A lot of lenses were released in 2013, for a growing number of camera systems. As well as additions to established mounts this year also saw newer systems grow substantially as ‘road map’ lenses became a reality. We’ve shot with a lot of this year’s most interesting lenses and reviewed some, but we want to know your opinion. What was this year’s best lens? We’ve whittled the selection down to 10, but now it’s over to you. Click through for a look at the lenses, and a chance to cast your vote.
The Nikon Df is, at first appearance, the camera many people have been wanting for years – a classically styled DSLR with traditional external controls. A lot of what’s under the Df’s retro skin is pretty familiar with the 16MP full-frame D4 sensor and the AF system from the D610. But does the Df bring together the best of the old and the new for a compelling shooting experience? Find out. Read our full review
[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]
If you’re rich enough to live in the Porsche Design Tower, you’re rich enough to have a mega-expensive car or two worth hauling up to your upper-floor penthouse each day in your very own car elevator. The 60-story oceanfront tower in Miami was designed for the mega-rich, with 132 suites offering 2-4 car garages on every level, with three car elevators available to residents as they arrive and depart.
Residents drive their cars out of the elevators and straight into their own glass-walled garages, giving them the ability to admire their expensive toys as they relax on their couches or enjoy a meal prepared by a team of personal chefs. The vehicles will be washed and maintained by an in-house concierge service.
Twenty-two billionaires (representing about 2% of the world’s richest people) have already secured units, though they won’t be able to move in until the tower is complete in 2016. Each residence includes a large balcony with a plunge pool and outdoor kitchen, and shared amenities include a spa, game room, movie theater and a ballroom with expansive ocean views.
The units cost between $ 4.8 million and $ 32.5 million each, with the whole building estimated to cost $ 214 million, the largest loan taken out for a commercial project since the recession.
These unlikely skyscraper designs are futuristic, innovative and strange, but all 14 are technically possible, and some are even under construction right now. Click Here to Read More »»
From 15th century guard towers on the Italian coast to modern timber-framed fire towers in Montana, these 14 homes get their inspiration from high places. Click Here to Read More »»
Over six years, one dedicated man has constructed his dream house, complete with boulders, trees, gardens, pools and ponds. It is the kind of luxury home you … Click Here to Read More »»
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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]
His world-famous photo manipulations span the globe but this time with a twist: a single seemingly-unremarkable structure bent, broken, shattered, turned, twisted and reformed in dozens of ways.
Victor Enrich starts with an intentionally plain subject – an ordinary hotel in Munich, Germany – then begins to unravel it floor by floor, split it up the middle, peal it like an onion, inflate it like a balloon, flip it from side to side and much more. Essentially any adjective you can think of has been visually applied to deform this building.
Like an architect with an over-active imagination or impossibly-demanding client, he envisions seemingly endless configurations while variously (depending on the piece) respecting the overall material, language, volume and (/or) site of the subject structure. Each piece is in some way recognizable with reference to the original, even when it pushes the boundaries of physical possibility.
The resulting works can be viewed on his site and are summarized in the video shown here. Each is also available as a reasonably-priced print if from his website any grab your eye in particular, or grid editions (multiples on a single print) if you wish to frame your own sequence of deconstructions.
When a free-standing building is razed there is often little left to tell its story, but in places where structures directly abut one another there are … Click Here to Read More »»
A remarkably subtle and deferential structure-destroying process with many levels of conscientious thought behind it (not to mention a brilliant visual effect). Click Here to Read More »»
At first glance, they are nearly believable, these angled buildings with their curious corners. Closer inspection reveals Escher-esque optical illusions and … Click Here to Read More »»
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2013 was a busy year for high-end compact cameras, which saw everything from iterative updates to established lines to brand new options from manufacturers entering this market segment. We’ve used almost all of them, reviewed a few, and in the process we’ve taken thousands of pictures and formed plenty of opinions. But now it’s your turn – what was the best enthusiast compact camera of 2013? Click through for our selection, and a chance to cast your vote.
Prismatic 2.0 for iOS released this morning.
I’ve been a big fan of the news aggregator Prismatic ever since it originally launched on the web. As far as I’m concerned, there is no better site on the internet today for aggregating all of the news stories that *I* care about than Prismatic. It’s the ultimate personalized news feed.
On Prismatic, I enter my interests (subjects, topics, companies, people, TV shows, etc.) and Prismatic offers me up a daily feed of pretty accurate stories that I will be interested in. Prismatic has completely replaced my old RSS reader for me and is my go to place each day to view my favorite stories, personally tailored to my interests. The design is fast and elegant and easy to use. Prismatic currently indexes 5 million new stories every day and contains over 10,000 interests you can follow.
On Prismatic I can like or dislike stories and Prismatic uses a machine learning algorithm to tailor my future posts even more to my interests.
With the new iOS version Prismatic gets even more social than it’s been in the past. I can follow people and things that my friends like are included in the algorithm for what I’m presented.
While I spend a lot of time working on my photos or spending time on social networks when I’m on my computer, Prismatic is the perfect companion to my iPhone, where I want to quickly find great articles that interest me while I’m on my commute or walking around mobile. You can easily share stories you find and like directly from Prismatic to Twitter or Facebook.
Congrats to Bradford Cross and his team at Prismatic on today’s launch. Go get the new Prismatic for iOS in the APP store and check it out. I think you’ll be impressed by how many great stories are personalized to you — especially great photography stories. 
More from Matthew Ingram at GigaOm here.
Last weekend I enjoyed one of my favorite locations and views atop the summit of Haleakalã on the island of Maui. This spot has one of the most fascinating views that is created when the sunsets, namely the amazingly long shadow of the 10,000+ peak of Haleakala that stretches across the Pacific Ocean. Every time I visit most people are facing the opposite direction to take in a glorious sunset, but I am always entranced by the shadow as it stretches across the open ocean. A shadow might not seem exciting to most, but its fascinating to think how this one shadow can blot out light for such a vast area and stretch to the horizon. Adding to this view is the open crater of Haleakala with its iconic cinder cones and more subtle geological features. I never tire of this view.
Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved
30 Mile Shadow of Haleakala – Haleakalã National Park
The post 30 Mile Shadow of Haleakala – Haleakalã National Park appeared first on JMG-Galleries – Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.
2013 saw a lot of new mirrorless cameras, from minor updates to older models to all-new products like the waterproof Nikon 1 AW1 and the world’s first full-frame enthusiast mirrorless cameras with Sony’s Alpha A7 and A7R. We’ve used almost all of this year’s crop of mirrorless cameras, published numerous samples galleries, wrote first impressions articles and reviews, but now it’s your chance to have your say. What was the best mirrorless interchangeable lens camera of 2013? Click through to cast your vote.
“Photography Business Secrets,” by Lara White is a great resource for any photographer looking to grow their business.
With just a few weeks left before the end of the year, I find myself deep in my annual wrap-up ritual. I don’t like carrying stuff over from December into January if I can avoid it. I make sure that shoots are edited, albums and prints are ordered, contracts are signed, gear is cleaned and serviced, and any other loose ends are taken care of. Transitioning from one year to the next isn’t just a matter of getting my “stuff” in order, but it’s also about getting my head in the right place for whatever challenges– photographic, business, or personal– the coming year might have in store for me.
I don’t think I’m unique in this regard. I think the end of the year is a good time for everybody to look ahead, setting goals for themselves and charting a course for where their photography business is going to take them after January 1st. I think that this pause to reflect on the current and future health of our businesses is particularly important for those of us in creative fields, because so many of us are simply not hard-wired for business to the same extent as we are for photography. One of the best new tools I’ve found for helping with these tasks is “Photography Business Secrets,” by Lara White. A former wedding photographer, White is a leading expert in the field of photography business education. As founder and operator of PhotoMint, an online business development resource for photographers, her words of wisdom have now been published in more than 70 magazines and professional photography blogs, including right here at Digital Photography School.
When you think of your photography business, have you ever figured out how much of it is “photography,” and how much is actually “business?” White has, and the numbers might surprise you. On average, 20% or less of your time is spent on actual photography. And that’s a good week! With numbers like that, it is essential to get a proper handle on the business end of things. After all, the term “starving artist” started somewhere, right? Passion alone isn’t going to cut it.
If your photography plans for next year include ditching your 9-to-5, Section 1 of this book is absolutely required reading. In “Moving from a Hobby to a Business,” Lara walks you through three chapters full of the information you need, questions you need to ask, and steps you need to take before you even think about giving your two weeks notice. This is a big decision, with life-changing ramifications– especially if you have a family that enjoys eating and having a roof over their heads.
This is the perfect chance to get valuable advice from someone who has been where you are and lived to tell the tale. By giving readers a realistic view of some of the issues that can impact transitioning from a hobby to a career, readers are assured very early on that this book has their best interests at heart. Gaining the training and experience you need, as well as figuring out your market, are just a few of the key factors addressed.
In my previous life as lawyer, my biggest complaint was that law school did nothing to prepare me for the actual day-to-day, nuts-and-bolts of practicing law. Becoming a professional photographer poses similar hurdles. Like any other profession, people tend to have a long list of preconceived notions of what it means to be a photographer. Remember that 80/20 time split I mentioned earlier? That’s just one of the things I’m talking about, and it’s why the seven chapters of “Business Fundamentals” make this such a valuable book–regardless of whether you are an emerging, struggling, or succeeding professional.
Section 2 takes you through the basics of drafting a business plan, calculating overhead, creating a budget, and more. Every journey starts somewhere, and yours as a professional needs to start with the steps that are designed to keep you both functional AND legal. Once those concerns have been addressed, you can move on to advanced business challenges like branding, pricing & products, customer service, and day-to-day operations.
It’s a pretty basic premise that you’re in business to make money. I love being an artist, but just being an artist doesn’t pay for my son’s education or the insurance premiums on the studio equipment. As much as I may hate the prospect of being a “businessman,” if I’m not willing to take on that responsibility, I’m going to fail before I even start.
Section 3 answers questions revolving around sales and growth, since the two are inextricably linked. The bottom line is that sales means growth. Tips on getting and increasing sales range from the seemingly obvious (be prompt, creative, and attentive), to running promotions and overcoming shyness. Using these tips to increase your cash flow will help get you over the next hurdle.
The chapter on “Growing Your Business” guides you through the processes of outsourcing, hiring staff, adding new services, and raising your prices. Here, White offers three case studies, showing how actual photographers have dealt with these issues, clearly demonstrating that these are real-life concerns, and not just theoretical exercises.
Sprinters can see the finish line within seconds of leaving the starting blocks. They go all out, giving it everything they’ve got, but they are going to run out of gas pretty quickly. Long-distance runners are in it for the long haul. It may sound like a cliché, but you want to run marathons, not 100-meter sprints. Learning to understand your clients, develop your style, and create marketing strategies isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. Here is your chance to learn those skills without having to reinvent the wheel.
A lot of photography books come across my desk. The best among them speak to a broad audience, and this is definitely one of them. It is entirely possible that not every aspect of this book will apply to you or your photography business, but if you find even just a few lessons here that increase your business stability– and therefore your profitability– it will be well worth the $ 20.00 investment.
“Photography Business Secrets: The Savvy Photographer’s Guide to Sales, Marketing, and More” is available at Amazon.com.
The post “Photography Business Secrets” – A Review by Jeff Guyer appeared first on Digital Photography School.
