Patrick Hall's picture
Average rating:
3.5 out of 5 3.5
Patrick Hall
Charleston, SC
Menu

Articles written by Patrick Hall

[Studio Lighting] Could This Be The Best Light For The Photo Studio?
25
by

As photographers, we are always in search of that new unique lighting modifier to add to our bag of tricks. I recently saw this video on Strobist where Amber Gray claims her Broncolor Para FB could actually reduce the amount of post production on her models. That statement seemed a bit bold when I first heard it; usually I credit a great makeup artist for awesome skin texture rather than a specific light. I've never used a ring flash

[Comical] Which Camera Is The Best: D800 or 5D Mark III
10
by

The web is abuzz with comparison articles on which $3000 DSLR camera is the best bang for the buck. Kevin Good with CrisisLab recently did a side by side comparison of the Canon 5D Mark III and the Nikon D800 in several real world tests. His tests include Resolution, Rolling Shutter, High ISO Test, and Durability. Each test was conducted to the highest of standards and perhaps might be the most scientific review I've seen yet. Now off to Craigslist to find me some models!

[Support] Ben Von Wong's Behind The Scenes European Challenge
8
by

We get a lot of Kickstarter projects emailed to us and sometimes they are interesting and other times they look like a desperate plea for money. We usually don't feature such projects but today I'm making an exception. Benjamin Von Wong has been featured on Fstoppers probably more than anyone else. This year he plans to goto Europe to produce inspiring photoshoots but at the same time film informative behind the scenes videos. Hopefully this post will

[Behind The Scenes] Michael Burnett Explains How To Photograph Skateboarders
5
by

So many behind the scenes videos we come across are nothing more than boring, overly glamorized music videos. Skateboard photographer Michael Burnett's latest video is anything but boring. Anyone who has photographed extreme or counter culture sports know that there are certain rules to be broken...and certain rules that must be followed. Michael goes through a ton of great skateboard photographs and explains what makes some stand out while others get lost in the mix. So grab your fisheye lens, a few speedlights on stands, and put yourself in harm's way!

[Resolution Test] How Does The Nikon D800 Compare To Medium Format?
50
by

Perhaps no DSLR camera has caused such a stir as Nikon's new 36mp DSLR camera. Not only does it provide the most megapixels of any compact DSLR yet, but it also falls below the $3,000 mark! But the question everyone has is "can a small 35mm sensor really come close to the quality of a large medium format camera?" The guys over at DSLR Magazine put the Nikon D800 up against the Hasselblad H4D-40, Leica S2, and Sigma SD1 to find out. The results will most certainly shock you!

[Deals] Major Photography Rebates Are Coming To An End
5
by

Everyone knows that Rebates come and go. Right now however many companies have substantial rebates on some of their top gear. The bad news is apparently a lot of these rebates are coming to an end on April 1st (no joke here). We recently got a phone call from the guys at BH Photo, and I've combined all the major deals into one post. If you are in need of some new lenses, cameras, or computer storage, be sure to check out the full post.

[BTS] Anna Sui's One Light Fashion Shoot With Sanchez & Mongiello
13
by

If you enjoy looking at fashion images, then the photography duo Sofia Sanchez & Mauro Mongiello should be on your radar. They are ranked as among the top fashion photographers on Model.com and it's easy to see how their work stands out within one of the most saturated fields of photography. In their latest campaign shoot for clothing designer Anna Sui, Sanchez and Mongiello have one of the simplest lighting setups ever: just a single gridded Profoto head.

[Camera Tests] DxOMark Nikon D800 Rating Tops Nikon D4 and Phase One!
17
by

Last week one of the most respected camera review sites, DxOMark, listed the brand new Nikon D4 as the best digital DSLR camera to date. The D4 ranked so well that it was actually the 2nd best digital camera period falling behind only by the Phase One IQ180. Today both those cameras fall to a shocking competitor..the much less expensive Nikon D800!

[Software] What Is Photoshop CS6 Beta? Perhaps The Best Adobe Release Yet!
10
by

Adobe releases a new version of it's flagship editing software Photoshop every year or two. Usually the releases are pretty uneventful except for a few new automated features that full time editors rarely use. Adobe Photoshop CS6 changes this trend and might be the biggest revamp to the photo editing software yet. You can download Photoshop CS6 Beta here to test the software for free, and in the full post I'll touch on a few key features that might make this update worth considering.

[Workflow] Kevin Kubota Explains Color Management And Profiles
17
by

As any photographer knows, understanding color space and color management can be one of the most difficult concepts to wrap your head around. What is the difference between Adobe RGB and sRGB? Why do magazines always print my images with funky colors? Why do I need different profiles for different devices? I still have trouble with these concepts. Luckily photoshop guru Kevin Kubota has made a really useful video explaining how

[BTS Video] Corey Rich Goes Behind The Scenes Of His Nikon D4 WHY Promo Video
6
by

Corey Rich was one of the first photographers to demo the new Nikon D4. His extreme athlete documentary "WHY" was one of the best product launch videos I've seen yet. Luckily for all of us, Nikon asked Corey to produce a behind the scenes video on how he and his crew filmed the various athletes for the short film. Watching this BTS video was one of the most inspiring videos I've seen in a good while. Not only am I pumped to have

Happy Birthday! Fstoppers Turns 2 Years Old
28
by

Welp we have done it again; we've made it another year! According to CDC.org, we should be on our way to making sentences with 2-4 words, playing simple make-believe games, pointing out cats, dogs, and birds, and of course climbing up and down furniture without anyone's help. In all seriousness, Lee and I (along with everyone else on the Fstoppers staff) are incredibly grateful to still be sharing to this community we created back in March of 2010.

[Just Fake It] New Photoshop CS6 Automates Shallow Depth Of Field
21
by

It seems with every new version of Photoshop, Adobe finds a way to add something both useful and unbelievable. First we had the new Content Aware. Then rumors of a tool that makes your blurry images sharp and focused. Now apparently Photoshop CS6 is going to let you add nearly authentic shallow depth of field to your otherwise infinitely sharp photos. Obviously most photographers will do this with a fast lens but

[Inspiration] ReDefine Talks Celebrity Portraits With Brian Smith
9
by

A few weeks ago, Fstoppers caught up with celebrity photographer Brian Smith. If you didn't take the time to read the article, don't worry because ReDefine just published a video interview with Brian from Tamara Lackey's recent interview out in Vegas. What I love about people like Brian is he's quick to point out the real defining element of his work: his relationship to his subject. Male photographers often get caught up in

[Workflow] PhVusion Software Lets You Edit Video In Photoshop
2
by

While in Las Vegas for WPPI, I met Rob Adams and Vanessa Joy who are two talented videographers and photographers respectively. They are both at the top of the wedding market and often speak to photographers about how they can incorporate video into their businesses (something we have been preaching here for years). To help photographers make the video transition easier, Rob and Vanessa have designed PhVusion video editing software which allows you to trim and color correct video directly in Photoshop.

[Death Wish] How To Dangerously Photograph Gun Muzzle Blasts
9
by

This video from Smarter Every Day shows how you can capture any gun's flame throwing abilities with precise accuracy. Using a Pulse Generator, Destin explains how he rigged his flash setup to fire at the exact moment the gun is fired. By dragging the shutter and combining the exposure with flash, the Alabama native created some pretty interesting photographs. Some even show the bullet leaving the muzzle!

[Business] Dane Sanders Talks Creativity With Trey Ratcliff
6
by

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dane Sanders at WPPI while we were in Las Vegas. If you don't already know Dane, he's a wedding photographer who web chats with some of the industry's up and coming photographers. Trey Ratcliff of Stuck In Customs fame sat down with Dane to talk about creating unique and artistically strong content for the web. [read full post]
Behind The Scenes With Sports Illustrated
18
by

Back before I ever picked up a camera, I always enjoyed looking through the pages of Sports Illustrated. I was never the rabid sports fanatic many of my friends were growing up, but I definitely loved the close game, the epic play, the milestone achievement, and of course the human emotion that came with obtaining greatness. So when one of our readers, freelance sports photographer Tyler Kaufman, offered a chance to see how the photographers of Sports Illustrated covered the biggest game in college football, you know I happily obliged. It also didn't hurt that my college days were spent on...

[Behind The Scenes] How Chipotle's Willie Nelson Commercial Stole The Grammys
6
by

As a music lover myself, the Grammys is one of the few awards shows I sit down to watch year after year. This something interesting happened I had never seen before; a commercial featuring Willie Nelson singing Coldplay's The Scientist actually outshined the live performance from Coldplay moments before. [Read Full Article]
[Funny] Photographer MEME: What People Really Think I Do
22
by

Today my Facebook feed has been full of this funny MEME which tries to portray how photographers are seen through the eyes of their friends, society, and their clients. I've posted a few of these What People Think Photographers Do MEMEs to help lighten up your week. Feel free to create your own representation of what your friends and family think of your photography work and post them in the comments.