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Luminar 3.1.0 update introduces ‘human-aware’ Accent AI 2.0 technology
Skylum Software has announced the latest update to its Luminar 3 photo editing software, Luminar 3.1.0. Four significant upgrades have been added including improvements to its proprietary artificial intelligence tool that enhances photos. Upgraded from version 1.0, Accent AI 2.0 features facial and object recognition technology that help photographers create a more authentic effect in their images.

Accent AI 2.0 upgrade

Accent AI was developed to help photographers speed up their workflow. By automatically handling common tasks like shadows, highlights and contrast, time spent editing an image takes seconds instead of a few minutes. Accent AI 2.0 boasts improved presets and is “human aware,” meaning it recognizes people in the photo and provides skin tone adjustments selectively for a more natural look.

Accent AI 2.0 also includes more accurate color correction and detail boosts. If it can’t make a specific detail in a photo look better, it’ll remain untouched. While the artificial intelligence suggests enhancements including color, depth, detail, and exposure that eliminate the need to adjust several sliders in the development process, the photographer has the flexibility to customize all aspects of the image.

Improved Sync Adjustments command

Photographers can adjust one image, using Luminar’s image-aware filters or Looks, select a series of images that they want to apply the same changes to, and synchronize them. Filters and Looks are transferred while image-specific adjustments such as cloning and cropping remain untouched.

RAW + JPEG organization

For those shooting in RAW + JPEG mode, photos are easier to organize and view. When importing pairs of images into Luminar 3.1.0, the option to choose RAW, JPEG, or both files is available. Select one for less clutter or both for side-by-side comparison. If both RAW and JPEG versions of an image are uploaded, the option to delete one file and keep the other in that pair is available. Changes made in one file can be transferred to the other with the Sync Adjustments command.

Improved sorting method

When images are uploaded to Luminar, attributes such as ratings, file size, and color labels can be applied for organization purposes. When using the Gallery view, it’s now easier to locate images as a second organizational label is automatically applied. When sorting through images, they will be displayed by the new category first followed by the date.

Windows updates

The Windows version of Luminar 3.1.0 received a slew of updates. They include the ability to import images from a memory card or hard drive and copy them to a folder, post images directly to SmugMug, add folders and user albums to the shortcut list, rotate images by 90-degree increments in the gallery, and install the Luminar plugin into Photoshop Elements.

How to update

Users with Luminar 3 can update for free to version 3.1.0.
- Mac users can update by choosing Luminar 3 in the top menu bar, then clicking “Check for updates.”
- Windows users can choose Help > Check for updates on the top toolbar.
Pricing

Skylum is offering special, limited-time pricing through May 14th on its photo editing software and courses. Mixed-computer households can share the same product key for Mac and PC. The software can be operated on up to five devices.
- $ 60 / €60 /.£56 – Luminar 3.1.0
- $ 70 / €70 / £65 – Luminar 3.1.0 & Photography 101 Video course by SLR lounge ($ 99 value)
- $ 129 / €129 / £118 – Bundle (Luminar & Aurora) + Photography 101 Course by SLR Lounge ($ 99 value)
- Standard pricing: $ 70/€70/£65 for all new users
- Free trial and 60-day money back guarantee.
- Free “Photography 101: A-Z Guide to Photography” course from SLR Lounge
DPReview will be independently reviewing Luminar 3.1.0, so stay tuned. To get a walkthrough of the improvements described above, check out the above video by professional photographer and Skylum’s Vice President of Product, Richard Harrington.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
April 29, 2019
Can New Gear Kickstart Your Photography?

The post Can New Gear Kickstart Your Photography? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

I’m sure you’ve heard of “Gear Acquisition Syndrome” or GAS for short. Photographers usually consider GAS to be negative; frivolously spending money that you don’t need on equipment that won’t make your photography better. However, I’m here to tell you that sometimes a new piece of kit is exactly what you need to inspire you to do something different with your photography.

Getting out of your comfort zone

It’s easy to become complacent with the equipment that you already own. You’ll get to the point where you know it inside out, and you’re completely comfortable using it to create the kind of images that you love. Many photographers have gone for years always using the same system, the same set of lenses, and just upgrading to a new camera body every once in a while to keep pace with new technology.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that approach. Sticking with what you already know produces results that can be a wise use of your limited time and funds. However, sometimes a piece of new gear can push you outside of your comfort zone, forcing you to experiment with new techniques and styles.

A modernist piece of architecture. © Charlie Moss

New gear for a new style

For me, it was a combination of a new Fujifilm mirrorless camera and a 50mm equivalent lens that forced me into trying new styles. Lugging my dSLR camera around with me always felt like a chore; it was so big and heavy. The Fujifilm X-T20, on the other hand, is small and lightweight. It feels much more like the small Yashica rangefinder that my Grandfather used to bring with him on every family holiday. I found that I would shoot much more spontaneous and joyful images with my new little camera, rather than the “serious” images I shot on my larger dSLR.

But what really changed my photography, and could change yours too, was the investment in a new lens. I didn’t spend a fortune – a secondhand Fujifilm 35mm f/1.4 lens found its way into my possession. It is a 50mm equivalent lens (on the Fujifilm X-T20 crop-sensor body), so it’s the classic length for many styles of photography. It’s a great focal length for portraits, street photography, food, and still life. So as soon as it arrived, I began to test it extensively. I should point out that I shot every image in this article with the new lens.

Bright yellow classic cars – a chrome-trimmed wing mirror, and a Humber logo. © Charlie Moss

Do you really need new gear?

I get it; not everyone has the money to go out and pick up a new lens or camera just to see if it helps them be more creative. And maybe it wasn’t even the lens or the camera that inspired me to change the way I photograph. Plenty of people manage to change up their style without spending any money at all.

So with that in mind, I have a few suggestions for breaking out of your comfort zone before you break out your credit card.

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. © Charlie Moss

Look at more photography

I don’t just mean on social media. Get out and about in the real world. Take yourself off to an exhibition of photography or an art gallery with a photographic collection. If you live anywhere near a major city, photography exhibitions shouldn’t be too hard to find. Have an open mind about the kind of work you could see. Try to remember that you’re looking for something to inspire a new way of working!

Take a notebook with you too. Make notes in it while you’re walking around the gallery looking at images. Think about how the works of art make you feel or if there’s a particular detail you love. Perhaps there’s a subject you hadn’t thought about photographing before. Or maybe a new use of color that you hadn’t considered for your own work.

Don’t forget to look up the work when you get home too! Many photographers now have a social media presence so that you can keep up to date with their current projects. Historical photographers often have lots written about them on museum and gallery websites for you to read.

Two street images of Oxford, UK. Left: Botanical Gardens looking through a doorway at a wheelbarrow. Right: a woman walking in front of a science lab. © Charlie Moss

Try a new genre

Pick something you’ve never done before in photography. Do a bit of research online and then go out and try shooting it. Be brave – what’s the worst that can happen?

For me, it was street photography. I read some tutorials, talked to a few friends, checked out some images on social media and then went out for the day and just had a go. If the images were rubbish, I’d still had a nice day out photographing!

It’s too easy to become very conservative with your approach to photography. Staying with what you know works well is an easy approach, but you might miss out on a new kind of photography that you absolutely adore. Becoming more fearless and trying new things is something that can benefit all photographers – from beginners to professionals! We all need a kickstart every now and again with our work.

Follow a trend

Of course, we’d all like to be trendsetters rather than followers. But every once in a while it’s good to experiment with something that is clearly capturing the imagination of lots of other photographers!

Instagram is great for checking out what’s fashionable in the world of photography right now. That could be portraits with out-of-focus fairy lights that create bokeh, or beautiful doors and pretty houses. Even if you don’t love the images that you create, each trend will give you the opportunity to experiment with a new technique. You might learn more about the technical aspects of photography, about composition, or even about styling. The key is to take these new things that you’ve learned and use them in your own authentic way.

A photograph of new buildings on Albert Embankment, London. © Charlie Moss

Whatever you do – do something!

If there’s one thing I’m certain about, it’s that if you never try anything new in your photographic practice, then you’ll come to regret it. So take a leap of faith and try something new.

Start by working out what you’d like to try photographically. See if you can try it without investing in any new gear. However, don’t be afraid to think about if a new piece of gear might bring you a new way of working. A lens, a flashgun, or a new lighting modifier. Perhaps even a new camera.

Also, don’t forget to let us know in the comments what you’re planning on trying out. Or if you’ve changed things up in the past let us know what you did to try and reinvigorate your photography and how well it worked for you!

The post Can New Gear Kickstart Your Photography? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Digital Photography School

April 29, 2019

CP+ 2019: Tamron interview – ‘the full-frame market is expanding, so we’re looking at that market first’

At the CP+ show in Yokohama last month, we talked with senior executives from several major camera and lens manufacturers including Tamron. In our conversation with Mr Takashi Sawao, Mr Kenji Nakagawa and Mr Minoru Ando, we discussed various topics including the 40th anniversary of the ‘SP’ series, Tamron’s plans for mirrorless, and the shrinking APS-C market.

Participants:

Takashi Sawao, Executive Officer, General Manager, Imaging Products Business Unit
Kenji Nakagawa, Product Manager, Product Planning Dept., Imaging Products Business Unit
Minoru Ando, General Manager, Optical Design & Engineering R&D Unit

Please note that this interview has been edited for clarity and flow.

Why did you decide to make a premium F1.4 35mm?

‘SP’ stands for superior performance, and this year we’re celebrating 40 years since we first introduced ‘SP’. We had the F1.8 35mm and 45mm, and for those lenses the concept was compact prime lenses and ‘good balance’. F1.8 turned out to provide an optimal balance, having weighed various design criteria to deliver the highest possible performance and practical functionality including the VC feature. For the 35mm F1.4, we thought particularly about optical performance.

Since other manufacturers already have high-performance 35mm F1.4 lenses we wanted to achieve a very high-level prime lens. The MTF shows [better performance] than other lenses in this category.

Because this year is the 40th anniversary of SP, our engineers really tried to get the best optical performance with this F1.4 model. We really wanted to achieve high-quality, high-resolution images. Superior performance.

So the SP 35mm F1.4 is a 40th anniversary lens, in effect?

Yes, and we believe it’s performance is better than other brands. We have a lot of confidence in it.

The Tamron SP 35mm F1.4 Di USD should – according to Tamron’s executives – offer superior performance to competitive lenses from the other major manufacturers.

It feels very well-constructed – what does ‘SP’ mean in terms of build and design?

Tamron always tries to make unique lenses making a lens as compact as possible, or as lightweight as possible – and sometimes we trade off certain specifications to achieve that such as focal length, aperture range, or image quality. But with SP lenses we don’t do that. We just want to make a really high-performance lens with superior performance. We don’t want any compromises.

Is the weather-resistance different?

It is the same as other lenses described as having ‘Moisture-Resistant Construction’.

35-150mm is an unusual focal length range – can you explain this decision?

We see a lot of demand from portrait and wedding photographers, and wedding photographers. Especially in the US and Asia. They mostly use prime lenses like 85mm, 105mm or 135mm – single focal lengths. We wanted to make a very convenient lens that could cover from 35 to 150mm, which is the range mostly used for portraiture.

Effectively, this is six prime lenses in one

There are two popular focal length ranges – 24-70mm and 70-200mm, and usually people will take those two lenses when they shoot. We wanted to only make one lens. So while 200mm is maybe too long [for portrait photographers] and 24mm is too wide, 35-150mm allowed us to make the lens as compact as possible. Effectively, this is six prime lenses in one.

On an APS-C camera this lens will cover 56-240mm, do you anticipate that a lot of APS-C shooters will buy this lens?

Our primary goal is to cover the most popular focal lengths for full-frame. And by having 85mm in the middle of the range, which is the most popular focal length for portraiture, [that’s where] MTF is highest.

What is the maximum aperture at 85mm?

F3.5.

The Tamron 35-150mm F2.8-4 Di VC OSD offers an unusual focal length range, intended to incorporated the major prime lens focal lengths used by portrait photographers.

Are you confident that performance is a match for high quality primes?

Yes. And the bokeh effect is really soft and natural.

When you design a lens that you intend to be used for portraiture, what does that mean from an optical design standpoint?

When we make portrait lenses, we focus on very natural bokeh together with high resolution. Those factors are really difficult to achieve at the same time, but with this lens we’re really concentrating on that. Sharp, high contrast from the center to the edge together with a very natural bokeh effect. Those two factors are really important.

The 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD is the second of your full-frame Sony E-mount lenses – do you have plans for more?

Yes of course. People really want a telephoto zoom to cover focal lengths longer than 75mm. We’re looking [into] that.

Do you have plans to create lenses for Canon RF and Nikon Z?

Yes, we’re also looking at that area. We have to do a lot of research and development into the reverse engineering, because they don’t disclose the details of their systems, so it’s a really hard job for us.

There are now four main full-frame mirrorless systems with different mount dimensions. Will you make completely different designs for the different mounts?

Each system has a different flange back distance and diameter. We need to do more research to see if we can use the same optical designs for the different mounts. But basically our approach will be the same as it is for DSLR. When we launch DSLR lenses we have the same optical design, and we customize for the different mounts. Even if the systems are totally different we’ll try to make a unified optical design.

If we design optics for a long flange back, we can adapt them for short flange back systems. It doesn’t work the other way around.

Tamron’s new 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD is the second of the company’s lenses designed for Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras. Slated to be available in the coming weeks, it will be joined by a third FE lens, covering the 75mm+ range, at some point in the future.

How important is APS-C to Tamron?

APS-C is still important to us, but when we think about the [industry], the full-frame market is expanding, so we’re looking at that market first – that’s the first priority. So gradually we’ll create a [full-frame] line and then at another time we can launch more APS-C lenses. The APS-C market is shrinking quite fast.

Do you think that will change?

It might stop shrinking, but we’re looking at customers who buy APS-C cameras, and they tend to have a single zoom kit and they don’t [tend to] invest in additional lenses.

What do you think differentiates Tamron from other lens manufacturers?

Our target is those photographers who really want to enjoy photography with a lightweight and compact [package]. We introduced the FE 28-75mm f2.8 for Sony E-mount, which is really compact and matches the Sony cameras really nicely for size and weight. This lens is selling quite well, and we’re backordered for six months.

Tamron always tries to give photographers another solution

Other manufacturers are making very big lenses with high resolution and wide apertures, but people are struggling to carry such heavy lenses. They can’t take a lot of them when they’re out shooting. Tamron always tries to give photographers another solution. Lenses that are compact, with very high quality, but maybe a slightly different spec. Like this 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD, it’s a different solution – you can see the really compact size of this lens. Our aim is to provide another solution to our customers.

In a compact lens of this kind, how much are you relying on software correction?

We utilize software corrections in the camera body, but even without correction this lens will still give good performance. Of course this lens will let a Sony camera correct some things, but it offers a very high level of quality. We checked pictures from the lens, without any corrections, and the picture quality is very good. The quality only gets better with corrections from the camera body. We’re very confident [in its performance].

Editors’ note: Barnaby Britton

The ‘SP’ lineup is 40 years old, and even if you forgot its birthday, Tamron’s engineers didn’t. According to the executives that I spoke to, the new SP 35mm F1.4 is, to all intents and purposes, a special 40th anniversary lens. A ‘no compromise’ design intended to take on, and beat, the best that the company’s competitors can offer.

Although I’ve only spent a few minutes handling a pre-production sample, that was enough to whet my appetite. We’re hoping to get hold of a final copy soon, so watch out for some sample images the minute we do. The large, heavyweight SP 35mm F1.4 doesn’t seem to quite fit with the company’s ‘compact’ lenses philosophy, but we’ll let Tamron’s engineers off this time – it is a birthday, after all.

Also coming soon is the 35-150mm F2.8-4, at first glance a somewhat odd lens that I, like a lot of people, I suspect, originally assumed was designed for APS-C when it was announced earlier this year. On the contrary, this is a full-frame lens, specifically designed to replace the most common focal lengths for portrait photographers. We’re told that in the middle of its range, around 85mm, it should deliver an optimal combination of sharpness and attractive bokeh for portraiture. Tamron has made lenses of this kind before – the ancient Adaptall-2 35-135mm F3.5-4.5 and its subsequent variants was pretty well-regarded, but the 35-150mm appears to be a much more specialized lens.

The APS-C market is shrinking, and Tamron would be irresponsible to pour resources into a contracting market

My question about whether Tamron expected APS-C users to be interested in its 56-240mm equivalent focal length was given polite consideration, but it was obvious from this conversation that the company is focused elsewhere: on full-frame. The APS-C market is shrinking, and Tamron would be irresponsible to pour significant resources into developing lenses for a contracting market. The audience for lenses designed for full-frame mirrorless, on the other hand, is guaranteed to grow over the coming years. With two FE lenses for Sony already on the market, it was reassuring to hear from Tamron’s executives that longer focal lengths are being planned, to round out the lineup.

Next, of course, will be reverse-engineering lenses for the Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts (it seems unlikely that Tamron will bother with L-mount given Sigma’s head start as a member of the alliance). In our conversation, Tamron’s executives reinforced what we’ve been told by other optical engineers (including Sigma’s Kazuto Yamaki) that designing for a longer flange back distance and adapting that design to shorter mounts is the only practical way to create one optical formula for several mounts. As such, it seems possible that before too long, the popular Sony FE-mount 28-75mm F2.8 might form the basis of new standard zooms for Canon and Nikon mirrorless.

Read more interviews from CP+ 2019 and beyond

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 28, 2019

My thoughts on the Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G Lens and the 105mm Macro

The post My thoughts on the Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G Lens and the 105mm Macro appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.

I must tell you first of all that before I had the Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G lens, I have always used the bigger and heavier big brother – the Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G Macro. While this article will be about what I think of the 60mm, I feel I must also compare it with the 105mm as I have used both.

Lens specs

Let’s start with the basic similarities: both are prime lenses with an f/2.8 maximum aperture and f/32 minimum aperture, have the same number of diaphragm blades and both rounded blades. Both are autofocus, and being G lenses, have an internal ultrasonic motor type.

In terms of differences, the 105mm has vibration reduction while the 60mm hasn’t. The 105mm weighs in at 720g, much heavier due to the size and optics with 14 elements compared to the 60mm at 425g with 12 elements. Interestingly, both have the same filter thread size at 62mm which I found handy when changing filters.

The main difference, however, for me (and the most crucial one of all) is the focusing distance, which is roughly 6 inches for the 60mm and double that for the 105mm at 12 inches. Why does this difference matter to me?

With the 60mm, I need to be really close to the subject to fill the frame. It can get quite tricky when being so close and sometimes I revert to manually focusing the lens. When photographing rings, to get a really great shot, you have to be extremely close for the ring to take up a lot of the frame. As I usually prop both the ring and lens on a steady surface, I can take my time to focus and get really close.

However, because it’s a wider lens than the 105, sometimes I just can’t fill the frame enough with very tiny objects. I then resort to cropping in post-production for these instances.

The 105mm lens with it’s narrower field of view means I don’t have to get as close to the subject and still can get close enough to fill the frame with it. I find there is less need for cropping in post-production too. Because I am usually photographing still life objects such as rings, movement isn’t an issue. However, this becomes one if you were photographing, say insects, where you can’t be close enough otherwise you disturb them and lose the insects as well as your shot.

When I use these lenses

Generally, and as a rule, when I’m doing smaller and shorter shoots like an engagement session, I bring three lenses – wide, medium and long. Because my shoots are mostly on location and often we walk around quite a lot, I try to pack as lightly as possible. For these types of shoots, I use my three prime lenses: a 35mm f/1.4 G, an 85mm f/1.8G, and a 105mm f/2.8 macro. The 105mm here acts as my longer lens and my macro without the bulk of the 70-200mm zoom and another micro lens being the 60mm.

When I do a wedding that only requires a few hours coverage, I also don’t bring my entire arsenal. Instead, I carefully choose my lenses to make sure I have everything covered for those hours. For short weddings, I pack my 24-70mm f/2.8 G, 70-200mm f/2.8G, 85mm f/1.8G, and 60mm f/2.8G. I don’t need the bulk of the 105mm when I cover that focal length with my zoom but I still need a macro, and the 60mm is perfect.

How I use these lenses

I find the Nikkor 60mm Micro Lens is such a versatile focal length and being a micro lens means I do not have to carry my 50mm f/1.4G along with my other lenses anymore. It fulfills both macro capability – mainly for the ring shot and close-up details like food, table setting, and flowers – and a versatile focal length that allows for natural portraits without distortion and those not-so-close-up details.

When using the 60mm for portraits, I am usually shooting with apertures between f/2.8 – f/5.6. When using it as a micro/macro, I am shooting at apertures between f/7.1 – f/11.

The 105mm, as well as being a macro lens, is also perfect for portraits and gives you that creamy bokeh with gorgeous background compression.

When using the 105mm for portraits (which I love doing), I am usually shooting with apertures between f/2.8 – f/4. When using it as a micro/macro, I am shooting at apertures between f/7.1 – f/8. I find that this lens really sings at f/7.1. I have set my camera to 1/3 stops hence the f/7.1.

Performance

Both lenses have top specs and perform brilliantly. Generally speaking, I find that when shooting with both lenses, more ambient or available light is required.

Both lenses tend to produce more vignetting than other lenses. However, there is one main difference to the performance of both lenses. Provided there is enough light for the subject matter, the 60mm is faster and quicker to grab focus whereas the 105mm is slower and often hunts for focus. The 60mm works better for moving objects without flash than the 105mm in the same scenario. While the use of artificial light such as electronic flashes does away with this issue, I am mainly speaking about natural or ambient light.

Recommendation

In summary, I highly recommend both lenses both in quality and overall performance. I think there is a lens for each purpose. You just need to analyze which lens you require to achieve your aim. I don’t think there is a one lens for all. My preference is for prime lenses because of their cleanness and sharpness of images, and for me, they perform better.

However, they cannot compare with the zoom lenses when it comes to fast-moving and hectic shoots like weddings where I physically cannot be zooming in and out with my feet all day.

If you are looking for a prime that gives you the flexibility to shoot portraits and macro, then the 105mm is your lens. However, if you are after more of a travel, photojournalistic, natural view type of images and need a micro, then the 60mm would be my suggestion.

On family holidays, I used to carry my 50mm f/1.4 G. You can read here an article I have written on 5 creative uses of the 50mm. But that was during my pre-60mm days. Since then, my 60mm has replaced my 50mm for these occasions. If I am only allowed one lens for family holidays and travel, I go for the 60mm. I may have lost the wider aperture of the 50mm f/1.4 G, but as holidays are usually during the summer when light is abundant, the difference it makes is not an issue.

I hope you found this helpful. Do let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post My thoughts on the Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G Lens and the 105mm Macro appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.

Digital Photography School

April 28, 2019
DJI denies rumors of Phantom 5 cancellation

DJI launched its brand with the Phantom 1, known at the time as Phantom, in January 2013. The iconic design has spawned numerous imitators but DJI has been able to iterate and outdo its competitors time and again, with more than just the Phantom line. Currently, it has a market share of roughly 74%, according to a 2018 Drone Market Sector Report by Skylogic Research.

With the exception of the Phantom 4 RTK, aimed strictly at professionals, all DJI Phantom 4 models have been out of stock for months. While the release of the Phantom 5 is the next logical step, rumors are swirling that the Chinese drone manufacturer is headed in another direction and discontinuing its Phantom line for good.

DroneDJ first reported these rumors by catching a statement made on a recent podcast by DJI’s own Director of Public Safety Integration, Romeo Durscher. ‘Yes, the Phantom line with the exception of the Phantom 4 Pro RTK has come to an end,’ Durscher told the Drone Owners Network. DroneDJ also cited rumors from sources close to DJI claiming that the Product Manager for the Phantom 5 was reassigned to another project.

DJI denies the rumors. ‘Romeo misspoke,’ DJI communications director Adam Lisberg tells The Verge.

To explain the lack of availability for recent Phantom 4 Pro versions, DJI released the following official statement: ‘Due to a shortage of parts from a supplier, DJI is unable to manufacture more Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drones until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause and recommend our customers explore DJI’s Mavic series drones as an alternative solution to serve their needs.’

This has been their explanation for the past five months and is a bit suspicious, as The Verge points out. While Lisberg told DroneDJ last fall ‘as for the Phantom 5 rumors, we’ve never said we considered making a Phantom 5 in the first place, so there’s nothing to cancel,’ these photos tell a different story. Lisberg also went on record with DroneDJ stating that the photos represented a one-off design for a customer. The Verge points out that a prototype of that magnitude would only be plausible for someone extremely wealthy.

Rumors surrounding the Phantom 5 series include the possibility of one model containing a zoom lens, and starting around $ 1,700, while the other model would come equipped with a series of interchangeable lenses containing fixed widths of 15mm, 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm.

To date, the Mavic 2 Pro is the only model that takes advantage of DJI’s majority stake in Hasselblad camera company. The Mavic series, though not the first to be released, is the overall best-selling line for the drone manufacturer. This fact leads many insiders and enthusiasts to believe that the foldable, more compact model will be the future of drone operations for consumers and professionals.

The Mavic was developed and introduced shortly after GoPro announced its doomed Karma drone. Without a competitor in the arena, it’s possible that DJI won’t be compelled to offer up a Phantom 5. Especially when its much bulkier, and pricier series of Inspire drones, used primarily by filmmakers, top-tier professionals, and wealthy hobbyists, offers up the option of interchangeable lenses.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 28, 2019
Sony a6400 vs Fujifilm X-T30: Which is best for you?

Introduction

The Sony a6400 and Fujifilm X-T30 are the two company’s mid-priced mirrorless cameras. They’re 4K-capable cameras with similar resolution APS-C sensors: 24MP on the Sony, 26MP on the Fujifilm.

Both build on the legacies of Gold Award-winning predecessors, which helps establish them as presumed big hitters. And, having tested both cameras extensively, this is a fair assumption: they’re both class-leading cameras. Chris and Jordan from DPReview TV have already looked at their various strengths and weaknesses, so we’re going to look at how they compare for different types of photography.

Spec comparison

From a specs point of view the a6400 and X-T30 look pretty similar: they’re both 4K-capable APS-C mirrorless cameras with very similar price tags. Both cameras offer similar resolution (24MP on the Sony, 26MP on the Fujifilm), both have 2.36M-dot viewfinders and both can shoot at an impressive frame rate 11 fps with autofocus on the Sony, 20 or 8 fps on the Fujifilm (depending on whether you’re in a situation that allows the use of electronic shutter).

The moment you pick them up, it becomes apparent that they’re very different creatures

And yet, the moment you pick them up, it becomes apparent that they’re very different creatures. Differences in performance and radically distinct design philosophies mean picking between the two becomes much more complex than simply ‘which feels more comfortable’ or ‘which has the lenses that I need?’

Handling comparison

The difference in design philosophy is immediately apparent just by looking at them: the Fujifilm is studded (perhaps overwhelmed) with direct control points, including a mixture of dedicated dials and customizable function wheels. By contrast, the Sony has fewer buttons and only the two control dials, which point to a camera that doesn’t invite (or, perhaps, require) such a degree of engagement with its settings.

The Fujifilm is studded (perhaps overwhelmed) with direct control points, the Sony has the more complex menu system

Conversely, the Sony has the more complex menu system, with vast numbers of options lodged in a structure that relies on user memory more than most (though, once configured, your need to delve into the menus can be minimized). The Fujifilm’s menus are crowded but they’re better laid-out and have more indication of where each setting is likely to be found. Both have customizable ‘My Menu’ tabs if you find yourself needing regular access to menu-only options.

The other major difference is in autofocus. Not so much in terms of performance (though the Sony is, as good or better across the board), but in terms of complexity and usability. The Fujifilm has a series of different AF modes that you’re likely to swap between, depending on what you’re trying to shoot, and the choice of using the AF joystick or touchscreen to choose a subject. The Sony also has a wide range of AF area modes but, for most shooting situations, can be left in one mode, pointed at your subject and trusted to follow it, requiring little user input or mode-changing.

Other contenders

The most direct video/stills competitor to the Sony/Fujifilm duo is probably the Panasonic Lumix DC-G95 (G90 or G91 outside North America). It’s also a 4K-capable stills/video camera, but one that brings an image-stabilized 20MP Four Thirds sensor to the table, rather than the unstabilized APS-C chips of the other two. We wouldn’t rule it out just yet, but our initial impressions are that its video and autofocus aren’t up to the same high standards as the pair we’re discussing here.

Canon appears to have retreated from this section of the market for now: it’s more enthusiast-friendly M5 and M6 models now looking rather long in the tooth and lacking 4K video. Olympus’s OM-D E-M10 III is a less-expensive alternative and lacks the AF performance of the more recent APS-C models.

Sports and wildlife

Processed and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw 11
Sony a6400 | ISO 640 | 1/640 sec | F4

Sports and wildlife is a relatively comfortable win for the Sony. The Fujifilm’s AF system is more than up to the job of shooting sports (especially if you tune the AF behavior, manually follow the action and keep your subject under a Zone AF region), but the Sony system does well without the need for so much intervention, and is especially good at subject tracking.

Lens choice may be the deciding factor here. Both systems offer fairly expensive 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 lenses if you need a lot of reach, but Fujifilm’s APS-C-only version is both smaller and less expensive. Fujifilm offers a 50-140mm F2.8 zoom whose 70-200mm F4-like equivalent behavior is arguably more useful than Sony’s similarly-sized 70-200mm F4 (which ends up behaving more like a full-frame 105-400mm F6 if you mount it on the a6400).

Family and moments

Out-of-camera JPEG
Sony a6400 | ISO 1000 | 1/125 sec | F1.4

The Sony is the clear winner here, primarily for how easy its autofocus is to use and how well it understands human subjects (focusing on an eye if it can see one, but reliably keeping focus on the same person if they look or turn away). The tenacity with which the a6400 will maintains focus on the person you’ve chosen is simply unequaled.

Both systems include the option of 18-135mm lenses, which provide huge amounts of flexibility

The Fujifilm still makes a handy family camera, though. It requires a little more patience and more user input, but can be paired with lenses such as the 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 OIS, which is a much better and more flexible zoom than the Sony 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 power zoom.

Both systems include the option of 18-135mm lenses, which provide huge amounts of flexibility, though their F3.5-5.6 maximum apertures may not give the shallow depth-of-field or low light advantages over using a good smartphone. Of course, if you don’t regularly zoom-in on your smartphone, it’s worth looking at the available prime lenses for both systems.

Landscape

Processed and cropped to taste in Adobe Camera Raw 11
Fujifilm X-T30 | ISO 160 | 1/100 sec | F4

There’s not a huge amount to choose between the two cameras in terms of landscape shooting. The Fujifilm lens lineup includes a series of nice zooms and a good choice of high-quality F1.4 prime lenses, which might just tip the balance in its favor.

They’re fairly evenly balanced in terms of battery life and portability, and both have rear screens that tilt up for tripod use. There’s not much to choose between the cameras in terms of Raw performance: not all Raw converters do a great job with Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor pattern, but conversely Sony insists on applying damaging compression to its files, which slightly reduces their flexibility.

Neither camera is especially easy to operate with gloves, though if you deactivated the command dials, the Fujifilm’s dedicated shutter speed, aperture and exposure comp dials are easier to use than the Sony’s rear dial, which is fiddly at the best of times.

Lifestyle and social

Out-of-camera JPEG
Sony a6400 | ISO 100 | 1/320 sec | F1.8

The Fujifilm’s attractive JPEG output and selection of lenses makes it a very credible choice for lifestyle and social photography. It has face and eye detection and can offer shallow depth-of-field images if you pair it with the right lens. A wide selection of prime lenses (with a choice of F2 or F1.4 in several focal lengths), makes this pairing easier.

The Sony comes out in front, for us, though, especially on the ‘social’ side of things. Its AF system is more responsive and easier to use when trying to shoot spontaneous photos, particularly of photos with people in them. Added to this, Sigma’s trio of F1.4 lenses may well include a focal length that works for your style of photography.

With its screen that flips all the way up, the Sony is also the clear winner if you want to take selfies.

Formal portraits

Processed in Adobe Camera Raw 11
Pre-production Fujifilm X-T30 | ISO 320 | 1/200 sec | F2

When it comes to posed portraiture, again it’s probably a slight win to the Sony. Its uncannily sticky eye-detection system can be entirely relied upon, freeing up the photographer to concentrate on their lighting, their composition and engaging with their subject. Stick the comparatively affordable Sigma 56mm F1.4 on the front and the camera will do much of the rest.

It’s only a slight win, though. Fujifilm’s 56mm F1.2 APD is a lovely portrait lens, as is its 135mm-equiv. 90mm F2 (though neither comes cheap). Eye detection works well, especially with a single subject and the X-T30’s choice of film-mimicking color modes makes it easy to deliver attractive results.

Sony has stronger native flash options, with a radio-frequency remote flash system, but both are well supported by third-party makers, making it easy to find flash heads that can be remotely triggered.

Candid and street

Processed in Adobe Camera Raw 11
Pre-production Fujifilm X-T30 | ISO 640 | 1/125 sec | F4

Both the Sony and Fujifilm are pretty small cameras, and can be paired with fairly small lenses (though it’s worth checking whether there’s a small prime lens available in your favored focal length). Both have rear touchscreens that tilt upwards for from-the-hip shooting and both have relatively quiet shutter mechanisms. They both offer completely silent electronic shutter modes, with the Fujifilm exhibiting less rolling shutter distortion in that mode.

Both cameras make it pretty simple to transfer your images to a smartphone, with the Sony offering NFC in addition to Bluetooth, which makes it a little quicker to use with Android devices.

Again the Sony’s simpler, more precise AF system may give it a bit of an edge, particularly for candid people pics. It’s also a little smaller and more discreet.

Video

The Sony a6300 was one of the first sub-$ 1000 cameras to offer really detailed 4K capture, but video performance (and our expectations of it) have been one of the areas of greatest improvement since then. It’s much easier to spot the rather poor rolling shutter performance now that a range of cameras can offer the level of detail capture that once rather dazzled us.

Fujifilm matches the Sony for detail capture but with much less rolling shutter and no crop (as the a6400 does when shooting 30p). And that’s before you consider the Fujifilm’s array of attractive and useful Film Simulation modes (including the flexible Eterna mode and the option of Log capture with a downloadable LUT to make processing easier). Unlike the Sony, the Fujifilm can offer headphone monitoring via a USB-C adapter.

The a6400’s video is easier to point-and-shoot: again thanks to its impressive tap-to-track autofocus, though the X-T30 can track human subjects fairly well. The Fujifilm is the better video tool overall, if you’re serious about videography and are willing to manual focus. There’s even the option to output 10-bit footage if you get serious enough to buy an external recorder.

Conclusion

Looking at these two cameras through the lens of specific photographic applications is an interesting exercise, with the importance of the simplicity and reliability of the a6400’s AF system shining through (when assessing them in general terms we concluded there wasn’t a lot to choose between them).

The a6400’s updated AF system is genuinely phenomenal

We’re still not big fans of the experience of shooting with the Sony: its two command dials are undermined by the need to stop and adjust your grip every time you want to use the lower one. Its menus are still difficult to navigate and its touchscreen is poorly utilized. That said, its updated AF system is genuinely phenomenal, removing, at a stroke, one of the things you previously would have had to mess around with. If your photography benefits from fast, precise focus (particularly for human subjects), the Sony is the stronger choice.

Both these cameras are significantly better than the already good cameras they replace, so there’s no wrong choice here

We still really like the X-T30, though. It looks pretty, is engaging to use and produces attractive JPEGs and consistently better video than the Sony. It’s not without its own usability flaws: the joystick and Q buttons are awkwardly placed and the pressable command dials are fiddly and easily knocked. Overall there are arguably too many control points for such a small camera, but it’s a camera that can be set up to be really enjoyable to use.

Both these cameras are significantly better than the already good cameras they replace, so there’s no wrong choice here. So which is more important to you: the experience of photography or the certainty of getting the shot?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 28, 2019
Which Landscape Photography Camera Should You Buy? [video]
The post Which Landscape Photography Camera Should You Buy? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

In this video by Mark Denney, he looks at 8 questions you should ask yourself before choosing your new camera for Landscape Photography.

8 questions to ask yourself:

1. What are you solving? What’s broken that you are trying to fix?

The main problem he was having was that he was trying to use his main photography camera, the Sony A7RII for video too, which was fine but it was an inconvenience for him.

So he wanted two separate cameras – one for stills, and one for video.

2. What’s Your Budget?

Set your budget in the beginning (before you start shopping), so you know what to look for.

3. Do you want to go mirrorless or DSLR?

There are pros and cons to both. While DSLRs have great image quality, and good battery life, they are heavier.

Many mirrorless cameras also have excellent image quality but not always great battery life (editor-though this is always being improved upon). They are lighter in weight, but you may have to carry extra batteries.

4. What sensor size do you want?

Think about the sensor size you want. Do you want to go for full-frame, crop sensor or Micro four thirds? Full frame is the most expensive sensor size to go for. Think about the type of photography you will be doing. If you are going to be doing a lot of Astro photography, for example, you may want to go for full-frame as it will allow you to capture the most light.

5. Image Quality

What camera has the best image quality in the brand that you are interested in?

Pixel size – Think about megapixels. Many cameras now have large megapixels. Are you printing your images in large format or just sharing them on the web and social media?

Dynamic Range – the tonality of an image. The difference between the brightest brights and the darkest darks.
The human eye can detect 20-stops of dynamic range. Dynamic range is measured in stops. Mark says the best cameras on the market at the moment in terms of dynamic range are the Nikon D850 and the Sony A7RIII with around 15-stops of dynamic range. Average DSLRs are around 12-stops of dynamic range. The more dynamic range, the better results you get when bringing out shadows in editing.

ISO – Again, it depends on what you are shooting. If you are shooting night skies, you may want to choose a camera that works better at high ISOs with less noise. If you are shooting landscapes during daylight hours or blue hour, most cameras will work fine in these conditions.

6. Overall Lens Ecosystem

You aren’t just investing in the camera, but also the brands’ lens ecosystem. While there are adapters, you may want to still look at the lenses.

7. Video specs

If you are planning to shoot video too, then look at the video specs. For example, do you want 4K, or are you happy with just HD?

8. User interface/User experience

Do some research about the user interface. Is the camera intuitive and easy to use and navigate? Are the ergonomics good? Does it feel good in your hand?
If you are unsure about any of these things, renting a camera is a good way to try it out before buying.

Mark decided that the Fuji X-T3 was the perfect camera for his needs. What will yours be?

You may also find the following helpful
- Which Crop Sensor Sony a6000 Series Camera Should You Buy?
- Fujifilm X-T3 versus Fujifilm X-H1: The Best Mirrorless Camera for You?
- Camera Comparison – The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III
- The New Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R – Could these Full-frame Mirrorless Cameras be Cameras of the Year?
The post Which Landscape Photography Camera Should You Buy? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Digital Photography School
April 28, 2019
How to Develop a Photography Workflow that Preserves Your Images
The post How to Develop a Photography Workflow that Preserves Your Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

“I love spending time in front of a computer working on my images – sorting them, cataloging them and editing them,” said no photographer ever!

Well, maybe a few of us like to be sitting in front of our desk pouring over image after image, shoot after shoot. But let’s face it, as photographers, we would much rather get out there and photograph in the field than be chained to our desk and computers indoors.

This is where having a good solid workflow that can help you ease the post-shoot process is very important. Workflows are not just for the editing portion of your life as a photographer. In fact, a workflow is something that can help you before, during and even after your photo shoot.

Whether you are a busy professional photographer or an active hobbyist, having a good solid workflow and method of organizing images is crucial.

Having a workflow is even beneficial if you just photograph on your smartphone.

We have all been in situations where your phone runs out of space because you have images from three years ago that you have done nothing with. Sorting through three years worth of data to find images to delete under pressure of missing a key moment is no joke!

I wear many different photography hats as a wedding, lifestyle and travel photographer. So my workflow is slightly different based on the type of session I am photographing. But for the most part, I follow the same series of steps.

Here is my process. Hopefully, you may be able to replicate some or all of these steps to create a process that works for you in your photography.

1. Choice of Gear

Camera

My camera of choice is a Canon 5D MKIII. At this point, I only have one digital camera. I used to have a Canon 5D MKII as my backup, but ever since I starting working with a second shooter for my weddings, I didn’t find the need for my Canon 5D MK II. So I sold it.

For commercial shoots or bigger gigs that require multiple cameras and lenses, I just rent what I need. I am lucky in that I have a big camera store close to home that has all the gear I could need. They even have a studio that I can rent out should I need more space.

Batteries and Cards

I purchased two extra batteries when I was a full-time wedding photographer, and because I sold my backup gear, I am now left with extra camera batteries for my primary camera.

This works really well because I carry all my batteries with me when I am traveling or going to a multi-day event. That way I don’t have to worry about finding a plug point or charging my camera battery in the field.

This was a lifesaver earlier in the year when I traveled to Portugal and lost my power converter/adaptor. Try figuring out how to say power adaptor in a part of the world where you don’t speak the language! I drained out my batteries to the very last percent of battery juice during that trip!

Side tip: try shaking the battery to squeeze out every last bit of battery juice if you are running out of battery life. I’m not joking. I have tried this successfully many times in Portugal to get that last shot before the battery died!

I have 5 x 32GB CF cards, 3 x 16GB CF cards and a handful of 8 GB CF cards. For the most part, all these cards travel with me for a multi-day shoot or a personal travel trip that is several days long.

Part of my pre-shoot workflow includes downloading all my cards, charging my batteries and packing my bag with everything I need the night before.

Camera bag

My camera bag is a backpack that I used not just my photography but also for excursions and trips around town. I ditched the proverbial camera bag many years ago when I started traveling with my family of young kids. Carrying a camera bag, diaper bag, and a purse was just not practical. Also, once I got used to carrying a day pack that held all my treasures, it just seems second nature to me to pick that bag up no matter what the occasion.

Since I have just one camera/day pack, part of my workflow is to make sure the bag is empty and ready for the next adventure as soon as I come back home from a shoot/trip or even just going around town.

Luckily, it has enough pockets to store batteries, CF cards and other things like filters, and flashes.

At a recent class I taught, I loved seeing the diversity in terms of camera bags that everyone was using!

2. During the shoot

There is nothing quite like learning the importance of having a workflow than losing data or content in the absence of one. I learned the hard way when I lost all my images from a shoot on a card that failed. Luckily it was for a family shoot that I could reschedule.

So from that point onwards, I change my camera data card with each logical break in the event I am photographing.

For example, if I am photographing a wedding, I have the getting ready activities on one card, the ceremony on another card and the reception on a third card.

Even though the cards are not full, this gives me the security of losing only a part of the day should anything go wrong.

Of course, my backup for weddings is my second photographer who does the same thing.

For non-wedding related client work, I use a backup SD card in my camera. The Canon 5D MkIII has a dual card slot, so I take full advantage of the technology at my fingertips. If I am on a personal assignment, I change out my cards every night and download the photos onto an external drive.

Another thing that is important to note is how you store used and unused data cards. Figure out a system that works for you in how you separate the two. For me, used CF cards from a photoshoot are placed in a separate pouch from unused CF cards. I place those in another pouch in my camera bag.

In terms of the actual shoot, try and come up with a game plan for what you are photographing. As a wedding photographer, one of the key things I make sure to discuss with my wedding couples is a shot list. A shot list is a list of all the key moments and images that the couple absolutely wants to have taken. Typically these are around photos with family members.

With client and commercial shoots, the clients typically have a list of images they want to get from you. Use this concept of a shot list to list down all the ‘must have’ images you want to get out of a photographic excursion.

Shot lists save you effort, and they help you become more efficient with your time in the field.

Wedding photography can be quite stressful. There isn’t really a do-over option if you mess up. Having a workflow is critical and life-saving for a wedding photographer.

3. After the shoot

When I am back home from a wedding or a lifestyle shoot, the first thing I do is pack away my gear. I separate my camera body from my lenses and pack them away separately. All batteries are removed, including those from my flash. I have heard horror stories where batteries, especially AAAs, have leaked into the flash socket, so I don’t want to have to deal with that mess! Plus I use rechargeable batteries for all my flashes and external lights. Once they are out, I put them back in the case ready to be recharged for the next photography gig.

If I am at a multi-day shoot, all batteries are plugged into the charger slots right away.

These are the steps I take with my images:
1. I download all the images from my CF cards onto TWO external hard drives, that act as a storage for my RAW images.
2. Once the RAW images are successfully transferred to my external hard drive, I go through and spot check the images and the total image count to make sure all the images are moved over.
3. Images are moved over based on the shoot, location or event. For example a wedding will be downloaded as follows on the primary storage drive:
20190101_ClientNameWedding_GettingReady

20100101_FamilyName_LifestyleShoot

20100101_Personal_VacationLocation_Day01
1. The secondary drive is less formal and has images just based on the event. For example:
2019

WeddingClientCard01

WeddingClientCard02

FamilyLifestyelShoot

Personal_TripCard01

Personal_TripCard02
1. I then format the cards in camera. This is done on the camera rather than the computer. The reason for this is because I have found that sometimes all the images are not cleaned out and the card still retains some data that occupies unnecessary space.
Treating every client shoot like it was a wedding really helped me nail down a process and workflow that works for me. Now it is second nature and something I don’t even have to think about.

4. After the shoot (remote)

When I am traveling for work or pleasure, I carry one WD My Passport Ultra external hard drive and all my camera data cards. Earlier in my career, I would carry two external hard drives and create primary and secondary backups in the field. Now I have found that I don’t photograph as much because I am more thoughtful about what I photograph.

So now I just carry all my cards, and one external hard drive to back them up in the field. I avoid taking an external hard drive when I am just traveling for pleasure or personal work to reduce my load.

When I get home, the RAW files from the CF cards used during the trip are copied over to both external hard drives (primary and secondary) that house all my raw images. They are deleted from the WD Ultra so that it is ready for my next trip.

Early in my photography career, there were times where I would travel with almost every lens I owned, a laptop, two external hard drives, and many camera cards to be safe. Perhaps it is age, or perhaps it is maturity (I like to think it is a little bit of both), but now I try to travel light and take only what is absolutely needed to get the job done.

If I need something along the way, I either borrow, rent or figure out creative solutions to make things work.

I would argue that personal photos are more important than professional ones – especially as the dedicated photographer of the family. I love documenting our journey for no-one but me!

5. Editing workflow

Eighty percent of my editing happens in Lightroom (LR). Photoshop is used sparingly if I have to make any advanced editing. I have invested in the Adobe Creative Cloud for LR and Photoshop. I’ve installed them on my iMac (my primary editing device), as well as my MacBook Pro (my travel companion).

My Lightroom catalog lives on an external HD. I understand some people have concerns over running a LR Catalog on an external HD, because of potential LR speed issues. So far, I have not experienced any issues with LR in terms of speed by having the catalog on an external HD. However, if you are concerned about speed, then your LR catalog can be put on your computer’s hard drive, and keep a backup on the external HD. A backup of my LR catalog lives on a cloud service that is updated every six weeks.

I used to use iPhoto on my iMac to store all my images and only upload selected images to Lightroom. I tried to use Bridge for a few years to select images that I want to import into Lightroom. Now I use Photos on my Mac to select images that I want to edit and upload them into Lightroom.

I know it is probably easier to just upload all images to Lightroom and sort them via the software to save an extra step. I have one Lightroom catalog that houses all my work since 2012, and so there are quite a few images in the catalog. I had found that when I used Lightroom to sort and select images, it takes forever to load.

My Lightroom catalog is sorted by year, and I use the following naming convention for my Lightroom. I am less worried about the naming convention in Lightroom than I am with my primary and second storage units. This is just my personal preference.

YYYYMMDD_ClientName_TypeoftheShoot.

After editing is complete, I export my client images onto the same WD Ultra external hard drive as my Lightroom catalog.

The client folders get arranged by the date of the session.

This time the naming standard is as follows:

CompanyName_ClientNameEvent_Date

All images have the same naming convention as the folder, along with an image sequence number.

Every few years I go through and delete edited galleries from the external hard drive. I don’t delete client RAW files – just the edited files. I have found myself going back to many client galleries and re-editing images as my style evolves and changes. There is no point in keep multiple copies of the same image.

I use a mix of presets and hand edits for my images. It took me many years to finally come up with a style and method of how I want my images to look. Ninety percent of my edits follow that same process. Every once in a while I drastically change my “look” to keep things fresh.

As a rule, I spend no more than a minute on each image. I would much rather be outside photographing than indoors editing.

Exact same image – two different looks. And I love them both.

6. Editing Remotely

I really avoid extensive editing of images in the field. I prefer to focus on documenting and photographing rather than same day edits. I would much rather take a quick snapshot on my iPhone and edit using phone apps for a quick social media preview than spend time and effort in editing in the field.

A couple of years ago, I traveled out of the country for three months over the summer. This was before Lightroom came up with their cloud version. Because I was gone for so long, I took my Lightroom catalog with me on an external drive and used that for 3 months.

Recently, I started using Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC for my workflow. I primarily used them for working when traveling. When I know I need access to my files for a particular project or a particular job, I upload those files to my Lightroom CC and work on them while on the road. Once back home, I ‘sync’ Lightroom CC as a collection in my Lightroom Classic and have all those edits readily available.

7. Client workflow

I use an external portfolio service to host my images for client work. These client galleries are only online for three weeks, and then they are deleted. My wedding photography packages all include edited images on a personalized flash drive whereas my family portraiture clients have the option of purchasing digital images if they want them for future use.

Every few years I go through and update client galleries and delete old ones. Keep in mind these are just the edited files. My client RAW files are stored indefinitely in case a client comes back after a few years for the images. If you don’t want to delete client images, you can invest in an external cloud storage system.

In Conclusion

While it might seem like a lot, my workflow has simplified over time. Just as I limit the gear I own and use, I also try and limit the images I capture – for both client and personal work. Having 100 photos of a spectacular sunset no longer make sense to me. I also stick to my workflow because it saves time in the long run.

One of my favorite things to stock up on are external hard drives. Every so often they fail, and I have to replace them. As cloud storage gets more accessible and less expensive, I can see myself moving things over to the cloud and simplifying my process and workflow even more.

I encourage you to use this, or some variation of this workflow and tweak it to make it your own. If you do it consistently and often enough, it becomes second nature and saves you time so you can do what you enjoy doing – photographing.

The post How to Develop a Photography Workflow that Preserves Your Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

Digital Photography School
April 28, 2019
Your Photographic Legacy: Realizing Your Power as a Photo Maker

The post Your Photographic Legacy: Realizing Your Power as a Photo Maker appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.

I’ve struggled with how to approach the topic at hand and I remain unsure even as I type. How can I begin to talk about such far echoing ideas? I already know that you and I share a common thread: photography.

I’ll further assume that if you’re reading this, you are a person who makes photographs regularly. Perhaps that’s the perfect way to start; by knowing that you’re a camera person, just like me.

Being that we’re the same, I hope you understand the scope of what it means to “be a photographer” in an age when cameras are everywhere. Do you understand the power you hold in your hands? It’s the magnitude of this power that we will discuss.

With any luck, these simple truths about our craft will be nothing new. If anything, hopefully, these ideas will be a gentle reminder of the role you play in the photographic legacy.

On the other hand, if you have forgotten these facts or if you’ve never thought about them before, today is an especially important day for you.

Respect for the work…respect for yourself

It’s oddly paradoxical that photography can be so incredibly personal yet at the same time so impersonal. This is especially true of digital photography when often times the work we produce remains essentially intangible and often untouchable.

Where other creators physically intersect with their craft by either drawing, painting, sculpting or carving, we stand alone in a shared uniqueness. We use a machine to bring our expressions to life. We cannot touch what we capture with any sense of immediacy, and yet photography has become one of the most effective methods for bridging what we see with what we feel.

As photographers, we must grasp the sheer weirdness and complexity of what we do at a basic level. Our work is part science, part soul, part philosophy and as such should be respected for the beautiful oddball of the visual arts that it truly is.

Furthermore, you should have immense respect for yourself and your fellow practitioners of photography. Not through any sense of superiority but rather a feeling of camaraderie.

We compete on occasion, sure. We envy or criticize each other at times. With the internet being the internet, it’s quite easy to pick apart the work of others instead of building it up. We’re only human. Still, the fact remains that we will advance more by positive attitudes and tasteful critique than through thoughtless criticism and negativity.

I can assure you that we’re all in this madness together.

Photography is the servant of history

Imagine for a minute a couple of historic images in your mind. Ali standing over Frazier. That child running from a napalm strike in Vietnam. The aftermath at Kent State. A lone man staring down a tank in Beijing. Einstein sticking his tongue out for the camera.

All these moments, for better or worse, are solidified in history through photographs. Photography carries monumental weight for bringing awareness to the beauty and horrors present in the human condition.

Arguably, photography is the greatest asset for documenting history that the world has ever known.

Every photograph is made by a man or woman who was present at the exact moment these events took place. For better or worse, the presence of a camera has been the catalyst for social, political and environmental change for nearly two centuries.

Where would we be without the photographs which move us to action and change the way we think about the world?

Photographers can strike fire anywhere with a single photograph.

Possessing the ability to potentially impact the entire course of civilization by what we do should fill us with a measure of pride, wonderment and ultimately a sense of apprehension. Think about that the next time you go out with your camera.

You can make a difference through your photography at any time and in any place.

You represent every photographer

If you bear with me, I find it’s necessary to share a quick story about a woodworker friend of mine; a story, which as it turns out, became the reason for me penning this article.

A few weeks ago I witnessed a rather nasty situation play out on social media between my friend and another woodworker. Without injecting my own opinion, it was obvious that the attitude shown towards my friend was met with universal disapproval by most of the commenters.

I was fascinated (and comforted) by the fact that what seemed to trouble people the most was the blatant disrespect which was being exhibited by one craftsperson to another.

My mind immediately jumped to the manner we as photographers conduct ourselves, both on and offline, and how that conduct impacts the public perception of photographers.

As cameras become more and more available to the masses, it’s important to comprehend that we are all practitioners of an art form that dates back to the early 19th century. That’s quite the legacy. What I mean by this is that the way we interact with our subjects and our environment while we practice our craft can be just as important as the photographs we produce.

I have witnessed photographers moving “flying stones” at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley just so their shots couldn’t be replicated. On countless occasions, I’ve watched as cars back up behind a person who parked in the highway to make photos bears.

Perhaps most alarming of all, I have observed shockingly pretentious attitudes exhibited by professional photographers upon those deemed “beneath” their perceived level of skill.

Be courteous and respectful to others, especially fellow photographers. Always be willing to pass on what knowledge you have about the craft. Keep in mind that we are stewards of our art and tend its flame for many generations of photo makers to come.

Never fall victim to the kind of indifferent behavior that would belittle the legacy of photography.

Final thoughts….

So, what’s the endgame here?

The keyword is “realization.”

Realize that the role photography plays in the world cannot be overstated, and your part in that story is just as important.

The way we approach photography is very much a reflection of how we approach life and each share similar outcomes.

Be mindful that you always remember the impact of the photos you make and how far the manner by which you make those photos truly reaches. Photographs carry a unique duality which occupies a cloudy space among other art forms.

Our cameras have the power to make, record and even change history, but without you, a camera is just a camera.

Remember the power you have as a photographer and wield it accordingly.

The post Your Photographic Legacy: Realizing Your Power as a Photo Maker appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.

Digital Photography School

April 28, 2019
HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW sample gallery updated

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We’re putting the finishing touches on our review of the HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW – a lens we already know to be very large and very sharp. Take a look at some of the additional sample images we’ve gathered throughout the process of testing the lens, and keep your eyes peeled for a full review in the very near future.

See our updated HD Pentax FA* 50mm F1.4 sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 28, 2019