Beautiful Images get you High

Scientific study indicates that viewing beautiful images triggers the release of the natural feel-good chemical dopamine into our brains.

"There is a reason why art has served as a means of soulful self-expression for centuries upon centuries. All forms of art, from painting to dancing to music, are very personal and emotional experiences -- both for the artists and the viewers. [...]

New research by Semir Zeki, Professor of Neuroesthetics at University College London demonstrates that viewing a beautiful work of art creates the same chemical response as love. Both experiences trigger the feel-good chemical dopamine."

So, to recap for photographers. As you see and create beautiful images not only are you stimulating the light sensors in your cameras, but you're also stimulating the feel- good light sensors in your brains.

It's a twofer... a win-win !!!

Go shoot.

360-Degree Interactive Camera

Panoramic Ball Photographyy

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which makes a picture from Jonas Pfeil's "Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera" worth about 360,000. The contraption has 36 "2-megapixel mobile phone camera modules which all click together to create a full panorama."

Very cool.

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Photo Dog Assistant

I'm seriously considering getting a GoPro and putting my dog in charge of Second Unit production around here.

There's some clips and stills in there that are better than some of the work I've seen from "Pros." ... and/or me.

Snapshot in Time

... current time.

More than half of under 16s have only used cameraphones to take photos

... 52 per cent of under 16-year-olds have only ever used the camera on their mobile phones to take digital snaps, demonstrating the staggering impact the devices have had on the photography market.

Meanwhile, just 26 per cent of parents said their kids had access to digital cameras, while one-fifth said they own both cameraphones and digital cameras.

This all translates into 88 per cent of children having zero experience with analogue photography, which isn't unsurprising as just eight per cent of parents use the traditional method themselves.

Additionally, 31 per cent use their cameraphone as the primary means of photo capture, with 53 per cent claim their mobile produces results that equal digital cameras, while three-quarters said they miss using film.

It's a Brave New Photo World out there.

Saving Lives with Cameraphones

The CelloScope

Daniel A. Fletcher's CelloScope design turns a camera phone into a high-resolution diagnostic microscope that can transmit data from remote areas to diagnostics labs in more connected areas. "To be able to receive analysis and treatment recommendations from remote experts," writes the Tech Museum, "could drastically reduce both the cost and time of performing critical disease diagnosis, as well as provide an early warning of epidemics, in poverty-stricken regions around the globe."

Remote Tele/Photo Presence

Cool New Tech Start-up...

Rant: I Love Photography

By Allen MurabayashiCEO, Co-founder, PhotoShelter.

"I love photography.

Why am I telling you this? Isn't it self-obvious? Don't we all love photography? The answer is no. There is a percentage of photographers who hate photography. They do not appreciate photography. They do not consume photography. They don't look at photo books or photo magazines. They hate the guy with the iPhone taking Instagram shots. They hate the guy who just bought the D4 because they don't have one. They hate people using digital because film is what real artists use. They hate photographers who embrace social media because images should stand on their own. They hate Getty, Corbis, the AP, day rates, photo editors, assistants, rental houses, camera stores, point-and-shoots, iPads, zoom lenses, padded camera straps, wheeled suitcases, younger photographers, older photographers. The photo of so-and-so on the cover of whatever it's called sucks. That guy copied the other guy, he sucks. Terry Richardson sucks. Chuck Close sucks. Vincent Laforet hasn't taken a still in 17 years. Kodak hasn't been managed well since the '70s. Blah, blah, blah. [...]

The business of photography is undergoing massive change. People who used to make a ton of money aren't making the same money any more. Amateurs are giving away photos for free. I totally get it.

But listen. There are so many more incredible photos today than there ever were. And more people consume more photography than they ever did thanks to things like Facebook, Instagram, iPads, blogs, and "best of" compilations. This is the golden age of photography. Everyone takes photos now, and there is inspiration all around us. History is being made, and we're capturing it.

I love photography."

Yeah, that goes for me too. I firmly believe there's lot's of wonderful adventures, opportunities and successes awaiting those willing to take advantage of these foto fantastic times.

The Revolution will be Camera-Phoned

A profession forever in search of a definition

... a growing number of “visual journalists” are leaving their big, expensive toys at home and depending on an iPhone as their tool of choice. New York Times staff photographer Damon Winter won third place in last year’s Pictures of the Year features category for a series of photos of American troops at war – all taken with an iPhone and processed with a filtering application called Hipstamatic.

His award generated controversy. Traditionalists sneered at the Winter’s non-traditional use of a camera phone as a journalistic tool. Some felt the filtering effects of the Hipstamatic application violated the Times’ own policy when it comes to altering the context of photographs.

But Winter proved something I’ve long believed. When it comes to photography, it’s not the tool that a shooter uses but the eye behind the tool that composes the picture and tells the story.

It’s only a matter of time before someone wins a Pulitzer Prize for a photo taken with a camera phone. With so many of the littler buggers out there, someone – somewhere – will capture the right moment of a major news event and produce an image that will flash around the world and catch everyone’s attention.

Winter didn’t have to lug a camera bag filled with a couple of $5,000 digital SLRs and several lenses around for his assignment. Instead, he composed his photos and shot them with a small, unobtrusive camera phone.

(my emphasis)