"Camera Sim 3D" - A Clever DSLR Simulator

Surprised I haven't heard of this before, but I think it's absolutely genius. A first person exploration title with an emphasis on teaching users how to use a DSLR prior to dropping the money on one. The Unity based simulator is releasing relatively soon, and will serve as a really helpful too to demystify the incredible amount of features that come with most cameras of that caliber- Exposure, focal length, shutter speed, aperture, ISO..I remember feeling overwhelmed when I went in blind, and it took me months to figure out all the settings on my Canon.

While the creator of the sim, Jon Arnold emphasizes that this will never replace the experience of having your own camera and testing it in the wild, it's not hard to see that this will be an intuitive way of experimenting when the conditions aren't fit for venturing out. Look forward to taking this for a spin when it comes out. You can check out more details about Camera Sim on the official website.

"Hunger Games - Mockingjay" Propaganda Posters Are Quite Striking

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While The Hunger Games movie adaptations haven't exactly been our cup of tea, you have to appreciate the work that the marketing teams have been putting into the third installment of the franchise, titled Mockingjay. These propaganda posters issues from the Capitol salute the various districts of Panem and their denizens, capturing the compartmentalized purpose of each area.

These eerie, nearly statue-esque posters do a great job in subtly conveying the Capitol’s warped belief that whatever dreadful thing is happening is simply another step towards the greater good. Check out the rest of these awesome posters after the break.

After shorting out, then quickly repairing District 3’s mainframe at the age of nine, Fibre Bissette, 32, has proven her fearlessness in the face of any challenge.

Flying Around Estonia With An Octocopter

I've heard of quadcopters, but octocopters? Didn't hear about them till today, when Estonian photographers/tinkerers A&J released their stunning little video filmed entirely using a copter film rig piloted by Jorma Suumann. What do these rigs look like?

Something like this. Mixed with a gimbal style image stabilization system it enables photogs to capture some truly beautiful footage with some truly amazing motion. The part where the camera wraps around the abandoned light tower is one of the many stunning little moments captured in this reel.

Hong Kong In Miniature

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These photos of exquisite miniatures were taken at the Kowloon Bay miniatures exhibit that took place earlier this month at Telford Plaza, showcasing some of the best custom miniature work from the entire Asian hobbyist and professional market. Centered around capturing some of Hong Kong's most iconic stores and locations from the past and present (Like the now demolished 'Forbidden City,' pictured above) in miniature.



Local blogger Trevor Mingkei had a chance to attend the event, which he captured in film set to the tunes of Natalie Cole's L-O-V-E, which mirrors the way I feel about miniature making in general. The attention to detail is just stunning in these sets, with no detail spared in the making of. Check out some more photos of the Hong Kong In Miniature exhibit after the break.

Underwater Art Exhibit Brings Culture To The Abyss

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Do you like art? Do you like swimming? If you said yes to both, you're in luck because you might have the opportunity to partake in both! Andreas Franke has been a still-life photographer for over  twenty-years, placing models into surreal worlds in which every detail is planned with precision. While surreal photography is fantastic in itself Franke has stepped his game up and employed a unique spin on his displays. You see, Franke's newest gallery is a bit different than your average set-up, and landlubbers aren't invited.

To match the hauntingly surreal underwater scene's depicted in each of Franke's work, the entire gallery is being shown underwater. You read that correctly, if you want to see the work in person you're gonna have to strap on your scuba gear,  because it's waiting for you in the ocean (at least for now).

The entire concept of this makes a bit uncomfortable, as I have a pretty big fear of deep water, but I still find it unbelievably cool. The concept, titled, The Sinking World of Andreas Franke, has been in the works for quite sometime and after sitting on the ocean floor for months, the images have begun to take on a truly unique, organic overlaying filter, adding to the ghostly theme tying the imagery together.

The entire concept is cool as all hell and while I wouldn't go as far as diving down to see it, I'd love to see the photos in person. Hit the jump for a demonstration of part of the exhibit and a few more images, it's pretty damn amazing.

Google Streetview Hyperlapse

This amazing project was created by Teehan+Lax Labs, a creative think tank created to explore the potential of existing technology and how to push it farther. Using specifically designed code, the developers figured out how to create a truly fluid tool for extracting beautiful timelapses out of the image rich Google map data. Their official release below:

Hyper-lapse photography – a technique combining time-lapse and sweeping camera movements typically focused on a point-of-interest – has been a growing trend on video sites. It’s not hard to find stunning examples on Vimeo. Creating them requires precision and many hours stitching together photos taken from carefully mapped locations. We aimed at making the process simpler by using Google Street View as an aid, but quickly discovered that it could be used as the source material. It worked so well, we decided to design a very usable UI around our engine and release Google Street View Hyperlapse.

The site settings are purposely low (like having a maximum of 60 frames per animation) for greater accessibility. However, all the source code is available on Github (including examples and documentation) so developers can play with higher frame rates, better image quality, and more complicated camera movements

MōVI : The Next Generation Of Camera Stabilization

Created by Vincent Laforet, MōVI is an interesting proof of concept showcasing the advances in camera stabilization using an evolved gyro-stabilized gimbal to provide some of the smoothest shots without any need for stabilization in post processing.

In leyman's terms, imagine a device that could pretty much eliminate any type of camera shake for professional cinematography by isolating the camera from the operator, and you'll get a good idea as to what the MōVI is about. Check out a demo of the concept behind this system and a behind the scenes of the short below. Whereas certain shots would be considered prohibitive to pull off, even with a full torso mounted steadicam rig, this product could potentially change the way that action sequences might be shot. There's never been any device capable of stabilizing cameras to this extent, until Laforte was inspired to evolve this medium. Amazing.

DIY Bullet time : GoPro Style

Created by Marc Donahue, this amazing GoPro rig uses a few dozen cameras to simulate the effect made famous by the Wachowski's Matrix trilogy, at a faction of the price. Despite some slightly dampened fidelity in image transitions due to shutter speed and the inherently fish eye nature of the lens, this video turned out pretty damn amazing consider it was an amateur effort.

Martin Klimas' Porcelain Fighters

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Created by dropping Chinese porcelain figures from a height of 3meters (approx. 10 feet) and a high speed camera to greet them at the bottom, German photographer Martin Klimas captured some truly spectacular explosions of lacquered porcelain, with statues of Shaolin fighters frozen in a state of dismembering combat.

As Martin put it: 'The porcelain statuette bursting into pieces isn't really what captures the attention, the fascination lies in the genesis of a dynamic figure that replaces the static pose.' These 'temporary' statues capture the birth of a dynamic sculpture from figures stuck in an otherwise static pose, which makes the concept behind this set truly unique. Check out more from the photographer after the break!

The Miniature Worlds Of Lori Nix

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When most people think about photography as an art form, they typically picture artists geared up with a half dozen, multi-thousand dollar lenses traveling around the world to find that perfect shot. Lori Nix doesn't quite fit that mold, instead opting to create her own worlds and subject matter via a passion for miniature building and a love of American Impressionism (Hudson River Painters).

Her various photo sets have all shared a bit of a disaster theme, ranging from natural anomalies in her 'Accidentally Kansas' to a post apocalyptic city frozen in time in 'The City.' Despite the rather grim themes, the playful nature of the materials she works with temper the gravitas of the scenes she masterfully captures through her lens. If you're a sucker for attention to detail, check out more of her work after the break!

Urs Fischer's Decay

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That sampling was from Urs Fischer, who caught me off guard with his unsettling installations centered around beauty, creation and decay. The Zurich born artist has become well known for creating pieces that are organic and ever changing via his application of factors that alter the materials he works in. From wax sculptures that transform over the course of a few days with the application of wickers and fire (Like the 'Untitled' piece above) to sculptures made out of bread, fruit, wax, styrofoam, clay, paint, sawdust and a mind boggling other array of materials, his pieces reflect the ever changing, chaotic nature of the world.

I really loved his unique take on his art and the message, and invite you guys to check out more of his massive gallery over on his official website. This man definitely struck an interesting chord with me.

Johan Thörnqvist's Photo Drawings

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This charming little project was created by Swedish artist Johan Thörnqvist, who set out to find an interesting way to incorporate art and photography into one cohesive mixture. Using only pictures taken from his phone, Johan used some photo manipulation to create interesting lighting scenarios for his characters to inhabit. Each of these images show off his quirky sense of humor and imagination.

You can check out more of his work after the break! And also, you can see the before/after pics and purchase prints on his awesome website, Snarlik.se!

Brand Spirit By Andrew Miller

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Brand Spirit is a project similar to the photo-a-day endeavors that people embark on, but with an added layer of complexity which truly took his series to the next level. The project started back in March and concluded in June, with Andrew focusing on taking iconic products that defined companies and painting them white to break them down to their purest form.

The series' main purpose is to bring up just how deeply these brands and their visual language have been embedded into us from years of exposure. Stripping away the colors, logos and other aspects still leaves us with (On the most part) instantly recognizable brands. Check out 7 more examples after the break, with the other 93 viewable on his Tumblr.

Tobi - The Art Of Japanese Construction Wear

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On first glance, the pair above might look like they could be mech pilots or characters in a scifi film, but it turns out that this photo series by the clothing company known as 'Tobi' is simply covering modern Japanese construction workers. Tobi is in reference to tobi pants, a type of baggy pants typically worn by 'Tobi Shokunin,' high altitude construction workers in Japan.

The photo series was created by a clothing company specializing in premium Japanese construction wear, seeing that these construction crews take great pride in their profession, as reflected by their heavily customized and personalized clothing. Have you ever seen construction workers look this badass, or so full of personality? This photo series is an incredible look into a subculture I'd never heard about before, with a visual style that's unlike anything I've witnessed in 5 years of trawling for interesting fashion reference online. For somebody who works in the entertainment industry, I can say that this series is a veritable goldmine for anyone looking for clothing that would fit perfectly in a scifi setting. Check out a dozen more incredible photos of 'Tobi Shokunin' after the break!

Mulberry Takes Us To Where The Wild Things Are

English luxury fashion brand Mulberry's new photo shoot definitely took me back to Maurice Sendak's classic series, with the exception of the high fashion model adorned in some seriously expensive clothing.

Mulberry: 'Our Autumn Winter 2012 campaign is a beautiful and evocative series of images shot by renowned British photographer Tim Walker. The story plays on the romance and darkness of children’s fairytales, inspired by Creative Director Emma Hill’s visions of explorers, mysterious stories and fantasy travels. It features Lindsey Wixson in her third campaign for us, travelling deep into the woods and meeting two giant furry forest creatures.'

Check out more images from the shoot after the break!

Laurent Chehere's Flying Houses

House 8 (Via)

Laurent Chehere is a Parisian born photographer that one day decided to put a halt on his promising advertising oriented career to pursue his personal passion; Taking pictures and traveling. As his bio states, this journey has taken him far and wide throughout the world, from  'Shangai to Valparaíso (Yeah!) and from Srinagar to Ushuaia.'

Perhaps flying houses are the midpoint between his two worlds(Professional and perosnal), mixing in an alluring collection of impossible islands floating amidst the neutral gray skies of a fantastic place. Check out more awe inspiring aerial real estate from Laurent after the break. Enjoy!

Le Mans Classic 2012

Stoic. (Via)

These amazing images were captured by French photographer Laurent Nivalle during the Lemans Classic 2012, a grueling nonstop 24 hour race featuring classic supercars. With 450 cars participating in teams of 5 for the endurance event, the race is considered as a chronicle of racing history for aficionados of the sport.

On a side note, does anyone remember when they attempted to make videogames for LeMans? Those didn't sell so well, and it's not so hard to see why. Check out 7 more beautiful retro graded images from Nivalle's portfolio after the break!

Flying cars by Matthew Porter

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Matthew Porter is a Brooklyn based photographer with an extensive portfolio and a diverse pool of commissions. However one of his photographic series completely blew me away. Flying cars ( yep, that's the name) seems taken directly out from the streets of GTA into the real world, I'm not quite sure though how the shots were achieved but i guess it really doesn't matter as they still look absolutely amazing.

After the break, 6 more stunning cars flying over city blocks for your amusement, enjoy!

Prada's Fall 2012 Steampunk Flair

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Very interesting. As part of their fall 2012 lineup, Prada unveiled their 'Il Palazzo: A Palace Of Role Play' collection featuring some familiar faces in some rather eye catching outfits. The aesthetics truly did end up feeling like something that could be straight out of a steampunk universe, with some truly industrial feeling combinations that begged for some more copper and leather. The actual theme of the show is a lot more amusing, focusing on the illusion of appearing more important with deceptively fancy looking clothing. Read more about it here. More images after the break!

As modeled by Gary Oldman, Jamie Bell, Garrett Hedlund, and Willem Dafoe

Blow Job By Tadao Cern

Simplicity is truly a beautiful thing, especially when it comes to art. Just take a half dozen or so females, an air gun, and a high speed camera and the result is nothing short of mind (face) blowing. These shots, which probably only took a few seconds each spawned this video, and a total of 100 amazing portraits extracted from the stills, which you can find on Tadao Cern's Facebook. I get the feeling that I'll be having nightmares based off this videos thumbnail for the weeks to come.