Recent BTS Articles

5 Tips for More Effective Interior Photographs

Shooting interiors for real estate shouldn’t be that challenging if your goal is simply to photograph the entire space. However, if the goal is to come up with visually impactful images, then it’s very likely that you’ll have to solve some problems while shooting.

How Amber Gray Shot Her Photo Art Project ‘Andromeda Suite’

This shoot was an art project that Amber Gray had been dreaming of for a long time. One of the things that she often explores in her work is the relationship between feminine energy and the natural world, and this concept in particular really exemplifies that idea in a surreal way.

How Astrid Obert Shot 'Inception' in Cape Town

As creatives, we all love opportunities to work out creativity muscles and test how far we can push it. This was how the shoot “Inception” came about for photographer Astrid Obert.

Chase Jarvis Breaks Down a Time Lapse Set Up

If you've ever wondered about a simple, travel friendly time lapse setup, check this out. During his recent time in South Africa, Chase Jarvis was able to use four different cameras to capture time lapse sequences over the course of two hours. Not only does Chase break down the settings he uses, he also explains how time settings of his camera will translate to a final product at 24 fps.

This Zoom Lens Overview Takes a Close Look at Cinema (and Two Still) Lenses for Documentary Video Production

In this detailed series of articles and videos from Matt Porwoll at AbelCine called "Behind the Lens", viewers will get a chance to compare specs and review footage captured using a number of popular zoom lenses. From the nearly $30,000 Fujinon Cabrio 19-90mm to a modest Canon 17-55mm, find out what Matt discovers about each of the lenses he reviews. This is the first video in the series, that covers the Fujinon MK 18-55mm Zoom.

Inspiring and Stunning Time Lapse Featuring the Night Skies Over Kings Canyon

You’ll feel inspired after watching Gavin Heffernan’s (Sunchaser Pictures) stunning time lapse video KINGS, taken in Kings Canyon and Sequoia national park in California. Star trails, the Milky Way and meteors paired with a dramatic soundtrack produce a truly epic and magical visual.

Beneath The Diaper: A Hilarious BTS Interpretation Of Anne Geddes

By now, we have all heard of Anne Geddes, the photographer famous for capturing moments of babies dressed up in various outfits, posed on beautiful sets. The World instantly fell in love with her. No matter how difficult the job, she always makes it look easy. Have you ever wondered how she gets the shot and makes everything look so effortless? We finally get to see what it takes to make it in the baby photography arena.

Manchul Kim Gets up Close and Personal with a Motocross Photo Shoot

There are a few ways to photograph motocross in action, but one of the best is to use a high powered strobe. For his latest shoot in NamJi, South Korea, Manchul Kim takes a couple of strobes to the track and sees how close he can get to the action. Since motorcycles can be dangerous and all flying by you, it's a good idea to strap on a remote trigger to your camera and step out of the way.

The Process Of How These Grass Portraits Were Made Through Photosynthesis

Back in may, we posted this story about portraits made of grass created with photosynthesis. Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey of Ackroyd & Harvey were behind this idea and we now have a video that showcases how this process is done. The technique and end result is a beautiful mix of art and photography.

A Look Behind the Scenes of an Arctic Aurora Surfing Film

Outdoor Adventure Photographer Chris Burkard has spent much of his career documenting the harmony of man and nature around the world. Best known for his surfing photography, Burkard recently directed a documentary called "Under an Arctic Sky" about a group of surfers venturing to Iceland in the dead of winter in search of waves. This recently released behind the scenes showcases the daunting and treacherous production.

BTS Video Discusses Sound Design in 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

As we all know, even the most stunning visuals require an equally amazing and unique soundtrack to bring the audience's emotions to their full potential. Supervising Sound Editor and Sound Designer Christopher Boyles from Skywalker Sound discusses his work and the burden of creating original sounds for "Avengers: Age of Ultron" that will stand the test of time.

Monte Isom Takes You Behind-the-Scenes of his World Cup Shoot

Monte Isom, NYC-based sports, entertainment, and advertising photographer just shared a look behind-the-scenes at his most recent shoot for the World Cup. The video takes you all the way through his preproduction and makeup, to shooting with a pretty good look at his lighting setup.

World First: The Tintype Drone

There’s no doubt that flying a camera hundreds of feet above your head is pushing the boundaries of modern photography, but why stop there? Why not take some old school technology into the skies?

'Where Art Meets Architecture 3' BTS: The Final Episode

A few months ago we released "Where Art Meets Architecture 3" with Mike Kelley, a photography tutorial that covers photographing hotels and resorts as well as the business of high-end architectural photography. For the past few months, we have also been releasing a behind-the-scenes series on the creation of this tutorial. Today we are finally releasing episode 8 which is also the final episode of this series.

Behind the Scenes of the Oscars (Academy Awards) Trailer

Academy Awards season is swiftly coming and to get the buzz going a little earlier the Oscars have come out with a brand new trailer with talk-show darling Ellen DeGeneres and 250 dancing extras. The trailer was directed by Paul Feig who is best known for "Bridesmaids" and "the Heat". It looks like they used an ARRI Alexa to film the trailer. It's a fun and cute glimpse into what we can look forward to at this coming year's Academy Awards show.

Video Interview with Brandon Stanton of 'Humans of New York'

Over a year ago we wrote about Brandon Stanton's project named 'Humans of New York' where he photographs random people in NYC and post the results on his blog (and Facebook). Back then his project was still small and not-so-known, but today he has millions of followers and each one of his photos go viral within seconds of posting. Brandon just released his first book this week featuring his best 'Humans of New York' photos, and to promote it, ABC's 'Nightline' spoke with him about his project - worth watching!

Interview with Set in The Street Photographer Justin Bettman

Justin Bettman is a portrait and editorial photographer based out of NYC and I first came across his #SetintheStreet project while scrolling through Facebook. I thought it was a fun, creative and unique project that was worth sharing! I love that the art kind of lived on after the shoot itself with him leaving the sets in place for people to engage with. So cool, right!?! With that said, I decided I had to interview him to find out what are his processes in creating these photographs.

BTS: Air New Zealand's Hobbit Inspired Safety Video

Air New Zealand has been known for their original, themed and very well made safety videos. Just recently they released their newest safety video featuring a plane full of Tolkien fans called, 'An Unexpected Briefing'. Air New Zealand partnered up with the people over at Weta Workshop to create the amusing safety briefing. The video made in anticipation of 'The Hobbit' features a few actors from the movie, real Tolkien fans, J.R.R. Tolkien's great-grandsons, actual working Air New Zealand employees and even has a cameo from the man, Peter Jackson, himself.

Have Fun Learning How to Create a Slow Motion Explosion Effect

Watch as Josh Connolly tests out the slow motion explosion he bought off Amazon Prime (ya, you heard me) and then learn how to create your very own. OK, they won't actually teach you how to blow things up, but they will entertain you while walking you through the process they used to create a slow-motion explosion effect. So, even though you may go to Film Riot to learn filmmaking techniques and how to create kick-ass visual effects, you'll go back for the sketches.

50th Anniversary of Moon Landing Inspires Incredible Image

It wasn't easy to put a man on the moon. Just ask photographer Christopher Sherman, who recently set out to pay homage to one of humanity's greatest feats, the Apollo 11 mission, when Neil Armstrong first set foot onto the moon 50 years ago.

Make the Photo You Dream of With Preparation and Patience

Growing up along the coast, I became accustomed to beautiful views of the ocean and, of course, lighthouses are an important part of the New England scenery. One lighthouse, in particular, has long been a favorite subject of mine to shoot. I've spent many days and nights shooting the 67-foot-high structure and its surrounding area, and I always envisioned creating the classic image of a massive moon as it rises behind an interesting foreground structure — in this case, the Point Judith Lighthouse on the southern tip of Rhode Island.

Von Wong Shoots Superbowl Leather Designer

Benjamin Von Wong gives us some tips for shooting with less than optimal conditions as he goes to work on models wearing pieces made by master leather worker Cecilio Martinez. This latest and last installment of Ben's European tour finds him in Spain, without power, light stands, experienced models or the ability to speak Spanish. So check out this video and if you want more then head over to Ben's Blog where he lays out all the juicy details.

Holy Crap! The Crew of RocketJump Aim to Make 8 of the Best Shorts on the Internet

So I get this message from Chelsey, "Kenn I know how much you love these guys!" with a link to a trailer for a new series, to premiere exclusively on Hulu. And as usual, Chelsey wasn't wrong. I do love these guys. Who other than the fantastically spirited and dedicated crew of RocketJump would attempt to make (and chronicle the creation of!) eight of the best shorts on the Internet. You'll be able to watch a new short every Wednesday, starting December 2.

A Sci-Fi Short that Looks at Our Obsession with Digital Content and Social Media

Armed with a Canon 5D Mark II, After Effects, CS5, Color Finesse, Sapphire and Final Cut, director Francois Ferracci turns out a striking short film that looks at the direction of social media and digital content. There are quite a few messages that you can take away from "Lost Memories" but the one that hits home for me is how it reflects our future current state of social interaction and how we can so easily get caught up in sharing our moments that we forget to actually experience them.

The Hilarious "The Girl Is Mime" From London's 48 Hour Film Project

I love 24 and 48 hour film contests where teams are given a short amount of time and often a budget limit to shoot, edit and deliver short films that go head to head with eachother at the judges table. "The Girl Is Mime" was created for London's 48 Hour Film Project in 2010 (which it won) and is directed by Tim Bunn, starring Martin Freeman. Also, here is a BTS video, ENJOY!

Framed Interviews Photographer Claudia Kunin On 3-D Art And Ghost Stories

If you're into apparitions or anything spooky, this interview with former commercial photographer, Claudia Kunin, will captivate you. Without giving away much, check out the interview. Her work is extremely unique in what she does and where she's come from. She says she loves ghosts because she's been fascinated since she was a little girl. Combining that love with 3-D ends up taking it to the next level. She even goes over how she does it. More details in the full post.