Feeds: Our Picks

Here is a quick, yet powerful tip from Felix Alejandro Hernández Rodríguez. It is simple and all it involves is a couple packs of flour, and can really boost a photo. Here is how Felix describes it: Here is a simple technique that I “discovered” a while ago… It has been useful in some projects… With The post Photoshop Power Tip: photograph objects over flour to give them a cracked look appeared first on DIY Photography. ... READ MORE

After reflecting on her own childhood on a farm in rural New Zealand, Niki Boon was certain that growing and learning “wild and free,” with long days spent playing barefoot outside, was the same sort of upbringing she wanted to give her own four children. A self-taught photographer, Boon’s portfolio keeps us consistently spellbound and left with a feeling of nostalgia for forgotten days spent getting dirty and running around with siblings while exploring the world.Again living in rural New Zealand, this time with her... READ MORE

Capturing beautiful macro photos on the cheap isn’t tough if you’re willing to experiment a little bit. Amateur photographer Benjamin Weir was able to do it with just a smartphone and a lens element he tore out of a dead point-and-shoot camera.That’s how Weir captured all of the photos in this post. Inspired by a magnifying glass sitting in his house, he decided to cannibalize some lens elements from his mom’s defunct compact camera. All it took was finding the right lens element and sticking... READ MORE

Here’s a fun little video to help you get over hump day and on to the second half of the week. A weather camera at the top of a tower in Nebraska got an unexpected visit from a curious hawk this week.The video, captured atop the 10/11 Weather tower and shared on Facebook by FOX5 Las Vegas, is 55 seconds of squawks, head tilts and “what the heck is this thing” looks. Check it out for yourself below:(via Laughing Squid) ... READ MORE

Photography community and marketplace EyeEm is wasting no time. Just 48 hours after news broke that Verizon had agreed to buy Yahoo! (and by extension Flickr), the photo sharing company is making it super easy for you to ditch Flickr and move your entire portfolio over to EyeEm.The news that Verizon will acquire Yahoo! has the entire photo community wondering “what happens next” when it comes to Flickr. But EyeEm isn’t waiting for an answer to the question. Instead, they’re opening up their Web uploader... READ MORE

Image by SkeezeFREE DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT: Perhaps it’s fitting to have your bonus content ready for download to be our free Sharp Eyes Cheat Sheet? If you want to improve the quality and understanding of your portraits, then download this cheat sheet and give it a go. Download it here.Many beginner photographers and the regular smartphone snappers have asked me the same question way too many times: Why doesn’t the camera produce the same picture as our eyes see it, shouldn’t the camera sensor be more powerful than human... READ MORE

Each year, Tivoli, New York photographer Pete Mauney awaits the arrival of the fireflies, and for about three weeks each summer, the bioluminescent insects settle beneath the moonlight around his house on quiet evenings. He shoots almost every night.The first roll of film Mauney ever shot seriously was composed mostly of night pictures. He knows the darkness well, and over the years, he’s developed a knack for capturing his surroundings without the guiding light of the sun. It’s easy to blow a long exposure, especially... READ MORE

We’ve been experimenting a lot, practicing for our upcoming tutorial on video, and wanted to share this fun little clip!While I’ve done quite a bit of aerial photos/videos with the Phantom 4, I haven’t done a lot of hand held shooting with it but it does have a pretty impressive 3-axis gimbal built in. You can check out the above footage to see how smooth it is even though I’m running with it. It’s too bad the gimbal and camera doesn’t come off the Phantom (like it can with the more... READ MORE

Like so many sneaky pieces of legislation, something important has gone in under radar in the recent Lightroom update. While everyone and their mother has been watching the puppet show that Adobe has put on that now sees Lightroom coming to Apple TV, they’ve failed to see the strings; Something much more relevant to actual photographers who use Lightroom has occurred in the latest Lightroom update.Lightroom CC 2015.6.1 and Lightroom 6.6.1 are both available right now, and Adobe has state the primary objective of this... READ MORE

When a day job inspires someone to get into photography, it’s usually because the job is dull or uncreative. Photography becomes a form of escape or an avenue for creative expression. However, for landscape photographer Matthew Dartford, buying a camera was actually part of his job. As a digital illustrator, he works with photography almost daily. Although […]The post Beautiful Photos of Trees and Woodlands by Matthew Dartford appeared first on The Photo Argus. ... READ MORE

The controversial Pentagon manual for interpreting the international laws of war received a much-needed update this week, an update largely focused on protecting journalists working in conflict zones.According to a report in the NY Times, the manual has been widely criticized for (among other things) language that painted journalism as “close to spying.” One of the most controversial sections claimed that sharing any info that could be valuable in combat, “could constitute taking a direct part in hostilities.”This, according to the NY Times, would make... READ MORE

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xkcd just published this simple comic that pokes fun at the brief existences of Snapchat photos (if you’ve never used it before, the service is built around the idea of self-destructing snapshots). The alt text of the comic reads: “For obvious reasons, the prize is awarded at a different time of year from the others, while it’s still fresh in the committee’s memory.”(via xkcd via Reddit) ... READ MORE

As the northern autumn draws closer, bizarre little creatures pop up all over the temperate forest. On the forest floor, underneath hedgerows and on trees, alive or the ones who have fallen. Fungi are the cleaning crew of the forest as they take care of layers of fallen deadwood and provide nutrients back to the forest. Surely they are great subjects for macro photography. Like everyone else, I’m looking to find their reproductive organs: Mushrooms. They let our imagination run wild as these little toadstools... READ MORE

Have you ever looked out the window of a plane and imagined you were surfing the clouds? Red Bull Air Force member Sean MacCormac took it one step further by skysurfing the edge of a Florida thunderstorm on my most recent assignment, titled “Storm’s Edge.”Sean started his skydiving career in Florida, so this was the opportunity to capture something never done before in his favorite place to jump. Sean became the first person to skysurf a thunderstorm! And yes, with a thunderstorm, comes a... READ MORE

Above photo by Jamie RubeisHave you ever photographed something or somewhere really large and majestic and the resulting photo just fell flat?Maybe you went on vacation to the Grand Canyon or to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower (If so, I’m jealous!) and the photos just didn’t convey how big and majestic those places are. Something was missing, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it.That something is scale.What is scale?Scale is the size of one object relative to another. In photography we have... READ MORE

An on-camera flash (or speedlight) is the tool many photographers own, but few know how to use. Every day I see this amazing piece of equipment go to waste, slamming harsh light into a subject, when it could be caressing it with soft, directional illumination. The flash is a sculptor’s chisel, not a sledgehammer. You just need to know some basic technique.In the 400-plus weddings I’ve photographed over the years, much of what I shoot indoors is lit with a speedlight. I have a trunk... READ MORE

So, what do you do when you walk into a modern day, real life version of  Geppetto’s workshop? Hopefully, light it reasonably well. Your lighting and your efforts at camera should be energized by the fact of this rare opportunity, one that will not come this way again. To visit and photograph the workshop of the famed Lambert Puppet Theater in Ireland, with your subject being Liam Lambert, who continues this fabled tradition of puppet theater, handed down to him by his father. What could... READ MORE

Here’s a follow-up to yesterday’s tutorial — this time it’s how to use Lightroom Mobile’s new Radial Gradient tool — it’s perfect for creating a nice spotlight effect, on everything from portraits to (in this case) a car’s engine.Hope you found that helpful. Hey, I’m coming to Nashville next month. How ’bout you? Best,-ScottThe post Add a Spotlight Where You Want it (in Lightroom Mobile) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.... READ MORE

Japan has an esteemed history of warding off evil spirits during the summer Hanabi season. Thousands of visitors flock to Toyohashi Gion Matsuri to witness the spectacular hand-held festival of fireworks, but few have come as close as photographer Hidenobu Suzuki.The handcrafted pistol fireworks are known to shoot as high as 30 feet into the night sky and normally require spectators to view the display from a designated safe zone far away from the shrine; however, Suzuki was fortunate enough to be given a press... READ MORE

Our photographers love to take advantage of the 500px Marketplace in an effort to monetize their work, but, naturally, would prefer not to spend their time submitting photos that aren’t of interest to our network of global buyers. This series, Simply Sellable, is our weekly effort to explain what type of photos buyers want to license, the trends we see happening across the licensing industry, and what visual thought leaders anticipate being successful in the Marketplace. Each week, a member of our Content Team will... READ MORE

You may think you’re no good at seeing in the dark, but your eyes are actually incredibly sensitive. In fact, according to a new study, the human eye is so sensitive it can detect even a single photon of light!The study was conducted by a team at Rockefeller University who used an innovative (and complicated) technique to reliably fire a single high energy photon directly at participants’ retinas. For their part, the participants just had to tell them when they saw something and rate how... READ MORE

Photo: Lindsay AdlerWhether you’re new to photography, haven’t had a ton of formal training, or were just always the kind of kid who learned best by doing, the terminology and lingo of making pictures can be enough to make your head spin. But knowing the language – like lighting terms and other important descriptors – can help you better communicate with your fellow artists. Setting up shoots, asking about new gear, and even directing your subject can all be aided when you know the colloquialisms.Portrait photographer and... READ MORE

Having camera focusing troubles? Most of the time we are too “in the zone” or in a haste to figure out exactly how to solve camera focusing issues on the spot. Don’t panic, we’ve got 15 possible trouble shooting ideas for when you’re having focusing problems with your camera and lenses.1. Have you Switched back to Auto Focus?The most obvious, and often overlooked tip is switching back from manual to autofocus. The small switch on your lens let’s you toggle between the two but often... READ MORE

Telecomm giant Verizon will acquire Yahoo and its web properties, including Flickr and photo blogging site Tumblr, for $4.83 billion. It seemed possible that Yahoo might sell its photo-sharing sites separately, as the company announced in March that it was accepting bids for its web properties. Today's announcement confirms that both Flickr and Tumblr will remain a part of Yahoo as it changes hands to Verizon.Verizon owns AOL and Huffington Post, a point that Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer spins as a positive for her company's outlook. In... READ MORE