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Kenn Tam
Toronto, ON, CA

Articles written by Kenn Tam

Adobe MAX Time Travels Through 25 Years of Photoshop

Thank god for the interwebs right? Not just because it brings us badgers and cat videos but because sometimes it allows us to be places we couldn't other wise go. I'm of course talking about the 2015 Adobe MAX conference that just went down in Los Angeles. If you, like me, were not one of the "5000 most creative minds" fortunate enough to make it, then you may appreciate this glimpse from the conference floor. Adobe set up a display consisting of several mock bedrooms. Each room being representative of a time period and pivotal moment within Photoshop's 25 years.

5 Killer Drone Shots and How To Pull Them Off

Story & Hart's Academy of Storytellers just put out this wickedly informative video that not only highlights five great drone shot techniques but also breaks down their uses and how to actually achieve them.

Creative Sunset Selfies Made From Cardboard Silhouettes

Nine-time Emmy award-winning TV producer and writer John Marshall found himself on Maine's Frye Island with too much time, talent and imagination. The result photo series, which he calls Sunset Selfies, is creative, whimsical and inspiring. I'd be ridiculously surprised if this doesn't spawn a whole slew of creative projects within our community, as enthusiastic shooters start cutting out their own cardboard silhouette to use during magic hour.

Conquering Color Correction with Commercial Photographer Andy Van den Eynde

In this video we see Antwerp, Belgium-based commercial photographer Andy Van den Eynde tackling color correction on location. Andy starts by dropping his base temperature down to a cool 2800K and then recreates the warm glowing effect of torch light using gels from his Rosco Color Correction Filter Kit. What I found interesting was how he actually builds torches out of strobes and gels, which provide the rim light and the glow that would be thrown off from actual torches.

One of the Best Presented Lighting Tutorials We've Ever Seen (Three Scenes in One Room)

This is one of the best lighting tutorials I've ever seen, being both educational and entertaining. The German-based production company, Dugly Habits, has created this lighting tutorial for the Dedolight International Competition 2015. Using the Dedolight SPS5E Lighting Kit and a handful of other lights they construct three entirely different atmospheres in one room along with a wide variety of lighting tricks to create the illusions of car headlights, candle flicker, lightening and more. What's even cooler is how they deliver this educationally rich tutorial.

Can Photography End Child Labor?

No doubt you are familiar with some of Lewis Wickes Hine's work. He is the guys who took the iconic photographs of the workers who constructed the Empire State Building in New York City. But what you may not know is that he first shot for the National Child Labor Committee, documenting the child workforce of America during the industrial revolution. And that his work went on to influence politicians and law makers by drawing national attention to the harsh realities of child labor.

Behind the Scenes of the Third Biggest Film Production City in North America

Have you ever had aspirations to shoot for the movie industry? To travel to some of the most notable cities in the world? To rock the streets of New York City, Shanghai, Detroit, LA, London, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Paris? Well I hate to burst your bubble (actually I kind of get off on it) but chances are you're going to end up in my new hood, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

A Simple Technique for Creating the Effect of Punching Someone Across the Room

Ryan and Josh Connolly of Film Riot always brings us the coolest do-it-yourself filmmaking and special effects tutorials. In this "rewind" episode (read: old) they show us how to create the killer effect of throwing someone clear across the room. What's doubly cool is how easily this can be done with just a still camera and software that most of us already have (Photoshop and After Effects).

Infographic: Everything You Need to Know about JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and BMP File Formats

Have you ever found yourself questioning which file format to use, when it comes to displaying, storing or printing your images? Are you curious about what JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and BMP actually stands for? Do you want to know how each format deals with compression and data loss? If so then this crazy informative infographic is just what you've been looking for.

Creating an "Oh F**k!" Moment Through Better Video Editing

What do iconic movies like Dr. Stranglove, Alien, Psycho and Star Wars all have in common? They all knew how to create that, "Oh f**k" moment. You know the one I'm talking about. Every thing is fine. All good here. Wait a minute. What's that? BAM! Well Director Joey Scoma of RocketJump Film School shows us how to recreate those nail biting, butt clenching, knee jerking moments using tried and true video editing techniques.

Adobe's Free Color App Allows you to Sample The World's Colors with Your Mobile Device

We here at Fstoppers can forgive our beloved Trevor Dayley for jumping ship and joined the crew over at SLRLounge as long as he keeps turning us on to useful tools and tips like the Adobe Color CC app. This thing is so cool and it's free. Adobe never seems to stop enriching it's eco systems with improved connectivity and functionality. The Color CC app allows you to sample real world colors (you'll see what I mean by that in Trevor's video) or create color palettes from photos straight from your mobile device.

A Step by Step Guide on How to Light a Wine Bottle Product Shot

It's surprising how many friends I know that live in wine country. And yet not surprising how many of them have taken up the camera. They all ask me the same thing. "Do you know of any good resources for how to photograph wine bottles?" Well now I feel like I can say that I do, as I point to this video by instructional photographer Karl Taylor and Broncolor photographer Urs Recher.

An App to Help Photographers Find Workspace Away From Home

Culling, processing and editing jobs is a time consuming endeavor to say the least. Hours go by with you hunched over the Wacom as you find yourself leaning ever closer to your screen. Sometime you just need to get out of the studio (or your apartment) and find a different environment to keep yourself sane. Sometimes you are away on assignment and you just need to find a place with wifi, a plug, a comfortable seat and a good cup of coffee. Well the Work Hard Anywhere app aims to help you with that, by creating a community of freelancers who share their favorite haunts to plug in, plop down and post up in.

How to Post Process the Night Sky in Lightroom

Creator and editor of Lonely Speck, pro night sky photographer Ian Norman is back with another great tutorial. Being nothing short of passionate when it comes to astrophotography Ian always seems eager to share what he has learned over the years. In his latest video Ian gives us the rundown on how he post processes Milky Way photos in Lightroom.

10 Tip For Photographing Models in the Nude

I woke this morning to find that director Matt Rycroft, over at the Cooperative of Photography, had dropped this little gem in my mail box. In their latest video the COOPH team up with first class celebrity portrait photographer Greg Gorman, as he demonstrates how to approach a nude photography shoot.

What North Korea is Really Like from the Point of View of a Vacationing Photographer

As some of you may have noticed by now, I'm kind of hooked on these mini documentaries put out by Seeker Stories. They're interesting, easily digestible, informative and from the point of view of our industry peers. This latest video features Bath-based, UK video producer/photographer Matt Paish as he takes us into North Korea on vacation. See what it's like to vacation in one of the most isolated nations in the world.

Japanese Wildlife Photographer Travels the Globe to Film Cats of the World

I happened across this serene video of a tiny kitten befriending Japanese wildlife photographer Mitsuaki Iwago as he was filming for his NHK TV series, "Wildlife Photographer Mitsuaki Iwago's World Cats Travelogue". While being lulled by the tranquility of the scene I couldn't help but think how amazing our craft is, that we can make a living doing something so incredibly delightful. Iwago-san is fortunate enough to travel the world filming and photographing cats in the streets.

Amateur Photographer's Street Photo Asks: Is The World Cup Making Thousands Homeless?

Through his street photography, Brazilian civil engineer, economist and amateur photographer, Jairo Abud, sheds light on how his government chooses to allocate it's resources while millions live in poverty. This is another short yet intriguing video produced by documentary outlet, Seeker Stories, who use "...the imagery of photographers and adventurers around the world to give us a deeper connection to and understanding of the human condition".

Photographer Helps Children with Cancer Live Their Dreams Through Fantasy Photography

Salt Lake City-based photographer Jonathan Diaz gifts young fighters of cancer with the experience of living their dreams. Through his, Anything Can Be Project, and with help from public donations/corporate sponsorship Jonathan is able to create elaborate sets and costumes to actualize the fantasies of kids that, more than anyone, deserve one magical day to forget their troubles.

How to Take Photos Under Various Sun Lit Conditions

Whether it’s high noon, sunset or the magic hour it’s hard to beat photographs taken under the natural light of the sun. But how do you contend with the myriad of conditions it produces? Easy. You watch this video by RocketJump Film School as director of photography Jon Salmon walks you through most of the lighting scenarios you might encounter outside. There are even some helpful DIY tips on modifiers thrown in.