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  • Magic Ink: Highly Detailed Optical Illusion Drawings Pop Off the Page

    [ By SA Rogers in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

    Strategically placed shadows and highlights make these incredibly intricate nature-themed drawings more than just impressive pages in an artist’s sketchbook. The pieces reveal unexpected depths and textures, and sometimes seem to lift right off the pages and into the real world, as if the sketchbook just couldn’t contain their vitality. Artist Visothkakvei shows off a variety of optical illusion techniques on his Instagram.

    Fighting for the night. Once he's freed, the world will turn dark forever.

    A post shared by Visothkakvei (@visothkakvei) on

    Many of Visothkakvei’s works are contained within the bounds of his books. Though the drawings of flowers, leaves, vines and other organic subjects may look like simple doodles, it’s the way the artist layers them, packs them onto the page and adds shadows that makes them special. Some begin to creep beyond the boundaries of the paper.

    Awaken #original #art #visothkakvei

    A post shared by Visothkakvei (@visothkakvei) on

    And, in some cases, it’s clear that more than just two-dimensional physical drawing is involved, though the artist doesn’t reveal his secrets. Some of this looks like he’s taken a photograph of his own hand working on the drawings, and layered digital drawing on top of it in a style that matches, making it unclear where the originals end and the digital additions begin.

    Everytime I do the artwork, I see it around me. #original #art #visothkakvei

    A post shared by Visothkakvei (@visothkakvei) on

    Doodling #art #visothkakvei

    A post shared by Visothkakvei (@visothkakvei) on

    Check out lots more of these works, along with videos of the drawings in progress, at Instagram.com/visothkakvei.

    Pencil vs. Camera: Illusion Drawings Pop Off the Page

    You might think artist Ben Heine has Photoshopped himself into his own pencil drawings, but he’s actually standing on top of them. Much like the mind-bending optical illusions produced in chalk …

    NeoLucida: Optical Drawing Tool Lets You Trace Real Life

    Have you ever wondered how 19th century artists were able to produce such incredibly realistic drawings? It isn’t just because they were unusually talented, though it’s hard to argue that they …

    Attack of the Giant Spider! Watch This Optical Illusion Mural Come to Life

    A nightmarishly oversized spider emerges from a gaping hole in a wall in this anamorphic optical illusion mural by French street artist Denys Pasco, better known as Densoner. Known for his highly …

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    [ By SA Rogers in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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  • VENQUE Transformer A modular backpack has an expandable camera bag

    Newly launched on crowdfunding website Kickstarter is a modular, ‘transformable’ backpack called VENQUE Transformer A. The team behind the product describes Transformer A as an ‘advanced backpack’ that can be transformed into various types of bags, including a camera backpack, a messenger bag, and a ‘travel pro’ bag. Among the backpack’s many features is an expandable camera bag that is separate from the main component.

    VENQUE designed the Transformer A to meet a variety of needs in different situations and environments, and the end result is a bag with built-in USB charging, a hidden compartment for expensive electronics like laptops, a dedicated compartment for a tripod or water bottle, straps to hold a yoga mat, as well as anti-theft features, a secure buckle, YKK zippers, and an RFID security pocket.

    The expandable camera bag can be used as part of the main backpack or separately as a smaller, lighter day pack. Transformer A measures 47 x 34 x 16.5cm (18.5 x 13.4 x 6.5in) and weighs 0.7kg (1.5lbs), while the camera bag measures 25 x 23 x 7.6cm (10 x 9 x 3in) and weighs 0.3kg (0.7lbs). VENQUE doesn’t estimate how much camera gear the expandable bag can accommodate, though one image shows it with a Sony a7 body, one lens, and a couple camera accessories.

    The company is currently offering the Transformer A backpack as a reward to backers who pledge at least $ 239 CAD / $ 177 USD for the campaign. Shipping to backers is estimated to start this August.

    Via: Kickstarter

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • User launches Change.org petition to save Nik software collection

    Two days ago Google announced that it will stop providing updates for its Nik Collection suite of plug-in photo editing tools via a banner at the top of the Nik Collection site. Now a Nik user, Sascha Rheker from Germany, has launched a campaign on the Change.org petition site that aims to persuade Google to reverse its decision and continue to provide updates and add features to the Collection.

    On the petition page Rheker writes: ‘Today, with no real competitor, photographers depend on the Nik Collection and would have been willing to pay, to be able to keep it. Especially for their important black & white work. A company like Google who claims to contribute to the preservation of mankind’s heritage by scanning millions of books, should also show some responsibility towards the photographic community, as photographs are a part of mankind’s cultural heritage.’

    It seems unlikely the software giant from Mountain View will change its mind but the petition has already been signed by more than 1000 people. If you agree with Sascha you can add your name and signature on Change.org as well.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony World Photography Awards 2018 opens with new categories and grants

    The twins’ gymnastics dream

    Yuan Peng – Winner of the Professional Sport Category 2017
    Copyright: © Yuan Peng, China, 1st Place, Professional, Sport, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards

    The 11th Sony World Photography Awards has opened for entries for the 2018 contest and brings two new categories for professionals that organizers hope will bring out ‘originality, experimentation and imagination’. The $ 30,000 prize pot has been augmented this year with a new series of grants that aim to allow winning photographers to undertake projects during the next year. Grants of $ 7000 will be given to an unspecified number of category winners from the professional competition, while all the shortlisted entrants from the Student Focus category will receive $ 3500 for a project.

    In the professional competition the Conceptual and Daily Life categories from 2017 are replaced with the new Creative and Discovery themes, while the Youth section takes the theme ‘Your Environment.’

    The Open competition maintains the ten categories from last year, and is the place for those entering single images rather than series and projects.

    All category and many shortlisted photographers win Sony digital camera equipment, while the professional winner also takes home a cash prize of $ 25,000 and the Open winner gets $ 5000.

    Students need to get their entries in before 4th December 2017, while the Open and Youth competitions close for entries on 4th January 2018. The Professional contest closes on the 11th January 2018, with the awards ceremony being held in April 2018. The free-to-enter competition culminates in an exhibition in London and a book of winning and shortlisted images.For more information see the Sony World Photography Awards website.

    New Categories:

    Professional – Creative
    Judges are looking to reward originality, experimentation and imagination. This category actively encourages the creative use of the medium of photography in all its forms – from photograms, to cutting-edge photographic techniques. Subject matter can be varied and may include abstract and conceptual ideas, but a creative concept and thematic link between the images is key.

    Professional – Discovery
    Purposely not defined by subject matter or photography type, the judges are looking for stunning bodies of work that clearly show the artist’s passion for photography. They want to uncover work that would otherwise be unseen. The category embraces all uses of photography and a narrative may or may not be present in the work. However, it is vital that the vision of the photographer is clearly understood by the judges.

    Youth – Your environment
    The judges want to view the world as seen through the eyes of young photographers. In one single image show the judges your environment. The brief should be understood in its widest sense. “Your environment” could be a photograph sharing your culture or religious celebration, highlighting of an issue close to home, a special family moment or a beautiful landscape of your surroundings.

    Press release

    Sony World Photography Awards launches 2018 edition with new categories and grant opportunity

    • A global platform giving visibility to photographers worldwide
    • ‘Creative’ and ‘Discovery’ categories introduced to challenge photographers
    • New grant opportunity available to winning photographers

    “Being named Photographer of the Year has given me more exposure than I could ever have imagined.” Frederik Buyckx, Sony World Photography Awards winner 2017

    June 1, 2017: The 2018 Sony World Photography Awards, one of the world’s leading photography competitions, are now open for entries. Submissions are free at www.worldphoto.org

    The 11th edition of the Awards is marked by the introduction of two challenging new categories in the Professional competition, ‘Creative’ and ‘Discovery’, and an important new opportunity for award-winners to secure a grant to fund future photographic projects.

    Created by the World Photography Organisation, the Sony World Photography Awards are an authoritative voice in the industry and the world’s biggest photography competition. Celebrating the finest contemporary photography from the past year, the Awards give vast exposure, visibility and opportunity to photographers worldwide on an annual basis.

    Commenting on the Awards’ impact, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards winner Frederik Buyckx said: “Being named Photographer of the Year has given me more exposure than I could ever have imagined. It has opened lots of new doors but, just as an importantly, the award has also encouraged me to keep on working on my personal projects.”

    Changing medium of photography prompts new Professional categories

    In recognition of the changing use of photography, two new categories have been added to the 2018 Awards’ Professional competition.

    The new ‘Creative’ and ‘Discovery’ categories are both designed to embrace photographers working at the cutting-edge of the medium. Judges will specifically look to reward originality, experimentation and imagination in these categories and hope to discover what that would otherwise be unseen by the Awards. Artistic interpretation, integrity and technical ability are the key factors for judges across all categories of the Awards.

    The Sony World Photography Awards comprise of four competitions:
    * Professional – 10 categories judged upon a body of work (5-10 images)
    * Open – best single images across 10 categories
    * Youth – young photographers aged 12-19 responding to a brief with a single image
    * Student Focus – for those studying photography

    For the full list of competition categories and descriptions please go to www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards

    New Sony Grant to fund photographic projects

    In demonstration of the Awards’ commitment to create opportunities for its photographers, a new grant programme those participating in the Professional and Student Focus competitions has been introduced this year.

    From the winners of the 2018 Professional categories, Sony will award multiple grants of $ 7,000 to selected photographers to pursue photographic projects of their choice.

    In addition, shortlisted photographers from the Student Focus competition will each be given $ 3,500 (USD) to work together on a new photographic commission set by Sony and the World Photography Organisation.

    The Sony Grant programme has been formalised for the 2018 Awards following a successful pilot with three 2016 Sony World Photography Awards Professional category winners: Amélie Labourdette, Maroesjka Lavigne and Nikola Linares. The inaugural Sony grants supported diverse projects including the documentation of young bullfighters in Spain (Linares), landscapes of Iceland and Namibia (Lavigne) and the impact of man on the Tunisian desert (Labourdette).

    For more details about the recipients of the 2017 Sony Grant recipients please see Notes to Editors below. Images from the series are available at press.worldphoto.org

    Prizes: Worldwide exposure, exhibitions and digital imaging equipment

    All category winners of the Professional, Open, Youth and Student Focus competitions will receive digital imaging equipment from Sony.

    In addition, cash prizes of $ 25,000 (USD) will be presented to the Photographer of the Year and $ 5,000 (USD) to the overall Open competition winner.

    All category winners plus many of the shortlisted Awards photographers will be exhibited at the annual Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition in London and then toured internationally. The images will also be published in the annual Awards winners’ book and all shortlisted and winning photographers are given global exposure via dedicated marketing and press campaigns.

    2018 Key dates
    December 4, 2017 – Student Focus closes
    January 4, 2018 – Open & Youth competitions close
    January 1, 2018 – Professional competitions close
    February 27, 2018 –Shortlist announced
    March 27, 2018 – Open and National Awards winners revealed
    April 19, 2018 – Photographer of the Year & Professional category winners announced

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Swimming with giants: Black and white whale portraiture by Jem Cresswell

    Creativity showcase site My Modern Met recently interviewed Jem Cresswell, an Australian photographer who has just completed a project he calls Giants. The project is a series of portraits of humpback whales presented in black and white and offers an intimate look into the personalities and emotions of these ‘gentle giants.’

    In the interview, Cresswell describes his process (much of which you can see from the behind-the-scenes video above), as well as some interesting details concerning his interactions with the whales. In addition to only swimming with ‘certain whales,’ Cresswell says they never use scuba gear and he always enters the water ‘as calmly as possible, keeping my heart rate low and wait to see the behaviour.’

    The interview also addresses the presence of ‘spindle cells’ in humpback whales, which are cells that are thought to be responsible for social organization and empathy. ‘It is obvious though, that humpback whales exhibit complex emotional behaviors, have intricate social networks and complex song structures,’ says Cresswell.

    Head on over to My Modern Met or Cresswell’s website to view these stunning portraits for yourself – all of which, Cresswell says, were captured on a Canon 5DS R, 24-70mm F2.8L II and 16-35mm F4L in an Aquatech underwater housing.

    Via: My Modern Met

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • 2017 Roundup: Interchangeable Lens Cameras $900-1200

    Last updated: June 2, 2017

    These days, many (if not most) consumers are likely to shop based on price and capability, rather than according to whether a certain model contains a mirror, or not. We think this is a good thing; With all the increased competition, cameras are improving more and at a faster rate than ever before. From the gear perspective, it’s certainly an exciting time to be a photographer.

    In this category, you’ll find both mirrorless and DSLR cameras that are highly capable under a variety of shooting situations, offer built-in high-spec viewfinders – either optical and electronic – and an extensive array of external controls. The biggest differences in performance tend to come down to autofocus sophistication and video capability, but neither of those is dictated by the presence or lack of mirror.

    The contenders are:

    • Canon EOS 77D
    • Canon EOS 80D
    • Canon EOS M5
    • Nikon D7200
    • Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
    • Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85/G80
    • Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8
    • Pentax K-3 II
    • Pentax KP
    • Sony Alpha a77 II
    • Sony Alpha a6300

    Most of the cameras in this roundup are built around either Four Thirds or APS-C sensors. Sensor size plays a large part in determining the image quality a camera is ultimately capable of and, in general, the larger a camera’s sensor, the better the image quality and the more control you have over depth-of-field. APS-C sensors are larger than Four Thirds chips, but the differences are rarely huge.

    Of course, the sensor sizes and image quality of these cameras are not the only thing that varies; the feature sets and performance of each camera are also quite different across the board. Within this category you’ll find weather-sealed cameras, cameras that can capture 4K video, cameras that can shoot bursts at incredibly high speeds with autofocus, and cameras that are simply well-balanced all-rounders. Which one should you buy? Read on to find out…

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Heathen’s Gate: Ingenious Overlay Reveals History of Ancient Roman Ruin

    [ By WebUrbanist in Culture & History & Travel. ]

    monumental

    A pane of glass overlaid with a simple line drawing brings crumbling ruins to live at one of Austria’s most famous historical sites, reanimates a ruin near the Open Air Museum Petronell. When a viewer lines up the illustration with the structure, known as Heidentor (Heathen’s Gate), the image completes itself in a compelling yet entirely low-tech fashion.

    historical military city

    Located just east of Vienna, Carnuntum dates back to the the 1st Century A.D., when Roman soldiers expanded on an existing town 50,000 people to create a military encampment. Between 354 AD and 361 AD a huge triumphal monument was erected next to the camp and city. Contemporary reports suggest that Emperor Constantius II had it built to commemorate his victories.

    historical military encampment

    “When the remains of Carnuntum disappeared after the Migration Period the monument remained as an isolated building in a natural landscape and led Medieval people to believe it was the tomb of a pagan giant. Hence, they called it Heidentor.”

    Preserving ancient historical sites is often a balance between stabilization and restoration; fully restoring can enhance the exterior appearance, but is costly and arguably diminishes the authenticity of a ruin. This approach strikes a balance, much like augmented overlays in digital history apps.

    10 Most Amazing Ancient Objects of Mystery in History

    They’re evidence of extraterrestrial visitation, time travelers or lost civilizations like Atlantis – or perhaps they’re here to show us that some ancient peoples were far more advanced than we …

    Ruin Academy: Urban Lab in an Abandoned Building

    Occupying an abandoned five-story apartment building in central Taipei, Ruin Academy is a living architectural laboratory where holes drilled in the walls let rain inside, plants grow from the …

    Et tu, Brutalism? ‘Experimental Home’ Now a Modern Roman Ruin

    Photographers traveling to photograph the ruins of Rome are generally so distracted by ancient remnants they naturally overlook this unique decaying structure on the outskirts of the city: the …

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    [ By WebUrbanist in Culture & History & Travel. ]

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  • Western Digital’s new SSDs offer faster speeds and higher capacities

    Hard disk manufacturer Western Digital acquired SSD specialist SanDisk last year. Now we are seeing the first fruits of the new relationship in the shape of two new SSD lineups – one under each company’s brand name – that are the first to deploy SanDisk’s new 64-layer 3D NAND chips. According to Western Digital the new chips offer ‘lower power consumption and higher performance, endurance and capacities.’

    The new Western Digital Blue and SanDisk Ultra 3D lines are identical in terms of capacity, controllers and performance specs but Western Digital’s lineup includes a device in M.2 2280 format factor, which SanDisk’s doesn’t.

    According to the spec sheets performance should be very good. The 256GB versions read at 550 MB/s and write at 525 MB/s. The larger capacity SSDs are even a touch quicker at 550 MB/s and 560 MB/s respectively. And the new SSDs are not only fast but also reliable. Western Digital states the mean time to failure (MTTF) of all devices as 1.75 million hours. If you think the new drives could help fulfill your storage and archiving needs, you’ll be happy to hear they are quite affordable; 256GB drives start at $ 100. Pricing information for the larger 500GB, 1TB and 2TB models is not available yet.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Kodak’s first issue of new ‘limited edition’ Kodachrome magazine now on sale in the US

    Late last year Kodak announced that it would produce Kodachrome (sorry, not that Kodachrome), a magazine dedicated to art, culture and all things analog. Today, it has become available for sale to US residents on the company’s website.

    The limited run first edition costs $ 20, weighs in at 80 pages and includes features on actress/director Chloë Sevigny, filmmaker Isaac Julien and illustrator Tad Carpenter. The magazine was created by Stranger Collective, a UK-based content agency.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Lighting 103: Greg’s Assignment

    Abstract: The best way to get a better understanding of light and color is to just do it.

    In the last part of our conversation with Greg Heisler, he gave what I think is a very good piece of advice about light and color:

    "I think what you have to do to be able to see it, is to shoot it. And then shoot it.

    Like, shoot it the clean way, with white light. Then the next way is to shoot it with a warm and a cool. And so you see that. And then muddy up the light a little bit, and then see it that way."

    So that's exactly what we're gonna do. Read more »
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