Canon Will Most Likely Add Two Prime Lenses to VCM Lineup

Canon lenses have been in a league of their own. The company's EF lineup lenses have been spectacular in terms of form, ergonomics, and performance. The L series, particularly, won millions of hearts. With the new RF mirrorless lineup, the company has been working on a series of…

Harry Roberts is speaking at Web Day Out

I was going to save this announcement for later, but I’m just too excited: Harry Roberts will be speaking at Web Day Out! Goddamn, that’s one fine line-up, and it isn’t even complete yet! Get your ticket if you haven’t already. There’s a bit of a story behind the tal…

The defining experience of fascism is “getting yelled at by dumbasses”....

The defining experience of fascism is “getting yelled at by dumbasses”.

The 2025 Audubon Photography Awards Emphasize Epic and Endangered Migrations. I love...

The 2025 Audubon Photography Awards Emphasize Epic and Endangered Migrations. I love the shot of the acorn woodpecker. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Help the Phoblographer Get to 2,000 Members (With Perks)

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're off…

How the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz Survived the Death Camps. “I have...

How the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz Survived the Death Camps. “I have been gripped by a need to understand more not only about the women in the Auschwitz orchestra…but also what hearing music in this inferno meant to the other prisoners.” 💬 Join the…

Of Oz the Wizard, an Alphabetized Version of The Wizard of Oz

Of Oz the Wizard is the entire Wizard of Oz movie presented in alphabetical order by dialogue. So it starts with all the scenes where Dorothy and the gang say “a”, “aaiee”, “along”, and proceeds through “you’re” and “zipper”. Even the words on each of the…

Gina Trapani writes about taking a sabbatical. “Take afternoon naps. Bigger things...

Gina Trapani writes about taking a sabbatical. “Take afternoon naps. Bigger things like foster a box of 6 kittens, do a 10-day silent retreat, quit coffee, start lifting, train for a triathlon, take vacations to explore…” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.o…

This sounds like a cool project: Pocket Fiche is a pocket-sized microscope...

This sounds like a cool project: Pocket Fiche is a pocket-sized microscope that comes with a ultra-high resolution, nano-fabricated image. “Think of Pocket Fiche as the Earth bound version of the Voyager golden record.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org �…

DJI Mini 5 Pro Flies Sony-Level Clarity in a Compact Body

DJI drones have won over a million photographers, and after a long wait, the company has finally unveiled the Mini 5 Pro. The device comes a year after the launch of the DJI 4 Mini Pro, which was another excellent offering in their portfolio. However, the new addition is quite i…

Some unusual rocks observed by NASA’s Perseverance rover “could be the clearest...

Some unusual rocks observed by NASA’s Perseverance rover “could be the clearest signs of life ever found” on Mars. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

These are Some of the Best Presets for Travel Photographers

Our presets are designed to make editing a minimal task so you can get back to shooting! We’re in love with Retro Digital. Luckily, that’s when we founded the website closer to two decades ago. So we dove into our image archives, looked at how the Adobe Gurus were telling us…

Some KDO Updates: We’ve Got Ourselves a Stew

Hey folks, I know there’s a lot going on these days, but I wanted to update you on a few things I’ve been doing for the site lately. Alright, looking through my Git commits from the last couple of months: I already told you about the Rolodex. Hoping to provide access to the…

Let’s be clear about what just happened: Jimmy Kimmel, a prominent late-night...

Let’s be clear about what just happened: Jimmy Kimmel, a prominent late-night comedian, was just taken off the airwaves because the Trump administration didn’t like what he had to say — and threatened his employer until they shut him up.

Man pulls off daring scuba heist of Disney paddleboat restaurant, netting $10K-$20K...

Man pulls off daring scuba heist of Disney paddleboat restaurant, netting $10K-$20K before successfully escaping into the water from whence he came. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Why is the Square Format so Appealing?

There was a time when I'd encounter other older photographers who would say that converting an image to black and white or using square format is cheating. Their past photo-related traumas aside, I think that the square format is pretty incredible for various reasons. And in 202…

Get your Claude Code muzak here

I suggested last week that Claude Code needs elevator music… Like, in the 3 minutes while you’re waiting for your coding agent to write your code, and meanwhile you’re gazing out the window and contemplating the mysteries of life, or your gas bill, maybe some gentle muza…

Zenit Launches A New Wide Angle Lens for Sony Users

Russian lens manufacturer Zenit has launched some exciting lenses and cameras over the years. The company may not introduce a new device every year, but when it does, there is always a bit of chatter. This is also the case with the latest lens, which is so far avaiable in the or…

Do Photographers Really Need RAW Files Anymore?

Every time a brand new camera comes out, you have to wait for software to update and be able to process the RAW files. These digital negatives are pretty handy and much different from the JPEGs that are produced. RAWs contain a of data and are much like buying your own ingredien…

Question Mark

The “Debate Me Bro” Grift: How Trolls Weaponized The Marketplace Of Ideas....

The “Debate Me Bro” Grift: How Trolls Weaponized The Marketplace Of Ideas. “The fundamental issue with “debate me bro” culture [is] that it creates a false equivalence between good-faith expertise and bad-faith trolling.”

Laowa’s First Telephoto Macro Lens Is What Photographers Have Been Asking For

When Laowa entered the lens market, little did we know that they would change the way photographers look at third-party lenses. The company has consistently performed, and they have introduced some exciting new lenses for various wide-to mid-focal range photographers. To grow th…

How Agates Form, Why Minnesota Lakes Have So Many, & Where To...

How Agates Form, Why Minnesota Lakes Have So Many, & Where To Look For Them. I was always excited as a kid to go find agates at the lake (typically Lake Superior), but I didn’t know a) how they formed, or b) that you couldn’t find them just anywhere. 💬 Join…

Inspired by a question over at Cup of Jo, what are the...

Inspired by a question over at Cup of Jo, what are the five things that are essential in your kitchen? Mine lean black & tan: balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, parmesan, olive oil, mayonnaise. (Honorable mention: chili oil.) 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Blending In

These are some of my favorite portrait illustrations from Sofia Bonati. In her art you’ll find female portraits that invite you into a dreamlike world where the woman and her surroundings intertwine, connect. They are women with deep, mysterious looks, who want to tell…

The Climate Change Paradox. “Earth’s climate is chaotic and volatile. Climate change...

The Climate Change Paradox. “Earth’s climate is chaotic and volatile. Climate change is simple and predictable. How can both be true?” Complexity & chaos theory are so interesting. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

On the latest wave of AI/LLM tools. “It is a transition from...

On the latest wave of AI/LLM tools. “It is a transition from working with a co-intelligence to working with a wizard. Magic gets done, but we don’t always know what to do with the results.”