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Posts Tagged ‘Everything’

Everything You Need to Know About Tripods with Phil Steele

23 Apr

In this really helpful video Phil Steele covers everything you need to know about tripods including; how to choose the right one, how to use them, and special features you may not know about.

  • How to choose the right tripod
  • How to use a tripod properly
  • Special features you may not even know about

Here are some tripod articles and reviews for you to check out:

  • Overview of the Vanguard VEO 235AB Aluminum Travel Tripod
  • Benro FGP18C SystemGo Plus Travel Tripod with B2 Ball Head Review
  • Product Review: Polaroid Carbon-Fiber Travel Tripod and Varipod
  • The 3Pod P3COR Tripod and SH-PG Ball Head Review
  • How to Build the Ideal Tripod
  • Tripod versus Monopod – a Comparison and When to Use Each
  • 5 Tips to Get Sharp Photos While Using a Tripod

If you want to learn more from Phil check out some of his video courses covering topics like event photography, Lightroom, headshots and more on Steele Training.com.

The post Everything You Need to Know About Tripods with Phil Steele by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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CP+ 2017: the weird, wonderful, and everything in between

01 Mar

Best of CP+ 2017 in Japan

While there weren’t a lot of new announcements at CP+, the theme of the show seemed to be glass: Sigma launched four new lenses, Tamron showed off two, Pentax announced the development of two full-frame primes, Fujifilm showcased a line of affordable cinema primes for Sony E-mount users and a ton of third-party brands had their latest glass creations on display.

So take a peek through our gallery for a rundown of the best of CP+ 2017… and some other stuff we found along the way.  

Fujifilm GFX 50S

While not newly announced, CP+ 2017 was the first time we were able to shoot with a final production Fujifilm GFX 50S medium-format digital camera. As you might expect, it’s an absolute peach to use. Barney and I spent most of the time in Japan fighting over who’d get to use it, which should tell you all you need to know. Simply put, we both found its form factor to be fabulous (it’s surprisingly light), and as for image quality – well, take a look for yourself.

Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM

Sigma announced four new lenses at CP+, three of which join the growing ‘Art’ series. They include a 24-70mm F2.8, a 135mm F1.8 and the one we are most excited for: a 14mm F1.8. In addition, the company also launched a 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens which is part of the company’s more modestly-priced ‘Contemporary’ series. 

But back to the 14mm F1.8. It’s the fastest 14mm in existence, yet despite its wide angle of view, distortion appears almost non-existent. It also appears to be crazy sharp! We’re hoping to be able to post some sample images very soon to prove it. 

Nikon D5 100 Year Anniversary Strap

Nikon didn’t launch any new products at CP+, but as part of its continuing 100th year anniversary celebration, it did unveil several special edition 100 year anniversary items including this swanky leather strap (and a gunmetal grey edition D5 and D500). We have no idea if these straps will eventually be for sale, or if acquiring one also means buying a D5/D500, but we’d hang them round our necks.  

HandeVision Iberit 75mm F2.4

We stumbled on a bunch of cool mirrorless lenses from HandeVision, including this matte grey Iberit 75mm F2.4 (shipping versions will be finished in chrome or black). Build quality seems good, and at just over $ 700, it’s a semi-affordable option for mirrorless (and Leica M) manual focus shooters. On crop sensor bodies it gives a 112mm effective field of view. Check out the other lenses HandeVision had on display. 

Sigma 135mm F1.8 DG HSM

In addition to the 14mm F1.8, Sigma also dropped a 135mm F1.8 at this year’s show. It’s pretty large, and a little heavy, but it sure is pretty, especially that big front element. The lens mount also has a rubber gasket to keep dust and water out, something not offered in previously released Sigma’s ‘Art’ series lenses. And a 9-blade aperture should ensure attractive bokeh (as much as you can expect at 14mm, anyway) and hopefully nice sunstars, too. Simply put, we’re pretty jazzed to get it in the office and getting shooting. 

Exploded gear/gear cut in half

There was a lot of bisected and exploded gear at this year’s show (as always). As has become tradition, we made this gallery to highlight some of the best examples. 

Ricoh Pentax D FA* 50mm F1.4

Ricoh added two new full-frame prime lenses to its lens lineup this year, including this 50mm F1.4 as well as an 85mm F1.4. The 85mm wasn’t on display, but we were able to lay eyes (and our cameras) on a mockup of the new 50mm, tucked inside a very reflective and very secure plastic case. Details about the lens are forthcoming, but it’s certainly large. 

Canon EOS 77D

We didn’t get our hands on Canon’s new EOS 77D at the show, mainly because of the sizable crowds in the Canon booth, but we’d already seen it a few weeks ago back in the US. The EOS 77D is built around a 24MP APS-C sensor, Digic 7 processor and 45-point AF system. Take a look at our hands-on for more info. 

Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art

We’ve included all three new Sigma Art lenses in this gallery because frankly, they’re all really enticing. The 24-70mm F2.8 is impressively small and light weight (for an Art-series prime). And like the 135mm it has a rubber gasket at the base to keep dust and moisture out. Even more impressive: it’s stabilized. Check out our hands-on for more. 

Pigeon camera

Every year, in the back corner of CP+ is a small camera museum exhibit. And one of my absolute favorite cameras on display was the Michel Pigeon Camera, which is exactly what it sounds like. Though the pigeon is no longer with us (we assume – it could just be very well-trained), the camera still looks pretty functional. You can read more about the Michel Pigeon Camera here. 

Used camera fair

Another fixture of CP+ is the used camera fair, which takes place upstairs. A great place to find weird old rangefinder lenses, camera cases, obscure film compact cameras. As such, a great place to spend money. We were disappointed when we missed the end of the fair when we returned on Sunday, but to be honest, it was probably for the best. 

Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm F2

Voigtländer unveiled three new manual focus Sony E-mount lenses at CP+ including this 65mm F2 macro. The build quality on these lenses, as you might expect, is marvelous. And unlike older Voigtländers, these lenses have electronic contacts, so they’ll communicate with the camera body to which they are attached. the 65mm F2 offers a 1:2 max magnification. Take a look at the other two lenses Voigtländer announced in our hands-on slideshow. 

Canon EOS Rebel T7i

Canon’s flagship Rebel, the T7i is the first in the series to incorporate Canon’s Dual Pixel AF. Take a look through our previously-published hands-on to find out more.

Ricoh Pentax KP

We were able to get closer look at the insides of Pentax’s latest APS-C DSLR. How cool is it to see the pentaprism cut right down the middle? In many respects a miniature Pentax K-1, the KP is well-featured, and weather sealed (when it hasn’t been cut in half). Also in the Pentax booth was a pretty cool demo showing off the company’s image stabilization. You can find a short video of that here. And for more on the Pentax KP, check out our hands-on. 

Tamron SP 70-200mm F2.8 Di VC USD G2

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Tamron’s 2nd generation SP 70-200mm F2.8 lens and we were pretty excited to check it out in person. Compared to its predecessor, Tamron promises faster autofocus and better stabilization. It also offers a completely overhauled optical and mechanical design. Available in Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts, this high-end telezoom will only set you back $ 1500, making it a bargain compared to it’s non-third party counterparts.

Tamron was also showing off its new 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD. You can read more about both lenses here. 

This poor man

It was freaking hot on the tradeshow floor! And this poor man had to spend all four days dressed in what seemed like fairly un-breathable getup all while posing with anyone who passed by and wanted to get a photo. Did he lose a bet? We have no idea.

Fujifilm MK cinema lens series 

Fujifilm is entering the affordable cine lens market with the launch of the MK series for Sony E-mount (and X mount, coming later). These lens are an affordable alternative to much more expensive cinema lenses and cover a Super 35 or APS-C imaging area. The lenses include an 18-55mm T2.9, and a 50-135mm T2.9. 

We recently made a short video using the MK18-55 T2.9. Take a look. 

Sony a7S rig for the International Space Station

Did you know that the International Space station has a Sony a7S mounted on it for low-light photography? Here’s a copy of the rig it sits in, in while flying around the Earth at 17,150 miles per hour. 

Mini space station

And just for reference, here’s a full-size model of the ISS. It’s smaller than you expect.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How To Cover Everything Ever in Photos!

03 Feb

The Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer makes super sticky tiny prints of all your best photos.

They’re so sticky in fact, that they can stick to almost anything.

Anything you say?

We couldn’t believe it either, so we took to covering some of our favorite things in our favorite pictures. Ya know, to prove it (not just because we wanted to cover everything in adorable, miniature snapshots).

(…)
Read the rest of How To Cover Everything Ever in Photos! (284 words)


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Everything You Need to Know to Master Lightroom

03 Aug

Today we launched a brand new dPS course to help you get total control over Adobe Lightroom.

dps-lightroom-mastery-hero-v1b-large

For a short time you can grab it with a 50% off early bird discount.

Are you frustrated with the time you’re spending perfecting your photos in Lightroom?

Perhaps you’re a beginner and just don’t know where to start with the workflow?

Our latest online video training course Lightroom Mastery will have you mastering post processing in hours.

Photographer Mike Newton has created a complete Lightroom Mastery Course specially for dPS subscribers.

Whether you’re a Lightroom novice or an intermediate user, you can take the whole course and work alongside Mike or skip ahead and start on the modules/tools you want to learn.

here’s a little more on what it includes from Mike himself.

Promotional Video from Digital Photography School on Vimeo.

Checkout details on all 15 modules here.

No matter what level of Lightroom user you are, you will walk away with huge improvements in the quality of your edits and the speed of your workflow.

The best part is Mike makes it super easy to understand.

In this course you’ll learn how to:

  • Use the essential editing features of Lightroom
  • Create amazing edits quickly and easily
  • Stitch panorama
  • Add watermarks to your photos
  • Export a selection of photos as a web gallery for displaying your work online
  • Perfect your Lightroom workflow for speedy batch editing
  • Most importantly, learn what to do, when to do it, which tools to use, and have fun while editing!
  • For a limited time, we’re offering this comprehensive Lightroom Mastery course for US$ 49, but in a couple of weeks time it will be going to the regular price of US$ 99.

Learn more and grab Lightroom Mastery with a Limited Time 50% Saving here.

PS: As with all our products this one comes fully guaranteed. If for any reason you don’t find it meets your needs just let us know within 30 days of purchase and we’ll send you a refund.

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Everything you Always Wanted to know about a Career in Photography but were Afraid to Ask

08 Jun

Before I get into this article, I want to set the stage by saying that the objective here is not to diminish or make light of the concerns and questions that novice photographers have. In fact, at some point in our careers, we have all asked similar questions – sometimes out loud, and sometimes just in the solitude of our own minds. There is no wrong or silly question, and there are no right or wrong answers. These are in no particular order, and the views expressed here are solely based on my own experiences.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article What you want to know - Beach sunset photos

One of my favorite images to date happened by pure accident – I saw the image in my mind even before I took a single frame.

Where can I learn about everything related to photography for FREE?

We are both lucky and unlucky to live in the era of the Internet. Any google search, on average, yields thousands of pages, articles, and YouTube videos. If you have a burning question about anything and everything, the easiest way to learn is via the Internet.

Sites like our own Digital Photography School are a great resource for almost any topic related to photography, from a beginner to an experienced photographer. Other sites like Creative Live offer many classes on various aspects of photography, as well as other creative genres. While most sites provide a great overview of a particular topic, any in-depth research requires time and money. There are number of virtual, as well as live workshops, all over the world covering all aspects of photography. A few that come to mind are The Design School and Clickinmoms (I have used both services and am very happy with the level of instruction provided there – this is just my personal experience).

You could also check out our dPS ebooks and online courses.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article What you want to know - Chicago Wedding Photos

I learn a lot online, in the comfort of my own home, but every once in while, I like to take a live workshop – not just to update my portfolio, but also to learn from and meet others in the industry!

How do I shoot in manual mode?

Shooting in manual mode is one of the most intimidating things that most amateur photographers face. If you have a DSLR camera that has a manual mode, it is really not that hard once you get the hang of it. The best thing you can do in learning to shoot in manual, is to understand the exposure triangle and how the three key components of photography – shutter speed, ISO and aperture work – independently and with each other. Here is a good article that digs deeper into photographing in manual mode. Remember this too take time and practice. There is another interesting article here in the Digital Photography School archives that explains all three shooting modes and is worth a read.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article What you want to know - Understanding backlight

Mastering manual mode is important, especially for images like this – backlit golden hour images…this is SOOC (straight out of the camera).

What lens will give me a blurry background?

If I had a penny for the number of times that I get asked this question from other photographers, as well as my clients who are looking to upgrade their DSLR cameras, I would have an overflowing piggy bank! Blurry backgrounds, or bokeh as it is know in the photography space, is actually a function of aperture (i.e. f-stop), focal length, and distance of the subject from the background. Check out How To Achieve Nice Bokeh [In Plain English] from the dPS archives that addresses this issue specifically.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article What you want to know - Lilacs in the rain-1

A wide aperture on 50mm lens gives a shallow depth of field where most of the background is blurry.

How much money do I need to spend to get started with a photography business?

There are again any different ways to answer this question. You can essentially spend as much, or as little as you want, to get started. At a bare minimum you will need a good camera system (good is a very relative term here, there are several prosumer cameras on the market today, at various price levels). In many places in the world, particularly in the US, there are several rental companies that offer various cameras and lenses for rent. Borrow Lens, Lensrental and LensProToGo are a few that come to mind. You can also check with your local camera shop to see if they offer rental services.

You do not need the latest and greatest camera system to be a professional photographer. While gear is definitely a plus, skill and the ability to work with what you have to get the results you need are far more important, especially when you are just starting out. Once you develop your own shooting style as well as what you want to focus on, you can slowly build up your gear by adding equipment based on your current needs.

How can I make money from my photography, and do it fast?

401(K) 2012

By 401(K) 2012

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the short answer here is that you cannot make money in anything fast. Everything takes time, practice, and patience. Just like any other career, the more time and effort you invest in your photography, the more experience you will gain. With experience comes confidence and recognition. So if your end goal is to be a internationally recognized photographer, treat it like a career and a business and invest in yourself, your education, and your experience. Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and do the hard work – and in time, you will reap the benefits.

How much should I charge for my photography?

This is again something that is very subjective. What you charge for your services depends on many factors like your skill level, the value of photography in the area that you live in, and the buying capacity of the clients that you are targeting. Another thing to understand is the monetary value of your time. Remember your time is not just the amount of time you spend photographing the client – also take into account any travel to and from the location, editing time, and backend work like backing up photos, uploading galleries, and other administrative tasks. Once you have a handle on all these factors as it relates to your situation, charge an amount that makes it worth your while to photograph your clients. If you are looking to earn a living through your photography, then treat it like a business and not just a hobby. Read: 7 Things That Keep You From Charging What You’re Worth (and how to get over them).

What kind of photography should I focus on?

The easiest way to answer this question is to ask yourself what you enjoy photographing. Write down all the genres of photography that interest you, and try them all out if possible. Ask family and friends to model for you, if you are interested in portraits. Photograph different locations at different times of day if you are interested in landscape photography. Experiment with different types of food and styling if you are interested in food photography. Once you have a reasonable amount of experience in these categories, pick one or two to focus on, and give it your best. Don’t be afraid to experiment once in awhile in other genres, just to flex your creative muscles.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article What you want to know - Bridal Portraits

I am a wedding and lifestyle photographer – that is what I enjoy doing the most. But mixed in my portfolio will be a bit of travel and editorial images that help me flex my creative muscles.

How can I get clients?

This is another big one that I get asked a lot, and I wish there was an easy answer. In fact, this is something that even I still struggle with, six years into my business. Getting new clients, and keeping a steady stream of clients is hard work. You have to constantly market yourself and your services at every opportunity you get. When you meet new people, don’t be afraid to say what you do. It took me a long time to introduce myself as a professional photographer, but once I said it often enough, I realized that I got more confident in not only my photography skills, but also in my business skills. Network and connect with your competitors, as well as other businesses in your area. Do a trade for images if appropriate, and remember not everyone you meet will be interested in getting pictures taken, and that is totally okay.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article What you want to know - Lifestyle Portraits

A casual conversation at a networking meeting led to an epic family photoshoot and I gained a good friend too.

How can I build a portfolio of my work?

The length of time you invest in yourself and your photography skills is directly proportional to how long you will take to build your portfolio of work. If you constantly focus on learning and improving yourself, the more confident you will become, and the more opportunities you will find to create work that you are proud of. I have a few general rules that I follow in my photography journey

  • Photograph something every week if not every day – the objective here is to learn new techniques and perfect things I already know with respect to my gear.
  • 10:1 ratio – for every 10 minutes I shoot, I want to produce at least one image that I am proud of.
  • Spend time on personal projects – my mantra here is create for the sake of creation.

For me, this is an easy way to constantly update my portfolio with work that I am proud of, and which also represents my creative style.

Memorable Jaunts DPS Article What you want to know - Wedding Styled Shoot

Creating for the sake of creation is a great way to update your portfolio as well as connect with other vendors and creatives in your space.

This is just a small set of questions that I found helpful when I was starting off on my career in photography. If you have others that have helped you navigate the photography waters, feel free to list them in the comments so others can benefit as well.

If you have different questions that you’ve been wanting to ask, this is the place to do it. Let’s see if we can’t get them answered for you as well.


Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles this week that are Open for Discussion. We want to get the conversation going, hear your voice and opinions, and talk about some possibly controversial topics in photography.

Give us your thoughts below on the article above and watch for more discussion topics.

See all the recent discussion topics here:

  • 7 Commonly Accepted Photography Beliefs Debunked
  • Is HDR dead? Some dPS Writer’s Thoughts on this Controversial Topic
  • How to Find your Personal Photographic Style
  • Why You May be Failing to Reach Your Potential as a Photographer
  • To Process or Not To Process? Let’s Discuss
  • How much do you process your images? – a dPS POLL
  • Does the Camera Matter? SLR versus Mirrorless versus Smartphone
  • Natural Light Versus Artificial Light: Which is Better?
  • How Limitations Can Help You Grow as a Photographer
  • Brand Name Versus Third-Party Photography Gear: Which is better?

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5 Tips to Take Less Photos of Everything and Take More Photos That Mean Something

22 Jun

How many photos do you have from a recent holiday, that you just haven’t had time to organize? Or, have you come back from a dream vacation and your photos just don’t seem to match up with your memories? You are not alone, as this is an all too common issue, and both of these questions have their roots in a simple and easy to fix problem.

Take fewer photos, not more!

001A resized2

I mean this literally, but also figuratively. Yes, overall take fewer photos. But, in reality this is a lesson in becoming more conscious of your photography. What is the point of the photo? Why are you clicking the shutter at that moment?

You may have heard many times, that in the era of digital cameras, you can shoot your heart’s desire (a.k.a. until your SD or CF card is full), unlike with film which needed to be developed and only had a limited number of photos on each roll. While that is true, it is not true that more photos equals better photos. Well, you may have also heard that professional photographers shoot hundreds, or thousands, of photos just to get one or several good ones. That is also true, but they are first and foremost shooting with a purpose. Literally shooting less will allow you to discover your point of view, and thus figuratively you will shoot less of everything, and more of something.

Here are five tips on how to take less quantity of photos but more compelling ones

Tell more stories

The story could be your personal story or could be of something else, but most important is that you communicate with your photos. If you are always shooting, you cannot create; you simply react. Creating a balance between creating and reacting will give you storytelling abilities. Be proactive by finding a place with good leading lines and waiting, not by rushing and hoping that one of your clicks is a keeper. Think about a beginning, middle, and an end. This can be easily depicted with shots at different focal lengths like a wide-angle (image above), a close-up (below), and finally a full-frame scene. The process of storytelling is something we have all grown up with – get back to it. Remember, the more simple the story, the more universal it can be.

001B resized2

Close-up gives direction.

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Full-frame concludes the events.

Give yourself some time to write (in a travelogue or in a diary)

This gives you an opportunity to reflect, which gives meaning and helps you find purpose. Looking at your own writing helps you realize your patterns day by day, or travel experience by travel experience. Identifying structure will help you select moments and behaviours that lend themselves to your style of photography. You may see yourself getting up late despite your desire to have better golden hour photos, or that you feel more creative in the afternoon so you can set aside time to create your photographic stories when others are resting. You will also love reading what you write in 10 years!

Curb your fleeting feeling

Time is limited and you might just miss the moment. For a photographer, this manifests itself in too many photos, and too little purpose. The reality is you are always going to miss something, you can’t be in two places at the same time, and you definitely can’t turn back the clock. But that doesn’t mean that you must give in to the fleeting feeling. Let the event occur, or the scene develop, and visualize what you want from it. Be selective about your vision and then get it, not all of it. Three meaningful photos outweigh thirty so-so snapshots. You have worked hard for your days off and money saved for leisure; enjoy it and enjoy being productive with your photography.

Create a concept and stick to it. Resist pulling out your camera immediately.

This can be an exercise in patience and restraint. Buildings are not going anywhere, rivers will stay their course, and the coffee shop will always have another interesting customer. Find your concept in a developing scene, whether it is the arches of a building, reflections of the water, or a pair of hearty hands sipping a hot beverage. Know that your vision is attainable. Your concept can be simple or complicated, modern or traditional, but only needs to be defined and pursued by you. Just do it with conviction and don’t measure your concept against others. Go for it!

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Creating a concept.

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Slight variation of shooting through a window and making it B&W.

002C resized2

Going back to the concept and color to provide continuity.

Philosophically you will never find what you are looking for…

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “If it will happen, it will no matter your actions; if it will not happen, it will not no matter what you do.”. There are many circumstances which seem to be too peculiar to be a coincidence, and as a photographer these are the moments of pure brilliance. Be present for them; don’t chase after them. There is a whole world of events that are unfolding in front of us at each moment. Your awareness of them is subject to your willingness to be aware of them, not the existence of them.

Photography and traveling have always gone hand in hand. Both have ways of opening up new horizons and being in touch with new possibilities. Both are essential. Spend some time with an ethos of travel, a perspective of photography, and a philosophy of life – and watch your photos tell a story that speaks to the hearts and minds of more than just a few close friends. Instead of having photos sitting unedited, unorganized, and undiscovered; take less photos of everything and take more photos of something. Create a convergence between your photos and your ideas. Less really is more, especially when a photo is worth a thousand words.

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Space Hacking: Modular Joints Connect IKEA & Everything Else

13 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

ikea modular home

This kit-of-parts solution draws on the do-it-yourself ethos as well as the modular furniture movement, allowing savvy homeowners to combine off-the-shelf designs with custom connections and modifications. The implications are subtle but powerful: buy only the elements you need that are too hard to personally construct, then use this system of joints, legs and beams to bridge the gaps.

ikea hacka additions connections

modular parts framework concept

ikea support structure

On display at Milan Deign Week, the IKEA HACKA toolbox consists of a key set of metal joints that create connections between modular wooden beams, all using regular dimensions for ease and consistency of construction. Cutting beams down to size, users can effectively create new hybrid furniture or built-ins styled and fit to their own unique spaces, stacking, supporting and hanging things between. Minimalist, modern, funky, the connectors are neutral enough to suit all personalities and approaches, as illustrated in the examples below.

modular minimalist kitchen design

modullar kit of parts

modular joint system

Together, these parts allow for the construction of support systems that turn individual elements into part of a network, allowing personalized touches and enabling space-saving solutions. They can also be re-hacked into new shapes as your needs grow or change.

ikea joint system design

ikea triple corner joint

space saving ikea hack

An effort to bridge the gap between purely hacked-together creations and existing products, IKEA HACKA was developed as a collaboration between IKEA, IDEO and a group of industrial design and technology students. It is intended to be part of a “future kitchen that bridges the gap between the hacking movement and the modular systems of today. Its flexibility helps people to create their own solutions, and makes it easy for them to hack it to suit their unique needs and style.”

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The Bridal Portrait: Everything You Need to Know

11 May

Everyone knows that a woman is the most beautiful she’ll ever be on her wedding day. She’s in love, and happy and excited about the wonderful day she’s about to have, and, if you did your job and insisted that she has a wedding planner, she’s stress free. The Bridal portrait is one of those shots that’s just as important Continue Reading

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Wedding Photography Infographic: Everything You Need to Know

10 Apr

Wedding Photography is one of the most important things to consider before your big day. Wedding photos are something you will cherish for the rest of your life so it’s vital that you are completely satisfied with them. Take the time to choose the right photographer for your needs as well as communicating effectively with them during the process is Continue Reading

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Everything You Need to Know About Lightroom and Colour Space

03 Sep
Lightroom and colour space

This diagram shows the three colour spaces that Lightroom works with. Photo from Wikipedia

One of the key differences between Lightroom and Photoshop is their approach to colour management. In Photoshop, once out of Adobe Camera Raw, you can go to the Colour Settings menu option and tell Photoshop in which colour space you want it to work.

How Lightroom works

Lightroom works differently. When processing Raw files, Lightroom uses the ProPhotoRGB colour space the whole time, and there’s nothing you can do to change it. The benefits of this method are:

  • Less colour information is lost during the processing stage. ProPhotoRGB is the largest colour space, so it is the optimum one to work in.
  • You can export multiple versions of the same photo, each with a different colour space, if you have need to do so.
  • If future output devices (monitors, printers etc.) support ProPhotoRGB (they don’t at the moment) then your photos will be ready for them.
  • Colour management is greatly simplified. You don’t have to make any decisions about what colour space to work in until you export your photos. This is the biggest advantage of all.

How Lightroom manages colour

When processing Raw files, Lightroom (and Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop) uses its own colour space based on ProPhoto RGB. It provides a large colour gamut to work with the wide range of colours that digital sensors are capable of recording.

Note: Gamut is the term used to describe the range of colour values that fit in a colour space.

Exporting photos in Lightroom

When you export a photo in Lightroom it gives you the choice of three colour spaces.

ProPhotoRGB: ProPhoto RGB is the largest of the three. It roughly matches the range of colours that a digital camera sensor can capture.

Adobe RGB (1998): Adobe RGB (1998) is smaller than ProPhoto RGB, but larger than the next choice, sRGB. It roughly matches the colour gamut of CMYK printers used to print books and magazines.

sRGB: sRGB is the smallest colour space of the three. It represents the colour space that most monitors are able to display.

Comparing colour spaces

These two graphs show how the colours my monitor is capable of displaying, compared to the sRGB and Adobe RGB colour spaces.

Lightroom and colour space

The green triangle shows the sRGB colour space, the red one shows my monitor’s colour gamut. The two are nearly identical.

Lightroom and colour space

The purple triangle shows the Adobe RGB (1998) colour space, the red one shows my monitor’s colour gamut. My monitor can’t display all the colours within this colour space. Only a select few high end monitors can display all the colours within the Adobe RGB (1998) colour space.

This diagram compares the ProPhoto RGB, Adobe RGB (1998) and sRGB colour spaces. You can see that ProPhoto RGB is the largest.

Lightroom and colour space

Photo from Wikipedia 

Keeping it simple

Armed with this knowledge, here’s a guide to which colour space you should select when exporting your photos:

sRGB: Use when exporting photos to be displayed online, printed at most commercial labs, or printed with most inkjet printers. In short, if in doubt, use sRGB.

Note: Lightroom’s Web module automatically sets the colour space of exported files to sRGB.

Adobe RGB (1998): Use only if requested. If you’re not sure, ask. If you’ve been asked to submit photos to a magazine, for example, then ask them which colour space is required. It will probably be Adobe RGB (1998). Submitting photos to a stock library? Again, it will probably be Adobe RGB (1998). It’s the colour space most likely to be used for commercial purposes.

You would also use this colour space if you have an inkjet printer that utilizes the Adobe RGB (1998) colour space, or you are using a lab that accepts and prints photos with that profile.

ProPhoto RGB: Use when exporting a photo file to be edited in another program such as Photoshop or a plug-in. The file should be exported as a 16-bit TIFF or PSD file. There is little point in using the ProPhoto RGB colour space with 8 bit files, as they don’t contain enough bit depth to utilize the full colour range.

Note: If you import a JPEG or TIFF file into Lightroom, it uses the file’s embedded colour profile. If there is no colour profile attached, it assumes that it’s an sRGB file. If you choose an alternate colour space when you export the file, Lightroom converts it.

Colour spaces and compression

The reason that Lightroom uses a version of the ProPhoto RGB colour space, is that it is doesn’t compress the colours captured by your camera’s sensor.

When you export a photo, if you select either the Adobe RGB (1998) or sRGB colour space, Lightroom compresses the photo’s colours to match the chosen profile. That’s why selecting colour space is best left for as close to the end of the post-processing workflow as possible.

While Lightroom does its work within its version of the ProPhoto RGB colour space, your monitor isn’t capable of displaying all those colours. Instead, your computer’s operating system uses the monitor profile to convert the colours to ones that your monitor is capable of displaying.

Note: All monitors have a colour profile, regardless of whether they have been calibrated. But your monitor will only display colour accurately if it has been properly calibrated. You can learn more about the calibration process in my article How to Calibrate Your Monitor With the Spyder 4 Express.

Exporting photos with Lightroom

To export a photo in Lightroom, select the photo (or photos) you want to export, then go to File > Export. You can do this from any module (use the Film Strip to select multiple photos if you are not in the Library module’s Grid View).

Go to the File Settings section of the Export window and set the required colour space. If you select the ProPhoto RGB colour space set Bit Depth to 16 bits/component.

Lightroom and colour space

Transferring photos to Photoshop

To open a photo in Photoshop, right-click on the photo and select Edit In > Edit In Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop opens the photo using the colour space indicated in Lightroom’s preferences.

To adjust this setting, go to the External Editing tab in preferences, and set Color Space to ProPhoto RGB. You can choose another colour space if you wish, but ProPhoto RGB is definitely the best one to use.

Lightroom and colour space

Opening photos in plug-ins

To export a photo to a plug-in, right-click on the photo, go to Edit In and select the plug-in you want to use to open the photo.

In the Edit Photo window, if you select Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments (the only option available if you are exporting a Raw file) you will be able to select which colour space you want to use. Again, go with ProPhoto RGB for the best results.

Lightroom and colour space

If you are exporting a JPEG or TIFF file, Lightroom gives you the option of selecting Edit a Copy or Edit Original in the Edit Photo window. If you do so, the option to select a colour space is greyed out and Lightroom opens the photo in the plug-in using the embedded colour profile.

Lightroom and colour space

But if you select Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments, you can select any colour space and Lightroom will convert the photo to that colour space when it opens the photo in the plug-in.

Conclusion

Confused? I hope not, because colour management in Lightroom is really very simple. It’s essential to calibrate your monitor, but after you’ve done that Lightroom takes care of all colour related issues for you until you export your photos. Then, it’s just a matter of selecting the appropriate colour space.

If you have anything to add to the article, or any questions, please post it in the comments.


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My new ebook Mastering Lightroom: Book Four – The Photos takes you through ten beautiful examples of photography and shows you how I processed them step-by-step in Lightroom. It explores some of my favourite Develop Presets and plug-ins as well as the techniques I use in Lightroom itself. Click the link to learn more.

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