FAA Finally Readying Legal Rules for Drones, Will Require Registration of Every Drone [Updated]

According to NBC News, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is getting close to announcing new rules for recreational drone use, beginning with the requirement to register every drone a person buys. Registration itself, however, is not a large obstacle to drone ownership and operation, as registration will only be able to help the FAA keep track of just how many there are and, hopefully, identify aircraft that break rules or cause collisions. But just how effective will this be? And what other laws will come in the way of recreational drone flight?

How Has The Coronavirus Affected Your Business

As of March 14th, everything in the United States has changed. Within just a few days the economy has ground to a halt and it's taken the majority of photo/video jobs with it.

[Controversy] Did FHM Maliciously Degrade Veena Malik's Image?

Now this is an interesting story. Lately there has been a ton of controversy and debate about the role of photoshop in today's advertising market. FHM (For Him Magazine) just published their December issue with Pakistani cover model Veena Malik wearing what appears to be nothing. But that's not the full story; also pictured on the cover is Veena baring the tattoo "ISI" which refers to the rather polarizing Pakistani intelligence group. Pakistani's are outraged both because of the ISI reference and also because of Venna's lack of modesty displayed on the US men's magazine. It is quite common for photographers to shoot "implied nude" images with models actually wearing clothing (and the visible piece photoshopped out), but Veena claims the magazine maliciously manipulated her cover shoot without her permission. As for the ISI reference, well apparently both FHM and Veena were in agreement on the controversial art work with Veena making recommendations on how it should be drawn on her arm. Stories like this happen all the time but it's rare to see such a story with world wide appeal. What do you guys think? Read more about the full story on the BBC News page.
Lexar Announces a Slew of New Products

I've always seen SanDisk and Lexar as the two main companies when it comes to camera media. Having used Lexar for some time now, I'm always excited to see what the company releases given my success with them in the past. This week they have shown a few new products for a variety of uses from CCTV to action cameras, to still photography and filmmaking.

Considering the Choice: To E, or not to E

Forgive me for the non-linear article to follow, but this is my first evaluation of the transitive properties of the figurative "E" and it's marginal utility in the life of the Nikon D800. Whereas others may tell you which camera can photograph grass or your pet Weimaraner, I would like to talk about the real life application the D800 has to those of us that call this hobby a job.

Craftsman or Artist: What Are Photographers?

Are photographers artists? This question causes endless debate and, up until now, my answer has always been yes. I've begun re-thinking that answer though, and now my answer is a bit different and, unfortunately, more vague, but I think it may be closer to the truth than my self-aggrandizing, knee-jerk reaction. Now, I believe that photographers are craftsman and, sometimes, artists.

Sigma's Micro Four Thirds 60mm f/2.8 DN Art Lens Coming In May

Rounding out the batch of lenses announced in January, Sigma has released the pricing and availability of the 60mm f/2.8 DN Art lens for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILCs). It's coming in mid-May and is expected to retail for only $239.

Is Canon Planning a Retro Design for the 1D X Mark III? Sadly Not

Canon is traditionally a very conservative brand, and it’s rare to see it stray too far from the middle of the road, but in what might have been a comparatively bold move, for a moment, it seemed that the forthcoming EOS 1D X Mark III would have a wonderfully old school design.

Need Some New Glass? Sigma Has 25 Lenses on Discount

We like to keep you all informed of the best time to make your larger purchases to save your hard-earned money, and now is one of those times. Sigma has 25 lenses on up to $200 off some of their top selling glass. They also have three flashes on sale, including a macro ring flash.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (December 2016): Erik McRitchie

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 featured a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represented both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

Nikon D5200 DSLR Announced!

Nikon's newest update, the D5200, is now out. Replacing the D5100, the D5200 features a 24.1MP APS-C DX sensor, 100-6400 native ISO, and a fully variable 3-inch LCD screen...

22 Tips To Make Your 'WPPI 2014' Experience Amazing

WPPI is less than 4 weeks away! The largest annual industry event for photographers and filmmakers that draws in over 13,000+ people to learn new techniques, build relationships, experience new products and find solutions for their business. This will be my 6th year attending WPPI and so I wanted to use my experience to share some valuable tips I have learned throughout the years.

What I Wish Camera Reviews Would Include

For years I have found it really hard to get into gear reviews. I simply don't care about pixel pitch, dynamic range, how many auto focus points a camera has, nor the finer part of a menu system. So what do folk like myself look for in a camera?

Achieving The Unachievable - Capturing a Group of 34 From 60 Feet Above

During an initial meeting with local publication NFocus Magazine, the Editor-In-Chief asked for a unique aesthetic on Louisville's theater and arts community and wanted a massive group shot, but not your traditional group shot. I threw out the idea to shoot actors and their "characters" from directly overhead on a theater floor, as if they were action figures laid out and organized. Two seconds after I uttered the idea, I realized I had no clue how I would pull it all off.

GearEye Promises to Keep Track of All Your Gear with RFID Tags

If it works, GearEye's new RFID tagging system for your gear could change the way you pack for your shoots forever. Thin stickers in three versions allow you to tag all kinds of gear from memory cards to camera bodies and lenses, while an additional accessory scans a nearby area to verify if those items are in your bag, ensuring you never forget a piece of gear (and, alternatively, ensuring that you're never carrying more than you need).

Make Apple’s iPod Great Again… for Photographers

Over the years, many companies, from Lytro to Light, have tried to come up with small, funky cameras that use technology to pack DSLR punch into a small package. Invariably, all of these have more or less failed, but there’s one company that’s just sitting on a sleeping giant in this market: Apple.

New Free Software Allows Real 3D Manipulation Of A Single Image

Artists all over the world use Photoshop to retouch images and for graphic design. Because of that, Photoshop has become the #1 image editing software out there. We know Photoshop has put a lot more implementation into its 3D capabilities, but that's not what Photoshop is really for and it still has a long way to go. So it's great news that a group of Researchers at Carnegie Mellon and University of California, Berkeley have come out with software that allows for full 3D manipulation of objects in a photograph.

Creating a Whip Pan Transition in Adobe Premiere Pro

Since I discovered movies made by Edgar Wright and movies such as Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope," Alejandro Iñárritu's "Birdman" and "The Watchtower of Turkey" by Leonardo Dalessandri, I've always been fascinated by the way the footage just seems to flow into one another, and no usual cuts are visible. It has a way of keeping the viewer's full attention and keeps them intrigued as to what might happen next. It's a great way of keeping a good pace in your production, whether it be a full feature film or a music video.

New Collaboration: GoPro and PADI

Last week GoPro and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, commonly known as PADI, made an announcement in Las Vegas, Nevada about their new collaboration.

Medium Format Meets the M600

Recently, Hasselblad released a 20-megapixel, 1-inch sensor on DJI's new Mavic 2 Pro, but in the grand scheme of things, Hasselblad may have a few bigger plans for the future when it comes to cameras that can fly. Having the ability to throw an A6D on a Matrice 600 Pro to capture 100-megapixel raw images has never been so easy.

A Review of Philip Bloom's Cinematic Masterclass

Philip Bloom is a world-class filmmaker with an impressive body of work in broadcast TV, feature films, and independent productions. Most recently he has been the cinematographer on the acclaimed CNN show “The Wonder List.” When I found out that he was partnering with MZed to create an immersive course on filmmaking, I jumped at the chance to review it and also had the opportunity to speak to him about the project.

The Importance of Test Shoots

Most of us reach a stage in our career (usually early on) where we feel a bit lost and like we are on the wrong train. If you are stuck in that rut, here are some great reasons to get out there and start collaborating on test shoots.