Apparently taking a sequence of images for a time lapse is no reason enough, and you need to be able to tell what "they are for" or prepare to get busted.
That was the sad experience of Pennsylvania based photographer Jason Macchioni.
Be warned, this guide is not for the faint of heart! BUT! it will be one of the most rewarding projects you'll ever make, granting you with a camera you built yourself that takes real pictures onto real photo paper.
And before anyone jumps, we covered all the parts and all the needed steps, and while it is pretty detailed, it is not an super precise plan (just like the battleship) and we assume you know some basic staff. so feel free to expand it into something of your own. Click to continue ›
One of the best ways to make interesting light painting is to get a piece of steel wool on a string and spin it around on a long exposure (see tutorial here).
While we always warn folks to be cautious and wear goggles and long sleeves while spinning a piece of burning metal we never actually talked about camera safety.
Photographer Jon Beard learned that the lens needs to be protected as well the hard way. One of the sparks from the spinning wool hit his $2,000 Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G glass and stuck on the front element. Hit the jump for more details and a lens close up. Click to continue ›
If you thought that the physics behind light painting involves photon accumulation, advanced sensor technology and high end buffer management, you have it all wrong.
The truth of the thing, as Destin explains, is that light painting is done by cute girls throwing beads at boxes. OK, it does not, but Destin and daughter (and Wes Whaley) do a terrific job and explaining all this stuff in a fun and super easy to understand way. (Plus you get to see some of the most unique pregnancy photoshoots ever). Hit the jump to see the full video. Click to continue ›
Wood worker Brian Grabski and photographer Josh Van Patter collaborated both photographic know-how and superb craftsmanship to create this beautiful piece of work. They then used it to shoot Fade around Lake Powell.
For about three years I used a Nikon Coolpix and enjoyed taking photos of snowflakes in the winter. I struggled with the autofocus, so I figured I would invest in a digital camera with manual focus and macro. After much time and web surfing, I found the Canon SX130IS which has very good reviews, manual focus, and a reasonable price.
I've seen some crazy setups for high speed photography utilizing all sorts of weird parts. There is even a system that will turn the lights off for you, if you so please. But, this is the first time I am seeing such a huge overkill in term of components used to gain some control over the circuit.
Our buddy Destin from Smarter Every Day is about to have a new baby, but seconds before rushing to the hospital, he shares a neat slo-mo (or high-speed, depending on your take) video of a Canon 60D shutter going through the a full exposure cycle.
You can see the four stages of the exposure:
Now, here is a question for extra credit, can you calculate the exposure time?
If you are like me and like this kind of random science, you can register to Smarter Every Day Youtube channel here.
Congrats Destin for your new baby! Click to continue ›
TeraPixel (Charly) is using a wide array of DIY solutions for his amazing macro photographs. Including reversed lenses (with electronics modified to allow metering and control), bellows and extension tubes, with new lenses like the Nikon 35mm/1.8, the Canon 50/1.8 and old ones like the Nikkor 35-70 and the Fujinon 50/1.4.
Charly recently compared four of the possible combinations of the lenses/setups, and reveled the big difference in quality they produce. (Click the photo for more info).
It is not often that we see tow of our favorite techniques used in a single film. photographers Colin Mika & Brandon Vedder of All Cut Up Films created this beautiful time lapse of Los Angeles with a twist (or actually two).
The first is that the entire film was shot through a snow globe, which I assume means that the camera was upside down for the entire duration of the shoot.
The second is the use of paper cut filters to achieve a shaped bokeh.
