Recent Product Photography Articles

How To Photograph An Exploded View Of A Motorbike

I've always been fascinated by technical photographs showing every single part of complex machines. And shockingly enough, most of those images are created with a lot less Photoshop than one would imagine. "Explode" photographer Adam Voorhees shows us a quick timelapse of his latest Kawasaki Moto photograph shot for ESPN. Click the full post to view the final image.

Review: The Meike MK-DR750 Battery Grip for the D750 Is Fantastic, and It's Not Even Because of the Grip

I haven't had the Meike MK-DR750 Battery Grip and Wireless Remote for long, but I can already tell I'm definitely keeping it. Not only does it fit well enough and do everything as promised, but it also comes with a wireless 2.4GHz (not infrared) remote control that can trigger the Nikon D750 to which it's attached. Meanwhile, Nikon's grip costs upwards of $350, and their wired remote cable release timer clears the $150 mark. Naturally, there have to be a few caveats for a grip and remote package to come in at an astoundingly low $80, but I was hard pressed to find any at all.

Video Review of the Sony G-Master 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens by Tony Northrup

In February, Sony announced their new "G-Master" lineup of full frame zoom lenses, with fast apertures and made specifically for their mirrorless camera options, like the popular the a7rII, or even the recently reviewed a6300. In this video review by Chelsea and Tony Northrup, they got to kick the tires of the new 24-70mm f/2.8 Sony G-Master lens, and were impressed by the results.

Behind the Scenes of Canon's 'Rhythm of Life'

Canon has recently come out with their short film, "Rhythm of Life' showcasing their new line of cine lenses. Shot with the Canon C500 director, Dean Hargrove and cinematographer, Steven Poster ASC, explain how the different cine lenses affect the footage and change the color and feel of your shots. The BTS video was shot with the Canon C300.

Leica Announces New Leica M-P 240 with Increased Buffer and Understated Aesthetics

Today Leica announced a complementary upgrade to the Leica M, the M-P 240. As in the past, the 'P' designation here implies features are catered toward that of the press photographer. The M-P's virtually scratch-proof sapphire crystal display with anti-glare coatings provide for better outdoor viewing, a doubled memory buffer size now at 2GB allows for longer continuous shooting, and a viewfinder selector displays bright framing options for various focal lengths that help make composition and lens-choice decisions before changing lenses.

Westcott Flex: First of Its Kind Now Available

Announced earlier this year, the Westcott Flex is now available in stores. This unique device bridges the gap between a light and a light modifier, as it is a little bit of both. This fully­ bendable mat features a 10” x 10” surface lined with 166 dimmable LED diodes and outlined with a moldable 1⁄4” black frame. Weighing in at just 5 ounces, its compact design allows it to be easily concealed on set and allows for easy travel.

Canon Lenses On The Panasonic GH4, Using The Metabones Speedbooster Adapter

In a recent article by Jaron Schneider about the Metabones Speedbooster on a Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera, several readers had questions about the model designed for the GH4, whether this one would work with it or not, and other comments. I bought one of these a week ago and wrote this article to tell you what works, and what doesn’t.

Fstoppers Reviews the Canon 35mm f/2

The 35mm focal length is one of the most popular primes made, probably only second to the 50mm if second to anyone. It’s popular because it is good for so many things, making us feel like we have to own fewer lenses to capture more amazing images. Most of you know that I’m very attached to my Sigma 35mm f/1.4, but when shooting with Canon’s new 35mm f/2 IS, I did my best to remain objective.

 Living With Deadcameras and Their Custom Handmade Camera Straps

Camera straps are about as ubiquitous as cameras themselves. If it weren't for the dreadfully uncomfortable ones that come with most cameras, you'd think they're pretty hard to get wrong. Most third party ones are at least adequate, or better, so what can someone do to stand out? We've spent the past month with four custom hand-made-to-order leather straps, in the form of a wrist strap, two neck straps, and even a unique TLR strap from the Deadcameras lineup. Do they have what it takes to stand out in an endless sea of straps? Let's find out.

Phottix Announces The Indra500 TTL - A 500w/s Strobe With TTL and HSS

Last year, I reviewed the Profoto B1 Strobe, and named it the best strobe on the market today. Phottix is looking to take that crown with their newly released Indra500 TTL, a 500w/s studio strobe with an optional battery pack. What puts it ahead of the competition? How about TTL built in, as well as High Speed Sync.

Apple Announces New 4K 21.5-Inch iMac, Updated 5K 27-Inch iMac, and Magic Mouse, Keyboard, and Trackpad

Without a huge media hoopla, today Apple announced updates to some of its entire all-in-one desktop lineup. The 21.5-inch iMac now offers a 4K retina display, the 27-inch iMac now comes standard with the 5K retina display, the Mac sees its first Skylake debut, and Apple's Magic keyboard and mouse accessories see great updates (at a price). With even more under-the-hood changes, these are the iMac's you wanted all year, but may not have known about. (UPDATED)

"RagLite" Is A Flexible, Waterproof, And Portable LED Lighting Concept

The RagLite LED systems are a product seeking backing on Kickstarter to do a production run of what appear to be LED strips on fabric that can be rolled up, powered by battery, are waterproof, and claim a CRI of 95. With several rewards being offered, including various sizes of their light, they seek to raise about $25,000. Read on for their video and more information on these unique lights.

Comprehensive Guide to Shooting and Editing Astrophotography Time-Lapse Videos

The Syrp Genie caught everyone's attention with its contemporary design and advanced automation features that made it a time-lapse photographer's best tool in the field. Today, photographer Mark Gee shares tips on how to set up and use the Genie while offering a few great suggestions that apply to all methods of landscape photography, from what apps he uses on his phone to help him plan every shot to how to edit for final output. Need to shoot a time-lapse soon? Whether you're experienced or just starting, there's undoubtedly something in here for you.

Get It While It Lasts: The Nikon D750 eBay Deal Is Back

It's back! There's a huge sale on the ever-popular Nikon D750. Today on eBay, you can purchase it for only $1,299, but you'll need to hurry; there's a limited quantity of these awesome cameras.

Using Magic Lantern With Focus Peaking For Free-lensing

Magic lantern is by far the best thing to happen to the DSLR cameras. It offers so many options not given to you by the normal Canon firmware that it should be sin not to install it. This is a quick little walkthrough on how I use ML for easy, accurate free-lensing.

Inside of the iPhone Camera Revealed

In case you missed it, Tim Cook and company opened their doors (well, some of their doors) to Apple and gave 60 Minutes' Charlie Rose an inside glimpse of their world. They talked about how they operate, what the future holds, and of course, the late Steve Jobs, among other things. But one interesting segment they shared was how their iPhone’s camera is designed and tested.

Mixing Hard and Soft Light for Pleasing Tabletop Product Photography

Tabletop product images, especially those shot top down, are very popular in recent years. They can give a clean and minimal design esthetic while still clearly showcasing all components of a product. It's no wonder these types of images flood many company social media pages. This video from Cinematography Database offers a good look at how to achieve a pleasing light setup for such work that mixes both hard and soft light.

How to Light a Product Shot With One Light

Product photography can be one of the most technically challenging genres to undertake, but that doesn't mean you need every piece of gear you can think of to pull it off. In this video I demonstrate how to light a product shot with one light and a few inexpensive modifiers.

SanDisk Drops Three New Products at CES 2015

Each year over 150,000 people flock to Las Vegas for CES, the world’s largest consumer electronic showcase. Major tech innovators from all over the world kick off the new year by showing off their latest and greatest gadgets and innovations to the public. This year, SanDisk unveiled three new products that are designed to increase your productivity and give your workflow a boost.

Hands On With the New Leica Summilux-TL 35mm f/1.4 Lens

Leica T users rejoice! Leica has officially announced a Summilux 50 equivalent for your aluminum wonder that gives you the benefits of autofocus, electronic aperture control, and metadata to go along with the blazing fast glass. I had an absolute pleasure spending some time with the new 'Lux and was able to put to get a good feel for it in the real world. Read on for my findings and sample photos.

The Most Dynamic Lite Pad Kit I Could Find

This week we purchased our first LED lights pad kit and I have never been more excited. After much debate on which kit, which manufacturer, how many lights, we finally pulled the trigger on the ROSCO Gaffers Lite Pad Axiom Kit sold at BH Photo. There are so many options on new lights today and the choices are overwhelming. In the end we wanted a large kit that was compact, durable, dynamic, daylight balanced, and easy for a small crew to set up. This kit did all of that.

Fstoppers Holiday Gift Guide 2014 - Best Photography Gifts Under $200

Yesterday, we showed you some of the very best gifts for photographers and videographers under $75. Today, I wanted to show you some of the very best deals and must have tools for photographers and videographers everywhere that cost less than $200 that are all part of our Annual Holiday Gift Guide.

How To Hack Your Tripod To Make It Safer And Easier To Use

Ease of use and equipment safety are two things that can always improve our lives as photographers and videographers. With few small add-ons and hacks you can save precious time on your shoots, and on top of that make your camera safer. In the video above, Griffin Hammond is showing you the 2 items that will make your Tripod (and Glidecam, shoulder rig and monopod) just way more user friendly: the Giottos M621 and the Manfrotto 555B.

The New Ronin-M Aims to be a Lighter, Cheaper, and Better MoVi

We are living in an amazing time for filmmaking and video production. The MoVi was absolutely a gamechanger when it first hit the scene, but DJI's Ronin gave it a run for it's money (actually, a bit less) in the last year. Now, DJI, makers of the Ronin, are releasing an updated version that addresses most users major issue: weight.

A Comprehensive Guide to Creating a Gorgeous Wine Bottle Product Shot

This incredibly well thought out and carefully executed shot is an awesome lesson in not only designing an intriguing product photography shot that tells the right story, but also in bringing it to fruition. Check out this step-by-step video that walks you through the entire process.

Timelapse Dolly "Lil-Mule" Takes Camera Moves to New Lengths

Kickstarter product "Lil-Mule" is small, motor-powered camera platform that has been developed to capture timelapse or real-time video for lengths much longer than most rail or slider based systems can provide. It's aim was also to give the user a simpler feature set, doing away with the complicated math and setup that other systems offer. This video gives you a glimpse of what the system is capable of, with more informative videos inside.

Canon 650D Rates Worse Than Previous Models

While the new Canon 650D (Rebel T4i) does come with a few new features including a touchscreen display and a sensor-based hybrid AF system for improved focus, it seems that the camera itself might have fallen flat... on its sensor. A new comparison test conducted by DXO Mark puts the upgraded Canon 650D (Rebel T4i) up against its predecessors the Canon 600D (Rebel T3i) and Canon 550D (Rebel T2i). The results might just shock you.

The Crazy Things You’ll Hear from Light, Makers of the L16

One of the first things I heard when I sat down at a large white table with Light CTO and Co-Founder Dr. Rajiv Laroia and VP of Marketing Bradley Lautenbach was that, when it comes to lenses, plastic is better than glass. Scratching my head for a bit, while searching for some logic, but keeping an open mind (I did ask for a meeting with the guy who decided to put 16 lenses in a small box and call it the future of photography), the meeting proceeded to somewhat blow my mind… if it’s all true.

B&H: "What's in Your Bag?" with Headshot Photographer Peter Hurley

We love photography. We love gear. And we love this guy: New York City-based headshot photographer Peter "Shabang" Hurley. So when B&H put out this episode of, "What's in Your Bag?", featuring Peter and his kit, of course we were going to watch and post it with all the same excitement and exuberance that Peter himself puts into everything. Watch as Peter tears through his bag to reveal his set-up while running down what gear he uses and why.

Fstoppers Review Of The Strahlen LED Light

Last month we posted an article about a unique LED lighting solution called “Strahlen” that was crowdfunding. On paper, the specs of these lights look great, but how well do they perform in a real production setting? I got my hands on a kit of Strahlens, and after an interview shoot with them I found out that they were the real deal.

Adobe Shows Off Dehaze Tool in Upcoming Lightroom Update

Despite what you think of the pricing model, everyone should agree that the Creative cloud system is great for the ability to receive rapid updates to the Adobe product line. Shown off last night, is the latest tool being developed by Adobe, allowing you to add and subtract haze into your photos using a built in Lightroom slider called Dehaze. This powerful new tool, should add a new level of creativity to your photos with ease.

NEC PA301W 30" Monitor w/ SpectraView Review

NEC is synonymous with high-end displays. Everyone knows they produce great monitors for professional imaging applications. But if they know that much, they also know they’re quite expensive. So why should you pay thousands of dollars for the PA301W 30” monitor when you can get one for a few hundred? What’s the difference? And is it worth it? Let’s find out...

StandBagger Original Rollup Review

Living in NYC and having to drag gear around I have become very particular about my camera and gear bags. Comfort, size, weight, and protection are the deciding factors, then I worry if I look cool or not (you can’t go wrong with a black bag). I started looking for a small light stand case that would fit nano stands, a small umbrella and a monopod. This is usually what I use for reception lighting at weddings. After searching through all of the camera stores online, I finally stumbled across the StandBagger.

Light Meter for the iPhone

I have been looking to buy a light meter since I have been shooting more film . At the same time some light meters can cost the same as a lens and it isn't something I will be using everyday. I stumbled across the Luxi kickstarter project and my problems were solved.

Creating an Exploding Coffee and Milk Photograph

So much is done as computer graphics these days that I've grown to really respect photographers who still want to truly make an image. Last week Fstoppers twitter follower Patric Bergkvist asked us to take a look at an image he made, and I'm glad we did.

Beloved iPhoneography VSCO App Getting an Update

VSCO teased the Instagram and mobile photography community this weekend with a promotional video for their upcoming new app called ‘VSCO Cam’. Promising huge improvements over its original program, VSCO aims to take the mobile editing community by storm with its latest update. Best part of all? It’s free.

Fstoppers Holiday Gift Guide 2014 - Best Photography Gifts Under $500

All this week, we've been providing you with the best gift guides this holiday season for photographers and videographers alike. A few days ago, I showed you the best deals under $75, and yesterday touched on the best deals under $200. Today, I'm here to show you the absolute best photography gifts for your loved ones that are under $500.

Adobe Photoshop CC is Now Available For Download

A few weeks after the announcement of Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud) at Adobe Max, Adobe has finally made the newest installment of the Photoshop series available to the general public. If you've already adapted to the Creative Cloud service, you should be getting your notification for the update any second now, if you haven't already. For those resisting the cloud, this software is not available for you.

The Syrp Genie and Genie Mini Are Perfect for Food Photographers and More

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing Syrp's awesome, affordable, perfectly executed Genie Mini time-lapse device. However, time-lapse photography and videography barely covers the beginning of what can be done with the New Zealand company's awesome devices. The Slanted Lens' Jay P. Morgan not only shares his entire lighting setup for a classic food shot, but also proposes some clever and welcomed case studies for how to use Syrp's devices to create better shots, not only around stars, but also around close-range subjects.

The Latest Kickstarter Tripod Is Small and Truly Adventurous, But Will It Survive?

The Pakpod is Kickstarter's latest small-camera tripod to hit the market. It's not made of carbon fiber or even metal. It won't stand much higher than a couple feet. And it looks a little funny - let's be honest. But it does one thing better than any other tripod I've ever seen: it attaches to anything (even under water).

Clean and Crisp Product Photography Made Simple With Some Affordable Equipment

If you're interested in becoming a commercial product photographer but you don't have access to a large studio, powerful strobes, or innumerable backgrounds; don't be dismayed. There are plenty of lighting and compositing tricks you can learn in order to build that killer portfolio that will land you better-paying gigs.

How to Light and Shoot a White Product on a White Background

A white product on a white background is a very common and popular look in product photography and a fantastic challenge for any photographer looking to improve their lighting and post-processing skills. This great video will teach you how to light, shoot, and edit a white product on a white background.

Behind the Scenes Toy Photography Reveals the Brilliant Talent in This Unique Genre

If you've recently wrapped watching the 80s throwback "Stranger Things" on Netflix, you are probably filled with plenty of nostalgia by this point. Why not dive a bit farther back to a galaxy far, far away in some behind the scenes toy photography action? Freelance Photographer Steven Price is reliving his childhood love in these surrealistic scenes using toys usually meant for kids. Then again, we are all kids at heart.

Samsung Announces the T1 - a Portable SSD Drive the Size of a Business Card

Announced for CES this week in Las Vegas, Samsung has shown off its impressive entry into the SSD portable storage world, with the Samsung T1 SSD. With storage options of 1 terabyte, 500 gigabytes, and 250 gigabytes, the T1 boasts impressive read and write speeds, all while weighing about an ounce and at a size comparable to a business card.

Using Lockdown to Improve Your Photography in Five Simple Steps

By now, most of the countries around the world are under full lockdown or about to undergo lockdown. At the time of writing, my country (South Africa) would be one of the latest to undergo lockdown. Tensions seem to increase the day before the actual event, as people question what they'll be doing with themselves while locked in a house for three weeks or longer. Luckily, it doesn't need to be as scary as you think, especially if you're a photographer.