360Photography

Category: Uncategorized

  • Photojournalists reveal their favorite publications to work with and what they pay

    Photographer Genna Martin on assignment for Seattle PI.

    Columbia Journalism Review recently surveyed a group of photojournalists on their favorite publications to work with based on several criteria, including arguably the biggest one – pay. As a result, they’ve published an article revealing the day rates for some top publications as well as some insight into other factors, such as balancing a lower day rate with exposure to a wider audience.

    So by the numbers, how do top publications stack up for freelance photographers? CNN comes out on top with the best day rate at $ 650, though National Geographic is close behind with typical rates between $ 500-650. Harper’s Magazine’s rate was hard to pin down but reported rates varied from $ 500 up to $ 1000 per day. 

    The New York Times’ recently boosted rate of $ 450 per day makes it more competitive with the top-paying outlets, but CJR notes that the photographers they spoke with acknowledged the Times’ wider reach and top-notch editorial staff go a ways to compensate for the lower pay. Coming in with the lowest day rate of the bunch is the Washington Post, offering $ 350. 

    Check out the full article at Columbia Journalism Review for some interesting insights on working for these top publications.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Panasonic Lumix FZ80/FZ82 real world samples gallery

    ISO 80 | 1/200 sec | F4.4 Photo by Jeff Keller

    Panasonic’s latest update to its consumer superzoom line, the FZ80, comes with a crazy 20-1200mm F2.8-5.9 zoom lens, 4K video capture and Panasonic’s usual suite of 4K photo modes, and comes in at a very affordable price. We’ve taken it out and about on some rare sunny Seattle days to see what it can do.

    See our Panasonic FZ80 sample gallery

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    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • In praise of shooting monochrome landscapes

    Taking color out of the equation forces the viewer to focus on shapes and textures

    In an age of wide color gamut displays and HDR-everything, DPR regular Nicolas Alexander Otto urges his fellow landscape shooters to embrace shooting in black-and-white. Here are a few reasons why he embraces monochrome for landscape work – and thinks you should too.

    Reducing imagery to its essentials, breaking it down to texture and shape, can help render the image more accessible to the eye. In this instance – a shot of the Iceland’s famous Vestrahorn – the patterns in the dunes leading the eye towards the mountain range in the distance are not visually overwritten by the color of the grass in the fore- and mid-ground thus stand out more and suffice to lend the foreground dynamism which might otherwise be not visible enough.

    Taking color out of the equation forces the viewer to focus on shapes and textures

    In this next example (above) the line work isn’t as important, but the different contrast areas with strong tonal differences are aided by the black and white treatment, enabling the small lighthouse to stand out as a visual anchor and helping to create a focus on the balance between the lighter slopes and dark areas on each side of the cliff.

    You can emphasize what’s unique about the subject

    I think an abundance of color can indeed sometimes distract from the motif in itself in regards to how it carves out the essence of a landscape. You may get sundown coloring or blue hour at every spot on earth, but a certain shape of rock might be unique to the place you’re shooting. If that’s what you want to capture, you may want to consider shooting black and white in order to prioritize forms over hues.

    Pre-visualizing a scene in black and white can help you find better compositions

    Pre-visualization is key. This means that photographers have to determine in field what the monochromatic image will look like after processing and decide on site how to compose and shoot accordingly. Subsequently, thinking in black and white may enable us to find better compositions; those which do not need color in the first place.

    While I personally enjoy color as much as black and white, I often find myself trying to shut out color while composing, aiming to focus on the abstract rather than the concrete. This helps me to find my way around cluttered foregrounds or difficult light. It’s an approach I find helpful from time to time and would recommend trying, even though it may take some time to get used to (I guess everyone who has the option to use black and white directly in their live view is a lucky camper in this regard). Taking a picture and converting it in camera for a preview might be cumbersome but can be helpful as well.

    Black and white promotes detachment from reality

    A black and white image is always a departure from our inherent logical view of the world which is secondarily governed by color (primary is light and dark).

    This entails certain freedoms such as to depart further from reality, which can be a liberating feeling as a photographer, opening up more creative possibilities. Often times a black and white image can simply ‘get away’ with more dramatic editing and capture technique since it is not regarded as a ‘authentic representation of reality’ as much as a color image.

    You can be a bit more aggressive with processing

    There’s a perception that editing images, in one way or another, deteriorates the character of the image. Black and white images however don’t seem to be subject to the same amount of critique because they are governed by a different frame of reference.

    Take a look at more of Alex’s work and be sure to read our Readers’ Showcase Q&A with him.

    Do you regularly shoot monochrome landscapes? Why do you embrace black-and-white? Let us know in the comments.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Celebrate International Dark Sky Week with a night sky time-lapse

    A few months ago we featured the work of astrophotographer Matt Dieterich, whose iconic photo of star trails over Mt. Rainier was selected for a special series of U.S. postage stamps commemorating the 100th anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service. If you haven’t seen those photos, you should definitely check them out.

    In honor of International Dark Sky Week, Dieterich has just released a time-lapse video called Pacific Northwest Nights, using photos shot while working at Mt. Rainier National Park. Of course, we love it because it highlights places in our own backyard, but even if you’ve never been to our part of the world it’s a beautiful video, and a reminder of why dark skies matter.

    If you pay close attention at 0:50 and 2:45 you can even see the glow of headlamps as climbers ascend Mt. Rainier. You can find more of Dieterich’s work at his website and on Instagram.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Canon releases firmware version 1.1.1 for EOS 7D Mark II

    Canon has released new firmware for the Mark II generation of its EOS 7D APS-C DSLR. Version 1.1.1 includes all the improvements and fixes of previous updates and in addition addresses the following issues:  

    1. Enhanced reliability of communications when transferring images using Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7 (A/B/C/D/E).
    2. Corrects the phenomenon of Err70 which occurs with certain combinations of settings.
    3. Corrects the phenomenon in which in very rare cases the shutter can no longer be released.
    4. Enhances reliability of operations for specific custom function settings.

    Please note that if you are using a W-E1 Wi-Fi adapter the camera nickname will be reset to default when the new firmware is installed. You should therefore change the nickname before using the camera again. Firmware version 1.1.1 is now available for download from the Canon website. 

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Acer unveils 31.5″ 4K display for image editors and other creative types

    At its Acer Next event in New York City the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer has unveiled its new 31.5″ ProDesigner PE320QK display. The new monitor features super-thin bezels and, looking at the impressive specifications, is clearly targeted at image editors and other creatives. It offers 550 nits of brightness at 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution and has an enhanced color gamut, supporting 130 percent of the sRGB and 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color spaces. Response time of the display is 4 milliseconds, with a 100 million to 1 contrast ratio.

    In terms of connectivity there are two HDMI 2.0 ports, audio out, a DisplayPort 1.2, a USB 3.1 type C input, and four USB 3.1 Type C outputs which are suitable for peripherals and support power delivery of up to 85W. The display also comes with a pair of 2W speakers and a removable anti-glare hood. Unfortunately Acer has not provided any information on pricing and availability yet. 

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • EXIF.co uses smart watermarks and more to protect photographers’ images

    EXIF.co is a new service offering photographers paid photo hosting that automatically applies smart watermarks and other protections to images uploaded to the platform. It aims to allow photographers freedom to embed and share their images on the web while limiting the risk of someone re-using their work without attribution – or flat-out stealing it.

    EXIF.co enables customers to share their photos using an embed feature or to share it with others directly via a sharing tool. Anyone who tries to download the photo will be blocked, presented with copyright information, and/or a watermark will be automatically applied to the saved photo, depending on the photographer’s preferences.

    Users can opt to apply ‘smart watermarks’ that appear when someone tries to download or screenshot an image, add photo credits, block embeds on websites, enable sharing with websites and track the number of online views each photo receives. The service appears simple to use, requiring customers to first upload their images, then add details to them such as credits. The user sets the permissions they want for each image, then saves it to their account.

    You can see it in action below:

     

    The service is free to sign up for, and it is priced on a per-thousand views basis. The rate for 10,000 to 99k views is $ 0.30 per 1,000 views, the 100k to 499k rate is $ 0.25 per 1,000 views, the 500K to 999K is $ 0.20 and the 1m or greater rate is $ 0.15. For example, EXIF.co says 10,000 views of a photograph will cost the subscriber $ 3. Individuals who sign up for the beta service will receive 1,000 credits for free.

    The company acknowledged in a blog post yesterday that it’s service certainly isn’t foolproof. It stresses that its goal is to ‘add some friction’ to protect against casual theft. Would you find a service like this valuable? Let us know in the comments.

    Via: PetaPixel

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nikon in legal tussle with ASML and Carl Zeiss over alleged patent infringements

    On Monday this week Nikon initiated legal action against the Dutch company ASML Holding NV, which is one of the market leaders in the field of semiconductor lithography machines. Germany’s Carl Zeiss AG is ASML’s optical supplier. Nikon said both companies were using its lithography technology without permission and that it was seeking damages and to prevent ASML and Zeiss from selling the technology.

    Nikon and ASML have contested IP rights for more than fifteen years, as ASML has come to dominate several aspects of the market for semiconductor manufacturing equipment previously divided up primarily between Nikon and Canon.

    In first statements both companies called Nikon’s legal action unfounded and categorically denied any infringements. A spokesperson for ASML said the company had repeatedly attempted to negotiate an extension of a cross-license agreement with Nikon.

    Now ASML and Carl Zeiss have teamed up to counter-sue Nikon and are both filing legal claims against Nikon for the infringement of more than 10 patents. Peter Wennink, ASML President and Chief Executive Officer, said the following in the company’s issued statement:

    We have no choice but to file these countersuits. We have tried for many years to come to a cross-license agreement that reflects the increased strength of our patent portfolio. Unfortunately, Nikon has never seriously participated in negotiations. Now that Nikon has decided to take this dispute to court, we also have to enforce our patent portfolio, and we will do this as broadly as possible.

    Both ASML and Carl Zeiss have issued press releases on the matter. It seems this is a legal dispute that could go on for quite some time, and not the first one involving these three parties either. According to Nikon, ASML and Carl Zeiss paid it $ 87 million and $ 58 million respectively in 2004. We’ll keep you updated on any future developments.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Acer unveils 31.5″ 4K display for image editors and other creatives

    At its Acer Next event in New York City the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer has unveiled its new 31.5″ ProDesigner PE320QK display. The new monitor features super-thin bezels and, looking at the impressive specifications, is clearly targeted at image editors and other creatives. It offers 550 nits of brightness at 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution and has an enhanced color gamut, supporting 130 percent of the sRGB and 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color spaces. Response time of the display is 4 milliseconds, with a 100 million to 1 contrast ratio.

    In terms of connectivity there are two HDMI 2.0 ports, audio out, a DisplayPort 1.2, a USB 3.1 type C input, and four USB 3.1 Type C outputs which are suitable for peripherals and support power delivery of up to 85W. The display also comes with a pair of 2W speakers and a removable anti-glare hood. Unfortunately Acer has not provided any information on pricing and availability yet. 

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nikon releases firmware update for 1 J5 mirrorless system camera

    Nikon has released a firmware update for its 1 J5 mirrorless system camera. Version 1.01 only comes with one modification over version 1.0 and fixes an issue that prevented additional deletions after multiple shots had been deleted in succession from a single burst of pictures.

    The Nikon 1 J5 captures images on a 1″ 21MP BSI CMOS sensor and was originally announced in April 2015. If you own the camera you can check your current firmware version by selecting Firmware version in the Setup menu. If you want to update, the new version is now available for download on the Nikon website. 

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)