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

Eye-Fi May Soon Launch Its Own Cloud Photo Sharing Service Called Circ

It seems like we're saying this every week, but the cloud photo storage industry is becoming more and more packed. Heck, even AT&T launched its own service called Locker earlier this month. The next entrant to the arena looks like it will be a photography company we didn't expect: wireless SD card maker Eye-Fi.

Photos of the 37 Ingredients That Go Into Making a Twinkie

By now, you've probably heard the sad news: Twinkie maker Hostess announced last week that it plans to shut down and sell off all its assets. To pay tribute to the popular -- and not-so-good-for-you -- snack cake, here's an interesting project photographer Dwight Eschliman shot a while back, titled, "37 or So Ingredients."

GOP Committee Causes Stir by Posting, Pulling Paper on Copyright Reform

One of the big stories in the tech world this weekend was a policy brief published by the Republican Study Committee titled "Three Myths About Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix It," which people called "shockingly sensible" and a "watershed" paper. However, just one day after it went up, the paper suddenly vanished.

Review: Canon EOS M is Like a Sluggish DSLR Trapped in a Compact Body

Canon made its loyal customers wait quite a long time before it finally joined the mirrorless camera revolution, announcing the Canon EOS M back in June. The camera comes nearly four years after Panasonic kicked things off by “friending” Olympus -- forming the Micro Four Thirds alliance -- and introducing the Lumix DMC-G1, making Canon the last major DSLR maker to join the fray.

A Dazzling Time-Lapse of Stars, Meteors, and Auroras Dancing in the Sky

Photographer Brad Goldpaint started his journey in photography just three years ago, but you'd never guess that from watching this impressive time-lapse effort, titled "Within Two Worlds." Goldpaint writes,

Within Two Worlds depicts an alternate perspective by giving us the illusion of times movement, signifying a beginning and end within a world of constant contradiction. It appears you are traveling in the midst of a dream, half-sleeping, half-waking, and touching the arch connecting heaven and earth.

I discovered my passion for photography shortly after my mother’s passing while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) 3 years ago. This time-lapse video is my visual representation of how the night sky and landscapes co-exist within a world of contradictions. I hope this connection between heaven and earth inspires you to discover and create your own opportunities, to reach your rightful place within two worlds.

Humor: What Some Photography Clients Act Like in the “Real World”

Here's an oldie but goodie: Scofield Editorial released this tongue-in-cheek video back in 2009 titled, "The Vendor Client relationship in real world situations." It pokes fun at how clients try to bargain with creative professionals in ways that they would never do in "real world" situations (e.g. eating at a restaurant, buying a movie, getting a haircut).

500px Follows Flickr’s Lead, Introduces Creative Commons Licensing

Creative Commons licensing is becoming a common option on major photo and video sharing services -- Flickr and YouTube, for example -- but it's not something that 500px offered -- until now. The fast-growing Flickr rival is now onboard with flexible copyright agreements, rolling out Creative Commons licensing options for all of its users yesterday.

Wedding Photographer’s Hair Goes Up in Flames As the Bride Walks the Aisle

Wedding photographers are supposed to stealthily document unique moments, not become part of them. Unfortunately, the latter is what photographer Jacki Bruniquel did last month while photographing a wedding in South Africa. As the bride walked down the aisle with her father, a wedding photographer's worst nightmare unfolded for Bruniquel: her head got too close to a burning candle, kindling a small blaze in her hair. In a few short seconds, the entire room was staring and gasping at Bruniquel rather than the bride.

A Look at the Sleek, Modern Workspace of Photographer Tom Brinckman

Tom Brinckman is a Belgian-based freelance photojournalist and wedding photographer. Since he works one deadline every week for his local newspaper, he's able to do most of his image editing work from his home office. Recently he decided to upgrade his workspace, and not just with new equipment or a new arrangement: he decided to put a good deal of effort into building a completely customized home office with an emphasis on functionality.

BTS: Photographing a Boxing Poster for the Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV Fight

Ever wonder where those gritty posters promoting hyped boxing matches come from? Check out this behind-the-scenes video in which New York-based photographer Monte Isom offers a brief glimpse into how he recently photographed boxers Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Márquez for their upcoming fight (Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV).

A Photo Showing the Energy Contained in a Single Orange

Photographer Caleb Charland is well known for his projects that mix science and photography. Recently he has been working on photos showing "alternative batteries," or using things like fruits and coins to power lights. His latest image in that series is the above photo that captures the energy contained in a single orange.

Shooting the Highest-Resolution Photo Ever Made of Machu Picchu

Photographer Jeff Cremer recently captured the highest-resolution photo ever shot of Machu Picchu, the most popular tourist destination in Peru and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Unlike other gigapixel projects that we've shared here in the past, this one is very well documented, offering an interesting behind-the-scenes look at how these gargantuan images are made.

Lytro Gives a Sneak Peek of Perspective Shift and Living Filters

We've known since last month that Lytro is planning to roll out at least one fancy new feature for its light field cameras (parallax-based 3D), but now the company has taken the wraps off the feature to give us a sneak peek at what they'll offer. The two new features that will soon appear in Lytro's Desktop software are called Perspective Shift and Living Filters.

Photographer Snaps Portraits of Sharks While Swimming With Them Cage-Free

If the movie Jaws gave you nightmares, then you're probably not well-suited to do the kind of photography that photographer Michael Muller spends his free time doing. Muller dives into the ocean and snaps close-up portraits of deadly sharks, often without a cage for protection. The video above is a short feature on Muller's pastime by the TV show "Last Call With Carson Daly."

Mirror Self-Portrait Captured Using a Wet Plate Camera

Yesterday we shared an old school mirror self-portrait from 1917, captured by a young Australian fight pilot named Thomas Baker on a Kodak camera. After seeing that image, photographer Sam Cornwell decided to shoot his own old-school mirror selfie... using a 12x15-inch wet plate camera!

The First Hoax Photograph Ever Shot

The mid-1800s was a busy time for photographic firsts. In 1838, daguerreotype inventor Louis Daguerre captured the first ever photo of a human being. One year later, in 1839, photograph pioneer Robert Cornelius stepped in front of his camera and created the first self-portrait. 1840 held yet another interesting development: the first hoax photograph.

Photographs of Viewfinders Found in Old Analog Cameras

Photographs are usually captured through viewfinders, not of viewfinders, but photographer Meggan Gould has a photo project featuring the latter. Aptly named "Viewfinders," Gould's series turns old analog camera viewfinders into the subject of photos, documenting both the variety of viewfinder designs and the inevitable wear and tear that results from decades of use.

Canon 1D X-style AF Illumination May Not Be Possible on the 5D Mark III

This past October, Canon addressed a big complaint photographers had about the 1D X by releasing a firmware update that introduced AF illumination (kinda) for shooting in dark environments. However, it wasn't only 1D X users that were complaining about the AF point visibility... 5D Mark III users were -- and are -- as well. If you own a 5DMk3 and have been waiting patiently for your own AF update, there's some good and bad news for you: Canon is reportedly working hard on the issue, but it might not be possible to implement the same feature given the way your camera is designed.

Face/Off: A Demonstration of Futuristic Face Replacement in Video

If you have two similar photos of two different people, Photoshopping one face onto the other isn't very difficult. Change that to two video clips of two people talking, and you have a much more challenging task on your hands. That's the problem Harvard University computational photography graduate student Kevin Dale decided to tackle. His research project, titled "Video Face Replacement," introduces a way of doing this "digital face transplant" in a relatively automated way. The demonstration video above shows how effective his technique is at doing the 'shop seamlessly.

Portraits of Pound Dogs Most in Danger of Being Put Down

LaNola Kathleen Stone is a New York City-based professional photographer and dog lover who uses her talents and free time for a very heartwarming cause: Stone visits the dog pound near her home and specifically asks to shoot portraits of the dogs that are the "least likely to be adopted", some of which have been there for over half a year and are likely in danger of being put down.

Photog Claims Major Designer Used Her Photo on Clothing Without Permission

Photographer Jessica Nichols' most popular photograph on her Flickr account (above left) is titled "Loads of Ranunculus" and has more than 10,000 views. Nichols got a nasty shock a year ago when she discovered that American fashion designer Chris Benz had apparently turned the photo into numerous clothing designs for his Spring 2012 line, without Nichols' knowing and/or permission. Since July of this year, Nichols has been fighting against the infringement in an attempt to get the designer to pay up.

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 Prime to Cost $500 and Hit Stores in December

Attention Micro Four Thirds shooters: there's a new speedy "35mm prime lens" headed your way. Okay, it's actually a 34mm equivalent lens in 35mm terms, but it still boasts a f/1.8 aperture. It's the new Olympus M.ZUIKO 17mm f/1.8, a lens that designed for street photography, landscapes, and shooting in low-light environments.