Howdy everyone and welcome to the Wednesday Rundown. This week Albert Manduca shows us how he gets it done in the studio with two beautiful models. We also have a great psychology concept shoot that was executed underwater. If you have a great and informative video you want to see in the Wednesday Rundown please shoot me an email jerrit@fstoppers.com .
Last month, Lytro announced their second generation light field camera they call Illum. The Illum system is clearly geared at serious amateur and professional photographers interested in experimenting with variable focus photography. This new mini-documentary features photographers using the Illum system, the technology behind it, and their creative process.
The photography industry and it’s consumers would both benefit from introducing the predominant mobile phone sales model.
Old and nervous people, rejoice! Apple’s scientists are at it again, and this time, they’re busy making camera phone pictures less blurry! Apple has filed for a new U.S. patent about a method to “capture and store images continuously from a device’s camera before a user presses the shutter button," and then automatically select the best image.
This means, your device will take pictures before you press the shutter. That’s right folks… psychic phones. Then, based upon factors such as exposure time, image contrast, focus, dynamic range, etc., the opinionated phone selects the best image of the set.
Today the Sony Digital Imaging team announced their latest lens addition, the FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro for full-frame E-mount cameras. Shipping at the end of September, the new lightweight macro lens will offer a 1:1 reproduction and 6.3-inch minimum focusing distance. See all the specifications here as Fstoppers gets a first look at the FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro.
Is your art good? Is it mediocre? Is it expected? Are you surprising yourself? Have you seen growth in your craft, or are you simply doing the same thing? Are you proud of your body of work in 2023? As artists, sometimes, we get so busy in art-making that we don’t take the time to evaluate our art. I’ve crafted these 10 questions as an evaluation tool for you to pause in the process of art-making and to congratulate yourself, correct yourself, and direct yourself.
Choosing which lenses to bring on an assignment is a constant back and forth between weight and versatility for me. As an adventure and travel photographer, I’m either hiking all my gear into a remote location or flying abroad for long periods with limited bag space. So when I got the opportunity to test out the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens I was pretty excited.
Last summer Lindsay Adler and Brooke Shaden teased a new show they were working on with the [F]ramed Network called "The Concept," where they will take on the challenge of executing a surprise concept by the Framed Producers. Equipped with the same Sigma lenses, both photographers will be expected to shoot the same models in the same location, giving viewers the opportunity to see them plan a shoot from start to finish, the first episode of which will air on October 22.
About a month ago you may remember I wrote an article that talked about how 500px was releasing a new “Prime” program and they planned on selling images on their site and giving the photographers only 30% in return. The community showed its HUGE discontent and 500px actually announced they have changed their stance and will be giving the photographers 70% instead.
I have been following and reporting on Vincent Laforet's "AIR" series since its first round was released. I came across an early printing of the book itself in the waiting area of San Francisco's Storehouse startup while I was about to take on another interview. I knew Storehouse and Laforet had a good working relationship, and I knew the images so well. But I didn't have time to look inside -- not that I felt I had to, however, since I knew the work inside and out. So when Laforet offered me a copy of the book to review, I simply had to say, "Of course," even if it was with mixed feelings. What could I, objectively speaking, really get out of it? Hadn't I seen it all?
While many aspiring photographers work for a long time to reach their goals, it's often the journey to get there that is the most interesting story of all. This short video from Vertical Online reveals a thoughtful and inspirational tale of one landscape photographer's experiences from going broke to making amazing images.
Dogs are among of the most difficult subjects to photograph. They are unpredictable, easily distracted, and move quickly. The challenges that accompany photographing our canine counterparts are multiplied when working with more than one dog at once. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help get the perfect shot of a group of dogs.
I remember vividly in July of 2019 when Skylum announced Luminar 4, software that featured Sky Replacement. A ho-hum feature for some, it was seen as a major gift by many photographers who wanted an easy way to replace a bland or cloudless sky.
For 2021, the first event of the “eclipse season” is a lunar eclipse on the morning of May 26. The second is an annular solar eclipse on June 10. In an annular eclipse, the Moon appears too small to block the Sun out entirely, so at maximum eclipse, the Sun is visible as a ring (annulus).
The Photoshop team rolled out a video which showcases some of the direction which Adobe intends to go in the future. It was shot and then edited entirely in a future version of Photoshop. Though the video itself is pretty standard, it's a glimpse of what's to come. Do you believe that Adobe should keep video editing separate from Photoshop? We want to hear your thoughts.
CERN is a renowned international nuclear research facility located just outside Geneva. Straddling the border between Switzerland and France, it's home to the infamous Large Hadron Collider — the largest single machine ever made by humankind. It was built to find the Higgs boson, often referred to as the elusive "God particle." CERN recently hosted a small group of select photographers for a rare photo walk throughout their massive experimental laboratory, and we have an exclusive first look at the photos.
This is a simple yet very personal and special project you can do at home for your clients, family, or your own walls. Traditional online canvas sales proceeding a photo session can be bland and impersonal. So if you have some time to spare for this project, it creates a connection like no other with your clients. I think of projects like this as the cherry on top of a photoshoot. It's one of the few ways to carry your artistic ability all the way through to the hard copy. This technique is usually used in the fine arts and street art world, so adding this to digital photography is a cool way to merge the two worlds. Essentially, with this you will separate your photo's ink from the paper to leave it floating in clear acrylic medium.
When retouching we often place a strong focus on the primary subject of the photo, often demoting other aspects of the image as a fleeting second thought. Which makes sense, the primary subject of the photo is the most important aspect of a photo. This is why it is so important to pay attention to the background, if the background is distracting the viewer from focusing on the subject there is a tremendous loss of coherency throughout the image.
Volcanology is an imperfect and sometimes unpredictable science, as a BBC camera crew learned recently, narrowly escaping with their lives after a close call on Mount Etna.
Like many photographers, I decided to stop shooting weddings as soon as I was able to. They were sometimes fun, and they could pay well, but they just weren’t for me. In 2013, I finally booked my last one: a destination wedding in early 2014 in Bolivia. Going out with style, for sure.
Amid a busy week, I figured I’d share a few brief thoughts on why it’s important to keep moving forward and why it’s just as important to sometimes remain still long enough to see where you stand.
Terrified of creepy crawlies he may be, but Mofeed Abu-Shalwa has committed his career to photographing and researching tiny creatures. I interviewed him to find out more about his incredible, jewel-like, and award-winning photographs — and how he got over his fear.
Firefighters in Paris were able to use DJI Mavic Pro and Matrice M210 drones to track the fires flames in real time.
An art school in Lyon, France has had its integrity called into question after it was allegedly caught Photoshopping black students into its group photos. Compare the results and judge for yourself.
I consider myself a very lucky photographer. After all, I have a studio to myself, plenty of various funky lights, and plenty of lighting knowledge to rely on when I want to create something. This was not the case a few years back. At some point, all I had was a light and an umbrella. If you are in this boat, this is the perfect article for you. There is a lot you can do with just a light and a modifier.
It was a fascinating experience comparing the reactions to the Comodo Orbit online to those who saw the rig in person at WPPI Las Vegas this year. Almost 100% of the comments online were negative, non-believing dismissals of the product, while nearly 100% of the comments in person about the product were an excited thumbs up. It was easily the most popular product at the show. So what did we think of it?
One of the most consistent opportunities we have as photographers to earn money with our cameras is photographing real estate and hospitality properties, such as Airbnb rentals, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take a huge investment to offer quality images for this purpose.
If you're like our adventurous duo Lee and Patrick and can't help but want to capture every moment of your daredevil exploits be it wake boarding, rock climbing, snowboarding, etc, then this sleek little number just maybe what you need to put down your not so waterproof D7000. Contour's latest, entirely hands-free mountable camera, the ContourROAM can shoot 1080p 30fps video and 5MP still images with a lens that rotates 270 degrees and includes a freakin laser line for leveling shots even when the camera is mounted at odd angles. It supports up to 32GB of storage via microSD and has a built-in multi-directional mic for catching audio. All aluminum construction makes this nice and rugged with a battery life of three hours per charge. Sample video and product shots inside.
Macro photography can be a fun and exciting step for a hobbyist or the full time photographer looking to shoot something different. It takes patience (in most cases if you are working with small creatures) and a keen eye for that interesting shot. So what do you need to know in order to start into macro photography?
![Adler and Shaden Square Off in a [F]ramed Network 6-Episode Series](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/med-16-9/s3/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/adler-shaden-the-concept.jpg)
![[Video] This Video Was Created Entirely In Photoshop! (Yes, Video)](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/med-16-9/s3/media-youtube/PD3sh6iT72Y.jpg)
