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How to Turn a Smartphone Panorama Into a ‘Tiny Planet’ Photo

Ever since Google released the Photosphere feature for their Nexus devices, I have been obsessed with making tiny planets. The photosphere feature enables you to take 360 degree photos, essentially creating a "room" of photos. You also have the ability to turn your panorama into a "tiny planet". Android does all the work for you, and while you may get some errors with the stitched image, they usually turn out pretty great.

Then-and-Now Photos of New York City

NYC Grid is a website run by Paul Sahner that explores and documents New York neighborhoods, "street by street and block by block." One of the awesome reoccurring features on the blog is the before-and-after section, which features pairs of photos showing identical locations but shot decades -- or sometimes over a century -- apart.

Tutorial: Creating a Surreal, Conceptual Photo Using ‘Zone Lighting’

In this tutorial I’d like to demonstrate that you don’t need expensive studio flashes to create a complex scene with subtle lighting. I haven’t yet seen anyone else do this quite the same way and there doesn’t seem to be a name for it, so I named the process “zone lighting”, a form of exposure blending by dividing the scene in different zones. But let’s start with a little bit of background about the project and its concept.

TEDx: Photographer Fabian Oefner Talks About Combining Art and Science

Swiss photographer Fabian Oefner recently gave this short 10-minute talk at TEDx Warwick 2013 in which he shares about how he tries to use photography to explore the two worlds of visual art and scientific principles. Many of his personal projects revolve around making natural phenomena visible, showing them in "previously unseen and poetic ways," and "encouraging viewers to pause for a moment and appreciate the magic that constantly surrounds us." …

Man Puts Up Website and Photo Memorial of His Life Before Committing Suicide

Some sad news has emerged from the Midwest today: The Kansas City Star is reporting that a former employee and blogger committed suicide yesterday outside a local police station. Prior to ending his own life, 60-year-old Martin Manley created his own memorial website that includes detailed information about his life, including photographs captured over the years of himself and his experiences.

Ghetto-Flo: How to Create Your Own DIY Kino-Flo-style Lights for Portraiture

We were introduced to the “Ghetto-Flo” lights after reading the excellent blog of New York-based photographer Brad Trent. He had mounted 4 standard workshop fluorescent light fixtures into light-stand mountable strip lights. “Ghetto-Flo” because they're similar in use to the much more expensive Kino-Flo lights, though there are advantages to the later (variable power and output).

Long Exposure Photography of a Moving Car at Night Using a Carbon Boom

I have a passion for automotive photography at night, but for the most part I'm forced to shoot static images. Long exposures require a stable support for your camera and that's only achievable when everything's locked down -- including the car. Sure, light painting, traffic trails and even the occasional star trail all help to introduce dynamism to static automotive images but sometimes there's no substitute for shooting the car whilst its moving.

Use This Simple ‘Drop Test’ to See if Your Batteries Are Juiced

Even though most camera bodies these days use some sort of Lithium-ion battery, chances are there's still some gear in your bag that still runs off alkaline batteries. If you've ever found yourself in need of checking the charge on those batteries but you happen to leave your volt meter at home (I know ... what were you thinking!?) here's a cool little life hack that'll give you the info your need.

Photographer Captures a Soccer Player Looking Extremely Small

Reuters photographer Yves Herman captured this peculiar photograph at a match between the Belgian and French national soccer teams yesterday. The photograph has attracted the Internet's attention due to the fact that it makes 28-year-old soccer player Mathieu Valbuena look like a child playing among men.

New Algorithm Can Pick Out Photo Fakes by Looking at Shadows

As post-production software continues to become more and more powerful, researchers are doing their best to keep up by developing new methods of spotting digital photo fakes. In the past, we've seen that noise patterns and even Twitter trends can help spot fakes, but a new method out of UC Berkeley is taking a look at something else entirely: the shadows.

eBay Unveils ‘My Gadgets’ Feature, Keeps Track of How Much Your Gear is Worth

It seems like new and improved camera gear pops up every couple of weeks these days, leading to an endless cycle of discover, buy, sell and repeat. Well, if you're the kind of person who always wants to have the newest gear around, and you're constantly selling off your old gear on eBay to make it happen, the website has just officially announced a new feature that will make your life much easier.

Photographer Bernie DeChant Takes the New Panasonic GX7 for a Spin in Japan

Earlier this month, Panasonic unveiled the new Lumix GX7: a rangefinder-style Micro Four Thirds camera that the company packed full of Panasonic firsts. Since Panasonic is hoping the camera appeals to professionals and consumers alike, the folks over in advertising decided to put together a series of videos dubbed "Shooting Impressions" in which they get professionals to use the GX7 on assignment and talk about the features they liked best.

Magic Lantern Brings Brick Breaker-Style Video Game to the Canon 7D

Lest you think that smartphones have the mobile gaming market all but wrapped up, the folks at Magic Lantern have decided to shake things up a little bit. In the spirit of the old Kodak DSLR that came equipped with Pong, ML's pravdomil has added the ability to play a stripped down version of the old 1980s brick breaker-style game "Arkanoid" on the Canon 7D.

Humor: What if Disney Princesses Shared Photos on Instagram?

I admit that I am an Instagram Junkie. To paraphrase that classic SNL line: "I got a fever and the only prescription is MORE INSTAGRAM." It's not that I really enjoy sharing images of my dog and what I had for dinner, it's more that I love looking at the uploads of those I follow. Following celebrities is a lot of fun, as you get to see a glimpse inside their world. What are they thinking? Where are they going? What are they doing? …

Cold-Flowers

An Interview with Photographer Zhang Jingna

Chances are you may, at some point or another, have seen New York-based photographer Zhang Jingna's work in your daily lives. Her work has appeared in Photo Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar print media, and her commercial clients include popular that include: Wacom, TRESemmé, Mercedes-Benz, and even Canon.

Review: Can the Canon EF-M 11-22mm Revive the EOS M System?

The third EF-M lens – finally! The Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is an important lens for Canon. Since the launch of the EOS M, Canon has been trying to quell the dissatisfaction of consumers who lament about the lens selection, which until recently has been limited to the EF-M 18-55mm and EF-M 22mm.

NASA’s Experiments with Digital Cameras in Capturing Shuttle Launches

Ever since June of 2011, NASA has had cause to retire the photographic equipment it used to capture shuttle launches because, well, they don't plan on launching any more shuttles. But before that decision was made, it looks like NASA was finally giving digital photographic equipment a chance to oust the analog cameras they had always used in the past.

How Pinterest Can Discourage the Creative Process for Photographers

It’s incredible how Pinterest has taken the wedding industry by storm. My husband and I have always been, and still are, big supporters of Pinterest. It has been such an incredible tool for our business and has helped so many brides find our work. It can be a great place for brides to gather wedding ideas, color schemes, flowers they love, etc. It wasn’t until recently though, have we started seeing the negative affects of Pinterest on wedding photography.

A Candid Look Inside the Secretive World of the Ku Klux Klan

Over the years, photojournalist Anthony S. Karen has gained access to some of the most secretive groups in the world. From Skinheads, to the Westboro Baptist Church, to the Vodou societies of NYC and Haiti, he prides himself on earning his elusive subjects' trust, and a candid look into their lives along with it.

Why Do We Want Better Cameras If We Keep Making the Photos Look Worse?

There was a time in the mid to late 90s when Nirvana was all the rage, people wore too much flannel, and the design world was pre-occupied with “grunge.” Ironically, the proliferation of digital design via Aldus Pagemaker led to a decidedly analog look that was epitomized by David Carson’s Ray Gun magazine – a vehement statement against clarity, cleanliness and legibility. Carson even went so far as to lay out an entire magazine piece in Zapf Dingbats because it was “just a really …

6 Tips for Effectively Shooting Behind The Scenes

In my experience there seems to be a common misconception that shooting production photography and behind the scenes videos/documentaries are an easy task. While it's true that these sometimes don't require the normal spit and polish, photographers are used to, especially in terms of video work, I can assure you they're no walk in the park.