When you first start shooting in a studio, it’s very exciting – but it can also be overwhelming. There’s so much to learn about studio lighting and so many mistakes that you’ll make. In this video, Karl Taylor mentions nine of the biggest mistakes photographers make when they first start shooting with studio lighting. Of course, we all learn from or mistakes, but let’s try and flatten that learning curve, shall we?...
Nitecore has announced its “World’s First Smart Battery” for Sony, the Nitecore NFZ100. It’s a drop-in replacement for the Sony NP-FZ100 used in the Sony A7 III, A7R III, A7R IV and A9 mirrorless cameras. At least, it is if Sony doesn’t make 3rd party batteries impossibly impractical to use again. As a “Smart” device, the new Nitecore Smart Battery talks to an app on your phone; Nitecore NNERGY. The app will be available for both iOS and Android and lets you monitor the battery health and other details wirelessly....
Being an Instagram influencer may not sound like a real job, but it definitely can be a way of making money. Or at least getting free stuff. However, a beach club owner on Siargao Island, Philippines, is sick of Instagrammers asking for free food, drink or accommodation. In a Facebook post, he suggested to “self-proclaimed ‘influencers’” to “try to actually work.” His post quickly went viral, causing lots of praise, but also lots of criticism....
Spekular, the lighting system released by Spiffy Gear back in 2017 was a particularly unique lighting system at the time. Offering a modular setup with interlinked joints that would let you chain a bunch of them together in order to create all kinds of rings, triangles, stars and even panels. I have a couple of Spekular kits myself and they’ve been fantastic for creating light in situations where more bulky LEDs and softboxes would have been impossible....
OM Digital Solutions has announced the new Olympus PEN E-P7 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera. The E-P7 is OM Digital’s first camera release since the acquisition of Olympus by JIP was completed in January. It will be available in Japan and Europe, although it’s apparently not coming to the USA. At least, not yet. The official announcement confirms that OM Digital will be keeping the Olympus branding for at least the foreseeable future....
I’m 5 feet tall on a good day. People always ask me for directions and children look me in the eye. I’m low-profile and not threatening and, with my black clothes and small camera, I easily disappear into city crowds. Being a women makes me vulnerable on the street, but is an advantage as a photographer. On the flip side, when photo subjects do notice me, some do see me as a threat to their privacy or space....
Although Japan Industrial Partners has essentially come out and said that it’s business as usual for Olympus as a camera brand and that it has big plans (particularly with video) for the Micro Four Thirds system in the future, many MFT shooters are still in doubt about what may come under the brand’s new ownership. A report on 43Rumors today, also suggests that Panasonic isn’t all that confident in MFT’s future, either....
It seems that Sony isn’t the only company finally seeing vloggers as a serious market. With the rise in vloggers on YouTube over the past few years, and particularly in the last few months as many are stuck at home, it was only a matter of time before companies finally started giving them what they really wanted. Sony’s new ZV-1 vlogging camera seems to have been met with a very warm reception and now Panasonic’s apparently getting in on the action with the G100, according to 43Rumors, with an official announcement expected on June 24th....
The colour giant Pantone has announced the launch of the world’s first validation program for skin tones for technology. It’s called SkinTone Validated, and like its Pantone Validated scheme, allows computer screens, TV, mobile devices and printer manufacturers to have their displays tested to ensure that they authentically reproduce skin tones. The program was launched in conjunction with BenQ and is based upon the pre-existing Pantone SkinTone Guide. “The new program will help provide confidence to companies and consumers that the colours they are seeing on the tested devices can authentically reproduce skin tones as defined by the Pantone SkinTone guide,” says Pantone....
As photographers or filmmakers, we occasionally find ourselves in need of some kind of tool. Maybe we’re tearing down and rebuilding our video rig or perhaps it’s something as simple as tightening down the screw on a tripod plate. Whatever it is, occasionally (or often), there’s a need. While there are a number of multitools on the market made specifically for photographers and filmmakers, like this one, this one or this one from SmallRig, Peter McKinnon believes they’re all a bit lacking and has spent the last year and a half designing his own....
No, this is not a TIE fighter gong over the sun, it is the International Space Station. And while getting a shot of the ISS over the sun is competently doable, getting that shot with Mercury in the frame is an epic effort. Engineer and photographer Thierry Legault took this composite of the ISS, Sun and Mercury at a carefully selected location and date in Philadelphia, USA. You see during the entire 21st century there are only 14 times that Mercury goes over the sun....
It is not rare that a fictional character gets a dedicated fan photo shoot. Deadpool, Batman and Assassin’s Creed are some of the hardcore characters we’ve featured before, and brave was on the softer side. With Wonder Woman being such a hit, it’s no wonder that this character is getting some action. We’ve already featured a $1,500 shoot of a young daughter, and now comes the adult version. Digital artist Antti Karppinen put quite a realistic shoot with Mae-rye cosplay and it is stellar and very much true to the movie....
Ole Jørgen Liodden* is one of Norway’s most renowned wildlife photographers. His work is recognized internationally, and he has written several books about wildlife and nature photography. It was during a photo expedition to the Antarctic in 2017 that he captured some stunning images of cormorants. Before the trip, Ole Jørgen had developed a pole cam system to photograph underwater and water-splits (over/under water) from a zodiac boat. He constructed the system in such a fashion that he could use live-view to compose the shots....
Now that the temperatures are climbing, it’s pretty usual for Spaniards to have the odd siesta to make it through the hot afternoons. Bears it seems also enjoy their naps. One lucky wildlife photographer managed to capture one bear’s lengthy sleep in the woods on his trail cam. Nature photographer Robert Martinez spent three years hoping to capture a bear taking a nap before he finally achieved it. He filmed the bear sleeping for a good four hours in Angeles National Forest....
The International Space Station orbits the Earth about every 90 minutes. However, capturing it as it transits in front of other objects requires meticulous planning and perfect timing. Germany-based photographer Mehmet Ergün caught the ISS as it transits the Sun, and shared his absolutely stunning photo with DIYP. Mehmet is an astrophotographer born in Turkey but grew up mostly in Germany. He’s been interested in our universe since he was a child, and this interest evolved and let Mehmet to becoming an astrophotographer....
Sometimes photographers find real gems among the vintage cameras and lenses. Dutch photographer Martijn van Oers found an original Zeiss Ikon 520/2 in a second-hand store, dating from around 1929. The folding medium-format camera had a roll of film inside, with the word EXPOSÉ on it. It got him intrigued, and he decided to develop the film and see if he can get something out of it. He contacted a friend Johan Holleman, who has been into film photography and film developing for the most of his life....
Last year, photographer Justin Goldman filed a lawsuit against several publications that featured someone’s embedded tweet with his copyrighted photo. The court ruled that this was, indeed, copyright infringement, so Goldman won the case. Now, he is looking to extend his victory and he is going for a few more news sites and blogs. First, some background story. Manatt explains that Goldman posted a previously copyrighted photo to his Snapchat account in 2016....
Over the past few days, I got hooked on Jessica Kobeissi‘s reaction videos, where she comments on America’s Next Top Model. I’ve never watched the show itself, but I watched a few episodes through Jessica’s videos – and they left me shocked! I felt the need to talk about it and share my thoughts. But since I’m pretty terrible at making videos, I’ll do it in this article. Advertisements One of the most problematic shoots is the one where they made the models “switch ethnicities....
UK photographer Brendan Barry can turn pretty much any object into a camera obscura: from a camper to an entire skyscraper floor. This time, he teamed up with young folks from Beyond the Box to turn an empty building in London into a multi-lens camera obscura. Unlike previous times, Brendan used a new process he developed during the project. Thanks to some DIY magic, film chemicals, and smartphone torches, Brendan and his team created a unique large format image of the city....
While many will be preparing their own camera bags right now and getting ready to record the evening’s festivities and celebrate American history, one photographer captures American history-in-the-making on an almost daily basis. That photographer is Pete Souza, who has followed President Obama with his cameras since 2005. By the end of Obama’s tenure, Souza believes he will have created over two million photographs of the President. That’s a heavy workload....
