I always love Johnnie Behiri’s behind the scenes looks at how the kit we used is made. He recently treated us to a look inside the Fujifilm factory to see how they make the GFX 100 (and Part 2), but now he’s gone back to Japan to see how Sigma builds the Sigma fp – the world’s smallest full-frame mirrorless camera. This video isn’t quite as long or in-depth as the Fujifilm two-parter, but it’s a very interesting look at how the camera is made....

If there is the perfect time to shoot toy photography, it’s right now. It’s not like we’re leaving home much, right? Isaac Alvarez of UNPLUG Production has made a great tutorial that will inspire you for creating epic battle scenes with toys. You don’t need to leave your home and you can use whatever you find lying around. And by combining practical effects and lighting with some composite work, you can make create some awesome work....

Did you know that using an electronic instead of a mechanical shutter can affect a background in your images? After a subscriber pointed it out to Manny Ortiz, he tested it on a Fuji and a Sony mirrorless camera. And indeed, it turned out that an electronic shutter may not be the best option when you shoot portraits. Manny points out that using an electronic shutter affects your background at a certain point, not all the time....

I’m sure many photographers have experienced unpleasant situations when they have been photographing particular structures, facilities, and places, even if they were on public land. But Homeland Security has taken this to a whole new level. It recently published a tweet in which it warns the public that photography may be one of the signs of terrorism.Advertisements The DHS warns the people to “know the signs,” adding that “photography and surveillance could be a sign of terrorism-related suspicious activity....

As a commercial portrait photographer specialising in sports, this project is a little different to the regular subjects that Levon Biss is used to shooting, but keen to make a personal project that he could pursue in his spare time which didn’t take up much space, insects became the perfect answer and that project became Microsculpture. Originally starting the project at home using specimens his son had caught in the garden, Levon soon perfected his technique and began to produce some amazing results, that are about to be exhibited at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History....

When shooting in low light conditions at slower shutter speeds, it-s best to use a tripod. But more often than not, you’ll need to shoot handheld. In fact, some of us prefer it whenever it’s possible. There is no a single right way to hold your camera when handholding it. But there sure are some wrong ways that will end up with motion blur in your photos. You want to avoid those, and Chris Nichols of DPReview will share some useful tips and tricks for this....

I have captured photos of stars above distant thunderstorms before, but I never imagined I would be able to capture the Milky Way above a nearby thunderstorm. While out storm chasing in Eastern Montana on June 4, 2018, that’s exactly what happened. See the before and after of the above image at the end of this post! We left our home base around 11 AM and drove about 3 hours to get to our target city where we grabbed a bite to eat and waited patiently for storms to develop....

I’ve always been inspired by the night sky. But I always thought that it would be difficult to shoot. And I guess it was not easy way way back, but today’s tech makes it easy twice: new sensors are extremely sensitive to light and are producing great high-iso, low noise results. This opened up a whole new area of photography for me – night sky photography. Back to the story…...

For a long time I wanted to create a Brave styled photo shoot. I really love the heroic fantasy and Celtic moods that go with the movie and it would not be the first time I go Celtic :). But, an official cos play version of the movie was already out there, so I wanted to do something different. Then I met Elyra Carrousel. Aside from being a wonderful model, she has a vast collection of wonderful costumes and dresses....

Ice lights give nice and soft light for photography and video, but they can cost quite a lot and only come in one color. Their cheaper version called wand light changes colors, but there’s a catch. Out of 360 LEDs on the wand, only 40 of them can change to various colors. So, Jordan Thornsburg from Macroscope Pictures shows you how to bring cheap, versatile and powerful together in this great DIY project....

Rembrandt had a wonderful way of simulating light in his paintings. So much so, that there’s a whole photography lighting technique named after him. Not surprisingly, Rembrandt lighting. It’s characterised by a small triangle of light under the subject’s eye on the shadow side of the face. It’s typical of how Rembrandt painted his subjects. This video from Jay P Morgan shows us how we can get a Rembrandt style lighting setup in a low key portrait....

Online photography groups are one place that can be a goldmine for inspiration. When you have time on your hands or simply want to try some new Photoshop techniques, you could start in worse places. (Photography blogs are also really great, but if you’re reading this then you probably already know that!). Commercial photographer Mark Manne stumbled across an interesting Photoshop video recently which inspired him to create some very interesting dynamic portraits which create a real sense of fun and movement....

Even if you’re trying to be as rock steady as possible with your footage, the camera almost inevitably moves in a way you hadn’t counted on. Sometimes you’ll just shoot it again, but there may be no opportunity for that. You might not even know there’s a problem until you’re back home reviewing the footage. Sometimes, there’s no choice but to fix it in post. Adobe’s Warp Stabilizer that comes with After Effects and Premiere has always been something of a mixed blessing....

Super fast primes are a handy thing to have. But they’re not cheap. Their price puts them out of reach for many photographers. Even if funds aren’t an issue it can still be difficult to justify spending that much on one prime lens. But what other options are there? Well, if you’re Mathieu Stern, one option is to breath new life into a $20 Bell & Howell 50mm f/1.2 projector lens....

One of the things I was a bit confused by when I first started out in photography was the subject of filters. What, when and how to be precise. When should I choose a polarising filter over a neutral density filter? What grade of neutral density filter do I need? Circular or square? And don’t even get me started on those gradient neutral density filters. It all seemed so confusing!...

The system began a few years ago when I needed more light stands and, like most DIY types, didn’t want to pay a lot for them. I happened to have a lot of 3/4″ PVC and 1/2″ metal conduit laying around so I started experimenting. My goal was to come as close as I could to the functions of a retail light stand. The basic stand fits the bill except for the fact that the legs don’t collapse....

You can use different kinds of lighting to capture beautiful landscape photos. But for photographer Adam Gibbs, backlighting is one of the favorites. In this video, he teaches you how to use backlighting in landscape photography, why it is good, and how to make the best out of it. Why backlighting? Generally speaking, backlighting helps separate the subject from the background. The same goes for landscape photos: if your subject is lit from behind, it will have a nice background separation....

So, you’ve seen plenty of splendid stop-motion videos, and you’ve finally decided to make your own. Rob Nelson of the Rob & Jonas duo will show you where to start and how to make your very first stop-motion video. You don’t need fancy gear and a lot of money to start. If you have a smartphone, it’s basically free. You need some props, a few hours of your time and the willingness to do it, that’s all....

When I started out, I always thought: If I could shoot in New York City, Tokyo, Paris or Amsterdam, my street photos would be much better… It turned out that it’s all about your imagination, creativity and patience. To be honest, I’ve captured my favorite street photos in the ugliest of all places. Sure, it’s a bit more challenging to find the extraordinary in the ordinary – but isn’t that what street photography is all about?...

There are numerous setups you can create with just one light and take stunning portrait photos. Well, unless you’re in this unilluminable room. But if you add a sheet of Plexiglas and some water to the equation, the possibilities for creative portraits largely expand. In this video from Adorama, Pye Jirsa shares a simple setup that will get you tons of creative studio portraits. With just one strobe, some Plexi, and a spray bottle, he builds up the set to show you how to take interesting foreground bokeh portraits....