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These following images stem from an Youtube Discussion on one of my videos where I was being accused of "lying" and being a "horrible" teacher, to which I take issue. This is a quick and dirty comparison of the DOF between the Canon 5Diii and the iPhone 5, specifically to demonstrate the image differences between a full frame sensor and a teeny tiny sensor (iPhone), trying to keep all other variables to be somewhat comparable. Some will argue that quick and dirty is never good, I beg to differ; I try to do quick and dirty before investing a lot of time and effort into “thorough and clean” and in the past this has answered and prevented many problems in deeper testing. The effective focal length on both cameras are about the same ~35mm. (There is an important distinction between "actual" focal length and "effective" focal length", but most commonly effective focal length is accepted as what we are talking about) While the ISO and Shutter Speeds are different, this shouldn’t play into DOF too much. The aperture on the iPhone is 2.4 and the 5Diii is actually 2.8, which should actually result in a deeper DOF than 2.4. Both shots were taken from the same chair, at very close to the same distance. An important note is that actual file size and resolution of the 5Diii is much larger at 22MP. What do you see? What can explain this?

Anyway, if anyone thinks I am completely crazy or wrong, I sure would love to see you get that same 2.8 DOF with an iPhone that I did with my 5Diii above. I could be wrong, just having a hard time wrapping my mind around the images above if DOF is always the same between all sensor sizes, all things being equal, which I have disagreed with. What do you think? Should I do a more clean and thorough test? Maybe a video? I hope this demonstrates my position from a " practical , actually shooting position" in creating an image, not from the perspective of "hey lets just argue for the sake of it."

Professional photographer and blogger Kimball Larsen shared some of the awesome results he got using the NEW Maven Adapter. He shot a really great cover for a local author's (and his sister-in-law) new book that would not have been possible with the Maven Adapter. He was able to give the author exactly the cover she wanted with this overhead shot. You can also click here to check out Kimball's full review of the Maven Adapter. You can get your NEW Maven Adapter by clicking here.

Kimball also got the amazing landscape shot. Before he could not get the camera low enough over the water without nearly falling down the steep shore. It was now easily achieved with the Maven Adapter.

Russian photographers Dmitriy Christoprudov and Nikolay Kykov came up with a concept to use a light source beneath the ice on Lake Baikal to create a unique effect. The idea was to have the cracks in the ice light up and look like lightening or electricity. At the time of shooting Lake Baikal had three feet of thick ice covering it's surface. Along the way the ran into several unanticipated logistical problems. The hole they dug wasn't big enough for their light source. They had to enlisted the help of local fisherman with specialized tools to get the job done. After that the debris and scratches created by the fisherman's boots had to be cleaned. It took them an hour to get the surface photo ready. While the final images isn't particularly mind blowing it's a very cool concept. You can read more on their live journal that was translated by English Russia.

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PetaPixel posted this really cool video by Alex Koloskov founder of Photigy. He puts a Hasselblad camera up against the iPhone's camera in a product shot of a glass of liquid. To take the images he used a single continuous LED light. For the iPhone shot he used the 645 PRO Mk II app (available in the iTunes app store for $3.99). The amazing part is when you compare the Hasselblad shot against the iPhone the difference is minimal and hardly noticeable to an untrained eye. Both are great shots! Alex states his point clearly in the video. Is it really the lack of expensive gear you have that's holding you back from becoming a better photographer or is it lack of experience, knowledge, and creativity? The proof is in the final images. This should be inspiring to anyone who can't afford top of line gear. Maybe you can't get those great images that require a nice macro lens but you can take other creative and interesting shots. Work with what you have to learn and grow.

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As Alex states on his website, one of these images are from the Hasselblad and one is from the iPhone.

In this fast-paced digital world we are literally bombarded with design, advertisements, and graphics more than ever. One influential yet often overlooked aspect of design and graphic art is type design. If you work in design or commercial art you probably already understand the importance of type design and typography. Type design or fonts can convey emotion, meaning, mood, or can be incredibly practical like simply making legibility and comprehension easier. One of the legends of type design is Matthew Carter. He is the designer behind such famous fonts as Georgia and Verdana. In the below TED Talk video he discusses his career in type design. From analog beginnings, transitioning all the way into the digital world. The talk is fascinating as you begin to understand the level of expertise, knowledge, and skill involved in creating something we all use on a daily basis yet nearly never acknowledge.

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With the launch of my new 3D printing website www.3Dcre8tor.com coming soon, I need your help choosing a logo design. From over 1,000 entires I have finally narrowed it down to 16. Take a look at the designs and make sure to place your vote on the poll at the bottom of the page. Your help is greatly appreciated.

In his annual trip to Tonga underwater photographer Darren Jew takes up behind the scenes on his most recent shoot. He shares which gear he uses and prefers, how he goes about getting the shot, and what motivates him. The final result are stunning images of one of Earth's most magnificent creatures. You can check out the entire article here with a full list of the gear used.

We are pleased to announce the Grand Prize winner of Michael The Maven's 2013 International Photography Contest! It was a difficult choice this year as we were flooded with so many amazing entries. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and taking the time to participate. Our Grand Prize Winner this year is David Gonzalez for his abstract submission! Congratulations to David as he will be receiving a brand new Canon 5D Mark III. He'll also receive Michael's Canon 5D Mark III Crash Course, the Lighting Crash Course, the Advanced Photography Techniques Crash Course, and a camera bag set courtesy of Think Tank Photo.

Had a fun shootout vs Shom of Shom's Photography this weekend. He is a spectacular photographer and I had my hands full as he was using his Cheetah Stand CL-360 and I had a single Canon 600 Ex which is always in my bag. I placed it on a a NEW Maven Adapter, which allowed me to get it close to our model which is the only way you can pull off this kind of shot with harsh sunlight behind the model. I thought it worked out well for what I had lighting wise. We were both shooting with the Canon 5Diii

Processed with Michael Andrew Paintballer Pro ® Presets

A team of scientists in Philadelphia are 3D printing cancerous tumors in order to better understand them. Up until now most scientists were using 2D sheets to test new therapies, but tumors are an entirely different structure that made the 2D sheets inadequate. The Drexel team has started producing 3D cervical tumors that will help analyze the behavior of the cancer far more accurately. The surface hasn't even been scratched on the amazing possibilities 3D printing. This is yet another astonishing example of it's fast moving future. Will 3D printing be a major force in cancer research? Learn more about what the Drexel team is doing by clicking here.