Three weeks ago, I purchased off of eBay a “junk” Minolta MC Rokkor-PG 58mm f/1.2 lens. I had read so many good things about this particular lens in Minolta’s history that I really wanted to get one for my ever-growing collection. A fully-functioning, good condition one will run anywhere between $450-$700. The listing for the one that I bid on stated, “For parts.” …
After hearing that a hundred-year-old building was soon to be demolished in downtown Vancouver, artist Joel Nicholas Peterson had an idea: why not give the building one last hurrah by turning it into one of the world's largest "disposable" cameras? …
A couple in Chicago recently posed for an adorable engagement photo shoot in which they recreated the opening love scene from the 1961 Disney movie "101 Dalmatians."
Back in July, Polish landscape photographer Jakub Polomski spent two weeks traveling around Iceland and shooting aerial photographs with his DJI Phantom 3 Advanced camera drone. The resulting photographs are gorgeous.
A client named Nick recently approached me as he was finishing his degree, wanting his portrait taken to commemorate the event. With his references, wardrobe, and location, I saw an opportunity to replicate some of the lighting I had seen in Spielberg's Lincoln. As a period film set in the mid 1800s, light "sources" were limited to daylight, moonlight, or oil lamps and candles. My hope was to capture the magic of cinematographer Janusz Kaminski's lighting, while also adapting it for the purpose …
When photographer Liisa Luts got married back on August 28th, she did something rather unusual: she decided to be the official photographer at her own wedding.
18 months ago, 22-year-old photographer Rob Bahou started shooting a series of portraits focused on the two animals we know best: dogs and cats. His goal with the project is to show how expressive the faces of our beloved pets can be, treating the subject matter with respect and not focusing on breed, behavior, or funny moments. What resulted is a gorgeous and heart-warming project titled Animal Soul.
Canadian photographer and photo-manipulator Renee Robyn has had an unusual career journey -- one that started with a devastating motorcycle crash. After getting knocked off her bike and run over by a vehicle, she spent 5 days in the hospital and the next 6 months learning how to walk again.
Among professional photographers, Instagram can be a bit of a black sheep; however, those holding this belief may want to rethink their stance. We have spoken to numerous photographs who have gotten paid work through Instagram, and now, Getty Images has awarded three photographers $10,000 in grants to further their work.
YouTube star Ryan Higa recently decided to parody the popularity of “hover boards” that have been flooding the consumer market. In the creative "infomercial" and stop-motion video above, he throws aside an expensive ‘FloBoard’ to find more fun with the cardboard box itself.
As the new NFL season is getting underway, Sports Shooter Academy has posted a short and inspiring talk by Seattle Seahawks team photographer Rod Mar titled “Football And Photography.” Mar speaks about how he utilizes the coaching philosophies of head coach Pete Carroll to enhance his own photographs. The inspirational talk showcases the confidence and determination needed to pull through as a professional photographer in today’s world.
Back in 2013, five friends in Arizona decided to capture some photos and video from the edge of space by sending a GoPro up on a weather balloon. The camera made it to 98,000 feet, but the guys lost track of it after it landed out of cell phone tower range. All seemed lost, and the team spent months wondering if they'd ever find the camera.
While sitting in a hotel bar several months ago, photographer Ian Kasnoff came up with the idea of turning his small box trailer into a working ultra-large format camera. After some cocktail napkin sketches, the idea for Kasnoff's TrailerCam was born.
Dear friend, …
New York City is one of the most photographed cities in the world, so you'll need to think outside the box to capture the city from a fresh perspective. That's what photographer Diego Acosta has done through his project titled Stroller. By placing a camera inside his son's stroller, he documented what the Big Apple looks like from a toddler's point of view.
If you want to get a deeper insight into street photography and take better photos, I feel it is very important to study the work of the street photographers who came before us and paved the way for the rest of us. Not only that, but reading the quotes and words by these influential street photographers is a great way to train your mind to take better photos as well.
So an image of mine (@lightbrekkie) appears to be doing the rounds lately on Instagram and you may have seen it.
Here's a gorgeous 3-minute infrared short film titled "Nostalgia." The project was an attempt at creating "the world's most beautiful drone video" by experimenting with new ways to capture images with a drone.
Photographer Jonathan Diaz is using his imagination and portrait photography skills for a good cause. He's the founder of Anything Can Be, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based non-profit that's working to inspire hope in young cancer patients by bringing their dreams to life with photos.
You know those brilliant colors that appear when the sun is just rising or setting? While you may be lucky to see those colors for minutes in most parts of the world, in Iceland they can last for hours. Los Angeles-based photographer Henry Jun Wah Lee spent two weeks in Iceland from late June through early July, when the sun sets after midnight. He was able to capture some remarkable views of Iceland's landscapes glowing under the midnight sun.
Every year, Crankworx Whistler hosts a Deep Summer Photo Challenge that pits six elite mountain biking photographers against each other. The shooters have three days to put together the best and most epic slideshow they can, and the results are judged by a panel of judges, the audience at the event, and online voters. Two photographers each walk away from Whistler, British Columbia, with a $3,500 prize.
What happens when you combine the art of light painting with fifty Olympus OM-D E-M10 mirrorless cameras? The team at ZOLAQ in Germany wanted to know just that. Teaming up with Olympus and design agency ‘Bird Like’, the team created the 2-minute video above, titled ‘Bullet Time’.
My name is Luka Gorjup, and I'm a 29-year-old photographer who was born and raised in Ljubljana, Slovenia -- you know, that tiny beautiful country in Central Europe that many mistake for Slovakia? …
The latest Superman movie Man of Steel had an estimated budget of $225 million. Camera drone owner and retoucher Barry Craig’s latest Superman short film cost quite a bit less. For a bit of fun, Craig attached a superman action figure to a DJI Phantom 3 drone and took it for a spin over Victoria Park in London. Turn up your speakers to hear a bit of the official Superman soundtrack and enjoy thirty seconds of pure joy. Maybe this will hold us over until DC Universe releases the next feature …
While shooting a recent series titled American Made, Los Angeles-based lifestyle and advertising photographer Caleb Kuhl needed a dusty scene, so he had someone drive an SUV around to serve as a DIY smoke machine. Above is a 2-minute behind-the-scenes video of the shoot.
Last weekend I went to the small city of Ballarat in Australia for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. I took a portfolio of prints of my most recent project with me in the hope I would get some nudges in the right direction. I also took part in a one-day workshop led by the very experienced and inspirational Stephen Dupont. While it’s still fresh in my mind, here is what I learned from the experience.
UK-based photographer Jamie Brightmore tells us that he has been working on a new style of filmmaking: a "a bird's-eye aerial timelapse cinematography technique" that he calls the Satlapse. The 1-minute video above shows some sample Satlapse clips.
Photographer Tanya Musgrave shoots weddings professionally, but she also dabbles with photo manipulation on the side as a hobby. A groom she worked with recently asked her to do a special Star Wars photo based on the Battle of Hoth seen in The Empire Strikes Back. So, Musgrave shot a special photo on the way of the ceremony and then did the rest of the magic in Photoshop.
FrontYardVideo pointed a camera at a caterpillar and captured this beautiful time-lapse video of its metamorphosis. We see it feeding, turning into a chrysalis, and emerging as a monarch butterfly after about two weeks.
There was a time when I guess you could have called me a wedding photographer. Although at that point you could have really called me an ‘anything’ photographer. It was early in my career. At that point in time I would have photographed a cat eating belly button lint if someone had paid me to do so.
The team at Uncage the Soul Productions followed 23 high school students around as they spent a week at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry’s Astronomy Camp. The event was held during the 2015 Perseids Meteor shower and videographers were able to capture the reactions of students as they witnessed the beauty of space through their own eyes and, of course, a couple of DSLRs.
“What single moment defines a skydiver?” This is the question I kept asking myself as I prepared to photograph Sarah. At the time of this shoot, I only had a few tandem jumps (attached to an instructor.) But still, that "moment" -- for me at least -- had always been getting in the door before a jump. You can put the gear on, you can ride the plane up, but getting to the door is where you really have to face yourself. And so it was this moment that I chose for our shoot: at the door, arms …
Cafe Art is a UK-based initiative that aims to connect the homeless with their wider community through art and photography. The project was founded in 2012, and since then they've hung up artwork in more than 20 cafes across London.
Earlier this year, Czech Republic-based street photographer Rishabh Kaul was hired to document the Podoli Public Swimming Pool in Prague. Over the course of two months, that single swimming pool became the focus of Kaul's camera as he applied his keen eye for framing and storytelling.
Have you ever looked at a piece of artwork -- a photo, for example -- and had the thought “I could do that”? PBS's The Art Assignment takes a closer look at the statement to explore a few questions it raises.
Professional free runner Jason Paul recently teamed up with Red Bull to create this wild optical illusion video that you have to see to believe -- or not. The video’s description says that “Life as a free runner means the world is your playground… or is it just one big illusion?” It's a mind-bending visual experience that will have your brain questioning reality.
Photography is an art; by looking upon past examples, we can not only learn to improve our own technique, but also to study and appreciate times before ours. However, with the first photograph taken almost two-hundred years ago, it can be difficult to find a place to start. Enter, The Red List: a website with over 100,000 images that continues to cull the world of photography to find the very best images.
CBS Evening News just aired this short segment on the work of photographer Rick Guidotti, who has spent years shooting portraits of people with genetic conditions for his non-profit, Positive Exposure. As we first shared back in 2013, Guidotti is using his background as a major fashion photographer to change the way people see and think about beauty.
Last month, we shared a glimpse into the intense gym workouts of renowned adventure photographer Jimmy Chin, who constantly trains his body for his next extreme shoot when he's between assignments. If you'd like to see what those workouts are for, check out this new 5-minute feature by VICE Sports.
If you'd like to experiment with some do-it-yourself photography hacks and tricks, check out this new video by DigitalRev. Over the course of 10 minutes, Kai shares 10 different cheap and simple hacks you can do with ordinary things you'll find lying around your house.
Photographer Elisha Minnette recently accompanied her friends Matt and Abby on a trip to pick up their new puppy from Groodle breeder. On the way home, they came up with a strange idea: why not announce their new puppy to the world with a newborn baby-style photo shoot?
When protests and riots erupted in Baltimore earlier this year after the death of Freddie Gray, 27-year-old photographer Devin Allen began capturing remarkable photos from ground level, giving the world a look at the events through his eyes. Amidst the powerful stream of images he shared on Instagram was one particularly iconic shot of a protestor running from a crowd of police officers -- a photo that soon appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.
Fine art photographer Kylli Sparre spent years training to become a professional ballet dancer. After realizing that dance wasn't what she wanted to pursue as a career, Sparre picked up a camera, found that it was the perfect tool for channeling her creativity, and "never looked back." …
Photographer Pontus Lindström made this 4-minute point-of-view video that shows how he photographed the Swedish royal wedding between Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia back on June 13th, 2015. We see how he hustles around to various locations along the parade route in order to capture special moments during celebrated event. If you get motion sick easily, beware: Lindström moves around quite a bit.
Helsinki, Finland-based photographer Lauri Laukkanen was recently hired to shoot the official poster for the 2015 Helsinki International Film Festival, which had the theme "Love & Anarchy." …
Hyperlapse artist Vadim Tereshchenko spent the past two years working on an ambitious project that showcases the beauty of Los Angeles. The fruit of his labor is the 2-minute video above, an eye-popping journey through the City of Angels.
When photographing Czech aerobatics and fighter pilot Martin Šonka recently, photographer Dan Vojtěch wanted to capture the plane in a different light than other photographers have done in the past. He then decided that he would shoot the plane in motion, but light it like he would a studio photo using flashes firing around it.
Here's a daily dose of cuteness: this 3-minute behind-the-scenes video shows how Long Island-based photographer Faryl Loew goes about shooting portraits of newborns and their parents. We see how Loew gently handles and soothes the infants to capture happy and relaxed expressions on their tiny faces. You can find a gallery of her newborn photos here.
This past weekend, New York-based photographer Brian Maffitt set up an angled mirror underneath his bird feeder and photographed hummingbirds for a few hours. Afterward, he combined a large number of the photos into this single, surreal composite photo showing ruby-throated hummingbirds swarming.
Wet plate collodion photographer Alex Timmermans recently shot a new photo titled "Swan Lake" for his surreal Story Telling project. Here's a look at how the image was made.
