Articles written by Lee Morris

On Wednesday we are giving away an iPad to a random Twitter follower but this contest is all about skill. Patrick Hall did an incredible photoshoot for the next Fstoppers Original BTSV (which should be released soon) and he has a ton of great wakeboarding pictures with tremendous potential. The rules could not be easier: simply download this high res image, edit it any way you like, and then post it here on our forum by Thursday at midnight eastern time. On Friday, Patrick will choose his favorite edit. The winner of this contest will receive a Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise 35 camera bag and the chance to be a part of the next FS Original Video. Due to shipping costs, the bag can only be shipped to a North American address.

In February, Patrick and I flew to Colorado to film Dave Lehl shooting snowboarders. It was an eye opening experience but it was still relatively easy for us because we were simply documenting the event. Warren Miller has a different task; he is in charge of shooting full length ski videos on film and they have to look perfect. This video will give you a very small glimpse of what that really means.

Warren Miller Films shoots at Heavenly - January 2010 from Deep Roots Media - Dane Henry on Vimeo.

Here at Fstoppers we are all about INFORMATIVE BTS videos. Although this video does lack a few of the technical details I usually look for, there are a ton of great bits of inspiration to take away from it. Ty Michael's lighting schematics, clothing design, and especially his location and sets stand out to me. I know a few of these ideas may show up in a photoshoot or two of mine in the future.

Ty Michael Behind the scenes 01 from Ty Michael on Vimeo.

Remember Sean Armenta? He created this BTSV for our contest a few months ago. His previous video did a great job of showing us how he actually lit the shot but not much on retouching. Learn the other half of the story below in this top notch tutorial.

Sean Armenta | Dodge & Burn Technique from Sean Armenta on Vimeo.

Our cameras sync at a maximum of 200-250th of a second but in this video Chris OConnell strobes at 1/500th of a second with his Broncolors. How does he do it? Well the new Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5s are the secret. Instead of trying to explain it all here, watch the video below and then head over to the full post for a second video with more details. <

Most people know Vincent Laforet as the guy that got his hands on the 5DM2 before it was released to shoot that amazing promo video. Well he is a full time photographer but in the video below he got to be the DP for a Famous Footwear commercial. The BTS is below and the final commercial is in the full post. Usually I like the BTS more than the actual commercial but in this case, I like the finished product more. It's stunning.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Famous Footwear "Neighborhood" from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Yes, this is an ad for Cinevate's Pegasus Carbon but this is worth watching. If you are into video, this ad gives some fantastic information about getting moving shots. The Pegasus isn't cheap at $900 but it is one of the best sliders money can buy for a DSLR.

Cinevate's Pegasus Carbon, DSLR Camera Slider from Cinevate on Vimeo.

Here is an interesting photoshoot where Marie-Louise Cadosch lights her model inside an old bus. Instead of trying to fit the lights inside, they decide to light through the glass and the results speak for themselves.Check out the final images and more info from this Fashion Breakdown shoot here and more on the toning of these images here. <

I've taken small strobes out into the ocean to shoot kiteboarders in the past and it wasn't a huge success. My assistants were getting bashed by waves and the small strobes just aren't powerful enough to really show up in the day. Robert Snow had a much better plan though. He decided to go to a wave pool where the waves always break in the same spot and set up beefy studio lighting on the land.

Wave Pool Shoot from Cavin Brothers on Vimeo.