Michael Zhang

Founder, Editor

Michael is a photography enthusiast, entrepreneur, and programmer based in Northern California near San Francisco. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with two degrees in computer science.

Articles by Michael Zhang

OWL is the World’s First Drop-In Filter Adapter That Lets You Swap Filters in a Flash

For telephoto lenses with huge front elements, screw-on filters aren't very practical or economical. Thus, for certain lenses, companies like Canon and Nikon offer drop-in filters that slide into a slot close to the rear element.

There's a new product that hopes to use this same style of filter for smaller camera-and-lens combos. Called OWL, it's the first drop-in filter adapter.

xkcd Comic Pokes Fun at Seeing the Golden Ratio in Random Photographs

xkcd's latest comic, titled "Flowcharts," is a tongue-in-cheek take on the concept of the golden ratio (or golden spiral) in photography. It's a flow chart in which one of the steps reads: "Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?" If you choose "yes" from there, you're taken on a golden ratio journey that magically fits the design of the chart.

Photographer Captures a Cute Squirrel Photo Shoot

Russian photographer Vadim Trunov recently captured a series of photographs showing wild squirrels doing human things. In the snow covered forests outside the city of Voronezh in western Russia, Trunov set out some props and waited with his camera as a pair of squirrels entered his makeshift set.

Beehive Picture Hangers May Revolutionize the Way We Hang Frames on Walls

Hanging a picture frame up on a wall often isn't the simplest of tasks, at least if you're a perfectionist, but a new product has arrived to change that. Called the Beehive Picture Hanger, it's a new hanging system that makes hanging a frame perfectly a breeze and something that only takes a few moments without any measurements.

Frozen Sand Formations Created by Gusts of Wind

Photographer Joshua Nowicki was visiting Silver Beach County Park in Saint Joseph, Michigan, this past weekend when he came across a long beach filled with tiny sand formations caused by the combination of freezing temperatures and high winds. The scene made for a beautiful set of photos.

Polarr Unveils Version 2.0 of Its Online Photo Editor with History, RAW, and UI Improvements

One of the more impressive services in the world of browser-based photo editing is Polarr, a web app that launched to the public back in September 2014. In just a handful of months, the 3-person startup has developed a service used by hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

The team tells us that they've just released Version 2.0 of the service in Alpha testing stage. It's an update that delivers a handful of most-requested features submitted by the community.

This ‘Flow Motion’ Time-Lapse of Dubai is Insane

Time-lapse photographer Rob Whitworth has taken the idea of hyperlapses to the next level with his latest video, "Dubai Flow Motion" (shown above).

It offers a tour of Dubai through the lens of Whitworth's camera as it does seemingly impossible zooms through various perspectives, from the ground, into an airplane, to the top of the tallest building in the world, and then down to the bottom through the floors.

30 Powerful Reuters Photos from the Past 30 Years

It was 30 years ago that Reuters launched its Pictures service that plays a key role in distributing powerful photojournalism to publications around the world. To celebrate this anniversary, the agency has selected a collection of photographs that represent "key images" from its massive archives -- photographs that have changed the way we see the world.

FAA Unveils Its Rules for Commercial Drone Usage

The FAA has confirmed a leak that emerged this past weekend by officially unveiling its proposed set of rules governing commercial drone flights. The guidelines are more lax than many people feared, and they represent a huge step toward the legalization of commercial drone flights -- including for aerial photography purposes.

New Doom Mod Adds a Selfie Stick and 37 Instagram Filters to the Classic Game

It's becoming trendy to offer selfies as a feature in video games now. Just weeks after World of Warcraft added self-portraits through a new patch, the classic first-person-shooter Doom is getting the same treatment -- albeit unofficially.

There's a new mod for the game called "InstaDoom" that adds a selfie stick and 37 Instagram filters to the game, opening the door to some strange in-game photo ops.

Photos of White Balloons Invading Everyday Scenes

"Invasions" is a quirky photo project by French photographer Charles Pétillon, who used huge clouds of white balloons as a metaphor for various things in life. The images may look like they use CGI renderings of white orbs, but there's no digital manipulation involved: Pétillon actually introduced physical balloons to shoot each shot.

Olympus to Make 40MP Sensor Shift Photos Possible During Handheld Shooting

One of the main innovations found in the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 II is its ability to shoot massive 40MP photos with its 16MP sensor by doing "sensor shifting" and combining multiple shots. The main downside, however, is that you need a tripod to make sure the camera doesn't move between shots.

That may soon change: Olympus says its working on making the sensor shift technology work even when the photographer is shooting handheld without stabilization.

This Guy Documented His Journey Through Veracruz, Mexico with Drone Selfies

Photographer Alex Chacón recently traveled on a road trip through Veracruz, Mexico. He documented the trip by combining his passions for selfies and drones to create "dronies." Each memorable location was captured by drone with the camera first zoomed in on Chacón and then flown high into the air for a wide-angle view of the area.

Creating My Own Captain Jack Sparrow Movie Posters with a Garage Shoot and Photoshop

Last year I stumbled upon an online video showing a man dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow, and decided that this is the one guy I want to take photos of and make some movie-style posters. I love everything about the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, especially the movie posters of the whole series.

The Importance of Cameras in the Smartphone War

When new smartphones are announced these days, the camera quality and specs are usually front and center. If you're wondering why manufacturers focus so much on mobile photography, check out the chart above: taking photos is the most used feature of smartphones alongside text messaging.

A Look at the Service Repair Receipt for the Nikon D750 Flare Fix

In mid-January, Nikon started offering completely free repairs for D750 to fix the flare issue that was discovered in some units. Photographer Jared Polin of FroKnowsPhoto was one D750 owner who took advantage of the service advisory. He tells us he just got his camera back yesterday, and the receipt above shows the repairs that were made.

Lynsey Addario: A Conflict Photographer Whose Life is Marked by Love and War

Lynsey Addario is a 41-year-old photojournalist who has taken her camera into virtually ever major theater of war in the 21st century. She has covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, the Congo, Haiti, and Libya (she was one of the four NYTimes journalist kidnapped in Libya in 2011).

In addition to documenting wars for the world to see, Addario is passionate about human rights and the topic of women's roles in traditional societies.