Recent Commercial Articles

Filmmakers: Use Your RED Camera for Time-Lapses

You’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on a fantastic camera body that outputs 5K or 8K imagery, but the film you’re working on requires some time-lapse b-roll for transitions. Instead of breaking out that DSLR, you can set up your RED camera to shoot that time-lapse and use the near same post-processing as you would for the filmed imagery you are currently capturing.

Speedo Outlines A Complete Ad Campaign

I'm always interested in underwater photoshoots because I've failed miserably trying to do my own underwater shoots in the past. I was happy when I came across this video created by Speedo where they show you exactly how they came up for their new 2010 print ad campaign. It's a shame they don't showcase photographer Martin Brent more than they do but they do a great job showing how the idea was first created and the process of going from idea to final rendering. <
Richie Thomassen Shoots The Most Beautiful BTSV Ever

Let me begin by saying that this BTSV is not very informative. I usually only post videos that will help others learn but I must make an exception. This video is the most beautiful behind the scenes video I have ever seen. As creative professionals this video should be inspiring to us all on so many levels. Who would have thought that you could turn a simple photoshoot into a work of art. Thank you Richie Thomassen, you have given me something to aspire to. It is time to step up the video production of our BTSVs. Oh, and I almost forgot; the photographer is Wynn Ruji and his car portfolio is fantastic.

Jaguar XJ | Behind the Scenes from Richie Thomassen on Vimeo.

Benjamin Von Wong's Uses Flour On His Shoots

Benjamin Von Wong is a part time photographer but his concepts and images are definitely top notch. He was smart enough to film a behind the scenes video for his photoshoot with designer Andy Nguyen and the results are very interesting. You can read more about the ins and outs of this shoot from the model's perspective here and some of the final photos on Von Wong's Flickr page. If you enjoy these types of videos, Benjamin and others are posting them over at the Fstoppers Forum. I'm always amazed by what our readers come up with during their own shoots!
How to Become a Commercial Photographer

Have you ever walked by a beauty image on the shelf at ULTA or scrolled by a brilliant shot on Instagram and thought: “I want to make images like that”? Or perhaps you are a photographer who saw a picture and thought: “I could have shot that better!” You have the skills, but you don’t know how to break into the commercial market. In this article, I’ll share about how to break into the market and disclose tips and tricks to succeed in the commercial photography space.

Origami, 3D Cameras, and 600 Photos Later...

One trend you will find happening in the advertising world is the merging of video and photography in a way that creates something no one has seen before. When it came time to start creating the next ad for Toshiba's new laptops and 3D TVs the team decided to create something completely original. Check out this video of how they created this painstakingly difficult video which involves using stop motion to capture complex Origami shapes "unfold" all while being shot in 3D. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v62Ns3yv23Y
Catching Up With Concert Photographer David Bergman

This time last year Lee and I were profiling concert photographer David Bergman as he was shooting a series of Bon Jovi concerts in their New Jersey hometown. A lot has happened since then with David, and he is now currently traveling the world and seeing some pretty amazing venues. Mark Wallace recently caught up with the rockstar photographer and asked him some specific questions about both his photography and his concert website TourPhotographer.com. If you follow David on facebook, be prepared to be blown away and extremely jealous of his news feed - he's always up to something interesting.
The Life And Career Of Photographer Albert Watson

RETV, a new video based website started by Resource Magazine recently filmed a quick interview with Albert Watson. During the interview Watson talks about his humble beginnings and walks us through a few of his famous shoots. Watson claims that many photographers get into the field simply because they enjoy the technical aspects of the gear. He also says that these are the same people the continue to ask him the same "stupid question" when he shows his work; "What camera was this shot on?"
Space Shuttle Program Turns 30, Takes An Epic Picture

This month NASA's space shuttle program turned 30. To commemorate the occasion they decided to take a single image that included every single employee standing together in the shape of a shuttle.
CreativeLIVE's Fashion Week With Matthew Jordan Smith and Yoanna House

Each week creativeLIVE has unbelievable live content that you can stream for free. Starting today through Sept 15th, creativeLIVE will host one of Fstoppers' most featured photographers Matthew Jordan Smith. Matthew is an acclaimed fashion photographer, and he has brought along America's Next Top Model winner Yoanna House to talk about everything that goes on in the fashion industry. For more information about this week's entire event, read the full post.

The Art Of Motion Mixing: BTS With V Energy Drink

Music and visual components have always been used together as a form of art, most famously in the music video. As technology expands so does the way we use it for expression. The people over at Frucor (V Energy Drinks) recently challenged Joel Little, lead singer of Goodnight Nurse, to create a single track that could be played (mixed) live using only a body's movements in this unique musical and visual journey of a marketing campaign.

Profoto Takes On Ray Allen And A Trampoline

Profoto has really done everyone a great service in having photographer Matthew Jordan Smith explain some of his personal favorite images in his portfolio. In this particular image, Matthew decided to photograph NBA superstar Ray Allen in his own backyard while jumping on a trampoline. Equipped with just a single Profoto D1 Air and a magnum reflector for hard light, Matt was able to take a rather limited lighting setup and create a highly stylized image. I think it just goes to show that thinking outside the box and not limiting your shoot to any prior conception can be more important in making a great image than simply focusing on your initial plans.
Transformers 3 Behind The Scenes

Let's get one thing straight; I hate Transformers. I actually thought Transformers 2 was so bad that I walked out on the movie and since my friend actually wanted to continue watching it (and he had the car) I walked home 3 miles in the middle of the night... That's a true story. That being said, I can always appreciate a quality production and Michael Bay never fails with that. Check out this home made BTSV of Transformers 3 in the making. Fast forward to 2:15 for the good stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MqGHJSZ3rk<
Amazing Green Screen CGI From John Adams

I am a huge fan of the technology behind movie special effects. Here is a quick look behind the scenes of the movie John Adams. It's amazing what is possible these days. <
Melissa Rodwell Shoots Fashion For Genlux

FashionPhotographyBlog.com brings us a great BTSV of Melissa Rodwell. Check it out to see what goes into large set design. Correct me I am wrong but she appears be shooting with a Nikon D3X and 85mm 1.4. <
Red Bull's Illume Photo Exhibit Is Itself Art

Yesterday I got an email from one of the Red Bull brand managers inviting me out to 2010 Illume Photo Exhibit here in Charleston, South Carolina. Illume is a traveling exhibit where dozens of images from the world's best action and extreme sports photographers are displayed on huge 6'x6' backlit panels. I have to say it was one of the most interesting photo displays I have ever seen, and the winning photos are nothing short of spectacular. The next stop on the tour is Miami, Florida but you can check out the images and future tour dates at Red Bull Illume Online. Also, check out this BTS video we posted last year of one of the winning images.
Douglas Sonders Shoots In A Sunflower Field

Douglas Sonders just sent over this really quick BTS of a photoshoot he just did in a field of sunflowers. I think he does a great job of lighting his model and balancing the harsh sunlight with the strobes. Check out more about this shoot here.

Sunflowers & The Model Photoshoot from Douglas Sonders on Vimeo.

Scott McClellan Blows Up A Kitchen

Tobi, one of our readers, just pointed me to this video. This is a fantastic example of a great concept for a photo shoot. After you check out the video you can see Scott's website here. ><
Photographic Virtues Series: Standards

In this series, I attempt to identify the key professional virtues I have found to be the most important in building my own career, as well as identifying traits of other successful photographers that are most key to their success. Today's Word of The Week? Standards.

An Interesting Perspective On A Photoshoot I'd Never Do

When I first saw this video it put a big smile on my face. I really wish the photographer had shared some insight on this video since it seems like such a unique situation but we are just left with this short clip. You can see the final photos here but I'm not sure why they did not use a more interesting shot of the bear.

Koda from Academy on Vimeo.

Photography, CGI, and AI: Can You Tell the Difference? An Interview With Steve Hansen

Which image in the banner is a photograph, and which is computer generated? Can you even tell anymore? With the addition of computer generated imagery (CGI) and artificial intelligence, the process of creating images has provided commercial photographers more tools than ever. I sat down with award-winning food photographer Steve Hansen to discuss this topic and to delve into the question: "Is it enough to just be a photographer these days?"

Photographic Virtues Series: Adaptability

In this series, I attempt to identify the key professional virtues I have found to be the most important in building my own career, as well as identifying traits of other successful photographers and business leaders that are most key to their success. Today’s virtue: adaptability.

[BTS Video] Monte Isom Puts His Camera Dangerously Close To Hockey Players

Some of our readers might have met up with Monte Isom at last month's Fstoppers NYC Meetup. His videos have been fan favorites on the site and this week he is sharing another one of his commercial shoots. In this behind the scenes video, Monte shows you how he photographed his latest Molson Export Ale ad campaign featuring hockey players as they slide in towards the camera. As always, Monte has a lot of fun on his shoots and hopefully you can gain some ideas for shoots of your own from this video.
Add Special Effect And Costumes To Your Photos

This video gives a quick look at Jay P. Morgan's latest advertising campaign for Pedia-Sure. The video isn't quite as informative as Jay's average BTSV but there is still a lot to learn from it. I was really impressed by the size of the campaign and then range of images that were taken.
Vanessa Williams In Her Natural State

If you've ever been hired to photograph an environmental portrait or a lifestyle image, most of the time your client is expecting a very natural looking image. Using too much flash will kill the mood and remove any sense of a natural environment. Matthew Jordan is no stranger around here, and we love his videos because he articulates his intentions well and tells why he does the setups he does. In this short and to the point video, Matthew talks about how he photographed a natural lifestyle portrait of Vanessa Williams with her daughter. Knowing how to pull off an image like this is an important tool to have in your bag of tricks and is a big money maker in the editorial and lifestyle market.
Contest Entry:  Keith Bradshaw Shoots A Music Video

Some of you may remember Keith Bradshaw and his DIY Steadicam Merlin. Well Keith is at it again with a few DIY techniques and some very creative video ideas. I think Keith's music video and BTS video are probably the most involved video of all of the contest submissions. Even if you are not shooting music videos I think there is something to take away from this video. Keith also knocks out a great photograph in the middle of the BTS video as well. I'm sure you guys will have lots of questions about this so feel free to leave a comment below and be sure to click the full post to watch the full music video.

The Making of "Mr. Wonderful" from Keith Bradshaw on Vimeo.

How to Become a DOP for Sherlock, Game of Thrones, and Justice League

As I began my interview with Fabian Wagner DOP, he sits there, totally relaxed and easygoing. Describing himself as just an ordinary guy, it quickly becomes clear that my conversation was going to be a very relaxed affair, without pretenses, and totally open to all questions I threw at him.

Letgo’s 'Commercializer' Makes You the Hollywood Producer

Move over Craigslist. Letgo wants your used camera gear and tripod. The online classifieds market is heating up fast, with the impending merger of Wallapop and Letgo, two startups whose roots are in Europe, but who are making their mark on the U.S. market. Reports in the Wall Street Journal and Techcrunch this month put the combined cash infusion for the new company at 100 million dollars.

Melissa Rodwell Shoots Harper's Bazaar Cover

Melissa Rodwell is back with Fashion Photography Blog shooting a Harper's Bazaar Cover. I'll let the video and pictures speak for themselves but I do have to say that I am huge fan of this simple single hard light. Easy setup, great results! Update: Woops, I just realized that Strobist posted yesterday. Just wanted to give David credit as well.

Harper's Bazaar Arabia-Louis Vuitton from Melissa Rodwell on Vimeo.