Behind the Scenes

Storms are either captivating or terrifying, depending where you stand on the subject. Sometimes, the literal place in which you stand can mean the storm is both captivating and terrifying. That was the case here.

It's not easy shooting for a giant brand. Here's how I pulled off this shoot for Lancôme.

Typically the best time-lapse shots require a lot of patience and persistence to capture. What happens when you push those limits to the edge and try to shoot a time-lapse for 10 consecutive days?

While the idea of having the best available studio and equipment remains, well, an idea or dream for many of us, creating great images in the comfort of your own home does not have to be.

Photographing sparklers is fun, especially when you are in the mood to pull out something festive or off the beat as an experiment. All you need is a little technique and a lot of imagination. Gavin Hoey in this video shows how he uses a small sparkler and a light bulb to pull out a creative picture.

Who better to hit up with some photography Q&A than two top travel and landscape photographers? From the new IGTV to planning for your best landscape shots, these two give some great advice and share some laughs.

Monte Isom is a super successful commercial photographer based out of New York City. However, before he made a career of his own, he assisted some of the biggest names in the photography world. In this video he recaps his experience shooting the president of the United States of America.

Its always interesting to see just how and where the equipment we buy and use gets made. Especially so when its a successfully self-started company located right here in the US, like Glidecam.

Your job is boring. Proof: this behind-the-scenes look at an aerial plane-to-plane photoshoot.

You’re sitting in your studio at 1 p.m. and the model has just arrived. You think, “Perfect, let’s do some moonlit portraiture.”

They say that keeping a positive mindset while battling cancer can help one endure the grueling treatments. But what if your passion is photography, and your oncologist just told you your side effects include severe sensitivity to light?

Circulating daily on social media we see turtles caught in plastic, beaches bathed in piles of garbage, or decaying wildlife that make hearts heavy because we can easily relate to those species. However, there is another ocean issue that does not get enough coverage but it is dissolving many of the unseen organisms every day. 

Dramatic black and white images are some of my favorites to create. Here is a step by step walkthrough of how I shot and edited this image in ON1 Photo Raw. 

As is the case with most photographers, I have my usual go-to light modifiers that I know are a safe choice and can guarantee usable shots. However, sometimes, you need to step out side the box.

Every four years during the summer, the sports world pauses to draw its attention to the top echelon of professional football. I decided to put together a World Cup inspired shoot, shoot some concepts I haven't done before, and give you a behind-the-scenes, education glimpse.

Taking risks is the joy in what creative minds live for. Creating something different and unique keeps the photographer from feeling as if this is just another job. When I came across an underwater portrait photographer's recent work it made me stop for a moment, which is extremely rare these days.

Ron Jaffe is the stills photographer for a multitude of popular television shows, and occasionally, he’s asked to recreate images that could have been taken decades ago. I asked him what process he goes through to take us back to pre-war USA.

Finding the right underwater lighting system can be tricky if you do not understand how light is absorbed. The same concepts on land can be applied, but with a few extra steps. Testing out new lights can be eye opening if you are tired of using a four-strobe setup which can be a workout on its own.

So how did one of the most admired cinematographers of all time revolutionize both cinema and television with two vastly different styles?

For many photographers, taking portraits of celebrities, athletes, and government officials seems like the pinnacle of a successful business. Sometimes, however, those jobs require an insane amount of work, risk, and safety precautions to pull off the shot. In today's Story Time With Monte Isom, we look at how Gregory Heisler captured Time's Man of the Year cover with NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani.

If you think this is a sci-fi horror thriller film with Transformers-style VFX you'll be disappointed. In fact, the action takes place in the 50s as a young man turns unfortunate obstacles into a romantic outcome.

Do you always resort to the same poses time and time again during your couples shoots? Need new poses for your arsenal? Check out these five ideas for your next couples session. 

What happens when you pack up an entire production crew, a bunch of kids, and a thrifty budget, and drive south for 24 hours to New Orleans to capture images in the Louisiana swamp? Matt Barnes shares a behind-the-scenes video of the production of his personal project, entitled Hell or High Water.

In this six-minute video, YouTuber workphlo breaks down a simple DIY diffuser that works especially well when going for a "glossy" look in your product photos. This technique applies to close-ups of reflective products.

Today, I conclude my two part essay about a difficult two months of negotiation over a commercial photography shoot that may not have ultimately come to fruition, but taught very valuable lessons along the way.

You probably use Lightroom because of the efficiency in processing batches of images, which in turn frees up more of your valuable time. But why use the software without the convenience of its many shortcuts, which save you time and make your work easier?

While having a brick-and-mortar studio is nice, it isn't always feasible. Photographers create backdrops out of their homes, garages, or on set to disguise the location using stands with muslins, seamless paper, or even collapsible options as well. In searching for other options, I found a portable wood look to be the perfect fit.

Underwater photography has become extremely popular with the increase of mermaid models. Getting the shot for a breathtaking underwater image is not as tricky as you may think. 

I can't think of a more high-pressure job than photographing the royal wedding, but Alexi Lubomirski took the challenge and delivered in spades. This neat interview sees him detail the 25 minutes he had to capture six portraits and the challenges he faced during that time.

An agency I work with for product photography hired me to photograph not one, but two race cars. I had already photographed motorbikes, but cars was going to be the first time. With cars the problems are almost always bigger: the surfaces are bigger, the reflections are bigger, the areas to be illuminated are bigger. Everything is bigger.

Creating soft light can become an expensive pursuit. A large, indirect softbox will cost around $2,000 and the cheaper ones are often badly built, are small, or generally lack good light quality. Being a tight git, I set about finding a way to create high quality, soft light for my food photography, although this set up will work for pretty much all genres.

Besides my daughter's first birthday party, the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was the premier event this past weekend, watched by millions around the world. One photograph stood out for its unique viewpoint, rightfully going viral and being widely praised. The photographer has spoken out about he got the shot.

Every year, CreativeLive hosts an event called Photoshop Week that feature classes from world-renowned experts. These free classes range from beginner level classes to expert level education. While most people only get to see these classes through a computer screen, I got the opportunity to see first hand what goes on behind the scenes.

Most of us reach a stage in our career (usually early on) where we feel a bit lost and like we are on the wrong train. If you are stuck in that rut, here are some great reasons to get out there and start collaborating on test shoots.

Glitter always sounds conceptually fun, doesn't it? The word "glitter" immediately brings out visualizations of outlandish Disney characters throwing fairy dust into the air! Just me? Fine, just me.

The thought of a full day of wedding photography, with its many layers, can surely be overwhelming. And with that said check out this behind the scenes, wedding day tour to place your mind at ease.

My studio has become a second home, and I invest a lot of time and money into it. Recently, I have been restocking a few essentials I can’t live without while trying to make my shooting more efficient.

Most simple scenes in films are lit in a very elaborate way. In this workshop, cinematographer Eric Kress shows how he lights a casual over-the-shoulder composition, making it look natural while everything is shot on an artificial set.

If you think that photographing Total 24 Hours Spa has anything to do with cucumber slices and a hot stone massage, then you are very wrong indeed. I will say, however, that when you finish photographing one of these endurance races you might need 24 hours in a spa. Have look at this fascinating short documentary to find out more.

I always wanted to shoot the portraits of a classic Bharatanatyam dancer, but by adding a modern touch to the 2000-year-old traditional dance form. Here is how we created dramatic dancer portraits with a little technique and lots of imagination.

Color gels are a lot of fun to work with and when done well can add a certain oomph to your photo. It can also be intimidating and hard to get just right. And when I say just right, even that itself is very subjective. Some people prefer it to be subtle while others want the color to dominate in the image. There are also photographers who only use it for color balancing.

It can be easy to fall into using the same lighting setups over and over, and while there is certainly nothing wrong with using the tried and true methods, once you have those down, you might be itching to reinvigorate things a bit. This quick video shows you how a unique lighting setup and a little ingenuity led to these great shots.

Justin Bettman is a portrait and editorial photographer based out of NYC and I first came across his #SetintheStreet project while scrolling through Facebook. I thought it was a fun, creative and unique project that was worth sharing! I love that the art kind of lived on after the shoot itself with him leaving the sets in place for people to engage with. So cool, right!?! With that said, I decided I had to interview him to find out what are his processes in creating these photographs.

Want to know the secrets of turning any space, no matter how boring, bland, or dirty, into an awesome location for photo shoots?

In the new online course from Masters of Photography, street photography icon Joel Meyerowitz discusses his career, his technique, and teaches students how to apply those lessons in becoming a better photographer.

Jared Polin, aka the Fro, brings us yet another real-world review, where he looks in-depth into the latest and greatest cameras on the market. This time it's Sony’s latest offering in the a7 III and I’ve been looking forward to this review since the announcement.

When we start out as photographers, it can be a little underwhelming, I mean, we all have this idea of what we're capable of and yet we start out working on small jobs (often) with low budgets. Assisting helps you keep your enthusiasm while rising up through the ranks of experience and gives you access to productions possibly decades away from your current skill set. 

Some of you may already know how big a fan I am of Capture One. Making the change to Capture One as the primary tool for my workflow has sent my productivity into hyperdrive, the photographic equivalent of adding NOS to my tank (or whatever it is they use to make cars fly in "The Fast and The Furious").

Working with clients on a day-to-day basis, it can be very easy to fall into a creative rut, using the same go-to posing, styling, and scenery for the simple reason we know what will sell during a client viewing appointment. For the business aspect, this is very efficient when selling images. For the artist, many feel the need for something more by pushing the creative limits. A little adventure is all it may take to get geared back up and into the creative mindset. 

Consider for a moment, just what would your ten-year-old self do, if given the keys to an entire photo shoot.