Drones are being gently integrated in to all areas, with photography being just one successful use. Amazon were one of the first to publicly discuss using them for delivering, but Russia launched its first postal drone today to a small public gathering; it did not go well.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of attending a handful of workshops, trade shows, and conferences, but the last two I have attended have been different, and the changes I see are exciting.

Some artists have dreamed about having their work on display in art galleries since they were young. Others dream of the fame it will bring the moment the doors extend on opening night. There are few inbetween that know the true reality that one does not always follow the other. So how do you know if having your art in a gallery is the right step for you?

Every one of us, in some way, has had our lives impacted by George Eastman. Founding Eastman Kodak in 1888, he set out to change how people photographed. He began by creating the first roll of film in 1884 - a departure from the traditional method of using glass plates and a sink. One year later, he put that roll of film into the first Eastman camera. These were the first steps of a 20-year quest that would lead him to his most iconic camera...the Brownie.

What happens when two filmmakers get together, fill a suitcase with camera gear and hop on a plane? In the case of Preston Kanak and Brent Foster, a great work of digital cinema. With only a rough idea of what they wanted, much was left to chance as these two spent 8 days in Havana, Cuba. Read on for the final film and some insight from the creators.

This week, Alien Skin announced version 7 of their wildly successful editing platform, Exposure. Along with a beautiful UI, several new film-stock emulations, new non-destructive tools (including a new straighten tool), new texture overlays (some of which were made by Lara Jade and Parker Pfister) and new file browsing interface, the most exciting addition to Exposure 7 is new comprehensive raw file support. Exposure 7 is available now for $149, existing Exposure 6 users can nab a copy as a free upgrade for people who purchased after June, 2014 or $69 for other Exposure 6 owners.

Photographer, Michael J Moore was granted access to a creepy and abandoned state mental hospital for this fashion shoot. He used a combination of lighting setups but mainly, the Phase One 645DF camera with a Profoto 8A 2400W and various Profoto strobes. With all three different lighting set ups, Michael did a great job at capturing that Vanity Fair-esque look that we all know so well.

I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to add visual interest to my images. I’m a big fan of the effects you can get with prisms and the like, but it’s always nice to find something a little less used. Last year I went to a Katy Perry concert and they were handing out pairs of 3D glasses, which cause rainbow light streaks to appear all around you. I later found out that the glasses were made from diffraction paper.

In 2008, Olympus created a camera system in which lenses and camera bodies could be shared between brands and manufactures under what they called the Micro Four Thirds (M43) standard. The system based on the sensor size, a quarter of full frame, is easily one of my favorite to use and wildly underrated. Olympus has released an update to the iconic family with the entry-level OM-D EM10 Mark III that now packs a serious punch for those professional photographers and consumers alike wanting 5-axis stabilization, 121 focus points, and 4K video. They are on the hunt to innovate across the line and it begins with their latest at the beginner level.

There’s something magical about watching a Polaroid coming to life in your hands. The little piece of instant film is a moment of captured time that is always a joy to have, but there is something about the scope of Ken Yu’s Polaroid Project that makes it truly special.

Former Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza announced a new book chronicling his second presidential assignment. The book, titled, "Obama: An Intimate Portrait: The Historic Presidency in Photographs," will have more than 300 pages and as many photographs according to Souza's Instagram feed. The book is due out November 7, 2017, and is currently available for preorder on Amazon as well as at Barnes & Noble for $40 as a hardcover.

Have you ever gone to the see a romantic comedy and absolutely fallen in love? Have you ever gone to a romantic comedy and spent the majority of the film’s running time politely sneaking peeks at your watch? Have you ever realized that both movies were essentially the same story and wondered why you couldn’t get enough of the first, and got way too much of the second?