With the ability to shoot video now nearly ubiquitous among DSLRs, many photographers take advantage and switch into video mode on occasion. But because video isn’t a photographer’s first priority, camera sliders and cranes that many videographers find necessary for beautiful, smooth tracking shots don’t always make the budget.
Thankfully, if you’re not in the market for a slider or crane, but you still want to shoot the occasional tracking shot, the folks at DSLR filmmaking tutorial site Fenchel & Janisch shared this simple trick for getting similar results using the tripod already at your disposal. Read more…
We first covered Stipple last year, when it was a B2B service that was attempting to turn microstock on its head by offering image licenses in exchange for in-image ads. Since then, the company has relaunched as a platform geared towards ordinary folk. In addition to being able to make money from your photos, Stipple now adds a useful layer on top of the images, allowing you to share, caption, and track your photos in ways that aren’t possible with static image files. Read more…
If you regularly send emails containing links to your photographs, perhaps you’ve wondered whether the recipients actually viewed your images like they say they did. Was It Viewed? is a website that helps you easily make your links trackable. Simply provide the link and your email address for notification purposes, and the app will generate a special link you can send out. Whenever the link is clicked, you’ll receive an email notification informing you of the fact (along with some details about the clicker). For added stealthiness, the app can also package your link inside a bit.ly shortened link to hide the fact that it’s tracked.
We first heard about the startup company Satarii back in January when they began raising money for a novel camera dock that offers motion tracking. They went on to raise nearly $25,000 through crowdfunding, and now the dock is official and available for pre-order. Named “Swivl“, it helps cameras follow a remote tracking marker by doing its best to keep the marker in the frame. Read more…
Here’s a neat productivity tip for those of you who regularly buy stuff online (e.g. obsessive photo gear buyers): you can track most packages by simply searching for the tracking number with Google! The search engine automatically figures out which service the number belongs to, and provides you with a direct link to the droids page you’re looking for. Since some shipping companies don’t have bookmarkable tracking pages, this tip can help you avoid having to go through those companies’ websites.
Since we wrote about CineSkates last week, the tripod-on-wheels project has already raised nearly $200,000 in preorders — not bad considering the goal was only $20,000. Today, Emm over at CheesyCam just announced something similar: the Pico Dolly. It’s a tiny portable dolly system for your video-capable camera that lets you capture smooth tracking shots without the hassle of big and expensive equipment. Unlike CineSkates, they’re already shipping — $65 will buy you the dolly itself, and $90 gets you the dolly and an 11-inch friction arm.
