Belgian photographer Eric Lafforgue travels the world and captures inspiring stories about people. In 2008, he photographed North Korea for the first time and revisited this country five more times afterward. He took photos of the lesser-known side of North Korea and managed to save the images he would otherwise be forced to delete. After the government discovered he’s been sharing the photos online, he was banned from crossing the North Korean border ever again. Still, his photos remain to witness the stories beyond the façade, and he has shared some of them with us.
Polar bears suspend their “family time” to assist BBC filmmakers
It’s all you need, really. There you are, in the middle of a field of ice and snow, filming polar bears and their not-so-subtle courtship ritual, and one of your cameras topples over. In this case, the remotely controlled “Blizzardcam”.
Riding on mini skis and propelled by a couple of fan blade motors, the Blizzardcam took a topple going over a bank of snow. It did not escape the notice of the curious courting polar bears. It’s a cute and interesting interaction, made all the more humorous by David Tennant’s narration.
This 80 minute documentary is an in-depth study of Ansel Adams’ life and work
Ansel Adams is a photographer who is spoken about a lot. To many, especially landscape photographers, he’s a huge inspiration. Every snippet of information we see about his photographs or the man himself offers valuable insight. We learn more about who he was, how he worked, and his thought process.
In this one hour and twenty two minute documentary, we learn more about Ansel and his work than in just about anything else I’ve seen. It’s an old documentary, but it’s recently become popular again online, and I thought I’d share it here with you.
Heartbreaking video of starving polar bear shows the devastating impact of global warming
National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen has recently filmed a video which shows how terrifying global warming really is. The video shows a weak, starving polar bear in a desperate search for food. It’s heart-wrenching, but more than that – it’s a warning of the planet Earth that an entire species may disappear if we don’t make a change.
Instant Dreams is a feature-length documentary on Polaroid cameras & film
No matter what other instant film formats may follow, Polaroid is the original and arguably the best. When Polaroid announced the end of production in 2008, many feared that it would be gone forever. But Polaroid’s last working factory was bought my a small group of enthusiasts, amongst them, retired scientist Stephen Herchen, now CTO of Polaroid Originals (formerly, Impossible Project).
Herchen had previously collaborated with the inventor of Polaroid, Edwin Land. Today he’s still trying to unravel the mystery of the lost secret chemical formula. Instant Dreams is a documentary illustrating the magic of Polaroids and what it means to the people who shoot them, by filmmaker Willem Baptist.
An incredible adventure of photographing Nepalese honey hunters for NatGeo
The job of a photographer or a filmmaker is full of challenges. But imagine the challenges one would face while hanging from a rope above the cliff and being stung by the largest bees in the world – all at the same time. Well, that’s what adventure filmmaker Renan Ozturk experienced while photographing the last honey hunter in Nepal.
Although he generally does films, this time he teamed up with National Geographic to make some stills of honey hunting in Nepal. The last honey hunter, Mauli Dhan, is retiring. So this hunt for honey of Himalayan honey bees could be the last one. With all that cliff hanging and being stung by bees, this brings another dimension to the challenge and pressure. And still, Renan and the crew did a phenomenal job and shared the “behind the scenes” in a truly awe-inspiring video.
Amazing film captures biofluorescent turtles underwater at ISO 4.5 Million
High ISO performance has become the new megapixel wars. Everybody wants cameras that can see in the dark, and they want them to be able to do it at ISO100 quality. There are a number of DSLRs and mirrorless camears out there with very good low light performance. The Nikon D5 and Sony A7SII, for example. But even their ISO performance can’t really compete with Canon’s ME20F-SH.
Capable of shooting up to ISO 4.5 million, this camera’s sensor records a mere 2.2 megapixels. A team of marine biologists recently put this camera to the test. To see just how good it really was. Their subject was newly discovered species of biofluorescent sea turtle in their natural habitat.
Anticipating the moment and seeing the shot before it happens
To really understand light and see the shot before it happens is a skill one can only gain through experience. Most of us can see good light when it’s staring us in the face, but predicting the future isn’t easy. It’s something we should all try to learn, though, especially if we plan to shoot any kind of documentary.
This video from The Great Courses, is an excerpt from a course which includes twelve National Geographic photographers. Featuring professional adventure & Alpine photographer, Cory Richards, this particular short video breaks down one of his photographs. He talks about the various light sources, how they all come together, and how to see it in advance and be ready for the shot.
How realistic nature documentaries actually are?
Watching nature documentaries like BBC’s Planet Earth gives us an insight into the world of all kinds of animals. We feel that we get to know their world and the way they act in their habitats.
But how exactly realistic these documentaries are? Simon Cade from DSLRguide discusses this topic in his video. Are we looking the life of these animals as is, or it’s just a well-crafted, imaginary story aimed to entertain us? With all the fake sound effects, cutting, directing and even computer effects, how much of the “real” do we actually see?
Abstract: The Art of Design – a new Netflix series to inspire all kinds of creatives
Netflix has launched a new original documentary TV series every creative can watch to get inspired. Abstract: The Art of Design follows some of the most innovative designers in different disciplines: graphic designers, photographers, illustrators and architects. It follows their art, creative process and all the challenges they face in through their work. Also, it helps the viewers discover how the innovative designs of these creatives have affected our everyday lives.
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