How Not to Do Trainspotting Photography

When doing trainspotting photography, it pays to be extra alert and aware of your surroundings. The video above, captured at the Thurston, Suffolk train station, shows how one camera-wielding trainspotter almost learned (or didn't learn) that lesson the hard way.

Pentax Announces Its Own Retro-Styled Camera, the MX-1

More and more camera companies are giving their products vintage camera-inspired designs these days, and Pentax wants to join in on the fun. The company announced its own retro-styled camera earlier today called the MX-1.

It's a fixed lens compact camera that features a sleek metal body, a fast lens, and a 12-megapixel sensor.

A Hands-On Demo of Fujifilm’s New Split Image Manual Focusing Feature

We were just able to get some hands-on time with the new Fujifilm X100s immediately after the company's press conference. In addition to blazin' fast autofocus speed, the company has also introduced a couple of new features that manual-focusing photographers will love.

One is something many photographers are already familiar with (and have been clamoring for): focus peaking. The second hasn't been received with as much fanfare, but is actually quite fantastic. It's split image focusing -- something rangefinder users will appreciate very much.

Sigma Has DP3 Merrill Photos and Specs Leak on the Eve of CES 2013

Earlier today, pictures and specs for Sigma's soon-to-be-announced DP3 Merrill leaked in an article that has since gone missing on the Spanish camera site DSLR Magazine. Of course that wasn't before all of the info contained in that article was copied and pasted on several rumor sites, bless them.

Pick a Color, Any Color: Pentax Offers 100 Custom Color Options for the Q10 ILC

Pentax newest goal is, and we quote, "Heightening Individualized Photographic Expression." So if that just happens to be one of your New Years resolutions, and you also happen to be in the market for the "world’s smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera system," you're in luck -- you can now pick from 100 different color combinations for the Pentax Q10.

Canon Takes Smartphones Head-On With the All-New PowerShot N

As smartphones have risen to compact supremacy, slowly killing the point-and-shoot market as a result, every company has tried one thing or another to somehow save the compact. Now, it's Canon's turn. But instead of adding a gimmicky feature, or doing away with compacts all-together in favor of mirrorless systems, the company has decided to re-invent the wheel... okay, the point-and-shoot.

The result is the new PowerShot N, a compact camera that has no top, bottom, left or right -- it's an incredibly thin square with a center-mounted lens and articulating screen you can use however you see fit.

Light Painting Smoke Effects Tutorial

There's no end to the fun and creativity you can pour into a great light painting session. And the more techniques you have in your photographer's utility belt the more interesting and professional your light painting can become.

In recent weeks we've shown you how to add 3D objects to your light painting, how to create light-painting rain, and how combining bullet time photography and light painting can yield some pretty awesome results. Now it's time to put the old saying to rest and create smoke -- without a fire.

Eyeballs and Fine Art: Tyler Shields’ Take on Standing Out as a Photographer

Tyler Shields has led a very successful career -- both as a photographer and previously as a skater -- and in his talk at Luminance 2012 he spent some time explaining how he differentiates himself in an increasingly photographed world.

Specifically, he spends time explaining that there is photography that gets you "eyeballs" (viewers and attention for your work) and photography that gets you paid. (Warning: The video includes some strong language and a few potentially offensive PG-13 photos.)

Fujifilm Announces the X20 and X100s, Boasts the ‘World’s Fastest Autofocus’

There has been no shortage of leaks, pictures and rumors surrounding Fujifilm's followups to both its X10 and X100 models, but things just got official.

Only two days before the company gets to show off its new stock to the world at CES 2013 (and with little in way of mirrorless competition from Olympus, Sony and Panasonic, apparently) Fujifilm has officially unveiled the X20 and X100s.

The Rise, Near Demise, and Rebirth of the Leica Camera

Leica made its name a very long time ago by creating the first practical 35mm camera to use standard cinema 35mm film. The rest, as they say, is history. A history filled with successes and failures alike, most of the latter coming in the early 2000s when the company was having trouble moving into the digital age.

In 2013, Leica has a couple of things to celebrate. For one, its no longer in financial trouble; and for another, the company is turning 100 this year. In light of that momentous birthday, here are a couple of short videos (the first one is above) by Deutsche Welle that take a look at Leica's past, present and future.

The Photo Bus: An Old Volkswagen Bus Converted into a Mobile Photo Booth

Photographer John Deprisco of Deprisco Photo has put together two fairly unrelated things and, as a result, created something pretty cool. By combining his love of old, run-down VW buses and the tradition photo booth, he's created the Photo Bus, a rentable photo booth on wheels -- available for whatever soiree you're planning to host next.

Japanese Truck Driver Photographs the Front Lines in Syria as a “War Tourist”

When you mention the words "vacation photos," most people might think of trips to the mountains or to the beach. Not Toshifumi Fujimoto. The 45-year-old Japanese trucker is passionate about "war tourism" -- he actually takes on the role of a conflict photographer when on vacation. In recent days, he has been shooting on the front lines of the Syrian civil war, putting his life on the line for images that he keeps as a personal collection rather than sells for reportage purposes.

Fujifilm X100s Has Its Photo and Specs Leaked, Looks Identical to the X100

Earlier today, we shared a couple of leaked photographs of the soon-to-arrive Fujifilm X20, which replaces the X10 but looks virtually identical in appearance (except for the fact that it comes in silver in addition to black).

Not to be outdone, the X100s has gotten itself leaked as well. Photos and specs for that camera have emerged, and reveal that, like the X20, the camera is nearly identical in form to its predecessor.

Adorable Baby Photos from a Fairy Tale-Themed Shoot

Photographer Wendi Riggens has been receiving a good deal of attention in social media channels for her recent photo shoot of a 9-month-old girl, Miss Maddie. It was a fairy tale-themed shoot, with Maddie wearing the outfits of characters from famous Disney movies, including Cinderella, Alice, Wendy, and Snow White. The series is titled, "Once Upon a Time."

Rumor: Shutterfly Aquiring Photo Sharing and Backup Company ThisLife

Over the last year, almost every time we've heard the word "acquisition" it's been preceded by the word, or rather company, Shutterfly. That's because Shutterfly has been very busy buying up companies and galleries and, fortunately for users, putting them to work in real ways.

It was less than two weeks ago that the new Shutterfly Mobile app was announced, a result of its Penguin Digital acquisition. And now, in time to steal a little bit of thunder from all of the CES rumors, sources claim that the photo storage and sharing site is acquiring yet another start-up.

First Leaked Photos of the Fujifilm X20

Yesterday we wrote that multiple sources were confirming that Fujifilm will be launching an X10 successor called the X20 at CES 2013 next week. Now, less than 24 hours later, we now know what it looks like.

One Second of Video Every Day in 2012

We've been seeing more and more of this concept lately, but this one is still nicely done: Springfield, Missouri-based photographer Kent Frost created this 6.5-minute recap of his life in 2012 using one second of footage recorded each day. It's titled, "Just a Second."

Paper-Kit Helps You Turn Portrait Photos Into 3D Paper Heads

If you're looking for a fun and cheap gag gift that's somewhat photography related, check out Paper-Kit. It's a simple, and easy-to-use web app that lets you turn your portrait photos (probably better described as mug shots) into nifty 3D heads that you print, cut, and assemble yourself.

Cameraman Captures What It’s Like to Be Targeted as Food by a Polar Bear

If you ever find yourself wondering what it's like to be hunted by a hungry polar bear, just ask filmmaker Gordon Buchanan. While shooting wildlife imagery in Svalbard, Norway for a BBC series titled The Polar Bear Family and Me, Buchanan was approached by a giant 1,000lb, 8-foot-tall polar bear. Luckily for Buchanan, he was in a tiny Plexiglas enclosure. Luckily for the BBC, Buchanan was able to capture the 45-minute ordeal on film.

Recipe for a Photograph: Reflected Ant on Black

One of my favorite recent projects was a deceptively simple image of an ant on black. Black is easy enough to arrange for the upper portions of a photo. Just make sure foreground lighting is powerful enough to overwhelm the ambient light. Black all around is a challenge, however.

Samsung Announces 3D-Capable NX300 and World’s First One-Lens 3D System

CES 2013 is just around the corner, and along with it about a gagillion (official number) announcements, but the first major announcement comes 5 days early courtesy of Samsung. The South Korean tech company has officially announced the NX300 -- a 3D capable successor to the NX210 -- alongside a 3D lens that Samsung is calling the "world's first one-lens 3D system."

Marksta: An App for Adding Watermarks to Photos On Your Smartphone

Photojournalist John D. McHugh was sick of having his photos stolen and infringed upon the moment he posted them online. And even though he can, of course, put watermarks on his photos in Photoshop, he found himself wondering if maybe he couldn't come up with a better way. Enter Marksta, an app that allows you to watermark photos right on your iPhone before posting them to Facebook, Instagram, and other places where they may be easily stolen.

Tommy Edison: Instagrammer, Film Critic, and Blind Since Birth

Tommy Edison is an incredible person. Born blind, he has managed to lead a successful, fulfilling life as a film critic, receiving national attention for his spot on reviews of movies like "Water for Elephants." But in addition to successfully reviewing a genre most would consider to be in the domain of the sighted, Mr. Edison is also a prolific Instagram user.

Motion Image Photography: Pulling Stills from Super-High-Res Video

Motion image photography is a new name for an old concept: pulling stills from video. In fact, famed headshot photographer Peter Hurley took a stab at it last year, pinning the 5K Red Epic against his Hasselblad to see if he could recreate his work in video. The issue there, even ignoring price, was that the sheer size of the Red Epic makes it far too bulky for anything but studio work.

Creative Conceptual iPhone Photographs by Instagram Shooter Brock Davis

If you'd like to receive a regular injection of photographic inspiration, you should consider following along with photographer Brock Davis' Instagram feed. The Minneapolis, Minnesota-based artist regularly shoots conceptual photos with his iPhone that have the same creative touch as photographs Davis shoots for major commissions.

Toshiba Unveils New CF Cards, Hopes to Capture Third of the Market by 2015

A week ago we shared some reports that Toshiba was developing a re-focusable smartphone camera, but it looks like its sights are set on bigger fish than just Lytro's market. While the photo world was focusing on the tiny re-focusing camera, Toshiba officially announced a new line of high performance CF cards that should blow the competition away and, the company hopes, secure one third of the CF market by 2015.

The new cards -- dubbed the Exceria Pro series -- are set to launch in Spring of this year and bring with them read and write speeds very near the theoretical 167MB/second max provided by the CF's UDMA 7 interface.

Mugshot Websites Sued for Violating People’s Right to Publicity

Several mugshot websites -- including Just Mugshots, Busted! Mugshots, Mugshots Online, and MugRemove -- are ringing in the new year with a massive class action law suit. According to NPR, hundreds of people who have been exonerated of all charges and had their records sealed are suing the websites for not only keeping their mugshots up and using them in banner ads, but refusing to take them down and "scrub" them off the Internet unless the victims pay a hefty fee.