Technology Explained, Practice
Daniela Bowker
Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! ...

When you hear the term 'high-res' thrown about with such abandon when it comes to images for web use, have you ever stopped to think just how big or how high quality and image meant for the web needs to be?

Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! Saving images for the web
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring

There's an assumption that high-contrast images are more dynamic, more compelling, more inviting. Have a go at some low-contrast photography. You might surprise yourself with the results.

Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring
Feature Articles, Theory
Daniela Bowker
Seeking balance in your photos

Balance doesn't mean symmetry; it means an internal consistency and tension within your photos. And it's a vital element of composition. 

Seeking balance in your photos
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Training your photographic luck

Great photos might be down to a little bit of luck, but most of that 'luck' you make yourself. Don't believe us? Read on...

Training your photographic luck
Feature Articles, Practice
Daniela Bowker
The ups and downs and ins and outs of ...

Photographing buildings doesn't have to mean wide-angle lenses and fretting about correcting for the keystone effect. Any lens, and angle. Don't believe us? Let us show you!

The ups and downs and ins and outs of photographing buildings

surfboards

Hero2 helmet cam can record heroic exploits with bikes, cars, and surfboards

hero2

If my Ma had her way, she’d strap one of these things to my helmet whilst I’m racing around London on my bicycle so that she can yell at drivers when they cut me up and yell at me when I zip in and out of traffic. (My bicycle is called Elspeth, by the way.) It’s the GoPro HD Hero2 helmet cam; the super-improved replacement for Go-Pro’s already rather wonderful original Hero helmet camera that records your awesome adventures as you go careening around race tracks and tumbling through waves so that you can relive them with mates and beer whilst you nurse your bruises.

It captures 1080p HD video and 11 megapixel photos. That’s a bit of upgrade from the previous five megapixels, eh? The new lens should be better in low-light, too. Come the winter, you’ll even be able to stream your exploits live via Wifi (if there’s an available Wifi connection, obviously). And the interface has been redesigned so that you should, in theory, be able to use it without the need for destructions.

You can select from three different angles of view: narrow (90º), medium (127º), and wide (170º) for your video, or there’s medium or wide for your timelapse photos that you can set for every half second.

The Hero2 comes in three flavours – outdoor, motorsport, and surf – and is retailing at $299.99. There’s more info from GoPro.

No Ma, if you’re reading this, I’m not getting one. But I’d love to see someone’s exploits as they hurtle down a mountainside with one attached to their helmet.