Photo Inspiration: The Underwater Photography of Bruce Mozert

Underwater at Silver Springs - by Bruce Mozert

These days it’s relatively easy for anyone to buy an underwater housing for their digital camera, and head down to the depths to capture amazing, other worldy images. So spare a thought for Bruce Mozert, who back in 1938 took innovative, underwater photos at Silver Springs, Florida using a home made underwater casing. Mozert’s pictures are an amazing mix of 30s style and innovative thinking, not only about composition, but also about how he could create certain effects underwater, such as smoke off a barbecue.

You can see more of Bruce’s amazing images here at the Smithsonian. Or check out our own underwater photography section for hints and tips on creating your own underwater masterpieces.

Canon SLR Dust Prevention (EOS Integrated Cleaning System)

For those of you using digital SLRs, you’re probably already aware of the problem of dust spots on your photos. Simply put, this is where dust gets onto your camera CCD (the sensor that takes the photo) causing spots to appear on your photos - especially when you take long exposures. This dust normally enters the camera when changing lenses, hence why SLR cameras are more affected than sealed, single lens units, but on a positive note with an SLR you can always clean the sensor yourself.

Now Canon have released some improvements to their latest cameras, such as the recently released Canon 40D. This set of improvements is shown in the handy video below, just don’t expect the dramatic car chase you might expect from the strange choice of background music:

For those of you with no time on your hands the brief summary of changes is:

1. Prevent Dust Generation: By using specific, high quality components in the lens tube - dust generation from outside and inside the lens is reduced.
2. Prevent Dust from Sticking: Use of an anti-static layer on the sensor makes it harder for dust to stick to the CCD.
3. Remove Stuck Dust: New sensors incorporate a ’self cleaning sensor unit’ that, basically, vibrates very rapidly to shake the dust off. Simple.

Sounds like fun. I might just have to head out and buy a new Canon 40D to check it out in the real world {:)

Related articles:

• Cleaning a Canon 20D sensor (CCD) to remove dust spots

Photosynth out of Beta

Photosynth, Microsoft’s revolutionary piece of software for making ‘3D’ style images out of flat photos, is now up and ready for use. Photosynth works by taking a set of images of the same thing - a place or object - and using pattern matching to work out corresponding areas on overlapping photos. This process is automatic, and once completed it means you can navigate in ‘3D’ around the constructed image. It’s certainly a step on from the usual panoramic stitching software we’re all used to.

Of course one issue… Microsoft being Microsoft and all, this only works on PCs right now so Mac users will have to wait a bit. On a positive note though, Photosynth works on the Firefox browser, not just IE, which is a big step for Microsoft.

Photo Opportunities: Breast Shaped Clouds?

Breast shaped clouds? That’s mammatus clouds to you! [From the BBC]

The BBC reported on some interesting cloud formations that occurred over England a few days ago. Mammatus clouds, so named because they look like breasts, form underneath cloud formations under the right conditions. The picture above is particularly nice as the setting sun caught and highlighted the clouds against the threatening gray of the rest of the cloud. It’s a great example of why you should always have a camera to hand to capture these and other moments.

Photo Inspiration: Tourist Toy Photos

Toy Eiffel Tower by Michael Hughes

Photographer Michael Hughes has a great idea for what to do with your camera when you go on holiday. Pick up some tourist toys or postcards of the local landmarks, then go take a photo of yourself holding the tourist object in front of the real thing. Genius. You can have a lot of fun with this idea, not only with replacing the real thing with a copy of itself, but also putting something stranger over the top, or taking the same object round the world with you and photographing it in different locations.