Film Photographers: Here’s Some Help with Shooting Double Exposures

In-camera double exposures are easy-peasy when shooting with film cameras

Feeling stuck in a dry spell with your creative projects? Time to shake things up and pick up a film camera. Whether you’re doing it for the first time ever or first time in a long time, the constraints of film will definitely get you thinking about your photos and squeeze creativity out of you. One of the ways film photographers (then and especially now) get creative is by doing double exposures — in camera. We’ve got some pretty interesting examples that will get you curious to try it out yourself!

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Essentials: Recommendations for the Mirrorless Camera Portrait Photographer

Curious about what we recommend for portrait photographers these days? Have a look!  

Portrait photography is often the reason many people initially get into photography; taking portraits of their children or family, or simply just having an interest in capturing images of people. But regardless of the reason behind it, this has led to some serious information overload with all things related to portrait photography. You can find gear recommendations down to the brand and the portrait style niche. This is a blessing and a curse.

What if you are just interested in general portraiture and you want to get started with a decent kit that will be able to do various styles and forms of portraiture well? Look no further! Today we are sharing some of our favorite gear for general portraiture. We’ve got you covered with two lenses, two cameras, two bags, two lights, and two modifiers to get your kit started off right! Continue reading…

The Intrepid 4×5 Mk 3 Large Format Camera Gets a Minor Update

We’re super excited that the Intrepid 4×5 Mk 3 camera is alive and kicking!

A few years ago, the Intrepid 4×5 camera went to Kickstarter to get crowdfunded. Now, the camera is in its third version and the company is still preaching the idea of high quality at a fraction of the price of other cameras. According to the press release, the new Intrepid Mk3 “…sees the addition of leaf springs to securely hold the ground glass/film holders, rear standard tilt and swing and a much larger baseplate for use with all tripod mounts (1/4 and 3/8).” Though that sounds minor, it adds a whole lot more in terms of the durability and lifespan of the camera. Of course you still need to use your own lenses, tripods, etc. But you’re getting the body frame, the ground glass, the bellows, etc. More tech specs are after the jump.
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Are You Now Watching Your Favorite Photographers and Creatives on IGTV?

Now that Instagram has launched IGTV, will it be a more popular platform for everyone to watch their favorite creatives than YouTube channels?

With the recent launch of IGTV, Instagram is gearing itself up to be more than just a platform for sharing and checking out visual content. While IGTV is a separate app that you can watch — as its name suggests — like your usual TV, you can also watch videos from the content creators you follow within the Instagram app. Could this mean that we may all eventually move from YouTube channels to IGTV channels to watch our favorite photographers share their tips and tricks?

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Useful Photography Tip #184: How to Find the ISO Button of Most Cameras in the Dark

Want more Useful Photography Tips? Click here.

You’re in a bind; you’re in a dark place and you’re trying to find the ISO button on your camera. What do you do? Some folks end up pressing buttons until they get to exactly what they want. But if you’ve got a camera with a dedicated ISO button, then you’re a bit more in luck. For some time now, camera companies have made their buttons have a little bulging dot on top of their ISO buttons. So when you’re in the dark, you’ll be able to feel for exactly what you need. Canon and Nikon have both done this for years and on the newer Panasonic GH5s, the ISO button has perforations on it while the white balance button is more rounded out. Once the photographer knows what button does what, they’ll be all set to shoot.

If you have a camera with buttons that are programmable, you’re not in as much luck. Or if you’ve got a camera with a dedicated ISO dial, you’ll need to look at the screen or the dial itself. But in these cases, the function buttons can help if you set them up in a specific way that you’ll understand.

Backyard Bird Photography with a Super-Telephoto Zoom

This is a syndicated blog post from Digital Photo Magazine. It is being republished here with permission.

I don’t know much about birds, but I know lots of them inhabit my yard. I hear a woodpecker on occasion, and I can identify a blue jay and a cardinal when I see them, but that’s about the limit of my avian expertise. So, when I rented a super-telephoto zoom lens to get a better glimpse of the birds in my backyard, I was amazed by the world of detail it opened up to me. Who knew the basic beige birds I glimpsed from a distance were actually beautiful and nuanced with heretofore-unseen patterns and colors in their feathers. No matter where you live, here are some tips for photographing birds with a super-telephoto zoom in your own backyard.

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The pixl-latr is a Nifty Tool for Digitizing Films and Transparencies with Ease

The nifty pixl-latr is finally out to make digitizing film negatives and transparencies using a digital camera or smartphone a lot easier

Film photographers, especially those who develop their own films at home, know all too well the struggles of digitizing their negatives without a film scanner. That’s why when Hamish Gill announced that he’s developing a tool he called pixl-latr, everyone who ever thought and tried creating digital versions of their film photos took to his Kickstarter campaign to support his project. If you haven’t yet, maybe you’d like to check this device out and see if it’s something you need for sharing your film photography.

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PowerXND Mark II ND Filters Blow Through Kickstarter Goal – Again!

It seems like successful Kickstarter campaigns that get funded through the roof and still manage to deliver on time are a rarity these days, but one successful company is back with version two of their ND filter system. 

Back in 2015 Aurora Aperture was launched on Kickstarter with their PowerXND 2000 ND filter, which featured an impressive 11 stops of ND coverage while maintaining excellent color accuracy and image quality. The campaign was a huge success for the company, which saw them blow through their funding goal by over 500%. Now, three years later, Aurora Aperture is back with a new version of their PowerXND system, the PowerXND Mark II.  Continue reading…