Have you heard of onion bokeh? If you’ve been speaking to those within the more tech oriented side of the industry in the past few months, you’ll have heard a whole lot about this. It’s the new thing that photographers and engineers have been perfectly okay with for years and years but now suddenly aren’t–and in all candidness, I think that it’s one of the dumbest things that I’ve heard in years.
If you’re surprised that film is still alive and kicking, you’d definitely be even more astonished to find out that even more antiquated photography processes — tintypes and ambrotypes — are still around. Best of all, you can book a sitting today with studios offering portrait sessions in these unique processes. We very recently got in touch with a bunch of these old school photography studios to find out how they are standing out from their modern counterparts. You’ve most likely read about that here. However, we also wanted to share with our readers our full interview with each of these studios to paint a clearer picture of their visions, how they work, and what it’s like running their unique spaces. For today, the spotlight is on The Tintype Studio, which offers a fun and retro take on portrait sessions in their creative space in downtown Toronto.
Photo walking is a favorite past time of many. The social aspect of it always makes it fun, and just being out to take pictures of whatever you fancy brings about a sense of peace and calm. One thing you don’t want to do when photo walking though is carry a bunch of lenses with you, that just takes away from the simplicity of the event. After the break we’re going to share five versatile lenses that you can take on photo walks that will produce amazing images, and will put the fun back into your walks.
I think we can honestly say “Mission Accomplished” in showing off just how durable the Olympus OMD EM1x is for photographers. This camera is the most durable that we’ve tested thus far, and we’re pretty proud to say that mostly anyone that uses it will find it to be reliable enough in pretty much any circumstance. The Olympus OMD EM1x is being rated to IPX1–which is incredibly durable for a camera of any sort. As it is, no other camera manufacturer discloses their IP numbers. Your smartphone is rated at a higher number than this–perhaps 6 or something like that.
We all take photography pretty seriously, but sometimes we just need to take a step back and look at the lighter side of the art. Glove and Boots, a YouTube channel which is filled with adorable puppets just released a video that explores the terrible history of photographs, and it will have you in stitches. Watch as puppet hosts, Mario and Fafa have a tongue in cheek discussion about photographs and all things photography. It will be the funniest thing you see all day. Check out the video after the break.
By now you should have gathered some experience in approaching people in the street and asking them to take their portrait. Through using the tips and techniques listed in part 1 and part 2, hopefully your confidence has grown – both in taking street portraits and communicating with people. I’m sure there have been some difficult encounters along the way, trust me that’s all part of the learning process. As we bring this beginners guide to a close we are going to take a closer look at what makes a compelling street portrait and how to end the interaction with your subject after taking a street portrait.
Capture One 12 has come along in leaps and bounds over the last few months, and the image processing software is a serious contender to Lightroom when it comes to it’s feature set. The latest version of the software which is 12.0.1 fixes a number of small issues that came with the update to version 12, and as a thank you to all users, Phase One have decided to gift all users with a free Editors Choice Styles Pack. Join us after the break to find out how to get yours.
What’s the point of a backpack as a camera bag? I want to hone in one these before I defend my idea as a photographer who tests arguably the most camera bags on the web. The purpose of a backpack as a camera bag is the same as you’d choose one in every day life: your back. Messenger bags and slings tend to throw off your back if they’re too heavy and as a professional photographer, you’re otherwise going to be carrying them with you everywhere. The smaller ones are fine, but if you need to carry a lot of gear on you then you’re most likely sporting a backpack.
Medium Format and Large Format camera users could certainly have something to look forward in the coming months. Kodak Alaris recently went on record to say that following the successful launch of Ektachrome E100 35mm film late last year, the company has decided to bring Ektachrome E100 to Medium Format 120 film, and Large Format sheets, and that it hit could be ready for sale within the next few of months! Join us after the break for more info.
Staged street photography is often given the label of being the stain on the craft. Most people in the scene are busting their ass just to get an authentic, candid frame. Some, however, are bringing a preconceived concept to life and passing it off as something that it isn’t. One of the issues with staged street photography is that is very difficult to prove. It’s always going to be your word against theirs – unless of course, you have proof, but that’s not easy to obtain. But whilst we may agree that we can’t eradicate the fraudulent approach to street photography, is there a possibility we are able to embrace it?