Mobile

Announced this morning to kick off Adobe MAX, Adobe has released a series of applications for mobile devices that are designed to increase productivity, especially when on the move. They were able to show me some of these pieces of software during a briefing last week, and I must say, these look to have incredible potential for photographers, videographers and graphic designers.

Having just started in photography two years ago I have a strong passion for creatives willing to share their passion and tips with the community. Fstoppers included, its one of the reasons I found all the information I needed with little to no cost starting out. Skillshare is launching an exciting series of classes highlighting how some of the best photographers in the world do what they do best, take incredible photos and share them with the world.

Photographer Lisa Bettany, creator of the Camera+ and MagiCam iPhone apps, put together a fascinating and thorough comparison of images coming from every generation of the iPhone ever created. With insight into low-light performance, macro capabilities, overall sharpness, and how Apple's own image processing algorithms seem to have changed over the course of time, the results are certainly interesting.

If you're on Instagram and have been immersed in the community they have built, you have most likely come across Bethany Olsen and Cory Staudacher feeds by now. Both photographers from Seattle met through mutual friends via the social network and eventual became an instant hit while sharing incredible photos across the Pacific Northwest gaining over 500,000 followers combined.

We've featured ESPN photographer Brett Wilhelm's work before as he's taken us through numerous one-man setups for his events. This time, Wilhelm gives us a great video covering everything you need to know about wirelessly transmitting your images in the field with the Nikon system. From connecting to FTP servers through your iPhone or local wireless network to explaining the advantages and disadvantages between the WT-5 and WT-4, Wilhelm makes sure you'll be ready to shoot anything in the field for instant transmission back to your editing team.

The old photographers’ saying, “It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer” sounds like a self-serving flattery when it comes out of the mouth of a photographer, yet has never been more accurate than today. Its ironic how, as a professional photographer, I posses the knowledge of manipulating the most sophisticated gear and cameras available, yet when I shoot an image on the iPhone the resulting image is an embarrassment. Rushing to my defense I’ll utter each time, “I’m a terrible iPhone photographer…” So when I see amazing images, shot with the iPhone, I’m impressed with what can be achieved.

With the rise of smartphones and lack of expandable storage locally, many manufactors have been creating storage solutions with options to access over a wireless network connection. While this isn't anything new, it appears as Western Digital is releasing a one-step solution for photographers needing to backup SD cards on location.

If there is one thing we learned this weekend concerning Jennifer Lawrence and others, it’s that even the most seemingly safe photos are not safe at all. We happen to be amongst two eras. One where cameras are more frequent than ever, and one where privacy is disappearing rapidly. Here are some tips to keep those two things separate.

Pictured above are the two lenses currently available from Moment that I stumbled across while browsing Kickstarter and immediately knew I had to have. The 60mm Tele and 18mm Wide are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, while maintaining the sturdiness and incredible optics of products ten times their size. The following are my first impressions after they landed on my porch.

Photographer Lorenz Holder takes us on a behind the scenes look into seven top smartphone photography tips and tricks. Walking us through things like "The Driveby Pano" and making your own macro lens with a simple drop of water, you can see how the innovation in photography has grown in the mobile world.

Though there are other programs out there that say they can quickly cutout objects from the background via masks and leave you with a clean end result, I've tried a few of those programs and they just don't seem to cut it. The process to create these masks also seem very awkward. Now you can quickly create (pretty darn good) masks on your iPad using Photoshop Mix, a mobile offering from Adobe we told you about earlier this year.

DSTRUX launched a new iOS app of the same name yesterday that changes the way content owners control their images' usage across the web. A universal Snapchat of sorts, DSTRUX brings private and controled viewing of images to anyone with an Internet browser.

After years of seeing "Please, No Photos of the Art" signs in every museum across the country over the years, you might find it interesting to hear that the bans have finally started disapearing, and even photo-taking promoted for the sake of social media advertising. The National Gallery has finally opened the floor to promoting photos by mobile and amateur photographers and encourage the idea to take photos of the art and post those images to social media platforms. This is a pretty big deal considering the stance on the issue for so long was very anti-photographs.

Smartphones have undeniably taken over our lives in the past few years and most of us carry one everywhere we go. One of the most-used features on a modern phone is the camera, and it's being used all the time. In many cases, more than one person is taking photos or videos of what is going on and each person gets different angles and maybe a different part of the action. There has not been an easy way to edit it all together, but Disney Research announced the development of an automatic editing tool that takes the different videos from a scene and intelligently combines them.

I’ve always been enthralled with first person movie scenes, games and music videos. Clocking countless hours with Duke Nukem 3D in my parent’s basement on an old Packard Bell PC planted a seed that forever changed me. To this day I think The Prodigy's breakbeat electronic hit “Smack My Bitch Up” is one of the greatest first person videos of all time.

This war has been waging for years now, but when it comes down to it and you just want to get out and shoot for yourself, which do you prefer, your phone or your top of the line pro gear? Kim Thomas, an incredible nature and portrait photographer based in New York, has brought the battle to a head up at her blog with some comparison shots taken straight out of camera with both her Canon 5D Mark III and her iPhone 5s.

Keeping your photographs organized by means of keywording is not a new idea but a new app is changing the idea of keyword organization. Polymo lets you add your keywords before you shoot, and adds all of the photos into its own "smart album."

Freelance photographer Lu Gen captures fleeting moments on the streets of Chongqing, China, where he is based. With subjects framed naturally by pops of color and pattern, his photographs are both beautifully cinematic and deeply real. While his work incorporates elements of classic street photography, it is highly intimate; often focusing on a single subject within the context of the city.

Last year Mercedes-Benz USA (@MBUSA) ran a very successful social media campaign using Instagram and some of its top influencers to spread the word about the new CLA which you can read about here. Now, they are at it again with a new approach on the much anticipated Mercedes GLA. What better way to advertise than to hit social media with some absolutely stunning adventure photos?

DJI has been a major player in the quadcopter arena for quite some time. While there are MANY other brands out there, DJI has set out to make flying easy, especially for those with no experience. Now it will be even easier to start flying thanks to the addition of Autonomous flight. They call it Ground Station.

Earlier this year, Nikon unveiled a 3D photo booth that used a system of multiple DSLRs to render a 3D model of a subject. Just months later the technology to do so now fits in your pocket — free.

It's no secret that the majority of the photography and art community tends to lean towards Apple for many of their services. Google is hoping to convert a few of us with the announcement of Android 5.0 L this past weekend. Adding RAW support, full manual controls, and any other features to the camera system might make Android the best option for photographers everywhere.

We all have a half-dozen or so USB thumb drives laying around. You know, the ones you bought to replace the ones you thought you lost, but then found a week later? Maybe they were free at a trade show? I had my fair share and decided to do something about it: I created my new favorite and totally portable live-work "SSD." Considering I just needed one, $16 accessory, it all seemed pretty reasonable to me.

Adobe was very clear that the 2014 updates were mainly focused on what they have seen to be a rapidly evolving market: Mobile. Adobe is seeing a rapid pace of change, explosion of mobile, and a world that is continually and incredibly connected. But their software, for real-work at least, is still tethered to a desk. Adobe thinks this is a problem, and sought to solve it.

The longest running and oldest iPhone photography competition, the iPhone Photography Awards (IPPA), announced its 2014 winners yesterday. For those still not convinced that the iPhone can be used to make beautiful images, be forewarned: your room for that excuse is dangerously thin. Get out there and create some great images - after you check out these photographers and their fantastic iPhone art.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) previewed a new operating system for the Mac as well as iOS 8 for the iPhone, which comes with a host of new features due out this fall. While many features of Apple's new iOS releases leave out older devices, this one will improve your iPhone's camera (past, current, and future) with some great features we've all been too patient to see.

Instagram has just released some of its most significant photo editing features that we have seen from them since the release of video sharing. Instagram is making it clear that it has no plans of fading out in the near future. By offering some more tools to help edit pictures and reach out to the photography community, I think they will continue leading the way for one of the top social media platforms.

Have you ever wanted to take photographs like Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus or Martin Schoeller? Don't have time to put in all that pesky hard work to learn masterful control of lighting and post-processing? Soon, you may be able to have images just like theirs! Well, sort of. Researchers at MIT, in conjunction with Adobe, have developed an algorithm that mimics styles of iconic photographers transforming flat, lifeless photos into masterful imitations of art. No word yet on if there will be "taste" sliders or "restraint" clipping warnings.

Ever wanted to read about an innovative commercial production involving bullet time innovation, mobile photography, the use of camera motion in sequenced stills, and a guy called Jesus who is an Evangelist and a literal savior? If so, look no further, your prayers have been answered, because this post covers all of these bases and more.

During an initial meeting with local publication NFocus Magazine, the Editor-In-Chief asked for a unique aesthetic on Louisville's theater and arts community and wanted a massive group shot, but not your traditional group shot. I threw out the idea to shoot actors and their "characters" from directly overhead on a theater floor, as if they were action figures laid out and organized. Two seconds after I uttered the idea, I realized I had no clue how I would pull it all off.

Whether you’re a fan of social media or not, it’s definitely here to stay and constantly evolving at lightning speed. It’s completely changed the fabric of how we (photographers) do business: from publicizing images to marketing tactics and communication, our daily life is inundated with a constant barrage of notifications and a conditioned head-down-to-phone routine. Unfortunately, if you aren't using social media to its fullest, then you may be left behind.

Photographer Chip Litherland initially thought mobile photography was a threat to photojournalism and a platform for visual gluttony and selfies. But once he started tinkering with Instagram, he fell in love with the medium and began making artistic, saturated double exposures that advanced his vision. Chip explains how he uses his iPhone alongside his DSLRs when on assignment and how it has changed his photography.

Dropbox posted today on their blog about a new mobile gallery they are releasing called Carousel. The gallery will be for displaying photos and videos from your life and they are claiming it is "unlike other mobile galleries." The size of your Carousel isn't constrained by the space of your phone, so no more worrying about losing your life's memories as they will always be in one place.

Have you ever wanted to be invisible? That's the question Thomas Hurst, creator of COVR Photo, is asking. COVR Photo is an iPhone case with a sliding prism that, when slid into position, allows the photographer to take photos without being obvious.

If you like social media and manicure, you can now combine the two with NailSnaps - a new product that let you turn your Instagram photos into nail polish stickers. All you need is to snap a photo, import it to the NailSnaps app, decide what each nail will look like, and wait for a shipment.

Matt Davey, a music photographer based in Essex, and iPhonographer Dilshad Corleone take to the streets of London and go on a fun journey of self-discovery and in the process create a collaborative project of creative individuals using the power of photography. I caught up with Matt and he broke down the project and the great experiences that he gained from collaborating with his fellow colleagues.

Daniel Arnold may already be known to some of you. With over 30,000 followers on Instagram he has certainly built an audience for his work. He has even been called the best photographer on Instagram...after his account was shutdown when he uploaded a topless photo of sunbathers one fateful day. Arnold has since returned and it seems his plans for notoriety on Instagram may have hit a new high when it was reported he made $15,000 in a single day using the platform.

Photographer Mark Hartman, a Boston native, has taken over the New Yorker’s Instagram for the first week of March. Hartman is currently traveling in India and Nepal. His striking photographs give insight into the two countries’ inherent beauty and long-held traditions.

The GlamSquad is a new app that has nothing to do with photography; it's not even related to retouching or filters. But it can help you on your photo shoots. How? Simple - the GlamSquad app is the 'Uber' of Hairstylists. Need a hairstylist for a simple fix for your model/subject right before your photo shoot? Just pick one of the 10 hair styles available, choose your preferred time (even within 1 hour) and pay. Your professional hairstylist will arrive at your location and do his/her magic.