Articles from Kenn Tam

We here at Fstoppers can forgive our beloved Trevor Dayley for jumping ship and joined the crew over at SLRLounge as long as he keeps turning us on to useful tools and tips like the Adobe Color CC app. This thing is so cool and it's free. Adobe never seems to stop enriching it's eco systems with improved connectivity and functionality. The Color CC app allows you to sample real world colors (you'll see what I mean by that in Trevor's video) or create color palettes from photos straight from your mobile device.

It's surprising how many friends I know that live in wine country. And yet not surprising how many of them have taken up the camera. They all ask me the same thing.  "Do you know of any good resources for how to photograph wine bottles?" Well now I feel like I can say that I do, as I point to this video by instructional photographer Karl Taylor and Broncolor photographer Urs Recher.

Culling, processing and editing jobs is a time consuming endeavor to say the least. Hours go by with you hunched over the Wacom as you find yourself leaning ever closer to your screen. Sometime you just need to get out of the studio (or your apartment) and find a different environment to keep yourself sane. Sometimes you are away on assignment and you just need to find a place with wifi, a plug, a comfortable seat and a good cup of coffee. Well the Work Hard Anywhere app aims to help you with that, by creating a community of freelancers who share their favorite haunts to plug in, plop down and post up in.

Creator and editor of Lonely Speck, pro night sky photographer Ian Norman is back with another great tutorial. Being nothing short of passionate when it comes to astrophotography Ian always seems eager to share what he has learned over the years. In his latest video Ian gives us the rundown on how he post processes Milky Way photos in Lightroom.

I woke this morning to find that director Matt Rycroft, over at the Cooperative of Photography, had dropped this little gem in my mail box. In their latest video the COOPH team up with first class celebrity portrait photographer Greg Gorman, as he demonstrates how to approach a nude photography shoot.

As some of you may have noticed by now, I'm kind of hooked on these mini documentaries put out by Seeker Stories. They're interesting, easily digestible, informative and from the point of view of our industry peers. This latest video features Bath-based, UK video producer/photographer Matt Paish as he takes us into North Korea on vacation. See what it's like to vacation in one of the most isolated nations in the world.

I happened across this serene video of a tiny kitten befriending Japanese wildlife photographer Mitsuaki Iwago as he was filming for his NHK TV series, "Wildlife Photographer Mitsuaki Iwago's World Cats Travelogue". While being lulled by the tranquility of the scene I couldn't help but think how amazing our craft is, that we can make a living doing something so incredibly delightful. Iwago-san is fortunate enough to travel the world filming and photographing cats in the streets.

Through his street photography, Brazilian civil engineer, economist and amateur photographer, Jairo Abud, sheds light on how his government chooses to allocate it's resources while millions live in poverty. This is another short yet intriguing video produced by documentary outlet, Seeker Stories, who use "...the imagery of photographers and adventurers around the world to give us a deeper connection to and understanding of the human condition".

Salt Lake City-based photographer Jonathan Diaz gifts young fighters of cancer with the experience of living their dreams. Through his, Anything Can Be Project, and with help from public donations/corporate sponsorship Jonathan is able to create elaborate sets and costumes to actualize the fantasies of kids that, more than anyone, deserve one magical day to forget their troubles.

Whether it’s high noon, sunset or the magic hour it’s hard to beat photographs taken under the natural light of the sun. But how do you contend with the myriad of conditions it produces? Easy. You watch this video by RocketJump Film School as director of photography Jon Salmon walks you through most of the lighting scenarios you might encounter outside. There are even some helpful DIY tips on modifiers thrown in.

In B&H's latest episode of "Wedding Photography Tips" wedding photographer Susan Stripling offers up some solid nuggets of advice for you to chew over before taking on your first wedding gig. Susan addresses some really important issues, that a lot of shooters wouldn't even consider, prior to embarking on a career in wedding photography.

Early in the month we brought you a video that showed how Gonzaga Manso had created an in-studio pond to get the exact shot he wanted. This week we came across "The Unseen" series where photographer Lara Zankoul creates a water-tight room to capture beautiful and surreal images in-camera. A lot of work goes into a shoot like this but this behind-the-scenes teaser video makes it look fun and well worth the effort.

If you're into video effects (and are half the Calvin and Hobbes fan that I am) then you're really going to dig this fun, lighthearted, imagination fueled video created by Dreamworks animator Daniel Hashimoto. As part of Daniel's absolutely amazing personal project, "Action Movie Kid", son James repels the vicious advances of a great white shark, in an effort to save younger sister Sophia. Daniel promises us a proper behind-the-scenes video in the future but in the mean time offers up a great side-by-side video showing the before-and-after.

Kai and the crew over at DigitalRev are at their goofy antics again. This time their latest video has them running through ten easy photography hacks you can do using common thing you can find around your home. I have little doubt that most of these won't be new to you but even if you gleam one little helpful nugget from this list, it will be ten minutes well spent.

As part of CreativeLive's Portrait Bootcamp the mad talent and knowledge of New York City-based portrait/fashion photographer Lindsay Adler are put to use as she breaks down the practical definitions of light. Lindsay points out that once you can describe light by these 3 basic aspects (intensity, direction and quality) then you can start to understanding how much light to use, where it needs to be placed and what kind of modifiers are needed to achieve certain looks.

We love photography. We love gear. And we love this guy: New York City-based headshot photographer Peter "Shabang" Hurley. So when B&H put out this episode of, "What's in Your Bag?", featuring Peter and his kit, of course we were going to watch and post it with all the same excitement and exuberance that Peter himself puts into everything. Watch as Peter tears through his bag to reveal his set-up while running down what gear he uses and why.

What is it about photographers? It's no secret that a lot of us like to play with fire, fire and more fire. So to help you get more from your pyromaniac proclivities the Backyard Scientist has provided us with this DIY video teaching how to easily make different colored flames out of everyday household items. 

It takes a lot to motivate me to reach out to a photographer for permission to feature their work but a lot is exactly what Brisbane-based photographer and digital artist Jane Long provides with her latest series, "Dancing with Costică”. Colorizing, compositing and creating content for images she sources from the Costica Ascinte Archive, Jane is able to deliver beautiful, imaginative and surreal narratives to each of her final images. 

Watch as photographer/retoucher Simon Plant walks us through one of Lightroom's coolest new features, RAW panoramic stitching. In this video Simon takes us step by step as he stitches two images together to make a panoramic image, which can then be processed with all that benefits of a RAW file. We now, no longer, need to process our images prior to stitching them in Photoshop thanks to this easy and convenient new feature.  

Check out this video by ​Monica Herndon which features Florida-based, Tampa Bay Times, photojournalist Dirk Shadd as he sets up to shoot a hockey game. When talking about the his use of remotes Dirks says, "… they’re kind of two purposes.  One is that it’s a really graphic really clean angle and that’s what I like most about it but it also kind of a back up. If I get blocked on a shot or if I miss a shot or I don’t have a shot there is a chance I will have it from the remote. So you kind of do it a little bit out of creative artistic excitement and a little bit out of photos self defense".

New York City-based portrait photographer Drew Gurian primarily focuses on the intersection of photography and music culture. But most recently he had the opportunity to team up with Mic.com to photograph President Barack Obama during his speech on the Iran deal at American University, and during a video interview in the White House library. This brief behind-the-scenes video gives you a really great sense for what it must me like to be privileged enough to get this kind of access.

Have you ever wanted to photograph a location only to have a constant stream of people coming and going?  Trying to capture the the front of a busy building can be truly frustrating. Lucky for you Greg Benz knows your pain and he has a quick and easy solution to help you get the shot you've been waiting for.

This weeks episode of Seeker Stories features San Francisco photographer Jack Simon and his particular style of street photography. In particular, the way in which the observer can create (or be led to create) a narrative around an image, even when one may not exist. Or as Jack puts it, "I'm attracted to moments that are humorous and strange or surreal. And ideally I like to find scenes that capture the essence of an imagined story".​

Amongst this years Broncolor Gen NEXT line up (a pioneering group of young professional photographers lighting up the future of photography) Gonzaga Manso throws in with his beautiful concept shoot, "The Pond". This photograph is meant to express the calm, sincere and deep love that comes from getting old alongside the person you love. But what maybe more interesting, for us inquisitive shooters, is the release of this behind-the-scenes video which details Gonzaga's elaborate and meticulous set-up.

While capturing footage of a San Diego pier, photographer Tice Ledbetter drew the attention of a seemingly annoyed fisherman who then cast his line into the drone's prop. Not knowing what had occurred, Ledbetter flew the drone for half a mile before landing and didn't know how the fishing line got entangled until after he watched the footage.

"The San Diego Studies", a series of short videos that collapse time to reveal otherwise unobservable rhythms and movement in the city is the product of filmmaker/photographer Cy Kuckenbaker. Shot in Tijuana Slough, San Diego County, this series showcases some impressive imagery/effects that Cy has been gracious enough to share with us. To see how this was done be sure to check out his "Making of Notes" video.

Seeker Stories defines itself as taking a deep look at some of the world’s most unique individuals, places, and cultures. With weekly short documentaries set out to expand our perspective and transform our understanding of the world. Having watched their latest documentary about the role photographers play during wartime, I have to say, they've achieved what they set out to do. I've often thought about being a wartime photographer and this video has rekindled that desire.

Writer, director, and presenter Ryan Connolly, best known for his internet television shows Film Riot and Film State, has teamed up with CanonUSA to teach us the basics of film production. There is an amazing amount of information compressed into each short video but what's more amazing is how easily digestible and concise it all is. Factor in the entertainment value (I chuckled through every episode) and you will find these slapstick-styled gems beyond fun and educational. Even if you aren't interested in making films you will enjoy these videos and may even change your mind by the end.

You know you've "made it" when your brand/product becomes a verb. With 25 years of history Photoshop has done exactly that and has become the undisputed champion of the photo manipulation/editing/post production game. I've been using Photoshop since version 1.0 back in 1990 (first as a tinkerer, then as a design QCM and finally as a photographer/retoucher) but despite my long relationship with Photoshop I still don't consider myself as having mastered it.

The EOS-1D X DSLR has been Canon's flagship camera since its release in March 2012. It started with a hefty price tag of $6,799.00 and has since seen a price drop to $5,299.00 and most recently down to $4,599.00. It's been more than three years since its release and with this latest price drop, from authorized dealers, there is little doubt that we will be seeing an announcement for its successor soon.

LA-based cinematographer Brandon Lippard gives us a behind the scenes look at photographer Dave Hill's 2015 Toyota Camry, Parade and Night Market, print ad shoot. I really dig these kinds of behind-the-scenes videos. They are so insightful and educational when kept clean, simple and unfiltered. These kinds of genuine glimpses from behind the lens offer a lot, to the keen observer, as opposed to the oh-so-common, self-promoting, trendy music video type clips we are often fed. Thanks for sharing Brandon.

Berlin-based photographer/retoucher Erik Johansson creates wildly imaginative and often surreal images that has us posting on his work time and time again. Erik's images have been defined as a complex combination of his own photographs that captures ideas rather than moments. As impressive as his finals are, it was this simple 20 second video that caught my attention this time. You get a pretty good idea of Erik's technical process and if you're anything like me, you'll be motivated to create an Erik Johansson inspired piece of your own.

Photographer Anand Varma was always curious about the natural world and when he was a teenager he discovered that picking up a camera could help him explore it. By combining his two passions (biology and photography) Anand gets up close and personal, exposing some of the wonders nature has to offer. Anand latest work is facinating. By keeping bees in his backyard he was able to capture the first 21 days of a bee's life.

Tony Northrup and Chelsea Northrup continue to offer up informative videos to help photographers understand and Learn the Art and Science of Photography. This latest video has Tony breaking down: the pros and cons of using teleconverters, how using one effects your focal range, image quality, aperture, and autofocus capabilities. So if you've been thinking about buying a teleconverter, this video may help you make a more informed decision before picking one up.

Photographer Joe McNally is out in the desert again. This time he is in a dry lake bed outside of Las Vegas with Cirque du Soleil performers Daria Shemiakina and Anna Melnikova. It’s a little unclear whether he is shooting this concept for a Gitzo campaign or for the artists but if you can take your eyes off the beautiful and amazingly talented athletes for a moment you’ll be able to gleam some of Joe’s desert setup. If you're like me and prefer simple kits and small intimate teams over large crews and trailers full of gear then you’ll find it comforting to see that a master like Joe keeps it pretty basic.