Jamelle Bouie: “I’m gonna make a case to you that no matter...

Jamelle Bouie: “I’m gonna make a case to you that no matter what you’ve heard about the filibuster, you should want the filibuster to be sent to the ash bin of history.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

How to Take the Worst Images of Your Life

Everyone tells you about the best photographs and how you can make them possible. But there isn't enough to tell you about all the bad stuff out there. The truth is that it's really easy to take bad, lazy images if you're disconnected from the scene, don't feel anything, or you'…

Jessica Guo: “If there’s something out there that calls to you, I...

Jessica Guo: “If there’s something out there that calls to you, I hope you listen. Give yourself permission to do the thing.” Guo just finished hiking both the the Continental Divide Trail and the Great Divide Trail, solo. 3500+ miles! 💬 Join the discussi…

The Age of Audio, a Documentary on the History of Podcasting

Here’s the trailer for The Age of Audio, a feature-length documentary about the invention and popularization of podcasting, from Adam Curry to Ronald Young Jr. I ran across this movie via a clip on Instagram that explains how the word “podcast” came to be; here’s the…

Times are Tough, Here are 5 Sub $500 Full-Frame DSLR Cameras You Can Buy Today

Between tariffs, inflation, a tough economy, and the ever-present reality of how challenging it is to make money from photography alone, buying a new-to-you camera is a source of anxiety. There’s a lot of chatter on the Internet about how you can get a “budget” camera unde…

nikitonsky is being grumpy

nikitonsky: I want to see all categories. I said all. I said all. Thank you! Thanks @toby3d for reporting this #2gis #ShowMore #Ellipsis

Fonts based on the type generated by the Epson MX-80 dot matrix...

Fonts based on the type generated by the Epson MX-80 dot matrix printer (1980). 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

For a More Creative Brain, Travel. “New sounds, smells, language, tastes, sensations,...

For a More Creative Brain, Travel. “New sounds, smells, language, tastes, sensations, and sights spark different synapses in the brain and may have the potential to revitalize the mind.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

“China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months,...

“China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months, analysis reveals, adding evidence to the hope that the world’s biggest polluter has managed to hit its target of peak CO2 emissions well ahead of schedule.” 💬 Join the discussion…

Help the Phoblographer Get to 2,000 Members (Discount Included)

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…

Camp Snap Pro Review: The Best Point and Shoot Camera of 2025

"Oh my god," I stated out loud when looking at images from the Camp Snap Pro. "The return of red eye in flash!" Yes, I got excited about red eye. If you're reading this, then you may be a photographer who knows nothing about this. It's when you look at an image that was shot wit…

The Best Lens For Micro Four Thirds I Ever Used

I remember many years ago falling in love with the idea of the Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 lens for Micro Four Thirds. It gave us the closest thing to a super fast 35mm lens equivalent. At the time, I was working at B&H Photo in the social media department and used the company'…

Hose cleaning

I was closing in on 2000 unread emails, so I sorted my inbox by From instead of Date, looked through the pile for actual correspondence and other items of importance, opened those, marked the rest of them read, and set the view to Date again, starting with the most recent. If I…

Big and Little Spoons

High Horse: The Black Cowboy

High Horse: The Black Cowboy is a three-part documentary about the culture of Black cowboys & cowgirls and their erasure from the history of the western United States. From executive producer Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw Productions, the pop culture and historical documentary c…

Going to Art Galleries Can Improve Wellbeing. “Enjoying original works of art...

Going to Art Galleries Can Improve Wellbeing. “Enjoying original works of art in a gallery can relieve stress, reduce the risk of heart disease and boost your immune system, according to the first study of its kind.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Photographers Are Buying Fewer Lenses, Reports CIPA

As the year comes to a close, there are multiple questions about the direction of the photography industry. So far, it appears that DSLRs are on the decline, and according to a new report from the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA), there is a mixed view of the market.…

A zoomable, fully searchable archive of every single page of every single...

A zoomable, fully searchable archive of every single page of every single issue of BYTE magazine from 1975-1998. “I hope seeing everything in single, searchable place offers a unique perspective.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Notes on Harold Brodkey’s 1992 essay Notes on American Fascism, which was...

Notes on Harold Brodkey’s 1992 essay Notes on American Fascism, which was dismissed at the time but now seems prescient.

Two Hours of Wellness

A two-hour version of the music played in the Wellness Center in Severance. “Please try to enjoy each listening session equally.” See also Severance: Music To Refine To. ✅ Added to my Underscore collection. Tags: music · Severance · TV · video 💬 J…

The Best Fujifilm Camera of 2025

Our choice for the best Fujifilm camera of 2025 is the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo. There's a lot to love about it. First off, think of it basically as a digicam in every single way. But it's got a retro aesthetic to the body and the interface. Oh, and it's got a big honkin' printe…

A Journey to Vietnam to Uncover the Origins of Phở. “If you...

A Journey to Vietnam to Uncover the Origins of Phở. “If you want to find the origins, you must go to Nam Ðịnh province and a village called Vân Cù.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

17-Year-Old Biggie Smalls Freestyling

From Freestyle: The Art of the Rhyme, a short clip of a 17-year-old Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, aka The Notorious B.I.G.) freestyle rapping on a street corner in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn in 1989. It’s all there…the talent, the confidence, the skills. Compare with a…

Godox’s iT32 Might Be the Only Flash You’ll Ever Need

Flash has been quite important for various genres of photographers. For one, it allows you to experiment and be creative, and on the other hand, you get sharper images in poor light. Godox understands this, and they have recently unveiled the iT32 compact TTL flash, which is bot…

If you’re looking for a typeface with Radio Shack logo vibes, try...

If you’re looking for a typeface with Radio Shack logo vibes, try Megazoid. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →

Coulou’s vinyl cafe (no. 2). “Even though we’re traveling from jazz to...

Coulou’s vinyl cafe (no. 2). “Even though we’re traveling from jazz to funk to middle eastern and Indonesian 70s disco then hip hop, then folk and even more genres, to me this felt like a cool experience of finding the throughline in music…” 💬 Join th…

“I wish we could ignore Bill Gates on the climate crisis. But...

“I wish we could ignore Bill Gates on the climate crisis. But he’s a billionaire, so we can’t,” says George Monbiot. “His [recent climate] essay reads like nothing so much as a peace offering to Donald Trump.”

Why Photography Makes for Such a Great Solo Hobby

I am an extrovert -- and I love humanity while not always liking humans. That also means that I love sometimes going shooting photos and excursions with buds. But at the moment, I'm writing this article while having barely left my apartment for the past week. I've currently got…

A Tip on Composing for Panoramic Imagery

When lots of photographers shoot panoramic images, they sometimes think that it's the same thing as just shooting 16:9. They're not totally wrong. But the panoramic formats are even more narrow on the top and bottom than that. In fact, they're incredibly fun to work with and the…