As a photographer who constantly experiments with new ideas and techniques, I have been busy playing around with some unconventional things that you may find in a photographer's kit.
The idea of a travel tripod causes hesitation. On one hand, you have a size that makes bringing a tripod on location no longer a physical strain. On the other, these tripods tend to be thin, causing them to be less sturdy than larger, thicker tubed tripods. The key to a good travel tripod is striking a balance of size and strength. For the past few years, MeFOTO has been the leading brand in travel tripods with their wide selection of sizes. Their introductory line of tripods offered everything from tabletop height to a full size 64" tripod. With their newest release, they seem to be pushing the boundaries of how small a tripod can really be.
Serif launched the beta version of Affinity Photo a few months ago, and it impressed many retouchers. Very robust, not so costly, and quite stable despite its young age, the beta version had everything to seduce amateur photographers and retouchers, as well as professional. It had a couple of functionalities lacking, but Serif was listening to the community and made the software even better. Why do I write everything like it is in the past? Well, because today the stable and official version is here. Affinity Photo is available on the Mac App Store.
For photographers looking to get into scanning their own film, the Epson V600 is the perfect first flatbed scanner.
Having seen many beautiful images of newborns in the past, when I recently became a father for the first time I was keen to get some images of my newborn daughter. Unfortunately, the photographers I wanted to use had no availability, so I thought I'd try it myself. It was an interesting experience.
It is the time of the year when we look back at the past 12 months and decide what worked and what didn’t work in our businesses. This is the most common time of the year to re-vamp pricing for the upcoming season.
The first thing that comes to mind when panoramas are mentioned is an extremely wide field of view. Often, you need multiple photos to cover such angles. A panorama can also be achieved by a crop. Which method should you use for landscapes? Cropping or stitching?
I don't think there is anything sexier in the lens world than the Zeiss 28-80 T2.9 Compact Zoom Lens. Its robust cine-style housing and calibrated focus scales make pulling tack sharp focus a joy. What is lacks in affordability it drastically makes up for in the most epic of lens performances you can find. If you have the option to rent this on your next shoot, don't think twice. Make sure to check out the Carl Zeiss showreel below as well.
Yesterday, we talked about five common mistakes beginner photographers make. Now, let's talk about five common mistakes professional photographers make.
Living in the desert, I don’t see a lot of water. And while I lived on coastline, I never really played with water for shoots other than the occasional beach photo. This is why I became fascinated by Nick Pugay’s work when I first saw it. That’s because Nick Pugay takes your wedding photos and engagement photos, underwater.
I had to watch this video three times. It simply blew me away. For years movies have been created using green screens, as is the case here with the 2012 hit "The Avengers." The part that amazed me in this behind the scenes video is the amount of detail that is captured to perfection by the digital artists and how they team up with photographers to recreate reality spheres to insert the actors. Read on to check out some of the facts on how it was created.
Voightlander, maker of one of the sharpest pancake lenses I've ever used, has a new lens on the market, and it's unbelievably fast. Their new 42.5mm f/0.95 lens has the potential to be amazing if you're in the market for a new micro four thirds prime, and with an equivalent to 85mm after factoring the crop magnification, this lens could be amazing for portraits and is available for pre-order now for shipping by August 21.
Sony may have changed the game with the introduction of eye autofocus but Canon might be about to resurrect a feature that’s not been seen since the Canon EOS-3 and EOS 7 were released around twenty years ago: eye-controlled autofocus.
Sony's 85mm f/1.4 is a fantastic lens... but you could save $1,100 if you buy the Samyang version.
Seven years since inception, I have shot over 250 weddings across the world and it all began from that first itch to capturing someone’s special memory and putting a smile on their face. Looking back is always fun; a lot of mistakes made and lessons learned. As a wedding photographer, I sat by and thought over what I’d say to myself if I were to begin fresh now. Now, this post is not just to those who are raring to get started in photography, but also to the beginner in each one of us who loves to get started every now and then with a fresh perspective.
Let’s not lie to ourselves and try to sugarcoat the issue -- in many circumstances, gear matters. There is no shame in admitting that despite all your talent, some shoots can’t be done without the appropriate hardware. Here is why.
Fans of Fujifilm will be pleased to know that the company has announced the development of the X-Pro3, the next in their line of rangefinder-style cameras. The camera will have some very unique features and upgrades; check them out here.
The Overseas Press Club of America is an organization who recognizes photojournalist and photographers for exceptional reporting in the photography medium. Since 1939 the OPC has seeked to maintaining an international association of journalist working abroad and here in the United States. Last night, they awarded 4 different photographers with awards of exceptionalism.
Ever since Benjamin Von Wong took a leap of faith and left his successful career as a engineer to persue his artistic passions, he has kept a legion of die hard fans enchanted by his ability to turn the ordinary into epic. Whether it be organizing complicated pyrotechnics, photographing surreal scenes of ultraviolet models, or chaining models to a shipwreck 25 meters below the surface in Bali, Benjamin has never been interested in being ordinary. In his insanely creative mind, his thought process of "If it's not epic, than what's the point?" has led to some of the most memorable photoshoots in the last several years.
What would you do if one of the proudest photographs in your archive suddenly took on a very dark association? In 2004 I sold an image of a parkour athlete to Adidas to launch a new line of trainers. That athlete is now a convicted sex offender.
Tamron has announced a new generation of wide-angle lenses that surpass their older models with superior optical, build, and stabilization features.
I don’t do a lot of gear reviews, in fact, this is my first for Fstoppers (bear with me). But Lumu is a product I’ve been following since it’s launch on Kickstarter back in 2013. I didn’t invest back then, I’ll tell you why later, but it's a great concept that has become a reality so I’m here to give you my honest thoughts and a short video we hacked together using the meter in the field.
For a long time, Leica was known for producing some of the best cameras on the market. Some of the most iconic images in history have been shot on a Leica and the M series has remained one of their most sought after and almost idolized series of cameras. Recently I had the immense pleasure of testing the Leica M10-P and here are some of my thoughts on the camera.
Sometimes, we admire one's work, but we may not understand the path they took or how they perceive images of their own. For a few years now, Photographer Dennis Ramos has graced the front page with his popular photos and Photos of the Day here on Fstoppers. I had the great opportunity to sit down with Ramos for an interview at Tampa Image Factory to find out what exactly his photographic journey entailed in order to become one of the best black and white fine art photographers around.
For 32 years Kenji Yamaguchi has been National Geographic’s resident mad scientist camera engineer. He's been modifying all sorts of camera gear to enable Nat Geo’s photographers to capture the spectacular images that they do. His workshop, located in the depths of Nat Geo’s basement, is filled with frankenstein camera equipment that only exists in the form of dreams to the average photographer. Motion-detecting flashes and modified wide-angle macros are just a few of the contraptions that emerge from Kenji's workshop - frequently called upon by the world’s best lensmen. David Ehrenberg at National Geographic recently gave a peek into the workshop and mind of the master.
In a perfect world, you will have a stand-in and hero version of your food subject. You will be able to pre-light the stand-in and have everything perfect when the final hero version is ready. Then, all you have to do is add the hero and take the final shot. Unfortunately, most food assignments don't take place in a perfect world. There are times when you will have to use a non-edible stand-in for your pre-lighting.
What if I told you there is a social media platform on which you can earn money whenever somebody likes your content? And it's not owned by a big corporation but is governed by its community. In this article, I share my experience with such a platform that has been around for several years already.
Adobe has released Premiere Pro CC 2015.3. The new welcomed features are something I haven’t yet seen implemented in any other NLE. If you use Premiere, here is a look at what’s new, and if you’re not a subscriber, this might make you consider switching.
As an owner of multiple quadcopters, I always get excited when I see new technology coming out. When I saw the promo video for the Xcraft X PlusOne I was instantly intrigued. This quad combines the convenience of vertical takeoff and landing with super fast forward motion traditionally only achieved with fixed wing setups.
A few days into my landscape photography trip in Oregon, I hit a creative low. While watching a disappointing sunset, I started journaling some thoughts that helped turn a series of failures into stepping stones.
