brendanvanson

Can you use a flip-flop -- or any solid item, for that matter -- as a graduated neutral density (AKA grad ND) filter? Sure. But, it doesn’t work in all situations.

Photographer Brendan van Son recorded this 9-minute video in which he shares his frustration with the current landscape of photography in the social media era. Is the influx of new photographers ruining the joy of photography by crowding locations and behaving impolitely towards others?

Long gone are the days in which being a travel photographer simply meant you shot photography for a certain travel magazine or newspaper. The world isn't that simple anymore, and the level of competition in the photography world has never been higher. But still, I'm fairly sure there are more “travel photographers” on the planet now than there ever were -- just check your Instagram feeds.

So, if travel photography as a traditional career is dying, than how are these people making their money? Well, I wish I could give you the answer to that question, but I can't. These days, everyone has a different method of money-making. All I can do is tell you my story, and how I manage to keep from sleeping under a bridge every night -- though barely.

National Geographic has announced the winners of its 2012 Photo Contest, which received over 22,000 entries from photographers around the world. The photograph above, captured by Ashley Vincent and titled "The Explosion!," was chosen as the Grand Prize winner and the top image in the "Nature" category.