PetaPixel – Photography

2016-03-07

12 Inspiring Talks by Photographers at Google

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

photogsatgooglehead

“Talks at Google” is a program in which notable people in various industries are brought to Google to talk about their work. Over the years, a large number of notable photographers have participated to share their stories and images.

Over the past several years, over 40 photographers have given hour-long lectures for Photographers at Google. Subjects have ranged from the artistic side of photography to discussing specific photo projects that reveal something about our world.

Here’s a selection of 12 of our favorite photography talks at Google so far:

#1: Art Wolfe on “The Art of the Image”

#2: Vincent Versace on “The Lens is the Brush”

#3: Christopher Bonanos on “Instant:The Story of Polaroid”

#4: Eric Cheng on “Underwater Photography”

#5: Tamara Lackey on “Embracing Self-Consciousness”

#6: Moose Peterson on “Captured”

#7: Rick Sammon on “Travel Photography”

#8: Trey Ratcliff on HDR Photography

#9: Joe McNally on

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2016-03-07

Sony to Launch a Wireless Flash Control System Of Its Own

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

sonywirelesssystem

Sony today announced that it’s planning to launch a new wireless lighting control system for professional Sony shooters.

A prototype of the new system is on display at the WPPI 2016 conference and trade show in Las Vegas. The system will include two main components: a FA-WRC1M wireless radio commander and a FA-WRR1 wireless radio receiver.

The devices have a maximum range of 30m (~98 feet) and a flash sync speed of 1/250s (with high speed sync support as well). Photographers will be able to control up to 15 separate flash units assigned to 5 different groups. The exposure of connected flashes can be controlled both automatically and manually.

Sony will be announcing the full specifications, pricing, and availability later on, but for now the company is saying that the Wireless Lighting Control system will be available through retailers starting in the summer of 2016. So if you’re a Sony

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2016-03-07

These Mesmerizing Photos Show Tall Buildings Framing the Sky

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

Fok Cheong Building In Hong Kong by Andy Yeung-X3

For his project titled “Always Look Up,” Hong Kong-based photographer Andy Yeung visited particular tall buildings around the world and pointed his camera straight up at the sky.

The photo above, titled “Compact City,” shows the Fok Cheong Building in Hong Kong. The photo was awarded 1st place in the 2015 Oneshot “Home” contest by the International Photography Awards.

Here are some other photos from the series:

You can find more of Yeung’s work on his website. He created a wonderful series of photos of Hong Kong from above as well.

Image credits: Photographs by Andy Yeung and used with permission

2016-03-07

How I Learned to Love Photography (Again)

This post is by Owen Weitzel from PetaPixel

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the fall

Dear Photography,

You have been around long before I ever picked up a camera, and you will undoubtedly be around long after I fire off my last exposure. Photos resonate with people, which is why I, like so many others, love your craft.

But this essay isn’t about why I love photography, or how I honed my art form, or how I discovered myself through the moments I captured. It is about how a fell out of love with you.

I downloaded Instagram in 2011 amidst a string of medical problems that forced me to be bed ridden. At that time, with no prior knowledge of what constituted a good photo, I used Instagram as a creative outlet for sharing quick snaps off my camera roll with an audience that was mostly a few friends and family members.

I didn’t have exposure to photos other than my own, so I

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2016-03-07

Profoto Reboots Its Beauty Dish as a Lightweight Collapsible Tool

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

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beautydishocfhead

Profoto today announced a reboot of its classic Beauty Dish from the 1980s. The new version of this classic tool is both lightweight and collapsible.

“When the Profoto Softlight Reflector was released in 1980, fashion photographers soon nicknamed it ‘The Beauty Dish’ due to its unique ability to bring out the beauty of the model,” Profoto writes. “Since then it has grown to become one of the most iconic tools for creating a creamy yet crisp light, often referred to as a ‘beauty light’.”

rear

The new OCF Beauty Dish is designed for the Profoto B1 and B2 flashes (it can’t be used on other models due to “heat issues”). Rather than a metal build, the new version uses durable fabrics that allow it to be collapsed and carried in a small bag that fits inside any small backpack.

bag

Mounting the OCF Beauty Dish involves using a patent-pending design that

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2016-03-07

Sony HX80: A Compact Camera with a 30x Zoom and a Retractable EVF

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

sonyhx80

Sony today announced the HX80, a new compact camera with a 30x zoom lens and a built-in retractable electronic viewfinder.

According to Sony, the DSC-HX80 is the world’s smallest 30x optical zoom camera (with a Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens), as well as the first high-zoom compact camera with a retractable EVF (an OLED Tru-Finder that pops up from the top).

Inside the camera is a 18.2 MP2 Exmor R CMOS sensor that can shoot both still images and Full HD videos. On the back is a 921K-dot, 3-inch LCD screen that can tilt 180 degrees.

angleview

Other specs and features include Wi-Fi/NFC connectivity, Optical SteadyShot with 5-axis image stabilization, and a pop-up flash unit.

The Sony HX80 will be available in April 2016 with a price tag of $350.

2016-03-07

The Darkest Material on Earth is Now Even Darker

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

darkestmaterial

When the darkest material on Earth was announced back in 2014, photographers suggested that it could be used for everything from the ultimate non-reflective black backdrop to an art gallery in which the photos “pop.” Well, that darkest material just got even darker.

The material, called Vantablack, is still being developed by the UK-based company Surrey NanoSystems. While the original Vantablack could already absorb 99.96% of light that hits it, Surrey NanoSystems decided to do better.

The latest version of the Vantablack doesn’t even have a percentage figure for its light absorption. Why? Because it absorbs so much light now that the company’s spectrometers can’t measure it anymore.

A Vantablack sheet of aluminum foil next to a Canon lens cap. Photo by Engineering & Technology — A Vantablack sheet of aluminum foil next to a Canon lens cap. Photo by *Engineering & Technology*

This is what it looks like when a laser pointer’s red dot is passed across the surface:

Vantablack is made up

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2016-03-07

These Photos Take Us Inside B&H Warehouses in NYC

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

bhphotohead

The camera gear retail giant B&H is working to defend itself this month after the US government filed a discrimination lawsuit against the company — allegations B&H calls “inaccurate” and “bizarre.” In an effort to clear its name, B&H is offering the public a glimpse inside its NYC warehouses.

B&H is one of the largest camera gear retailers on Earth, so these warehouses serve as a central hub of the latest and greatest photo equipment as they move from manufacturing into the hands of photographers.

New York City-based photographer and educator Katrin Eismann was invited a week ago to pay an unannounced visit to B&H’s warehouse in Manhattan to document what she saw. Here are her images and captions:

"Warehouse hallway build to legal standards. 36 inches wide and nothing may be stacked within 20 inches of th efire water sprinklers." — “Warehouse hallway build to legal standards. 36 inches wide and nothing may be stacked within 20 inches of th efire water sprinklers.”

Calender shwoing 17 hoilidays and vacations. — Calender shwoing 17 hoilidays and

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Hostile Work Notice — Calender shwoing 17 hoilidays and

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2016-03-07

The Winning Photos of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2016

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

201DavideLopresti

The winning photos have just been announced for the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2016 contest. The grand prize was awarded to Italian photographer Davide Lopresti for his image “Gold,” a portrait of a spiny seahorse.

“Over the years the Mediterranean’s population of seahorses has drastically reduced,” writes Lopresti. “Their numbers have only recovered thanks to public awareness and a significant restocking campaign.”

“Areas of the sea have now been set aside, protected from harmful fishing methods, like trawling. This has allowed vulnerable and delicate creatures, like sea horses, to return. This is what I hoped to celebrate with this image.”

For his prize-winning shot, he used a long exposure and camera panning to add some blur to the portrait. The seahorse was frozen with a beam of light from his strobe. “My aim was to give the scene a sense of grace and strength simultaneously,” he says.

"Underwater fisherman." Mike Korostelev/UPY 2016

"Beach Guardians". Alejandro Prieto/UPA 2016

"A Family Affair." Thomas Heckmann/UPY 2016

"USS Kittiwake and Diver." Christian Vizl/UPY 2016

"USS Kittiwake Shipwreck." Susannah H. Snowden-Smith/UPY 2016

"Turtle Eating Jellyfish." Richard Carey/UPY 2016

"What Feeds Beneath." Alejandro Prieto/UPY 2016

"Millions of Crabs." Rui Guerra/UPY 2016

"Battle at the Nine." Ralph Pace/UPY 2016

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2016-03-07

An Interview with Mickey Osterreicher, General Counsel of the NPPA

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

mickeyportrait

Mickey H. Osterreicher is a lawyer who has served as General Counsel of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) since 2006. We had a chat with Osterreicher about his life and the state of photographers’ rights.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Mickey Osterreicher: I was born and grew up in the Bronx, New York and left to go to college in Buffalo at 16. Although I wasn’t consciously aware of it I always was the one taking the family photos. I began working for the school newspaper at SUNY Buffalo in my sophomore year and covered many news stories including the anti-Vietnam war protests in Washington and the Democratic National Convention in 1972 in Miami.

I found I loved photojournalism and began stringing for AP and the NY Times. I was part of the first graduating class of “special majors,” receiving my Bachelor

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2016-03-07

Apollo the Great Dane: Photos from the Life of a Gentle Giant

This post is by Michael Zhang from PetaPixel

Click here to view on the original site: Original Post

Onceuponadanepetapixel

“Once Upon a Dane” is an ongoing photo project that documents the “life and tales” of a Great Dane named Apollo.

It’s “an ongoing journey to learn the customs and traditions of this proud race of gentle giants,” photographer Benjamin Peniche tells us. By day, Peniche is the founder and CCO of an architectural firm called Arkham Projects in Merida Yucatan, Mexico. In his free time, Peniche is a photographer that likes to focus on his beloved puppy.

Peniche and his wife got Apollo as a puppy 2 years ago. Shortly after, he began creating a photographic record of Apollo’s life after realizing that they hadn’t taken a single photo of their precious dog.

"Centerpiece dane is a very useful accessory for getting the remotes without having to reach for it.... the only problem is the occasional disappearance of snacks and drool on the remotes..." — “Centerpiece dane is a very useful accessory for getting the remotes without having to reach for it…. the only problem is the occasional disappearance of snacks and drool on the remotes…”

Peniche then started an

"Apollo hiding in the tall grass like a lion waiting for his prey... only slower, whiter , clumsier, cuter and lovable..."

"The little cocker was yelling about there being another dog. Apollo ignored him, not wanting to explain the complexity's of light and reflection all over again... Danes are wise"

"Here we can find Apollo in a minimalistic landscape one of his favorite surroundings."