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Moving to Manual Mode: Which Setting Should You Adjust First?

23 Feb

The post Moving to Manual Mode: Which Setting Should You Adjust First? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Moving to manual mode is often considered too difficult by many beginner photographers. In reality, learning manual mode is not so hard to do. Sure, it’s not for everyone. Many photographers are content to let their camera sort out the exposure settings.

One of the most common questions I get asked by people I am teaching to use manual mode is “which setting should I adjust first?” Unfortunately, there is no set answer to this question. It depends on what you are photographing.

Moving to manual mode

Shifting your mindset is the most important aspect of moving to manual mode. Are you comfortable using any of the auto or semi-auto exposure modes on your camera? Then you need to make some changes to the way you think.

First, it rarely matters if it takes you a little longer to set your camera. Very few memorable photos are taken as snaps on the spur of the moment. Slow down.

Understand the basics of how you can set the exposure manually, then practice. Once you commit to moving to manual mode, you will find it’s not difficult to manage.

There are only three settings you need to work with to manually control your exposure – shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. These regulate the exposure.

The exposure meter, also known as the light meter, guides your decision making. With many cameras, you can also use the rear monitor to gauge your exposure. With mirrorless cameras, you can typically see the effect of adjustments you make to exposure in the viewfinder.

Woman Photographer at the Shopping Mall, moving to manual mode

Balancing these three settings will result in a well-exposed subject. Each setting can also affect your photos in different ways. These are important to understand to be in control of how you want your photos to look.

When you are first moving to manual mode, you may not know where to start in setting your exposure. There are many variations on how to set your camera.

Each photographer may use a different method. I base my choices on what I am photographing.

Here are the answers I give my workshop participants about which setting to change first.

When to adjust your shutter speed first

Photographing a moving subject means you need to consider your shutter speed first. If your shutter speed is too slow, your moving subject may appear blurred.

At times you will want this effect. Often you will want your subject to be sharp, without any motion blur or camera shake fuzziness.

Young woman standing in a busy market. Shot using a slow shutter speed to get the movement of the people blurred. Moving to manual mode

Shutter speed was 1/2 a second. My model stood very still © Kevin Landwer-Johan

You need to consider how fast your subject is moving to know an appropriate shutter speed to use. The faster the movement, the faster the shutter speed you’ll need to use to freeze the action.

Making use of motion blur in your photos also requires you to think about how fast your subject is moving. If you set your shutter speed too slow, you’ll see too much blur, and your subject may not be recognizable.

Alternatively, if your shutter speed is a bit too fast, your subject may only blur a little. This often looks like a mistake has been made.

To capture a person walking and have them look sharp, you’ll need to use a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second or faster. If you want them to blur a little and still be recognizable, you’ll need to set your shutter speed at around 1/10 of a second or a little slower.

Low light may mean your shutter speed needs to be slow. It’s important not to choose a speed that’s so slow you’ll get blurring from camera shake. This happens when you are hand-holding your camera and move it slightly during the exposure. I’ll address this more in the section about ISO setting.

Once you have adjusted your shutter speed, you will then need to set your aperture and ISO. This is what your exposure meter, monitor, or viewfinder can guide you to do.

Image: I used a shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second to ‘freeze’ the flying water © Kev...

I used a shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second to ‘freeze’ the flying water © Kevin Landwer-Johan

When to adjust your aperture setting first

Aperture, among other things, allows you to control the depth of field in your photographs. This is the amount of your photo that is sufficiently sharp. The wider aperture you choose (lower f/stop number), the less you’ll have in focus in your picture.

Choosing to adjust the aperture first is a decision based on how much of your composition you want in focus.

At times, you might want to render as much of your composition in focus as possible. This is a common choice when photographing landscapes.

Setting your aperture to a higher f/stop number (i.e., f/8-f/22) will give you more depth of field. Understanding hyperfocal distance will help you make better choices about getting a deep depth of field.

Isolating your subject by blurring the background requires you use a lower f/stop number (i.e., f/1.2 to f4). Doing so means more light will enter your lens. You’ll need to adjust your shutter speed and/or ISO to make sure your subject is well exposed.

Manipulating the aperture setting first is something I often do when I have a static subject. This is because the shutter speed I use is not so significant as it is when my subject is moving.

Moving to manual mode to photograph a Thai dancer

I used an aperture of f/2 on an 85mm lens to control the depth of field. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

When to adjust your ISO setting first

I treat my ISO setting as the foundation of my exposure. I only alter it when I need to. Unlike shutter speed and aperture settings, ISO has no creative influence. However, it does have an effect on the technical quality of your images.

Changing your ISO first is a good idea when you have moved from one location to another, and the light is significantly different. If you’re outside photographing in the bright sun and move inside, you will most likely need to adjust your ISO. Likewise, if you’re photographing in a dark place, and then want to take photos somewhere that’s well illuminated, you may need to change your ISO.

When you are having to set a slow shutter speed to get a good exposure, you need to consider changing your ISO setting. This is more vital when you are hand-holding your camera, because of the risk of camera shake. When your shutter speed is slow, and your aperture is wide open, increasing your ISO will allow you to also increase your shutter speed.

My rule of thumb is to keep the ISO setting as low as possible. This will ensure the best technical quality. As camera sensors have improved over the years, quality problems at high ISO settings have diminished. I still find keeping my ISO low is a good way of managing my settings.

I used an ISO setting of 3200 © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Manual mode balancing act

Obtaining a well-exposed subject using manual mode is not very difficult. It’s a matter of balancing your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings. The key to managing to do this well is practice.

Moving to manual mode may seem like a big step, especially if you’ve been comfortable letting your camera control the exposure. Once you do make the decision to take control of your camera you will need to stick with it.

Switch back to an auto mode only when you need to. Otherwise, you will never learn how to take charge of your manual exposure settings properly.

The post Moving to Manual Mode: Which Setting Should You Adjust First? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

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3 Basic Steps for Photographing Motion, Moving Objects and the Art of Panning

30 Sep

Photography is one of the most powerful arts of all time. It gives time a meaningful value, some might say even more valuable than memories. Photos can express deep emotional features of places, things, people, and objects. They are part of our legacy to the future generation. But it’s not all about the future, or the past. It’s about capturing Continue Reading

The post 3 Basic Steps for Photographing Motion, Moving Objects and the Art of Panning appeared first on Photodoto.

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Get Moving – Four Ways to Create Abstract Light Trail Photography

08 Jul

The post Get Moving – Four Ways to Create Abstract Light Trail Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Light trail photography is a unique facet of photography. By combining slow shutter speeds with light and camera movement, fascinating abstract photography can be made. Here are four abstract light trail photography techniques to experiment with in your own photographic practice.

What is abstraction?

Before we get started, let’s talk about abstraction. Abstract photography (often called non-objective, experimental or conceptual photography) is photography that does not have an immediate association with the visual world. Instead, abstract photography uses aspects like color, light, texture, shape, and form to evoke an emotional response from a viewer.

Often, in light trail photography, light trails complement a scene or subject. However, in abstract light trail photography, it’s the light trails themselves that are the sole conveyor of meaning. By erasing any other context, the viewer relies solely on the nature of light and photography to read a photograph. This creates intriguing photography that captures and holds the attention of the viewer as they visually unpack the image before them.

When to make abstract light trails

Although it can be done in daylight, abstract light trail photography is best carried out in the evening, at night, or in a dark room indoors. This is to minimize distraction and enhance the efficacy of our chosen light source/s.

What to photograph for abstract light trails

Traffic lights, building lights, car lights, phone light, glow sticks, torches, neon signage… there is an abundance of light sources available to photograph at night. With the right camera settings and technique, almost any point of light can be used to create an interesting light trail.

Camera tossing

Abstract light trail photography rests on the nature of the light source/s (brightness, movement, color etc) and the behavior of the camera (exposure settings, camera movement etc). For example, during a long enough exposure, a set of car lights will leave a trail as they pass by, whereas a stationary light source requires camera movement to activate an abstract light trail. Camera tossing predominantly involves the latter, physically moving the camera to achieve interesting abstract light trail results.

Taken over two seconds at f/4 and ISO 100, this tangle of lights demonstrates the path of the camera as it is tossed in the air.

A disclaimer…

Camera-tossed abstract light trails involve the tossing of a camera into the air during an exposure. Purists argue that a true camera toss means that the camera is tossed without the use of a guiding hand or camera strap. This is why for this method, I strongly advise you to use an old, cheap camera. A compact camera works well. You can even use a phone with a durable case.

I wouldn’t recommend taking your DSLR out for some air-time (although I must admit I did use my 5D MKII with a 50mm lens for some camera tossing sessions). If you aren’t keen on risking your camera, (which is totally understandable) skip forward to camera swinging and keep an eye out for old tossable cameras on sale or in local charity shops.

How to camera toss

The first step to camera tossing is to find somewhere safe to toss. Camera tossing in a quiet location, over grass or carpet is a good idea.

Once you’ve found a good spot with an interesting light source or two, it’s time to organize your camera settings. I went with a shutter speed of one or two seconds to allow the camera movement to really gain traction. I then set my aperture to f/4 and my ISO to 100.

Set your focus to manual. Aim your camera lens at the light source/s and adjust your focus. You can aim for the sharp rendering of the light source/s, or take intentionally unfocused shots for softer light trails.

Depress the shutter button and quickly toss the camera in the air (10-30 cm is high enough, though you can go higher if you’re game). Catch the camera as gently as possible and have a look at your results. Make any amendments to your exposure and have another go.

When you are happy with your exposure and focus, start introducing different throwing methods. Try spinning the camera as you flick it into the air, or throwing it carefully so that the lens is orientated at a particular angle for the duration of the exposure. The results between different throwing techniques can be quite pronounced, so take some time to experiment a little.

Taken at f/8 at 1/4th of a second, I left my lens unfocused to introduce a soft quality to the resulting photograph.

Camera swinging

A variation on camera tossing, camera swinging involves swinging your camera by your (firmly secured) camera strap.

Find a light source and take a few photographs to determine exposure and focus. Just like camera tossing, you want a longer shutter speed to give the camera movement time to take shape. For camera swinging, I started with an exposure of two seconds at f/4 with an ISO of 100.

Once you’ve settled on an exposure, make certain that your camera strap is fastened to your camera. Double-knot, even triple-knot your strap to hold it in place. You really don’t want your camera to go flying once you start swinging.

Two examples of camera swinging. Different light sources make varying light trails.

When you’re ready, depress the shutter button and have a go at gently swinging your camera back and forward like a pendulum. When the exposure finishes, check your results and make adjustments to your camera settings or technique as required.

The possibilities for camera-swung imagery are endless. Each swing creates unrepeatable paths of light from one image to the next, so again, don’t be afraid to experiment a little. Try jumping while swinging your camera or spinning around in a circle with your camera fastened to your wrist.

Moving your body

Not all abstract light trail photography is based around swinging and tossing your camera. Light trails can also be created by moving your body with a camera in hand.

Locate an interesting light source and figure out your exposure with a few test shots. I found that the combination of a one-second exposure at f/4 with an ISO of 100 was a good starting point.

Depress the shutter button and start moving. Ever seen those inflatable tube men, dancing around in the wind? Well, you don’t have to go THAT crazy, but shifting your arms up and down, twirling around, doing a little dance or moving from a sitting position to a standing position are great examples of camera-body movement.

As long as the shutter is open, and the lens is pointed toward a light source, the movements you make will be recorded in the image, creating kinetic abstract imagery.

Moving subjects

As an alternative to moving yourself around, photographing a moving light source can create dynamic light trail imagery too.

Star trail photography is the photography of stars as they appear to transit the night sky. Though it is us that is rotating on earth, the star trails illustrate our perception of the celestial sphere as a moving body.

Car trail photography records the movement of car lights in darkness, revealing trails that trace the routes of traffic in a given setting. For a more abstracted image, isolate the car trails from the surrounding landscape.

Physiography is a method of light painting that can be done in your darkened living room. Suspend a light source on a string and let it swing over your camera during a long exposure. The results are often surprising and intricate, documenting the path of the light source as it swings through the air with diminishing momentum.

This physiogram traces the path a moving light source has taken while suspended over a camera

Burning steel wool photography is another form of recording light trails. Though it can be a little hazardous, the results are quite spectacular.

Burning steel wool leaves golden trails of light not dissimilar to this example of camera movement.

Conclusion

When the day turns to night, many pack up their photography gear and head home. But night time doesn’t necessarily mean that photography is over for the day.

Creating abstract imagery with light is an intriguing aspect of photography. Through the use of camera and/or subject movement you can create fascinating imagery that engages and intrigues an audience.

Go out and try these techniques for yourself, and share your abstract light trail photography with us in the comments below.

The post Get Moving – Four Ways to Create Abstract Light Trail Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

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GoPro moving production of U.S.-bound action cameras out of China, cites concerns over tariffs

11 Dec

GoPro announced today it will be moving camera production out of China for cameras destined for the U.S. market.

In a press release shared this morning, GoPro stated that while its cameras bound for the international market will continue to be made in China, gear destined for the United States will be moved elsewhere by summer 2019, citing concern over the recent tariffs put in place as a part of the trade war that’s been brewing between the U.S. and China.

‘Today’s geopolitical business environment requires agility, and we’re proactively addressing tariff concerns by moving most of our US-bound camera production out of China,’ says Brian McGee, executive vice president and CFO of GoPro in the press release. ‘We believe this diversified approach to production can benefit our business regardless of tariff implications.’

McGee assured consumers and investors alike the move will have little impact on GoPro’s financials, saying ‘It’s important to note that we own our own production equipment while our manufacturing partner provides the facilities, so we expect to make this move at a relatively low cost.’

As of writing this article at 10:10am on Monday, December 10th, 2018, GoPro is priced at $ 4.82 USD per share, down 2.82% on the day on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

08 Aug

Have you ever been stuck in a car or a bus and seen all this great photographic potential passing you by? Fantastic landscapes, funny signs, unusual animals, and stunning compositions seem to always appear when I’m stuck in the passenger seat of a car. It’s frustrating, especially if the car can’t stop to let you capture the view.

A landscape photographed from a car on a highway. - Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

A fantastically colorful landscape by the highway in the Atlas mountains of Morocco.

The Challenge

For someone who actually doesn’t like the idea of just driving through an area and taking photos of it through the window (maybe because it feels so impersonal), I’ve done a surprising amount of it. Often because it’s a now-or-never situation; the view won’t be there later, or I won’t be returning in the near future.

Sometimes I’m on a highway and can’t stop, or there are so many photos I’d like to take that I feel bad asking the driver to stop over and over again. Also, taking photos from a car or bus can be great for people who have a hard time walking.

A landscape seen through a bus window in Iceland. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

I couldn’t resist this view seen through a bus window in Iceland.

In a car, bus, or train, there are many contexts in which it’s inappropriate, difficult or impossible to take a photo. Fortunately, there are also many situations in which you don’t have to leave completely empty-handed. It is possible to take photos from a moving vehicle, but it takes a bit of knowledge and planning.

It’s a suboptimal situation but sometimes you just have to find a way to make the best of it. Most likely it’s better than not trying at all! In this article, I hope to give some tips to help make your trips more enjoyable and creative. Let’s begin!

A house seen from a car in the Rif mountains of Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

The amazing houses and views in the mountains of northern Morocco were difficult to resist, even though it was a bit tricky to compose well.

When to try and when not to shoot

Safety is paramount

Even though trying is almost always better than not, there definitely are situations where you shouldn’t be taking photos from a moving vehicle. Remember that you’re sitting in a metal box moving through space at high speeds!

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t be doing any photography if you’re the driver. But as a passenger, you also need to be aware of how your photography may pose a danger to you or others. In short: think about safety.

Make sure you don’t block the driver’s line of sight or disturb them in some other way. Communicate with the driver and the other passengers. If you’re on a tour bus, don’t block other the passengers’ view through the window.

A woman on a donkey in rural Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

A very old photo I took through a car window. There are clearly some issues in terms of sharpness and composition, but it’s still a lovely memory.

If you’re in a car and planning to open a window, make sure nothing can fly out and be aware that there might be branches or objects by the side of the road that can hit you or your camera. Also be aware of oncoming traffic, and don’t lean out! Only slow down if it won’t disrupt the flow of traffic and if you convince the driver to stop the car for a photo break, make sure it’s in a safe place.

Is it worth it?

Even if everything’s okay in terms of safety, there are a few other things to consider before you start photographing.

Can the car stop for a little while instead of you attempting to take pictures through the window? If not, can the window be opened? Is there enough light for photography? Will doing so mean that you’ll miss out on seeing and enjoying the view?

There may also be places where I wouldn’t recommend photographing through a window. Driving through a city or village pointing a telephoto lens at people could be considered a bit creepy.

A mountain landscape seen from a highway in Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

This is how you do it

Enough of the don’ts and the warnings. It’s time to learn how to take great photos in this challenging situation.

Expose right

Not surprisingly, the most challenging part of this kind of photography is dealing with movement. In a moving car, your subject matter might swoop by at very high speeds.

In practical terms, this means using a shutter speed that can freeze that movement, finding an aperture that allows for enough depth of field, and choosing the ISO that makes all of that possible.

A view of rural Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

Here, the car was moving quite slowly so I got quite a sharp photo with a relatively wide angle. The dark and rainy weather made exposure a bit challenging, but it also made the sky much more dramatic.

The desired exposure depends a lot on what kind of a photograph you want. To get a sharp landscape photo from a moving vehicle, it’s important to have a fast enough shutter speed.

How fast depends on how fast you’re moving, but faster is generally better. I would suggest using at least 1/400th, but preferably faster. Be aware that the foreground is more likely to reveal signs of movement, whereas photographing something that’s further from the road is more likely to be successful.

Between the mountains and the desert in Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

A photo with a lot of depth, taken from a moving car.

If we continue with the example of a landscape photo, it’s also important to have a large enough depth of field to get a sharp capture of the whole view. This means you’ll need to use a small aperture, preferably around f/8.0, also depending on the sweet spot of your lens.

If you have the chance, try different settings, but if you can only take one or two photos, aim for a small aperture. Again, this depends a lot on what kind of photograph you’re aiming for and light levels.

Geological features photographed from a highway in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

I was aiming for a sharp photo of these beautiful geological features rushing past the car in the Moroccan Atlas mountains.

The last element of exposure, ISO, doesn’t make as much of a difference to this kind of photography as shutter speed and aperture do. ISO has the effect it always has, so the lower it is, the better.

Still, with modern DSLRs, using a higher ISO might be the key to allowing you to use the shutter speed and aperture you need while not adding a lot of noise.

An urban landscape near Casablanca, Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

It was cloudy and rainy, but by aiming for silhouettes and a dark atmosphere, this industrial view turned out sharp enough.

Plan well

It might seem difficult to plan in these situations, but there are usually some things that can help you create as good a photograph as possible. Even before you take your photo you can observe the light levels outside, which can help you with exposure.

You may also be able to get a good composition by observing the landscape outside and imagine what it might look like behind that curve or beyond that next hill. You can also see when there will be power lines appearing in your photo. I find that one of the most annoying parts of this kind of photography is power lines. They always get in the way!

Also, remember that this is one of those situations where taking a lot of photos is not a bad thing.

Signs and advertisements after a storm. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

Really annoying power lines! Still, I decided that I wanted to document the aftermath of a pretty bad storm outside Rabat, Morocco.

Optimise

To get as good a photo as possible, you should open the window to avoid unfortunate reflections or dirt in your photo. A closed window will also limit your movement and your options when it comes to composing.

There are many situations in which opening the window isn’t really a great idea, though. Remember that the most important thing is safety. If you can’t open the window, use the viewfinder and possibly a polarizing filter to try to avoid getting reflections and dirt in your photo.

A mountain landscape in Morocco. Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle

I didn’t have time to open the window so I photographed this view of houses seemingly pressed between mountains and clouds through the window.

Conclusion

Have you taken photos out of a car, bus, or train? I find the hardest part to be composing the photo.

What do you think? What benefits and challenges have you noticed? Do you have any tips for better photography on the road?

The post Tips for Taking Better Pictures from a Moving Vehicle appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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PhotoMirage software creates moving photos from a single image

11 Jul

PhotoMirage, a new product from software company Corel, transforms images into “mirages” by adding movement to elements, such as water or clouds. The software works in three steps, the company explains, only requiring the user to select the elements they want animated, isolate them from the rest of the image, then save the final product.

PhotoMirage does not require video footage (the way a cinemagraph does), instead animating a single static image. The software is designed to produce moving images “in minutes,” Corel explains on its product website, enabling the user to choose the rate and direction of the movement using Motion Arrows. Plot Anchor Points are used to isolate images from movement, and a slider is used to manually adjust movement speeds.

The resulting image can be previewed, then either saved or shared directly on platforms like Instagram or through email from within PhotoMirage. The application costs $ 69.95 USD and comes with a free trial, but is only available for Windows 7 and higher.

Via: Digital Trends

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Behind the scenes: Shooting a documentary atop a moving train

22 May

From 2015 to 2017, filmmaker Miguel de Olaso (AKA Macgregor) and his crew spend many months traveling back and forth on the famed Mauritanian Railway—one of the longest and heaviest trains in the world, the so-called ‘Backbone of the Sahara—to document the grueling journey endured by merchants who regularly travel atop this train to transport goods to people living in remote Saharan towns.

The result is a beautifully-executed 12-minute documentary titled The Mauritania Railway: Backbone of the Sahara, which follows the journey of Malick: a 27 year-old merchant who relies on the train for his livelihood, even as he risks death each time he climbs aboard.

The short doc was shot entirely on a Sony F35 that was modified to take Nikon lenses (for reasons you’ll understand in a moment), and filming the documentary was a grueling process. We spoke with Macgregor shortly before the documentary was released last week, and he shared some details about the kit he used, the challenges he faced, and why he would never ever do this again.

The Mauritania Railway

by Macgregor

My crew and I put ourselves in the shoes of one of these merchants (over a two year period) and filmed the journey they go through on a daily basis. The result is a cinematic and immersive glimpse into a way of life that exists nowhere else in the world.

I shot the entire documentary on a Sony F35, Not sure how much you know about this “old” digital cinema cameras. The F35 was the successor of the Panavision Genesis, which was a big, heavy beast. But after the arrival of the solid state recorders a few years ago, the F35 became pretty compact and lightweight given the image quality it provided. Still not a DSLR in terms of size, but comparable to an Alexa for a fraction of the cost and size.

Anyways, even though I owned a set of PL mount lenses, I didn’t want to get them ruined in the desert sands of Mauritania so I decided to modify my Sony F35 with a custom built Nikon mount. That would let me travel lighter and use way cheaper glass than PL, but still capture a super high-quality image. We needed to travel with all our gear for more than a month and be able to move fast. Would a DSLR or Canon C300 had been a better choice? Possibly, but this project had to look amazing and I did not want to compromise on image quality. This had to look like a feature, shot on real locations and with real people.

Of course not all the lenses made it back home, but the camera did and it’s still working to this day.

This was a passion project that we did for the fun of it. But shooting atop of this damn train was horrible, dusty, endless, painful… I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It might all look very pretty with nice music, etc. but oh man, after three trips I said I’m not doing this again. Of course, we did end up going back and shooting more footage… #filmmakerlife

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Check out the full short doc at the top to see the final product, and then scroll through the behind the scenes photos above for a glimpse at what it takes to create this kind of documentary. And if you want to see more of Macgregor’s work, be sure to pay his website a visit or give him a follow on Instagram.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Really Right Stuff is moving from California to Utah to escape rising costs

22 Feb

Camera accessories company Really Right Stuff (RRS) has announced that it will be moving both its headquarters and its manufacturing operations to Lehi, Utah, where it will have access to a building that is 2.5 times larger than its current location. The company points toward increasing costs in California, where it is presently located, as the reason for the move.

“We love beautiful San Luis Obispo, but our employees can’t afford to buy a home,” RRS CEO Joseph M. Johnson explained in a statement on the company’s website. Most of RRS’s employees will be making the move to the new Utah location, which is 35 minutes from Salt Lake City.

This is good news for customers who will ultimately benefit from the location change. Speaking to Fstoppers, RRS Assistant Product Manager Nathanael Brookshire said the new building will open the door for a larger workforce and expanded production: “The move comes with expansion on every level.”

Press Release

RRS Is Moving To Lehi, Utah

San Luis Obispo, CA, 16 February 2018 – Really Right Stuff, LLC (RRS) is pleased to announce it is moving its manufacturing operations and headquarters to Lehi, Utah by the end of summer 2018. The move to a new, 2 ½ times larger building enables continued growth and allows RRS to better serve its customers.

CEO Joseph M. Johnson, Sr. commented, “Continually rising costs in California make it tough for a small business to compete in the global economy. We love beautiful San Luis Obispo, but our employees can’t afford to buy a home. The business-friendly environment and low cost of living in Lehi, Utah made it a clear choice for us to best serve our customers and employees long-term. I’m happy to see most of our employees coming with us, keeping our RRS family largely intact.”

Located 35 minutes south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front of the Rocky Mountains, Lehi is an ideal location for Really Right Stuff. It is the fifth fastest growing city in the country at the center of the high tech “Silicon Slopes.” Lehi’s beautiful natural surroundings provide easy access to hiking, mountain biking, fishing, camping, skiing, hunting, and, of course, excellent outdoor photography that spurred the birth of RRS. Six national parks are within a 4-5 hour drive from Lehi, including Yellowstone and Zion.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Structure: Moving 4K close-ups shot at up to 1000x magnification

18 Jan

District 7 Media owner Drew Geraci recently published a short film titled “Structure” that takes viewers on an up-close journey inside everyday objects. The video was shot with a Sony A9 camera, as well as an AmScope Microscope with a camera attachment, Kessler Second Shooter control unit with a Stepper Motor, and Manfrotto Lykos Lights.

Geraci uploaded the video to Vimeo, where he explains that “Structure” presents organic objects magnified up to 1000x. Those objects include a variety of fruit, bell pepper seeds, mushrooms, carbonated water, soap bubbles, beet leaf, and more.

Everything was shot in 4K using the Sony A9, according to Geraci’s video description, where he explains that the process took place over 30 days, after which the shots were edited into the two minute video using Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018 and After Effects CC 2018. In describing the inspiration for “Structure,” Geraci said:

It all started with a single shot—a small frozen snowflake I captured using a 100mm macro lens. I’ve shot plenty of macro photography in the past, but for some reason this image ignited my imagination and passion to shoot. So I did what any sane person would do—bought a microscope with camera capabilities and started to shoot everyday objects at 1000x+ magnifications.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Master drone pilot captures video while flying around, inside, and under a moving train

25 Sep

Absolutely, positively never try this yourself. By all accounts, this flight was highly illegal and DPReview in no way condones this activity.

If you’re at all plugged into the world of drone news, you’ve probably seen this video floating around the past week. Captured by master First Person View (FPV) drone pilot Paul Nurkkala, it shows his “flight of the year” in which he flies around, inside, onto, and under a moving train… barrel rolls included.

Nurkkala captured the video using his custom built drone, which is equipped with a GoPro Hero5 Session and piloted from afar using special FPV goggles.

The video has split the internet into two predictably conflicted camps. The first thinks it’s just the coolest footage to ever come out of a drone, because Nurkkala is clearly such a talented pilot. The second is infuriated that he would do something so obviously illegal, post the results online, and receive so much praise and adulation (and so many views… at last count his 5-day old YouTube video had accrued nearly 850,000 views).

No judgement if you find yourself both entertained and a little bit annoyed/angry while watching the video.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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