Recent BTS Articles

Plot Device: A Film By Red Giant

This was done a while ago, but Red Giant, the maker of a number of software tools to help image-makers create more realistic visual effects, created a short to showcase the capabilities of their software. The short, "Plot Device," has a great BTS video to go along with it -- they even share all the products they used. Enjoy the finished product after the break.

First Colored Postcards Showcase Life In The US

This spectacular series of postcards are from a private collection owned by graphic designer and photographer, Marc Walter. Walter specializes in vintage travel photographs and has one of the largest collections in the world. This collection has been compiled into a new book entitled, An American Odyssey. The photochroms started out as glass negatives such as this: Mississippi Landing, Vicksburg

Emil Stankiewicz's Talbotype Camera

Polish photographer Emil Stankiewicz’s has created a unique, handmade Talbotype camera nicknamed Idlozi, which means “window to your heritage soul.” Each unique image captured by the wooden camera starts as a paper negative which is then rephotographed with the same box camera to yield a positive print. The camera also known as a “street camera” or “á la minute camera” are inspired by Henry Fox Talbot’s calotype, the British inventor who was able to create a paper negative from which positive prints could be contact printed.

[BTS Video] How to Use an Afghan Box Camera

Here's a fascinating video of 44-year old photographer Qalam Nabi. He is one of two street photographers left in the capital city of Kabul. The son of a street photographer himself, he started shooting at the age of eleven. Watch as he demonstrates how to use his instant camera. He does all of the developing inside the box, and repeats the process to turn the negative into a positive image. If you'd like to know how to build your own Afghan box camera

[BTS Video] A Frozen Face Cover Shoot by Finn O'Hara

Here's a behind the scenes video from Toronto photographer Finn O'Hara. It was for a recent cover story about Toronto smokers in a magazine called The Grid. O'Hara explains that the story is "a confessional tale of the stigmas faced by smokers every day in Toronto, and what it takes to finally kick the habit. To illustrate the commitment of a winter smoker, we enlisted a

The Secret to Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

Sometimes it pays to try and identify the key virtues I have found in others that help them build their career, their life, and make their dreams a reality. Today’s hidden skillset? Taking advantage of opportunities.

Expect The Unexpected: Tips for Working With Children

Working with a child is a lot like dealing with the weather. It’s unpredictable, temperamental and has the potential to wreck your entire shoot. At the same time, huge risk can mean huge reward. Children add an undeniable “cute” factor that will always have a place in advertising or event videos/photography. Unlike the weather, there are a few steps we can take to increase our chances of success when working with children.

[Video] Zombie Boy Rick Genest Stars in Sick Dermablend Video

Rick Genest (aka Zombie Boy) is nothing if not intense. The 26-year-old Canadian fashion model is tattooed head to toe to look like a decomposing corpse, representing “the art of the rotting cadaver.” Genest, who you may recognize from Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” video, spent over 6 years and thousands of dollars on his body art project, so who better to star in a commercial for tattoo-cover-up cosmetic company Dermablend?

Fire Trails Mixed with Fitness Photography

How many of you have tried to use fire to light paint a subject? What about just shooting fitness? In Brandon Wells' latest project, he decided to the mix the two together for some amazing photos.

BTS Shoot with Olympic Paradressage Rider

Benjamin Von Wong walks us through a shoot he does with Olympic paradressage rider Natasha Baker.
As always Ben goes into great detail about the shoot's subject, preparation, setup and the execution and even more detail in his blog.

Short Film About An Incredible Still Life Series You Have To See

Even if you're new to this site, I'm pretty confident you've seen some sort of article about this unique photo series in which Michael Paul Smith builds intricate models and photographs them to recreate scenes from his imaginary childhood. Even I marveled at the fact that these were photographs of 1/24 scale models and not real scenes from history. Soon, Smith will be releasing a book called "Elgin Park" in which he explains his creative process and his life. If it is anything like the video above I will absolutely read it.

FilmRiot Shows You How to Light Moving Subjects in Multiple Spaces While Filming

FilmRiot has been quietly working on a series of educational behind the scenes videos over the last few months, and I think this one is definitely worth a mention (avoid the random skydiving tangent at 6:00). Aimed at beginner and intermediate videographers, this short video will walk us through some techniques for lighting people as they move through multiple rooms.

Two Fun and Funny Filmmaking Canadians Want to Teach You How to Be a Filmmaker

Vancouver-based filmmakers, Jason Lucas and Matt Dennison, are all about trying to make quality videos. They're also all about trying to help you make quality videos! In this seven-minute video the IFHT (I Focking Hate That) crew run down 32 steps on, "How To Be A Filmmaker". Even though this is actually a tongue-in-cheek comedic short, rather than educational guidelines, it totally falls in the the realm of, it's-funny-cause-it's-true.

PES Releases New Stop-Motion Short Film "Submarine Sandwich" and BTS

Whether or not you knew it, you have most likely viewed a short film by Adam Pesapane, better known as PES. The director and animator has released several immensely popular stop-motion shorts, directed numerous commercials for major companies such as PlayStation, Scrabble, and Bacardi, and has even been nominated for an Academy Award. Along with the release of his newest short, "Submarine Sandwich," PES and Nikon Cinema have teamed up to bring you a rather comprehensive behind-the-scenes look into the process that goes into the making of PES’ films.

Go Behind the Scenes of Tom van Schelven's Molton Brown Christmas 2014 Campaign Shoot

U.K. based cosmetic firm Molton Brown is known for spectacular, over-the-top photography particularly in their annual Christmas catalog. This recently released video takes us behind the scenes on the set of their 2014 holiday catalog with photographer Tom van Schelven as he and his crew transform a forest into an enchanted outdoor holiday banquet.

How One Artist Used Photoshop to Send Her Kids Back in Time to Meet Their Great Great Great Grandmother

When any talented individual with a dedicated set of skills finds themselves with a little free time it almost always results in something both creative and amazing. Some of the most interesting creations have come from artists and craftsman in their spare time. So it comes as no surprise that a successful photographic digital artist like Karen Alsop when presented with a newly found photo of her ancestors, would turn it into something that would surprise and amaze her friends and family.

The Changing Face of the Music Video and What We Can All Learn From It

The music we use in our work, whether for videos or slide shows for stills images, is an integral part of the narrative and story we are trying tell. The genre, artist and music track we choose, sets the tone for the entire story we wish to tell. I treat music as the keystone that underpins the visual story of a BTS video, commercial work, documentary piece or creative editorial shoot that I am working on.

Photograph Wild Birds With Simon Roy

Simon Roy is an award-winning wildlife photographer based in the UK. Watch this video to learn how he captures incredible images of wild birds.

Watch Erik Almås Shoot Elephants In Namibia (With A Camera)

Erik Almås is at it again creating etherial images for clients on location in exotic places with a color palette noticeably familiar. I must say too that this location is just about as exotic as you can get without becoming flat out dangerous. This week Erik gives us a glimpse into a campaign he shot on location in Namibia, Africa. Read more about Erik's mission statement below.

Urban Windshield Photography: Seeing Through a Different Lens

You know the old saying, "When it rains, it pours"? Then you probably also know how fitting that expression is for photographers. We can see long stretches between jobs but more often than not, when work is coming in, it comes in heavy. So sometimes it's hard to find the time to get your Sunday Fstoppers' post done. Which brings me to another old saying, "It pays to have friends".

How to Acoustically Treat a Room to Remove Echo and Reverb

Our new studio in Puerto Rico had so much echo that it was ruining the audio in all of our videos. I'm happy to say that we have finally figured things out, and we've learned a few things that might help you as well.

[BTS] Brett Warren Shoots "Wooden Heart"

This is another cool behind the scenes video from Brett Warren as he shoots his series "Wooden Heart". Brett interned with Annie Leibovitz, and you can definitely tell with his work, they're lit very similarly and the processing is very reminicent of Annie's work, but it's still very cool.

Dolby's Behind The Scenes Of The Snowboard Film The Art Of Flight

As I am writing this I am trying to fall asleep. I am supposed to be up in 4 hours to head off on a little snowboard adventure with some friends. Instead of sleeping though I am sitting around watching snowboard videos, smart move right? Anyway a buddy told me to check out this movie called The Art Of Flight on Netflix, and I can tell you this much, it doesn't disappoint. The cinematography is gorgeous, but they took it a step further, and really worked with the sound to make it a totally immersing experience. Check out this BTS on how they used Dolby 7.1 to enhance the sound of the film...

How to Shoot While Tethered to Your iPhone or iPad

Shooting tethered can be useful for so many things, from having a better screen to view an image on, to being able to record what your camera sees for real behind-the-scenes footage. In this video, Jiggie Alejandrino shows you how he does it and how valuable it can be.
BTS: Shooting a Free Runner in China at -18°F Temperatures

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to shoot in -18°F? Action Photographer David Robinson brought a free runner, Jason Paul, along with him to China to experience it, and now shares his story with us. At first, you may wonder what a free runner and such cold weather have in common, and you would be entirely right to do so. But wait until you discover the pictures to see how beautiful the combination of an icy landscape and this sport is.

Why Professionals Should Still Assist Other Photographers

I’ve been working as a full-time professional photographer — meaning that 100 percent of my income is from photography — for over eight years. For the most part, I know what I’m doing. But I still make the time to assist other photographers when I can, and here’s why.

Flying to New Photographic Heights With the Cavalry

Being a photojournalist in the U.S. Air Force, there are often some pretty interesting opportunities to cover situations and events that most other photographers I know would probably never find themselves in. When new opportunities come up, there are usually two big questions to ask. One is, am I prepared for this? The other is, how do I even shoot this?