Articles on: photo & video

[caption id="attachment_10180" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo by Paul Reynolds via Flickr[/caption] Before there was the despited-yet-beloved, maligned-yet-embraced phenomenon known as the selfie, there was the self-portrait, which was actually a highly respected art from practiced by some of the greatest photographers and artists in history. Throughout the decades, self-portraits have allowed photographers to practice taking pictures of the human form, to experiment with their tools, and to challenge our idea of what portraiture can be.

[caption id="attachment_10079" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo via Flickr[/caption] In the broadest definition of the words, the difference between a professional and an amateur lies not in the action of doing a thing or performing a service, but rather, whether or not clients are willing to pay for that thing or service. An amateur does something for fun, and they don't get paid.

[caption id="attachment_10036" align="alignnone" width="608"] Photo via Sue Bryce/Instagram[/caption] As we approach the holiday season, if you're even remotely handy with a camera, you're probably already preparing for the inevitable moment when you wind up behind one, trying to get all seven of your aunts and uncles to smile like they mean it. Family photos, portraits of the kids in their new clothes, or candids of everyone bustling around -- during this time of year, your subjects are probably less likely to be professional models, and more likely to be related to you.

[caption id="attachment_10016" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: Sal Cincotta[/caption] Terrible customer service experiences are so common -- and so commonly frustrating -- that websites like Yelp and Urban Spoon rely on them for their business. Because, of course, very few people have such blindingly good experiences that they merit a review.

Creative costumes are pretty much always a Halloween hit -- especially if they're topical, involve a pun, or are otherwise a little outside the box -- but before the days of pop-up Halloween stores and online ordering, costumes were creative because they had to be. Whether it was a crafty mom who was especially adept at the sewing machine, or clever kids who put in the work on found objects and cardboard, the Halloween costumes of previous eras involved a lot of innovative thinking and handiwork.