Nate Rochefort: Photographing Imaginary Planets Made of Everyday Stuff

The mysterious imaginary worlds made and photographed by Nate Rochefort are worth checking out if you’re looking for an original photography project that will inspire you to get creative with your own.

Mankind has been turning to the stars and planets from our solar system and beyond in the name of art and science. With so much still out there to discover, the cosmos remains a potent source of creative inspiration for many. Take Nate Rochefort, for example, who has been busy making planets out of everyday things and photographing them. He’s got quite a fascinating selection of imaginary worlds now, all of them guaranteed to tickle the fancy of space fans and astrophotographers (who definitely have photographing real planets on their bucket list).

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Cheap Photo: Who Wants Over 1000 Text Overlays for Just $29?

These text overlays will save you a ton of time and will expand your creative possibilities.

Have you ever wanted to be able to create professional looking invitations, greeting cards, announcements, and souvenirs quickly, and efficiently? If so this fantastic sale is for you. We have found a limited time deal that will get you over 1,000 incredible text overlays that will help you create all of the above and more for just $29! This bundle is usually $150, but for a limited time, it has a discount of $121! Check out all the details about this deal after the break. Continue reading…

Cheap Photo: SanDisk Ultra 64GB Card for $11.99; ND Filter Kit for $21.99

These photography accessories will help you get the most out of your craft.

Work smarter not harder. That’s what I was always told growing up, and the same rings true today. These photography accessories will definitely allow you to work smarter, and they will help you create amazing images. Need some more SD cards? The SanDisk Ultra 64GB is just $11.99! Want to play with ND and graduated filters? The Neewer Complete Cokin P ND and graduated filter kit is only $21.99. If it’s a new tripod you need, the Vanguard Alta Pro 263 AGH with grip head has a discount of $62.75, bringing it down to just $169.95. The Godox AD600 rechargeable strobe is a steal at $529, and the Wacom Bamboo One Drawing pad is a bargain at just $147. Check out all of the photography accessories and their deep discounts after the break. Continue reading…

Lomography Announces First Petzval Art Lens for Mirrorless Market

Lomography steps up its Petzval lens lineup with the new Petzval 55mm f1.7 for Canon, Nikon, and Sony mirrorless cameras.

Those who are looking into adding some bokeh goodness to their photos may want to check out the latest in Lomography’s Art Lens lineup. Say hello to the new Petzval 55mm f1.7 MKII, which the company has recently announced as the first Lomography Art Lens specially designed for mirrorless cameras.

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YASHICA Adds New Black and White Film to Kickstarter Campaign

YASHICA just dropped a new 400 ISO black and white film to entice more film photographers to pledge their support before the Kickstarter campaign ends in eight days.

With the YASHICA Absolute – [Premiere] campaign now in its last days, the Hong Kong-based company has announced a new black and white film joining its roster. But the bigger question is, why the hell are they even doing this? WHY? Well, to rake in more money, of course.

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Video: Why the Fujifilm GFX 100 Needs In Body Image Stabilization

We spoke with Justin Stailey at Fujifilm USA about the new Fujifilm GFX 100 and exactly why it needed image stabilization built into the camera.

With 102 Megapixels at the heart of the new Fujifilm GFX 100 camera, there is a very justified reason for having image stabilization built into the camera. While traditional medium format users wouldn’t necessarily think this, Fujifilm has been working hard to change the way we think about the larger sensor space. So with the Fujifilm GFX 100, they brought image stabilization to it partially because it’s a camera designed to be handheld and used for professional lifestyle work. So while you can still use this camera in the studio or locked down onto a tripod to shoot a landscape, the image stabilization helps you to do things like adventure and sports photography.

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The Best Gear for Successful Wedding Photography in 2019

This gear will make wedding photography that much easier for you, and your clients will love the results.

Wedding photography is one of the most demanding, most challenging genres of photography around. Photographers usually find themselves in dimly lit churches, cathedrals, and gathering places, and they usually have a list of demands from their clients as long as Mt. Everest is tall. There are things we can do to make it easier on ourselves, but perhaps the best thing we can do is use cameras, lenses, and accessories that can not only cope with the rigors of wedding photography, but that can also make it easier. Continue reading…

First Impressions: Fujifilm GFX 100 (And Why It Needed IBIS)

The Fujifilm GFX 100 features a 102MP sensor with image stabilization and backside illumination.

Last week, Fujifilm invited us to a top secret briefing on the west side of Manhattan where they unveiled the long-awaited addition to the company’s Medium Format Mirrorless camera lineup: the Fujifilm GFX 100. We had seen renderings of the GFX100 before and even got to fondle a mockup of it in Las Vegas during WPPI, but this is the first time that we got to spend some hands-on time with the genuine article itself, albeit in pre-production but near-final trim. The star of the Medium Format GFX 100 show is the brand new 102 MP sensor that is not only backside illuminated but also stabilized. In fact, it’s the first medium format digital camera to have image stabilization on the sensor.

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Review: Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm f1.8 (Sony FE)

The Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm f1.8 is an aggressively priced manual focus portrait lens for Sony Full Frame Mirrorless Cameras

During last year’s PhotoPlus Expo, Viltrox announced that they have begun designing and manufacturing their own camera lenses. Up until that point, the Chinese company was known principally as a manufacturer of photography accessories as well as lens adapters. As we had already reviewed the ultrawide Viltrox PFU RBMH 20mm f1.8 ASPH lens previously, the focus of this review will instead be on the other lens that Viltrox announced during PPE: the portrait-centric Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm f1.8 for Sony FE Mount. Housed within a brass body, the Viltrox 85mm f1.8 feels sturdily built in hand. While you can adjust the aperture of the Viltrox 85mm f1.8 using your camera’s aperture dial, focusing is a completely manual affair. Aggressively priced at just under US$300, the Viltrox  PFU RBMH 85mm f1.8 for Sony Full Frame Mirrorless is certainly worthy of consideration for any portrait photographers on a budget. Read on to find out how well the freshman lens maker fared.

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9 Powerful, Entry Level Cameras Perfect For Beginners and Beyond

These powerful entry level cameras are perfect for beginners, hobbyists and beyond. 

When the term entry-level was muttered by photographers in years gone by, one would instantly think of incredibly poor performing, nothing to write home about cameras that really didn’t inspire anyone to pick up the thing to create images, but my how times change. Today, entry-level cameras are powerful, feature-rich devices that are capable of creating truly stunning images when paired with nice glass. In this roundup we will take a look at nine entry-level cameras that are perfect for beginners, hobbyists, and even pros looking for a backup camera. Continue reading…

“Legacy of War” Photo Project Conclusion Being Funded on Kickstarter

If you’ve been curious about the Legacy of War project of documentary photographer Giles Duley following his exhibit, you might also be interested in showing your support for the final leg of his work.

We’ve first heard about Giles Duley from an Ilford Inspires episode, which featured a selection of photos from his long-term photography project, Legacy of War. Now, the documentary photographer and writer has decided finally cap the project in the next twelve months. To do this, he’ll need our support on Kickstarter to fund the rest of the activities, collaborations, and stories that he has planned for the last leg of the project.

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Fascinating Portrait Project Explores Our Shared Genetic Past

“The Sum of the Some of Us” is a fascinating portrait photography project that seeks to change the way we look at cultural identity and genetic lineage.

If you’re 100% sure of your heritage, ethnicity, race, nationality, or whatever else you think makes you distinctly you, taking a DNA journey might surprise you. Who could forget that eye-opening short commercial film celebrating the (often surprising) ancestry of 67 people randomly chosen from all over the world? Well, this portrait project beautifully called The Sum of the Some of Us that is currently being funded on Kickstarter is another one like it, with the same goal of exploring, revealing, and celebrating the bits of our ancestry that we probably aren’t aware of.

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Every Photographer Should Learn How Photograph Darker Skin Tones

Darker skin tones can still use some extra attention from photographers and even industry professionals like make-up artists and stylists.

Portrait and fashion photography should be an all-encompassing craft, especially at this time and age when we’re supposedly more open-minded and accepting of other cultures and perspectives. This means that photographers today should be able to use their expertise to create photos of darker skinned models and individuals in a way that highlights their natural beauty. A video by Buzzfeed reinforces this idea with a photoshoot done with dark-skinned models, encouraging photographers and even industry professionals like make-up artists and stylists to do the same.

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Useful Photography Tip #194: You Need This if You’re Manually Focusing a Telephoto Lens

Want more Useful Photography Tips? Click Here.

One would easily think that focusing with a telephoto lens manually would be a peace of cake; but the reality is that there a ton of complicated physics happening. In fact, it’s both exhausting and requires the photographer to be incredibly deliberate. Perplexed at how this is so difficult? Well let’s break it down for you.

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The Olympus TG-6 is the World’s Most Modular Point and Shoot

Capable of working down to 50 feet of water, the Olympus TG-6 is an incredible modular point and shoot camera.

The Olympus tough camera lineup has always been pretty darned good for what they are, and the new Olympus TG-6 is promising to be even better–if not take it over the top. The company’s latest offering is pretty much as modular as a DSLR or Mirrorless camera without being a DSLR or Mirrorless camera. Instead, Olympus allows photographers to have all the accessories they could possibly want. This camera is designed for the enthusiast that is afraid to bring their phone back from a swim and also always to be able to shoot great images underwater. However, it’s also a great, pocketable option for the photographer going on an excursion of some sort into more remote regions. Unfortunately, Olympus hasn’t given the camera a Four Thirds sized sensor; which is what I really wanted personally. However, it looks like it’s very capable of taking stunning photos. There are lots of other great things going on here.

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New Photographers: Please Stop Supporting Unsplash, Support Behance

You don’t need to keep giving your rights up photographers; you can still have self-respect.

The motivation for this piece comes not only from the message that I’ve been actively preaching about Unsplash and the companies supporting them, but also because I’ve noticed that a ton of new photographers who enjoy showcasing their work on Reddit just don’t know any better. And so it is my genuine hope that everyone shares this message with every other photographer that they know. This isn’t at all a sponsored post for Behance–we’re pretty strict about our editorial policies and transparency in a journalism world where so many aren’t. I don’t want to call this a public service announcement, but instead I want to call this my beckoning to photographers to stop giving up their work and their creativity for free.

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Cheap Photo: The Sony a7 II Costs Just $898 Right Now

These amazing camera deals come to an end real soon, so if you want to score a bargain act fast!

These camera deals from Canon, Nikon, and Sony all expire on June 1st, so if you have been thinking about picking up a new camera with a huge discount, you need to hurry. Act now, and you’ll be able to save $300 on the Mirrorless Canon M50 with the lens. It’s just $599. You can grab a Nikon D7500 with two lenses for only $996.95, and the incredible Nikon D500 can be snapped up for the crazy low price of $1,496.95! There are great Sony camera deals too like the A6000, which is a bargain at $398. The Sony A7 II Full Frame camera with the 28-70mm lens is only $998, $898 for just the body, and you can save $1,000 on the Sony a9! Come and check out all of the incredible camera deals we’ve found.

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Benji Messmer’s Leica M9 Snaps Feature a Scenic Weekend Roadtrip in the Dolomites

Itching to take your Leica M9 on a road trip? These beautiful travel photos shot by Benji Messmer during a weekend in the Dolomites will make you get even more excited.

Last time we featured Benji Messmer and his Leica M9 snaps from around the world, we had a look at how they remind us of chrome film’s classic look. This time, we place the spotlight on his wanderlust-inducing road trip photos shot in the picturesque Dolomites. If you’ve been thinking of bringing your own Leica M9 on an upcoming trip, prepare to get inspired with this beautiful travel diary.

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This Wooden DIY 35mm Panoramic Camera Yields Great Results So Far

Photographers like Galen Weld show us how determination and getting crafty can get us our dream cameras — like a DIY 35mm panoramic camera!

Move over, Hasselblad XPan. You’ve got some cool competitors out there now, courtesy of the highly resourceful and creative film photographer. They show us that if we can’t get our hands on a coveted camera like the Xpan, there’s nothing stopping us from making our own instead. That is if we can get even half as crafty and clever as Seattle-based Galen Weld, who has recently shared his progress on building his own DIY  35mm panoramic camera. If you’re interested in making your own assembly he’s even got the stuff to get you started!

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Tia Lloyd Documents Skinheads with a Powerful Portrait Project

Photos from “Skinheads, We Never Left” by Tia Lloyd. Used with Creative Commons permission.

If the United States has the Greaser subculture, the United Kingdom has the Skinhead movement. Both are predominantly youth subcultures that emerged from the working class, each with their own style elements. It’s always interesting to see how these groups have endured to this day, and even evolved in some ways. UK-based Tia Lloyd, a Staffordshire University BA Hons photography graduate, has been documenting skinhead groups that still remain across the country, satisfying her curiosity and introducing us to the faces of the British subculture in the process.

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Camera Review: Fujifilm X-T30 (Honey, Fuji Shrunk the X-T3!)

The Fujifilm X-T30 is a more affordable and shrunken down version of the highly regarded X-T3, albeit with a few caveats

While most of the digital imaging industry has been concentrating their efforts on introducing Full Frame Mirrorless cameras for the better part of the past year, photographers that prefer lighter and more compact Crop Sensor bodies got some new hotness of their very own to lust after in the form of the Fujifilm X-T3 and the Sony A6400. Both flagship APS-C cameras have proven to be massively popular for consumers to professionals alike, but what if you wanted the same level of performance but in an even svelter and more condensed package? As luck would have it, the engineers over at Fujifilm managed to answer that question with the X-T30, the company’s latest compact Crop Sensor Mirrorless camera. Fujifilm managed to incorporate almost all of the best of breed innovations found within the X-T3 into the XT30 while bringing both the size and the cost down. After spending a few short hours with the pre-production sample during the top-secret press briefing when the X-T30 first launched, Fujifilm was kind enough to provide a final production model of the camera to us so that we can evaluate in comprehensively in typical Phoblographer fashion.

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