Patrick Hall

Patrick Hall is a founder of Fstoppers.com and a photographer based out of Charleston, South Carolina.

Articles written by Patrick Hall

Win A Free Photography Trip to PopUP GPP in Seattle

Winner picked tomorrow! The creators of Gulf Photo Plus, one of the best photography workshops in the world, are coming to Seattle this Sept for their annual PopUP GPP event Sept 19-20.  Together we have partnered to give one lucky winner the chance to not only attend the event but also $250 towards travel.

Start Your Own Photograph Group on the Fstoppers Community

Since Lee and I first started Fstoppers 5 years ago, we have always wanted it to be a place for inspiration, news, reviews, and of course educational behind the scenes material. One thing has always been missing though, and that is the voice of you our readers.

Win 3 Fstoppers Flash Disc Light Modifiers or a $300 Photography Tutorial

Only 3 Days Left! From now until June 1st we are running 5 photography contests and choosing 5 separate winners. Simply submit your best portrait, wedding, glamour, fashion, or landscape photograph to win your choice of any Fstoppers tutorial in the Fstoppers store or 3 Fstoppers FlashDiscs. For more details, read all the contest  rules below:

 

Could This Be The Best Dual Hotshoe Flash Bracket For Pocket Wizard Users?

The other night I was asked "what is the most frustrating thing about shoot weddings?" I thought about this question for a second and shockingly my answer had nothing to do with bridezillas, wedding planners, hot and humid weather, or even post production. Easily the most frustrating thing about shooting weddings is dealing with unreliable radio triggers during the reception.

Deal of the Day: Get 35% Off A New Nikon D750 DSLR

UPDATE INSIDE: Nikon's newest camera, the D750, is our all time favorite DSLR camera ever.  We own the D750 and D810 cameras and actually favor the D750 for video and wedding work because of its small size, articulating screen, fast focusing, and manageable 24mp full frame sensor (the D810 is a badass camera too).

Adobe's New Morph Cut In Premiere Pro CC Is Almost Like Magic

If you are a videographer or a photographer dabbling in video you know how much of a pain in the ass it can be cutting interview footage with just one camera angle. The feared "jump cut" in an interview can completely ruin the overall production and professionalism of your entire video project.

The Hard Truth Why No One Will Hire You As A Photographer

Let's face it; the industry is changing. Art directors and potential clients are not looking to simply hire a photographer anymore. They do not care about your lighting, your gear, or even your previous clients. So what do they care about then?

The Fstoppers Discussion Groups Are Now Live!

For the last 5 years, Fstoppers has been an outlet for education, news, inspiration, and behind the scenes photography content.  Even with the amazing writers we have on Fstoppers, we have always wanted you,our readers, to have a voice.  Well today I am happy to announce a new part of the Fstoppers Community:  the Fstoppers Groups.   

Here are the Winners of the 2015 Fstoppers Workshops Contests

The 2015 Fstoppers Workshops is right around the corner, and 2 weeks ago we launched one final contest.  Today 5 lucky winners will receive a free spot in a class of their choosing and one of those winners will receive an additional free class, a paid flight to the Bahamas, and a free hotel room for the 6 day event.

The Fstoppers FlashDisc Is Now Available Throughout Europe

The Fstoppers FlashDisc has become one of the most popular off camera flash modifiers on Amazon and BH Photo. Many of our readers have been asking for international shipping, and I am excited to announce that the FlashDisc is now available through the Amazon.co.uk store.

Fstoppers Talks With Professional Photographers Live Friday March 13th

Join Patrick and Lee of Fstoppers on Spreecast TONIGHT at 8:30 EST as they talk with a few of the top photographers teaching at the 2015 Fstoppers Workshops.  We will be talking about our upcoming event in the Bahamas while our guests will be answering questions from our audience.

The Fstoppers Flash Disc Light Modifier Is Back In Stock

After becoming the best selling off camera flash light modifier on Amazon.com in 2014, we were sad to announce that we had completely sold out of our entire Fstoppers FlashDisc inventory.  If you have been waiting patiently for our stock to replenish wait no more; our US Amazon Store now has a fresh batch of inventory.

Critique The Community: Architecture Edition with Mike Kelley

In this episode of Critique the Community, we are joined by architectural photographer Mike Kelley.  Mike has been a long time writer for Fstoppers and last year Fstoppers produced the highly proclaimed photography and Photoshop tutorial Where Art Meets Architecture.  Today Mike and I give an extended critique of 20 architectural images submitted through the Fstoppers Community.

Fstoppers Meetup this Saturday, Jan 24th in Singapore

If you saw our Drone in Iceland teaser last month, you know that Lee and I are producing our next tutorial with landscape photographer Elia Locardi. This ambitious project is spanning over 70 days and over 8 countries. This week we are filming in Singapore, and on Saturday the 24th we are hosting a little meetup. All the details about this meetup are outlined below: 

 

Why Do Our DSLRs Not Have These 12 Features Yet?

Recently while filming video for our next educational tutorial with landscape photographer Elia Locardi I found myself asking, "Why in the world do our $4000 cameras still not do this?" Today I have laid out 12 simple features I believe would make all of our lives a lot easier, and most of them could probably be implemented right now!

Today Only: Save $100 off Mike Kelley's Architecture Photography Tutorial

NOTE:  This sale is over and was only good for 1 24 hour period. Fstoppers is having a flash 24 hour sale on some of the products in our store each day leading up to Christmas.  Today's sale comes from Mike Kelley as he is offering $100 off his widely acclaimed tutorial Where Art Meets Architecture.

Join us May 13 - 17th for The Fstoppers Workshops 2015!

Last year we hosted our very first Fstoppers Workshops in the Bahamas and it was the most rewarding experiences of my life.  So many amazing friendships were made, long last memories were created, and most importantly so many photographers were able to take their businesses to the next level.

Critique the Community: Submit Your Best Landscape Photographs Here

It's been a while since we last Critiqued the Community and we have received a lot of emails asking for us to bring it back.  For this episode of Critique the Community, we will be joined by special guest Elia Locardi who is an amazing landscape and cityscape photographer.

Peter Hurley on TEDx: How the Camera Reveals Your Personal Baggage

When I first met Anna Rowley while filming Peter Hurley's Illuminating the Face tutorial, it was obviously clear that she had discovered the psychological power behind Peter's headshot directing skills.  That day she shared with me her belief that there might be a direct correlation between how a person reacts in front of an intimating camera and how they perform in their workplace.

How To Photograph and Light A Beauty Shot With the Fstoppers Flashdisc

Last week we released our portable light modifier The Fstoppers Flashdisc to the general public through Amazon.  While the success of our first ever physical product has been huge, a lot of people have been asking for example images shot with this useful small softbox.

Taser Photoshoot by Patrick Hall of Fstoppers featured on CNN

One of the most fun things about being a creative individual is seeing the reaction people have when you finally publish your work.  In just two days my Taser Photoshoot video and photo series has gained viral status with over 2 Million views on Youtube alone.

The Stun Gun Photoshoot: Portraits of People's Faces When Hit With A Stun Gun

As a portrait photographer, I am always trying to make people feel comfortable in front of my camera so I can capture a real emotion from them.  But what if I was able to make people feel so uncomfortable in front of the camera that I could guarantee an interesting portrait every time?  This is the idea behind my latest series:  The Stun Gun Photoshoot.

Patrick and Lee Critique the Community Episode 2

Last week Lee and I did our first ever Critique the Community where we looked at 20 images from the Fstoppers Community and gave our honest review of them.  It was such a success that we have decided to do it again.  This week we review 21 new images, rate them on a scale of 1-5, and give advice about how they could be stronger portfolio photographs.  

Patrick and Lee Critique the Community Episode 1

Over the weekend I asked our community members if they would like Lee and I to give critiques of some of their work.  The response was huge, so we have picked 20 random images to look over and give our honest opinions and suggestions. I never thought being this brutally honest would actually be quite fun and productive.

 

This Bogner "Ski Surfing" Ad Seems Impossible

When it comes to creating great advertising campaigns, photographers should take a page out of the sports apparel company Bogner's book:  capture something never seen before in the most beautiful way possible.  Bogner teamed up with elite downhill snow skier Chuck Patterson for an idea that simply seems impossible yet breathtaking.   

Check Out The New Features On The Fstoppers Community

It has been a long time coming but the newly redesigned Fstoppers.com has finally become a reality! The biggest change coming to the website is an active community run by YOU - our readers.  Today marks the first public release of the new site design and hopefully you are as excited to become a part of this community as we are! 

Re-Watch the Fstoppers Workshops Spreecast Here!

With over 100 students spanning 20 different countries, the first ever Fstoppers Workshops was a HUGE success. Join us this Sunday at 3pm Eastern (NYC time) as we recap some of the most interesting moments, catch up with newly made friends, and start taking suggestions for next year's event!

Three Easy Steps To Improve Your Lighting on Webcam

Last week Fstoppers and Peter Hurley hosted a free Illuminating the Face release party on Spreecast (view it here if you missed it). Since I had learned so much from Peter's tutorial I figured it would be exciting to use some of his studio lighting techniques for my own webcam session. What I didn't expect was all the emails, tweets, and live questions concerning my lighting setup.

Last Day To Save $200 On Peter Hurley Tutorials

Today, Sunday May 4th, is the last day to buy both Peter Hurley's tutorials - The Art Behind the Headshot and Illuminating the Face - for $400. Our Save $200 Promotion has been a huge success and many of you have picked up both for an incredible discount. But all good things must come to an end so make sure you take advantage of this incredible offer here.

Join the Fstoppers and Peter Hurley Live Tonight at 9PM Eastern

As you know, today we released our newest collaboration with Peter Hurley: Illuminating the Face. To celebrate the completion of this 4.5 hour tutorial, both Lee and I will be joining Peter Hurley live on Spreecast to talk about photography, lighting, headshots, and pushing yourself as an artist.

Peter Hurley's New Tutorial Illuminating The Face Is Now Available

It's been 3 years since Lee and I flew up to NYC and filmed The Art Behind The Headshot with Peter Hurley. Today we are so excited to announce our latest collaboration with arguably the best headshot photographer in the world. Our new tutorial has been named Illuminating The Face and it's finally available to the public. We're also offering an incredible discount.  

Last Chance To Sign Up For Fstoppers Workshops 2014

We have reached that time....the Fstoppers Workshops in the Bahamas is only a month away! The response to our first workshop has been amazing and we cannot wait to meet everyone down in paradise. If you are still considering going, you only have 24 more hours to decide as our super affordable hotel room rate at the Atlantis Resort is about to expire.

All the Winners of Last Week's Fstoppers Workshops Contests

Last week we had a ton of contests for our first ever Fstoppers Workshops in the Bahamas.   Each of the 10 instructors gave away free classes to their workshops through a ton of different platforms.  Every winner is listed in this full post.  If you missed out, don't worry.

Win Free Admission To The Fstoppers Photography Workshops In The Bahamas

Just a few hours and/or days left on these!  The first ever Fstoppers Workshops taking place in the Bahamas May 28th - June 1st is quickly approaching. Our crazy Atlantis Hotel Discount Room Rate is expiring on the April 22nd , and all of the instructors are each running a social media contest for those of you wishing to attend.