Articles from Gary Winchester Martin

Where do you think most photographers struggle: being a creative or running their business? Making awesome imagery or establishing a pricing strategy? For many, it's the latter and that just sucks. For these reasons, PRO EDU has curated six photography management and workflow tools to create the “Photographer's Toolkit.” The toolkit is free from November 23–26 with the purchase of any PRO tutorial over $1. Included are essential software services from brands we trust with a total value over $1,200. You won't find this deal anywhere else.

Last week we announced a contest for an all access pass to PRO EDU's workshops down in the Bahamas this year with the Fstoppers & Rob Grimm. Thanks to everyone that entered the contest sponsored by Black Rapid, ROSCO, and Resolution Rentals. Below are the winners!

This week we are giving away 41 prizes to 41 photographers and winning couldn't be any easier. We've got boxes full of camera straps from Black Rapid, gel flash packs from ROSCO, lens rental gift certificates from Resolution Rentals, and an all access pass to the Fstoppers workshop with Rob Grimm and PRO EDU. Winning has never been easier and takes a few minutes.

Over the next week we are giving away 41 prizes to 41 people that include free rentals for gear & lenses from Resolution Rentals, camera straps from Black Rapid, gel flash packs from ROSCO, and a $3,000 all access pass to the Fstoppers workshops with PRO EDU and Rob Grimm. A total of 41 people will be picked for these prizes so your odds of winning are pretty good. Winners will be announced here Friday February 27th. Check below for the details on how to win.

This May Rob Grimm from PRO EDU is hosting two workshops in the Bahamas designed to build your knowledge of studio lighting & compositon for food, beverage, & product photography. Come spend a week with us building images and learning the ins and outs of the industry, working with clients, pricing, and everything in between. Th best part is that you get a $1,000 gift certificate to PRO EDU to re-take the classes and master post-production. 

This May will be the second year in a row Rob Grimm will teach two studio lighting and composition classes at the Fstoppers workshops in the Bahamas. After selling out early last year, Rob will be leading two multi-day classes that focus on lighting, composition, and styling for two different workshops. The best part is you also get a $1,000 gift certificate to PRO EDU for going to take what you learned even further.

In this episode of Hardware from PRO EDU, I take you through the super simple steps of upgrading the RAM in your 2013 or later iMac using third party RAM. Upgrading your RAM on your own is easy and can save you $300 in the process as opposed to doing it through Apple at the time of your purchase. Below is second video on how to change the RAM in your 2011 version iMac.

This May, Rob Grimm from PRO EDU will be teaching two multi-day workshops perfect for still life photographers. The classes are interactive, hands on, and full of opportunities to take your studio photography & lighting to the next level. All workshop attendees that join will receive a $1000 gift certificate to PRO EDU.

Upgrading your RAM from Apple is a lot like buying your tires directly from the car dealership. It's overpriced for essentially the same product and you shouldn't do it. In this video I cover the benefits of upgrading your RAM from a third party to maximize your computers ability for retouching and file management through various applications like Lightroom.

I think we can all agree that catch lights in the eyes of our subjects can enhance a photo tremendously. Each modifier we pick renders a different reflection in the eyes of our subject and can give the image a completely different feel. I recently discovered a way to build virtually any shape modifier that can be used in a mobile photo booth or permanent installment in your studio. And it's amazing!

Tonight at 8pm Eastern, Stephanie Cotta will be hosting a live Spreecast answering all of your Newborn Photography questions. If you are currently photographing newborns, or would like to, and would like a sneek peek into the in-depth Ultimate Newborn Photography Tutorial currently sold in the Fstoppers store then this is your chance to tune in and ask newborn related questions on lighing, posing, composition, marketing, pricing, and everything in between. We will be giving away free tutorials during the event as well so tune in for details.

Sandro Miller was the first photographer to document the ENTIRE Cuban Olympic team since the mid twentieth century. Sandro was once kissed on the lips by Muhammad Ali. Sandro once made Michael Jordan cry. If you call yourself a photographer, you will not want to miss this rare video interview with Sandro from PRO EDU.

Flour bombs to the head, water balloons bouncing off my face, ribbon dancing, beer pours, back flops, a ginger eating cinnamon, and silly string to the face. These are a few of of the things we tried today in slow mo on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from Apple. Check out the results here.

Great photographers need to be excellent problems solvers that can rig up anything. Getting lights into tight spots or building new sets in tight quarters are just a few examples of what a photographer is faced with on a daily basis. When you are running a team of people, working with clients on set, or doing a test shoot by yourself, you will always have a new idea or inspiration that challenges you to light something differently. The Master Clamp is the tool to help you rig it up and not look like a fool in the process.

This week we are filming 5 days of fashion, beauty, test, and portrait looks with Michael Woloszynowicz from Vibrant Shot Photography. Michael is a Toronto based photographer and high end retoucher creating an in-depth Pro Tutorial with PRO EDU that will be available on sale in the Fstoppers store this summer.

Erik Almås is a master of color, composition, and composites. In this behind the scenes look at some of Erik's recent personal work, he provides some invaluable tips on shooting backplates. See his full explanation below.

Newborn photography is one of the hottest genres of photography today. And with more and more babies being born everyday, the demand for talented newborn shooters has never been higher. Here are ten reasons from Stephanie Cotta on why you should be photographing newborns.

There is a major problem in the photography industry, and it's the photographers fault. Photographers spend countless hours in the right side of their brain taking photos, then more sleepless nights bringing those images to life in post. They agonize over the processing, feedback from peers, and then publish the images for the world to consume. Sadly 97% of these photographers aren't copyrighting these images making them much more attractive to steal.  We need your help to fix this, Adobe.

Aurora Borealis actually means dawn of the north, and can best be seen during peak winter months around the magnetic North Pole. The peak season of this spectacular event happens once every 11 years with the last peak season being the winter of 2013. If you are like me and were unable to witness this in person, check out this pretty beautiful timelapse from Alexis Coram that can only be described as light version of a Hunter S. Thompson dream.  

Thank you so much to the 60+ people that submitted a video over the past few days to our contest. It's been awesome seeing photographers from around the world share their stories. As a special thanks to everyone that made a video, Lensrentals would like to hook you guys up with something for your effort. Just e-mail contests@lensrentals.com for your prize. On top of all of this, everyone that made a Facebook and/or Instagram video will be receiving the Bahamas Rob Grimm Product Photography workshop video for free this July. Please e-mail Gary@rggphoto.com and I will get you on this list.

If you wanted to attend the Fstoppers workshops in the Bahamas but don't have the money, you have one last chance to win an all expense paid trip that covers your flight, hotel, 4 classes, and $300 gear rental. We are giving away one last ALL EXPENSE paid trip to one lucky winner that can upload a short video of themselves explaining why they should have this opportunity and what gear they will rent from Lensrentals.com. 

We've gotten quite a few e-mails from people that want to attend our workshop but can't due to financial constrictions. So this week we are giving away a golden ticket to all of our classes in the Bahamas for absolutely FREE. You are just responsible for your airfare and hotel. Follow the instructions in the video to find out how to enter.

All great timelapses typically take a long time to produce and this piece is no exception. Justin Majeczky spent over 18 months on this project scouting locations, exploring angles, and taking over  20,000 photos for his Sacramento timelapse. He uses a few different timelapse methods and used two different pieces of hardware to achieve the look. Check out the two links below to the motion control gear.

This year has proven to be more scandolous than provocative in the fine art photography circuit. More and more photographers are coming to the realization that the same stuff doesn't sell and the proverbial bar must be raised with every shoot. The photos below are probably the most extreme examples of this new wave of photographers resorting to such fine art methods in posing, makeup, and subject matter. NSFW

James Robinson is photographer at the 114 year John Rylands Library in Manchester, UK. The library is home to thousands of priceless books in every language dating back to 1000 B.C. The library is charged with the task of using the latest technology to turn every word into digital format. To do this, the photography staff uses the Profoto D1 and a variety of Phase camera systems to archive each treasure.

Five minutes into a trip up the Pacific Coast Highway and I hastily decided to rig up a camera to take 4,218 shots. I set up my tripod, threw on the camera, and programed my remote shutter release to take a frame every 6 seconds for about 12 hours. I don't know about you, but if I were in charge over there at Google Maps I would create Google Time-lapse and map the world in a walking/driving time-lapse that could be sped up or down from real time to real real fast. You're welcome!

Erik Almås is at it again creating etherial images for clients on location in exotic places with a color palette noticeably familiar. I must say too that this location is just about as exotic as you can get without becoming flat out dangerous. This week Erik gives us a glimpse into a campaign he shot on location in Namibia, Africa. Read more about Erik's mission statement below.

You want to know what's better than Erik Almås shooting Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models for Dodge Ram trucks? Me too cause I can't seem to find or think of anything that could possibly be better than this. The 2014 SI swimsuit edition is on news stands now and should be at the top of your reading list for the month. Erik has shot the inside cover for this magazine the last 2 years in a row. Check out the BTS of how he did it.

Online education through video tutorials has become one of the most economical and convenient ways to learn almost any topic, especially if it's photography. Joey L recently launched a new website that takes you on-location and in the studio to see the workflow, thought process, lighting design, post processing, and on-set dialogue that takes place in one of his commercial photo shoots. Check out more trailers below.

Red Bull has yet again set the bar higher for motion capture capabilities combined with sheer awesomeness. And to answer your question, yes it involves more flying. In this epic behind the scenes footage we see the workflow for creating high speed footage while flying through the air with the subject on skis. If this sounds dangerous it's because it absolutely is. Check out the full video spot below.

Several months ago I noticed a spike in our website traffic from a fairly large website called "The Fancy." From a web traffic standpoint I initially thought this was good news and that one of our blog posts was picked up again. After following the link provided in the backend of our Squarespace analytics referral page, what I found was outright unlicensed image use for profit. 

The world's largest stock photography service has recently taken off the majority of watermarks on their photos online. Getty images has millions upon millions of photos in their stock library and will now allow anyone to use eligible images from their library for business or personal use, but it comes with one stipulation that could be a deal breaker for some.

I don't think there is anything sexier in the lens world than the Zeiss 28-80 T2.9 Compact Zoom Lens. Its robust cine-style housing and calibrated focus scales make pulling tack sharp focus a joy. What is lacks in affordability it drastically makes up for in the most epic of  lens performances you can find. If you have the option to rent this on your next shoot, don't think twice. Make sure to check out the Carl Zeiss showreel below as well.

Let's imagine you've lost the drive that houses all of your RAW files for Lightroom. Let's also assume ninjas broke into your off site location and stole your backup. Let's even go so far as to say that hackers erased all of your images backed up in the cloud. If you've made previews there may still be one way to recover your work.

Photographer Jerry Tovo has spent the better part of the last 2 years pursuing a personal project around the USA called "They May Have Been Heroes." The project is dedicated to raising the Nation’s awareness to the plight of the hundreds of thousands of homeless Veterans, by photographing, videotaping and otherwise recording their stories. The photos and stories are both captivating and heartbreaking.