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The Best Fstoppers’ Posts From January 2012

Kenn Tam — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:11:45 +0000

Colorization Of Black And White Iconic Images
Some of the most iconic black and white images of our time, shown colorized by Sanna Dullaway, gives us a glimpse into how these images would have looked had they been taken in full color.At first, I was just expecting another plain old restoration job. Then I started to scroll down through the set and I immediately realized how amazing these were…

The Finalists: Fstoppers 2011 BTS Contest
We’re so excited to announce the finalists for our 2011 Behind The Scenes Contest. Thank you to EVERYONE who participated. The videos this year really blew us away! We were forced to choose our top 12 videos to make it to the finals instead of the the top 10 we had planned. From this stage, they will be sent off to our celebrity judges for the final round who will choose a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner!

A Controversial Campaign
This campaign (shown below), in the January issue of Plus Model Magazine, has stirred up plenty of controversy. With the year just beginning, this may be one of the most controversial campaigns on weight we’ve seen.Throughout recent history, anorexia and modeling seem to catch plenty of attention due to health concerns and the public image. Especially when the girls you see in campaigns and the runway seem to have an unattainable figure. The public argues that this is not a healthy image to reflect into the public eye, especially for girls growing up who try to base their identity on what they see…

The Dark Lens: Star Wars Meets Real Life
Photographer Cédric Delsaux took photos in dreary locations for the purpose of using them as backdrops for his Star Wars inspired series. What commenced was an epic series of ultra-realistic images that is an ode to Star Wars, set to a modern day theme. He has also a book out that you can purchase with all of the images.

Joe McNally’s BTS Circus Shoot
with Nikon’s D4
Get a behind the scenes look at a couple shoots Joe has been doing for the Nikon D4 campaign. All footage was shot on Nikon D4 and Nikon D7000 cameras.
Joe’s great sense of humor and his amazing work makes this video a fun and insightful watch.

The Shot Before The Beatles’ Iconic Cover
Perhaps the most iconic image by The Beatles, the memorable ‘Abbey Road’. Unseen by many, here is the shot taken prior to the shot that we all have come to know and love. What is truly amazing about this image is the innocence of the moment. They are oblivious to the importance of the image which is about to be captured. Moments later, the cover of Abbey Road was made and sealed into history.

Antoine Verglas on Lingerie, Swimsuit, and Fashion Photography
Every guy wants to be Antoine Verglas. The esteemed French-born photographer spends his days shooting the world’s most beautiful and charming women in the planet’s most exquisite locales, often while they’re wearing some of the world’s tiniest clothes. Tough life, right?
His gorgeous portraits go beyond the obvious, however, exhibiting an unsurpassed aesthetic, powerful sexuality, and undeniable sensitivity appealing to both the sexes. You’ve seen his photographs in Maxim, Sports Illustrated, GQ, Elle, Esquire, and Vogue, so now learn about living the good life from Verglas himself!

The New Revolution In Beauty
My buddy Jesse Lash just posted this video on his Facebook and I had to share it with everyone here on Fstoppers. Check out this hilarious video from film maker Jesse Rosten titled “Fotoshop by Adobé”. Enjoy!

How China Changed the Lighting Industry
Why do brands matter to us? When at the grocery store, why do we pick out Heinz instead of Western Family, or Nike instead of Payless? We buy brands because they have earned our trust. Even if we don’t know of a brand, we begin to trust them simply because they have a logo, can afford advertising, and put out a product that seems to work well…

Keep your Models Fresh: Vacuum Seal Them?
If there is one thing I’ve learned while living in Japan it’s: when you are squatting over a Japanese toilet the business end points to the back. If there are two thing I’ve learned while living in Japan it’s: expect the Japanese to have a unique take on everything. Photographer Hal is no exception as he vacuum packs his models in his wacked out series called “Fresh Love”.

Flickr Spotlight #2
15 Images Of Extreme Weather
This week I decided to feature some of the best weather-related images found on Flickr. Not just rain or lightnings, but also sand storms, snowpocalypses, and other extreme weather related events.
You might not see your favorite weather-related picture here as im trying to bring you some original content from Flickr, but if you think i missed a picture – feel free to add a link in the comments! Enjoy.

6,878 Hours To Make One Awesome 30 Second Ad
There’s something to be said for painstakingly creating an entire scene by hand, out of nothing but paper. The thing you say is WOW!…

Peter Hurley’s The Art Behind The Headshot
After almost a year of work we have finally finished Peter Hurley: The Art Behind The Headshot. We created this to be a double DVD tutorial and we may eventually still make a physical copy but for now we have decided to begin with a digital download. I would like to thank each one of you that supported us by pre-ordering this video…

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From The Editor:Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get the best posts of the month dropped right into your inbox. Do you have an article, artist, subject, comment or anything you think your fellow readers would like to see on Fstoppers? Then send it along to:kenn@fstoppers.com. And if you ever feel like hitting that “unsubscribe” link, drop me a line instead, with your suggestions, comments or deepest most darkest desire and we will see what we can do.

The Very Best Posts On Fstoppers From 2011

Kenn Tam — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:33:58 +0000

(JANUARY) Street Photographer’s Work Discovered A Few Days After Her Death
Vivian Maier’s street photography was recently “discovered” just a few days after she died at the age of 83. The Chicago nanny took over 100,000 photographs and many say she may rank among the top street photographers of the 20th century.

(JANUARY) NYC – Mindrelic Timelapse
Today is our final day in NYC and we are currently in the studio shooting the next Fstoppers Original on Sam Yocum. I have just a second as the model gets makeup ready for the second look. I just stumbled upon this fantastic NYC timelapse by Josh Owens.

(FEBRUARY) Fstoppers Original: The Wakeboard Studio Shoot
…I decided I wanted a way to shoot a rider flying through the air with interesting, studio quality lighting and this is what I came up with.

(FEBRUARY) How To Build A Full Studio At A Music Festival
If you’ve ever attended a crazy big music or art festival then the thought has probably crossed your mind, “I should probably photograph these interesting characters while I’m here!” While attending the annual free expression festival Burning Man in Nevada, photographer Eric Schwabel decided to build a portable photo studio to capture dramatic portraits of everyone in attendance…

(MARCH) Fstoppers Original: The Stolen Scream
What if you took a set of images that became so popular that it was used hundreds of times all around the world by hundreds of artists, businesses, websites, and publications? As photographers, it’s what we all dream about but what if you were never paid for your work? What if you weren’t even given credit? What if your images were stolen for years and you never had any idea? This is Noam Galai’s story.

(MARCH) No, These Are Not Photos Of Ghosts or UFOs
When Denis Smith found himself faced with a dark depression in his life, he found motivation and purpose through his newly found photography hobby. After moving to South Australia, Denis picked up a camera and began to explore the serendipitous world of night photography.

(APRIL) F*ck You; Pay Me! A Guide To Contracts For The Creative Professional
Have you ever had a client dismiss a project after you have already put in hours of work? What are you supposed to do when a client brings in a second professional to also work on your project? What can you do if a client says your work isn’t really what they were looking for after you have already delivered the final project?

(APRIL) A New iPhone Fashion Shoot To Silence The Haters
I released The iPhone Fashion Shoot back in July of 2010 thinking that it would be a fun way to prove a simple point (that people can create compelling images with any camera). I never thought 1, that the video would become so huge and 2, that 50% of everyone who saw it would totally miss the point…

(MAY) The Battle At F-Stop Ridge
I don’t think we have ever had a video submitted to us more than the one below. The Camera Store created a great promo video in which a battle takes place with cameras instead of guns.

(MAY) How A Professional Photographer Should Document A Vacation
…What if we spent a little more time on our next vacation and shot pictures and stills with a particular project in mind? That is what this couple did and now they have a tight 4 minute video that is fun for anyone to watch.

(JUNE) What Photographers Do To Entertain Themselves In An Airport
Okay this video has no real educational value at all but I really enjoyed it. Larry Chen and Joe Ayala, two drifting photographers and videographers for Tandem of Die, recently were stuck overnight at the Dallas Fort-Worth Airport. Instead of trying to sleep on the fluorescent soaked vinyl benches, they decided to create a fun video of them playing around the empty airport while security was apparently asleep…

(JUNE) Art or Pornography? The Life and Work of Sally Mann
After almost a year of work we have finally finished Peter Hurley: The Art Behind The Headshot. We created this to be a double DVD tutorial and we may eventually still make a physical copy but for now we have decided to begin with a digital download. I would like to thank each one of you that supported us by pre-ordering this video…

(JULY) Light Painting with 1,871 Slices of a Corpse
Joseph Paul Jernigan was a Texas murderer who was executed by lethal injection. His body was then sliced into 1,871, 1mm cross sections, digitized and has now been used to create eerily stunning photographs.

(JULY) The Portrait Photographer’s Rube Goldberg
…I can’t imagine how long this Rube Goldberg setup took to build and get working 100% but I know I’m still not sure how several of the segments worked (like Mario and the instant print)…

(AUGUST) Two Free Books on Street Photography
Photographer Thomas Leuthard just published a second free book about street photography called “Collecting Souls… What Street Photography means to me”. That and “Going Candid… An unorthodox approach to Street Photography” can be downloaded as PDF documents…

(AUGUST) Annie Leibovitz’s Lighting, From the Eyes of a Photo Assistant
Assistants, aka “voice activated light stands”, can be a wealth of knowledge and experience if you are fortunate enough to have access to one that’s been around. It’s not entirely unheard of, to meet an assistant that knows their lighting better than the photographer they are working for. If only one of them would create a blog about their behind the scenes exploits… wait a minute. What do we have here?

(SEPTEMBER) How To Tether Your Camera To An Ipad Without Jailbreaking
Last year I released a video explaining how to wirelessly tether your camera to an iPad by jailbreaking the iPad…

(SEPTEMBER) Fake Nikon Gear Alert! D7000 MB-D11 Knockoff
A few months ago I purchased a Nikon D7000 and MB-D11 battery grip from Amazon.com. The order was fulfilled by ANATOLIAN BOOKSTORE, INC and two days ago I figured out that this grip is actually a fake. Check out the full post…

(OCTOBER) Light Painting Just Keeps Getting Better and Better
Every time I think light painting is a fad that will soon reach, “seen it all before” status, some one comes along and changes my mind. Enter Dennis Calvert. If you want to see some spectacular examples of this exploding art form, check out some of Dennis’s work.

(OCTOBER) This Is The Best Timelapse Video You Will Ever See… This Month
I just ran across across Dustin Farrell’s newest timelapse and I know I say this a lot but I really think THIS is my favorite so far. Quality timelapse videos keep coming out and raising the bar each time but this is a big leap in my opinion. Obviously these shots have been enhanced in post and I would LOVE to know how he did it…

(NOVEMBER) [Video] An Open Letter To Canon, Stop The Lies!
…Apparently to use a camera properly you need to have talent and original ideas but Canon has failed to put either in the box with any of their cameras.

(NOVEMBER) [Video] A Creative, Inspirational Short by Tom Jenkins
Using Google Street View, stop motion animation, a 5D Mark II, everyday objects as props, great lighting and the power of the creative mind, director Tom Jenkins made what maybe my favorite short of the year, Address Is Approximate.

(DECEMBER) [Video] Judge Brown Tears Cheap Wedding Photog a New One
…when I saw this video of Judge Joe Brown ripping this ~~professional~~ wedding photographer a new one I couldn’t help but chuckle at this ridiculous exchange. I apologize ahead of time for all the stupid in this video…

(DECEMBER) [Pics] The 45 Most Powerful Images Of 2011
“The 45 Most Powerful Images Of 2011″, according to BuzzFeed. How many of these moments do you recognize? Which one do you find most compelling? And do you think BuzzFeed missed anything? Leave your anwsers in the comments below.

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From The Editor:Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get the best posts of the month dropped right into your inbox. Do you have an article, artist, subject, comment or anything you think your fellow readers would like to see on Fstoppers? Then send it along to:kenn@fstoppers.com. And remember, if you ever feel like hitting that “unsubscribe” link, instead, drop me a line with your suggestions, comments or deepest most darkest desire and we will see what we can do.

The Best Fstoppers Posts From November 2011

Kenn Tam — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 01:40:42 +0000

Is a Portrait Still a Portrait Without a Face?
Shape is an eery black & white portrait series by French photographer Quentin Arnaud, who used low-key lighting to highlight the shape of his subject’s heads while obscuring any definitive facial features. Let us know what you think.

The Celebrity Judges For The BTS Contest
The Fstoppers 2011 Behind The Scenes Contest has been picking up momentum as we near the submission deadline (December 31st). We are giving away over $20,000 in prizes which is pretty exciting on it’s own but I’m happy to say that things are about to get even better.

Classic Animal Photo Bombs
What better way to start your work week, after the long Thanksgiving vacation, than to ease in with some amusing animal photo bombs. You may have seen many of these before but they should still be good for a few mindless chuckles. Which got me thinking… with all of us photographers prolifically snapping away, at least some of us must have some hilarious photo bombs.

Odd Photos of Men Wearing Mustaches in Place of Their Hair
I know I’m always pushing for photographers to be creative but maybe this is going too far. Still these photos of men wearing their own mustaches in place of their hair has the same effect as a freak show carni at the grocery store, or a car crash… you can’t help but stare. “Where men meets moustaches meets hair meets moustaches meets hair meets MOUSTAIR.”

A Creative, Inspirational Short by Tom Jenkins
Using Google Street View, stop motion animation, a 5D Mark II, everyday objects as props, great lighting and the power of the creative mind, director Tom Jenkins made what maybe my favorite short of the year, Address Is Approximate. The Story: A lonely desk toy longs for escape from the dark confines of the office, so he takes a cross country road trip to the Pacific Coast in the only way he can – using a toy car and Google Maps Street View.

The Most Well Known Landscape Image
I’ve always wondered what who actually took the amazing images that come with our operating systems to be used as desktop wallpaper. I’ve never seen a name or heard a story about how they got the shot. Sadly I still don’t have the story but we do have a face. Someone just sent me this image of the guy that took the shot that came with every Windows XP machine back in the day. Does anyone know who this is? Let us know in the comments below.

An Open Letter To Canon, Stop The Lies!
I had a hunch but it has now been confirmed that Canon and Vincent Laforet have teamed up to trick the worlds consumers into buying new camera equipment. Apparently to use a camera properly you need to have talent and original ideas but Canon has failed to put either in the box…

Photographers Vs Videographers: Epic Battle Of The Century
This video has been sent to us so many times over the last 24 hours that I thought we should share it. It was filmed at After Dark Education based in Tucson, AZ and is a pretty funny look at how some videographers and photographers view each other on a wedding day.

WTF!? Another Reason I Won’t Shoot Weddings.
This story caught my eye, where a client is suing a studio for missing the last 15 minutes of his wedding. Sounds reasonable, you say? Well get this: not only was the wedding done in 2003, but the client is also divorced and is suing to have the whole wedding reinacted for $48,000 plus the original $4100 fee.

Vincent Laforet’s Latest Video Shot On The New Canon C300
Out of the blue Canon just jumped into the movie business. Hours ago Canon just announced the new C300 video camera and minutes ago Vincent Laforet released “Movius” his newest short, shot on this unreleased camera. Patrick and I have been trying to get in contact with Vincent over the last few weeks (for a reason you will soon know) and I now understand why he was so “busy”. Check out the short below and the BTSV below that.

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From The Editor:Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get the best posts of the month dropped right into your inbox. Do you have an article, artist, subject, comment or anything you think your fellow readers would like to see on FS News? Then send it along to:kenn@fstoppers.com. And remember, if you ever feel like hitting that “unsubscribe” link, instead, drop me a line with your suggestions, comments or deepest most darkest desire and we will see what we can do.

The Best Fstoppers Posts From October 2011

Kenn Tam — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:01:22 +0000

The Best Fstoppers Posts From September 2011

Kenn Tam — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:02:13 +0000

Photos from the Fantasy World of Marwencol
Mark Hogancamp suffered a brain damaging assault that left him having to relearn how to live. Lacking any memory of his past and being cut off from adequate health care for recuperation he created his own miniature fantasy world as a form of art therapy. The photographs created out of the narratives of Marwencol (his fantasy world) are creatively realistic and have resulted in the creation of “Marwencol”, a documentary movie (available on Netflix)…

Fake Nikon Gear Alert! D7000 MB-D11 Knockoff
A few months ago I purchased a Nikon D7000 and MB-D11 battery grip from Amazon.com. The order was fulfilled by ANATOLIAN BOOKSTORE, INC and two days ago I figured out that this grip is actually a fake… Click the image for the full story.

How To Add Sunlight To Your Overcast Photographs
I’m sure many of you have heard the saying “overcast skies make for amazing photos”. While it’s true that soft overcast light is usually more flattering on people’s faces, it can also make your photos super boring and even gloomy. So what can you do with your bag of tricks to spice up a photo session during cold, rainy, or overcast days?… Click the image to read more.

Who Has the Highest Shutter Count? Now We Can Find Out.
Are you curious as to what your shutter count is? Then head on over to MyShutterCount.com, where they presumably are able to tell the shutter count of “most cameras” simply by uploading a picture…

Shoot, Print, And Frame A Massive Peter Lik Style Photograph On A Budget
If you have seen Peter Lik’s work in person then you understand that it’s impossible to put into words the look and quality of his prints. Peter’s photography (and his post production) is fantastic, but what really makes his work stand out is his printing and presentation. If his images were printed on standard photo paper at a standard size, his work would not have the same “wow” factor. Right before a trip to Italy I went back into Peter’s studio for a little inspiration. After studying his work and speaking with a sales rep about his printing process I decided to shoot, print, and frame a shot in Italy for the absolute cheapest price without losing the “wow” factor that Peter’s work has. This is how I did it…

A Photographer’s Guide To Pricing Your Work And Services
For many shutterbugs, the dream of making money with photography doesn’t extend past being able to pay for new equipment. Photography might just be a hobby if you already have a fulfilling career. But if you are looking to make a business out of being creative the first question that will cross your mind is “how much should I charge?”…

Does Adidas Use Too Many Lights For Their Ad Campaigns?
A big part of what makes commercial photography so interesting is it often requires photographers to incorporate the latest graphic trends into their work. In other words, in order to cut the mustard in commercial photography, you not only have to be at the top of your game but you also have to produce something eye catching in a market full of interesting media. That’s exactly what photographer Gary Land did with his latest Adidas ad featuring soccer superstar Lionel Messi. However, his arsenal of Profoto lights and heavy photoshop has caused a bit of controversy over on the Strobist website where many photographers are claiming the final image is a bit overkill…

Contest Entry: The 360 Project, Dancing Matrix Style
Ryan Enn Hughes just submited his entry for our BTSV contest and it is quite impressive…

The Best Time-Lapse You Will Never Be Able To Create
It seems every day someone is creating an interesting timelapse that shows something we’ve never seen before. This one comes from the International Space Station as it orbits around the earth at night. The video was made from using data from the Gateway To Astronaut Photography Of Earth and stitched together with the open software Virtual Dub. It’s pretty amazing how much light pollution makes it to each exposure and look carefully for bursts of lightning over the Pacific Ocean. Props to the person who spots the satellite that makes the frame as well!…

How To Tether Your Camera To An Ipad Without Jailbreaking
Last year I released a video explaining how to wirelessly tether your camera to an iPad by jailbreaking the iPad. Since then Eye-Fi has released a firmware update that makes wireless tethering possible without the need for jail breaking…

Understanding DSLR Color Shift, White Balance, and Color Profiles
When it comes to giving great tutorials on DSLR video, the guys at Stillmotion are full of helpful tips and tricks. This latest video discusses some of the advantages you have in setting your camera’s white balance and color profiles…

Starting this October, watch for Fstoppers’ new segment, “FS Featured Guests”, where we will bringing you posts from some of the biggest names in photography.

From The Editor: Don’t miss anything. Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get the best posts of the month dropped right into your inbox. Do you have an article, artist, subject, comment or anything you think your fellow readers would like to see on FS News? Then send it along to:kenn@fstoppers.com. And remember, if you ever feel like hitting that “unsubscribe” link, instead, drop me a line with your suggestions, comments or deepest most darkest desire and we will see what we can do.

Monte Isom’s Pepsi Photoshoot With Jahvid Best

Patrick Hall — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:46:58 +0000

A few weeks ago I posted a video that created a lot of unintentional buzz about poorly compositing athletes together on a football field. Well this video from Monte Isom doesn’t include much photoshop but still produces a lot of great images. Monte always has a great time on his sets and hopefully you NYC readers will be able to share a drink with him tomorrow at our FS Meetup.

The Best Fstoppers Posts From August 2011

Kenn Tam — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:59:51 +0000

Lighting, from the eyes of a Photo Assistant
Assistants, aka “voice activated light stands”, can be a wealth of knowledge and experience if you are fortunate enough to have access to one that’s been around. It’s not entirely unheard of, to meet an assistant that knows their lighting better than the photographer they are working for. If only one of them would create a blog about their behind the scenes exploits… wait a minute. What do we have here?

Fstoppers’ 2011 BTSC: $20,000 in Prizes
We are excited to announce this years contest. Details for this exciting community driven contest is described within. A lot has changed since last year’s contest so be sure to check out all the news.

Reese Interviews Twilight And Brokeback Mountain Photographer Kimberley French
Kimberley French has the job you didn’t even know you wanted: she’s a still photographer working on movie sets.

Click the thumb to read the interview and learn what it’s like to shoot for the movies.

Beauty Retouching Part 2 – Stray Hairs
Hello Fstoppers! My name is Sean Armenta, and this is my little spot on Fstoppers called The Post Production Tutorial. If you enjoy these videos, feel free to subscribe to my new Fstoppers PPT Youtube Channel for the latest updates. Feel free to connect with me on the right side bar and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have about retouching.

A Website that Outs “Photographers
You may find You may find YouAreNotAPhotographer.com (a site dedicated to outing supposed professional photography businesses) entertaining, educational and yes even offensive. But one thing is for sure, if you don’t get why these pics should be making you shake your head with the occasional chuckle, then you need to be looking at these photos as examples of things NOT to do or consider a new line of work.

How To Photograph A Beer Advertisement
Photographer Scott Bourke gives us a complete overview of how he took a fantastic product shot of a few bottles of beer. Scott uses a single flash and 4 reflectors to create a very professional looking image that any photographer is capable of creating.

See NYC Days and Nights Combined Together
Every now and then a cool photo series makes the rounds on the internet and it’s hard to miss. But because I like to play it safe and Stephen Wilkes‘s “Day and Night” exhibit is too awesome to miss I had to post it.

Splicing Family Genetics with a Camera
Once again I find myself impressed and vexed all at the same time. When am I going to produce a creative body of work like Croix Gagnon and Frank Schott’s “12:31” or something as intriguing as Ulric Collette’s “Genetic Portraits” where he virtually, splices family members together?

The genetic similarities between two family members results in a portrait that almost looks like a normal person, especially where ages are similar.

Stop Motion Video Created With 2335 Prints
Stop motion videos are becoming increasingly more popular as digital cameras and software make them easier to create. Dave Wallace decided to make things quite a bit harder when he shot 2335 images, had them printed out, and then shot them a second time in picture frames on the wall. It took hours of work but the finished product is well worth the time.

Stellar Animated Photos: Inspired by Dead Stars & Cosmic Matter
Ignacio Torres puts together a series of animated photos that are nothing short of cool. You maybe put off by the motion at first, thinking: “Just another set of animated gifs.” but the more I look at these shots the more I like them, especially once you understand the concept behind them. The technique Inacio used to create galaxies, though simple, was surprisingly effective.

Extreme Shooting Not For The Faint Of Heart
In this behind the scenes video, Jimmy Chin talks about the changing culture taking place within the sport of extreme rock climbing. He and his fellow climbers explore Yosemite National Park as he captures images for National Geographic. I dabble in climbing and think base jumping would be a huge thrill but I’m not sure I would ever have the guts to even hang with Jimmy for one day if this is his typical photo shoot.

Proof Viral Hurricane Shark Photo Is Fake!
Hurricane Irene is battering the East Coast of the US right now which has left many stuck in their homes browsing the internet for storm updates. One particular story that has filled my facebook news feed and was tweeted by CNN involves a shark swimming in the streets of Puerto Rico. Apparently the shark was swept up by Hurricane Irene and trapped inland on flooded streets of the Caribbean island. But something about the photo seems very suspicious.

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” -Elliot Erwitt-

From The Editor: Don’t miss anything. Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get the best posts of the month dropped right into your inbox. Do you have an article, artist, subject, comment or anything you think your fellow readers would like to see on FS Weekly News? Then send it along to:kenn@fstoppers.com. And remember, if you ever feel like hitting that “unsubscribe” link, instead, drop me a line with your suggestions, comments or deepest most darkest desire and we will see what we can do.

FS Weekly News #11: The Week’s Best Photo/Video Related Stories

Kenn Tam — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 06:26:02 +0000

Images You Can Refocus After Shooting “A company called Lytro has just launched with $50 million in funding and, unlike Color, the technology is pretty mind- blowing. It’s designing a camera that may be the next giant leap in the evolution of photography — a consumer camera that shoots photos that can be refocused at any time. Instead of capturing a single plane of light like traditional cameras do, Lytro’s light-field camera will use a special sensor to capture the color, intensity, and vector direction of the rays of light (data that’s lost with traditional cameras).”
Peta Pixel Post →

10 Critical Points for Photography Contracts“As you begin to make the jump from amateur to professional, it is extremely easy to overlook the business and legal side of photography. However, if you’re getting paid for making images, it is important that you protect yourself with a basic contract. Today we’ll briefly go over some types of content and considerations that should be in your contract so that you can be sure that you’re on the right track to a professional career.”
Photo Tuts Post →

“Back To The Future” Series by Irina Werning“There is something special about looking at photographs of yourself when you were young. Many people become nostalgic. One way of gaining back time, if only for a few seconds, is to recreate these childhood photos. This is exactly what Irina Werning has done, and because she has done it so well, she has become very popular in recent months. Watch the NPR video interview about Irina and her Back to the Future series…”
Photo Weekly Post →

Balancing Indoor And Outdoor Lighting“Try balancing the illumination across a scene where both interior and exterior spaces need even, natural-seeming, and color-correct light. Minneapolis architecture specialist Andrea Rugg did it for this glamorous penthouse apartment. The lighting strategies she used, while common among architectural photographers, form an insightful tutorial for the rest of us.”
Pop Photo Post →

Mysteries Of A Nazi Photo Album “There are certainly many photo albums of Nazi leaders and many photo albums of the Nazis’ victims. But it’s hard to imagine many albums depicting both, just a few pages apart. At least one does, however, and it has surfaced in New York City…”
New York Times Post →

June Photo Contest: Sand This month’s Fstopper’s photo contest revolves around the theme of “SAND”. Why should you care? The answer is simple: the winner will get a custom banner linking to their site on Fstoppers.com, will win a Starlite Kit by PhotoFlex, become the envy of their friends and gain the respect of their peers. So head on over to the forum and submit your photo before the sands run out.
Submit Your Photo →

“If I have any ‘message’ worth giving to a beginner it is that there are no short cuts in photography.” -Edward Weston-

From The Editor:I know Issue 11 is a short one but you can now look forward to day to day news posts online and a newsletter, compiled from those posts, mailed to you at the end of each week. Do you have an article, artist, subject, comment or anything you think your fellow readers would like to see on FS Weekly News? Then send it along to:kenn@fstoppers.com. And remember, if you ever feel like hitting that “unsubscribe” link, instead, drop me a line with your suggestions, comments or deepest most darkest desire and we will see what we can do.

FS Weekly News #10: The Week’s Best Photo/Video Related Stories

Kenn Tam — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:00:19 +0000

Feature Shoot Brings Us: Geraldine KangThis week Feature Shoot turned me on to Geraldine Kang a 23-year-old Singaporean photographer whose series, In the Raw, “…proposes a way of using the body as a metaphor for issues concerning human nature and family bonds. The work comprises staged fictional episodes loosely based on memories that I share with both immediate and extended family. I seek to elucidate matters of tension that are not frequently discussed, or considered taboo among the family in general…”
Feature Shoot’s Post →

Let Our Freakish History Be Your Inspiration What do Glasier’s Circus, WW II Dogfights, The Cafe From Hell and Vintage Ventriloquist Dummies have in common? Nothing, except you’ll find them all on the photo inspirational site, “How To Be A Retronaut”. So If you find yourself suffering from the photographer’s equivalent of writer’s block, a few clicks through this site may help jar your imagination.
How To Be A Retronaut →

What Does A Lens Hood Do?Why are many lens hoods shaped so funny? Should I use a lens hood on my camera? Improve Photography has the answers for you.
Improve Photography’s Post →

Basic Techniques: Frame Within A Frame“Frames are a great way of using a photographic element to lead the viewers eyes into the frame to focus them on a particular point, and the sense of repetition that they can provide produce depth and a path for the eyes to explore.” This article will walk you through the very basic, yet powerful composition technique, framing.
Expert Photography’s Post →

CMD Wants You To Expose Yourself Simply submit a photo that gels with this month’s theme: “Action and Motion” on their Facebook fan page and tell all your friends about it. If chosen, you’ll be given the red carpet treatment with a blog feature, interview and more. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a site template, check out their latest theme EVE .
Creative Motion Design’s Contest Page →

BlameTheMonkey.Need I Say More?Probably. Those who know me know that I’m not a big fan of high dynamic range imaging (HDR) but am quite partial to pointing the finger at little primates. That must be why I enjoyed the HDR tutorial site, BlameTheMonkey, so much. But if you’re actually into HDR photography this site has a comprehensive set of tutorials that you’ll enjoy learning from.
Blame The Monkey →

The Secret Life Of Skeletons“Does Paris, France-based Marc Da Cunha Lopes know of a world that we don’t? Has he found a secret land of sad and depressed skeletons? It would seem so by his latest series titled Vertebrata… Cunha is known for his spectacular photo manipulations and sweet stories like Lulu and her White Mouse.” Another great grab out of MyModernMet, this time from Eugene.
Eugene’s Post →

The 15 Most Expensive Pictures Ever Taken According to Business Insider, “…Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #96 sold for a whopping $3,890,500. Here’s a list of the most expensive pictures ever sold, which you can view for way, way less than 4 million dollars.”
The List →

June Photo Contest: Sand This month’s Fstopper’s photo contest revolves around the theme of “SAND”. Why should you care? The answer is simple: the winner will get a custom banner linking to their site on Fstoppers.com, will win a Starlite Kit by PhotoFlex, become the envy of their friends and gain the respect of their peers. So head on over to the forum and submit your photo before the sands run out.
Submit Your Photo →

“When you photograph people in colour you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in B&W, you photograph their souls!” -Ted Grant-

From The Editor: Hey Kids! Kenn Tam here. Do you have an article, artist, subject, comment or anything you think your fellow readers would like to see on FS Weekly News? Then send it along to:kenn@fstoppers.com. And remember, if you ever feel like hitting that “unsubscribe” link, instead, drop me a line with your suggestions, comments or deepest most darkest desire and we will see what we can do. Enjoy the read.
-Kenn-

FS Weekly News #9: The Week’s Best Photo/Video Related Stories

Kenn Tam — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:00:33 +0000

A Functional Paper Pinhole Leica M3 CameraThe Laughing Squid brings us a fully functional Papercraft Pinhole Leica M3 camera created by Matthew Nicholson. And while wait for Matthew to released the “how to” of his project you can try this equally cool Papercraft Hasselblad Pinhole Camera with it’s informational video.
Laughing Squid’s Post →

Know Your Flash: A PhotoTutsPlus Tutorial “When shooting with a hotshoe flash, there are are some common questions. How should I adjust the settings on my flash? How will the manual and TTL modes affect my images? What is flash sync, and more importantly what is first curtain sync and second curtain sync? Where should I point my flash? What is flash zoom?…” All these questions and more are answered in this tutorial by Photo Tut Tutorial.
Photo Tuts Plus’ Post →

Free Lowepro Pro Roller x100 CaseThe Lowepro Pro Roller x 100 can be yours by simply submitting a finished photo and a behind the scenes shot of that photo from your Flickr photostream to ours.
Get Details And Enter →

Sony NEX-C3 Is the World’s Smallest APS-C Interchangeable Lens Camera With a body weighing in at a mear 8oz, Sony’s NEX-C3 is the world’s smallest APS-C interchangeable lens camera. And yet it still packs a lot of punch with a 16.2-megapixel Exmore APS-C HD CMOS sensor that’s capable of grabbing 720p HD video. For an in-depth look at Sony’s latest creation check out…
PopPhoto.com →

Lens Acronyms: Deciphering Nikon Lenses Thanks to Harry Lim for pointing out Nikon’s Glossary, Nikon shooters can stop scratching their heads when it comes to all those acronyms.
Harry Lim’s Blog →

Best Technique for Shooting InteriorsThis issue’s post of the week goes to one that created a lot of conflicting views. But whether you love it or hate it Dom Bower’s video on interior photo techniques, HRD vs Flash will give you a lot to think about.
Post Of The Week →

Six Simple Tips For Shooting Family Portraits As Jim Harmer points out in his latest article, it’s easy to forget that shooting family portraits come with a whole different set of goals and concerns than any other type of portrait photography. Get help with…
Jim Harmer’s Tips →

June Photo Contest: Sand This month’s Fstopper’s photo contest revolves around the theme of “SAND”. Why should you care? The answer is simple; the winner will get a custom banner linking to their site on Fstoppers.com, will win a Starlite Kit by PhotoFlex, become the envy of their friends and gain the respect of their peers. So, head on over to the forum and submit your photo before the sands run out.
Submit Your Photo →

“If you are out there shooting, things will happen for you. If you’re not out there, you’ll only hear about it.”-Jay Maisel-