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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

This is the promised follow-up to my article on Creating Compelling Wide-Angle Portraits Using One Off-Camera Flash. While part one discussed equipment, composition, lighting and posing, this article focuses exclusively on post-processing.Let me start by stating the obvious. Everyone has their own unique preferences regarding post-processing. Just read the comments below a posted image that is somewhat heavy on processing and you will see the variety of opinions out there. Personally, I like creating portraits that look somewhat surreal. I achieve some of this look... READ MORE

Cropping a photo just right can be challenging, especially if you’re working on a smaller laptop screen. Use this quick Lightroom tip from the folks at Adobe to help you get more precise results every time.The tip is super simple, just do two things when you’re ready to crop your image. (1) Press Shift + Tab to hide all of Lightroom’s panels and make your image as large as possible on the screen. Then, (2) press “L” twice to enter “lights out” view.Now, when you... READ MORE

Nadir BalcikliI have always built my life around efficiency and productivity. It came naturally me to me as a Type A individual and the first-born in my family. When it came time to run a photography business, being efficient and productive was more important than ever. Over the past 10 years, my workflow has certainly changed and evolved.If you are just beginning, this may take some trail and error, especially if you are working through different programs and filing methods. If you have had your... READ MORE

Click the title of the article to read this post on Improve Photography, which includes all media files mentioned.Like most high school athletics, money is tight at the school where I shoot a lot of soccer.  In fact I donate 100% of the profit from my action pictures during the boy’s season back to the boys’ soccer program.  Why do I “give away” my money to the school?  This happens to be the high school that both my wife and I graduated from as well... READ MORE

If you are shooting on location (and even if not) you must have a ton of batteries to power your production war-horse. The camera takes batteries, the lights take batteries, remotes, phones, monitors. Actually, most devices take more than one battery. And every battery set want their own charger. And every charger want it’s out The post This is how you build a portable charger case to answer all your power needs appeared first on DIY Photography. ... READ MORE

"In a mad dash to outdo the rest of the photography world, it seems to me that landscape photographers are learning to do whatever it takes to an image to make theirs stand out in the quest for popularity, especially online." says photographer Antony Spencer. So many of the images we see on a day to day basis are of the same locations over and over again." When you look at his work, it's easy to see how he's doing a pretty good job of... READ MORE

What is dodging and burning?The techniques of dodging and burning are hand-me-downs from the days of the darkroom. The idea was to manipulate parts of an image while the paper was being exposed to light from the enlarger, where the negative was fitted. In order to decrease the exposure (lighten) on parts of an image, the paper had to be exposed for less time, which was dodging. To increase exposure (darken) it needed to be exposed for more time, which was burning.Before dodging and burningAfter dodging and... READ MORE

‘We accept the reality of the world with which we’re presented. It’s as simple as that.’ – The Truman ShowThe Truman ShowWhen you think of a movie you love it tends to seem obvious why you love it. Your appreciation could be routed in a memory, affection for a cast member, a particularly moving or clever scene, a great soundtrack or smart dialoguel It could a combination of any number of things you can put your finger on, but it would also appear that it... READ MORE

FlashThe word alone has the potential to cause dread, even among experienced photographers, bringing to mind images of overexposed faces and red eyes. Because of this, many photographers avoid flash altogether, keeping a safe distance at all times. I think that’s too bad.It’s a missed opportunity. Sure, flash may not always be applicable to your situation – but it’s very helpful to have another tool in your bag of tricks if and when it is needed.Off-camera flash gives you an incredible amount of control. Yes,... READ MORE

In this article I'll try to outline a handful of the key elements that I look for when composing a photo in the field. The process of composing a photo can be daunting at times, but I hope that some of these tips will help you to lay the groundwork for developing an eye for composition in landscape photography.Compositional Visualization: See the ball, be the ballDeveloping an eye for composition in landscape photography is something that takes a great deal of time and practice in... READ MORE