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Photography Contributes $10.2B to US Economy: Govt Report

Ever wonder how much the arts and photography contribute towards the United States economy? Wonder no more. According to a newly-published government report, the arts contribute over $763 billion to the economy, and photography represents over $10 billion of that total.

Surprise! Holding a Camera to Your Face is Not Good in a Car Crash

Who would've guessed it? Holding a camera up to your face during a car crash can be quite hazardous to your health. New research by the University of Southern California and the International Cinematographer Guild has shed new light on the dangers posed by cameras in "free driving" situations.

How Instagram’s Photo Filters Are Used by Top Users

My name is Stefan, and I'm the CTO of the marketing firm Relatable. To facilitate execution of global, large-scale influencer marketing campaigns, we rely a lot on data to give us insights. Using a sample of about 2 million Instagram accounts (with a minimum of 1,000 followers) and 40 million posts, I’ve been digging deep, compiling statistics, finding insights, and just discovering some quirky facts. In this article, I'll share some of my findings.

Consumer Drones Unlikely to Inflict Horrible Head Injuries, Study Finds

Researchers at Virginia Tech have been studying the injury risks posed by consumer drones by flying them into dummies' faces, and they've now come to a conclusion. The study found that the risk of a catastrophic head injury was less than 5 percent in an impact with a drone weighing 2.6 lbs (such as the popular DJI Phantom).

Countering Stryker’s Punch: Filling the Black Hole with Photoshop and GIMP

The visual record left behind by the United States Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographers has, according to New York Times critic Charles Hagen, come to “represent one of the most ambitious attempts ever made to depict a society in photographs (Hagen, 1985).”

Photos of Light, Shadows, and Lines at the BMW Headquarters

BMW's headquarters are an iconic landmark in Munich, Germany -- the uniquely designed complex was deemed a protected historic building in 1999. Munich-based photographer Skander Khlif visited the tower and shot a series that studies the light, shadows, lines, and silhouettes.

Instagram Likes and Comments Drop 33% in a Year

Instagram boasts over 400 million users now and has never been more popular. But even though user growth charges forward, the interaction rate by users appears to be trending downward. A new study reports a 33% drop in Likes and Comments over a one year period.

80% of People Think They Take Excellent Photos, Study Finds

The saying goes that "you are your own worst critic," but when it comes to photography, a Canon photo trends study finds that the old adage simply doesn't track. In fact, the vast majority of people think their photography is 'good to excellent.'

One Woman Photoshopped by 18 Countries: Beauty Standards Revealed

Last year, journalist Esther Honig published a viral series of images showing how photo retouchers in 27 countries around the world "enhanced" a portrait of her according to their cultural preferences. Inspired by that project, the UK medical website Superdrug Online Doctor just published a similar experiment that explores body image.

Study: Flickr Photos Can Predict People’s Movements

Before you head out for your next vacation, you may want to consider what your photos on Flickr reveal about your travel plans. A new study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal used machine learning algorithms to model the mobility of individuals.

By analyzing the embedded timestamp and geographic information within photographs, the researchers were able to accurately predict where a person is most likely currently located and where they may be headed in the future.

Filtered Photos Are 21% More Likely to Be Viewed

Popularized by the likes of Instagram, photo filters are divisive in the world of photography: some people love using and viewing them, while others hate what they've done to the medium. No matter which side of the aisle you find yourself on, one thing is clear: filters can have a big impact these days on how popular your shared images are.

And that effect has now been quantified: it turns out filtered photos are 21% more likely to be viewed online than their original, unprocessed shots.

Photo Sharing is Hurting Our Enjoyment of Life, Study Finds

Smartphones and social networks have made snapping and sharing photos extremely easy to do, allowing us to preserve our memories and broadcast our experiences. It's not all positive, though: there are downsides to our snap- and selfie-happy culture.

A new study has found that 58% of people believe that "posting the perfect picture has prevented them from enjoying life's experiences."

The Importance of Cameras in the Smartphone War

When new smartphones are announced these days, the camera quality and specs are usually front and center. If you're wondering why manufacturers focus so much on mobile photography, check out the chart above: taking photos is the most used feature of smartphones alongside text messaging.

A Film Vs. Digital Study

In an effort to prove to myself, my family, and my friends that I am not nuts to lug 6+ pounds of medium format camera gear up the mountainside I conducted my own tests over the last few weeks.

Sure one could set up a Resolution Target but that would not be a “real world” test, no sweat and sore muscles.

Canon Report Finds 18% of People Bought Counterfeit Gear Unwittingly in 2013

It’s no surprise that a market as vast and broad as photography is going to have problems with counterfeit gear, but the problem might be more prevalent than you think. According to a recent study commission by Canon, it's estimated that some 18% of consumers have purchased counterfeit goods without knowing it, despite the fact that companies like Canon often try to educate customers about this sort of thing.