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Posts Tagged ‘Brand’

Sony announces it’s getting into the drone game with its new ‘Airpeak’ brand

10 Nov

Watch out, DJI. Sony Corporation announced today it is getting into the drone market under the brand name ‘Airpeak.’

I a short press release, accompanied by the above teaser video, Sony says the Airpeak brand will ‘reflect its aspiration to contribute to the further evolvement and the creation of the unprecedented value through its imaging and sensing technology.’

While Sony does hint at industrial purposes for its drones, the company specifically says the Airpeak brand ‘will support the creativity of video creators to the fullest extent possible.’

An illustration from a patent application Sony was granted back in January 2020.

Sony says the project will launch in spring of 2021. In the meantime, it will share information along the way and work on partnerships to test their products and get feedback from drone users. You can keep up with the latest updates on Sony’s new Airpeak website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photography portfolio 101 – how to create a portfolio that puts your brand on display

11 Aug

Everyone was there once. Fruitful inspiration. Plenty of photos, but no idea on how to create a portfolio. And if you’re just like all the other photographers, you put off this moment for as long as you could. But with no portfolio to present your work, there are no clients interested in hiring you. For a passionate photographer, the thought Continue Reading

The post Photography portfolio 101 – how to create a portfolio that puts your brand on display appeared first on Photodoto.


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Pentax’s new ‘Brand Vision’ shows it’s doubling down on SLR camera systems

17 Jul

While the rest of the photography world is determined to double down on mirrorless camera systems, Pentax has announced its dedication to SLR cameras. In the above video a new microsite dedicated to the new ‘Pentax Brand Vision,’ the Japanese manufacturer emphasizes its dedication to ‘the future of SLR Photography.’

A product photo of Pentax’s upcoming APS-C DSLR, which is yet to be named.

‘When you take a picture with a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, the light passes through the lens, and in turn the optical viewfinder,’ reads a manifesto of sorts on the microsite. ‘You view the image directly with your eyes, and feel it with your heart.’

The microsite notes Pentax was the first Japanese manufacturer to build an SLR and says the company ‘is committed to the future of SLR photography through the continued development of camera technology, making it more fun and exciting than ever before for all PENTAX users.’ From there, under numerous headlines, Pentax explains a number of benefits it believes SLR cameras offer over other camera systems.

Pentax ends its SLR tribute page with ‘The Five Principles of Pentax,’ seen in the screenshot below:

Pentax has also shared a 30-minute video wherein Ricoh Imaging President, Shinobu Takahashi, explains the company’s vision and what it values most in future camera releases:

This kind of dedication to SLR cameras is surprising in a market that’s hellbent on ridding the photography world of mirrors, but it doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise considering how much effort Pentax put into emphasizing its optical viewfinder technology during the development livestream of its forthcoming APS-C DSLR.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How to Make a Unified Instagram Feed as a Photographer to Help Support Your Brand

15 Jan

The post How to Make a Unified Instagram Feed as a Photographer to Help Support Your Brand appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

unified-instagram-feed-for-photographers

Social media has such a strong presence in our world, both in a personal and professional sense. Gone are the days of searching for a photographer via Google. Many are turning to the social media platform, Instagram. Instagram has become a powerful tool for photographers and content creators alike. It is an engagement-oriented online portfolio so-to-speak.

But with thousands of accounts active on Instagram in any given second, how do you stand out from the rest and still attract photography clients? By having a feed that is more aesthetically pleasing than the rest!

Here is our guide on how to make a unified Instagram feed as a photographer.

What does a unified Instagram feed even mean?

Image: This feed by singer Jessica Abari, shows unification by color tonality. She uses blues and pi...

This feed by singer Jessica Abari, shows unification by color tonality. She uses blues and pinks to unify her Instagram feed.

Humans naturally gravitate to cohesiveness, especially those with a certain sensitivity to aesthetic.

A unified Instagram is one in which each image, viewed in totality with one another, look like a piece of a great puzzle. Each one appears to belong and in some way, shape, or form unites with another surrounding it.

It’s the difference between a feed that looks cluttered and disconnected and one that looks like it is a part of a strategically and effortlessly tailored brand.

Having unity in your work not only pushes your brand further, but can attract a slew of eyes on your product (the beautiful images!). Not only is it a trend to have something a bit more cohesive, it has been shown to really aid in acquiring new clients who are attracted to the style your showcasing.

Image: An example of my varied feed – when you have many areas of specialization, it can be difficul...

An example of my varied feed – when you have many areas of specialization, it can be difficult to maintain complete cohesiveness.

This isn’t a tried and true method for all photography businesses. For example, I am a multi-faceted photographer and to have an overly-cohesive feed is just not possible for me. However, my fellow industry mates have very beautifully tailored and structured feeds that work brilliantly for them! Their clients know exactly what to expect and hire them based on their look.

The real secret?

Image: This is an example of my thematic feed of female portraits with animals.

This is an example of my thematic feed of female portraits with animals.

So, what’s the real secret? For the most part, it’s utilizing the same editing mechanism over and over again. Create a preset or a general direction for your editing, and replicate this across your full board. This already creates a look of cohesiveness with minimal effort.

I suggest not using Instagram’s preset filters as these tend to lower the quality of your images. Instead, create your own Presets or Actions in Lightroom or Photoshop. You can even automate these to play on the batch of images you select for posting.

If you find that preset editing really isn’t you, unite your feed by topic or theme. This also allows you an opportunity to really solidify your niche as a photographer and attract the right demographic to your work. Figure out what kind of photographer you are and who or what your most common subjects tend to be, and post images that fit within that scope.

Image: In this feed from Goldilocks and the Wolf, there is unification by the fairytale theme and th...

In this feed from Goldilocks and the Wolf, there is unification by the fairytale theme and the winter landscapes.

Creating a unified feed based on a color palette is also an excellent idea.

Colors are a major way to keep everything looking tailored and express who you are as a creator.

Color theory is a complex topic that can be taught for hours, but the general idea is that certain hues and color combinations attract a specific reaction. Tying marketing into Instagram, find a color palette that tends to attract your customers (and potential customers).

Look at what your followers gravitate towards, and feed into that wanting. It’s okay to break up your feed with text that engages your audience base, and keep everything still looking together.

Bonus tip: create a posting calendar for the month. Preview these images in a mockup of your Instagram feed and see how it all looks together. This provides a lot of insight on the final outcome!

If you make a unified feed and then want to change the theme, what then?

Image: This feed by singer Jessica Abari, shows unification in sets of 3 (with editing style and ima...

This feed by singer Jessica Abari, shows unification in sets of 3 (with editing style and images from the same photo shoot), but also overall because Jessica herself is the theme.

I think a daunting aspect of this is all is permanence.

If you spend the time making your images cohesive with one another and then change your mind, has all of your effort been wasted?

Not at all! It’s quite simple to change your theme. You can choose to gradually shift to your new aesthetic or go bold and post three images in the new style right off the bat and go with that.

Final thoughts

Image: Rachel Lauren’s Instagram Feed. Her feed is unified in both her editing style and theme...

Rachel Lauren’s Instagram Feed. Her feed is unified in both her editing style and theme with the portraits with animals.

Remember that while in the pursuit of unity, don’t lose yourself or who you are as a photographer.

There is a fine line to walk between solely appeasing the masses and ensuring that your individual photography voice is heard. Where that balance is, rests entirely on your own opinion.

As well as this, be wary about appearing too repetitive and monotonous – try to post images that have different compositions or express something new. Being cohesive doesn’t mean being boring.

When you make a unified Instagram feed as a photographer, put your best imaging foot forward first!

The post How to Make a Unified Instagram Feed as a Photographer to Help Support Your Brand appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.


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How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity

30 Aug

The post How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Personal branding has become more and more important over the last few years. As photographers, we often carefully curate the image that we present to the world, even as amateurs. Our brand and image are usually closely linked to the kind of photographs we shoot.

Photographers will often carefully curate the look of their website. They’ll spend hours contemplating the images and text that they use to express their photographic hopes and dreams. They want their websites and online portfolios to give people an insight into their creative working process and the kind of photos that they intend to take.

How-to-Shoot-a-Self-Portrait-to-Support-your-Brand-Identity

I often start with natural light when shooting self-portraits. It’s how I prefer to shoot most of the time!

And yet, I often look at the ‘about me’ page on a photographers website, portfolio page, or social media, and front and center is a photograph of them taken by someone else. The image on your “about me” page, or your portfolio profile picture, is a great piece of marketing real estate. You can use this space to express yourself and tell a story. So why let someone else take that photo?

So what’s the solution? Shoot a self portrait! Put your own work in that valuable space, and express yourself and your photographic style clearly and coherently – even on your “about me” page.

What is a brand identity?

Now more than ever, photographers are the face of their brand. Almost everywhere you go on the internet, you’ll have the option to upload an ‘avatar’ image that represents you in digital format. This avatar image is a space to tell the world something about you and your photography.

A brand identity is the way you present your work to the world. It’s the visual and textual elements that differentiate you from other people in the minds of your audience. Since photographers are usually the main (and often only) person in the creative process when it comes to image-making, they are often the embodiment of their brand.

Image: A single large beauty dish for this portrait reflects one of my usual lighting styles.

A single large beauty dish for this portrait reflects one of my usual lighting styles.

Generally, for a photographer, their brand identity will be heavily tied up with their style in which they usually work. A photographer who creates beautiful fine art portraits inspired by the Old Masters may have a brand identity that embodies timelessness, heritage, and classical values. On the other hand, someone creating cutting edge contemporary portraits may embody qualities such as innovation, diversity, and courage.

The key is to get your values into the images you’re shooting. You’ll probably find it happens naturally once you’ve been shooting a while and have developed a style. However, creating a self-portrait for your “about me” page and avatars is a good time to brainstorm what your work is about. The challenge is to see if you can capture these ideas in a single shot.

Got a fear of shooting self-portraits?

Self-portraits are hard. They’re hard technically, creatively, and emotionally. It’s no surprise really that photographers often shy away from self-portraiture. Portraits can be hard enough to get right when you’re shooting other people, let alone when you’re photographing yourself!

How-to-Shoot-a-Self-Portrait-to-Support-your-Brand-Identity

Experimental tricks like this shallow depth of field combined with fairy lights can add an artistic side to a self-portrait while covering up any perceived flaws in the way we look.

That aside, a self-portrait or two is also a great way to improve your skills, try new things, and make sure that the entirety of your personal branding works together coherently. You are likely to be your most patient subject, and if you set aside a day to create your self-portrait then you have time to get it exactly right – even if you’re trying something new.

Go light on the retouching. When you’re working on a self-portrait in post-processing, it’s easy to be super-critical of everything you don’t like about yourself. Stick to your usual workflow and only retouch as much as you normally would.

Start simple

If all else fails, start like you would any other portrait. If you’d usually start with a simple two-light headshot in your studio, then give that a go first. Review your images and then make adjustments. Once you’ve found a shot that works then try something a bit different. You might find a completely new direction for your work!

Image: This self-portrait was shot with natural light against a grey paper background. Often simple...

This self-portrait was shot with natural light against a grey paper background. Often simple pictures can be really effective!

It’s easy to think about self-portraits in the context of a studio, but don’t limit yourself! Take your camera outside into natural light if that’s a place you enjoy taking portraits usually. You can even buy stands to hold reflectors so that you can take advantage of all the usual light modifiers that you’d use.

But if you’re going out on location to shoot self-portraits, consider taking someone with you. It’s easy to get distracted while shooting self-portraits out and about. Having an extra pair of eyes can help protect you and your equipment. You can also get your assistant to hold the reflector or a flashgun too!

And if you want to really show off what you do, consider an environmental portrait in your own studio and surrounded by your tools of the photographic trade.

Think about the context

Where is your self-portrait going to be placed? Will it be on your own website or will it be on social media?

In traditional media, you usually want to have the subject facing the viewer or looking towards the center of the book or magazine. There’s a reason for this. It helps direct the readers focus back to the content rather than off the edge of the page into the wider world. It’s a simple trick to help keep the readers’ attention where you want it.

Image: The “about me” page on my portfolio website showing my self-portrait in relation...

The “about me” page on my portfolio website showing my self-portrait in relation to the text block.

You can apply this to your website too. Think about the placement of your self-portrait on the page of your website. Does it fit better on the left or the right of the “about me” text? When you’re working out your poses, keep this in mind and make sure you’re either looking straight ahead or towards the text block.

It’s possible to break the rules, of course, but make sure you shoot both options if you’re going to be adventurous!

What about the practicalities of self-portraits?

If your camera connects to a phone app that can assist with exposure and focusing, then make sure you take full advantage of that. Self-portraits used to be a lengthy process that involved sitting my mannequin on a chair in my studio to get the focus and lighting right.

Now I can see everything in real-time, including exposure and focus adjustments, using the Fujifilm Cam Remote app that connects to my camera.

Image: Using the Fujifilm Cam Remote app to set up the lighting and exposure, and the resulting self...

Using the Fujifilm Cam Remote app to set up the lighting and exposure, and the resulting self-portrait a few minutes later. (Lighting was a single large beauty dish).

If you don’t have a camera that connects to your phone, get yourself a remote trigger and consider shooting tethered to a laptop so that you can see the images as you trigger the camera. You can look at software such as Lightroom or Capture One Pro for tethering. That way you can make small adjustments to your pose and settings as you go along to make sure that you really nail everything and create your best work.

Using a good tripod will also save you some frustration when you’re shooting portraits. Balancing the camera on a stack of books can work (believe me, I’ve done it before), but a tripod will help you compose a shot more effectively. Don’t forget to try unusual compositions too. Raising the camera up above your eye level can be very flattering while shooting from down low can create a powerful pose.

How-to-Shoot-a-Self-Portrait-to-Support-your-Brand-Identity

A profile self-portrait recalls the kinds of images that you often see historically on coins and medals. Don’t be afraid to experiment with unconventional poses when photographing yourself.

Keep your standards high

And lastly, be as thorough and rigorous with your standards as you would when shooting a portrait of anyone else.

Make the effort to do your hair, press your clothes, and get a great expression. Just because it’s a self-portrait it doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to be lazy and “fix it in post.”

I’d love to see how you get on with shooting your self-portrait to support your brand and expressing your values through them. Drop a comment below with the results, and don’t forget to update your avatar with your new portrait!

 

How-to-Shoot-a-Self-Portrait-to-Support-your-Brand-Identity

The post How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.


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Ricoh denies rumors it will lose the right to use the Pentax brand name

31 May

Rumors that Ricoh will lose the right to use the Pentax brand name in 2020 are being denied by the company. In a statement, Ricoh acknowledged that the Pentax name belongs to Hoya but explained that there are no restrictions on Ricoh using it in the camera business.

The rumors first appeared on the Pentax Rumors website in an article that claimed that Ricoh’s license to use the Pentax name would expire in 2020. According to the rumor, this served as the reason for no new announcements in some time. Ricoh, however, states that it will introduce new items in the future, and will continue to use the Pentax name for its cameras.

In a statement to DPReview, a Ricoh spokesperson said:

‘No, [the rumor] is not a fact.

Hoya is the owner of the PENTAX trademark, but there are no restrictions or limitations attached for RICOH to use the PENTAX brand in the camera business.

We will continue to offer the PENTAX brand products including new items.’

There’s no telling what might come from the Pentax brand next, but now there’s confirmation straight from the source that the Pentax brand will continue to live on via Ricoh.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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New ‘EZ’ E-6 film developer announced under Edwal brand

03 Jan

On the back of the re-introduction of some Kodak Ektachrome films a U.S. photographic company has announced it will begin sales of its own slide developing kits under the Edwal brand. Edwal has been associated with photo chemistry for some time, and US photographic distributor OmegaBrandess owns the rights to the name and intends to produce E-6 chemistry kits aimed at making transparency development easier for the home user.

The Edwal kits will contain developer, color developer and a single bleach/fix solution, and will be available in 1-quart/946ml and 1-gallon/3.8l sizes. The company claims the chemicals offer users some degree of flexibility with development times and the temperature of the solutions without adverse effects on the film.

The 1-quart kit will cost $ 59.99 and the gallon kit will be $ 134.99. For more information see the OmegaBrandess website.

Press release

OmegaBrandess Press Release

As the owner of the well-known EDWAL brand of photo chemistry, OmegaBrandess is proud to introduce the EDWAL E-6 32 OUNCE AND 1 GALLON DEVELOPING KITS.

The overwhelming popularity of the recently announced Kodak Ektachrome film has spawned renewed interest in at-home and small batch film developing. To meet that demand OmegaBrandess Distribution is offering E-6 developing kits for the students and hobbyists out there to develop their own color slide film.

Now available at many photo retailers are a 1-quart and 1-gallon developing kit under our Edwal branding.

Each kit contains Developer, Color Stabilizer, and Blix- all the chemicals needed to process E-6 film. Easy-to-use liquid allows for variations in time and temperature! Also available at OmegaBrandess.com.

Pricing
The suggested retail price is $ 59.99 for the quart kit and $ 134.99 for the gallon kit.

About OmegaBrandess
OmegaBrandess has manufactured and distributed photographic and imaging products for over 75 years. A privately held company, OmegaBrandess supplies the photography industry with over ten thousand products from dozens of branded lines. For more information about OmegaBrandess and its represented brands, call 410-374-3250 or visit www.omegabrandess.com.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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AgfaPhoto brand makes a comeback with budget cameras and digital albums

21 Dec

Agfa-Gevaert used to be an important player in the consumer camera space, but the company failed to keep up with digital developments and in 2004 the consumer imaging division was bought out by management and transferred into the Germany-based AgfaPhoto GmbH.

The new company filed for bankruptcy just one year later, however, and these days the Agfa brand is licensed by holding-firm AgfaPhoto Holding GmbH. Agfa-Gevaert’s has completely exited from consumer business and is focusing on industrial printing, health care and information systems.

Now we’re seeing a comeback of the AgfaPhoto brand on cameras, however. The brand has been licensed to French electronics sellers GT Company which has launched three new products for the comeback:

  • 21MP digital compact camera DC5200 with lithium battery for approximately $ 45 (39 Euros)
  • Digital Instant Camera Insta Shot IS210 that captures and prints 2.1’’ x 3.4’’ images for $ 113 (99 Euros)
  • A range of digital photo and video albums that range from 2,4” to 10” in display size and can store up to 4000 photos and 90 minutes of HD video. Prices range from $ 45 to $ 113 (39 to 99 Euros).

If these new rather simple models don’t quite tickle your fancy, have a trip down memory lane and take look at the Agfa digital cameras from times gone past on our camera hub.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meyer Optik Görlitz brand lives on under a new owner

14 Dec

A few months ago NetSE, the German company behind the Meyer Optik Görlitz, Emil Busch A.G. Rathenau, Oprema Jena, C.P. Goerz, Ihagee Elbaflex and A. Schacht brands filed for bankruptcy, leaving many consumers who had backed the company’s brands on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms out of pocket and without a product.

It looked like NetSE’s iconic brands would vanish for eternity but now it appears at least the Meyer Optik Görlitz brand will survive. Another German company, OPC Optics (Precision Components Europe GmbH), announced it has acquired the trademark rights to Meyer Optik Görlitz at the insolvency procedure of NetSE in Koblenz.

OPC Optics, a manufacturer of prototypes and small series of spherical and aspherical lenses, is planning to use the brand as a vehicle to enter consumer markets. The company says it will streamline the current Meyer Optik Görlitz lens portfolio and market lenses through traditional sales channels, so no more crowdfunding or pre-ordering.

In a press release the company also says that unfortunately it can’t take on any of NetSE’s obligations which means if NetSE hasn’t delivered your crowdfunded lens, OPC won’t do so either. It’s good to see a traditional live on but given all the negative news around Meyer Optik Görlitz in recent months, OPC’s move could be a risky one.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The Lexar brand makes a return

17 Aug

The Lexar brand was one of the victims of consolidation in the market for memory solutions when parent company Micron pulled the plug in June 2017, announcing it was going to discontinue the brand. A couple of months later Chinese flash memory giant Longsys acquired the Lexar trademark and branding rights but we have not seen any new Lexar product announcements or other market activity since then.

Now we have some news, however. Longsys has announced that Lexar will be back “in full production” and shipping globally this fall.

In a statement Huabo Cai, CEO of Lexar said

“I’m extremely excited to re-introduce the Lexar brand to our worldwide customers. Lexar is dynamic, has superior research and development capabilities, and has a deep understanding of our customer’s needs. At the same time, we are confident that we can expand the Lexar business successfully in different markets globally.”

“For more than twenty years of innovative development, Lexar has been a world-renowned brand in the field of flash memory and trusted by bringing unparalleled storage experience and creating unequivocal value for business users and consumers.”

At this point there is no further detail as to whether the brand will maintain the complete past product line-up which included memory cards, card readers, solid state drives (SSDs) and USB flash drives.

However, the company says Lexar products are now shipping to retailers globally. Lexar will also be exhibiting at this year’s Photokina trade show in Cologne at the end of September, so hopefully more detail on products will be available by then.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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