April 2015

Lomography Resurrects Its Original Lomo LC-A Lens for Leica M Rangefinders

Today Lomography announced its new Lomo LC-A Minitar-1 f/2.8 M Art lens, which features the original optics from the original Lomo LC-A camera that was first introduced back in 1984. The new lens lets photographers capture the look that kicked off the Lomography movement using Leica M rangefinders and other M-mount cameras.

An Alley in Nepal, Before and After the Earthquake

I was in Nepal exactly six years and three days before the earthquake that devastated the country on Saturday.

Back then, I was photographing for a magazine feature and had spent much of the day in Bhaktapur, a beautiful and ancient city in the Kathmandu Valley.

Some Canon T6 DSLRs May Have a Sensor Issue

Every once in a while my gear rental company notices something, because of the large quantities of cameras and lenses we buy, that we think people should be aware of. This particular issue won't affect our renters; we've sent the affected cameras back. It may not affect very many people at all, since this is from a relatively small sample size. But I still think it worth mentioning.

An Amateur Photographer’s Striking Pictures of the Baltimore Protests

Just a week ago, Devin Allen was just another photo enthusiast sharing his work on the Web, regularly posting artsy photos for his relatively small and faithful Instagram following. After protests and riots erupted in Baltimore this week, Allen suddenly became a much sought-after photographer who's sharing raw and gritty images from ground level for the world to see.

The ‘Take Every Photo Gig You Can Get’ Approach

Note: This article is written for commercial photographers, not consumer photographers. A consumer shooter has a different list of challenges, and since I am not a consumer photographer, I won’t be addressing them.

Well it has certainly been a hectic week. Two proposals, a shoot, designing and writing -- and that was only Monday, heh.

It reminded me of how many channels I have, and I wonder if it may be possible to actually have too many. Can one have too many things one does? Possibly. Perhaps. Probably.

Airliner Nearly Collides with a Drone During Landing in Dallas

Some drone operator gave a pilot a scare this past Tuesday after flying the quadcopter way too close to an airport. A Virgin America flight reportedly came within 200 feet of the drone while landing at Dallas Love Field airport. To put that distance in perspective, consider this: the Airbus A319 airplane involved has a wingspan of about 117 feet.

A Time-Lapse of the World’s Largest Salt Flat, Where the Earth Reflects the Sky

Time-lapse photographer Enrique Pacheco shot this beautiful time-lapse at Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the world's largest salt flat. The 4,000-square-mile area is a popular destination for photographers, as the ground reflects the sky in ways that blur the distinction between heaven and earth.

Pacheco captures this natural beauty in motion in this 3-minute film titled "Reflections From Uyuni."

How to Make a DIY Solargraphy Pinhole Camera for 6-Month Exposures

Want to try your hand at creating a solargraph? Photographer Justin Quinnell recorded this informative and humorous 14-minute video tutorial on how you can create a pinhole camera for 6-month-long exposures using only a beer can, some photo paper, a pin, and lots of gaffer tape (which Quinnell calls the "elixir of life").

Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art Lens Review: One F-stop to Rule Them All

Sigma’s latest addition to its burgeoning fleet of Art lenses is just as dazzling as the first two incarnations. Riding the coattails of the beloved 35mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.4 primes comes yet another fixed lens success––24mm of wide-angle glory. This is the widest Art lens you’ll see in Sigma’s prime series, aimed at satisfying street photographers, landscape shooters, wedding soldiers, event documenters, and DSLR videographers.

An Interview with Photographer Jill Greenberg

Jill Greenberg is a commercial and fine art photographer who is famous worldwide for her daring and original portraits of people and animals. Her new series Paintings is currently being exhibited at the Clampart Gallery in New York City. I had a chance to ask Jill about her photographic beginnings and where her journey in photography is going.

Gorgeous Aerial Drone Footage of Antarctica

Kalle Ljung of Stockholm, Sweden, recently spent 16 days touring the Antarctic with his 73-year-old father. He brought along a DJI Phantom 2 drone with a GoPro HERO3+ Black camera to document the trip from above. The footage he captured is gorgeous and can be experienced in the 8-minute short film above, titled "Antarctica."

How Arranging a Sparkler Exit Almost Cost Me My Career As A Wedding Photographer

Warning: This post contains graphic photos and descriptions of a serious injury.

As a wedding photographer, there are so many different parts of the day we temporarily pause in being a photographer and magically transform into a seamstress, a planner, a mediator, a therapist and any number of other jobs. We are the only vendor outside of videographers who are with our clients all day.

It’s one of the parts of my career that I love -- no wedding day is ever the same and I get “re-charged” from the people families I meet. Because of this, I've always (in the past) considered myself more then a “photographer,” but rather someone who's there to help in any way I can (while still doing my jobs) should the need arise.

LensPacks: Rear Lens Caps That Attach to the Inside of Your Camera Bag

After successfully raising money on Kickstarter to launch its LensRacks gear storage system, Vancouver, Canada-based Ansix Designs is back with another innovative product for lens changes and storage.

It's called LensPacks, and is a hook and loop fastener (popularized by Velcro) based system that lets you fix rear lens caps to the inside of your camera bag.

Ten Years of Shooting a Single Alleyway in Norway

For his project "In the Alley," Norwegian photographer Lars Andersen spent ten years visiting one particular alleyway in the city of Tromsø, Norway. In a country filled with unbelievable natural landscapes, Andersen chose to focus his lens on a seemingly mundane urban location to see what he could create.

Photos of Food Neatly Arranged by Color and Size

If you love food, colors, and neatly organized things, you're going to love these photographs by Seattle-based photographer Brittany Wright. Her images often feature a large number of fruits, vegetables, and foods that are carefully arranged according to color and/or size.

Massive 2540mm f/8 NASA Lens Shows Up on eBay

If you want a lens that looks more like a spaceship's laser weapon, today is your lucky day. A ginormous NASA 2540mm f/8 mirror tele lens has appeared on eBay in the "film cameras" category. Called the Jonel 100, it's being touted as "one of the biggest lenses ever," by the seller.

Photographers Flocking to See Eagle Owl That Lands On People’s Heads

Bird photographers are reportedly flocking to the town of Noordeinde in The Netherlands after the discovery of a large and friendly European eagle owl that enjoys landing on people's heads. The video above shows the 6-pound bird swooping down from a rooftop and landing gracefully on a woman's head in the midst of delighted photographers.

BTS: Photographing Jimadors in the Agave Fields of Tequila, Mexico

NYC photographer Joey L was recently tasked by Jose Cuervo, the best selling tequila brand in the world, to shoot advertising photos in its agave fields in Tequila, Mexico. The behind-the-scenes video above, part of Joey's Dudes with Cameras series, offers a look into how the shoot unfolded and the different challenges Joey and his team faced (warning: there's some strong language).

Portraits of Women Who Were the First in Their Fields

"First Women" is a 10-year-long project that photographer Anita Corbin started back in 2008. By the time the work is finished in 2018, the 100-year mark for women's suffrage in the UK, Corbin will have created 100 portraits of 100 women in the UK who are the first to achieve something in their field.