2017

When Photographers Become Pitchmen

It’s not surprising when camera companies hire photographers to pitch their products. But photographers have also been enlisted to sell other types of products -- the result of Madison Avenue trying to romanticize the occupation, even though the reality often fails to meet the expectation. Nowadays photographers are more likely to spend the majority of their time sitting at a desk in post-processing or trying to collect on invoices that are 6 months past due.

An Eye-Popping Starling Murmuration Captured in Black and White

In the relatively warm winter between 2014 and 2015, common starlings were found staying in the Netherlands instead of migrating to the south. Photographer and filmmaker Jan van IJken took his camera out and shot this beautiful short film titled "The Art of Flying." It shows thousands upon thousands of birds flying in eye-popping swarms (known as murmurations).

How I Shoot Dancers: 4 Simple Tips

I spent close to a decade of my life as a sports photographer and during this time it never crossed my mind to shoot dance. My dance photography all began when I was asked by a friend who was auditioning for a dance program to help with her audition photos.

The Camera Store Customer from Hell

If you've ever worked in retail at a camera store, perhaps this sketch will tickle your funny bone... or bring back bad memories. At 5:30 in this episode of the comedy show Rostered On is an interaction between a store employee and a customer asking to return a "broken" camera.

Trump Just Signed Mandatory Drone Registration Back Into Law

Back in May, a US federal court ruled that personal drones don't need to be registered as part of the FAA's mandatory drone registration program. That just changed: President Trump just signed a defense policy bill that restores the requirement that all recreational drone owners register their aircraft with the government.

Pushing Canon DSLRs to the Low-Light Limit: Shooting Auroras Live

After photographing the solar eclipse in Idaho, I couldn't resist continuing my "long-service leave" and returning to Canada's Yukon Territory for some early season aurora hunting in September 2017. I had just two and half weeks (one New Moon cycle) based with my friends and supporters Andrea and Florian Lemphers at Shallow Bay, north of the capital Whitehorse.

Google Unveils 3 Experimental Photo Apps For Smartphones

Google has created a trio of apps that utilize experimental technology in a bid to push forward the possibilities of smartphone photography and videography. The apps — Storyboard, Selfissmo!, and Scrubbies — use techniques like smart object recognition and person segmentation algorithms similar to Portrait Mode to enable creative editing of images and video.

How Portrait Mode Works and How It Compares to an $8,000 Camera

Dual cameras have become ubiquitous in the smartphone world, and with them has emerged a new technique for simulating a shallow depth of field -- the feature commonly called ‘Portrait Mode’. This 10-minute video from Marques Brownlee explains how it works, and it also pits Portrait Mode on an iPhone X, Note 8, and Pixel 2 against the $8,000 medium format camera Hasselblad X1D.

Capturing a Snowy Day in Amsterdam

I can't remember seeing so much snow in our Dutch capital city of Amsterdam before. Yesterday afternoon, snow started falling out of the sky for hours and hours without stopping. Since I was already in Amsterdam, I took the opportunity of trying to document the atmosphere. The scene lasted for only a few hours before it started to rain in the evening.

Vortex: A Dizzying Short Shot with an iPhone and Cinema Robot Gimbal

If you easily get motion sickness, you may want to stay away from this short film. Visual storyteller Tim Sessler recently spent 48 hours shooting in New York City with an iPhone 8 and the new Freefly Movi cinematic robotic gimbal. What resulted is Vortex, this 1.5-minute short film in which the world continually turns.

I Shot Tilt-Shift Photos of San Francisco

My name is James D. Lee, and I'm a photographer based in Oakland. I recently got around to posting four years worth of selected photos shot in and around the San Francisco Bay area strictly on tilt-shift lenses. I completed this project while working full-time marketing/photography positions.

Photos of the Cuban National Circus

Some people run away to Cuba for the sunshine. Some people run away to Cuba for the rum. And some just run away with the circus.

Review: The Light L16 is Brilliant… and Braindead

On Oct 8, 2015, a completely unknown company announced a new camera which promised to change how we think about photography: "The L16 combines breakthrough optics design with never-before-seen imaging technology to bring you the camera of the future."