After a long day of shooting, thought I would take a moment to write a short piece about one of the most important tools in my kit.
Image manipulation in various forms has been around from nearly the beginning of the medium itself, and the ethics of that process have been debated for nearly as long. Although this topic seems rather Sisyphean in nature, a conversation with an individual on Instagram inspired me to take a look at it from the perspective of social media in particular.
The new iMac is here, and of course, it’s sporting the fancy new M1 processor that’s inside everything Apple these days. That’s great news all around, but I have a feeling that Apple’s got something even bigger up its sleeve for the real creative set.
Studying and understanding color helps us become better photographers. In the process, we may discover that some things we believe are true may not be.
People both outside of and inside the industry tend to romanticize the idea of being a professional photographer. But with pressure from technology and increased competition leading to low pay and more demand from clients, burnout is something that many of us either have or will experience in the future.
Money is a subject that is rarely discussed openly and that can be detrimental to anyone newly trying to make some as a creative. Here is an interesting and open discussion about the topic.
Almost everyone has a cell phone these days and by extension, a phone camera. This means that anyone with a phone can create a decent enough image. To clarify, I’m not trying to debate whether someone is a “real photographer” or not. Instead, my intention is to persuade you to approach photography in a more considered and intentional way.
The concept of creating a mirrorless system is very similar in the case of all the camera manufacturers: get rid of the mirror and create a new lens mount closer to the sensor. What if there was another option to do it, arguably a better one?
President Biden brings sanctions against Russia for cyber-attacks. As cyber-attacks become ever more sophisticated, we photographers need to tighten our security and awareness of the risks, with twelve hints to keep you safe.
The vast majority of fashion photographers have worked with nude models. A smaller minority work only with nude models. As a fashion photographer, I am often asked if I shoot nude models. While I find the question silly, it’s important to understand that nude photography is absolutely not fashion photography.
This may seem like a negative article, heralding the apocalypse, but really, it isn't. It's an exploration of how our beloved craft has changed over the decades, its direction, and if there are comparable crafts that can help predict the trajectory.
It's hard doing creative things. There is a lot we put ourselves through, and the emotional journey of an artist is a rollercoaster with loops, turns, and upside-down parts. Here are a few examples of thoughts you might have had before.
Nasty comments get posted in the online photographic communities, so I researched the driving forces behind the trolls and what we should do about them. Who they are and their motivations are not as obvious as you may think.
Zoom lenses are wonderful things. With one lens, you have a large number of focal lengths at your disposal. The adjustments are infinitely variable. But in reality, you can often shoot everything with only three different focal lengths. You may even benefit from it.
The Sony a1 has arrived and the Nikon Z 9 was recently been announced, so it's now Canon's turn to make an announcement about its forthcoming top-end camera, the R3. Last month, I compared Canon's then top-end R5 to Sony's and Nikon's offerings, commenting on the different strategic approaches of the three companies. Now that the R3 has arrived, what does it say about Canon's approach to the burgeoning mirrorless market, and what are the portents for Sony and Nikon?
Canon's EOS R5 showed us they were finally taking mirrorless seriously. And now, the EOS R3 has shown us that they are swinging for the fences. And yet, there is still the EOS R1 to come. It is going to be one crazy camera.
Canon’s latest product announcement has sent heads spinning: a resurrected product name, a breakthrough in Canon’s sensor technology, and features that make it look a lot like a 1D X Mark III — and then some. What can we expect from the forthcoming Canon EOS R3?
With increasingly complex automation, turnkey editing has become easier than ever, and the line between photography and digital art is blurrier than ever. So, at what point does an image stop being a photo and become something else? This interesting video essay examines the topic and offers some insight.
An unusual situation has occurred on several occasions in the social media era, and it is as counterproductive as it is interesting. In this article, I will discuss the irony of trying to remove a photograph from the internet and the implications of a public persona in modern life.
Everything is copyable in the digital age and that's not including copyright infringement or stealing imagery. Nor is it an indictment for following the popularity curve. When something is trending on any online platform, creators are going to jump on the bandwagon. It's not an if, but a when.
For some time now, I've been hearing that straight photography is dead. Well, dying anyway.
Using manual exposure is considered professional use by many photographers. Sometimes, it is even considered the only serious way of using a camera, giving you full exposure control. But is this true, or is manual exposure just old fashioned?
The internet has been an integral part of allowing photographers to showcase their work to the world. Yet, no one is safe from the trolls hiding behind their computer screens.
If you’re a photographer who shoots film, you’ve likely seen and had an opinion about film presets. For many, that opinion is quite negative, and for those like myself, we lean towards favoring them.
There is a trend growing in the photography world. The trend is to accompany photographs with explanatory text. I am not convinced this is a good thing. What do you think?
Today, I’d like to discuss one of the most overused and most misunderstood concepts in photography. What exactly makes something a “professional camera”?
Tim Huynh's new documentary, "Fill The Frame," sparked a recent controversy about who qualifies as a professional street photographer. I suggest the answer is no one.
COVID-19 has brought 2.7 million deaths worldwide so far; poor mental health kills 8 million every year. Jessica McGovern talks about her own struggles and helping other photographers.
It's a perplexing state of affairs: the DSLR as a product category is officially on life support now that more mirrorless cameras ship every year. Of what is left of the DSLR sector, Canon and Nikon hold a staggering 98% of it. So, why on Earth is Pentax releasing a flagship model?
Light pollution is a widespread problem, not just for astrophotography, but for anyone who simply enjoys looking at the night sky. And unfortunately, it looks like the problem is only getting worse.
It's not the famous Moulton Barn in Jackson Hole and those definitely aren't the Tetons rising majestically in the background, yet this image of a barn in Idaho is perhaps more impressive. Not because of what it is, but what it represents in the form of the Carol Highsmith Archive.
The mentor relationship in photography can be a really important formative experience for young photographers. It can also be a very difficult relationship to establish.
In 2016, Kim Kardashian broke the internet with a mother’s day selfie. We’ve all seen the picture; she’s stood in front of a mirror wearing pretty much her birthday suit. It becomes such a big deal that Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian go on to recreate the thing. Break the internet twice! Why is this such a big deal though?
With more mirrorless cameras shipped than DSLRs in 2020, the pivot to mirrorless has occurred. Nikkei's report on 2019 mirrorless sales was therefore eye-opening; however, it is the 2020 numbers that will show the shape of the sector. So, who are the winners and losers?
The saying goes that you need to practice 10,000 hours before you master something. I think this is a bunch of rubbish.
Have you ever experienced someone attempting to kill your passion for photography?
The Sony a1 is groundbreaking in its technological capabilities, but is it the perfect camera? Not quite. If we’re going to nitpick, there are definitely a few areas where it falls short, and there are several design decisions that are hard to explain.
So, you’re starting to think that you really want to grow and try something new with your photography, but don’t have the funds for a new camera? Well, there’s a good chance that you can make significant upgrades to your productivity without breaking the bank.
The WHO says approximately 450 million people currently suffer from mental health and neurological disorders. That’s over three-and-a-half times the number that have ever had COVID-19. Within the photographic industry, the rates of mental illness are far worse than in society as a whole.
In Walter Benjamin’s 1935 essay, “A Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” he argues that the reproduction of an art object diminishes its "aura," or unique position in time and space. What this means is that if you make something with your hands, you only have a singular of that thing, so that makes it something special. It is "one of a kind."
It’s often read and repeated: Micro Four Thirds is dead! Olympus’ camera department has been sold and full frame mirrorless is currently ruling the game. Am I the only one who doesn’t care?
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about the mirrorless successor to the Canon EOS 1D X Mark III, rumored to be called the Canon EOS R1. Some might even say outlandish or silly rumors.
It's 2021. Why are seasoned male photographers still treating female models like sex objects under the guise of education?
So much of the discourse surrounding the latest cameras is usually about Eye AF: how fast it is, how consistent, is camera X’s better than camera Y’s. There’s a reason for that, and it’s not just because it’s the latest buzzword.
In an age of digital, of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat; photos are de rigueur when it comes to promoting yourself. News is fast, which means if you want to get noticed, you need to be faster. The tool of choice is obviously the smartphone because it can take and deliver photos instantly. So, why on earth is an instant print desirable?
Photographers, filmmakers, and digital artists are falling over themselves to mint NFTs in a get-rich-quick scheme that will do little beyond transferring wealth from artists to tech billionaires. Why are so many people buying into the idea that something is rare because everyone says it is?
While March might be a bit early for me to already be filling out my holiday wish list for Santa Claus, the recent announcement that Nikon is developing a Z 9 to be released this year already has me in a festive mood.
The latest rumors for the Canon EOS R1 have been published on several sites, and in many respects, they're pretty unbelievable. The alleged leap in technology from Canon's current flagship, the Canon 1D X Mark III to the potential EOS R1 is huge, to say the least. However, this seems awfully familiar to what happened before the Canon EOS R5 was released.
