You would think that after suffering world wide bad press for horrible political Photoshopping that things might change in China's propaganda strategies. Maybe something as simple as mandatory government Photoshop classes, maybe just a bound notebook of internet tutorials. Something to change the apparent lack of general image editing knowledge.
If you haven't heard about Bitcoin yet then you really should pay attention to this because in the long run it could make you a lot of money. Before we get into the whys and hows and what it means for photographers though, you need to know what it is in the first place.
Melissa Bachmann, host of the Minnesota-based hunting show Winchester Deadly Passion managed to get a lot of people upset recently. After a South African expedition she posted several images from the hunt onto Facebook, including images of herself posing with a "beautiful male lion" she killed.
Since around July we have started to see this "camera ball" concept come up in a few places. Thankfully they appear to be replacing the self-timer "throw your SLR in the air" approach. The most recent potential contender is the Panono, and it looks like it may blow everything else out of the sky.
We talk a lot here at Fstoppers about the beautiful things that photography has done in the world. Maybe I am naive but I never imagined that art could be used support crime. Yet here it is, and while not actually "art" by any stretch of the imagination an anonymous Instagram user is getting people killed with images.
There are a lot of products out there that try to be the one device to rule them all, and there are a lot of failures. The Lollipod is the newest contender, and it seems to be nothing more than a colorful, collapsible light stand with a cheap tripod head. Have I used one yet? No, and truthfully I can't see why I would.
For a long time I've held firm to the belief that in my compositing work, the "refine edge" is worthless. Why? Maybe I'm just stuck in my ways but it just never seemed to work as well as I thought it should. However, Glyn Dewis may have convinced me to give it another shot.
Hopefully I can stop the negative comments before they start and tell you that yes, this video is a giant Broncolor ad. However, if you can get past that and look at the lighting and resulting images there is definitely stuff to learn. That said, let's dive into the story behind the session. Swiss pop-star Seven wanted to have a piano in unusual location for this newest album images.
PDNonline released a video interview in which master portrait photographer, Greg Heisler, explains an incredibly vital piece of the portraiture puzzle. In many ways I believe that relating to your subject can be one of the most difficult things to do on a set. It certainly was when I first started out. Many of you were in similar positions as well I'd bet.
There is no other way to introduce this video other than by saying that I love the Dancers Among Us series from Jordan Matter. I love it because of how beautifully simple the idea is.
DigitalAir, a visual effects production house, just released an awesome video of the Ferrari 458 Speciale and to top it all off...they have behind the scenes footage as well. What's cool about this is their virtual camera movement process which they apparently invented and patented.
A reflector is a reflector. Right? That was my first thought when I was asked to be the first to review Profoto's new line of collapsible reflectors. "It's a reflector, are you serious?" I mean come on, in what possible way could this be any different from everything else I've used? A reflector is a reflector. However, obviously I said yes and here we are…and I was wrong.
Alexandr Kravtsov has put together what may be on my top 3 list for best timelapses. This kind of video work isn't exactly uncommon either so that placement is saying quite a bit. What's even more impressive is what Alexandr went through to make this piece.
Let me start this by making it clear that I am all for innovation and unique ideas. Useful products and powerhouse entrepreneurs shape the world we live in. The Beastgrip is certainly unique and if you're looking to turn your phone into an SLR, go for it. The thing looks like it would do well in the phoneography arena.
This behind the scenes video hit three for three on elements that I love. Christopher Wahl's portraits, David Bowie's weirdness, and musical astronaut Chris Hadfield. The latter being the first astronaut we've truly celebrated since Neil Armstrong. I wish I could say that this video offers some tremendous insight into how the image was produced, but it doesn't.
The standard motto regarding photography equipment is "invest in glass" with good reason. While sensor technology certainly has a tremendous impact on the quality of the photograph, the real limitation often lies in the optics. One need only look at the difference between a kit lens and a top-level prime to prove this.
With reflectors being among the most basic of lighting tools in a photographer's arsenal you would think more people would understand how to use them properly. Sadly that doesn't seem to be the case. Rest easy though, Jay P. Morgan is on the case and comes at us again with a very solid explanation of how he set up precise light with nothing but reflectors.
The claim is that in the next decade video game engines will be used in the film-making process to eliminate post production altogether. Lucasfilm is making this statement in light of rapidly progressing video game technology. Both CG effects companies and game developers essentially use the same sort of techniques to produce what they do, especially when it comes to motion capture.
Take a look at your eyes (shhh, just do it). They are among the most incredible visual systems on the planet. Your eyes can manage light in an immense variety of situations, and can focus on objects from infinity to near macro levels (when you were younger). Mechanical lens systems have tried to replicate what nature does so easily only to fall short thus far.
If there is one thing about owning your own business that is true above all else, it's that you need to manage your time wisely. If you don't have a solid workflow then your valuable time is undoubtedly withering away before your eyes. There are a lot of productivity apps out there that can help with this but most are not truly geared toward photographers. Photosmith is.
Yesterday Fstoppers' writer Christ Knight shared a video in which famed photographer David LaChapelle takes us through his set-centric studio in Los Angeles. Sure they talk about his life and what it's like to be a deity among mortals but I noticed the sets.
I have a soft spot in my heart for the Fuji x100s. I absolutely love when pros give it a chance in a working environment rather than confining it to the street like so many do. When Bucharest-based Vali Barbulescu got his hands on one that's exactly what he decided to do.
In today's behind the scenes video commercial photographer Mike Pickles takes us through the process behind his recent work for Reebok via the agency Illume Visuals. Before you press the play button let me say this: To figure out his lighting setup you're going to need to pay attention and use some imagination because it's only touched on briefly.
No matter where you fall in the vast pool of opinions regarding Annie Leibovitz and her skills as a photographer one thing is certain. She and her team consistently produce amazing images. They've knocked another one out of the park with the latest in the Dream Portrait series.
It's amazing that large media corporations continue to believe that they can get away with things like what you're about to read. Darrell Ardita, a cosplay photographer, recently discovered that several of his company's images were being used without his permission for the show Heroes of Cosply on SyFy.
A plan which cuts about $4.1 billion of debt for Eastman Kodak was approved by US bankruptcy judge Allan Gropper yesterday. The plan allows Kodak to reorganize itself into a company that will actually provide no consumer products but will instead focus on printing technology for corporate customers.
There is nothing I love more than when someone takes the gloves off and drops a serious dose of truth.
It hasn't been that long since the Nokia Lumia 1020 made all sorts of waves with it's claims of a 41mp sensor and now (as if 41 were the magic number) we have a "smartwatch" on the horizon from Hyetis (pictured) with the same idea. It's called the Crossbow. If you're picking up some irritation in my tone you're not wrong.
Lightning is hard to photograph. You have to have patience, solid timing and a general acceptance of the possibility of getting soaked. If that doesn't really resonate with you there's always the route that Matthew Albanese chose. Rather than go through the stress, waiting and danger of shooting an actual lightning storm he just made his own.
500px announced yesterday that they are collaborating with search giant Bing, in order to give it's users the opportunity for some crazy exposure. Bing already showcases a new image on it's main page every day. The change is that now 500px will curate the image collection via user submitted images. Yesterday's image was from Alisdair Miller, a member of 500px for two years.
Although Google Glass has, and is still getting a lot of negative attention for privacy concerns there are two OpenGlass projects that could deliver some amazing benefits. The video accompanying this article shows user trials of two different OpenGlass projects designed to inform users who can't see about what they are "looking" at.
Before we get into the meat of this video, I've got to warn you...it's long. Like nearly 20 minutes long. That said, if you'd prefer not to gawk at the model and get to the parts that will truly help you with your photography, I have them listed out below. Despite it's length this may be one of the better BTS videos I've come across in a while.
Melissa Rodwell is easily one of my favorite fashion photographers. It's not even because of her work, although it is phenomenal for sure. She is at the top of my list due to how involved she is with us mortals. If you're unfamiliar, she runs FashionPhotographyBlog.com, a site so popular it holds the number 1 spot on google when you search for fashion photography. That's not an easy feat.
When I read about this earlier today I nearly dismissed it as being another blurb about ultra-macro photography. Thankfully it's not, kind-of. Don't get me wrong things through an electron microscope are insanely cool, but I've seen them. What's the cool part then?
How would you feel if I told you that you could take two pictures of a house key with your phone, send them off and receive an exact copy in the mail a few days later? If you're anything like me then it makes you a bit uncomfortable. Security concerns aside, Shloosl is making it happen.
