'Where Art Meets Architecture 3' BTS: The Final Episode

A few months ago we released "Where Art Meets Architecture 3" with Mike Kelley, a photography tutorial that covers photographing hotels and resorts as well as the business of high-end architectural photography. For the past few months, we have also been releasing a behind-the-scenes series on the creation of this tutorial. Today we are finally releasing episode 8 which is also the final episode of this series.

UPDATED: Filming a BMW Bike in 3D at 1000 fps

Ryan Mcmanus from Brothers Films and Stefan Weiss from Weisscam teamed up for an ingenious and complex shoot showing off the new BMW S1000 RR. What impressed me about this shoot was not only the incorporation of 1000 fps with a three dimensional element, but also the creativity in setting up the rig to film. I cant imagine the amount of work that had to go into post production for something like this. This is a great example of thorough planning and great execution.

Tips to Nail Your Candid Wedding Photos

As patronizing as it sounds, wedding photography isn't simply a one size fits all style. Some photographers adopt an editorial style, some pose couples for most of the day, and others will be 100% reportage. That said, we can always be sure that some parts of the wedding must be candid, the events that we cannot control or manipulate.
Which Shot of Yours Has the Best Story Behind It?

Some shots are great without a story, some are great and tell a story, but occasionally, the story couldn't be told in one image. Which shot in your portfolio has the best story behind it, and what's the story?

Winner of the Profoto B1 Giveaway!

If you recall, we partnered with Profoto USA this month to give away their new B1 TTL location light. The new Profoto B1 makes it easier than ever to use your flash off camera. With battery-power/ without cords, the 500w/s B1 goes wherever you go. Combining performance and the legendary Profoto light shaping system the B1 makes great light easy. We picked a random winner and it turned out to be Ryan Williams who isn't just a photographer, but a United States soldier actively deployed in Afghanistan.

Storehouse Finally Brings Photo and Story Layout App to Android

Storehouse launched with much fanfare on iOS, eventually moving onto Storehouse 2.0 and Storehouse on the new Apple TV. Android users have had to be incredibly patient to get access to what is easily the best and easiest way to lay out your content into a well-designed, easily digestible format. Today, Android users can download the app via the Google Play store for free and explore every feature Storehouse's iOS users have enjoyed for the last several months.

Pepper Spray Camera Blinds Attacker and Sends Photo to Police

Before you ask how this relates to photography, let me just put it out there for you. I'll be honest, I'm not sure yet. My first reaction is that this product is using photography to potentially save lives...but let's break it down and see how likely that is. The product is called The Defender. It claims to be able to snap a photo of an attacker, send that photo to authorities, sound an alarm, and blind them with pepper spray all at the same time (or in rapid sequence, sort of unclear on that one).

Inspiration: An Interview with Von Wong by Von Wong

Spend 16 minutes with Benjamin Von Wong as he answers questions about inspiration, photography as a career and himself. Benjamin is very prolific and for that reason on it's own he is worth listening to. Getting off your ass and doing it is the hardest part and some of what Benjamin has to say may help you do that. Check out his Q&A as there are definitely words to live by.

A Timelapse Video Of Chicago Taken From A Boat

Patrick and I were just in Chicago a few weeks ago filming an upcoming FS Original and when we asked the locals what we needed to do, everyone suggested the architectural boat tour. Riding a boat through the center of a huge city was a really cool experience and if you ever visit, I would suggest you also check it out. It appears that Philip Bloom also went on the same tour but he (being the smart guy that he is) strapped a camera to the boat and made a video out of it. Now everyone can enjoy hours of boating through Chicago in about 3 minutes.
Simply Undefeated: We Review the Datacolor Spyder X2 Elite

If you haven't calibrated your monitor recently — or perhaps ever — you may not realize the impact it can have. It is a rather dry topic and you might want to allocate those dollars toward a new lens, which I understand, but a color-calibrating tool is an essential piece of kit and Datacolor are the best in the game.
The Remarkable World of a Forensic Imaging Specialist

Think of forensic science and what images are conjured in your mind? Possibly something out of Silent Witness, CSI, or even The Wire. What then is involved in forensic imaging? John Smith explains.

My New Filming Set Behind the Scenes

For the last couple of months, Patrick and I have been moving into our new homes in Puerto Rico and building out personal studios in each. Let me show you what I've built.

Top 10 WeeklyFstop Photos: Sunrise

There is something magical about witnessing a sunrise and watching the land warm as the day begins. Unless of course, you are just still up from the night before. Then the sunrise has a whole different feeling. Luckily all of the great shots submitted this week seemed planned.

[Pics] Photographer Plays With Positive And Negative Light

Slovakian Photographer, Tono Stano has created an almost Yin and Yang effect with the images in his series titled, White Shadows. If you started out using film then you understand that what is dark on a negative becomes light on a print. Stano experimented by doing just the opposite with the images. Click the full post to see more images as well as a behind the scenes video.
City Immortalizes Selfie Takers With Statue

Traditionally, statues are erected to honor people, things, or ideas of note that have contributed something valuable and/or memorable to humanity. Traditionally, selfie takers aren't placed in that category. One Texas city begs to differ, however.

Some Users Can Now Post Instagram Stories Directly to Facebook

In a possible push to make Stories on its main platform gain traction, Facebook is allowing some users to cross-post their Instagram Stories directly to Facebook using the platform’s mobile app. According to Business Insider, a spokesperson for Facebook and Instagram confirmed that the feature is being tested by a small percentage of users, predominately in Portugal.

Video Interview with Brandon Stanton of 'Humans of New York'

Over a year ago we wrote about Brandon Stanton's project named 'Humans of New York' where he photographs random people in NYC and post the results on his blog (and Facebook). Back then his project was still small and not-so-known, but today he has millions of followers and each one of his photos go viral within seconds of posting. Brandon just released his first book this week featuring his best 'Humans of New York' photos, and to promote it, ABC's 'Nightline' spoke with him about his project - worth watching!

November Is a Good Month to Fill Your Idle Time With Thought

In November, some of us have less projects to work on, and it might be smart to not just idle, but make the best of it. Thinking about photography and business is a good idea to be prepared for whatever is coming next.

Get A Healthy Dose Of Inspiration With Revelation, A Visual Poem

As creatives, sometimes we struggle to find that spark that ignites the fire of our motivation. Whether it's a feeling we've hit a plateau in our skills and abilities, or maybe when personal matters overwhelm us and life just gets to be too much and we lose focus of our goals... Every once in a while I find that a piece of art can be the primer for that fuel to focus my mind and energy. One such video that did that recently is Revelation, by Sebastien Montaz-Rosset.

Slow Motion Video Of Fire Breathers Shot At 2,000 FPS

As a pyromaniac I am instantly satisfied by watching a fire breather spit flames in any way. But show it too me in ultra slow motion at 2,000 FPS and I am mesmerized! Chris Bolton is the creator of this short video titled "First Time". Essentialy, the premise of this video is quite simple, lots of fire breathing, really really slow, from lots of different angles. Chris shot the footage on a Weisscam HS-2 digital video camera and used Cooke S4 prime lenses. Enjoy!

Why Revisit Landscape Photography Locations

Are you the type of landscape photographer who visits a location once and then head off to other new locations, never to return? Or are you the type that returns to a location over and over? Revisiting a location presents significant opportunities for the landscape photographer.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (May 2019): Giulia Valente

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 2019, 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.

The Best Video Production Techniques for Your Marketing Video: What to Consider

A video production technique is any method that you use to capture video. It's often incorporated into a specific style of video production, such as live event video production or staged video production. Here are a few things that you should consider when trying to determine which techniques to use.

Olympus Announces New PEN E-PL7 "Selfie-King"

Olympus announced the successor to the successful micro four thirds E-PL5, creatively named the E-PL7. It has a few new features that MFT photographers will like, but the flip down screen will be getting most of the attention. Olympus designed the screen with optimal selfie composition in mind. The styling of the camera screams "vintage modern," the oxymoron of choice for many camera makers in that market.

FS Weekly News #4: The Week’s Best Photo/Video Related Stories

This week FS Weekly News announces the winner of a Urban Disguise® 70 Pro and a Big Photo Blog Theme from Big Photo Blog.com. So dive in and check out the week's news, leave lots of comments and send me tons of presents. That last part is optional. Just a heads up, as of Issue#5 and on, FS Weekly News will be released on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays. Don't forget to sign up and if you missed last week's issue you can find it here: Issue #3.