Hey everyone! My name is Jaron Schneider and I am the latest addition to the Fstoppers team. If you have been visiting our page or group on Facebook, you may recognize me. I have been tasked with running FS Interactive which is our contests and social medias. We have been getting a lot of questions asking about the contests and we apologize for the wait. However, with patience often comes great things. In addition to our ongoing 2011 BTS Video Contest, we have three monthly contests now in the rotation. More details on the other two soon to come in the next week, but this week we start things off with the return of our forum contest! You have a chance to win a Westcott Apollo Orb, an innovative revamp of the classic photographic lighting tool, the Apollo. The Orb was only officially released last month, so it's a brand new product that we are really happy to give away. Big thank you to FJ Westcott! How to Win: What do you have to do to win? Just register on the forums, find this thread, and submit your best self portrait. This first contest will be judged by myself, Lee and Patrick, but after that the winner will be the judge of the next month's contest (just like old times). The winner will also get their name and photography added to the famed Fstoppers top banner with a link to your personal website. Below is a video showing you some of the features of the Westcott Apollo Orb, and view the full post to see more images and details on the product. Good luck!

It’s no secret that 2020 has thrown the world a few curveballs. But while the majority of events are either canceling or postponing, Sue Bryce and her team have hit the ground running in order to keep the Portrait Masters Conference alive and well.

Hiring retouchers is something often talked about but I’ve never considered until recently as it has always seemed out of reach. Canadian company, The Image Salon, recently allowed me to try their portrait retouching services and I was excited to give them a whirl!

I baby my external hard drives. I always wrap them in bubble wrap when taking them from home to the coffee shop, and I even have a little mini-pelican case for longer trips. I couldn't imagine how bad it would be if it happened to get even a quick salt water splash, let alone get stuck in the sand. In this video, watch what happens when this G-Tech hard drive is thrown right into the surf of the ocean.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, sits one of America’s most majestic spots — and every photographer’s dream. Often called the American Alps, North Cascades National Park features endless opportunities to capture America in all its striking glory. But before you point and shoot, you need to know where to look.

How well do you know the menu systems of your editing software? There is always that one thing you have to google to find where it is hiding in the menus. Why can't these software makers design a menu search on the menu bar? It would be faster than hunting for that damn liquify tool. Just type it in and let it populate. I have hunted for to long! Would this help your work flow? Am I just that much of a noob? Can these big software companies help us out?

The Micro Four Thirds system isn’t my go-to system for night sky or astrophotography, but if it’s yours, you can do far worse than photographing that sky with the Venus Optics Laowa 7.5mm f/2 lens for Micro Four Thirds.

After nearly 15 years of being a photographer — or rather, actively practicing the craft — I had a sudden realization as to what drew me into photography in the first place. It may not be the most common attraction, but I doubt I am alone.

In many areas, animals are often illegally captured to generate money from tourists who jump at the chance to take a selfie with an exotic species, a practice that is highly dangerous for the animals involved. Instagram is taking action against the practice by providing in-app warnings and education.

Photographing behind the scenes at any large power producing area can be difficult not only to obtain entry but also to capture the massive scale to do the area justice. The areas are normally bustling with workers, smoke from the machines, and dust from the ground. Traveling to these destinations, however, will help show the world just what goes on behind that power that they use daily.

In scenarios where you don’t get a second chance at capturing that photo, such as a proposal or a first kiss moment, you need trustworthy and high-quality equipment. In this article, we discuss the best equipment and tools for wedding photographers.