A 10 Step Guide to Your Very Own Darkroom!

Posted on June 18, 2021 by TheManiac

Discover the comprehensive diy method to developing film in your home with these darkroom steps and tips.

More photos are taken each day than during the entire previous century. (I’ll give you a moment.) The art of photography has become diluted, considering the convenience of smartphone cameras and the seemingly endless data we can store them with. Barely anyone prints digital photos anymore, preferring the quality and shareability of our pixellated screens.

Clearly for you—I mean, you’re reading this, right?—photography is more than digital replicas of tangible moments. You want to hold your pictures and create art. Even more, you want to dig your hands into the very process that allows you to do that. Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A 10 Step Guide to Your Very Own Darkroom!

The 5 Pillars of Panoramic Photography!

Posted on June 9, 2021 by TheManiac

Here is your beginners panoramic photography guide to shooting 360-degrees around.

Film enthusiasts are the ones putting in the real work here. Analog fans either have to purchase expensive, specialized cameras or spend hours in the darkroom stitching together various images. Before digital photography came around, only professionals could craft stunning wide angle shots that seemed to envelop the viewer.

danube river panorama

Nowadays, iPhones have a plugin that allows you to perform the same task. Simply select the “panorama” setting in your “camera” application and follow the directions. Article over, right? Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The 5 Pillars of Panoramic Photography!

A 6 Step Guide to Time Lapse Photography!

Posted on June 2, 2021 by TheManiac

time lapse photographyIn this time lapse photography guide you’ll learn six essential tips to capture dreamy blurs and vibrant colors.

We have all gawked at those intriguing images where car headlights look like streams of light and rushing water resembles morning fog. Time-lapse photography has the power to illustrate the rush and bustle of our world in the most ethereal of forms.

What exactly is time-lapse photography? Quite simply, a photo is considered time-lapse when the frame rate is notably lower than what is used to view the sequence. Your camera takes in the scene for a longer period of time, thus creating the effect we’re looking for. Fortunately, you can achieve fantastic results with some time, patience, and effort.

1. Research, plan. Plan, research.

Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A 6 Step Guide to Time Lapse Photography!

5 Ways to Shoot Better Long Exposure Night Photographs!

Posted on January 31, 2020 by TheManiac

We have all gawked at those intriguing nighttime images where the car headlights look like streams of light and the stars appear to be spinning around the sky. Long exposure night photography has the power to illustrate the unseen movement of our world in the most ethereal of forms.

What exactly is long exposure night photography? Quite simply, a photo fits into this category when the frame rate is notably lower than what is used to view the sequence. More obviously, the photo is taken at night.

Your camera takes in the scene for a longer period of time, thus creating the effect we’re looking for. Fortunately, you can achieve fantastic results with some time, patience, and effort. Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on 5 Ways to Shoot Better Long Exposure Night Photographs!

How to Take Professional Looking Self Portraits!

Posted on December 19, 2019 by TheManiac

Stop the selfies, grab your tripod, and put on the self timer so you can take professional quality self portraits.

First we had to flip our cameras around and guess whether our faces were even in the frame. Then smartphones came around, and the game changed forevermore. Continue reading →

Posted in Learn, Urban | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on How to Take Professional Looking Self Portraits!

Film Versus Digital Photography!

Posted on February 6, 2019 by TheManiac

The classic film photography approach meeds the ever-accessible world of digitization in this comparison article.

Believe it or not, film has been making a comeback over the last few years. The hipsters have joined together and set their sight on the “retro” ideas of old Kodak—of darkrooms, enlargers, and vintage cameras.

Admittedly, they’re onto something. The personal handling of a photo causes the image to hold more meaning. The extra effort in tandem with the classic film-look can ooh and ahh pretty much any photo enthusiast. Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Film Versus Digital Photography!

High Speed Sync Flash Basics!

Posted on November 28, 2018 by TheManiac

In this beginners guide to using high speed sync flash you’ll learn about simplifying this seemingly complicated technique.

Scenario: You’re at the beach snapping photos of your friend. The sunset is beautiful, so you want to include the bright sky in the background of the shot. The background look sort of cluttered, so you want to use a high aperture for a more ambient feel. For added action, you ask your friend to perform a cartwheel for the shot. Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , | Comments Off on High Speed Sync Flash Basics!

360 Panorma Photography Basics!

Posted on November 7, 2018 by TheManiac

Have you ever heard of a panorama? Sure you have, who among us has never stood on a mountain, above a valley, or in the middle of a busy evening street, experiencing the fullness of the moment before us, and as a photographer probably wishing we could capture the entire scene at once?

Indoor 360 degree panorama.

My purpose in this post is to introduce you to production of a 360° panorama – a seamless image that shows a scene all around you. For the more experienced and demanding reader I will also move to full equirectangularity towards the end. I will, however, assume this is the first time you have ever been introduced to a panoramic workflow. Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 360 Panorma Photography Basics!

The DSLR vs Mirrorless Debate!

Posted on October 23, 2018 by TheManiac

There is a debate in the community regarding the importance of mirrorless cameras (henceforth ML) in the market. The debate has gone from huge and hot to rather limited to people trying to prove a point in the past four years.

I consider ML cameras to be an incomplete system, meaning I find many flaws with it while at the same time recognize the sheer depth of their strong points.

Let’s Explore Some Of The Aspects Of DSLR vs Mirrorless Cameras In Further Detail!

Viewfinder and display:

Canon PowerShot A710 IS.

My first relevant camera, the one I started being creative with, was a 2006-7 Canon Powershot with an electronic viewfinder – EVF.

After a while I began to notice my eyesight was temporarily blurry after each use; that I could actually see the LED grid lines inside the viewfinder screen may have had something to do with it.

I have not often used an EVF since, so I may be unfamiliar with any improvements made in this area, but even when EVF try to mimc the infinity-focus you are still looking onto a screen inside the camera and your eyes (or mine) don’t relax as well. Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The DSLR vs Mirrorless Debate!

Control Your Next Photo Shoot In 5 Easy Steps!

Posted on October 11, 2018 by TheManiac

Why not be both an artist and a director in your next photo shoot?

Sometimes we approach our photo shoots as photographers, through and through, without a foundation to guide our ventures.

Although it is vital to go about creative projects with the mindset of an artist, we might find ourselves struggling with execution or falling apart due to lack of organization.

More personally, in high school I was forced into a situation where I had to shoot the entirety of a short film in one session. I promised my actors we would be done in four hours, which, as you might imagine, was a lie at best. Continue reading →

Posted in Learn | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Control Your Next Photo Shoot In 5 Easy Steps!