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Things Photographers Will Do For The Perfect Shot (video)

04 Apr

The post Things Photographers Will Do For The Perfect Shot (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

With everything happening in the world at the moment, I thought we could all do with a bit of a laugh. So, I found this video that shows some of the crazy things (and poses) that photographers do to get the perfect shot.

So take a look, and let me know if you have done any of these “moves” to get just the right shot. Let’s face it, most of us will have at least done one of them!

Share with us in the comments section, along with the photo you achieved from your position.

1. Family

The good news is that if you live with family or friends, you will always have subjects for your photography. The only trick is being a bit selective. Don’t take photos of them all the time and wear out your welcome!

For the image below, I sat my son on the trampoline with the afternoon sun lighting up the netting behind him. I took a series of shots with him looking into the camera. However, this one I like the best, with him looking away. I must admit, I did have to bribe him to pose for me, but it was worth a bowl of ice cream.

Boy on a trampoline — When did you last take photos of your family at home?

2. Pets

Another ready-made subject for you at home is your family pet. There can be both pros and cons for photographing animals. An advantage is that they can’t complain about being photographed like family or friends. A disadvantage is that they don’t want to sit still very often!

I tend to take images of our dalmatian Marshall when he’s doing something funny, yet rarely do I take a portrait. I love this photo of him; I took it as he was having a rest on the sofa.

Thing you can photograph in your home — There’s nowhere to hide from the camera, pooch!

3. Jewelry

If you have a macro lens, or a lens capable of getting close to small objects, why not photograph your jewelry? This could include items given to you by your loved ones or family heirlooms passed down from your relatives.

I chose to photograph my Nixon Star Wars watch. There are lots of cool details on the watch that I forgot about, including the second hand is a light saber!

If you have a lot more patience than me, you could take a series of images and focus stack them in an image editing program to create an image sharp across the frame.

10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home — My Star Wars watch

4. Figurines

When my Grandma visited London in 1983, she brought me back lots of little gifts, including these three metal soldiers. They’ve sat on my bookshelf next to my travel guide books for years. When I was looking for things you can photograph in your home, they commanded my attention immediately.

I photographed the metal soldiers in my front doorway on a table, with a booklet about London in the background. You can make out the double-decker bus in the background, which gives the image an added British feel.

Try experimenting with any small figures you have at home: lego people, dolls, small toys. Imagine what it’s like to be that tiny.

5. Vintage cameras

Many photographers have vintage cameras in their house, either because they still shoot film with them or because they make fantastic decorations. When it comes to things you can photograph in your home, vintage cameras are my favorite!

I have so many cameras dotted around my home office it was difficult to choose just one to photograph. However, in the end, I went with my classic 1960s Japanese half-frame film camera, the Olympus Pen FT.

The Pen FT is a beautifully designed camera, even down to the lens cap, which I lay on the table next to the camera.

If you don’t have any vintage cameras in your home, you could always photograph your favorite lens or another vintage item in your house.

Olympus Pen FT half frame camera — Precision Japanese engineering – the Olympus Pen FT.

6. Flowers

I wandered outside to my much-neglected garden and found some flowers we hadn’t managed to kill off yet. Gardening is not my superpower, that’s for sure!

I shot this image handheld, with the stamen in focus, and most of the background is a wonderful blur. As with the jewelry shots, you could set up a tripod and take a series of images to focus stack.

If you don’t have a garden, any kind of plant or flower – real or artificial – will do. If you have some cacti or succulents, you could even combine this idea with the figurines idea. Try posing some lego figures in your cactus garden!

7. Coffee

One advantage of being cooped up in the house is that I can make a coffee anytime I like. However, this can be a danger – I need to keep track of how many I’m having!

I took a series of images of coffee and milk frothing. This one of espresso coming out of my home coffee machine into a metal jug is my favorite.

Espresso pouring into a metal jug — Coffee pouring into a metal jug

8. Food

Hopefully during your stay at home, you have access to some nice food, or maybe you are still able to order some amazing takeaway from nearby restaurants.

Set up an area where you can shoot a flat lay of your meal. Try to make it as colorful and cool-looking as possible, with lots of different colors and props.

9. Sweet treats

Unless you’ve gone full minimalist, you’ll probably find things in your house and wonder where they came from. I have no idea why we had these brightly-colored candy canes in a vase in our kitchen, but I decided to photograph them nonetheless.

I put a white sheet over the table and photographed them with natural light streaming in the front doorway. Look for any brightly-colored candy or sweets in your house. I also took some shots of colorful easter eggs in a basket.

10. Home photoshoot

Another idea for something you can photograph in your home is a styled photoshoot. Christmas in July, teddy bears’ picnic, fashion shoots: the only limit is your imagination.

Pick a theme and run with it. Turn a corner of your house into your studio and go wild!

Conclusion

Being confined to the house can be challenging for many people. Rest assured, though, there are literally hundreds of things you can photograph in your home.

The first port of call for many will be family and pets, but there are also lots of other opportunities. You can also photograph personal items with sentimental value, such as jewelry, to vintage items that usually sit on the shelf, like toy soldiers, or vintage cameras. Bright colored items such as pencils and sweets make good subjects, as do flowers and plants.

Getting more creative with photographic opportunities at home is one way to fill time, work on your photography, and discover a new perspective. Are you up for the challenge?

What items do you like to photograph in your home? Tell us in the comments below.

The post 10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

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5 Things to Do to Every Photo In Lightroom to Improve Your photos

19 Feb

The post 5 Things to Do to Every Photo In Lightroom to Improve Your photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

Lightroom, as we all should know by now, is a powerful tool that allows you to get the absolute most out of your raw files. For many photographers, it’s an all-in-one solution for their post-processing workflow. For others, it’s just a stepping stone before moving the file across to Photoshop. While there are no hard-and-fast rules as to what you do to your images at this stage, there are a few things to do to every photo in Lightroom that will make your workflow easier and can help to polish your images just a little bit more.

Five things to do to every photo in Lightroom.

Lightroom is an invaluable tool for both organizing and processing your images. There is no one-size-fits-all workflow, but there are a few things that you can do to every photo.

1. Color Profile

The first of the things to do to every photo in Lightroom is to set up the color profile of your image.

Under this tab at the top of the Basic module, you will find several presets (such as Landscape, Portrait, and Neutral) that try to emulate these settings within your camera.

Using these presets can help you to get a good start on your image. They will adjust the colors and contrast in your image to a half-decent starting point for the type of image you have. From there you can fine-tune in any way you want.

Using color profiles is a powerful way to manage the colors in your images. Whether you use a preset or a custom profile, this is a good tool to get familiar with.

As you can see, using the Landscape preset on a portrait is something you don’t want to do very often, but the available options can be a powerful start to adjusting your images.

Where Color Profile really comes into its own is when you use an external tool to create custom color profiles. Tools such as the ColorChecker Passport from X-Rite allow you to create a custom color profile for any individual scene and lighting set-up. This enables you to attain accurate colors for each individual situation.

To use this feature, you will have to create your custom profile with the external software for the tool you are using. Then you import it into Lightroom, where you will find it under the Color Profile tab’s subsection labeled Profiles.

In the case of the ColorChecker Passport, this task is as easy as creating the profile and restarting Lightroom, where it will be waiting for you.

Creating a custom color profile (via the ColorChecker Passport) has ensured that the starting point for the image is an accurate representation of the colors as they were in real life.

2. White Balance

With your color profile set up, you can now turn your attention to the White Balance. I like to start each image off with as neutral a white balance as I can attain. You may drastically alter it later, but I feel the whole process is easier with a neutral white balance from the start.

If you are doing this by eye, you can use the Temp and Tint sliders in the Basic module to adjust as you will.

Pay close attention to any whites and grays in your images and try to get them looking as neutral as possible. When doing it this way, I like to zoom in as far as I can on blocks of tone and color (such as skin and backgrounds) to see what effect my adjustments are having.

Things to do to every photo in Lightroom - White Balance

The White Balance tool is basic, but it is still very powerful. I find starting with a neutral white balance works well (though this is not a rule).

If you’re using an external tool (such as a grey card) to set your white balance, you can do that instead with your preferred method.

Image: Using a grey card or other tool to get an accurate white balance can help save time and ensur...

Using a grey card or other tool to get an accurate white balance can help save time and ensure complete accuracy.

3. Sharpness

Another of the things to do to every photo in Lightroom is to turn the sharpness setting (under Details) to “0.” The reason for this is that using this feature in Lightroom treats sharpening as a global adjustment that affects the entire image. It also does it at the beginning of your workflow, whereas I prefer to do sharpening at the very end of the post-processing stage.

Things to do to every photo in Lightroom - Sharpness

The Sharpening slider in Lightroom doesn’t offer a great deal of control. Instead, use another method that allows you to fine-tune the effects at the end of your workflow.

By turning off the sharpening at this point, you grant yourself far more control over the process. Once you’re in Photoshop, you will be able to sharpen with far more precision than the slider in Lightroom provides you thanks to the various sharpening tools and other features such as Layer Masks.

Image: An example of a Layer Mask for a sharpening layer in Photoshop. This amount of control would...

An example of a Layer Mask for a sharpening layer in Photoshop. This amount of control would be very difficult to achieve in Lightroom.

Also, because the amount of sharpening you use will depend on the output (a large file for print will be sharpened more than a small file for web usage), using the sharpening in Lightroom at the beginning of your workflow may actually set you back.

If you don’t use Photoshop, you can always still set the Sharpness to “0” and when it comes time to export your images for whatever output you require, you can create a virtual copy of your finished image and sharpen that copy accordingly.

4. Noise

Unless the noise in your images is quite bad, the noise reduction tool in Lightroom is rather good.

Under the Details section, these sliders will allow you to reduce the impact of any noise in your images.

As with the other things to do to every photo in Lightroom mentioned in this article, it’s important to do this at the beginning stage of your image as the effect may dramatically alter the way your image looks as well as the approach you have towards it in further post-processing.

Things to do to every photo in Lightroom - Noise

Lightroom’s built-in noise reduction usually performs well. If there is noise present in your image, use it well. If there is no noise, leave it at 0 as you will risk losing some detail.

5. Lens Corrections

The last of the things that I suggest you do to every photo in Lightroom is to use the tool in the Lens Corrections section.

Checking the Chromatic Aberration box will go a long way to dealing with all but the worst instances of Chromatic Aberration. Lightroom does a very good job of this, and in most cases, you won’t have to do any more than to click this box.

If you do have to go further, the sliders under the Manual section will help you make short work of any Chromatic Aberration present in your images.

The Lens Corrections tool allows you to fix Chromatic Aberrations and correct for the lens you used.

Checking the Enable Profile Corrections box is one of the most useful things you can do to do your images from the very start. As long as you are using a lens that has a Lens Profile in Lightroom (you can make one manually if it doesn’t), using this tool will make adjustments to your images that compensate for that individual Lens.

Distortion and vignetting are two of the most prominent things that this tool corrects for, and this can have a dramatic effect on how your images appear.

Image: Left: No corrections. Right: With lens corrections. The difference is subtle, but it is very...

Left: No corrections. Right: With lens corrections. The difference is subtle, but it is very much there. Applying the profile corrected both distortion and vignetting.

The end

While this is a simple list, it’s often very easy to overlook some of these steps once you are in Lightroom. The excitement of looking at your images and getting started with the adjustments once you’ve imported them is a hard thing to override.

However, taking the few moments that it takes to implement these steps can help you to achieve more natural and polished results with very little effort at the beginning of your post-processing stage.

In the end, I hope you find these things to do to every photo in Lightroom helpful with your photo editing journey.

If there is a step that you think that I should have included here, please feel free to add it to the comments.

The post 5 Things to Do to Every Photo In Lightroom to Improve Your photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

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6 Vital Things to Look for When Photographing Landscapes

03 Feb

The post 6 Vital Things to Look for When Photographing Landscapes appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.

Photographing landscapes is a hugely enjoyable pursuit that you can undertake all throughout the year. Landscapes are all around us, and being among them and capturing their beauty is a great way to immerse yourself in nature. Landscape photography can also be a fun way to practice your photography outdoors and learn about your camera in the fresh air. Here are six things to consider when photographing landscapes to elevate your images.

1. Dramatic light

One of the best times to be outdoors with the camera photographing landscapes is when the light is adding ambiance to the land.

Dramatic light can appear in all weathers.

You might expect dramatic light only to appear when the sun is shining. This is simply not the case. A predominantly overcast sky can yield impressive light for landscape photography. When the clouds disperse, the sun can unveil magical light as it paints and radiates the landscape.

It is often these fleeting moments of light that make the scenery more outstanding.

Another great moment for dramatic light is after a storm or rain shower when the bad weather clears and breathtaking light replaces it, or the final rays of light following a sunset.

Fujifilm Finepix F700, 12.9mm, 1/300 sec, f/3.6, ISO 200, Normal Program, Pattern Metering. © Jeremy Flint

2. Changes in the season

You can enjoy the beauty of the landscape throughout the year. Have you ever thought about how a local panorama changes with the seasons throughout the summer, autumn, winter, and spring? The changes each season brings can be brilliant for photographing landscapes.

Next time you visit and capture your favorite local scenic view, re-visit during a different time of the year and see how the landscape transforms in an alternative season.

The beautiful vibrant greens of summer are usually followed by the crisp and golden leaves and foliage of autumn when a palette of colors unfolds from shades of red and orange to hues of yellow.

In spring and summer, photographing landscapes can be a superb time to capture flowers in bloom or more minimalist looking images when the trees are bare and striking in winter.

Also, consider using a wide-angle lens to capture a greater perspective.

Canon 5D Mk II, EF 17-40mm f4L USM, 19mm, 1/4 sec, f/11, ISO 100, Manual Mode, Pattern Metering. © Jeremy Flint

3. Changes in the landscape

Our dynamic landscapes continue to change due to human activity and natural processes, shaping our diverse and wonderful landscapes.

Farming has a big influence on our land and can be great for photography. Arable farming (the growing of crops and cereals) and pastoral farming (the rearing and production of animals such as pigs, sheep, beef and dairy cattle) can make great subjects for photography.

As fields get plowed, seeds also get planted. When different crops grow every year, including wheat and barley in the UK, for example, these changing landscapes provide wonderful photo opportunities.

You can also photograph grazing animals in the landscape.

4. Varying weathers

Changes in the weather can be unpredictable and can occur at a moment’s notice. One minute it can be sunny, and the next minute it can be raining. Although you cannot control the weather, you can alter what you shoot. So get creative when photographing landscapes in varying weathers and make the most of anything it throws at you.

Bad weather can provide exciting chances to improve your photos. For example, snow can transform a landscape into a striking minimalist scene.

If the skies are overcast or it is raining, either head to a river for your photography or venture into woodlands where there is more cover for taking pictures.

Canon 5DSr, 16-35mm f2.8L III USM, 18mm, 15 sec, f/11, ISO 100, Manual Mode, Pattern Metering. © Jeremy Flint

The weather can influence a landscape with its changing patterns of light. As the sun and clouds come and go, shoot the diversity of the scene as it develops.

5. Atmospheric conditions

Atmospheric conditions can really help to lift your landscape images. A hint of mist can make an uninteresting scene look moody and interesting. Mist swirling around a group of trees or encircling a building can look spectacular, especially in the right light.

You can use fog to create mystical-looking images too.

6. Interesting elements

The final suggestion to shoot quality landscapes is to add an extra element of interest in your shots. You can go for a tree, water, people, or even parts of the landscape, such as a fence or gate.

Experiment with different compositions and come up with a view you like. The extra element will help give scale to your pictures and bring out another interesting side to the scenery.

Image: Canon 5DSr, 16-35mm f2.8L III USM, 18mm, 1/30 sec, f/11, ISO 100, Manual Mode, Pattern Meteri...

Canon 5DSr, 16-35mm f2.8L III USM, 18mm, 1/30 sec, f/11, ISO 100, Manual Mode, Pattern Metering. © Jeremy Flint

Conclusion

In summary, changes in the weather can be both subtle and extreme, creating incredible moments to capture the landscape. Consider things such as showers, sun, cloud cover or clear skies when photographing landscapes.

Also, look for the seasonal changes in crops and take advantage of dramatic light as it casts its rays over a magical view.

Mist and fog can be the icing on the cake for landscape photography as they add an element of drama and can lift your images from great to spectacular. Also, include a person or building in your landscape shots for interest and scale.

Do you have any other tips for photographing landscapes? Perhaps you’d like to share some of you landscape shots with us? If so, please do so in the comments!

The post 6 Vital Things to Look for When Photographing Landscapes appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.

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5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can’t Do in Lightroom

22 Jan

The post 5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can’t Do in Lightroom appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

If you’re a Lightroom user, you may be wondering:

Are there any Lightroom alternatives that can take your editing to the next level? Are there any editing programs that can offer you something more?

The answer is a resounding yes:

Capture One Pro.

capture-one-or-lightroom

You see, Capture One is a step above Lightroom in several key respects. While Capture One isn’t for everyone, if you’re looking to expand your post-processing capabilities, Capture One may be the way to go.

So in this article, you’re going to discover five things you can do in Capture One that you can’t do in Lightroom. It’s certainly not an exhaustive list, but it should give you a sense of Capture One’s power, and why you might consider it as a RAW editor.

Let’s get started.

1. You can create a session-based workflow for efficient organization

I’m a big fan of Lightroom’s catalog-based editor. I like Lightroom’s method of quickly organizing photos with Collections and Albums.

But Capture One’s session-based workflow option is well thought out and amazingly useful.

Here’s how it works:

First, you have a photography outing or a photo shoot of some kind, then you head into Capture One and create a session.

capture-one-or-lightroom

Now, every session involves a parent folder. And within that parent folder, Capture One creates four additional folders:

A Capture Folder
A Selects Folder
An Output Location folder
A Trash Folder

5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can't Do in Lightroom

So when you begin your session, you can import all of your photos from the day into the Capture Folder. This is where all of your photos can reside until you go through them. When you do, you can move the best shots into the Selects Folder and the worst shots into the Trash Folder.

Once you’ve edited all of your Selects Folder photos, you can create JPEG or TIFF files, which you export into the Output Location folder.

Note that you can create a new session whenever you do a new photoshoot. That way, you can use the same session-based process on every single photography outing.

And your photography workflow will stay quick and efficient.

Plus, you can access every session from within Capture One, as part of the Library.

Cool, right?

2. You can do layer-based editing for advanced post-processing control

One of the biggest things missing from Lightroom that you can find in other post-processing programs?

Layers.

Now, Adobe has found some nice workarounds; the Graduated Filter, Radial Filter, and Adjustment Brush tools are very powerful and give enough fine-tuned control to satisfy plenty of users.

However, if you really want to selectively edit your photos, layers (and the masking functions that go with them) can’t be beaten.

With Capture One’s layer options, you can apply masks using a brush, a gradient, and more. You can make any basic global Capture One adjustment via a layer, then quickly turn it into a local adjustment.

5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can't Do in Lightroom

Plus, layers are useful for compartmentalizing different edits. If you’d like to keep your exposure adjustments separate from your color adjustments, put them in separate layers. If you’re like to make multiple exposure adjustments, but aren’t sure which ones you’ll end up using, put them in separate layers. Then quickly toggle on and off layers to see how the adjustments affect the final image.

Of course, you don’t have to use layers in Capture One. If you’re more a fan of Lightroom’s sliders, then there are some options for more selective editing compared to Lightroom, including the enhanced color adjustments I talk about in the next section:

3. You can do enhanced color toning with Capture One’s Color Balance tool

Color toning is one of the most important adjustments I make to my own images, and it’s one of the simpler tweaks you can make to really improve your photos.

So it’s pretty important that you’re able to control color as much as possible.

And while Lightroom offers its (extremely useful) HSL sliders and split toning tool, the Color Balance tool is one of my favorite things about Capture One, from its interface to its control to its power:

capture-one-or-lightroom

You see, with the Capture One Color Balance tool, you can alter the Highlight, Midtone, and Shadow colors. You can do basic split toning by pushing blues into the shadows and golds into the highlights. Or you can go for a more advanced three-toned color grade using the Capture One color wheels.

Plus, color toning in Capture One is very intuitive!

Instead of doing toning while referencing an external color wheel, you can quickly select complementary colors off the wheel and see how they look. And if you don’t like those, well, you can switch to a different pair or harmonious colors, or a color triad, all within the Color Balance interface.

It’s a lot of power in a very simple tool.

4. You can create presets for individual editing tools

Lightroom is known for its preset-creation capabilities.

But did you know that Capture One lets you create presets for individual tools?

If you hit upon a set of values that you like, simply tap the hamburger icon in the right-hand corner of any tool:

capture-one-or-lightroom

And select Save User Preset:

5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can't Do in Lightroom

Then, the next time you get stuck using that tool, you can scroll through your saved presets and see if anything sticks out at you.

Capture One also provides you with a number of already-uploaded presets, so you’re free to check those out, as well:

5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can't Do in Lightroom

By the way:

While Capture One user presets are nice to use, they’re certainly not a substitute for broader preset editing. Which is why Capture One includes preset functions just like Lightroom (but called Styles).

5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can't Do in Lightroom

So you get the best of both worlds:

Tool-specific presets, and image-focused Capture One styles.

5. You can rearrange the interface for streamlined editing

Here’s one more great feature that Capture One offers:

You can arrange your editing interface – and I’m not talking about toggling on and off a few editing panels.

Instead, with Capture One, you can remove tools completely from the editing interface. You can bring them out so that they float in the main editing window, or you can stick them back into entirely different sections of Capture One.

capture-one-or-lightroom

This is especially useful if you have a particular editing workflow that you tend to follow. Instead of hunting around for each tool every time you edit a photo, you can arrange your editing tools in a neat stack. Then, when it’s time to edit your photos, you can go straight down the sequence, doing one edit after another until you’ve finished.

Being able to rearrange the editing interface is also nice if there are certain tools that you never use, and just want to get rid of.

Hate the Levels tool? You can remove it in seconds.

And you’re also free to remove entire tabs. If you never want to use a Capture One style, you can delete the whole Adjustments tab.

5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can't Do in Lightroom

Note that Capture One even has several tool tabs that you can add into the Capture One interface, such as a Composition tab and a Black and White tab.

Really, the options are endless!

5 things you can do in Capture One you can’t do in Lightroom: Conclusion

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all about the power of Capture One, and what it offers compared to Lightroom.

Bottom line:

Capture One is an impressive RAW image editor and one that packs a lot of punch.

So if you’re looking to increase your editing power, testing out Capture One is a good decision!

For those of you who have tried Capture One, what are your thoughts? What did you like or dislike compared to Lightroom? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post 5 Things You Can Do in Capture One You Can’t Do in Lightroom appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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Don’t Be Afraid to Say These Things to Your Photography Clients

11 Jan

The post Don’t Be Afraid to Say These Things to Your Photography Clients appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Shooting photos for clients is an interesting business. People pay you to take great photos, but you also have to balance your photographic goals with the very human side of the job. You can’t just boss people around and expect them to come back or give you positive word-of-mouth. On the other hand, you can’t let your clients walk all over you. There’s a fine line between assertiveness and rudeness. However, as long as you are polite and respectful you should never be afraid to say these things to your photography clients.

Nikon D750, 86mm, f/4, ISO 2800, 1/400 second

“I don’t offer discounts”

If you have been in this business for a while, you have almost certainly had clients ask you about some kind of sale, discount, sweetheart deal, or other tactic to get you to lower your prices.

I used to feel self-conscious about these sorts of requests, thinking I had some kind of obligation to accommodate my clients who didn’t want to pay full price. The thought of not offering a discount made me feel arrogant and cold-hearted.

The truth is, you are worth your price. If people want to hire you to do your best work, then there is no shame in asking them to pay for it. If someone asks for a special deal, politely but firmly decline. Tell them that your prices are competitive and you will take beautiful photos for a reasonable fee.

Nikon D750, 92mm, f/4, ISO 220, 1/180 second

Additionally, don’t use the phrase “I’m sorry” when discussing your prices. You should never have to apologize for charging what you are worth!

You might think you are being polite, but you have nothing to apologize for. So you shouldn’t feel obligated to say it.

I have had several situations where potential clients have asked me about offering discounts. At first, I felt uncomfortable sticking to my guns. However, every single time I declined to go down in price, I have felt good about the decision. Plus, the clients were still happy with my photos.

Recently someone asked me about taking photos of her daughter’s graduation. When I told her my price, she winced and asked if I offered any type of discount. I said no, and she eventually went with another photographer who had a cheaper rate.

While a part of me wishes I could have gotten this woman’s business, I think of the ramifications if I had gone down in price.

Nikon D750, 110mm, f/2.8, ISO 160, 1/125 second

She would have expected a similar discount on future sessions, and she would have almost certainly told her friends about this great photographer she knows who gave them a really good discount.

That would have started things off on the wrong foot with other potential clients who might be expecting me to drop my price.

The implications for lowering your prices can be much worse in the long run. So you should never feel bad for saying these things to your photography clients.

“You have something on your face”

There are many ways to fix blemishes, pimples, dust, dirt, and other imperfections in Photoshop.

I have had clients joke about taking ten pounds or twenty years off in Photoshop. That always makes me a little uncomfortable since I think my clients look great just as they are.

With almost every photo session, there is some type of artificial issue that can easily be fixed right on the spot.

If not addressed right away, these things can add hours to your post-processing time.

Nikon D750, 135mm, f/2.8, ISO 500, 1/350 second

You might feel a little nervous or uncomfortable telling your clients that they have a stray hair on their cheek or a spot of dirt on their shoulder. I know what that’s like, having been in the situation many times!

Kids are fussy, the wind is blowing, rain is starting to fall, and you feel like you’re adding yet another burden to your clients by telling them they’ve got something on their face.

On the contrary, don’t be afraid to say these things to your clients! Every time I have neglected to mention an issue while taking pictures, I have regretted it afterward.

If you fix a blemish on a single photo, you have to fix it on all the photos. If it takes one minute to fix the first time, multiply that by 20, 50, or 100, and the simple task quickly turns to tedium.

Nikon D750, 92mm, f/2.8, ISO 400, 1/250 second

Not once have I had a client get upset, offended, or otherwise bothered when I told them about a problem like this. If anything, they have appreciated my watchful eye and attention to detail!

Kindly and politely tell them that they have a leaf on their dress, a speck on their forehead, or a butterfly resting on their shoulder. (I’m not kidding, it has happened!) You can deal with it in a few seconds and move on, instead of worrying about it and then wasting hours of your time editing it out on your computer.

“Sure, let’s try your idea”

Any time I prepare for a photo shoot, I always make sure I know the location, the types of photos the clients want, and other pertinent information. I even built several custom photo benches that I bring with me in case people need a place to sit. Basically, I try to have all my bases covered so I can make sure the session goes smoothly.

However, sometimes clients have other ideas. When that happens, I used to get defensive – I’m the professional, my clients need to listen to me!

On a sports team, it’s the players’ job to listen to their coach, and if every person on the field did things his or her own way, the game would be lost in short order.

Nikon D750, 112mm, f/4, ISO 1600, 1/250 second.

A photo session isn’t a sporting event, and you are a photographer, not a coach, and certainly not a dictator. You have great ideas for how to carry out the session, but your clients might too. It also behooves you to show them you care and will listen to their suggestions.

Even if you might not particularly like an idea that your clients have for poses, locations, or props, you might be surprised at the results. At the very least, it will send a message to your clients that you are flexible and willing to listen to them.

Even if the photos aren’t your favorite, word of mouth from your clients will help build a good reputation for you!

Nikon D750, 50mm, f/1.8, f/2, ISO 320, 1/250 second.

The image above is one example of how this can work out well for you and your clients. After I shot this family in the middle of a park, one of them told me he wanted to get a picture by a bridge. I was a little hesitant since the lighting and location weren’t my favorite, but I was happy to oblige. These photos turned out to be their favorite from the entire session!

“I have a location I prefer”

This seems a little counter to the last bit of advice since the idea here is to not take your clients suggestions into account. If you shoot outdoors, as I and many others do, you probably have some particular spots you like to use. Your locations have good lighting, pleasant surroundings, few people, and no bothersome elements like trash cans or street signs. You have used these locations many times, and they work great!

Your clients might have other ideas, though, and this is when it’s important to push back a little. I have had clients ask to do photos in spots that might look great for social media selfies, but they just aren’t well suited to a formal photo session.

In these situations, there’s nothing wrong with gently but firmly steering them to a location you prefer.

Nikon D750, 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 280, 1/250 second

It might seem harsh or uncaring to say these things to your photography clients, but it’s all about setting expectations.

When it comes to choosing a location, you know things your clients don’t. You pay attention to aspects of lighting and composition they would never think about.

If a potential client is insistent on using a spot that you would rather not use, show them your portfolio and explain the reason that you want to do it at another location.

Ultimately it’s your call – you can go with a spot they want, and the pictures might turn out great. But there’s a good chance you will encounter unforeseen obstacles, distractions, and other issues that will lead to sub-par photos.

If your client is insistent, you can politely tell them you won’t be able to meet their needs and recommend another photographer instead. Or you can do the session anyway, but make sure to scout the location first so you can prepare for what awaits.

Nikon D750, 150mm, f/4, ISO 1100, 1/250 second

“Photos will be ready in two weeks, but not sooner.”

Your own timeframe for this might differ, but you must be honest with clients about these types of expectations.

They might have other ideas in mind based on experiences their friends have had with other photographers. If you need a specific amount of time to deliver the photos, then make sure to stand by what you say.

Be sure to explain this early when you establish a relationship with your clients, so they know right away what to expect. You don’t want them complaining on social media because they thought you would deliver their photos the very next day!

Let them know that you need time to carefully cull, edit, and even print their photos. A few extra days of work can mean the difference between good photos and frame-worthy portraits to hang on a living room wall.

Fuji X100F, 23mm, f/5.6, ISO 320, 1/125 second

Expectations

One trick is to under-promise and over-deliver. I let my clients know that they will receive their final images within three weeks. I almost always send their photos in two weeks. So in their eyes, I have not only met their expectations but vastly exceeded them.

Your clients might want photos quickly, but if you need time to do your post-processing, be firm and stick to your guns. Quality takes time, and you’re not just slapping on a filter like you would see on some social media apps.

And if you need a few weeks to work your magic, then make sure your clients know what to expect.

Nikon D750, 50mm, f/1.8, f/5.6, ISO 6400, 1/90 second. (Using a +4 close-up filter)

Conclusion

At the end of the day, this is all about establishing a positive, healthy, and productive relationship with your clients.

Always be respectful, and always treat them how you would prefer to be treated yourself. If you say these things to your photography clients it will help send the message that you are a serious professional. Moreover, they will likely want to keep working with you well into the future.

We hope Don’t Be Afraid to Say These Things to Your Photography Clients will help you on your photographic journey. Do you have other things that you feel can be said to clients that can help the session run smoother? If so, share it with us in the comments!

The post Don’t Be Afraid to Say These Things to Your Photography Clients appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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Important Things to Consider When Photographing Winter Scenes

08 Dec

The post Important Things to Consider When Photographing Winter Scenes appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.

Winter is a great season for photography and a magical time of year to be outdoors. Photographing winter scenes can be an exciting opportunity to capture some unique and wonderful images, particularly when a familiar scene is covered in a blanket of snow and takes on an entirely different perspective. Here are some considerations on how to photograph winter scenes:

1. Make the most of winter’s longer dusks and dawns

In spite of the colder temperatures, one of the joys of winter is that the sun tends to linger longer at dusk and dawn. It also remains lower in the sky throughout the day, providing great light.

If you can brave the elements and venture outside to capture these magical moments during the winter, you are more likely to have a productive shoot and be rewarded for your efforts. One advantage of photographing at dusk and dawn in the winter is that sunrise is much later than in the summer, and sunset is earlier.

Winter landscape, Oxfordshire

2. Find contrast

When photographing winter scenes such as snow, there are usually displays of strong contrast between subjects and colors that can make for striking images. For example, the whiteness of snow stands out really well against the darkness of a tree silhouette and combines beautifully with a colorful sun.

Alternatively, warm winter skies work really well with the cooler tones of snow. Look to find and photograph these types of contrast in your images, and the results will be more visually stunning.

Oxfordshire, England

3. Shoot bright and colorful scenes

Make the most of the winter light and shoot brightly-lit scenes. The bright white snow adds a certain beauty to a winter scene and can make a dull subject more interesting. A great time to shoot colorful winter scenes is when the sun is shining.

Yosemite, USA

Seek out colorful vistas that may include an animal, a tree, people, a house, a building, or even a snowman. Capture their warm colors in the glowing light. You may find you will need to overexpose a touch if your pictures are coming out slightly dark to make your images slightly lighter.

Iceland

4. Bring plenty of batteries

Batteries tend to lose power and run out faster in colder weather, especially when photographing winter scenes.

Be sure to fully charge them before you set off to maximize your shooting time and keep spares in a warm place, such as an inner pocket.

5. Keep warm

One of the most important challenges with photographing winter scenes is keeping warm. It is amazing how quickly your body temperature can fall when standing still photographing in the cold.

Wear layers to keep the heat in (thermal and wool base layers work really well). Wrap up warm with gloves and a hat and consider hand (heat) warmers. These are great for heating your hands after they have exposed them to the elements, especially if you have to remove your gloves to navigate the camera buttons when taking photos.

There are winter gloves designed specifically for photographers. The thumb and forefinger flip back so you can keep your hands warm while photographing. Consider investing in a pair if you will be in snow and cold a lot.

Also, bring snacks and water to stay energized and hydrated.

6. How to photograph snow:

Snow brightens the landscape and makes everything outdoors look amazing. However, photographing snow does come with its challenges. Here are some useful tips worth considering when photographing snow:

Setting White Balance to “Cloudy White Balance” or setting your Kelvins to the warmer spectrum will help to make up for the bluish-tinge snow gets. This is particularly evident on overcast or cloudy days when you may get a blue cast to the snow in your images.

Iceland

Overexpose when shooting snow so that the snow is white rather than “grey”.

Snow can trick your camera meter into underexposing when using your camera’s automatic metering system.

In order to achieve the correct exposure, you will need to compensate for this by adding positive exposure compensation (overexposure) of 1 to 2 stops. The raised exposure value (EV) will help the snow to appear whiter rather than a dull grey. Then your images will be more accurate and a better representation of the snow-covered scene that you see as a result of this.

This applies whether you are capturing falling snow or after it has settled on the ground.

Also, consider using a polarizer filter – this can cut glare and reflections off the snow when it is sunny. It can also help you to see through streams of water better because it cuts through the reflections on top of the water.

Yellowstone, USA

Conclusion

Winter can be a brilliant season for photography, whether you are capturing photos close to home or at more distant exotic locations. Don’t be deterred by the challenges faced when photographing winter scenes. Get out there and have some fun with your camera this winter, and use these tips to capture some great photos you can be proud of.

Share your winter images with us below and any further tips you may have.

The post Important Things to Consider When Photographing Winter Scenes appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.

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3 Legged Thing’s new tripods feature leveling base, video heads, table-top option and more

26 Nov

Tripod manufacturer 3 Legged Thing has announced a new range of premium tripods that are designed to suit both stills and movie photographers. Inspired by the skateboarding world, the Legends range will offer video heads for the first time as well as new leg locks, a leveling base as well as three detachable legs that can become monopods or booms arms for lights and microphones. The company has launched two models, Mike and Jay, and promises more for the future.

The 8-layer carbon fiber legs offer a lightweight tripod without compromising stability and rigidity according to the company, and new Rapid Latch locks on the tops of the legs make them quick and easy to open for those with disabilities.

Mike is the taller of the two, measuring 66.7cm (26.26in) when closed, but extending to a maximum height of 147.5cm (58.07in). Mike weighs 1.65kg (3.64lbs) and can support kit of up to 14kg (30lbs). Jay is designed to be travel-friendly and measures 40.5cm / 15.94″ when folded and extends to a maximum height of 111.2cm (43.78in). He weighs 1.41kg (3.1lbs) and can hold the same weight as Mike – up to 14kg (30lbs).

Jay has a minimum height of 10.0cm / 3.94″ and Mike of 13.5cm / 5.31″, but both models can have their legs removed and optional ‘footwear’ mini-legs attached so that they can be used very close to the ground or on a tabletop. With the mini-legs attached the leveling base can double as a 3-legged stabilizer for one of the main legs when used as a monopod.

The company has also released its first video heads, which offer left or right panning arm placement, fluid movement and adjustable tilt motion. The AirHed Cine comes with either an Arca-Swiss clamp and plate or a standard version, and both have a mounting thread for attaching accessories.

Mike will cost $ 549.99 / £499.99 on his own, or $ 849.99 / £729.99 with the AirHed Cine, while Jay costs $ 479.99 / £449.99 on his own, or $ 779.99 / £679.99 with the AirHed Cine. The AirHed Cine costs $ 349.99 / £299.99 by itself. The company says there will be more to come for the Legends system in the next few months.
For more information see the 3 Legged Thing website.

Press release:

3 Legged Thing Announces New Legends Tripod Range

The award-winning British tripod manufacturer introduces a new ultra-premium tripod range and the first three products.

Following the phenomenal growth in popularity of its Pro and Punks tripods, 3 Legged Thing is excited to announce Legends – the most radical departure from conventional tripod design ever developed. Designed and engineered in Stagsden, England, the new products deliver unbelievable strength, maximum versatility, and incredible build quality. It is the first time 3 Legged Thing has introduced products designed for both photo and video.

Taking its inspiration from skateboarder, musician, photographer and 3LT Pro Team member, Ray Barbee, the ethos of the Legends range is innovation, outstanding performance, and creativity.

3 Legged Thing’s CEO and Founder Danny Lenihan explains: “With every incarnation of tripods, we bring new and exciting technological advances, and upgrades to existing design and engineering. Legends is a back-to-the-drawing-board look at how we use and need tripods in modern photography and videography, with ideas dating back five years that we had previously left undeveloped. With emphasis on workflow and user-friendliness, we’ve simultaneously lowered the weight, and increased the load-to-weight ratio, without compromising stability or rigidity. We’ve added advanced functionality, the likes of which have never been seen before, and made major aesthetic changes for our most incredible tripod range to date.

Danny continues: “When I first saw Ray Barbee, as a teenager, making his Bones Brigade debut in the Powell-Peralta film, Public Domain, my perception of skateboarding instantly changed. Here was this kid, who had defied normal conventions of neon and garish 80s fashion, and replaced them with a tee, jeans, Vans and a baseball cap. His style was smooth, inimitable, flowing and utterly effortless, and it was this that inspired me most. The parallels between Ray Barbee’s ethos and creativity, and the ideas forming in my head were tangible and quantifiable. I wanted to bring this new range to life, with fluid workflow, effortless movements, and unbounded style. When I mentioned to Ray that we’d like to name a tripod as a tribute to him, he was incredibly modest and humble. I knew then that it was exactly the right thing to do. Whilst the Ray tripod isn’t the first in the range to launch, it is important to understand that the influence and inspiration for the rest of the range, and the three debut products, all stem from Ray Barbee’s commitment to the arts, and I look forward to launching his signature product in 2020.”

The first two tripods in the range are Mike and Jay, 3 Legged Thing’s first levelling-base, hybrid photo/video tripods. Equally useful for video makers or landscape photographers, levelling base systems enable smooth and fast set-ups on challenging terrain. Mike is a full size carbon fibre tripod, designed for incredible stability in any conditions, whilst Jay features shorter carbon fibre legs with more sections, creating a travel-friendly video option, the first of its kind.

Mike is named after one of the original Bones Brigade skateboarders, Mike McGill. Inventor of the McTwist (arguably the most iconic trick ever invented), Mike is one of the most famous skateboarders in the world, and a professional for over 30 years. Jay is named for the late Jay Adams, the Dogtown skateboarder, whose style was inspired by surfing, influencing a whole new generation of skaters.

Similarly, the tripods in the Legends range share this DNA of innovation. These tripods have not one but three detachable legs, adding a level of versatility rarely seen in a tripod system. The legs can be used as a monopod; as boom arms for lights or microphones, or both!

With the legs removed the tripod can be used on table-tops or at ground level by joining a set of 3LT’s tripod footwear to the leg hinges. This enables both Mike and Jay to be used for macro work, bringing photographers a varied range of perspectives from which to shoot. With the addition of 3LT footwear, the levelling base can also be used as a foot stabiliser for a monopod leg, adding an extra level of versatility to the products.

The tripods are constructed from 8 layers of 100% pure Japanese carbon fibre, and aerospace-grade, anodised magnesium alloy, providing incredible strength, rigidity, and durability.

The new tripods have 3 Legged Thing’s new Rapid Latch, a hardwearing anodised mag-alloy latch with auto-engage lock, which is used to open and position the legs. The Rapid Latch has been specifically designed to make adjusting the legs quick and simple, even if the user is wearing thick gloves. Rapid Latch is also designed to be friendly to those with disabilities or hand injuries, enabling them to easily change the leg angles without complication or fuss.

Each of the legs can be used at three optimal angles creating different shooting heights, and can be positioned independently for use on uneven ground. The tripods come with removable rubber Bootz, which can be replaced with one of four varieties of alternative footwear, to increase stability on even the most challenging surfaces.

The Legends range tripod leg locks have new external designs with raised O-Pads for improved, grip, leverage and water displacement. Internally, the locks have been engineered with a new design of Chicken Lips (shims) which give the locks greater strength and grip, and formidable anti-rotation.

Mike and Jay’s levelling base has a friction control that enables users to finely-adjust the positioning. Both tripods are also available in kits with 3 Legged Thing’s stunning new video head, the AirHed Cine.

Precision milled from aerospace-grade magnesium alloy, and featuring a distinctive spiderweb design, the AirHed Cine has an adjustable, fluid-motion, tilt mechanism that offers smooth movement and can be controlled directly, or with the included panning arm. The arm can be fitted to either side of the head for right or left-handed operation. The AirHed Cine is available with a choice of standard video clamp and plate, or an Arca-Swiss compatible clamp and plate, and features a ¼”-20 thread for externally mounted devices such as articulated arms.

The first two tripods in the Legends range are available for pre-order starting today. Mike’s suggested retail price is £499.99 / $ 549.99 for tripod only, with tripod kit including AirHed Cine SRP of £729.99 / $ 849.99. Jay’s SRP is £449.99 / $ 479.99 tripod only, and £679.99 / $ 779.99 for Jay Kit with AirHed Cine. The AirHed Cine is available separately with a suggested retail price of £299.99 / $ 349.99.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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3 Things Aperture Mode is Perfect For in Photography

25 Nov

The post 3 Things Aperture Mode is Perfect For in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.

Many new photographers are overwhelmed by all the settings on their camera. But what if you could ignore most of the settings on your camera and just choose one to experiment with? Where would you begin?

I suggest you begin by experimenting with the aperture because this setting has a huge effect on your photos.

Once you know the things Aperture Mode (or Aperture Priority) is perfect for, you’ll have increased your creative possibilities and simplified the camera setting problem.

Here are three things you can do with Aperture Mode.

But first, how to put your camera on Aperture Mode

For most cameras, to put your camera on Aperture Mode you need to turn the dial to A in order to take control of your aperture (Av for Canon).

This is a Nikon camera. On Canon, you’re looking for Av

When you look at the screen on your camera, you’ll notice a number with an F beside it. This is your aperture value. Use the scroller on your camera to change that number. Experiment and see how high and how low you can make that number go.

When that number is smaller (1.8, 3.5, 5.6) the aperture is wider or more open.

When the number is larger (11, 16, 22) the aperture is narrower or more closed.

As we move through the tips, you’ll see how opening or closing your aperture affects your photo. When you’re intentional about setting your aperture, it will drastically change your photo.

1. How to create background blur (or keep the background in focus if you prefer)

Think in terms of opposites for a moment.

Normally, when we take a portrait, we only want the person to be in focus. But when we photograph a landscape, we want the whole photo to be in focus.

I’ll show you how you can use aperture to create background blur for portraits. I’ll also show you the opposite; how to keep the whole scene in focus for landscapes.

The principle is as simple as this: open your aperture for portraits, close it for landscapes.

PS – the technical term for background blur is bokeh (like a bouquet of flowers).

Image: Remember to open your aperture to create background blur in your portraits. Opening your aper...

Remember to open your aperture to create background blur in your portraits. Opening your aperture means setting it to the smallest number possible (probably 1.8 or 3.5 or 5.6). I set the aperture to F/2.5 for this portrait.

F/1.2 using the 56mm Fuji prime lens

Remember to close your aperture to keep the whole scene in focus for landscape photos. Closing your aperture means setting it to a larger number such as 11, 16, or 22. I set the aperture to F/11 for this landscape photo.

The aperture is set to F/11 for this landscape photo.

How to achieve better bokeh (background blur)

The first thing I told you about bokeh is that you need to open your aperture all the way. That means that you need to set it to the smallest number possible. That number might be 5.6, 3.5, or even 1.8, depending on your lens.

However, opening your aperture all the way isn’t always enough. So I’ll show you a formula for getting an even better bokeh.

My goal for the following portrait of Batman is to have him in focus with a nice blurry background.

There are four simple steps involved; let’s look at them one at a time.

1. Open the aperture

The aperture is set to 3.5

Now, I opened the aperture all the way, but the building isn’t really out of focus. The back part of the building is out of focus, but the part directly behind Batman is still pretty crisp.

The biggest problem is that he is too close to the background, so the second step will make a huge difference.

2. Bring Batman away from the background

Batman has been moved away from the background.

Now the building is out of focus, but let’s make it even more out of focus.

3. Zoom in

So far, I set my lens to its widest angle of 18mm. When I zoom all the way to 55mm, the background will go more out of focus.

The aperture has closed a little bit to f/5.6 because I zoomed in. This will happen with most lenses.

As well as blurring the background, zooming in also gave the photo a more compressed look.

Would you like the background to be even more blurry? Is it even possible?

4. Get closer

Yes, it is!

The closer you get to Batman, the more out of focus the background becomes.

I used my Olympus Tough TG-6 for this photo. The microscope mode allows me to get very close. The aperture is set to f/6.3 because I zoomed in.

For great bokeh just remember:

Open your aperture
Step away from the background
Zoom in
Get closer

Controlling your background blur is just one of the things Aperture Mode is perfect for. Now let’s see what else it can do.

2. Starburst effect

The starburst effect adds interest to your photos because we don’t normally see this with our eye.

To achieve the starburst effect, it’s as easy as closing your aperture.

For this landscape photo, I closed the aperture to F/8.

Image: For this photo, I set the aperture to F/8. I thought that it would be interesting to capture...

For this photo, I set the aperture to F/8. I thought that it would be interesting to capture this bridge using the starburst effect. But I’m disappointed with the angle or perspective. When the river freezes over, I’m going to come back and photograph the bridge from a different perspective. I consider this to be a “sketch shot.” I tried it out, and I know that it’s worth pursuing another photo later on.

The starburst effect is one of the more creative things Aperture Mode is perfect for. Now let’s see one of the biggest problems that Aperture Mode will help solve.

3. Low light photography

One of the biggest problems with dim light is that your photos become blurry from motion.

A typical blurry photo caused by dim light and a slow shutter speed.

Photos become blurry because there is not enough light and the camera takes more time to capture the photo. Technically, it’s a slow shutter speed issue.

The important thing to know is that you need to get more light into the camera. You can get more light in by opening your aperture all the way.

You should also raise your ISO higher (1600, 3200, or 6400).

Your shutter speed may still be a little bit slow, which could lead to motion blur in your photos. But if you hold still while taking the photo, and wait for your subject to hold still, you’ll get a pretty crisp photo.

I captured this candlelight portrait at F/2.0, ISO 4000, shutter speed 1/60 sec

F/2.0, ISO 2500, shutter speed 1/60 sec

An extreme low light photo captured at f/2.0, ISO 5000, shutter speed 1/15 sec

Sometimes you have no choice but to have a slow shutter speed. Why not get creative and make the most of it?

You’ve increased your skill as a photographer!

You’ve learned four things aperture mode is perfect for. These creative effects are achieved by simply opening or closing your aperture:

Blur your background by opening the aperture
Keep a landscape in focus by closing your aperture
Create a starburst effect by closing your aperture
Improve dim light photos by opening your aperture

Focusing on this one camera setting will help improve your photography and simplify camera setting confusion.

Try these out, and let me know how you go in the comments!

The post 3 Things Aperture Mode is Perfect For in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.

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Polaroid Originals launches ‘Upside Down’ Stranger Things OneStep 2 camera, I-Type film

06 May

In honor of Season 3, Stranger Things has teamed up with Polaroid Originals to release an ‘Upside Down’ Polaroid OneStep 2 and accompanying Stranger Things-branded film.

Officially named the ‘Polaroid Originals OneStep 2: Stranger Things Edition,’ there’s nothing notably unique about the OneStep 2, aside from its unique colorway and upside down branding, a nod to the ‘Upside Down’ realm in the Stranger Things universe.

Polaroid Originals says the camera features a fixed-focus lens, a built-in flash, USB charging and a self-timer. The battery life is rated for up to 60 days and the lens has a focusing range from two feet to infinity. It works with Polaroid Originals i-Type film as well as 600 instant films.

Speaking of films, Polaroid Originals is also selling a special edition film. The color I-Type film comes in packs of 8 and features 16 different designs inspired by various locations throughout Hawkins, the town where Stranger Things takes place.

The Color I-Type Film Stranger Things Edition is sold individually or in packs of three for $ 16.99 and $ 48.00, respectively. The Polaroid Originals OneStep 2: Stranger Things Edition is sold on its own for $ 109.99 or with a three-pack of film as a ‘Starter Set’ for $ 157.99.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Posts Tagged ‘Things’

You may also like:

1. Family

2. Pets

3. Jewelry

4. Figurines

5. Vintage cameras

6. Flowers

7. Coffee

8. Food

9. Sweet treats

10. Home photoshoot

Conclusion

1. Color Profile

2. White Balance

3. Sharpness

4. Noise

5. Lens Corrections

The end

1. Dramatic light

2. Changes in the season

3. Changes in the landscape

4. Varying weathers

5. Atmospheric conditions

6. Interesting elements

Conclusion

1. You can create a session-based workflow for efficient organization

2. You can do layer-based editing for advanced post-processing control

3. You can do enhanced color toning with Capture One’s Color Balance tool

4. You can create presets for individual editing tools

5. You can rearrange the interface for streamlined editing

5 things you can do in Capture One you can’t do in Lightroom: Conclusion

“I don’t offer discounts”

“You have something on your face”

“Sure, let’s try your idea”

“I have a location I prefer”

“Photos will be ready in two weeks, but not sooner.”

Expectations

Conclusion

1. Make the most of winter’s longer dusks and dawns

2. Find contrast

3. Shoot bright and colorful scenes

4. Bring plenty of batteries

5. Keep warm

6. How to photograph snow:

Conclusion

3 Legged Thing Announces New Legends Tripod Range

But first, how to put your camera on Aperture Mode

1. How to create background blur (or keep the background in focus if you prefer)

How to achieve better bokeh (background blur)

1. Open the aperture

2. Bring Batman away from the background

3. Zoom in

4. Get closer

2. Starburst effect

3. Low light photography

You’ve increased your skill as a photographer!