Is This the End of the Stock Photographer?

The demand for images is higher than ever, and yet, the security of many photo jobs is in more peril than ever. One of the hardest-hit genres of the last few decades has been stock photography. Is AI going to kill the genre entirely?

Five Photography Series and Documentaries to Help You Out of Turkey Coma

Need a few suggestions to help you take full advantage of that inevitable Turkey-coma that's sure to set in at some point this Thanksgiving? Fstoppers compiled a few photography-related shows and documentaries for you to comb over – just in case you need some “Netflix-and-chill” time while all of that tryptophan hits your system.

Will the 3x Optical Lens on the New Asus ZenFone Zoom Replace the iPhone 6s?

Professional photographers understand the quality of imagery that can come from a camera phone will never contend with the pictures and video you can capture with your DSLR. Phones will likely always have an innate handicap with sensor size, which leaves it's images lacking. That said, it would be quite unwise for photographers to neglect the most recent developments in camera phone technology. The ease of use, accessibility, and ability to quickly share your imagery can make your phone one the most important pieces of gear in your business. So, when phones like the new Asus ZenFone Zoom come out with a 3X optical zoom, it's best to pay attention.

[Gear] New Favorites: Zeiss, Leica, Hasselblad, and More!

Between great announcements, imagined concepts, and juicy rumors, there's never a dull time for gearheads. These last few weeks are no exception. In the full post, read of Zeiss' new 15mm lens, the only Leica you can bring to a white party, some w i d e Hasselblad rumors, and then some.

A Behind the Scenes Look and VFX Breakdown of The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner, a new film by Fox and Dayday Films, is a new film in what seems to be a trending list of young adult dystopian movies to be released recently. In these behind the scenes featurettes we can see a small glimpse at how they filmed the movie and how the special effects were created.

OnOne is Giving You Perfect Effects 8 for Free

I'm not usually a huge fan of action sets or other kinds of preset applications, but I am a big fan of free stuff. From now until May 12th OnOne software is giving away free licenses of their photo-effect software, Perfect Effects 8 . I took it for a spin earlier so I would at least know what I was talking about when I went to write this, and it's not bad! This isn't a review so I'm not going to dive into anything about it other than to say that some of you will love it, and others

Storehouse 2.0 Arrives as Redesigned App That Better Complements Your Professional Life

When Storehouse first launched, it was hard not to fall in love with the ease with which anyone could create visually stunning multimedia layouts. Version 1.0, however, was a perfect example of how the way people end up using an app can create completely unexpected climates and patterns of use. Storehouse 2.0 does away with a large part of the social media aspect of the app while keeping the great story creation tools and simplifying (and concentrating) how users share content.
Polaroid Feature-length Documentary: 'Instant Dreams'

"Instant Dreams" is a feature-length film about Polaroid that explores the magic of this defunct format, the pioneer of instant imagery, and documents the search for the lost chemical formula. Premiering at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam a few days ago, the film discusses what it meant to produce imagery that is physical, unique, and, as one of the subjects puts it, "an artifact of time."

David LaChapelle’s Latest and Last Photo Books Complete the Photographer’s Narrative on Pop Culture, Consumerism, and Paradise [NSFW]

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past 30 years, allow me to give you a brief introduction to the Commercial, Fashion, and Celebrity Photographer David LaChapelle who just released his latest and final books, "Lost + Found, Part I" and "Good News, Part II." LaChapelle, 54, has photographed some of the most iconic figures of the 90s and 2000s including Tupac, Hillary Clinton, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, and Muhummad Ali. Pretty much anyone worth their salt has been shot by this guy.

Be Positive: How to Bring Out the Best in Your Models

Always be positive. Always. Be. Positive. Positivity and genuine excitement about what you are doing will always move you forward. Not only will it affect your mood and work ethic, but it will affect your subject’s mood on set. Building the confidence of your subject through the direction you give will bring out the best that they have to offer.

Film Photography Sees Surprise Renaissance Among Young Generation

Film cameras are making an unexpected comeback, experiencing a revival in popularity among teenagers and young adults. Vintage cameras like the Nikon F3, Canon AE-1, and Pentax K1000 that were collecting dust in basements are now selling like hot cakes on auction sites and at vintage shops. But this analog resurgence faces challenges around film scarcity and cost.

Book Club for Photographers

One of the goals I have set for myself this year is to read and study one non-fiction book each month. I love reading and have learned so much from some great books over the years but just feel like it would be even better if I was able to do this with a group of like-minded photographers so we could read, discuss and learn from each other.

The Anatomy Of A Beauty Retouch

As many of you know, Patrick and I are in NYC shooting Peter Hurley's DVD. We have spent every second awake at his studio in Manhattan or on the train coming to and from Brooklyn. We have not had a second to read all of the emails coming in and so we are very behind on keeping up with the current BTSVs. We will get to them after this weekend. Until then, enjoy this older (but unposted) post production tutorial by Sean Armenta.
[Tutorial] Light Painting Master Dennis Calvert's Techniques

We've featured light-painter extraordinaire Dennis Calvert on Fstoppers before. Many of us were left wondering just how he creates those stunning images. Dennis recently wrote a post on his site detailing his method; be sure to view the full post to read more.
Beautiful Video of New York Shot Via Phantom Drone

Despite the information floating around regarding the legality of drones, when you see some beautiful aerial footage taken with them, you can't help but gape in awe. In this video uploaded by Nicolas Doldinger you can watch a GoPro take to the skies. In their own words: "DJI Phantom + Zenmuse H3-SD Gimbal + Gopro Hero 3 = NYC LOVE."

Five Ways to Attract More Clients

Whether you're a full-time photographer, interested in making the transition from hobbyist to professional, or just using photography on the side, attracting more clients is paramount to success and growth. With a plethora of photographers saturating the market, it can be intimidating and difficult to carve yourself a slice, but carve you must. Here are five of the most important ways I have attracted new clients.

Watch Adobe Explain Projects Mighty & Napoleon

We learned a lot about Adobe at Adobe MAX earlier this week. We learned that they are moving to a cloud-based system that will remove support for perpetual licenses. We learned about new features that are really something special. And we also learned just a little bit about Project Mighty and Project Napoleon, Adobe's push into hardware through a pen and ruler that link to the digital world.

Fstoppers Review of the Moza Lite II 3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizer for Compact Video Cameras

I’m a huge fan of gimbal stabilizers, and absolutely love how easy it is to get dreamy, floating footage with these relatively inexpensive accessories. A lot of attention has been on products like the MoVi and Ronin, but other manufacturers have stepped up their game and are making products that are just as competitive in terms of features and price. One such item is the Moza Lite II, which I’ve been reviewing for the last few weeks.

Photographing The New Pepsi Super Car BTSV

Pepsi Australia recently teamed up with Kelly Racing to produce the Pepsi Max super car. Photographer Chris Benny was hired to shoot the new car and lucky for us, he filmed a quick BTSV of the production. As with many shoots, the weather became a problem but Chris had a backup plan. With a little post work Chris made the outside shots pop and then moved the car inside to finish the shoot.

How to Quickly Correct Color in Old Photos with Matt Kloskowski

Everyone has an album or shoebox full of old family photos, some of which rock a wonky, Instagram-filter-gone-bad style color shift. In this brief tutorial from Creative Live and Matt Kloskowski you'll learn how to quickly correct for these changes and can restore the photo to looking like new.

5 Tips for Successfully Marketing Yourself at an Industry Trade Show

A big portion of my work comes from clients in the tactical and law enforcement industry. This past week I attended a trade show for my industry. I knew this was going to be an amazing opportunity to network, make connections, and, fingers crossed, make some new clients. I realized I needed to come up with a strategy that would set me up for success and assure that I got the most out of my experience. A made a list of ideas to try out. I took the ones that worked the best and developed this simple five step plan that will make your next trade show visit a beneficial one.

The Red Bull LED Wakeboard Photoshoot

A few years ago I set out to do something I had never seen done with my own wakeboard studio shoot. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Patrick Rochon's unique take on the sport for this year's Red Bull's Illume contest. The behind the scenes video speaks for itself and the resulting light painting photographs are pretty interesting. Check out a few of the outtake photos