thoughts

Instagram’s Facade of the Perfect Life Has Made Us Lose Our Empathy

Last week, it was reported that 3 Canadian YouTube vloggers had died while swimming at the top of Shannon Falls in Squamish, British Columbia. The trio were part of content creation channel High On Life, which has a current following of 560,000 subscribers, and a further 1.1 million followers on Instagram. As the tragic news broke, so did the influx of comments across news sites and social media.

Jeff Mermelstein is a F***ing Anthropologist

Jeff Mermelstein’s photographic practice of making presumably private text conversations public by photographing people’s phones while they are texting and then posting the results on Instagram has made a splash recently. Of course the highlight that ran in Business Insider was framed as a question in a PetaPixel article: is Mermelstein’s practice ethically sound?

Teaching Photographic Style

I’ve been thinking about photography and personal style and the different ways to teach it. I’m trying to help, share and guide people along their way in finding their unique photographic style. Seeing if I can find that quick fix, that beaten path someone else has already made for us. Sadly over the many years of reflection and research, I’ve found that there is no blue pill.

Visual Self Harm: Images I Don’t Want to See

I found an image that I don't want to see. Too familiar, and so, too hurtful. But as the Internet meme jokes, "What has been seen can't be unseen." In that context, such images are considered shocking, graphic, violent. The image I refer to, however, is far removed from any of these labels. But for me, there it is, that Punctum that Barthes spoke of. As I write, Google Chrome suggests the correct spelling is 'puncture' -- how appropriate.

What I Learned From a 5-Week Photo Trip Around the United States

I just returned from a 5-week photography trip. I had a few weeks off work between contracts and figured why not hit the road instead of paying insane rent in the SF Bay area! It was still a great idea in hindsight. However, it wasn’t all bliss and glory all-day-every-day.

‘Great Photos! You Must Have a Great Camera!’

"Great photos! You must have a great camera!" If you take your craft seriously, the odds of having heard these words are quite high. Audiences associate good images with great cameras, and for the longest time this (almost) accusation has bothered photographers who felt their skills were downplayed. But the interesting bit is that we’re walking towards making the “great cameras = great photos” equation true! And they fit in your pocket.

Is Fujifilm’s X Series Really a Professional Camera System?

I admit to being a bit of a Fuji fanboy. I have to be in order to put up with all the quirks of the Fuji X system. I believe it is this unconventional approach by Fuji that results in their growth and dedicated following.

Your Camera Already Has the Most Important Feature

There is something all-newcomer photographers tend to do: they either dream of camera gear or buy a lot of it. When I started in photography I went through the same thing. I thought that I needed all the lenses that my idols used. I believed I needed the highest megapixel camera, with all the video features just in case a potential client wanted video. But over time, with age came wisdom.

The Milk Bath Portrait and How it Changed Everything

Through his most famous character’s lips, Arthur Conan Doyle once lamented “There is nothing new under the sun.” But he was wrong. Because I recently saw a photograph that was so utterly unique and awe-inspiring that it instantly froze the Lucky Charms-laden spoon that had been traveling toward my waiting craw. I’d just seen my first milk bath portrait, and never again would I be the same.

How Bad is GDPR for Photographers?

The EU has a new data protection law, the so-called GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation, or as we Germans like to call it: “Datenschutzgrundverordnung” (Gesundheit!). The rules took effect on May 25th and so far it’s pretty chaotic: in the EU we cannot reach some newspapers in the outside world because they cannot comply with the new rules.

Why We Print

My mom was a florist. She used to say you can always tell a florist by their thumb. Each floral stalk must be cut prior to refrigeration and cut again when incorporated into a design, so if the inside of the thumb is rough and slightly discolored, with tiny slices lining the soft padding, like a hundred tiny paper cuts, you’re talking to a florist.

The Art of Knowing: Thoughts from a Photo Trip to China

For my recent trip to China, as I’ve done before, I planned and I planned… and I planned. I made detailed maps, took notes on locations and hints as to the best vantage points. I scoured everything to ensure that my time there was incredibly well-invested in capturing the best images I could manage within the time I had. And frankly, I feel that this was a great practice, for me.

Ego is the Enemy: Detach Your Ego From Social Media

Growth. Real, personal, soul-fulfilling, butterflies in the belly-inducing growth. That’s the key to my happiness; my personal metric for success. It doesn’t matter what I achieve or how much of it I attained. I define myself as successful simply in the process of progress.

Top 10 Ways to Improve Flickr in 2018

Having spent thousands of hours on Flickr over the past 15 years or so, on a personal level I’ve become fairly invested in the site. To date I’ve published over 140,000 of my photographs there. I publish 40 or so new photos there every single day. It’s the primary archive of my photography work on the Internet.

A Field Test of the $12,400 Nikon 180-400mm f/4 TC1.4

Over the years, as a Nikon ambassador, I have been able to test a lot of new gear that has come out and some of it I have reported on, like the 200-500mm f/5.6 and the 500mm f/4. After my contract with Nikon was terminated they still trusted me with new gear to test in collaboration with my partner Stavanger Foto, like the D850.

Your Camera is Better Than What Legendary Photographers Used

If you think that buying a better camera or lens will instantly make you a better photographer, consider this: it's likely that the camera you already have is better than what legendary photographers used to shoot history's most famous and beloved photos. That's the nugget of inspiration and encouragement that photographer Ted Forbes of The Art of Photography discusses in this 10-minute video.

My Thoughts on the SmugMug Flickr Acquisition

Yesterday, we learned that the photo-sharing site Flickr has been acquired by the photo sharing site SmugMug. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

What’s With All the Poor Negative Film Reviews?

I don't usually go the negative Nellie with anything photo related, sometimes it's best to keep your mouth firmly shut. But I'm not going to take it anymore, I'm as mad as hell, and I'm going to lean right out the window and shout it to the world, enough, I'm done with rubbish samples of film technology on the Web.

I’m Thinking About What Sara Said

I had the great privilege of tagging along with photographer Eric Kim for Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai back in 2014 and 2016. GPP is an annual event: the region’s biggest and only photography festival, bringing the world’s best photographers and instructors to Dubai to share their knowledge and experience with the professional and amateur photography community in the Middle East and Africa.

The Death of DSLRs is Near

Two decades ago, DSLRs were introduced to replace film cameras. With only a few megapixels, very short battery life, and an overall low quality, it was only natural that most photographers were very skeptical at first. It took a few generations until digital cameras were fully accepted and analog photography was left to the enthusiasts rather than the professionals.

A Black and White Comparison: What Does Retouching Tell Us About Photojournalism?

This week, TIME magazine published James Nachtwey’s photo essay on the opioid crisis. Over his decades-long career, Nachtwey has carved out a reputation as a stoic and relentless documentarian of conflict and pain. His latest effort took over a year to produce, and it has all the hallmarks of great photojournalism, providing a level of intimacy and rawness that can only be captured with persistence and skill.

Sex, Lies, and Lemmings: Hossein Fatemi and the Toxification of Photojournalism

The year-long world tour of photojournalist Hossein Fatemi’s controversial Iranian photos is coming to an end. In a year in which fake news and the abuse of power has never been in sharper focus, it’s worth examining some of the incomprehensible decisions that led to Fatemi’s work being given such a massive platform to deceive.

5 Reasons 40mm is the Best Focal Length for a Do-It-All Prime Lens

Do you own and use a beloved 35mm or 50mm lens? Popular photography personality Kai Wong thinks you should consider trying out the middle ground between the two. He made this 11-minute video about why he thinks 40mm is actually the best focal length you can carry if you want a do-it-all prime lens.

On Photo Contests: Opinions Matter… but Please, Can’t We Be Civil?

I write a version of this story every year around this time: photo contest result time. And every year, it’s addressing the same grousing and whining and complaints about everything from non-diversified juries to images being too newsy or not newsy enough.

Don’t Go Trendy with Film: Learn Photography Faster with Digital

Are you setting out on your journey of discovery in the wonderful world of photography? Are you wondering whether to go for digital or follow the fad for film? Are you intending to invest in some gear but don’t want to waste your hard earned cash on kit that doesn’t help you to progress? Here’s some advice from a photographer who has seen both sides extensively.

5 Reasons to Buy a Contax T2

I recently went on short vacation in Italy. Visiting La Spezia was the perfect opportunity for me to finally try out the famous Contax T2 that I got recently. I hit the streets of La Spezia with the camera loaded with Kodak TX400 film.

Think About How You Use Instagram with ‘The Flyer Theory’

No matter how you feel about Instagram, if you’re reading this you know that you need it. Period. Social media can change careers. Instead of being stuck working with people in your 15-mile radius, you’re now open to the world. But if you’re reading this, you’re probably also using Instagram wrong.

Zeiss Otus: Another Level of Quality

I have been shooting using Zeiss optics for decades. The appreciation was instilled in me by my grandfather who collected cameras quite seriously, including a large Leica collection. He passed on a few cameras like the Argus C3, Zeiss Ikoflex Twin Lens Reflex, Rollei 35, etc. as well as a few large format and enlarging lenses, often explaining to me that Zeiss was the real leader of optics.

5 Lessons I Learned In My First Year of Business as a Photographer

My name is David Wahlman, and I'm a photographer and videographer for outdoor and active lifestyle industries based in Orange County, California. In this post, I'll share 5 of the lessons I learned after my first year of business.

Why I Rejected Your Request for Free Photos

This post is dedicated to all the people who have completely lost their sense of common decency. I have a destructive humbleness that most people do not understand (myself included). I do not have a Patreon page, I do not run ads on my website, I have never asked for donations. However, for some reason, I get the feeling that this leads people to believe I do everything for free. This could not be further from the truth. You want to use my work? Great! How about you pay me for it? No? Of course not, what was I thinking. I’m sorry.

I Shot a Short Film with the Panasonic GH5S: Here Are My Thoughts

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get my hands on the brand new Panasonic Lumix GH5S in time to start shooting for our new short film 4:17 AM. The shoot was going to take place mainly at night and early morning, so when I heard about the GH5S, I thought it would be the ideal testing bed for the new camera.

5 Things We’re Hoping For From Camera Companies in 2018

Designing and manufacturing camera gear ain’t easy, as anyone who has invested in a Kickstarter project can attest. The amount of technology that’s stuffed into gear is astonishing, but that doesn’t mean each product meets the needs of the photographer. So in the spirit of “there’s always room for improvement,” here are a few of our hopes in the new year.