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'Relics of Technology' turns dated gadgets into beautiful things
Photographer Jim Golden's latest project takes yesterday's daily drivers out of thrift stores bargain bins and puts them in the spotlight in gallery-quality photographs and GIFs. The series, titled Relics of Technology, which includes floppy disks, projectors and game controllers, elevates forgotten formats and form factors while underlining the ephemerality of technology. As Golden puts it, "These photos are reminders that progress has a price and our efforts have an expiration date."
Chicago Sun-Times fires photography staff, tells journalists to use iPhones
Last Thursday my former hometown's newspaper, The Chicago Sun-Times, sadly laid off its entire 28-person full-time photography staff in an attempt to cut costs in an industry that has been seeing a steady decline in subscription numbers and ad revenue as physical newspapers struggle in a digital age. The Sun-Times' contention is that digital video will soon become more important to readers of newspapers instead of photography, so the paper is spending its resources in that area from now on. In a statement, the Sun-Times said: "The Sun-Times business is changing rapidly and our audiences are consistently seeking more video content with their news. We have made great progress in meeting this demand and are focused on bolstering our reporting capabilities with video and other multimedia elements. The Chicago Sun-Times continues to evolve with our digitally savvy customers, and as a result, we have had to restructure the way we manage multimedia, including photography, across the network." Whether or not you agree with the paper's move is one thing (I don't), but the thing all of my fellow journalists agree with is that it's a misguided decision that just 24 hours after the layoffs, the Sun-Times announced to its remaining staff that they will receive training on "iPhone photography basics." The news was reported via a post on Chicago media critic Robert Feder's Facebook page: "Sun-Times reporters begin mandatory training today on 'iPhone photography basics' following elimination of the paper's entire photography staff. 'In the coming days and weeks, we'll be working with all editorial employees to train and outfit you as much as possible to produce the content we need,' managing editor Craig Newman tells staffers in a memo." Forget the fact that most print journalists are not photographers; that most people who write for a living don't have a great understanding about lighting, composition, the rule of thirds or other tenets of photography. Even if they did, it's ridiculous to think that an iPhone (even the latest iPhone 5) is anywhere near as good as your basic DSLR. The technology in the iPhone's camera -- while it may be okay for point-and-shoot pics of your friends at a birthday party -- is in no way equipped to handle photojournalism. Where's the telephoto lens? Where's the high-powered flash? And most of all, where's the speed? The iPhone 5's camera is fine if all your subjects are standing still and already properly lit, but trying to take a photograph of a moving subject (as you often do in photojournalism) is a pain because the camera takes so long to focus. Worse, if the cameraman is moving, the iPhone's camera doesn't have near enough stability control to make your images look presentable. And though the iPhone's camera is pretty sweet for something inside a phone, it doesn't have the processing power of a dedicated DSLR, so taking rapid photos in succession isn't something that can be done with great clarity or accuracy. I love that I have a camera in my pocket at all times, but that camera is not the best-suited one for photojournalism. If the Chicago Sun-Times thinks it is, then it will probably never have a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph again.
University student crafts app that helps blind smartphone users snap photos
Dustin Adams, a Ph.D student at the University of California at Santa Cruz, has teamed up with colleagues at his school in order to craft an app that helps visually impaired users line up the ideal snapshot. The project started out as a quiz, asking 54 people with varying degrees of ocular impairment what they found most difficult about taking photos. From there, he essentially boiled that down into requirements for a smartphone program. For starters, the app does away with a conventional shutter button, instead relying on an upward swipe gesture to grab a frame. Moreover, it integrates face detection and voice accessibility, enabling the phone itself to talk to the photographer and alert him / her as to how many faces are detected and in focus. The app also captures a 30-second audio clip whenever the camera mode is activated, which helps remind users of what was going on during the capture of a shot. Unfortunately, there aren't any screenshots or videos of the app in action just yet, but that's scheduled to change when it's formally unveiled at the Pervasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments conference in Greece later this month.
'Thirty Six' app makes you a thoughtful photographer again
Last summer I ran into the first photography teacher I had in the States. He was visiting London and we sat down over a pint. We spoke about the state of the photography industry, the Instagramification of consumer photography and the future of digital photography. And while we agreed that digital photography has been a good thing for both the industry and photographers, one negative effect it brought was the technology's tendency to turn people into lazy photographers. In the mid-'90s when I was a teenager I first learned to shoot on film. Rolls of 36 exposures were my norm and I chose each shot judiciously as film was expensive to buy and develop. And while I welcomed digital photography -- as it lowered the cost of being a photographer -- I (and my former teacher) began to notice that it also seemed to make young, budding photographers lazy. After all, why take the time to frame the shot and "edit in camera" when you can just shoot off a hundred snaps and then choose the best of them? Digital photography, we both agreed, had taken the discipline and patience out of the art of photography. As fate would have it, months later I met Gary Cohen, photographer and Senior Computer Scientist at Adobe (who, since joining the company in 1999, has worked on PhotoDeluxe, Photoshop and the Creative Cloud), and he told me he had observed the same thing in photography -- younger photographers that lack the discipline to be selective with their shots and edit in the camera. But he was working on a solution: an app called Thirty Six. %Gallery-178042% Thirty Six, which is Cohen's creation and not affiliated with Adobe in any way, is a deceptively simple app from first appearances. It allows the user to take black-and-white pics on their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. However, the brilliance behind the app is that it works like a film camera. The app operates on a system of film rolls of 36 exposures each. The user cannot view any of their photographs until they've shot their photos and "developed" the film roll in the app. Once the photos are developed users can view them on a contact sheet and, via taps, select the photos they like or absolutely love. What I really like about the contact sheet option and the selection process is that Thirty Six does not automatically save any of your photos to your iPhone's camera roll until you tell it to. For each developed film roll you can also tell the app to save just your selected "liked" and "loved" photos, or the entire roll. You can also choose to email your selected photos or the entire roll, and of course share them on Facebook and Twitter. Everything about Thirty Six is something old-school, classically trained photographers are going to love. The app is also something that every budding, young photographer should have on their iPhone. The ability to take a virtually unlimited number of photos on a digital device is nice, but nothing contributes more to becoming a good photographer than being forced to really think about what you shoot, having the discipline to make a finite amount of choices, and judiciously planning each shot before you take it. Thirty Six accomplishes all of that. Thirty Six is available now on the App Store for US$1.99. It's also a universal app, so it works on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Photokina 2012 wrap-up: Canon, Nikon, lust-worthy Leicas, a full-frame Sony compact and more
The sun is setting on Germany's monster of a photo show, but Photokina didn't come and go without shaking up the industry. The biennial trade show drew all the big names -- Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and many more manufacturers all had their latest wares on display for tens of thousands of photographers, journalists and local attendees -- with each company releasing a suite of impressive products. Canon and Nikon made an impression with their $2,100 6D and D600 full-frame DSLRs, while Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and Fujifilm each upped the ante with new mirrorless lineups, and Leica demoed its new M, which for the first time brings live-view and video capture to the high-end rangefinder series. The fun doesn't stop there, though -- there was plenty more to explore, and you'll find it all in our wrap-up just after the break.
We're live from Photokina 2012 in Cologne, Germany!
Germany just can't get enough of Engadget, it seems. Just two weeks after the close of IFA in Berlin, we're back in the land of Bier and Honig, for a camera-fueled journey to Cologne. This giant photography trade show is held only once every two years -- the last Photokina was way back in 2010 -- and it's arguably the industry's biggest event, drawing manufacturers the world abound to launch their latest prosumer and professional devices. We won't likely see a blockbuster product like Samsung's Galaxy Camera, but there could be another Android shooter or two in store, along with plenty of updates to last year's advanced compacts and mirrorless cams, and a modest spattering of full-frame DSLRs. We'll be bringing you all the news as it happens, so keep your eyes peeled to this very site to catch the action as it goes down.
Film camera measures 35-feet long, makes photojournalists keel over in worship / pain (video)
To all photographers who measure their talent by the size of their equipment, it's time to give up the race. Folks, step right up and meet the Eye of America: a 35-foot long film camera that captures negatives measuring six by four and a half freaking feet. Currently in the possession of Dennis Manarchy, the retro-styled rig is said to barely fit into a truck, and yet can deliver images 1,000 times greater than the average negative. When Manarchy's not capturing stills for exhibitions that stand two stories tall, he uses the gigantic contraption to teach average folk about how cameras work. Then again, most negatives don't need to be inspected through windows rigged with LED lights. Frankly, we didn't think any piece of kit could strike fear into the Maxback -- but, that was yesterday. As for a damage deposit on the Eye of America? Well, if you need to ask, you can safely assume you've just priced yourself out of the market.
Insert Coin: Timelapse+ is the intervalometer you've been waiting for (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. That timelapse masterpiece you've been planning just got a whole lot less daunting thanks to Elijah Parker over at Kickstarter. Go through a few niceties, like handing over at least $99 and helping him reach his $20,000 funding target, and you'll take proud ownership of a Timelapse+ (previously called the Timelapse Pro) -- a photographer's intervalometer that does a lot to deserve its name. It'll come with a choice of adapters to match the standard cable release on your DSLR (or even SLR, if that's how you roll), and once hooked up it'll let you configure everything from delayed starts to incremental exposures and even multiple exposures per interval for a much-needed dose of HDR. The firmware will be open source to leave scope for user mods, and there'll also be the option of a Bluetooth interface for wireless controls -- although that'll require an extra $40 and a smidgen of FCC approval. The video after the break reveals more, and the source link has more+.
Astronaut shares amazing Twitpics from space, booze not involved
The same social media-savvy astronaut (and current ISS commander) responsible for the first Foursquare check-in from space is now using his exhibitionist skills on Twitter to share some amazing images of earth. Covering everything from the view of our blue planet outside of the Cupola of the International Space Station, to a night view of the Nile river, or morning breaking over the Andes -- it's pretty surreal stuff and definitely puts your tweets from last night's bar-hopping to shame. We're also glad to see NASA's presence on Twitter be slightly more uplifting than the long, agonizing death of the Mars Phoenix rover. To view some of the shots in question, see the gallery below, or hit the link to Douglas H. Wheelock's (a.k.a @Astro_Wheels) Twitter account to take it all in. Oh and we should also mention he accepts requests, so if there's something you really want to see let him know. %Gallery-107741%
GigaPan Epic Pro helps create 44,880 megapixel panorama of Dubai skyline, world's largest digital photo
How did the world's foremost manufacturer of robotic camera mounts advertise its flagship product? Simple: it grabbed it, a Canon EOS 7D and some round-trip tickets to Dubai, and set about shooting the largest billboard in the world. Local photographer Gerald Donovan shot a nearly 45 gigapixel panorama of towering spires, desert and sky with his new GigaPan Epic Pro and a couple of the company's engineers for logistical support. You'll find the zoom-in-practically-forever image at our source link, a PR and making-of video after the break, and the cash to buy yourself a similar rig in your offshore bank account. Update: Gerald Donovan writes in to let us know that while GigaPan did help him sort out technical issues in uploading the approximately 1,000,000 images that make up the finely-detailed panorama, the company did not sponsor or commission his work. Incidentally, he's been shooting panoramas of Dubai for some time now. GigPan did revel in the aftermath, however, as a PR after the break shows.
PhotoTrackr Mini geotagging device shrinks down, adds Mac and RAW support
Looking for a geotagging solution that doesn't discriminate based on what kind of camera you have? Looking for one that can fit snugly into your Fifth Pocket? The PhotoTrackr Mini looks to be that very device, boasting a diminutive thumb drive-esque appearance and the same geotagging technology as found in the original. Put simply, the device works by syncing the time of your camera with bundled software; when you're back from a shoot (a shoot where your device also was), you just allow the application to figure out where a given shot was snapped at what time. There's also Mac and RAW file format support on this model, neither of which were compatible with the prior version. Pre-orders are being accepted now at $69, and the first shipments are expected to go out next month.
Video: elaborate multi-camera rig elegantly captures giant redwood tree
For anyone who's taken a cruise down the Avenue of the Giants or went looking for Stormtroopers within Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, you're apt to feel a great deal of appreciation for the image just after the break. Michael Nichols, a National Geographic photographer, rigged up a ridiculous camera setup that was strategically lowered from the top of a 300-foot tree to the ground in order to get an astoundingly tall (and downright breathtaking) shot. Oh, and while you're gawking at the pixels down there, feel free to mash play on that video to see how it all came together.[Via Hack A Day]
Nikon D300s, pro photographers meet up to make magic together
What better way to show off your company's latest DSLR than by giving it to a couple of professional photographers to work their magic? Nikon's done just that, handing off its just-announced D300s to noted photojournalist Ami Vitale and sports photographer Robert Bösch. The pair submitted stills and videos from their trial run, and the results are unsurprisingly impressive -- there's only one noticeable instance of rolling shutter, in the beginning of Bösch's video with the helicopter blades. Of course, there's no telling how much post-production work went into these pieces, and let's not forget these are pros in their element -- average Joe isn't gonna be able to pick up this camera and produce the same results. Footage after the break, or hit up the read link to see all the impressions and sample works. [Via PDNPulse and ProLost Blog]
Photographers and the iPhone
AppleMatters has published a great list of their top ten ways photographers can benefit from the iPhone. From sharing your portfolio on-the-go to note taking, it's a good list. My favorite is the example of a wedding photographer who keeps a sort of "check list" of shots to get (grouped shots, individual shots, etc.) as a reference on his phone. We've seen people use the iPhone's camera to create to-do lists, share instructional videos and more. On a recent car shopping expedition, I made a gallery of all the vehicles I test drove for reference and comparison at home. What's your favorite uncommon use of the iPhone?
Rig of the Year (So Far)
Digg today brings us our first TUAW rig of the day/week/month/year. Owned by flickr user washington_dc_photographer, this workstation sports three 30 inch Apple Cinema displays, 1 G5 Quad, 1 G5 Dual, 1 15 inch PowerBook, 6TB of external storage, 6 CF card readers, and a 15 inch Sony wireless TV. I can only imagine the kind of money that he must have spent on this setup, but I certainly see why this would be needed for a full time professional photographer shooting large RAW files and running Aperture. In any case, this setup certainly sets a high bar for future 2007 rigs, so don't forget to submit yours to the TUAW flickr pool.
Adobe releases Lightroom beta 3
This one slipped past us: Adobe has released a third beta of Lightroom, their Aperture-competitor for professional photographers. The release notes are in PDF (I guess HTML is old news for the company who owns both Flash and Acrobat), but overall, improvements include: enhancements to import/export options, live comparisons of image adjustments in Before and After previews, a new straightening tool and a new heavily-requested Web export module with HTML and Flash options.The new beta can be had here by Mac users, while a beta for Windows (oddly) is yet to be seen. If, for some odd reason, you'd like to be notified when a beta is available for Windows, a sign-up notification form is here.[thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Macworld reviews Aperture 1.0.1
Macworld has taken Aperture 1.0.1 for a spin and they like what they see, for the most part. It seems like the phrase 'diamond in the rough' might be the best way to describe Apple's latest prosumer app. There are lots of bugs to deal with, a sluggish interface, and some RAW concerns that may trouble someone looking to plunk down $500 on some software.However, with that said, Macworld finds loads to like about Aperture as well, including the robust organizational methods that Aperture allows you to use.I'm sure lots of use would like to take Aperture for a test drive, but Apple hasn't released a demo version. I wonder why not.
