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Tag Archives: Google

Is the end of camera based photography in sight – Google Glasses

The much anticipated arrival of the Google Glasses with augmented reality and inbuilt camera/video have been shown at the I/O event. Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin  took to the stage to showcase the firm’s Glass project – augmented reality glasses that are still in development.

ABC have a further report on these new glasses and as well as overlaying information on your specs these glasses also have a camera that will record stills and video as we learn here…

Isabelle Olsson, a senior industrial designer on Google’s Project Glass, wears the Google Glasses at Google I/O 2012. (Joanna Stern / ABC News)

They are about the same weight as my pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. (Olsson wouldn’t let me put them on, but I was able to feel them and take a look at the buttons.) And it’s hard to believe that in the spectacles lives a tiny computer. She explains that they have taken the parts of a smartphone — the processor, battery, etc. — and put it in the left leg (or right depending on which way you view them) of the glasses.

On the front of the glasses, in the top left (or right depending on which way you view them) corner is a small camera and a small glass-looking box, which is a tiny display. On the top of the glasses is a power button and a camera button. You control the screen’s interface with the touchpad on the leg of the glasses…..Olsson’s glasses weren’t powered on, but she explained to me that she typically takes pictures with the camera and then uploads them using the WiFi or Bluetooth in the glasses. You can connect the glasses to a phone via Bluetooth and use the phone’s 3G or 4G connection. Olsson and the others wearing the glasses at the conference wouldn’t discuss battery life.

So in the future will we need cameras? Now so many people eschew compact cameras for their camera phones, will these go the way of film too, consigned to museums.

All I ask is that the new specs be called Goggles

Read the full ABC news report here

This is what Google have to say about their “Project Glass’

Project Glass

Yesterday 7:35 PM  -  Public

We are always pushing the limits of our technology, and Project Glass is no exception.  It is designed to help you live in the moment — even when you’re falling from the sky.

We’re still in early development days, but at Google I/O this morning we wanted to do a product demo in a way we’d never tried before.  We worked with some of the world’s top athletes, combined skydiving and mountain biking, and shared the experience — through their eyes — with the world.

If you missed it, we’d love you to be able to see how we put this together, so tune in live tomorrow (weather permitting!) at roughly 11am at https://developers.google.com/events/io/ to check it out.

And you may just catch another Hangout in Air.

#projectglass   #io12   #skydiving 

Google Photography Prize winner – Viktor Johansson

I must use google 20 or 30 times a day and although I am there more than I am at home I had never heard of the google photography prize until it announced a winner.

Grand Prize – Viktor Johansson

“Viktor is a 24-year-old student at the Swedish photography school, Nordens Fotoskola Biskops-Arnö. The judges were impressed and captivated with his series that focused on Christoffer Eskilsson, Sweden’s best male diver from 10 metres. Viktor has chosen to show us an alternative view, one that we are not used to seeing from sport photography in the media. Instead of glamorous action shots of an athlete in competition, he has produced arresting and unexpected photographs that focus on the long, lonely hours of repetitive training and practice that it takes to excel in your field.”

I have searched for a web site for Viktor without luck so although there is much media coverage of his win and his winning portfolio you may have to wait for further information.

I think that the competition is open to students, but if I am honest I haven’t looked at the rules, and I also assume there is a competition running through the next 12 months but again I struggle to find the information, seems to me that for an information company google are not doing well in this instance.

Here is the link to the google photography prize page

All images © Viktor Johansson

Other links of interest

The Telegraph

The Independent

The BBC

Design Week

7 Deadly Mistakes You Might Be Making On Your Photography Website

Digital Photography School brings you this advice

“Google tells us that there are almost one million photography websites on the web right now. This is bad news for you. The good news is that most of these websites suck. Photographers keep making the same mistakes over and over again, never getting the best out of their websites.

This post will show you what are these deadly mistakes and how you can fix them in order to get ahead of your competition.”

Here’s mine

Three Essential Skills for Today’s Wedding Photographer

Times….they are a changin’.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard some of the doom and gloom that’s been rumbling in our industry. And although the photo industry is different than it used to be, this isn’t necessarily bad news. The photographers who are able to successfully navigate the changing industry landscape are still running successful businesses and have adapted to ensure that their business will still be around in the years to come. Whether you’re just jumping in and are new to the industry or you’re a seasoned pro, here are three essential skills that will help you succeed.…more  Written by Katie Humphreys

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