Finds

People Who Post Selfies are Seen as Insecure & Less Likeable, Study Shows

File this under "well... obviously" news. A new study conducted by Washington State University psychologists and published in the Journal of Research in Personality shows that people who post a lot of selfies are perceived as less likeable, less successful, more insecure and less open to new experiences. Yikes.

This Rare 75mm f/1.9 Cinema Projector Lens is the King of Swirly Bokeh

YouTuber Mathieu Stern is a weird lens expert, but even he didn't realize the gem he'd uncovered when someone sold him an old cinema projector lens for 2 Euros at a flea market. It turns out this rare 75mm f/1.9 lens produces some of the most intense swirly bokeh Stern has ever seen.

Wedding Photographer Loses Photos in a Fire, Only Offers 90% Refund

If you lost all of your client's wedding photos in a house fire, would you give them a full refund? This question has been spreading across the Internet the past few days after a couple complained that their wedding photog only offered them a 90% refund after his house burned down, because of the time he already invested.

Model Horror Stories: The 10 Worst ‘Types’ of Models to Work With

Photographer Jordan Matter of Dancers Among Us fame has worked with hundreds of models over the course of his career. Recently, he teamed up with fashion model Natalia Taylor to "spill the tea on some of the craziest fashion models I've photographed" in a fun, tongue-in-cheek video.

This Guy Turned a Sony a7R III Into a Leica Q2

We've seen some unusual camera modding projects before, but this one is next level. Someone over in China took a $2,500 Sony a7R III, took it apart, and, through an insane amount of work, turned it into a $5,000 Leica Q2.

Watch a Shark Breach an Underwater Photographer’s Cage

A crazy video from 2016 is making the rounds again today after photographers started sharing it on social media. The video, which was captured three years ago off the coast of Mexico, shows the crazy moment when a Great White shark accidentally breached a diving cage... while the diver/photographer was still inside.

These Useful Charts Help You Avoid the Crowds at US National Parks

Designer and engineer Jordan Vincent has created a set of data visualizations (read: creative infographics) that landscape photographers might find invaluable. Using visitor data from all of the most popular US National Parks, he was able to plot attendance by type of lodging, time of year, and average temperature.

Do NOT Use this ‘Hack’ to Change Lenses on Your Nikon Z6 and Z7

A video has been making the rounds this week that shows a "hack" for locking down the shutter mechanism while changing lenses on Nikon's full-frame mirrorless Z6 and Z7 cameras. Basically, you remove the battery while the camera is on, causing an error, and change lenses after that. Do NOT do this.

I Found an Abandoned ‘Palace’ in the Desert, It’s Actually a Gameshow Set

While exploring the southern, lesser-known part of the Jordanian desert Wadi Rum, I notice a remarkable, palace-like structure sitting on a high, rocky cliff. The view reminded me of a scene from the classic Oscar-winning film Lawrence of Arabia. It just lacked camel caravans and people.

Pro Food Photographer Debunks Viral ‘Food Styling Hacks’

Those "food styling hacks" videos that go viral online every few months might not be entirely truthful—in fact, they're often entirely misleading. Which is why professional food photographer Scott Choucino put together this video reacting to/debunking some of the most common hacks he's seen online.

Is Noise in Photos Always Bad?

Is noise in photos always bad? It might seem like a rhetorical question with an obvious and universal answer: yes. But landscape photographer and YouTuber James Popsys begs to differ in an opinion video that will no doubt spark some debate.

Photography Newbies Try Using the $52,000 150MP Phase One XF IQ4

What happens when you put a $52,000, 150MP medium format monster of a camera into the hands of complete newbies? The folks at Gear Patrol wanted to find out. So they got some of the non-photographers on their staff to come in and try out the Phase One XF IQ4 before telling them just how expensive the camera really is.

Watch a Photoshop Pro Teach His Mom to Edit Photos

Photoshop expert and photo editing teacher Aaron Nace just took on his most inexperienced pupil yet: his mom. In a special episode of Phlearn, Aaron sat down with his mom to teach her how to edit some of his childhood photos in Photoshop. The result is both entertaining and, if you're a rote beginner like Mrs. Nace, a great intro to photo editing.

Photographer Uses Backyard Shed to Shoot Gorgeous Natural Light Portraits

Calgary-based portrait photographer and YouTuber Irene Rudnyk recently put together a photo shoot that's getting some well-deserved attention. Using just the shed in her backyard and the natural light pouring in, she was able to capture some gorgeous fashion portraits that imitate a popular in-studio lighting setup.

Will It Blend? Torture Testing Sony’s TOUGH SD Cards

Sony's TOUGH SD cards are extremely popular among photographers. But just how tough are they? Photographer and writer Steve Huff decided to put the latest iteration of these TOUGH cards through the ultimate battery of tests: freezer, washer, dryer, pool, and... just for fun... blender.

Lightroom Shootout: $6,700 iMac Pro vs $5,700 PC

Pye Jirsa over at SLR Lounge recently published a Mac vs PC comparison that answers an important question for photographers: which is better for Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, a powerful iMac Pro or an equivalent custom-built PC?

Scientist Captures Incredible 1,000fps Close-Up of Ants Injecting Venom

An ant's stinger is thinner than the width of a human hair, and made up of a main stinger and two "lancets" that actively drill into you as they release venom. We know this because of the incredible footage of this process that was recently captured for the very first time in super-slow motion.

Photographer Speaks Out About ‘The Dark Side of Modeling’

After the recent allegations of harassment and assault against celebrity photographer Marcus Hyde, fashion photographer Jessica Kobeissi decided to use her platform on YouTube to speak out against what she's calling "the dark side of modeling" and share some of the horrifying stories she's heard from models she works with.

Vintage 50mm Lens Shootout: Trying 10 Lenses Under $100

Andrew of husband and wife photography team Denae and Andrew recently partnered up with KEH to test out 10 of the best-selling vintage 50mm lenses on the used market. From old Nikon and Canon glass, to Minolta, Pentax and even a Contax lens, all of these can be had for under $100, and Andrew wanted to find out which of the 10 performed best.

This is How Scientists Colorize Hubble Photos of Deep Space

Every mind-blowing deep space photograph captured by the Hubble space telescope that you've ever seen started out black-and-white. So how do we get those amazing technicolor images of the Pillars of Creation or the Bubble Nebula? This short video explains how scientists manage this feat.

Camera Makers, Please Bring Back the Custom Focus Limiter

Back in the Sony SLT days, the company included an incredibly useful feature into the a99 Mark II called the Custom Focus Limiter. It allowed you to limit your autofocus to any distance range you wanted, and by golly, we wish it were still a thing.

5 of the Most Overused Landscape Photography Techniques

Landscape photographer and LUMIX Ambassador James Popsys has put together a video breaking down five of the most overused photography techniques in landscape photography. From long exposures of water, to sky replacement, he explains why he feels that each of these are either used badly, too often, or both.

Photo History: How Edward Weston Processed His Photos

Legendary photographer Edward Weston was one of the most influential photographers in American history, and in this short video, we get to go back in time, visit his home, and watch him process one of his negatives from start to finish.

How the Amazing Photos in the ‘I Spy’ Books Were Captured

Did you ever dive into an I Spy book as a kid? These photo books were filled with incredibly detailed images that showed tens, sometimes hundreds of objects in a single shot, and challenged children to find specific items within those pictures. And each illustration was captured using real objects by photographer Walter Wick.

High-Quality Binaural ASMR for Photographers

Capitalizing on the increasing popularity of the ASMR video movement, Jared Polin of Fro Knows Photo has created a high-quality, binaural ASMR video for all the photographers out there who really enjoy the sounds of the trade.

The 4 Worst Types of Photographers You Know

If you're looking for a quick laugh, Marc Newton over at The School of Photography put together a short video describing "the 4 worst types of photographers that you probably know or will definitely meet at some point."

Photography Challenge: Using a $3 TV Dinner to Capture 5-Star Food Photos

Photographer Taylor Jackson has started a new series on his YouTube channel called Photography Challenge, where he will (you guessed it) take on a different challenge every episode. And this week, he's been challenged to turn a $3 frozen TV dinner into professional food photography worthy of a 5-star restaurant.

I Found All of My Stolen Camera Gear in the Nearest Pawn Shop

Do you ever wake up in the morning and just know that there’s something amiss? On Saturday, June 22nd, I woke up with a knot in my stomach as I realized I had left my camera outside in my truck. I wasn’t positive I’d locked the doors.

This Entire Music Video Was Shot in One Take… Backwards

Rock/Americana artists Lake and Lyndale spent the past 4 months preparing for a very special music video shoot. Front woman Channing Marie learned the entire single "There's a Weight" backwards, so they could film the whole thing in one reverse take. Take that OK Go.

Shooting Video with a 100-Year-Old Kodak Vest Pocket Lens

A few weeks ago, we showed you how one photographer retrofitted a 100-year-old Kodak Vest Pocket lens onto his Canon DSLR to photograph the rodeo. Now, YouTuber Mathieu Stern has created a similar setup that allowed him to to capture some very unique video footage.

Amateur with Fuji GFX 50R Takes On Pro with Google Pixel 3

The folks over at popular tech channel Linus Tech Tips recently did something fun. They combined your standard Amateur vs Pro photography challenge with the Pro Gear vs Smartphone trope to answer a different kind of question: Can a rote amateur with an expensive camera beat a professional who's using only a smartphone?

Photographer Turns Huge Shipping Container into Working Camera

For three weeks earlier this year, if you visited Northernhay Gardens in Exeter, UK, you would have found one of the largest and most unusual cameras in the world. It's called the Container Camera, and the large-format-camera-and-darkroom-in-a-shipping-container was created by photographer and educator Brendan Barry.

Behind the Photos: Incredible Human-Sized Jellyfish Caught on Camera

This past weekend, just off the coast of Cornwall, UK, underwater cinematographer Dan Abbott and wildlife biologist Lizzie Daly captured what is being called the most viral wildlife story of the year: incredible footage of a rare human-sized jelly fish swimming alongside Daly in the murky deep.

Curious Monkey Tries Out Wildlife Photographer’s Camera

Danish biologist Mogens Trolle recently captured this charming video of a curious young monkey at the Tangkoko Nature Reserve in Sulawesi, Indonesia who decided to give wildlife photography. Or, at least, that's what it seems to be doing.

f/1.4 vs f/1.8: Can You Actually Tell the Difference?

Given how much more it costs to buy an f/1.4 prime compared to an f/1.8, beginners in particular often ask if the upgrade is worth it. Build quality and optical quality being equal, is the difference in light gathering capability and depth of field noticeable? Can you really tell?

Original Moon Landing Tapes Sold to Intern for $218 Could Sell for Millions

In 1976, NASA sold the original tapes of the Apollo 11 moon landing to then-intern Gary George by accident. The tapes were part of a set of 65 boxes of 2-inch videotapes that George bought for the whopping price of $217.77. Those same tapes are scheduled to be auctioned off through Sotheby's on July 20th with a starting bid of $700,000, and an expected worth of up to $2 Million.

Landscape Photographer: Why I Don’t Use Global Sliders in Lightroom

When you use Lightroom, do you edit globally or locally? Many (possibly most) people use the global editing sliders liberally when processing an image. But landscape photographer Thomas Heaton's most recent video makes a good case for using mostly local adjustments and leaving those global sliders alone.