I just wanted to give our readers a little heads and let you know that both Nikon and Canon plan to announce new cameras this month. Canon is rumored to announce a 1D series camera (their pro sports camera) on Tuesday October 18th. The camera will have around 16mp and will shoot around 12fps.
As a photographer with a new DSLR, you might be trying your hand at video production. Most people completely overlook audio and they shouldn't. If a video sounds cheap then in most people's minds, it is cheap. If you don't have enough money to afford fancy lav mics, don't worry, you can record clean audio with a number of devices that you may already own.
Hey everyone! For this FS Spotlight, I’m excited to present renowned conceptual fine art photographer Lisa Kereszi. Kereszi, who started out assisting none other than Nan Goldin and currently serves as Acting Director of Undergraduate Studies in Photography at the Yale School of Art, creates stunning images that are both stark and surprisingly complex.
To all of our readers who "don't have the time" or "don't know how" to create a video for our Behind The Scenes Contest, I just wanted to point out that FS reader Robert Simpson has now submitted his 5th video (I don't think he's done yet). Keep in mind that you still have almost 3 months to submit your video and have a shot at over $20k in prizes.
I just ran across across Dustin Farrell's newest timelapse and I know I say this a lot but I really think THIS is my favorite so far. Quality timelapse videos keep coming out and raising the bar each time but this is a big leap in my opinion. Obviously these shots have been enhanced in post and I would LOVE to know how he did it.
Everyone was a little let down when Apple announced an iPhone "4S" rather than a brand new "5". Aside from being a little faster, the iPhone 4S also has a big jump in the camera/video department. This new camera is 8mp and shoots at 1080p with built in vibration reduction. Check out the video below to see what this little cellphone is really capable of.
Don't you hate it when your camera can't stand up to the weight of your pet elephant stepping on it? Ya me too, that's why I only buy Phase One (I mean I will after I win the lottery). Although this stupid test is fairly impressive, I would much rather see a drop test, as that will be the real issue for photographers and the durability of their gear.
Patrick and I are currently in Peter's studio putting the finishing touches on his DVD and all three of us will be coming out tonight to the meetup. This Fstoppers get-together will be "Las Chicas Locas" at 160 West 25th Street where we have met before. The owner is reserving the bar/restaurant just for us, so let's try to pack it out.
Videographer Jeff Newton is most well known for his work shooting war zones. When he wasn't being shot at Jeff decided to take up climbing as a hobby and through that heard of free climber Alex Honnold. After meeting Alex, Jeff was hired to film one of his giant free climbs.
In the video below National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones talks about looking for the "right answers" during every photoshoot. As professionals we are always put in the position to take the best possible image even if that image may not be easy to capture.
Ryan Enn Hughes just submited his entry for our BTSV contest and it is quite impressive. Ryan teamed up with The Big Freeze and set up 48 D700 cameras in a circle and then fired them all at once as dancers did their thing.
Last year I released a video explaining how to wirelessly tether your camera to an iPad by jailbreaking the iPad. Since then Eye-Fi has released a firmware update that makes wireless tethering possible without the need for jailbreaking.
In Jay P. Morgan's newest video he shows us how he uses a crane to bump up production value by using a crane. Now I know you might be thinking there's no way you can afford a crane but you would be wrong. Last month we posted this video review of a $125 crane that anyone can afford. I purchased one and I am really excited to try it out in the near future.
A couple months back Patrick and I flew up to Chicago to film a BTS of a Gatorade commercial featuring Chaz Ortiz. We have still not completed our BTSV but someone just sent me ANOTHER Gatorade commercial shot at the very same school featuring Chaz Ortiz that has a killer BTSV. The video below was shot in one single take and it will blow your mind.
Now this video may be over many of your heads (it is definitely over mine) because most of us are still photographers who may only dabble in video but this is still worth posting. In the video below Video Copilot shows us how they filmed a car chase scene in the studio with a green screen.
Hey everyone! I'm Reese and I'm excited to be a part of the Fstoppers team. My segment, The FS Spotlight, is a weekly Q&A session with professional photographers who are at the absolute top of their field.
A few months back I posted another video by "Betty Wants In" that involved skydiving in ultra slow motion. The video was created with the GoPro video camera and software called Twixtor that can create frames for a very realistic slowmotion look. This time they have created a very different video using the same technique. Enjoy this amazing look at the sport from the safety of your office.
This is by no means a BTSV but it fooled me so I thought I'd post it. The censor on cellphone cameras are so small that everything appears in focus. Many cell phone cameras don't even have to focus because of this and optical illusions like the one below are possible. Obviously this could also be possible with an SLR but you would have to shoot around F22.
A few months ago I purchased a Nikon D7000 and MB-D11 battery grip from Amazon.com. The order was fulfilled by ANATOLIAN BOOKSTORE, INC and two days ago I figured out that this grip is actually a fake. Check out the full post to see high res images from every angle of this grip.
Nobody's face is perfectly symmetrical but it's very difficult for our brains to notice the differences in each side. Jesper Petersson recently worked on a unique project that involved shooting a group of people and then using each side of their face to create two new, perfectly symmetrical faces. It's really shocking to see how different each side of a face can be.
Telstra, an Australian wireless carrier, recently produced an ad for the Motorola Zoom tablet. Instead of creating everything with computers in post, the team created most of the moving sets by hand. The question then becomes; was their effort worth it? Can consumers even tell that much of this is real or does the average person consider everything to be fake these days?
I just stumbled upon another interesting video filmed with the GoPro HD video camera. It's not really an informative video but hopefully it will give you guys some inspiration. You can easily film things with these ultra small/light cameras that simply were not possible a few years ago. What could you film in a different way?
In this weeks episode of The Slanted Lens, Jay P. Morgan shows us how to light and photograph a glass bottle. This video is also about superimposing products into real scenes so that the product looks it's best. Tutorials like this are priceless for anyone who is interested in product photography. Glass can be extremely tricky but Jay makes things super simple for us.
If you have seen Peter Lik's work in person then you understand that it's impossible to put into words the look and quality of his prints. Peter's photography (and his post production) is fantastic, but what really makes his work stand out is his printing and presentation. If his images were printed on standard photo paper at a standard size, his work would not have the same "wow" factor.
In the video below Barry JC Purves gives us a really unique look at the creation of a stop motion video. Normally an image is taken, the subject is moved, and then the next image is snapped. In this video Barry took extra images as he was moving the puppet and the results are really incredible.
I've been saving my money for months so that I can make the switch over to Profoto and take advantage of their new D1 Air Monolights. Not only are these things small and light but they are also completely wireless! You can now control your studio lights (on/off, flash power, modeling light) all from the Profoto Air Remote. You want to know what the best part is?
TheUnderwaterRealm.com is a blog that is following the production of an independent film that will take place completely underwater. Each week the guys and gals are releasing a BTSV which shows exactly what they have been working on. If you are interested in movie production, I highly suggest checking out their website.
I have a desire to jump off a cliff with a wing-suit on but I am still terrified to go skydiving. While I try to psych myself into it, I do enjoy watching others risk their lives from the comfort of my computer chair. I've seen a lot of base jumping videos and this one has to be in my top 3. Once again the cheap GoPro video camera has created another mind blowing video.
As you may have heard, Sony just announced their new 24mp Alpha 77 DSLR and it is really pushing the limits of technology. I've been a Nikon shooter my whole life and I don't plan to switch any time soon but I still enjoy seeing all of the brands compete.
Tom Guilmette is now a pretty regular name on Fstoppers because his BTSVs in the field of video are some of the best we have seen. In the video below Tom travels out west with Eric Kessler to film BTS footage of some of the top timelapse shooters of our time.
It's really exciting that every new DSLR now takes amazing, cinema quality HD video. One of the main reason it looks so different from video cameras of the past is the super shallow depth of field that large sensor sizes produce. It looks really cool BUT you will have to learn to manually focus the camera just like they have to do with movie cameras.
The team over at [Framed] has created another great BTSV, this time with underwater fashion photographer Mallory Morrison. Mallory, a dancer for 23 years, uses her history in the field to help direct her models under the water. I've attempted underwater photography like this before, and it is so much harder than it looks. Check out the video below to see a master at work.
Photographer Scott Bourke gives us a complete overview of how he took a fantastic product shot of a few bottles of beer. Scott uses a single flash and 4 reflectors to create a very professional looking image that any photographer (no matter how little gear they have) is capable of creating.
Stop motion videos are becoming increasingly more popular as digital cameras and software make them easier to create. Dave Wallace decided to make things quite a bit harder when he shot 2335 images, had them printed out, and then shot them a second time in picture frames on the wall. It took hours of work but the finished product is well worth the time. Check it out below.
We are two weeks into our 2011 BTS contest and the entries are starting to trickle in. I just watched Robert Simpson's video called "Small World" and I was really impressed with the results. Robert used a D70 and kit lens in conjunction with some pretty interesting Photoshop techniques to create a very unique looking image.
