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See this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year winners

26 Oct

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

The Royal Observatory Greenwich has announced the winners of its annual astronomy photo competition. American photographer Brad Goldpaint’s Transport the Soul, a dreamy photo of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy hanging over Moab, Utah, took the People and Space category’s top prize and was named Overall Winner. A total of 31 winning images were selected across 11 categories – take a look at them here and visit Royal Observatory Greenwich’s site to get yourself ready for next year’s competition.

Transport the Soul © Brad Goldpaint (USA) – WINNER (PEOPLE AND SPACE) AND OVERALL WINNER
Interested in adding a ‘human element’ to his photographs, once the quarter moon rose and revealed the incredible, vast landscape of the shale hills below the viewpoint, the lone photographer, to the left of the frame, stood motionless while he captured this photograph. The Andromeda Galaxy, quarter moon, Milky Way Galaxy, and position of the photographer all combined to create a captivating, harmonious portrait of a night sky photographer at work.
Moab, Utah, USA, 20 May 2017
Nikon D810 camera, 14-mm f/4.0 lens, ISO 2500, 20-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

PEOPLE AND SPACE: Living Space © Andrew Whyte (UK) – RUNNER-UP
This is a single-frame image and not a speculative composite. Situated on a south-coast peninsula, this street falls within a part-night street lighting zone; when the lights go out, there’s nothing to interfere with the view of the stars until continental Europe- miles across the English Channel. The scene might be perceived incongruous or surreal and almost shows how accustomed we’ve become to the loss of night sky views due to light pollution. It was a conscious decision by the photographer to feature the unlit streetlamps, hinting how it might be possible to undo the damage and restore awe-inspiring views. Pagham, West Sussex, UK, 29 April 2017
Sony ILCE-7S camera, 28-mm f/2 lens, ISO 6400, 15-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

PEOPLE AND SPACE: Me versus the Galaxy © Mark McNeill (UK) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
This photograph was taken just after Christmas at the Sycamore Gap, Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland and showcases the majestic winter Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy. The temperature was about -4°C and the photographer arrived from Lancashire at 11am but had to wait till 2.30am for the Moon to set and for all the stars to be visible. Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, UK, 28 December 2017
Nikon D810 camera, 20-mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 5000, 10-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

AURORAE: Speeding on the Aurora lane © Nicolas Lefaudeux (France) – WINNER
A hazy, subtle auroral band is leisurely drifting across the sky providing an unusual perspective with faint bands appearing to radiate from a vanishing point, like a road disappearing over the horizon. As the aurora glided overhead, it made the photographer feel like he was driving a spaceship about to reach light speed toward the Big Dipper. This view lasted less than a minute.
Sirkka, Finland, 30 March 2017
Sony ILCE-7S2 camera, 20-mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 2000, 3.2-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

AURORAE: Castlerigg Stone Circle © Matthew James Turner (UK) – RUNNER-UP
This was the photographer’s first ever encounter with the aurora borealis in the UK. The Moon was bright enough to illuminate the foreground arena of standing stones perfectly and the aurora surfaced from behind the majestic mountains, giving the appearance that the hills themselves were emitting the ethereal green glow.
Keswick, Cumbria, UK, 7 November 2017
Sony ILCE-7R camera, 22-mm f/4 lens, ISO 1000, 30-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

AURORAE: Aurorascape © Mikkel Beiter (Denmark) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
The conditions to shoot an aurora that night were not ideal because of the bright Moon but the photographer managed to capture the breathtaking Aurora Borealis above the fjord in the gorgeous Lofoten archipelago, in Northern Norway. The small pool of water with rocks made the perfect foreground and a natural leading line into the frame.
Haukland Beach, Lofoten, Norway, 26 February 2018
Canon EOS 5DS R camera, 17-mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 2000, 8-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

GALAXIES: NGC 3521, Mysterious Galaxy © Steven Mohr (Australia) – WINNER
The spiral galaxy NGC 3521 is located around 26 million light-years away in the constellation Leo and presents complex scene, with enormous amounts of surrounding dust and stray stars glowing far out from its disk. Emerging from the photographer’s colour data was a bright array of contrasting colour tones, generated by aging yellow-red stars, younger burning aggressively blue-white stars, and various nebulae throughout the disk. This image comprises approximately 20.5 hours of exposure time, collecting data in various filter types.
Carrapooee, Victoria, Australia, 13 February 2018
Planewave CDK 12.5 telescope, Astrodon Gen II LRGB, Baarder H? lens at 2541 mm f/8, Astro Physics 900 mount, SBIG STXL-11000 camera, Luminance: 33 x 1200 seconds [11hrs], H?: 12 x 1200 seconds [4hrs], Red-Green-Blue: 450 x 12–18 seconds

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

GALAXIES: From Mirach © Raul Villaverde Fraile (Spain) – RUNNER-UP
This photograph is a mosaic of 24 images and depicts how the galaxies Messier 31 and Messier 33 appear symmetrically on either side of the star Mirach. Despite being the two galaxies closest to our own, they are still significantly further away from us than Mirach, which is a star within our own Milky Way. We can also see the two smaller satellite galaxies of M31, M32 and M110.
Ocentejo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, 14 November 2017
Takahashi FSQ 106ED telescope, Idas lps 2-inch lens, SkyWatcher Nq6pro mount, Canon 6D camera, 414-mm f/3.9 lens, ISO 1600, 24x30x400″ exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

GALAXIES: Fireworks Galaxy NGC 6939 – SN 2017 EAW © César Blanco (Spain) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
This image showcases the open cluster of stars NGC 6939 and the galaxy NGC 6949 with the stellar explosion of the supernova SN 2017 EAW. The data gathering for this image was carried out over a few different days and the photographer tried to obtain sharp details as well as some of the ‘foggy’ background light. The image depicts the great variety of objects we can observe in the Universe, a stellar explosion with an enormous diversity of the colours of the stars which depends on the temperature, a magnificent galaxy that can be seen directly face-on; the show of the supernova, a fantastic phenomenon which is produced not very often in our skies; and a dim nebula of IFN type in the background. Escobar de Campos, Castile and León, Spain, 18 June 2017
Takahashi FSQ 106ED telescope, Idas lps 2-inch lens, SkyWatcher Nq6pro mount, Canon 6D camera, 414-mm f/3.9 lens, ISO 1600, 24x30x400″ exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

OUR MOON: Inverted Colours of the boundary between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquilitatis © Jordi Delpeix Borrell (Spain) – WINNER
Inverting the image is a legacy of deep sky imaging, where tenuous extensions of galaxies and nebulae can be more visible on a negative image because our eye more easily detects tenuous dark details on a white background. This is also useful in Moon imaging helping to reveal otherwise barely detectable soil features such as ray systems. Low contrast areas like the lunar seas and ray systems, look much more interesting because low contrast details are revealed and according to the photographer this is a new way for Moon exploration that should be considered.
L’ Ametlla del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain, 6 December 2017
Celestron 14 telescope, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount, ZWO ASI 224MC camera, 4,200-mm f/12 lens, multiple 20ms exposures

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

OUR MOON: Earth Shine © Peter Ward (Australia) – RUNNER-UP
During a total solar eclipse the brightness of the solar corona hides details of the Moon to the human eye. But by layering multiple digital exposures in this image from 2 seconds to 1/2000th of a second, the photographer managed to reveal much more. The image showcases not just the brilliant solar corona, but the newest possible of new moons, seen here illuminated by sunlight reflecting off the Earth.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA, 21 August 2017
Takahashi FSQ85 telescope, Losmandy Starlapse mount, Canon 5D Mark IV camera, 500-mm f/5 lens, 9 exposures ranging from ISO 100 to 900, 150 2-seconds through to 1/4000th second exposures

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

OUR MOON: From the Dark Side © László Francsics (Hungary) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
The photographer had planned to capture a high resolution image of the morning crescent Moon for a long time. The waning crescent Moon only rises high above the horizon of the Carpathian basin in autumn, but in this period of the year the weather is usually cloudy and rainy. Fortunately, in October 2017, an anticyclone wiped the area clear, which allowed the photographer to take a good resolution picture capturing the special atmosphere of the thin crescent in a glitteringly bright sky.
Budapest, Hungary, 10 October 2017
Homemade 250-mm f/4 Carbon Newton telescope, f/11, 250/1000 mirror lens, Skywatcher EQ6 mount, ZWO ASI 174 MM camera, 6250 mm f/4 lens increased to f/11, multiple 1/200-second exposures

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

OUR SUN: Sun King, Little King, and God of War © Nicolas Lefaudeux (France) – WINNER
In order to capture this mesmerising image, the photographer chose the area according to weather forecasts to make sure he would get a clear sky. The image shows the Sun corona in all its glory during the August total solar eclipse. It is flanked on left hand side by the blue star Regulus – the little King – and by the red planet Mars on the right. The many radial streamers of the solar Corona are a real crown for the Sun King and the corona can be traced almost to 30 solar radii distance. The total exposure duration of 100-seconds was recorded in more than 120 individual images and it is a setup consisting of both a fast f/1.4 lens, at full aperture to get as much signal as possible, and a large buffer camera at base ISO to avoid overexposure. The inner corona was recorded using a longer focal length setup.
Unity, Oregon, USA, 21 August 2017
AF-S NIKKOR 105-mm f/1.4E ED lens, Nikon D810 camera on an untracked tripod, 105 mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 64, multiple exposures of 0.3-second, 0.6-second and 1.3-second

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

OUR SUN: Coloured Eruptive Prominence © Stuart Green (UK) – RUNNER-UP
In this image the photographer managed to capture an eruptive prominence just hours after this active region produced a massive X9.0 class solar flare. Close to the solar limb and presented here in an inverted format (black to white) and colour enhanced to create a warm sunny glow, the photograph showcases the beautiful 3D structure within the hydrogen chromosphere. Captured in hydrogen alpha light at 656.3nm, the photographer used a 150mm solar telescope and monochrome machine vision camera to record a video sequence which was stacked to bring out the fine details and image processing techniques to produce colour and a backlit effect in order to enhance the spicule features around the solar limb.
Preston, Lancashire, UK, 9 September 2017
Home-built telescope based on iStar Optical 150mm f/10 lens, double stacked hydrogen-alpha filter at 5250 mm, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount, Basler acA1920-155um camera, 150-mm f/35 lens, multiple 0.006-second exposures as an AVI

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

OUR SUN: AR2673 © Haiyang Zong (China) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
AR2673 is a large sunspot group which formed in 2017. Clearly visible is the beautiful “rice grain” structure of the paler, outer regions of the sunspots.
Tongzhou, Beijing, China, 5 September 2017
Sky-Watcher DOB10 GOTO telescope, Optolong R Filter, QHY5III290M camera, 3,600-mm f/4.7 lens, ISO 160, 0.7ms exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

PLANETS, COMETS AND ASTEROIDS: The Grace of Venus © Martin Lewis (UK) – WINNER
Shortly before sunset, a slender and graceful Venus hangs low in the western sky, just 10 days before meeting the Sun at inferior conjunction. This is an infra-red image of that view, taken using a monochrome digital video camera mounted on a reflector telescope. The recording was processed to remove the blurring effects of our atmosphere and combine the video frames to create a single still image of the planet. The infra-red filter used on the camera helps steady the effects of atmospheric movement.
St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, 15 March 2017
Home-built 444-mm Dobsonian reflecting telescope, Astronomik 807nm IR filter, Home-built Equatorial tracking platform, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 12.4-m f/28 lens, 6msec frame time, 5.3sec total exposure duration

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

PLANETS, COMETS AND ASTEROIDS: Parade of the Planets © Martin Lewis (UK) – RUNNER-UP
During the course of just one year the photographer managed to image surface details on every planet in our Solar System from his own back garden. At the start of the year, the photographer had captured distant Mars, eight months after opposition, sporting a tiny polar cap and dark features. Later on, he captured Venus, then Jupiter and Saturn. In September, the photographer had imaged details on the rocky face of Mercury for the first time and in November he recorded Uranus’s distinct polar region, making the set complete. The more challenging planets, Mercury, Uranus and Neptune, required IR (infrared) imaging to bring out surface details and have been colourised to match their more normal visual appearance. All images are displayed at the same relative size that they would appear through a telescope.
St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, 1 November 2017
Home-built 444-mm Dobsonian Newtonian reflector telescope (Mercury used 222-mm Dobsonian), various IR filters for Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, Saturn (L). UV filter for Venus, home-built Equatorial Platform, ZWO ASI174MC/ASI174MM/ ASI290MM camera, various focal lengths f/12 to f/36, various exposures

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

PLANETS, COMETS AND ASTEROIDS: Comet C/2016 R2 Panstarrs the blue carbon monoxide comet © Gerald Rhemann (Austria) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
Still relatively far from the Sun, the comet’s well-developed ion tail shines bright in the night sky. Emission from unusually abundant ionized carbon monoxide (CO+) molecules fluorescing in the increasing sunlight is largely responsible for the beautiful blue tint. This is a median stack of the total event from 5p.m. until 11.12p.m and the comet’s magnitude was approx. 12.5 mag.
Eichgraben, Lower Austria, Austria, 19 January 2018
ASA 12-inch (300 mm) Astrograph telescope at f/3.62, ASA DDM 85 telescope mount, ASI ZWO 1600 MC colour CCD camera, exposure: RGB composite, 4.6-hours total exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

SKYSCAPES: Circumpolar © Ferenc Szémár (Hungary) – WINNER
The cold winter weather weaves a transparent blanket above the human settlements. If one rises above this coherent surface of mist, the colourful star trails can be brought together with the glowing lights of the cities. This extremely long capture sequence took half of the winter’s nights facing the clear northern sky as the circumpolar star Almach, also known as Gamma Andromedae, just touched the horizon.
Gatyatet?, Hungary, 17 February 2018
Minolta 80–200 f/2.8 telescope, tripod, Sony SLT-A99V camera, 135-mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 640, 50 x 300-second exposures

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

SKYSCAPES: Eclipsed Moon Trail © Chuanjin Su (China) – RUNNER-UP
On 31 January 2018, a spectacular total lunar eclipse occurred. The photographer set his camera for a four-hour stack exposure and after he took about one thousand images, he finally captured an image that reflects the changes of the Moon’s colour and brightness before, during and after the eclipse. The picture reminded the photographer of the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod, which is the weapon of the Monkey King, who is described in ancient Chinese literature.
Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, 31 January 2018
Sony ILCE-7RM2 camera, 17-mm f/4 lens, ISO 100, 950 x 15-seconds

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

SKYSCAPES: Midnight Glow over Limfjord © Ruslan Merzlyakov (Latvia) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
The dark summer sky in Denmark and the ideal weather on 22 May 2017 allowed the photographer to capture this magnificent orange glow over Limfjord, a beautiful place just five minutes away from where the photographer had lived for six years. The weather was so calm and quiet, which made the photographer think that time was standing still. Nykøbing Mors, Denmark, 22 May 2017
Canon EOS 6D camera, 14-mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 400, 10-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

STARS AND NEBULAE: Corona Australis Dust Complex © Mario Cogo (Italy) – WINNER
Under the dark Namibian sky, the photographer set his camera to a six-hour exposure in order to capture the CrA Molecular Complex, a large, dark and irregular area in the northern part of Corona Australis where we can see reflection nebulas NGC 6726-27-29, dark dust cloud Bernes 157, globular cluster NGC 6723 and other objects. Interestingly, there is a huge difference in distance: under 500 light years for the dust complex and 30,000 light years for the globular cluster.
Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Namibia, 18 August 2017
Takahashi FSQ 106 ED telescope, Astro-Physics 1200 GTO mount, Canon EOS 6D Cooling CDS Mod camera, 530-mm f/5 lens, ISO 1600, total 6-hours exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

STARS AND NEBULAE: Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula © Mario Cogo (Italy) – RUNNER-UP
The dark Namibian sky was the perfect location to capture the wonder of the Witch Head Nebula and Rigel. The Witch Head Nebula is a very faint molecular gas cloud which is illuminated by supergiant star Rigel, the seventh brightest star of the sky and the brightest star in the constellation of Orion.
Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Namibia, 20 August 2017
Takahashi FSQ 106 ED telescope, Astro-Physics 1200 GTO mount, Canon EOS 6D Cooling CDS Mod camera, 383-mm f/3.6 lens, ISO 1600, 1, 3 and 6 min, total 5 Hours exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

STARS AND NEBULAE: Thackeray’s Globules in Narrowband Colour © Rolf Wahl Olsen (Denmark) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
Almost 5,900 light years away, toward the southern constellation Centaurus, lies a large beautiful nebula known as the Lambda Centauri Nebula. The intense light from stars in a young open cluster cause the surrounding gas to glow with a magenta hue from emission lines of ionised Hydrogen atoms. In the centre of the image, is a group of Bok globules, which are dark, dense collapsing patches of gas and dust where new stars are frequently born. These were discovered by South African astronomer, A. David Thackeray, in 1950 and are now known as Thackeray’s Globules and are a favourite target for backyard astrophotographers. The largest globule is two separate clouds that overlap slightly. While they appear small in the context of the grand nebula, these overlapping globules are each 1.4 light years across and together they contain more than 15 times the mass of our Sun.
Auckland, New Zealand, 13 May 2017
Homebuilt 12.5-inch f/4 Serrurier Truss Newtonian telescope, Losmandy G-11 mount, QSI 683wsg-8 camera, 1,450-mm 12.5” f/4 lens, 14 hours and 40 minute exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

YOUNG ASTRONOMY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: Great Autumn Morning © Fabian Dalpiaz (Italy – aged 15) – WINNER
On an early Monday morning before taking an exam at school, the photographer decided to go out and take some images. Shooting on a 50mm lens the photographer got lucky and captured this incredible photograph of a meteor passing over the Dolomites. On the left side of the image the Moon is shining over the stunning landscape of the Alpe di Siusi with the autumn colours on the was illuminated only at 13.5 per cent.
Alpe di Siusi, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, 16 October 2017
Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera, 50-mm panorama f/2.0 lens, ISO 6400, 8-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

YOUNG ASTRONOMY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: The Eta Carinae Nebula © Logan Nicholson (Australia – aged 13) – RUNNER-UP
The Eta Carina Nebula, or NGC 3372, is the biggest and brightest nebula in the sky and is located in the constellation Carina. It is mostly made out of hydrogen, created when the bright orange star mid-left went nova, spewing out large amounts of hydrogen gas which now emits light at the Hydrogen-alpha wavelength. The photographer took and stacked multiple shots and processed them in Pixinsight.
Heathcote, Victoria, Australia, 16 December 2017
Takahashi MT-160 telescope, f/4.8 reducer for MT-160, Celestron CGEM mount, Canon EOS 700D camera, 776-mm f/4.8 lens, ISO 800, 12 x 5 minute exposures

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

YOUNG ASTRONOMY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: Inverted Sun © Thea Hutchinson (UK – aged 11) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
This was the photographer’s first attempt at solar imaging and was from the observatory in her back garden in Wimbledon. She used her father’s solar scope and after following her father’s advice, the photographer beautifully captured our nearest star, the Sun. The picture is a mosaic of two stacked images that were merged in Photoshop CC, cropped and inverted. The final image was then converted to false colour.
London, UK, 24 September 2017
Lunt LS60 telescope, Celestron CGE Pro mount, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 1250 (500-mm with x2.5 Powermate) f/21 (f/8.3 x 2.5) lens, 2000 frames best 20% retained

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

YOUNG ASTRONOMY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: First Impressions © Casper Kentish (UK – aged 8) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
After a few days of cloudy skies the photographer finally got the chance to use his birthday present, a new telescope. The clouds were moving fast so there was not much time to capture the Moon. With the help of his grandfather who kept moving the telescope and trying to keep an iPad at the right position, he managed to capture this wonderful and artistic image of his first viewing of our Moon.
Ponthirwaun, Ceredigion, UK, 23 January 2018
SkyWatcher Skyliner 200 p, SkyWatcher 25mm wide angle, Dobsonian mount, Apple iPad 5th generation, 3.3-mm f/2.4 lens, ISO 250, 1/17-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

YOUNG ASTRONOMY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: A Valley on the Moon… © Davy van der Hoeven (Netherlands – aged 10) – HIGHLY COMMENDED
The photographer’s father taught him how to focus the telescope, capture and process the data. Once the telescope was set up the photographer started taking images of the surface of the Moon and even managed to capture more details than his father did in the past. Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands, 25 February 2018
Celestron C11 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope, Baader red filter, SkyWatcher NEQ6 mount, Imaging Resource DMK21 camera, 2,700-mm f/10 lens, 1/300-second exposure

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

SIR PATRICK MOORE PRIZE FOR BEST NEWCOMER: Galaxy Curtain Call Performance © Tianhong Li (China) – WINNER
This was the last opportunity in 2017 to see the silver core of the Milky Way before it sunk below the horizon. It was accompanied by the gradual curtain call of Scorpio heralding the upward trend of Orion in the sky. Meanwhile the season of bright shooting stars quietly arrived. The image is stitched together from a total of twenty pictures.
Ming’antu, China, 23 September 2017
Nikon D810A camera, 35-mm f/2 lens; sky: ISO 1250, 16 x 60-second exposures, total 16 pictures; ground: ISO 640, 4 x 120-second exposures, total 4 pictures

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 winners

ROBOTIC SCOPE: Two Comets with the Pleiades © Damian Peach (UK) – WINNER
The image showcases a very rare conjunction of two bright comets both passing the famous Pleiades star cluster in Taurus at the same time. Comet C/2017 O1 (ASASSN) is at far left while C2015 ER61 (PanSTARRS) is in the centre. Both comets have strikingly different appearances. The whole region is embedded in the faint nebulosity of the Taurus Molecular Cloud. The photographer used a remote telescope located in Mayhill, New Mexico.
Remote Astronomical Society (RAS) Observatory, Mayhill, New Mexico, USA, 19 September 2017
Takahashi FSQ106 telescope at 106 mm, Paramount ME mount, SBIG STL-11000M camera, 530-mm f/5 lens, exposure: four LRGB frames, each frame 30 minutes each

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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iPhone XS / XS Max sample gallery updated

26 Oct

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_7780769194″,”galleryId”:”7780769194″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

In the time since we posted our first look at the iPhone XS’ image quality, we’ve continued shooting with its larger sibling, the XS Max. The two devices use identical 12MP dual-camera systems, boasting better HDR and Portrait Mode effects thanks to processing and computational improvements. Take a look at some additional sample images from Apple’s latest flagship phone.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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1000-year long exposure due to reveal effects of climate change for exhibition in 3018

26 Oct
The view from Eagle Rock – a digital pinhole image by Ryland West, showing the view from one of Keat’s camera sites

A series of pinhole cameras have been positioned around Lake Tahoe to record in a single exposure the effects of climate change over the course of the next 1000 years. Conceptual artist Jonathon Keats has booked space at the nearby Sierra Nevada College to hold an exhibition of the results in the year 3018.

The idea of the project is to show the long-term effects of climate change on the environment, by recording how the scenes the four cameras are pointed at alter over the course of a 1000-year exposure. Though technical details are scant regarding the size of the aperture, the basic premise of the cameras is a pinhole construction with a rose-colored pigment to record the image. The pinholes have been made in 24-karat gold sheets (though the reason isn’t clear why gold was used) and the pigment records the image by fading in areas where it is exposed to most light. As it is the areas that are exposed to light that fade the final image will be positive.

According to an interview on the Vice’s Motherboard website Keats has ‘borrowed a technique from Renaissance painters who worked with copper. This involved rubbing the copper with pumice stone, then rubbing it with garlic and finally applying a layer of pigment. After studying different pigments, Keats chose rose madder, a red pigment that is derived from the root of a madder plant.’

The tiny cameras have a copper body and measure 2.75in long by 2.25in in diameter, and have been placed in strategic positions to monitor the condition of the lake and its shoreline. Whether the cameras can remain still for 1000 years, and whether the exposure will be right in 3018, remains to be seen – but not by any of us. Keats himself says in the Motherboard interview “The [environmental] changes that happen may wipe out the camera or wipe out the institution that’s in charge of it. I just signed a contract with Sierra Nevada College that is for an exhibition of these four photographs in the year 3018. We’re certainly taking chances with this, but that’s also part of the picture in a way.”
I’ll wait closer; to the time before buying a ticket for the opening night.

Press release

TAHOE TIMESCAPE VISUALIZE LAKE TAHOE IN 3018

Experimental Philosopher Jonathon Keats Explores 1,000 Years of Environmental Change in the Lake Tahoe Basin

TAHOE PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION | 2018 – 3018
ART EXHIBITION | OCT 18 – NOV 16, 2018
TAHOE GALLERY, SNC, Incline Village, NV

Tahoe Timescape is a public art project conceptualized by experimental philosopher and artist Jonathon Keats that photographically documents the next thousand years of environmental change in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The project enlists a new approach to photography based on the traditional pinhole camera. Pierced through a plate of 24-karat gold, a minuscule pinhole focuses light onto a rose colored pigment, such that the color fades most where the light is brightest, very slowly imprinting a unique positive image. The Millennium Camera’s thousand-year-long photographic exposure, taken between 2018 – 3018, not only shows the view in front of the camera, but also records how it develops over time, revealing dynamics ranging from urban development to climate change.

Digital Pinhole Photograph from Eagle Rock | Site Photography by Ryland West
While one goal of Tahoe Timescape is to provide documentation of human and environmental dynamics for study by future generations, the Millennium Camera, custom made from copper for durability, is equally intended as a mechanism for people today to envision their long-term impact on the environment – and potentially to change the picture by altering their behavior.

Tahoe Timescape features four Millennium Cameras that will be deployed around all four shores of Lake Tahoe, with fixed vantage points positioned to provide an expansive view of the Lake Tahoe Basin, presenting multiple opportunities for the public to engage in deep-time thinking as they explore the region. The copper brackets that secure each camera in their location, as well as informative plaques mounted next to the cameras, are fabricated locally by Mountain Forge. The four locations, pinpointed on a topographic map and identified by geographic coordinates, are as follows:

  • South Shore: Heavenly Mountain Resort, South Lake Tahoe, NV / CA
  • West Shore: Eagle Rock, Homewood, CA
  • North Shore: Lake Tahoe Dam, Tahoe City, CA
  • East Shore: Sand Harbor, NV

Jonathon Keats and Tahoe Public Art’s Executive Director, Mia Hanak, conducted site surveys to identify the vantage points and Millennium Camera locations. Local landscape photographer Ryland West explored each site to shoot a set of landscape photographs paired with digital pinhole photographs focused on the actual vantage point from the Millennium Cameras to help us imagine the photographic composition that will be recorded by each between now and 3018.

“Tahoe Public Art is truly excited to be presenting the conceptual art of Jonathon Keats to the Lake Tahoe Basin. With the ongoing stewardship of Sierra Nevada College, we hope this encourages tourists and residents alike to contemplate the future of the basin and how they can become active in its preservation.” – Steve Miller, Chairman, Tahoe Public Art.

Further outreach will be facilitated by an exhibition about deep time photography at Sierra Nevada College’s Tahoe Gallery. Opening on October 18th and running through November 16 in 2018, the exhibition will feature four sets of landscape photographs, digital medium format pinhole photographs, and photo documentation of the cameras secured at each location. Samplings of pinhole cameras, and a topographic map showing the camera sites and geographic coordinates will also be showcased. On September 5th, Keats led a pinhole camera workshop for SNC students. The exhibition will also showcase original artwork by SNC students — including 2-D, 3-D, digital arts, and interdisciplinary art — encapsulating how they envision Lake Tahoe in one thousand years.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 launches with tele-camera and night mode

26 Oct

Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi today announced its new flagship smartphone, the Mi MIX 3. The new device features a 6.4” AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and only minimal bezels. Unlike most current high-end phones, the Xiaomi doesn’t come with a display notch. Instead the rear of the phone slides upwards, revealing a front dual-cam setup with 24MP main module and a 2MP depth-sensing camera.

Rear camera hardware specs have not changed compared to the Mi 8 and Mi Mix 2S which were both released earlier this year. The rear dual-camera comes with a 12MP wide-angle primary camera that uses a 1/2.55 Sony IMX363 sensor with 1.4µm pixel size, F1.8 aperture and OIS.

The secondary 2x tele-camera comes with smaller 1.0µm pixels and an F/2.4 aperture lens. Software-wise the Mi MIX 3 offers a new Night Mode for hand-held long-exposure shots and AI-powered scene recognition.

Other specs are in line with the current crop of top-end Android phones. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and 6, 8 or 10GB of RAM. You can choose between 128GB or 256GB of internal storage but there are no expansion slot headphone jack.

Pricing starts at $ 475 (CNY3,299) for the 6/128GB version and goes up to $ 720 (CNY4,999) for the 10/256GB model. Preorder is starting today and the device will actually be available November 1.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DxO PhotoLab 2 arrives with new haze removal tool and PhotoLibrary

26 Oct

DxO has released PhotoLab 2, an update to its PhotoLab image processing software. The updated version brings new features and improvements, including ClearView Plus, a new version of its haze removal and local contrast tool, as well as a new data and image management feature called DxO PhotoLibrary, and support for DCP color profiles.

DxO presents its new ClearView Plus as a “revolutionary tool” that can strip haze from an image while enhancing local contrast. According to the company, this improved version of the tool enables the user to create “dramatic adjustments” without producing unwanted halos.

PhotoLibrary, meanwhile, offers a variety of features, including the ability to search for, select, sort, and display images. The feature offers dynamic search, which presents the user with suggests as they type the search query. Users can search for content based on various criteria, including name, extension type, and shooting parameters.

DxO is now offering PhotoLab 2 for both Mac and PC through its online shop. The software is offered at introductory prices until November 18, after which point the regular rate is applied. PhotoLab 2 Essential is $ 99.99 USD and will be $ 129 USD after the introductory pricing ends; PhotoLab 2 Elite is $ 149.99 USD currently and will be $ 199 USD after the promotion ends.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Side-by-side Comparisons of Basic Studio Light Modifiers

26 Oct

Side-by-side Comparisons of Basic Studio Light Modifiers 1

Have you ever wondered what difference studio light modifiers make to your portraits?

Are you even convinced that they make a difference in the quality of light? I thought I’d do a little experiment to show you the effects that a few basic studio light modifiers can have on your portraits.

For some, the right modifier may make an image great, and the wrong modifier could break it.

Technical terms

Firstly, if you are new to artificial lighting, let’s look at some technical terms.

Flash – an electronic artificial light source which gives out a brief, sudden burst of light. A flash is also known as a strobe in North America.

Reflector – a panel that bounces light back towards the source and comes in silver, gold, black, white, fabric or other material.

Light modifier – an object attached to the front of the flash to change the quality and effect of light entering the camera.

Shoot – through Umbrella – an umbrella made of translucent fabric that allows light to pass through it.

Diffusion – a material that scatters light evenly as it passes through, thereby making the light softer and with less glare and harshness.

Softbox – a closed chamber usually lined in white or silver fabric, available in various shapes (such as a square, rectangle, umbrella, octagon). A softbox confines the light from the flash and releases it through a diffusion material, thereby allowing more control as to the size and spread of light that reaches your subject.

Grid – usually made from fabric strips of material that are sewn together to form a 3D grid that is attached to the light modifier. A grid restricts the focus of light, making it more directional, allowing the photographer more control. It also limits or restricts the spill of light onto other areas.

The studio light modifiers used in this article

Let’s start with the lighting diagram as shown below. My set-up consisted of 2 lights and the following:

Side-by-side Comparisons of Basic Studio Light Modifiers 2

  • a dark wall
  • a large silver panel reflector on camera left
  • a flash high up on the camera left to give a bit of hair light – I wasn’t after a vast separation from the background as I was using a light colored sofa that separates the background and the subject already. I also wanted a rather dark, moody lighting, so I covered the flash with a few layers of diffuser fabric. Doing this cut light out and limited it to the subject rather than hitting the wall
  • a flash on camera right onto which I attached various modifiers
  • studio light modifiers: flash hood, translucent umbrella, umbrella softbox, 90 x 60 softbox, diffuser fabric, grid

You can also shoot with one light, of course, see here for a beginner’s tutorial on how to create dramatic portraits with one light.

Side-by-side Comparisons of Basic Studio Light Modifiers 3

Left: #1 Shoot-through umbrella facing away. Right: #2 Shoot-through umbrella facing toward.

#1 Shoot-through umbrella facing away from subject

For the above-left image, I used an umbrella as a shoot through with the flash facing away from the subject. You can see there is still light hitting the subject’s face, but the shadows on the left side of the face and the neck are a lot more pronounced and harsh. The light was not able to reach the reflector to the left of the subject at all.

#2 Shoot-through umbrella facing toward subject

Compare this with the image on the right. I turned the flash and umbrella 180 degrees so that the flash was facing the subject and shot from behind the umbrella. The shadows are much softer, more light has reached the subject, and you can also see the light hitting the sofa on the far left which means the reflector was doing its job of bouncing some light back.

Side-by-side Comparisons of Basic Studio Light Modifiers 4

Left: #3 Bare flash with hood. Right: #4 Umbrella softbox

#3 Bare flash with hood

For the above-left image, I shot using just the electronic flash and the hood that comes with it. As it is rather small, it restricts the spread of light a little and focuses it more on the area you are lighting.

The light spills only as the light leaves the hood. Shadows on the face here are still defined, and not as smooth as I’d like it, but it is much better than on #1, where the shadows are much darker and harsher.

#4 Umbrella softbox

In the above-right image, I used a deep umbrella softbox allowing me to face both the flash and umbrella away from my subject. The umbrella is silver-lined which bounces all the light back towards the subject through a diffuser fabric. The resulting light quality is softer and more evenly spread due to bouncing and diffusion.

Compare this to image #2 that used only the shoot-through umbrella without the bounce. Notice how the light quality is gentler on the skin and more evenly spread, with softer shadows on the neck and under the nose.

Side-by-side Comparisons of Basic Studio Light Modifiers 5

Left: #5 Softbox Without the Diffusion Panel. Right: #6 Softbox with diffusion panel.

#5 Softbox without the diffusion panel

I switched to a 90 x 60 rectangular softbox for the images above. The one on the left is an example without the diffusion panel that covers the softbox. Shooting your subject without the diffusion panel is like shooting with a hood, as per example #3 (the hood also has a silver lining), only the softbox is larger.

The light is flashed away from the subject onto the silver lining of the softbox and bounced from the silver lining towards the subject without having to go through a diffusion panel.

#6 Softbox with diffusion panel

Comparing both images above, do you notice the softer quality of the light on the subject’s face on the image with the diffusion ‘on’? It is a subtle difference, but I can see it. Look even closer and you see the light without the diffusion is cooler and slightly harsher. It comes directly from the silver lining of the softbox not having gone through any diffusion.

This difference is noticeable on the sofa; the one on the left is a touch sharper and the one on the right darker and even. Compare the subject’s left eye (on camera right) – the shadow on the left image is stronger and deeper than the one on the right.

Such is the modifying effect of even just one diffuser fabric!

Side-by-side Comparisons of Basic Studio Light Modifiers 6

Left: #7 Softbox with the grid. Right: #8 Gridded softbox with the power adjusted.

#7 Softbox with grid

I attached a grid to the light set-up above so that it’s a silver-lined softbox with a diffusion panel plus a grid attached on the front of the diffusion panel. This setup is called a gridded softbox.

Notice just how much of the light has been cut out. Light gets focused on the face, and there are very few spills of light on the clothes, arms and outer areas of the space photographed.

The resulting image is a lot darker, moodier, and warmer in tone. However, I feel this is too underexposed, and details on the dress get lost, when I wanted these to show. The green wall looked too black, and the dress seemed to blend too much into it.

#8 Gridded softbox with power adjusted

On the above-right image, I kept the gridded softbox on and adjusted the flash power to my liking in order bring back the details I wanted. This new flash setting illuminated the face more and brought highlights back onto the hair and eyes. It also allowed a touch of light on the background too.

Finally, the end product I had in my mind used a textured background, so I added this texture to my dark green wall in Photoshop. For a step-by-step guide on how to add textures and creative overlays, see this post. In my opinion, the subtle texture adds more drama to the image and fits in better with the dark and moody lighting I was after.

Side-by-side Comparisons of Basic Studio Light Modifiers 7

Did you find this side-by-side comparison on light modifiers helpful? Please let me know and also share your studio lighting experiments in the comments below.

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Real Estate Photography: Get Better Results with the Right Equipment

25 Oct

Real estate photography throws many challenges your way, just like any type of photography.

You deal with perspective issues and light and shadow extremes that confound even the best cameras. You also need to be critically aware of your surroundings and probably have very limited time to do the job.

The good news is, creating pleasing photos of interior rooms no longer requires a great deal of investment and experience. Nowadays, it only requires a few specific items, a few pointers, and a little practice.

In this article, you’ll learn how to get better results with the right equipment to take your real estate photography to the next level.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 1

Which camera to choose for Real Estate Photography

Smart Phones

While the main choices for real estate photography are between DSLR or mirrorless cameras, you may hear an argument in favor of modern smartphones too.

While smartphone cameras are useful for some scenarios, they are not well suited to real estate photography.

Some of the main downfalls of smartphones include:

  • Smartphone Apps process the image for you, resulting in a processed JPG image that you have little or no control over. The ‘lossy’ nature of JPG discards much of the original information, limiting what you can do in post-processing.
  • The sensors are tiny, with the pixels packed in tight, reducing the dynamic range and causing more noise.
  • Lenses are tiny and generally made of plastic. They lack the precision of milled glass lenses, and are easily scuffed or scratched. Lens quality plays a big part in achieving good quality images, so it’s unrealistic to expect the same performance that you’d get from a camera lens.

Smartphones perform well under ideal lighting conditions; however, interior real estate photography presents some of the most challenging light you’ll find in photography.

Use your smartphone as a tool to find great compositional angles, but not as your main photographic equipment.

See other ways a smartphone can be used here.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 2

DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras

Whether your preference is a DSLR or mirrorless camera, your primary choice is format: Full Frame, Crop-sensor or Micro 4/3.

Each format changes the field of view (FOV) of a given lens. You can think of the FOV as the ‘zoom’ of the lens.

Full-frame equates to the standard 35mm film view of analog cameras and is the standard measurement still used today.

Crop-sensor cameras have smaller sensors, creating a ‘zoom’ effect of 1.5X or 1.6X. Micro four-thirds (M4/3) cameras increase the ‘zoom’ by 2X.

In practical terms, a 50mm lens on a full frame camera produces almost the same field of view as a 35mm lens on a crop-sensor camera. That same field of view results from a 25mm lens on a Micro 3/4 camera.

It’s vital to understand that different sensor sizes impact the focal length of a lens.

When reading advice on which lens to use, always remind yourself it’s the ‘equivalent’ focal length, then do the calculations as described above for your own camera’s sensor size.

The good news is that if you already own a recent model DSLR or mirrorless camera, you likely don’t need a new one.

It’s true that “recent” is a bit vague here, but in my experience, mirrorless cameras up to five years old, and DSLRs made during the last ten years should be more than capable.

Lens choices

Many photographers say prime lenses (non-zooms) produce a better quality image than zoom lenses. A good zoom lens, however, may be more convenient for real estate photography.

A decent quality zoom that starts from a wide angle (say between 12mm to 24mm) provides more compositional flexibility than a fixed lens.

Small rooms inside houses may be a little cramped, restricting the space available to set up a tripod and camera. Using a wide-angle lens of around 12-24mm may be necessary to give the required field of view to capture a small room.

In larger rooms, and when photographing outside, 35mm may give a better view of the property. There’s no definitive ‘right’ answer to field-of-view as it all depends on the surroundings and how much space you need.

If you find yourself with distorted lines and dark areas around the edge of your image shot with a wide-angle lens, these may be fixed in post-production.

Cheaper lenses, especially zooms, have more optical weaknesses, so if you’re going to invest in new gear, you might get more benefit from upgrading your lens instead of your camera body.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 3

One indication of lens quality is a low aperture number such as f/2.8. A lower number aperture opens the lens wider than lenses with high numbers like f/5.6.

While this allows more light to enter the sensor, the focus plane becomes narrower, causing some of the room to be out of focus, which is not ideal for real estate photography. Use an aperture of f/8 or f/11 to allow more of your room to be in focus.

Chromatic aberration (CA) is caused by light dispersion as it travels through the lens. In plain English, it’s that pink/green color fringe you sometimes see around the edges of objects, most noticeably in areas of high contrast like window frames. Cheaper lenses have more problems with CA.

Using a better quality lens shows less CA, but the laws of optics means fringing can still happen occasionally. Most photo software includes functions to reduce or remove this, although it’s great to avoid it as much as possible in the first place.

Camera features to look for

Camera features to look for buried in just about every modern camera menu are the five features and functions that can seriously help for real estate photography images.

The first four of these features help you overcome the problems posed when photographing scenes with a high dynamic range (HDR). In these situations, all cameras struggle because they can’t match our eye’s adaptive responses.

The fifth, the digital level, helps with the challenge of perspective. Inside and out, houses have vertical and horizontal lines. If they’re just a little off-center, the whole photo looks lopsided and uncomfortable to the viewer.

1. AEB (Automatic Exposure Bracketing)

Automatic Exposure Bracketing is a specific setting that instructs the camera to take multiple shots of the scene while changing the shutter speed of each shot – all with one press of the shutter release button.

You can change the shutter speed for each shot manually, but it is faster (and potentially more precise) to let the camera’s onboard technology do it under your guiding hand.

2. EV Range (Exposure Value Range)

The reason to take this automatic series of shots is to capture all details, from bright windows to darker interior areas, although some cameras have more limited AEB capabilities than others.

Here are the two camera features to consider:

  • The number of bracketed shots: This is the number of exposures the camera takes when you press the shutter release in AEB mode.
  • Exposure Compensation: This is the spacing of exposure compensation between each bracketed exposure taken in AEB mode. These two factors combine to determine the total exposure range possible.

You need to look at both features to determine whether the camera’s EV range capability is sufficient for your needs. For real estate photography, look for AEB settings that let you choose five shots in 2-steps or nine shots in 1-step.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 4

3. Continuous shooting

It is important that your camera can shoot continuously to minimize the number of times you release the shutter manually. Doing so avoids accidental camera movement or shake.

4. Luminosity histogram

The histogram offers clear information to ensure we cover the full dynamic range. While it may seem confusing at first, it’s straightforward once you know what it’s showing us.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 5

Having an EVF (electronic viewfinder) somewhat reduces the need for a histogram but not entirely. Even with an EVF, it’s hard to determine highlight or shadow clipping by eye. Capture all the bright and dark areas correctly by using histograms.

5. Digital level

If your camera has a digital level, it’s quite handy. Not all camera models do, so you may need to look in the manual to find it. Once activated, a horizontal line runs across the scene in your viewfinder.

You can instantly see if the camera is at an angle and if so, make the needed adjustments to avoid a sloping room.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 6

While you’re checking the horizontal lines, don’t forget the verticals. Tilting the camera up or down causes vertical lines, like walls, to look slanted.

Pro tips on using the digital level

  • Take time to inspect the scene in live view, making manual corrections if necessary even if they contradict the digital level.
  • Use a tripod so you can step away from the camera while seeing the live view screen and the room.
  • Double-check your composition for framing, height, and perspective.
  • Shoot from below eye level. An excellent place to start is between your chest and hip height, but there may be times to raise the camera. You might, for instance, want to show a particular view or other details you wish to highlight.

Flash and Lighting Equipment

Speedlights

The built-in flash on your camera is unlikely to be strong enough to balance interior and exterior light levels because of the high dynamic range present in most real estate interiors.

The built-in flash may create unwanted, deep shadows in the room. You’ll get a better effect by mounting a Speedlight flash on the hot shoe, then bouncing the light off the walls or ceilings.

With some practice, it becomes easier to find the right bounce position for each room.

Another technique for using Speedlights is taking them off camera via a wireless connection. This way, you can position the lights just where you need them.

Studio lights

Finally, there are studio lights.

While these are effective and give results that look professional, pro lighting equipment is expensive. The lights are also bulky and heavy and often need a power supply. Moreover, using them correctly requires considerable practice and skill.

The exposure bracketing technique, where you use the camera’s AEB features listed in the previous section, offers a less demanding way of achieving light balance for an interior scene.

Taking bracketed exposures becomes a natural part of your photography workflow, and you don’t have to worry about carrying heavy lighting equipment, or learning how to use it.

The bracketed exposures are then merged to HDR in post-processing to get a correctly exposed image. While Photoshop and Lightroom offer HDR merge, many real estate photographers prefer using Photomatix Pro.

This specialized HDR software offers natural-looking presets optimized for property interiors.

A tripod

If you get good, sharp results from handheld shots, using a tripod may seem unnecessary. However, no one can hold a camera steady for the slower shutter speeds used for interior real estate photography.

The minimum shutter speed for handheld shots is normally1/60 second as a rule-of-thumb, while interior scenes require much longer exposures.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 7

What to look for in a tripod:

  • Ball heads – These let you quickly change angles and orientations without having to fiddle too much with either camera or tripod.
  • Rubber feet – When you’re working on slippery, polished floors there’s less chance of the tripod sliding out of position. Rubber feet also protect fragile surfaces.
  • Lightweight and sturdy – Look for solid construction with tight joints and rigid legs. Top-of-the-range tripods (such as carbon-fiber models) carry a higher price tag, but less expensive aluminum versions do the job equally well with a little care. Any tripod is better than no tripod at all.

A good tripod gives you more compositional freedom, as you can position them just about anywhere. Attempting to keep the camera perfectly still without a tripod limits you to existing stable surfaces.

A remote shutter release

A remote shutter release untethers you from the camera, providing freedom of movement.

 

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 8

While the most obvious function of the remote release is preventing camera shake when you press the shutter button, there are other, less apparent advantages too:

  • The tripod stays steady, even on a soft surface.
  • You can step aside to avoid casting shadows, or to remove your reflection from windows or shiny surfaces.
  • Your hands are free to hold distractions out of the frame, such as cables or plant fronds.
  • You can move around to assess composition from different angles or spot potential distractions.
  • You may need to monitor the road so you can shoot during a gap in traffic.

As an alternative to a remote shutter release, you can use a cable release or the camera’s automatic timer.

Some other helpful equipment

Beyond the main equipment needed for real estate photography, there are a few other items to make your job easier and more efficient:

A traditional bubble level – While the digital level is handy, some people may prefer external units that slot into the hot shoe or some tripods that have bubble levels built-in.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 9

Gaffer tape – Use it for quick cleanups such as removing pet hair or holding back a curtain or cable. Use tape to mark the position of your tripod once you find a good composition.

Avoid using duct tape as the adhesive is too strong and it doesn’t peel off cleanly. Gaffer tape leaves no residue on most surfaces.

Cleaning cloths – You need a cloth for your lens, but also one to remove dust specks from surfaces or to polish water marks off bathroom fittings.

A lens hood – Use a short hood on your wide-angle lens to cut down the flare from windows or other bright lights.

Choosing the right Equipment for Real Estate Photography - Image 10

Conclusion

Despite its challenges, anyone can learn to take great real estate photography photos by starting with the right equipment. Using the right equipment also sets you up for success, and with just a little bit of practice, you can discover what works best for you.

If you have any questions to ask me about equipment for real estate photography, please ask me in a comment below.

HDRsoft is a paid partner of dPS.

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Google promises software fix for Pixel 3 image saving issues

25 Oct

It’s not unusual to see one or two software bugs on a newly released smartphone, but it looks like some Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL units are infected with a particularly nasty camera-related problem. Many early adopters have reported a bug that occasionally prevents photos from saving after capture in the camera app.

The technical details behind the problem are not quite clear, but looking at discussions on Reddit appears older Pixel phones, and even Nexus devices, have had similar issues in the past.

The good news is that Google is now reacting and addressing the issue. A spokesperson talked to Android Police and provided the following statement:

“We will be rolling out a software update in the coming weeks to address the rare case of a photo not properly saving.”

The company has also confirmed that the bug will not only be fixed on the latest Pixel 3 devices but also on older Google Pixel 1 and 2 generation phones that are affected.

Even if it only happens rarely, a lost photo in an important moment is every photographer’s nightmare. So it’s good to see Google’s is taking steps to fix the issue across all affected models.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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‘White Stripes’ Jack White opens film lab in Nashville

25 Oct

Jack White, the lead singer of the band The White Stripes, has opened a lab in his Nashville recording studio to process and print film. The building that houses Third Man Records, White’s record label, now has the facilities to process black and white, color negative and transparency film, as well as hand-printing services.

According to the price list, Third Man Photo handles 35mm, 120 and 220 roll film as well as 110 cassettes. Photographic prints are also available in sizes up to 20x24in. The lab also makes negatives from digital files, scans film, and offers cross-processing.

Customers can drop off film in person or mail it to the lab. Workshops can be booked for customers who are feeling a little more adventurous and fancy processing their own film.

For more information see the Third Man Photo website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Ricoh WG-60 rugged camera adds FlashAir card compatibility

25 Oct

The Ricoh WG-60 is a waterproof camera with solid rugged credentials. It’s waterproof to 14m (45ft), shockproof from 1.8m (11ft) and freezeproof to -10°C (14°F). It has a 16MP BSI-CMOS sensor, 28-140mm equivalent lens, 2.7″ LCD and a built-in LED ring light.

The WG-60 is the replacement to the WG-50 and, from what we can tell, is nearly identical. The only difference appears to be support for FlashAir Wi-Fi SD cards, which is the camera’s only way to connect to mobile devices. If we discover other differences between the WG-60 and its predecessor, we’ll update this article.

The WG-60 will be available next month for £250 and will come in red or black. The camera will not be sold in the U.S.

Press Release:

Digital compact camera for underwater photography down to 14 metres, with waterproof, shockproof performance; available in two colours

London, 24 October 2018 ?RICOH IMAGING EUROPE S.A.S. is pleased to announce the launch of the RICOH WG-60 digital camera. This new model features a compact, lightweight body design, with exceptional waterproof and shockproof performance.

The superb waterproof design of the WG-60 means the user can easily take pictures outdoors with confidence. Despite a compact lightweight body, the outstanding specifications of the WG-60 means that it outperforms ordinary digital cameras and smartphones in demanding outdoor conditions. It is waterproof to a depth of 14 metres, shockproof against a fall from a height of 1.6 metres and freeze-proof down to temperatures as low as -10°C. It also comes equipped with an outdoor-friendly LCD monitor so you can instantly adjust its brightness to the lighting level in a particular shooting situation.

Main Features

1. Heavy-duty construction for underwater shooting down to 14 metres, for up to two hours.
Featuring a solid, airtight body waterproof down to a depth of 14 metres for up to two hours of continuous operation (equivalent to IPX 8 or JIS Class 8). Shockproof against falls from a height of 1.6 metres,* dustproof (equivalent to IPX 6 or JIS Class 6), freeze-proof to temperatures as low as -10°C, and crush-proof against weights up to 100kgf (kilogram force). ** Its heavy-duty construction ensures that the WG-60 performs superbly and dependably even in harsh, demanding outdoor conditions.
* Measured under RICOH IMAGING-original testing standards — from a height of 1.6 metres, onto a surface of 5cm-thick plywood — conforming to Method 516.5-Shock of the MIL-Standard 810F.
** Measured under RICOH IMAGING-original testing standards.

2. Exceptional image quality
The WG-60 comes equipped with a back-illuminated CMOS image sensor, which delivers excellent high-sensitivity and low-noise characteristics and high-speed read-out of image data signals. Coupled with a high-performance imaging engine, this image sensor delivers a top sensitivity of ISO 6400 and super-high-resolution images with approximately 16.0 effective megapixels. This model also provides advanced image processing functions, made possible by the latest super-resolution technology for sharp, clear, high-resolution images. It also offers such innovative features as Handheld Night Snap mode, which automatically captures several images of the same nighttime scene to produce a single, blur-free composite image.

3. 5X optical zoom lens with a 28mm wide-angle coverage
The WG-60 features a high-performance, five-times optical zoom lens with a focal-length coverage from 5mm to 25mm (equivalent to approx. 28mm to 140mm in the 35mm format) to accommodate a wide range of scenes and subjects, including landscapes. It also provides other convenient shooting functions, such as macro mode to capture dramatic close-up images from a minimum focusing distance of a mere one centimetre. An Intelligent Zoom function extends the zoom range to approximately 36 times (equivalent to 1008mm in the 35mm format) without compromising image quality, for superior telephoto photography and an interval-shooting mode, which comes in handy for fixed-point observation.

4. Six Macro Lights to assist close-up shooting, and a Self-Portrait Assist mode
By selecting the Digital Microscope mode, six LED Macro Lights ideally positioned around the circumference of the lens barrel for macro shooting, allow the WG-60 to provide bright, uniform illumination on a subject. ***The Macro Lights enable the user to clearly see a magnified view of the microscopic world undetectable by the naked eye on the camera’s LCD monitor, and effortlessly capture eye-catching close-up images. In order to minimize camera and subject shake, the Instant Illumination Enhance function allows the use of a higher shutter speed by automatically raising the discharge level of the Macro Lights at the moment of shutter release. The Macro Lights also provide other useful functions, such as a Self-Portrait Assist mode, which uses the blink of an LED lamp to check if the subject’s face is captured within the picture frame, and the LED Lighting mode, which uses the Macro Lights as a lighting device in the dark.
*** When this mode is selected, the image size is fixed at 2.0 megapixels (at 16:9 proportions).

5. Underwater shooting mode
Specifically designed for underwater photography, the Underwater and Underwater Movie shooting modes optimize colour and contrast, based on the data of images actually captured under the water. These modes deliver sharp, true-to-life images by enhancing shades of red, which are lost in underwater photography, while effectively compensating for the loss of contrast caused by the diffusion of light in water. During Underwater mode, the Flash Off + Flash On option, allows the user to capture two images consecutively — with a single shutter release — one without flash and another with flash.

6. Full HD movie recording for extended shooting of high-quality movies
The WG-60 provides Full HD movie recording employing the H.264 recording format. Users can capture high quality extended movie clips (1920 x 1080 pixels, 16:9 proportions) at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. To add some creative touches to movie recording, it also features a high-speed camera function**** for slow motion playback of captured movie clips and an interval movie function. A micro-HDMI terminal (Type D) is also on the camera body for simultaneous output of Full HD movie clips and sound to external audio-visual devices.
**** When this function is selected, the recorded size is fixed at 1280 x 720 pixels.

7. Triple anti-shake protection to prevent blurred images in all applications
(1) Pixel Track SR mechanism
When recording still images, this advanced shake-reduction mechanism effectively compensates for camera shake by digitally processing affected images.

(2) Digital SR mode
When the camera detects low-lighting conditions in still-image shooting, this mode automatically raises the sensitivity up to as high as ISO 6400, making it possible to use a higher shutter speed and effectively minimize the adverse effects of camera shake and subject shake when dealing with poor lighting conditions.

(3) Movie SR mode
During movie recording, this mode effectively compensates for the misalignment of images caused by camera shake with exclusive software to produce beautiful, blur-free movie clips.
8. 2.7-inch LCD monitor with the Outdoor View Setting mode
The WG-60 comes equipped 2.7-inch LCD monitor with horizontally extended 16:9 proportions and approximately 230,000 dots. The monitor’s AR (Anti-Reflection) coating minimizes annoying glare and reflections for a sharp, clear on-screen image even in bright sunshine during outdoor shooting. It also comes equipped with such convenient features such as the Outdoor View Setting mode, which easily sets the optimum monitor brightness level for a given lighting situation.

9. Other features
· A range of WG-series mount accessories (optional) to accommodate a range of shooting situations
· Compatibility with FlashAirTM wireless LAN SD memory cards
· Two remote control receptors (one in front and another in the back) to widen signal coverage
· Macro stand (included) to maintain a minimum focusing distance of one centimetre to the subject during extended observation and shooting of macro images
· High-speed Face Detection function to capture as many as 32 faces in focus in approximately 0.03 seconds (minimum); Smile Capture function to automatically release the shutter when the subject’s smile is detected
· Outdoor-friendly Style Watch function to display the time on the LCD monitor, using an extended push of the OK button when the camera’s power is turned off
· Delay-free, push button start of the playback mode, using an extended push of the playback button
· Auto Picture mode to automatically select the most appropriate shooting mode from 16 different scene modes
· A choice of 12 digital filters

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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