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Kenn Tam
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Articles written by Kenn Tam

Revealing X-Ray Photography
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Nick Veasey's work has been around and you may have seen some of it before but it doesn't make it any less cool. To paraphrase Nick, he likes to counter the obsession we have with superficial appearance by using x-rays to strip back the layers and show what is under the surface. He likes to challenge our automatic reaction to physical appearance by highlighting the inner beauty. We can't all have access to an x-ray machine like Nick but at least we can look at his photography and see ourselves and the world in a whole new light. Jump into the full post to see twenty one truly revealing shots.

The Best Fstoppers Posts From October 2011
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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 missed anything this October check out the top posts of the month and sign up for our newsletter here

Fstoppers' Featured Guest Blogger: Jeremy Cowart
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As I mentioned at the beginning of the month, we are going to have guests stop by to write posts, just for you, our FS readers. Some of these well known and accomplished members of the photo industry will be here to get something off their chests. Others to plug something. Some to teach and others to entertain. This month we are happy to bring you Jeremy Cowart and he wants you to think about something. Jump into the full post to see what's on his mind and be sure to check out all that his links have to offer. Thanks for this great post Jeremy.

"Everybody Street" A Documentary in NY, NY by Cheryl Dunn
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Cheryl Dunn: "Hello photographers, photography enthusiasts, lovers of history and New York City. My name is Cheryl Dunn and I am a fellow photographer and the director of "Everybody Street", a feature documentary about NYC street photographers who have taken some of the most iconic images of the last century. Whether you take pictures with your phone or a Leica, you will relish the opportunity to hear the real stories of the men and women who are the very foundation of the street photography movement and of the medium itself. These include, to date: Bruce Davidson, Joel Meyerowitz, Mary Ellen Mark, Max Kozloff, Ricky Powell, Martha Cooper, Jamal Shabazz, Bruce Gilden, Clayton Patterson, Jeff Mermelstein, Rebecca Lepkoff, Boogie, Luc Sante, Jill Freedman, Josh Wildman. The film, shot in16mm and in HD, and with a score by NYC Band Endless Boogie, takes you into the studios and out onto the streets where you will see firsthand the working techniques of these incredible artists as they unfold in the theater of New York City. Many of my subjects have never been documented before, remaining instead hidden behind their cameras..." See the full story and pictures inside. Support Cheryl on Kickstarter. And if you have an extra $10K kicking around, you can even be a Co-Executive Producer. ;)
29 Ways To Stay Creative
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If I haven't said it enough times, creativity to a photographer is everything. So, if you're having trouble getting your creative juices flowing, watch this short video on "29 Ways To Stay Creative" by To-Fu. And remember, it's not enough to just watch these tips, you got to actually put them into practice. Just a heads up, this video is not photography specific. So if you got your head up your @$$ and think tips on keeping creative are low on your priority list then skip this one. ;P
Light Painting Just Keeps Getting Better and Better
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Every time I think light painting is a fad that will soon reach, "seen it all before" status, some one comes along and changes my mind. Enter Dennis Calvert. If you want to see some spectacular examples of this exploding art form, check out some of Dennis's work in the full post.

Cool Use of Stop Motion Photography
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You guys know me by now, right? I don't like shooting weddings, or bowls of fruit and definitely not maternity shoots. But when something is creative and unique I'm the last one to thumb my nose at it and that's why I had to share this little stop motion gem. Don't expect great lighting or dynamic photo techniques from this video, just appreciate the cleverness of this simple idea and the dedication it took to make this short video.
Lytro's New Consumer Camera... Gear or Gimmick?
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You may remember the Lytro camera from Patrick's earlier posts, "...An Image You Can Focus After You Capture It" and "The Focus Later Camera...", well now Lytro has announced it's consumer light field camera with an 8x f/2 lens and built in storage. An 8GB camera that stores 350 pictures will be priced at $400, while a 16GB with a 750 image capacity will cost $500. Lytro cameras are currently available for pre-order, shipping early 2012. The question now is, "Is this camera going to be developed for professional use or is it destined to be little more than a consumer gimmick?" Take a look at the photos and video in the full post and let us know what you think.

Examples of DIY Business Cards for Photographers
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As creatives we photographers have very little reason to be packing standard humdrum business cards (let's leave those for the door to door salesmen and insurance agents). Photographer/Blogger Katie Sokoler obviously agrees with me as she recently posted on how she made her home made cards. I love exchanging cards but am often disappointed when I'm out networking with my peers and I recieve a card that is unimaginative or worse, tacky. Whenever I hand mine out I'm often bombarded with a slew of questions like, “Is this an envelope? Is there something inside it? Can I open it?". To which I respond: “Yes it is. Yes there is. Yes you can.” Which often leads to the question, “How much did it cost to have these made?” To which I respond: "I did them myself." So I decided to follow Katie's example and throw up a few pics to show how I make my cards. See how putting in a little bit of effort can help get you remembered.

Side by side Comparison of iPhone's 4S & Canon 5D Mark II's Video
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Likely not the first and definitely not going to be the last, this clip shows the video quality of iPhone's new 4S in tandem with Canon's 5D Mark II. Sadly there is no sound in this video and I would've liked to have seen some close ups of people in this comparison but it's interesting enough for a quick look. I love shooting with all sorts of cameras and have no doubt the latest iPhone will be worth the upgrade for the camera alone. In fact I was at the 5th Ave Apple Store on friday with one in hand, at the check out, when they asked, "What are the last four digits of your social security number?" Sadly being a shiny new American resident, I didn't know and had to walk away empty handed. Maybe I'll go back today. Wish me luck.

via [RobinoFilms]
Proof that Great Photography has Little to do with your Wallet
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Avanaut (aka Vesa Lehtimäki) is proof that creativity, ingenuity and photography know how, are the qualities that make an intriguing photo. With out a camera worth thousands of dollars or pencil thin models, Avanaut has turned out some dynamic shots, using primarily, Star Wars lego figures. His use of light, perspective and inexpensive props, produced some very cool dramatic scenes full of motion. See the results for yourself and check out Avanaut's Flickr Stream for more wonderful shots.




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New Software System for Realistically Adding Objects Into Photos
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Researcher Kevin Karsch and his team at the University of Illinois are developing software that lets users easily insert objects into photographs. It seems to have great potential for adding in animated objects with realistic lighting. Could be a powerful tool for all you creative minded shooters out there. See the impressive demo video in the full post.

Jan von Holleben's Creative Use of Everyday Objects as Props
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We've all seen and been inspired by the works of Jan von Holleben, with his trade mark "laying down" poses. In this latest series created for German newspaper ZEIT he is at it again but what strikes me is the clever use of everyday house hold objects to depict one's dreams. See the photos inside.

What's More Funny than Photos of People Scared $#!^less ? The Photoshopped Versions.
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Remember that post I did on Nightmare Fear Factory's haunted house photo booth? Of course you do, cause I just posted it yesterday and you check Fstoppers.com everyday, right? Well the awesomeness of those photos has spurred the lads on the Something Awful forums to fire up Photoshop to make them even more awesome. Take another look.

Results from One Damn Scary Photo Booth
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If you haven't been there or heard of it, Nightmare Fear Factory in Niagara Falls is a haunted house that's actually scary shit. I know cause I've been there and still have the scars in my ribs from where my date's claws dug in. Over 100,000 people have chickened out and made the "Chicken List" and what's even scarier is they now have a photo booth inside, so you can't even pretend it didn't phase you. Picture walking in complete darkness through a maze, while clinging to the person infront of you and taking tiny unsure steps, when suddenly a car darts out of no where with its lights blasting and horn blaring. Now picture what someone's face would look like when this happens or better yet, see for yourself.

The Best Fstoppers Posts From September 2011
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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 missed anything this September check out the top posts of the month and sign up for our newsletter here.

Fstoppers' New "Featured Guest" Posts...
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Besides being respected members of the photo community, what do Joe McNally, Jeremy Cowart, Greg Slater, Julia Fullerton-Batten, Brad Trent and Melissa Rodwell all have in common? Well for starters they (to name just a few) have all agreed to write something just for you, our Fstopper readers. Starting this October we will bring you posts written by some of the biggest names in photography, exclusively on Fstoppers.com. You'll have the opportunity to learn a little more about our Featured Guests and they will have an opportunity to speak directly to you and share whatever takes their fancy. Be it their latest projects, rants, opinions, advice, stories and more. Leave a comment telling us who you would like to see as a Featured Guest and we just might make it happen.

Who Has the Highest Shutter Count? Now We Can Find Out.
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Are you curious as to what your shutter count is? Then head on over to MyShutterCount.com, where they presumably are able to tell the shutter count of "most cameras" simply by uploading a picture. And if you want to know how many of those clicks you can expect before your camera goes kaputs then check out the Camera Life Expectancy Database. Now, I'm on the road posting from my iPad 2 and can't check this service out for myself, so once again I have to call upon you, our special team of Fstoppers' tester monkeys, to give this site a go and see if it lives up to it's claims. More importantly I want to know who has the heaviest trigger finger. So post your shutter count in our comments and lets see, who amongst us, has the strongest camera kung fu.

Manfrotto Announces a New Line of Pro Bags and Apparel
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When looking for a professional gear bag the main question seems to be Lowepro or ThinkTank. But now Manfrotto has thrown their hat into the ring by announcing it's new pro line series of bags and apparel. The Lino line has feature packed bags, jackets, vests, gloves and more. It all seems incredibly functional, with pockets that expand to hold strobes and lenses and gloves that store memory cards. I'm not so sure about the style of the clothes yet but hey, they're Italian, who am I to judge their fashion sense? To see product photos take a look at the full post.

A Weekly Comedy Web Series Aimed at Photographers
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September 27th will see the release of "Shutterbugs, a comedy web series about a group of obsessive photographers". (Do you know anyone obsessed about photography? :P) It would be nice to have a weekly series to make us laugh. The question is: Will we be laughing with it or at it? Links to Shutterbugs' promo video and info are in the full post.