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digital culture May 23, 2013

Black-and-White Beauties: 9 Instagrammers You Need to Follow Now

Cameras have come a long way since the black-and-white heliographs and daguerreotypes of the 1800s.

by Nicole Nguyen

Cameras have come a long way since the black-and-white heliographs and daguerreotypes of the 1800s. The photo gadgets of today, with advanced resolution, dynamic range, and shutter-speed technology, were absolutely unthinkable in the 19th century. And yet, there's still something beautiful about the gauzy, slightly blurred look of low-tech cameras.

Black-and-white photographers on Instagram are bringing the art form back to its colorless origins with striking images that put the focus on composition, subject, and portraiture. We scoured the photo-sharing social network for the best shutterbugs on the platform and found amazing artists from all ends of the spectrum. In the gallery, feast your eyes on black-and-white beauties of urban life, abstractions, and more — then follow these Instagrammers ASAP.

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digital culture May 22, 2013

The Dos and Don'ts of Social Media Etiquette

How do I tell my friend that she's sharing way too much on social media?

by Kelly Schwarze

How do I tell my friend that she's sharing way too much on social media? When is and isn't it appropriate to use my smartphone? Is it OK to text my boss?

Today on The Sync Up, we are talking etiquette, social media etiquette that is. Whether you're using Facebook, Twitter, emailing, or texting, we'll be answering your questions on what is and isn't an appropriate way to communicate digitally. That and more, all in this episode of The Sync Up.

digital culture May 22, 2013

GIF or JIF: How Do You Pronounce the Animated Image?

The father of the GIF file format, Steve Wilhite, won the lifetime achievement award for creating the Internet age's most meme-able images at Tuesday night's Webby Awards in New York City.

by Nicole Nguyen

The father of the GIF file format, Steve Wilhite, won the lifetime achievement award for creating the Internet age's most meme-able images at Tuesday night's Webby Awards in New York City. In lieu of The Webby Awards' traditional "5-Word Speech," Steve delivered a five-word GIF instead, set to the epic theme song of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It read: "IT'S PRONOUNCED 'JIF' NOT 'GIF.'"

Which brings us to one of the most highly debated pronunciations of the 21st century: Steve says 'JIF,' but what do you say? How do the cyber citizens of the world articulate the acronym for Graphics Interchange Format? It's natural to assume that the GI in GIF is pronounced with a J sound, like the words giant and ginger. But then again, why not a hard G, like the G in Graphics, for which it stands?

Watch Steve accept his Webby Award for lifetime achievement below, then give us your final verdict: JIF or GIF?

Source: Warner Bros. via Tumblr user awkward-elevator

digital culture May 22, 2013

7 Wedding Tech Etiquette Rules

Smartphones at a wedding, and the ability to instantly capture memories and share them with others, can be both a blessing and a curse.

by Anna Monette Roberts

Smartphones at a wedding, and the ability to instantly capture memories and share them with others, can be both a blessing and a curse. When the emotions are high and the champagne flutes are flowing, err on the side of caution before publicly postings certain photos, which could potentially upset the bride and groom (maybe they want to be the first to share photos of the food on Facebook!). Since you're an invited guest, maintain good tech etiquette with our seven-rule guide:

Ask first: Before you start snapping and sharing away, ask the bride and groom if it's OK or if there is anything they would prefer you don't capture. While many people actively engage in social sharing, some prefer a private and intimate affair.
Don't circulate dress photos before the ceremony: As tempting as it is to tweet a photo of the bride's gown before the ceremony, never ever do it! It spoils the surprise for the groom and guests.
Be courteous and cautious: The vibrating buzz from your cell phone is distracting, so keep the attention on the bride and groom by turning your cell phone off, putting it in airplane mode, or silencing the vibrator during the ceremony.
Capture big moments when appropriate: The bride and groom are busy greeting their guests throughout the reception. Don't follow them around like paparazzi, but do snap big moments like toasts, first dances, and the cake cutting. The bride will appreciate seeing your photos before the photographer's come in.

Find out the one photo you should whip out your phone for after the jump.

digital culture May 22, 2013

Cool Capture: Summer Colors

The beachside rides, the colors, everything about this picture by Instagram user jennbailey0706 screams Summer — and we'll take it!

by Kelly Schwarze

The beachside rides, the colors, everything about this picture by Instagram user jennbailey0706 screams Summer — and we'll take it!

Have you been testing out your photography skills and snapped a shot you want to share? Submit your pics to our Cool Capture group or to Instagram with the #coolcapture hashtag, and your pic might be featured on the POPSUGAR Tech homepage. And don't forget to follow @popsugartech on Instagram!

digital culture May 22, 2013

Write On: 10 iOS Apps to Add Typography to Photography

We've got font fever!

by Nicole Nguyen

We've got font fever! Beautiful typography adds that little extra sumpin' to photography, and there are plenty of mobile apps with fonts readily awaiting your clever captions.

We found 10 of the best apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad to add photo captions on your snaps. From design elements to filters to fun badges, these text-on-photo apps have much more than type editing tools, too. Continue on to find out how to create pictures worth a thousand words.

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digital culture May 21, 2013

Pandora Premieres: Early Access to Not-Yet-Released Albums

Internet radio service Pandora is distinguishing itself from the über-competitive music streaming market with its latest station, Pandora Premieres.

by Nicole Nguyen

Internet radio service Pandora is distinguishing itself from the über-competitive music streaming market with its latest station, Pandora Premieres. Listeners will be able to preview select albums on Pandora before they go on sale with the new early access feature, which kicks off with singer-songwriter Laura Marling and roots rocker John Fogerty.

Both artists' albums are available for only a week at pandora.com/premieres, with the option to preorder the new releases on iTunes straight from the Pandora station.

Drawing in new users is very important in the crowded subscription streaming space, and exclusive recordings and early access to albums help music services tap into artists' fan bases. The competition between music subscription services is only getting stiffer. Google introduced its "radio without rules," Google Play Music All Access, last week.

Pandora still has a financial edge over other streaming services, however. Despite being forced into charging a small number of users due to an increase in royalties earlier this year, the site is still a steal at $4 per month or $36 per year for Internet radio.

digital culture May 21, 2013

Cool Capture: A London Eye's View

Everything about this shot by Instagram user undertheyellow is striking.

by Nicole Nguyen

Everything about this shot by Instagram user undertheyellow is striking. The composition, the geometry of the spokes, the bubbly pods of the London Eye, and the leaves peeking out of the corner are just a few of the visual elements that make this photograph so interesting.

Have you been testing out your photography skills and snapped a shot you want to share? Submit your pics to our Cool Capture group or to Instagram with the #coolcapture hashtag, and your pic might be featured on the POPSUGAR Tech homepage. And don't forget to follow @popsugartech on Instagram!

Gadgets May 21, 2013

Where to Watch Microsoft's Xbox Reveal

Microsoft is revealing the next generation of Xbox gaming consoles today at its headquarters in Redmond, WA.

by Nicole Nguyen

Microsoft is revealing the next generation of Xbox gaming consoles today at its headquarters in Redmond, WA. Tune into a live stream of the event at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT through the Xbox website, Xbox Live, or Spike TV. You can also follow the news via Twitter using the hashtag #XboxReveal or #Xbox.

Will it be an Xbox 720? Kinect 2.0? A new platform for social gaming? We'll keep you updated with all the news from the Microsoft event, so check back later in the day for more info!

digital culture May 20, 2013

Meet the "Heart-Stoppingly Beautiful" New Flickr: 1TB Free For All!

At a press event today in New York City, Yahoo!

by Nicole Nguyen

At a press event today in New York City, Yahoo! made a big announcement for Flickr. And we mean big: the photo sharing site is getting a full makeover and offering one terabyte of storage to every user (that's well over 500,000 photos) — completely free.

Flickr isn't only making space for more photos, it's putting them front and center, too. The new activity feed, which Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer called "heart-stoppingly beautiful," fills your screen with recent uploads from your friends, yourself, and popular communities. The photostream was designed in a similar vein with large, high-res photos stacked on top of each other and a sweeping customizable cover photo.

Mobile is also getting some love. The new user interface is coming to the Flickr Android app, which features full-screen browsing and the same large thumbnail photostream as the website.

Yahoo! is really working its exclamation point as of late — in addition to the Flickr news, the company officially announced it was acquiring Tumblr for a cool $1.1 billion and moving its headquarters to Times Square in New York City.