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Peter House
Toronto, ON, CA

Articles written by Peter House

Watch How People React to a Professional Versus Fake Photographer

Hailing from Seattle, portrait photographer Ben Lucas put together this amusing video pitting his talents as a photographer against those of an actor pretending to be a professional photographer. The lights are set up and the camera is the same, the only thing that changes is the person taking the pictures. How big of a difference can it make?

3 Strategies for Ensuring Financial Success as a Photographer

Photography is an art and a wonderful hobby to get yourself involved in. There comes a point where many hobbyists decide to turn that passion into a full-time career, and when that happens, it is imperative to have a solid strategy in place to be financially stable. Photography can be a volatile career, more so than most businesses, so here are three strategies I use to make sure I stay profitable.

Two Effects Make For One Dizzying Drone Video

Tim Sessler of Brooklyn Aerials and Brandon Bray of Decade have teamed up to create a dizzying drone video. Using extreme rolls and the "Vertigo" effect they have successfully created footage of New York City unlike anything we have seen before. In a video titled "Balance" they hope to explore the feeling of imbalance that is more in tune with the real world rather than the perfectionist and steady footage we usually see. Queesy stomachs beware!

Incredible Aerial Footage Captured With Custom Built Gimbal

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and when you want to film incredibly smooth footage of fighter jets at over 300 knots and pulling 2.5G's, you can't exactly get an off the shelf gimbal for that. Aerial film company Blue Sky wanted to do exactly that so they commissioned Gyro-Stabilized Systems to built them a custom 5 axis gimbal capable of such feats. Boy did they deliver!

3 Traits Of A Successful Studio Photographer

As a studio owner I am privileged to see many different photographers working in my studio space. I have a chance to observe their individual working styles and to see what results in success. Over the past couple years I have noticed some rather interesting trends. Let me give you some insider tips after observing how some of the top photographers work.

Chase Jarvis Explores The Importance Of Showing Your Work

A lot of photographers are afraid to put their work out into the public eye for fear that its not perfect. A lot of work goes unseen because the photographer wasn't comfortable enough to show what they created. Chase Jarvis interviews Austin Kleon, the author of the book Show Your Work!: 10 Ways To Share Your Creativity And Get Discovered, and delves in 3 reasons not showing your work is a bad idea.

Alexi Lubomirski Explains How He Got His Start Assisting For Mario Testino

As someone who makes a full time living working as a photographer I am often asked for advice on how to get started and how to make it in this career. Despite the seemingly impossible odds, it is in fact quite possible to make a fantastic living in this industry. Former assistant to Mario Testino, Alexi Lubomirski, has created one of the best videos I've seen describing the persistence and tenacity required to succeed. If you are looking for a dose of motivation I highly recommend giving this a watch.

Histograms Explained In Under One Minute

Histograms in Photoshop and on your camera can look a bit confusing but the concept behind them is actually very simple and straight forward. In this short but informative video from Envato Tuts you get a 60 second crash course on what a histogram is and the purpose that it serves. If you've ever wondered about these mysterious charts, here is what you need to know.

Watch As School Children In Uganda See A Drone Fly For The First Time

Sometimes we all take for granted the sheer wonder of the tools at our disposal in this industry. Sometimes what it takes is transplanting those tools to a world a little further removed from technology, and sometimes seeing it through the joy and amazement of a childs reaction is exactly the perspective that is needed. That is exactly what Mark Brandon Smith did when he flew his drone for a group of school children in Uganda and their reaction to it will put a smile on your face.

Why Photographers Don't Give Away Raw Files To Clients

If you ran a poll to find out what are some of the biggest pet peeves that a photographer experiences when dealing with clients, undoubtedly, requests for all raw files from a photoshoot would be up there on the list. Many newer photographers cave in to the pressure of trying to appease their clients but the reality is that this is, in most circumstances, an unfair request that could do more harm than good. Fellow photographer Jessica Kobeissi explains why in this video.

Sigma Shows Off the Strength of Its New Ceramic Filters In Video Test

Last month we wrote about Sigma's announcement of their new ceramic filters which promise to add an extra level of protection for your front element over traditional glass filters, among a few other benefits. Well now there is a video to accompany those claims which goes to show just how much extra protection you can expect, and it looks very promising!

Beautiful Homage to War Photographers

Reporters Without Borders has released a wonderful video that demonstrates the importance of having impartial and unbiased coverage of war and conflicts. In the video they juxtapose images and video footage which popular media presents, with that of independent photojournalists, for a stark contrast that effectively displays the different messages both are trying to get across.

Easily Upgrade The Audio From Your DJI Osmo Gimbal

The DJI Osmo gimbal has been getting some pretty favorable reviews. It hits the sweet spot for a portable "run and gun" style gimbal when you consider many of its features and price point. That is not to say it has no downsides, and the audio quality just so happens to be one of them. Here is an easy way to add some good audio to your Osmo while still maintaining its portability.

Hilarious Video Shows The Truth Behind Online Photos

Social media and online content can make everything look a little more perfect than it actually is. Hồ Anh Đức of Vietnam has created a hilarious video that gives us a true to life behind the scenes experience. As photographers many of us can probably relate to manipulating reality in order to show a better version of our selves or our circumstances.

Fstoppers Reviews FotoClient Business Management Software For Photographers

FotoClient is a new cloud based platform which aims to be a total business management solution for photographers and studios. From lead management to invoicing FotoClient wants to tackle it all. I put it to the test at my studio to see how it performs in the real world. Starting at just $10/month, could this be the solution you are looking for?

Atmosphere Aerosol Is Your New Portable 'Fog In A Can'

Christmas is just around the corner and you might find yourself scrambling for a cool little gift for that photographer in your life. Atmosphere Aerosol is a new product which, as the name describes, is an aerosol can that dispenses a cloud of fog in a pinch. Small, light, and not needing electricity, this little can of foggy goodness might just be the perfect replacement for that fog machine. Will this be the next addition to your camera bag?

NSFW: A Behind The Scenes Look At A Virtual Reality Porn Shoot

The porn industry is a bit of an early adopter. It is some of the most consumed content and as such its creators are always keeping current with the latest technology to gain an edge over the competition and to bring the consumers the best and latest experience. As such, it is not a big surprise to see that virtual reality is the next big thing being explored on porn sets.

A Quick Video Guide To Dealing With Moire

As a fashion and catalog photographer moire is an issue I am all too familiar with. These days, as more and more cameras opt to do without the low pass filter, you might find yourself dealing with moire in some unfortunate places. Adorama has put together a wonderful video that explains moire, how to avoid it before taking a shot, and how to deal with it after the shot has already been captured.

Canon Commercial Explores Photographers Obsession Over Details

Canon has released a really cool commercial to promote their imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer. They have decided to track the movement of the eye as it views a photograph. They used three subjects; a non-photographer, a photography student, and a full time professional. This was done to illustrate where each of these subjects focused, and for how long.

3 DIY Ways To Hang Your Photography Backdrops

At some point every photographer uses a backdrop of some sort. The problem is that they are usually large, heavy, and cumbersome. Hanging them can be a bit of a pain and mounting hardware can get pricey especially if you are dealing with multiple backdrops. Jay P. Morgan of the Slanted Lens offers up 3 simple DIY solutions for mounting backdrops that will save you time, money, and headaches.