Three Huge Reasons Every Photographer Should Be Writing

When the general public picture photographers, they tend to envision a creative individual who goes out and snaps away at anything and everything that inspires them; architecture, nature, sports, or whatever assignment they've been put on. It's likely that they never think of the hours we spend marketing, writing proposals, editing, doing book-keeping, etc.

How Different Sized Softboxes Work Best For Your Portraits

Understanding how different sized softboxes work usually requires a bunch of tests or just good ole trial and error. Luckily photographer Jay P Morgan has done all the dirty work for you and shows how different sized Photoflex softboxes create unique spreads and quality of light. I find smaller softboxes are great for location portraits because of their compact size and soft yet edgy light. However you may prefer something larger depending on the specific look you are trying to achieve. If you enjoy Jay's videos, check out some of his older posts we have featured on Fstoppers.
Film Yourself Easier Than Ever with the New SOLOSHOT2

When it comes to making video edits and sports demos of yourself, finding a friend to film can be the biggest challenge of all. With this second generation advancement of the SOLOSHOT you can film yourself in endless scenarios, photograph panning DSLR timelapse, and forego the need for a buddy on the beach.

The Wednesday Rundown 10.3.12

Howdy everyone and welcome to the Wednesday Rundown. This week we have a shoot BTS video for a composite family photo shoot that gets very creative. We also have a video that uses speakers and paint to get some abstract photos. If you have a great and informative video you want to see in the Wednesday Rundown please shoot me an email jerrit@fstoppers.com .

How to Take Stunning Pet Portraits at Home

Take simple pet portraits at home while you’re self-isolating. All you need is a pet, a window, and some pet treats to grab their attention, then set your camera to aperture priority mode and work on your composition.

Here's How Americans Really Feel About Drones

Drones are often a controversial issue, but little research has been done on how the average person feels about them. As they continue to proliferate, this data looks at how the American public feels about their presence.

[Video] Kareem Black Explains Shooting The King

From the Profoto Master series, Kareem Black explains the process and how he shot his award winning image of the Burger King King. He shows us his lighting diagrams and a bit of why he did what he did. Enjoy!
Joey Shanks Explains to Fstoppers How He Re-Created the Black Hole from the Movie Interstellar

If you’re interested in getting big budget looks in your low budget indie film, then you should be very familiar with the Shanks FX channel on YouTube. If you’re not, you should get acquainted with it… like now! Joe Schenkenberg aka Joey Shanks is the man with the know-how when it comes to creating Hollywood effects out of simple household items. He teamed up with PBS Digital Studios to bring you quality behind-the-scenes content online and has recently partnered with Red Giant to explain how he created a black hole effect very similar looking to the one in the recent movie Interstellar – all captured in-camera.

One Very Good Reason You Should Make Your Photographs Beautiful

Are your photos beautiful? Consequently, do they attract lots of likes online? If you are serious about your photography, then there are arguments to shun beauty and embrace less appealing aesthetics. But those arguments are flawed. Here's why.

Fstoppers Reviews the Elinchrom Skyport Plus System

For years, Elinchrom users have been complaining about the aging Skyport. A few months ago, the Swiss flash manufacturer finally released the brand new Skyport HS, and it is a great product. However, not everyone needs its advanced features. Some photographers couldn’t care less about technical stuff and only want their transmitter to do the job it is designed for: triggering the flash remotely. Well, that’s why the Skyport Plus was recently released.

The Best Way To Get Assaulted With Street Photography

Recently Petapixel featured a rather amusing video of photographer Fabio Pires out of London. Fabio is a street photographer who shoots spontaneous photos off the cuff. Unlike the video we featured of Clay Enos's street setup, Fabio's approach is more in your face, candid, and potentially more risky. In Fabio's opinion, the best shots come from strange and interesting people who aren't expecting to have their photo taken. I dunno, maybe in England this isn't frowned upon as much as it is in the United States?
Fstoppers Reviews Polar Pro Filters for Drones

Designed for DJI photographers and cinematographers alike, PolarPro's Cinema Series for the Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced includes six incredibly useful filters: three neutral density filters and three polarizing and neutral density filters. I had been looking at filters for quite some time and wasn't sure where to begin so this set was the perfect place to start. Available for a wide array of quadcopters well beyond the Phantom 4 Pro tested, if you are looking to improve your quadcopter's image quality by adding filters, check out this review of PolarPro's Cinema Series.

Photoshop In Your Browser? We're One Step Closer

While photographers have been able to upload their RAW files to Google Drive for quite some time, apparently, we’re now one step closer to being able to process those in Photoshop directly through our browsers. An almost two year effort on the part of Adobe and Google has brought Chrome-based Photoshop to fruition. They’ve got a version called Photoshop Streaming that they’ve sent out to educational institutions to test out over the next six months.

Cat Footwear Produces A Slow-Mo Matrix Style Commercial

Director Paul Clements produced a pretty amazing commercial for Cat Footwear. By using a single high frame rate video camera and a large array of DSLRs he produced something that I am having trouble describing with words. You'll just have to watch it for yourself. Check out the BTS below and the finished product in the full post.
Your December Photography Project: Reflection

In many of the world's cultures, the coming of a new year is celebrated as a time of renewal and reflection. It is a time to share with family and friends, a time to celebrate, and for some, a time of contemplation. Although it can be a hectic time for many of us, with so many preparations and celebrations, it is also a great time to look back. I encourage each of you to use this month to reflect on your art from the year to date.

Fstoppers Interviews Commercial Photographer Erik Almas On Becoming Successful

Erik Almas is an inspiration to many of us not only with the work he does as a commercial photographer but also as a person who shares the struggles and successes he had in his career. No doubt that he works with many companies and brands we can only dream of, but in a recent interview he confessed that despite that there wasn't a moment in his life when he could say he "finally made it." It is exciting to hear what his measure for success really was.

The Awesome Highlights Power of Negative Film

When touting the many virtues of film, people frequently mention the power of negatives in the highlights. But what does that mean, exactly, and how does its strength compare to its digital brethren? To find out the differences, I shot a demanding subject with both digital and black and white film, severely over and underexposing. How did they stack up against each other? Read on to find out!

Is Samyang Planning a 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Lens?

Tamron's 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD has been praised for being remarkably versatile and for pushing the boundaries of lens design. Samyang might be joining the party soon, as rumors that the company is planning a similar lens have emerged.

Shooting Personal Work While Traveling

First things first, personal work is incredibly important. Client work often pays the bills but the most fundamental personal development you’re going to experience is when you take your vision and execute it. I would say that applies to just about anyone and certainly to photographers.

Video Shows Off New Phottix Indra TTL 500ws Battery Strobe

Last week at Photokina, Phottix announced their battery powered TTL strobe the Indra500 to much accolades and this week they released a video on scet with acclaimed Hong Kong Photographer CM Leung and Hong Kong Arnold Classic Winner Brenda Lo. Though there isn't any talking or additional information on how the strobe handled here, you can get a feel for what it looks like in a real world use situation.

The Wednesday Rundown 9.7.11

Howdy and welcome to the Wednesday Rundown. This week we have a video from Dave on Astro Timelapse. A very cool instructional video that everyone should try out. We also have one of the best light painting videos I have seen. Check out the videos being posted for the contest BTS Contest forum. If you have a video that you think we might like to post, please click on "submit content" above.
How To Use Foreshortening for Creative Portraits

In my journey as a portrait photographer, I've found foreshortening to be a creative look that you can use to produce some dynamic images. But what is foreshortening, and how can it add some dynamism to your portraits? Let's dive in.

Looking Ahead to Future Eclipses

While the lunar and annular solar eclipses are fresh in our minds and travel is gradually returning to some semblance of normality, it’s a good idea to begin to think ahead to future eclipse photo opportunities (especially total solar eclipses) in the next few years. Why plan so far ahead? Unfortunately for most of us, the opportunities to photograph a solar eclipse within our lifetimes can be counted on a few fingers. Lunar eclipses are a little easier to plan for but still require some planning.