August 2014

Visual Supply Co. Shows Off Its Upcoming Narrative Platform, VSCO Journal

Visual Supply Co., affectionately referred to as VSCO, has announced VSCO Journal, a free, minimal platform that allows artists to use photos, video and text to share their narratives to the world. Currently in private beta, it’s not yet available for the masses, but VSCO is being a tease and giving us a nice little close-up of what to expect.

Documentary Takes an Intimate Look at the Last Year of the Polaroid Instant Era

The latter years of the first decade of the 20th century were by no means glorious ones for The Polaroid Corporation. Filing for bankruptcy multiple times, the company ultimately decided to kill off its instant camera business in 2007, with the death of their instant film coming not long after in 2008. And while the demise of Polaroid’s instant film era is a sad one, it went out strong.

Thankfully, first-time filmmaker Grant Hamilton was there to capture the last year of Polaroid’s existence as we will almost always know it. Broken up into three acts, Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film tells the story of Polaroid’s last year through the eyes of the artists who shot the film, the dying days of instant film production and the idea and start of what was rightly deemed The Impossible Project.

DIY: How to Make a GoPro Float with a Bottle Cap and Sugru

While GoPros are made to shoot underwater (within the confines of their housing – that is – they aren’t exactly made to float, if by some chance you happen to drop your camera while filming underwater.

Of course, there are third party solutions out there to prevent this from happening, but they’re often a bit pricy. Thus, here to ensure that your camera doesn’t sink into the abyss on the cheap is a little DIY bottle mount from Youtube Channel Wandering Designers.

Tutorial: How to Quickly and Easily Create the Dolly/Hitchcock Zoom in Your Time-Lapses

As timelapses become more and more ubiquitous throughout the photography and filmmaking community, people are continuously looking for unique ways to stand out and separate their work from that of others. One such trick that many use in their creation is a little effect often referred to as dolly zoom or vertigo effect.

The premise behind it is that as you capture each frame of your time-lapse, you slightly and consistently move the camera’s location, so that when the video is pieced together, you’re left with what looks like a dolly shot captured over an extended period of time. And here to help show just how to do just that is Eric Stemen, in the above video.

Urbex Photographer Comes Across Abandoned Film School Full of Photo History and Gear Galore

Johnny Joo is a name you might recognize. Not too long ago we featured a series of images Joo captured at a ‘train graveyard’ hidden in the forests of North Carolina. This time, we’re back with some more recent urbex work of his that takes us into the ruins of an abandoned film school that was chock full of items that are doubly interesting to us as photographers.

Of Course We Took One Apart: A Look Inside the Canon 16-35mm f/4 IS

This is a geek article. Many of you don’t understand the term ‘geek’ properly, so perhaps this will help. As the graph below shows, if you aren’t both intelligent and obsessed with photo gear, you won’t enjoy this article.

Flow Chart Tries to Educate the Public on the Rules of Using a Photo They Found Online

When people are browsing around online for photographs to use, be them for an article, a project or something else, it’s vital to know whether or not they’re allowed to use the image. Even if they’re allowed to use the image, it’s important to know what all can be done with it.

Here to help those with any image in question is this handy little infographic, created by Curtis Newbold, The Visual Communications Guy.

Photographer Uses Natural Light & Subdued Tones to Create Gorgeous, Atmospheric Portraits

Twenty-seven year old Alessio Albi captures incredible, emotionally charged portraits using nothing more than natural light and the environment around his home city of Perugia, Italy.

A nutritionist by profession, photographer by passion, Albi’s work often features female subjects, whose contemplative glares, combined with natural, but cinematic light create beautiful, but at times unsettling portraits.

Martin Scorsese Writes Passionate Letter to Kodak in Defense of Film

Just last week we shared the news that a number of top filmmakers were helping to save Kodak motion picture film, pushing through a deal between the noted film manufacturer and studios.

While initial reports stated Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Judd Apatow and J.J. Abrams are all dropping some names and heartfelt thoughts on the matter, a letter to Kodak from iconic director Martin Scorsese recently poured some serious gasoline on the film-love fire.

Heirloom: The World’s First Tomato for Cameras

There are some strange Kickstarter ideas out there, and the Heirloom is one of them. Akin to the tomato needle holder you probably saw at your grandmother’s house as a child, the Heirloom is actually a small, weighted, table-top tripod replacement.

These World War II Photos Were Actually Captured During a Modern Reenactment

Conflict photography is typically a dangerous, traumatizing and, at least in part, heroic profession that puts you in the line of fire with only a camera as a weapon.

But as Penn State grad and former Onward State photographer Mitchell Wilston recently demonstrated to great effect, you don't need to put yourself in harm's way to capture the kinds of gritty, black-and-white conflict photography that has become iconic through the ages.

Destroying the Creative ‘Monsters’ and Overcoming the Immature Mindset that Nearly Killed Me

I’m writing this from the perspective of someone who is trekking through the process. I’m not sitting on a high horse. I can’t even afford a horse.

It is often said that you have to be partially insane to be a creative. I’m not sure if that idea is influenced by the odd forms of modern art, or if someone recognized the risk of choosing fields with high unemployment rates.

Photoshop Fail: News Outlet Tried to Make the Crowd Look More Pro-Madrid at ‘The Big House’

Marca edited the stadium photo to add more white shirts: pic.twitter.com/Bd1ZViU8qj [@kantinu]

— Rafael Hernández (@RafaelH117) August 2, 2014

 

This weekend, two of soccer's biggest teams brought their talents to 'The Big House,' in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to host what was the largest attendance record for a soccer game on US soil. It was Manchester United vs. Real Madrid and despite the efforts from both clubs, Manchester United came out on top, with a 3–1 victory.

But, despite a victory, an embarrassing photoshop fail from Spanish media outlet, Marca, has left Manchester United fans a bit upset. In an overhead photograph of the game, shared by Manchester United on Twitter, Marca decided it would attempt to diminish the crowd presence of Manchester United fans by desaturating the shirts of those in the stands of the Big House.

Limited Edition ‘Gold Supreme’ Hasselblad 503CW Pops Up on eBay for $10k

While 35mm lovers had their chance late last year to pick up a gold-plated camera, today we have some love for those of you looking to drop a cool $10k on a medium format camera. It’s not just any medium format though. It’s the last of the 500 limited edition ‘Gold Supreme’ Hasselblad 503CW. And it can be yours for the ‘Buy It Now’ price of only $10,000, on Ebay.

10 Things Google Should Consider in Launching a Standalone Photo Sharing Service

Google used to have a standalone photo sharing service. It was called Picasa. I never really liked it. It wasn’t a very social site. I thought Flickr was a lot better.

Today’s news is that Google is looking to spin off Google Photos from Google+. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. You never know. The timing of Friday afternoon stories and leaks always makes you wonder. Usually when companies want to push something they release it more like Tuesday mornings or make a big deal about it at I/O or something.

Back to the Basics: ISO and Noise Explained

As photography technology continues to improve year in and year out, the ISO ranges we’re capable of pulling quality images from are getting truly ridiculous. But as amazing as the improvements in ISO are, it's important to have an understanding of what ISO actually is and how you can make the most of these growing numbers.

It's those questions that Mike Wallace tackles in the detailed video above, as he breaks down that part of the exposure triangle that is all too often misunderstood or ignored altogether.

Gorigit iPhone Case Lets You Attach Your GoPro to your Smartphone for Point and Shoot Style Convenience

There are few gadgets as impressive and versatile as the GoPro. Small, lightweight, and capable, it packs a fairly mean punch into a very portable package. But small as the device is, there’s one notable thing missing: a viewfinder or LCD screen of some sort.

Fortunately, GoPro was wise enough allow you to use your smartphone as a live view for your camera, and now that feature is being taken to a more practical level by a new iPhone case/GoPro mount hybrid called Gorigit.

Breathtaking Photos of the Tower of London Adorned with 888,246 Ceramic Poppies to Commemorate WWI

To honor the centennial of Britain’s beginnings in World War I, a pair of artist teamed up to work on an incredible installation, which you can see in these stunning photographs.

Titled “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red,” the display was put together by artist Paul Cummins and stage designer Tom Piper, and when it's all said and done it will consist of 888,246 red ceramic poppies surrounding the dry moat of the Tower of London. Each of the individual flowers represents a British or Colonial Military fatality.

Google Reportedly Separating Its Photo Services From Google+

Over the past few years Google has spent a great deal of effort trying to consistently improve and add to its photo service lineup. However, as robust and useful as the platform has become, its main caveat is the need to have the photographs you’re wanting to edit tied into your Google+ account. But, according to a report from Bloomberg, that might not be the case much longer.

Lens Between Us: Couple Documents Their Travels with Simultaneous Portraits of Each Other

Globe-trotting photographer couple Peter Sedlacik and Zuzu Galova have found a fun way to document their travels around the world. Wherever they are, they face each other, frame up a great composition, and take a picture of each other... taking a picture of each other.

Thus was born the photo series/project Lens Between Us, which is quickly scooping up followers on Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram alike.

Video: Why Some Photographers ‘Can’t Stop Shooting Film’

In terms of marketshare, it’s rather obvious digital photography has the upper hand. Whether it’s convenience or other reasons, digital seems to make sense for many for its flexibility across the board. But, despite vast advantages of a digital workflow, there are those still dedicated to analogue photography.

In an attempt to understand why it is some photographers are dedicated to film, wedding photographer and filmmaker Amrit Vatsa took a look into the art form that is analogue photography.