Hot Photography Posts
News: The Iridescent Beauty of Bursting Bubbles Captured with High-Speed Photography
Swiss photographer Fabian Oefner wanted to capture the moment right before a bubble bursts, a feat that required surprisingly little equipment, but a lot of time and patience. The result was well worth it though. Here's a quick before and after: The trick to the color, he says, is lighting the bubbles from all angles. He placed illuminated panels all around and used a high-speed flash. The bubbles were blown through a sugar funnel. The trickiest part, not surprisingly, is capturing the exact ...
How To: Record Videos by Digital SLRs
Looking for videography Tips
How To: Make a Canon Shutter Release Cable
This article will show you how to make a shutter release cable for a Canon camera. It took me about half an hour once all of my materials were gathered. I came in at a total of about eight dollars. It has three switches and buttons. The black button on mine triggers the auto focus. The red button triggers the shutter. Finally, the switch triggers the bulb mode, or long exposure. This can be used to take astronomical photos that show the movement of the stars in the picture. The release cable ...
How To: Make a Camera Tripod Replacement with Camera Phone Mount
Materials 1 2-liter bottle or large water bottle
How To: Use Your Shutter, ISO and Aperture
Learn the Basics of Shooting in "Manual" Mode on your DSLR In this first installment of Photography Basics, we will be exploring and explaining the basics of shooting with a DSLR in various shooting modes. This first webisode is intended to familiarize the user with the basic understanding and functions of ISO, Aperture and Shutter in order to produce more professional looking images.
How To: Develop Black & White Film with Caffenol
If MacGyver ever needed to develop some black and white film, this is how he would do it. Check out this awesome recipe for film developer, which uses instant coffee, Vitamin C, and washing soda to set up your own darkroom developing lab.
News: Disposable "CameraMail" Reveals the Inner Workings of the Post Office
What would happen if a working disposable camera were to travel from Massachusetts to Hawaii via first-class mail, with explicit instructions for its handlers to take photographs?
How To: Introducing Lights! Camera! Photoshop! – Your Complete Guide to DSLR Photography
So you just bought Photoshop, a DSLR camera and your first flash. Now what? If you have some experience with photography, but you're not completely fluent with the software and equipment, WonderHowTo's newly featured World Lights! Camera! Photoshop! is essential.
How To: Upcycle Your Old Jeans into a DIY Camera Stabilizer
Need a camera stabilizer, but don't have the cash? With an old pair of jeans, a bag of lentils, and an hour or two of your time, you can make one for cheap. Maybe even free, if you have a bag of those legumes already.
How To: This Easy Photo Trick Makes Fireworks Look Like Brilliant Sky Creatures
Anyone who does a lot of photography knows that the right exposure can make all the difference in the world. Taking a picture of something in motion requires a long exposure, so if you've ever wondered why your fireworks photos never quite turn out right, your shutter speed could be the key. Photographer David Johnson decided to put a twist on the classic long-exposure fireworks photo. Normally, when people take photos of fireworks displays, they just set a long exposure for somewhere over 3 ...
How To: Blur Fireworks with Your DSLR for Some Wicked July 4th Photos
Try "unfocusing" your photographs for some dreamy, evocative and somewhat abstract takes on life. Check out the two tutorials (here and here) from Michelle Geoga of Lights! Camera! Photoshop! for tips on unleashing the blur-power of your camera. You can see plenty of example images there to help you out.
News: Conjuring the Apocalypse on Tabletop: Lori Nix Talks Dioramas
Lori Nix is a photographer whose stunning work depicts curious scenes of danger and disaster: abandoned spaces, architecture in a state of extreme deterioration, natural calamities, and more. But the mysterious places she captures with her 8x10 large format camera aren't actual found locations—they're meticulously fabricated miniature dioramas.
GIVEAWAY: "Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them" (NOW CLOSED)
If you missed our profile on photographer Sharon Beals' new book, Nests: Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them, now's the time to check it out. You have until 11:59 pm tonight to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Beals' book, a beautiful series of photographs demonstrating the astounding self-sustainability of the avian race. To enter, you must:
News: Birds as the Ultimate DIY Architects
The widely used expression "free as a bird" intimates an enviable existence: delicate, yet mighty wings transporting to destinations no human could so breezily venture. But despite their fanciful, superhero ability, in truth, the avian race leads one of the most difficult existences in the animal kingdom. Yes, birds have existed for eons—they likely evolved from small dinosaurs of the Jurassic period—but for these creatures, life can be ruthless.
How To: Take macro photographs with the reverse lens technique
If you want to take beautiful macro photos, without having to pay for an expensive macro lens, try the reverse lens technique and use the lens you already have. This is a creative way to get great photos without spending all of your money on equipment.
Photo of the Day: Meanwhile, in Afghanistan...
From Boston.com's The Big Picture, what a real-life version of the Green Hornet's gas gun might look like. Taken in Afghanistan in February of this year, an Afghan army recruit is pictured shrouded in a cloud of shocking green smoke as he participates in a graduation parade after an oath ceremony at Ghazi military training center—an American effort to strengthen Afghan forces so they can fight against Taliban strongholds.
Eye Candy of the Day: WiFi Networks Visualized
Norwegian designers Timo Armall, Jørn Knutsen, and Einar Sneve Martinussen visually capture invisible WiFi signals by light painting signal strength in long-exposure photographs. The trio set up a four-meter long WiFi-detecting rod with 80 LED bulbs to depict cross-sections through the WiFi networks of various Oslo neighborhoods. Armall says:
News: Gadgets Exploded in Mid-Air
Ever wonder what's inside those old vintage typewriters and analog phones? Canadian photographer Todd McLellan dissects old electronics and then captures their innards— some assembled in a painstakingly orderly array, others caught in a mid-air explosion. More images and process video here (under "New Work").
How To: Set up your Canon 580EX II at the Master Mode setting
So you want to control the flashes on your camera using a remote, and you know that you need to get to Master mode on your Canon 580EX II to be able to do that. But Canon made Master mode for this particular model of camera very difficult to locate and enable. However, this video shows you every single step you need to take with your camera in order to be able to set up this particular functionality for your next shoot!
News: Saliva Inducing Scanwiches
Scanner photography + sandwiches = Scanwiches (simply put: "scans of sandwiches for education and delight"). The web-famous Tumblr is the invention of Jon Chonko, a NYC-based designer at thehappycorp global.
News: The Secret Life of a Love Doll
Famed artist and photographer Laurie Simmons boasts an impressive career spanning over three decades. She's shown at some of the world's top art institutions and galleries, and appeared on art world popular PBS television series Art 21. She also happens to be the the proud mother of promising young filmmaker Lena Dunham, the 24-year-old director of last year's indie hit Tiny Furniture.
News: Meticulous Recreations of Old Family Photographs
It's axiomatic: if you want to know what's different, look to what's the same. And, if you want to know what's the same, look to what's different. What makes Irina Werning's Back to the Future project so amazing then is that, in matching everything that can be matched, she helps us instantly hone in on what can't. In most cases, viewers notice just one thing—the effects of the passage of time on the subjects of the photographs. It's very strange and sometimes even unsettling. But also really,...
UPDATE: Wafaa Bilal’s Head Rejects Camera Implant
If you missed our previous posts on Iraqi artist Wafaa Bilal's attempt to go cyborg, here's the short and skinny: First, Bilal announced a plan to implant a camera in his head, a project entitled 3rdi, which would record his daily life while simultaneously feeding the images to monitors at the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar. Then, he actually did it (and, yes, it was gnarly).
News: Blind Photographer "Sees" With Sound
A couple weeks ago, I attended Photo LA with my mother, a photographer. On our way out, we came across a blind man with a seeing eye dog. It begged the obvious question-- "blind photographer" is about as oxymoronic as it gets-- but, then coincidentally, this morning I came across a video of the same man. Pete Eckert is indeed a blind visual artist, a sculptor and industrial designer in his former life, before being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition that results in p...
News: Making Ordinary Objects Extraordinary
Kevin Van Aelst creates witty visual "one-liners" by recontextualizing everyday, ordinary objects. With a few simple tweaks, the viewer recognizes a roll of tape as the ocean or reads gummi worms as chromosomes or understands mitosis through the use of sweet, sugary donuts.
News: "Seeing" Beethoven with Milk
Photographer Sara Naim creates an oddly beautiful visual documentation of sound: Beethoven's classic Moonlight Sonata, envisioned with milk.
News: Video Games vs. Real Life
Alex Lewis imagines what the world would look like infiltrated by video game characters in his digital montage series “Video Games vs. Real Life”. (P.S. If you like what you see, check out Lewis' t-shirt designs at Threadless).
Bark: An Intimate Look at the World’s Trees
Stunning selection of photographs from French photographer Cedric Pollet's new book, Bark: An Intimate Look at the World’s Trees. The photographer traveled across five continents to capture the the exquisite patterns and textures of the world's many varieties of tree bark.
HowTo: Make a 50¢ Macro Lens
Forget splurging on a fancy digital camera. All you need to do is attach a lens from a pair of dollar store reading glasses, and you'll get your macro shot. From Sean Lee, how to make a fifty cent macro lens.
Warning: Do NOT Build This (Not Responsible For Death or Injury)
Glacial Wanderer demonstrates how to build a high-speed air gap flash fast enough to capture a speeding bullet without it getting blurred. These types of flash units usually run around $8K+, but for a few hundred dollars you can build you own and capture sick stuff like...
How To: Create an easy and inexpensive seamless white background for photography
Love the look of the seamless white background in some trendy photographs? You don't need to pay for expensive remodeling to your studio - this video explains a very simple and inexpensive technique you can use to achieve this same effect in your low budget studio.
How To: Choose the right sensor for your DSLR camera
There are a variety of sensors on the market for your digital SLR camera - but which one is the right for you? This tutorial gives you a good run down of each sensor with their strengths and weaknesses so you can easily pick the best one for you.
How To: Build your own 35mm lens adapter for a Canon HV20 camera
You don't have to spend lots of money for an expensive lens adapter! You can make one at home. This tutorial shows you how you can take some basic camera equipment, a little extra hardware and make a 35mm lens adapter for a Canon HV20 digital camera.
How To: Properly clean the sensor on your digital SLR camera
If there's a tiny piece of dirt or hair that's ruining your shots, it's time to clean the sensor on your DSLR camera. This tutorial shows you the right equipment and technique to effectively and safely clean the sensor on your camera.
How To: Use the .thm files when filming movies with a Canon camera
What's this mysterious .thm file? Why are they cluttering up your SD card? Can they be safely deleted? This video has the answers! A .thm file is created specifically by Canon cameras when you're filming a movie, and this video shows you how to use your .thm files.
How To: Take Great New Years Pictures This New Year's Eve (7 Tips for a Wild Night)
New Year's Eve. It will be one hell of a chaotic night. Trust me. The overcrowded streets. Long lines for the urinal. Maxing out your credit card on that shot of Cuervo. You'll be lucky to make it out alive.
How To: Make your own pinhole lens for a digital SLR camera
This is a lens you can make yourself easily. You will need a drill, a needle, a body cap, tape, aluminum foil, a ruler or measuring tape and a pencil or piece of chalk to mark where the hole should go.
How To: Use a double axis bubble level with your camera
This is a useful tip that can show you how to use a bubble level with a double axis to make sure your shots are perfectly balanced. Avoid having to adjust your photographs or crop part away by making sure your camera is level when you're shooting.
How To: Use your Nikon D90 and Final Cut Pro together
This is a workflow tutorial for people who use the Nikon D90 camera and do most of the post production in Adobe After Effects. Convert, cut and export your video easily, and even fix the stair-stepping problem that might crop up.
How To: Improve your photographs by using the Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds has you divide your shot into three seconds, both horizontal and vertical, so you can add the emphasis where you want it. Here is how you can use this rule to improve the composition of your own photographs.