Two Internet heavyweights took big measures today to put restrictions on the sexually explicit photos and videos being shared through their services. Google is banning public adult content entirely on its Blogger platform, while Reddit is now requiring that all explicit photos be posted with the consent of their subjects.
The world of photojournalism took a hit earlier this month when it was revealed that 20% of the finalists in the prestigious World Press Photo competition had been disqualified due to unethical edits. The National Press Photographers Association released a statement this past weekend calling for the disqualified photographers to share the edits that eliminated them from competition.
As books are easier to buy and borrow in digital forms, public libraries are evolving and experimenting with new ways to stay relevant. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has one awesome idea for how to do so: the main branch of the library in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, features a makerspace that provides free access to tools for creative people -- equipment that includes DSLRs and photo studio gear.
Last December, the art world balked when photographer Peter Lik announced the world's priciest sale of a photograph: a single black-and-white print titled "Phantom" for $6.5 million. Here's another fact that will drop your jaws: Lik has sold nearly half a billion dollars worth of photographic prints, which means he's possibly the best-selling fine-art photographer in history.
Boudoir photography, derived from the French word for "sulky," traditionally involves a woman posing for a suggestive series of tasteful photos in various states of undress. Over the past few years, however, a new trend has emerged. Called "dudeoir" photography, these shots involve men jumping into the frame to pose for sexy shots.
China is a country that's known to take the Olympics (the summer ones, at least) very seriously as the nation competes for a bigger presence on the world stage. Chinese gold medal winners become instant superstars and the role models for a generation of aspiring athletes.
Support is a funny thing.
Today marks the 25 year anniversary of Adobe Photoshop being launched and changing the way we see the world. Here's a look at how Photoshop started and how far it has come in the past two-and-a-half decades.
A small Florida-based photo editing tool business called Seasalt & Co. is causing some big controversy after announcing an upcoming Photoshop Action pack that many photographers are finding offensive. Titled "The Hanging Tree," the collection was touted with a dark promo image featuring a noose hanging from a tree.
The prestigious World Press Photo contest announced the winning photos of 2014 last week. In case you were curious, here's a look at the cameras that were used to capture the winning photographs.
A newly leaked document by the Federal Aviation Administration may offer a first look at upcoming regulations for drones, and the laws discussed appear to be somewhat favorable for photographers who fly camera drones.
When new smartphones are announced these days, the camera quality and specs are usually front and center. If you're wondering why manufacturers focus so much on mobile photography, check out the chart above: taking photos is the most used feature of smartphones alongside text messaging.
Danish photographer Mads Nissen has just been awarded World Press Photo of the Year 2014 for his photograph showing an intimate moment between a gay Russian couple. The selection was made after a whopping 20% of finalists were disqualified from the contest for altering their photos in a way that broke the post-processing rules.
Canon is apparently promoting its new 5DS DSLR with a pair of mugs that poke fun at Nikon. There's a big mug that has EOS 5DS printed across the front, while a smaller companion mug features the text "I AM SMALL" with the design used by Nikon's I AM ad campaigns.
Olympus has announced that popular drone manufacturer DJI is the latest company to join the Micro Four Thirds System standard. The news suggests that there may be MFT-system camera drones somewhere on the horizon.
After being started back in 2009 as a gift for Reddit users, Imgur has quickly become one of the Web's most dominant forces in image hosting. Yesterday marked the service's sixth year in existence, and to celebrate, Imgur has decided to phase out Pro subscriptions. The benefits of paid membership are now completely free for every user.
Google has acquired Odysee, an app by a small startup called Nimbuz Inc. that had been working on a smartphone software for backing up and sharing photos and videos. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Japan has confiscated the passport of a photographer who was planning to travel to Syria, saying that the move was necessary to protect the man's life. It is reportedly the first time the country's government has ever taken such action.
Last month we shared a news segment that explored the renaissance that appears to be happening in the world of analog photography. Now a new poll is backing that idea up with statistics.
Here's a 9-minute mini-documentary by the NPPA titled "The Value of Professional Photojournalism." It examines the current state of the photojournalism and the changing landscape of news imagery.
Here's a common complaint: "Why is wedding photography so expensive?" …
Want to see how the mirrorless camera war is going over in Japan? Here's a simple graph that will illuminate the situation. It was published recently by tech industry research company BCN, and shows how market share changed in Japan over the course of 2014.
Yesterday's front page of the New York Times featured a story about the snow that has been falling on the Northeastern United States. Accompanying the article and dominating a large portion of the page were 9 Instagram photos of the snow as snapped by Times readers.
Another sign of the times: the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards has announced that they will be launching an entirely new award today dedicated to mobile photography. Organizers say that the new award recognizes "how mobile photography has helped redefine the way in which photographers approach their art."
Sports Illustrated has laid off the last of its staff photographers. All six remaining photographers at the magazine were laid off yesterday due to economic circumstances and company restructuring.
China's CCTV is reporting that more and more couples in Asia are flocking to South Korea in order to have their engagement photos captured on the sets of Korean drama TV shows. These shoots can cost upwards of $4,000 -- at least four times more than the shoots would cost in other countries.
Stock photo service Dreamstime announced today that it has been selected as a "beta provider of stock photos for Google display ads." Through the agreement, Dreamstime contributors are initially paid roughly $2 per image for use in Google's ad network. Some photographers aren't too happy about the terms of the new arrangement.
Back in February 1962, well-known journalist (and hobbyist photographer) Hunter S. Thompson sent a letter to Pop Photo magazine about the value of "snapshooting" and not focusing too much on gear and the technical aspects of photography. His thoughts show that the landscape of the photo world half a century ago may not have been too different from what we see today.
Getting a free camera to use probably isn't a perk you look for when booking a vacation hotel, but that's what Marriott Hotels has begun to offer at a number of their locations. 17 of the chains hotels are now offering guests a complimentary GoPro HERO4 to use during their stay.
Stock photography giant Shutterstock announced today that it has agreed to acquire the UK-based press photo agency Rex Features for $33 million in a mostly cash deal.
It appears that the Nikon's response to the D750 flare issue is much more than an offer for a free repair. The camera is currently disappearing from stores, both online ones and brick-and-mortar ones, suggesting that some kind of recall or delay has been implemented while Nikon fixes the defect. [Update: We have confirmed that there is a recall.]
In late 2014, we reported that a gallery owner in Toronto named Stephen Bulger had purchased the entire collection of Vivian Maier negatives owned by Jeffrey Goldstein. The acquisition came at a time when legal challenges were threatening to derail the publication of Maier's now famous images.
Apple is getting into the smart watch business, but there's another market that may be in the company's crosshairs: action cameras. Apple was granted a patent for a wearable camera today, and the news caused GoPro's stock to tumble by around 12%.
Last week we shared some interesting data about the most popular cameras on Flickr over the course of 2014. Today Flickr released some new charts that offer an inside look at camera trends over the past couple of years.
Last week we reported that an Arizona realtor has become the first in the US to receive Federal Aviation Administration approval for using a drone for real estate images. Yesterday, CNN announced that it has also received a nod of approval from the FAA.
When it comes to filing and obtaining patents from the US government, no Japanese company is as active as Canon. For the 10th straight year, Canon has ranked 1st among all Japanese companies in terms of patents awarded. Its 4,055 patents from 2014 also ranks Canon 3rd overall among all companies.
The value of the Japanese yen has tumbled in recent months, and that could mean changes to where Japanese camera companies choose to manufacture their products. Canon is one company that is making changes in response to the changing economic landscape: it says it plans to bring more of its camera manufacturing back to Japan.
Yongnuo has taken another big step towards legitimacy as a third party brand for camera gear. The Chinese company's wares are now being carried by B&H, the largest non-chain camera store in the United States and one of the largest gear retailers in the world.
Fuji has generated a great deal of customer loyalty and satisfaction with its "Kaizen" ("change good") policy of frequent and significant firmware updates that beef up existing cameras with exciting new features. Nikon may soon follow suit.
VSCO may be trying to branch out from film emulation software and enter the business of photo books. The company has announced that it has acquired photo book printing startup Artifact Uprising.
Launched back in 2013, Unsplash is a site which posts ten handpicked photos every ten days and these photos are absolutely free. By “free” I don’t mean “free to download” — they’re free to use everywhere and in any way you want. Commercially and whatnot.
The Federal Aviation Administration is notoriously strict about the use of aerial camera drones for commercial purposes. Much of the commercial imagery you'll find online was captured "illegally" without the permission of the agency.
Polaroid has new ownership and fresh determination to make its well known brand great again. This week the company launched a couple of new products in two similar yet different markets: mobile printing and... dashcams.
"Film didn't die with Kodak's Chapter 11" bankruptcy filing in 2012, says the Financial Times. The British newspaper aired the 8-minute segment above that explores the renaissance that appears to be going on in the world of analog photography.
Kodak announced it would be jumping into the smartphone game late last year, and today the company did. The device is called the IM5 and is a stupidly simple Android device that is geared toward helping people snap, share, and print photos with minimal hassle.
During the glory days of film photography, Fujifilm ran one of its major production facilities in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The plant was founded in 1982 and became one of the biggest manufacturing sites for the company outside of Japan, with nearly 1,000 workers producing film (reportedly up to 200 million rolls per year), photo paper, and other imaging equipment.
The lifelogging camera market is starting to get crowded. One day after Narrative announced a new version of its wearable, always-snapping camera, a new challenger has emerged. It's called the SnapCam, and is made by a company called iON (better known for making home and action cameras).
Here's some news that flew under our radar late last year: in December 2014, a family in Minnesota became the majority owner of Polaroid through a $70 million deal.
What is the current state of the professional photography industry in the United States? Back in April 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released statistics about the photography profession from May 2013. The data offers an interesting look into where photographers are living and how much they're earning.
Polaroid wants to be a big player in the online photo sharing game. The company has partnered with Blipfoto to rebrand the photo-a-day sharing service as Polaroid Blipfoto.
