We would like to introduce you to a different kind of photography. For the greater majority of us, it is photography quite unlike any that we have seen before. What is it? Is it supposed to mean something? These are questions that we may be tempted to ask when looking at it. But that is the point entirely when it comes to this kind of photography. We need not find meaning in it in relation to what it is intended to represent. Rather, it has meaning unto itself. It just is. It just has meaning. We have heard of abstract paintings and abstract sculptures. Photography does have its counterpart. It is called abstract photography. In this four part series on abstract photography, we would like to share with you a bit of information on this kind of photography that is truly one of a kind. Below is a sample of abstract photography.

From artspan.

We would like to show what abstract…

Reuters has put together a fabulous slideshow highlighting the best pictures of 2009.

Images in the slideshow feature some of the biggest news stories of the year such as the H1N1 flu, global warming, the election of American President Barack Obama, Australia’s bushfires in Victoria and the memorial for pop star Michael Jackson.

Reuters has photographers based around the corners of the world covering news events and stringing for the agency. Many share insights into their working life via a blog. On the blog photographers talk about the horrors of photographing the devastation wreaked by the Asian tsunami, how to shoot the British Premier League in snow and some of the unusual topics they’ve covered.

A child receiving a vaccine for H1N1 at a Sichuan hospital in China. REUTERS/Stringer

A fan waiting to enter the Apollo Theater for the memorial to Michael Jackson. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Need some inspirational locations where you can shoot this year? Consider stocking up on Lonely Planet‘s “Best in Travel” to find journeys you can follow, destinations to consider and various travel trends to expect.

The book utilises the incredible travel knowledge of Lonely Planet’s staff and authors and lists the top 10 countries, regions and cities to visit. The November 2009 release is the fifth annual publication in this series. A handy resource for travel writers and photographers.

The death of British journalist Rupert Hamer and the wounding of photographer Philip Coburn in Afghanistan this week (January 10) are amongst the first reported journalist casualities of 2010. Hamer, 39, is also the first British journalist killed in the conflict.

The pair were involved in an explosion outside a village in southern Afghanistan. The blast also killed a U.S. Marine.

The media casualities in 2009 were amongst the worst on record. The International News Safety Institute recorded 132 journalists and support staff died in 35 countries covering news in 2009. This is despite the UN Security Council Resolution 1738 that demanded greater safety for journalists in conflict areas.

There are memorials dedicated to media around the world. One is the Breathing Sculpture (see image below) on the new wing of Broadcasting House at the BBC.

The HP Climate Change Photography Contest is a chance for photographers to document climate changes within their own environment. The contest has been significantly timed with the Climate Change talks in Copenhagen and submissions are due by December 31, 2009.

Hewlett Packard is running the competition in association with Sanctuary Asia and WWF-India and wants photographers to document the droughts, floods and natural disasters that are becoming more commonplace around the world.

They seek striking images that tell the story of the challenges and solutions of climate change and send a message to the world that will bring about conscious local and global change. The best 100 entries win subscriptions to Sanctuary Asia magazine.

HP employs 300,000 people in 170 countries and seeks to minimize its global footprint and find low-carbon solutions for its customers.

Every photographer knows how crucial good lighting is when taking photos. Natural light is a great help, but unfortunately, it’s not always there, so photographers use flash. The thing with flash, though, is that it can be quite intrusive—especially if you’re trying to catch a candid moment. Well, that might change in a few months or years.

An Associate Professor at New York University, Rob Fergus, and a first-year student from the same school, Dilip Krishnan, developed a device that emits invisible light. Dubbed the “dark flash,” actually has a wider range than normal flashes do.

Still, the “dark flash” still has a few kinks: the photos it takes are monochromatic, some blind spots, etc. Rob and Dilip took two exposures to get around the first problem. One is taken with the “dark flash,” and the other without it (using ambient light). The second exposure retains color information lost in the first. The two exposures are then reconstructed.

Sure, the…

We know it takes time and money to attend professional workshops.  You may be fortunate to be a staff photographer, and if so, these workshops are usually your perks.  But if you are independent and living on a modest salary, these classes may not be fit it in your schedule or your budget.

One of Blinq’s goals is to provide you with useful and reliable resources. So we will do the crawling for you so you do not have to search through millions of links trying to find a useful webinar, podcast or webcast, or even a book. That’s right, a workshop in a book!  Oddly enough,  I was thinking how nice it would be if there was a workshop in a book.   Good thing, there’s a very good one.

Dave Black has been sports photographer for thirty years.  He’s made a name for himself through his passion of teaching. He has a great online tutorial called “Workshop at…

To make multiple light set-ups easy to adjust when using the ControlTL™ system, PocketWizard introduces the ZoneController.  The ZoneController gives the photographer control over three independent zones of light whether working in E-TTL or manual mode.   The PocketWizard ZoneController will be available late summer.
The ZoneController slides into the upper hot-shoe of an on-camera MiniTT1 or FlexTT5 radio and communicates with a FlexTT5 at the flash that has been set for either zone (or group) A, B or C.  The three dials on the ZoneController independently adjust the A-B-C zones and allow for 1/3 f-stop increments of power control with a +/- three f-stop range (six stops total) when used in manual control.  When used for TTL auto flash, the ZoneController adjusts the relative light level of each zone independently.

Three switches on the ZoneController allow the photographer to switch from manual control to TTL auto flash or to completely turn off a zone. The unit receives its minimal…