"Not every famous photograph was taken with a Leica. But they were all taken thanks to Leica."
The German camera brand on Wednesday unveiled this incredible new ad from Brazilian agency F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first Leica camera and the opening of Leica Gallery São Paulo in November. The message is conveys is powerful, but is not exactly a humble one.
Mike Drew is a Calgary-based photojournalist who's worked for the publications such as the Calgary Sun and the Toronto Star since 1978. Recently, Mike was challenged by the guys at TheCameraStoreTV to try and shoot film for a day while working as a photojournalist to see if it was still a viable option for the type of work he does.
Having just started in photography two years ago I have a strong passion for creatives willing to share their passion and tips with the community. Fstoppers included, its one of the reasons I found all the information I needed with little to no cost starting out. Skillshare is launching an exciting series of classes highlighting how some of the best photographers in the world do what they do best, take incredible photos and share them with the world.
If you follow any of my work, you know I am a sucker for anything Back To The Future. I even recreated my own BTTF image using a real DeLorean awhile back, so I HAD to share this video. The guys over at Shanks FX have created another inventive tutorial on how you can create your own time travel scene on a budget using a DSLR, simple time lapse software, a toy DeLorean, and some LED lights. Think you may want to try something like this at home?
Most photographers looking to advance their commercial photography careers come to the realization that in order to score the big jobs, they need to work with creative agencies. The question is, how does a photographer get those agency gigs? I sat down with Associate Creative Director Scott Wallace of Magner Sanborn to discuss the creative agency/photographer relationship and what we can do as photographers to get noticed and ultimately get hired.
Here is the exciting conclusion to the New York City Photo Throwdown episode. Just after their REFOCUS last week, Chris Fain and Jennifer Rozenbaum are now going to get down to the nitty gritty and putting their finger to the shutter to shoot street performer Matthew Silver in the Peter Hurley Studios. YOU decide the winner of this episode of Photo Throwdown!
The Maze Runner, a new film by Fox and Dayday Films, is a new film in what seems to be a trending list of young adult dystopian movies to be released recently. In these behind the scenes featurettes we can see a small glimpse at how they filmed the movie and how the special effects were created.
Let's face it, smartphone cameras are getting better and better with every release. Mobile photo editing software is getting better too, and with the rise in popularity of Instagram over the last four years, sharing vintage-looking photographs have become quite the trend. Online content studio Rubber Republic produced the #PictureBelfast campaign for Tourism Ireland featuring fashion and lifestyle blogger Donna Ross going head to head with Belfast based photographer Andrew Rankin. Their challenge was to take photographs showing off the best of Belfast – half with a smartphone and half shot on film – where Internet users would try to guess which method for each image was utilized.
It seems like everyone and their accountants have known someone who had the inside scoop on the details surrounding the highly anticipated GoPro 4. Every week, Facebook feeds would explode with the latest outlandish rumors, getting even the most tepid of us excited. Well, these latest rumors may in fact be the real deal.
If you're on Instagram and have been immersed in the community they have built, you have most likely come across Bethany Olsen and Cory Staudacher feeds by now. Both photographers from Seattle met through mutual friends via the social network and eventual became an instant hit while sharing incredible photos across the Pacific Northwest gaining over 500,000 followers combined.
Fotodiox just announced some very flat, very compact AC/battery powered LED edge lights for use in video productions. My experience with Fotodiox LEDs has been relatively positive, with strong power and excellent color consistency. The new lights, called FlapJacks look to be an excellent addition to your lighting arsenal.
Last week at Photokina, Phottix announced their battery powered TTL strobe the Indra500 to much accolades and this week they released a video on scet with acclaimed Hong Kong Photographer CM Leung and Hong Kong Arnold Classic Winner Brenda Lo. Though there isn't any talking or additional information on how the strobe handled here, you can get a feel for what it looks like in a real world use situation.
What sets you and your work apart? Having a clear idea of this is critical if you want to develop your work but when was the last time you actually thought about it? Shane Hurlbut is a veteran Director of Photography and today shares his thoughts on his career and success. Whether you work with stills or motion, his approach sets him apart and we can all learn from him.
Mountaineering photographer Robert Böesch stood at the ready, next to several cameras as he waited for the right conditions and timing, to capture an unbelievable exposure of the Matterhorn Peak, one of the most notable mountains in the Alps, if not the world. What made the image so special was the team of mountaineers already in place, each with red lights to illuminate the first route ascended on it 150 years ago. This video shows how it was done.
Oregon based photographer and filmmaker Ben Canales decided to take his shiny new iPhone 6 Plus to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to create a short film to show off the power of the new pop tart sized phablet. The resulting footage is great, but is Ben in fear of losing some business to iPhone cinematographers?
After hitting it out of the park a few months ago with the brilliant "Eye-Opening" commercial, Canon Austraila releases another one. "To the Ends of the Earth" features Canon Master Krystle Wright doing what she does best - creating breathtaking action photos in epic places. Her persuit of adventure leads her to some amazing locations in this video - from climbing the tops of mountains to jumping from sheer cliffs to freediving under the ocean. I'm pretty sure she's giving the Dos Equis guy a run for his money.
Austin Mann recently got hold of the new iPhone 6 Plus after Apple’s Keynote at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California. In partnership with The Verge, he set out on an amazing adventure through Iceland with the phone in tow. His reason? He wanted to put the iPhone 6 Plus camera through the test to see how much has improved since the iPhone 5s. His results? From focus pixels, focus control, time-lapse and slo-mo, Apple has made all the right improvements and innovations with their iSight camera. The new features are “enabling iPhone users to better capture and share life” says Mann.
Over the past month I've been hard at work testing the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema (BMPCC) camera in a variety of situations for an Fstoppers review (since they updated the firmware, it's like an entirely new camera). While that review is still in progress as of today, I did want to talk to you guys about one piece of equipment that made shooting with it a great experience: the Metabones EF to Micro Four Thirds Adapter for the BMPCC.
The old photographers’ saying, “It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer” sounds like a self-serving flattery when it comes out of the mouth of a photographer, yet has never been more accurate than today. Its ironic how, as a professional photographer, I posses the knowledge of manipulating the most sophisticated gear and cameras available, yet when I shoot an image on the iPhone the resulting image is an embarrassment. Rushing to my defense I’ll utter each time, “I’m a terrible iPhone photographer…” So when I see amazing images, shot with the iPhone, I’m impressed with what can be achieved.
Photo Throwdown just premiered their first show today, and I can’t be more excited to tell you about it! This is only part one of their two part first episode where photographers Jennifer Rozenbaum and Chris Fain go head to head in New York City. There they receive challenges to try and win so that they can get one up on their competition. Just when they think they’ve got it all figured out, out comes a REFOCUS that will be twist things more than an M. Night Shyamalan movie ending.
Sony's answer to many filmmakers' dreams comes in the form of the refined, lightweight, portable, and ever-enabling PXW-FS7. The FS7 offers internal 4K recording at 60fps and 1080p at 180fps, with a single extension unit and external recorder required to shoot 4K RAW footage. In addition to an ergonomic smart grip with customizable controls and a built-in, four-position ND filter to allow you to shoot truly on-the-go, the FS7 also makes use dual slots for a new 128GB XQD G-series card that supports 440MB/s read and 350MB/s write speeds.
Announced today at IDC, Blackmagic showed off a new Blackmagic Cinema Camera sporting a PL mount (For Arri and Red Camera systems) as well as a series of rackmountable interfaces, monitors and input systems. These additions to their lineup help prove once again that Blackmagic is ready to play with the professional level videographers.
Introducing PowerPole, a GoPro accessory with some pretty cool features. The PowerPole is designed to add extended reach for people using GoPro camera systems; a necessity when filming yourself skiing down a mountainside, or surfing through those ten foot waves. That's not all though, the PowerPole also has equipped itself with one much needed feature in the modern GoPro system - battery life.
Growing up, my dad liked to quote an old song called “Warpaint” by the Brooks Brothers: “With all that lipstick powder and paint, you all dressed up like what you ain’t.” It was his defense against the inevitable growing up of his teenage daughters, but never once did I buy into it. Instead, I embraced makeup, hair styling, clothing, and more as a path to self-expression.
Martin Melnick is a Portland-based director and colorist. His studio, Tree House Post, specializes in color, VFX, editing, and motion graphics. Recently he along with his team put together an amazing music video for the band Adventure Galley based on classic 50s and 60s scifi shows such as Men into Space, Destination Moon, and Dr. Strangelove. The video has already received quite a bit of attention from various film and music video festivals and Martin was kind enough to share a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the video in a brief interview.
Figuring out a fair rate for providing photography or video services can be a slippery slope, filled with pitfalls if you happen to price yourself incorrectly. But what's more complicated than setting a rate for services is how to approach setting a rate for someone who wants to license a piece of work you've already created. In this post I'll share my insight on the factors I look at, and my rationale for determining a fair fee for video and photo licensing.
The state of California is simply unmatched when it comes to beautiful, picturesque imagery in the United States. As the birthplace and home of timelapse photographer Hal Bergman, it was his goal to compile as much of the visual wonders California has to offer in to a tight four-minutes time. His newest video, aptly titled “California,” combines four years of filming in to a marvelous treat for the eyes that any citizen of the world can appreciate. Beyond the video, Hal also speaks to Fstoppers about the behind-the-scenes work and equipment used in the making.
As the old saying goes, "mess with the bull and you will get the horns", is what one photographer from New Zealand found out the hard way. Not everyone thinks that drones are cool toys. The owner of the drone claims to have rescued the ram from a farmer who was going to put him down because he was so aggressive.
I consider myself an advertising connoisseur - both of print and motion. As I continue on my journey as an image-maker, however, it becomes harder and harder for ads to impress me. I'm jaded. But that said, Under Armour is really killing it these days with their highly relable and modern ads.
National Geographic's Expedition Granted has shared a great inspirational video full of Casey Niestat's wisdom and experience that he has accumulated in his career thus far. A lot of what Casey talks about is from an artist's mindset that can apply to any medium that you apply your craft at. Click more to get great advice that you can use in your photography career starting today.
A lot of my work is on the road, which is why I spent a long time looking for the best mobile storage options before eventually landing on the WD My Passport Pro and the LaCie Rugged SSD. But when I'm not on the road, I'm at my desk editing a wide range of video. It's here that I realized I needed not only a reliable backup, but also a powerful and fast working drive to burn through edits. What I found was the G-Speed Studio, and I love it.
You read that headline correctly. After making a huge splashes in the motion-capture industry since 2005, Red has big plans to be the only camera system you use on set for both your motion AND still photography needs, and it's closer to being a reality than you would think. Prepare to have your minds blown.
Whether it's photography or videography, we're always of the belief that we need that extra piece of gear to produce high quality and professional looking content. Be it a high-resolution camera to showcase detail, a rig for steady frames, or filters to deal with challenging light conditions, we're convinced that our vision can't be conveyed without a bag full of gear. While that may sometimes be true, this touching slow motion video shows just how much can be achieved with only a phone and a strong vision.
If you are a quadcopter owner like I am, you know how frustrating it can be when you are in the middle of a great flight and those red lights start flashing that warn the pilot of low battery. Usually the pilot will return the aircraft safely to their side before the impending doom occurs.
If you've had a chance to check out Framed Network's fabulous mini-series, Film, you'll be familiar with the awesome, inspiring work of Ryan Muirhead. Ryan's career as a photographer started only around five years ago, since then he's made quite a splash in the film-shooting (and otherwise) community and become a constant source of inspiration for me. In this interview he chats with The Artist Report about the importance of living in the present, embracing (or at least learning to live with) failure, and how he's gone about weighing what he wants to do against what he needs to. If you have an extra 25-odd minutes this afternoon I'd highly encourage you to check out this video, you may be a better photographer for it.
Photographer and Filmmaker Thomas Leveritt had a radical idea: find people on the street, film their faces with an ultraviolet camera, and show his subjects the not-yet-visble changes to their skin. The participant's reactions range from shock to laughter, but it is obviously that no one had ever seen their face in this light.
Are you having a hard time deciding between the Canon 6D and T5i for your next camera? Well, you may want to keep looking for a real comparison review. In this video, a man that goes by the name Frank Lasagna compares these camera’s low light capabilities, frames-per-second, and most importantly: how well they capture his neighbor’s wife’s skin.
In the last few years, advances in technology have allowed for filmmakers to do some pretty amazing things. With the accessibility of cameras like the Go-Pro, the gap between amateur and pro is narrowing. Enter award-winning wildlife filmmaker John Downer and his quest to push the remarkable. Filmmakers are putting these high-resolution spy cameras in everything from fake rocks to swimming ducks and to motorized piles of snow... and the resulting footage is remarkable.
Christiaan Welzel and his wife Kseniya have trekked across the world adventuring for the majority of the last eight years. They decided to start exploring places that were extremely hard to get to like Antarctica or various ghost towns, but they finally decided on traveling to Ukraine where Kseniya is from. It was in April of last year, days before the 27th anniversary of the nuclear disaster, when months of preparations finally came to fruition and they headed off to Chernobyl.
How do you achieve long term success? Whether you want to grow a huge photography or video business, or just improve your skills, it would pay to look at the dramatic failures of others rather than just the “success stories”. Why? Because long term success is the result of resilience and determination in the face of constant failure and almost insurmountable odds, and if we understand - and embrace - this philosophy, we can overcome almost anything.
For those of us who didn't get to make it out to Black Rock Desert this week for the annual Burning Man Festival , we can now enjoy the experience virtually, thanks to the incredible new film Lake Of Dreams by Roy Two Thousand. Combining time-lapse, hyperlapse, and standard video, Roy, along with his second shooters, August Winkelman and Connor McNeill, give us a 7 minutes jaw dropping short film that will feel so real, you will be cleaning the sand out of your teeth for the rest of the afternoon.
Turning the work you do on a personal project into something that makes you money isn't a new idea (just ask stock shooters.) However, the forethought required to concept a personally fulfilling shoot or production that will also have the chance to generate some income can be tricky to figure out. This past weekend I had three shoots, and they were all because of one personal project I created a month ago. And I actually planned for this to happen.
When it comes to taking better photos you can never go wrong with a few choice words from Joe McNally. In this short video Joe reminds us of the importance of giving our audience a sense of scale and demonstrates how the simple addition of a person can create a more compelling image.
Wyatt Neumann took to Instagram to post photos he took of his daughter on a road trip. While she was clothed in some images, she was fully or partially nude in a number of them as well. But to Neumann, there was nothing unusual about a two-year-old girl without clothes. What he though was perfectly innocent, many called child pornography. The extreme hatred grew across the Internet, and overnight, his Instagram account was shut down.
One of the most overlooked, yet most used items in a photographer's arsenal, is the grip kit. A grip kit isn't something most photographers set out to buy, build, or assemble, it's generally born from necessity. Over the years we find ourselves on jobs needing certain things that we don't have readily available and we end up improvising to get the job done. Usually we make a mental note of how we can be more prepared in the future, which often times leads to adding small "grip" items to our pack list. When we collect enough of these items, they typically make their way into some sort of crate, bag, or box also known as a grip kit.
Mathieu Maury and Antoine Pai are two photography and filmmaking enthusiast who decided to launch a production and advertising company called Maison Carnot. They are passionate about finding new subjects and ways to explore what surrounds them. Based on this philosophy, they came up with the short film "Paris through Pentax".
We have all seen the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos flooding our Facebook feeds and various social platforms the last couple weeks. If you have grown annoyed by them please remember that the cause is real and the people affected by the disease truly do appreciate all the extra support they have received from the exposure the challenge has created. Here is an incredible video featuring photographer Anothony Carbajal explaining the disease and the harsh truth behind it.
Chantelle Brown-Young was teased in school, often called "zebra" or "cow" becuase of her skin condition, vitiligo. However, things began to change when a Toronto photographer encouraged her to model at 16. Her alter-ego-named Instagram (@winnieharlow) became an outlet for her modeling photos and soon enough, Tyra Banks contacted her to become a part of America's Next Top Model (ANTM).
The nice folks at TogTools are continuing their Fstoppers series with Lindsey Pantaleo! Giving new and emerging photographers the chance to hear it from the pros on all aspects of the fast growing photography industry, these podcasts are a bevy of information. In addition to Lee Morris and now Lindsey, many of the Fstoppers staff writers and contributers will be interviewed in this series by the wonderful TogTools founders Stephen and Jess Robertson over the next couple months.
Scott Kelby over at KelbyOne recently shared this video showing you a quick and easy way to edit video in Photoshop CC. I personally tend to lean more on the still-photography side of things and am not entirely versed in video post production. This tutorial gives me and photographers / videographer like me a simple option and alternative to the under-equipped iMovie for quick video edits.