Most likely to the surprise of many, the Contax T2 took the spot as the most expensive (and hyped) point and shoot camera you can get your hands on today. If you can pay for it, that is. In the last few years, prices for this premium camera have gone insane levels, thanks in part to the renewed interest in film photography. The other part, we can certainly tie to curious celebrities picking up the camera.
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Sunday, 30 September 2018
German Tourist Trampled by Elephants During Photo Attempt
Some caution always enters into the equation when you’re working with animals in photography. And if you’re in a wild area this is particularly wise as you cannot predict what an animal may do.
Image via Pixabay from Pexels.com.
A recent story in The Independent serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of wildlife photography – particularly if you are dealing with elephants.
In what is one among a string of incidents involving elephants, a German tourist on holiday in Zimbabwe was killed after exiting her tour vehicle to snap some pictures of a herd of elephants her tour group encountered at the popular Mana Pool game reserve. Her injuries were so extensive that she later died in hospital.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Tinashe Farawo detailed the events that led up to the woman’s unfortunate death but was unsure as to whether or not her actions may have caused the elephants to attack. He did add that visitors are given plenty of warnings about the animals before they begin their tour and that all are instructed to keep a safe distance from them lest someone get attacked.
Of course, we’ve brought you multiple stories here of photography and animals gone sideways but it’s something that, though it has always been a part of the field, is growing in prominence because more and more people are aiming for that perfect shot whether for social media or other purposes.
We told you about the social media star dragged underwater by sharks and the wildlife photographer who faced down a polar bear back in July.
And, as The Independent reports, elephants are particularly prominent in the headlines regarding photographer-related deaths. One tour guide was killed by a trained elephant near Victoria Falls and another person was killed while herding elephants for tourists according to the publication.
The post German Tourist Trampled by Elephants During Photo Attempt appeared first on Light Stalking.
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“Distracted Boyfriend” Meme Called Sexist by Swedish Ad Authority
Whether or not you’re a fan of memes, they’re definitely an endless source of amusement – and controversy – for many people on the Internet.
Image via Bahnhof.
Some people even think they are part-and-parcel with the whole Internet experience yet others point to their misleading, controversial, or even outright offensive content as a source of annoyance. We in the photography world often observe that little to no attribution is given to the creators of these ubiquitous images, a perennial issue across the web for people who work in digital media, and that they represent some of the most glaring examples of outright theft on the Internet, garnering even the attention of the EU with their latest copyright efforts which would effectively kill memes on most social media platforms if allowed to come into effect.
In a first, Swedish ad regulation agency Reklamombudsmannen (RO) received complaints from people that the famous “distracted boyfriend” meme, using a stock photograph from Antonio Guillem called “Man Looking at Other Woman,” is sexist in nature. The meme, as anyone can imagine just from reading the title of the original photograph, often compares two different things with the boyfriend being tied to one but checking out the other option quite blatantly. The meme is used to push everything from political viewpoints to brands of optical equipment and is, if anything, one of the more anodyne examples of an Internet meme out there by any rational estimation.
The controversy erupted when Swedish Internet service provider Bahnhof used the meme in an attempt to advertise employment with the company according to The Guardian. The figures in the photo are appropriately called “you,” “your current job,” and “Bahnhof” following the formula established for this type of meme. Obviously your current job isn’t checking out a new position with Bahnhof, so that would leave the male figure as the obvious candidate for being “you” and some people took offense at this depiction of men and objectification of women. Of the two issues, the latter seemed to weigh most heavily in the RO’s ruling on the ad.
“The advertisement objectifies women…It presents women as interchangeable items and suggests only their appearance is interesting […] It also shows degrading stereotypical gender roles of both men and women and gives the impression men can change female partners as they change jobs. According to the committee, the objectification is reinforced by the fact that women are designated as workplace representatives while the man, as the recipient of the advertisement, is being produced as an individual.”
Bahnhof for their part told local Swedish newspaper The Local: “Everyone who follows the internet and meme culture knows how the meme is used and interpreted. [Whether someone is a] man, woman or neutral gender is often irrelevant in this context. … We are an internet company and are conversant in this, as are those who would look for a job with us, so we turned to that target group. If we should be punished for anything, it’s for using an old and tired meme.”
Though the agency does not have any power to sanction Bahnhof making the complaint largely an interrogative process to discuss the whys and why nots of this type of ad.
The post “Distracted Boyfriend” Meme Called Sexist by Swedish Ad Authority appeared first on Light Stalking.
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What Are the Key Performance Differences Between Lower-End and Higher-End Video Cameras?
This video does not try to show that you can shoot everything Hollywood does with a low-end video-recording device. It is a honest comparison, pointing out the reason why high-end cameras cost more.
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Here are Some of the Biggest Newsmakers of Photokina 2018
We collected our thoughts and expectations shortly before Photokina 2018 started, but some of the event's biggest newsmakers still managed to surprise us. If you're late to the party or haven't been able to keep tabs with the flurry of announcements and product launches in the past few days, we've put together this round up for you to get updated with.
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Beautygate: New iPhone Cameras Automatically Apply Beauty Mode
After Apple’s WWDC conference on September 12, many consumers were excited to upgrade their phones to the latest flagship phones, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. One of the biggest selling features of these new devices were the upgraded front and back cameras. Now, after about a week or so of the phones being in the market, people are beginning to notice something strange in the camera.
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Nikon Z7 First Impressions and Sample Photos
I’m sure you already know that we’re going to test the Nikon Z7 camera to its limits here at Photography Life. We have six orders coming our way in total, and we plan to put each copy through its paces while we travel to Jordan and Turkey throughout October. So far, one copy has arrived, and I’ve shot with it in Colorado for the past couple days. Here, I wanted to share my first impressions and sample images.
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Is Social Media Ruining Photography?
A lot can be said for the power of social media. In fact, many of today’s most successful photographers owe a lot to the beasts that we lovingly refer to as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. But are these platforms that we all invest so much of our time into the final nails in the coffin of a professional photograph industry that was built less on savvy social media skill and the latest filter packs and more on actual relationships, constancy, and hard work?
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Photographing Hong Kong's Neon: A Contact Sheet
As photographers, we need to put our best foot forward, especially if we're hoping to get clients to hire us or even simply aim for a quick dopamine hit on Instagram. However, one of the most beneficial exercises I have done is to look at the process of getting to my own favorite images and the process others follow to get to theirs.
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A Straightforward Guide to Color Management for Creating Better Photo Prints
Printing your own photos is one of the most satisfying ways to enjoy the fruits of your hard work as a photographer, but doing so comes with its own set of rules and considerations to make sure your prints are just right. This great video will give you a straightforward guide to properly managing color from camera to print.
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Four Cinematic Silhouette Lighting Techniques
Good lighting can do more than just properly illuminate your subject for a good exposure; it can help you tell a story. This super informative video will show you four lighting setups for cinematic silhouettes.
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Three Must Have Sony Lenses for Newcomers to Sony Cameras
It's always an exciting day when you pick up a new camera, but sometimes it can be a little hard to take it all in. From learning the new system, to picking out new lenses, there is a lot going on. Each platform has great glass to choose from, and there are some fantastic Sony lenses that are stellar performers which should be considered must haves.
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The Truth About F-Stops and Aperture
Most photographers learn the basics of aperture in regards to depth of field and light-gathering ability, but some of what you learned is probably wrong, particularly when it comes to f-stops. If you're ready to get geeky, check out this great video that explains the truth behind it all.
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German Tourist Trampled to Death by Elephant After Trying to Take Picture
A German tourist was trampled to death in a national park in Zimbabwe after trying to get closer to an elephant to take a picture.
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A Tale Of Two Titans – Kodak and Fuji
In 1975 an engineer by the name of Steve Sasson demonstrated a new technology to his employees. The size of a toaster, the invention took photographs, not onto film but onto an electronic sensor.
The image was recorded to cassette tape, was black and white and had a resolution of 0.01 megapixels yet it would eventually revolutionize the world we live in. Steve Sasson had invented the digital camera. His employers were Kodak.
Kodak, inventors of the digital camera. By Thomas Belknap
The Rising Sun
On the other side of the world, the biggest rivals to Kodak in the film world were Fuji. By the 1970’s Fuji, like Kodak was a highly diverse photographic company, producing not only film but a wide range of photographic-based hardware both for consumers and industry. While Kodak held a virtual monopoly on film sales in the US, Fuji had the same hold over the passionate Japanese photographers. They struggled however to break the US market.
Kodak was totally dominant in the lucrative US market. By Brian Crawford
A Tale Of Two Decisions.
Steve Sasson’s technology demonstration was a hit. The technical people loved it, the management thought it was “cute” It was cute, but it was not film and of course Kodak was predominately a film company. The management’s reaction was to tell Steve Sasson to keep quiet about it. A film-less camera, after all, could damage their film sales. Kodak had, classically, failed to see the power of a disruptive technology.
By the early 80’s Fuji had still failed to make any great inroads into Kodak's dominant position in the US film market. Their decision was to spot an opportunity and capitalize on it. That opportunity was the sponsorship of the 1984 Olympic Games. The green colors of Fuji were plastered not only all over the host city of Los Angeles but on every television screen in the world. Fuji had broken the US market.
Fuji's sponsorship of the 1984 Olympics helped them “break” the US market. By Mr. Littlehand
The Last Decade Of Film
Walk into any camera store in the 1990s, anywhere in the world, and the film fridges would be dominated by two colors. The Yellow of Kodak and Green of Fuji. Head to head were the two iconic Kodak films, Ektachrome and Kodachrome, pitched against them was Fuji’s new kid on the block Velvia.
In the background, however, both companies had been working on digital imaging. In 1988 Fuji revealed the DS-P, the worlds first viable digital camera, but never marketed it. In 1991 Kodak unveiled the Kodak DCS, in partnership with Nikon.
Kodachrome and Ektachrome v Velvia was the battle of the 90s. By Jussi
While Fuji had realized that digital was going to become a mainstream consumer technology, Kodak clung to the idea that it would merely be an alternative or supporting technology to film. There is no better example of this than the Kodak Advantix Preview system. Launched in 1996 it was a camera based on Advantix film but with an LCD screen that allowed you to review the image you had just shot. By this time, however, both Minolta and Casio had launched consumer level full digital cameras and in 1997 Fuji launched the Fujix DS-300.
The Kodak DCS cameras were aimed squarely at professionals. By Mr.TinDC
New Millennium, Old Strategies.
By the early 2000s, Fuji had gained a hold on the digital consumer market with its Finepix range of compacts. They were relatively affordable, easy to use and attracted not just photographers but general consumers too.
Meanwhile, Kodak still saw a future in film despite the obvious trend in the market. They were so tied up in producing film and the paraphernalia of chemical-based imaging that they could not foresee it’s demise. While they did produce some consumer-level digital cameras, they were half-hearted affairs that did not bring anything innovative to the table.
Fuji, however, had spotted that the Digital SLR market was not going to remain a professional only arena. In 2000, they released the FinePix S1 Pro. Cleverly, it was based on the Nikon F60 body and mount and so gave access to Nikon’s huge range of optics. Inside the technology and sensors were Fuji’s own. The S Pro series was not a massive success but it did allow Fuji to advance its digital technologies, a strategy that put it in good stead for the future.
Not a huge success but certainly a building block. The S Pro series. By Nick Rice
The End Game
Through the early years of the new Millennium, Kodak remained innovative in the digital arena but also stubbornly fixated on celluloid imaging. By 2003, digital cameras started to outsell film but for Kodak it was too late. Already losing money they resorted to filing frivolous lawsuits for patent infringements rather than launching a comeback product.
In 2007, Apple launched the iPhone and in doing so created the new trend of smartphone photography. Smartphones began to kill the compact digital camera market, the only area where Kodak marketed digital cameras.
Fuji in the meantime seemed to have spotted the compact’s demise. While maintaining a diverse range of compact cameras, Fuji went back to their photographic roots and started to develop a true “photographer’s” compact camera. Released in 2011, the X100 was expensive, limited yet exquisitely made and designed. It set Fuji on the road to its highly acclaimed X series of cameras and returned them to the forefront of the photographic industry.
A film photographer's camera for the digital age. The Fuji X100. By onur bahcivancilar
Just 11 months after the release of Fuji’s X100, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Today the once ubiquitous name of Kodak lives on as a much smaller technology company focussing on imaging for business.
In September 2018, Kodak released a new product for photographers. Its called Ektachrome and its a revival of its iconic 35mm transparency film. It remains to be seen if Kodak’s faith in celluloid will eventually pay off. I am sure the irony is lost on few.
And so we come full circle. By Thistle33
If you have a view on these film titans' fight or any other interesting points about the history of photography and film, tell us in the comments below.
The post A Tale Of Two Titans – Kodak and Fuji appeared first on Light Stalking.
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New ZEISS Batis 40mm f2 CF Lens to Start Delivery in November
November is already shaping up to be a great month for avid fans of ZEISS lenses as the latest in the Batis family, the ZEISS Batis 40mm f2 CF (Close Focus), is set to start shipping out that month. This new standard lens has a 40 mm fixed focal length and features a quick autofocus and an extremely short minimum focus distance. ZEISS claims that it’s the “most versatile” in the ZEISS Batis family, which means that its focal length makes it perfect for use in various situations “from portrait and street photography to landscape and architecture."
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Saturday, 29 September 2018
Four Stylish Yet Practical Camera Bags for the Modern Photojournalist
Good camera bags that can hold up in the high demands world of photojournalism can be hard to find. For a bag to succeed in this role it will need to keep your gear secure, safe from bumps and bangs, keep it safe from the elements, and offer quick access to all of your gear.
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Google Adds Image Rights Metadata Into Google Images Results
In a move sure to delight photographers, Google is taking steps to give due photo credits, after adding image rights metadata to the photo search results on Google Images.
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More Than $200,000 Worth of Leica Equipment Stolen From UK Camera Store
A camera shop in the UK was the target of a large theft, with over $200,000 worth of Leica gear taken.
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Make a DIY low-angle quadpod under $20 – better than Platypod
I love low angle photography! It brings fresh and unusual angles that makes your pictures stand out. You can buy Platypod for this purpose but I didn’t want to spend $100 on a chunky piece of metal. This site have many suggestions for do-it-yourself low angle stands including a frying pan. Good luck taking it […]
The post Make a DIY low-angle quadpod under $20 – better than Platypod appeared first on DIY Photography.
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Seven Important Lessons Learned From Landscape Photography
Landscape photography can be a sneakily difficult genre to master, as the leap from good to great is much more difficult to navigate than it might seem upon inspection of successful images. This great video examines seven lessons learned about landscape photography.
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What Are the Traits of Great and Successful Photographers?
Think about some of your favorite and most successful photographers: what do they all have in common? This excellent video explores the traits of great photographers and what makes them who they are.
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The No Forced Smile Approach to Special Needs Photography
"Say cheese" might be one of the most common things you think of when it comes to standard portrait photography. In the days of mall studios or even class pictures, this phrase is something we can all attest to hearing at least once in our lives. With more modern day photography, there has become less and less forced smiles and bribery in order to get that perfect image.
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Seal Slaps Kayaker in the Face with an Octopus
Filmmaker Taiyo Masuda was kayaking with his friend Kyle Mulinder when he captured an unusual wildlife encounter on camera: a seal swam right up to Mulinder and slapped him viciously in the face with a large octopus.
The footage above was captured using a GoPro HERO7 Black off the coast of South Island in New Zealand and has been going viral online.
“We were kayaking in the winter NZ Kaikoura, beautiful day, seals were swimming and enjoying the sun on the rocks,” Masuda tells PetaPixel. Right around lunchtime, several seals started to swim around. We just thought they were refreshing their body, yet apparently they were seeking more of food.
“One seal swims right next to us, having an octopus in his mouth, pops right up of the surface next to us, then tries to chew up the leg but ended up slapping our face! Such a raw moment — it brought so much laughter to all of us all day long… What a day to remember!”
You can find more photos and videos from Masuda’s adventures on his Instagram.
Image credits: Video and still frame by Taiyo Masuda and used with permission
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Hands on With One of the Fastest Medium Format Lenses Ever
Hasselblad has just released one of the fastest medium format lenses out there today and after being able to test it out, I think its safe to say that this thing is awesome.
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Gitzo Mini Traveler is the Smallest Pro Carbon Fiber Tripod Ever (and $200)
Vitec Imaging Solutions has announced the new Gitzo Mini Traveler, the world’s most compact and lightweight professional carbon fiber tripod.
The Mini Traveler weighs just 0.58 pounds (265g) but can hold camera kits weighing up to 6.6 pounds using the head’s standard 1/4″-20 tripod mount. When not in use, the tripod folds down to 8.7 inches (22.1cm).
It features one-section carbon fiber legs with rubber feet. The legs feature a pull-and-fix system that allows for two different leg angles for each leg — the first gives the tripod a maximum height of 6.9 inches (17.5cm) and the second gives it a height of 4.9 inches (12.5cm).
There’s a detachable ball head with no visible ball or pan locks. Instead, a gear lock found at the bottom of the head is used to control all movements.
The head can also be quickly removed, and the legs by themselves can provide standalone support for up to 55 pounds (25kg) of gear.
It may be a “tabletop” tripod, but the Mini Traveler’s professional grade build and features give it a not-so-small price tag: it’ll cost $200 when it hits store shelves.
While availability has yet to be announced, the Gitzo Mini Traveler can now be pre-ordered in full black and classic Gitzo noir décor.
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This is the First Video Ever Shot from an Asteroid’s Surface
A week after giving us the first photo from the surface of asteroid 162173 Ryugu, Japan’s MINERVA rovers have just sent back new views of the asteroid’s surface, including the first video ever from an asteroid’s surface.
MINERVA-II2 (AKA Rover 1B) captured 15 frames on September 23rd of the sun “traveling” across the “sky.” When played back in sequence, the images become a video of the rover’s view, captured 174 million miles (280M km) away from Earth.
The rover also shared photos of the rocky asteroid surface in between hops:
The rovers are moving around the asteroid in 15-meter (49ft) hops that each take 15 minutes due to the ultra-low gravity on the asteroid. Here’s an artist’s illustration of what the rovers look like on the asteroid:
You can follow along with the rovers’ progress, photos, and videos through the @haya2e_jaxa Twitter account and project website.
Image credits: Asteroid video by JAXA and reprocessed by Gizmodo
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Rejection Happens to All of Us: Get Used to It to Be a Successful Photographer
No one likes rejection, but it can hit particularly hard in photography, where you feel like you've invested a bit of yourself in your creative endeavors. This excellent video talks about how an early rejection almost caused a now quite successful photographer to hang up his camera permanently.
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The Knot and WeddingWire to Merge to Form Wedding Industry Giant
The parent company of The Knot has agreed to a $933 million deal to merge with WeddingWire, creating a juggernaut of a company in the US wedding industry.
WeddingWire announced on September 25th that the public company XO Group, which owns The Knot and several other website and services, has agreed to be taken private with shareholders receiving $35 per share in cash (a 27% premium to the stock price at closing on September 24th).
The combined company, which will have over 1,700 employees, will be owned by private equity firms Permira Funds and Spectrum Equity, which are the current investors in WeddingWire. XO Group CEO Mike Steib and WeddingWire CEO Tim Chi will serve as co-CEOs.
After the merger, which is expected to be completed in the first half of 2019, the combined company will continue operating The Knot and WeddingWire as separate brands. The websites and their global brands (including The Knot, WeddingWire, Bodas.net, Matrimonio.com, WeddingWire.in) will serve 15 countries across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
The companies say that one of the key strategic benefits of this merger is accelerated innovation.
“The collaboration in research and technology will help to streamline development and better address the evolving needs of engaged couples and wedding vendors in the wedding industry,” WeddingWire writes.
The Knot was founded in 1996 as a website designed to be the ultimate wedding planner, providing couples with resources for putting their big day together, from finding venues to locating vendors (including wedding photographers). The company went public in 2005 as The Knot Inc. before renaming the company XO Group in 2011 in light of its new websites and services (including The Nest for home decor and The Bump for pregnancy info).
WeddingWire launched in 2007 and is also a one-stop shop for wedding planning (including finding wedding photographers). It has received over $380 million in funding over the years and has, unlike The Knot, remained a privately-held company.
(via WeddingWire via Fstoppers)
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ARSBETA is a Website for Constructive (and Anonymous) Photo Critiques
Looking for a place to receive constructive criticism and feedback for your photos outside of popular social media platforms and photo sharing sites? ARS BETA, a service created by street photographer Eric Kim, is designed to offer just that.
ARS, which stands for Art Revolution Society, is specifically a place for photographers to find meaningful critique from other photographers.
After you upload your photo to the site via desktop or mobile, the algorithm randomly and anonymously shares the image to other users in the community, and those users are asked to weigh in on the photos strengths and weaknesses.
As is common in social apps these days — think Tinder — ARS has an extremely basic feedback process: photographers can “keep” or “ditch” for each photo while providing optional comments on thoughts and rationale.
“Facebook and Instagram is a good platform for sharing pictures, but not a good platform for receiving meaningful critique and feedback on your photos,” the service states. “Consider ARSBETA like a ‘testing ground’ for your pictures (A/B testing). You can upload pictures, and see what other (random/anonymous) photographers really think about your pictures.”
While Facebook and Instagram are full of photographers trying to “game” the reach algorithms and attract as many followers as possible, the anonymous nature of ABS causes the focus to be on the photos rather than the photo makers.
The first version of ARS BETA was launched back in February 2018, and the service has so far attracted a community of thousands of active photographers. Version 2 was just launched on September 28, 2018. Head on over to the ABS BETA website and sign in with your Google account if you’d like to try it out.
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