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Inspiration

10,000 frames to make one. What’s wrong with me?

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I loaded my gear into my truck last week and headed 12 hours north to the mouth of the Chilko River, my first trip since the amputation. I drove the same route a year ago, through towering mountains and golden aspens, my mind less on the bears I would photograph and more on the looming surgery.

If I didn’t change my mind, I’d have my leg removed below the knee in a few months. I spent that entire drive trying to calm the voices in my head, the ones asking if I was crazy, the ones wondering if I’d ever drive this kind of trip again or actually do the things I was replacing my foot to be able to do in the first place. What if you can’t? What if you don’t? What if you are?

Five tips to capture beautiful photos nearby

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It’s been one month since I introduced a challenge to all of you who follow me on my blog. The #DiscoverWithMikko challenge was to capture something nearby (no more than 20 km’s away) where you live. It was also to encourage you to try to capture something unique. The month flew by, and I can say that it was a tough challenge for me as well. Not many participated in this challenge, but I saw some beautiful entries on Instagram, which I’ll share in my stories @mikkolagerstedt.

The best photography advice no one listens to

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I’m sure you’ve received plenty of advice throughout your photographic journey. And I’m also sure it divides into the ones you’ve adopted and the ones you’ve discarded; those applicable to you and those not so much. After 30 years in photography, photographer Steve Carty shares the best advice he’s gathered along his journey – but that no one seems to listen.

Seven beginner landscape photography mistakes that pros make, too

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Whether we’re new to landscape photography or we’ve been doing it for years, none of us is infallible. We’re all going to make mistakes. And we’re going to keep making them even after we’re more experienced.

Nigel Danson has spotted some mistakes that he sees beginner landscape photographers making regularly. But he also still sees pro landscape photographers doing it, too.

A kind King’s Guard breaks protocol to take a photo with a boy with Down syndrome

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If you’ve ever tried taking a photo with a King’s Guard in London, you know they’re not supposed to move and goof around with you. But a member of the King’s Guard recently broke the protocol and touched many hearts with his kind move. As a boy with Down syndrome approached for a photo, the guard casually moved closer to him.

Five essential tips for shooting in new locations

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Most of my photography is outdoors. As such, I’m always looking for new locations. Sometimes I spend a day location scouting, specifically to find new places to photograph. Sometimes, I just get lucky on a random day out somewhere.

When you’re going somewhere new, it’s difficult to know what to shoot. It’s easy to miss the good stuff. Here’s five essential tips from Adam Gibbs that can help make your new location blues disappear.

Take photos for yourself, not for others

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If nobody cared, would you still take pictures? I often remember this question, and my answer will always be yes. In his recent video, lovely Steve O’Nions takes you on a hike through the mountains.  He is taking photos, enjoying himself, and discussing why you should take photos for yourself, and not for others. So, should you take photos even if nobody else cares? Let’s see what Steve says, and let’s discuss.

Journey Through Seasons is a 145km long hyperlapse shot over an entire year

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Hyperlapses became a big thing a few years ago. But they all started to look a bit samey. A lot of them are city-based. Often they’re just a highlight reel of the common tourist spots of that town. This one, though, is a little different.

Created by Dave Fanner, it follows the Canberra Centenary Trail. He wanted the opposite of a highlight reel. Unlike many hyperlapses today, this one actually tells you a story as it takes you on its journey.

You can now download a virtual camera for shooting virtual photos within Blender

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Some of you might remember a bizarre virtual camera we featured recently. It was a 3D virtual camera, constructed in Blender, that used models of real optics to focus the light and add some imperfection into your otherwise flawless renders.

Well, its creator, sirrandalot, has now released the file – after improving one or two things. He’s posted up another video going over the improvements and how to use it in your scene.

This guy created a working camera inside Blender that actually shoots photos

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This has to be one of the most surreal and meta things I’ve ever seen in the world of photography. 3D has played a big part in photography since the world switched to digital. It’s playing an even bigger part in video lately, with all the buzz around virtual sets. But what’s been done here by sirrandalot on YouTube is pretty extreme. He built a working camera to shoot photos inside his 3D scenes.

I was captivated by this video from the instant it started up. It begins the way many Blender videos end. It begins with a render, but this isn’t good enough for sirrandalot. Oh no. He proceeds to build an actual camera with a lens using real optical formulas. He uses it to “photograph”, using real physics principles, his 3D scenes Blender.

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