For the last month, we've teamed up with Wix for a series called "How to Build a Website." In this series, Lee and I talk about some of the advantages and mistakes photographers make when creating their own website. Today, we are releasing the last video in the series, and it might be the most important information in making sure your photography business becomes a success financially.
Being a well-rounded photographer who can succeed in any situation is the ultimate goal for most photographers. However, what happens when you are forced to take a portrait by lighting from below? Today, I take the challenge.
Today I bring you a hilarious photoshoot challenge called The Walmart Photo Shoot. Pye Jirsa and I battle head to head to see who can take the best looking images all while using $100 worth of clothing bought from Walmart. To make it even harder, none of the images can be Photoshopped either!
As any wedding photographer knows, one of the most nerve-wracking events is when a guest completely destroys the picture perfect moment you've been hired to capture. Whether they stand up in the aisle during the first kiss, take photos with their ipad in front of your camera, or inadvertently cause half the family to look off to the side during posed family portraits, wedding photo bombs can be a real headache. Wedding photographer Corey Ann's suggestion is having an "Unplugged Wedding".
One thing I love about the Fstoppers Facebook Group is seeing all the amazing work our readers publish. Taylor Tupy is a pretty awesome fashion and editorial photographer based out of Minneapolis. In this video he shared on Facebook, Taylor brought in gulf coast white sand into the studio to produce an awesome effect. Taking your production value to the next level is probably the most important thing a photographer
Around this time last year, I was asked to shoot a wedding for a young couple getting married in Charleston. I came to find out that the groom's father was none other than Nikon advertising photographer Mark Alberhasky. Mark and I hit it off instantly so when I found out he has been shooting wildlife with Nikon's V1 mirrorless camera, I knew he would be perfect for Fstoppers Mirrorless Month. Mark explains how mirrorless cameras can out perform dlsrs
Adorama TV has been mixing up their youtube channel lately, and this week features the TTL acrobatics of Joe McNally. Joe walks you through a typical street portrait as he accentuates the natural ambient light with a single speedlight gelled red. The more useful tip Joe gives is how to control the spill of your large softlight with an "egg crate" or softbox grid. I'm still shocked he pulled this shot off using only the Nikon D800 pop up flash acting as commander.
A few weeks ago Scott Kelby hosted the Google + conference in San Francisco. In this lecture from the event, Scott tries to shed light on to how photographers should really work their scenes to find the best composition. We've all been taught the tried and true methods like rule of thirds, leading lines, tight crop, repeating patterns, framing, and multi level depth. Shouldn't there be a better way to teach
It's not everyday that you get to see a rare 1970s Nikkor 6mm Fisheye lens. It's even more unlikely that you get to see one mounted to the rare Nikon D800 DSLR body! The guys at Grays of Westinster mounted the two elusive beasts to show how insane it is to have a 220º angle of view. If you have $160,000 saved up, and need to see behind you as you shoot, it might be worth picking up one of these rare lenses. Now where are those full res D800 files so everyone can complain about purple fringing?
I was going to post a video showing Rafael Nadal's latest Armani underwear shoot but figured Megan Fox might be a little easier on the eyes. Now you are probably thinking that any photoshoot with Megan Fox wearing little to nothing would probably produce strong images from any photographer and you'd be right. But what I found interesting was the way photographers Mert and Marcus used hotlights and large scrims to light the entire set creating a natural light feel. You can see the setup around :35 seconds. Not everyone has access to large HMI lights but it's still an interesting way to shoot and could probably be reproduced firing strobes into white walls in a room. Click the full post to see the final video and you can see the photos here.
After two months of editing and waiting for David Bergman to get off tour, I am proud to unveil a behind the scenes video on Tour Photography featuring rock icons Bon Jovi at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. Many of you may know David Bergman from his Sports Illustrated photos or his gigapan image of Obama's inauguration, but David's primary focus these days is shooting live events through his company TourPhotographer.com . David discusses his previous work, reviews his equipment, and takes you on an all access preview of what it is like shooting for one of the biggest rock and roll bands in the world! Click the full post to read more about our unbelievable experience filming this as well as a full list of all of David's recommended gear.
Fstoppers Original: David Bergman Photographs Bon Jovi from FStoppers on Vimeo.
Welp we have done it again; we've made it another year! According to CDC.org, we should be on our way to making sentences with 2-4 words, playing simple make-believe games, pointing out cats, dogs, and birds, and of course climbing up and down furniture without anyone's help. In all seriousness, Lee and I (along with everyone else on the Fstoppers staff) are incredibly grateful to still be sharing to this community we created back in March of 2010.
Mick Gleissner has been featured in Elle, Maxim, Seaster, and Photo Magazine with his surreal underwater fashion images. This is one of the coolest videos I've personally watched and hope you guys enjoy it as well. Maybe our own Fstoppers writer Lee Morris can take a note or two out of MG's book of tricks.
Mick Gleissner's Underwater Photography from Mick Gleissner on Vimeo.
Trey Ratcliff is a very successful photographer who also runs a very popular blog Stuck in Customs. In a recent lecture for Google, Trey explains what makes the internet so exciting for creative professionals, and how you too can put your own internet stimulus out there for others to enjoy. It's interesting watching this watching this... [full post]
Well it's Christmas Eve here in the US and many of you are about to have a blast opening up some cool photography gadgets (or I hope so at least). But in the meantime, Eve Hazelton created a really thorough video on how to light an interview or one person scene easily and effectively. Eve is the director of photography for the film Underwater Realm which we've feature a ton on Fstoppers (check out their great BTS videos here). Her work is so helpful that Philip Bloom featured an interesting article on this video over on his blog. Check it out if you prefer an image breakdown of lighting instead of the video format. Hopefully you guys can start using some of these techniques in your own videos especially if you ever submit to our Behind The Scenes Contests down the road.
![[Rare Lens] $160,000 Nikkor 6mm 2.8 Fisheye Can See Behind You](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/med-16-9/s3/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/nikkor-6mm-28-lens-video.jpg)
