October 2011

Michael Zhang

The State of Adobe’s Image Deblurring Technology

Yesterday we shared some clearer comparison images from Adobe's jaw-dropping Image Deblurring demo. Cari Gushiken over on the Photoshop.com blog has written up a post that sheds a little more light on how the idea came about, the current challenges they face, and where they see it headed.

Michael Zhang

Olympus Crisis Deepens: Allegations of Fraud and Plummeting Stock

Update: Olympus has released an official response to the allegations.

Since Olympus abruptly fired CEO Michael Woodford (pictured, on left) four days ago, the company's stock price has fallen from roughly ¥2,480 to its current price of ¥1,417, a 43% drop that wiped out nearly $4 billion in value. As we reported yesterday, Woodford is now asking the UK to investigate the company's financial practices, and is claiming that he was booted when on the verge of exposing fraud.

Michael Zhang

Image Fulgurator Adds Graffiti to Other People’s Photographs

The Image Fulgurator is a brilliant device created -- and patented -- by Berlin-based artist Julius von Bismarck. It's an optically triggered slave flash that fires through the back of a camera, projecting a message or image on the film through the lens -- basically, it's an optically triggered projector. What this allows von Bismarck to do is prank unsuspecting photographers by adding random pictures or words into their photographs whenever they use their camera's flash.

Michael Zhang

Canon Unveils the 1D X: One DSLR to Rule Them All

As the rumors foretold, Canon has announced a new DSLR today combining the 1D and 1Ds line of DSLRs into a single camera: the EOS-1D X. This beastly DSLR is an 18-megapixel jack of all trades. It's full frame, but still shoots 14fps using 61 autofocus points and a 252-zone metering system. ISO can be boosted up to a whopping 204,000. There's a large 3.2-inch LCD screen on the back, and a futuristic optical viewfinder that offers things such as a dual-axis electronic level and an on-demand grid. For remote shooting and file transferring, there's a handy built-in wired LAN connection. In terms of video, camera can also do 1080p recording at 24/25/30fps, along with 720p at 50/60fps. You'll have to start saving up though -- the 1D X will cost $6,800 when it's released in March 2012.

Michael Zhang

Before and After Comparisons of Adobe’s Amazing Image Deblurring Feature

Last week we shared a sneak peek at some jaw-dropping image deblurring technology currently in development at Adobe. The video wasn't the best quality and was captured from the audience, so we didn't get to see the example images very clearly. Adobe has now released an official video of the demo, giving us a better glimpse at what the feature can do.

Michael Zhang

The Basics of Google+: 10 Tips to Help Photographers

Google+ is becoming pretty popular among photographers as a way to share work and connect with others. If you've been thinking about jumping in but don't know where to begin, Scott Kelby and Co. made this helpful (and free) hour-long primer with tips on how to use the service effectively.

Michael Zhang

More Advice for Aspiring Photographers from Chase Jarvis

Here's the second half of Tamara Lackey's recent interview with photographer Chase Jarvis.

[...] Chase gets very real about how he deals with critics, actually taking pride in being disruptive. And, while on the topic of criticism, some thoughts on dealing with the voices in your own head.

We shared the first part last weekend.

Michael Zhang

Portraits of Loving Pets with Disabilities

Photographer Carli Davidson -- now Internet-famous for her portraits of dogs shaking off water -- has a heartwarming project titled Pets with Disabilities in which she uses portraits to tell the stories of happy dogs that have various handicaps. For the photo above:

(Corgi) Duncan has a spinal disorder that many corgis are prone to. Even though he can't use his hind legs he is still extremely active. He throws toys across the room for himself to fetch, and his favorite treat is whipped cream.

Michael Zhang

Flowers Exploded and Neatly Arranged

Exploded Flowers is a project by Singapore-based photographer Qi Wei in which he carefully disassembles various flowers into their most basic "parts", and photographs them neatly arranged against a white background.

Michael Zhang

How to Respond to Requests for Free Photography

Photographer Tony Wu constantly receives requests that ask whether he would be willing to work for free in exchange for "credit" and "exposure". Instead of a lengthy response explaining why he doesn't want to work for free, Wu often leaves the emails unanswered, or worse, ends up sending snippy responses that he later regrets. He recently came up with the idea of writing a generic and informational response that all professional photographers can respond with.

Michael Zhang

Man Disguises Digital Camera as 70-Year-Old Vintage Camera to Troll Strangers

John (AKA knife141) loves turning junk into unusual creations, and one day came up with idea of building a camera for the sole purpose of confusing strangers. He took a $15 digicam and transformed it into a Argus C3 from the mid-1900s:

My goal was to install a modern digital camera inside the housing of an old, obsolete camera. I thought it might be fun to pull this camera out in a crowd of people and make them wonder why in the world an old man would continue to use a camera that was obviously as old as he was, as opposed to something more modern.

[...] I've had a lot of fun with this camera, taking it places and watching people's puzzled looks as I appear to be using an old beat-up camera that was made about the time I was born! I have even had people approach me and ask if I can still get film developed -- with no idea that the heart of my camera is actually digital! I have also had people ask me how many pictures I can take with the camera, and they always look puzzled when I tell them, "Oh, around 4,000 or so."

Michael Zhang

Street Art that Points Old School Cameras at Passers-By

Street artists Jana & JS visit cities across Europe and paint portraits of themselves (and sometimes others) shooting with various film cameras. Each piece first starts out as a photograph, which is then turned into a stencil that's used to put up the painting.

Michael Zhang

The M-Plate: One Camera Tripod Plate to Rule Them All

There are a number of products out there that connect your strap to your DSLR via the tripod mount, allowing it to swivel, but taking up the mount is an inconvenience for photographers who actually use it regularly with their tripod. San Francisco-based Custom SLR (makers of the C-Loop) has come up with a solution that offers the best of both worlds: the M-Plate.

Michael Zhang

A Girl’s Dreams Photographed Using Things Found in a Bedroom

Photographer Jan von Holleben, known for his Dreams of Flying series, was recently hired by a German newspaper to make photos using his signature "lying on the ground" style for a feature on dreams. He ended up shooting photographs showing a girl's dream using a mattress and other ordinary objects you might find inside a bedroom.

Michael Zhang

Worlds Captured in Drops of Water

We've featured photographs of paintings and candies captured in drops of water before, but photographer Markus Reugels' water drops double as planets. By photographing drops of water in front of images of Earth and the moon, he's able to transform the liquid spheres into beautiful worlds.