Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
The name Mike Olbinski has become fairly synonymous with with amazing weather timelapse films. And he’s kicked 2017 off to an amazing start with Pulse, a 4K black & white timelapses showing some absolutely incredible storms and tornadoes.
We’re so used to seeing these things full of vibrant colour, that black & white often looks quite dull by comparison. Pulse, however, is beautifully processed, adding nothing but drama and a heightened sense of nature’s overwhelming power.
These days, most cameras and lens build quality is pretty high. Even if not completely weather sealed they can still take quite a lot of abuse from nature. Sometimes, though, you do want to take the extra step to protect your kit.
Landscape Photographer Benjamin Jaworskyj has a great tip to help cover your gear at virtually no cost. I used to use one of the more expensive solutions. It worked rather well, but it always did feel like overkill. This solution is much easier, and uses less room in your camera bag.
For the past two years, Omaha-based photographer Jesse Attanasio has been driving across the United States to capture some of the most beautiful storms and scenery America has to offer.
The result is Exhale, an incredibly beautiful 4K time-lapse that condenses into three minutes the imagery Attanasio has captured over the past two years.[Read More…]
As a photographer who lives and shoots in the Midwest (United States), I know all too well the pain of shooting in frigid temperatures on an annual basis. I’ve tried all kinds of gloves, mittens or hybrids to keep my fingers toasty while shooting, but none have proven to be the perfect pair, leaving at least a few flaws in every method I’ve tried so far.
That could change though with a new Kickstarter for Vallerret Photography Gloves. Designed from the ground up with photographers in mind, they offer protection, warmth and photography-specific features in a single pair of gloves.[Read More…]
Working full time as a police officer in California, photography started as just a hobby for Jeff Boyce. Though he’s been interested in taking photos for the past couple of years, it wasn’t until this year that Boyce was ready to take on the daunting world of time lapse. Two weeks ago, Boyce released one of his first attempts at the art form and, boy, did he knock it out of the park.
Combining his love for storm chasing–a hobby picked up in 2014–and his love for photography, Boyce took a 5-week long break from his duties as an officer to travel around the country capturing timelapse of some wicked intense weather. Boyce had no plans as he pulled out of his driveway, embarking on the journey. Rather, he frequently checked the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center for an indication on where he should be heading. Boyce said on some days he would travel upwards of 600 miles just to get where the action may or may not happen. Needless to say, there wasn’t a lot of sleep happening on this trip.[Read More…]
Hawaii really is a photographer’s paradise. It’s filled with beautiful people, dramatic landscapes, brilliant night skies, and enough varieties of sea life to keep an underwater photographer busy for a lifetime. Given the diversity of Hawaii’s climate zones (there’s 8 of the world’s 13 climate zones on Big Island alone), we also get some pretty wicked weather.
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting the Extreme Exposures Fine Art Gallery in Hilo, Hawaii where two photographers, Tom Kuali’i and Bruce Omori, display their work. Of course, all of the work gracing the walls of the gallery were eye-catching, and one photo in particular really stood out. The award winning photo has made its rounds on the internet and has even made its way into the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Seeing Bruce Omori’s “Volcanic Vortexes” in person (and beautifully printed on metal to boot) was even grander than one can imagine.
Storms are terrifying things. The shear mass and brute force of a forming storm should probably strike fear in any person seeing the clouds gather. So if you have any brains in your heads, you probably drive as fast and as far away as you can. Well, not if you are Nicolaus Wegner. In this case you drive as close as you can, place your tripod on the fields and start a timelapse.
Do you ever notice how sophisticated and easily accessible futuristic technology can look at times when watching a movie? Just to throw an example out there, remember how subtly awesome it was when all Tony Stark needed to do to paint his armor was ask Jarvis to add some hot rod color? As advanced as technology is these days, Louis C.K. was right; we’re a bit spoiled when it comes down to how much we expect. Just the other night, I had a friend complaining that he was stuck on 4G because there wasn’t any LTE in the area.
The bottom line is that efficiency and speed both play a big role in how technology moves forward. As simple as it is to take your phone out and press a button to show the screen, we ended up finding a way to make pushing it unnecessary. As simple as it is to type in a password to buy an app, we replaced it with a fingerprint sensor. And as efficient as it is to Photoshop your pictures to change the weather, we’ve now found a way to let an algorithm do the job for us.
One thing I love about the time we live in is how much innovation we see coming from people just like us. In this case, Boston native and soul singer Bosley just recently uploaded a video that made me want to get back out there and start filming another short film.
You can find out more about John on his website or follow him on Facebook and YouTube.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
