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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.