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Samyang unveils ‘premium’ XP 50mm F1.2 lens for 50MP sensors and 8K capture

20 Feb

It’s official! 24 hours after product photos leaked online, the rumored Samyang/Rokinon XP 50mm F1.2 lens for Canon EF Mount has officially arrived. This is the third so-called “XP” lens—the first two, which were announced in 2016, were the XP 85mm F1.2 and XP 14mm F2.4—which are named for their ‘Excellence in Performance.’ That is: they’re designed to resolve over 50 megapixels for photography purposes, and easily capture crisp 8K video.

Like those lenses, the XP 50mm F1.2 is manual focus and currently only made for the Canon EF mount. It boasts a 9-blade aperture, and is made from 8 groups of 11 lens elements, including one aspherical and one high-refractive lens element that promise to “deliver sharp and vivid images to camera sensors by effectively tuning the light path.”

Finally, Samyang has also included its “ultra multi coating” to help ameliorate flare and ghosting. Here’s a closer look at this lens:

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And here are some sample photos, posted by Samyang on the new XP 50mm F1.2 product page alongside an MTF chart and detailed specs:

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Samyang/Rokinon XP 50mm F1.2 spec sheet

The Samyang XP 50mm F1.2 will be available for purchase in March, at an expected retail price of 950 Euro (and very likely the same price in USD). To learn more, head over to the Samyang Global website.

Press Release

Samyang Optics Launches the Premium Photo Lens- XP 50mm F1.2

February 20th, 2018, Seoul, South Korea – Global optics brand, Samyang Optics (http://www.samyanglensglobal.com) is pleased to unveil the Premium Photo Lens – XP 50mm F1.2 for Canon full frame DSLR cameras. The XP 50mm F1.2 is the third lens of the premium line up, XP series, created under the motto of ‘Excellence in Performance’. The XP 50mm F1.2 lens is expected to expand the brand power of Samyang in the premium lens market thanks to its great image quality, following in the footsteps of the XP 14mm F2.4, XP 85mm F1.2.

The moment of the drama with absolute resolution

This lens, built for DSLR cameras, has a resolution of more than 50 megapixels for photography and 8K for video. The XP 50mm F1.2 manual focus lens enables you to capture those dramatic moments in perfect image quality with a bright F1.2 aperture. In particular, it optimizes for portraits, capturing the delicate change of the eye at the time of a portrait, right down to a strand of hair, and bright and beautiful skin colour. You can express unconstrained depth with the bright aperture, while the 9 blades also deliver beautiful bokeh, starburst, and out-focusing effects. Also, you can even achieve high image quality in low light conditions and indoors thanks to the fast shutter speed

Excellence in Performance

Produced from a total of 11 lenses in 8 groups, you can minimize distortion and various aberrations while producing crystal clear resolution. The special optic lenses, aspherical lens, and high-refractive lens deliver sharp and vivid images to camera sensors by effectively tuning the light path. Also, flare and ghost effects can be well controlled thanks to the ultra multi coating.

Available from March 2018

The absolute resolution XP 50mm F1.2 lens will be available in March at a suggested retail price of EUR 949. To celebrate the launch, Samyang Optics will hold various consumer events on Facebook and Instagram. For more information on the product, visit Samyang Optics’ official website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Fujifilm’s X-mount has suddenly become a credible option for video

20 Feb

When Fujifilm announced its new Fujinon MK 18-55mm T2.9 and MK 50-135mm T2.9 cinema lenses about a year ago it generated a lot of interest. Fujinon is a respected name in the cinema industry and getting these lenses—based on the company’s much more expensive Cabrio line—for a price in the neighborhood of $ 4,000 was exciting to a lot of people.

Unfortunately, for users of Fujifilm’s own X-mount mirrorless cameras, there was one catch: Fujifilm released the lenses in Sony E-mount.

E-mount? That seemed like a strange choice to people in the camera world.

It’s not so strange when you consider the target market. Sony Super 35 cameras like the FS5 and FS7 are very popular among small production houses, budget filmmakers, and independent producers of various stripes, many of whom can’t afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a single lens. As a result, there’s a large addressable market of E-mount shooters who would be interested in this type of product.

We had a chance to use the MK 18-55mm T2.9 when it was introduced and were very impressed. Click here to read our full shooting experience.

X-mount? Not so much. Sure, the X-T2 could shoot 4K video, but came with some big caveats. Video probably wasn’t the feature driving buyers to that camera, especially those serious enough to use cinema lenses for their work.

However, Fujifilm tossed a small easter egg into that announcement: it planned to release the lenses in X-mount (as ‘MKX’ models) by the end of 2017.

However, Fujifilm tossed a small easter egg into that announcement: it planned to release the lenses in X-mount…

While that was a nice bone to throw to its mirrorless customers, it made us wonder if Fujifilm was also giving us a hint of things to come.

Now we know. The new Fujifilm X-H1 is a camera that embraces video – and video shooters – more than any X camera before.

Fujifilm’s cameras don’t have a strong history when it comes to video performance. Early iterations of the company’s video were far from best in class, and in some cases embarrassing.

The Fujinon MK series of lenses were originally released for Sony E-mount (shown here on a Sony FS7 camera), but are now available to X-mount mirrorless camera shooters.

Meanwhile, other companies, such as Panasonic and Sony, overtly courted videographers with cameras that delivered high quality footage and included deep video feature sets.

With the X-H1, Fujifilm now has a camera that’s competitive with just about anything in the DSLR/mirrorless class when it comes to video. It may not MKX-class equipment targeted at working pros, but it holds its own against its peers, with the possible exception of the Panasonic GH5/S. But to be fair, nothing else in this class really holds up to the GH5/S either.

It’s fair to say that Fujifilm shooters no longer need to feel left out in the cold when it comes to video.

It’s fair to say that Fujifilm shooters no longer need to feel left out in the cold when it comes to video

I don’t want to blow this out of proportion. I doubt Fujifilm would have developed the MKX lenses just for the X-H1. It wouldn’t have been worth the sizable development cost, and the E-mount market for these lenses is much larger. The fact that the MK lenses now work on X-mount is a great side benefit, though.

With this set of products in the mix it’s a great opportunity for Fujifilm to test the waters around video. Just a couple years ago, choosing a Fujifilm system for motion picture work was a non-starter. Today, all the pieces seem to be falling into place: high quality 4K/30p, 200Mbps codec, internal F-Log gamma profile, and even a couple high quality cinema lenses. That’s an attractive combination, and I’m sure Fujifilm will be watching to see if it gets traction.

We don’t know whether the Fujinon’s MKX lenses for X-mount signal greater ambitions for Fujifilm, but for the moment it means there’s still a very impressive set of real cinema lenses for Fujifilm’s mirrorless users.

Fujifilm’s decision to focus on the APS-C market may even be helping it here. There’s no pressure to support full frame models, so the company can put its best technologies into flagship APS-C cameras, which will appeal to people wanting to shoot content in the popular Super 35 format. Throw in Fujifilm’s Hollywood-renowned color science, and you have the ingredients for an interesting path forward.

The X-H1 shows that Fujifilm is serious about video. Whether those MKX lenses might signal greater ambitions on the camera side, or are just a pleasant side effect of having already developed them for E-mount remains to be seen.

Until recently, Fujifilm users who wanted to move into the world of video often assumed they would need to migrate to a different system to do so. No longer. Unless you really need the advanced features found in a pro-level video camera, it’s a viable alternative to other DSLR and mirrorless options.

This is a great time to be a Fujifilm shooter, especially if motion pictures are on your brain.

Click here to read our Fujinon MK 18-55mm T2.9 shooting experience

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Leaked: Samyang XP 50mm F1.2 EF lens coming soon

20 Feb

Leaked photo via CanonWatch

Nokishita and CanonWatch have both gotten their hands on some leaked photos of an upcoming Samyang/Rokinon lens that is very intriguing indeed. Meet the unreleased Samyang XP 50mm F1.2 EF.

Based on the moniker, we know that it’s part of Samyang’s manual focus eXtreme Performance series of lenses—the third lens to join the party, after the XP 85mm F1.2 and XP 14mm F2.4 announced in September of 2016. And judging by the “EF” at the end of the name, this one will only be made for the Canon-EF mount as well. Here’s a closer look, courtesy of Nokishita on Twitter:

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No word on price or specifications beyond the focal length and max aperture, but Nokishita’s image leaks typically come within 24-48 hours of release, so we expect this lens to make its official debut in the next day or two.

For comparisons’ sake, the XP 85mm F1.2 goes for $ 900, while the XP 14mm F2.4 retails for $ 1,000.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Photographer hit by Olympic skier Lara Gut during wipeout

20 Feb

Embed from Getty Images

Swiss Olympic skier Lara Gut crashed during a run last week, and slid directly into a group of sports photographers on the sidelines. While most of them were able to get out of her way in time, one photographer, Sean Haffey, was hit square on. Fortunately, Haffey was quick with his camera and managed to capture multiple excellent shots of Gut as she slid toward him (embedded above).

Neither individual was hurt, but the collision, which was caught on video, still looks pretty intense:

Oh yeah I rem why I never got into sking!! @NBCOlympics @Olympics pic.twitter.com/fsyU3zcx62

— Leslie Jones ? (@Lesdoggg) February 15, 2018

According to Reuters, the crash may have happened due to one of Gut’s skis hitting a gate. She lightheartedly said to reporters after the incident, “No, I‘m OK, I‘m OK. I asked the photographer if he was OK too and he said he was. I think it’s getting scary to be a photographer on skiing hills.”

As for Haffey, Getty told NBC that he and his gear are both fine. “Sean is all OK as is his gear,” said Director and Head of External Communications for Getty Images, Anne Flanagan. “Like a true professional, he was shooting the entire time.”

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Our Next Two Strobist X-Peditions:Havana, Cuba and Hanoi, Vietnam

20 Feb

We are back from our inaugural Strobist X-Pedition, which was held last month in Havana, Cuba. The attendees are readjusting to life back on the grid, and busy editing photos and trading stories via email.

Havana X-Pedition, January 2018

Photo by Jeremy Langsky

Our week in Havana was filled with photography, new friends, eye-opening experiences and perhaps even a spot of Cuban rum. Now that we are back, I wanted to send a quick note out to Strobist’s readership both to show off some of the student work and give you a heads-up about plans for next year’s X-Peditions.

Photo by Martin Stephens

Photo by Michael Grigoriev

Photo by Bob Plotkin

Upcoming X-Peditions

If you would like to learn more about our planned X-Peditions for next year, you can read all about them here. We are planning to return to Havana in the winter and then we’re off to Hanoi in the fall. (I am headed to the latter on a shooting/scouting trip in three weeks.)

The info page linked just above is also where to sign up to ensure you’ll get advance notice about next year’s trips. As with 2018’s Havana X-Pedition, these will certainly sell out. There are only 12 slots available for each of the two trips. And because of the advance interest sign-up sheet, they may not be publicly announced.

I hope to see you next year, someplace really interesting.

-David
Strobist

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How to Make Simple Stickers From Your Photos

20 Feb

When I was a kid a family friend used to pick me up from school and drop me off at home. The friend’s daughter and I always had a roaring time in the back seat, screaming and messing around like kids do. Then one day we were offered stickers for good behavior. And no stickers for bad behavior.

We silently collected a sticker each day and reverently stuck them on the inside of our wardrobes. We’d compare our collection when we visited each other’s houses and swap if we could agree on a fair trade. My friend moved away a long time ago, and I moved out of the family home. But my precious sticker collection remains in what is now my sister’s bedroom. And I’m not shy to admit that I do check in on them from time to time.

What is a sticker?

A sticker is a type of label made up of various materials that have a pressure sensitive adhesive on one side and an image on the other. They’re used for anything from decoration to functional purposes to bribing children. They can adhere to almost anything – walls, cars, clothing, and paper, to name a few.

While stickers are often associated with fun, they have quite a political presence, most commonly in the form of bumper stickers that demonstrate support for ideological or political causes.

How to Make Simple Stickers From Your Photos

A sticky bit of history

The history of stickers is more interesting than you might think. Some historians trace the origin of stickers back to ancient Egyptians where salespeople used a type of adhesive to advertise their wares. There is, however, conjecture about where the modern sticker originated. Some believe it was Sir Rowland Hill who invented the sticker in 1839 when he introduced the self-adhesive postage stamp. Others believe the stickers were created by European food merchants as an advertising technique – much like the Egyptians.

By the 1800s, lithography became the primary method for label making, though it was an expensive and complex process. But technology was moving quickly and toward the end of the century, and the labels became much more intricate and colorful. Labels around this time were affixed with a sticky gum or paste that required the user to lick or wet them before use. In the 1930s, R. Stanton Avery invented pre-cut stickers that didn’t require licking or wetting. As a result, stickers were used in mass as bumper stickers to distribute ideas to as many people as possible.

Because technology continued to streamline the making of labels, stickers exploded in popularity in the 1960s. This was especially the case for kids, who were fascinated by the colors and images. And they’ve “stuck” with us ever since.

Making your own photos into stickers

Making stickers is incredibly simple. You can send images to an online printing company and have a couple hundred stickers delivered to your door in a few days. Homemade stickers are a little different, but they’re more fun to make. They are also more personal, so they make lovely gifts too.

What you will need:

A printer
Some images on a computer
Plain sheets of label paper, not pre-cut
Scissors

How to Make Simple Stickers From Your Photos

Plain, un-cut label sheets are available at office supply stores.

Notice that the label paper here isn’t pre-cut into rectangles. This means you can print your images as large or as small as you like.

Method

First of all, open up your label paper. Some label packs come with sheets pre-cut into rectangles. Make sure you purchase sheets that aren’t already divided up. You will need a plain solid sheet of label paper or your images could be cut in half.

I really liked this sign I spotted on a trip overseas, I thought it would make a great sticker too.

Select a few images you are fond of. You could select images you find visually appealing, or perhaps some that hold some significance personally. Insert the label paper as you would a regular sheet of plain paper and print your images out.

Insert the label paper as you would regular paper and print your images out.

How to Make Simple Stickers From Your Photos

Finally, cut out your images and you are ready to go! Your own personal stickers ready to use anywhere you like! Simple, right?

The stickers you make are totally up to you. Find something sentimental or funny, or just gather a few photos you find inspiring.

Get creative

Of course, you don’t have to select your own images to print. Here I’ve sourced some designs for smaller stickers. Simply place your images into a Photoshop document as you would your selection of photographs. After printing simply cut them out and they are ready to go.

How to Make Simple Stickers From Your Photos

After printing this character onto label paper, I found that it made a great sticker for my boring phone case.

For this print of a cute little character named Pipo-Kun, I decided to add a layer of holographic contact paper to make the sticker a little more eye-catching. Peel and stick your original sticker to the front layer of contact paper. Then, when you want to stick your image somewhere, peel off the protective layer on the contact paper and stick it down instead.

Give it a try folks! I’d love to see the results!

The post How to Make Simple Stickers From Your Photos by Megan Kennedy appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

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Photos of Tamron 70-210mm F4 lens leaked, announcement February 22nd

20 Feb

Tamron Japan shared this teaser on Instagram, shortly after leaked images of the 70-210mm F4 Di VC USD appeared online.

Tamron is preparing to release a couple of new lenses, teasing one (zoom?) lens last week, and now another, on the Tamron Japan Instagram account. Fortunately, unlike the speculation around last week’s teaser, we pretty much know what Tamron is hinting at in the image above.

That’s because, shortly before this teaser went up, a slew of leaked images of the upcoming Tamron 70-210mm F4 Di VC USD lens popped up online, leaving little doubt that this is the zoom depicted in the contrasty shot above. CanonWatch and Nokishita both got their hands on several leaked shots—CW mostly lifestyle images, Nokishita product shots.

Check them all out in the gallery below:

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As the teaser confirms, this new lens—very likely the 70-210mm F4 seen in the gallery—will be officially announced in three days time, on February 22nd, 2018. We expect the other Tamron lens teased last week to be announced at the same time.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Crypto-art ‘Forever Rose’ photo sells for $1M, making it the world’s most valuable virtual art

20 Feb

A blockchain crypto-art rose titled “Forever Rose” has been sold to a collective of investors for cryptocurrencies with a value equivalent to $ 1,000,000 USD. The collective is composed of 10 investors, each of whom contributed an equal amount toward the digital rose. The artwork is based on Kevin Abosch’s photograph of a rose and was created by Abosch and GIFTO, a decentralized universal gifting protocol.

Blockchain technology is behind cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and rights management platforms like KODAKOne. The tech can also be used for art, as demonstrated by Abosch with “Forever Rose.” Abosch previously sold an image of a potato titled “Potato #345” in 2016 for more than $ 1 million.

More than 150 buyers expressed interest in the Forever Rose, according to a press release detailing the sale. Ten collectors were ultimately chosen using a ballot—the buyers include ORCA Fund, Chinese crypto-investor Ms. Meng Zu, blockchain advisory firm TLDR Capital, and others. Payments were made in IAMA and GTO-by-GIFTO cryptocurrencies, with each buyer paying the crypto-equivalent of $ 100,000 to get 1/10 of the ROSE, an ERC20 token on the Ethereum blockchain.

Forever Rose is believed to currently be the most valuable virtual artwork in the world. The buyers can choose to hold onto their rose tokens, sell them, or give them away. Abosch and GIFTO will donate the sale proceeds to The CoderDojo Foundation, which provides kids around the world with the opportunity to learn coding skills for free.

Press Release

World’s Most Valuable Crypto-Artwork Sells for US$ 1 million

HONG KONG, Wednesday, February 14, 2018 – IN CELEBRATION of Valentine’s Day, the Forever Rose, a crypto-art project produced by world-renowned visual conceptual artist Kevin Abosch and blockchain universal virtual gifting protocol project GIFTO, sold for US$ 1 million worth of cryptocurrency to a group of 10 collectors.

With the sale, the Forever Rose is now the world’s most valuable piece of virtual artwork ever sold, and marks the historical merging of blockchain technology, fine art, and charitable causes.

Due to an overwhelming response with over 150 potential buyers from around the world indicating their interest, the decision was made to allow 10 buyers to buy the Forever Rose, as a way to show how the crypto community can come together to do their part to benefit the underprivileged.

To select the buyers for the Forever Rose, a ballot was held to determine the 10 collectors who can purchase the Forever Rose on 14 February at 14:00 Hong Kong time. These 10 collectors are some of the leading projects and investors in the crypto community. They are:

ORCA Fund, the premier digital asset fund in Asia
Future Money and Ink, a leading blockchain investment fund and IP asset exchange
Node Capital and Jinse Finance, a leading crypto fund and financial media in Asia
TLDR Capital, a leading blockchain advisory firm
Project Boosto, power global influencers with their own dApps and tokens
Project DAC, a platform for decentralized interactive audio
Project Nebulas, a search framework for blockchains
Project Caring Chain, a decentralized charitable cause platform
Ms. Meng Zu, a leading crypto investor in China
1 collector who wishes to remain anonymous

Charles Thach, Managing Partner of ORCA Fund said: “ORCA is honored to support the Forever Rose project, our philosophy of bridging the best of west and east in blockchain industries fits nicely into the ethos of the Rose, and we will continue to contribute back to society via future charitable endeavors.”

Mori Wang, Founder of Project Caring Chain, said: “I believe blockchain technology has a huge potential to transform the entire charitable world, bringing transparency and accountability to projects worldwide. Project Caring Chain is proud to be a part of this historical milestone, the world’s first crypto charitable artwork.”

The cost of the Forever Rose was paid using two cryptocurrencies – GTO by GIFTO and IAMA by Kevin Abosch, with the 10 buyers splitting the cost of the crypto-artwork evenly, with each buyer paying US$ 100,000 in crypto currencies. The Forever Rose is an ERC20 token called ROSE on the Ethereum blockchain that is based on Mr Abosch’s photograph of a rose. The buyers each receives 1/10 of the ROSE token, as ERC20 tokens are divisible. They can then choose to hold their portion, sell it, or give it as a special gift for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion.

The exact number of tokens required was determined according to their value on 14 February at 10:00 Hong Kong time. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to The CoderDojo Foundation, whose mission is to ensure that every child around the world should have the opportunity to learn code and to be creative with technology in a safe and social environment.

With the donation, Mr Abosch and the GIFTO team aim to inspire future generations to continuously push the boundaries and tap on technology to create a better world, and also to call on the crypto community to use more of the vast wealth created for charitable causes.

Ms Giustina Mizzoni, Executive Director of the CoderDojo Foundation, said: “A huge thank you to both Kevin and the GIFTO team for choosing the CoderDojo Foundation to benefit from this historic project. Technology is rapidly changing the world we live in. We have a duty to ensure that the next generation can not only seize the opportunities presented by this, but also influence and shape its future. Thousands of volunteers around the world are working to ensure this by creating opportunities for young people to code and create through the global CoderDojo movement.”

The Forever Rose project started as a personal collaboration between Mr. Abosch and Andy Tian, founder of GIFTO, as a way to stimulate a deeper discussion on the state of the crypto and blockchain industry, which has captured the world’s attention over the last few months. The project is symbolic of the current massive global popularity of cryptocurrency, and also aims to drive discussion regarding the entry of blockchain technology into the mainstream economy.

After it is sold, a dedicated website will be available to track the value of the artwork based on movements of GTO and IAMA and giving the public a visual representation of the movements and trends in the current cryptocurrency environment. Mr. Abosch and Mr. Tian hope that The Forever Rose will become a symbol of the blockchain and crypto world, and extend an invitation for everyone to participate in the project by recording and submitting their responses on video. Instructions are on the Forever Rose website.

Mr Abosch is most famous for creating and selling his iconic photographic portrait of a potato – “Potato #345” for more than US$ 1 million in 2016, and is much sought after for his portraits of top global celebrities from the entertainment and technology sectors. He has been pushing the limits of visual and conceptual art for most of his career.

He said: “I’m delighted that the crypto world has come together around The Forever Rose to further demonstrate the elegant power of the blockchain as a technology, but more importantly, as an instrument through which goodwill and humanity can be amplified.”

The GIFTO project, which completed the fastest-ever token sale in Asia in 1 min in Dec 2017, is the world’s first universal gifting protocol. GIFTO was created by the makers of Uplive (http://up.live/), one of the most popular live streaming mobile applications in the world with over 35 million users. IAMA Coin is a crypto-art project that Mr Abosch launched recently (http://www.iamacoin.com/), in which the artist himself explores the value of a crypto coin.

Mr Andy Tian, CEO and founder of GIFTO, said: “We are excited that the community has embraced the Forever Rose Project, and has come together for a great cause. We see a lot of parallels between blockchain technology and art, and hope that the Forever Rose can become a historical point marking blockchain moving from an esoteric technology, into the minds and hearts of every day people.”

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Show More with Your Photographs by Thinking Outside the Frame

19 Feb

In its simplest form, a photograph is a representation of a very limited part of space at a very limited point in time. This article is about choosing which tiny bit of reality to represent and how that choice can make a photograph into much more than just a record of time.

01 photography tips thinking outside the frame

The most obvious elements of any photograph are the subject, the foreground, and the background. The light and the time it takes to create the photo are equally essential. In this article, I’ll be focusing on an ingredient which may be less obvious, sometimes even overlooked, but never absent: the frame.

What is the frame?

By frame, I don’t mean a picture frame, but the edges of the photo.

02 photography tips thinking outside the frame

Take a look at the photo above. What’s going on? There’s the subject (a cat) the foreground, a bench, the background (a pink wall) and a branch of some kind. So what does the frame have to do with all this?

The frame of a photograph is what separates the obvious from the inferred. It’s part of why a good photograph means different things to different people because that which is inferred is subjective.

Consider the photograph of the cat again. The cat is about to pounce, which means that there’s something going on outside the frame. Maybe another cat is walking by, or maybe there’s a delicious-looking bird on the ground.

What’s outside the frame is just as important

03 photography tips thinking outside the frame

What is left outside the frame can tell a story of its own or be an essential part of the subject of the photo? By creating tension between the obvious and the inferred you wield a powerful tool to make even better photographs. Every image has a relation to the rest of the world, even though the immediate surroundings aren’t obvious or don’t seem to add anything.

04 photography tips thinking outside the frame

So how do you start thinking outside the frame?

I will show you a few examples so you get the idea.

1 – Make it obvious

The obvious way is to make it clear that there is something outside the frame that isn’t being shown. The easiest way to do this is to capture an interesting gaze or photograph a detail.

05 photography tips thinking outside the frame

In the image above, the groom is not looking at the camera, but towards something more interesting outside the frame. For those who recognize the setting, it may be obvious that he is looking towards the church door, which will soon reveal the bride; for others, the interpretation could be different.

06 photography tips thinking outside the frame

These photos show a part of something larger. The hands suggest a person, and might even reveal something about that person. The spiraling tree creates a looping line that continues outside the frame.

2 – Tie the subject to the setting

The scene inside the frame can be tied to a larger setting without the subject directly or indirectly touching the frame. This can make the subject seem large or small, create an open or claustrophobic feeling, or give the surroundings a sense of continuity.

07 photography tips thinking outside the frame

Take a look at the photo above. By surrounding a tiny subject with a single, strong color, that color almost always feels like it continues on and on. In this picture, does it give you a sense of comfort or claustrophobia?

08 photography tips thinking outside the frame

The idea with the photo above is somewhat similar, but the feeling of it is quite different. Here is a playful animal in its seemingly limitless element, suggesting unlimited enjoyment. Or do you see something quite different?

3 – Use pattern or rhythm

By using a pattern or rhythm in the photo, you can create an effect that allows the viewer to imagine infinity. The idea is the same as in the example above, but the execution and effect are different. Here, the pattern or rhythm itself can be the subject, and it’s that subject that leads the viewer outside the frame.

09 photography tips thinking outside the frame

The pattern of cracked sea ice works like a block of color. But since it’s more interesting than just a single color, it can stand by itself and let the eye wander through the details in the photo and the mind continue beyond.

10 photography tips thinking outside the frame

A seascape like the one in the image above can suggest an infinitely large ocean just by showing an unbroken horizon. The ocean doesn’t only continue into the photo, though, it also continues sideways and beyond the edges of the photo. The rhythm of the clouds emphasizes this illusion.

4 – Reflections

Reflections are also an effective way of suggesting a wider world outside the constraints of the photograph. It’s a more direct way of pointing to the wider context.

11 photography tips thinking outside the frame

Concrete walls can suggest many things, but thanks to the reflection in the window it becomes quite clear that the photo is not taken in a concrete jungle, but in a verdant and sunny place. Reading the expression on the subject’s face becomes quite different thanks to the wider context.

Conclusion

Photography is always about choices, conscious or not. The more photography you do, the more deliberate your choices will become. Being aware of this gives you more control over your creative process. The creative decisions you can make based on those choices is what makes photography art.

How you frame your photographs is just one of the things to keep in mind when you photograph.

Do you pay attention to what you leave out when you take a photo? Do you have any examples or thoughts you’d like to share about how you’ve used the frame and what’s beyond as an element in your photography? I’d love to hear about it and see your photos in the comments below.

The post How to Show More with Your Photographs by Thinking Outside the Frame by Hannele Luhtasela-el Showk appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

19 Feb

Let me point out from the start, it doesn’t matter what camera you use. From a fancy DSLR to your phone you can use these lighting tools to improve your photographs.

Photography and light go hand in hand. Simply put; if there is no light, there is no photograph.

Sunrise - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

Light is so important to great photography I’m going to ask you to put your camera down for a moment and observe. Really look at the light. The color of it, the way it’s falling on people and things. What shadows are being created?

Try looking at these different times of the day:

1. Early morning before the sun rises and while it rises

The color of light - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

You’ll see the light change from a cool blue to red, orange, and yellow light in the early morning. It will shift from a soft shadowless light to one that gives shape and texture to everything it touches. If the weather is right, you’ll witness the same in reverse, going from warm to cool at the other end of the day (sunset)!

Shape texture - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

Budding photographers tend to photograph the actual sunrise or sunset. It is beautiful to be sure. Instead, try looking at what the sun is doing to the trees or the plants or a person’s face and clothing. When the sun is low in the sky it creates gorgeous shapes and textures. On a beach, look at the texture of the sand or the shape of rocks and shells scattered here and there.

2. High noon

Raccoon eyes - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

High noon is a time better left to gunslingers! This can be the worst time for photography. It is the same light you see in office spaces with overhead lighting. It will give your portraits unflattering raccoon eyes like the image above.

What are you to do then? There are two easy solutions. Turn on your flash is one possibility. The second is head into the shade outside and use window light indoors.

3. Window light

Window light is beautiful directional light. What’s directional? This means the light is coming from one direction, one source.

What we too often see is a person standing with their back to a bank of windows with their faces dark or the outdoors completely white. Instead, place your subject perpendicular to the window using the light to illuminate one side of their face. You can use window light with equally effective results whether photographing a person or an object.

Window light - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

You’ll want to try using this kind of light when the sun is not shining directly through the window. Pick a cloudy day, use a north-facing window, or shoot after the sun has moved overhead away from the window.

4. Stormy weather

The light changes as you move into and out of a storm. Watch how the color of flowers, leaves, and even cars comes to life during these times of shifting weather. You can add saturation in Photoshop to images today, but you will find it far more realistic if you can capture the saturated color you enjoy at the end of a rainfall.

After the storm - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

And don’t be shy about heading out into a snowfall or rainstorm with your camera in tow. You will discover a whole new world most folks hideaway from. You will bear witness to people and scenes not normally seen. I guarantee people will exclaim, “Wow, how did you get that shot?!”

5. The Seasons

Your observations of light will inform you of many things. I imagine you will start to see things I don’t see as well. That’s my hope. One other thing you might observe is that light changes over the course of the year too.

Fall color - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

For example, the sun’s position in the sky changes. During the summer here in southern Ontario the sun rises directly out my back door facing east. Come November, that same ball of fire is rising about 45 degrees further south or to my right. So, it is now lighting things from a very different angle than it was in June, creating different shapes and textures on objects in the same space. How cool is that!

Another piece of the lighting puzzle I’ve discovered is the light becomes clearer and sharper almost overnight moving from August to September. The muggy air of August creates a softer light because it is filled with particulate scattering the light around. As the air cools in September the air is fresher and cleaner giving us a sharper light. This is in southern Ontario, but I guarantee the same effects will occur at some time in your neck of the woods.

Brave the weather

People in these parts complain when it hits -20 Celsius. That’s the time to grab your camera and head out into the world. We get a lot of gray weather during our winters. Ninety percent of the time when it’s very cold we get crisp, clean, beautiful light with these gorgeous blue skies.

Cold morning - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

I recognize I’m talking about my home, but I ask you to start observing what effect the seasons and the weather have on the light in your area. Which times excite you visually? When does the color jump out at you? Perhaps you like the softer light?

Conclusion

I encourage you to observe and then explore different light to discover your preferences. If you’re excited, you will start creating stronger images you want to share.

Let’s finish with a challenge to share. It’s hard to put your photographs out there. The thing is, with whatever medium you choose to express yourself, you bring a unique vision to the world.

What is truly fantastic about photography is that seven or 70 of us can photograph the same scene, and we will typically all come up with a different perspective. When we share, we learn. My recommendation? Be yourself and share. Start by posting an image in the comments below and tell us about the light you used to create it.

The post Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos by David McCammon appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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