Von Wong Takes Over a Cave in Germany, and the Results Are Beautiful
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Benjamin Von Wong is known for his daring, and sometimes dangerous, photo shoots. Whether it be chaining a model to a shipwreck or lighting massive amounts of fire next to 3 million dollars worth of sports cars, no idea is too crazy. In fact, the more crazy, the more creative Von Wong can be. But not every photo shoot that Von Wong creates is dangerous... to the people at least. Even in relatively mellow settings, Von Wong has to do something to make it more interesting. As he details in his latest blog post, sometimes you even have to have a $38,000 Mamiya Leaf Credo 80 just inches over the water to get "the shot."

[Review] The Brand New Really Right Stuff Pocket Pod
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When I caught wind that the tripod masters at Really Right Stuff were about to release a new product, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I love new gear. Because it had not even finished final production yet, they unfortunately could not send me a brand new one in time to satisfy my desire to see it. However, they didn't want to disappoint and instead sent me the prototype! Score! Let’s take a look at the TFA-01 Pocket Pod.

Fstoppers Reviews Venus Optics 14mm: A Mirrorless Wide Angle with Zero Distortion?
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Both Nikon and Canon’s new mirrorless mounts don’t have huge libraries of existing lens designs available for legacy mounts. While adapters help, a native option can offer a number of advantages. Venus Optics, noted for their unique lens designs, has just launched a new wide-angle with native mount support for a wide variety of mirrorless cameras. Is it worth checking out?

The Importance Of Knowing The 'Why' And Not Just The 'What' As a Photographer
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Photographers can often be lumped into two distinct camps. The first is the "what" group which is represented by people who study their craft and follow tutorials as if they are a scripted set of instructions never caring about anything other than if the technique works or not. The second group is the "why" group who study their craft and follow tutorials while also striving to learn about why what they are learning actually works. The second group has a tremendous advantage over the first as their deeper understanding of technique gifts them with far more versatility than those who simply collect a library of preset recipes with little care as to why those recipes work.

Pregnant in Death Valley
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Michael Kormos and his wife Sophie run a boutique portrait studio in NYC & San Diego, specializing in refresh & modern family photography. They recently photographed a maternity shoot in Death Valley and have graciously shared their experience. Read Michael's first hand account of executing this shoot in Death Valley.

Canon's New C700 Camera: Four Years Too Late?
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While most of the photography and videography world has been pining over the 5D Mark IV, Canon has released a second camera that promises a whole lot more. The C700 is the successor to the wonderful C500. It boasts some seriously impressive specs. But is it too late?

How to Become a Nomad and Travel in the Digital Era
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As a photographer, becoming a digital nomad empowers you to see the world as a native, not as a tourist. It’s helped me take better photos, boosted my creativity, and given me more time to dedicate to photography outside my day job. You don’t need to wait till you hit the road: you can start becoming a digital nomad now before you ever sell your house.

Sony Isn’t Quitting the A-Mount System, Announces New a99 II Full-Frame DSLR
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Lately it’s been a road of uncertainty for A-mount system users, as Sony remained quiet on specific plans for their DSLR line while making leaps and bounds in the mirrorless world. Today Sony has made their intentions clear by announcing the new Alpha 99 Mark II, a 42.4-megapixel camera with 12 fps continuous shooting, internal UHD 4K video, 399-point autofocus, and 5-axis in-body image stabilization.

FAA Wants to Issue $10,000 Fine for Drone Video Recording of Tornado Damage
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Videos like this help bring awareness of disaster situations which in turn brings aid and funding for recovery efforts. It can be argued that videos like this are pivotally important in the modern age for any area of the United States to get the help they need. But the FAA, still miffed about drones in general, is considering fining the videographer $10,000 for taking the footage.

How to Sell Your Clients on Paying for Behind-the-Scenes Videos
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On Fstoppers, we’ve long been fans of quality behind-the-scenes video counterparts to an interesting photo or video project. They are great marketing tools for us as creatives searching for more work, but they also help promote the primary business or product. This means we can justify pitching these videos as an add-on service to our clients.

My Response To Free Work
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The question of whether or not to do free work is always pressing. The debate becomes a grey area of ambiguity with many people firmly on one side or the other, and the rest of us stuck somewhere in between questioning our self worth as artists. There are strong arguments on both sides of the arena. Over the course of my career I have wandered back and forth across the defining line only to lately land in the anti-free work position, and here is why.

The New Phase One Lab Gives IQ4 150MP Owners An Impressive New Tool
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Phase One Labs is a new function available for Phase One IQ4 150MP and 150 Achromatic digital back owners. The lab offers beta versions of features currently in development, allowing photographers to provide feedback for future releases. Even though it’s only in beta, the first feature is a doozy.

GoPro Announces Updates To HERO4 Camera Line, Including 240fps Video
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Everyone's favorite point of view action camera is about to get even better. According to a post on the GoPro website, firmware updates are coming for the HERO4 camera lineup that will add features and capabilities users have been requesting for some time.

Discover the Power of Lightroom's Radial Filter
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An underrated tool in Lightroom's arsenal, the radial filter is a powerful editing feature that can be used to enhance sunsets, mimic reflectors, and draw focus to subjects. Take a look at how using the radial filter could transform your image editing workflow.

Six Tips for New Freelance Corporate Photographers
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I've been shooting corporate jobs since about 2010. At first, it was a little rocky. I didn't really know what I was doing, I hadn't shot enough with other photographers to learn the ropes, and I was just a self-taught photographer trying to make ends meet. Fast forward to 2017, and I'm shooting high-profile executives at Fortune 500 companies, and am expected to do it quickly. I'm shooting luncheons where half of the attendees flew in from another hemisphere on their private jets, and am expected to do it quietly. And well. So, here are a few quick tips for people who are just starting out in the freelance corporate photography world.

10 Things to Consider Before Starting a 365 Project for 2017
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January 1 is time for new beginnings, and the Blue Riband event for amateur photographers worldwide is the 365 Project. For the few of you who this doesn’t sound familiar, the name of the game is to try to post a picture a day without fail for a whole year. It has developed the skills and talents of many incredible photographers, but it’s not for everyone. Here are 10 things to consider before you decide to embark on your own 365 project.

Saving Money With Photo Essentials From The Hardware Store
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Working on a project and realizing there's a tool or small part needed to get the job done can be a common occurrence. That's as true with fixing a leaky faucet as it is with completing your next photography project. Many times a project or formal piece of photo gear will benefit from a seemingly random tool or building supply pickup, saving you both time and money as you work. This list will include something of benefit for anyone with a camera.
Huge Halloween Savings on Sigma Lenses at B&H Photo
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There are some scarily good Halloween deals on Sigma lenses going down at B&H Photo this week, perhaps the standout bargain being a phenomenal price on the much vaunted Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art. In total, 73 lenses are on sale for just four days total, so you should probably check out some of these deals.

Dramatic Beauty Tutorial Part 5: High Contrast Black & White Conversion
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In the final part of the Dramatic Beauty Portrait Tutorial, we will look at how I do my Black and White conversion. This image is a dramatic image so it calls for a punchy and high-contrast black and white conversion. In this tutorial, I will show you how I stack blending modes and adjustment layers to get my image exactly where I want it. You can follow these steps in your own images or use the techniques and customize them for your own use. In the video you will also see how to use layer masks to create targeted adjustments for your high-contrast black and white portraits.

Win a $10,000 New Zealand Photo Adventure in This Free Photo Contest!
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Our friends at ViewBug teamed up with Trey Ratcliff to celebrate his 80 Stays Around the World tour where he'll be holding free Photo Walks across 10 great European cities! Unfortunately, not everyone can join us in Europe for one of these fun events, so we brought the party to you! Get involved by sharing your favorite vacation or travel photo.

Wildlife Photographer Charms a Wolf Pack
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In wildlife photography, and being in the wilderness in general, there's always a risk that you'll meet one of the many wild and territorial creatures that calls it home. In this video, a photographer meets a (seemingly wild) pack of wolves that fight amongst themselves, yet remain gentle and affectionate towards him.

[BTS] Annie Leibovitz Shoots Meryl Streep
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For the January 2012 issue of Vogue, Annie Leibovitz shot the incredible Meryl Streep and the members of a team of women focused on building a women's history museum in Washington, D.C. While it talks a lot about their cause, you can definitely see all of her lighting set ups in the shots which are surprisingly simple.

girl-portrait-colors-light-flare-soda-pop-ice-glass-creativity
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Being creative or simply having the ability to create on demand is one of the biggest assets you can have in this era. The question is "how do we unlock or keep creativity flowing?" The main steps you need to keep in mind are simple.

Canon Posts Test Images Taken With New 24-70mm F/4 and 35mm f/2
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Canon UK has published five images taken with the two new lenses announced earlier this month. Three images were posted for the 24-70mm f/4 and two for the 35mm f/2. A couple I recognize from the low resolution samples available on the day of announcement, but it's nice that now high resolution samples are available for inspection.