April 2014

Dear Young Photographer

Here’s what I know. You grew up, like most, where you got trophies for participation, medals for winning bullshit things …

The FlashQ System Shrinks Wireless Flash Triggering Tech for Mirrorless Cameras

When it comes to choosing wireless flash trigger systems, there’s no shortage of options. From PocketWizards to cheap, $20 systems on Amazon and Ebay, there seems to be one for each and every situation and price point. However, despite all of the options, there is one thing that every single one of them has in common: they're all pretty big.

Of course, when shooting in a studio with a DSLR a PocketWizard doesn't seem that beastly. But when you’re wanting to trigger a flash with a small mirrorless camera or compact camera, none of the options out there right now will allow you to do so without making your camera look like the attachment rather than the trigger. That’s where FlashQ comes in.

MIT Algorithm Tries to Predict How Many Likes Your Photo Will Get Per Day

A photographer's primary concern when taking a photo might not be "I wonder how many likes this will get," but being able to gauge popularity could still come in handy when you're trying to decide which photos to upload to your favorite sharing site.

Enter MIT PhD candidate Aditya Khosla and his new algorithm that does just that: tells you how popular your photos will be before you even upload them.

Boston Pawn Shop Stops the Potential Sale of a Stolen Nikon D3100

Update on 12/16/21: This video has been removed by its creator.

Note to any camera thief who attempts to get rid of the camera at a pawn shop: it might be beneficial to at least know how to turn the thing on. Not only that, but when questioned about where you “found” the camera and when asked to file a missing item report, don’t run off -- I’ve heard it doesn’t help with the whole suspicion factor.

A Hilarious Collection of Insight and Insults From a College Photography Professor

What do you do when your photography professor at college goes on daily rants and rages, critiquing work with an iron fist while doling out priceless lessons? Well, thankfully, some student thought to start writing said rants and rages down.

But not only did he write them down, he shared them via a Tumblog so that the rest of the world could see, read and laugh hysterically at the brilliance and brutality of this awesome photo prof.

Hey NASA, This is How You Make a Lunar Eclipse ‘Blood Moon’ Time-Lapse

The day after the last lunar eclipse we shared a time-lapse with you to help ease the pain if you hadn't had a chance to capture the first of this tetrad of eclipses yourself. The time-lapse was put together by NASA and, while it was better than nothing, it left something to be desired.

Fortunately, photographer Andrew Walker of 599 Productions is here to show NASA how it's done so they can maybe put something better together next time.

Otherworldly Images of the El Tatio Geyser Field in Chile by Owen Perry

Color and texture. Those are the two reasons why British Columbia-based web designer and photographer Owen Perry believes his images of the El Tatio Geyser Field in Chile are attracting so much positive attention, and we have to agree. These photos grab your eye and don't let go. You have explore every last crevasse of these alien landscapes that look simultaneously surreal and dangerous.

Leopard Mom and Cub Get their Paws on Park Ranger’s GoPro

Remember the first time you picked up a camera? Maybe it was a film SLR, maybe it was a crappy digital point-and-shoot, or maybe it was a full-fledged professional DSLR, but either way you probably approached it a little bit like this Leopard momma and her 10-month-old cub approached a park ranger's GoPro.

Leica Proudly Releases ‘The Most Boring Ad Ever Made’ for the New Leica T

What’s the most boring advertisement you’ve ever seen? Well, whatever it is, Leica is here to challenge it. In a move that is part humor part marketing brilliance, Leica has put together a 45-minute long advertisement that shows off every. single. second that each of their just-announced Leica T cameras spend being polished down, ever-so-meticulously, by hand.

One Second in Every Country in the World: The Ultimate Selfie Collection

Looks like you’re going to have to up your selfie game once again, because you've got nothing on British filmmaker and adventurer Graham Hughes.

Last month, Hughes officially received the Guinness World Record for being the first person to ever travel to every country (at least the ones acknowledged by the UN) on Earth without flying... and to make matters more photographic, he took a one second “selfie video" in every single country on the way. The result is the nifty four-minute video you see above.

Why You Should Follow ‘Myspace Tom’ on Instagram

Almost all of us know him. In fact, he was probably our first friend at some point. His name? Tom Anderson -- more affectionately referred to as Myspace Tom. As a co-founder of one of the first giants of social networking, Myspace, Anderson has had a hefty pile of cash to play around with since 2005 when he sold Myspace to News Corp. for $580 million.

So, what does he do with his time and funds? Well, as we revealed to you back in 2012, he takes photos... and pretty incredible ones at that.

Take Your Landscape Pics to the Next Level with These Awesome Photoshop Tips

Vacation photos rarely turn out the way you want them to. Even if you're a more advanced shooter, you might not have brought all your best gear with you on that family trip to the beach or the Grand Canyon and so, when you get home, you find your photos and your memory of what the scene looked like differ significantly.

Fear not, Aaron Nace and Plearn are here to help with a very useful tutorial that will close that gap in a BIG way with a few easy adjustments in Photoshop.

Take a Look at the Unseen Side of NYC with ‘Exploring Off-Limits New York’

New York City culture site Animal recently teamed up with photographer and urban explorer 2e to document the making of some photographs in his collection “Exploring Off-Limits New York.”

From Brooklyn’s Domino Sugar Factory to The UnderBelly Project, the video and accompanying story takes a look at some of 2e's not-so-legal and potentially dangerous adventures.

Leica Steps Into the 21st Century with the Apple-Esque Leica T Mirrorless System

Leica isn't known for modern styling and innovative design. For the most part, the company sticks with what works, branching out here and there to release a special edition that is sold for an even more outrageous price than the standard version.

But today Leica steps outside of the box with the new Leica T: a APS-C sensor, aluminum unibody camera with surprisingly few physical controls, a large touchscreen and a whole new lens mount.

Journey to the Top of the Freedom Tower

In March of 2013, I found myself back at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. I had been invited there by Illah Nourbakhsh and a couple of their Directors to assist in teaching a group of educators about our EPIC Pro, as well as the benefits of what high-res imaging offered to classrooms.

Getty Gets Into the Print Business, Will Sell Exclusive Wall Art Through Photos.com

Getty Images caught no end of flack for allowing anyone to embed much of their archives for free, but their business plan going forward doesn't just include sharing images for free. The company wants to make a more permanent mark on your life as well, and they're doing it by letting you buy prints of award-winning photographs from their archive through a new service at Photos.com.

Facepalm: Someone Stole Photos from the Person Who Runs Photo Stealers

It was bound to happen eventually, but it still caught us by surprise when it did. Found last night and published earlier today, Photo Stealers' Corey Ann discovered that one of her images had been used by another 'photographer' who is passing off a whole bunch of other photographers' images as her own.

Jürgen Schadeberg Talks Leica Cameras and South African Photojournalism

Put together by SixOranges, this four-minute video is an interview with renowned photographer Jürgen Schadeberg. In it, he shares the story behind the collection of Leica cameras he has used throughout his career, many of which were responsible for documenting some of the most iconic photographs of former South African President and icon Nelson Mandela throughout Madiba’s life.

Tour Manager: Concert Photogs Who Want Payment for Social Media Use Can ‘F*** Off’

One would think that those in the photography and music industries would act as allies -- both industries, after all, are built upon the hard work or artists and storytellers who have spent years honing their craft.

However, all too often, they wind up butting heads as was the case with the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus story two days ago and, now, with this Facebook rant from a major band's tour manager.

Gorgeous Video Captures a Day in the Life of Wildlife Photographer Asgeir Helgestad

It takes more than nice gear and a healthy dose of luck to be a good wildlife photographer, as Norwegian photographer Asgeir Helgestad knows all too well. “You have got to be a little bit [of an] animal psychologist,” he says, explaining that you have to understand how the animals will act, anticipate what they’re going to do, and know where they’re going to be.

Photographer Documents the Oldest Living Things on Earth in Fascinating Photo Book

Rachel Sussman's quest to document some of the oldest living things on Earth before they become the newly extinct has been going on for nigh on a decade. But now, that series is hitting the mainstream like never before, as the photographs she has so painstakingly captured are compiled into a book called, appropriately enough, The Oldest Living Things in the World.

Blurb Announces Partnership with Amazon to Simplify Self-Publishing Photo Books

As of Yesterday, Blurb -- an online platform and service that allows you to create and publish photo books -- announced that you will now be able to sell and distribute said photo books through none other than online retail giant, Amazon, regardless of how many copies are sold.

This is considerably big news, as it opens up an entirely new realm of possibilities for photographers who want to get some of their work out there in the form of printed books, but don’t have the means to desire to go through more traditional methods of ordering massive quantities and trying to get those sold.

Slow Motion Aerial Video Takes You Inside a Fireworks Show

Slow-motion footage is cool. Camera copter footage is cool. Fireworks are cool. So what happens when you mash all of them together into one video? No worries, your head won't explode (mostly because the GoPro this was probably filmed on doesn't do so hot in super low light) but the resulting video is a mesmerizing two and a half minute experience.