Microsoft has expanded its existing efforts to improve life for the visually impaired by developing an AI system capable of automatically generating high-quality image captions — and, in ‘many cases,’ the company says its AI outperforms humans. This type of technology may one day be used to, among other things, automatically caption images shared online to aid those who are dependent on computer vision and text readers.
Computer vision plays an increasingly important role in modern systems; at its core, this technology enables a machine to view, interpret and ultimately comprehend the visual world around it. Computer vision is a key aspect of autonomous vehicles, and it has found use cases in everything from identifying the subjects or contents of photos for rapid sorting and organization to more technical use cases like medical imaging.
In a newly published study [PDF], Microsoft Researchers have detailed the development of an AI system that can generate high-quality image captions called VIsual VOcabularly (VIVO), which is a pre-training model that learns a ‘visual vocabulary’ using a dataset of paired image-tag data. The result is an AI system that is able to create captions describing objects in images, including where the objects are located within the visual scene.
Test results found that at least in certain cases, the AI system offers new state-of-the-art outcomes while also exceeding the capabilities of humans tasked with captioning images. In describing their system, the researchers state in the newly published study:
VIVO pre-training aims to learn a joint representation of visual and text input. We feed to a multi-layer Transformer model an input consisting of image region features and a paired image-tag set. We then randomly mask one or more tags, and ask the model to predict these masked tags conditioned on the image region features and the other tags … Extensive experiments show that VIVO pre-training significantly improves the captioning performance on NOC. In addition, our model can precisely align the object mentions in a generated caption with the regions in the corresponding image.
Microsoft notes alternative text captions for images are an important accessibility feature that is too often lacking on social media and websites. With these captions, individuals who suffer from vision impairments can use dictation technology to read the captions, giving them insight into the image that they may otherwise be unable to see.
The company previously introduced a computer vision-based product described specifically for the blind called Seeing AI, which is a camera app that audibly describes physical objects, reads printed text and currency, recognizes and reports colors and other similar things. The Seeing AI app can also read image captions — assuming captions were included with the image, of course.
Microsoft AI platform group software engineering manager Saqib Shaikh explained:
‘Ideally, everyone would include alt text for all images in documents, on the web, in social media – as this enables people who are blind to access the content and participate in the conversation. But, alas, people don’t. So, there are several apps that use image captioning as a way to fill in alt text when it’s missing.’
That’s where the expanded use of artificial intelligence comes in. Microsoft has announced plans to ship the technology to the market and make it available to consumers through a variety of its products in the near future. The new AI model is already available to Azure Cognitive Services Computer Vision customers, for example, and the company will soon add it to some of its consumer products, including Seeing AI, Word and Outlook for macOS and Windows, as well as PowerPoint for Windows, macOS and web users.
While the rest of the photography world is determined to double down on mirrorless camera systems, Pentax has announced its dedication to SLR cameras. In the above video a new microsite dedicated to the new ‘Pentax Brand Vision,’ the Japanese manufacturer emphasizes its dedication to ‘the future of SLR Photography.’
A product photo of Pentax’s upcoming APS-C DSLR, which is yet to be named.
‘When you take a picture with a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, the light passes through the lens, and in turn the optical viewfinder,’ reads a manifesto of sorts on the microsite. ‘You view the image directly with your eyes, and feel it with your heart.’
The microsite notes Pentax was the first Japanese manufacturer to build an SLR and says the company ‘is committed to the future of SLR photography through the continued development of camera technology, making it more fun and exciting than ever before for all PENTAX users.’ From there, under numerous headlines, Pentax explains a number of benefits it believes SLR cameras offer over other camera systems.
Pentax ends its SLR tribute page with ‘The Five Principles of Pentax,’ seen in the screenshot below:
Pentax has also shared a 30-minute video wherein Ricoh Imaging President, Shinobu Takahashi, explains the company’s vision and what it values most in future camera releases:
This kind of dedication to SLR cameras is surprising in a market that’s hellbent on ridding the photography world of mirrors, but it doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise considering how much effort Pentax put into emphasizing its optical viewfinder technology during the development livestream of its forthcoming APS-C DSLR.
Sony has shared the details of its new sensor array that it claims is the world’s first to feature artificial intelligence (AI) directly onboard the chipset.
Before diving into the details, it’s worth noting this sensor has been produced with industrial applications in mind, but as tends to be the case with much of Sony’s other sensor technologies, it’s not difficult to imagine seeing these AI-powered technologies in Sony’s smartphone and possibly even mirrorless camera sensors down the road.
With that out of the way, let’s dive into the details. The IMX500 is a 12.3MP (4056 × 3040 pixels) backside-illuminated 1/2.3” sensor capable of 4K/60p video capture that features a new stacked design that puts the pixel chip atop the logic chip. The stacked design means the data captured from the pixel chip can immediately be parsed via Sony’s AI processing directly on the logic chip.
Processing in the sensor not only removes the need for external hardware, it also means only the relevant data needs to be output, significantly reducing the amount of data that needs to be communicated to the cloud, reducing bandwidth and increasing speed. Sony says the new sensor can capture and process the image within 3.1 milliseconds when using the MobileNet V1 image analysis model.
IMX500 (left), IMX501 (right).
In addition to faster, real-time object-tracking and processing, this setup also allows the system to export either image data and information or information alone. The ability to export the AI-derived information alone adds an additional layer of security that could be added to scenes where privacy is critical.
Illustration from Sony showing how the data output format can be customized to meet various needs.
Again, Sony specifically mentions retail and industrial equipment use-cases for this new sensor technology, so it’s not likely we’ll be seeing this in consumer camera tech anytime soon.
The IMX500 (bare chip model) is expected to start shipping in April 2020 for 10,000 JPY (~$ 94), while the IMX501 (packaged product model) is expected to start shipping in June 2020 for 20,000 JPY (~$ 188).
The post Types of Photography that go Beyond the Scope of Human Vision appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
I recently saw a T-shirt for photographers which said, “I Can Freeze Time – What’s Your Superpower?” It got me thinking about all the things we can do with photography that take us beyond the scope of normal human vision. The time-space continuum isn’t sufficient here to discuss the how-to of all these different techniques, but instead, my intent is to at least expose (yes… a photographic pun) you to these various types of photography so you too can explore new superpowers at your command. Put on your tights and cape, and let’s go.
Einstein says…
Your head might explode if we got very deep into Albert Einstein’s theories, but one thing to consider as a photographer is his Theory of Relativity. He postulated that at the speed of light, time stands still. Do we as photographers really have the ability to freeze time? After all, the raw materials of photography are light and time.
When we make an exposure, we allow a measured quality of light to come into our cameras for a set period of time. The aperture controls that quantity of light. The shutter speed controls how long we allow that light to create an image on the sensor (or the film if you still use that stuff). ISO is simply how sensitive we choose to make the sensor to that admitted light.
Now, I’m no Einstein, not even a Bill Nye, but I think in some way, we really do have the ability to alter time with photography.
Take a quantum leap with me as we explore this.
Can we freeze time with photography? I froze the falling sand in this hourglass not with a fast shutter, but with the short duration of a burst from a Speedlight. 8 seconds f/22 ISO 100
Slivers of time
One of the main attractions of photography, even for those who are just snapshooters, is the ability to capture a moment. What the fallen giant photography company once called a “Kodak Moment.”
Every photograph captures a scene that never existed before that moment and ceases to exists afterward.
We record, and later can review, that sliver of time in a photograph. So in that sense, we really do have the ability to freeze time. Let’s look at some ways we do that.
A photo captures a sliver of time. The people in the photos on the table are long gone, but we can still see the sliver of time that the photo captured.
We can freeze time with a fast shutter speed. For the pepper – 1/3200 sec. f/4 ISO 400. For the motorcyclists – 1/1000 sec. f/3.2 ISO 100
Shutter speed
How long we allow the shutter to stay open is the slice of time we capture. For example, if we shoot at 1/30th of a second, that’s the sliver of time we capture. Shorten the shutter speed to something like 1/500th of a second and that’s the slice of time captured.
This is the reason we need faster shutter speeds to freeze faster-moving objects. Light from the moving object comes into the camera from one point at the beginning of the exposure and other points as the subject moves until the shutter closes.
Static objects don’t move, so nothing much changes during the exposure duration.
Fast-moving objects travel a greater distance during the exposure. We can determine what shutter speed is necessary to freeze the object. The objective here is to not have the object move appreciably during the exposure, such that it appears “frozen.”
Most of our cameras top out at around 1/4000th to 1/8000th of a second. That can freeze some pretty fast action. But what if you have really fast-moving objects you want to freeze? You can meet your increased need for speed with flash.
Flash duration
If you’re a fan of superheroes, you no doubt have heard of The Flash. His superpower is the ability to move at incredible speed – so fast that he’s imperceptible to bystanders. He does have the ability to essentially freeze time, at least relative to the speed of normal humans.
You, as a photographer, can come closer to freezing really fast-moving objects with your flash.
Your camera shutter might top out at 1/8000th of a second, but using the extremely short duration of a flash (ditto for Speedlights, studio strobes, any kind of stroboscopic light), you now up the game.
Rather than reduce the sliver of time with the shutter, you use a much shorter flash duration as the means of making your exposure. How much shorter?
When you -really- want to freeze fast action, use the short duration of a burst of flash. The raspberry – 1/60th sec. f/25 ISO 100 (but the flash at 1/16th power had a duration of just 1/16,000 sec.) The milk splash .3 sec f/8 ISO 800 – flash at 1/32 power for a duration of about 1/10,000 sec.
Look at the table below. This is for a Canon 580EX speedlight.
Different flashes will differ, but the constant is that the lower the flash power, the shorter the flash duration.
Note that at full-power, the 580EX has a flash duration of 1/250 sec. You can do better with just your camera shutter. But, at a setting of 1/128th power, we get some serious stopping power, a flash duration of just 1/20,000th of a second. That will freeze some really fast-moving subjects!
Before you get too cocky with your superpower of freezing time, I wanted to throw in what the big boys at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab have accomplished.
They have actually been able to take photographs at the speed of light, capturing the motion of photons (which move at about 186,282 miles per second, 299,792 kps, millions of times faster than even bullets).
The exposure duration, if that’s the right term for the MIT technique, is less than two-trillionths of a second!
Warping time
Freezing time is magic enough. But with photography, our superpowers don’t end there. Did you know you can also warp time, stretching it out or shrinking it down?
Let’s explore some other types of photography.
Making moving water look silky is a favorite photographer’s trick. We essentially stretch time with a slow shutter speed. Thousand Springs, Idaho at left – .3 sec. f/22 ISO 100. Sabbaday Falls, New Hampshire – 5 sec. f/20 ISO 200
Stretching time
When we take a long exposure photo, we allow light to come into the camera for an extended period of time. All photos are, as described, a “sliver of time,” but sometimes we can allow that sliver to become quite long.
To not overexpose the image, we must still find proper exposure with the camera’s combination of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
We can set our aperture to the smallest opening of our lens, perhaps f/22, maybe f/32 or even f/64 on large format cameras with special lenses. We can reduce our ISO to maybe 50. That will maximize our shutter time.
If those settings still let in too much light, we can reach for Neutral Density filters to cut the light further and allow even longer exposures. Now we can make exposures that last for minutes, maybe even hours, rather than fractions of a second.
Need to stretch time even further? Put on an ND filter so you can slow the shutter even more. Left – Convict Lake, California – 30 seconds f/13 ISO 100, Center – Boise River, done with a welder’s glass ND – 162 seconds f/8 ISO 400. Right – Oceanside Pier, California 30 sec. f/6.3 ISO 50
Slowing down your shutter gives you more time to play with the light and creates light-streak effects. It also allows time for “light-painting” as the image on the far right shows.
Of course, with special photo gear and know-how, you can get really radical.
The longest known photo exposures have a “shutter speed” of…get this – almost 3 years!
German photography artist, Michael Wesely, who does this kind of thing, says he estimates with the right setup, he could make an exposure that would last 40 years.
Another guy described as a “conceptual artist and experimental philosopher,” Jonathon Keats, has set up a camera he hopes will take a 1,000-year exposure.
A long exposure of traffic is a favorite photographer’s way to “stretch time” and make light streaks of moving objects. This is the Boise, Idaho skyline during “rush hour.” 15 sec. f/13 ISO 100
Shrinking time
How about we go the other direction and shrink time?
Can we make a photo which reduces what took a long time into a short viewing duration?
One way to do this with a standard digital camera is to use what we call time-lapse photography. A camera with an intervalometer will take a shot every so often, taking many individual images over an extended period. Then, combining the images into what essentially becomes frames in an animation. The long duration becomes a much shorter time-lapse video.
Time is shrunken down. What might have taken days to shoot, can be viewed in seconds.
If you’ve seen sequences of things like flowers growing or fruit rotting, this is the technique. Here’s my feeble attempt. I’ve forgotten how many individual shots it took to make even this very short 7-second video clip – but it was a bunch.
I can’t even begin to fathom what it takes to make a truly epic timelapse like this one.
Another option is to do this in an all-in-one, non-moving image. Taking multiple exposures and combining them into the same final composited image uses this technique. Take a look at the techniques I used in the following images.
You can show a sequence of motion with different techniques. The peppers image was done with strobed flash. The shot of the total eclipse was constructed from multiple images later composited in Photoshop.
Combining a multi-shot panorama with the capabilities of Microsoft ICE, you can make sequences like this.
Intentional Camera Movement – ICM
Another way to distort time, and your image, is to intentionally move the camera, and/or the lens during the exposure. A longer exposure will allow you to do things like swish-pans, zooms, changing focus, or “free-lensing.”
Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) like this vertical swish-pan, can produce very abstract effects. 1/20 sec. f/29 ISO 250
See the light
Humans see and, in normal use, our cameras are designed to capture the portion of the “Electromagnetic Spectrum” we call visible light. (For a deeper dive into this subject, take a look at my article – “How to Understand Light and Color to Improve your Photography.”)
We reference the Kelvin scale when we talk about photography in the visible light realm. Then we use white balance to adjust our cameras to do something our eyes and brains do naturally – adjust to the varying degrees of warm and cool light.
Foliage turns light, skies go dark, and colors get strange when photographing with a camera altered to be sensitive to the infrared spectrum.
We can’t change the portion of the spectrum we see, but our cameras can. You can have a camera altered so that is responsive to other wavelengths of light. This will take a little extra commitment to explore, as once your camera is altered for either infrared or ultraviolet use, it will no longer work for standard photography.
Some cameras may give you infrared capability without special conversion. Take a look at this DPS article.
What our eyes can see is only a tiny portion of the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) called Visible Light. Cameras can be altered to “see” other wavelengths for infrared and ultraviolet photography.
Don’t want to convert your camera for infrared? Tweaking the colors and tones can help you create a pretty good monochrome approximation in Lightroom. There are some good “recipes” for creating presets available.
Cameras can go even further up and down the spectrum of light, though hobbyist photographers aren’t apt to do so.
Get into even shorter wavelengths of light and you can make X-ray images.
Go the other direction into long wavelengths, and you’re not using a camera anymore. Instead, you are perhaps cooking dinner in a microwave oven, clocking the speed of a baseball with radar, or even further, listening to the “light” which we know as radio waves.
Kirlian Photography
When seeking out new types of photography, why be limited to light to make a photo? With Kirlian photography, you can make a “photo” with high-voltage electricity. Shocking! – (Well, I hope not).
Want to give it a go? Here’s a link to a how-to.
Some claim that Kirlian photography, which uses a charged plate to make the image, reveals the Aura of living things, like this fingertip. Guess you’ll have to see for yourself.
HDR
Digital cameras keep getting better and better. However, they still can’t compete with the human eye and brain for capturing scenes that have an extreme range between light and shadow.
To work around this, photographers will take a series of images at different exposures. They then combine those with what is known as High Dynamic Range (HDR) software.
This is yet one more of the types of photography you can explore.
Seeking to expand the dynamic range of this image, I combined multiple exposures with Aurora HDR software.
Astro-Photography
Why limit your photography to earth?
Astrophotography is, as they say, out of this world.
Much more light-sensitive cameras, better lenses, more noise-free sensors, and noise-reduction techniques allow better long exposure images to be made.
We can produce digital camera images showing far more than we can see with our naked eyes.
The light from these stars in the Milky Way has traveled perhaps tens of thousands of years to reach my camera. Mind-blowing! Taken at Bruneau Dunes State Park, Idaho. 25 sec. f/8 ISO 12,800
Thinking about what we can capture with astrophotography begins to boggle your mind. When you take a photo of the night sky, you are literally looking back in time… a very long way back. You’re also looking a long way away… a very very long way. Literally to infinity and beyond.
The farthest star we can usually see with the naked eye is the faint V762 Cassiopeiae, just barely visible under dark skies and around 16,300 light-years away.
For most space objects, we use light-years to describe their distance. A light-year is the distance light travels in one Earth year.
So, that means the light entering your camera from that star took over 16,000 years to make the trip. One light-year is about 6 trillion miles (9 trillion km). So…(calculator out now…) this star is 9.78E16 miles away, or 97,800,000,000,000,000 or 9.8 quadrillion miles (15.77 quadrillion km) away. (Talk about focusing at infinity!)
Even light from astronomical bodies in the neighborhood, so to speak, takes a while to make the trip. Here are some examples:
Sun to Earth – 8 minutes 20 seconds
Moon to Earth – 1.3 seconds
Mars to Earth – 3 min. 2 seconds.
Jupiter to Earth – About 43 minutes.
Macro and Micro
There’s another whole world that awaits when you try macro photography. at left – 1/120 sec. f/1.8 ISO 50, Center – 1/13 sec. f/9 ISO 200, Right – 15 sec. ISO 50 – w/reversed lens.
Think too much about the expansiveness of the universe and you’ll begin to feel really tiny. So how about we look at some types of photography that will make you feel really large – macro and microphotography.
Using things like macro lenses, close-up filters, reversed-lens techniques, bellows, and focus-stacking, we can get really up-close-and-personal with the tiny world.
If you’ve never explored macro photography, take a look at the many ways to get into it. Some of which you can do on-the-cheap as you start out. There’s another whole world right at your feet.
Shoot multiple exposures focused at different spots, and focus-stack them with software to have all the depth-of-field you want. Images stacked with Helicon Focus.
Get into macro photography on-the-cheap with an old film camera lens and a reversing ring. image at right – 2.5 sec. ISO 200
Going even further into inner space, you can get a microscope and the proper adapters to attach your camera to it. Now things like amoebas and paramecium can be your models.
Human vision vs camera vision
If you were a legit superhero, you’d have some kind of special vision, right?
You’ve heard of Superman’s X-ray vision, but did you know, he also is said to have telescopic vision and can see much further than humans? He has incredible night vision and can see in the dark. Also, he has microscopic vision and can see right down to the molecular structure of things. And like the baby in The Incredibles, Jack-Jack, he also has laser vision and can shoot laser beams out of his eyes.
So big deal…your camera can do most of that stuff too.
I’m being silly, but suffice it to say, your camera views the world much differently than you.
A commonly held view is that a 50mm prime lens on a full-frame camera pretty much duplicates the field of human vision. That point is debated. The bottom line is that the human eye and brain are much more sophisticated than any camera. Although an eyeball bears similarities to a camera, when coupled to your brain, well… it’s just different.
Dandelion Ying-Yang – We see in color, but the camera can be made to see in monochrome and also reverse the tones to create a negative image.
That said, cameras do have some of the abilities of Superman.
Coupled with a wide-angle lens, their field of vision can be wider than yours. With a telephoto lens, they can see further. And, with a zoom, they can concentrate on some subjects, excluding others.
Mounted to a telescope or microscope, they can see into space or down to microscopic levels.
Their high ISO capabilities can make images in what to you would be almost total darkness. Add night-vision capabilities and they can boost very low light into an image you can see.
Thermal imaging cameras view the infrared heat coming off objects.
Move your lens during a long exposure for special effects. The lens was zoomed for the image on the left, 2.5 sec. f/25 ISO 100. The lens was turned from out-of-focus to in-focus for the fireworks – 6 sec. f/8 ISO 100
As for shooting laser beams…some cameras really do use them in focusing.
My previous cellphone, an LG G3, and my current LG V30 use lasers to focus the camera. Superman, Jack-Jack, and Buck Rodgers got nuthin’ on us.
Turn a panoramic shot into a “Tiny Planet” with Microsoft ICE.
Distorted vision
I’m not sure a superhero would brag about having distorted vision as a superpower, but creative photographers sometimes like it.
Things like crystal balls, prisms, Lens Baby lenses, tilt-shift lenses, fisheye lenses and all manner of other photographic accessories can be used to distort how an image looks.
You can also play with a photo on the computer to bend and distort it, make “tiny worlds” with editing techniques, sew multiple photos together to make panoramas or even 360-degree virtual reality images.
Be an explorer
Canon has a sponsored group of photographers they call “Explorers of Light.”
What I’m suggesting is you, too, become an explorer. Tap into your superpowers as a photographer to explore all types of photography.
Just making standard photographs is fine and certainly by itself will keep you busy learning for a lifetime. However, when it’s time to broaden your horizons, there are so many other things to try.
Now superhero, harness the speed of light, and go make some unique photos!
14-shots stitched together with Microsoft ICE create this panorama taken at Deadhorse State Park, Utah
Do you know any other types of photography that go beyond the scope of human vision? If so, share your thoughts and comments with us below.
The post Types of Photography that go Beyond the Scope of Human Vision appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
Vision Research has released its latest high-speed camera, the Phantom VEO 1310. The new camera, which is part of Vision Research’s robust ‘VEO’ lineup, can capture 720p video at up to 14,350 frames per second (fps).
The new camera isn’t the highest-resolution phantom on the market, but it still offers plenty in the framerate department. Below is a list of the framerates and resolutions the Phantom VEO 1310 can record at:
1280 x 960 at 10,860 fps
1280 x 720 at 14,350 fps
960 x 960 at 13,333 fps
640 x 480 at 30,030 fps
320 x 120 at 423,350 fps
The camera features a native ISO of 25,000 D in Mono and 6,400 D in Color mode. It offers 18 µm pixel size, 12-bit color depth and has a minimum global shutter framerate of 50 fps.
The Phantom VEO 1310 comes in two models: Light (L) and Full (S). Both models offer SDI and HDMI video out, 12V battery input and include the option to add on a 10Gb ethernet adapter for remote operation. The difference between the two models is that the ’S’ version of the VEO 1310 offers six extra I/O ports (F-sync, TC in/out, trigger, strobe and a ready port), includes a CFast 2.0 port and offers on-camera controls, whereas the ‘L’ version lacks all of the above.
On both models, the lens mount is user-changeable with options for C-mount, Canon EF-mount and PL-mount lenses, with full electronic control support. The camera is made in the United States and comes with a handle, cheese plate, battery mounts (with the ’S’ model) and a case with custom foam cutouts.
Details on pricing and availability are unknown at this time. We have contacted Vision Research and will update this article with more information if and when we receive it.
The post How to Find Your Vision as a Photographer appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
It’s frustrating to be a good photographer but not know what to do with your skills.
You can know your camera inside and out, be able to compose a good photo and capture a great moment, but without vision, you’ll always feel aimless as a photographer.
You’ll be stuck taking pictures that don’t inspire you and perhaps even running a photography business that brings you down.
I’ll show you how to find your vision as a photographer so that you can thrive and create a body of work that you are proud of.
“It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.” – Helen Keller
Even though I’m a family photographer, photos like this do not fit my vision as a photographer. However, I understand that families want a nice portrait like this, so it’s part of what I offer as a family photographer.
What is “vision”?
Vision has to do with seeing, and photographers constantly practice the art of seeing.
Having vision means you know why you’re taking pictures. You know what you want to accomplish. You’re not controlled by what other photographers tell you to do. You know what you’re pursuing and why.
“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” – Jonathan Swift
Photos like this, a candid moment, a splash of chaos to break the order, is more in line with my vision.
Who’s vision are you living?
Without a vision of your own, you may be living out another photographer’s vision.
You see everyone else’s style of photography and feel you have to conform to that even though you don’t want to.
Somebody else has told you how to see the possibilities. Your vision isn’t your own.
But how do you find your vision as a photographer?
A photo like this fits my vision perfectly. It was cold and the little one was confused and grumpy and shivering. The only thing that mattered to her was her mom. But this photo is not really about the little one, it’s about her mom. The mom who sacrifices, and comforts. The mom who abandons everything to embrace her little one.
Look back to find your vision
Part of your work as a photographer is to explore. What you explore is completely up to you.
You often don’t realize the significance of your discoveries until you can see some thread that connects them all.
In all your exploration as a creative person, you will see clues to your vision.
Look back on these five things to help find your vision as a photographer.
1. Note your other creative pursuits
You’re probably a creative person and not just a photographer.
Consider what books you love to read.
Take note of what you watch.
What type of music do you listen to?
If you sketch or paint, what is your subject matter?
Now, connect photography with your other creative pursuits.
Here’s what it looks like for me:
I tend to read novels that explore human nature, listen to music with lyrics about the ideal life, enjoy comedy that pokes fun of everyday routines, write on themes of personal growth, and studied the humanities at university.
I love to photograph candid moments (even during headshot sessions) because it lets me explore personality and how people act.
Already, I see a connection between my photography and my other creative pursuits.
“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” – Ansel Adams
In each of these books, I find a clue to my vision as a photographer.
2. Collect the photos you love the most
What sort of photos are you drawn to and what are your favorite photos that you’ve taken?
What do you see in those photos and how do they connect to your other creative pursuits?
From my earliest days as a family photographer, this is one of my favorite photos. Childhood is a theme I love to explore.
Look beyond your own photography to that of others. What prints have you purchased or photography books do you own?
I’m not a photojournalist, though it’s photojournalism that seems to really inspire me as a photographer. This 25-cent yard sale magazine was one of my best purchases this year.
My favorite photographs are gritty, grainy and misfocused, but I love them.
I appreciate photographers who live for the moments and ideas in the photograph.
Moving forward, pay attention to what compels you to grab your camera and take a photo.
3. List your quirks as a person
This is a fun one. The purpose is to discover what is unique and interesting about you as a creative person.
Do you have a strange hobby?
Do you have any funny rituals?
What are you most embarrassed about?
List those quirky things that make you interesting.
If a toddler cries at one of my photo sessions, you can be sure I’ll snap a picture. l also make moms and dads dance together during photo sessions. It’s always so awkward, but that’s interesting to me.
One of my quirks is that I’m afraid to dance. I figure if I’m afraid of something, then other people are too. So I make couples dance at a portrait session. It’s lots of fun and the most awkward couples end up with the most romantic portraits.
4. What are your favorite 3-5 photography quotes?
Your favorite photography quotes will help you find your vision as a photographer.
Here are a few to get you thinking.
“I realize more and more what it takes to be a really good photographer. You go in over your head, not just up to your neck.” — Dorothea Lange
“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” — Marc Riboud
“For me, the camera is a sketchbook, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson
“I tend to think of the act of photographing, generally speaking, as an adventure. My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been.” — Diane Arbus
“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.” — Diane Arbus
“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.” — Steve McCurry
“The most difficult thing for me is a portrait. You have to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson
Do your favorite quotes have anything in common with your creative pursuits, your favorite photos, and your quirks as a person?
One day the bay we live on flooded and took over our yard. I put on my chest waders and followed my son as he paddled around. This is who I am as a photographer. Wandering into unpredictable and unexpected events to explore. I love it when our everyday life is made strange
5. Pay attention to what you say when you’re upset
Sometimes the spontaneous overflow of emotion contains the exact revelation of what your vision is.
How do you react when your photos are criticized? If you’ve never been criticized, just find a community to share your work online. Sooner or later, a person will let you know what they think of your photos. They will insult you relentlessly. Hopefully, they get under your skin, and you lash back. The words you blurt out are an expression of your vision.
I like wading into chaos and making something beautiful out of it. And if there are blemishes in the photo, so much the better. Because where there are smudges and dust and grain – that’s where things got real.
I keep my iPhone 4s to use as a camera. The grain and discoloration in the photos represent what I see in life. It’s one of my favorite cameras.
Ask, what problem does your vision solve?
By now, you should have a clue as to what you’re after as a photographer. Don’t worry, it takes some time to come up with a precise vision.
A final approach is to ask what problem your vision tackles.
I remember the day I realized what photography was all about for me. I was reading a book on the history of journalism and came across this comment:
“The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each man to himself.” — Edward Steichen
My everyday photography and work is permeated with trying to understand ourselves. That is right in line with the books I read, the comedy I laugh at, and the moments I capture.
As I photograph my kids, other people and social events, I come to understand humanity. And I find myself in places I would never get to be unless I was a photographer.
“The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong.” — Susan Meiselas
I’ve been there when brides get ready for their wedding day. That would never have happened without the camera. You get insights into a person when you spend their wedding morning with them. You get insight into humanity when you do this repeatedly over time.
Here is a question that drives me as a person and a photographer: who do you become in a crisis?
What do you become like when a session falls apart? Who do you become as a mom when your little one won’t smile pretty for the camera? Who are you when your children need you? Those questions drive me and therefore drive my vision as a photographer.
A moment between a father and son. He’s done something wrong and neither knows quite how to react or what to say. It’s a defining moment in their relationship.
Your vision ought to make you grow
People with vision foresee exactly what they’re after and why. They work toward it, overcoming obstacles and their weaknesses. To find your vision as a photographer:
Explore your creativity.
Ask, what problem does my vision solve?
How does it make life deeper and better?
Who do I need to be(come) in order to bring this vision to life?
What do I have to do consistently in order to bring this vision to life?
Write yourself a tag line and print it, make a mug, a t-shirt, or paint it on the wall.
Do you have anything else you’d like to add to this? If so, please share with us in the comments.
The post How to Find Your Vision as a Photographer appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
SmallHD has introduced new monitors in its Vision Series and Cine Series product lines, the latter of which already existed with the Cine 7 monitor. The new models come in larger 13in, 17in and 24in sizes, offering 4K HDR quality and support for SmallHD’s proprietary tools alongside a roster of features designed for professional creators.
The expanded Cine Series brings the new Cine 13, Cine 17, and Cine 24 monitors with edge-lit LED panels, offering professionals daylight-viewable displays with 1,000 and 2,500 nits brightness options, 100% DCI P3 wide color gamut, and four independent 12G-SDI inputs. SmallHD describes its new Cine offerings as ‘ruggedly built.’
Joining the expanded Cine Series is the new Vision Series 4K HDR monitors offered in the same size options, but with a ‘True HDR’ viewing experience made possible by 2,000+ zones in the local dimming array and a 1000000:1 contrast ratio. These monitors feature 114% DCI P3 coverage and likewise include four independent 12G-SDI inputs.
Both models include a ‘full suite of exposure tools’ related to 4K and HDR cinematography, according to the company. Both models have been introduced on the SmallHD website under a ‘Small4K’ brand name; the company says it will release the models in the first quarter of 2020, but hasn’t provided any pricing information at this time.
Nikon has announced a $ 7.5 million investment in Canadian computer vision and deep learning startup wrnch, Inc. Wrnch was founded in 2014 and ‘uses deep learning to develop and provide tools and software development kits (SDKs) that enable computers to see and understand human movement and activity.’
On its website the company says about itself it is ‘Teaching Cameras To Read Human Body Language.’
Nikon says the move is in line with its medium-term management plan which is designed to expand not only its business-to-consumer but also business-to-business imaging activities. The company is hoping to create synergies by combining resources with wrench and ultimately expand the range of its imaging business.
Nikon is aiming to enhance its automatic shooting solutions for the sports market by fusing its optical technologies, automatic tracking shooting technologies from its subsidiary Mark Roberts Motion Control Limited and wrnch’s pose estimation technologies.
In addition the company is looking into providing ‘new imaging experiences’ with technologies such as artificial intelligence. In the statement Nikon also says it is open to ‘making’ further use of its optical technologies and collaborating with companies that offer their own innovative solutions and technologies.’
The post ThinkTank Vision 15 Camera Bag Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Peter West Carey.
ThinkTank’s Vision 15 camera bag is one in a line of stylish camera and computer shoulder bags built for photographers who want a functional bag that looks good walking down the street. It’s designed for someone who wants easy access to their gear and isn’t looking for a backpack.
Key features
The Vision 15 has a host of features that I enjoyed while testing. These include:
Fits a DSLR mounted on a long lens
I love my 28-300mm L lens (the same size as a 70-200mm f/2.8 or 100-400mm L lens) and this bag does a grand job of storing it while attached. ThinkTank, in their literature, mentions leaving the camera unattached, but I found the combination just barely fits, with easy, quick access.
Canon 6D mounted with 28-300mm L lens alongside Canon 10-22mm lens
Side view with padding removed
Great organization for extras
Inside the spacious main compartment is space enough for a few lenses and speedlights. There are both vertical and horizontal padded dividers to protect your shorter lens stacked one on the other.
All the dividers have velcro on each side, so they can be attached to either long side of the bag or to other dividers. I usually travel with a long lens attached and a wide angle lens stored. This means I have room for: smaller Sony RX-100 V, waterproof cover (included with bag), battery pack for phone and tablet, glasses case, power brick for laptop and DJI Osmo Pocket. And there is still more room in there.
It can handle a portable office
If your bag is not just for your camera, but for all the other items you want with you on a shoot or day out of the office, this bag can carry most of it.
The Vision 15 can manage a 15″ laptop and a 10″ tablet. The laptop sleeve is padded on the back and bottom while the tablet slot is found on the zippered front pocket.
That front pocket has a host of other slots to hold pens, business cards, large phones, cables, and keys (with a tether and clip so that don’t get lost). And it still has ample pocket space for books, batteries, chargers and all the other little things that join you on the road.
An added bit of security to the main compartment
While the generous top flap of the bag keeps the elements at bay, a secondary zippered flap will help keep prying hands away. The flap has velcro to help hold it in place, meaning it will open when the main flap opens and close when it closes. Or zip up the inner flap for an added sense of security. It can also be tucked under the main flap to keep it out of the way for quicker access.
Expandable bottle holder
This little design aesthetic impressed me when I wasn’t expecting it to. Velcro keeps the bottle holder closed when not in use, reducing the chance that it will get caught on something. Plus it looks more stylish this way.
But when you need to hold your coffee or water bottle, just expand the pocket to one of two sizes for a (nearly) custom fit.
Tough, coated bottom
While the bag’s fabric is stylish and does a good job of resisting stains and water, the bottom is made of beefed-up waterproof tarpaulin. This tough option makes for easy clean up when the bag is placed in anything but the most pristine locations. A quick wipe with a damp cloth keeps it clean and your contents dry.
Front and back book/papers pockets
On the back of the bag is a large pocket for books or notebooks. This is a great spot to place quick-at-hand items, and I use it for my calendar and main notebook.
On the front of the bag is a smaller pocket. While you could fit a book in there, it presses against the organizer pocket behind it. While is looks good in photos, it’s not useful for thick items.
Generously padded shoulder strap and carry handle
The bag comes with two main modes of transport: a padded shoulder strap and a carry handle on top. The padding on the shoulder strap is generous and the strap itself has a wide range of adjustment for a variety of torsos. However, the top carry handle only works when you remember to clip the top flap shut. Still, it is a secure way to get the bag in and out of your car for a quick grab.
It fits easily under a seat on a plane
I’ve tested the bag under economy coach seats on 737s and smaller planes with ease. There is ample room and the bag doesn’t scratch along the underside of the seat.
Not so artful tripod holder
On a bag like this, the tripod attachment goes in the only location it can; on the bottom. ThinkTank uses their attachment straps (which can be removed when not in use, as shown above) to allow for a variety of tripod sizes. There’s really no other place for a tripod to go and the clips do an adequate job.
Roller Bag Passthrough
For those who love their roller bags for airports, the back of the Vision 15 has a slot for your roller bag handle to pass through.
Limits
While this bag has a lot going for it, I find the pockets get full fast. Even just throwing a Mindshift card wallet into the front pocket will expand it enough to press on the other pockets. Toss in a charger and Miops cable release as pictured above and you quickly start puffing the bag up, unlike a backpack-style bag.
Vision 15 with rain cover attached
Don’t expect to comfortably carry a full-size tripod on the bottom of this bag. The length would make things unwieldy. Also, with the tripod attached, you suddenly don’t have an easy way to set down the bag.
In use
I tested the bag in use on my job for a month, which included travel on four different flights up an down the West Coast. Its smaller form factor (compared to my normal backpack) is welcome as it packs into my car trunk easily and was effortless to remove, thanks to its clean lines and lack of straps like a backpack.
Opening and accessing contents is straightforward and I left the velcro attachment connected on the inside lid most of the time. Yet, when I had to set the bag down a couple of times in less than ideal situations, that inner zipper was nice to employ. I never did use the rain cover but I am glad they shipped the bag with a black cover to keep it stylish.
Conclusion
The ThinkTank Vision 15 is a very useful shoulder bag. While it can’t quite hold all I like to carry (no space for a drone), it holds all you need on a day-to-day basis when away from the office all day. It easily holds a long lens as well as battery packs, chargers, cards, tablet and laptop. It can easily handle four lenses and a flash, while the padded shoulder strap makes carrying that load bearable.
While the Vision 15 is sized for a 15″ laptop, they have two other, smaller sizes (which cut out the space for a tablet) that might fit your particular setup better.
The post ThinkTank Vision 15 Camera Bag Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Peter West Carey.
Think Tank Photo has unveiled its new Vision series of shoulder bags, including the Vision 10, Vision 13 and Vision 15. The new line is designed to accommodate mirrorless and DSLR cameras alongside ‘pro-sized’ lenses and lens hoods, according to the company. The bags feature a padded divider system that can be customized to meet individual needs, as well as pockets for tablets and laptops.
The Vision 10 bag is the smallest of the series, offering enough interior space for a single standard-size camera body with either a short zoom or wide lens attached alongside another lens or two and a 10-inch tablet; there’s also space for a detached 24-70mm lens. Alternatively, this bag can hold a mirrorless camera kit that includes three or four lenses.
Vision 10 Insert
The Vision 13 offers a bit more space, including enough room for both a 10-inch tablet and a 13-inch laptop, as well as up to a 70-200mm detached lens. The Vision 15 offers the most space with room for a standard size camera body with an attached 24-70mm lens, up to four extra lenses, and a flash, as well as a 10-inch tablet and up to a 15-inch laptop. There’s also room for a 70-200mm detached lens.
All three bags feature exterior fabric with a water-repellent DWR coating and polyurethane underside coating, as well as YKK RC Fuse zippers, 420D velocity nylon, 350G 3D air mesh, 3-ply bonded nylon thread, 500D 2-tone polytech weave nylon tarpaulin, and antique-plated metal hardware. The bags’ interior includes a 200D liner and PU-backed Nylex liner, 3-ply bonded nylon thread, a rain cover, and removable foam dividers.
Other features include padded non-slip shoulder straps, dedicated phone pocket, luggage handle pass-through, water bottle pocket, and a reinforced top handle.
The Vision bags are available through Think Tank Photo now at the following prices:
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