February 2014

Your Perfect Day: An Inspirational Message on Work/Life Balance for Photographers

What is your perfect day? And when was the last time you had your perfect day? If you're like most photographers the answer to the first question may come out pretty easily (or not...), but the answer to the second...

That was the question that wedding photographer Jerry Ghionis once asked a fellow photographer, and when she heard the second part, it left her in tears. She couldn't remember her last perfect day, because she was so busy working and working and working at her career that she had forgotten to live the lifestyle she was hoping photography would offer.

Sony Brings 20.7MP Photos and 4K Video to the Waterproof Xperia Z2

Trying to keep itself in the high-end mobile phone race, Sony has announced a new flagship phone that manages to pack a great deal of camera technology into a very thin, waterproof package.

While Sony isn't exactly known for their smartphones, it's quite a different story when it comes to their camera technology. Thus, to make use of their consistently improving performance in the photography world, they've decided to bring to life the Sony Xperia Z2, capable of shooting 20.7MP photos and 4K video.

The Incredible Story Behind the First Ever Photos of a Snow Leopard Making a Kill

When it comes to wildlife photography, the Snow Leopard is almost unicorn-like. No, it's not mythical, but it's almost as hard to capture one of these infamous "gray ghosts of the Himalayas" on camera as it is to track down a creature that doesn't actually exist.

Imagine, then, how amazed the people on a recent INDRI Ultimate Wildlife Tour were when they got to watch AND photograph a Snow Leopard making a successful kill -- a world's first.

The Image Story: A Website that Dives Into the Story Behind Incredible Photographs

The saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words. I certainly agree with this sentiment, but there's more to it. For every thousand words the photograph is worth, there's three thousand explaining how the image came to be.

We've all had that moment when we're browsing through some photographs online and the questions hit us. How did someone capture this photo? What gear did they use for this? What was their inspiration? How did they plan it?

Well, for moments like this, there's now a beautifully designed resource called The Image Story.

Invisible: Laura Williams Talks About Her Surreal Self-Portrait that Went Viral

Surreal self-portraits from young photographers are nothing new. In fact, one could say there are almost too many of them out there. But that makes it that much more impressive when a young photog breaks out of the pack and catches the attention of the masses.

That's exactly what 18-year-old photographer and college student Laura Williams did with her viral self-portrait series 'Invisible.'

Nat Geo Photo Editor On Listening to Your Inner Voice and Putting the Photo First

If you've ever dreamed of being published in National Geographic -- and let's be honest, a good number of us have fantasized about that career path -- then you're going to want to pay special attention to the short video above.

At the request of Nat Geo photographer and burn magazine editor David Alan Harvey, Nat Geo photo editor Susan Welchman gives you some concise advice on what she's looking for from her photographers.

White House Upsets Press Photogs Again, Locks Them Out of Dalai Lama Meeting

The Obama Administration is yet again making headlines thanks to its 'closed-door' policy when it comes to anyone other than official White House photographer Pete Souza getting time to photograph the President.

This time the controversy revolves around President Obama's meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a meeting with far-reaching political implications that everyone but Mr. Souza was yet again shut out of.

Take a Ride in the Goodyear Blimp with Photographer Dan Marker-Moore

Riding in the Goodyear Blimp might not be a lifelong dream for everybody, but it was for photographer Dan Marker-Moore, and it's now one he can cross off his bucket list. Last week, he got to ride in (and even fly!) the blimp, capturing video and photos that he graciously sent our way to share with all of you.

Pro Tip: Stabilize Your GoPro Videos Using Your Face

Here's a video from back in 2012 that shows a basic GoPro video stabilization tip you might not have heard of yet. Put together by Mitch Bergsma of MicBergsma Productions, it shows you how holding your GoPro against your face will lead to more stable footage.

Beautiful Studio Portraits of Vintage Gear

There's a reason the retro movement has such staunch supporters, and it's not just because there are a lot of people with ironic facial hair intent on buying a camera that looks as old as possible. The old cameras were at once functional and beautiful, or at the very least beautiful, and an industry that prides itself on appreciating beauty can't help but appreciate the beauty of their tools.

Treasured Cameras is a short photo series by photographer Julian Calverley that celebrates this aesthetic beauty in an ironic way: by taking portraits of vintage cameras using an iPhone.

5D Mark III vs 6D: Which is Better For You?

If you're in the market to purchase a new full-frame camera from Canon, but aren't sure whether to go with the 6D or 5DMIII, the folks over at DSLR Video Shooter have created the above video to help you compare and contrast the two offerings from Canon and decide if the 5D is going to be worth the extra dinero for you.

Professional Skydive Photographer Puts the Nikon D5300 Through Its Paces

Apparently the newest, coolest way to show off your new camera is by sending it up with some professional skydivers and telling them to have at it. Okay, maybe it's too early to spot a trend, but Nikon did recently decide to follow in Sony's footsteps and send a couple of D5300s up with a pro skydive photographer to show them off.

NYC Ballet Enlists Street Art Photog’s Help to Make an Epic Impression on Its Patrons

If you walk into the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center right now, you'll very quickly find your jaw on the floor alongside the reason for its gaping state. Stretched across the entire promenade of the theatre is a large-scale photo installation that has well-dressed ballet-goers so enthralled they're laying down on the floor, striking poses and climbing up several flights of stairs to get a better view of the massive photograph.

PocketWizard Plagued by Poor Sales, May Have Laid Off Almost Half Its Staff

We're unfortunately accustomed to bad news in the photo industry. That's not to say there's not great news and exciting new products and a bright future ahead, all of those things are there too, but slumping sales and discontinued products are becoming all-too-common reports.

Case in point: it seems flash trigger king PocketWizard is struggling of late, with reports claiming that the company has had to lay off as many as 20 of its 50 employees due to low sales figures and increasing competition out of China.

John Stanmeyer Shares the Story Behind His World Press Photo of the Year

Controversy over the World Press Photo organization and the way they handle their judging aside, most people were in agreement that photographer John Stanmeyer deserved the award he received this year. In the above video, the World Press Photo winner shares some insight as to how his widely-praised photograph came to be.

One Journey, Two Cameras: The Sony A7r and the Leica M Monochrom

I’ve not long been back from a trip which took myself and my family back to the UK via a few other places, this wasn’t a photography trip but I’ve included a few of my favourite images picked up along the way. The are more images along with a more extensive write-up on my blog here -- The Reluctant Tourist.

Using Body Painted Models to Create and Photograph a Fiat 500c Abarth

Editor's Note: This video is a tiny bit NSFW. All nudity has been censored, but the models are at times very scantily clad so you may want to wait until you're at home to watch it.

While The Body Issue of ESPN Magazine usually keeps the focus on bodies in a sporty sense, Fiat wanted to make an impression in its advertising pages as well.

And so, taking the Fiat 500C's motto "Made of Pure Muscle" to its most literal sense, Fiat used 15 circus performers, acrobats and artists to turn human bodies into a car without the help of Photoshop.

LEGOgrapher Tours the World in Viral 365 Project Shot on an iPhone 4S

Human photographers aren't the only ones dragging their cameras to every corner of the globe in search of the decisive moment. As it turns out, a little LEGO man spent a year doing the same thing as part of life-sized human photographer Andrew Whyte's fun 'The Legographer' series.

Crunching the Numbers on the World Press Photo Photographers’ Gear

Each year, the breakdown of gear usage statistics by some of the largest news agencies and associations makes itself public; and this year is no exception, thanks to this infographic provided by hastalosmegapixeles.

Looking through the infographic, we get a great look at what gear the press photography pros prefer when they're out in the field shooting World Press Photo award-winners.

New Top Level Domains for Photographers, Grab Them While They Last

As was inevitable, the more common and generic top level domains (e.g. .com, .net, and even .co) are becoming scarce as more and more domains are registered each day.

Knowing this moment in time would come, ICANN, the authority in charge of managing domain names, has been putting out more and more top level domains in hopes of opening up more options for those looking to grab their own piece of the web -- and photographers are benefiting more directly than most.