Finally a Technical Service Advisory for the Nikon D600

After a class action lawsuit, Nikon has announced they are performing free sensor cleanings and shutter replacement for all D600 cameras. As an owner of a D600 I am glad to see Nikon is being held to fixing this very common issue. Funny enough I had my sensor cleaned on Sunday for oil spots.

Motion Array Releases a New Extension for Adobe

Do you regularly work on video projects and find yourself spending a lot of time searching for various assets online? Motion Array has released a new extension for Adobe to help you cut down on the time you spend jumping between your project and your internet browser.

Never Get Stuck in a Rut Again: The Importance of Play

Photography requires repetitive tasks that can often become habit forming. When we find a way of doing something that works, we repeat those steps to get the desired result. We get locked into certain styles and certain ways of thinking. This can be valuable because it makes us dependable, but these habits can also have an undesired effect: they can make us predictable, bland, and stifle our creativity. What can a photographer do when their creativity starts to atrophy? The answer is play.

Break Your Bad Habits by Shooting Film with the Minolta X700

Shooting film might be a dying industry, but don’t let that hold you back from the joy of this lost art. I would also argue that occasionally shooting a film will make you a better photographer! The same things we love about our digital cameras are the things that make us lazy.

ACD Systems Releases Huge New Update for ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2018

Buying a new camera can be a very exciting thing, and most of us probably can't wait to see how good images from the new camera are compared to the old. The problem is whether or not your current raw editing software supports your new camera. Fortunately, ACD systems have released a great new update to their photo managing and raw editing software, ACDSee Photo Studio. The new Ultimate 2018 software is a fantastic alternative to some of the other raw editing platforms, and provides some very intuitive and useful file managing features. The latest update to this software further improves it and makes it a very viable option for working professionals.

The Wednesday Rundown 11.17.10

Howdy and welcome to the Wednesday Rundown. This week we have two videos sent in by the crowd at fstoppers. Always great seeing what our readers / creative crowd produces. We also have a video from David Ziser. He walks us through lighting a wedding bridal shoot and editing of the final product. Help us out and send in your behind the scenes shoots. contactfstoppers@gmail.com
Behind the Scenes on the New Browns Campaign

Yesterday Fstoppers' writer Christ Knight shared a video in which famed photographer David LaChapelle takes us through his set-centric studio in Los Angeles. Sure they talk about his life and what it's like to be a deity among mortals but I noticed the sets. The elaborate, expansive and expensive creations are a crucial part of his process but they seem so out of reach for the wallet of the average image maker. That is where this video I stumbled onto takes over.

Photography 101 Tutorial by Fstoppers Is Now Available in the Store

Fstoppers is bringing it back to the basics with our latest project, Photography 101: How to Use Your Digital Camera and Edit Photos in Photoshop. If you're just getting started in your photography career or simply want to learn how to take better pictures, this tutorial will teach you the fundamentals that bridge the gap into any genre of photography. This tutorial also offers ground up training in how to successfully use Photoshop to improve your images dramatically.

Why You Should Be Looking for a New Job Even If You're Happy

It doesn't matter if you work for an employer or run your own business, having one eye constantly on the jobs market will change your perception of the industry and help your career going forward. Your future self will thank you for this.

Blackmagic Production Camera FINALLY Will Format SSDs In-Camera

Really, really good news out of Blackmagic today, as they just informed me that they have updated the firmware of the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K to allow for in-camera formatting of the SSD. So will this be coming to the Pocket Cinema Camera and the Cinema Camera? Yes, yes it will.

When In Doubt, Bury Your Models Alive

There have been a few conversations over at the Fstoppers Forum lately about how to composite two images together in a way that looks consistent. Aaron Nace has a history of producing interesting composite style images; recently he tackled the conceptual idea of "Going Home". Although I'm a bit disappointed neither Aaron or Avery gave any insight on what they were wanting to accomplish in this video, the way the two approached such a tough logistical concept is really clever. Sure there is a LOT of photoshop required in a final image like this but what's really important to take note of is how Aaron went out and shot as much of the concept in camera with consistent lighting so everything would work together when he started piecing the two images together. Since it's May 21st I figured this was an appropriate subject matter to tackle :)
ONA Announces the Berlin II Now in Beautiful Black Leather with Gunmetal

ONA is a premium camera bag company presenting some of the finest in leather goods used to store and protect your photography gear with style. This week they launched their next collaboration with the one and only Leica, introducing their next generation Berlin II in all black leather. Read on to check out some of the features.

Flickr Spotlight - Everyone Wants To Be Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history. Best ever. He did something many people tried doing for many years, and his achievement will raise a whole new generation of people who will have a dream of being like him. Tomorrow we are going to see Michael Phelps competing for the last time, so there is no better time to dedicate a post to him. Here are 20 of the best images of swimmers found on Flickr.

Eating Chicken Feet in Singapore with Elia Locardi P.T.W. Ep. 11

The behind-the-scenes series of our cityscape tutorial with Elia Locardi continues with episode 11. In this episode we fly on one of the longest flights in the world, from N.Y.C. to Singapore. We enjoy seeing the sights of this amazing city and we also try eating some chicken feet. Spoiler: they were awful.

Silencing The Critic with Brian Bowen Smith

Brian Bowen Smith speaks at Chicago Ideas Week about utilizing the creative process and relying on your subject to allow your work to reach it's potential. This amazingly successful photographer takes us through the successes and challenges of three different shoots all the while touting the importance of trusting your gut. The common misconception is that great shoots require a great investment. I love the fact that the first shoot he discusses was done for under $500.

What Happens to Your Digital Imagery When You Die?

If there is one inevitable in life, it's that at some point, it will end. So, what do you do about all of the digital photos you've shot on different cameras and smartphones, stored on your PC at home, as well as spread out across a host of social media platforms?

Netflix Adds Documentary Depciting War At Its Most Terrible

Now available on Netflix, "Shooting Robert King" goes behind the scenes of what it was like to be a documentary war photographer. You always hear and see images from the war but NEVER about what it's like to be thrown into it as a documentary photographer. At just 24, American photojournalist Robert King began his 15 year journey to follow his passion. Originally he set out to win a Pulitzer prize, but in the end found himself with a life changing experience.

Top Ten Milestones in Modern Camera Technology

Preston Scott of Camera Technica has compiled an entertaining walkthrough of the modern camera's evolution from the pages of Popular Science. With all the facts, photos and tidbits this article has, it's sure to be super interesting to the the inquisitive minded.
So read on fellow tech geeks, read on.

Creating 3D Models Using Computational Photography

Three-dimensional models are now widely used in the gaming and movie industries and one of the most common methods for creating them uses computational photography. This, the first of two articles, explains how it works.

InstaMeets and Why You Should Attend One

One of the great things that Instagram does is bring the social of social media to life. Known amongst the Instagram community as InstaMeets, these real life meetup groups promote a collaborative and inspiring atmosphere for attendees. InstaMeets are held worldwide and Instagram holds an annual World Wide InstaMeet every year, with this year's meet culminating in 124,141 photos as of this post. Users are encourage to hold their own InstaMeets, and Instagram has an entire page dedicated community page for them. So what's all the fuss about? Let's look at five reasons you should attend an InstaMeet.

How to Build Your Own Photography Community Through Collaboration

At this point, we should all know that almost all jobs and opportunities to find success in photography are built off networking. Now there are tons of ways to network and the path you pick will depend solely on the niche you associate with. Either way, the main goal is to meet people with the same professional interests as yourself to feed off each other creatively and to broaden your reach in the community. We tend to forget about the community aspect as we get caught up in chasing money or companies but what we sometimes need to go to that next level is support system built off our love for photography.

Instagram Hits 800 Million, Launches New Controls for Safety and Filtering

Instagram just recently announced that they have grown past 800 million users with 500 million people using the popular social media app every day. This week the company updated the app's ability to take more control of the commenting on your posts. In the June update, Instagram created a filter to block offensive comments in English, and that filter has just been expanded to include the languages of Arabic, French, German, and Portuguese. Instagram is in the process of improving the filter over time to allow the general experience of sharing to improve simultaneously.

BTS of an Insane Photoshoot with Rock Climbers

Warning, this video may give you a little bit of vertigo. Stijn Van Hulle posted this BTS video of him photographing rock climbers in Freyr, Belgium. The images were shot to compliment a new guidebook for Freyr - "the most important climbing area in Belgium." It's a harrowing job to be sure, but the payoff is breathtaking - a gorgeous landscape overlooking a castle that dates back to 1378.

New Lowepro Dashpoint Action Video Case for GoPro Cameras

Yesterday, the people at Lowepro released a set of new cases for GoPro users. The Dashpoint Action Video Case (now available) comes in two sizes, a small AVC 1 and a larger AVC 2. Both cases are semi-hard shell plastic cases with a soft, customizable interior and are available in two colors: black or blue. Anyone who's used a GoPro knows how difficult it is to keep all the little parts organized in your bag, this might just be the solution.

The Peril of Lowering Your Prices to Compete

When a photographer is desperate for bookings, an inexperienced business owner will turn to the only option they know of: lowering their prices. Before doing this, you should consider all of the other options you have before deciding to compete with others on price.