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The Victorian death portrait: a family photo guaranteed to send shivers up your spine

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At a glance, this image looks like an old photograph of five somewhat bored children posing for a family photo. And indeed, it is. However, it hides a certain macabre secret: the smallest child on the far left is actually dead and is propped up on a stand.

To our modern standards, this seems rather creepy, but in the Victorian era, these ‘death portraits,’ as they became known, were very common. It offers a fascinating glimpse into what life may have been like for the early jobbing photographer of the Victorian period.[Read More…]

No idea how to edit that photo? Be inspired by these 7 photographers’ edits of the same RAW file

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Have you ever come back from a day out photographing, downloaded your images excitedly, but then been absolutely stumped about which way to take your post-processing? If you don’t have a preconceived notion at the time of taking the image, or the images are simply a little flat and lifeless, then it can be a common problem.

In this excellent video, Christian Möhrle reached out to 7 different professional photographers and asked them to each edit his landscape photograph in their own distinct style. Some were definitely more distinct than others!

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How would a dancer tackle household chores? This photographer shows us in his amusing portrait project

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I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m at home doing the dishes, I just feel so clumsy and uncoordinated. Surely a dancer would make these household chores look beautiful and effortless! If you’re like me and wonder how a ballet dancer might tackle the ironing or vacuuming, then look no further.

Photographer Eric Raeber has spent the best part of three years photographing dancers doing mundane tasks like washing the dishes or mowing the er living room in an amusing new photo book series called “Dancers at Home“. DIYP caught up with Eric to find out more about the project.

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Watch: The first ISS moon transition ever captured on 35mm film

Photographer Jason De Freitas has shown us a fantastic lunar eclipse sequence and a timelapse of the Milky Way. What’s special about these projects is that they were shot entirely on 35mm film.

Now Jason has done it again. Using his film camera and a telescope, he shot what seems to be the Holy Grail of astrophotography lately: the ISS transitioning the moon. What’s more, it’s probably the first ISS transit captured on 35mm, ever!

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Designers reimagine big cities without billboards in a striking set of photos

As photographers, we know how big of a pain light pollution is: it affects our night photos and vision of the night sky. But even though we may not be aware of it, it also negatively affects our mood, sleep cycle, and overall well-being.

To emphasize the impact of light pollution and other types of visual pollution, HouseFresh teamed up with designers to freshen up the view of eight famous locations. Inspired by Rinat Rizvanov’s images of Times Square without the ads, they reimagined these popular places without massive billboards and bright lights. And the difference is striking!

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Stop using flash at aquariums, it kills the fish

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Too many people ignore the “no flash” sign when visiting places like museums, galleries, and in a recent case, a public aquarium. But the sign is there for a reason, and it was recently confirmed when the camera flashes confused a fish so much that it killed itself.

The terrible event was captured on video, clearly showing the poor creature hurtling toward the light. Swimming at high speed, it hit the aquarium glass, and it sadly ended the fish’s life.

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You can now download nearly 70,000 hi-res early 20th century color photos from a French museum

Old photos can reveal a lot about the past, and I’m always excited to take a peek at the world that existed long before I was born. The Albert Kahn Museum in France has just made it easier: it has made nearly 70,000 hi-res, color photos available to the public.

The images are, in my opinion, truly remarkable and interesting. They show people, buildings, and events from the early 20th century captured all over the world, giving us an insight into many different cultures. They’re all in public domain, so the museum made them completely free to download and use.

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The ultimate gear guide for filming the Northern Lights

The aurora borealis (AKA Northern Lights) is high on the bucket list for many travelers and photographers. It’s no surprise so many people want to see this incredible natural light show. Once you’ve seen it, the captivating feeling leaves you wanting more. But what gear is the best for shooting the northern lights? You’d need a wide, fast lens. Wide for framing and fast for getting lots of light in. Unless a miracle happens, you’d usually shoot long exposures for the aurora lights. While this works for photos, how would you film the northern lights? Long exposure is no longer an option. Well, I’ve come up with the ultimate solution.[Read More…]

This captivating macro video shows the exciting process of chemical reactions

When you think about it, we’re surrounded by all sorts of chemical reactions, both in the outside world and inside our own bodies. And have you ever wondered what they looked up close?

Scott Portingale has, and he’s turned his curiosity into captivating, gorgeous videos. In his latest work titled Chemical Somnia, he captures the exciting process of various chemical reactions, in both still and video format.

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Picture of salamanders consumed by carnivorous plant wins 2022 Close-Up Photographer of the Year

Close-Up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) is one of those contests I always look forward to. To start off the new year with lots of inspiring images, the competition has shared its winners and runner-ups, and they’re absolutely stunning.

Canadian photographer Samantha Stephens is the overall winner of this year’s contest, and her striking image shows something you don’t see every day: a pair of salamanders being consumed by a carnivorous pitcher plant. As always, there are plenty more of great photos among the category winners, so let’s dive in and check them out.

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