Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
There’s been a lot of buzz around the new real-time Eye AF and AF tracking on the recently announced Sony A6400. Even more exciting, though, is that this system is also coming to the Sony A9, A7III and A7RIII full-frame mirrorless cameras in a future firmware update.
Photographer Patrick Murphy-Racey recently got the chance to try out the new real-time autofocus tracking with version 5.0 of the firmware for the Sony A9 in Los Angeles. And, fortunately, he filmed it for the rest of us to see.
It was in August 2013 that I by accident stumbled upon the red cabin and its surrounding lake. I assume the location has been photographed before my first attempts at capturing its inherent beauty and charm. Owing to the fact that the lake is a drinking water reservoir for a whole community I am very reluctant to disclose its exact location — also in the hope of protecting it from Instagram trophy hunters.
I’ve written about this project in the past, as I originally made the rain machine and shot with it in 2012, however we’ve now done it in video form! Hopefully it shows a little more detail about the construction and how I shot with it. I made this just for fun really, it rains enough here in the UK that you really don’t need a rain maker, but this allowed me the control of putting studio lights outside without getting electrocuted!
Well, there’s been a few rumours and leaks about this one. Some were right, some were a little off, but now it’s finally official. Today, Olympus has delivered on their teaser promise and announced their new sports & wildlife oriented Olympus OM-D E-M1X camera.
From the specs and some first impressions of the camera, the E-M1x looks like it can take a lot of punishment. With a rugged magnesium alloy body and IPX-1 rated weather sealing, it certainly appears to be able to handle some pretty extreme conditions. It’s also a bit of a speed demon, too, offering up to 60fps 20.4MP RAW.
While the long take is more famous in movies than in anything else, it’s become sort of a thing for vloggers, too. Often they’re walking, holding the camera while they talk and it can go on for several minutes. But it can be difficult to add creativity to these types of shots, especially when you’re filming on your own.
In this video, Peter McKinnon shows three camera tricks to help add some interest to your long shots talking to the camera, surprise your audience and leave them wondering how you pulled it off. The secret? You’re not filming on your own.
This video is one of the funniest things I’ve seen so far this year. It begins as a somewhat sombre and dramatic piece. Immediately you can feel the mood of the story, the sense of anxiety and worry felt by the protagonist. Although, that sense soon turns to amusement when we realise what it is she’s concerned about.
Letter, pt. II was created by Minnesota based SkyVista Productions to test the capabilities of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. As the name suggests, it’s a sequel to Letter, although this one has a much more amusing twist. If you’ve ever pre-ordered a camera or other piece of kit and found yourself sitting at some unknown position in the waiting list, you know exactly how the lady in the above film feels.
Photographer Mathieu Stern is passionate about finding and even making unusual lenses. This time, he hit a flea market and found a $6 treasure: Rollei 90mm f/2.4 MC. It’s a slide projector lens, but Mathieu adapted it to his Sony mirrorless camera and found out that it’s also great for portraits.
Photographer Giles Clement has performed some interesting experiments, such as mounting a large format camera to a drone. He also made his own 16×20 camera, and it all started as a sketch on a bar napkin. He uses his DIY camera to create stunning wet plate ambrotypes, and he shared with DIYP how he got to build this camera himself.
After nearly two years of legal battle, Nikon, ASML and Carl Zeiss are about to settle all litigations. The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which will settle of all legal proceedings over patents for lithography equipment and digital cameras. By this agreement, Carl Zeiss and ASML are due to pay Nikon a total of €150 million, or approximately $170 million.
eBay is no longer the site it once was when it first started. Initially, you could find all kinds of great used treasures there. These days, it’s mostly a storefront for retailers selling new products. Occasionally, though, a rare treasure does still pop up. Sometimes, you can even get a steal of a bargain.
This one, though, while rare, isn’t so much of a bargain. Photographer Bert Stern shot with Marilyn Monroe for years and this eBay listing purports to be a contact sheet from their Last Sitting. The only original contact sheet from that session. And it can be yours for a mere $195,000.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
