photography

Say goodbye to burned cookies with the f/60 Lens Kitchen Timer. Resembling a typical kit zoom lens, this nifty contraption can keep time for up to 60 minutes.

Operation is easy. Simply twist on the knurled "zoom ring" of the lens and the ring of a bell will alert you when the countdown is complete. The device is fully mechanical and does not require batteries to run. … Read more

Back when I discussed the seven things every photographer should have in his arsenal, I mentioned replacing the neckache-inducing camera strap with one of the many alternatives that can be found online. From necktie-inspired straps to the geeky-but-awesome Spider Holster, superior options are abundant.

Originally made popular by Custom SLR, the gliding camera strap is my favorite of these alternatives. Using the tripod mount as an anchor, the gliding camera strap gives you the comfort of an over-the-shoulder hang with the convenience of grabbing your camera and hitting the shutter button at a moment's notice.

The unexpected genius of … Read more

If you have an iPhone, you've probably taken a photo or two (or hundreds or thousands) with the device. Maybe you've kept it casual, snapping the occasional cat, kid, and road trip photos and uploading them to Facebook, Google+, or another social network.

Maybe, like the talented Crave readers featured in our Instagram series, you've taken your iPhone photography further than pointing and shooting and gotten hooked on a photo enhancement app or two. Or maybe you've become so passionate about iPhone photography that you spend countless hours and numerous apps perfecting galleries upon galleries of iPhone creations. Most of the photographers featured in the first-ever LA Mobile Arts Festival fall into the latter category. … Read more

Call it fate, or just pure luck. One insect species recently gained a scientific name due to an eagle-eyed taxonomist browsing images on Flickr.

Our short story begins with a simple upload: Amateur photographer Hock Ping Guek posted a series of close-up photos featuring a strange green lacewing insect to the photo-sharing service in May 2011. Guek, who observed the lacewing at a state park in the Malaysian state of Selangor, has a penchant for macro insect photography. … Read more

We all know how gaudy, camera-branded neck straps can stick out and sometimes clash with an outfit at formal events.

Made from soft, cotton tweed, the Camera Strap Necktie is a quirky neck strap that can doubles as a necktie. It is adjustable to a maximum of 3.9 feet long and measures just less than an inch wide. This neck strap supports cameras that weigh up to 4.8 pounds -- it'll work whether you are carrying a dSLR with a 70-200mm telephoto lens or a midrange mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (ILC). … Read more

Your iPhone comes packing a pretty decent camera, but there's no camera on the planet that doesn't benefit from the stability of a tripod.

Just one problem: Tripods tend to be long, large, unwieldy accessories, not the kind of the things you can just slip into your pocket.

Until now. Photojojo's Tiltpod Mobile puts an iPhone tripod on your keychain.

If the name sounds familiar, you might be thinking of the original Tiltpod, which combined a magnetic tripod-mount screw head with a small base designed to be worn on your wrist. It was built for small point-and-shoot … Read more

The internal flash of a dSLR comes in handy when shooting in low light and indoors but can sometimes be too harsh on your subjects. Bouncing the flash is a great way to distribute the light more uniformly, allowing for more than just foreground assets to show up in the photo. Bouncing the flash is also great for avoiding harsh shadows and those pesky red eyes.

So how do you bounce a flash? Well, the easiest way is to use an external flash attachment. The problem is that external flashes are bulky, heavy, and cumbersome to travel with. This makes them less desirable to carry around and decreases the chances you'll actually have one when you need it most.… Read more

What I always say to friends saving up for a dSLR is this: you'd better be saving for a lot more than just the camera.

Memory cards and camera bags are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the suite of accessories dSLR owners depend on. And that goes for casual, amateur photographers, GWC (guys with cameras), and pros.

Whether you're a new or prospective dSLR owner, these are the accessories you'll want to pick up as you build your photographer's arsenal.

1. Extra batteries This one's a no-brainer, but newbies often … Read more

The X-cap lens accessory can be mounted on interchangeable lens cameras that use retractable zoom lenses, such as Panasonic's 14-42mm pancake zoom, that require lens caps. Unlike conventional lens caps, the X-cap has a tiny mechanism below that activates the X-cap's lens opening when it's extended, and closes when it's retracted.

We think this is a very handy accessory as it means not having to remove (or lose) your lens cap ever again during a photo shoot. No details have been released yet on price or availability, but you can see the X-cap in action below. … Read more