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The story behind how this amazing photograph of the “Fairy Tree” Milky Way was created

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Sometimes, you’re sitting on social media, scrolling away and something stops you in your tracks and you just can’t help but sit and stare. That was the case for me with this Milky Way photograph from landscape and commercial photographer Mark Duffy. DIYP reached out to Mark to find out more about it and how it was created.

Mark says that the tree at the centre of this image is known as a Fairy Tree in Ireland. That’s what they call a tree that stands alone in the middle of a field. It’s believed that they bring luck and possess mystical powers. This one though, Mark tells DIYP, is particularly special. He says it’s over 200 years old and perched on top of a 3,000-year-old cairn (an Irish burial tomb) overlooking his hometown of Dundalk and the Cooley Mountains.

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Five tips to get the best video results from low budget 8-bit cameras

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We all have to start somewhere and for those who wish to learn how to shoot video, that usually means some pretty low-budget (and often old) equipment. Those newcomers are often teased on social media for not having the latest and greatest gear and made to feel bad about what they own, but don’t let those types of people get to you. You can do some great stuff with some very inexpensive equipment!

Sure, the older and low-budget gear may have some limitations that more expensive or newer gear might not, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get the shot. You just maybe have to work a little harder for it. And in this video, Nigel Barros walks us through his five gotcha mistakes that often trip up new filmmakers and how to avoid them to get the best video you can from low-budget cameras.

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Is Photoshop ruining photography or is it actually helping it?

This is a topic that I see posted on social media every single day. It’s usually not a discussion of the actual topic, though. More often than not, it’s bundled up in a comment like “This isn’t photography!” or “Fake! You’ve Photoshopped this!”. Yeah, it’s a pretty one-sided conversation a lot of the time. But photographer and educator Blake Rudis explores the topic quite in-depth in this video.

The criticisms of the use of Photoshop in photography often come from the self-proclaimed “purists” who believe that every image has to look how it looks right out of the camera (which still has digital post-processing applied, btw) and there’s very little that seems to dissuade them from their beliefs. But ultimately, does it really matter what other people think about your use (or lack) of Photoshop?

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Wide-angle lenses are not “landscape lenses” – All lenses are landscape lenses

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Whenever we turn our hand towards photographing a landscape, I think most of us tend to go for the widest lens we own. Or at least, if not the widest, something pretty wide. It’s a logical and natural choice to make, though. We’re confronted with this beautiful view and we want to be able to capture as much of it as possible. But is it potentially doing more harm than good for your photography?

In this video, Mads Peter Iverson talks about this issue and that we really need to start breaking out of the mindset that we need a wide-angle lens in order to be able to shoot good landscape photography. It’s an interesting discussion that not only discusses the benefits of using longer focal lengths to shoot landscapes but the downfalls of only using wide angle lenses.

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Canon EOS R3: The art of moving forward

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The tracks begin to ring.

I listen closely with the engine roaring louder and louder as each second passes and ready my camera…my finger resting steady on the shutter.

The forest; the leaves; the freight train tearing by and then slowly fading; everything falling quiet again — it all makes me think of Riley. After his passing, my therapy was walking along these tracks, camera in hand. Many times I would never even take a shot, instead preferring to immerse myself in the stillness and color around me.

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Eight photography podcasts you should follow for inspiration and education

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Constant education and inspiration are important in photography. The worlds best photographers will share the fact that they’re constantly learning and refining their skills. A great way to get this inspiration is through podcasts that we can listen to in the background when we edit images. There have been a few new podcasts come onto the scene during and after lockdown. Here’s the DIY Photography list of great photography podcasts for you to listen to.

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How to rekindle your passion for photography when you’re feeling sick of it

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Do you ever feel sick of photography? I know I do, and it recently came as far as thinking about selling all my gear. I was feeling uninspired, I didn’t have the need of taking photos at all, and I just felt… kinda like a fraud when someone referred to me as a photographer.

Does it sound familiar? Have you had those thoughts too? If this video from Mark Denney is just what you need to watch today. It came at the right time for me, and I hope it will give you the guidance and inspiration you need.

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Unpopular opinions matter in photography and here’s why

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Regardless of how you feel about photography, it comes with opinions. Lots of them. From absolute beginners to seasoned pros with 50 years’ experience behind them, we’re constantly bombarded with opinions in photography. “You need to follow this rule!”, “You need to sell that camera and buy this one!”, “You need to…” this, that and the other.

A lot of these opinions are unpopular. Some deserve to be but many simply lack the context required to truly express their real meaning. In this video, Adam Karnacz at First Man Photography breaks down five unpopular opinions (very well, too), plays a little devil’s advocate for the other side and explains the underlying reasoning why people might swing one way or the other.

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Break these seven bad life habits, they’re ruining your creativity

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As photographers and creators, we rely a lot on our inspiration. In order to take photos regularly, find clients, or build our portfolio, we need to pair it with persistence and discipline.

However, there are certain life habits that break not only our discipline but also affect our mood and consequently our inspiration. In this fantastic video, Evan Ranft talks openly about some of these habits that destroyed his creativity, hoping to help you break them.

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I started shooting with gaffer tape on my LCD to force myself to think differently

I’m sure over the last few years all of us photographers have heard the word CINEMATIC so much that in the end, it lost all meaning. Is every photo with crushed backs and a cyan-orange color grade cinematic? I’d say NO! So today I’ll try to explore what are the factors that add up for an image to be cinematic and what can make or break the cinematic vibe of a shot.

It all started while I was watching a video from Grainydays on YouTube where Jason was using a panoramic camera, the Fujifilm TX-1. A vintage camera that creates panoramic images by exposing 2 shots on film at the same time to get an image that has an aspect ratio of 65×25. The entire concept caught my interest, but since I don’t have ~$6000 lying around to spend on a vintage camera and I don’t shoot film either, I went the DIY route and taped 2 strips of gaffers tape to the LCD of my camera and took it out for a test.

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