Behind the Scenes

The natural beauty contained within Enrique Pacheco’s latest time-lapse video “Reflections from Uyuni” is striking and remarkable. During South America’s rainy season, Pacheco journeyed through the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, down to the Bolivian desert capturing surreal landscapes of these flooded lands.

The guys over at Resource Magazine really outdid themselves with this one.

The battle between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao coming up on May 2nd is of epic proportions. Alexis Cuarezma had the opportunity to photograph both of these welterweight icons for an HBO press conference back in March. Cuarezma told me he only had roughly 30 seconds with each fighter, and he sure made the most of it! 

Shooting in harsh sunlight is always a challenge. Recently I shot a test while out on a trip in Los Angeles. Due to scheduling we had to start shooting around 4 p.m., so we were dealing with hard sunlight. In this post we will look at five different setups you can use to shoot in and manipulate these less than ideal lighting conditions.

Emilie Tournevache and Jason Greer go head-to-head again in the main challenge of "Photo Throwdown" Montreal. This time the pair are commissioned by a local brewery to shoot one of the fan favorite beers for an upcoming ad.

With budget options for aerial video becoming more affordable, while the quality and abilities of the cameras they host getting better, I knew it was only a matter or time until I got my hands on such a system.

The creative genius that is Casey Neistat, for me, is next to none. The pure drive and passion this man has for what he does brings inspiration and motivation to my career and even my daily life. Late last week, Neistat decided to up and create his own viral video around the launch of the Apple Watch, and this is how he did it! 

Benjamin Von Wong has never been one to turn down a challenge. He consistently creates mind-blowing images in some of the most desolate of places under extreme conditions. This recent venture for Huawei's new smartphone, the P8, is no exception! 

Polish cinematographer Maciej Tomków’s “Treasures of Zakynthos” is a beautiful, award-winning time-lapse that highlights the titled Greek island. Going far beyond only filming for the final project, Tomków also took the time and care to create incredibly well-done behind-the-scenes videos that give a true sense of what production is like shooting epic time-lapses.

Zeke Kamm, a veteran filmmaker and creator of the Aviator Camera Gear, has spent the last year creating a series of informational videos designed to give aspiring filmmakers a great educational reference on the gear that is often used. The first two videos have dropped, with more to come. 

If you’re a fan of both the “Game of Thrones” series and filmmaking, then today’s your lucky day as HBO has uploaded to the Internet behind-the-scenes footage from the Season 4 finale, “The Children.” This featurette from the Blu-ray boxset shows how the visual effects team came up with the wight’s design for the ambush scene and how they implemented a blend of CGI and live-action to get everyt

Forever losing memory of that dreadful "Daredevil" movie starring Ben Affleck from 2003, we have found a new standard in superhero movies thanks to the partnership of Marvel and Netflix.

Update:  Aaron Hernandez has now been found guilty of 1st degree murder.  If you're a sports fan, you probably know the huge scandal unfolding right now surrounding Aaron Hernandez, the former NFL star who was recently released from the New England Patriots.

As photographers starting out, we quickly learn that shoots do not always go as planned. This fact seems to remain the constant even as we proceed through our careers, but we know we have to make the most out of what we are given or we risk not getting the job done!

If you've never heard of Casey Neistat then you have probably been living under a rock for the last few years as he has skyrocketed to stardom on YouTube.

How do you tell a better, stronger, more compelling story through your photos or video work? How do you get booked for the work you want to do? Film makers and story tellers, Jared Levy and Justin Hamilton, will today share some secrets.

I, like many photographers out there, don't have a studio, or don't have the money to rent out studio space every time I want to do a shoot. While shooting inside my house or garage is always an option, I found myself wanting to experiment more with ambient and natural light.

With the untimely passing of Paul Walker midway through the production of Furious 7, now in theaters, it was questioned for months how they would replace the unfinished shots needed with the star.

I will soon be releasing a start-to-finish retouching tutorial video here at Fstoppers on my most recent fashion editorial photoshoot. But before I do, I wanted to start warming our readers up with a complete gear list.

Photography isn't always the safest pursuit, especially when you delve into the world of documentary and travel photography. Shooting out in the field can be unpredictable, from the weather and terrain, to the wildlife and the local people. The more you push the extremes of your photography, oftentimes, the more risk you'll take — to both your gear, and yourself. 

Matt Mangham, the director of photography over at fortyonetwenty – a San Diego production company – has recently created a personal photography series titled Analog where he finds and tells stories that explore the current state of film photography.

Get ready to leave your jaw on the floor. Brain Farm Cinema, the production company that is one of the global leaders for capturing ultra high quality, pioneering action sports and documentary cinematic digital video, has done something no one else has.

GoPro has just released a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the insane stunts were pulled off in the upcoming film "Furious 7." You will see the caravan of support vehicles that was utilized for chase scenes as well as how they sent cars careening from cliffs complete with explosions. 

PRO EDU just wrapped a week of shooting video in New Orleans, where they captured content of Dani Diamond teaching his approach and style to natural light portrait photography. This behind the scenes video takes you along for the ride and shows you the locations, models, and gear we got to use, and what it takes to make a video tutorial come to life. 

Brothers Will Pattiz and Jim Pattiz are on a mission to spread greater awareness to the treasures that reside within America’s National Parks through visually stunning imagery. The first results of which are 3 short films, with a staggering 49 more in the works.

Whether you're an intern about to work on set for the first time or a production veteran, acting well on set is the easiest way to move up in the world, learn more quickly and be asked back on more shoots. In this primer, we'll cover some simple do's and don'ts that should be able to get anyone through his or her first production.  

On Fstoppers, we’ve long been fans of quality behind-the-scenes video counterparts to an interesting photo or video project. They are great marketing tools for us as creatives searching for more work, but they also help promote the primary business or product. This means we can justify pitching these videos as an add-on service to our clients. 

In a dramatic scene from "Interstellar," the space crew was nearly overcome by a massive wave on a distant planet. Take a look behind the scenes to see the filmmakers and actor Wes Bentley discuss the lighting and composite work required to produce this daunting visual effect. 

Vincent Laforet's famed "Air" series takes yet another turn from New York and Las Vegas, finally arriving in San Francisco. Fstoppers caught up with Laforet to discuss ever-shifting challenges throughout the project, G-Technology's recent support of the project which will bring it to Europe this summer, and the future of the project as a whole. 

In the last few years, us earth-bound humans have been blessed with stunning still images and breathtaking timelapses that were taken in outerspace. Veteran astronaut-photographer Don Pettit was at the recent SXSW event, and spoke about the challenges of capturing images in space. 

The photographer makes the photo, not the gear. That being said, it’s essential to have the best tools for your career. Would a doctor go into surgery with a blunt scalpel? There's a lot of debate when it comes to the topic "best portrait lens." Personally, my choice of lens until now has been the Nikon 85mm 1.4G.

Remember watching the trailer for "Fast and Furious 7" and chuckling to yourself about how unrealistic, improbable, and over-the-top it was to be air-dropping sports cars from a cargo aircraft thousands of feet above the ground? Me too. Just 24 hours after the release of the trailer, the filmmakers put out this featurette to prove us wrong. 

"I'm really starting to get tired of how blurry and pixellated my 4k image looks," said no one ever. But in the never ending quest to squeeze the most resolute, highest quality image possible out of our (relatively) inexpensive cameras, Art Sanchez was able to get 8k video from a $2,000 Nikon D800. 

Alexis Cuarezma is back again sharing the "hows" and "whys" behind one of his latest shoots: fitness portraits of IFBB bikini professional Ashley Pfaff.

YouTubers The Slow Mo Guys have produced some really fun and lovely footage over the past couple years. Whether they're filming paint on a speaker, a fire breather, or firing a pistol underwater at 27,000 FPS, these guys know how to create some beautiful and beautifully hilarious videos.

No stranger to putting cameras in dangerous places, filmmaker and explorer Sam Cossman recently published a video that reveals a heart-pounding perspective into a firey abyss– the active volcano of Vanuatu. Not all gear survived the conditions, but the footage proves that it was worth it. 

I can assure you that this isn't another boring tutorial on how not to overdo eyes with Photoshop. Searching for the perfect method has come to an end. Before diving into the simple method, it’s crucial to understand everything about the human eye and how it reacts to light.

Last night's episode of "Modern Family" was both hilarious and very well filmed. Using nothing more than iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, each character used FaceTime to interact with one another in a first-person selfie view.

Last year I interviewed Stijn Verlinde, probably the best dance music festival filmmaker in the world right now. Last week, RED, makers of the camera equipment Stijn uses, recognized this and released a gorgeous 4K mini-profile that takes us deep into Stijn’s life, philosophy, shooting style and creative vision.

Making generous use carbon fiber throughout the 4K cube that will be released as the Arri Alexa Mini, Arri's newest camera takes a direct stab at RED's Dragon, as both feature incredibly similar specifications — even their 2.3 kilogram weight. Of course, Arri isn't new to the game; they know enough to bring some game with the Mini. 

I’ve been shooting stills and video alongside the rest of the crew with Clear & Cold Cinema, while working on the Michigan Ice Film. Before I departed sunny Colorado, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Mountainsmith Descent Pack, and I don’t know what I would have done without it. 

How are you getting people to look at and engage with your work? This is something we all have to think about constantly in today’s visually saturated market place. It’s why it’s all the more important to look at – and learn from – those producing stunning and engaging work.

Photographer, director, and writer Tyler Shields is known for his world class, oft avant garde, work. We've covered many of his previous over-the-top projects here on Fstoppers, including feeding a $100,000 purse to a crocodile, his Mouthful exhibit, and blowing up his Rolls Royce Silver Shadow — all in the name of art.

If you’ve worked in this industry long enough, you’ve heard the phrase that suggests why being a good businessperson is just as, if not more, important that being a good photographer. The more jobs I do, the more I see the wisdom in this statement, and this article will illustrate a few key points why. 

Rob Whitworth builds upon his previous experience from his innovative Barcelona "flow motion" time-lapse with this new production covering the business oasis, Dubai. In his latest piece, Whitworth makes it apparent that he has perfected his craft to create the most fascinating time-lapse we've seen so far. We asked him to comment on his process.

When a client came to me and asked if I could do a composite that featured a dragon, my first response was, "Of course, no problem. This is going to be so much fun!" Immediately following the conversation, reality set in and the haunting feeling that I had bitten off more than I could chew began to overwhelm me.

Last summer, photographer and director Dixie Dixon was called upon by Nikon to shoot a campaign for their new touch screen DSLR, the D5500. This incredible opportunity had one interesting challenge in store for Dixon, however; All of the material would be photographed and filmed — kit lens, auto settings, and Photoshop-free — using the consumer-level D5500 itself. 

Awesome is what happens. We have all seen the yummy slow motion footage that comes out of cameras like the Phantom, but what the Bolt High Speed Cinebot has done is integrate a precise (and repeatable) movement into those images. Imagine a giant robotic arm with a camera on the end, and you at the controls. 

Even if you're new to this site, I'm pretty confident you've seen some sort of article about this unique photo series in which Michael Paul Smith builds intricate models and photographs them to recreate scenes from his imaginary childhood. Even I marveled at the fact that these were photographs of 1/24 scale models and not real scenes from history.