There’s no shortage of lighting modifiers for small flashes like the Nikon SB–910 on the market today. From the Apollo softboxes we rent, to grid kits, snoots, umbrellas, and beauty dishes, small flash has really come into its own, especially for photographers working on location.

Now there’s a new accessory for Strobist-style shooters that will let you use a much wider variety of softboxes with your existing small flashes, including the high-end modifiers from companies like Profoto. I used it with two Profoto softboxes a couple of weeks ago for a portrait, with excellent results.

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Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• We begin this week’s Cool Stuff with photographer and teacher Zack Arias’ guest entry on Scott Kelby’s blog. Four years ago, Zack made a similarly awesome and inspiring video for Scott; this one is, I think, even better. Check out the video below, then head over to the article for some solid advice.
  
• This one’s for the video geeks out there. Dale Grahn has been a color timer on a variety of different films, including Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan and The Lion King. Now he has an iPad app out that helps teaches color grading to aspiring video pros.
• Speaking of one for the video geeks out there, this one’s also for you – and for the time-lapse fans as well. Omni-Tracker is a San Jose-based company that recently started a Kickstarter campaign for their new product, called the L’il Mule. Check it out here (the campaign already has 200% funding), and watch the video below, which features footage from BorrowLenses.com alumni Seventh Movement.
  
• From our friends over at the Profoto blog comes an outstanding behind-the-scenes look at Gregory Heisler’s portrait of Michael Phelps. Check out the video below, then head over to Profoto’s Master Series page for more videos from the master of portraiture.
  
• Here’s something a bit more philosophical for image makers of all ilk. Daniel Milnor, whose blog Smogranch is one of our favorites, lays out some first-rate inspiration in a recent post called, “Blurb tip: Learn from Bruce Lee.” Though on the surface it’s about the company he works for, there’s a fantastic message there about following your heart.

 And now, for the BorrowLenses.com Roundup!

That’s it for this week’s Cool Stuff. As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.

Steve McCurry is one of the most prolific photographers alive today. His photograph for National Geographic’s June 1985 cover of Sharbat Gula (also know as the “Afghan Girl”) is one of the most recognizable portraits in history, and his imagery has graced NatGeo’s pages many, many times since.

McCurry has repeatedly proven himself an absolute master of the portrait. His street portraiture, especially, carries tremendous impact. He has an uncanny ability to capture his subjects’ essence, distilling it in a split-second into an image that can range from haunting to exciting and everything in-between.

Steve McCurry iPad App

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Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• Canon’s new 1D C camera has arrived in our warehouse and is available for reservations. This is one camera you’re going to want to check out folks – have a look at the documentary below and you’ll see why.
   
• Speaking of Canon, DSLRNewsShooter.com has a nice piece about how Reuters turned to the 5D Mark III and a 60D for a documentary on education.
• Steve McCurry is one of the most prolific photographers of our generation – his image of the “Afghan Girl” still ranks as one of the most powerful works of portraiture out there. So when we saw that he had a new app out for the iPad that presented 200 of his portraits in a single collection, well, the $3.99 purchase was a no-brainer.
• German TV network Deutsche Welle has released two documentary videos about Legendary camera company Leica. Check out the first video below, then head over to Leica Rumors for the second one.
  
• And finally, via Chase Jarvis’ blog, comes an amazing look at how some artists see the drones used for military strikes around the world, in an outstanding example of the intersection of war and art.

That’s it for this week’s Cool Stuff. As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.

“I’m shooting a wedding for the first time,” asked the nice lady on the phone. “Can you help me go over the gear I’ll need?”

Nikon Wedding Essentials Package

That’s a question we get a lot from our newer customers who are taking on specific photo gigs like portraits and weddings for the first time. It’s a question we like hearing, because it means that more people are finding ways to make their passion pay, and that’s always a good thing.

To make things easier, we decided to introduce the concept of packages into our offerings. This is something a few customers have asked for, and we set about making the necessary modifications to our back-end system to accommodate their requests. (more…)

Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• We begin in outer space, where Curiosity, the Mars rover, has sent back a self-portrait. Cindy Shepard, eat your heart out! Viva Mars!
• Here on earth, the next James Bond movie is about to be released. Here’s a great behind-the-scenes (BTS) look at the locations and setup used in the film. Video geeks, this one’s for you.
  
• Photographer Kenneth Jarecke posts a searing critique of Instagram and its use by Time magazine to document the effects of Hurrican Sandy. Definitely worth a read.
• Photographer Steve McCurry is one of the most renowned photojournalists of our time. Here’s a great look at his work in the area of documentary portraiture.
  
• This next one’s a bit artsy, but it’s absolutely worth a look if you’re interested in the “why” of photographs you see, not just the “how”. Flakphoto presents “Looking at the Land: 21st Century American Views,” a collection of lansdscapes and the stories behind them.
• And finally, we bring you a collection of amazing videos from the folks over at PhotoShelter. Taken as part of their Luminance convention, these feature folks like David Burnett, Zack Arias, and more. Four videos have been released thus far; we can’t wait for all of them to be online. Our favorite so far? Retoucher Amy Dresser’s scathingly irreverent presentation, embedded here for your viewing pleasure.

And now for the BorrowLenses.com Rundown

That’s it for this week’s Cool Stuff. As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.

Portrait photography isn’t easy. Anyone can point a camera at a person and make a quick image. If you’re technically accomplished, you can even get your lighting spot-on and make a great-looking photograph.

But the best portraits have an intangible quality to them that sets them apart. They have soul, that most overused yet accurate of words when it comes to describing photography. They speak to an innate part of the subject’s character, allowing the viewer to see not just what that subject looks like, but also what he or she is feeling and thinking.

Brian Smith is one of those photographers who can pull this off, and do so with applomb. He is perhaps one of the most accomplished portrait artists working today, and his portfolio, which drips with celebrities ranging from Anne Hathaway to Richard Branson and then some, attests to that accomplishment.

So it’s always with a lot of eagerness that I look forward to any kind of information – a book, video tutorial, whatever – from an artist like Brian. Fortunately for us, he has delivered a book on the subject of portrait photography, and what a whopper of a book it is.

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