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Zack Arias on Unsplash and the ‘race to the bottom’

06 Feb

When commercial photographer Zack Arias first heard about Unsplash—an image sharing website where photographers share high quality work 100% royalty free—his blood began to boil. It seems, for all intents and purposes, like the ‘race to the bottom’ that has plagued the photo industry for years has reached its nadir.

But instead of just getting angry and ranting about it online, Arias reached out to one of the cofounders, interviewed him about his creation, and came back today with a lengthy discussion titled “Thoughts on Unsplash.”

If you feel like the current opinions out there on Unsplash are too shallow and don’t deal with the real issues behind how Unsplash is used by designers, bloggers, and even major brands around the world, Arias’ video will be a breath of fresh air. He dives into every aspect of this “business model” for photographers, addressing:

The legal nightmare that comes up when using images of identifiable people on Unsplash, many (read: most) of which have NOT been model released.
The legal night mare that comes up when using images of identifiable brands and property on Unsplash, many (read: most) of which have NOT been released either.
Why getting hired to do commercial work after being “discovered” on Unsplash is the exception, not the rule. Most Unsplash users just take your photo and leave, they don’t look at your profile and consider hiring you.
Why he’s personally offended and annoyed by tech startups that “use other people’s money to gamble with an entire industry of people’s livelihood.”

The full video is 42 minutes long, and Arias hits all of the bases that are so often ignored when a discussion about Unsplash comes up. Check it out for yourself, especially if you’ve considered posting (or already do post) your work to Unsplash.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Rumor: DJI Mavic Pro II will sport 1-inch sensor, may arrive in March

06 Feb

When the DJI Mavic Air came out, we pretty much knew right away that it wasn’t the sequel to the Mavic Pro (or Pro Platium) that many had been hoping for. Following in Apple’s nomenclature footsteps, DJI’s Mavic Air is kind of like the MacBook Air—still powerful, but mostly built for extreme portability, not as a followup to the MacBook Pro.

Fortunately for those people who are still waiting for a true Mavic Pro successor, it sounds like you won’t have to wait very long.

According to a new report from DRN, the upcoming DJI Mavic Pro II is already in production, and may see its official announcement as early as March, 2018. What’s more, DRN got its hands on some rumored specs, claiming the Mavic Pro II will have:

A 1-inch CMOS sensor with 28mm lens
A 4820 mAh battery that will give it 35 minutes of flight time
Binocular rear sensors

They’re also expecting it to take design cues from the sleeker Mavic Air, only in a larger package that can carry the bigger sensor and battery.

As with all rumors, nothing is confirmed until DJI says so, but the drone rumor mill should really heat up ahead of any official announcement in March. In the meantime, the folks at Autel might need to get a head start developing their next drone; that Autel EVO that out-specs DJI’s Mavic Pro Platinum… it might not be superior for long.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

06 Feb

I love using framing in my images with a layering technique. Layering is simply incorporating not just your subject and background, but adding a foreground and other levels if possible as part of the elements you use to frame your overall image. It’s not always the most straightforward setup to do but it excites me because I love an image that invites the viewer in to explore the image through many levels. Your eyes travel around the image because there is so much to see.

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

This does not mean there are many objects to see but rather there are layers of varying depths of field making the image more compelling. I’ve been shooting for nine years now and I still strive to improve the composition of my images.

As I’ve said, it’s not always the most obvious and quickest thing to do. Sometimes, I choose a location that I know will give me a variety of choices for layering. Or we will do a “walk” during the photoshoot as part of the experience, exploring spots that would give us layering opportunities. I’d like to share with you three simple ways you can use framing in your images with this layering technique.

#1 – Shoot through glass

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

I love shooting through glass. In fact, when I do engagement sessions, I always suggest we either start or end the session with a planning meeting or a chat in a cafe. Look for a window table and shoot from the outside. This is a good way to get some funky compositions, colors, and patterns on the images as well as a reflection and layering.

Shooting through glass allows you to capture different layers of details and you can play around with these details and where you place your focus to achieve a fresh or unusual image. Pictures through glass also provide that extraordinary look and feel, sometimes ethereal, that we often don’t notice in our day-to-day lives unless we purposely stop to see them.

You may need to move around a bit to get the composition right. Or have to wait until a passerby in a white shirt walks past behind you, for example, and provides that needed white blur in the foreground to get your composition right.

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

#2 – Shoot through foliage

When shooting at a park, position yourself behind trees, leaves, bushes, etc., to achieve that “observer” feeling. Make sure you provide clear instructions to your couple so they know what is expected of them before you go hide.

For example, as I am shooting from a distance and obscured by foliage, I instruct my subjects to look a little towards my direction so I can see at least a part of their faces. I ask them not to talk to each other but to communicate via looking into each other’s eyes and smiling a lot. If they feel awkward, that’s all the better because then they can laugh it off and that sort of natural expression is what I’m after.

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

Gently direction them

Tell them not to leave big gaps in between each other. For example, lean their heads towards each other with a very small gap between their faces, or to slightly touch each other’s faces but not squish their cheeks together. Get them to always be in a V position towards you or facing each other directly but never fully turned away with their backs facing you.

The only exception I make for this is when they are on a bench and I shoot from the back for a romantic shot with their heads leaning against each other. Being physically a lot closer than what is normally comfortable can feel unnatural because you are right in each other’s spaces and in reality, you don’t talk to a person with your faces too close to theirs.

But the connection between them is important and sometimes you have to exaggerate things to communicate that connection in photographs well.

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

You don’t have to be at a park or somewhere green to achieve the look of layering by using foliage to frame your images either. I often just pick some leaves, put them in front of the camera, and shoot through them.

I have also shot with a piece of cellophane wrapped around the side of my lens but not obscuring my lens altogether. That makes the look of shooting through something, thereby creating a foreground, middle ground and background. This makes for a more interesting perspective and composition having more than two layers to look through in your images.

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

#3 – Shoot through structure

I love hiding behind buildings and walls and using these large solid structures as part of my composition and adding framing. This not only makes me a little more invisible but I feel the distance makes the couple feel more at ease with the camera not being in their face and me, not in their immediate space.

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When I want to incorporate a geometric element in my image, I often hide behind some large building, columns or any solid structure and use that to frame my couple. This is a really fun way of trying out more abstract compositions, perspectives and lines, patterns and some foreground blurring to accentuate the focus on your couple.

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

However, sometimes there are no buildings or structures you can easily hide behind. My advice is to make one yourself! For this photo below, I asked the maid of honor to stand just to the left so I could use her silhouette to frame my bride in an interesting composition. This is one of my all-time favorite wedding images.

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

In the photo below, I used the long veil to create a foreground element giving the impression that I was hiding behind a big boulder and that there was continuity between the foreground and the bride’s veil.

So be creative and find ways to achieve your intended outcome. As the saying goes, “When there’s a will, there’s a way!”

3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits

Your turn

Do you have any other tips for framing your images using layering or any other techniques? Do share them here in the comments below!

The post 3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits by Lily Sawyer appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Simplifying Manual Mode to Help You Take Control of Your Images

05 Feb

As the owner of a DSLR camera, you may have heard the pros encouraging you to graduate to Manual Mode or M on your camera’s dial. While there are different schools of thought on which mode to use, Manual Mode allows you the greatest control over your settings.

Simplifying Manual Mode to Help You Take Control of Your Images

So why are so many people still daunted by it and how do you take next step to start working with Manual Mode? In this article, I’ll try to simplify it for you so you can understand how to use it and take better images.

Why Manual Mode?

If you use the other modes, the camera helps you figure out some or all of the settings. For example, if you choose Aperture Priority mode, the camera works out the shutter speed and vice versa if you choose Shutter Priority. So if it already does all this, why bother with manual?

Sometimes these automated or semi-automated settings are not always in line with your vision. They may even be incorrect or tricked by unique lighting situations. This is where you take back control by using Manual Mode. You tell the camera how you want your output and your photos to look.

Simplifying Manual Mode to Help You Take Control of Your Images

Understanding the Big Three

As stated before, with Manual Mode you have control over “everything”- but what exactly does this mean? Well simply put, there are three variables that determine the exposure of your photograph and Manual Mode puts you in control all of them. These variables are the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, which together make up what is known as the Exposure Triangle. The balance of these three points of the exposure triangle is what Manual Mode is all about.

Aperture

Also known as f-number or f-stop, aperture refers to the size of the hole in your lens that lets in light. With a larger aperture (smaller f-number like f/2.8), more light hits your camera sensor. The reverse is also true (a larger f-number like f/16 lets in less light).

NOTE: It is often confusing for beginners because the smaller the number, the larger the hole. Just remember that the aperture is a ratio or fraction so f/2 is like 1/2 and f/20 is like 1/22. So remember that one half of anything is larger than 1/20th.

Your control of aperture determines the depth of field in your photo – or how much of your image is sharp. A wider aperture (like f/2.8) results in a shallow depth of field. This means that only a part of your image is sharp, leaving the rest blurred or out of focus. Portraits are a good scenario to use wider apertures.

Simplifying Manual Mode to Help You Take Control of Your Images

Here a shallow depth of field has been combined with a fast shutter speed to get this shot.

If you want most of your image to be sharp, use a smaller aperture. Smaller apertures (higher f-numbers like f/16) are commonly used when shooting outdoor or landscape scenery.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed refers to the length of time that the shutter inside your camera is opened and light is allowed to hit the sensor. So to double the amount of light, you can double the length of your exposure.

If you want to freeze motion, use faster shutter speeds to limit the amount of time that light hits the sensor. Conversely, if you want to blur motion in your scene, use slower shutter speeds (or long exposure photography).

Taking control of your shutter speed can change your usual day shots. Here a long exposure was used to add a motion blur to the moving water.

ISO

To keep the definition of ISO simple, it is the way your camera controls its sensitivity to light. Increasing your ISO value allows you to shoot in lower light conditions without a tripod. Note that higher ISO values add digital noise to your image which affects image quality. Fortunately, most cameras now handle digital noise better that those of times gone by, so experiment with it as it can be quite useful.

Higher ISO values can add noise (grain) to your image but it is sometimes necessary to do this.

How to use Manual Mode

Now that you are familiar with what Manual Mode controls, how do you start working with it? Well, after you decide what you want to shoot, pick one the points of the exposure triangle as your starting point.

To shoot a landscape, for example, decide how much you want in sharp focus. Let’s say you choose an aperture of f/16. After your aperture is set, turn your shutter speed dial until the exposure is balanced. You can use the camera marker on your exposure chart as a guide. Theoretically, you have just balanced your aperture and shutter speed.

Start with your ISO at 100 and take a shot. Is your photo too bright or too dark? Based on the results, adjust your settings and retry. When working with the exposure triangle, most times when you adjust one setting, you usually have to adjust one of the other two (in the opposite direction) to get a balanced result and a proper exposure.

Simplifying Manual Mode to Help You Take Control of Your Images

Conclusion

Manual Mode may seem daunting, but as you learn more about controlling light, it becomes easier with time. While nothing is wrong with using the other available modes of your camera, the ability to control the final output of your vision is a great skill to develop.

If you have any tips or tricks that worked for you when you were learning Manual Mode, please share with us in the comments below.

The post Simplifying Manual Mode to Help You Take Control of Your Images by Nisha Ramroop appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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How to Use a Photography Project to Build Your Portfolio

05 Feb

Your development as a photographer can be seen as progressing through three stages: initial interest in taking photographs, development of skill, and mastery of the medium. As part of the third stage, photographic projects build your portfolio because they make you think in bigger terms. They force you to create images that flesh out a concept or theme in a way that creates a collection and a body of work.

These types of projects move you from making standalone images to creating a series of images that complete a broader vision.

Photography Projects 0001

Why a project?

Once you have moved on from taking pictures of your pets, flowers, and kids, you will likely want to learn how to improve your technique in order to capture and produce better images. Developmental projects can propel you forward. There are lots of this type of project (52-week challenges, 365-day challenges, or an A-Z project) that help you improve your skill by stretching as a photographer.

While developmental projects will hone your skills, the result can often be a series of images that are technically and aesthetically pleasing, but disjointed because of the diversity of individual challenges. Once you have mastered the mechanics of taking images, and you are looking to up your game, you need to also take your image collection up to the next level.

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Make a consistent body of work

Most photographers who are just starting out work hard to get a consistent set of good images together and master control of their equipment. The subject matter can vary greatly because just getting practice at your craft can be a challenge.

Henri Cartier-Bresson famously stated that “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst”.

While this really wasn’t a reference to perfecting your technique, it was more a reflection of honing your craft and your photographic style. It is also important to recognize that this statement was also made in reference to film photography, which was a much slower and more expensive process.

Because it’s common to take lots of great images without an overriding concept, this often means that looking at your images in hindsight shows that you have produced either:

A jumbled collection of good images with nothing that causes them to hang together
Or a set of images that all look the same

Photography Projects 0003

What does this mean in real terms?

A photographic project is where you decide upon a theme or concept and then deliberately capture images that fit that idea. The objective is to create a body of work rather than to improve a particular skill. You create images with a unifying theme, thereby producing a collection.

This is common approach for artists hoping to have an exhibition of their works.

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How does this help you?

If you want to have your images exhibited or to get hired for a particular type of work, you need examples that demonstrate your ability in the specific area. For instance, if you want to get hired to take product photography, your portfolio should feature a collection of product photos.

Getting your images exhibited will usually require the approval of a curator who will look for a concept or theme to unify the images. Without a theme, you simply have a bunch of pretty pictures. With a theme, those images become powerful expressions of the overarching concept you are working on.

A theme can be anything, but the best themes create vitality and interest in your images. Outstanding photos elicit an emotional response and drive you to stare at them again and again. In addition, using the concept to guide you, you can create a set of images that can be described. It shows that your images were not taken by lucky happenstance but deliberately.

Photography Projects 0005

My leaf project

A couple of years ago, I did a series of fallen leaves that took me a long way in my development as an artist. I kind of fell into the project because as I was testing out a small prime lens I became fascinated with the incredible detail and sharpness I was seeing. I had taken a picture of a colorful leaf and loved the textures, and repeated the approach on other leaves. The resulting images were similar in color interest, texture, and subject matter.

These were images of leaves resting on a wood surface, I then mounted the prints on wood as well, creating an interesting verisimilitude. My images were well received and I used the collection for a couple of exhibitions. I also had help curating my images and dealing with the curators of the gallery. I learned a great deal in the process about how to view my images more broadly.

As part of the process, I came up with a title for the collection and an artist’s description. I am not suggesting you should take photographs of leaves, but that project jumpstarted my development as an artist and worked for me.

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What to shoot for your photography project?

Okay, so now you are convinced that a photography project is a good idea for you, but what should your theme be? This is where you get to be creative. Ideally, don’t copy someone exactly but come up with your own theme, possibly based on something else you have seen.

Sometimes the best approach is to find a favorite image and figure out what you like about it and use that as a theme. You can also go to aggregation sites like 500px or EyeEm to see images that might inspire you. Some of these sites also present collections that show similar types of images or images from multiple photographers on a particular theme.

Sometimes your themes will work, sometimes they won’t, but if you don’t try to develop one, you will just have a collection of pretty but unrelated images. Developing a project will stretch you as an artist, create a unified body of work, and provide greater clarity to your work because you will be capturing your images deliberately, rather than by chance. Go out and pursue your vision: you won’t be disappointed.

Photography Projects 0007

The post How to Use a Photography Project to Build Your Portfolio by Mark C Hughes appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Review of the Magilight LED Light Painting Wand

04 Feb

I’ve followed my friends Eric and Kim for some time, often marveled at their creativity and the tech side of things, too. Watching people that make art like they do, well, it makes you want to try it out! I can’t dance, and I don’t really have access to the locations those guys do, but I still wanted to try it out. Jump forward and I’m offered a review unit of a forthcoming tool called Magilight by Fotorgear.

Magilight is still available on IndieGoGo for $ 199 + Shipping as of the time of writing this review.

Review of the Magilight LED Light Painting Wand

What’s in the box

Breaking it down into basic terms, Magilight is an aluminum strip with a handle. The strip has 144 RGB LEDs along it, and the handle has batteries and the controls. The handle is plugged into the strip via a curly cable (attached and included). After you charge it up (charger included in the kit) and insert the two batteries (also included) into the handle, it’s a simple single press to turn the Magilight on, and then a case of selecting what you would like to do.

Review of the Magilight LED Light Painting Wand

You have multiple options for what sort of things you can do with the light, including images that you can “print”. Or you can just make a neat pattern surrounding a model or a subject of some kind. For example, using the Magilight behind a model as seen below, or lighting an object.

Review of the Magilight LED Light Painting Wand

First impressions

So, I’ve now taken delivery of the bright little aluminum beastie, and upon first inspection, it’s very well made. Although if you don’t pack it back in its bag with the included protection tube, and you treat it badly, you might bend it. But if you have any common sense, that’s easily avoidable!

I will admit, I didn’t charge my batteries right away, I was keen to see what it could do, so I put them in and took the light out in the backyard at night to try it out!

Review of the Magilight LED Light Painting Wand

I call this Strange Fruit.

Ease of use

I will admit that if the unit did come with instructions, I didn’t read them right away! These are a digital download and include a very good quick start guide. But it’s very easy to navigate the menu and find the different included light patterns (I’m not 100% sure what to call them…presets?). Switching between a line drawing and any of the included presets on the MicroSD card that came with the unit is very easy.

Yes, this spooky thing is included along with so many more!

The two photos above are from the first night I had the unit and just flicked it on to see what I could do. Well, I’ve since used it for half a week and while it certainly does take a little while to get used to, it’s a great lighting tool.

The aluminum handle has a 1/4″ 20 thread in its base, so if you wanted to you could mount it to something. It also has a sleeve around the main handle that you can hold to spin the whole unit around and make those cool light circles. It works well, as long as you don’t get too excited and hit it against things while spinning (apologies to my 8-year-old, he wasn’t impressed haha!).

Getting the hang of it

It takes a little trial and error, getting to know how fast to move the light, what settings you should set your camera to etc. But it doesn’t take all that long to get the hang of it, and there are many tutorials on the web (you can start with the basics of Light Painting here on dPS). I was pleasantly surprised that within about 10 minutes I could get a really fun image out of the Magilight!

Master 4 asked me to make his bike look cool!

After four or five evenings messing about with Magilight, the batteries were still going. But they are also easily recharged using the included charger, and the unit can be all packed away in the included, well-padded black nylon zip-up case.

Upon searching to see what info is out there about this light, I came across this page (remember I mentioned Eric and Kim up the top). Well, I had no idea… (but it makes perfect sense) and there’s a video of Eric and Kim using the light – great!

Minor issues

There were a couple of little minor things that bothered me. One was that I should have removed the batteries to transport the unit. I think all the moving around in the case had turned the unit on, and I traveled a few hours and then went to use Magilight and she was flat. Thankfully the included charger plugs into any USB power source!

The other minor issue being that the little memory card, I think, needs a little protective cover or door of some kind. I found that if I moved a certain way (I can’t actually pinpoint which way I was moving when it happened) that I could pop the MicroSD out of its slot. It didn’t come out fully, so it wasn’t lost, but it had to be put back in and then I had to re-select all the options.

The last thing is that when it beeps, it’s kinda loud. So when I turned “sounds” off, I sort of expected them to be off, but they come back on! I have heard that little things like this will be fixed by launch.

Conclusion

In summary, this Magilight is a really fun and innovative tool for light painters, the build quality is really good (though, naturally we’ll see how it goes after 6 months) and the functionality is very good.

I give this wannabe Lightsaber a brightly lit 4 out of 5 stars rating. (if the niggles are worked out for launch, you can call it a 5!) Great job.

Editor’s note: This product will be competing with the popular, but more expensive PixelStick. Let’s see how it does!

The post Review of the Magilight LED Light Painting Wand by Sime appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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The right tool: why one photographer brings only an iPhone to document his trips to Nepal

04 Feb

Chitwan National Park, Nepal. iPhone 8 Plus in HDR mode.
Photograph by Robert Rose

Robert Rose has operated the Brant Photographers portrait studio in Bellevue, WA for almost 35 years. He is an active member and past president of the Bellevue Rotary Club, a service organization and part of Rotary International. In 2006, he founded The Rose International Fund for Children (TRIFC.org), a nonprofit aimed at helping children and young adults with disability in Nepal. Also, he’s my dad.

The emotional and storytelling potential of a powerful image remains as strong as ever, regardless of the tools used.

At least once a year, dinner at my parents’ is a bittersweet affair as dad prepares to embark on another six-week (or longer) trip to Nepal. During these trips, he’ll lead tour groups whose members have raised funds for TRIFC, he’ll check in on project sites and, most importantly, document the positive impact that TRIFC is having on some of Nepal’s most vulnerable youth.

His documentary camera of choice these days? An iPhone 8 Plus.

This came up as we were chatting about DPReview’s recent iPhone X review, and I couldn’t help but be a bit bemused that my dad, a man who built much of his portrait business decades ago with a Hasselblad 500C, was using a phone for all of his documentary travel work.

But the more we talked about it, the more I became interested in – and began to appreciate – how the phone is really the perfect tool for the job he’s trying to do these days.

The transition

iPhone 8 Plus in portrait mode. Photograph by Robert Rose

My dad started regularly traveling to India and Nepal in the late 1990s (I would make my first trip with him as a fourth-grader in 1999). In those early days, he was partnering with existing nonprofits and local Rotary clubs, and volunteered his time and expertise as a photographer to help them tell their stories.

Back then, he traveled with a 35mm film SLR (a Canon EOS 650, if you’re curious), a zoom lens and a lead-lined bag stuffed with film. Sure, film was a pain what with worrying about x-ray machines and incredibly hot temperatures, but the results were far better than what was possible with digital at the time. This was especially important as he started displaying and selling prints to help fund projects.

Australian Camp, Pokhara, Nepal. iPhone 8 Plus.
Photograph by Robert Rose

Print sales helped raise a good amount of money for a while, but as digital photography took off, the monetary value of individual photographs came crashing down. No longer feeling as though the print exhibitions were worth the effort, dad started leaving the film at home – but he didn’t stop taking photographs. He just started taking them for different reasons.

Today, between events, marketing, social media and other forms of outreach, TRIFC brings in the vast majority of its funding through individual donations. But to reach people, you still need to give them a reason to donate, and you need to tell them a compelling story, and the emotional and storytelling potential of a powerful image remains as strong as ever – regardless of the tools used.

The right tool for the job

Sima was born with blindness, and today, her education is sponsored through one of TRIFC’s programs. iPhone 8 Plus in portrait mode.
Photograph by Robert Rose

For my dad, the camera used is one of the least important aspects of a photograph. Whether he’s using his Nikon D610 or his iPhone, he’s looking for the right light, the right angle and the right expression. He stays in the moment, endeavoring to honor whatever his subject might be by taking the best photograph he can.

The resolution of the iPhone isn’t much of a limiting factor these days; even when he’s giving presentations, the images hold up well when blown up on a projector screen. And it goes without saying that even 12 megapixels can be overkill for social media and email marketing.

Perhaps most importantly, my dad finds photography with the iPhone to be refreshing, fun and freeing. And as he turns 60 this year, he definitely isn’t missing the bulky DSLR swinging from around his neck.

Pokhara, Nepal. iPhone 8 Plus.
Photograph by Robert Rose

Then there’s the workflow advantages; On his most recent trip, dad went with only his iPhone and a bluetooth keyboard. Backups are taken care of automatically via the cloud, image editing is intuitive and non-destructive. He can choose an assortment of images or video clips, write a short Facebook post and publish it right then and there in a matter of minutes – all without a laptop, a hard drive or a ton of easily misplaced memory cards.

Convenience can be a huge plus, especially when you’re at altitude, fighting jet lag and trying to keep up with emails at the end of a long day.

But not the tool for every job

Niraj Acharya, a student with hearing impairment, poses for a portrait. iPhone 8 Plus in portrait mode.
Photograph by Robert Rose

My dad is quick to point out that, as transformative as a good smartphone camera has been for his travel and documentary work, it hasn’t changed much at home here in the Seattle area. Sure, it’s great to have a decent camera with you all the time when you happen upon a neat opportunity, but he’s not going to be doing corporate headshots with an iPhone any time soon.

For us photographers, it really comes down to personal preferences and purpose.

And though dad’s a big fan of portrait mode, he admits he’d like it to work a bit more reliably and he sees the lighting modes as ‘gimmicky.’ Contour lighting can add interest to an image that lacks great lighting to begin with, he says, but when you’re looking for good light every time you take a photo, augmenting that light digitally can look a bit phony.

Lastly, as we reported in our review, dad found that the low-light performance of the iPhone is pretty poor – images can be blurry, noisy, or both. The Google Pixel does some clever image stacking to offer far better results (keep an eye out for our upcoming review), but since Dad’s invested in (and really enjoys) the Apple ecosystem, he’s hoping that low light quality is something that Apple’s working on for the next generation of iPhones.

What’s next?

Bhoudanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal. iPhone 8 Plus.
Photograph by Robert Rose

I’ll admit this was an enlightening conversation for me – after all, the last time I went to Nepal with my dad, I brought a D700 and constantly swapped between two lenses the entire time. I also ended up with some images I’m really happy with, and I think I’m just too much of a gear nut to travel somewhere like Nepal without a ‘real’ camera.

That said, it’s really hard to argue with the convenience, the compactness, the ever-improving image quality and the overall capability of smartphones for the seasoned world traveler. In fact, it’s not uncommon to go along on one of these trips and encounter someone who has just bought a camera for the purpose of this new venture, only to find that they mostly use their phone because they hadn’t bothered to practice or read the manual for their new device.

Kathmandu cucumbers. iPhone 8 Plus. Photograph by Robert Rose

My dad thinks that, while we’ll still continue to see cell phone cameras improve, there will always be a market for real cameras and lenses, though it may continue to shrink for a while. But for us photographers, it really just comes down to personal preferences and purpose.

There’s no doubt that a camera with a full-frame sensor will produce technically better images than a smartphone, but the resulting photographs depend much more on the hands that camera is resting in, and the perspective of the person hitting the shutter. And in the end, it’s the photographs – not the camera – that matter most.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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A Basic Look at the Ethics and Rules for Photographing Graffiti

04 Feb

Back in university, in an early morning class, a lecturer held up a large photograph and asked, “What could be wrong with this image?” We craned our necks to have a good look and a student said brightly “It’s underexposed!”

“Nope” the lecturer shook his head. Another student piped up, “It’s the perspective that’s wrong!” Nope, it wasn’t that either. Perplexed, a final student called from the front row, “It’s unfocused.”

“You probably need an eye test”, suggested the lecturer.

A Basic Look at the Ethics and Rules for Photographing Graffiti

The photograph depicted a brightly painted image of graffiti. The green and pink text looped around the image and off the page with movement and precision. The artwork, sourced in the street, covered the entirety of the photograph with no context but the artwork. It was to this that the lecturer drew our attention. “The problem here is intent”, he said. “The person who took this photo republished it for an exhibition as if it were their own work. But just because you take the photo, doesn’t mean the image is yours.”

As a fledgling photographer, this concept fascinated me. How can an image not be mine if I’m the one to take it? Let’s look at some of the ethical issues that surround street-art and photographing graffit.

Ethics

Graffiti is a popular subject for photographers. Its imagery is wild, free and eye-catching. Often refreshed by new artists staking out wall space, it’s a convenient way to source new material too. But before taking the snap, consider the difference between photographing an image of a piece of graffiti or presenting the street-art within context.

Think of it this way; a musician can sample other music to make a new composition. But downloading the actual song without compensating the musician is unethical and in most cases a breach of copyright – especially if the work is then redistributed.

A Basic Look at the Ethics and Rules for Photographing Graffiti

A good rule of thumb

A good rule of thumb is that if the graffiti takes up more than half the photo, you are copying the graffiti, not creating a new composition. If you sell or display an image that is largely someone else’s work, in some circumstances, this may amount to copyright infringement.

Having said that though, the nature of an unsolicited graffiti artist’s work is illegal in itself, which makes it less likely for the artist to lodge a lawsuit. Frankly though, when it comes down to it, it shows a lack of respect from one artist to another and can lead to problems with your reputation as a photographer.

A Basic Look at the Ethics and Rules for Photographing Graffiti

Because this image was written for construction purposes and not art, it is free to photograph.

Ask permission

It is often difficult to pinpoint the artist of a specific graffiti piece. I’ve had some luck googling the text of the graffiti to track down the artist and ask permission. While some artists are sheepish about being tracked down, others are happy to give consent. Especially if I offer them a free print of their work to compensate. Just make sure to ask if they actually want to be identified as the artist of the artwork.

It can be hard to pinpoint the artist of a piece of graffiti.

Graffiti and the law

A final issue to be considered when photographing graffiti is the application of the law. As noted above, you should think (and where necessary, seek advice) about whether photographing graffiti may infringe on someone else’s intellectual property rights – but that is not the only legal issue.

Very often, graffiti is placed in locations that are not accessible to the public. That is either because it is on someone’s private property or access to an area is limited by law to certain people only (for example train tunnels and government buildings). You should be careful to stay aware of your surrounding and remember that while your photography can be a ticket to new ideas and self-discovery, it is not a get out of jail free ticket.

Finally, while it is generally okay to take photos of things visible from public spaces, it is not always legal or advisable to take a photo of some things. Areas in this category will generally be obvious in your own country but it may be less clear in other countries. It is important to remember that laws vary from place to place and what is completely acceptable in one place may be illegal in another.

If you’re ever unsure, the old maxim “it’s better to be safe than sorry” is likely never truer than in some circumstances where you might be trespassing or inadvertently entering a restricted area.

A Basic Look at the Ethics and Rules for Photographing Graffiti

Conclusion

Photographing graffiti can be tricky. In addition to all the other things you need to think about when taking a photo, there are added considerations because another artist’s work is also involved. If you take the time though, graffiti photography provides unique opportunities to build on someone else’s work by making your own contribution.

A Basic Look at the Ethics and Rules for Photographing Graffiti

Editor’s note: In some cities of the world like Melbourne and Medellín (Colombia), graffiti is legal in certain areas and even encouraged by the city. You can see artists at work and even get an opportunity to talk to them about the messages and meaning in their art.

The post A Basic Look at the Ethics and Rules for Photographing Graffiti by Megan Kennedy appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Thoughts on YouTube TV

04 Feb

YouTubeTV

I’m currently on day 3 of my 7-day free trial with YouTube TV and I’m very torn about what to do and if I should continue it or not. I think that the only way to justify the $ 35/month charge is if I actually use it to cut the cord with Comcast for my TV content.

Pros

1. I *LOVE* that YouTube TV is now available on Apple TV. This is my biggest beef with Comcast. Because Comcast wants to sell you dumb cable boxes at $ 10/month on all your TVs, they make using Apple TV very difficult. Not only does Comcast not have a TV app for Apple TV (even though they falsely advertise watch TV anywhere at anytime) but they make you reauthenticate over and over again on all the individual content apps from people like CNN, CNBC, HBO, Showtime, etc. Having to reauthenticate over and over and over again is a huge pain. At present I’ve got 7 Apple TVs in my home and it would be nice to watch live tv on every one of them.

2. I could get rid of the ugly Comcast box that sits in my living room and I would also no longer need to toggle between inputs on that TV when using it. I would be able to get rid of one more remote control.

3. I would save money (I think?) I’m not so sure on this one just yet. I’m currently paying Comcast around $ 328/month for their triple play service. When I called them about cancelling TV they said they’d still charge me $ 65 for highspeed internet (up to 250MB) another $ 50 for unlimited usage, another $ 99 for the upgrade to 1 gig service (which has never really been at 1 gig, usually at 500MB to 800MB at best), and another $ 44 for phone with long distance (I’ve wanted to cancel the house phone for years but can’t sell this idea to the wife yet). So that’s $ 258/month before all the fees and extras, so $ 70 less — but once you add in all those miscelaneous fees and Showtime and HBO, I might be pretty much already at where I’m at today in terms of cost. I need to get the fine tip pencil out and do the exact math, but I’m not sure the savings would be as much as I’d hope for. I wish Google Fiber or somebody else would offer service in my area (Oakland, CA) in order to compete with Comcast, but at present it seems that Comcast is the only high speed provider in my area. ATT Uverse offers service but at only 50MB that speed is too slow for me.

4. Skipping commercials with the app on AppleTV using YouTubeTV seems easier than skipping them with the Comcast remote.

5. I like the YouTube TV interface better than the Comcast interface. I like that I don’t have a bunch of stupid channels getting in my way in the guide. Comcast won’t let you hide channels in the guide and it’s always seemed dumb to me that I’m constantly having to navigate around shopping channels, foreign language channels, unsubscribed pay channels, etc, that I’ll never use. While I haven’t used the app on my phone or laptop much I suspect that Google’s nice clean interface is better there too.

6. I like that YouTubeTV offers me an unlimited DVR.

7. YouTubeTV has the Warriors which I’d want on my TV package here in the Bay Area.

8. Up to 6 people in my family can use it and with four kids our family has exactly 6.

9. I feel much more favorably towards Google than Comcast generally speaking. Google seems to care more about their users than Comcast does and if given the choice I’d rather my money go to Google than Comcast. I’d love to be able to stick it to Comcast.

Cons

1. The biggest con (and frankly probably a deal breaker for me) is that I’ve read that YouTube TV will replace your DVR’d shows after a few days with on demand versions that don’t let you skip commercials on that version. Other than live sports, CNBC and some live news, I simply refuse to watch commercials. If this is true and my DVR’d content only lasted a few days per show, this would unfortunately probably kill the deal for me. I haven’t confirmed this myself yet, but I’ve read this in other places and in comments on blogs about YouTube TV.

2. I think YouTube TV broadcasts in 720p. AppleTV now has 4k capability. I’m blown away at how good some of Netflix 4k content looks and sounds on my 4k TV. I’m not sure what Comcast broadcasts in but on some of the content it feels like the Comcast version still looks a little better than the YouTubeTV version.

3. While YouTube TV does have a pretty strong lineup (all the major networks, strong sports, AMC, FX, etc.) it is missing CNN. I’m a little bit of a cable news junkie and would worry only being able to watch Fox News each night might move me too far to the right. Of course since every single night these days over and over again CNN is just Trump/Russia on repeat, I might not miss it so much after all.

There are some other minor channels like TNT, Spike, etc. that I could live without but which are nice to have from time to time. Comcast has way more networks (most that I never watch, but once in a blue moon I just might).

4. YouTube TV still doesn’t exempt you from ads on YouTube. YouTube has a paid service called YouTube Red that lets you skip ads on YouTube. It sort of feels to me like this should be bundled in for free when you are paying $ 35/month.

5. I think I like Comcast’s voice controls better. If I say “CNBC” into my Comcast remote it just smartly tunes the TV to CNBC. With the Apple TV it seems like even when in YouTube TV if I try and use Siri on the remote it doesn’t limit it to YouTube TV. And when I say CNBC into my Apple TV it launches the CNBC app which stupidly takes me to a menu page rather than to CNBC where I want to watch live. From the menu screen I then have to navigate to watch CNBC live.

Anyways, these are my initial thoughts. I’ll probably cancel YouTube TV before the 7-day trial ends unless someone else can convince me I shouldn’t. Appreciate anyone else’s thoughts on the new service vs. Comcast.

Thomas Hawk Digital Connection

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Fujifilm X-A5 added to Best Cameras under $500 buying guide

03 Feb

We’ve added the Fujifilm X-A5 mirrorless camera to our ‘Best Cameras under $ 500’ buying guide. It’s too new to be eligible for an award, but that may change when we get our hands on one.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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