Fresnel lenses are found in all kinds of things from the lenses and light modifiers we use in photography and filmmaking to lighthouses that guide ships at sea. The lens was developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, after whom it was named, specifically for use in lighthouses. It allows for the construction of huge aperture and short focal length lenses but using less material than more traditional lens optics. How exactly do they work, though?...

You’ve always wanted to visit Rome and see the Sistine Chapel, but you can’t travel because of the pandemic? Worry not, there’s now a book made from impressive 270,000 images of the iconic chapel. The only problem is that the book itself costs way more than a journey to Italy – the price tag is a whopping $22,000. The luxurious book is a result of a collaboration between Callaway Arts & Entertainment, the Vatican Museums, and the Italian art publisher Scripta Maneant of Bologna, Italy....

Well, this is pretty cool, if a little expensive. Lukos is an ultra-wide HDMI IPS display offering 100% sRGB and 3840×1100 resolution for a whopping 32:9 widescreen view, advertised as an “advanced monitor for entertainment and productivity”. The size and aspect ratio of it is very reminiscent of the “Duo” laptops from ASUS that kicked off with the ZenBook Pro Duo a couple of years ago. And it looks like it should provide a similar level of functionality, too, acting as an extra super widescreen monitor onto which you can place all kinds of small apps to keep them handy but out of the way....

We’ve seen many photos and videos of the total solar eclipse so far, but there’s still something to impress us. For example, a video of total solar eclipse recorded from a stratospheric balloon. Liem Bahneman took this video, and it provides an interesting view of the Earth from near space during the eclipse. As Liem explains, he launched a camera-laden balloon before totality passed over Central Oregon: His estimate is that the balloon was at 50-60,000 feet at totality....

The angle of view is one of the elements that add to the story you want to tell in your filmmaking and photography work. In this video from StudioBinder, writer and director Arnon Shorr explains three main types of high-angle shots. He will teach you how to use them so you can take your video work to the next level. High-angle shots can be subtle or extreme; tight or wide; used with a purpose, or simply because they look cool....

Over the course of our lives, we’ll give and receive countless pieces of advice. Of course, this applies to those directed at our photography, whether we’re hobbyists or professionals. However, not all of this advice is useful or constructive. In fact, it can just drive you away from enjoying your work. In this video, Roman Fox gives you three rubbish street photography tips that you should ignore when you hear them, but I’d say you should also avoid giving them to others....

If I have ever doubted that we live in a super-messed up world, 2020 and 2021 have convinced me that we indeed do. Now TIME Magazine has published the top 100 photos of 2021 and I am now as pessimistic as I can possibly be. “Remember when people thought it was the year? That 2020 was uniquely cursed, the worst year ever, that all would be resolved by January,” TIME writes....

This seems to have become a big thing lately. Computer games foregoing the usual plain old boring screenshots and offering in-game “cameras” to let you position and compose your shot for a more pleasing image. Hell, even Mario Kart Tour has one. But what we’re starting to see now are games that are entirely based on shooting photos. We featured one recently that’s actually a Photography Simulator (at least that’s the name of it), but Toem is a game where you play the part of an amateur photographer, going on expeditions and helping to solve problems by “snapping photos in [a] hand-drawn adventure game”....

When you read or hear the expression, “Photography is all about light,” you clearly understand the definition of each word; however, the true meaning from a photography perspective can be elusive. It takes time to fully grasp.Advertisements I clearly remember my first true photography experiment that accelerated my understanding of the basics of photography in regard to light. It was a family camping trip. We had our campsite set on the beach of a small lake nestled in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal....

When most portrait photographers want to create a directional soft light look, they break out the strobes. Then they usually stick a big octabox on the front of it. But what if you don’t have all that gear? How else can you get soft directional light? Well, you may be able to use the window in your bathroom. In this video, Jay P Morgan shows us how we can get great soft directional light using only what enters through the bathroom window....

While she was taking photos at Hocking Hills State Park last month, Ohio-based photographer Victoria Schafer got tragically killed by a falling branch of a tree. The authorities stated back then that they suspected foul play. And it seems that was correct, as two teenagers have reportedly confessed to being involved in the tragic incident. As previously reported, Victoria Schafer of Chillicothe was taking photos near Old Man’s Cave at Hocking Hills State Park....

You don’t usually think of wolves as creatures that can catch fish. And until recently, it wasn’t something anybody had ever really considered. It turns out, though, that these animals are even smarter than we previously thought and do indeed know how to hunt and catch fish. Specifically, they know how to take advantage of beaver dams to go after ones that can’t easily escape. The revelation comes in what Voyageurs Wolf Project calls the “first-ever” camera collar footage from a wild wolf....

A group of urbex photographers made a grim discovery while exploring an abandoned building in Kansas City. Shortly after entering the building the men found a decomposing body and alerted the authorities. Police then called homicide detectives to the scene to further the investigation. Urban explorers (or urbex as they are known) Michael Meredith and Aaron (family name not supplied) were out indulging in their hobby of exploring abandoned and derelict buildings....

Lightroom presets are all around us, you might love them as a 1 click solution to your batch editing needs or you might think that they are useless and all the photos where one was used look the same. Still, the truth is they are here to stay and maybe we should start thinking of how to integrate them into our professional workflows as more than crutches for the following Instagram post....

Timelapse is one of those rabbit holes you can dive down for days. The amount of different styles and techniques out there today is just mindblowing, as is the massive amount of actual timelapse content out there to be inspired by. But while there are a lot of amazing timelapses on the web, not all timelapse creators start out as experts from the first day. Even once you’ve got your shooting technique down, there’s still work that can be done in the edit to make it more interesting....

Whether it’s a big budget action movie or a regular location photo shoot, the wide shot can be used to add some drama and interest to your scene. Environment provides context. The exact opposite of the wide shot is the extreme close-up, which focuses in on the small details while still providing some of the same effects. In these two videos, put together by Jacob T. Swinney, we see a study on both the wide shots and extreme close-ups of Hollywood director David Fincher....

Sometimes, you want to use a shotgun microphone, but the angle is too wide, or the location demands that the microphone would be very close to the subject. So close that it gets in the shot. Videographer Griffin Hammond has a great tip on placing a shotgun mic very close to your subject, while not seeing it in the final frame. Think invisible shotgun mic. The trick is to actually place the shotgun very close to the subject (i....

If you’re the only photographer among your friends and family, chances are they have asked you some things that can be quite annoying. And they’ve asked them more than once. In this video, Justin Mott reflects on three things you can tell a professional photographer to annoy them. I’m not even a pro, but the first one is still super-relatable for me. Let’s see if you can relate as well....

The eruption of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano attracted thousands of spectators this spring. Naturally, there were many photographers and filmmakers among them, so we’ve seen some epic footage and photos of the event. But Joey Helms’ aerial video is probably the closest we’ll ever see an active volcano. Joey flew his drone so close to the volcano that he literally crashed it into the exploding lava. The volcano erupted on 19 March 2021....

When filming with a drone, you can sometimes see things that aren’t as obvious as when you’re down on the ground – or in the ocean. This is what recently happened in Australia when a drone operator filmed a close encounter between a surfer and a shark. Thanks to the drone footage, the pilot was able to warn the surfer so he could safely return to the shore. Matt Wilkinson was surfing at Sharpes Beach at Ballina, Australia last week when he had a close encounter with a 1....