TTL seems to have become all the rage for big strobes the last few years. There are now TTL strobe options from Godox, Profoto and even Cactus, amongst others. Now Elinchrom up their game with the new ELB 500 TTL; A 500Ws pack & head system offering TTL, High Speed Sync all the way up to 1/8000sec, and 400 full power flashes on a single charge for use both on location and in the studio....
Facebook has teamed up with Ray-Ban to bring you Ray-Ban Stories, its first pair of “smart glasses.” They combine the recognizable Ray-Ban frames, Facebook technology, and a pair of cameras so you can now share absolutely every moment of your life on social media. Sounds familiar? Yeah, I thought of Snapchat Spectacles, too. Facebook’s no stranger to copying ideas, and this isn’t the first time it tries to be like Snapchat....
A power drill isn’t usually on the list when it comes to packing our camera bags to head out on a shoot, but as this video from Luke Edwin shows, a power drill can be an extremely versatile filmmaking tool! Ok, so, maybe “filmmaking tool” is a bit of an exaggeration, especially if you’re using a heavy camera like a tricked-out mirrorless rig in a cage. But they can let you get some pretty unique shots....
Other than the previously rumored GFX 50S II announced yesterday, Fuji has some more surprises up its sleeve. The company has also announced two new fast primes for its APS-C camera line: the XF 23mm f/1.4 and the XF 33mm f/1.4. If you’re up for standard prime lenses, one of these is what you’re looking for. FUJIFILM XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR is a standard wide-angle prime....
Fujifilm has announced its new hybrid camera, the Instax Mini Evo. It combines the “I WANT IT NOW!” factor of instant prints with some of the perks that digital imaging technology has to offer. Images captured by the camera are stored digitally, allowing you to more easily pick and choose which images you want to print – rather than just pressing a button, having it print and hoping it doesn’t suck....
Full frame vs. crop: which one should you buy? Whether you’re getting your first camera or want to upgrade from the one you already own, this is one of the decisions you need to make. Photographer Sheldon Evans shares his experience with both types of DSLRs. He switched from full frame to APS-C, now he’s going back to full-frame, and he’ll give you some reasons why you should choose one over the other....
A lot of new photographers getting into portraiture ask the question, what are some tips for taking portraits? And the answers are always the same; try to get natural poses, shoot during the golden hour, use a longer lens, use a lower aperture and so on… Those are great first tips, but something that doesn’t get brought up a lot is making sure you’re confident going into the shoot....
Earlier this month, Google announced “Licensable” tag that would be placed on thumbnails in Google Images. The feature is now officially out, and it could help all photographers sell their work or stock photos much easier. When you search for a photo, those that include licensing information have a “Licensable” badge on the thumbnail on the results page. Then, when you click on a photo and it opens in the image viewer, Google shows more details....
Google Street View lets you see almost all corners of the world, but now you can even see the world from another angle – from space. They launched the latest novelty to the web app, which lets you explore the inside of the International Space Station (ISS). In addition, you can also see the images of the Earth taken from the observation cupola. The ISS floats 250 miles above the Earth, and it’s a base for space exploration....
“Hey, mom, what is going on here?” “Oh my goodness, let me take a look. THAT is you at 2 weeks of age.” “Why am I hanging from a tree in this one picture? That’s weird. And, holy shit, mom, I’m in a nest of fire in this other one.” “Stephen, don’t be ridiculous. You weren’t really in a tree or in fire. We just wanted it to look that way....
Smartphone photography is on the rise, there’s no question, and we’ve had our eye on the ShiftCam ecosystem since their Kickstarter announcements. The ShiftCam ProGrip has gone beyond the Kickstarter phase and is now out there for purchase, along with other items in their line-up. There are other systems available to hold our smartphone and make it look and feel more like a camera, but ShiftCam seems to be up there as one of the better systems....
On 20 July 1969, astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first men to set their feet on the surface of the Moon. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, Hasselblad has re-issued the original press release for the 500C cameras that were used to capture these historical moments. The Apollo 11 mission wasn’t the first collaboration between NASA and Hasselblad. Naval captain and mission pilot of the 1962 Mercury program, Walter “Wally” Schirra, owned a Hasselblad 500C already....
National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen has recently filmed a video which shows how terrifying global warming really is. The video shows a weak, starving polar bear in a desperate search for food. It’s heart-wrenching, but more than that – it’s a warning of the planet Earth that an entire species may disappear if we don’t make a change. Nicklen posted the video on his Instagram profile, and it soon went viral....
High Efficiency Image File Format (or “HEIF”, for short) is Apple’s new format for storing stills on your phone. With the goal of replacing JPG as the new image standard, it claims to save up to 50% of storage space for your photos. Until now, though, the only way you’ve been able to view them or really do anything with them is using an iOS 11 device or a mac....
Whether we like it or not – it looks like vertical videos are taking over the social media. In fact, the majority of videos on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and other platforms are vertical rather than horizontal. So, if you want to start creating vertical videos for your social channels, these eight tips from Landon Bytheway will help you to nail it. 1. Camera orientation Fr starters, shoot in portrait orientation instead of shooting in landscape orientation and cropping the video later....
When you bought your first DSLR, you probably got it with a kit lens. These lenses are cheap, and not really top-notch quality. If you bought a prime or a high-end zoom later, you know a kit lens can’t beat it. However, there are still some reasons to use a kit lens. They may not always be the best choice, but they certainly have their purpose. In this video, cinematographer Darious Britt gives you some of the reasons why he loves cheap kit lenses, despite their drawbacks....
It’s April 1st again, so the web has naturally been filling itself with April Fools pranks. Here are some of the ones we’ve seen so far from around the world. Did you fall for any of these? Have you spotted any that we haven’t seen yet? We’ll be updating this list as the day goes on and different timezones start waking up, so keep checking back! Kodak announces new Kodak Moments Fridge just for film This is a pretty amusing one from the folks at The Phoblographer and, well, honestly, it’s something I’d kind of expect Kodak to announce, really....
Recently I had the opportunity to photograph an incredibly talented trumpeter by the name of Spencer Ludwig. You’ve definitely heard his song ’Diggy’ in all of the Target commercials lately, and he’s currently touring throughout North America kicking out the jams. After some emailing back and forth we decided that the best spot to shoot Spencer would be at the hotel where he was staying, following his show that night in Denver....
I decided to make this image for my product portfolio. I think it is important to build images with total creative freedom, without having to follow a client’s needs. This way, we can experiment and look for new concepts. I already had the Fructis shampoo containers in the studio for a long time to make an image. I’d had the mirrors even longer, So, I decided to make this image inspired by some other images I’d seen with a similar concept....
Whenever I take photos I am satisfied with, I feel butterflies in my stomach. I recently though how photography gives me the same feeling as when I’m in love. And so, my always-in-love brain came up with a bit quirky comparison: how is photography similar to a relationship? I’ve had a few relationships over the years. I’m currently in the longest one with a human, but the one I’ve had with photography still beats it in duration....
