Video: The Polaroid SX-70 Promo Made by Charles and Ray Eames

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:02:00 GMT

Polaroid hired the famed designers to make this 10-minute promo for the SX-70

While the SX-70 wasn't Polaroid's first foray into instant film, it was the one that came to define them. The SX-70 was a landmark piece of technology, and one of the most famed consumer cameras ever produced. So it only seems appropriate that Polaroid hired two of the world's greatest designers to make a promo short for it.

The pair of Charles and Ray Eames were some of the most prominant and influential designers of the 20th century, with works in architecture, furniture, film, and, of course, design. This 10-minute long video was produced in 1972, and shows everything that an aspiring photographer would need to know about the SX-70. And thanks to its pedigree, it's overall an incredible and intriguing video.

You can still pick up an SX-70 on the used market, and given that they cost $180 in 1972, you're getting a good bargain. Combine it with film from the Impossible Project, and you're ready to go (just remember that you're not actually supposed to shake the photo when it comes out).

[Eames House, via 37Signals, via Gizmodo]

Cover Craft: An Interview with Paul Buckley of Penguin Books

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 11:01:00 GMT

We speak with the executive creative director for the U.S. branch of Penguin Books about how his team finds the art and photography to feature on book covers.

Chill Lessons from Ice Cream Food Photography

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 12:02:00 GMT

Product photography — especially food photography — is a highly specialized skill, as any photographer who has ventured into this category will attest. It’s a given that the resulting photo needs to look delicious. The challenge is that the fragile subject has such a limited life. Maybe it is these poetic qualities that draw artists [...]

Best Photos of 2012 by JMG-Galleries Blog Readers

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT

This year the Best Photos of 2012 blog project hit a new milestone with 300 entries, topping the results for best photos of 2011, best photos of 2010, best photos of 2009, best photos of 2008 and best photos of 2007! Participants spanned a spectrum of skill levels from hobbyists to professionals and covered a wide variety of genres including landscape, macro, nature, photojournalism, portraiture, event, wildlife, fine art photography and more. There are likely many names you’ll recognize below, some famous, and many others you won’t. I highly recommend visiting each entry as I have. Even after 6 years of running this blog project I’m blown away by the talent of those that take part. It is truly inspirational to see so much creativity and beauty. If your curious to see photos I personally enjoyed look out for the entries with *** next to them. Best Photos of 2012 Best Photos of 2012 – JMG-Galleries – Jim M. Goldstein Portraits of 2012 – Janis Janums Dobson Central Photography – Ken Dobson The year in review – My favorite photos from 2012 – Ed Rosack Looking Back – 2012 in images. – Craig Ferguson *** Stories From Home – David Patterson *** My Favs from 2012 – Jess Wilson Exploring Light Photography – Chris Moore *** Top Photos of 2012 – Alex Filatov *** Mawpix Fotografie – Matthias Wassermann Favorite Photos of 2012 – Jerry Monkman *** Top Shots for 2012 – Lisa W. Hale Dave Wilson Photography – Best of 2012 – Dave Wilson *** Dynamics of Light and Shade – Richard Murphy Anasazi Photography’s Ten Favorite Photos of 2012 – Randy Langstraat *** Five Denver Colorado Images from 2012 – Neil Corman Best of 2012 – A Year in Review – David Richter *** Best of Belize 2012 – Tony Rath *** In the land of make believe (www.kushagra.in) – Kushagra Shrivastava Best of 2012 by Chris Irwin – Chris Irwin Five Favorite Photos – 2012 – Ecuadorian Adventures – Patty Lin My Top 10 Photos of 2012 – Michael Russell *** The Stormtroopers Are Coming! – Michael Toye *** My Best underwater photos of 2012 – Suzy Walker *** Alpenglow Images Photography – Greg Russell A Thousand Words – Craig L. Howe Dakotalapse 2012 – Favorite Photos – Randy Halverson *** Milan Hutera Photography – Milan Hutera Top Ten Photos of 2012 – Steve Cole My 10 Best Shots from 2012 – Robin Black Photography *** My Ten Favorite Images From 2012 – Rachel Cohen 2012 Year in Review – Brian Rueb *** Twelve From Twenty Twelve – Jacob F. Lucas Best photos of 2012 – Kris Taeleman Skolai Images – Carl Donohue *** Top 10 of 2012 – Joan Masdeu Free Roaming Photography - Mike Cavaroc *** My Faves of 2012 – Evan Gearing 2012 – My Year in Pictures – Jon McCormack *** Scott Shots Photography – 10 Best Photos of 2012 – Scott Thompson The Stentorian Image / Best Twelve Of 2012 – John Fujimagari My personal Top 10 photos of 2012 – Alexander S. Kunz Annika Ruohonen Photography – My Best Shots 2012 – Annika Ruohonen *** 10 Best Landscape Photos of 2012 – Cody Duncan *** 2012: The Year in Review – Bret Edge *** Edith Levy Photography – A Year in Review 12 From 2012 – Edith Levy Top 10 of 2012 – My 10 Best Landscape & Scenic Photos – Clint Losee Jonesblog – Bryan William Jones *** 2012 Top 10 Photos – Andrei Olariu Best photos of 2012 – Robert Kusztos Top 12 of 2012 – Ian McGillvrey *** Dave Reichert’s Best of 2012 – Dave Reichert My Favorites of 2012 – Dan Baumbach *** European insects and landscapes – Jeroen Mentens *** Vilda European nature photography – Vildaphoto Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog – Russ Bishop *** “top 13 images – Denise Goldberg Top 12 of ’12 – Lon Overacker *** TKM Journal – 2012 Summary – Kent Mearig *** 12 for 12 – Robert Lussier Changing Perspectives – Jenni Brehm Views Infinitum – Scott Thomas My favourite shots of 2012 – Catalin Marin *** My Photo Blog – Ron Niebrugge *** My Best Photos: 2012 – D. Travis North 2012 Favorite Images – Rob Tilley *** Timages Gallery: The Best of 2012 – Tim Mulcahy Reading on a Sunny Santa Barbara Day – G. Kaltenbrun Best Photos of 2012 – My Photography Year in Review – Phil Colla *** 2012 – A Year In Twelve Images – Werner Priller *** Favorite photographs from 2012 – Mark Graf *** Reflective Images from 2012 – Rhoda Maurer Western Skies Top 15 From 2012 – Björn Göhringer Best of 2012 – Rick Holliday Best images of 2012 – Regis Vincent Top Photos of 2012 by Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images – Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images *** Top 10 Photos from 2012 – Ben Chase Photography Travel & Landscape Photography – Brent Huntley KennethVerburg.nl – Mijn top 10 foto’s van 2012 – Kenneth Verburg M van Renselaar – Matthijs Favorites – 2012 – Daniel Leu *** Favorite Images of 2012 – Jack V. Johnson *** Picture Day – 12 in 2012 – Michael Christoferson G Dan Mitchell Photography – G Dan Mitchell *** Best of 2012 – Elena Zeitler Photography Best of 2012 – Brad Barton Photography leavesnbloom | Scotland – Rosie Nixon *** My 10 Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2012 – Jim Coda *** Adventures Through the Lens: Looking Back – Rebecca R Jackrel *** Twelve from 2012 – Ed Cooley Best Photos of the Year…A Duel To The Death – Jim Lundgren My Top Ten Images From 2012! – Clark Crenshaw *** My Favorite Photos of 2012 – Sarah Marino *** 2012 – Year in Review (Sort Of) – Ron Coscorrosa *** Best Photographs of 2012 – Chuck Goolsbee My Ten Best Photos of 2012 – Mike Chowla Chuqui 3.0 – Chuq Von Rospach 2012 Top 10 by Mario Moreno – Mario Moreno *** My Top 10 Favourite Images of 2012 | John [...]

The post Best Photos of 2012 by JMG-Galleries Blog Readers appeared first on JMG-Galleries - Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.

Video: Watch Sigma and Sony Assemble Some Gear

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:02:00 GMT

There's something entrancing about watching technology come together

It's kind of amazing to watch gear being assembled, as factories work with incredible precision to craft the technology that we use on a day to day basis. These two videos, one from Sony and one from Sigma, are very different — but are both extremely interesting for anyone who wants to see what goes on to create your favorite hardware.

The Sony video is a five minute, real-time shot of three of Sony's newest gadgets being assembled by hand. This is essentially the factory process, but done by a single person, and not in a clean room. You can watch as an XPeria Z, a Sony Camcorder, and the RX1 get put together piece by piece.

Sigma's video is very different. It was originally released in September of 2012 to coincide with Photokina, and intersperses shots of the countryside with footage of Sigma's Aizu factory. With an incredibly mellow backing track over the entire thing, you can't help but feel it's the most serene factory you could imagine. I'm sure in real life there's a lot more clanging and crunching going on, and less moss and ponds.

[via Engadget]

Camping under the stars by Simone Miotto

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Camping under the stars by Simone Miotto

Saturday, 19th January 2013

Follow @EarthShots on Twitter.

Exhibitions: STEVE MCCURRY - INDIA

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:01:00 GMT

The other day, my art enthusiast friend Miru shared this breath-taking picture with me:

Fishermen, Weligama, South coast, Sri Lanka, 1995 / Photo taken by Steve McCurry

Needless to say, I was immediately struck by the power and raw beauty of the image. I had to know more about what I was seeing. So I dug around a little bit and found out that the photo was of fishermen fishing in the waters of Weligama, on the South coast of Sri Lanka in 1995. The image was captured by famous photographer Steve McCurry and not long after, I founded myself on his Facebook page. It was here that I learned that an exhibit of McCurry's work had recently opened at Chris Beetles Fine Photographs in London. The exhibition, titled simply Steve McCurry - India, "is a celebration of McCurry's most outstanding Indian photographs, the first time that such a collection has been curated." We at NYIP would like to encourage any of our readers who will be in or around London during the exhibition's dates to go and experience some of this man's wonderful work in person.

• What: “Steve McCurry - India”

• When: Opened Tuesday and continues through February 9th

• Where: Chris Beetles Fine Photographs, 3-5 Swallow Street, London W1B 4DE

• Admission: Free

• Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday

• Info: 020 7434 4319/gallery@chrisbeetles.com

For those of you unable to attend, I have created a slideshow to showcase some of the awe-inspiring images that will be on display. Enjoy!

We're the New York Institute of Photography, a distance education school teaching photography since 1910 - over 100 years of knowledge and experience. Listen to the following podcast to learn more about who we are and what we do.

AUDIO LINK: WHAT IS THE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY? [20:58M]

Joe’s Giant Orange Cafe in Shasta City

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT

When I am on a road trip I always try to find the most unusual places I can to stop at for food. For me, I feel like you miss a lot of the experience if you just stop at chain places all of the time. Sometimes this pays off for me and sometimes it doesn’t but [...]

Photography Inspiration of Little Red Riding Hood

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT

Today’s Google Doodle homepage(20-12-2012) celebrating 200th anniversary of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Little Red Riding Hood id one of the famous volume of the epic stories and that’s what we are going to feature here in daily design blog. We collected few high-resolution copyrighted photography of Red Riding Hood concept in real life. Do not mistake [...]

Get Inspired and Stay Creative #1

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT

Om Shakthi Graphic and web design blog wish you all a Happy New Year 2013. Last Year was amazing too with little bit hiccups, but your support and love with contribution to this blog is wonderful. You are all our mighty shield and we like to thank you once again. From this year we like [...]

Celebrate Flickr Commons with 250000 Epic Photography

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT

Before Pinterest, Tumblr and any other micro-photo sharing sites – Flickr was the main source for photo lovers and enthusiastic to share their photography with the world. The Flickr pool has grown with 56 different libraries, groups and museums after their launch of Flickr Commons on Jan 16 2009. Now the Yahoo who owned the [...]

Endeavour Space Shuttle: California Science Center

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT

After the major media hoopla that surrounded the Endeavour Space Shuttle flying to SoCal and making its way through the streets, it has now reached its resting place in the California Science Center on the USC campus. I had the opportunity to go visit the other day and really enjoyed my time there. Even though I wasn’t [...]

Our most-searched person of 2012? Hint: He’s kind of a big deal

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:01:00 GMT

"Name-of-person" searches are important, so we do a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure that customers always get strong, relevant results.

Amoeba Music San Francisco

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT

While not the original location, the Amoeba Music in San Francisco opened 4 years before the iconic Hollywood Amoeba location that I wrote about here. I love music and record stores, so when I was in San Francisco I jumped at the chance to visit my second of the three Amoeba’s (now I just need [...]

New Video online: Using the Ring Flash III

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:01:00 GMT

Four Arguments for Fill Light with Ring Flash

In this FotoTV series photographer Ralph Man will discuss the Ring Flash for use in beauty and fashion applications. This third installment begins with an in-depth description of the Ring Flash and all that it can do while using it as a fill flash. While the two previous films concentrated on technical information pertaining to the usage of the Ring Flash as a main light source, this film focuses on using the Ring Flash as an accent light.

Ring Flash offers a stylistic approach to creating nearly shadow free images. Unlike other flash light sources the Ring Flash is attached onto the optical axis of the camera and lens offering shadow free image results.

Ralph Man does an excellent job explaining and demonstrating the specific techniques associated with the Ring Flash and his built up set. Photographers new to the Ring Flash will find this hands on tutorial very informative and photographers already using Ring Flash will find his excellent tips extremely useful.

Popular PHOTOGRAPHY ARTICLES RSS Feed

Video: The Polaroid SX-70 Promo Made by Charles and Ray Eames

Cover Craft: An Interview with Paul Buckley of Penguin Books

Chill Lessons from Ice Cream Food Photography

Best Photos of 2012 by JMG-Galleries Blog Readers

Video: Watch Sigma and Sony Assemble Some Gear

Camping under the stars by Simone Miotto

Camping under the stars by Simone Miotto

Exhibitions: STEVE MCCURRY - INDIA

AUDIO LINK: WHAT IS THE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY? [20:58M]

Joe’s Giant Orange Cafe in Shasta City

Photography Inspiration of Little Red Riding Hood

Get Inspired and Stay Creative #1

Celebrate Flickr Commons with 250000 Epic Photography

Endeavour Space Shuttle: California Science Center

Our most-searched person of 2012? Hint: He’s kind of a big deal

Amoeba Music San Francisco

New Video online: Using the Ring Flash III

Four Arguments for Fill Light with Ring Flash