Exactly 12 months ago Patrick and I launched Fstoppers.com. We had never filmed a video before, we didn't have a single follower, we had never used a blog before, and we had no clue what would happen.
The day we launched Fstoppers nikonrumors.com posted about us (luckily we shoot everything on Nikon) and we got a few thousand hits on the first day.
We began to cold call photographers asking if we could film videos about them. Brownie Harris was one of the first photographers to agree.
A couple months later we flew to CO for a ski trip and posted an ad on craigslist for a "professional snowboard photographer" and Dave Lehl responded.
After that I took a risk and called one of my favorite photographers Peter Hurley. To my surprise he was excited to let us film him.
While shooting Peter I told him about this crazy idea I had that involved shooting a full fashion shoot with the iPhone. When we released the iPhone Fashion Shoot it was picked up by hundreds of websites including NPR.com, Gizmodo.com, Lifehacker.com, and it also made the front of Vimeo and Youtube. Within a few days it had been viewed over 500,000 times.
A month later we got a call from David Bergman; Bon Jovi had agreed to let us film David backstage at their next concert. While shooting David we caught a glimpse of the new (unreleased) Nikon Flex Pocket Wizards in his bag. Over the next few months we did everything we could to ask Pocket Wizard for a set of our own. They finally agreed to send us a few units we created a video with them.
These are just a few of the highlights of 2010. We actually released over 30 videos in 12 months and at midnight tonight we will release what I believe will be our biggest video yet.
Over the past 12 months 2.2 million photographers have visited Fstoppers.com and we are currently averaging 8,000-10,000 unique visitors per day. We have only you to thank. Thank you everyone who has made Fstoppers.com a success. Thank you for creating videos, thank you for submitting videos, thank you for commenting on our posts, thank you for taking part in our forum. Without you, we would have given up a long time ago. Because of your support, Patrick and I have worked harder than we ever have in our lives but we have also had the most amazing year of our lives. We plan to make this next year even better than the first and it will all begin at midnight tonight. The art world is going to be rocked by this next video... you can quote me on that.
Let us know how we are doing in the comments below. If you would like to see more of something we want to hear it.
CONGRATTTTTTS GUYS!!! MORE SUCCESS TO COME.
Gio
Plainzine.com
Happy Bday! Cheers
Happy Birthday! :) Looking forward to the upcoming original fstopper videos. :)
One of the sites I visit daily to get my fix! Always great work, bringing me the best of the internet.
You guys are just awesome! :D
My inspiration overload :)
Happy birthday, FStoppers! You guys rock and your site is one of the most fizzy sources in contemporary photography, so move on :)
Congratulations guys. Keep up the great work!
Yes everyone, thanks so much for embracing the community Lee and I original felt was needed for both videographers and photographers. Pushing ourselves to learn how to shoot and edit video on our DSLRs was a tough task and without everyone's response and support I'm sure we would never have been able to produce the original content we have this last year.
Thanks to the photographers who answered their emails and our phone calls and allowed us to share their knowledge with a world wide audience. It takes a lot of guts to be at the top of your field and openly share your success stories and we thank you for that. We are also very grateful for the sponsors who are helping FS grow and providing great prizes for our contests. Almost everything Lee and I have done this first year has come out of our own pockets and it's nice to know that other well respected companies see the same vision for FS as we did during this first year and are willing to help us raise the level of the site.
About this next year, if you are a photographer you better step up your game and start making some amazing videos because 2011 is going to be an amazing time to grow your own business and pick up technical and creative skills that will separate your work from those photographers still not seeing the potential of getting into video! Thanks for reading and more importantly thanks for participating :)
Congratulations, and keep up your excellent work.
Happy birthday Fstopper!!!
Hey guys, congrats on your first year. I found you probably 6 months ago and have had you in my favorites ever since. Check in every day to see what is new. Thanks for all your hard work and always being inspirational to the rest of us. Look forward to this next year!
Big congrats from Denmark! Your updates inspire me everyday, keep up the good work!
Congrats and thanks for your perfect work! Keep it up!
Happy birthday guys! As an aspiring photographer, Fstopper has been one of my motivation to keep shooting. Keep up the great work!
Congrats Fstoppers.
I follow Fstoppers with great interest almost every day.
hey guys! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! thanks for all the great content and Fstoppers originals you've put together. I really love this site and its fantastic that its been a year watching it happen. awesome.
Happy Birthday! Can't wait for that video!!
Happy b-day guys!
You have a permanent tab on my browser, so thank you for gathering and producing amazing quality content.
Looking forward to that midnight video...
Keep up the good work! The content on fstoppers is amazing. My favorite website.
Gongrats Lee and Patrick! Keep up the awesome videos! On a side note, Lee- it was great meeting you at New York Fashion Week when you were doing a video on the behind the scenes. I look forward to seeing it on here and feel free to email me if you have any questions about it!
Cheers,
-Ilya
this site is amazing and has been an inspiration for me daily since I discovered it a few weeks ago...
I used to watch SportsCenter every morning, but now I log onto here when I wake up...
it seems like you guys have been around forever...can't believe it's only been a year...
keep on
I came late to the party; I think I heard about this wonderful site in late March of 2010. Ever since your web site has been my stop for inspiration and new ideas. I hope your next year (and for many, many, more years) are as successful (and hopefully very profitable).
Contrats guys! Cheers from Panama.
Hi Guys,
in my eyes FStoppers is one of the best websites in the world of photography!
Keep on going!
I love the concept, i love the content and i would love to see more of it in the future!
Cheers
George
Yey! Happy Birthday! This truly is one of the most inspiring photography-related sites I've ever seen! So *Happy Days and Jubilation!* and big thanks to You guys for keeping us inspired!
I can only say good things about this website. I am sure I am not the only one when I say that you have achieved something special here. This collection of resources, guidance, expertise can only kindle the photography bug that we all have inside!
Now stop talking about the 2.2 million and start talking about all the others that will come after this.
You're brilliant!
Thank you
Congratulations from Bulgaria Guys! Fstoppers.com is my first stop every morning before I get to work. Thanks for being who you are and having that different vision of the world.
I can't wait to see what is going to happen at midnight!
- Georgi
Congratulations! It is my favorite web site. It keeps me coming back. Thank you.
Well done guys ! Keep it up, you are doing a great job and helping a lot of photogaphers or those aspiring to be one. I find your website one of the most interesting on the web, due to variety of subjects.
Good luck ! Wishing you more and more success :)
Congratulations Guys, and a very happy 1st Birthday.
You have a big following in the UK.
keep making the inspiring videos, My ambition is to post one here one day soon.
Regards,
Colin
Congratulations and Happy Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday from Austria!
Keep the good work going!
You're awesome! :)
Happy Birthday! Love the site, guys!
Congrats! The site has had me coming back almost every day!
Keep up the awesome work.
Regards from Australia.
Chris.
Congrats! I love your site! :)
Happy Bday!!!!!!
Great job guys, keep it up. Thanks for providing such a great resource, I've learned a whole lot from this site.
Congrats!
happy birthday fstoppers
Congratulations to make it this far, and it's still a long way to go. It's a great website for even professional photographers! I've learnt a lot from the videos! It's good to learn and see from different perspective!
While I am new to the Fstopper website I look forward to each post everyday as I grow more as a photographer.
Joyeux Anniversaire Fstoppers !!! Happy birthday !!!
I love your site, wainting anxiously for every new update...
Congratulations and keep up with this excellent work - good luck !
Bernard, from Paris, France.
Congratulation & Happy Birthday to Fstopper,keep up the good works guys!!!
You guys are the best!! Keep up the amazing work, stoked for another year!
Congrats guys! You are doing a truly great job with the site and please, keep up the good work!
With great pleasure i discovered and freq. visit the Fstoppers website!
Hope that the next year will give as much pleasure and incredible video's as this "baby" year!
Regards from The Netherlands
Lawrence Mooij
www.dutchfoto.com
Contrats... I'm always around here... Keep posting... I'm learning a lot...
Congratulation%20!!!!!!%20happy%20birthday%20fstoppers
Firstly, congratulations for the first year. Then I want to give a bear hug, because you brought to us fstoppers, and congratulate them for having filled this empty hole that was in the photograph of the new century.
Finally, tell them I'm a faithful follower here in Portugal and I've gone through this address also to many photographers.
Congratulations guys! More power and Godbless, greetings all the way from philippines!
congrats guys my knowledge and interest has grown with fstoppers, keep it up