NPPA Calls on Photographers Disqualified from WPP to Share Their ‘Shopped Photos

The world of photojournalism took a hit earlier this month when it was revealed that 20% of the finalists in the prestigious World Press Photo competition had been disqualified due to unethical edits. The National Press Photographers Association released a statement this past weekend calling for the disqualified photographers to share the edits that eliminated them from competition.

Lightroom Iron Chef: 29 Submitted Photos Processed Live In Front of a Crowd

Photographer Stu Maschwitz of Prolost recently paid a visit to the Bay Area Lightroom User Group and tried something he's always wanted to do: Lightroom Iron Chef.

He took 29 audience-submitted photographs and post-processed them in Lightroom in front of a live audience of more than 100 people, all while providing a running commentary of what he's doing and why.

Shooting Self-Portraits Under the Northern Lights

If you've always dreamed of taking pictures of the northern lights, the video above will give you a small taste of what it's like. Swedish astrophotographer Göran Strand captured the behind-the-scenes footage recently when he drove out into the wilderness in the dead of night to chase auroras.

Photographer Joe Rosenthal Shares the Story Behind ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’

70 years ago today, photographer Joe Rosenthal captured a photograph of six US soldiers raising a flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. That photo (shown above), became an instant iconic image -- these days we would say it "went viral" -- and was published in thousands of publications around the world.

It went on to became the only photo to win a Pulitzer Prize in the same year it was published, and the image is now one of the most republished and recognizable photos of all time.

This Apple iPad Commercial Was Shot with the iPad

Apple aired a new iPad commercial during the Oscars ceremony last night. The ad touts the iPad as a tool that anyone can use for creating films. What viewers may not have known while watching the spot, however, was that the commercial itself was filmed entirely on an iPad.

The Cincinnati Public Library Lets You Use DSLRs and Studio Equipment for Free

As books are easier to buy and borrow in digital forms, public libraries are evolving and experimenting with new ways to stay relevant. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has one awesome idea for how to do so: the main branch of the library in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, features a makerspace that provides free access to tools for creative people -- equipment that includes DSLRs and photo studio gear.

What It’s Like to Shoot Backstage At the Oscars

Update on 12/16/21: This video has been removed by its creator.

Tonight, USA TODAY staff photographer Robert Hanashiro (the founder of SportsShooter) will be covering the Academy Awards with his camera for the 26th time, and for the 10th time he'll have rare backstage access. Only 4 news organizations were given this level of access, allowing them to capture moments that TV cameras can't.

America’s First Female Photojournalist, Jessie Tarbox Beals, With Her Cameras

Here's a photograph of Jessie Tarbox Beals, America's first female photojournalist, with her camera on a street a century ago. While most female photographers of her time shot photos from the peace and safety of photo studios, Beals ventured into the world of photojournalism and made a name for herself through her tenacity, self-promotion, and freelance news photos.

A 324-Key Keyboard Dedicated to Lightroom Editing

It was around this time last year that we shared a new product called SHORTCUT-S, a 319-key keyboard designed specifically for editing photos in Photoshop.

Creatives soon began asking the company to branch out into other popular programs, and today the company is doing just that. SHORTCUT-S tells us that it will soon be launching dedicated keyboards for 13 other programs, one of which is Adobe Lightroom.

Garry Winogrand Talks to University Students About Photography in 1977

Garry Winogrand was one of the most notable and prolific American street photographers of the 20th century. He is known for capturing a vast record of what American life was like during the decades following World War II; in addition to his published works, thousands of his undeveloped and unseen rolls of film were discovered when he passed away in 1984.

In 1977, Winogrand was invited to speak to Rice Students about photography. Over the course of two hours, the photographer answered all kinds of questions and discussed a wide range of topics regarding photography, his work, and his thoughts.

Photographer Peter Lik Has Sold Nearly Half a Billion Dollars in Prints

Last December, the art world balked when photographer Peter Lik announced the world's priciest sale of a photograph: a single black-and-white print titled "Phantom" for $6.5 million. Here's another fact that will drop your jaws: Lik has sold nearly half a billion dollars worth of photographic prints, which means he's possibly the best-selling fine-art photographer in history.

A Benedict Cumberbatch Photo Shoot for Vanity Fair

Here's a behind-the-scenes video showing how photographer Jason Bell recently photographed actor Benedict Cumberbatch for a special issue of Vanity Fair.

After observing that "this British invasion of Hollywood has gotten so out of hand," Bell (who was born in London) came up with the idea of doing an all-British edition of Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood portfolio, which will arrive on March 2015. Cumberbatch is one of the stars featured in the series.

Mind-Bending Optical Illusions Created With Photo Manipulation

Erik Johansson is a Swedish photographer and retoucher based in Berlin who is well known on the Internet for his amazing surreal photo manipulations that show everyday scenes with major twists. A number of his works are optical illusions created by manipulating and combining images in creative ways.

The image above is one of Johansson's more recent works. It's titled "The Architect" and shows a man searching for inspiration in an impossible house.

A Practical Guide to Creating Superresolution Photos with Photoshop

We’ve seen it in plenty of thriller/crime solver TV shows and movies: upon reviewing some grainy and very low-resolution surveillance footage, someone inevitably asks the technician, “can you zoom in on that and enhance it?” Then, with the quick press of a few masterfully placed keystrokes and bleepy computer sounds, the image is suddenly enhanced with vastly increased resolution and a key plot device is revealed.

Finding Freedom: Portraits and Poems of Former Inmates at a Halfway House

"Finding Freedom" is a new art book collaborative project between Brandon Crockett, a community volunteer and advertising copywriter, and the renowned photographer Sandro Miller -- yes, the same one that recreated iconic photos with John Malkovich. The book features poetry and portraits from residents at a Chicago halfway house -- individuals who have recently left prison and are attempting to reintegrate with society.

Smartphone Astrophotography: How I Capture the Moon and Planets with My Phone

I’m often asked how I am able to take high-quality images of the solar system using my iPhone. In short, the quality of today’s smartphone cameras makes it possible to take very respectable images of the Moon and planets through a telescope with your phone – but it takes some work.

‘Dudeoir’ Photography Trend Puts Men In the Frame for Seductive Shots

Boudoir photography, derived from the French word for "sulky," traditionally involves a woman posing for a suggestive series of tasteful photos in various states of undress. Over the past few years, however, a new trend has emerged. Called "dudeoir" photography, these shots involve men jumping into the frame to pose for sexy shots.

This is Why Photographers Should Stay Off the Track at a Horse Race

During a horse race, the track itself probably isn't the place you should be wandering in order to snap the perfect action shot. Even if racers do tend to stay toward the inside of the track, things don't always go as expected. A photographer in Finland learned this lesson the hard way this past week.

China Takes Winning Prestigious Photo Contests Very, Very Seriously

China is a country that's known to take the Olympics (the summer ones, at least) very seriously as the nation competes for a bigger presence on the world stage. Chinese gold medal winners become instant superstars and the role models for a generation of aspiring athletes.

It turns out photography is another field in which China is trying to become a world superpower, and its efforts are bearing fruit.

These Photos of Starling Murmurations Were Created with Plastic Bags

A murmuration of starlings is a beautiful sight to behold, as giant flocks of birds float through the air like a dark cloud with a mind of its own. French photographer Alain Delorme captured this beauty in his project Murmurations, but instead of birds and wildlife photography, Delorme's images were created through plastic bags and Photoshop.

An Open Letter to the Artist Support System

Support is a funny thing.

As an artist, 96% of our career is spent dealing with rejection. Rejection from friends, family, other artists, and even the art world itself. Making a living from art can be a very long and lonely, misunderstood journey, especially in the beginning, and having a decent support system can help make that early journey a little more bearable.

But just as we’re often learning the ropes of how to be an artist, we also know that you’re learning the ropes of how to best support us. We need you, and here are the best ways you can help us out.

A Blast from the Past: Demos of Adobe Photoshop 1.0

Adobe celebrated Photoshop's 25th birthday yesterday with great fanfare. Since the original Photoshop version 1.0 was launched back on February 19th, 1990, there have been 15 major versions released that have advanced the way we work with (and look at) photographs.

To see how far post-processing has come over the past two-and-a-half decades, here's a closer look at what it was like to use the very first version of Photoshop.

This New Flat Lens Captures Perfect Colors Without Chromatic Aberration

A team of researchers at Harvard are trying to revolutionize the world of optical lenses. Instead of traditional curved lenses that suffer from various optical flaws, they are working on a completely flat and ultra-thin lens that overcomes age-old problems and pushes optical quality to the limits of the laws of nature.

Memory Card from Stolen Camera Returned After Photographer Makes Public Appeal

Earlier this month, we reported that a North Carolina-based photographer Faith Massey had gotten her camera bag stolen from her car. Inside was a memory card that contained irreplaceable photos of the last moments of a baby's life, which Massey captured through the charity organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.

There's a happy update to the story: the memory card has been returned, and all the precious lost photos have been recovered.

A Laser Can Turn Off Streetlights That Interfere With Your Astrophotography

Streetlights polluting your shots of the starry night sky? A strategically placed laser might be just what you need.

Destin Sandlin of the YouTube channel SmarterEveryDay recently paid a visit to the house of NASA astronaut (and photographer) Don Pettit, who showed Sandlin a trick that he uses to temporarily disable an annoying streetlight just down the street. You can see this "life hack" in action at 1:04 in the video above.

An Interview with Conceptual Fine Art Photographer Siri Kaur

Siri Kaur is a conceptual fine art photographer who has been breaking some interesting ground and news with her fascinating series This Kind of Face. The unique series was recently exhibited at the Cohen Gallery in Los Angeles. I had a moment to talk to Siri about this work and other aspects of her career.

Beyonce is the Latest Celebrity to Have Unretouched Portraits Leak and Cause a Hoopla

Update: We have removed the photos after receiving a takedown request from the photographer.

Less than a week after an unretouched photo of Cindy Crawford leaked onto the Web, a set of untouched photos from an ad shoot featuring Beyonce has emerged as well. Just like with the Crawford photo, the new images are causing quite a discussion online about the role Photoshop has in creating perfection for advertisements.

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.

A Photo Booth with a 240MPH Leaf Blower Pointed At People’s Faces

My name is Martin Szabo and I am commercial and portrait photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. I was recently doing volunteer work for a charity event in Vancouver and wanted to bring little twist and fun to the party. I ended up creating a photo booth to shoot portraits of people while their faces were being blasted by 240 mph wind coming from a leaf blower.

Book Review: ‘The Decisive Moment’ by Henri Cartier-Bresson

Wow... Where do I even begin? I would say that “The Decisive Moment” by Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of the most beautiful photo books I have ever handled, and it is a book that brings me extreme joy and happiness (you can see all the photos from the book for free over at Magnum Photos).

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.