Flash Photography for Beginners: Intro to Off-Camera Flash

Last week, I posted an article about how to create amazing portraits with on-camera flash. My hope was to help anyone who was on the fence about shooting with flash feel more comfortable and confident in their ability to shoot with flash. Granted, shooting with on-camera flash has its caveats, so in this article, I am going to go over some of the benefits of shooting with off-camera flash.

Airplane Makes Forced Landing After Film Shoot Melts Windows

An Airbus A321 suffered significant damage to its cabin windows due to excess heat from film lights used the previous day, according to a report from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). The damage was discovered shortly after takeoff on a flight from London Stansted Airport to Florida, forcing the aircraft to return to Stansted.

Transform a Photograph Using Flash

One of the quickest and easiest ways to completely change an image and make it more memorable is to add a flash.

Fstoppers Review: Taking Tamron’s 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 on the Road

Tamron has long been known as a reliable manufacturer of high-quality lenses, and their recent series of SP lenses has more than demonstrated their commitment to excellence. Through priorities for speed, clarity, optics, and a field-friendly design, Tamron has created a fabulous workhorse lens in their new 15-30mm (Model A041). The lens replaces the previous Model A012, delivering a variety of new features that make the lens not only faster and more reliable than its predecessor, but allowing it to yield surprisingly crisp, beautiful images. I put the 15-30mm G2 to the test on my recent 17-day journey through Belize, traipsing through Mayan ruins, along wind- and salt-swept beaches, and in the most humid of jungle environments. Let’s take a look at how this sweet piece of glass performed.

Does Using a Neutral Density Filter for Time-lapses Make a Difference?

Most photographers are familiar with using a neutral density filter to create dreamy, long exposure photographs, but should you use a neutral density filter when shooting time-lapses too? In today's video, I explore why using a 10-stop ND filter might be perfect for more than just still photography.

Sony's Hotly Discussed DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 Phone Cameras Available for Pre-Order

Sony's highly discussed and hotly debated cell phone cameras (accessories?), the DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 are now available for pre order. These camera/lens combo devices attach to Android and iOS devices using WiFi, but can also store images on a microSD card of up to 64 GB capacity. The products have been the subject of a lot of speculation and rumor over the past few weeks and they are finally available to order.

A Look into Lindsay Adler's Dream Shoot Rentals

Lindsay Adler launched her new company this spring, Dream Shoot Rentals to provide couture dress, accessories, and props to give photographers a source to execute their visions and build their portfolios. Lindsay explained her new vision for this company: “While teaching across the United States, photographers are always asking how they can get a hold of gorgeous clothing for their shoots. Often pieces are too expensive or difficult to attain.

Tips for Starting Out in Pet Photography

Pets are considered by most as family members. Some prefer cats, others prefer dogs, and some even are drawn to the the flying kind of lovable companions. While most think of only photographing their beloved fur babies as a hobby, have you ever thought about turning it into a marketable portion of your company?

[Gear] The Most Exciting Gear Week in a While

Even more so than the week of the Nikon D4, this is the most exciting week for gear news in a long time. There is news that I don't like, a bit that I don't get, some that is just plain stupid, and then some that is unbelievable -- I'll believe it when I see it! The new stuff is short and sweet. I'm keeping the bulk of opinions in the comments section this time...meet me there at the end of the full post!
Sneaking into Coachella Lands This Guy the Career of his Dreams

Have you ever snuck into a concert before? How about a huge festival? Well, in 2010 James Marcus Haney really wanted to attend Coachella... the only problem was he didn't have the money to get a ticket. So what's the next best thing? He figured out a way to bypass security and get in for free and got to see some of the bands he had admired for years. He continued sneaking into festivals around the world for the next few years, and filmed every minute of it.

The Dell Canvas Is the Latest Smart Workspace Touchscreen Display Device

Following Microsoft and Apple's fall releases targeted at content creators and artists, this year at CES Dell announced its world first 8K monitor and 27-inch Dell Canvas. Similar in concept to the new Microsoft Surface Studio and Cintiq 27QHD Touch, the Dell Canvas is the latest device in the quickly growing smart workspace technology category.

How to Prepare for the Unexpected at Your next Photoshoot

“Expect the unexpected” is great advice for anyone, especially for a photographer. Making the necessary preparations for a photoshoot is essential to success, but what about matters that are beyond your control? We will review three of the most common obstacles that can potentially derail your next session, and how to best handle them both preemptively and after the fact.

Can You Really Get Pro Results From Inexpensive Light Sources in Product Photography?

Earlier this year, I released an in-depth tutorial on product photography with Fstoppers called "The Hero Shot: How to Light and Composite Product Photography." As I started publishing images from this tutorial on Instagram, I found it extremely interesting that the most liked image was the cordless drill. It was the most simple image that I created for the series, and I used very basic inexpensive continuous lighting to create it. So, if I were to have photographed this drill using strobes instead of continuous light, would you have been able to tell the difference? I’ll...

Light Painting a Landscape in Lightroom

Watch this video where Glyn Dewis talks about his method to shoot landscapes, and his use of various techniques to develop the image in Lightroom with some fine tuning in Photoshop.

A Beautiful Visual Diary of Asia Shot on an iPhone 5s

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.

The Newly Announced Leica Q-P: Understated Excellence?

As a company, Leica Camera is one of the more reserved brands. They understand their respective market and also understand what kind of cameras appeal to their customer base. Their latest camera, the Leica Q-P, continues this by offering a high-quality, compact full frame camera in a more discreet body.

There Is No Miracle Cure for Creativity

How many times have you seen article or video headlines professing to provide you the key to reaching your artistic goals in three easy steps? Well, if you don’t want your bubble burst, this might be a good time to stop reading.

Adobe Unveils New Versions of Premiere, After Effects and Speed Grade

The new Photoshop features are not the only changes that were announced from Adobe MAX: videographers are in for a few treats themselves. Adobe is looking to solidify their dominance in the video editing market by introducing welcome additions to Adobe Premiere, After Effects and Speed Grade. There are a huge number of new features, so let’s look at them one by one to give you a clear picture of what to expect.

We Review The Canon Speedlite EL-1: Flash for Demanding Photography

The Canon Speedlite EL-1 is a high-performance, professional-grade, weather-resistant flash, designed to meet the demands of the most demanding photographers. It features a powerful guide number of 60m (197 ft) at ISO 100, an insanely fast recycle time of 0.1-0.9 seconds, and up to 335 full-power flashes on a single charge. It also has a built-in LED modeling light for precise lighting control and a heavy-duty construction that will withstand the rigors of professional everyday use.

How Do You Make 'Cinematic' Images?

One of the current cool types of shots are the so called "cinematic photographs." It's not the software filter that makes the photo cinematic or the black bars. Something else does it.

Photo-Friendly Magazine Editor Speaks About Working With Photographers

Many photographers’ career ambition is to have one of their photos appear on the cover of a magazine. In years past, magazines were frequently seen as the best place to gain publication and see the best of current photography. Often that was a result of having a visually oriented magazine editor at the helm.

Awesome Mini Worlds Photographs From Planet Earth

Ever wondered how cool could it be to photograph different planets from close by and show how each one of them is different and unique? Well, unless you're an astronaut or a robot named 'Curiosity', you'll have to wait with that dream. But until then, why not making your own planets, all based on planet earth? Check out these awesome examples of mini-worlds (or "mini-planets", "Stereographic panoramas") found on Flickr.

FAA: Drone Owners Must Register by February 19, 2016

The FAA has been working on establishing rules and regulations for drone owners for several months, and today they have announced a mandatory registration law for drone operators that goes into effect on December 21 of this year. Starting on December 21, you will be to apply at the new FAA registration website.

How to Nail Your New Year's Firework Photos and Blend Them in Photoshop

It's that time of year again! You know, that time when you frantically type "How to photograph fireworks" into Google before heading out of your house into the cold December night to line up next to hundreds of other photographers, all with the end goal of being the first to post an epic fireworks photo on social media. Well, fear not! We are here to help you not only nail those firework exposures, but also show you how to blend them seamlessly in Photoshop.

Here's Why You Should Put Yourself in Your Landscape Images

A lot of landscape photographers will tell you that the best types of images are devoid of people — just nature in all its splendid, unspoiled glory. I beg to differ. Here are some reasons why you should put yourself in the frame of your landscape images.

Interview and BTS with Fashion Photographer Lindsay Adler

We've featured Lindsay Adler before - and with good reason. At 26, she is already an accomplished photographer and has been published in magazines like Popular Photography, Professional Photographer, Shutterbug and others. She's also a great educator, and this video is no exception. In this episode of [FRAMED], Lindsay talks about her 11 year progression as a photographer - everything from how she started to the specific steps she took to get where she is.

Tips for Structuring Great Vlog Content

Well known video bloggers, such as Casey Neistat and the likes, have raised the vlogging standards in recent years. How they manage to post captivating content so regularly is astounding. Many try to emulate their successes, and as a result, YouTube is crammed full of filmmakers trying to be the next viral vlogging sensation. These vlogs vary in content, style, and quality, and while there is a niche space for almost anything these days, some people are “nailing it,” and others aren’t.