Recent Interview Articles

The Moderator's Guide to Buying Used Gear on Facebook Groups

This month I posted an article asking how you would build a new photo kit from the ground up with only a thousand bucks. The responses were all awesome (if you haven't left one yourself be sure to check it out, I'd love to hear from you), but they had one thing in common: everyone bought used gear. Buying used equipment can be awesome, but unless you're in an area with a nice local camera shop, you're stuck ordering online. While eBay and Amazon were traditionally the go-to sites for picking up used equipment, recently a lot of photographers have turned to buy-and-sell groups on Facebook.

Time Releases Short Documentary About Robert Capa's Iconic D-Day Photographs

Hungarian photographer, Robert Capa is regarded as being one the greatest combat and adventure photographers in history. That’s no small remark, considering the immense amount of danger involved and the technological limitations that were present during the time he created his body of work.

The Making of an Industrial Promotional Video with Timelapses, Sliders, and Crafty Editing

Creating promotional video content for industrial and corporate clients is an often overlooked, yet very large, part of the market when it comes to the amount of work they can generate for production companies. A few years ago my business was hired to produce such a video, and I (finally) have the behind-the-scenes video completed to show how we put everything together.

Winner of Adorama and Nigel Barker's 'Top Photographer' Series Scott Borrero Chats Exclusively to Fstoppers

It’s been a week or so since San Fran-based photographer Scott Borrero was crowned the winner of Adorama and Nigel Barker’s new series "Top Photographer." The series saw five hopefuls take on a number of weekly photo challenges – including action sports, landscapes, and fashion editorials - to prove they were an all-rounder. Here, Borrero chats exclusively to Fstoppers about the experience and what’s coming next.

Behind the Scenes: Creative National Ad Campaign with Michael Herb

A few months ago we featured one of commercial photographer Michael Herb's tutorials on masking and composting. Michael is back with an awesome behind the scenes video of a national ad campaign he shot for Textile Designer Patty Madden. Michael set out to create some creative photos to showcase the unique advertising that hasn't really been seen before in a nation ad campaign for furniture.

Interview with "Toy Stories" Photographer Gabriele Galimberti

You have likely seen Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti's photos floating around the internet lately. His latest series, "Toy Stories" is the result of an 18-month project documenting children from around the world with their favorite toys. Many of the portraits were taken in the kids' rooms. We see a range of living conditions from sparse to affluent. The concept is so simple yet so brilliant. It doesn't hurt that the photographs were also expertly executed.

Iris Photography: Could This Be Your Niche?

With an ever-increasing line of new photographic studios popping up, how do you carve out an income for yourself and at the same time create a niche for your business? Have you considered iris photography?

Jeremy Cowart on Why Your Story is More Important Than Your Pictures

Jeremy Cowart is obviously an incredibly talented photographer. But it's not his skill as a photographer, he says, that gets him the best work - it's his story. In this video from CreativeLive, Jeremy discusses a meeting with an art director at a huge ad agency. Going through his portfolio, the AD commented that his shots were nice, the retouching was good, yadda, yadda - no epic reactions one way or the other. It wasn't until Jeremy began to show and talk about his personal work that the AD completely changed his attitude.

Female Fashion Photographers on Sexism: One Lost a Job for Being Overweight

To be a successful photographer, you don't have to be physically stronger, faster, or tougher. It's not like pro sports where it's normal for the number of men to overpower women. So why are women still facing so much systematic sexism and harassment in the photography industry?

Fstoppers Interviews Felix Hernandez About His Brilliant Audi Middle East Photoshoot

If you've not seen Felix Hernandez' images before, you're missing out. The Cancun-based photographer's work is as brilliantly resourceful as it is creative. In this interview, we go behind the scenes of his shoot using 1/45 scale models for Audi Middle East and Hernandez guides us through his process and offers advice for up and coming photographers.

jeremy-cowart-i'm-possible

Jeremy Cowart is a household name in the photography industry. Recently Jeremy was classified as one of the 30 most influential photographers on the web by the Huffington Post. After studying graphic design, he continued on to become a well-known celebrity photographer. We all know him from famous photos of Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and even the Kardashians. But who is Jeremy Cowart? And what motivates him to be a photographer, an artist, and a humanitarian?

Using VFX to Create Macro Shots and Speed Ramps with Drone Video

Last week I shared a video that used a couple of alternative techniques for aerial video, and coincidentally I was contacted shortly after to check out another video that had some unique drone video shots. In this kite surfing video, you'll see some interesting macro-style clips, speed ramps, zooms, and more. The fact is, all of this was done in post.

Recharge Your Artistic Soul With Positive Inspiration From Elise Swopes

Chicago-based photographer and designer Elise Swopes is absolutely brimming with creativity. Her highly popular composite work is astounding in itself for combining the unexpected, but the fact it’s all done on a smartphone is simply incredible. In this video kicking off Adorama’s second season of their “Through the Lens” series, Swopes talks about what inspires her to create, the apps she uses, and lays out some strong motivating lines for photographers of all backgrounds.

British Celebrities Weigh In On Whether Photography Is Art

British channel Sky Arts runs a segment called The Unspoken Truth where several celebrities offer their opinions and insights on a variety of topics. They recently tackled the question of whether photography is truly art or if perhaps it is over rated and should not be considered an art form at all. Their answers might make you a tad uncomfortable.

16-Year-Old Twin Brothers Document Homelessness as Art

Some people go through life and aren't sure how they can take their photography to the next level of giving back. There are many programs and non-profits such as Help Portrait and Operation: Love ReUnited, but nothing that you can say you did or created. Well these 16-year-old brothers decided they would do just that and create something worth remembering.

How #BrinsonBanksing Became More Than Just a Selfie

Only the rare few of the millions of selfies taken have mass appeal, and an even rarer few get their pose/selfie named after them and their own hashtag. Kendrick Brinson and David Walter Banks are the husband wife photography team behind brinsonbanks.com and, not insignificantly, the main subjects and namesake of a style of pose and photo that has now become known as BrinsonBanksing, equipped with its own Instagram hashtag.

Tree Speed's Time Lapse Tour In Utah

Django Greenblatt-Seay and JJ Dreier joined together to form Tree Speed, self proclaimed as "A of couple of Mid-Western guys who spend vacation time traveling the country shooting time lapse photography."

Based out of Omaha, Nebraska, the duo recently took to the road and self produced a 10 day trip to Utah to create a series of time lapse videos. In order of appearance, the team shot in Latuda, Utah (a ghost town), Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Lake Oahe.

Fstoppers Interviews Conceptual Photographer Benjamin Von Wong

If you're familiar with Fstoppers, you'll know our love for Benjamin Von Wong. We've featured him so many times over the past couple of years on our site. We just can't help ourselves! With his equally educational and entertaining BTS videos, everyone seems to love them. I decided that it would be a great time to take a moment and look into his world to learn more about him and what keeps him going.

Fashion Photographer Solmaz Saberi Provides Inspiration and Insight in This Short Documentary

In this latest installation of Format’s InFrame documentary series, the camera turns to fashion and beauty photographer Solmaz Saberi who speaks from her experiences in getting started with photography to how she conducts a photoshoot to why she founded her own magazine. Directed by Bas Berkhout, you’ll want to check out this short video for your daily dose of inspiration.

Fstoppers Interviews Macro Photographer Andres Moline

Today I am interviewing my great friend and accomplished macro photographer Andres Moline. With an eye for design and a love of arthropods, Moline's work is truly captivating. He specializes in shooting sharp handheld focus stacks that leave you in awe looking at all of the little details.

Why Shoot Instant Film? A Beginner's Guide Featuring Sandy Phimester and Robert Timko

For a while, things looked pretty bleak for the instant-film-loving community. Films that were once mainstays of the film shooter's arsenal (like Fuji FP-3000B) were discontinued and instant camera equipment production slowed to a crawl. Fortunately for us though, like other formats and kinds of film, instant film photography is seeing an unprecedented resurgence (both in niche, hard core film communities and popular culture). This guide is for you, the digital film guy, who's been sitting on the fence and wants to see what all the buzz is about. In this article I teamed up with two of the coolest instant-film-shooting photographers today, Robert Timko and Sandy Phimester.

Interview With Celebrity And Commercial Photographer, Miller Mobley

I recently came across the work of Miller Mobley on Twitter on a random chance of browsing through a few recent tweets. I was linked directly to his blogwhich had a post about his recent shoot with Quentin Tarantino and Jamie Foxx. What I loved, more than his impeccable results, was how he was quite giving in regards to the details of the shoot.

Canon Shares Videos Showcasing Famed Photographers From Their Pro Team

In this short video series from Canon, the company’s professional “Explorers of Light” photographers are featured and share their backgrounds of how they got started in the business and what drives them today. Today we hear from Jeremy Cowart, Douglas Kirkland, Damian Strohmeyer, Stephanie Sinclair, and Michel Tcherevkoff.

A Day in the Life of Adventure Photographer Jimmy Chin

With one hundred and fifty pages brimming his passport book, adventure photographer and professional climber Jimmy Chin has traveled the world shooting for The North Face and National Geographic. As a man who radiates both inspiration and motivation, it’s worth taking a look at this day in the life of Jimmy.

Zēro - A Fresh Take on the Archaic Agency Model

We get stuck, we fall into these positions where we call ourselves photographers and think that's all we'll ever be. That's not a bad thing, but the truth is there are so many different outlets we can flow into being photographers. For some of us, that means using our knowledge and abilities to help others. Thats exactly what Jose Rosado did with his new company, Zēro.

What Happened to Photo Credits?

Back in my college days, when I first started taking photographs, I pursued magazine photography because I loved seeing my name printed in the magazine. Often, I wasn’t being paid for my services and the photo credit was payment enough for me. When I incorporated my business some 20+ years ago, I named my company "photo: John Ricard, LLC" because it resembled a photo credit.

Adventure Photographer Tim Kemple Gets Personal

There is great satisfaction in landing that amazing shoot with an A-List client, but even the perfect gig can sometimes leave us wanting more. Often the answer lies only within a project of your own conception. Adventure photographer/director Tim Kemple shares with us how he's fueled by personal projects, and why they are often more important than any paid assignment.

Building a Fashion/Editorial Photography Business: Podcast with Clay Cook

Next up on our Tog Tools Jess and Stephen interview our very own Clay Cook on how he got his start in photography and how he's built an incredible fashion/ editorial photography business. Having first seen Clay's work right here on Fstoppers I was astonished by his clean, sharp style using seemingly basic lighting setups.

'Conversations' with Annie Leibovitz

In 2009, Annie Leibovitz was interviewed on PBS's "Conversations." As one of the top portrait photographers in the world, she talks about the beginnings of her career (and how she went to school to become an art teacher), her history with Rolling Stone and what it was like to photograph the Queen of England. She also speaks about how photographing John Lennon hours before his death had a massive impact on her life - and how she's never really gotten over it.

ALIVE: The Made-Up Photo Story of Alaskan Plane Crash

Few months back we featured the incredible and unique rock climbing photos of Seattle-based photographer Kiliii Fish. This week Kiliii finished his newest photo series he worked on for a long time - this time survival was the theme. The results? Nothing short of epic. In this interview he explains the whole process and reveals how he shot and edited it all.

How Lightfarm Brasil Made the Spectacular 3D Model/Photo Composite "Harmful Nature"

A small amount of nudity has made this NSFW, but it's really pretty minor and totally worth making a profile to view it, I promise. If not, you can go straight to the Vimeo video here. The last time we featured Lightfarm Brasil's work, most of you were just as stunned by it as me (and I was floored). Today they sent me their latest project and I'm just as awed by this one as the last. It is called "Harmful Nature" and again masterfully combines 3D renderings with photography to produce an oustanding final product.

Peter Hurley Tells The Story Of How He Became a Pro Photographer

Anyone who reads Fstoppers knows about Peter Hurley and his successful headshot business. Aside from being a great photographer, Peter is also a respected educator and speaker. We always see him in action in the different videos, and see his working techniques and creative direction, but we never really had the chance to hear the story of how he became the successful photographer he is today. Check out this very interesting video where Peter talks about how he went from being on the Olympic team, to being a headshot photographer.

Using Your Own Darkness to Influence Your Conceptual Photography

Generations of musicians have expressed their sorrow and grief through their chosen medium, yet seeking inspiration in these dark places is somewhat niche in amateur photography. I caught up with emerging British talent Michelle Mackie to understand how she expresses these sullen tones in her conceptual photography.

Turning Climbing and Adventure Into Film

Cedar Wright is a master of not taking life too seriously (an infectious attitude that spills into his work), as well as creating content of professional athletes dangling from rocks, high above the ground. But what makes his approach to photography and filmmaking so successful? And what's the secret to winning award after award for his climbing films?

Professional Cannabis Photographer Kristen Angelo Follows Her Passion

I first discovered the work of Cannabis Photographer Kristen Angelo when the Seattle Times did a profile of her for their series highlighting "cool jobs" in the region. Her work stood out as something fresh, new, and real. Unlike the high-contrast, psychedelic images I was used to seeing, Angelo's images showed different side of the culture of cannabis: sun-drenched, cultivated by passionate farmers in the rural Pacific Northwest. I caught up with Angelo to ask her about how she got into the field of cannabis photography, and how she developed her business as a freelance photographer.

Andy Baker On How to Get Your Work Seen By Clients

Behind The Glass recently spoke with Andy Baker, SVP/Group Creative Director at the National Geographic Channels, and he dispensed some incredibly valuable information on how to make sure clients see the work you are putting out. Andy is in charge of hiring many freelancers for National Geographics creative projects so this is the best inside scoop you can get.

Fstoppers Interview With Julian Berman

I have been following Julian Berman's work for a long time now. I first discovered his stuff around the same time I discovered Odd Future. Julian has been documenting Odd Future, aka his friends, since early on. At just 21 years old he has accomplished a lot, and only continues to grow more and more.

Navid Baraty’s Success in Progress: From Electrical Engineering to Photographing for the World’s Largest Company

Perhaps the benchmark of “making it” in this business is to earn an assignment that would cause all but those with the strongest moral character to push both ethical and legal boundaries if an opportunity to supplant the rightful hire were to present itself. Bicoastal photographer Navid Baraty is one such photographer that might draw out said envy from his peers with the most recent addition to his client list.