January 2015

Deal Alert: Amazon Prime on Sale for $77, Today Only

There's a sweet (and rare) deal going on today that many photographers may find beneficial: Amazon is discounting its Amazon Prime membership for one day only. It costs just $72 today through a special promotion, compared to the ordinary price tag of $99.

JPEG Voodoo: Or, Does JPEG File Size Matter?

Would you say the above photograph has any compression artifacts? Compressed too much, not enough, or just right? What exactly is “just right” anyway. This post will explore the concept of compression, why and how do we do it, and how aggressive we should be in either reducing the file size or increasing the image quality.

Filipino Domestic Worker Earns Prestigious Magnum Fellowship for Her Photography

For the past 10 years, 27-year-old Xyza Cruz Bacani has been working as a domestic worker for a wealthy Chinese family in Hong Kong. On her days off, she brings her camera onto her city's sidewalks and captures impressive street photos.

Yesterday, Bacani's life took a dramatic turn: she was announced as a recipient of the 2015 Human Rights Fellowship by the Magnum Foundation, a prestigious scholarship that will give her the opportunity to study in an intensive, six-week-long program at New York University in NYC.

Mother Love: A Photographer’s Journey in the Reborn Subculture of Realistic Dolls

While pursuing a self-portrait project about motherhood, photographer Jamie Diamond stumbled upon the world of reborn dolls. These are realistic dolls that are made to look like actual babies as much as possible.

An entire subculture exists around this idea: the process of creating these dolls is called "reborning," and the artists who create them are called "reborners."

Shooting the Movie Poster for Step Up All In

When Summit Entertainment tapped me to shoot the Movie Poster for Step Up All In I was super excited. Combining professional dancers who can pull off moves I didn’t think humanly possible, a water tank, and good creative direction from the agency had this shoot set up to be the perfect storm of photo awesomeness. Add a lot of gear, fast sync speeds and this photo tech head was in heaven.

What Outdoor Photos Would Look Like with Other Stars and Planets as Our Sun and Moon

The photo illustration above shows what a photo of a sunset here on Earth would look like if the sun were replaced with Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in our "neighborhood."

The Russian Federal Space Agency recently released a couple of "Alternative History" videos that imagine what the sky would look like if the Sun were replaced with other stars and if the moon were replaced with planets in our solar system.

Space Awaits! Shooting a Photo of Young Astronauts in Their Backyard Space Program

“Space Awaits!” is a personal project I did. I came up with the idea of a photo shoot featuring young astronauts. My inspiration was retro futurism as a fashion style and the era of human excitement about space travel.

The story is about two kids sneaking out of their house before everyone is awake, probably to try out the lunar lander parked in their backyard.

Animated GIFs Showing the Photo Composite Work of Richard Roberts

Richard Roberts is a freelance creative retoucher and digital artist based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over the past decade, he has worked on advertisements and promotional materials for clients that include Fox, HBO, Mountain Dew, Under Armor, Kelloggs, and Gillette.

For most of his projects, Roberts will capture snapshots of the image at various stages of compositing -- glimpses are later combined into animated GIFs that show how the various images were made.

Disabled Photographer Petitioning Canon to Make a DSLR for Left-Handed People

Throughout the history of photography, cameras have mostly been designed with right handed people in mind. For DSLRs in particular, the shutter button and camera controls are usually on the right side of the camera, making it difficult to operate without using your right hand.

Florida-based photographer Sylvia Cacciatore is on a mission to change that: she's currently petitioning Canon to consider developing a camera that's designed specifically for left-handed people.

My 69 Mistakes With Film

The first mistake I made was hate on film photography when I knew nothing about it. My earliest experience with 35mm was on my 10th birthday. I got a point and shoot camera from my family overseas as a present. Went on a day trip with my school and shot half a roll before I opened the back and ruined whatever was on there.

I shot a second roll and all the photos came out blurry, some of which were double exposed. I never used that camera again and didn't fully get back into photography for over a decade.

Gear Avoidance Syndrome: It Might be Healthy for Your Photography

GAS, also known as Gear Acquisition Syndrome, is very common among photographers. It simply means that you just can't get enough new lenses, equipment and upgrade your camera as soon as possible in order to have more options and - according to the seemingly prevalent opinion - become better.

But have you ever thought about the opposite side of this imaginary disease - the Gear Avoidance Syndrome? A syndrome that might even be good for you and your photography. And your wallet.

This ‘Forwards’ Video is Actually ‘Backwards’

This isn't related to still photography, but we occasionally share some creative ideas from the world of video. The short film above by Eran Amir is titled "This Video is in Reverse." It may look relatively straightforward at first glance, but get this: everything you see was captured in a single take and then played backwards.

Head Shots of Hand Models: These Are The People Behind Those Hands in Ads

You know those hands you see in advertisements and commercials? Those hands belong to people who make a living by offering up their beautiful hands to help companies market their products. Some of those hands are insured for seven figure sums and have helped their owners become "supermodels" in their field.

For their project "Head Shots of Hand Models," ad executive Alex Holder and photographer Oli Kellett shot portraits of hand models, both their hands and their faces.