Photographing Heritage Railroads

Trains, trains, trains. Heritage Railroads offer a lot of fun and a great photographic subject for those who like to travel. In this article I share my methods of capturing these magnificent vintage iron horses.

How NASA Photoshopped A Galaxy

Did you know that every time you look at one of those amazing images captured by Hubble cameras you are actually looking at a composite image made up by as many as 1400 still shots? Did you also know that the colors you are seeing in those images are completely faked and added by scientists in order to show off specific details within the scene? This interesting timelapse video released by NASA shows exactly how they create their images by combining thousands of black and white RAW files from 3 Hubble cameras. Let me remind you, just because you see a lot of photoshopping in this video doesn't mean the final images are not real or falsely rendered. The technology needed to produce images this detailed requires combining multiple images and adding colors not normally seen by a human eye or even the most expensive cameras created.
John Cyr Captures Famous Photographer's Developing Trays

Being referred to as a "fingerprint of the photographic process", this video essay produced by Daylight Multimedia displays images of John Cyr's work, which are a series of stills of famous photographer's developing trays. Each tray has it's own unique look, and seem to provide a thoughtful display that makes one think about the iconic images possibly produced in them.

Olympus Announces the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO Lens

Today, Olympus has announced a new, lightweight, ultra wide-angle zoom lens for their Micro Four Thirds (MFT) systems. This versatile lens has the image quality people have come to expect of the PRO range, but with a much wider coverage than most lenses in their line-up.

[Contest] Winner of Tamron Lens Giveaway

After two weeks, several thousand entries, many MANY pleading comments and messages, the time has finally come to reveal the winner of our Tamron lens giveaway! The winner receives the coveted Tamron 18-270mm Di II VC PZD lens for Sony, Canon or Nikon crop-sensor mount (winner's choice). So... was it you?

New55 Film Project Seeks Production

A new product is hoping to make its way into the market in the near future, New55 Film. This product has been making waves, and is supported by those who still shoot film. New55 Film was founded by Bob Crowley and is managed by Sam Hiser, project CEO.

The Wednesday Rundown 10.27.10

Howdy and welcome to the Wednesday Rundown. Tonight I had the chance, with a bunch of fellow fstoppers, to see Chase Jarvis speak and sign his newest book in person. It is pretty cool how Chase gives back to the community of photographers and encourages all of us to stay involved. I had the chance to meet several new people and hope to stay in contact. Thanks to Matt who sent in a video this week of a fashion shoot. contactfstoppers@gmail.com
The Technical and Legal Challenges of Anti-Drone Systems

In 2013, a small quadcopter flew close to German Chancellor Angela Merkel who was attending an outdoor political meeting. A year later an inebriated federal agent crashed his Phantom in the White House perimeter. Fortunately, the drone did not damage Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden, but following this event DJI implemented the no-fly zone feature on its entry-level drones. However, this measure is not completely effective to prevent rogue flights and authorities are looking for solutions to counter drones from flying in restricted areas. Let’s review the current anti-drone solutions and challenges associated with neutralizing a small UAVs.

The Value of Video for Your Business

The value of video production in today’s fast-paced environment should not be understated. In fact, many would argue that anyone hoping to make it as a photographer in today’s world better know how to shoot video in addition.

[News] Canon Struggling According to 2011 Q4 Earnings Report

Via Engadget, Canon had a tough time last quarter -- Canon had a tough year, in fact. While net income rose slightly (just under 1%), profit fell almost 14% compared to the year-ago quarter. This leaves Canon with almost a 2.5% decline in comparison to the 2010 fiscal year. With this news, COO and President Tsuneji Uchida announced he is stepping down...
A Portrait Of Jesus With Photography and Pastels

This video is a little different than anything we've posted before but I figured it would be enjoyed by those of you who are celebrating Easter. Jeremy Cowart is one of the hottest American photographers right now and his portfolio is absolutely sick! But in this video he is creating a rather unique portrait of Jesus using pastels, photoshop, stock images, and random elements from snap shots. The amount of effort that went into this portrait is quite remarkable, and almost every texture is so subtle you would never know half of what went into making this image just by looking at it. It's pretty exciting to see such a well respected photographer pushing his own craft in a way that is so different than what he does on a daily basis. Click the full post to watch a second video of Jeremy making a portrait of Tom Yorke in this style.
Photoflex May Have A Chance To Live Another Day

Well it has been a rollercoaster for the team over at Photoflex, makers of some of my favorite studio lighting accessories. First, they pulled what many thought was an April fools joke by announcing that they were closing their doors as of late March 31st. Then, they sent out a press release stating they had to close their business due to "health issues" as well as the increasingly competitive market (cough cough cheap knock-off photo accessories flooding the market). Well, it looks like they have some life left in them after all and I couldn't be happier for their team.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Photojournalism Lecturer Ousted After Harassment Allegation

The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) reported Bill Frakes, a former Sports Illustrated photographer and 1983 Photographer of the Year in the Pictures of the Year competition, will not return to his position as a lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln after a Title IX harassment complaint was filed against him. The complaint was accompanied by notes from "at least ten other students" including photojournalim majors and those from other universities who also worked with Frakes.

Shoot Moving Time Lapse With DriveCam

Moving time lapse videos are becoming more and more popular these days. Check out the video below to see Patryk Kizny take the DriveCam Slider for a test.

Autumn. A short timelapse film from Patryk Kizny on Vimeo.

Instagram Rolls Out Repost Feature, Sort Of

Instagram is reported to have started rolling out a new feature in its mobile app that allows users to reshare posts — albeit to Stories, not Feeds. A small number of users have seen the arrival of the new option and TechCrunch has received confirmation from Instagram that resharing is being live tested.

Steals, Deals, & Promo Codes For July 4th!

Happy Independence Day! As with every holiday, companies roll out some of their best discounts for the year on gear and electronics. I have been researching to find the best deals for the Fourth of July, and have came up with a comprehensive list of websites and offers you should take advantage of immediately. If you are looking to pick up a new camera, stock-up on memory cards, finally get a new camera bag, or splurge on a new TV, this list has something for everyone.

How Blind People 'See' Colors

As photographers, we spend hours on fixing colors on our images every month. Some people might even spend hours on just one image before they will be satisfied with how the colors look (me included). This is why seeing this video, of someone who NEVER saw colors, is so interesting. Tommy Edison is blind since birth, and have never seen any color in his life. Something I cant even process. Not knowing what color is. Its too crazy for me to even imagine.

Brooks Reynolds' New Short Film "Footsteps"

You might remember Brooks Reynolds, we have featured him and his amazing photography on here before. Recently I had a chance to catch up with Brooks and discuss his latest project, Footsteps, a short film based on a story he was introduced to via the internet.

Filmed on a Red Scarlett he used

Critique the Community Episode 6a: Un-posed Wedding Photographs

Last week, we asked the community to submit their un-posed wedding images to be critiqued here at Fstoppers. Unlike past episodes, we promised to give feedback to EVERY image that was correctly submitted. Thank you everyone for all for posting your pictures! We had a total of 49 images that we covered in two separate videos. If you don't see your image in today's video, stay tuned for tomorrow's post.

Canon's Mixed Reality Project Shows What The Future Of Design And Production Looks Like

Canon's Mixed Reality (MR) Project may shape the future in many areas, from the conception of an idea to design and all the way to production. It helps to generate a virtual interactive product even before production begins. This video illustrates how fusing the world between the real world and virtual world may be advantageous in many ways . How do you think it will impact photography? Check out the full post for more details.

How I Got The Shot: A Spontaneous Misadventure

Personal projects often take a lot of planning and persistence to pull off. They are passion driven assignments which is a big part of why they are so important to evolve as a photographer. However, sometimes opportunity and timing don't line up so you have to make the best of a poor situation. This is when experience and determination make or break an idea.

Introducing ROV by Rhino Camera Gear, a Motorized Camera Slider for iPhone

Creating video content is becoming more readily available as the quality of our smartphones are constantly getting better. The number of people creating their own videos with iPhones is increasing. There are 200 times more iPhones being used over SLR cameras, but the market for camera sliders designed for iPhones isn’t quite there yet. Rhino Camera Gear plans to change that by introducing the ROV.