Apo Genc Reimagines Hamburg as a Utopian City in Infrared

All photos by Apo Genc. Used with Creative Commons permission.

Imagination is undoubtedly a big part of creative photography, In fact, it’s the very fuel that drive photographers like Apo Genc to see things differently and reimagine entire cities altogether. Case in point is today’s featured series, wherein the self-taught photographer used the surreal aesthetic of infrared photography to re-imagine and portray Hamburg as a utopian city. We often see infrared photography work nicely for landscape photography, so if you’ve ever been curious how it works with urbanscapes, this series will give you some ideas.

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New Photographers: I’m Begging You to Not Be This Guy

New photographers tend to do things that annoy lots of people, and this is something you shouldn’t do at all.

If someone were constantly shooting a flash in your face, how would you react? Wouldn’t your eyes need a break? It would get annoying and you’d probably want to commit a small act of violence against the offender. So what happened to me and a buddy the other night at a Seiko event is the more modernized version of that. Instead of using a flash, a photographer just had a straight LED light on top of their Canon EOS R and shot non-stop. It was really, really annoying for a number of reasons.

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Building Personal Style and Perspective Within Your Street Photography

There are two major steps in the growth of a street photographer.

The first thing that a street photographer should be learning is the technical side to the craft, which can initially feel like a daunting task when you consider both the fast-moving, spontaneous aspect of the genre and the fear that doing it may cause. Once that hurdle has been cleared, next comes the most interesting aspect of the growth and learning. This is where a photographer begins to hone their ideas into a personal style and perspective. It’s a gradual process that takes time, a lot of photographing, and some good old-fashioned research and self-reflection. Here are some of the most important steps to help you grow into your personal style and hone your perspective in your work.

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Ja Wang: The Town Under the Coronavirus on the Fujifilm XT3

All images by Ja Wang. Used with permission.

“I think it’s a way of healing the city,” explains Ja Wang about his street photography. Specifically, Ja Wang did what many of us have recently done: documented their local city during the COVID-19 scare. We’re all stuck inside right now and this is all very surreal. But as Ja states, this is a pretty important time in history. Though China has shown signs of recovery from the virus, this series shows a part of China we’re not used to seeing here in the West.

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Street Photographers Are Turning to Virtual Reality To Create Photographs

Everyone is in quarantine and the streets are empty, but that’s not stopping street photographers from doing what they love.

For street photographers, having the streets void of people is an absolute nightmare. But due to the Corona Virus, this is the reality many street photographers are dealing with right now. Mandatory quarantine means everyone is indoors – and rightly so – as we do all we can to overcome this global pandemic. It would be easy for street photographers to put their cameras on the shelf and allow it to become a dust collector. But that’s not the case for those who refuse to become stagnated during this difficult period. Instead, they’re turning to an unlikely source to get their daily fix of street photography – a video game.

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Forget the Masters, Now’s the Time to Invest in Other Photographers

We all enjoy the work of the masters, but now’s the time to support hardworking photographers struggling to make ends meet.

From Steve McCurry’s India to Robert Frank’s The Americans, the masters of photography have sold millions of photobooks worldwide. Their work is seen not only as a source of pleasure but also vital for education. Famous photographers do well in the print market too, with some of their finest work selling for thousands of dollars. The cream of the crop is not shy of a penny or two. And although it makes sense to spend hard-earned money on those perceived to be the best, with everything that’s going on in the world, we need to start supporting all the other talented photographers that make up our industry.

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Shooting with a “Ghostbusters” Brooks-Veriwide Camera

Let’s do a little throwback to 1989 and see if anyone still remembers the quirky Brooks-Veriwide camera and its cameo in Ghostbusters II!

Looking for the next quirky camera to add to your camera collection? We can trust Paris-based photographer and filmmaker Mathieu Stern to always have something interesting to consider. This time, it’s another nostalgic camera that made a Hollywood cameo: a Brooks-Veriwide medium format panoramic camera that appeared in Ghostbusters II in 1989.

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Should Parachute Journalism Be Nominated for Photo Awards?

Are you aware of the issues relating to parachute journalism?

In the recent scandal that broke in the 2020 World Press Photo awards, Iranian photographer, Solmaz Daryani, accused a fellow photojournalist of heavily borrowing from her work. The WPP nominated German photographer, Maximilian Mann, for his series, Fading Flamingos. The project focused on the slow decline of Lake Urmia, Iran. Daryani, however, was working on the same story, and began the work several years before Mann did. Aggrieved, Daryani raised the issue of parachute journalism and the problems it creates for local photojournalists.

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This Cool Effect Was Done in Camera with a Widelux F7

If you have a Widelux F7 or a similar camera, here’s something cool to inspire or experiment with.

Experimenting with creative effects is among the reasons why film cameras continue to be popular in the digital age, and today’s featured photos make perfect examples. While there’s a myriad of cool effects you can do with your favorite image editing software, being able to pull off effects with film cameras is still quite an achievement. Case in point is the pixel stretch effect achieved by using a mechanical swing-lens panoramic camera! If you have one or a similar camera, we’re sure these photos will get you curious enough to give it a try.

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Photo Projects You Can Do at Home While Quarantined

You potentially have a lot of time on your hands, which means it’s time to get creative and try some new photo projects!

COVID-19 has completely taken over the world. The impact it has had on global industries, including the photo industry, is catastrophic. People are doing all they can to keep going, keep sane, and keep happy. For a photographer, being stuck at home (if you’re in quarantine) is terrible – especially if you do most of your work outdoors. But it’s important not to let the gloom take over, and we all have to push ourselves to be creative. If you’re scratching your head as to what you can do at home creatively, don’t worry. Here are some photo projects you can work on while stuck in quarantine.

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Blair Sugarman: The Magic of Cityscape Photography and Bad Weather

All images by Blair Sugarman. Used with permission. Be sure to follow him on Instagram and check out his website.

“I take a lot of drone shots, usually at ridiculous hours of the morning,” says photographer Blair Sugarman in an interview with the Phoblographer. “I’m also a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to taking shots, sometimes taking the same angle repeatedly just because the conditions have changed slightly.” Blair is a photographer based in Hong Kong and adores cityscape photography like no other. He believes cityscapes offer a unique perspective into an entire way of life. We have to agree with him; a photo of a city can at anytime contain hundreds of people or even more. Though he hasn’t been shooting for long, Blair has a creative spark about him that permeates through his work and in his photography.

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Turning a Portable Scanner Into a Large Format Camera Digital Back

If you’ve ever wondered if there are digital backs for large format cameras, the short answer is yes: the long answer is you can make one yourself.

Large format photography is not only still very much alive, but it’s also evolving thanks to crafty photographers who go the DIY route and give us more ways to work with it. Among the most interesting examples are digital backs for digital cameras — even for large format cameras. Read on if that sounds like something you’d like to try for a weekend project.

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The Golden Hues of the Haldi Festival Are Perfect for Documentary Photography

This colorful collection shows us why the Haldi Festival is a golden opportunity for documentary photography.

Festivals and community events are among the favorite subjects of documentary photographers for a good number of reasons. Not only do they serve as windows to various cultures and beliefs around the world, but also reveal different aspects of humanity. In her collection of photos of the Haldi Festival, however, Navi Mumbai-based photographer Akshaya B. also shows us that festivals are perfect for those who want to explore and play with vivid hues in their photography. If you’re looking to add some color in your work, this Indian festival is nothing short of a golden opportunity!

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This Commercial Reminds Us of the Doomed Kodak Stab at Instant Film

We bet you didn’t know about the failed Kodak foray into instant photography, so let this vintage camera commercial give you an idea.

With the late 1970s and 1980s being a prime time for instant photography, it’s not surprising that camera companies thought about challenging the reign of Polaroid. Perhaps unknown to many today or forgotten by most, Kodak released their doomed attempt at instant cameras and film in 1977. Allow us to refresh your memory or give you an idea with today’s featured vintage camera commercial for the Kodak Handle.

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5 Small Photography YouTube Channels You Need to Know About

If you’re looking for a fresh photography YouTube channel, we have some quality options below.

Having many subscribers isn’t always synonymous with quality content. Sure, the cream tends to rise to the top, but they’re plenty of relatively unknown channels putting out great photography content. We have a soft spot for those on their grind, putting out videos, and trying to grow their channel; everyone has to start somewhere. And large photography sites like ours can help hardworking creators get a leg up. That’s why we want to help (both the creator and the consumer) by highlighting five photography YouTube channels you need to know about.

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Clayton Arnall: A Conceptual Photographer Who Makes in-Camera Magic

All images by Clayton Arnall. Used with permission. Check out his Instagram and website.

“…as time’s gone on, I’ve become more comfortable putting people into the positions I want to see,” photographer Clayton Arnall relates to us. “I tend to do most things in-camera, yes.” Clayton is a Kelowna, BC-based creative who shoots video and stills. Much of how he creates comes from his cinematic background and an ability to be in-tune with the moods of others around him. This makes him a photographer who is mostly about getting it right in camera despite admitting to using Lightroom and Photoshop a lot. But more importantly, Clayton says his work is about the people he works with and his own unique, creative vision. Oh, and he finds Instagram difficult.

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Why the Mamiya 6 Is a Great Medium Format Camera for Travel

Looking for a medium format film camera to take on your travels? Here’s a quick review that will convince you to make the Mamiya 6 your travel companion.

Medium format film cameras are typically not the first to come to mind when we speak of travel cameras. However, Ohio-based photographer Matt Day may have just the camera for you to consider: the Mamiya 6. Known as a compact 6×6 medium format rangefinder camera due to its collapsible design, it also comes with other convenient features like the built-in light meter and aperture priority mode. If you’re looking for a medium format camera that will make a great travel companion, we suggest checking out Matt’s latest video.

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After Many Cameras, Daniel Milnor Settled on Fujifilm for Six Key Reasons

Fujifilm

Throughout his career, Daniel has used many iconic cameras including Leica’s and Hasslblads, but he has settled down and now loves Fujifilm cameras.

It has been approximately 2 days, 17 hours, and 32 seconds since the last YouTuber uploaded an ‘I use system X for my photography’ video, so it is about time for another. In his latest video, photographer Daniel Milnor does something he said he would never do because people wouldn’t stop asking him; and that’s talking about his gear. Why we think it is so important to find out what others are using is baffling, but to appease his subscribers, he lists the six reasons why he uses Fujifilm cameras. Join us after the break for the video.

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Vintage Polaroid Commercial Teaches Us How to Press the Perfect Picture

Nothing like a vintage camera commercial to remind us why Polaroid cameras continue to be popular.

Despite the prevalence of Fujifilm Instax cameras, Polaroid cameras from decades past remain popular to this day. Among them is the Polaroid Sun 600, which is the star of today’s featured vintage camera commercial. Today, this instant camera is among the iconic models that continue to be sought after in vintage stores and secondhand markets, thanks to word of mouth among film photographers. Still, it’s always interesting to see how these cameras were marketed back then, often with the help of celebrities and well-known photographers, like Hugh Laurie for this 1980s commercial.

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This Bulletproof Coffee Campaign is a Fun Inspiration for Conceptual Photographers

Conceptual photographers in need of some ideas for a concept shoot will surely get inspired in this fun campaign.

Conceptual photography is all about bringing a certain idea or visual story to life. Sometimes, it’s a creative way for us to tickle the imagination. But it also proves useful for communicating a message to consumers, which is why it’s often a powerful tool for marketing campaigns. A perfect example for aspiring concept photographers is a light-hearted campaign photographed by Neil Kremer and Cory Johnson (Kremer Johnson) for Bulletproof Coffee.

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Les Garçons Crafts Visions of Spring Through Food

All photos by Les Garçons. Used with Creative Commons permission.

When we speak of spring, the first things that come to mind are images of flowers, greenery, and fields in full bloom. However, the creative minds behind Les Garçons bring us a more creative and conceptual way to see and represent this beautiful season and the refreshing imagery that comes with it: scrumptious and delicately styled food photography. If you’re looking for out-of-the-box ideas about spring or food photography, this featured series definitely fits the bill.

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