Having A Model Release Might Still Get You A Lawsuit
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One of the first things you learn as a photographer is to get a proper model release when considering to sell your work commercially. However, simply having a model release still might not prevent you from litigation. A law firm recently published an ad looking to represent firefighters who were affected by the federal James Zadroga Act. The advertising agency used by the law firm photoshopped a stock image of Robert Keiley who was modeling as a firefighter. They then created a scene where it appeared as if he had been at Ground Zero on 9/11. The argument is how much can a stock image be altered before it becomes false advertising (the ad did clearly state that the image was a depiction of a 9/11 firefighter)? In this Fox News story, two attorneys give two different sides of the argument. I think the law might fall in favor of the law firm who hired the ad agency; what do you guys think?
Sandisk iXpand Base: An Easy Photo Backup Solution for iPhones
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When was the last time you backed up your iPhone photos? For many people, taking the time to back up what are often some of our most cherished photos rarely gets done consistently. Sandisk recently tried to solve this problem with the release of their iXpand Base, a flash drive and charger made specifically for iPhones.

Sean Lotman Photographs the Sunlanders of Kyoto
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Sean Lotman photographs the people of Japan's streets and beaches. One of the main reasons he shoots film is because he shares a darkroom with his wife, Ariko Inaoka. For him the advantages of physically printing the images has it's advantages, he can lay them out on the floor, rearrange them and figure out what the project is about and where to take it. You can do the same with the digital photography workflow too, but I must say, it's something I have never done.

Your First Real Love: The Story of How You Met Photography
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Remember the time you first discovered photography? That day of unboxing your first camera and going out into the backyard and photographing just about anything you come across. That perilous voyage you embarked on, trying to get that bee perfectly in focus as it hovers above the flower or the macro image of the tree bark shot in shallow depth of field. The first sunset you shot. The first time you launched Photoshop in the 90s and then publishing your first portfolio on DeviantArt soon after. Landing your first job as a photographer. The stresses that followed and the mistakes you made. If you could do it all over again, would you do it any differently?

To Be a Photographer Is to Live!
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I really have to admit it, but not every day do I feel like taking photos for someone else, but most days I feel like going out there and taking photos for myself. Most people see photography as something that just involves grabbing a camera or a mobile device and shooting whatever it is we see out there, but not for me. For me, photography is something else: it is a passion, it is an idea bigger than myself; for me, to be a photographer is to live.

Fujifilm X-E1 Digital Camera Hitting Store Shelves
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Last week we showed you some leaked images of a new Fujifilm camera, and those images have come to fruition in the now available for pre-order Fujifilm X-E1! Oh, and it has a viewfinder. Get it in all black, or with a little silver for style.

How To Create Your Own Breakaway Candy Glass
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Have you ever wondered how to make your own breakaway glass? It's surprisingly simple and in the video below Jay P Morgan walks us through the process step by step. Jay is also currently giving away 2 bottles from Alfonso's to one of his Twitter followers so make sure you are in the running!
[Video] Outside The Softbox: Giving Your Photography Clients An Experience
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I recently came across this video produced by [Framed] Show, and it really made me stop and think about how I run my business...and this is not just for wedding photographers! Sal Cincotta takes a second to put all of the gear, lighting diagrams, inspiration, and BTS videos aside to talk about something that a lot of photographers fail to capitalize on in their own businesses. Treating your clients to "an experience" they will remember and appreciate is probably THE most important thing you can do for your photography business and gaining future clients. Little things like answering your phone and email within 24 hours seems like a no brainer but how many of you take time out to send handwritten thank you notes or personalized gifts as a token of appreciation? The winter season is a great time to revamp how you will engage your clients in the spring and summer so let me ask you this: What are some things you do to improve your relationship with your clients? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and if you have any ideas that aren't wedding based I'm sure everyone would love to hear them.
Oprema Jena’s Future for Resurrecting the Classic Bokeh Looks Bleak
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The company behind Oprema Jena has filed for bankruptcy and applied for de-listing from the German stock exchange. The crowdfunded designs for resurrecting some of the classic lenses that made bokeh character famous are likely to never come to fruition now.

[Video] Timelapse Of A Day In Venice, Italy
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Joerg Niggli created this timelapse video of Venice, which shows a day in this gorgeous Italian city, from sunrise to sunset. If you haven't yet traveled to Venice, this video is a cheaper alternative for you, so thank Joerg for saving you some cash! He used a Canon G10 to shoot the timelapses, and for editing he used After Effects and Final Cut Pro X. Enjoy!

Hasselblad To Release Expensive Re-Skinned RX100 as the "Stellar"
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Apparently all the bad press surrounding the Lunar hasn't deterred Hasselblad from their present course of skinning current Sony cameras with the expensive "H" logo and wood accents. PhotoRumors is reporting that Hasselblad will be releasing a compact camera called the "Stellar" that will just be the RX100 with some fancy aesthetic additions. Well, at least they aren't toting megapixels, right?

Venus Optics Just Unveiled Their Fastest and Widest Lenses
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For Sony E-mount and micro four thirds (MFT) users looking for wide and fast lenses, look no further. Venus Optics has released two new lenses to help assuage your needs. Their new 15mm f/2 E-mount is the world's fastest E-mount rectilinear lens with a 110-degree field of view, and a fast wide open f/2 aperture promises to be an extremely fast and sharp lens. The 7.5mm f/2 is the widest rectilinear lens ever designed for MFT cameras, lending itself to extremely wide fields of view and wide aperture use for everything from cameras to drones.

[BTSV] Contorsion Models: Bending Over Backwards
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Benjamin Von Wong just hit me up, from his facebook account, to let me know his latest BTSV is out. His 9th, here on Fstoppers, if I counted correctly. And this time no one had to be set on fire but they did have to bend over backwards.
Enter contorsion artist, Myriam Deraiche.

Planning Versus Spontaneity in Landscape Photography
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Landscape photography is an art that often balances on the precipice of meticulous planning and spontaneous creativity. As a landscape photographer, I've found myself torn between meticulously planning every detail of a shoot and simply going with the flow, capturing the unexpected. In this article, let's delve into a debate: Is it better to meticulously plan a landscape photography shoot or embrace spontaneity?

Sony's Super-35mm 4K HDC-4800: Changing the Game in ENG
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Some may be dubious of the merits of ENG cameras over their sleek and stylish film counterparts, such as the 8K F65 Cine Alta or Arri Alexa, and they wouldn't be entirely wrong. While ENG cameras have long been pigeonholed for their clunky construction and weight, much of network television depends upon their workhorse-like live sports coverage capabilities.

Speed Up Your Postproduction Workflow by Learning How to Create Photoshop Scripts: Fstoppers Reviews the Photoshop Scripting for Artists Course
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Being able to automate repetitive parts of a retouching workflow in Photoshop directly translates into a saving of both time and money. This saving could make the all the difference in meeting or missing a deadline or making it home early to see your family. How can you make it a reality? Actions are certainly one option however they are severely limited to straight repetition of the original steps. Scripting is actually the answer that you have been looking for. Think of scripts as intelligent actions on steroids.

Broncolor Gen NEXT 2018 Is Now Open
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If you are under 30 and looking to step up your photography game, here is your chance: Broncolor is launching this year again its Gen NEXT contest.

Review: PRO EDU Starts Podcasting, and It's Brilliant
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PRO EDU, a company known for producing photography tutorials, has come to the podcast game nearly a decade after they became popular. Late to the game or not, the podcast should not be quickly dismissed. In a world bombarded by media, this broadcast is refreshingly analog in nature.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (October 2020): Kevin Morefield
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The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2020, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

Polaroid's New Instant Print Socialmatic Camera is Coming Next Month
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Yes, the instant print camera popularized by the one and only Polaroid is back and in a new form factor for 2015. The long awaited Socialmatic doesn't use film but rather snaps and shares your photos via the web and social media options along with delivering nifty adhesive prints of your photos. Wrapped in an Android based OS that shares to Facebook, Twitter and of course Instagram, I'm interested in seeing how people respond to its release come January.

Baseball Portraits With 400 Pounds Of Plexiglass
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Robert Seale is a high end sports portrait photographer who was recently commissioned by Sports Illustrated to photograph Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. His attempt to create something unique and a bit off-kilter involved using a huge 8'x5' piece of Plexiglas that was 1.25 inches thick and 400 pounds. He then set the huge piece of Plexi on a 5 foot tall frame of scaffolding. Using a couple of Profoto Pro-7B strobes and a unique 'below the player' angle, Robert was able to create this photograph for the magazine. The concept and image are fantastic but unfortunately the BTS video is just a timelapse. If you have a hard time imagining what is going on in this video, head over to Rob Galbraith's post for a traditional write up.
Review of the Ikelite Underwater Housing
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Underwater photography is becoming more popular as technology progresses. The use of an underwater housing dates back to the mid-1800s when William Thompson was utilizing a watertight box over his camera to photograph seaweed near Weymouth, England. Since then, underwater photographs have become an incredible way to explore and understand the life under the surface.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (July 2023): Marc Lamey
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The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2023, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

RAW Timelapse Tutorial Part II: Preproduction Preparations
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The next chapter in Preston Kanak's 'The RAW Timelapse Tutorial' series is now available for free on Preston's Vimeo page. In this chapter Preston goes over the importance of planning your timelapse (pre-production) in three different sections: Story, Scheduling and Scouting. This tutorial will help you plan your production accordingly to help your margin for error decrease, so that your shoot runs smoother.