12 Weeks of Christmas: Duography and Photographing in Twos

Life is comprised of a magical interweaving of yin and yang, that infinite dance of opposites that complement one another. Twos, couplets, opposites, pairs — call them what you will, but we see this play out in photography again and again, so discover five of the best.

Pacific Star II gives us another view of the world

I hope it is not too soon to feature another video of a camera sent to space with a weather balloon but the footage taken from the Pacific Star II is really amazing! This was all done with two cheap Canon point and shoot cameras off ebay, a weather balloon, and a simple Styrofoam enclosure. It still blows my mind that such a simple setup can produce such beautiful shots. <
Elections Are Fun!

If you live in the United States then there was a good chance you just skipped watching TV last night because of all the crazy election coverage. Even though I personally don't care to watch nonstop election coverage, I do have a huge appreciation for the amount of production that goes into bringing such a massive event into the homes of Americans. If television production is of interest to you, check out this behind the scenes video of Shepard Smith as he gives you a short tour of the control room and stage setup for the 2010 midterm election coverage at Fox News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijI46cz2vDQ<
Hair-stylist Sam McKnight shows how to properly fan hair

In this video photographer Ayaad Damouni and world renowned hair-stylist Sam McKnight work on a photoshoot for Hia Magazine. Ayaad doesn't share a lot of photography tips in this video but it is still fun to watch. Also, watch Sam as he works with the models helping them add some movement to their hair. I think he's using a big Bowens Jet Stream Wind Machine and probably just photoshops out the strays. Very clean shoot and it looks like the lighting is pretty minimal. Enjoy
Carsten Fleck shoots Carol Hannah's first bridal collection

Carsten Fleck teams up with Project Runway finalist Carol Hannah to shoot her very first bridal collection. Click on the post for more details about how he shot this series.

Carol Hannah Bridal Spring/Summer 2011 from Fina TV on Vimeo.

Wayne Isham Revists An 80s Classic

Okay this is just a little bit of weekend fun. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I always loved classic music videos. I didn't know it at the time, but Wayne Isham was one of my favorite directors. He did all the Bon Jovi videos, Metallica's Enter Sandman, worked with Motley Crue, Michael Jackson, Ricky Martin, 'N Sync, and Keith Urban. You pretty much couldn't turn on MTv in the 90s and not see one of his videos. Wayne was recently featured on Carson Daly's Last Call a few months ago and it was the first time I really got to hear from the artist himself. He seems like a laid back dude who is extremely passionate about his work and about music in general. So just for fun, here's a short video of Wayne talking about making the video that broke Bon Jovi's career and set them into super stardom. <
Insight From the Second Creativity Conference in NYC

There are some who believe creativity is a gift given to only a handful of people. Those of us who regularly engage in the practice of making art understand that we all have the ability to create something that has never existed before. It is common for us to struggle in our search for inspiration, and self-doubt can be a powerful enemy. A new organization may be of assistance to those who chose to engage in this struggle.

The PC Sync Cord Needs To Die

Why am I using digital SLR cameras and wireless radio triggers that are at the forefront of technology but I am also forced to use the PC sync cord which has been out for over 60 years. It never works and I want it to die. If you are on an iPhone click this article to watch this video on Youtube.
Alexx Henry Revisted

Alexx Henry raises the bar again with his latest magazine motion cover for release with the Apple ipad. It is not standard practice for Fstoppers to highlight two videos back to back but this was too good to pass up. Click the post to see how this was created and shot.
How To Snowboard On Leaves

Zimtstern, a clothing company needed a new commercial so they decided to advertise their snowboard apparel in a completely new way. Watch the behind the scenes video below and then the finished product in the full post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mGgdjadp04<
Annie Leibovitz talks with Time Magazine

Earlier in the week we posted a quick video from Annie's photoshoot with Keith Richards. Today I thought I'd share an interview Time Magazine did with Leibovitz where she talks about some of her work, what it's like running a photoshoot, how she used to work with her assistants, and the whole Miley Cyrus controversy. There are no cameras or crazy lighting in this video but I think all of that stuff becomes secondary in comparison to being a confident photographer, having great ideas, and executing a productive photoshoot. Hope you enjoy <
Pete Barrett Shoots A New Balance Ad (Update)

Here is a quick timelapse of one of Pete's latests commercial gigs. It is a bit difficult to see what he is exactly doing in terms of lighting but I am simply impressed by the complexity of this shoot. Look how many people are on the set! After you watch this video head over to his website and be prepared to be blown away. Check the full post to read a message from the photographer.

Behind the scenes on the New Balance photo shoot. from Pete Barrett on Vimeo.

Be A Part Of Our Photo Critique!

One of our forum members "sajamil" created a cool thread on the Fstoppers forum. He asked us to critique the person in the post above you and then give a link to a website where the next poster will critique you. We would love for you to be a part of this FS community and join in on this fun photo critique by clicking here.
[FS Meetup] Fstoppers Meetup TONIGHT in Scottsdale, AZ w/ Blair Bunting

We are going to be in Scottsdale, AZ shooting our next Behind The Scenes video with commercial photographer Blair Bunting, so we thought we might hit up all you Arizona Fstoppers. Come hang with us at the Terroir Wine Pub (7001 North Scottsdale Road) starting at 7 PM on Thursday December 8! Knock back some drinks, meet Blair Bunting and your favorite FS crew, and debrief our latest project with us. You all may remember Blair from a really popular video we posted from his work with Deadliest Catch. Blair's a really cool dude who loves a good bottle of wine, so don't miss it! See you all there!
[Contests] Last Day to Enter November Contests

Our November Contsts, sponsored by Lowepro and Westcott, are coming to a close! You have just one more day to enter to win some great prizes. On Facebook you can win the new Peter Hurley DVD just by entering a before and after photoshop image to our group page. On the Fstoppers facebook page, just click the Contests tab, answer one question, and you're entered to win a brand new Lowepro bag. On the FS Forums, submit your best self portrait and you could win a new Westcott Apollo Orb. Just click any of the images below to go to the contest you want to enter. Hurry, all contests close tomorrow!
Chase Jarvis: "Backup Your Pictures"

Chase Jarvis has apparently figured out the secrets of creating a viral video. I think he released this video 3 days ago and it already has 50,000 views. I don't mean to keep posting CJ videos but they are all really good so here another. Check it out! <
Last Chance To Enter Our Wedding Photography Critique

Each month this year, Fstoppers is running a genre specific Critique the Community contest with some amazing prizes. The theme for March is "Weddings," and we are giving away $3,000 in prizes to 3 lucky winners. Oh, and one of the most successful wedding photographers I know, Pye Jirsa, will be guest judging the images. Here are the details!

Sony Launches $1 Million 'Create Action' Initiative to Serve Local Nonprofits

It's easy for large companies to donate a handful of cash to a worthy cause and call it a day. And although that money will be put to good work, sometimes, these non-profit organizations need more than just a few extra dollars. Because of that, Sony aims to do quite a bit more with their new "Create Action" initiative.

Contest Entry: James Karinejad Shoots "Strange Fruit"

James Karinejad has officially raised the bar on this contest. His team shot Emma Michelle's music video and he created a great BTS video to show us everything that went into making this a successful piece. View the full post to see the finished product and remember to please leave James feedback in the comments below or on his forum post here.
Vimeo Profile Pages Get a Makeover

Vimeo has redesigned their users’ profiles pages to show more information, better showcase their work, and more easily make changes.

Fstoppers Forum Is Now Re-Opened

As most of you know a few months ago we were having issues with a malware attack scare that turned out to be false positives. We cleared up the issue and as a precaution took our forum down to make sure that the entire Fstoppers site was in proper working order. I'm happy to announce that the forum is back up and running. You can now access the forum here: http://forum.fstoppers.com OR you can click the forum link at the top of the main page.

Fstoppers Meetup In New Orleans At Loa Bar

Lee, Patrick and I will be in New Orleans this weekend shooting a wedding and would love to grab a drink with any anyone in the area. The meetup starts at 8pm on Sunday March 10 at Loa Bar located at 221 Camp St inside the International House Hotel. We hope to see you all there!

New Ohio Legislation Seeks to Shield 'Kidfluencers' From Financial Exploitation

A prominent TikToker has thrown their support behind a proposed Ohio legislation designed to safeguard child influencers from potential economic exploitation by their parents. This new bill, recently introduced to the Ohio House, seeks to establish labor laws specifically for "kidfluencers" to ensure they are fairly compensated for their online presence and contributions.

How To Mount A Camera To A Drifting BMW

Dan Bartolucci and Gevorg Karensky over at Influxlab have put together a little montage video for everyone to see how they rigged the car camera up for the latest BMW M3 commercial. I'm sure many of you have wondered how they secured a camera when being so wreckless in a car; I guess now we all know.

BMW M3 - Behind The Scenes - Complete from Dan Bartolucci on Vimeo.

Gary Jones And His Team Film A Backyard Burger Commercial

Watch Gary Jones direct his team as they film a short television ad for Backyard Burgers. Click the post to view the behind the scenes commentary.

BackYard Burgers Gouda Cheeseburger :30 from Jones Film Video on Vimeo.

Dave Hamilton Makes It Reign

I was just about to throw up a new post and I got this video in an email and decided to change things up. Check out Dave's fantastic BTS video and then head over to his website here.

Dave Hamilton Photography - behind the scenes from tashunka b on Vimeo.