Ecommerce photography needs to be a quick process with great results every time. Well, it does from my point of view. If I have many items to photograph I want the process and I want to be quick and efficient, then I believe I have found the perfect setup! For a long time, I have always used strobes. This is mainly for the power output and being able to capture a greater depth of field....
The “Brenizer method” isn’t exactly a new idea. In fact, it’s been around since before it was claimed by Ryan Brenizer. He was simply the one who made it popular. And we’ve covered it a few times before. But what is it? What does it do? And how do you do it? Essentially, it’s a way to simulate the look of a larger format sensor than that which is contained inside your camera....
Editing photos in Lightroom is my favorite, other than shooting them. It’s fast and convenient, and I try to do as much as I can here so oftentimes I don’t even have to use Photoshop. In this video, Anthony Morganti has a treat for all portrait photographers and retouchers who need a quick way to soften skin. In Lightroom, you can do it pretty much with one click, and Anthony will show you how....
If there’s anyone who should teach you about shooting in some of the coldest, most inhospitable places on the planet, it should be filmmaker and photographer Anthony Powell. Apart from working on T.V. shows such as BBC’s Frozen Planet, he also created the documentary Antarctica: A Year On Ice which has won dozens of awards worldwide. In this informative video, the New Zealander filmmaker and photographer shares how he keeps his equipment working even in sub-zero temperatures....
Whether you’re a photographer or filmmaker, chances are you’ve got plenty of cables. Not everything is wireless yet. There are long USB tethering cables, microphone cables, power cables and all sorts. Many of them might need replacing fairly regularly if you just shovel them into your bag and don’t take care of them. At best, you’ll waste a lot of time untangling a mess of knotted cables. The guys over on The Film Look have the perfect solution, and an explanation as to why wrapping your cables properly is important....
Photographing ink as it transforms and “dances” in water was one of my first “experiments” when I started doing photography. And to this day, I love photos like this and can’t get enough of them. In more recent years, I got interested in astrophotography, both from the ground and from the orbit. And the latest Hubble photo somehow merged the “ink in water” look with space photography. The telescope’s close-up shot of Lagoon Nebula is like a space version of dissolved ink, and it’s as mesmerizing as it can be....
It turns out that shooting Polaroids in the studio isn’t impossible — it just takes a little bit of engineering and ingenuity. Here’s how I turned a $200 toy into a studio camera. I’ve done a lot of portraiture in my time (ahem), and I’ve never shied away from building my own photography equipment. I’m also intrigued by the tactile nature of instant photography. There’s something about the ability to immediately destroy a negative that makes portraiture a lot more fun....
While the models are most definitely the stars of the exhibition, the roster of photographers involved in the project is impressive. Browsing through their resumes you stumble upon many notable clients like Vogue, Levi’s, Sports Illustrated, former employees of Annie Liebovitz, even a Pulitzer prize winner.Advertisements Behind The Scenes And On Location I had a chance to catch up with Susan Solman, co-chair of the project, to answer a couple questions about the project’s beginnings and take a look at what’s next for The Raw Beauty Project, but first have a peek at this quick behind the scenes clip and learn about the project from the models perspective: http://youtu....
Judging from a recently leaked design prototype, Instagram might soon hide the Like counts from people who view your posts. Although it looks like a small tweak in design, this change could have a huge impact on everyone on the platform: artists who show off their work, influencers, or casual Instagram users. The design change test was first spotted by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who shared it on Twitter along with a screenshot of the change:...
Today, Instagram have introduced a new look. While a little more flashy than the previous polaroidesque icon, they state that the new one represents a simpler camera with the familiar rainbow living on in gradient form. While the icon itself seems to have gotten more outgoing, the app has been cleaned down to a more minimalistic and muted layout, allowing you to concentrate more on the images you see scrolling down your screen....
You thought you can escape from ads on Instagram? No way, they’re now officially everywhere. After initially testing ads in Reels in four countries, Instagram has now rolled them out worldwide so all of us can see even more of them. Instagram started testing Reels ads in India, Brazil, Germany, and Australia earlier this year. It looks like the TikTok-esque feature quickly became popular, so it’s lucrative enough for the company to introduce ads to it as well....
I’ve noticed lately that a lot of Instagram users have been complaining about the reach they get on photos. I experienced it myself: the reach on Reels with absolutely the same subject is much higher, even though I’m way better at taking photos than I am at making Reels. There has been a lot of criticism about this, and a recent report even suggests that Instagram cuts your reach for photos by 44%....
Instagram has just announced a new tagging option that will make anyone feel like an influencer promoting a product. From now on, you can tag products in your photos just like you tag your friends. The feature has existed before, but it was only available to business and creator accounts. But over the next few months, everyone will be able to use it and turn Instagram into even more of an online store it already is....
Meta has announced that Instagram now has over two billion monthly active users worldwide. Four years after hitting the 1 billion mark, the number has doubled, closing in on Facebook and its 2.96 billion users. However, does this show the real situation? Are the active monthly users real 2 billion people spending their time on Instagram? That’s definitely something to discuss. Meta disclosed the information in its Q3 financial report for 2022....
Instagram is testing a new “Reshare” feature for adding the posts you like to your Stories. It sounds like this will make sharing easier, right? Well, no – it’s actually made to make it harder and more complicated. When you open Stories, there will be the “Reshare” sticker. When you select it, you’ll see a “recently viewed” tab. It will contain posts you saved or posted, as well as those you’ve seen in the last hour....
Camera companies get leaked and outed all the time. Usually, it’s about new releases, with specs and images coming a few days before an official announcement. Usually, it’s random employees that either screw up genuinely by accident or they “accidentally” (allegedly) pass information along to somebody they know will shout it from the rooftops. Sometimes, it’s retailers jumping the gun a little too early. But it’s funniest when the manufacturers do it themselves....
I also get asked a lot about what my top advice is for taking better pictures, and the answer is not in a plugin or a shiny new camera. I find it funny that as photographers, when somebody outside our trade asks about a great picture that they have seen that as photographers, we often answer, stating that the camera is just a ‘tool’. No camera can make you take better pictures....
Chinese manufacturer Kamlan has launched the 50mm f/1.1 Mark II. The new version of the “bokeh beast” lens is improved over the previous one, promising better subject sharpness along with creamy bokeh in the background. Sounds like a dream come true for bokeh loving photographers. In a video from 2017, Kai Wong tested out the first version of the Kamlan 50mm f/1.1. It’s not bad at all for a $169 lens....
For the Leica shooter in your life who has everything, what do you get them this Christmas? A red Leica M, of course. Although, you’ll be paying about an extra $1,400 for that paint job. The normally $5,595 Leica M will cost you close to $7,000 in its fancy red uniform. But you’d better hurry, they’ve only made 100 of them. Other than the colour, the camera is identical to the standard Leica M (Typ 262)....
Lensbaby, though, has been working on this idea, and they’ve created the new OMNI Creative Filter System. At the moment, it’s essentially a ring that screws onto your lens with magnetic… divots, I suppose, into which you can mount one of several different “filters”. The goal of the system is to help make experimenting with crystals and such in front of your lens a little less hit and miss, and into the realm of something resembling consistency....
