Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy is known for getting creative with his craft, capturing awe-inspiring photos of celestial bodies from in and around his backyard in Sacramento. For his latest idea, he decided to combine light painting and astrophotography into this unusual, dazzling photo of the Moon.
Helga Stentzel is a Russian-born visual artist and photographer based in London who creates whimsical optical illusions using ordinary things found around the house.
It’s a rare occasion when I do a team collaboration on a personal shoot. I typically prefer to work directly with the model, having them bring their own wardrobe and arrive with their hair and makeup already done. It not only saves time and is easier to coordinate but I also love the challenge of coming up with a cohesive theme for the shoot, basing my techniques, lighting, and color palette on the items that they brought with them.
My Snow Portrait series consists of photos taken using a technique I "invented" 8 years ago that utilizes the "hollow mask" 3D optical illusion. All the shots in this article are imprints of my face in fairly deep snow lit from underneath, almost like a lithophane. No Photoshop. No filters.
This was my first time working with Amber. In preparation for the shoot, I told her the same thing I tell all of my models: bring 4-6 different outfit options and have hair and makeup ready when they arrive.
Jared Middleton (AKA Sirdork) is a toy photographer who brings miniature scenes to life using practical effects. His photos are created by carefully setting up scenes with action figures and then adding in things like water, snow, dirt, and sparklers to complete the look.
London-based artist Max Siedentopf is known for making unusual art pieces and photos and his latest does not break from that trend: he claims to have dug a several meters deep hole that he has then lined with images of Kim Kardashian to pay her the biggest tribute he physically could.
In her ongoing series Reflections 2, photographer Ziqian Liu shows just how creative you can get when you limit your props and subject matter, and master composition instead. Throughout the series, Liu uses only herself, various plant life, the occasional fruit, and a round mirror to craft images that are at once symbolic and striking.
Photographer Eugene Tumusiime was enamored with the idea of using glass prisms for photography but did not have access to one. To scratch that creative itch, he decided to try using glassware from around his home.
Underwater photographer Barbara Cole is best known for her beautiful portraits of people—stunning creations that seem to walk the line between photography and painting. But her most recent project, Appearances, explores a different subject: flowers.
From time to time, we all get that desire to throw one of our electronics at the wall and/or smash it with a bat. But how many of us ever actually get to do it? For photographer Jaap Vliegenthart, he got to live out this fantasy: crushing some of his old electronics to smithereens and then capturing the aftermath.
The pandemic has truly hurt the creative industry. Who knew that a year ago that specializing in portrait photography would hurt my career so badly?
Seattle-based artist Rudy Willingham has an ongoing series in which he cuts out parts of portrait photos and fills them in by holding them up in front of carefully chosen backgrounds.
Artist Rudy Willingham created a clever stop motion video of NBA superstar LeBron James dunking. Frames of the dunk were printed, carefully cut, and then photographed while being held in front of a real-world location.
Soratama is a system of lens attachments invented over in Japan that allows you to capture the world in floating crystal balls.
Capturing creative photos of miniature worlds is definitely not a new idea, but you don't need to be a small-world master like Tatsuya Tanaka to give this kind of photography a shot. As this COOPH tutorial shows you, all you need is some creativity, a few mini figures, and a smartphone.
Electrical engineering student Sam Zeloof recently created something really cool. Using his ample do-it-yourself skills and engineering knowledge, he retrofitted an old Polaroid camera with a Raspberri Pi and thermal printer, turning it into an instant digital camera that prints photos on receipt paper.
The temperatures have been soaring lately. Depending on where you live, you might’ve even seen record heat over the last couple of weeks. Normally, such weather makes staying indoors (so long as you have air conditioning) sound ideal. However, in this article, we’re going to share a fun, creative photography idea (inspired by Tim Tadder) that’s perfect for getting outside on hot, sunny days.
A Japanese tinkerer who goes by the name Sanasol has created something pretty cool. Using a homebrew sensor cartridge, he's converted his classic Nikon FM SLR into a functional digital camera without having to alter the 35mm film camera at all.
A couple of days ago a user on r/Gameboy asked the community if there was any way to turn his Game Boy Camera into a functioning webcam so that (in his words) "I can be an a** to people I don't respect." Well, someone came through and showed that it is actually possible to do this.
The folks at Chinese accessory brand Digitalfoto have created an interesting new piece of lighting gear. They're just released a pair of wirelessly-controlled RGB tube lights that are also IP68 rated: in other words, you can use them underwater.
Photographer Serge Ramelli recently put together a fun tutorial that shows you how to do something that might seem, at first, impossible: he takes a daylight photo and, using only local adjustments, he turns it into a nighttime or "blue hour" shot complete with lamplight.
Ever since the beginning of the pandemic (and, really, the beginning of photography), macro photography tutorials have all sort of blended together. The subject matter and techniques are often pretty similar: flowers, bugs, coins, etc. COOPH wanted to change that with their latest "ideas" video.
Tatsuya Tanaka is a master of turning everyday objects into miniature worlds that seem larger than life. He's been doing it daily for almost a decade, and in the midst of the COVID pandemic, he's started to integrate some all-too-familiar objects into his work.
What does the inside of a car tire look like while it's being driven on? That strange question was just answered by engineer Matt Mikka of Warped Perception, who mounted a GoPro inside a tire and then took it for a spin.
A couple of months ago, photographer and YouTuber Chris Hau stumbled across the miniature world photography of Erin Sullivan and was absolutely blown away. So he decided to try out this style for himself and show you exactly what you need to do to start capturing these miniature worlds at home.
An octogenarian couple in Taiwan is going viral after they began posing for fashion photos while wearing the clothes left behind by customers of their laundromat.
In his TimeScapes series, photographer Martien Janssen has been "playing with the element of time," combining images in creative ways to create "a new type of dimension" in his time-lapse photography. And there's no better example of this than his film TimeBlend.
Sony shooter and Vlad Shagov recently did what many photographers have been hoping Sony would do for years: he redesigned the Sony menu system and created his own "concept" version. Based on the response so far, Sony may want to send Shagov a thank you note... or a contract.
A nursing home in England has come up with a fun and clever way to lift its residents' spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic. They've been taking turns recreating the photos found on iconic album covers.
Lensbaby—the company known for its oddball lenses and creative filters—has just released a new expansion pack for its OMNI Creative Filter System. This time, they're helping photographers "add powerful light flares" to their work on purpose.
The Verge Video Director Becca Farsace recently set out to build her very own custom camera by merging a point-and-shoot film camera with the new Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera module and a Raspberry Pi 4 computer. Just one problem... she has zero coding knowledge. Cue a very frustrating week.
In 2018, I launched a Kickstarter project called You Have to See This Place, “an experiment involving places and photos.”
Artist and designer Jessica Johnson of Creators Couture has created a unique set of Photoshop brushes that do something we haven't seen before. Stroke by stroke, and controlled by brush size and direction, you can add an impressionist painting effect to all or part of your photos.
Artist Adam Hillman describes himself as an "Object Arranger." He shoots photos of objects carefully arranged into creative displays of shapes and colors, and one of his recurring subjects is food.
Want to create an epic 'dual lighting' effect for your studio portraits, but don't have any gels or LEDs to work with? No problem. In this short tutorial, Photoshop master Unmesh Dinda of PIXimperfect will show you how to create this effect in post using just 2 layers!
Landscape photographer Lewis Carlyle was recently trying to figure out a photo project to do at home, when he came up with a totally unique, never-before-tried idea: close-up photos of flowers. Okay, fine, it's not exactly revolutionary, but he did manage to put an interesting twist on the concept and create some beautiful images in the process.
These days we’re all trying to come up with new photo ideas to do around home, but how many of you have thought, ”Hey, I’ll freeze some flowers in water?” That’s a new one for me, but fortunately I know someone here who does that, and she’s happy to share her secrets.
The filmmakers over at Threefold have created a DIY battery charging board with a very useful twist: it's portable. And in the video above, they break down exactly how you can build your own version to suit your on-the-go creative needs.
San Diego-based photographer Angela Garzon recently teamed up with fashion and art blogger Sarah Grossman to inject a bit of color and creativity into the world during these strange and difficult times. The result is a set of six monochromatic "group" shots captured using only the clothes and props they had at hand.