Sequence 9 Shows The Beauty All Around Us
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London photog, Dave Kai-Piper, is one of my favorite people in the fashion photography industry. He is talented, driven, kind and a blast to work with. I got to meet Dave and his close friend/assistant/videographer, Paul McKelvie in England last year while shooting video for a web series and the 3 of us have been good friends since. Their video "Sequence 9" is Dave and Paul's effort to show the beauty in all forms in the world around us by bringing together timelapse photography and what I can only describe as "BTS-Fine-Art-Fashion" videography. Be sure to check out Dave and Paul and enjoy the video!

A Chemical History Of Photography
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When I bought my first DSLR 4 years ago, I offered a very enthusiastic "SAYONARA!" to the film era. This wasn't because I'm not grateful for the journey that photography has endured to end up where it is, but because my ADHD spark plug of a mind needed a process that was faster and more efficient than it's film and darkroom roots. Even with the mindset that I have towards the film era and the process of early photography, this video is pretty cool and goes through a brief history of photography via the paradigm of a chemist. Enjoy!

The Lomo'Instant Square - Fully Analog Instax Square Film Camera
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While the world grows increasingly digital, there’s something that draws humans to the physical gratification of analog media. Whether it’s the surge in vinyl record or cassette sales or the cult VHS collectors, it’s clear that there’s a deep-seated nostalgia that draws many of us to physical mediums. That nostalgia inspired Fujifilm to make the Instax Square Film that’s now being utilized in the quintessentially retro, “Lomo'Instant Square” from Lomography.

A Million Tshirts And One Photo Studio
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Full time photographers aren't the only ones with working studios these days. Why would you outsource your photography if you need new images on a weekly basis? Tshirt company Threadless recently showed the guys over at Photoshelter how they use photography in their own business. What's unique about the products shots on the Threadless website is that they aren't the typical white studio shots or stock images of models wearing generic shirts. Instead, many of the shirts are actually photographed at the in-house studio or on location around the office. It's pretty amazing to see how photography is being used in businesses like Threadless considering so many other sites have stuck with the traditional boring photos. After the video, check out some of their most popular shirts here.
Namibia: Tips for a Photography Road Trip Across Southern Africa
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Preparation is key when it comes to planning a trip to Namibia — a true land of extremes that can only be fairly described using hyperbole. As beautiful as Namibia is, to get the most out of your trip, you need to be prepared and well organized. Here are my tips for bringing back the best wildlife and landscape photographs from a trip across Southern Africa.

Pye Jirsa Released New Info About His Wedding Photography Workshop
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If you've seen our 14 hour tutorial on how to become a wedding photographer, you know that I am a huge fan of Pye Jirsa of Lin and Jirsa Weddings and the owner of SLRLounge.com. When we were planning Fstoppers Workshop: Atlantis we knew we had to get him as an instructor and I'm proud to announce that I convinced him to do his first ever workshop with us down in the Bahamas.

Photographers/Videographers, Need Motion Graphics? Swell.tv Will Deliver
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When Patrick and I started Fstoppers.com we needed someone to create the Fstoppers animation for the beginning of each of our videos. We had over 30 animators create mock ups for us and only 1 of them created quality work. That one agency was Swell.tv. If you need any motion graphics work done (video intro, animated logo, special effects) Swell.tv will create world class quality animations for an insanely reasonable price. Dan from Swell has become a great friend of mine and I simply cannot recommend him enough. Check out his new demo reel below.
Behind The Scenes With Stoli Vodka
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Earlier this year Stoli rolled out their most recent advertising campaign that revolved around three 'original' nights with their product. The first night, a lavish paint party (Dayglow anyone?). Second night, a club party in a power plant in West Berlin. The third, in an abandoned amusement park in East Berlin. They recently released three short, but interesting behind the scenes videos that accompany the commercials, showing how they set up the scenes and even showing a glimpse of the ARRI that they used to shoot with.

Learning To Let Go With MPB
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It is never easy to let go, whether it’s your favorite camera, light, or shoes that are just beyond repair. I’m the worst at letting go and don’t recall the last time I sold a light, if ever. The process seemed tedious and simply unnecessary. However, letting go can be much easier. Here’s the best way to let go of old equipment.

Ty Michael Shoots Half Dressed Women With Weapons
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Here at Fstoppers we are all about INFORMATIVE BTS videos. Although this video does lack a few of the technical details I usually look for, there are a ton of great bits of inspiration to take away from it. Ty Michael's lighting schematics, clothing design, and especially his location and sets stand out to me. I know a few of these ideas may show up in a photoshoot or two of mine in the future.

Ty Michael Behind the scenes 01 from Ty Michael on Vimeo.

The Best Fstoppers’ Posts From March 2012
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Your "Likes", "Tweets", comments and clicks all help us know which are our best posts of the month. And because we don't want anyone to miss any of Fstoppers' goodness we put "The Best of" in a monthly newsletter for you. So, if you think you may have missed anything this last month, check out the top 10 posts and don't forget to sign up for the newsletter if you haven't already.

Win a Free Trip to Fstoppers 2015 Photography Workshop In the Bahamas
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UPDATE: Two More Days! The second Fstoppers Workshops is only two months away, and just like last year we want to give someone the photography experience of a lifetime. On March 19th we are going to give away 5 free classes away to 5 lucky photographers. Our grand prize winner will recieve 2 workshops and we will also cover the cost of their flight and hotel.

creativeLIVE Photoshop Week Streaming LIVE Now
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The folks over at creativeLIVE are broadcasting an entire week of photoshop classes. Classes kicked off Monday, February 24 and will continue to stream LIVE for free until Friday, February 28th. This week covers a broad spectrum of things available to photographers in Lightroom and Photoshop such as workflow, digital file management, local and global adjustments, photo restoration, selections, and my personal favorite, advanced beauty retouching.

How to Know Your Makeup Artist Is the One
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If you work as a portrait photographer of any kind, it's useful to work with the same makeup artist (or MUA) every time you shoot. You'll cut down on time spent casting and won't have to learn how to communicate in a way that works for a new collaborator every time. But how do you know that your new MUA is the one? Check these key factors that will make them a collaborator you can depend on, time and time again.

Let Your Photograph's Hook Be Your Subject's Eyes
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Remember the cliché expression the eyes are the window to the soul? They aren't kidding around with that one, and when you capture a piercing look, you can instantly and easily grab the viewer's attention.

3 Ways Perfectionism Is Dangerous for Creatives
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Many creatives are similar in a number of ways; we're self-critical, often riddled with doubt, and take losses hard. However, one commonality is tied up in all of these, and it can be highly detrimental: perfectionism.

Drones Are Saving a Life Every Week
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Drones are often maligned, whether as nuisances or dangers. Nonetheless, they are a very useful tool for rescuers, so much so that a new study shows they are saving a life every week.

How To Photograph Fighting For ESPN, SI, and the UFC With Ed Mulholland
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Since the start of Fstoppers, I have had a dream list of photographers that I think would make for a great FS Original. At the top of that list has been ESPN and fight photographer Ed Mulholland. Unfortunately getting clearance from HBO and UFC have been tougher than going backstage with Bon Jovi (who would have thought). Fortunately, Grover at Photoshelter recently caught up with Ed to talk boxing, UFC, and what makes a compelling sports photograph. If you don't already know, The Ultimate Fighting Championship is one of the fastest growing sports in the US, and tonight's card is pretty star studded if you want to check it out. While very few photographers are lucky enough to shoot for clients like ESPN and Sports Illustrated, hopefully Ed's insight can inspire you to take better sports photographs regardless of who is in front of your lens.
Vintage Chairs and Wine Glasses: Behind the Scenes of an Old Shoot
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A few years ago, on one of my first advertising shoots, I was asked to take a photo of a condo building downtown. All I knew was that the client would be bringing props, that we’d be shooting on a balcony, and that it would be night time. From start to finish, I wasn’t really sure how the ad was doing to turn out… and it turns out, years later, that’s still what tends to happen on commercial shoots: things don’t turn out how I think they will.

The Smartsuit Pro Adds Characters in Real Time for Motion Capture
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Our blockbuster action films have become so advanced with regards to the 3D and special effects that I'll go watch a movie just to watch it, and forgiving the lame dialog or bad acting just as long as the movie pushes the barriers to what I've experienced. Now Rokoko has made a suit that someone can wear that can generate a character of any kind to embed into a realistic computer generated space in real time. It removes the cameras and the time it takes to add in these characters in post production, and it happens in real time, so it's a massive saving for the production houses. It leads to new possibilities with regards to character movement and creating something that looks indistinguishable from reality.

The Twitter Killer: Will Threads Spell the End for Twitter?
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Mark Zukerberg and the people over at Meta have just launched the new Instagram-adjacent app, Threads, which sees scores of photographers jumping ship from Twitter. Here, we unpack our initial thoughts on the new contender on the social scene.

From Google- Zeitgeist 2012: Year in Review
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Sometimes we post content that's just worth watching. Videos that speak for themselves and just make you feel. Google has done a great job with their search-based videos in the past, and this is no exception.

Instagram to Add 'Mute' Feature
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Over the next few weeks, Instagram will be rolling out a new feature: the ability to mute accounts that you don't want to see in your feed, but also don't want to unfollow. Business Insider's article explores some of the mechanics of this new implementation.

ENDING SOON: Win $100 Worth of Printing in Our Colorful Photo Contest
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We've been listening to feedback, and it seems as though you all like contests that engage your skill level. Well prepare to be engaged! We will be hosting more photo contests in the future, starting with this one brought to you by Nations Photo Lab and hosted by our pals at Viewbug! Just submit your best photo that features bright colors for your chance to win!

Photography Contest - Win $100 B&H Gift Card!
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Fstoppers is starting a new bi-weekly contest in our Community! Every two weeks we will announce a new contest within a specific group. We are kicking things off in the Compositing and Photo Manipulation Group.

[Pics] Flickr Spotlight #6 - The Magic Of Hot Air Balloons
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This week on "Flickr Spotlight" I decided to bring some of the 'magic' of Hot Air Balloons. Never been on one, but something about them is making images look so unique and interesting. Dont you think? Check out the Full Post to see some of the best Hot Air Balloons pics out there, and then let us know if you ever got to photograph one yourself...