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David Bickley
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Articles written by David Bickley

The Lollipod: An All-in-One Tri-Mono-Selfie-Boom-Pod
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There are a lot of products out there that try to be the one device to rule them all, and there are a lot of failures. The Lollipod is the newest contender, and it seems to be nothing more than a colorful, collapsible light stand with a cheap tripod head. Have I used one yet? No, and truthfully I can't see why I would. With a maximum support weight of just under one pound (420 grams specifically) I don't see how it could really hold anything

Photoshop: Mastering Selections and Refine Edge
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For a long time I've held firm to the belief that in my compositing work, the "refine edge" is worthless. Why? Maybe I'm just stuck in my ways but it just never seemed to work as well as I thought it should. However, Glyn Dewis may have convinced me to give it another shot. In this very straightforward tutorial he shows a fairly simple series of techniques to create a precise mask using this tool.

Broncolor and SEVEN BTS - The Art Is Piano
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Hopefully I can stop the negative comments before they start and tell you that yes, this video is a giant Broncolor ad. However, if you can get past that and look at the lighting and resulting images there is definitely stuff to learn. That said, let's dive into the story behind the session. Swiss pop-star Seven wanted to have a piano in unusual location for this newest album images. That unusual place ended up being the “Grimsel Pass” on the Swiss Alps at over 2100m above

Greg Heisler on How to Relate to Subjects
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PDNonline released a video interview in which master portrait photographer, Greg Heisler, explains an incredibly vital piece of the portraiture puzzle. In many ways I believe that relating to your subject can be one of the most difficult things to do on a set. It certainly was when I first started out. Many of you were in similar positions as well I'd bet. When I first started in photography I was so bad at interacting with my subject

A Day in the Life of Jordan Matter: The Photographer Behind 'Dancers Among Us'
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There is no other way to introduce this video other than by saying that I love the Dancers Among Us series from Jordan Matter. I love it because of how beautifully simple the idea is. The word I'm actually looking for here is "elegant." I remember when I first came across the images, the first thing I thought was simply "well, crap" because I wished

Official BTS video dedicated to the Ferrari 458 Speciale
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DigitalAir, a visual effects production house, just released an awesome video of the Ferrari 458 Speciale and to top it all off...they have behind the scenes footage as well. What's cool about this is their virtual camera movement process which they apparently invented and patented. Regardless of how you feel about the whole "bullet-time" thing there is no denying that the rest of the camera work is pretty cool.

First Look: Profoto Collapsible Reflectors
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A reflector is a reflector. Right? That was my first thought when I was asked to be the first to review Profoto's new line of collapsible reflectors. "It's a reflector, are you serious?" I mean come on, in what possible way could this be any different from everything else I've used? A reflector is a reflector. However, obviously I said yes and here we are…and I was wrong. So very, very wrong.

Incredible Timelapse of Barcelona Took 480gb of Images to Create
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Alexandr Kravtsov has put together what may be on my top 3 list for best timelapses. This kind of video work isn't exactly uncommon either so that placement is saying quite a bit. What's even more impressive is what Alexandr went through to make this piece. In his words it took "a broken camera, lost flash drive, near 100 subway rides, 24 000 photos, endless hours of post production and rendering and

Beastgrip Universal Lens Adapter Turns Your Phone Into The Camera You Already Have
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Let me start this by making it clear that I am all for innovation and unique ideas. Useful products and powerhouse entrepreneurs shape the world we live in. The Beastgrip is certainly unique and if you're looking to turn your phone into an SLR, go for it. The thing looks like it would do well in the phoneography arena. Perhaps some of you will want to

Christopher Wahl Shoots a Bowie-Inspired Cover of Chris Hadfield
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This behind the scenes video hit three for three on elements that I love. Christopher Wahl's portraits, David Bowie's weirdness, and musical astronaut Chris Hadfield. The latter being the first astronaut we've truly celebrated since Neil Armstrong. I wish I could say that this video offers some tremendous insight into how the image was produced, but it doesn't. What it does

Conceptual Software Produces Amazing Detail From Bad Lenses
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The standard motto regarding photography equipment is "invest in glass" with good reason. While sensor technology certainly has a tremendous impact on the quality of the photograph, the real limitation often lies in the optics. One need only look at the difference between a kit lens and a top-level prime to prove this. However, new methods of image processing may soon alter the

Crafting a Scene With Reflectors
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With reflectors being among the most basic of lighting tools in a photographer's arsenal you would think more people would understand how to use them properly. Sadly that doesn't seem to be the case. Rest easy though, Jay P. Morgan is on the case and comes at us again with a very solid explanation of how he set up precise light with nothing but reflectors. Well...and an insane amount of bubbles (which, by the way are not reflectors). More often than not I think photographers

Lucasfilm Develops Technology to Produce CG Video in Real Time
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The claim is that in the next decade video game engines will be used in the film-making process to eliminate post production altogether. Lucasfilm is making this statement in light of rapidly progressing video game technology. Both CG effects companies and game developers essentially use the same sort of techniques to produce what they do, especially when it comes to motion capture. So why not

Fluid-Filled Lens Mimics Best Traits of Human Vision
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Take a look at your eyes (shhh, just do it). They are among the most incredible visual systems on the planet. Your eyes can manage light in an immense variety of situations, and can focus on objects from infinity to near macro levels (when you were younger). Mechanical lens systems have tried to replicate what nature does so easily only to fall short thus far.

Photosmith Could Keep Photographers Organized on the Go
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If there is one thing about owning your own business that is true above all else, it's that you need to manage your time wisely. If you don't have a solid workflow then your valuable time is undoubtedly withering away before your eyes. There are a lot of productivity apps out there that can help with this but most are not truly geared toward photographers.

Behind the Scenes on the New Browns Campaign
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Yesterday Fstoppers' writer Christ Knight shared a video in which famed photographer David LaChapelle takes us through his set-centric studio in Los Angeles. Sure they talk about his life and what it's like to be a deity among mortals but I noticed the sets. The elaborate, expansive and expensive creations are a crucial part of his process but they seem so out of reach for the wallet of the average image maker. That is where this video I stumbled onto takes over.

Vali Barbulescu Tries the New Fuji X100S
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I have a soft spot in my heart for the Fuji x100s. I absolutely love when pros give it a chance in a working environment rather than confining it to the street like so many do. When Bucharest-based Vali Barbulescu got his hands on one that's exactly what he decided to do. Granted, any camera can shine in a large studio filled with top of the line lighting equipment but that's not really the point I mean to make. Embracing the restrictions of using a 35mm fixed-lens rangefinder when

Behind the Scenes for Reebok CrossFit Asphodel
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In today's behind the scenes video commercial photographer Mike Pickles takes us through the process behind his recent work for Reebok via the agency Illume Visuals. Before you press the play button let me say this: To figure out his lighting setup you're going to need to pay attention and use some imagination because it's only touched on briefly. However, if you keep reading after the video I'll help break it down a bit. To get you started here are the time-stamps of the individual sections so you can get to the parts you want to see easier:

Behind the Scenes with Annie Leibovitz for Disney Dream Portrait
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No matter where you fall in the vast pool of opinions regarding Annie Leibovitz and her skills as a photographer one thing is certain. She and her team consistently produce amazing images. They've knocked another one out of the park with the latest in the Dream Portrait series. In this latest image Jennifer Hudson fills the role of Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.

Photographer Set to Sue SyFy/NBC for Copyright Infringement
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It's amazing that large media corporations continue to believe that they can get away with things like what you're about to read. Darrell Ardita, a cosplay photographer, recently discovered that several of his company's images were being used without his permission for the show Heroes of Cosply on SyFy. Yes, a nationally televised show pertaining to a very specific community opted to steal