July 2013

Outdoor Wildlife Cam Captures a Veritable Bear Hoedown

Glenn Naylor is a Park Ranger and photography enthusiast who lives and works in Alberta, CA. As a founding member of Bow Valley WildSmart, you can probably guess that he loves nature. And recently, his twin passions were able to come together to capture something pretty awesome.

Loom: A Superior Photo Stream for Photo Storage and Syncing Across All Devices

Apple's Photo Stream can be a useful feature if you use multiple devices to do your photo bidding. Take a photo on your phone, and it shows up on your iPad and computer instantly -- not too shabby.

But Photo Stream has limitations, most notably the ability to sync only your most recent thousand photos. That's why Jan Senderek decided to go out and create the Mac and iOS application Loom: an 'infinite camera roll' in the cloud that allows you to share and sync photos across all your devices easily.

Wanted: Recreating Mug Shots Taken in the 1920s and 30s

Back in 2009, award-winning editorial art director and artist Mark Michaelson released his book Least Wanted: A Century of American Mugshots. In it he had compiled more than 10,000 mug shot portraits taken between the 1870s and 1970s. Portraits of the "punks, sneaks, mooks and miscreants" he referred to as the "Least Wanted."

For his portrait series Wanted, London-based photographer Nick Dolding decided to recreate some of the most striking of the mug shots found within Michaelson's book.

CyanogenMod Unleashes Its Own Camera App Called Focal

CyanogenMod, the popular Android firmware replacement installed on over 5.6 million devices, has announced a powerful new camera app to replace the stock camera app that ships with Android. It's called Focal, and is the first leg of a new development project called "Nemesis."

What It’s Like to Photograph Concerts at Warped Tour

I got a chance to photograph for Warped Tour this year, and wanted to share about my experiences and takeaways with you. I was actually quite lucky to get the job. It started off with an email to the media director of Warped Tour, followed by having to fill out this media request form. From there, I just had to wait a few days for them to verify everything, check out my portfolio, and get a confirmation email literally 12 hours before the show started.

Toy Camera Photographs Developed with Everything From Juice to Medicine

Ever wonder what resulting photos would look like if you developed film with various liquids found around the house? Photographer Matthew Cetta does too, and he's actually spent quite some time finding out. Cetta has been doing experiments through a project called "Photogenic Alchemy," creating toy camera photos with wild aesthetics by developing the films with all kinds of random things -- everything from lemon juice to Pepto Bismol.

Moving Footage of Saturn Created Using Thousands of High-Res Photos

The Cassini space probe is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement. It's been over 15 years since the probe was launched, an about 9 years since it reached Saturn. Since then, it's been snapping scores of images of just about everything it sees.

Vimeo user Fabio di Donato has uploaded a video titled "Around Saturn," which features more than 200,000 images snapped by Cassini from 2004 to 2012. These RAW images were converted to PNG and set to a Waltz.

Microstock King Yuri Arcurs Says Mobile is the Next Big Disrupter

If you're an active participant in the stock photography industry, you've likely heard of the big rumblings as of late. Earlier this month, bestselling microstock photographer Yuri Arcurs announced both a $1.2 million investment in Scoopshot (a crowdsourced photo app) and a new exclusivity agreement with Getty Images/iStockphoto.

If you dismissed the news the first time around, you might want to take a second look -- it may be bigger than you thought.

Hasselblad Quietly Announces the Stellar, an RX100 With an Expensive Makeover

About a week ago, the first images of Hasselblad's upcoming compact camera, the Stellar, leaked onto the Internet amongst rumors that it would essentially be a Sony RX100 with some very exotic housing materials and a much steeper price tag. Basically, people were thinking the RX100 would be to the Stellar what the NEX-7 was to the Lunar.

Stampede: A Stamp that Turns Any Photo Into a USPS-Approved Postcard

Even though a common problem these days is taking pictures we never end up printing or looking at ever again, a lot of photographers (and non-photographers for that matter) still have boxes of old prints sitting around the house or attic collecting dust.

If you're wanting to put some of those old prints to use in a creative way and put a smile on a friend or family member's face at the same time, the creators of Stampede are here to help.

Peaceful Still-Life Photographs Combine Kitchenware and Roadkill

Certainly there's ample artistic precedent for including a dead animal or two in a still-life. Old Master paintings are rife with images of freshly killed ducks, bunnies and fish awaiting a trip to the dinner table.

Photographer (and certified taxidermist) Kimberly Witham slyly subverts that tradition with "Domestic Arrangements," a series of still-life photographs that combine modern kitchenware and other items of domestic life with birds, squirrels and other animals retrieved from the roadside. All items come from within a short radius around Witham's New Jersey home.

Images of Panasonic’s Rangefinder-Styled GX7 Leak One Month Early

Earlier this month, we told you that Panasonic was planning to jump onto the retro-style bandwagon sometime in August with the release of its GX7 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera.

At the time we only had a few illustrations and some preliminary specs, but now that we're about a month out from the announcement, some official photos and a more comprehensive spec list have both surfaced.

Interview with NYC Fashion Photography Duo Pony and Brett

Pony Lott and Brett Seamans are a fashion and editorial photography duo currently stationed in New York City. Their edgy style captures the imagination with a vulgar elegance and hard sexual attitude. Often inspired by historical figures, classic art, and vintage cinema, they play on classical forms while adding their own lavish vision.

Hotshot Firefighter Takes to Instagram to Document His Crew’s Heroics

In the world of firefighting, a "hotshot" is a firefighter who specializes in containing forest fires before they reach inhabited areas. Gregg Boydston is one such "hotshot." Part of a 20-person crew that is available to travel all over the nation, he does one thing that most firefighters don't: he brings his iPhone along and uploads photos to Instagram.

StrobePack: Wearable Portrait Studio and Cutting-Edge Fashion Statement

You can spot-meter and bounce strobes all you want, but on-location portrait photography can still be a pain the butt. Unless you take your studio lighting rig with you.

Mark Kaplan has devised a novel way to do just that with the StrobePack, a professional-level lighting setup rigged to be worn on the photographer's back.

Giveaway: Win a Canon or Nikon 50mm f/1.4 Lens

Update: This giveaway is now over. The winner has been randomly selected and is announced below.

The dust is still settling from the DSLR giveaway we did last week, but we're giving away another juicy piece of gear this week. This time you can win your choice of a Canon 50mm f/1.4 or a Nikon 50mm f/1.4, worth $399 and $469 (respectively).

Fixed Camera Stands Help Tourists Snap Photos of Themselves

Having to ask someone to take your or your group's picture can be an awkward experience for everyone involved (including the photographer). And although there are apps that will re-insert the photographer digitally, an ingenious little addition to the tourist island of Enoshima takes a significantly more "analog" approach at fixing the problem.

Digital Photo Printing: 10 Years After

In 2003, my first "Mastering Digital Printing" book came out. My goal was to create an in-depth reference to the new world of digital printing for photography and fine art. I had a sense that there was a need, especially by photographers, for good information about "this new way to print" images (digitally). I guess I was right because the book was an instant success; it was actually in the Top 5 on Amazon Books jockeying with John Grisham and Michael Crichton in sales ranks for a short while. It was the right book at the right time. And I went on to write a second edition and a couple of related books before moving on to other things, all relating to photography.

A Geraldo Rivera Selfie Tutorial

Warning: This post contains somewhat inappropriate viral images of a well-known American talk show host. Reader discretion is advised. Also, please, please look the other way if you're only interested in reading serious articles.

To: Mr. Geraldo Rivera

From: Cheri Frost speaking on behalf of Everyone

Re: Bathroom Selfies

Chief White House Photog Pete Souza is Now an Instagrammer

How do you take the next step after rising from humble newspaper shooter to chief official photographer for the White House? You start sharing pictures of your lunch, of course.

At least that's the strategy for Oval Office documentarian Pete Souza, who opened his new Instagram account Wednesday with an image of healthy snacks aboard Air Force One.

Lightning Storms Photographed From High Above in Space

Hey aspiring storm chasers -- want to dramatically improve your lightning shots? Try getting an elevated view. Like about 400 miles up. That's the approximate orbital height above Earth of the International Space Station, which is producing an impressive library of images showing what lightning looks like from way above.

Researchers Reconstruct Highly-Accurate 3D Scenes Using High-Res Photos

3D modeling for movies and video games is often done using lasers. The modeler scans whatever it is they are trying to reconstruct using a laser and then ends up spending a good bit of time cleaning up the results in post. In contrast, a new method developed by the folks at Disney Zurich promises to generate much more accurate results by replacing the lasers with photos.

AP Photographers Upload First Instagram Videos from Inside North Korea

Back in February, the AP's David Guttenfelder and Jean Lee were some of the first to begin uploading Instagram photos from inside the closed off country of North Korea. A rare look inside a normally very mysterious country, both of their Instagram accounts became the subject of many a headline.

Now, a few months later, the same two photographers are taking advantage of Instagram's new video capabilities to give us rare, unfiltered, 15-second glimpses of life inside Kim Jong-un's isolated country.

Lenstag Now Has Disposable Verification Links for Used Camera Gear Sales

Lenstag generated quite a bit of buzz last week by introducing a service that aims to crack down on gear theft by making it easier to track and report stolen gear. The service is now getting a new feature that will further add trust to the used gear buying process: disposable verification links for individual items.

LensRentals Launches LensAuthority as a Used Gear Outlet

LensRentals is at the height of its popularity and still growing. About a week ago, we shared some stats that more than proved this, showing how a company started by one man and $5,500 dollars in 2006 is now a 42 person operation on track to bring in $13 million this year.

But if you think that LensRentals has reached a point where it is content to rest on its laurels, you would be wrong. The company has just launched a brand new site, LensAuthority, where it will sell off the used gear it is constantly turning over through the main website.

Dronestagr.am: The Social Photo-Sharing Network for Drone Photographers

Although drone photography might lead you onto some sticky legal ground in some states, it is nonetheless often quite beautiful. It makes sense that those who have spent good money on drones are eager to put that money to use, and now they have an Instagram-like social network on which to share their results.

The Rise and Decline of Film, As Told from Film’s Perspective

Film has seen better days. With legends like Kodak's Kodachrome gone, and staples like Fujifilm's Neopan 400 very recently following suit, most news about film is met with dismay and long drawn out "No's" (if you doubt it, check out the comment section on the Neopan 400 and Provia 400X discontinuation announcement linked above).

Portraits of People Holding Their School Pictures from Awkward Years

Do you always laugh and squirm when you look back at official school pictures from "awkward years"? You're not alone -- take a peek at the Awkward Years Project and you'll see what we mean. The project was started by a Utah-based graphic designer and photography enthusiast named Merilee, who's collecting then-and-now portraits to show people who have blossomed since their awkward teen days.

5 People Doing Time-Lapse Photography Right

Every day it feels like there are another hundred or so timelapses posted online. While some of this is just the illusion of more exposure and access caused by the Internet, some of it is definitely real. The abundance of rapidly evolving technology and constantly dropping DSLR prices have created the perfect atmosphere for even the least experienced photographers to churn out a decent timelapse. And while some people will complain about this fact, it's really just the natural order of things.

Photos of Falling Subjects Moments from Disaster

Photographer Brad Hammonds is fascinated by a concept that he calls "emotional delay." It's the idea that no moment is truly experienced until it has already passed. In the time the moment is happening, the brain is processing it. By the time the experience comes, the moment is actually gone.

His most recent series Falling Through Space explores this concept in an interesting way, by trying to get the viewer to experience the terrifying moment in the photo while the subject himself (or herself) is still processing.

Video: Making Creative Use of Focus to Capture Ethereal Firework Footage

In the past, we've shared a few creative ways to take your fireworks shots to the next level. Be it shooting hand-held long exposures for an abstract result or refocusing during a long-exposure, the results can be quite stunning.

The video above combines a couple of techniques we've shared before, making wonderful use of bokeh and the refocusing technique to create a mesmerizing minute of footage.

Photographer Captures Outdoor Scenes Inside His Tiny Indoor Studio

So you want to create stirring nature documentaries. You could go the National Geographic way and risk trench-foot, snakebite and more in pursuit of the scenic wild. Or you could take the Boris Godfroid route: Schlep a few hundred pounds of bricks into a spare room, cover it with moss and other forgiving plant life, and let nature run wild in miniature.

Build Your Own DIY Tripod from Scratch

Are you the type of person who enjoys using things built using your own two hands? 20-year-old Croatian tinkerer CroBuilder is like that too. He recently spent 10 hours in his workshop building a camera tripod from scratch.

nanoflight movie 1

Footage of Plants and Insects Magnified Thousands of Times

They look as if they're a complete fabrication of one's imagination, but they aren't. German photographer Stefan Diller has managed to create worlds using microscopic images of plant and insect life, giving us a view of what our eyes can't quite see. The technology, called nanoflight, is described as "a revolutionary new way to visualize structures of the microworld," and has "the ability to move a virtual camera in eight degrees of freedom around the specimen."

Revisiting Pharcyde’s ‘Drop’ Backwards Music Video

Yesterday we shared an amazing time-lapse music video spanning 24-hours on a Parisian rooftop.  While the video did, in fact, make my jaw "drop" (there's a pun coming), it got me thinking about one of the most amazing music videos I've ever seen: "Drop" by The Pharcyde.

The Business of Style

Recently, I was looking through a photo gallery of a potential new hire and was a bit dismayed by her use of a particular photo enhancement editing choice. All of her photos were very overly processed with multiple styles, much like the photo below.  She did have a wonderful eye, and her composition and posing were really lovely. But her processing choices really distracted from the beauty of her work. The people in her photos didn’t look real.