Food Styling and Lighting with Ceviche

Have you had trouble lighting reflective surfaces? If you were given a food like ceviche to style, would you know where to begin? In this post, I am going to show you how I styled and shot a scallop and peach ceviche recipe. Here is a little background on the shot. The recipe developer meant for this dish to be served at an outdoor entertaining event, and wanted to highlight the light refreshing nature of the dish. With this in mind, I chose lighting and props that would help communicate this. Here is how I created the shot.

Photographing Planes While Getting a Tan Is  As Awesome As It Is Scary

Maho Beach is one of the most unique beaches on earth to date. The beach is located on St. Maarten, a tiny island near Puerto Rico. It's so tiny, that the local airport is located only few feet behind the beach where hundreds of people enjoy the sun, the water and the sand. Beach goers + Jumbo planes? big win for us photographers. Check out these crazy images of planes almost touching the tourists on the beach.

3 Easy Parabolic Softbox Lighting Techniques - KissFoto Episode 10

Learning how to light your subjects with one light is easy. Learning how to light a subject in a variety of ways using one light and one modifier requires a bit of creativity. When you're using one light, each inch you move your modifier ultimately affects your scene. Lighting at that point becomes very purposeful.

Great Images Using Powder As a Prop

Earlier today Zach Sutton posted a creative way to use baby powder as a smoke replacement for your photoshoots. Now we're taking that to a different level. Have you ever tried to shoot powder as just, you know, plain powder? By throwing powder (flour, baby powder or color pigments) on your models, you can get some very creative results. Check out these great examples found on Flickr and get inspired.

Fstoppers Reviews the Fujifilm GFX 50R: Medium Format for the Masses

Fujifilm have placed themselves squarely at both ends of the sensor-size war, skipping 35mm full frame altogether and instead concentrating on APS-C and medium format. In this review we'll be taking a look at the second addition to their GFX series of cameras, the rangefinder-styled GFX 50R.

Start "Freelensing" with This DIY Tutorial

If you find yourself in need of a weekend photo project this might be just the one for you. In this tutorial made by Franscesco Spighi, you can turn an ordinary Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AIS lens into a selective focus "freelens." This mod will allow you to selectively blur and focus your lens like a tilt-shift or Lensbaby. Here's how:

Everyone Now Qualifies for $9.99 Photographer Bundle from Adobe

Well, at least for a couple weeks. Adobe initially launched the Photoshop Photography Program in September to support the needs and workflow of photographers who use CS3 or later. This small stipulation, however, limited quite a few photographers and several of you weren't too happy about it. But valid from Nov. 20 (9:00 a.m. PST) through Dec. 2, 2013 (11:59 p.m. PST), everyone qualifies, not just those who owned prior Adobe products.

Interview With Lifestyle Photographer Basil Vargas

Most people think lifestyle photography is over rated. Just pictures of people hanging out having a good time and thats about it. Technically, yes that is it. However, it's more than just that. It's not that easy to just have the shots look like people hanging out. They have to work well with each other, you have to be able to tell a story with the images, show emotions, ect. Basil Vargas is one of the many Life-style photographers I really enjoy looking at.

Phone Cameras Are Stagnant: Is This Good News for Real Cameras?

The Google Pixel line pushed the limits of what a phone’s camera could do, but the Pixel 5 looks like just a refinement, not a leap forward. The rumored specs for the iPhone 12 are similarly boring, particularly for regular photography. Is this setting the stage for real cameras to rise like a phoenix?

How To Choose the Right Focal Length in Landscape Photography

It is quite often overlooked when it comes down to creating a stunning photograph, although it has a big impact on the composition and even on the story of an image. We are talking about the right focal length. Avoid one of the biggest traps about focal lengths and find out how to impact your composition with the right lens.

How to Spot an Instagram Account That's Been Buying Followers (With Examples)

In today’s social media, followers have become currency with the most popular Instagrammers wielding a lot of power. It’s no surprise that many unscrupulous users have been tempted into buying their prominence rather than earning it. Fortunately, there are now quick and easy ways to spot those who are trying to cheat their way to social media success.

A Simple Trick To Improve Your Final Image

There is a wealth of information for every step of the photographic process, but one area that drastically improved my work some years ago is also one of the areas discussed the least.

2 Mistakes the Best Photographers Never Make

If you want to be the best, you need to refine and perfect your craft. You also need to recognize your errors and eliminate them. Here are two of the most common amateur mistakes that the best photographers never make.

Videographers Must Help One Another Out To Combat Thieves in the Industry

It seems like every week another story is circulating around the industry about one photographer stealing from another. Often the theft is done to build a portfolio of images they then use to promote themselves with and gain more business. This morning, though, I experienced a first. I learned that another company has stolen a video, put their header logo on it and is sharing this video on their site to promote themselves. Amazingly this was a video we featured here on Fstoppers and even shared how the original creator and owner of the video Simeon Quarrie put the whole thing together.

A Simple Way To Light Your Food

What do you do when you find yourself in a restaurant without a decent window to shoot by? You will have to create your own light. If you are new to food photography and never had to use artificial light to light a dish, you may find yourself unsure of where to start. You don't need multiple flashes and a bunch of modifiers to create a beautiful shot. All you need is a flash, a light stand, a large diffusion source, and a piece of white foam board. Here is how I use these tools to create a beautiful backlit shot.

Learn Everything You Need To Know About Posing In This 2-Hour Video Tutorial

Posing your subjects can be one of the most challenging tasks you have to face on shoot-day. If the person in front of your camera is not a supermodel who knows all the tricks, chances are you'll have to direct and pose that person (or people) in order to get pleasing images that make them look at their best. If you're in the business of photographing people, you should clear your schedule and watch this 2-hour B&H class as soon as possible.

Cameras in the Bins: TSA Implementing New Airport Screening Procedures Affecting Photographers

In an effort to improve the security of airline passengers and the nation’s airports, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is implementing new, stronger screening procedures for carry-on items that require travelers to place all electronics larger than a cell phone in bins for X-ray screening in standard lanes. These changes could affect photographers traveling with equipment on board by potentially requiring each camera body, some hard drives, speedlights, tablets, audio recorders, and other common electronic equipment to be removed from cases and placed separately in bins for X-ray, slowing the screening process.

Google's Pixel 3a: The Best Phone Camera for Photographers

While the Pixel 4 may soon be upon us, right now, the Pixel 3 and 3a series arguably represent the high-water mark for smartphone photography today through a combination of decent optics and more-than-decent artificial intelligence.

The Stupid Names of Camera Functions

Manufacturers are determined to keep their systems insular so equipment from other brands is incompatible. However, there is one area where this blinkered approach degenerates into silliness and damages photography: the naming of functions.

Is This Picture Too Good to be True?

Since he posted this image on his facebook profile, Shawn Heinrich's image has drawn a lot of attention. Many have stated the the shot is just a little too perfect to have happened all at once. Upon first glance, what do you think?

Must-Have Accessories and Apps for Your DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter

When buying a quadcopter, it’s hard to know where to draw the line on what accessories you should be buying with it. It’s already an expensive investment independent of all of the extras you’ll practically need. It’s even more painful to consider how a simple, inexpensive component can keep you from flying successfully. After adding a DJI Phantom 4 Pro + to my lineup, I complied a list of all of the hardware I found most valuable to help you get the greatest return on your investment.

4 Creative Ways To Use A Ring Flash With Mark Wallace

Perhaps one of the most mysterious and misunderstood lights available to a photographer is the ring light or ring flash. Most people associate the ring flash with fashion photography, but unfortunately many photographers might not know what the effect is actually doing. In this latest Snapfactory video, Mark Wallace not only shows how a barebulb Profoto Acute 2 Ringflash works, but he also gives you 3 additional lighting setups to take your own ring flash images to the next level.

Did You Do Your Photography Homework?

Today, cameras are easy to use. The skill of photographers has shifted from learning how to handle a camera to learning how to handle what happens in front of it. Do you have this skill?