It is easy to look at modern digital cameras and forget just how spoiled we really are. After all, the latest generation of cameras make it almost impossible to miss the shot. Even a decade ago, digital cameras were far less capable, and if you turn back the clock three decades, digital models had barely just come into existence. This fun retro review takes a look at one such camera, the Apple Quicktake 100.

Ken Heyman, a photographer that’s worked with cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, shot commissions for Life magazine, and collaborated with President Lyndon B. Johnson, died on December 10th in Manhattan at 89 years old. He died at his home of a heart ailment, as reported by his daughter, Jennifer McCarthy.

As we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day this week, we saw many striking reminders of the power of photography in documenting progress and creating change. The issue of race in America is as strong as ever, and as we pause to celebrate one of the greatest leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, we examine the power of photography in the last half-century.

The work of Daido Moriyama is some of the most unique of the last several decades, and it is a fantastic source from which to draw creative inspiration. The excellent video essay takes a look at Moriyama’s work and how his creative philosophy shaped his images.

Imagine pursuing your dream but lacking the funds to do so, then coming across a technology so amazing that you see the opportunity to establish a new business as a market leader, creating a chain of branches. John Plumbe, the Daguerreotype portraitist, did just this in 1840 which led to some of the most enduring photos of Washington D.C.

With 28 days to celebrate Black History Month in February, let's take 28 opportunities to celebrate some talented black photographers who are currently making history with their work.

As creatives and photographers, it's essential to study imagery for education and inspiration. The national archive is a wealth of archival and historical photos from America's history.

For the first announcement of its kind in the United States, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina has declared October 2017 to be Photography Month. For those photographers who live in and are traveling to North Carolina during October, they will have even more reason to bring their cameras and take advantage of the festivals and photo-centric events while they are there.

The Canon PowerShot 350, launched in 1997, stands out for its unconventional design and unusual features. Here's a look at one of the neatest cameras of yesteryear.

We need to change. Not only our way of thinking, but our actions. What we buy and who we buy it from is a political decision in itself.

Bill Brandt, a notable photographer of the 20th century, left a lasting mark on the world of photography. This German-born photographer's contribution to photography was his ability to elevate the mundane and the ordinary into something extraordinary. Whether on the streets of London during the blackout of World War II or in the stark landscapes of northern England, Brandt had a keen eye for uncovering the poetic and the surreal in the everyday.

Saul Leiter, an American photographer and painter, is now widely regarded for his pioneering work in color photography. Although he initially pursued a career in painting, Leiter’s introduction to photography came in the early 1940s when he moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to New York City. Here, he befriended Richard Pousette-Dart, an Abstract Expressionist painter and an early adopter of photography. Encouraged by Pousette-Dart, Leiter began to explore photography, soon finding a passion that would redefine his artistic career.

If you're a child of the 'aughts, you've probably seen a Flip Video camera at least once in your life. Before cellphone videos were a thing, these bad boys ruled the amateur video circuit with their ease of use and novel design that incorporated a literal flipping USB port on the side. But what happened to these once ubiquitous cameras?

The topic of the video is one of the most ground-breaking, disruptive, and commercially successful consumer technology products of the mid-twentieth century. Get a look into the Polaroid backstory, the rise and fall of the company, and the life and career of its co-founder.

In this issue of the A to Z of Photography we turn to possibly the thorniest letter of the alphabet: Q. Fear not as we take you on a journey from an interview with the antipodean photographer Wayne Quilliam, through Elvis, Brahmanandam Kanneganti, Kim Kardashian, Princess Diana, and Donald Trump before finally arriving at the Queen.

Johnson Publishing Company, the former publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, filed for liquidation in April of this year. There was a worry that their image archive would end up being sold to a private collector and that the images, which represent decades of African American culture and history, would disappear.

Photographer Martha Cooper has made a lasting impact on both the world of photography and the art world as a whole. Renowned for her documentation of urban street art and graffiti culture, Cooper's career reflects her deep passion for storytelling and her remarkable ability to capture everyday moments. Her work transcends photography, serving as historical records of cultural movements.

Born in Baltimore in 1943, Cooper began her career as a photojournalist, working for various news outlets. However, it was her groundbreaking book, Subway Art, co-authored with...

The process of creating an image has changed quite a bit over the past two centuries on the journey to what we know now. If you are a history geek or just want to learn more about how things came to be what they are today, check out this fantastic video that will take you on a journey through various photographic processes, from the very earliest through to 20th-century techniques and methods.

What does an atomic detonation look like with a 1/1,000,000 s exposure? If you drop milk onto a red table, do you make art? This article holds an interesting discussion about high speed photography.

On February 14, 2025, YouTube celebrates its 20th anniversary—a milestone that invites deep reflection on how a single website, originally conceived as a platform for sharing simple video clips, evolved into a global cultural powerhouse. Over two tumultuous decades, YouTube has transformed media hierarchies, empowered ordinary individuals to become creators, and reshaped public discourse on a myriad of social, political, and cultural issues.

War photography is a genre that transcends mere visual documentation. It is a testament to the human spirit, a mirror to society, and a call for change.

Superhero films weren't always billion-dollar blockbusters. In the 1940s, characters like Batman and Superman struggled to make the leap from comic pages to the big screen. Costumes were clunky, effects were laughable, and stories felt too campy to take seriously. That changed in 1978 when Superman: The Movie proved a superhero film could soar. It wasn’t just a success—it redefined what these movies could be.

As photographers, we can often get lost in the art of composition, lighting, and creative expression. We love the challenge of capturing a scene that tells a story, evokes an emotional response, or simply looks stunning. But beyond a camera's function as a creative tool, its most important role is its ability to preserve memories and offer a connection to the past.

We now arrive at the second of the three tricky letters of the alphabet. Unfortunately, U is uselessly underwhelming but ultimately and uniquely utilitarian! The first an iconic photo of political protest and confrontation, a theme that continues to this day in newsrooms across the world. Then discover Umbo.

The history and evolution of television and computer display standards is fascinating. These advancements shape how we interact with media daily, affecting everything from television broadcasts to video games.

Photography has evolved from a labor-intensive craft to a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, thanks in part to technological advancements. One particularly fascinating aspect of this evolution is the history of flash photography, which introduced significant challenges and costs to capturing images in low-light conditions, with sometimes explosive results.

Photographed in 1845, first printed in 1851, and then sitting in storage for 178 years, Richard Beard's daguerreotypes of the Franklin Expedition have been sold at public auction (Sothebys) for £444,500 ($545,677 USD,) more than double the top of the expected range.

The idea of incorporating scent into entertainment isn't new, but it remains one of technology’s strangest endeavors. For creators and enthusiasts alike, adding smell to media has long been seen as a compelling, if peculiar, ambition.

Photography has always been about capturing light to preserve moments. For over a century, that meant exposing a roll of film and then disappearing into a darkroom or waiting for a lab to develop the images. It’s easy to forget how different this process was before digital cameras came along. In the 1970s, the idea of instantly seeing a photo on a screen felt like science fiction. Yet it was in this era of film and chemicals that a young engineer quietly built a device that would change photography forever. What follows is the story of how the first digital camera was invented and how it transformed the way we take and share photos.

More is sometimes less. High dynamic range can be great for bringing out the details in your photographs’ shadows and highlights, but it can also make them look rather flat, clinical, and lifeless. If you want to give your images impact and emotional depth, consider trying high contrast instead.