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Review: Evecase Canvas DSLR Backpack

10 Oct

Awesome highlights of this wild career: taking photographs, hanging out with cool clients, and producing stunning imagery.

The not-so-fun part: transporting all the cameras, lenses and bits and bobs we need from point A to point B.

If you’re like me, you know that being able to carry all of our must-haves comfortably can make or break the work day. I’m always looking for better ways to lug my gear. So when I came across the Evecase Canvas DSLR Backpack I had to try it out.

The Evecase Canvas DSLR Backpack

Before we get into my opinion of this strappy carrying device, let’s take a moment to discuss what this backpack is about. According to Evecase it “features a customizable interior which can hold camera bod and 2-5 lenses, a laptop compartment that holds a 14-inch laptop, Chromebook or tablet, plenty of pockets, pouches and spaces for jackets, books, a tripod and other accessories. Rain or shine, wet or dry, the removable rain cover will give your backpack the best protection. Fashionable canvas design with discreet look that won’t stand out as camera backpack.”

According to Evecase, the highlights include an easy-to-access camera compartment, discreet instant laptop access, and extended top storage. There are a slew of accessory pockets, tripod holder straps, stowaway side pockets and ergonomic shoulder straps.

Appearance

I won’t lie. The appearance of this canvas backpack is what piqued my interest in the first place. I always gravitate towards cases that don’t scream “Expensive camera equipment stored in here”, and this backpack is certainly inconspicuous enough.

This product is 15 x 12.5 x 7 inches , with the camera compartment being 9.6 x 11 x 4 inches.

The canvas fabric material has a subtle texture to it and is a rather pretty grey. The material is waterproof and weatherproof. (Well, generally. But it also comes with a waterproof case.) It looks like something you’d take on a camping trip or backpacking across Europe. The details are all black, and the color scheme can easily match whatever your style is. Much of my carrying devices and storage units are grey. (I like having all of my products match one another.)

The front of the backpack features a multitude of pockets and flaps, with bottle or beverage pockets that can be stowed away discreetly when not in use. The inside is lined with a light, slate grey that has a bit of a blue tint to it.

The backpack has a bit of weight when empty, but not enough to concern me.

Build Quality

The build quality is where other people’s reviews on this product get a little shifty. I’ve read many claims of it ripping at the seams or being rather fragile. But having used this Evecase product rigorously for more than a month, I haven’t experienced it myself.

The photography I do involves a lot of wear and tear on whatever I have with me. I photograph canine sports, exotic animals and live concerts. My daily dose of damage can include anything from animals biting my bags to a rowdy crowd unintentionally tearing at my stuff. After being put through the wringer for more than 30 days, this bag has managed to survive with almost no visible damage.

Even when it’s fully packed, I haven’t experience any ripping, tearing, or deformity of the compartments due to the weight. I even took it for a spin at the beach (being from California and all), and neither sand nor salty water caused much of an issue. Based on my experiences alone, I’d consider the build quality on this backpack to be great.

That being said, as with any product you own a bit of TLC goes a very long way in ensuring its longevity. I have weekly cleaning where I perform cleaning and basic maintenance on of my work gear. And backpacks, cases and other carrying devices are no exception.

Comfort

The main criteria for whether or not a backpack, sling, or any carrying device stays is comfort. After dueling against several alternatives, the Evecase Canvas DSLR Backpack is definitely staying.

I’ve worn this backpack fully stocked with supplies for around six hours, and suffered no significant discomfort or additional pain normally associated with carrying weight for such a long time. This being said, I feel the size of this backpack and where it suits my height (5’ 5”) brilliantly. Taller people may have an issue simply there’s no real way to adjust where this backpack sits. It would also be nice to have have more padding on the shoulder straps. I think I’ll eventually mod the straps and add more padding, but if it came with some initially it would be even more rad.

As for ease of access, I like the solid build of the camera compartment. I can easily balance the backpack on my knee as a table to help switch lenses or attach something to my rig. There’s a wonderful side pocket I can pull my laptop out of if I don’t feel like opening the top and reaching the computer from there. All of the small bits and bobs I might need are also easily accessible due to the various pockets on the front of the backpack, and the beverage pockets are also within a comfortable reach.

Storage

This backpack features plenty of storage for everything I could possibly need. Of my kit, at maximum, I can fit:

either:
- three lenses (Canon 16-35mm F/2.8L USM II, Canon 50mm f/1.2L USM, and Canon 24-70mm F/2.8L USM II) and a camera body (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV)
- two camera bodies (Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and Canon EOS 5D Mark II) and two lenses (Canon 50mm f/1.2L USM and Canon 24-70mm F/2.8L USM II)
my 13.5” laptop with its case on and a laptop charger
two variable ND filters
camera batteries
chargers
cards
lens cleaning kit
roll of tape
scissors
notebook
pens
contract / liability waivers / model release forms / non-disclosure documents
card reader
metal case of business cards
tripod
cellophane gel kit
my personal belongings (cell phone, portable cell battery, wallet, car keys, jacket, deodorant, makeup)
two water bottles
snacks.

That being said, a couple of the pockets in the front are a bit odd in the sense that I would have gone for something different. The size of the two small pockets in front of the camera compartment are a bit strange. The dividers inside them are a bit too large for some of the smaller electronics I’d put there, but too small for anything larger. I’d prefer them to mimic the one long pocket at the top of the backpack, as I currently have to dig deep into the dividers to pull out the small components I need to use. A couple of the flaps could make excellent pockets for paperwork or business cards, but instead they sit there as decorative elements.

Padding

The backpack features an acceptable amount of padding in both the camera and laptop sections. The camera section had significantly more padding than the laptop slot, and so I often store my laptop in its compartment with a secondary case already on it. Fortunately a secondary case fits just fine. The camera compartment includes your run-of-the-mill customizable dividers, so you can arrange that area to suit your needs.

Pros

Aesthetic and style
Not bulky
Comfortable straps
Plenty of storage space
Easy camera and laptop access
Waterproof case is a nice touch

Cons

Lack of confident padding in the laptop compartment
Some of the outer pockets are odd
Needs a better way of hiding tripod straps when not in use
Needs more buttons to the main compartment to customize size better
Forget about putting in a DSLR with the grip attached
Needs more padding on shoulder straps if you pack heavy

In conclusion, for between $ 40 and $ 60 on Amazon.com this backpack gives you a decent bang for your buck. I quite like it, and still get tremendous use out of it.

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Why Goal Planning Is the Key to Growing as a Landscape Photographer

09 Oct

“I invest so much time in my landscape photography, but can’t tell how much I’m improving or even where I’ll be in a year. I think I’m getting better, but slowly and haphazardly.”

Do you have a strategy for becoming a better photographer? What areas do you want to improve in over the next few weeks? Most of us learn passively, but what if you could get more out of every shoot and see progress in months instead of years?

It starts with being intentional – something we don’t often practice in the day-to-day.

Taking an active role can double your learning speed. And it starts by setting measurable goals and introspecting your photos – and yourself – often.

Sella Towers, Dolomites, Italy

Brunate Lago Di Como, Italy

A couple of years ago I wasn’t noticing much improvement in my photography. It was definitely there, but it happened slowly and I didn’t have a clear direction of how I wanted to improve in the future.

Fast forward to my last trip to Oregon, where I made a point of applying some goal planning and retrospectives before, during and after the shoot. I learned more in two weeks than I had in two years, and brought back some of my favorite photos to date.

Mt Bachelor, Cascade Lakes Bend, Oregon

Smith Rock Bend, Oregon

Maybe you’ve heard of objectives and key results (OKRs) or ‘being results-oriented’ from managers or personal trainers. They seem like fuzzy topics, but there’s nothing more empowering than charting your own course to improvement.

I couldn’t be happier with the improvement I noticed while peeking at photos from just two years ago. Whether it’s a cursory glance or a deeper artistic critique, I can see measurable improvement that directly correlates with intentional goal planning.

And it’s not just the keeper shots that have improved. I shoot noticeably fewer photos (more of which end up being keepers), and it takes less editing for me to finish them up.

Here’s how you can take an active role in charting your own improvement as a landscape photographer.

1. Document Your Objectives

Have you stopped to ask yourself why you’re a landscape photographer in the first place? Your “Why?” doesn’t have to be etched in stone, but it will guide how you invest your time and money into growing.

Here are some example objectives. “I invest time in my landscape photography because:”

“I love to travel.”
“I want to make a full-time living.”
“I want to capture unique locations.”
“I want to grow my local following.”
“I want to be the best in my craft.”

You probably have several objectives in mind, so the next step is to prioritize them. Which objective(s) trumps the others in the competition for your time? Objectives are critical because they help us identify conflicts of interest. Once you start formulating goals, you want to ensure they naturally support your objective.

For example, you may be a landscape photographer because you love traveling, but your goal is to sell prints to local condos. These may well clash with each other, as marketing your work to local businesses would mean less freedom to travel. You may need to find another way to support your wanderlust – even if it’s unrelated to photography.

2. Formulate Effective Goals

Setting a goal often has a disheartening tone. We’ve all made goals or resolutions that yielded no results other than self-reproach. “Oh, I didn’t lose 10 pounds.” “I didn’t write half as much as I wanted.”

Self-reproach is often a symptom of a poorly chosen goal. Effective goals aren’t about slapping yourself for missing them. They’re about deliberately deciding how you want to invest your time and resources. It’s about determining the trajectory you want to take instead of floating with the fluctuations of each day.

Here are two of my personal goals:

Capture and produce better photography
Expand my photography audience

But while these goals capture a general direction, they aren’t concrete. So I like to follow them up with more specific formulations for what success looks like.

Expand portfolio with shots that have a compelling foreground, middleground and background.
Write for two new publications.

3. Apply and Adapt Shoot Goals

Along with your general goals and results, set specific goals for each landscape photography trip. I often source my shoot goals from notes I took in the field, or frustrations I faced in post production.

On my last trip to Ireland and the UK, I set some goals that I reread during each shoot:

Create a sense of depth with fog and haze
Root the image with stronger foregrounds
Consciously identify shapes in the composition
Capture the energy in water and clouds with long exposures
Take 20% fewer photos with a higher ratio of winners
Shoot more verticals to emphasize height

Man-O-War Bay, Dorset, England

South Stack Lighthouse, Wales

Referencing these goals when I hit the field bumps me out of my status quo. Over the past two years, I’ve found that most of my measurable growth as an artist came from setting and intentionally applying shoot goals.

4. Break Goals into Results

Objectives give you direction. Goals give you outcomes. But neither tells you how to accomplish them or how much progress you’ve made towards them. That’s where results come in.

How will you accomplish your goals? You can’t. They’re too big, and say nothing about what actions you should take. To reach your goals, they need to be broken down into small, measurable steps called results – small tasks you can complete in no more than a day. A well-formulated result must measurably contribute towards the overall goal.

Results need to be carefully phrased so they reflect tangible outcomes. For example:

“Edit for one hour every day.”
“Spend 30 minutes writing about photography.”

These results are ineffective because they involve time. Who cares whether you spent 30 minutes editing or three hours? Instead, phrase them in terms of tangible outcomes:

“Finish a rough edit of three photos today.”
“Finish outlining my upcoming photography post.”

Each of these results produces something of value – edited photos and an outlined post – and can be completed in one sitting. And the faster you complete each result, the sooner you can move on to other things.

Breaking down goals into results is hard to do in any field, whether it’s productivity, photography or software development. And it’s the number one reason we fail to accomplish anything.

Don’t tackle a goal and plan as you go. Planning and execution are two different skills. And when we do them simultaneously we ironically spend the least time on the hardest part: planning. It sounds counterintuitive, but once I break the goal into results, executing them is usually the easiest part.

What about self-imposed deadlines? Personally I’ve had limited success with them because time is a poor measure of progress. I sketch out a rough timeline (“by this time next year”), but I keep those dates with my goals instead of my results. As long as my results are prioritized, deadlines are often arbitrary because I’m always working on the most valuable results.

How are you spending your time so each minute counts? Results are the answer, not time.

5. Do a Retrospective

The learning doesn’t end after a shoot. In fact, I learn the most by reviewing photographs from the shoot that didn’t quite work out. It sounds counterintuitive, but thanks to a cognitive bias called survival bias we tend to:

overestimate what we can learn from successful shots
underestimate what we can learn from shots that didn’t make the cut.

Consequently, we end up discarding our best source of learning material.

To beat survivorship bias, conduct a retrospective on some of your failed shots to understand why they didn’t work, and what you’ll do differently next time.

Slea Head, Dingle, Ireland

None of my shots from Slea Head on Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula worked out. But later in the trip I applied the lessons I learned about S-curve placement and busy water textures to capture a shot of Loch Garry in the Scottish Highlands.

Loch Garry, Scotland

Retrospectives are incredibly effective at distilling lessons that will set your next shoot up for success. And they often form my shoot goals for the next trip. On this year’s trip to Oregon, my goals changed to reflect the lessons I learned from Ireland and the UK:

Capture two stunning images per day for a total of 26 from the trip.
Identify the emotion of a scene, then highlight it with composition and light.
Spend 30% less time snapping photos, and instead spend it testing compositions.
Shoot exclusively at dawn and twilight, and spend the rest of the day trying compositions on my smartphone.
Use an ND filter for water without exception.
Identify a strong foreground, middleground, and background before snapping.
Don’t waste a second on angles filled with busy textures.

I would have forgotten many of these shoot goals if I hadn’t written them down and reviewed them before each shoot. Being intentional paid off. As I said earlier, I learned more in two weeks than I had in two years of shooting, and produced some of my favorite work to date.

Roads End, Oregon

Chart Your Course to Improvement Intentionally

While goal planning comes in many flavors and terminologies, they all share the goal of helping individuals connect desired outcomes with strategic actions. The key to accelerated growth is to learn intentionally, not passively.

Spend a few minutes over coffee today to document why you are a landscape photographer, what you want to become, and how you will accomplish it. Whether you’re in the field, post production, or an office crunching through tangential work, goal planning will ensure you’re investing your time well and learning as much as possible from your efforts.

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5 Mindset Shifts You Need to Be Successful in Photography

09 Oct

You love photography. You live it, you breathe it, and it’s all you can ever think of doing in your life. And you’re good – better than some of the other people you know who also love photography.

But despite all this you feel… stuck. You’re not booking jobs, getting clients or making money. And when you post your best work on social media all you hear are crickets.

So what’s the problem? Well, it may surprise you to hear it may not be a technical issue at all but rather an issue with your subconscious. Karthika Gupta Photography - mindset shifts to be successful in photography

Today I want to talk about how you can totally transform your life, your relationships and your work. It isn’t a course you can take or a YouTube video you can watch. It’s something that’s free, powerful, and completely within your control.

Changing your mindset.

Thinking differently can have a profound effect on your entire life. But here are five mindset shifts you need to be successful in photography.

1. Practice Makes Perfect

There really are no two ways about this. The best way to get better at something is to do it over and over again. The more you get out there and photograph, the more you’ll understand what you like, what makes you happy and what areas you need to improve in. Want to understand light and how it affects photos? Go out and photograph in different kinds of light. Want to photograph people? Set up shoots and practice photographing people. The more you do, the more you create and the better you become.

Karthika Gupta Photography - mindset shifts to be successful in photography 7

This was my client’s favorite photo from her photoshoot. It showcased her artwork in a unique way. The more you practice, the more you’ll start telling stories in your unique way.

One of the easiest ways to practice photography is to sign up for a 365 series, which is a commitment to create one photo every day for 365 days. You can use a DSLR, a point-and-shoot camera, or even a smartphone.

You can even take it a step further by joining one of the many online groups available. They’re created solely to encourage you to photograph and post a single photo every day for 365 days straight. They even provide photo prompts to help you stay on track so you’re constantly thinking of what to photograph.

Karthika Gupta Photography - mindset shifts to be successful in photography

Practice also makes you more confident. Now when I see a story play out, I’m not afraid to ask my clients or strangers to be actors in the story. A pub became a scene for some unique wedding photos for my clients.

One of my goals is to learn film photography. I have an old 35mm Canon AE-1, and I have run several rolls of film to try and get images that I love. The first time I used that camera, I didn’t even wind the film correctly. So I ended up sending a blank roll of film to be processed. That was $ 20 well spent.

2. Overnight Success is a Myth

This ties to the first point. You must be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort to get your work seen and acknowledged. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll be an overnight success with lots of clients and potential work lining up. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but the probability is quite low. So instead of leaving your career to chance, why not take matters into your own hands and have a plan to do the work consistently? Learn all there is to learn about what you want to focus on in your photography and consistently put out good work.

It’s taken me several years and thousands of photos to train my brain to recognize light and create a story before I even click the shutter. This is one of my favorite photos that I call ‘Light and shadow: Ride and rider’. To me it shows the symbiosis between these two pairs.

3. Healthy Competition is a Good Thing

In any given industry there’s always competition. Sometimes the competition plays fair, and sometimes it doesn’t. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone or anything. I’m just stating the obvious.

Most people who picks up a camera intent on becoming a photographer do it for the money, the fame, or some combination of the two. Learn to play well with your competition. What sets you apart isn’t your skills or technique. Anyone can learn to do something if they put their mind and effort into it. What sets you apart is you. Your style, your aesthetic and the way you view something is unique. There will be clients who love what you do because of the way you do it, and there will be those who’d rather go with the other guy. That’s just part of the game. Accept it, and make friends with your competitors. It’s better to have friends in the industry you’re playing in than enemies.

I’d heard of double exposure before, but I never understood it until a friend and fellow photographer sat down with me and explained it step by step. Now it’s one of my favorite ways of creative photography, and my clients love it.

4. Go With the flow

I wish someone told me this when I first started my business. I was caught up in perfection – the perfect logo, the perfect website, the perfect portfolio, a printing vendor, business cards, etc. I spent so much time making sure all my ducks were in a row that I stalled the process more than I helped it along. Having a vision of what I wanted to do was getting lost in actually doing the project.

Sometimes it’s good to take a step back, figure out what the big picture is, and then keep moving along to achieving it. Perfection is a myth. Nothing is perfect, and it’s much better to get something done and accomplished than to wait until everything falls into place. Just keep moving along towards your goal.

Things always work out exactly how they’re meant to be in the end.

5. Have a Positive Attitude

Our life is a reflection of our attitude. Without even noticing, it’s easy to become negative and bitter towards the world and the photography industry. Why are some people more successful than us? Why do some photographers get all the jobs? Why can’t I book more clients? The questions can go on forever.

Not only does a negative attitude stop you from enjoying your life, it can also have a significant impact on your work and your craft. After all, you love this art form. That’s why you’re here, right? You want to learn, engage, and get better at it. The energy a person brings with them is contagious. We all have bad days, no matter how people portray themselves. Every time I feel angry or jealous of someone else’s success, I remind myself that just because I can see what they’ve accomplished doesn’t mean I know what they’ve gone through and sacrificed to get there. One of the best things you can do for your passion for photography is to have a positive attitude.

You’ll find that happy medium of working with people who really appreciate what you do and love your work. They are your ideal clients.

I hope some of these mindset shifts help you navigate the choppy photography waters. Remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch! Success in any shape or form takes a lot of time and hard work. Roll up your sleeves, work your hardest, and you will get there.

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SLC-2L-04: Use a Tight Grid to Create Color

08 Oct

Normally, you might think of a grid spot for what it creates: a tight zone of light. But it also can be helpful to think of it in terms of the inverse: a grid also prohibits light from reaching everywhere else.

And the "everywhere else" part—that relative blackness you can create with a gridded key—is what can help you to amp the color palette in even a small room with light-toned walls.

Abstract Table, An Interesting Tasting Menu in Oakland, California

08 Oct

Chefs Duncan Kwitkor and Andrew Greene — Abstract Table, offering up a 5 and 7 course tasting menu Friday and Saturday nights at Gastropig.

Last night my wife and I had a chance to dine at the opening of a new pop up style 7 course tasting menu called Abstract Table, currently being offered as permanent Friday and Saturday night dinner service at the Gastropig in Oakland’s Uptown District. The menu is prepared by chefs/artists/friends Andrew Greene and Duncan Kwitkorand (formerly of Duchess in Oakland’s Rockridge District). The duo’s initial tasting menu features many unique and interesting flavors put together loosely around a Japanese style with a “Fine Dining on Paper” theme. Courses are served on paper and metal trays.

This is the first dinner series at the Gastropig and Greene and Kwitkorand plan to offer a winter themed tasting menu later this year as well. The tasting menu is modestly priced at $ 50 for a 5 course tasting and $ 70 for a 7 course tasting. Wine and sake are offered to accompany the meal or you can bring your own bottle (like we did with the excellent 2000 Peter Michael Les Pavots) and pay corkage.

Of the 7 courses that we tried I think my personal favorites were the ocean trout with wild arugula sage, pickled grilled cucumber and coconut and the dessert panna cotta. My wife enjoyed the bok choy quite a bit and thought it was an interesting and unique approach to a salad. Overall I found every course quite enjoyable and appreciated the artistic orientation and presentation to the food. It is nice to see an interesting tasting menu approach and a new addition to Oakland’s food scene, especially at a fairly reasonable price.

They are currently offering two dinner services, one at 6pm and one at 8:30pm. Reservations are available via Resy.

More from Eater San Francisco here and the San Francisco Chronicle here.

More of my photos from last night’s opening here.

Oh and if you still haven’t had the baconslut egg sandwich at breakfast at Gastropig yet you are missing out!

First course: Japanese mushroom soup, mitsuba, negs oil

Second course: Bok choy, sea bean, pear, hazelnut, yuzu kasha vinaigrette

Intermezzo: Coastlive Farms heirloom tomato, purple yam, miso

Third course: Charcoal beet, oyster mushroom, furikake granola, fish caramel

Fourth course: Ocean trout, wild arugula sage, pickled grilled cucumber, coconut

Fifth course: Beef cheek, turnip, tamari onion, edamame puree, sake glaze

Sixth course: Lamb breast, smoked cauliflower, Japanese eggplant, togarashi honey

Seventh course: Hojicha panna cotta, persimmon, white chocolate tile, pomegranate granita

The excellent 2000 Peter Michael Les Pavots

Dinner service Friday and Saturday evenings at Abstract Table

Thomas Hawk Digital Connection

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A Love Letter to the Humble Softbox

08 Oct

When it comes to shaping and modifying your light, there are so many options available it can be hard to stay in one place for long. In the beginning, you’ll use the basics such as a softbox or an umbrella. But as you get comfortable with noticing the tiny differences in light, you’ll quickly graduate to more specialized modifiers. Beauty dishes, reflectors (the kind that fits to a strobe), octaboxes and striplights all do wonderful things to your light. And you can easily get caught up in the ways these and other modifiers can be used.

Overlooked

Despite all these options, I feel the basics can sometimes be overlooked. Have you ever stopped to think why the humble softbox has become so universal? No doubt there are many answers to that question, but an important one is that it works – and works well.

To be clear, I’m talking about the basic rectangular photographic softbox around 3′ x 4′. Not too large, and not too small. (Popup softboxes have their place, but we’re not talking about them in this article.) With the right techniques, these workhorses of the photographic studio can give you beautiful, soft light that suits just about any subject you can think of.

Basics

You probably already know the basics of how a softbox works. But for the sake of posterity, let’s go through it again.

A softbox is mounted on the front of the strobe to shape and more evenly distribute the light. They’re often fitted with silvery material on the inside to help bounce the light around and ensure it spreads evenly through the diffusion material at the front. This diffusion material effectively becomes your light source. Because your light source is now much bigger than the bare strobe, the quality of light changes from hard to soft (hence the name ‘softbox’).

Manipulating the quality of the light gives you much more flattering light for almost any subject, especially portraits.

Never Forgotten

For these reasons a great deal of photographers start their camera lighting with a softbox. They’re cheap, easy to find and use, and provide excellent results. But as their skills increase, and new and more complicated techniques open up, it can be hard to resist the allure of fancy, niche modifiers.

For a few years I used nothing but a beauty dish. Even now I tend to favor large octaboxes for portraits. But in this article I want to show you that just because you’ve moved on to other things doesn’t mean you should forget the basics. As I said, there’s a reason the softbox has become so universal.

Examples

Here are several examples of what you can achieve with a simple 3′ x 4′ softbox that cost around $ 35.

Note: As you’ll see in the annotations, for some of these shots a 5-in-1 reflector ($ 15) was also used.

1.

In this example, the softbox is directly in front of and offset slightly from the subject. This results in a lighting pattern called ‘loop lighting’. Because the light source is so close, the resulting soft light is ideal for portraits.

2.

Like the previous example, the softbox for this image is really close to the subject. But this time, it’s placed at 45 degrees and slightly above. Look at the catchlights in his eyes, and you can see exactly how close the light source is. Again, the light here is really soft, and you can see this quality in the smooth tonal transitions from the highlight areas to the shadow areas.

3.

This setup is almost the same as the previous setup, except the softbox is slightly further away and there’s a white reflector at camera right.

Placing the light further away reduces the speed of the light falloff, which in this case means that the shadows don’t dominate as quickly as in the previous example. The reflector also helps with this.

4.

Medium-sized softboxes are well suited to clamshell-styled setups. Simply place your softbox directly in front of and above your subject, pointed down at 45 degrees. Then place a reflector underneath and pointed upwards at 45 degrees. (Without a reflector this would be called ‘butterfly lighting’.)

5.

Softboxes can be used to great dramatic effect when used as side lighting. Deep shadows and soft highlights can really add a lot of depth to your images.

6.

The previous examples all had the softbox in close for the softest possible light. You can also pull your light source back to make use of harder light to good effect. But pay close attention to the clearer transitions between the shadow and highlight areas.

The End

I’m not telling you to limit yourself to a softbox. By all means, go out and use and explore every modifier you can get your hands on. Just remember that as you’re planning your lighting for any given situation, sometimes the ease and simplicity of the basics might give you the results you need.

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5 Tips for Underwater Photography with a GoPro

07 Oct

Jumping from a cliff. Diving with whale sharks. Documenting a road trip. The compact, rugged technology of the GoPro has created incredible opportunities for capturing the action of events like these. And while the GoPro is known mostly for its video capabilities, improved senor technology means it’s also a camera capable of high-quality imagery that can withstand harsh conditions such as water and dust.

And being able to shoot in adverse conditions opens new opportunities for creative photography.

In the past few months I’ve been experimenting with a GoPro Hero5 to shoot underwater photography. Although shooting underwater is a new realm for me, I’ve found that by applying generic photography knowledge I’ve grown quickly and made the GoPro work for me.

I hope you can learn and adapt what I’ve learned for your own purposes with these five tips for underwater photography with a GoPro.

GoPro, Hero5, Underwater, Photography,Salmon, Alaska

I used a GoPro under water to capture the behavior of these breeding salmon in Alaska.

1. Know the Minimum Focus Distance

You may already know that the GoPro has a very wide field of view (FOV), which lets you frame a subject with the contextual scene around it. When searching for an image, focus on your desired foreground element and then get as close to it that foreground element as you ethically can. Place your camera close and take advantage of the GoPro’s 12-inch (~30cm) minimum focus distance. Placing the foreground element about 12 inches from the camera will emphasize it while still providing surrounding context.

GoPro, Hero5, Underwater, Photography, Hawaii, Coral

I kept the minimum focusing distance in mind for this coral. The image was taken from very close while snorkeling.

2. Pre-set your Camera Field of View

Following in line with the minimum focusing distance, be sure to pre-set the FOV for your GoPro before entering the water. Even though GoPros are waterproof, I use a third-party housing to further protect the camera. And if you use a housing you can’t engage the touch screen, so you need to set the FOV first.

If you can’t get close enough to your subject, set the field of view to “Narrow”. This will require you to aim your camera precisely, which can be difficult if snorkeling or swimming. Of course, you can keep an eye on the back screen to help you compose the shot.

GoPro, Hero5, Underwater, Photography, Hawaii, Triggerfish

I used a narrow field of view to capture this image of this large trigger fish in Hawaii.

3. Set Your Camera Defaults to Maintain Image Quality

Setting your default settings ahead of time will help you capture quality photographs. GoPros have pretty good image quality in well-lit conditions, but the image graininess (noise) will increase quickly as the camera adapts its ISO to low-light conditions. You can control the image quality by setting a maximum ISO setting. With your phone connected to your GoPro, go into your settings and change the maximum ISO to a value of 800 or less. While you’re there, you may want to set the default mode to “photo”. Doing this will ensure you can quickly take a photo if your GoPro shuts off while underwater and you need to turn it back on.

Underwater conditions can be very murky and may cause your camera to boost the ISO, which will result in greater image noise.

GoPro, Hero5, Underwater, Photography, Herring, Alaska

A slower shutter speed due to low light caused some of the darting herring in this image to blur.

4. Stabilize Your Camera

If the water is cloudy or the day isn’t sunny the camera will shoot at slower shutter speeds, which may result in blurry or non-sharp images. This will be particularly noticeable if you can’t keep the camera stable. If you’re hand-holding the camera, keep it as stable as possible. You can also mount the GoPro to a tripod and place it in a suitable location. This is more useful when a phenomena or animal is predictable, such as salmon in a river. Just as it does on land, using a tripod will help stabilize the image.

I captured this image from a tripod. This was necessary because this salmon was wary of any movement in the river that reminded it of a bear.

If you’re out of the water and photographing something near you (think of tide pools) you can keep the camera stable by mounting it on a extension pole. You can buy one, or even build one relatively easily. A long pole will help you photograph something far away, and if you have a long pole (say 12 feet) the top of it will help counterbalance the GoPro at the bottom. If you’re using the pole in shallow water try bracing it against the bottom for further stability.

GoPro, Hero5, Underwater, Tide Pool, Photography, Sponge, Orange, Alaska

I used a long pole and a GoPro to capture an image of this sponge during a low-tide cycle in Alaska. I braced the pole against the bottom to take this image.

GoPro, Hero5, Underwater, Photography, Tidepool, Tidal, Octopus

This image combines a couple of the concepts discussed in this article. I kept the camera on a pole and maintained the minimum focusing distance to capture the image of this octopus in a tide pool.

I used a pole and a GoPro to photograph these colorful tube worms and anemones under a dock.

Another camera setting useful for stability is the time lapse mode. Set the camera to time lapse (say, one shot every second) and start taking images. Compose your shot underwater, and then hold the camera in place while it takes pictures. Since you won’t have to fumble for the trigger button it will be easier to keep it still and ensure your images are sharp.

I used the time lapse mode to capture this school of fish in the clear waters of Hawaii.

In some situations you may be able to trigger the camera with your phone. The GoPro’s wifi network will cut out under deep water, but if the camera is on a tripod with only a small covering of water you can trigger the camera remotely from a distance. You’ll need to experiment with how much water is too much for the wifi network. Remotely triggering the camera may help you ethically and safely photograph wildlife.

GoPro, Hero5, Underwater, Photography, Bear, Brown Bear

I remotely triggered this image of a large coastal brown bear moving up a river in Alaska.

Although I don’t use underwater lighting, you can avoid blurring by using strobes or other versions of underwater lighting. These will help keep your shutter speed up and your ISO low. But use them with discretion depending on your subject. In some circumstances they may be detrimental to wildlife.

5. Use a Housing for Split-Level Photography

Split-level imagery is a way to help give an image context and tell a story. To create the effect, use an underwater housing with a convex dome and then place the dome half-in and half-out of the water. By doing so you get to observe both the underwater world and the terrestrial world. I use a housing by GoPole to create split-level images capturing the streams and local salmon runs of Alaska. You can use this technique anywhere to create compelling images. You can create split-level images by hand-holding the camera or using a tripod as I mentioned earlier.

GoPro, Hero5, Underwater, Photography, Brown Bear, Coastal Brown Bear, Alaska

A GoPole dome housing was used to create this split-level image of a large coastal brown bear.

The split-level shot helps tell the story of these spawning pink salmon under a large log in Alaska.

The Takeaway

I want to reiterate that I’m not an expert at underwater photography. But I’ve enjoyed extending my capabilities and skills to that realm. The GoPro is a fun way to learn underwater photography techniques without breaking the bank. And since GoPros are naturally waterproof, the likelihood of destroying gear is lowered substantially.

As I like to say, “pixels are cheap,” so I hope you make a lot of pixels while shooting photographs underwater with your GoPro.

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Side-by-side comparison between reflectors and diffusers for portraits

07 Oct

Comparison between reflectors and diffusers for portraits

If you’ve been looking into portrait photography, whether it be a casual read, in depth, as a hobby, to improve your portraits, or as a pro, you would have come across the use of reflectors. Reflectors come in various sizes, shapes and colours. My favourites are the 5-in-1 circular foldaway reflectors and the rectangular panels you can lean on or clip to a stand.

Have you ever wondered what a side-by-side comparison using different reflector colors would look like? Wonder no more. Below, you can see the different types I used. These photos all share the same white balance and editing as I wanted the colors to be as true a reflection of the effects of the reflectors used as much as possible. I’ve also kept the edits as clean as possible.

#1 Three reflectors, light shirt

dps-comparison-between-reflectors_0000

Top left is a natural light portrait lit only by window light, half-clear and half-frosted (diffused) but with no other reflectors used. The window is large enough for a big spread illuminating both face and background. The portrait on its right shows a rather obvious warm glow all over. I used two gold reflectors: camera right and in the front underneath the face. This setup warmed everything up – shirt, teeth, face and even the background.

Compare the effect of the gold reflector to the bottom left. This one had two silver reflectors positioned in the same places. Notice how cool the color temperature has become. Next to it on the right I once again had the same setup, but this time using two white reflectors. Notice the color temperature is still cool but softer, less sharp and less edgier than the silver one. Look carefully and this difference is more apparent on the teeth and skin tone being just a touch warmer.

#2 Two reflectors, dark shirt

I thought I’d do the same comparison, this time with the subject wearing black. The difference is more dramatic. With the gold reflector, the black is richer and darker, whereas with the silver it’s a little more washed out.

For me these are both a bit extreme, with the gold reflector being too warm and the silver being too cold. If I were to edit these photos without considering the true effects of the reflector I’d tone down the warmth of the gold reflector by half and I’d be good with that. Similarly, I’d warm up the one with the silver reflector in post, both using the white balance slider. I’d then get the happy warm tone that I’m after.

#3 Diffuser reflector and flash

If you’re familiar with the 5-in-1 reflector, you’ll know there are four colored sides: white, silver, gold and black. These sides are made of fabric all stitched together as one zipped wrap. This fabric wraps around a middle standalone piece that’s translucent. This is the diffuser and a super versatile tool. Strictly speaking, the black side doesn’t actually reflect light but rather absorbs it, and is good for cutting light out or using as flags.

This diffuser is great when shooting in harsh outdoor sunlight and you just want to cut the light down or tone it down by placing the diffuser between the sunlight and the subject. In effect, you are creating a slightly shadowed area for the subject, which makes it ideal for portrait lighting outdoors.

I thought I’d try this same technique for my indoor portraits by using this diffuser to cut down light from a flash, thereby acting like a big softbox but without the bounce.

Here are the results. The left photo was lit with one flash on camera right positioned behind the diffuser, which was pretty big and placed close to the subject for a smooth, soft light. The right photo had two flashes, again diffused, with one light overhead to provide hair light and light the background for more separation.

#4 Diffused natural light vs diffused flash

The final comparison is between diffused window light on the left photo and one diffused flash on the right photo. Window light produced softer shadows here, with less contrast and a bigger spread of light. In contrast, the diffused flash had more defined shadows. It’s smaller than the window with less spread of light, but sculpted the face better.

If I were to mimic the higher contrast and shadows produced by the diffused flash, one trick would be to cut out the light by using the black reflector side as a flag. I wasn’t able to do this, however, as I didn’t want my subject to be waiting too long for my experiment. (He only came in for one headshot.)

I hope you found this little comparison exercise fun and enlightening. It’s amazing what the 5-in-1 reflector, a small and inexpensive tool, can do to your portraits.

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How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style

07 Oct

As a photographer, achieving a consistent and clean photo editing style is important for developing your work.

Depending on your photographic niche, the way you choose to post produce and edit your images is a key factor in achieving cohesiveness in your portfolio. Utilizing editing software such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop can help you develop a style and aesthetic that is personal to you.

Let’s discuss some of the necessary elements for achieving a consistent and clean photo editing style.

Focus on Lighting to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style

In order for your images to look polished and professional, you will want to focus the majority of your edits on making lighting corrections. It is important to note that shooting in camera RAW mode will allow you to make the most of your editing process. If you have this capability, change your image capture mode prior to shooting.

Lighting corrections in post-production include changes to exposure, highlights, shadows and adjusting your black and white points. By shooting in RAW mode, you can bring details back into the image that may have been lost while shooting by increasing or decreasing some of these lighting values. This allows you to set a base for your images that define your editing style.

Whether you want to create bright, airy images or darker, moody edits – these can all be achieved by manipulating your lighting.

Take a look at the clean photo editing style in the before and after of the images below.

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Focus on Lighting example 01

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Focus on Lighting example 02

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Focus on Lighting example 03

Avoid Harsh Color Edits

While using editing programs including Lightroom or Photoshop, it can be easy to over-manipulate the color of your image. With tools such as the RGB curve, HSL or Split Toning, these capabilities can be very powerful and effective when used properly. When aiming to create a consistent and clean photo editing style, avoid harsh or dramatic color edits that appear inauthentic to the original image.

In order to stay true to the original tones of your image, consider adjusting your white balance to ‘AUTO’ within your camera before shooting. You can manually adjust this using Lightroom if your images are shot in RAW format. The white balance ‘Auto’ mode on your camera is designed to achieve the most authentic and true-to-life color under most shooting circumstances. During the editing process, color adjustments can be made by changing values such as temperature, tint, saturation, hue and tone.

Each photographer has a colour editing style that is specific and recognizable to their work. Whilst you can create a color style that is unique to you, be sure to remember that professional images maintain accurate color consistency. You want to make sure to change your image color values with intention, and use this same method across your body of work.

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Color Editing - Example 01

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Color Editing - Example 02

Eliminate Distracting or Unnecessary Elements

Another tip to creating a consistent and clean photo editing style is to remove distracting elements from your images. This may include background elements, imperfections of your subject, or even poor composition. Many of these imperfections can be fixed by utilizing removal tools such as healing brushes or the clone stamp.

The overall composition of the image can also be improved by altering the cropping and fixing alignment problems with straightening. In order for your work to have a professional appearance, you must remember to fix the imperfections and pay attention to the smaller details of your images.

For example, in the image below, I wanted more of the sky and less of the tree branches. Using the Lightroom Clone Stamp tool, I was able to remove some of the branches by replacing it with the blue detail of the sky. You can change your image as you see fit to avoid an image with distracting or unnecessary elements.

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Using the Clone Stamp - Example 01

Create Tools for Consistency

The most effective way to create consistent editing in your post-production workflow is to create tools such as presets in Lightroom or actions in Photoshop. These capabilities were created so you can save edits and reapply them across multiple sets of images. Depending on the editing software you prefer to use, presets and actions are both fairly simple to create and integrate into your editing workflow.

Presets

Presets are used in Adobe Lightroom to copy and paste edits from one image to another. In order to create a preset, you must first make edits to an original image. To do this:

Open your original image in the Develop Module in Lightroom.
Apply the color edits and lighting adjustments you want to make.
Once satisfied with your results, navigate to your keyboard and press ‘Command + C’ (the shortcut for copy).
The Copy Settings dialog box will appear, guiding you to choose the settings you would like to copy. Make your selection and press ‘Copy’.
Navigate to the left tool bar and find the tab labeled ‘Presets’
Press the ‘+’ button and choose the option of ‘Create Preset’ or alternatively, go to the menu bar, choose ‘Develop’ and then select ‘New Preset’.
A ‘New Develop Preset’ box will appear asking you to name your preset and choose the settings you want to save.
After you have determined these values, press ‘Create’ and your preset will now show in the ‘User Presets’ tab in the Develop Module.
You can now apply this preset to any of your images with one simple click to paste the edits.

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Using Presets in Lightroom

Here is an example of a before and after edit with one of my personal Lightroom image presets.

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Using Presets in Lightroom Example image

Actions

Actions are created in Adobe Photoshop by recording adjustments made in the program. Unlike presets, actions are developed by pressing the ‘RECORD’ button while editing your image. Once satisfied with an edit, press the ‘STOP’ button and your action is created. Actions are used for specific adjustments to an image such as color, light and retouching.

To create an Action, you will need to go to the right side panel and find the ‘play’ button denoted as a triangle pointing to the right.

Choose the paper icon to ‘Create New Action’.
Name your Action and press ‘RECORD’.
Photoshop will record your adjustments and save them to your new Action.
When you are satisfied with your changes, press the ‘Stop’ button to save it.
Once your Action is complete it can be applied to your images by selecting the name of your action and pressing the ‘Play’ button.

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Using Action in Photoshop

Actions can be very effective for portrait photographers who need to retouch and fine tune the facial features of their subject. You can create actions to smooth skin, remove blemishes and even for methods such as frequency separation.

Here is an example of a before and after edit with one of my personal Photoshop Color Actions.

How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style - Using Action in Photoshop Example image

As you can see, a consistent and clean photo editing style is achieved through integrating techniques such as; lighting adjustments, natural color edits, and the elimination of distracting elements. It is also achieved by using tools such as Lightroom Presets or Photoshop Actions. In your body of work, having an editing style that is cohesive and visually appealing will give your images a truly professional touch.

Do you have any tips for creating consistent and clean photo editing styles in either Lightroom or Photoshop? Share with us in the comments below.

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Weekly Photography Challenge – Movement

06 Oct

Your photographic challenge this week is to take and share a photo on the theme of movement.

*** by Tatyana Nevmerzhytska on 500px.com

You can interpret this theme in different ways, so long as there is a sense of motion. The photo above features in the following article with tips on how to use wind in your portrait shots.

Portrait Tip: Add Interest and Movement into Your Shots with Wind

Or maybe you might try experimenting with blur and movement. Here are some tips for that:

How to Capture Motion Blur in Photography

And some inspiration for where you can take these kind of shots:

13 Places Take Beautiful Motion Blur Shots

Want to focus more on a range of other shooting techniques you could use? You could try:

Panning
Zooming
other creative Intentional Camera Movement techniques

Or start with a beginners guide to capturing motion in your photography.

Weekly Photography Challenge – Movement

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 #DPSMOVEMENT 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.

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