Fashion

It's amazing what some people can do with just their camera, self timer and a little imagination. Kyle Thompson is one of those people. He takes by far the most amazing self portraits I have ever seen. From gorgeous to creepy and everything in between, every single shot of his is perfect.

Right now the hottest spot on the globe for photography is in New York City at Photo Plus. Our good friends at creativeLIVE have set up an unbelievable opportunity for photographers to learn from eight of the industry's leading photographers all for FREE. Catch creativeLIVE's free event Photographers Ignite live right now. If you missed any of the speakers or want to revisit these amazing workshops,

Carpet hasn't looked this cool since the 70's. Take a look at what set designer Adi Goodrich and photography team JUCO came up with for Lulu's Fall 2012 campaign.

If you have any interest in fashion photography then you won't want to miss this free 3-day workshop hosted by creativeLIVE. Now, starting today October 22 through Oct 24, fashion photographer Lara Jade will be teaching Fashion Photography 101. Lara will cover casting your styling team and model to the shoot day itself: shooting in-studio and on-location, lighting techniques, model direction, and finally, retouching, business, marketing, and social media advertising. Whatever your experience level, you can learn something from this workshop.

London photog, Dave Kai-Piper, is one of my favorite people in the fashion photography industry. He is talented, driven, kind and a blast to work with. I got to meet Dave and his close friend/assistant/videographer, Paul McKelvie in England last year while shooting video for a web series and the 3 of us have been good friends since. Their video "Sequence 9" is Dave and Paul's effort to show the beauty in all forms in the world around us by bringing together timelapse photography and what I can only describe as "BTS-Fine-Art-Fashion" videography. Be sure to check out Dave and Paul and enjoy the video!

A few months back Victoria's Secret accidentally released a dozen unretouched photos from a shoot with supermodel Doutzen Kroes. We shared those images in a post on Fstoppers and it caught the attention of many of you. The retouched versions of those same photos are now out. Let's compare the results!

A lot of times on FStoppers we see shoots that are very gear focused, after all that's what we're here for isn't it? We tend to focus on shoots that have some sort of technical wizardry behind them, but sometimes it's best to strip away all of the extras and focus on what you're shooting. In this video Lindsay Adler takes us through a very cool fashion shoot that is lit very simply using only a beauty dish and a small silver reflector.

Follow Michael Zelbel from SmokingStrobes.com as he shows you how to light isolated body parts of your model in an stunning and artistic way using only a one light set-up. He uses just a shoot-through umbrella and a speedlight at a quarter of the power. So, the next time you're searching for an easy set-up to capture some simple low light bodyscapes look no further.

While perusing the internet this morning I came upon the recent fashion shoot of Joanna Kustra and caught myself staring for minutes marveling at the gorgeous shots and beautiful lighting. The shoot titled, Misty Dream, was a beauty editorial assignment for Factice Magazine. From watching the behind the scenes video I gather she is shooting with a Nikon 85mm 1.4 lens using Calumet lighting and shooting through a 48" Octobox.

In a world filled with portable speedlights and 3200 watt power packs, photographers might overlook another critical feature of their studio lights: flash duration. Basically flash duration is the time your strobe light contributes to the exposure of your photograph (flash actually can act as "constant light"). Earlier this year, we posted about Broncolor's flash duration compared to Profoto, but how does a much cheaper strobe like the Einstein compare? The results are pretty remarkable!

Derren Versoza has to be on the top of some of my favorite lifestyle photographers. The look he has is perfection and he can easily tell stories with his shots. He has been filming a lot of his shoots and put together a BTS overview of all of them.

Even though this was shot in 2011 for Vanity Fair's 17th annual Hollywood Issue, this image is still the most attractive photo on the internet. It's so eye catching that I had to take a second look just to notice there was a lion in the frame. As beautiful as this image is, especially those in it, I have to say that there is one celebrity missing who would have made this entire image better: Ryan Gosling. This one's for you, ladies.

Peter Lundstrom shot the look-book for Courtrai Apperal in a featureless room that they built out of 5 basic walls and painted them all white for one look, and all black for the other. The final shots look great and leave the viewer looking at the image for a few extra seconds, which hopefully leaves them remembering the clothing a bit better than another brand with a model standing straight up. Below are some of the shots before they were cropped tight for the look-book as well as a video showing how they built the set and shot the book. Enjoy!

If you're like most of us photographers out there, you don't always have a budget for a costume designer and money for a nice wardrobe for models. For paid projects, this would be covered, but for personal endeavors, the budget simply is too much for most shooters to afford. Ben VonWong has solved this problem by learning to approach people who have already done the work for us.

We featured Julia Kuzmenko McKim a few weeks ago with a behind the scenes peek of her very classy Enchanted Forest shoot. Now she's back with a very handy tutorial on how to create your own 3D image entirely in post using Photoshop. Using the channels palette and the warp tool she creates some pretty cool looking 3D images. Watch the easy tutorial and try it out for yourselves. When you're done post the results back here.

Coined as the "Pre-Angel Era", Victoria's Secret was quite modest compared to today's Angels. Besides the furry slippers, unusual carpet and sleeping dog, there is a noticeable difference between these images and what graces the covers of their current catalogs. Naturally, editing skills have improved tremendously but it's crazy to think how far this brand has come since the 70's. Now we're questioning whether the editing is too aggressive. Either way, I think these images probably appealed to both sexes during those years just like they do today.

We've seen behind the scenes videos of how projection mapping can be used artistically and commercially. Tobias Bjorkgren takes on a slightly different angle and applies the concept to his latest fashion shoot. The use of projection allows him to stand his models in front of varying scenes without having to leave the studio. To see the final images, check out his blog. What do you think of the effect?

There are hundreds of thousands of photographers out there right now. Many follow the basic lighting rules, bland same old poses and boring shots. Then you have the photographers who absolutely just blow you away. Wyn is one of them. After running across him on a pinterest page, I searched for more of his work and found his blog. After looking through it for quite some time, I decided to shoot him a message on Facebook in hopes to ask him a few questions.

This recent cover of Vogue Hommes International, featuring none other than Stephanie Seymour, is under fire. Women's Right Advocacy groups and critics have accused Vogue of glorifying and portraying 'domestic violence' on the cover.

We've heard unfortunate news that photographer, Peter Alexander, has died this past weekend during a Fashion Week party. It happened on Friday, September 14th, when Peter and his unnamed friend fell out of a 3rd story window. This incident occurred in Shoreditch, an area of Eastern London. Unfortunately, Peter did not make it. The friend, who was also a model in the industry, is currently in stable condition at the hospital.

Giuliano Bekor is an amazing commercial and advertising photographer based out of Los Angeles. Recently he traveled down to Australia to produce a short editorial film for the clothing company Merchant 1948. The concept involves a set of short films based around the idea of models finding a ton of cash and avoiding the police by flying away in vintage airplanes. As ridiculous as that sounds, Giuliano's execution makes for a really entertaining editorial spread.

The future looks healthy within the modeling and fashion industry. More and more people want less retouching in general, people want to see change on the covers and on runways. We're seeing more being done to make health a priority in the modeling world. Recently, Israel took a step in banning underweight models. The definition of 'underweight' is having a BMI of under 18.5. Although this is just one country, we'll see trends like this progress more regularly as time goes on.

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.

I have been following Melissa Rodwell for some time now. The look of her photos is pure magic and the use of the Christmas lights behind sheets makes these shots really pop.

I have always been intrigued with light painting. I have taken a few stabs at it, yet it never comes out as good as this. These are so absolutely incredible, I just might have to practice this and see what I can make! Atton Conrad, a professional fashion photographer, has used nothing but light fixtures to create and capture these unbelievable dresses.

We all know that fashion and glamour photography can be controversial at times. First with Kate Upton's horribly retouched cover of Sports Illustrated, then with the leak of Victoria's Secret's untouched photos and their debatable over-retouch of Lais Ribeiro earlier this month. Well, now it seems to be Vogue magazine that's the culprit, and their celebrity of choice... the eccentric Lady Gaga.

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and I am new here to Fstoppers. I really got into photography by documenting hardcore shows (as in hardcore punk rock). I first encountered Manny Mares on a message board for this genre of music. During this summer I have watched Manny continuously post images from a series he has been working on called "Summer in America."

One of the most popular fields of photography is glamour or beauty photography. Everyone wants great photos of themselves looking attractive and most photographers enjoy capturing people at their best. Sue Bryce's before and after photos show just how big a difference a pro photographer can make in bringing out the best out of someone. This whole week she is hosting two free workshops over at creativeLIVE. Today and Tuesday Sue is teaching Working With Hair & Makeup and on August 29 - 31 she will be teaching Inside The Glamour Studio.

Last year we posted a behind the scenes video of the 2011 Barbie fashion shoot and it was a massive hit. This year Mattel has once again teamed up with designer Robert Best and photographer/videographer Paul Jordan to create another amazing collection. The attention to detail in the clothing, set design, and lighting is staggering. Check out the full post for the images.

There always comes a time while you're surfing the web looking for inspiration that you stumble upon something so striking that it just blows you away. You sit back and wonder... 'How in the world did they manage that?' Jean Osipyan, a professional fashion photographer from Armenia and now based out of Russia takes the extra steps from ordinary to extraordinary in his retouching.

Adorama TV has been mixing up their youtube channel lately, and this week features the TTL acrobatics of Joe McNally. Joe walks you through a typical street portrait as he accentuates the natural ambient light with a single speedlight gelled red. The more useful tip Joe gives is how to control the spill of your large softlight with an "egg crate" or softbox grid. I'm still shocked he pulled this shot off using only the Nikon D800 pop up flash acting as commander.

In celebration of Vogue's 120 year anniversary, this year's September issue is adorned with stars. They decided to do this fashion spread with some of the most influential industry talent of the moment, ranging from designers to models and everything in between. The photographer, Norman Jean Roy, was the mastermind behind the shots. We even have a behind the scenes video to go along with the photos.

Some photos of Olympic sensation Michael Phelps have risen online that could land the swimmer in hot water. The photos by Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton were leaked on the Internet late last week, violating the International Olympic Committee's controversial Rule 40, which states athletes can't promote any non-Olympic sponsors from July 18 to August 15. Phelps could stand to lose his medals.

Bulgarian Magazine, 12 Mag, has sure been rufflin' up some feathers over a piece they ran in June entitled "Victims of Beauty". Photographer Vasil Germanov along with MUAs Daniela Avramova and Slav have been making international headlines along with "12" for depecting models beaten, bruised and cut. Personally, I love the series and I think the artistry is beautiful, especially on the account of the MUAs...

Fashion photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin had this tremendously popular spread in Vogue Paris a few years ago showing how makeup, lighting, photography, styling, and post can drastically change the appearance of a person. In her 20's, model Eniko Mihalik, was shot to depict what she would look like through the decades. With the help of the stylist Carine Roitfeld and make-up by Lisa Butler, they completely transformed her in this editorial. How do you think they did?

Who knew that street fashion photography was so trendy? Like many others, I really enjoy the work of The Sartorialist and have followed his blog for years now. But I never considered that his popularity would lead to this - streets filled with photographers trying to emulate his style. Of course, this video does take place in the midst of New York fashion week. So I'm not convinced that what these crowds are shooting can even be considered street photography. Aren't they more like paparazzi?

Victoria Secret, the company famous for selling underwear, lingerie, and overall sex appeal, is also notable for their amazing models. By the time you see the images from their catalog or campaigns, they are always retouched. Do you ever wonder what the shots look like before retouching? Here are a set of unretouched photos of V.S. Angel, Doutzen Kroes, from a recent shoot.

Carli Davidson loves animals, and it shows in her work. Though she is an avid photographer, her profession has never trumped her desire to interact with animals. She works for the Oregon Zoo, animal rescues, and nature preserves taking care of exotic and native wildlife over the last sixteen years. To her, animals are her people. Her dedication to them shows in her photography, and the way she is able to capture the personality of a pet is pretty much unmatched.

Anyone who works commercially knows how important it is to adapt the product you deliver to your clients needs; this is especially true when dealing cross culturally. Voodoo Partners in Germany does an excellent job of this as they take us behind the scenes in one of their recent Jewelry commercials to be aired in Qatar.

In the June 2012 issue of Vogue, photographer Annie Leibovitz had the amazing opportunity to photograph eight very talented US Olympic athletes alongside supermodel Karlie Kloss. Over the years, Annie has become known for her over-the-top sets and detailed lighting set-ups.

As a fan of the beach, Frederico Martins loves mixing his photography with the sand and surf. To throw a unique twist on his latest shoot for an 8 page spread in Elle, Frederico, decides to set up a beach shoot inside a house. With the use of a ton and a half of sand, a boat, two dogs, and a lot of natural light from the windows, Frederico grabs some really fantastic images.

Why did Apple create a clothing collection in 1986? I have no idea. But I'm sure glad they did, because it allowed these photos to happen. I'm having a hard time deciding exactly which one of these shots is my favorite. They're all dripping with attitude. I assume that in the years following, these clothes trickled through attics and thrift stores until they eventually landed on the backs of hipsters. Which means that they are being worn once again with the attitude captured in these photos.

Check out this amazing photoshoot by Dina Goldstein she titled "In The Dollhouse." Dina spared no expense as her team built set after set to complete this real-life Barbie and Ken series. Just like the last Barbie series we posted, this one is also a little twisted. Apparently you can't go wrong with Barbie series because these images have already gone viral around the web.

When shooting fashion, the last thing that comes to mind is probably using the scanner as your camera of choice. Henry Hargreaves decided to use this medium for this set. Although this concept is not necessarily new, it's always fun seeing everyone's interpretation with the medium. Included are also some behind the scenes shots of the process as well.

A modern take on the little black dress, Emily Steel has found a way to make film a fashion statement. This dressed is adorned with film and backed with LED lights that give the effect. The idea was to create a wearable dress that fuses the idea of technology and art. The end result is intriguing to say the least. Check out the images and more details in the expanded post.

If you work out of a studio, you know how annoying paper seamless backdrops can be...they always wrinkle and warp. We recently changed over to the Savage Vinyl backdrops and they seem to last a lot longer. The guys over at OKstrobist have an even cheaper alternative for those looking for a DIY approach and it's pretty clever. Even though this can still cost as much as $170, you aren't stuck

Tragedy struck Kirsty Mitchell four years ago when her mother passed away from a brain tumor. As a way of processing through the grief, Kirsty decided to pick up a camera and get lost in the world of photography. With an incredible imagination and extreme patience, Kirsty created some unbelievable fairy tale images to honor her mother by recreating the stories she was told as a child.

Anyone who has picked up a magazine with photographic content is well aware of the amount of retouching and massaging that goes into many of the photos displayed in advertisements or in editorial features. But at what point does the 'retouching' go too far?