The brain child of Michael Krebs and Hannah Pribitzer, Revolog is a unique company providing a unique service in what many consider a dying art: film. I still shoot film on occasion, just to mix things up creatively. I stumbled upon Revolog a few years ago, and fell in love with their product and their passion for film.
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.
So today we have for you a remarkably in depth lighting tutorial from Mr. Karl Taylor. In this video Karl breaks down this high end product shoot step by step, in exquisite detail. Starting from the finalized setup, he walks you through each element of the shot, taking each away to demonstrate it's purpose. Giving you the "behind the camera" perspective, he then rebuilds the set, again explaining the process to achieve the final image.
Induro is one of those companies that had a really slow start, but has worked extremely hard to climb their way to being a household name. My first few experiences with Induro (although brief) were not great. The build quality of their products left a lot to be desired. Oh how things have changed! Today I'm going to give you the rundown on an Induro CT-114 Carbon Fiber Tripod.
We've all seen behind-the-scenes videos before right? Most are quick little tidbits showing how much fun a shoot is and how amazing the life of a photographer is. Some of them even give you some amazing insight into the techniques used by some of the top pros working today. Well, this is NOT that kind of BTS video. This 16 hour (yes, you read that right) marathon of a video is by far the BEST BTS that I've found that really shows you what the elite in the fashion world actually do to make those amazing editorials we all love.
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.
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*
On Tuesday, Apple quietly (and I mean VERY quietly) released the newest update to the iMac line of personal computers. It's curious why they (Apple) didn't make any sort of major announcement, or even blend this into the September 10th announcement of the iPhone 5S. I personally think that this update is fairly newsworthy, not only because the iMac has become one of the staples in a lot of professional studio's digital labs and Tech carts, but it's a huge leap in performance over it's predecessor, if you believe the info on Apple's website that is.
Peter Lindbergh is one of my all-time favorite photographers. I often refer to his work for inspiration not only for the technique but for the amazing beauty that exudes from his work. Not too long ago I found this little clip of Peter shooting Amber Valletta (a legend in her own right) for Vogue Italia. What I've found interesting about this video is the level of production that goes into a shoot like this, when the final image appears so effortless.
In my work, I do a lot of traveling for shoots and one of the most tedious and difficult parts of going to a new place to produce a shoot is the location scouting. There is a reason that people can turn location scouting into a lucrative profession. It is very time consuming, costs money (gas) and is constantly changing (because of season, construction, whatever).
Since joining Fstoppers I had planned on doing a "behind the scenes" of one of my shoots, so today I've put together a lighting diagram courtesy of Kevin Kertz, and a detailed description of how the finished product was produced. Fair warning, I am a bit of a technique nerd and can get pretty detailed. We've all seen diagrams online, and brief descriptions on what goes where, but it seems there are always details left out that can significantly impact the results. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to leave no stone unturned and give you guys as accurate of a diagram and explanation as possible.
Here is a great little video by the people over at SLR Lounge that really has nothing to do with productivity, speed, or even making you a better photographer. It's just cool feature that allows you to brand your Lightroom with your own logo, making the entire program appear custom to your own business.
I'm one of those photographers that likes to take control, especially of my light. I use grids, snoots, barndoors, and every other contraption you can think of to maintain the maximum amount of control over my lighting. One of the most important light modifiers for my work isn't a soft box or a beauty dish, it's actually a piece of fabric on a metal frame called, a flag.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 was met with a lot of skepticism, and sparked yet another battle in the megapixel war. But for a cell phone, it's hard to deny that the photos look pretty darn good. Now when you think of National Geographic you think of incredible photographs of rarely seen places and people.
The hottest trend nowadays is Photoshop presets. Presets to mimic the look of films past, to add a bit of editorial edge to those mundane studio shots, or to just expedite the editing process. Many companies have come out with pre-packaged presets, treatments, and plugins to help users reach a new level of creativity.
I'm sure if you're reading this you are a Game of Thrones fan just like me! Spin VFX has put together an amazing peek behind the visual wizardry that they do for the HBO series. Sometimes you will see some poor visual effects take you out of the experience, but this video is a study in how to do it right.
Alright, So you've made it past the hard part, making contact and getting the ok from the agency to work with their talent (As discussed in Part 1). Now what? Well now you book your first model!
A while back I was struggling with a creative impasse in my work. I wasn't inspired by anything, and really wasn't motivated to do anything related to photography. So I did what any self-respecting creative would do. I asked Google to help! What it gave me was a poster that listed 33 ways to stay creative! I have no idea who created this nugget of amazing, or where it was originally posted; if you know, fill me in because this person deserves some major credit!
If you are into photographing people, the idea of working with professionals has probably been on the agenda at some point in your career. Whether an editorial photographer, fashion and beauty shooter, or just someone who likes creating awesome fantasy composites, the use of professional models will invariably improve your work. So how do we go about working with these gatekeepers of the people photography industry?
I'm glad you asked!
