May 2014

Back to Basics: Flash Photography Tips for Beginners

Sprinkled in-between the more advanced lighting, photography and post-processing tutorials that we feature on the site, we've been trying to add in the occasional basic tutorial or walkthrough for the beginning photographer. Not everybody who reads PetaPixel is a pro- or even an intermediate-level photographer, and we all have to start somewhere.

The video above falls squarely into the "for beginners" category (in case the title didn't clue you in), and even though it was uploaded all the way back in 2010, it will still come in very useful if you're just starting out.

Alpha Dog: How Sony Created the Most Innovative Camera Brand in Under a Decade

Using the bones of a dying giant and a healthy dose of innovation, Sony built one of the most forward thinking lines of high-end cameras available in recent memory.

When they entered the serious photography market following their acquisition of the struggling Konica Minolta camera business, Sony brought the coffers and clout of an international conglomerate as well as the fresh eyes of a newcomer. Using those tools, they've pushed the technological envelope in a way that few others were willing or capable of doing and, now, are setting the benchmark for where others ought to be aiming. Oh, and they did it all in just eight years.

Nikon Allocates $17.7 Million to Repair D600 Issues… and Its Reputation

If you're wondering just how big of a pain in the butt for Nikon the D600 sensor oil/dust issues have been, all you have to do is go back into our archives and read about the lawsuits and the outrage... or read the comments on the D610 announcement post.

On the off-chance that's not enough, however, we now have a dollar figure to add to the mix. $17.7 million. That's how much Nikon has allocated to put an end to the D600 issues and repair its damaged reputation.

Humor: Can This Group of 40 Get a Single Person to Take 40 Photos of Them?

There was a time, before selfies and social networks and WiFi built in to most consumer-level cameras, that getting a group shot in a busy tourist setting required two steps. Step one: ask a stranger to take your group's photo, and Step Two: apologize profusely as, one by one, every person in your group keeps handing the kind stranger ANOTHER camera so they can have a picture too.

Those days are, for the most part, gone. But back in 2009, an Australian comedy show called The Chaser's War on Everything had some fun with 'step two.'

Interview: Conversation with Tintype Artist Keliy Anderson-Staley

Keliy Anderson-Staley is an assistant professor of photography at the University of Houston. Her work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian, the California Museum of Photography and the Portland Museum of Art, and is currently on view at the Houston Center for Photography.

Her book of portraits, On a Wet Bough, is forthcoming from Waltz Books. She is represented by Catherine Edelman Gallery.

Breaking: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Resigns

Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary who has taken much of the heat for the Obama Administration's less-than-open policies that have kept photographers out of major events, announced his resignation today during a press conference.

Comparing Natural Light and Strobes, Can You Tell the Difference?

An ongoing debate among photographers from all backgrounds is that of natural vs artificial light. Both options have their pitfalls and qualities worth praising, but even so, it seems like some photographers are hesitant to put a subject in front of a strobe if natural light is available.

But as shown in this video put together by Felix Kunze and Sue Bryce for CreativeLive, when used correctly, strobes can almost perfectly replicate the look of natural light. Kunze and Bryce compare identical model setups side-by-side using both natural and strobe lighting as an exercise in showing off the differences and similarities between the two.

Clever Photo Series Imagines the Everyday Life of an Earthbound Astronaut

Say you're a space enthusiast; and say you find yourself bidding on an old Russian high altitude spacesuit; and then, say you win that auction. What would you, as a skilled photographer with a brand new, awesome prop on hand, do with it?

We can't speak for you, but we can show you what photographer Tim Dodd did, and it's just plain fun.

One Year Later, Poynter Tracked Down the Photojournalists Laid Off by the Sun-Times

It was exactly one year ago today that the Chicago Sun-Times earned the photography community's outrage and ridicule after laying off all 28 full-time photojournalists on the newspaper's payroll.

Now that a year has passed and most have moved on from that sad chapter in their lives, Sam Kirkland over at Poynter decided to track down the former Sun-Times staffers and write up the photography equivalent of VH1's old show Where Are They Now?.

Underwater Fantasy Shoot in Bali: 7 Divers, 2 Models and 1 Underwater Shipwreck

No photoshoot goes off without a hitch. But with the correct amount of planning in the way of a vision, schedule, proper team and backup equipment, the risk that you'll run into a big hitch is dramatically reduced.

One photographer who seems to have mastered putting all of those components together seamlessly is Benjamin Von Wong, but it took all of his skill and more to make sure that his most recent crazy adventure came together seamlessly.

French Website Reports Leica is Creating a Cloud Storage Platform for Photographers

The rumor mill in the photography world is a strange one. Churning out snippet after snippet on bodies, glass, and everything in-between, it’s difficult to properly nail down what is fact and what is fiction. That's particularly true when you're dealing with claims like those made yesterday.

According to an article published by the French website 01net.com, Leica is working on something well out of their normal range of products and services: A cloud storage platform for photographers.

Photo of the Massive Wildfire in Alaska, As Seen from Space

When it comes to natural disasters like hurricanes or wildfires, not even standard aerial photography can really cut it. To capture something that occurs on such a massive scale, you need a massive view, and so these disasters are often best visualized by NASA's satellites.

7 Photo Tips for Capturing Epic Lava Shots 100% In-Camera

CJ Kale and Nick Selway long ago fell in love with Hawaii and founded Lava Light, a photography gallery focused on capturing the ever-changing landscape created by an active volcano and crashing waves -- and sometimes both together when the conditions are just right. And if swimming with fire and dodging lava bombs weren’t challenging enough, these photographers believe in creating their images completely in-camera.

Balancing exposures between sky, water and lava can be incredibly tricky. Luckily, Lava Light has shared some tips to help you get the shot without combining exposures or using HDR.

NewViewWear: Clothes with a Life-Logging Camera Built Right In

It was inevitable. As camera tech progressed, cameras became smaller. As cameras became smaller, their implementation into more areas of technology and culture as a whole became more ubiquitous.

Where we currently are in this ongoing progression is a turning point of sorts where cameras are as wearable as the clothes on our back, and NewViewWear just took it a step further with a new line of clothing that has a camera built right in.

Swimming with Fire: BTS Video and Q&A with Two Daredevil Lava Photographers

We've introduced you to best friends CJ Kale and Nick Selway before, back in 2012 when we first shared the beautiful photography they created for their gallery "Lava Light Galleries." But today, you get to go into the water with them while they tell you about capturing amazing shots while, at times, swimming in 110°F water.

DxOMark Reveals Which Lenses Perform Best on Nikon’s D800E

It’s fairly well-known that, when it comes to capturing images, more important than almost any camera body is the glass being put in front of it. However, there are times when your camera body plays a vital role in determining the quality of the image rendered by said glass.

To prove this and also help show off what glass performs best with a particular body, DxOMark has published a series of articles that break down what the best lenses are for the Nikon D800E.

Q&A with Elizabeth Krist, Nat Geo’s Senior Photo Editor

This piece originally appeared in PhotoShelter's guide Building Your Outdoor & Adventure Photography Business – for the full article download the guide here.

Elizabeth Krist, Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic, and the rest of the Nat Geo team seek photographers who have an eye for composing striking and electrifying images. But perhaps even more importantly, they want photographers who have a real curiosity about the world around them -- those who aren’t afraid to delve into the intellectual and research aspects of an assignment.

To give photographers a better sense of what goes on behind the scenes at National Geographic, Elizabeth provided some insight into what type of work the magazine commissions, how photographers can pitch Nat Geo, and what you can do to get noticed.

Justin Bieber Calouro

Paparazzo Sues Bieber and His Bodyguard, Was Allegedly Beaten then Given $5K

Although there’s no shortage of press surrounding young pop star, Justin Bieber, today he’s getting a bit more in the form of a lawsuit from photographer Manuel Munoz.

Munoz is suing both Bieber and his bodyguard, Dwayne Patterson, after an incident outside the SET Nightclub in Miami Beach, where Patterson supposedly locked him in a Subway restaurant, demanding he delete his photos of the pop star if he wanted to leave.

10 Best Cities for Working Photographers in the US

You carry a camera everywhere because you just never know when something or someone worthy of having its picture taken will appear. You also work plenty of weddings and events, or you may be a photo journalist for a newspaper. You are a photographer, and are always on the lookout for beauty. But what makes a city good for a working photographer? While it’s important that there are plenty things to photograph, these statistics are equally relevant as well.

Dysturb: Hard-to-Swallow Photojournalism Hits the Streets of Paris

What do you do when the usual outlets for photographic media choose not to show images you risked your life to capture? What is the next best way to make sure the world sees what is really happening?

It's these questions that led French photojournalist Pierre Terdjman and his buddies to create something called Dysturb, a project that plasters ignored, hard-hitting and hard-to-swallow photojournalism all over the streets of Paris.

Samsung Will Give You a Free NX30 if You #DitchTheDSLR on June 4th in NYC

If you've been thinking of swapping out your old DSLR for a more nimble mirrorless camera, but you just don't want to go through the hassle of selling your old kit and raising the necessary funds, Samsung has one hell of a deal for you.

On June 4th between the hours of 12pm and 6pm in Times Square, Samsung will GIVE you an NX30 for free if you're willing to hand over your DSLR (any DSLR) in exchange.

Video: Why Do We Ignore the Role Failure Plays on the Way to Success?

There comes a point in any passion or career when you feel like you hit a brick wall; you feel like you’re standing there motionless while everyone else is carrying on achieving things and becoming more successful than you -- whatever your definition of success.

But as you'll understand once you watch this fantastic two-part video series, everybody who has ever achieved anything has gone through this (sometimes many-year-long) phase. We just never hear about this lost chapter in their lives.

Cheap, Simple DIY Magnetic GoPro Mount

There is anything but a shortage of options when it comes to mounting your GoPro. Whether it's from the company itself, a third party, or one of the dozens of DIY rigs, if there’s somewhere you’re considering mounting a GoPro, there’s probably a way to do it.

On that note, today we stumbled across an awesome (and cheap!) DIY magnet mount put together by Instructables user nlinventor.