Ruins of Detroit [Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre Photography via Twitter]

United Artists Theater
Michigan Central Station
Farwell Building
Broderick Tower
Whitney Building
Bank Vault
Ballroom, Fort Wayne Hotel
East Methodist Church
Library
Fisher Body 21 Plant
Ballroom, Lee Plaza Hotel

This week's Shooting Challenge? Inappropriate Holiday Browsing.

For inspiration, look at the results of our last inappropriate browsing contest (warning, some NSFW images). The shot need not include Gizmodo, but someone should be online, ruining the holiday cheer.

The rules:

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken the week of the contest. (No portfolio linking or it spoils the "challenge" part.)
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings and technique used to snag the shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com.
5. Include 800px image AND something wallpaper sized in email.

Send your best entries by Sunday at 6PM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with "Inappropriate Holiday Browsing" in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs at 800 pixels wide, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email.

The images are from the Landsat 7 satellite, which used a combination 8 spectral bands to produce the final products seen here. We picked four of our favorites, but any one of them would make a stunning fine art print for one's home. Treat yourself, minimize that Excel window and waste a few minutes subsidized by our planet. [webdesigner depot via presurfer via boingboing]

Philip Bloom, the same guy who shot the Skywalker Ranch earlier this year, got his hands on a pre-production Canon 1D Mark IV and took it to Prague, alongside Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum.

McCallum helped him by eating some hot dogs, while Bloom took some of the most beautiful shots I've ever seen from a DSLR camera. So subtle, so delicate, and yet so crisp and rich. Check out the falling snow with just the street lighting. My mind is about to assplode. [Philip Bloom]

The photo was taken by Spanish photographer José Luís Rodriguez, who won the British Natural History Museum's annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year, which is awarded jointly with the BBC Wildlife magazine. He beat 43,000 photographers to get the $16,000 prize, but people in the Internet are claiming the whole thing is a fake. They say the wolf—whose name they say is Ossian—was really held in captivity, and the jump staged. Naturally, Rodriguez says those cries are false:

I have been a victim of a strong campaign of defamation on the part of a group of people - I presume photographers like myself - who have hidden behind internet nicknames. I can only say that the evidence that has been provided to support the claim that it is a captive wolf are unsubstantiated and that what should be examined is the veracity of this evidence and the way it has been gathered.

He said that it took him ages to find the right location, wait for the wolf—tempting him with meat—and take the photograph. I believe him. This is all internet bullshit. The wolf is not Ossian. It's clearly a computer-generated wolf, created in Autodesk's Maya and Pixar's Renderman. [Daily Mail]

It's not the first time they've worked together, with the Nikon Photomic FTN actually used on Apollo 15 back in 1971, but it's nice to see that NASA's taste in camera models has got more expensive over the years.

The D3s, unveiled back in August, normally costs $5,199.95, and features a whoppingly large ISO range of 200 - 12,800 (though it can be expanded up to 102,400). NASA will be using the cameras to photograph the happenings at the International Space Station, and apparently are so happy with the D3s and NIKKOR lenses (which cost $1,830 each) that there's no need to modify them to make them more space-friendly.

Over 700,000 photos have been taken by NASA using Nikon cameras to date, though with a total cost of over $70,000 for this latest order, they better be taking a lot more snaps to get their money's worth. [Nikon via Akihabara News]

Second Runner Up

Death Face on Muni Track in SF; Nikon D50; 55-200mm; Shot at 200mm; ISO: 200; f/5.6; 1/20 sec
-Tyler Ball

First Runner Up

This image was taken with a Nikon D200 using a 18-200mm lens in aperture mode. ISO was 200, focal length was 80mm (35mm equiv = 120mm). Exposure time was 6 seconds.
-Joe Hale

One Half Runner Up

"A robot is hiding behind the trees" I love walking the streets of Shanghai. This picture was taken with my Leica D3, f/2.8, 1/15 sec., at ISO 200.
-Ariel Borremans

Winner

Camera: Nikon D60; Lens: 50mm F1/8; ISO: 100; "sad Robot" Guess he didn't like the New York Snow...
-Jacob Santiago

Thanks to everyone for participating. There are so many fantastic shots in the mix, you'll never want to throw out anything again...lest you doom an innocent object to rot away, smiling in a dump.

Everyone knows light exposes film, but other forms of radiation do as well-a fact you can use to take pictures in some pretty unusual ways.

It's also how radioactivity was first discovered. In 1896, French physicist Henri Becquerel stored some x-ray film in a drawer along with a uranium rock. He suspected that uranium might emit strange rays when exposed to sunlight, but this sample had been kept entirely in the dark, so he was surprised to find, on developing it, that the mineral had exposed the film. The discovery of natural radioactivity won him a Nobel Prize.

It's not hard to repeat Becquerel's experience at home with standard film. I took apart a 10-pack of Fujifilm ISO 3000 instant film and wrapped each piece in tinfoil. This must be done in absolute darkness because 3,000-speed film is extremely sensitive. (I sacrificed the first pack practicing in the light.)

Next I set a big, flat butterfly-shaped earring directly on top of the wrapped film. I suspended the most radioactive thing I have, a small radium puck from an old classroom set, several inches above the earring. This allowed the radiation to shine through it and onto the film, exposing it right through the foil wrapper. Then I developed the film by pulling it through the rollers of an old Polaroid camera (once again, in complete darkness).

This exposure took about 36 hours, determined by trial and lots of error. If you're willing to wait longer, less-radioactive sources work too, even common salt substitute. Yes, sodium-free salt (potassium chloride) is sufficiently radioactive (from the isotope potassium-40) that after several months, a saltshaker-ful will form an image on film. Provided you don't forget and eat the radioactive source on your breakfast.

Achtung! Stronger radiation sources such as radium watch hands, and any source that's flaking off fine particles, should be handled with care to minimize exposure and avoid contamination.

Photo credit: Mike Walker

Popular Science is your wormhole to the future. Reporting on what's new and what's next in science and technology, we deliver the future now.

The rules:

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken the week of the contest. (No portfolio linking or it spoils the "challenge" part.)
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings and technique used to snag the shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com.
5. Include 800px image AND something wallpaper sized in email.

Send your best entries by Sunday at 6PM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with "Anthropomorphism" in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs at 800 pixels wide, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email. ALSO, AND THIS IS SOMEWHAT NEW, ATTACH A 2560x1600 JPEG AS WELL FOR PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD AS WALLPAPER. [Image]

And for a little inspiration/free product placement:

In his own words:

There's been some questions about how I do the snowshots. I've given some verbal information about the technique, but I guess, a photograph about my setup is needed. So, I made the photos above and below (in the gallery) just for the occasion.

The setup is simple really: All I use is an old transparent CD storage box, some water and my trusty old A4 lightbox for lighting. For the bottom of the box I have a piece of gray Lego baseplate cut in form and hotglued on a piece of acrylic sheet to give it some weight. Legos float because of all the air trapped inside individual pieces.

Anything I want to shoot is then easily mounted on the baseplate and inserted inside the CD box.

Photographing "snow" in this scale is difficult, and to amp up the challenge I wanted it to fly around. The answer was not to use faster shutterspeed but to slow the snow down.

I had a wacky idea to submerge everything in water, it slows down everything that moves. The water also causes light to reflect from solid surfaces in a way that sometimes helps hiding the miniature scale. This is an old concept I've been toying with for ages. For the snow I use ground plaster of Paris—reacted, not unused gypsum powder! It is a passive material that doesn't stick to anything.

Lighting is done with the lightbox freehand as you can see from the photo below.

I shoot a lot of frames because the "snow" is impossible to control exactly. And then some Photoshopping is in order, but not always, sometimes none is needed.

Simply amazing. Check the rest of his awesome work in his Flickr page. [Avanaut in Flickr and Lego on Hoth]

In the words of experts who understand more about this stuff than "OMG so pretty!":

The massive, young stellar grouping, called R136, is only a few million years old and resides in the 30 Doradus Nebula, a turbulent star-birth region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. There is no known star-forming region in our galaxy as large or as prolific as 30 Doradus. Many of the diamond-like icy blue stars are among the most massive stars known. Several of them are over 100 times more massive than our Sun. These hefty stars are destined to pop off, like a string of firecrackers, as supernovas in a few million years.

This shot (full, massive size can be found here) were taken between October 20th and 27th of this year by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. The blue lights are from the hottest, biggest stars, while the green is oxygen and the red is hydrogen. Whoa, you guys. Whoa. Check out this thread on Reddit for some desktop-wallpaper-scaled versions of the shot. [HubbleSite]

This is one of photographer Samantha Tio's Conveyance series, which uses long-exposure night photography to explore traffic patterns in Asia. We've enjoyed night photography before and are avowed fans of slow-shutter pics, but seeing the two combined in this kaleidoscopic way is pretty breathtaking.

[Flickr via The Coolist]

Second Runner Up
This is actually a picture of my Christmas tree. I shot this with my Canon XS using a 4 second exposure at f-8, and an iso of 100. I started with the lens unfocused and zoomed in at 55m. During the 4 second exposure I zoomed out to 18mm.
-John Chapman

First Runner Up
Sony A230 Body; Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens; ISO 800; 1/500 sec @ f2.8; No Flash
-Nick Marquis

Winner!
Nikon D5000; Nikkor 18-200 VR; Exposure: 12.2 seconds; Aperture: f/9.0; Focal Length: Multiple; ISO: 200; White Balance: Cool White Fluorescent. This was taken in bulb mode on a tripod. I exposed the tree and surrounding scene at 18mm for about 9 seconds, then slowly zoomed to 200mm closing the shutter right before hitting 200. More here.
-Dan DeChiaro

Dan, please contact me to claim your Joby SLR-ZOOM Gorillapod and Ballhead.

As always, thanks to everyone for participating, and enjoy all of the awesome entries in the gallery below. Picking winners is my favorite worst job to do of the week. Oh, and for those of you wanting wallpaper-sized images, we'll be popping those in a separate post soon.

By the way, more of you sent in shots of soul-sucking winter than pretty, happy Christmas lights. What's that say about us all?

Images coordinated by Kyle VanHemert.

Software and Photoshop tricks are great, but they're a poor substitution for doing things in-camera. Over the last year we shared a variety of hacks for taking better photos, looking better in photos, and ways to get professional results without spending your rent money on camera accessories.

Create Your Own Bokeh for Beautiful Photo Effects

What's a bokeh you say? It's that oh-so-wonderful fuzziness in the background of photographs with a shallow depth of field and accompanying starry highlights. You can create you own bokeh effects with a little craftiness.

Position Your Tongue Properly to Look Good in Photos

We live in a culture of oversharing, so odds are someone, somewhere will be snapping and posting photos taken of you at various events. To help ensure you look your best, heed where you position your tongue.

Take Better Pictures by Treating Your Still Camera Like It's Video

People often lament that they "just missed it!" upon seeing they failed to capture a pivotal moment in the action. You can avoid missing the action by treating your still camera like a video camera.

Avoid Mediocre Portraits with These Tricks

You have a camera and a willing subject, but you're not sure how to break your portraits out of the flat blandness that plagues many snapshots. Avoid boring compositions with these tips.

Set Up a High Speed Photography Studio in Your Garage

Many a photography enthusiast has assumed the equipment necessary is far too expensive for quality high speed photography captures. A high speed capture studio on the cheap can be had with this handy guide.

Create Abstract Light Art by Snapping a Camera-Toss Photo

Making abstract wallpaper and gorgeous slow-exposure shots doesn't require a bunch of design apps or photography lessons. Learn how to literally toss your camera to make abstract light art.

Be A Better Photographer On Vacation

Whether you head 30 or 3000 miles away, you'll want to bring back great photos of your vacation. The New York Times posts questions and answers on how to achieve great vacation photos.

Take Better Self-Portraits

Taking a good self-portrait is both a handy skill and a way to expand your photographic repertoire. Save your next profile picture from the camera-held-at-arms-length cliche with these tips.

DIY Tennis Ball Photography Stabilization Unit

DIY web site Instructables details how to make an image stabilizing unit to supplement your steady hand using a tennis ball and a few nuts and bolts.

Shoot Better Nighttime Pictures

Daytime photo tricks don't always translate when you're trying to capture the perfect night shot. The Photography Bay web site outlines tips for taking a stellar post-sunset shot without relying on a tripod or expensive flash system.

Be More Photogenic by Forgetting About the Camera

When the camera comes out, a lot of people instinctively declare that they look awful in pictures. Learn how to be more photogenic and put your best face forward.

Breathe Like a Sniper to Take Better Photos in Low Light

Steady hands are critical to taking low light photographs. Breath like a sniper to make sure you snap the shot when your hand is least jittery.

Create a Basic Ring Flash

If the DIY Fiber Optic Ring Flash we wrote about required too many specialist parts for your taste, check out this much simpler remix. The construction is easy and done with common household items.

Use Composition Rules to Take Better Photos

Photography is a creative art, no doubt, but creative doesn't mean doing everything willy-nilly however you want. Use these basic rules of composition to give your photos an extra boost of visual appeal.

DIY Beauty Dish Enhances Your Portraits

Beauty dishes are great flash modifiers for portrait photographs, but even a cheap model will set you back at least $100. Skip it—a surprisingly effective DIY beauty dish costs less than $20.

Create Stunning High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photos

Gizmodo's John Mahoney explains how to take high dynamic range (HDR) photos so that the results of your photograph more accurately recreate what you were seeing when you snapped the shutter.

Create Studio Quality Photos Using Natural Light

You don't need a blockbuster budget to get high-quality light for your portraits. By coaxing the sun to help in your photographic endeavors, you can create stunning portraits on a tiny budget.

Make a DIY Photography Light Box with K'Nex

Lightboxes aren't just for the professionals any longer. Using them to illuminate your Craigslist and eBay listings can help make a sale, and amateur photogs can get professional-looking shots with one. Create your own using K'nex and a little know how.

Take Great Panoramic Pictures with Any Camera

Panoramic software has come a long way toward making panoramic images child's work. Great software or not, there's no substitution for good source material. Take better panoramic pictures with these tips

Take Better Pictures by Studying Studio Layouts

Whether you're interested in learning more about lighting to add to your photography skill set or you're just curious how proper studio lighting works, this handy guide will provide some photo-enhancing insight.

DIY Tilt-Shift Photography Lens

Tilt-shift lenses create a great miniature effect on photographs of everyday things. The problem? These specialized lenses are insanely expensive (think $1,000 range). This video from Make demonstrates how to make a DIY tilt-shift lens on the cheap.

Take Awesome Sunset Photographs

Sunsets are one of nature's more spectacular displays, and a good one is worth preserving with a photograph. Take pictures that will capture the perfect dusk moment with these photography tips.

Create a Flash Diffuser Using An Empty Cigarette Packet

The right flash can make or break your shot. Unfortunately, not all built-in flashes are created equal. DIY web site Instructables demonstrates how to create a worthy on-the-spot flash diffuser using an empty cigarette packet.

Make a DIY Macro Lens from Old Binoculars

A high-end macro lens for your camera can easily run upwards of a thousand dollars, but you can make a super-simple macro lens for a few bucks out of old binoculars.

Have a favorite photography-related hack from 2009 that wasn't featured here? Let's hear about it in the comments.

CoolerBot uses a tail-dragger design with 14" wheels in front and a 10" castering wheel in the rear. The caster wheel is mounted using PVC pipe. The robot is capable of moving in either direction. CoolerBot uses two NPC-41250 motors powered by a 10 amp hour 12 volt SLA battery. The logic is powered by a separate 10 amp hour 12 volt SLA battery and both batteries are recharged by the two onboard solar panels. The motors are driven by two Parallax HB-25s are which are controlled by a Propeller. Currently the robot is remote controlled through a 912 MHz Transceiver.

As far as an "arsenal" is concerned, CoolerBot is equipped with an infrared video camera and a Nikon DSLR. Check out the terror in the eyes of the bunny in the shot above. It's just waiting for a missile launcher to pop out of the cooler and reduce him to a smoking crater. At any rate, it seems like overkill unless your objective is to capture lions with their cubs or dangerously unstable celebrities. Now that is a good use for this thing...a paparazzi-bot that goes in on the really dangerous missions. [Norris Labs via Make]

The Jigazo puzzle is both a simple and brilliant idea. A series of 300 completely compatible puzzle pieces, each represents a slightly different tone and is marked with a tiny icon. You take a photo and upload it to Jigazo, and Jigazo gives you a paint-by-numbers style icon map. Position each piece in accordance to the map, and presto, you've got yourself a customized puzzle.

The purchase would be an import, but we spotted the Jigazo on one retailer for about $50. [Ameba via Slashdot]

The prize at stake: a Joby SLR-ZOOM Gorillapod plus the Joby Ballhead. (Joby was kind enough to write and offer to up the stakes of these contests a bit.)

For a little advice, check out this very apt guide on photographing Christmas lights.

The rules:

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken the week of the contest. (No portfolio linking or it spoils the "challenge" part.)
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings and technique used to snag the shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com.

Send your best entries by Sunday at 6PM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with "Christmas Lights" in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs at 800 pixels wide, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email. ALSO, AND THIS IS NEW FOR THIS WEEK, ATTACH A 2560x1600 JPEG AS WELL FOR PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD AS WALLPAPER. [Flickr]

[thisblogrules via Core77]