Well there’s real food and then plastic food. The latter we all know about: the real version does not look anything like the plastified one we see in ads. Shame to the photographers and companies indulging in this blatant lie. But real food photography can be beautiful. Witness those by Leemei Tan, Author of My Cooking Hut.

Read the interview at: Digital Camera World.

Have a good DSLR and have always wanted to photograph the stars? Here’s a tutorial from Bob Atkins on just how to go about doing it with your camera, a sturdy tripod and a telephoto lens. It covers focusing, exposure, image stacking, shutter speed to use, and how to photograph the Moon (how we all start), star trails, the Sun (yikes, but beautiful) and the planets.

Read the tutorial at: Bob Atkins.

Michael Chiusano over at Luminous Landscape has a must-read article about an era gone by when “Kodak meant photography.” What’s interesting is the part about how we misread the market when we are on the top of the world, so to speak. The “we know best” attitude that looks down on new competitors is always the beginning of the end of any empire. The same people who made Kodak film great and #1 in the world refuse to “compromise” to meet competitors’ onslaught. Threats are not taken seriously.

Read the article at: Luminous Landscape.

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Harold Merklinger over at Luminous Landscape has an interesting article titled “The Game of Photography — What Are the Rules?”

It’s about whether digital manipulation is cheating or acceptable photography. He makes an excellent point about the difference between amateur and professional photographers. As an amateur photographer, you follow no rules except your own. So, if you digitally manipulate a picture and the end result gives you great pleasure, then why not? [No rules to break = no cheating.] On the other hand, a professional photographer (as in one who does it for a living) must follow the client’s rules. [Photojournalism, for example, accepts absolutely no digital manipulation of a news photo; they break the rules, they cheat.]

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It’s crazy and probably illegal in some cases, but a new fad has developed and involves getting to the very top of buildings and photographing the scene below. The images are dramatic and one of a kind but “roof topping,” as this guerilla art is named, may well get someone killed as they seek the thrill of getting up there.

Read the story at The Star and view the pictures.

Netherlands-based photographer Alícia Rius finds beauty where most of us would find rust, dirt and ugliness. She shoots from the back seat of abandoned cars and captures not only the view through the broken windows but the interesting details of the car itself. Looks very much like HDR photos.

via PSFK

Sigma Corporation of America announces the passing of Michihiro Yamaki

Imaging manufacturer’s pioneering CEO, founder led company for more than 50 years

RONKONKOMA, NY, Jan. 27, 2012 – With great sadness, Sigma Corporation of America today announced the passing of Sigma Corporation’s founder and CEO Michihiro Yamaki. He died of liver cancer in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 18 at the age of 78.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “Mr. Yamaki was an industry visionary, and his leadership and enthusiasm has been the driving force behind our company’s innovation for more than 50 years. We’re sending our deepest condolences to the Yamaki family, and our entire Sigma family around the world, during this very difficult time.”

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There’s an interesting article over at DigitalCameraInfo on whether the Megapixel War is over or not. You weren’t even aware there was a war going on? It’s the one where camera manufacturers tried to sell you new cameras with ever more pixels because you thought (and sensor engineers will publish technical papers to prove it) that more megapixels meant better images. Up to a point, this is true and certainly true on large sensors which have still ots of space to accomodate even more pixels. But on the tiny sensors (you’d be shocked if you saw how tiny the image sensor in your digital camera or phone is), more pixels usually mean worse quality images.

Read the article at: DigitalCameraInfo.