The following post about working with dry ice was made by Morgana Creely.

Working with dry ice can be a lot of fun and certainly adds a dramatic flair to your images. However there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind.

Dry Ice is extremely cold [-78.5°C/-109.3°F] and needs to be handled with care at all times. To avoid burns, keep it away from the skin at all times, and wear heavy gloves where possible.

It's also important that when using dry ice you are in a well-ventilated area. Dry ice is a form of carbon dioxide and use in a poorly ventilated area will cause headaches and nausea. Click to continue ›

The following sliced fruits shots tutorial is by photographer and artist William van der Steen.

The tutorial will take you step by step toward creating an image similar to that wonderful sliced up banana.

here we go Click to continue ›

Hello again! It’s Dana, twin cities brightest, back again with more tricks for light painting photography.

I hope you have all been practicing because it’s time to deal with the unruly beast - fireworks.

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With Valentines just around the corner and all, I thought I'd share one of the wedding gifts wifey and I got about seven years ago when we got married. Amongst all the gifts, this gift is the one single gift that helped us hold our marriage through some very rough times. Really, I cannot over estimate it one bit.

That said, it is full of commitment so only give it if you're OK with smelling your current significant other's morning breath for the rest of your life. If you are that serious, hit the jump for more details.

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It was this time of the year when my wife decided I need a new scent. It happens every now and then. This is a fundamental difference about the two of us. It takes me so long to get use to a new fragrance that I rarely want to make a switch. Wify, however, want a refreshing hubby twice a year, so fragrance shopping we go.

This year's winner is Adventure By Davidoff. Not sure she liked the fragrance as much as she liked the fact that Ewan McGregor was on the cover sleeve of the box.

Good thing he was too. He reminded me of an exercise we used to do on my photo club. (Really, you don't have to do it with Ewan McGregor, but it adds so much more fun to the exercise that you really don't want any other model).

As you may have guessed from the title of this post this exercise is all about framing.

You will need a camera, and a cardboard box. Ewan McGregor is optional, but hard to resist. Click to continue ›

Chase Jarvis is a photographer I really love following. Heck, if he ever counted his mentions on this blog, he'd probably call the stalking police.

Chase's latest installment is a cool video about his latest joy trip assignment to New Zealand where he shot a campaign for Sandisk.

A small treasure of goodies came out from that ride (check here for videos, BTSs, Gear talk and more), but in this post, I'd like to focus on the last video. The one where Chase shoots a rapid-hell-fire-8-FPS-strobed-ski sequences.

Ok, I'm gonna take my chances and try not to sound like a third grade
teacher when I'll say - This video is not about gear, it's not about
technique it's about homework. More after the jump

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Look at the picture on the left from Gilad Ben Ari. Click on it to really see it larger.

Something just does not add up. There's a noticeable blur on the red in the bottom half of the image. I asked. It is not photoshopped. I'll say it again. NOT PHOTOSHOPPED. 

Take it as an exercise; try to think what makes the blur before reading on.

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Over the last few weeks I got a few emails asking me what is the drive behind DIYP. That sent me to my deep observations state where I had some discussions with myself on the reasons I keep DIYP. When trying to understand my reasons, I also understood that the reasons for sharing your photographic know how are universal (pardon for the cheesiness). So here are (my) Seven Reasons to Share Photographic Know How Online. [Image by JennyHuang]

1. You Get to Pay Somthin' Back

I've never went to art school. In fact I've never even took a photography class. All that I know (and it is not much) came to me from reading photography books, asking around, participating in online forums, and reading blogs. Making an online blog gives me the privilege of sharing some of this knowledge back with the great community of photographers out there.

2. It's Contagious - Join the Party

In the beginning there were only few online photography blogs, but look where we are now, Strobist, Chase Jarvis, Jim Talkington, Lighting Mods, Digital Photography School, Lighting Essentials - All out to share what they know. The more sites site are joining the sharing festival - the better the online photographic scene is.

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So, you finally have the time to shoot but lacking inspiration? Need a fresh flow of new Ideas? Here are 25 ways to get your photography creativity going.

1. Go to the Movies

Movies are great inspiration. Before you go, prepare yourself mentally. You can
find inspiration in the story of the movie, in the photography, in the
morals, in one of the characters and in the dialogs.

2. Check Out Flickr's Explore

One of flickr's most interesting features is the explore page. In this page you'll see some of the images that flickr ranks as "interesting". 99 out of 100 times those are great photos. Take a look at these photos to get inspiration. Do not try to copy them but ask, "What do I like about it?"; "How can I make it better" or "What twist can I add on top of this picture?" (Of course, a nice bonus is to get your image in Flick's explore)

3. Try to Learn a New Lighting Technique

Sometimes you can get inspiration not by focusing on the what (the subject), but by focusing on the how. even if you shoot a boring neutral subject in an interesting way, you can get a great picture. The Strobist is a great place to learn about lighting, and you can get some lighting ideas here as well.

4. Join a Photowalk

Almost every town has a club that you can join and go out for a have-fun-together session. Your benefit is threefold: 1. You will be forced to get out of that couch. 2. You'll interact with other photographers. 3. You'll get some shooting ideas. Rich is having a group in Utah, flickr is running a bunch, and there is a photo walking site - really, they are all around - you just have to get another photog and go out the door to have one. (This is how I started, long, long ago).

5. Look at Popular Photoblogs and Get Inspired

Getting ideas from other photographers can be very inspirational. When you look at a fellow photographer blog or gallery you expose yourself to new ideas, photography styles and techniques. You can later employ those ideas on your photography. If you see anything you like, ask: how I would have taken this image, or how can I use this technique to make a say of my own. This is my list of sites. Chase has one great list as well and Brian held a good list too. Now go surfin'.

6. Go Through Your CD Covers

One of the ways to get your inspiration going is to tap to other great creators and their creations. By browsing your CDs (does anybody still has CDs? or have everyone gone to iPods??!!!) you get a double kick. You get to watch the work of great photographers who shot the covers. You also get to find some great lost music that can get you inspired. Shooting a new cover to an "old" CD is a great project. (And you can always alphabetize the collection as you promised to yourself on new years eve)

7. Listen to Your Favorite Music

While you are going through the covers, find one artist that really inspires you and put it in the player. Try to think what image can describe best one of the songs; The first verse; A single line; the mood of the entire CD.

8. Take on a Photo-a-Day Project

Sometimes what you need to get your inspiration going is a little push. A great push is a photo-a-day project. In such project you commit to take one picture each day. Such projects has various themes and lengths. Some of the projects are portrait oriented (or self portrait); some are generic; some have a general theme. Some are a month long, some are a year long and some are a picture a week. No matter which one you choose, the need to create something new on a deadline can give your creativity that little push it needs.

9. Read an (Art) Magazine

Actually you can read n Art / Fashion / Fun magazine. Magazines like wired can trigger new ideas just cuz they are so packed and full of inspirational stuff. Fashion magazines like Elle or Vogue often has lots of great photos that one can try and analyze both for technique and composition. (Heck, even the advertisements are shot in a great way).

10. Shoot a Sporting Event

Sporting events are everywhere. At your local school, College or down
at the park where your little (or big) brother is playing football. It is a great opportunity to take action shots as well as portraits. It is also a great opportunity to practice action shooting if you ever want to make a career at sports shooting.

11. Look 360

When you walk, you are always looking forward, right? As a photographer
you should get used to looking sideways, up and down. You'll be amazed
at the amount of photo opportunities you can find on ceilings, second
floors, looking down the escalator. Reflections in puddles, car windows, shopping windows. Shadows on the floor, walls. You get the point.

12. Shoot for a Holiday Theme

You got a holiday coming? Great! Shoot something in the holiday spirit. An item related to the holiday: snow-slide; Cross; Menora; Shoot a scene from the Bible, New testimony; Koran - give it a twist.

13. Reproduce Art by the Old Masters

As David says, all the old masters are not called masters for nothing. They had it when it came to lighting, composition and posing. Trying to make an image like the old masters did it, is not an easy task. You can learn allot by trying to produce a very similar image. You can also learn
allot from trying to homage art made by one of the great ones. The image on the left is a great example of such reproduction of Rene Magritte - The Lovers by Mister Rad.

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Bulbs, lots of bulbs. This is what you need if you are going to do this project. In the picture you see the bulb's filament's burning, isn't it a pretty site. For all you pyro's out there, this is yet another thing you can burn. And if you can take a picture of this little fire, why not.

So here is The Full Guide for Photographing a Burning Light Bulb - have fun! Click to continue ›