Instagram Web interface provider INK361 has introduced a new service for Instagram photographers that allows them to create temporary tattoos from their pictures. Once logged in to Instagram via the Picattoo website, users can select up to 12 of their own images to have made into 3x3cm square format prints on sheets of transfer material. Read more
Category: Uncategorized
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Photographer sues Nike over rights to Jordan ‘Jumpman’ logo
In 1984, photographer Jacobus Rentmeester photographed a then college-enrolled Michael Jordan for Time Magazine. The image was later licensed and ultimately reshot by Nike, who eventually used the reshot version as the basis for their Jordan ‘Jumpman’ logo. Rentmeester is now suing Nike for copyright infringement, but does he have a case? Continue reading
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Mastering The Photographic Workflow
Alana Tyler Slutsky shares with the readers of FashionPhotographyBlog.com, the processes she goes through in her workflow. After revealing her tips for working with agency models, Alana explains that there are two types of workflow that photographers should pay attention to. In this article she will be discussing the photographic workflow process. The stage is yours Alana!
Having establish a workflow system that works for you means that you’ll be more efficient. Once you have a set routine you’re less likely to forget something or mess something up. Rather, you’ll find yourself almost on autopilot and able to get through things much more quickly.
I used to be a mess when it came to organizing my files and keeping things clean and precise. I was a workflow nightmare! But over time I’ve recognized the importance of workflow now have everything impeccably organized. What is a workflow? A sequence of steps, or a routine, that creates a sense of flow to your typical workload.There are two types of workflow we’re going to look at here, Photographic Workflow and Digital Workflow. Technically all of this just falls into workflow, but I’ve broken it down into two different categories to make it less overwhelming.
Photographic Workflow
Basically this entails everything that happens with your camera before you get to a computer (or if you’re working with film, before you bring the film into the darkroom). My typical photographic workflow goes as follows:
– Check File Format, Size and Color Output (you only really have to do this once depending on how you shoot.)
– Set to Auto/Manual/Aperture Priority/Whatever (Manual for life!)
– Set ISO
– Set Aperture and Shutter Speed
– Check Focus
– Shoot!
Checking File Format and Size:
Typically with cameras you can chose what file format to take pictures in. On Canon and Nikon you have two options: JPEG and RAW (Canon: CR2, Nikon: NEF). What’s the difference?
– JPEG files are compressed files. The sensor on your camera captures a scene then packs all that it sees into one nice, neat little file.
– RAW files are uncompressed. They are significantly larger files that JPEG’s because they take everything that the sensor sees and packages it into one file which then has to be converted to open. This can be done through software that comes with your camera or a RAW converter (Photoshop has one that can be installed.)You can also choose the size in which your camera captures an image. While I prefer to shoot full res RAW files, that is purely because of the nature of what I shoot. Someone who is shooting an event may prefer to work in JPEG because their work requires less retouching, faster capture time and more images to be captured. Because of the sheer size of a RAW file, you can’t capture nearly as many images on one CF/SD card as you can if you’re shooting JPEG (Why? Remember… JPEG’s are compressed!)
Setting Color Output:
With Canon and Nikon cameras there are two color output, Adobe RGB 1998 or sRGB. What’s the difference?
– Adobe RGB 1998 is a “larger” color space. Essentially a color space, or “gamut,” is a range of colors that can either be seen by a camera/computer or printed by a printer. Being that Adobe RGB 1998 is a “larger” color space, means that it contains more colors than other color spaces, such as sRGB. Adobe RGB is becoming a common gamut to print in.
– sRGB is a smaller, more condensed color space. It’s best when an image is being used for web or something that will be viewed on a screen, rather than in print. A good way to think of it is screenRGB.General rule of thumb is to always start with your images in the largest color space you have access to and then convert them into a smaller color space later on.
– Alana
Did you find Alana’s post useful? Please leave your comments below in the comment section. We would like to know what you thought about this post. If you enjoyed this article, do stay tuned as Alana has another post just around the corner on FashionPhotograhyBlog.com. If you want to know about shooting with models from agencies, check our post on Tips For Working With Agency Models.
IMAGE SOURCE:
Feature image & images 1: courtesy of Alana Tyler Slutsky.
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Google Nexus 6 camera review
The latest in Google’s line of showcase devices – the Nexus 6 – was designed and built in cooperation with US company Motorola. The Nexus 6 comes with the same dual-LED ring flash as the Motorola Moto X and a 13MP imaging sensor. However, at F2.0 its aperture is a touch faster and it comes with an optical image stabilization system which should make for improved low light performance. Click through to read our detailed review of its camera’s performance
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Learn From The Masters: Muybridge To Witkin
The Masters
Hey FashionPhotographyBlog.com readers!
Alana Tyler Slutsky is back on FashionPhotographyBlog.com, after sharing some of the inspiring works of the great photography masters, to reveal the works of some more masters who have pioneered the photographic craft. We are all ready Alana!
Need some more inspiration? Look no further! Here are some more Masters of Photography. Tried and tested, these photographers have withstood the test of time. Am still a firm believer that you can’t really call yourself a photographer unless you study the history of the photographic medium and have an understanding of the masters – who they are and what they did that sets them apart from the rest. In my opinion, this applies to all areas of life, so here’s more names to add on the cheat sheet of names of those commonly referred to as “The Masters”; who they are, what they did and why they’re still so awesome (names have been sorted alphabetically for your convenience).
Eadweard Muybridge
Muybridge used multiple cameras to stop and study motion. A popular debated question, whether or not all four of a horses feet leave the ground as it gallops, was answered with Muybridge’s studies – proving that all four feet did indeed leave the ground. Muybridge managed to take over 100,000 images capturing the motion of animals and humans.
Helmut Newton
Newton is one of the most famous fashion photographers to date. His works are often vert provocative and erotic in nature. Newton’s images are a reflection of the sexual revolution occurring during his time. There is much to be said about Newton, but even more to be learned by viewing his images. Take a peek, they’re sure to not disappoint! “If a photographer says he is not a voyeur, he is an idiot,” Newton once said.
Irving Penn
Irving Penn is another one of those prolific fashion photographers. He is one of the first photographers to photograph a subject against a stark grey or white background. His prints are known for deep contrast and a crisp feeling. He’s also known for shooting interesting still life images composed of trash found on the street and cigarette butts. Penn is known for his immaculate control and attention to detail.
Stephen Shore
Shore is the other big pioneer of color photography. Shore went on a series of road trips and documented his way across America and Canada. Initially what started as photography on a little 35mm Mickey Mouse camera transformed into a new way of seeing when he eventually changed over to a large format camera (first 4″x5″ then 8″x10″). Shooting with an 8″x10″ camera completely changes the way one sees and composes an image, this is greatly reflected in Shore’s work. Shore is known for his dead-pan shooting style which often depicts interiors and landscapes with no people in them, almost as if they’re a Hollywood set that has emptied out for the day.
Edward Weston
Another member of Group f/64 (along with Ansel Adams), Weston is known for his close ups of natural forms, landscapes and nudes.
Now, these next two may not formally be considered “Masters,” but they are in my book! Two of my favorite fine art photographers, these guys are quite the intellects.
Joel-Peter Witkin
Witkin creates tableaux often relating to the idea of death. Often Witkin uses corpses and often incorporates dwarfs, transvestites, hermaphrodites and the physically deformed into his work. It’s dark, it’s twisted, pretty creepy stuff. In fact, it’s the things that nightmares are made of. But at the same time, it’s downright awesome!
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Sugimoto views his work as “time capsules” of an event or series of events. This is most evident in his “Theatres” series, my personal favorite, where Sugimoto will leave the shutter of his camera open during the screening of a movie and allow the light that emanates from the screen to fill the room and in turn illuminate his image. There is a beautiful simplicity to his work. Both Sugimoto’s theatres and seascapes are absolutely stunning. If anyone is looking to buy me a holiday gift, I wouldn’t refuse a Sugimoto print, or original, *hint hint*)
Take notice that majority of the Masters shoot with large format 8″x10″ cameras. This causes them to slow down and really look at their image, see what they’re composing. Unlike photographers now-a-days, shooting large format and film causes a photographer to shoot much slower, causing them to be more precise. This also means less shots taken. Next time you want to take 300 images of one look, slow it down, think of the Masters and try to really think through your shot. A quick description really doesn’t do these guys justice. Take some time, Google them, get inspired. Hey, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two!
– Alana
Did you find Alana’s post about the Masters of Photography interesting? Do you agree with the selection? Is there any that you would add that we have missed out that we should include? Please leave your comments below in the comment section. We would like to know what you thought about this article. If you enjoyed this post and interested in learning about the Photography Masters, check our post on Fashion Photography Blog titled “Learn From The Masters: Adams To Meatyard“.
IMAGE SOURCE:
Feature image & images 1-13: courtesy of Alana Tyler Slutsky.
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Monterey Bay Aquarium uses GoPro to create new open source research camera
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has created an open source camera system for use underwater to aid in research projects. The rig is composed of a GoPro camera and other easily sourced components, and is cheaper than commercially available oceanographic camera systems. Learn more
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Learn From The Masters: Adams To Meatyard
The Masters
Hey FashionPhotographyBlog.com readers!
Need some inspiration? Look no further! Here are a few of the Masters of Photography. Tried and true, these men have stood the test of time. I’m a firm believer that you can’t call yourself a photographer unless you study the history of the medium and have an understanding of the masters – who they are and what they did that sets them apart from the rest. In my opinion, this applies to all areas of life, so here’s a cheat sheet to those commonly referred to as “The Masters.” Who they are, what they did (and why they’re so awesome). I’ll even make it easy for you – they’re sorted alphabetically.
Ansel Adams
Adams, an environmentalist and symbol of the American West, is best known for his black and white landscapes. Adams initially developed the “Zone System,” a technique of determining exposure, development and contrast, to help his students create optimal prints. This technique became indicative of Adam’s style and results in the images we all known and love. Ansel Adams shot using a large format camera and is a founding member of “Group f/64″ – a group of “Modernist” photographers that shared a sense of style characterized by sharp-focus (largely uncommon at the time).
Richard Avedon
Most well known for his images of fashion and portraiture, Avedon became an icon in the later half of the 20th century. Avedon is the master of minimalism, known for well lit portraits in front of a white background. Using the large format camera to his advantage, Avedon would use the time it took to compose a shot to get into his subjects head and pull out emotions that typically aren’t photographed by anyone but Avedon.
Along with Avedon’s work for all the big fashion magazines and designers, he is known for his series, “In The American West,” where he traveled the rural American West with a portable studio and typically used a large format camera, the sun and a white background to create some of his most iconic images. If you ever have the opportunity to see an Avedon print in person, seize it! His prints are beautiful. You can get lost in them. Be sure to take notice of the depth of field and tonal ranges.
From “In the American West”
Bernd & Hilla Becher
A married German photography team, Bernd and Hilla Becher are known for their series of structures arranged in grids, referred to as “typologies”. They come from a school of “straight” photography, which depicts a scene as objectively as possible.
The Becher’s have also left their mark on photography through their teaching. Mentors to some other big names in photography such as Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff and Thomas Struth (check them out!) they’re considered one of the biggest influences in the history of photography.
Henri Cartier Bresson
Considered to be the father of modern photojournalism, Bresson is known for coining the term “the decisive moment”. Bresson is known for developing a unique style of street photography that has influenced photographers to this very day. Bresson was a believer of composing his images, in camera, not in the darkroom and was an avid user of Leica 35 mm cameras, shooting only black and white film.
William Eggleston
Eggleston is one of two fathers of color photography. He is known for his aesthetic which transforms ordinary, mundane subjects into something extraordinary – by elevating the color to be the true subject due to the simplicity of his tangible subject.
Walker Evans
Evans is most well known for his work documenting the Great Depression for the Farm Security Administration. Evans’ finds success in the fact that his images are relatively “objective” – well, as objective as a photographer can be.
Robert Mapplethorpe
Mapplethorpe is known for his huge black and white images of flowers and nudes. The homoeroticism and sexual energy apparent in Mapplethrope’s work has evoked quite some criticism and controversy.
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Meatyard is famous for his somewhat haunting images of masked people, most commonly children. According to Meatyard, he felt that all people are connected and when you don a mask, it removes any differences. Consider his work somewhat of a commentary on connectivity and individuality. Despite declaring himself a “dedicated amateur,” Meatyard had been noticed in serious photography circles. Unfortunately he died of cancer before the age of 50, with only around 14 years of photography under his belt.
Stay tuned for part two of the Masters coming up soon!
– Alana
Did you find Alana’s post about the Masters of Photography interesting useful? Do you agree with the selection? Is there any that you would add as your inspiration? Please leave your comments below in the comment section. We would like to know what you thought about this post. If you enjoyed this article, don’t go away as Alana has another post with even more photographic masters just around the corner on FashionPhotograhyBlog.com. If you want more photographic inspiration, check our post “My Top 10 Favorite Photographers“.
IMAGE SOURCE:
Feature image & images 1: courtesy of Alana Tyler Slutsky.
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2014 DPReview Readers’ Best Shots: People
Picking favorites is hard. Nevertheless, our readers were up to the task when we asked them to submit their best shots of 2014. We received over 1400 submissions, and it was no small job picking favorites. We didn’t need the reminder, but it underscored just how talented our readership is. Photos were divided into three categories and we settled on a small selection to feature in each.
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2014 DPReview Readers’ Best Shots: Places
Picking favorites is hard. Nevertheless, our readers were up to the task when we asked them to submit their best shots of 2014. We received over 1400 submissions, and it was no small job picking favorites. We didn’t need the reminder, but it underscored just how talented our readership is. Photos were divided into three categories and we settled on a small selection to feature in each.
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2014 DPReview Readers’ Best Shots: Things
Picking favorites is hard. Nevertheless, our readers were up to the task when we asked them to submit their best shots of 2014. We received over 1400 submissions, and it was no small job picking favorites. We didn’t need the reminder, but it underscored just how talented our readership is. Photos were divided into three categories and we settled on a small selection to feature in each.