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How to Capture Heat on Camera Without Expensive Optics

Standard schlieren imaging techniques use a large mirror to be able to visualize heat or pressure differences in air. The problem with these techniques is that they require large precision telescope mirrors that are very expensive. My lab is fortunate to have a 13-inch diameter telescope mirror; but what happens when I need to photograph a larger subject?

Drone Pilot Dive Bombs Passenger Jet

A drone pilot has sparked outrage and condemnation by posting a video showing his camera drone "dive bombing" a passenger jet landing at a US airport. The drone came dangerously close to the aircraft during the stunt, which can be seen in the clip above.

Wedding Photography Lighting Tips, From Preparation to Reception

My name is Jimmy Chan, and I'm the wedding photographer of Pixelicious in Montreal, Canada. I decided to challenge myself and write a comprehensive, in-depth guide to wedding photography in any lighting situation. As the title suggests, it will cover from preparation to reception and beyond, dissecting the characteristics of light while offering many step-by-step actionable tips to delight your next client.

8 DIY Photo Filters You Can Make at Home

If you're looking to add a creative touch to your photos, you can consider making a DIY lens filter for custom effects. Here's a 3-minute video from COOPH that suggests 8 photo filters that you can make at home to spice up your photos in seconds.

This New Phantom Camera Can Shoot 4MP at 6,600FPS

Vision Research has announced its latest Phantom high-speed camera, the Phantom v2640. This camera is the fastest 4-megapixel camera ever made, capturing a stagging 6,600 frames per second. Drop the resolution down to 1080p, and you can shoot at a whopping 11,750fps.

5 Reasons to Buy a Contax T2

I recently went on short vacation in Italy. Visiting La Spezia was the perfect opportunity for me to finally try out the famous Contax T2 that I got recently. I hit the streets of La Spezia with the camera loaded with Kodak TX400 film.

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai to Step Down Now That the Ship Has Been Righted

Sony announced today that CEO Kazuo 'Kaz' Hirai will be stepping down from his position on April 1st, 2018. Hirai is credited with reviving Sony's prospects and financials over the past several years, taking the company from a struggling state to newfound dominance in areas such as cameras and imaging sensors.

Debunking 6 Myths About the Fujifilm X-Trans Sensor

The Fujifilm X-Trans sensor is evil, its design is seriously flawed, and it causes all kinds of issues. At least, that's what pops up on the Internet every now and then.

Think About How You Use Instagram with ‘The Flyer Theory’

No matter how you feel about Instagram, if you’re reading this you know that you need it. Period. Social media can change careers. Instead of being stuck working with people in your 15-mile radius, you’re now open to the world. But if you’re reading this, you’re probably also using Instagram wrong.

How to Smash $5,000 in Nikon Lenses

Here's an 8-second video showing $5,000 in Nikon lenses getting smashed with a mallet. If you cringe at the thought of harm coming to any photographic equipment, here's the good news: the video isn't what you think. It's a creative video by stop-motion extraordinaire PES.

The First GoPro Was This 35mm Film Camera

When you think of GoPro, you probably picture a neat, compact digital action camera, but the original GoPro was actually a 35mm film camera. Here's a 7-minute video by Thirty Five Studio that takes a look at the camera and shows what it can do.

This Video Shows How Everyone Snaps the Same Instagram Travel Photos

While traveling in Rome, photographer Oliver KMIA discovered how popular tourist spots were crowded with tourists fighting to shoot their own precious personal photo. He later scoured Instagram and created this 2-minute video, titled "Instravel," which shows a "photogenic mass tourism experience" and how so many of our travel photos look exactly like other people's.

$10,000 vs. $425 Portrait Lighting: Can You Tell the Difference?

How much of a difference is there between using an expensive high-end lighting setup and shooting the same portraits with cheaper gear? Photographer Patrick Hall of Fstoppers made this illuminating 9.5-minute video that compares a $10,000 studio lighting setup with a $425 option. Can you tell the difference between the resulting photos?

Lightroom Shortcuts You Can Use All the Time

If you're starting to spend a lot of time inside Lightroom, keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys can help speed up your workflow and save you precious seconds that add up over time. Toronto-based photographer Lucy Martin put together this helpful 3-minute video to share the handy Lightroom shortcuts that she finds herself using all the time.

You Can Finally Schedule Posts on Instagram Now (Kinda)

Instagram has announced that you can now schedule posts on the social network, provided you are signed up as a business account and using an approved third-party scheduling service. This new automation will streamline the Instagram workflow for those who are using the image-sharing app.

Breathe: An Epic 8K Storm Time-Lapse Film in Black-and-White

Mike Olbinski is one of the best in the business at combining time-lapse photography with storm-chasing, and his latest work is yet another jaw-dropping fusion of those two things. Titled Breathe, the 4-minute short-film captures the beauty and fury of thunderstorms in black-and-white 8K.

Shooting a Magazine Cover with a Smartphone

I recently got a call from a client in Chile asking if I’d like to photograph Alexis Sanchez for the cover of COSAS magazine. Alexis is Chile’s most capped footballer was just transferred from Arsenal to Manchester United. He is also one of his country’s biggest celebrities. COSAS is Chile’s biggest selling lifestyle and celebrity magazine. Obviously, I said yes.

This Award-Winning Wildlife Photographer is Only 13 Years Old

Josiah Launstein is a Canadian wildlife photographer who has won multiple prestigious awards... and he's only 13 years old. Launstein first got behind the lens at the age of 5, following in the footsteps of his father and sister, who are also avid wildlife photographers. This 3-minute video profile by CBC Arts offers a window into his life and work.

How to Shoot Macro Snowflake Photos at Home

This is my account of how I’ve fallen in love with snowflake photography… I’ve spent the better part of my life photographing nature’s smallest details. My early years of shooting botanicals eventually evolved into my current obsession with macro insect and spider photography. I’ve spent that same time running from the cold.

Fujifilm Takes Over Xerox in $6.1B Deal

Fujifilm just took over Xerox in a deal worth $6.1 billion that creates an $18 billion company. Fujifilm will have majority ownership and complete control over the American company best known for its photocopiers.

I Named These Puppies Click, Bokeh, Nikon, Sensor, Skrim, and Gobo

Late last year, my wife and I had to say goodbye to one of our beloved dogs, Sophie. She was far too young and our loss was devastating. After several months, one of my breeder clients (Kristen from Zero Gravity Australian Shepherds) announced a litter coming.

Shootout: $4,990 Zeiss Otus 28mm vs $4,250 Leica Q

In the pantheon of lens focal lengths, 28mm is a bit of an outlier. Photojournalists are more apt to reach for the 35mm, while many manufacturers have settled on 24mm for primes and the wide end of their zoom lenses. But 28mm has become visually familiar to consumers because its field-of-view equivalent can be found on many smartphones like the iPhone.

How To Photograph Seascapes

Photographing the sea and the waves can be both challenging and fun. People often ask me what "the right settings" are to shoot moving water so I decided to write a little guide on it. There are many options depending on what look you’re going for. By using some examples of my own, I’ll explain how I shoot my seascapes.

Colorized Photos of American Child Laborers

Photographer Lewis Wickes Hine once said: "There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work."

The Story of Sean Flynn’s Leica M2

This is a story about a camera, a rather special camera. Every camera has a history, so they say. But it is not all that often that one has such a rich and documented history. One that was thought to be lost but has been found again. This is the story of Sean Flynn’s Leica M2.

I Visited the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone with an Infrared Camera

A few years ago, I visited the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone with an infrared camera. We always hear praises of the might of Mother Nature, how it renders useless mans’ creations and bears life above the ruins. Well, it’s something that is always felt, but never on such a huge scale. This place IS the place for these contrasts.

Lightroom Still Slow? Another Major Performance Update is Coming

After finally admitting that Lightroom is slow in 2017, Adobe pledged to speed it up and released a big performance update in October 2017. Unfortunately, the updated Lightroom can still be sluggish, even if you spend $6,000 building the ultimate Lightroom editing machine. There's some great news today, though: Adobe says that another major performance update is on the way.

Rally Car Hits Photographer Standing on Outside of Corner

Photographer David LeClair was photographing rally car racing at Sno*Drift Rally in Michigan last Friday when one of the rally cars lost control, slid off the road, and violently slammed into LeClair, sending the photographer flying. The whole incident was caught on camera (warning: the video shows an injury accident).

Canon May Add Fingerprint ID to Its Cameras and Lenses

Fingerprint ID is used on many smartphones these days for security and identification, but would you like to see the same feature on your camera gear? Canon has apparently developed a fingerprint ID system that can identify the photographer using the camera or lens.

20 Square Meters: A Summer of Photos on My Patio as a Creativity Challenge

The great photographer Jay Maisel used to talk about color, light, and gesture being three essential elements of a great image. With 20 square meters, my goal was to create a body of imagery that transports viewers into the scene and allows them to imagine the whole range of smells and sensations of a summer outdoors.

Volcano Eruption Makes for an Epic Wedding Photo

A photojournalist in the Philippines stumbled upon a newlywed couple while covering the Mayon volcano eruption last week. What resulted was an epic (and completely unplanned) wedding photo at the moment the volcano erupted.

How to Photograph Perfume Bottles with a Single Speedlight

High-end product photography can be done with fewer resources than many might think if you add creativity and careful execution. Here's a 7-minute video from Dustin Dolby of workphlo that shows you how you can take professional perfume bottle photos in a studio with a single speedlight.

Ep. 250: Our 250th Episode! – and more


Episode 250 of the PetaPixel Photography Podcast.
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Featured: Photographer, author and educator, Scott Kelby