Blog

Nikon Z7 gallery updated with full-production samples

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_4819511289″,”galleryId”:”4819511289″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Our updated gallery features a mix of full-production Nikon Z7 samples as well as pre-production shots from our initial launch coverage. Dive on in for a mix of out of camera JPEGs as well as Raw conversions. We’ll be updating this gallery frequently as our Nikon Z7 review comes together – so check back soon.

See our Nikon Z7 gallery update

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

September 18, 2018
Think Tank Photo launches dual-access, water-resistant Lens Case Duo lineup

Think Tank photo has launched a new line of protective lens cases it calls Lens Case Duo. The six cases in the lineup feature a soft, padded liner and two zippered access points: one from the top of the case and one from the side.

Each of these cases can be used on their own or together as a modular system. The two methods of accessing the lens inside make it easy to pair with either a belt system or stuffed inside a backpack — whatever your setup requires. The larger cases, designed for massive primes and telephoto lenses, include a shoulder strap in the event you prefer to carry it as a sling of sorts.

Currently, the Lens Case Duo comes in six different sizes: 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40. The smallest of the cases (5) is meant to hold a small prime or kit lens. On the other end of the spectrum, the biggest case (40) can hold telephoto zoom lenses, such as Canon and Nikon 70-200mm F2.8. You can find a full list of suggested carrying capacities on Think Tank Photo’s announcment page. Each of the bags come in black and green colorways, feature a water-repellent coating, and have two small neoprene pouches on the front.

These bags bear a striking resemblance to Think Tank Photo’s waist belt lens pouch line-up, so it’s nothing new, really. The only notable difference we see is the ability to access the pouch from the side in addition to the top. Also, these don’t feature a built-in rain pouch like Think Tank Photo’s belt system pouches do.

The Lens Case Duo 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 are available for $ 21, $ 22, $ 27, $ 29 and $ 33, respectively.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

September 18, 2018
Chroma Chrono is a programmable RGB camera flash for colorful long exposures

A new Kickstarter campaign seeks funding for Chroma Chrono, a programmable RGB camera flash that emits multiple colors during long exposures. Users can program the flash using a web interface accessible on any device with a web browser and WiFi; the system enables users to choose the flash colors and the on/off duration for each color.

Sample image via Chroma Chrono

Chroma Chrono features a high-intensity RGB LED, a WiFi-enabled microcontroller, and three AA batteries. Users can connect the flash to a standard hot shoe or trigger it remotely via a Prontor-Compur adapter. The camera flash currently exists as a final production prototype with anticipated manufacturing if the Kickstarter is successful.

Backers are offered an early bird Chroma Chrono flash for pledges of at least £120 / $ 164.

Via: Kickstarter

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

September 18, 2018
3 Quotes for the Creative Photographer

Most of us photographers struggle with our creativity. As time goes on you’ll likely experience fewer moments of passionate inspiration and longer periods of hard work and creative dryness.

It was during a period of creative dryness in my photography business that I discovered a whole breed of photographers who had been able to express their creativity in surprising ways.

They brought every part of their life to their photography, found beauty in unlooked-for places, and got in over their heads. Their ideas were just what I needed to breathe new life into my own photography.

Let me share with you three quotes that will help you understand yourself as a creative photographer.

It’s liberating as a creative photographer to forget about making money or comparing yourself to other photographers and just go play with your camera. For me, it’s climbing sand dunes or wading through water at sunset. It brings me to life.

1. You Bring Your Whole Self

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” – Ansel Adams

When you first became a photographer you likely focused on finding the perfect camera and lenses. For a while, it was all about chasing gear. But in the end, the gear doesn’t satisfy. Unless it helps you expand your creative horizons it becomes a worthless dust collector sitting on a shelf somewhere.

These are my favorite cameras to use. The Fuji x100s is perfect for everyday life. I’m nostalgic about the photo quality of the iPhone 4s. It was the first phone camera I ever used. The Fuji XT1 along with a portrait lens and silent shutter mode is perfect for portraits.

You probably tried your hand at copying what you saw on Pinterest or other photo sharing groups. I bet that once you were successful you got bored and moved on quickly.

Gear and gimmicks don’t satisfy you. In fact, you’re more likely inspired by the books you read, even though they are non-visual because they fire up your imagination.

Two winters before this photo was taken, my imagination had been fired up after reading “The Wind in the Willows.” But I had no idea how to capture that in photos. That is until one spring when the bay that we live on overflowed its banks and took over our yard! I bought a dingy for my son, put on my chest waders and spent the evening in and on the water. Ratty would be proud of us.

The creative photographer brings to their work their whole life, their whole selves. That usually includes a whole host of other creative endeavors like music, painting, writing, or acting, even if you pursued them at different moments in life.

Though I loved photography as a kid, I was a musician before I became a photographer. Knowing what it’s like to perform and connect with the audience, I always look for those engaging moments when I photograph bands. Is there anything more engaging than Alice Cooper in a straight-jacket staring down the barrel of your lens?

An Alice Cooper performance goes beyond the music and incorporates drama as well. The story that is played out for the audience is part fiction and part biographical. Alice brings everything to the stage, including his past battles with alcohol, showing the audience and fellow musicians what can be accomplished in life and art.

2. Making Beauty Out of Chaos

“I don’t just look at the thing itself or at the reality itself; I look around the edges for those little askew moments – kind of like what makes up our lives – those slightly awkward, lovely moments.” – Keith Carter

As a creative photographer, you’re often going to feel like you don’t fit in. You’ll likely find it hard to commit to one type of photography for the rest of your life (or as a business).

Here’s one idea that might characterize everything you photograph; beauty out of chaos.

Creative photographers are often at the fringes, on the edge of chaos and order, in unpredictable situations, trying to make something beautiful in difficult situations.

Many of us deeply resonate with Carter’s words as we “look around the edges for those little askew moments.” While it’s natural to photograph the happy, predictable moments of life, I’m most at home looking around the edges. When a little guy “acts up” he’s taken out of the game to the edges for a time-out. But aren’t these the defining moments of life? I was drawn by the boy’s face and his inability to look his father in the eye.

The situation was irresistible to me as a photographer. It was a “theological” moment and I was fascinated by the boy’s unwillingness to look his father in the eye. He expressed himself through his hands and fingers instead.

I love that even the dirt on his arm speaks to his guilt. You can’t plan these moments, you just appreciate them as they come.

You’re likely drawn to “the real,” not being satisfied with mere poses but what happens between the poses, at the edges of a photo session – those “slightly awkward, lovely moments.”

No parent in their right mind would allow their kids to play in the curtains. Those curtains will end up a complete mess. But, even for just a moment, I saw beauty in that mess.

Sometimes those moments in the window are more serene. I couldn’t help but notice afterward that the curtain ties were “slightly askew.”

3. You’ve Got to Get in Over Your Head

“I realize more and more what it takes to be a really good photographer. You go in over your head, not just up to your neck.” – Dorothea Lange

With the pursuit of the perfect camera behind you (happy to use whatever camera you’ve got on hand), and Pinterest a distant memory, you bring everything you’ve got to your photography. But even when you find yourself up to your neck, you’re still holding back.

There’s nothing to force your creativity quite like walking into a situation that puts you in way over your head. You’ll be forced to figure out what to do at the moment.

I still remember the first time I took the stage as a musician. It was a high school talent show on a makeshift stage in the cafeteria. All I could think was, “How did I get myself into this?” I knew I wasn’t qualified in any way to be on that stage (even though it was just a bunch of tables pushed together). But the moment took over and I knew I was made for the music.
To this day, I look for raw emotion when photographing musicians.

I daresay that, for most of us, going in over our heads means overcoming ourselves. Overcoming our social anxiety, fear, and laziness. While a little social anxiety, introversion, or laziness can kill your creativity – it can also fuel it.

Successful creative photographers talk about how they challenged themselves through their fears and assumptions and constantly embraced constraints that forced them to grow as people and as photographers.

What do you look like as a creative photographer?

I love hearing from you. Which ideas do you resonate with and what do you look like as a creative photographer? Let’s chat in the comments below.

The post 3 Quotes for the Creative Photographer appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 18, 2018
5 Ways to Photograph Birds

Birds are beautiful animals to look at and are graceful in flight. However, it can be challenging to photograph birds due to their fast-moving nature.

Here are 5 methods to help you capture better bird photos.

1) Go Wild

Have you ever wondered where to find birds and which are the best places to photograph them? My first tip is to seek out locations where you can photograph birds in the wild.

The great thing about birds is that you may come across them anywhere you go when on holiday or at home. Birds live everywhere in the wild, wherever there are nature and a place they can build a nest.

Next time you are out walking in your local neighborhood, park or woods look up and listen out for birds in the local environment. Capturing birds in the wild offers you the opportunity to photograph them in their own natural habitat and therefore you can photograph them in their surroundings such as on a branch, in a nest, or in a bush.

It is not easy to photograph birds of prey in the wild.

If you are really keen to capture great images of birds you may want to consider investing in a commercial hide to give you a better opportunity to capture rarer species that are likely to visit. Hides can provide camouflage and cover for you and will assist in preventing birds from getting scared and flying away which they may do when they become aware of your presence.

2) Get Close

Zoos and bird of prey centers allow you to get really close to birds in their enclosures. They are brilliant places to practice your bird photography skills. Enclosures provide fairly limited space meaning the birds are more visible and cannot fly as far as if they are out in nature.

At centers, the advantage is that birds are trained to fly near to visitors. This gives you the chance to capture images of birds of prey in flight and their natural behavior.

Most birds have amazing details such as their eyes, beaks and colorful feathers which are great subjects on which you can focus your camera.

3) In your garden

It can be easy to ignore a photographic possibility right on your doorstep, but rewarding bird photography can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home. Where woodland birds can be trickier to approach, birds visiting gardens can be enticed by providing food in your garden.

Leaving food out in your garden is a great way to attract birds living in nearby trees and bushes. Birds often have families to feed and will return regularly to your garden if they know it is a reliable food source. If you are lucky, you may witness birds feeding their fledgling young from the ground.

You can lay food on the ground or place it on an elevated bird table or feeder to capture more eye-catching pictures from higher up. A wide food choice will attract a greater diversity of birds. Blackbirds and song thrushes like sultanas while others like peanuts, seeds, or fat.

Mornings are good for bird activity, while late autumn to early spring is the best season when there is a great opportunity to photograph rarer species.

4) Birds in Flight

The next recommendation for photographing birds is to capture them in flight. Birds are creatures of habit and will generally take the same flight paths to and from their nests. If you can, try and photograph them when they are moving whether at take-off, during landing, or mid-flight.

If you want to capture a good shot of a flying bird, you will need a fast shutter speed and will need to focus accurately.

In terms of equipment, you will generally need a lens with a longer reach to capture birds in flight.

5) Flocks

Birds tend to migrate in winter months and this allows the chance to photograph them all together. Groups of birds flying overhead can make interesting photos rather than when photographed individually as they form different shapes and patterns.

Sometimes, birds such as starlings flock together to protect themselves from predators. By joining together they make it difficult for falcons and sparrowhawks to target one bird and make great formations worth photographing. Flocks of birds can be photographed as a group either in motion or static.

Conclusion

Next time you go out with your camera to photograph birds, put these tips to the test and share what you capture. Add your photos and tips in the comments below.

The post 5 Ways to Photograph Birds appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 18, 2018
Why Your Camera Gear Doesn’t Matter
Many discussions in online photography groups and discussions revolve around “What’s the best camera brand?” or “What is the best lens for x?” or “Thinking about upgrading, should I pick between camera x or camera y?” and so on.

It seems that a lot of people think that there is a Holy Grail of camera gear that will solve all their problems if only they can achieve it. However they fail to understand that it isn’t the gear that matters, it’s what you do with it that counts.

So many people praise Ansel Adams or Cartier-Bresson as peers of the craft, yet those photographers were dealing with old film cameras. The camera in your cell phone is more powerful and advanced in technology by light years in comparison.

If all the photographers in history were capable of making lasting impactful images with old film camera hardware and development techniques – if you have a modern camera (of whatever brand you choose) or even just your cell phone – what is your excuse?

It isn’t about the gear. It has never been about the gear and as soon as you realize that, you will be free to create and shoot in a new and exciting way.

Let’s Count the Ways That Gear Doesn’t Matter
1. The camera doesn’t decide what brand or model you buy, or what lens you opt for. You do your own research (presumably), make your choices, place the order and pay the money. Or perhaps you were gifted with some gear or loaned it. Maybe you just have a phone with a camera. It doesn’t matter, they are all cameras with essentially the same capability to capture images.
2. Your camera doesn’t haul itself out of bed early in the morning to get to the desired destination for a sunrise shot. It doesn’t drive for hours to get to a pretty lake, nor does it pack itself into a backpack and hike its way into the mountains to get the perfect shot – would be nice if it did though!
This image was taken on a recent camera club trip in the mountains – roughly 4 hours drive from home. Lying full length on a snow bank to brace to get this shot, I chose to do it backlit for the desired creative outcome.
1. The camera doesn’t decide what the composition will be, it doesn’t walk this way and that way, crouch down low, or climb up looking for a better vantage point.
2. The camera doesn’t go without its daily latte for a year, while it saves up to go on holiday to an exotic destination so it can take lovely new photos while its there.
3. Your camera doesn’t sit for hours on the side of a river, lake, or estuary waiting for the birds to come close enough to shoot.
4. The lens doesn’t decide, “Hey I want to be the lens on your camera today, shoot with me all day”.
1. Unless you are a complete beginner and shooting with everything on Auto, the camera doesn’t decide what settings it’s going to use. Nor does it decide when to click the shutter, when is exactly the right time to take the shot.
2. The camera doesn’t say, “I don’t want to shoot macro today, instead let’s do architecture instead, I’m bored with flowers”.
3. The camera doesn’t go, “I know it’s going to be cold and frosty tomorrow in the snow but it will be super pretty so let’s get up early to take photos before everyone walks all over it”.
A behind the scenes shot of what it takes to stage a food photography shot – I haven’t even got the camera out yet.

There are so many decisions that you, the photographer make, that are essential to the image being created. But you could get the same shot with a Canon, or Nikon/Pentax/Sony or whatever brand you have.

For many of the shots that are taken, a recent cellphone has a pretty good camera in it and will do a good job too.

Specifically mounted and lit against a black background, this was deliberately shot with selective focus and edited for a dark moody rich color tone.

What the Photographer Does Matters
- You are the one saving up to go on the exciting holiday, deciding where to go, what time of year, what places to visit, what things you might want to see and photograph.
- It’s you that decides how your image is going to be composed – portrait/landscape, close in or far away, what the subject is, what aperture or shutter speed to use for the desired creative outcome.
- You choose your subject, you decide how the image is going to look, where you will shoot from, what height/angle, and what settings you will use.
- You make the creative choices such as is it going to be macro, or shot with a very wide open aperture for a blurred background. Perhaps a long telephoto lens to separate the subject from the background. Maybe an ultrawide or fisheye lens for a different look, or even an old vintage lens with swirly bokeh. You choose the gear and decide how you are going to use it at any given point in time.
- It’s you that makes the sacrifice to get out of bed early in the morning for the sunrise shots.
- You load up the gear, put on walking shoes, load up a drink bottle and head off into the unknown for an adventure and you earn your blisters and sore feet.
- If you are a food photographer, you might spend hours baking in the kitchen to create tasty treats which you then spend ages styling and propping before you eventually shoot.
- If you are a portrait photographer you might dabble in hair or makeup, and you absolutely need to have control of the light, shaping and modifying it to suit the desired outcome.
- Maternity photographers probably have to do some hair/makeup/clothing as well as set design and lighting for newborn shots.
- If you are a wedding photographer you probably have a bag full of tricks and emergency supplies to cope with any last minute drama or wardrobe failure, plus you have to wrangle all of the people on what is often a stressful day.
Minus 6C Hoar Frost – yeah it was pretty cold getting out of bed that morning but it was totally worth it.

There are so many creative choices that you can make – high key or low key, black and white or color, cool or warm tones, tight abstract or bigger picture, low to the ground or eye level, morning/daytime/evening light – but none of these references your gear at all. These are all things you may even decide before you even pick up the camera.

So much of what we do is visualizing the image in our heads, and putting in place the required circumstances or situations to make that image happen. You may have to save for a couple of years to afford the trip to Patagonia or Alaska. Perhaps you might chase storms for months before you get the absolute best cloud formation or lightning shot you were after.

You might get up night after night to capture an aurora or every morning for a month to get the stunning sunrise. Maybe you have to wait until the next breeding season to get the shot of the bird that only flies in once a year. Plus you have to stake out a nest, build a hide and keep it secret.

Sometimes Gear Does Matter

Yes, there are absolutely situations when having a specific piece of gear totally matters. It is difficult to take macro shots of things if you don’t have a macro lens, or extension tubes or similar options.

Having a longer lens makes those birding shots a lot easier as well, not only are birds skittish, they can fly away from you. Plus you should be a responsible environmentally aware photographer and stay out of their habitat and not scare them deliberately.

I don’t shoot astrophotography but am aware that there are recommended lens choices to get the best outcome for your night shots.

Sports, action, and wildlife photographers usually want a camera with a high burst rate for the action shots, fast focus action, and reasonably good high ISO for low light situations and a really long lens.

Wedding photographers need high-performance camera/lens options that are adaptable to a range of situations and can work in low light.

If you want to do soft flowing waterfalls and waves, neutral density filters, a tripod, and a remote shutter are usually requirements.

So yes, there will always be situations where you do need specialty gear, but the same rules apply. You still need to make all the creative choices and decisions. Adding that extra hardware choice into the mix just becomes part of it.

To get this shot I needed a 70-200mm lens mounted on a tripod and then I experimented with fast shutter speeds to get capture the motion in the water and the splashes.

Conclusion

Being there matters. Having the right light matters. Your subject choice matters. How you choose to frame up the composition matters. Your creative choices matter. Post-processing matters.

What gear you use to take the shot – doesn’t matter.

Any general camera gear can do the job for the vast majority of images taken. Does the brand matter? No.

Is it a cell phone? If you can take images you are happy with on a cell phone, then keep doing it.

Are there situations where specific lenses or gear makes a difference? Absolutely, and yes you probably will need to have what’s required to make those images.

But not everyone wants to do macro. Lots of people have no need for a tilt-shift lens for those architecture shots. 600mm lens that weighs several kilos? No thanks!

Street art in Melbourne, Australia. Some of these laneways are so hidden away only a local knows where to find them.

But even when you do get the specialty gear, there are usually multiple choices of options to purchase. But again, the brand doesn’t matter.

Even if you do have the top-end camera with the fanciest tripod, the longest lens with all the bells and whistles…unless YOU take it out and use it, it isn’t going off and having photography adventures on its own.

As the saying goes, “The best camera is the one you have with you” so work with what you have, learn to use it to the best of your ability. Experiment, be creative, try different things, push your boundaries and have fun.

My camera does landscape, nature, birds, macro, food, still life, fine art self-portraits, flowers, cats, long exposures, black and whites, high key, low key, sports, abstract, events and probably many other things I have yet to point it at.

What does matter is that you are out there, with whatever gear you have, and are using it.

Happy shooting!

The post Why Your Camera Gear Doesn’t Matter appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
September 17, 2018
The Magic of Creativity Rarely Happens in Your Comfort Zone

You’re not likely to ever excel at anything unless you push past what you normally do and exit your comfort zone. That’s unless you’re the type of person who’s not comfortable unless they are constantly taking risks.

Becoming more creative with photography requires you to seek out new subjects. It means trying different techniques. It demands you tackle the difficult and uncomfortable at times.

Most creatives seek to improve on what they have already achieved. This can mean photographing what they normally photograph different and better. It could mean working in whole other genre of photography altogether. Both approaches are challenging and vulnerable to failures.

How can you step out beyond your comfort zone and experience real magic in creativity?

Watch Your Attitude

I believe the biggest struggle many people have in growing creatively is that they can be too hard on themselves. When they try something new they set themselves up to fail because of negative thought patterns. Sound familiar?

Taking a step outside your creative comfort zone with a positive attitude is the most important factor towards your success. Acknowledging to yourself that what you are doing is new and difficult and that your initial result will probably suck, is important. If you are broken hearted at your photos the first time you try a new aspect of photography, you will never grow. You will not find the magic.

You need to press on and make the most of what you find difficult to help you improve.

Commit to Learn

Studying the new technique or subject you’re challenging yourself with is a positive step towards creative magic. If you launch headlong into something new without knowing much about it you will most likely fail. I know this to be true from far too much personal experience.

Taking time to study a little more, step by step, you can become an expert. When I first worked in a photography studio with subjects, lights, props, and backgrounds I could manipulate it was all new to me. I had come from working as a newspaper photographer where I often had no control over these things. I didn’t know what to do.

Initially, I wasted a lot of Polaroids, (instant photos which were used to preview the setup, now we chimp our LCD screens).

Then, I found a gem of a book in the local library, (yes, this was when the internet was still a baby.) Light Science and Magic was a superb teacher. This book taught me so much of how to control the lighting. I am also a big fan of Irving Penn and love his still life arrangements. I have always learned a lot by studying the work of high achieving photographers.

Creating Photos for Someone Else

The main difference between amateur and professional photographers is not that pros take better photos and earn a living doing so. The most significant difference is that professional photographers must consistently produce photos that fit a brief and please someone else, not just themselves.

Photographing what you are passionate about is meaningful for enjoyment and creative growth. Photographing something you have no interest in is often a huge challenge.

When I first started work at the newspaper I learned very quickly that I was well out of my comfort zone. I was having to not only talk to strangers but to go back to my picture editor with publishable photos of those strangers. I was painfully shy and it was so difficult, but I wanted to keep my job, so I took on the challenge.

Later came other challenges like photographing sports events and other action photo situations I had no experience with. The opportunity to attend top international matches was a good incentive. I learned because I had to and I came to love it.

Role-Play Being a Pro

You don’t need to get a job working for a newspaper. These photography jobs are few and far between nowadays. You can role play effectively and imagine you are a pro.

Set yourself assignments and treat them as though you are working for a newspaper or magazine. Better still, have someone else task you assignments of their choosing. This way you will begin to photograph subjects and in situations, you may never have chosen.

You will discover that you love some of these assignments as you are being stretched beyond what you normally do. As you are outside your comfort zone you will have to think and behave differently.

Set deadlines. Approach this exercise realistically. If someone else has set your assignment, have them review your photographs with you and make a selection.

By role-playing like this, you may have the advantage of rephotographing the same subject if you can see room for improvement. This is a luxury I did not often have when working at the newspapers.

Photographing What is Familiar

I am not advocating only photographing new and different things with techniques you’ve never used. Making great photos of what you love can be equally challenging.

Taking pictures of what you love over a long period of time your photos may begin to lack flair. This is common. If you are truly passionate about what you are photographing you need to press yourself to remain creative.

We are often at the local markets in Chiang Mai taking photo workshops. I told myself after we’d been going there for about a year that I need to come away with at least one new portrait each time. Not of the same people who I knew and were easy to photograph, but of different people in different locations at the market.

I’d passed this guy many times and felt a little intimidated by his tough looking exterior. One winter’s morning he was standing in the sun outside his flower shop watching the world go by. The light was fabulous and he had on a cool beanie. I had to ask him. Turns out he was happy to pose for me. I took him a print of this photo next time we were there and now he often gives my wife or our customer’s flowers when we are passing.

Photographing People

I have become pretty comfortable photographing people, but still, find it challenging. Like with the tough looking flower seller, initial contact and relating to a stranger is not easy for most people. If you step out and ask often the results can be most rewarding.

Photographing people you know can pose other problems. My friends got engaged recently and asked my wife and me to do a photo session for them. My challenge was pressure I put on myself to excel. I wanted to bless them with photos that made the event special.

Working with my wife is always enjoyable. We work well together. I found I could capture different moments, especially when their attention was on her. My expectations and desire to do well for my friends was my biggest challenge. My fear of failing was my biggest hindrance.

Once I relaxed and enjoyed myself as much as they were I was able to take some photos that they told us later were their favorite image of themselves they’ve ever had. This is feedback every portrait photographer loves to hear.

Two New Personal Photography Challenges

My wife and I recently moved to a new home in the countryside. I have never been particularly interested in landscape photography, but now I need to be.

We are running a homestay and need to show off the wonderful environment so people will want to come and stay here. This means I must make the best landscape photos I can. It’s good to be working with a subject that I have not cared for much and to have a reason to be taking these types of photos.

My second challenge is to use my phone for more photography. I am comfortable with my camera, thank you. I have had little interest in using my phone except to take the occasional snapshot. Currently, I think I am using my phone more than I am using my camera.

I am using the panorama mode frequently.

I ride my bicycle in the surrounding region each morning. But I don’t like carrying a camera when I ride so I am using my phone to photograph the local landscape.

Part of my motivation to take up the challenge of photographing with my phone is that this is how most photos are being made in the world now. I need to know more about it so I can teach it. The best way for me to learn is to just do it.

The limitations I have with using my phone are a big challenge. I must innovate and be creative to capture the photos I want. Now I am also beginning to use my phone to photograph more than only landscapes. As the challenges continue I hope my creativity continues to grow.

Be encouraged, find something new that’s not easy for you. You will only reap the rewards if you step outside of your comfort zone and try. Tell me in the comments below how you are getting on with your challenge, I’d love to know.

The post The Magic of Creativity Rarely Happens in Your Comfort Zone appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 17, 2018
iPhone XS, XS Max and XR cameras: what you need to know

Introduction

On Wednesday Apple launched its new iPhone models for 2018, the XS, XS Max and XR. The two XS devices come with OLED HDR displays, that offer a 60% improvement in dynamic range compared to the iPhone X. On the iPhone XS the screen measures 5.8″, on the Max variant it is 6.5″. Both devices come with a dual-camera setup that combines a wide-angle main camera with a 2x tele module.

The iPhone XR is a more affordable model and has to make do with a 6.1″ LCD display and a single-camera setup. The iPhone XS and XS Max will be available first, shipping September 21st in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB configurations. The XS starts at $ 999; the XS Max starts at $ 1099. The iPhone XR will ship October 26th starting at $ 749 with 64GB, 128GB and 256GB configurations.

At first sight the new cameras aren’t much different from last year’s iPhone X but improvements have been made in terms of hardware, software and features. On the following pages we take a closer look.

Camera hardware

The iPhone XS and its larger sibling XS Max share the same dual-camera setup. On paper the specifications look pretty much identical to last year’s iPhone X but there is an important change: the 12MP sensor in the wide-angle camera now comes with larger pixels (1.4 µm, up from 1.22 µm) for improved low light capabilities and dynamic range.

The F1.8 aperture on the 6-element wide-angle remains unchanged and the 12MP tele-module with F2.4 aperture is the same as before as well. The tele comes with six elements as well and both lenses are optically stabilized.

The most affordable of the new devices, the iPhone XR, comes with the same wide-angle camera as the XS and XS Max but has to make do without a tele-lens.

New Neural Engine and ISP

The new iPhone’s A12 Bionic processor has been upgraded in several areas compared to its A11 Bionic predecessor. It comes with faster and more efficient processing cores and a more powerful GPU. More importantly, though, the 8-core Neural Engine is now more directly involved in image capture and processing and strongly linked with the image signal processor (ISP).

For example, the Neural Engine helps improve facial recognition and image segmentation. The latter helps distinguish the subject from the background and plays an important role in Apple’s bokeh mode portrait images.

The processor’s additional speed also allows for more image information to be captured and processed. This has enabled the Apple engineers to create the new Smart HDR feature, which they claim is faster and more accurate than the HDR mode of previous iPhone generations. The company says that the device is capable of performing one trillion operations on each image that is captured.

Bokeh-effect in Portrait mode

A background-blurring bokeh effect has been available in the iPhone’s Portrait Mode for some time now. In the new models the feature has been refined, however, and now offers adjustment of depth-of-field for stills in the native camera app.

At launch, this will only work in post-processing after the photo has been taken, but a software update this fall will enable a real-time preview at the point of capture. You can set the aperture on a virtual slider on your screen from F1.4 to F16 and see the results instantly, allowing for easy optimization of that portrait look.

Thanks to the updated Neural Engine, Portrait mode is now also better at distinguishing subject and background. Advanced depth segmentation allows for a more realistic bokeh effect with fewer artifacts.

In the iPhones XS and XS Max the camera can also make use of the secondary tele lens to for subject segmentation. The iPhone XR has to make do with a single-camera setup but is still capable of generating a convincing portrait look.

On the XR the camera uses the sensor’s focus pixels for parallax and then segmentation masking. Thanks to the device’s processing power, the depth effect is still visible in real time but currently only works with faces.

Smart HDR

Smart HDR is another new camera feature made possible by the new iPhones’ beefier processor and updated Neural Engine. Smart HDR is quite similar to Google’s approach to HDR on its Pixel devices and continuously captures a four-frame buffer while the camera app is open. This means when the shutter is pressed the image is captured instantly, with zero shutter lag.

In addition, Smart HDR captures several interframes at different exposures and a long exposure for added shadow detail and intelligently combines all frames of the same scene. The system picks and blends the best parts of each frame in order to create the final image. This helps reduce ghosting artifacts on moving subjects and create a well-balanced HDR look with good detail in both highlight and shadow areas.

Video

The new model also come with improvements in the video department. As before, the new models can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second and 1080p Full-HD at up to 240fps, allowing for smooth slow-motion footage with good detail.

When limiting the frame rate to 30 fps, the camera can extend dynamic range which will be specifically noticeable on the HDR10 enabled displays of the XS and XS Max. Thanks to the larger sensor in the main camera and increased processing power, low light performance has been improved as well, with lower noise levels and brighter exposures in very low light. In addition all cameras come with an all-new video stabilization system.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

September 16, 2018
Affinity Photo for iPad gets major update, 30% off discount
Affinity Photo for iPad has put out a new update that further improves the Photoshop competitor with new features, updated tools and bug fixes.

Serif, the company behind the Affinity suite, also noted there’s now more than a quarter of a million people worldwide using Affinity Photo for iPad, following on the heels of Apple’s App of the Year accolade it received at WWDC in May 2018.

Affinity Photo version 1.6.9 introduces a long list of changes including ‘massively’ expanded support for touch gesture control, a tweaked UI designed for more intuitive control and better brush management, a new Export persona for easy exporting of multiple layers and a slew of under-the-hood changes to boost performance.

Below is the full list of features and tools that have been updated in Affinity Photo for iPad:
- Added support for brush nozzle base texture mode.
- New Undo/Redo gesture with two and three finger tap.
- Added drag modifiers to studio icons for color, text, navigator and history.
- Added canvas rotation control via Navigator Studio.
- Added swipe gesture to swap primary and secondary colors on the Color Studio
- Context menu now uses a long-press release gesture to invoke.
- Added two-finger hold gesture to resize a layer from its centre.
- During shape creation, a two-finger hold gesture will transform the layer.
- On the Layers Studio, with a layer selected, a two-finger tap on another layer will select all layers in between.
- On the Layers Studio, pinch inwards (either vertically or horizontally) to group selected layers. To ungroup, do the opposite and pinch out.
- With the Move Tool active, a two-finger hold gesture on a layer plus a one finger drag duplicates the selected layer.
- Easy access to merge and rasterize commands via Layer Studio icons.
- New Export persona. A new workspace for exporting regions of your image as slices.
- Improved brush stroke lag and small stroke response.
- Brushes remember previously used stroke settings.
- Move any custom brush to any category.
- Added support for on-screen keyboard trackpad mode.
- Added Tab key to on-screen keyboard context bar.
- Updated Persona icons.
- Numerous other improvements and bug fixes.
To entice new users, Serif has announced a 30% off sale through 7AM ET on Tuesday, September 18th. Normally, Affinity Photo for iPad retails for $ 20, but with this discount, you can snag it for $ 14 in the iOS App Store.

Do note Affinity Photo for iPad only supports iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and iPad (early 2017). If you have an older device, it won’t run — so don’t waste your money.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
September 16, 2018
The Six Killers of Night Sky Photography (and how to avoid them)

One of the best things about night photography, in general, is how forgiving it is. That is to say, you generally don’t need special weather conditions to create a really nice picture. The night and urban lights give you all you need to work with. Once it is dark the light isn’t changing so you aren’t chasing the light. Almost any night will do.

But if you are trying to photograph the night sky it is a completely different story. The reality is that night sky photography is very finicky. If you are going to pursue this sort of photography be ready for your opportunities to be very limited. You should also be ready for some failures.

Failure is never any fun, but it is even less so in night sky photography. You have to go to remote areas, so you will often have to drive long distances to get the shot. You will be cutting into valuable sleep time as well. So let’s try to avoid some of those failures. In that regard, here are the six biggest problems I expect you will run into and how you might deal with them.

Night Sky Photography Killer #1: The Moon

There is nothing that will destroy your opportunities for night sky photography more than the moon. This might surprise you, but it is true. Why is that the case? Because the light coming from even a quarter moon is over 100 times more powerful than starlight. So it simply washes out the scene.

Having the moon in the sky does have its advantages. It can light up your foreground, for example. But when it comes to photographing the stars, it is a killer.

What’s more, the moon is in the night sky for most of the month. Frankly, I wouldn’t plan a night sky outing more than about 4-5 days on either side of a new moon. Anything near a full moon is out of the question. That takes about 70% of the year out of the picture for night sky photography. As such, it is a huge limitation.

Campsite panorama of the night sky.

So how do you avoid problems with the moon? There are two ways, and for both of them, you need nothing more than a website called TimeAndDate.com. That website will tell you the moon phase, first of all. That way you can plan your night sky outing on or close to the new moon.

If you are totally unfamiliar with the moon and its phases, the new moon is when there is no moon in the sky at night. From the new moon, the moon will transition into a crescent moon, to a quarter, and then a few weeks later to a full moon (and then the process starts reversing itself). The nights around the new moon are critical because not only does that limit the illumination coming from the moon, but during a new moon phase the moon won’t even be in the night sky.

The moon travels across the sky in the daytime during the new moon phase, and across the sky at night during a full moon. The closer you are to a new moon, the less time the moon will be in the sky at all during the night.

That leads to the second way to avoid the moon, which is to take note of the times of moonrise and moonset. Again, you can get these times through TimeAndDate.com. Make sure this lines up with the other conditions you need for success (ie. times of complete darkness, weather conditions, movement of stars, etc.) which we will talk about in a second.

Killer #2: Light Pollution

You may have read that heading and said “duh.” You already know you need to be in a dark place to have any success in capturing the night sky. But you might be surprised by just how dark it needs to be. You cannot just drive outside of a city for half an hour and expect it to be dark enough to really capture a great night sky shot or the Milky Way.

What you need to do is consult the Dark Site Finder. This is the best resource I have found for avoiding light pollution. It is basically Google maps with an overlay of different colors that tell you how much light pollution a given place will have. The darker the color the better (ie the less the light pollution).

How dark do you need it to be? Really dark. Take a look at this picture:

This picture was taken in a blue area on the Dark Site finder, which is the fifth darkest area out of the 15 different levels. The light pollution you see on the bottom left of the picture was not from a big city, but rather from a small town shaded green on the map that was about 10-15 miles away.

The light pollution was not something you would see as you were shooting – everything looked totally dark to me as I was standing there. But it shows up very clearly in the shot, obviously. Make sure it is very dark where you are planning to shoot.

Killer #3: Star Movement

If you are not familiar with night sky photography, you might think you can just open up the shutter for a minute or two to allow enough light into the camera to achieve a proper exposure. But you can’t, because the stars are moving. And they are moving a lot faster than you might think. (Okay, I know this is actually due to the earth spinning – I’m not a flat-earther – but it appears as though the stars are moving!)

If you shoot the night sky with a long exposure, the stars will move while you have the shutter open. They will show up as small trails. It doesn’t look attractive and just makes the stars look blurry. Of course, you can go with it and create trails that go across the entire frame, but that is a different story entirely. What you are after here are crisp pictures of the stars in the night sky.

How long of a shutter speed can you use? On all but super-wide-angle lenses, you shouldn’t go longer than about 15 seconds. Even on super-wide-angle lenses, you shouldn’t go longer than 30 seconds. You can also use something called the Rule of 500 to determine your longest useable shutter speed. That rule says that the maximum shutter length should be 500 divided by your focal length (eg. with a 24mm lens it would be 500 / 24 or 20.8 seconds).

Because of this, you should use your widest angle, fastest lens for night sky photography. For more information on picking a lens, check out this article.

Killer #4: Lack of Foreground Element

A starry sky or Milky Way shot will provide a nice background for your picture. It is sort of like having a nice sunset. It is a great thing to have, but on its own, it won’t be enough. You also need a foreground element.

If you just head out to shoot the night sky with no real idea of where you are going, you will likely have problems. You will end up with an uninteresting foreground, and therefore uninteresting photography. The middle of the night is no time to explore and try to come up with something. Remember that where you are going will be very dark. It will be full darkness, with no moon, in a place with no light pollution. You won’t be able to see anything to come up with a foreground.

To fix this problem, you need to scout your area ahead of time. Sometimes that is possible by physically going there, but often it isn’t. When you cannot go ahead of time, you can still virtually scout the location. Use the Street View feature in Google Maps to get you started.

Killer #5: Unforeseen Conditions Blocking Out the Stars

You probably already know that you cannot head out on a cloudy night and expect to have any chance of success at photographing the night sky. You need a clear sky, or at best partly cloudy conditions. There is no secret as to how you check this. There are a number of weather apps, so just use the one you are comfortable with.

But that isn’t the end of the issue. I have had many outings ruined when there was not a cloud in the sky. They have been ruined by things like dust clouds, smoke, and mist. These conditions aren’t as flukey as you might think. Remember you will usually be doing your night sky shots in remote places.

A desert environment is a pretty commonplace, and moderate winds kick enough dust up into the atmosphere to essentially block out the stars. If you are in a coastal environment, sea mist can do the same thing. Forest fires from hundreds of miles away can also impact your ability to get the shot.

So be sure you take a close look at conditions in your target area. It is no fun to drive for many hours and then not even pull the camera out of the bag.

Killer #6: A Boring Sky

Finally, not just any clear, moonless night will do. If you go out without understanding which stars will be in the sky when you will be shooting, you might be destined for a boring sky. If you have a strong enough foreground element, this might not matter so much. But if the night sky is the predominant subject matter, you need it to look really good.

For most people, this means including the Milky Way in your shot. That means capturing the band of stars that runs across the sky. It is best when you capture a cluster of stars at the heart of it. But the Milky Way isn’t visible all year. It isn’t visible at any time of night during about November through February. Starting in about March it will become visible just before sunrise. In June through about August, it will be visible most of the night. Starting in about September it will only be visible just after sunset. This is true no matter what hemisphere you live in.

To plan for including the most interesting stars and constellations (and, again, usually the Milky Way), just pick up one of the apps that are available for your phone. I use Star Walk 2 and I like it very much, but there are others available such as PhotoPills.

Putting It Together

Again, night sky photography is finicky. Taking steps to prepare will pay huge dividends. Because you need to be in remote areas, that means a long drive to get there. Planning will keep you from wasting a whole lot of time and effort.

But don’t wait for perfection – that never happens. Plan for the best conditions you can get, and then give it a shot. It could lead to some stunning pictures.

The post The Six Killers of Night Sky Photography (and how to avoid them) appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 16, 2018