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

blue glasses

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Poppy - turning your iPhone into a 3D camera

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Did you have a Viewmaster stereoscope as a kid? One of those 3D viewing contraptions into which you'd insert a 'reel' of images that were in a cardboard disc, look through the eye holes and then depress a lever to rotate the images through the viewing mechanism? Yes! One of those! I had one, too. In fact, it's probably still at my parents' house, somewhere. But if Joe and Ethan from Hack Things have anything to do with anything, there will soon be an iPhone compatible equivalent that lets you turn photos and videos into stereoscopic masterpices. It's called Poppy, and they've just launched their Kickstarter appeal to get things moving.

Nothing about Poppy is digital—apart from your iPhone—it works entirely with optics. You insert your iPhone into the device and a set of mirrors captures a pair of binocular images on your iPhone's lens. When you look through Poppy's viewfinder, the images are combined to create a 3D scene.

Have a look at the video, because Joe and Ethan explain it better than I ever could.

You can watch your own videos in 3D through Poppy, or whatever you fancy off of YouTube. If you make a video using Poppy and want to share it with your friends, they can see it in 3D with the stylish addition of a pair of red-blue glasses.

If you head over to Kickstarter and pledge your support to raise $40,000, you can help bring Poppy into production and maybe even get your hands on one of the first models. I'm not a fan of 3D at all, that's no secret, but the nostalgia of this really appeals!

Update! 27.vi.2013 16:30 BST: Less than 24 hours after launching their Kickstarter appeal, Ethan and Joe have exceeded their funding requirement for Poppy. Wow!