The Science of How to Stay Motivated in Your Work
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Author Dan Ariely gave an interesting talk on motivation and how to feel good about our work at TEDx Rio de la Plata. Ariely suggests that it isn't money that truly motivates us, but meaning. Ariely believes this is the difference between those that love what they do and those that don’t. Through a series of experiments Ariely shows how much we actually value meaning in our work. No, the talk doesn't specifically

Immature Internet Behavior Will Cost You Business
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Today on the Internet, I watched photographers draw analogies between a retouching technique and using nerve gas in warfare. While I stared, aghast at the immaturity, I began to wonder: "What would a customer think of this?"

How To Select A Cloth Background
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In past articles, I have shown you what I love about wooden and stone food photography backgrounds. These backgrounds make great sturdy surfaces that you can use anywhere. However, their sturdiness comes with weight and rigidity that can make hauling them around quite the chore. If you are looking for a lightweight background with a wide range styles; cloth is the way to go. Let me show you why.

[DIY] Light Painting with Steel Wool
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When it comes to photography projects, Benjamin Von Wong is one of the most prolific guys I know. It seems like every few posts I'm compelled to bring you something cool Ben is doing. Whether it's playing with his pliable models, setting them ablaze or just a quick tip. His latest venture has him teaming up with Udi Tirosh over at DIY Photography to show us how to light paint with steel wool. Including the basic technique, location, safety and a few other helpful tips to consider. For someone who plays with fire as much as Ben and with hair that big, he must know what he is doing... right?

We Review The GoPro HERO 11 Black: Good But Not Groundbreaking
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Delivering an updated product once a year every year guarantees a spike of hype and sales, but brings with it some challenges — challenges that continue to get bigger as a product matures and competitors arrive. The GoPro HERO11 Black launched last month, but what do the latest upgrades mean for a company whose value has fallen by 90% from its peak just a few years ago?

Don't Miss That Magic Shot With These Five Tips
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Making a photograph can be a painstaking process involving location scouting, test shots, lighting setups, model releases and so much more, depending on your subject. However, some subjects — such as wildlife, children, sporting events, and such — require a photographer to be much more nimble. That's why I try to follow a few simple rules to be ready for when that unexpected magic moment arrives.

New Kid On the Old Block: The Polaroid OneStep 2
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It looks like there’s a “new” kid on the block, and it happens to be our old friend Polaroid (Or is it "old guy on the new block," or "new old kid on the old new block," or something else entirely? I don't know...). There are a number of instant-print cameras on the market, but to me, they’re all missing at least one of two things: the brand recognition of the Polaroid name and the classic form factor of the camera that made it famous decades ago. The Fujifilm Instax camera is missing both. Even the current Polaroid offerings, such as the Polaroid Snap or the PIC-300, probably don’t have what it takes to rule the market. So, here it is. The Polaroid OneStep 2.

Red Giant Releases "Universe," A Plugin Platform With Free (And Paid) Options
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Red Giant, the plugin supergroup that is responsible for filter packs like Magic Bullet Looks, Trapcode, and PluralEyes, has recently announced a new plugin model, Universe, where new and updated filters will be provided to members at low to no cost. If you're a motion graphics designer, or love sweetening your video edits with funky filters, check out the video and see if Universe is for you.

Is National Geographic Still Perpetuating Racist Stereotypes?
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Earlier this year, National Geographic examined its own role in creating and perpetuating racial stereotypes and acknowledging that its coverage in the past has been racist. Its last two magazine covers have drawn criticism, leading some to wonder if anything has changed.

This Backlit Keyboard for Adobe Premiere Is an Easy Way to Up Your Video Editing Game
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Being a master of keyboard shortcuts isn’t just a party trick to impress friends and clients, it’s a path to a faster and more efficient editing process which makes you more of an asset as a video editor. Whether you’re hoping to earn a Pro Certificate or just become faster in post, one way to get you there sooner is to invest in a dedicated keyboard.

Elevate Your Photography by Using Hand-Painted Backdrops
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While I agree that a great photographer can create incredible images using basic tools, it is no secret that great tools can help a good photographer achieve greatness. Over the last year or two, new strobes, new lenses, and a plethora of modifiers have helped elevate my studio photography to new levels, but one tool has brought it to a new level more than anything else: painted backdrops. And so, I wanted to share some resources on how to get painted backdrops without putting a second mortgage on your house.

Paparazzi: Vice Stalks the Stalkers (language nsfw)
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Steven Randolph and videographer Steven Perilloux give celebrity chasing paparazzi a taste of their own medicine in this short video Vice segment, "Pap Smear". I dare you to watch this video and not make some kind of comment. I'm curious to see if any of our readers will come to the defense of paparazzi. Is there a right way to do this kind of work? Let's hear your thoughts.
Vice: "Paparazzi make a living by chasing down celebrities and shoving cameras in their faces and up their skirts. We decided to hunt a few down and give them a taste of their own disgusting medicine."

The Challenge: Change Your Story by Changing Your Lens
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In this video Canon Australia challenges singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian and Canon Master photographer Graham Monro to change the story of three different scenes simply by changing between lenses. Specifically the macro Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens, the portrait Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens , the landscape Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens and the sports Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens.

The New Datacolor SpyderCHECKR 24: Camera Color Correction for Photo and Video
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Color management in photography and videography extends well beyond display calibration – it includes color control from beginning to end, from capture to final output. In this article, we’ll explore a new tool that helps you ensure that your image capture is well controlled and that your capture device delivers vibrant accurate color – whether you’re using, for example, one camera on set, different cameras in different lighting conditions, or multiple cameras on set at the same time.

Understanding DSLR Color Shift, White Balance, and Color Profiles
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When it comes to giving great tutorials on DSLR video, the guys at Stillmotion are full of helpful tips and tricks. This latest video discusses some of the advantages you have in setting your camera's white balance and color profiles. Since DSLR cameras still do not allow you to record in a RAW format, you must make many decisions in camera much like you would if you were shooting jpeg (which is great for events like weddings). Lee and I are big fans of getting it right in camera which is crucial when filming video because a compressed video has so much less room for error than a large 12+ megapixel photograph. Seeing real time comparisons of how white balance, sharpness, contrast, and color shifts can change the look of your final video is really helpful and should become a part of your workflow everytime you start filming video. Hopefully many of you can use this info when filming your BTS contest videos. We've featured Stillmotion a lot here on Fstoppers so be sure to check out their older videos as well.
First Thoughts on the Inspire 2 and X5S
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I just picked up my Inspire 2 Monday and couldn't be happier to have it. After working with a Phantom 3 Advanced and Professional for about a year and a half, this new drone makes all the difference in the world.

Olympus Adds New OM-D E-M10 Camera, Combining Aspects of the E-M1 and E-M5
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Early this morning Olympus announced the new OM-D E-M10 (that's a mouthful), combining aspects of two popular cameras the E-M1 and E-M5. It features the new TruePic VII image processor, the same found in the OM-D E-M1, 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor, Wi-Fi technology, a large, high-speed electronic viewfinder and 3-axis image stabilization.

A Look Into The Best Post Production Business In The World: Box Studios
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Pascal Dangin is the founder and chief of Box Studios, a retouching house based out of NYC. They're known for retouching some of the world's best photographs, some of which grace Vogue and Vanity Fair. He also works with Annie Leibovitz and Steven Meisel. Unofficially, he's credited as being the world's most sought after retoucher in the industry. He is also very mysterious and so is Box. Here, we get an in depth look at what goes on behind the scenes at Box.

5 Instagram Era Behaviors That Need to Die
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We’ve all been spending a lot more time on social media lately. Whether Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or something else (that as a mid-thirty-something I’m not even aware of yet) is your preferred poison, I would like to respectfully submit that it’s time for us all to make some behavioral changes in how we socialize online.

Combining Flash With Continuous Lights for Creative Effect
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“I only shoot natural light. I’m a natural light photographer.” I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve heard some variation of this statement. It doesn’t get any less silly each time I hear it, though. Why would anyone want to box themselves into doing only one thing?

Fstoppers.com Is Hiring More Paid Writers
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Fstoppers.com is once again in need of more paid writers. We are in need of standard writers who must be full time professionals in the industry and junior writers who can be amateurs and are able to posts content found around the web.

F-Stop Gear Announces an Updated Line of Mountain Series Camera Backpacks
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One of the best camera backpack series just got an update, along with a few new bags. F-Stop Gear has been making quality backpacks for outdoor adventure filmmakers and photographers for a while now, and their latest products are looking to be even better. If you've owned or used the popular Loka series bag, you'll want to check out the new version, called the Ajna.

I Wish I Knew Earlier About These 5 Mistakes Every Photographer Makes
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I do my very best to help out photographers who are starting out. There are some negative tendencies in just about any photographer's career; I had them myself. The only difference between me and you is that you will now find out what's wrong, while I had to figure it out by trial and error.