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Posts Tagged ‘Open’

Open source Raw processor Darktable gets substantial 3.2 update

13 Aug

Version 3.2.1 (3.2.0 was skipped from public release due to last minute bug fixes) of darktable, an open source raw photo developer available for many operating systems, is now available. This marks a major departure from the software’s typical annual release schedule. darktable’s team states, ‘The unfortunate state of global health has led to a marked increase in contributions and improvements. On top of that, version, 3.4 is still scheduled for Christmas 2020. 2020 will therefore be the first year in which the darktable team will have the pleasure to offer you two major versions.’ darktable version 3.0 was released around Christmas 2019.

There are numerous new features and upgrades in darktable 3.2.1. As soon as you launch the software, you will be met with a refined user interface, including a major overhaul to the lighttable, which is the software’s library and photo browser. There are a variety of new overlay modes on thumbnails, including quick access to organizational tools such as ratings, labels and more.

Digital asset management has been improved in the latest release. The metadata editor has been improved with a pair of additional fields: notes and version name. Further, users can expect improved tag management, seven new collection filters and additional image information in the information module.

darktable version 3.2 includes the new negadoctor module, designed to allow photographers to capture digital images of their film negatives and process them with many useful controls and settings. Image credit: darktable

For photographers who want to work with scanned film negatives, the old film negative invert module had a problem, it only worked on non-demosaiced image data. This means that it did not work with negatives scanned using a digital camera. Version 3.2.1 of darktable includes a new module, negadoctor, which is based on the Kodak Cineon sensitometry system developed in the 1990s. There is a lot to discuss when it comes to negadoctor, so if you are interested in using your digital camera to scan negatives, I recommend heading to darktable’s article about version 3.2.1 to read more about how the new module operators and what settings you will have access to when working on scanned image files.

With darktable 2.6, the team introduced filmic to improve color in scenes with wide dynamic range. The filmic module saw major improvements in version 3.0 and has been further improved with darktable 3.2.1. New color science has been implement for improved handling of highlights during editing.

The lighttable in darktable 3.2 includes improved performance, new visual options and a refined user interface. Image credit: darktable

In terms of image editing, the histogram in darktable incorporates a pair of major new features. First, you can now adjust the histogram height size. Secondly, there’s a new RGB parade mode. This displays waveforms that represent the levels of each of the red, green and blue layers. With this mode, you can better visualize the distribution of color components in your image. Although not visible, the histogram has been rewritten for better performance.

With respect to performance, Rico Richardson on YouTube has published a new hands-on video detailing the improvements in darktable 3.2.1 and he remarks that the software is quicker and smoother overall. You can see that video below. If you are interested in using the free, open source darktable software for your photo editing, I highly recommend visiting his channel for many tutorial videos.

There are a lot of new features in darktable 3.2.1. If you’d like to download the latest version or even try darktable for the first time, visit the installation page. Additional information about the darktable 3.2.1 release can be found on Github. User manuals, downloadable styles, a book on using darktable to process your photos and many tutorials can be found here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Slideshow: Sony World Photography Awards Open Competition 2020 winners and shortlisted images

17 Apr

Sony World Photography Awards Open Competition 2020 winners and shortlisted images

The World Photography Organisation has announced this year’s category winners and shortlisted entries in the Open competition of the Sony World Photography Awards, 2020. The annual Open competition, now in its 13th year, recognizes the best single images captured in 2019. Judged by Gisela Kayser, Managing and Artistic Director for Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus e.V. in Berlin, more than 100 photographs were shortlisted across 10 categories.

‘To have my image make the shortlist of this prestigious contest is an incredible honor, especially when it was selected from such a huge number of entries from around the world. I am over the moon to have my work recognized. Congratulations to all the shortlisted and winning photographers for their amazing work,’ Marc Le Cornu tells DPReview about his recognition in the Motion category.

Each category winner will receive a set of Sony’s latest digital imaging equipment and compete for the Open Photographer of the Year title. The overall winner will be announced on June 9th and be awarded a $ 5,000 USD cash prize along with recognition on the World Photography Organization and Sony’s online social accounts.

The ten category winners are:

Architecture
Rosaria Sabrina Pantano (Italy) for ‘Emotional Geography’

Creative
Suxing Zhang (China) for ‘Knot’

Culture
Antoine Veling (Australia) for ‘Mark 5:28’

Landscape
Craig McGowan (Australia) for ‘Ice Reflections’ – who was also a finalist for the International Landscape Photographer of the Year

Motion
Alec Connah (United Kingdom) for ‘Going Down!’

Natural World & Wildlife
Guofei Li (China) for ‘Tai Chi Diagram’

Portraiture
Tom Oldham (United Kingdom) for ‘Black Francis’

Still Life
Jorge Reynal (Argentina) for ‘A Plastic Ocean’

Street Photography
Santiago Mesa (Colombia) for ‘Colombia Resiste’

Travel
Adrian Guerin (Australia) for ‘Riding a Saharan Freight Train’

Due to the current pandemic, this year’s Sony World Photography Awards 2020 exhibition has been cancelled. The World Photography Organisation has launched the Stay Connected page to keep photographers inspired with educational resources. They will also recognize the work of past and current competition winners and finalists across their various online channels.

Open Competition, Travel, Winner: ‘Riding a Saharan Freight Train’ by Adrian Guerin (Australia)

Artist Statement: At 2.5km long, the iron-ore train in Mauritania is one of the longest trains in the world. It covers over 700km on its journey from the coastal town of Nouadhibou to the Saharan wilderness of Zouérat. More than 200 carriages are loaded with rocks in Zouérat, before the train begins its long journey back to Nouadhibou. I rode the train in both directions in July 2019.

On the first leg of the journey I learnt that in order to photograph the full length of the train I needed to stand on the rocks for height, position myself in a rear carriage to get the full view, and keep the sun behind me. Alas, none of this was possible until the morning of day three, at which point I had almost given up.

This shot was taken as I balanced on my toes atop a mountain of rocks, trying to remain steady as the train jolted from side to side.

Open Competition, Street Photography, Winner: ‘Colombia Resiste’ by Santiago Mesa (Columbia)

Artist Statement: In recent years, a number of protests have broken out across Latin America. Reasons for this unrest range from a proposed end to fuel subsidies in Ecuador to a rise in metro fares in Chile, and feelings of inequality and a general lack of opportunity in Colombia. In Medellín, north-western Colombia, workers and street vendors were taking part in a march when the Medellin riot squad dispersed them.

Open Competition, Still Life, Winner: ‘A Plastic Ocean’ by Jorge Reynal (Argentina)

Artist Statement: Each year, eight million tons of plastic end up in our oceans – equivalent to emptying a garbage truck into the water every minute. This is my protest against pollution.

In my language (Spanish), we use the words ‘Naturaleza Muerta’ to refer to still life, which ironically translates as ‘Dead Nature.’

Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Winner: ‘Tai Chi Diagram’ by Guofei Li (China)

Artist Statement: These cheetahs had just eaten an antelope, and were licking the bloodstains off each other’s faces. It’s a very rare posture, and one that reminded me of the traditional Chinese Tai Chi diagram. The picture was taken in Botswana in January 2019.

Open Competition, Portraiture, Winner: ‘Black Francis’ by Tom Oldham (United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: Photographers for MOJO Magazine enjoy a rare degree of freedom and trust with what is usually an open brief. This allows us to capture our own experience with very high profile musicians. However, when photographing famous singers, we are often painfully aware of how many times the sitter has, well, sat.

I like to acknowledge this and asked Charles (aka Black Francis) to show me the level of frustration photoshoots can generate. He offered up this perfect gesture of exasperation, and the image ran as the lead portrait for the feature.

Open Competition, Motion, Winner: ‘Going Down!’ by Alec Connah (United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: Despite measuring 125 metres high, it took the four cooling towers of Ironbridge Power Station in Shropshire, England, just 10 seconds to be demolished on 6 December 2019. The towers had been a feature of the landscape for 50 years, but were brought down as part of a new development on the site.

The demolition had been a long time coming – the towers were close to a river, railway line and protected woodland, so their destruction had to be precise. This picture was taken from my garden, which is on the hillside opposite the site.

Open Competition, Creative, Winner: ‘Knot’ by Suxing Zhang (China)

Artist Statement: This picture is from my series ‘Hua,’ which means flower in Chinese. Flowers are often used as metaphors for life and eroticism in art. Hua explores the commonalities and connections between flowers and the feminine – in particular, emotional vulnerability and sensitivity. Qualities such as calmness, and emotions such as uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and loneliness are translated into conceptual and artistic forms.

In Knot, I use a combination of light and texture to create strong visuals that heighten the senses. I like to use symbolic and metaphoric ingredients in my work, which I hope allows the audience to blend their own subjectivity with the objectivity of the photograph, leading to different interpretations and emotions.

Open Competition, Culture, Winner: ‘Mark 5:28’ by Antoine Veling (Australia)

Artist Statement: When audience members were invited on stage to dance at an Iggy Pop concert in Sydney Opera House, Australia, on 17 April 2019, it showed the warm welcome Aussies extend to overseas artists who travel long distances to reach them.

A woman’s outstretched arm lunges to touch Iggy. He seems unaware of her approach as the crowd presses around him. One of Iggy’s assistants, Jos (in the grey checked shirt) tries to make some space around Iggy. The scene is reminiscent of a passage from the Bible: ‘Because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”’ (Mark 5:25-34, line 28).

The image has been likened to religious paintings by Caravaggio, and his chiaroscuro technique. It went crazy on social media, making 40,000 people, including Iggy Pop, very happy.

Open Competition, Architecture, Winner: ‘Emotional Geometry’ by Rosaria Sabrina Pantano (Italy)

Artist Statement: Having returned to Sicily for the holidays, myself and a group of friends visited Fiumara d’Arte, an open museum showcasing sculptures made by contemporary artists, located along the banks of the Tusa River. Among these works is 38° Parallelo by Mauro Staccioli – a pyramid that stands at the exact point where the geographical coordinates touch the 38th parallel.

Open Competition, Motion, Shortlist: ‘NEOM Spin’ by Marc Le Cornu (United Kingdom)

Artist Statement: This image was taken during a commission to capture the area of NEOM in Saudi Arabia as part of a project for the NEOM tourism team. Our captain asked for a photo of his vessel, and I happily obliged! The golden hour light was catching the boat and its wake, and the patterns on the water looked incredible from above.

Marc elaborated a bit more for DPReview: ‘The inspiration for the shot came from our transport driver who requested a photo of his boat. I couldn’t just give him a standard photo, so I asked him to maneuver the boat in a circle whilst I captured the shot by DJI Inspire 2 drone from above. The light was perfect for giving a lovely, rich, warm feel to the image as it caught the boat’s wake and the boat itself, and the patterns left in the water from the boat’s wake created the final striking image.’

Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Shortlist: ‘A Fever of Cownose Rays’ by Alex Kydd (Australia)

Artist Statement: A rare encounter with a fever of cownose rays on the Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. The rays were circling and rubbing together in a behavior that is not fully understood. They were spiraling up and down the water column for approximately 20 minutes, at which point they disappeared.

Undeterred by my presence, they continued to focus on each other while I documented the encounter. There have been few reports of cownose rays in the Ningaloo Reef region in recent years. The image was taken while free-diving – it was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.

Open Competition, Landscape, Shortlist: ‘Come on In’ by Kai Hornung (Germany)

Artist Statement: A small path in the ancient forests of the Anaga Mountains in Tenerife, Spain. The clouds hung inside the moss-covered trees, creating a spooky atmosphere. When I arrived at this spot, I was smiling while setting up my tripod – I just knew I was about to take one of my best images of that tour, if not one of my best pictures of 2019.

Open Competition, Creative, Shortlist: ‘Fractals and Flowers’ by David Swindler (United States)

Artist Statement: The Badlands of Utah, USA, are fascinating to explore and photograph. We had a really prolific wildflower bloom last year, which only happens every decade or so. The yellow flowers added a nice accent to the erosion lines and patterns in the ground. These patterns reminded me of fractal mathematics.

Open Competition, Culture, Shortlist: ‘Colourful Catrina’ by Sergio Carrasco (Mexico)

Artist Statement: My wife dressed as a Catrina – one of the most recognizable symbols of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.

Open Competition, Street Photography, Shortlist: ‘Back Home’ by Liu Jon (China)

Artist Statement: After a downpour, there is often a moment of beauty. Here, a zebra crossing, an umbrella and a lone figure combine to make a colorful composition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The Smithsonian launches Open Access with 2.8 million public domain images

27 Feb

The world’s largest museum and research complex, the Smithsonian, has unveiled Open Access, a new portal to more than 2.8 million 2D and 3D images. The Smithsonian refers to Open Access as a ‘vast and diverse digital resource’ for the public, one that contains images of historic artifacts, classic paintings and some of the world’s oldest photographs.

The images are free to browse and download, marking the first time the Smithsonian has offered a resource like this. The content was sourced from all 19 Smithsonian museums, as well as its research centers and other facilities. Because these images are all in the public domain, the Smithsonian notes that anyone can use them for ‘just about anything,’ including printing them and putting them on other products.

Another 200,000 images will be added to the collection throughout 2020, according to the institution, which plans to add even more in the future as it continues to digitize its vast collection. Though other institutions around the world have started sharing digitized versions of their content, the size and scope of the Smithsonian’s new digital cache is described as ‘unprecedented.’

King’s College London expert Simon Tanner who served as an advisor for the initiative said:

The sheer scale of this interdisciplinary dataset is astonishing. It opens up a much wider scope of content that crosses science and culture, space and time, in a way that no other collection out there has done, or could possibly even do. This is a staggering contribution to human knowledge.

All 2.8 million 2D and 3D images are listed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2019 competition is open for submissions

09 May

Red Bull has returned once again with its action and adventure sports photography competition, Red Bull Illume. This marks the fifth iteration of Red Bull’s photo competition and with it comes a few changes.

Most notably, the competition will now run once every two years instead of every three years. Additionally, Red Bull has added four new categories, bringing this year’s total to 11 individual categories.

A panel of 50 international photo editors and digital media experts will select the top 55 finalists—five per category—before ultimately deciding the 11 category winners and one overall winner. In November 2019, the winners will be unveiled at a winner award ceremony. Following the ceremony, the 55 finalist images will travel around the world to be showcased in indoor and outdoor exhibitions.

Below are the 11 categories in this year’s competition, with an explainer, provided by Red Bull, of what each category is (the new ones will be marked with an asterisk):

Best of Instagram by SanDisk* — Images submitted on Instagram – photographer’s most gram- worthy moments of show-stopping adventure and action sports. Stuff so cool you have to stop scrolling.
Creative by Skylum — Images that have been enhanced digitally or in the darkroom through alterations made in the production or digital editing process. This is an open category so anything goes!
Emerging* — A fresh approach offers new angles. The up-and-coming category is for rising talents to compete on similar footing – submissions accepted only from photographers 25 years old or less. No video, no image manipulation. Show us your greatest capture!
Energy — Images that demonstrate the force that powers an action and show the energy, speed and strength required for an athlete to perform.
Innovation by Sony — Images that reveal a unique angle, a visual idea, a different format, light and flash effects… something never seen before! It‘s the purely creative image.
Lifestyle — Images that visually capture the creativity of the lifestyle, music and culture that surrounds action and freesports, or represents what happens before, between, and after the action.
Masterpiece — Images that illuminate your artistic skill, your personal best, your unique style – give us your best shot!
Moving Images* — Images are no longer standing still. The Moving Image category is an open playing field for video sequences between 5 and 30 seconds. Ready… set… action!
Playground — Images that showcase the landscapes, locations, platforms, and environments in which athletes play.
RAW* — Shots that are straight out of the camera showcasing the real image. Composition, exposure, lighting done in front of the lens and in the scene, not behind a screen. That’s the Raw category — un-cropped, un-touched, no filter.
Wings — Images that capture the point in a performance in which the athlete jumps, catches air, free falls, soars.

The winners of the eleven individual category prizes will win a collection of prizes valued at that include a Sony a7 III with the 24-105 F4 G Master Lens, a ‘bundle’ of SanDisk memory cards, Skylum Luminar 3 with accompanying presets, and photography apparel/accessories from COOPH. Separately, the winner of the ‘Creative by Skylum’ category will be welcomed on as part of the Global Skylum Ambassador Team and the winner of the ‘Emerging by Red Bull Photography’ category will get a spot at the Red Bull Rising Talent photography workshop in 2020, travel, accommodation and boarding included.

Finally, the overall winner of the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2019 will win ‘a shooting experience with the SanDisk Extreme Team and take home the Sony Alpha A9 camera with a 24-70mm f2.8 lens from the G-Master range.’

Any image captured after March 31, 2016 is eligible for the contest and submissions are open through July 31, 2019. After signing up for a Red Bull Illume account, you can submit up to 10 images in each of the eleven categories. An image can be used in no more than two categories; photographs must be JPEGs larger than 8MP and videos for the ‘Moving Image’ category must be Full HD (1080p) and between 5-30 seconds.

Red Bull has provided a thorough list of rules and regulations for the contest and the images submitted to it. Red Bull has also shared a video showing how to upload submissions to the contest. You can find the winners from past competitions on the Red Bull Illume website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Open source image editing program digiKam now has video support, new export tools and more

22 Feb

digiKam is an open-source photo management application that runs on Linux, Windows, and MacOS platforms and comes with tools for importing, managing, editing, and sharing photos and raw files.

Now version 6.0.0 of digiKam has been released after a 2-year development phase and comes with a heap of new features and improvements.

The biggest news is that the software can now also handle video files, offering many of the importing, sharing and editing functions that are also available for still image. Videos can also be played back without the need for an external player.

In addition import/export web-service tools are now available across all modules in digiKam – LightTable, Image editor and Showfoto. The same is true for other tools, such as metadata and geolocation editors, allowing for a more seamless user experience.

There are also new tools to export your images directly to Pinterest as well as the Microsoft OneDrive and Box cloud storage services, and the Raw engine has been updated to process images from a long list of new cameras and smartphone.

In addition to the new features the digiKam team says it has been able to clean the applications code in order to simplify application compilation, packaging and maintenance for the future.

For a full list of new features and supported cameras, download links and more detail about the work that has gone into the update, head over to the digiKam website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Open letter to Panasonic: Innovations in manual focus could make Lumix S a winner for cinematographers

17 Feb

Jack Lam is a cinematographer based in Beijing and Hong Kong. His body of work includes TV commercials, seasonal TV drama series and theatrical feature films. His commercial clients include Cathay Pacific, Lenovo, Airbnb, Alibaba, and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. He also works with DJI as a design consultant for their cinema products.

This guest editorial has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

As a working cinematographer, I am super excited by Panasonic’s announcement of the Lumix S mirrorless camera system. The Panasonic GH5 is so well-designed, it has become a reliable workhorse for many video shooters. I have no doubt a full-frame version of it will be amazing, and everything I read about the S1/S1R confirms that.

However, Lumix S has the potential to become much greater that what we see in this product launch. With this brand new camera system, Panasonic has a unique opportunity to create the perfect small camera system for professional cinematographers. But doing so requires Panasonic to address a long-standing problem that is overlooked by all other camera makers, as well as some rethinking of conventional ideas on camera design.

This missing feature – one that can become a potential killer feature for Panasonic – is good manual focus control for video.

“What’s the big deal with MF?” one may ask, “Don’t most cameras already have MF?” Well, when I say good manual focus control, I mean good enough for real working professionals – advanced documentarians and Hollywood cameramen alike.

The new Lumix S series cameras present an excellent opportunity for Panasonic to redefine the interface between mirrorless cameras and cinematographers who need pro-level focus control.

I want MF control that is simple, accurate, reliable, repeatable, predictable, measurable and ergonomically sound. It should also be wireless-capable and highly integrated as part of the camera (so that we can keep the camera small and don’t need to add six other accessories just to pull focus). Do you know of any small (DSLR/mirrorless) camera in the market that fulfills all of the above requirements? I have found none.

My perspective

My work varies widely in budget and crew size, ranging from run-and-gun documentaries, TV commercials to feature films for national theatrical releases. While the Arri Alexa is my go-to camera of choice for most of my work, I also use small form-factor mirrorless cameras when I see fit. I used to own every Panasonic GH model from the GH1 to the GH4, before I took a break from the m43 system for the full-frame Sony A7S.

This missing feature – one that can become a potential killer feature for Panasonic – is good manual focus control for video.

There are many instances where a smaller camera is the better camera for the job (for example, run-and-gun docs, sensitive locations, small gimbal, special car rigs, crash cams, etc.). Unfortunately, every time I shoot with a small camera I am faced with one big problem, a problem that haunts every video shooter but one that receives very little attentions in camera reviews: how do I pull focus? To be more specific, how do I pull focus effectively and professionally, as my director expects me to? How do I make sure I can nail the focus equally well in the first take, the second take, and each take thereafter?

The problem with focus pulling in today’s cameras

I am sure every DSLR video shooter shares this experience. Ever since the so-called DSLR video revolution, anyone looking to get into this game must build their own camera rig with all kinds of third-party components as if making a science project. Finding the right combination of lenses, lens adapters, focus gears rings, follow focus system, and the rig cage to hold everything together… All of these take a lot of time and energy to experiment and to troubleshoot, while we should really be focusing our time on our own artistic growth. The worst thing is, despite all the time and money we spend, the resulting rigs we built are never very good. They are unreliable, clumsy to use, and not very ergonomic.

The need to piece together unstandardized third-party camera parts also introduce uncertainties to productions. While we can order an Arri Alexa kit from any rental house in the world and have a pretty good idea of what to expect, it is never the case with DSLR/mirrorless camera rentals. Running a multi-camera shoot usually means operating with camera rigs from multiple brands, and their parts are not always compatible with each other.

All such desperate attempts in rig-building are primarily meant to provide a means of focus control. At the heart of this problem is the fact that camera manufacturers have failed to provide a good solution for focus pulling as part of their camera design.

Would you call such a monster user friendly?

**Autofocus is not the answer for professionals**

With the incredible progress in autofocus technology, can AF help us achieve good focus pulling, or even replace MF altogether? The answer is a resounding NO. Autofocus IS NOT and WILL NEVER be a good solution for professional cinematographers.

I have tried the AF in some of the latest cameras in the market. Dual pixel phase detection, facial recognition, AI subject tracking… I have to say the amount of technology is very impressive. AF works amazingly for stills, but for video I find it only useful under very limited conditions. Perhaps AF can be useful when I am following only ONE subject with a small gimbal without a focus puller’s help. Maybe I can give AF a try when I am shooting a sit-down interview on a slider. But when it comes to professional filmmaking, these said situations are just ‘kindergarten focus pulling’.

With the incredible progress in autofocus technology, can AF help us achieve good focus pulling, or even replace MF altogether? The answer is a resounding NO. Autofocus IS NOT and WILL NEVER be a good solution for professional cinematographers.

Real focus-pulling in a professional setting is much more complicated and much more nuanced. It often involves multiple actors and multiple marks. The camera may be panning from actor to actor, who may or may not be hitting their marks. We need to synchronize our focus shifts with dialogue beats, action beats, and emotion beats. Sometimes we need to predict the action and rack focus before the actor moves. Sometimes we don’t want to focus on the actor’s eyes. In fact, even the term ‘follow focus’ can be misleading because sometimes we intend to not follow anything at all to create a certain mood. Until the day arrives when a computer can understand dialogues, emotion, and esthetics, it is only foolish to think that AF can replace a focus puller.

I would even argue that the reason why some video shooters would even consider trying AF is only because there is no good MF control available to them. If we have an easy way to control MF reliably, most of us wouldn’t even need to bother with AF at all.

After all, why dumb down to artificial intelligence when we have the intelligence (and heart) of a real human being?

Focus control for stills and video are two different animals

The old saying goes, “To a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” When camera engineers started making still cameras that shoot video, the obvious solution for focus control was to use the existing AF system that works so well for stills and applied it to the video mode. Then the marketing department finished the job by calling it the new frontier of filmmaking.

However, focus control for motion picture is a very different task than getting sharp focus in a still image in many ways. For stills, all we need is to place the focal plane at the right subject as quickly as possible. How the image looks during the focusing process does not matter. For video, there is an element of time, and every frame counts. During a focus pull, the soft frames are just as important as the sharp ones as a form of artistic expression. That means hunting for focus is not an acceptable strategy.

For stills, all we need is to place the focal plane at the right subject as quickly as possible… For video, there is an element of time, and every frame counts.

To put it simply, focusing for stills is a question of WHAT to focus on. Focusing for video involves the interpretation of WHAT, WHEN, and HOW FAST to focus, and that makes it a much more complex problem for a computer to solve because it requires the understanding of intention.

Besides, focus pulls that look timely and confident often require one to know the focal distance of out-of-frame subjects ahead of time. Camera-based AF technology simply can’t do that.

Touchscreen tapping IS NOT focus pulling

There is an element of performing art in focus pulling. To a focus puller, the focus wheel is like piano keys are to a pianist. A focus puller’s distance scale is like a musician’s octave scale. A real focus puller thinks in terms of feet and inches, and prefers to have total control of focal distance. Then there is rhythm and timing in focus pulling, just like music.

For the same reasons why a piano app on an iPad can never replace a real piano, touchscreen tapping can never truly replace the focus wheel. If you want to build a camera that is loved by real professionals, you must first understand and respect the way a professional works.

If a professional musician can’t fit a grand piano in his tiny New York apartment, what would he get instead? The same goes for focus pulling with small cameras.

Focus pulling truly is an art form (let the pros do it their way)

If you still have any doubt in the above statement, this YouTube video by Fandor does a great job explaining the intricacy of focus pulling.

Please note – many of the focus pulls featured in this video, while being very easy to perform manually, are simply not possible with AF.

This YouTube video by Fandor does a great job explaining the intricacy of focus pulling. Many of the focus pulls featured in this video, while being very easy to perform manually, are simply not possible with AF.

Small cameras deserve professional manual focus control too

Skeptics may say, “if you care so much about the art of focus pulling, you should be using those big, expensive camera systems.”

This is certainly not true. Even big Hollywood productions have a need for small cameras with good focus control. I once spoke with cinematographer Tom Stern, ASC, about his experience shooting the movie American Sniper (2014). He shared that one day they had an interior helicopter scene, and it took a very long time to set up their Alexa XT cameras inside the tiny space. Director Clint Eastwood figured they were running out of time and made the call to “let’s bring in that little camera”. They ended up shooting the whole scene with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera.

In retrospect, Mr. Stern expressed disappointment with this camera for two reasons: 1) the image didn’t match well with the Alexa; 2) the pocket-sized camera wasn’t so small anymore after the cinema lens and the Preston follow focus system (and the required accessories to support it) were mounted.

Sadly, four years after the movie was made, we still don’t have a small camera that fully answers Mr. Stern’s demands.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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DJI shares open letter regarding corruption allegations, asks media to ‘pay close attention to the facts’

04 Feb

Three weeks ago, DJI released a statement regarding its ongoing investigation into an alleged corruption scandal that could ultimately cost the Chinese drone manufacturer upwards of more than $ 150 million. Now, DJI has published an open letter on its website detailing more information and urging ‘the media to pay close attention to the facts [DJI has] presented.’

In its initial statement, DJI said that during its internal investigation regarding the alleged corruption, ‘DJI itself found some employees inflated the cost of parts and materials for certain products for personal financial gain […] DJI took swift action to address this issue, dismissed a number of employees who violated company policies, and contacted law enforcement officials.‘

Since the initial statement, DJI has published an open letter on its website that provides more details on the investigation, the events that led up to it and what it plans to do going forward.

‘As DJI embarked on a management reform effort last year, we discovered problems that had evolved during our period of high growth,‘ reads the letter. It later goes on to say ‘DJI has discovered instances of cost inefficiency, purchasing manipulations and outright theft. We cannot ignore these issues. Indeed, for the sake of the vast majority of our employees who work hard and honestly, we need to uncover and eliminate these problems.‘

Although it’s not a full-fledged apology to consumers and investors, DJI does accept blame for letting the corruption getting as bad as it did, saying ‘in the past emphasized corporate growth over new internal processes.‘

DJI says fostering better management will be the key to eliminating such corruption in the future and says ‘will now take a leading role in developing clear policies, procedures and expectations to address corner-cutting and employee theft‘ and calls upon other companies to implement similar processes.

The letter also implores the media to ‘pay close attention to the facts we have presented.’

DJI has been expected to file for IPO in 2019, so these statements and open letters appear to be a part of an intense effort to suppress the fallout from the corruption and its financial implications.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Have your say! 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards open for voting

04 Dec

It’s that time again! This is your opportunity to make your voice heard by voting for your favorite photography products of the year. Polls are currently open in six categories but don’t deliberate too long – they close December 17th.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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5 Reasons to Consider Concert Photography with a Wide Open Aperture (and the Secret to Perfecting it)

21 Oct

Concert photography is arguably one of the most adrenaline-filled niches you can engage in as an image maker. Musicians, magazines, fans, and record labels alike turn to skilled concert photographers to tell a story for the momentous performance. For most music photographers (due to venue constraints) there is less than ten minutes to capture enough great images to populate a full gallery. Partner this with tumultuous circumstances such as sporadic lighting and an excitable audience and you have effectively created a photographic situation that is unlike any other.

As such, shooting with a very wide open aperture might appear to be too daunting of a task! There are common misunderstandings of how to use and work with a wide open aperture! If your inner aesthete drools over soft, dreamy photographs and creamy bokeh, then you better get ready to play with some low, low, low numbers. We are here to tell you how to photograph concerts at f/1.2, f/1.4, and f/1.8!

Wide aperture concert photography tips

Why Use an Ultra Wide Aperture?

Here are 5 reasons you may want to consider shooting concert photography with a wide open aperture.

1. Aesthetic and Style

To preface, a lot of the quality and final image look is based on the type of lens used. In the past several years, photography fans are gravitating towards the shallow depth of field aesthetic. If you’re in the business of producing commercial music photography (like myself), you’re going to want to keep following the trends and adapting to what is sought after in the industry.

Aesthetic and Style with Wide Aperture Concert Photography

An added bonus is being able to niche yourself a bit in an industry that has a lot of competition, many photographers are wary of shooting fast paced events with a wide aperture due to potential focusing issues. If you can master this art, you have something that will separate you from others.

2. Low Light Capability

Low light concert photography with wide aperture

Unless you’re shooting a big name at an amphitheater, a lot of smaller venues will have very poor lighting. You’ll need to use equipment that will illuminate the frame with whatever limited lighting is available. In these low light scenarios you need a lens with a wide enough aperture to let in more light. Using a lens that goes down to f/1.2, for example, is a great way to let enough light in and make the frame bright. Remember, the aperture is the hole the light passes through in your lens. The wider the aperture, the more light that enters the camera.

3. Shallow Depth of Field

Shoot concert photography with shallow depth of field

The wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field. Shallow depth of field is great for live concerts because the stage can be rather cluttered compositionally. From instruments to cables, background props, and other band members, there can be a lot going on in the frame at once. Only having one subject in focus with the rest blending into a creamy bokeh makes for a much more visually pleasing and simplified image. With the depth-of-field being so shallow, whatever troubles you about the background can easily melt into a beautiful creamy bokeh.

4. Detail Shots

Capture detail in your concert photography with wide aperture

On the topic of shallow depth of field, if you are photographing for an instrument company, an aperture of f/1.8 will likely become your best friend. This is because photographs taken with a large aperture allow all of the focus to lie on the subject, and the background ceases to remain a distraction. Many instrument companies love to have their products captured in a natural usable setting, such as musicians at a live show.A shallow depth of field will keep the interest solely on your single subject.

5. Sharpness

How to achieve sharpness in your concert photography with wide aperture

Due to technological constraints, lenses that open their aperture below f/2.8 are fixed millimeter lenses (they do not zoom). As a general rule, fixed millimeter lenses tend to be sharper than lenses with a range.

Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room: Focusing with a Wide Open Aperture

Right where all of the benefits of an f-stop of 1.2 start to break down is the focusing. The wider the aperture and the shallower the depth of field, the more difficult it can be to focus on what you want. Pair that with a live show in which the lighting is a bit of a mess, and the subjects move spontaneously in various directions, and it sounds like the perfect recipe for a photographer migraine. However, focusing with a wider aperture doesn’t have to be so difficult- it’s just a different thought process.

The Concept of Sharpness

Sharp concert photography through composition

Really, the focus stems from a desire to have an image that is sharp. But what is sharpness? Sharpness is an interesting concept. How sharp a subject appears is a matter of two things: the focus the camera captures and the amount of contrast on your subject. The term “sharpness” is, in fact, an illusion. You see, for an image to be considered sharp, it needs to have contrast. If the there is little contrast in the image, the subject will not look three-dimensional regardless of whether the focus is perfect or not. Biologically, the way that our eyes work, our vision naturally detects edges to register sharpness, and shadows and highlights in order to record the depth in a subject. This is a very important concept to understand when answering the question of how to make images look sharp. When editing your concert photography images, be attentive to the shadows and highlights. And add contrast to define your subject.

Perfect Focus

Sharp concert photography through perfect focus and wide aperture

In terms of getting your image to actually be sharp (from being in perfect focus), here is the basic concept of how focus works in a camera. When you focus your camera on a subject, it establishes a focal plane. To get your subject in focus, it has to be on the focal plane. Focal planes happen on an x (horizontal) and y (vertical) axis. This means anything along either of those axes will be in focus, and anything not on them will be out of focus. The concern with a wide open aperture is that your focal plane is quite small. As you decrease your aperture number and make the opening wider, the invisible area in front and behind the plane of focus will get smaller and smaller, leaving you with much less wiggle-room. As such, distance from the subject plays a key role in your focus.

When shooting wide open, even the smallest diversion from either of the focal plane axes will cause your subject to be out-of-focus. You cannot take a step forward or back without the need to refocus when shooting at a wide aperture. But by keeping this in mind, you can adjust your photography technique to better accommodate the small focal plane.

Single Point Autofocus

Using single point focus and wide aperture in concert photography

A trick to help make sure that what you want in focus is indeed sharp, is to use single point autofocus. By default, your camera will probably select either the object that’s closest to the camera or what’s in the center of the frame. By using single point autofocus, you tell the camera exactly where to focus, which is extremely helpful with low aperture numbers. Refer to your camera model’s manual to find how to change the focus setting!

The Real Secret

The real secret to wide aperture concert photography

Keeping in mind how the focal plane works, this is the big trick to shooting wide open at a concert: The farther away you are from the subject, the easier it is to get the subject in focus. You can get the subject in focus and still maintain and extremely creamy depth of field.

Whether you’re in a photo pit or just in the main venue floor, your position to begin the concert shoot can significantly affect your success for the rest of the shoot. Keeping in mind that for most general photography passes your time is limited, you need to be ready to jump right into the shoot the very second the music hits your ears. My suggestion is to start on the outer edges of the pit or venue and work your way to the middle. Many concert photographers all flock to the center of the shooting zone, and begin shoving to claim their dead center spot. When you start from the edge, while the other photographers are all congregating and fighting for the center, you have much more room to move freely on the outer edge. This is where you will have an advantage to be able to move a bit further away from your subject in order to expand your plane and get that perfect focus.

Shooting concert photography in wide aperture

Now that you’ve been let in to the secret, go out there and capture some awesome concert shots!

The post 5 Reasons to Consider Concert Photography with a Wide Open Aperture (and the Secret to Perfecting it) appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Now Open: X-Pedition Havana

01 Aug

We are announcing our second X-Pedition photo workshop, in Havana, Cuba for January 11-18, 2019.

A joint project of Strobist.com and Washington, D.C.-based Focus On The Story, X-Peditions are a shooting-intensive week centered at the intersection of journalistic photography and off-the-beaten-path travel.

You can learn full details about the January Havana workshop, here.

Please note: if last year is any indication, this trip will fill quickly. If you would like to learn more about X-Peditions in general, and/or to add your name to the advance notice list, you can do so here.

Thanks,
David
Strobist

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