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

Photographer Lisa Saad Stripped of Awards in Photo Stealing Scandal

Controversy erupted back in February after it was discovered that award-winning Australian photographer Lisa Saad had won numerous prestigious photo contests with images that may have been created using other photographers' photos. A number of major organizations have now decided to strip Saad of her prizes and memberships.

This Moon Photo was Shot from a Backyard

Sacramento, California-based amateur astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy is a master of shooting amazing space photos from his own backyard, and he's back again with this beautiful high-res photo of the moon created by combining 250,000 individual shots.

Ariana Grande Sued for Posting Photos of Herself on Instagram

Ariana Grande made headlines a couple of months ago for striking back at "greedy photographers" with a concert tour photo contract that demands full copyright to photos. Now the singer is being sued by a photographer for posting his photos of her without permission on Instagram.

Is Canon Readying a New Pro Camera with 30fps Speed? [Updated]

Professional wildlife photographer and Canon ambassador Andy Rouse has been dropping hints over the past several days that he's currently testing some new camera equipment, sparking speculation that Canon may be gearing up to announce a new pro camera -- one that can shoot at 30fps.

Why Photographers Aren’t Getting Paid

Photographer Jessica Kobeissi made this 5-minute video that has hit a nerve with many of her 1.3+ million followers on YouTube. She shares thoughts on why it's difficult for photographers to get paid fairly for work these days, arguing that by undercutting each other and working for little or no money, some photographers are lowering the bar for everyone else in the industry.

The NY Times Shutters Its Lens Blog

The New York Times launched its Lens blog a decade ago to showcase the best of photojournalism across the industry. Fans of the publication will be sad to hear that it's now coming to an end -- in it's current form, at least.

Adobe Warns That Using Older CC Apps Could Get You Sued

Adobe announced last week that older versions before the latest two major releases of its subscription apps would no longer be available for download through Creative Cloud. But that's not all: Adobe is also warning customers that using older "unauthorized" versions could get you sued.

How to Pose Men Who Are Not Models

Australian fashion, portrait, and lifestyle photographer Julia Trotti made this helpful 11.5-minute video that provides tips and tricks for photographing men who don't have any experience with posing and modeling.

Canon and Nikon Imaging Sales Drop 17%+ Over Past Year

Canon and Nikon both published their latest financial reports over the past couple of weeks, and the numbers don't paint a rosy picture for the camera industry. Both companies reported a decline in imaging business sales of around 17% over the previous year.

Adobe CC Removes Older Versions of Photoshop and Lightroom

Adobe Creative Cloud has long allowed subscribers to download and use much older versions of their desired apps, but the company has pushed out a change that limits how far back you can go. Creative Cloud now no longer offers anything before the latest two major versions of its apps.

Night Skiing Lit by Flares on Drones

Four years ago, Swiss freeskier and filmmaker Nicolas Vuignier had the idea of lighting a night skier using a drone. After a great deal of planning and work, this 4-minute short film titled "Heatseeker" is what resulted. It features beautiful footage of a skier hurtling down the mountainside at night under the glow of a drone-mounted flare.

A Chat with Bruce Gilden About Life, Work, and Photography

Renowned British documentary photographer Martin Parr has been interviewing photographers for a series titled "Sofa Sessions: Conversations with Martin Parr." In the latest chat, Parr sat down with iconic American street photographer Bruce Gilden to talk about his life, career, and photography.

This Milky Way Photo on Nat Geo is Raising Eyebrows

National Geographic recently published a series of gorgeous photos by photographer Beth Moon that shows some of the world's oldest trees under the stars. But one photo, in particular, is now raising eyebrows after sharp-eyed readers noticed something strange about it.

B&H Will Refund All Sales Tax for Every Customer with Its New Credit Card

Online shopping used to give buyers the perk of not having to pay sales tax, but the Supreme Court ruled last year that states can force online retailers to collect taxes. B&H just unveiled a solution to this "sales tax problem": it launched a new credit card that refunds all sales tax on all orders for all customers.

Remove.bg Brings 1-Click Background Removal to Photoshop

Remove.bg is a popular web app that can cut subjects out of backgrounds in photos in just seconds without any input from the user. After receiving quite a bit of press coverage in late 2018, the app just announced a new free Photoshop plugin that provides one-click background removal.

New York City from the Street and Sky

After moving to New York City from London in September 2017, British photographer and actress Marielle Clare began wandering the streets of her new city with her camera. Over the following year, she captured NYC from the street and from the air, shooting photos from all angles and across all seasons.

A Guide to Basic Camera Straps: Are You Using Yours Wrong?

If you're a relatively new photographer who's using the strap that originally came with your camera, here's a 10-minute video that may be helpful to you. In it, photography educator Phil Steele runs through the basics of camera straps while offering some helpful tips and tricks you may not have learned before.

Film vs. Digital: This is How Dynamic Range Compares

Photographer Bill Lawson wanted to compare the dynamic range of film and digital photography, so he recently went out and shot 10 stops overexposed and 10 stops underexposed for a 21-stop comparison to see how far you can go before the photo is unusable. He shares the results in the 7-minute video above.

CASE Act Bills Introduced in Congress to Create Copyright Small Claims

Back in 2017, the CASE Act ("Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017") was introduced to establish a copyright small claims system for pursuing infringements on a smaller scale in the US. That bill expired without being passed, new and revised CASE Act bills were just introduced in both the House and Senate this week to revive the effort.