Michael Archambault

Technology Geek. Photography Enthusiast. Coffee Addict.

Articles by Michael Archambault

This Freerunning Video Uses Perspective and Optical Illusions to Mess With Your Head

Professional free runner Jason Paul recently teamed up with Red Bull to create this wild optical illusion video that you have to see to believe -- or not. The video’s description says that “Life as a free runner means the world is your playground… or is it just one big illusion?” It's a mind-bending visual experience that will have your brain questioning reality.

The Red List Lets You Study the Work of the Greatest Photographers

Photography is an art; by looking upon past examples, we can not only learn to improve our own technique, but also to study and appreciate times before ours. However, with the first photograph taken almost two-hundred years ago, it can be difficult to find a place to start. Enter, The Red List: a website with over 100,000 images that continues to cull the world of photography to find the very best images.

Capture the Magical Golden Hour With Rizon For iOS

A magical moment of soft and warm light, the golden hour is a period slightly before sunset or slightly after sunrise when the sun is low in the sky. Many photographers aim to shoot during these time periods in order to take advantage of the unique natural lighting. Rizon is an elegant new app for iOS that will not only find you the best time but remind you to head outside when the time approaches.

Review: Peak Design’s Everyday Messenger Bag is Both Sexy and Smart

The Everyday Messenger bag is Peak Design’s latest product to make a debut on Kickstarter, and it has blown past its $100,000 goal and raised over $2.2 million so far. Designed with the help of photographer Trey Ratcliff, the bag aims to fulfill the “workflows of photographers, creative, travelers, and commuters." We got our hands on the world's first pre-production sample bag, and today we'll be taking a closer look at it.

Behind the Scenes with Photographer Ron Magill at Zoo Miami in Florida

Nikon has been taking us behind the scenes in a series of new videos published on YouTube. Now, we get to see what it is like to be a zoo photographer as we follow Nikon Ambassador and naturalist Ron Magill to Zoo Miami. Armed with a Nikon D7200 and two Nikkor super telephoto zoom lenses, Magill captures a majestic herd of giraffes.

An Interview with Motorsport Photojournalist Jamey Price

Jamey Price is an award-winning motorsport photojournalist who was recently named one of GQ Magazine's '10 Best Car / Racing Instagram Accounts to Follow.' Price has had his work published around the globe by Road and Track, RACER Magazine, F1 Racing Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Motorsport Magazine, ESPN, SPEEDTV, The Washington Post, and many more. He also currently works as a freelancer for a number of commercial clients including Ducati, Audi, Lamborghini, Aston Martin Racing, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Red Bull.

We had a chat with Jamey to see what he had to say about his career thus far, what advice he could give to those interested in this field, and his views on using social media to spread his work and obtain new assignments.

Humor: A Cameraman Boot Camp Before the Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is coming up this September and New Zealand sports television channel Sky Sports wants to make sure that their cameramen are ready for the job. In this series of hilarious videos from 2011, we witness ‘cameramen at boot camp’. Whether they are trying to keep their lenses focused or assemble their camera bodies while blindfolded, we wish them all the best.

Use This Secret Code to View Hidden Info on Olympus Cameras

Olympus Russia had recently posted a photograph showing the above image, which showcases a secret data screen on one of their OM-D cameras. In fact, there are three pages of data screens that provide information from how many times the camera’s shutter has been released, to how many times the flash has been fired, and much more. Olympus has since taken down the image, but the secret access code has now been outed.

Edit Any Photo on the Internet with Polarr’s Plugin for Chrome and Firefox

Popular browser-based editor Polarr has released a new plugin for both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox that enables users to instantly edit any photo they stumble across on the Internet. With the click of the mouse, an image can be imported into Polarr’s online web-based editor for a number of adjustments. No more having to download an image to your local drive -- this is complete editing in the cloud.

Build Yourself a Camera Slider That Uses a Guide Rail and Friction

In addition to the prototype tripod design that we recently featured, ProductTank has also created a new design for a simple camera slider. A bit different than traditional rail style sliders that keep the camera locked to an axis, the ProductTank slider simply uses a guided rail and friction to get the job done. The result is a slider that be easily adjusted to your shooting situation, and can be seen in the 6-minute video above.

These Stock Photos Capture Quintessential New York City Situations

Stock photography has provided business and individuals with a method of acquiring imagery without the need to hire a photographer. However, has any bit of stock photography ever truly captured the complex nature of a New Yorker? Apparently the folks over at New York radio station WNYC didn’t feel that the need was being addressed and, as a result, have crafted 35 “quintessential photos of true New York City.”

The photo above is titled: "Woman Texting at Top of Subway Stairs While Others Try to Exit."

LOKI is an Ultra-Portable Camera Rig That Can Take On Many Forms

Camera rigs can be large and difficult to carry around when on the move; once you add on additional components, the problem intensifies. Now, Scratch Ideas from the UK has introduced ‘LOKI’ on Kickstarter with a $38,910 fundraising goal. An ultra-portable and modular piece of equipment, LOKI can transform between a shoulder rig, a camera cage, an underslung rig, and a dolly with a few twists and clicks.

Camera Swagg is a More Affordable Version of Hold Fast’s MoneyMaker Strap

Hold Fast is a camera accessory company most well known for their MoneyMaker Luxury Leather Multi-Camera Strap. While the MonkeyMaker is a beautifully crafted piece of gear that allows you to quickly access your cameras, the price tag is a bit out of the price range of what some photographers are willing to spend. Enter the Camera Swagg, a non-leather variation of the MoneyMaker with a much lower price tag.

The Volta is an iPhone 6 Battery Case That Doubles as a Ring Light

The folks over at Seaport Digital have released the Volta battery Power Station and Ring Light case for Apple iPhone 6 devices. Powered by an internal 3800mAh battery, the Volta can charge your smartphone when needed via an attachable lighting cable... or it can act as a handy ring light to brighten your subject in dimly-lit situations. Of course, we won’t judge you if you choose to make it your personal selfie light.

Tips for Optimizing Photoshop Performance on Your Computer

Have you ever wondered if you were getting the best performance out of Adobe’s Photoshop Creative Cloud? Depending on your particular workflow and individual needs, your favorite image editing software can be tweaked and adjusted for optimal performance. Today, we are taking a look at some of the settings available in Photoshop to get you running more efficiently on your personal computer.

These Smartphone Shutter Releases Are Shaped Like Film Rolls and TLR Cameras

Have you ever wished you could remotely control your smartphone’s camera with a trigger remote disguised as a 35mm film canister or a mini twin-lens reflex camera? If so, then your wish has been granted by the Japanese company Gizmon. For a small price, you can pick up one of these cute and colorful gadgets and pair it with your iOS or Android smartphone.

Is Shooting 4K Resolution Worth It for Web Video?

Linus of LinusTechTips just published the 9-minute video above that explores whether shooting video at 4K resolution is worth it. Using both a Panasonic GH4 and a Sony FS700, Linus and his team take to discovering the links between video resolution, video bitrate, and downsampling.

A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Camera Gear on eBay

Camera gear can be expensive, but one way to work around this issue is to purchase equipment used from online auction websites such as eBay. But it can be tough trying to determine the exact condition of an item without getting your hands on it. We will be going over tips to help you purchase both digital and analog film cameras without throwing your money down the drain. Here are some practical pointers to staying smart and safe on eBay when buying your next bit of kit.

Build a DIY Flexible Camera Mount for Just $8

If you need an accessory for mounting your camera to random places, instead of purchasing a Gorillapod (or something similar), you can go a thrifty do-it-yourself route. For just $8, Instructables member Megan Yeomans crafted her own affordable solution that uses vinyl tubing and copper wire. The result is a three-foot flexible 1/4” piece of kit that can be used as a standard tripod, a selfie stick, or an articulated mount.

Inside The Camera Bag of… PetaPixel Features Editor Michael Archambault

They say to learn about a person you should look at their bookshelf to see what they read. Similarly, we believe that delving into a photographer’s bag sheds light on their personality and style. Today’s article is the first in a series that explores the bags of professional photographers and, of course, your friends here at PetaPixel. Step inside my bag to see what I carry on a daily basis and the significance of each item.

How To Create a Recoverable Workspace in Mac OS X For Safe Photo Editing

Many photographers unfortunately know the horror of editing a photograph and accidentally saving over the original copy all too well. While Lightroom implements a non-destructive system for saving files, Photoshop can be a bit more dangerous, and accidents do occur. Today, we will show you how to set up a safe workspace area on your Mac that will back up photographs as you edit them.

Palace Writes Open Letter to Media About Paparazzi Harassment of Prince George

A new letter published by Kensington Palace in the United Kingdom sheds light at the extreme measures paparazzi are taking in order to capture valuable photos of Prince George, the son of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Prince George was born in 2013 and has endured the prying lenses of paparazzi photographers since day one.

The letter was addressed to “leaders of media industry bodies and standards organizations" around the world. It argues that tactics being used to photograph Prince George are becoming “increasingly dangerous” and have become distressing.

See The World Through The Eyes of Animals With This RAW Processing Software

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing the world through the eyes of a wild animal or insect, then you happen to be in luck. A team led by scientist Jolyon Troscianko at the University of Exeter in the UK has developed an application that processes RAW image data and then converts it into a result that showcases the way various animals might view their surroundings. Best of all, the software is open source and you can download it today.

Lightricks Raises $10 Million in Funding to Advance Its Mobile Photo Apps

Facetune is one of the most popular photo tools in both Apple’s iOS App Store and Google’s Play Store -- to such a great degree that Apple officially branded the app as an “Essential” download a short while back. Facetune is known for its ability to smoothen skin, emphasize eyes, fill bald patches, reshape facial structures, brighten teeth, and much more. Now, the Jerusalem-based company behind it, Lightricks, is ready to go a step farther after securing $10 million in new venture funding.

It’s Once Again Legal to Photograph Your Voting Ballot in New Hampshire

In September 2014, a new law in New Hampshire made it illegal to take a photograph within a voting booth in the state. If you decided to share a photo of yourself and your ballot, the state could have issued you a fine of up to $1,000. Today a judge struck down the law in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Study: Flickr Photos Can Predict People’s Movements

Before you head out for your next vacation, you may want to consider what your photos on Flickr reveal about your travel plans. A new study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal used machine learning algorithms to model the mobility of individuals.

By analyzing the embedded timestamp and geographic information within photographs, the researchers were able to accurately predict where a person is most likely currently located and where they may be headed in the future.