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  • Lighting 102: Introduction

    Welcome to the all-new, completely revised Lighting 102. If you are here, you should already have read through Lighting 101, and have a good understanding of its concepts.
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    In lighting 101 you learned the basics of getting your light off camera, how to sync it, and how to position it to reveal form. In Lighting 102 we'll go beyond those basics. You'll learn how to create shape and form while at the same time controlling your light throughout the three-dimensional space in your photo.Read more »
    Strobist

  • MIT researchers use ordinary cameras to create extraordinary interactive videos

    Augmented reality is in the news plenty lately, but some researchers from MIT have put an interesting twist on the popular technology. Using new algorithms and as little as a few seconds of video created by a traditional camera, they’ve been able to create Interactive Dynamic Video, or IDV. The objects respond in a surprisingly realistic way as they’re poked, prodded and manipulated.

    IDV records the tiny vibrations of an object in motion during a short video clip, and then uses that information to allow users to interact with the object virtually. The potential applications include things like monitoring the structural integrity of bridges or buildings. The technology could also provide filmmakers with a cheaper, less time-intensive alternative to 3D modeling. Case in point: this little green monster running around a playground.

    See the video below to learn more about the research and its applications.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Feast your eyes on a Sony 24-70mm F2.8 G Master teardown

    Teardowns are a handy way to satisfy the urge to see what’s inside expensive and prized electronics, while remaining a safe distance away and keeping warranties intact.

    Behold, a teardown of the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM, a lens that sells for $ 2200. Sony’s own SGNL YouTube channel does the dirty work of prying it apart for us, giving us a close-up look at the inner workings of the fast full-frame zoom.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 7 combines S7 camera with large display, S-Pen and iris scanner

    In keeping with its established product innovation cycle, Korean manufacturer Samsung has today launched the latest model in its Note line of large format smartphones, the Galaxy Note 7. Judging by its specifications the new device looks like an impressive package but is in many ways more of a refinement of previous models rather than a radical overhaul.

    The camera module, for example, comes with the same specification as the smaller Galaxy S7 and S7 edge devices. A 1/2.5″ 12MP sensor with 1.4-micron pixel size is combined with a fast F1.7 aperture, optical image stabilization and dual pixel on-sensor phase detection AF. The front camera has a 5MP sensor and F1.7 aperture.

    Processing specifications are identical to the S7 as well. The US version of the device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset while the international versions will come with Samsung’s own Exynos octa-core chip. All models come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage that is expandable via a microSD-slot.

    The Note 7’s characteristic 5.7″ dual-edge display offers Super AMOLED technology and a 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD resolution. It’s also the first display to feature Gorilla Glass 5 which should survive a drop from 1.6 meters height. As on the predecessor, the edges of the display are curved and offer Samsung’s unique Edge interface for quick access to contacts and apps. While some competitors have started to dispense with the headphone-jack the Samsung still offers this standard connector, next to a new USB Type-C port. All the components are powered by a 3,500mAh battery, which is a little smaller than the variant in the S7 Edge.

    Notable new features include an iris scanner above the display that allows you to unlock the phone or access secured content. Samsung says that in the future the scanner will let you log into accounts or use Samsung Pay, but none of these functions are currently implemented. The design of the Note series’ characteristic S-Pen stylus has been slightly altered, too. It is now water-resistant and at 0.7mm comes with a thinner tip which should make for a more natural writing experience. 

    Overall the Galaxy Note 7 looks like an appealing proposition for those users who like to work with larger screens and a stylus for photo editing. The camera module has already been tried and tested on the Galaxy S7 models and currently among the very best. 

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Lighting 102: Shape and Detail

    "One light for shape, another for detail."

    This simple concept, which I learned from photographer Jim Richardson about 25 years ago, forever changed the way that I thought about lighting. It's like a switch was turned on inside of my brain. Read more »
    Strobist

  • Lighting 102: Angle

    The legibility from our fill light doesn't call attention to itself. It just makes your other light look that much better. It introduces a balance; a range; a relationship between the two lights.

    Think of it like a backup band behind a soloist: the band is there to fill in the gaps, add background and make the soloist sound even better. Fill light is the music machine to your drunken karaoke key light.

    So just like we did in Lighting 101, lets take a walk around the block and explore some lighting angles. For consistency, we are going to keep the same key light source for every photo on this page. So it is just about the lighting angles — i.e., no other variables.Read more »
    Strobist

  • Broken Ground: Poignant Earthquake Memorial at Epicenter in China

    [ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

    disaster landscape

    A visceral memorial to the nearly 100,000 victims of China’s 2008 earthquake, this weathered-steal monument and museum conjures images of cracked Earth left in the wake of a quake.

    earthquake ruptured museum china

    The Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial Museum was conceived of as an architectural landscape and situated in Wenchuan County, the epicenter of the earthquake in the Sichuan Province.

    green roof quake path

    angled rusted steel walls

    Green roofs look unassuming in the landscape while rusted steal provides a ground-hued contrast in the cracks winding their way through the ruptured site. The effect is powerful, giving visitors the sense that they are walking in the actual voids left by the disaster.

    weathered steel green

    cracked earth aerial view

    The quake was responsible for an estimated 70,000 deaths and left tens of thousands missing. The museum complex was created by the faculty of Tonji University at the request of the Chinese government.

    ruptured benches contemplation

    The sheer magnitude of such an event is impossible to capture in physical form, but this design aims to at least give a sense of the devastation and places for remembrance and quiet contemplation.

    Sunken Memorial Garden Sliced into Submerged Cruise Ship

    Submerged sea vessels have long been destinations for diving tourists or (intentional or accidental) marine life habitats, but what if they could serve some function still visible on the surface …

    Balloon-Like Comic and Animation Museum Coming to China

    A cluster of organic shapes that look almost biological in nature, these bold white volumes will soon be the home of a new Comic and Animation Museum in Hangzhou, China. Dutch design firm MVRDV …

    Lanyang Museum Juts Out from the Landscape Like a Rock

    Looking as if it’s being pushed up out of the ground it stands upon – or perhaps sinking back into the earth – the Lanyang Museum in Yilan County, Taiwan echoes the sharpness and solidity of the …

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    [ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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    WebUrbanist

  • Everything You Need to Know to Master Lightroom

    Today we launched a brand new dPS course to help you get total control over Adobe Lightroom.

    dps-lightroom-mastery-hero-v1b-large

    For a short time you can grab it with a 50% off early bird discount.

    Are you frustrated with the time you’re spending perfecting your photos in Lightroom?

    Perhaps you’re a beginner and just don’t know where to start with the workflow?

    Our latest online video training course Lightroom Mastery will have you mastering post processing in hours.

    Photographer Mike Newton has created a complete Lightroom Mastery Course specially for dPS subscribers.

    Whether you’re a Lightroom novice or an intermediate user, you can take the whole course and work alongside Mike or skip ahead and start on the modules/tools you want to learn.

    here’s a little more on what it includes from Mike himself.

    Promotional Video from Digital Photography School on Vimeo.

    Checkout details on all 15 modules here.

    No matter what level of Lightroom user you are, you will walk away with huge improvements in the quality of your edits and the speed of your workflow.

    The best part is Mike makes it super easy to understand.

    In this course you’ll learn how to:

    • Use the essential editing features of Lightroom
    • Create amazing edits quickly and easily
    • Stitch panorama
    • Add watermarks to your photos
    • Export a selection of photos as a web gallery for displaying your work online
    • Perfect your Lightroom workflow for speedy batch editing
    • Most importantly, learn what to do, when to do it, which tools to use, and have fun while editing!
    • For a limited time, we’re offering this comprehensive Lightroom Mastery course for US$ 49, but in a couple of weeks time it will be going to the regular price of US$ 99.

    Learn more and grab Lightroom Mastery with a Limited Time 50% Saving here.

    PS: As with all our products this one comes fully guaranteed. If for any reason you don’t find it meets your needs just let us know within 30 days of purchase and we’ll send you a refund.

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    The post Everything You Need to Know to Master Lightroom by Darren Rowse appeared first on Digital Photography School.


    Digital Photography School

  • High-profile camera expert leaves Microsoft, returns to Nokia

    As the former Head of Imaging at Nokia, Juha Alakarhu was a key figure in the development of the Finnish company’s PureView cameras. The innovative technology was implemented in models such as the Nokia 808 or Lumia 1020, which by many mobile photographers are still viewed as the best smartphone cameras ever made. Unfortunately, slightly slower than usual camera processing speeds and the high cost of the technology meant the devices never really caught on in the mass-market.

    When Nokia’s device division was sold to Microsoft, Alakarhu and his team moved as well, but now it looks as if Microsoft is pretty much abandoning its entire smartphone business, making redundant a large proportion of the employees that were hired as part of the Nokia acquisition. Camera expert Alakarhu is among a number of high-profile engineers who have already found a new role, though, and it’s with his former employer. He is returning to Nokia as the head of the Ozo VR camera.

    If you’d like to refresh your knowledge on Nokia’s PureView technology you can read our interview with Juha that was conducted on the occasion of the Nokia 808 launch in 2012.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Instagram Stories launch as ‘disappearing’ photo and video slideshows

    Instagram has taken inspiration from Snapchat and launched a new feature called Stories. With Instagram Stories, users can capture numerous videos and photos, alter them with stickers, drawing tools, and by adding text, then post them to a single ‘story’ slideshow that won’t clutter up followers’ feeds. Once 24 hours pass, these story posts will disappear.

    Instagram Stories are only visible to followers when the account is set to private; likewise, users can block specific followers from seeing their stories. Though story posts do not allow comments, users can swipe up to see which followers and accounts have viewed the content. Instagram users can feature parts of their stories on their profiles, as well.  

    Stories posted by the people you follow are accessible via a bar at the top of your content feed. The profile photo of users with new story content will be visible with a colored ring around it in this bar. Tapping on the profile photo will pull up the story and navigate the user back and forth within the story, while swiping will jump the user to a different story altogether.

    Instagram says the feature will be rolling out to iOS and Android users across the globe over the next few weeks.

    Via: Instagram Blog

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)