September 2013

Beautiful and Disorienting Photographs of Reflections on Sandy Beaches

Back in June, New York City-based photographer Htet T San visited a number of beaches around The Big Apple, mainly on Coney Island and at Brighton Beach. Her goal was to capture the concept of "the complete nothingness" through reflections of beachgoers seen in the wet sands. The resulting images form a series she calls "The Frail Second."

The US Govt Has Records of ‘Suspicious’ Photographers Legally Taking Pictures

Don't want trouble with the US Government? Then you might want to reconsider photographing anything that might cause suspicion among law enforcement -- especially if you're Middle Eastern or a 'Chinese national.' A newly published document has revealed that government agencies have been compiling lists of "suspicious activity" reports, many of which contain records of photographers legally taking pictures of bridges, dams, courthouses, and post offices.

The Importance of Choosing High-Quality CFL Bulbs for Continuous Light Shooting

Anyone interested in shooting photos or videos using continuous light without breaking the bank has likely looked at purchasing or building a lighting setup based around CFL bulbs. Earlier in the year, I decided to go this route myself because I film interviews and generally prefer the way that soft continuous light reacts with a subject's pupils and comfort levels for photography.

Art Streiber on Photographing the Cast of Duck Dynasty

The concept for season three of Duck Dynasty was to take the Robertsons even MORE over the top than they already are and bring their outdoor ‘world of camo’ INDOORS! I worked very closely with Marissa Grasso, Meghan Kirsch, and Sarah Freed at A&E, set designer Nick Tortorici, and wardrobe stylist Ivy Jarrin to create the look of the campaign.

Then-and-Now Photos of the Devastation and Recovery After Hurricane Ike

In 2008, Hurricane Ike ripped through Texas leaving massive flooding and what turned out to be about $19.3 billion in damage. In Houston, the task of documenting the aftermath for the Houston Press fell to photographer Daniel Kramer.

And earlier this month, on the hurricane's 5-year anniversary, Kramer set out again to revisit the once-devastated locations he photographed in 2008 and put together a series of before-and-after shots to show how well the city has bounced back.

Realistic Photos of Fighter Jets in Flight Created Using Scale Models

The splendor of the white snowy peaks of the Andes mountains is one of the reasons thousands of nature enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers flock to Peru every year. A front row seat to such stunning views aboard the cockpit of a C-130, at the age of eight, is an unforgettable memory that sparked my passion for planes.

Nikon Reveals the AW1, the World’s First Waterproof and Shockproof Digital ILC

We told you yesterday to watch out for a "rugged" Nikon 1 announcement in the next 24-hours, and lo and behold, it happened. Introducing the Nikon 1 AW1, a camera Nikon is calling "the world's first waterproof and shockproof interchangeable lens camera," with a convenient asterisk added in for those of us who remember the Nikonos system.

Viral Photos from the Navy Yard Tragedy Don’t Show a Shooting Victim

Update: The Associated Press has re-released the photos, and is now confirming that they DO show scenes related to the Navy Yard shooting.

A widely distributed image used to illustrate stories about Monday's horrific shooting at the Washington Navy Yard likely had nothing to do with the tragedy, offering a cautious tale of modern media overreach.

How to Make a DIY Point-and-Shoot with a 3D Printer and Parts from RadioShack

Hey, not everybody wants a homemade gun. So how about using that 3D printer you've borrowed to make your own home-brew point-and-shoot digital camera?

DIY portal Instructables now has directions to do just that, thanks to creator Randy Sarafan's plans -- including a downloadable template to print the body -- and RadioShack's mighty JPEG Color Camera Board to go inside. The final product would make a fine companion to the OpenReflex 3D-printable film SLR for those ready to go digital.

What Do You Do When the President of Chechnya Steals Your Photo?

As copyright disputes go, this one sits squarely on the border between strange and stranger. We've seen plenty of people have their photography rights infringed upon, and it wasn't even that long ago we saw it happen over Instagram, but we've never seen the president of an entirely republic make that mistake.

The Bonzart Lit is a Fun and Affordable Tiny Toy Camera

The Bonzart Lit should look somewhat familiar since we shared its big brother, the Ampel, with you back in June. But even though the toy camera-style design is the same, the two cameras offer very different experiences.

The Ampel was a not-quite-toy camera with a tilt-shift lens built in, whereas the Lit is a very-much-toy camera that offers a fun and strictly non-professional photo experience on the cheap.

Beautiful High-Speed Photographs of Ink Mixing with Oil

When it comes to high-speed liquid photography, you'd be hard-pressed to find more than one or two people the world over who can match illustrator Alberto Seveso. Last year we featured two of his projects: a surreal set of photos that mixed portraits with ink, and the awesome "Ink Riders" series of LEGO men surfing on ink.

The series Dropping continues down the same ink-inspired road, only this time, Seveso eschewed the water he typically uses and used oil instead.

Four Innovations that Could Revolutionize the Photography Industry

Good or bad, photography as a medium is closely tied to the technological heritage of our cameras. As a result, technological developments often influence the type of gear we use and the type of photographs we take.

With that in mind, here are some areas of innovation that are likely to create even more change in the way we take pictures and the way manufacturers design cameras in the future.

Adobe Reveals Parallel and Contour Apps to go With Mighty and Napoleon Hardware

Adobe made several announcements yesterday, and one of the most talked about revolved around projects Napoleon and Mighty, the digital ruler and pressure sensitive stylus the company debuted in early May.

Back then, both pieces of hardware were basically prototypes in the "technology exploration" phase, but now Adobe has announced that Mighty and Napoleon will be hitting store shelves in the first half of 2014, and they won't be alone. Two accompanying iOS apps -- Parallel and Contour -- are being designed as well.

PROOF: An Inspirational Photo Blog from National Geographic

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If you feel like you've been lacking for inspiration lately, you're about to strike the photographic gold mine. In celebration of their 125th anniversary, National Geographic is launching PROOF, a photography blog all their own that is already full of great content -- and it's only been running for 2 days.

Time-Lapse Captures the Largest Maritime Salvage Operation in History

If you've turned on the news over the past couple of days, the name Costa Concordia probably came up a time or two. The massive 114,500-ton luxury liner crashed into the reef off the coast of Tuscany in January of 2012, where it has been sitting on its side ever since.

Yesterday, a group of 500 engineers were given the O.K. to finally begin righting the ship, and what followed was an incredible 19-hour salvage operation that the BBC was kind enough to capture in time-lapse.

iPhone 5S’ Camera Abilities Shown off in Photos and Video from Fashion Show

In conjunction with the iPhone 5S debut, Apple also announced that the phone -- or more importantly, it's camera -- would be put to the test at luxury fashion house Burberry's London fashion show. And now that the show is over, the duo is sharing photos and videos taken with the phone to whet your appetite for the September 20th release.

Super-High Resolution Video of the Moon Rotating Created from LRO Pictures

Short and sweet, the video above is also impressive. Although it might seem banal enough -- what's so special about a video of the moon going through a full rotation? -- what you're looking at is a super-high resolution time-lapse that shows all of the Moon, including the part that's never visible from Earth. And it was all made possible by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.