Here’s an interesting video in which Jack White — singer and guitarist of The White Stripes — shares some thoughts on work ethic and restriction, and how they relate to creativity:
Deadlines and things make you creative, but opportunity and telling yourself “you’ve got all the time in the world, all the money in the world, you’ve all the colors in the pallete you want, anything you want” — that just kills creativity.
For photographers, this means you should keep on shooting even if you feel dry and devoid of fresh ideas — “maybe something good will come out of it.”
You’ve probably seen (and taken) forced perspective photos before, but South Korean artist June Bum Park goes one step further, using footage from cameras in high places to control cars, pedestrians, and other things in the scene as if playing with a miniature world. Read more…
Fujifilm’s retro-tastic X100 has been selling like hotcakes since hitting shelves earlier this year, and the company is reportedly primed for another big announcement: the X50. According to rumors swirling around the web, the X50 will be a smaller and cheaper relative of the X100 that uses the same sleek design.
While both cameras shoot 12 megapixel photos, the X50 will use a 2/3-inch sensor (smaller than Micro Four Thirds cameras) instead of the APS-C one found in the X100. The camera is also rumored to have an optical viewfinder, raw capabilities, and 1080p video recording. What’s most attractive is the price: instead of the $1200 price tag found on the X100, the X50 will cost just $600. Expect to see an announcement within the next few weeks.
When the sunlight is right, you can shoot a photograph of a couple holding hands while they form a heart with their shadows! Bonus points if you can catch the sunlight with an engagement ring and make it sparkle.
Most cameras designed for young children have kid-friendly designs, but eye-numbingly bad image quality. On the other hand, a cheaper point-and-shoot camera shoots better photos but probably won’t last very long in the hands of a child. A way to make a cheap digital camera more kid-friendly and durable is to use Sugru, a special kind of silicone that resembles modeling clay. Strategically cover the camera with pieces of it, and you’ll have a camera that even the most reckless child will have a hard time breaking.
Here’s what a Leica M4 rangefinder camera looks like when taken apart. It’s crazy how so many small parts can work together so seamlessly and reliably.
Developer Boris Smus came up with this super minimalist way of sharing his email address, Twitter username, and website URL. He writes,
I’m ordering a personal set of moo mini cards. These are small, two sided prints. One side contains an image, and the other contains contact information. On the image side, I’m putting snippets of travel photography. The other side is by default a conventional list of contact information, but moo conveniently allows it to be replaced by a custom image.
If you have an email address that lets you do the same thing, this could be a neat way to pass your contact info to prospective clients.
A Pennsylvania photographer named Jennifer McKendrick has caused quite a stir by canceling senior portrait sessions with a group of high school girls after discovering evidence of bullying by the teens on Facebook. While browsing Facebook, McKendrick came across a page containing nasty comments left by people whose names matched the ones on her client list, and subsequently cancelled the shoots. In a blog post titled “I Won’t Photograph Ugly People“, McKendrick writes,
This morning I sent out 4 emails to those clients while CC’ing in their parents explaining WHY I was canceling their shoots. I also included screen shots of the comments they made. They couldn’t deny it, I had the picture of what they said. I informed them that I’d be sending their deposits back and that they’d have to find another photographer. So far, I have received two emails back from their parents that claimed (I’m paraphrasing) they were shocked that this had happened. They apologized that their child acted in such a way and that they would deal with the matter. So far I haven’t received any backlash but I’m ready for it. I’m a small business owner and I have the luxury of making that decision. If you are ugly on the inside, I’m sorry but I won’t take your photos to make you look pretty on the outside!
The post has already garnered hundreds of comments and tens of thousands of Facebook “Likes” supporting her decision to stand up against bullying.
Hayashi Natsumi’s levitation photos have received a lot of publicity as of late (check out her blog here), prompting Kai over at DigitalRev to create this short video tutorial teaching the technique. Could be a fun weekend project if you’re looking for something to shoot.
