November 2012

Trend: Professional Photographers Being Hired to Shoot Military Homecomings

Professional photographers are often hired to capture moments in life that are memorable and emotional -- two words that aptly describe military homecomings. The number of photographers hired to shoot homecomings is reportedly growing, as more and more families are hiring professionals to document the reunions that occur when soldiers return from war.

Non-Candid Photographs of Strangers in Non-Place Places

"Non-lieux," or "non-place," is a term coined by French anthropologist Marc Augé in a 1995 book titled, Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. It refers to places that lack history and tradition, places that people pass through, places that are solely meant for transactions, places where people are largely anonymous faces, and places that aren't significant enough to be considered "places."

Patent Troll Captures Olympus, Still Going After Canon and Nikon

Intellectual Ventures has announced a settlement with Olympus over a patent infringement battle launched against the camera maker back in September 2011. The patent-holding company, one of the top 5 owners of patents in the United States, is infamous for its "patent trolling", or making money simply by licensing patents from companies and then suing other companies for infringement.

Teardowns of Nikon D600 Reveal Sony Sensor, Hard-to-Replace LCD Screen

Yesterday we featured a photographer's DIY teardown of the Nikon D700, offering a peek at the camera's guts. It was interesting, but a bit outdated since the camera was released back in July 2008. iFixit and Chipworks have just finish their own teardowns of a camera that's much more recent: the Nikon D600 "entry-level" full-frame DSLR.

Photographs Documenting the Demise of Camera Film Companies

Since 2005, photographer and photography lecturer Robert Burley has been documenting the demise of film photography through film photographs. He has traveled around the world with his 4x5 field camera in tow, capturing the demolition of buildings, the equipment that once powered a giant industry, and the desolation of factories that were once teeming with workers.

The photograph above shows a crowd watching the implosions of buildings 65 and 69 at Kodak Park in Rochester, New York on October 6, 2007.

Fuuvi Nanoblock Digital Camera Lets You Build Your Own Toy Camera, LEGO Style

Nanoblock is a plastic building block system that's like a shrunk-down version of LEGO. It has been growing in popularity as of late, and may soon become a fad on the level of Buckyballs. Japanese novelty photo company Fuuvi has partnered up with Nanoblock for a new toy digital camera that can take on all kinds of custom shapes and designs.

Slit-Scan Technique Makes Dancers Look Like Human Slinkys

Slit-scan imaging can make for some pretty trippy photos and videos. The technique involves capturing (or displaying) one "slit" at a time through a frame, causing motion to take on a bizarre appearance as each line in the image shows a slightly different moment in time. French filmmakers Adrien Mondot and Claire Bardainne used the technique a couple of years ago for the video above, which makes two dancers look like human Slinkys.

Kenko Filter Stick is like a Lorgnette for Your Camera Lens

You know those handle-equipped glasses called 'lorgnettes' that were popular among fashionable women in the 19th century? Instead of being fixed to your face, the spectacles were simply held up to your eyes with one hand, and were used mainly for style rather than vision correction. Kenko's new Filter Stick is kinda like that, except for camera lenses instead of booshie eyeballs.

Primer on Shooting Long-Exposure Night Photos on a Mountain

If you have 20 minutes to spare and would like to learn all about how to shoot long-exposure photos showing landscapes and starry skies, check out this primer by adventure photographer Kamil Tamiola. Titled "Let There Be Light," the video steps through many of the fundamental aspects of long-exposure night photography, from choosing the right environment to choosing the right gear.

Canadian Photogs Now Officially Own the Copyright to All of Their Photos

A big win for photographers in Canada: as of today, you now officially own the copyright to all your photographs regardless of whether they were commissioned. The development comes as a result of Canada major copyright reform bill (Bill C-11) taking effect this morning. One of the stated goals of the new copyright law is to, "give photographers the same rights as other creators."

Sigma’s New 35mm f/1.4 Costs $899 and Can Connect to a Computer via USB

Sigma has officially launched its new 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM lens for Canon-, Nikon-, Sony-, Pentax-, and Sigma-mount cameras. The Japanese-made lens features a sleek matte finish, low dispersion elements, multi-layer flare-reducing coating, a hyper-sonic motor for speedy and quiet AF, and a 9-blade diaphragm for smooth bokeh.

Breakfast Cereals Photographed as Fish, Flowers, and Landscapes

"Cerealism" is a project by Phoenix, Arizona-based photographer Ernie Button that features clever photographs of common cereals. He comes up with various scenes inspired by the shape and textures of the cereals, and then uses the cereal pieces as props. Some turn into bales of hay in a landscape, while others become fish in a simple fish bowl.

Photojournalists Reflect on Documenting Obama’s Reelection Campaign

The 2012 election season is now over, and photojournalists who have been scrambling for many months on the campaign trail can now take a breather and reflect on their experiences. Reuters sent us the video above in which Reuters White House photographer Jason Reed offers a short 2-minute-long behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to photograph Barack Obama as he hustled around the nation, "from riding in motorcades through the streets of Manhattan to flying in Air Force One."

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 Mark II Trounces the Mark I in Sharpness

Despite its girth, weight, and price, Canon's original 24-70mm f/2.8L is a highly-regarded general-purposes lens. When the followup Mark II version was announced back in February, the higher-price tag, similar specs, and lack of IS had many photographers scratching their heads. Then the reviews started coming out.

Photos Showing DSLRs Running Various Operating Systems and Apps

Mobile operating systems have begun making their way into digital cameras, but so far their foray has been limited to compact and mirrorless cameras. However, DSLRs are starting to have built-in Wi-Fi, but it seems to be only a matter of time before a full-fledged mobile OS appears in one.

Apparently some photographers (and Photoshoppers) over in China can't wait for that day to arrive. There's a series of viral images floating around showing Canon and Nikon DSLRs running various operating systems and programs.

Photographer Snaps Surprised Reactions After Shouting Words on Subway Trains

Thai photographer Benz Thanachart caused quite a stir in his country this past summer with an unusual photo project titled Smartphone. For each photo, he boarded a subway train, screamed a completely random word, and snapped a photograph to document the passengers' startled reactions. The photograph above was captured after Thanachart shouted "Fried egg!"

A Talk by NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit on Doing Photography in Space

Want to know how astronauts photograph in space? Just ask Donald Pettit, NASA astronaut and “amateur” photographer. Donald Pettit has called the International Space Station home for over 370 days, and in that time he’s captured some of the most mind-blowing photos of space – and Earth – we’ve ever seen.

First Sample Photographs Shot Using the Newly-Announced Nikon D5200

Nikon has released a set of sample photographs to give pixel-peepers a first look at the new D5200's image quality. The photographs, captured by photographer Douglas Menuez, were all shot using "non-professional" DX lenses that cost less than $500. The photograph above was shot using the $200 Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX lens at ISO 200.

Ford Blends Cars Into Scenes Using Paint Instead of Photoshop

Chinese photographer Liu Bolin (AKA "The Invisible Man") has received quite a bit of attention over the past seven years for his self-portraits showing himself blending into various scenes with a carefully painted body rather than digital manipulation. His photographs have attracted the attention of Ford, which recently commissioned Liu to create a series of advertisements to promote the 2013 Ford Fusion.

A Tongue-in-Cheek Explanation of How Stuff Actually Goes Viral Online

Ever wonder how some of the strangest videos manage to go viral online and generate huge profits for their makers? It all has to do with Buyral, a secret program that serves as the kingmaker behind all viral videos. Simply pay the fee, and Buyral will use its carefully developed worldwide program to ensure that your content gets the millions of clicks it deserves. The humorous satirical advertisement seen above, by Aircastle Films, explains how Buyral works.

Snapping Pictures While You Vote Could Get You In Trouble with the Law

As you make your way to polling places today to cast your votes, you might want to look into your state's laws before pulling out your camera and snapping photographs inside your voting booth. Certain states have pretty strict laws with regard to snapping and sharing photographs of ballots. Earlier this year, Wisconsin election officials specifically warned voters that sharing photos of ballots on Facebook or Twitter is a Class I felony, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $10K fine.

Momentum: Photos of Quantum Mechanic Calculations Scribbled on Chalkboards

For his project titled "Momentum", London/Madrid-based photographer Alejandro Guijarro spent three years visiting a number of the leading quantum mechanic research institutions of the world and photographed the chalkboards there exactly as he found them. The resulting photographs look like intelligent graffiti drawn by some of the brightest minds in science.

Facebook Quietly Adds Photo Filters to Primary iOS App

Facebook wasn't content with beating out Twitter in the pursuit of Instagram: the company has now beaten Twitter in launching photo filters in its primary mobile app as well. Just days after The New York Times reported that Twitter will be adding retro filters to its mobile apps in order to compete against Instagram, Facebook has gone ahead and added Instagram-style filters to its official Facebook iOS app.

Nikon D5200 Announced: A D7000 Soul in a Consumer-Level Body

Nikon has just officially announced its new D5200, a mid-range DSLR geared towards consumers. The successor of the D5100, the D5200 shares a lot of guts in common with its sibling the D7000. It's difference is that it's geared towards less advanced photographers and has a body that reflects that.

High-Speed Photos of Cameras Exploding

Last year we featured a CGI rendering of an exploding Polaroid One Step camera that makes for a nice wallpaper. Photographer Alan Sailer creates real photographs showing the same thing. Sailer drills a hole into each camera, fills the void with a firecracker, and then captures the resulting explosion with high-speed photography using a Nikon D90.

A Look Through the Electronic Viewfinder of the Fujifilm X-E1

When we handled a pre-production model of the Fujifilm X-E1 at Photokina back in September, we noted that there seemed to be some strange pixelation, a little lag, and a delay after shots. We said at the time that those issues were likely due to the fact that it was an early demo unit of the camera, and that now appears to be true. A photographer named Andrew (apw100 on YouTube) recently got his X-E1 before most people by ordering through eBay from a company in Hong Kong. He then shot a series of videos showing the EVF quality by putting his iPhone up to the viewfinder.

Instagram Launches Web Profiles, Looks Much More Like a Social Network

This morning Instagram made a huge splash in the social networking scene by launching its own web profiles for viewing users' photographs through a web browser. Each profile shares a user's photographs, profile info, and pretty much everything the mobile view has. The service just became a lot more Facebook-like.

A Time-Lapse Showing What Washington D.C. Looks Like Without Humans

Here's the last planned installment of the Empty America time-lapse series by photographer Ross Ching and Thrash Lab. The video takes us on a journey through the capital of the United States, showing what various landmarks (e.g. Capitol Building, Jefferson Memorial, the White House) look like without the ordinary hustle and bustle of tourists (and security guards).

How to Shift the EXIF Timestamps for a Large Batch of Photos

Here's a friendly public service announcement: remember to time on your camera before and after Daylight Savings Time (which just ended yesterday in the United States) -- unlike cell phones, digital cameras generally don't adjust their own time. If you accidentally forgot and now have a bunch of photos with timestamps that are off by an hour, there are some programs out there that can help you set things right.