We’re not sure how we missed this when the camera was announced at the beginning of last month, but the Canon Rebel T3 (AKA 1100D) will be available in four different colors when it lands on shelves next month. In addition to the standard black body — which some consumers might find intimidating — the camera (and matching straps) will also be available in red, brown, and metallic gray. Supposedly non-black versions will cost a bit more.
Perhaps this is the first step Canon is taking towards allowing the colors on entry-level DSLRs to be completely customized, like Pentax has been doing for some time now.
Have an unloved camera strap lying around? You can repurpose it as a strap for a shoulder bag! This could be a good upgrade for a bag that doesn’t fit very nicely over your shoulder, or could be a fun gift idea for your photography-lovin’ girlfriend or wife. You can find a tutorial on how to do this over on Photojojo.
“Hipster traps” have been springing up across New York City, and one of the baits used is a Holga 120N camera. The traps are the latest project by artists Jeff Greenspan and Hunter Fine.
Urban Traps is a project where we lay traps for certain subcultures. Our goal is protect neighborhoods from infestation and collect different species for further study. [#]
Other items used for bait are sunglasses, a yellow bicycle chain, a can of PBR and a pack of American Spirits. Read more…
Here’s an interesting glimpse into what a DSLR’s aperture blades and shutter curtain look like in super slow motion. Specifically, it’s a Nikon D3 shooting at 11 frames per second with 1/4000 shutter speed and f/16, all captured at 5,000 frames per second. What’s amazing is that the shutter curtain moves so quickly that you can’t see the sensor at all, even at 5000fps!
Lomography shop manager Liana Garcia Joyce recently discovered an awesome trick for increasing your film stash: all you have to do is get married to someone who loves analog photography just as much as you do!
Cinematographer James Miller spent two years developing a technique for converting 8mm footage to digital by beaming it directly onto the sensor of a Canon 5D Mark II. He replaced the bulb on an old projector with LED lights, and used elements from a disassembled lens to focus the light. You can read a step-by-step walkthrough of this project here. Read more…
Chicago-based designer Dan Riordan woke up one morning, saw his Polaroid Land Camera 95A, and thought to himself, “I can make a lamp of out that”. So he did. Now, after several months of perfecting his build process, he’s selling these hand-crafted lamps for $150 through his Etsy store. The lamps are LED powered, last 50,000 hours without needing a new bulb, and are dimmable so you can adjust the brightness to your liking.
Last year we featured a pretty neat slow motion video shot from a moving train. British band SixToes decided to use the same idea for a music video, placing people all along the platform doing various things, and slowing down 7 seconds of footage into an entire music video.
The idea could be improved on by having what’s happening on the platform reflect what’s being sung in the song, but would require tons of planning and perfect timing — though the end product would be totally mind-boggling.
Cell phones are playing a bigger and bigger role in citizen journalism — just look at the imagery coming out of the Middle East protests — and universities are beginning to offer entire courses on using them for photography. A new class at Immaculata University is designed to teach both the ethical and technical aspects of cell phone photography. Communications professor Sean Flannery leads the students in issues including voyeurism, ethics, citizen journalism and the difference between public and private spaces, and professional photographer Hunter Martin teaches things like composition, lighting, and editing.
Images created by the current crop of students will be on display next month in a campus art show.
This video by FotoTV features “microstock king” Yuri Arcurs leading a workshop and imparting all sorts of useful tips that you’ll find useful even if you have no interest in doing microstock — things like working with models and capturing emotion. Get out your pen and paper and start taking notes!
