Review: Creating a good looking photobook with Blurb

With a good provider, nearly anybody can create a photobook these days. And – believe me - there are a lot of book printing providers out there.

The trick is to find the one that is right for you. The right style, layout, price and quality of the end-product are important points, as well the ability to create the book in an easy way.

As a first provider, I reviewed the service and quality of Blurb.com. Here is my opinion.

Creating a Photograpy Website: Tips and Tricks

Most photo artists don’t particularly enjoy the acquisition side of business. This should not come as a surprise – after all, nobody will pay you for the time spent out and about, looking for clients. As a freelancer, customer acquisition via telephone is particularly time-consuming, and can be rough on the nerves, too.

Of course, it would be much nicer if potential customers simply found you and contacted you on their own. A portfolio website can help you with that, always assuming that it appears at the top of search engine listings, in popular photographers directories, and in social networks. 

Some different wedding pictures

There are often the same picture ideas for weddings or of wedding couples. Now I’ve decided to do my own research by looking through the web for some different ideas.

There are always couple shootings done with the bridesmaids, the best man and the whole family. Posing in a normal way is good – everybody looks fine and nice, and if you are later looking at the pictures you’ll think: “yes, that was a very nice day” – and that is good, because you need these kinds of pictures.

But what can you do in addition to create some unique und fun wedding pictures, something your guests and you will both really love? Something that will make you say: “Yeah! That wedding was the most fun ever!”

New look, new owner

 Dear Photography Friends,

Today I am announcing some new changes here at CoolPhotoIdeas. There has been a change of ownership and a layout update as well!

Well, Kerry handed me over the website, so I am the new owner. With this post, I want to introduce myself along with my new ideas and layout.

 

VSCO FILM 03 for Lightroom released


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                We're big fans of the VSCO presets for Lightroom - which emulate the look of various films - here at CoolPhotoIdeas. Admitedly if used wrongly they can be a bit too Instagram, but used wisely they can give your shots an authentic film look.

The latest pack offers yet another selection of film-emulating presets to give images the feel of the likes of Polaroid and Fuji films. There's also new custom camera profiles for Fuji, Canon and Nikon.

VSCO Film 03 is said to utilize Lightroom’s 2012 process, as well as RGB curves, to result in even greater realism in film emulation and control of color tones.

Penguin-cam helps BBC get amazing shots

Some people say that a good photographer can get great shots whatever camera they are using. But sometimes it helps to have a dedicated tool for the job … like the BBCs Penguin-cam.

To help them get close-up footage of Emperor penguins in Antarctica, wildlife producers hid 50 cameras in a series of disguises ranging from rocks and eggs to penguins.

Nikon celebrates 80th NIKKOR anniversary with lens-making movie

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Nikon recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Nikkor brand … and decided to commemorate the achievement by releasing a video offering an insight into how its lenses are made nowadays.

The three-and-a-half-minute movie takes viewers through lens-making process; from forming the glass, to meticulously checking and polishing it before fixing it in a barrel ready to mounted on your camera.

It's a fascinating insight into process you probably take for granted, and certainly a great way to celebrate the 80 year history which began with the first shipment of Nippon Kogaku’s Aero-Nikkor aerial photographic lenses.

Sony ridicule DSLR users who use automatic settings

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Sony think it's daft that so many people buy expensive DSLRs and then leave them on automatic settings, so they sent out professional photographer Gary Heery to investigate why.

In a video which has gone viral online, Heery can be seen chatting to a number of photographers about how they use their cameras, an what they know about them.

It soon becomes apparent that many people may as well be wearing expensive necklaces as their DSLRs, because they are just for show and they don't know how to use them.

Will.i.am to launch 14 megapixel iPhone attachment

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Will.i.am is best known as a musician and TV talent show judge, but he's also carving out a  niche as something of a tech icon. He trialled holographic tech on TV elections coverage, has had his music broadcast from Mars… now he's got his eyes on photography.

Next week Will.i.am is due to launch a camera attachment which boosts the photographic ability of the Apple iPhone.

The device is said to be a dock which replaces the iPhone camera with one featuring a 14-megapixel sensor, but which still uses the iPhone screen an operating system to control it.

Kodak iPhone app released for film photographers

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Film photographers are often forgotten in the digital age, but Kodak has released an iPhone app to help photographers find and use the firm's range.

The KODAK Professional Film App aims to teach photographers not only how to shoot different types of film, but also where to source it and have it processed.

Describing the app a spokesperson said: "Need a lab to develop it? Use the KODAK Professional Film App to do all this and more. For example, are you in the UK and looking for KODAK PORTRA Professional 160 film?

Eyeist launches photography review service

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
Eyeist
has launched an online photography review service which will see experts review users work and provide private guidance and feedback on their images.

With an interface which built from the ground up, paying users can submit up to 30 images and get comprehensive feedback within 72 hours, schedule a private, 20-minute live session with an Eyeist Reviewer.

The team of over 50 reviewers, including Photo Editors, Publishers, Photographers and Photo Agents will also help you get your presentation, portfolio, or book organized.

Photographer hides GoPro camera in wedding bouquet


There are few more photographed events than a wedding, so coming up with a new way of shooting on is quite rare, but photographer Ben Horne managed it for his own big day.

Horne decided to hide a small GoPro camera in the wedding bouquet, giving a unique perspective on all the action.

Footage from the bouquet-cam shows what is was like for the bride to get ready, walk down the aisle and plenty of other lovely candid moments.

OddPrints.com helps you print photos for unusual-sized frames



Photo labs are all very good for printing standard sizes such as 6"×4" or 7"×5", but if you've got an unusual-sized frame you wan to put a photo in, it can all get a bit tricky.

Trying to help you out is the recently-launched website OddPrints.com. Users upload their image and select the size they would like to get it printed.

The site then resizes the digital file and produces it as part of a standard-sized print, from a 6"x4" to a 10"x8". The file is then downloaded and can be taken to any photo lab to be printed.

Magnetic quick release mount for compact cameras

While filters used to be a mainstay of photography, they are used less and less in digital photography. But the MagFilter System hopes to change that by bringing easy filters to your compact camera.

The MagFilter System comes in a variety of sizes to suit cameras including the Sony RX100 or Canon S100 and consists of a magnetic ring which attaches to the end of your lens and then magnetic filters which pop on or off.

Current filters on offer include polarizing filters and neutral density filters. A spokesperson said: "The revolutionary Carry Speed MagFilters provide the most innovative and unobtrusive filter solution to high end compact cameras.

Google shows off backpack camera system

                                                                                                                                                              
It's no secret that Google as got some pretty cool technology, and that includes their photography tech used for producing Google Street View.

Google recently showed off a wearable backpack camera system which has been used to capture images of the Grand Canyon.

The device - which features several cameras positioned in a sphere raised above the wearer's head - was used to capture 360-degree images of the breathtaking landscapes.

GoPro launch Hero 3 … shoots 4K video


The Hero range of action-cameras have been popular with extreme sports aficionados for a few year now, and their latest camera, the Hero 3 looks sure to continue the trend.

The Hero 3 is said to be 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than its predecessor, but this hasn't impacted what it is capable of, not by a long way.

Three versions of the Hero 3 offer a variety of specs, but it's the top of the range black edition which is the most interesting. In addition to shooting 1080p60 Full HD video, the camera is capable of 2.7k and 4K resolutions albeit at lower frame-rates.