behindthescenes

How I Review 2,000 Olympics Photos and Deliver 25 Right Away

I was joking with someone yesterday about the craziness of the Olympics, and the pressures that we are all under during the Games. We were talking about how the world has different time zones and maybe they should add another just for the Olympics. For the media here, there is absolutely no consistency to our eating and sleeping patterns and time is just different.

What It’s Like to Photograph a Global Launch Campaign for Tamron

Most people don’t actually know what it means when I say I’m a “travel photographer,” it is usually met with a confused look and followed up by some variation of the question, "do you mean you travel for free?” or “who even pays you to travel?”

How I Use Stencils to ‘Paint’ Light into Geometric Shapes

As a photographer, when you produce a series of photos that goes viral and you close sales and license deals because of it, it is tempting to simply continue doing the same and hopefully keep receiving the attention you had in the first place.

Shooting Cyberpunk Flapper Girl and Other Photographic Mashups

It’s a rare occasion when I do a team collaboration on a personal shoot. I typically prefer to work directly with the model, having them bring their own wardrobe and arrive with their hair and makeup already done. It not only saves time and is easier to coordinate but I also love the challenge of coming up with a cohesive theme for the shoot, basing my techniques, lighting, and color palette on the items that they brought with them.

I Shoot Snow Portraits by Sticking My Face Into Snow

My Snow Portrait series consists of photos taken using a technique I "invented" 8 years ago that utilizes the "hollow mask" 3D optical illusion. All the shots in this article are imprints of my face in fairly deep snow lit from underneath, almost like a lithophane. No Photoshop. No filters.

What It’s Like Photographing an NHL Game During COVID

Photographer Paul Rutherford specializes in photographing sports and has shared his experiences both with the MLB and NFL during the age of COVID. His latest video goes over his experiences with the NHL, where he details what he looks for and how he approaches the shoot.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Ilford Film is Made

Since 1928 Ilford has produced film photography products from its factory in Mobberley, England, though the company itself is much older. In this 18-minute video from Exploredinary, you can get a close, extended view of how the film is made and hear from the scientists and workers who make it happen.

Behind the Scenes of How Kodak Film is Made

Curious how Kodak manufactures its film? In this 8-minute video, Studio C-41 shows the process from making the original giant rolls of plastic that eventually becomes film, to the finished product found on store shelves around the world.

Photographing Northern Harriers Flying Over the Grasslands at Dusk

I've always found northern harriers to be a raptor species that stood out from most others. Their hunting method provides ample opportunity for creative photography as they glide over gorgeous marshes and grasslands searching for food. On this particular evening, I visited a new grassland in the middle of New Jersey that I had not visited previously to see if I could capture some photos of these beautiful birds.

This is How Photojournalists Got Shots of Trump Golfing

President Trump was golfing on Saturday when most mainstream media outlets called the 2020 presidential election, projecting former Vice President Joe Biden as the winner. A few photojournalists managed to capture photos of Trump by shooting with ultra-telephoto camera lenses from nearly a mile away across the Potomac River.

155K Photos in 13 Days: Capturing a 4K ‘Flowmotion’ Hyperlapse of LA

The FilmSpektakel team has just released the fourth installment in their "A Taste of..." series: a set of 'flowmotion' style hyperlapses that take you on a roller coaster-like tour of different cities. It started with Austria, then moved to Vienna, covered New York City, and now the team has finally finished and released "A Taste of Los Angeles."

This Video Shows How Fujifilm’s IBIS has Evolved Over the Years

In-body image stabilization, or IBIS, has become a staple of high-end mirrorless cameras, and companies are iterating at a rapid pace. We learned a little bit about this evolution in a recent BTS video filmed at Olympus R&D headquarters, and now, Fuji is giving us a peek at how its IBIS units have evolved since the X-H1.

How Richard Nixon ‘Stole’ This Photo and Twisted It Into a Campaign Slogan

American people standing up to the Soviets! America needs Nixon! These were some of the tag lines attached to this photo during Nixon’s presidential campaign in 1960. But behind every picture, there is a story. And this is one of those photos where the story is just as good as the picture.

These Guys Strapped a RED Camera to a 100mph FPV Racing Drone

Filmmaker and YouTuber Potato Jet recently teamed up with first person view (FPV) racing drone pilot Paul Nurkkala to try something kind of crazy: they strapped Potato Jet's RED cinema camera to a custom-built, high-speed octa-copter and took it for a spin... and a flip... and a few more maneuvers besides.

VSCO Went Full MacGyver to Create an Authentic Kodachome Film Simulation

Last month, VSCO achieved a years-old dream of releasing a preset/filter that was based on Kodak's iconic "Kodachrome" film stock. But creating the KC25 preset was anything but easy. In fact, it involved custom chemicals, custom hardware, and two years of experimentation to get this one right.

Perfect for 36 Frames: The Scariest Assignment of My Career

Most everyone’s got one. If you’ve been around for a while, you may have some great stories or a few crazy or scary assignments, but this one is not what you might think. Oh, I have had some interesting gigs for sure, but most of my work was in studio and not at all scary (with the exception of melted ice cream). I’ll save those stories for another time. No, this phone call was a different kind of scary.