Sometimes I find it increasingly difficult to get away from working on stuff and take a break. This past weekend I managed to get away and go north from Seattle, out onto the Olympic Peninsula–all around fun trip. Excited to get out and start shooting more photos.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Both of the above videos were shot on Canon’s newest DSLR, the 1d Mark IV. The videos look incredible, but what is absolutely jaw-dropping about the first video, Nocturne by Vincent Laforet, is that it was shot at ISO 6400 for nearly the whole video–some of the scenes were shot at ISO 3200 but all scenes used natural light sources.

The quality coming from the new 1d Mark IV is stunning. Prior to the 5d Mark II and Nikon D90 I was not super thrilled about video on DSLR’s. The main reason was that I didn’t see its potential. Now that these video capabilities are so well refined, I’d love to get ahold of a new DSLR. Just one more thing to add to this years wish list.

Every winter in Idaho is different. Some winters you see lots of snow and some you don’t see more than a few inches. Going into the trip I had envisioned another great black & white series like last years Winter in Black & White but instead here are an eclectic group of color photos from the trip.

The EOS-1D Mark IV is a high-speed performance beast with a 16-megapixel sensor, and Dual DIGIC 4 Processors. The camear shoots at 10 frames per second and is the second camera ever to have ISO expandable to 102400. This new camera also features 1080p HD video at selectable frame rates.

This has been the strangest release in Canon’s history. We–and I’m going to speak for a lot of photographers here when I say this–have been waiting and waiting for Canon to step up the 1d series and tonight they’ve done just that. The Canon 1D Mark IV is the newest and hottest camera on the market. It’s the release we’ve been waiting for–will you fancy for this camera or buy it? Comment here and tell us. Check out some of the details below.

Canon 1D Mark IV Key Features

* 16-megapixel APS-H (1.3x crop factor) CMOS sensor (4896 x 3264 pixels)
* Sensitivity range: ISO 100 to 12,800, expandable to ISO 50 and ISO 102,400
* Updated auto focus system with 39 cross-type sensors
* New, AI Servo II predictive auto focus
* 10 frames per second full resolution RAW
* Flash sync: 1/300th second
* HD video: 1080p at 30, 24, and 25 frames per second – 720p at 60 frames per second
* Manual video exposure control
* Optional stereo sound with microphone line-in
* Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors
* 14-bit analogue to digital conversion
* Three RAW modes (16, 9 and 4 megapixels)
* 3-inch, 920k Clear View II LCD display
* “Completely weather-resistant”
* Rugged, magnesium alloy chassis
* 100% coverage optical viewfinder
* 300,000-cycle shutter

Canon 1D Mark IV Availability

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The 1D Mark IV is scheduled to be available in late December. It’s gonna cost you your next three paychecks–the body is expected to be $4999.00. That’s up about $500 compared to the 1D Mark III price. But you have to expect that when you’re getting that much cameraz-a full HD video capable camera, and a super fast, pro dslr.

Check out these truly amazing samples from over at Vincent Laforet’s blog. He has been testing the camera for some time now.

We wait and wait all year for the camera companies to release new cameras so we can desire the biggest and baddest. Just this morning Canon announced their new addition to the high-end camera line, the EOS 7d. Now, before we get into it here, lets list the facts/specs about the camera:

• 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor
• 1.6x Crop
• 8 frames per second continuous shooting
• 1080p HD video recording with manual controls
• 3.0 inch Clear View II LCD screen with 920,000 dots
• 19-point AF system (all cross-type)
• 1.0x magnification and 100% coverage viewfinder
• Wireless flash control
• Environmental sealing
• $1699 price tag (body only)

Read the full review here.

Now, what do you think.

Is this a camera that is fully worthy of a release at this point? Do you believe that Canon should have spent their time releasing or designing something else? If so, what and why?

Note: I’ve started the debate by this comment earlier this morning.

The sacrifice is worth it for one reason:

When limited, you’re forced to be creative. In a search to find my style, the smaller camera makes me rethink what I’m shooting. The limitation empowers me with the requirement of creativity. The evidence is in the top left photo.

What do you see?

It is a normal light; the inner bulb and reflector. What I instinctively saw for a light, looked to me more like a skeleton. This is a prime example of finding interesting (taking ordinary things and turning them into interesting images). The next time you take a photo (if other than the family thanksgiving photo) try to find interesting for yourself. It will lead you on a daily hunt to create new photographs.

[continue reading to see more images]

The following four images are of found objects. Can you guess what each object is in the photo?

The different thoughts that friends and fellow photographers said about those first round images, had me thinking about continually revisiting old photos that at first weren’t “bangers”. I strongly suggest you try the same but for now, lets start these four photos on their review. Here are two very simple questions that I have for you and if you will, post a message down below answering in short:

Which image is your favorite and why?

Which image is your least favorite and why?

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Every year around this time we see a slew of firework photographs being pushed online that look the same. We may see a few purple cows in the bunch (outstanding or remarkably interesting photos are purple cows) but the majority look very typical. As a stretch to find creativity, I changed the way I shot the fireworks this year in hopes to take not so typical photographs (last years typical photos).

Where do YOU draw the line with Typical vs Not So Typical?

I’ve opted to only post two photos. The first is a panorama of South Lake Union in Seattle looking towards Gasworks Park. The photo was taken from exactly here.

The second photo is quite different than I’ve seen the Fourth of July portrayed. I’m going to leave it up to you to decide which one fits the holiday the best and which set, last years or this years, wins the Not So Typical award.

Did you shoot this year? Feel free to link to your Firework images in the comments. For anyone wanting to know settings/meta info, look here.

UPDATE: Here is a link to some great not-so-typical firework photos from Getty/AP photographers.

I think I may have found ten cameras that will solve your wants forever. Sure they are a little strange, but these cameras will produce such interesting results that you can’t go wrong. The only problem is that they’re limited in quantity, so getting your hands on them will be tough.

Continue reading to reveal the list.

So there you have it–the top ten plus one. Ok so maybe these cameras aren’t the hottest on the market, but they sure are the most unique off the market. Most of them were sold for detective works with the exception of the matchbox camera, which was specifically for spying on people.

Read more about these cameras on this article.

We’ve seen more rebranding in the last few months than we can shake a stick at. Without a doubt, this rebranding epidemic was caused by the economic situation and the positive notion of change. This is great for some who try it, but not so great for others; Tropicana, Mountain Dew, Sprite, and Blimpie are some of which just aren’t that great. On to the good branding…

Corbis is a creative stock photo agency with their headquarters based out of Seattle. Their first logo was…well…interesting to say the least; have a look at it here. In 2004, Segura Inc redesigned the logo what we are familiar with today. The new design was a success and later in 2007 when Corbis acquired Veer, the in-house team at Corbis began redesigning the logo with a softer touch. The letterforms are rid of the hard angles in place for more rounded and welcoming curves.