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Posts Tagged ‘Travelers’

Five useful photo apps for travelers

12 Aug

Photo apps for travelers

Photographers take great care in choosing the right gear for a trip. Why not make sure your smartphone is well equipped for photography too? After all, it’s probably the camera you’ll have with you in the event that your DSLR battery comes up short, or your shoulders need a break from the weight of your photo bag.

While the stock camera app will serve most people just fine, there are a huge number of photo apps that go a step further – offering unique shooting features and clever editing options. Whether it’s a late summer getaway or just a trip to the park, these five iPhone apps (a couple of which are available for Android, too) can help you get a better shot to remember the journey by.

SKRWT
iOS/Android | $ 1.99

Travels often take photographers to new cities, but accurately rendering tall buildings and structures with the iPhone’s wide-angle lens alone can be problematic. SKRWT (pronounced Screw It — seriously) is handy for correcting perspective and lens distortion.

When you compose a shot that is angled upwards at a building, for example, the resulting picture often shows lines that converge at the top. SKRWT focuses exclusively on straightening horizontal or vertical lines so the picture depicts more of what the eye perceives. With SKRWT, applying corrections takes a bit of user input, including prepping the image for the vertical correction filter and moving the slider to align the image with the grid. The app provides full auto cropping, vignette correction, ratio adjustments, and an EXIF reader alongside Mobile, Wide, Fisheye, and GoPro modes.

You can save the corrected photo to a dedicated gallery or directly to your camera roll. SKRWT also features two in-app extensions: MRRW (pronounced Mirror), a mirroring tool, and 4PNTs (pronounced Four Points), a four-point-perspective tool for skewing and transforming images. Both apps are available as in-app purchases for 99 cents each.

If you find yourself drawn to taking photos of local architecture and wishing you could correct some of the distortion on the fly, SKRWT is a nice option.

Hydra
iOS | $ 4.99

Hydra shoots, processes and merges multiple images in an effort to produce a higher quality image. It offers five capture modes: HDR, Video-HDR, Lo-light, Zoom, and Hi-Res. Depending on available light, Hydra can merge up to 60 frames to create a single high-resolution shot, with an output of up to 32-megapixel images.

Hydra’s best use case is dimly lit, moody landscapes or interiors where you are able to hold your phone stock still — the app will not complete a shot if there’s too much motion. The HDR mode captures up to 20 images in challenging lighting conditions while the Video-HDR setting uses single-image tone mapping or a special sensor mode (for the iPhone 6), and then offers a choice of light intensities and video resolutions.

Zoom mode aims to correct motion blur, though as with other modes, it’s best to hold your phone steady to avoid unexpected results. Hydra is designed for specialized circumstances as a complement to rather than a substitute for the built-in iPhone camera app, but it’s great to have on hand for quiet, dark places.

Think you may end up printing low light photos from your trip? Hydra is worth having on hand.

ProCam 4
iOS | $ 4.99

ProCam 4 is a classic photographer’s app that aims to pack plenty of manual controls — as well as a robust photo editor — into your iPhone. Its wide assortment of settings comes in an easy-to-use format that won’t throw you off track when you’re in a hurry. The shooting app, which includes both photo and video mode, offers specialized settings like Night Mode, Burst Mode, Slow Shutter, Video, and Time Lapse.

You can manually select ISO, shutter speed, exposure, bracketing, white balance, and stabilization. A histogram helps with exposure settings, and in addition Raw support, manual focus, and focus peaking are offered. If you have an iPhone 7 Plus, try shooting some Wigglegram 3D photos with the iSight Duo camera — two photos taken at the same time by each of the phone’s cameras alternate in quick succession to produce a 3D effect that you can save as a GIF or video. In addition to broad shooting options, you can also edit photos and videos with controls for saturation, white balance, exposure, brightness and contrast, perspective correction, and a mix of special effects filters.

If your smartphone is occasionally asked to stand in for your dedicated camera, ProCam is worth downloading for its complete set of manual controls.

Google Street View
iOS/Android | Free

While you’re hiking the trail or strolling the city, anytime is a good time to create a Google Street View 360-degree photo. You can shoot it right from the app on your iPhone — no special equipment needed. The app does most of the work of indicating when to shoot as you pick a scenic spot and start rotating your body to follow the orange circle on your screen. Start with your phone’s camera and follow the app prompts until you have all angles of your image filled in.

As you shoot, the circle automatically repositions itself to help you complete your photo. When you’re done, the app stitches the panels together. Then, publish to Google Maps to share your photo spheres. The app lets you manage public and private images, observe contributions from others, and view your captures in Cardboard mode with a VR viewer. You can also share your photo spheres on Facebook, Twitter, or privately via email.

Those who rarely use their smartphone camera may still enjoy Google Street View’s easy 360-degree photo creation and documentation features. Plus, it’s a handy way to scope out nearby locations for photo opportunities.

Enlight
iOS | $ 3.99

Enlight is an advanced mobile photo shooter and editor that works independently or with the iOS photos app to offer advanced editing options and visual effects. With its hide-show main menu, coupled with a tap-and-drag interface, you get total control over your photo’s details, tone, color, and special effects. Each menu item opens into a variety of options, letting you crop, adjust, apply filters, sharpen, and add a host of artistic elements using adjustable presets, tools, and masks.

Masking features let you blend effects, while artistic and film-based presets let you add grain, black and white conversion, sketching effects, patterned surfaces, and more. A photo mixer lets you merge two photos together for double exposure, and montage. Enlight’s art filters can transform your photo into a watercolor, oil painting, or sketch. Want to start with the basics? No problem: Simple improvements like crop, skew, color adjustment, and healing are available, and then easily combined with decorative borders and frames, vignette lighting, gradients, and vintage filters. Top it off with doodles, decals, special effects, and customized text.

If you’d like your camera to come with a side of stylized editing options, consider Enlight.

Best free and paid options

These five apps work well, especially for the popular, specialized shots and circumstances for which they were designed. But if you only want to download one or two before you hit the road, here are our picks.

Best free option

The only free app in the group — Google Street View for iOS or Android — is a standout in its own right. With this app, dipping a toe into 360-degree image creation requires no special camera or photographic skill. The app’s integrated instructions provide everything you need to start shooting and posting impressive scenic landscapes that viewers worldwide can enjoy. If you’re carrying a dedicated camera, it provides a nice way to complement your traditional photos with something a little bit different – and with no penalty of carrying an extra device.

Best paid option

On the paid side, ProCam 4 gets the nod as the best app for its range of pro-level options, including detailed shooting controls, DSLR-style functionality, Raw support, and a variety of editing features.

The apps above are a tiny sample of creative mobile photo shooters and editors. If you have a favorite that was not mentioned, be sure to share it in the comments.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Manfrotto launches Pro Light Reloader 55 carry-on roller case for kit-heavy travelers

27 Sep

Bag and accessory manufacturer Manfrotto has announced a new roller case that has enough space for three DSLR bodies and eight lenses, which is designed to meet carry-on limits for most airlines. The Pro Light Reloader 55 is suitable for stills and video equipment and can hold a gripped DSLR with a 400mm F2.8 lens still attached and can also be re-arranged to fit lights.

The external 55 x 35 x 23cm/21.65 x 13.78 x 9.06in dimensions are said to make the case acceptable on ‘most’ airlines as cabin baggage and the bag with its dividers weighs just under 11lb. A fold-away rain protector is included and the rip-stop nylon of the outer has been coated to make it water repellent. Internal dividers are adjustable and Manfrotto has included laptop and tablet pouches that are separate from the main kit compartment so that they can be taken out without having to open the whole case.

The Pro Light Reloaded has large user-changeable wheels and will retail at $ 359.99/299.95
For more information see the Manfrotto website.

Press release

MANFROTTO PRESENTS: Pro Light Reloader-55
YOUR FAVOURITE CABIN SIZE PHOTO ROLLER

The new solution for the travelling professional:

  • International carry-on size roller bag for photo and video cameras
  • Fits gripped DSLR with attached 400/2.8 or 200-400/4 or 500/4 (detached)
  • Fully customizable dividers also fit Canon C100 w/ light stands inside
  • Manfrotto Camera Protection System absorbs shock and safeguards equipment
  • TSA-approved combination zipper lock
  • Strong, wear-resistant, weather-resistant protection
  • Comfortable handle, high-mileage replaceable wheel system

Manfrotto, world leader in the photography, imaging equipment and accessories industry, presents the Pro Light Reloader – 55 Photo Roller bag, the new carry-on size camera roller designed to give professional photographers and videographers a highly protective, comfortable and stylish bag to travel and work with.

The Manfrotto Pro Light Reloader-55 is built to carry typical pro DSLR camera sets (e.g. 3 bodies with 8 lenses), super-tele DSLR sets (e.g. 1 body with 400mm f/2.8 lens attached and 3 more lenses) & camcorder with lighting set (e.g. disassembled Canon C100 with 2 light kits).

Fitting the standard for carry-on luggage for most airlines, it gives professionals the peace of mind of having their most valuable possessions near them at all times. When it’s time to shoot, the roller becomes a workstation, with gear and accessories visible and in easy reach.

The low profile design handle securely holds the bag, leaving more space for the kit. Inside the fully customizable Manfrotto Camera Protection System dividers provide shock absorption and vibration reduction with all configurations – from full day photo or video shoots to intercontinental assignments – or a personal photography adventure on the go.

The outside of the bag is made of high quality, water-repellent Pro Light Rip-Stop nylon fabric, ensuring reliable protection from external shock & extreme weather conditions.
The corners & bottom of the bag are carefully designed to resist wear. Large 84mm wheels ensure comfort and extensive mileage, and users can easily replace them when needed. A built-in TSA-approved combination zipper lock ensures a hassle-free travel experience through TSA partner airports.

The Pro Light Reloader-55 features independent padded pockets for 17” laptop & 10” tablet outside the equipment compartment, so they can quickly be taken out at security without opening the main zipper. The bag also carries a tripod and comes with a rain cover to keep its contents dry in the rainy season.

The Pro Light Reloader 55 is priced at £299.95.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Artists create imaginary-friend Selfie Arm for lone travelers

02 May

US artists Justin Crowe and Aric Snee have created a selfie stick designed to enable lone travelers to shoot selfies that appear to have been taken by a traveling companion. The Selfie Arm is a false arm and hand with a smartphone bracket attached just beyond the elbow. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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It’s Not Travel Photography, But Photographing Travelers May Be Photography’s Next Big Thing

26 Apr

fly1
Photography: Paola Colleoni

On a trip to Paris with her best friend two years ago, Nicole Smith did what everyone does on vacation. As she and her friend stood at tourist sites, she would take out her phone, hold it at arm’s length and snap a few selfies. Sometimes the pair would buttonhole a passing stranger, hand over a camera and ask the passer-by to shoot a picture of them together. Not surprisingly, the results were, she says, always “meh.” Things changed though, when a friend in the city offered to photograph them in the style of a photojournalist as they wandered through the streets. The result wasn’t just a set of images that captured the spirit of her afternoon in a way that she could never have done alone, she says, but the beginning of a whole new business idea.

Two years later Flytographer now has professional photographers available to capture shots of vacationers as they tour the sites and sip cappuccinos in romantic cafes in 70 cities around the world.
fly2
Photography: Cadence Feeley

Customers can choose from three different kinds of shoots: thirty minutes in one location produces fifteen photos and costs $ 250; an hour in one or two locations generates 30 photos and costs $ 350; and two hours in multiple locations produce 60 photos for $ 600. The commission  earned by the photographer varies with the package but on average photographers can expect to receive 60 percent of the purchase price.

“It’s a fun, fast shoot.”

The photographers, though, only have to do the shooting. Flytographer will arrange the date, time and route of the booking, discuss the customer’s objectives and prepare a brief with all the details.

“It’s a fun, fast shoot and we usually capture the couple/family as they stroll around in a more candid, editorial-style,” says Nicole. “The photographer connects with the customer like a local friend.”

The question is how much demand there is for the attention of a professional photographer at a time when professional quality DSLRs are affordable to anyone who takes foreign travel, and when everyone is packing a camera in their pocket, complete with filters to turn even the worst of snaps into atmospheric mementos.

According to Nicole, Flytographer delivers a couple of important benefits that vacationers and travelers can’t produce alone.

The first is that everyone can be in the picture together, looking relaxed and at their best, (rather than at the end of an arm or having just rushed back into the frame.) The images are also more varied. Ask a local to shoot a picture and at best you’ll get a standard direct shot of you and you a friend standing in front of a building. At worst, you’ll get to watch a stranger running off with your iPhone or your Nikon. Flytographer’s photographers are expected to use different angles and vantage points to produce images that only a dedicated photographer can create. They’ll also be using their own equipment.

And those pictures will be high quality. They won’t be quick snaps but valued treasures that record a memorable experience.

fly3

Photography: Lauren Colchamiro

“People like ‘experiences’ vs more stuff and we are often told by our customers that their Flytographer photos were the ‘Best souvenir they’ve ever purchased,” says Nicole. “Too many people spend thousands of dollars planning a special trip only to return home in none of the photos, or if they are, someone else important is missing, or they are blurry etc. They also like that they can focus on soaking up the moment and being really present vs distracted trying to capture the moment through a camera.”

Photograph Honeymooners And Reunions

Customers tend to be couples and families but are often people making special, once-in-a-lifetime trips such as honeymooners or newly engaged couples, all-guy or all-girl vacations and multigenerational reunions. For the photographer, the shoot may sometimes have the same feel, and demand some of the same skills, as shooting a small event.

Altogether, in the year or so since the company’s launch, Flytographer has completed around 200 shoots across five continents. And the company is looking to expand, particularly in Hawaii, Orlando, Sandestin, Palm Desert, Scottsdale, Tremblant, Hong Kong and in the Caribbean, although it accepts applications from anywhere. Photographers in places with large numbers of tourists and small numbers of rival shooters will be in with a good shout of landing some useful extra work, and even photographers who travel a lot can find themselves shooting in different locations.

But you will need to impress. All of the company’s photographers are professionals with backgrounds that range from newspapers and magazines to corporate and fashion photography. Some are wedding and family photographers. Flytographer has also managed to land some adventure ski photographers who can capture shots of snowboarding clients as they fly down the slopes.

Nicole speaks with each of the photographers themselves, checks their background and makes sure that they have both solid technical skills and the ability to tell a compelling story through their shots. She also looks for people who have run their own business and understand the importance of delivering impeccable service. Applicants can apply at www.flytographer.com/join.

That Flytographer appears so far to have had little trouble either recruiting photographers or finding clients is pretty revealing. That there is plenty of demand among photographers to shoot quick, documentary-style images for fees that may work out, after travel and processing, to around $ 100 an hour, is hardly surprising. But the fact that so many people recognize that there’s a limit to what they can do with their iPhones and even their DSLRs is highly encouraging. People may think that they’re photographers but they are recognizing that quick snaps taken on phones tend to stay forever unseen on the hard drives while professionally taken images are viewed and treasured.

It’s also revealing, though, that while Nicole Smith has used professional photographers, she’s not a trained photographer herself. This was a business idea that came from a client of professional photographers. If clients can spot opportunities for photographers, why aren’t more photographers doing the same for themselves?

 


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100 Fantastic Instagram Accounts for Travelers to Follow

30 Oct

Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling. Margaret Lee Everybody loves traveling, but we can’t always afford to go everywhere we want. There is no better way to travel the world than through photography. While Instagram might be often known by its food photos and other iPhone photography clichés, this awesome application allows you Continue Reading

The post 100 Fantastic Instagram Accounts for Travelers to Follow appeared first on Photodoto.


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