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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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The Allen Institute for AI (AI2) created by Paul Allen, best known as co-founder of Microsoft, has published new research on a type of artificial intelligence that is able to generate basic (though obviously nonsensical) images based on a concept presented to the machine as a caption. The technology hints at an evolution in machine learning that may pave the way for smarter, more capable AI.
The research institute’s newly published study, which was recent highlighted by MIT, builds upon the technology demonstrated by OpenAI with its GPT-3 system. With GPT-3, the machine learning algorithm was trained using vast amounts of text-based data, something that itself builds upon the masking technique introduced by Google’s BERT.
Put simply, BERT’s masking technique trains machine learning algorithms by presenting natural language sentences that have a word missing, thus requiring the machine to replace the word. Training the AI in this way teaches it to recognize language patterns and word usage, the result being a machine that can fairly effectively understand natural language and interpret its meaning.
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Building upon this, the training evolved to include an image with a caption that has a missing word, such as an image of an animal with a caption describing the animal and the environment — only the word for the animal was missing, forcing the AI to figure out the right answer based on the sentence and related image. This taught the machine to recognize the patterns in how visual content related to the words in the captions.
This is where the AI2 research comes in, with the study posing the question: ‘Do vision-and-language BERT models know how to paint?‘
Experts with the research institute build upon the visual-text technique described above to teach AI how to generate images based on its understanding of text captions. To make this possible, the researchers introduced a twist on the masking technique, this time masking certain parts of images paired with captions to train a model called X-LXMERT, an extension of the LXMERT model family that uses multiple encoders to learn connections between language and visual data.
The researchers explain in the study [PDF]:
Interestingly, our analysis leads us to the conclusion that LXMERT in its current form does not possess the ability to paint – it produces images that have little resemblance to natural images …
We introduce X-LXMERT that builds upon LXMERT and enables it to effectively perform discriminative as well as generative tasks … When coupled with our proposed image generator, X-LXMERT is able to generate rich imagery that is semantically consistent with the input captions. Importantly, X-LXMERT’s image generation capabilities rival state-of-the-art image generation models (designed only for generation), while its question-answering capabilities show little degradation compared to LXMERT.
By adding the visual masking technique, the machine had to learn to predict what parts of the images were masked based on the captions, slowly teaching the machine to understand the logical and conceptual framework of the visual world in addition to connecting visual data with language. For example, a clock tower located in a town is likely surrounded by smaller buildings, something a human can infer based on the text description.
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| An AI-generated image based on the caption, ‘A large painted clock tower in the middle of town.’ |
Using this visual masking technique, the AI2 researchers were able to impart the same general understanding to a machine given the caption, ‘A large clock tower in the middle of a town.’ Though the resulting image (above) isn’t realistic and wouldn’t be mistaken for an actual photo, it does demonstrate the machine’s general understanding of the meaning of the phrase and the type of elements that may be found in a real-world clocktower setting.
The images demonstrate the machine’s ability to understand both the visual world and written text and to make logical assumptions based on the limited data provided. This mirrors the way a human understands the world and written text describing it.
For example, a human, when given a caption, could sketch a concept drawing that presents a logical interpretation of how the captioned scene may look in the real world, such as computer monitors likely sitting on a desk, a skier likely being on snow and bicycles likely being located on pavement.
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This development in AI research represents a type of simple, child-like abstract thinking that hints at a future in which machines may be capable of far more sophisticated understandings of the world and, perhaps, any other concepts they are trained to understand as related to each other. The next step in this evolution is likely an improved ability to generate images, resulting in more realistic content.
Using artificial intelligence to generate photo-realistic images is already a thing, though generating highly specific photo-realistic images based on a text description is, as shown above, still a work in progress. Machine learning technology has also been used to demonstrate other potential applications for AI, such as a study Google published last month that demonstrates using crowdsourced 2D images to generate high-quality 3D models of popular structures.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The post 7 Things Van Gogh Can Teach Us About Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anthony Epes.
In keeping myself motivated as a photographer, I love to look for inspiration from all across the creative spectrum. Today I want to share some ideas with you from the painter Van Gogh that I hope will bring some exciting new ideas for your photography.
I love who I am when I am taking photos. It is one of my favourite things, and I would imagine it’s the same for you.
To have my camera in my hand, exploring, finding beautiful light, and capturing interesting people I meet along the way, is immensely satisfying and massively fun.
However, life often gets in the way (who’d have thought it!), and I get distracted and lose my creative energy.
For example, I have too many conversations with my accountant, or I am doing a lot of admin or rushing around doing the tasks that are super important to make my life function but aren’t conducive to creativity.
I have been a photographer for over two decades, and I know that making time for being creative is really good for me. Of course, it’s good for my career as a whole, but more than anything, it makes me happy!
And don’t we always need more things to be happy about?
These ideas are timeless because they remind us what we love to do, and why – take photos, be creative, and make things.
I’ve also included some ideas that are reassuring – offering guidance on some of the common challenges that we all face as creative people.
So let’s get started!
One thing I regularly hear from people when they arrive on my photography workshops is how they can’t do things.
It could be: I can’t be creative! Or I can’t shoot on manual, it’s impossible for me!
To me, this is just a habitual way of thinking that is not based on facts. Just because we can’t do something now, does not mean we will never be able to.
It is therefore an uncomfortable and unfamiliar feeling for us to be faced with things that we don’t understand, and so we really struggle with learning.
Photography almost always shows us the things we have struggled in the past to do. Because photography is a unity of skills – the ethereal concept of creativity and the highly technical world of cameras, computers, and post-processing software.
Many of my students fall into two camps: those who are comfortable with the technical, but not the ‘arty/creative’ side of photography. Or the reverse: very intimidated by tech, gear, etc but very comfortable with the idea of being creative.
If, though, we want to get really confident in photography (and we should because otherwise, why would you be drawn to this medium?), we have to overcome the discomfort and look to learn about these things we struggle with.
Here I can offer some inspiration. It is possible for anyone to learn anything. No one is too far gone, too un-creative or un-technical. It just comes down to belief. Can you believe you can find ways to learn what you need to learn to become comfortable and confident shooting?
If you say yes, you are halfway there. Saying yes to learning is the first step.
“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. When I believe I can, I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” Mahatma Gandhi
And how about we just decide to be people who are learning new things? Be like Van Gogh and always be doing things we don’t know how to do.
This talks about how much we need to detach ourselves from normal life, and the endless tasks of our lives in order to create. Being creative connects us to the world in a completely different way to how we normally live.
In ‘normal’ life, we are living on the surface. We are doing a lot, we are being busy, we are jumping from task to task. We are responding. And that’s all totally necessary to take care of our lives.
But it is not the only way to live. It’s the least enriching, and least satisfying way to live.
And it’s definitely not the mode to be in when you’re being creative.
When you are out shooting, when you are creating something, it has to come from a different part of you. Because taking photos is the work of the soul, not the mind.
It’s diving deep into yourself and using everything you are, everything that you’ve experienced, known and loved, and bringing that out in your images.
But real life knocks very loudly and getting yourself into your creative flow state can be challenging. Even I, a professional photographer who shoots all the time, find it hard sometimes to switch off my mind when it starts reminding me about my mundane daily tasks.
So what I do when I am finding it hard to connect to my inner creative spirit, the inspiration I seek when I am out shooting is finding other ways to stoke my creativity.
That either involves going out into nature, searching for beautiful light or looking at other artists and what they have created.
I also love to read about what my favourite artists have said about making things, because it helps inspire me and helps me leap into a state of wanting to go out and create beautiful photos.
When Van Gogh said “The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting,” feels mostly very true to me.
We are rarely totally living in the moment, totally alive to everything that is around us, connecting to the world that we see.
Totally normal of course, we all do it. But I also think it’s important to carve out time to have those moments of deep fulfillment, of connection, deep beauty, and joy. This is what photography brings into my life. The chance to slow down, to see and be present for what life is.
Photography is an inner game.
Taking good photos has nothing to do with your current skills or your ability to nail sharpness or your exposure. It’s everything to do with what you believe about yourself and what you believe is possible for you.
If you start with this idea of not being able to do something, you won’t be able to do it. You have to overcome that mind of yours that loves to remind you of your inadequacies.
But it is also to say that all people who create, have fear. You are not alone when your mind tells you you’re not much of a photographer, or you might as well as give up because your photos are boring.
Your job is to ignore whatever rubbish your mind is saying about your photography, as Van Gogh says, and silence your mind by doing.
Creativity comes from such a magical and mysterious place– you can’t just find it anywhere. You can’t quantify it or set an exam for it. The fact that there is often no way to quantify if your photos are any good can create some anxiety.
The way to overcome this is to just get started. Just go out and shoot. Don’t worry if it’s going to come out well or not. Don’t pre-analyze what you may or may not achieve or what you are or are not.
The mind is clearly an incredible organ, but it’s not always on your side. It can dissuade you from doing things you love before you’ve even got started, so regardless of the outcome, go out and shoot and love the experience.
It’s really easy to get so familiar with our world that we stop seeing what is beautiful and awe-inspiring in the world around us. It’s normal to see your everyday environment and not be inspired by what’s there. Our eyes get dulled to the familiar world around us.
That’s often why we travel or go to new places, to see new things.
But here is a big change we can make right here and now in our photography. When we are prepared to really find the magical and beautiful in life, wherever we are; when we can learn to be impressed and excited about what is, we will see more and more opportunities for photos.
We don’t need to travel or find new things to be inspired to shoot, we just need to connect with what is enchanting in this crazy, wild, and incredible world.
In many ways, I think learning photography now is harder than in the past. And that’s not because there are so many photographers, or because of smartphones, etc. Instead, it’s because of the amount of information out there, and the multitude of opinions.
The internet has given us so much incredible access to information and to communities and groups where we can share our photos. But often, instead of it being an empowering experience, it can become disheartening. You can get into the habit of judging your photos on how many ‘likes’ they receive.
When you post your photos online, you can get a whole raft of opinion back that is often useless for your photography.
People who aren’t necessarily any more experienced than you will share their random thoughts. (And I can guarantee there are very few professional photographers hanging out online doing constructive criticism on photos.) It’s also so easy to get dissuaded by what other people say about your images.
To make something unique and interesting, and to shoot with creative freedom, you need to be very careful about where you get feedback and who is giving it. You need to give most of your time creating images. Then find people you really trust – whose photography you admire – and seek feedback from them.
That’s how you can learn to grow and get better as a photographer.
Photography often becomes viewed as a series of technical tasks that need to be learned. To learn the way of the camera is to unlock all the gifts of photography.
For me that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The camera is merely the tool to execute your vision. That’s not to say the tool doesn’t have lots of cool and exciting features. I mean, I love tech, and I love what it can do. However, all of that gear is not going to get you great shots if you don’t know how to see, use your imagination, and bring feeling to your photos.
The key to accessing amazing photos all around you is to start to really learn to see.
You might say – but of course, I can see what’s around me! But you would be wrong. There is so much visual information around us, that our brain blocks out most of what is there. What we end up seeing is a mere fraction (less than one percent) of what is going on around us.
What is even more surreal is that because of how our brains like to make our lives as easy and simple as possible and to create habits in how we think and do things, we often see the same things over and over. We don’t notice the different things in our environment.
If you think about a street you’ve maybe walked down hundreds of times and all of sudden you have the urge to look up to the tops of the buildings. And it’s like – wow, I don’t remember seeing that.
This happens all the time with everything in our world.
Therefore, it is a good job as a photographer, to learn to open our awareness. Learn to see beyond what our brains feed us. Learn to look for a long time, and pay attention to what is around us.
This helps to develop our patience too. Developing patience in looking for shots is a great skill to nurture as a photographer. I find people are usually too quick to move on from a scene or a subject.
When we are patient and take that extra time working on a scene or subject, we often find more qualities of the subject are revealed. More ideas spring to mind too. Perhaps things in the moment change; like the light or things moving around the subject, thus, changing the possibilities of the photo.
Learn to really look at the world and it will open up so many incredible facets to your photography.
Completely.
I don’t just mean nature in a traditional sense – the beautiful flowers, people, or landscapes. It’s when we bring the idea of beauty into our photography that we see that we can capture what is beautiful to us, in any guise.
For me, it’s often the interplay of cities and nature. The smash of orange fruit on the tarmac. The gorgeous colors of the sunrise above a housing complex. Or the dramatic, metallic grey of a sky before a storm.
I would actually expand this idea to say there is beauty in all things, you just need to develop your ability to see and find it all around you.
I hope you found these ideas from Van Gogh useful for your photography. I would love to know what you thought, and if any of these ideas felt like they inspired or taught you something valuable. Please let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
The post 7 Things Van Gogh Can Teach Us About Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anthony Epes.
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There are many ways to learn the basics of photography, such as classes, tutorials and simply capturing more images. However, there’s a neat new method using playing cards, Photography Deck.
Launched on Kickstarter, the campaign far exceeded its funding goal during its first day. At the time of writing, over 600 backers had contributed more than $ 20,000 USD, compared to the goal of just $ 1,122.
The unique and attractive deck of cards are designed to appeal to shutterbugs and photography newcomers alike. Each suit covers a different topic: Clubs cover technical details, diamonds showcase shooting styles, hearts offer composition tips and finally, spades teach camera basics.
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| The 3 of spades card features the exposure triangle. Image credit: Photography Deck on Kickstarter |
The technical details on the clubs cards include manual shooting, white balance, color theory and more. For example, the 6 of clubs teaches the viewer about the histogram. The shooting style-themed diamonds cards illustrate styles of photography including flash photography, macro, portrait photography among others. The hearts cards feature composition topics such as negative space, symmetry, patterns, leading lines, the rule of thirds and more. Adorned with basic camera information, the spades cards illustrate camera topics such as aperture, shutter speed, focal length, depth of field and more. The 3 of spades illustrates the exposure triangle of shutter speed, ISO and aperture.
Via the Kickstarter page, creator Eric Bohring states that each card ‘illustrates the most important rules and techniques about photography’ while featuring unique camera artwork. ‘Think of them as pocket-sized cheat sheets that you can bring wherever you travel,’ the campaign continues. The product is designed as a unique gift for photography enthusiasts and as a useful and artistic addition to your own camera bag.
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The deck of cards is a standard playing deck with 52 cards and a pair of jokers. Each card features a micro-linen texture and is a standard playing card size: 3.5 x 2.5 inches (89 x 64mm).
If you’d like to make a pledge to the Photography Deck project, it’s about $ 14 USD to receive a standard Photography Deck, with shipping expected in August. For about $ 17, you can receive a limited edition green deck. If you’d like both decks you can receive a standard and limited edition deck for $ 29.
Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The post How to Use Photography to Teach Your Children Maths, English, Physics and More! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.
It is certainly a weird time right now. We are all suddenly expected to become teachers due to the current lockdowns. While we all have different skills, we are all full of knowledge about photography. You may be wondering, how you can use photography to teach your children during this difficult time.
It’s actually easier than you think! Moreover, it can give your children a passion for learning during this difficult time.
I first want to give you some more general points about homeschooling during these times.
In a classroom, your child will be one of many. They do not have a teacher over their shoulder the whole lesson, so try not to hover. Set them a task and let them explore.
It’s hard to do as we always want to see our children happy, but sometimes you just need to let them make mistakes.
When using photography to teach your children, it can be easy to take the camera and do it for them. However, this does two things:
Remember when you first started with photography. I know I made several mistakes, as I am sure you did. When I finally figured out my mistake and got the result I wanted, I felt a great sense of achievement.
The only way for your child to feel this same sense of achievement is to let your child fail and figure things out for themselves. Failing is one of the best tools for learning. It gives them a great sense of satisfaction when they succeed.
So let’s take a look at some of the key subjects and how you can use photography to teach your children.
Maths is usually the most dreaded of all subjects. The best way to use photography to teach your children maths is by using the exposure triangle.
The exposure triangle uses equations, which is a key skill in maths. Unsure of using manual exposure yourself? Why not learn along with your child. This demonstrates to them that learning is a lifelong skill.
Start by explaining that every time you double your shutter speed, it equals one stop of light. Conversely, every time you double your ISO it equals one stop of light. So, if you double one, you need to double the other. If you halve one, you need to halve the other.
To start, take a correctly exposed photo. Then challenge your child to alter the shutter speed and ISO but to keep the correct exposure.
To demonstrate this, take a photo at ISO 400 and make a note of the shutter speed. You can then explain that when you halve your ISO you also have to halve your shutter speed. You can make this harder by giving them a high ISO (say 1600) and ask them to keep the exposure with an ISO of 100.
You can also give these questions on paper, then take them out into the real world.
Example Question.
Jack takes a photograph. His camera gives him the correct exposure at ISO 400 and a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second. If Jack wants to change his shutter speed to 1/100th second, what ISO value does he need?
You can then make things more complex by adding aperture. This is a great way to show how equations work in a practical environment.
For this, you will need a flash for your camera to demonstrate.
There is an inverse square law and how it affects photography. The inverse square law states:
The intensity of an effect such as illumination or gravitational force changes in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the source.
When you double the distance between a light source and a subject, the amount of light falls off by 3/4. This also means that the greater the distance between the light and the subject, the less harsh the fall off of light across it.
The most fun way to demonstrate this is to show what happens when you change the distance between a flash and subject, and the impact on the light fall off.
Start by placing the flash close to the subject (say 30cm) then move the flash about 1.5 meters from the background.
When the flash is close, any background will be almost black, but when further away, the exposure on the background and the subject will be almost identical.
For more science-based work, give your child a shiny or reflective object to light. Light travels in a straight line, so getting them to change the position of the light or object means reflections can be minimized or enhanced.
This can be done in a variety of ways. They can research a specific photographer from history or research a time period (e.g., the 60s) through photography. Get them to look for similarities in the works and create a presentation or written report on this. Try using our Lessons From the Masters Series for this.
They should also be encouraged to create history by recording their experiences in this time. The possibilities here are endless, including creating a Vlog (you don’t need to upload it to YouTube if you don’t want to), creating a photo story, writing a journal, etc.
We are living through a major historical event, get your children to record it.
Get your children to create a backdrop for a photoshoot. Get them to choose a toy or give them a household object such as hand soap and create a backdrop for this.
You can keep the brief as open or closed as possible. You could get them to build something only using a set of equipment given to them. Or let them create something from whatever they can find. If you have access to a tool shed, you can get creative with scrap wood, etc. This can then be used for the next lesson.
Making a backdrop will involve physics and maths skills (forces and measurements respectively).
See more DIY projects here.
Use the backdrop your child has built to create an image that will become an advertising campaign for a project.
You can teach them how to edit a photo. From here, you can then get them to use the image in a poster to promote the product they have photographed. Not only does this involve graphic skills, you can involve English skills by encouraging them come up with the slogan and blurb for the product.
This also has a nice crossover into ICT in terms of using the software for designing and editing the photographs.
Although not strictly photography, a great way to involve English in using photography to teach your children is to make a film. This means writing a script, which teaches them about formatting work. It also gets them to think creatively and produce an original piece of writing.
You can extend this to include art by getting them to storyboard the project. Then push it into design and technology by creating a set.
If you have access to lights, you can even get them to light the scene and look at how placing the light in different positions creates a different mood. This can then lead to talking about low-key lighting and high-key lighting. This also involves physics in terms of light direction and the inverse square law.
The most obvious way of doing this is getting your children to take photographs, but it is easy for this to lack structure. To make sure this is more learning-based, you can give them a brief.
Give them a household object and get them to photograph it in an unusual or abstract way. If you want to make this more game-based, get them to take photographs of 5 household objects of their choosing and then present them to you and see if you can guess what they are.
For a more traditional photographic approach, you can give your child a theme to photograph. You can use our weekly challenges to give them the theme if you are stuck for ideas.
When complete, sit down and critique the images together. You can use this to explain things such as composition.
If you want to go more into theory, you can teach them about the rule of thirds. Get them to look at photographs and see if they can see this within them.
The easiest way is to use a grid in something like PowerPoint that you can overlay onto different images. They can then use this to identify patterns in images they like or that you give them to study. You can also use this for things such as leading lines, foreground interest and so on.
Art fits in perfectly for photography, but to make sure it aids learning, all you need to add is a little structure.
Obviously, you can give your kids your camera, but if you don’t feel comfortable with this, for most of these lessons, you can use a camera phone or the camera on a tablet. Many of the images in this article are iPhone images.
The lighting you use also doesn’t need to be some beautiful color-balanced LED panels. An angel-poise lamp works brilliantly, or even a simple torch will do the job.
For the sections on the exposure triangle, you will need access to a camera with full manual controls. In fact, you can possibly use a manual camera phone app in a pinch.
In terms of software, there is GIMP, which is free for photo editing. Also, Affinity Software is doing a 90-day free trial on all their software during this time.
Hopefully, I have given you a few ideas on how you can use photography to teach your children during this difficult time. It gives some activities to try and maybe work that they find more interesting than sitting at a desk writing away.
Remember, homeschooling is very different from being taught in a classroom. There is no expectation of getting it perfect. You are doing your best in a bad situation, and that is all anyone can ask. The same applies to your children; they are finding homeschooling every bit as weird as you are.
Stay safe.
The post How to Use Photography to Teach Your Children Maths, English, Physics and More! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Photographing still life, more than most genres, gives you more control. You can control your subject, location, lighting, composition etc. when you make still life pictures.
Photographing just about anything else gives you have far less control, or it’s much more difficult to control the photo session. Landscape photographers must rely on external factors like the weather and vantage point. Sports photographers are restricted by how close they can get to their subjects. Wildlife photographers are often hampered by their subject’s movements. Portrait photographers have to deal with all manner of moods and emotions from their clients.
Photographing inanimate objects can happen just about anywhere. A studio space is not necessary. You can use your kitchen and set up on the table. Backyards and public parks can be great locations for outdoor still life photography.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Subject matter options are wide open. What do you like looking at? Find something you like – it will be more engaging. Small (but not too small) objects are easier to manage. Still life with large items like refrigerators or park benches will be more challenging to work with. You are not restricted to fruit and bunches of flowers.
Whatever and where ever you chose, you can improve upon three essential skills by photographing still life.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
You have unlimited freedom to place and move your subject material about. This can help you gain a better understanding of composition.
Moving your objects around you will see how they relate differently to each other. You can overlap them or choose to position each one so it’s independent.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Camera position can view your set up from any angle you imagine. Experiment with high and low angles. Watch how this can dramatically affect your composition. Doing this in a situation where you have control and freedom to move about will help you learn to do so other times you are taking photos.
Backgrounds can be varied. You can use just the natural surroundings or add in your own backdrop. If the room ambiance is conducive to the images you want to make, use it well. However, if there are distracting elements behind your set up, insert a backdrop of your own. This can be a piece of card or cloth or something else to help enhance your composition.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Hopefully, photographing still life will stimulate your imagination. Having the freedom to manipulate your compositions will enhance your photography in general.
Working with inanimate objects is a great opportunity to learn more about lighting. With people, animals and other things that move about, being consistent with lighting can be challenging. Landscapes and architectural photography can have more complex lighting demands.
Starting with a simple light set up is good if you are new to photography. The kitchen window if your objects are on the kitchen table. Start making your series of photos and then open the kitchen door to let light in from another direction. Compare your photos and see the changes adding more light makes.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Switching on an artificial light source allows you more control. Use a lamp or flashlight. These allow you to see the effect of the light, unlike using a camera flash. Vary the position of the lights. Lift them higher or drop them down lower. Moving them further away will lessen the amount of light on your objects.
Reflectors can be made good use of in still life photography. Even a sheet of white A4 printer paper can be an effective reflector. Try different reflective surfaces of varying sizes and study the difference they have on your scene.
Look at the direction of light and shadows. How do they interact when you have more than one light source?
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
By trying different light sources and setups you will develop a better eye to discern light in other situations where you are taking photos. It can help you to know when to add another light source or reflector.
Setting up for a still life photo session somewhere you can leave it a few days or weeks has its benefits. So often people are in too much of a rush to get a photo and move on. Take your time, and work slowly as a painter does. There’s no rush.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Being able to go away and come back to your arrangement of inanimate objects allows you to see it with fresh eyes the next day or next week.
Maybe you will see the relationship between elements differently. The lighting will have changed from morning till afternoon if you are using natural light. You might think of another object you want to add to the scene that will really make the photo. Ideas will come that you had not thought of initially.
Changing lens focal lengths is also good to experiment with. Compare how the objects interact with each other and the background as you view them with different lenses.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Setting up outdoors, you can photograph at different times of day and night to see the effects of different light. Does moonlight provide the most interesting lighting for your composition? Or is it best first thing in the morning?
Find yourself some space. Gather together a few of your most aesthetic things. Take your time to move them around and change the lighting. Think about how the objects relate to each other. Think about the different results you achieve when you change the lighting. If you don’t like what you photographed one day, come back another and make some more photos.
Please share with us any still life photos you may have taken in the comments below.
The post Photographing Still Life Can Teach You These 3 Things appeared first on Digital Photography School.
If you learn more efficiently (and have more fun with your photography) when you’re out shooting versus sitting somewhere reading about it, then this photography learning aid was designed for YOU.
One of the most popular photography training aids we’ve ever promoted were the Snap Cards from Photzy during our Christmas Sale last year. So when Brett from Photzy showed us their latest photography learning tool, we knew it was something we should tell you about.
The NEW Photzy Action Cards are 65 beautifully designed & printable project sheets that will give you over 200 photography assignments, covering everything you can imagine!
Brett’s idea for the Action Cards was sparked by a woman’s comment to him at a camera club meeting.
“I wish that I could have a workshop in a box. So that I could just open the box and participate when I felt like I had the time and the energy.”
So Photzy set out to create something that will educate and motivate you, provide you with direction, and help you to learn through actionable photography assignments.
The full set of Action Cards include:
34 composition Action Cards aimed toward assisting you in fully understanding the various rules, tools, and concepts of composition. Some example assignments:
Just as we all ‘see’ differently – we also all work differently. This is your chance to discover which composition tools fit your style.
31 genre Action Cards which allow you to test the waters for 31 different genres of photographic imaging – by completing specific tasks and photo assignments in each genre – and help you uncover your ‘place’ in the photographic world. Some example assignments:
Perhaps you’ll discover your natural tendencies reveal themselves better through outstanding flower photography versus newborn portrait photography.
We believe this new training tool will be exactly what many of you need to motivate and guide you on an experience of personal photographic discovery all on your own. Armed with these cards you’re guaranteed to be on a fast path to ‘expanding’ your shooting skills and mastering photography in 2018.
Learn more and buy your Action Cards here
We’ve already had a great deal of interest in Photzy’s Action Cards and naturally lots of questions. Photzy have helped us answer them for you.
Yes! They are completely different.
The SNAP! Card line was developed to present small easily digestible photographic lessons that you could consume virtually anywhere. Like Cheat Sheets…
The ACTION! Card line is geared towards the individual that prefers to learn by engaging in self-assigned photographic activities. A learning element is included, but the primary purpose of the product is to motivate you to learn through an actionable assignment and review process.
Yes! Two actually.
You will get a lesson plan – Designed to help you work through the content at a pace that suits you, and to help you choose what order you’ll tackle the projects and assignments.
And a video tutorial – Reflectors & Other Self-Made Lighting Gear: Kent DuFault will demonstrate how you can make a very easy to use home reflector along with a few other ideas for DIY lighting tools.
These have a combined value of $ 25 value, and you get it absolutely free.
You will be receiving a downloadable PDF file of the cards, for you to print out at home. This means you can access them anytime anywhere, and you don’t have to worry about losing them.
In just MINUTES from right now… You could be well on your way to taking your photography to the next level. No need to wait for shipping!
Go here now to grab your copy of the cards
Be honest – How many times have you downloaded a guide and never actually read it?
We’ve found that printing materials ensures you actually go on to read the content. Simply put– if you print it out, you are far more likely to take ACTION, and get RESULTS. That’s important to us.
These cards are designed to cater for photographers of all levels. If you’re a beginner, these cards are going to work wonders for you with a whole range of material to sink your teeth into. If you’re a professional looking to extend your range of skills – we’ve got you covered too.
Get your copy here now
While some of the settings information on the genre cards will of course not be useful depending on your chosen camera. 95% of the information on the Action Cards are not camera specific. So whether you are shooting on a DSLR, Mirrorless, or even an iPhone, you will find these incredibly to improve your photography skills.
Absolutely!
In fact, when you claim your copy of The Action Cards, you have a full 365 days to decide whether or not you want to keep it. Meaning – you get an entire year to try them out…
And if for ANY reason, you decide the cards don’t work for you, simply contact us for a full, prompt refund… No questions asked and no hassles.
For one week only we can offer dPS readers early access to this brand-new training tool for just $ 39USD. At $ 5 per card the full set is valued at $ 325USD, so that’s 88% off.
Here’s where you can take advantage of this risk-free trial of the cards:
Click Here to Try The Action Cards TODAY
The post Save 88% on 200 Photography Assignments that Inspire, Motivate and Teach appeared first on Digital Photography School.
[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]
In an effort to democratize both the creation and appreciation of urban graffiti, a group of young street artists in Lisbon, Portugal, is teaching retirees how to create their own stencils and tags.
LATA 65 (lata meaning ‘can’ in Portugese) has so far introduced 100 aging participants to the art of spray painting and student work is already popping up in the form of tags and murals brightening up buildings and walls around town.
Led by veteran street artists, this gang of older students is learning not just how to create art but also about the history of the form, providing them not just with tools and techniques but cultural context for their studies as well.
Their efforts are primarily being put toward enlivening dilapidated areas in need of fresh interventions and additional attention. Underlying the artwork itself, however, is a philosophy of bridging generational gaps and bringing new perspectives to a mode of expression typically associated with youth culture.
While the elderly students are so far following the footsteps of their younger instructors, one has to wonder if their approaches may eventually develop in new and different directions, in turn providing novel sources of inspiration and innovation not yet thought of by their more youthful compatriots.
These street art images and biographies merely scratch the surface and begin to convey their amazing artistic talents though sample artworks and street chalk …
Click Here to Read More »»
For reasons no one seems to fully understand, Melbourne has become the world capital of street painting with stencils.
Click Here to Read More »»
NeverWet has been making headlines as the silicon-based spray that repels liquids from clothes and electronics, but this off-book use shows another fascinating …
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]
[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]
Image of my new crazy family by Mia McCloy
A few months ago I got married. (Confetti! Streamers! Cake if you have it!) In doing this, I took on a gorgeous husband and three darling stepdaughters. Add my two adorable sons to the mix and you end up with a total of seven people sharing a couple of bathrooms, a kitchen, and the lion’s share of my patience. All of a sudden things like meal planning and buying in bulk have gone from concepts I’ve heard about to the only thing keeping me out of an inpatient treatment facility. To spare my sanity and enable me to do a hundred loads of laundry each day, everything in my life has been streamlined either by necessity or default including my photography business.
While it’s a continuous progression I realized the other day, when I was folding a mountain of clothes remembering a simpler time, that I am turning-out some of my best work in over a decade of being a professional photographer. I have to assume this is partly from streamlining everything from my shooting style to my editing process, and partly because my personal life changes have forced my professional life to adapt as well. So far, all for the better if you don’t count the laundry thing. I love them madly but having five children isn’t for everyone. In the event you don’t want to take on a small army of kids as a social experiment just to see if it improves your photography, here are some lessons I’ve learned recently and how you can apply it to your own photography.
What life lessons can teach you about photography
This sounds so lovely but really it’s just a byproduct of my continuous lack of time. In the past, any image that caught my eye for any reason at all would be subjected to editing and delivery to the client. This would add hours to each job I took on. Now only the really, really good stuff ever sees the light of day, or my client’s eyeballs. Images that once would have gotten ten minutes of editing just because I saw one tiny bit of pretty in it, are now trashed because I know they will only bring down the finished product as a whole. I shoot with more purpose because I am on time constraints I never had before.
Are my clients suffering? No. They are getting quality over quantity.
Also, hearing “BUT THAT’S NOT FAIR!” roughly a thousand times a day puts fairness in a whole new perspective. It also puts having children in a whole new perspective, but that’s another ball of wax–unidentifiable and likely stuck to my kitchen floor.
It used to be that I had no real office hours. I shot when my schedule allowed and when the clients needed. I edited late at night after kids were asleep. I answered emails when I got around to it. I took every advantage of working from home one could. Don’t get me wrong–spending all day in yoga pants is still a giant perk, but now I have office hours. I return emails as soon as possible, even if that means from my phone, while waiting in the carpool lane at one of the three different schools at which I drop-off and pick-up children. I don’t see the sunrise at the end of my workday anymore because frankly I’m way too tired to stay up past 10 p.m. now. My clients are getting every ounce of me they deserve. But my photography business is no longer claiming my very soul. It’s fair for everyone.
This goes for hobbyists and professionals alike. The work/life balance has always been a tough one for me, but as cliché as it sounds, we all need to reevaluate honestly and often. Shoot what you can, edit when you can, deliver where you can. Contrary to every photography quote I’ve ever heard, shots can be missed–there are a million more opportunities for an amazing picture tomorrow.
It used to be that if you asked me nicely, I would take on about any assignment. Taking pictures of houses even though I don’t have the equipment, or know-how, real estate photography requires? You bet! Do some product photography for your best friend sister’s boyfriend’s cousin? Sign me up! You want a professional photographer to hang-out with on Saturday mornings for your kid’s little league games? Of course I will! Now, not so much.
Not only do I not have that kind of time, I don’t have the desire. I’m spending all of the “doing-something-I-don’t-want-to-do” time I can spare chaperoning middle school field trips and taking kids to dentists, doctors, play dates, and street corners with “Free To Good Home” signs. I don’t want to do real estate, product, sport, or a dozen other types of photography. I want to do the kind of photography I’m good, at and the kind that I enjoy doing. On the flip side of that coin, I just can’t do favors like I used to. The line for a minute of my time now starts here and goes back quite a ways. I allow people to cut the line all the time, so you’ll be there a while waiting.
When in your gut it doesn’t seem like a job you want or can do, when the idea isn’t exciting or fun on any level, when you have to work with people that make you miserable, say no. When you are overwhelmed, behind and feel like taking on one more thing may break you, say no. When you are asked to do something that offers you no benefit, not even warm, fuzzy feelings, say no.
I’ll be honest–I have no idea where this comes from; perhaps me attempting to model good manners for five kids who are all allergic to the word “please”. Regardless it’s a great lesson. It used to be that when I was complimented for my photography I would immediately detract; it’s not that I’m a good photographer, it’s that I have really beautiful clients. It’s not that an image is exceptional, it’s that I got lucky. It’s that I have an amazing lens. It’s that I have a great camera. It’s that perfect light just happened. It’s anything but me. It has taken 10 years but I am finally able to just say, “Thank You”.
The truth is that I do have a great camera, live in a beautiful place of the world that allows for ideal background settings, and have really beautiful clients. But I’m also a really good photographer. I can find light, work a complicated camera to my every advantage, put people at ease, and edit a diamond in the rough (image) to perfection. As uncomfortable as it still is for me to say that, it must be true because I’ve been doing this a while and people continue to hire me. Lots of photographers have these same talents, and more, and it’s important that we (you as well) start realizing that they are in fact talents and not just random acts of luck.
If this is something you’ve struggled with, it will feel unnatural. Keep doing it anyway. Saying an honest thank you is one of the nicest things you can do in the face of a compliment. Explaining why you think you are not deserving of it is one of the rudest.
Having so many people need me (and only me) has redefined my objective. Much like saying no to photography jobs that are not well suited for my skill set, I have been pickier taking on jobs that are in my wheelhouse. Family photography falls into my lap often and most of the time it’s a perfect match for me. My love-hate relationship with weddings however has finally come to a close; weddings are no longer something I will do. Neither is endless editing to achieve fancy vintage (and similar) toning. My clients get a fun and spontaneous shooting atmosphere and final images in straightforward color or black and white. It’s my very best, and most honest work.
Challenge yourself when necessary, but play to your strengths–you’re good at them for a reason.
Just like having a business partner forces accountability, having a personal partner makes me look at the big picture. At the end of the day, photography is my job. It’s how I make my living. There are glamorous and fun sides (though not near as many as people think), and there are dirty and gloomy sides too, just like any job. I can’t work for free. Granted I have pro bono projects I take on (my heart, it bleeds), although I now do them much more selectively, and when I know it will benefit me in the long run either with new business or free marketing.
Gone are the days when I could take on a very low-paying project with no other benefit just because it seemed like fun. I’m finally charging what I’m worth, I’m no longer part of that deadly middle ground of charging too much to be a good deal, and not enough to be considered any good. I read a while back that as soon as you could no longer afford yourself, you were charging enough. At the time I passed it off as greedy and mean-spirited but I have to say: friends, I’ve come to the dark side and the water is fine. The clients that can afford me, do. The ones that can’t? They save up until they can, or they are careful to take advantage of my rare sales. I haven’t lost clients and bigger than that, my work has more value.
Consider everything from wear-and-tear of your equipment to your electric bill that keeps your computer running into the wee hours of the morn. There’s a good chance you aren’t charging what your are worth, if only because it’s hard to make that jump and put a dollar figure on something that used to be a hobby, or something people consider art. I promise you though, if you’re not going to charge, someone else will. So while I consider my business as personal as it comes, it’s still a business. Besides, it takes a lot of laundry detergent to keep my new family of seven in clean clothes.
What other things have you experienced in life that have helped you learn something about your photography? What other tips do you have? Please share in the comments below.
The post What Life Lessons Can Teach You About Photography by Lynsey Mattingly appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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Ever wonder what Fido gets up to while you’re away?
Teach your pup to selfie, and all you’ll have to do is follow Mr. Muffins on Instagram to keep tabs.
Yes, your dog can take selfies!
Our Pal Anna Jane of NYC’s School for The Dogs has been teaching dogs this skill (her pooch Amos is quite a pro). She’s kindly agreed to to let you in on just how it’s done.
Convincing your furball to update their Instagram on the regs, is up to you.
How To Teach Your Dog to Selfie
p.s. Help! Anna Jane’s School for the Dogs’ building burned down. So she is raising funds to give the doggies of New York a new place to go for training (and fun). Throw her a (metaphorical) bone, wouldya? Visit her fundraising site.
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Read the rest of Teach Your Dog To Take A Selfie (384 words)
© laurel for Photojojo, 2014. |
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