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Posts Tagged ‘Photographer’

Photographer Lynn Johnson on outrage and the power of photography

10 Apr

For more than 40 years, photographer Lynn Johnson has turned her lens on hidden and at-risk communities all over the world. In this video she explains how a grant from Sony helped her to complete a long-term project with non-profit Ripple Effect Images in Cambodia, focusing on the effects of drug-resistant TB.

Lynn spent time with two healthcare workers, working in remote Cambodian villages

Somewhere in the world, it is estimated that someone dies of TB every 20 seconds. During the course of the project, Lynn spent time with two healthcare workers in remote Cambodian villages. The resulting collection of photographs has been made available to other non-profits working on behalf of women and children around the world.

In this interview, Lynn explains why outrage is such a strong motivating force, and how as a photographer, she still gets excited by the power of images to form a bridge between people and communities. You can see more images from her portfolio below.

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Sponsored content, supported by Sony. What does this mean?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sheriff’s Deputy who shot photographer won’t face criminal charges

03 Apr

On March 22nd, a grand jury decided that Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Jake Shaw will not face criminal charges for injuring photojournalist Andy Grimm. Shaw shot Grimm after mistaking the photographer’s tripod and camera for a gun.

The incident took place in September of 2017. Grimm was shot by Deputy Shaw in New Carlisle, Ohio, while attempting to photograph the deputy during a traffic stop. The incident made national news in part because it was captured on Shaw’s body cam, which recorded the deputy telling Grimm that he’d mistaken the photographer’s camera and tripod for a firearm.

In December, Grimm, his wife, and KBA News filed a lawsuit against Deputy Shaw, the City of New Carlisle, and the Clark County Board of County Commissioners. The lawsuit, which seeks a minimum of $ 75,000 in damages, accuses Shaw of using excessive force and violating Grimm’s civil rights. According to initial reports, the Sheriff’s Deputy allegedly failed to warn Grimm before opening fire.

Further, the legal complaint claims Grimm has suffered physical and psychological issues since the shooting, as well as loss of wages during his recovery time, and that local law enforcement agencies have “retaliated against” KBA News over the ordeal, resulting in a “loss of business profits.”

However, according to the Springfield Sun-News, Clark County’s lawyers have argued that Deputy Shaw reasonably believed Grimm’s tripod was a firearm. The statement reads:

Defendants aver that it reasonably appeared to Deputy Shaw that Andrew Grimm possessed a firearm under the conditions facing him, in the course and scope of his employment, and in good faith, to make a split-second decision to discharge his weapon in order to protect the public and himself from perceived deadly harm.

Per initial reports, the shooting happened at night during a thunderstorm. Grimm claimed to have first flashed his vehicle’s lights and waved at Shaw, who was conducting a traffic stop, in order to alert the deputy to his presence. As well, Grimm previously stated that he started to set up his camera and tripod “in full view” of Shaw, though moments later he was shot, allegedly without warning.

The county says Grimm may have some responsibility in the shooting, saying that the photographer’s “own contributory and or comparative negligence and/or assumption of the risk may have caused or contributed to cause the injuries and damages of which he complains.”

On March 22nd, a grand jury accepted the county’s arguments, ultimately deciding that Deputy Shaw should not face criminal charges for the shooting. According to local news WHIOTV7, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an administrative review of the shooting, which has also been investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Deputy Shaw returned to work in October under a reassignment to the county jail.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Bride ordered to pay photographer $89K for posting defamatory statements online

07 Mar
Photo by Ben Rosett

Emily Liao of British Columbia has been ordered to pay wedding photographer Kitty Chan $ 115,000 CAD (~$ 89,000 USD) in defamation damages after lambasting Chan’s photography business online. According to a CBC report, Liao heavily criticized Chan’s business, Amara Wedding, in both Chinese and English on platforms that included Blogger, Facebook, Weibo, and others, ultimately destroying her business and prompting this ruling by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Gordon Weatherill.

Amara Wedding catered to Chinese-speaking customers, offering wedding photography in addition to other services like wedding planning and officiating. The business had signed a contract with Liao in 2015 that was valued at $ 6,064.80, but the deal soured when Liao was given proofs of pre-wedding photos to review. According to the report, Liao wasn’t happy with the quality of the proofs and the fact they were taken by a professional photographer other than Chan herself, though the contract hadn’t specified that she would take them.

Liao reportedly provided Chan with a post-dated check for the work and was reassured that the final image quality would improve after editing. However, the bride stopped payment on the check a week ahead of the wedding, and when Chan refused to turn over the photos until payment was made, Liao filed a claim against her in small claims court.

And that might have been the end of this story, if Liao hadn’t also taken to the Internet with a series of attacks against the photography business that Justice Weatherill characterized as “egregious, accusatory and vitriolic.” The bride accused Amara Wedding of being “a major scam shop and deceitful photography mill business engaged in extortion, dishonesty, unfair practices, bait and switch and other dirty tactics,” among other shocking and disparaging statements. And when her criticisms went viral online, Chan’s photography business crumbled. She had to shut down in January of 2017.

Lambasting (and thereby hurting) a photography business with an online “review” isn’t the problem per se, but the statements must be accurate and not motivated by malice. As Justice Weatherill explained in his decision, “this case is an example of the dangers of using the internet to publish information without proper regard for its accuracy.”

Justice Weatherill has awarded Chan $ 115,000 CAD (~$ 89,000 USD)—$ 75,000 (~$ 58,000 USD) in general damages, $ 15,000 (~$ 11,500 USD) in aggravated damages, and $ 25,000 (~$ 19,000 USD) in punitive damages. And though this won’t bring back Chan’s business—that ship has sailed—she told CBC she was pleased with the ruling: “I want to prove to people that they have to face consequences when they say something on the internet.”

The full legal document can be read here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Pros an Cons of Shooting Alone Versus Being a Group Photographer?

06 Mar

An age-old question in life, not just photography, is are you a pack animal or a lone ranger? Everyone reading this will have their own answer to this question, it’s not even a black and white answer. In this article, the question posed is whether you shoot alone or are more of a group photographer?

Let’s take a look at the two different approaches to doing photography, and then compare them to see which one is better. Whether one is better is really just subjective, but depending on your favored form of photography you’ll certainly have a preference.

Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

Joining other photographers is great, although they sometimes get in your shot!

Photographing solo

The preference for many photographers is to photograph alone. There are a lot of good reasons why this is best, so let’s take a look at a few of them:

  • Get into the zone – To achieve the best photos, being distracted by others is rarely a recipe for success. Photographers will often get into a zone where a heightened sense of the environment around them will lead to better photos.
  • Set your own schedule – When you visit a place, and how long you spend there are very important factors in photography. Whether you’re a street photographer waiting for that perfect moment, or a landscape shooter photographing blue hour, the schedule matters.
  • Choose where to visit – Equally important, and related to the point above is where you choose to visit and shoot. Even if you travel with a fellow photographer, they may well want to visit a different place to suit their style of photography. Shooting alone allows you to be totally focused on your goal.
Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

Photographing alone is the favored choice of many photographers, it helps you get more in the zone.

  • Get your own angle – There will never be another photographer standing in the way of your composition when you photograph alone. Equally, you don’t need to worry about getting in the way of someone else, or getting to the best angle second.
  • Curate your own photo –  Those who do portrait photography will know that creative control of the pose and position of your model are key. As is forming a close working relationship with your model. When photographing without other photographers these things are easier to achieve.
  • Learn from your own mistakes – You’ll make mistakes along the way, even those with experience do. It might mean adding to your knowledge after you have made your mistake, but the next time you photograph this self-improvement will take you up a level.
Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

The chance to work one to one with a model means you can work on your own concepts and ideas.

Photographing with a group

Of course, sharing your photography with others has some drawbacks, but there are also a lot of positives to photographing with other people. So whether you’re a solo or group photographer take a look at this list, and decide for yourself if you can benefit from joining a group, even if only occasionally.

  • Share your experience – The act of exploring and seeing a new place is often more pleasurable when you have company. You may even be able to model for each other if the location would be better enhanced with a person in the scene.
  • Pool your resources – Photography can be expensive when it comes to equipment, model hire, and location rental. These costs can be cut considerably by joining forces with other photographers.
  • Share knowledge – One of the very best ways to learn about photography is from other photographers, that’s why you’re here right? Whether you’re experienced or new to photography you’ll find everyone can offer advice or tips that could improve your work.
Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

Joining a group of photographer allows you to dip into their pool of knowledge.

  • Safety – Carrying an expensive piece of camera gear? Heading out late at night for some photography? Having a few people with you when you photograph makes it a lot safer.
  • Collaborations – To create a group project, you need a group! So getting to know some fellow photographers will facilitate this. Likewise, photographing a model often takes more than one person, sharing duties to hold the light stand helps a lot.
  • Share your photos – Groups of photographers often share their work either each other. Sharing your photos is a great way to improve your photography, as you often get feedback on the photos you have shared.
Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

This group of photographers was on a photo walk which I organized.

Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

This is a photo taken on that photo walk, it was later shared with the participants through social media.

Being a solo or group photographer, which is best?

There are lots of pros and cons for shooting alone or with a group of photographers. The best answer is to make time to do both. Join a group perhaps once a week, and photograph by yourself on other occasions.

The genre of photography you do will also have a big impact on your choice, portrait photographers using strobes often need a team. On the other hand, if you’re a landscape or street photographer photographing alone may be best.

There is a middle solution though. The group doesn’t have to be large, perhaps only two or three. When all the photographers share the same interest, it can be just like photographing alone, only you have a group.

Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

Are you a solo or group photographer? Why not be both? My friend and fellow dPS writer Pete DeMarco is someone with whom I’ve often photographed. We allowed each other enough space to photograph “alone” but then meet later after we’re done shooting.

Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

Myself and Pete enjoy taking cityscape photos, so meeting up to do the same style of photography makes sense.

What kind of group should you join?

There are plenty of types of groups that you can join if you’re interested in meeting some new people. Not all of them even require you to meet other photographers in person, we do after all live in a digital global age. So let’s take a look at a few possibilities.

  • Attend a photo walk – These are often one-off events and can involve large crowds. They’re great for meeting a lot of new faces, not always so good for taking the best photo. A very well known event like this is Scott Kelby’s worldwide photo walk, held once a year. An alternative idea to a photo walk is a potluck photography party, why not try it out?
Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

This steel wool fire spinning photography event was organized by a photography club.

  • Join a photo club – A great way to meet other photographers on a regular basis, and therefore learn from them. Groups like this often organize photography outings or perhaps hire a model for the club members to work with and photograph.
  • Online communities – In reading and participating with this website you are part of a photography community. Even though not in person, participating online is a great way to gain knowledge. There is always the possibility of travel as well, you can meet people on a trip perhaps.
  • Take part in a workshop – Meeting other photographers on a workshop is a great way to socialize, and learn at the same time.
Do you Shoot Alone or are you More of a Group Photographer?

Joining a group of photographer allows you to share the cost of hiring a model. It also means you lose control of pose and position. You also need to avoid getting into each other’s photos.

Are you a solo or a group photographer?

So which kind of photographer are you? A solo or a group photographer? Are there any other reasons why you like to photograph alone, or in a group?

If you photograph alone, why not reach out to a group and become part of a community. Although it’s nice to photograph alone, there is a raft of benefits to joining up with others. You’ll likely make some new friends, the type you can form a close friendship with through a shared interest.

The post Pros an Cons of Shooting Alone Versus Being a Group Photographer? by Simon Bond appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2017 winners announced

06 Mar

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The International Wedding Photographer of the Year (IWPotY) competition has announced it’s 2017 winners, and there is plenty of wedding photography inspiration to go around. Entries were submitted into one of nine categories, and submitted photos had to be taken on the day of the wedding to quality.

© Erika Mann

This year’s Wedding Photographer of the Year grand prize went to Two Mann Studios’ Erika Mann for her portrait of a bride with a double rainbow in the background. The image was taken near Cougar Creek in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, according to the photographer, who explained that an “unpredictable storm” had provided them with the spectacular backdrop.

Talking about the shot, Mann said:

Paige and Daniel had a super low key wedding, with the reception taking place in their parent’s backyard, with about 25 guests. Thankfully their parents have one of the most beautiful backyards in the planet, along the banks of Cougar Creek in Canmore, Alberta. After a short, and unpredictable storm, we were treated to the most amazing double rainbow. Lanny and I got low into the creek bed so we could remove the houses, and simplify the frame to the rainbow, mountain and Paige, with her dress billowing in the wind.

As the grand prize winner, Mann will receive $ 3,000 USD, as well as a Nikon D850 and other items totaling $ 9,125 in value.

© Paul Woo

The contest’s Runner Up is Paul Woo of Wandering Woo, who claimed the spot with a touching image of a bride’s son becoming emotional during the wedding ceremony. The Runner Up prize includes $ 1,000 USD, a Think Tank Signature 13, Photo Mechanic user license, and Hold Fast Skinny Money Maker camera strap.

Top scoring images have also been selected across various categories, including Black & White, Bridal Party, Couple Portrait, Dance Floor, Epic Location, and more. Scroll through the gallery at the top to see all of the category winners, and if you’d like to see the top 10 from all of the categories, you can find the full albums here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photographer hit by Olympic skier Lara Gut during wipeout

20 Feb

Embed from Getty Images

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

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

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

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

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The transition

iPhone 8 Plus in portrait mode. Photograph by Robert Rose

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

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

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

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

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

The right tool for the job

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But not the tool for every job

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

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

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

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

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

What’s next?

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

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

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

Kathmandu cucumbers. iPhone 8 Plus. Photograph by Robert Rose

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

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

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photographer struck by rally car while standing near track corner

03 Feb

An incident involving a photographer struck by a car during the outdoor racing event Sno*Drift Rally has spurred discussion and criticism over shooting practices in risky situations. Photographer G David LaClair was standing near a corner of the outdoor racing track when a vehicle lost control and spun out, slid into the brush, and directly impacted the photographer.

The collision was captured in a pair of videos, both of which are graphic in nature. In a post shared via a screenshot on Facebook, the photographer LaClair reports that he suffered a lacerated liver and broken scapulas, as well as many bruises. The incident has resulted in many pointing out that better attention to safety would have prevented the collision.

Photographers were reportedly warned not to stand on the outside of a track corner due to the risk of a car losing control

In a Facebook comment left on a video of the accident, photographer Adam Bachi explains that a mandatory safety meeting for media personnel was held before the event. During this safety meeting, photographers were reportedly warned not to stand on the outside of a track corner due to the risk of a car losing control. Whether LaClair was present in that meeting and why he chose to stand in that spot is unclear.

Discussions have focused, in part, on how future incidents like this can be avoided, including potentially having experienced photographers follow inexperienced photographers, posting warning signs in dangerous shooting spots, and having safety personnel monitor dangerous spots to turn away anyone who unwittingly positions themselves there.

Via: Fstoppers

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How one photographer built the ‘ultimate’ PC for Adobe Lightroom

26 Jan
The finished product, a computer designed to be as fast as possible in Adobe Lightroom.

When professional designer and hobbyist photographer Paul Stamatiou got back from his last trip to New Zealand and set about culling and editing his photos from the trip, he quickly realized that his 2-year-old 5K iMac was just not keeping up with Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and the high-megapixel Raw files he was importing. In fact, he spent over a year of spare time editing the 848GB worth of 42-megapixel RAW photos and 4K videos to create the resulting nine photosets.

And so Paul decided it was time to build his own computer. Specifically, his goal was to:

Build a fast, yet quiet and understated desktop PC with a healthy overclock aimed at improving my photo workflow while giving me the ability to upgrade parts of it later on.

Fortunately for all of us, he chronicled the entire journey to this goal in a massive, 32,000-word blog post filled with footnotes and links to all the parts and incredibly detailed descriptions of exactly why he picked the parts he did, how he put them together, and how he optimized it all once it was set up.

This is, I’m comfortable saying, the most comprehensive custom photo-editing computer build breakdown I have ever seen. If you’re at all considering building your own editing PC, bookmark it. If not, we spoke to Paul yesterday and have penned a bit of a TL;DR summary below.

For the Mac lovers out there, note that Paul did consider building a dual-boot Hackintosh, but ultimately decided the annoyances wouldn’t be worth the time. His experience in the past—”randomly have bluetooth stop working and have days where the machine just won’t boot,” he told me over email—just wasn’t worth risking. It was time to build a PC.

This beautiful piece of technology is what he came up with:

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What’s impressive about this computer isn’t its sheer power. The parts he used (full list here) won’t make it the most beastly desktop PC you’ve heard of this week… or maybe even today. What makes it impressive is how Paul designed the PC so that it would run Lightroom’s Develop module and his personal workflow as efficiently as possible.

As Paul explains in his post:

As you know, there are a few main levers that affect the majority of a computer’s performance: storage, RAM, GPU and CPU. To be more precise: storage throughput, RAM size, RAM speed as well as the number of CPU cores and clock speed. In the case of Lightroom, CPU plays the most important role in overall application performance and to a much lesser extent GPU.

[…]

For my needs Lightroom loves the highest clock speed it can get, as opposed to a ton of lower clocked cores.

So rather than spend money on a chip with a crazy number of cores, all of which would be running at a lower clock speed, he picked a 6-core Intel i7 8700K, then had it ‘delidded’ and set it up to be water-cooled so he could overclock it safely to 5.2GHz on all cores.

We spoke to Paul about the build yesterday, and he was kind enough to offer this little summary for those of you who aren’t keen on reading all 32,000 words of the full article:

I was most concerned with performance in the Develop module of Lightroom as opposed to other actions that are more efficient with multiple cores and are not GPU accelerated. For me that meant that instead of opting for a machine with a ton of cores at a lower clock, I’d do better for Develop module tasks with fewer cores that were clocked higher, much higher.

With this build I wasn’t particularly concerned about cost and decided to make a full-blown project out of it (along with a high-end graphics card I could use to try out some 4K gaming and Oculus Rift as a side benefit—I’m a designer by day and lots of my friends have begun designing for VR so I was curious to learn more about it). I definitely recognize the build is overkill in many aspects, including having the CPU delidded and running an aggressive overclock.

While the build definitely sped up the Develop actions I was used to—it’s important to note that much of the future improvement will need to come from Adobe optimizing their software even more. […] Until Classic CC gets some performance optimization updates, I think my next step will be integrating something like Photo Mechanic into my culling workflow to do some of that outside of Lightroom so I end up importing, generating previews and managing fewer shots inside Lightroom itself.

And that last bit, really, is the disappointing epilogue to what is a really fun computer build: even with a great system built specifically to run Lightroom well, any major performance improvements will have to come from the Adobe side of the equation. Not that it doesn’t make us want to build something similar…

The final build cost Paul $ 5,931, including all of the peripherals and accessories—$ 1,500 27-inch Dell UltraSharp 4K display, Logitec mouse, Apple Magic keyboard, Bose bluetooth speaker, and Vesa monitor mounting arm.

For a full parts list, or if you want to dive deep into how this computer was built and optimized, check out Paul’s massive article at this link. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself sourcing parts for your own custom-built photo editing PC once you’re done.

All photos by Paul Stamatiou and used with permission.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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10 Ways to Become a Better Photographer in 2018

25 Jan

Let’s face it, it’s the new year. Your heart is full of hope and your head is bursting with ideas on what you want to do this year, be a better photographer, and how you will go about executing it. You have so much hope in your heart that you will achieve your all your 2018 goals, that you walk around with a goofy smile plastered on your face!

Am I right or am I right? Or have I just described how I have been feeling ever since that clock struck midnight and we ushered in 2018!?

10 tips to become a better photographer

Here is a bouquet of stunning florals to wish you a happy 2018!

It is 2018 and let’s start the year right with a few simple, easy yet powerful things you can do if one of your goals is to become a better photographer in the next 12 months.

1. Rock the gear you currently own without buying more

Do you feel limited by the gear you own? Are you telling yourself you really need to upgrade your camera, lens or both? Great! you are exactly where I need you to be.

Challenge yourself to use your existing gear consistently for a few weeks or months. Try to get creative with what you already have instead of hitting purchase on that gear that is sitting in your cart or Amazon checkout.

10 tips to become a better photographer

I had no telephoto lens on hand to get some close-ups of these birds…so instead, I used negative space and rule of thirds to take a creative approach to this image.

2. Photograph in every possible lighting situation

I really believe there is no such thing as bad light. Light is light – it is just different at different times of the day and night. One of the best ways to understand light is to photograph in different lighting situations and challenge yourself to create something unique and different that you are proud of.

Each lighting situation will demand different things from you and your gear. Harsh midday sun will have you rethinking shadows and light. Early morning light or golden hour will have you thinking of ways to create magical images that highlight that golden light. Blue hour may challenge you to bring out the external flash so you can get creative with colors.

Use this exercise to really understand and make the most out of each scenario.

10 tips to become a better photographer

 3. Treat every subject as a rock star

Not every subject is going to be your ideal client. Until you are in a position to only attract your ideal clients, use every opportunity to work towards building your portfolio for your ideal clients. Each client deserves to be treated like they are rock stars. So it is your duty as a photographer to give them the best experience possible – be it in posing, editing, styling or general customer service.

10 tips to become a better photographer

My morning cup of tea and a simple kitchen towel was my subject matter as I practiced still life photography This image is one of the more popular ones on my social media – people really seem to gravitate to light and clean images at times.

 4. Deliberately limit yourself

Today’s DSLR cameras are quite sophisticated pieces of equipment with multiple shutter clicks per second (continuous) and creative photographic modes (Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority) that do a lot of the work for you.

Instead of using those, I challenge you to limit yourself. Think like a film camera photographer and only use 24 or 36 frames to tell your story. Change to Manual mode and try to figure out how shutter speed, IS, and aperture really work to help you take more control of your photography.

10 tips to become a better photographer

I love photographing with a film camera on vacation. It really helps me maintain a good balance between having a vacation and taking pictures because I only have a limited amount of frames to use.

 5. Take an art class

This has nothing to do with photography, yet at the same time, it has everything to do with it. Sometimes stepping away from the thing that we love the most or obsess about can be a really good thing. I have found art, particularly drawing and painting, to be very therapeutic and relaxing. It also gives me a chance to look at creativity with a new lens. As I analyze shapes, sizes and brush strokes – I look at color, patterns and composition in a new light.

6. Study your camera’s manual

I remember taking a technical writing class in graduate school where we had to create a user manual for a product. It was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken because we really had to think as a layman user to design, craft and write the manual. It made me realize that manuals, if done correctly, are incredibly powerful learning tools because they really break down every aspect of the product individually as well as collectively. So don’t be so quick to throw away the camera manual – it might be just the thing you need to really understand the workings of your camera.

7. Use a traditional film camera

10 tips to become a better photographer

Medium format camera love, one of only 16 frames per roll. I love the way medium format film renders colors and tones.

This ties in to point number four above. A film camera is a great way to learn the manual mode of photography because it really makes you think about light, exposure, ISO, and aperture to produce a good, clean image. Also, there is no chimping at the back of the camera screen so you really have to slow down and think of the photo you are trying to produce and then click the shutter.

You have a limited amount of frames per film role and have the additional cost of developing and scanning your pictures at the end of the day. All these factors make you a more intentional photographer as opposed to a “spray and pray” photographer (one who takes several pictures in automatic mode and hopes that at least one will work in his/her favor).

8. Study the work of other photographers

I am sure you have a lot of photographers that you really look up to for various reasons – how they compose, how they handle difficult lighting situations, how they interact with their subjects or even how they run successful photography businesses. Follow them, study how they do things, figure out what makes them tick and how they succeed, and use those ideas to reflect in your own road to improving your photography.

10 tips to become a better photographer

Last summer in Rome I really practiced using a lot of negative space in my cityscapes. Sometimes just a hint of a popular landmark is needed to give a sense of place.

9. Experiment with new techniques

Contrary to popular belief, I feel that photography is not something that you can study in a limited amount of time and then say you are an expert in this field. The field is constantly evolving and expanding and there is always something new to learn.

Become a student no matter what your level of experience and be open to learning new and exciting things in this art of form. It is sure to bring forth much progress in your craft overall.

10 tips to become a better photographer

Triple frame shot on medium format film during an editorial shoot to showcase busyness!

10. Evaluate your own work with a critical eye

Really think about what the work you are producing. Before asking for critiques, refer back to your work and figure out what you like and don’t like in your own work. Chances are you will find several things to add to that list.

Also don’t be quick to delete photos you may not like right now. Wait for a few days to look back and assess all your images. You are more likely to find some new favorites among photos that you previously thought were not correct or worthwhile.

Conclusion

I hope these 10 tips really helped shift your mindset a little bit towards your photography. Hold on tight to that feeling of being invincible that often comes with the new year and use it to the best of your abilities to better your skill and craft.

Tell us about your photography goals for this year in the comments below.

The post 10 Ways to Become a Better Photographer in 2018 by Karthika Gupta appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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