Here on Fstoppers, smartphones sometimes get a bad rap as cameras. However, when used to capture the after effects of a glitter/fart bomb package launched on unsuspecting gift thieves, these devices provide a clear advantage.
Of all the meteor showers you don't want to miss, the 2018 Geminids may be most spectacular. Find out when and why.
If we could slow light down and see what it does in those trillionths of a second, we could answer more questions with regards to our existence itself. What exactly happens with photosynthesis and how do lasers go through glass? This video shows the answers.
We’ve seen plenty of time-lapse but this one is probably unique as it captures the launch of a Progress rocket directly from the International Space Station (ISS).
You think medium format is big? You ain't seen nothing yet. Check out this incredible camera that's being used to shape our understanding of the universe.
You've heard that a portrait lens is the one with a focal length of 50mm or above and that wide angle lenses create a distorted image when used for portraits. This article will try to help you understand and overcome that prejudice.
From sketch renderings to video surveillance, law enforcement uses many techniques to piece together clues for crime-solving. Details and memory often fail us, but there's one medium that never forgets - photography.
Dynamic range has become one of the most important camera specs for a lot of photographers and videographers, but there's a lot more information and science behind it than you might have realized. This excellent, comprehensive video will teach you everything you need and ever wanted to know about dynamic range.
Creating microscopic or macroscopic photography requires considerable skill and proper equipment. But you don’t need to be a professional photographer to appreciate the fascinating world that this mind-blowing imaging opens up.
Depth of field is a frequently misunderstood subject, particularly when it comes to what actually affects it and how it changes based on your technique. This awesome video will show you everything you need to know about the physics behind depth of field.
We all wish we could make money doing photography, but one macro specialist found a way to have his photography made into money. Twenty Canadian dollars, to be exact.
There's a been a lot of back and forth in recent years about the risk drones pose to airplanes and the type of damage they could possibly cause if an impact were to occur, but little true research has been done. This video follows a research team that used an air cannon to fire a drone at an airplane wing to study the damage that occurred.
Most photographers learn the basics of aperture in regards to depth of field and light-gathering ability, but some of what you learned is probably wrong, particularly when it comes to f-stops. If you're ready to get geeky, check out this great video that explains the truth behind it all.
Two “mini space rovers” have landed on an asteroid, with pictures being sent back to earth for the first time.
A rare sight was captured at the Jersey Shore this week. When photographer Jon Entwhistle saw a peculiar sight, he aimed his camera to the heavens and virality ensued.
Photography can open a world of opportunities, but now it can open up opportunities beyond Earth. SpaceX's first space tourist, Yusaku Maezawa, plans to invite a group of artists including a photographer to travel to the moon with him.
There's been enough dissections on how Canon and Nikon shot themselves in their respective feet by releasing mirrorless systems with only single card slots. Trust Tony and Chelsea Northrup, though, to spice things up a bit with some scientific analysis.
If you are relatively new to flash photography, you have likely heard of high-speed sync, but might not understand it. Here is a full explanation.
It can be easy to take certain things in life for granted, such as the ability to see the normal spectrum of colors. Color blindness is a lot more common than you might expect, and this heartwarming video of a man seeing full colors for the first time reminds us just what a gift vision is.
We all try to push our creative boundaries, but have you ever created an image through ferrofluid and sound waves? Photographer Andrew Hall does exactly that to create these surreal photo that, at first glance, you’d think were CGI.
NASA has announced plans to bring nine “social media-savvy” photographers together this August to take and share photos from inside the facility in which its latest rockets and spacecrafts are being constructed, in a scheme the agency is calling “Photo #NASASocial.”
Your camera may have the option to trigger off-camera flashes using the built-in pop-up flash. It’s a system that works wirelessly, but not by radio signals. Find out how the camera’s optical trigger is able to communicate to external flashes in this self-proclaimed super-duper nerdy video.
The Kirlian photography technique is still one of the most spectacular ways to shoot different subjects. This method is a bit of a mystery, especially for those who are beginners in the art of photography. Here's how it works.
The cost was 107 billion dollars for a giant leap for mankind but a trashy subject and framing for the first picture taken on the surface of the moon.
NASA recently released this stunning tour of the moon based on photos and visualizations built from data sent back from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. It's a beautiful and informative look at our nearest neighbor.
It's easy to take for granted the fact that our camera sensors somehow translate light into digital data that is eventually reconstructed as a viewable image on our monitors when we return to our studios. However, there's some very deep and impressive science behind this feat, and this neat video will introduce you to how it all works.
Having spent years photographing the night sky from the Milky Way to exploding meteors to man-made space junk disintegrating in the atmosphere, I thought I had seen it all. Then I drove as far north into Canada as you can possibly go, and everything changed.
Recently a member of the Fstoppers Facebook group posted a confession with a simple question: Who else uses their left eye to look through the camera's viewfinder? I was shocked by the results.
Most of us know about the exposure triangle, which dictates how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO balance each other to create the total exposure. But rarely if ever do we dive deep into what exposure really is at the fundamental level. This great video will give you a fun, scientific breakdown of exposure and metering.
A photographer will know exactly what lens distortion you’ll experience with a wide angle lens up close. Does the general public?
We talk qualitatively quite a bit about the softness or hardness of light, as it's one of the fundamental qualities and something every photographer and videographer should consider when choosing how to light their subjects. This neat video takes a more scientific approach by asking how we can quantify the softness of light.
If you often find that your camera's autofocus doesn't quite hit the spot, it might have something to do with the focus system you are using. Make sure you know the difference between the two types of autofocus before your next photoshoot or camera purchase.
In what could be called a coincidence of cosmic proportions, an amateur astrophotographer from Argentina (say that three times fast!) has, for the first time, captured a spectacular space phenomenon on camera against nearly impossible odds, as reported by LiveScience.com.
The Internet can take you to places that you might never get to see in person such as the famed astronomical clock in Prague’s Old Town Square or the Amundsen–Scott research station in Antarctica. And, there are cameras situated at literally the top of the world capturing things in the night sky that you may have never even seen before.
Chances are you've seen historical footage from NASA at some point in your life, whether in a movie, on television, on the Internet. That footage was extremely hard to film, however, and this great video examines the technical challenges behind shooting rocket launches and space.
Seemingly the whole world stopped and watched the successful SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch a couple of weeks ago. Here's an inside look at the camera technology behind the amazing footage.
Those scientists over at NASA do some pretty cool stuff, one of which is sending spacecraft filled with probes and cameras deep into space. One of those spacecraft just set a record by taking a photograph while 3.79 billion miles from Earth.
This video of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket sending a Tesla into space is extra special. Why? Because of 3D sound. Grab your headphones, as this is truly immersive audio.
How many megapixels do you need to print a billboard? Much less than you probably think.
We're all likely familiar with Phantom's line of ultra-high-speed cameras. These cameras have been used to film the most viral "bullet-time," slow-motion sequences you've seen everywhere online, but scientists also love them for their ability to reveal otherwise-hidden, split-second reactions. Phantom recently announced a new camera that can record 6,600 frames per second at a nearly square 2,048 x 1,952 resolution. Only need full HD? The new V2640 scream through at 11,750 frames per second at 1920 x 1080.
As the most recent government shutdown came to a close, the Curiosity Rover’s Twitter account (@MarsCuriosity) released a new batch of raw images from the red planet on January 23. The rover's Twitter account had a bit of a break during the shutdown, but while the Curiosity Rover has sent images back in the past of it as part of the Martian landscape, this latest selfie is a bit closer, and the Internet loves it.
If you’re not following The Slow-Mo Guys over on YouTube, then this video might change all that. They have created yet another video which both destroys our perception of reality and makes us thirsty for more knowledge.
It may seem like it was only yesterday, but the upcoming total lunar eclipse is actually the first one in nearly three years. Taking place on the morning of January 31, it will be fully or partially visible to folks living in Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and North America. If you are in the United States, the farther north and west you live, the better. Here are five tips I’ve put together to help you prepare for capturing some epic shots.
Adrien Mauduit has released the second piece in his “Galaxies” series. Volume II features time-lapses taken against winter skies, a deviation from his first “Galaxies” film which captures our galaxy and the surrounding stars during the summer nights.
Photographers all over the world have found something absolutely incredible happens when you blow soap bubbles in the freezing winter temperatures. As these delicate bubbles freeze almost instantly, inside each one a unique universe of patterns and shapes comes to life right in front of your eyes. If you're lucky enough to be enduring the worldwide cold front we're having, give this a shot to make the brutal winter more fun and beautiful.
Just when you thought that your camera has all of the resolving power you will ever need with a 50- or even a 100-megapixel sensor, a new king of the hill has arrived on the scene and the comparison to what you have isn’t even close. With 1.5 billion pixels of CCD goodness, this camera smashes the ceiling on resolution and is sure to be the envy of anyone who cares about such things.
Throughout the course of long, mentally intensive days covering events from behind a camera, likely the last thing on your mind is maintaining good balanced posture or equal weight distribution. String multiple days like this together in a short period of time and you are unknowingly causing long-term havoc onto your body, especially as this repeats and builds over longer periods.
A team of engineers from Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering has created new imaging technology which could enhance medical and scientific research, as well as security, photography, cinematography, and any other field relying on high quality, low lighting images.
A series of surreal new images, courtesy of NASA, show Jupiter’s surface which will have you questioning what exactly you’re looking at.
This week will have one of the most amazing astronomical events of the year (besides that continent-crossing solar eclipse this past August). The Geminid meteor shower is streaking across the sky this week on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. If you didn't know or maybe just forgot, it's time to make plans to get to a dark sky area for a once a year celestial show that many astronomers call the best meteor shower of the year.
