The organisers of Photokina at the Koelnmesse have just announced that Photokina, the Biennial photography trade show in Cologne, Germany, has come to an end after 70 years. The show had sent out emails to exhibitors this morning, letting them know what was going on, and then announced the news publicly via press release. They say that this hasn’t been directly caused by the coronavirus pandemic, although it did cause the cancellation of Photokina 2020, stating that “the imaging market was already subject to strong upheaval, with annual declines in the double digits”....

Photographer Mike Olbinski (previously) is best known for his spectacular timelapse videos. As he’s a passionate storm chaser, those videos show storms that just take our breath away. In his latest video, he brings us another treat. Mike’s latest timelapse, Haboob: A Decade of Dust, is a compilation of haboob dust storms he captured over the last decade. Yup, that’s ten year’s-worth of magnificent haboob clouds – so I’m sure it will make your jaw drop....

British insurance company Direct Line is getting into the drone business. More specifically, they’re getting into the “mounting lights on drones” business. Ok, so this isn’t entirely photography related but it does hold some cool potential for photographers. Direct Line have teamed up with a bunch of drone experts to come up with what they’re calling Fleetlights. The idea is to help aid people in dark situations. Walking home late at night through areas where there are not streetlights....

These are sad news today. Brooks Institute which has been the home to many photographers, photo journalists, and filmmakers is closing its doors. According to an announcement on Brook’s facebook page, Brooks Institute will be closing October 31st, 2016. Sometime you hope that someone hijacked the page and pranked the world, but this is not the case. The Californian college was established in 1945 and was initially called Brooks Institute of Photography....

Camera+ is one of my favourite iOS apps. It’s almost certainly the one I’ve used the most during the time that I owned iPhones. Whenever I got a new one, it was the first thing I’d install to replace the stock camera app that comes with iOS. It offers a level of control that the native app just can’t (or at least, doesn’t) offer while still offering “easy mode” options for when you want a quick snap....

Some people go the extra mile to do a great job. Not only is this cameraman dressed in camouflage, but he’s filming on ice skates! It’s a pretty niche job; not everyone could do what he does, and to do it well without causing serious injury. Perhaps that’s why ice-hockey cameraman Nathan Eidse has recently leaped to fame. Eidse has been covering the world junior men’s hockey championship inside Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre for TSN....

Reviews of the new Canon 6D Mark II keep coming in, and the feelings of users still seem mixed. Chris and Jordan from The Camera Store TV made a fantastic hands-on review with the latest Canon’s model. They will give you all the good and the bad sides of this camera, both for photography and the video. There definitely are both sides, and it’s up to you to choose which ones will prevail when it comes to your decision to buy this camera....

Canon have officially announced both the EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM lens confirming earlier rumours, as well as a new Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT flash. The Canon 600EX II-RT replaces Canon’s former flagship Speedlite 600EX-RT offering a huge boost in recycle times up to 2x faster than its predecessor. The 28mm Macro flash is pretty much as the rumours predicted, although offers a 1:1 magnification, along with a 1....

It looks like Canon is about to announce a couple of new lenses according to a couple of reports from Asobinet and Photo Rumors. Both of the lenses are RF mount lenses and it appears as though they’ll be full-frame lenses, given that they’re specifically named “RF” and not “RF-S”. One is an ultra-wide-angle 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM zoom while the other is the fast 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM....

This summer, Canon turned to crowdfunding in an attempt to launch Canon IVY REC, a tiny clippable action camera. After a successful IndieGoGo campaign, Canon is now making IVY REC publicly available. This little action cam is made to go anywhere with you and shoot in harsh conditions, and it could hopefully succeed where Nikon KeyMission failed. Canon IVY REC is small and lightweight, made to be clipped onto your belt or backpack and carried everywhere....

The infamous lens mugs are something most photographers actually dislike, or so I’ve heard. But would you give a chance to other photo-related tableware? Canon recently introduced a set of lacquered wooden dishes inspired by its lens hoods. It’s nothing like those plastic lens mugs from dollar stores, but it was carefully crafted using traditional Japanese woodworking techniques. The company teamed up with Alvori Company to create the latest set of lens-inspired items....

Canon has recently admitted that they are lagging in innovation behind other companies. Judging from that interview, there was no word about their plans related to photography. However, the company has recently filed a patent that lets you control your cameras and lenses using fingerprint detection. The fingerprint technology allows you to program your camera and lenses for multiple users. It lets you save the specific settings such as IS, AF, and other customizable feature....

The eyes are the window to one’s soul. What truly brings out the eyes in your portraits is a small, yet important detail: catchlights. In this short but very informative video, Joe Edelman takes you through the basics of catchlights – the psychology and science behind them, their importance, as well as plenty of useful tips to get them right and make the best out of your portraits. Catchlights are reflections of light in the subject’s eyes....

Core SWX has announced their new massive Apex360 batteries. These are 367 Watt Hour batteries that are capable of delivering up to 24 Amps of continuous power. There are two different variations of the Apex360. One is the APX-360V, which outputs at the standard 14.8v, which is suitable for most lights, as well as the high-voltage 29.6v APX-360HV variety for high-powered lighting systems. The 14.8v APX-360V comes with a standard V-Mount for plugging into all of the things you’d normally use V-Mount batteries for, while the 29....

The outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus has been affecting the lives of both individuals and businesses. It’s left Wuhan and Shanghai look like ghost towns, and it’s had some of the biggest trade shows canceled. The virus has spread to Europe, and it’s left one of the most crowded and the most photogenic places empty, too – Venice, Italy. In a recent article, The New York Times refers to the popular city as “The Ghost Town of Venice....

No this is not a satirical article – this really happened. A grandma from the Netherlands posted photos of her grandchildren to Facebook and Pinterest without their parents’ permission. After a fallout with her daughter about it, the whole thing ended up in court. The judge ruled that the matter falls under EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), so they ordered the grandmother to take the photos down. The BBC reports that grandma posted the photos to social media without asking parents for the permission....

The largest trade show in Japan, CP+, is being canceled yet again. The event was supposed to take place in Yokohama from 24 to 27 February 2022, but just like two shows before it – the live event was canceled due to the pandemic, but you’ll be able to tune in online. The official announcement has been published on the CP+ website. It reads that CP+ 2022 was supposed to hold an “online hybrid event” with the Pacifico Yokohama venue, following all the precaution measures....

When I was in college in the early 2000s, I still vividly remember how much I had to improvise to make my shots look like a real movie. Back when sliders and gimbals still weren’t available to the masses, we had to create makeshift rigs with PVC pipes and ride skateboards for tracking shots. Of course, a lot has changed since then. These days, even amateur filmmakers now have access to all sorts of accessories online to achieve cinematic shots....

Deity’s S-Mic 2S short shotgun microphone is an evolution of their popular S-Mic 2 shotgun microphone. They had them on show at IBC 2019, but we were too focused on Deity’s new Connect wireless microphone system to notice. Now, though, the S-Mic 2S is getting ready to ship. The Deity S-Mic 2S is essentially a shorter version of the Deity S-Mic 2, which has become one of my favourite shotgun microphones, offering a nice rich sound right out of the box....

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been playing with the new YI 360 VR camera. I’ve wanted to get my hands on one of these since they were announced in April. So, needless to say, I was quite excited when it showed up at my door. Since it arrived, I’ve used it quite a bit. I’ve taken it out while doing things with friends, shot video behind the scenes on photo shoots, and even live streamed to Facebook and YouTube....