Recent Editorial Photography Articles

Projecting Into the Future: Anticipate Your Subjects

Photography is all about time. It's the only visual art that is able to hold a single moment and fix it for our lasting consideration. To make that happen we as photographers must be keenly aware of both the slice of time that we are capturing and the all the time which leads up to that important moment. To do this well we must look into the future.

Should You Devote Your Time and Money Into Creating a Spec Ad?

The issue of whether or not photographers should work for free is a polarizing one. Some of us feel we should not haul thousands of dollars worth of lighting and camera gear to a location and spend a full day shooting just to gain a reward that comes in the form of intangible exposure. Others feel doing regular collaborations with like-minded peers to produce new work is valuable in nurturing a photographer’s creative process.

Fstoppers Quicky: David Oppenheimer Shoots Jay Z At Bonnaroo

For the last 4 days I have been at Bonnaroo listening to music and living like a caveman. The biggest show of the event was Jay Z Saturday night and to get a decent view we camped out 4 hours before the show. The guy next to me happenend to be David Oppenheimer, a professional photographer, and we ended up chatting. He decided to camp out and shoot from the crowd with a monopod and a remote.
Brian Skerry Becomes One With the Ocean

As a commercial wedding photographer, I know very little about how to take compelling underwater images. Luckily underwater photographer Brian Skerry and National Geographic have shared this short BTS video on what it's like diving with fish and swimming over coral reefs. I think it's interesting how simple but necessary the lighting setup is for this field of photography; most of us "land photographer" probably take for granted the complex lighting setups we can easily construct. Most of us also don't bring "backup gear" to our shoots because we expect our gear to break! Hopefully we will see more videos like this from other underwater photographers. <
But I Thought Newscasters Were Super Human!

If you have ever been in front of the camera you know how difficult it can be to remember your thoughts and speak them as naturally as you do in normal conversation. But what you may not know is most news personalities you see on television are actually cheating! Check out this behind the scenes video on how newscasters use autocues to present the news both clearly and accurately. I may have to invest in one of these for my own camera appearances! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUMjD5_5eHE<
Eric Bradshaw Goes All Out With His Island Fashion Shoot

Our good friend Eric Bradshaw told us about a shoot he had in the works and we knew that we had to document it. An island, a team of 15, and 5 beautiful models... What more could you ask for. More info and a youtube version after the jump. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR0NPSATuS4<
Michelle Moore's Salt&Prep Spring shoot

At the young age of 25, professional photographer Michelle Moore is producing some really amazing images. Check out her latest project and click the link to read about how she photographed these editorial fashion images for Salt&Prep
Fstoppers Original: Eric Bradshaw Revisited

Back when Lee and I started the idea of Fstoppers, we contacted a few friend photographers of ours to see if they would allow us to film some of their shoots for our Behind the Scenes website idea. We first featured Eric Bradshaw's beach shoot at launch but I figured I'd post the second video as well. This video was the 2nd BTS video I ever edited and I hope you can draw some inspiration for your own behind the scenes videos. Watching Eric work is also pretty inspiring too! Enjoy this video from the FS vaults. ><
Art and Advocacy: A Chat With Lindsay Adler on Her Psoriasis Awareness Campaign and Life Behind the Lens

What do you get when you pair an industry titan in creative beauty images with a campaign promoting psoriasis awareness? You get images you're anxiously curious to see, and an interview you want to watch. For the lucky New Yorkers, you also get the perfect outing for this weekend. I sat down with Adler to talk about the “Clearly Me” campaign she shot, which will be on display this weekend at Nine Line Galleries, NYC. If you follow my writing, you know we took rabbit trails into all kinds of tangents that will keep you learning, laughing, and hopefully leave you inspired with takeaways that will apply to your own photographic journey.

Insider View:  Joey Lawrence

Meet Joey Lawrence. He is one of the most highly sought after commercial photographers in the world. And he has all of us beat by a good 15 years! Click below to find out why. The Real Joey Lawrence from Canamedia Inc. on Vimeo.
Joey L takes a ton of gear into the Siberut Jungle

Joey L is always an inspiration because not only is he really young but because he is really forward thinking with his creativity. Here is the behind the scenes video of his latest project The Mentawai. It's pretty wild to see the logistics of a shoot like this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Click Here to see the final images and the original video posted by Joey L.
Aaron Nace Is At It Again

Aaron Nace is known for his incredibility imaginative photography and post production. Check out his shoot "torn" and then head over to his website here. View the full post to see a second video of some of his handy Photoshop work. Behind the scenes Torn from Aaron Nace on Vimeo.
Elections Are Fun!

If you live in the United States then there was a good chance you just skipped watching TV last night because of all the crazy election coverage. Even though I personally don't care to watch nonstop election coverage, I do have a huge appreciation for the amount of production that goes into bringing such a massive event into the homes of Americans. If television production is of interest to you, check out this behind the scenes video of Shepard Smith as he gives you a short tour of the control room and stage setup for the 2010 midterm election coverage at Fox News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijI46cz2vDQ<
Annie Leibovitz talks with Time Magazine

Earlier in the week we posted a quick video from Annie's photoshoot with Keith Richards. Today I thought I'd share an interview Time Magazine did with Leibovitz where she talks about some of her work, what it's like running a photoshoot, how she used to work with her assistants, and the whole Miley Cyrus controversy. There are no cameras or crazy lighting in this video but I think all of that stuff becomes secondary in comparison to being a confident photographer, having great ideas, and executing a productive photoshoot. Hope you enjoy <
Sam O’Hare makes NYC looks small

It is amazing what creative professionals are doing with their cameras. Sam O'Hare blew my mind today with his short NYC video called The Sandpit. I thought I knew how he created this but was completely wrong. Take a guess then click the link to read about how it was really shot.

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Joel Sartore Shoots Endangered Species

This is the is what Fstoppers is all about. National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore has created a book that will feature portraits of endangered species. To go along with his book he created a quick video promo. This video is the behind the scenes of that promo. View the full post to see the extraordinary finished product.

RARE: Behind the Scenes from Joel Sartore on Vimeo.

Ray Demski Shoots Cliff Diving For Red Bull

Ray Demski, Marcel Lämmerhirt, and Chris Stadler were all commissioned by Red Bull to shoot their cliff diving event in Hamburg. Shooting the event was no easy task but luckily for us Ray Demski was kind enough to share how they did it. <
Contest Entry: Fatal Attraction

Our next contest entry as just been posted. David Solomini shoots for A-List Magazine. It's really cool to see all that goes into getting a cover of a fashion magazine. You can view more details about the full shoot at alist-international.com and you can add to the dialog about this BTS video on the forums here. Please give the creator of this video your feedback, we would all appreciate it. ><
Dominique Daher Talks About Shooting Wind Surfing

Dom Daher is an extreme sport photographer. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to have to shoot commercial photos while avoiding crashing waves and aggressive surfers then this video should wet your appetite. <
Do You Know Who Dave Hill Is? You Should

I have been following Dave Hill for years now and recently he was hired to shoot a picture series for the March issue of Digital SLR Photography Magazine. Dave has an amazing style to his photography; it almost looks like an illustration. Check out Dave's website here and check out snapshots from this shoot right out of the magazine on his blog here.

090417 Girl on an Adventure - Behind the Scenes from Dave Hill on Vimeo.

Miami Photographer Andres Hernandez Shoots A Spring Collection

Miami photographer Andres Hernandez shoots natural light catalog images for Extyn Italy. He also manages to include some really cool video in his latest behind the scenes film.

Extyn Italy / Behind the scenes photoshoot from Andres Hernandez on Vimeo.

The Bui Brothers Shoot Justine Ezarik At Night

It's not often that we see photoshoots taking place a night. After you watch the Bui Brothers knock this shoot out, head over to there blog to view the stills from the shoot here. Justine Ezarik Photos – iJustine Photoshoot behind the scenes video from The Bui Brothers on Vimeo.
S1 Studio Shoots MMA fighters

Sometimes you may need a flash that can recycle at 10 frames per second to capture your photoshoot. Watch as Profoto and Studio S1 out of Toronto, Canada sponsor an assistant shootout with Mixed Martial Arts fighters. If this does not have you wanting to upgrade to Profoto gear nothing probably will...

Profoto Fight Night from S1 Group on Vimeo.

Celebrated Food Photog Marcus Nilsson Dishes on Shooting On-Camera Flash, Tilt-Shift Lenses, and Why He Hates Sandwiches

Marcus Nilsson thinks outside the box. A former chef, Nilsson stumbled into food photography and ended up being one of the photographers who shaped our contemporary approach to cuisine. Today, Nilsson is still pushing that envelope (with on-camera flash, what?!), and regularly works for some of the world’s top foodie magazines, including Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Living, Details, Esquire, Everyday with Rachael Ray, the Food Network, GQ, and Travel+Leisure. Check out the full FS Spotlight interview below, where Nilsson dishes on shooting on-camera flash, tilt-shift lenses, crazy Mexican market foods, and why he hates sandwiches.
How One Self-Proclaimed Dogtographer Uses Her Camera to Change Lives

Some photographers view the craft of photography as a creative pursuit that enriches their lives on a deeply personal level, while others are motivated by income or social media attention. Some are driven to use their cameras to effect change. Self-proclaimed “dogtographer” Kaylee Greer is one such person who uses photography to tell the story of shelter dogs in search of a loving home.