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Photographer Incites Outrage Over Nude Photos Inside Forbidden City

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While China typically seems content with simply taking our souls in exchange for feeding our rampant materialism with affordable products, they seem to have picked up a little American prudishness along the way.  Chinese photographer Wang Dong (stop snickering, thou perverts) has sparked a considerable deal of outrage after posting nude photos of models taken inside the Forbidden City.

The images, which surfaced on the Interwebs in May, depict bare-chested and fully naked models posing throughout the palace museum. One model is even pictured riding a stone dragon that is part of the architecture.  (Creativity…what will they think of next?). The 2 corresponding tumblr posts [NSFW] received over 3,100 notes and reblogs.

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Von Wong and a Glimpse of the Other Side – Photographs from inside a Malaysian royal palace

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Ben Von Wong is a great friend. No, we may have never spoken or emailed or seen each other in person, but in my mind we go way back. (There’s a lot of people I know in my imagination…I’m quite the popular fellow, my therapist says.) Yet, even better than a friend, Ben makes an awesome photographer, and we’ve previously featured his work here…and here…and here… You get the idea. He’s practically family.

Recently, Ben and a team of creative professionals had the opportunity to photograph and video The Royal Istana of Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia’s newest royal palace. The palace is off-limits to the general public and access is only granted on an invitation-only basis. I mean, what rich and powerful guy wants his local deli clerk just strolling into his thirteenth living room while he and his harem are seated in a circle reading Twilight?

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Epic Behind The Scenes Footage On Making This Enchantingly Detailed Photo

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Sometimes it’s impossible to realize the amount of work and energy that goes into making a single photograph. You can look at one of Alexia Sinclair’s images and recognize that it was no small production, but until you watch the behind the scenes documentary on the making of her latest photo series, Into The Gloaming, it’s really quite difficult to grasp the lengths Sinclair goes to.

Not only does she build the set from scratch, for this particular photo, she even gathers wild ivy and flowers to photograph and print onto the fabric in which she personally sews the model’s dress from.[Read More…]

Photographing Portraits, Lifestyle, And Counterfeit Fashion With A $9 Budget Per Shoot

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A lot of photographers dream of shooting high fashion and all the expensive couture that comes along with it. Unfortunately, unless you’re shooting specifically for a brand, that kind of budget just isn’t a reality for many photographers. Or is it?

Living in China, the leading manufacturer of shanzhai (i.e. imitation/pirated goods), photographer, Quentin Shih, wanted to undertake a project that would explore the everyday life of the individuals living in the small, poor towns at the forefront of the shanzhai industry. Thus, he started the “$9 Fashion For Photography” series. A collection of portraits for which he budgeted a measly 9 bucks to accessorize the models for each shoot.

“I want to create some humor using fake luxury goods, and the vivid color of these goods is also what interested me, but the fake stuff is not the whole topic I want to explore—young people, life, portraits are what I’m looking for in this project.”

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From Shooting To Post Production: How To Balance Flash With Ambient Light

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Natural light is a wonderful thing, but sometimes we need to supplement it with an artificial light source, such as a flash, to really get the look we’re going for. In the video tutorial below, Gavin Hoey takes us behind the scenes of a Robin Hood themed photoshoot to show us the techniques he used to seamlessly blend a flash with the low, ambient light in the forest where the shoot took place.

Hoey explains how to use different modes including aperture priority and manual mode to capture the image you see above. The light wasn’t as great as Hoey hoped it would be on the day of the shoot so he calls on a Flashpoint RoveLight 600 outfitted inside of a Glow ParaPop 28″ R Softbox, to help create some of the dramatic lighting you see. There was a little added magic done to the photo in post production, but nothing to difficult and Hoey (the nice guy that he is) included a walk through of his  post production, as well. [Read More…]

Rapper ‘Presto Flo’ Falls Into Harbor During A Photoshoot

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We’ve all seen A LOT of fail videos all over the web because it’s almost impossible to not see them and while they’re all entertaining to an extent, I haven’t quite seen any video that’s as hilarious as this one:

The person in this video supposedly is “Presto Flo”, a rapper from Florida who was shooting “Promotional Images” that day. Let’s just say I’ve seen shoots that went better than his… A small gust of wind and…. Better the ocean than a 100 meter dive down a cliff. According to the video description on YouTube he landed on an oyster bed and had to be taken to the emergency room.

We’re ending this with a PSA: watch whats on your back when you have your pictures taken

Photographer And 7 Skaterboarders Take Over Helsinki Airport For Once In A Lifetime Photoshoot


For Arto Saari, the world of professional skateboarding feels a lot like home. Saari, an accomplished skateboarder, has a deep history in the sport and one which is decorated by numerous world championships. As a young star, Saari worked hard throughout his youth to establish himself as one of skating’s biggest stars and now his passion for skating has encouraged the athlete to branch out and enjoy the sport from an all new perspective as a photographer.[Read More…]

From Concept To Completion: Go Behind The Scenes To See This Liquid Photo Come To Life

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In this awesome behind the scenes clip, Phlearn frontman,Aaron Nace details his entire experience creating the image you see above. Starting with just a concept and some sketches, Nace condenses the process into a 10-minute long video clip that’s packed with handy tips, tricks, and lighting advice to give us insights as to what all goes into making these high quality portraits. Hopefully, the easy to understand presentation Nace is known for, will inspire you to undertake a similar project of your own.
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Approach A Photoshoot With An Open Mind To Boost Your Creativity

The creative process can sometimes be one of the most difficult aspects of a photoshoot. Think of all the time we spend mulling over ideas and concepts, trying to come up with up with a new project, until finally one sticks, only to be shelved even longer as we spend more time planning every last detail out. It can be a lengthy process, but it’s also really important. As Corey Rich explains in the clip below, the creative process needs to be nourished and encouraged to evolve, even after the shoot has started. [Read More…]

The Importance of Face for Creating Artful Portraits With Real World Subjects

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Tyler Stableford, a Colorado based fine art photographer, recently spent several months traveling through the United States working in collaboration with Canon on a portrait project titled The Farmers. In the seven minute long, Canon produced video, below, you’re invited to follow Stableford as he takes you behind the scenes of on one of his photoshoots, offering his insights and wisdom on how he goes about taking powerful and artistic portraits of real world subjects.

“Even if we’re in a beautiful area, a person’s face is so important to me, I’m always thinking ‘How shallow can I bring this depth of field,’ because I want the viewer to connect immediately and intimately to the subject and the subject’s face and eyes.”

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