So much of photography is about capturing a moment, a place, a person, a glance, a tiny slice of history that is impossible to recreate. When we've only got one shot, we want to make sure we get it right. In this series, we’re examining 11 things that can lead to a loss of image sharpness, what causes them, how to recognize them, and what to do about them!
Ever pulled the images off your camera, zoomed in to 100%, and been a little disappointed with the results? Ever had a hard time figuring out what went wrong? In this series, we’re looking at 11 common causes of poor clarity and how to address each. With a little practice, you’ll be able to glance at an image and know how to fix it.
Ever gotten your images off the camera, zoomed into 100%, and been a little disappointed with the results? Ever had a hard time figuring out what went wrong? In this series, we’re looking at 11 common causes of poor clarity and how to address each. With a little practice, you’ll be able to glance at an image and know how to fix it.
Ever gotten your images off the camera, zoomed in to 100%, and been a little disappointed with the results? Ever had a hard time figuring out what went wrong? In this series, we’ll look at the primary causes of poor clarity and how to address each. With a little practice, you’ll be able to glance at an image and know how to fix it.
Ever wonder how Google manages to render everything from bushes and boulders to bridge trusses and skyscrapers in amazing three-dimensional detail? In this article, we’ll find out how. It involves a high-tech lawnmower, a lot of computing power, and thousands of terabytes of data.
As photographers, we generally think of long exposures as being on the order of a few minutes, maybe a few hours if you get deep into astrophotography. This exposure took far longer than that, however; in fact, it took over a week to gather enough light for the final image.
One of the easiest and most beloved methods of color correction is a simple swipe of the white balance temperature slider. It can change the whole tenor of a scene. There are limits to what it can do, however.
Are you worried about AI collecting your facial data from all the pictures you have ever posted or shared? Researchers have now developed a method for hindering facial recognition.
A “camera backpack” has been invented by researchers at the University of Washington, which has been attached to beetles for a point-of-view perspective into their daily life. Described as a “GoPro for beetles,” the camera can be controlled by a smartphone.
Developing your own rolls of film has been popular ever since it was necessary and is something all photographers should try at least once. In this video, that's exactly what happens, but using coffee to do so!
A new time-lapse released by NASA showcases 10 years of images of the Sun — 425 million of them, to be exact. Condensed into a time-lapse, the hour-long video consists of one photo of the Sun every day between June 2nd, 2010 and June 2nd, 2020.
You may have noticed that as you stop down your lens, your images become sharper at first, but after a certain point, they actually become softer. Here is why no matter what lens you use, eventually, you will experience softness issues as you use narrower apertures.
Scientists are constantly capturing the devastating effects of environmental decline all over the world. However, doing so underwater has always proven to be a challenge. In the latest documentary binge watch, a team has successfully shown just how the world below the surface is declining at an advanced rate.
If you have ever used dating apps or websites, have you ever considered how your profile picture is perceived by other users looking for a date? Do you go for a quick "selfie" or a professionally shot and edited photo of yourself?
We've seen Elon Musk's company SpaceX in the news consistently since their launch of the Starlink satellites, and with 12,000 set to be released into low earth orbit in the future, it might mean some pretty cool light trails for astro photos. Follow the steps below on how to take photos of the Starlink satellites from your backyard.
Scientists at the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands have stitched together 528 photographs of one of Rembrandt’s most famous works to create an image that weighs in just shy of 45 gigapixels. You can now visit their website to zoom in far enough to see beyond even the brushstrokes.
The coronavirus has caused a massive pandemic across the world, and yet, the virus itself, like any, is absolutely tiny, with a diameter of about 120 nanometers (or about .000004724 inches). It is so small, in fact, that traditional imaging techniques cannot resolve it. So, how do scientists create crucial images of the virus to better understand it and lead the fight against it? This excellent video will show you the science behind creating those images.
New footage released this week shows how the likes of COVID-19 may be spread through minuscule droplets that are invisible to the naked eye. Using laser beams and high-sensitivity cameras, scientists in Japan were able to capture the droplets — measuring around 1/10,000 of a millimeter — that help viruses jump from human to human.
Some astronomers and observatories are complaining that satellites sent into low earth orbit by private companies to provide global internet and other services will impact night sky observation and ruin astrophotography.
It's the unsung hero of your photos, and it's always been improving. It's that little switch on the lens. We've become accustomed to AF, and for good reason. It works, and it works very well.
Diffraction is something that can rob your images of sharpness, and as such, it is important to have a functional understanding of what it is and how to avoid it. This excellent video explains what diffraction is and how it varies based on different parameters.
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.
Thwaites Glacier is one of the most crucial pieces in the future of Earth's climate, and as such, understanding its behavior is a high priority for scientists. A team of 100 scientists from the U.K. and the U.S. recently visited the glacier and recorded the first ever video from underneath the ice.
Does that mean all art is subjective, and then, that any image is good if I say it’s good? Not so fast...
Neural networks are one of the most exciting developments in the computing world, with a wide range of potential applications. This video shows what happens when a neural network is used to take footage from 1896 and upscale it to 4K, add a faster frame rate, and even add color.
Forget macrophotography. Nanophotography is pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible to record, as scientists have, for the first time, captured incredible footage of previously unseen physical processes.
It is theorized that 10,000 hours of deliberate practice will turn one into a master of their trade. When starting out as a photographer (or any other skill), you were told practice makes perfect. But is this true for everyone ?
The process of creating technically solid images can seem a bit daunting. But there aren’t actually all that many variables a photographer has to contend with, nor that many things those variables directly influence. But, as with everything, the devil is in the details.
Ever felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect of creating a great image? Ever wonder why it seems to happen so rarely? Creating a great photograph that resonates with your audience is really complicated. But in this three-part series, we’re going to try to bring a little bit of order to that chaos!
Experienced night sky shooters know that some of the most challenging targets are meteors. While meteor showers, which happen several times a year, will make capturing the elusive meteors easier because there are more of them, you can still point a camera to the sky with a 30 minute exposure and get nothing. Then, suddenly, a meteor can appear where you weren't pointing.
If you like photography and science then this competition is for you, and 2019's results are simply magnificent.
One of the interesting trends in the comments on a previous article on the rule of thirds was a reaction not just to that rule specifically, but to “rules” more generally. That got me thinking a bit. What are “rules”? Where do they come from? Is breaking them an act of rebellion; or one of self-destruction?
Has the rule of thirds influenced your compositions? It has mine at times. Yet, with each application I wonder, why should placing things near the thirds of an image be appealing? In fact, it turns out that the link between the rule of thirds and aesthetic appeal is weak. Is the rule of thirds dead?
Many interesting ethical issues arise across the photographic genres from the perspective of the photographer, their subjects, and their audience. This video on the broader subject of art and ethics, generally, presents a number of questions and thought experiments designed to get us thinking about the roles that art and ethics play in our lives.
Researchers have developed a new pixel design that has the potential to revolutionize dynamic range in cameras.
Whether you've realized it or not, photography is moving away from pure optics. For the past few years, smartphone cameras have been relying on computational photography to overcome their physical limitations. But what does that even mean?
Do you believe that your images are objective representations of reality? You might be mistaken. Here are a few arguments why.
Let me first say, for reasons that will become clear momentarily, that I’m a six-foot-seven-inch tall male who weighs approximately 200 pounds and has about a week’s (…okay, week-and-a-half’s) worth of stubble. And my favorite color is pink. Did you just do a double-take?
Camera sensors are incredibly complex pieces of engineering prowess, bringing together mankind’s attempt to replicate the behavior of the human eye in perceiving light, but there are still many limitations. Cameras are rarely good at capturing decent photographs of rainbows, but some cameras are significantly worse than others, thanks to a strange quirk of science.
Contrast extraction is one of the most important aspects of visual processing. It plays a tremendous role in how we view images, where our eyes are drawn to first, and where they linger. In this article we'll learn a few simple tricks to create more engaging photographs — and why they work.
We all want to get that stunning animal-in-the-wild shot but it's not always possible or easy to do so. That's when many photographers take shortcuts, and it's not always the best idea.
What do oversize truck tailpipes, paleolithic sculpture, and the vibrancy slider have in common? And what might they have to do with helping us create more engaging photographs? Why do some abstract paintings move you and others don't? Why should we react to an abstract work of art at all?
In most lenses, the center of the frame might be razor-sharp, but the corners and edges always appear a little soft. It’s something that’s been a problem for thousands of years within optical devices, with many researchers giving up hope until a recent breakthrough from a Mexican physicist, who has now developed a formula that will change how lenses are manufactured.
War of the resolutions again. This time it's a bit different. It's not about the benefits of 4K or 8K for the filmmaker or a photographer, but for the consumer. The question is: can the "resolution" of your eyes match 4K?
The Hubble telescope has provided us some of the greatest images of the observable universe we've ever seen, but they're black and white as standard. So how do scientists know what color to make them?
A new contact lens that works in the same manner as an advanced zoom lens for the human eye has been revealed by scientists. Reports claim users can zoom simply by blinking, or looking around.
Check out the Glenn Research Center’s new VR experience, and find out how they did it.
Tornadoes are notoriously hard to predict and to study, but better understanding the complex processes that lead to their formation is crucial to providing the sort of advance notice needed to save lives. Researchers in Project TORUS are turning to drones to better study these dangerous storms.
I talk to a lot of photographers who want to get into Milky Way or astronomical photography but are put off by the difficulty of the processing techniques using Photoshop.
Check out these time-lapse selections from Google Earth Engine that run from 1984 to 2018. They're an epic way for photography and time-lapse to show the massive changes that have occurred to our planet within the span of a lifetime.