Articles written by Douglas Sonders

No, the new GoPro Hero 4 Session doesn't have greater resolution or frame rate capabilities than the pre-existing Hero 4 black's 4K resolution and high frame rate...in fact, it's actually limited to 1920 x 1440 at 30 frames per second, or 1920 x 1080 at 60 frames a second. So what's the big deal with this camera then? It apparently makes up for those performance numbers in general functionality improvements, size, and greatly improved battery life. I also think it may be designed to be used in the latest virtual reality camera rigs. Read below to learn more.

A well-known member of our photo community passed away this weekend. Photographer Wyatt Neumann died after suffering a brain aneurysm which caused him to lose control of the motorcycle he was driving and causing him to crash. As Stephen Lucier put it, Wyatt was known to many as a "photographer, friend, bad boy, husband, dad, man" as well as a mentor to numerous others.

This week, Phase One announced a brand-new camera platform, the Phase One XF, and three new IQ3 digital backs. Every photo media outlet in the world has the press release and various levels of speculation and information, all focused on those two main announcements. Here’s the thing: it was only one of a half dozen announcements Phase One made, and some of the best announcements are getting obscured by the announcement of their body and backs. Read on to see some of the other exciting stuff they have coming out this week.

Last year I had an exciting opportunity to shoot what I am told is the first combined Jaguar and Land Rover USA ad campaign now that they are both under new combined ownership. The goal of the campaign was to create content that would appeal to the users of both car markers and promote brand loyalty. It was as if we were to say: "If you have a Land Rover, you need a sporty Jaguar for the ultimate garage!" (and vise versa). This campaign came together very quickly and the client had specific production requirements. Learn how I did it below and feel free to ask any question about the process in the comments section.

Well it has been a rollercoaster for the team over at Photoflex, makers of some of my favorite studio lighting accessories. First, they pulled what many thought was an April fools joke by announcing that they were closing their doors as of late March 31st. Then, they sent out a press release stating they had to close their business due to "health issues" as well as the increasingly competitive market (cough cough cheap knock-off photo accessories flooding the market). Well, it looks like they have some life left in them after all and I couldn't be happier for their team.

Some of you thought that my post last week about photography accessories brand Photoflex suddenly closing its doors without warning after 30 years of business was a possible April Fools' joke. I wouldn't blame you since it seemed to be annouced late in the day prior to April 1st and they seemed to be a fully-functioning business right up until the final moments. I did email Photoflex to inquire about more information and they did just send back the following press release:

This year has already been filled with some compelling DSLR camera releases and announcements and the new Nikon D5500 is no exception. For the a quarter of the price of the Canon D5 Mark 3 that I purchased a couple of years ago, you can have more resolution, full HD video function with a wide-array of frame rates, comparable ISO range, and even its own built-in WIFI transmitter to send images to your favorite mobile device on set. Pretty impressive with what Nikon has been doing with its pro-sumer camera bodies these days. Check out Digital Rev's full review.

Even if you're new to this site, I'm pretty confident you've seen some sort of article about this unique photo series in which Michael Paul Smith builds intricate models and photographs them to recreate scenes from his imaginary childhood. Even I marveled at the fact that these were photographs of 1/24 scale models and not real scenes from history. Soon, Smith will be releasing a book called "Elgin Park" in which he explains his creative process and his life. If it is anything like the video above I will absolutely read it.

In many modern cultures, we view white teeth as a sign of health, virility, and attractiveness. A large reason as to why there are a million toothbrush, toothpaste, and teeth whitening products on the shelf today. So what do you do when your overworked, over-caffeinated, and/or over-smoking portrait subject has teeth stained yellow? Our buddy Glyn Dewis shows you a quick way to whiten those teeth effectively and realistically.