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Godox TT350 Flash Review – the Little Flash that Can

22 May

The post Godox TT350 Flash Review – the Little Flash that Can appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sean McCormack.

Godox – the mighty Chinese brand that’s sweeping the lighting world, bringing fear to long-established premium brands. And their quality has reached the point where they can now be trusted.

Godox tt350 with box

One thing they’ve done well to push the brand forward is their system integration. Any of their X-series triggers will fire any light in the system. Not only that, their TTL speedlights can also act as masters for other lights in the system, from the mighty AD600Pro right through to the humble TT350.

That’s what we’re looking at today – the TT350.

This compact and pocketable unit is the smallest flash in the Godox range. It really is small – requiring noting more than two AA batteries.

The Specs

A Guide Number of 36 (rather than the typical 52 of most larger flashes).
Recycle time of 2.2 seconds at full power
210 full-power flashes available from two 2500maH AA batteries
TTL, Manual, Optical Slave, Optical Slave with Preflash, and Multiflash modes available
Coverage from 24–105mm in full-frame 35mm terms
High-speed sync up to 1/8000 sec
Built in 2.4G radio transmitter and receiver to act as either radio master or slave
Wide-angle diffuser and bounce card

On-Camera

The small size and weight of the TT350 make it the perfect on-camera flash for any camera system, particularly mirrorless systems. While I’m using them with a Fuji, they’re also available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus/Panasonic and even Pentax.

As with any on-camera flash aimed directly at the subject, the light is hard and not particularly flattering.

Godox tt350 direct flash
While the flash does have a bounce card, I prefer using reverse bounce for on-camera situations to create a larger light source coming from behind me.

Godox tt350 bounce flash
On-camera, the TT350 can be used as a master for other off-camera flashes.

Now let’s look at off-camera flash.

Off-Camera

The benefits of using a flash off-camera are many. You get better placement to control shadows, and by extension the shape of the features in the shot. You also can use a larger range of modifiers to soften or shape the light itself. To go off-camera, you need a flash, a trigger and a stand (with a modifier being an additional option). In this case, our flash is the TT350.

Triggers

The TT350 can be powered from:

the X-16 for manual power
the X1T or XPro trigger for TTL and Manual.

It can also be triggered from:

another TT350 (and its lithium battery brother the V350)
the TT685 and V860II speedlights.

The trigger sits on-camera and relays information from the camera to the remote flash.

Stands

Any stand will do, even the cheap Photo-R stands . I find Neewer to be great value for money, although in the studio I prefer using C-Stands even with speedlights.

Master and Slave

To use the radio features, hold down the Sync button and then twist the dial when the antennae icon flashes.

The first option that appears is M, making your flash the Master.

Godox tt350 Master

A second twist brings you to S, which enables the Slave mode.

To change between TTL, Manual and Multi modes, press the Mode button.

Godox tt350 slave

In Master mode, press the Slave button to alternate between the Master group (M) and the A, B or C groups.

In Slave mode, pressing Slave chooses the group the flash is on (A, B or C).

Godox tt350 slave group c

The M group in Master dictates what the flash does on-camera. Press Mode to switch between flash off, TTL and Manual.

Here’s a video that takes you through the entire process.

Make sure all your flashes or triggers are on the same channel. To set the channel:

Hold down the Slave button until the CH number flashes
Use the dial to change channel
Press Set to make the change.

You’re now ready for off-camera flash.

Using the TT350 with modifiers

Moving the flash off-camera doesn’t automatically make it look better. But you do get to position the shadows better, as you can see in my article on lighting. I also have a list of cheap modifiers that won’t break the bank. The 120cm Octa is a good investment.

One light

Godox tt350 120cm Octa setup

With the TT350 inside a 120cm Octa (with the diffuser on), you’re ready to get some big light from a small flash. With the Octa between you and the subject, you’ll get flattering light in the ‘Butterfly’ position.

Godox tt350 120cm octa portrait

You can improve this further by adding a reflector underneath, such as the Lastolite Halo Compact.

Godox tt350 120cm octa portrait reflector

High-Speed Sync

To get really shallow depth of field with flash (especially outside), you need to use High-Speed Sync to overcome the limitation of the camera sync speed. To engage it, tap the Sync button once.

Here’s a shot at 1/2000sec and f/1.4, ISO400 with HSS on. (You’ll find bumping the ISO helps save battery life, which is why I’m using ISO400 here).

Two lights

Another way to help battery life (and the recycle time) is to use two flashes in the modifier.

Godox tt350 dual

Set both flashes to the same channel and group. This allows them to automatically match power when you make a change.

Godox tt350 120cm dual 120

You can get double flash brackets and aim them into the center with them positioned either close together or further out.

Godox tt350 120cm dual portrait

Here’s a portrait with this dual-light Octa box setup on the left (facing across the shot) and a white reflector on the right.

Godox tt350 120cm octa portrait dual setup

This is what the setup looks like.

Godox tt350 120cm cross light

Removing one of the lights and putting it on a stand behind our subject gives a good cross-light setup.

Should you get a TT350?

Clearly, a flash you have with you is better than one you leave behind because of the weight. So for general flash applications the TT350 is great. But, it’s never going to overpower the sun, and and its compact size makes it the lowest-power flash in the range (excluding their mobile phone flash unit).

However, you can buy two TT350s for the price of a V860II. And while they don’t have built-in batteries, combined they can provide more power for less weight.

Me? I bought two so I can use them in the configurations I’ve shown here, and as a master-slave setup if I have an issue with a trigger.

Overall, they’re great tools to have in the bag.

Have you used this flash? What are your thoughts? Please share with us and the dPS community in the comments below.

The post Godox TT350 Flash Review – the Little Flash that Can appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sean McCormack.

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How to Add Functionality to Photoshop CC with Free Extensions

21 May

The post How to Add Functionality to Photoshop CC with Free Extensions appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.

Using extensions in Photoshop is like putting scaffolding on Mount Everest. The program already has more features than you probably need. But you can add more functionality by using free extensions. Photoshop CC even invites you to “Find Extensions on Exchange…” on the Windows menu.

Finding Photoshop extensions

When browsing the Adobe Exchange site for extensions, take note of what products they’re compatible with. Otherwise, you’ll end up downloading stuff that won’t install. Naturally, free extensions are less likely to be up to date. Some of the paid add-ons are worth a look, with the caveat that you can’t always try them out first.

Extension installers

You can install Adobe extensions easily by using either Anastasiy’s Extension Manager or the ZXP Installer. (I use the latter.) Drag the .zxp file onto the app, and the extension will be waiting next time you open Photoshop. (Or at least it should be.) You can also use Adobe’s Creative Cloud desktop app to install and uninstall extensions.

If your extension doesn’t load automatically through the Creative Cloud app, try Anastasiy’s Extension Manager or the ZXP Installer.

Three great free extensions

Some great up-to-date extensions are available for free. They might be a segue from an unpaid product to a paid one or have some other sales angle, but they’re still handy additions to Photoshop.

Here are three free extensions that work with Photoshop CC in 2019 (version 20.0.4 as I write).

Adobe Paper Textures Pro (Russell Brown)

This extension lets you easily add paper textures to photos. The downside is the supplied textures are web-size only, so you can’t add them to big files without losing definition. Of course, it’s designed to hook you into buying full-res textures from Fly Paper. But if you’re into this type of editing, it’s probably worth it, as they appear to be high quality.

A textured digital photo using one of the supplied Fly Paper overlays in Adobe Paper Textures Pro.

To make Adobe Paper Textures Pro fully functional without costing you anything, you can download free full-res texture images from other web sources and load those up instead. The textures automatically blend with your open image, so it’s quicker than creating layers manually. In the past, the extension has drawn a few negative reviews. But it has behaved well for me, and despite the odd glitch, it’s a lot of fun to use.

Adobe Paper Textures Pro and a separately sourced texture overlay.

Interactive Luminosity Masks (Sven Stork)

Being able to select different areas of luminosity within an image can be useful when making local edits. You might want to adjust the contrast or tone in one area and not another. Or perhaps you want to avoid sharpening noisy, darker areas of the image or apply noise reduction to the shadows.

The Interactive Luminosity Mask lets you select highlights, mid-tones or shadows, and also allows a customized choice with a zone mask and picker.

Using a luminosity mask in Photoshop - free extension

A luminosity mask exposing shadow areas only for adjustment. You can invert the selection if you want to protect an area rather than edit it.

The extension also includes saturation masks. These were once useful for selectively increasing saturation, but the vibrance slider made that a little redundant. Even so, there’s still a lot of value in being able to use color to make selections. For instance, you may want to avoid sharpening large single-tone areas such as skies. This add-on lets you select areas of low, mid or high saturation, or manually pick a color using the zone mask. You can even launch channels and commonly used adjustment layers from within the extension.

Facebook Grid Cover (Bojan Živkovic)

Photography on Facebook - free extensions

Facebook grids force you to curate your own photos if you want to create a good one. That’s always a useful exercise. This add-on set of actions works flawlessly.

Facebook covers may seem like a frivolous way to spend your time. But creating a grid of photos that look good together isn’t always easy. Even with a simple three-image grid, you may find composing a good online triptych challenging. This extension doesn’t end up in your extensions menu. Instead, it’s an action (or series of actions) that loads initially onto your desktop.

You can pick up to 13 images to go into your Facebook grid cover, and the actions let you switch any one of them as long as the layers remain intact. Whether you run a photographic Facebook page, or just want one for your own cover, this extension will create an eye-catching result.

Further delights

Here are some more free extensions for you to try:

Thomas Zagler’s Free Stock Search is ideal for finding free stock images you can use for things such as digital composites. You could compile a folder of free texture photos and use them with the Adobe Paper Textures Pro extension I talked about earlier.

Free stock photos are useful for overlays in Photoshop. Add texture to your photos or drop in a better sky.
Sven Stork’s Interactive Blender Panel lets you blend pictures together according to tone (highlights, mid-tones, or shadows) and leave the rest of the photo unblended. This is ideal for dropping in more appealing skies, among other things.

This is another first-rate offering from Sven Stork. Adding better skies is one use for blending pictures by tone. You can use a layer mask to brush out any unwanted blending.
Anil Tejwani’s Action Launcher provides useful ways to organize your actions, including alphabetically or by favorites. Note: The favorites feature expires after 30 days unless you upgrade to the pro version.

Action Launcher lets you easily filter and organize your actions.
Davide Barranca’s PS Tools lets you lay out all the Photoshop tools you actually use in a pop-out panel and conceal the rest.

This extension lets you lay out all the tools you usually use and hide the rest. (Note: The panel doesn’t float. The illustration shows screenshots of editing pane and selected tools.)
Denis Yanov’s RealLookLongShadow panel gives you lots of control over drop shadows and their length to make photos or cut-outs stand out.

This extension lets you create longer shadows than is usually possible within Photoshop.

Your recommendations

I hope you find some of these extensions useful or fun. Please feel free to add your own recommendations for free or paid extensions in the comments.

The post How to Add Functionality to Photoshop CC with Free Extensions appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Glenn Harper.

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Easter Island tourists put iconic statues at risk to get nose-picking selfies

21 May

The remote volcanic island Rapa Nui, also called Easter Island, is under threat from tourists seeking a particular variety of images taken with the island’s iconic oversized head statues (moai): nose-picking. The trend is one of multiple types of disrespectful actions taken by tourists who are increasingly violating visitor guidelines, putting the statues at risk.

Easter Island has been a World Heritage Site for more than 20 years and is home to the Rapa Nui National Park. According to UCLA archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg, who has been studying the island for almost 40 years, the number of tourists visiting Easter Island has skyrocketed over the past couple of decades.

Van Tilburg said to Newsweek, ‘In 1981 there were only about 2,500 to 3,000 people living on the island, and the yearly count of visitors was about that number. Today, the island hosts over 150,000 tourists per year.’

Many tourists have engaged in disrespectful behavior toward both the island and its residents, including walking over protected land, on top of graves, and climbing the statues. Some tourists violate these rules to get a picture of themselves picking the nose of one the head statues.

The influx of tourists is described as having ‘a hugely negative impact’ on the island’s natural resources and sense of community. Many tourists have engaged in disrespectful behavior toward both the island and its residents, including walking over protected land, on top of graves, and climbing the statues. Some tourists violate these rules to get a picture of themselves picking the nose of one the head statues.

Van Tilburg has called for greater efforts to protect the island and its history, telling Newsweek:

We all need to step up, whether scientist or tourist, and do our fair share to preserve the past. Tourists can study and learn before they travel to the island. They can show proper respect for others. They can remove their egos—and their selfie sticks—from the landscape and learn to appreciate the past.

Sadly, other popular protected destinations also face damage and destruction from tourists, particularly those seeking images to post on Instagram. Last year, for example, New Zealand officials revealed plans to place warning signs around the iconic Lake Wanaka Tree due to the damage it has suffered from people climbing on it.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Hands-on with the new Peak Design Travel Tripod

21 May

Peak Design Travel Tripod

Peak Design announced a new Travel Tripod on Kickstarter today and we were lucky enough to get our hands on a prototype prior to launch. But before we dive into some initial impressions, here’s the nitty gritty: the tripod will be available in aluminum for $ 350 and carbon fiber for $ 600 – both prices include a ball head – however you can score the tripod for much less by backing it on Kickstarter now.

The Travel Tripod series sits in a pricing bracket of its own, toward the upper end of the market. It’s more than double the cost of a lot of other popular entry-level travel tripods, like Manfrotto’s Be Free line and MeFOTO’s RoadTrip tripods, but still much less expensive than the upper-echelon of the market in the Gitzo Traveler tripods (when factoring in the cost of both legs and head).

Overall design

The Peak Design Travel Tripod (center) is 2.5″ / 6.35 cm in diameter from top to bottom, making it considerably more streamlined and less bulky than the Manfrotto Be Free (left), MeFOTO RoadTrip (right) and Gitzo Traveler (not shown). Peak Design told us removing unnecessary bulk to save space was the primary goal of developing this tripod. To that regard, they seem to have been successful.

However, just because it’s slimmer doesn’t mean it’s any lighter than the competition. In fact both the aluminum and carbon fiber versions weight about the same as their Manfrotto and MeFOTO counterparts. And Peak Design’s collapsed length of 15.5″ / 39 cm is also about the same as the aforementioned tripods.

The ball head

Like most Peak Design products, the ball head accepts Arca Swiss-compatible plates – the two pins on either side can be removed (using an included tool) if you happen to have an Arca plate that is wider than the standard Peak Design-issued one. And a dual-locking mechanism offers piece of mind that your precious gear won’t take a tumble.

The top of the plate has a small bubble level that I found generally ends up covered when a camera’s attached, but it is useful for leveling prior. Users loosen and tighten down the ball head by turning the lower ring. I was pleased with the throw of this ring, you only need to turn it about 90-degrees to go from fully-locked down, to loose enough to adjust the camera’s framing.

Stability

Historically, I haven’t been terribly impressed by the level of stability most travel-oriented tripods offer, especially when using cameras with front-heavy lenses. For instance, when trying to photograph the moon with a Nikon P1000 mounted on a Manfrotto Be Free, the camera was prone to sagging forward with the lens fully-extended.

But Peak Design assured me their new tripod is up to the challenge of locking down even the heaviest rigs. To test their claims I went to our gear closet and brought out one of the heaviest setups I could find: a Nikon D5 with a 70-200mm F2.8 lens. To my surprise, I had no issue locking it down. Even with the front-heavy lens pointed up toward the sky, I witnessed no sag.

The legs and other features

The Peak Design’s Travel Tripod’s locking levers are easy to open and close thanks to a long throw. This makes it very easy to set up or break down in an instant, something I can definitely appreciate. A hex tool is also included to tighten and loosen the lock joints. This tripod can reach a maximum height of about 60″ / 152 cm with its legs and center column fully extended. It also offers a ‘low mode’ that get you to about 5″ / 13 cm off the ground and an ‘Inverted Mode’ for when you want to shoot straight down.

Peak Design loves including secret little features in their products and the Travel Tripod is no exception. A hook at the bottom of the center column can be used to weigh down the tripod, but turning it also reveals a secret Arca-compatible cellphone mount, tucked away in the column.

Initial impressions

It’s encouraging to see brands jumping into new product categories and genuinely trying to innovate and improve. With the Peak Design Travel Tripod, there’s no doubt the price alone will have people turning up their noses. But innovation and research doesn’t come cheap. And more importantly, even in the little bit of time I used a prototype of this tripod, I found it to be more compact and more stable than what’s offered on the lower end of the travel market.

Ultimately, we’re looking forward to getting a final version in and taking a proper look at how it compares not only to the ManFrotto and MeFOTO travel tripods, but travel tripods with a similar price, likes those from Benro, as well as the higher-end models from Gitzo.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Leica Q2 review

21 May

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84%

Overall score

Jump to conclusion

The Leica Q2 is a fixed-lens, full-frame camera sporting a new 47.3MP sensor and a sharp, stabilized 28mm F1.7 Summilux lens. It’s styled like a traditional Leica M rangefinder and replaces the hugely popular original Leica Q (Typ 116), launched in 2015.

The Q2 looks essentially the same as its predecessor, but under the hood notable improvements have been made including the addition of weather-sealing, better battery life, a new processor and a much-improved electronic viewfinder. Pixel count has also nearly doubled.

Key Specifications:

47.3MP full-frame sensor
28mm F1.7 Summilux stabilized lens
3.68MP OLED EVF with 0.76x magnification
3″ fixed touchscreen LCD with 1.04 million dots
Fast autofocus and smoothly damped manual focus ring
Native ISO range of 50-50,000
4K video capture
Leaf shutter up to 1/2000 sec
E-shutter up to 1/40,000 sec
IP52 rated dust and water resistant
Magnesium-alloy body
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Improved battery life

While the Q2 replaces the original Q in Leica’s lineup, the Leica Q-P – a ‘stealthy’ version of the Leica Q – will remain available. The Leica Q2 sells for a recommended price of $ 4995 / £4250 / €3990.

Raw photo processed in Adobe Camera Raw.
ISO 250 | 1/80 sec | F2.8

What’s new and how it compares

The Q2 and original Q look pretty similar, but there are a lot of upgrades under the hood. Here’s the nitty gritty.

How’s it feel in hand? How’s the new electronic viewfinder? Find out here.

We’ve been shooting around with the Leica Q2 – here are our initial thoughts based on that time.

The sensor in the Leica Q2 looks pretty impressive, but we’re still not fans of the low-contrast, low-saturation JPEGs.

The Q2’s lens includes digital corrections as part of its design. We found little to worry about: the lens is as wide and sharp as the JPEGs make it look.

The Q2 has surprisingly good video specs, but the lack of control holds it back a little. Autofocus is fit for purpose.

The sheer cost makes it difficult to be completely objective about the Q2. But by Leica’s standards, we think it’s a comparatively rational choice.

Puppies and landscapes and portraits, oh my! Check out our full sample image gallery for out-of-camera JPEGs and Raw conversions.

We take a closer examination at how well-suited the Q2 is for a variety of common photography use cases.

Click to visit ‘Is the Leica Q2 right for you?’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Pose Grooms and Groomsmen Effectively

21 May

The post How to Pose Grooms and Groomsmen Effectively appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

Wedding days aren’t just about the bride, even though it might seem that way. As photographers we must also take photos of the groom by himself and with his groomsman buddies – whether they like it or not.

Posing the groom alone

When posing the groom alone you often see stiffness and shifting eyes because most men don’t feel comfortable having their photo taken. So it’s worth starting a conversation that has nothing to do with the wedding to relax them and settle their nerves.

Find a nice background where you can photograph the groom at three different crops: full-body, half-body, and close-up. These three crops will add variety to your portraits, and give you more options when choosing the best portrait to deliver to your clients.

For example, window lighting can add dimension and depth while the groom is adjusting his tie or watch, or buttoning his shirt. Have the groom look out the window, or at his watch or tie. This keeps his hands busy, and because he’s not looking at the camera he won’t feel as vulnerable.

When you’re outside you can have the groom lean on a wall, or simply stand in the middle of a walkway. To help him pose naturally, tell him to stand as if he was by himself and not getting his photo taken.

Also, remind him to breathe. The stiffness is often caused by the groom holding his breath. It will also help him relax his shoulders and overall stance.

Photographing the groom at three different crops is a great way to add variety to the final images.

If the groom usually puts his hand in a pocket, have him put the one furthest from the camera into his pocket. This can help make the portrait feel more natural. Having the groom look at various points beyond the camera (to the side, behind you, or even at his shoes) can reduce the nerves and stiffness, and make him feel more comfortable.

As you’re taking the groom’s portraits, feel free to joke around, talk about things they like, or simply compliment them. This can make them feel more comfortable and bring about natural smiling and laughing, as well as fill in the silence.

Sitting is another great way to pose the groom. Have him sit on steps, a short wall or a chair. It will make the groom feel less stiff, and allow you to focus on various details of his outfit such as his shoes or socks if he chose something special.

Portraits of the groom while with the bride

But the groom doesn’t have to be completely alone in his portraits. A beautiful portrait of the groom with his bride can isolate him while placing him in the overall story of the wedding day.

Pose the couple facing each other, and ask the bride to place her head on his chest or arm to bring her face out a little. Then have her close her eyes while you direct the groom to look at the camera.

Another great portrait is having the groom at a 45-degree angle, with the bride behind him. Ask her to put her head on his back/shoulders, and have him look either directly at you or off into the distance.

He doesn’t have to smile. He can even look a little more serious. But the big picture will still look romantic and show that the couple is sharing a special moment.

You can move the groom and bride from there and create variations where the groom is:

in focus
in the forefront
looking directly at the camera
the main focal point in the photo.

These will all make great portraits of the groom and help him pose with his bride.

Groomsmen

Groomsmen are really fun to photograph. Most of the time they’re buddies and will joke around a bit, which can make for great candid photos. But it can also mean they won’t take the photo shoot seriously.

One way to get them to listen and cooperate is to let them know the faster they get through the photo shoot, the sooner they can start having fun. But don’t use this trick until you’ve captured some candids showing how they all interact, as it will be nice for the groom to have those as well.

Keep at least three different groomsmen setups in mind before photographing the wedding. You can find inspiration online and save those inspirational photos on your phone to recreate or build on them. This can save you lots of time if you’re new to wedding photography.

Try and keep the conversation light and easygoing. It will help the groomsmen relax, and you’ll get much more authentic expressions from them.

Group huddles and hugs are great icebreakers, and can lighten the mood if you feel the photos are getting a little stiff or the groomsmen are losing steam. A slow walking photo is also nice to have and having them looking at each other and talking is a great way to get them all smiling.

A staggered photo, either on a staircase or in a big area, can provide you with more varied poses for your final photos. If you have enough time, get a photo of each groomsman with the groom. Keep the photos moving by keeping the groom in the same place and having the groomsmen take turns standing beside him.

Keep everyone’s height variations in mind when taking photos of the groom with his groomsmen. Taller groomsmen may need to stand further back. If there are big height differences between the groom and his groomsmen, place those who are about the same height next to the groom, or bring the groom closer to the camera. This can help isolate the groom and make him the focal point of the photo, which is exactly what you want.

Keep everyone moving and try to get the photos done quickly. Groomsmen are usually ready for the next event pretty quickly and get sick of the camera much faster than the bride and bridesmaids.

If the groomsmen have ideas for poses, go along with them. It may be an inside joke or something that brings them closer together as buddies. And they’re usually the photos they love to remember.

Also, always ask if the groomsmen are wearing something special or have a gift from the couple – watches, socks, matching shoes, flasks, etc. These items have far more meaning when they’re photographed in the hands of those who received or are wearing them.

For example, these groomsmen all received personalized flasks from the groom, so a toasting photo was fun to create for them, along with a close-up of one of the flasks.

In conclusion

Grooms and groomsmen are fun to photograph during a wedding. But it’s best to have a few poses in mind so you can work quickly, as they often don’t like having their photos taken and may tire quickly. Keeping the mood light and fun gives them a great experience, and they’ll look back at the photos with fond memories.

The post How to Pose Grooms and Groomsmen Effectively appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

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2019 Buying Guide: Best instant cameras

21 May

Looking to get in on the instant camera fun? We tried every model and think the Fujifilm Instax Mini 70 strikes the right balance between price and features – the Instax Wide 300 is our choice if you crave a larger format.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Nikon issues technical service advisory for VR issue in certain Z6, Z7 camera units

21 May

Nikon has issued a technical service advisory for a number of Z6 and Z7 cameras regarding an issue where Nikon’s Vibration Reduction (VR) technology ins’t fully functioning on particular units.

Nikon doesn’t elaborate on what’s causing the issue with the VR malfunction in the affected Z6 and Z7 cameras, but says it will repair affected devices free of charge, including the cost of shipping, even if the warranty on the camera has expired.

A screenshot of the Z7 serial number checker website.

To aid in determining if your unit is an affected one, Nikon has set up dedicated webpages where you can enter your Nikon Z6 and/or Nikon Z7 serial numbers and see if it’s affected and covered by the advisory. No specific serial number ranges have been presented, so the only way to find out is to use the dedicated webpages.

If your camera is affected, the webpage will provide instructions on how to get your camera(s) repaired. If your camera is experiencing VR issues and isn’t recognized by Nikon’s serial number checker, Nikon requests you go through its support platform to address the issue.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Voigtländer Nokton 21mm F1.4 Aspherical lens for E-mount officially announced

21 May

Voigtländer has officially announced its 21mm F1.4 Nokton lens for the Sony E mount after showing the concept at the CP+ show in February. The company says the lens will have electronic contacts to transfer EXIF data to the camera and distance information from the lens will help the camera’s image stabilization system. Turning the focus ring on the manual focus lens will activate focus assist modes in the camera, and the aperture ring offers click-less operation for those shooting videos.

The lens is constructed of 13 elements in 11 groups, features a 12-blade aperture diaphragm, has a minimum aperture of F16 and a shortest focus distance of 0.25m. It weighs 560g, measures 70.5mm x 79.5mm (2.78in x 3.13in) and takes a 62mm filter. Below is a (nowhere near full-res) gallery of sample images provided by Voigtländer:

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The Voigtländer Nokton 21mm F1.4 will be available in June for ¥165,000 (approx. $ 1,500).
For more information see the Voigtländer website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot

21 May

The post Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.

Outfits can make or break a photo shoot. No matter how beautiful your photos are, if the outfits aren’t right it can affect the look and feel of the photographs.

I wouldn’t have said this before, but now I know from experience.

1 - Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot

Before each photo shoot, I send my client an article and encourage them to read it. I then ask them to send me some of their outfit ideas so we can discuss their choices. The client plays the most important role in the photo shoot, and so while I offer advice on what to wear, I also like to tailor their photo shoot to match their preferences and personalities.

Here are some factors that help my client and I come to a decision on the right outfits for a successful photo shoot. Naturally, the outfits need to be right for the client. But they also need to be right for you as the photographer.

2 - Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot

Type of photoshoot

Chances are you already know this from the booking and/or your niche (if you have one). But in case you don’t, here are some photo shoots you may be asked to do:

Family (immediate family, perhaps with a couple of grandparents added)
Children (just the kids, sometimes with cousins included)
Siblings (brothers and sisters or multiples e.g. twins)
Three generations (e.g. grandmother, mother, daughter)
Engagement, love shoot or couple shoot
Newborn or babies
Valentine, anniversary
Activity-based (sports, event, themed)
Clan (bigger family shoots to include extended family, several families together)
Birthday, cake smash
Lifestyle (usually more informal)
Portrait (usually more formal)
Corporate

3 - Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot

Type of client

From my experience, clients generally fall into one of two types: styled or casual.

Styled clients think about every detail of their shoot including:

the look and feel they want
the color scheme, location, and any props they want to use
makeup and accessories
the final outcome of their shoot in terms of products and what they do with them.

Casual clients just want some memories captured, usually showcasing their usual attires and what they do as a family. They’re not too fussed about location or outfits, they just want lovely photos of their family or themselves and have the digital files stored safely so they can print them whenever they want.

In both cases, I still try to get together with them to discuss their outfits and plan the photo shoot.

Theme or no theme

When it comes to themes, the possibilities are limitless. But I always advise my clients to narrow it down to a handful of choices and keep things simple within their chosen theme. For me, a theme just provides context. The focus is still the client looking good in their photographs, looking natural in the context, and loving the way they look in them.

Keeping it simple is best.

4 - Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot

Location of the shoot

Rather than talk about differences between studio and outdoor locations (which are pretty obvious), I want to focus on what’s important when choosing outdoor locations to fit a client’s outfits and vice versa.

If they’ve put a lot of work into choosing outfits (and perhaps props), a location that provides a simple but effective background will work best. So having outfits that suit the location is crucial.

If you’re shooting in a busy location (e.g. city, market, funfair) where you can’t avoid being surrounded by people, I’d suggest plain, non-printed outfits. This will help you isolate your clients so they’re still the focus amidst the busy setting. When I shoot in these locations, I sometimes blur the background or drag the shutter to blur everything but the client.

5 - Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot

If the location is a park where you can find a quiet spot and use trees, foliage or sky as the background, then they can wear florals and busy patterns. You can isolate them by blurring the background when shooting so you get creamy bokeh in a very shallow depth of field.

You can also do silhouettes. This works well if they’re wearing outfits that are similar to each other (e.g. simple jackets or trench coats).

Here are some other locations you could choose:

a brick wall (or any textured surface) large enough to be the background
large murals
alcoves
corners
an old building
a row of pillars that would work for background.

While I try to minimize stark contrast within the outfits themselves, I try to maximize the contrast between the outfits and the location. In other words, plain outfits in busy locations and busy outfits in plain locations.

6 - Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot

Time of the year

This is pretty self-explanatory, except I want to add one word: options. I encourage my clients to have a change of outfits in case they want a different look. Some take up the offer, while others don’t. The weather in the UK can change quite dramatically. In autumn and spring, we can have all four seasons in one day.

So during this time, I encourage my clients to dress in layers. If the sun comes out they can take a layer off. If it rains we can do some shots with an umbrella. If we’re suddenly plunged into winter, we can add a couple of layers for a cozy look in a cafe, complete with hot chocolate topped with marshmallows.

But make sure you factor the weather, outfits and any activities (boating, cycling, etc.) into your shoot so you don’t run over time.

Your style/niche

You may have been told you should have a niche, and shoot only within that niche. That’s a nice ideal, but it isn’t true (or easy) for everyone. Sure, some people may not be your ideal client. But if they like your pictures, want you to photograph them and will pay you for it, would you turn them down?

And while you may not showcase their photos on your blog because of the niche and brand you’re trying to build, if they don’t mind then why not do it? Yes, the photos in your portfolio, on your website and in your social media messages will help you attract those ideal clients. But here I’m talking about those who want you to photograph them regardless.

7 - Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot

General outfit advice

Bearing all of this in mind, here’s my general advice regarding outfits.

Classic: Timeless style, chinos, khakis, beige and blues, nature-hues, pastels, shirts, and simple dresses.

Florals and prints: Just florals, or an eclectic mix of prints and patterns. Pairing them with stripes can also work sometimes.

Colors: Keep them complementary as opposed to completely matching (e.g. all white shirts and blue jeans). Avoid stark contrasts such as green and orange/red together, and yellows and purples juxtaposed. Complementary colors are more like warm tones (yellows, oranges, pinks, warm red and even warm greens) together and cool tones (blues, purples, greens) together. But an explosion of bright colors could also work, although I’d shoot it on a plain background or setting.

Consistency: Avoid extreme differences (e.g. one person is wearing a casual knitted chunky sweater and the other is wearing a nice silky dress). It can be quite jarring. Black and white is another combination that’s too stark a contrast unless it’s done intentionally.

Dark, light and bright: Darks for adults, and lights or brights for small children. Do it the other way and the adults will dominate the scene and draw the viewer’s attention, while the smaller people will disappear.

dps-what-to-advise-clients-photoshoot-outfits

We all have our own personal preferences and styles. These are mine, but if you have other ideas for your photo shoots that’s okay.

If you have any other helpful advice, please share it with us in the comments.

The post Advising Clients What to Wear for a Photo Shoot appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.

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Archive for May, 2019

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Using the TT350 with modifiers

One light

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Should you get a TT350?

Finding Photoshop extensions

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Three great free extensions

Adobe Paper Textures Pro (Russell Brown)

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Facebook Grid Cover (Bojan Živkovic)

Further delights

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Peak Design Travel Tripod

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Autofocus and Video

Conclusion

Sample gallery

Is the Leica Q2 right for you? [Separate Article]

Posing the groom alone

Portraits of the groom while with the bride

Groomsmen

In conclusion

Type of photoshoot

Type of client

Theme or no theme

Location of the shoot

Time of the year

Your style/niche

General outfit advice