[BTS Video] Joe McNally's Epson Photograph Is A Circus In The Air

Most people know Joe McNally for his photojournalism or his editorial work. Others know him as the author of some of the best photography books on lighting. But Joe "numnuts" McNally is also one heck of an advertising photographer too. Recently Joe photographed the Anti-Gravity Dancers in an ad campaign for Epson's new R3000 printers. By using huge Octobanks and powerful gridded rim lights, McNally and his team were able to create some dramatic portraits of the dancers flipping and soaring above the New York City skyline. Click the full post to see the final image and a BTS lighting setup and head over to Joe McNally's Blog to view a ton of images throughout the day. This shoot looks like a ton of fun and has my wheels turning a bit!
When Your Photography Plan Changes, Change Your Plan

Iceland is the land of fire and ice, but what happens when there's neither? Travel plans can change at the last minute due to many factors, the weather being a big one, lost luggage another. So, how do you adapt and make even a short trip memorable? Do you push your creative boundaries and try something new, or do you just step back and enjoy experiencing each new adventure?

[UPDATE] Oprema Jena: New Zeiss Biotar 75mm f/1.5 Joined by Biotar 58mm f2

An updated version of the Biotar 58mm f2 will join the already announced Biotar 75mm f1.5, as the first two pieces in Oprema Jena’s lineup of modern remakes of classic lenses, the company announced today. Oprema is offering 58 people the chance to get the Biotar 75 and Biotar 58 – both originally produced by Carl Zeiss -- as part of a special rewards bundle in the current Kickstarter campaign for the Biotar 75. The 58 Biotar 58s will be pre-production models with serial numbers between 1 and 58. A pledge of $1,999 USD would allow someone to get both lenses at $2,500 less than the combined projected retail price for the lenses. The Biotar 75 is expected to go on the market next summer at a projected retail price of $2,499, with the Biotar 58 following by the end of 2018 at a projected retail price of $1,999.

Get Creative With Luminar AI and Elia Locardi

World-renowned travel and landscape photographer Elia Locardi has teamed up with Skylum Global to bring you a creative editing challenge, editing Elia's images.

12 Weeks of Christmas: 6 of the Greatest Digital Camera Firsts

Digital cameras are so pervasive in photography that it is difficult to remember a time when it was only possible to shoot on film. Yet as pervasive they are with the market is only about 30 years young, what are the six greatest "firsts" that we have seen in that time?

You Can Now Bundle 500px Awesome Account with Adobe Creative Cloud

500px just announced a partnership with Adobe that lets users purchase the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan, which consists of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, combined with 500px's Awesome account for the special price of $165 annually.

Watch Erik Almås Shoot Elephants In Namibia (With A Camera)

Erik Almås is at it again creating etherial images for clients on location in exotic places with a color palette noticeably familiar. I must say too that this location is just about as exotic as you can get without becoming flat out dangerous. This week Erik gives us a glimpse into a campaign he shot on location in Namibia, Africa. Read more about Erik's mission statement below.

How Photography Has Saved My Life

As the stigma around discussing mental health begins to improve, join me in this article to learn about how I have used photography over the years to help with my fight against PTSD and depression. Trigger warning: this article contains references to suicide, which some may find upsetting.

Great Explanation Of Frame Rates And Interlacing

When we as photographers jump into movie making using our newly video-enabled DSLRs, there is a lot of new info to learn and an entirely new vocabulary begins rearing its head. For me frame rates, shutter speeds, interlacing and how digital video all relates were a mystery, but thankfully the good ol' folks over at the Videomaker blog have answered these questions for us already. Check out this short video that will certainly help any new video guy (or gal) understand frame rates and interlacing. Enjoy!

Why Photographers Shouldn’t Ignore LinkedIn

LinkedIn is not just a platform for jobseekers; it is a powerful networking and marketing channel for entrepreneurs, such as photographers. If you ever serve other businesses with your photography, then LinkedIn is a great place online to find and connect with the right people in your niche. As they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Part Science, Part Magic: Printing With Hahnemühle

Printing is hard. Rather, printing well is hard. It's been a little bit science. It's been a little bit art. Trying to make digital prints look like traditional darkroom prints is even harder still. But is it possible?

Getting Inspiration: What is Your Favorite Photography Book?

Inspiration comes from a variety of sources, but I'm guessing that seeing the works of others has always been big for you. Seeing someone else's work probably is what got you interested in photography to begin with. So what gets your creativity flowing? For me, though my work in photography resides in the Advertising / Editorial realm, inspiration for my work comes in the form of photojournalism.

Urban Windshield Photography: Seeing Through a Different Lens

You know the old saying, "When it rains, it pours"? Then you probably also know how fitting that expression is for photographers. We can see long stretches between jobs but more often than not, when work is coming in, it comes in heavy. So sometimes it's hard to find the time to get your Sunday Fstoppers' post done. Which brings me to another old saying, "It pays to have friends".

Our First Look at the New Sony FE 20-70mm F/4 G

There's definitely more than meets the eye with this new standard zoom lens option. Aside from a wider range and a smaller size, let’s see what else this has to offer.

Let Go Of What's Comfortable In Order To Become a Better You

Heather Hansen O'Neill, award winning author and speaker, recently gave a very inspiring 15-minute talk at TEDx in NYC. It has nothing to do with photography or videography. Not even related to retouching. It's not related to our industry at all. But it can't be more related to the way you think and work as a photographer.

Dolby's Behind The Scenes Of The Snowboard Film The Art Of Flight

As I am writing this I am trying to fall asleep. I am supposed to be up in 4 hours to head off on a little snowboard adventure with some friends. Instead of sleeping though I am sitting around watching snowboard videos, smart move right? Anyway a buddy told me to check out this movie called The Art Of Flight on Netflix, and I can tell you this much, it doesn't disappoint. The cinematography is gorgeous, but they took it a step further, and really worked with the sound to make it a totally immersing experience. Check out this BTS on how they used Dolby 7.1 to enhance the sound of the film...

[BTS] Brett Warren Shoots "Wooden Heart"

This is another cool behind the scenes video from Brett Warren as he shoots his series "Wooden Heart". Brett interned with Annie Leibovitz, and you can definitely tell with his work, they're lit very similarly and the processing is very reminicent of Annie's work, but it's still very cool.

Leica Announces A New Camera Simply Named: Leica M

Today Leica announced a ton of new toys. One of them was simply called the Leica M. Leica said they took care of all the M9 problems and put everything in one nice package for $6,950, which is the same price as the M9 when it was released. The Leica M is now available to pre-order in black and silver.

How to Acoustically Treat a Room to Remove Echo and Reverb

Our new studio in Puerto Rico had so much echo that it was ruining the audio in all of our videos. I'm happy to say that we have finally figured things out, and we've learned a few things that might help you as well.

Why Do Lenses Flip Images?

Why do all lenses, including the one in the human eye, flip an image upside-down? Or do they? It's far easier to understand than you might think.

[Video] How To Shoot Video With The Nikon D4

The Nikon D4 may not be a huge improvement over the D3S in terms of image quality but as a video camera there is no comparison. The most important updates include audio controls that allow you to dial in silky smooth sounding audio from an external mic as well as an audio out jack for headphone monitoring. The camera can also shoot at 1080P in standard full frame, 1.5 crop, or 2.7 crop meaning that you now can get almost a 200mm reach from a 24-70mm lens without losing quality. In this video I'll show you how to manage these new features.

Why Professionals Should Still Assist Other Photographers

I’ve been working as a full-time professional photographer — meaning that 100 percent of my income is from photography — for over eight years. For the most part, I know what I’m doing. But I still make the time to assist other photographers when I can, and here’s why.