What Your Camera Flash Has to Do With an Atomic Bomb
On July 16th, 1945, 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, the White Sands Proving Ground was rocked by a massive explosion.
On July 16th, 1945, 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, the White Sands Proving Ground was rocked by a massive explosion.
As 2023 comes to a close, it’s time to look back on the biggest events, moments in pop culture, and news over the last year. Of course, one way the year will be remembered for decades to come is through photographs. Here, we’ll look at the 10 most photographed of 2023.
Steve Sasson is an electrical engineer who invented the digital camera while working for Kodak. The Rochester, New York, company, which had made its fortune by selling photographic film and paper for most of the 20th century, did not think that Sasson's digital camera had any place in photography, and that lack of foresight ironically put Kodak out of business.
Video restoration expert NASS colorized and enhanced footage from nearly a century ago to create this 7-minute video that reveals what downtown Los Angeles looked like in the 1930s.
In this six and a half minute video from Fotodiox, photographer Sean Anderson shows how he used over a thousand mini drinking straws to create a "straw camera" that can capture mosaic type images.
Back in 2008, I was in the Middle East in the military. I wasn't permitted to have my mobile phone in that location at the time, so I took a relatively cheap digital camera and used it to capture reams of unique photos.
Researchers in Germany have found a way to take old iPhones -- specifically an iPhone 5 -- and combine them with LEGO to make a DIY high-resolution microscope designed for young students.
Why do we create photos? Well, for a variety of reasons, but the one reason that connects them all is we feel we have made something that we want to share and we feel is worth time and attention. So, how can we create photos that are worthy of another’s time and attention?
There have been thousands of articles written about cheap and expensive lights, cameras, and lenses. To me, the light is not as important as the modifier.
Some lenses produced from the 1940s through the 1970s were treated with radioactive thorium oxide to curb chromatic aberration. But as Andrew Walker explains in this 7.5-minute video, modern digital cameras can actually "see" that radiation as image noise that has the potential ruin your long exposures.
Photographer, YouTuber, and weird lens connoisseur Mathieu Stern recently made one of his coolest finds yet. It's the Carl Zeiss 105mm f/1.9 Kipronar T, a cinema projector lens he describes as "one of the most amazing swirly bokeh lenses I ever tested"... and yet it only cost him $25.
Professional wet plate photographer Markus Hofstätter is obviously fond of historical photography processes. But his latest video doesn't actually involve taking any photos; instead, he's restoring a 140-year-old chirping brass bird that is thought to be the origin of the phrase "watch the birdie."
On November 21st, the 37th Annual Leitz Photographica Auction will take place in Vienna and online. And while the full catalog hasn't been published yet, Leica has unveiled a few "highlights" for collectors to drool over between now and the big day.
Photographer and "mad scientist" Don Komarechka is back for a DPReview TV episode on ultraviolet light. Specifically, he explains how a modified camera-and-filter combination can reveal hidden ultraviolet patterns that are invisible to the human eye, but crucial for pollinators like bees.
Dr. Adrian Smith—a scientist who is perhaps best known for his educational videos on YouTube—has released another fascinating super slow motion video highlighting a tiny little insect you've probably never heard of. They're commonly called jumping plant lice, and they're "the fastest front-flipping insect" on the planet.
Researchers at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2) have created a machine learning algorithm that can produce images using only text captions as its guide. The results are somewhat terrifying... but if you can look past the nightmare fuel, this creation represents an important step forward in the study of AI and imaging.
Photographer Arthur R recently got his hands on a strange lens that you probably haven't heard of. Made by Japanese company Yasuhara, the Nanoha Super Macro is a full-manual, 4x-5x macro lens with built-in USB-powered LEDs that basically turns your camera into a microscope.
Photographer, computational biologist, and science presenter Andrew Steele just released a fascinating short video about his favorite optical illusion. By manipulating a function of your visual system, he shows you how you can trick your brain into "adding" color to a black-and-white image.
Here's an 8.5-minute video by Insider that offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of hand modeling.
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.
Most photographers know the basics of lens-based image stabilization (Lens IS) and in-body image stabilization (IBIS), but if you've ever wanted a technical deep-dive that explains exactly how these systems work to generate 4, 5, or even 7 stops of stabilization, this video from Imaging Resource is here to answer that call.
Photographer Dan Roberts recently collaborated on an "intercontinental light painting." Using a projector and the power of the Internet, he and Frodo Alvarez captured a light-painting portrait in real time from across the world: Frodo's light from Spain ended up on Dan's camera in Denver.
In "news we missed last month," genealogy website MyHeritage has launched its very own easy-to-use Photo Enhancer tool that uses deep learning technology to turn blurry or faded family photos into sharp snaps in a single click. People on social media are loving it.
A one-day initiative that took place around the United States yesterday shows the impact photographers can have when they team up to make a difference. It's called "10,000 Headshots," and it involved booking and shooting free headshots for 10,000 unemployed Americans across the country in a single day.
Underwater photographer Kurt Arrigo recently set himself a new challenge: working together with a group of professional freedivers, he wanted to turn a wreck in the Mediterranean Sea into an "underwater playground."
Great Britain's Royal Institution has put together a fascinating "tour through the history of photography." Using his own camera collection as a jumping off point, chemist Andrew Szydlo takes you through a sort of "crash course" on the history of photography in 41 minutes.
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.
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.
Here's an interesting idea: what if you could teach someone all of the basics of photography by simply giving them a deck of playing cards? That's exactly what a new Kickstarter campaign for the so-called "Photography Deck" wants to deliver.
Did you know that your body is bioluminescent? That's right -- the human body actually emits visible light and can be photographed by an ultra-sensitive camera in complete darkness.
Specialty coffee guru James Hoffmann recently embarked on a journey many photographers have already been on: developing photos using coffee. But if you think a former World Barista Champion settled for some Instant Nescafe as his main ingredient, think again. Hoffmann went all out.
Ever since joining the San Jose Sharks two years ago, I’ve looked for different ways to photograph hockey and showcase our athletes. There was one specific photo that I had been thinking about for a while. The concept would be to create a photo from below the ice, as if looking up at a Sharks player inside SAP Center.
Retired professional photographer Bob Rosinsky was editing one of his fine art film scans recently when he accidentally picked the Brush Tool instead of the Healing Tool in Photoshop. Just like that, a small gray smudge was created, and a strange photo project was born.
Creative Director Yousuke Ozawa—whose 'Satellite Fonts' project went viral back in 2014—is at it again. In order to keep his sanity during lockdown, he started taking "digital vacations" through Google Maps, and capturing Street View travel photography.
Engineer and YouTuber Ben Krasnow over at Applied Science has put together a fascinating little optical demonstration that explains the physics behind 'hypercentric' optics and how they allow you to see around and behind objects. He even shows you how to build your own.
Australian accessory maker Lucky Straps seems intent on taking on Peak Design with their newly announced Quick Release System: a new buckle design that lets you quickly add or remove the company's camera straps without having to leave any kind of "dongle" attached to your camera.
A Japanese patent from Sony hints at a future lens that would allow you to shoot first, and focus your photos later. By combining multiple smaller lenses into a single larger lens, the idea could open up a world of new imaging possibilities if it ever comes to pass.
While shooting a sunrise timelapse of Washington's Mount Rainier from West Auburn, amateur photographer Justin Burrell captured a massive sunrise avalanche slipping down the eastern side of the mountain.
Check out this photo captured from a plane over Colorado. It looks like strange blocks arranged in a grid across the Earth, but it's actually ultra-flat farmland that has been turned into a 3D illusion thanks to windblown snow.
A designer from Ukraine has turned the Photoshop toolbar into a physical, custom keyboard and number pad that you can actually buy. It's definitely not the most functional option available to photo editors, but there's something charming about the idea.