Workshops

Our first Kid’s Photo Walk actually happened, and it was a success! Over 35 people showed up to participate in a nonprofit community event for children which encouraged kids to spend time with nature and whatever camera they have access to.

If you reside anywhere that’s similar to the sleepy little town I live in, you’re aware that there aren’t many opportunities for children to get hands-on with art; especially photography. In light of this fact, my wife and I decided to create an opportunity for youngsters living in our home town to spend a morning with us expanding their knowledge of photography.

"It's a vulnerable thing being photographed," says the photographer sitting across from me, "It's not abnormal for me to sit and chat with people for 20 minutes before I photograph them. I'm timing myself; I am watching for a look in their eye... Once I see it, I know we are ready to start photographing." Sitting down in Michael Schacht's studio, nestled in the heart of Chicago's meatpacking district, I have come to realize he is all about human connection.

Pratik Naik is no stranger to many in the photography industry. Having worked with some of the great talents in the game right now, such as Joey L., Lara Jade, Scott Hugh Mitchell, and Bella Kotak, Pratik is a master retoucher. What you might not know about Pratik is that he is a giving and generous soul, intent on making your holidays a little brighter.

Our friends at ViewBug teamed up with Discovery Photo Tours to offer an unforgettable Italy photo adventure to one lucky photographer. Submit your image to the completely free “Around the World” photo contest and you could win a seat on Discovery Photo Tours' Spring 2017 Italy Photo Tour! This all-inclusive, eight-day tour will be an incredible journey through the heart of Italy. Start in Rome and wind through the Tuscan countryside, into Florence, and end in Cinque Terre.

A major concern I hear from boudoir photographers is the lack of a formal studio space for shooting. While I do have a downtown studio in a historic area of Palatka, Florida, if I am traveling there is not always that option of finding a shared area. Understanding how to create your own studio space in hotels, vacation homes, or Airbnbs can bring your boudoir business front and center to potential clients.

It's already Tuesday, but if you're like me – always open to sponge up as much learning and information as possible – you'll still be in time to get on with a free course on LinkedIn through their "Week of Learning," available until October 31. Last year, LinkedIn bought educational site, Lynda.com, one of the largest online training and tutorial networks. Even though LinkedIn isn't one of the networks that members of the creative industries are most active on, there's still a lot of useful information, and the workshops and tutorials are actually very well produced.

Fstoppers has worked hard to bring you valuable educational content from incredible photographers like Peter Hurley, Mike Kelley, Dylan Patrick, Elia Locardi, and Joey Wright. Now we're asking for your help! We at Fstoppers are preparing to create our next premium photography tutorial which will probably cost around $300. We would like to know from the Fstoppers community which genres we should focus on and who it should be with. Would you take a quick one minute survey to help us out?

“Peter Lindbergh: A Different Vision on Fashion Photography” will be on view from September 10, 2016 until February 12, 2017 at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, Holland. Just two days before the exhibition opens, the photographer will be giving an exclusive masterclass for students.

The weather outside is heinous. Seemingly perpetual rain batters the windows as we fire up the computer. The northern autumn is definitely on our doorstep and one of the first signs of this change of seasons is the increasing number of mushrooms in the forest. We’ve bagged 69 shots of just one composition previously and this is a great time to post-process them. Let’s get into Lightroom before more fungi start to come up after the showers have passed. Let your imagination run wild with the post-processing of glowing mushrooms that are straight out of a fantasy film. Here is how I process my own little fantasy world.

As the northern autumn draws closer, bizarre little creatures pop up all over the temperate forest. On the forest floor, underneath hedgerows and on trees, alive or the ones who have fallen. Fungi are the cleaning crew of the forest as they take care of layers of fallen deadwood and provide nutrients back to the forest. Surely they are great subjects for macro photography. Like everyone else, I’m looking to find their reproductive organs: Mushrooms. They let our imagination run wild as these little toadstools hint of fantasy worlds when photographed in a certain way. This is how I recreate my own little fantasy world.

When we created Fstoppers five years ago, we always knew that eventually we would host a live event of some kind. In 2013 we started planning for our first ever live photography workshop that would take place in the Bahamas the following year. Our first workshop proved to be far more complicated and expensive than we ever imagined but it was an amazing experience so we decided to attempt it one more time in 2015.

Well, we've just ended our last day in the Bahamas and it holds true that days fly by. Our final classes just ended and I'm almost positive everyone is going back to their rooms to nap before our last night on the island.

We're almost to our fifth day in the Bahamas and it's getting hot down here! Our second round of classes kicked off today with a new set of students in each class. Tonight our second round of instructor dinners starts as well as our second drink and mingle.

We're nearing the end of day two down here in the Bahamas and it's safe to say everyone is working their tails off! We had classes that started at 6 a.m. and are still going strong.

We're about ready to head to the welcome party down at the Fstoppers Workshop in the Atlantis, and gaging from the use of the hashtag, our attendees are livin' rough. Here's a recap of some of the classes and behind-the-scenes photos.

Were you not able to attend this year's Fstoppers Workshops in the Bahamas? Well if you want to check out some of fun behind the scenes action live follow us on Periscope. Basically Periscope is a live video streaming app that will allow you to shadow some of the top photographers in the biz including Peter Hurley, Pye Jirsa, Julia Kuzmenko, Aaron Nace, Mike Kelley, and more.

When a fashion photographer travels between both coasts of the U.S., shoots assignments in the Caribbean islands, and spans the continents of Europe and Asia for work, it’s safe to say he’s “made it.” Living through those experiences when the stakes are so high prepares you for anything – and that’s experience from which we are all lucky to learn.

Fellow Fstoppers instructor Erik Valind and I, Monte Isom, have come up with a contest that offers the whole package to aspiring and working photographers. In my class I'll be teaching how to break into the advertising business and land those large budget jobs to make photography a career instead of just a hobby. Erik will be teaching a class about controlling light with speedlights, where you'll learn to maximize natural light as well as how to light on small to medium budget productions.

During the course of my 28-year photo career I’ve learned a lot from simply watching great movies, but watching great movies alone isn’t enough. You have to practice once you’ve been exposed to new information. We all love watching movies, and today I’d like to share an exercise you can do after watching a classic movie to become a better photographer.

Matthew Jordan Smith has gained a reputation as one of the industry's top fashion photographers and also as one of the leading photography educators. Those of us who have seen Smith teaching or in interviews have been left with the same impression: he is a photographer and instructor that is forthcoming, sincere, and passionate. My experience in interviewing him proved all of these to be correct. Smith was both very candid and insightful, and here are 10 takeaways from my interview.

The 2015 Fstoppers Workshops is right around the corner, and 2 weeks ago we launched one final contest. Today 5 lucky winners will receive a free spot in a class of their choosing and one of those winners will receive an additional free class, a paid flight to the Bahamas, and a free hotel room for the 6 day event. If you entered this contest through one of our 5 social media platforms you definitely need to keep reading!

UPDATE: Two More Days! The second Fstoppers Workshops is only two months away, and just like last year we want to give someone the photography experience of a lifetime. On March 19th we are going to give away 5 free classes away to 5 lucky photographers. Our grand prize winner will recieve 2 workshops and we will also cover the cost of their flight and hotel.

Join Patrick and Lee of Fstoppers on Spreecast TONIGHT at 8:30 EST as they talk with a few of the top photographers teaching at the 2015 Fstoppers Workshops. We will be talking about our upcoming event in the Bahamas while our guests will be answering questions from our audience. Any topic is fair game so if you want to ask questions about business, retouching, lighting, marketing, or gaining commercial clients the floor will be yours.

PRO.edu has released its newest tutorial, "The Complete Guide to Product Photography and Retouching." This in-depth tutorial features over 20 hours of content on shooting and retouching, taught by Tony Roslund. The tutorial is currently available and being sold with a $25-off early-bird discount, this week only. Use the promo code 25OFF to recieve the discount at checkout. RGG brings us a curriculum based approach to teaching photography with 55 Pre-production, 11 Photo Shoot, and 11 Retouching tutorial videos.

Last week we announced a contest for an all access pass to PRO EDU's workshops down in the Bahamas this year with the Fstoppers & Rob Grimm. Thanks to everyone that entered the contest sponsored by Black Rapid, ROSCO, and Resolution Rentals. Below are the winners!

This week we are giving away 41 prizes to 41 photographers and winning couldn't be any easier. We've got boxes full of camera straps from Black Rapid, gel flash packs from ROSCO, lens rental gift certificates from Resolution Rentals, and an all access pass to the Fstoppers workshop with Rob Grimm and PRO EDU. Winning has never been easier and takes a few minutes.

Over the next week we are giving away 41 prizes to 41 people that include free rentals for gear & lenses from Resolution Rentals, camera straps from Black Rapid, gel flash packs from ROSCO, and a $3,000 all access pass to the Fstoppers workshops with PRO EDU and Rob Grimm. A total of 41 people will be picked for these prizes so your odds of winning are pretty good. Winners will be announced here Friday February 27th. Check below for the details on how to win.

If you're planning on attending Lin and Jirsa's Ultimate Wedding Workshop 101 down in the Bahamas you will want to act fast. With only 6 seats left in this class, Pye and Justin will be covering proper exposure and how to shoot in manual, how to pose your couples, how to modify natural light, on and off camera flash, and much more. If you have seen the wedding work of Lin and Jirsa Weddings then you know Pye, Justin, and the rest of their team are at the pinnacle of the wedding genre. Their 101 workshop takes place May 13th through May 14th.

This May Rob Grimm from PRO EDU is hosting two workshops in the Bahamas designed to build your knowledge of studio lighting & compositon for food, beverage, & product photography. Come spend a week with us building images and learning the ins and outs of the industry, working with clients, pricing, and everything in between. Th best part is that you get a $1,000 gift certificate to PRO EDU to re-take the classes and master post-production.

Aaron Nace and the Phlearn team have designed this Photography & Compositing Essentials Class for the beginner photographer looking to enter the world of compositing and conceptual photography. A successful composite image requires a strong concept, solid lighting and posing fundamentals, and quality Photoshop skills. Based off the workflow of one of the best-known conceptual photographers, this class will teach you the essential skills to create your own composite images.

If you missed last years Fstoppers Photography Workshops in the Bahamas, you may not know what it's all about. From May 13th -19th we Fstoppers will once again have 20 different photography workshops take place at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. In this video Lee and Patrick answer everyone's top questions about the event.

This May will be the second year in a row Rob Grimm will teach two studio lighting and composition classes at the Fstoppers workshops in the Bahamas. After selling out early last year, Rob will be leading two multi-day classes that focus on lighting, composition, and styling for two different workshops. The best part is you also get a $1,000 gift certificate to PRO EDU for going to take what you learned even further.

We all know the concept of a skinny mirror or fat mirror but lighting is really what can change your appearance in photos, especially when defining muscles.

A few weeks ago we held a contest for our 2015 Fstoppers photography workshops in the Bahamas. We randomly chose 3 winners and their names are...

On May 13th - 17th of this year Fstoppers is once again putting on an incredible event for photographers. 10 of the top photographers in the industry today will be teaching 20 different courses in the Bahamas at Atlantis Resort. This is your chance to win a free class of your choice worth up to $1500.

Last year at my workshop in the Bahamas, my students challenged me to photograph a hotel room in under five minutes. They then wanted to see how fast I could retouch it, and I've decided to do it again, this time capturing it on camera, to show everyone what is possible with only a few minutes on location, a bit of Photoshop knowledge, and of course a lot of practice in the art of previsualization!

The Fstoppers Workshops is back again for 2015 with the best photography workshops on the incredible island of Nassau in the Bahamas. If you are planning on coming but do not have the full amount saved, you can reserve all of your photography workshops for just $500 before they sell out.

Through the years shooting weddings, I have found that my favorite photos always tend to be those charming candid moments that last ever so briefly. In this video and article I wanted to talk about my technique in how I set up and capture well composed and lit candid moments. Hopefully I will see you all in the Bahamas where we are going to dive into all of these subjects in complete detail in our Ultimate Wedding Photography Workshop!

For a bit over a year now, I have been taking regular flights over the city of Los Angeles, photographing the city from a helicopter. I get a lot of questions about how I'm editing the images to get the look and feel that I am, and the answer is actually quite simple. Using only carefully considered exposures and Lightroom adjustments, I've come up with a consistent and somewhat unique look for the project.

This May, Rob Grimm from PRO EDU will be teaching two multi-day workshops perfect for still life photographers. The classes are interactive, hands on, and full of opportunities to take your studio photography & lighting to the next level. All workshop attendees that join will receive a $1000 gift certificate to PRO EDU.

Last year we hosted our very first Fstoppers Workshops in the Bahamas and it was the most rewarding experiences of my life. So many amazing friendships were made, long last memories were created, and most importantly so many photographers were able to take their businesses to the next level. Today we are excited to announce the 2015 Fstoppers Workshops, and we hope you can be a part of another unbelievable experience.

What do you get when you mix a little Australian photographer Jerry Ghionis with NJ Wedding Photographer Vanessa Joy? A conversation that talks about mastering the art of photography all in a half hour audio interview about common photographer fears and pitfalls. Jerry talks about his climb from his family losing their home to where he is today with nothing but a fierce passion and work ethic in his pocket.

B&H has launched what is easily the most comprehensive platform for understanding Canon glass that we have ever seen: the Canon Lens Experience. Backed by 15 powerhouse photographers including Gregory Heisler, Jeremy Cowart, Jim Wark and Randy Kerr, the new platform lets you get a very in-depth look at lenses, what they do and what images taken with them look like.

We are currently finalizing all of the instructors for Fstoppers Workshops 2015 which will be held once again at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The next event will take place from May 13-17 2015. Check out our quick promo to see a glimpse of this years event.

During our 2014 Fstoppers Workshops in the Bahamas students had the privilege of watching 10 successful photographers share their top photographic techniques. Commercial and celebrity portrait photographer Michael Grecco taught classes on environmental portraiture and sexy swimwear photography, so of course we thought it would be awesome to tag along as Michael explained some of the tips that make his portraits so unique.

I've had some pretty amazing experiences in my life. Fstoppers.com has given me incredible opportunities like meeting Bon Jovi, or riding in the first Lamborghini Aventador in America. Our international workshop last week took a year of planning and insane amounts of stress. On top of it all, I had the flu during the entire week. Even still, last week was the most rewarding week of my life.

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting over 100 photographers at our workshop at the Atlantis in the Bahamas. Our opening party was hosted at Fathoms where we set up a photobooth in front of "The Digg." The tank holds over 100 venomous Indo-Pacific Ocean Lionfish, 500 piranhas, iridescent jellyfish and six-foot Moray Eels. It turned out to be one of the most entertaining backdrops with a revolving window of fish!

With over 100 students spanning 20 different countries, the first ever Fstoppers Workshops was a HUGE success. Join us this Sunday at 3pm Eastern (NYC time) as we recap some of the most interesting moments, catch up with newly made friends, and start taking suggestions for next year's event! Lee and I will be hosting the video chat and who knows what famous photographers will pop in to answer some of your questions. This is open to anyone and we look forward to seeing everybody again!

We have reached that time....the Fstoppers Workshops in the Bahamas is only a month away! The response to our first workshop has been amazing and we cannot wait to meet everyone down in paradise. If you are still considering going, you only have 24 more hours to decide as our super affordable hotel room rate at the Atlantis Resort is about to expire. Monday is the last day to take advantage of our $169 room rate; after the 28th