Gear Avoidance Syndrome: It Might be Healthy for Your Photography

GAS, also known as Gear Acquisition Syndrome, is very common among photographers. It simply means that you just can't get enough new lenses, equipment and upgrade your camera as soon as possible in order to have more options and - according to the seemingly prevalent opinion - become better.

But have you ever thought about the opposite side of this imaginary disease - the Gear Avoidance Syndrome? A syndrome that might even be good for you and your photography. And your wallet.

This ‘Forwards’ Video is Actually ‘Backwards’

This isn't related to still photography, but we occasionally share some creative ideas from the world of video. The short film above by Eran Amir is titled "This Video is in Reverse." It may look relatively straightforward at first glance, but get this: everything you see was captured in a single take and then played backwards.

Head Shots of Hand Models: These Are The People Behind Those Hands in Ads

You know those hands you see in advertisements and commercials? Those hands belong to people who make a living by offering up their beautiful hands to help companies market their products. Some of those hands are insured for seven figure sums and have helped their owners become "supermodels" in their field.

For their project "Head Shots of Hand Models," ad executive Alex Holder and photographer Oli Kellett shot portraits of hand models, both their hands and their faces.

One Photographer’s Reflections on Making His Own Instant Photo Press Camera

One of the most important decisions a photographer can make is picking a camera, and with all the different kinds out there, everyone has options. You can look up reviews, talk shop with colleagues, and take your time in the very subjective process of picking out the best camera for yourself and your needs.

But what about building the best camera for yourself?

Panasonic GF7: An Entry Level MFT Mirrorless Camera Designed for Selfies

You can tell that "selfies" are a big trend right now by the fact that more and more camera companies are touting it as a feature for their new models. Less than a week after Fuji launched a "selfie-ready" mirrorless camera, the X-A2, Panasonic is unveiling its own: the GF7.

A followup to the GF6, the GF7 is an entry level Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera that offers "modern selfie shooting features," something Panasonic calls "one of the world's most powerful trends."

How to Create Value for Yourself as a Music Photographer

Every year the barrier of entry for music photography seems to get lower. This isn't a bad thing, in fact I think it's awesome. But what it means is that the number of people working toward becoming music photographers is much higher. It's not an uncommon thing to be a music photographer these days, and there are thousands upon thousands of us.

Want to See Your Photos Used on Book Covers? Here’s How I Did It

So you want to be on a book cover. Perhaps you’ve seen other photographers accomplish this but you’ve never quite known how. Maybe you walk through the stores scrutinizing and studying every book. I know I did.

It has always been a dream of mine to be on a book cover. Growing up, I was very shy and never had a lot of friends, so instead I read. Getting lost in each character was a comfort. I lived for the smell of the old paper pages.

Kenneth Cole Lifted One of My Photos, And All I Got Was a $500 Gift Card

The year was 2008. I was still a novice with a camera, and the basics of photography were still very unfamiliar to me. I knew what my eyes liked, even if I didn't understand how to get the camera to capture it. On March 1 of 2008, I snapped a photo looking north on 5th Avenue in New York City.

At the time, I didn't have a Tumblr page to share my photos, and I didn't have Flickr, either. The only place my photos lived was on my computer's hard drive, and occasionally it would show up in a Facebook post to my friends. There was one other place, though.

Tutorial: Photographing and Processing the Orion Constellation

Here's a tutorial that will teach you how to photograph and process one of the most colorful parts of the night sky, the Orion constellation. It will walk you through all the steps of planning, shooting, and processing a photograph of Orion and the colorful features in it.

How “Doing What You Love” Can Be A Realistic Career Option

Here's a quote from a recent article I read titled "'Do What You Love' Is Horrible Advice": “It’s easy to confuse a hobby or interest for a profound passion that will result in career and business fulfillment. The reality is, that type of preexisting passion is rarely valuable.”

Um…no.

A First Glimpse of the Upcoming Panasonic GF7

Here's the first leaked photo of the upcoming Panasonic GF7, the followup to the GF6. As you can see, the company is going after a much more "retro" look with this camera line (as is popular in the industry right now).

The camera is rumored to have a 16-megapixel Four Thirds sensor, an ISO range of 200 to 25600, and a 1.04-million-dot tilting LCD screen that swings open 180 degrees.

The Clone Photography of Daisuke Takakura

Japanese photographer Daisuke Takakura takes clone photography pretty seriously. His project "Monodramatic" features some models tens of times, with some of the clones so far away from the camera that they can barely be seen in the distance.

The Importance of Contracts: Wedding Photog in a Dispute Over Album ‘Cover’ Charge

Update: There are new developments in this story. Please see below.

There's a dispute going on over in Texas that shows the importance of getting your contracts right as a photographer. A pair of Dallas newlyweds are going public with their disagreement with wedding photographer Andrea Polito over an album "cover" charge that Polito is asking for -- a charge that doesn't specifically show up in the contract.

Hippo Lunges Out of the Water At a Photo Safari Boat

Hippos are huge, but they're deceptively fast underwater. Photographer Craig Clive Jackson was recently on a photo safari in Botswana when the boat he was sitting in was charged by a gigantic hippopotamus. He caught the whole experience on camera in the video above.

Re: If You Don’t Want Your Photos Stolen, Don’t Post Them on the Internet

“If you don’t want your photos stolen, don’t post them on the Internet.”

This is an argument I have heard over and over again, mostly from people who have never had their work borrowed. Which of course is like saying, “I know you were home, but if you didn’t want your belongings stolen, you shouldn’t have left your door unlocked.”

Elegant Photos of a Dancer Flinging White Powder

Photographer Jeffrey Vanhoutte of Brussels, Belgium was recently tasked with shooting a series of photos for a coffee creamer company. They ended up doing a mixed photo/video shoot with a professional acrobatic dancer flinging puffs of white powder into the air while doing dance moves.

Arkansas Bill Criminalizes Capturing and Possessing Certain Camera Drone Photos

Update: There have been new developments. Please see below.

There's a new bill passing through the Arkansas State Legislature that may be concerning to photographers who operate camera drones. The bill is titled, "Concerning The Use Of An Unmanned Vehicle Or Aircraft That Captures Images; To Create The Criminal Offenses; To Provide For Civil Liability," and it criminalizes certain camera drone usage and the possession of photos captured during that usage.

Photographer Captures Rare Pictures of an Upside-Down Iceberg

When you think of icebergs, you probably think of those large white objects you see in movies and pictures. In rare situations, they can also be seen in a different form. When the iceberg gets flipped upside-down, it looks like a giant shiny piece of ice that's the color of the surrounding water.

The First Leaked Photos of the Olympus E-M5II

The first leaked photos have emerged showing the upcoming Olympus E-M5II. The camera is a followup to the popular Olympus E-M5, a camera announced back in 2012 that shook up the camera world with its retro styling.