News

Another year is about to come to an end and while there are quite a few folks who probably want to say “Good riddance!” to 2016, we here at Shutterbug have a slightly different take. From our perspective, we had a lot to be thankful for this past year. Our website saw record traffic growth in 2016 with more and more visitors coming to read our photography coverage. And for that, we thank you!

While we’ve always written about photography gear on Shutterbug.com, it was interesting to see that most of our popular stories in 2016 were about the art of photography than, necessarily, the tools behind it. Our top ten stories of the year include everything from some amazing images captured by the pilot of a 747 from the cockpit of his plane, to hysterical and utterly charming photos from the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, to an amazing time-lapse video of Chicago that took a photographer 18 months to create. 

And yes, there were a few gear stories that cracked our Top Ten as well, including a test video showing which cameras shoot the best JPEG images. Without further ado, here are the ten most popular stories (based on overall page views) on Shutterbug.com in 2016. Have a wonderful new year and for those who had a rough 2016, best wishes for 2017 and keep reading Shutterbug.com!

To read a full story, just click on the headline link. (To see Shutterbug’s most popular stories for 2015, click here.)

 

1. Check Out These Spectacular Images Captured by a Pilot From the Cockpit of a Boeing 747 Cargo Plane

Christiaan van Heijst is a Senior First Officer flying Boeing for Cargolux, one of Europe’s major cargo airlines. And as you can see from these amazing photographs, he’s also a very accomplished photographer. (More...)

 

2. NASA Just Released 1000 Otherworldly Images of Mars That Have to Be Seen to Be Believed

Ever since NASA launched the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) back in 2005, the spacecraft has been photographing the red planet and sending breathtaking images back to Earth. The latest images of the surface of Mars display some unexpectedly vivid colors and have to be seen to be believed. (More…)

 

3. Create Dynamic “Rain” Portraits on the Cheap with a Manual-Focus Lens and a Garden Hose (VIDEO)

Shooting in the rain is a great way to capture some very impactful images, but without the right equipment it’s also a great way to ruin your expensive gear. In this instructional video from Matt Granger, however, you’ll learn how to get dynamic “rain” portraits on the cheap—without getting yourself or your equipment wet. (More…)

 

4. Have a Laugh with These Hilarious Images from the Annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

The annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is a lighthearted competition designed to not only showcase fine imagery, but to bring the importance of conservation to the forefront so photographers and others can do their part to help preserve threatened species. (More…)

 

5. Photographer Spent 18 Months Shooting This Spectacular Chicago Time Lapse Video

Josh Beavers is a photographer/cinematographer who captured this amazing time lapse while living in Chicago. It took him 16 months to shoot the material, and he just finished editing the footage today. (More…)

 

6. Travel Through the Galaxies with These Stunning Images From the Hubble Space Telescope (VIDEO)

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and has been sending back stunning hi-res images and critical data ever since. In the award-winning video below, you can travel across the universe and back in time and see some breathtaking imagery. (More…)

 

7. Which Cameras Shoot the Best JPEGs? This Video Put Them to the Test (You May Be Surprised)

While many if not most of our readers shoot images in Raw format most of the time, there are times when you want to shoot a JPEG file. For instance, when you shoot in Raw+JPEG mode. But all JPEG images are not created equal. (More…)

 

8. Shoot Like a Pro with These 8 Clever Camera Hacks from Photographer Peter McKinnon (VIDEO)

Peter McKinnon is an award-winning Canadian photographer, and like many pros he’s often had to rig something up in the field to solve a problem. In the quick video below, McKinnon shares eight simple hacks that can get you out of a bind in a hurry. (More…)

 

9. Russian Photographer’s Enchanting Images Prove That Big Dogs Can Be a Little Kid’s Best Friend 

Andy Seliverstoff has long been passionate about photography, but four years ago he decided to combine his craft with a love for man’s best friend and concentrate solely on dog photography. His enchanting “Little Kids and Their Big Dogs” project, reveals a unique bond that can occur between huge dogs and children. (More…)

 

10. Nature Photographer Captures Stunning Images of African Wildlife at Night Under Moonlit Skies

Brendon Cremer is a wildlife and nature photographer known for his stunning images of exotic animals in Africa. Among his most spectacular photographs are those in which he shoots his subjects by moonlight. (More…)