It's that time again, Fstoppers is having a birthday! In typical fashion we are hosting a little get together but this time we are sending out an open invitation to anyone in the middle east. Today is Photo Friday at Gulf Photo Plus (which is practically free to attend) so if you are near the Dubai area definitely check it out. Then mingle with the likes of Zack Arias, Peter Hurley, Joe McNally, David Hobby, and many more in an open celebration at The Vista Restaurant in Internet City. More details
Let's face it, learning new software can be a pain in the ass sometimes. As photographers we have to juggle between Photoshop, Lightroom, our camera's proprietary software, and countless other editing software tools. Most of us learn just enough to get the job done but in the process we probably fail to get the most out of each program. SLR Lounge has sent the Fstoppers team a copy of their new Lightroom 4 Workshop Collection to test out and this thing smokes! They've also discounted both the download and the physical copies for the holidays! Read more details
One of the best upgrades you can make for your computer is installing a solid state hard drive. However, the increase in performance can quickly become hindered as your photo and video production software fills up your drives with temporary files and thumbnails. With the help of WinDirStat you can easily track folders hiding these temp files and take back control over your drives.
Last year, Fstoppers interviewed wedding photographer Joe Buissink who has shot weddings for Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey, Christina Aguliera, and many other A List celebrities. Starting Thursday, August 9th, Joe is sharing all his wedding secrets in a FREE online workshop on creativeLIVE. Check out the FULL POST on how you can watch the event for free August 9 - 11th!
Many photographers start off their careers focusing on wedding photography. I started my career as a wedding photographer in Charleston, and I still enjoy shooting a handful each year. Over the next few months, I hope to share some of my thoughts on wedding photography and how event photographers can improve their photos. Today I was reminded how important "In Camera Cropping" is for emotionally charged photographs. Read the full post to see two examples of how cropping can make or break an image.
A few weeks ago Fstoppers teamed up with SLR Lounge for a contest giveaway. The contest wasn't just any contest though; we wanted to give one of our lucky readers either a brand new Canon 5D Mark III or Nikon D800 camera of their choosing. All the entries were in by April 30th, and yesterday we picked our lucky winner. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer before you hit the full post...
If you thought Jasper James's City Silhouettes were crazy wait until you see Ira Fox's Puddle Portraits. Using the natural reflections caused by rain puddles, Ira has captured the world in an interesting yet pyschodelic way. The results are one of a kind, and it just goes to show how thinking outside the box can pay off in a big way! [Full Post]
Everyone knows that Rebates come and go. Right now however many companies have substantial rebates on some of their top gear. The bad news is apparently a lot of these rebates are coming to an end on April 1st (no joke here). We recently got a phone call from the guys at BH Photo, and I've combined all the major deals into one post. If you are in need of some new lenses, cameras, or computer storage, be sure to check out the full post.
While in Las Vegas for WPPI, I met Rob Adams and Vanessa Joy who are two talented videographers and photographers respectively. They are both at the top of the wedding market and often speak to photographers about how they can incorporate video into their businesses (something we have been preaching here for years). To help photographers make the video transition easier, Rob and Vanessa have designed PhVusion video editing software which allows you to trim and color correct video directly in Photoshop.
I hope you are not scared of heights! Watch extreme rock climbing photographer Simon Carter as he discusses how he positions himself in open space hundreds of feet above the ground and still manages to get jaw dropping images. Click the post to view the second video.
NIKON - SIMON CARTER - EXTREME PHOTOGRAPHY from Extreme Photo on Vimeo.
The BBC has produced some of my favorite shows of all time. Their newest program called Earthflight captures amazing HD video from the skies as they put you literally on the wings of wild birds. I really can't imagine how they got these shots of eagles stalking unsuspecting flamingos but it's definitely not filmed on a Gopro Hero. Click the full post to check out the amazing view in full HD glory!
Okay this video has been emailed to us a bunch of times, and it has already made the rounds on a bunch of blogs BUT I'm still not sure I understand this story at all. Researchers at MIT have created a "video system" made up of 500 sensors that can capture light movement at 1/1,000,000,000,000th of a second. Now after watching this video and reading the official MIT press release, my mind is pretty much blown. It's clear that this camera is not actually filming a native 1 trillion fps but are they saying that the speed of light is so fast that essentially the shutter speed of the composited frames would in fact be 1 trillion fps when strung together? I know there must be some physics gurus out there that can explain this in simple terms! No matter what is actually going on here, it's still pretty geeky and extremely cool to watch such a complicated setup record some of the fastest images ever created.
So you've had a long week of work and just survived a record breaking wind storm...what does one do to cut the edge in Salt Lake City? How about socializing over a few beers with other local photographers? Lee and I will be in Salt Lake City, Utah this weekend hitting up Solitude (if the snow sticks around) before we head down to film the next Fstoppers Original in Phoenix. We've been told the best local watering hole is a beervanna called The Bayou (645 South State Street), and nothing cures a long flight and a little jet lag like a few cold brewskies. Meet up at The Bayou around 9PM if you are in the area and we'd love to hang out a bit. In typical Fstoppers fashion, yes this meetup is being announced within the maximum 48 hour notice :)
Some of my favorite behind the scenes videos we've featured on Fstoppers are of Matthew Jordan Smith. He speaks well and always articulates his lighting and setups in a way that both amateurs and pros can understand. In this video Matthew talks about exposing for a high key background, metering your subject's face for dramatic studio light, and balancing ambient backlight with a studio keylight. I'll be honest and say that I've never used a Sekonic Light Meter but I can see how useful they can be for more advanced studio lighting. I think Matthew might be the only professional I know of shooting on a Sony DSLR! I guess it goes to show that your camera brand makes little difference in producing great images. Check out more of Matthew's tutorials here.
Using drone octocopters to take breathtaking aerial footage is nothing new. But what would the results look like if you could combine a stabilized drone with ultra high def 5K footage from the Red Epic? That's exactly what OMstudios did with their self proclaimed "OM-copter". By using the drone, directors can now produce stunning high def and slow mo aerial shots without the high cost of renting an actual helicopter. Of course you have to be able and willing to secure a $58,000 video camera to a remote controlled octocopter in the first place! Check out the OMstudio Vimeo Channel for some great commercials and other video projects.
The OM-Copter gives wings to the Red Epic from omstudios on Vimeo.
![[Contest] The Winner Of A Nikon D800 Or Canon 5D Mark III Is](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/med-16-9/s3/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/win-nikon-or-canon-dslr.jpg)
![[Photos] These Puddle Portraits By Photographer Ira Fox Are Unbelievable](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/med-16-9/s3/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ira-fox-photos-in-puddles.jpg)
![[Deals] Major Photography Rebates Are Coming To An End](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/med-16-9/s3/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/march-2012-canon-nikon-rebates.jpg)
![[Workflow] PhVusion Software Lets You Edit Video In Photoshop](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/med-16-9/s3/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/phvusion-software-edit-in-photoshop.jpg)
