The National Archive has digitized, restored, and released 1,270 photos of Adolf Hitler, originally taken by his personal photographer, Henrich Hoffmann. Most have never been seen before, and range from studio portraits to Nazi rallies.
Language is a slippery thing. The meanings of words are constantly evolving. Add in the continuing leaps being made by the technology underlying photography, and it's no wonder that the language photographers use is in an almost constant state of flux.
A while ago we wrote about the Kickstarter project aimed at bringing the historic Petzval Lens to modern day 35mm DSLRs. Shortly after another Kickstarter was launched to bring this Petzval to the medium format crowd. While off the shelf options such as these can appeal to the masses there remain a few inventive photographers such as Dr. Dirk HR Spennemann who prefer to mix their passion for photography and history with some good old ingenuity to bring us a project simply called "The Antique Camera Simulator".
The Hubble Space Telescope has been one of the most important scientific instruments to have ever been deployed, and it has provided countless advancements to the fields of astronomy and cosmology. This fascinating video takes a look at one of the earliest and most important images the telescope took and how it continues to impact science even 25 years later.
The inauguration of Donald Trump meant the end of Pete Souza’s position as official White House photographer. Stepping into his shoes, Shealah Craighead has spoken for the first time about the experience of shadowing President Trump.
If, like me, you have a love for history, being able to see footage from Victorian England in 1901 is a real pleasure. Using neural networks, we can now see previously grainy and fuzzy video from the era upscaled to 4k, 60 fps, colorized, and significantly improved image quality.
Each day we process hundreds of images from our sessions and turn them over to clients in a digital form or upload to companies for printing purposes. The history of how this digital upload started is quite interesting, coming into the light just after the recent passing of the Playboy creator himself, Hugh Hefner. He left behind a surprising contribution to photographers everywhere.
There is a good reason that Ansel Adams' name has stood the test of time through the years. As one of the photographers in history who gets studied the most, Adams' work continues to be used as an example to photography classes and studies around the world. One of the reasons why he is still revered around the world is because of how carefully his images were crafted and how difficult they are to recreate. Digital and printed recreations of his images just don't quite have quite the depth and quality that his original prints do.
For a long time cameras have been used to document history both in still images and in motion pictures. Some of these pictures have been around and publicly available for a long time, others are only available to the individuals who actually own the footage, still there are others that have been kept classified and completely unavailable to anyone without the right security clearance. This has been the case for many videos of the nuclear tests conducted by the United States, until now. The researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have just released 62 of these nuclear test videos that are newly declassified.
There have been all sorts of strange trends in photography throughout its vast history. Some of those trends raise the question, where would you draw the line when it comes to taking on commissioned work? Would posing and photographing the dead be considered too taboo in today's society?
Three years ago, Photographer Christian Carollo came upon his grandfather's travel photography from across the United States. The initial spark for the "Past and Present" Project started with a particular image of the small coastal town of Winchester Bay, Oregon. Christian wondered if he could replicate the image and he succeeded. This was the start of an epic and awe-inspiring project now known as the Past and Present Project. Christian has traveled all over the United States, continuing to replicate his grandfather's images. The results are breathtaking and have re-inspired in me the true emotional potential a single image can have.
It really wasn't that long ago that Kodak was as ubiquitous in photography as the camera itself, and yet, nowadays, the company is sadly a shell of its former self. This great video examines just what happened to bring the former titan to its knees.
For eight years, photographer Pete Souza had my dream job, photographing the president of the United States and being on the front line of the biggest news stories of our time. In his latest IGTV post, Souza talks about some of the gear he used to capture his iconic images.
The last five years have been a real whirlwind for the photo industry. What have been some of the biggest changes? This great video takes a look.
A YouTuber has undertaken the task of upscaling video clips taken in New York City back in 1911. Despite the footage being 109 years old, he managed to upscale the footage to 4K, while also colorizing it and increasing its frame rate to 60fps.
In 1927, Claude Frisse-Greene shot a series of film around London based on a color (or colour) technique that his father had experimenting with. His father, William Friese-Greene, was an early pioneer of cinematography. His process was called 'Biocolour' which produced the illusion of color by exposing alternating frames of black and white film with color filters, then staining the film again with red or green.
Pentax has been around just a shade under a century now, and it has a fascinating history full of success and tragedy that most of us probably aren't aware of. Learn about how the company came to be what it is today in this excellent video history.
If you enjoyed reading about mind-blowing photography facts, here are 10 more that you will find fascinating.
Topaz recently released its new Photo AI software, which deals with noise, sharpness, and resolution. I have been using it and it's seriously impressed me. If you want to see it work its magic on old pictures, take a look inside.
In July of 1945, the U.S. government detonated the world's first nuclear bomb, ushering in the Atomic Age. Initially, the nature and severity of the blasts were kept under wraps, but the photography industry would eventually be given closed door access to certain details, all because of some radioactive corn.
From the weird to the stunningly impressive, here are 10 mind-blowing facts about photography.
Everyone loves a heady blend of nostalgia and a good mullet, but when you throw in weirdly awkward voyeurism and cringe-worthy special effects, it makes for some rather amusing viewing. Check out this short video presenting five incredible adverts from yesteryear.
Do you want your images to look “good”? Aesthetics will help you understand the value of an image beyond its informative and representative character. Let's ask some great philosophers what they think about it.
I spend a lot of time shooting or walking on the streets of New York. You see every type of camera imaginable here, from the latest and greatest DSLRs to old Rollei’s and film cameras. If you hang around B&H long enough, you’ll probably see Louis Mendes with his old Speed Graphic. But I have never, ever seen anyone shooting with what Justin Borucki is using. This guy might have the most unique camera setup in New York.
Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” is an iconic representation of the Great Depression, and one of the most famous photos of all time. There’s more to the story than just the one famous image, however.
In 1983, the BBC aired a documentary series called "Master Photographers" interviewing and showcasing some of the most influential photographers of all time - from Alfred Eisenstaedt to Bill Brandt to Andre Kertesz. In this episode, the great Ansel Adams and his penchant for cowboy hats and bolo ties. Adams was unquestionably brilliant. It's one thing to read his thoughts from a book; it's another thing entirely to hear them.
A group of conservators restoring one of the century old supply depots established by Robert Falcon Scott during his expedition to the South Pole found more than they bargained for. In the corner of one of the huts lay a solid block of ice containing 22 negatives that have been quite well preserved for an entire century.
Manufacturing a product range focused upon APS-C and full frame (FF) ILCs is one of those strategic decisions that seems set in stone. If Canon and Nikon think it's a good differentiator for consumers, then it must be an industry standard that is broadly followed by everyone. However, the camera market is more nuanced than this and has some surprising origins. So, what is the best strategy?
Electrophotography is a medium that was never intended to be used for photography. Electrophotography, later changed to xerography, was originally intended for use as a photocopier. This video follows Tom Carpenter as he uses the electrophotography method to create a portrait. The results certainly won't be putting Canon out of business, but they are interesting from a creative and experimental photography standpoint.
Digital cameras have been around for just a moment compared to the long history of film photography, and that means within those many decades are some truly interesting and unique cameras. One of the weirdest and most beloved among those is the Rollei 35, and this great video takes a look at five reasons why it was such a fun and interesting camera.
Over twenty years ago Chuck O'Rear took a photo that soon became part billions of peoples everyday lives. He captured Bliss on his way to see his girlfriend, he pulled over when he spotted the perfect scene in Sonoma County California. On the side of the road with his medium format camera, he took what would soon become the most viewed image of all time as a staple of Microsoft. After twenty-one years of unimaginable fame, O'Rear is back with a tribute to the epic American nature and a reminder for us all to cherish our earth's beauties.
“These new ways might be found by men who could abandon their allegiance to traditional pictorial standards—or by the artistically ignorant, who had no old allegiances to break. There have been many of the latter sort. Since its earliest days, photography has been practiced by thousands who shared no common tradition or training, who were disciplined and united by no academy or guild, who considered their medium variously as a science, an art, a trade, or an entertainment, and who were often unaware of each other's work…
After numerous suspensions of her social media accounts, a renowned photo colorist fears she will be permanently blocked from Facebook and Instagram. She says she is hesitant to continue posting new work after the social platforms previously threatened to ban her for posting colorized images of Nazi leaders.
As Fstoppers' resident aviation dork and lone Angeleno, I'd be making a huge mistake not to share this incredible timelapse of Endeavour's final journey. Filmed over a sleepless weekend by an all-star timelapse team, the video chronicles Endeavour's slow, delicate, and surreal journey (which made for the perfect timelapse subject) from Los Angeles International Airport to its final resting place at the California Science Center.
150 years is a long time to lose anything. However, this portrait of the sixth president of the United States has reemerged and taken on a special status: it's the oldest known surviving photograph of a U.S. president.
In the world of combat photography, there have been countless individuals who have risked their lives to document the harsh realities unfolding in front of them. Among these brave photographers, one name stands out with a unique legacy – Dickey Chapelle. Born Georgette Louise Meyer on March 14, 1919, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and adopting the nickname Dickey from a childhood friend, her remarkable journey not only left behind a trove of iconic images, but also paved the way for generations of photojournalists to follow in her footsteps.
Libraries. Not a photographic subject I ever thought I’d be getting excited about. But one landscape photographer has released an undeniably beautiful series featuring some of the most structurally complex buildings from around the world.
Have you watched any old television shows lately? Have you noticed anything strange about them? In watching an older show recently, I was surprised by just how many shots are blatantly out of focus.
In 1945, the U.S. government’s Manhattan Project detonated the world's first nuclear explosion. This test was highly confidential and remained so for several years, and yet, Kodak figured out what happened long before the truth became public knowledge.
While we hunker down and practice social distancing, it’s important to remember that there are critical reasons to take the spread of this virus seriously. Call it what you will, Influenza, The Spanish Flu, or H1N1, the 1918 Pandemic killed upwards of 100 million people. Can images from this 100-year-old tragedy help contain the spread of COVID-19 today?
Whether it's capturing a close encounter with a great white, documenting an Eiger ascent or riding the dash of an F-16 the GoPro has been used for some pretty amazing things. Here is one recording I don't see any of us re-creating anytime soon though.
The original Canon 1D came out almost 20 years ago, in November of 2001, and it represented the company's arrival on the professional digital camera market. Since then, the 1D series has become well known for its high-level capabilities and almost unbreakable build, becoming a favorite of countless pros around the world. What was the original model like, though? This neat video takes a look at the shooting experience and image quality. Spoiler alert: the colors are beautiful.
The Contax T2 was a luxury compact rangefinder released in 1991, combing excellent image quality and controls that have since made it a desirable option for film aficionados. Contax no longer exists and T2s now sell for thousands of dollars. Why do they cost so much and are they worth the investment?
"Migrant Mother," a photo by Dorothea Lange, is, by far, one of the most important and well-known images ever taken, having become an iconic symbol of the Great Depression. If you do not know the story behind the photo, check out this great video that will show you some of the history that went into it.
The spelling of “bokeh” to describe out-of-focus areas wasn’t used in relation to photography until as recently as 1997, so how has it come to dominate discussions about the qualities of a lens to the point that manufacturers have to mention it with every new release? This in-depth video explores the use of bokeh over the centuries from 16th-century oil paintings to today’s digital cameras.
We are approaching the 20th anniversary of September 11th. One of the most iconic images to emerge from that terrible day was Richard Drew's "Falling Man," which captured a man who had either jumped or fallen from the North Tower as the intense fires pushed those trapped in the upper floors to make a desperate decision. This interview speaks with Richard Drew, the photographer who captured the image.
Perhaps one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century is Robert Capa’s image, “The Falling Soldier.” Speculation regarding its authenticity as a historical piece of evidence has abounded for years. This short video takes a quick look at the controversy and raises questions about photography’s capacity for truth.
Light has been fundamental to art for centuries predating the camera. However, utilizing realistic and impactful light — an objective of many photographers and artists today — wasn't always the case.
The Gameboy Color from the late Nineties had a camera module you could buy separately. I owned one of them and I remember enjoying it, particularly paired with the Gameboy printer. But, just how bad was the quality back then?
