Photographer, producer and Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic, Pamela Chen first picked up a camera at around 9 months old. Although she was pointing the camera the wrong way, as children often do, the photo that Chen shares with us in this video is a sweet memento. During the video, which is sponsored by Microsoft OneDrive, Chen tells the story of how capturing one blurry photograph when she was a college student changed the course of her life. She also explains why photography is a natural fit for her and provides a glimpse into one of her first National Geographic assignments.
As a senior photo editor, Chen is tasked with reviewing each frame that comes in for a story. She says that's around 10,000-60,000 images per story. You can find out more about Chen on her website.
Can you remember the moment or photograph that inspired you to pursue photography?
Can you remember the moment or photograph that inspired you to pursue photography? .................... I started more than half a cetury ago with my mama's Roleiflex & on first photo was ... mother, ofcourse. :o)
A dolly zoom is a cinematographic technique that involves moving the camera forward while zooming out, or moving the camera back while zooming in. This doesn't explain how a still photograph can be given the effect of a dolly zoom.
"Can you remember the moment or photograph that inspired you to pursue photography? "
Sure. Mine was back in 2004, almost 10 yrs exactly from now, when I was in the woods with my father. At the time I had a simple Pentax MZ-60 QD and 28-80 standard zoom mounted. At a certain point I took this picture and for the first time I had some kind of background separation and - to a certain extent, also some kind of 3d effect on my father's hands because of the way the light fell on him. For the first time I had a picture where the main subject was separated from the background.. and I liked it a lot, SO much that I started trying and learning how to improve.
nice, mine was discovering I had manual settings on an old 2005 Kodac fixed zoom and learning how to take pictures of stars with it. As soon as I got the photo that lit up a dark sky I just wanted to know everything. I realised photography is super expensive as a hobby though so one day (hopefully soon) I find a decent deal on something that can take photos to my liking.
It depends what place you are in....the changed in your life would be better or much, much better or just right at the right moment in time and place on that moment...just like a photo.
Much appreciated: her life-long quest with photography; and a very well-done, intimate video. Vivacious and interesting lady, and and co-incidentally also reflects my own journey and photograhic interests. Tony Webster, Barbados
Yah I thought it was going to be about National Geographic but it turned into a Microsoft ad which killed the story and mood completely. I bet she didn't even own that tablet.
Thanks. I still wonder how they could do the hitchcock zoom effect in post processing though. It's not like she uses a special camera t take the photos...
You have to cut out the people (foreground) from the pictures to separate it from the background through layering (you have to either scale a bit the foreground or the background to cover up the cuts when animating) then animate separately both foreground and background to create a zooming effect.. These can be done using a software like the Adobe After Effects..
No Nikon camera we've tested to date balances stills and video capture as well as the Nikon Z7. Though autofocus is less reliable than the D850, Nikon's first full-frame mirrorless gets enough right to earn our recommendation.
Nikon's Coolpix P1000 has moved the zoom needle from 'absurd' to 'ludicrous,' with an equivalent focal length of 24-3000mm. While it's great for lunar and still wildlife photography, we found that it's not suited for much else.
As a stills camera the Fujifilm X-T3 is a pleasant update to one of our favorite APS-C cameras, significantly improving the autofocus. If you're interested in stills and video, though, it's knockout.
The Nikon Z7 is slated as a mirrorless equivalent to the D850, but it can't subject track with the same reliability as its DSLR counterpart. AF performance is otherwise good, except in low light where hunting can lead to missed shots.
The Canon EOS R is the first full frame mirrorless camera to use the new RF mount. We're well underway putting it through our range of standard tests – take a look at how it compares to the competition and our thoughts on using it so far.
What's the best camera for under $500? These entry level cameras should be easy to use, offer good image quality and easily connect with a smartphone for sharing. In this buying guide we've rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing less than $500 and recommended the best.
Whether you've grown tired of what came with your DSLR, or want to start photographing different subjects, a new lens is probably in order. We've selected our favorite lenses for Sony mirrorlses cameras in several categories to make your decisions easier.
Whether you've grown tired of what came with your DSLR, or want to start photographing different subjects, a new lens is probably in order. We've selected our favorite lenses for Canon DSLRs in several categories to make your decisions easier.
Whether you've grown tired of what came with your DSLR, or want to start photographing different subjects, a new lens is probably in order. We've selected our favorite lenses for Nikon DSLRs in several categories to make your decisions easier.
What’s the best camera for less than $1000? The best cameras for under $1000 should have good ergonomics and controls, great image quality and be capture high-quality video. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing under $1000 and recommended the best.
Nikon USA has announced that its Z6 full-frame mirrorless camera will be shipping Friday, November 16th at a price of $1999 body-only and $2599 with the Nikkor Z 24-70 F4 S lens.
The Insta360 One X is the company's latest consumer 360-degree camera, supporting 5.7K video, including excellent image stabilization, as well as 18MP photos. And, in our experience, it's a really fun camera to use.
ON1 Photo RAW 2019 brings an updated interface, more powerful Lightroom migration, better camera/lens support, and more to ON1's flagship editing program.
Experiencing life through the lens of a camera might mean you miss out on special moments, warns Casey Cavanaugh as he shoots a short film through the viewfinder of his Hasselblad 500CM
The New York Times has teamed up with Google to start the process of digitizing more than five million photos stored in a vault nicknamed "the morgue."
Ambitious goals, new challenges and looking ahead to 100 years of the Z mount – we spoke with senior executives and engineers at Nikon about what lies ahead.
After years focused primarily on landscapes, Erez Marom leapt on an opportunity to return to his roots in wildlife photography. A trip to the mountains of Uganda photographing endangered mountain gorillas yielded some stunning photos – and an experience of a lifetime.
Digital cameras have made it incredibly easy to do time-lapse photography, thanks to the ability to take hundreds—or even thousands—of photos without interruption. This week, Chris and Jordan walk us through the process of planning and shooting compelling time-lapse videos.
The Nikon Z6 is the lower-resolution, faster sibling to the Z7, and has already shown impressive results in our preliminary testing. Take a look at how it performs outside of the studio.
Photopea is a free Photoshop alternative that works directly in the browser and offers advanced features including spot removal, clone tool, layers, filters, and masks.
Since publishing our full review, we've continued shooting with the Fujifilm X-T3 here and there – sometimes on assignment, and sometimes because we just like it so darn much. Our sample gallery has been updated with fresh images.
Flickr has announced that it will not delete images from its Creative Commons or Flickr Commons collections and is working hand-in-hand with institutions and non-profits to "keep these photos safe and available for the world to view and enjoy."
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