Avatar dates back to 1977, when Cameron was just a truck driver determined to “out-Lucas George Lucas” in the outer-space epic genre, but it took decades to get the clout to make as outrageous a project as Avatar. When he first sat down to plan the movie, his tech people told him his vision simply was not possible – “‘If we make this, we’re doomed,’ one of the artists told him. ‘It can’t be done. The technology doesn’t exist.’” He had to wait until after Titanic before he could tackle the project again.

This time, he got more invested in the tech side of it. The problem: He needed an incredibly high-definition camera that could deliver both 2D and 3D, without the headaches that sometimes accompanied two hours of 3D watching. There was a camera that could handle it, made by Sony, but the giant 200kg unit wasn’t feasible for Cameron’s style of directing – so in 2000, he went out to Japan and persuaded Sony to re-engineer the camera to his liking. They ended up separating the camera’s huge CPU unit from its lens, connected by a cable, thus bringing the handheld weight down to only 20kg.

Cameron lent the camera to filmmaker buddies to spread the gospel of 3D so his eventual release of Avatar would have the distribution it needed. Spy Kids 3-D and the Lord of the Rings trilogy opened the doors for technologically astounding epic films, just what Cameron orchestrated. His camera and belief in 3D is setting the stage for the current era of blockbusters – not necessarily something you’d expect from a guy who releases a movie about once every 15 years. [Wired]

The image is actually part of National Geographic’s International Photography Contest 2009 – one of 25 examples collected by Boston.com. Check out the entries if you want a little eye candy to tide you over until dinner. [NatGeo via Boston]

First Place
“Smoke Signal was taken with an Olympus sp350 set to night scene. This was taken with a colour-changing LED rave light about 15cm long by 1cm wide that I wrapped with electrical tape to create a candy-cane stripe. I placed the light on my record turn table at a slow RPM and swiped the camera vertically to create the spinning stripe”
- Brad Bogle

Second Place
“No Photoshop! To take this photo, I set up some white paper for a background in a dark room. I laid strawberries on a table and separately stood up a banana with some cardboard and tape. With the lights on, I set up a quick-release tripod properly framing the banana (this makes it much easier later). Now the lights are off. So now I set my camera to bulb and used my built-in pop-up flash to shoot straight down on the strawberries, filling the frame. Keeping my finger on the shutter button, I put my camera on the tripod and then hit the pilot button on an external flash. The flash hits the white background behind the banana, silhouetting it briefly. Effectively, this washes out all of the original photo of the strawberries except for where the silhouette is, thereby superimposing the first image onto the second. And you get a cool glossy product-shot-reflection-look that results from the shadow drop-off of the external flash (although if you look closely, you’ll notice the “reflection” is actually just other strawberries from the initial shot). And now you can have a strawberry-banana! Canon 20D 17-55 IS lens @ f/22 ISO 200 13s (multiple focal length)”
- Jason Yore

Third Place
Nikon D5000; Nikkor 18-200mm VR; Exposure: 36.5 seconds; Aperture : f/5.0; Focal Length: 38mm; ISO: 400; WB: Daylight. I had a friend spin some burning steel wool in an eggbeater attached to a lanyard at the top of the overpass. What you’re seeing are the resulting spark trails. More here. [Ed note: the umbrella shots are even more impressive]
- Dan DeChiaro

These placements are almost unfair with so many good shots being in the mix. You all deserve an honourable mention. Check out the best of the rest below. It’s time well wasted.

“Shot this in a pitch black room on a white board with a Nikon D60, F/7.1, 15-second shutter @ ISO 800.” – Brad Fitzpatrick

“Hey Giz, Nothing beats good old fashion film: Yashica 635 TRL; Ilford HP 5 Plus ISO 400, 120 Film; Exposure: 1 sec. @ f/22. Shot and developed this roll overnight. I doubt you’ll get too many film shots! My wife being the ‘Christmas Spirit’ type, we hung the lights this weekend while enjoying the unseasonably warm conditions here in Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m a little surprised this shot came out so well considering this camera does not have a light meter. I’m getting really good at guessing.” – Keith Derickson

“Shot using a tripod mounted Canon T1i with a 18-55mm lens at 3200 ISO. Ten-second exposure at f/4.5. Shot is of LED lights inside gloves being worn by my brother.” – Travis Chase

“Camera: Canon EOS-400D; Lens: Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8; Shutter Speed: 20 sec.; Aperture: f/10.0; ISO: 200; Focal Length: 32mm.” – Moein Alinaghian

“This photo was taken Saturday night in Cambridge, MA looking out over the Charles River into Boston. In the upper right corner of the shot you can see the Orion constellation (or his belt at least). Shutter was left open for 15 seconds. ISO 80, f/2.” – Thom Valanzola

“Long exposure shot taken in my apartment with a Canon 30D with the 28-135mm kit lens 30-second exposure F6.3 ISO 100. I used a little LED keychain light to ‘paint’. Minor touch ups in Photoshop.” -Evan Ryan

“The photo was taken of fire spinners in Dallas, TX. I use a Nikon D90 with the 18-200mm Nikkor lens. For this shot, I handheld the camera (sniper technique), and used the following settings: f/3.5; 7/10 second exposure time; ISO-500; 18mm Focal Length (27mm @ 35mm equivalent); Flash off; White balance was adjusted manually.” – Kellan C. Warren

Taken driving down I5 from Portland, Oregon to Corvallis, Oregon. Camera: 500D w/ Tokina 11-17mm F2.8; 5 sec shutter; ISO 400.” – Scott Burback

“This series was taken in dark environments with a Nikon D40x and D70s mounted on a tripod whose shutter was open for 25 seconds on average. I used an LED flashlight to illuminate the figure during different moments as I directed his body through the frame. The light was used for about a second at a time only when I wanted to capture that particular movement within the frame.” – Jesse Suchoff

“Campfire shot… photo specs… Canon Rebel XS; ISO 800; 50mm prime lens; f/7.1; 1/6 sec shutter speed.” – Timothy Rooney

“New to light graffiti, I created this stick musician using laser pointers. This photo was shot with Nikon D50 (18-200mm VR lens) with the following settings: f/4, ISO200, and an exposure time of 20 seconds.” – Kelly Seto

“This photo was taken Friday (November 20) with the models Megan Murray and Jade Pearl. Although it shouldn’t matter, the hardware particulars are below. The image was slightly cropped to conceal some naughty bits, which I’m sure would be unacceptable given your audience. While the image is largely unaltered from the original, I did push the blacks slightly and sharpened it a touch after reducing it in size. Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT; ISO: 100; Exposure: 15sec at f/10; Lens: 18.0-55 mm.” – Mister Devious

“It takes realised with a Nikon D300, lens Sigma 18-250, takes at low speed with a leds lantern. ISO: 100; 18 mm; f: 8; v: 30.” – Diego Haristoy

“The idea behind this is using slow shutter as a way of creating time lapse in one still photo. Here I document the traffic of a Brooklyn street at from the time interval of 10pm to 11pm, meaning roughly an hour-long exposure, where light layers to document the traffic’s movement. It was shot on a Minolta X-700 body with a Soligor 28mm Lens at f/16 on Rollei Pan 25 film at an exposure of one hour as previously mentioned. Due to the weather and using a camera using watch batteries, you run into the problem of having the batteries getting too cold and having to change them out every couple of exposures, as well as not wanting to stand out in the cold holding the shutter down I rigged some tape and a quarter over the shutter release cable to allow no movement and for me to be warm and inside.” – Zachary Chapman

“30-second exposure with multiple light sources moving.” – Nick Acott

“Invite a friend for dinner, watch 2012 don’t forget to feed him… lol. Seriously use my Olympus E-300 on a tripod setup speed shutter to “bulb”, iso to 200, aperture to 8, use different coloured lights to paint the night… and you get what you see. No software involved (if you know this technique, you will understand easily).” – Ken

“‘Back to the Future’; Nikon D700; Sigma 50mm F/1.4G; ISO 6400; 20 second exposure; Subject: 1979 Porsche 911 Turbo.” – Derek Carpenter

“This is my one all the way from New Zealand. Canon EOS 400D; $NZ20 tripod for TradeMe (NZ version of eBay); focal length: 21; app: 5.6; Exposure time: 53sec; iPod 20GB 5th gen (light writing tool).” – Cameron Moore

“Canon Eos 450D; f/6.3; exposure BULB; ISO 200; 20mm focal.” – David Wheeler

“I’m new to photography. I’m basically really wet behind the ears when it comes to photography. I started using a DSLR for the first time this year (late January 2009) and it’s been a huge leaning curve, but it’s great to hobby and I enjoy shooting. After hunting my subject and with keeping patient I was able to capture this liftoff. I’ve titled it “Lift” which was taken in my backyard. It’s a handheld shot, using the lens kit that was included with the Canon 40D, EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. There was minimal post editing done in lightroom, the image was a little dark so I increased the exposure. Camera: Canon 40D; Lens: EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM; Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200); Aperture: f/5.6; Focal Length: 132 mm; ISO Speed: 400.” – Rodel Binaoro

“I went to Mt. Wilson in Los Angeles on November 16 with the hopes of catching a photograph of a Leonid Meteorite. After several unsuccessful attempts and also freezing, my friends and I started experimenting with time lapse photography using our mobile phones. Eventually other crowds started joining in with the fun. The picture included here represents the culmination of the night: almost everyone on the side of the mountain who was camped out on the closed road we were photographing at took part in this picture. Over 50 people doing their own thing with their mobile phones. This photo was taken with a vintage Pentax K1000 on 35mm Fujifilm Professional 400 speed film. Aperture was set to f/4. The negative was scanned into a medium resolution positive and shrunk to fit the size restraints required for this contest. This particular exposure was 45 seconds long.” – Marrio R. Lopez

“I kept seeing this guy on the streets of Hong Kong and he would beg by praying. I noticed that many did not stop so I decided to represent the opposing worlds using the slow shutter :-) Nikon D300; Nikon 18-200VR Lens; ISO 250; F22@1/3 sec 18mm.” – Preston Janssen

“Just my trusty Panasonic Lumix FZ-20 (dead now, replaced by the FZ-50) at the Gathering of the Vibes festival in Mariaville, NY, 8/18/06. ’twas taking some shots of the man on stilts who had a lightstick bolo that he was twirling around.” – Kevin Oppenheimer

“Took this shot with a point n’ shoot (Panasonic Lumix ZR1) – my running camera – selected Scene mode and “starry night”, what kind of name is that right? 15-second exposure.” – John Wood

“I used a fujifilm f100fd. Set exposure time to 8 seconds and ISO 100. Swung a light pen and a mag light without the top like a mad man.” – Dennis MK

“Photos were taken with a Pentax K-7 using the kit Pentax 18-55mm lens, set to the widest focal length. Tripod mounted, ISO 100, shutter speed on the slowest possible setting (30s), shot mostly wide open. Effects were done with a cheap LED induction flashlight. Taken with the help of my roommate Aleksandar Pejič, who also deserves credit.” – Jus Premrov

“This was taken at Sewell Park at Texas State University in San Marcos Texas. The equipment used was a Nikon D40 at 18mm, iso at 400, 15 second shutter speed, on a tripod obviously. I took this this shot on November 17, 2009.” – Ryan McKenery

“Nikon D2X; F9 @ 3 minutes; ISO 100; Focal Length: 12.0 mm. I was intrigued with this location and the shadows that were being created from the outside street lamps. I built and wired a bunch of LED lights together and proceeded to light paint. Thank you.” – Charlie Cho

Crumpler Industry Disgrace neck strap Fancy cameras, especially German ones, are heavy. Fancy lenses bolted to fancy cameras? It’s like lugging around a (fancy) dump truck. Normal camera straps are thin and cut into your neck. Crumpler’s Industry Disgrace neck strap is fat, super padded and breathable. And they come in patterns. 50 Australian bucks. [Crumpler]

Lensbaby optics Crazy lenses for DSLRs, like tilt-shifts and fisheyes, can be ridiculously expensive, way too expensive for a starving artiste who must save their pennies for vintage boots. Enter Lensbaby, which produces cheap, quick and dirty single-effect lenses and adaptors for DSLRs. While their quality isn’t exactly bulletproof, they do deliver the special effect shots Flickr whores crave. The core lenses do variations on the whole small area of focus, lots of blurriness surrounding it, while the optics system lets you swap out inserts for different effects, like fisheye or pinhole. Prices vary. [Lensbaby]

A 50mm prime lens Back in the day, a 50mm prime lens is what photogs cut their teeth on. No zoom, no wide-angle, no image stabilisation to fiddle with. Just sharp focus. Meaning it’s pure composition on the photographer’s part. If you’re buying for a DSLR that’s not full-frame – basically anything other than Canon 5D Mark II or D700 – you’re gonna wanna grab a 35mm lens (with the crop factor, it becomes about 50mm, give or take). They get pricier as they get faster, but you can score a 50mm for a couple of hundred, and a cheap(ish) 35mm for a bit more. Price varies.

Joby GorillaPod A cheap tripod that’ll fit in a hipster messenger bag, for long exposure shots. $30-$50 [Gizmodo, Maxwell]

Crumpler camera bags Most camera bags aren’t very befitting of actually cool photographers. They’re boring. Corporate. Ugly. Crumpler’s 5 Million Dollar Home holds a DSLR, an extra lens and flash and is sunny sky blue. Stepping up a model, the 8 Million Dollar Home has more space for more stuff, if needed. $135-$220 (Australian). [5 Million Dollar Home, 8 Million Dollar Home]

Diana F+ CMYK lomo camera Real artsy photographers shoot with cheap lomo film cameras to produce vintage-y lo-fi photos, with crazy saturation, exposures and optical effects, perfect for Vice Magazine. Don’t think, just shoot. And the super bright CMYK paint job? You know what it is. $200 [Lomography]

Leica M9: The ultimate photographer gift. Picking up a Leica camera instantly turns anybody into a Photographer. While holding a Leica, it is impossible not to shoot perfect, artsy photos. Even if you try. The M9 is the latest, most exquisite piece of German photographic craftsmanship yet, with an 18-megapixel, full-frame sensor that delivers the most amazing photos of all time. $US7000 and worth every penny. [Leica]

Superzoom Cameras: They’re not DSLRs, they’re not pocketable point-and-shoots, and they’re definitely not artsy. They’re for tourists, and for the money, you could easily get a way better cheap DSLR or vintage film camera.

Make your own recommendations in the comments.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favourite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We’ll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

This vintage Swedish jukebox, the AMI I (1958), was photographed by Flickr user woodztream with an almost divine level of hipness through HDR (high dynamic range) techniques.

And for a moment, I wonder if my iPhone has destroyed style, not defined it. [flickr via Unplggd]

Maximum PC’s how-to uses 3D picture synchronisation software called StereoData Maker, a non-volatile firmware update based on the Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK).

You’ll then need to build a mounting rig and use a small enclosure (such as an Altoids tin) to build a simple USB switch remote. Free software called StereoPhoto Maker is used for post-processing. And yeah, you’ll still need a pair of red/cyan glasses. Still, it looks like fun. Full instructions at: [Maximum PC]

The official challenge: “Slow Shutter.” As always, interpret the theme however you’d like to give us the best shot that you can.

For a little inspiration, check out the photos by Barry Underwood. And if you’ve never shot long exposure photography, don’t let that stop you. Check out examples using the technique in different ways here.

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 the end of SUNDAY (yes, we’re moving the contest days) at contests@gizmodo.com with “Slow Shutter” 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. [Life]

Flip Mino HD: We tested basically every pocket camcorder in existence, and this was one of the best. It shoots 720p HD and is easy enough for your grandma to use. If you’re buying a gift for someone looking to experiment on a budget or simply shoot vacation videos, this is a great little cam. $AU298 [Flip]

Clapboard: No, I’m serious. Though this might just look like a cheesy prom prop (and that’s what it is), little has changed about the most recognised icon of the film industry. And for filmmakers, it’s still extremely handy in tracking good takes, and syncing sound, if needed. The novelty ones are cheap (and many are probably more for show); but splurge on a fancy dry erase version if you really love the recipient. $US2 to $US30 [Prom Wishes ; B&H]

Vintage Hollywood Photographs from Life Magazine: Vintage posters are neat, but I’d contend that these Life prints feel a tad more heart-felt. From Kubrick working on 2001 to Marilyn Monroe doing her thing, there are many gems to be found in Life’s archives. About $US100 [2001 Series; More Life Photos]

Iron Man Arc Reactor: Most people’s latent super powers are still off in hiding, but you never know when a nemesis will rip out your power core, forcing you to crawl across your home for a spare. Don’t look at the Iron Man Arc Reactor as a superfluous purchase; see it as an investment your loved one’s health. $US150 [Museum Replicas]

Sony UWP-V1 Wireless Lavalier Mic: During my tenure in broadcast and commercial production, I found a good, wireless lavalier mic to be the most versatile tool in my bag. It can be hidden anywhere on a body/prop, and the pickup frequencies are surprisingly decent for foleying. Sony’s entry level mic, the UWP-V1, should serve any young filmmaker well. $US485 [B&H]

Kodak Five-Day Cinematography Workshop: Few of us will ever have the chance to shoot on real 35mm film. But Kodak’s boot camp will teach you the basics of 35mm cinematography and give you a chance to burn some 35mm stock while experts hold your hand. The tuition is by no means a non-factor, but come on, it’s pretty much the coolest fantasy camp without Michael Jordan or spaceships. The workshop is only offered in LA… $US2000 [Kodak]

DON’T BUY Back to the Future 2 Hat: I know, it’s neat you can buy this hat. But it looked dumb on Marty McFly and it will look even worse on whoever you give it to. [Amazon]

4K Red One Camera: Yes, the body itself starts at nor far under $US20,000 — without lenses, mounts, CF modules or pretty much anything you’ll need to use it. Yes, this camera is just as hard to shoot with as any full-fledged film camera (if not even harder). But it’s also the cheapest 4K camera you can acquire, and for the price of one extended 35mm camera rental, you’ll have a system that’s “free to use” again and again. Just make sure to gift those cinematography classes first. From $US17,500 [Red]

Don’t forget to recommend your own favourite gift ideas for movie buffs in the comments.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favourite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We’ll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

His landscapes, while painstakingly staged, incorporate man-made light with an almost eerie naturalness. The glowing elements that should jar our eyes as electrical protrusions actually serve to capture nature with a new thesis: as a planet intrinsically altered by our footprint, though, not in that we’ve destroyed our Earth and things are too late kind of way.

Or another interpretation of the art might be, nature has a hidden power that we fail to acknowledge without shiny lights.

At least, those are my reads on his work (please share yours in the comments). If you happen to be in the US, you can see the collection with your own eyes as it’s on display from November 21, 2009 – January 9, 2010 at Johansson Projects in Oakland, CA. [Johansson Projects and Barry Underwood via BLDBLOG]

National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen was in Antarctica to capture shots of leopard seals. One approached him, jaws wide and ready for biting… and if you haven’t heard the rest of the story yet, you need to watch this brief clip.

I’m not man enough to dive into freezing waters to document the lives of animals that could rip off my head without a second thought, but I’m sure glad that YouTube exists so I can sit here in my underwear and enjoy the experience vicariously.