2013

Kai Gives Phillip Bloom a Barbie Camera in New DigitalRev Cheap Camera Challenge

Editor's Note: There is a bit of strong and suggestive language used in a few of the scenes.

The Pro Photog Cheap Camera Challenge is one of our favorite segments that the folks over at DigitalRev put together. Beyond just proving the point that it's the photographer, and not the camera, that makes great pictures, the episodes are fun to watch and often very educational.

In the past they've put everyone from David Hobby to Vincent Laforet to the test, but this time they decided to up the ante. The victim this time around is world-class cinematographer Phillip Bloom, who will be embarking on this challenge with a not-so-capable Barbie camera in tow.

NASA Takes You Inside Apollo 8, Recreates Experience of Taking Iconic Earthrise Photo

When it comes to iconic imagery, there are few individual photographers who can best NASA. From the pale blue dot, to the blue marble, to the amazing photo of Bruce McCandless II floating out into space on the first ever untethered space walk, NASA's got quite a repository of amazing imagery.

One of those iconic images, dubbed AS8-14-2383 but better known as Earthrise, is about to turn 45 years old on Christmas Eve. And so NASA thought it appropriate to share the story of how luck and teamwork helped the astronauts of Apollo 8 capture this photo.

Henry’s Concepts: Adorable Photo Series Directed Entirely by a Two-Year-Old

In order to make a little bit of money on the side, Toronto-based portrait and wedding photographer Alex Neary does some nannying, but she probably never expected that her nannying gig would be her ticket to viral photography success.

You see, for the last year and a half, she's been looking after a ridiculously cute and creative toddler named Henry, who one day decided that he wanted to turn the camera around and photograph Alex for a change. Thus was born the adorable photo series Henry's Concepts.

The Real Oldest Photo of New York City is Not Nearly As Cool as the Fake One

News flash: You can't believe everything you see on Twitter. We know, we were shocked too.

Such was the case with this striking sepia-toned image that started lighting up the mediasphere yesterday billed as "the Earliest Photograph Taken of New York City - Broadway, May 1850." (And immediately started attracting comments in the vein of: "And they haven't fixed the potholes since!")

Film Takes on Digital in Head-to-Head PBS Showdown, Can You Tell the Difference?

When it comes to the film vs. digital debate, many people are fairly entrenched on one side or the other. But can you really tell the difference between RAW digital footage and film footage? What about when the digital footage is made to look like film using filters in post? PBS Digital Studios wants to put you to the test.

THIS is How You Change a Lens Like a Pro: Sony Ad Shows Mid-Skydive Lens Change

A couple of weeks ago, we shared a video that showed a guy dropping his brand new $2,300 24-70mm f/2.8L lens as he demonstrates how to quickly swap your lenses out "just like the pros." Some people thought it was real, some thought it was fake, but whatever the case it definitely WAS a big fat fail.

That is 100% not the case with the epic Sony ad above, which is titled simply "A7R," but ought to be called "THIS is How You Change a Lens Like a Pro"... feel free to substitute "bada**" for "pro."

Rumor: Sigma to Announce a 16-20mm f/2 DG Art Lens for Full-Frame DSLRs in 2014

Sigma is on a tear when it comes to releasing amazing glass. From the groundbreaking 18-35mm f/1.8 for APS-C cameras to the 24-105mm f/4 that had people pretty excited, Sigma glass is quickly becoming synonymous with phenomenal quality and affordability.

And now, the newest murmurings to come down the rumor pipeline have another exciting Sigma lens in the works, this one a 16-20mm f/2.

South Park Takes on Photoshop in Season Finale Episode

Editors note: Be advised, the video below contains some strong language that might not be to the liking of all our readers.

There have been a lot of viral attacks on the retouching industry lately -- from these striking ads created by a student to this funny tongue-in-cheek version of another viral anti-retouching video -- but the cherry on top of the Photoshop-hate sundae came in the form of the South Park Season 17 finale.

Architectural Photog Transforms a Munich Hotel 88 Mind-Bending Ways in Post

From no Photoshop straight to excessive yet awesome image manipulation, we're all over the spectrum today. Although general belief (at least among purists) is that it is always better to create something in-camera than in post, there are certain things that just can't be done in-camera... and architecture photographer Víctor Enrich did ALL OF THEM to this one hotel in Munich.

Crunching the Numbers: Four Insights We Can Glean from Camera Sales Data

With every passing year, the digital camera sales dataset offered by the Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) grows more comprehensive. These records are made available to the public by this coalition of camera manufacturers which includes Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Sony, Sigma, Ricoh, Olympus, and dozens of other recognizable brands. Since 2002, they've been improving and increasing the scale of their database, which now separates digital cameras into fixed-lens, mirrorless and DSLR categories, and reports sales figures for different regions.

It sometimes seems that commentators are primarily interested in the CIPA data to prove just how far up a creek camera manufacturers are so far this decade. But these depressing pronouncements are just scratching the surface. Here's some other things the data shows:

Tilt-Shift Effect Applied to Photographs of the Cosmos to Create a ‘Tiny Universe’

Photographs of galaxies far far away rarely convey just how large what you're looking at really is -- after all, how can you even fathom something that is measured in light years across. But these photos of the cosmos do an even worse job. By applying the tilt-shift effect in post, these photos show galaxies and nebulae look like they could fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.

Fuji Announces New 10-24mm f/4 Lens, the Widest Lens in the X-Mount Family

One of the common complaints people hesitant to switch to mirrorless systems have is that there just isn't enough glass for this that or the other mount. Micro Four Thirds cameras don't really suffer from this problem, but proprietary mounts like Sony's E-Mount (especially full-frame) and Fuji's X-Mount certainly don't offer the kind of selection you get from Canon or Nikon.

The good news is, they're catching up. And a great case in point is the Fuji X-Mount 10-24mm f/4 lens announced today.

Humor: ‘Body Evolution’ Model Turned Into Santa Claus by Cheeky Ad Agency

Last year, a time-lapse called 'Body Evolution - Model Before and After' went viral as people the world over had their eyes opened to just how much a model can be altered with the help of hair, makeup and, most of all, Photoshop. That video has accrued almost 8 million views, and is still shared today in hopes of convincing magazines to begin putting disclaimers on images that are significantly altered in post.

The video above by ad agency Victors & Spoils takes that video and does something hilarious with it. Almost as if to say "You think that's extreme? We'll SHOW you extreme!" the agency Photoshopped the model further, from the beautiful Barbie-like cover girl into none other than Santa Claus!

The British Library Adds One Million Public Domain Images to Flickr

Rejoice, all ye illustrators and designers, at least if your work involves antiquarian subjects. The British Library has just posted more than a million copyright-free images to its Flickr photostream, and the pickings are choice if you need to illustrate anything from phrenology to 17th century geological theories.

54 Reasons to Love Photography in 2013

As a self-appointed pundit, I spend a fair amount of time criticizing the photography industry, but I have a little secret ... I love photography! And 2013 brought yet another year full of strange, interesting and inspiring moments in photography. Let’s go on a little journey ... in no particular order.

Creative Photographer Couple Shoots Half-Christmas Half-Hanukkah Holiday Card

Say you and your girlfriend are both photographers. And say, also, that you've been together for four years and you've decided it's time to send out your first Holiday card as a couple. There's only one issue: you celebrate Christmas and she celebrates Hanukkah. What are two photographers to do?

Why, you turn the studio you work at into a creative half-Christmas half-Hanukkah scene and shoot a Holiday card so awesome the entire Internet takes notice, that's what you do!

Deal Alert: B&H Offering Some Great Last-Minute Holiday Discounts

Admittedly, it's not last-minute Christmas shopping until 10 minutes after the stores close on Christmas Eve, but if you plan to order your photography gifts online, you might want to get on that so you're sure they arrive in time for the big day.

Then again, there are benefits to having waited this long. Namely: we just got an email from B&H Photo about some awesome discounts that may have you tempted even if you've already finished gift shopping.

Eye Mirror Lens Add-On Adds a 360-Degree View to the Camera You Already Have

Throwable camera balls and their ilk might be all shiny and cool, but what if you want to grab high-quality 360-degree images with the camera you already have in your bag?

Enter Eye Mirror, a startup launched by U.K. inventors Dan Burton and Thomas Seidl, whose namesake product attaches to just about any camera and allows it to shoot 360-degree panoramas and videos.

Lenstag Unveils All New Mobile Apps, One Step Closer to Ending Camera & Lens Theft

Lenstag's stated goal is to put a stop to camera and lens theft, and for that reason alone photographers love them. The service is basically an online registry where you can securely document all of the gear you own and, in the event the unthinkable happens, report it as stolen and make it much more difficult for the thieves to sell that piece of gear.

But Lenstag creator Trevor Sehrer wasn't done when he debuted the website -- which you can learn a lot more about here. Last week Lenstag took another step towards the company goal when it released brand new iOS and Android apps.

Photog Using the Power of Photography to Help Stop Exploitation & War in Congo

We hope you never get sick of hearing about stories that show the true power of photography to affect change, because I doubt we'll ever get sick of finding and sharing them. The most recent such story we've stumbled across is told by photojournalist Marcus Bleasdale, whose work has already helped curtail the efforts of warlords in Africa who are exploiting children in their attempt to rule Congo.