Photographer Kenneth Cappello is known for his celebrity portraiture, his advertising work for Nike and Puma as well as his flashy editorial work for Nylon, GQ, Fader and Vibe. Cappello shot musician/DJ DeadMau5 this past month for Vibe Magazine, and, lucky for us, also shot a little BTSV to give us a peek at his process.
Shooting underwater is not a simple task, and usually not very affordable. To shoot underwater you need not only the knowledge, but also expensive DSLR housing (or point and shoot cameras designed to shoot underwater) and also underwater lighting system if you want to fully control the lighting. Once you get underwater with your subject, the water lets you create striking and beautiful images, that you can never create out in the fresh air. Check out these great examples of underwater photography.
Photoshelter is hosting a webinar featuring retoucher Kristina Sherk this week, and to advertise the webinar they posted an animated gif showing before and after Sherk got her hands on the image. I was shocked, as Sherk not only easily erased 10 years off the model, but even more amazingly did it without making it look fake.
Jay P. Morgan takes us out to the Bonneville Salt flats in Utah to teach us how camera angle affects body shape. Shooting with a 50mm and 24mm lens, Jay takes us through various heights and shows us the outcome from each level.
Every week Benjamin Von Wong releases a new behind the scenes video for your viewing pleasure and this week is no different. I find that Ben is probably one of the most talented conceptual photographers that likes to use fire in his photographs, but this week he decided to switch it up a bit and the results are stunning, to say the least.
After Bar Refaeli took over the Superbowl with her controversial commercial, Bar found time to do something she never did before: pose nude for a magazine shoot. The magazine that paid her to do that is currently unknown, but somehow the photos leaked earlier today. Check out the BTS and the final results in the post.
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.
So, what happens when you bring two very popular themes in photography, fashion and pyrotechnics, together? A combustion of epicness emerges on your screen. Fstoppers favorite, Benjamin Von Wong, is at it again, and this time he's brought along a few friends to help create the stunning images you see in the video. Pyrotechnician, Andrey DAS, and amazing designer, Virginie Marcerou, worked with Ben to create the intricate scenes in the photographs.
A couple weeks ago I was fortunate to work with Tina Hughes, a talented local clothing designer. Her latest collection blends vintage and modern elements. I thought that my friend's modernist house would be the perfect location for the shoot. We were limited to doing the shoot during the (bright and sunny) day so I used speedlites, a polarizing filter and orange gels to add a moodiness to the images.
We have featured Elena Jasic on Fstoppers a few times now. Most recently we featured a tutorial from her on how to utilize frequency separation. Elena's newest tutorial is on dodging and burning, and how she goes about doing it in her work flow. Dodging and burning can add dimension to your photos and take them to the next level.
Bert Stern's career started in the mailroom at Look Magazine and soon became sought after by Hollywood and Madison Avenue.
Bert Stern: Original Mad Man directed by Shannah Laumeister, follows Stern's career through the golden age of the ad world and the iconic Marilyn Monroe "The Last Sitting" series.
Stern is notably well known for his 3 day photo shoot with Marilyn Monroe for Vogue
Warning: The following interview contains adult language, adult situations and nudity.
Michael Donovan rules. It says so on his website. It also says so on his Tumblr. It says so anywhere you’d find his name. And to be perfectly honest, believe the hype. Michael Donovan does rule. This is why I’m here, in a Lower East Side bar that never left 1982, having a drink and trying to hold a conversation while Asian fetish porn plays on TVs that I’m sure were taken from the dumpster behind a Motel 6.
Russell James is an extremely talented photographer who has shot for a long list of high end clients and famous celebrities. This behind the scenes video gives us a quick rundown of what it takes to produce and execute a high caliber photo shoot for a upper echelon glossy like GQ. Even though it moves fast, we can see from this glimpse what types of gear used during the shoot, how lights are set up and what it takes to work with talent like Erin Heatherton.
You can find more work from Russell James on his site www.studiorusselljames.com
Just recently a friend of mine posted some rather stunning images on his Facebook page. While vacationing in Vegas, Réjean Brandt, a very talented fashion photographer from Canada decided to take the opportunity to organize a portfolio shoot. The photos taken at Red Rock Canyon were beyond splendid to say the least, and I quickly jumped on Réjean to get behind the scenes details for an article on this very site. The next day the images were abruptly taken down. Why? Because Red Rock Canyon threatened to seize his equipment if he didn't.
I've always found that photos that capture and freeze rain to be exceedingly interesting. Rain gives the photo depth and a moodier feel, but usually you have to wait for a storm to blow through your area, or invest in a rain machine. No longer. Benjamin Von Wong has figured out a way to create those wonderfully drenched and moody shots without even stepping outdoors.
I have had quite a few people ask how I achieved this look. So I figured I would do a quick little photoshop tutorial on it to help you guys out! It is much much easier then you think. Hope you enjoy!
As a wedding photographer I have learned that our shooting conditions are not always ideal. One of the places I dread most is the bride's dressing room. It is typically a hotel room with bags, shoes and every beauty accessory invented strewn across the floor. The lighting is never ideal and the decor just might be the straight out of your grandma's home. Read on below to see a simple lighting setup using two flashes that can help you create beautiful portraits even in not so flattering locations.
The other day Phlearn came up with a way to emulate Martin Schoeller's portrait lighting. I have been wanting to lock down Schoeller's technique for years now, so when I saw Phlearn's post, I was stoked. And they did a fantastic job. I even learned their cool Photoshop technique of adding natural looking highlights and shadows. The problem was that in order for me to try out their lighting technique, I needed two strip soft boxes for my strobes, which I didn't have.
Skreened is an eCommerce company that specializes in on-demand screen printing. Shirts are their biggest sellers. Since each shirt design is unique, they needed a library of images with models in blank tees so they could overlay the latest designs in post. When they approached me to shoot for them, their main request was that these portraits be fun and energetic.
Sarah Moon is an icon, without a doubt. Her work has been an inspiration to me from the beginning of my career. She's a soulful and deep artist and has certainly earned her spot as one of the top "100 most influential photographers." That's why hearing her explain the chaos of her mind while she shoots is such an amazing experience for me. It's the very same chaos that I experience, and I bet you do too.
Sue Bryce, Australian Portrait Photographer of the Year, teamed up with the extremely talented Hailey Bartholomew to tell the powerful story of one girl's love story and her battle with breast cancer. It's a very moving story and definitely worth watching. I love seeing the way creatives are using their talents to bless the lives of others and share stories that the world needs to hear about. This story of Jill Brzezinski-Conley is one everyone should take some time to watch and share today.
If you have ever opened up a Vogue or Vanity Fair, you have seen some of Norman Jean Roy's work. He is truly a master of his craft and a well sought after photographer. In this interview with Nymag.com Norman discusses how he believes digitial photography is killing fashion photography.
A few weeks ago Eric Pare released the 24x360 project which included 24 cameras taking a long exposure picture of a single subject. It's difficult to explain but once you see it you will understand. Eric was kind enough to write up an article just for us on how these incredible video clips were made.
There is one site that I consistently go to for inspiration . No matter how stuck I may feel or how many projects may demand my attention when I visit this dark and ominous page of collected brilliance I always leave refreshed. It may not always be safe for work, that part is pretty tough to predict as the work is always changing, but in my opinion the risk is worth it for the ideas and executions there. Not lighting diagrams, no explanations, just photography...lots and lots of amazing photography.
Perhaps one of the most mysterious and misunderstood lights available to a photographer is the ring light or ring flash. Most people associate the ring flash with fashion photography, but unfortunately many photographers might not know what the effect is actually doing. In this latest Snapfactory video, Mark Wallace not only shows how a barebulb Profoto Acute 2 Ringflash works, but he also gives you 3 additional lighting setups to take your own ring flash images to the next level.
I have never personally met Mike, however I can't seem to get away from him. He definitely has some amazing shots that stand out from the rest of the crowd. I know Mike through a Facebook group called CREATIVOS, which is a group for photographers looking to share tips, tricks, and images and grow within the industry. I keep seeing his work pop up and can't take my eyes away from it.
One thing I love about the Fstoppers Facebook Group is seeing all the amazing work our readers publish. Taylor Tupy is a pretty awesome fashion and editorial photographer based out of Minneapolis. In this video he shared on Facebook, Taylor brought in gulf coast white sand into the studio to produce an awesome effect. Taking your production value to the next level is probably the most important thing a photographer
Australian Fashion and Commercial Photographer Peter Coulson with Arterium Creations put together this video from one of his fashion shoots in Melbourne. Not your typical studio setup, Peter is out with his crew shooting in the open streets, complete with the public watching and potentially ruining some of his shots. See as he works with his model and they have a great time creating some stunning street-fashion images.
I have been following Noah's work for some time now and have fell in love with every shot he has ever put up. His work is absolutely incredible and I feel everyone should take a look at this. I decided to do a quick interview with him to get to know him a little bit more.
Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz best known for his amazing milk dress series is back with another amazing lighting tutorial. In this video he explains how to create some pretty nifty looking light streaks to create a fiery effect in your photographs. Using both a modeling lamp and normal flash from some Paul C. Buff Einsteins he shows how you can drag your shutter to create the effect.
