The post How to Use Photography Filters for Amazing Long Exposure Landscapes appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
One of the most competitive genres in photography is landscapes. In this article, you’ll learn how to add creativity to your landscapes by using filters. The use of filters will allow you to create masterpiece long exposure landscapes, and you’ll learn what’s needed to do this. So read on and discover tips and tricks to get the best results.
Using the correct exposure length meant an interesting foreground from the movement of water.
What is long exposure photography?
One of the key settings on your camera is the ability to control the exposure length. If you’re new to photography, the chances are you’ll not have tried long exposures yet. You’ll need a tripod, but once you begin taking long exposure photos, the creative potential is massive.
Long exposure photos are those that last for over one second in length, and typically don’t last more than thirty seconds. There are some situations where even longer long exposures can be taken. These can last minutes. To take these photos, you need to use bulb mode on your camera.
Filters come in varying strengths.
How to use filters for long exposure landscapes
The use of filters to produce these long exposure landscapes will increase your options. They allow you to take long exposure daytime photos (where there is lots of light), and, if you wish, even longer night time long exposures.
You can use different grades of filters to give you the ability to take photos of different exposure lengths. Of course, the time of day is a massive factor as well, with night time an easier time to take long exposures.
Filters you can use during the day
The filter you’ll need to use to take long exposure landscapes during the day is the ND filter. These are neutral density filters, which are abbreviated to ND filters.
These filters work by blocking out the amount of light that comes into the camera. They should do this without changing the color tone of your image, which is why the filter is considered neutral. The strength of these filters range.
Filters can be used to lengthen the exposure, and produce “silk water”.
Weak ND filters
These are the ND2, ND4, and ND8 filters. They’re more often used with flash photography, but you can use them to extend exposure length during the day. In low light situations like under tree canopies, or as the evening draws in, using one of these filters may allow you to take a long exposure.
Circular Polarizer (CPL) filter
In a similar fashion to the weak ND filters, you can use a CPL filter in a low light situation to turn a half-second exposure to a one or two-second exposure. This can be long enough to dramatically change the nature of moving water during an exposure.
Strong ND filters
These filters are designed for longer exposures, the typical filters you can use are the ND110 and the ND1000. Filters like this will allow you to take exposures longer than five seconds or more even during the middle of the day.
Using an infra-red filter is an interesting way of creating landscapes.
Infrared filters
Infrared filters block out all light except infrared.
The exact light they block comes with the name of the filter. The Hoya R72 filter blocks all light except the light of a wavelength of 720 nanometers. This translates to a filter that’s even stronger at blocking out light than the ND1000.
You will, of course, be taking an infrared photo, but this will then be a long exposure that can often be minutes long.
Filters you can use during the night
The need to use filters for night time long exposure is not as extreme.
You’ll almost certainly be able to carry out long exposures with no problem, except perhaps during the transition from day to night. Here, the filters you’ll likely use are the weak ND filters or the CPL filters, with the intention of turning a medium-length long exposure into a longer long exposure.
However, the need to use a strong ND filter can occur. This happens when you want an exposure that lasts several minutes. Usually, you would not take an exposure of this length, but in order to get cloud motion across the sky, this length of exposure can be needed.
Flattening the water makes for a serene landscape.
Stacking filters
The more extreme long exposure landscapes will require filter stacking. Stacking filters means placing one filter on top of another to combine their strength.
Those wanting to take an ultra-long daytime long exposure, that produces cloud motion, often need to stack an ND110 filter with an ND1000 filter.
Stacking filters gives you an extra level of control over the length of your exposure. This happens by blocking more or less light. One thing to be careful of when stacking is vignetting. When using screw-on filters, there is a greater risk of this, caused by stacking too many filters on the front of your lens.
How long to expose for?
The aim of adding a filter to the front of your lens is to lengthen the exposure. Learning the correct strength of filter you need to apply is therefore important.
To know how strong the filter should be, you will need to decide what type of long exposure landscape you wish to take. The following is a list of photo types you could take during the daytime.
Silky water – An exposure of one second is long enough to produce the silk water effect at places like waterfalls.
Water motion – The motion of water and the length of exposure is a sliding scale. At half a second, it’s long enough to capture motion from waves going in and out at a beach. A longer exposure can then be used all the way up to the exposure length needed to flatten the sea. It’s not always desirable to completely flatten water, as some turbulence can look nice.
Flattening the sea – An exposure longer than ten seconds will be enough to flatten the sea.
Cloud motion on a calm day – With slow-moving clouds, an exposure of minutes will be required.
Cloud motion on a windy day – On a windy day, an exposure of over 15 seconds is likely to be long enough. However, you will need to experiment with the conditions you have on the day.
Getting cloud movement across your landscape can take very long exposures.
Time for long exposure landscapes!
The take-home message is to know how long an exposure you need, and use the correct filter on your lens to allow this length of exposure.
Do you enjoy long exposure photography, or are you yet to learn about the genre?
If you have examples of your work you would like to share, please share them in the comments section. These could be from your archives or images you take after reading this article. So get out with your tripod, and create some long exposure magic!
The post How to Use Photography Filters for Amazing Long Exposure Landscapes appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
Blackmagic Design has announced it will be hosting a ‘Camera Update’ livestream on YouTube at 12pm EDT (UTC -4) on July 29 (roughly 27 hours after this article is published).
No additional information about the event has been shared at this time, but if past Blackmagic Design ‘Update’ livestreams are anything to go by, there will likely be new and/or improved hardware on display. Click through to YouTube using the above video embed and sign up to be notified so you don’t miss the announcement.
What would you like to see from Blackmagic Design, tomorrow?
This morning, Canon sent out a ‘media alert’ to press to clarify overheating concerns regarding its new EOS R5 and R6 cameras. In it, Canon reiterates estimated shooting time limits, explains why it opted to add an internal fan and shares a few tips on how to keep the heat down when shooting 4K and 8K video.
Canon starts off the notice laying out the steps it’s taken to ‘manage the potential for overheating’ in its EOS R5 and EOS R6 camera. Two bullet points in the notice read:
Magnesium alloy was used in the body to dissipate heat away from internal components
An “overheat control” function [is included] to reduce heat generation when the camera is in standby.
Canon addresses the lack of a fan — such as the one found on Panasonic’s S1H camera — saying it decided to not include a fan within the body of the camera to maintain the ‘compact size, lightweight construction and weather resistance’ of the EOS R5 and EOS R6.
Both the EOS R5 and EOS R6 will display an estimated time it expects to be able to record based on the recording mode and current camera temperature, but in addition to the on-camera information, Canon has also shared a more detailed breakdown of roughly how much time you can expect both cameras to be able to record based on resolution, frame rate and shooting mode (click for full resolution):
Canon has also shared a small chart showing the estimated time you can expect to wait before recording after the camera overheats:
As for what you can do to help minimize the time it takes for the EOS R5 and EOS R6 to overheat, Canon shared the following bullet list:
Set Overheat Control function to “ON” (default). When the overheat control function is enabled, the movie size and frame rate are automatically changed while the camera is in standby mode to suppress the rise of the internal temperature Between recordings, it is recommended to turn off the camera Position the camera out of direct sunlight Use an external fan to dissipate heat
Panasonic has announced minor firmware updates for half-a-dozen of its G Series mirrorless cameras and announced the upcoming release of new software for Windows and macOS computers that will give its mirrorless cameras the ability to be used as a webcam without the need for a capture card.
The firmware updates are for Panasonic’s GH5, GH5S, G9, G95, G85 and GX9 camera systems. The respective updates improve compatibility with Panasonic’s new Tripod Grip DMW-SHGR1 and add ‘operational stability’ with the LUMIX G VARIO 12–32mm / F3.5–5.6 lens. The new firmware updates will go live on Panasonic’s support page on July 21.
Panasonic has also announced the release of LUMIX Streaming (Beta) for macOS. Like the Windows version released back on June 9, the macOS version allows select Panasonic mirrorless cameras to be used as webcams through a derivative version of Panasonic’s LUMIX Tether utility that removes unnecessary interface elements to create a clean output for using as a webcam feed.
A screenshot of the Windows version of LUMIX Streaming (Beta).
At this time, the LUMIX Streaming (Beta) supports Panasonic’s S1H, S1R, S1, GH5S, GH5 and G9 mirrorless cameras. It requires at least macOS 10.11 (El Capitan), 2GB of RAM for 64-bit systems and 200MB of space. You can download the utility for free on Panasonic’s website.
Beyond the LUMIX Streaming (Beta) for macOS and Windows, Panasonic is also developing LUMIX Webcam Software. Unlike LUMIX Streaming (Beta), which is effectively a tweaked version of its tethering utility, LUMIX Webcam Software ‘[will make] it possible to use an applicable LUMIX camera as a webcam over a USB connection not only for live streaming, but also for video conferencing, etc.’ Panasonic says the software will be compatible with its S1H, S1R, S1, GH5S, GH5, and G9 camera systems, and is due for a September release on Windows and an October release for macOS.
Press release:
Panasonic Announces the Release of Firmware Update Programs for LUMIX G Series Cameras, “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” for Mac and the Development of “LUMIX Webcam Software” for Windows/Mac
Newark, NJ (July 14, 2020) – Panasonic is pleased to announce the release of firmware update programs for the LUMIX G Series of Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Cameras and software programs “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” for Mac and the development of “LUMIX Webcam Software” for Win/Mac.
The firmware update programs are for DC-GH5,GH5S, G9, G95, G85 and GX9 to improve compatibility with the new Tripod Grip DMW-SHGR1 and operational stability with LUMIX G VARIO 12-32mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. /MEGA O.I.S.(H-FS12032) lens. Meanwhile, “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” and “LUMIX Webcam Software” enhance work-at-home activities using LUMIX cameras.
1. Firmware update programs for DC-GH5, GH5S, G9, G95, G85 and GX9
Model
Firmware Version
?Tripod grip DMW-SHGR1 can be used.
?Improved operational stability with the Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 12-32mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. /MEGA O.I.S.(H-FS12032)
DC-GH5
Firmware Version 2.7
Yes
Yes
DC-GH5S
Firmware Version 1.6
Yes
–
DC-G9
Firmware Version 2.2
Yes
Yes
DC- G95
Firmware Version 1.2
Yes
Yes
DC- G85
Firmware Version 1.5
Yes
Yes
DC-GX9
Firmware Version 1.5
–
Yes
The firmware program will be available at LUMIX Global Customer Support website https://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/ on July 21, 2020.
2. LUMIX Streaming (Beta) for Mac
Followed by the release of “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” for Windows, the “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” for Mac has also been released. It is derived from conventional “LUMIX Tether (Ver.1.7)” with an additional display option for the cases where this software is used for live streaming purposes. It may help user convenience in the growing self-streaming opportunities.
As “LUMIX Tether” is a software program originally designed for tethered shooting, GUIs such as a focus area mark as well as control panels are displayed with live view images on the PC monitor during USB tethering. However, these graphic items become a hindrance when the software is used to capture camera view for live streaming. In response to the demands of customers to resolve this issue, LIVE VIEW mode has been added on “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)”. It enables displaying camera view only, making it easy for the separate streaming software to read it. Users can choose to show or hide these graphic items during USB tethering according to the usage purpose.
“LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” is provided as a pre-release version that is currently still under development. Please note that this software is not eligible for operation warranty and customer support.
LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta) for Mac Operating Environment
OS
Mac OS X 10.11,
Mac macOS 10.12, macOS 10.13, macOS 10.14
*Operation with macOS 10.15 Catalina is under verification but some issues are reported. https://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/info/macos_tether.html
(When to officially support macOS 10.15 Catalina is yet to be fixed.)
CPU
Intel CPU of 1 GHz or higher
Display
1024 x 768 pixels or more
RAM
1GB or more (32bit),2GB or more (64bit)
HDD
Free space of 200 MB or more for installation
Interface
USB 3.0/3.1
LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta) web page with download link
While the “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” is basically a software for tethered shooting that can also be used to capture camera views for live streaming, the upcoming “LUMIX Webcam Software” makes it possible to use an applicable LUMIX camera as a webcam over a USB connection not only for live streaming, but also for video conferencing, etc.
Release Date*: End of September (for Windows) / End of October (for Mac), 2020
*The release date of LUMIX Webcam Software for DC-G100 is yet to be decided.
Panasonic is committed to continuous improvement with its LUMIX product line, including the Full-Frame S Series and the Micro Four Thirds G Series, by providing customers with valuable products and services, a part of which are these firmware and software update programs.
The Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS is a tele-zoom lens for full frame E-mount cameras. It’s a good fit for applications that require a versatile zoom range with a bias toward longer focal lengths, and it’s well-suited for everything from travel use to wildlife photography.
It may not compete optically with Sony’s best prime lenses throughout the range, but what it can deliver is a useful range with solid performance. Thanks to all-metal construction, dust and moisture sealing, and a zoom lock to prevent lens creep, it should hold up through a lot of adventures with you and your camera.
See our Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS sample gallery
The post Sony Announces Brand-New, Ultra-Wide, 12-24mm f/2.8 Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Sony has officially announced its FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens, which is impressively wide, and offers a very fast aperture for such a wide-angle zoom.
While Sony did release a 12-24mm zoom back in 2017, it packed an f/4 maximum aperture, which just doesn’t offer the same low-light utility as a wide-angle f/2.8.
But now, with the new 12-24mm f/2.8, Sony shooters have the opportunity to work with an ultra-fast wide-angle lens, which is perfect for any sort of night photography, and astrophotography in particular.
In terms of the lens’s specs:
A lens offering a maximum f/2.8 aperture is bound to be somewhat large, but Sony has kept both the size and the weight fairly reasonable:
5.5 in (137mm) long, 29.9 oz (847 g) heavy.
This means that landscape photographers and travel shooters won’t have too much trouble carrying the 12-24mm f/2.8 around in their bag.
The lens comes with a permanent hood, and the front element is unsurprisingly big, which means you won’t be able to use standard filters. However, Sony has designed the lens with a rear filter mount, which allows photographers to work with cut gel filters.
As for the optics:
Given that this is a GM lens, you can expect quite a lot, and early reviews seem to bear this out. The Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 is incredibly sharp, in the centers to the corners, both wide-open and stopped down.
Now, if you’re in need of a fast wide-angle zoom, you have two main options:
The new Sony 12-24mm f/2.8.
Or the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, which is a very impressive lens in its own right.
Ultimately, picking between these lenses will come down to personal choice, but the extra 2 mm on the wide end can be pretty significant, especially for landscape and astrophotographers.
That said, while the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 is a truly excellent new piece of glass, the cost ensures that only the most serious of photographers will be able to add it to their bags.
It’ll ship in mid-August with a starting price of around $ 3000 USD.
Bottom line:
If you’re looking for a pro-level, fast, wide-angle lens for landscape photography, then this is going to be a good option, assuming you can afford the price.
The post Sony Announces Brand-New, Ultra-Wide, 12-24mm f/2.8 Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
The post 7 Things Van Gogh Can Teach Us About Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anthony Epes.
In keeping myself motivated as a photographer, I love to look for inspiration from all across the creative spectrum. Today I want to share some ideas with you from the painter Van Gogh that I hope will bring some exciting new ideas for your photography.
I love who I am when I am taking photos. It is one of my favourite things, and I would imagine it’s the same for you.
To have my camera in my hand, exploring, finding beautiful light, and capturing interesting people I meet along the way, is immensely satisfying and massively fun.
However, life often gets in the way (who’d have thought it!), and I get distracted and lose my creative energy.
For example, I have too many conversations with my accountant, or I am doing a lot of admin or rushing around doing the tasks that are super important to make my life function but aren’t conducive to creativity.
I have been a photographer for over two decades, and I know that making time for being creative is really good for me. Of course, it’s good for my career as a whole, but more than anything, it makes me happy!
And don’t we always need more things to be happy about?
These ideas are timeless because they remind us what we love to do, and why – take photos, be creative, and make things.
I’ve also included some ideas that are reassuring – offering guidance on some of the common challenges that we all face as creative people.
So let’s get started!
1. “I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.” Vincent Van Gogh
One thing I regularly hear from people when they arrive on my photography workshops is how they can’t do things.
It could be: I can’t be creative! Or I can’t shoot on manual, it’s impossible for me!
To me, this is just a habitual way of thinking that is not based on facts. Just because we can’t do something now, does not mean we will never be able to.
It is therefore an uncomfortable and unfamiliar feeling for us to be faced with things that we don’t understand, and so we really struggle with learning.
Photography almost always shows us the things we have struggled in the past to do. Because photography is a unity of skills – the ethereal concept of creativity and the highly technical world of cameras, computers, and post-processing software.
Many of my students fall into two camps: those who are comfortable with the technical, but not the ‘arty/creative’ side of photography. Or the reverse: very intimidated by tech, gear, etc but very comfortable with the idea of being creative.
If, though, we want to get really confident in photography (and we should because otherwise, why would you be drawn to this medium?), we have to overcome the discomfort and look to learn about these things we struggle with.
Here I can offer some inspiration. It is possible for anyone to learn anything. No one is too far gone, too un-creative or un-technical. It just comes down to belief. Can you believe you can find ways to learn what you need to learn to become comfortable and confident shooting?
If you say yes, you are halfway there. Saying yes to learning is the first step.
“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. When I believe I can, I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.”Mahatma Gandhi
And how about we just decide to be people who are learning new things? Be like Van Gogh and always be doing things we don’t know how to do.
2. “Seek only light and freedom and do not immerse yourself too deeply in the worldly mire.” Vincent Van Gogh
This talks about how much we need to detach ourselves from normal life, and the endless tasks of our lives in order to create. Being creative connects us to the world in a completely different way to how we normally live.
In ‘normal’ life, we are living on the surface. We are doing a lot, we are being busy, we are jumping from task to task. We are responding. And that’s all totally necessary to take care of our lives.
But it is not the only way to live. It’s the least enriching, and least satisfying way to live.
And it’s definitely not the mode to be in when you’re being creative.
When you are out shooting, when you are creating something, it has to come from a different part of you. Because taking photos is the work of the soul, not the mind.
It’s diving deep into yourself and using everything you are, everything that you’ve experienced, known and loved, and bringing that out in your images.
But real life knocks very loudly and getting yourself into your creative flow state can be challenging. Even I, a professional photographer who shoots all the time, find it hard sometimes to switch off my mind when it starts reminding me about my mundane daily tasks.
So what I do when I am finding it hard to connect to my inner creative spirit, the inspiration I seek when I am out shooting is finding other ways to stoke my creativity.
That either involves going out into nature, searching for beautiful light or looking at other artists and what they have created.
I also love to read about what my favourite artists have said about making things, because it helps inspire me and helps me leap into a state of wanting to go out and create beautiful photos.
When Van Gogh said “The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting,” feels mostly very true to me.
We are rarely totally living in the moment, totally alive to everything that is around us, connecting to the world that we see.
Totally normal of course, we all do it. But I also think it’s important to carve out time to have those moments of deep fulfillment, of connection, deep beauty, and joy. This is what photography brings into my life. The chance to slow down, to see and be present for what life is.
3. “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent Van Gogh
Photography is an inner game.
Taking good photos has nothing to do with your current skills or your ability to nail sharpness or your exposure. It’s everything to do with what you believe about yourself and what you believe is possible for you.
If you start with this idea of not being able to do something, you won’t be able to do it. You have to overcome that mind of yours that loves to remind you of your inadequacies.
But it is also to say that all people who create, have fear. You are not alone when your mind tells you you’re not much of a photographer, or you might as well as give up because your photos are boring.
Your job is to ignore whatever rubbish your mind is saying about your photography, as Van Gogh says, and silence your mind by doing.
Creativity comes from such a magical and mysterious place– you can’t just find it anywhere. You can’t quantify it or set an exam for it. The fact that there is often no way to quantify if your photos are any good can create some anxiety.
The way to overcome this is to just get started. Just go out and shoot. Don’t worry if it’s going to come out well or not. Don’t pre-analyze what you may or may not achieve or what you are or are not.
The mind is clearly an incredible organ, but it’s not always on your side. It can dissuade you from doing things you love before you’ve even got started, so regardless of the outcome, go out and shoot and love the experience.
4. “Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.”Vincent Van Gogh
It’s really easy to get so familiar with our world that we stop seeing what is beautiful and awe-inspiring in the world around us. It’s normal to see your everyday environment and not be inspired by what’s there. Our eyes get dulled to the familiar world around us.
That’s often why we travel or go to new places, to see new things.
But here is a big change we can make right here and now in our photography. When we are prepared to really find the magical and beautiful in life, wherever we are; when we can learn to be impressed and excited about what is, we will see more and more opportunities for photos.
We don’t need to travel or find new things to be inspired to shoot, we just need to connect with what is enchanting in this crazy, wild, and incredible world.
5. “Painting is a faith, and it imposes the duty to disregard public opinion.” Vincent Van Gogh
In many ways, I think learning photography now is harder than in the past. And that’s not because there are so many photographers, or because of smartphones, etc. Instead, it’s because of the amount of information out there, and the multitude of opinions.
The internet has given us so much incredible access to information and to communities and groups where we can share our photos. But often, instead of it being an empowering experience, it can become disheartening. You can get into the habit of judging your photos on how many ‘likes’ they receive.
When you post your photos online, you can get a whole raft of opinion back that is often useless for your photography.
People who aren’t necessarily any more experienced than you will share their random thoughts. (And I can guarantee there are very few professional photographers hanging out online doing constructive criticism on photos.) It’s also so easy to get dissuaded by what other people say about your images.
To make something unique and interesting, and to shoot with creative freedom, you need to be very careful about where you get feedback and who is giving it. You need to give most of your time creating images. Then find people you really trust – whose photography you admire – and seek feedback from them.
That’s how you can learn to grow and get better as a photographer.
6. “It is looking at things for a long time that ripens you and gives you a deeper meaning.” Vincent Van Gogh
Photography often becomes viewed as a series of technical tasks that need to be learned. To learn the way of the camera is to unlock all the gifts of photography.
For me that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The camera is merely the tool to execute your vision. That’s not to say the tool doesn’t have lots of cool and exciting features. I mean, I love tech, and I love what it can do. However, all of that gear is not going to get you great shots if you don’t know how to see, use your imagination, and bring feeling to your photos.
The key to accessing amazing photos all around you is to start to really learn to see.
You might say – but of course, I can see what’s around me! But you would be wrong. There is so much visual information around us, that our brain blocks out most of what is there. What we end up seeing is a mere fraction (less than one percent) of what is going on around us.
What is even more surreal is that because of how our brains like to make our lives as easy and simple as possible and to create habits in how we think and do things, we often see the same things over and over. We don’t notice the different things in our environment.
If you think about a street you’ve maybe walked down hundreds of times and all of sudden you have the urge to look up to the tops of the buildings. And it’s like – wow, I don’t remember seeing that.
This happens all the time with everything in our world.
Therefore, it is a good job as a photographer, to learn to open our awareness. Learn to see beyond what our brains feed us. Learn to look for a long time, and pay attention to what is around us.
This helps to develop our patience too. Developing patience in looking for shots is a great skill to nurture as a photographer. I find people are usually too quick to move on from a scene or a subject.
When we are patient and take that extra time working on a scene or subject, we often find more qualities of the subject are revealed. More ideas spring to mind too. Perhaps things in the moment change; like the light or things moving around the subject, thus, changing the possibilities of the photo.
Learn to really look at the world and it will open up so many incredible facets to your photography.
7. “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” Vincent Van Gogh
Completely.
I don’t just mean nature in a traditional sense – the beautiful flowers, people, or landscapes. It’s when we bring the idea of beauty into our photography that we see that we can capture what is beautiful to us, in any guise.
For me, it’s often the interplay of cities and nature. The smash of orange fruit on the tarmac. The gorgeous colors of the sunrise above a housing complex. Or the dramatic, metallic grey of a sky before a storm.
I would actually expand this idea to say there is beauty in all things, you just need to develop your ability to see and find it all around you.
Conclusion
I hope you found these ideas from Van Gogh useful for your photography. I would love to know what you thought, and if any of these ideas felt like they inspired or taught you something valuable. Please let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
The post 7 Things Van Gogh Can Teach Us About Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anthony Epes.
In April 2019, the National Science Foundation (NSF) unveiled the resulting image from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project, the world’s first ever photograph of a supermassive black hole. The image, seen above, shows a ‘bright ring formed as light bends in the intense gravity around a black hole…’ Now, over a year later, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has published a video that zooms into the night sky, illustrating very well what an incredible feat the EHT’s first image of a supermassive black hole truly is.
Despite its name, a black hole is not empty space, but is rather a huge amount of matter occupying a relatively very small area. As NASA puts it, ‘…think of a star ten times more massive than the sun squeezed into a sphere approximately the diameter of New York City. The result is a gravitational field so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.’
Observing a black hole requires observing its effect on the stars and gas near it. The supermassive black hole captured last year is in the center of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy, which is located about 55 million light years from earth. The M87 black hole is believed to be about 6.5 billion times more massive than the sun.
The EHT that captured it is not a single telescope but a network of radio antennae located around the globe. The EHT is the result of an international collaboration of more than 200 researchers. The team worked to improve the capabilities of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) in order to achieve the feat of photographing the environment of a black hole. The VLBI technique requires linking eight radio dishes to create an interferometer that is essentially earth sized.
The VLBI synchronizes telescopes and utilizes the rotation of earth to observe at a wavelength of 1.3 mm, resulting in an angular resolution of 20 micro-arcseconds. To put this resolution into perspective, it is ‘enough to read a newspaper in New York from a sidewalk café in Paris, France. Telescopes are in locations including Hawaii, Mexico, Chile (shown at the beginning of the above video) and Antarctica. In our coverage of the photo from last year, we shared a video that further discusses how the telescope array functions, which you can view below.
In coordination with the Event Horizon Telescope, astronomers utilized NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to obtain additional data of Messier 87. The x-ray data, when combined with EHT’s radio image, allow scientists to further research and learn about how energy is emitted from the event horizon. Chandra has a ‘much larger field of view than the EHT, so it can view the full length of the jet of high-energy particles launched by the intense gravitational and magnetic fields around the black hole at M87.
Canon Japan has warned consumers that pre-orders for its R5 and R6 mirrorless cameras — as well as some accessories — might ship later than expected due to pre-orders ‘exceed[ing] expectations.
The machine-translated statement reads:
Information About Product Supply Status
We have received orders for the following products announced on July 9, 2020 that exceeded expectations, and it may take some time before the products are delivered.
[Applicable Products] EOS R5 / EOS R6 / Battery Grip BG-R10 / Extender RF 1.4x / Extender RF 2x
We would like to thank you for all the orders we have received, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers waiting for the release. Thank you kindly look forward for your understanding.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of announcement following the launch of new and exciting camera gear: Nikon, Panasonic, Sony and others have done it in the past.
While there’s reasonable suspicion in these instances whether it’s purely a PR move to further drum up interest or a genuine warning that units might ship later than expected, it’s worth noting Canon specifically suggests shipments could be delayed. So, it’s worth keeping tabs on your order progress if you’ve pre-ordered one of the affected cameras or accessories.
You can find a full run-down of our Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6 coverage here.
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