Portraits

Dutch Filmmaker Jeroen Wolf shows us the span of a lifetime through many different individuals. Going from infancy all the way to 100 in just 150 seconds, this short film is appropriately titled, "100". No matter how simple the nature of the video is, there's something very compelling about this short film. Each clip, no matter how short, shows so much personality from each person.

People often ask me "what is the most difficult part of shooting weddings?" One challenge I face at every wedding is having to pose the bride and groom in less than flattering sunlight or in a less than perfect location. Wedding photographer Roberto Valenzuela is tackling this very issue during his creativeLIVE workshop. Robert's free-to-watch workshop will air September 6-8th and you can ask him anything live through webchat.

About a month ago, you might recall my bitter disappointment with Canon’s new 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens. Aside from being light, it presented very little else that I could see as a positive. So my search for a great pancake lens continued, eventually leading me to the Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL II Aspherical lens.

Hard to believe summer has come and gone, eh? Well, at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere. You guys gave summer a smashing farewell, as the images we've seen in the Fstoppers Facebook Group were downright stupendous. With now over 5200 members, we're swimming at the deep end of the talent pool. Here's the best from August!

Photographer Noah Kalina was one of the first people to make a viral video on Youtube, back in 2006, when he posted a clip made out of self-portraits he took of himself for 6 years. He called it "Everyday", and got over 23 Million views. It got so big back in 2006, even the Simpsons made a parody about it. Today, Noah uploaded a new version of the video, this time it includes 12.5 years of self-portraits. Every day, for 12.5 years. crazy.

Working as an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), Lewis Hine (1874-1940) portrayed working and living conditions of children in the United States between 1908 and 1924. The Library of Congress' National Child Labor Committee Collection includes more than 5,100 photographs that came with the records of the organization. Many of the pictures are familiar, but others are relatively unexplored.

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."

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.

Talented Magnum Photographer, Christopher Anderson, experienced something that completely changed his life. In June 2000, while traveling in Haiti, he met writer Michael Finkel and together they documented a group of 44 Haitians on their journey to the United States. A few days after they set sail, they realized the handmade boat was sinking. Anderson’s first reaction was to continue taking pictures – even though he knew there was a chance they may never be seen.

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.

Cat Cora, a well known celebrity from the Food Network show Iron Chef as well as Bravo TV's Around the World in 80 Plates, was arrested for drinking and driving in Santa Barbara, California. It looks like this particular police station has taken a few lighting lessons from Peter Hurley. Anyone care to take a guess at the lighting setup?

As photographers, we are always sculpting our images with light. But if you've seen any of the light painting posts here on Fstoppers, then you know just how complex the art of light painting can get. Photographer Ben Willmore has been using small constant lights in his images for years, and now he's offering a free online workshop for anyone wanting to learn the craft. On Saturday, August 25th, Ben will be giving away all his tips and tricks for free on creativeLIVE.

Jay P Morgan has been getting a lot of press recently for both his creative imagery and his informative behind-the-scenes videos, and for good reason: they're chock-full of great information and Jay shows everything from his lighting setups to post-processing tricks. In this BTS, Jay gives us a look at how he balances constant lights with strobe lights, something that

Chances are you've been asked to shoot someone's headshot before. As photographers, we need to be able to make our client(s) look as good as possible. To be able to light, shoot and retouch skin are vital skills that keep our doors open, and food on the table. Hollywood photographer and digital illustrator, Lee Varis been a photographer for 40 years and involved in digital imaging for 20 years.

If your wedding client asked to have a customized pre wedding shoot halfway around the world, how would you treat the opportunity? Simeon Quarrie, who has developed a reputation for himself as an incredible creative and committed photographer jumped at the option to be flown to Jaipur, India to shoot in a unique setting for his wedding clients.

In this lighting lesson by Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens, shoots promotional material for Cui Baoqun, a Chinese champion ping-pong player. Using the information from his previous lesson on octoboxes, he was able to achieve some nice, dynamic shots.

Specialized lenses are tricky things. Since they are built for a set of specific purposes in mind, they really need to follow through on that small list of tasks lest they be discarded as an unnecessary expenditure. That is a lot of pressure to make an outstanding lens, so how did Sigma fare with their new 180mm f/2.8 macro? Is it a good addition to your lens collection?

Last year, Fstoppers interviewed wedding photographer Joe Buissink who has shot weddings for Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey, Christina Aguliera, and many other A List celebrities. Starting Thursday, August 9th, Joe is sharing all his wedding secrets in a FREE online workshop on creativeLIVE. Check out the FULL POST on how you can watch the event for free August 9 - 11th!

It's pretty crazy to think just a small change of focal length can drastically distort your subject's face. In this behind the scenes video , Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens goes into detail to show us each change and how it effected the model's appearance. Maybe you're interested in buying a fixed lens or maybe you're interested in gaining tips on portrait and headshot photography - either way this video is definitely worth checking out.

Like many of us, Brandon Stanton enjoyed taking walks and making photography while out and about. What separates Brandon is his fearless attitude towards approaching the average person on the street and asking to take their portrait, and then finding out what their story is. He runs a blog called the "Humans of New York", and this video gives you an inside look as to his approach and rationale for turning out some amazing images and stories.

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.

Is it just me or are the Olympians this year extra revealing? Each year ESPN releases a Body Issue which features men and women Olympians fully nude but this year other publications are also jumping on board with extra sexy Olympic imagery. For every image you have seen there are dozens of other photoshoots that also took place. In this video we go behind the scenes on a handful of these lesser known shoots featuring female athletes.

The end of another month, and another batch of great images you all produced! If you haven't yet, make sure you join our Fstoppers Facebook Group, which has grown to over 4,700 members strong. Looking to improve? This is the place to do it. But enough about that, let's look at the images that made the most noise in the month of July.

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.

This is the first episode of Mark Seliger's new show called Capture. He is filming the show in his studio in Manhattan. In this episode, Seliger sits down with Platon, staff photographer for The New Yorker known for his portraits of US Presidents and other important world figures. Actor Dylan McDermott also sits in on the conversation, discussing his photography work and inspiration.

A couple months ago, we posted images from a series of portraits shot by Tadao Cern that were described as "blow job portraits". Kai and crew over at Digital Rev TV put together a fun video trying to re-create this effect using some interesting tools on a handful of models, while "keeping stimulated" by trying a new technique. Can you keep a straight face while watching this?

Back in may, we posted this story about portraits made of grass created with photosynthesis. Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey of Ackroyd & Harvey were behind this idea and we now have a video that showcases how this process is done. The technique and end result is a beautiful mix of art and photography.

If you're a sports fan, or even if you just like toned and tan bodies, you're going to want to pick up the next issue of ESPN (hits newsstands Friday). It's filled with some pretty sexy images of the United States' favorite athletes in nothing but their birthday suits.

Robert Gallagher knows his way around commercial photography. On this assignment, he puts Matt Kemp, a baseball player for the Dodgers, in front of the camera to shoot the cover of Forbes Magazine. As can be seen in the video, the studio set up includes 4 different lights. With a few assistants, Robert also manages to snag a one-light shot in the tunnel heading out to the field.

If you've ever wondered how you can begin transitioning from part time photographer to completely supporting yourself in your business, then you have probably considered shooting senior portraits. Sal Cincotta is an excellent photographer, and he is an even better businessman. This weekend Sal is sharing his knowledge behind building a successful Senior Portrait business on creativeLIVE (July 6-8). As always, the live broadcast is free to stream as it happens live.

Update: Live Now! As a wedding photographer myself, I think the most important thing any photographer can do for their business is adding video to their services. I met Rob and Vanessa earlier this year and was excited to hear they are teaching this new "Fusion" video/photo hybrid to other photographers. On June 29 - July 1, creativeLIVE is airing their 3 day workshop for free! Learn how you can easily incorporate video into your photography business from two of the industry's leaders.

In another great behind the scenes video from Michael Sasser, Denver Photographer Ryan Tortorelli is shown working with three students at several different locations to capture there senior portraits. Using what seems like a single light setup in conjunction with the sun, the resulting captured images show the quality of this setup. It's also great to see how Ryan is working with his talent, suggesting poses and giving directions.

Alex Koloskov has had a few of his behind the scenes videos featured here on fstoppers. In this charismatic behind the scenes video, Alex takes the photography assignment of shooting some liqueur bottles in an attractive way and walks us through his set up. His in depth explanation of the lighting and staging process gives you a great understanding of how he got his final "sexy" shot.