We’ve been following SmugMug Films’ ongoing behind-the-lens series and have found the clips to be an interesting look at people who follow their passions in photography. The latest installment features Joel Grimes. He’s been a commercial advertising photographer for more than 30 years and is most known for his composite portraits. Grimes considers himself more than a photographer – an artist and illusionist, creating images that are larger than life. See video and read Q&A
These days shots from a flying drone are a dime a dozen – when engagement shoots are being covered from a hovering photographic robot you know that the technology is ubiquitous. It’s getting increasingly hard to impress someone with images or video from drones. So it’s lucky that privately-owned SpaceX happens to own its own rockets because it gives them the ability to capture stunning video, like this launch and landing test of its Falcon 9 Reusable rocket. See video
Microsoft is in the process of acquiring Nokia’s Devices and Services division, and in March both companies confirmed the $ 7.2 billion deal would be closed by the end of April. Now Windows Mobile Power User got hold of a leaked letter which Nokia supposedly had sent out to its suppliers in Finland. In the letter it says that the name of Nokia Oyj will change to Microsoft Mobile Oy. Learn more
The Coolpix P340 is Nikon’s latest pocket enthusiast camera, featuring a large 1/1.7″, 12.2-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, full manual controls (P, S, A, M) and Raw image capture. The P340 has a versatile 5x (24-120mm equivalent) wide-angle to telephoto zoom range plus 10x Dynamic Fine Zoom and a fast F/1.8 maximum aperture lens with Lens Shift VR image stabilization. We’ve spent a few days shooting with it to see if these specs add up to impressive performance. See gallery
Lytro has unveiled the Illum light field camera, its first new hardware since the original Lytro launched more than two years ago. Like its predecessor, the Illum captures information about the angle from which light has arrived, allowing it to calculate images with different perspective and focus. The biggest change is the use of a much larger sensor: now a 1″ type, rather than 1/3″ type usually found in smartphones. Learn more
Ever wanted to shoot with the incredible image quality of large-format 4″x5″ film? Well now you can without lugging around a massive view camera. Wanderlust’s Travelwide 4×5 camera is small enough to go wherever you go. At 6.3 x 3.9 x 5 inches and 9.7 ounces it’s relatively compact and definitely lightweight. Constructed of glass-filled ABS plastic, the point-and-shoot camera features a focusing screen, focusing marks on the barrel, and a trio of cold shoe accessory mounts. Learn more
Nikon’s introduction of the D3300 at this year’s CES didn’t shake up the industry, but it was still a noteworthy launch. The entry-level 3000 series have been popular with consumers looking to making a first step into more advanced photography, and the 24 megapixel D3300 is the latest generation in that popular line. With 1080/60p HD video capture, 5 fps burst shooting and 700-shot battery life it provides a beginner with some useful tools to experiment with. Is it a clear winner in the entry-level class? Read our full review
Blurb, an online self-publishing platform for photo books, is announcing a new program that will allow books created with its online tools to be sold on Amazon. Once a book is created through Blurb, authors may choose to create an ISBN, name a price and list the book for sale with the online retailer. Blurb charges a base price per book to cover printing, and Amazon charges a fee based on list price. Profit left over is paid to the author via Paypal. Learn more
Photographer, producer and Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic, Pamela Chen first picked up a camera at around 9 months old. Although she was pointing the camera the wrong way, as children often do, the photo that Chen shares with us in this video is a sweet remembrance. During the video, which is sponsored by Microsoft OneDrive, Chen tells the story of how capturing one blurry photograph when she was a college student changed the course of her life. See video
‘Paris in the Springtime’ is a new photography exhibition at the Beetles+Huxley gallery in London featuring notable photographers such as André Kertész, Robert Doisneau, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Willy Ronis and Elliott Erwitt. These classic black and white images are some of the scenes that have defined Paris’ romantic street life cliché found in modern pop culture. The collection of mid-twentieth century photos are on display from April 7 – May 3. See gallery