An AI Studio Made Its Own Odyssey and Timed It to Nolan's Opening
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey opens today, shot entirely on IMAX 70mm for a reported $250 million. Three days before it reached theaters, an AI studio announced an Odyssey of its own: 135 minutes long, made largely by one person over three months, for a budget in the mid five figures.
New York City Wants Landlords to Admit When Listing Photos Are AI
New York City wants landlords and brokers to tell you when the photos in a rental listing have been generated or retouched by AI. It arrived as one of 23 proposals in Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Rental Ripoff Report, and if it becomes a real rule, the people shooting those listings are the ones who will have to draw the line.
How to Make Flat Light Work for Your Portraits
Flat light gets a bad reputation. The moment the sky turns from blue to a sheet of gray cloud, a lot of photographers pack up, assuming the good light is gone for the day. That instinct is backward. Soft, flat, overcast light is one of the most forgiving and flattering kinds of natural light there is, and the only reason it disappoints people is that they treat it as a finished product rather than a starting point. Learn a few simple ways to shape it, and a dull gray day becomes some of the easiest portrait light you will ever work with.
Netflix Faked VHS, Nolan Shot Real Film: Digital Perfection Is Losing Its Appeal
Netflix just spent real engineering time making its biggest show look worse, on purpose. It's not the only surprising analog bet this summer — Christopher Nolan shot a $250 million blockbuster entirely on physical film — and neither is nostalgia. It's a signal about what audiences want that every photographer and videographer should notice.
Vacation or Photo Shoot? The Trap of Traveling as a Photographer
Travel is one of the best ways to learn history, to experience new foods and cultures, and to find inspiration. But when a photographer travels for personal fulfillment, it can be tricky to balance the "photographer" and the person.
I recently took a trip to Greece that I've wanted to take since high school. Walking around Athens, visiting the Acropolis, the Agora, the Archaeological Museum, and many other sites of antiquity and mythology was a treasure trove for the mind. It was also difficult to separate my instinct for photography from my personal enjoyment.
Two OM System White Lenses, One Coast, and a 1,000mm Reach Test
An 800mm equivalent lens that fits in a hand and a 1,000mm equivalent monster share the same day out on the Welsh coast. That kind of reach used to mean carrying gear you could barely lift, and the shift toward smaller sensors covering it is one of the more interesting developments in wildlife photography right now.
The Prime vs. Zoom Debate Is Missing the Point
Most wedding shooters carry a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm so they never get caught without the right reach. That habit can quietly wreck the consistency of your work, and the fix has nothing to do with which lens you own.
Do Photographers Have the Right to Sell Every Image They've Taken?
A photographer was hired to shoot a musician for a magazine. Months later, she started selling prints from that session. The musician says she never agreed to any of that — and now a court is going to settle a question photographers normally settle with a piece of paper: who owns an editorial photograph once the shoot is over?
Dear Anonymous Critic, May I See Your Work?
There is a particular kind of confidence that only exists on the internet. You have probably encountered it if you've ever published a photograph, written an article, uploaded a YouTube video or, for that matter, dared to have an opinion in public. It belongs to the person who has never shown you a single piece of their own work, yet has absolutely no hesitation in explaining why yours falls short.
Why Cheap, Good, and Simple Black-and-White Prints Don't Exist
Ask any printer to be cheap, good at black and white, and simple to use, and you're chasing something that doesn't exist. Anyone who has tried to pull a truly neutral monochrome print off an inkjet knows the frustration of watching subtle color casts creep into what should be clean gray.
George Lucas Says AI Is 'the Future' of Filmmaking and There's Nothing You Can Do About It
One of cinema's most influential creators just planted his flag firmly on the pro-AI side. In a wide-ranging interview tied to the opening of his Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, George Lucas said artificial intelligence is "the future" of moviemaking and that fighting it is pointless: "There's nothing you can do about it. That's progress, it's the future."
Hundreds Charged for Flying Drones Near World Cup Sites, Even for Unrelated Shots
Federal authorities have charged hundreds of people for flying drones too close to FIFA World Cup sites, and some of them were not even filming the tournament. One pilot got footage of a church, another was shooting for a real estate business, and both ended up facing federal charges.
The FAA May Turn a Lot More of the US Into a No-Drone Zone
The FAA has proposed a rule that would let power plants, dams, refineries, and other "critical infrastructure" sites ask to have the airspace above them closed to drones. By the agency's own estimate, roughly 125,000 facilities could qualify to ask. Almost no one has said anything about it — 578 public comments as of July 13 — and the window closes August 5.
The Anker Nano Power Strip Fixes the Ugliest Corner of Your Editing Desk
Every desk has one ugly corner: the gray knot of chargers and power bricks that no cable management ever truly tames. The Anker Nano Power Strip (10-in-1, 70W, Clamp) clamps to your desk edge and swallows that knot whole, and after a month running my entire charging setup off it, I'm not going back.
This Week's Best Camera Deals: Tamron's Superzoom, DJI Gimbals and Mics, and a Pocketable Full Frame Panasonic
Camera gear discounts move fast, and this week has a strong spread of them: a do-everything Tamron superzoom, three phone gimbals and two wireless mic kits from DJI, a pocketable Panasonic full frame body, a compact Canon vlogging camera, and a two-pack of GaN chargers to keep it all running. Here's what's worth your attention right now.
Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD — $1,044.95 ($254 Off)The Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD is down to $1,044.95 for Sony E-mount, $254 off its $1,299 list price.
5 Ways to Shoot Landscapes in Summer
Landscape photography in the summer can be frustrating, especially when shooting woodlands and forests. The forest is thick with green foliage, and parts of the bright blue sky shine through the canopy, creating hotspots in your image. But surely landscape photographers don't stow their cameras away for six months every year, so there must be an alternative?
The Quiet Friendship Between Two Photographers Who Never Needed to Meet in Public
There's a fairly common way to begin a piece about two photographers: describing when they met. This isn't that kind of story. Between Luigi Ghirri and Claude Nori, there's no iconic image shared together, no textbook foundational episode, not even the certainty that they ever needed to truly define their relationship.
And yet, between Italy and France, between silent suburbs and summer memories, something rarer than a collaboration was built: a similarity of gaze. It's as if two people, without speaking much, had decided to answer the same question.
See Your Focus Points in Camera Raw: The Setting Hiding in the Right-Click Menu
Photoshop's Camera Raw keeps getting features that Lightroom users have been waiting years for, and the gap between the two is worth watching. If you organize in one program and edit in another, the question of whether you should mix them has a clear answer.
The Photoshop Tool You Never Use That Creates Stunning Effects
The pixel stretch effect looks like something out of a high-end ad campaign, yet it comes down to a handful of clicks in Photoshop. If you've ever wanted to add motion, energy, or a graphic edge to a portrait or product shot, this technique gets you there in minutes.
Four Counterintuitive Photography Habits That Actually Work
Most photography advice tells you to learn more, shoot in manual, and chase the perfect trip. Doing the opposite of all three might improve your work faster than any tutorial ever could.