Bokeh and art→
Samsung made this cute little video using custom bokeh shapes. They also published this handy little tutorial in case you wanted to mimic their results. [YouTube via PetaPixel]
How to erase people from your photos like a boss
Thanks to modern day technology, there are a lot of post-processing tricks illusions (a trick is something a whore does for money) that photographers can use to enhance their images. Scalado just announced a new tool called Remove that can literally remove anyone from the background of your pictures — absolutely perfect for preventing ex-girlfriends strangers from ruining your shots. It’s pretty amazing, if it actually works.
Another alternative would be to wait until Photoshop CS6 is released because this sneak preview of the newly improved content-aware fill tool looks pretty damn sweet. [Gizmodo and PetaPixel]
Giants fan
I really like this shot that I took at the NY Giants Super Bowl parade yesterday. This girl caught my eye, but everyone was packed in like sardines, so I didn’t have enough room to look through my viewfinder as I normally would. Instead, I extended my arms in the air and blindly fired off a couple of shots. Luckily, this one came out pretty well.
Tree in a puddle
Speaking of my last post, I really like this shot that I recently took in Washington Square Park of a tree’s reflection on a drizzly afternoon.
Getting the picture
A surprising thing happened when the iPhone 4S was released back in October. No, I didn’t get one — which is actually kind of surprising by itself — but more significantly, I stopped taking pictures on my iPhone 4. Call it “camera envy,” but whenever I saw a picture that was taken on a 4S, I immediately felt like my iPhone’s camera was inadequate.
Of course, this was complete horseshit. Just because a better camera was released didn’t make my existing camera any worse (and as a corollary, a better camera doesn’t mean that your pictures will automatically turn out amazing — just look at my photos from my Canon 7D and you’ll see what I mean).
Sadly, it took me way too long before I finally came to this realization and started taking pictures on my iPhone again. None of them are particularly great, but the important thing is that I’m back on the saddle — and that’s the only way to improve.
Here are a few of my recent shots on Instagram:
This is what Madeline did→
I really love this video twist on a Project 365 (which is typically done as a photography project). It’s a great way of looking back on the year and remembering some of the things that you did:
I hope this video inspires you to treasure every day you get and find the good, beautiful moments in even the worst days (even if it’s just going for a walk, taking a drive, or spending time with a pet).
I recently linked to a sweet self-portrait Project 365 done by Jeff Harris that I also really liked. I really want to try one of these someday. I clearly missed the New Years cut, but perhaps for my 31st birthday… [Vimeo via Eddie]
Protect your lens in the most delicious way possible→
I don’t always carry around my lenses in a wrap, but when I do, I use a burrito. [Photojojo via PetaPixel]
Jeff Harris and his self-portrait project→
I’ve heard of doing a Project 365 — I even attempted one last year (and failed miserably) — and I’ve also heard of self-portrait projects (usually involving beards), but I really like the concept behind this project by Jeff Harris. It’s not only a reason to capture tons of self-portraits, but it’s also a great way of incorporating your daily experiences so that you can look back on them someday — for example, that trip to the dentist or that time you went snowboarding.
I was going through some old pictures the other day, and it’s pretty amazing how a single image can conjure up such vivid memories (especially for someone whose memory is as bad as mine). I might just consider starting one of these on my 31st birthday. [Vimeo]
Golden fireflies in Japan→
I was just in Japan this past summer, but these pictures make me want to go back again! [Digital Photo Blog via PetaPixel]
