The Case for Not Shooting in Auto ISO

I remember years ago when the Auto ISO setting came to Fujifilm cameras and how so many photographers and journalists simply embraced it. Those folks probably hadn't shot film. And I'm probably in the minority, but when I shoot in a film-like way, I often lock my ISO to a tradit…

This Week in the IndieWeb

December 19-26, 2025 Recent EventsFrom events.indieweb.org/archive: Give the Gift of Create Day Thursday, December 25 at 9:00am Homebrew Website Club - Pacific Tuesday, December 23 at 6:00pm Web Day! Saturday, December 20 at 1:00pm PORTLAND, Oregon: Albina Library Room 2…

Start the New Year By Supporting a Unique Photo Website

In 2025, we’re trying to get to a minimum of 2,000 subscribers as part of our membership program! Capture One is discounted for members! The New Phoblographer membership is now based on our website. Yes, we moved away from the app. It was a bittersweet move — but what we’r…

My new favorite description of Christianity’s God is from Vince Staples (~16:05):...

My new favorite description of Christianity’s God is from Vince Staples (~16:05): “a floating man with a blowout”.

It’s Time to Accept That the US Supreme Court Is Illegitimate and...

It’s Time to Accept That the US Supreme Court Is Illegitimate and Must Be Replaced. “…so that Americans don’t have to suffer future decades of oligarchy-facilitating rule that makes a parody of the democracy they were promised.”

The Anthony Bourdain Reader

The Anthony Bourdain Reader (Amazon) is a collection of writings from the late author, TV host, and chef, including some unpublished pieces. The Anthony Bourdain Reader is also a showcase for new and never-before-seen material, like diary entries from Bourdain’s first trip…

Digging the soulful jazz + drum & bass energy of Chanpan. Hard...

Digging the soulful jazz + drum & bass energy of Chanpan. Hard to categorize what this is — so many influences and styles. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Clean Energy Is Still Winning. These 10 Charts Prove It. In March...

Clean Energy Is Still Winning. These 10 Charts Prove It. In March 2025, more electricity was generated with clean energy than with fossil fuels for the first time. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Photographers Love Their Tones. But This Makes Them Useless

White balance matters when making an image. Lots of photographers love to auto-white balance their images to be warmer no matter what. And that just makes sense -- it often makes us feel better when we look at those photos vs older, more blue photos. But no matter what, it won't…

Truly Universal Outlet

Fry Day

How about Linklessin? I've never liked LinkedIn, but I grudgingly participate because, well, ya gotta. So I'll hold my kvetching to a single gripe: LinkedIn's aversion to linking. Since they won't change that practice, how about changing their name? To what? I still won't play D…

Martin Scorsese remembers his friend Rob Reiner. “He had a beautiful sense...

Martin Scorsese remembers his friend Rob Reiner. “He had a beautiful sense of uninhibited freedom, fully enjoying the life of the moment, and he had a great barreling laugh.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Adam Serwer: “The reason so many of yesterday’s free-speech champions transitioned so...

Adam Serwer: “The reason so many of yesterday’s free-speech champions transitioned so easily into today’s pro-Trump censors is that their definition of free speech never included the right of others to talk back.”

Are We Still Loving Pluribus?

Since we had a robust discussion last month on whether Pluribus sucks or not, I thought I’d ask: now that the season finale has aired, what did you think of the first season as a whole? My impression of the show has improved slightly, but this feeling remains: It was somew…

The data is clear: congestion pricing in NYC has been a “huge...

The data is clear: congestion pricing in NYC has been a “huge success”. “Pollution: -22%. Revenue for mass transit: $548M.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Infinite Ball Drop: what if the Times Square NYE ball started dropping...

Infinite Ball Drop: what if the Times Square NYE ball started dropping now? (It’s currently more than 200 miles above the surface of the Earth.) 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Will the R7 II Feature Canon’s First Stacked APS-C Sensor?

Canon's announcements have been limited this year. The company is focused on improving flagships such as the R1 and the R5 II, which means photographers will have to wait to see a new device. However, that wait is not too long. According to new reports, Canon is likely to target…

More scraps from my notes file

I’m away with family this week so here are some more scraps from my notes (previously). Disney is considering a reboot of the Indiana Jones franchise. Goodness knows how many Jurassic Park movies there are. We need to create new IP. Culture creates new ideas downstream. W…

The 3 Best 16MP Fujifilm Cameras That Give Digital Photos the Soul of Film

Fujifilm cameras have been pretty exceptional in many ways. The company showcased the prowess of what APS-C can achieve with the X-Trans sensors, with series such as the X-Pro, X-T, and X-H excelling the most. Today, we take a look at older Fujifilm cameras that, despite their 1…

No stars

It’s getting towards the end of the year. That’s when I put together a post reviewing the books I’ve read in the previous twelve months. I think I might change things up in 2026. Instead of waiting until the end of the year to write all the little reviews at once, I think…