Portraiture is one of the most versatile genres of photography, housing many sub-genres within it. One of the most impactful skillsets you can acquire for the craft is lighting and so it is important to know the basic setups and what different lighting styles achieve.

As a professional wedding photographer, I spend a lot of time with people in front of my camera. But because I grew up racing motocross and driving fast cars, I have always been intrigued by automotive photography. So when I was asked by a friend of mine if I wanted to help shoot a 80s-styled cafe racer motorcycle, I jumped at the opportunity. Add to this that the shoot was going to be inside of an arcade filled with old-school machines, and this shoot sounded like one amazing time.

It’s 2010, and a young Ted Hesser is in Nepal, rappelling into a cave from a mega-sketchy anchor: Two pieces of two-foot rebar hammered in the mud. He’s joined an expedition team, supported by National Geographic and The North Face, and it just so happens to be Cory Richards’ first-ever photo assignment for arguably the most well-known publication in the world.

As far as product photography instruction goes, it's not too common to see a good (free) tutorial video that breaks down the tricks behind capturing challenging cosmetic products. Nikonian Academy trainer Andrew Boey not only makes this topic very approachable, he shows you how to do it on the cheap.

In this beautiful video brought to you by SmugMug, get an inside look at the mind of street photographer Alan Schaller.

Under mounting pressure from my peers and the industry at large, I finally tried getting into video creation. While filming myself in my first video ever (an unboxing), I ran into a whole slew of issues. How should I mount my camera? Where do I place it? Why does this look so gosh diddly darn boring? To say I struggled would be an understatement. To say I gave up would be spot on. But maybe it was for the best, because two days later, Toronto-based Photographer and Cinematographer Peter McKinnon came out with all the answers to my problems — well, my technical and inspirational ones. The rest I'm still working on.

Joey Shanks is at it again – this time with an awesome stop-motion homage to the Millennium Falcon portion of the new “Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens” teaser trailer. He combines light painting with a practical model of the star ship to create an awesome gravity-defying recreation that’s sure to impress special effects gurus and Star Wars fans alike. Check it out!

In today’s modern age of digital cameras and near-instant results, it doesn’t take long for the pace of modern society to end up outside with us on the trail. This video helps show how being deliberate and slowing down can make for a relaxed and refreshing landscape photography experience.

The challenge: 30 images in 5 days for an international tool company. New York based advertising, fashion, and fine art photographer, João Carlos was the man chosen by Lisbon agency Ivity Brand Corp. to accomplish the mission. A Hasselblad Masters winner with clients like Nike, MTV, Avon and Sandisk, it was clear Carlos had the vision and expertise to turn the agency’s mood boards into an incredible campaign for their client.

Max Riché is back with an amazing shoot this time for Bicycle Magazine. During this past summer Max received a surprising email from Stacey, Photo Editor at Bicycling magazine wanting him to shoot the magazine cover for the special 100th Tour de France Anniversary issue. With the help of Google Maps and some friends who lived near the Alps Max was able to pinpoint the best location for the shoot.

One of the first things any portrait photographer should learn is how to create soft, flattering light.

With digital photography more accessible than ever, is film worth it? I picked up my film camera and shot my first roll of black and white film in over 10 years.

Red Giant, the plugin supergroup that is responsible for filter packs like Magic Bullet Looks, Trapcode, and PluralEyes, has recently announced a new plugin model, Universe, where new and updated filters will be provided to members at low to no cost. If you're a motion graphics designer, or love sweetening your video edits with funky filters, check out the video and see if Universe is for you.

The battle between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao coming up on May 2nd is of epic proportions. Alexis Cuarezma had the opportunity to photograph both of these welterweight icons for an HBO press conference back in March. Cuarezma told me he only had roughly 30 seconds with each fighter, and he sure made the most of it!

We’ve all become accustomed to reviewing the LCD after capturing an image, but what happens when a digital shooter loses that ability?

Last week Fstoppers released Mike Kelley's latest photography tutorial called "Where Art Meets Architecture: How To Photograph Hotels, Resorts, and the Business of Commercial Architectural Photography." It is the third installment of Mike's thorough educational series on shooting real estate, architecture, and hotels. Throughout our travels, we never turned off the behind-the-scenes cameras so that you can experience a first-person perspective of what goes into producing one of these tutorials. In episode 1, Mike gets settled into the amazing Mauna Launi Bay Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii and shows just how exhausting photographing complex properties can be.

As someone who shoots 90 percent of my professional work with wide lenses, it seems like a daunting tasking to go reaching for a 70-200mm or longer when looking to capture a landscape. Long lenses require a lot more thought in how the compression is going to affect the way the viewer sees the image and its a focal length that the human eye can’t really grasp until you look through the viewfinder. With that being said, learning to use these long focal lengths will go a long way in making us more versatile in our craft. Lucky for us, Thomas Heaton has decided to make a video specifically about this.

When I met Laura Grier at WPPI this year, she showcased her latest editorial fashion shoot with a behind the scenes video. It isn't everyday you get a backstage look at the work and creativity that goes into this type of photo-shoot. Not only are the photos incredible, but the designs and creations showcased on the models are one of a kind. Truly an inspiring piece.

Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Peter Lik's got quite the penchant for getting the shot. In this video, Peter takes us deep into some abandoned subway tunnels and high over the skyscrapers of NYC as he shows us some of the locations and setups that he uses to create his photographs. We get a nice look at the finished results, which, to me at least,

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at dramatic macro shots of insects, but don’t have a studio setup or - let’s face it - the desire to cart strange insects back from your outdoor excursions? Entomologist Phil Torres has a neat solution. In this video, he takes us through his simple and elegant setup for shooting studio-quality macro photographs in the field.

Have you ever wondered what went into creating a moody fashion shoot? In this article, go behind the scenes of a fashion shoot I did using a darker aesthetic and mood.

It’s always nice to work with a client that has as much invested in making a great image as you do. I recently had the opportunity to work with poet and academic Katie Schmid for some portraits. Outside of her own poetry, Katie writes for a few blogs and online magazines. Katie knew she needed a fairly standard image to use with those publications, but expressed interest in creating a second image that better captured her personality.

"You need to pack up your stuff, move to the mountains, and LIVE IT." Scott Serfas says this bluntly when asked how someone else can get a job like his. In this new behind the scenes video from the Life In Focus series, Scott talks about how he worked himself into a position as a top action sports shooter, while we get to see him work in a more urban setting for a snowboarding action shot.

Last year, we shared Andreas Varro's popular photo series 'The Condom Challenge' here on Fstoppers. Varro has now pushed the limits, or in this case, the deep depths in his latest project. He was called for a commercial shoot for one of Sweden's most exclusive restaurants. How he came to his final composition is something you need to see to believe!

In this thoughtful video from Dedo Weigert, "catch lights" (or "eye lights") are analyzed in-depth, with many examples and explanations as to what different effects are created by their use. Placement, intensity, shape, and direction can all play a subtle but very important role in when it comes to a catch light, and what a director or cinematographer wants to communicate from their character can drive that decision.

It's easy to look around at local locations and think that you have no chance of creating beautiful, natural light portraits because of them. However, with the right positioning and knowledge, you will be able to create stunning images with great light.

While we are all talking about the Oscars I thought now would be a good time to share this fascinating blog with you. Not only are these images great fun but I actually think this website is incredibly useful for any photographers who are looking for cool locations.