Industry

Happy 100th Birthday, Nikon!

Nikon turned 100 years old today. It's a huge milestone for a company that was born back on July 25th, 1917, as an optics company based in Tokyo, Japan. One century later, the company has become one of the world's dominant and beloved brands in photography.

UK to Require Drone Registration and Safety Tests

UK drone pilots have enjoyed some of the most relaxed regulations around the popular pastime, but now the government has proposed new regulations that will require all owners of drones over 250 grams (~8.8oz) to register their quadcopters, attend safety courses, and pass a safety test.

Why Camera Gear Costs What It Costs

In the last couple of weeks, my little brand, 3 Legged Thing, launched a brand new Universal L Bracket, the QR11. For the most part, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Dear Photography Workshop and Conference Organizers…

Dear photography workshop and conference organizers, we need to have a chat. There is a lot of nonsense going on in the workshop world, and it needs to stop. Taking someone’s money and promising that you can help their business is no joke, and it needs to be taken seriously!

Adobe Admits Lightroom is Slow, Says Speeding It Up Is Top Priority

If you're a photographer who's frustrated with Lightroom running slowly (even on a powerful computer), you're not alone -- it's a struggle shared by many, many people who use the program. But hope may be on the horizon. Adobe has just taken the rare step of publicly admitting Lightroom's performance issues and says fixing it is the company's top priority.

Why Photographers Fail

Recently there has been a spate of very sad, and ultimately defeatist articles decrying the “death of photography.” We have no shortage of examples. Seriously.

Want to Sell Stock Photos? Here’s a Comparison of Major Services

Up until just recently I always scoffed at selling my work as stock photography. Let's call it youthful arrogance. I always felt my work was worth more and should be used for more important purposes. The problem was I wasn't good at selling my work independently either.

Camera Drones May Soon Be Required to Have a Remote ID System

Ever since camera drones first became available to the average consumer, authorities across the world have had growing concerns about them. No-fly zones are being widely established, and regulations are becoming stricter to restrict when, where, and how the unmanned aircraft can fly. Now the FAA is looking into developing a system to identify drones from afar.

Photobucket Just Broke Billions of Photos Across the Web

Since 2003, the popular photo hosting service Photobucket has been letting users upload and host images for free on their servers. They have over 10 billion images stored by 100 million registered users. But now they're going to start charging, and that means billions of images around the Web are now broken.

R.I.P., Richard Benson: Photographer, Printer, and Educator

I think the first time I actually met Richard "Chip" Benson was at Wellesley College in the 80s. It was at an opening reception and Chip and Lee Friedlander were being honored as they had both just received MacArthur grants. I knew the Bensons were from Newport, RI and were friends of my sister and brother-in-law Marc Harrison, an industrial designer and chair of the ID Department at RISD.

Brooklyn Beckham’s New Photo Book is Getting Slammed

Brooklyn Beckham, the son of soccer star David Beckham, caused a stir in the photo industry a couple of years ago when he jumped in and shot a campaign for Burberry -- industry veterans reportedly called the hiring "sheer nepotism" and a "devaluation of photography." Now the 18-year-old is set to release his first photo book later this week, and this new endeavor is getting slammed as well.

R.I.P. Lexar Memory Cards

If you're a fan of using Lexar memory cards in your cameras, there's some sad news for you today: they're being discontinued. Micron, the parent company of Lexar, is announcing that the entire Lexar removable storage retail business is being shuttered.

Affinity May Be Building a Lightroom Competitor

Back in 2015, we saw the launch of Affinity Photo, a sleek, lightweight, and powerful alternative to Adobe Photoshop for doing professional edits on photos. Originally released for Mac, it launched for Windows at the end of 2016. Now it seems like there's more big news on the horizon: a possible Lightroom competitor.

PSA: No, Blockchain Doesn’t Replace Copyright Registration

If you’ve heard of Bitcoin, then you’re peripherally familiar with blockchain. Blockchain is a distributed database technology that creates a public ledger of every transaction within the system – perfect for cryptocurrencies that lack a central issuing bank.

This is How Smartphone Cameras Have Improved Over Time

I was curious about how resolution (megapixels), aperture sizes, and sensor sizes have improved on smartphones over time. With the advent of phones with two back cameras with different focal lengths, like the iPhone 7, LG G6 and ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom, I also wanted to look at how the number of camera modules on a device has increased.

Magnum Photos Receives First Outside Investment in Its 70 Year History

Magnum Photos, one of the most prestigious photographic agencies in the world, is celebrating a storied 70-year history this year, but it is a history that has not been without financial trouble. The agency has recently announced that they will be taking outside investment for the first time to help them grow and innovate in the digital age.

Instagram to Clearly Label Sponsored Photos with Product Placements

When Facebook took over Instagram, it was clear it would adopt the same changes seen in Facebook news feeds that are known so well. Algorithms push certain stories higher in feeds, rather than displaying them in chronological order. Now, sponsored posts will be clearly labelled in a bid to out paid product placement on the platform.

Best Buy to Let You Rent Camera Gear Before You Buy It

Best Buy already does price matching with Amazon, but it'll soon be launching another weapon in its fight against the giant online retailer: a try-before-you-buy program for electronics. For photographers, this will mean you'll have the opportunity to rent camera equipment before you buy it.