Recent BTS Articles

Canon Lenses On The Panasonic GH4, Using The Metabones Speedbooster Adapter

In a recent article by Jaron Schneider about the Metabones Speedbooster on a Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera, several readers had questions about the model designed for the GH4, whether this one would work with it or not, and other comments. I bought one of these a week ago and wrote this article to tell you what works, and what doesn’t.

Benjamin Von Wong Shows Us How Photography Can Change the World

We all know that humans are destroying the earth, but we live in a time where the destruction has become too much to take lightly anymore. Will artists be the ones to bring the earth together to clean and protect it? Benjamin Von Wong shows us that the answer is yes, and he asks all of us to join him.

Tutorial on Using PocketWizard Hypersync for Shallow Depth of Field in Bright Daylight

This week, Ben Von Wong shows us a set of great conceptual photographs he shot with model Jen Brook that feature a great shallow depth of field and dark, moody atmosphere despite being photographed in bright daylight. Ben was able to do this using PocketWizard hypersync and was kind enough to document the shoot to show us exactly how he did it.

The Timelapse Group Shoots Jaw-Dropping (Ball-Dropping?) NYE Video in Times Square

Last year a group of time-lapse photographers organized by Shiseido Ruiz produced a video of the New Year's Eve ball drop and other events in Times Square, New York City that made Vimeo's Staff Pick. This year, Ruiz and his crew decided to step up their game and headed back to the rooftops around Times Square to produce an even better one. In a feat of artistic and logistical achievement, The Timelapse Group managed to produce a stunning and truly unique film of the NYE festivities in Times Square that will make your jaw drop. In an interview with Fstoppers, Ruiz provides a look into what it takes to produce a time-lapse film of this magnitude.

Behind The Scenes with Ben Von Wong on a Photoshoot Where Nothing Went as Planned

Being an adept problem solver is a key skill found in most successful photographers, and with complex photo shoots, the likelihood of something not going according to plan gets pretty high. On a recent project, Ben Von Wong had everything lined up, only to have things change and be forced to cancel the shoot, or make something else happen in a very short time.

You Must Check out the Making of the Amazing 'Silver Arrows'

This is it... I've come across the mother lode of photography personal projects that will just blow you away. Czech photographer Jan Rambousek and Creative Director Tomas Kopecny were inspired to visually recreate some of the most noteworthy scenes from Grand Prix racing during the 1930s. The series is entitled "Silver Arrows" due to the fact that Mercedes race cars were dominating the race series during that time period. The final images are incredible and gorgeous, but what's even more amazing is the research, detail, and overall production that went into creating these images. Prepare to be inspired and amazed.

6 Easy Tricks to Create Great Portraits Anywhere

Being a master of your craft sometimes means taking exciting and memorable portraits in not-so-interesting locations and circumstances. Here are six simple tricks to help make your portraits more creative while removing distracting elements and creating more engagement.

Cinematographers Aren't There To Shoot Amazing Images: An Interview With Roger Deakins

Cinematographers rarely reach celebrity status. Directors and actors get all that action. Roger Deakins is probably as close to a rock star as cinematographers get. If you don't know his name, don't worry, you certainly know some of his movies. Deakins has worked the camera and created the visual style for almost every single Coen brothers movie.
This Intense Long Tracking Scene from the New Netflix Original Series 'Daredevil' is Simply Mindblowing

Forever losing memory of that dreadful "Daredevil" movie starring Ben Affleck from 2003, we have found a new standard in superhero movies thanks to the partnership of Marvel and Netflix. Finding its place with beautifully shot shows like "House of Cards" and "Peaky Blinders," Netflix adds the masterpiece that is "Daredevil," starring Charlie Cox as the masked vigilante. Each scene matches a tone devoted to the comics, and one stood out as beyond epic making it a must see!

Pepper Yandell Shows Us How To Photograph Jets, Supercars, And Models

Pepper Yandell is a talented young photographer out of Texas who shoots some of the coolest cars in the world. He recently was given an awesome opportunity to photograph a couple of supercars in a hanger with really expensive jets - the kind of shoot car photographers dream about. Pepper was nice enough to share with me about how he put this shoot together.

Behind The Scenes... Gangnam Style!

This past week I have been bombarded with this poppy, silly and downright hilarious song. My co-workers play it nonstop, my two daughters won't stop singing along to it and the other night while at a local bar a group of very happy drunk people attempted to dance the signature pony-style dance. If you haven't seen South Korea's PSY's quirky 'Gangnam Style', then you must be living under an interweb rock.

Real-Time In-Camera VFX: Next Generation of Filmmaking

Visual effects (VFX) are a great way of achieving spectacular results when the budget doesn't allow filming for real or it's too risky for the actors. Up till now, these were achieved mostly by filming on green or blue screens. This new way of filmmaking presents a way for shooting scenes with VFX directly in camera.

Exclusive: Nick Fancher Shares the Secret to Dynamic Lighting in his "Studio Anywhere" Series

Former Fstoppers writer and Columbus, Ohio based portrait and fashion photographer, Nick Fancher has recently been working on a series he calls Studio Anywhere in which he photographs models in their own homes. Nick's an avid strobist; meticulously lighting every shoot with a small army of speed lights. He has kindly agreed to give us a sneak peek into his lighting setups from two images in the series.

"RagLite" Is A Flexible, Waterproof, And Portable LED Lighting Concept

The RagLite LED systems are a product seeking backing on Kickstarter to do a production run of what appear to be LED strips on fabric that can be rolled up, powered by battery, are waterproof, and claim a CRI of 95. With several rewards being offered, including various sizes of their light, they seek to raise about $25,000. Read on for their video and more information on these unique lights.

Comprehensive Guide to Shooting and Editing Astrophotography Time-Lapse Videos

The Syrp Genie caught everyone's attention with its contemporary design and advanced automation features that made it a time-lapse photographer's best tool in the field. Today, photographer Mark Gee shares tips on how to set up and use the Genie while offering a few great suggestions that apply to all methods of landscape photography, from what apps he uses on his phone to help him plan every shot to how to edit for final output. Need to shoot a time-lapse soon? Whether you're experienced or just starting, there's undoubtedly something in here for you.

Flying Cars: Creating A 58 Foot Composite Print For BMW

Sean Madden, creative director from the ad agency Brains On Fire, reached out to me earlier this year and asked if given an arsenal of stunt drivers, the newest high performance BMW's, and a closed race course, could I create a 58 foot long composite print for BMW. My answer? "When can I start?" Watch the video and read the post below to learn how the shoot came together.

Photographer Burns Couch, with a Bride on It, Bringing Attention to Divorce

New Zealand photographer Tom Hollow has an interesting photo series titled "Love Lost." Tom took an old couch, put a bride on it, set it on fire, and took pictures of the whole thing. Tom initially just thought it would be a fun idea for a shoot. It wasn't until after the session he realized he could do something more with the images.

Incredible BTS Video on How They Created the Film 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

As a huge movie car buff and lover of the original "Mad Max" films, it goes without saying that I am more than excited for the release of the latest iteration of the series. I'm going to assume statistically that you are too because it is rating incredibly well among most of the movie reviewers. One of their biggest compliments toward the film? The stunning energetic visuals, and I would agree. What's even more stunning? Most of the stunts were done with practical effects! Check out 18 minutes of pure stunt-making glory.

Night Photography: Finding Your Way in the Dark (Workshop BTS)

Night photography is a very broad category, open to many different approaches and techniques to create a unique image of the world, or universe around us. The team at Walley Films has done a great job in this video, documenting the night/light painting photo workshop led by Scott Martin and Lance Keimig in Texas. While you won't get the full hands-on workshop experience, hopefully you can pick up some tips or inspiration for your own work.

Bazaar Magazine Fashion Editorial Shot Entirely On Film

These days it's hard to come by a fashion shoot that's not shot with a digital camera. That's why when Fstoppers discovered on a Facebook Film Shooters group that Indonesian based photographers Wirawan Sanjaya and partner Gaillard Mathieu had convinced the editors at Bazaar Magazine to allow him to shoot the entire editorial on film, we just had to reach out! The stakes were high, but his results were stunning.

Visual Effects Reel Shows The Hard Work That Goes Into The Walking Dead (NSFW)

The Walking Dead is among the hottest shows on television today. The amount of work that goes into the visual production to make this show so spectacular and real often goes unnoticed by its fan base. The latest reel from production company Stargate Studios shows us the amount of work they had to put into the latest season of AMC’s hot television series.

BTS Video of Fitness Shoot by Lear Miller

Behind the scenes videos are some of the best ways to learn our craft, especially when it comes to setting up lighting. It takes quite a bit of courage though to put yourself out there online and share a video with our industry. Arizona based photographer, Lear Miller, took the leap and put together his first BTS video of a fitness shoot that I thought deserved a shout out here on Fstoppers.

Slider vs. Jib vs. Steadicam: What's Best For Your Story?

When calling ourselves artists, we also inherently accept the title of “story teller”. We each use different mediums, but our goals are ultimately the same: Creating memorable and engaging content. We use art to tell stories in beautiful and unique ways, which in turn helps connect us together.

Mixing Hard and Soft Light for Pleasing Tabletop Product Photography

Tabletop product images, especially those shot top down, are very popular in recent years. They can give a clean and minimal design esthetic while still clearly showcasing all components of a product. It's no wonder these types of images flood many company social media pages. This video from Cinematography Database offers a good look at how to achieve a pleasing light setup for such work that mixes both hard and soft light.

Shooting Boston Whaler - BTS with Richard Steinberger

Shooting speeding boats at dusk from a chase boat with a camera on a stabilizer is the norm for Richard Steinberger, a maritime photographer based out of Denver, Colorado. For a recent advertising campaign with Boston Whaler boats, Steinberger worked in tandem with a video production unit and shared the challenges of working on location, keeping the cameras dry and coming away with compelling advertising imagery.

How to Light a Product Shot With One Light

Product photography can be one of the most technically challenging genres to undertake, but that doesn't mean you need every piece of gear you can think of to pull it off. In this video I demonstrate how to light a product shot with one light and a few inexpensive modifiers.

Behind the Scenes on the First Film Shot Entirely with the Prius Backup Camera

This short film is a great piece of satire, aimed at some of the stereotypical characters and views found on an indie film set. Couple that with a concept that is ridiculous, yet believable enough to be true, and you've got gold. This humorous short takes you behind the scenes of a film shot using only the Toyota Prius backup camera.

Going Behind The Scenes With Pantene and Natalie Coughlin

Follow Pantene Hair as they film Natalie Coughlin, eleven time Olympic medalist for USA Swimming (3 Gold, 4 Silver, and 4 Bronze) in their latest ad campaign featuring Olympic athletes for their Daily Moisture Renewal product line. Shot in two days in December of 2011 in Northern California and released in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics they use some impressive rigs and blue screens in this shoot.

Combine Multiple Exposures To Maximize a Landscape Photo's Potential

Ok so many of you will not be fond of this technique. That is totally your preference. But for those of you who like good HDR photos, the guys are PHLEARN show a method that will teach you a method to get faux-HDR final images that will make some of your images go from good to great.