10 Amazing Photos Taken Through a Sandwich Bag

Stunning Turquoise Ice on Ancient Lake

Russian landscape photographer Alex El Barto Trofimov, who lives in the heart of Siberia, travels nearly 400 miles south to photograph one of the world’s most voluminous and oldest freshwater lakes – his favorite place to take pictures.

“Lake Baikal is a real jewel of our planet,” Trofimov told Weather.com over email. “I shoot on Lake Baikalsummer and winter.”

The lake contains roughly 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen surface fresh water and more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, with more than 80 percent of the animals being unique to the area.

The 25 million-year-old lake’s water is so clear that when it freezes over in the winter you can see a little over a 100 feet below. The lake can be crossed by foot when it freezes, but those who choose to cross it run the risk of frostbite and hypothermia.

“The shooting is not easy, as Baikal is known for its unpredictability. It is especially dangerous shooting ice of Lake Baikal,” Trofimov explained.

In March, due to a natural phenomenon the lake is particularly amazing to photograph. The temperature, wind and sun cause the ice crust to crack and form beautiful turquoise blocks or ice hummocks on the lake’s surface.

For more of Trofimov’s photos visit his website.

 lunar1963 wrote: 
I made a weird tilt/shift thingie last year from a hodgepodge of junk.  You can see some of the story on this page, and some of the photos from it here.  Nothing greatly impressive, but it's kinda fun.  I need to find some more opportunities to take that thing out.   

I am a big fan of the tilt shift effect. Do you use that? It makes pictures look like they were taken from scale models, weird and beautiful

 miamizsun wrote: 
Bookmarked.  Thanks!

great website!

Grab a Coffee – This Huge Collection of Photography Links is Going to Keep You Busy for a While

 buzz wrote: 

That was the first thing I did and I couldn't get the camera close enough to my work table to get the shot. Then I tried reducing the length of the legs and putting it on the table, and it tipped over from the weight of the camera. I could extend the legs all the way out and put it on the table, but then I'd never be able to get close enough to the viewfinder to set up the shot. Etc. Etc. Etc.

 MsJudi wrote: 
Throwing yourself on the mercy of someone who knows what they're doing is not a bad strategy. I can't really help you with video issues but I can tell you that if you are having trouble setting up overhead shots on the table, try using the floor. 
 
Compare prices you get locally with B+H Photo in NY. They usually have the best prices of any reputable dealer. My local store will match B+H prices.

I really want to be able to start video taping art tutorials for my web site but I keep running into unforeseen problems. Every time I solve one issue, another pops up. I'm getting discouraged. My tripod wouldn't swivel to horizontal, so I purchased one that would. It's a beauty but the problem is that I can't get it close enough to my table to get a good top-down picture. When I shorten the legs to place it directly onto my table, the weight of the camera makes it tip over. So ok, I figured out that I could get a wholly other type of tripod which has the legs very close to the ground, and a boom arm that raises very high up so you get a true top-down shot. Great. Except that with such a fancy tripod, how in the world would I ever reach the viewfinder to focus the camera? If I could hook it to a monitor, so I could see what the camera sees, I could position it without using the viewfinder, but I have no clue how to accomplish such a thing or even if my camera would be amenable to such a set up. And then there's another problem: I record video using my Canon PowerShot, a digital point and shoot camera; the record button needs to be continuously pressed in order to shoot video, something I obviously can't do if my hands are busy demo'ing art techniques.

I'm about to pull my hair out. I know this can be done, people are doing it all the time, people you'd never expect to be tech savvy. BUT HOW??

Frankly, I'm intimidated by the idea of going into a photography forum and saying, "I want to do xxx with my camera without really caring about the functions of a camera. I just want the video, I don't care how I get it." I'll be eaten alive by RTFM nazis. 

I've decided to return the beautiful tipod that shoots horizontally (that G got me for my birthday, that I begged for and have had a grand total of three days), take my very excellent and expensive other tripod to Camera Exchange (to potentially trade in), and throw myself on the mercy of Someone Who Knows What They're Doing.

 Alexandra wrote: 
PhotoScape (download) and PicMonkey (web) will both do that.

10 Photoshop Alternatives That Are Totally Free

 Alexandra wrote: 
There's a free site called Lunapic which has a lot of filters and is pretty easy to use.

 swell_sailor wrote: 
Thanks. I'm still not getting the effect I was shooting for, but.......that's okay. Sometimes things are just better left as is.

 Alexandra wrote: 
Hm

Does anyone use PhotoFiltre to edit photos? You'd think it would be easy-peasy to soften/blur the edges of a photo, but no....can't figure out how anywhere.

 kysmet wrote: 

THANKS!

 edieraye wrote: 
Takes a few steps but you can...

Instagram: How to get your Instagram share URL

 edieraye wrote: 

*bump*

So....can we post instagram photos on RP?  Easily?  If so, I need a quick and easy tutorial.  Please.