Walkthroughs

A DIY Remote Mechanical Cable Release for a Large Format Camera

I do mainly large format photography, and I often take my own self-portrait by using my pneumatic cable release that has a long cable and air bulb release. However, I have long been thinking about how to make a more modern kind of remote cable release. In this article, I will show how I created a DIY remote cable release.

The Intricate Work in Restoring Photos for a Vietnam Veteran

A while back, a young man contacted me about a photo digitization and restoration project for his grandfather, who served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. They had some photographs from this period in his life—of friends, scenery, and the culture of Vietnam—that they wanted to use for an album.

How I Photographed Comet Leonard Over Madrid

Last week saw the last few days to see and photograph Comet Leonard after sunset at the horizon where I am located in Spain, and when my fellow photographer Javier Martinez Moran asked me to join him in an attempt to catch the comet passing behind the iconic Four Towers of Madrid, I couldn’t say no!

Three landscape photos of Scotland

Landscape Photography in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland

Torridon, Glencoe, and the Isle of Skye have drawn landscape photographers and artists over the centuries. The highlands of Scotland are extensive and uninterruptedly breathtaking – a Big Country indeed. This is the internationally perceived face of Scotland – a meticulously sculpted land of peaks, glens, lakes, and shorelines. And rain or mist to make or break the scene dependent on your disposition.

A Composite Photo of the Longest Partial Lunar Eclipse of the Century

The longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years occurred this week, and photographers around the world did their best to capture the once-in-a-lifetime event on camera. Photographer Andrew McCarthy went the extra mile by staying up until 4am and capturing thousands of photos to create an incredible composite of the eclipse.

Photographing Wild Bears of Alaska at Tuxedni Bay

When the plane left, I’ll admit, there was a sense of aloneness that fell over us. As the buzz of the Bush Hawk faded slowly away, we were indeed isolated. I can’t speak for everyone individually but here, on the north bank of Tuxedni Bay, this is about as far as I’ve ever been from civilization.

How to Fix a Badly Lit Portrait in Adobe Lightroom

Don’t toss a photo just because the lighting isn’t the best. You may be able to bring it back alive in post-production. As photographers, we face countless different scenarios and it's nearly impossible to get the perfect shot 100% of the time.

Adapting a Huge Vintage Kodak Slide Projector Lens for Photography

Browsing through an antique shop, I stumbled upon a Kodak slide projector with a very peculiar attachment: a large lens. This particular lens caught my eye as it was an absolute behemoth. It was heavy and had “ISCO GERMANY” engraved into it.

Creating a Cyanotype Video for London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week takes place twice a year and is an event in which the biggest designers exhibit their upcoming collections to the world. Following my cyanotype-printed music video being exhibited on Piccadilly Circus as part of Dazed Circa 2021, I was contacted by DUST Magazine about covering one of the shows for London Fashion Week.

How to Make a DIY Photo Enlarger from an Afghan Box Camera

I previously shared how I converted my Afghan Box Camera into a slide projector. The principle of the slide projector involves putting a light source at the back whose light passes through some condenser lens. The light then goes through the slide, passes through the projector lens, and is projected at a larger size on the projector screen.

DIY Ultra-High-Res Digital Photos with a Large Format Camera

In 2014, I started my project Applied Metaphysics – Ground Truth on exemplary still life. The goal was to produce very large prints (2 to 9 square meters and more) at a high resolution so that people could look at them very closely.

A Closer Look: How I Created a 248MP Photo of the Sun

A big ball of light hovers above our heads everyday. It is always there and most people take very little time to notice it. While we are not suggesting that you spend time staring at it and going blind in the process, science has allowed us the ability to look directly at the sun in the safest ways.

A 3-Year Quest to Photograph a Bobcat and an Epic Camera Trap Shot

In September of 2018, I had already been dabbling with remote trail cameras for about six or seven years. I had captured trail cam images and video of just about all of the high-profile critters you’d be interested to capture in my part of the world: coyotes, foxes, bears, bobcats, and mountain lions.

What a ‘Normal’ Person Sees vs. What a Photographer Sees

Photographer Manny Ortiz loves finding perfect portrait situations in everyday places -- locations most people probably wouldn't think of using for a photo shoot. Here's a short video in which Ortiz compares how "normal" people see the world vs how photographers see it.

How to Do Top Back Lighting in Product Photography

I'm photographer Jay P. Morgan from The Slanted Lens, and in this article and 10-minute video, we’re going to talk about my favorite lighting when it comes to lighting any kind of product: top back light.

Why I Use Stacking Instead of an ND Filter for Long Exposure Photos

In this article, I'll share a technique that I learned many years ago and that I still use occasionally. You can use it for removing people from a scene, but in this case, I will be using it to mimic one of a neutral density (ND) filter's main purposes: longer exposure.

How to Get a Large Format Film Look with a Smartphone Camera

I recently shared about how I turned my Afghan Box Camera into a 4×5 slide projector. In this article, I'll share another idea based on the Afghan Box Camera: to make use of my humble mobile phone camera to create a large format look with the box camera and its lens.

Making a DIY Film Wigglegram Lens from 3 Disposable Cameras

I've got to admit that half of the reason I bought a film camera was to post cool-looking pictures on Instagram, so when I saw these things called "wigglegrams" on Instagram, I immediately wanted to make my own.

Photographer Shares Tips For Water Droplet Collision Shots

Photographing water droplet collisions can be tricky given that your subject vanishes in the blink of an eye. The process of setting up and revising a successful shoot strategy isn't easy, but one photographer has shared his best tips and techniques to help with that.

The Challenges and Thrills of Storm Chasing Photography

Two storm chasing photographers have shared a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into what it takes to get the perfect shot in unpredictable and often dangerous weather conditions. As you can see in the 13-minute video above, this type of photography is not for beginners or the faint-hearted.

A DIY Way to Fix Loose Rubber Rings on Camera Lenses

After purchasing Takumar 55mm f/1.8 lens years ago, I started building my collection of vintage lenses, and because I don’t like spending a lot of money on them, I became a frequent visitor of thrift stores, flea markets, and online auction sites.