Canon Inc. and Canon Marketing Japan Inc. have announced their plans for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games. Canon will set up a photo service center for professional photographers at the Main Press Center (MPC). The MPC is where international press gathers during Tokyo 2020.
Canon’s photo service center will ensure professional photographers are well-equipped to capture iconic imagery during the games. In addition to providing Canon’s best cameras and lenses, the photo service center will offer photographers a network of service and support.
’Thus far, Canon has provided on-site support for press photographers, including camera and lens maintenance and technological support, behind the scenes at major sporting events around the world,’ Canon said. ‘The Tokyo 2020 Games are no exception—there too, Canon will apply its professional support know-how acquired over its long history to provide flexible and appropriate support for photographers and the various requests and equipment troubles they may have.’
Credit: Canon
Located at the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center, Canon’s photo service center will be the largest photo service center during the event. Canon is a Gold Partner for Tokyo 2020, supplying still cameras and printers.
The photo service center will operate under a principle of ‘zero downtime,’ ensuring photographers won’t miss their opportunities to capture iconic moments during the games. Canon writes, ‘Canon will provide speedy maintenance service, equipment repairs and loaning of replacement equipment so that photographers can always be ready and in the best possible condition.’
Canon 1DX Mark III
Equipment on hand will include DSLR and mirrorless cameras and lenses, including EOS-1DX III and Canon EOS R5 and R6 cameras. Many lenses will be available, including Canon’s telephoto and super-telephoto optics, ideal choices for sports photography.
Spectators will be sure to see many white lenses in photographer bays and around the events. Canon’s white lenses are iconic, and their origins are traced back to the 1970s. Canon writes, ‘Canon developed the signature white of its lens barrels as a tool for photographers at international sporting events. The first such lenses* produced by the company, the FD600mm f/4.5 S.S.C. and FD800mm f/5.6 S.S.C. large-diameter super-telephoto lenses, were released in June 1976.’
Credit: Canon
White paint reflects heat better than black paint. This is especially important on large lenses, such as telephoto optics. When a lens heats up, the increasing temperatures can adversely affect optical performance.
To learn more about Canon’s services at Tokyo 2020, including Canon’s robotics, read the company’s announcement.
The post 35mm Street Photography Pros and Cons (+ Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
With a 35mm prime lens on a full-frame camera, you’ll capture a field of view a little broader than what you see. This is what makes 35mm street photography so attractive.
Street photography is most impactful when it is realistic – but with a twist. That twist is the photographer’s creative influence. Rather than relying on tricky post-processing, extra long or wide lenses, or any other gear to make an image stand out, a good street photographer will aim to capture life on the highways and byways as they experience it.
In this article, I’ll take a look at some of the pros and cons of 35mm street photography and offer some easy-to-follow tips!
5 reasons to use a 35mm lens for street photography
Wondering whether a 35mm lens will work for your street shooting? In this section, I share five reasons to love the 35mm focal length, starting with:
1. It’s how we naturally see (almost)
A 35mm lens on a full-frame camera provides a field of view a little wider than the field of view offered by our eyes. So it takes photos with a natural look.
With wider lenses or longer lenses, distortion can creep into your compositions. Wider lenses tend to distance elements in a composition. Longer lenses have the effect of compressing whatever appears in the frame.
2. A 35mm lens is wide, but not too wide
For street photography, a 35mm lens is wide, but not too wide. It allows you to back away and capture a broader perspective. Generally, it does not introduce distortion.
The very popular 50mm prime can be too tight for a lot of street photography. It narrows your field of view, which can make it harder to capture the full scene.
My first camera, a Nikkormat FTN, came with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. It was a great lens, and I continued using it for 27 years until it would not focus anymore. Then I replaced it with a 35mm f/1.4. I loved the f/1.4 feature on my 50mm, but it never gave me a wide-enough perspective.
A 35mm prime can be a relatively small, compact lens. My 35mm f/1.4 is not so small, but it’s also not too big compared to many popular zoom lenses.
And using a less obvious camera and lens for street photography can often help. You and the people you’re photographing can feel more confident because bigger gear can be intimidating. For instance, you may not feel so comfortable with a full-frame body and a 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens.
With mirrorless cameras and pancake lenses, you have an even greater advantage. The gear is so much smaller and less conspicuous!
4. You have to “zoom with your feet”
Photographers who love their zoom lenses can scoff at the notion of having to zoom with your feet. But being forced to move often helps me see my subject in more creative ways than if my feet were to remain in one place. This is another positive aspect of using a 35mm prime lens for street photography.
When you have to move, you’ll see the world from different points of view. This will show you more angles, and you’ll see how the light plays differently off your subject depending on your position.
Did I already mention that I love my 35mm f/1.4? Using the widest aperture setting for street photography is not always practical. Focusing is more challenging. But when you want the loveliness of a very shallow depth of field, an f/1.4 lens is perfect.
Many street photographers prefer to work with a narrower aperture setting. I often do. But when I want that background blur, I open up my aperture and maybe get in a little closer.
5 reasons to avoid a 35mm lens for street photography
While 35mm lenses are great, there are some important drawbacks worth considering. For instance:
1. They’re too standard
As I pointed out earlier, a 35mm lens on a full-frame camera produces a very natural field of view.
But this may not be to your liking.
A wider lens will capture more of a scene. When you can’t back up any farther, it becomes necessary to attach a wider lens to your camera. And a longer lens will get you closer to the action (it may keep you safer, too).
2. You can’t zoom with a prime
Zooming in or out is often the quickest and easiest way to recompose a photo. With a prime 35mm lens, recomposing takes longer because you have to physically move.
A zoom lens is sometimes much more convenient because it lets you stay where you are and keep taking photos.
With a 35mm prime lens, you can’t always capture those perfect street photography moments. You may find yourself needing a longer lens to get you closer to the action or to remain inconspicuous.
4. The focal length is long on an APS-C camera
A 35mm lens on a crop-sensor camera is about 50mm. This is restrictive and not so flexible to work with – it’s often just too tight for street scenes.
5. f/1.4 is expensive
A 35mm f/1.4 lens is a serious commitment; it is not cheap.
When I needed to upgrade from my 50mm lens, the price difference between replacing it with another 50mm or buying the 35mm was significant. In the end, though, the 35mm f/1.4 was well worth the investment.
Now that you’re familiar with the pros and cons of 35mm street photography, it’s time for some quick-and-easy street photography tips!
1. Know your lens characteristics well
If you work with a lens long enough, you’ll get used to its characteristics. You’ll become intimately familiar with its capabilities.
You’ll get to know intuitively how much depth of field you’ll have in a scene, given your f-stop and distance from the subject. This is a great advantage when capturing images that require a deep depth of field and you need to work quickly.
Don’t be shy about getting close to your subject when using a 35mm lens for street photography. With a 35mm lens, street photography can be more personal. Getting in close allows you to produce photos with a greater sense of intimacy.
Here’s a fun little exercise to try:
Photograph the same scene with a 35mm lens and a 200mm lens. The photos taken with the 35mm lens will have a different, more intimate feel – simply because you’re closer to your subject when you hit the shutter button.
A 35mm lens helps you truly connect with your subjects. You can be close enough to have a natural conversation. If you are farther back with a long lens on your camera, you will not be conversing from a position that you’d naturally have a conversation in.
Also, a 35mm lens is lovely for street portraits and is not so wide that it produces distortion on your subject’s face.
Whatever style of street photography you love, if you haven’t yet tried a 35mm lens, I highly recommend it.
Even if you often work with a standard zoom, I suggest you go out a few times, set your zoom to 35mm, and don’t change it. You may even learn to appreciate this restriction.
35mm street photography may not suit everyone’s style, but I certainly love it.
Now over to you:
What’s your favorite street photography focal length? Do you use a 35mm lens for street shooting? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The post 35mm Street Photography Pros and Cons (+ Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
The post Is it Time to go Full Frame? Weigh These Pros and Cons Before You Decide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Bruce Wunderlich.
Has anyone ever said to you, “That’s a nice photo; you must have an expensive camera”?
According to photography legend Ansel Adams, “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!”
Your camera is simply a tool, one that you use to create your vision of the scene in front of you. A camera can only do what you tell it to, so it’s not going to capture that “nice photo” all by itself.
But what if a camera doesn’t perform up to your expectations? Then it may be time for an upgrade – from APS-C to full frame.
Captured at ISO 6400 on a full-frame Nikon D750, this image shows great tonal range with acceptable noise levels.
I recently made the jump from a crop sensor camera to a full-frame body (a Nikon D750, used in all the images below). For this article, I am not going to get into a technical discussion about the differences between a crop sensor camera and a full-frame camera.
Instead, I want to talk about if and when upgrading to a full-frame camera is desirable, especially if you’re on the fence about purchasing a full-frame body.
Now let’s discuss some important full-frame pros and cons:
Advantages of full frame
Enhanced low-light performance: The larger sensor of a full-frame camera has bigger pixels, which create less digital noise at higher ISOs. In most cases, you will get a one- or two-stop improvement in high-ISO noise over crop sensor cameras, which allows you to shoot with faster shutter speeds in low light.
More control over depth of field: This is a commonly misunderstood benefit of full-frame cameras, because the larger sensor does not really affect the depth of field of an image. However, with the larger sensor of a full-frame camera, you can move closer to the subject while using an equivalent focal length, and this causes the depth of field to become narrower. Ultimately, you get smoother background bokeh.
Improved dynamic range and color depth: A full-frame sensor can record more tonal range within shadows and highlights. Detail and color are much improved at both ends of the spectrum.
Disadvantages of full frame
This heron in flight was captured at a high ISO to achieve the fast shutter speed needed to get a sharp wildlife image.
Expense: Not only is the cost of a full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera higher than crop sensor alternatives, but you may also need to invest in full-frame lenses.
Size and weight: The overall size and weight of full-frame cameras is greater than their crop sensor counterparts. Full-frame lenses are also larger and heavier. This may not matter to many photographers, but if you frequently carry gear for long distances, it could be a factor to consider.
No crop factor: The telephoto reach of a full-frame camera is lessened by not having a crop sensor. A 200mm lens on a full-frame camera reaches to 200mm; a 200mm lens on a 1.5x crop sensor camera reaches to 300mm.
If you’ve made it this far and you still like the sound of a full-frame camera, it’s time to ask yourself a few key questions:
How much will it cost?
As mentioned above, the cost of buying a full-frame camera is significantly more expensive than a crop sensor one, plus you’ll likely need to purchase new lenses. There isn’t much use in changing to full frame if you are not going to use high-quality lenses designed for full-frame cameras. So if you plan to make the jump to full frame, you may want to begin by upgrading your lenses to those compatible with full-frame cameras.
What type of photography do you enjoy shooting?
Choosing a smaller aperture of f/22 produced enough depth of field to keep both the boys and the waterfalls in focus when using my full-frame Nikon D750.
Full-frame sensors offer advantages and disadvantages for different types of photography.
Landscape: Enhanced low-light performance and more detail are both key advantages of full-frame cameras for landscape photography. The only possible drawback here is the effectively shallower depth of field, but this can be compensated for by using a smaller f-stop.
Portraits: The larger size of a full-frame sensor will result in a shallower depth of field. For portraiture, this means the backgrounds can feature more blur and make the subjects stand out better.
Wildlife: A full-frame camera loses the telephoto reach that a crop sensor camera offers. Nevertheless, a lot of wildlife photography is shot in low-light situations, where a full-frame sensor gives a significant advantage.
Sports: As with wildlife photography, high-ISO capabilities are helpful for sports photography. However, the loss of increased reach may be a problem.
To summarize:
If you are a portrait or landscape shooter, there are many reasons to switch to full frame. But if you’re a sports or wildlife shooter, you’ll need to consider more carefully.
This scene was captured at 24mm on a full-frame Nikon D750. The white line shows how much of this image would be captured on a crop sensor camera from the same shooting location.
This image was captured at 600mm with a full-frame camera. The white line shows the reach advantage that a crop sensor camera would provide. Still, capturing this image in low-light conditions with an ISO of 2000 is possible thanks to my full-frame sensor.
Is your current camera holding you back?
Every camera has a limited number of shutter releases, so if your camera is nearing the end of its life cycle, it might be time to consider an upgrade. If your older crop sensor model is limiting your results in low light, and you are constantly frustrated by high levels of noise, you might benefit from an upgrade to full frame.
However, keep in mind that it’s convenient to blame a camera for taking poor images, but it may not be the camera that’s holding you back.
Many times, photographers don’t get the results they expect from high-end equipment simply because they struggle with more fundamental techniques. No matter what type of camera you shoot with, get to know it and how all of its features work before moving on to a different one.
This cityscape was captured with a full-frame camera in low light by increasing the ISO.
What is your level of photography experience?
A full-frame camera is probably not the best option for beginners.
So if you are a beginner, I’d recommend starting with an entry-level camera and working up to a full-frame model. In fact, if you are looking for a camera to take photos of family and friends, a crop-sensor model is a great choice.
Having a good handle on the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) and how its key components work together is essential if you’re going to take advantage of a full-frame sensor. You must also be comfortable shooting in Manual mode.
Do you make large prints?
A full-frame sensor has larger pixels, which will capture more light – and this results in high-quality large prints. If you never make any prints larger than 8×10″, then a full-frame model won’t help you much here.
Captured with a full-frame Nikon D750, this sunrise image reveals a nice range of tones, without any of the digital noise in the shadows that is likely to be present with some crop-sensor cameras.
Will purchasing a full-frame camera make you a better photographer?
You may have heard this quote, “Skill in photography is acquired by practice, not by purchase.”
Do you need a full-frame camera to capture great images? No, of course not! Most new crop sensor cameras on the market today are engineered to take beautiful images!
But if you’re an experienced photographer, you may benefit from switching to full frame.
The bottom line
If you are thinking of upgrading from a crop sensor camera, be sure to consider the price, lens compatibility, and type of photography you do before you make the change to full frame. Jumping to a larger sensor can be intense – but if you’re ready for that big step, the results are often rewarding.
Now tell me:
Are you ready to go full frame? Please leave your answer in the comments below!
The post Is it Time to go Full Frame? Weigh These Pros and Cons Before You Decide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Bruce Wunderlich.
Apple may be preparing to release a new macOS feature called ‘Pro Mode,’ according to a recent report from 9to5Mac. Evidence of the feature was found nestled within macOS Catalina 10.15.3 beta code alongside strings of text. Based on the text, it seems ‘Pro Mode’ will be a manual feature that enables users to temporarily boost a Mac’s performance.
Apple releases beta versions of its macOS operating system for developers to test before the updates are made available to casual users. Teardowns of these updates may reveal the presence of unannounced features that are hidden in the code, the latest example being this newly detailed ‘Pro Mode.’
Strings of text listed as descriptions of the feature state that enabling Pro Mode may make apps ‘run faster, but battery life may decrease and fan noise may increase.’ As well, a string of text reveals that ‘fan speed limit [is] overridden’ when Pro Mode is active.
The report indicates that users may be able to turn Pro Mode on manually and that the system will automatically disable it by the next day in a way similar to the existing Do Not Disturb feature. The feature is expected to be made available on MacBook laptops, making it possible for users to temporarily boost performance while editing images, processing videos or other tasks with more demanding requirements.
Apple has published seven videos in its ‘Experiments’ series, including four episodes and four behind-the-scenes videos. Each video is intended to show what’s possible with ‘an iPhone, simple materials, and boundless creativity,’ according to the company. The latest video involves effects created by fire and ice; past examples include water and colorful objects.
The methods used to create Apple’s newest Experiments videos are fairly simple and reproducible at home, including the use of dry ice, what appears to be isopropyl alcohol in a glass jug, a wire mesh covered in lint and caught on fire, a red hot piece of metal placed on dark paper and more. The majority of the shots were captured by hand.
The Sigma fp is the world’s smallest full-frame camera. Built as a hybrid stills / video platform, the fp is highly modular and packed with features that many stills photographers would find esoteric in the extreme. The fp has clearly been designed with filmmakers in mind, and after using one for a few days, we suspect that they’ll love it.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
Measuring 112 x 70 x 45mm and weighing only 422g (just shy of one pound) with a battery and memory card, the aluminum-bodied Sigma fp is a very small, very light camera, considering its sensor format. We’re told that fp stands for ‘fortissimo pianissimo,’ which Sigma is interpreting as ‘very loud and very soft’. One way of interpreting that is ‘a lot of power in a small package’.
Sigma has achieved the fp’s compactness in a couple of different ways. Firstly, the body is the core of a very modular system. There’s no built-in viewfinder, no integral flash, and no grip. Leaving these things out means some serious space savings, and furthermore there’s no in-body stabilization, and no mechanical shutter, either. The fp is all electronic shutter, all the time. This has one major advantage for stills photographers – totally silent shooting – but a couple of disadvantages: a very slow maximum flash sync speed, and the potential for rolling shutter (‘jello effect’) and banding in some lighting conditions.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
From behind, you can get an idea of the fp’s minimalist ergonomics. The rear of the camera is dominated by a large, touch-sensitive LCD, with only four direct control buttons to the right, plus a control wheel / 4-way controller. The accessory grip adds a protruding thumbrest but without this, the back of the camera is essentially flat. Below the screen you’ll find five more buttons, mainly geared to video shooters.
Because the form factor of the fp is essentially a flat-sided rectangle, with barely any protuberances anywhere, it’s easy to incorporate into a video rig.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
This view shows the interesting design of the accessory grip, which is formed from a single curve of metal. It also shows off the fp’s very simple upper control layout. A control dial and integrated shutter button, a ‘REC’ button and a very simple ‘Cine | Still’ toggle for fast switching between capture modes. In a nice touch, when the switch is set to ‘Cine’, the switch moves to expose a bright red painted backing, providing quick visual feedback that the camera is set to record video, even when it is powered off.
Also visible in this shot is a row of vent holes, above the rear LCD. More on those in a moment.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
Here’s the fp without the accessory grip attached. The grip, straps and tripod socket all use 1/4-inch threads, which makes modifying the camera pretty simple and gives videographers multiple attachment point options for incorporating the fp into a cage or shoulder-mounted rig.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
Here are those same vent holes viewed from the base of the camera. The fp is passively cooled, via a large heat sink designed to dissipate heat away from internal components and out of the camera. The system is ‘passive’ to the extent that it does not rely on mechanical fans to do so, hence it will not create any operational sound: a potential issue when shooting video.
The vents do not lead directly to any of the fp’s delicate innards. As such, if dust or moisture make their way into them, it doesn’t present a problem. The fp is fully weather-sealed at 42 points, and Sigma is confident that the fp should stand up under use in poor weather.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
The fp does not feature an integrated hotshoe, and Sigma has opted not to make an optional EVF. Instead, for cinematographers that really need a viewfinder, there’s the LVF-11 finder, which attaches physically to the rear screen and offers a 2.5X magnification, for precise focus and composition adjustments in (say) bright ambient light.
While not as flexible as a true electronic finder, for video work the LVF-11 works very well, and the additional stand-off distance from the back of the camera actually ends up being very useful when the fp is built up into a multi-module rig…
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
…a rig like this Zacuto one, where as you can probably imagine, the close proximity of the LCD screen to the operator’s face would make focusing on composition and focus very uncomfortable. With the LVF-11 attached, the operator can both hold the camera and look through the finder in a comfortable working position.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
This rig demonstrates the fp with an optional HU-11 hotshoe adapter attached, allowing for the addition of a range of accessories, such as an external microphone, or of course a flash (assuming you can live with the 1/30sec max flash sync speed).
It also shows a Samsung T5 SSD drive (right) attached to the fp via USB 3, into which 12-bit CinemaDNG Raw video can be recorded directly.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
Here’s the USB port, alongside the HDMI port and mic socket. The six gold connectors are proprietary, and carry power to the accessory hotshoe unit.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
According to Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki, the fp was developed on the basis of knowledge gleaned from the creation of Sigma’s ‘Cine’ range of Art-series prime lenses. The 35mm T1.5 is shown here, dwarfing the fp. But cine primes are typically heavy things, and every ounce saved from the total setup is precious, especially for filmmakers working with shoulder-mounted rigs.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
We’ve only had a full production-quality fp for a few days, but that’s long enough to form some preliminary impressions. Right now, we’re pretty positive for the most part, with some caveats. Stills photographers might be a little shy of it at first (I did find myself really wishing for a conventional finder, and I’d personally take a bigger body for the sake of IBIS) but with one of the optional grips attached, the fp handles pretty well. The most serious handicap for stills shooting is likely to be rolling shutter, which does introduce distortion in some situations, albeit not to a problematic extent in many shooting scenarios.
Although the fp uses a contrast-detection autofocus system, it is reasonably fast and responsive (with the L-mount 45mm F2.8 and 14-24mm F2.8 attached) and finds faces and eyes fairly quickly and accurately, assuming your subject is facing the camera. That said, overall autofocus performance is definitely a step behind the best of the mirrorless competition, with noticeable lag (for example) when placing the desired AF point by touch.
Hands-on with the Sigma fp
Realistically though, the fp is a video camera that can shoot stills – not the other way round. And video pros have a lot to be excited about. In the fp, Sigma is courting them pretty aggressively, with features like HDR video (coming via firmware), 12-bit Raw video output to an SSD and ‘Directors’ Viewfinder’ which allows filmmakers to simulate the different viewing angles and fields of view of other popular video cameras for framing.
So that’s the fp, coming soon to a store near you for an MSRP of $ 1,800. With the potential to be a seriously powerful tool for filmmakers, along with some solid stills photography features, the fp is an interesting prospect, and a bold move for Sigma. Watch out for more analysis – including a detailed look at its video capabilities – soon.
The post Pros and Cons of Adobe Portfolio For Your Professional Gallery appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ian Johnson.
I am going to tell you one of the worst parts about running a photography-based website, and you can tell me if you agree with me: maintaining your image galleries. Galleries are one of the greatest ways to show off your content to the world and to show everyone what you are all about. As you grow as a photographer, you need to continually update your public face and what you want to tell your followers. However, curating the content is so time-consuming that I often wonder if it’s worth it! I, (and surely you) would rather be out making more images and bringing visions to life, not spending more time in front of the computer. I have great news – you can use Adobe Lightroom’s workflow, coupled with Adobe Portfolio, to create beautiful and dynamic galleries in record-breaking time!
This collection set in Adobe Lightroom syncs directly to my Adobe Portfolio. Any edits that I make to images in this collection sync automatically to the online gallery making it incredibly easy to keep up-to-date galleries on a website
Adobe Portfolio? What is it?
Adobe Portfolio is Adobe’s online website-for-dummies platform to display your images in stunning galleries. It links directly to Adobe Lightroom using collection sets. Updating the gallery is as easy as adding or removing an image from the collection! If you are already paying for their annual Adobe Cloud membership, you have access to Adobe Portfolio without paying another dime. This is a great option if you run your own low-budget website and are doing your best to keep your costs at a minimum.
This is a look at my Adobe Portfolio website in design view. Adobe Portfolio offers easy website creation with dynamic, beautiful galleries connected directly to Lightroom.
How to do it?
To set up your Adobe Portfolio there’s really three main steps:
Set up an Adobe Portfolio account,
choose a template, and
sync photos from your Adobe Lightroom collections to the website.
Presto! In his article, Andrew Gibbon claims you can set up a full Adobe Portfolio website in 15 minutes. His step-by-step tutorial makes it easy! Since making a tutorial as thorough as Andrew’s would be simply re-writing the wheel, I’d like to instead turn to the pros and cons of Adobe Portfolio so you can determine if this service is right for you.
Cons
I always like to get the bad news before the good. So here’s a couple of cons for your consideration.
1. Cannot sell imagery from it
If selling your imagery through a savvy e-commerce solution is what you most desire, then Adobe Portfolio is not for you. Technically you can hyperlink your image to a sales page, but the likelihood of losing the shopper is high. There are multiple other web platforms such as Fine Art America, Smug Mug, Square Space, Weebly, and so many others that allow you to sell your imagery directly.
2. Redirects traffic from your primary website
If you run a website through another host, you will need to connect your websites. I outlink the galleries using a custom link in my WordPress site. If you feel you need to keep people on your primary website to sell them something or deliver a message, then you may choose to avoid Adobe Portfolio and look for integrated gallery options. I will say though; Adobe Portfolio gives you lots of options on their templates to re-direct people where you want them to go (such as sales) after they view your gallery.
I outlink to my Adobe Portfolio galleries which directs traffic away from my primary website. If you need to keep traffic on your primary website, then Adobe Portfolio may not be for you.
3. Templates are pretty, but not highly customizable
The templates within Adobe Portfolio do not give you access to CSS or other mechanisms to customize them. Although you can change the color of the theme, your options are very limited here.
Pros
The way I want to use Adobe Portfolio, the pros outweigh the cons. The pros below are listed in importance (most important to least) for my own workflow and website needs.
1. Show image edits in Lightroom instantly
How many times do you re-edit an image? There are so many reasons why you continue to tweak an image. In most website galleries, a new image edit would require taking down the old edit and uploading the new. Not so with Adobe Portfolio. Any edits sync (color, crop, clarity, any of them!) to your Adobe Portfolio and can be updated on your website with just a few clicks. In my eyes, this is the #1 reason that Adobe Portfolio shines for my needs.
In each of these thumbnails, you can see a double arrow in the upper right-hand corner. That means all changes are automatically synced to my gallery online!
2. “Free” if you already pay for an Adobe Creative Cloud membership
There’s a good chance that you do not want to pay for more services than you already do. Camera gear, website fees, and everything else add up! As long as you already pay the annual membership for Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Portfolio is included.
3. Automatically resizes images
Adobe Portfolio’s galleries are very beautiful. Even though a RAW file is being synced to the Adobe Cloud, they automatically reduce the resolution of the image to optimize load time and viewing. This also makes it is less useful to a copyright thief. Having this built-in functionality removes any need to research optimal DPI, web color space, and pixel widths you would need to do if exporting your images for the web.
4. Lots of templates that easily outlink to your other content
I mentioned in the cons that you have to outlink to your Adobe Portfolio. However, all of the Adobe Portfolio templates provide lots of links back to your other work.
This landing screen of my Adobe Portfolio has five links where viewers can click to redirect back to my website and two links to my social media websites. In my opinion, if you can hook them with your beautiful galleries it is likely they will follow your links.
5. You can create as many collections as you want
In Adobe Portfolio, collections act as a page on your website. There are no limits to the number of pages you can create. This gives you a huge amount of flexibility because you can create very specific collections (say for an individual wedding or a species of animal) and have personalized galleries for each one.
6. No coding necessary
There is absolutely zero coding needed to set up an Adobe Portfolio website. If you want to have heavy customization privileges over your website, this isn’t for you. However, I found most of the templates to have characteristics that I liked, and I’m not looking for a lot of control over this website. That’s in stark contrast to my WordPress site where I like to have CSS control for each element in a theme.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is there are SO many ways to display your images on a website – many ways to “skin that cat” if you will – that finding the best solution for you can be challenging. I think many users will find the ease of creation and low cost of Adobe Portfolio to be very appealing, but it may not be desirable for high-level web users.
I’m all ears and happy to discuss Adobe Portfolio further, and my experience or yours. Please provide your constructive thoughts, and I’ll be sure to respond!
The post Pros and Cons of Adobe Portfolio For Your Professional Gallery appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ian Johnson.
On May 14, Chinese smartphone company OnePlus will officially announce the anticipated OnePlus 7 Pro Android smartphone. Though many details are lacking at this time, the OnePlus 7 Pro previously leaked as featuring a rear three-camera system, something OnePlus confirmed on April 25, 2019. Following that confirmation, OnePlus has shared three official sample images captured with the the triple camera.
Get closer to the action! Shot on OnePlus 7 Pro.#OnePlus7Series Launching May 14. https://t.co/Q0eAKsxnw4 pic.twitter.com/53KWiM6olE
— OnePlus (@oneplus) April 30, 2019
OnePlus shared three images captured with the OnePlus 7 Pro via Twitter on April 30. Though the company didn’t provide details on the device, the images seemingly confirm leaks that claim the model will feature both ultra-wide and zoom cameras in addition to the expected 48MP primary camera.
The OnePlus 7 Pro will allegedly feature a Snapdragon 855, 8GB of RAM, USB-C, a single speaker, notch-free display, and complete lack of a headphone jack. Official features will be revealed by OnePlus next month.
The post 7 Pros and 5 Cons of Volunteering Your Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
Some experiences are worth more than money. Volunteering your skills as a photographer may be worth more to you than some of your highest paying jobs.
You want to do good and help others. Offering your photography as a gift is a wonderful way to do this. But you need to volunteer properly, otherwise, it’s a meaningless transaction.
Let’s work through the pros and cons of volunteering your photography so that you can volunteer in a way that builds up you and the person you’re volunteering for.
A big rig delivering an excavator to a Habitat for Humanity build site.
Pros of volunteering your photography
There are good reasons to volunteer your photography beyond just saying yes because you feel guilty.
1. Your photography is a gift
Volunteering shouldn’t just be about working for free. Think of yourself as giving a gift rather than merely volunteering or working for free.
When you consider your photography a gift you won’t feel as though anybody owes you anything and your motives will be pure.
2. Grow as a person
You might consider sharing your gift of photography in order to grow as a person, especially if you don’t consider yourself to be compassionate.
Practicing acts of compassion through your photography is a perfect way to become more compassionate.
3. Develop empathy
Empathy is related to compassion. If you live an easy life, you might not notice how much suffering there is around you. Photographing people living through cancer, poverty, or natural disasters can help you become more empathetic.
My wife is called out during all hours of the day or night to photograph families who have had a miscarriage or infant death. We were a year into this volunteer work when we too experienced a miscarriage.
4. When it’s something you just can’t resist
You should jump at opportunities to volunteer when it involves something you just can’t resist. If you love cute animals then volunteer at an animal shelter. Gifting my photography to Habitat for Humanity allowed me to get up close to heavy machinery. Photographing things that excite you is good for your soul – and even better when it’s a gift.
I allowed for a hint of motion blur to capture the movement of the spinning drum on the cement truck.
5. Explore something new
Some volunteer opportunities will allow you to explore something new. Take it a step further by documenting your journey with a photo blog.
Explore an aspect of life that you know nothing about and see what you can learn as you volunteer your photography skills.
6. Make it a project
Volunteering your photography may be a good way to work on a project. For longer-term projects, you could explore a theme over the course of a month or even a year. Or maybe you bring only one camera and one lens to see what you can accomplish with a constraint.
7. Do it as an artist
Giving your photography as a gift allows you to think beyond merely working for free. So does thinking like an artist. Whatever the volunteer opportunity is, do it as an artist. Make a beautiful set of photos as if it’s an art project.
Volunteer your photography skills alongside other people gifting their skills too.
Reasons NOT To volunteer your photography
Don’t volunteer if your work is going to be shallow or self-serving.
1. For exposure
New photographers often fall for the lure of exposure. You’ll often be approached with volunteer opportunities that promise amazing exposure for you. And you’ll almost always be let down.
On what grounds will it be good exposure? Is the event filled with your ideal client? Will you be promoted in a meaningful way (social media mentions often don’t lead to real exposure)?
Offering to volunteer your photography in order to gain experience rather than exposure is a great idea. Experience builds and lasts, but exposure fades quickly.
2. For your portfolio
You might be told that the volunteer opportunity will be good for your portfolio. But is this the sort of subject that you would like in your portfolio?
It’s easy for enthusiastic people looking for a volunteer photographer to promise exposure and rare portfolio opportunities, but you need to be the judge of that. They likely know nothing about what is good for you and your portfolio.
Rather than hoping to build your portfolio, you should take it as an opportunity to explore. Be grateful if you happen to create an image that you will use in your portfolio.
I gave up on trying to produce portfolio images based on my home build photos. But surprisingly, those gritty construction photos have led to headshot work. They enjoyed the wide variety of photos I take and trusted that I would be a good creative photographer for them.
3. It might lead to paid work
Your volunteer work will probably lead to something paid, but maybe not anytime soon and maybe not the work you’re really after.
There are better ways to pursue paid work:
Improve your website
Make cold calls
Promote yourself publicly in creative ways
If you’re really after paid work, maybe you would be better off making cold calls for 10 hours. 10 hours of sales pitches is almost guaranteed to get you paid jobs. But 10 hours of volunteer work might not lead to anything paid.
Volunteer as a gift and that will be payoff enough.
4. Just because you can’t say no
You always say yes to everything because you don’t have the assertiveness to say no. When you volunteer just because you can’t say no, you’re letting somebody take advantage of your weakness. They might actually be disappointed to find out you said yes but meant no.
5. When there is too much risk
It’s wonderful to experience a new type of photography through volunteer work. It can even help you improve your craft.
But you shouldn’t volunteer for important photography jobs that you are not confident doing.
For example, if you’re strictly a landscape photographer who is uncomfortable photographing people then you should not photograph a person’s wedding for free. You will likely mess up their once in a lifetime photos.
When the home is finally completed the work becomes a gift from a whole community to the new family.
6. If you’re being run down instead of lifting each other up
Your volunteer work shouldn’t be burning you out. You and the person you’re volunteering for should both be built up in the process. This might be a sign that you’re saying yes when you mean no, or you are being taken advantage of. The point of charity and volunteer work is to build something good, not burn out those who want to be compassionate.
Volunteer for yourself too
If you’re a working photographer it can be easy to neglect your own photography projects. Those projects might not bring you any money, but you should pursue them for the same reasons you would volunteer your time for somebody else. You need to volunteer your time to yourself just as much to other people!
The pile of shoes is a sign of family and friendship gathered in the new home.
Motivation and side benefits
You could volunteer merely for the sake of exposure, portfolio building, or the hope of paid work. Or simply because you just can’t say no. But these are not good reasons to volunteer. They are risky and might lead quickly to burn out.
But when you think of volunteering as a gift, then you and your community will experience growth in empathy and compassion. Your gift becomes an opportunity for exploration and may grow into a beautiful art project.
Exposure, portfolio building, and paid work become a side benefit rather than a primary motivation.
I’d love to hear about your volunteer experiences down in the comments!
The post 7 Pros and 5 Cons of Volunteering Your Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
Ibis hotels in Switzerland are offering guests a new service called Social Media Sitter. With this, customers can use “Instagram professionals” provided by the hotel to manage their Instagram profile while on vacation, enabling guests to “enjoy the city without a smartphone in front of the face,” the company explains on its website.
The Social Media Sitter service is now available at Ibis hotels in Zurich and Geneva. The company lists several “Instagram professionals” on its site who specialize in categories that include fashion, travel, beauty, culture, art, and more.
The Instagram sitter shares “the best posts” on the guest’s profile, though it’s unclear how the service works. Presumably the Social Media Sitter is provided with the customer’s username and password; the company’s video suggests the sitter will follow the guests to capture candid shots and will manage the account’s comments and likes on the user’s behalf.
It’s unclear whether Ibis plans to launch its Social Media Sitter option at its other hotels. The new service appears popular, though, as Ibis’s Geneva and Zurich locations both show their Instagram professionals having been fully booked each weekend throughout November.
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