Photography « 360Photography

RSS

Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category

Nikon Dropping International Warranty on Lenses and Accessories

12 Jan

The post Nikon Dropping International Warranty on Lenses and Accessories appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Nikon recently announced its intention to shift away from international product warranties; the company will offer only country or regional warranties for camera equipment, including lenses and speedlights.

Nikon explains, “With the differences in regional laws and safety standards, it has become quite difficult to maintain a single international warranty that is effective around the world…[we] ultimately decided to begin the gradual transition from international warranties to regional warranties for interchangeable lenses and accessories in January of 2021.”

Prior to this move, select Nikon camera gear was guaranteed internationally for a full year after purchase. A travel photographer who purchased their Nikon lens in Britain could get it repaired in the US, and vice versa – but no longer. Once the transition to local warranties is complete, USA-bought equipment will likely only be repairable in the USA, and UK-bought equipment only repairable in the UK.

Nikon clarifies that you can still purchase gear with an existing international warranty, and the company will honor it (so if you were thinking of buying a Nikon lens and are a frequent traveler, then I suggest you move fast!). But regional and country warranties will only be honored within those regions and countries, which makes it much less desirable to purchase Nikon camera equipment abroad, take it back to your home country, and put it through its paces.

You may be wondering:

Does this really matter? How often will this affect me?

That depends on you and your photography. Travel photographers and casual photographers may purchase equipment while on vacation overseas – and if that’s you, you may find yourself with a useless warranty when you arrive back home.

Of course, there are also those who purchase photography equipment for lower prices overseas, then bring it back to their home country. If that’s you, then any future warranties will soon be void.

Nikon has not yet released information explaining which areas will be subject to country-wide warranties and which will have regional warranties, so keep an eye out for news from Nikon to see where you stand for future gear.

What do you think about this news? Does it bother you that Nikon is dropping its international warranty? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Nikon Dropping International Warranty on Lenses and Accessories appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

Weekly Photo Challenge – Serenity

11 Jan

The post Weekly Photo Challenge – Serenity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Welcome to the first weekly photo challenge for 2021! We’re starting out fairly calmly with the theme of ‘Serenity’ How will you convey ‘Serenity’ through a photograph?

Tag your photograph #dPSSerenity if you share it on social media.

Naturally, i’m thinking of Bonnie Doon which likely will mean nothing to anyone outside of Australia, but I guess serenity can be many things to many people, to me it’s generally sharing something ‘peaceful’ through a photograph, here are a couple of examples (and yes, we encourage great drone photography too)

The serenity in a scene, a single leaf on a tree, a still lake, a calm person, an empty beach at sunrise… SO many options for you to consider and then photograph. Make it your goal to go out and make a new photograph, make it a challenge.

Tag your photograph #dPSSerenity if you share it on social media.

Clearly I find my personal serenity at the ocean!

Great! Where do I upload my photos?

Simply upload your shot into the comments 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 favourite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them.

Weekly Photography Challenge – Looking Up

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

The post Weekly Photo Challenge – Serenity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

Long Exposure Fire Photography – 5 Tips for Beginners

11 Jan

The post Long Exposure Fire Photography – 5 Tips for Beginners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Dena Haines.

Do you want to capture stunning long exposure fire photography?

A long exposure photo can make flames look soft and feathery, capture spark trails, and create a romantic or cozy mood.

The tips in this article will help you get started taking gorgeous long exposure fire photos, today!

Long exposure fire photography: 5 tips for beginners

A word of caution:

Be careful as you practice your fire photography. Fire can be dangerous, and it’s easy to be careless when thinking more about your photography than the fire. Maintaining a safe distance is important for you and your gear.

tips for long exposure fire photography — 5s | f/10 | ISO 100

1. Use a slow shutter speed

To take a long exposure photo, the camera shutter needs to be open long enough to blur motion and light. Here are a couple of ways to ensure that the shutter stays open:

Shutter Priority mode: Here, you choose the shutter speed and your camera selects the aperture
Aperture Priority mode: Here, the camera chooses the shutter speed, but you can control its choice based on the aperture you select

Fire photography with Shutter Priority

Put your camera in Shutter Priority mode, choose your desired shutter speed, and let the camera do the rest.

This will force your camera to let in light for the amount of time you’ve chosen. Your camera will choose your ISO (if it’s set to Auto) and your aperture.

Shutter Priority will give you different results depending on how much light is available – and shooting this way can be a lot of fun.

When you choose a shutter speed of five or six seconds, you can capture interesting flame shapes and lots of spark trails. In fact, the bonfire and torch photos in this article were captured in Shutter Priority mode.

long exposure fire photo — 6s | f/10 | ISO 100

Fire photography with Aperture Priority

You could also set your camera to Aperture Priority, choose a mid-range aperture (f/8-f/11), set a low ISO (100-200), and let your camera choose the shutter speed. If you’re shooting at night (when it’s really dark) and the fire is your main light source, your camera will choose a slow shutter speed. This should give you a photo with a large depth of field, and one that’s relatively free of grain (i.e., noise).

If Aperture Priority causes your shutter to be open for longer than you want, increase the ISO. This will decrease the shutter speed, though it will also start adding noise (fortunately, this can be reduced during editing).

The card game and match photos in this article were shot using Aperture Priority mode.

long exposure flame photo — 1s | f/11 | ISO 100

Anyway, those are just a couple of suggestions to get you started. Long exposure fire photography is all about playing around and having fun! Make sure to try lots of different apertures and shutter speeds.

If you’re like me, you’ll get excited as you review each shot and see the interesting shapes you’ve captured.

2. Set your camera on a tripod

When capturing a long exposure fire photo, you’ll want to reduce camera shake, which results in blurry photos.

Camera shake occurs when the camera moves while the shutter is open. Slow shutter speeds (of more than one second) make it impossible to handhold your camera and still get sharp images.

But using a tripod will keep your camera steady – and therefore prevent camera shake plus the resulting blur.

3. Use a remote shutter release or set the self-timer

A remote shutter release (or the camera’s self-timer) can also help you cut down on camera shake.

You see, when you press the shutter release, the camera moves slightly – and this can cause blur in your photos.

But when you use a remote shutter release (or you set your camera’s self-timer), you don’t have to worry about this movement.

Using a remote shutter release may seem like a small thing, but it can significantly affect your image sharpness.

long exposure fire spark trails — 6s | f/6.3 | ISO 320
Spark trails.

Note that, when capturing match flames, a remote works best. While a self-timer will prevent camera shake, the delay makes it tough to capture that initial burst of flame with any real precision.

4. Choose your subject

Do you want your main focus to be the fire itself? Or are you trying to capture the mood created by the fire?

When capturing the mood, it can be tricky to get sharp shots of people. It’s not easy for anyone to sit still during a long exposure, and movement will create blur in your photos.

So first identify your subject, and then adjust your camera settings to keep the subject sharp.

The following photos were shot in Aperture Priority mode with an aperture of f/8. For the first photo, I set the ISO to 100, and my camera chose a shutter speed of 5 seconds. That was too long for my daughter to stay still, so the photo turned out blurry.

For the second photo, I set the ISO to 400, which cut the shutter speed in half (to 2.5 seconds). That made it easier for my subject to stay still, and the photo is sharper.

5. Switch to manual focus

Autofocus doesn’t always work well in the dark. And autofocusing on a moving fire can be tough.

That’s where manual focus comes in.

Now, you don’t need to turn off your autofocus immediately. Instead, try autofocusing on something near the fire, then switch to manual focus to capture the shot you’re after.

How do you do this?

First, shine your flashlight on an object near the fire. Train your camera on the object, and press the shutter button halfway. When the autofocus locks on, turn off the flashlight and switch to manual focus.

Finally, without adjusting anything on the camera, take your shot. Your camera will maintain the same focus point – and you’ll end up with a sharp photo.

Note: You could also try back button focus!

Where will you practice?

Do you enjoy a cozy fire at your campsite or bonfires on the beach? Do you like candle-lit dinners? What about backyard marshmallow roasts? All of these would be great places to practice long exposure fire photography.

long exposure bonfire — 6s | f/5.6 | ISO 160

Experimenting with long exposures around a campfire can be a little addictive. The more you practice, the more fun you’ll have.

And don’t forget your flashlight! You’ll need it to see your camera controls, to help with focusing, and to get you safely back to your car.

Now over to you:

Do you enjoy creating long exposures of fire? Share your tips and photos by commenting down below!

The post Long Exposure Fire Photography – 5 Tips for Beginners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Dena Haines.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

How to Use Facial View and Camera Angle to take Flattering Portraits

10 Jan

The post How to Use Facial View and Camera Angle to take Flattering Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.

use face angle and camera angle for flattering portrait photography

How do camera and face angles affect your portrait photography? And how can you use different angles to create gorgeous portraits?

It’s all in this article!

Because today, we’re going to examine facial views and camera angles. I’ll discuss how to use both these concepts to your advantage – and how you can use them to flatter your subject.

Let’s get started!

What is facial view? What is camera angle?

Simply put, facial view is the portion or angle of the face that is showing toward the camera. It’s how the subject’s face is turned or angled relative to the lens.

Your camera angle is where you place your camera in relation to the subject – that is, the height, distance, and angle relative to the subject’s face.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? It is – but small differences in facial view or camera angle can produce undesirable results. We’ll dig a bit deeper into that in a bit, so stay with me!

Facial views

First, let’s look at the four main facial views used in portraiture. They are:

Full face, where your subject’s nose is pointing directly toward the lens. You’ll see equal amounts of both sides of their face:

3/4 view, where your subject turns their face just slightly in one direction until you cannot see their far ear anymore:

2/3 view, where the subject turns their head until the line of the nose is almost touching the outline of their cheek on the far side. Be careful not to turn them past that point, because you don’t want the nose to break the line of the cheek. This isn’t a rule, but it doesn’t look as flattering.

Note: Check out the subject’s earrings in the image above, and how her right earring is not showing below her jawline. When she turned her face just a little more, the earring looked like it was coming out of her face, so I had her remove it for the image. Watch for things like that as the facial angle changes.

Profile, where the subject’s face is turned almost exactly 90 degrees from front, so that their nose is basically pointing sideways. In a true profile, you should only be able to see one side of the subject’s face and not the eye on the far side.

Note: Once again, watch for things like earrings and hair hanging down under the chin, which can look a bit odd. I usually brush the hair back and have the subject remove an earring if it doesn’t look right or if it looks like it’s dangling under the chin or neck.

Camera angle

Where you place your camera makes a huge difference to how your subject appears in the final image.

However, keep in mind that I can’t offer hard and fast rules here. Instead, use my advice as guidelines and starting points, then use your best judgment – because each person is unique. Portray the subject how they wish to be portrayed. When you learn these tips and see how they work in practice, it becomes easier and easier to know how to approach each portrait.

Here are your camera angle tips:

A high camera angle (above the subject’s eye level) will emphasize the face more than the body. This is good for a heavy-set person to help them appear slimmer if that’s desired. (Most women will not get upset if you make them look slimmer!)
A low camera angle (below their eye level or even below their chin level) can make a person look taller or make them seem more powerful. But this is not very flattering for most people. You end up looking up their nostrils, and the body appears larger than the head and face, which is generally unflattering.
For group portraits, the camera position should be about eye level or slightly lower. This cuts down on distortion of body parts and prevents the subjects from looking oddly proportioned.
For a portrait of one or two people, having the camera at eye level or slightly higher is often the most flattering option.

Lenses

In addition to the camera height and angle, the lens you select will change the look of your portrait drastically.

Consider what you know about different lenses:

Wide-angle lenses emphasize perspective, distort things, and make scenes seem more three-dimensional
Telephoto or long lenses compress things, isolate subjects, and make them look less three-dimensional

That’s all I’m going to tell you about this; I want you to find out what I’m talking about by trying it yourself. Look at my examples below, then find yourself a person to photograph. Use different lenses and see how they change the image.

portraits at different focal lengths and camera angles

What do you notice about the examples here? What changes in each photo?

How long does it take to master this stuff?

One of the most common questions I get asked by my students is “How long did it take you to learn all this stuff?”

The answer is two-fold: 4 weeks and 25 years!

I say that tongue in cheek, but it’s true. I “learned” all the concepts and guidelines relatively quickly, because I was in a two-year program that immersed me completely in photography. It’s like learning a new language; if you move to a new country and you have to speak the language all the time, you will learn a lot faster than if you only speak it once a month. So the best advice I can give you on how to learn faster is to get out and photograph more often.

The second part of my answer, the “25 years” bit, means that I’m still learning. I’ve learned things from my students and from other photographers and do so continually. Don’t ever expect to suddenly “get” it so that you can stop learning. Photography education is a process and it’s always ongoing. As soon as you think you’ve learned it all, or that you know it all, then it’s time to quit – because you’ve probably lost the passion. That’s my opinion, anyway.

Camera and face angles: Practice at home

This is not an assignment, but rather a suggestion for improvement.

Whenever possible, notice the facial view of your subject and how you can adjust it. If you sit a person by a light source such as a window, you can see that turning their head toward the light will also change the lighting pattern that falls on their face. See how this information can then be used to your advantage.

Different facial views will be flattering for different people. Experiment and see what works best for each person you photograph. Have the person sit and just turn their face, then see how the shape of their face changes and how the light falls on them differently.

While you’ve got your subject for the last exercise, see if you can slip this in, too:

Take five images of your subject from different camera heights. Don’t change the focal length or distance to the subject – just the camera height.

Here are the photos I recommend you take:

One slightly below the subject’s chin
One slightly below the subject’s eye level
One at eye level
One slightly above the subject’s eye level
One at quite a bit above the subject’s eye level

Then ask yourself:

Which is the most flattering angle for that person? From which angle would they most want to be photographed? Why?

Facial views and camera angles: Conclusion

Now that you’ve finished this article, you should be well on your way to using face angles and camera angles to create stunning portraits.

Just make sure you practice frequently. And before you know it, you’ll be an expert!

What’s your favorite face angle? What’s your favorite camera angle? Do you have any tips for working with these angles? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post How to Use Facial View and Camera Angle to take Flattering Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro Review: A Gorgeous Graphics Tablet for Photographers

08 Jan

The post XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro Review: A Gorgeous Graphics Tablet for Photographers appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro graphics tablet review

I’ve been using Photoshop for many years – primarily as a photographer that works in Lightroom and sometimes exports images into Photoshop for editing. But using Photoshop with a mouse is something that takes a lot of practice; it’s not really a natural way to post-process, which is why many serious editors turn to graphics tablets.

Now, when the team from XP-Pen reached out and offered us a review unit of the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro, a 2K, 23.8-inch QHD graphics tablet, I’ll admit I was a little dubious. I’d only ever owned one graphics tablet – a tiny little Wacom that didn’t get a lot of use. I was certainly keen to try a new tablet, but I’ll admit that I was a little worried about not liking it.

Fortunately, as you’ll soon see, I needn’t have worried. As I share in this review, the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro is a powerful graphics tablet, one that both looks and works great.

So to discover all the nitty-gritty details, including both the benefits and the drawbacks of working with the Artist 24 Pro, read on.

First impressions

The package that arrived was much larger than I expected. I knew the Artist 24 Pro featured a 24-inch display, but I had clearly not managed to comprehend just how large the tablet would be.

I have a desk with two 27-inch displays, which meant that the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro would need an extra bit of real estate. So after I MacGuyvered something together with a Kupo light stand and my Tether Tools Aero, it was time to get the new tablet set up!

I tried using the tablet in two different configurations:

First, on a stand with my Macbook sitting behind it. This is a great setup for shooting tethered, as you can perform quick edits there and then with the tablet while using it as your main display.

The second configuration, as shown in the photograph above, was with the tablet adjusted to the height of my standing desk, ready to go!

Design

The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro offers one HDMI and two USB host ports (so you can charge things like phones, etc.), as well as the power input on the back of the unit.

There’s also a USB-C port, which allows me to connect my iMac to the display. This was very quick and convenient; it worked straight out of the box with very little configuration required.

The rear of the tablet sports a flappy-paddle stand that, when depressed, moves a foot into the desired position. This lets you adjust the unit to stand up or lay almost flat, as though you’re writing in a nice big notepad.

XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro graphics tablet tilting

I love how I can stand up the tablet to use as a regular second monitor for my 13-inch Macbook Pro, before laying it flat and working on photographs.

XP-Pen Artist 24 pro setup — The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro lying almost flat.

Ease of use

The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro comes with a piece of software (a download) that adjusts the settings of the tablet, pen controls and functions, monitor configuration, express key setup (more on that in a bit), calibration, and other general features. I’ve found it very easy to use with no what-the-heck-am-I-doing moments to speak of!

However, when you first set up your tablet and open Photoshop, make sure you have the correct monitor mapped. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself deeply frustrated; I speak from personal experience.

Performance

There are many technical reviews of the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro on the web, and most of them will tell you, in superbly technical terms, that the tablet is a very capable tool.

In fact, my conclusion is similar – the large screen, the 2560×1440 resolution, the 90% AdobeRGB color gamut, and the tilting stand makes for a very usable tablet.

When you get the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro custom buttons all configured using the two easy-to-control red dial wheels and the 20 customizable shortcut keys, it’s very easy to open and control many different graphics packages, as well as a lot of other options (depending on which software you like to use on your computer).

In truth, I hadn’t previously used a tablet much. I thought that I’d always just edit with my mouse. I guess that comes from having a less-than-pleasant time with the first tablet I tried (and I hadn’t used another tablet until the Artist 24 Pro).

I’ve now had the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro for quite a while. And when working in Photoshop, while I would have once happily used my mouse, I now whip out the tablet and do my editing on the screen – a testament to the great performance and ease of use of the tablet.

Granted, the 24-inch tablet isn’t the smallest device, and you do need to have space for it. But the tablet only requires one USB-C (or HDMI) and one power cable, so you can have your laptop tucked behind the tablet, using the tablet as your main display with a wireless keyboard and mouse to give your laptop that “big screen” feeling.

I’ve used the tablet as the main display for my 13-inch MacBook Pro for almost everything from movies to editing since I received it.

The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro review: Conclusion

The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro offers solid build quality combined with a simple-to-navigate interface, great on-screen performance, visual clarity, and ergonomics.

There was only one thing I thought could be improved, and that was the rear foot of the big screen. It has a couple of rubber stoppers that hold the device nicely in place, but it’s easy to scratch your desk if you’re not careful.

Overall, I like almost everything about the Artist 24 Pro; it’s packed full of features that make it one great tablet!

You can purchase the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro right here.

The post XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro Review: A Gorgeous Graphics Tablet for Photographers appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

How These 5 Photography Quotes Can Impact Your Photographic Practice

07 Jan

The post How These 5 Photography Quotes Can Impact Your Photographic Practice appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Techniques, theory, approaches, and equipment; there are many items that feed into the art of making successful images. Luckily, we have the authority of countless photographers to guide us!

In this article, we’ll look at five photography quotes and the insights we can glean from them.

1. No place is boring, if you’ve had a good night’s sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film – Robert Adams

photography quotes roll of 35mm film — Canon 5D Mark II | Canon 50mm f/1.8 with extension tubes | 1/20s | f/2 | ISO 200

Robert Adams finds interest in the seemingly mundane. He shines a thoughtful light on the vastness of the wilderness and the hum of human expansion.

However, as Adams argues in one of his better-known photography quotes: It isn’t just a pocket of unexposed film that staves off boredom, but a night of quality sleep.

This is good advice for those of us who often burn the candle at both ends.

2. The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong – Susan Meiselas

The second of our five photography quotes comes from Susan Meiselas. Seeing into the veneer of everyday life, photographers such as Meiselas use the camera as a tool to investigate, motivate, question, connect, and share. The camera acts as a passport, as well as a reason to explore and push boundaries.

Today, a generalized knowledge of photographic technology means that most people are aware of a camera’s appearance and function. Nevertheless, those witnessing a photographer in action will frequently respond with interest or curiosity. With a camera in hand, a photographer is often viewed as a person guided by artistic and technical authority.

This gives photographers an entry point into the inner workings of an environment and its inhabitants.

3. Photography is a language more universal than words – Minor White

Photography quotes abstraction black and white — Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L | 1/100s | f/4 | ISO 100

Minor White sought to make images that stood as “a record of something in front of the camera and simultaneously a spontaneous symbol…A photograph of the bark of a tree, for example, may suddenly touch off a corresponding feeling of roughness of character within an individual.”

Photographs, as we know, have many layers of meaning. With a conscientious approach to composition and execution, photographers can start a dialogue that transcends the boundaries of language.

In referring to the universality of photographic language, White encourages you to carefully consider the many ways in which a subject can be photographed. This hopefully prompts you to capture the subject with a deliberateness and mastery that goes beyond words.

4. Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies – Diane Arbus

You’ve probably experienced the thrill of sneaking tasty morsels from the kitchen at a late hour: the anticipation, the apprehension, and then the reward.

But Arbus’s quote isn’t just about stealing food and photos; it’s about the driving force behind photography. Why does photography matter? What makes photography so compelling in the first place? And what makes us keep coming back for more?

Establishing why a photographer does what they do can be tricky. There are many different reasons a photographer might take up a camera.

Nevertheless, developing a good grasp of the motivations that spur on your own photography can help you find direction, especially in the event of a creative block.

5. Searching is everything – going beyond what you know. And the test of the search is really in the things themselves, the things you seek to understand. What is important is not what you think about them, but how they enlarge you – Wynn Bullock

abstract camera movement black and white — Photography is often about the journey as much as it is about the results.
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L | 1/20s | f/4.0 | ISO 200

It was during a tour in Europe during the mid-1920s that singer Wynn Bullock first encountered the artworks of Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy. Recognizing photography as a powerful vehicle for creativity, Bullock bought a box camera and began taking pictures himself.

Interested in art as well as psychology, physics, and philosophy, Bullock constantly sought to build on his own photographic practice. Many of Bullock’s photography quotes emphasize personal growth, affirming the need for deliberation and mindfulness.

Encouraging photographers to absorb as much as possible from every photographic subject and experience, Bullock’s words instill a sense of constructive curiosity in photographers that expands personal practice and furthers the medium overall.

Conclusion

There are so many photography quotes that have been recorded throughout history that it’s nearly impossible to list them all.

Nevertheless, reading and absorbing the advice uttered by pioneering photographers can help you understand the minds that helped shape the trajectory of photography!

Now over to you:

Do you have a favorite photography quote? Share it in the comments below!

The post How These 5 Photography Quotes Can Impact Your Photographic Practice appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

EaseUS Data Recovery Review: Fast, Powerful, and Easy to Use

06 Jan

The post EaseUS Data Recovery Review: Fast, Powerful, and Easy to Use appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

If you’ve ever deleted photos, videos, or documents by accident…

…then you know how important it is to have good data recovery software on hand.

Unfortunately, not all recovery software works as promised – which is why you have to be extra-careful when purchasing.

But what about EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard? It’s a popular recovery program, but can you trust it to bring back your precious files?

That’s what this article is all about.

I put EaseUS Data Recovery to the test, and I share all my findings with you. And honestly, it’s worth stating up front that EaseUS Data Recovery works really, really well. While I’ll share details with you later on in this review, I’d like to emphasize a few facts:

First, EaseUS is remarkably fast.

Second, it’s packed full of useful features for sorting and locating photo and video files.

And third:

It does a great job (flawless, in my experience!) recovering deleted media.

So to learn more about EaseUS Data Recovery, including what it can do, where you can purchase it, and how you can use it to recover your files…

…read on.

What can EaseUS Data Recovery software do?

EaseUS Data Recovery software offers a quick and easy way to recover deleted files.

Specifically, you can use it to bring back desktop data that you’ve accidentally deleted, memory card files that you’ve formatted, or video files that you forgot to backup then deleted off your card.

In other words:

If you’ve lost your files through some method of accidental deletion, EaseUS Data Recovery can likely get them back.

EaseUS offers a huge list of file types you can recover with their recovery wizard, including plenty of photo file types (JPEGs, TIFFs, PNGs, CRWs, NEFs, ORFs, and DNGs, among others) and video file types (MP3s, WAVs, MPGs, WMVs, etc.), as well as document file types, audio file types, and more.

Also note that EaseUS can go beyond recovery in select cases. The software can actually repair corrupted JPEGs, MP4, and MOV files, though this functionality unfortunately doesn’t extend to RAW files.

Now let’s take a look at how to actually use the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to resurrect your lost files:

How to use EaseUS: A quick guide

EaseUS is impressively simple to use.

Start by installing the EaseUS software, which you can grab off the EaseUS website here for PC and here for Mac.

Once you have the software set up, you’ll be prompted to select the location to target for recovery:

selecting a location to recover files from

Just hover over the relevant location, then click Scan:

click Scan to begin the recovery process

The scanning process will begin immediately, where EaseUS searches the targeted location for any and all files, including corrupted and deleted photos.

You’ll see a countdown at the bottom of the screen that gives you an estimated scan time.

And files will begin to appear in the EaseUS window as they’re identified for recovery.

If you like, you can let the scan continue until completion, but you also have the option to recover already-discovered files. In other words, you can let the scan run in the background while you recover the files already present in the EaseUS window.

Eventually, you’ll need to select the files you’d like to recover. Just hit the check mark next to the file names:

Then select Recover:

If you’d only like to recover certain files, you have the option to filter specific file types via tags:

Or filter specific file types via the Filter option:

In fact, you can get even more granular with the Advanced Filter; simply open the Filter menu, then click Advanced Filter:

And select your filter options to bring up specific files while scanning:

After you hit the Recover button, you’ll be prompted to select a location to store the recovered files:

select where to store your recovered files

Hit OK, and you can watch the progress bar as your files are recovered:

EaseUS data recovery review progress bar

Once the recovery is complete, EaseUS will automatically launch the location with your recovered files. You can also click the View Recovered button to launch the location manually:

Then you can immediately access your recovered files!

How does EaseUS Data Recovery perform?

I tested EaseUS Data Recovery with a formatted memory card of my own, and it performed flawlessly. When I’d finished the recovery process, I had access to every one of my photos (all in perfect condition!).

Of course, it’s impossible for me to test every scenario and every file type, but my Olympus RAW images came back safe and sound, and I’m confident that EaseUS could effortlessly handle plenty of other situations.

I was handily impressed by the ease of recovery. The process was remarkably simple and took literally zero fumbling around with the software. And I was also pleased by the speed of recovery, because while some recovery software takes hours upon hours to scan and recover photos, EaseUS had all 20+ deleted photos ready for recovery within five to ten seconds. The recovery process itself took thirty seconds at most.

Since I was just recovering Olympus RAW images from an SD card, I didn’t have much use for the filtering functions. But if you’re looking to recover select media from an entire hard drive of files, filtering is invaluable – it’ll let you find and select the files you’re after, without having to waste precious time going through the entire set of recovered items. And I’m a huge fan of the “recover while scanning” option, which allows you to recover already-discovered items while EaseUS continues to scan the drive. When I was testing the software, I didn’t have to wait for the entire deep scan to finish. Instead, I started recovering images as soon as EaseUS identified them.

A word of caution: There are times when EaseUS Data Recovery will fail; that’s just the nature of recovery software. If your photos or videos are too far gone, even the best recovery software won’t be able to piece them back together.

For instance, if you fill up a memory card, format it, and fill it up again, the first set of images will almost certainly be unrecoverable, which is why you should always, always, always have a proper backup system from the beginning. And if you ever find yourself with a formatted memory card that needs recovering, do not, under any circumstances, overwrite that card with new images.

But here’s the bottom line:

EaseUS did a fantastic job recovering my images, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use EaseUS to deal with accidental file deletion of any type.

EaseUS Data Recovery: Plans and pricing

EaseUS offers three editions for PC users:

First, there’s the Free edition, which allows you to recover up to 2 GB of media. If you’ve accidentally deleted a handful of images, this may be enough.

The Pro edition offers unlimited data recovery, plus you get support from EaseUS specialists, all for $ 69.95 USD. This is perfect for most users, assuming you can boot up your drive.

Finally, there’s the Pro+Bootable Media edition, which offers everything included in the Pro edition, plus the capability to recover files from a crashed drive, all for $ 99.90 USD. This is the edition to purchase if you cannot get your drive to run.

Mac users also have access to the Free edition. Then there’s a Pro edition for Mac, which offers the functionality of the PC Pro+Bootable Media edition in a comprehensive, $ 89.95 USD package.

Who should get EaseUS Data Recovery?

If you’ve accidentally deleted photos or videos, then EaseUS Data Recovery is a fantastic solution.

It’ll bring back any recoverable files quickly and efficiently – and it’ll even let you sort through the files for easy access.

So if you’ve lost photos or videos on a memory card, a flash drive, a hard drive, or your desktop, I highly recommend you grab this EaseUS software. If the files can be recovered, then EaseUS will get it done!

You can purchase a version of EaseUS right here for PC users and right here for Mac users.

EaseUS is a paid partner of dPS.

The post EaseUS Data Recovery Review: Fast, Powerful, and Easy to Use appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

How to Avoid Blurry Photos by Choosing the Right Autofocus Mode

05 Jan

The post How to Avoid Blurry Photos by Choosing the Right Autofocus Mode appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lynford Morton.

Sometimes the light is perfect, the moment is right, but when you get home, you find that your photo is blurry. Arrgh!

Why are your pictures blurry? One obvious reason is that your camera isn’t focused properly.

You see, while today’s cameras and lenses can help you quickly take sharp images in a wide variety of situations, you must first choose the right autofocus mode.

So here are some questions to help you diagnose any blurry-photo situations – so you can choose the correct autofocus settings, consistently!

Are you using the auto-area autofocus mode or the single-point autofocus mode?

Who gets to decide your focus points?

That’s what you’re deciding when you choose between the auto-area AF mode versus the single-point AF mode.

With an auto-area autofocus mode, your camera decides what it should use as your focal point. It usually decides based on what looks most prominent in the viewfinder or is closest to the camera.

Is this a bad thing?

Well, it can work if your subject is obvious and there are no potential distractions. But what do you do when you’re trying to focus on a smaller subject within the frame?

For more control, you choose a single point autofocus setting.

The single-point mode allows you to choose your specific autofocus point (check your camera’s manual if you aren’t sure how to do this).

After all, only you, not your camera, know where your subject is – and where you want to position it within your composition.

(Also, note that your camera offers several additional AF area modes – but it’s a good idea to start by choosing between the auto-area mode and the single-point mode.)

Is your subject moving?

Most DSLR cameras give you four basic options for autofocus settings: single, continuous, auto, and manual.

To help you choose the right option, ask yourself, “Is my subject moving?”

Then, based on your answer, read the relevant advice below:

No, my subject is not moving

If your subject is not moving, choose “AF-S” on your camera (though this mode is referred to as “One Shot” on Canon cameras).

AF-S acquires and locks the focus as soon as you half-press the shutter button. If your subject stays at the exact same distance from the camera, your photo will be in focus (and you’ll be able to keep taking photos and can expect them to be in focus, too). If your subject moves, then your photos will be blurry.

In other words:

Your subject has to be stationary for AF-S to work. In fact, the shutter won’t fire if your subject is moving and your lens can’t acquire focus.

AF-S also allows you to recompose. Let’s say the autofocus point is in the center of the frame, but you want your subject positioned close to the edge. As long as you maintain a half-press on your shutter button, the focus will remain sharp on your subject.

Then you can move the camera slightly left or right, positioning your subject away from the center of the frame.

Yes, my subject is moving

If your subject is moving, use continuous autofocus (“AF-C” on most cameras, though Canon calls it “AI Servo”).

With this mode, you can place your autofocus point over your subject, and the focus continues to adjust while you press the shutter button. This keeps your subject in focus as it moves.

For example, if someone is riding a bicycle, you can place the AF point on your subject and half-press the shutter button. As long as you’re half-pressing the shutter, the autofocus will adjust continuously, keeping your subject in focus as they move.

When you’re ready to take the photo, depress the shutter completely, and the camera will fire a sharp, in-focus image.

No, my subject isn’t moving, but it might

A third option merges the functionality of the single autofocus and continuous autofocus modes. This hybrid mode (“AF-A” for Nikon or “AI Focus” for Canon) works differently depending on your camera.

However, AF-A always involves some sort of automatic switching between AF-S and AF-C modes, based on whether your camera perceives a moving subject or an unmoving subject.

With AF-A activated, you can focus on an unmoving subject exactly as if you are working in AF-S. But as soon as the subject moves, your camera will switch to AF-C and begin tracking.

Make sense?

For some photographers, this is the best of both worlds and allows you to deal with erratic subjects that repeatedly move and then stop suddenly (i.e., birds). However, you’ll often lose the ability to focus and recompose, because your camera may attempt to refocus based on the position of its autofocus point – so make sure to bear that in mind.

My autofocus just isn’t getting it right

You always have the option of turning off the autofocus function and choosing the manual focus setting.

When should you do this?

Well, if your camera is having trouble detecting your focus point, it might be more efficient to focus the camera yourself.

Note that you can turn off your autofocus on accident. So every now and then, when your camera can’t seem to focus, and you don’t hear the motor searching back and forth, check to see if you selected manual focus without meaning to. This can happen more frequently than you might think!

Other issues to consider

What if you set up your autofocus properly and the lens still won’t focus?

I’d recommend you consider these solutions:

You might be too close. Try backing away. If you are too near your subject, the camera may not be able to focus properly.
Your subject might not have enough contrast. Your image needs to have some contrast for most autofocus systems to work. If you try to photograph a solid sheet of white or any single-colored wall, most autofocus systems will struggle. Why? Cameras use differences in colors and tones to determine their focus. If a camera can’t find any contrast, it can’t focus.
You might have an extremely shallow depth of field. In this case, your autofocus is working, but the depth of field is so shallow, it’s hard to tell that your subject is in focus.
You have camera shake. When you depress the shutter, you move the camera. If the shutter speed is too slow, the camera picks up that movement, and it gives you a blurry photo. Make sure your shutter speed is faster than the equivalent of your focal length. For instance, if you are zoomed out to 100mm, your shutter speed should be 1/100s or faster to avoid camera shake.
You have motion blur. If your subject is moving quickly and your shutter speed is too slow, the photo will end up blurry – so make sure you’re using a fast-enough shutter speed to freeze all motion in the scene.

Choosing the right autofocus mode: Conclusion

Why are your pictures blurry?

If the answer is related to your autofocus mode, your fix could be as simple as choosing the right settings.

And to prevent any future blurry photos, make sure you use the process I’ve laid out above.

Do you have any other autofocus tips or tricks you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments below!

The post How to Avoid Blurry Photos by Choosing the Right Autofocus Mode appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lynford Morton.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

Canon to Drop Its EOS M Lineup in Favor of Crop-Sensor EOS R Cameras

04 Jan

The post Canon to Drop Its EOS M Lineup in Favor of Crop-Sensor EOS R Cameras appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Bad news for Canon EOS M fans:

The Canon EOS M lineup, which includes popular models such as the EOS M50 and the EOS M6 Mark II, may soon be no more.

This comes from Canon Rumors, which reports that “two sources…suggested that 2021 will be the last year of the EOS M lineup.”

Over the better part of the last decade, Canon has developed two mirrorless camera lines:

The dedicated APS-C EOS M series, and the full-frame EOS R series.

But while sibling APS-C and full-frame cameras are nothing new, the EF-M mount is incompatible with the RF mount, forcing Canon to produce two independent sets of lenses. And as the EOS R series continues to soar in popularity, it seems that Canon has decided to throw all of its resources into expanding the RF-mount cameras and lenses while leaving the EOS M lineup behind.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Canon will stop selling its EOS M models; the EOS M50 Mark II was only announced this past fall, and EOS M cameras are, by all accounts, performing well. But I wouldn’t hold out hope for any additional EOS M cameras or lenses. According to Canon Rumors, “the EOS M50 Mark II was a ‘stop-gap for a couple of future RF-mount APS-C cameras’” – which implies that the M50 Mark II will be the last of the EOS M cameras, and that Canon will try to channel its APS-C demand into new RF-mount models.

Rumors of an APS-C EOS R7 have abounded for months now, but the crop-sensor RF-mount models discussed by Canon Rumors are likely entirely different, catering to beginner photographers, walkaround shooters, and vloggers. Canon Rumors also reports that “there will not be RF-S lenses for APS-C EOS R cameras.” Instead, “future lens design will ‘fill the void of no dedicated APS-C lenses.’”

In other words, you can expect a handful of full-frame lenses that will also appeal to APS-C shooters – in the form of lightweight, kit RF lenses – rather than lenses designed solely for APS-C R bodies.

Personally, I welcome this move away from the EOS M series, as it gives APS-C shooters the opportunity to work with higher-end RF glass while allowing Canon to focus its resources on a single camera lineup. But I can also understand the frustration that EOS M users will undoubtedly feel as Canon lets a successful camera series fade away.

Now over to you:

What are your thoughts about the end of the EOS M lineup? Are you happy? Frustrated? Worried? Do you think Canon will end production of its EOS M cameras anytime soon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Canon to Drop Its EOS M Lineup in Favor of Crop-Sensor EOS R Cameras appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category

Great! Where do I upload my photos?

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

Long exposure fire photography: 5 tips for beginners

1. Use a slow shutter speed

Fire photography with Shutter Priority

Fire photography with Aperture Priority

2. Set your camera on a tripod

3. Use a remote shutter release or set the self-timer

4. Choose your subject

5. Switch to manual focus

Where will you practice?

What is facial view? What is camera angle?

Facial views

Camera angle

Lenses

How long does it take to master this stuff?

Camera and face angles: Practice at home

Facial views and camera angles: Conclusion

First impressions

Design

Ease of use

Performance

The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro review: Conclusion

1. No place is boring, if you’ve had a good night’s sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film – Robert Adams

2. The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong – Susan Meiselas

3. Photography is a language more universal than words – Minor White

4. Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies – Diane Arbus

5. Searching is everything – going beyond what you know. And the test of the search is really in the things themselves, the things you seek to understand. What is important is not what you think about them, but how they enlarge you – Wynn Bullock

Conclusion

What can EaseUS Data Recovery software do?

How to use EaseUS: A quick guide

How does EaseUS Data Recovery perform?

EaseUS Data Recovery: Plans and pricing

Who should get EaseUS Data Recovery?

Are you using the auto-area autofocus mode or the single-point autofocus mode?

Is your subject moving?

No, my subject is not moving

Yes, my subject is moving

No, my subject isn’t moving, but it might

My autofocus just isn’t getting it right

Other issues to consider

Choosing the right autofocus mode: Conclusion