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

How the Iconic Photo ‘Migrant Mother’ Came to Be

Dorothea Lange's 1936 photo Migrant Mother is an iconic photo of the Great Depression. The Nerdwriter made this fantastic 6-minute video that tells the behind-the-scenes "story of how Dorothea Lange created perhaps the most iconic photograph in American history."

Photo Chemistry Giant Tetenal Closing Shop After 172 Years: Report

In late 2018, it emerged that Tetenal, one of the largest photo chemistry companies in the world, was in serious financial turmoil. It now appears that efforts to save the business have failed, and Tetenal will reportedly be closing up for good after a whopping 172 years in the analog photography industry.

Apple’s New iPad Pro Ads Were Shot and Made Entirely on the iPad Pro

Apple recently released a new series of ads for the iPad Pro that shows how the tablet computer opens the doors to new ways of doing things. What's neat is that Apple is "eating its own dog food": as the 2-minute behind-the-scenes video above reveals, the ads were shot, edited, animated, designed, and composed entirely on the iPad Pro.

Kodak Ektachrome Coming in 120 and Sheet Formats This Year

If you've been excited by reviews of Kodak's rebooted Ektachrome film so far and can't wait for it to be available in formats other than 35mm rolls, your wait is coming to an end. Kodak Alaris has announced that Ektachrome 100 is coming in 120 and sheet formats in 2019.

13 Photoshop Curves Tips in 2 Minutes

Even if you've worked with the Curves Tool in Photoshop for years, they may still be some useful tricks that you've never come across before. Here's a helpful 2-minute video by Adobe that contains 13 different tips.

This Dazzling Drone Hyperlapse Shows the Expanse of Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital of Mexico, the most populous city found in North America, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Aerial photographer and videographer Tarsicio Sañudo flew his drone above the area inhabited by over 21 million people and created this gorgeous 4-minute drone hyperlapse video titled "Hyperia: Mexico City the Hypercity."

Yes, Apple WILL Pay Photographers for Its ‘Shot on iPhone’ Contest

On Tuesday, Apple launched a new Shot on iPhone Challenge that asks photographers to submit iPhone photos for a chance to be featured in a worldwide marketing campaign. The announcement sparked concern and controversy over whether Apple was asking for photos in exchange for purely "exposure." Apple clarified things today and yes, photographers will be paid.

Lunar Eclipse Video Catches Meteorite Hitting the Moon

During the super blood wolf moon total lunar eclipse on Monday, cameras pointed at the moon captured the first known sighting of a meteorite slamming into the shadow-covered moon. This 24-second video of the impact was released by Jose Maria Madiedo at the University of Huelva in Spain.

This $6 Flea Market Projector Lens is Surprisingly Great for Portraits

While browsing a flea market, photographer Mathieu Stern came across an old slide projector and managed to buy the Rollei 90mm f/2.4 MC lens mounted to it for just €5 (~$5.70). With a little bit of ingenuity and effort, Stern converted it into a camera lens and found that it's a terrific lens for shooting portraits.

Photos of Dogs Jumping with Colorful Powder Trails

Toronto-based animal photographer Jess Bell has been shooting a wonderful series of photos showing dogs jumping and leaving colorful powder trails in their wake. The photos aren't the result of Photoshop compositing -- they were actually shot with dogs and powder.

This is Sony’s New Real-Time Tracking in Action

In unveiling the new a6400 last week, Sony also announced its next-generation AI-based tracking features that are also coming to existing cameras in a firmware update. Sony Artisan Patrick Murphy-Racey shared this 2-minute video showing just how impressive the tracking is.

Google Search Could Ditch All Photo Thumbnails Under EU Copyright Law

In September 2018, the European Parliament voted in favor of the highly controversial EU Copyright Directive, which aims to "harmonize" copyright law across Europe. But critics argue the law could destroy the open Web, and now Google is showing an eye-opening look at what its search results could soon look like.

The Terrible History of Photographs, Sesame Street-Style

It has never been easier to shoot and share photos than in our modern Instagram age. The YouTube puppet web series Glove and Boots made this tongue-in-cheek 5-minute video on the "terrible history of photographs" to explain how much time and effort it took to do photography in past eras.

This Dog is a Talented Skateboarding Cameraman

Illustrator Rob Mathieson has a dog named Fatman the Dog with some impressive camera skills. With a camera mounted to his back, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier captures great footage of skateboarders doing their thing.

Turn a Broken Laptop’s Screen Into a View Camera Ground Glass

Iranian photographer Alireza Rostami loves experimenting with camera equipment, from flipping a lens element for "magic bokeh" to creating a working analog watch camera. His latest experiment is also off the beaten path: he found that a display from a broken laptop works perfectly as a view camera's ground glass.

How to Clean Your Camera Lens with Candle Soot

Camera lens cleaning pens use fine carbon particles to help cleanly remove smudges from your glass. Do you know what else has carbon particles? Soot. Here's a short 2.5-minute video in which photographer Mathieu Stern shows how you can use ordinary candle soot to get the same cleaning power as popular lens pens.

Canon #1 in Both DSLR and Mirrorless Sales in Japan in 2018

Sony has made big strides in the camera industry with its strong mirrorless camera offerings in recent years, but it has a long way to go before hitting its goal of being the top camera brand by 2021. The 800-pound gorilla in the industry is still Canon, which ranked #1 in both DSLR and mirrorless camera sales in Japan in the year 2018.