Archives

How I Built a Custom Charging Board for All of My Camera Batteries

Recently I became—as I’m sure many of you already are—utterly sick of the endless chargers and cables in my studio. It's a mess of wires that always seem to get tangled and it always ends up looking like Medusa on a bad hair day.

Striking Portrait of Scowling Newborn Becomes Viral Meme

Brazilian photographer Rodrigo Kunstmann's life changed this week after a newborn portrait he captured went viral. The portrait of newborn Isabela Pereira de Jesus scowling during her delivery has become an instant meme as she stares daggers at the man who brought her into this world.

All 50+ Adobe Apps Explained in Just 10 Minutes

After launching with the PostScript printing language back in 1982, Adobe's product offerings have ballooned to comprise over 50 apps used across a wide range of industries. If you often hear Adobe app names being thrown around but don't really know what they're for, here's a helpful video by the YouTuber Humtog that explains all 50+ apps in just 10 minutes.

As Expected, the Sony 20mm f/1.8 G Looks Really Good

These days, it's probably more likely that you win the lottery than for Sony to make a bad lens. Their process over the last few years has been really dialed in, to the point where making a technically good piece of optics is their bread and butter.

Developing 120-Year-Old Cat Photos Found in a Family Time Capsule

YouTuber Mathieu Stern recently discovered a 'time capsule' in the basement of his old family home. The box—dating from about the year 1900, by Stern's estimation—contained two glass plate negatives, which he decided to try and develop using one of the oldest photographic printing methods in existence: the Cyanotype.

Elinchrom Unveils Affordable ELC 125 and ELC 500 Mid-Range Monolights

Elinchrom has just released two new mid-range monolights that are both full-featured and surprisingly affordable for what they offer. The new ELC 125 and ELC 500 boast to 131Ws and 522Ws of power, respectively, and offer everything from standard options like TTL and HSS support, on up to more niche features like "Smart Pro-Active Cooling" and light-up logos that indicate flash group.

Using AI to Colorize and Upscale a 109-Year-Old Video of New York City to 4K and 60fps

After the success of his last attempt at using AI to upscale a classic short film to 4K and 60fps, YouTuber Denis Shiryaev decided to take this experiment one step further. He took this well-known film of New York City in 1911, and used publicly available neural networks to upscale it to 4K, increase the frame rate to 60fps, and colorize the video.

This Sleek Keyboard Doubles as an SD Card Reader, USB Hub, and More

If you're a photographer who's tired of carrying dongles around for your newer MacBook Pro, the Kolude KD-K1 Keyhub is an unusual new keyboard that could help ease your pain. It's essentially a keyboard and USB hub in one device, and it has a built-in SD card reader for easily accessing your photos to work on them.

Celebface: Why Everyone Looks the Same on Instagram

In Guns, Germs, and Steel, author Jared Diamond describes two systems of invention transmission: 1) idea diffusion: imitation of an idea, and 2) blueprint copying: literal copying of an idea.

The Three Main Advantages of Sony Cameras Over Fujifilm

Last year, Usman Dawood of Sonder Creative decided to switch systems from Sony to Fujifilm for both his stills and video work, but he didn't end up doing it. In this video, he shares the three main reasons why the switch never happened—in other words: the three "major" advantages of Sony cameras over Fuji.

A Hollywood Animation Artist Learns Timelapse Photography

When I’m not working on animated films like “How To Train Your Dragon”, I spend my free time photographing architecture. These are my passion projects. It is the creative outlet that stretches my brain in a totally different way then when I’m working on animated films.

JPEGs May Get AI for Smaller Files and Blockchain for Greater Trust

The Joint Photographic Experts Group, the committee behind the JPEG image file, recently held its 86th meeting in Sydney, Australia, and among the topics discussed was using artificial intelligence for greater image procession and using blockchain (the technology pioneered by Bitcoin) for a new system of trust.

Can Visual Content Remain Trustworthy?

The battle is on. The forces of truth against forces of deception. With visual AI making it easier to fake visual content, its credibility is at stake. And with it, the income of thousands upon thousands of people worldwide who depend on the credibility of visuals to thrive: newspapers, magazines, photographers, newswires, webcasters, television news, videographers, journalists, and photo agencies, among many others.

Reaching the Megapixel Limit (for 35mm Camera Scanning)

Since I first started camera scanning, I've always advocated using the highest resolution camera you can get ahold of. (My first camera scans were with the 1.3-megapixel Nikon E2n, so it's been a long road.) That advice is changing.

The ‘Why’ of an Advertising Photo

I did my first advertising assignment in the year 2000. I still remember how excited I was when I, a few months later, walked out of a bookstore on Chestnut Street in San Francisco with several magazines with my pictures in them.

Shooting a Creative Album Cover Photo with a Delorean

In late 2018 my buddy RJ (AKA RJD2) approached me about shooting the cover art for an upcoming album he was working on. He didn’t have a concrete idea about what he wanted to do but suggested possibly involving his Delorean.

Long Term Review: Two Years with the Laowa 25mm 2.5-5x Ultra Macro Lens

Two years ago, Venus Optics sent macro photographer Thomas Shahan their Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro lens for testing. Now, after two continuous years of real-world use and testing, he's finally gotten around to sharing his thoughts in a thoughtful review that will be a huge help to any extreme macro photographers who are considering this lens.

Amazon Let a Fraudster Keep My Sony a7R IV and Refunded Him $2,900

I am an amateur photographer, and I’ve sold cameras non-professionally on Amazon for over eight years as I’ve upgraded. That trend comes to an end with my most recent transaction. In December, I sold a mint-in-box Sony a7R 4, and the buyer used a combination of social engineering and ambiguity to not only end up with the camera, but also the money he paid me.

Canon USA Just Dropped Over 15% of Its Authorized Dealers

Canon USA cut 15% of its Authorized Dealers earlier this week. According to a report by Canon Price Watch, the company removed 71 online outlets and small stores—over 15% of its total network—in an effort to reduce operating costs.

Chernobyl After HBO: Exploring the Hidden Places Tourists Don’t See

Last year, more than 120,000 tourists visited the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and in 2020 that number is expected to double. Mass tourism has forever become a part of the Exclusion Zone, mostly because of the successful HBO series “Chernobyl.”

Into the Unknown: How I Reinvented Myself After 25 Years at Sports Illustrated

Over the years I’ve been contacted through social media, emails and in person by young photographers seeking advice on being a sports photographer. I never try and discourage them, but I also have to try and be honest: Sports Photography is dead as a profession… sad but true. I know very few who are scratching out a living shooting sports.

This Japanese Smartphone Uses AI to Keep Users from Taking Nude Photos

Japanese company Tone Mobile has released a very... special... new smartphone. Aimed at parents who want to keep their kids from making bad choices, the TONE e20 has an AI-powered "Smartphone Protection" feature that prevents users from shooting or saving "inappropriate" photos (read: naked pictures).

Wedding Photographers Spend Only 4% of Their Work Time Taking Photos, Survey Shows

UK company Your Perfect Wedding Photographer—a website that vets and connects wedding photographers with interested couples—has released the results of their fourth annual photographer survey, and it contains some interesting info about how much photographers are making, the brands they're using, how they spend their work time, and much more.

The Paradox of ‘Timelessness’ in Street Photography

I've noticed that a commonly used compliment for street photographs is to describe them as "timeless." My interpretation of this is that it is used to mean that there are characteristics of the image which in some way transcend the boundaries of the context it was made in and can exist almost in its own context, its own space.

Creating Homemade Photography Backdrops on the Cheap

Anyone who has had any exposure to still life photography or studio work will know just how expensive backdrops can be. I have a couple from Kate Backdrops company, one of which I use very often, but I've been hankering after a few more.

The NONS SL42 is an Interchangeable Lens Camera that Shoots Instax Film

A Hong Kong-based company called "NONS" has created a M42-mount ILC that can be used to shoot Fujifilm Instax Mini film. They're calling it the world's first M42 mount SLR instant camera, and it allows shooters to pair easy-to-find Fuji Instax film with much-beloved (and often very cheap) classic M42 lenses.