Topicfire Photography News

It’s Free Stuff Thursday!

2013-05-23T06:50:05+00:00

The Digital Photography Book Part 1 – Second Edition Okay, Scott already announced the release of the new version of his best-selling book, The Digital Photography Book Part 1 – Second Edition. But since today is Free Stuff Thursday, I figured we would give away FIVE FREE copies to some...

Fujifilm updates X-Pro1 and X-E1 to improve AF with 55-200mm lens

2013-05-23T05:15:14+00:00

Fujifilm has updated the firmware for its X-Pro1 and X-E1 mirrorless cameras, to improve the autofocus speed with the recently-launched XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS telephoto zoom lens.�Versions 1.05 for the�X-E1 and 2.04 for the X-Pro1 are available to download from the Fujifilm website. Click through for the links.

Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters is Now on Netflix Streaming

2013-05-23T04:45:10+00:00

©Gregory Crewdson Netflix have acquired the rights to stream Ben Shapiro's excellent 77-minute documentary, Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters. Sadly, access this is US-only (maybe Canada?) and only for Netflix streaming subscribers. But this is still far-and-away the biggest audience to have had access to the film. There's no telling how long...

Studio scene comparison pages added to Pentax MX-1 preview

2013-05-22T23:24:39+00:00

We've just added three studio comparison pages to our previously-published preview of the Pentax MX-1. The MX-1 is Pentax's flagship compact camera, and something of a departure for the manufacturer, offering a fast F1.8-2.5 zoom lens, full manual control and a high-class, metal body, to compete with more established peers...

DxOMark Mobile Report: Samsung Galaxy S4

2013-05-22T23:17:52+00:00

We just published the DxOMark Mobile Report for Samsung's new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4 on connect.dpreview.com. DxO's imaging experts have analyzed 14 aspects of mobile imaging including detailed image quality assessment, flash performance, autofocus reliability and more to calculate a final score. This report will be integrated into our...

GIFTY concept camera produces instant flipbooks

2013-05-22T19:23:48+00:00

Animated flipbooks have been around for nearly 145 years. With just a little thumb action, these books allowed you to view a few seconds worth of animation. Now, a new concept camera known as the GIFTY allows you to record video and print a flipbook instantly. The only problem: you...

GIF creator receives honor, still chafes at mispronunciation

2013-05-22T18:15:53+00:00

If you've ever wondered who to thank (or blame) for those 8-bit animated graphics that remain prelevant even on today's high-bandwidth Internet, Steve Wilhite is your man. He was honored for that�achievement�at this year's Webby Awards and took the�opportunity�to once again remind us how 'GIF' should be pronounced. (via New...

Alec Soth Interview – Part 2

2013-05-22T15:27:45+00:00

[Part 1 is here] by Jonathan Blaustein Jonathan Blaustein: You’ve got a publishing company, LBM, that you started in 2008. Is that right? Alec Soth: Correct. JB: It’s based in Minneapolis. You built a team of collaborators, and a print studio. How did that come about, and where is it going? AS: It’s related to...

Copyright Implications of Yahoo Buying Tumblr

2013-05-22T14:41:19+00:00

These companies don’t just know a great deal about you, they have a license to use your creations and, as the Yahoo!/Tumblr deal shows, they can transfer that license or sublicense it as they see fit. This is a tremendous amount of control and it should make users nervous. Though...

On Assignment: Back to the Well

2013-05-22T06:22:25+00:00

Tian Lu (left) and Yuri Shadrin are both accomplished pianists in their own right. But when they play as a duet (on the same piano) they produce an intuitive mix of music and banter that could only come from the married couple that they are. He is Russian, she is Chinese....

Just Posted: Olympus E-PM2 Review

2013-05-21T23:17:57+00:00

We've just posted our review of the The Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2. The E-PM2 is an entry-level Micro Four Thirds system camera, with a 16MP CMOS sensor and full 1080 HD video. It's one of the smallest mirrorless cameras on the market and boasts 8 frames per second continuous shooting....

When disaster strikes, photo editors can help save memories

2013-05-21T20:19:38+00:00

When homes are damaged, often the most important items cannot be replaced. For victims of fire, floods and other natural disasters, family photos are among the worst things to lose.�Operation Photo Rescue�brings together victims with professional photo editors to turn damaged images back into clear memories. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com. �

Alec Soth Interview – Part 1

2013-05-21T16:32:40+00:00

by Jonathan Blaustein Jonathan Blaustein: When did you first start taking photographs? When did it all begin? Alec Soth: In high school, I had this experience that a lot of people have. I had a great teacher that woke me up. In that case, he was a painting teacher. He did a...

There’s No Such Thing As Professional Photographers Anymore… On Flickr

2013-05-21T14:20:12+00:00

Flickr Pro, which had allowed users to pay for more storage space, is going away. “There’s no such thing as Flickr Pro today because [with so many people taking photographs] there’s really no such thing as professional photographers anymore,” Mayer said (though she acknowledged that there are “different skill levels”). via @zarias more: Tech...

Should You Create Multiple Catalogs In Lightroom?

2013-05-21T14:07:26+00:00

For years, catalog questions tend to be the most popular questions I get at my Lightroom seminars. One of those questions is whether or not to create multiple catalogs in Lightroom. See, back in Lightroom 1, it became fairly common knowledge that when your catalog grew to a certain size...

Motorcycle Shoot (behind-the-scenes)

2013-05-21T12:17:45+00:00

(Above) Here’s a behind-the-scene shot from Friday’s shoot. This is a three-light shoot: Two 4-foot strip banks above (with Elinchrom strobes), and there’s one additional softbox in front (you can see the light-stand right behind my laptop) that’s putting some extra light on the engine — it was a little dark...

Do You Own an Olympus Camera?

2013-05-21T07:18:06+00:00

If you received an Olympus camera recently -- or if you've owned one for quite a while -- please consider sharing your experiences with that camera through a "user review" of an Olympus camera....Read Full Post

Holy Mash Potatoes Batman! Flickr to Offer All Users 1 Terabyte of Free High Res Photo Storage!

2013-05-20T22:33:17+00:00

Wow! Well just when you thought the Tumblr acquisition was the big Yahoo news of the day, Yahoo drops yet another bombshell. All free accounts on Flickr just got upgraded to 1 terabyte of FREE high res storage! Yep, you heard that correctly; the Flickr 200 photo...

A better, brighter Flickr

2013-05-20T22:17:53+00:00

In the beginning, Flickr innovated the way people share and discover photos. Today, we are shifting the photo-sharing landscape again. We’re releasing a Flickr that’s more spectacular, much bigger, and one you can take anywhere. Biggr. A free terabyte of space At Flickr, we believe you should share all your images...

DISCUSS: When you Photograph People in Black and White, you Photograph their Souls

2013-05-20T20:26:40+00:00

Canadian photojournalist – Ted Grant – is quoted as saying: “When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!” This quote often comes to mind when talking about portraiture and I thought it might make an interesting...

Just posted: Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD lens review

2013-05-20T17:20:25+00:00

Just posted: Our review of the Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD. In our latest lens review produced in collaboration with DxOMark, we look at Tamron's fast standard zoom for full frame cameras - the first in its class to include optical stabilisation. With its Ultrasonic Drive focus motor...

Pricing & Negotiating: Regional Fashion Magazine

2013-05-20T16:38:38+00:00

By Bill Cramer, Wonderful Machine I recently was approached by a regional fashion magazine needing some advice on their photographer and photo director contracts. They had encountered some push-back on them and they wanted to know what they could do to make the agreements a little more palatable. The documents have...

The 2nd Edition “Refresh” of my “Digital Photography Book, Part One” is here

2013-05-20T04:30:08+00:00

OK, if you already have the first edition of the book, DON’T BUY THIS ONE!!!! That’s because it’s a “refresh” and not a “rewrite.”The original book was published back in 2006, so I brought the book up-to-date with a pretty significant refresh using today’s latest cameras, updates and changes in...

Stunning Succulents

2013-05-19T22:21:50+00:00

The diversity of fleshy plants that we call succulents is immensely vast, and they have cool names — Foxtail Agave, From your nearest nursery to the Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree National Park, the world’s collection of these plants provides us plenty of locations to shoot them. Explore, and share,...

6 Winning Ways to Work Wide

2013-05-19T20:19:05+00:00

Today Joe Decker shares some tips on wide angle photography. One of the first lens purchases aspiring landscape photographers typically made is a wide or super-wide lens, anything (in full-frame 35mm terms) from 24mm on down, and with good reason, wides offer photographers the ability to capture the sweeping vistas of...