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We 3D printed a giant lithophane photo of the Mandalorian

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It’s not really a secret that we’re big fans of 3D printing here at DIYP. Whether it’s printing out handy gear that we’ll use all the time, functional workhorse tools, or making the cameras themselves, 3D printing is just a lot of fun and it’s worked the way into the lives of the DIYP team in a big way. And speaking of big, big’s where we’re going this time.

We’ve covered how to 3D print lithophanes on here before. They’re a way of creating a form that produces an image when you shine light through the back of it. The thinner parts are brighter and the thicker parts are darker, producing the contrast you need to see the image. Well, when Tronxy reached out to see if we’d like to try their Tronxy XY-3 SE 3D printer, a giant lithophane was what we knew we had to do.

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202 photography quotes to inspire you in 2022

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“A picture is worth a thousand words” is the first sentence that springs to my mind when I think of photography-related quotes. And while I agree with it, I must admit that I highly respect words, too. Just like photos, there are wise words that can inspire you.

So, to start off the year 2022, we bring you 202 quotes that photographers and other artists said about taking pictures. Some of them will amuse you, some of them will make you think and reevaluate your attitudes. You’ll find some of them relatable, yet get completely mad at the others. But ultimately – all of them will inspire you to think and to create. Is there your favorite one on this list?

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How the pandemic forced me to shoot local and fall in love with my country again

It’s been two years since the coronavirus pandemic began. So much has happened over that time: the world has turned upside down, and so have we. Our lifestyles have changed to different extents, and each of us misses something we used to do all the time, and maybe even take for granted.

What changed most for me was traveling: I used to cross the border at least three times a year, exploring new countries or new places in the countries I’d visited before. However, travel restrictions have changed it all. The pandemic forced me to do something I’d keep postponing – exploring my own country. So, when the lockdowns were over, I started traveling across Serbia and reminded myself of how many beautiful and photo-worthy spots you can find locally. And now, I invite you to share this journey and some of my insights with me.

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You should probably delete the work that you’re the most proud of and here’s why

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In writing and filmmaking, there’s a term called “killing your darlings“. In Journalism, it’s the slightly more macabre “killing your babies“, but the end result is the same. It’s trimming the fat from the content in order to make it efficient and bring it to the point. For a writer, it means cutting out unnecessary large passages because they distract from the story. For a filmmaker or editor, time and budget constraints might mean cutting out scenes you love just because they don’t add to the story. For Journalists you’re often cutting the story short simply to make it fit in the allotted space.

Full-time photographer and part-time nomad, Adrian at aows believes that this principle also holds true for photographers. We need to often need to delete (or at least hide) some of the work we’re most proud of, because it’s just not very good – no matter how we might feel about it. And I’m inclined to agree with him.

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This is why you need to stop shooting at apertures smaller than f/11

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Lenses these days have all kinds of aperture ranges, with some opening as wide as f/0.95 and others stopping down as much as f/32. But shooting at either extreme can cause potential issues. At the wider apertures, those issues are obvious. The shallower depth of field can mean you don’t get enough focus to get everything you need looking sharp. And most lenses are a little soft wide open anyway. Then as we stop them down, things get sharper. But is there a limit?

Well, yes. With many lenses, as you start to go past f/11, you’ll see things will become soft again. This is due to something called diffraction. We’ve covered diffraction here on DIYP before, a couple of times, actually, but it’s always good to have a reminder, and this video from Matt Granger does exactly that, explaining what diffraction is, what causes it and how you can prevent it (by basically not stopping down smaller than f/11).

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The Photographer’s guide to getting started with video – and why you need to learn video

As a photographer, making the transition to video or adding it to your offerings can be a daunting task – especially if you haven’t jumped on the mirrorless train yet. Even if you’re already a very good photographer, shooting video requires a very different skillset (and potentially a whole bunch of new gear) that can take some time to learn.

In this 16-minute video, photographer Justin Mott offers up some useful advice for photographers thinking about getting started with video – or how to take it more seriously if you’ve already had a little go with it.

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Watch: A journey through the history of photography

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Since its initial inception and those first crude attempts at recording an image in a permanent form, photography has seen some huge developments. New technology over the years has allowed us to capture things never previously possible. And the pace at which it’s developed in just the last decade or two is pretty mindblowing when you think about it.

But how has it evolved over the years? What were its defining moments? This thoughtful video from the auction house, Christie’s and presented by Darius Himes, takes us on a journey through time to discover how photography has changed and the history in not just technical ability but also how photography as an artform itself has changed.

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100ASA is a new photo-sharing community that blends Instagram and 1x

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Now that Instagram is even officially not a photo-sharing platform anymore, you may be searching for the best alternative. Well, 100ASA wants to be your platform of choice. It’s a new photo-sharing platform that aims to beat Instagram. And from what I’ve seen so far, it blends some features from it with those of 1x, so let’s check out what it has to offer.

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How to create a mock-up of a framed photograph in Photoshop to help you sell more prints

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Many of us might not ever need to create a mock-up of how a photograph might look in a frame on the wall. If we’re only shooting for ourselves, we’d just print it, put it in the frame and hang it. Then we’d just know what it looks like. But for family, wedding and portrait photographers looking to sell prints to clients, it can be a very valuable tool to have in your arsenal.

Being able to shoot an image of a client’s home and present them with an image that shows their images hanging on their own walls can be a great way to show them the best sizes to get and what images might look good in a set. It’s a popular technique and there are even smartphone apps to help automate the process. But in this video, Sleeklens shows us how to do it the old fashioned way. In Photoshop.

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