The year’s ending, the tree has been decorated, and it’s time to wrap things up. We’re thinking about all the good things we’ve done and all the bad things we’ve survived in 2023. Here at DIYP, we’re also thinking about the articles we wrote and their impact on our readers. So, as we sip one of our last coffees this year, we summarize the top ten posts that sparked the most debate. Here is the list of the top ten articles that had the most discussion on DIYP in 2023.
In the tenth place is an article about one of the iconic images of the 21st century: The Falling Man. Despite being a defining image of 9/11, the photo quickly vanished from coverage. Director Henry Singer, through a documentary and interview, explores the reasons: shock, the clash with America’s triumph narrative, and the uncomfortable reality of the jumpers. He argues this silencing disrespects both the victims and their families, urging a more complete remembrance of that horrific day.
In November, Canon unveiled three new lenses catering to diverse users. They launched a budget-friendly ultra-wide for APS-C cameras, an f/2.8 zoom with video focus, and a monster 200-800mm super-telephoto lens. An article about them also had you share lots of your thoughts.
An interesting new tool called “Nightshade” also caused plenty of reactions. It poisons AI with hidden pixels, forcing models to produce bizarre images and deter unauthorized art harvesting. This open-source tool, soon part of the “Glaze” platform, empowers you to reclaim control and fight back against data-scraping giants.
Canon dropped two bombs at CP+ 2023. One, the Eye Control AF is spreading to future cameras (maybe even the mythical R1!). And two, they’re opening up to third-party RF lenses, starting with Cosina! This major step towards a more diverse RF lens ecosystem opened up room for debate, racing the seventh place of the most commented articles this year.
The StockCam launched a camera rig that puts “shooting” into a whole different context than we photographers are used to. It looks like an automatic weapon, and the company wants it to bring “excitement” to your photo shoots. I bet it would be exciting to explain it to airport security.
A UK farm had to take an unusual step: asking guests to ditch the nude photo shoots among the sunflowers. Yep, Instagrammers started stripping in the sunflower field to take “the perfect photo,” and the farm owners had to put the signs up to ask them to stop. It caused mixed reactions among the readers, and some of the comments really amused us!
Our buddy Dave Williams and his friends used AI to create fake vacation photos in Finland and post them on Instagram. The images fooled almost all of their 37,000 followers – only one person spotted the AI flaws and started questioning the pictures.
Their story shows how powerful AI can be in making realistic images and fooling the public – and it sure sparked a debate among our readers. By the way, Dave actually has been in the Arctic for a while; make sure to check out his stunning photos and videos on Instagram. They’re not AI, I promise. 🙂
The bronze goes to an article about ISO. Based on Simon d’Entremont‘s video, we broke down the need (or lack thereof) to shoot at the lowest possible ISO at all times. If we don’t count in the nasty comments here and there, it looks like you found the info quite useful and developed a good discussion around it.
The “candid” winning photo of CEWE’s “Our world is beautiful” contest, depicting a woman playing cards in an Indonesian cafe, turned out to be staged. CEWE awarded it as a candid snapshot of everyday life, but the photographer actually took it during a promotional shoot for a camera launch. Yikes! Not surprisingly, it caused tons of comments all over the web, including DIYP.
Poor sports photographer Jim Rassol caused hundreds of reactions to his really bad day at work. He had a stray 104mph baseball shatter his $12,000 lens. Thankfully, he escaped injury, leaving just a pile of expensive glass and a lesson in the importance of gear insurance. But hey, he collected a part of the money through a GoFundMe campaign, and he won imaginary gold in the “most commented posts” category here on DIYP.
