art

You May Be A Photographer, But Are You An Artist?

"When you push the shutter and take a photo, you're a photographer... but are you an artist?" asks photographer Roger Ballen. "As an artist, I use photography as a medium to express my artistic vision."

In the 3-minute video above, by COOPH, Ballen offers 7 thoughts to help you become both a photographer and an artist.

The Macbook Selfie Stick is Now a Thing

Tablet selfie stick not ridiculous enough for you? Check out the Macbook Selfie Stick. It lets you mount a Macbook (or any laptop, for that matter) at the end of a long telescoping pole for easy self-portraits with the built-in iSight camera.

Sigma to Unveil a Crazy Fast 50-100mm f/1.8 Art Lens

Whoa. Sigma is on the brink of shaking up the camera lens industry yet again with another groundbreaking Art lens. Next week, on February 23rd, 2016, Sigma will reportedly announce a new 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens -- a zoom lens with an unusually large f/1.8 fixed aperture.

Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Recreates Photo of Drowned Syrian Refugee Toddler

In September 2015, Turkish photographer Nilüfer Demir came across the body of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi on a beach. Her photo of Kurdi's body spread across the world, drawing the world's attention to the migrant crisis and becoming a symbol of the widespread suffering.

This month, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei decided to recreate that haunting photo by posing for a picture while lying face down on a pebbled beach in Lesbos, Greece. The resulting photo, captured by photographer Rohit Chawla for India Today, is now drawing both praise and criticism.

Portraits of a Man Blending Into World Landmarks

"Lost in Wonder" is a new project by New York-based artist Trina Merry, who's known for blending body art and photography to depict the human body in creative ways. Merry visited major "modern wonder" landmarks around the world and blended her model into each of the scenes.

Hands On with the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art Lens: Super Fast and Ultra Wide

I have yet to be let down by Sigma's highly respected Art series of lenses. Sigma is now set to release the widest f/1.4 lens on the market, with the upcoming 20mm f1.4 DG HSM Art lens to be released in the latter part of the month.

Sigma is courting the wide-angle photographer in all of us with this new lens, and we were given a rare pre-production model to get a feel for what is now the fastest 20mm lens on the market.

The Minimalist B&W Self-Portraits of Noell Oszvald

Noell Oszvald is a 25-year-old visual artist from Budapest, Hungary. "I'm not a photographer," she says, but she does use a camera to create her art.

Among her recent works is a series of striking self-portrait photos. Each one is a surreal piece that focuses on black-and-white minimalism.

Opinion: Lomography, an Alternative Perspective on Traditional Photo Standards

Lomography began as an art movement in the early 1990s after a group of Viennese students discovered the LC-A, a camera manufactured by Russian imaging company LOMO. The fixed lens 32mm f/2.8 compact camera produced unique images that were off-color, vibrant, and soft. On a mission to advocate the use of these creative cameras and experimental film, photographers quickly formed the Lomographic Society International in 1992.

Despite the movement producing wonderfully interesting images that have been exhibited in both Moscow and New York City, it has received substantial criticism from self-dubbed “real photographers.” This opinion piece aims at breaking down the wall of prejudice, and opening minds to the possibility of creative photography outside of normal standards.

The $10 IKEA Piece: An Interesting Social Experiment on the Value of Art

When Peter Lik sold a print to a collector for $6.5 million last year, people balked at the news. Lik is known to be a savvy businessman who has raked in over $440 million by churning out and selling his "collectible" prints to deep-pocketed people who want to invest in his art, so why should his prints be worth so much?

The Internet media channel LifeHunters recently did a social experiment that explores how people perceive and value art. They placed a $10 IKEA print in the Museum of Modern Art in Arnhem, The Netherlands, and asked "art experts" what they thought about it.