Chernobyl as You Have Never Seen It Before

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, home to the most dangerous object that man has ever created, is more than an abandoned city and a crumbling nuclear reactor. A new book by historian Darmon Richter reveals the closest you can get to an authentic depiction of a huge swathe of land and its history, giving readers a view of Chernobyl that has never been seen before and may never be seen again.

New Leica T-System Officially Announced

It is official! Leica has announced their new Leica T-System camera which is available for pre-order at B&H right now! The camera really does have a lot of nice features that are packed into it and Leica seems to be pushing the phrase "easy to use, hard to forget" on their website. We are glad to finally get a look at "official" specifications even though we had a nice glimpse yesterday when they accidentally revealed it.

[NSFW] CGI VFX Breakdown for Final Scene of Game of Thrones Season 1

I'm kind of a huge fan of fantasy novels, and Game of Thrones (along with The Name of the Wind) is probably my favorite modern fantasy epic. I also greatly enjoy the television series on HBO. In this video you can see how the visual effects artists rendered the 3D for the final scene of Game of Thrones Season 1. Please note, this scene does have nudity. Also, SPOILERS.

Pre-Order the Canon T4i and 40mm Pancake Now!

I've always held the opinion that Canon's T1i-T3i series were the best-bang-for-the-buck cameras out there. And they really are. No fancy weather sealing or anything, but for someone looking to step up to a DSLR for under $1000, this T4i ($849) bumps everything up a notch. Add to that a bargain 40mm f2.8 pancake lens for true portability!? Way to go!

Pursuing Your Passion: Tips from Gareth Pon, Africa's Top Instagrammer

South African Photographer, Filmmaker, and Influencer Gareth Pon has recently been named the top African Instagrammer for the third consecutive year, and looking at his ridiculously eye-catching Instagram feed, it's easy to see why. I caught up with Gareth recently while he was speaking at a conference in Dublin alongside other content-creating heavyweights, such as Dan Rubin and Philip Bloom.

How Giving Away Your Photos for Free Can Land You $50,000 Jobs

All photographers can agree that you won't stay in business long if you do not charge for your work. But what if I told you that the best way to gain exposure to high-paying commercial clients was to give away your images for free? Today, we sit down with commercial and composite photographer Josh Rossi and explore the concept of free.

One Roll of Film

Since digital photography was introduced, our art has become available to most, for better or worse. Releasing a shutter doesn’t cost much anymore, the process of creating an image is easier than ever, and everyone who has a phone is now a photographer. In 2016, going back to film sounds like a crazy idea for many. However, like "One Roll of Film" shows, it still has its place, and it is different from digital.

Use Synology NAS as a Video Surveillance System

Every video surveillance system I've ever used has been horrible. Surprisingly, the cameras, no matter how cheap they are, are actually pretty high quality these days, but the software used to actually record and retrieve the footage is almost unusable.

Instagram Will Now Warn Users if Their Account Is Close to Being Banned

Instagram has sometimes not been particularly forthright when it comes to decisions of account or content moderation, but that seems to be changing, as the company has announced that they will begin warning users whose accounts are in imminent danger of being banned because of violations.

Capture One Introduces a Very Attractive Special Student Offer

A few weeks ago, Capture One released a version specifically tailored for large studios and businesses. While some could have thought the Danish company was moving all its efforts towards this market, it's actually far from the truth! It was just a step to carry the needs of all professionals.

How Do You Clean Your Camera's Sensor?

Spots on your images caused by dust on the sensor can be frustrating and hard to deal with, especially when you have lots of images waiting to be retouched. Although most recent cameras have built-in sensor-cleaning mechanisms, the dust inside your camera should be removed completely in order to prevent existing dust particles from clinging onto the sensor again and again. There are lots of products on the market, but which one you should choose?

Here's How to Stitch a Panorama in Luminar Neo

Editing software from Skylum has gone through a lot of changes over the past few years, and with its new software Luminar Neo, there's still lots of room for evolution in what the software can do for its users. HDR Merge was recently added as an expansion for the software, and this is one feature that had been asked for by its users for some time. Another feature that has been requested in forums quite frequently is the ability to stitch panoramas.

BTS: A Look Into The Creation Of The Beautiful 'Star Trek Into Darkness' CG Title Scene

It's always fascinating to get a glimpse behind the scenes of high-budget productions, and Andrew Kramer of Video Copilot provides us with an absolutely wonderful look into the creation of the title design and introduction scenes for Star Trek Into Darkness. The best part? The plugin used to create many of the effects only costs $150.

Shloosl Can Copy Your Key From a Smartphone Photograph

How would you feel if I told you that you could take two pictures of a house key with your phone, send them off and receive an exact copy in the mail a few days later? If you're anything like me then it makes you a bit uncomfortable. Security concerns aside, Shloosl is making it happen. The company is so good at duplicating keys this way that it even nailed LifeHacker writer Adam Dachis' key when nobody

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (July 2016): Greg Desiatov

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2016, we'll be featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

The Cullinator- Sort Through Your Images Like A Boss

If you're in any job long enough, you're bound to come across quirky industry developments that just might help your work flow. Photography is no different. What's this you might ask? At first glance it might seem like a video game controller with a cleverly placed sticker on it.

It's Your Own Fault if You Lose Photos on Your Phone

The camera technology in today's phones is one of the most competitive areas of modern electronics. Every big phone release leads with the specs of the camera. This includes megapixels, low light capabilities, auto focus, and of course HD video. While the capability to capture higher quality imagery has arrived, the included storage on the phones has essentially stayed in the 16GB to 32GB range. Since that storage has to share with the phone's operating system and all the apps, it is good to have all your photos on a constant conveyor belt to the cloud.

Justin Bettman's Dark Series

Take a look at these inspirational photographs from Justin Bettman's Dark series. I have been following Justin for awhile now and love the work he produces. What i really admire about his images are the stories they tell. It seems a lot of photographers go for similar styles and the photography starts to blend together and become homogeneous, Justin definitely breaks that mold. I was able to talk to Justin about about his Dark series and what all goes into producing some of these astounding photos.

We Review the Haida Anti-Fog Belt

There is one problem with shooting the night sky for a prolonged amount of time. If the temperature of the lens drops below the dew point, condensation occurs. The new Haida Anti-Fog Belt will prevent this problem.

The Life of Filmmaker Casey Neistat: When Opportunity Meets Preparation

Casey Neistat is one of the most popular filmmakers and YouTube creators of the past decade. By the age of 33, Neistat created some of the most viral videos ever posted on YouTube, sold a show to HBO for about 2 million dollars, and produced numerous commercials for major companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Nike, and Google. In his latest video, Neistat shares his very interesting personal story — from growing up as a trouble-making kid to being a dad at age 17 and the things that made him become a filmmaker.

Advice for Every Photographer (as Far as Your Headlights Can See)

The voyage we opted to take is exactly that, an adventurous voyage and not a straight, smooth road to success. Remember that when you doubt yourself and question your potential. Unlike most occupations, the artist has no roadmap for their success. We’re not handed a list of classes to take in a preferred order created by the educational institute.

Plan Your Meteor Shower Photography From Your Smartphone

Experienced night sky shooters know that some of the most challenging targets are meteors. While meteor showers, which happen several times a year, will make capturing the elusive meteors easier because there are more of them, you can still point a camera to the sky with a 30 minute exposure and get nothing. Then, suddenly, a meteor can appear where you weren't pointing.