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About Mike Kelley

Michael Kelley (mpkelley.com) is a Los Angeles-based architectural and fine art photographer with a background in digital art and sculpture. Using his backgrounds in the arts, he creates images that are surreal and otherworldly, yet lifelike and believable. A frequent traveler, Michael's personal work focuses on the built environment of unique

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Popular Articles from Mike Kelley
Behind The Scenes With Zak Noyle: What It Takes To Create Amazing Surf Images
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Zak Noyle is one of the world's most respected surf photographers, and in this two-part documentary by RedBull, we get a fascinating glimpse into his world. From his photographic mission and technique to the training that he undergoes to be able to stay afloat in some of the world's largest surf, this mini-doc has it all. Filmed around the world in exotic locations

[News] Boston Pays $170k To Settle Video Incident
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Simon Glik, a resident of Boston, MA, was recording an arrest of another man in 2007 via his camera. It didn't take long before a police officer noticed this and placed Glik under arrest. The case has finally been settled, and Glik has been awarded $170,000 in compensation.

[Funny] The Battle at F-Stop Ridge, Part 2
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Everyone remembers the original Battle at F-Stop Ridge, the live-action camera battle that had camera enthusiasts everywhere laughing. The creators of the video, The Camera Store, in Calgary, AB, created a sequel and I'm happy to say that it's just as awesome as the original. Check out the full post to see it.
Airbus Puts Five Enormous A350 Passenger Jets In Formation For Epic Photoshoot
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In what surely must be one of the highest budget-to-film-length ratios in history, Airbus put five of its brand-new 300 million dollar A350 XWB planes together for a photoshoot. While most of the clips last only a few seconds, the amount of planning and preparation to pull something like this off is just staggering. With two chase planes, five hero planes, and the stakes as high as ever, watch how Airbus plans and pulls off this truly epic feat of filming and aviation.

Announcing The Winner And Runners-Up To The Fstoppers Portrait POTD Contest!
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After looking at all of the great submissions for our April POTD contest, it took a few weeks to narrow them all down and come up with commentary for what were some outstanding photos. Like I said in the original post, it was truly humbling to have people from all over the world send us their images to view and judge against others. It was great to see images from all over the world of various cultures and places, and I'm happy to announce that we've finally settled on our top portraits and the winner of the $100.

Fstoppers Reviews The Rokinon 35mm F/1.4 Aspherical Lens: A Fantastic Value For The Money
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Rokinon recently released a new offering in the 35mm lens range, and I was super excited to get my hands on it for a number of reasons. The great price, wide aperture, and popular focal length of 35mm makes for a great combo, but never having used a Rokinon product before I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After an extensive review covering nearly two months (thank you Rokinon, for lending it to me for that long!)

Behind The Scenes: Creating A 1930s-Themed Fashion Shoot In Detroit
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Detroit-based fashion photographer Paul Manoian recently released this informative (and cold!) BTS video of him shooting models using vintage automobiles, clothing, and styling. Paul touches on what he does to keep a shoot running smoothly, especially in below-freezing weather: keeping the crew and models fed and happy, moving quickly between locations, and having a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. The final images are pretty incredible, if I say so myself. Goes to show what you can accomplish with a dedicated team and a clear end goal in mind.

Insert Here: Sensual and Artistic Portraits of Sex Toys [NSFW]
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Sam Kaplan, a New York-based product and still life photographer, was inspired to create a series of photographs of an object that is often enjoyed in the bedroom rather than on a gallery wall. Sam decided to change all of that, and his series 'Insert Here' takes the taboo and transforms it into an exploration of line, form, and color: Dildart, if you will. It goes without saying that you might want to be careful where you open this post.

Pentax Vs. Afghanistan: One US Soldier Puts His Camera's Weather Sealing To The Test
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Alex Jansen, who is currently on a deployment in Afghanistan, recently created this video showing off the weather and dust sealing capabilities of his Pentax K-5 and K-7 cameras. I know that even though my Canon 1D claims to be 'weather and dust resistant' it would be a cold day in hell before I ever voluntarily did something like this to my camera (and lenses!). Alex is clearly confident

[Journalism] World Press Photo's 2012 Multimedia Contest Winner
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Remember the World Press Photo contest winners from earlier this year? Well, World Press Photo recently introduced (just last year, actually) a similar contest for multimedia and video entries. The winner is a stark, harrowing, and sobering documentary view into the Kommandokorps in South Africa, an apartheid-era relic that still lingers in the country.

[Op-Ed] The Cameras of Tomorrow: Apps For DSLRs
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What if, much like the smartphones that we use on a daily basis, our cameras were equipped to support aftermarket applications which added functionality and never-before seen levels of customization? Check out the full post to read more and have your say.
Creating Compelling B&W Aerial Images in Backlit Situations
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For a bit over a year now, I have been taking regular flights over the city of Los Angeles, photographing the city from a helicopter. I get a lot of questions about how I'm editing the images to get the look and feel that I am, and the answer is actually quite simple. Using only carefully considered exposures and Lightroom adjustments, I've come up with a consistent and somewhat unique look for the project.