Fstoppers » Opinion

Fstoppers Reviews the Benro S2 and S4 Video Monopods

Jaron Schneider — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:55:23 +0000

Monopods, once really only useful in a handful of situations, have evolved into irreplaceable members of our creative arsenals due to the advent of high quality video being produced in DSLRs. The idea of a “video monopod” might frighten video purists, but there are those such as Patrick Hall and myself who swear by them. Manfrotto’s version was a fantastic foray into the medium, but slightly pricey. Benro recently released their more affordable versions, and I was more than ready to see if they were able to hold their own. [more]

“Unplugged Weddings”: Preventing Guests From Destroying Your Photographs

Patrick Hall — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:06:42 +0000

As any wedding photographer knows, one of the most nerve-wracking events is when a guest completely destroys the picture perfect moment you’ve been hired to capture. Whether they stand up in the aisle during the first kiss, take photos with their ipad in front of your camera, or inadvertently cause half the family to look off to the side during posed family portraits, wedding photo bombs can be a real headache. Wedding photographer Corey Ann’s suggestion is having an “Unplugged Wedding”. [more]

How to Go Pro Without Going Crazy

James Robertson — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:00:12 +0000

I’m James Robertson, a new addition to the Fstoppers writer staff and a full time commercial photographer/studio owner for the past year. I’ve joined the team to bring content to the readers who may find themselves either ready to jump into the professional world, or have already and are looking for tips to make life easier. I thought it would be good to start with an article that will give everyone some tips on simplifying the work load that comes with the industry through organization and planning ahead.
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Why You Should Hate Adobe’s Creative Cloud

Jaron Schneider — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:22:57 +0000

Ok, so we’ve covered why you should love the Creative Cloud: it gives you access to everything Adobe everywhere you go. It gives you all the outstanding programs at your fingertips. It is taking connectivity to a whole new level for creative collaboration. Updates are instantaneous. But all that aside, it’s a stifling, expensive system that might be forcing you into something you don’t want. [more]

Fstoppers Discussion: About the Outcry Over the New Adobe Creative Cloud

Jaron Schneider — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:20:16 +0000

Adobe Creative Cloud, in lieu of Adobe Creative Suite 7, has some great new features but also some hotly contested issues including the loss of disc support and move to a monthly payment feature for all future software. Mike Kelley, Rebecca Britt and I (Jaron Schneider) discuss what this means for creatives and why it may not be the big deal some are trying to make it out to be. [more]

Stop Selling Yourself to Photographers

Zach Sutton — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:54:51 +0000

With social media ever present in our daily lives, it’s easy to turn to photographers across the world for critiques. Photographers everywhere, some much better than you, some much worse, will climb out of the woodwork to tear your work apart, or give it the praise of a lifetime. Because of this, its so easy to get caught up in the thoughts of other working pro’s opinions about what to do next. Stop. [more]

Your Argument About How Film is Better Than Digital is Old. Like, Really Old.

Chris Knight — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:21:27 +0000

“These new ways might be found by men who could abandon their allegiance to traditional pictorial standards—or by the artistically ignorant, who had no old allegiances to break. There have been many of the latter sort. Since its earliest days, photography has been practiced by thousands who shared no common tradition or training, who were disciplined and united by no academy or guild, who considered their medium variously as a science, an art, a trade, or an entertainment, and who were often unaware of each other’s work… [more]

What Do You Think About Opteka’s Recent Offer To Photographers?

Pratik Naik — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:39:05 +0000

You’ve probably heard of Opteka, the company that manufactures lenses, grips, and other photographic accessories and equipment. We found a recent offer on their Facebook page that we wanted to get your opinion on. [more]

Building Wealth as a Photographer

David Bickley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 02:46:43 +0000

By far one of the most influential and yet devastating things I ever realized in my career was that Photography alone is not a viable path to become wealthy or even truly financially independent. In fact a few days ago CareerCast.com released a list of 200 jobs, ranked from best to worst, and photographer came in at #172, beaten soundly by garbage collectors. [more]

Beyoncé Bans All Pro Photographers From Her Concerts

Noam Galai — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:09:41 +0000

Last week, exactly 2 months after the Superbowl ‘Unflattering photos’ fiasco, Beyoncé started her ‘Mrs. Carter Show’ world tour. As someone who followed the ‘Unflattering’ story very closely, and as someone who is a big fan of hers, I had no doubt Beyoncé and her publicist will learn from their mistakes on how to deal with bad pictures taken of her, and wont make horrible mistakes again. I was wrong. Beyoncé banned all professional photographers from her shows, hoping this way no unflattering photos will make it to mainstream media. She was wrong. [more]