Fstoppers Originals

Efficient project management (in fact, life management), is about getting things done or GTD. So, how on earth does the indent help you? 

Previsualization may be the one thing standing between you and a smooth production resulting in incredible photographs. 

Taking a successful portrait may seem easy to someone who has never tried it. Transforming something from the simple concept of a camera pointed at a person (or a puffin) into a story-telling captivating photo involves skill.  

There’s a lot to learn about photography, and while online tutorials and YouTube videos are great, sometimes you just need a good book to get the creative juices flowing. 

With the advent of social media and the unattainability of life expectations brought with it, we, photographers, are on the very forefront of having the opportunity to make a difference in re-shaping the visual world. We are the ones with the tools to push for diversity whenever we put our work out there to be sold and used worldwide! 

A few days into my landscape photography trip in Oregon, I hit a creative low. While watching a disappointing sunset, I started journaling some thoughts that helped turn a series of failures into stepping stones. 

Last week I received a message in my Instagram inbox. "Great profile," it began. "Would you like to be featured in two pages? It costs €10." I have no intention of ever paying money to be featured, but it piqued my curiosity and I started asking a few questions. 

That's right you boudoir photographers, if you haven't tried shooting boudoir outside before then you are seriously missing out. There really are quite a few reasons why you should give it a try here are a few of my favorite reasons why I shoot boudoir outside instead of in a studio. 

Client galleries have become the de facto way of distributing photos post-shoot, whether you are a seasoned pro delivering to a corporate client or helping out at a friend's wedding. Can you do this on a shoestring and is there an efficient workflow?

Last week Mike Kelley and I competed to see who could create the best images of the iconic dome house in Charleston. We released the images and allowed all of you to vote to determine who won. Today, the results are in.  

A short while ago, I wrote about a kerfluffle with White Castle’s social media team about a photo I took of their Impossible Slider. At issue was the way White Castle (and other large companies) treated people who asked for some form of compensation for their photos to be used on the company’s social pages. 

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. 

Last week’s article introduced my take on the reasons photographers and videographers lose prospective clients. I focused on two common pricing errors plus the importance of a human connection, and this week, I’m examining three other important reasons. 

Having a good routine leading up to an important shoot can be the difference between success and failure. Make sure you do these 12 things well before you pick the camera up and press the shutter button. 

Welcome to the second official entry in my exploration of fine art printing, paper, and why we're meant for more than cell phone screens. In this entry, we're looking at a paper that absolutely blew my mind from the very first test print I ran. 

I have been doing photography for about 10 years. In that time I have moved from hobbiest film shooter to professional commercial photographer. This is what helped me make the leap. 

Is it just me or do the same type of images keep appearing over and over again on screens and in print? Maybe it's the magazines I read or the people I follow, but I feel like I'm repeatedly seeing (and creating) the same type of landscape photographs. Here's how I'm trying to get out of the rut.  

Anyone that has researched the best practices for gaining followers on Instagram knows that your feed and profile should follow a similar style. I absolutely hated this recommendation and came up with an alternative so I don’t feel so constricted creatively while still maintaining a curated profile. 

Wedding photography is one of those genres where you need a great all around camera. Here are seven reason why the Sony a7 III is the current wedding photography champion. 

Do you ever wonder how many photos you should deliver from a session? Here is why I believe that you are giving too many. 

Canon has announced their new top-tier 70-200mm telephoto lenses. The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III and the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II are finally here with their predecessors receiving updates eight and twelve years apart, respectively, but is the new flagship 70-200mm f/2.8 just a paint job? 

I doubt any photographers became professional because they were excited to run the business, but run it they will. Unfortunately, the importance of savvy business practices is much closer to photographic talent that most like to admit, so take a break from honing your portraiture, and hone your abilities as a small business owner. 

I recently challenged Mike Kelley to a photography competition. We both had two and a half hours to photograph the iconic "Dome House" in Charleston, South Carolina. Today, you will get to vote on your favorite photographs and choose a winner. 

But there is a catch; we're not going to tell you who took each set of images, we're going to let you guess. 

When you jump into doing photography professionally as a business, you quickly learn that your website’s search engine results are an essential part of making your business successful. Here’s how to improve your visibility on Google. 

Traveling with just an ultra wide-angle lens is a powerful way to improve your landscape photography, but my first trip without a telephoto was rife with mistakes.