RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘Home.’

How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home

10 May

The post How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

live streaming setup and youtube setup

Since many of us are spending most of our time at home at the moment, I thought I’d share this great video from the dPS founder, Darren Rowse, on how to do live streaming and YouTube videos from your own home as a way to reach your audience and promote your photography.

He shares his complete live streaming setup, which I have listed below so that you can see if you have some of this gear already. Of course, you can replace some of this gear with the equipment you already have too. Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras do video nowadays.

The great thing about this video is that Darren shows us how this equipment all works together too, which is perfect to see what parts may or may not suit your needs.

Want to do some photography videos for youtube, or post-processing videos? This could be an ideal setup for you too.

Livestreaming gear setup:

live streaming setup and youtube video setup
  • Sony A7 III – https://geni.us/BM6gBHA
  • Sony 28mm f/2 lens – https://geni.us/sony282
  • Sony 55mm f/1.8 Lens – https://geni.us/sony5018
  • Sony A6400 – https://geni.us/udaP
  • Sony 16mm f1.4mm – https://geni.us/qLanFq
  • Rode PodMic – https://geni.us/rodepodmic
  • Rode Podcaster (USB) – https://geni.us/rodepodcasterusb
  • RodeCaster Pro – https://geni.us/rodecasterpropb
  • Shure SM58 – https://geni.us/shuresm58mic
  • Neewer 480 LED Lights – https://geni.us/neewer480led
  • Softbox for Neewer 480 – https://geni.us/neewersoftbox
  • LEDGO LG-B150 – https://geni.us/ledgo
  • Manfrotto magic arm – https://geni.us/mfmagic
  • Manfrotto superclamp – https://geni.us/mfsc
  • Ecamm Live – https://geni.us/ecamm
  • Elgato Camlink – https://geni.us/camlinkpb

Do you have a setup that you use already and would like to share with us? Please do so in the comments section!

The post How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home

Posted in Photography

 

15 Tips for Documenting Home Life

06 May

The post 15 Tips for Documenting Home Life appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.

Tips for documenting home life through photography

Documenting home life and capturing family moments is what inspired many of us to pick up a camera. But upon picking up a camera, we discovered just how challenging it is to capture those moments.

These 15 tips are ones that I’ve used over the years to capture my family moments. They will help you capture your moments more creatively, overcome lighting challenges, and use simpler camera settings.

The best part is, these tips work whether you’re using a DSLR or just your phone to take pictures.

15 Tips for Documenting Home Life
Learn to spot moments before they happen, what angles make your photos look best, and how to freeze action in dim indoor light.
ISO 6400 f3.8 1/200 sec

Moments

It’s important to capture a good moment because the moment overshadows everything else in your photo. Surprisingly, people will often overlook bad lighting and sloppy composition in your photo simply because you captured a powerful moment.  

The question is, how do you capture a moment well?

Remember that these tips apply to every photo you take, even if you’re using your phone.

1. Distinguish between two major types of moments

There are two types of moments; posed and candid.

With posed moments, you are in control of the details. You decide exactly what or who is in your photo, how they’re positioned, and how everything is interacting together.

When it comes to documenting home life, most of us prefer candid moments. Candid moments are spontaneous events that just happen naturally. By definition, you can’t force these moments to happen, you just see a great moment that happens spontaneously and you want to capture it. Of course, you can easily ruin the natural moments by stepping in and interrupting them.

But candid moments have a special problem, you don’t see them coming until it’s too late!

documenting home life posed moment
A classic example of a posed moment. See the tips below for the use of window light. ISO 1000 f/3.5 1/500 sec

2. Learn to see the future

You’ll be able to capture better moments when you develop the technical skill of seeing the future. Don’t worry, it’s not as impossible as you think.

The key to seeing the future is spotting patterns. When you see a pattern repeating itself, you can reliably predict what is going to come next. Look for patterns as you document home life, and you’ll be ready to capture the moment before it happens.

Documenting home life candid moment
My son spends a few minutes every day deeply engaged in picture books. As long as I don’t let him see the camera, I can sneak a few photos. I used his feet and the book as a frame around his face. This picture was backlit using a window. ISO 1600 f/4.7 1/400 sec

3. Take your camera and go looking for moments

You know that when things go strangely quiet, something interesting is happening. So pick up your camera and go see what your kids are up to. If you don’t take your camera with you, by the time you go find it, the moment will have passed. It will be too late. When the house is quiet, pick up your camera, then go looking.

Candid moments
I discovered him asleep, and it was the perfect time to photograph his curls before his first hair cut. ISO 1600 f/2.0 1/10 sec

4. Include action and emotion

One key to capturing better moments while documenting home life is to make sure that they include action or emotion. Again, if everything else goes wrong, the action or emotional element will make your photo stronger.

capturing action
Both the kite and the girl are in action. ISO 200 f/2.8 1/500 sec

Composition

As you improve your skill of capturing moments, you can begin to compose better photos as well.

Start with angles. They are one of the best compositional tools because they completely change the way your photo looks and feels.

5. Bug’s eye view

This angle is wildly dramatic. Get really low, look straight up and see things tower above you. When you take all your pictures from the same angle, they are boring to look at. So make 1 out of 10 a bug’s eye view.

Bug's eye view photo
Taken with an old iPhone. ISO 320 f/2.8 1/20 sec

6. Low angle

Low angles take your photos to a new level by adding drama to your photo. Use it when photographing action moments like the child jumping across beds in the photo above.

low angle photo
Taken during a wind storm. ISO 2000 f/2.8 1/200 sec

7. Face-to-face

This angle puts you eye to eye with your subject and makes your photo more captivating. This angle works especially well when combined with emotional moments.  

15 Tips for Documenting Home Life

8. High angle

High angles are great for capturing the cuteness of little kids. Partly because a higher angle can make people look a little smaller. It’s a friendly angle.

high angle photo
ISO 250 f2.8 1/160 sec

9. Bird’s eye view

Our last angle is the bird’s eye view. You get right up there and look straight down. You don’t have to be high up in the air for this angle, just higher than your subject.

bird's eye view photo angle
ISO 50 f2.4 1/20 Sec

Background 

10. Avoid cluttered backgrounds

A cluttered background will weaken your photo. There are two ways to deal with a cluttered background in your photo. The first is to change your angle slightly to avoid distracting elements. The second is to actually clean up your house. Of course, maybe a messy background is part of documenting home life!

15 Tips for Documenting Home Life

Use Frames

Look for objects that will frame your subject in an interesting way. Try shooting through cracks in doorways or window frames.

documenting home life framing
This photo is symmetrical, with the door in the background framing her. The funny expression on her face breaks the order of this photo. ISO 800 f/2.8 1/250 sec

Light

12. Use natural window light

Windows are a great source of natural light. You can use them for portraits, silhouettes, and just generally good lighting. Try to capture moments close to a window.

15 Tips for Documenting Home Life
It is window light that contributes to the contrast and depth of this photo.

13. Pay attention to the direction of light

Consider what direction the light is coming from. Front and sidelight are great for portraits, backlight is great for drama.

15 Tips for Documenting Home Life
Sidelight skims across his face and brings out the texture of the couch.
15 Tips for Documenting Home Life
The backlight in this photo creates a dramatic silhouette.

Think of all these elements as a stack. A couple of these elements will improve your photos, but the more of these elements you stack together, the stronger your photo will become. You don’t have to be an expert in light, moment, and composition. You only need to take small steps in each of these elements and the power is when you combine those small steps together.

Camera settings for dim light

One of the biggest problems you’ll run into indoors is dim lighting. Dim lighting can leave your photos looking dark or blurry from motion.

14. Open curtains and blinds

If it’s daytime, make sure to open curtains and blinds.

15. Help your camera see in the dark

  • Try increasing your ISO to 1600, 3200, or 6400.
  • Open your aperture all the way (look for a smaller number like f/1.8) to let in more light.
  • Consider purchasing a 35 mm or 50 mm prime lens with an aperture of f/1.8.
  • Zoom lenses usually have smaller apertures and don’t let in his much light.

These settings will help your camera let more light in and have a quicker shutter speed so that your photos are less likely to be blurry. 

15 Tips for Documenting Home Life
You’ll need to hold very steady with such a slow shutter speed. ISO 5000 f/2.0 1/15 sec

Checklist for documenting home life

Remember, you don’t have to become an expert in every single one of these areas. As you stack these elements together, a slight bit of improvement in each of these areas will give you much better photos.  A bit of emotion, from the right angle, with some interesting light, just might produce a work of art.

Settings to help with dim light

  • ISO 1600, 3200, 6400
  • Aperture f1.8

Moments

  • See moments before they happen by spotting patterns
  • Include emotion or action

Composition

  • Angles
  • Background
  • Frames

Light

  • Use windows
  • Direction of light

Feel free to add your ideas about documenting home life, or share your images in the comments below!

15 Tips for Documenting Home Life

The post 15 Tips for Documenting Home Life appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on 15 Tips for Documenting Home Life

Posted in Photography

 

Creative Photography Exercises to do at Home (video)

03 May

The post Creative Photography Exercises to do at Home (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

If you are stuck at home and bored, why not try some of these great creative photography exercises to get you upping your photography skills and relieving your boredom at the same time?

You can do so with this great video from our friends over at Cooph, who have gone to the effort of compiling some of their great at-home creative photography exercises into one video.

Some of the techniques include:

  1. Photography with Food and drinks – using things like coffee, avocados and more.
  2. Kitchen Views – inside the fridge, using your sink, dishes and cutlery. Using your cupboards as black boxes. Explore food coloring and dish soap.
  3. Make funky installations – use projections from your computer onto people or objects and photograph them. Use colored gels on your camera or lighting gear.
  4. Office visions – Use a lens ball and text, use office items in an unusual way. Draw your own props to photograph.

So try out some of these exercises and share your results with us in the comments below!

You may also like:

  • 7 Ideas for Creative Lens Ball Photography
  • Stunning Photo Ideas Using Coffee
  • 6 Methods to Create Dynamic in Your Photography
  • Challenge Yourself by Photographing One Object
  • 5 Fun Tips for Photographing Water
  • 10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home
  • Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
  • 10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home
  • Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters
  • The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four

The post Creative Photography Exercises to do at Home (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Creative Photography Exercises to do at Home (video)

Posted in Photography

 

10 Creative DIY Photo IDEAS when Stuck at Home (video)

25 Apr

The post 10 Creative DIY Photo IDEAS when Stuck at Home (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

In this video from Nicolas Doretti, he gives you 10 creative DIY photo ideas for when you are stuck at home. They are fun, interesting, and best of all, they may teach you some new techniques you hadn’t thought to try.

So try some of these ideas out, and share your results with us in the comments section!

10 Creative DIY Photo IDEAS when Stuck at Home

DIY photo idea – woman floating above a bed
  1. Use everyday props to play with the light while making portraits. Play with colanders, cut shapes into cardboard, or use pieces of material to filter the window light or other artificial lighting.
  2. Use glass and ice as a foreground for some cool portraits.
  3. Use fairy lights for some great portrait effects, or if you have no model, just photograph the lights themselves and create bokeh.
  4. Do some food photography. Make a seamless DIY backdrop using a pillowcase or similar.
  5. Do some Ninja photos using oranges or similar. Cut them in half and use skewers to make them look like they are floating. Photograph yourself making a Ninja move, so it looks like you have just cut it in half. Or, if you don’t want to be in the photo, simply make them look like they are floating.
  6. Duplicate yourself in photos by placing your camera on a tripod and taking multiple photos of yourself in different positions. Then composite the photos together in a program such as Photoshop by using Layer Masks.
  7. Try levitation photography. Use masks again to remove your chair (or whatever you have used to make it look like you or the person you are photographing are levitating).
  8. Try some birds eye photography by attaching your phone to the ceiling and taking some shots of the room below.
  9. Make some cool lighting effects using reflections! Or shoot using objects that refract or diffract the light, such as reading glasses, crystal, drinking glasses, CDs, or knives.
  10. Create your own neon background. Do a search for colorful or neon backgrounds, and place the image on your TV or screen. Then photograph your subject in front of it.
DIY photo idea – multiple images of same person in one composition
DIY photo idea – photograph of woman with interesting lighting
10 Creative DIY Photo IDEAS when Stuck at Home (video)

You may also like:

  • The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week One
  • Next-Level Selfies – 7 Tips for Creative Self-Portraits (video)
  • How to Make a Cool Double Exposure Effect Using Photoshop (video)
  • How to Create Dramatic Portraits with Shadow Photography
  • 5 Ways to Use a Piece of Glass for Unique Portraits
  • How to Take Floating Photos – Levitation Photography
  • Challenge Yourself by Photographing One Object
  • Easy to Create Fake Underwater Photography Hack

The post 10 Creative DIY Photo IDEAS when Stuck at Home (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on 10 Creative DIY Photo IDEAS when Stuck at Home (video)

Posted in Photography

 

10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home

23 Apr

The post 10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

photography-projects-you-can-work-on-from-home

If you’ve suddenly found yourself at home for an extended period, your first reaction could be to feel restricted in terms of what you can achieve. Fear not, there are lots of photography projects you can work on from home. In this guide, I’ve detailed ten projects I plan on working on in the coming weeks.

1. Make a photography zine

With time on your hands, there’s no better time to start thinking about creating a photography zine. I’ve just made my first zine with images I took while on holiday on the Isle of Wight last year.

There was quite a steep learning curve for me in putting it all together. Some of the skills I learned include: how to select images for a book, page layout using Adobe InDesign, and the difference in how images look printed in the CMYK color space instead of how they’re viewed on the screen in the RGB color space. The next step is to market and sell my zine.

The whole process has been very rewarding. Look out for a future Digital Photography School article coming soon about this topic.

Every Summer photography zine by Matt Murray
Checking the final layout of my first photo book ‘Every Summer’

2. Organize your Lightroom catalogs

If your Lightroom is anything like my Lightroom, of all the photography projects you can work on from home, this one could take the most time. Over the next few weeks, I’ve decided to start organizing it once and for all.

With well over 200,000 photos, this is a daunting task. Like all big projects, I’ve decided to break it down into manageable chunks. Starting with my 2019 photos, I’m aiming to sort, keyword and organize two months of photos per day.

My process includes adding keywords, adding ratings to photos I like, creating collections for shoots or locations, and flagging photos for deletion. It also includes exporting photos for a variety of uses: family photos, photo projects, stock photography, and for my portfolio and website.

The most rewarding part for me is flagging photos for deletion – this is a fantastic way to free up much-needed space on my hard drive. It’s so easy to forget that you have taken multiple photos – in both JPG and RAW format – of the same subject. I take great delight in flagging the ones I don’t need and deleting them forever.

photography projects you can work on from home
If your Lightroom is anything like my Lightroom, it could benefit from some organization.

3. Catalog your equipment

If you’re anything like me, you probably have camera equipment in boxes, on shelves, everywhere! Getting it all down on the floor and sorting through it item by item can be a very useful activity. You may well find cameras, lenses, filters, or other items you forgot you had.

As I sort through my equipment, I like to catalog it all in a spreadsheet, making notes about each item. Noting if there’s an issue with its working or cosmetic condition, where I got the item from, and how much I paid for it. This is also a really good way to work out if there’s anything you don’t use anymore and could sell to fund other gear.

4. Research a photographer

When I was on holiday last year on the Isle of Wight in England, quite by accident, I discovered an amazing place called Dimbola. This was the home of the 19th-century photographic pioneer, Julia Margaret Cameron.

There’s a wonderful photography museum inside the house, along with descriptions of how she took the images and many prints of her work. Looking around the house, I wondered how many other amazing photographers I had never heard of?

For this project, research a photographer from the past. It could be from 20 years ago or 120 years ago. You could research a photographer from the genre that you like the most, or someone in a completely different genre. Who knows what inspiration might strike?

Take a look at our Lessons From the Masters Series.

photography projects you can work on from home
Sadness (1864) by Julia Margaret Cameron. Can you believe this photo was taken over 150 years ago?

5. Create a memories book

When I was growing up, we had a cupboard under the bookshelf that held all of our photo albums. At any time I could dig them out and have a look (and a laugh) at all the family memories they contained.

These days, most of our family photos are on hard drives and devices. One of my goals is to create a series of memories books for my family. When I show my children photos from a few years ago, they always get a kick out of it. Why not use your time at home to create a book for someone in your family as a gift?

One of the advantages of sorting through your Lightroom catalog is that you’ll already have a folder of images ready to go for your memories book.

6. Read a photography book

If photography is your passion, you’ll no doubt have a bookshelf full of photography-related titles. I have dozens of photography books, yet there’s only a few that I’ve actually read cover to cover. Others I’ve put on the shelf telling myself that one day I would get around to reading them. Guess what? That ‘one day’ is here!

I now have a list of books that I will work through in the next month. Some I’ve read before, most I’ve only flicked through. For books that teach a technique, I like to make notes as I find that helps me remember the information more effectively.

photography projects you can work on from home
Some of the photography books I plan on reading over the next few weeks.

7. Work on your lighting techniques

Now is the perfect time to working on your lighting techniques. As far as photography projects you can work on from home, learning more about light could have the biggest impact on you as a photographer.

Even with a single flash, there are dozens of different ways to light an image.

Once you add a light stand, an umbrella or a softbox, your options grow. Find a book or search dPS for lighting techniques, or watch some YouTube tutorials. Play around with how light affects your images. Often it’s trial and error, seeing what works and what doesn’t.

The set up for the photo below was quite simple. I laid my camera on a black sheet. Then I attached my Godox flash to a stand, pointing away from the subject into a silver umbrella. I then took a series of photos with Fujifilm X-T3 – a remote on the hotshoe triggered the flash.

There wasn’t much to do in post-production. I darkened the blacks a little and removed a small scratch from the top of my camera. You could apply this or other lighting techniques to people, food, objects, anything.

photography projects you can work on from home
Try out your product photography skills by photographing your cameras.

8. Video chat with other photographers

In one of the many photography-themed Facebook Groups I’m in, someone organized a video conference a few days ago. About twenty of us dialled in from all over the world for a chat. Having the opportunity to talk to other people in different countries was amazing.

Lots of different topics were covered, including photography projects you can work on from home. Knowing that there are other people out there in the same boat can be quite comforting. Why not organize a video chat with a friend, or a group of people with the same interest? Many video conferencing tools are free, or have a free option.

9. Social media spring clean

It may not be spring everywhere in the world, but there’s no better time to spring clean your socials. Start by looking through your profile, is the description still accurate? Is your website listed? Is your profile photo up-to-date? Then take a look through your photos. Are there any that you’d like to hide or delete because they no longer fit with your profile or brand?

Next, look through the images you exported as part of your Lightroom Catalog clean-up. Think about the best order to post them in. Will you follow a theme based on location? Or simply post them in an order that looks good for the Instagram grid?

Finally, look at who you’re following on social media. Look for new accounts or hashtags to be inspired by, and also consider unfollowing accounts that you’re no longer interested in.

@mattloves Instagram
There’s no better time to Spring Clean your socials

10. Research a photographic technique

Photography is incredibly broad and diverse. There are so many different techniques to learn and master. As photographers many of us will only scratch the surface of what’s possible.

On Digital Photography School, there are articles on almost every kind of photography technique you can think of. Some of my favourites include how to shoot traffic trails, tips for shooting pet portraits, and taking better sunset photos.

You can also check out some of my recent articles for dPS including 17 Tips for Shooting Better Urban Portraits and Top Tips for Photographing the Best a City has to Offer in 48-hours.

Taipei traffic trails by Matt Murray
Traffic trails in Taipei. I took this just before I had to leave for the airport to catch my flight.

Conclusion

Not being able to go out for an extended period of time can be daunting, but there are so many photography projects you can work on from home. From making zines to promote your work, creating photo books as gifts for family members, and of course, cleaning up your Lightroom catalog.

There’s also lots of inspiration you can take, from the thousands of articles here on dPS, or by researching a photographer or photographic technique.

What projects are you working on at home? Tell us in the comments below.

The post 10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on 10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home

Posted in Photography

 

Canon EOS R5: Go big, or go home

20 Apr

The Canon EOS R5 is making waves thanks to its impressive video specifications. Not since the days of the 5D Mark II has there been this much enthusiasm from videographers around a Canon DSLR or mirrorless camera.

Canon practically launched the DSLR video revolution. It owned the marketshare and, more importantly, the mindshare, of DSLR video enthusiasts, yet lost that momentum over the next few years. It often seemed as though video simply wasn’t a priority, or that Canon’s innovation had slowed and it was content to rest on its laurels.

However, there’s a bit more to the story and it may help explain why we didn’t see much progress from Canon for a few years: and why it may finally be back and ready to go big.

Cinema EOS

It turns out Canon was almost as surprised at the 5D II’s success as a video tool as everyone else, something confirmed to me by Canon’s Senior Technical Advisor for Film and TV Production, Tim Smith, and that success helped solidify Canon’s decision to enter the cinema market.

It turns out Canon was almost as surprised at the 5D II’s success as a video tool as everyone else.

Over the next few years Canon took a side trip and developed an entire line of motion picture products, called Cinema EOS, which undoubtedly entailed a lot of risk, investment and innovation.

It even built a technical center in Burbank, CA, in the heart of the Hollywood film industry. As Smith explained to me, that move wasn’t just so that Canon could support its Hollywood customers, but so that it could learn from its customers in Hollywood.

Canon built a facility in Burbank, California, in order to forge relationships within the industry.

Canon cinema products are well regarded and have been used for numerous feature films and TV shows. Strategically, Canon took a long-game approach by targeting up-and-coming filmmakers to build future market share. That strategy seems to have paid off, as evidenced by the cameras used to produce films appearing in prominent festivals like Sundance. It’s an impressive performance considering Canon wasn’t even in the business ten years ago.

During these years, Canon’s seemingly forgotten, and sometimes maligned, DSLRs saw relatively few significant video improvements. Canon was still innovating; it was just innovating elsewhere. Unfortunately, it wasn’t sharing that technology and know-how with DSLR users, deciding they didn’t need it, didn’t want it, or that it might cannibalize Cinema EOS.

Canon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R, had lackluster video specs compared to many competitors.

Meanwhile, competitors jumped in. Panasonic, Sony, Nikon, and even Fujifilm – a company whose video once produced moiré so colorful it inspired technicolor fever dreams – all earned significant street cred with videographers.

Headline features

Which brings us back to the EOS R5. With the R5, Canon appears to have pulled out all the stops for video. On paper at least, it sets new class leading standards, something we haven’t said about a Canon’s main EOS line in quite some time. It’s difficult to believe that the R5 wasn’t heavily influenced by Canon’s experience developing cinema products.

It’s worth emphasizing the ‘on paper’ part; we all know that spec sheets don’t tell the whole story and we haven’t tested the camera. We’ll do that, I promise, but assuming there aren’t any serious gotchas, let’s look at how the R5 potentially raises the bar for cameras in its class.

On paper at least, it sets new class leading standards – something we haven’t said about a Canon DSLR or mirrorless camera in quite some time.

The R5’s headline feature is 8K video. You may or may not need 8K video, but let’s acknowledge Canon for the technical achievement. After all, if it was easy other manufacturers would have done it already. From a marketing perspective, just having ‘8K’ on the box goes a long way.

However, it looks like Canon is trying to do more than check a box on a marketing punch-list. The camera uses the full width of its sensor to record up to 8K/30p in 4:2:2 10-bit color using the H.265 codec. It will include Canon’s C-Log gamma and, for HDR capture, HDR PQ. Like the recent EOS 1D X III, it will also record Raw video internally.

What’s more, Canon says that dual pixel autofocus works in all 8K modes, unlike some other models that don’t support this feature in the best video settings.

The R5’s headline feature is 8K video, with dual pixel autofocus available in all 8K modes.

We would be pleased to see these specs on a camera that shoots 4K, but Canon has done it with four times as many pixels. What’s possibly more impressive than resolution is what Canon must have done under the hood to pull it off. This level of video processing requires serious bandwidth and computing power.

There are still big unknowns. One would expect a camera with these specs to generate a lot of heat and the R5 doesn’t appear to have a fan, something that’s common on high end video cameras. Heat, battery or card capacity will put a limit on it, and potentially not a very high one.

4K video is standard at this point, but 4K/120p is notable. It’s the first time we’ve seen it on a mirrorless camera, and even the list of models supporting 4K/60p is relatively short. 4K/120p translates into 5x slow motion on a 24p timeline without dropping down to HD resolution and will be useful to a lot of people. It also raises expectations for other cameras.

Notable callouts

Not everything on the R5 is cutting edge. One notable area where it plays catch up with competitors is 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS).

Canon historically relied on lens-based IS, which isn’t surprising considering the EF lens system was originally designed for film cameras. In contrast, the RF-mount is an all-digital system with no film legacy. Even so, IBIS feels like it’s overdue. It’s hard to give Canon extra credit for adding it, but we warmly welcome it to the IBIS club.

I’m pleased to see that R5 has dual card slots. It’s a pro-level camera and legitimately deserves two card slots. However, by making one of those a UHS-II SD card slot, Canon has essentially made the R5 a single card video camera, an odd choice for a camera with so much emphasis on video.

Finally, let’s not forget that the R5 is also a stills camera, and one that should be competitive in resolution against the Nikon Z7 or Sony a7R III. Given the improvements we’ve seen in Canon’s sensors of late, we expect it will deliver great image quality, particularly when paired with the impressive RF lenses Canon has been turning out.

The wrap

In recent years, Canon has often been criticized for lack of innovation or for holding back video features to protect its Cinema EOS line. There’s some truth to that, and users have rightly challenged Canon to do better. It appears that with the R5 Canon is trying to do just that.

This is the company that owned much of the early mindshare among DSLR video shooters. If Canon’s goal is to recapture the magic of the 5D Mark II in the mirrorless camera world, the R5 makes a pretty strong statement.

If Canon’s goal is to recapture the magic of the 5D Mark II in the mirrorless camera world, the R5 makes a pretty strong statement.

However, the landscape has changed since 2008. This is a crowded space with solid competition and it may be hard to convince some to return. Additionally, as impressive as 8K is, it’s simply not a priority for many. However, Canon has a habit of playing the long game, as evidenced by its Cinema EOS strategy, and it will be interesting to see how it plays this one.

What may be most exciting is that Canon seems to have gotten its mojo back and is beginning to mix things up a bit. Even if you’re not a Canon user that should be good news: healthy competition results in better products for all of us.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Canon EOS R5: Go big, or go home

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp

08 Apr

The post Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

Still life photography at home – 11 ideas featured image

As I write this, many of us are holed up at home. So what can we do to continue to practice our craft as photographers, have a bit of diversion and enjoyment, and maybe learn some new techniques? I suggest you give still life photography at home a try.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Still life images like this were what painters often did back before there was photography. This shot needed no fancy equipment. The “light-painted” shot used only a flashlight and a long exposure. This is just one of the techniques you can try if you want to give still life photography at home a try. Canon 6D with Canon 50mm “nifty-fifty” lens, 5 sec. f/14 ISO 100

If you’re a landscape, sports, fashion, portrait, or type of photographer who does work requiring you to get out and about, working at home doing still life photos on the kitchen table could be a new thing. Still life? Really? Why? Well, stay with me here and we’ll explore all the things you can learn.

1. Composition

In much of photography, you deal with the scene as you find it. Maybe one of the best things about still life photography is you are in complete control. You pick the subjects, the arrangement, and the background.

Making a shot in a hurry before the moment passes isn’t an issue. You can take your time, practice compositional concepts like the Rule of Thirds, the Rule of Odds, leading lines, negative space, simplification, background choice, depth-of-field, and many other artistic concepts of composition.

You set the scene and are in complete control. Few other genres of photography offer such an advantage.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
A simple photo that explores some of the standard composition rules – Rule of Thirds, Rule of Odds, Leading Lines, etc. The monochrome version simplifies the image even further, making the shot even more about shape, line, tone, and texture. Sony DSC-HX5V, 1/100 sec. f/10 ISO 125

2. Lighting

Let there be light.

You decide what type, how many sources, whether to use hard or soft lighting. Might some colored lighting using gels give the look you want?

How will you use light to draw the viewer’s eye where you want it?

Have you explored the use of reflectors, fill light, or “flags” to block light from certain portions of the scene? Do you know what a gobo or a cucoloris is? A shoot, grid, or gridded-snoot?

Still life photography at home lets you be the set and lighting director.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
It’s all about the lighting. I photographed the clock in front of a computer monitor with clock-themed images on it. The clock itself, I light-painted with a flashlight. Canon 50D with Tamron 17-50mm lens, 10 sec. f/18 ISO 100. The kiwi slices were placed in a glass dish and lit from below with an LED flashlight. LG G4 cellphone camera, 1/30 sec. f/1.8 ISO 200

3. Explore camera angles

A distinction between a snapshooter and a photographer is the former sees a scene, raises the camera to their eye, and snaps a shot. Little thought is given to composition and most photos are taken from the eye-level of the photographer. Yawn.

In a world where we are inundated with images, making yours different is the only way to stand out. Finding perspectives others haven’t thought of is one way to do that.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Learn to see differently. This is a window blind shot as illuminated by the morning sun. The photo was then rotated 90-degrees counter-clockwise. Canon 6D with Canon 24-105 f4 Lens, 1/6000 sec. f/16 ISO 800

Rather than always shooting from eye or tripod level, mix it up. Get up and look down for a birds-eye vantage point. Get down and try a worms-eye view. Have you heard of a “Dutch-tilt”? Maybe try looking through objects, using them as frames for your subject.

Much of my photography is landscape work, so I’m a dedicated tripod shooter. The advantages of that are, of course, stability and repeatability. I can leave the camera in a fixed spot and move other things; the lights and subjects, use long and different exposures and have variations of the same shot.

There’s something to be said, however, for getting off the tripod.

Going handheld will help you move more easily and explore different angles. Whatever you do, let me repeat something I said earlier…work to make your image different.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
See if you can identify these household objects. When doing macro, and seeing differently, even stuck in the house you can find subjects for still life photography. (Clockwise from top left – Canon 6D , reversed lens, 1/40 sec. ISO 400, Canon 6D w/ reversed lens, 1/40 sec ISO 400, Canon 6D with Tamron 90mm macro lens, 1/4 sec. f/32 ISO 1250, Canon 6D with Tamron 90mm macro lens, 1.3 sec, f/32, ISO 1250

4. Lens selection

Doing still life photography at home is a great time to explore how different lenses can give you different looks.

You won’t have to worry so much about dust getting on your sensor as you change lenses and you’ll have a place to put lenses down while you do change them (rather than fearing a fumble onto the ground).

Try some things. Note how a wide-angle lens emphasizes the size of objects nearest the lens, how a telephoto compresses space between objects, or how a wide aperture reduces your depth-of-field. Learn what the “sweet-spot” is of each of your lenses, that aperture where the lens is at its sharpest.

Table-top photography is also a great opportunity to play with prime lenses, moving the camera or subject rather than zooming. I’ve grown to love my little Canon “nifty-fifty” for use in doing still life photography at home. This economical little lens might be one of my sharpest.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Using my shell/beach-stone collection and a pair of my wife’s sandals I was able to make this product-photography-like shot. Note the camera angle looking almost straight down. Canon 6D with Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, 1/80 sec. f/20 ISO 200

5. Get close with macro

If you’ve not tried macro photography, being sequestered at home is a perfect opportunity to give it a try. It requires practice, patience, and a controlled environment where you are in charge of the composition and lighting (and there’s no wind). Being able to slow down and pay careful attention is a real plus, as being meticulous is a key to making good macro shots.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Often, your cell phone camera can take a great macro photo. This feather was shot with my LG V30 cell phone.

So you don’t have a macro lens? Try some alternatives.

The reversed-lens macro technique is a great way to dip your toe in macro waters on a budget. You will also find that common household objects become fascinating subjects when photographed at a macro level. Just be careful – macro-photography is contagious.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Don’t have a dedicated macro lens? This extreme macro, (the drop was only about 2mm wide), was shot with an old Vivitar film camera lens. The lens was reversed and combined with three (12mm, 20mm, and 36mm) extension tubes combined with the reversed lens at 28mm. This is also a 2-image focus stack – one for the drop and the other for the flower inside. Extension tubes on my Canon 6D. 15 sec. reversed lens, ISO 100

6. Tell a story

When choosing your subjects for a session of still life photography at home, give thought to telling a story. Rather than just choose random objects, think like a movie set director using the scene to tell the story.

Use your objects, background, lighting, camera angle, and whatever other photographic tricks you can summon. Your objective is to make the viewer see the story in your photo. A picture can be worth a thousand words, if you choose those “words” carefully.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Carefully selecting your still life subjects can allow you to create a story. My titles might help you understand what I was illustrating here. “Awaiting Santa” – Canon 50D, Canon 50mm prime lens, .5 sec,f/5.6, ISO 100 , “Family Album Photographs” – Canon 6D, Canon 50mm prime lens, f/22, ISO 800 , “Doc Brown makes a housecall,” – Canon 50D, XX lens, f/XX, ISO XXX , “The Conchologist” – Canon 6D, Canon 24-105 lens, 1/6 sec. f/4, ISO 100

7. Simple is better

A photo friend once said something that has stuck with me about a good photo – “Anything that doesn’t add, detracts.”

It’s important that, with a glance, the viewer immediately “gets it.” Without even thinking, they know what your intended subject is and what you are trying to communicate.

Landscape photographers must find ways to simplify the scenes they photograph, but as a still life table-top photographer, you have complete control.

Carefully consider what to put in and what to take out, where to concentrate the light, what to leave in shadow, and what is in and out-of-focus. The strongest photos will be those with a single, powerful message.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Sometimes the simplest images can be the most powerful. Canon 50D, Canon 50mm prime lens, 8 sec. f/22, ISO 100. Frozen with flash.
Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Ordinary objects can become much more interesting with dramatic lighting. This one was light-painted with a flashlight. Canon 6D, Canon 24-105 lens, 10 sec. f/11, ISO 100

8. Reflect on this

Reflections can elevate an otherwise ho-hum subject to a new and exciting level. When doing still life photography at home, a good method of creating a reflection is to use a piece of black plexiglass under your set-up.

Unlike a mirror, which will create two reflections due to the surface and the mirrored back of the glass, the acrylic sheet creates just one. Of course, the inventive photographer will find other ways to create reflections as well.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
A piece of black plexiglass reflects the jar of marbles. The string of Christmas lights provides a background of bokeh highlights. Canon 6D, Canon 24-105mm lens, 1/8 sec. f/4, ISO 800

9. Bokeh and how to use it

“Bokeh” (however you pronounce it), is defined as the “blurred quality or effect seen in the out-of-focus portion of a photograph taken with a narrow depth of field.”

Still life photography is a great opportunity to explore how you can use it to simplify the background, keep viewer attention where you want it, and enhance the story you’re trying to tell. You can also try some special effects bokeh using patterns cut in pieces of paper and put on your lens. If you’re a shut-in frustrated photographer, why not brighten your day making some fun “bokehlicious” pics?

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
My Canon “nifty-fifty”, the 50mm f/1.8 prime which often isn’t much over $ 100 US, is one of my sharpest lenses. It also creates interesting bokeh highlights when opened up to a wide aperture. Canon 50D, Canon 50mm “nifty-fifty” lens, 1/25 sec. f/2.8, ISO 100

10. Food photography

Food photography is by its very nature, still life photography.

Top food photographers make good money by making food images look especially delicious. Study great food photos for clues as to composition, lighting, backgrounds, props, camera angles, and other tricks. Then see if you can emulate those tricks.

Maybe grab some cookies and a glass of milk, or a beer and some pretzels, and see what you can do to replicate great photo photography looks. Not only will you hone your photo skills, but when you’re done, you can have a snack.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Food photography certainly falls into the genre of still life. This is definitely something to try if you’re having to stay home. Canon 20D, Canon 50mm prime lens, 1/250 sec. f/4, ISO 200

11. For my next trick

Two different years I did what some call a “Project 52,” a photo assignment a week for an entire year. I made it a point to try some special tricks I’d never tried before – photographing smoke, water splashes, flames and sparks, and oil and water abstracts.

Using both long exposures, as well as the extremely short duration of a flash and a camera trigger, were things I learned.

If you need ideas, search dPS, or Google “creative photography” and see what catches your eye, then figure out how to do it yourself. Part of the fun of still life photography at home is using your creativity to make shots you’ve never before attempted.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Light for these shots is provided solely by the sparklers used. The long exposure allows for interesting light trails. Left – Canon 50D, Canon 50mm prime lens lens, 4 sec. f/11, ISO 100 Right – Canon 50D, Canon 50mm prime lens, 1 sec. f/11, ISO 100
Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Who says still life photos must be still? The “Raspberry Milk Splash” froze the action using the short duration of a speedlight, Canon 50D, Tamron 17-50 lens, 1/60 f/25, ISO 100. “Tumblin’ Dice” was a longer exposure with a second-curtain sync flash. Canon 50D, Canon 17-40 lens, 1.0 sec f/13 ISO 100

12. Advertising and product photography

Making the ordinary extraordinary is why skilled advertising photographers get paid the big bucks. Pick up a magazine and study the way common objects are staged, lit, and photographed. Then find some objects at home and see if you can emulate those looks.

What might look like a simple shot is often much more complex if you were to take a look behind the scenes. Don’t have a studio with a bunch of fancy lights and modifiers? No worry, see what you can do “on the cheap” with simpler lighting equipment. You might be surprised at how using brains rather than bucks can still result in a stunning photo.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
When doing still life photography at home, remember that rather than having powerful studio lights or even Speedlights, you can simply increase the exposure time since your subject isn’t moving and you can shoot using a tripod. Small, inexpensive hardware store LED lights like these can work surprising well.

Something else to consider is making photos for items you’d like to sell on places like eBay, Craigslist, or other online sites.

Your item with a nicely lit and composed shot will attract much more attention (and perhaps even fetch a higher price) than a “quicky” snapshot someone else made with their cellphone.

If you plan to do a lot of this kind of work, you might also look into buying a simple light tent or perhaps making your own. For smaller objects, a collapsible light tent can be had for under $ 20.00 U.S. and will give you pretty good results.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Note the lighting set-up in the inset shot using just the cheap LED flashlights for illumination. When doing still life photography at home, learn how you can get big results with little lights. Canon 6D, Canon 24-105 lens, 3.2 sec, f/14 ISO 100
Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
I wanted to accentuate the “emergency feel” of this police badge and so used a blue-gelled light on camera left and a red-gelled light on the right. Canon 6D, Canon 50mm prime lens, 2 sec. f/20 ISO 100.

13. No travel required

Even in times when we feel more comfortable traveling, not all of us can get to the exotic hot spots where we see other photographers going. I’m not expecting to get to Iceland anytime soon.

When doing still life photography at home, that’s not an issue. No one is going to guess that the location where you took that really cool still life photo was your kitchen table.

I formerly wrote for another now discontinued online photo site, Improve Photography, and did an article called “Tips for the Non-Traveling Photographer.” I’d encourage you to have a look, as almost all of the images in that piece were done at home or within 20-miles of my house. Imagination can often take you much further as a photographer than a passport.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
Stuck at home? Drag out that collection of whatever you might have and photograph it for fun. “Campaign Buttons” – Canon 6D, Canon 24-105mm lens, 6 sec. f/22 ISO XXX. “Foreign Coins” – Canon 6D, Canon 24-105mm lens, 2.5 sec. f/22 ISO 100

14. Exercise for photo fitness

Want to be more photographically-fit? The key is the same as increasing your physical fitness – work out more.

The key to being a better photographer is routinely making more photos, learning new techniques, and practicing. Waiting to pick up the camera until you go on a special trip, attend an event or make family photos isn’t going to cut it if you want to be good. Unless you’re taking photos at least a few times a week, you’re probably not getting enough “photographic exercise” to be a strong photographer.

Stuck at Home? - Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp
No flash, but high noon sun, a reflector, an aquarium, a high shutter speed, a fast trigger finger, timing, some luck and a lot of tries were what was needed for this shot. I had a fun afternoon making all kinds of splash photos on a picnic table in the backyard. Canon 50D, Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens, 1/3200 sec. f/4 ISO 400.

These are unusual times. You may find you’re not able to get out as much, perhaps not even going to your regular job. So why not use that free time to keep yourself engaged, entertained, and further your photo education?

Try some still life photography at home. Shoot, review, repeat.

As you get better, do as you would with exercise, and make the next session more challenging. Then post your images online and here in the comments section of this site so we can admire your work.

Be engaged, be productive, be learning and growing as a photographer and above all… Until next time, be well my friends.

The post Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp

Posted in Photography

 

Take Time to Practice These Three Composition Skills Around Your Home

02 Apr

The post Take Time to Practice These Three Composition Skills Around Your Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Practice composition skills around your home featured image

Now is a good time to practice composition skills. With many people having to self-isolate, it means you may not be able to enjoy regular life. This will include being able to get out and photograph the subjects you typically take pictures of.

Make good use of the time to practice. This is not something photographers do as much as other artists. You can imagine that to play a song on a guitar or the piano, you must first practice it. It’s easy for a photographer to pick up a camera and get a pretty well-exposed photo without the need to practice. This can make you lazy, and not make time to work on aspects of your photography that need improving.

Take Time to Practice These Three Composition Skills Around Your Home
© Kevin Landwer-Johan Nikon D800, Lens 105mm, 1/400 sec., f/10, ISO 400

In this article, I want to encourage you to think outside the subject. Consider taking photos only to work on improving one aspect of your craft – composition.

Find subject material in your environment. Things you would not normally consider taking pictures of. Aim to make interesting and varied compositions by exploring and experimenting.

Practice composition skills

When you practice anything at all, you will get better at it. When was the last time you engaged in improving your composition skills through practice? Have you ever picked up your camera with the sole aim of getting better at using the rule of thirds or any other aspect of composition?

Focus on using negative space for a day, or a week, and you’ll find you incorporate more of it into your photographs.

By repeating what you are doing, you can learn a skill so well that you don’t have to consciously think about it. It will take time and practice to reach this level, but it is quite natural. Whatever you set yourself to practice, in time, you will be able to use that skill without having to think much about it. This is one great way to build your intuition.

Pick two or three composition rules to work on. I’m writing about the rule of thirds, negative space and filling the frame. But you can work on any you like. The key is to not be so concerned about your subject or creating masterpiece photos, it is to practice and learn.

Consider yourself doing this to be like a musician practicing scales. Their aim is not to go out on stage and play scales, but they know that practicing them will help them play better when they do perform.

Yellow mango against blur glass for practice composition skills
© Kevin Landwer-Johan Nikon D800, Lens 105mm, 1/320 sec., f/7.1, ISO 800

Practice the Rule of Thirds

Let’s start with the most well-known rule of composition in photography, the rule of thirds. This is one many people know and use. To put into practice composition skills, you need to concentrate on the rule, not the subject so much.

Don’t worry if you are not producing great photos. This exercise is designed to help you better understand when to use the rule of thirds.

You might like to use a single subject or various things around you to practice composition skills. For this exercise, I walked around my garden and in my house to create compositions using the rule of thirds.

Take Time to Practice These Three Composition Skills Around Your Home
© Kevin Landwer-Johan Nikon D800, Lens 105mm, 1/400 sec., f/10, ISO 400

Experiment with each subject you photograph. Compose it in different ways, but make sure to have it somewhere on one of the ‘thirds’. Don’t only take the first composition you think of. If you place your subject on the left for your first picture, place it on the right hand third for the second one. Then rotate your camera 90 degrees and place your subject on a lower third intersection.

Rule of Thirds grid
The Rule of Thirds grid

Push yourself to try out compositions you normally wouldn’t. Don’t think about your results as right or wrong. Or even good or bad. The point of practice is to improve, so if you’re taking photos you don’t particularly like, think about them. Why don’t you like them? What can you do to improve?

Practice using the rule of thirds until you feel you’ve made some good progress with it. Do you have a better understanding of how to use it well?

Rose one a plain background for practice composition skills
© Kevin Landwer-Johan Nikon D800, Lens 105mm, 1/400 sec., f/10, ISO 400

Using negative space to practice composition skills

Negative space is not a bad thing – at least not when it’s included in compositions intentionally. Negative space is the area of a photograph that is not the main center of attention.

Often there will be nothing at all in these areas – no shapes, lines, or texture.

At other times there will be some detail, but it will not draw attention away from the main subject at all.

Coffee pot in contrast for practice composition skills.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan Nikon D800, Lens 105mm, 1/320 sec., f/7.1, ISO 800

During our photography workshops, one of the most common mistakes I see people make is to leave too much empty space above a person’s head. This is not usually well-composed negative space. It’s there because the photographer was not paying enough attention to what surrounded their subject.

Practice composition skills by creating photos with strong negative space. Use blank areas to help your main subject stand out. Use a blank wall, a shallow depth of field, or a light subject with a dark background.

There are many ways you can include negative space positively in your pictures.

Again, don’t aim to make masterpieces. Making ‘mistakes’ is healthy when you are practicing.

Experiment and try out various compositions, both horizontal and vertical. Leave space on the left, right, below and above the same subject. Study them together on your computer. Which one do you like the most?

Padlock on a grill
© Kevin Landwer-Johan Nikon D800, Lens 105mm, 1/200 sec., f/4.5, ISO 800

Aim to fill the frame

Filling the frame is something I aim to do every time I take a photo. Sometimes this can mean much of my frame is filled with negative space. So long as it’s intentional and adds to the photo, that’s fine.

To fill the frame well it’s as much about what you leave out as to what you include. Most important is to be aware of what’s within the four edges of your composition and make sure that it’s relevant to the photo you’re taking.

Sometimes filling the frame can mean coming in ultra-close to your subject so you don’t include all of it. Other times you may choose to move back or zoom out to include some of the surroundings because they are relevant.

Always look around the edges of your frame. What’s in the corners? Are the background elements supporting your main subject? If not, move it, move yourself, or use another technique to eliminate the unwanted element.

Moving even a little can alter the perspective of how elements within your frame relate to each other. As an example of this, I photographed the same objects on my table. The plastic bottle behind my main setting is distracting.

To eliminate it from my composition, I moved lower and to the right a little. In this situation, I could have also moved the bottle.

coffee set up for practicing composition skills
© Kevin Landwer-Johan Nikon D800, Lens 105mm, 1/80 sec., f/5, ISO 800
coffee set up
© Kevin Landwer-Johan Nikon D800, Lens 105mm, 1/80 sec., f/5, ISO 800

Conclusion

Taking time to practice composition skills may sound a bit boring – just as someone learning the piano might get bored practicing scales.

Try it and see. You may find you enjoy it after a while. Like anything, it takes time for the practice to pay off, so don’t give up easily.

Do you have any other tips you’d like to add? Please share them with us in the comments.

The post Take Time to Practice These Three Composition Skills Around Your Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Take Time to Practice These Three Composition Skills Around Your Home

Posted in Photography

 

DPReview TV: How to look good and sound great on videos (and video conferences) from home

02 Apr

Lots of people are suddenly working from home. For many, that means creating online videos for others to watch or logging time on video calls. We review some simple techniques to make your videos look and sound great, so you’ll look more professional.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

  • Introduction
  • Better audio
  • Coverage
  • Coverage example
  • Better video calls
  • Better live audio
  • Camera angle
  • Lighting
  • Conclusion

For more tips, watch Chris and Jordan’s earlier video about coverage on The Camera Store TV.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DPReview TV: How to look good and sound great on videos (and video conferences) from home

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Developing film at home: everything you need to know to get started

01 Apr

Introduction

If you’re lucky enough to have some free hours in these uncertain times, there are a lot of ways you could spend them. How about learning how to develop your own film? Or maybe developing film is an activity you tried long ago and one you’d like to jump back into. After all, the smell of fixer singeing the nostrils can be quite an intoxicating/nostalgic aroma (Please do not smell the fixer).

What follows is a quick and easy home developing guide that’ll cover everything from supplies, to chemistry dilutions, to proper cleanup. So turn down your record player and grab a good old fashioned pencil and paper to take notes [glances at the sun dial] – it’s developing time!

Reasons to develop at home

But first, if you still need convincing, here’s are some solid reasons to take the plunge into the wild DIY world of home developing:

1. It’s cheaper to set up a home developing kit than you may think. I was able to get everything I needed from a local brick and mortar store for ~$ 150. Obviously a lot of stores are closed right now, but you may pay even less sourcing items online, or second hand.

2. Home developing is a hands-on experience that makes you better appreciate both the magic of photography and the wonder of chemistry. There’s something really cool about seeing the image creation process from start to end. In short, you’ll feel a bit like a mad scientist.

3. If you are paying a lab to develop and scan your images right now, setting up a home lab can be a cheaper option in the long run. And even if labs are closed (as many are at the present time), you’ll still be able to process your own images.

4. It feels good to learn something new / do it yourself.

Best films to start with

For the sake of this article, we’ll concentrate on developing B&W film, as the process is easier to learn than it is for color. B&W film also tends to be more forgiving to exposure errors than color… not that you’ll make any!

Some good B&W films to start with include Kodak Tri-X, Kodak T-Max, Ilford HP-5 Plus and Ilford Delta 400. Be aware, there are B&W film stocks out there that are meant to be developed in color chemistry, like Ilford XP2. Avoid these.

Chemistry 101: The developing basics

The process of developing film is actually quite straightforward. We’ll go into more detail further into this article, but the basic steps go like this: Load your film into a lightproof tank and pour a series of chemicals in one after another, then wash, dry and scan.

The two main chemicals involved in the process are developer, which does exactly what it sounds like, and fixer, which stabilizes the film after development. A stop bath rinse is done between the developing and fixing stage and a water rinse is done at the end.

What you’ll need to assemble your home mini lab

Here’s what you’ll need to set up your home developing kit: Concentrated developer, fixer and stop bath (optional – plain old water also works). Liquid concentration is easier to work with than powder and is also safer as there’s no chance of particulate inhalation. You’ll also want a wetting agent like Kodak Photo-flo (this is also optional but I find it helps negatives dry without watermarks), a developing tank with reels*, several plastic bottles to mix your dilutions in, measuring beakers, a funnel, a thermometer, a stop-watch/timer and a film squeegee. Many photography stores carry all these items.

You’ll also want a light-proof bag to load your reels, as well as a bottle opener and a sharp pair of scissors. The former is to pry open the film canister the latter is to cut the film (both while in the bag). Film clips are great for drying, but clothespins work well too. You’ll also want plastic sleeves to store your negatives in once dried.

*For those wishing to avoid the developing tank, all-in-one options like the the Lab-Box, may be your cup of tea. We can’t vouch for its ease of use, but our pals over at Pop Photo seem to like it.

Loading film onto reels

There are a handful of companies that make film tanks and reels. In general though the plastic reels are MUCH easier to load than the metal ones. Of the popular plastic brands, I’ve found that Paterson Universal makes the easiest to load reels (avoid Omega brand reels).

Once you’ve got your tank, I recommend practicing loading your reel with the lights on. Yes you will need to sacrifice a roll of film to do this, but it’s worth it. Here are the basic steps/tips for loading:

1. Pop open your film canister from the bottom using a bottle opener. It should not take much to pry the bottom cap off.

2. Pull the film and spool out of the canister and trim off the film leader so that the roll ends in a straight cut line.

3. Insert the freshly-cut end of the film roll into the reel. On a Paterson Universal reel the side in which you load the film is flat and the side it feeds out of is rounded; this makes it easy to load correctly in the dark. Once inserted, hold each side of the reel in either hand and gently twist the opposite direction until the reel hits a stopping point, then twist back; this should advance the film onto your reel one frame at a time.

4. Count in your head how many times you do the above twisting action. When you get to 32 (assuming you’re loading a 36 roll frame) unroll the rest of the film from your spool and cut it free – there’s usually a small piece of tape attaching it.

5. Proceed to load the last of the film.

6. Insert the reel onto the tank’s center column. Remember if you’re only developing one reel to still use two reels in the tank with the loaded one on bottom.

The developing process – mixing up the chemistry

Mixing up photo chemistry requires very little knowledge of chemistry itself. If you can follow the directions required to bake a cake, you can certainly mix up these chemical dilutions with no trouble.

As mentioned, we recommend purchasing concentrated liquid chemicals and some plastic containers to store your dilution in (make sure the containers are photo chemical safe). Most chemistry comes with basic dilution guidelines printed on the bottle. For example I use Ilford Ilfotec DDX Developer, which requires a 1:4 dilution. Conveniently, this is the same dilution as the Ilford Rapid Fixer I use.

When mixing up chemistry I like to make 60 fl oz of diluted developer, fixer and stop bath. This is roughly 3x times the amount of each chemical I need to process two rolls in my Paterson tank. Because I don’t develop too often, I just pour the dilute chemistry back into its respective container after I’m done. The chemistry eventually expires, but it takes many rolls to get there. I also find it extremely helpful to write down the date and dilution of each chemical on its container.

Once you have all your chemicals mixed up and in separate jugs, it’s time to bust out the timer and get processing!

Developing, stopping, and fixing

Printed on the bottom of most film tanks is how much fluid is required, depending on the number and/or type of film you are processing. My tank requires about 22 fl oz for two 35mm rolls of film.

It’s also important to figure how long you’ll need to develop your film for. Many manufacturers include a list of developing agents and developing times on the inside of the film box. But if you tossed the box, worry not, the Massive Dev Chart is here to help. The temperature of the chemicals also affects developing time, so it’s good thing you got that thermometer!

Below are the basic steps for processing your roll:

1. Pre-wash: This isn’t completely necessary but there’s no harm in washing your film before moving on to the chemistry.

2. Developing time: Measure out your developer into a beaker and use the thermometer to find its temperature. The colder the developer, the longer the processing time. For instance if I’m processing a roll of Ilford HP-5 Plus in the aforementioned developer/dilution, I’m looking at nine minutes of developing time if the chemistry is 20 C / 68 F and closer to seven minutes if its 24 C / 75 F. Obviously if it’s warmer or colder than that range, you can estimate your development time accordingly.

3. Developing: Start your timer, pour in the developer, attach the tank’s cap and shake gently for 30 seconds. After the first 30 seconds let the tank sit on the table, then shake for ten seconds at the start of each minute of developing. Tap the tank on the table after shaking each time to ensure there are no air bubbles.

4. Stop-bath: Pour out your developer, pour in your stop bath dilution and replace the cap to the tank. Shake the tank for about ten seconds and then let it rest on the table for an additional 30 seconds (don’t forget to tap for air bubbles). Pour the stop bath out and pour in your fixer.

5. Fixer: Repeat the same shaking, tapping and resting process as you did with the developer for the fixer for 4-5 minutes. Then pour out the spent fixer and fill your tank with fresh water…

Washing, drying and storing negatives

6. Washing part 1: Once filled with fresh water, give the tank a good two minutes of shaking, then pour out the water. Repeat this process several times. Note: your film is fully-developed and light-safe at this point.

7. Washing part 2: Twist off the top of the tank and let water run into it for five to ten minutes.

8. Wetting agent: Dump out a little water, add a few drops of a wetting agent to the tank and screw the top back on (with cap attached). Shake for about five seconds and remove the screw top.

9. Removing the film and squeegeeing: Remove your reels from the center column of the tank and twist in the same way you did when loading them, but do so beyond the initial stopping point. This should allow you to pull either side apart. Grab one end of the film and run a wet squeegee over it once or twice.

10. Drying: Hang your film using clothespins or clips somewhere it won’t be disturbed. Give the negatives about 12 hours to dry before cutting and inserting it into plastic film sleeves.

Cleaning up

It probably goes without saying, but photo chemicals are toxic and you should avoid dumping them down the drain at all costs. Likewise, it’s important to keep your work space clean and tidy. I personally like to work on a piece of plywood on saw horses that I break down each time after I’m done processing. This avoids getting chemistry on my work desk or kitchen table.

Of the chemicals used for home developing, photo fixer presents the most environmental issues. Fortunately there are places happy to take it off your hands (for a small fee). Spent fixer contains valuable liquid silver which can be removed and recycled. Spent developer and stop bath can be taken to most household hazard waste processing locations. If you’re unsure of the best way to dispose of chemicals, contact a local photo lab and ask for their recommendations.

Scanning/digitizing

Once your negatives are dried it’s time to digitize them. There are numerous ways to scan film and varying opinions about which methods are best. I personally use an Epson V-series scanner that can do 12 frames of 35mm in one go. These scanners are reasonably-priced, fairly quick to scan and offer decent output – read our Epson V600 review.

Another fairly-easy scanning methods involves using a camera and macro lens, diffused light source and some sort of film holder like the Pixl-latr or Nikons’s ES-2.

Conclusion: Tips for success

As is the case with anything DIY, there’s going to be a large degree of trial and error involved in your process. I’ve tried my best to lay out all the basics that I’ve learned over the years, but it should got without saying that your mileage may vary.

That said, here’s a few final tips to help you succeed, based on my own trial and error:

1. Write down each step of the developing process as it pertains to your chemistry and the kinds of film you shoot. You’ll find yourself referencing this every time you go to develop.

2. Try your best to avoid getting finger prints on the film while loading and opt to load in a proper lightproof bag over a seemingly dark room.

3. Don’t be skimpy with the fixing time. If the film spends a little too much time in the fixer it won’t have any real negative impact, but too little will.

4. Give your film enough time to dry or it’ll get stuck in the plastic film sleeves.

5. Accept dust as a natural part of the life of a film shooter.

6. Consider wearing gloves unless you like the smell of fixer on your fingers for days (I do).

That pretty much sums up our home developing guide! If there’s something crucial you feel we’ve left out, or if you have any additional tips, feel free to mention them in the comments below. Happy developing!


Want more analog fun? Check out the DPReview Film Photography Forum.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Developing film at home: everything you need to know to get started

Posted in Uncategorized