There is a very big problem in the world of manufacturing and cameras–and it isn’t the camera makers themselves. Instead, it’s phones. Over the past 10 years, camera manufacturers have backed themselves into a very awkward corner for development of products. First phones came for smaller, compact cameras. And over the years they’ve come for the bigger sensor options too with full on marketing campaigns that you don’t need a DSLR for a larger sensor camera. Of course, some of us know better. But those some of us are in a very small minority of consumers. Heck, most folks don’t know what an aperture is and they quite frankly don’t care. They look at a DSLR or a mirrorless camera and they worry about an Auto mode–and that’s it.
If you’ve only been shooting black and white street photography during the day, there’s actually a lot of dramatic and compelling images that you’re missing at night. In a brief video by Vladimir Pcholkin, he shares his insights on shooting black and white street photography at night, and gives us a few simple tips for making the most out of it should we decide to give it a go.
Go on Instagram, Facebook, or any social media site where images are shared, and you’re bound to see countless sunrise and sunset images. We all love taking them, but it seems as though most photographers capture the main event and not the gorgeous blue hour that comes before and after the sun comes up and goes down. After the break, we have a video for you that shares some hints and tips on why you should be shooting at Blue hour when it comes to landscapes.
Everyone knows the power of beautifully captured cat and dog portraits (and how these photos can turn the cutest pets into Internet superstars). Anyone who wants to take better pet portraits, especially those of cats, are in for a treat in the adorable work of Moscow-based Kristina Makeeva. While these feisty felines are often challenging to photograph, the results are often rewarding, as she demonstrates in the portraits of her cat Kotleta.
As with any kind of photography, macro photography can benefit considerably from histogram readings. This tool will let you evaluate your exposure more accurately than you would from checking your camera screen. If you’re yet to master using the histogram for your macro shots, we have just the photography cheat sheet to get you started.
Flying birds may be one of the most popular but also challenging subjects to photograph, especially for beginners. But today’s photography cheat sheet tells us that it’s actually not as difficult as it sounds. All you need are the right camera settings to achieve the results that you want. So if you’ve been frustrated but now ready to give it another go, make sure you bring these helpful tips with you!
There’s a good chance that if you recently got your first camera, or have been using your first camera for a little while and have grown tired of the kit lenses it came with, you’ve already started looking into the vast world of lenses. If you were to ask a seasoned photographer which lens to buy first, the response you’re most likely to get would be a 50mm f1.8, and while that would be a good choice, we don’t think it’s the best. 35mm lenses are much more versatile than nifty fifty’s and they are still incredibly affordable. In this roundup, we will take a quick look at 35mm lenses that all first-time prime buyers should take a closer look at.
It seems as though most lenses that hit the streets these days are going for absolute perfection when it comes to image sharpness, clarity, distortion control, and bokeh rendition. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it can lead to a lot of lenses that produce the same type of results. So how can we make our work stand out from the rest? One easy way is to use unique lenses like the ones listed in this roundup. These unique lenses aren’t afraid to be different, and they will make your work stand out from the crowd. Join us after the break to see some of our favorite unique lenses.
Man has been captivated by the quest to explore the unfathomable expanse of the universe. Yet, there are still depths right in our own planet that we haven’t reached. To some degree, we don’t have to look far for worlds that are strange, otherworldly, and unfamiliar. In her clever and stunning underwater series, London-based Laura Emerson shows us that the wonders of the cosmos lie not only in some distant corner of deep space; it’s also right here in our homeworld.
Austrian wet plate and wedding photographer Markus Hofstaetter has always been our go-to guy when it comes to all things cool about large format photography, especially wet plate photography. Aside from taking impressive, one-of-a-kind snaps, he’s also quite the handyman with his cameras and often makes modifications and DIY parts required by his projects. The latest of these is a DIY ground glass for the large format camera. As always, he documented the process in a cool video and shared with us a bit of information about it.