Getting Better Photos When Walking With Your Camera: Part Two

Do you take your camera for a walk? In this second article on that topic, we will be considering why it is good for you and your photography in ways you might not think, why you could leave the telephoto lens behind, and how to improve at photographing animate subjects even with a shorter lens.

Douglas Sonders Photographs Blink 182 In Under 30 Minutes

Douglas Sonders has always created some pretty interesting behind the scenes videos of his photo projects. Recently he shot the band Blink 182 for the cover of Alt Press Magazine. The behind the scenes video below doesn't show much mainly because Douglas only had about 30 minutes with the band and had to shoot 3 separate covers with each band member individually as well as 1 complete band photo. The lighting is pretty straight forward though with a few rim lights, a soft over head key light, and a ring flash. Check out the full post to see a detailed video on how Douglas photoshopped the final images for print and how he uses the Nik Software Viveza in his workflow.
Bayhem: When Too Much Isn't Enough

Michael Bay, the American movie director and producer, is worth millions of dollars. In fact, Forbes has Bay making $66 million in 2014 – and that’s just through the first six months of this year.

How’s he do it? Well, Tony Zhou has created a mashup of Bay’s movies for us to study. Let the Bayhem begin.

BTS: Plan, Shoot, and Edit a Vintage Travel Set

As part of a commitment to expand my portfolio in 2017 with work that showcase a broader understanding of concept and light, I decided to plan a shoot centered around a vintage travel theme. After weeks of planning the style, location, and overall shots I wanted to take away, I finally had the opportunity to execute the shoot yesterday and I’d like to share the results as inspiration for any interested readers.

The Best Time-Lapse You Will Never Be Able To Create

It seems every day someone is creating an interesting timelapse that shows something we've never seen before. This one comes from the International Space Station as it orbits around the earth at night. The video was made from using data from the Gateway To Astronaut Photography Of Earth and stitched together with the open software Virtual Dub. It's pretty amazing how much light pollution makes it to each exposure and look carefully for bursts of lightning over the Pacific Ocean. Props to the person who spots the satellite that makes the frame as well!
Creating a Photo That is a "Vision of the Future"

Aaron Nace from PHLEARN wanted to make an image that was based on the idea of a future where the sun had become so bright that humans would be forced to see the world through technologically-advanced glasses. Watch how they went from concept drawing to finished photo in their most recent tutorial.

[Gear] Sony Reveals NEX-FS700, '4K Ready' and 240fps Camera Body

Hot on the heels of NAB 2012, Sony's Europe website posted the NEX-FS700E Camcorder. The hitlist of features include a Super35mm CMOS Sensor, 4K RAW output with a future upgrade, up to 240fps @ 1080p, built-in ND filters, and 50/60Hz switching. Pricing is still unannounced, but EOSHD's sources tell them it will only be $8,000! Hit the jump for actual product images and a detailed feature list.

Fstoppers Reviews The Pad Prompter by OneTakeOnly

Speaking on camera can be stressful. Some people are born with that fearless gene that allows you to get that first take right out of the gate... the rest of us are not as fortunate. Thankfully for us there's teleprompters that help walk us through the process of speaking on camera. One of these popular teleprompters is the Pad Prompter by OneTakeOnly. A prompter that utilizes your portable tablet and transforms awkwardness to smooth takes.

Fstoppers Reviews the 170-Degree Superfish Mobile Lens by Moment

If you weren't aware, there is quite a market for mobile lenses within the photography community, and sitting atop the pack is a little company called Moment. They came bursting on the scene about two years ago with the plan to bring high quality glass to the mobile photography market. Here are my thoughts on their brand new super fisheye lens, the Superfish.

Lomography's New 6x12 Multi-Format Metered Camera

The Lomography Store has a new camera available for pre-order, the BELAIR X 6-12 camera. Featuring multiple formats and auto-metering, the camera is perhaps the most flexible of its kind for an unprecedented price. Pre-order now for a 30% discount!

[Video] The Photographers Behind Their Iconic Photos

Photographer Tim Mantoani has been working on a 5-year project called “Behind Photographs”, where he has been capturing the artists that were responsible for some of the iconic images that have shaped our culture. In this video he talks about his process a bit more, and shows the rare 20x24 Polaroid camera he used. Very cool historical piece here, it’s an interesting juxtaposition showing the photo with the photographer.
Shooting A-List Celebrities with Polaroid Cameras

It seems like everyone is a photographer nowadays, and with technology getting cheaper and cheaper, it seems like every which way you look you are seeing another person snapping away on a DSLR. The question is how do you separate yourself from the masses. It can be a daunting task to do something different. But It’s not as hard as you think. It might be something you stopped using a long time ago.

Ricoh GXR Mirrorless Camera Review

The Ricoh GXR is an oddball. It’s different than any other mirrorless camera out there -- with the GXR, you use the same base body, but switch out sensor/lens combinations. This format has some serious advantages and disadvantages compared to its competition.

A Scouting Checklist: What I Look For in a Location or Studio

Art is about storytelling. It’s about using all the tools at one’s disposal to convey and idea or an emotion. To connect an audience to a brand, or a personality, or a moment in a way the no other medium can. Along with my own technique, the ingenuity of the on-camera talent and the creative team behind it, plus the tools necessary to complete the job, the location you select for your shoot is one of the many raw materials that will have an effect on the eventual alchemy you bring forth to produce a great image.

Editing Ideas For Midday Landscape Photography

Rumor has it landscape photography on bright sunny days with blue skies is not a good idea. I would disagree. Here are a few ideas for editing photos shot in the midday sun that might just inspire you to go out and shoot more in bright conditions.

Your Camera’s Meter Lies: Take Advantage of It To Improve Your Photos

Metering and exposure are uneasy companions. Although they seem to work well together on the surface, the metering can trick you into exposing badly. Here are some experiments showing you how to take control of exposure and use it creatively, especially in aperture priority mode.

46 Billion-Pixel Image Is Now the Largest Space Image by a Factor of More Than 30

From photos of Pluto and its moons to constantly expanding catalogs of images of our planet, NASA's releases seem to be never-ending lately. The latest epic space image, however, comes from German astronomers from Ruhr University Bochum. At a massive 46 billion pixels and a unwieldy 194 gigabytes, the image unseats the previous record holder for the largest photograph of space: NASA's 1.5 billion-pixel Hubble photograph of Andromeda.

Mermaid to Photographer: Life in Front and Behind the Camera

Photographers Kristina Sherk and Chris Crumley have been a dynamic pair for years with their underwater photography. Crumley's shots of Sherk's mermaid modeling have gone viral around the world. However, Sherk decided to take on a new endeavor and create her own underwater art.

Timbavati's White Lions

Freddie Child-Villiers was invited as one of two photographers worldwide in November of 2010. "He was officially allowed to photograph the only White Lions to be successfully reintroduced back into their endemic habitat after being technically extinct for over two decades." The images in the series were shot with the Hasselblad H4D-50 for entry into the wildlife category of the 2010 Hasselblad Masters competition

How I’ve Perfected Location Scouting Before Shoots

There’s nothing worse than visiting a location prior to shooting, only to miss out on important details. Avoid headaches, and make sure that you’re prepared for the shoot day.

How to Start Selling Prints Through Your Website for Free

If you're like me, you just had a couple of months’ worth of work canceled and are now looking for alternative income streams. If you want to know how to start selling prints online — with no setup costs and no ongoing fees — read on.

Your Sony A7/A7R Might Light Leak & How You Can Fix It

The Sony A7 and A7R were two of the most important cameras released in 2013. They pack a full-frame sensor into a compact mirrorless body with high resolutions of 24 and 36 MP respectively. We reviewed the Sony A7R here. While the A7(R) is an amazing camera (and the first of its kind), recently there have been reports of light leaks. Here's a quick fix via übergizmo.

[BTS Video] Todd Jones Shoots X Games Athletes at 1,000 FPS with Phantom HD Gold

Who doesn’t love watching the X Games? Those athletes are crazy. Just as captivating, though, is this behind-the-scenes two-part video on The Northface and X Games Baldface commercial. Director Todd Jones pulls out all the stops in this two part BTS documentary, breaking out a Phantom HD Gold, a helicopter, and building one really enormous jump.

12 Weeks of Christmas: 12 Ways to Pimp Your Camera

It's now officially twelve (shopping) weeks to Christmas and so in the spirit of the 12 Days of Christmas, we start our countdown — not with 12 drummers drumming — with the top 12 ways to pimp your camera.

Adventurer by Matthew Drozd (BTS)

Originally inspired by Indiana Jones for this image, photographer Matthew Drozd almost immediately ran into budgetary constraints. In this video he sits down with us to talk about how he came up with his concept, how he found his team, how he avoided potential equine issues and how he balanced his lighting to make the final composite. There isn't a lot of technical information to be had here (though the idea of flashes spooking a horse at night is important), but definitely take note of

Colorblindness and How One Company Is Helping to Fix It

One in twelve men suffer from color vision deficiency (CVD). It’s a guarantee that many of the people reading this suffer from it as well. There is now a company that offers a solution to color blindness.

How to use Fujifilm Film Simulations in Capture One 12

So it's finally happened:Phase One and Fujifilm have collaborated to bring film simulations to the newest version of Capture One! The film simulations in Capture One work with most of Fujifilm's cameras, except those with the X-Trans I and II sensor (The XPro 1, X-T1 etc.) but why should you care and how do you do it?

How to Prepare a Production Call Sheet in Minutes

Planning and timing is the key; especially, when it comes to a serious photography or video work. Usually, you have to deal with lots of details in a fast-paced environment, and manage your own crew as well. Therefore, it's better to be planned and be prepared against any possible misfortune. All you need is a well prepared production call sheet.