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

Foreigners Are Photo Ops in China

If you're a tall white guy walking around in touristy parts of China, there's a good chance you may be stopped by random people and asked to pose for a photo. This strange phenomenon can be seen in this 3-minute video recorded a few years ago by comedian Paul Ogata. It's titled, "Yes You May Photograph My White Guy."

Best Buy to Let You Rent Camera Gear Before You Buy It

Best Buy already does price matching with Amazon, but it'll soon be launching another weapon in its fight against the giant online retailer: a try-before-you-buy program for electronics. For photographers, this will mean you'll have the opportunity to rent camera equipment before you buy it.

This One Thing Will Make Your Photos Better: Storytelling

Here's an inspiring video by Mango Street about one of the most important things you can learn to do as a photographer, which is storytelling. In addition to organically capturing moments as they happen, you can also conceptualize and execute an idea that inspires you, and Rachel and Daniel show how it's done in the 5.5-minute video above.

Here’s How One Photographer Keeps His Sony Camera Cool

After the highly anticipated Sony a9 began landing in the hands of photographers, there were some reports of the camera displaying its overheating indicator icon after short periods of use in ordinary environments. Israeli photographer Senya Alman came up with a clever way of keeping his own Sony camera cool: he built it a little hot shoe cover for portable shade.

Father Films Daughter on First Day of School for 12 Years

When Kevin Scruggs's daughter Mackenzie started first grade 12 years ago, he decided to pull out his camera and shoot a short interview with the 6-year-old. He then did the same thing on her first day of school for the next 12 years, and this year he turned all the clips into this touching 3-minute video wishing Mackenzie a happy graduation from high school.

4 Photographers Shoot 1 Model: Who Did It Best?

Photographer Jessica Kobeissi is back again with another portrait challenge, and this time she invited photographers Brandon Woelfel, Jerry Maestas, and Derrick Freske to participate. For the latest challenge, they pointed their lenses at model Tashi Rodriguez.

Amazon Killing Off its $60/Year Plan for Unlimited Storage

Amazon is tightening its belt when it comes to its cloud data storage services. The company has just announced that its $60 a year plan for unlimited data storage is being abruptly discontinued. For that same rate, you'll now only be able to store 1TB of data.

The Bright Flashes During NBA Games You May Never Have Noticed

Here's something you might not be able to "unsee" if you've never noticed it before: during an NBA basketball game, whenever there's some exciting action around the rim, there's a good chance you'll also see a bright flash of light illuminate your screen for a split second. These are the powerful strobes installed high overhead by photographers.

10 Sneaky Tricks Used in Food Photos

The foods you buy in the store and at restaurants are never as tasty as they look in advertising photos, but what many people might not know is that you probably wouldn't enjoy eating the foods seen in those pictures. The reason is because commercial food photographers use all kinds of non-edible products to cleverly make food look delicious in front of a lens. Here's a 9-minute video on 10 of those tricks.

Print: A Concept Digital Instant Camera in the Age of Smartphones

Digital instant cameras are an emerging trend in the world of photography: Polaroid launched the Pop in January, and Fujifilm followed suit with the SQ10 a few short months later. But industrial designer and photographer Jordan Steranka thinks he can do better: his Print is a concept instant camera designed with an ultra-modern aesthetic.

‘Fractal’ is a Timelapse That Shows the Fury of Supercell Thunderstorms

"Fractal" is a gorgeous new 3-minute-long time-lapse film by Chad Cowan, a Kansas-based photographer who has spent 10 years, 100,000+ miles, and tens of thousands of shutter clicks chasing and shooting storms across the Midwest. This "stormlapse" in particular captures the awe-inspiring beauty and fury of supercell thunderstorms.

Photos of Decaying Basketball Hoops Found Around the U.S.

As we roll into the climax of the NBA season, photographer Rob Hammer has a new personal photo project that may be intriguing to basketball fans. It's called The Basketball Hoops Project, and it consists of photos of all kinds of basketball hoops found across the United States.

U.S. Probing Nikon Cameras for Patent Infringement after Zeiss Complaint

There have been some legal rumblings in the camera industry over the past couple of months. It's an ongoing patent dispute between Nikon and two other companies involved in camera technologies: Carl Zeiss and ASML. The latest news is that the United States has opened an official patent infringement investigation into Nikon's products.

Kathy Griffin Slammed for Photo Shoot Showing Decapitated Donald Trump

Emmy- and Grammy-award winning comedian Kathy Griffin and photographer Tyler Shields are in hot water this week due to a photo shoot showing Griffin holding a bloodied Donald Trump mask that's made to look like the decapitated head of the president. The photo has sparked outrage and even a public response from Trump himself.

Nikon Unveils 3 New Lenses: A 28mm f/1.4, 10-20mm, and 8-15mm

Nikon has just unveiled 3 new wide-angle lenses: the AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E ED, AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR, and AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED. The 10-20mm is a budget-friendly wide-angle zoom for DX-format cameras, and the 8-15mm is Nikon's first ever fisheye zoom lens.

How Colorization Experts Breathe New Colors Into Old B&W Photos

We've shared some impressive work by photo colorizers who use Photoshop skills and hard work to add realistic colors into historical monochrome photos. If you're wondering how its done, check out this 7-minute video by Vox that discusses the process. (Note: there's a bit of strong language.)

The Essential Phone Has Dual Cameras, 4K, and a Dedicated B&W Sensor

Android co-founder Andy Rubin and his new startup company, Essential Products, just launched its first product: a powerful smartphone called the Essential Phone. Its photo-related features include dual 13MP cameras, 4K video, and a dedicated monochrome sensor for "true" black-and-white photography.

Sony a9 Showed Overheating Warning After 20 Minutes, Photog Says

The Sony a9 is supposed to be a game changer in the world of sports photography, but now a new potential issue is threatening to disrupt those ambitions: photographers are reporting that the camera's overheating indicator is turning on after relatively short periods of use in ordinary conditions.

A Closer Look at the Dolly Zoom

The "dolly zoom," also known as the "Hitchcock zoom" or "Vertigo effect," is a filmmaking technique that involves changing a zoom lens' angle of view while moving the camera toward or away from a subject to keep their relative size in the frame the same. Here's a 4-minute video by Now You See It that explains this technique and how (and why) it's used.

How an $80 1000mm Lens Performs on a $1,400 Sony a6500 Camera

Let's say you spent pretty much all of your camera budget on a shiny new $1,400 Sony a6500 mirrorless camera, yet you want a super telephoto lens for getting way up close to subjects. Here's a thrifty option you could consider: buy a cheapo 500mm lens, Sony adapter, and 2x teleconverter for just $80.