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6 Tips For Capturing Better Urban Landscapes

27 Jun

The post 6 Tips For Capturing Better Urban Landscapes appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

As you continue your quest to enhance your photography skillset, you should look to broaden your horizons by exploring various disciplines. In this article, we’re going to look more closely at how to capture better urban landscapes.

This discipline is all about bringing an urban environment to life in your photos. Shots of people living, moving, and working combined with an urban landscape can make for wonderful photos. It’s challenging even for experienced photographers. But you’ll find new ways of expressing yourself and capturing your surroundings, as well as immortalizing a piece of your growing environment.

But how do you best capture engaging images in an urban landscape? Here are six tips for capturing better urban landscapes.

1. Get to the streets

Whilst there’s nothing to say that you can’t take urban landscape shots from viewpoints in a city, if you want to capture exceptional urban photography then you should be right there alongside it. Get off your balcony and put yourself right onto the street in the middle of life as it unfolds.

To photograph better urban landscapes, try to find scenes where you can capture the combination of the urban landscape and people. A tight shot on two people talking isn’t necessarily what you’re looking for here. This is more street photography than urban landscapes. So you need to introduce some elements of the urban arena into your composition.

Better-urban-landscape-london — f/6.3 – ISO 250 – 1/160 sec

2. Play around with shutter speed

By lengthening your exposure setting, you can create a very dynamic image. Admittedly, this may go against having a live subject (like a person or animal), since they will probably be moving quite a lot. However, if you can, taking a wide shot of the urban landscape with a long exposure can create some interesting effects through movement.

The streaked clouds overhead can give a sense of movement to your still landscape. It’s a nice trick for capturing better urban landscapes if you’re just looking to get an image of the scene itself instead of active subjects.

At night, this also can create light trails from vehicles. Their tail and headlights will streak in the image, creating an amazing photo that captures the hectic expression of any urban setting.

3. Find interesting buildings

What’s really cool about urban photography is that it’s just as much about the manmade elements as it is people. If you’re shooting in a city setting, then there are likely many interesting buildings, sculptures, parks, and other manmade elements throughout to capture.

Do a little research and learn about why
the interesting buildings were built in the first place. By being just as
selective with your history as you are your visuals, you can create a story
using photography in an urban setting.

For example, if you’ve chosen a wonderful gothic church as the background for your scene, what is unique about that church’s history? It may look amazing, but what else is behind the building, historically-speaking? You might dig up something really interesting that’s going to help shape your photo sessions. It could be key elements in the architecture or historically important locations around the church. Or you may just find interesting viewpoints and angles for better urban landscapes of the church.

4. Come back during different seasons

Another tip for capturing better urban landscapes is to come back during different seasons. It’s easy to forget what an urban setting can look like during a different season. If you’re standing in the middle of a skatepark during the height of summer, and it’s very active with teenagers riding on every surface, you aren’t necessarily thinking about what the same scene would look like covered in snow.

However, you could make some really
intriguing juxtaposing images if you returned to the same scene during a
different season later in the year.

If you have the ability to travel to a location more than once a year, then you should consider taking advantage of that luxury. The lighting, skyline, and general feeling can all change dramatically, allowing you to capture great images that you might not have even considered previously.

Better-nighttime-urban-landscape — f/13 – ISO 250 – 15 sec

5. Use the terrain

When you compose your shot, consider the golden triangle rule or the rule of thirds. You can also look to align your subjects with leading lines generated by the terrain; perhaps a bridge, trees, a street, or a mural.

Elements throughout your frame can guide the eye toward your subject naturally, or they can pull it away just as easily. Be aware of how you’re composing your shot and consider using the elements to better align your focal point for better urban landscapes.

urban-landscape — f/8 – ISO 800 – 0.6 sec

6. Night versus day

An urban setting can really come alive at night. The shadows cast by daylight are now blending into the surroundings, and your lens will pick up way more than you thought possible.

Daylight photography can capture active scenes natural to that time, and the same can be said for nighttime photography. Aside from general lighting differences, the time of day also helps create an atmosphere in your image that you can’t replicate any other way.

If you can, just like visiting the scene during different times of the year, try and come back to see how the urban setting changes between night and day. Some differences may be subtle, but others will weave new visions for your camera to capture.

Better-urban-landscape-photography — f/11 – ISO 200 – 20 sec

Conclusion

The wonderful thing about this type of photography is that often it’s accessible for lots of people. Most people live within or near urban environments. So there will be ample opportunity to practice capturing better urban landscapes. Use the tips above and you will be on your way for improving your photography in this genre.

Do you have any other tips for capturing better urban landscapes that you’d like to share? Do you have some images you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments section!

The post 6 Tips For Capturing Better Urban Landscapes appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

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Sony Positions Announcement of New Camera to Better Compete With Canon

26 Jun

The post Sony Positions Announcement of New Camera to Better Compete With Canon appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

The Sony a7S III and the Canon EOS R5.

Neither camera is available, or even fully launched. But the Canon EOS R5’s 8K video has been the talk of the summer, leading photographers to ask:

How will Sony respond?

The a7S II is a video-centric stills camera that’s starting to show its age; it’s well in need of an update and, had Canon stayed quiet, we would have seen just that: a capable A7S II successor, released without excessive fanfare and prolonged waiting.

But with the suggestion of an 8K camera, Canon has raised the stakes. The ball is in Sony’s court, and it’s clear that Sony wants to make the most of it.

Now, the date of Canon’s EOS R5/R6 announcement has only just been confirmed as July 9th.

Which is why we are seeing a carefully-planned launch date of late July for the a7S II successor, despite Sony’s general preparedness for a launch (Sony is currently debuting the a7S II for the media and retailers, which suggests that the cameras could technically be announced at any time).

In fact, as Sony Alpha Rumors points out, the a7S III has been registered for nearly two months, yet Sony has made no attempt to push it out into the open.

Apparently, Sony wishes to avoid any overlap with Canon, hence the later date for the a7S III. What’s curious, however, is that Sony wishes to announce their camera after Canon’s, given that the EOS R5 will surely maintain significant attention several weeks after the launch.

In fact, it’s enough to make you wonder whether Sony has a trick or two up their sleeve; for instance, is it possible that the a7S II successor might also offer 8K video? Or high-end autofocus? Or some other feature that makes it an appealing alternative to the EOS R5?

It’s impossible to know for sure, though Sony Alpha Rumors suggests that we may see some A7S III spec leaks in the weeks leading up to the launch (so keep an eye out for that!).

Bottom line:

July is shaping up to be an exciting month. And for those hybrid shooters out there, you’ll soon have two top-notch cameras to choose from!

Now over to you re the Sony announcement:

What do you think about Sony positioning the launch after Canon? And how do you think the A7S II successor will compare to the EOS R5? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Sony Positions Announcement of New Camera to Better Compete With Canon appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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Are mechanical film cameras better than electronic?

12 Jun

The electronic Pentax ME Super can be picked up for a bargain price compared to the mechanical Pentax MX.
Image: Say_Cheddar

There are a lot of mechanical film camera snobs out there, and I’m one of them. There’s something about the way a mechanical camera feels, that sensation of meshing gears and tightening springs that you can feel right in your fingers, which is just magical. To me, a camera that goes ‘KA-CLACK!’ will always be superior to one that goes ‘bzzzt.’

But I also know that electronic film cameras have key advantages over mechanical cameras, and those advantages don’t always get proper recognition. In fact, I’d argue that for many photographers and many situations, electronics are better. Here’s why.

Mechanical vs. Electronic: What do we mean?

Before we begin, some quick definitions: For the sake of our discussion, an all-mechanical camera is one that has no electronics in the shutter, exposure or film-winding mechanisms. It may have a light meter, but mechanically speaking, it’s fully functional without a battery.

An all-mechanical camera is fully functional without a battery

When we talk about electronic cameras, we either mean cameras with an electronically-controlled shutter, which still have manual focusing and winding, or cameras with electric/electronic everything, including shutter, exposure control, winder, and (usually) autofocus. Some electronic cameras will work at one shutter speed (usually the flash sync speed) with no batteries; for others, no power means no pictures. (Note that some cameras, like the Canon EF and Pentax LX, use a hybrid shutter with mechanical timing for fast speeds and electronic for slow speeds.)

Some electronic cameras will work at one shutter speed (flash sync) with no batteries; for others, no power means no pictures

Got it? Good! Let’s dive in and talk about the advantages of electronics, then we’ll revisit a few of the arguments in favor of mechanicals.

Why electronic cameras are better

You’d be hard-pressed to spend more than $ 75 on an electronic Ricoh KR-10 with lens.
Image: Arapaoa Moffat

Electronic cameras have fewer moving parts than mechanical cameras.

This is one of the main reasons camera manufacturers moved to electronics in the first place: The complexity of the mechanism is greatly reduced. Mechanical cameras are clockwork marvels, filled with minuscule gears, levers, springs, cords and chains – moving parts that can wear out, disengage, clog up or break. Electronic cameras replace a lot of these intricate bits with non-moving solid-state electronics, which are simpler, more robust and generally more reliable. From the manufacturer’s perspective, electronics make the cameras cheaper to build. From the photographer’s perspective, electronics mean fewer things to go wrong.

From the manufacturer’s perspective, electronics make the cameras cheaper to build. From the photographer’s perspective, electronics mean fewer things to go wrong

Electronic cameras rarely go out of adjustment.

One of the problems with a mechanical shutter-timing mechanism is that it’s subject to wear, degraded lubrication, and temperature variations. After a while, your 1/250 shutter setting no longer delivers a 1/250 second exposure. (Hence the ‘A’ in the common CLA service – cleaning, lubrication and adjustment.) With an electronic shutter, the timing is done by solid-state bits that are not prone to such discrepancies.

That’s not to say electronic shutters are always perfect; they still have moving parts that can be affected by dirty electromagnets or dried-up lubricant. But they tend to stay pretty darn close to the mark. If a forty-year-old electronic camera is working, it’s probably working correctly – and will likely be shooting more accurate than an older mechanical camera that hasn’t been serviced.

Electronic cameras can deliver more precise exposures than mechanical cameras.

With a mechanical camera, you’re generally locked into pre-set full-stop shutter speeds – 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, etc. Same with an electronic camera in manual mode. But electronic cameras with an automatic exposure setting can take advantage of one of the key benefits of an electronic shutter: Infinitely variable speed settings. If the meter decides the ideal shutter speed is, say, 1/300 of a second, that’s how long the shutter will stay open. 1/75 sec ? No problem. 1/854 sec? Sure! They can fine-tune your exposure in a way that a mechanical camera can’t, which is especially critical if you’re shooting with slide or technical film.

The electronic Nikon FE2 sells for about half the price of the mechanical FM2.
Image: Paul1513

Electronic cameras have faster top and sync speeds than mechanical cameras.

The camera with the fastest purely mechanical shutter I know of is the Nikon FM3A, which tops out at 1/4000th of a second, but that’s atypical; most mechanical cameras stop at 1/1000 sec, and some ‘pro’ models at 1/2000 sec. So did early electronic cameras, but advances in electronics and curtain materials meant faster speeds, and many electronic cameras top out at 1/4000 or (in very high-end models) 1/8000 sec. The speed champ is the Minolta Maxxum 9, which can snap off an exposure in 1/12,000 sec.

Fast shutters are usually associated with action photography, but they are handy for casual shooters as well: If you’re running 400 speed film and the sun comes out, you can still shoot at wide apertures. Electronic shutters also give you faster flash sync speeds, typically 1/125 sec to 1/250 sec versus 1/60 sec for most mechanical shutters. Again, that’s one or two more stops of flexibility, allowing you to use a wider aperture for outdoor portraits with fill flash.

Electronic shutters also give you faster flash sync speeds, typically 1/125 sec to 1/250 sec versus 1/60 sec for most mechanical shutters

Finally, my favorite:

Electronic cameras are usually less expensive.

Electronic cameras are the bargains of the used-film-camera market. Nikon’s all-mechanical FM2 typically sells for twice as much as its electronic-shutter counterpart, the FE2. Same for the mechanical Pentax MX and the electronic ME Super.

And the more electronic you go, the better the prices get. The Nikon N8008, a “prosumer” camera one notch below the vaunted F4, sold for $ 600-$ 800 when new, but today you can buy them for $ 10-$ 50. Minolta’s excellent Maxxum/Dynax autofocus cameras of the 1990s can easily be bought for $ 20-$ 50 in good operating order with a Minolta lens – not just the low-end consumer models, but fully-featured high-end cameras as well.

Why mechanical cameras are better

We’ve covered the advantages of electronic cameras. What about the arguments in favor of mechanical cameras? Let’s discuss a few.

A Nikon ad from the 80’s showing a mix of electronic, mechanical and hybrid cameras.
Image: Nester

Mechanical cameras work without batteries.

This is true, though I’ve personally never seen it as a real advantage (although I can understand how those who have found themselves on the losing end of a dying digital camera battery would). The story I’ve heard is of a professional photographer on a once-in-a-lifetime shoot atop an icy mountain. Suddenly their camera’s battery dies – but they have a mechanical camera, so they can go right on shooting! Fine – but that’s a niche use-case. Most of us aren’t going to be shooting regularly in situations where batteries degrade fast (like extreme cold) or in places where spares aren’t easily available.

The more likely explanation for the cult of the battery-less camera is that pros mistrusted electronics when they first came out, which is a natural human reaction to anything new and unfamiliar. Within a few years, once they realized that electronics were not evil, those same professionals were relying on battery-reliant cameras like the Nikon F4/F5 and Canon EOS-1.

All-mechanical cameras are fabulous beasties and a treat to use. But manual-wind, manual-focus cameras with electronic shutters give you most of that same feel.

Besides, while it’s true a mechanical camera will work without the batteries, its meter won’t, and who wants to shoot without a meter? Sure, you can use an external meter/phone app or ‘Sunny 16’, but there’s no need for a fallback when spare batteries are cheap and easy to carry. Remember that electronic cameras that use button batteries go years on one set, and autofocus cameras that use AAs or lithium ions should give you a few dozen rolls and a warning before the batteries die. So yes, this argument is valid, but I don’t think it’s very relevant.

Mechanical cameras are more repairable.

There is some truth to this. One of the reasons older electronic cameras can fail is that their flexible printed circuit boards can crack with age. When new parts aren’t available, repair shops rely on donor cameras, which may have the same age-related issues. But not all problems with electronic cameras are insoluble – some repairs require a bit of soldering, and other failures are mechanical, not electrical, and involve the same types of issues to which mechanical cameras are prone.

Even if a given camera cannot be repaired, remember those low replacement costs. I’ve had two cameras cleaned and repaired at a cost of around $ 100 each– worth it for more expensive cameras. But if it’s my Minolta 400si or Ricoh KR-10 that breaks, for that same $ 100 I could buy 3 or 4 replacement bodies in working condition.

Mechanical cameras have more ‘soul’.

You’ll get no argument from me there. All-mechanical cameras are fabulous beasties and a treat to use. But manual-wind, manual-focus cameras with electronic shutters give you most of that same feel. And while autofocus, auto-wind cameras don’t feel the same, using them is a unique experience that I have grown to appreciate.

The mechanical Pentax MX (shown with accessory grip) is a joy to shoot with.
Image: Wikipedia

Bottom line

Mechanical cameras are great, and they have their advantages, and disadvantages. Electronic cameras, meanwhile, are the unsung heroes: They are generally cheaper to buy, more likely to give you accurate exposures, and if they aren’t always easily repairable, they are usually easily (and cheaply) replaceable. There’s a reason all camera manufacturers embraced electronics. We, as film photographers, ought to embrace them as well.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Top Tips for Capturing Better Aerial Photos

11 Jun

The post Top Tips for Capturing Better Aerial Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

Up, up and away! For most people, taking a scenic flight is not an everyday occurrence. In fact, for most of us, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. If you plan on taking to the skies to capture some aerial shots, what gear should you take and how should you prepare for the experience so that you capture better aerial photos?

Better aerial photos — The northern Gold Coast photographed from a seaplane.

In the space of six weeks in 2017, I was lucky enough to take aerial photos from three different modes of transport: a hot air balloon, a seaplane, and a helicopter. Below is my guide to taking better aerial photos.

What gear should I take?

This is probably the first question you’ll ask yourself. The
answer largely depends on a few factors: what kind of flight you’re taking, how
much room you’ll have, and what kind of shots you want to take.

The gear you have available to you may also depend when and
where you’re taking the flight. For example, if you’re doing a scenic flight as
part of an overseas trip, you will probably have a smaller number of lenses to
choose from than if you were at home.

A good starting point for aerial photography is taking one camera body with a zoom lens, for example, an 18-55mm or 24-70mm. My go-to zoom lens is the Fujifilm XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS, which has a full-frame equivalent focal range of 27-82mm.

Lenses like this are quite compact and suited to even the tightest of spaces. It also has optical image stabilization, which helps to keep images nice and sharp. I took almost all of the images in this article with that lens.

This focal length is also very handy if you wish to take photos of your companions, or images of the aircraft before, during, and after the flight.

Depending on the circumstances, a longer lens might be your preference – just make sure you have enough room to maneuver. In a hot air balloon? No problem. In a small plane? Maybe not.

Top Tips for Capturing Better Aerial Photos — Don’t forget to take photos of your companions on the flight!

If I was going on a flight where I knew I would have more room to maneuver, such as a doors-off helicopter ride, I would take a longer telephoto lens with the same maximum aperture (f2.8 or f4) throughout the range, such as the Fujifilm XF 50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR lens.

If you want the best of both worlds, consider taking two bodies with two zoom lenses – I wouldn’t recommend trying to change lenses while airborne.

Have your gear ready

One thing you must do to take better aerial photos is prepare. Check and double-check your gear the night before your flight. Halfway through a once-in-a-lifetime balloon ride is not the time to discover you’ve run out of space on your memory card or you’ve had the ISO set to 6400.

Mistakes happen, we’ve all made them. However, you can minimize your risk by having a list of things to double-check before your flight. Here’s what I check:

Check image format: JPG+RAW.
Check film simulation: especially if you’re shooting JPG only.
Check your ISO settings. If you’re using Auto ISO, check to make sure the settings are suitable for your flight.
Format your SD cards ready for use beforehand. Take a couple of test shots to make sure everything is working okay.
If you have a second SD card slot, use it. Consider writing RAW images to one SD and JPGs to the other.
Choose a fast SD card. If you’re taking continuous shots on a slower card, there can sometimes be a delay before you can take more shots as the camera tries to catch up writing images to the slow SD card. You want to avoid this on a scenic flight.
Use a 64gb or 128gb memory card if possible. You don’t want to find out halfway through your flight that you’ve run out of space, and you need to delete shots or find another memory card.
Make sure your batteries are charged.
Have spare batteries and SD cards just in case.

Visualize your shots beforehand

Look at the images posted on your flight operator’s website and social media – this will give you a rough idea of the types of shots that are possible. Have these types of images in mind before you take your flight. You can also contact the flight operator if there’s a particular landmark you wish to photograph, or if you’d like advice on the best place to position yourself in the aircraft.

There are many variables with flying, though, so perhaps on the day the flight, the shot you have in mind won’t be possible. Keep an open mind, and don’t be upset if you don’t nail it. I always look upon a flight as a fun thing to do, and if I get some good photos out of it, that’s a bonus.

Shooting mode

I’ve taken photos in the air in both shutter priority and aperture priority modes. In shutter priority mode, I’d start off by setting my shutter speed to a minimum of 1/500 second. This should keep your images sharp if you’re in a fast-moving aircraft on a bright, sunny day. Your ISO will depend on how bright the conditions are.

As always, check and review your images and change your settings as the conditions dictate.

Balloons on the Gold Coast — Hot air balloons inflating.

In aperture priority mode, I’d start off by having my aperture at f/4 and my ISO to 400. I’d then take a test shot to see what shutter speed the camera is choosing. Again, these settings depend on the conditions, but you’ll want to aim for a fast shutter speed, above 1/500 second. If the shutter speed is as high as 1/4000 second, you could lower your ISO to 200 or change your aperture to f/5.6 or f/8. If your shutter speed is under 1/500 second, you’ll need to bump up your ISO and experiment.

The advice above is for fast-moving aircraft. If you’re
floating along in a hot air balloon, you don’t need to worry about shutter
speeds as much.

Look for other opportunities

A helicopter on a landing pad, hot air balloons being inflated or deflated, seaplanes on the water – taking better aerial photos is also about looking for shots you can take before and after the flight.

Case study 1: Hot air balloon

There’s nothing better than floating high above the landscape in a hot air balloon, and nothing worse than setting your alarm for 3.45 am to get up for it! Although you may not be feeling it so early in the morning, a hot air adventure is worth getting up early for. It’s one of the most magical things I’ve ever done.

A balloon ride is the easiest aerial adventure to undertake with a camera. For it to take place, you need good weather. You also have a guaranteed space at the edge of the basket with clear uninterrupted views – and no window glass. Best of all, the balloon moves at a relatively slow pace, so it’s not as much of a challenge as a plane or helicopter.

Tips for better aerial photos — Hot air balloon floating above rural Queensland.

My balloon ride took place inland from the Gold Coast in Australia. I mostly shot with my Fujifilm XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS lens, but also took the wider 10-24mm lens for some shots of the balloons inflating.

Make sure you have a secure strap on every camera you take
with you – the last thing you want to do is drop your camera overboard.

Case study 2: Seaplane

A few days after my balloon ride, I was joined by my family for a seaplane ride. We flew from the northern Gold Coast to nearby South Stradbroke Island, where we spent two nights glamping. The flight left Southport, headed south over Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, then we turned inland and headed north towards our destination.

Space was quite restricted inside the aircraft. I didn’t have a perfect angle of view in every direction, but I still managed to get some shots I liked. As it was so bright, shutter speeds were very high.

A couple of issues I had to deal with when shooting were the reflections off the windows and ensuring the wings of the aircraft weren’t in my images. I also got a little airsick, which wasn’t fun.

Some photographers swear by circular polarizing filters to cut reflections from windows – this is certainly something I will try in the future. Just be aware that it does cut the amount of light that reaches your sensor, but on the seaplane flight, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Case study 3: Helicopter

A few weeks later, I took a magical trip to the Faroe Islands.

The highlight was taking an Atlantic Airways helicopter from the main international airport to the remote island of Mykines, where there are spectacular colonies of puffins and other birds.

A village in the Faroe Islands taken from a helicopter. — A village in the Faroe Islands, shortly after take-off.

In the terminal, you’re given a safety briefing before heading out to the tarmac by bus. I made sure I was the last person getting on the bus, so I was the first person out. I then managed to secure a window seat in the helicopter. I didn’t mind which side of the helicopter I was on, as there were great views on either side.

The flight lasts just 11 minutes, so opportunities for taking images are limited. On this flight, I had window reflections again, but this time I also had the added problem of heat coming off the helicopter into the cold European air marring my view occasionally.

I still managed to get some photos I was happy with. However, as I’ve said before, think of any photos as a bonus, rather than the reason you take the flight. As always, look for other photographic opportunities – I took some photos of the helicopter on the landing pad at Mykines.

Your guide to better aerial photos — The stunning coastline of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic.

Conclusion

An aerial adventure is a lot of fun, but make sure you’re prepared before you take off. A zoom lens with a wide-to-mid focal range should be perfect, but make sure you use a large capacity, fast SD card. Also, make sure you prepare the night before your flight and ensure all your equipment and settings are ready to go.

The most important piece of advice is to have fun and enjoy your time in the air. Don’t spend the entire flight looking through your viewfinder.

I hope this helps you capture better aerial photos on your next flight. Remember to think of them as a bonus, rather than the main reason you took the flight.

Feel free to share any of your aerial photography stories or photos with us in the comments.

The post Top Tips for Capturing Better Aerial Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

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DPReview TV: Behind the scenes – telling a better story through cinematography

16 May

This week, Jordan takes us behind the scenes of his short feature film, A Walk Down to Water. He and director Levi Holwell discuss the gear they chose for the production, as well as the importance of camera movement in storytelling.

Want to see the entire film? You can watch it here.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

Jordan needs a haircut
Introducing Director Levi Holwell
Lenses we used
Cameras we used
Lighting techniques
Camera movement
Thanks
Support your local independent theater!

Watch the film: A Walk Down to Water

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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DPReview TV: Take better indoor portraits with natural light

30 Apr

Want to shoot some portraits with great lighting while stuck at home? We show you how – and you probably won’t need any new gear to do it! If Chris and Jordan can light a scene with a Rubbermaid container lid, so can you.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

Introduction
Window light
Reflecting fill light
Negative fill
Overexposing windows
Controlling background light
Three easy poses
For more info…

Sample gallery from this episode

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_4339752453″,”galleryId”:”4339752453″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Rogue releases new FlashBender v3 with better compatibility and improved usability

28 Mar

Rogue Photographic Design has released a new version of its popular FlashBender shapeable reflectors and softboxes for speedlights. The FlashBender v3 (shown above in the large size) incorporates numerous new features and improvements when compared to the v2, including a new internal mesh structure, quick-release buckle and more.

While the FlashBender v2 was compatible with strobes and speedlights of many sizes, the new v3 has been designed for even more compatibility. With its new grippier attachment strap, the v3 can fit strobes as small as 17cm (6.7″) and as large as 43cm (17″). The v2 could fit flashes and strobes from 19cm (7.5″) to just under 25cm (9.75″).

Rogue lists a variety of compatible flashes on its website, including speedlights from Canon, Godox, Nikon, Nissin, Olympus, Profoto and Sony. The mount is incorporated into the FlashBender v3 itself, so there’s no need for additional accessories or mounts when attaching the v3 to your flash.

With its new internal mesh structure, the FlashBender v3 can be more easily shaped to your needs and is better at maintaining its position. Compared to the v2, the FlashBender v3 makes it easier to shape and direct light where you need it.

Compared to the Rogue FlashBender v2 (left), the FlashBender v3 (right) has an improved strap and quick-release buckle. The new v3 is also compatible with a wider range of flashes and strobes than its predecessor. With its new internal mesh structure, the FlashBender v3 allows for better control over the direction of light than the v2 as well.

The FlashBender v3 maintains the same compact form factor as its predecessor, ensuring that you can easily fold it in half to pack it away when transporting your gear. To make the FlashBender v3 even easier to use, it incorporates a new quick-release buckle. One minor tradeoff for the improved usability and design is that the FlashBender v3 weighs slightly more than its predecessor. For example, the FlashBender v3 Large Reflector weighs 170g (6oz), whereas the v2 weighs 135g (4.8oz).

For those unfamiliar with the Rogue FlashBender, it is available in various configurations, including a large reflector, large softbox, small reflector, small softbox and an XL pro lighting system. With the reflector kits, you can use the FlashBender v3 to reflect and soften the light from your speedlight or strobe, allowing you to easily set up main, background, accent or hair lights. You can also use the FlashBender to easily direct and bounce light off existing reflective surfaces, such as a white ceiling. Compared to a diffuser, the FlashBender allows for more control of where your light is directed, allowing the photographer to opt for lower power settings or be able to take better photos in direct outdoor sunlight.

The FlashBender v3 softbox kits come with a FlashBender v3 reflector and also includes a diffusion panel, allowing you to create even softer light and eliminate bounce flash if you are working in an area with off-color ceilings. When using FlashBender v3, either attached to an on-camera flash or when using off-camera remote flash, you can shape it to create a reflector/gobo, snoot (tube) or softbox.

The Rogue FlashBender v3 is available in an XL Pro Lighting System kit (shown here) for $ 119.95. This kit comes with an extra-large Pro Reflector v3, extra-large Pro Diffuser v3 and Rogue’s Pro Strip Grid v3.

The Rogue FlashBender v3 is available in the following kits: Large Reflector ($ 44.95 USD), Large Soft Box Kit ($ 59.95), Small Reflector ($ 39.95), Small Soft Box Kit ($ 49.95) and XL Pro Lighting System ($ 119.95). The softbox kits include a reflector plus a diffusion panel. The XL Pro Lighting System includes an extra-large Pro Reflector v3, Pro Diffusion Panel v3 and Pro Strip Grid v3. For owners of the FlashBender or FlashBender v2, it is worth noting that existing versions of Rogue Diffusion Panels are not compatible with the new hook and loop modifications on the FlashBender v3.

For more information on the new Rogue FlashBender v3, visit the Rogue Photographic Design website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 released, delivering improved user interface and better performance

20 Mar

ON1 has announced that the new version of ON1 Photo RAW 2020 is available now. ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 includes new user interface updates, new features, performance enhancements, and new camera and lens support.

For photo editing improvements, ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 includes improved highlight recovery. The software utilizes a new algorithm, which promises better recovery in highlight areas while maintaining more accurate hues. Further, ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 now includes the ability to quickly edit a single image. You can drag the photo onto the application to edit a single image, with results saved non-destructively. A finished file is then ready to share without any fuss.

ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 includes a new highlight recovery algorithm. The algorithm has been designed to deliver better highlight recovery with more natural colors.

If you enjoy using focus stacking techniques, ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 includes a new focus stacking algorithm. The focus stacking tool also provides users with additional options to control the output.

The user interface has seen numerous improvements. There is a new and improved map view, which incorporates higher quality maps and improved search results. In the metadata pane in the new version of Photo RAW 2020, there is now a location tab and users can sync location metadata across multiple selected photos.

Inside the Browse section of the user interface, fast browse mode and cataloged folders mode now have their own tabs. There is also a new Copy to Catalog Folders option, which works like a quick import function to copy your photos from one location to another.

To help you find your images faster than ever before, ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 has enhanced search features. There is now a simple search at the top of the Browse section. Users can now choose which cataloged folders to search as well, rather than searching all of them simultaneously.

Browsing large folders of images, such as hundreds or thousands of images from a single shoot, should be quicker in ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1. It is now faster to scroll through large groups of thumbnails images, rather than needing to wait for the thumbnails to appear on your screen.

Other speed improvements include a much simpler and quicker initial setup for first-time ON1 Photo RAW users. There’s also a new ‘getting started’ dialogue that guides new users through the process of finding images and making the first edit.

ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 adds support for a number of new cameras and lenses. Newly supported cameras include the Fujifilm X-T4, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, Nikon D780, Nikon Z50, Canon EOS 1D X Mark III, Panasonic Lumix S1H, Sony A9 II and more. New lenses from Canon, Fujifilm, Leica, Meike, Minolta, Nikon, Panasonic, Sigma, Sony, Voigtlander and Zeiss are now supported as well. To view the full list of new cameras and lenses supported in ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1, click here.

To celebrate the launch of ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1, ON1 is offering a special promotional 20 percent discount for new users. Upgrades from prior versions of ON1 Photo RAW can be purchased for $ 63.99 USD. New users can buy ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1 for $ 79.99. If you already have ON1 Photo RAW 2020, the latest 2020.1 update is available for free. Release notes and download links are available here. For more information on ON1 Photo RAW 2020.1, visit ON1.

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6 Reasons Why Dedicated Cameras are Better than Smartphones for Photography

09 Mar

The post 6 Reasons Why Dedicated Cameras are Better than Smartphones for Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Modern smartphone cameras are amazing! They have facilitated an explosion in photography that shows no signs of stopping. Mobile phone cameras, apps, editing, and sharing have given people access to creative outlets that were unthinkable a mere 15 years ago. If the best camera is the one you have with you, then 9 times out of 10, the best camera is right in your pocket! Despite the advances in smartphone cameras, there are still few things smartphone cameras lack. So, in this article, we’ll explore why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones for photography. In other words, there are some photos you just can’t get with a smartphone.

Reasons why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones for photography

why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones-butterfly — Nikon D7100, 85mm, f/2.8, 1/1000 second, ISO 100

1. Software vs. Physics

The first of the 5 reasons why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones for photography, is software vs physics.

I don’t want to sound like an old man yelling at clouds, decrying all modern technologies that might make my life better. Smartphone cameras and computational photography are incredible! They can use software and artificial intelligence to capture incredible images of night skies and portrait-style images with blurry backgrounds.

But digital trickery and software manipulations are no match for a mastery of light and physics, and this is where dedicated cameras still have an edge.

Most smartphones have lenses that approximate roughly a 28mm field of view on a full-frame camera. Some have second lenses that go a bit wider, usually about 15mm. It’s also not uncommon for higher-end phones to have a telephoto lens as well, which is roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens.

Nearly all smartphone cameras are stuck at a single aperture value as well, which gives you limited control over a key element of exposure. While there is much that can be done in software to overcome the inherent limitations of these lenses and focal lengths, sometimes you just need a separate camera to get the shot.

2. Foreground Blur

why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones-flower-bokeh — Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/2000 second, ISO 100

Any smartphone can take pictures of flowers. This particular image shows a backlit flower whose petals are glowing with sunlight streaking in from above and behind, and a mobile phone could capture that just fine. However, there is one key element of this image that’s impossible on a smartphone – the foreground blur.

Smartphones have come a long way with so-called portrait-style photography. Portrait mode involves software combined with depth data that allows a smartphone to blur the background.

But not the foreground.

This is one of the things smartphone cameras lack. Try it for yourself!

Take a portrait-style photo with your smartphone but include objects in the foreground that you would like to blur. The background will get blurry, but the foreground will remain in focus.

Blurring both the foreground and background is a time-honored technique to add a sense of depth and perspective to your photos. Perhaps one day the software and AI techniques used on mobile phones will be able to replicate this. But, for now, if you’re using a smartphone, you’re stuck with just background blur.

3. Telephoto Zoom

While smartphone cameras have had pinch-to-zoom capabilities for over a decade, it amounts to little more than just cropping your pictures. Modern smartphones do a better job of interpolating data between pixels and adjusting exposure values on the fly, but at the end of the day, you’re still just cropping.

In the process, you lose a lot of detail. And even then, you just can’t zoom in very far. It’s definitely one of the things smartphone cameras lack, despite some recent advances.

One classic example of this is a picture of the moon.

Smartphone lenses, and the laws of physics, make pictures like this impossible. You have probably noticed if you have ever tried to do a pinch-and-zoom photo of our nearest celestial neighbor.

You’ll need a dedicated camera if you want to get crisp, detailed photos of faraway objects. And this is just another reason dedicated cameras are better than smartphones.

why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones-horse — Nikon D500, 200mm, f/2.8, 1/3000 second, ISO 100

Smartphones aren’t great for most long-distance shooting scenarios, such as this picture of a horse in the pasture.

While pinch-and-zoom can make it seem like you’re getting closer, you won’t get a tack-sharp, high-resolution image suitable for printing and framing.

Like everything tech-related, this is getting better and will improve with time. Some phones now are using stacked periscope-style lenses combined with software and AI processing to mimic 10x or even 100x zoom lenses. Right now, these make interesting tech demos, but the results don’t have the same level of clarity, color, and fidelity as you would get from a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a zoom lens attached.

4. Background compression

why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones-walking — Nikon D7100, 200mm, f/2.8, 1/1500 second, ISO 100

Another reason dedicated cameras are better than smartphones is background compression.

Something interesting happens when you shoot photos with a telephoto zoom: the background appears to move closer to your subject.

It’s called background compression and is a time-honored compositional technique to make your subjects stand out and take your images up to another level. It’s also impossible to do on a smartphone.

In the picture above, the building is very far away from the woman walking in the foreground. Shooting with a telephoto lens compresses the background and makes it seem much closer.

-family-forest — Nikon D750, 200mm, f/4, 1/400 second, ISO 3200

In this family photo, you can see the trees and leaves in the background, which are very far away. However, they appear closer as a result of background compression.

While some smartphone cameras do have some limited zoom capability, their smaller lenses and image sensors simply do not allow for these types of pictures.

5. Fast action

Before I get too far in this section, I want to point out that smartphones are good at capturing some types of fast action. These conditions are fairly limited, though.

You have to be close to your subject, which isn’t possible in a lot of action situations. It also helps if you can lock focus on a specific area where you know the subject will be, or else have a smartphone with amazing autofocus capabilities. And if you can meet those challenges, then your phone could produce some good results.

For a lot of fast action, though, you need a DSLR or mirrorless camera. It helps to have a good lens attached too.

This will let you stand on the sidelines while getting up close and personal with your subjects. It helps to shoot with a wide aperture too, which will let you get a fast shutter speed and freeze the action.

action photo — Nikon D750, 185mm, f/4, 1/500 second, ISO 100

These types of action shots are impossible on smartphones because pinch-to-zoom just can’t get the job done. You’ll get pictures that are pixellated, blurry, or out of focus because smartphones are not able to match the speed and capability of a dedicated camera.

In the picture below, I was sitting in the stern of a boat zoomed in to 200mm. I had to use tracking autofocus to keep the picture sharp. My brother was also in the boat with his smartphone, and he didn’t like any of the shots he got.

why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones- action photo of tubing — Nikon D7100, 200mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 second, ISO 100

6. Portraits

The last of my reasons that dedicated cameras are better than smartphones relates to portrait photography.

This one might ruffle some feathers because phones have gotten so much better at portraits in recent years. In fact, some people can’t even tell the difference between portrait-style images shot on mobile phones and actual portraits taken with a dedicated camera. I have trouble sometimes too. In the coming years, mobile phones are going to keep getting better and better.

For now, and into the foreseeable future, dedicated cameras still have a significant advantage.

Software and AI, and computational horsepower can do a lot, but they can’t keep up with a good lens and physics.

In the picture below, the girl’s eyes are tack sharp but there is a subtle falloff as you look towards the edge of her face. Her hair goes from sharp to blurry in a smooth, even fashion.

The background isn’t just blurry – it’s obliterated. Mobile phones can’t do that.

girl-red-shirt — Nikon D750, 170mm, f/2.8, 1/180 second, ISO 100

You don’t need expensive gear to take great portraits either.

In fact, you can spend far less on a used DSLR or Mirrorless camera than you would on a mobile phone with portrait mode.

The shot below was taken on a Nikon D200, which came out in 2006, and can be found today for about $ 150.

The lens is a cheap 50mm f/1.8. And the results blow away anything you can get from a mobile phone.

All the subtle details, like the way her eye is in focus but her ears are slightly blurry, to her hair slowly fading away, to the bokeh in the background, make this image a cut above what you could get from a smartphone. Just another reason that dedicated cameras are better than smartphones for photography.

why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones-girl-park — Nikon D200, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/250 second, ISO 400

Conclusion

Before anyone gets out a bucket of tar and some feathers, please understand that I think smartphone cameras are amazing!

Despite the things smartphone cameras lack, they can take incredible pictures and technology will only make them better with time. I just think it’s important to understand their limitations and have a sense of some of the pictures they can’t yet achieve.

What about you?

I’m curious what your experience has been with smartphone pictures. Does your smartphone take the kinds of shots you want, or have you found that it can’t yet replace your DSLR or mirrorless camera?

I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts and example images in the comments below.

The post 6 Reasons Why Dedicated Cameras are Better than Smartphones for Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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How to Use the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter for Better Photo Editing

09 Mar

The post How to Use the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter for Better Photo Editing appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

How to Use the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter for Better Photo Editing Feature Image

Inside Photoshop, there are an awful lot of tools for you to use to get the very most out of your images. Some of these tools (while not simple) have very specific functions that you use for specific tasks (Unsharp Mask for example). The Photoshop Camera Raw Filter is different.

This filter opens up the use of the (almost) full functionality of Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) anywhere in your Photoshop workflow. If you’ve ever used ACR (or Lightroom) to process a raw file, you know exactly how feature-packed this tool is.

Using the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter. — The Camera Raw Filter is a powerful tool that allows you access to the features of ACR anytime in your workflow.

In normal cases, you would use ACR to process your photos at the beginning of your workflow during raw processing, but the Camera Raw Filter opens up these tools to you anytime you may want them.

This article will outline how to use the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter, show you some instances where you might want to use it, and give you some tips to get the most out of it.

What is the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter?

How to Use the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter for Better Photo Editing — Lightroom is great for processing your raw files (so is ACR), but what if you could use these tools inside Photoshop?

At its most basic, the Photoshop Camera Raw filter allows you to use the functions of the ACR interface at any time within Photoshop. This allows you to make any adjustments within ACR at any time during your workflow instead of just limiting its usage to the raw processing stage.

While it would be possible to import your working file into Lightroom to make the same sets of adjustments, doing this in Photoshop saves you from that cumbersome step. It allows you the use of these tools without any extra effort.

Finding the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter. — You can find the Camera Raw Filter under the filter menu.

To find the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter, simply choose Filter->Camera Raw Filter and the dialog box will pop up.

Before you do this, you may want to stamp all layers by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Alt+e (Cmd+Shift+Alt+e). This will combine all of your layers into a new layer from which you can work.

What it doesn’t allow

White Balance – Because you are not working from a raw file, you lose a lot of the functionality of the white balance setting in ACR. You will still be able to make drastic changes to the coloring of your images with this tool. It will be the same, for example, as adjusting a JPG in Lightroom.

Crop tool – You also lose the crop and rotate tools that you would have access to when working on RAW files.

There are others, but these are the most important to take note of.

Missing options in the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter. — In the various menus of the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter, you will find there are a few options missing that you would see in ACR.

It’s also important to realize that because you are not working with a raw file at this stage, you won’t have the same versatility that you would with a raw file in ACR.

Instead, the process will be more akin to working on a JPG file in Lightroom or ACR. This means you will have less information to work with, such as, dynamic range.

This is all fine and to be expected. However, it illustrates the importance of getting things as close to right as possible while in the raw stage of post-processing.

How can it be used?

With all of the power of ACR behind the Photoshop Camera Raw filter, there is no way to make anything resembling a complete list of what you could do with it. But here are a few potential uses that I find myself using often.

Fine-tune adjustments after raw
Make certain adjustments easier than in Photoshop
Make quick, extreme adjustments for certain parts of your image
Quick and easy vignetting
Final tweaks before finishing your image

1. Fine-tuning adjustments after raw

Fine tuning adjustments with the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter. — Once in Photoshop, and after a bit of healing work, I decided that I wanted to make the image a touch cooler and reduce the vibrancy as well. To not lose the healing work, I used the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter to make a quick adjustment.

If you’re like me, you mostly make decisions about adjustments on the spot. This is fine when you process your raw file and move it into Photoshop immediately. However, if you leave it for a day or two before you come to it, you might find that you no longer like the decisions you made.

Of course, you could always go back into Lightroom and start again, but what happens if you have already started making adjustments to your image?

Chances are, you don’t want to lose those. A quick and easy solution is to stamp the layers to a new layer and run the Camera Raw Filter. Once there, you can make any adjustments you might want and click Okay.

This works great if you want to make quick adjustments to things like the overall exposure, contrast or vibrancy in an image. I will often come back to a file after a few days to find that I want to reduce the highlights and whites before I get started properly.

2. Make trickier adjustments

Clarity slider with the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter. — I find the Clarity tool in ACR tricky to replicate in Photoshop. Here, I darkened the background and cranked up the clarity with the Camera Raw Filter. I also used a Layer Mask to keep the changes off of the subject.

Photoshop might be all-powerful on its own, but ACR (and Lightroom by extension) do make a few things easier. For example, the Clarity slider is a tricky tool to replicate in Photoshop. Using the Photoshop camera raw filter to make these adjustments is easier and can save you a lot of time.

Another example is the use of the Highlights, Whites, Darks, and Blacks sliders to make quick, intuitive global contrast adjustments. Using these tools in this way is useful if you’re not yet fully familiar or comfortable with options like curves adjustments.

3. Local adjustments

Radial filter in the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter. — Here, the shirt sleeve was still to bright for my taste, so I used the radial filter as a local adjustment to bring it down a bit

A common way I use the Photoshop camera raw filter is to make adjustments specific to a target area (such as a background).

After the adjustments are made, you can then use a layer mask to ensure that the adjustments are only affecting the areas that you want.

This method suits textured backdrops well because you can adjust the clarity and contrast to your heart’s content knowing that your subject won’t be affected once you make the layer mask.

4. Vignettes

The vignette tool in the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter — ACR’s vignette tool is easy, fast and intuitive and hard to beat in Photoshop unless you need absolute control.

There are tonnes of ways to create a vignette in Photoshop, but in my opinion, the vignette tool within the ACR is by far the easiest, fastest and most intuitive to use. By doing it this way, you can create a subtle (or extreme if you prefer) vignette in just a few seconds. It is also easy to mask out (as per the previous section) any part of the vignette that might be interfering with your subject.

5. Final tweaks

Another useful trick for the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter is to use it to make a set of final tweaks to your finished images.

Once you’ve completed your image, you can run the filter and see if there’s any further small adjustments you’d like to make. Tiny adjustments to exposure, contrast (via all the sliders) clarity and vibrance can all help to give your finished images just a little more polish.

At this point, your images should be good to go, so do try to keep any adjustments at this stage small and subtle.

Just the beginning

Finishing an image using the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter — With the exception of a bit of skin work (maybe five minutes) and some sharpening at the end, this image’s Photoshop workflow was completed otherwise entirely with the Camera Raw Filter. Hopefully you can see just how useful a tool it is.

With a tool like the Photoshop camera raw filter, there are so, so many options for you to use in your images.

If you can do it in ACR (with a few minor exceptions), you can do it with this filter inside Photoshop. Feel free to use it in any way that you need to that gets the results that you want.

Smart objects

Depending on your workflow and your style of post-processing, using the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter as a Smart Object might be a good choice for you.

Smart Objects allow you to come back to any adjustment you have made (with certain tools) and tweak them.

To work with Smart Objects, right-click the layer that you will run the Camera Raw Filter on and click Convert to Smart Object.

Now run the Camera Raw Filter and make any adjustments that you want to and press okay.

In the Layers Palette, and under the layer that you are working on, you will now see the name of the filter below the box titled Smart Filters. If you double click this, you will be taken back to the Camera Raw Filter dialog box where you can adjust any of the settings that you have tweaked.

This is a useful technique for any time you think you might second guess your decisions a bit later on.

Having said that, Smart Objects won’t suit every photographer’s workflow.

For example, I like to use a lot of stamped layers in my workflow and by the time I might see something I want to modify, I’ve already created and worked on a new stamped layer above it.

Any adjustments made to a Smart Object in this situation, would not be visible.

Overall

I will admit, that the way that the Camera Raw Filter was used in this example was extreme and bit over the top, but by using it in this manner, I hope you can see just how powerful an option it is for various adjustments in Photoshop.

The Photoshop camera raw filter is a very powerful tool that you can use while post processing your images for a great many different effects. Add to that the fact that anyone who shoots in raw format is already familiar with the interface, it makes using the filter quick and painless to make any number of adjustments. I have discussed only a few ways that you can use this filter in your images, but if you have any other suggestions on how you use it, please leave it in the comments below for other readers to benefit from.

The post How to Use the Photoshop Camera Raw Filter for Better Photo Editing appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

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