Watch Discovery's Final Launch From An Airplane

Okay I admit there is nothing really "behind the scenes" in this video but it is just too cool not to post. On Feb 24th, NASA's Discovery space shuttle launched for the final time and created a lot of media buzz. Most people travel down to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral to watch these amazing launches, but a few lucky passengers flying out of Orlando, Florida experienced the launch like few have ever seen it: 35,000 feet high in a commercial airline! Check out our previous post on NASA's video coverage of their shuttle launches if you want to see more amazing video of the space program.
Exposure or Exploitation? The Problem With Working for Free as a Photographer

Being asked to work for free can be a frustrating experience for photographers who have invested years of hard work and dedication to master their craft. In a time where equipment and running costs are so high, it has never been so important to politely decline requests to work for free.

Insta360’s Launches Its First Foldable 180 3D/360 Camera

Insta360 had a solid 360 camera on their hands with the Insta360 ONE X the company launched late last year. Now, the company’s taking that concept one step further, introducing the new Insta360 EVO that features both 360 and 180-degree 3D photos and videos.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (January 2024): Jamie Felton

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 2023, 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 Hubble Telescope Shows Galaxies 13.2 Billion Years Old

The universe is estimated to be 13.7 billion years old, and a recent composite of images taken on NASA's Hubble Telescope show 13.2 billion of those. Earth years, that is. Called the eXtreme Deep Field, or XDF, the photo was assembled by combining 10 years of NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken of a patch of sky at the center of the original Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The XDF is a small fraction of the angular diameter of the full moon.

Fstoppers Wedding Photography Tutorial Is 50% Off For The Next 48 Hours

For 10 years now, Patrick Hall and I have been professional wedding photographers. We worked for over a year to film "How To Become A Professional Commercial Wedding Photographer," a video tutorial that covers everything we know about the wedding photography industry. For the next two days it's 50% off with code "SAVE150".

Say Yes to Jobs That Make You Happy and No to the Ones That Don't

Who would have thought that one of the hardest yet most important things for me to do would be to say no. I’m still learning how to do it, but I’m here to remind you all that being a “yes man” all the time can catch up to you and bite you where the sun doesn't shine.

MagFilter - Magnetized filters for your compact cameras

Have you ever wanted to put a filter on your compact camera but just never had a way to attach it? Well now you can. A company called Carryspeed just came up with this brilliant idea of putting magnets on the filters to attach them.

Fstoppers, Who Do You Want To See On CreativeLIVE?

Over the last few months Fstoppers and the guys over at creativeLIVE have built a fun relationship. We love sharing inspiring photo shoots, behind the scenes videos, and gear talk, and they broadcast free workshops from some of the industry's best creative professionals. So we thought it would be fun to ask Who would you like to see on creativeLIVE? I know a short list of photographers I'd love to see on CL (some are our own readers) but we want to hear from you. Complete the Questionnaire

Photographing Whale Sharks

Photographing whale sharks tends to be a top bucket list item for many underwater image-makers, and for good reason. The largest fish in the sea, whale sharks offer uniquely special photo opportunities. For those of you who have yet to photograph one of these gentle giants, I’ve put together a few tips to keep in mind for that first encounter.

Do We Depend Too Much on Automation?

Automation is a very good thing. From streamlining our workflows to speeding up client interactions and accepting payments, we are living in a time where the right software packages make running our business much easier. However, blindly trusting that pieces of software are doing what they're supposed to do can lead to financial losses or worse. A few days ago, I found this out the hard way.

How Would You Like to Receive Updates from Fstoppers?

A major part of the driving force behind what we share is based in not over-sharing. We have never wanted to overstay our welcome, which is why we don't have an email list. That said, we have been receiving a lot of feedback from readers that they aren't getting any updates from us. Though we continue to let you know of new stories on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, we're wondering: how do you want to receive updates from us?

Learn The Fundamentals Of Digital Photography

Right now on creativeLIVE, photographer John Greengo is going over the fundamentals of Digital Photography. If you shoot primarily with film and are on the fence about switching to digital then this is a class you can't miss. John is going over all of the basics and much more. As with all creativeLIVE workshops, the LIVE event is FREE. This course will run live until February 22 but if you don't have time to tune in, you can purchase the video downloads for only $99.

Would You Give Commands to Your Camera Gear if You Could?

If you could speak to your camera, your tripod, and drone, what would you say? Would you use this feature? The use of our voices to command our gear is going to become even more important in the future.

Fujifilm Announces the X-M5: A Lightweight Mirrorless Camera for Content Creators

Fujifilm has unveiled the X-M5, the newest addition to its X Series lineup of mirrorless digital cameras, aimed at content creators seeking versatility in both photo and video capture. With a compact design, intuitive controls, and features geared toward creators on the go, the X-M5 offers a lightweight option for various shooting scenarios.

Fstoppers Interviews Rob Walwyn on His Upcoming Photo Exhibition 'Karrikins'

Australian photographer Rob Walwyn is hosting the first exhibition of his project ‘Karrikins’ as part of Sydney's Head On Photo Festival. Karrikins documents the aftermath of the bushfires that devastated Australia’s east coast in late 2019 and early 2020. What makes Walwyn’s images even more stunning is his use of Kodak’s discontinued false-color infrared film Aerochrome.

Five Ways Photographers Can Maximize Networking at Trade Shows

A trade show is an organized event for companies in a specific industry to showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and customers, study activities of rivals, and examine recent market trends and opportunities. What this means for photographers is that if you're in the niche of the trade show this is your chance to be face to face and rub shoulders with the big names in your industry. To fully maximize the network and contacts you can make from these events you need a game plan and some guidelines to follow. These are my personal five tips to maximize your networking at a trade show.

We Review the Genaray Bright Beast LED Panel

LED light panels, once used predominantly by videographers, have now become an indispensable tool for photographers. Whether you are a seasoned professional or an aspiring enthusiast, finding the perfect lighting setup can make all the difference in capturing high-quality images.

Vimeo Launches a Live Streaming Service

After waiting for so long, Vimeo finally launches a live streaming service which allows events to offer high-quality video to their viewers. Here are the list of updates that are included in Vimeo Live.

Jim Reed is One Crazy Photographer

With a bunch of hurricanes heading our way, I figured it might be fun to show everyone that rainy days do not mean you cannot still pick up your camera. Jim Reed has made a career out of extreme weather photography and has some pretty wild videos to document his craft. Some may call it a craft and others may just call it being out of your mind but either way it puts a smile on my face. Click the full post to watch Jim run straight up into a tornado. <
Sony Announces 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS Super Telephoto Zoom Lens

Sony has announced the 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS, its longest full frame E-mount lens to date. Designed for birding, wildlife, and sports photography, the lens extends Sony’s mirrorless telephoto capabilities beyond the previous 600mm limit, reaching up to 800mm. It is also compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, pushing its range up to 1,600mm.

Photographic Virtues Series: Standards

In this series, I attempt to identify the key professional virtues I have found to be the most important in building my own career, as well as identifying traits of other successful photographers that are most key to their success. Today's Word of The Week? Standards.

Research Shows Taking Photos of Events Increases Enjoyment

A team of researchers recently placed study participants in different situations such as a bus tour, a museum, or a simulation of a live event. Some participants were allowed to take photos, while others were not. The team consistently found that those who were allowed to take photos enjoyed the experience more and showed higher levels of engagement with the material.

Slow Motion Junky? Now You Can LIVE In Slow Mo!

Meet the Decelerator Helmet, it is quite a ridiculous experiment in time and space dreamed up by German artist, Lorenz Potthast. The DH is made up of a camera that leads to a notebook computer which is connected to 2 monitors, all of which is mounted to a bicycle helmet that is encapsulated inside an XL silver globe. The wearer controls the speed of what they see via a wireless hand control. The helmet allows the wearer to view their surroundings at 0.1x-3.00x. Enjoy?