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Shooting a Tourism Campaign in Kerala, India

I’m on the bow of the boat, bag over my camera, when the rain falls. We’re drifting over Alleppey’s backwaters, fed by the Arabian Sea and 38 rivers from across Kerala, southern India. 900km of waterways connect to each other, irrigating rice paddy fields and forming a natural human ecosystem built by the hands of India’s people in kinship to the surrounding landscape. It is a testament to the power of human nature -- to live in accordance with the land and its diverse inhabitants.

Shooting a Luxury Watch Photo… with a $5 Watch

The cheapest watch I could find, that was my mission! I decided I wanted to create a magazine advertising image using a really cheap watch. My goal was to replace the luxurious and expensive aspect of the image with an unknown brand but still maintaining that feel of expense and luxury in the final shot. It was also to focus on the photography and the importance and impact it has on advertising.

When You Feel Your Reputation as a Photographer Slipping Through the Cracks

There are a great number of differences between professional photographers and those that shoot only as a hobby. Surprisingly enough one, of those differences isn’t always talent. There are many amazing and talented photographers that shoot for a hobby and they take my breath away.

Recreating the First Color Photo Ever Made

In the "Olden Days," professional science was still in its infancy. People who trained in science and practiced science were using every ounce of creativity and imagination at their disposal to discover the nature of the world. They were scrappy and inventive. In this article, I will outline a modern replication of the experiment that produced the first color photograph ever made.

How to Photograph Flowers Splashing in Milk with an Infrared Laser

We came up for the idea to do this shoot when we saw someone on Instagram who was dropping flowers into milk and just manually trying to get the timing right. Although they were able to get nice photos of the splash some of the time, they would miss the splash just as often as they were able to capture it. We knew we could build a rig that let us capture the perfect flower splash moment every single time. In all, we took about 70 photos and successfully captured the splash every time.

The One Light Whiskey Shot

This article is for all of the new photographers new to lighting and to all who think they are limited by their lack of gear! I will show you how you can create this whiskey image with just one light, in-camera, and with no editing.

Shooting an Action Photo of a Toy Fighter Plane

Have you ever found yourself looking at your children's toys and thought to yourself, "Man that would look great in an image?" Well I have, I do, and I love creating images this way, trying to create a realistic/surreal image which tells a story from using nothing more than a piece of plastic.

My Quest to Photograph the Most Elusive Cat in Africa

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by stories of black panthers. For me, no animal is shrouded in more mystery, no animal more elusive, and no animal more beautiful. For many years they remained the stuff of dreams and of far-fetched stories told around the campfire at night. Nobody I knew had ever seen one in the wild and I never thought that I would either. But that didn’t stop me dreaming…

Creating a Photo of a Radical Vegan Zombie Activist

It has been said that meat consumption should decrease by 90% in the West if we want to avoid dangerous climate warming. And because all of us should be involved to achieve this goal, I of course decided to invite zombies to join in the effort of combating climate change.

How the Iconic Photo ‘Migrant Mother’ Came to Be

Dorothea Lange's 1936 photo Migrant Mother is an iconic photo of the Great Depression. The Nerdwriter made this fantastic 6-minute video that tells the behind-the-scenes "story of how Dorothea Lange created perhaps the most iconic photograph in American history."

Apple’s New iPad Pro Ads Were Shot and Made Entirely on the iPad Pro

Apple recently released a new series of ads for the iPad Pro that shows how the tablet computer opens the doors to new ways of doing things. What's neat is that Apple is "eating its own dog food": as the 2-minute behind-the-scenes video above reveals, the ads were shot, edited, animated, designed, and composed entirely on the iPad Pro.

Shooting a B-2 Stealth Bomber Flying Over the Rose Bowl

Ten years ago, in January 2009, was the first time I ever photographed a flyover and this year the same pilot was doing his last Rose Bowl flyover as he is retiring from the Air Force this year. The challenge this year was the strong winds and subsequent turbulence.

I Built a Replica Chinese Takeout Restaurant in My Photo Studio

My name is Nicky Hamilton, I’m a photographer from London. In-between commercial work I produce fine art photography, specializing in cinematic set builds, which unlike my commercial work is done solo, the set design, build, photography, styling, and retouching. It started this way as a means to an end but then blossomed to become a meditative process that’s creatively very fulfilling for me.

Capturing the Milky Way Over Yosemite National Park

Back in June of 2018, I was fortunate enough to make a 9-day trip to Yosemite National Park, California to capture the Milky Way galaxy over Half Dome. My entire trip revolved around capturing this image since I had captured nearly this same panorama two years prior during my first ever trip to the park in 2016.

The Bucket Shot: Peter McKinnon’s Journey to Shooting His Dream Photo

Growing up as a skateboarder and BMX biker, Peter McKinnon never thought he would one day become a creative. But after he received a camera, he was bitten by the photography bug and got hooked. This 23-minute short film, titled "The Bucket Shot," tells the story of McKinnon's life journey to shooting the photo of his dreams.

Creating Surreal Photo Art of Flying Whales in Space

In this article, I'll share how I created a photo art piece titled, "Flying Whales." The idea was to create surreal artwork using only toys and some handcraft and make it as real as possible.

Creating Photos of a Man on Fire

How do you go about creating photos of a person on fire without actually setting someone on fire? Through creative planning, photography, and retouching -- and sacrificing the well-being of some mannequins.

Behind the Scenes of a Year’s Worth of Street Photography

I've been using some version of "street" photography as practice and exercise for all areas of my photography since I started taking it seriously in 2015, but I've never been as focused and regimented about honing my approach to street photography every day as I have been since the start of 2018, when I decided to give myself an entire year to "make it" as a photographer.

Building an Off-Camera Flash Portrait: A Step-by-Step Look

When it comes to online educational content, there aren’t many photographers out there willing to share their mistakes when trying to create a photo. I think it’s fair to say that there are easily far more who only share their best work online and for good reason; as educators, you want to create an image of a photographer who makes little to no mistakes at all.

Creating a UFO Abduction Photo on a Tabletop

I love the theme of science fiction, so I always have these ideas about flying UFOs and houses in the middle of nowhere that aliens show an interest in as they try to take over a new planet.

Making a Conceptual Photo of the Man Who Controls Day and Night

Swedish photographer and retoucher Erik Johansson has created a new conceptual photo titled "Daybreaker," which shows the man in charge of controlling the transitions between day and night. Johansson is also sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how he put both day and night into one photo.

Making a Splash in Toy Photography

As a toy photographer I am constantly experimenting with new techniques and effects -- primarily practical effects, but I won't hesitate to dive into some digital effects if it helps me tell a story and create the strongest image possible. Some of my more popular images include real liquid splashes, so I thought I'd share some of those images here.

Creating a Century of Portraits in My Living Room

For the last 12 months, I have been working on a personal photo project. The goal of this project was to recreate a portrait from every decade from the 1920s until now. Each picture would highlight the candid life of someone who was living in that era versus what they were really feeling inside. I called this project a "Century of Portraits."

This is a Photographer Covering the Wildfires in California

As dry and windy conditions cause raging wildfires in California, there are brave men and women putting themselves in harm's way to document what's happening and serve as the eyes of the world. This incredible photo by photographer Noah Berger shows photographer Justin Sullivan braving wind-blown embers while covering the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California.

The Story Behind Ansel Adams’ Iconic ‘Moonrise, Hernandez’

The Ansel Adams Gallery made this 4-minute video about Ansel Adams' Moonrise, Hernandez, a photo the gallery calls Adams' "most famous and iconic image." Sales director Brittany Moorefield shares the story behind the photo while presenting an ultra-rare mural-sized print from the early 1970s.

Creating a Photo of Nail Polish Bottles in a Swirling Splash

For a recent project, I was tasked with creating hero images for a cosmetic brand. They commissioned me to work on several different shots for a range of nail polishes they are looking to market. I was put in charge of coming up with the creative angle and had the freedom to explore and execute the final result. The client was open to any suggestions or ideas, and I had fun putting it all together.

How I Shot the Falcon 9 Rocket Launch from an Airline Cockpit

“Oakland Center are you talking to that traffic at our 9 o’clock position? We got a yellow light out there and it’s coming up pretty fast.” This unusual radio transmission to Air Traffic Control from a Southwest Airlines jet caught our attention on an otherwise routine flight between New Orleans and San Francisco.

How Teenage Photographer John Kraus Shoots Rocket Launches

John Kraus is an 18-year-old photographer living on Florida's Space Coast who has captured dazzling photos of major rocket launches over the past few years. VICE News followed Kraus to a recently SpaceX Falcon 9 launch and aired this short segment showing how the photographer works (it starts at 22m01s).

How this Creative One-Shot Scene Was Done to Show the Passage of Time

The Showtime series Kidding has an episode that introduces a character by seamlessly showing how a single room in her home transformed over a long period of time as she recovers from addiction. It might look like CGI or clever editing, but it was actually done with careful choreography and a single take. The split-screen behind-the-scenes video above shows how it was shot.