month Patrick and I had the unique opportunity to follow Todd and Reese of King Street Studios around as they shot Charleston Fashion Week. Not only did they get the standard runway shots, they also setup a small studio backstage and shot amazing portraits of the models right before they were rushed onto the runway. You are about to be blown away by what is possible with a single light. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_DeoemgsqU<

Matt Hawthorne is a talented photographer based out of Dallas Texas who has a very wide range of genres in his portfolio. Today he is shooting a fashion spread inside a haunted hotel. Click on the link to read some of the back story and the gear he used to take these photos.

Matt Hawthorne Photography Baker Hotel Mineral Wells Fashion Photo Shoot from Matt Hawthorne on Vimeo.

In Okay Go's newest video, This Too Shall Pass, the band decided to build a Rube Goldberg Machine and film it unfold in one take. Click the link to watch how they filmed the whole thing and the challenges that come with creating something this unique. <

So this is really cool. Ryan Hughes was in film; then he got into still photography; and now he is blurring the mediums together. Watch Ryan explain how he shot his latest short "RGB MOVE" below and then watch the final product in the full post.

RGB MOVE Behind The Scenes Documentary from Ryan Enn Hughes on Vimeo.

Check out this amazing video created by Seth Epstein from The Group Digital Agency for Suzuki power bikes. Amazing stuff and much of it is shot with only available light! <

Check out John Chiara's home made camera; it's so big he had to build it inside of a trailer! If you thought it was tough getting out and shooting, you now have no excuse after you watch the amount of effort put into making these images. <

When I first saw this video I was completely blown away. Using timelapse and high speed photography, Tim Shepherd and David Attenborough produce some stunning footage of plants growing over the course of 2 years. Check out this crazy video produced by the BBC <

Dave Lehl is one of the best snowboard photographers in North America. Luckily we are good friends and were allowed to tag along during one of his photoshoots in the back country of Vail, Colorado. In Dave's own words, what you are about to watch is "pretty typical"...Click the post for another video of Dave talking about his career. <

Marie-Louise Cadosch of Marc and Louis Photography has put together an amazing Bond-like photoshoot. Ater you check out their BTS video you can head on over to their website: www.marcandlouis.com <

Zimtstern, a clothing company needed a new commercial so they decided to advertise their snowboard apparel in a completely new way. Watch the behind the scenes video below and then the finished product in the full post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mGgdjadp04<

Here is a very simple video of a very complicated photoshoot. I have trouble posing 1 subject but Douglas has to pose 7 guys, a truck, and a hovering helicopter. After turning day into night with Photoshop this is one successful shoot.

Swat Team Photoshoot - Douglas Sonders Photography from Douglas Sonders on Vimeo.

Check out Andres doing his thing and then the actual tear sheets from the magazine he was shooting for. After you check out his video you can head over to his website here.

Sometimes when filming a commercial you need to step back and view the large picture. Other times you need to view it small.... 1/10th scale small! Check out this video of the new Nissan as the entire crew show you how it was created and click the post to view the final commercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz7rBuXJG58<

It is amazing what creative professionals are doing with their cameras. Sam O'Hare blew my mind today with his short NYC video called The Sandpit. I thought I knew how he created this but was completely wrong. Take a guess then click the link to read about how it was really shot.

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Dom Daher is an extreme sport photographer. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to have to shoot commercial photos while avoiding crashing waves and aggressive surfers then this video should wet your appetite. <

Miami photographer Andres Hernandez shoots natural light catalog images for Extyn Italy. He also manages to include some really cool video in his latest behind the scenes film.

Extyn Italy / Behind the scenes photoshoot from Andres Hernandez on Vimeo.

I just recieved a tip from one of our readers to check out Aaron's blog. I am so glad I did because not only is his photography fantastic; his behind the scenes videos are also interesting and informative. Check out his last shoot in the woods and then head on over to his website here. Behind the Scenes - Baxter from Aaron Nace on Vimeo.

Lars Franzen shows us how to take amazing pictures outside with only small battery powered strobes. If you want to see more of Lars' amazing photography check out his site at: www.larsfranzen.com ><

Nathaniel Welch has shot with Joe Perry, Sarah Palin, Chuck Liddell, Terrell Owens, Myth Busters, Guinness Beer, Brad Pitt, ESPN, Ricky Gervais, and Snoop Dogg....just to name a few!

Before Fstoppers.com launched I was in NYC at a scuba store preparing for my trip to Belize. I was talking to the store owner about underwater photography and Christopher Lynch walked up and joined in the conversation. Chris explained that he was a professional commercial shooter and after some great advice he gave me his card and went on his way. I went to his website later that night and found some fantastic behind the scenes footage. I have a hard time setting up shoots in small towns, he does it on the streets of Manhattan.

I hope you are not scared of heights! Watch extreme rock climbing photographer Simon Carter as he discusses how he positions himself in open space hundreds of feet above the ground and still manages to get jaw dropping images. Click the post to view the second video.

NIKON - SIMON CARTER - EXTREME PHOTOGRAPHY from Extreme Photo on Vimeo.

In this Video Glen Bowden knocks his Veve photoshoot out of the park. The video itself isn't extremely technical but it doesn't need to be because most of his shots were done completely with natural light! View the full post to read a message from Glen himself. View the finished shots at his website: www.glenbowden.com

Behind the Scenes footage of the Veve Swimwear photoshoot from Glen Bowden on Vimeo.

Some photographers think taking a pretty model out to a remote location will result in a great photograph. Others know they need to build a studio on location to create something even better. Watch what Kesler Tran does when out on a dried lake bed! <

After speaking with professional photographer Brownie Harris, I realized that he didn't need to be shot behind the scenes working, he needed to be interviewed. Watch this quick 10 minute segment in which Brownie talks about his 40 years in the photography profession... you will be surprised by how many of his world famous images you have seen before.

In this video Chris Benny shows us how he shot the cover for Australasian Dirt Bike Magazine. After you watch this professinoally edited video you should head over to his website at chrisbennyimaging.com to view his unbelieveable automotive portfolio. View the full post to read a message directly from Chris about the shoot and to view the actual magazine cover with this image. If you like what you see then leave a comment below.

ADB Behind The Scenes from Chris Benny on Vimeo.

This online film by director Adam Berg and Stink Digital (http://www.stinkdigital.tv/) took home the Cannes Lions 2009 Film Grand Prix, and boy did it deserve it! Developed to highlight Philips new 21:9 cinema proportion television, the film consists of one long tracking shot a la Goodfellas (albeit with more explosions and clowns). Check out the visual masterpiece and then the making-of videos below. Betcha can't watch just once... <

Our good friend Eric Bradshaw told us about a shoot he had in the works and we knew that we had to document it. An island, a team of 15, and 5 beautiful models... What more could you ask for. More info and a youtube version after the jump. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR0NPSATuS4<

I am not a rich man, and even if I was I never see myself dropping $15,000 to stay in a hotel room for one night. However, if I happened to meet someone that wanted to give it to me for free you better believe I would stay there, and set up a photoshoot. And that is exactly what happened. Click on this post to see a second video of us talking about the shoot afterwards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu1R6w1Mh90

For the past year I have been trying to stay away from TV and I honestly can say that I had never seen this commercial before I watched this video. If I had I would have surely guessed that it was all computer graphics... I could not have been more wrong. <

If you are like me you may have first come across Danica Patrick during the Superbowl for one of those Godaddy.com ads. Most people probably know her best as an Indy Car racer or Nascar driver. Here she is in a behind the scenes video for the cover of Shape Magazine. This video has it all: Girls in bikinis, classic rock, large scrims, infinity pools, and lots of behind the scenes footage! Now only if we could have heard a little from the photographer during this really fun photoshoot.