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A Beginner’s Guide to Working With Flash Off-Camera

14 Feb

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Working With Flash Off-Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Gina Milicia.

I spent the first three years of my photography career avoiding the use of off-camera flash.

Why?

Because I couldn’t wrap my head around the concepts and science behind it.

I tried to cover up my struggles by saying things like “I’m a natural light photographer,” or “I really don’t like the aesthetics of flash photography.”

But I eventually – reluctantly! – invested in a flash for my first Nikon. This was the ’90s, pre-digital, pre-autofocus, and pre-TTL. I had to calculate how much power to use via a chart on top of the flash.

Each photoshoot I went on that required flash was preceded by a sleepless night filled with anxious dreams about turning up to the shoot naked. And the thought of having to use flash also had a mild to moderate laxative effect on me.

Luckily, those days are long gone and shooting flash off-camera has never been easier! In this tutorial, I’ll show you the quick and easy steps I take to shoot portraits using off-camera speedlights.

The gear essentials

If you’re going to use off-camera flash, here’s what you’ll need:

1. Speedlights

I use speedlights most often when I’m traveling and need light, portable flashes, when I’m working on location without access to power, or when I’m working in small, confined locations where studio flashes would be too powerful or cramped.

I work with two Canon speedlights. A great alternative if you are looking to save a few bucks is the Yongnuo YN560 IV. It has a very similar look to Canon speedlights as well as Nikon’s SB speedlight series.

2. Remote triggers

Remote triggers allow you to fire speedlights when they’re not mounted to your camera. As you can imagine, this is essential when using off-camera flash.

The cheapest and most reliable way to fire your speedlights off-camera is by using a sync cord — basically, you connect your speedlight to your camera via a long cable.

The drawbacks of using a cable are that it reduces the distance you can be away from your flash, and it can create a tripping hazard. That said, I still carry a couple of spare sync cables in my kit; remote triggers do fail from time to time, and the sync cords have saved me on a few occasions.

The next option for firing off-camera flashes is cheap infrared triggers. These do the job of setting your flash off remotely, but they’re sensitive to bright sunlight and affected by external factors such as alert lights on emergency vehicles and forklifts, etc., so they can go off without warning. I started out with a $ 30 set of triggers and used them for a couple of years before trading up to PocketWizards, which I’ve been using for the last eight years.

3. Light stands

Speedlights don’t float in the air – which means you need something to hold them up!

Now, there are three options when it comes to mounting speedlights off-camera:

First, you can use a light stand. Light stands vary in price from $ 20 to $ 200+ dollars, depending on the make and construction.
Second, you can use a GorillaPod and mount your speedlight to a door or place it on top of something near your model.
Third, you can mount your speedlight to an extension pole (or monopod) and have someone hold the light above your model. I like to do this because it gives me more options when shooting, and it also means there aren’t any light stands that get in the way of my shot.

4. Light shapers

Using a speedlight as a bare light source creates a very hard style of lighting similar to harsh sunlight. This looks great in certain situations, but I prefer to soften and control the light source with a small or medium softbox. This creates a much softer, more flattering, and more realistic-looking light source.

A good softbox to start with is the LumiQuest Mini Softbox. It’ll attach to your speedlight with velcro and can fold flat for easy storage.

5. Camera with a hot shoe

Finally, you will need a camera that works in Manual mode. It must also have a hot shoe.

Note that the “hot shoe” is just a square bit of metal on top of the camera that an external flash or wireless trigger slides into.

Working with off-camera flash

Once I got over my fear of off-camera flash, I started to believe that great portraits needed artificial lighting regardless of the environment. I often added two or three lights to my portrait shoots because I thought that anything less was lazy or unprofessional. I actually felt guilty when I shot with natural light because I thought it was cheating.

Fortunately, I’ve gotten over those thoughts. Here’s what I know now:

Finding great light and being able to use it are learned skills – and so is knowing when to use fill-flash in a portrait.

Nowadays, whenever I set up portrait shoots, I always look for opportunities to use great natural lighting first. It’s the most beautiful and flattering light for portraits, so if it ain’t broke, no need to fix it.

Having said that, there are many times when natural lighting is only just okay or even terrible – and sometimes a portrait needs more mood or drama than the available light can provide.

The following is an example of how I used off-camera flash to light a heavily backlit image. My objective was to create a shot that looked naturally lit. This technique can be used for any portrait that requires off-camera fill flash.

on-camera flash photo of man on a motorcycle

In the first shot (A), you can see that my model was heavily backlit, which makes a great silhouette but not such a great portrait.

For the second shot (B), I attempted to correct the lighting by increasing my ISO, which overexposed the background and brought more detail to the motorbike, but leaves the model’s skin tones flat, dull, and underexposed. It also added extra noise to the shadows. At this stage, I could have used a reflector to bounce light back onto the model to help create better skin tones.

Finally, for the third shot (C), I used an on-camera flash. As you can see in my example, the Canon speedlight did an okay job of lighting my model, given that I was about five meters (sixteen feet) away using a 200mm lens.

But the thing I don’t like about using flash on-camera for portraits is that it tends to make the subject look unnatural and have a flat appearance. On the other hand, by using a flash off-camera, you can control the direction and amount of light going onto your model to achieve a more natural look.

Which leads me to my off-camera flash setup:

off-camera flash diagram — Here’s a bird’s-eye view of my setup.

My speedlight was positioned approximately one meter (three feet) from the model. I set it at a 45-degree angle because I wanted to make my model look like he was lit from the side.

I was working with a 70-200mm zoom lens set to a focal length of 200mm because I wanted to blur all the details in the background.

My camera was approximately six meters (20 feet) from my model.

My ISO was set at 100, and my aperture was set to f/4. I was working at f/4 rather than wide open at f/2.8 because I find it very difficult to make eyes look sharp at f/2.8 at that distance and in such extreme lighting conditions.

Setting up the gear

off-camera flash setup diagram — Setting up speedlights and radio slaves.

For this motorbike model shoot, I mounted my speedlight to a light stand via an adapter and used a small LumiQuest Softbox to soften and shape my light.

To manually adjust the flash output of your speedlight, first switch the setting from its default of TTL to M (Manual mode). I recommend you start with the following settings:

First, if you’re shooting in full sunlight and you need an aperture of f/16 or higher, use a power setting of 1/1 (full).
If you are shooting at f/2.8 or f/4, start at around 1/16-1/32 power.

The diagram above is based on Canon’s 580EX II speedlight. For any other flash, check your manual for instructions on how to increase and decrease power. It should be very similar.

Now take a look at how I set my flash power:

six shots of a man on a motorcycle with increasing flash power

Flash set at 1/32 power is underexposed, skin tones look muddy, and there’s no detail in the blacks.
Flash set at 1/16 power is starting to look better.
Flash set at 1/8 power is looking good, but I prefer slightly brighter skin tones.
Flash set at ¼ power is the correct reading for the look I was going for.
Flash set at ½ power gives slightly overexposed skin tones, which is perfect for many portraits, as it creates a very flattering light (no model will ever tell you they love seeing all the detail in their pores and skin tones!).
Flash set at full power is overexposed; there’s very little detail in the skin tones and the blacks are too light (gray).

A step-by-step guide to how I lit this shot with off-camera flash

Now that you know how to set up your flash and how to determine a good exposure, I’d like to run through my motorcycle photoshoot.

How did I get a nice final result?

Let me take you through the step-by-step process:

man on a motorcycle as a silhouette — My ambient reading was f/4 at 1/125s with ISO 100.

Take an ambient reading to determine the correct exposure for the background (without any flash). In this case, my ambient reading was f/4 at 1/125s and ISO 100. This exposure was set for the entire shoot.
Ask yourself if adding flash will improve or detract from the shot. In this case, the answer is a definite yes – it will improve the shot.
Bring in your flash and set it up as per the diagrams above.
The quickest and easiest way to figure out the best flash power settings is to use a light meter. (If you don’t have a light meter, you can still work with off-camera flash. It will just take a bit longer to work out your exposure.) I believe a light meter is an essential tool in good portrait photography, and I would never leave home without one. When you use a light meter, you know you’ll end up with the most accurate readings and lighting becomes easy. I suggest you set up your lights per the diagram above, start at a power setting of 1/32, and gradually increase your power in small increments (1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, etc.) until you get your desired result.
Set your light meter to non-sync and press the button on the side of the meter. The non-sync button will flash on and off indicating that it’s ready. If you don’t have an assistant, I suggest taking a radio slave off-camera and using it to test-fire your flash so you can take a reading. Hold the meter in front of your subject’s face and point the sensor dome toward the camera.
Keep increasing or decreasing the amount of light until you have it a half stop to one stop over the ambient setting.
If you want a clean, beauty-style shot with lots of shadow detail, add one stop of fill-flash and shoot at your ambient meter settings.

This is something I strongly urge you to practice with as many patient friends, family members, and pets as possible. That way, you can build up your confidence and really get to know your equipment.

And here’s my final image:

final image of a man on a motorcycle — Glauco Junior Solleri. Vespa courtesy of Glow Studios.

Notice the different background? It’s from a shoot I did in St Mark’s Square, Venice last year. I merged the two images together using Photoshop.

Working with off-camera flash: Conclusion

Now that you’ve finished this article, you should be ready to capture some beautiful shots using off-camera flash!

So make sure you have the right equipment. And make sure you follow my process carefully.

You’ll come away with amazing results.

What are your experiences working with off-camera flash? Have you tried it? Does it intimidate you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Working With Flash Off-Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Gina Milicia.

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Atomos is working on a Ninja V update to bring 12-bit 4K/30p ProRes RAW to Nikon Z6 II, Z7 II cameras

17 Oct

The cameras haven’t even his the shelves of retailers yet and already Atomos has announced its Ninja V monitor/recorder will support ProRes RAW recording over HDMI on Nikon’s forthcoming Z6 II and Z7 II camera systems.

While both the Z6 II and Z7 II have respectable internal recording capabilities in their own right — 4K/60p for the Z7 II out of the box and with the Z6 II via a future firmware update — the addition of ProRes RAW recording further adds to the creative capabilities of Nikon’s latest mirrorless cameras.

Atomos says both the Z6 II and Z7 II will be able to output up to 4K/30p 12-bit ProRes RAW video over HDMI to the Atomos Ninja V recorder when it receives an AtomOS firmware update later this year. Atomos also notes that Nikon’s N-Log profile is fully supported in its AtomHDR monitoring pipeline ‘with the ability to add built in 709 preview, custom 3D LUTs and LOG to HDR conversion for both monitoring and output.’

You can keep up to date with the latest AtomOS firmware updates on Atomos’ support page.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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An Introduction to Working with Layers in Affinity Photo

07 Oct

The post An Introduction to Working with Layers in Affinity Photo appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Working with layers in Affinity Photo is very similar to how you work with layers in Adobe Photoshop. So if you are used to Photoshop, the transition to using layers in Affinity Photo is relatively easy.

Are you new to post-processing your photos with software that allows you to use layers? You’re sure to learn some cool new editing tips and tricks as you read through this article.

Being able to stack images, text, shapes, etc., with layers in Affinity Photo provides unlimited scope for creativity. As with any serious image-processing program, the learning curve is steep. There is always more than one series of steps you can take to achieve the same results.

In this article, I’ll introduce you to using layers in Affinity Photo. I’ll show you some of the cool ways you can edit your photos and create graphics that would not be possible without using layers.

Layer basics

When you open an image in Affinity Photo, a new layer is created. This shows in the Layers Panel on the left of your monitor. When you have one layer, you can add new layers and also move them up and down in the Layers Panel.

Any image, shape, or text can be added in a layer. You can continue to stack layers one on top of the other. Layers in Affinity Photo can be resized and cropped so they are different dimensions than the original layer.

The top layer is visible and may hide the layers underneath it, depending on the settings you choose for it. The opacity of the layer can be reduced so that the layer below is revealed.

There are also options to change the blend modes of layers. This means that the layer will interact differently with the layers below it. So if you add a text layer, you can alter how the text looks by changing the blend mode.

affinity photo sample with text and blend modes

Soft light blend mode with text layers in affinity photo

This works very much the same way as it does in Photoshop. But if you are new to this, you’ll have fun as you experiment with the different blend modes and the effects you can create with them.

Adjustment layers in Affinity Photo

With the Layers Panel, there is also a panel labeled Adjustments. This contains 22 items that, when clicked, will add a new adjustment layer to the file you are working on.

Adding an adjustment layer affects the layers underneath. You can create a layer group and include the adjustment layer with the layers you want it to affect.

Here I have added a Channel Mixer adjustment at the top of the layer hierarchy:

The adjustment layer is affecting both the text and the photo.

Here I moved the adjustment layer to group it with the text layer:

To do this, click the adjustment layer and drag it onto the layer you want it to affect.

Adjustment layers are non-destructive. This means that you can turn them on and off and they will not alter your original image. This gives you a lot of room to experiment without permanently editing the photo or other artwork you are working on.

You can use adjustment layers in Affinity Photo to create an unlimited number of effects in your photos. Each layer you add interacts with the layers beneath it. You can also change the blend mode of each adjustment layer independently.

Layer masks

You can mask out a layer or parts of a layer using layer masks. To add a layer mask, click on the icon that looks like a rectangle with a circle in it at the bottom of the Layers Panel. This will add a layer mask to the layer you currently have selected.

Here, I have duplicated my layer with the photo and painted with a black brush to erase the bottom part of the photo. If you make a mistake when you’re painting, you can switch the brush color to white. Then you can simply paint over the area you want to restore and the image will re-appear.

Once you’ve added a mask, you can alter the blend mode and even add further adjustment masks to it.

Here I have changed the blend mode to Multiply and then further darkened the sky by adding a Curves adjustment:

Notice that these changes only affect the layer they are grouped with. So only the sky, which I did not mask out, is altered.

Text layers in Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo enables you to do some innovative and pretty cool things with text layers.

To add a text layer, click on the text icon in the toolbar. By clicking and dragging on your canvas, you can set the size of the text. Once you release the mouse button, you can type and the text will appear at the size you set it to.

By clicking and holding the text icon in the toolbar, you can choose another option. This brings up the Frame Text tool. With this, you can click and drag on your canvas to make a bounding box to add your text inside. You can right-click in the box and select Insert Filler Text to fill your new test box.

You can also do this with any of the shapes in the toolbar menu.

Conclusion

Working with layers opens up whole new realms of creative possibilities for what you can do with your photos. If you are new to post-processing your photos or have been using an app like Lightroom, which has no layers, you have a lot to explore.

Take your time experimenting and familiarize yourself with the many options you have for working with layers in Affinity Photo.

I hope this article has provided you with a little insight into the potential of what you can do with layers. Now it’s up to you to take it beyond the basics and start creating masterpieces.

As you practice and try new things, please let us know in the comments below if you discover an aspect of working with layers in Affinity Photo that you think other readers might like to learn about.

The post An Introduction to Working with Layers in Affinity Photo appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

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Working From Home as a Photographer in the Current Climate: A No-Bull Guide

24 Sep

The current climate is not ideal for many businesses, particularly photographers. Without an outlet for work, it’s easy to ruminate on how you’re going to weather the storm. Going without work is not an option for many photographers, so what are the alternatives? Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to pivot your business and retain your income. For example, increasing Continue Reading

The post Working From Home as a Photographer in the Current Climate: A No-Bull Guide appeared first on Photodoto.

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Atomos, Olympus working to bring ProRes RAW to E-M1X, E-M1 Mark III by end of year

15 Sep

Atomos and Olympus have teamed up to announce the duo is co-developing firmware updates that will enable ProRes RAW footage to be captured on the OM-D E-M1X and OM-D E-M1 Mark III mirrorless cameras when paired with the Atomos Ninja V over HDMI.

This partnership is the latest in many that have seen numerous cameras gain ProRes RAW output over HDMI when recording to an Atomos Ninja V recorder, including the Sigma fp, Fujifilm GFX100 and many others. The announcement doesn’t lay out the video specifications that will be able to be captured, nor a date we can expect the firmware updates to go live, but the press release says we can expect them before the end of 2020.

We’ll be sure to share an update article when the firmware updates go live later this year.

Press release:

Atomos announces ProRes RAW support for Olympus OM-D E-M1X and OM-D E-M1 Mark III mirrorless cameras

September 15, Melbourne, Australia: Atomos is excited to announce co-development with Olympus of RAW recording over HDMI with the OM-D E-M1X and Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III mirrorless cameras. Together these powerful Olympus cameras and the Atomos Ninja V will record Apple ProRes RAW directly from the camera’s sensor.

Olympus users who love the OM-D family for its portability and in-body 5-axis image stabilization will get all the benefits of a ProRes RAW workflow – creative control to adjust the color and look of the video in post-production while extending brightness and shadow detail.

The Ninja V allows users to accurately monitor the RAW signal on its daylight-viewable 5” 1000nit brightness HDR screen. Setup is simple with perfectly tuned color settings applied automatically. Users can then view the image in HDR quality with a choice of HLG and PQ (HDR10) formats. The Ninja V offers touchscreen access to tools like waveforms, 1-1 magnification and focus peaking, allowing users to perfect their shot setup. The Ninja V then records the ProRes RAW data onto a removable AtomX SSDmini or other SSD drive. When shooting is complete the drive is removed and connected to a computer via USB for immediate offload and editing.

Jeromy Young, Atomos CEO, said: “We’re thrilled to work with Olympus and their stunning mirrorless cameras to bring the power of Apple’s ProRes RAW to OM-D users. We can’t wait to see the creativity that results from this partnership”.

ProRes RAW the new standard:

ProRes RAW is now firmly established as the new standard for RAW video capture, with Olympus being the eighth brand to support the format with the OM-D E-M1X and OM-D E-M1 Mark III mirrorless cameras. ProRes RAW combines the visual and workflow benefits of RAW video with the incredible real-time performance of ProRes. The format gives filmmakers enormous latitude when adjusting the look of their images and extending brightness and shadow detail, making it ideal for HDR workflows. Both ProRes RAW, and the higher bandwidth, less compressed ProRes RAW HQ are supported. Manageable file sizes speed up and simplify file transfer, media management, and archiving. ProRes RAW is fully supported in Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro along with a collection of other apps including ASSIMILATE SCRATCH, Colorfront, FilmLight Baselight and Grass Valley Edius.

The firmware update to enable these features is scheduled for winter 2020.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Photoshop ‘Infinite Jokes’ plugin keeps creators amused while they’re working

01 Sep

A free new Photoshop plugin from Infinite Tools adds an endless stream of jokes and puns to your workflow. Called ‘Infinite Jokes,’ the plugin was inspired by a recent request for jokes from viewers made by image retoucher Pratik Naik of Infinite Tools, he explained in his unveiling of the new plugin. The tool is a bit more sophisticated than merely showing jokes; it also enables users to rate the quality of the puns and to submit their own.

Infinite Jokes is, according to Infinite Tools, ‘A sassy panel that tells you the best PS jokes and openly judges you as you work!’ One example of a joke presented by the panel is:

Plastic surgery is like retouching. When it’s bad, it’s really bad. When it’s good, you won’t even know.

The jokes were submitted by the photo-editing community, which can continue to contribute jokes for inclusion in the plugin. Infinite Tools says users are able to choose whether the jokes are presented in the voice of a man or woman, as well as the accent used.

Every joke is presented alongside credit to the person who submitted it. In addition to rating the joke, users are also able to view the top jokes rated by users from around the world via the Infinite Tools website.

Because everyone has their own limitations and sensibilities, the company has also enabled plugin users to decide what type of jokes they want to hear — whether they want the jokes to be restricted only to ones that are funny, or to skew more toward the ‘mean’ end of the mood spectrum.

Users can also choose how often new jokes are spoken by the Infinite Jokes panel, with options ranging from every 15 seconds to twice an hour.

The plugin only works in Photoshop CC 2019 or newer and it requires an online connection to work. The Infinite Jokes plugin is free to download from the Infinite Tools website here.

Via: PetaPixel

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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what I’ve been working on

06 Jun

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. Tons of shooting, Punta Cana for vacation, more shooting, lighting workshop, working on a painting commission… whew…

Had a fantastic time at Don Giannatti’s workshop in Baltimore, we had some great brainstorming on a portfolio revamp. So that’s my next project! (more on the workshop in a separate post)

Now it’s just a matter of wrapping everything up, finishing up some processing and getting ready to start all over again! Oh, and round 2 of my 1×120 project will be starting up as well!

Without further ado, here are a few images from the past couple of weeks (in no particular order)

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Nine things working photographers can do for their business during isolation

14 Apr

Things photographers can do for their business during isolation

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on a lot of creative industries, including professional photography. For the past 7 years, I’ve been a self-employed photographer shooting mainly corporate events and restaurants. Just a month ago, my business was starting to pick up, and I was excited for a packed year of photography gigs. But COVID-19 started to spread and in less than 2 weeks, all of my photoshoots for the year were canceled or postponed indefinitely. It was a blow that I genuinely did not see coming.

Today, I have been self-quarantining at home for nearly a month, looking for any excuse to flex my creative muscles. In doing so, I’ve come up with 9 things that professional photographers can do while in isolation at home.

Evaluate your camera gear

Use this time to take inventory of your camera gear and accessories. Thoroughly clean your camera sensor and lenses (if you don’t know how now’s a good time to learn). If you find any gear that needs to be repaired, make a note of it, but don’t send it in to the manufacturer as many servicing facilities have closed down recently.

Make a list of all of your gear with details such as serial numbers for your own records and for insurance purposes. There are mobile apps for this, such as MyGearVault or Zither (iOS only) but a Google Docs spreadsheet will also work just fine. Speaking of insurance, make sure all of your gear is properly insured to give you peace of mind if you happen to damage or lose your gear.

Finally, take note of your camera inventory and evaluate what you really need. If you’re low on funds and really need the money, selling camera gear is one way to help make ends meet.

Rework your photography contracts

Before you perform any photography service in exchange for money, it is wise to have your client sign a photography contract. There are a number of reasons why photography contracts are important, but there’s one reason in particular that stands out right now. A good photography contract will have a section detailing what happens if a photoshoot needs to be canceled. This is important during times of economic prosperity (ie. what happens if you, the photographer, gets sick and can’t shoot?). But it is more important than ever now that nearly every type of photoshoot has been put on hold or canceled.

I am not a legal professional and cannot provide specific guidance, but here are a few things to consider spelling out in your photography contracts:

If a deposit is paid to secure your services, under what terms (if any) is that deposit refundable?
What happens if the client needs to postpone or cancel the photoshoot?

When it comes to enforcing the contract terms, it depends on your relationship with the client, but it doesn’t hurt to have some flexibility, especially since everyone is suffering right now. I’ve had a number of relatively positive outcomes including clients who credit the deposit toward a future photoshoot, some who decided not to collect the deposit back even though they had every right to, and many who have promised to rehire me for the photoshoot when they are able to reschedule it.

Back up your photos

If you don’t already have a solid backup system for your photography content, now is a great time to start one. There are a lot of backup options out there including NAS and RAID systems, cloud storage, and simply using physical hard drives. According to the 3-21- backup strategy, you should have at least 3 copies of your data, 2 copies that are on different devices (think 2 different hard drives), and 1 copy offsite (think cloud storage).

The great news about backups is that the cost of physical hard drives has dropped dramatically. Western Digital 10TB hard drives are under $ 200 right now, and Costco likely has not sold out of hard drives yet. My backup strategy uses a combination of physical hard drives, and cloud backups to both Backblaze and SmugMug.

Update your portfolio

While you’re backing up your photo archives, take time to comb through your library of images for work that can be used to update your photography portfolio. Add new work to existing albums, and consider making new categories. A section for Personal Projects is always great for showcasing creativity.

If you don’t have a photography portfolio or are considering switching platforms, now is a great time to look into different website options. Today, photographers are using everything from WordPress, Squarespace, SmugMug, and Instagram to showcase their work. Some sites are free and others are paid; many paid sites are offering discounts or extended trials right now, so consider taking advantage of them.

Also, don’t forget to update your LinkedIn profile. Although photography resumes are rarely needed, LinkedIn is a great place to keep a digital resume and professional presence. It can also help you generate new photography leads if you use the platform regularly.

Experiment with different photography techniques

It takes about 10,000 hours to master a skill, and it’s still possible to keep taking photos even if you’re stuck inside. Play with different photography concepts such as natural lighting and artificial lighting, macro photography – you get the picture. Explore these concepts in-depth and consider participating in or setting up a daily photography challenge for motivation. You may end up new skills that you can use in the future, or a new section in your portfolio.

One particular photography genre worth exploring is product photography. Online sales everywhere are up even during this pandemic which means that product photography is more important than ever before. Product photography requires proficiency in lighting and composition, and many of these skills are transferable to other types of photography including headshots and stock photography. You can also make a makeshift product photography “studio” in your home without buying expensive gear.

Consider selling stock photos

Stock photography doesn’t always have a positive reputation because payouts can be small and you typically have to upload a large number of photos over a long period of time to see results. However, this is a good time to consider stock photography because 1) we have a lot of time on our hands, and 2) any long-term passive income payment is better than nothing.

If you’re curious about stock photography, there are a number of websites out there where you can sign up and start uploading almost immediately. Shutterstock is my favorite since it is relatively quick and easy to upload and keyword content, and I have consistently made sales there since I started uploading two years ago. Just sign up for an account, read the fine print that details what quality standards they require and start learning about how to keyword your images since keywording is ultimately what will help you sell more images.

But before you start uploading, make sure that the images you want to sell are not prohibited for re-sale if you shot them for a client (refer to your contract), or a unique image that you might want to sell for yourself at a higher value down the road.

Diversify your income

This point may be hard to act on right now as many industries are not hiring, but start thinking of ways to diversify your income outside of taking photos. The reality is that outside of a pandemic, there are many reasons why you may not be able to perform your job (ie. prolonged illness, personal situations). In times like this, it’s important to have other streams of income or jobs that you can do that don’t require you physically picking up a camera.

Think editing photos for other photographers, being an image quality reviewer for stock photography websites, teaching photography classes, etc.

Prioritize your spending

This is probably a no-brainer if your business has ground to a halt as mine has, but it bears repeating. Now is the time to save your money as much as possible. We don’t know how long this pandemic will be around or how long it will be before business is back up and running. Realistically, not all of our clients’ businesses may make it, and budgets for photography may shrink or dry up after all of this is over. So count your pennies now and do what you can to make your money stretch.

And if you don’t already have one, consider starting an emergency saving account that you chip in to on a regular basis. This may not be possible to start right now, but this pandemic is a good reminder of why it is essential to have emergency savings on hand in the future.

Take up a new hobby

Even though it’s important to keep practicing photography right now, it’s also worth taking a break from it. Taking some time away from photography is great for inspiring different types of creativity. We have so much time on our hands right now, that you can make the most out of it by learning a new skill or taking up new hobbies. Is there a language you always wanted to learn? Or a recipe you want to perfect? Think of a time when you’ve said, “If only I had more time, I would do ___” and start doing it.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Apple patent shows its working on panoramic light field capture technology

04 Apr

A newly-published Apple patent, filed back in September 2019, details a light field panorama camera system seemingly intended for use in future iPhone and iPad devices. The technology would enable the average consumer to capture large light field panoramas of a particular scene by moving their device using gestures. The resulting content could be rendered and viewed on the device or using some type of head-mounted display (HMD), including VR headsets.

According to Patently Apple, which first spied the patent, Apple details technology that would build upon its current AR efforts by enabling its consumer devices to capture complex 3D scenes. To do this, the user would need to move their light field-equipped iPhone or iPad in a gesture, such as moving the device in a swooping infinity symbol, to capture light field images of the environment from multiple angles.

A flow-chart provided within the patent filing that shows the process of capturing, processing and viewing the resulting imagery.

A rendering engine would process the individual images into a 3D panorama with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) made possible using the light field technology. As a result, the viewer would have the ability to look above and behind objects, zoom in on areas of the scene and view different angles of the environment. The patent follows Google’s acquisition of light field camera technology company Lytro in 2018.

Unlike conventional cameras, a light field camera system captures both the intensity of the light from a scene and the direction the light rays are traveling in space. The additional data gathered by light field camera systems enable new types of experiences, including the one detailed by Apple.

The patent indicates that Apple’s system may use the sensors in the iPhone and iPad to capture position, motion and other similar metadata alongside the images, the combination of which would contribute to the final light field panorama. The combination of captured images and metadata could then be used to render different views of the same 3D scene, according to the patent, ultimately giving the user six degrees of freedom for exploring the panorama using an HMD like a VR headset.

This would differ substantially from a traditional 360-degree panorama, which is captured from a single point, only allowing the viewer to move their head around within the rendered 3D scene. Light field panoramas will appear more realistic, keeping objects in their correct positions as the user moves around within the scene, which could realistically render from different angles as the user has a look around.

It’s no secret that Apple has been heavily focusing on augmented reality technologies; its most recent iPad Pro model underscores this effort with the inclusion of a LIDAR sensor.

Just a few of the possible movements you could use to capture the scenery using your Apple mobile device.

In its announcement of the 2020 iPad Pro last month, Apple said the new LIDAR sensor ‘delivers cutting-edge depth-sensing capabilities, opening up more pro workflows and supporting pro photo and video apps,’ specifically with augmented reality in mind. The sensor works by measuring the distance of objects that are as far as 5m (16ft) away.

Apple went on to explain:

‘New depth frameworks in iPadOS combine depth points measured by the LiDAR Scanner, data from both cameras and motion sensors, and is enhanced by computer vision algorithms on the A12Z Bionic for a more detailed understanding of a scene. The tight integration of these elements enables a whole new class of AR experiences on iPad Pro.’

The future expansion of these capabilities using light field technology wouldn’t be surprising, particularly in light of ongoing rumors Apple is working on AR/VR gear. With that said, and as with any patent, it is possible we’ll never see this technology make its way into a consumer product. Per usual, Apple has not commented on the patent.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Confirmed: Venus Optics working on new line of ultra-fast ‘Argus’ F0.95 lenses

21 Jan

Update (11:30 EST, January 20): Venus Optics has confirmed to DPReview that it’s working on not just one, but multiple F0.95 lenses. A Venus Optics spokesperson says Venus Optics does ‘not have further information about these lenses’ at this time and concluded their statement saying ‘As usual, we are just trying to create something unique, good quality and affordable for photographers.’ The headline of this article has been changed to reflect this confirmation.

According to a report from FujiAddict, Venus Optics, manufacturer of the Laowa lens brand, is working on a new ultra-fast F0.95 lens for DSLR and mirrorless full-frame and APS-C camera systems.

FujiAddict’s report, which says the lens will be denoted by the ‘Argus’ moniker, is substantiated by an image posted to Chinese social media platform Weibo that claims to show a frame from a presentation that simply shows the words ‘Laowa F0.95.’ At this time, no information is given regarding the focal length or specific mounts this purported lens will be available for. However, FujiAddict claims ‘Many are speculating it will be wide and my contact says they expect it to be between 20–35mm.’

As noted in the report, Venus Optics isn’t the first third-party lens manufacturer to create an ultra-fast prime lens. In addition to the legendary Leica Noctilux F0.95 lens, SLR Magic has a slew of ‘HyperPrime’ lenses for both still and cinema photography.

We have contacted Venus Optics in an effort to confirm this report. This article will be updated accordingly if we hear back.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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