To reveal the real colors of the night skies, you need to find good dark skies. The best sky quality for astrophotography is found in locations classified as Bortle Class 1 on the Bortle scale, which measures night sky brightness.
One of the most exciting things to photograph is a live concert. Rock concerts in particular have an air of electricity about them that you can feel. When you are hired to photograph one you automatically feel like you are a part of that excitement.
At one point during his career, the late film photographer Jerry Uelsmann gave a slide presentation to a large audience of photography students, showing all the photographs he had made that year.
Ultraviolet-induced fluorescence (UVIF) occurs when molecules in an object are excited (energized) by high-energy ultraviolet wavelengths (from our UV flashlight) and as a result, emit longer wavelengths in the visible portion of the spectrum (red, green, and blue). These emitted longer wavelengths are what we are photographing.
I've wanted to experiment with the idea of imbuing a print with more than just standard chemistry, and I especially like the idea of adding layers of experience to what is ordinarily solely a visual medium.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a polarizing topic, and the technology has quickly found its way into a diverse range of softwares for many, including content creators. While AI has its pros and cons, it offers creators many opportunities to work more efficiently and make better content.
People, they’re literally everywhere. At least that’s how it feels when you live in a country as densely populated as Japan. For the longest time, I was incredibly fussy about having people in my frame.
With digital portfolios going back 20 years or more, it can be hard to get into the back catalog and find old treasures, lost memories, and beloved favorites. With Mylio Photos QuickFilters and new SmartTags, it’s much easier to browse — and enjoy! — your entire photo collection.
While attending the CP+ 2023 show in Yokohama, Japan, back in February, I had the opportunity to meet with independent lens manufacturer Tamron. It had been a very long time since my last official contact with them, and a lot has changed over the intervening years. (The last time I attended a formal Tamron event was all the way back in 2015, when they introduced their excellent f/1.8 wide-angle primes.)
GuruShots, the "World's Greatest Photo Game," has announced the winners of its "Stunning Still Life" challenge, which received thousands of entries and over 56.2 million votes. The "Top Photographer" winner of the contest is Sanja of Bosnia and Herzegovina (whose photo is seen above).
The advent of AI editing tools has sparked a debate about finding the delicate balance between efficiency and preserving the photographer's artistic vision.
Professional photographers all agree that photo culling is an essential but tedious ordeal. James Broadbent, the founder of Narrative Select, also used to spend hours in front of his screen until his company launched Select, an AI-assisted culling software that now helps thousands of photographers cull faster and easier.
In 2022, an AI-generated work of art won the Colorado State Fair’s art competition. The artist, Jason Allen, had used Midjourney – a generative AI system trained on art scraped from the internet – to create the piece. The process was far from fully automated: Allen went through some 900 iterations over 80 hours to create and refine his submission.
My friend Cemal Ekin of Kept Light Photography asked me to try the Apexel FL07 RGB LED light kit and provide my comments.
There’s something about the passion that exists between a mechanic and a motorcycle. Their hands and tools are their paintbrushes, and their grease-stained nails are their paint. I was fortunate to witness them create their art and document it all while creating my own.
As we all know, there are many things that can make or break a photograph. While technical aspects might immediately jump to mind and the light may grab our attention, one word that tends to pop up a lot in my feedback is “intent”.
The American Southwest is an enchanting realm brimming with extraordinary shapes, mesmerizing textures, and captivating patterns. Amidst a symphony of vibrant colors and diverse textures, capturing the essence of such a place can initially feel overwhelming.
It might come as a surprise to many readers, seeing my byline on an industry-interview article here on PetaPixel, not to mention one from the CP+ 2023 show in Yokohama, Japan. It’s now been no less than three months since that, but I’m only just now getting this and several other articles posted.
We have all marveled at the latest imagery artificial intelligence (A.I.) produced. This remarkable technological tool enables the swift creation of imagery by providing the algorithm with concise textual prompts.
The recording of the patterns made by static electricity date back to the invention of the technique in 1777 by Georg Lichtenberg. Since he was the first to observe the patterns they are referred to as Lichtenberg figures.
What is perfect? I don’t think there is a camera in existence that is perfect for everyone. But there are certainly cameras that, over the years, have demonstrated outstanding industrial and user interface design.
The Fanal area is one of Madeira's largest laurel forests, known for its mysterious and unusual landscape with trees said to be up to 600 years old.
Capturing wildflowers can be an incredibly enriching experience that allows you to immerse yourself in the vibrant colors, delicate petals, and the intoxicating scent of nature in full bloom.
Voting with your wallet means buying products you believe in, supporting companies you want to see more of as well as products/practices you approve of. Buying one brand over another, buying locally rather than from a chain, or choosing not to buy from a certain industry at all would all be examples of voting with your wallet.
Last September, Nikon released the Z mount 17-28mm f/2.8 lens. Immediately, two specifications piqued my interest when it came to how this lens would perform with astrophotography and nightscapes: it was a wide-angle lens and also fast at f/2.8.
Amazingly, in the age of AI image creation, film photography is not only popular but it's growing again after an initial decline. More and more, people are finding value in timeless, handcrafted imagery.
German startup Neurapix has created an artificial intelligence-based software that promises to significantly reduce the time photographers spend editing their photos in Lightroom.
As a photographer, you know that streamlining your photography workflow is the best way to save valuable time.
I recently wrote a pair of pieces about giving and responding to critiques of photography with a certain level of decorum. As many of you already know, criticism is best given when actually asked for.
When I made images documenting the mourning period after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II there was a complexity to the situation that I wanted to convey. I wrote about navigating different manifestations of grief, as well as that grief in the context of the wider political relationship between the deceased and the citizens of the UK.
When I first started doing landscape photography, visiting new locations used to intimidate me a lot. I think part of me would feel the anxiety and pressure of needing to get a good shot, and oftentimes, I would not use the proper tools to set myself up for success.
I had never seen the Northern Lights until this past April 23rd when some serious luck was on my side: I was at Yellowstone National Park with Geoff Coalter, from Nikon, the night before a shoot I was producing for PetaPixel.
After wondering why the Imaging Resource (IR) was seeing so few updates recently, a number of people noticed that it seemed to have vanished from the internet as of sometime last Friday, May 5. Had another "OG" photo review website bitten the dust?
Just about every industry has been touched by some form of supply chain issue in the past few years and photography has been no exception. But black and white film photographers might be taking the brunt of them soon.
A couple of years ago I have been occasionally shooting 35mm films with point-and-shoot still cameras while also having the desire to shoot motion picture films.
One of the most frequently asked sets of questions I receive from other photographers is: What print lab do you use? Which online photo printing service is the best quality? Who prints the best quality photos?
Portraying injustices is not something novel. From the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day, many photographers have been concerned about leaving their mark. But can we try to change the world – even make it a better place – through a photograph?
If you are not responsible for the meaning behind your photographs then who is?
America’s national parks are a true source of pride. Each is unique in what it offers and this is certainly true of one of the more off-the-beaten-track parks.
In the southeast corner of Colorado sits a small town of just under 7,000 people called La Junta. Not only is this small town unique, what happens just outside of it is even more so: thousands of tarantulas “migrate” annually through the Comanche National Grasslands.
Hey, photographers: don’t be discouraged if you can’t afford the latest and greatest gear out there. You may be surprised by what you can do with modest gear.
When Nikon announced the new Z 400mm f/2.8 TC lens, lots of people asked if I was going to buy one. My answer? “No way, I’d be crazy to spend $14,000 on one lens.” So I guess I’m crazy, because now I have one. Here’s what happened that changed my mind.
I've been doing some freelance web development and photography and I was recently contacted by an acquaintance who's looking to start her own real estate office.
There are a lot of crazy ideas out there when it comes to experimental photography. Multiple exposures. Film Soups. Shooting your rolls backward. But have you ever heard of anybody loading two rolls of film into a camera at the same time? Me neither, and that’s exactly why I’m going to do it!
Digital photo editing has come a long way in the past two decades, and two software programs that have impacted the field are RawShooter and Lightroom.
The National Portrait Gallery, London, reopens in June following a three-year closure for the “largest redevelopment” in its 127-year history. Its opening exhibition, Yevonde: Life and Colour, will be the most comprehensive to date on British photographer, Yevonde Middleton (1893-1975).
The boreal toad is Colorado’s only alpine species of toad; this high-altitude amphibian lives at 7,000 to 12,000 feet of elevation in mountain ponds and lakes. They used to thrive, but are now facing a severely declining population.
Artificial intelligence images have the potential to misinform the future. For the first time in the technological present, we are on the cusp of a life-and-art-altering explosion of intentionally created dis-informational imagery.
A photographer has captured spectacular new photos of billions of fireflies blanketing the trees of a wildlife sanctuary in India.
Dramatic, restrictive, and humbling are three words I'd use to describe the Carl Zeiss 16mm f/8 Hologon Ultra-wide lens that I shoot adapted to Leica M film cameras.