This Photo Series Puts a Woman and Her Giant Yellow Balloon in Bangkok

All images by Julia Marie Werner and Manuel Wagner. Used with Creative Commons permission.

Ah, Bangkok. Just like any other major Southeast Asian city, Bangkok is bustling, often crowded and noisy, and filled with sights you can’t see anywhere else: floating markets, temples, street food carts at every turn, tuk tuks, and a whole lot more.

Who knew that this city would serve as the perfect backdrop for an editorial-esque shoot? Big Yellow Balloon in Bangkok, a personal collaboration between photographer Julia Marie Werner and Manuel Wagner of Wagnerchic Postproduction & Retouching, puts the Thai capital under a new light as it features a girl in baby blue athleisure wear exploring the city’s streets with a, well, big yellow balloon in tow.

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Franck Bohbot Documents the Character of Indie Bookstores and Their Booksellers

All images by Franck Bohbot. Used with Creative Commons permission.

In our previous features, we’ve seen New York-based photographer and filmmaker Franck Bohbot capture the beauty of New Orleans at night, and dreamy winter scenes in the Big Apple. Today, we showcase yet another of his interesting photography projects; a portrait project that aims not only to introduce us to New York City’s indie booksellers, but also show us the character of the bookstores themselves.

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I’m a Photographer Who Took a Year Off of Instagram; My Business Didn’t Suffer

Today’s reality for photographers on social media, revolving around immediate reward and recognition, might fool you into thinking that your primary challenge is attention.

It’s a trap, don’t fall for it. The world of digital noise makes it easy to lose focus and blur your vision. It was never so tempting to mistake publicity for value. Facebook and Instagram do not care about your photography when they set or change rules. As useful and important as these platforms are, their sole purpose is a purely commercial operation specifically designed to make you come back as often as possible to spend more time there. I did not fall in love with photography to satisfy an algorithm whose primary purpose is to create more advertising revenue. I am the owner of the process and the purpose.

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Cheap Photo: Save $1570 on the 50.6MP Canon 5DSR and Hundreds on Lenses

We know you love finding cheap cameras and gear, so do we, that’s why Cheap Photo exists.

Whether you are looking for cheap cameras, or deals on other photography related gear and accessories we have you covered. We search the web looking for the biggest savings, and then we put everything we find into one place.

We have found some amazing cheap cameras, lenses and accessories for you. If you have been looking for a high resolution DSLR you can save $1,570 on the impressive Canon 5DSR, or if you have been wanting to jump into the Mirrorless world you can save $500.95 on the Fuji X-T2 which is on sale for $1,099. If it’s a telephoto lens you are after you can save big on the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 which offers a savings of $300. Check out the all the deals below and save money on all the gear you want.

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What the Canon EOS R Needs Via Firmware Updates

The Canon EOS R isn’t all that bad of a camera; but like the iconic Canon 5D Mk II before it, I hope that Canon gives it a lot of firmware updates.

Let’s be frank here, one of the only ways that the Canon EOS R will really truly survive beyond the glorious lens selection with this much competition is through constant support of the camera. Look at Fujifilm–you can purchase a Fujifilm X-T2 and at the end of the camera’s life cycle you can feel like you’ve got a brand new camera due to how Fujifilm treats their customers. Canon hasn’t always had this same mentality and so it’s time to embrace it even more. After using the Canon EOS R for an extended amount of time, I really think that it’s going to need a few updates via firmware to get folks moved away from other systems.

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Inside the Photographer’s Mind: Dance Photographer Omar Z Robles

Dance photographer Omar Z Robles has been shooting for the better part of 15 years now; and he’s earned quite a bit of fame from it.

In our most recent episode of Inside the Photographer’s Mind (hosted at Adorama) we interviewed Omar Z Robles about his journey as a dance photographer over the years. Omar first started out as a mime and then went back to school to rediscover himself. He found photography and got into shooting street photography. Over time, it turned into working with dancers on the streets to create a type of image that has become iconic on Instagram over and over again. While Omar feels like he still does some sort of documentary process with his work, he feels like he is a creative director of the most part.

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These BTS Photos Show How Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” Was Made

All images by Ray Lewis. Used with Creative Commons permission.

Wes Anderson’s stop-motion masterpiece Isle of Dogs was among this year’s most anticipated and well-received films, primarily for the painstaking work and the incredible level of detail involved. London-based photographer, animator, and filmmaker Ray Lewis showed us exactly how intricate everything is — from the sets, making of the puppets, and animations — in a fascinating collection of behind the scenes photos and videos.

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Photography Accessories Every Landscape Photographer Needs This Fall

Cameras and lenses get all the attention, but photography accessories do a lot of the heavy lifting for us.

We all like to talk about cameras and lenses, but photography accessories, and all the incredible things we can do with them get little praise or attention. This Fall, before you head out on the trails make sure you have accessories that are up to the task of helping you get the most out of your photography.

Photography accessories play such an important role in our day to day lives as photographers, but we rarely give them as much attention as the latest and greatest cameras, or new glass that hits the market. Every day we use tripods, bags, filters, and flashes yet we rarely think about the impact they have on our images. This Fall before you hit the trails, before you take those images of tress with the gorgeous orange, red and yellow leaves, think about the accessories you do or don’t have. In this article we will look at the essential photography accessories you need this Fall so you can capture your most stunning images yet.

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Nils Leithold Takes Moody, Cinematic Images of the Alps

All images by Nils Leithold. Used with permission.

The Alps are a majestic sight at any given time of the year but as this photo series by geographer and landscape photographer Nils Leithold would show, they look especially magical during winter. The Alps – Part III, so named simply because it’s the third of the Hannover, Germany-based photographer’s three-part series showcasing the German Alps, features scenes from the part of the Alps near Berchtesgaden in winter. With all the fog and snow dominating the landscape, combined with a somber color palette, the cinematic pictures give off a quiet and surreal vibe. Just looking at them would make you feel almost as if you had stepped into a different world.

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Review: Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD (Canon EF)

Using the Tamron 100-400mm f4.5-6.3 Di VC USD is nice, but I’ve seen and used better.

When the Tamron 100-400mm f4.5-6.3 Di VC USD is mounted to something like the Canon 6D Mk II, the hobbyist photographer is bound to get a great lens for capturing wildlife. Tamron’s record for creating stellar lenses over the years continues in many ways with the Tamron 100-400mm f4.5-6.3 Di VC USD, but it also still isn’t a perfect lens. There are a lot of wonderful things about it though such as the weather sealing, relatively light weight of the lens, smallish size when it comes to being stuffed into your camera bag, and of course the image quality. But to be honest, I’ve seen and used better lenses.

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Rebeca Camino Reimagines Futuristic Fashion Portraiture in Ethereal “Vacuum”

All images by Rebeca Camino. Used with Creative Commons permission.

When we speak of futuristic fashion portraiture, we typically expect it to be dominated by neon colors and/or space-themed elements. The moody works of Alexander Berdin-Lazursky and Elizaveta Porodina’s Neon Night are perfect examples. Once in a while, however, we come across some works that challenge this tried and tested formula, often with stunning results. It can be as stylized as Colin Anderson’s stylish Mission to Mars, or as simple yet ethereal as Vacuum by Rebeca Camino.

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Camera Bag Review: Tenba Cooper DSLR Backpack

The Tenba Cooper DSLR Backpack is fantastic, but I wish they developed a version for the working travel photographer.

Perhaps products that I spend the most time on for reviews here at the Phoblographer could be camera bags. In fact, I spent two months reviewing the Tenba Cooper DSLR Backpack before I decided to sit at my desk and pen this review. The Tenba Cooper Slim messenger bag was well loved by us, but what they were severely lacking was a backpack style of camera bag. Having admittedly seen the prototype of this a few years ago under non-disclosure, I was quite surprised with how the final version of the Tenba Cooper Backpack DSLR edition turned out. The final bag is one designed for city photographers who have a bit more time to churn out their images. It won’t accommodate a 13 or 15 inch laptop. Instead, it barely fits an iPad Air 2. Instead, it’s more specifically designed to hold your gear and any other necessities that you need while out and about.

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CatLABS of JP Won’t Be Making Pack Film Happen Anymore; But Wait…

The latest update from CatLABS of JP on making pack film isn’t one we wanted to hear. 

For those who have been following the journey of CatLABS of JP to bringing back pack film, sadly, it has all come to an end. Two years after vowing to recreate a sustainable and viable production of pack film, the Boston-based darkroom resources and service provider has announced that they’re no longer pushing through with the project.

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Really Nice Images Brings All Films 4 – PRO to Capture One

Photographers using Capture One finally now have Really Nice Images’ most film-like simulations at their creative disposal.

After nine months of development and preparations, Really Nice Images has finally made the All Films 4 – PRO available to Phase One Capture One users. The release of this new version of RNI’s flagship film-simulating package is a pretty big news, allowing many discerning and dedicated photographers on Capture One can now tinker around with the closest film simulation there is to the real deal.

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Nathan Wirth Used an Infrared Sony a7r to Get These Spooky Redwood Photos

Among Giants is the latest series by surreal landscape photographer Nathan Wirth.

Maybe I’ve been watching too many horror movies, but if you look at Nathan Wirth’s latest series Among Giants just the right way it can appeal super spooky. The series is a number of infrared photos shot of some of the giant redwood trees here in the US. The addition of the infrared nature to the images makes them look eerie, ethereal and at the same time gives off a haunting beauty to them. We got to ask Nathan a bit about the new series.

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The 4 Best Weather Sealed Prime Lenses for the Sony FE System Under $1,000

With the weather sometimes being very unpredictable, these weather sealed prime lenses could be your best bet.

You’re out shooting some photos on a photowalk, having fun, and suddenly a downpour starts. It’s happened to both the best and the worst of us. Luckily, if you’re a Sony FE camera owner then you can rest assured knowing that your camera will most likely be able to withstand the abuse. But then you have to worry about your lens. Is it splashproof? Would you trust it while you’re out photowalking or even when you’re on a set or a gig where the rain suddenly starts coming down? Well, we went through our Sony FE Lens Guide and rounded up some of our favorite lenses.

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The Infagram Camera Reveals the ‘Secret Life of Plants’ with Infrared

Now here’s one nifty camera geared specifically towards people with green thumbs. 

Today’s find is for those with green thumbs: Infagram, which is “a simple, affordable near-infrared camera produced by the Public Laboratory community in a series of collaborative experiments over the last few years.”

Infrared photography has been around for a long time. While it’s more popular nowadays for delivering surreal, otherworldly results, it’s also particularly useful with agricultural and ecological assessments usually done by larger entities such as vineyards, large farms, and even the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

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If The Fujifilm GFX 50R is Real, It Needs These Features

The reports of the new Fujifilm GFX 50R are making photographers carefully consider their next purchase.

One of the most exciting announcements that could be coming at Photokina 2018 is that of a brand new Fujifilm GFX 50R. This camera is slated to be the most affordable digital medium format camera on the market thus far. For those of us who have been looking at medium format as a serious option, it could be a major entry point. Years ago Pentax tried to do this with their Pentax 645 system and arguably weren’t able to capture the market due to pricing being akin to those of Canon 1D and Nikon D5 levels. But the new Fujifilm GFX 50R is reported to be even more affordable–nearly on the level of Sony’s a7r III and a few other cameras on the market.

If it is indeed real (and at this point we genuinely have no idea) then we hope that it has these features built in.

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Cheap Photo: Save Over $500 on the Incredible Fujifilm X-T2

Cameras, lenses and accesories can be incredibly expensive; fortunately there are always photography deals to be found.

Cheap Photo is our attempt to find and present to you the best photography deals on gear and accessories. Whether you are looking for a new camera, new lenses, more memory, or accessories we have you covered.

Saving money is always a great thing. Saving money by finding photography deals on awesome equipment is even better. Looking for a new Mirrorless camera? We have found a deal that will save you over $500 on the outstanding Fujifilm X-T2. Do you still prefer DSLR’s? If so, now might be the time to grab the incredibly versatile Nikon D500 for just $1,329. That deal represents a savings of $570.95. If you are looking for deals on memory cards and accessories, or if you are looking to buy yourself, or a loved one a new camera, you’ve come to the right place. Scroll through the list to see all of the photography deals we have found.

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How to Think in Black and White When Shooting Street Photography

In a world rich in colour and vibrancy, it’s time to think a little more black and white.

The modern world is spoiled for choice when it comes to cameras, gadgets, and editing tools that bring out the beautiful colours in your photographs. I just got the Fuji XT2 and I’m learning all about those famously addictive ‘Fuji Colours’. But even in modern times, there is still a demand for that classic black and white look.

If you’re thinking of taking the colour out of your work, here are some tips on how to think in black and white when shooting street photography.

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