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The Compromises of Shooting Film on Assignment

A year ago, I wrote an article over at 35mmc in which I discussed some of the jobs I had worked on using 35mm film and the way I handle a film workflow for assigned work. Since writing that piece I have taken on many more commissions for film-based work, and I thought it would be useful to take a more detailed look at some of the implications of shooting film as part of these projects.

Huawei Busted for Faking Smartphone Photos Yet Again

It looks like Huawei still hasn't learned its lesson after getting caught faking smartphone photos in ads multiple times. The company's latest teaser ads for the upcoming P30 Pro smartphone imply that they show sample photos, but they don't.

Can We Please Stop Using Workshop Photos and Styled Shoots in Our Wedding Portfolios?

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a growing trend of photographers in the UK using workshops and styled shoots to boost their wedding portfolio. It wasn’t as prevalent when I started shooting weddings 6 years ago (following many years of documenting my own life with a camera), and I’m glad because if I’d not been as savvy as I was today, I might have been fooled into thinking those images were from real weddings. And from someone who’s only had a camera 6 months? Wow!

Photographing Coffee and Cacao in Peru

I was assigned by Fair Trade to go to northern Peru and photograph cacao and coffee production for the Australian and New Zealand markets. The idea was to show a little of the story of both products and the people behind them before they make it to your cup. I am a very enthusiastic consumer of both coffee and chocolate, in liquid or slab form. So as far as I was concerned, it was an assignment made in food heaven.

How to Photograph the Milky Way

This guide will be a walkthrough of the basics of Milky Way photography. It is best for beginners, but even intermediate and expert photographers might find something new! Plus, I always find it never hurts to refresh yourself on the basics.

This $2,200 Sony Camera Got Fried by a Tattoo Removal Laser

You probably know that the lasers in concerts and even on self-driving cars can damage your camera's sensor in a direct hit, but did you know that light reflected off skin during laser tattoo removal can also destroy your sensor? Watch this 37-second video to see for yourself.

My Experience Shooting the Yosemite Horsetail Firefall

My name is Aaron Chen, and I'm a photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was in Yosemite for the 2019 Firefall and would love to share my experience so that others can do it themselves!

Why People Don’t Like Portraits of Themselves

Portrait photos are often disliked by the subject themselves. From the early formative years of grade school on into the advanced years of adulthood, the feeling of dislike of your own picture is universal. Yet it is not for vanity sake, nor is it to spare the shock of another from seeing self-assumed horrors. Assuming you are neither a narcissist nor a person with flawless perfection, you may simply be like the rest of the human race: there is real science behind the reason why you may not like your own photograph.

Ep. 315: Combine L, 11 Plus 1 and You Get This – and more


Episode 315 of the PetaPixel Photography Podcast.
Download MP3 -  Subscribe via iTunes, Google Play, email or RSS!
Featured: Fine Art Photographer, Carrie Lewis

The Power and Problems with Photo Clichés

Filmmaker and journalist Johnny Harris made this inspiring 7-minute video about the picturesque Austrian town of Hallstatt, which sits nestled between a lake and a mountain in the Alps. Harris looks at the idea of photography clichés and breaking out of them to find unique photos and experiences.

I Photographed My 5-Year-Old Girl as Captain Marvel

My daughter loves female superheroes and I love making her superhero dreams come true. The other day she literally thought she was a superhero. She came home from school one day and told us that her friends had made fun of her because of her worn down shoes. To my surprise, she didn't seem too affected and so I kept asking for more details. After all, she is a 5-year-old who makes up a bunch of stories anyway, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

How Much a Full Pro Camera and Lens Set Costs for Each Brand

Photographer Terrance Lam's friend recently purchased Sony's entire line of pro G Master lenses. Curious about how the cost stacks up against other ecosystems, Lam decided to do some research and find out how much equivalent camera and lens kits cost for other brands.

How to Place a Softbox to Finesse the Look You Want

Today we are going to talk about placing a softbox -- not the positions that you would use, like a Rembrandt, a butterfly, or a loop, but how to place it once it’s in position. Let’s talk about how to finesse the look that you want to achieve while using a softbox.

What a Longer Focal Length Can Offer Your Street Photography

I started photography on perhaps the most popular focal length, 35mm, in the form of my RX1R, which I shot through my time at university. From there I moved to 50mm, which was a revolution to me in the way I saw and thought about my images. I now shoot the majority of my favorite images on a 90mm, which although not entirely unconventional is still far from the “standard.”

Meyer Optik Gorlitz Admits Nocturnus was a Modified Chinese Lens

After years of launching lenses through much-hyped Kickstarter campaigns, Meyer Optik Gorlitz died in 2018 but was brought back to life after its parent company, net SE, was acquired by the German company OPC Optics. With a new owner, Meyer Optik is now confessing that yes, the Nocturnus was actually a modified Chinese lens.

5 Beginner Landscape Photography Mistakes to Avoid

Making mistakes when starting something new is a common part of the learning process, and the sooner you can identify and fix them, the faster you’ll progress within your new endeavor. When I first started in landscape photography I certainly made my fair share of errors, but I didn’t realize it at the time, so I ended up repeating them over and over again.

Trading Portraits for Backstage Photos with My Favorite Celebrities

I've been fortunate enough to present portrait work to some of my favorite personalities. Initially, I figured it would just be a clever way to use my artwork to meet some of my heroes. A year later, it has turned into an on-going project that has resulted in unique encounters, constant hustle, and endless Photoshop.

Taking a Photo Trip to Antarctica

When I found out I had the opportunity to travel to Antarctica, I couldn't quite believe it. I should really start this story by thanking my mother: she's had the travel bug her entire life, and eventually created a career for herself selling her experiences and knowledge. The same bug has allowed me to see the world from a very young age, and I learned quite quickly how much of an impact travel can have on your perspective on life, among other things.

How to Make a Rifle Stock for Your Camera

Want a camera stabilizer that's sure to attract (perhaps unwanted) attention? Just add a rifle-style stock to it. Alex over at I did a thing made this humorous 5-minute video showing how he built such a stabilizer for his own DSLR.

Randomizing Photo Shoots to Stretch My Creativity

I am a fan of light (honestly what photographer isn’t?). Hard light; reflected light; dappled light; low-key light; colored light -- I love it all. Light makes or breaks not only my images but my mood. I’d venture to say that light is sandwiched between “belonging” and “safety” on my hierarchical pyramid of needs.

This is Yongnuo’s Micro 4/3 EF-Mount Android 4K Mirrorless Camera

Yongnuo teased and revealed a smart mirrorless camera called the YN450 late last year, and the unusual device sparked a good deal of attention. The YN450 was just on display at the CP+ 2019 show in Japan, and cinema5D spoke to a rep for this 4.5-minute video that provides us with a better idea of what this camera is.

Sony: E-mount Can Take f/0.63 Lenses

At its a6400 announcement event back in January, Sony also gathered press together for a presentation in which it aimed to debunk some of the things being said about its E mount in recent days. One of the interesting facts shared is that the E-mount supports a maximum aperture of f/0.63.

Three Seconds of Pleasant Geometry

Back in the day, a compelling photograph could be taken in a fraction of a second and considered for years, even decades. The small world of street photography was dominated by photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, who said, “Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.”

The Joy of Shooting Double Exposures on Film

One of the many marvelous photography techniques provided by analog photography is the double (or multiple) exposure of film directly on camera. I've always been fascinated by the possibility of handling the negative from the moment of shooting, and this factor was the key one for me when it came the time to chose a camera.

Why Your Photography Business Is Failing

The biggest and most common mistake I see in photographers in all genres is that they aren’t honest with themselves. They love the idea of being a photographer -- the romantic side of it all. Sounds cool, right? But they hate the work part, the hustle, the grind, the guts of what it takes to run any successful small business.

Colourise.sg Uses AI to Colorize B&W Photos

Want to turn some old black-and-white photos into color photos? There's an amazing new website called Colourise.sg that'll get the job done for you. It uses deep learning AI to create remarkably realistic results in just seconds with zero work on your part.

The Problem with Camera Phones (That Nobody Talks About)

Once upon a time, the biggest problem with camera phones was the camera itself. One of the world's first camera phones, the J-SH04, was released in 2000. Boy have we come a long way, right? It could shoot tiny 0.11-megapixels images. It went up from there.

Shooting Street Portraits with a Go Go Gadget Octobox

My name is Brendan Burkett, and I believe I have created an original device and street photography method. What I have done is attach a softbox to my back for ultimate portability. This allows me to get street portraits with a very unique light.

Flickr Unveils a New Login That Ditches Yahoo’s System

After being acquired by Yahoo in 2005, Flickr became bound to its new owner's authorization system, meaning all users needed to have a Yahoo account just to use Flickr. Flickr has just announced a new login system that finally frees the service from Yahoo.

Review: Topaz Sharpen AI is Amazing

I got an email notifying me of the release of Topaz Sharpen AI, a program that enhances details and fixes out-of-focus/blurred shots. I initially expected that it was something similar to Adobe Enhance Details, which slightly enhanced the details of some specific shots and didn’t work for many other images. Topaz provided a demo fully-functional for 30 days, so I decided to give it a try.

The Lesson from Costco’s Photo Lab

I received a letter from Costco that the location I frequent for my 8 pounds of ground beef and jumbo bottle of vodka is closing their photo department. Why? Because in spite of more pictures being taken now than in any time in the history of photography, people are simply not printing their snapshots and, because of this rapid decline in printing volume, it makes no financial sense to keep the photo department open.

A Pro Photographer’s Review of the Leica M10-D

Could you and would you shoot with a digital camera without an LCD screen that costs and arm and a leg? I spent two days in Singapore wandering the streets with the Leica M10-D and here are my thoughts.

Lessons in Fearlessness from Morocco

I’ve been feeling for a while now that something has been lacking from my street photography. I seem to have settled into a “style” or “way of seeing” that features themes of solitude and isolation, monotone color palettes, and generally bland scenes – in line with my descriptions of “New-Wave Street Photography”.