Portraits

We get a lot of emails from readers pointing us to interesting photoshoots and many times the videos themselves offer very little insight into the mind of the photographer. Unfortunately this video has no such commentary from David Hobby but the good news is he has a complete article outlining how he shot this portrait of cellist Caleb Jones. Watch David as he uses his Orbis Ring Flash and Umbrella to get his signature look. He also does a great job making Caleb feel at home in front of the camera. Props to Erik Couse for using his iPhone 3Gs to capture something creative!

Behind the Scenes - Caleb Jones Photo Shoot from Erik Couse on Vimeo.

Benjamin takes us through a unique family portrait shoot. He shows his steps in creating a final image for the client, from selecting the location to post photoshop work. Benjamin does a great job with the shoot and providing details from the shoot. Check out his hard work on photoshop and the final image.

BTS [behind the scenes] Photo Shoot from Benjamin Schmanke on Vimeo.

Diana Deaver is a talented photographer and good friend of mine from Charleston SC. A few weeks before the deadline she told me that she was working on a contest submission that would focus on natural lighting. Diana is a master of natural light and so I was very excited to see what she could come up with. Check out her very informatve video below. You don't need expensive gear to get quality images guys! <

We knew there were going to be a lot of last minute contest videos submitted but never would we have thought this many of you would have waited until the last minute. I want to thank everyone for participating but I'll give no sympathy to those who lost lots of sleep this weekend trying to meet deadlines ha! Sean Armenta's BTS video is the latest of the last minute entries, and in it he shows how you can create clean and professional beauty shots just like you seen the pages of women's magazines such as Elle, Vogue, and Glamour. All of this was also done with just one light which should help those of you on a budget. Check out Sean's website as well since he has some amazing photos in his portfolio!

Sean Armenta | One Light Beauty Setup from Sean Armenta on Vimeo.

I am really enjoying this quality images from low quality gear thing that has been going on around here lately. Check out Studio 54 shooting with just 1 light.

BTS - Entry Level Gear from Photo54 on Vimeo.

This week we are featuring a few standout BTS videos created by our readers for the Fstoppers Behind the Scenes Contest ending this Saturday. If you want to see all of the submissions jump on over to the forum and see how the competition is shaping up. In the meantime, you have to check out what Parker Smith and his [jr]high school friends created for the contest. While the photography itself is nothing ground breaking, seeing young photographers like Luke and Trent work with other teenagers is nothing short of inspiring. It just goes to show what a little initiative and some creativity can do.

BTS - Poolside Photo Shoot from Parker Smith on Vimeo.

As you all know The iPhone Fashion Shoot created a heated debate on the internet. I responded to all of the haters but according to my scientific tests, 95% of internet trolls are illiterate so they never read it. I have been getting tons of emails from people who want me to do the shoot again with only lights from Lowes but I am not really interested. The shoot was fun to do once, I proved my point, and I don't want to be known as "the iPhone photographer" so I am going back to only using my camera phone to take pictures of my drunk friends. Thankfully there are others out there that have my back. Zach Andrews and Corinne Alexandra created a quick video in which they take a beautiful portrait with a lamp, a window, a sheet, and a point and shoot. Once again talent trumps gear. Photoshoot for DIY-ers from Zach Andrews on Vimeo.

Mike Sisk of FX Studios just sent this video over to us. He used falling paper to make his background a bit more interesting and appeared to tether his camera to his iPad to review his shots. Cool idea!

Flying Papers - BTS from Fx Studios on Vimeo.

It's rare that I watch a BTS video that gets me all excited but Cole Barash has done it. This video reminds me of what Fstoppers is all about because I am once again inspired. When you think that it has all been done before it's nice to be reminded how wrong you are. Check out the final shots from this fantastic shoot here. Please remember to comment below and give this photographer some love. ><

A few weeks ago I did a full fashion photo shoot with my iPhone 3gs. I posted a few of the images and asked people to critique them (never exposing that they were shot on my cell phone). I couldn't help but laugh when a few of our readers claimed that these were "the best images I had ever taken." Nobody ever claimed that they were too grainy, too soft, or lacked detail. View this full post to read the full story and see the high res shots from this photoshoot. ><

Peter Hurley is a true inspiration. Not only is he an amazing headshot photographer but he is also one of the most fun, energetic, and encouraging photographers I have ever met. Click the post to read more about how we got in touch with him and what we couldn't show you in this video. <

Joel Grimes has an amazing portfolio and in this video we get a glimpse of what it takes to shoot and then edit one of his images. Check out Joel's website at www.joelgrimes.com and visit www.joelgrimesworkshops.com for more tutorials. <

Rudy Archuleta is a commercial photographer probably best known for his portraits of musicians and rockstars. His portfolio is a who's who of popular culture and his images quite interesting to deconstruct. View more of Rudy Archuleta's work at www.rudyarchuleta.com Rudy Archuleta - Photographer from Redux Pictures on Vimeo.

This is the is what Fstoppers is all about. National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore has created a book that will feature portraits of endangered species. To go along with his book he created a quick video promo. This video is the behind the scenes of that promo. View the full post to see the extraordinary finished product.

RARE: Behind the Scenes from Joel Sartore on Vimeo.

I love this video because it is so different. After you learn how to shoot people peaking from behind a curtain you should check out Espen's amazing portfolio at www.heiaespen.com Behind The Scenes - DFDS from Espen Nersveen on Vimeo.

Some photographers think taking a pretty model out to a remote location will result in a great photograph. Others know they need to build a studio on location to create something even better. Watch what Kesler Tran does when out on a dried lake bed! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A5Hn4Lzjyc<

I am not a rich man, and even if I was I never see myself dropping $15,000 to stay in a hotel room for one night. However, if I happened to meet someone that wanted to give it to me for free you better believe I would stay there, and set up a photoshoot. And that is exactly what happened. Click on this post to see a second video of us talking about the shoot afterwards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu1R6w1Mh90

Marie-Louise Cadosch of Behind the Mask Photography is not your average run of the mill photographer. Her background as a fashion stylist seems to play a huge roll in creating a classy mood in her photographs. In her Glasspass behind the sceens video, Marie-Louise spares no effort on the production end and the images are great because of it. I love photographers who work with a large team of creative professionals, and you can really tell they add so much to overall mood of these images. It also looks like she gives a little Ode to the Kill Bill / Sin City movies without making it too obvious. Very cool shoot!

Glasspass Shooting - Behind The Scenes from Behind The Mask Photography on Vimeo.