PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR

Latest Episodes:

935 Spy Stuff Jul 05, 2023

Show notes

Chris dives into a legal battle as music photographer Alec Byrne sues Getty Images, explores a nifty DIY Game Boy Mini Camera, unravels how AI reconstructs 3D scenes from eye reflections, geeks out on physical camera simulations in Blender, marvels at a super-sensitive camera changing art conservation, ponders National Geographic’s layoffs, and discovers a trendy selfie technique, all in this jam packed episode.

Topics:

[NEWS] Getty Sued : Music photographer Alec Byrne is suing Getty Images for copyright infringement, alleging they sold his photos, including a 1974 ABBA shot, without his consent. This comes as Getty Images is also suing AI image generator Stable Diffusion for copyright infringement.
[COOL] Cool Project: Gameboy Mini Camera : The Game Boy Mini Camera is a fun DIY project. This compact device is a shrunken version of the original Game Boy Camera that uses the original ROM and an iPhone XR lens.
[NEWS] Blade Runner Enhance: Eye 3D : An AI-powered method developed by the University of Maryland that can reconstruct 3D scenes from the reflections in a person’s eye. This technology, using neural radiation fields, could change photography and raise intriguing questions about privacy.
[COOL] Nerd Level 10k: Blender Camera : Blender is an open-source 3D software that can do physical simulations, including light. A photographer has used it to create a virtual camera, simulating optics, lenses, and even film layers, resulting in stunning images. Awesome!
[SCIENCE] Science: FLIM Cam : Scientists at King’s College London have developed a super-sensitive camera using macroscopic fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) technology for art conservation. This camera accurately differentiates centuries-old varnish from paint and canvas, revolutionizing the precision and preservation in art restoration.
[NEWS] National Geographic Layoffs : National Geographic, renowned for its photojournalism and wildlife photography, has reportedly laid off its last staff writers and other employees, hinting at a potential decline. Despite these changes, the magazine insists it won’t impact their storytelling quality, marking a significant shift in the landscape of photojournalism.
[TRENDS] TFTTF Trend Watch: Screenshotting : TikTok influencer Liliana Madrigal has popularized a new selfie technique: screenshotting the image on the front-facing camera instead of taking a photo. This method, she claims, results in better lighting and overall quality, highlighting a shared frustration with the iPhone’s AI computational features. About 4 million people seem to concur.

<3 Support the show with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode (transcript)

2025 Photo Tours with Chris Marquardt
ONLY 3 SPOTS
May 2025: Eastern European Electric Photo Road Trip, 10 days drive and explore with Chris (Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Transylvania)
German workshops:
» HS Mensch
» HS Licht
» HS Sehwerkstatt
» Großformat (analog)
» Analog Einstieg
» Discover the Top Floor - Photo Tours and Workshops with Chris Marquardt

934 Facial Fakes, Fiery Frames Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Chris explores a unique twist on street photography, discusses the challenges of auto white balance in wildfire conditions. He also delves into the world of AI with Uncrop and a quick GAN. There’s news from Nikon, a treat for Lego and Ansel Adams fans, a look at the viral AI-“Camera” Paragraphica, and an exploration of storytelling through exposure.

Topics:

[COOL] Street Faces and AI : Street photography ethics has always been a hot potato but photographer Hubert Napierala might have found a good solution. He has used artificial intelligence (AI) to hide the identities of his street photography subjects. Napierala believes that if the face replacement does not impact the overall impact of the photo, it is acceptable. So, what’s your take on this? Chris is a bit conflicted. Share your thoughts at tfttf.com/hi
[COOL] Fires and Color : Last week, we witnessed an extraordinary event where wildfires in Canada produced a thick smoke that blanketed New York City and other places. As a photographer, we should always be curious about the accuracy of colors in photos during such phenomena though. Here’s a brilliant video showing the great idea to film the surroundings in their deep orange glory, while simultaneously filming a color card in the same frame. Genius!
[COOL] Clipdrop Uncrop : Stability AI, the company behind Stable Diffusion, an AI image generator, has released a new tool called Uncrop. If you’ve played with the latest Photoshop beta and its built-in image generator, this might look familiar to you. Uncrop allows users to adjust the aspect ratio of images by dragging the crop perimeter. Yep, you can just change a panorama to a portrait aspect ratio. Or you can make a tighter shot more wide-angle. This is powered by Stability AI’s text-to-image model, Uncrop uses AI to analyze source images and generate visually plausible representations to fill in the blanks. It can be used to improve photo composition or fit images into specific social media aspect ratios. Of course, the results may not always be accurate, especially with images that have extensive missing content. For this, uncrop gives you four different results to choose from. There’s a free version that will give you a taste and a paid version at $7 per month. And of course if you have the tech chops and the according hardware or online platform skills, you can do this uncrop thing at home too.
[COOL] The DragGAN Edit : Fixing closed eyes in a portrait or softening skin has been fairly simple. Now imagine your job is to edit a photo of a person to rotate their head towards the camera or to change someone’s frown into a smile. Researchers have come up with a new image manipulation system called DragGAN that employs generative AI to provide users with exact control over elements such as pose, shape, expression. Not quite a product yet, but it’s just a matter of time until you can attach drag handles to anything in a photo and change it without 10 years of photo editing training.
[NEWS] Nikon Z9 Camera Trap : Nikon has released an impressive firmware update, version 4.0, for the Z9 camera, introducing the noteworthy Auto Capture feature, essentially transforming the camera into a smart photo trap. This feature empowers the camera to automatically take photos when set criteria like movement, distance, or subject recognition are met. This innovation is especially beneficial for professional photographers needing to set up multiple cameras in inaccessible areas, eliminating the necessity for remote controls or network connections. Additionally, the firmware update enhances the Z9’s user interface and video capabilities, making it a must-check out for Nikon Z9 users.
[NEWS] Paragraphica “Camera” Gone Viral : A few weeks ago, a peculiar camera named Paragraphica, created by designer Bjørn Karmann, garnered global attention. Unlike traditional cameras, Paragraphica doesn’t use a lens; instead, it implements location data and stable diffusion to mirror the real world, albeit imperfectly. Built on a Raspberry Pi 4 with a 3D-printed design, the camera’s striking feature is a non-functional, mole-inspired red detail on its front. The technology behind it involves API calls and stable diffusion. Despite this not being a ground-breaking leap in terms of technology, it has managed to go viral, which prompts the question: if you’ve shared it, what drew you to do so? I invite you to share your thoughts at tfttf.com/hi
[THEMA] Exposure Story Telling : A recent article on fair.org, a progressive platform that examines bias and inaccuracies in media, argues that photo exposure — traditionally viewed as merely a corrective tool — can be strategically used for manipulation. Illustrating how some media outlets allegedly underexpose photos to purposefully create a sense of gloom, this article brings attention to the potential misuse of exposure as a tool to influence perceptions by altering visual narratives. It comments on the ethical implications of such strategies and demonstrates that adjusting the brightness of these underexposed images could portray a completely different, brighter and mor positive narrative. This topic prompts a deeper consideration of the power of exposure in photography as a tool for nuanced storytelling. Please share your insights at tfttf.com/hi
[COOL] Ansel Adams Lego Set : “The Landscape Photographer”? is a proposed LEGO set that pays homage to the legendary Ansel Adams, and it’s making waves on LEGO Ideas. This set, crafted by LEGO builder and photographer Nick Micheels, aka LobsterThermidor, encapsulates the spirit of landscape photography with a photographer perched on a vintage wooden panel station wagon, snapping away with a large-format 8×10 analog camera. If it gets 10,000 votes, the official LEGO team might just bring it to life. Ansel Adams is a name synonymous with black and white landscape photography, especially of the American West. This LEGO set not only embodies his work but also celebrates the art of landscape photography.

<3 Feedback on this episode by Jim
(leave your own feedback at tfttf.com/hi)

<3 Support the show on Patreon or with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode (transcript)

933 Hawk Birdhouse and the Mickey Mouse Camera Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

Presenting jam-packed newsreel, a new book, French influencer law, semantic segmentation in real-time, dpreview’s archive, a new film by Fuji, the Mickey-Mouse-Leica and DALL-E coming to a browser near you.

Special guest Allan Attridge of Two Hosers fame (he now also builds furniture on YouTube) and Chris talk about life, creating youtube videos and growing as a photographer.

Topics:

[PHOTO, COOL, NEWS] The Film Photography Handbook 3rd Edition : +++ BREAKING +++ The Film Photography Handbook, fresh out in its 3rd updated edition by Chris Marquardt and Monika Andrae offers a comprehensive resource on film photography for both experienced and new photographers, covering various cameras, formats, exposure settings, film processing, digitization, and fostering creativity. Updates include instant photography, Polaroid, Instax formats, camera backs, color film development, digitizing film using a camera and crowdfunding for film photography projects. Pick it up at the link above, get 40% off using code FILM40
[NEWS] France suggest influencer law : The French government proposes penalizing influencers who don’t disclose Photoshop or filter usage in their posts, aiming to increase social media transparency and protect users from manipulated images’ negative effects. The penalties include up to 6 months in jail and fines up to 300,000 EUR.
[NEWS] SAM by Meta : Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, has introduced an open-source AI model called SAM that can isolate objects in images and videos with a single click, offering real-time semantic segmentation and potential applications in photo editing, VR, and social media.
[NEWS] DPReview [Update] : It seems that the public outcry over the shutdown of Digital Photography Review (dpreview) has been (at least somewhat) heard by some inside Amazon. At least they released an update that includes promising a few more articles beyond the officially announced April 10 date and the announcement of an archival effort, which had so far been taken up by archive.org
[NEWS] New Fujifilm Film : Fujifilm plans to launch a new 400 Color Negative Film, possibly replacing the Superia X-TRA 400, with release details and pricing yet to be announced. The film can already be found on various websites, including B&H or Moment, and rumor has it that a roll will be around $10
[COOL] Mickey-Mouse-Kamera : If you hear the term “Mickey Mouse Camera”, would Leica be the first to come to mind? They released a limited Mickey Mouse-designed Q2 camera edition for Walt Disney’s 100th anniversary, limited to 500 units at a recommended price of $6000
[NEWS] Edge integrates DALL-E : Microsoft Edge becomes the first browser to integrate OpenAI’s DALL-E AI image generator, allowing users to create images directly from the browser’s sidebar. Any plans to incorporate that in your photography/project workflow? Let me know at tfttf.com/hi

<3 Support the show on Patreon or with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode (transcript)

932 You’ve Been Tricked! Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

Yes, they have been tricking you. Millions of albums sold that were produced with cheap plastic gear. Inconceivable! Also on today’s show: a few words on dpreview’s demise (and resurrection), some thoughts (and a request for feedback) on guilt, fear and frustrations in photography. Plus thoughts on CJ Chilvers’ latest post about the gear race in music. It’s delightful and fits right in with what I’ve been saying pretty much forever.

Topics:

[NEWS] dpreview is shutting down : So, Amazon pulls the plug and shuts down dpreview on April 10th. But fear not, Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake already have a new home with Petapixel. Also the Internet Archive is working on backing up dpreview – so not all is lost. Dpreview has been a decades-long companion for us nerds. And while I rarely go there these days, I’m glad it won’t be completely gone. Whew, that was scary there for a second.
[PHOTO] : I have an episode in the works about Guilt, Fear and Frustration in photography. It’s not done yet, I’m still working on it, but I’d like to run a few of the key points by you and maybe get some inputs, some feedback. which you can leave at tfttf.com/hi
[PHOTO] They Tricked Us : Oh NOOOO, they tricked us into buying music that was produced with sub-par gear. I’m blatantly stealing CJ Chilvers’ post here. Long-time listeners might remember him from this very show. His post is about music, but it translates so well into photography. Worth a listen here and a read on his site. It’s the locksmith’s paradox all over again.

<3 Support the show on Patreon or with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode (transcript)

931 The Moon Cheat Mar 18, 2023

Show notes

A special episode with a special guest. Don Komarechka is back on the show. He and Chris discuss HP and their DRM, Samsung and their moon cheat and a German lawsuit involving a photo wallpaper. It’s also the week of the GPT-4 release and the two prove that they are geeks beyond photography.

Topics:

[OTHER] HP OfficeJets Angered Users : HP just ratcheted up their DRM with new printer firmware for some OfficeJets. Some of them now require the presence of an HP chip in ink cartridges to print at all.
[SOCIETY] The Photo Wallpaper Case : A bizarre copyright case in Germany: a photographer licenses a photo to a photo wallpaper maker, a holiday home host advertises their property with a photo that includes the wallpaper in the background. The photographer sues her for copyright infringement and wins. (Article in German)
[AI, PHOTO] Moon Mode Magic : Tests seem to confirm that even artificially blurry fake moons shot taken with with their Galaxy S23 Ultra will still turn out as crisp and detailed moon photos under the right conditions, suggesting that there might some AI cheatery at play. Does Samsung just swap in pre-made moon photos?
[AI, PHOTO] : GPT4 is here and it’s scary good. In a demo, OpenAI showed that it can program (someone used it to make pong and breakout, each within 60 seconds), a demo showed image processing, based on a notebook scribble it created a web page with html, css, js and in many disciplines it outperforms other LLMs in benchmarks. What’s especially interesting is it’s soon-to-be-released image recognition abilities which will likely allow us to add automatic captions and descriptions to each and every photo, massively improving accessibility. Chris an Don discuss other potential uses of the new tech.

<3 Support the show on Patreon or with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode (transcript)

929 No Drama in Photo Land Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

Today we’ll touch on the Adobe content analytics issue, a bit of Flickr pro drama, big movies shot on film and a really interesting firmware from Canon.

Topics:

[WORKSHOPS] Almost Full: Eastern European Photo Roadtrip : The September Eastern European tour is filling up. The Sep 2-11 leg has one spot left, the Sep 14-23 leg has two spots left.On these tours we’ll touch Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Transylvania with lots of Eastern European culture and history and great photography over the course of 10 days. Don’t delay, let me know if you have questions.
[PHOTO, NEWS] Adobe Denies AI Training With Your Pics : Recently, there was a suspicion that Adobe uses data from its customer’s cloud pictures to train its AI models. In TFTTF 927, I talked about that. Petapixel reached out to Adobe for clarification. Adobe responded that they had that policy in place for a decade and that they do not use any data stored on customers’ Creative Cloud accounts to train their experimental Generative AI features.
[PHOTO, NEWS] Flickr Pro Ads or Not? : Photographer and long-time Flickr user, Thomas Hawk, posted on Twitter about his disappointment over the introduction of ads on Flickr Pro accounts, despite their policy stating ads should never appear on Pro member’s accounts. Alastair Jolly of SmugMug responded quickly by saying that the ads were the result of a bug while introducing new features. Drama averted!On the note of social media, you can find Chris on Mastodon:
@chrismarquardt@chaos.social
@chrismarquardt@pixelfed.social
[PHOTO] Film Is Magic. Hollywood Agrees : Film photographer Isabelle Baldwin posted a Twitter thread about Oscar-nominated movies shot on Kodak film, highlighting the advantages of shooting on film over digital, including the unique look and feel it gives to the final product. And Chris agrees. Shooting on film changes the approach to photography, some of it is because you make decisions on film stock and sensitivity at the beginning of the workflow, freeing up the photographer’s focus on the creative aspects of taking the picture. Also the limited number of shots per roll of film increases the perceived value of each shot.Nice little side effect of Hollywood shooting on Kodak Film: It’ll help them keep making film for photographers.
[PHOTO] R6 II Stop Motion Animation Firmware : This one slipped under Chris’ radar: Canon makes a special firmware for stop motion animation that is specifically supported by Dragonframe with the Canon EOS R/RP/R6 Mark II. The firmware increases live view resolution to full HD, adds focus peaking, has aperture lock and focus programming. Plus a couple of side effects.

<3 Support the show on Patreon or with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode

928 One Minute Six Hundred Pics Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

TFOP 245 discusses a new camera purchase and a conversation about historical photos and gold-plating photography on glass || Neurapix is a German startup that has developed AI-based software that can learn from previously edited images and apply the same edits to new photos at a fast rate || Two lawsuits against AI || xkcd has a comic about the simple answers to questions about new technology || RAILs (Responsible AI Licenses) is a new category of open-source licenses that are specifically designed for AI and machine learning projects || DGSpitzer is a digital artist based in New York who has trained an AI model with his own digital paintings & game concept art. He’s giving away this model || A Blog post on AI-generated portraits used in self portrait photography.

Topics:

[PHOTO] The Future of Photography : The Future of Photography episode 245 is out: We discuss Adrian’s first camera purchase of the year. What is it? Why? How is it? Also, a wide ranging conversation about historical photos and Jeremiah’s gold-plating photography on glass.
[AI, PHOTO, TOOL] Lightroom AI Edits : Neurapix is a German startup that has developed AI-based software that can learn from previously edited images and apply the same edits to new photos at a fast rate, using a Lightroom plug-in. The company’s pricing is more competitive than ImagenAI’s, which charges more per photo.
[KI] Two Lawsuits against AI
[OTHER] xkcd simple answers to new tech : There’s ALWAYS an xkcd. This time about the simple answers to to the questions that get asked about every new technology.
[AI, OTHER] : RAILs (Responsible AI Licenses) is a new category of open-source licenses that are specifically designed for AI and machine learning projects. They include clauses that address ethical concerns around the use of AI, such as ensuring that the AI is not used for harmful purposes or in ways that discriminate against certain groups of people, require developers to provide detailed documentation about the AI system, and allows third-party organizations to audit the AI system to ensure that it is being used responsibly.
[KI] DGSpizer : DGSpitzer is a game developer, music composer and digital artist based in New York who has been working on AI-related projects, specifically colorizing old black & white footage, and has trained an AI model with his own digital paintings & game concept art as the dataset. The model, called DGSpitzer-Art-Diffusion, supports multiple keywords as different styles and is available for free use and fine-tuning, under an Open RAIL-M license.
[OTHER] Rate the show : I have a favor to task of you: TFTTF has just been moved to a new podcast backend on Apple’s servers, which resulted in losing all reviews. At least that’s what I assume happened. If you use Apple Podcasts, leave a review for the show, give it a rating, give it a review… that’ll help bring it up in the search results, especially nowadays as the podcast landscape has changed quite a bit. That would be awesome, thank you!
[PHOTO, AI] The Other Chris’ Blog Post About AI : (The other) Chris used a combination of AI-generated portraits and real photography to come up with a unique self portrait. Read his blog post about it and check out his pictures.

<3 Feedback on this episode by Chris
(leave your own feedback at tfttf.com/hi)

<3 Support the show on Patreon or with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode

927 Resolution: 14k Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

Today we’ll look at social media, massive full-resolution space imagery, weird lenses and the cautionary tale of big corporations vacuuming up massive amounts of imagery and what we can do about that (or if we even should). Also Steve has a fun film question: how to distinguish exposed (but not developed) film?

Topics:

[OTHER] Reminder: Find me on Mastodon : FYI: Just in case you’re looking for me on social media other than Twitter, you also find me on Mastodon. I’ve been active there since the 2018 exodus, which not many people remember. My official handle on Mastodon is chrismarquardt@chaos.social – hit me up, I enjoy the level of discussion and engagement on Mastodon a lot more than on Twitter anyway.
[COOL] SPACE: JWST In Full Resolution : Download James Webb images in full resolution. They are in the public domain and you can use them any way you like.
[THEMA] Adobe und das Machine Learning : Adobe and others need data. Lots of data. Machine learning scales really well with more data and more computer. Is it true that Adobe uses all your photography in their creative cloud to train their AI? Is there anything you can do about that? Should you even?
[COOL] The Weird Lens Museum : What a nice find. Mathieu Stern collects interesting and, yes, weird lenses and puts them to the test on his YouTube channel. Check out some of the really odd ones, like the home-made one or the eyeball.

<3 Feedback on this episode by Steve Varadi
(leave your own feedback at tfttf.com/hi)

<3 Support the show on Patreon or with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode

926 Digitizing 88-Year-Old Photos, AI Protests, Relaunches Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

On this episode: JUST RELEASED: the third edition of The Film Photography Handbook. JUST RELAUNCHED: chrismarquardt.com (now offers information about my services in training, consulting, production, and photography as well as some references to past work). COMING UP: The 10-day Eastern Europe photo road trip in Sep 2023 for amateur and professional photographers to visit iconic landmarks and hidden gems in Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Transylvania. OLD PHOTOS: A personal project to digitize and restore a collection of 88-year-old photos of my family on glass plate negatives and celluloid film. DRAMA: The debate over the use of AI in art is ongoing, with some people excited about its potential and others concerned about negative effects on artists and the industry.

Topics:

[PHOTO, ANALOG] New Release: The Film Phtography Handbook 3rd Edition
[OTHER] Relaunch: chrismarquardt.com : My new website answers the three important questions: A) What has Chris done? B) What can Chris offer (hint: a lot) and C) What is Chris up to right now? Check it out to learn about my services (training, consulting, production, photography) and to answer the general question: “what is it you’re doing anyway?”
[TRAVEL, PHOTO] Travel and Learn: Eastern Europe Photo Road Trip : Join me in September 2023 on this 10-day photo tour through Eastern Europe, visiting Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Transylvania. Discover iconic landmarks and hidden gems as you capture stunning images of the region. Perfect for both amateur and professional photographers.
[PHOTO, PROJECT] Glass Negatives from 1933: The Between-The-Years Project : Over the holidays, I took on a personal project to digitize and restore a collection of up to 88-year-old old photos of a part of my family. These pictures are on glass plate negatives and celluloid film, kept in a wooden box, showing family and others from the towns of Rottweil and Horb am Neckar in Germany.
I spent a lot of time working on this project, carefully digitizing and restoring the negatives as needed. It was a labor of love, as these photographs are part of my family history and I’m excited to share them.

Overall, it was a rewarding and meaningful project for me to take on over the holidays. I am proud to have preserved and shared these glimpses into my family’s past.
[PHOTO, CREATIVITY, AI] What’s Up With the AI Discussion? : Artists on platforms such as artstation.com are protesting the use of AI in art, claiming that it is theft. While some people are excited about the potential of AI in art, others are worried about the potential negative effects on artists and the art industry. The use of AI in art is here to stay, but there is a question of where to draw the line in terms of what is considered art and what is not. This debate is not limited to art, as similar debates have arisen in other fields such as music, film, and photography. The potential for AI to increase productivity and efficiency is undeniable, but it is important to also consider the ethical implications of its use.
[NEWS] Drama in AI Land : An anti-AI group of artists has been rallying support against the use of AI in art, leading to the cancellation of the Unstable Diffusion project on Kickstarter and the suspension of the Unstable Diffusion account on Patreon. The group has raised over $150,000 in a GoFundMe campaign to lobby governments to make AI art illegal. The backlash has had a chilling effect on the entire AI art community, with some creators considering stopping their work or removing their association with it due to the potential career and personal implications. Unstable Diffusion has updated their website and moved to a direct payment system in response.
Kickstarter suspends Unstable Diffusion / Unstable Diffusion answers / Patreon suspends Unstable Diffusion / Pro-AI videos:
YT-Video The Most Common Arguments For & AI / YT-Video Stop the Lies!
[AI, PHOTO] Opting Out: Have I Been Trained? : Some (many?) AI art models have been trained using the LAION dataset of 5.8 billion images. If you want your art to be excluded in the future, here’s a site to register an account and opt-out your images from being included in the Stable Diffusion V3 model.

<3 Support the show on Patreon or with a donation

Audio: Download the MP3 for this episode

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected