Douglas Sonders's picture
Average rating:
3.7 out of 5 3.7
Douglas Sonders
New York, NY
Menu

Articles written by Douglas Sonders

Full Behind The Scenes Of A Photoshoot With KITT And The A-Team Van
14
by

I've been working on a personal photo series capturing movie and television cars (real and replica) for about 5 years now under the title "The Unicorn Project". I've posted about this before on Fstoppers (here, here, & here), as you may recall. Most recently, I had an opportunity to photograph a replica A-Team Van and KITT from Knight Rider while I was in Los Angeles. These happen to be two of my favorite television cars of all time. Watch the video and read the full post below to learn how it was done.

One Of A Kind Supercar Shoot Inside A One Of A Kind Beautiful Home
9
by

My good buddy and fantastic car photographer Richard Thompson (check out his facebook page) shared a unique shoot he just completed recently. He photographed over $20 million in rare exotic cars using the Phase One IQ180 (80 MP medium format monster) in an extremely rare and beautiful location over 3 days. Even better, the shoot benefitted a children's charity. Check out the full post below to see more images & to learn more about how everything came together on this remarkable shoot!

Tutorial on How To Create Detailed Grungy Athlete Portraits In Post Production
27
by

I've written about Glyn Dewis before on Fstoppers. He's a fellow Photoshop World Instructor, UK-based photographer, and has an amazing blog and youtube channel filled with great image post-production tips. In this tutorial, Glyn teaches how to add nice detail and grit to your portraits, as he did with his boxer portrait series featured here. Click to see the entire post to watch another tutorial video on this shoot.

Casey Neistat's Studio Is Incredibly Well-Designed For Function
9
by

If you don't know Casey Neistat's name, you probably know at least one of his viral videos (like this). Gizmodo just did a great multi-part video series showcasing Casey's nearly OCD attention to detail that he used when creating his New York City studio and workspace. You have to admit, it's quite admirable the way he meticulously designed his workspaces for maximum functionality. As I am moving my photo and video business to New York City myself, I hope to take a few notes. Click to see the full post with video part 2 below.

Great Automotive Rig Tutorial By Nigel Harniman Using A Phase One
38
by

You may recall my previous automotive rig tutorial with the Green Hornet Black Beauty. My buddy, award-winning commercial photographer Nigel Harniman (www.harniman.com), recently put together another great automotive rig tutorial post using his Phase One ALPA and a Ferrari. I think the shot came out awesome and I definitely learned a few things, which you can read about below!

So You Want To Make A Professional Looking Print Photography Portfolio
17
by

One of my regular followers, Mike Nelson, said that there are plenty of resources on WHERE to buy portfolios, but very little information on HOW to make a photography portfolio. He suggested I do a blog post and share my personal perspectives and advice on the subject. I’ve also included contributions and tips from other photographer friends (such as Luke Copping whose work is featured in the video above) in the industry. Hopefully the following post will teach you everything you need to know.

Get Phase One's Capture One Raw Processing Software For Up To Half Off
20
by

Like processing RAW files with the best of the best software? For a limited time, Phase One is offering 50% of their Capture One Express 7 and 20% off of Capture One Pro 7 until June 16, 2013. As I have blogged about before, Phase One has created class-leading RAW image processing and tethering software that I personally use all the time.

Custom Automotive Hard Drives And Thumb Drives For Unique Client File Delivery
12
by

As some of you may know by now, I'm a commercial photographer that gets some great opportunities to shoot epic movie and tv cars. Honestly, most of my paid shoots are portrait-related, but I just love all things cars and my clients know that. Last year, I came across a rad company called Flash Rods that makes custom memory storage (hard drives and thumb drives) based from 1:18 scale models and matchbox cars, including movie and tv cars like the Ecto1, Back to The Future Delorean, and A Team Van to deliver my files to clients.

Help A Photographer Build A Space Suit For His Road Trip Across The Country
3
by

Photographer Brian Braun is a dreamer. He has made plans to restore an Airstream trailer so he may travel the United States adventuring and capturing images for a new photo series, which you will learn more about in the video above. Several creatives will be joining Brian on part his road trip journey including myself as well as our new buddy Vincent LaForet. This is an exciting prospect and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out!

Why I Love Detroit And Its EPIC Photoshoot Locations
16
by

Detroit may be known for things like its extreme crime, car theft, Robocop, and the Detroit Auto Show by the outside world, but it also happens to be a very creative town of possibilities and one of my new favorite places to photograph in. In fact, despite being a Washington DC-based photographer (soon to be relocated to NYC full-time), I've done 4 separate paid photoshoots in Detroit this Spring alone. Detroit has some of the most incredible grand locations, which you will learn about in the blog post below.

3 Minutes Of Setup And 2 Shutter Clicks : The Reality Of Celebrity Portraiture
73
by

Recently, I was hired by a corporate client to take the portrait of Rod Stewart here in New York City before a concert. After a day of pre-planning logistics, 4 cancellations/reschedules (same day), and 3 location changes, the shoot finally happened... and it took place in two shutter clicks. Now, this is not a complaint post or to prove what an intense shoot this was. This is merely the stark reality of what it's like to shoot celebrity portraits. You have to be ready for anything.

Photographing The Green Hornet Movie Car Using An Automotive Rig
14
by

For a couple of years now, I have been shooting a personal series about movie and tv cars, and the people that either own the original vehicles or build replicas for themselves. I call it the Unicorn Project (see more from the series here). Recently, I had the chance to photograph one of the screen-used Black Beauties from the 2011 film, The Green Hornet. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try out my new automotive rig from Rig-Pro for the first time to simulate high-speed action shots.

I Visited Hong Kong & Did A DigitalRev Cheap Camera Challenge
21
by

Phase One asked me to go on a speaking tour through China (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing) to share about my photo career, creative inspiration, and being a Phase One shooter myself, to demo their innovative new IQ2 digital medium format camera back system. After flying in to Hong Kong from Washington DC just hours before, I had the great honor and pleasure to be a part of Digital Rev's Cheap Camera Challenge. A broken Holga + jet lag + beer + a goof like myself = What could go wrong?

Filming A Ford Fusion Ad With A Badass Custom Raptor Camera Truck
8
by

My buddy Ray Wert from the ad agency Tiny Toy Car knows how I love gadgets, filmmaking, and obviously custom camera trucks capable of racing in the Baja and destroying anything in its path. Last month he got me a sneak peek of this Ford ad (below the break) before it aired and introduced me to the director, Tim Damon, who told me about his incredible custom Ford Raptor that he used to film rally racer Tanner Foust as he thrashed the new Ford Fusion in the hills of California.

Capture One Express 7 Announced - Phase One's Affordable Raw Processing Software For Under $100
14
by

Phase One announced their new Capture One Express 7 raw image processing software today and it's free to try for 60 days and only $99 to buy! Express 7 is actually a streamlined version of their advanced Capture One Pro 7 software, which is what I personally use, focusing primarily on RAW processing. Also, I'm excited to mention that they are using my Mad Max photoshoot on the marketing material. :)

Like Shooting Tethered? Check Out Some Of These Awesome Products From Tether Tools
28
by

If you haven’t heard of TetherTools.com yet, well… you have now. Tethered Tools makes a wide range of fantastic products to make your tethered shooting go more smoothly. They are THE one stop shop for all of your tethered shooting gear needs including software. They have seemingly infinite customizable tethering configurations that you should definitely check out.

Functional Warplane-Inspired Camera Straps By Vulture Equipment
13
by

I'm a lifelong motor head. I salivate at a great custom exhaust on a big block V8 engine, or a custom candy paint job on a 1957 Chevy BelAir. I literally dream of pro-touring modernized 1960's muscle cars. So as a photographer, it would only make sense that I would crave to customize my cameras, especially after recently investing in a Phase One digital medium format which I cherish like I would a car. For years, I've been looking for a cool rugged camera strap system that fit my style and functional needs. Thanks to Vulture Equipment, I think I've finally found it.

Tips For Travelling Abroad On A Budget By Photographer Nicole Fallek
17
by

By the age of 24, my buddy Nicole Fallek has done a lot of travelling with her camera. She decided that she wanted to see more of the world, but realized she didn't have a big budget to do so. Nicole put together this extensive blog post for you guys using her vast travel knowledge to help ensure your world travels will go more smoothly and affordably. Check out all of tips & some of her travel photos/design below.

Mad Max Apocalypse Photoshoot
6
by

A few months ago, I hit up my buddy Paul Miller, who is a movie director out of Southern California. Regular readers of my personal blog site may recognize Paul from my previous Mad Max Interceptor shoot. Paul told me that he is part of a group of folks that essentially constructs clothing, weapons, and even vehicles to re-enact the Mad Max post apocalypse in the Mojave desert, much like some re-enact the US Civil War. They are often referred to as "Wastelanders" after their annual gathering entitled "Wasteland Weekend".

Life As A Workaholic Commercial Photographer
10
by

I’m driving a beautiful triple-black Aston Martin DB9 V12 down a florida highway. Its nose so long that the sun striking it practically blinds me. AC/DC is blasting on the radio and the car’s 12 cylinders roar at the slightest touch to the throttle. One client has loaned me his beautiful British exotic so I could drive 90 minutes away to briefly meet another private client about photographing his multi-million dollar Bugatti supercar collection. Surreal, right? This sort of experience has become sort of commonplace for me recently, but it never becomes any less mind-blowing. Sometimes I just sit and wonder: how did I even get here? This is just crazy.