The goal for just about every photographer is to become respected for what they do. They want to be looked up to and admired. Sometimes that’s by their peers on social media for a little ego stroking. But much of it is more practical. They want their work respected and admired by potential clients. I mean, let’s face it, we all have bills to pay. For those just starting to try and make money from their photography, it is a great struggle....
I find vintage photos and videos to be something special. They give us a glimpse into the past times and tell us more about what the world was like before. But seeing them in color and high resolution can make us feel even closer to the past times, and the feeling is incredible. This is what Denis Shiryaev did with a 1911 film A Trip to New York City. He used AI to colorize it and upscale it to 4K, so you can now see footage of New York’s daily life in color and high resolution....
Lego characters make the most amazing subjects, they really do. It’s just like photographing people, but on a smaller scale. They’re more reliable, too. They show up, on time, do whatever you want them to, and don’t try to defame you all over the media. So, it’s no wonder they’re such a popular subject. They’re a particular favourite for photographer Juhamatti Vahdersalo. Although, he’s gonna quite dark with his Lego characters....
I’ve seen some great toy photography used to recreate different kinds of scenes. I’ve also seen many awesome recreations of artwork. But Spanish photographer David Cubero combines toys and photography to recreate famous works of art. He uses Marvel toys to do it, and the results are not only well executed, but also very amusing. Let’s see if you can guess which photo represents which work of art. David loves toys and photography, and has been shooting photos of his toys collection since 2009....
If there’s one thing about camera bags and cases, it’s that we never seem to have enough. Like the cameras they contain, they just build up and multiply over time. We justify the collection of bags and cases by saying that each has a different purpose. That they’re all used when shooting in different circumstances. And while “the perfect camera bag” can never exist, there can be perfect examples of particular types of bags for each of those different circumstances....
Virtual reality can take you to places you otherwise couldn’t see, and there’s still plenty of room for improving and experimenting with VR technology. In a recent blog post, Google has announced that they’re experimenting with light field photography to create more realistic VR experience. To make this possible, the company is using a solution that seems pretty simple and clever: a rig made of 16 rotating GoPro cameras....
Lazy or not, I believe most of us would like to save some time when it comes to image editing. I know I’d always rather be outside and take photos than stay at home and stare at the monitor while editing them. Well, if you can relate to this, Serge Ramelli has just the video for you. He’ll show you a neat technique in Lightroom that he calls “Dodge and Burn for lazy people....
I haven’t quite made my mind up about this one yet, and I think I’d actually have to try it – or at least see some results shot using it vs a regular Stofen style diffuser – before I’m able to, but Irish accessory manufacturer, Hahnel has released a new speedlight diffuser that’s… Well, it’s interesting, to say the least. The humble Stofen style diffuser has been around for years and serves 99% of people quite well....
As a part of Skyglow Project, two filmmakers are producing a set of stunning timelapse videos to point out to the problem of light pollution. This time, the journey took Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinović to famous Grand Canyon, Arizona. They managed to capture a phenomenon known as full cloud inversion. And in this timelapse, it looks truly magical. As Harun explains, this phenomenon occurs when cold air is trapped in the canyon by hot air, and combined with moisture and condensation....
Hidden cameras have given us stunning footage of wildlife that we never would have seen otherwise. PBS has employed a pretty interesting one in the mountains of Mexico. It’s a tiny spy hummingbird that has infiltrated into the heart of a huge monarch butterfly swarm. It has filmed the incredible spectacle from up close, and it’s definitely not something you see every day. PBS explains that the swarm has around half a billion monarch butterflies that fly to Mexico from as far as Canada to escape winter....
Buying a new lens is always an exciting event. But, with such a huge choice, you may be indecisive about the one in which you should invest your hard-earned money. In this video, Toma Bonciu suggests a simple trick that will help you determine what would be the ideal next lens for you. Additionally, this trick can also help you when you have to pack light: it will help you to decide the ideal lens to bring....
This topic may not be strictly related to photography. But, deals with an important aspect of our lives photography can affect – relationships. If you’re a portrait or fashion photographer, your significant other might feel uncomfortable when you’re photographing someone from the opposite sex. And in this video, you’ll hear some thoughts on overcoming this problem. Photographer Manny Ortiz and his wife Diana share their story in this honest, personal video....
Looking around it seems that technology is at its peak (well, read this in two or three years and laugh, but for now…). Cameras are almost noiseless, lenses are tack sharp and resolution is blowing off the roofs. To top it all, lenses have micro coating and nano coating eliminate any distortion. And what do we do with those hyper-real photos? We apply Instagram filters and Nik filter. Then we post them online....
If you are just starting out your film making career, you must have notice the issue of locations by now. The big players get to pick a location and rent it, or to rebuild it in a studio. If you only have limited budget, your second best option may be to build a set. While a lot of times a set may look like the real thing, it is basically a collection of stand-up pieces of wood....
Recently, Tamron published a teaser video for four new lenses they planned to announce at some point in October. It was reported that they were to be a 70-180mm f/2.8 zoom along with 20mm f/2.8, 24mm f/2.8 and 35mm f/2.8 primes. Now, it seems Sony Alpha Rumors has potential release dates for all four lenses. Or at least, release years. SAR says that they’ve received the shipment period for the four new Tamron FE lenses, which will be announced at some point during October....
The U.S. Postal Service has recently been ordered to pay $3.5M for a pretty strange case of copyright infringement. They have mistakenly used a photo of the wrong Statue of Liberty on a stamp. Instead of using a photo of the original statue, the U.S. Post used a photo of Robert Davidson’s Las Vegas replica, which resulted in a lawsuit. The Postal Service had featured Lady Liberty on 23 stamps before, but the stamp development manager said during testimony that this photo “featured a fresh take on the statue,” which is why he liked it....
A photo of David Lynch by Nadav Kander was recently published on the cover of UK magazine The Big Issue. It would certainly be fantastic if Kander had sold the photo or gave his permission to the magazine to use it. Instead, it appears that someone photographed his framed print at an exhibition. They posted it to Alamy, and The Big Issue bought it from there, cropped it and used it for the cover....
You have to be pretty lucky to capture the northern lights in the UK. But how lucky do you have to be to take a nap and wake up to images of aurora borealis on your camera? Believe it or not, this is exactly what happened to Chris Lowther from the UK. Chris set everything up to take some photos of star trails during the night. He set a timer and took a nap, considering that it was late at night....
When increasing saturation in Photoshop, it happens that we get a little carried away and end up overdoing it. In this video, Unmesh Dinda of PiXimperfect proposes an interesting method for increasing saturation, yet keeping the image natural-looking. It takes only a few seconds, and it does make a great result. Start by opening the image you want to enhance and hit Ctrl/Cmd + J to copy the layer. Go to Filter > Other > HSB/HSL....
The use of colour in most movies is not random. It’s actually all thought through and planned far in advance of shooting, in order to amplify and help convey the emotion and story. This excellent video walks you through the complicated theory of colour and how it’s used in the film industry. One popular way to simplify how colour is designed is to use the 60/30/10 rule, as this video from Wolfcrow describes....
