How Film is Made - A Documentary

Kornfeld

Isn't it beautiful? - One of my Hasselblad photographs on Kodak Ektar 100 film.

Kornfeld - Andreas Müller (500px)

Underwater Videography - Palau

Underwater Paradise (Palau) from Eladio Arvelo on Vimeo.

Black and White - Apple Computer Photography

- Danyang Fu (500px)

Apple Macintosh - David Silva (500px)

Shit that lives on my Desk. - Shane Rounce (500px)

Byte - David Stebbing (500px)

Desk - Arjun Narayen (500px)

Macbook by Night - Thieu (500px)

Hasselblad X1D - Mirrorless Digital Medium Format

Camera manufacturer Hasselblad from Sweden just recently launched the Hasselblad X1D.
X1D is the first mirrorless digital medium format camera.

The camera comes with a 50MP CMOS sensor in a housing no larger than a full format DSLR camera.

The sensor has a dimension of 44 x 33m with a single pixel size of 5.3 x 5.3 micro meter.

Together with the camera a new series of lenses has been introduced. This XCD series of lenses are optimised for this mirror less setting. However, current H System lenses fit the camera using an optional adapter.

"Small enough to take anywhere, powerful enough to capture anything."

This invention brings high end glass and sensor technology to a handy form factor which allows the use of digital medium format in many more situations than current solutions.

Portraits on Film - Happy Birthday

Today it is the birthday of my mother. - Happy Birthday!

I take this opportunity to share two images of here. Both taken on film.
There are only a few technical differences between the two images.
- some 45 years in time, but only approximately 5 years in manufacturing date of the cameras
- the older one is in color
- the color one was taken on a film which is not available any longer - Kodak Kodachrome
- the newer one is in black and white
- the black and white one on a film which is still counted as state of the art - Ilford HP5

Annelies Müller - Scan from Kodachrome negative

Annelies Müller - Scan from Ilford HP5 120 film, Hasselblad 500 c/m

The Value of Shooting Film - A Documentary

Watch this interesting documentary on the value of shooting film:

Camera Straps

Each camer comes with a camera strap. But many of them are just cheap straps and do not really fullfil the needs of todays photographers.

Here are 5 reasons why you need another camera strap than the one that is delivered with your camera: link

One recent camerastrap manufacturer is PeakDesign.
Some of my photography friends are keen users of PeakDesign Slide Camera Sling. And I got one recently too. There is really a difference in carrying and using your camera with this kind of strap. I could only recommend it.

Camera Shopping in Japan

Japan offers a lot of opportunities for camera gear addicts. With respect to price - even given the fact that many camera manufacturers are Japanese - there might be more attractive places on earth, but in terms of selection and variety Japan is one of the most attractive places.

Read the blog post by Cameron Kline on Film Shooters Collective: http://www.filmshooterscollective.com/analog-film-photography-blog/camera-shopping-in-japan--2-3#at_pco=smlwn-1.0&at_si=57656d0c18c1fb60&at_ab=per-2&at_pos=0&at_tot=1

Galapagos - Underwater video

Galapagos 2010 from Darek Sepiolo on Vimeo.

Black and White - Flamenco Photography

The Flamenco Dancer - Victor Garza (500px)

Flamenco Guitar - Juan Fernandez (500px)

Focused - Enrico Maranzana (500px)

Flamenca II - Lydia Gonzalez (500px)

Movement - Anna Heng (500px)

Why manual film cameras are best for learning

10 reasons why manual film cameras are best for learning photography - an entertaining video by DigitalRev TV

1. Using film cameras makes you look cool
2. Film is unforgiving
3. Settings - "you do not learn math using a calculator"
4. Exposure - learn the rules of exposure
5. Manual focus - take control on true focus
6. Nobody will steal it - ;-)
7. The ISO isn't auto - learn about sensitivity of the imaging element
8. Slow you down - think about the image you are taking
9. Cheap gear
10. No need to upgrade

Ranking of Photographs Using Artificial Intelligence

In todays digital photography workflow sorting and ranking images can be one of the most challenging steps in the process.

It takes a lot of concentration, the need to be consistent in selection and rating criteria, time, resources, ...

I always thought that it must be possible to use some artificial intelligence algorithms in order to prepare that job.

Read the article at pdnonline.com about a new software called Picturesqe which seems to do the job.

Yes, many of you might now say that this is exactly the step not to outsource to a machine. Where remains the individualism, the uniqueness of my work.

I think that this is a good resource one should consider be using.

For sure this does not apply to all of our photography. Probably rather to some jobs where by nature of the task you tend to be shooting thousands of pictures in very short time, where time to delivery is short, and where the result is rather to fulfil customers expectations than striving for artistic uniqueness and excellence.
Or in sports photography depending on the quality of the algorithm this could come in handy to select the pictures capturing the action and in plus fulfilling some basic criteria for a good sports image.

Unfortunately the software is only available for Windows operating systems at the moment. However, the release of a Mac version is scheduled. I will definitely test it. There are some questions I am interested to get answers.

Kodak Ektachrome - Color Sportsphotography

Sportsphotographer Neil Leifer has probably taken the first iconic color photograph in sports photography ever.

Muhammad Ali in winning pose in the fight against Sonny Liston taken using Kodak Ektachrome and a flash setup.

Read more about this historical image at: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2015/05/ali_liston_50th_anniversary_the_true_story_behind_neil_leifer_s_perfect.html?wpsrc=fol_tw

Available Light Underwater Photography: 50mm lens

Recently I bumped into a blog post by Christian Loader at sportdiver.com about using a 50mm lens in natural light for underwater photography.

Refers to Underwater Photography Tips, Natural Light | Sport Diver for the full article.

The example images look quite interesting in terms of depth of field, booked, sharpness and color.

However, as reported in the article it can be very challenging using this lens under water.
First of all 50mm standard lenses do not have a real close focusing distance.
If I understand the blog post correctly the lens has been used in a macro port. What about using it inside a dome port?
Using available light only does allow using the lens in shallow depths only if one wants to have some colors except blue and green. However, I do not see a true reason why not using strobes, except that positioning of the strobes could be tricky given the long focusing distance.

Having read this, using a 50mm lens underwater is definitely something I will be trying one day. I am looking forward to sharing results!

Ways of Transportation

Traveling different countries is always interesting to learn about ways of transportation.




On the Philippines there is one type of old truck which is very popular. Most of these several decades old trucks are painted in bright colors. Leg space is quite limited!

These trucks are frequently used and one can see them in all places.
The trucks not only transport people but also keep a series of mechanics workshops alive.

Another possibility for transportation is the tuk tuk. This are a couple of metal parts and an extra wheel welded to a motorbike.
Sometimes one of these tuk tuks can transport up to seven people (excluding the driver).


And some of them even offer free WiFi on board.

Not only WiFi but also smoking seams to be quite regulated in tuk tuk business.

Whalesharks in Cenderawasih Bay

Once upon a time in Cenderawasih bay from Nu Parnupong on Vimeo.

Black and White - Giraffe Photography

A tower of giraffes - Jonas Stenqvist (500px)

Shady Giraffe, B&W - Denis Roschlau (500px)

Giraffe Trio - Urszula Kozak (500px)

Giraffe in a Storm - Morkel Erasmus (500px)

Split Sip - Joshua Kelsey (500px)

Underwater Pocket Camera

Hi fellow underwater photographers!

Have you ever thought of having a little pocket camera for your bouncy jacket in addition to your DSLR setup with strobes with you when diving.

There are many options using compact cameras in respective housings which fit into a jacket's pocket. But what if there were a smaller camera? - Yes, GoPro is always an option, but is this really a backup? I would consider the GoPro rather an add-on than a backup.

Recently I saw somebody using the Nikon Coolpix AW130 on a dive. And I was impressed by the results.

This point and shoot camera has some incredible specs. Among these the water resistance down to 30m.

Yes, the camera does not replace the DSLR setup but it can be handy in special unforeseeable situations - which always happen once in a while.

Imagine you are on a dive using your macro setup. You took many award winning macro images and suddenly a whale shark appears. Bad luck! - Having a camera as the Coolpix AW130 in your pocket could be very helpful. Probably not to shoot a front page image but at least to keep a couple of shots for your memories, or for a slide show.

There are many other situations where such a compact point and shoot camera could come in handy on a dive so that I consider the AW130 as a considerable option.

Range finder film camera

15 years after shooting my last film pictures - film was the way I got into film photography - I rediscovered film when my father brought me a series of very old cameras he found somewhere.

I gave the Ilford Sportsman, a camera from 1958, a try. In my cupboard I could find a 10 year old 35mm Kodak film cartridge which I did not know how good it still would be.

Even tough the camera had some mechanical issues the results were quite impressive.

 Here a couple of images which were the first results from this 10 years old not correctly stored film and the camera which was not used for probably more than 30 years.

 The results are quite impressive. Since everything is manual there are a couple of challenges and one has to understand about depth of field, exposure, and focusing.

Visit the galleries on my website to see some of my best results using different film.


 The proof that this camera can take really good pictures can be viewed at at:
- 2014 JUNE - KODAK 200 ASA

- 2015 AUGUST - ILFORD XP2 400 ASA

Chocolate Hills Landscape

Recently on a underwater photography trip to the Philippines we visited the chocolate hills in the center of Bohol Island.

The chocolate hills are an impressive landmark. The hills are geologically composed of coral stone. A reef that has been lifted out of the sea long time ago.

By geological nature the hills are only covered by grass and little bushes. During dry season they turn brownish leading to the name chocolate hills.

Underwater - Computer Desktop Wallpapers

Working in front of the PC is hard enough. - How about bringing some underwater magic to your daily work life?  

Download the underwater wallpaper in your resolution from my website at: link

Film Photography - Still on the move

"In a world where everyone wants the most advanced technology, and images are dismissed as quickly as they are created, there is a growing subculture of photographers that have turned back to a more traditional method of image capture... film."

Squadron of Hope - Raja Ampat

A short video by Nu Parnupong documenting the richness of reef life around Misool, Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

Black and White - Window Photography

Some Fresh Air - Florian Kolbe (500px)

Rain is fascinating - Lorenzo Murelli (500px)

Leave everything behind - Leonie Bonekamp (500px)

View Through Bevelled Glass - Kevin Pashuk (500px)

Vintage Stairs - Vasyl Chronyy (500px)

Underwater Macro Photography in Cabilao, Philippines

Recently I spent a couple of days on Cabilao island in the Philippines.
I was diving with Sea Explorers who has a very good infrastructure to serve the needs of underwater photographers.

Cabilao is located at the west side of Bohol island facing Cebu island. The reefs around Cabilao are rich in coral growth and macro life. But, accidentally you can also spot bigger marine wildlife such as mobula rays, eagle rays, turtles, or sharks.

The dive sites around the island offer lots of opportunities.

And there are several places to see for example several species of pigmy sea horses (hippocampus bargibanti in different colors, hippocampus denise).

Currents are quite predictable in the area so that dive guides can very well adapt to skill of divers, or whites and interest of their guests.


There can be found some very rare to spot species too.

The pigmy sea dragon, or pigmy pipe horse on the right is only one of them.

This is a species incredibly difficult to photograph.
It is very small. The sea dragon shown here was not longer than 5 mm and constantly moving.

This one was living in a coral hidden in a little cave where it was hard to position camera and strobes.
The hardest part is actually finding the subject in the view finder of the camera, or if you are using a compact camera on the display.

Another one is the harlequin shrimp. Almost impossible to be successful with this one if dive guides do not have a spot where they know that it is staying.

This one was feeding on star fish and living quite local.

Also here, the photographic challenge was to get the right point of view and correct positioning of the light without destroying the reef.


Taking macro pictures under water needs patience, good diving (buoyancy) skills, a buddy assisting, and most important diving in a very small group. There is nothing more annoying than photographers queuing behind subjects and stressing each other to get equal exposure to opportunities.

More images can be found at my website at www.andreasrmueller.com

New Software Promises to Take the Grunt Work Out of Ranking Your Images

New Software Promises to Take the Grunt Work Out of Ranking Your Images: Powered by artificial intelligence, Picturesqe organizes your images automatically and tells you which ones look the best. Welcome to the future.

Finding great photo locations

Ever struggled finding a great photo location?

Today finding inspiring photo locations is easy. Internet offers an endless resource of hints, tips, and examples.

While in big cities obviously good photo locations can be found by just screening travel guides the more special photo locations can rather be found in blogs or image repositories in the internet.

I recently visited Tokyo. And picking two to three touristic hot spots already gave me a series of very good and interesting locations. - See my gallery at: link

A great resource of photography ideas and inspiration when visiting Toky is the shoottokyo.com blog by Dave Powell.
The page offers a blog, an inspiring portfolio, a book, and many more.

Explore just one example, which is Dave's blog post about "Analog Sunday", a series of Hasselblad 501 cm images on film: link

Or in preparation of your next Tokyo trip. The post about "Shooting Tokyo". A series of inspirational images opening your eyes for the unusual.