I’ve taken quite some mushroom photos over the last few years and most of them were done with my macro lens. Mushrooms are often tiny, and it’s very inviting to single them out with a beautiful soft background. I wrote a specific article about this back in 2020.
Back in September 2023, photographer Shane Balkowitsch wrote an article for PetaPixel entitled “Does The World Need Images of Fake AI People?”. In the article, he called out an AI persona that went by the name of Mia Gezellig on Instagram.
Cape Coral, Florida, a city experiencing unprecedented growth. While great for their economy, the economic boom is disastrous for wildlife, especially species that thrive in open, treeless areas. In particular, the burrowing owl population is suffering as its habitat shrinks.
AI is all the buzz and it seems to be attaching itself to everything, everywhere, all at once. The canary in the AI coal mine? Images and writing.
Ah, the world of photography – where the line between candid images and artfully contrived scenes grows increasingly hazy. It’s as if the debate about staged photos and their place in photography competitions never quite loses its luster. But wait, we’ve got another gem to share: the revelation of a prize-winning staged photograph in yet another photography competition.
Do your photos suck? Feeling discouraged by your photography lately? Not making the progress you expected? The good news is, it’s completely normal — all photographers grow at different rates and hit speed bumps along the way.
Lately, it seems like everyone wants to save money on film while still having fun shooting it. So, on the heels of the wildly successful 72-photos-per-roll, Kodak Ektar H35, Hong Kong camera maker, RETO, just released an upgraded version of their smash hit half frame point-and-shoot, the H35N.
While cleaning one of my camera sensors, I noticed my incredibly pocketable and convenient 12mm f/2.0 Olympus lens developed a fatal flaw. A rather large reflective fragment became dislodged inside the lens and was robbing me of precious photons. I couldn't fully clean the rear element with compressed air and a microfiber cloth, so I decided to dig a little deeper and disassemble the lens.
It’s not often that you get your hands on a Hasselblad, so when we received the $5,750 Hasselblad X1D II 50C in the office, to say we were excited would be an understatement. According to Hasselblad, the medium format camera is described as compact, powerful, and enhanced, and we can attest to it.
I’ve long strived for depth in certain photos. I like a line that begins in the lower corner and heads for the diagonally opposite upper corner.
Each year around the world Hindu communities join together in a 10-day celebration of one of their mainstream deities, Ganesha. This celebration takes place in either August or September (Bhadra is the 6th month of the Hindu calendar, which combines lunar and solar considerations for the cycle), and festivities take many forms across the Hindu diaspora.
I have a confession to make. I possess a profound and abiding love and respect for trees.
My name is Simon Wiffen, and I'm a Leeds, UK-based photographer specializing in family, lifestyle, portrait, commercial, and event photography. In this article, I'll share my 6 best tips for better event photography to help you achieve the best results.
It was once common for professional and advanced hobbyist photographers to have small but capable darkrooms in their homes. Often tucked away discreetly in what would otherwise be unused spaces in basements and attics. Serious shooters would process their own film, craft their own prints, and store all the chemistry and idiosyncratic accouterment that one needs to control their own analog adventure.
Between 2008 and late 2016, I took tens of thousands of pictures and proudly vomited the vast majority of them online. While I’d toyed around with things like depth of field and long exposures, I didn’t understand anything about photography, so my camera rarely left ‘auto’. I’d checked out an online tutorial or two, but as far as I was concerned, ‘exposure compensation’ was something victims got after winning a public indecency lawsuit.
A decade ago, I stumbled upon a page where someone detailed their process for crafting their own instant film, something similar to Polaroid Type55 or the New55. At that time, the instructions seemed too complex for me to tackle, and I never ventured into the world of instant film creation.
I’ve spent countless hours walking streets both near and far from home with My Precious in my hand and a muscle memory for it in my fingers that made it effectively part of me — an extension of my arm. My Precious is, of course, my camera.
For those looking to level up their photography skills, leading photography education book publisher Rocky Nook is hosting its first ever online conference, called The Art and Craft of Photography.
It’s been a while since my last article on drone photography (2019 to be precise). Since then I’ve used lots of DJI drones. Earlier this year I bought a Mini 3 Pro to see if this could potentially replace bigger drones for my travels. And I have to be honest: I didn’t like it at first.
The Melting Giants project came about by happenstance. I overheard two men talking about the icebergs that come along the Newfoundland coast. That was enough to pique my interest, so off I went.
In the land where the summer sun never sets, where ice and fire engage in a perpetual waltz, I embarked on the photography journey of a lifetime. The destination? Svalbard—an Arctic realm of mystery and marvel, the northernmost reaches of our planet.
The deadline is just around the corner! Make sure to have your entry (or entries) submitted for this year’s ColorPro Awards by September 24th 11:59 pm (PDT).
Like Paris, where I live, New York is one of the most photographed cities in the world. Creating an original photo series is therefore a major challenge.
It’s already the second week of September, which can only mean one thing - you now have less than two weeks to submit your photo and/or video to the annual ColorPro Awards!
From its early days, the digital age promised endless convenience. Yet, for many, it has led to a vast sprawl of photos, videos, and files scattered across smartphones, computers, and storage devices. Instead of feeling empowered by technology, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
We have all heard the arguments for and against A.I. imagery from the perspective of photographers. By now, most of us realize that these images are not photographs but some sort of graphic design created by artificial intelligence.
At the CP+2023 Camera & Photo Imaging Show in Japan earlier this year, I had a conversation with Keiji Oishi, Manager in the UX Planning Department of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit.
A while ago, after I reviewed an inexpensive shift lens, Pergear contacted me to review a lens available only in Sony and Nikon mounts. I told them I did not have cameras that would take the lens. Later, I learned that they reissued their 60mm f/2.8 macro lens, Mark II.
Anyone who has trawled through a historic photo archive knows the feeling of spotting a large-format photo. Like spotting a beautiful woman in a crowd, it’s hard to drag your eyes away. That depth and clarity, which seems to top reality itself, has only ever been possible with a film plane measured in inches rather than millimeters.
Back in February of this year, I began making a huge transition from the Drobo NAS system (now out of business) to the newer and far superior QNAP system. Back then I had just installed the two new NAS systems but had not moved any data.
Did you know that you can capture 48 MP HEIC files, not just ProRAW DNG files, on your iPhone 14 Pro? No? Well, neither did I until I started to wonder about this possibility on a recent vacation to the beach with my family.
Ricoh chose not to exhibit at CP+ earlier this year, so I took advantage of my extended stay in Japan to visit their corporate headquarters in Ota-ku, Tokyo. (Ota is southwest of central Tokyo, about a 50-minute train ride from where I was staying in Asakusa, on the northeast side of the city.)
Today I’m sharing my favorite accessories for outdoor and adventure photography. The things that make the list are the things I don’t leave behind when I know I have to keep up on a big adventure while also producing high-quality images. Too much gear will weigh me down but the right gear will make my life and photos better.
Quick question: what’s the best lens for photographing wildlife at different distances? A telephoto zoom, of course, because then you can zoom for the focal length and framing you want. But if that’s true, then why did I take a fixed telephoto with me on the safari I just led to Africa? Because, paired with two teleconverters and one camera feature, it actually gave me MORE focal lengths to work with. Let me explain…
The context and process behind a photograph can be interesting on a technical level when it comes to the gear, film, lighting setup, and any artistic emotion or guidance that may have gone into it from a photographer with an interesting backstory to them.
ViewSonic has just announced the launch of their 4th annual ColorPro Awards - a global Visual Arts competition aimed at showcasing the world’s finest artistic talents across photography and other rotating categories. Whether you’re an aspiring creative or seasoned professional, the competition is FREE to enter and the prizes are significant.
While attending the CP+ 2023 show in Yokohama earlier this year, I visited with Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma Corporation, and one of the most savvy executives in the entire photo industry.
A while ago, I reviewed a couple of attachments by Apexel for phone cameras. They asked me to review their night vision scope but I told them nobody would believe my review of a product like that! I inquired if I could write a review of a couple of LED light kits and they agreed.
Sarah Stup is an award-winning autism advocate and author who is working on her latest book, tentatively titled "My Autism, My Journal."
It’s difficult to see how anyone other than the photographer is responsible for a photograph they may take, although I’m sure there are some specific exceptions – but usually, if a photographer is not responsible for their photograph, then who should be?
Wondershare Filmora is a cross-platform app designed to help content creators take their videos to the next level and build an impactful and successful online presence. A big part of getting more eyes on videos is ensuring that content is bold, striking, and creative.
The Lamy Train Station in Santa Fe, New Mexico is a small, unassuming Spanish Mission Revival building about fifty miles south of Los Alamos. In the 1940s, it was frequented by Robert Oppenheimer, Los Alamos Laboratory staff, and their families while en route to the secret military site.
While attending the CP+ 2023 show in Yokohama earlier this year, I met with representatives of Fujifilm and had a chance to ask them about the reasons behind some camera features, the details of a recent firmware update, specifics about some of their future plans, and some more philosophical questions about 8K video and whether there’s still a place for “entry-level” models in the industry these days.
Founded back in 2004, Flickr has changed owners several times through the years as the social media and photo-sharing landscape evolved. Here are 10 reasons why I believe Flickr is still the best site on the Web for photographers.
The phrase "shooting a moving target" certainly has more than one connotation, especially coming from an ex-military combat photographer. While I’ll be using examples from my time in the U.S. Air Force, we are specifically talking about photography. I’ll be sharing my top 6 action photography tips for run and gun photographers.
Some cars exist in myths and legends. They can be so rare that even a car enthusiast might only see them by the good graces of another. The Mercedes C1000 exemplifies this.
In my daily routine as a photographer and filmmaker, I work with two Canon EOS R5 cameras. Along with the standard f/2.8 zoom lenses, I also carry a few prime lenses in my camera bag, such as the RF 50mm f/1.2 or the RF 85mm f/1.2.
It’s never a bad day to capture landscape photography on the dunes. This day, in particular though, was truly one to remember and I share a variety of techniques for how I take photos of sand dunes.
In traditional landscape photography, context is important in visual storytelling, especially in grand scenic images. Context helps anchor a scene by including foreground, midground, and background (i.e., the sky).
Social media is an incredible tool for propagating ideas, allowing the potential for mass outreach to anyone with an Internet connection and something to say.