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It has been many years since I used to shoot portrait portfolios for Hollywood hopefuls, but many of the tricks I learned back then I have used ever since when shooting everything from people to bugs. Even if you never do a model shoot, all the tips in this list will help you in just […]
A lens cap keeper can save you a lot of hassle and ensure the protection of your camera lens. Learn what its design is and how it works. You will certainly be amazed how functional this creative solution is. You need the cap to keep the lens protected from scratching and from different kinds of harmful environmental effects. However, the cap can easily get lost when you are using the camera. This can happen easily, especially if you are totally focused on catching the moment for the perfect picture and absorbed in taking pictures for hours.
In 2008 Canon starting adding a video mode to their DSLR cameras. They had no idea the phenomenon that it would bring. DSLRs have huge sensors (the mechanism that converts light to video) and way more, cheaper, high quality lenses (also referred to as “glass”). These factors give DSLR cameras very sharp imagery as well as a very shallow depth of field. Depth of field or Dof, refers to the focus of the image or video. A deep Dof is when the foreground and the background of an image are both in focus. You see this commonly in landscape shots.
Quitting your job to travel the world is, in itself, a daunting task. Quitting your job to travel the world to take over 25,000 photographs is quite another. Yet, Kien Lam, did just that. Lam managed to sort through all the photographs and condense them down to a moving five minute time lapse video of his journey around the world. What sets Lam’s time lapse apart from others is the equipment he used. He didn’t tote around a pricey DSLR and dolly. The only camera equipment Lam brought with him was the compact Lumix GF-1 and a flimsy, off-brand tripod.
Probably the most difficult and dangerous job in photography is that of a war photographer. Getty Photographer John Moore is no stranger to working in conflict zones having been on assignments in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In early 2011 he was assigned to Cairo to cover to growing uprising against President Mubarak. He arrived at the height of the violence, with loyalists attacking both protestors and journalists alike. Such was the danger the night he arrived, John was advised to go outside so he took to photographing the extra ordinary scenes unfolding from his hotel vantage point.
In the spring of 2010, the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, erupted, shutting down airways all across Europe. Sean Stiegemeier organized a sponsored trip to the country to capture the natural disaster in a beautiful way. He used his Canon 5D MKII to film a time lapse of the eruption over the course of 1 1/2 days. Dynamic Perception loaned Stiegemeier a prototype of the MILapse dolly, which is now being marketed as the Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly Kit, an affordable alternative to the popular Kessler dollies.
The Victoria’s Secret Holiday catalog features beautiful models dressed in scanty lingerie, but for Russell James, photographing these sexy models is the highest pressure job of his year. A behind the scenes look into Pier 59 Studios in New York City was created by the CNBC network show, Best Jobs Ever. Russell does make it look easy; as the professional models pose and flirt with the photographer, he smiles and states, “If it looks effortless – if it looks like I’m not doing much, then I feel like I’m really doing my job.”
As photographers, we are always trying to capture photographs that pop. That is, images that combine depth and fine details. This short clip explains how to mix strobe lighting with ambient light to achieve just the right feel. In this video tutorial, Jay P. Morgan demonstrates how to effectively use strobe lights to enhance the natural light of the sun. The lesson starts with a recap of essential exposure information, such as always working in manual mode to gain full control of the exposure settings.
In this nine minute documentary, the making of TIME magazines “The Protester” is chronicled. The Protester, which was included in TIME’s Person of The Year issue, is a series of photographers taken by TIME staff photographer, Peter Hapak, which showcases protesters involved with the Occupy movement across seven countries. Hapak briefly touches on techniques he used to capture the portraits, including a humorous account of bribing one particular subject with breakfast sausages.
Time lapse photography has always been a magic process where time is condensed and the familiar process of time experience is dramatically changed. Processes such as plants growing, a building being constructed, or an entire city changing through the cycle of a day and night, have become the subject of creative, expressive videos or films. Once you master time-lapses where the camera is stationary, you might wonder how professionals create sequences where the camera moves through a scene. These videos offer some helpful clues.
