5 Things Photographers Will Learn Switching From DSLR To Mirrorless Jeff Meyer, Digitalcameraworld.com

How it's done

Plastic shopping bags have become a fixture of modern life, but despite their convenience, their impact on the environment is tough to ignore. 

In his Plastic Bag Landscapes series, photographer Vilde Rolfsen draws attention to the issue by using colored lights to transform the bags into abstract images. See the rest below!

Plastic Shopping Bags Transformed Into Abstract Images

via AnOther Mag

PARDON MY CLOUDS II.

"SELFIES" I had setup some T5 fluos with a white muslin backdrop, and needed to fire off some test shots for this. [sidenote: tons of issues with the color and light until after editing I realized one bank of the T5's was at a different color temperature than the others--which totally throws the whole thing off as far as color/exposure consistency… be sure to match up your kelvin and kill any stray ambient fluos in the room. For mine, even the gray cards were inconsistent on these tests].

I am loathe for self-portraits. I don't like shooting myself– I have the same insecurities just about everyone else does. I prefer shooting inanimate objects or others who are portrait or model material. But a setup… I can deal with that out of practicality. No one will see that.

My family is pretty much the same. I'll fire off some head shots of my wife or kids when they are around that look AMAZING , and they usually dictate that "these can NOT wind up on the net… or anywhere for that matter!" Funny, because they ARE very photogenic.

So of late, I always see these "self-portrait-a-day" projects, and I think they are utterly amazing. I rarely feel like I have the time for such things, but also  really don't like confronting myself. Even the "filter" of drawing myself offers me more comfort than photographing.

So earlier this year, I settled on the "selfie-a-month-or-so" project instead. Nothing like minimal commitment, huh? Some of the selfies I have taken with the old  iPhone 4. Others with the macintosh's built in  camera. Only time will tell if I have the time or guts to stick with this. These low-res versions of the file (72ppi for net at 5 x5) also seem to lose some punch, although that can't be pinned to the camera or the lights. I'll have to check the resampling setting in Photoshop to see why.

How to Capture Motion Blur in Your Photos

Photographing fast-moving subjects doesn’t always mean using quick shutter speeds. In fact, adding motion to your still images can enhance the look and feel of the speed. Corey Rich explains how to imply movement in photographs with simple panning: Rich, using a Nikon D4S and a Nikon 17-35mm ED-IF AF-S zoom lens, photographs mountain biker Jake Dorey speeding down […]

Retouching is a labor of love. It takes time, focus, and the right mindset to turn good images into great ones. All of that time in front of the computer can drive anyone crazy, so we asked world-renowned retoucher Pratik Naik for his tips for staying loose and producing consistently beautiful final images. (To hear […]

5 Tips to Immediately Improve Your Retouching

Experimenting with "Lightpainting" product shots. Shot on a wooden stool in  a basement using some flashlights (both LED and regular).

Bgnd (for the beer) an iPad.

red led used on the V8 can (composited 3 shots)

LED light only on the persimmon, and a smooth plastic wall sheet from ikea on the stoool

a bit of post  on all.

Bottom photo is the "studio" where they were shot (a basement ;-) and the ‘high-tech' ;-) lighting tools (led flashlight, krypton bulb flashlight, iPad).

Just playing at this point. Still getting the hang of it all.

Lettering for magazines by Jackson Alves

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