Using an ultra-slow-motion camera that records at 24,000 frame-per-second, researchers with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPLF) were able to capture a pulse of light as it bounced between a series of aligned mirrors.
According to EPFL School of Engineering’s Advanced Quantum Architecture Laboratory head Edoardo Charbon, the MegaX camera behind this new video is the by-product of around 15 years of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) research.
Ordinarily speaking, light is not visible during flight, but the photons do shed particles into the air that, using the right hardware and software, can be captured as in the video shown above. The light was recorded using MegaX, a camera that can produce 3D representations and ‘perform in-depth segmentation of those representations,’ EPFL explains.
The camera likewise has a very fast shutter speed — up to 3.8 nanoseconds — plus it has a very large dynamic range. As well, the pixel size offered by the MegaX is around 10 times larger than a standard digital camera’s pixel size at 9 µm — though the team is working to reduce this size down to 2.2 µm.
When talking about MegaX earlier this year, Charbon explained that the camera works by converting photons into electrical signals. Of note, this camera is able to measure how long it takes a photon to strike its sensor, giving it distance information; this feature is commonly known as time-of-flight.
By combining the typical three dimensions with time-of-flight, MegaX is something of a 4D camera, giving it capabilities beyond that of the average camera.
A new study published on July 18 builds upon this past research, detailing the first time scientists have captured 4D light-in-flight imagery using the time-gated megapixel SPAD camera technology. This is in contrast to 3D light-in-flight capture, which has been achieved using different varieties of camera hardware.
The study explains that to capture the bouncing pulse of light, a machine learning technique took the place of other functions that may have otherwise been utilized, such as dark noise subtraction and interpolation. The process involved using time-of-flight and trajectory data combined with machine learning algorithms to plot the 3D path of the light.
Charbon recently explained to Digital Trends that this new study details the use of machine learning and the 4D data to reconstruct the position of the light pulses. Though this may be something of a novelty to the average person, the technology could eventually be utilized in everything from robotic vision to physics and virtual reality systems.
Of note, the researcher explained that all of the processes involved in capturing the bouncing light pulse were done on the MegaX camera. An abstract of the study is available here; the public can also access the full PDF of the study here.
If you’ve been involved in photography for any time, you know there is a huge debate around full-frame cameras vs other sensor size cameras. Much like the Mac vs PC debate, or the iOS vs Android debate, this debate has shutterbugs riled up everywhere. Today, I am going to answer an important question from the debate, which is, are full-frame Continue Reading
The post Are Full Frame Cameras Better in Low Light? appeared first on Photodoto.
The post How to Achieve Great Portraits with Window Light appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
When you learn to do portraits with window light you can set up a studio anywhere there is a window.
In this tutorial, I’ll give you all the important information, including what to do with different window sizes, where to position the person, and how to make their eyes sparkle.
You’ll see examples of newborns/infants, children, professional headshots, and candid moments.
The bigger the window, the nicer the light
The first thing that you should know about making portraits with window light is that the bigger the window, the nicer the light. What each photographer considers to be “good” light is relative. But many photographers want soft light for portraits.
If you would like soft light for your portraits, then you need a large window. If you want harsh light, look for a smaller window.
This principle is true for all light sources; the larger the light source, the softer the light will appear on your subject.
Notice how dark and crisp the shadows are when using a small window (approximately 12 inches by 12 inches). ISO 1600 f/2.5 1/320 sec
But the window in this photo was about ten times the size, resulting in brighter light and softer shadows. ISO 1600 f/2.4 1/500 sec
Remember that small windows are more likely to create harsh looking light with dark, crisp shadows, while larger windows will produce softer-looking light with gradual, subtle shadows.
A larger window will also create more sparkle in the eyes (you’ll learn how to do that below).
Where to position the person
Now you know how to get soft light or harsh light for your portraits.
The next thing you need to know is where to position the person for the portrait.
If you have beautiful soft light, but you position the person wrong, then the light won’t look pleasing on the person’s face.
Portrait lighting usually looks best when the light source is in front of the person, but off to the side. It also helps if the light source is a little higher up.
Notice that the window is beside the infant and that she is placed back a bit.
This is the resulting portrait. 50mm ISO 1600 f/4.0 1/500 sec
In this case, I laid her down with the window above her. I could have turned her to the side a little bit, but decided not to because I like the way the catchlights will appear in her eyes.
This is the resulting portrait with bright catchlights. 50mm ISO 1600 f/4.0 1/250 sec
Do not sit them in direct sunlight
If there is direct sunlight coming in the window, make sure that you do not sit your subject in the direct sunlight. If you do, the window will no longer be the true light source; rather, the harsh sunlight will now be the light source.
Notice how the two girls are positioned in this photo. The one on the left is in direct sunlight, while the one on the right is out of the direct sunlight.
How to make their eyes sparkle
The sparkle in the eye that you see in portraits is called a catchlight. You create catchlights by making sure that the window is reflected in your subject’s eyes.
Do you see the sparkle in the top left corner of her eyes? This is the window reflecting in her eyes. 50mm ISO 1600 f/4.0 1/500 sec
You can tell where the window is positioned by where the reflection is in her eyes. Now that she has turned her head, the catchlights are in the lower part of her eyes. 50mm ISO 1600 f/4.0 1/500 sec
When doing portraits with window light, be sure to bring your portrait to life with catchlights.
How to get rid of unwanted shadows
It can be hard to take a portrait using a window and have no shadows on the face. But you can fill in those shadows or make them disappear using a reflector. Remember, you can use any large white surface as a reflector.
You can soften or reduce shadows by using a reflector. If you don’t have a professional reflector, you can use a large sheet of white paper or poster board.
Window light for headshots
At this point, you understand that large windows create soft light, you can use a reflector to fill in shadows, and that catchlights create a sparkle in the eye. You’re on your way to having a pro studio set up in your living room!
Here is a setup that you can use for headshot portraits with window light.
The same principles apply; a large window will make softer light, set your subject beside and behind the window a bit.
Notice the soft light and nice catchlights. A reflector was used for this portrait.
No reflector was used for this portrait.
Window light in everyday life
Now that you know the principles, you can use window light with candid photography as well.
Remember that it is often good to have the light source coming from the side. However, you can experiment by putting the window behind your subject to make creative silhouettes. You can also get creative by allowing direct sunlight to fall on your subject.
Did you know your home was filled with such great light sources?
Studio strobe lights are wonderful to use, but they’re not always affordable or practical to drag around.
Once you know the principles, you can use windows just as effectively and creatively as strobe lights.
Remember these principles when making portraits with window light:
Larger windows create softer light
Smaller windows create harsh shadows
Do not sit your subject in direct sunlight
Have the window to the side and in front of your subject
Use a reflector to fill in shadows
Catchlights create a sparkle in the eyes
Use a backdrop for professional portraits
Get creative with backlight and candid moments
One of the best ways to get started is to use a toy as a model. Go and have some fun with this and share your results with us in the comments!
The post How to Achieve Great Portraits with Window Light appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
In 2015 a start-up called Light announced a product that appeared have the potential to revolutionize photography. The Light L16 was a portable camera that, according to the company, provided ‘excellent low-light performance and DSLR-like image quality’. However, now it looks like Light has abandoned the consumer imaging market altogether and is instead focusing on the automotive sector.
The L16 offered focal lengths between 35mm and 150mm, 4K video recording, and depth-mapping technology to adjust a photo’s depth of field and focus after it has been captured. Instead of a conventional camera/lens setup it used 16 separate cameras across its front and computational imaging methods the combine the data captured by all sensors into a single output image.
The Light L16
When the camera finally started shipping in July 2017, after some delays and a $ 30M funding round, the camera’s performance was underwhelming, though, resulting in lukewarm reviews and presumably lower than expected sales figures.
Instead of working on an improved follow-up model Light turned its attention to the mobile market, announcing partnerships with smartphone makers Sony and Xiaomi. Given the Light technology’s limited space requirements and ability to fit into a flat smartphone body this seemed like a logical next move.
It followed a $ 121M funding round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund that also included German camera makers Leica, and the news that Nokia was going to be the first smartphone brand to launch a Light camera-equipped device. The Nokia 9 PureView was launched in February 2019 and featured a circular penta-camera setup on its back.
Penta-camera setup on the Nokia 9 PureView
The five Zeiss-branded lenses all came with an equivalent focal length of 28mm, an F1.8 aperture and were placed in front of 12MP image sensors, three of which were monochrome and two RGB. In addition, there was a dedicated depth sensor.
Much like the L16, the 9 PureView camera could not convince the testers, though, with more conventional camera setups in the flagship phones from rivals Apple, Samsung or Huawei delivering better results across the board.
Now it looks very much like the Nokia 9 PureView was the first and last smartphone with Light camera technology as the company has told Android Authority in a statement that it is ‘no longer operating in the smartphone industry.’
On the Light website there are no traces of smartphone or consumer camera technology to be found anymore. Instead, a statement on the About page says ‘Light is a depth-sensing and perception technology company focused on providing automobiles with the ability to see like humans.’
The company is now focusing on the automotive sector.
Demand for camera technology in the automotive sector has been rising quickly and with autonomous vehicles being on the brink of mass production the potential for growth seems almost unlimited. If Light’s venture into automotive will be more successful than the company’s beginnings in consumer, imaging investors could finally see a return.
This said, despite the lack of success in the marketplace, both the Light L16 camera and Nokia 9 PureView smartphone will always be remembered as innovative imaging devices and secure their place in tech history.
The post Tips for Finding Beautiful Portrait Light at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.
It can be tempting to think that you need lots of money, space, and equipment to shoot great portraits. But using just your camera and a reflector, you can find beautiful portrait light at home to shoot in.
Almost everyone will have at least one room in their home with natural light from a window that could make a great portrait. It’s just a case of figuring out where the best light in your home is. Sometimes this takes a little trial and error, but as long as you get a good grasp of the basics, you should be able to shoot some great portraits at home!
Open up your aperture
Shooting indoors often means less light than if you were shooting outside or with studio strobes. To get some more light into your camera, try opening up your aperture and setting it to the lowest number possible.
Opening your aperture up to let more light into your camera also has the effect of creating a shallow depth of field. A shallow depth of field has real advantages when you’re shooting at home – it can blur out the background and any unwanted clutter.
ISO200, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/320th sec
Alternatively, if you need to place your subject right next to a wall that isn’t as great a background as you hoped for (like above), try hanging a large sheet of paper behind them. The result would be like going to a studio with a paper backdrop. Or if you fancy something completely different, try creating a more creative backdrop!
Get your subject to turn their face towards the light to make it fall in a very flattering way that illuminates their features. If you turn their face slightly back towards you then you can create the classic “Rembrandt light” that fine art photographers love so much (just turn their face towards you enough to create a “triangle” of light on the side of their face away from the window).
By just changing the way your subject faces, you should be able to experiment with broad and short lighting with just a single window. If you have a patient subject, then a single window and a model can be a great way to learn about new kinds of lighting while finding lovely portrait light at home.
Shoot in the bathroom
I’m not even messing about. Bathrooms often have incredible light because of all the white, reflective surfaces. Even a bathroom with a small window can have lots of light bouncing about just waiting for you to photograph it.
ISO800, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/1100th sec
If you want to fill in some shadows, or even add a bit more directional light, you can experiment with using a reflector. You can use the silver side to add a bright, directional light in a room like this by bouncing light into the brighter side of the face. Alternatively, you could use the white side of a reflector to just gently lift any shadows that you get, to make the light more even.
ISO1600, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/3000th sec
Don’t be afraid to push up your ISO either if you want to capture a fast-moving or unpredictable subject like a pet. Most modern digital cameras can now go quite high with the ISO without seeing any problems in the images.
I shot the images above at ISO 1600, with an extremely fast shutter speed as my cat zipped around the house from dark to light spots. I had the camera set to Aperture Priority mode, so the camera chose its shutter speeds. Aperture Priority mode is a great choice for shooting portraits indoors because it lets you make creative choices about aperture and depth of field without having to worry about shutter speed.
Experiment with the time of day
As the sun moves, the light will change in different parts of your house. Make it your mission to observe and try out the light as it changes throughout the day if you want to find the good spots for beautiful portrait light at home.
I took both of the above shots in the same room, sitting in almost exactly the same place. The difference was the time of day. The shot on the right with the hard light was taken in the bright morning light. In comparison, I took the image on the left in the afternoon when the sun had stopped shining directly into the room.
Patches of light and shadow can make for really interesting photographs as you let them play across the face or body of your subject. Be sure to experiment with how they create different effects both in the photographs themselves and when you post-process them afterward (increasing the contrast can work really well for light like this).
Use what you have
When I first moved into my home with its large room designated as my studio, I shot almost exclusively with strobes. I would shut out all of the natural light so that I could concentrate on just using my studio lights. I hadn’t even considered that I might have beautiful portrait light at home.
ISO200, 35mm (50mm equiv.), f1.4, 1/240th sec
One day, though, I just wanted to grab a quick self-portrait. So I opened the curtains and photographed myself in the morning light.
On inspecting the files later, I discovered that this light was unexpectedly beautiful. Now I shoot regularly sat face-on to this big window in my studio with no additional lighting or reflectors because I discovered it was simply wonderful light.
Learn from my mistake – test out every window in your house for portraits, at different times of the day.
When you move into a new home, make it one of the first things that you do. Don’t wait several years to realize that you already have wonderful natural portrait light at home!
I’d love to see your portraits using the natural light in your home. Please share them with us in the comments section!
The post Tips for Finding Beautiful Portrait Light at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.
Window light is the way that the sunlight comes through a window or glass door and creates interesting light-play on walls, floors and other surfaces. It creates shadows, it can sometimes create colors. Anyway, get your cameras out and capture the way the light falls through your windows.
You can also play with them in post-processing if you like – make them black and white, or boost contrast. The possibilities are endless.
Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.
Tips for photographing WINDOW LIGHT
How to Achieve Great Black and White Photos in Editing
How to Use Color Temperature in Black and White Conversions
How to Create Silky Split Toned Black and White Photos Using Luminosity Masks
12 Tips For Indoor Natural Light Photography
How to Split Tone Black and White Photos in Lightroom
Simply upload your shot into the comment 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. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.
Share in the dPS Facebook Group
You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPSwindowLight to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Window Light appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
Want to shoot some portraits with great lighting while stuck at home? We show you how – and you probably won’t need any new gear to do it! If Chris and Jordan can light a scene with a Rubbermaid container lid, so can you.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.
Introduction
Window light
Reflecting fill light
Negative fill
Overexposing windows
Controlling background light
Three easy poses
For more info…
Sample gallery from this episode
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Following the successful launch of its Starlink 6 batch of satellites last week, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted out a few details about night sky light pollution caused by these low Earth orbit satellites and the company’s plans to address this issue.
According to the tweet, SpaceX is taking ‘some key steps to reduce satellite brightness,’ something that Musk says should make them ‘much less noticeable during orbit raise.’ This change involves adjusting the solar panel angle, according to the tweet, plus there will be a new addition to the satellites starting with the Starlink 9 launch: sunshades.
It’s unclear how drastically these changes will reduce the brightness of its satellites, but the move underscores SpaceX’s efforts to address concerns about light pollution caused by these small satellites.
Thanks! We are taking some key steps to reduce satellite brightness btw. Should be much less noticeable during orbit raise by changing solar panel angle & all sats get sunshades starting with launch 9.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2020
The Starlink initiative aims to launch thousands of small low-Earth orbit satellites that will beam Internet service to the ground, providing high-speed broadband access in places where it’s unavailable from terrestrial providers, or where only slow and expensive options are available. Musk said in a tweet following the Starlink 6 launch that the company plans to start a private beta of the Starlink service in around three months.
Renewed attention to the issue of light pollution caused by low-Earth orbit satellites was spurred with the launch of NASA’s Satellite Streak Watcher project in early March. In explaining the reason for the initiative, the space agency said that the increasing number of these satellites launched into orbit makes things more difficult for astronomers on the ground.
Successful deployment of 60 Starlink satellites confirmed pic.twitter.com/h3e6QmKRue
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 22, 2020
The light pollution caused by these satellites is also a problem for astrophotographers, causing long streaks of light to appear in long-exposure images. Unlike avoiding light pollution from the ground, it’s not possible to head to a ‘dark sky reserve’ or other similar places to avoid light pollution originating from space.
SpaceX hasn’t been ignoring this problem; back in December 2019, the company said that it was experimenting with a new anti-reflective coating that would make the satellites less bright, though it may potentially result in satellite performance problems by causing thermal issues. Based on Musk’s most recent tweet, it seems the company is turning to sunshades as its solution.
With the Starlink 6 satellite launch last week, SpaceX now has 420 of these small satellites in orbit. The company plans to launch a minimum of 12,000 satellites over the coming months, though the figure may exceed 30,000 in the long run. A public beta of the Starlink service will start in the US and Canada in around six months following the private beta, according to Musk’s tweet. It’s still unclear how much the eventual Starlink Internet service will cost.
Lighting company Aputure has announced a new studio light for still and movie shooters that offers color temperature settings of between 2700 and 6500K. The LS 300X joins a system of lights in the Light Storm range, but is the first to offer bi-color controls as the other lights in the series are designed with a daylight color balance.
The LS 300X uses both cool and warm balanced LEDs in its head and mixes the two sources to achieve the desired color temperature. As such the head is at its brightest in the 4000-5500K temperature range, and the company claims that when combined with its Fresnel 2X lens adapter an output of 65,000 LUX can be reached. The output is a little below that of the company’s daylight-only LS 300d ll, which can produce 80,000 LUX at 1m with the same adapter.
The LS 300X has two modes for color adjustment that allow users to prioritize color accuracy or maximum output, and oft used color temperature can be pre-set into the main control wheel to make switching easier and quicker. Dimming is possible between 0-100% and color temperature can be adjusted in 50K increments. Nine special effects are built-in to the head, including flicker to emulate flash bulbs, fireworks and a TV.
A series of lenses can be used over the LED, as with the other LS series heads, to modify the light and a Bowens S mount fitting around the front panel allows softboxes and accessories to be used. Power comes from either V-Lock or Gold Mount battery on the control box and mains electricity, and a smartphone app can be used to control the head’s settings.
The Aputure LS 300X retails at $ 1199 and is available now. For more information see the Aputure website.
According to Sony Alpha Rumors, Sony has filed a patent for an interchangeable E-mount lens that will allow users to adjust focus after the shot has been recorded. The lens appears to contain a number of lenses arranged next to each other to record multiple individual images on the camera’s sensor that can be combined later presumably to control focus and depth-of-field.
The site doesn’t tell us where the patent information was seen so we can’t read it for ourselves, but some diagrams are provided that we are told are part of the application.
The Light L16 light field camera from Light Labs Inc
Sony investigating light field technology is nothing new, as in the past it has filed patents for a light field sensor and has a partnership to supply sensors to Light Labs Inc, the manufacturer of the Light L16 camera that was announced in 2015. The draw of the technology is obvious as it can allow multiple focal lengths to be used for full-resolution zooming and/or focus and depth-of-field selection after the event.
We have seen a few attempts at harnessing the idea in commercial camera products in the past, including the Lytro Illum, Nokia’s 9 PureView and to some extent a number of other multi-lens and multi-sensor smartphones. It is hard to tell from the available information exactly what these lenses will used for in this patented idea, and whether they will be to collect distance information or be used to expand the range of tones that can be recorded in a single shot – or both.
Either way, such a lens will need a camera with an extremely powerful processor or the ability to simply record the images for processing in software later – as with Sony’s Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode that requires images are processed in the company’s Imaging Edge desktop application.
As we have all noticed in the past though, exciting patent applications don’t always result in a product that comes to market. If genuine however this does at least demonstrate Sony is still pursuing ideas in this area.
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