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How to Create White, Black, and Gradient Backgrounds in Photos

Creating an evenly lit background can be trickier than one would think, but is a skill that every photographer should master. But with the right equipment and knowledge, it gets much easier to capture a pure white, black, or colored gradient background in-camera without the need for heavy Photoshop cleanup in post.

This New Community of Black Women Photographers Wants to Help the Industry Fix Its Diversity Problem

In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the world-wide reckoning with systemic racism that his death inspired, the photo industry has been taking a long hard look at its own issues with diversity and inclusion. Black Women Photographers—a new global community and database of Black women creatives—is both the result of, and an answer to, this long-overdue soul-searching.

This Black Model Faithfully Recreated Fashion Ad Photos

Liberia-born and Los Angeles-based fashion model Deddeh Howard wants to promote more racial diversity in fashion advertising. For her new photo project, titled Black Mirror, Howard faithfully recreated major ad photos from top brands with herself as the model.

The Darkest Material on Earth is Now Even Darker

When the darkest material on Earth was announced back in 2014, photographers suggested that it could be used for everything from the ultimate non-reflective black backdrop to an art gallery in which the photos "pop." Well, that darkest material just got even darker.

GoPro’s 16-Camera 360° Rig is Called the Odyssey and Will Cost $15,000

Back in May, Google announced "JUMP", a new technology standard aimed at creating fully immersive content for virtual reality. At the time, Google showed off a demo camera rig that utilized over 16 separate GoPros. The folks over at GoPro have finally decided to release a production version of the apparatus that'll be available for purchase. Called the Odyssey panoramic capture rig, it features 16 synchronized GoPro HERO4 Black cameras recording 8K video at 30fps.

Google Apologizes After Photos App Autotags Black People as ‘Gorillas’

Flickr sparked some controversy back in May after it was discovered that the service's new autotagging feature was prone to mislabeling black people as "apes." It looks like Google Photos developers didn't learn from Flickr's embarrassing misstep: a Google developer is apologizing after it was found that Google's Photos app misidentifies photos of black people as "gorillas."

Achieving Black Backgrounds in Macro Photos

One of the most important aspects of fine art macro photography is capturing a non-distracting background so your subject stands out. I tend to like clean and colorful backgrounds, but there are situations where dark backgrounds may be desirable. This article will showcase one method of how to capture black backgrounds in macro photography. We’ll take a look at using flash falloff.

Photographs that Challenge the Stereotype of the Absent Black Father

If you trust the image painted by popular culture and the media at large, it's easy to come to the assumption that African-American fatherhood is something of an oxymoron. The stereotype depicts black fathers as universally absent, uncaring or otherwise uninvolved.

But as with most stereotypes, it misses the mark. And photographer Zun Lee's powerful new book "Father Figure: Exploring Alternate Notions of Black Fatherhood" seeks to show the other side of the coin and challenge this generalization.

The Darkest Material on the Planet Absorbs 99.96% of Light that Touches it; How Would You Use It?

The possibilities for photography are endless. That's the thought that crossed our minds earlier today when we stumbled across Vantablack, the new 'darkest material on the planet.'

Created by UK-based Surrey NanoSystems, this nanotube material is designed to reflect back as little radiation as possible... and it's darn good at its job. According to Surrey, the material absorbs 99.96% of all the light that touches it.

Beautiful Portraits of Black Dogs Help these Oft-Overlooked Pets Find a Home

As the owner of an extremely cute rescue puppy from my local humane society, I can attest to how wonderful it is to be able to rescue a pet whose life was previously in danger for some reason or another.

However, it's not a happy ending for many of the dogs in shelters. To help with that, Massachusetts-based photographer Fred Levy has started the "Black Dogs Project," a series that focuses on capturing portraits of black dogs against a black background.