September 2014

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Judging America: A Series of Jarring Portrait GIFs that Alternate Between Judgement and Reality

They say not judge a book by its cover, for photographer Joel Parés' series "Judging America," that's exactly what he wants you to do... at first. Presented as simple portrait GIFs, Parés wants you to start by judging the book -- or in this case person -- by his or her ethnicity, profession, or sexual orientation, and then, just as you've decided what it is you want to believe about the person you're looking at, he reveals the reality.

Instagram Enables Front-Facing Hyperlapses, Brace Yourself for the #Selfielapse

Instagram's Hyperlapse app has taken the App Store by storm and already inspired many thousands of people to try out the genre thanks to its super simple interface and incredibly smooth results. But Instagram's not done shaking things up yet, because the next evolution in Hyperlapse videos just arrived thanks to a minor update to the app: they call it, the #selfielapse.

The Nikon D750’s Unsecured WiFi Network Means Anyone with a Smartphone Can Get Your Photos

This piece of news might be concerning to those who already have or are looking to get their hands on Nikon’s new D750 camera. According to a report, the WiFi app built into the D750 automatically uses an unsecure connection to transfer images from your camera, which means anybody with a WiFi-capable device and some know-how could get their hands on your photos.

Seek Thermal Camera Gives Your iOS and Android Devices Thermal Vision for Cheap

Earlier this year, we told you about the FLIR ONE, an iPhone case with a built-in thermal camera that made 'predator vision' available to all.

But if the FLIR ONE is just a bit too pricy for your blood, there's a new player in the thermal camera game you might want to take a look at. It's called the Seek thermal camera, and while it's not as impressive as the FLIR ONE, neither is its price.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider: A Tiny Spider Made Itself at Home Inside This Lens

We spend a lot of time over at Lensrentals getting dust out of lenses. Dust doesn’t affect an image, except in very rare circumstances, but people want their rental lenses to look nice and clean inside and out, and our inspectors check the inside of every lens with spotlights and send any dusty ones over to the repair department.

Jeremy Cowart: My First iPhone-Only Commercial Portrait Shoot

This week, I had the chance to do my first-ever real photoshoot with an iPhone. Granted, I’ve shot tens of thousands of photos with my iPhone over the years and did a whole project in Haiti with my iPhone 4S… but I’ve never done a commercial portrait photoshoot, using an iPhone only.

Contour’s ROAM3 Action Cam Offers More Bang for the Buck, is Waterproof to 30ft Without a Case

After taking an unexpected hiatus, action camera manufacturer Contour is back and action with its first new action camera since 2012. It’s called the ROAM3, and while its design and capabilities aren’t vastly different than the cameras that came before it, it manages to pack in some new features for those who really want to put it through the ringer.

‘Steampunk’ DIY Camera Obscura Made with a Flatbed Scanner, Magnifying Glass and Gold Duct Tape

Joe Barone is a recent college grad who enjoys the process as much as the result. Inspired by his love for old objects, knack for tinkering with things and growing up in his parents’ hardware store, Barone brought the camera obscure into the 21st century recently with the help of an old scanner, a magnifying glass and duct tape... well, gold duct tape.

Woman Pays Tribute to Her Departed Fiancé with a Powerful Underwater Photo Shoot

The crushing blow came just 52 days before her wedding: Janine, a blushing bride-to-be, unexpectedly lost her fiancé. The grief was unimaginable, but she didn't let it conquer her. Instead, after taking some time to grieve, she got in touch with Matt Adcock at Del Sol Photography and asked him to help her move on and rediscover the beauty of the world around her.

US Forest Service Proposes Controversial and Expensive Photo Permit Rules

The US Forest Service is under fire today after proposing a set of rules that would put strict restrictions on photographers and filmmakers who want to ply their trade in wilderness areas. The rules subject potential projects to an approval process with permits costing as much as $1,500 while fines for breaking the rules would run around $1,000.

How Many Studio Lights Do You Really Need?

When it comes to the quantity of lights that one needs, opinions are often heavily polarized and a hotly contested debate often rages. There are those that are staunch supporters of one light while others claim that a handful of lights are needed before anything meaningful can be done. Ultimately neither group is right as there is no definable minimum or maximum number of lights that one should use.

These Mountaineering Photos Took an Astounding Amount of Coordination and Patience

Swiss mountaineering brand Mammut frequently teams up with talented mountaineering photographer Robert Böesch to capture incredibly creative photographs that show off some of the Alps’ most renowned peaks alongside the Mammut gear that has often helped humans reach the summits of those peaks unharmed. From the gorgeous Matterhorn image above -- captured for the company's 2015 ad campaigns -- to the many images you'll see below, each is a work of extreme coordination, patience, and …

Voigtlander Releases a New 40mm f/2.8 M-Mount Lens…That Can’t Be Used with M-Mount Cameras

Photokina brought about a plethora of new gear from a number of companies, and easily overlooked among the larger announcements was a quirky new lens from Voigtlander: the 40mm f/2.8 Heliar M-mount lens. And the interesting thing about this new pancake lens is that even though it's an M-mount piece of glass, it’s not compatible with M-mount cameras.

PSA: Why You Need to Be Careful When Placing a ‘Preorder’ with PayPal

There are a lot of reasons people use PayPal to pay for things online. It's convenient, it's (or at least it should be) secure, and the option is available on pretty much any site where you can buy things. But there are also cons, not the least of which being that pre-ordering things with PayPal can be a risky and dangerous game to play.

How to Photograph People When You Travel

People often tell me that they find it difficult to take good portrait photos when they travel. Approaching strangers and asking to photograph them, usually with a language barrier, can be a daunting prospect. And how do you take a portrait that is creative and meaningful rather than just a simple snapshot of the person? I have developed approaches and techniques over the years to help become confident as a travel portrait photographer.

A Conversation with Fine Art Photographer Ken Rosenthal

Ken Rosenthal received his MFA in photography from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1993. His artwork is represented by Klompching Gallery, New York;  Etherton Gallery, Tucson; Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe; Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco. Rosenthal’s photographs are in many public and private collections internationally including The George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Art Institute of Chicago; National Portrait Gallery, London; …

Beautiful Short Film Shows Off the Impressive Video Capabilities of the iPhone 6 Plus

Ben Canales, an Oregon-based photographer and filmmaker, wasted no time putting his new iPhone 6 Plus to the test once he had it in hand.

As soon as he got it, Canales packed his bags and took to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to piece together a short film that shows you just how capable the iPhone 6 (Plus) and iOS 8 are when it comes to mobile photography and cinematography.

Adobe Acquires Aviary, Will Push Mobile Photo Editing to New Heights

Huge acquisition news just broke in the world of photography: the photo editing company/suite Aviary has been acquired by the imaging and design giant Adobe for an undisclosed amount. Together, they hope to make the world of mobile editing a more connected and capable place for creative professionals.

Iconic Portraits Recreated with John Malkovich as the Subject

Upon first glance, the photo above looks like Dorothea Lange's iconic Migrant Mother photo captured in 1936. Then you realize that the woman in the frame is definitely not Florence Owens Thompson, the woman in the original image. Looking a more closely, you start to notice an uncanny resemblance to actor John Malkovich.