May 2013

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Comedians Key and Peele Having a Blast Improvising at a Photo Shoot

Comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele were recently asked to participate in a photo shoot for Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People." And although we've taken part in spreading the word when it comes to making sure your models are happy and comfortable, the Fast Company photographers didn't have to worry about it for this shoot -- before long the two comics were in their element.

The Jarvie Window: Photographing Faces Through a Ring Flash

Check out the picture above. Pretty cool, huh? Well, to make photos like this you can use a special technique. It wasn’t invented by me, but by a Bay Area photographer named Scott Jarvie. It's a pretty eye catching way to take portrait photos, and here's an introduction to how it's done.

Embryo at 6 weeks

Time-Lapse Photos of Embryos May Lead to Heathier In-Vitro Babies

An interesting new imaging technique in use by fertility experts at the CARE fertility clinic in the United Kingdom may be the key to increasing the likelihood of a successful a IVF therapy. The process involves snapping thousands of images of embryos in development in order to help doctors better select which embryos to implant successfully.

Focus-Stacked Macro Photos of Bugs by Photographer Nicolas Reusens

Photographer Nicolas Reusens has always been interested in insects, so when he purchased his first DSLR three years ago, he immediately dove into the art of macro photography. By using the technique known as focus stacking -- combining several images taken at different depths of field -- he's generated some truly eye-popping photos of creepy crawlies from all over the world.

A Comparison of Burst Mode Speeds and Shutter Sounds of Canon DSLRs

Canon's DSLRs come with a variety of continuous shooting speeds, ranging from 2.5 frames per second on the 300D (AKA Digital Rebel/Kiss Digital) to a whopping 14 frames per second on the high-end 1D-X. If you want to get a taste of what these shutter speeds sound like on the actual cameras, check out the comparison video above by YouTube user dochero2005.

ONDU: A New Line of Beautiful Wooden Pinhole Cameras

Slovenian industrial designer Elvis Halilović, who dubs himself "a passionate lensless photographer" is aiming to bring several sleek-looking wooden pinhole cameras to the  masses through a Kickstarter project that has already exceeded its financial goal by over $20,000.

Google Glass Developer Lets His 2-Year-Old Give it a Go, Cuteness Ensues

For now, if you want to get your child's point of view on anything, the best approach is to mount a helmet cam to their noggin and hope they don't mind -- so far we've seen a few cute videos filmed this way. But in the near future, the best way to get your 2-year-old's point of view may be by handing them a pair of Google Glass glasses.

The Top 8 Reasons Why I’m a Big Believer in 35mm Lens Photography

After two years of testing, renting, buying and selling just about every level of Nikon and Canon lenses and cameras, I have learned quite a bit about what works and what doesn’t. Pretty much you can’t go wrong with Canon or Nikon, and just about everything they make is top notch.

When Words are Photoshopped: Captions and Their Truthfulness

Yet another prize winning photographer has been accused of visual deception. Subsequently, Paul Hansen’s World Press Photo of the Year passed the forensic review that was set up hurriedly -- by WPP -- to address the scandal, but it has become clear that the image was substantially “improved” in post-production.

BTS: Making Photographs of Sony’s New Xperia ZR Waterproof Phones

Earlier this week, Sony announced its new Xperia ZR waterproof smartphone that can double as an everyday underwater camera. After we reported on the story, we were contacted by reader Jeffery Richt, who shot the marketing photographs for Sony. The video above is a behind-the-scenes video showing how the underwater shoot went down.

Guest Photographers or: Why You Should Have an Unplugged Wedding

Last year one of my friends got married and I was so thrilled to be her photographer that day. What was even more amazing was that she had an “Unplugged Wedding” after seeing pictures and hearing my rants over the years about well-meaning guests whom have inadvertently (or heck, even completely on purpose) ruined images.

Going From Exclusively Shooting RAW to Adding JPEGs to the Mix

I have been shooting photographs regularly for over 7 years now. I spent the first year shooting with a 2-megapixel phone camera. Since then, however, I’ve almost always had RAW capable cameras and shot RAW compulsively. And why not? I get 16x or 64x more colour depth than JPEGs. I don’t have to bother about setting the right white balance, contrast or sharpness. I don’t have to choose between monochrome and colour at the time of shooting. I can figure all of that out on the computer …

Google+ Can Now Automatically Select Your Best Pics, Edit Them and More

"Your darkroom is now a datacenter." That's the thought and slogan behind a huge update that Google+ Photos is rolling out over the next week. Many people already considered Google+ the photographer's social network because of the many features Google has built into the system over the years -- this announcement is another giant leap in that direction.

Photo Contest: Giving Away 10 Portfolio Upgrades on 500px

500px is sponsoring us for the next week and a half to promote its new Portfolios, which we covered back in early April. As part of the partnership, we're running a photo contest for the next 10 days in which 10 people will have their accounts upgraded to the new portfolio system.

Brinno Announces the World’s First HDR Time-Lapse Video Camera

When it comes to creating quality time-lapse videos, many photographers relish having a serious amount of control over their result. But if you're the kind of person who isn't into intervalometers or messing with rail systems, and you're looking for something that's more of a "set it and forget it" system, Brinno's new TLC200 Pro may fit the bill just right.

Animation Shows How the Galaxy Shapes in Space Photos Come About

Space collisions are massive, unbelievably powerful events. When two galaxies collide -- that is, when their gravitational fields start interacting with one another -- the resulting billion-year-long process contorts and twists the galaxies into the fascinating shapes we've seen in photographs taken by powerful space telescopes.

Breathtaking Imagery of an Annular Solar Eclipse Captured at Sunrise

When it comes to solar eclipses, the total eclipse is king. We recently shared some unbelievable composite shots taken by Czech photographer Miloslav Druckmüller that showed one of those in a way you've probably never seen before. But when you don't have a total eclipse at hand, arguably your best option is an annular eclipse.

10 Things a Photographer Should Never Do While Photographing a Wedding

With over 2 million weddings taking place each year nationwide, there are over 2 million opportunities to make mistakes-countless pitfalls just waiting for the unsuspecting wedding photographer to stumble into. Sure, they seem harmless, until you realize the danger they impart to you and your business. I don't want you to be just another wedding photographer statistic, so, I've compiled a list of my top ten things a photographer should never do while photographing a wedding. If you recognize …

Photos and Video of ‘Ice Heaves’ Slowly Tearing Through Homes in Minnesota

Yesterday we shared some photos of the Sun Halo that kept New Yorkers pointing their cameras skyward most of the day. That phenomenon is both harmless and cool to look at. Unfortunately, the recent ice heaves -- glacier-like lake ice that is pushed inland by strong winds -- in Minnesota only fall into the second of those categories..

Tutorial: How to Get the Perfect Photo of a Steaming Cup of Coffee

Coffee is a wonderful thing. Early in the morning, there are few things that can put you at ease like a steaming cup of hot coffee warming your hands and firing up your brain. But have you ever wondered how those coffee advertisements manage to get the perfect shot of a coffee cup, steam and all? …

BTS: Chase Jarvis Literally Gets to Make His Dream a Reality for a Samsung Ad

Photographer Chase Jarvis has a recurring dream in which he is floating in a sea of vividly colored clouds (don't we all?). So when Samsung came to him with a bunch of money and instructions to do whatever he wanted just as long as it highlighted the color capabilities of the company's Series 9 monitors, he decided to make his dreams come true -- literally.

Nokia Unveils Lumia 925 and Feature-Rich New Smart Camera App

Earlier today, the Nokia Lumia 925 that was teased yesterday became a reality. But more impressive than the phone itself, or the camera inside it, is actually the software running that camera. Announced as part of the Lumia 925, Nokia's new Smart Camera application will soon bring some pretty cool photo features to the Lumia lineup.