When you see the word “bokeh” written, you probably see an image in your head to associate it with the word. But when you read it out loud, how do you do it? Is it “boh-key,” “boh-kuh,” “boo-kay” or something else? Guys from Photogearnews asked photographers at The Photography Show how they pronounce it. There are so many different answers, that you may wonder whether yours is the right one....
I wanted to see if it was possible to turn a dead SX-70 camera into a functioning digital camera without significantly modifying its outward appearance. I had no idea if this was reasonably doable but I set out to give it a try. The finished product: [Editor’s note: this article was also published here and shared with permission] First, I disassembled the camera into its various components1. In order to do this, several hidden screws and pins had to be removed, as well as the original electronics for the head (back, left)....
If you were to ask my five-year-old son what he wanted to be, he would without hesitation reply that he wants to be a ninja. And so, like so many mornings recently, the conversation revolved around what ninjas did, and probing questions like “how do you become a ninja, mummy?” Obviously, I have no idea how to become a ninja, or I would already be one. So I did what anyone would do, and turned to google....
What’s the most versatile piece of equipment you own? Aside from something like clips, I’d venture that it could be the umbrellas you have sitting in the back of your closet. It’s pretty usual when we start to learn studio lighting and off camera flash that we start out using umbrellas as modifiers, for a number of reasons. Then you decide to get a bit fancy and they are relegated in favour of things like octoboxes, parabolic softboxes and the like....
Focal point is a term that photographers and photography blogs throw around continually. “Create a focal point,” it’s said, “it should be the first and last place the eye goes in your image.” That’s true, of course, but like most important things it’s easier said than done. A strong focal point is better thought of as the punctuation at the end of a carefully composed sentence. You need to know not only what makes the best single focal point, but also how to compose the sentence that precedes it....
Light painting photography opens a bunch of creative opportunities and it can keep you creative and entertained for hours. Just what we need right now, right? If you’ve always wanted to try it out, you can start with minimum gear and easily shoot light painting images on your phone. In this video, Jason D. Page will show you how and he’ll give you a few tips and ideas to help you get started....
The dolly zoom, also known as the “Vertigo Effect” or “Hitchcock Zoom” can be an amazing technique to add tension or drama to a scene. It’s a process whereby the camera is dollied in toward your subject while the lens zooms out wide. Or, the reverse, where the camera moves away from your subject while the lens zooms in. It’s a difficult technique to master, and almost impossible if shooting on your own....
It’s 20 years since The Matrix was released (don’t you feel old?), but the bullet time effect is still incredibly popular. I don’t know what the deal is with the title they gave for this video, but The King of Random just put up this video covering how they made their bullet time slow motion camera rig using a handful of off-the-shelf components. It’s a simple design, but very effective, producing some fantastic final results....
It’s hard to imagine shooting landscapes, cityscapes or architecture without wide-angle lenses. Of course, photographers of many other genres use them as well. However, it’s easy to make mistakes with a wide-angle lens that will make your photos, well, less than impressive. In this video, Spencer Cox of Photography Life guides you through some tips for mastering wide-angle lenses and using them to make the best out of your shots....
If you’re new to film, pushing and pulling it when developing is a bit like ramping the exposure slider up or down in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom. Except, here you’re doing it with a purpose when you shoot. Sometimes it’s for technical reasons. At other times, it’s purely an artistic choice. In this video, Jay P Morgan at The Slanted Lens tells us all about the how, when and why to pushing and pulling film....
If you shoot outdoor portraits during Christmas season in Northern Hemisphere, your subjects’ skin may look red due to the cold. But there’s a quick and effective way to fix it in Photoshop. Unmesh Dinda of PiXimperfect will show you a quick tip for removing the red patches from skin, and it will take you less than a minute to do it. When you open the photo in Photoshop, start by creating a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer....
Setting up a home studio in a small space isn’t always easy. That’s especially true if you need to use it as a regular room, too. You need something that’s easy to setup and break down. But, if you have a space with a nice window or access to continuous light sources, it’s pretty straight forward. This video from photography Mathieu Stern shows how he sets up his temporary studio for shooting headshots....
One of my favourite things to come out of the whole 360° camera thing is tiny planets. They’re getting pretty popular, too, almost to the point of cliché, but I still rather enjoy them. They’re often simple just fun and unusual. Sometimes, though, they can add an intriguing element to a story that would otherwise not exist. For many compact 360° cameras, mobile apps are the typical solution. But if you want to do something more serious, you usually want to step up to the desktop....
It’s called Bertha, it’s a gigantic camera built out of a desire to find out what photography can reveal beyond certain limits. From the first moment I started experimenting I sensed that there are still many ways to go, past and present can merge, just as old and new technologies, historical knowledge can find new contemporary interpretations. This camera, which has a sensitive area of 1.10×1.10 meters, a bellows draft of about 4 meters and a 1000mm f6....
How do old lenses fair against new lenses? The question is often easy to answer: new is better. How about Pro lenses? With most brands releasing mirrorless glass, it’s easy to dismiss the older pro lenses as bad. For me, a fashion and portrait photographer, the old 70-200 is as good as the new one. And not only because I have a sentimental connection to it. Here’s why I’m not upgrading my seemingly antiquated 70-200....
Ian Tessler is a cosplay and fashion photographer from the Netherlands. In his own words, he says ‘ “I am a passionate photographer loving alternative art, cosplay and fantasy photography”. I got to speak to Ian a little about his work.Advertisements DIYP: Tell us a little about how you got into photography, and who your influences are. IT: As a farewell gift my boss gave me a private workshop with, his friend, Dutch Playboy photographer Rene de Haan....
In everything you do in life, there’s always room for growth and improvement. Photography is no exception. However, there are times in life when we feel like we’re stagnating and not getting any better, and it may be difficult to figure out why. What’s stopping us from becoming better? What can we change? In this video, Saurav Sinha gives you five possible reasons why you’re not improving as a photographer....
While many companies have closed their doors during the coronavirus pandemic, Ilford has decided to keep providing you with film. In a recent statement, the company has announced that its factory is staying operational. But there’s more: it seems that they couldn’t resist mocking panic-buyers of toilet paper. Among other things, the statement encourages you to stockpile rolls, but “those that go into a camera.” The statement starts with a serious tone, after all – the situation that we’re all in is pretty serious....
Canon’s cloud platform image.canon has been down since 30 June and no one knew why. But Canon has now spoken up and revealed that there has been a data loss on the platform. Some of the users’ photos and videos uploaded before 16 June have been lost, and it looks like they still haven’t been retrieved. At the time of writing this, Canon has brought the site back after four days of being down....
Fujifilm has announced that their upcoming Fujifilm X Summit is happening on January 27th at 1pm GMT. At the X Summit, Fuji is expected to announce their new 102-megapixel Fujifilm GFX100S camera, along with three new lenses; the GF80mm, XF70mm and XF70-300mm. There hasn’t been a whole lot of info leaked about any of the upcoming announcements yet, and while I haven’t seen any real photos of the camera leaked, Nokishita has leaked images of the three impending lenses....
