Whether you’ve just purchased the Nikon D750 or you’re still in the research phase, you likely already know this is a DSLR with an amazing price point. It’s still one of the top rated cameras, even after more than 5 years on the market. Lightweight and extremely reliable, with excellent dynamic range, the Nikon D750 is a full frame DSLR Continue Reading
The post Nikon D750: Answers to Your Real Questions appeared first on Photodoto.
The post How to Use Photography to Teach Your Children Maths, English, Physics and More! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.
It is certainly a weird time right now. We are all suddenly expected to become teachers due to the current lockdowns. While we all have different skills, we are all full of knowledge about photography. You may be wondering, how you can use photography to teach your children during this difficult time.
It’s actually easier than you think! Moreover, it can give your children a passion for learning during this difficult time.
I first want to give you some more general points about homeschooling during these times.
In a classroom, your child will be one of many. They do not have a teacher over their shoulder the whole lesson, so try not to hover. Set them a task and let them explore.
It’s hard to do as we always want to see our children happy, but sometimes you just need to let them make mistakes.
When using photography to teach your children, it can be easy to take the camera and do it for them. However, this does two things:
Remember when you first started with photography. I know I made several mistakes, as I am sure you did. When I finally figured out my mistake and got the result I wanted, I felt a great sense of achievement.
The only way for your child to feel this same sense of achievement is to let your child fail and figure things out for themselves. Failing is one of the best tools for learning. It gives them a great sense of satisfaction when they succeed.
So let’s take a look at some of the key subjects and how you can use photography to teach your children.
Maths is usually the most dreaded of all subjects. The best way to use photography to teach your children maths is by using the exposure triangle.
The exposure triangle uses equations, which is a key skill in maths. Unsure of using manual exposure yourself? Why not learn along with your child. This demonstrates to them that learning is a lifelong skill.
Start by explaining that every time you double your shutter speed, it equals one stop of light. Conversely, every time you double your ISO it equals one stop of light. So, if you double one, you need to double the other. If you halve one, you need to halve the other.
To start, take a correctly exposed photo. Then challenge your child to alter the shutter speed and ISO but to keep the correct exposure.
To demonstrate this, take a photo at ISO 400 and make a note of the shutter speed. You can then explain that when you halve your ISO you also have to halve your shutter speed. You can make this harder by giving them a high ISO (say 1600) and ask them to keep the exposure with an ISO of 100.
You can also give these questions on paper, then take them out into the real world.
Example Question.
Jack takes a photograph. His camera gives him the correct exposure at ISO 400 and a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second. If Jack wants to change his shutter speed to 1/100th second, what ISO value does he need?
You can then make things more complex by adding aperture. This is a great way to show how equations work in a practical environment.
For this, you will need a flash for your camera to demonstrate.
There is an inverse square law and how it affects photography. The inverse square law states:
The intensity of an effect such as illumination or gravitational force changes in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the source.
When you double the distance between a light source and a subject, the amount of light falls off by 3/4. This also means that the greater the distance between the light and the subject, the less harsh the fall off of light across it.
The most fun way to demonstrate this is to show what happens when you change the distance between a flash and subject, and the impact on the light fall off.
Start by placing the flash close to the subject (say 30cm) then move the flash about 1.5 meters from the background.
When the flash is close, any background will be almost black, but when further away, the exposure on the background and the subject will be almost identical.
For more science-based work, give your child a shiny or reflective object to light. Light travels in a straight line, so getting them to change the position of the light or object means reflections can be minimized or enhanced.
This can be done in a variety of ways. They can research a specific photographer from history or research a time period (e.g., the 60s) through photography. Get them to look for similarities in the works and create a presentation or written report on this. Try using our Lessons From the Masters Series for this.
They should also be encouraged to create history by recording their experiences in this time. The possibilities here are endless, including creating a Vlog (you don’t need to upload it to YouTube if you don’t want to), creating a photo story, writing a journal, etc.
We are living through a major historical event, get your children to record it.
Get your children to create a backdrop for a photoshoot. Get them to choose a toy or give them a household object such as hand soap and create a backdrop for this.
You can keep the brief as open or closed as possible. You could get them to build something only using a set of equipment given to them. Or let them create something from whatever they can find. If you have access to a tool shed, you can get creative with scrap wood, etc. This can then be used for the next lesson.
Making a backdrop will involve physics and maths skills (forces and measurements respectively).
See more DIY projects here.
Use the backdrop your child has built to create an image that will become an advertising campaign for a project.
You can teach them how to edit a photo. From here, you can then get them to use the image in a poster to promote the product they have photographed. Not only does this involve graphic skills, you can involve English skills by encouraging them come up with the slogan and blurb for the product.
This also has a nice crossover into ICT in terms of using the software for designing and editing the photographs.
Although not strictly photography, a great way to involve English in using photography to teach your children is to make a film. This means writing a script, which teaches them about formatting work. It also gets them to think creatively and produce an original piece of writing.
You can extend this to include art by getting them to storyboard the project. Then push it into design and technology by creating a set.
If you have access to lights, you can even get them to light the scene and look at how placing the light in different positions creates a different mood. This can then lead to talking about low-key lighting and high-key lighting. This also involves physics in terms of light direction and the inverse square law.
The most obvious way of doing this is getting your children to take photographs, but it is easy for this to lack structure. To make sure this is more learning-based, you can give them a brief.
Give them a household object and get them to photograph it in an unusual or abstract way. If you want to make this more game-based, get them to take photographs of 5 household objects of their choosing and then present them to you and see if you can guess what they are.
For a more traditional photographic approach, you can give your child a theme to photograph. You can use our weekly challenges to give them the theme if you are stuck for ideas.
When complete, sit down and critique the images together. You can use this to explain things such as composition.
If you want to go more into theory, you can teach them about the rule of thirds. Get them to look at photographs and see if they can see this within them.
The easiest way is to use a grid in something like PowerPoint that you can overlay onto different images. They can then use this to identify patterns in images they like or that you give them to study. You can also use this for things such as leading lines, foreground interest and so on.
Art fits in perfectly for photography, but to make sure it aids learning, all you need to add is a little structure.
Obviously, you can give your kids your camera, but if you don’t feel comfortable with this, for most of these lessons, you can use a camera phone or the camera on a tablet. Many of the images in this article are iPhone images.
The lighting you use also doesn’t need to be some beautiful color-balanced LED panels. An angel-poise lamp works brilliantly, or even a simple torch will do the job.
For the sections on the exposure triangle, you will need access to a camera with full manual controls. In fact, you can possibly use a manual camera phone app in a pinch.
In terms of software, there is GIMP, which is free for photo editing. Also, Affinity Software is doing a 90-day free trial on all their software during this time.
Hopefully, I have given you a few ideas on how you can use photography to teach your children during this difficult time. It gives some activities to try and maybe work that they find more interesting than sitting at a desk writing away.
Remember, homeschooling is very different from being taught in a classroom. There is no expectation of getting it perfect. You are doing your best in a bad situation, and that is all anyone can ask. The same applies to your children; they are finding homeschooling every bit as weird as you are.
Stay safe.
The post How to Use Photography to Teach Your Children Maths, English, Physics and More! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.
The post Fujifilm Will Award $ 90,000 in Gear as Part of “Students of Storytelling” Initiative appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
If you’re a university student, or you’re interested in following the work of student photographers and videographers around the US, then I have good news:
Fujifilm is launching its Students of Storytelling contest, which awards 30 students up to $ 3000 USD in Fujifilm gear.
Its purpose?
To help students tell their own stories through photography and videography.
As Fujifilm explains, ” We are passionate about stories and truly believe that the future of storytelling rests in the hands of today’s college students. This is why the Students of Storytelling contest will award up to $ 3,000 of Fujifilm gear to a select group of winners to help bring their creative stories out into the light.”
Note that you don’t have to be an accomplished artist to take part; all current part-time and full-time college students are eligible, excepting Florida residents.
Fujifilm does offer entry guidelines, stating that the ideal proposal “should be designed to tell a cohesive ‘story’ of a human, or life-related experience, event, challenge, objective, relationship(s), approach, passion, and/or interest that may be depicted and effectively communicated through photographic images or video.”
Fujifilm also notes that participants will need to adhere to the CDC’s COVID-19 social distancing guidelines when carrying out their project.
The submission period goes until May 31st, during which eligible students can submit their proposed stories in written, video, or photographic format. The first half of June will be spent judging the entries, and students will be notified of their success at the end of June.
At that point, winners will be given the opportunity to choose Fujifilm equipment totaling up to $ 3000 USD. Winners will then have 90 days to complete and submit their stories, which are to be shared via social media, as well as on Fujifilm’s Create Forever website.
So if you’re an eligible student, head on over to Fujifilm’s website, where you can submit your own proposal to be considered for the Students of Storytelling contest.
And for everyone else:
If you’re interested in following the contest and all the winners, be sure to check Create-Forever.com for updates.
The post Fujifilm Will Award $ 90,000 in Gear as Part of “Students of Storytelling” Initiative appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
The post How to Convert a Photo to a Drawing in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.
If you are anything like me, your artistic skills with a pencil are not great. I can, however, take pretty good photographs. So, this technique will show you how to convert a photo to a drawing in Photoshop.
The steps aren’t complicated, but we will use smart objects, filters and blend modes. If you are not familiar with these, check out the related links to learn more about them.
You will need to use Adobe Photoshop for this particular technique and I will be using the current 2020 CC version of Photoshop. Different versions of Photoshop may require slightly different approaches, particularly as it applies to smart objects.
To convert a photo to a drawing in Photoshop, I will start with a portrait of a writer I know, Jane Marshall. I photographed this during a recent portrait session. My version of Photoshop is windows-based, but the commands apply to Mac too.
Make sure you are working with an 8-bit image, or some of the filters will not be visible within Photoshop.
We will be converting the layers into Smart Objects. Converting them into a smart object will allow you to make modifications to each layer.
Before you do this, use the Quick Select tool on the left side. With that highlighted, you can look across the top of the bar (on Adobe Photoshop CC) and use the Select Subject.
This uses Adobe’s Sensei AI technology and selects the subject for you. It generally does a pretty good job.
Create a layer mask so that you are only working on the portrait.
To do this, with your selection still made, go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection. Alternatively, select the little layer mask icon in the Layer palette.
Clean up the mask by either using a black brush on the layer mask or use the Select and Mask tool. The Select and Mask tool is similar to the prior versions Refine Mask function, but works much better now. Fundamentally, the mask doesn’t need to be perfect, just smooth.
Remember when working on the mask, white reveals and black conceals.
Once you are happy with the mask, we need to invert the selection, so press Ctrl I or Command I (Windows/Mac) and select the background.
Press Delete and the background will disappear. We will proceed to convert the layer into a Smart Object by clicking on the layer. You can also do this from the Edit menu.
Duplicate the layers and rename the new layers.
Because the layer was already a smart image, all the duplicates will also be smart images and will be tied to the original layer (more about that later).
There will be four layers above the original layer.
The original layer should be called Original (it will change from “Background” when you convert it into a Smart Object). We will leave that one alone and only work on the layers above it.
Title the layer above the original “Base.” We can call the layer above Base, “Pencil Outline.” The layer above that, call “Shading” and the Layer above that, call “Lines” or “Edges.”
Naming layers makes adjustments easier to keep track of. Smart objects will make the files larger, but will make all the changes non-destructive and editable.
Turn off all the layers bar the layer you are working on using the Eye icon next to the name of each layer in the Layers palette. In this case, we will start on the Pencil Outline layer. To start the conversion, press Ctrl I or Command I to invert the layer.
Once you have inverted the image, we are going to use the blend mode, “Color Dodge” to create the initial colored pencil outline effect.
The next thing we need to do to convert a photo to a drawing in Photoshop is to add a Gaussian Blur. We will do this to improve the appearance of the initial colored pencil effect.
Select Gaussian Blur from the Menu bar, by going to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. The amount of blur you add will affect how much of the underlying image appears.
Adjust the amount of Gaussian Blur you want, and a color version of the pencil sketch will start to appear.
However, we can improve the image by creating shading and emphasizing some lines.
Adjust the amount of Gaussian Blur to an amount you like, but you want to clearly see your subject.
While on the Pencil Outline layer, add a new Black and White Adjustment Layer from the Adjustments Panel. This will add a layer above the Pencil Outline layer.
If you cannot find your Adjustments Panel, go to the menu bar and select Window > Adjustments. You will then see the panel open. The Black and White Adjustment icon is a box with a positive and negative rectangle inside.
Remember that if you have the layers above the one you are working on turned on, you will not see any changes. So make sure only the layer you are working on and the ones below are turned on.
You don’t need to change anything from the default settings for the black and white adjustment layer for the purposes of this exercise.
When you are converting a photo to a drawing in Photoshop, you want some shading to give depth. However, pencils are usually shaded with texture and blending.
You can create this appearance in Photoshop.
Select your Shading layer.
To improve the effect, we are going to change your brush color from pure black to a dark grey and leave the white as white. You want the foreground color to be the dark grey and the background to be white.
With the shading layer selected, go to the Filter Gallery (Menu > Filter > Filter Gallery) and choose the Charcoal Filter under the Sketch Group. Set the Charcoal thickness to 1, Detail to 5 and Light/Dark balance to 50.
On the Shading Layer, change the blend mode to “Multiply.” This allows the underlying layer to merge with the shading layer, creating some detail and some shading.
Change the Opacity of the Shading layer to a pleasing amount. This will add texture to the image and make it look a lot more like a pencil drawing with shading. For this example, I used 62% opacity for the shading layer. This allows the underlying layer to start showing through. Choose an amount that works for your image
Most pencil drawings have stronger edges emphasized. Because we are converting a photo to a drawing in Photoshop, the photograph has lots of details but the edges aren’t pronounced. To do this, we are going to work off the Lines layer (this is the top layer we created earlier).
Invert the image by pressing Ctrl I or Command I.
Once the image has been inverted, we need to go to Menu > Filter > Filter Gallery and chose “Glowing Edges.”
With Glowing Edges chosen under the Stylize Folder, use this to create the lines. Don’t worry that they are color – we are just looking for stronger edges like an artist would draw.
Change the blending mode to “Multiply.”
This time, instead of adding another layer, we can convert this layer to black and white. Do this by going to Menu > Image > Adjustments > Black and White.
Any filter effects below other filter effects will not show up live until you move to a different layer (no live preview as you change).
Because each layer is a Smart Object, you can go back and adjust each layer’s filter settings to your liking. Essentially, everything is non-destructive. You can even replace the original image and apply the same settings (but that is a more advanced topic).
In conclusion, by following all these steps you get a lovely pencil drawing image with shading and definition all starting from a color portrait photo.
There are other ways to accomplish converting a photo to a drawing in Photoshop, but I like how this technique adds subtle shading. This is how a sketch artist would convert a photo into a pencil drawing sketch.
Try converting a photo to a drawing in Photoshop yourself at home, and share your results in the comments section!
The post How to Convert a Photo to a Drawing in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.
The post Landscape Editing Techniques for Fine Art Photography Using Lightroom appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
In this video from the photographer, Marvin Grey, you’ll learn some fine art landscape editing techniques in Lightroom that will give you the opportunity to experiment with your landscapes to give them a whole new look and feel.
While the results may not be for everyone, the techniques he uses will teach you some valuable Lightroom editing techniques that you can use in other editing scenarios.
And what better time to tackle and play with our catalogs of landscape photos and learn some new landscape editing techniques while we are at home!
Feel free to share your results with us in the comments below.
The post Landscape Editing Techniques for Fine Art Photography Using Lightroom appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Living Room appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
Continuing with the indoors theme, this week’s photography challenge topic is the LIVING ROOM!
You could photograph objects in your living room. Create a still life from them, do interesting things with lamplight or reflections on your TV screen (if you have one). Photograph people sitting in your living room – your pet on your favorite couch (come on, I know many of you let your pets on the furniture!)
Do macro, wide, or do a series that includes all of them to tell a story. They can be color or black and white, moody or bright.
Try creating a series that work together too, if you like.
So, check out these pics to give you some ideas, have fun, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Living Room appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Getting Photos Organized with ACDSee DAM Software appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.
As soon as you begin using a camera with any regularity, you need to find a way of labeling photos and putting them in order. If you don’t, it could soon take hours to locate a given picture among all your folders, hard drives, and devices. ACDSee DAM software sets you on the right path from the beginning.
By investing in good DAM software at the earliest opportunity, you won’t get into a position where you have a huge backlog of digital pictures to organize.
By investing in good DAM software at the earliest opportunity, you won’t get into a position where you have a huge backlog of digital pictures to organize. In this article, I’ll introduce you to ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020, which offers a great set of features without breaking the bank.
There are many
reasons you might want to locate specific photos among your collection. For me,
writing these articles is one of them. A set of photos illustrating a theme
might be scattered far and wide in my collection.
That’s where ACDSee’s Image Basket is so useful. You can work on
pictures from all over the place as if they were in one folder.
Perhaps for you, it’ll be a photo book or a website that causes you to search for photos. Or you might be looking for portraits of friends and family. ACDSee DAM software includes excellent Face Detection technology. Once you’ve identified someone a few times, the software does a good job of finding other pictures of the same person. Or, if it’s not sure, it will ask you to confirm ID.
A legitimate reason to label photos and get them in order is for posterity. One day, your photos may interest future generations of your family or even local historians. How many prints exist from the last century where the identity of the subjects and location is lost? I find that a shame.
There are some serious pieces of DAM software on the market. By far the best known is Adobe Lightroom, which happens to be a strong raw editor, too. Other examples include iMatch and FotoStation. But all these products come at a price.
ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 is remarkable for several reasons.
It offers a lightning-fast browser, multiple ways to search your pictures, easy tagging and keywording of images, and a good set of editing tools for rendered files.
What’s not to like? You get all that for about a third of the price or less of many rivals.
In Photo Studio Home and other ACDSee DAM software, Manage mode is where you make a lot of things happen. It’s an HQ for your photography. So, what can you do there?
The folder system
of your OS is accessible through the left-hand Folders pane in Manage Mode. And
that’s handy because you’re already familiar with it.
As long as your image folders are well named, it’s an easy task to find
what you’re looking for. Alternatively, you can use the adjacent Catalog tab to
filter photos by a wide variety of attributes.
There are six drop-down menus exclusive to Manage mode: Import, Batch, Create, Slideshow, Send, and Editors. Importing files is easy. At this stage, you can rename files, add metadata, and divide file types into subfolders, among other things.
ACDSee links up seamlessly with other software too, which is what the “Editors” drop-down is for. Simply add any other programs you’re likely to use and you’ll be good to go. You can flick between them as you can with Lightroom and Photoshop or Photoshop and ACR.
You can add metadata and keywords in Manage, View, or Edit mode of ACDSee. That’s what the Properties pane on the right is for.
As a stock photographer, keywords are a necessity for me. They help potential buyers find my pictures if I’m lucky. I add any words I think are relevant to the image.
At the very least, you should batch-add keywords to photos from the same shoot.
A welcome improvement in the 2020 version of ACDSee is the ability to import sets of keywords. It’s hugely time-consuming to create a keyword list from scratch, but now you can import lists from the Internet or elsewhere. You can also export lists so that you can move them from one piece of software to another.
Keyword lists help you to be thorough in your keywording instead of relying on random ideas. They also save you from repeatedly typing the same words.
You can import Foundation List version 2.0.1 into ACDSee. You’ll need to build on it, but it gives you a useful structure and a good head start.
Keywords are stored in the ACDSee database and can be applied to all file types. Note the “Embed ACDSee Metadata” tool does not write keywords to the IPTC keyword data field. I recommend copying and pasting keywords to this field if you want them to be visible elsewhere.
ACDSee automatically catalogs the images as you browse. You can catalog folders you haven’t browsed, too, which might be useful if you’re adding lots of pictures in one hit. This is possible in Manage mode or Photos mode.
Photos mode lets you rifle through folders of images according to their date. It even gives you a fair chance of finding pictures with no keywords or tags of any kind. This is a good way of seeing all the photos on your drive in a short space of time.
For browsing photos individually, View mode is the place to be. It’s
incredibly fast, and it gives you a big preview of each photo. This is also a
good place to grade, categorize, and keyword your photos.
I’ll give you a complete workflow to use below, so you can catalog photos like a pro!
ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020 offers a solid set of editing tools for photographers of all levels. Of course, there are things omitted at this price point that advanced photographers may miss. Here are three absentees, along with their workarounds:
On my PC, the Clone tool in this software and the version before it refuses to work. I get a black screen. That’s odd since I don’t see the same thing with ACDSee Ultimate.
There’s lots to like about the editing tools in Photo Studio Home 2020. You get all the control over color and tone you’re likely to need, including the basic version of ACDSee’s esteemed Light EQ
tool. This lets you adjust shadow, mid-tone, and highlight areas of an image separately.
I like some of the little touches in ACDSee, such as the way right-clicking resets the default value of any tool. There are creative features here, too, like Color LUTs, Special Effects, and a fun Tilt-Shift tool.
Although this is a sponsored post, I’m a regular user of ACDSee software. I use it to organize pictures and I edit a lot of TIFFs and JPEGs in it. Below is a Photo Studio Home 2020 workflow that takes you from importing photos to saving the finished articles.
1. Import your photos. You can open the Import dialog box in Manage Mode or have it open automatically by selecting the software in Windows Autoplay.
2. Choose a destination for your photos in the Import dialog box. An example might be “Pictures” in Windows. Name a “single subfolder” using the following naming convention: yymmdd-location (e.g. 200531-Paris-France).
3. Locate your imported folder of photos via the Folders tab in Manage Mode. Using the above naming convention, the latest folders are at the bottom of the folder list by default.
4. Double-click the first thumbnail in your newly imported image folder. This will open the image in View Mode while allowing access to other images in the folder. You’re ready to start grading and cataloging your pictures.
5. Make sure the Properties pane is open alongside your photos.
6. Decide on rejects by tagging all keepers with the checkbox in the Organize pane (top left). At this point, tag all photos you will or might keep for whatever reason. Important: do not reject raw files on the basis of poor sharpness in View Mode, since you are probably looking at an enlarged view of the embedded JPEG. Check the technical quality of raw files later in Edit Mode.
7. Flick back to Manage Mode and click on View > Filter By > Untagged. Delete your rejects. Or, just filter them out by selecting “Tagged” if you don’t like deleting stuff.
8. Back in View Mode, you can now rate your images. Ratings go from one to five. Rather than rate photos on a whim, I suggest writing down the meaning of each rating at the outset so you have a reference point. For instance:
9. In Edit Mode, use color labels to indicate where in the workflow images are. Again, I have suggestions:
10. Photos that need work (those with yellow labels or no color labels using the above system) can be finished in Edit mode. Apply edits ranging from basic color and tone to special effects and LUTs. When you’re done editing, change the color label so you know you’ve worked on it or finished it.
11. Give your finished photos categories and keywords. If you’ve imported a set of keywords, you can go through the list top-to-bottom and apply any that suit the image. ACDSee comes with quick keyword lists built-in, which may be enough, depending on how thorough you want to be.
12. Copy and paste keywords from the Organize > Keywords field into Metadata > IPTC > Keywords. Write a caption in the Description field of IPTC. Hit “Enter” or none of this will save. This makes the data universally visible outside of ACDSee.
I haven’t spoken of file naming above, since you might want to do that at the beginning or end.
Each photo needs a unique name. You can do it on import if you like. However, if you later delete photos, you might leave irritating gaps in your number sequence (file names invariably include numbers).
A way around this is to forget consecutive numbers and use date and time instead. This works as long as you don’t shoot multiple frames per second, which would create duplicates.
I always rename files after I’ve selected, converted, and edited them. That’s when I do most of my admin. Raw files keep their original names because I rarely revisit them.
I recommend using a sequential number and place, or subject names in your files (e.g. 0001-Eiffel-Tower-Paris). This can often be done quickly using ACDSee’s Batch Rename tool. The number should obviously be unique in every image.
Photo Studio Home 2020 is nothing if not versatile. Seasoned photographers who want extras like raw editing or layers can hook it up to other editors and still benefit from the superb DAM tools.
For beginners or photographers who only shoot JPEGs, this feature-laden software might be all they need. Why not get your photos sorted now?
ACDSee is a paid dPS partner.
The post Getting Photos Organized with ACDSee DAM Software appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.
The post Creative Abstract Photography with Food Coloring and Milk appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
Like any art form, photography thrives on experimentation. Creative abstract photography with food coloring and milk is a simple process, but it produces vibrant and immediate results. Using ingredients sourced from the pantry and the fridge, this is a fun project with plenty of room for creativity.
Ever since they were discovered, humans have been enamored by the creative possibilities of dyes. Dyed flax fibers found in the Republic of Georgia in a prehistoric cave have been dated to 36,000 years BP.
The earliest dyes were obtained from animal, mineral and vegetable sources. Rare resources that produce brilliant and permanent colors like Tyrian purple and crimson were highly sought-after in the ancient and medieval world. As technology progressed, so did artistic mediums, creating more accessible and safe dyes and pigments.
The practice of adding colorants to food itself is thought to have started in Ancient Egypt around 1500 BC. Candy makers would add wine and colored extracts to their wares to make them more visually appealing to customers.
Nowadays, a variety of safely consumable dyes are readily available in grocery stores, cooking shops, etc. The vibrancy and behavior of these colorants has fascinated many, with food dyes being adopted for artistic purposes too.
The first step to creating abstract photography with food coloring and milk is to prepare your canvas – the milk!
Sit your dish or bowl on a level surface exposed to a decent amount of natural light (or you could use flash).
Pour your plant-based or dairy milk into the dish so that the dish is covered by a few millimeters of liquid. Make sure you have a sponge or cloth at the ready to wipe up any spills.
Next, set your camera up. You want it primed and ready for action as you drop the food dye into the milk.
For this project you can use a tripod to keep the camera steady, freeing up a hand to adjust the dye. You can also hand-hold your camera, whichever feels more comfortable. You can angle the camera any way you like, just as long as it is focused on the milk-filled dish.
Once your camera is ready, add a few drops of dye into the milk. Start taking photographs, gradually introducing more dye as needed.
As the dye spreads, try adding different colors to create a more layered effect. You can also stir the dye with a mixing utensil, cultivating intriguing shapes and forms.
To create a sense of movement in your abstract creations, try blowing on the milk/dye through a straw, or fanning the concoction with a fan.
You can even add a little water, dish soap or vegetable oil to create separation within the dye and milk mixture.
Once you are finished with a batch of food dye and milk, you can start again with a fresh bowl! Just remember to add the dye gradually so as not to over-saturate the mixture too quickly.
Photography with food coloring and milk renders visually fascinating results. With a few simple ingredients, photo-worthy abstract images are created in a whirl of unrepeatable patterns and layers.
I’d love you to try creating abstract photography with food coloring and milk and share your results in the comments below!
The post Creative Abstract Photography with Food Coloring and Milk appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
As many of us around the world are continuing self-isolation, and social distancing (whoever thought that would be a thing?), we thought we’d make it a bit more fun and creative (as well as keeping our photography skills sharp). So, we are giving you (and us) an “At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge.”
This is now week four of the challenge (see week one here, week two here, and week three here. You can still do those challenges, as there are no deadlines on any of these).
This week we are going to focus entirely on post-processing your images and fun techniques you can try.
As always, it would be fabulous to see your results, so please share them with us in the comments section. That way, we can connect and share, and keep ourselves occupied with something positive and creative!
This is a fun challenge. Take a series of photos of anything and turn them into an animated GIF in Photoshop! You can also add text or make it into an animated meme. You can then use them for social media if you like! How to Make an Animated GIF in Photoshop
This one shows you have to make a multi-exposure image in photoshop. How to Create a Multiple Exposure Effect in Photoshop
Another fun one – create a tiny planet in Photoshop! How to Make a Little Planet Quickly and Easily in Photoshop
Split toning can give your image some interesting effects. So, jump into your archives and see what you can do to enhance some of those images with split toning in Photoshop. How to Rescue an Image in Lightroom With Split Toning
This one is all about creating reflections in your images. Make it look like a landscape has a water reflection! See what you can come up with. Create Awesome Reflections in Photoshop with Ease (Step-by-Step Guide)
This one is for creating photo composites. Take bits and pieces of various images and turn them into a new image! Fake it to Make it – Creating Convincing Photo Composites
Create a cool photomontage with this great technique! How to Make a Cool David Hockney-Inspired Photomontage in Photoshop
I’m looking forward to seeing your results. Don’t forget to share them with us in the comments!
The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Review – Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.
It used to be that photographers were wary of third-party camera lens makers because they often sacrificed quality for a cheaper price. However, that’s no longer the case today. In fact, third-party lens makers such as Tamron and Sigma are now creating viable lens alternatives that even professional photographers are turning to. Relatively new to the game is Viltrox, a Chinese camera accessory manufacturer. They recently put out the Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm f/1.8 STM and I tested it out with my Fujifilm X-T3. Here are my thoughts.
The Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 lens is a fixed autofocus lens available for both Fujifilm X-Mount and Sony E-Mount cameras. It’s interesting to note that this is a full-frame lens as it works with both Sony FE and crop-sensor camera bodies; if Fujifilm made a full-frame mount, it would likely work with that as well.
This is a hefty lens, weighing in at 1.4 lbs (636 grams). It is an all-metal body that, unfortunately, is not weather-sealed. However, it would likely be able to hold up well over time, given its hard exterior.
The lens is simple with no buttons or controls on the body, which made for an interesting usability experience (more on that below). It comes with both a lens hood and front and rear caps.
One of the biggest selling points of this lens is its price: US$ 399 for an f/1.8 short prime lens is a pretty good deal.
Looking at Fujifilm’s native lens library, your closest other choices are the XF80mm f/2.8 for US$ 1,199.00 and XF90mm f/2 for US$ 729.99.
When compared to these two lenses, the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 seems like a steal at its price point, plus it is the fastest lens of the bunch.
Part of the joy of shooting with a Fujifilm camera is the experience. Most cameras, including the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-H1 that I use, have dedicated buttons and dials for setting details such as shutter speed and ISO.
All official Fujifilm lenses are built to integrate well with this shooting experience as they include a dedicated aperture ring used to control your F-stop. This little tidbit is where shooting with the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 took some getting used to.
The Viltrox lens has no buttons or dials on it, and no aperture ring for adjusting the aperture. Instead, the front dial on your Fujifilm camera becomes the default way of changing your aperture. For long-time Fujifilm shooters, this is a strange thing to get used to.
Another thing to get used to is the weight of this lens.
Fujifilm mirrorless cameras are typically quite lightweight and compact compared to many of their full-frame competitors. As a result, which camera body you choose to pair with this lens can make a big difference in how you shoot with it.
When attached to my Fujifilm X-T3, the camera was harder to hold due to the shallow grip on the X-T3. In comparison, the Viltrox felt better balanced when paired with the Fujifilm X-H1, which has a more solid body with a deeper handgrip.
However, don’t forget that you can enhance the grip of most cameras like the X-T3 by using the optional battery grips or adding an L-bracket.
The autofocus is a mixed bag. While the autofocus mechanism is accurate once you secure focus, it does quite a bit of hunting when you first begin framing your subject. This is also not a very quiet lens, and you can hear the focus mechanism as it works to find focus. It’s not necessarily a dealbreaker unless you shoot a lot of fast-moving subjects, or really need dependable autofocus. But you get what you pay for.
Image quality is spot on and in line with what you would expect from a Fujifilm camera. Sharpness, color, and contrast are all great at various apertures, but the best feature is the bokeh. When shooting wide open at f/1.8, you get bokeh that is insanely smooth and gorgeous.
Is the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 lens worth it? It depends on your budget and expectations for quality.
Many features from solid build quality, respectable integration with the Fujifilm system, and overall image quality are on-point. However, autofocus is not as reliable as it would be on a native Fujifilm lens.
Then again, you’ll be paying a lot more money for a similar Fujifilm lens, so if the cost is an issue, you really can’t go wrong with this lens given its price point.
The post Review – Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.
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