BRIDE PHOTOGRAPHS HER OWN WEDDING

When one thinks about planning a wedding, the immense amount of work can be overwhelming. As a bride, I'm sure there's no end to the stress. With everything to consider like dresses, flowers, cake, guests, etc, it would stand to reason that taking on the task of photographing your own wedding would be absurd. Is this a case of the selfie culture going too far? I think not.

Estonian project manager and photographer, Liisa Luts took on that very task. When confronted with planning her own wedding, she decided to take on the role of documenting her wedding herself and the results are quite amazing. Considering her wedding was less than formal, this presented a very unique situation. She didn't want to "plan a wedding". "We just wanted to make it legal and celebrate a bit," she said. There's something incredibly romantic and authentic about that.

"The idea to shoot my own wedding came quite naturally."

The decision to take on this task was a no-brainer. "The idea to shoot my own wedding came quite naturally," she said. "So since there was no wedding pressure I thought that it might be an interesting challenge to take some photos myself." Liisa's weapon of choice was the FujiFilm X-T10. Her decision to use the X-T10 over a traditional DSLR was based on portability and the desire to capture the moments just as she reacted to them.

Simply put, the images are incredible. They're not just pretty pictures, but a story. There's an intimate feel to these images that's warm and inviting. I get the feeling that she was letting us all in on a secret. Unlike most secrets, this one needs to be told.

Her decision to photograph her own wedding was surely out of the box, and probably wouldn't work for most situations, but as you can see here, it worked. To get the full scope of this amazing project you really need to see the blog post on her website here.

GOOGLE'S PROJECT SOLI BAFFLES

More and more technology is changing our lives into something like that from a sci-fi movie. Soon flying cars, hover-boards, and robots will be an everyday part of our daily lives. Google is doing some amazing things to get us there too. It's very exciting and Google's Project Soli is one of those ideas that could catapult us into the realm of Star Trek or Back to the Future.

Project Soli is a new interaction sensor that uses radar technology to capture finger motions at 10,000 frames per second and it's unbelievably accurate. So accurate, that you could operate any device that's been fitted with this chip, without ever having to touch it.

The sensor is approximately the size of a small computer chip and it will transform your fingers into a virtual dial. You could control something as mundane as turning the volume up or down on a speaker, to something more advanced like  turning your fingers into a virtual touchpad for a smartwatch or smartphone.

The chip is actually a miniature gesture radar and captures incredibly complex hand gestures at close range at mind-blowing frame rates. Given the nature of how small this chip really is, it's suitable for almost any device or any computerized machine.

The future is here, and it's friggin' cool!

NATION GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE NOW FOR PROFIT

Nation Geographic Magazine has been a staple in my family's home for as long as I can remember. I even had dreams of some day working for the magazine. My first dreams of being a photographer were stirred up from reading the publication.

Since 1888, Nation Geographic Magazine has been the official journal of the non-profit Nation Geographic Society which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Things are changing though. Starting on September 9, the magazine is no longer non-profit thanks to a hefty $725 million deal with 21st Century Fox. This means Fox will own 73% of Nat Geo's media properties.

The Society began partnering with Fox in 1997 to launch the Nation Geographic Channel. After 18 years, Fox has moved into the position of co-owning the magazine as well.

It seems this has ruffled the feathers of many Nation Geographic Magazine lovers. Some are down right angry, and I get it. I can understand. I can also appreciate a good business move too. My hopes and dreams of working for the non-profit have not been dashed. As long as they continue to produce great content and enlighten us about the world we live in, I'm okay with that.

The iPAD PRO MAY BE A GAME CHANGER FOR PHOTO RETOUCHING

As we sit in the afterglow of all of Apple's announcements yesterday, I'm pondering the newest iPad. Apple's iPad Pro just might be a game changer for all kinds of people, and in particular, for photographers.

The iPad Pro has an incredible 12.9 inch screen. Apple claims that the display is the largest and best screen of any of their products. The 2732 x 2048 pixel screen is insanely amazing packing a total of  5.6 megapixels. By far, the new iPad Pro is the most powerful iPad yet. Apple even claims that it's more powerful than 80-90% of PCs sold in the last year. This new iPad is so powerful, it can run 3 4K video streams at once. There are many desktop computers, mine included, that struggle with that.

There's a smart keyboard, for those that prefer to type that way. It acts as a cover as well. But the most exciting accessory is the Apple Pencil. It's only $99 and from the looks of it, could turn your iPad Pro into something similar to a Wacom Cintiq. The Pencil can detect position, pressure, and tilt. The claim is that it's so precise, you can actually touch a single pixel.

All the players are in place. There's a great new iPad and a stylus to compliment it. Now, we just need some solid editing apps and this could really be a game changer for photographers and retouchers. Unfortunately, there are none. Adobe is promising "Adobe Fix", but there's no indication of where or not there will be any support for layers. They claim is can edit a 50 megapixel image.

If there is support for layers, then this iPad Pro will be everything that I'm looking for in a mobile device to add to my workflow. If not, then I will heave a huge sigh, shed some tears, and probably get a Cintiq or even a Surface. I'd love to stick with Apple, but I won't force it. Apple has laid the groundwork for a fantastic device. Let's see what the developers can create to compliment it.

CANON IS BUILDING A 120 MEGAPIXEL DSLR AND I DON'T CARE

The pixel packing race continues, as it always will. Nikon stunned us with the D800. Sony left us drooling with the a7R, and Canon upped the ante with the 5DS and the 5DS R. And now Canon has decided that just wasn't good enough. They've announced they are building a monstrous 120 megapixel CMOS sensor. Are you drooling yet? I'm not.

Canon also announced a 250 megapixel sensor that will be smaller than full frame, but larger than APS-C. While this sounds ridiculous, the camera is largely being geared towards industrial applications such as surveillance. Even though I can somewhat understand the reasoning behind this camera's development, I still scratch my head. At some point, it's just overkill. Why do we need all those megapixels? Are they really making our images better?

I've been on a less is more kick recently, and while I've always understood that ideal, I don't think it really ever sunk. I now find myself taking a hard look at my gear and questioning whether or not I really need it. More often than not, I don't. I have tons of modifiers that I don't use. I now have a DSLR that just sits, collecting dust, because I made the switch to mirrorless, and to be honest, I just haven't gotten around to putting it up on eBay yet. I'm a slacker, but that's a different story for a different time.

The American architect, Louis Sullivan coined the phrase, "form follows function". Do we really need all those megapixels packed inside a sensor? I feel the majority of the photographers and cinematographers would answer with a resounding, "YES!" Their reasoning being that the higher resolution will make better pictures or some such crap. My feelings on the subject have changed over the years. I really don't think it matters. Actually, it really doesn't. The images and video coming from iPhones and other comparable models, are really stunning. But they're packed with fewer pixels and a smaller sensor? Wait, that can't be! Oh, but it is.

Fuji hasn't changed their 16 megapixel sensor for some time and it's interesting to note that it out performed Canon's 5DIII in many areas. Again, smaller sensor and fewer pixels. Is there some kind of Fuji magic going on in there or is it just good old fashion science and engineering? It's probably the notion of, "fix the pixels you have instead of packing more in".

Time and time again we've seen artists in all mediums that have proven to us that it's not about the "gear" that makes the work, it's the person behind it. Or as my friend says, "It's not about the arrow. It's about the archer." So, while the world will wait, and sweat a little, for the announcement of  this monster pixel camera, I couldn't care less. I say get out there and make pictures with whatever you have. Tell a story. That's the most important thing. And to illustrate this perfectly, take a look at this video. You're welcome.

THE POLAROID SNAP CAMERA IS INKLESS

Very few people are printing photos these days. If you're at a party or out and about, we pass the phone around. There used to be a sense of joy from the physical image being passed around. Now, it's some kind of instant euphoric digital moment that is lost within seconds. The images are no longer keepsakes. We can quickly, if not instantly, forget the images that we scroll over or tap on. 

It seems that Polaroid is trying to change that by attempting to give value once again to the physical picture. The Polaroid Snap is their latest attempt at doing so. The Snap is a decidedly modern instant camera, with one interesting twist. It's inkless. Heat from the printer reacts with dyed crystals embedded in the photo paper to create the image.

It's interesting that Polaroid released the Snap at a time when point and shoot cameras are going the way of Old Yellar. We carry around an excellent point and shoot camera every day on our phones. But Polaroid is making an interesting point with the Snap. Most point and shoot instant cameras don't fit your pocket. The Snap does. There's no image customization beyond a button to select color, black and white, or sepia. 

The Snap is it's own thing. It's a small, dead-simple device that does one thing. It brings back that retro joy of instant prints and it fits right into your pocket. At $99 for the Snap, this is something for everyone, I think.

DxO ONE - DSLR QUALITY IN YOUR POCKET

Recently, I've been thinking more and more about downsizing. This goes for many aspects of my life. I started with my gear bag, but I didn't want to sacrifice quality. More and more I'm on the go and really hate lugging around a ton of gear and extras. Let's be honest, who really likes do that anyway?

Smartphone photography is incredibly popular, and with advancements in tech over the last few years, the quality output of these devices is only getting better. They pretty much render the small point and shoot cameras, well, pointless. DxO has released the DxO ONE, a 20 megapixel camera that attaches to your iPhone and allows you to capture impressive quality images from a device that fits in your pocket.

I saw this little doodad floating around on the web a few days ago and disregarded it. This morning, however, I decided to take a closer look. The DxO ONE is probably one of the first smartphone camera accessories that I would really like to own. I suppose it could be considered an accessory. It's actually a camera itself. It plugs into your iPhone via the lightning connector and uses your phone's display to view the images you're snapping. The camera itself is a 20 megapixel 1" sensor with a lens that is roughly 32mm . It has a maximum aperture of f/1.8. A nifty little extra is that the camera captures images in the DNG format. Those images are ready to imported and edited right away in Lightroom.

Introducing the DxO ONE Connected Camera from DxO on Vimeo.

The accompanying iOS app gives you full control of the image taking process. You can choose from a number of different shooting modes or switch to fully manual for precision and creative control. The sample images look great! It's hard to believe you get all of this from something that fits right in your pocket.

The DxO ONE isn't a cheap accessory though. It's $599. It's a little on the pricy side for a mobile phone accessory.

MICHAEL FASSBENDER IS MACBETH

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES...

And it's going to be friggin' epic! Brush up on your Shakespeare, because Macbeth is coming to town this December. From the looks of the trailer, I don't believe he'll be on Santa's nice list this holiday season.

Michael Fassbender stars in Justin Kurzel's adaption of Macbeth, which is arguably the bard's darkest and most powerful tragedy. Marion Cotillard stars alongside Fassbender as Lady Macbeth. Double, double, toil and trouble is on grim display in the two new posters for the film. The film has been likened to Apocalypse Now in terms of tone and Kurzel told Empire Magazine that his take on this classic offers "a landscape and atmosphere that felt much more dangerous than I'd ever seen before from adaptations of Macbeth."

Based on the trailer and the poster images, this adaptation looks chilling. No, dangerous, as Kurzel put it. One look at the trailer and you can instantly feel the dark and foreboding atmosphere coming to life. I am beyond excited to see this in December. Until then, we'll only have posters and trailers to enjoy. 

SPIELBERG AND THE DEATH OF THE SUPERHERO MOVIE

Superhero movies are all the rage. They're hip, they're cool, they're trendy. Hollywood is swimming in a sea of gold because we love them so much. But will they last? Steven Spielberg seems to think they will go the way of the western.

"There will come a day when the mythological stories are supplanted by some other genre that possibly some young filmmaker is just thinking about discovering for all of us"

About two years ago Steven Spielberg spoke about his belief that the mega-budgeted films of Hollywood would breathe their last. They would soon collapse like a flan in a cupboard. He's not the one either. Many people, filmmakers, critics and the like, have backed the same notion. It makes sense, too. In general, the cost of making and marketing a film are astronomical in comparison to the return. So why continue to make a product at that price point if you're not making a profit? That is precisely what most people are arguing.

Spielberg says: "I still feel that way. We were around when the Western died and there will be a time when the superhero movie goes the way of the Western." Like anything else, once it is overplayed, it's outdated. But I'm not entirely certain that's true for the superhero genre of films. There is something about the genre that seems to reach a larger audience. Westerns died out because they didn't seem to have a relevance in the current day. Mind you, I love westerns, but many of them do have an antiquated feel. Superhero movies, and the comics they're based on, seem to have somewhat of a timeless appeal. The genre is more easily adaptable. They Western does not. It's locked in a specific time.

I do agree with Spielberg, though. I think these bloated budget films will eventually die. The tech and the means to produce high quality films is becoming easier to do. Not to mention at lower costs. Spielberg offers up this: "These cycles have a finite time in popular culture. There will come a day when the mythological stories are supplanted by some other genre that possibly some young filmmaker is just thinking about discovering for all of us."

So who what is this new possible genre and where the hell is this new creative? Only time will tell. Until then I'm perfectly happy with my superhero movies. Some are better than others, which is true of most movies in any genre.

I'd like to leave you with an interesting twist to the discussion. Many of the westerns deal with a hero battling some kind of evil. A lone sheriff stepping up to save the townsfolk. That sort of thing. Granted, they're not all that type of story. Is that not any different than the superhero movie? What if the superhero movie is just an evolution of the western?

TECH'S BIGGEST NAMES CREATE NEW VIDEO FORMAT

Some of the biggest names in tech are teaming up to revamp the way video works on the internet. The roster includes Amazon, Cisco, Intel, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, and Netflix. Interesting that Apple and Facebook are not on that list. Perhaps they will be at some point. The companies have come together to create the Alliance for Open Media. The group includes all three major web browser makers, of course excluding Apple and their Safari web browser.

The new format has yet to be named, but could make it easier for web giants to move away from using the antiquated Adobe Flash. It seems the world has been calling for it's death for some time, but Rocky Balboa, it just keeps getting up. There's more to this new concept than just being a replacement. It will be designed specifically for streaming video over the web with the idea being that it's suitable for low power devices. Again, interesting that Apple isn't on board with this yet, because for a while they didn't support Flash on their mobile devices saying that it was a power hog. The new format will also support copy protection. This makes perfect sense for companies like Netflix. The cherry on the top is that it will be royalty free. Open source and royalty free? Huzza!

The risk overall is that this creates confusion with yet another standard for companies and developers to handle. Adoption rate will likely be slow, the haters will hate, and the general public may not know the difference except when they go to view a video and receive the error that says the format is not supported. Could be worse, I suppose. The concept does make sense though. Finding a way to implement a new standard that is advancing along side of the ever-changing tech is the only way to go. Only time will tell.

ADOBE'S NEW MOBILE PHOTOSHOP

Photo manipulation and Photoshop are synonymous. The word Photoshop has even transformed into a verb in our modern, daily vernacular, sort of like Google. We say things like, "Photoshop that..." or "It's been photoshopped...". Interestingly enough, as common as the word has become, those that use it are confined to mostly technologically, artistically, and photographically inclined individuals. Makes sense though. It's pricy, it takes a ton of man hours to learn and use it well, and generally speaking, you're tied to a desk when you use it.

For the common user that's always on the go, that just doesn't work. In order to keep an audience, one has to find a way to keep it mobile, or at least offer something that's actually usable while on the go with less fuss. There are so many options out there for mobile image editing and Adobe is trying to be the top choice. In October, during the Adobe MAX conference, Adobe will be announcing it's latest version of Adobe Photoshop for mobile. If you've used the current version, you've probably come to the same conclusion that I have. It's crap. There's nothing special about it, and it sure doesn't appeal to the professional. But before you go getting too excited, it seems that the latest version will be set to bridge the gab between the amateur/casual user and the pro.

A preview video was released not too long ago and it looks pretty nifty-neat. Things like spot healing, cloning, smoothing, painting, and even liquify have been added to the lineup. No word on layers, yet, that I'm aware, but it would makes sense that there was some kind layer functionality. We'll see.

Personally, I'm excited to see what Adobe brings about. I've discovered that more and more that I want and need some kind of workflow option for "on-the-go". If I can get something that keeps my travel load light and easy to lug around, then I'm a happy camper. The idea of having something powerful on a tablet is so very appealing. Let's hope that's on the way.