May 2014

Free Chrome Extension Allows You to View RAW Images In-Browser

Update: The extension's creators have emailed us with some corrections, which have been applied throughout the post. See bottom for details.

RAW image files are wonderful in almost every regard. The problem is, viewing them requires software capable of reading the various formats RAW images take, none of which are easily accessible to the masses and all of which are tied to an application. But a new Google Chrome extension by FilePreviews.io is changing all that.

Rumor: Nikon’s D800/D800E Replacement is Coming in June

It looks like we have at least one major camera announcement to look forward to in June, courtesy of Nikon. According to Nikon Rumors, the followup to the popular D800/D800E DSLRs is set to arrive that month (NR is calling it the D800s), and there's even a spec list to throw at you in the meantime.

Video: Croatian High School Grads Push Photog Into Fountain, Destroy $18K in Gear

Reason number 14,526 why you should insure your gear: because a rowdy bunch of over-excited Croatian high school grads might just push you into a freezing fountain and destroy it all.

This might seem like an unlikely scenario (which is why it's so far down the list) but it actually happened earlier this month to one poor Croatian photojournalist, and the incident was caught on camera.

Google Hops on the Instagram Bandwagon

Instagram already boasts some high-profile names, but the community got a whole lot more impressive yesterday when none other than Google itself decided to finally joined up.

Video: How ‘Through the Glass’ Backboard Cameras are Set Up at the NCAA Final Four

Many spectacular sports photos are captured by cameras that are being triggered from a ways away, as this allows for angles that would otherwise be dangerous -- for both the photographer and the athletes -- or outright impossible to capture. But have you ever wondered how these remote cameras are set up?

Well, if you have (or even if you haven't and are now intrigued) then professional sports photographer Brett Wilhelm has some answers for you in the form of a BTS/tutorial video that was shot on-location at the 2014 NCAA Final Four.

Surfing Camera Turned Action Cam Empire GoPro Files for $100 Million IPO

The story of GoPro's humble beginnings is an interesting one, and if you've not heard it we definitely suggest you click on this link and watch the video there before going on. But today's news isn't about those humble beginnings. It's about the meteoric heights to which the company has climbed.

Announced at market close yesterday, the former one-man surf camera operation and current action cam king has officially filed for a $100 million IPO.

Sigma Tests Show the Foveon Sensor Can Out-Resolve Conventional 36MP Shooters

Sigma took a unique approach when it worked together with its sensor subsidiary, Foveon Inc., to build the newest version of Foveon sensor found in the DP Quattro camera.

Using technology that captures light simultaneously across three separate layers of sensors -- one each for blue, red, and green -- Sigma claims that, while smaller, the sensor is actually capable of out-resolving a 36-megapixel full frame sensor similar to those found in the Nikon D800E and Sony A7r.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Makes Public 400K High-Res Images of Its Collection

NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has officially made available 400,000 high-resolution digital images of the collections it currently has in its possession.

Hoping to keep up with other museums, the Metropolitan has created an initiative, called Open Access for Scholarly Content (OASC), that will “provide access to images of art in its collection that the Museum believes to be in the public domain.”

500px Prime Changes the Licensing Game, Lets Clients Search by Gender Preference

500px already 'changed the game,' or at the very least raised the bar, when the photo sharing site launched the 500px Prime licensing marketplace. Initially said to offer a 30% cut to photographers, they actually listened to feedback and flipped that number on its head before the final release. Now, those 500px users who want to license their work through 500px Prime make a 70% cut off the top.

But 500px is determined to keep shaking things up, which is why, today, they've decided to put some of the piles of social network data they have at their disposal to use and let clients search the service by gender preference. And this, they promise, is just the beginning.

North Korea Revealed in Photos Captured on Google Glass

While Google Glass user Kenny Zhu was in North Korea this past April, he took advantage of the small and comparatively inconspicuous size of the device on his head to snap what appear to be the first images taken in North Korea using the wearable tech.

Anti-Theft Service Lenstag Can Now Help You Stop Gear AND Image Theft

We're big fans of anybody who helps to stop gear theft, and so naturally, we've always been big fans of the free service Lenstag. Initially unproven, the service made its first recovery a couple of months ago, and as its database of registered gear expands, it can only get better.

But Lenstag isn't just resting on its laurels and waiting for that moment to come, content with what it has achieved. No, the service is branching out with an awesome new feature that will help you keep track of unauthorized use of your images as well!

Tutorial Shares Tips for Capturing the ‘First Look’ at a Wedding

Wedding photography has grown exponentially over the past decade, and with that growth has come some new trends in weddings that weren’t nearly as prevalent before. One of these is the ‘first look,' the moment that the groom first sees the bride in her dress, and a moment that is quickly becoming a must-capture.

The above video, put together by B&H in collaboration with photographer Joe Buissink, shows just how to get the most out of this rising trend.

Fuji Rumored to Be Working on a Medium Format Mirrorless Camera

Is mirrorless medium format the next frontier? If you pay attention to the rumor mill, it sure seems like it is. Less than two months after rumors of a "completely different" Sony MF camera surfaced, Fuji is taking its turn as new and anonymous sources come forward to share bits and pieces of a potential mirrorless MF camera.

Simple Tutorial Shows You How to Change an Object’s Color in Photoshop

One of the basic Photoshop skills that many beginners want to learn early on is how to change something's color in one of their images (be that an object or someone's eye color). Well, you're in luck, because Aaron Nace and Phlearn are here with a simple tutorial that will show you how to do just that, and do it well.

Short Doc: The Life of Bob Marley Through the Eyes of Photographer Dennis Morris

It was the year 1974 when Jamaican reggae king Bob Marley met a young, 16-year old photographer by the name of Dennis Morris. Marley was enamored by Morris from the start, and their relationship quickly blossomed into a friendship which would last for many years to come.

The above video, titled “Bob Marley: Giant,” documents that friendship by sharing the story of Bob Marley's life through Morris' eyes and viewfinder.

Nikon Stock Hits Three Year Low, Prompts Company to Restructure

Last week, Nikon released its financial results for the last fiscal year (ending in March) and things aren’t looking good. The company missed financial forecasts yet again, closing at a three-year low that, it seems, has prompted Nikon to do some serious restructuring within the company.

Powerful Photos Illustrate the Real Damage Done by Verbal Abuse

Author note: The images in this post contain graphic language.

Most photographs, they say, are worth a thousand words, but these portraits by photographer Rich Johnson each tell the tale of only one word. It's a word that, in the worst kind of way, can be more powerful than a thousand others.

‘The Five Stages of Inebriation’ As Captured in These Hilarious 19th-Century Portraits

Called “The Five Stages of Inebriation," this collection of photographs hilariously depicts, well, just that. From sober but wide-eyed all the way to passed out on the street, this dapper 19th-century gentleman shows off just what type of effects various amounts of alcohol will have on you.

Captured by Charles Percy Pickering back in the 1860s, these are considered to be staged photographs showing off the various stages of drunkenness for use in educational resources directed towards temperance groups.

iStock Infographic Reveals the Top Trends in Stock Photography for Business

In stock photography more so than any other type of photography, the trends of photographs being taken and shared change from year to year. As marketing approaches and accompanying business values change, so does the stock photography market, so as to reflect the growing need for a specific ‘look’ or ‘type’ of photograph.

Here to show us what’s trending for 2014 is an interesting (and possibly useful) infographic released by Getty Images’ iStock.

Tutorial: Short, Sweet Workflow for Editing Street Photography in Lightroom 5

When it comes to street photography, much of the aesthetic appeal is the limited editing that usually takes place (or doesn’t take place, I guess), leaving the story and subject the focus of the image instead of creative editing. But that's not to say that editing should be left out of the equation or completely disregarded.

If you're wondering where that line should sit, this tutorial by Swiss street photographer Thomas Leuthard shows you what he does when he imports his street photos into Lightroom 5.

Photos from the Early 1900s Prove LOLcats Were Around Long Before the Internet

If you thought cat photos were something new, you’d not only be greatly mistaken, you'd be stepping all over the life's work of one Mr. Harry Whittier Frees.

Born in 1879, this American photographer made his fortune taking photographs of cute kittens and puppies dressed up in human clothes and posed in human environments, which he then turned into postcards, calendars and even children’s books.

Artist Shares Beautiful Illustrations Created with Flower Petals and Household Objects

Singapore-based artist Lim Zhi Wei, who goes by Limzy or @lovelimzy on Instagram, doesn't use your typical materials to create her mini masterpieces. Where others might use paint or, in the case of photographers, light, the artwork that she shares with her 50,000+ followers is created using flower petals, watercolors, food and random household objects.

Stephen Colbert Goes After Amazon and Its Ridiculous Photography Patent

Last week, we reported on the news that Amazon had actually patented the age-old practice of photographing things against a white background. This led to much ridicule from the photography community, but one of the big guys just got in on the well-deserved roast, and his name is Stephen Colbert.

HDR Explained in Quick, Informative Video

Obviously this video and post isn't for the advanced HDR photographer, but even if you have a good understanding of what High Dynamic Range is or how to capture it, you'll probably find one or two tidbits of very interesting information in this short video by Techquickie.

Adobe Creative Cloud Is Down, Rendering Apps Unusable… Chat Support Useless

Man down! And by man down, we mean Adobe Creative Cloud. Starting late yesterday afternoon, a number of subscribers to Adobe’s Creative Cloud platform -- myself included -- started noticing that upon trying to use our applications or login to with our Adobe IDs, an error message would appear, deeming the applications and services useless.

Street Photographs of NYC, as Captured by a 0.1MP Game Boy Camera

Released in September of 1998, the Game Boy Camera was actual deemed the world's smallest digital camera by none other than the Guinness Book of World Records in its heyday. Created to be an official accessory of the then-revolutionary Nintendo Game Boy device, the camera was capable of capturing images with a resolution of, hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen, 256x224 pixels.