Category: Uncategorized

Shooting with a point of view: Anna Mia Davidson in Cuba

In 1999, Anna Mia Davidson packed up 100 rolls of Tri-X film, an old Leica M4-P, two lenses and headed to Cuba to photograph the grittier reality of Cuban life that lurked beneath its colorful surface. Davidson expresses the importance of having a unique point of view to guide her as she made multiple trips over several years, documenting the island nation through some of its most turbulent times.

In this PIX 2015 talk, Davidson’s photos guide you through a Cuba you’ve not likely seen. She purposely eschewed the temptation of color film to ‘focus on finding the essence of the culture in quiet moments; the emotions unimpaired by the appeal of color.’ Davidson’s work spans the entirety of the culture, from the homes, families and streets of Havana to the fields, valleys and farmers of the countryside. Woven in amongst her photographs are hints to the looming presence of the Castro regime and the stark contrasts of Cuban and American culture.

Watch the talk and visit Davidson’s website to see more of her work in Cuba and beyond.

See more videos from PIX 2015

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

January 24, 2016
Out of the shadows: Aaron Draper discusses ‘Underexposed’

We introduced Aaron Draper’s project ‘Underexposed’ a little while back. In case you missed it, Draper has made a project of taking stylized portraits of individuals experiencing homelessness, aiming to help others literally see them in a new light. Filmmaker Eric Becker sat down with him at PIX 2015 to talk in depth about the project – how it came about, what the critical reaction has been to it and how Draper earns the trust of his subjects. Find out how the project came together.

See more videos from PIX 2105

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

January 23, 2016

Hell on Earth: Shooting in the Danakil Depression

Hell on earth. It sounds like hyperboly, but the Danakil Depression is exactly that. In late 2013 I spent 1.5 months traveling extensively in Ethiopia, and I visited the Danakil to scout locations for my ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’ workshop. It is, by my own experience, one of the most inhospitable environments you can actually visit. Scorching heat, no roads, no running water, not to mention hotels or any other modern convenience. But it is exactly these qualities which make the Danakil Depression one of the most fascinating places to visit on the planet.

Located in the north of the Afar Triangle, a geological depression formed by tectonic plates that are slowly ripping the earth apart, the Danakil Depression is very low in altitude (about 100 meters below sea level), dry (rain is extremely rare) and hot – so hot that it’s famous for being the hottest place on earth in terms of year round average temperatures. Moreover, reaching it requires a day long drive through the desert, which is both expensive and exhaustingly uncomfortable. But it’s worth the effort, because this area holds invaluable treasures for the avid photographer.

Our journey to the Danakil. Temperatures soared up to 48 degrees Centigrade, and the dust made it quite hard to shoot.

Upon reaching the Danakil after a long drive, one is immediately struck by the vastness of this wasteland. apart of the odd tree and tribal village, there isn’t much else around. This makes sense, since little could survive here, but the few humans that do are quite special.

Arid, seemingly Martian red hills, dry, cracked rock formations, wide salt lakes, fluorescent green pools of sulfuric acid, and of course, the mighty Erta Ale volcano are the main photographic attractions in the Danakil Depression. In this article, I will try to survey them from a photographic point of view, and perhaps make you think differently about Ethiopia and its natural treasures.

A young Afar tribesman. Life is incredibly hard in the Danakil Depression, and the Afar are a hardy folk, farming, mining salt and herding goats for a living. Their appealing appearance and feisty temper, together with the environment they live in, make them unique photographic subjects.
Canon 5D Mark III, Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 VC

The primary means of interaction between the Afar region and the rest of Ethiopia (and the world) is the endless salt caravans, consisting mainly of camels and donkeys, loaded with heavy bricks of salt – the main natural resource in this area. The caravans are very photogenic, both for their sheer size (the most common response I get to my shots is “surely you’ve duplicated the camels in Photoshop!”) and the landscape they march across.

This was just a part of a longer salt caravan on its way back to the Afar region.
Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 70-300mm F4-5.6L IS

After a night’s sleep under the stars, we started the journey to Erta Ale volcano. I was extremely excited to visit Erta Ale after seeing a few shots from there. The 3-hour hike up the volcano was a bit strenuous, but since it was done at night, it wasn’t too demanding for any of the hikers. Nearing the top, I started sensing faint odors and noises. When I reached the campsite, the bright smoke was clearly visible. I couldn’t resist taking an image of the distant smoking pit and the clear, starry sky.

Erta Ale volcano crater as seen from the campsite.
Canon 5D Mark III, Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 VC

Rising 613 meters, Erta Ale hosts one of only a handful of permanent lava lakes in the world. The name “Erta Ale” means “smoking mountain” in the local Afar language, and it fits this name quite well. It is also notable for being the longest-existing lava lake, present since the early years of the twentieth century.

I knew visiting and shooting this unique place would be very special, but I couldn’t quite foresee the level of excitement I would reach upon getting close to it. In my travels I’ve seen some wonderful natural wonders, but seeing a huge crater, full of red hot, bubbling, exploding lava was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had so far.

It wasn’t easy shooting the pit itself. The lava is searingly hot and its brightness changes constantly, and the foreground is much darker, requiring HDR technique to reveal its details. Moreover, the pit is very large, and even with a 14mm lens I found it hard to include all of it. If I had tried to step back a bit, I’d have to lose detail in the lava area, since I’d be looking at it from further away.

Erta Ale Volcano up close. Canon 5D Mark III, Samyang 14mm F2.8, manual HDR from 2 images

After several trials, I reached a position I was comfortable with, and shot the lava pool together with the serrated volcanic rock surrounding it. The red glow defined the contour of the pit’s edges, contributing even further to the hellish look. It can’t be conveyed here, but believe me – the smell matched the appearance of the pit perfectly.

After spending the night in the campsite near the volcano, we began our descent to the jeeps. Within an hour’s drive, we reached another spectacular location: the sulfur lake. Colors unlike I’d ever seen before, mineral nozzles spewing hot water, crisp red earth and a feeling of another planet are all offered by the second of the two top locations in the Danakil Depression. What’s left to do is put on a polarizing filter and, well, start the photo-party. The formations and colors are endless.

I especially enjoyed shooting the pools of sulfuric acid, with their surreal bright green color against the red earth.

There is much more to see in the Danakil Depression. From tranquil, shallow salt lakes to red, Martian-like hills and rock fields, this region is home to some of the most unique topography on our planet. Hard to reach and inhospitable as it is, I wouldn’t visit Ethiopia without stopping there to appreciate and photograph a true hell on earth, but a most beautiful and majestic one.

Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveler based in Israel. You can follow Erez’s work on Instagram, Facebook and 500px, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates.

If you’d like to experience and shoot some of the most fascinating landscapes on earth with Erez as your guide, you’re welcome to take a look at his unique photography workshops around the world:

Land of Ice – Southern Iceland
Winter Paradise – Northern Iceland
Northern Spirits – The Lofoten Islands
Giants of the Andes and Fitz Roy Annex – Patagonia
Tales of Arctic Nights, Part I and Part II – Greenland
Earth, Wind and Fire – Ethiopia

Selected articles by Erez Marom:

Behind the Shot: Dark Matter
Mountain Magic: Shooting in the Lofoten Islands
Behind the Shot: Nautilus
Behind the Shot: Lost in Space
Behind the Shot: Spot the Shark
Quick Look: The Art of the Unforeground
Behind the Shot: Watery Grave
Whatever it Doesn’t Take
Winds of Change: Shooting changing landscapes
Behind the Shot: Prince of the Night

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

January 23, 2016

To the point: LensRentals shows how to use Autofocus Fine Tune

DSLR autofocus has been the Gold standard for decades but the higher accuracy and precision offered by some mirrorless cameras risks tarnishing this image. However, many modern DSLRs include an option to fine-tune the autofocus behavior to help optimize their performance. Guest writer Joey Miller has written a short guide to how to make use of this feature, over on the LensRentals blog.

Click here to read Joey Miller’s post on LensRentals.com

You don’t necessarily need any specialist equipment to fine tune your lenses. But if you’re going to go to all this effort, it might be worth it. Photo: Joey Miller

The article builds on the work Roger Cicala has already done, looking at the reasons that fine tuning is needed, with one of the main reasons being to cancel-out the effect of the combined tolerances of your camera body interacting with the combined tolerances of the specific copy of the lens you’re using.

As we reach higher pixel counts, this imprecision is being highlighted in ever more detail (it was always there, but your camera wasn’t letting you examine the problem in such fine detail).

Miller uses a Canon setup as an example, with up to two corrections per lens being possible (a ‘Wide’ and ‘Tele’ value being available for zoom lenses). But even this is a rather blunt instrument when it comes to achieving perfect accuracy. Given the variation we encounter using off-center focus points, a more complete solution would require something more like the Olympus system for Four Thirds lenses, which allowed two values per lens, per focus point. The best correction value can also change with subject distance, which is why Sigma’s USB dock offers the ability to set four different values for four different subject distances.

Even if such control over calibration were possible for the end-user, it would be so arduous as to be nearly impossible. Products such as Reikan FoCal can help, but it’s still fairly involved, and the situation-to-situation, day-to-day variability we’ve noted with some systems means even these don’t completely solve the problem. Thankfully, the process looks as if it’s about to be made simpler, with Nikon’s D5 and D500 gaining something we’ve been proposing for several years now: an automated fine tune system that checks the results of its contrast-detect AF in live view mode to calculate the corrections needed to fine tune its secondary sensor phase-detection system. It’s rather rudimentary in that only one value can be entered for any lens and body combination, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

January 23, 2016
Tamrac launches Hoodoo series with two camera bags

Tamrac has introduced two camera bags as part of its new Hoodoo product lineup. The Hoodoo 18 and Hoodoo 20 packs are described as being ‘minimal and lightweight’ with features including a water-resistant waxed canvas exterior, PU coated ripstop fabrics, and selective padding for comfort.

These two new Tamrac bags are designed for use in the great outdoors, and come in two different sizes, with the Hoodoo 18 bag being the smaller of the two. The Hoodoo 18 bag can carry a mirrorless camera or DSLR as well as one or two lenses and a 13-inch laptop. The camera compartment is separate from the bag’s main compartment.

The Hoodoo 20, meanwhile, is described as ‘three packs in one,’ able to serve as a camera shoulder bag, day pack, or protective camera backpack, depending on the need. Customizable interior dividers can be adjusted to accommodate a mirrorless system or DSLR, while the upper portion includes space for personal gear and a 15-inch laptop.

Both bags are available now in ‘ocean,’ ‘kiwi,’ and ‘pumpkin’ colors. The Hoodoo 18 is priced at $ 89.95 USD, and the Hoodoo 20 at $ 129.95 USD.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

January 23, 2016
DxOMark Mobile report: OnePlus 2

Like its predecessor the OnePlus 2 offers the specification of a high-end phone at a budget price point. The camera’s 13MP resolution isn’t anything out of the ordinary these days, but optical image stabilization and a laser-assisted AF system tend to be found only on expensive top-end models. Additionally, the OnePlus 2 is capable of 4K video and can record 720p slow-motion footage at 120 fps. But in the end, a healthy spec list isn’t enough to put the OnePlus 2 at the top of DxO’s mobile rankings.

Read DxOMark’s Mobile Report on the OnePlus 2

Read the full report on DxOMark.com

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

January 23, 2016

All cameras are great, but that doesn’t make choosing one any easier

It’s often said all modern cameras are good. And it’s true: That’s the reason most of the cameras we review get some kind of award. But it’s also close to meaningless. It seems to imply that it doesn’t matter which camera you buy, yet that’s as far from the truth today as it’s ever been.

The thing that stood out to me as we selected our recommendations in our recent roundups was that, no matter how much technology improves and cameras converge, there’s still a huge difference in terms of what each camera does well and what it falls down on. Which means there’s still a right and a wrong camera for you.

Not just any camera will do

It is also true of course that it’s your own skills, rather than the limitations of technology, that are most likely to hold you back. But again, this doesn’t mean that just any camera will do.

One of the most witless arguments I regularly see is: ‘it won’t improve your photography – Ansel Adams would get better photos using an iPhone.’ (And it’s always Ansel Adams, isn’t it?).

Follow that logic to its conclusion and none of us would ever use a proper camera. Sure, a great photographer will be able to take better photographs using any old camera, but they’ll probably take an even better photo if you give them a better camera – especially if it’s a better camera for them. And, while it’s obvious that a better camera won’t instantly make me a better photographer, it could result in me enjoying photography more.

There is no ‘best’ camera

Predictably enough, there were howls of outrage at the cameras we recommended, with owners of other brands passionately advocating for the camera they’ve chosen. And it’s easy to see how this comes about: along with a healthy dose of post-purchase justification I’d like to think that a lot of these people have bought cameras that are well suited to their needs. But this doesn’t mean they’d be well suited to everybody else’s.

We recommended the Sony a6000 in our roundups because it’s probably the best all-rounder in its class: it’s got a viewfinder, really good video, excellent autofocus and competitive image quality (despite its age). Yet it’s not the camera I’d buy for myself, in this category.

Just look at the mid-range interchangeable lens camera category. There is no camera that’s best at everything so in the end we selected the Sony a6000. It no longer offers the very best image quality or the very best specs, nor is it the stand-out leader for video at this point. However, without knowing more about the person we’re recommending it to, it stands out as the best all-rounder because it’s consistently competitive in every respect. By this same logic, we didn’t end up recommending a couple of cameras that we as a team really like.

The Fujifilm X-T10, for instance, is a cracking little camera, it borrows most of its technology from the much more expensive X-T1 and retains just about everything we like about that camera (the JPEGs, the controls, the choice of lenses…). However, its continuous autofocus simply isn’t a match for the likes of the a6000, NX500 or D5500 and its video is a significant weak spot, meaning it was never going to be one of our overall recommendations. And yet, for a certain type of photographer, it’s the best camera in its class.

Know your needs and be willing to grow

One of the key lessons, then, is that it’s important to think hard about what you want to use a camera for and what your priorities are. And just as a good camera can encourage you, a limited camera can limit you.

The Nikon D5500 offers some of the best image quality in its class, a well worked-out user interface, great autofocus and excellent battery life. But it’s also one of the bulkiest cameras in its class, one of the least video-friendly and one of the few not to include twin control dials for the price.

I regularly see comments saying ‘I don’t care that my camera isn’t very good at Movie shooting/Dynamic Range/Autofocus tracking, I never use it.’ Which increasingly prompts me to wonder whether that person might use the feature more it their camera was better at it. As I review cameras it’s occasionally frustrating to have to continue to use a feature that doesn’t work very well. I know I’d just stop using it if it wasn’t my job to persevere. So, before you consider your next upgrade, think carefully: might you use a feature more if it was easier to use or gave better results?

It still matters

This is why I think saying ‘all cameras are great’ is such an unhelpful statement: because they’re not equally great at everything and the differences still matter.

The Fujifilm X-T10 is the last camera I’d choose for video work and its continuous autofocus isn’t a match for the best of its peers. Yet there are plenty of people I’d recommend this camera to. Or the Olympus E-M10 II, for that matter.

The difference between the best and worst autofocus performance is the difference between it being easy to get the shot and there being a high chance you’ll miss the moment. The difference between the best sensor and the weakest is the difference between you having the latitude you need when you get to Lightroom and having to work out how to hide the noise. The difference between the best movie shooting camera and the worst is the difference between being able to easily capture great-looking footage and finding yourself thinking ‘can I really be bothered with this?’

So yes, most modern cameras are amazing, but not all of them will encourage, support and inspire you in your photography. And that’s got to matter, hasn’t it?