No, we’re not cooking color slides and film negatives in a pop-up toaster like Eggo waffles. The FilmToaster is a device that enables you to create digital image files from virtually any size film or transparency up to 4x5. You supply the DSLR and macro lens. If you have a shoebox full of family negs like many of us do, prepare to bring those old images back to life.
The folks who brought you PortraitPro, the software that turns average looking men and women into superstars (or as John Oliver might say, “Turns ones into tens faster than a South American counterfeiter”) now brings you LandscapePro, a similar application you should think of as “cosmetic surgery for Mother Nature.” But is this a case of “liking what you get,” or “getting exactly what you like?” That, my friends, is the $59 question
The big news about the Leica M-D (Typ 262) is what it doesn’t have. It does not have autofocus. It does not provide through-the-lens viewing. And it’s not compatible with any zoom lens.
In my review of the original Platypod Pro I suggested that it was “Quite possibly the coolest camera support around.” Well, here’s news: it just got bigger—and better.
Every once in awhile I discover a photo bag or backpack and something just clicks. It becomes part of my routine—my “go to bag” when I have somewhere to go to. So if you’ll kindly overlook my dangling preposition, I’ll tell you about three bags I don’t want to be without.
If you like the Peak Design Everyday Messenger Bag but think it’s a bit too large for daily use, here’s good news: a new Peak Design messenger bag that’s one size smaller.
Even photographers who usually shoot in Manual Mode should take a closer look at Program AE Mode. Why? Because in the right hands, the two modes are more similar than they are different.
I’m way too polite and well-mannered to come right out and say that photographers lie, so instead I’ll repeat some of the things I’ve heard them say and translate their words into language we can all understand, i.e., the truth. For example, when my friend told me, “Very useful blog this week, Jon!” she really meant, “You couldn’t write your way out of a paper bag, you schlub, but I ran out of Nyquil and I had to get to sleep somehow…”
Many, many years ago, in a silver halide universe far, far away, amateur photographers were divided into two camps. Their differences were not based on political orientation. And they had nothing to do with the Cold War, nationality, ideology or anything else so trivial. What was the division that separated otherwise rational people? Read on…
It’s spring! And after many, many weeks of trudging through a gray and lifeless winter, Nature has opened her bodice of modesty and presented us with all of the colors the snow had denied. It’s time to photograph flowers. No matter what level of flower photography you pursue, here are some tips that will deliver a few more blossoms.
Do your friends often tell you that your photographs are so good you should become a professional? Do you sometimes stare blankly at the pages of National Geographic and hear a voice inside your head that says, “I can do better than that!”? Do you post on Instagram more than 70 times a week? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, read on—and unleash the master picture-taker that’s lurking in your soul.
If you think the name Advanced Rear is a little confusing, wait until you wade through the entire Manfrotto Advanced photo backpack lineup which includes models named Advanced Active, Advanced Travel and my overall personal favorite, the Advanced Gear photo backpack. The good news is that aside from the goofy naming system, I can’t find anything else wrong with them. These are beautifully designed, very well made and look like they’ll last a lifetime. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
One of the most important parts of personalizing a camera bag or photo backpack is organizing the removable partitions so that the gear fits snugly and safely but is still easy to fetch. Sadly, that experience is often a freakish nightmare instead of being the OCD paradise it has the potential of being.
Depth of Field has a lot in common with gravity. You don’t have to fully understand the physics behind it to make it work for you. Managing depth of field is a critical component of mastering photography. This article should get you well on your way.