Camera tossing is all about sending a photo camera up in the air while in long exposure settings to record the whirling moves of the camera into a somewhat different picture. This is an obviously dangerous photo technique (How many times can you strike such a move without letting the camera fall on the floor?) but this is also a way to get out-of-the-ordinary photos.

Wired has an article about this technique. And Flickr allows to search for images resulting from this perillous exercise.

• Examples of camera tossing on Flickr
• Snap a Camera Toss picture

When you use an expensive SLR camera you are often tempted to purchase a specialty lens like a ultra-wide angle (fish eye) lens.

But, apart from the rare occasions when you really need it, it’s too expensive for you and me. Why not build it yourself? Instructables does the demonstration with a Nikon D90, but it could be done with any other camera.

How to make a fish eye lens for a Nikon D-90 Digital SLR for $16

Dorje-Lapka

When you are in a plane of a light plane flying near a mountain range, it is quite tempting to shoot a few landscape photos; But the conditions will stay very difficult for the photographer. There are many traps and the results may loose a lot of quality compared to what you expected.

For example, problems could be:

1. The presence of visible obstacles
2. The atmospheric turbulence
3. The atmospheric veil
4. The vibrations of the plane
5. The optical limitations of the cabin window

First, you must be seated near a window (and on the right side) and you must avoid the presence of the wing and/or an engine which could reduce the view. Choose your seat wisely at check-in time or politely negotiate with the passenger better seated.

The engines of the plane produce a lot of air turbulence that is very perceptible just behind them. Seat sufficiently in front (unfortunately, the more expensive seat are often in the front of the plane).

Air moisture and dust are less problematic at high altitude than at ground level, but you will probably shoot your landscapes from very far. Only when the sky is very clear can you try a flight. Then you would limit the atmospheric veil to its minimum. It’s even better to fly early in the morning (the light is nicer and the air moisture is still mostly on the ground). Chance must fly with you (or you will have to compensate with perseverance).

Melungtse - with a polarizing filtrer and some Photoshop correction

Melungtse - without a polarizing filter, but shaded by the window

Then, a plane shakes a lot. Even more when it’s a small plane. Not as much as a helicopter, but it is definitely not stable! So, choose a fast shutter speed. Worse: Those vibration frequencies are not well compensated by the image stabilizer of your camera or lens; They are targeting the smoother moves of the photographer. For an 80mm lens, I would advise faster than 1/200 s; For a 35mm, faster than 1/100 s. You may have to crank your ISO up a little for that.

But the biggest interference will probably be the window itself. Nothing much you can do: It is not a neutral photo filter. It will darken irregularly the image. It is not really compatible with polarizing filters (color shift and forced shading in the sky part of the image). It usually has a lot of scratches and stains (those inside may be cleaned, but going outside is tougher…)

(more…)

Shooting good pictures of sports events is challenging at best. Rob Miracle is offering good advice about sports photography, grouped in several important categories:

• Location, Location, Location!
• The Decisive Moment
• Required Equipment
• Depth of Field — Isolating the subject
• Focus
• Composition
• Know your Sport, Know your Players
• Freezing Action Shots
• Giving the illusion of movement
• Lighting and Film
• Emotion
• Where to Start

Seven pages of excellent information, tips and advice. For people willing to improve their aptitude to shoot sports images (or even beginners).

photo credit: nsaplayer

Who did not dream of making such a great photo as the milk or water drop stopped in mid-air?

But this seems quite difficult. It may be, but there are a few techniques that can simplify things a little. Gavin Hoey, in the following video, shows a few of them, explaining lighting issue and telling us that even without motion-detection equipment it is possible to catch the droplet: Just shoot a zillion photos with your flash and hope for a little luck to bring a good image out of sheer luck. This is not as silly as it looks and digital photography made this actually practical (you will not mind erasing dozens of failed attempts on the path to a great image).

If you want to try your hand at it, remember that the flash is used to light not the droplet itself (it’s transparent), but the background which may be white or colored.

But if you still want to use a little more expensive equipment, you can check a specialist: Hiviz.

photo credit: irrezolut

A few years ago, the only destination we could think of for our photos was the paper used for most family snapshots. A few photographers were also making large format printouts, but nothing more.

With the advent of digital photography, it is now common not to print at all and to look at the pictures on the LCD screen, on the computer or on the mobile phone used to grab the image.

Print a lot

But, thanks to Internet, we also added the possibility to use printing services to nearly any kind of substrate. Think about it: In most cases, the printing services include at least the options to have your best images printed on:

• Posters
• Cards
• T-shirts, shorts and other cloth
• Mugs
• Caps
• etc.

Print on everything

But is this all? No! I found a series of surprising ways you can use your photos. The imagination seems to be the only limit. Let’s find the list of things I liked (after the jump…).

Shower curtains

Yes! You can have your personalized shower curtain. You can add your own photos to improve the shower. The imagination is definitely the limit.

For $150-200, PhotoShowerCurtain.com will put your pictures on a plastified shower curtain using dye sublimation.

Sample PhotoShowerCurtain.com print out

Photo books

Many a print company offers the possibility to print a book (or a booklet) of your photos. I will not recommend one, but I would suggest that you follow the advice from Neil and Naomi Creek in Show your photos like a Pro with a Photo eBook (even if this is targeted at eBooks, a good part of the advice is applicable in print too).

I would also suggest that you take time to check great photo books by photographers like Scott Kelby. I love his work on “The colors of… Tuscany“. Take free inspiration. Try and reproduce the best of his presentation; Your book will be great.

Copyright (c) Scott Kelby

Puzzle blocks

PhotoJojo also suggest that you may be printing your photo on puzzle blocks. A kind of high-quality kids game that is involving your own photography work.

Photo-printed puzzle blocks

I admit that this could become a nice Christmas present for your kids (or the kid inside your friends). And it is something that you can do by yourself: Make your own puzzle block.

Hand-painted portraits

At the extreme, you can send the photo portrait of your loved ones to Send Me Your Head and receive a 3″ x 3″ painting from artist Karen Schmidt.

This artistic project may sound weird, but I think it’s kind of cool, too.

Copyright (c) Karen Schmidt

Last idea

If you think that this was not enough, you can have a moment of fun and think about what it could be to print your photo directly on a plane.

Your photo here?

Thanks to Digital Photography School. They have marvelously varied and nice lessons for the amateur photographer. Today, I noticed a rather old post on their site which is a compendium of the best, most important lessons to teach somebody starting photography (aged from 7 to 77 years).

13 Lessons to Teach Your Child About Digital Photography

1. Experiment
2. Check your Backgrounds
3. Hold the Camera Straight
4. How to Hold a Camera
5. Get in Close
6. Take Lots of Photos
7. Getting the Balance Right Between Photographing People, ‘Things’ and Places
8. Find a Point of Interest
9. Rule of Thirds
10. Review Your Children’s Images with Them
11. Focal Lock
12. Different Modes for Different Situations
13. Exposure Settings

All these are pointing to some more articles in DPS web site. But merely checking the photo examples on the page is already interesting.

When I started writing a short series of posts about time-lapse photography, I thought it would be quick. But I keep getting information about good web sites and articles about it. So, I could not close this without mentionning the introduction to time-lapse photography just posted on Digital Photography School (an excellent web site, by the way).

You know this album cover from The Police. Digital Photography School, inspired by the album cover, teaches you how to do the same effect with your own photos.

The Police - Synchronicity

→

How would you create this?

Source: Photoshop Inspiration: Police CD Label.