If you’re already saying that Instagram isn’t toxic, then I’m going to assume that you’re either too far deep down the rabbit hole, you’re an influencer that’s afraid to lose influence and who has no problem feeding off of someone’s addition to their phone, or you just aren’t aware that this is a problem. But indeed, it’s a condition that can drain you and fill your life with a lot of darkness. Take it from a guy who has to keep social media around in order to keep running a large photography blog. Though social media is less and less of our traffic due to their efforts to keep you on their platform, we have to admit that it’s sort of important to us. Further, lots of us rely on Instagram as photographers. So here’s how I went about making it less toxic.
Good quality prime lenses at affordable prices have not always been easy to come by, but now, you can get some truly fantastic prime lenses that really won’t break the bank. Normally you associate cheaper things in life with lesser quality, but that’s not the case here. If you’re a Nikon shooter and you have been looking at lenses for portraits that won’t suck your bank account dry, this round up is for you. Join us after the break to see five of our favorite prime lenses for portraits that have the Nikon F mount that will seriously impress you, and that won’t leave your bank account in the red.
Looking for the latest in inspiring photography competition results? The Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) has recently announced the winners of their 2019 edition, showcasing some of the world’s most brilliant and insightful photography in their Professional and Student divisions. MIFA aims to “recognize, reward and promote talented photographers from around the world and introduce them to the creative community in Russia.”
We have spoken in quite some depth about Unsplash, and how they are unraveling the threads of photography as we know it. Unfortunately it seems as though the threads are being pulled faster, and faster as the company has just announced that over 1,000,000 images have been shared with them by photographers, and creators who may not understand just what they are doing to themselves, or the industry as a whole.*Heavy sigh*
Having been a watch guy for as long as I can remember, probably even longer than I’ve had an interest in photography, thanks largely to the hours upon hours I’ve spent assisting my aunt that worked in the horology industry during my youth admiring countless timepieces, changing watch straps, and tinkering with watch movements, I almost never leave home without first putting on a timepiece around my wrist to this day. Call it a habit, or maybe I’m just old fashioned, but despite having a smartphone with me at all times that not only tells time along with being able to perform a myriad of other functions, being able to tell time at the flick of a wrist will always be faster than having to pull my phone out of my pocket. When Tokyo based boutique watchmaker TACS reached out to us to see if we’d be interested in checking out one of the new Rustic Brown Edition of their AVL II timepieces, the watch nerd and the photographer in me were more than happy to oblige. TACS is an acronym for Taste, Attractive, Creative, and Sense, and the AVL II Rustic Brown Edition surely check all of those boxes.
If you were intrigued and hypnotized by the unique and often haunting visual stories of Russian photographer Dmitri Pryahin, we have another of his fascinating series for you to draw inspiration from. In this body of work titled ICEDRIFT, he continues to push the boundaries of portraiture and conceptual photography to give us his surreal perceptions of dance and interpretation of human movements.
For the last few years Apple, Google, and Samsung have thrown around the term laptop replacements when it comes to their tablet offerings, but to date, that promise has never been delivered. There have been some recent offerings that have come close though, with the iPad Pro series, the Google Pixel Slate, and the Galaxy Tab S line all trying to make this dream a reality. This week Apple announced the new iPadOS at their World Wide Developer conference, but is this enough to make photographers ditch laptops for tablets? Lets discuss after the break.
Depression is one of the most complicated, and most misunderstood illnesses around the globe. It can be incredibly hard for those around people who suffer with depression to understand just what is going on, and for those who suffer with it, it can be hard to describe how they feel. Photographer Harry Spitz has suffered with depression for more than 50 years, and he has made a new photographic exploration of depression book that combines images and quotes in the hope that it will help others understand what people with depression feel like. Join us after the break for more information about this Kickstarter project.
Without a doubt, Hong Kong is home to many stunning architectural wonders, a number of which continue to be the subject of many architectural and street photographers. Moscow-based Ekaterina Busygina is one of them. But one of her more curious-looking works set in the city explores the idea of its urban geometry set against a neon wonderland. One can say it’s inevitable given that the city is already famed for its neon signs, but perhaps these shapes and patterns have never been painted dripping in neon in this manner.
If you’re thinking about buying yourself, or a someone else some new Sigma lenses, now is the time to jump right in, as Sigma have just announced a Father’s day sale on some of their best lenses. You can get a Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art for just $704.90 (Canon EF) $697.19 (Nikon F), and $869.89 (Sony E). The Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art is a bargain at $928.99 (Canon EF), and $910 (Nikon F), and for just a few days you can pick up the Sigma MC-11 Canon EF to Sony E adapter for only $149! There are a ton of other Sigma lenses that have instant rebates as high as $150 listed after the break too.