360Photography

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  • This $31 lens will turn any room into a camera obscura

    Turning a room into a camera obscura is as easy as blacking out the room and poking a pinhole into one of the window covers. But if you want to take your camera obscura game to brighter, more colorful heights, the Bonfoton Camera Obscura Room Lens is definitely worth a look.

    This portable lens was designed to snap onto blackout curtains or into some other window cover. Then, once the room is dark enough and the outside world is bright enough, the lens will project the outside in: plastering a picture of the view from that window onto your walls, upside-down.

    Here’s an example from the Bonfoton website:

    A hotel room can become something else entirely through the magic of the camera obscura.

    The lens was designed by husband and wife team Tommi and Annika, who say they founded the store because of the joy the camera obscura brought to their friends and family.

    “We founded the Bonfoton store after we saw what the Camera Obscura room does to people emotionally when they see the effect for the first time,” explains the couple. “From a child only a few years old to a grandpa age 65 the amazement is the same. First a WOW! Or the OMG!? And then the silent stare when they realize that the image is alive and moving.”

    The little company is based in southern Finland, where every lens is made more-or-less by hand. To buy one for yourself, head over to their shop and be ready to drop 27 Euro (~$ 31 USD)

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Photographer sues Procter & Gamble for $75M over copyright violations

    Mega-company Procter & Gamble is being sued by Cincinnati-based photographer Annette Navarro, who alleges that P&G used some of her photographs beyond the time frame and region for which she was paid.

    The company allegedly paid to use Navarro’s photos cited in the lawsuit for the duration of three years and only within North America, but continued to use them after the three years had expired, and put them on international products as well. If found guilty of copyright violations, Procter & Gamble could be on the hook for more than $ 75 million in damages.

    According to the lawsuit, Procter & Gamble licensed some of Navarro’s photos for the North American market alone, something allegedly done as a way to reduce costs. However, complaints from modeling agencies alerted Navarro to the images’ use beyond the region for which they were licensed. Though P&G has since paid those modeling agencies, Navarro rejected the company’s proposed payment due to uncertainty about the extent of P&Gs alleged violations.

    The complaint, which was filed with the U.S. District Court for Southern Ohio on June 14, also cites Saatchi & Saatchi X and LPK as defendants. Procter & Gamble hasn’t yet issued a statement on the lawsuit.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Scammers are using Facebook Marketplace and Venmo to steal camera gear

    Following multiple instances of camera store burglaries earlier this year, a new report from The Verge sheds light on an ongoing scam that uses Facebook Marketplace and payment system Venmo to steal camera gear from unsuspecting sellers. According to victims interviewed for the report, scammers operating under the name ‘Andy Mai’ and variations of it have made off with at least $ 25,000 worth of camera gear.

    The scam is simple but devious in nature, and it depends on sellers being unfamiliar with Venmo and its policies. After contacting a seller, one of the scammers will request to pay for the camera gear using Venmo; if the seller agrees, the payment is made via a large batch of small, rapid transactions. Though sellers report having found this odd at the time, the money appeared to be safely in the sellers’ possession, and so they proceeded with handing over the equipment to the ‘buyer.’

    Upon trying to transfer the money to a bank account, however, the seller discovers that the transfer has been halted and the account frozen. The reason, according to the victims, was cited as a violation of Venmo policy which forbids using the platform to receive money for selling items. About 20 sellers, all in the Los Angeles area, reported being hit with the same scam over the course of two weeks.

    The Verge states that out of the 20 or so alleged victims who have come forward, they were able to verify four of the thefts and that those thefts alone totaled $ 25,000; actual victim losses are expected to be much higher. In a statement on the matter, a Venmo spokesperson told The Verge that it ‘strongly’ cautions its users to only receive payments from known, trusted individuals. Though Venmo has fraud protections in place, those protections failed to prevent fraudulent transactions from being made to the victims.

    The individuals behind the camera thefts are unknown, though the use of the same name—Andy Mai—indicates they’re working together under some singular scamming collective. The total number of victims is unknown, but it is safe to assume that these scams are ongoing, and anyone selling camera gear should stay on alert for them.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Apple patent shows camera system that helps you take better selfies

    A newly granted Apple patent details a new type of camera system that aims to produce higher-quality selfies. The patent, first filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2015, describes using a wider field-of-view with the iPhone’s front-facing camera when taking selfies in landscape mode. The wider FOV wouldn’t be fixed, however, with the camera reverting to a narrower FOV when a selfie is taken in portrait mode.

    These field-of-view effects are designed to improve selfies when taken both in groups of people and alone. In the case of groups, the patent explains that turning the phone sideways would expand the camera’s field-of-view to cover a wider angle, ensuring everyone in the group is featured in the selfie. A self-only selfie taken in portrait mode, though, would feature a more traditional aspect ratio such as 4:3 and a narrower FOV.

    The camera system in this patent would also be able to intelligently prod the user to take better selfies by selectively narrowing the FOV in portrait mode, requiring the user to extend their arm further away. The system could also adjust the previewed image in such a way that the user will need to change the camera’s angle, the end result being an overall better selfie with a more natural look, reduced distortion, and other improvements.

    Explaining that latter point, the patent says the camera system may ‘crop/scale/zoom/shift the image window to coax the user to hold the camera device in a more optimal ‘self-taking’ position.’ As with any patent, it is possible Apple will never implement this technology into a consumer product, but it’s good to know so much technical thought is being put into… selfies.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Japan’s space agency has an adorable ball-shaped camera drone on the ISS

    The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has a robotic ball-shaped camera drone called Int-Ball floating around the International Space Station, and for the first time ever it has released videos and images captured by the camera.

    The drone, which measures 15cm in diameter and was delivered to the ISS on June 4th, was created using 3D printing technologies; with it, flight controllers and researchers on Earth can watch video from the ISS in real-time.

    JAXA hasn’t detailed the type of camera used with Int-Ball, saying only that the robot features ‘existing drone technology.’ According to a report in The Japan Times, a dozen propellers enable Int-Ball to navigate in any direction while a variety of inertial sensors, ultrasonics sensors, and a camera make navigation possible.

    JAXA says Int-Ball frees up about 10% of the ISS crew’s time for other tasks… so there is some use for it beyond adorable ISS drone marketing.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Adobe updates Lightroom Mobile with new features and interface on iOS and Android

    Today’s Lightroom Mobile updates include the addition of the selective brush on iOS, and a new interface for Android users.

    Adobe released a major update to Lightroom Mobile for both iOS and Android users today. Each update is unique, offering different features depending on which operating system you use. Scroll down for a summary of both.

    Lightroom Mobile for iOS

    For iOS users, today’s update includes a new selective brush, improved details tab, and an improved interface for iPad users.

    The new selective brush is a much-requested update, allowing you to paint enhancements onto specific parts of your image. What’s more, 3D-touch enabled devices (iPhone 6S or later) will vary the strength of the brush based on finger pressure.

    Other improvements include the addition of global sharpening and noise reduction to the Details tab, and a new iPad interface that has been optimized to take full advantage of the powerful processors found in the iPad Pro and iPad Pro 2.

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    Lightroom Mobile for Android

    On the Android side, today’s update focuses on making Lightroom mobile faster and, in Adobe’s own words, “more Android-y.”

    “We wanted to provide the best Android experience possible ,so we redesigned Lightroom for Android from the ground up to be faster, more efficient, and, well, more Android-y,” explains Adobe’s Josh Haftel. “Every screen has been redesigned with the goal of ensuring a natural, native Android experience while providing the highest quality, professional-grade mobile photo editing app ever.”

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    To take advantage of these updates on both iOS and Android, either update your Lightroom Mobile or download a new copy off the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards announced

    Winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards announced

    Earlier today, Magnum and LensCulture officially announced the winners of their 2017 Photography Awards, doling out prizes in six categories: Documentary, Fine Art, Open, Photojournalism, Portrait and Street.

    Each of the ‘Single Image’ award winners (Magnum and LensCulture also gave out awards for best Series) walks away with $ 1,500 in prize money and the serious bragging rights that come with having won an award administered by one of the most prestigious names in photography.

    Additionally, all of the winners, finalists and juror’s pics will be screened at various photo festivals worldwide throughout the year.

    Press Release:

    WINNERS OF THE MAGNUM AND LENSCULTURE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS ANNOUNCED

    Twelve international photographers have been announced as the winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards. The legendary photography agency, Magnum Photos, and LensCulture have joined forces for the second time to produce this opportunity to recognize, reward and support photographic talent. Each photographer will be awarded a cash prize and will also receive international exposure through Magnum Photos and LensCulture’s combined audience of over 6.5 million. The winning projects will be shown in a digital exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery in London later this year and exhibited at photography festivals worldwide. Furthermore, the laureates will be awarded access to expert guidance from Magnum and LensCulture.

    The twelve winners of the prestigious award hail from all over the world and deal with a diversity of subjects. Nick Hannes, the Documentary series winner, pursued a project featuring the culture of the elite in Dubai, while Lissa Rivera’s striking portraits of her non-binary partner explore contemporary notions of gender and its narratives in today’s society. All told, the series and single image awards include six categories: Street, Portrait, Photojournalism, Open, Fine Art and Documentary.

    SERIES WINNERS

    Street: Argus Paul Estabrook, South Korea — “Losing Face”?

    Portrait: Lissa Rivera, United States — “Beautiful Boy”

    Photojournalism: Jason Florio, United Kingdom — “Destination Europe”

    Open: Medina Dugger, Nigeria — “Chroma: An Ode to J.D. Okhai Ojeikere”?

    Fine Art: Daniel Shipp, Australia — “Botanical Inquiry”

    Documentary: Nick Hannes, Belgium — “Bread and Circuses”

    SINGLE WINNERS

    Street: Hakim Boulouiz, Switzerland — “Choral”?

    Portrait: Artur Zdral, Poland — “Kasia”

    Photojournalism: Szymon Barylski – “Fleeing Death”

    Open: Britta Jaschinski, United Kingdom — “Confiscated”?

    Fine Art: Ellie Davis, United Kingdom — “Stars”

    Documentary: Retam Kumar Shaw, India – “Street Wrestling”

    In addition, twenty-one finalists have also been selected, and each juror has chosen one photographer as a “Juror’s Pick.”

    Jurors’ Picks

    Edgar Martins, United Kingdom — “Siloquies and Soliloquies on Death, Life and Other Interludes.” Selected by Yumi Goto, independent photography curator, editor, researcher, consultant, and publisher.

    Shahria Sharmin, Bangladesh — “Call Me Heena.” Selected by Susan Meiselas, Magnum photographer and MacArthur Fellow.

    Christian Werner, Germany — “Road to Ruin.” Selected by Sarah Leen, Director of Photography at National Geographic Magazine.
    Sonja Hamad, Germany — “Jin—Jiyan—Azadi: Women, Life, Freedom.” Selected by Lesley Martin, creative director at the Aperture Foundation and publisher of The PhotoBook Review.
    Antonio Gibotta, Italy — “Enfarinats.” Selected by Jim Casper, editor-in-chief of LensCulture.

    MD Tanveer Rohan, Bangladesh — “Fun Bath.” Selected by David Hurn, Magnum photographer.

    Terje Abusdal, Norway — “Slash and Burn.” Selected by Alec Soth, Magnum photographer.

    Mirko Saviane, Italy – “B-Uranus.” Selected by Azu Nwagbogu, Founder and Director of LagosPhoto Festival and the African Artists’ Foundation.

    Finalists

    Zhang KeChun, China — “Between the Mountains and Water”

    Thomas Alleman, United States — “The Nature of the Beast: Living On The Land In Los Angeles”

    Thom Pierce, South Africa – “The Horsemen of Semonkong”

    Sasha Maslov, United States — “Veterans: Faces of World War II”

    Roei Greenberg, Israel — “Along the Break”

    Paul D’Haese, Belgium — “Building an Imaginary City”

    Panos Kefalos, Greece — “Saints”

    Jonathan Bachman, United States — “Unrest in Baton Rouge”

    Jens Juul, Denmark — “Biotope”

    Gregg Segel, United States — “Daily Bread”

    Gabriel Romero, United States — “Liberation and Longing”

    Emilien Urbano, France — “War of a Forgotten Nation”

    Ash Shinya Kawaoto, Japan — “Scrap and Build”

    Antonio Faccilongo, Italy — “Habibi”

    Ramona Deckers, Netherlands — “Goran in Bed”

    Matthew Sowa, United States — “Grandmother’s Room”

    Karen Pulfer Focht, United States — “Busiest Brain Surgery Unit”

    Farida Lemeatrag, Belgium — “Milo”

    Ana Carolina Fernandes, Brazil — “Burning Bus”

    Amos Nachoum, United States — “Seal and Penguin”

    A.M. Ahad, Bangladesh — “Childhood Covered with Metal Dust”

    Winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards announced

    Retam Kumar Shaw, India – “Street Wrestling”

    Photo © Retam Kumar Shaw. Documentary Single Image Winner, Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017.

    Winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards announced

    Ellie Davies, United Kingdom – “Stars”

    Photo © Ellie Davies. Fine Art Single Image Winner, Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017.

    Winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards announced

    Britta Jaschinski, United Kingdom – “Confiscated”

    Photo © Britta Jaschinski. Open Single Image Winner, Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017.

    Surely an elephant foot is of no real use to anyone but the animal itself. These elephant feet were attempted to be smuggled from Africa to the US, but were seized by the American Border Patrol and are currently stored at the National Wildlife Repository Denver, Colorado, USA.

    I have been documenting illegally traded wildlife products since August 2016 at borders and airport across the globe.

    Winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards announced

    Szymon Barylski, Ireland – “Fleeing Death”

    Photo © Szymon Barylski. Photojournalism Single Image Winner, Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017.

    Fleeing Death. Refugees in the queue for the checkpoint at Idomeni, Greece. March 6, 2016.

    Winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards announced

    Artur Zdral, Poland – “Kasia”

    Photo © Artur Zdral. Portrait Single Image Winner, Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017.

    Winners of the 2017 Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards announced

    Hakim Boulouiz, Switzerland – “Choral”

    Photo © Hakim Boulouiz. Street Single Image Winner, Magnum and LensCulture Photography Awards 2017.

    Santa Cruz de Tenerife

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • This is what happens when your camera’s frame rate matches a bird’s wing flap

    Here’s a neat trick you might not have realized is possible. If your camera’s frame rate matches the flapping rate of a bird’s wings, you can create a video where it seems like the bird is floating ‘magically’ on frozen wings.

    The video above is going viral today after YouTuber Ginger Beard shared it on his nascent channel. As he explains on Reddit, the video was captured with a Hikvision DS-2CD2342WD-I security camera set to “max resolution” at 2688×1520 and 20 frames per second. Apparently, the bird’s wings were also set to 20fps, because this ‘magic’ video is what popped out the other side.

    And if you like this, check out this similar video shared on the DPReview forums a few months ago. In that one, the camera’s frame rate is perfectly synced to a helicopter’s rotor.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Photokina’s new manager talks about the future of the trade show

    Back in May, Photokina, the biennial photo industry trade show in Cologne, Germany, announced that it would become an annual event and include products and technologies beyond its historical focus of cameras and photography.

    Now recently appointed show manager Christoph Menke is providing some background on the decision to change the dates of the future shows and other changes in a short Q&A session with the internal PR team of Koelnmesse, the company that is organizing Photokina.

    You can read the full Q&A below, in case you’re curious:

    What made Koelnmesse decide to change the show cycle from every other year show to a yearly show?

    Today, professionals and consumers view the subject of imaging completely different compared to 10 years ago. Now virtual reality, wearables, tablets, mobile and smart home security are an integral part of the imaging world. The same applies to imaging software for editing, sorting, storing images, or even for CGI & sharing solutions.

    As an imaging platform, we need to embrace those new technologies. As a part of this embrace, we acknowledge the significantly shorter innovation cycles of those new technologies compared to established capture technologies. For instance, the software industry has always been characterized by short development cycles. To offer these industries a suitable exhibition platform, the answer can only be a shorter cycle.

    Based on surveys we know that our visitors prefer an annual photokina. The annual show cycle will also put a more regular spot light on other segments of our show such as photo equipment, photo accessories and photo studio segments and the brands represented there. They will benefit from more frequent exposure to buyers, consumers and the international media attending our show

    Why is photokina going to move to May in 2019 and the following years?

    The photokina dates for the next 2 years are Sept 26-29, 2018 and May 8-11, 2019 (Wednesday to Saturday). The switch to the May dates starting in 2019 is the result of conversations with key accounts from all segments. The feedback we received indicated that the May dates will provide an ideal time frame to fully take advantage of international demand before the start of the summer season.

    The Show will be shortened from six to four days – what will be the upside of this change?

    Based on attendees surveys we conducted we know that four show days are sufficient to see all the imaging technologies and content. Within those four days we create a more compact and thereby more intense show experience that is appreciated by both exhibitors and visitors. The fact that our customers will no longer have to wait two years for the next photokina had a significant impact on the decision to shorten the sequence.

    Will the annual show cycle also mean changes to the content and focus of this event?

    The changes in content and focus are what led to the structural changes. New technologies are accelerating in the innovation cycles in the imaging world. The annual show cycle is photokina’s response to a rapidly changing market place. Our mission is to provide a platform that shows the imaging technologies of the future and promotes the exchange between developers, engineers, start-ups and manufacturers.

    Take video for example: In times of the YouTube-revamped trend towards amateur videos and an increasing convergence of the technologies for photo & video (4K-Grabbing), the moving picture is as important as it was in the first hour of photokina – hence the name. One of the highlights for the next event will be an Imaging Lab at photokina.

    What has been the reaction of your photokina customers to the date change?

    So far the responses are mostly positive. Budgets and logistics are certainly issues which have to be dealt with and we expect a transition process to adjust to the yearly dates. We are confident that the date change will provide an improved photokina for exhibitors and attendees alike.

    The latest editions of Photokina were noticeably smaller and less busy than previous shows which is not much of a surprise given the decline of the camera market. Let’s hope the changes mentioned by Christoph Menke will help Photokina remain as relevant and vibrant as it has been throughout most of its existence.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • This Olympus OM-D E-M5, lenses and accessories are made entirely from paper

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    Japanese paper artist Kamihasami (his artist name means ‘paper-scissors’ in Japanese) has recreated the Olympus OM-D E-M5, a few lenses, and accessories using nothing but paper and paste.

    The faithful recreation is identical to the original models, and includes things like an SD card, battery and battery charger, underwater housing, and flash. In fact, the models are so precise that the paper lenses can be attached to and removed from the paper camera body!

    According to Kamihasami’s website, the entire creation process for this artwork took more than three months. Fortunately, his effort was not a waste, the paper OM-D E-M5 earned Kamihasami an award in the prestigious Kamiwaza Grand Prix competition.

    To see more of Kamihasami’s paper artwork, visit his website or follow his page on Facebook.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)