Recent Pictures Articles

Your Website Weaknesses And How To Improve Them

I’ll never forget the email; I was on a plane somewhere over the Florida coast, on my way to the Bahamas for the Fstoppers Workshops 2014. Just before I left the States, I had signed on with the artist consulting firm Wonderful Machine. The first step in preparation for a press release was to tear my website apart. The critique was tough and they slashed it hard… here I am in one of the most beautiful places in the world, feeling a truck load of anxiety. For years, I had thought I had a clean and straight to the point website, but it turns out I needed to strip it down even more.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Editing: Then and Now

We love Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and we're going to guess by you clicking on this story that you feel the same. We've gathered up a few hilarious blasts-from-the-past covers and a few more recent covers and it got us thinking about how things have changed in swimsuit photography over the years.

20 Awesome Photos Of The Supermoon

If you've been outside earlier this week, you must have noticed the gorgeous moon up there in the sky. Not only it was a full moon, but it was closer to us than usual. The 'Supermoon' is 11%-14% larger and 30% brighter than the normal-distanced moon we see every night. The reason for the change in the distance is the elliptical orbit of the moon around the Earth. Take the big-looking moon, add a telephoto lens, and you get some epic landscape and cityscape photos.

Man Makes $20,000 on his Smartphone with Scoopshot

If you recall, we published an article a couple weeks ago about an app called Foap, where users could make money licensing their iPhone photos. Well, a similar app called Scoopshot (based in Finland) has just informed me that one of their users has made about $20,000 selling his photos.

Review Of The Phase One IQ250 Medium Format CMOS Back

You may have read my previous post previewing the first modern CMOS-based medium format back to hit the world market by Phase One. Soon after my post, Phase One HQ sent me one of the first IQ250 backs to arrive in the US to review for this site. I had a solid 2 weeks to try it out and see what this system was capable of doing.

Super Cool Photo Filter Kickstarter Project Has 24 Hours Left

I am a bit of a Kickstarter junkie. I love learning about companies trying to take new products to the market, tossing some money behind them and then watching them succeed. This latest project that I just backed, Fractal Filters, has incredible potential. This is definitely worth checking out! But do it quick, it's funding period ends in less than 24 hours!

15 Moody Portraits That Will Make You Think

There is no specific way to define what 'moody' portraits are, but when you see one you know it's under that category. It could be the lighting, it could be the tone (usually blue and green), or just the body form and expression. Whatever it is, it makes you stop and think. Makes you feel something. Makes you wonder what the subjects are thinking about, what happened to them leading them to this moment. Check out this set of great moody portraits found on Flickr.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (July 2018): Grayson Lauffenburger [NSFW]

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2018, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

Incredible New Aerial Photos Reveal Tribe Living in Isolation in South American Jungle

New photos have emerged showcasing the lives of an uncontacted tribal community living in the Brazilian Amazon. The Yanomami Indians, who have taken residence near the Venezuelan border since 1992, are said to be a community of approximately 100 people. They were reportedly at risk of being wiped out in recent years by violent attacks carried out by illegal miners, who had been invading the land in search of gold. The release of these images reveal the tribe are now alive and well, even having increased their population, after concerns grew for the group following their decision to live in total isolation.

Shooting Personal Work Is A Must

When dealing with a client’s project I will bend over backwards, even do summersaults and cartwheels if they ask. I will give 100% before, during and after the photo shoot to take their ideas or concepts and do what I can to knock it out of the park for a client. Sometimes the photographs end up in the portfolio, other times the photographs do not make the cut.

There are projects that you create for clients and there are others that you create for yourself.

Photographer Sues Celebrity Blogger Perez Hilton for Copyright Infringement

Interesting story of the week. Famous blogger, Perez Hilton is being sued by NYTimes Photographer Robert Caplin, who also runs the Photo Brigade. Perez Hilton is being sued for copyright infringement of 14 photos of Glee star Darren Criss (who doesn't love Darren Criss?). Robert is seeking $150,000 per photo which equals out to an astonishing $2,100,000 dollars.

Kiliii Fish Takes Rock Climbing Photography To The Next Level

Kiliii Fish, Seattle-based commercial photographer, was always fascinated by how people interact with nature and how they use it to live their lives. Aside from being a full time photographer Fish is also an avid rock climber. Recently he decided to combine these 3 things he loves to a unique photography project showing the grace, power, beauty and vulnerability that goes into rock climbing. Kiliii spent days in each location and worked for months to complete the series. The results are absolutely amazing.

Insert Here: Sensual and Artistic Portraits of Sex Toys [NSFW]

Sam Kaplan, a New York-based product and still life photographer, was inspired to create a series of photographs of an object that is often enjoyed in the bedroom rather than on a gallery wall. Sam decided to change all of that, and his series 'Insert Here' takes the taboo and transforms it into an exploration of line, form, and color: Dildart, if you will. It goes without saying that you might want to be careful where you open this post.

Photographer Jason Lanier Is Out to End Discrimination Against Small Business Photographers

Photographer Jason Lanier is on a mission to end discrimination against the small business photographer. As seen in the video above, he and his group were confronted multiple times while attempting to do a shoot. In the first location they are asked to leave the premise altogether. In the second they were asked to "make it look less commercial" by getting rid of a strobe. In both instances they weren't interfering with any event around them nor were they disturbing the public and only had a single portable strobe setup. Lanier notes a growing trend to neglect and discriminate against the small business photographer.

14 Things to Do Before You Take a Picture

It can be easy to pull our cameras out of our bags and start shooting, leaving the fate of the shoot to our post-processing skills and imagination after the fact. However, to really ensure we always get quality images that match our vision, it's important to be prepared. Making a habit of these 14 things will ensure that you consistently get those shots.

Photographs of Americans and Their Christmas Guns

For the majority of people, the day after Christmas is usually filled with farewells to extended family members, house cleaning, writing thank you cards, and crashing on the couch to watch the final games of the football season. But for many Americans, the day after Christmas offers a unique opportunity: a chance to head out to the firing range and test the new guns and accessories they received from loved ones. This year, I decided to take my camera out to a local rifle range and document the people and guns who showed up the day after Christmas.

Creating Three Different Portrait Photo Lighting Setups in One Second

In this video, Daniel Norton of Adorama takes you into his studio, showing you how to set up for three different lighting scenarios, with the ability to change from one to another at the flip of a switch. This is great for if you have extremely limited time with models or actors and need alternate looks or options between them.

How Photographers Can Deal with Unprofessional Models

Once in a while, despite our due diligence and training, we all end up in circumstances where we must handle a difficult situation. As a model with a wide range of experience, I have a large network of professional photographer friends and have seen first-hand how unprofessional my fellow models can be. Here are a few ways to handle a variety of sticky situations without compromising your reputation as a respectable industry professional.

Top 5 Make Up Artists on Instagram and How They Will Make You a Better Portrait Photogapher

Just like ever camera owner is a photographer, every person who owns an abundance of MAC products is a makeup artist. At least that is how it seems on Instagram these days. There are now more makeup artists on social media than ever, and finding the right ones to follow can be tricky. Following the best makeup artists can make a portrait photographer better. If you follow them closely, you can step up your game.

Popular New App Launches For Photographers

Tired of shooting photos of your latest meal for Instagram? Need some new ideas, some challenges, something new and fresh to do with your iPhone camera. Well... ok do this.

Yep you heard that right. Check out OkDoThis.com!

Photographing Planes While Getting a Tan Is  As Awesome As It Is Scary

Maho Beach is one of the most unique beaches on earth to date. The beach is located on St. Maarten, a tiny island near Puerto Rico. It's so tiny, that the local airport is located only few feet behind the beach where hundreds of people enjoy the sun, the water and the sand. Beach goers + Jumbo planes? big win for us photographers. Check out these crazy images of planes almost touching the tourists on the beach.

Great Images Using Powder As a Prop

Earlier today Zach Sutton posted a creative way to use baby powder as a smoke replacement for your photoshoots. Now we're taking that to a different level. Have you ever tried to shoot powder as just, you know, plain powder? By throwing powder (flour, baby powder or color pigments) on your models, you can get some very creative results. Check out these great examples found on Flickr and get inspired.

Interview With Lifestyle Photographer Basil Vargas

Most people think lifestyle photography is over rated. Just pictures of people hanging out having a good time and thats about it. Technically, yes that is it. However, it's more than just that. It's not that easy to just have the shots look like people hanging out. They have to work well with each other, you have to be able to tell a story with the images, show emotions, ect. Basil Vargas is one of the many Life-style photographers I really enjoy looking at.

Is This Picture Too Good to be True?

Since he posted this image on his facebook profile, Shawn Heinrich's image has drawn a lot of attention. Many have stated the the shot is just a little too perfect to have happened all at once. Upon first glance, what do you think?

The Magic of Photography

Whether you are a professional or hobbyist photographer, it can be easy to get frustrated by a variety of things, whether creative blocks, annoying clients, online vitriol, or something else. Before you let that discourage you from picking up your camera, though, take some time to watch this excellent video that will remind you of the magic of photography.

Ten Things I Learned About Landscape Photography in 2018

2018 is old news, but that doesn’t mean we’re quite done learning from it. As you reconsider some of those New Year's resolutions, it’s important to revisit the previous year to celebrate milestones and shed some light on meaningful goals in 2019.

Simplify your Photography, It Helped Me Remember Why I Love What I Do

Recently I was lucky enough to have a day off, something that doesn't happen too often. I woke up that morning feeling a little burnt out from the daily non-stop marathon that is living and working as a freelancer in New York City. I dragged myself out into the kitchen, made myself some bacon and eggs and sat down to eat. Over breakfast, I realized I hadn't made a picture for myself in almost a full year.

How 1987 Led to Canon's Domination of Photography

In 1987, Ronald Reagan was president, Mathias Rust landed his light aircraft in Red Square, and the stock market crashed on October 19, dropping 22% in a single day. Fox also made its primetime debut, the Simpsons aired for the first time, and "Robocop," "Dirty Dancing," and "Good Morning Vietnam" were all released. But what happened in the photographic world?

Mormonism And Homosexuality: The Book Of Mormon Missionary Positions  [NSFW]

First, let me start off by saying that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Yes, I am Mormon. When a fellow Fstopper writer posted this piece in our writer's group at first I was saddened to see the material within the link, but then I took a step back and really processed what this series of photographs meant. The photographs depict a pair of Mormon missionaries in various sexual positions. The photographs may be quite simple, but the message is not. Warning: Some of these photographs might be offensive to some readers.