Exclusive articles and expert opinions written by Fstoppers’ talented team of creative professionals. Here we cover everything from the latest photographic techniques to advice on running a successful photography business, to first hand accounts of working in the photography industry.
So I just landed in Colorado, and while working from my laptop on a TV tray worked in a pinch, getting a home office set up quickly and cheaply has been a top priority of mine. I’ve come up with some tips that have helped me now and in the past when it comes to making a functional workspace at home.
It's been a while since we've released an Fstoppers original video, so today we want to take you behind the scenes with Mike Kelley. If you've been following Fstoppers then you know he's been a writer with us for a while and is also one of the most talented architectural photographers in the country. Mike's workflow and style is truly incredible and the amount of hours he spends on creating just one image is - as cheesy as it sounds - a work of art.
In case you missed it (and there might be one or two of you), there was a little bit of news this week about the new Nikon Df camera. Depending on your view, this news was either awfully astounding or astoundingly awful. Whether you love or hate the idea of the Df, I can’t help but feel that arguing it’s pro’s/con’s is sort of missing the entire point. “Pure photography” isn’t about a camera. If you really want to make better images, focusing on learning to improve how we see is all that really matters.
We constantly talk about websites, marketing and everything gear related under the sun, but rarely does the topic of health come up. We're usually crouching down, rolling around on the ground or balancing on our tiptoes to get a couple inches higher for the shot. So the reality is, one of the most important topics should be your health. You can replace gear but there is only so much you can do for your body.
A few days ago Creative Live posted this video of Benjamin Von Wong explaining the importance of creating meaningful behind the scenes videos and how they can help shape your career. It's no secret that I do post Ben's videos to the site often. His videos are not only educational, but fun to watch, as well. You too can go on to create your own informative and noticeable BTS videos with these tips.
In my filmmaking career, I’ve had the opportunity to film some pretty unique events. While shooting I often come across other event shooters and realize that we’re a unique breed. Essentially, we're people willing to sacrifice food, rest and comfort to tell an amazing story. Even though we accept the stresses that comes with event shooting, there are a number of ways we can plan ahead and minimize headaches.
Do you ever come across someone and think "what were they thinking, why would they even do that?" Well, I will bet money you've scrolled through your newsfeed or Facebook groups and said this at least once. There are three main sections you should probably pay close attention to while using Facebook.
Here is a look at a 4 day photo shoot my studio PRO Photo did for Bailey's Irish Cream through Brand Content in Boston. This job was especially technical due to the bottle's reflective and concave properties. This called for an extra technical and precise lighting setup. The slightest move in any of the lights drastically changed the light shape on the set and bottle. Take a look.
About seven months ago, we posted an article about an application called 'Paddy' that connects a MIDI controller desk to Lightroom. Unfortunately for me, that application is Windows only, so I set out to find a solution for this gadget that I needed in and around my life. The solution is something called 'Knobroom.'
In the past 10 years I was able to work and see the industry from so many different perspectives: as a celebrity shooter, as a photography writer, as a photo-consumer and as an agency photographer. All these years I have heard so many tips and so many "rules." You know, stuff like "know who came before you," or "it's not about the equipment." Now It's my turn to give tips - and mine are way weirder.
Each week, we ask our viewers to submit questions in the comments for our writers to answer in a series we call "Fstoppers Answers". Last week, we asked our writers to give marketing advice to the viewers. This week, we're asking them what made them choose their career with "Why Did You Choose Your Professional Niche (Wedding, Commercial, Sports, Etc.)?"
Two nights ago we threw another successful Fstoppers party in NYC for the wrap up of Photo Plus. After hauling out all the remaining booze, breaking down the "Terry Richardson Photobooth," and sweeping up a million glow sticks, we saw a heavy bag full of goodies. What we found was a brand new copy of Gregory Heisler's 50 Portraits....and it was signed by the man himself!
On November 7th, 8th, and 9th Rob Grimm of PRO EDU will be giving away a 2-day pass to the Fstoppers Bahamas Workshop in May of 2014. It's free to enter, just tune in live for your chance to win on CreativeLIVE next week where we will announce the instructions for how to enter. The pass we are giving away is for our liquids, liquor, beer, and splashes workshop that will cover everything we know about shooting liquids.
This weekend, Fstoppers has been at PhotoPlus Expo in New York City to give an inside look at all the new products being announced to the photography community. Yesterday, we showed off new products from Samsung, Spider Holster and more, and the day before we showed off the impressive DEFY gimbal system and others. Today, we were able to look into Sigma, Canon and Nikon's new product lines.
All this weekend, we're giving you exclusive coverage of PhotoPlus Expo in New York City, where all brands meet, announce and show of their latest products and innovations. Yesterday, we were able to give you an inside look at the Sony A7R, TriggerTrap RedSnap, DEFY Gimbal system and others. Today, we're able to show you an inside look into Samsung, Manfrotto, and more.
Photo Plus Expo is upon us, and I'm here to give you an exclusive look at what all that happened yesterday. If you're in New York, you're highly encouraged to check out all that is happening. If you're not able to check it out, I am here to show you the new products, exclusive interviews and all the events and news going on in New York this week.
I'm fortunate to get to do a lot of travel with my work. However it can also be a bit of a hassle because I can't really use the same workflow I do at home. I have a very specific and efficient way I handle, capture and deliver work when I am at home, but when I travel, things change quite a bit. Most out of necessity. One of the biggest components to that is my travel workflow.
Chances are you have already learned what Frequency Separation (FS) technique is, as it became mainstream in the past few years. However, many FS technique users actually know very little theory behind it, thus have little control over its implementation. I've set out to research and collect all the important and useful information about it, so we can together learn how to become better at it.
What type of photography do you do? Portraits? Still life? Macro? Aerial? Fine art? Fashion? Commercial? Advertising and editorial photographer Joseph Ford does many of these – sometimes simultaneously. His latest project of beautiful diptychs proves unequivocally that your creativity and innovation are what will set you apart and win you top tier commercial clients. Read his exclusive interview to find out how his latest project came about, and what you can learn and apply for you and your business.
I just quit my full time job of six years as a video producer at a local college. A decent salary, good benefits, and the security that came with it… all gone. I'm now focusing on my dream project called Ascending India (our film trailer is what’s featured) and I might go broke trying to make it. Read on and I’ll tell you why I couldn’t be more excited, and why you might want to consider trying to make your dream project happen too.
In the last segment of our commercial pricing guide we will tackle the least talked about and most misunderstood portion of your invoice; the licensing fees. I will go over what they are, why you should be using them, and my preferred method for calculating them no matter who my client is!
This summer, TEDxYouth went to Lincoln Nebraska to find youth speakers and they struck gold. Wyn Wiley was suggested to be a TEDxYouth speaker by two of his teachers and little did he know that it would be an experience not only for the audience but for himself. He created 9 minutes of pure selflessness that is guaranteed to ignite a spark within yourself.
Often when it comes to professional photography, I get asked one simple question. That question is - How do you get clients to pay? It’s not uncommon to have some troubles jumping from the TF (Trade For) world into the paid world, so I'm here to share with you the tip that every single Fortune 500 company has used to get payment out of clients and build a successful business.
Whether you’re a photographer or you focus on video, this article highlights the high octane visual set piece created by Slaughterhouse Pictures, who successfully combined principles of both stills and motion work to create high impact visual media with zero budget and very limited resources. Read the exclusive FStoppers article and watch the BTS video to get some simple and highly effective little tips that you will be able to apply to all aspects of your own work.
Have you ever been driving around and saw an amazing place that would be perfect for your next shoot? Only to forget all about it later. This evening my friend Jeremy Kester, owner of H.H. Boogie, shared with me an innovative way for photographers to share shoot locations. It's free, it's easy and it's probably already on your phone.
What am I worth? This is a question every new photographer ultimately asks himself. If you’ve ever wondered what you should be charging your clients and what the best way to go about it would be, keep on reading. I will go over how to determine your personal creative fee and how to present it to your client in a way that makes sense.
Each week, we ask our writers to answer a question submitted to us in the comments from the previous weeks. These questions can cover anything, and hope to provide some insight on what its like to be a working professional photographer in the industry. Last week, we asked "Ten Headshots for a Corporate Client, What Do You Charge?" and got a lot of feedback, which spawned this weeks question -- "What is Your Cancellation Policy?"
If you’re curious about learning how to shoot video with your DSLR, or wanting to improve the video you shoot, this might be right up your alley. New York fashion and portrait photographers and videographers, Lindsay Adler and Jeff Rojas, are about to kick off a 3 day workshop called ‘Keep It Simple – Video for Photographers’ on Creative Live focused on helping photographers make the jump into shooting great video simply and efficiently.
With so many options out there for off-camera flash gear, how do you know which is best for you? More importantly, how do you learn how to use it in a real life situation? Maybe my techniques and approach are just what you've been waiting for!
Do you remember the last time you were shooting at a less than ideal time of day, or maybe a less than ideal location for light? Think back to it. What did you do?
The portfolio review is likened to speed dating for good reason — you often have only 20 minutes to make a lasting impression. Whether you are having a one-on-one chat in a prospective client’s office or meeting at a photo festival round robin with several reviewers, here’s some advice for how to succeed… and, hopefully, put yourself in contention for future visual opportunities. As the saying goes, “you never have a second chance to make a first impression.”
A couple weeks ago, fellow Fstoppers writer Peter House wrote an article on focusing your work. I got excited at the possibilities of him giving tough love on the photography community as a whole. This article however, while exceptional, was centered on focusing your business efforts to grow to new clients. I’m here to do it a little different, and going to tell you what you're doing wrong and why you need to stop.
How can you take HOURS of footage from completely different projects, and edit together a montage that's only a few minutes? Here is the second part of the Making A Better Demo Reel article where I'll share a few techniques on reducing the number of clips you have, selecting music, and more.
Cameron Davis is a photographer, cinematographer and creative director based in New York. Growing up in Southern California, Cameron has developed a style that blends East Coast with West Coast, adding in flavors of London and Paris. Focusing primarily on shooting editorial fashion imagery, Cameron's work has been published in treats!, GQ Italia, Fault and S Magazine.
If you’ve ever wondered how much time a good make up artist can really save you in post on your stills images, you might want to take a look at the absolutely stunning before and after shots in this article. Believe it or not, no Photoshop was used in the making of any of these images, this is all done the old fashioned way - straight out of camera.
In the competitive landscape of fashion photography, Charles LUCIMA stands out with fashion-editorial images and videos that have graced magazines and televisions around the world. We caught up with Charles after his three-day, Destination MARS workshop and right before shooting a new line of cosmetics.
Before my trip to Russia in August I wrote about what we should keep in mind when choosing our clients. While in Moscow, I photographed my own best clients and I thought it would be very interesting to find out how we, photographers, get chosen too.
Needless to say, there are many factors that influence relationships between creative professionals and those who hire them. But I thought that interviewing my own clients could be a great case study and we all could learn something from their answers.
Welcome back to our series on pricing your commercial photography. A few weeks ago we released Part 1 of the series which explored the benefits and pitfalls of working for free. As we explored the topic it became evident that working for free has its place but in order to create a sustainable and professional industry we must educate our community on the importance of properly pricing their work. Thus in Part 2 we will begin by showing you my personal approach to laying out a commercial invoice and the thought process behind the layout.
If you use Bing, you'll notice that in the image search, they added a Pinterest bar on the righthand side. This new feature brings up pinboards with whatever key words you're searching for. With the new feature it pulls directly from Pinterest and shows you in a minimized sidebar. Here are a couple tips to help make sure you are properly naming your pins and taking advantage of the new feature.
Like a kid in a candy shop, I stood on the bright fresh green grass, eyes wide open watching the Arizona Cardinals on their practice field. I wore my media badge like an Olympic gold medal. This was my first time shooting professional sports and I was quite excited to be there. At the end of the day I walked away with some great photos, but even more important I learned a lesson in the art of mastering your craft.
I've got a fun little DIY light modifier for you today. I call it the High Fashion Specular Reflector or "shiny board" for short. In my travels, I have to carry a LOT of gear. Especially when the trip is on my own dime and I don't have a budget to rent the cool toys I want to have. I came up with the idea for this reflector through experimentation and just obnoxious luck. I wanted to create a very hard light (in addition to the sun) to use on my model while on location.
Every week, Fstoppers turns to its writers with years in the professional photography industry to answer questions submitted from the public in a series called "Fstoppers Answers". This week, we answer "If there was one piece of advice you could give a new photographer, what would it be?"
Today registration opens around the country for the new Affordable Healthcare Plans (a.k.a. Obamacare) which will take effect on January 1, 2014. People on both sides of the fence are fired up and expressing their support or disgust for the plans. It got me thinking though: What does this mean for self-employed photographers?
Focus is a word we are all familiar with in photography, but is the same true in business? The purpose of focus as it relates to photography is to keep what we want to see, and to draw attention away from the things that might otherwise distract us. The concept is almost second nature to many photographers, yet seems so foreign when you see how they run their business.
I am a big fan of automating as much as I can in life. As a husband, a daddy to 5 kids and a busy wedding photographer I am always looking for life hacks that can save me time in my day and help me live more efficaciously. One free program that I'd highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a little automation in their life is IFTTT. Here's why.
If you’ve ever struggled to put together a video demo reel, or you’re planning to make one in the future, this post is for you. Below, I’ll share some tips that will help you be more efficient in your process to prepare for editing hours of your footage down to a montage of a couple of minutes.
Kesler Tran is a photographer based out of Los Angeles and New York specializing in fashion, editorial and beauty. Of the three, one will probably find his beauty work resonating the strongest; it teems from every pore of his images. His eye for light and shape, as complex and trained as it is, seems effortless when one browses through the images on his tumblr. With the sheer amount of content, it's also hard to imagine him ever taking a break. Thankfully, he took one for us.
Have you ever found yourself thinking: “If only I had <insert expensive camera body/lens/lighting gear>, I would be shooting better images/be winning bigger jobs/get better and higher paying clients”?
If you’ve never had this thought, congratulations, skip this article and move on because you’re already part of ‘The Enlightened’ few.
Anyone with good business sense knows how strong networking can influence the way you build your career, but how about the rest of us who may not be as networking savvy? Proper etiquette says much about the way you conduct yourself and your business. Here is a guide on how to appropriately interact with your photographer peers in and out of your area to insure that the relationships built are positive and productive.
If you are like me your work computer is one of your most prized possessions. It does the heavy lifting in post production, and it's also there in times of need, like "needing" to waste four hours on Facebook instead of finishing your retouching. So, what is the best way to keep that fine piece of machinery in tip top shape? Well, honestly there are a lot of ways, but I'm only going to tell you about my favorite apps, all 6 of them. Unfortunately for you Windows and Linux peeps I'm an Apple user, so most of these apps are Mac only. *womp womp*
Kiliii Fish, Seattle-based commercial photographer, was always fascinated by how people interact with nature and how they use it to live their lives. Aside from being a full time photographer Fish is also an avid rock climber. Recently he decided to combine these 3 things he loves to a unique photography project showing the grace, power, beauty and vulnerability that goes into rock climbing. Kiliii spent days in each location and worked for months to complete the series. The results are absolutely amazing.
