The Power of the Back Light
Too often portrait photographers obsess with key and fill lighting, and forget about the light that illuminates the background or rear of a subject. In this piece I discover the power of using the back light as my main light source.
5 Questions To Ask on a Discovery Call
You’ve received an enquiry from a potential new client and you’re looking forward to booking them in. Here are five questions to ask on your discovery call to make sure you understand what the client needs and that you can quote for the job accurately.
Wedio and Cooke Optics Reimagine How Cinematographers Source Lenses: Is Your Camera Next?
For many years, manufacturers were quite distant from their consumers, choosing to sell through a series of distributors and dealers. While the last couple years have shown a little change, via developments like roadmaps, influencer connections, and some direct-to-consumer sales, it’s still tough to make your voice heard. A new announcement by Wedio and Cooke Optics shows that you might have a closer connection with the maker of your next lens.
Why You Need to Add Male Boudoir Sessions to Your Photography Business
The term "boudoir photography" brings to mind scenes along the lines of a woman dressed in lingerie, standing near a window, adjusting her attire. Perhaps we imagine a woman who is partially nude lying on a bed. However, this interpretation of boudoir photography does not have to be the only way this genre is defined. If you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and expand your interpretation of what a boudoir session looks like, you may be able to dramatically increase your clientele and sales.
Top 10 WeeklyFstop Photos: Party
I had a party, but no one showed up. We made due anyway and came up with a worthy list to get us into next week.
Three Things to Help You Achieve Your Dreams in 2019
Have you ever set out to achieve a dream or goal of yours and found yourself not accomplishing what you set out to do? In this quick article, see three things I do to make sure I'm staying on track to achieving my goals.
Last Chance To Save 20% On The SLR Lounge Lightroom Collection
Cyber Monday is winding down as midnight draws closer but you still have a few hours to save 20% on what we believe is the best Lightroom Workshop collection on the internet. This download includes 23 hours of tutorials as well as some of the best Lightroom presets on the market today. Use the code "BF2014" to save 20% now.
Kodak Discontinues T-Max P3200 Film
This is for all you film fanatics out there. Grab yours as its still in stock! Kodak announced that it is discontinuing the Professional T-MAX P3200 film due to "low sales volume". In the past few months Kodak stopped producing digital cameras, sold its sensor business, increased the price of film by 15%, and discontinued three slide films in an effort to reorganize its business.
When Was the Last Time You Shot Just for the Sake of Shooting?
I know it's easy to get bogged down in all the different aspects of this industry. When is the last time that you took your camera and just shot some things with little-to-no plan just because you could?
Michael Koerbel Directs A Video....On The iPhone 4 (Update)
Labor Day Sale: Save 20% On the Fstoppers Flash Disc Light Modifier
As another summer season comes to an end, Fstoppers is offering $10 off our pocket sized light modifier: the Fstoppers Flash Disc. Both BH Photo and Amazon are offering this sale now until Sept 4th.
Tamron Announces the 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Lens for Sony E
For Sony shooters looking for an all-in-one lens that can handle a wide variety of situations, Tamron has announced the new Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD. Here is what you can expect!
Investigation of Government Loan To Kodak Finds No Wrongdoing, Stock Price Increases 80%
Earlier this year, a struggling veteran of our industry got a lifeline in the shape of three-quarters of a billion dollars to assist in the production of drugs, in part to aid with the pandemic, but also to reduce the reliance on foreign drug companies. However, the legality of the loan was called into question shortly after.
The More Cameras Change, the More the Basics Stay the Same
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
It's Harder to Use Wild Animals as Photo Props Now
The Supreme Court of Montana has made it harder for photographers and filmmakers to use exotic animals as photo props.
Crazy Cosmic Photoshoot Using Metallic Spandex
Blackmagic Production Camera 4K Firmware Update: Histogram, Peak Audio & Recording Time Added
Blackmagic Design today announced the release of Camera 1.9 software, a firmware update that will improve the Production Camera 4K with a "heads up display" on screen metering and show a histogram, peak audio meters and recording time remaining.
Break Some Rules, Create Unique Photos!
Photography rules are among some of the most frequently disputed ones. Of course, there is a reason for their existence. Our eyes find it more logical to look at a scene that follows the rule of thirds. Color theory dictates that red and blue are colors that contrast really well. Every tutorial on gels will prove this right.
The Making Of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People
How I Reopened My Portrait Studio During COVID-19
Unfortunately for professional photographers, according to most current estimates, COVID-19 looks like it will be sticking around for quite a long time — perhaps years.
Would Your Photography Business Survive if Social Media Ceased to Exist?
Over the last few years, something has become quite apparent: photographers are becoming reliant on social media. Some have achieved great success across the various social media platforms, but would they or you make it if social media as we know it suddenly ceased to exist?
Building Your Business with the Right Gear: TogTools Podcast with Fstoppers' Adam Ottke
It's that time! We have the third session in the Fstoppers series over at the TogTools Podcast ready for you all to enjoy - and it's a great one! This week's guest is Staff Writer Adam Ottke. Adam shoots fine art and travel photography, but he also serves as the Art Director for a small creative agency he started called Curate the World. In this week's podcast, Adam discusses his love for gear, how he got started in photography and as a writer for Fstoppers, how to hustle in this industry and why collaboration is important for creating strong artistic ideas.
Canva acquires Pixabay and Pexels
I met up with Melanie Perkins at the VIVATECH conference in Paris this weekend. She's the co-founder and CEO of Canva, a company aiming to democratize design and marketing materials. They have acquired Pexels and Pixabay.
New GoPro App Update Adds Apple Watch Capabilities for Mobile Photographers
Users of the immensely popular GoPro line of rugged cameras will be pleased to know that the company has updated its app with new features, including Apple Watch integration that gives users the ability to control the camera right from their wrist.
Prism Lens FX Filter Face-off: Lucid Dream FX Versus Moody FX Filters
I’ve been seeing Prism Lens FX filters everywhere and have been curious about what they're actually like to shoot with. There are so many interesting filters available that it’s hard to know which ones are worth the investment. So, here’s a comparison of the Lucid Dream FX Filter and the Moody FX Filter.
What Was Your Favorite Photograph From 2021?
We ought to always be looking forward to our photography, but it's also important to add some ceremony to our achievements and use the past as a learning tool for the future. So, what is your favorite photograph from 2021, why, and what can you learn from it?
Lexus Hangs Cars To Prove Silly Point, Still Cool To Watch
DXO Pushes Solid Updates to PhotoLab and ViewPoint
Wednesday upgraders and new customers will see PhotoLab 6 and ViewPoint 4 on offer. Photolab 6 has a lot of new features, most notably an update to DXO's popular DXO PureRAW technology, arguably the best software available to fix color, noise, and optical issues in RAW files.
The Best Images from GuruShots "Mostly White" Challenge
Some of the most stunning images have the simplest color schemes, which is why Gurushots "Mostly White" challenge produced some stunning photos. Gurushots hosts "The World’s Greatest Photo Game,” with regular challenges in which they invite participants to submit and rate photos within a certain theme. In this latest challenge, thousands of entries and millions of votes were submitted. Here are the three winners of the challenge as well as the top 60 rated images.