All posts tagged: photography

Solar eclipse: Spotify reveals Bonnie Tyler classic among most popular songs played during celestial event

Solar eclipse: Spotify reveals Bonnie Tyler classic among most popular songs played during celestial event

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Streams of space-themed songs recorded a dramatic surge during the solar eclipse, led by Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart, according to new listening data. Spotify saw a 94 per cent rise in UK streams and a 14 per cent boost worldwide for the classic track on 12 August, coming five weeks after the singer’s death on 8 July. Other celestial tracks also gained substantial momentum, with rock group Evolfo’s Moon Eclipsed The Sun jumping by 12,817 per cent in the UK and 1,251 per cent globally. Chris Staples’ Dark Side Of The Moon experienced an increase of 2,805 per cent among British listeners and 405 per cent internationally. Pink Floyd’s Eclipse climbed 594 per cent in the UK alongside a 144 per cent global rise, while Delta Goodrem’s Eurovision entry, also named Eclipse, grew 104 per cent domestically and 40 per …

Barbie 2 future uncertain as stars ‘rejects’ Warner Bros’ ‘highest ever offer’

Barbie 2 future uncertain as stars ‘rejects’ Warner Bros’ ‘highest ever offer’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter The fate of Barbie 2 seems more uncertain than ever, as new reports claim that the team has rejected Warner Bros’ “highest offer ever”, despite director Greta Gerwig allegedly having an idea for a sequel. The 2023 film starring (and co-produced by) Margot Robbie, with Ryan Gosling as Ken, was a huge hit for the film studio, earning rave reviews and making an eye-watering $1.448bn (£1.072bn) at the global box office. While suggestions of a sequel were shut down by Gerwig and the cast at the time, recent reports have claimed that Robbie, Gosling, Gerwig, and her co-writer husband Noah Baumbach, are in early talks about creating Barbie 2. Six rounds of offers from Warner Bros have allegedly been rejected (Warner Bros Pictures) Warner Bros is said to be racing against the clock to secure a deal for Barbie 2; if …

4 New Camera Tricks on Google’s Latest Pixel 11 Smartphones

4 New Camera Tricks on Google’s Latest Pixel 11 Smartphones

Published by skeptic

Google’s Pixel Camera chief, Isaac Reynolds, thinks year-to-year upgrades to smartphone cameras are still critical, even though some detractors think they’re passé. “A person who is a casual photographer and desperately wants to be a hobbyist—they’re never going to break that ceiling unless you give them the tools,” he says. “The features that others call ‘meh’—for some people, those features are life-changing.” Take the 30X Super Res Zoom on the Pixel 7 Pro from 2022, which uses machine learning to stitch together multiple frames in a digitally zoomed photo to give you a result that’s much sharper than you’re used to. Reynolds says that because of this feature, Google now sees people using 30X zoom dramatically more than before. The new Pixel 11 Pro, announced today, can zoom up to 120X, though in addition to the digital stitching, it relies on AI-generated pixels to fill in some details. Reynolds says maybe having that capability is enough to get someone interested in, say, wildlife photography. After experimenting on their phone, they’d be ready to invest in …

Barack Obama launches new podcast about books that have shaped him. How many have you read?

Barack Obama launches new podcast about books that have shaped him. How many have you read?

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Barack Obama is set to host a new podcast about six books that he says have shaped his worldview, including works by Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and British spy novelist John le Carré. A Great Book with Barack Obama will launch exclusively on Audible on 24 September, with the former US president discussing one of his chosen titles in each of the six episodes alongside a guest. The guests are yet to be announced. The series is a collaboration between Audible and Higher Ground, the media company founded by Obama and his wife Michelle. The books Obama has chosen are The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. …

Matthew Lillard fans defend actor after ‘petty’ confrontation at horror convention

Matthew Lillard fans defend actor after ‘petty’ confrontation at horror convention

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Fans are rallying around Matthew Lillard after a bitter former fan confronted him at a horror convention. The Scream actor, 56, was answering questions from fans at the Midsummer Scream event in Long Beach, California, over the weekend when a man came to the microphone and started an awkward dialogue with the movie star. Video from the event shared on social media showed the man telling Lillard, who helped him hold up the microphone, “I met you a few years ago.” The man proceeded to tell Lillard that when they previously met, he tried to tell him his theory about a connection between the hit 1996 slasher movie and the 1995 romance Mad Love — which Lillard appeared in — due to both films featuring Drew Barrymore as characters named Casey. He said that in response to his idea, Lillard responded at …

Cat owners issued urgent heatwave warning amid rise in deadly incidents

Cat owners issued urgent heatwave warning amid rise in deadly incidents

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Animal charities have issued a stark warning to cat owners living in properties one-storey high or above, urging vigilance against potentially fatal falls during hot weather. Cases of “high-rise syndrome”, where felines sustain injuries from falling from elevated positions, typically spike in summer as indoor cats are enticed outdoors by warmer temperatures, birds, and movement. Both Cats Protection and Blue Cross have cautioned pet owners against leaving windows and balconies open and unattended. Blue Cross animal hospitals in London and Grimsby have already treated 33 cats this year for injuries suffered in such falls. The warning comes as the UK braces for heatwave conditions to return next week, with a high of 36C expected in parts of East Anglia and south-east England by Thursday. …

How to Choose a Camera (2026): Sensors, Megapixels, Terms

How to Choose a Camera (2026): Sensors, Megapixels, Terms

Published by skeptic

But which lenses do you need? Cameras are often sold with what’s known as a “kit lens.” These lenses tend to be lower quality, but are also a cheap way to get started. Most kit lenses are zoom lenses spanning the 35-mm to 80-mm range. I recommend beginners start with a kit lens if there’s one available for the camera you’ve got your eye on. After you’ve shot with the kit lens for a while, you’ll have a better feel for which focal lengths you like. Lenses are generally divided into three basic categories: wide-angle lenses (anything from 12 mm up to 35 mm), “normal” lenses (anything from about 40 mm to 65 mm), and telephoto lenses (anything longer than 80 mm). There are also two types of lenses: zoom lenses, where the focal length changes, and prime lenses, where the focal length is fixed. Both have their place. Zooms offer more versatility, but usually have a larger f-stop, which means less depth of field and worse low-light performance. Prime lenses are faster, meaning you …

Dukes of Hazzard star dies aged 84 as cause of death revealed

Dukes of Hazzard star dies aged 84 as cause of death revealed

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Ben Jones, a star of The Dukes of Hazzard and a former American politician, has died, aged 84. The actor was best known for playing bearded mechanic Cooter Davenport on all seven seasons of the hit US series, which ran from 1979 until 1985 on CBS. Jones’s wife, Alma Viator, shared the news in a Facebook post on Sunday (9 August), writing that he died from a “massive heart attack”. “I lost the love of my life today,” she said. “He was home resting in his favourite chair waiting for the Braves to come on and whoop the Yankees. Ben had the most amazing rich full life. He loved and was loved by so many. He will be missed. I love him so so much.” Jones with the cast of ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ Born in Tarboro, North Carolina, Jones began …

Robert Irwin calls out media for ‘villainization’ of his mom

Robert Irwin calls out media for ‘villainization’ of his mom

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Robert Irwin is calling out mainstream media for misrepresenting his family. The conservationist, 22, spoke about navigating his life in the public eye in an interview with the Something to Talk About podcast released Saturday, in which he recalled a moment when paparazzi took pictures of him after the death of his beloved childhood pet chicken, Piggy. Irwin said that when he was 16, he was getting off a flight when he learned that Piggy had died. The family had adopted the chicken after the death of his father, conservationist Steve Irwin. “She was so much more than a chicken,” he recalled. “She was 13, and I got the text that she passed away. I got off the plane and there was a bunch …

Star Wars franchise confirms scrapped movie amid box office failure

Star Wars franchise confirms scrapped movie amid box office failure

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter A planned Star Wars movie has been canceled, marking yet another setback for the iconic sci-fi franchise amid dwindling audiences. Simon Farnaby, who wrote hit movies like Wonka and Paddington 2, revealed in a recent interview with Variety that he had previously been on board to write a new Star Wars movie with his collaborator Paul King, who was slated to direct the film. However, Farnaby said that the offer from Disney and Lucasfilm did not work out because their idea for the movie was based around a robot and did not involve any of the key Star Wars characters. “They were like, we really need it to be a Star Wars movie, which is probably why it didn’t get turned into a Star Wars movie!” he told the outlet. “But we never really nailed it.” Farnaby went on to add …