Two weeks ago we published a showcase of beautiful pinhole photography, and this weekend again we’ve got something unusual and creative to lift up your spirits and challenge your creativity. Illusions can be eye-catching and attractive and when you apply them to computer displays, the results can be quite interesting and deceptive.

Take transparent screen trick photos, for example. The idea is simple: you take a photo of your surroundings and set this photo as your desktop wallpaper. Once the display is positioned precisely, the transparent screen trick is achieved. Simple, but what can you do with this simple idea?

Below we present a short selection of some original transparent screen trick photos. The environments presented in these photos appear to have a completely transparent screen which creates an optical illusion. We also feature step-by-step-tutorials in the end of this post: and here you go — now you have something fun to do over the weekend!

[Offtopic: By the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has a mobile version? Try it out if you have an iPhone, Blackberry or another capable device.]

Transparent Screen Trick Photos

Strobist Lighting

6/365 Clear Screen

Untitled

Peon.master

First Attempt

I WIN!!!! alternative 10/365

Transparent screen 3

Transparent screen. [177/365]

Experiments

Transparent Screen 6

Transparent Screen 1

Transparent Screen Experiment

Transparent Screen 5

My Transparent Screen!

Transparent screen 3

Transparent Screen

transparent screen

Transparent Screen

Transparent Screen – Tristan

transparent screen

Beethoven

Transparent screen

Transparent iBook

My transparent screen

Transparent Laptop Screen

TS-pc2

Transparent Screen First Try

Transparent Tablet

See-thru laptops!

Caffè a computer

Grayscale

Transparent Screen

iPod touch

Transparent Screen 2

Added a laptop

Transparent Screen Laptop

Transparent laptop

Standing on Chair

Keithconroy

Play Desktop With Me?

My transparent macbook

Peon.master

Transparent Screen Tutorials and Resources

Just for Fun – Transparent Laptop Tutorial
This project involves taking three different pictures. The first two will be taken at the same time, and the last will be taken after some editing. It is very important that you do not move your computer or tripod during the whole process.

Transparent TFT Screen Tutorial
Learn how to create a transparent looking tft screen by combine smart photographing with some easy photoshop tricks. You will need a camera tripod and of course a digital camera to do this.

Transparent Screens Flickr Group
A huge and growing gallery of photos with the transparent screen trick effect.

© Aquil Akhter for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
Post tags: photography, photos

http://www.smashingmagazine.com

Desktop wallpapers can serve as an excellent source of inspiration. However, if you use some specific wallpaper for a long period of time, it becomes harder to draw inspiration out of it. That’s why we have decided to supply you with smashing wallpapers over 12 months. And to make them a little bit more distinctive from the usual crowd, we’ve decided to embed calendars for the upcoming month. So if you need to look up some date, isn’t it better to show off a nice wallpaper with a nice calendar instead of launching some default time application?

This post features 50 free desktop wallpapers, created by designers across the globe. Both versions with a calendar and without a calendar can be downloaded for free.

Please notice:

• all images can be clicked and lead to the preview of the wallpaper;
• you can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our desktop wallpaper calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them?

So what wallpapers have we received for August 2010?

[Offtopic: by the way, did you know that there is a Smashing eBook Series? Book #1 is Professional Web Design, 242 pages for just $9,90.]

Superstar

"Has “the man” got you down? Feel like nobody sees what a superstar you are? Well keep on shining all day long with this retro-tastic wallpaper!" Designed by Brennan Gilbert from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Viktoria

"A little wallpaper for all the Germany supporters during the World Cup." Designed by Ricky Linn from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Aves Lacuna

Designed by Kyle Wheaton from Buffalo, NY, USA.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Symbian World

"Scene from Symbian World." Designed by Anna Alfut from UK.

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• with calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2048×1152
• without calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2048×1152

Piranha fishing

"Gone fishing in my little row boat." Designed by Natalia Shishina from Russia.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Simple Beauty

Designed by Dovydas Vystartas from Lithuania.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Photography

"Hello from Singapore! This photograph was taken when I was walking along The Orchard Street, where you can find lots and lots of luxury goods. Hope you guys like this colorful wallpaper – Enjoy!" Designed by Juanita Ooi from London, UK (Originally Malaysia).

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600

Strawberry

"I love this work!" Designed by Agnieszka Pluskota from Poland.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

August Sentense

"Just motivating sentence for August :)" Designed by Temeshi from Poland.

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• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

A Square Meal

"It’s August and we love picnics — it’s a great way to get your friends together and enjoy the weather! Being an integrated marketing agency, we know that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts… in marketing AND in sandwiches! These orange creatures are here to remind you to never forget the finishing touches and that no sandwich is too big-you can always use a ladder!" Designed by thunder::tech from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050

Girls Just Want To Have Fun

"Inspired by Cindy Lauper’s famous song." Designed by Irene from Spain.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1920×1200

Summers Freedom

"A photograph to express sheer freedom a lot of people experience at the height of summer — “Summers Freedom” — in this case, the two enjoying a summers evening are Sasha Bell and Rosanna Bell" Designed by Olivia Bell from England, UK.

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• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 2560×1600

Relax, It’s Summer

Designed by Sasha Bell from England, UK.

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• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 2560×1600

Photography

"This photograph was taken in the beginning of 2010, when I was enjoying my winter holiday in London. I believe all of you knew that the winter temperature dropped a lot this year — freezing and raining all day long! I was lucky enough to sense a short few hours of sunny day in the winter." Designed by Juanita Ooi from London, UK (Originally Malaysia).

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600

The Salt March

"August 15th is India’s Independence Day. Depicted here is the Salt March of 1930 which triggered the Freedom Movement in India. The Salt Satyagraha campaign was based upon Gandhi’s principles of nonviolent protest called satyagraha, which he loosely translated as “truth-force.” Jai Hind!" Designed by Pixel Pundits from India.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600

México 1963

"Harmonious life in México City in the 60’s." Designed by Aki from México.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Hot Balloons

"August is one of the hottest months of the year. August is melting." Designed by Kari Andresen from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1920×1200

I Hate Mondays

"Mondays are a freelancer’s nightmare. I’ve always wanted to cry out in all despair “I Hate Mondays!” Anger! Despair! Rivers of fire! Damnation! Let them all out for all the world to hear and see!" Designed by Bogdan Lazar from Romania.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Come Sail Away

"Fillmore-style illustration featuring the lyrics to Styx’s song “Come Sail Away”" Designed by Allison Doty from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Love knows no bounds

"The message of this wallpaper is Love knows no bounds. Race, age, sex, (level in the food chain :)) it all doesn’t matter as long as you love each other. My boyfriend is 16 years older then me and some people just think we’re not supposed to be together because of the age difference. Next week we’ll have our 9 year anniversary… So for the cat and the mouse: as long as the heart is bigger then the hunger, they’ll be fine. " Designed by Nicole Bauer from Germany.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 960×640, 480×320
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 960×640, 480×320

SinGiNg SuNFloWeR

Designed by Pietje Precies from The Netherlands.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Cherry

"I love this work!" Designed by Agnieszka Pluskota from Poland.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Cows

"Hopefully this August you’ll have some time to take a drive/bike ride through the countryside. If not, here’s a typical highway view from my part of the world. Maybe it will inspire you to get outside and enjoy the August weather, or at least do some cow tipping." Designed by Dan Sweet from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1600

Chocolate Dream

Designed by Sasha Bell from England, UK.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050

Summer Cat

Designed by Marina Nozyer from Russia.

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• with calendar: 1152×864, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1600×1200, 1920×1440
• without calendar: 1152×864, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1600×1200, 1920×1440

Happy Independence Day

"15th August is the only important day in August for us to celebrate (Indians), so I decided to create a desktop wallpaper on the same theme. I hope you all will enjoy it. “HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY” 2 all the Indians." Designed by Meghna Sharma from India.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Focus Footprints

"Maybe some abstract sort of meadows? Maybe some abstract sort of meadows?" Designed by Philipp Lehmann from Switzerland.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Glowing Dark August

Designed by Vincius Ervilha from Brazil.

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• with calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1600

Climate Change

Designed by Luciana Passaro from Italy.

• preview
• with calendar: 480×320, 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 480×320, 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 2560×1600

Sleep. Surf.

"Peak of the summer gives you endless opportunities do sleep late, miss all the cooked meals featuring healthy vegetables, go offline and just hit the water. Peak of the summer is the reason of calendar absence. Ignore the clock and be good at it. Longboard models courtesy of Nunosk8." Designed by Antonio Hadrovic from Croatia.

• preview
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Nature’s Dream

"Nature’s Dream wallpapers created with Scribbler Tool and Photoshop." Designed by Silvia Bukovac Gasevic.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×640, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200

Leaves in The Rain

"A fresh green leave to keep you going without getting unorganized! Good morning." Designed by Melle Wynia from The Netherlands.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1600

One Mad Cookie

"August has always seemed like a month of strange & creative thoughts for me, so whenI recently read that August 4th was National Chocolate Chip day I couldn’t help my mindfrom pandering thoughts of cookies with personalities. I thought if I was a cookie Iwould probably be pretty upset if someone took a big bite out of me, so I decided toexpress this in my design." Designed by Jennie Waterous from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Watch out for sharks

"Inspired while playing with Photoshop vectors, for all of you who like minimalism and blue. Oh, and don’t get eaten by a shark while you are enjoying your vacation." Designed by Lucijan Blagoni from Croatia.

• preview
• with calendar: 320×480, 1280×800, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 320×480, 1280×800, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1600

Into the Hole

Designed by Manish Jinwal from India.

• preview
• with calendar: 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Color Emotions

Designed by Gints Stikans from Latvia.

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• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Do we need to say more?

"August, as the summer is at its high most in the northern hemisphere, most people go out for vacation (at least in the US). So, do we need to say more?" Designed by Phidev Inc. from USA.

• preview
• with calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1920×1200, 1920×1440
• without calendar: 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1920×1200, 1920×1440

Geometric Summer

"This is how I see my summer. Simple, geometrical, layered, yet full of color: beach = sand + sea + sun. Cheers from Spain and have a great summer ;-)" Designed by Antonio Bustamante Mirayo from Spain.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200

Freedom

"August 15th marks a wonderful day in the history. India, the largest democratic country in the world got freedom from British invasion. It was 1947 when our great freedom fighters got us the ever lasting success and made our lives flourish forever. Since that day, August 15th of every year is celebrated as Independence Day in India." Designed by Neelam Asrani from India.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050

This too shall pass (Persian Calligraphy)

"”In niz bogzarad” means This too shall pass , life is like that…" Designed by Soodabeh Amirakbari from Iran.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Smashing Team

"A simple tribute to Smashing Magazine’s team." Designed by Kalyne Nobrega from Brasil.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050

The King Of Pop

"Michael Jackson inspired a lot of people, especially all of us here at Bright Oak? Creative Studio. His birthday falls on the 29th and so we dedicate this Smashing Magazine wallpaper to him and all of his fans around the world. Happy Birthday Michael!" Designed by Bright Oak from USA & Switzerland.

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• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600

Beach Time

Designed by Sasha Bell from England, UK.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050

Independence Day

"15th august is the independence day of India so I am showing few heroes who sacrificed their lives for their motherland. There are endless number of men and women other than I have shown in the wallpaper. The wallpaper I have designed is a Tribute to all our freedom fighters." Designed by Aditya L from India.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Over the Bridge

"Sometimes we are so close to fulfill our dreams that it only takesa few more steps to finally reach them." Designed by Jany from Italy.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Sunscreen Novice

"Avoid black in summer.”Avoid black in summer.”" Designed by Kate Jones from UK.

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• with calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050

Freedom

"Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves." Designed by Pooja Taneja from India.

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• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

The Traveller

Designed by Surreal Illusions from England, UK.

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• without calendar: 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200

Watching Universe Twirl

Designed by Andrei Verner from Russia.

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• with calendar: 1024×640, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1600
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1600

Sand Between My Toes

"It’s still pretty hot in the UK, but after reading comments in July’s wallpaper feature, I picked up that in Australia, it’s “winter” – so I thought why not try to do a beach shot which can be interrupted and doesn’t scream “summer”! I hope you like this simple beach shot – hopefully a nice change! Ps. the legs in this shot belong to Rosanna Bell ;) Happy August!" Designed by Olivia Bell from England, UK.

• preview
• with calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 1024×640, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

Join in next month!

Please notice that we respect the ideas and motivation behind artists’ work which is why we’ve given artists full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. And this is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us, but designed from scratch by the artists themselves.

Thanks to all designers for participation. Join in next month!

What’s your favorite?

What’s your favourite theme or wallpaper for this month? Please let us know in the comments! And have a smashing August, folks!

© Smashing Editorial for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
Post tags: Wallpapers

http://www.smashingmagazine.com

Camera is a remarkable piece of innovation. However, it is people — professionals and newbies alike — who make it truly remarkable. It’s the photographer behind the camera. It’s their imagination, passion and talent and knowledge of the medium. You don’t need a high-end costly equipment to get beautiful results. Just your talent, a way of looking at different things and imagination is together more than enough for a great shot. It’s also the ability to envision the final result in your mind which is important.

Pinhole camera is a simple home-made camera (toy camera) which only uses film or CCD sensor (more recently) enclosed in a fully opaque container and does not use any lenses or any kind of optical instruments. You can easily construct this camera yourself using things lying around like match boxes or any kind of boxes, paper, duct tape etc. The small amount of light passing through this pin sized hole produces image onto a photographic film or a CCD sensor.

If you don’t want to get your hands dirty on creating a pin hole camera by yourself, you can use your DSLR with some modifications (replacing camera lenses with a pinhole). Also, pinhole cameras are available in the market: and they are quite popular, too — after all, you don’t have to worry about the focus and distortions as there are no lenses involved. Also, you might end up with lovely motion blurred photographs.

In today’s weekend post we present beautiful and inspiring photographs shot using a pinhole camera. Please notice how photographers use the camera creatively to produce quite remarkable images. At the bottom of this post you will find links to some photographers and references to related resources to get you started. Also, we listed related Flickr pools which contain thousands of further examples of what can be achieved with this techniques. Get inspired, folks!

[Offtopic: by the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has one of the most influential and popular Twitter accounts? Join our discussions and get updates about useful tools and resources — follow us on Twitter!]

Beautiful Inspiring Pinhole Camera Photographs

Tarquin Coates

Tetsuya

The calmness of blue by Andrew Watson

Daniel Tückmantel

Invader by TEIKO

Mackeson

Danielle Hughson

Tea Room

A. Wallis

An Oceanic Ghost Forest by Danielle Hughson

Zeb Andrews

Mackeson

Danielle Hughson

Scott VanderStouw

Tea Room

Scott Speck

Scott Speck

Mackeson

Bruno Malegue

gonebiking

The Iron Cycloid by Scott Speck

Matteo Bagnoli

The Sleeping Zebra by Scott Speck

Sarah Knopf

Follow The Tunes by Tim Franco

Bill Bresler

nhung dang

Darren C.

Scott Speck

Tea Room

Celeste Brignac

A. Wallis

Darren C.

Zeb Andrews

Kakki

Kent Mercurio

Mackeson

Sara

Erik

Zeb Andrews

Michael C. Pastur

mist-y

Zeb Andrews

Tea Room

Always de Sun

Remarkable Photographers

And here is a brief overview of some remarkable photographers from Flickr. These are some of great photographers that will come to your mind every time you think of pinhole photography. They have added a new demission to photography: their photostreams are full of beautiful photographs.

Zeb Andrews

Tea Room

Scott Speck

Further Resources

• The Ultimate Guide to Create Your Own 35mm Pinhole Camera.
• Exposure Times for Pinhole Photography
• Photography 101 – Light and the Pinhole Camera
• 20 Strange Beautiful Pinhole Cameras
• Turn Your DSLR into a Pinhole Camera
• Turn Your Holga into a Pinhole Camera
• DIY: Pinhole Lego Camera
• DIY: Panoramic Pinhole Camera
• Pinhole Calculator
• Flickr Pool: Pinhole
• Flickr Pool: Pinhole Photography
• Flickr Pool: Color Pinhole Photography
• Flickr Pool: Polaroid Pinhole
• Flickr Pool: Pinhole Perspective

© vailrodrigues for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
Post tags: photography, pinhole

http://www.smashingmagazine.com

In previous video roundups, we’ve collected together some interesting videos and presentations from a variety of speakers discussing topics covering usability, graphic design, CSS frameworks, web standards, and more. In this small roundup, we’ve included seven videos that we think would be of great interest to web app developers in particular, with less focus on design and standards.

These presentations are a little more technically heavy than ones we’ve featured in the past, but we think they’re worth every minute. Check them out, and be sure to comment to include links to any related videos that you feel are worth mentioning.

[Offtopic: by the way, did you know that there is a Smashing eBook Series? Book #1 is Professional Web Design, 242 pages for just $9,90.]

Speed Up Your JavaScript

Speaker: Nicholas C. Zakas

As an interpreted language, JavaScript is filled with hidden performance issues that conspire to slow down your code and ruin the user experience. Learn exactly what is fast, what is slow, and what you can do to squeeze that last bit of performance out of your JavaScript code.

Notable Quotes:

“The problem is that JavaScript is slow… And the secondary problem is that people notice that it’s slow, because a lot of the web is about perceived performance. If your [code] is slow and people perceive it to be slow, then you're in a lot of trouble."

"Really the issue is, browsers aren't going to help you with your code. They don't care that your code is running slow, they're not going to do anything to adapt for it. So really, if something has to be done to speed up your code, it pretty much has to be done by you."

Series of articles by the author on the same topic:

• Speed up your JavaScript - Part 1
• Speed up your JavaScript - Part 2
• Speed up your JavaScript - Part 3
• Speed up your JavaScript - Part 4

Further Info:

• Google Tech Talks YouTube Channel
• Speed up your JavaScript (article by the speaker discussing the video)

HTML 5 and Internet Explorer 9

Speaker: Giorgio Sardo

Giorgio Sardo talks about HTML5, CSS3, SVG, and fast JavaScript support coming in the Internet Explorer 9 platform. His presentation includes demos showcasing the latest code, providing best practices on how to make web application standards compliant, fast and interoperable across browsers.

This is a humorous presentation that will be of interest to front-end developers who want to create cutting-edge applications while keeping up with the latest developments in web standards.

Notable Quotes:

"How many of you are still on IE6? You're more than welcome to leave the room now."

"Microsoft is committed to web standards. And I'm very serious when I say this. [audience laughter] It's not a joke!"

"Our job as browser vendors is to make sure that we give you a professional implementation of HTML5, something you can rely on, something that, if you start building your application today, in one year from now it will not break just because the standard changes."

Further Information:

• A similar presentation by the same speaker on MSDN

Introduction to HTML 5

Speaker: Brad Neuberg

If you want to know what's new in HTML 5 but haven't had a chance to do much reading on the topic yet, this video by Brad Neuberg provides a solid introduction to HTML 5's most powerful capabilities and features. In this presentation he discusses five aspects of the HTML5 spec: (1) Canvas and SVG; (2) HTML5 Video; (3) The Geolocation API; (4) The HTML5 database and application cache; and (5) Web Workers.

This is a great video and a must-see for anyone that wants to start building powerful web apps using HTML5's newest features.

Notable Quotes:

"One of the things that's really unique about HTML5 is it [allows you to] drop SVG right into a normal HTML page, so it really makes SVG a core part of HTML."

"Currently, video is complicated, and it's outside your control... In 2009 video really should be a part of the browser... HTML5 now gives you a video tag that really works very similar to the image tag, so you don't have to have very complicated objects or plugins — video just works."

"Using all this JavaScript... we can end up not writing apps great, that end up freezing the browser, causing it to run slowly... HTML 5 gives you something called Web Workers, and this lets you run JavaScript in the background in such a way that it won't 'hose' or kill the browser."

Further Information:

• Brad Neuberg's website

eCSStender: the 'jQuery of CSS'

Speaker: Aaron Gustafson

In this video, Aaron Gustafson discusses an overview of his new JavaScript library along with demos and example code to demonstrate how it can be used. Along the way, Gustafson includes some interesting points on the history of the HTML and CSS specs. He also discusses the library's compatibility with IE6 and CSS3 selectors.

Notable Quotes:

"You can use [eCSStender] for patching older browsers... basically standardizing implementations across browsers."

"What the extension in the case of border-radius is doing is actually figuring out what it is that it needs to do and then building the implementation that the browser wants... It greatly simplifies the design process."

Further Information:

• Watch the video on MSDN
• eCSStender website
• Stop Forking with CSS3

10 Things I Learned From the jQuery Source

Speaker: Paul Irish

This is a unique, informative, and entertaining screencast from one of the web's best JavaScript developers. Irish is funny and down-to-earth while he reveals some cool little nuggets that he's discovered from examining the jQuery source. The screencast is a remake of Irish's presentation at the recent Texas JavaScript Conference.

Notable Quote:

"Everyone... considers jQuery this black box, and this black box is this magical box that just works — it has this great API, we use it, we don't have to worry about how it actually works internally, we're not going to look inside the source and figure it out. But I'm here to say, if you do, I think you're going to benefit from it."

Further Information:

• Video with comments on Nettuts+
• Video posted on the author's website

Steve Huffman on Lessons Learned at Reddit

Speaker: Steve Huffman

A presentation from Future of Web Apps Miami 2010 by reddit co-founder Steve Huffman. Huffman explains some of the most important lessons he and his development team learned while reddit was growing. This is a highly technical presentation that concludes with some audience Q&A.

Notable Quotes:

"If this talk had existed when we were starting reddit, I think it would have saved me a lot of time, so I hope something in here isn't obvious to you now and you can learn from it."

"I dreaded my phone ringing. Nobody would call me for any other reason than to tell me Reddit was down. Even my mother would call me and say, 'Steve, your website’s not working.' Thanks mom."

"Wasting disc and memory is totally fine if you’re not making your users wait. Discs and memory are far cheaper than annoying your customers."

Further Information:

• Video with Transcript on Carsonified
• Carsonified's Vimeo Channel

The Paradox of Choice

Speaker: Barry Schwartz

This video, on the surface, is not about web development in any way, but provides an interesting viewpoint on "freedom of choice" and may well remind app and website designers to avoid bombarding users with choices and complicated options. Some very controversial insights are given here into what makes people happier, providing some food for thought for those concerned about usability.

Notable Quotes:

"The way to maximize freedom, is to maximize choice. The more choice people have, the more freedom they have, and the more freedom they have, the more welfare they have. This I think is so deeply embedded in the water supply, that it wouldn't occur to anyone to question it."

"[Having too much choice] produces paralysis rather than liberation. With so many options to choose from, people find it very difficult to choose at all."

Further Information:

• Watch the video on TED

Related Articles

• 7 Must-See Web Design Videos and Presentations on Smashing Magazine
• 7 Must-See Web Design Videos and Presentations on Noupe

© Louis Lazaris for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
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Sometimes, a picture can be powerful enough to be inspirational material all by itself. To provide you with some inspiration for the upcoming week, this sunday we feature some truly beautiful and impressive images from talented artists and photographers worldwide.

Whether in black and white or in colors, they are all related by a strong sense of composition and an emphasis on lightening and colors work. All images are linked to their sources, which you are encouraged to visit. Other work of the photographers we have featured here is certainly worth discovering as well. Please notice that some images are available as prints as well.

[Offtopic: By the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has a mobile version? Try it out if you have an iPhone, Blackberry or another capable device.]

Beautiful Photography

Dreaming
Amazing sleeping beauty, where the beauty is actually also the beast, by Peter ツ. Prints are available as well.

Blue Sky

Far And Away

Inside Capitol Hill

The Endpoint
By Jeannette Oerlemans.

Falling Up

Song of Tide
By Wira Nurmansyah from Indonesia.

Blue
By Earl A. Jones.

Bunny Bokeh
Happy bunny bokeh wednesday, by Little Miss Patricia.

The Cat

Abstract
By tanakawho.

Ink Sea
By Hermin Abramovitch.

Fan’s Eye
A macro shot by LauHi.

falltuer

Painter
By an unknown artist (please let us know the photographer in the comments).

Ant, The Driver
By Raphael Guarino.

A purple leaf
By National Geographic.

Flower Petal
By Alistair Campbell.

Keeper
By Wysseri.

Who Feels Love
By Ciuky.

In The Mood 4 Love
By Antonio Navarro Wijkmark.

Tunnel
By Kleemass.

Eyjafjallajökull
By Skarphéðinn Þráinsson.

Susanna Majuri
A disturbing yet insteresting serie of images by Susanna Majuri.

San Torini

Abandoned
By tEdGuY49.

blue canary
By Ursula I Abresch.

Bearded Dragon
A macro shot by LauHi.

Ant (by Unknown)
Please let us know who is the author of this image in the comments.

Light Paintings by Twin Cities Brightest

Last Click

The Plugs
Well, that’s not a beautiful photo per se, but we are confident that this image will spark your imagination for a more productive workflow — at least when it comes to handling cabels and plugs!

Would you like to see more similar inspirational posts?

© Smashing Editorial for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
Post tags: photography, photos

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Whether freelancers, small agency founders or website owners, too many of us work alone. The downside of the digital revolution is isolation. The Web allows us to do alone what previously would have required a team of people. It also frees us from the constraints of geography, allowing us to work from home. But while these are benefits, they also leave us isolated.

[By the way, did you know we have a brand new free Smashing Email Newsletter? Subscribe now and get fresh short tips and tricks on Tuesdays!]

The Dangers Of Isolation

Over time, working in isolation (even if you function as part of a team) can prove harmful to your mental health, business and website. In fact, even if other people are working on a project of yours, if they are junior to you, you can still feel isolated.

lifeandlove, Shutterstock

If you don’t find a peer with whom you can share ideas and discuss your business or project, you face a number of dangers:

• Dry up creatively
  Creativity is born of interaction. Being consistently creative on your own is hard. The best ideas come from people brainstorming together and from one great idea leading to another. Without someone to bounce ideas around with, your business or project will lack a creative spark.
• Lose confidence
  Over time we can lose confidence in our abilities or our business. This is especially true when we make mistakes and things go wrong. Without someone to encourage and reassure us, we can begin to second-guess our decisions.
• Become over-confident
  While some suffer from a lack of confidence, others are over-confident and need to be challenged and questioned. This is a trait I suffer from; I would happily dive headlong into disaster if my fellow directors did not constantly question my ideas. Without people like this, moving your business in entirely the wrong direction would be too easy.
• Reach the limit of your knowledge
  We can’t all be experts at everything, and yet running a website and a business requires a broad range of skills. When working in isolation and tackling problems beyond your comfort zone, you can easily reach the limit of your expertise and flounder.
• Have a blinkered perspective
  Another problem with working alone is that you have only a single perspective on your work. By adding another set of eyes to your problems, you gain a broader vision and can approach your challenges from a different angle.
• Feel overwhelmed
  Running a business or a business-critical website can feel like a burden. You are often required to make big decisions, particularly with hiring and expenditures. Making these decisions alone is a big responsibility and can be really scary. Having someone to share that with would make a big difference.

So, can you identify with any of these traps? If not, then I suggest you read the one about over-confidence again! I don’t believe a single website owner or entrepreneur couldn’t benefit from an outside perspective.

The question, then, is how do you find someone?

Getting An Outside Perspective

The most obvious solution is to partner with somebody at the outset. Whether you work with someone on a website or form a business with an associate, partnerships can be very beneficial. This is what I did with our company, and I haven’t regretted it for a minute. I would be lost without my two co-founders, Chris and Marcus.

That said, I know that not everyone’s experiences with partners have been rosy. Also, by the time you read this, the opportunity for this kind of partnership may have already passed.

What can you do then? What other options are available to those seeking an outside perspective and someone to bounce ideas around with?

Here are some options:

• Sleeping partner
  This is the approach we took. We have a non-executive director named Brian who works with a number of companies and keeps us on our toes. He has a radically different view of business and constantly challenges us. In return, he has a small stake in the business. He is worth every penny.
• Paid consultant
  If you don’t fancy having someone so entrenched in your business, why not consider an external consultant with whom you could speak on an ongoing basis? Admittedly, this kind of consultant can be pricey, but they do bring an outside perspective to the table.
• Mentor
  Another option is to approach a Web designer or website owner you admire and ask them to mentor you. Obviously, these people are probably busy with their own work, but if you are willing to pay for their time, you might get some valuable advice. You’ll usually need only an hour per month to stay on the right track.
• Buddy
  A buddy would be a cheaper option, someone in a situation similar to yours. The two of you could agree to chat regularly and share the challenges you face as business or website owners, discussing different approaches and ideas.
• Community
  Yet another option would be to look not for a consultant, mentor or buddy, but for a supportive online community. Loads are around, but make sure the one you join is not too big. You want people to remember you and your circumstances.

Whatever you decide is entirely up to you. The point is, if you want to realize the potential of your website or business, you need the help and encouragement of others. Humans by nature work best in groups, and you are no exception. We are not meant to do it alone!

(al)

© Paul Boag for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
Post tags: isolation, Workflow

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