Lifestyle Photography

Inspiration comes from a variety of sources, but I'm guessing that seeing the works of others has always been big for you. Seeing someone else's work probably is what got you interested in photography to begin with. So what gets your creativity flowing? For me, though my work in photography resides in the Advertising / Editorial realm, inspiration for my work comes in the form of photojournalism.

Here at Fstoppers we have featured the fascinating talent of Simeon Quarrie before as he takes what could be an ordinary shoot and turns it into the extraordinary. Back in July we featured his behind the scenes video of a pre-wedding shoot staged in the rain and in May we shared with you how he goes above and beyond to put together a finished video product the same day that the clients can watch during the wedding reception. Today, I was fascinated yet again while watching the behind the scenes video of Simeon on a maternity shoot.

A few weeks ago you may remember Ikea's attack on product photography. Today news has spread that the Saudi Arabia franchise has photoshopped all females out from catalogs distributed throughout the Islamic nation. Women aren't the only ones being censored, however, as even glasses of wine have been transformed into less offensive "festive cups". What does Ikea have to say about the post processing changes found in their catalogs?

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.

Everyone knows that having a returning client is great for your business. Family photographer Sandy Puc' has found a smart way to maintain returning clients by photographing toddlers all the way through their teenage years. In her free creativeLIVE workshop Bellies & Babies, Sandy teaches how you can gain family clients during a child's early years. On August 3rd, Sandy switches gears and focuses on The Business of Tots to Teens and how you can create a stable income as your returning clients grow.

Some of the best advice I've heard from successful photographers has been to develop as many means of making money with your photography so you can sustain your income down the road. While pet photography might not be the first area you might consider, Vicki Taufer is here to tell us why it's a great area to supplement your wedding, family, and portrait businesses. This Thursday through Saturday (July 26-28), creativeLIVE will stream Vicki's online workshop for free as she shares the ins and outs of a successful pet business.

One of the most difficult things about running your own business and being your own boss is managing your time. Life can become stressful trying to manage photoshoots, editing, packaging, having a social life, meetings, and taking care of the daily responsibilities. Professional photographer Tamara Lackey has somehow figured out how to balance her time as she runs two businesses, teach around the country, and play mom to three children. Starting today, Tamara is teaching how you can manage your time through a free creativeLIVE workshop.

A few weeks ago Scott Kelby hosted the Google + conference in San Francisco. In this lecture from the event, Scott tries to shed light on to how photographers should really work their scenes to find the best composition. We've all been taught the tried and true methods like rule of thirds, leading lines, tight crop, repeating patterns, framing, and multi level depth. Shouldn't there be a better way to teach

GoPro has become one of those companies like Redbull where everything they put out there is pretty cool. It has been fun seeing such a small startup become the industry leaders in tiny HD video cameras. With their new Wifi BacPac, GoPro gives users the ability to control their cameras through tablets like the iPad and smart phones. Unlike previous versions of the Hero, you can now control the shutter, camera modes, and other options with a simple remote. It's pretty amazing to see what this camera has become in just a few years. Rock on GoPro!

Everyday people get caught up in their work, are worried about the latest new camera, or become stressed over minor inconveniences. I know I’m guilty of all of these. After watching this video, I felt myself more relaxed and started remembering the importance of slowing down in life. You can miss out on so much by being too wrapped up in work and not taking time to appreciate the people you love and the simple things you get to share with them. This video from MDfilms is a breath of fresh air amidst a tumultuous day.

You may remember R.J. Kern and Amanda Tipton from a shoot we featured on here before - well they're at it again and this one is pretty awesome too. Using the PhaseOne 645Df camera and the Capture Pilot w/Camera Control photo app they got some really cool images. They had the models lay flat on a white seamless background while they shot a typical wedding day in a 2D approach. To see more images click here.

Casey Neistat is a great film maker that you may remember for his Peanut Butter Lid Lens Hack. Recently he was hired by Nike to create something interesting for their Nike + Fuel Band. The story goes that instead of making a traditional commercial, Casey took Nike's budget and traveled around the world until it was all spent. He filmed his 10 day escapade and produced the following video. Even if the Nike story was staged, it's still a pretty inspiring video made by an incredible budget film maker.

So many behind the scenes videos we come across are nothing more than boring, overly glamorized music videos. Skateboard photographer Michael Burnett's latest video is anything but boring. Anyone who has photographed extreme or counter culture sports know that there are certain rules to be broken...and certain rules that must be followed. Michael goes through a ton of great skateboard photographs and explains what makes some stand out while others get lost in the mix. So grab your fisheye lens, a few speedlights on stands, and put yourself in harm's way!