Fstoppers Reviews the Benro ProAngel Tripod

Benro has been familiar name in the tripod game for some time now, and recently they’ve been picking up some new fans including Fstoppers’ Lee Morris. Last summer, they launched a new line of travel tripods under the ProAngel moniker. In this review I take a look at the Benro ProAngel #3-Series Tripod with B2 Ball Head kit, the most expensive travel tripod in this line and yet still only $249.

Instagram Updated With Direct Messaging | Now Send Sexy Photos In Private

Have you ever wanted to send a sexy, artfully filtered photo of yourself to a select 15 ladies that follow you on Instagram and then know exactly when they have read the message? Well, now that desire is a reality with the privatization of your Instagram posts through “Direct Messaging.”

Coversplash: A New Portfolio Option

Coversplash, a new photo sharing and photography forum site, is the creation of four college guys who wanted to create a one stop shop for all your photo needs. Coversplash gives you the ability to create a website to show off your work, easily tell stories with integrated tools, sell stock images and even interact with other photographers in the community.

NASA Asks for Everyone to Pitch In to Analyze Almost Two Million Photos

Since the 1960s, NASA has accumulated 1.8 million photos from various missions and sources that it now needs help analyzing and placing into context. Volunteers have already catalogued 20,000 photos, according to CNN, but without a greater public interest, cataloguing the 1.8 million photos (and counting) would likely never happen. If you want to be a part of the cataloguing efforts, you can view the images at The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.

How to Add Links to your Description on 500px

Adding hyperlinks to your descriptions on 500px can be extremely helpful if you'd like to grow on other social media platforms. For example, my natural light tutorial, Facebook page and many more links are all shared in every one of my posts on 500px. In this short article you will learn exactly how to create these links easily.

Using Drones as an Addition to My Landscape Photography

During my latest trip to the Faroe Islands I noticed how many tourists were flying drones. Drones are very popular, and rules for flying become more strict by the hour. I wonder why people like to fly a drone; is it just to fly, or to make films? I use it for landscape photography.

Announcing Nikon's First WiFi Enabled Camera: the D5300

In the wee hours of the night Nikon announced the new D5300, not even a year after its predecessor the D5200. It's no doubt that entry level cameras are going above and beyond what they originally were, but new features on the D5300 rumor to make it appeal to videographers and photographers alike.

Prolific Fashion Photographer Peter Lindbergh Has Died at the Age of 74

Fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh has passed away aged 74, a post on his official Instagram announced this morning. Lindbergh was highly regarded in the industry, largely for his work throughout the 1990s with supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.

Easily Create a Product Shot Using Composites

I absolutely love shooting commercial work in the studio. Who doesn't? Shooting in a studio environment allows the photographer full control over the lighting and the subject. It also allows for full creative freedom over what you can composite into the shot if needed by easily matching up the lighting. Earlier this week I had a few hours of downtime and decided to shoot a bottle of Bacardi Dark Rum in my studio. Using a softbox I built myself a few weeks ago, I decided to take it on a test run using the bottle of Rum as my subject.

How I Added Fireworks to a Photo and Confused People

Composites are a funny subject to people. Lead with it, and they are impressed. Tell them after and they just might feel duped. I found this out the hard way when I took a bunch of boring fireworks photos and added them to a night shot of the glorious Niagara Falls. Let's just say a major upgrade to the background.

Top 10 WeeklyFstop Photos: Landscape

Shooting landscape photography is not only fun but very therapeutic. The act of planning and capturing, the peace of the surrounding scenery, and the thrill of success all help your overall well-being in a way that makes photography a very effective way to uplift your spirits. For those of us that can't get out to some of these locations, looking at beautiful photos of them is also very soothing. I hope this week's list can relieve some stress for you. And be sure to check out next week's theme because I'm positive you'll love it.

[DIY] How to Make Your Own Studio Track Lighting

Admittedly this DIY project takes a little more effort than some but the results are pretty damn cool. Benjamin Von Wong takes a page from DIY Photography and makes a pretty slick fluorescent light track system, turning a small one room into a photo studio. Check out the video and if you decided this is something you must do, then head over to the VonStudio Blog for complete project detail. Parts, pricing, assembly, pros, cons, the works!

4 Photoshop Back Ups All Serious Photographers Need to Do

Hard drives fail, computer programs get corrupted, and companies have data losses from time to time. If you rely on Adobe to keep all your files and settings safe, then you may be in for a shock if things go majorly wrong. Make sure you have the following four items manually backed up while you still can.

Fstoppers Reviews Fujifilm Instax Square SQ20: Good But Difficult to Recommend

A little over a year ago, Fujifilm released their first ever square format Instax camera, the Instax SQ10. This camera used a 1/4" digital sensor to take the image and then used that file to print on the square film. This year, Fujifilm released their latest update to this camera, the Instax SQ20.

'The Photos That Took My Freedom' - An Interview with Abe Van Dyke

Abe Van Dyke is a Milwaukee-based freelance photojournalist whose work is submitted to the Demtix Wire, which is owned by Corbis Images. You may recognize Abe's name from his work covering the rioting and demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo. or his photographs documenting the passing away of his mother earlier this year. On Friday, Dec. 19, 2014, Abe was photographing the protests in his hometown of Milwaukee when things went south with law enforcement officials quickly, resulting in the arrest of Abe along with the protestors. Abe was kind enough to make time for a brief interview to share the story behind the photos that took his freedom.

Fstoppers Interviews Fine Art Photographer George Wheelhouse

George Wheelhouse is a fine art nature and landscape photographer from Bedfordshire, U.K. I recently spoke with him about his contemporary portraits of animals, as well as his more traditional woodland and mountain landscapes. Though many of Wheelhouse's favorite subjects are local, he told me that he loves to travel to remote locations, particularly to Nordic areas. He also shared that he is quite fond of boreal forests like Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Canada.

Has iPhone Video Footage Actually Been Used In A Box Office Hit?

In May 2012, Marvel will release the comic superhero movie The Avengers. Some apple fans are suggesting that footage actually in the movie was shot on an Apple Iphone. The Avengers cinematographer Seamus McGarvey was quoted saying, "The beauty of photography or cinema is that you make every choice based on the content at hand. On The Avengers, I did a couple of shots on the iPhone and they are in the movie. In fact, they are in the trailer! I understand that sometimes there is no choice and you have to go for the cheapest option, but if you are limited for choice, you can still make poignant decisions that will effect the look of the film." It's pretty crazy to think footage from the older iPhone 4 (which only shoots 720) could ever be good enough to mix in with real footage taken on pro cinema cameras. With the amount of preplanning and the huge budgets allowed on these films, would they not just reproduce the scene again and capture it from all angles? I just can't imagine something happened spontaneously where the cinematographer's footage from his phone was the best possible footage. What do you guys think? Can anyone identify the footage in the trailer below?
Fstoppers Reviews FotoClient Business Management Software For Photographers

FotoClient is a new cloud based platform which aims to be a total business management solution for photographers and studios. From lead management to invoicing FotoClient wants to tackle it all. I put it to the test at my studio to see how it performs in the real world. Starting at just $10/month, could this be the solution you are looking for?

Our Long-Term Review of the Shimoda Action X50 Backpack

After thorough consideration, I made the decision to purchase the Shimoda Action X50 backpack a few years ago as my primary backpack for photography travels. Now, after several years of use, I want to reflect on its performance. Is it worth the investment? Let's find out.

Behind The Scenes Video: Benjamin Von Wong Shoots Blazing Fine Art

Every Week Benjamin Von Wong releases new behind the scenes content for your viewing pleasure. This week Ben takes off for Paris and tackles the challenge of shooting a piece of fine art called the “WOM dog” by Cyril Anguelidis. Ben and his talented fire-wielding partner-in-crime, Andrey DAS, took their time in pre-production. They sketched out what exact effects were to be used around the expensive sculpture for the most dramatic look, while still keeping the crew and subject safe.

Sony Introduces Four New FE Lenses to Their Lineup, Software Updates for Current Offerings

Four new full-frame E-mount lenses have been announced by Sony which include a 35mm f/1.4, 90mm f/2.8 Macro, 24–240mm f/3.5–6.3, and 28mm f/2. In addition to these lenses, two lens converters were also unveiled for the newly announced FE 28mm, turning it into either a 21mm f/2.8 ultra-wide or a 16mm f/3.5 fisheye. Along with the announcement comes software updates for many of the current FE lenses on the market which will shorten start-up time on E-mount cameras.

Photographing Hong Kong's Neon: A Contact Sheet

As photographers, we need to put our best foot forward, especially if we're hoping to get clients to hire us or even simply aim for a quick dopamine hit on Instagram. However, one of the most beneficial exercises I have done is to look at the process of getting to my own favorite images and the process others follow to get to theirs.

100ASA: A Photo-Sharing Platform Worth Trying Now

If you’re a photographer who has tried using photo-sharing platforms, you might be familiar with the same problems that plague some of them. This can get pretty annoying. If you have been irritated by this, you might be happy to learn about 100ASA, a platform changing the game with its unique community-centered features.