The post Abstract Street Photography: The Essential Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anthony Epes.
Want to know how to capture beautiful abstract street photography?
You’ve come to the right place.
While I am not a traditional street or abstract photographer, I love shooting in cities – and I love how street and abstract photography allow for so much fun and exploration.
So in this article, I’m going to share some tips, tricks, and ideas to enhance your abstract street photos.
And hopefully, the next time you’re out, you can capture some awesome photos of your own!
What is abstract street photography?
There is no one definition of abstract street photography, which is a relief. That way, you can make the genre your own.
For me, abstract photography means that you are removing the context of the subject so that what you’re looking at isn’t always clear. In abstract photography, you are re-forming the world to make your own subjects, making things that are not what they appear to be in real life.
And abstract photography is also most significantly about the emotion of the image – what mood, feeling, or atmosphere are you creating?
“Photography isn’t about seeing, it’s about feeling…If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”
– Don McCullin
Now, street photography often involves capturing candid moments of life out on the street. I like to keep the idea of street photography pretty broad, though – to include any imprint of humanity, any aspect of life, whether we see people or not!
Ultimately, when we take the idea of abstract photography out onto the street, we can have a lot of fun capturing the spontaneous, often chaotic, ever-changing nature of humans and life.
We can let our imaginations run wild and recreate the world around us.
So let’s get started!
Abstract street photos take work
Before I dive into my tips and tricks for abstract street photography, there is one thing I want to clear up:
Abstract street photography takes real work.
People sometimes presume that, because abstract street photos look simple, capturing great shots is easy, and that you don’t have to work hard to get a good result.
I would counter that taking an interesting photo is challenging in every genre – and perhaps even more so in abstract street photography, because there are no confines, no rules, nothing to aim for. Everything in your images is a reflection of what you can see in the world.
Your imagination is essential
For me, abstract street photography is pure imagination, because you are creating something almost from nothing. It relies on your ability to see the world creatively, not realistically.
Most of us are caught up completely in the real world, the things we have to do, the places we have to go, our responsibilities and tasks. So it’s easier to take a nice portrait than to go out and shoot something where you almost need to detach yourself from the real world that you live in and enter a state of pure creative imagination.
Abstract street photography is about capturing a feeling
The most important skill you should develop is the ability to be present in the moment when you are out shooting.
We love to escape the moment with continuous thoughts about the past and the future, about what emails we need to write, what we need to say to our annoying neighbor, what happened yesterday at work, etc.
We can also get too involved with thinking about how we are shooting – are we in the right spot, should we go somewhere else, did we bring the right lens?
But while some analysis of what we are doing is essential, it can also stop us from experiencing and seeing what’s happening all around us.
When we are fully in the present moment, and not thinking or planning, we can really appreciate our experience, and we can connect more fully to what’s happening around us.
When we see a brooding sky that gives an ominous feeling, we can capture that. When we see something weird and a little gross on the floor that intrigues us, we are more likely to notice it.
And if we see a man walking to work looking a little downcast, we can capture it:
And by being totally in the present moment, we are more likely to bring the feelings of what it’s like to be there and see what we are seeing into our photos.
Abstract street photography is your interpretation of the world
Photography helps me become more of who I am. It helps me see more of the world and really encourages me to pay attention. When I shoot, I allow myself free reign to follow my curiosity.
Abstract street photography is one of the most fun and joyful photographic genres. For me, it’s about playing, about just walking around and looking at things while thinking:
Thatreminds me of what I think the texture of the moon is like.
Or:
Those dark shadows make me think of a spooky story I read as a child.
Or:
A part of that sculpture looks like an elegant painting.
I am particularly fascinated by things I find at my feet. I have endless photos of weird things I’ve seen: crushed, burned burger buns, smashed fruit, accidental paint drippings, and more. I am entranced by these oddities.
“I really feel sorry for people who think things like soap dishes or mirrors or Coke bottles are ugly, because they’re surrounded by things like that all day long, and it must make them miserable.”
– Robert Rauschenberg
Find what entrances you out in the world. Find what makes you go, ooh, that’s super interesting!
The more curious you are, the more you’ll find. And the more it will become your photography, your interpretation of the world.
Composition in abstract street photography
How can you create beautiful abstract street compositions?
It’s useful to draw from all of the traditional compositional rules and techniques, such as negative space, leading lines, and the rule of thirds. But I’d like to mention a few other guidelines that are particularly useful when we are creating abstract street photos, starting with:
Reduction
I often like to say that composing a photo is more about removing and reducing what is in the frame. It’s extremely easy to overcomplicate your photos, to have complex backgrounds, to include elements that detract from your subject, to not notice things in the corner of the shot.
This is particularly true with street photography, because there is always so much going on in the city. Yet we often don’t actually notice all of the visual information because our brain spends a lot of time blocking most of it out. If we noticed everything, it would be very overwhelming for us. Our brain can only deal with so much, so it’s selective about the information allowed inside.
But when we are shooting, our camera notices everything! So we can end up with unwanted elements, or not really see the complexity of the background until afterward.
Ultimately, we have to be really aware and conscious of what we are placing in the frame.
When out with the camera, I encourage you to ask yourselves:
What can I remove from this photo? What is unnecessary? What distracts from the subject?
Textured glass is an awesome abstract element to play with – combining subtle, pretty colors, the light streaming through, and interesting textures from the glass.
Breaking the world down into elements
One way to really help your brain deal with the visual complexity all around you – and to help your eyes compose beautiful, striking, and intentional photos – is to look at the world not as one mass of things, but as many elements.
When you break the world down into elements, you see a collection of shapes, lines, forms, etc. And you don’t see the world in 3D surround sound where everything is joined together.
Can you look around at your environment now and see each thing as one singular element? Try it! It’s an exercise that helps you become more intentional about what you are placing in your frame.
Celebrating the purity of light, form, and shape
I love abstract photography because you can focus on the singular elements of light, shape, and form.
Shapes can be fascinating as shapes, not as anything else:
When we focus our attention on something small that holds our interest, we can find fascinating worlds to photograph.
“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
– Henry Miller
What does the photo below make you think of?
How about this one?
Color
As you can see, I am not a black and white street photographer. I am an unashamed lover of color, and I love to celebrate all that color brings to our world.
My favorite photographer of all time, Ernst Haas, said:
“Color is joy. One does not think of joy. One is carried by it.” And I couldn’t agree more.
Abstract street photography is almost an excuse for me to just celebrate the power and joy of color. To let colors attract my attention and totally dominate the photo.
Texture
Being out on the streets is an invitation to explore so many fascinating textures.
Some of my favorite textures are the crumbling walls, torn posters, and disused locations of the forgotten parts of our cities.
Capturing textures gives such a feeling of realness to an image, as if the viewer can just reach in and feel the roughness of the wall, the coldness of the pipes, and the grain of the wood.
When we notice the world as a series of different textures, your photos gain plenty of depth. You’re giving people more of a sense of what it feels like to stand where you are standing, and what it feels like to look at what you are looking at.
Humor
Street photography is filled with humor. This is natural, given how much we humans love to do strange and funny things.
Humor is also a really fun thing to play with when you are doing abstract photos.
For instance, you can try disconnecting things from themselves:
Or you can just look for humorous objects:
Here, I see an alien looking up at me from the floor! This phenomenon is known as pareidolia, where you see a face or an image of something that isn’t really there.
Abstract street photography ideas
The best way to embed knowledge is to practice what you’re learning. Information is often retained only briefly if we don’t make the effort to implement it.
And here’s another reason to practice:
So you can take the ideas and knowledge you find interesting and make them your own. For me, it’s super important that I’m not confined in my photography, and that I’m not restrained by other people’s ideas of what’s right or wrong, good or bad.
Street art is one of my favorite things to shoot. I love to find new street art when I am out.
So use these ideas as starting points to leap off in your own direction. Maybe take two ideas and see what happens. Or just do an in-depth exploration of one!
Pareidolia
The Cambridge Dictionary describes pareidolia as “a situation in which someone sees a pattern or image of something that does not exist, for example a face in a cloud.”
Photographing pareidolia is a fun challenge; it’s about finding things that look like other things.
Easiest for me is to find faces or animals in completely unrelated subjects.
Is this a crocodile? Is it a smiling alien?
Reflections
I love shooting reflections because they offer so many opportunities to create really cool images.
But while reflections create naturally busy images, still be conscious of what you are placing in the frame so the whole composition looks pleasing to you, not just chaotic.
I love reflections that look almost real. You’ll think it’s a shot of the street – but on second glance, you see all kinds of things going on in the layers of reflection. Like in life!
Silhouettes and shadow
When we are shooting silhouettes and shadows, especially of people, we can capture some really amazing, pure expressions – because we don’t have the details of what the subjects look like.
I shot this one in Istanbul, and I love to wonder what was happening. Was it a morning greeting? An argument? A heated political discussion?
Here, I’ve gone more abstract and I’ve put two shadows together:
What are the objects? Who knows? What do they look like? That’s for your imagination to decide.
Abstract self-portraits
We always have a subject when we are shooting ourselves, right?
I didn’t use to enjoy taking self-portraits, but it’s something I do more now. Why?
Because I can experiment and not worry about what the subject thinks!
Take yourself to interesting places, then do self-portraits that play with reflections, color, and light. It will help you understand so much more about photographing people.
Plus, if you’re like me – the main photographer in your family group – at least you’ll finally have photos of yourself!
What’s at your feet?
Ever since I discovered Ernst Haas when I was young, I realized that anything could be my subject. All I had to do was be fascinated by it. That was the only requirement.
From that point on, I shot all kinds of road markings and things at my feet, as Ernst Haas did.
I find this exciting because it elevates everyday, mundane objects into something that can be beautiful (beauty in the mundane!).
We rarely pay close attention to things like the streets we are walking on, yet they offer so much possibility!
We know what this is, but it becomes something a little different when we disconnect it from its environment. A letter “F” in thick yellow paint, with the rough texture of the gravel pushing through and some pretty light.
Perspective
We can use perspective in a really cool way with abstract street photography. We can find unique perspectives that present our subjects differently and make the subject look unexpectedly different.
I especially like to shoot upward and disconnect parts of buildings or things I see above me from their whole. The viewer then sees the shapes, the colors, and the textures without any knowledge of where or what it is.
This is a roof in Morocco. I was looking around a building, and then I looked up. Seeing dark shapes through the thin perspex roof was really interesting to me. Looking up is just as important as looking down at your feet!
Abstract street photography: conclusion
Hopefully, you now feel equipped to capture some beautiful abstract street photos!
So go out, explore, and have fun with your abstract photography.
Now over to you:
Do you have any abstract street photography you’d like to share? Do you have a favorite tip or trick from this article? Share your images and thoughts in the comments below!
The post Abstract Street Photography: The Essential Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anthony Epes.
It seems that every camera company is flexing its optical muscles these days to churn out F1.2 lenses. Sony, not one to be left behind, just released its first F1.2 prime, the FE 50mm F1.2 GM. One can’t help but ponder if Sony made this lens, at least in part, to dispel the myth that the smaller lens mount diameter – compared to its mirrorless peers – makes such fast lenses impossible (Sony claims F0.63 E-mount lenses can be made, but don’t make business sense).
Either way, while the Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA optic was impressive in its own right, offering a very flat field of focus and minimal aberrations, the 50mm F1.2 appears to exceed it in nearly every respect.
Click through for a closer look.
Size and weight
The FE 50mm F1.2 GM is surprisingly compact and lightweight for what it offers. Next to the Planar T* 50mm F1.4 ZA, it’s nearly the same size and at 778g weighs exactly the same, despite offering half a stop more light gathering and shallow depth-of-field capability. Both lenses are exactly the same length: 108mm. The F1.2 GM has a slightly larger diameter, with the largest section of its barrel measuring 87mm compared to 83.5mm for the F1.4 ZA. This can be explained by the approximately 36% increase in surface area required for an F1.2 aperture compared to F1.4. Still, the filter diameter is a modest 72mm.
Mount each lens on a camera body, close your eyes, and you won’t be able to tell which lens is attached. Well, save for the nicer rubberized manual focus ring on the F1.2 GM.
The Sony optic is the smallest and lightest of its competitors, weighing 18% less than Canon’s RF 50mm F1.2 and 30% less (and 30% shorter) than Nikon’s 50mm F1.2 S.
Build quality and sealing
Despite its compact size, the 50mm F1.2 GM feels very well-built. Similar to other lenses in the GM-series, it’s rated as ‘dust and moisture resistant’, with seals around all buttons and rings. A rubber gasket around the mount should help protect against moisture and other elements entering the camera body. Sony says that hybrid metal and engineering plastic has been used for durability and to reduce the weight of the lens. Finally, a fluorine coating on the front element should make water, oils, fingerprints and dirt easy to clean off.
External controls
The FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens offers a number of external controls. A focus mode switch allows you to quickly switch between auto and manual focus. Two focus hold buttons can be customized to any function available to all other custom buttons on the camera body. The manual focus ring has a nice rubberized texture that makes it easy to grasp and that also differentiates it from the aperture ring. The focus ring offers a linear focus response for intuitive focus pulls in video and stills…
External controls (continued)
The aperture ring has a texture similar to the lens barrel but with ‘teeth’ to make it easy to grasp and turn. F-stops are marked in 1/3 EV steps. The aperture ring can be ‘clicked’ or ‘de-clicked’, with the latter setting making it easier to smoothly change the aperture if you wish to vary the depth-of-field while shooting video.
Optical design
The optical construction comprises 14 elements in 10 groups. Three extreme aspherical (XA) elements – shown here in orange – help minimize aberrations and reduce the overall size of the optics. These XA elements also play a role in maintaining high resolution across the frame at wide apertures.
Bokeh
Enhanced surface precision of the molds used to create those XA elements in the last slide helps ensure smooth bokeh. Pictured at the top left in this image (courtesy of Sony) is a conventional aspherical lens surface, leading to an undesirable circle of confusion (top right). At the bottom left is a surface trace of one of Sony’s XA lens surfaces with 0.01µm surface precision, creating a clean circle of confusion (bottom right) and generally pleasing bokeh.
Sony claims that spherical aberration has been carefully controlled at the design and manufacturing stages for smooth foreground and background bokeh, and the comparative images Sony showed us against competitors were convincing, though we’ll reserve final judgement for after our own testing.
Bokeh
An 11-bladed aperture ensures circular out-of-focus highlights even as you stop down. In the image above you can see perfectly circular discs even after stopping the lens down 1.7 stops, which would be difficult for a lens with 9 or 10 aperture blades to do. Though there are many other factors that contribute to pleasing bokeh, this should help the F1.2 GM pleasantly render out of focus lights and produce smoother, more Gaussian bokeh.
There’s some mechanical vignetting that leads to cat’s eye effect wide open as you can see on the left, but it mostly disappears as you stop down to F1.8 and is completely gone by F2, as you see on the right.
Sharpness
MTF traces provided by Sony suggest impressive performance wide open (leftmost MTF graph), with over 90% contrast retained for higher resolution 30 lp/mm detail (green) at the center of the frame continuing out at least 6mm from the center of the imaging circle. Meanwhile, this 30 lp/mm trace, indicative of lens’ sharpness, never dips below 60% anywhere in the frame, typically hovering nearer to 70% at image peripheries.
The fact that the sagittal and tangential traces generally closely follow each other indicate that astigmatism is well-controlled, which suggests that bokeh should have a pleasing rendering, which bears out in our initial impressions.
A quick note on reading these graphs: sagittal or radial traces are solid while tangential traces are dotted. Orange traces are for 10 lp/mm detail, often indicative of lens’ contrast performance. The higher the traces, the better.
Sharpness
What does sharpness at F1.2 look like in real-world shooting? Have a look at this image at 100%. Depth of field is razor thin at F1.2, but Sony’s Eye AF is generally accurate enough, and AF speeds with this lens are responsive enough, that hit rates are high. Which brings us to…
Autofocus
Two independent floating focus groups allow for close focusing distances, and are driven by four ‘extreme dynamic’ linear motors (two per focus group). We’re told by Sony that these linear motors are very efficient at generating linear motion, as they don’t require any translation of rotational motion to linear motion, as ring-type and stepper motors do. The results speak for themselves, both in this demonstration video from Sony and in our own independent tests that confirm the 50mm F1.2 GM is the fastest-to-focus lens of its type. We measure only a mere 0.65s for the lens to rack from minimum focus distance (0.4m) to infinity, and 0.5s to rack from 0.7m – still a very close working distance for the 50mm focal length – to infinity.
In comparison, the tiny FE 35mm F1.8 optic takes a similar 0.5s to rack from its minimum focus distance to infinity, while the Nikkor 35mm F1.8 S takes a bit over 1s to do so. And those lenses are more than a stop slower.
The minimum focus distance of 0.4m (15.8″) yields a maximum magnification of 0.17x. Unfortunately, focus breathing, or a change in magnification with focus distance, is pretty significant and might be an issue for video shooters.
Longitudinal chromatic aberration
When it comes to fast lenses of this type, longitudinal chromatic aberration, abbreviated simply as LoCA, is one of the major aberrations we tend to worry about, especially as it tends to be hard to remove in post-processing and can be distracting. It shows up typically as magenta and green fringing in front of and behind the focus plane, respectively, around high contrast objects in the image.
There is almost no such fringing to speak of with the FE 50mm F1.2 GM, not even after drastic contrast adjustments that would exaggerate any LoCA present in the image, as we have done above (+45 in Adobe Camera Raw).
Sony tells us the lack of this aberration is due in part to the XA elements, as well as the use of the latest advanced simulation technology.
Flare, ghosting and sunstars
Sony’s ‘Nano AR (anti-reflective) II’ coating helps reduce flare as well as the appearance of distracting ‘ghosts’, both caused by reflections off of the internal elements. Nano AR II was developed specifically for application to large optical elements with highly curved surfaces, such as the XA elements increasingly found in Sony’s lenses.
The image above was shot by pointing the camera at the sun and angling it in such a way as to introduce as much flare and ghosting as possible. Results are impressive: there is very little loss of contrast, and the 2 or 3 visible ghosts (the purple and blue circles at upper right) aren’t too distracting or unsightly, instead appearing rather diffuse.
The 11-blade aperture produces 22-point sunstars with point light sources in the frame, if you stop the aperture down (pictured here is F11).
Lateral chromatic aberration
As is the case with many modern, well corrected lenses, lateral chromatic aberration, which shows up as magenta and cyan or green fringing at image peripheries that does not improve significantly upon stopping down, isn’t much of an issue, particularly because it’s taken care of digitally. Above, the left half of the image is identical to the right half, except that it’s had any lateral CA removed using the included profile embedded in Sony Raw files (processed here in Capture One). Noticeable mostly at high contrast edges, lateral CA simply isn’t an issue after it’s been removed, either in your favorite Raw converter, or in-camera by selecting ‘Auto’ for ‘Chromatic Aberration Comp’ under the ‘Lens Comp’ option in the camera menu.
This particular example is a crop from an extreme corner of the frame, so even if you leave lateral CA uncorrected – which you shouldn’t – this level of aberration is nothing to concern yourself over.
Distortion
We don’t tend to worry about distortion on 50mm prime lenses, but we do find it interesting that there is a noticeable amount of pincushion distortion if you go looking for it by comparing uncorrected vs. corrected images. The left half of this image is corrected while the right half is not; note the slight inward bend of the right edge of the stone wall on the right compared to the straight edge on the left. And the magnification of the rectangular tiles on the left relative to those on right, particularly obvious if you look at the center of the image.
These artifacts are all due to distortion correction having been applied to the left half of the above image only. For whatever reason, Sony has chosen to leave some optical distortion behind in the optical formula for, albeit very easy, digital correction afterwards. It’s worth noting that, for now, Adobe Camera Raw allows for no such provision for distortion correction – not until Adobe has profiled this particular lens – while Capture One honors the built-in manufacturer distortion correction profile included in Raws shot with the 50mm F1.2 GM. This is one of the reasons we have chosen to include some Capture One conversions in our gallery of this lens.
Price and availability
The FE 50mm F1.2 GM is Sony’s 60th E-mount lens, its 40th full-frame E-mount lens, introduced right around the 5th anniversary of the introduction of Sony’s first GM lenses. From our initial testing we’d venture to say the FE 50mm F1.2 GM is probably one of Sony’s sharpest, fastest to focus, and most aberration free primes
Expect to see it in the wild mid-May 2021, at an MSRP price of $ 1999 USD.
The post The Best Online Photo Storage Platforms in 2021 Compared appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
Of all the options for managing our digital images, which one offers the best online photo storage?
With dozens of services to explore, it can be difficult to find the right storage for your needs. Some prioritize features, while others compete based on price. Some services are basic but easy to use, and others are highly customizable but intimidating to set up.
The trick is to find the service that works right for you!
And that’s what this article is all about:
Exploring the current photo storage options to find one the one that best meets your needs.
Let’s get started.
Online photo storage: a brief overview
Not long ago, cloud-based storage was slow, expensive, and out of reach for most users. People kept their digital photos in folders on their computers, and images weren’t widely shared like they are today.
But now people take more photos than ever, and all those images can quickly fill up a phone, memory card, or hard drive.
Fortunately, online photo storage solves this problem – by giving people a way to store photos remotely and access them at any time from any device.
In 2013, Flickr rocked the photography world by offering one terabyte of free storage, and in 2015, Google fired back by offering unlimited photo storage.
Sadly, these deals didn’t last; in 2018 Flickr slashed the storage limit for free accounts to 1000 photos, and in June of 2021 Google will limit users to 15 GB of storage for their entire account: photos, movies, documents, and everything else.
Flickr’s redesign in 2013 gave every user one free terabyte of storage. It seemed too good to be true. Turns out it was!
While the halcyon days of near-infinite online photo storage might be over, that doesn’t mean there aren’t options.
In fact, you now have more storage solutions than ever, but they have a few caveats and tradeoffs that didn’t exist before. Pricing has finally caught up with demand, and most online photo storage sites now have a limited free tier along with paid options.
One immutable fact we have learned over the last two decades of digital photography is that the old adage rings true: There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Or in this case, free online photo storage. Some sites have free tiers, but all are limited in important ways.
So if you want the best online photo storage, you’re going to have to pay for it.
Not much, mind you – generally only a few dollars each month. Just know you can’t get something for nothing, especially when it comes to storing your photos in the cloud.
Will you use online photo storage for backup or sharing with others? The answer could affect your choices dramatically.
The best online photo storage in 2021: Flickr
Flickr has been in the online photo storage business longer than almost any other site. That doesn’t mean it automatically earns a place at the top of my list, since longevity does not equal quality when it comes to internet ventures.
But in the case of Flickr, it is a huge advantage, since the site carries a rich legacy that photographers have enjoyed for years. Its interface is specifically designed around sharing photos, which is a pleasant change from social media sites that seem to be more interested in advertising than photography.
Flickr’s main interface is the Photostream, or a scrollable list of the most recent pictures you have uploaded.
The Flickr Photostream is a public showcase for your most recent images.
You can create Albums and Galleries, and mark photos as viewable for the public as well as friends or family members. Pro members get detailed statistics on how often their photos are viewed, favorited, and commented on. The mobile app automatically uploads all recent photos and videos. Images can be categorized with keywords, added to groups, and licensed with several types of Creative Commons.
Flickr shows complete EXIF data for photos, which is an invaluable tool that helps photographers learn more about how a given image was taken. Images can be embedded or downloaded (if the photographer allows), and prints can be purchased directly on the site.
Flickr also has over two million groups – online communities organized around specific topics where users engage in discussions about photos and share information and advice.
Flickr Pro users have access to advanced statistics and data for their images.
While the 1000 photo limit for free users seems positively anemic in the age of smartphones (when average users could easily reach that in a month or two), it does strike a good balance between end-user practicality and long-term business sustainability.
Also, the mobile app for Flickr can automatically upload pictures from your phone (though its interface is a bit simplistic compared to some other options).
Free Version: 1000 photo limit, ad-supported, no statistics for photos.
Paid Version: $ 59.99/year, unlimited photo/video uploads, no ads, advanced statistics, desktop app for automatic photo backup.
Pros: Easy to use for casual photographers. Rich set of tools for power users. No ads or storage quotas for Pro members. Photos are uploaded at full resolution with no compression.
Cons: Some interface elements are very outdated. RAW files are not supported, which limits Flickr’s appeal for professional photographers.
2nd place: Google Photos
Born from the ashes of the Google+ social media site in 2015, Google Photos quickly became the most popular photo-sharing site in the world thanks to its free, unlimited photo storage.
For five years, Google Photos reigned supreme as the go-to place for over a billion users to upload their images. Unfortunately, starting in mid-2021, a 15 GB limit will be imposed on new files added to free accounts.
But just because Google will start charging users who exceed 15 GB of storage doesn’t mean it is no longer a great option for people looking for online photo storage.
Google Photos is a great option for mobile users who want easy, intuitive photo storage, organization, and sharing.
Unlike Flickr, Google Photos is built for mobile. The Google Photos app uploads your images automatically, where they are sorted, tagged, and automatically analyzed by Google’s AI-driven software. Some users find this to be a bit invasive, but Google has said that this data remains private and is not used for advertising. The app also contains a surprisingly in-depth photo editor that also uses AI to enhance your images and suggest edits.
Google Photos has powerful built-in sharing features that let you set up shared albums and galleries and allow multiple people to contribute to a single album. This works great for parties or events where everyone is taking photos; the files can be instantly shared among attendees.
Photo albums can be shared publicly, or they can be shared privately with anyone who has a Google account.
AI software also recognizes people and uses geotagging for places, and this can help with sorting through your images. These algorithms also find objects in your photos, so you can search for words like “pumpkin” or “fireworks” and the app will display relevant images, all without you doing any extra work to add tags.
For privacy hawks, this might be a little too intrusive, as there’s no telling exactly what Google is doing with all this information in your photos. And there’s no way to adjust or customize the AI scanning and analyzing of your images. However, you do get to control who sees your images, and all photos are private by default.
Instead of offering a quantity limit, Google Photos restricts the free option to 15 GB. That might seem like a lot, but the 15 GB is for your entire Google account, not just your photos. If you have large files or other data already taking up lots of space in your Google account, there won’t be much left for your photos.
Free Version: No limits on functionality, but storage is limited to 15 GB.
Paid Version: $ 19.99/year for 100 GB. $ 29.99/year for 200 GB. $ 99.99/year for 1 TB. Same features as the free version, but storage is increased.
Pros: Excellent mobile interface. AI algorithms help with tagging and organizing. Sharing albums is easy since most people have Google accounts.
Cons: Some privacy concerns related to how Google uses your data. Storage that you pay for includes all your documents and files, not just photos.
3rd place: Apple iCloud Photos
Apple iCloud Photos is the de facto standard for iPhone and Mac users and with good reason. It’s designed to be extremely easy to use and integrates deeply with the Apple software and hardware ecosystem.
All photos you take with your iPhone are automatically uploaded to your iCloud account, where they can be synced with other devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Macintosh computers. The iOS Photos app has a rich set of editing options, and all edits are automatically synced across devices, as well. Images can be edited with the Photos app on a Mac, and edits are synced instantly.
iCloud Photos is excellent for Apple users, though the free 5 GB of storage is very limiting.
Apple has steadily been improving iCloud Photos over the years with on-device machine learning, which ensures your photo information is not sent to the Cloud or mined for advertising or other purposes.
You can search for people, places, and objects without doing any extra work; on-device software analyzes your photos, organizes them into groups of related images (i.e., vacations, holidays, etc.), and even attempts to pick out favorite moments and memories. None of this information is done in the cloud, which makes iCloud Photos a little more attractive for people who value privacy at the expense of some functionality.
One of my favorite iCloud Photos features is its ability to back up all the images and videos on your mobile device and retrieve them instantly. This is great for people whose phones are constantly low on storage space. Small thumbnails of all your photos are left on the device, while the full-size originals are safely stored in the cloud. Tapping a photo will download the original file on the fly, so you can take thousands of pictures without using up all the space on your phone.
All your mobile phone pictures are automatically uploaded to iCloud Photos. They can be synced with other Apple devices or shared publicly.
Unfortunately, iCloud Photos stumbles with the social and sharing functions. Flickr and Google Photos have easy options for sharing images and albums with others, making some photos public, and letting people leave comments or even their own tags. Some of this is possible with iCloud Photos, but it’s not as easy or seamless as other platforms.
Also, while Google Photos and Flickr work on both iOS and Android devices, iCloud Photos is specifically designed to work with Apple hardware and software. This is a dealbreaker for anyone who prefers to use non-Apple products.
Free Version: No limits on functionality, but storage is limited to 5 GB.
Paid version: $ 12/year for 50 GB, $ 35/year for 200 GB, $ 120/year for 2 TB.
Pros: Incredible suite of editing tools in the Photos app. Integrates seamlessly with Apple devices. Private and secure, with no advertising or data mining.
Cons: Limited to Apple devices. Sharing and social elements like commenting are not as easy as other platforms.
Honorable mentions
Flickr, Google Photos, and iCloud Photos are great options for online cloud photo storage, but you might have other requirements or workflows that are better suited to other platforms.
Thankfully, there are a host of other companies to consider. So if none of the above options meet your needs, here are a few excellent alternatives:
SmugMug
SmugMug has a suite of features and tools that make it great for professionals, but even casual photographers will find a lot to like.
SmugMug is designed for professionals who need a way to showcase their images and create galleries for clients, but it has a good option for casual users, too.
The Basic plan has everything most non-professionals could want, including unlimited uploads, solid organizational tools, options for sharing, and even a front-facing website. The latter is somewhat unique among online photo storage tools and makes SmugMug one of the best options for people who want a web presence along with storage.
SmugMug’s features are about what you’d expect. You can upload images from your phone or computer, and people can follow you to see your public photos.
You do have some options for sharing photos with SmugMug, but not nearly the same as Flickr or Google Photos. There isn’t the same level of community and engagement as on other sites, but if you want a simple method for storing your photos, SmugMug might be worth a look.
SmugMug lets anyone create a website to showcase their best work.
If you’re a working professional who needs control over how your photos are presented, as well as methods for selling your images to clients, SmugMug is definitely worth considering.
Paid version: $ 55/year for unlimited uploads. $ 85/year, $ 200/year, and $ 360/year options for professionals, which include advanced organization options and client tools.
Pros: Unlimited photo uploads. Price includes a website for showcasing your best work, plus a high degree of control over organizing your images.
Cons: No free option with limited functionality (but you can get a 14-day trial).
500px
Like SmugMug, 500px is generally geared towards professionals and more serious artists, but it is worth considering for people who want a solid option for online cloud photo storage. It offers a limited, ad-supported free tier, but the basic paid plan is priced similar to other sites.
What separates 500px from other options on this list is its communal focus. It’s a great option if you want to get exposure and build engagement with a community.
500px is more geared towards building a photography community, and it gives users a chance to build a brand and grow their following.
In some ways, 500px is better compared with Instagram than Flickr or Google Photos. You can quickly gain a following and view statistics on which of your photos lead to the greatest audience engagement.
If you are tired of the endless advertising and data mining on social network sites, then 500px might be worth a look, but its walled-garden nature somewhat limits its appeal. That can be a good thing, as it leads to more considered, curated content – but ultimately, 500px doesn’t have the same level of broad appeal as other sites.
500px has Quests to help members grow their skills and educational resources offered for free or at a discount.
Free version: 7 uploads per week, ad-supported, with limited access to some of the more powerful features like statistics and liked photos.
Paid Version: $ 48/year for unlimited uploads, data on how your photos perform among the 500px community, and tools to organize, share, and promote your images. $ 72/year for professionals who want a powerful platform with tools for creating a website, gaining clients, and finding jobs.
Pros: Unlimited photo uploads and access to a vibrant community of artists sharing quality work. Tools to organize and share images with the community and others.
Cons: Free option is extremely limited.
Adobe Creative Cloud
If you pay for a $ 9.99/month Adobe Creative Cloud plan, you already have pretty awesome online photo storage built into your subscription. Whether you have the cloud-focused Lightroom plan or the desktop-centric Photography Plan, you can create online galleries and share them with specific people, or make them publicly viewable for anyone who has the link.
You can upload photo galleries to the cloud even if you just use Lightroom Classic. This is extremely useful for sharing images publicly, privately, or with clients. (Note: The uploads are not full-resolution originals.)
Best of all, if you use Lightroom Classic, these online galleries don’t even count against your storage quota. When you create a public gallery, Lightroom uploads Smart Previews of your images to the cloud. These aren’t full-size, high-resolution images, but they’re great for just sharing pictures with friends and family.
You can also use the Discover feature in Lightroom Mobile to join a community of photographers in order to showcase your work and engage with an audience.
Adobe has been building a photography community similar to Instagram and 500px through their Discover tool (which is built into Lightroom Mobile).
While Adobe Creative Cloud isn’t as full-featured as Flickr, Google Photos, or others on this list, it’s definitely worth investigating if you already have an Adobe subscription and don’t want to pay more for an online photo storage site.
Paid Version: $ 9.99/month for 1 TB cloud storage or 20 GB cloud storage. Creating online galleries to share does not count against your cloud storage.
Pros: Included as part of the Adobe Lightroom or Photography plans. Unlimited images with no storage quota. A decent level of control over how your images are shown in online galleries.
Cons: Images you upload to online galleries are smaller-size previews of your images. Not as full-featured as other photography sites. No built-in support for sharing videos or allowing your photos to be purchased.
Amazon Prime Photos
If you’re one of the millions of people who pay for Amazon Prime, you already have access to Amazon Photos at no additional charge. This service allows you to upload an unlimited number of images (including RAW files) from desktop or mobile. You can organize your photos with Albums, buy prints, and share images with other people in just a few clicks.
If you pay for Amazon Prime, you also have access to Amazon Photos, which allows for unlimited photo uploads to the cloud.
The Amazon Photos app lets you back up all the images on your phone to save space. However, accessing them afterward involves using the same Amazon Photos app instead of the native Photos app on your device. You can also use the desktop app to automatically upload all the pictures on your computer to your Amazon Photos account.
All these features make Amazon Photos great for online storage, but there are a few glaring issues that hold it back from being a true competitor to the others on this list. For one, there are no social networking features and viewers can’t leave comments on your images. The desktop app is kind of clunky, and all your uploaded images are organized solely by the folder they happen to be in on your computer.
The user interface for Amazon Prime Photos is pretty basic, but it gets the job done. You can create albums, share images, and order prints.
Amazon Photos also does auto-tagging by default, but you can turn this off if you prefer to keep Amazon’s artificial intelligence algorithms out of your images. This feature looks for easily-recognizable objects and also analyzes people using facial recognition algorithms, which is similar to a feature that Google offers. Some people find these extremely useful, but your mileage may vary.
If all you want is a simple way to back up your images, then Amazon Prime Photos is a great choice. If you are looking for robust organizing tools, options for sharing your images, and a full-featured image browsing experience, it’s best to look elsewhere.
Paid Version: Included with a $ 119/year Amazon Prime account. No limit for photo uploads; a 5 GB upload limit for videos.
Pros: Great for backing up your images. No extra charge for Amazon Prime members.
Cons: No social features. Web interface is unrefined and desktop uploading app is clunky with occasional bugs.
Dropbox
In the search for the best online photo storage platforms, Dropbox might not be the first option that comes to mind.
While it’s not exactly designed with photos in mind, if you want a solid option for storing, backing up, and even sharing your images, Dropbox is a great choice.
Now, there’s nothing in the way of social features and the web-based user interface is fairly utilitarian, so keep your expectations in check. But it’s one of the best services around for easily transferring and managing huge amounts of data, including images.
Dropbox is made for online file storage and not specifically geared toward photographers, but it’s definitely an option to consider if you have a vast library of photos that you want to keep safe and secure.
Designed first and foremost as a cloud-based storage platform, Dropbox works great, not just for storing photos, but also for syncing them across multiple devices. If you want to back up your photo library to the cloud and mirror it to another computer, Dropbox just might be the solution you are looking for.
DropBox’s free version is positively anemic with only 2 GB of storage, but the paid version is outstanding – if a little on the pricey side.
Photos can be shared publicly, and other Dropbox users can leave comments next to an image or by clicking directly on a specific portion of an image.
One of my favorite features of Dropbox is the ability to instantly share a file or folder with anyone via a public link. Navigate to a file or folder on your computer that is synced with Dropbox, right-click on it, and get a link you can copy and paste into an email, text message, or social media account. Anyone with the link can view the file or the contents of the folder, and of all the photo services on this list, Dropbox handles this simple task easier than the rest.
The mobile app can automatically upload your images to Dropbox and includes a host of other features for managing all your cloud-based files.
Free Version: 2 GB storage, limited to 3 synced devices.
Pros: Rock-solid cloud storage with outstanding backup and syncing features. Easy to share photos with a public link. Images can be easily downloaded from the public link.
Cons: Designed more for file storage and backup than sharing photos. No social networking features. 2 TB storage is generous, but the price is expensive.
Microsoft OneDrive
We’re a little off the beaten path here, since OneDrive isn’t exactly known as the world’s greatest online photo storage platform.
However, it’s a service many people already pay for in order to use Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. And since 1 TB of storage is included in a personal or family OneDrive plan, it’s something to consider if you want a simple way to back up your photos.
Microsoft includes 1 TB of OneDrive storage with their cheapest paid plan, which also includes access to Office software such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
OneDrive is similar to Dropbox in that it is designed around file storage and syncing, but it has some useful features for photographers, as well.
You can automatically upload your mobile device pictures directly to OneDrive and share individual images or folders with others. OneDrive syncs across devices, too – though over years of using both platforms, I have found Dropbox to be more reliable and less prone to head-scratching glitches.
Photos in OneDrive can be viewed online and shared with others.
OneDrive won’t blow you away with its photo-centric features, AI-based image organization, or a community of shutterbugs to connect with. But if you already pay for the service, then it’s worth checking out for the features it does offer.
Free Version: 5 GB storage only. No access to Office apps like Word/Excel/PowerPoint.
Paid Version: $ 2/month for 100 GB storage. $ 70/year for 1 TB storage as well as access to Office apps.
Pros: If you already pay for OneDrive, you can use your 1 TB storage for managing photos. Great for backing up your images and sharing with others.
Cons: Designed more for file storage and backup than sharing photos. No social networking features.
iDrive
For photographers who want a simple, robust, and fairly inexpensive solution to backup their photos, it’s hard to beat iDrive. iDrive has a long history of offering cloud-based storage and backup, and this reputation makes it easy to recommend them over other storage providers.
While iDrive is more specifically geared toward backing up your entire computer, that doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer photographers. Quite the opposite, in fact.
iDrive is built for file storage and backup. It’s a good choice if you have a huge photo library, but doesn’t have the same level of features as Dropbox in terms of sharing and commenting.
If you have a massive photo library and care more about making sure your work is safely backed up than sharing your pictures with the world, iDrive is a good option to consider. Their software will securely transfer all your data, or just the files and folders you choose, to their cloud servers. You can sync everything with another computer, access your photos via the web interface, and use the mobile app to automatically upload your camera photos.
Don’t expect image editing tools, a community of photographers, or other advanced features found on photography-centric platforms. But you can share images with others and use iDrive to transfer large batches of photos to clients.
Free Version: 5 GB Storage
Paid Version: $ 70/year for 5 TB storage. Back up one or more computers continuously. Clone an entire hard drive, which is useful for backing up a photo library.
Pros: Great reputation for cloud-based storage and backup. Price is very good for the amount of storage, which is important for photographers with large photo archives.
Cons: Not specifically created for photographers, and options for creating galleries and for sharing images are limited.
pCloud
Like Dropbox and OneDrive, pCloud isn’t known first and foremost for online photo storage. It was created for easy-to-use file storage and syncing, and has a free tier with 10 GB of storage for people who want to try it out without committing to a monthly fee.
What sets pCloud apart is its price: It’s the only cloud storage option on this list that has a one-time fee option instead of monthly or yearly charges. While the one-time fee is expensive, it is far cheaper in the long term if you plan on using the service for years.
pCloud is a great choice for photographers on a budget who don’t want to commit to expensive yearly fees but require solid online photo storage.
pCloud’s options for photographers won’t knock anyone’s socks off, but they do have some pleasing features. The mobile app can upload your images directly to pCloud, and the web-based interface lets you resize your photos to make them smaller. This is useful if you want to share photos while keeping an eye on file sizes and bandwidth usage.
Free Version: 10 GB storage. Includes all pCloud features in the commercial version.
Paid Version: $ 175 one-time fee for 500 GB storage. $ 350 one-time fee for 2 TB. Annual plans also available.
Pros: One-time fee. Uploading via the mobile app. Offers an easy way to resize photos.
Cons: Expensive up-front cost. Not designed for social networking or easy image-sharing.
Synology Photo Station
Synology Photo Station differs from the other options on this list because Synology isn’t really a cloud-based photo storage platform.
With Synology, you essentially build your own cloud storage server, called a NAS (network-attached storage). It’s a physical device you keep at home and can access from anywhere with advanced, highly-customizable software. This might make its inclusion on the list a little confusing, but hear me out.
Synology gives you your own personal cloud storage on a device you own. You can then access your photos and other files from anywhere.
Instead of an external hard drive that you plug into your computer, a NAS is a disk or array of disks that you access over a network. NAS devices are standard in many businesses, and are becoming more popular at home as people realize how flexible and powerful they can be.
In late 2020, Synology released a service called Photo Station. It’s designed for people who want to easily share images with others in online galleries, but need to control the physical media themselves. That way, you can buy a Synology NAS and use it to host photo galleries, share images, and manage all your digital images – without relying on a cloud server you can’t always control.
Introduced near the end of 2020, Synology’s Photo Station tool gives photographers a way to share images and create public albums. It’s a nice perk for those who have already invested in Synology hardware and don’t mind a bit of a learning curve.
Synology Photo Station lets viewers engage with your images by leaving comments and clicking on highlighted areas, so it’s great for sharing images with clients or even the general public. Storage space isn’t a problem, since you can just add more drives to your NAS or swap out the existing disk for a bigger one.
There is a learning curve to set it all up, and if something goes wrong you might find yourself spending more of your own time to fix it than you want. But it’s definitely worth a look for photographers who require the highest level of control over their photos.
Price: Around $ 200 for a basic enclosure, but drives need to be purchased separately.
Pros: Highly customizable, infinitely expandable. Easy to share photos with others and no long-term recurring fees.
Cons: Steep learning curve. Not true a cloud-storage service, so your photos aren’t backed up remotely.
How to choose
At the end of the day, you just want the right solution for you and your workflow.
With so many options available, how can you possibly pick the best online cloud storage option for your photos?
To answer that question, it’s helpful to reframe things just a little and realize that there is no one single solution that is ideal for everyone. Different people have different needs, and no single cloud platform is going to meet the needs of every individual.
Keeping that in mind, here are my picks for the best online photo storage options for three types of people:
The casual photographer: Flickr
Flickr occupies the ideal middle ground between storage, price, features, and community. Its yearly cost is right in line with what many other services offer, and it offers unlimited photo uploads so you never have to think about running out of space or upgrading your storage plan.
Flickr has existed since 2004 and has outlasted many competing services while still remaining relevant today. Its mobile app is perfectly usable, if not as feature-rich as some alternatives, and the 1000-photo free tier is enough for you to get plenty of use before paying to upgrade.
The lack of RAW uploads makes Flickr less appealing to professionals, and there’s no front-facing website for showcasing your best work to clients. Additionally, some elements of the Flickr web interface feel like they haven’t been updated since 2004, which can make using them a bit of a challenge.
Flickr has been around since 2004, which is also the last time some parts of its interface appear to have been updated. Nevertheless, it’s the best online storage option for many photographers.
You won’t find artificial intelligence sorting and organizing on Flickr, either. But if you’re a casual or even semi-professional photographer looking for an outstanding online photo storage platform – one that can meet your needs without requiring too much money – Flickr is the best option.
The professional photographer: SmugMug
SmugMug is the best storage option for professionals who require more feature-rich storage. The Basic plan is fine for casual photographers and shares many of the same features as Flickr, though it lacks the social elements and photography communities that have made Flickr so useful over the years.
SmugMug has tools for professionals to create a website and let clients order prints, and its SmugVault tool allows for uploading RAW, TIFF, and other high-quality image formats. Combine that with unlimited storage and the result is an online photo storage platform ideal for working professionals.
The archiver: Dropbox
If you’re a person with hundreds of thousands of photos and you just want to store them safely in the cloud, Dropbox is your best choice.
The price is a little higher than some of the other options, but you do get what you pay for. Dropbox handles tasks like uploading, downloading, syncing, versioning, and restoring deleted files and folders more smoothly than any other platform.
Dropbox has been refining its file syncing technologies since 2007. They only do one thing – online cloud storage and syncing – and they do it very, very well.
Dropbox syncs your files instantly across multiple devices and has a robust and full-featured mobile app for uploading photos and managing files. Plus, the one-click public sharing for pictures and entire folders is so useful that, once you have it, you won’t ever want to go back.
The cheapest paid tier offers a generous 2 TB of storage, and if you want to free up space on your computer, you can tell Dropbox to store originals in the cloud; you can then download them on an as-needed basis.
Dropbox doesn’t have productivity apps like OneDrive, and it’s more expensive than iDrive or pCloud, but it handles the straightforward task of cloud storage better than anything else on the market.
The best online photo storage: conclusion
I hope this guide was useful to you!
And now that you’ve finished, you should know the best online photo storage provider for your needs.
Now I’d like to ask you:
What do you think about online photo storage options? Do you have a site you like that didn’t make it on this list? Are there features of these tools that you use but I didn’t mention in my review? Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments section below!
The post The Best Online Photo Storage Platforms in 2021 Compared appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
Nominees were recently announced for the 64th annual World Press Photo Contest. The list includes contenders for the World Press Photo of the Year, World Press Photo Story of the Year, and World Press Photo Interactive of the Year.
“The nominated images, stories, and productions we introduce today present different perspectives of one of the most important years in recent history, marked by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social rights movements around the world. Amongst the nominees are remarkable stories of hope, resilience, and social change. I would like to thank the independent jury for their dedication and commitment in selecting the stories that mattered in 2020,” said Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of the World Press Photo Foundation.
The World Press Photo Foundation was founded in 1955 to connect the public with trustworthy photojournalism. Some captions for these nominated photos won’t be available until the end of March. Winners will be announced on April 15th through an online ceremony.
Nominee, World Press Photo of the Year: ‘Fighting Locust Invasion in East Africa’ by Luis Tato (Spain) for The Washington Post
Story: In early 2020, Kenya experienced its worst infestation of desert locusts in 70 years. Swarms of locusts from the Arabian Peninsula had migrated into Ethiopia and Somalia in the summer of 2019. Continued successful breeding, together with heavy autumn rains and a rare late-season cyclone in December 2019, triggered another reproductive spasm.
The locusts multiplied and invaded new areas in search of food, arriving in Kenya and spreading through other countries in eastern Africa. Desert locusts, Schistocerca gregaria, are potentially the most destructive of the locust pests, as swarms can fly rapidly across great distances, traveling up to 150 kilometers a day.
A single swarm can contain between 40 and 80 million locusts per square kilometer. Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day: a swarm the size of Paris could eat the same amount of food in one day as half the population of France. Locusts produce two to five generations a year, depending on environmental conditions. In dry spells, they crowd together on remaining patches of land. Prolonged wet weather—producing moist soil for egg-laying, and abundant food— encourages breeding and producing large swarms that travel in search of food, devastating farmland.
Even before this outbreak, nearly 20 million people faced high levels of food insecurity across the East African region, challenged by periodic droughts and floods. COVID-19 restrictions in the region slowed efforts to fight the infestation as supply chains of pesticides were disrupted.
Caption: Henry Lenayasa, chief of the settlement of Archers Post, in Samburu County, Kenya, tries to scare away a massive swarm of locusts ravaging grazing area, on 24 April. Locust swarms devastated large areas of land, just as the coronavirus outbreak had begun to disrupt livelihoods.
Nominee, World Press Photo of the Year: ‘Those Who Stay Will Be Champions’ by Chris Donovan (Canada)
Story: The Flint Jaguars basketball team in Flint, Michigan, USA, embodies efforts to nurture stability, encourage mutual support and strengthen community spirit in a city struggling to survive. Flint, the birthplace of General Motors, is striving against outmigration caused by a precipitous decline in its motor industry, a health crisis brought about by the authorities switching water-supply sources without proper safeguards, and the systemic neglect of high-poverty, predominantly Black neighborhoods. Basketball is an integral part of Flint culture, and the city once produced dozens of big names at collegiate and professional levels.
For decades, four high school teams battled as fierce rivals. Now there is only one high school in town. The Flint Jaguars were established in 2017, merging the teams of the last two schools that remained at the time. In 2020, the team fought to turn around what had up until then been a nearly winless history. By March, they were prepared to head to the division finals with an 18-4 record, having won more games in 2020 than in the previous three years combined. Their play-off run ended prematurely when COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the season. Nevertheless, the student athletes had had a taste of collective success.
Caption: Flint Jaguars team star Taevion Rushing jumps from one locker to another in the team locker room before the last regular season game of his high school basketball career, on 24 February 2020. He aims to go on to play basketball at a junior college.
Nominee, Contemporary Issues Singles: ‘Doctor Peyo and Mister Hassen’ by Jérémy Lempin (France)
Story: The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War began on 27 September, and conflict continued until 9 November. It was the worst fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in the 1990s. The first war ended in an uneasy ceasefire, with victorious ethnic Armenians unilaterally declaring an independent state, and sending hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis into exile.
In the intervening 30 years, little was done to resolve the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was still internationally recognized as belonging to Azerbaijan, and there were periodic military clashes between the two sides, which escalated into war in 2020. In a settlement brokered by Russia in November, Azerbaijan regained possession of territory lost in the 1990s, but the regional capital, Stepanakert, was left under Armenian control. The Armenian army gradually withdrew from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, to be replaced by Russian peacekeeping forces, who will be deployed until 2025.
Animal-assisted therapy, also known as pet therapy, is used in many clinical environments, especially in psychological therapy and palliative care. Animals appear to be able to reduce anxiety and stress, and also to have physical effects, such as lowering blood pressure, improving heart rate, or helping in pain management.
In hospices, the aim is to use the natural bond between humans and animals to provide comfort, peace, and companionship to terminally ill patients. Horses seem particularly suited for palliative care as they are especially in tune with their surroundings. Peyo works with his trainer Hassen Bouchakou at Les Sabots du Coeur, an organization devoted to animal-assisted therapy, and to scientific research into the subject. He supports around 20 patients each month, and scientists are now studying his instinctive ability to detect cancers and tumors.
Caption: Marion (24), who has metastatic cancer, embraces her son Ethan (7) in the presence of Peyo, a horse used in animal-assisted therapy, in the Séléne Palliative Care Unit at the Centre Hospitalier de Calais, in Calais, France, on 30 November.
Nominee, Environment Stories: ‘Pantanal Ablaze’ by Lalo de Almeida (Brazil), Panos Pictures, for Folha de São Paulo
Story: Nearly a third of Brazil’s Pantanal region—the world’s largest tropical wetland and flooded grasslands, sprawling across some 140,000 to 160,000 square kilometers—was consumed by fires over the course of 2020. According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, there were triple the amount of fires in 2020 compared to 2019. Fires in the Pantanal tend to burn just below the surface, fueled by highly combustible peat, which means they burn for longer and are harder to extinguish.
The Pantanal, which is recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve and is one of Brazil’s most important biomes, is suffering its worst drought in nearly 50 years, causing fires to spread out of control. Many of the fires started from slash-and-burn farming, which has become more prevalent due to the weakening of conservation regulation and enforcement under President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) has seen its funding reduced by around 30 percent.
Bolsonaro has frequently spoken out against environmental protection measures, and has made repeated comments undermining Brazilian courts’ attempts to punish offenders. Environmentalists say that this is encouraging agricultural burning and creating a climate of impunity. Luciana Leite, who studies humanity’s relationship with nature at the Federal University of Bahia, predicts the total collapse of the Pantanal, if current climate trends and anti-environmental policies persist.
Caption: Not available at this time.
Nominee, General News Stories: ‘COVID-19 Pandemic in France’ by Laurence Geai (France)
Story: The first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Europe were reported in France on 24 January. Reports of infections in other European countries followed quickly, and on 13 March the World Health Organisation declared Europe to be the epicenter of the pandemic. By the end of March, Paris and its suburbs accounted for more than a quarter of the 29,000 confirmed infections in French hospitals, with 1,300 people in intensive care.
France went into home lockdown between 17 March and 11 May, with restrictions in Paris being extended to 14 June. Schools, cafés, restaurants, non-essential shops and public buildings were closed, and people outside the home had to carry identification and signed declarations for any travel. Care homes were closed to visitors. Hospitalizations reached a peak in April, with 7,148 people in intensive care, when ICU capacity was only 5,000.
Specially converted trains transported patients from overcrowded hospitals to regions that had fewer cases, and the French military airlifted critical cases from eastern France to hospitals in neighboring countries. As the death rate rose, morgues filled to capacity and ad hoc mortuaries were opened in places like the refrigeration hall of Paris’s Rungis wholesale food market. Funeral homes were ordered to bury or cremate bodies immediately, without any ceremony, mortuary preparation, or anyone in attendance.
Caption: Not available at this time.
Nominee, General News Stories: ‘Cross-Border Love’ by Roland Schmid (Switzerland)
Story: Switzerland closed its borders for the first time since the Second World War, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In towns like Riehen and Kreuzlingen, citizens had barely noticed the borders with Germany for decades, and had crossed freely. The closure lasted from 16 March to 15 June. Barrier tapes indicated boundaries that should not be crossed, retracing borders that had been reinforced with barbed wire during the war.
In some places, these barriers became meeting places for people who were no longer allowed to be together. Despite regulations to restrict movement and socializing, many individuals found inventive ways to see their loved ones.
Caption: Not available at this time.
Nominee, Long-Term Projects: ‘Habibi’ by Antonio Faccilongo (Italy), Getty Reportage
Story: Nearly 4,200 Palestinian security detainees are being held in Israeli prisons, according to a February 2021 report by human rights organization B’Tselem. Some face sentences of 20 years or more. To visit a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail, visitors have to overcome a number of different limitations resulting from border laws, prison regulations, and restrictions set by the Israel Security Agency (ISA).
Visitors are usually allowed to see prisoners only through a transparent partition, and talk to them via a telephone receiver. Conjugal visits are denied and physical contact is forbidden, except for children under the age of ten, who are allowed ten minutes at the end of each visit to embrace their fathers.
Since the early 2000s, long-term Palestinian detainees hoping to raise families have been smuggling semen out of prison, hidden in gifts to their children. Semen is secreted in a variety of ways, such as in pen tubes, plastic candy wrappers, and inside bars of chocolate. In February 2021, Middle East Monitor reported that the 96th Palestinian baby had been born using sperm smuggled from Israeli prison.
Habibi, which means ‘my love’ in Arabic, chronicles love stories set against the backdrop of one of the longest and most complicated conflicts in modern history. The photographer aims to show the impact of the conflict on Palestinian families, and the difficulties they face in preserving their reproductive rights and human dignity. The photographer chooses not to focus on war, military action, and weapons, but on people’s refusal to surrender to imprisonment, and on their courage and perseverance to survive in a conflict zone.
Caption: A portrait of Mazen Rimawi, a former Palestinian political prisoner and uncle to Majd Rimawi, whose father is serving a 25-year sentence, on 22 December 2019. Majd was born in 2013, following IVF.
Nominee, Long-Term Projects: ‘Reborn’ by Karolina Jonderko (Poland)
Story: ‘Reborn’ babies first appeared in the 1990s. Each is unique, carefully crafted by artists known as ‘reborners’. The hyper-realistic reborn babies are created with such details as birthmarks, veins, implanted hair, pores, tears, and saliva. More sophisticated reborns are equipped with electronic systems capable of reproducing the heartbeat, breathing, and sucking of a real baby.
Most of the dolls are made of vinyl, though the more realistic ones are made from silicone. Human hair is used for eyelashes, and completed dolls are sometimes perfumed with a ‘new baby’ smell. Reborn babies are available whole and in kit form, and can be purchased online and at fairs. The process of buying a reborn can be done in such a way as to simulate adoption: dolls come with ‘adoption’ or ‘birth’ certificates.
Reborn babies have been used in pediatric training to teach students practical childcare skills, and the use of the dolls in care homes has been shown to help reduce disruptive behaviour in people with dementia. While most reborn owners are doll collectors, others have experienced miscarriage, neonatal deaths, have no means for adoption, or suffer from empty nest syndrome, and may use the doll as a substitute for a child.
The photographer wished to explore the phenomenon of how artificial babies evoke genuine emotional response in adults. Each woman portrayed in this project has a personal motivation for having a reborn baby. Some who cannot have, or who have lost, a baby, give their love to an artificial one, looking after them, changing them, and buying them clothes. For some, the dolls are a means of dealing with loss or anxiety; for others they provide companionship.
Caption: Not available at this time.
Nominee, Portraits Stories: ‘The “Ameriguns”‘ by Gabriele Galimberti (Italy) for National Geographic
Story: According to the Small Arms Survey– an independent global research project based in Geneva, Switzerland–half of all the firearms owned by private citizens in the world, for non-military purposes, are in the USA. The survey states that the number of firearms exceeds the country’s population: 393 million guns to 328 million people.
Gun ownership is guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which dates from 1791 and has long been a controversial issue in American legal, political, and social discourse. Those who argue for the repeal of the Second Amendment or introduction of stricter gun control say that the Second Amendment was intended for militias; that stronger regulation will reduce gun violence; and that a majority of Americans, including gun owners, support new restrictions.
Second Amendment supporters state that it protects an individual’s right to own guns; that guns are needed for self-defense against threats ranging from local criminals to foreign invaders; and that gun ownership deters crime rather than causes more crime. According to the independent Gun Violence Archive (GVA), the US has had more mass shootings than any country on the planet, with 633 mass shootings in 2020 alone.
Caption: Not available at this time.
Nominee, Portraits Stories: ‘The “Ameriguns”‘ by Gabriele Galimberti (Italy) for National Geographic
Story: According to the Small Arms Survey– an independent global research project based in Geneva, Switzerland–half of all the firearms owned by private citizens in the world, for non-military purposes, are in the USA. The survey states that the number of firearms exceeds the country’s population: 393 million guns to 328 million people.
Gun ownership is guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which dates from 1791 and has long been a controversial issue in American legal, political, and social discourse. Those who argue for the repeal of the Second Amendment or introduction of stricter gun control say that the Second Amendment was intended for militias; that stronger regulation will reduce gun violence; and that a majority of Americans, including gun owners, support new restrictions.
Second Amendment supporters state that it protects an individual’s right to own guns; that guns are needed for self-defense against threats ranging from local criminals to foreign invaders; and that gun ownership deters crime rather than causes more crime. According to the independent Gun Violence Archive (GVA), the US has had more mass shootings than any country on the planet, with 633 mass shootings in 2020 alone.
Caption: Not available at this time.
Nominee, Sports Singles: ‘Tour of Poland Cycling Crash’ by Tomasz Markowski (Poland)
Story: Groenewegen had deviated from his line, veering towards the right barrier and leaving little room for his teammate, sending Jakobsen crashing over the barricade. The two had been competing for first place in the stage, and were traveling at around 80 kilometers per hour.
Jakobsen sustained severe injuries, underwent a five-hour operation, and spent a week in intensive care. Groenewegen broke his collarbone. He was disqualified from the race and received a nine-month suspension from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Jakobsen was awarded first place for stage one.
Caption: Dutch cyclist, Dylan Groenewegen (left), crashes meters before the finish line, after colliding with fellow team member Fabio Jakobsen during the first stage of the Tour of Poland, in Katowice, Poland, on 5 August.
Nominee, Nature Stories: Taal Volcano Eruption by Ezra Acayan (Philippines) for Getty Images
Story: Taal volcano, in Batangas province, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, began erupting on 12 January, spewing ash up to 14 kilometers into the air. The volcano generated ashfalls and volcanic thunderstorms, forcing evacuations from the surrounding area. The eruption progressed into a magmatic eruption, characterized by a lava fountain with thunder and lightning.
According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, a total of 212,908 families, nearly 750,000 people, were affected by the eruption. Damage caused to infrastructure and livelihoods, such as farming, fishing and tourism, was put at around US$ 70 million. Taal volcano is in a large caldera filled by Taal Lake, and is one of the most active volcanoes in the country. It is a ‘complex volcano’, which means it doesn’t have one vent or cone but several eruption points that have changed over time.
Taal has had 34 recorded historical eruptions in the past 450 years, most recently in 1977. As with other volcanoes in the Philippines, Taal is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of major seismic activity that has one of the world’s most active fault lines.
Caption: Not available at this time.
Nominee, Sports Stories: ‘Faces of Bridge’ by Henrik Hansson (Sweden)
Story: Bridgeklubb i Borlänge, a bridge club in the municipality of Borlänge in Sweden, has around 100 members. For a while, the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to games, but during the summer, a solution was found by separating players by means of crossed plexiglass screens. A tactical game of skill, contract bridge (or simply bridge) has its origins in the 16th century, in what were known as trick-taking games, but evolved into its present form in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Today’s game is based on rules set out by Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, an American railroad executive, in 1925. A World Bridge Federation coordinates revision of laws, and conducts world championships. Duplicate bridge, in which the same deal of cards is used at each table, is the most widely employed variation of contract bridge in club and tournament play. Bridge, as with chess, is recognized as a ‘mind sport’ by the International Olympic Committee, although neither has yet been found eligible for the main Olympic program. The Swedish Bridge Federation currently has around 27,000 members and operates an annual bridge festival with more than 8,500 tables in play.
Caption: Not available at this time.
Nominee, Spot News Stories: ‘Port Explosion in Beirut’ by Lorenzo Tugnoli, (Italy), Contrasto
Story: At around 6pm on 4 August, a massive explosion, caused by more than 2,750 tons of high density ammonium nitrate, shook Lebanon’s capital Beirut. The explosive compound was being stored in a warehouse in the port. Some 100,000 people lived within a kilometer of the warehouse. The explosion, which measured 3.3 on the Richter scale, damaged or destroyed around 6,000 buildings, killed at least 190 people, injured a further 6,000, and displaced as many as 300,000.
The ammonium nitrate came from a ship that had been impounded in 2012 for failing to pay docking fees and other charges, and apparently abandoned by its owner. Customs officials wrote to the Lebanese courts at least six times between 2014 and 2017, asking how to dispose of the explosive. In the meantime, it was stored in the warehouse in an inappropriate climate. It is not clear what detonated the explosion, but contamination by other substances, either while in transport or in storage, appear the most likely cause.
Many citizens saw the incident as symptomatic of the ongoing problems the country is facing, namely governmental failure, mishandling and corruption. In the days after the blast, tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of central Beirut, some clashing with security forces and taking over government buildings, in protest against a political system they saw as unwilling to fix the country’s problems.
The post Composition in Photography: A Complete (and Modern) Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
If you’re looking to learn about composition in photography, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I’ll cover what composition is, and I’ll explain how to use it to make your images eye-catching and unique.
So whether you’re a beginner photographer learning the basics or a more experienced shooter who wants to improve, read on to find out some of the most effective composition tools, concepts, and guidelines available!
What is composition in photography?
Composition in photography refers to the position of elements inside the frame and how they interact with each other.
Ultimately, composition is about the visual structure of your image.
Why is composition important?
The composition of your photograph impacts the way it’s perceived by others. When you choose what to fit inside the frame and what you leave out, where to position each element and so on, you’re capturing a scene with your unique vision.
That’s why it’s important to carefully compose your photos!
Basic techniques and concepts for composition in photography
We are instinctively attracted to images with a good composition.
Why?
Because we find them harmonious or interesting!
However, we are not as naturally skilled at creating stunning compositions.
That’s why photographers have developed basic compositional guidelines and concepts that can quickly improve photo compositions – without requiring years of experience.
Starting with:
The rule of thirds
You’ve probably heard about the rule of thirds – or at the very least, you’ve seen it. That’s because most cameras, including the one on your smartphone, have a rule of thirds grid overlay.
The rule of thirds grid is formed by four lines – two vertical and two horizontal – placed at an equal distance from each other and the photo edges (so the frame is divided into thirds).
Like this:
But what actually is the rule of thirds?
It’s a guideline stating that you should position compositional elements along your gridlines – and that the focal point of your composition should sit at one of the gridline intersection points.
You can follow this rule in both portrait and landscape orientation, and it works for all types of photography. For example, if you are doing a full-body portrait, you should often place the subject toward one of the gridlines and not in the center.
And when you’re photographing a landscape, you should put the horizon toward the top or bottom third of the image and never in the middle.
Note that the rule of thirds is a guideline, not a true rule. Once you’ve mastered it, I recommend trying to violate it with other concepts – such as symmetry, or with even more complex techniques such as the golden ratio (discussed below).
Leading lines
Leading lines direct the viewer through the image, like this:
When you read a text in English, you automatically start at the top left. Then you continue toward the right until the end of the line.
The same thing happens in photography. When we see an image, we also “read” it. Your eye goes from one element to the next – in order to view details and understand the story that’s being told.
That’s where the leading lines come into play: They guide the eye through the image.
Leading lines can be present or implied, and they can be straight or curved. For example, a leading line can be a curvy road getting lost in the mountains. This will compel viewers to follow the road, pulling them into the image.
Texture
Texture is often overlooked as an element of the composition. You can use it to create contrast between two elements – one that is smooth and one that is rough, for example.
You can also use texture to create interesting shapes and leading lines, or to add interest to an otherwise dull subject.
To work with textures, you need to consider the type and direction of the light. A hard light that comes from the side will emphasize the texture. A soft light coming from the front flattens the surface.
Color
Color is a key consideration for composition in photography. There are so many color harmonies that you have endless possibilities!
You can use complementary colors to create contrast and make your subject stand out. And you can bring together apparently unrelated elements that are united via a color scheme.
A good way to learn and understand color palettes is Adobe Color. You can use this tool even if you don’t have an Adobe subscription.
Simply select a color wheel with different color harmony rules, such as monochromatic, complementary, etc. You can also upload a photograph to extract the color scheme or gradient. And to stay updated, you can browse trends based on Adobe Stock and Behance.
My favorite tool in Adobe Color is Explore, where you can input a concept or a mood and see the colors that represent it (with multiple examples from the visual arts).
Shape
As photographers, we’re used to thinking of ways to add depth to a two-dimensional surface.
Because of that, it’s easy to overlook the importance of shapes. Yet when you’re composing your images, you can use shapes to establish a careful arrangement.
Think of a cake being photographed from the top; that’s a circle. If you cut out a slice, then you’re adding a triangle to the composition.
Every shape gives a different feel to our photographs. For example, squares convey stability, while circles make you think of movement and energy.
That’s why posing a group for a corporate portrait usually means forming squares or rectangles, whereas family portraits are often posed in triangles or dynamic shapes.
A good way to practice shape-based composition is by using shadows or shooting silhouettes. That way, you take out any three-dimensionality and focus only on the shape of objects.
Symmetry
Symmetry is defined as something that is exactly the same on both sides, such as a mountain peak or a tree trunk.
And it can work great in art – as long as you use it carefully.
Note that, in art, a scene is rarely 100 percent symmetrical. Instead, you’ll end up with scenes that are almost symmetrical and are well-balanced on both sides.
Like this lake photo:
The trees and water aren’t perfectly symmetrical, but they’re close, and the overall scene has a feeling of balance.
Take a portrait as another example. If you photograph a face perfectly centered in the frame, your image will be symmetric. It won’t matter if the subject has a birthmark on one of their cheeks, or that one of their eyes is slightly lower than the other – the symmetry will dominate.
One of the reasons we find symmetry so appealing is because we often find it in nature. And psychologically speaking, symmetry offers a sense of order that makes us feel at ease.
(A great way to play with symmetry in your photography is by shooting reflections or patterns!)
Contrast
Another important concept that can enhance your composition is contrast.
Since we are talking about photography, the first thing that comes to mind is contrasting light, such as low key photography. Here, you capture a very dark image where only a small detail is highlighted (which makes for a highly dramatic result).
However, tonal contrast is not the only type of contrast you can use to improve your compositions. You can also use color contrast (as discussed earlier), juxtaposition, and conceptual contrast (which pairs opposite ideas or aesthetics).
Advanced composition in photography
Once you’ve mastered the basics of composition, it’s time to challenge yourself and move on to more advanced techniques.
Here are some of the most popular tools to consider:
The rule of space
The rule of space tells you to leave space in front of the subject, especially if it’s a moving subject. The idea is that the viewer needs enough room to imagine the subject carrying on the action that it’s performing.
For example, if a duck is paddling away, you would put significant space in front, like this:
And according to the rule of space, if you photograph a person who’s running to the right, you should place them on the left side of the frame (and vice versa).
But remember that there’s an exception to every rule, especially when it comes to composition. So if you want to add tension or intrigue the viewer, try violating the rule of space!
The complicated thing about composition is that you must choose to apply or break the rules depending on the message you want your image to convey.
The rule of odds
The rule of odds is based on the principle that people find it more interesting to see odd numbers. While even numbers show stability and work well for symmetric compositions, odd numbers allow the eye to flow through the image.
So according to the rule of odds, you should include odd numbers of items in your compositions.
I recommend you use this rule when it fits the situation, much like you would with shapes. If you want a dynamic composition, you use triangles, diagonal lines, and odd numbers. And if you prefer stability, you can choose straight lines, squares, and even numbers.
In any case, the important thing is to use the rules to your advantage and take control of your compositions.
When you’re shooting food or products, it’s often easier to follow the rule of odds.
But following the rule of odds isn’t as easy when you’re photographing a family of four; you can’t just decide to exclude one of them!
(Though when you’re facing this situation, you can arrange the group so the viewer sees one plus three instead of four.)
Triangular composition
In the first part of the article, I talked about using shapes to compose your images.
But did you know that the most popular shape in composition is the triangle?
You can create triangles with poses in portraits, mountains in a landscape, or a church tower on your travels.
However, if you want to up your game a bit more, you can use golden triangles. This composition technique divides the frame first with a line that connects one corner with the opposite one, then adds two smaller lines coming out from each of the remaining corners.
Like this:
Ideally, you would place the most important elements of the composition where the lines intersect. To achieve this, you may have to tilt your camera; this is called a Dutch angle (aka the Dutch tilt, German tilt, or Batman angle).
That’s why it’s not always possible to use the golden triangle guideline (or, at least, it’s not always the best choice!).
The golden ratio
The golden ratio is a mathematical term that was later applied to art and eventually photography. It equates to 1.618, and there are two ways it can be applied to photographic composition:
As a grid or as a spiral.
The golden grid (aka the Phi Grid)
The Phi Grid divides the frame into nine blocks, just like the rules of thirds.
However, this grid doesn’t follow a 1:1:1 ratio – which means the blocks are not the same size. Instead, the grid is 1:0.618:1, so you get smaller blocks toward the center, like this:
This composition tends to be more natural, as the golden ratio is also found in nature. It also has a better reputation than the rule of thirds, which many consider to be amateurish – a first step that should be quickly outgrown for more complex techniques.
The golden spiral (aka the Fibonacci spiral)
For this composition tool, you should follow a spiral whose growth factor is the golden ratio.
It looks like this (though note that it can begin at any corner of the frame):
This spiral is found in natural structures such as sunflowers, pine cones, seashells, etc. You can also find it in many artworks and buildings because many artists have used it throughout the centuries.
To train your eye, you can print or draw a golden spiral, then use it to study the photographs from Irving Penn or Henri Cartier-Bresson, who both used the golden spiral to achieve astonishing results.
Composition in photography: conclusion
Now that you know most of the popular composition tools, you can use them to dramatically improve your images!
I know it’s a lot of information, but composition in photography will become more intuitive as you get more practice.
My suggestion is to keep it simple at first and practice the tools one by one.
Once you get comfortable with each composition guideline, you can combine them to achieve a more complex result.
And remember:
These are just guidelines you can use as you see fit to find your own artistic vision.
Now over to you:
Which of these composition techniques is your favorite? Which do you plan to use in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Composition in photography FAQs
How do I emphasize my subject?
To emphasize an element in your photograph, you need to draw the viewer’s attention to it. You can use composition techniques, such as leading lines, to achieve this.
Is the rule of thirds the most important composition rule in photography?
No, the rules of composition don’t have a hierarchy. Instead, rules work better in different situations, and the best technique for one photograph can be wrong for the next one.
Can I improve my composition by photographing with a smartphone?
Yes, these rules apply to all types of photography, including mobile and video. If you want some help getting started, most camera phones have a grid overlay that follows the rule of thirds. You can enable/disable it in the settings section. Alternatively, you can install a camera app that supports different types of grids (such as A Better Camera).
How can I improve my composition in Lightroom?
You can use Lightroom’s overlays to improve the compositions of your photos. To use these, select the Crop tool from the Develop panel. Make sure that the Overlay is enabled. Then press the “O” key to toggle between all the available overlays.
Can I break the rules of composition?
Absolutely! Even though some of them are called rules, they are only guidelines, tools, and techniques to help you achieve better results. There’s always flexibility to experiment. It’s important to know the rules before you break them, though!
The post Composition in Photography: A Complete (and Modern) Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
Late last year, Nikon announced the Z7 II, the second iteration of its (for now) range topping high-resolution full-frame mirrorless camera. As the name implies, this is a refinement rather than a reimagining; and while the updates may not knock your socks off, we really enjoyed the original Z7 and this new model builds on an already successful formula.
Jump to:
What’s new | Body and handling | Image quality | Autofocus | Video | Conclusion | Samples | Specifications
The Z7 II still has a 45.7MP full-frame BSI sensor, but it’s now backed up by dual processors compared to the single processor in its predecessor. The exterior of the camera is largely unchanged, which is fine by us: Nikon’s Z-series cameras offer some of our favorite ergonomics on the mirrorless camera market. Blessedly, though (especially for those of us that moderate online comment sections), Nikon has included dual card slots in the Z7 II for users that need immediate backup or want to easily separate their still images and video clips. See? Something good came out of 2020 after all.
Out-of-camera JPEG. ISO 200 | 1/160 sec | F2.8 | Adapted Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F2.8E Photo by Barney Britton
Key specifications:
45.7MP BSI-CMOS sensor with native ISO 64
4K/60p video with 93% coverage of the sensor (a ~1.08x crop)
5-axis in-body stabilization (3-axis with adapted F-mount lenses)
New EN-EL15c battery, CIPA rated to 420 shots (LCD), 360 shots (EVF)
Compatible with new MB-N11 battery grip with vertical controls
The Z7 II, being the high-resolution model in Nikon’s mirrorless lineup, is all about outright image quality. It remains one of the only cameras on the market that provides a low native ISO of 64: this helps maximize dynamic range for high-contrast scenes like sunset or sunrise landscapes.
The Z7 II is priced at $ 2999 body-only or $ 3599 kitted with a 24-70mm F4 lens. The new MB-N11 battery grip with duplicate vertical controls will cost you $ 399.
What’s new and how it compares
Ask, and ye shall (sometimes) receive: The Z7 II now has one SD card slot and one CFExpress / XQD card slot. All control points shown are identical to those on the original Z7.
The big story in the Z7 II (if you don’t count the new card slot) is its dual Expeed 6 processors – so what exactly do those give you?
To start with, the Z7 II is a more credible action camera than its predecessor. Its burst speed tops out at 10 fps with continuous autofocus instead of 9 fps (albeit with a single AF area, and not subject tracking), and the buffer is up to three times deeper, giving you a total of 77 12-bit Raw images before slowing down. Helping you follow the action is a claimed reduction in blackout in the viewfinder, which is welcome, though we would have liked to see a boost in EVF resolution as well. Maybe next time.
Autofocus modes
New AF modes have also been added and are accessible in the main and ‘i‘ menus. They include the addition of face / eye detection in the ‘Wide area AF’ mode instead of just ‘Auto Area AF’; this means you can place an AF box over a person’s face to tell the camera to focus on that particular person’s eyes, which is especially handy if there are multiple people in a scene. An equivalent mode is available that prioritizes animals.
The new processors also allow the camera to focus in light as low as -3EV with a lens at F2 (and you can still push this even lower for static subjects by enabling the ‘Low Light AF’ feature).
Video and other updates
For video, the Z7 II is rather more competent than its predecessor, and now includes 4K/60p capture with a slight (1.08x) crop. It will also output 10-bit N-Log or HDR (HLG) footage to a compatible external recorder, and you can output Raw video in 1080p if you’re using the full sensor and 4K if you’re using a cropped APS-C sized region. We’d expect good video quality, but hardcore video shooters should set their sights on the Z6 II and its oversampled 4K video which should offer much better fine detail.
And of course, there’s those dual card slots. One supports CFExpress (Type B) and XQD cards, and the other is a UHS-II compatible SD slot. The Z7 II also includes a new EN-EL15c battery, which boosts battery life to a CIPA-rated 420 shots using the rear LCD with energy saving modes disabled. In response to customer feedback, the Z7 II is compatible with a new MB-N11 vertical grip, which allows for the use of two batteries and has portrait-orientation controls built-in. Finally, from a power management point of view, you can now power the camera over its USB-C port, as well as charge it.
Lastly, we’re pleased to see that Nikon has added support for firmware updates over Wi-Fi through its SnapBridge app. This will make it easier for everyday users to get the most out of their cameras, as Nikon has been diligent about updating its camera in the past with new functions and features.
Compared to…
Let’s take a look at how the Nikon Z7 II stacks up against some other stabilized, full-frame cameras on the market. Of particular note is just how competitive the Z7 II’s MSRP is right at launch.
Nikon Z7 II
Canon EOS R5
Sony a7R IV
Panasonic Lumix S1R
MSRP (body)
$ 2999
$ 3899
$ 3500
$ 3699
Sensor res.
45.6MP
45MP
61MP
47MP
Image stab.
5 stops
8 stops
5.5 stops
6 stops
LCD type
Tilting
Fully articulating
Tilting
Two-way tilting
LCD size/res
3.2″ / 2.1M-dot
3.2″ / 2.1M-dot
3″ 1.44M-dot
3.2″ 2.1M-dot
EVF res / mag (equiv.)
3.69M-dot 0.8x
5.76M-dot 0.76x
5.76M-dot 0.78x
5.76M-dot 0.78x
Burst w/AF
10 fps (single AF area only)
12 fps / 20 fps mech/ e-shutter
10 fps
6 fps
Video res.
4K/60p (1.08x crop)
8K/30p
4K/30p
4K/60p (1.09x crop)
Mic / headphone socket
Yes / Yes
Yes / Yes
Yes / Yes
Yes / Yes
Battery life (rear LCD)
420/360 shots
320/220 shots
670/530 shots
380/360 shots
Weight
675g (23.8oz)
738g (26oz)
665g (23.5oz)
898g (31.7oz)
Return to index
Body and handling
Put the Z7 II next to the original Z7 and you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between them. Indeed, the only differences of any consequence are the slightly taller memory card door to accommodate the dual slots and the small ‘II’ on the front plate.
But we’re not going to complain too much, because we really didn’t find much fault with how the original Z7 handled. And you can expect the same experience from the Z7 II: a deep, very comfortable grip, well-placed buttons and control dials, an easily readable top display and a satisfyingly ‘clicky’ mode dial.
Okay, but we’re going to nitpick a bit just because we can. Being the high-res, stills-focused camera in the range, the Z7 II wouldn’t necessarily benefit from a fully articulating mechanism that video shooters prefer, but a ‘two-way tilting’ design such as that found on the Fujifilm X-T3 and Panasonic S1R would have been welcome. And though the front two function buttons are well-placed, some of us on staff find them a bit ‘mushy’.
Other than that, though, the Z7 II feels incredibly solid in the hand and is a supremely comfortable camera to hold and use for extended periods of time. The touchscreen interface is responsive, and it’s easy to switch between stills and video quickly. The arrival of a new battery grip with duplicate controls (!) will make for a more comfortable experience for use with larger lenses, like the Z 70-200mm F2.8 and adapted F-mount telephotos.
Return to index
Image quality
Out-of-camera JPEG. ISO 450 | 1/50 sec | F9 | Nikon Z 24-70mm F2.8 S Photo by Barney Britton
The Nikon Z7 II’s 45MP sensor is unchanged from its predecessor, and that’s just fine by us: image quality is absolutely outstanding in a broad range of scenarios, and Raw files are eminently flexible. In files from the original Z7, we did see some minor banding in the deepest shadows, but Nikon appears to have cleared that up with the new model.
Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors and detail types you’ll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes to emulate the effects of different lighting conditions.
In terms of Raw detail capture, the Z7 II puts up a really strong showing against its competition. The Canon EOS R5 looks just a bit softer than the others here, but that’s likely due to a weak anti-aliasing filter, but this is of little practical impact other than saving you some time with the moiré tool in post. We find that 45MP is plenty of resolution$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5317-2087802529”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5317); }); }) for almost any purpose; though, of course, the Sony and Panasonic offer you more resolution in their pixel shift modes$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5318-93135894”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5318); }); }) assuming your photographic subjects are static enough to take advantage of them.
At the highest ISO values$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5319–1749990159”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5319); }); }), the Nikon Z7 II pulls ahead of Panasonic handily with respect to noise levels, outstrips the Canon EOS R5 by a hair and looks to be pretty much neck-and-neck with the Sony a7R IV. But really, all cameras look solid at the more realistic ISO values$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5320–1228588540”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5320); }); }) that you might consider shooting at.
Onto the JPEGs, we find the overall color palette$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5321-455437219”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5321); }); }) from these cameras to be excellent but the Nikon’s yellows look to be just a bit richer and golden, and the greens a tad warmer (we think those are good things). The slightly more magenta pink patch could impact caucasian skin tones, though. JPEG detail$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5322-1670928541”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5322); }); }) is likewise good, though the Sony (with its resolution advantage, admittedly) looks a bit better$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5323–1434692408”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5323); }); }) as the Nikon is using clumsier, larger-radius sharpening that doesn’t reveal fine detail as well. As ISO values climb$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5324-995412158”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5324); }); }), the Nikon and Canon leave behind less luminance noise than the Sony and Panasonic but also retain less low-contrast detail$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5325-1460628746”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5325); }); }).
Dynamic range
As we mentioned, the Z7 II’s sensor is essentially the same as its predecessor; it uses a dual-gain design to minimize read noise above ISO 320, so that high ISO settings have lower visual noise. As a result, the ISO 100 and 200 settings (below the higher gain step which would lower dynamic range) are a little noisier in the shadows compared to higher ISO settings – above ISO 320 – using the same aperture and shutter speed. The difference is impressively small, though, and so the sensor is adding really low amounts of noise to the final image, even in the lower gain state used at low ISOs. This also means that you can save four stops of highlight detail by shooting at ISO 400 instead of ISO 6400, with the same exposure settings, and brighten selectively – while protecting highlights – in post. You’ll pay little to no extra image noise cost in doing so.
Our standard Exposure latitude test really emphasizes how little noise the camera itself is adding to your images. Even if you reduce exposure significantly, which again helps you capture additional highlight information, the Z7 II puts up a really impressive performance. We also don’t see any of the banding that could sometimes occur in the very deepest shadows with the original Z7 when exposures were pushed.
A key thing to note is that ISO 64 mode allows camera to capture more light before clipping than its rivals can. This, combined with the very low noise performance seen above, means the Z7 II can capture images with cleaner tones, all the way down into the deepest shadows. And, now the banding in the darkest tones has been resolved, this results in higher image quality and greater flexibility than its peers in situations where it’s practical to use ISO 64.
ISO Invariance | Exposure latitude
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Autofocus
The Z7 II’s autofocus system is a match for that of the Z6 II, which in turn is a continuation of the improvements introduced during the lifespan of the preceding models.
The major change is that the human and animal detection features are now built into variants of the ‘wide-area’ and ‘auto-area’ AF area modes. This means they don’t have to be selected from a separate i-menu option, and they can be easily accessed if you have one of the camera’s buttons set to ‘Focus mode/AF area mode.’
The provision of a Wide-Area AF (L-people) mode provides a way to predetermine where in the frame you want the camera to look for its subject, which provides a way to pre-select which person the camera is going to focus on. On the previous Z models you had to use ‘auto-area’ mode, meaning you had to wait to see who the camera focused on, before being able to select a different subject if required.
Unfortunately, unlike the latest Canon and Sony AF systems, human and animal detection system separate modes from the camera’s subject tracking function. This means that you have to make the decision whether to use a simple AF area, subject tracking or face/eye detection, and then select the appropriate mode.
AF performance
Face/Eye detection autofocus performance tested using firmware v1.10
Generally we’ve found that the Z7 II’s autofocus system is very good, but not up there with the very best of its peers. Face and eye detection work well, successfully finding subjects even when they’re quite distant, though the Z7 II’s higher resolution makes it a little clearer that the camera is focusing a fraction in front of the iris than was apparent with the Z6 II.
Subject tracking is, again, good, but not quite on the same level as the best in its class. It is better at tracking a distinct, moving subject than it is at sticking to the part of a larger subject that you’ve pointed the camera at. This means subject tracking doesn’t always work as a means of precisely placing your AF point, as an alternative to moving it with the joystick. We also encountered occasional instances where the camera would attempt to refocus, even when ‘tracking’ a static subject.
We conducted our standard AF tests, first checking the camera’s ability to refocus on an approaching subject (the camera turned in a 100% hit rate in this scenario), then asking the camera to identify a weaving subject and choose an appropriate AF point, seen below. These tests were shot using the Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S.
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The Z7 II appears to have had little difficulty in identifying and following the subject around the scene but, as with many cameras, it will occasionally slightly misjudge the focus distance as the rate of the rider’s approach changes. The Z7 II doesn’t offer any settings to adjust the responsiveness of the autofocus (only how it responds in the event of an obstacle appearing between the camera and the subject).
Overall the autofocus on the Z7 II is very good. In a couple of respects it falls behind the very best of its peers but if compared with most older cameras, particularly DSLRs, it’s able to focus very effectively with minimal need for user input. It’s not necessarily going to offer flawless performance for sports shooting but for landscape, studio or portrait work, it’s more than good enough. The implementation, which requires you to change in and out of different area modes for different types of subject, isn’t as slick as Canon and Sony have become but it’s rarely too onerous.
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Video
The Z7 II is a less video-focused camera than the Z6 II but still offers some pretty competitive specs. The Z7 II also does a good job of letting you specify different parameters to stills and video modes, including exposure values, white balance, color mode and even ‘i’ menu configuration. This means it can be set up to allow quick jumps back and forth between modes without carrying inappropriate settings from stills to video or vice versa.
With its higher pixel count, the Z7 II isn’t able to read out its whole sensor quickly enough to create its video output, and instead appears to skip some lines and only use the remainder. The effect is video that’s a little less detailed$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5394-1526146656”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5394); }); }), with higher risk of moiré and more noise in low light, since the whole sensor isn’t being used.
The camera’s 4K 60p footage$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5395-1815008918”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5395); }); }) appears to be skipping even more lines, which will exaggerate each of these shortcomings. However, it does at least mean that you can capture 60p footage without having to crop too far in, so you can still shoot wide-angle video. If you are willing to crop in, the Z7 II’s APS-C (Super35/DX format) video$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5396-1168884176”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5396); }); }) is a touch more detailed. This uses all the pixels in a 5.5K sensor region but still comes up short when viewed side-by-side with the Sony a7R IV$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5398-1533746214”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5398); }); }) in a comparable mode. The further downside is that the noise performance will be that of an APS-C camera, and it’s harder to find wide-angle lenses for the cropped region.
This is a pretty decent result for a high-resolution camera but, if you’re shooting short clips (and don’t need to use the camera between those clips), the Canon EOS R5 is capable of producing incredibly detailed 4K footage$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-5399–224543785”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(5399); }); }) from its 8K capture.
There’s also a paid upgrade option to allow Raw video to be output from the camera. This can now be encoded either as ProRes RAW or Blackmagic Raw, depending on which brand of external recorder you attach. The latest firmware ensures the resulting files are suitable for Raw-level editing of white balance and ‘ISO’ when you get them to edit.
Sadly, we’ve not had access to a camera with the Raw upgrade applied, so have been unable to test this feature.
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Conclusion
What we like…
What we don’t…
Excellent image quality and dynamic range
ISO 64 can give IQ advantage over peers
Good video quality and features for such a high resolution camera
Excellent ergonomics with well-placed controls
Effective in-body image stabilization
Decent battery life and some backward compatibility
USB charging and separate charger included
Dual card slots provide flexibility
Auto shutter mode avoids the need to manually switch in different situations
SD, XQD and CFexpress compatibility
Viewfinder is detailed
AF features not as well integrated as in its rivals
AF tracking not as dependable as best systems
Eye AF still appears to fractionally front-focus
Battery life lags behind its peers
Tilting screen not as flexible as two-way tilt or fully articulated
Non-matched card slots demands purchase of multiple formats
Viewfinder isn’t as high resolution as the best of its peers
Requires external recorder for best video quality (10-bit Log or Raw)
The Nikon Z7 II may appear to be a relatively subtle refresh of the original Z7 but the improvements that have been made, such as the second card slot, the option to add vertical control grip, and boosted AF performance will all increase its appeal to the kind of photographers it’s aimed at.
We were impressed by how polished Nikon’s first generation of full-frame mirrorless cameras were, so it’s no surprise that the Z7 II works well. It’s responsive in its operation and, though we’d love to see the reintroduction of Nikon’s combined AF switch/AF mode button, offers an experience that Nikon DSLR users will immediate feel at home with. There’s a good degree of customization without it being necessary to completely reprogram its operation.
The main shortcomings (and they’re only really shortcomings in comparison to some very capable opposition) relate to autofocus. The tendency for Eye AF to slightly front-focus and the subject tracking’s habit of focusing somewhere on the subject you selected, rather than tracking that precise point are the only real grumbles in terms of performance.
Nikkor 24-70mm F2.8 | ISO 64 | 1/640 sec | F6.3 Processed in Adobe Camera Raw. Straightened, whites raised, highlights reduced. One dust-spot cloned-out with heal tool. Photo: Richard Butler
More of an issue is the way AF area modes, face detection and subject tracking interact. Both Canon and Sony have tracking modes that will use face/eye/person focus as needed, whereas on the Z7 II, you’ll need to cycle between modes and engage and disengage functions to get the most out of the camera. Most photographers will find a way to make it work for the subjects they shoot, but it’s not as slick as it could be and it can eat into precious custom button availability.
The rest of the cameras’ ergonomics remain amongst our favorite of the current full-frame mirrorless options.
Out-of-camera JPEG Nikkor 24-70mm F2.8 | ISO 90 | 1/160 sec | F2.8 Photo: Richard Butler
The best news is that it maintains the image quality the original camera. We’ve seen advances in other aspects of camera performance since the original Z7 was launched but, particularly in circumstances where you can use its ISO 64 mode, there haven’t been many that beat it in terms of IQ.
The Nikon Z7 II is not a cutting edge camera and it doesn’t have many exciting new features to dazzle with, but it’s hugely competent, very usable and noticeably less expensive than its peers. It’s hard to imagine anyone being disappointed with the Z7 II, which earns a solid Silver award. It only misses out on a Gold because it doesn’t really out-do its rivals in any specific respect.
How it compares to its peers
The Sony a7R IV is a very credible competitor to the Z7 II, offering a boost in resolution for an increased price tag. The a7R IV’s autofocus is quicker and easier to use, and offers greater precision, in our experience. It also offers significantly better battery life and a more detailed viewfinder. However, the Nikon offers a better video shooting experience and arguably better ergonomics. Lens choice is probably the most critical factor in deciding between the two.
The Canon EOS R5 is a significantly more expensive camera than the Nikon, and delivers a performance boost in return. Again, the Canon’s AF interface is rather simpler than that of the Z7 II and its performance a little better. The Canon can also shoot faster, has a higher resolution viewfinder and can capture truly excellent-looking 8K and 4K footage. However its battery life is noticeably worse, and it’s not able to shoot its best video for extended periods, especially in the midst of heavy photographic usage, making it less dependable than you’d hope. At ISO 64 the Nikon has the edge in terms of image quality.
Finally, the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R promises much of what the Nikon does, for a little more money. It’s either much more substantial or simply more bulky, depending on your perspective. It offers a multi-shot high-res mode made more practical by its motion correction option. The S1R offers a nicer viewfinder and more flexible screen than the Nikon but its autofocus interface and the in-viewfinder flutter while using it leaves the Panasonic a little behind. It shares the mis-matched card slots of the Nikon, but in the end, the noticeably lower battery life leaves us preferring the Nikon in most situations.
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Nikon Z7 II sample galleries
Please do not reproduce any of these images without prior permission (see our copyright page).
Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about the changes to our scoring system and what these numbers mean.
Nikon Z7 II
Category: Semi-professional Full Frame Camera
Build quality
Ergonomics & handling
Features
Metering & focus accuracy
Image quality (raw)
Image quality (jpeg)
Low light / high ISO performance
Viewfinder / screen rating
Optics
Performance
Movie / video mode
Connectivity
Value
PoorExcellent
Conclusion
The Z7 II is a very capable all-rounder, boosted by the addition of twin card slots and the option to add a battery grip. It offers superb image quality, solid autofocus and good video specs. But it's only really its slightly lower price that makes it stand out from a very competitive group. Thoroughly likable.
Good for
Landscape photography and portraiture
Not so good for
Demanding action shooting, regular changes of subject type
89%
Overall score
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The post How to Make Beautiful Portraits Using Flash and High-Speed Sync appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sean McCormack.
The scene: Outdoors with full sunlight.
The gear: Your camera, lens, and flash.
The problem: You find that your flash only works at 1/200s or below, so you need to be at f/16 or f/22 to get a well-exposed shot. And at f/16-f/22, everything is in focus, including all the cars and other distractions in the background. (Those dust spots you keep meaning to clean are also perfectly visible.)
Why can’t you shoot with a higher shutter speed so you can have a wider aperture?
Well, it’s all down to the issue of sync speed.
More specifically, it’s about using flash and high-speed sync.
Generally speaking, to overpower the sun and stay below your camera’s sync speed, you’re forced to use a narrow aperture. Here I’m at f/20 just to stop the backlight overpowering the hair and the sky from blowing out:
The resulting aperture means that everything is pretty much in focus, leaving the background looking cluttered.
(This shot is for example only; you should generally make a point of choosing clutter-free backgrounds.)
What is sync speed?
Sync speed is the fastest shutter speed for which the camera can expose the whole frame at once.
It’s a bit technical, but when you fire any shot below the sync speed, the first shutter curtain opens fully, revealing the entire sensor to light. At the end of the exposure time, the second shutter curtain moves across the frame to finish the capture.
(Generally, the sync speed varies between 1/125s and 1/250s; it depends on your camera.)
When you go above the sync speed, the second curtain starts to move before the first one has completed its journey. As your shutter speed gets shorter and shorter, the gap between the curtains narrows to a tiny slit. Despite this, all parts of the sensor receive light and a full exposure is made. On a bright day with a prime lens, you can easily shoot at 1/8000s at f/1.4 and have a perfect exposure. All parts of the frame still receive light, because ambient (non-flash) lighting is continuous throughout the exposure.
So why does the sync speed actually matter?
The sync speed problem
It’s when you introduce flash that you start to have problems.
You see, when a flash is fired (which usually happens when the first curtain is opened), all the light from it comes out in a very short space of time (in the order of milliseconds).
When you go above the sync speed, the position of the curtains doesn’t reveal the entire frame at the time the flash fires. So the shutter curtain blocks part of the flash and prevents it from reaching the sensor.
Any ambient light will expose normally, but the flash gets hidden in part of the frame. As your shutter speed gets faster and faster, more and more of the flash is blocked until it’s no longer visible in the shot (i.e., your exposure is what you’d get if you never fired the flash at all).
Below is a set of images taken at 1/3-stop increments with a flash. The first photo is at 1/250s, the native sync speed of my Fujifilm X-T2 camera. The other shutter speeds are, in order from left to right (and top to bottom): 1/320s, 1/400s, 1/500s, 1/630s, 1/800s, 1/1000s, and 1/1250s. Note that 1/320s is potentially usable if the subject is away from the edge of the frame.
Everything in focus
Normally, when you use flash outside in daylight, you end up having everything in focus.
Remember the Sunny 16 Rule? If your subject is in direct sunlight during the day, you can set your aperture to f/16 and your shutter speed will be one over your ISO value.
So if your ISO is set to 100, your shutter speed would be 1/100s (at f/16). If your ISO is 200, then the shutter speed would be 1/200s.
Now, to get a darker, richer sky while using flash, you’d really need to be at f/22. Because you can’t get faster than 1/250s (remember, it’s the sync speed!), you have to increase the aperture to expose the shot correctly.
I shot at f/20 and 1/160s to get a richer sky for this band promo shot. It’s quite an old photo, so there were limited options for widening the aperture at the time. Even the hills in the background are in clear focus. The beach isn’t exactly pretty, either.
A behind-the-scenes shot showing my two flashes set to full power.
As you can see from the photos above, this is a huge problem. Shooting at an f/22 aperture just doesn’t give you the creamy bokeh that portrait photographers love, and it can leave you with unpleasant, distracting backgrounds.
So what do you do?
The solution: high-speed sync
There is a solution: high-speed sync, also known as focal-plane sync.
No, it’s not perfect, but it does work. You see, instead of firing the flash at the start of the shot, high-speed sync pulses the flash throughout the whole exposure, trying to simulate the effects of a continuous light.
My flash set to high-speed sync. Usually, there’s a single-button hold or a double-button combination to turn HSS on.
It looks good, but it comes at the expense of power and heat, because HSS works the flash really hard. After a few shots, the flash may even shut down for cooling.
Now, for high-speed sync to work, you need the camera to transmit a signal to the flash and for the flash to have high-speed sync built in. Cactus Image makes a trigger called the V6 II, which allows you to use any HSS flash with any camera.
The Cactus Image V6 II offers power and zoom control over a wide range of speedlights, and it also offers high-speed sync capabilities.
The look of high-speed sync
You can use high-speed sync to go over the sync-speed barrier, so settings like 1/4000s at f/1.4 are achievable with flash. You get complete control over the light, but while using the wide apertures you usually associate with natural-light photographs. Yes, please!
By shooting wide-angle photos with a shallow depth of field, you can even create images that look like stills from a movie.
Settings for high-speed sync
Let’s look at a typical setup and settings for a photo using high-speed sync. This particular shoot was done in the evening when the light was relatively low, but I really wanted a shallow depth of field – and therefore required high-speed sync.
I set my camera to f/1.4 for a super-shallow depth of field. To get the clouds properly exposed, I had to boost the shutter speed to 1/4000s. To get the flash to work, I had to set it to high-speed sync. Using a Cactus V6 II trigger, I could easily get my Fujifilm X-T10 to shoot with high-speed sync.
An evening HSS photo shot at 1/4000s, ISO 200, and f/1.4. Notice the shallow depth of field.
The behind-the-scenes shot, showing an octabox in front of a model (photo by my assistant, Ola).
Using high-speed sync, I captured this shot at about 3:00 in the afternoon with the sun high in the sky. I worked with an 85mm lens at 1/2000s, f/2.5, and ISO 100 on a Canon 5D III. The sun acted as a second light in the shot. Again, the background is nicely out of focus.
Another high-speed sync portrait example:
An issue with shooting outdoors on overcast days is that your shutter speeds can be low enough to cause camera shake. By bumping up the ISO, you can get a faster shutter speed, keeping you safe from blur. Using high-speed sync then lets the flash do the work. Here, I’ve shot to keep the flash looking as natural as possible. 1/1000s | f/4 | ISO 800
The alternative
Note that high-speed sync isn’t the only way to shoot with a wide aperture and flash.
For one, you can always head out at the beginning or the end of the day when the light is pretty low; then the ambient lighting won’t add much to the shot, and you’ll be able to get a nice exposure at 1/200s. Plus, you can get great sky color and you won’t be fighting against strong sunlight.
A shot of the band Drown for Thin Air magazine. The evening light made the shot. I needed a higher aperture to get the whole band in focus, so I opted not to use high-speed sync here.
Of course, if you’re doing any photoshoots with clients, you often have to work with the subject’s schedule rather than your own. So you may have to shoot at midday to suit them.
And that leads to the next option.
Using a neutral density filter
If you shoot landscape photography, you will be familiar with neutral density (ND) filters. This filter type allows you to slow the shutter speed down to get nice, silky water.
Neutral means that it adds no color, while density refers to blocking light. You can get ND filters in a range of values from 1 stop to 16 stops.
For portraits, neutral density filters allow you to widen the aperture instead of dropping the shutter speed. So a 4-stop ND filter would take you from f/16 to f/4.
The drawback is that, as you block light, focusing can become harder.
Another potential issue is that not all ND filters are actually neutral. Some tend to have a color cast. (I have a Firecrest 10-stop ND for landscapes, which is neutral, but the older 4-stop filter I own – also from Firecrest – is slightly pink.)
Without the ND filter applied, I was forced to use a narrow aperture; note how the entire scene is in focus. 1/250s | f/16 | ISO 200
With the 4-stop ND filter applied, the background can be rendered out of focus. The flash is still at the same power as the unfiltered shot above. The filter does have a color cast, which is hard to remove completely. 1/250s | f/4 | ISO 200
Flash and high-speed sync: conclusion
As you now know, you can make outdoor portraits even when the sun is bright – simply by using flash and high-speed sync.
So make sure you get a flash that has HSS capabilities.
And start practicing!
Now over to you:
Have you ever used high-speed sync? Have you ever struggled to get nice bokeh in bright sunlight? Share your thoughts (and high-speed sync images!) in the comments below.
The post How to Make Beautiful Portraits Using Flash and High-Speed Sync appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sean McCormack.
The post Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 for Sony Review: A Versatile Lens for a Great Price appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.
In December 2020, Tamron announced an exciting new lens: the 17-70mm f/2.8 for Sony.
The Tamron 17-70mm is small, lightweight, and designed for APS-C cameras – plus, it offers two excellent features often lacking on Tamron lenses.
But how does it function in the real world? And is it worth the $ 799 price tag?
Let’s find out in this hands-on Tamron 17-70mm for Sony review!
Tamron 17-70mm for Sony: overview
A 24-105mm lens offers one of the most popular focal length ranges available, thanks to its wide-to-telephoto reach. It’s a versatile pick used by casual and professional photographers alike.
And the 17-70mm is Tamron’s version of this lens because its focal length translates to 25.5-105mm on an APS-C body.
The Tamron 17-70mm is made for Sony APS-C (crop-sensor) cameras, so it’s ideal when combined with the popular Sony a6000 (or any of its recent variations). The lens can also be used on Sony full-frame cameras like the Sony a7S III – as long as the APS-C mode is selected.
Constant fast aperture
The 17-70mm f/2.8 for Sony is Tamron’s first fast-aperture zoom lens for APS-C cameras.
The lens maintains a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range, while other APS-C Tamron zooms use variable apertures (i.e., apertures that shift as you zoom).
A constant aperture, especially a fast f/2.8 aperture, makes the 17-70mm great for shooting in low light. And at f/2.8, you can capture shots with creamy bokeh, like this one here:
1/1000s | f/2.8 | ISO 640
Vibration compensation
The 17-70mm also comes with Tamron’s image stabilization (Tamron calls this VC, or Vibration Compensation) to reduce camera shake.
Note that VC is often missing on Tamron lenses, especially those with constant apertures, so it’s certainly a welcome bonus on the 17-70mm.
Lenses with VC make it easier to shoot handheld photos and videos, especially at slow shutter speeds. That’s how I was able to pull off this handheld long exposure:
Handheld shooting at low shutter speeds is made possible by Vibration Compensation. 1/6s | f/13 | ISO 320
(Speaking of video: the 17-70 is a great video lens, thanks to the flexible zoom range, constant aperture, and inclusion of VC!)
Build and handling
If you’ve tried any recent Tamron lenses, the 17-70mm will look and feel very similar.
The lens is made mostly of plastic, which helps keep the weight down (it comes in at 1.2 lb/525 g), though you also get rubber zoom and focus rings.
The lens physically extends and retracts when the zoom ring is twisted. With dimensions of 2.9 x 4.7 in (74.6 x 119.3 mm), the lens can feel a bit large and off-balance when attached to a smaller camera like the Sony a6000. It definitely feels more balanced when used with a Sony full-frame camera.
The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 for Sony is moisture resistant and also has a front element with a fluorine coating to protect it from smudging.
And speaking of the front element, the lens has a filter size of 67 mm, common among Tamron’s recent lenses.
1/250s | f/4 | ISO 640
Performance
I used the Tamron 17-70mm in outdoor hiking and indoor restaurant settings, and the autofocus worked well for photos and videos.
The lens has quiet focusing thanks to an RXD stepping motor. This works wonderfully with Sony mirrorless cameras, which still offer the best autofocus on the market.
It’s easy to switch to full manual focus simply by twisting the focus ring. Also, with a minimum focusing distance of 7.5 in (19 cm), the lens has decent macro capabilities (and close-up shots look great with that gorgeous f/2.8 bokeh).
1/200s | f/4 | ISO 640
Image quality
Constant-aperture lenses tend to produce sharp, crisp images. You pay for it, though, because constant-aperture lenses – especially zoom lenses – don’t come cheap.
But while the Tamron 17-70mm is priced well under $ 1000, image quality is tack sharp across the entire focal length range, even at f/2.8. If Tamron can make more lenses like this at similar price points, they’ll win over many photographers and videographers.
At times, the 17-70mm does produce chromatic aberration and excessive vignetting, especially when shooting scenes with high contrast. Luckily, these are problems that can easily be solved in most photo editing programs, including Lightroom or Photoshop.
1/60s | f/2.8 | ISO 2000
Tamron 17-70mm alternatives
There are no true competitors to the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8, at least not at its price point. When looking at similar lenses, the price goes up dramatically – or you sacrifice certain features.
Sony lens choices
The closest Sony competitor is the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 (24-82.5mm on APS-C cameras), which offers the constant f/2.8 aperture but is 15mm short on the telephoto side. The 16-55 also lacks image stabilization and will set you back $ 1,300.
The Sony E 18-105mm f/4 is a more affordable choice, coming in at around $ 600. This APS-C zoom lens offers a wider focal range than the Tamron plus image stabilization. However, the constant aperture is f/4, which is a lot slower than the Tamron’s f/2.8.
1/320s | f/10 | ISO 640
Who should buy the Tamron 17-70mm for Sony?
Considering the price and features of this lens, the Tamron 17-70mm is suitable for both professional photographers and videomakers alike, especially for those on a budget.
The lens’s features are typically found on glass that costs twice as much, including the constant f/2.8 aperture and the Vibration Compensation. It also offers remarkably sharp image quality considering its cost.
And given the relatively accessible price, the Tamron 17-70mm is also appropriate for beginner or amateur photographers and videomakers looking to increase their skills.
Using a constant f/2.8 aperture is a treat, and this lens will help budding photographers take better images in low light with nice, creamy bokeh.
So grab the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 for Sony right here!
Now over to you:
What do you think about the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8? What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Will you consider buying it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 sample images
1/60s | f/2.8 | ISO 800
1/100s | f/3.5 | ISO 640
1/320s | f/2.8 | ISO 300
1/1250s | f/2.8 | ISO 300
1/1000s | f/2.8 | ISO 300
The post Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 for Sony Review: A Versatile Lens for a Great Price appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.
The post Weekly Photo Challenge – Sunrise appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
It’s 2021 and it’s simply time to see your sunrise, wherever you are in the world! This week, simply post your sunrise photograph and roughly where it was taken (which town are you in or near?) in the comment section. #dPSSunrise
Don’t forget, you can go back and try ALL of our CHALLENGES over HERE!
A sunrise can show many things, quality of light, silhouette, rays of sun, clouds, water… Whatever, as long as it’s a sunrise! Tag your post on social – #dPSSunrise
Share on Instagram and tag us so we can repost you! @DigitalPS
Photo by Federico Respini on Unsplash
Remember! Note down where you made your photograph and share it in the comments!
Share on Instagram or Twitter and use the hashtag #dPSCars so we can see them!
How do I upload my photo to the comments?
Simply upload your shot into the comments field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see. Or, if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them.
The post Weekly Photo Challenge – Sunrise appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
The post 21 Family Portrait Ideas for Gorgeous Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
Preparation is key to any successful photoshoot, and having plenty of family portrait ideas will help ensure your session goes as smoothly as possible.
Whether you’re working with friends, repeat clients, or new customers, you want to make your family portrait sessions fun and engaging, because this will always lead to better pictures.
So if you’re stuck in a rut or just looking for something new to try, check out these 21 ideas. They’ll stimulate your creativity and get you thinking about fun ways to take pictures of families.
Let’s get started.
1. Standing together
This one won’t win any awards for creativity, but it’s a classic. It just works.
Position everyone close together, with those on the outside turned slightly inward. Kids can stand on the ground or be held by an adult.
I always like to start with shots like this to cover my bases before I try new and creative ideas. That way, you can always deliver a classic posed image your clients will love, in case your other ideas don’t quite work out.
2. Look for interesting backgrounds
While the focus of your family photos should always be the people, it can help to use different locations – especially if you find yourself working with repeat clients.
Introducing new background elements or other scenery can dramatically alter the look and feel of an image, and will give your clients pictures they will remember forever.
This type of shot is a classic for a couple of reasons. For one, families love it. Plus, it’s the type of photo you can’t get with a mobile phone.
I recommend using a zoom lens, because you can zoom from telephoto to wide as the group gets closer.
It also helps to have a camera with a fast continuous shooting speed and a deep buffer, so you can take as many shots as you need to nail the perfect one.
5. Go for a run!
This one works great if you have children involved. Just tell everyone to back way up and then run toward the camera.
Make sure everyone is holding hands; otherwise, the speedier ones will end up ahead.
Also, quick tip:
Use your camera’s high-speed shooting functionality combined with a fast shutter speed to freeze the action.
6. Showcase the generations
When doing a multigenerational family portrait session, it’s a good idea to get at least one shot showing the eldest couple plus the family.
Put the eldest couple in the middle and surround them with their children, grandchildren, and other relatives. This creates a sense of closeness and family bonding that’s immediately apparent to anyone who looks at the photo afterward.
This might seem like cheating because a single headshot isn’t the same as a family portrait.
But I love taking headshots for my family clients since they require almost no extra effort on my part and the families always enjoy the results.
(I’ve found that most people aren’t expecting individual headshots when you do a family portrait session. So they’re seen as a fun bonus and will keep clients calling for repeat business.)
The sun also adds a nice rim light to the newly engaged couple. See how they shine in the late afternoon sun?
The couple was thrilled with the result, and your clients will be, too.
8. Group the genders
Grouping the genders isn’t exactly new or groundbreaking. But it’s a tried-and-true formula for success – one that your clients might not think about in advance but will greatly appreciate afterward.
So put all the women together and take some shots, then do the same for the men.
My clients always have fun doing this, and it gives them some great photos to hang on their wall.
Ditch the poses for a minute and let your clients just have fun. This works especially well with young kids; parents will pick them up, swing them around, and have a great time just enjoying the day.
But have your camera ready to capture those moments!
I did many family photo sessions that left me frustrated. You see, I didn’t have a great solution for a very basic problem:
I didn’t have a spot for people to sit.
If you’re in a controlled studio environment, you can deal with this easily. If you like to shoot out in nature, however, you might not be so lucky.
Thankfully, with a few cheap pieces of wood from any home improvement store, along with some tools and a free afternoon, you can build your own photo benches (and solve this problem once and for all!).
I now have three benches in different sizes that I use to accommodate a variety of families. They can be used separately or placed together as one long bench. It doesn’t even matter if they get scuffed or dirty, since imperfections add to a sense of character.
And the results are amazing, plus I no longer worry about finding a spot for my clients to sit comfortably.
Amidst the joy and chaos of a family photoshoot, it’s easy to overlook this classic pose – but it’s one that you’ll regret leaving out.
Parents love shots with their kids together, and even when not all the kids are happy and cheerful, I still get positive comments. Pictures like this show the unique personalities of each child, and I usually get one or two kids smirking, grinning, or doing their own thing, to which their parents say, “Yup, that’s just who they are!”
This old coffee table was what I used before I built my own photo benches. Nikon D750 | Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 | 200mm | 1/200s | f/4 | ISO 250.
12. Involve the pets
Bringing pets to a photoshoot can be a mixed bag. When you introduce a four-legged friend to a formal family photo session, you add a lot of uncertainty, and it’s almost impossible to make the animal do what you want it to.
Even so, there’s a host of important benefits: It puts your clients at ease, helps them remember their pets fondly, and can make for some genuine smiles.
I find this works best if you do your photo session at your clients’ house. But if you do go out, make sure the clients bring a portable kennel or some treats to keep the furry friend occupied when it’s not in the shot.
I like going out around town to do family photo sessions (preferably to a handful of places I have scouted in advance and used many times before).
The nice thing about some of these spots is that they have built-in structures and other accoutrements that allow you to take fun, sometimes unplanned, pictures of your clients.
So don’t be afraid to include these! Embrace the structures around you and use them to add flair to your photos.
This one is a little tricky, but the results can be absolutely heartwarming.
Just be careful how you talk with your clients and direct them during the shoot. You don’t want signs of affection to be forced or uncomfortable, and unless you are good friends with your clients, you might not know where to draw the line.
That being said, I’ve had nothing but positive results just by asking parents to give a quick hug or kiss to their little children. These simple signs of affection often end up being my clients’ favorite shots.
Any time you do a family photo session with kids, particularly younger ones, you have to be willing to accept a degree of uncertainty.
After all, the kids might be hungry, fussy, or defiant – and it’s your job to make the best images possible in spite of these obstacles.
I don’t recommend handing out sweets or treats to children, as this can introduce even more unwanted uncertainty. But if you want to get the kids to cooperate, ask your clients to bring along some of their child’s favorite books. This helps them relax and can lead to some very special pictures.
I do almost all of my work for clients outdoors. But sometimes I’m invited inside their homes, and this can make for some very special sessions.
If you schedule a shoot at your clients’ house, ask if you can arrive early. Assuming you get the go-ahead, come before the session and politely look for good spots to take pictures. Look for furniture, toys, and large windows that will let in plenty of light.
Ideally, you want to schedule a pre-consultation with your clients to discuss the session. Treat these at-home opportunities with the respect and dignity your clients deserve, and they will be glad to ask you for future photo sessions.
My friend asked if I would take pictures when he received his Ph.D., and I made sure to include campus buildings in the frame to serve as a reminder of his time in graduate school.
18. Capture candids
Sometimes the best shots of a photo session are completely unplanned. While posed pictures are nice, it’s also fun to get pictures of your clients just walking around, laughing, talking, and enjoying one another’s company.
In other words:
When photographing a family, show them being a family!
And it’s okay to cheat a bit here, too. For the shot below, I asked the couple to walk across the veranda, then I caught them in a candid moment of joy.
Fuji X100F | 23mm | 1/125s | f/5.6 | ISO 400
19. All hands on deck
When taking pictures of a large family, especially one that spans multiple generations, make sure to get an image with hands.
Clients love seeing mementos like this, and they can instantly pick out which individuals were present just by looking at the hands.
Plus, an image like the one below captures myriad details that are missing in headshots and full-body portraits: wedding rings, the weathered hands of the grandparents, and the small hands of children next to their mother’s and father’s hands. It’s a touching image that speaks volumes about the family without showing any faces at all.
Any time I do a family session, I make sure I’m well prepared. I have a clear idea of my goals for the session, where I want to be, what kinds of images I want to get, and of course, plenty of spare batteries.
But you have to be willing to adapt and incorporate your clients’ ideas, too. They might want to try something different, go to a new location, or pose in a way you hadn’t considered.
Don’t shut these ideas down! Even if the images aren’t your personal favorites, your clients might love them, and they will certainly appreciate your willingness to listen to their suggestions.
This idea is last because you have to use it carefully. If you know your clients well, and if there are young children in the family, then one fun thing to consider is a remote-controlled fart machine.
Yes, I know that seems absolutely ridiculous, but nothing sends kids into a gleeful bout of giddiness quite like an unexpected breaking of wind.
These little gadgets are inexpensive and can be hidden underneath a bench, taped to a stool, or tossed behind a tree. Right as you prepare to take a shot, click the remote and watch the kids erupt with laughter.
Adults might roll their eyes, but the kids will love it, and you’ll get some of your favorite shots of the session.
If you want to get genuine smiles and laughs from kids, this can definitely help. But don’t use it with new clients. Make sure you have a good relationship with clients and their kids first.
Family portrait ideas: Final words
There’s no guarantee that these family portrait ideas will result in perfect pictures. Any number of things can go wrong on a family shoot, but any number of things can also go right.
The point here is to fill your mind with possibilities. That way, you can do everything in your power to get the best possible shots.
And above all else, try to relax, have fun, and enjoy the session!
Your clients will love the results…
…and they’ll soon be asking you to come back for more pictures.
Frequently asked questions
What should my clients wear for a family session?
I recommend solid colors in matching groups (such as some people wearing blue, others wearing green, etc.). But remember that the photos are for your clients, and even if they show up in clothing you wouldn’t recommend, your job is to take good photos regardless.
Do I need a tripod for family photos?
Absolutely not! You can use one if you prefer, but I find that tripods and even monopods are more of a hassle than a help. You need to move around, especially if you’re shooting pictures of kids – and if you are tied down to a tripod, you won’t be nearly as flexible and adaptable.
You do a lot of outdoor family photos. What’s the best type of location to look for?
I try to avoid popular spots like botanical gardens and college campuses (which often have beautiful landscaping) and look for spots that are off the beaten path. My primary consideration is light: I like spots with tall trees and even lighting, even if there aren’t flowers or fountains. Choose your locations so the emphasis in your images will be on the people, not their surroundings.
What camera is best for family portraits?
You can use almost any camera for family photos, but I recommend one with a large buffer and the option for a battery grip. The former will prevent you from wasting time waiting for your camera while photo opportunities slip by. The latter will give your camera enough battery power to last for hours, which means one less thing for you to think about during the shoot.
Do I need an expensive portrait lens?
No, but if the only lens you have is the kit lens that came with your camera, I would recommend at least investing in a single prime lens. A 35mm or 50mm lens won’t be expensive and can yield amazing results, especially for family photos.
The post 21 Family Portrait Ideas for Gorgeous Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
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