Lensbaby's newest product is a set of macro converters, designed for use with their existing lenses. For $50, you score an 8mm and a 16mm converter, the pair of which can then be stacked together to create a 24mm version. If you're wondering what that'll do to your photos, Lensbaby has handily created a little chart showing the new focusing distances with six of their lenses — which is perfect if you nabbed that incredibly cool Lensbaby Movie Maker Kit, as your lenses can now serve double or even triple duty. If that's doesn't get you close enough to whatever you're trying to focus on, they can also be combined with Lensbaby's macro kit, for an even closer focal length. With everything stacked together, you can as close as 1.2-inches with some lenses, which should be macro enough for even the most extreme of close-ups.

As with all Lensbaby products, you can expect soft, "dreamy", and selectively focused shots using this kit. You'll just be that much closer than before. The macro converter set comes with two converters, a hard storage case, and a user guide.

read more

Photo by Austin Luker

SEE PHOTO GALLERY

No wonder the value of a college education has been debated so much recently. With Rutgers offering a course on Beyoncé, and now news of London's Kensington and Chelsea College adding a class called “ iPhoneography,” teaching the next generation how to use their iPhone to take better photos.

The course will be a first of its kind, and will instruct students on using a range of apps to create images. The course tutor, Richard Gray, says he plans to teach the basic rules of composition, color and light, along with editing skills including blending, collage and cloning.

Still, the main focus of the course sounds a little more like a product tutorial that a traditional photography class. To that end Gray, himself a professional photographer, has a free workshop planned at a London Apple Store.

Traditionalists will no doubt be uncomfortable with this approach to photography, but could it just be the latest incarnation of the film vs. digital or darkroom vs. Photoshop argument?

What do you think, are people who use iPhones, “real” photographers?

Via. BBC News

read more

We’ve seen a lot of photo recreations, from old childhood photos, to famous masterpieces, now add catalog illustrations to the list.   To celebrate its 100-year anniversary, L.L. Bean is using photographer Randal Ford to re-create some of their old catalog illustrations, including the first cover.

By paying close attention to casting, styling, and location, they staff recreates the original illustration as exactly as possible. From there, they used Photoshop to retouch the colors to make it look even more like the original artwork.

Check out the behind the scenes video below.

Via. L.L. Bean

read more

For months now, Canon has teamed up with the VII Photo Agency to create projects that will hang in the VII Gallery. And this time, we asked the group of professional photojournalists traveling the globe to do what we just described, interpret the word "CHANGE," then capture it through photography and video. Limiting each photojournalist to one, abstract word requires a bit of their creative interpretation before shooting. All photos are taken using Canon cameras, specifically the advanced point-and-shoot PowerShot S95, the mid-level PowerShot G12 or the semi-professional EOS 7D.

Why "CHANGE"?  Change, we found, is a very powerful word. In one sense, change can be inspirational and hopeful, as in "It's time for change." In another, change can be reflective. "Times, they are a-changing." Then again, the idea of change can also be scary and unpredictable. The reality is, for better or worse, things change. We hoped to get a wide spectrum of interpretations by choosing this word, and we were right.

Photographs taken by the professionals are now hanging in the VII Gallery for you to browse. But it doesn't stop there. Canon and VII want to extend the project to you. Do you have a unique interpretation for "CHANGE?" Grab a camera and see if you can capture what change means to you. You might just find your project featured online.

We want photographs from everyone. Novice to expert, young to old. Change can mean so many different things to so many people, so let's see what you can come up with.

Check out the Canon VII Gallery and the projects for CHANGE at usa.canon.com/viigallery

read more

Ricoh's modular GXR continues to expand its selection of sensor/lens combos, with the new introduction of the A16, which packs a 24-85mm equivalent zoom and 16-megapixel sensor. First announced back in November, the module is now all kinds of official, and is the first zoom module with an APS-C sensor, as well as the first to hit 16-megapixels.

The 24-85mm f/3.5-5.5 is certainly more versatile than some of the other modules we've seen come out for the  GXR, but the maximum aperture of f/3.5 is slightly disappointing — especially as there's no stabilization system. Since this module comes with a new sensor (rumored to be one of Sony's), Ricoh has added a number of features that smack more of a firmware update than anything else. Many of them are fairly standard on other cameras, so while Ricoh may be slow at bringing them out, at least they're catching up:

Dynamic range compensation reduces overexposure of highlights and underexposure of dark areas. For backlit and high-contrast scenes that cannot be handled with exposure compensation, doing the dynamic range compensation in specific portions of the image makes it possible to shoot the subject at a brightness level close to that seen by the naked eye.

ISO sensitivity can be set in 1EV or 1/3EV steps.

With the new ISO bracketing function, the photographer can shoot and record three images with different ISO sensitivities.

When the new function for maintaining the same shooting settings is set on, by keeping the shutter release button pressed halfway after taking a picture, the photographer can continue to shoot with the same settings (focus, exposure, white balance, etc.).

The function for recording a JPEG image simultaneously with the RAW image has been expanded so that it is now possible to record only the RAW image. This is suitable for a work flow based on the premise that image finishing is to be done on a PC after shooting. Since a JPEG file is not simultaneously recorded, this option is also useful when the photographer wants to increase the number of images which can be recorded on the memory card.

It is now possible to turn ON/OFF the white saturation display that shows areas where bright portions will be rendered white and where color shade gradations will be lost.

The tilt indicator function has been enhanced. In addition to the conventional horizontal indicator, this function can now also detect camera movement direction tilting.

Copyright information such as the photographer’s name can be entered and written to the image Exif data. The recorded information can be checked on the playback screen detailed information display.

No word on how much it will cost, but we'll update when we have that info.

read more

The folks at Cotton Carrier have created a new accessory for strapping your camera to your chest — and while it has a pricetag, it doesn't have a name. That's where you come in. Cotton Carrier is holding a competition to name the new holster, and if you provide the most popular idea, you'll score a sweet $500. Cotton is also giving away the holster to 20 random entrants, so even if your suggestion doesn't prove the most popular, you could at least get a $79 product for free.

The holster itself, as you can see in the video above, attaches to the strap of a bag, and allows you to lock your camera in place, flush against your chest. From there, you can simply rotate it, and slide it you to have it at the ready. It works with Cotton's Vest System, and from the video above it looks like you could make it fit on a number of others, too.

read more

When it comes to making interesting -- and sometimes downright wacky -- looking cameras, Pentax has been at the forefront for some time now. But, their new ILC gets its looks from the brain of renowned designer and artist, Marc Newsom. The result is something pretty unique, especially if you opt for the day-glo yellow colorway. Don't worry, it also comes in black and white.

Inside its machined aluminum frame is a 16.3-megapxiel CMOS sensor with sensor-shift shake reduction, similar to what was in the excellent K-5 DSLR. It also works with all K-mount lenses, so if you're already in the Pentax system, you can move to the K-01 pretty seamlessly.

The display is a 3-inch, 920K dot LCD and the pop-up flash has a guide number of 12m (ISO 100). ISO range is expandable to 25,600 and it can hit 6 FPS if you're shooting in high-speed JPEG mode. Video capture isn't too shabby either. It can do 1080p at 30 fps, but if you're willing to drop to 720p, you can get 60 fps, which is noticeably superior for shooting action or if you want slow-motion.

Now, to the price. When the K-01 arrives in March, it'll command $749 for the body, or $899 when coupled with the new 40mm XS pancake lens (more on that below). That's actually pretty competitive, especially when you consider that it will work with the 25 million+ K-mount Pentax lenses that are already out there without an adapter, which is definitely a bit of an advantage over the Sony NEX line and even the Nikon 1 series.

What will be interesting is to see how a camera like this competes against the seemingly growing segment of super-advanced compacts with integrated lenses like the Fujifilm X-series and Canon's upcoming G1 X. With the kit lens, the K-01 is only $100 more expensive than the latter and it gets you a full-on camera system with an APS-C sensor.

Of course, that price also means that you'll give up certain desirable features. For instance, the K-01 is completely devoid of an integrated viewfinder, so eye-level composition is out, which will likely be a deal-breaker for some.

As for the new lens, it's the Pentax-DA 40mm F/2.8 XS pancake. Pentax is claiming that it's the world's thinnest, measuring just .36-inches thick. That's actually probably thinner than some actual pancakes, depending on what diner you frequent. It focuses as close as 16-inches, has a Super Protect coating, and has an effective focal length of 61mm on an APS-C sensor. And, because it's plain old K-mount, it'll work on your current Pentax DSLRs as well.

Look for a hands-on when we get one to play with and then a full test report as soon as we get it in the lab. 

read more

Facebook is definitely not the best photo sharing site, but there's no denying that it's the biggest. Documents surrounding their IPO surfaced with the SEC today and they act as a nice reminder of just how big they are.

Here's the quote directly from the SEC doc: "On average more than 250 million photos per day were uploaded to Facebook in the three months ended December 31, 2011." That's 7.5 billion photos a month. That's 10.4 million photos an hour. That's roughly 174,000 per minute. That's almost 3,000 photos per second. In short, they get more photos in a single day than you could ever hope to look at in a lifetime. Insane, especially when you consider that Flickr reached 6 billion photos total sometime last summer.

All those photos must take up a lot of space on their servers, right? They sure do. "We store more than 100 petabytes (100 quadrillion bytes) of photos and videos." Yeah, that number includes videos, but it's still staggering. That's equal to 100,000 terabytes, or if you want to break it down even smaller, 100 million gigabytes. That's a lot of bytes.

In the end, this is probably even more motivation not to relly on Facebook as your prime method of photosharing. Not only is the quality lacking, but it's definitely hard to get noticed in a pool that deep. And, it's only getting deeper. 

read more

Photo by Ryan Gibson

Ryan Gibson, an editorial photographer from rural Georgia, specializes in athletic portraits. One of his favorite places to shoot? Locker rooms. “When I’m working on a feature story, I want to get as much variety as I can from a sitting,” he says. “After we do the field, stands, or courtside shots, I like working in the locker room. Depending on how I use my lights, I can get a lot of different looks there in a short amount of time.”

You can see one of those looks in the above photo: With a creative camera angle and lighting, Gibson produced a near-black background that draws the viewer’s attention almost entirely to this high-school defensive end.

Ironically, to create this darkness, Gibson cranked his location strobes up to their brightest power settings. By doing this and by moving the lights close to his subject, Gibson could expose using a fast shutter speed, small aperture, and low ISO, all of which worked to render the background almost completely black and locker-free.

But because entirely feature-less black backgrounds can be boring, Gibson added some pop to the background by once again getting creative with his lighting. He mounted two small strobes on stands behind his subject and aimed their output directly at the camera. “The background lights add an intensity to the shot and lend an almost theatrical ‘star power’ to the athlete,” the photographer says.

This strategy, however, introduced a problem: flare around the edges of his subject. “There’s no way to avoid it in a shot like this,” says Gibson. “To control it, the small aperture helped, but we also played around with the positioning and direction of the lights. Even tiny adjustments made a big difference in reducing the flare pattern.”

Another challenge? Elimin-ating the lightstands in Adobe Photoshop CS5. “If I have gear in the frame that I’ll clone out in post, I usually shoot from a tripod and make an overall shot of the scene without the equipment. It makes eliminating it later much easier,” he explains. “But because of the low camera angle, that wasn’t possible here. Instead, I arranged the lights and exposure to minimize the length of the stands that had to be cloned away.”

Kris Holland/Mafic Studios (ILLUSTRATION)

A low camera angle helped Ryan Gibson visually elevate and enhance his subject. Working this low required putting his Westcott 5-foot Octabank softbox (A) close to the ground and aiming it slightly upward to get light into his subject’s eyes and chin. His main light was an AlienBees B800 monolight (B) that he powered with a Paul C. Buff Vagabond II portable battery pack (C). The Vagabond also powered Gibson’s two background kickers: 400-Ws Westcott Strobelite Pluses (D) aimed directly at the camera position. He fired all three strobes using Paul C. Buff CyberSync flash triggers. Gibson shot with a Canon EOS 7D and 11–16mm f/2.8 Tokina zoom (E). “For this type of low-angle shot, I always ask my subjects to stare directly into the center of the lens as though they’re trying to see right through the camera,” says Gibson. “This helps to produce an intensity in the facial expression.” The ground-up point of view also helped the photographer crop out background clutter.

Ryan Gibson is a portraitist who also freelances editorially for publications such as ESPN HS and Atlanta.

read more