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How to Photograph Frozen Bubbles in the Cold

12 Mar

The post How to Photograph Frozen Bubbles in the Cold appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.

Bubbles in the Air

I live somewhere that gets pretty cold in the winter, and occasionally it gets super-cold. Alright, discussing cold is always a relative measure depending upon where you live, but I may be understating a bit to say it gets pretty cold, when actually, it gets freezing by pretty much anyone’s measure. Fortunately for my family and me, it only gets challenging for about a week or two in the depths of winter.

In the hardest times, temperatures reach around -30C (-22F). At these temperatures, there is very little moisture in the air, and it is just plain cold. Extra layers only help a little bit. Frostbite is a very significant risk for any exposed skin, particularly if there is any wind (times to freeze exposed skin are less than a couple of minutes).  Many people here wear the temperatures they endure almost as a badge of honor.

So cold we can freeze bubbles before they pop

It gets really cold here

At these temperatures, everything freezes here – even things you probably didn’t think could freeze. The large river that goes through my city freezes for the entire winter. Starting sometime in November until breakup in April, eyelashes and beards freeze, camera lenses freeze (aperture blades and shutters won’t move) and cars require block heaters to keep the oil in the crankcase warm enough so that you can start the engines.

There are colder places on earth, but not that many.  During our recent cold snap from the polar vortex (very cool name but I’m not sure its a real thing), people compared it to temperatures in Antarctica (it was slightly colder here than there).

It gets pretty cold here

So what, who cares?

Realistically, apart from complaining about the weather (a common national pastime for Canadians… look it up) you don’t want to spend much time outside at these freezing temperatures. So why tell you about crazy frigid temperatures? Because there is something that you can do at these temperatures that you can’t really do if it isn’t cold enough. You can blow bubbles and take pictures of them freezing before your eyes. The effect is remarkable, and it happens very fast. Frozen bubbles! If you can blow bubbles, you can watch them freeze before your eyes.

The process is pretty quick. The ideal temperature to do this is when temperatures dip below about -20C or -4F. At temperatures higher than that, the bubbles don’t freeze the same way. Blowing bubbles at these subzero temperatures can be challenging, but if you take the time, you can get some amazing results.

Bubbles on a bubble wand

The science of bubbles

Bubbles are common phenomena that kids love playing with. They seem very simple, but the science behind them is quite complicated. Bubbles are made up of two soap films – inside layer and outside layer – holding and trapping a layer of water between them to form the bubble. When you blow the bubbles through a wand or a straw, the air you introduce expands the inner film layer to create the bubble. As the water evaporates, the bubble eventually bursts. The bubbles stay together based upon the surface tension (the tendency to stick together) of the soap film, but the film is, in general, very thin.

In warm weather, soap and water are all you require for making lots of bubbles, but at colder temperatures, the soap film needs to be stronger. By adding glycerine or corn syrup, you make the bubbles stronger. By adding a small number of sugar crystals, the bubbles will show crystal patterns in the bubble walls as they freeze. The main ingredients you need access to are water, dish soap, glycerine, and some sugar.

Ingredients to make frozen bubble images

The 3 W’s and 1 H

In preparation for shooting bubbles, the key questions before you start are WHERE, WHAT, HOW and WHEN. Because the temperatures are so cold, you need to plan everything in advance because you can’t spend that much time in these temperatures trying to guess what you are going to do next. You need to pick a spot to set your bubble down (this is not a floating bubble exercise). This is the WHERE. Preferably it is someplace convenient, at a reasonable height and near a source of warmth (like somewhere near a door or running car to get you inside).

You then need to decide on the WHAT, is there a particular look you are going for? Is there an effect you are trying to achieve? (Night shot? Candles?)

Next, you need to think about HOW. How are you going to compose the shot? How are you going to blow the bubbles? What is the background like (this is a key aspect)? How are you going to manage both focusing, bubble making and shot taking? Are you going to need a tripod?

Finally, the WHEN is the last part to consider. You need to pick a time of day on a day that is cold enough to create the effect, that has great light and when there is little to no wind (this disrupts the bubbles). Wind will quickly destroy any efforts to blow bubbles in the cold.

Bubble frozen solid with corn syrup

The WHERE

So let’s consider the WHERE.

It will be cold, so you will need to scout a location that is easy to get to, at a reasonable height to photograph preferably from a tripod (to free up your hands) and is relatively near warmth.

These are normally close-up images, so it presents some similar challenges as macro photography. You really can be just about anywhere as long as you don’t have distracting shapes, colors or patterns in the background. Ideally, if you choose a reasonable aperture, the bokeh will have the background blurred but significant shapes, colors or patterns will be apparent.

I used the snowy railing on my back deck as a place I would set up for my shots because it was close to my house, at waist height and I can control the background.

Frozen bubble with a dark background

The WHAT

Regular bubbles don’t really work in super cold temperatures. The bubble mixtures that work in the summer struggle in super-cold temperatures and tend to just burst before freezing. In cold temperatures, bubbles can be more difficult to generate. Even if you do, they often just fall to the ground.

If you search the internet, you will get lots of clear advice but little in the way of explanation. I found and tried multiple recipes for bubbles and discovered that some of the recipes don’t work all that great. All generate bubbles, but some work better than others.

The general objective is to get bubbles with thicker films that tend to stay together. Also, by adding some sugar, you can get cool crystalline patterns as the bubbles freeze.

The recipe I settled on (as it worked fairly reliably) was 1 cup of water, 4 tablespoons of dish soap (not dishwasher soap), 3 tablespoons of glycerine and 2 tablespoons of sugar. I saw many recipes that used corn syrup, but they didn’t seem to work as well as the glycerine and made for sticky bubbles. However, corn syrup does work – just not as well. The glycerine strengthens the bubble, and the sugar helps with the crystalline patterns in the freezing bubbles.

To blow the bubbles, you will need a straw and some patience. Preferably you use a reusable straw (which I have a bunch of).

Regular Bubble solutions don’t really work for freezing bubbles

The HOW

Once you have figured out your location, you need to compose your shot. Plan on a bubble being about 3 inches in diameter (could be bigger but probably won’t be smaller). Set your camera on a tripod, pick the spot where you are placing the bubble and set your focus manually.

You can set the bubble on snow, or if you use the bottom of a cup or glass, a small amount of solution on the base helps place the bubble easier and without it popping. It is also useful to have your camera set up to take multiple shots (slow burst) without recomposing or refocusing.

Bubble with focus on the back wall rather than front wall

Once set, use a straw in the solution and slowly blow the bubbles. You will need to keep the bubble on the straw, place the bubble and slowly extract the straw from the top of the bubble. This technique worked best for me. Remember it is cold, and blowing bubbles is not that easy when it very cold.

The WHEN

Okay, you are all set…but is it cold enough? You need -20C (-4F) or the bubbles don’t freeze properly. Ideally, you want it sunny as the light hitting the bubbles really makes them pop. The good news is that generally when it is really cold, there is so little moisture in the air that it is often sunny.

Finally, you want there to be as little wind as possible. The wind will cause the bubbles to move unpredictably and cause them to burst. Try to find a location sheltered from the wind.

Using a candle to illuminate a bubble at night

The Shoot

Once all the preparation is complete, and you are ready to go, you may realize that it is difficult to blow bubbles, wear gloves, stay warm and shoot at the same time. Once the bubbles start to freeze, they freeze fast. You will want to place the bubble and then watch for it to begin to freeze and then take multiple images in a short burst.

If you can have someone blow bubbles for you, this helps because getting the bubbles to form, place them and then hope they stay together long enough for the images to turn out can be a bit of a challenge. It is a little finicky to get the bubbles to stay where you want them but if all the stars align the results are great and fun.

Mostly frozen bubble

The Results

If you get everything working, you can get pretty amazing results.  Whether for still images or video, bubbles freezing are really interesting to see and photograph. If you plan out the images, you can get great results.

Not quite frozen bubble

 

The post How to Photograph Frozen Bubbles in the Cold appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.


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Essential Photography Equipment For Beginners

11 Mar

Every photographer is unique in their own photography style and gear preference. To get you started on your photography journey, this article will help you choose the very essential photography equipment for beginners. You will also find specific brands and explanations for why they were chosen. This photography basics bundle has everything you need to get started! I will start Continue Reading

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10 Common Photography Mistakes Every Beginner Should Avoid

11 Mar

The post 10 Common Photography Mistakes Every Beginner Should Avoid appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

You can capture incredible photos.

But there are a few common photography mistakes (often made by beginners).

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And these mistakes might be holding you back.

Fortunately, they’re easy to fix.

And guess what?

Once you’ve fixed these mistakes, your photography will be better than ever.

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So read on to discover the 10 common photography mistakes every beginner should avoid.

Starting with:

1. You’re not resetting your camera dials at the end of each shoot

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You’re doing an end-of-day photo shoot.

You crank your ISO up to 1600 (to deal with the low light).

Your shoot ends. You go to put away your camera.

And…

…In all the excitement, you forget to drop your ISO back to 100.

This is such an easy mistake to make. Especially since it’s something you must remember at the end of each photo shoot –when you’re exhausted.

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But…

It’s something you can’t forget.

Why?

If you do, you’re jeopardizing your next photo shoot.

Because then you’re bound to shoot with your 1600 ISO.

And then you’ll get frustratingly grainy shots.

Which is exactly what you don’t want.

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So here’s what you do:

At the end of each shoot, shift all settings back to a standard value. The particular number depends on your camera and your style of photography. But make sure you choose a median value – one that will serve you in a variety of situations.

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Here’s what I do:

I dial my ISO down to 100.

I dial the aperture to f/5.6.

I dial the shutter speed to 1/500.

Doing this has saved me countless times.

It’ll save you, too.

2. You’re shooting JPEG photos (instead of RAW)

This mistake is a frustrating one.

Because there’s literally nothing you can do to fix it – after the fact.

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Here’s the mistake:

You’re shooting JPEGs.

But you should be shooting in RAW.

Let me explain:

Cameras can shoot images using several file formats.

JPEG is a common file format and it’s the default format on a lot of cameras.

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But here’s the issue with JPEGs:

They’re compressed files. That means that they lose information.

And a loss of information? That makes for lower-quality photos.

Not to mention another issue:

Each time you edit and resave a JPEG, you’re reducing the image quality.

Fortunately, you have another option:

You can shoot in RAW.

RAW is another file format – and it’s offered by most modern cameras.

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It’s a lossless file format, which means that you can edit RAW files repeatedly without reducing the image quality.

And here’s a RAW bonus:

RAW files allow for you to do more substantial editing. Because the RAW format saves more information, you’re able to recover highlights, boost shadows, and alter colors – far more than what you can do with a JPEG file.

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Bottom line?

Switch to RAW.

You’ll be thankful that you did.

3. You’re shooting during the harsh midday hours

One of the things that separates great photos from mediocre photos…

…is the quality of the light.

Good light can take a photo to the next level.

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Bad light can hold back an otherwise strong image.

Which brings me to mistake number three:

Shooting during the harsh midday hours.

Around midday, the sun is harsh. It causes contrasty shadows.

It’s just all-around bad for photography.

Instead of shooting during midday, try shooting during the early morning or evening hours.

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That’s when the light is soft and golden.

(In fact, these times are known as the golden hours.)

Shooting during the golden hours will give your subjects a wonderful glow.

It’ll give them some soft illumination.

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And it’ll give your photos a huge boost.

4. You’re using Auto mode all the time

When you first start shooting, it can be tempting to put your camera in Auto mode.

But here’s the problem:

When you shoot in Auto mode, the camera chooses all the settings for you.

And the camera does a good job 80 percent of the time.

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But the other 20 percent?

That’s when your camera will mess up.

And you’ve got to be able to correct it.

Otherwise, your images will suffer.

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So here’s what I’d suggest:

Start by learning the ins and outs of Aperture Priority mode.

(That’s the mode where you select the aperture and your camera will select the shutter speed.)

Then, when you’re in a non-stressful shooting situation, switch it on.

Try to use it more and more.

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Eventually, you’ll be shooting in Aperture Priority all the time. You’ll love the control it gives you.

And then?

If you want even more control over your camera, you can transition to Manual mode. But this isn’t a requirement – you can do a great job with just Aperture Priority.

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So that’s your call.

Just make sure you move away from Auto mode.

5. You’re forgetting about the direction of the light

You already know about the importance of good-quality lighting.

But did you know that the direction of the light matters, too?

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Depending on the direction of the light, your photos can be soft, dramatic, or striking. And it’s important that you carefully choose the direction of the light.

(Because different types of light suite different subjects and styles.)

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Here’s a quick guide to light:

If the light comes from in front of your subject (i.e., frontlight), you’ll get an evenly illuminated photo.

If the light comes from behind your subject (i.e., backlight), you’ll get a striking photo. The light will create a golden halo around your subject.

And if the light comes from beside your subject (i.e., sidelight), you’ll get a dramatic photo. The subject will be only partially illuminated – and partially shrouded in shadow.

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Now, all these types of light have a time and place.

But frontlight is generally a very safe option.

(When in doubt, use frontlight.)

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Here’s the important thing:

Each time you go out to shoot…

…look for the light.

Taken note of the light.

And position yourself so that you get the shot that you want.

6. You’re not composing deliberately

If light is the number one most important part of photography…

…then composition is number two.

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Because in order to capture great shots, you’ve got to create great compositions.

That is, you’ve got to arrange the elements of your photo in a pleasing way.

It’s so easy to forget about this.

But you should deliberately compose every photo you take.

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Now, composing deliberately doesn’t have to be an ordeal.

Not every photo has to be a masterpiece.

Just think about each photo you take, if only for a second.

Here’s a tip:

Try positioning your main subject in a way that emphasizes its beauty.

You could put it a third of the way into the frame…

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(Following the rule of thirds.)

Over time, your composition skills will improve. You just have to practice!

7. You’re not considering the background

When you’re doing photography, it’s easy to think about your subject.

But you’ve got to think about the background, too!

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The background is what frames the subject.

It’s what makes the subject stand out.

Here’s a bit tip for a stunning background:

Simplify, simplify, simplify.

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The simpler the background, the better.

Try finding a uniform background. A bright sky is a great choice. So is a dark wall.

(A uniform background really does make for a gorgeous photo.)

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It’s okay to settle for a less-than-uniform backdrop.

But make sure that it enhances the subject. Make sure it doesn’t detract from the overall image.

8. You’re not practicing very often

Photography is a skill.

And to improve a skill, you’ve got to practice.

Which means that you should get out and shoot as often as you can.

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I know that it’s hard.

But if you shoot for fifteen minutes every day, your photography will grow by leaps and bounds.

And if you shoot for an hour a day?

You’ll be astonished by how quickly you improve.

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It’s important to note:

Practicing photography isn’t just about taking photos.

You should also make sure to review your images. Consider what you like about them. Consider what you can improve.

And apply these findings the next time you go out.

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If you’re really serious about photography, you should also try reviewing other people’s images.

There are tons of great photography sites out there (including this one!). Try perusing them for fifteen minutes every day.

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You’ll soon develop an enhanced sense of composition and color. And this, in turn, will enhance your photography.

9. You’re shooting from standing height

When you’re doing photography, do you shoot from a standing height?

That is, do you generally take the standard shot?

Or do you move around and look for a unique perspective?

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The thing is, it’s easy to just shoot from a standing height.

But if you do this, your images will never be unique.

And they won’t be very original.

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You want to show the viewer something they’ve never seen before. That’s how you’ll create a stunning photo.

So what do you do?

Instead of shooting from standing height…

Change your angle.

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Start by getting down low. Crouch on your knees. Get your pants dirty.

Then try moving to the side. Get a shot that nobody would ever think to take.

Next, find a nice vantage point – one that lets you capture your subject from above. Take a few shots from that angle.

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Do you see what I mean?

By changing up your position, you’ll capture unexpected, original, and compelling photos.

And that’s exactly what you want.

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10. You’re not processing your photos

Let’s talk about one last common photography mistake:

Taking photos.

But not processing them.

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Processing is a hugely important part of photography.

Why?

Because modern cameras account for processing.

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In other words, if you’re shooting in RAW, it’s expected that you’ll process your photos.

So the camera gives you unprocessed photos – photos that need processing to look good.

The photos are under-sharpened.

The photos are undersaturated.

They’re just all-around in need of some editing.

Which is what you must do.

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If you’re not a fan of post-processing, that’s okay. You can take a minimalist approach to your processing.

But you should process your photos, if only a little bit.

Because processing will give them that final touch…

…that will make the viewer say “Wow.”

Common photography mistakes: What do you do now?

Now you know 10 common photography mistakes.

And if you’re making any of these mistakes, you might feel discouraged.

Don’t be.

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Everyone is going to make mistakes. Especially when starting out.

The real question is…

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What are you going to do about it?

If you follow the advice I’ve given you, you’re going to be in great shape.

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You’ll improve at lightning speed.

And you’ll be so proud of the photos you take.

Have any other common photography mistakes that I didn’t cover? Let me know in the comments!

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You may also find the following articles helpful:

12 Common Newbie Photography Mistakes to Avoid

Common Photography Mistakes Newbies Make and How to Avoid Them

10 Common Photography Mistakes and How to Overcome Them

 

The post 10 Common Photography Mistakes Every Beginner Should Avoid appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Your Guide to the Best Poses for Engagement Photos

11 Mar

The post Your Guide to the Best Poses for Engagement Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

Engagement sessions can be really fun, but it can get a little repetitive posing the couple together again and again throughout the session. Here are great poses that work for all couples during an engagement photo session.

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Begin with foundation poses

A foundation pose is a pose where you set the couple in the exact spot facing a specific direction. Foundation poses are great to lead into different variations as you begin to build upon the poses. For example, you start with both people facing the camera. From this foundation pose, you can build so that the couple holds hands, look at each other, and in the end, you can capture them walking toward each other slowly.

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From each foundation pose, you can get at least five different variations without having to move the couple all that much! This is helpful especially when you find yourself in tight spaces or pressed for time.

However, you don’t always have to stay in one spot. Depending on the location, feel free to move around and use all of the interesting nooks at the location of the session.

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Posing facing each other

This is probably the most comfortable pose for all couples because it’s the most natural. Have the couple face each other, and with their arms furthest from the camera, have them wrap them around each other. This leaves the pose open from the front so that you can capture them looking at each other.

From here, have them hold hands loosely or play with their hands up with interlocking fingers. You can also have one person play with the other person’s hair while you get creative angles on the pose.

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Have them give each other a good squeeze to help loosen nerves and get the most natural laughs and expressions out of the couple. Have them kiss if they’re comfortable with that.

You can also give them a little space so that they are directly facing each other. Here the couple can stand with their hands at their side and then hold hands. Have them lean in to kiss each other and let them move in closer if they need to.

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From this pose, you can also ask that they get really close together – tummy to tummy – and have one person lay their heads on the other person’s shoulder/chest. This pose is romantic and sweet.

The “T” pose

The “T” pose is a variation on the prom pose and gives a more romantic feel to the photo. Have the taller person stand facing 45-degrees from the camera. Ask the other person to stand with their shoulder’s perpendicular to the other person. Have them get close and wrap their arms around each other.

This pose is great for all couples because it keeps the faces at an angle where the couple can look at one another, hug, kiss, and enjoy each other at close proximity.

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Try photographing this pose with a wide-angle lens, like a 35mm, and place the couple in the center. This technique makes the pose much more interesting! Especially if you’re at a breathtaking or unique location.

When your clients are in this T pose, you can ask one person to look at the camera while the other closes their eyes or looks off into the distance. Get in close to take a beautiful portrait of the person looking at the camera.

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This is also a perfect pose to get a nice ring shot while the couple’s arms are wrapped around each other. Try getting more of the couple’s bodies in the frame with the rings in focus and the rest out of focus.

Prom pose with variations

While the prom pose isn’t all that popular these days, you can still use the foundation pose to build on and get great photos of the couple. One variation is to get the shorter person to stand behind the taller. Here, they can hold onto the taller person’s arm and look at the photographer.

You can also have them loosely hold hands in this position and look off into the distance. The person in the front can look back or down while the person in the back can look at the camera. This is a romantic and sweet pose that can be taken full length or from a closer angle. Take both focal lengths to get more variety from the pose.

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This pose can also stay in its original form where the shorter person stands in front and arms are wrapped around the waist. However, it’s best if you change it up a bit and have the hands of the person in front caress the face of the person behind. Here the pose becomes more romantic and has more connection rather than staying in its original form.

Ask the person in the back to wrap their arms up high around their beloved. Make sure that in this pose, the heads are not directly above one another. Move the front person to either side of the neck to avoid having the pose look stiff and disconnected.

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From here, move around the couple and get different angles. Have the couple look off into the distance and enjoy the moment. Perhaps tell a joke to get them to laugh a bit.

To create a little bit more movement, from this pose, ask the couple to hold hands while the person in front moves towards the camera creating some distance from the other person. It will appear like they’re walking while holding hands. It’s a more creative take on the pose and adds beautiful movement.

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Action poses

Action poses are fun and a great way to loosen nerves and get the couple more comfortable with being in front of the camera. These can include the couple walking, either holding hands or at a distance, climbing, dancing, or just talking with one another.

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Starting with action poses can be more comfortable for a couple that is not necessarily big on kissing or being affectionate. If you’re in a location where there are activities, like an amusement park or coffee shop, have the couple do what they usually would if you weren’t around. This could be playing games, getting a coffee, enjoying some music together, walking, dancing, and talking.

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You can also have the couple walk toward the camera while you’re out photographing the engagement session. Have them walk two or three times as you get different focal lengths and angles. Ask the couple to talk with each other or smile at one another because this looks more natural as they are walking.

Facing away from the camera

Having the couple face away from the camera can create more interesting photographs and keep the mood more romantic resulting in less posed and more natural looking photographs.

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For one pose, have the couple stand at a distance facing away from the camera. Have the couple take one step forward and hold it as if they were walking. Have one person look back toward the camera and the other person looking down or to the side. You could have them do this as the couple is walking away from the camera. Just make sure that there is nothing in the way that could provoke a fall.

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Another pose is having the couple face away from the camera but gets in close to each other. Here they can look at one another, hold hands, or kiss the forehead all while you are photographing from behind. Try getting the couple from a high angle, so it looks like you’re looking down at them.

Allow poses to develop naturally

While you set foundation poses and build different variations, allow the poses to develop into their own naturally. What I mean by this is that let the couple take charge in some of the poses with the kissing and getting close. Allowing for the couple to feel like they can move around within a pose can create more authentic and romantic expressions.

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Couples feel most uncomfortable when they can’t be themselves, so during the session let them know that they are free to move and enjoy the moment. You are there to capture their love and excitement for their wedding day.

Once they have this liberty to move about in a pose, you’ll get real emotions and might even progress naturally through poses you may have thought of doing anyway!

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Make sure to go with the vibe of the couple

Some couples aren’t romantic types and feel silly or uncomfortable doing lots of kissy or huggy shots. Try and get a feel for how the couple is. Are they playful? Active? Romantic? If after a few silly poses, you find that the couple is more on the romantic side, go for those types of poses.

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Here are some ideas for each type of couple:

Romantic: Go with poses where the couple is close to each other. Either facing each other or hugging. Lots of closed eyes and enjoying the quiet moments of love between them. Try and photograph with a longer lens to give them space to be intimate with one another. Have them say something they love about one another while you photograph their reactions.

Fun/silly: Here you can get the couple talking and being overall silly. Try and get them to dance, tell jokes or play around at the location of the session. For example, having the couple make silly faces at one another or have one person tell a joke and get the reaction of the other person. Pose them with a little distance while holding hands to create a connection but not too close to where they feel uncomfortable having their photo taken so intimately.

Active: This couple will appreciate a good walk or even run! Have them jump, dance, climb, or even have one person piggy-back on the other! This couple is fun and needs to move around to keep them active by having them move around.

Not all of the poses have to be active if the couple is active, or romantic if the couple is the romantic type. Usually, after the first half hour, the couple has lost their nervousness and are more open to other poses. Just make sure that you keep an eye out for their natural personalities and go along with that vibe.

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Being a little intuitive to the personality of the couple helps you create more authentic photos that they will love. An important note to remember is that some couples will be easy to pose, and others will need more direction.

In any case, let the couples know that they can move around and to not worry about holding poses for too long. Remind them to enjoy the moments and do what feels natural to them as a couple. This helps to calm nerves, and you’ll get much more real expressions than forced ones.

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In conclusion

The best poses for engagement sessions are where you set a foundation pose and then build upon that depending on the vibe of your clients. Aim to give them a real and fun experience and document their personalities during the session. Pose them but let them feel free to move around and be themselves. They will have a great time and love their photos after!

The post Your Guide to the Best Poses for Engagement Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.


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Are Canon and Nikon the New Kodak?

10 Mar

The post Are Canon and Nikon the New Kodak? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.

Canon Z6 and Eos R

Selling? Yes. Boring? Also yes.

Kodak. Remember them? Back in the film days, never did we think they would be an afterthought in the photography industry. But a complete mishandling of the move to digital became their downfall. At one time a top five most valuable brand in the world, now reduced to a footnote in the photography world we live in today. But are Canon and Nikon beginning to edge the same way? Are they the lumbering giants, slow to move with the times? Or, are they playing the game to perfection?

The recent announcements from Canon and Nikon about profit from their camera divisions are not exactly encouraging, but are they still the brands to beat?

Financials

I’m sure you’ve heard the news. Canon and Nikon did not meet their revenue targets for 2018 and both are rapidly revising their numbers for 2019. Predictions are that interchangeable lens camera sales will continue to fall year on year. There was even a rumour from an internal document from a camera company predicting Canon and Nikon will lose 50% of market share in the next three years. This is serious!

But why? Well there are several factors here. Firstly, there is the rise of Sony, Fuji and others in the mirrorless market. Sony have been producing amazing cameras (although not [yet] sold in the same number as Canon and Nikon), which have carved a nice piece of the pie for themselves very quickly. Add in Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus et al and you have an ever increasing number of cameras to choose from – all with amazing features and image quality

However, the more major factor for the whole industry is the ever-increasing quality of the smart phone. Whilst those of us who read Digital Photography School are generally concerned with DSLR and Mirrorless cameras, many just want a decent photo with minimum fuss, and the phone camera does this amazingly well. For all camera companies, the development of amazing quality phone cameras mean the market for those wanting to get great a “proper” camera is shrinking all the time. The latest series of phone cameras are more than good enough for most people.

The big three

According to the latest data for the year of 2018, Canon continues to dominate the world of interchangeable lens cameras with a 49.1% market share (a growth of 3.9%). Nikon stay second with 24.9% (a decline of 0.6%) and Sony are in third with 13.3% (a growth of 2.9%). All other brands made up the remainder. 

Canon’s market share in photography has sat steady at around 40-50% for around the last ten years. The EOS R quickly became the best selling mirrorless camera in Japan on launch. Nikon’s Z series also stole a decent share of the market that has been dominated by Sony of late. The question is, are the people buying these existing Sony and Nikon cameras, heavily invested in a system? The answer for a large portion will no doubt be yes. It just makes financial sense.

As the market shifts and more people move to other systems such as Sony, Fuji and the L-Mount Alliance, will this continue? Existing customers are a large market, but people buying their first “Pro” camera have a choice that is now much wider than merely Canon or Nikon. You only need to look to YouTube for the number of people singing the praises of brands that are not Canon and Nikon to be able to see the beginnings of this shift.

The L-Mount Alliance is the newest kid on the block. How big will its impact be?

Canon’s video problems

I am a Canon shooter. I have been since my first SLR (I know, I’m old). But, their current business model sucks! In an age where the average photographer uses both stills and video, Canon have fallen behind in DSLRs for video. Evidence includes some questionable codecs (motion JPEG anyone?) and cropped 4K. Compared to Sony, it’s not even the same league. What happened Canon? You are the same Canon that released the classic 5D2! Remember that? A game changer that was so good that episodes of your favorite TV shows were filmed on it and Canon were hailed as heroes. Well, they dropped the ball.

Skip to 2019 and Canon release the EOS RP. A great price point of only £1300 (US$ 1299) and a decent sensor (basically taken from the 6D2). A great camera at a great price. Yes, you can argue the dynamic range of the sensor is not perfect, but it seemed like a great camera release by Canon. Then the news came that the camera was unable to shoot in 24fps in HD. Wait…what? Yep, the standard video frame rate for movies, the same one that was in the 5DMk2 over ten years ago is now absent.

I know what some of you are thinking. It’s the entry-level model; you can’t expect everything. Most people won’t care. However, to omit such a basic video feature is a sign of Canon seemingly making terrible decisions in their digital camera lineup.

Why are they doing this though? The answer seems to be in Canon’s product lines. Canon’s pro video line has a similar starting price to the EOS R. If they put full-frame 4K video, 120 frames per second at 1080P and more into their DSLR range, they would be basically killing off some of their pro video line customers in the process.

You have to question this as a business decision. Put simply, Canon’s current cameras are lagging behind Sony and Panasonic when it comes to video. Rather than move to their C-line of cameras for video though, most people are moving to Sony and the A7 III.

This move seems to be incredibly short-sighted by Canon. When I look to upgrade my trusty 5DMk4, I’m not sure Canon will be the top of my list. The video features on Sony are just too tempting. Sure, I don’t currently do much video work, but I can see my customers wanting more, and Sony cameras have better video features right now.

EOS RP camera with 24-105

Canon brought DSLR video to the masses with the 5D2. A decade later and they don’t even include 24fps.

 

Two cards are better than one

Shouted about all over the internet, why oh why did Canon and Nikon choose to launch their first cameras in their brand new system with one card slot? This feature alone means that a large amount of working professional users will not purchase a camera with one card slot. There is no way I would risk shooting a wedding with one memory card in the camera. It is just not worth the risk.

Nikon has taken this one step further and only have on XQD card. A more expensive format right now and also a format that most existing camera owners will not own in any great amount.

If photography is a hobby rather than a way to earn your living, then it may not be so much of an issue. However, again, it just seems a little short-sighted.

Shooting without a backup is always fine until a card fails.

Where’s the excitement?

Who was honestly excited by the EOS RP? Or the EOS R for that matter? Who thought that Nikon Z6 & Z7 were ushering in a new dawn of quality? Pretty much nobody. They just seemed to be mirrorless hack jobs of the 5DMk4 and D850 respectively, albeit with limitations.

The recent products from Canon and Nikon seem boring. No style and no killer features. Just OK. Just safe. The initial move into mirrorless feels like products designed and launched quickly to try and compete with Sony. Look at the amazing video features of the Sony A7 III when compared with Canon and their disappearing histogram. Compare the autofocus on the Sony A6400 or Fuji X-T3 with the Nikon Z6. There is no contest (the Nikon may improve dramatically with the eye AF update). The question is, why are they not competing with the best in class at launch?

Are Canon and Nikon’s cameras good? Yes. Are they class leading or exciting camera releases? No.  

Fuji’s retro styling, mixed with cutting edge features make for a very exciting camera system.

The Cameras do not match the glass

Leading with your best glass is an obvious decision. Both Canon and Nikon’s glass for their new mirrorless systems looks great. But it makes Canon’s decision to release the EOS RP all the more strange. Simply put, there is no budget glass for their budget full-frame camera.

There is no glass that really matches the system. The lens offered as a kit lens for this system costs over £1000. A quick Google shows the price of the EOS RP body at £1399 ($ US$ 1299), but the cheapest option with a lens (the 24-105 f4) is a staggering £2329 (US$ 2199). This is crazy! Especially when you can pick up a Sony A7 III with a 28-70mm  f/3.5-5.6 for £1999 (US$ 2298). The Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm is even more expensive still at £2514 (US$ 2596). Yes, you can use an adapter if you have other branded glass, but if you buy a new system, with a new mount, you surely want a native mount lens to play with.

I know the lens is not as good, but the Canon EOS RP is not in the same ballpark feature-wise as the Sony A7 III and you can have a camera and native lens for over £300 cheaper. There is no way I would spend extra to get a lesser camera. The fact that Canon has yet to release a cheaper lens seems crazy given they’re releasing more budget-friendly cameras. Maybe Nikon will launch a similar lens with the rumored upcoming EOS RP competitor?

Sony camera and lens lineup.

Sony now have a great range of lenses built up. Canon and Nikon are, for the first time, playing catch up.

Where’s the flagship camera?

So why not a pro body to rival the Sony A9? With the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, my guess is that Canon and Nikon are working feverishly behind the scenes to get their new flagship cameras out for the opening ceremony. I’m sure Sony is doing the same.

Rumors are surfacing that Canon has begun testing the 1DX Mark III with a very limited number of photographers, so this prediction does seem likely.  Canon is a big Olympic sponsor, and it is also a home Olympics for them. It really does make sense for big product launches on the eve of the event. Whether the new flagships will be a DSLR or mirrorless is going to be interesting to see.

But what about the meantime? What’s next up for Canon or Nikon? The EOS RP was underwhelming for many, and the next in line from Nikon is meant to be a direct competitor to the EOS RP. I feel this camera will also be met with the collective sigh the EOS RP received.

What does the future hold?

In the end, it boils down to this; mirrorless is the future of photography. It took a while to get here, but the benefits are now easy to see. Canon and Nikon were late to the party, but they are working hard to claw back ground they have lost. They seem to have learned from Kodak and their lack of acknowledgment for the digital camera.

The fact that both Canon and Nikon have fully entered the market late is currently having an impact on the quality and excitement that greets their new products. So far they appear to be playing it safe with mirrorless, which might not be enough to keep them on top moving forward.

What would be in your dream camera? As a Canon shooter (and daydreamer), I have thought long and hard while writing this article. For me, it would be a mirrorless update to the Canon 5DMk4. A new sensor. Autofocus to rival that on the Sony A9 (or even 6400) and non-crippled video. Full sensor 4K and 120 frames-per-second at 1080P in C-Log and preferably without a histogram that disappears when you press record, or at least zebra stripes. Maybe IBIS would be nice too. Oh, and two card slots. Is that too much to ask? I also would like it under £3000.

Or maybe, I’m getting tempted to move. The Sony A7III keeps tempting me to rent it. The A9 with that new autofocus update is a beast of a camera for a shade over £3000. I also want to see how Panasonic’s latest offerings play out.

I’m heading to The Photography Show in Birmingham, UK in March for an annual look at what is out there. On top of my list of stands to visit are Sony, Panasonic, and Fuji. The fact the Canon and Nikon are not even on my radar says a lot about their current appeal.

What are you looking for from Canon or Nikon? Or, have you moved to another brand and never looked back? Let me know in the comments.

The post Are Canon and Nikon the New Kodak? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.


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4 Essential Things to Consider When Styling a Photoshoot

09 Mar

The post 4 Essential Things to Consider When Styling a Photoshoot appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.

A successful photoshoot doesn’t just happen by itself. Perhaps there are times when everything lines up and an impromptu photoshoot happens. But that is often the exception. From my experience, much planning goes into a successful photoshoot. Whether you are doing a family, newborn, or portrait shoot, formal, informal, indoor or outdoors, styled or casual shoots, there are common factors that are crucial to its success. Here are some essential things to consider when styling a photoshoot.

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1. Location

Location dictates equipment

Deciding on your location beforehand is necessary as that dictates the equipment you’ll need. If shooting in a studio, you need to think of the lenses you would use for the amount of space available in your studio. If you have a small studio, you may only be able to use a 35mm or a 50mm lens for portraits. A 24-70mm would be ideal for a small space, but you need to consider any distortions if you’re shooting portraits at close range using a short focal length.

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If you are relying on natural light indoors, then you would need to think of the time of day you are shooting and the available ambient and natural light at those time to give you ample light that you need for your shoot. It would also be a good idea to have a reflector handy for both shoot, but most especially for indoor shoots. Their are various types of reflectors, that create different effects.

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Backdrops

Another thing to consider when shooting indoors is your background or backdrop. If it’s in a client’s home, you may need to ask them for photos of an idea of walls, windows, possible backdrops you can use if you haven’t been there before. If shooting in your own home or studio, then you have more control and can prepare the space beforehand. You can go for a light or dark backdrop, fabric or walls, wallpaper or painting, or just the available surfaces in the home. You may need to declutter a bit so unnecessary objects are in the shot.

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Weather – Plan B

If shooting outdoors, you need a plan B in case the weather doesn’t cooperate on the day. A plan B could be a cafe nearby or a sheltered area such as a gazebo. Generally, when shooting outdoors during the day, the opposite problem occurs. There is often too much light. The first thing to decide on is the time of day to shoot. Will it be golden hour? Middle of the day? Early morning? Dusk? Evening? Understand the needs for these different times of the day.

Best times of day to shoot

Early and late and golden hour are great times to shoot because the light comes from an angle. Golden hour gives a nice warm glow to your images but light during early morning shoots are often quite cold. Midday light, when the sun is high up in the sky, gives harsh light. You need to mitigate this by using reflectors, so you don’t get dark shadows under the eyes. They can be a natural reflector like concrete paths, white walls, floors or the usual photography reflectors available.

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Urban or country? Each has a very different vibe. If shooting in a busy city location where you have to walk around and have nowhere to park, you may need to pare down your equipment. If going to the country, then you can fill your car with equipment and props to your heart’s content and make a shoot logistically easier.

If shooting with artificial light either indoors or outdoors, you have more control over the amount of light available for your shoot and natural lighting is not so much a factor. However, this would require more equipment such as light stands, softboxes, electronic flashes, triggers and receivers, batteries, and diffusers.

You can read more about equipment you would need for a home or portable studio here.

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2. Overall colour scheme

Details matter when it comes to the outcome. For an image to be pleasing and successful, it involves more than just lighting. It involves tones and color schemes. When planning your shoot, it may help to think of a theme like vintage, bold, contemporary, simple, maximal or busy. Also think of a seasonal feeling; summer, spring, autumnal, or winter. Considering these things helps you eliminate ideas that won’t be fitting and narrows them down to a few essentials.

You can then decide on the colors. Winter would call for cool white, grey and blue tones and you may decide on a pop of color. Spring may have a combination of pastel colors with dominant greens. Summer may be bursting with saturation and light, blue skies, and warmth. Autumn can have burnt orange, red, purples and verdant greens.

Feeling your shoot while mentally preparing for it helps in streamlining everything to achieve the desired outcome. You could go for a rainbow shoot where you want the colors to pop against a plain white or dark backdrop.

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3. Props

Props are optional, but they are useful. My preference is minimal props, but I would suggest having them as tools during the shoot rather than items to be necessary in the shoot. Let me explain.

If I am photographing young children, I would often ask the parents to bring a bag of favorite toys without the knowledge of their children. During the shoot, I may need to use them to entertain, comfort, use during breaks and even to make them look at the camera. However, only one of those may make it into the shot, usually a soft comfort toy.

For engagement shoots, I’d ask the couple to choose one or two props they want to be in the shot but that these props must mean something to them. We’ve had picnic baskets, bikes, guitars, books and flowers amongst others. Sometimes, couples can’t think of props or don’t want any, and that is fine too. Often I’d say pick up a bunch of flowers just in case. Many couples, especially those who haven’t had a photoshoot yet may feel awkward and holding something like flowers helps.

A piece of outfit or accessory can be used as a prop too. A hat, bag or a special pair of shoes can work. This leads us nicely to the next factor…

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4. Outfits

Even when you have your lighting and location all planned perfectly, sometimes your photoshoot can still get ruined. Okay, ruined may be a bit too harsh but there is still one thing that can make or break your shoot – It’s the outfit.

I give my clients a guide on what to wear before their photoshoot in the hope that they plan their outfits beforehand and, even better, share them with me so we can discuss them. Often they send me options to choose from, and together we agree on one or two final outfits.

I once had a couple whose location was in the most beautiful country setting – it was a totally dreamy scene. Unfortunately, their outfits were not in keeping with the location. Although they were happy with the images and the shots were beautiful, their shoot could potentially have been published in many places but were let down by the outfits.

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Encourage your clients to treat the photoshoot as a special event that they plan and prepare for. If they can afford it, even buy new clothes for the shoot. With regards to matching outfits, like all white shorts and jeans, that’s down to personal preference. Mine is more towards classic complementary colors and patterns than matching or uniform outfits. Discussing this with your client is important. The one big no-no I always tell my clients is to avoid big logos, cartoon characters, numbers or letters, or anything that is trend-based that dates quickly.

I hope the above has helped with styling a photoshoot and what you can prepare in advance to ensure its success. If you have any more ideas, do share them here in the comments below.

The post 4 Essential Things to Consider When Styling a Photoshoot appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.


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Understanding Imaging Techniques: the Difference Between Retouching, Manipulating, and Optimizing Images

09 Mar

The post Understanding Imaging Techniques: the Difference Between Retouching, Manipulating, and Optimizing Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Herb Paynter.

Understanding Imaging Techniques

Three distinct post-production processes alter the appearance of digital photographs: Retouching, Manipulating, and Optimizing. These terms may sound similar enough to be synonymous at first glance, but they are entirely different operations. Once you understand the difference between these three processes, your image editing will take on new meaning, and your images will deliver powerful results.

Image retouching

Photo retouching is image alteration that intends to correct elements of the photograph that the photographer doesn’t want to appear in the final product. This includes removing clutter from the foreground or background and correcting the color of specific areas or items (clothing, skies, etc.). Retouching operations make full use of cloning and “healing” tools in an attempt to idealize real life. Unfortunately, most retouching becomes necessary because we don’t have (or take) the time to plan out our shots.

Our brain tends to dismiss glare from our eyes, but the camera sees it all. A slight change of elevation and a little forethought can save a lot of editing time.

Planning a shot in advance will alleviate much of these damage control measures but involves a certain amount of pre-viewing; scouting out the area and cleaning up items before the camera captures them. This includes “policing” of the area… cleaning mirrors and windows of fingerprints, dusting off surfaces, and general housekeeping chores. This also includes putting things away (or in place), previewing and arranging the lighting available and supplementing the lighting with flash units and reflectors where required, checking for reflections, etc.

Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” which pretty much sums up the cleanup chores. We also use the phrase “preventative maintenance;” fixing things before they break and need repair.

Admittedly, we don’t often have the luxury of time required to primp and polish a scene before we capture it, and retouching is our only option. However, sometimes all we need to do is evaluate the scene, move around and see the scene from another angle, or wait for the distraction to move out of the scene.

Sometimes a small reposition can lessen the amount of touchup and repair needed.

We can’t always avoid chaos, but we could limit the retouching chore with a little forethought. It takes just a fraction of a second to capture an image, but it can take minutes-to-hours to correct problems captured.

Image manipulation

Manipulation is a bit different, though it occasionally is a compounded chore with retouching. When we manipulate a photo, we truly step out of reality and into fantasyland. When we manipulate an image we override reality and get creative; moving, adding elements to a scene or changing the size and dimension. When we manipulate an image, we become a “creator” rather than simply an observer of a scene. This is quite appropriate when creating “art” from a captured image, and is ideal for illustrations but perhaps shouldn’t be used as a regular post-capture routine.

Photo-illustration is an excellent use of serious manipulation, and can be quite effective for conveying abstract concepts and illustrations.

Earlier in my career, I worked as a photoengraver in a large trade shop in Nashville Tennessee during the early days of digital image manipulation. The shop handled the pre-press chores for many national accounts and international publications. On one occasion in 1979, we were producing a cover for one of these magazines. On the cover was a picture of Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat set against one of the great pyramids. Unfortunately, the pyramid was in a position that interfered with the titles on the magazine’s cover.

While this is not the exact picture used in the magazine, you see the challenge.

The Art Director for the magazine sent instructions for us to shift the pyramid in the picture so that the titles would not interfere with it. Moving that thing was an amazing feat back then. Normal airbrushing would have left obvious evidence of visual trickery, but digital manipulation opened a whole new potential for near-perfect deception. We were amazed at the potential but a bit nervous about the moral implications of using this power.

This venture was accomplished (over a decade before Photoshop) on an editing machine called a SciTex Response, a workstation supported by a very powerful minicomputer. Nobody outside that small building knew that from Nashville, we pushed an Egyptian pyramid across the desert floor until revealed years later. Shortly thereafter, digitally altered images were prohibited from use as evidence in a court of law by the Supreme Court of the United States. Today, this level of manipulation lets you routinely alter reality and play god on a laptop, sitting on a park bench.

Manipulation is powerful stuff and should be used with serious restraint; not so much for legal reasons, but because of diminishing regard for nature and reality. Fantasyland is fun, but reality is where we live. We quite regularly mask skies and replace boring clouds with blue skies and dramatic clouds, and even sunsets – all without hesitation. We can move people around a scene and clone them with ease using popular photo editing software. Reality has become anything but reality. Photo contests prohibit photo manipulation in certain categories, though a skillful operator can cover their digital tracks and fool the general public. However, savvy judges can always tell the difference.

Typical manipulation consisting of a clouded sky to replay lost detail.

Personal recommendation: keep the tricks and photo optics to a minimum. Incorporating someone else’s pre-set formulas and interpretation into your photos usually compromises your personal artistic abilities. Don’t define your style by filtering your image through someone else’s interpretation. Be the artist, not the template. Take your images off the assembly line and deal with them individually.

Image optimization

Photo optimization is an entirely different kind of editing altogether and the one that I use in my professional career. I optimize photos for several City Magazines in South Florida. Preparing images for the printed page isn’t the same as preparing them for inkjet printing. Printing technology uses totally different inks, transfer systems, papers, and production speeds than inkjet printers. Each process requires a different distribution of tones and colors.

Since my early days in photoengraving, I’ve sought to squeeze every pixel for all the clarity and definition it can deliver. The first rule (of my personal discipline) is to perform only global tonal and color adjustments. Rarely should you have to rely on pixel editing to reveal the beauty and dynamic of a scene. Digital photography is all about light. Think of light as your paintbrush and the camera as nothing more than the canvas that your image is painted on. Learn to control light during the capture and your post-production chores will diminish significantly. Dodging, burning and other local editing should be required rarely, if at all.

Both internal contrast and color intensity (saturation) were adjusted to uncover lost detail.

Even the very best digital camera image sensors cannot discern what is “important” information within each image’s tonal range. The camera’s sensors capture an amazing range of light from the lightest and the darkest areas of an image, but all cameras lack the critical element of artistic judgment concerning the internal contrast of that light range.

If you capture your images in RAW format, all that amazing range packed into each 12-bit image (68,000,000,000 shade values between the darkest pixel and the lightest) can be interpreted, articulated, and distributed to unveil the critical detail hiding between the shadows and the highlights. I’ve edited tens of thousands of images over my career, and very few cannot reveal additional detail with just a little investigation. There are five distinct tonal zones (highlight, quarter-tones, middle-tones, three-quarter-tones, and shadows) in every image, and each can be individually pushed, pulled, and contorted to reveal the detail contained therein. While a printed image is always distilled down to 256 tones per color, this editing process lets you, the artist, decide how the image is interpreted.

Shadow (dark) tones quite easily lose their detail and print too dark if not lightened selectively by internal contrast adjustment. The Shadows slider (Camera Raw and Lightroom) was lightened.

The real artistry of editing images is not accomplished by the imagination, but rather by investigation and discernment. No amount of image embellishment can come close to the beauty that is revealed by merely uncovering reality. The reason most photos don’t show the full dynamic of natural light is that the human eye can interpret detail in a scene while the camera can only record the overall dynamic range. Only when we (photographers/editors/image-optimizers) take the time to uncover the power and beauty woven into each image can we come close to producing what our eyes and our brain’s visual cortex experience all day, every day.

Personal Challenge

Strive to extract the existing detail in your images more than you paint over and repair the initial appearance. There is usually amazing detail hiding there just below the surface. After you capture all the potential range with your camera capture (balancing your camera’s exposure between the navigational beacons of your camera’s histogram), you must then go on an expedition to explore everything that your camera has captured. Your job is to discover the detail, distribute the detail, and display that detail to the rest of us.

Happy hunting.

The post Understanding Imaging Techniques: the Difference Between Retouching, Manipulating, and Optimizing Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Herb Paynter.


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Weekly Photography Challenge – Abstract

09 Mar

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Abstract appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

This week’s photography challenge topic is ABSTRACT!

© Megan Kennedy

Your photos can include anything includes anything that is abstract. It can be motion-blurred, cropped, minimalist, color-based, use nature, objects or anything really! They can be color, black and white, moody or bright. You get the picture! Have fun, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

© Peter West Carey

 

Some Inst-piration from some Instagrammers:

 

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Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.

Tips for Shooting ABSTRACT

How to Create Abstract Photos with Oil and Water and a Little Dish Soap

4 Refraction Ideas to Use In Your Photography

How to Make Funky Colorful Images of Ordinary Plastic Objects Using a Polarizing Filter

How to Create Abstract Photos with Colored Paper

How to Make Use of Foggy Surfaces for Abstract Photography

How to Create a Kaleidoscope and Make Unique Abstract Images

Getting Started with Abstract Macro Photography

6 Tips on How to Create Abstract Photos

 

 

Weekly Photography Challenge – ABSTRACT

Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPSabstract to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Abstract appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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The New Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R – Could these Full-frame Mirrorless Cameras be Cameras of the Year? [video]

08 Mar

The post The New Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R – Could these Full-frame Mirrorless Cameras be Cameras of the Year? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

In this video by Art of Photography, he gives us a first look at the testing of the new Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R full-frame mirrorless cameras.

This is a preproduction look at the camera, so all images are jpegs coming straight out of the camera with no editing done at all. All noise reduction features were switched off in the camera to show how good the noise reduction features of these cameras are too.

?

S1: 24mp, S1R: 47mp big still images
If you are a fan of Panasonic Lumix cameras, you’ll feel at home using both these cameras. Dual IS

The video focuses on:

Image quality

outstanding. Color rendition and contrast are great. Worked well with portraits, still life, low light.

Autofocus

Autofocus is an area Panasonic has struggled with over the years, but this is one of their best autofocus systems. Uses contrast detection autofocus. Very usable in most situations. Additional processing layer for Autofocus. This is the technology that drives or defines what they call AI Autofocus. Defines object recognition, animal recognition, face recognition etc. detection. So while the Autofocus is not perfect, the way the technology works means that Panasonic can work on improving Autofocus and update them as Firmware.

Shooting video

Low light performance and Panasonic dual IS image stabilisation

Best image stabilisation used on any camera. Great for low light situations – Low light performance is one of the best features of this camera. It performs beautifully right up to 12800 ISO. Low noise even with the noise reduction features switched off.

Pixel Shifting

Pixel Shifting feature takes 8 images and shifts the sensor around so you end up with a really high resolution image of up to 180mp. In reality, this feature is only limited to still life shooting. If anything moves around in the image it doesn’t work well. So may not work well for landscapes where there is any wind or trees moving. This may be something that Panasonic can work on to fine-tune.

Ergonomics

The cameras are quite large but very easy to use. They are lighter than the Leica SL. When using all day it does become heavy. This can work well when hand-holding for video because the camera doesn’t shake as much. If you are a photographer who wants to travel light, these cameras may not be for you.

It is a very quiet camera, even using the mechanical shutter.

Is this the perfect Panasonic camera?

While this camera is amazing it still has a couple of weak points, mainly the Autofocus system and the Pixel Shift technology.

Also, the fast continuous shooting mode uses 6K film shooting that you can then take stills from. This means you can only use jpegs, which for many photographers is not ideal.

However, overall, both the Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R are are very exciting cameras.

 

Pixel Shift High Resolution images of the Panasonic S1R at work

In this video by Adorama, see the Pixel Shift technology of these cameras at work.

 

You may also find the following articles interesting:

Gear Review: The Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

Canon EOS RP Full-frame Camera – Why Some People Won’t be Buying this Camera

Fujifilm X-T3 versus Fujifilm X-H1: The Best Mirrorless Camera for You?

The 19 Most Popular Compact System and Mirrorless Cameras with Our Readers

Sony a6300 Mirrorless Camera – Thoughts and Field Test

DSLR vs Mirrorless: Guide to help you decide which is right for you?

The (Almost) Perfect Autofocus of the Sony a7R III: a Hands-On Review

The post The New Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R – Could these Full-frame Mirrorless Cameras be Cameras of the Year? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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100 Things to Photograph When You’re Out of Ideas

08 Mar

The post 100 Things to Photograph When You’re Out of Ideas appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.

Sooner or later we all run out of things to photograph. Or we think we have. In reality, there are countless things right in front of you worth photographing. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut photographing the same thing over and over, eventually leaving your camera in the bag for weeks at a time.

To help you figure out what to photograph when your mind is blank, I’ve compiled a list of more than 100 ideas. You can even combine items on this list to create hundreds of combinations of things to photograph.

There are several categories to choose from and I recommend trying a category you don’t have much experience with.

I normally just walk right by windows. But the light, frost and paper crane caught my eye.

Nature

There is a whole world waiting to be explored by you and your camera. And it’s not just what your eyes can see but what is hidden underneath and behind or inside.

You walk right over the surface of the earth every day, but everything you see has it’s own surface to be explored. Pull out your macro lens and inspect the surfaces of the natural world.

  • Flowers
  • Trees, branches, bark
  • Vines
  • Leaves
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Driftwood
  • Tall grass

Consider photographing places such as:

  • Fields
  • Orchard (in bloom or full of fruit)
  • Pumpkin patch
  • Sunflower field

When I first got my camera, I would take pictures of flowers. I was never happy with the photos but didn’t understand why. One evening I photographed this garden and loved the way this photo looked. Once I learned about light, I realized why I love this photo. It’s incredibly soft light produced by the last 5 minutes of light before the sunset.

If you choose to photograph flowers, don’t just go for the typical flower shot. Focus on the petals, leaves, stems, and even dig down to the roots. Light is essential to plant life. Photograph them in harsh noon light, golden hour, and play with backlight to make silhouettes. Crack open seeds and nuts to explore their inner world. Don’t forget to photograph them after it rains.

Then keep exploring water.

  • Water (sprinkler, hose)
  • Rain
  • Creek, pond, lake, ocean
  • Waves
  • Ice
  • Snow
  • Steam

There is no need to limit nature photography to daylight hours. When the moon is bright it is a wonderful light source. This is especially true when the landscape is covered in snow because it reflects the light.

Even “the ground” is a worthy subject.

  • Rocks
  • Sand
  • Gravel
  • Soil

If you’re more of a people photographer than a nature photographer, consider bringing people along with you to have in the photos. Especially when it comes to:

  • Pathways
  • Trails
  • Dirt roads

People

There are many ways to photograph people. Yes, they could be posing. But you can also capture candid moments. Don’t pressure yourself to try something as big as portrait, street, or wedding photography. Just find somebody you can take pictures of. You don’t have to know what you’re doing, just do it and something interesting will emerge.

Families (yours or a friends):

  • Newborn
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Teen
  • Siblings
  • Twins, triplets
  • A whole family
  • 3+ generations

If you’re going out with friends to a park bring your camera along and tune into candid moments.

Kids:

One single child could provide you with an infinite number of possible photos:

  • Playing with bubbles
  • At a playground
  • Riding bikes
  • Playing sports
  • Swimming
  • Balancing

Photograph your friends with:

  • An interesting job
  • Hobby
  • Music
  • Farm
  • Sports
  • Artist
  • Chef
  • Tools
  • Business

You could expand your skills or even produce an entire portfolio just by committing to photograph a few people over the course of a month or two.

Animals

  • Pets
  • Friend’s animals
  • A farm
  • A vet
  • A shelter
  • Pet store (offer them social media photos)
  • Zoo
  • Aquarium
  • Bugs
  • Birds
  • Fish, water creatures

Remember to turn off your flash when photographing through glass so that it doesn’t create a reflection.

Events

When it comes to events you’re automatically combining people, places, food, animals and interesting activities. You can find plenty of events listed on your city’s website.

  • Sports
  • Public event/festival
  • Street photography
  • Parade
  • Contact a media network to see what photos they need
  • Local charity event
  • Animal shelter
  • Farmer’s Market
  • Fishers/Boaters/Marina
  • Air show
  • Car show
  • Dance
  • Concert

Stroll around with your camera at public events and photograph little details. This was at a car show.

Photography contests

Contests are a great way of generating ideas of things to photograph. Let somebody else think of the subject matter and then take up the challenge to photograph it in the most interesting way possible.

Search for contests in:

  • Your city website
  • Local paper
  • Photography magazine
  • Online
  • DPS challenges

Look around your home town or city and pay attention to icons that you normally just pass by. Or flip through tourist pamphlets and then photograph icons in new ways.

Architecture

  • Old buildings
  • Ruins
  • Modern buildings
  • Glass buildings
  • Interiors
  • Exteriors
  • Barns

I’m not normally one to photograph architecture, but I had been watching this house as it dilapidated over the years. I wanted to create a picture that captures the way it feels when I drive by.

Meaningful objects

  • Products for a small business
  • Crafts for friends Etsy store
  • Family heirlooms
  • Museum artifacts
  • Junkyard (rusty, textured items)
  • Food

Look for texture in the objects that you photograph.

Seasons and time of day

Don’t just photograph something and then move on. Consider what photos you might make of nature, people, animals, and events in each unique season.

  • Winter
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Fall

I played baseball as a kid and feel nostalgic about it every autumn. One year I took a beat up old ball out to an abandoned ball diamond and photographed it. It allowed me to play with golden hour light for the first time and practice bringing my vision to life.

Remember that every season brings variety with each new day.

  • Sunrise
  • Midday
  • Sunset
  • Night
  • Moonlight
  • Cloudy day
  • Stormy day

This scene caught my attention because of the time of day. The golden sunrise reminds me of when I started work at sunrise for my first job out of high school.

Technique

In addition to all the possibilities mentioned above, consider what technique you might use to capture your images.

  • Black and white
  • Silhouettes
  • Close up, macro
  • Shadows
  • Reflections

Also, consider the unique possibilities when you focus on:

  • Angles
  • Background
  • Light

I knew when I took this photo of footprints in tire treads that it would be a black and white photo. The texture made me think black and white.

Choose something you always look at but never see.

Right now, there are likely 100 things in front of you just waiting to be photographed. Choose one thing to practice with.

Please, add to this list in the comment section below.

 

The post 100 Things to Photograph When You’re Out of Ideas appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.


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