2012

The latest rumor circulating around the "entry-level full-frame" topic is that Nikon may shying away from Sony when it comes to getting a full-frame sensor for the rumored D600. The rumor came as a result of an article on the Italian website MarsicaLive, which stated that Aptina Imaging is designing a new full-frame CMOS sensor for DSLRs; they also write that -- according to unconfirmed rumors -- the sensor is being designed specifically for Nikon. Although this is the first full-frame sensor …

The world of photography is full of "nuts," but these are the first we've seen that you could actually crack open with a nutcracker. For its latest photography marketing stunt, Olympus has been sending out a box complete with two walnuts and a note that simply says "coming soon." TechRadar received one, and PhotographyBlog received another.

Back in August we featured a service called JPEGmini, which gives anybody the ability to shrink their photos up to 5-times in size without any visible quality difference -- a substantial claim, but one that the service seemed to live up to quite well (we use it regularly).

Yesterday One World Trade Center officially became the tallest building in New York City. Since 2004, the EarthCam network has had cameras pointed at the construction site, documenting its progress. Taking images captured over the past eight years, the website created the mesmerizing time-lapse video above that shows eight years of construction in just two minutes.

Words certainly won't do Kevin Michael Connolly justice. Born without legs, this part-photographer, part-professional skier, part-writer is, ironically enough, an inspiration to us all (we say ironically because in the Today Show interview above they talk about how much he hates to be called an inspiration).

The new BlackBerry 10 operating system was unveiled BlackBerry World 2012 today, and one of the amazing new features that wowed the crowd was the camera app. It features a seemingly-magical "timeline" lens that lets you rewind sections of photographs in order to recover moments that your fingers weren't fast enough to capture. Did your subject blink in the photo? No worries... simply rewind their face and you're good to go! Basically, the camera is constantly capturing frames as soon as the app …

Concept products aren't a rarity. In the world of cars and computers concepts usually make us ooh and ahh at their beautiful styling and implied functionality, but in the world of cameras things can get a bit, strange. Such is the case with a new SLR concept by industrial designer Arti Patel called the All.Round SLR.

Ever since she entered the world 30 some-odd years ago, Alison has had her father Jack Radcliffe's camera pointed at her. Radcliffe, a Baltimore, MD-based photographer, started out by documenting her life casually as new parents commonly do, but slowly became more interested in the relationships involved in growing up.

The United States is a diverse country, but there are few places in the US as diverse as New York City: "the greatest city on earth." In many ways The City's diversity makes it a street photographer's gold-mine, and it's this mine that photographer Brandon Stanton has been meticulously digging through over the last couple of years.

Here's a tongue-in-cheek "leaked advertisement" for Instagram's new camera: the Instagram Snap. The camera is sure to become a hit among hipsters.

MIT researchers are at it again: the university's latest research project to receive attention from tech blogs the world over is their new self-cleaning, anti-glare, fog-resistant glass. They're calling it "multifunctional" glass, and by using a nano-textured surface it eliminates glare and fogging entirely, essentially making it invisible.

The Olympus OM-D EM-5 generated quite a bit of buzz when it was first announced due to its retro OM-inspired styling, but now reviews of the camera are suggesting that its potential as a camera are on par with its sleek form. DPReview has published a comprehensive review of the camera, giving it glowing marks and calling it the best Micro Four Thirds camera yet: …

We'll go ahead and start by saying that we're using the term "photographer" lightly; in reality we should probably say "users." But there's a certain irony to calling celebrity Instagramers "photographers" that we quite enjoy. Unlike Flickr where many of the best loved users are well known photogs showcasing their most recent work, Instagram's top users are made up entirely of celebrities.

John Herrman over at BuzzFeed has written up an interesting piece on how and why "grabby" terms of service have become ubiquitous in the online world of social media:

Korean photographer Lee Eunyeol creates beautiful nighttime scenes by installing lights in various landscapes. His artist statement reads, …

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, Polaroid sponsored shows like "The Tonight Show" during which the hosts would take time to endorse the cameras during the show itself rather than cut to commercials. The montage above takes viewers back to a time when fancy new Polaroid cameras cost $69.95 -- or $1.19 a week.

When we told you about the StrikeFinder app earlier, we mentioned that what set it apart was that it used your actual iPhone's camera; it wasn't just acting as the trigger. Well, Trigertrap's new mobile app is just acting as the trigger, but it's acting as a very comprehensive trigger.

Matthew Gore of Light & Matter created this beginner-friendly video tutorial on the three basic elements of exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. It's explained with easy to understand illustrations and examples, and features graphics and sounds that are reminiscent of old 8-bit video games. You can also find a text-based version of the tutorial here.

One of the interesting features in Olympus' OM-D EM-5 retro-styled camera is the 5-axis image stabilization, which shifts the sensor in 5 different axis directions (existing systems generally use 2) to compensate for camera shake. It's a feature that caught the eye of Vimeo user Fiatopichan, who suffers from essential tremor (a neurological disorder that causes his hands to shake at about 5-10 Hz). He decided to buy the camera to test out the new system, and reported his findings in the video …

"Dancing with Invisible Light" is a project by San Francisco-based photographer Audrey Penven, who used an infrared camera to capture portraits illuminated by the invisible structured light emitted by a Microsoft Kinect.

There are plenty of light-sensitive triggers on the market, some triggers even use your smartphone, but Ubertronix's new StrikeFinder app is the first mobile app that lets you actually take the pictures with your phone. Instead of designing a trigger app that attaches to an external camera, the StrikeFinder app released earlier today lets everyday iPhone users simply point their phone camera in the direction of say, lightning or fireworks, and the phone does the rest for them.

Not so much a "leak" as the proverbial flood gates opening, earlier today the Indonesian website Yangcanggih released what amounts to a full gallery of both the new NEX-F3 and A37 cameras, giving Sony fanboys (and girls) plenty to get excited over. The pictures confirm many of the previous rumors: the NEX-F3 does have a pop-up flash, and the 180-degree tilting screen is also a feature; while the A37 is receiving an articulating screen as well.

Last November Google launched a Photography Prize for finding the "photography stars of the future". After receiving entries from 20,000 students in 146 countries, Google announced the winners last week. The grand prize winner was Viktor Johansson, a 24-year-old photography student from Sweden who photographed the loneliness of competitive diving: …

With Nikon rumored to be working on the D600 as an entry-level full-frame for later this year, it's only right that Canon jump into the fray as well, and jump they have (maybe). Rumors that Canon has had a new entry-level full-frame in the works began circulating at the end of March, and now we're hearing that an announcement may be planned for the 2012 Holiday Season.

Every photo has a story, and this particular photo has one of the most interesting stories of them all -- a story of anonymous fame, and famous anonymity. To this day the above photo, titled "Firing Squad in Iran," is the only anonymous photo to ever win a Pulitzer Prize. And although the photo was taken in 1979, the photographer behind the lens didn't receive credit until 2006.

Artist Maarten Baas has a project called "Real Time" in which he creates one-of-a-kind clocks using a video camera and boatloads of patience and dedication. He creates 12-hour-long loops of people manually setting the time on various clocks... in real time. The video above shows his grandfather clock exhibit in which the hour and minute hands of the clock are painstakingly drawn in every minute of every hour for twelve hours.

The Afghan box camera, or kamra-e-faoree as it's called in Afghanistan, is a humble creation that has served its purpose well for many years. We say humble because the "camera body" consists of a wooden box, the "focusing apparatus" is a metal shaft attached to a piece of wood, and the "shutter" is controlled by removing and reinserting the "lens cap" manually.

For those of you amateur photographers out there who like shooting film, sometimes old cameras don't have the right light meter for getting the correct exposure. Sometimes they are faulty, inaccurate or have no light meter at all! Photographic light meters can be pretty expensive but analog foot-candle meters are cheap because they don't really have any photography purpose, until now. This guide will show you how to put it to work for photography.

"All the Wild Horses" is a photo series by South African photographer Andrew McGibbon that consists of beautiful studio portraits of horses. McGibbon writes, …

A typical snoot is used to control the direction and radius of of the light you're casting onto your subject, and they're great for getting certain effects. But photographer Peter Miesch's take on the snoot is a bit different; used right, his will give your photos a film-noire effect like you see in the example above.

Everybody knows that the Instagram app made its name giving photos an old, instant film look. But what if we were to tell you that there was something even before that time, even before cameras, that gave a scene the same aesthetic? Well there was, and it was called a Claude glass.

In this video from Master Photo Workshops photographer Jim Zuckerman shows you how he creates his iconic sunrise photography, using a beautiful lighthouse as his subject. He begins with the basics of choosing your subject and exposure well and then continues on to explain the need to move quickly, "work the scene," and understand that auto white balance works against you in sunrise and sunset scenes.

If you thought Nikon's 6mm Fisheye lens from a week ago was crazy, get a load of this Carl Zeiss telephoto lens announced at Photokina back in 2006. The made-to-order lens was called the Apo Sonnar T* 1700 mm F4, and that little nub at the end? That's a Hasselblad 6x6 medium format camera.

This video, done by The Camera Store with help from Roth and Ramberg, is sure to stir up some controversy. One side will say that 35mm couldn't possibly compete with medium format, while the other will point out that the price difference makes the whole debate moot.

We've run into some cool ideas over the years -- most of them involving a new way of taking photos or an interesting mix of established photography techniques -- but Hong Sung Chul's work with photographs printed onto string is definitely different, if not unique. His choice of medium is said to represent our human connection to our mothers through an umbilical cord.

There's been a lot of nostalgia over the space program lately; as NASA is relegated to memories and museums, the general public is rediscovering why space once had us at such rapt attention. And the most recent relic to surface from the space program is a collection of never-before-seen photos from NASA's project Gemini.

If it looks like a Kinect, and the prototype was once a Kinect, you'd think the result would be Kinect-like; but the Matterport system is much cooler than that. It can't record you dancing with your friends in front of your TV, but what the it can do is render 3D interiors in minutes -- something that was once a painstaking many-hour process.

This behind the scenes video of Benjamin Von Wong's photo shoot with the band The Agonist is a great example of how creative band photography can really get when you have a band that's willing to get dirty, paired with a phenomenal photographer. The video shows the process involved in taking a cool action shot band picture from idea to finished product, and should serve as great inspiration for anybody into band photography -- or photography in general for that matter. Enjoy! …

Copyright laws get pretty specific. A photographer can not only give a green light on a work, he or she can license a work for use only during specific years, or in a specific area, or for a specific publication medium (i.e. print vs electronic); and now it looks like massive publisher Pearson Education is in trouble for breaking these sort of terms one too many times.

Typically, augmented reality falls somewhere between technological breakthrough and really cool thing to show your friends; but in the Science Museum in London's Making of the Modern World exhibit, augmented reality also takes up the mantle of education.

Admittedly, Michael Wolff is not a photographer, but this six minute Intel Visual Life documentary is still worth watching for any and all creative types -- especially photographers. Our favorite part is his ellaboration on the muscles of "seeing" and creativity: curiosity (or questioning), appreciation (or noticing) and, lastly, imagination. He explains each so beautifully; and as a bonus, if you're interested in branding and design, there's few people better suited to tell you about it than …

The SquareBounce is a pretty innovative rethink of the traditional collapsible reflector used by photographers everywhere. Shaped like a "flat umbrella," it's easier to hold and orient in almost any photography situation and, as their website points out, it can actually double as an umbrella if need be.

Here's a little bit of weekend inspiration for you. When photographer Shawn Reeder was 18-years-old, he won a trip to Yosemite and fell in love with the national park and what he describes as its "changing beauty." This time-lapse, which took almost two years of shooting to make, is a manifestation of Reeder's love of the area and his desire to share it with others. Nothing brings me more joy than to share this life changing beauty with others. Ever since I became fascinated with timelapse …

You may remember Visual Supply Co as the company that brought you VSCO Film, a fancy schmancy film emulation add-on for Lightroom and Camera Raw. Now, after months of waiting, the company has finally announced its newest endeavor: the VSCO Cam iPhone camera app.

This video tutorial, courtesy of Jeff Farmer of XNCreative.com, is a testament to what someone can do with just four still images, Photoshop, Motion, and a whole lot of creativity. The images were shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i, and all of the editing and effects work was done in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended and Apple Motion. Although Jeff makes it seem very easy, words like "meticulously" clue you in to the amount of time this must have taken to make.

Here's a cool little product worth mentioning that could save you time, headaches, and a few electrical shocks. The Quirky Pivot Power surge protector is a power strip with a twist -- or as many twists as you want. Unlike normal power strips, this surge protector is flexible, allowing you to twist and bend it into whatever shape fits your work space and all of the DSLR battery chargers you have lying around. The $30 price tag definitely makes it more expensive than it's straight edged brethren, …

After the death of Osama bin Laden and the subsequent dumping of his body into the sea, a number of groups have called for the release of photographs captured during and after the raid -- particularly the images showing his corpse. A year ago we reported that the Associated Press had taken legal action to obtain the images. Yesterday federal judge James Boasberg put an end to all the requests by ruling that there were legitimate national security interests at stake and that the photos would not …

They say that when it rains it pours, and nowhere is that more evident than with the troubled, once-great photography company Kodak. After filing for bankruptcy, narrowing its focus to printers, and selling the Kodak Gallery for pennys on the dollar, we sort of hoped the company would start to see some rays of sunshine break through their perpetual cloud cover. Unfortunately, their quarter's earnings report is anything but sunny.

Hyperallergic has published an essay about a project titled Free Sitting done by artist Nora Herting, who got a job as a photographer at a JC Penny portrait studio for the project. Here's the essay's description of the project: …

If you or someone you know really loves their Instagram photo collection, check out Printstagram's Mini Stickers: they're a great, cheap gift idea that's sure to make you/them smile. The whole point of Instagram is sharing your cool creations, so why not stick them to every surface imaginable? And at $10 per book of 252 stickers, you really can afford to stick them to everything.