Michael Archambault

You’ve just purchased a selfie stick and are ready to conquer the world. However, not every venue you visit will be as excited about your new purchase as you. Luckily, a new website has emerged to help answer the question “Can I bring my selfie stick?”. Using CanIBringMySelfieStick.com, people can quickly search through the site’s database of ‘attractions’ to find whether their selfie sticks are welcomed or if they are best leaving them back at the hotel.

What do you get when you combine 50 portraits of the same famous face and averaged the result? Reddit user Dwainosaur dared to not only ask the question but to pursue it. He gathered up a large collection of photos and wrote a script for averaging the results. Subjects include Brad Pitt, Jack Black, Billy Murray, and Barack Obama. Infamous faces include Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

The prospect of cheaply and easily capturing photos and footage from the skies is one of the many aspects that makes camera drones so alluring. With Extreme Flier’s successful funding of the Micro Drone 3 on Indiegogo, it looks like technology that was once exclusive to those with deep pockets will soon be available for less than $200. Featuring computer assisted flying, still photos, live-streaming HD video, and a modular design, the Micro Drone 3 might truly be a drone for everyone to enjoy.

The 21st century appears to be all about speed: order a pizza from your phone with a tap of your finger, dispense your favorite coffee with a push of a button, and now with a simple text message, you can order a customized photo book with all your favorite moments.

Photo Magic is a new service provided by publishing company SimplePrints. Simply send a text message to a special number and you can begin building your own personalized 8” x 8” softcover or hardcover masterpiece.

There are times when videographers capture views of our world that inspire a sense of awe and wonder.

Travel photographer Trey Ratcliff has millions of social media followers online, runs a famous travel photography blog called …

It looks like the idea of sharing front- and rear-camera photos at the same time isn't lucrative enough to be big business. After raising a whopping $4 million from investors, the unusual photo-sharing app Frontback is now announcing that it will be shutting down on August 15th, 2015.

With the advent of consumer drones, governments are in the process of creating laws and regulations to keep both operators and bystanders safe. While some countries, such as the United States, haven’t made much headway, others have already established clear and concise rules for drone flying. The UK’s new ‘Dronecode’ initiative aims at communicating these regulations through brief bullet points and an animated video.

Once readily available, direct positive photo paper has near seemingly disappeared from the market. Ilford recently resurrected their Harman Direct positive paper with plans for it to be available throughout the world this August. Now, another competitor, Galaxy Company, is working to bring their own positive photo paper to life. And Galaxy has a unique feature on their side, which they are calling ‘Hyper Speed.'

Drone manufacturers don’t seem to be in short supply, particularly with new ‘revolutionary’ prototypes showing up on Kickstarter almost every other month. GoPro has announced plans to launch its own camera drone by next year. Now Sony wants a piece of the action. The company's mobile division today announced plans to create “autonomous aerial vehicles for image capture combined with cloud-based data processing.”

Established in 1994, VICE Media is an agency focused on covering the arts, modern culture, and recent events of our world. This month, the media company has released their yearly photo issue (Volume #22 Issue #7) in collaboration with Magnum Photos and Magnum Foundation. Featuring a number of thrilling photo essays, VICE explores the heart of a crumbled Gaza, a world of poverty and drugs in South Africa, life after the infamous Killing Fields, and much more. Best of all, the pieces are available to view online at no cost.

Scouting the world to find the perfect shot is one of photography’s pure joys. You discover the perfect moment, carefully frame your viewfinder, and press the shutter button. Within a fraction of a second, the world is seemingly pulled in through your lens: striking your film or sensor to create an everlasting impression.

However, what would happen if you fired the shutter a second time and created another impression over the first? You would create a double exposure: two images combined within a single frame. Let’s take a look and see how these artful creations come to fruition through a bit of simple ingenuity.

GoPro has reason to celebrate, as shares of the company’s stock rose 1.23% and revenue for their second fiscal quarter increased by 72%. The company is looking to build upon this momentum with ambitious new initiatives: GoPro has a mobile video editing app in the pipeline, and it's also launching a content licensing portal that helps GoPro users monetize the content they create.

Lomography began as an art movement in the early 1990s after a group of Viennese students discovered the LC-A, a camera manufactured by Russian imaging company LOMO. The fixed lens 32mm f/2.8 compact camera produced unique images that were off-color, vibrant, and soft. On a mission to advocate the use of these creative cameras and experimental film, photographers quickly formed the Lomographic Society International in 1992.

Despite the movement producing wonderfully interesting images that have been exhibited in both Moscow and New York City, it has received substantial criticism from self-dubbed “real photographers.” This opinion piece aims at breaking down the wall of prejudice, and opening minds to the possibility of creative photography outside of normal standards.

For almost two centuries, the science and art of photography has allowed people to capture the world around them through carefully crafted lenses. However, not all lenses are created equal. While most lenses just aim to please, others aim to impress. Today, we are taking a look at some of the most exotic lenses we could find.

Julie Watai is a photographer on a mission to capture beautiful self-portraits no matter what the environment. She has set out on a mission to create a portable ring light for smartphones; it is dubbed the “Kira” and Watai is seeking public funding to bring it to life.

If you have multiple cameras and powered accessories at your disposal, you know that battery charging can quickly become an unorganized nightmare. Prepared to solve one of humanity’s greatest first world problems, the team at Vimeo Video School set out to create a neatly arranged battery charging board. If you choose to follow along and build your own, all you’ll need for this DIY project are a few simple supplies from your local hardware store.

In January of 1961, Canon introduced the Canonet, a consumer-friendly 35mm film rangefinder camera aimed at the average person. Over fifty years and fourteen variations later, film photographers still look back on the Canonet as an excellent choice for beginning and experienced photographers alike. Let’s travel back in time to see how it all began and why the Canonet remains popular even today.

Rocket Rooster is a digital filter company that produces affordable plugins for Adobe’s Creative Suite. After creating over half a dozen styles for cinema purposes, the company set their sights on creating products for still photographers using Lightroom. Rocket Rooster’s latest filter set, the Analog Film Pack, includes 20 old school film presets and over 100 variations.

Finding the perfect location for a photoshoot can be tricky and is even more of a challenge if you're constantly looking for new spots to shoot. Scoutt is an interactive mapping service crowdsourced by photographers to scout out interesting locations around the world for fellow shooters.

With a little ingenuity, you can use everyday objects to craft a beautiful photoshoot of professional proportions. In her latest video on Vimeo, photographer Jenny Woodward showcases how to use natural light and household objects to photograph different bits of food, from cookies to a salad. Most captivating is how she utilizes each household object to manipulate the light around her subject.

Model Mayhem has been leading a successful existence by being one of the web’s most popular destinations for professional models and photographers to connect. Now there's a new contender, Portbox, and they have their sights dead-set on creating a more professional network where all applicants are pre-screened for quality.

There are already a good number of portable lighting studios on the market, but WhiteBison’s SOOC Studio strives to be the best full-featured option. The kit includes a foldable carrying case that transforms into a durable 18x16x12-inch setup with built-in 6,000K LED strips and an easy-to-clean plastic infinity curve.

This week, Cokin has announced a new lineup of mineral glass neutral density (ND) filters to fit within its Creative Filter System for photo and video cameras. Consisting of an adapter ring, filter-holder, and a number of various filters available from the company, the system allows photographers and videographers to modify the color, contrast, and saturation of their images. The new ND filters, called the ‘NUANCES’ range, feature a special new coating process to ensure a uniform result.

Lytro’s research into the world of light field technology has produced two consumer devices. Their first camera was released in 2012 and introduced photographers to the concept of being able to refocus images after they had been taken. Then in 2014, Lytro released their flagship: the ILLUM. Armed with an integrated 30-250mm f/2.0 lens, a 40 megaray sensor, and upgraded software, Lytro was ready to show the world that their technology wasn’t just a gimmick.

You have just composed your photographic masterpiece. After hours of planning, precise composition, and utilizing your technical knowledge, you have captured the perfect image. It's now time to share it with the world, but hours after posting your pièce de résistance, you've only received a meager two views.

In this article, we'll be discussing some basic tips for helping you make your work shine and become more noticeable on photo sharing sites.

The Lumenati CS1 is a cinematic smartphone case aimed at bringing a more enjoyable experience to shooting video. Designed by Lumenati, a collection of filmmakers, animators, and designers in Denver, Colorado, the CS1 looks to "combine the technological features of a digital device with the cool design, ergonomic ease and natural narrative that the lo-fi classic camera is known for." Basically, it transforms your iPhone 6 into an old-school cinema camera.

Fan’s of Microsoft’s Photosynth technology may be a bit disappointed to learn that the company is retiring their mobile applications for iOS and Windows Phone. Microsoft won’t be ditching their entire Photosynth efforts. However, they note that they will be instead focusing on the more immersive solutions introduced in the Photosynth technical preview. Those who have already downloaded the applications can continue to utilize them, but they are now officially unsupported.

Since Globell Deutschland revived the Meyer-Optik-Görlitz brand, they have been committed to continuing the legendary engineering of lens optics that began in 1896. As of late, they have introduced a number of high-quality lenses designed and crafted in Germany. Now, Globell wants to breathe life into a modern 100mm f/2.8 Trioplan ‘soap bubble bokeh’ lens, a piece of glass known for its unique bokeh. The company has launched a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign that has already raised more than $250,000 to bring this lens back to life.

Photo Box is a monthly subscription service that is aimed at delivering surprise and inspiration to photographers around the world. The service has yet to launch, but we got our hands on a ‘Photo Box Pro’ sample for a special unboxing preview for all of you.

Your photography deserves a website that can showcase its creativity and beauty... without breaking the bank. Former TIME CEO and Curator Gallery owner Ann S. Moore told us in a recent interview, “Shame on you if you don’t have a website! You absolutely have to have one!” Today we'll be looking at a few of the top industry solutions for hosting your photography portfolio in style.

Want to learn from Lynda's paid photography and videography tutorials for free? It turns out you can at many public libraries around the country. The popular online learning company recently began to team up with libraries to provide patrons with high-quality training resources at no extra charge.

A graphic tablet can be a useful but expensive piece tool in a photographer’s setup. That's why the folks over at Astropad HQ decided to enable Apple’s iPad to give you the same experience as using a graphic tablet. Astropad is a $20 solution that lets you to turn your iPad into a full featured graphics tablet. Powered by the company’s custom technology know as ‘LIQUID’, your iPad is always responsive and ready to work.

Director Sean Baker’s latest film, Tangerine, features two transgender prostitutes in Los Angeles on a hunt to find a cheating boyfriend. If that premise isn’t interesting enough to attract your interest, then consider how it was filmed: the movie had a budget of $100,000 and was filmed entirely using the iPhone 5.

Photoshop contains a world of post-production tools that photographers can use to bring their works of art to life. Today, we are taking a look at the technique of frequency separation, including how it works and how it can improve your images. For the rest of us without advanced knowledge of image processing, frequency separation is simply a method we can use to separate the colors and tones of a photograph from its textures. By utilizing this technique, you can obtain better control of your photos for retouching or other work.

Lensbaby is known for their creative art lenses and mobile accessories including the Composer Pro, LM-10, and Velvet 56. Today, the company has announced their latest addition to their product lineup aimed at smartphone photographers. The new ‘Creative Mobile Kit’ includes two lenses: the LM-20 and the LM-30, a mobile mounting mechanism, and a kickstand for long exposures.

A group of Google researchers have created a new system called DeepStereo that can predict views of scenery it has never seen before. The technology allows a collection of images to be turned into a three-dimensional walkthrough using sophisticated algorithms to fill in areas that were absent from the photographs -- interpolating missing frames for a smooth experience.

The 2-minute video above shows some examples of what the system can create using Street View-style still photos.

Some photographers find that shooting with a Leica camera provides an experience unlike any other. If you happen to be one of those photographers, or possibly a curious individual, we have quite a bit of exciting news. Photography enthusiast Daniel Neal has uploaded a large collection of Leica Photography magazines to the web for public viewing.

In a world saturated by digital controls and on-screen buttons, the team at Palette is looking to create a more tactile future. Originally launched on Kickstarter, Palette wanted to change the way people interact with software by creating hot-swappable hardware modules. We got a chance to test the Palette Expert Kit, which allowed us to map our favorite programs, such as Lightroom, onto three dials, two sliders, and two buttons.

If you’re an Instagram fan, there is a good chance that your experience is about to get quite a bit better. In the past, Instagram has uploaded and stored user images at a meager resolution of 640x640. In a world in which smartphones are beginning to include quad HD displays, a non-HD resolution seems subpar. Luckily, it appears that 1080x1080 Instagram uploads are on the way.

Cinema and photography are two close-knit relatives that help us to tell stories through the use of a camera and mindful composition. This week, we are taking a look at the visual style heavily relied upon by the film noir genre that was most prevalent in the mid 20th century. Through the exploration of Hollywood's film noir visuals, we can learn a bit more about the history of cinema while finding inspiration for our own work.

With every report of virtual reality news, we seem to step closer and closer to a world such as the one depicted in Ernest Cline’s Science Fiction novel, Ready Player One. Today is no exception as we report on the new Sphericam 2: a 4K 360-degree video camera for transporting minds through the power of audio and video. The product, launched by Jeffery Martin, is on Kickstarter looking to meet its $150,000 goal, and it is almost there thanks to 130 generous backers thus far.

We recently reported on the 10th anniversary of Canon’s EOS 5D DSLR lineup at the end of May, but Canon isn’t done celebrating. The Japanese camera manufacturer has released a new video in which the development team behind the 5D talk about the thought process behind the 5D’s design and construction.

Flying an aerial drone over a raging fire can be quite problematic, so much so that it can endanger the rescue and recovery abilities of fire officials. Recently, two incidents created difficulties for fire officials trying to battle a 24,000-acre wildfire in Southern California. The drones were flown into airspace over the blaze that then prevented the department from using aircrafts in subduing the fire.

Custom SLR recently released their new Dual Camera Strap, which combines two of their previous camera straps for easily carrying multiple cameras at once. Similar in functionality to Hold Fast’s $215 MoneyMaker, the Dual Camera Strap comes in at a fraction of the cost and ensures that you can always access your cameras on hand.

Whether you are a working professional or a passionate enthusiast, keeping your gear up to date can cost a pretty penny. For this reason, you want to ensure that all of your equipment is well protected against possible damage or theft. With many different organizations offering customized insurance plans for your gear, we are going to take a look at five options to see which may be best suited to your needs.

Jaunt is a virtual reality company with enough confidence to proudly claim the tagline of ‘the future of cinematic VR’. Aimed at creating high-profile cinematic virtual reality experiences through their camera technology, the company has announced their latest product. The Jaunt Neo is aimed at professionals looking to capture fully immersive 360-degree experiences.

Last year, the mobile photography company Moment announced the release of two mobile lenses for smartphone devices: the 18mm wide angle and the 70mm telephoto. The company then followed up earlier this year by producing the ‘Moment Case’ for iPhone 6, which features a shutter button, lens mount, and camera strap. Now the company is back again by announcing a brand new macro lens.

Four years ago we were introduced to the olloclip on Kickstarter, and now the company’s series of lenses are some of the most popular lenses available for Apple’s iPhone. And olloclip isn’t just stopping there. Recently, the company announced another Kickstarter campaign for their new studio mobile photography system and they want the help of the community to bring the product to life.

Image histograms are useful tools that can be used to help properly gauge the exposure and contrast within a scene during shooting or to balance the tonality of a photograph in post-production. These days, histogram graphs can be found almost everywhere, with more modern digital cameras including live displays during composition. Today’s primer focuses on how to correctly read histograms and use them to your advantage.