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Kickstarter: Pixl-latr aims to simplify film digitization

The Pixl-latr flattens film on a diffused surface so that it can easily be photographed with a conventional digital camera.

The analog revival continues unabated, and a new product – the Pixl-latr – could provide a long-awaited easy solution to the challenge of converting film to pixels.

Just launched on Kickstarter, at its core the Pixl-later is a diffusing plate which comes with a series of pins and frames that can flatten 35mm, 120mm (up to 6×12) and even 5×4 sheet film to be photographed with a digital camera – it even comes with a small stand to prop your negative up.

120 film being loaded into the Pixl-latr.

The idea for the Pixl-latr came to creator Hamish Gill (of 35mmc fame) when he realized the lack of affordable 5×4 film scanning solutions. He decided to create something that could easily flatten his film to be photographed, rather than scanned. Anyone who’s tried to photograph negatives knows what a pain getting them flat can be – the Pixl-latr seeks to solve this very annoying problem.

Through Kickstarter, the Pixl-latr can be yours for the ‘Super-Early Bird – Supporter Special’ price of £25 / ~$ 33, assuming that the funding goal is met.

Personally, considering the time and effort I’ve spent scanning film over the years, £25 seems like a real bargain and I truly hope it gets fully backed. If it has piqued your interest, you can read more about the Pixl-latr and and support the Kickstarter from the link below.

Read more about the Pixl-latr and support the Kickstarter

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

June 19, 2018
Samyang releases 85mm F1.4 AF lens for Canon DSLRs

Exactly one week after dropping its 24mm F2.8 AF lens for full-frame Sony cameras, Samyang is back at it again. Today, Samyang announced the release of a new 85mm F1.4 AF lens for Canon DSLRs.

The telephoto prime is yet another addition in Samyang’s growing portfolio of autofocus lenses. This lens in particular uses an upgraded dual-motor system to deliver faster, more accurate autofocus performance, according to Samyang. The minimum focusing distance is 90cm/35.43in, roughly 5cm more than Canon’s 85mm F1.4 IS USM lens, which has a minimum focusing distance of 85cm/33.46in.

The Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 EF lens weighs 485g/1.07lbs and measures in at 72mm long without the lens hood or rear cap. It’s constructed of nine optical elements in seven groups, including hybrid aspherical elements and an “ultra multi coating” designed to eliminate flares and ghosting. Samyang has also included weather-sealing, which should make it a little more robust in tough environments.

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The Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 EF lens, which sells under the Rokinon brand name in the United States, will be available in July 2018 for £599.99 (~$ 800). This puts it at roughly half the price of Canon’s 85mm F1.4 IS USM lens, which retails for $ 1,600.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

June 18, 2018
Rekindling the Romance of Black and White Photography
There is a renewed interest in the romance of black and white photography for several good reasons. First, hyped color is becoming boringly predictable. Second, automated software presets and templates deliver a predictable variety of pre-digested looks that can be applied to any image and deliver similar results.

Just as Hollywood movies have fallen into the same predictable themes and plots, color digital photography has lost some of its originality to over-processing. As you noticed, the common theme here is predictability. Serious photographers want to do unique and serious work and that all points to a resurgence of black and white images.

In the Beginning

There was a certain warmth and personality to black and white prints in the days of film and darkrooms. Photographers got involved with this medium for more than a technical exercise, it became a conduit for personal expression and emotional input. It was a way for the photographer to be involved in every aspect of the process.

Black and white prints were produced in a more personal way than color prints. While color prints were cranked-out mechanically by drugstore photo labs, black and white prints were produced one at a time by photo-artisans, many times in makeshift darkrooms.

These darkrooms didn’t have to be state-of-the-art facilities; any room large enough to house a small enlarger, four 8×10 trays, and a clothesline would do. Many times bathrooms were taken over for the evening simply because they had running water, a countertop, and electricity; the three necessities of a well-equipped darkroom.

Taping off the small window with a bath towel and duct tape was simple, and a hand towel stuffed under the door sealed the deal. A nightlight wrapped in Rubylith made a perfect safelight.

You can make a stronger statement with black and white than you can with color. Nothing “pops” like good black and white.

Black and white was a labor of love

The lure of black and white was personal expression more than technical achievement. The drugstore produced stacks of little glossy snapshots in an envelope, but YOU were creating one-of-a-kind masterpieces worthy of wall placement. The wannabe artists weren’t really in a bathroom, they were in a custom photo lab.

Creativity was the mystical elixir that compelled us all to work in hot, cramped little rooms without proper ventilation, dipping and dripping various chemicals on clothing, tables, and floors. The acidic smell of stop bath and fixer lingered in the air and on hands and clothing for hours.

The RGB image above provided over 4 billion colors that could be pushed and shaped. This monochrome shot provided only 256 tones to do the same job. With film, this would be nearly impossible but with digital…

Sometimes entire 25-sheet packs of photo paper were needed to produce a single perfect print. But all the expense and inconvenience was willingly paid for the sake of the prize and the pride of the print. In the end, the masterpiece was paraded around for all to appreciate.

This original RGB capture of the lava pools in Hawaii presented a challenge. How to capture and delineate detail in the extreme shadows and highlights. Tough enough for color but almost impossible for monochrome.

Those were indeed magical escapades, but ones that can still be replicated (to some extent) today in the digital world. The stifling air, low light, and acrid aroma may be a thing of the past, but the personal expression and purity of purpose are all waiting to be relived.

The Romance

Black and white photography quietly transports your mind into a playground of creative thought; a semi-guided tour into your imagination. Black and white photography doesn’t enclose your mind inside the bookends of a specific color scheme. It sets your imagination free to discover a place filled with emotion and open to interpretation. Black and white photos deliver moods, not just pictures.

Color can totally capture your mind, but not always in a good way. Here’s what I mean. Once you see a color picture, mental blinders close the deal. You can no longer imagine the scene your way. Before you know it, you find yourself subconsciously critiquing the color rather than interpreting the subject. Color captivates your mind but black and white enables you to dream.

The Reality

Both film and digital cameras capture color information and transpose that color into black and white images. But there’s a significant difference in the way it’s done. Black and white film in the hands of an old-school darkroom artist can produce a print that captures the imagination, though a straight RGB-to-B/W conversion from even a good color photo can deliver ho-hum results. Here’s why.

Black and white film is composed of silver-halide particles that are uniquely sensitive to specific colors but this spectral fingerprint doesn’t automatically carry over to digital image sensors. A scene’s colors captured with panchromatic film will produce different values than the same scene captured by digital sensors.

This means that YOU must get involved shaping the luminance (brightness/contrast) values, and adjusting the chrominance (spectral / color) values of the RGB image. Color frequencies influence the tonal values when converted from color to black and white. Fortunately, both the chrominance and the luminance are controlled in virtually all RAW Interpreter software.

Digital cameras follow a purely statistical recording process and thus, don’t emphasize the strength of one color over another. Different film manufacturers (Agfa, Kodak, Ilford, and others) parsed these color values slightly differently. The photosites in your digital camera’s image sensor simply count photons (the atomic level of light measurement) and use electrical current to set the gray levels.

These values vary based on the camera’s current ISO, white balance, and color mode settings. Just as both black and white and color images captured with film cameras were influenced by various colored filters, these color settings affect both color and tonality values in digital captures.

This is the original RGB image shot in San Juan Puerto Rico.

The Problem

When a digital image is captured in monochrome (Black and White) mode in JPEG format, the camera discards all RGB information and retains only a very sparse number of gray tones. While this sounds like a logical way to arrive at black and white values, it’s not!

Monochrome negates the nuances of spectrally-weighted color transformation. Quite simply, the process removes the emotion and personality of the image. Each camera’s engineering team determines the way each color is parsed as a gray value, and we know how emotional engineers are. There’s a reason we tend to avoid guys with pocket protectors at parties.

This is a simple conversion from RGB to B/W with no adjustments, as your camera would do.

When you capture images in black and white (Monochrome) mode, you are literally at the mercy of the engineers who wrote your camera’s algorithms. But while some very interesting color/monochrome translations are provided by camera manufacturers, you are still locked into someone else’s interpretation. So what to do?

This is the conversion from RGB to Grayscale using Camera Raw’s HSL Grayscale tools. The intensity and saturation of eight different colors determine the internal contrast of the gray tones.

The Solution

There are several ways to address this problem.
1. Record all images in both B/W JPEG and RAW formats.
2. Investigate the interesting results that can be achieved when monochrome images are captured in one of your camera’s “scene” presets. Experiment with your camera’s settings to get a fair sampling.
3. When digital images are captured in RAW format, all spectral (color) information can be accessed (see below) and used to influence the tonal values.
To add a little sparkle to your monochrome, try the Colorize option in Photoshop’s Hue/Saturation dialog box.

The Two-Stage RAW Approach

When these controls (provided by Camera Raw and a number of other RAW Interpreter software apps) are involved in shaping the spectral information into B/W, some absolutely magical results take place.

Remember, both the luminance and the chrominance need to be optimized for the best results in RGB-to-Monochrome conversions. I suggest that the chrominance be addressed first and the luminance second. This combination of controls provides all the tools you’ll need to take total control of your black and white images.

The chrominance settings reside in the Black & White Mix panel.

The luminance is adjusted in the Basic – Black & White panel.

In Camera Raw, toggle back and forth between the original RGB image and the current settings using the P-key, noting the colors in the original and the influence that each color slider has on the final product.

When either of these processes is put to work, you become creatively involved in converting colors into gray tones and the magic of silver halide interpretation gets replicated in the digital process. And here’s the kicker… using digital controls, you can surpass the mile markers established by the black and white masters of the past.

This is scary good stuff, and Ansel would have loved it.

The post Rekindling the Romance of Black and White Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
June 18, 2018
Rugged compact, GoPro, or smartphone: Which should I take on vacation?

My family hikes, we camp, we fish, we snowboard. As a photographer, that leaves me with some choices to make if I want to take pictures or video of our adventures.

Vacations, particularly outdoor, active ones, can provide some of the most vivid family memories, but can also be some of the most difficult to photograph. Several different types of device try to fit the bill but which is best for you?

Your mirrorless camera may be pretty compact to travel with, but can it film your kid’s first trip down a waterslide? Your DSLR may claim to be weather sealed but are you willing to risk pulling your $ 3000 camera+lens combo out to take a ski chairlift photo? Even if you are willing to trust it, are you willing to carry that kit with you all day?

In 2018, there’s no reason to let that keep you from being able to record those moments in your life. There are more options than ever for water, shockproof / freezeproof cameras that can survive life’s more demanding adventures. I’m talking about cameras that can survive a rainstorm or a day at the beach or sledding hill. Something compact and easy to travel with that you don’t have to worry about (and won’t cost thousands to replace) if clumsy Uncle Fred drops it into the hotel pool. Let’s look at the options:

Action cameras

Small, tough and able to capture wide-angle video, Action cameras are especially good for capturing the spirit and experience of action activities.

Since the introduction of the GoPro HD in 2009, action cameras have become almost a required accessory for outdoor adventures. Once the sole domain of those who jumped off of cliffs or surfed on 20 foot waves, these days GoPros are used for everything from ‘Hot Wheels’ tracks in the backyard to Formula 1 races across the globe. From a child’s first wobbly bike ride to mountain bikers who throw themselves down cliffs. If you are on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, It’s highly likely that you see video from these cameras virtually every time you look at your feed.

While not expressly listed as shockproof or freezeproof, action cameras have a pretty proven track record.

It’s easy to see why action cameras have become so popular. They are tough, small, offer very good video quality, and can be mounted literally anywhere. Their super wide lenses give them a unique field-of-view that both suits, and has become de-rigueur for, recording ‘cool’ adventures. 4K video, image stabilization, and even Raw image shooting options are common. The newer camera designs from GoPro (Hero6, Hero5, Session) offer 10 meters / 33 feet of waterproofing while still offering clear audio out of the water and an optional external case extends this depth to 60m / 196ft.

These cameras are far better when mounted on a helmet, handlebar, or selfie stick than they are used handheld.

While not expressly listed as shockproof or freezeproof, action cameras have a pretty proven track record. Googling ‘GoPro survives fall’ or ‘GoPro Everest’ should give more than enough examples to convince most skeptics. Most offer Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity and many have apps that allow for remote control via smartphone. Finally, it is hard to deny just how much kids love these cameras. The days of youngsters being thrilled by the apparent magic of a smartphone or a digital camera are probably over. But for whatever reason, when you hand a kid a GoPro, they just go nuts with it. You’ll get some of the most fascinating and genuine footage of children you’ve ever seen. It is both unique and heartwarming.

There’s something unobtrusive about an action camera that can help candidly capture natural behavior.

However, it can be frustrating trying to use an action camera for still images. JPEG quality, color science, and even operational speed can feel like they lag behind dedicated still camera makers. Manual controls are near non-existent, and those that do exist are frequently hidden behind screen/button taps and menus. With no zoom or interchangeable lenses, your field-of-view is limited to super-wide or cropped ‘medium’ and ‘narrow’ options, limiting both flexibility and quality. And as cool as that super-wide view is, you probably won’t be surprised to hear how easy it is to get your fingers in the way if you are shooting handheld.

These cameras are far better when mounted on a helmet, handlebar, or selfie stick than they are used handheld, particularly given their size and lack of physical controls.

Waterproof P&S cameras

There are times when those ‘freezeproof’ ratings start to seem pertinent.

The waterproof point-and-shoot camera has been around for many years, as 1994’s film-based Canon Sure Shot A1 can attest. But as with most P&S cameras, the digital revolution brought a whole new level of usefulness to these tough little cameras. However, unlike most P&S cameras, the waterproof segment continues to thrive and evolve even in the age of smartphones.

Many of these cameras are not only waterproof, but are rated to be freeze, dust and shockproof. For example, typical specs might be waterproof to 15-30 meters / 50-100 ft, dustproof, crushproof to 100 kgf / 220 lbf, shockproof from 2.1 meters / 7 ft, and freezeproof to -10° / +14° F. While lenses in these cameras are the typical variable aperture midrange zoom that most P&S cameras have, the waterproof versions tend to be a bit faster on the wide end, apertures of F2 or F2.8 aren’t uncommon. And unlike action cameras or smartphones with their fixed lenses and digital zooms, these are true optical zooms that typically offer a 4x-6x range. RAW shooting, 4K video, optical image stabilization and Wi-Fi/bluetooth connectivity are showing up on recent models.

Even if you’re not shooting underwater, there are times it’s nice to know your camera will withstand a drop.

But perhaps most importantly, these cameras blow the other options out of the water in terms of ergonomics. While their physical controls, shutter buttons, and handgrips won’t win any awards when compared to DSLR or mirrorless cameras, they are miles ahead of a GoPro or iPhone. You can successfully use these cameras with gloves on, with wet hands, or in a location where a fumble would mean losing the camera. Along similar lines, these cameras all have one small feature that is difficult or impossible to find on action cameras or smartphones: a strap loop. While a full neckstrap may be a bit much for a camera like this, a small wrist strap is a worthwhile and compact safety measure. Buoyancy floats can even be attached if you do find yourself out on the water.

These cameras blow the other options out of the water in terms of ergonomics

While these cameras often have more physical controls than other options on this list, they still don’t tend to have very many of them compared to more serious cameras. Camera and shooting settings are still commonly accessed via pressing buttons to scroll through menus. On the other hand, this may not matter because there just aren’t that many manual control options on most point-and-shoot cameras, waterproof or otherwise. Shooting and ‘art’ modes of limited usefulness are far more likely than shutter or aperture priority options.

Autofocus is improved from the cheap P&S your parents might have had at one point, but it still is going to lag behind any DSLR or mirrorless you are used to. They are also absolutely an additional device to carry with you. Unlike a tiny GoPro or the smartphone that you probably ready have with you, a waterproof compact can feel bulky/heavy enough that you know you are having to carry it around.

Smartphones

But a dedicated camera isn’t necessarily your only option. What if there was a surprisingly powerful camera that you probably already owned and it was almost always in your pocket or purse? What if this camera also had powerful photo and video editing capabilities and could instantly upload the finished product to the internet and social media? As you’ve probably already guessed, this camera already exists and you probably already own one, a smartphone.

It is becoming more and more common for higher end smartphones to have some level of Ingress Protection rating

It is becoming more and more common for higher end smartphones to have at least some level of IP (Ingress Protection) rating. Typically, they are dustproof and water resistant for up to 30 minutes in water around 1 m / 3.3 ft deep. This means you shouldn’t go snorkeling with any of them, but they will survive dunkings and splashes easily, even without one of the great many ‘protector’ cases that are available for the flagship handsets. High-resolution 4k video, dual (or even triple) lens options, optical image stabilization, and front/back cameras are all regularly seen on expensive and budget smartphones alike.

Default camera apps are decent, but the real power is using some of the 3rd party apps that give you additional shooting modes, full manual control and the ability to shoot in Raw. Not only can you capture images, but editing programs give you the ability to crop, sharpen, adjust and enhance your photos/video right on your phone. Cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity allow instant uploading to social media or text / email to friends and family.

With an IP-rated smartphone, the selfies don’t have to stop when the conditions get more challenging.

Perhaps most importantly, you are almost assuredly going to have a smartphone with you anyway. Whether for communication, navigation, entertainment, and even emergencies, you’ll want your smartphone for all of them while traveling. There is a reason that these days, hardcore outdoor folks often call a mobile phone the ‘eleventh essential’ on the classic ‘ten essentials’ survival item list.

The convenience factor of using a smartphone as your vacation/adventure camera is high, but the drawbacks may be even higher. There is simply no getting around the fact that the ergonomics of these devices as cameras are simply awful. They are thin, slippery, and without any sort of handgrip or strap options. A shattered screen from a two foot drop on the pool deck or a tumble down a thousand foot cliff is just one small stumble away. Almost everyone you know has dropped their phone with dry hands, so how much worse is that likely to be with wet hands or gloves? And, as most of us know, using a touchscreen with gloves or wet hands can be impossible, which just exacerbates the ergonomics issue.

A lack of zoom may be a drawback but chances are you’ll have a smartphone with you at key moments.

Battery life is frequently a problem with phones, and constantly filming and photographing will only make this worse, which may leave you without communication or data capabilities at a crucial moment. Most important of all is the fact that if something happens to your phone, you are likely losing a lot more personal data than just a few images. Dropping and breaking your GoPro is a good way to have a bad day, but dropping and breaking your iPhone X could leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere if you were relying on its GPS to get you home. Not to mention the fact that you’d be out over $ 1000: that’s going to hurt no matter who you are.

If you are going the smartphone route, it might be worth looking into some of the extreme protection cases form companies such as LifeProof or OtterBox.

Conclusion

So, which to choose? That depends on what sort of vacation/adventure you see yourself taking.

If you are looking for still image capability, a waterproof point and shoot camera will probably prove the most versatile. With their optical zooms and physical controls, they easily best the other options for still images. 4k video and image stabilization means that they’re not slouches in the video department as well. Equally at home capturing everything from a flower in a tropical rainstorm to rock climbing in a national park, they really are a jack of all trades. I take mine anytime I want to shoot still images, might want the option for video, and require protection from water/drops/freezing/etc.

Rugged, waterproof cameras aren’t only useful for underwater shooting.

More action-orientated adventures are probably better suited to the video and perspective that action cams offer. Will you be skiing, sailing, paragliding, mountain biking or anything like that? For me, I’m mostly likely to pull out the GoPro when I’m snowboarding. A video with that wide field-of-view just does the best job of capturing that memory for me. Additionally, any trip that includes children is a strong point for these cameras as well. As you can see from the waterslide video above, even a day poolside with a GoPro can capture some pretty fun kid moments.

Finally, let’s face it, you’ll likely have your cell phone in your pocket no matter where you go. In 2018, most of us are so addicted to the connectivity that these devices offer, we’re unlikely to leave them home. But can they be a vacation camera for you? If you are going to be somewhere with good cell coverage and with a low level of risk, then yes. Seeing the Smithsonian, visiting the beach, taking a train across Europe or dropping into an oyster shack for lunch? The still and video options of today’s smartphones will serve you well. Pick up a model with a decent IP rating and you can even enjoy some protection from splashes and sand. Just make sure you don’t drop it and leave yourself stranded somewhere!

The Olympus Tough TG-5 is one of the few rugged cameras that lets you shoot Raw, which is useful for making the most of those images shot in difficult conditions.

But if I was only going to carry one on a vacation or adventure, I would still choose the waterproof P&S option (probably the Olympus Tough TG-5 in my case). It is the best of the bunch as far ease/quality of still photos, has the ability to shoot Raw, does a great job with video, offers a few physical controls, has a usable and reasonably fast zoom lens, is freeze/drop/waterproof, includes Wi-Fi connectivity, and can be found for under $ 400.

I’ve gone fishing, snowboarding, snorkeling, camping, traveling, and splashing at the local pool with mine. It’s survived, kids, grandfathers, drops, kicks, falls, bouncing across river rocks, careening down waterslides and generally being ridden hard and put away (literally) wet. It’s yet to let me down.

The Olympus Tough TG-5 is the camera we recommend as best camera in our Waterproof Camera buying guide.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

June 18, 2018
This Photography Training is Guaranteed to Improve Your Photography [48 Hours Only]
Are you looking to give your photography a boost?

If so – for the next 48 hours we’ve got a bundle of training resources that you’ll want to snap up.

It’s the Ultimate Photography Bundle and it’s back for 2 days only.

The Short Story:

Here’s what you need to know about this bundle of photography training:
- It contains 26 eBooks, 21 courses, 1 membership and 10 amazing tools
- It is valued at just over $ 5000 USD
- It is currently 98% off and yours for $ 97 USD
- This offer disappears forever in less than 48 hours
- There’s no risk – buy it today and if you’re not 100% satisfied Ultimate Bundles will refund the purchase
There’s so much covered in this bundle. There’s training on travel photography, landscape photography, black and white, portraits, post production, making money from photography and so much more.

Check out what’s included here but don’t delay because it’ll be gone in a snap.

Here’s how long is left:

The Longer Story:

Earlier this year our friends at Ultimate Bundles released this Ultimate Photography Bundle and when we saw it we were quite amazed by what they’d included.

For example one of our writers – Gina Milicia – has her best selling ‘How to Direct and Pose Like a Pro‘ Course in the bundle. This is definitely one of the highlights of this bundle and one we’re very excited about because Gina is an accomplished photographer and brilliant teacher.

Gina’s course is normally priced at $ 297 – 3 times what you’ll pay for the full bundle which also gets you over 50 other resources including:
- Light & Airy Lightroom Presets by Cole’s Classroom ($ 67)
- The Essentials of Street Photography and Street Photography Conversations eBooks by James Maher ($ 19.95)
- Colour Portrait Tools by Gavin Gough ($ 59)
- Photoshop for Portrait Photographers by David Molnar ($ 197)
- Easy Way Photography Photoshop Essentials Workflow by Adam Williams ($ 200)
- Food Photography Behind the Scenes: Bright Food, Dark Shadows by Nicole Branan ($ 20)
- Lighting 101: Foundation & Light Shaping by Pye Jirsa ($ 99)
- Intentional Documentary: The Session Workflow for Documentary Family Photographers by Marie Masse ($ 149)
- The Winning Creative’s Way by Christina Scalera ($ 997)
- Our own dPS Essential Guide to Black and White Photography eBook ($ 19)
Everything I’ve mentioned already normally cost $ 2104 and we’re just scratching the surface of what’s included – see the full list of what you get here.

Don’t Miss It This Time

Many dPS readers picked up this bundle when it was first offered in February but we heard from quite a few of you that you missed out.

Thankfully Ultimate Bundles have brought it back one last time for a quick 48 hour flash sale.

This is the last time it’ll be offered so don’t miss out.

30 Day Happiness Guarantee

As I mention above – this bundle is covered by a 30 day happiness guarantee – so you can snap it up today before it’s gone and rest easy that if you don’t find it quite fits your need that the team at Ultimate Bundles is happy to refund your purchase price any time within 30 days of purchase.

dPS is proud to be involved in this Ultimate Photography Bundle as an affiliate and partner because we know it will help you to improve your photography.

Secure this bundle of great training here now before time runs out.

The post This Photography Training is Guaranteed to Improve Your Photography [48 Hours Only] appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
June 18, 2018
21 Tips to Help You Create Better Panoramas

Panoramas are a great way to approach photographing landscapes. By allowing you to capture a larger amount of the scene in front of you, it is easier to portray what you actually saw with your eyes in your photographs. Software has made it stupidly easy to stitch your photos into panoramas; however, there are still some considerations you can take to get the most out of your landscapes and make better panoramas.

This article presumes you already know how the basics of capturing a sequence of images and to how to stitch them together as panoramas in Lightroom or another dedicated software package.

Part 1 – Gear

Such a specialized technique may seem like it requires a lot of specialist gear to get right, but that’s not the case. Of the three items listed below, only two are absolutely necessary and as someone interested in landscapes, you probably already have the most important one.

1) Tripod

A tripod is an absolute necessity if you want to create better panoramas.

This first one is probably obvious, but it’s the most important when it comes to creating better panoramas. All of the images in your sequence need to line up perfectly and the only way to ensure that is with a good, sturdy tripod. The tiniest of movements between your photographs can cause Lightroom to fail when stitching your photos together.

You never know when an image might not get through the stitching software. Do your best to get it absolutely right in camera to avoid situations like this one (notice the disconnected railing).

Disheartened may be the feeling you get when you see the words “Unable to merge the photos. Please cancel and review the selection.” So, please, for your own sanity, use a tripod when shooting panoramas.

2) Panoramic tripod head

If you have a tripod head that can turn in measured increments like this one, attach your lens to the tripod if you can (using a tripod collar), rather than your camera body.

This is an optional piece of kit, but I promise you, if you plan on doing panoramas often, make sure you have a panoramic head on your tripod. These heads rotate on the center axis of your camera and help minimize distortion in your final image.

Panoramic heads are also marked with numbers from 0 to 360 degrees so you can make your camera movements with absolute accuracy. There are a lot of good panoramic tripod heads available and you will be able to find one in the same price range as other styles of heads.

Now, to be absolutely clear, I’m talking about the cheap kind that you can find in a normal price range. There are panoramic heads with motorized components made for the explicit purpose of stitching together photos. I’m not talking about those. If you can afford one, by all means, go for it, but unless you specialize in panoramas, it’s unlikely that you would ever need to even consider one.

3) Spirit level

Spirit levels will help you guarantee that all of your shots line up in the stitching software.

While you can still achieve good results without one, using a spirit level will help you make sure that your panoramic sequence stitches together with a minimal amount of distortion. This is important when you have compositional elements at the edges of your frame. If those elements get distorted too much, they will wind up (either partially or fully) outside of your crop.

You may already have one or more built into your tripod, but if not, you can buy one that fits your cameras hotshoe for a reasonable price.

Part 2 – Capture

Camera craft is easily the most important aspect of capturing better panoramic images. From getting a correctly aligned sequence of images, to focus and exposure, there are a lot of elements that you need to get right in camera to ensure that your images come out well.

4) Practice your movements

To be fast, you should be able to operate your camera and your tripod without thinking about them. In fact, these movements should be ingrained as muscle memory. How do you do this? Practice, lots of practice.

Practice your camera and tripod movements when it doesn’t count. For example, I had an hour of down time in a hotel, so I took a few sequences through the window.

One of the best ways to go about getting that practice is to make some time to set up in a low-value environment. So when your practice images are (inevitably) bad, you won’t have missed any images that were worth taking. It can be as simple as going into your backyard and setting up there for an hour.

Once you’re set up, go through the motions of taking a panorama in slow, deliberate steps. Make sure that every action from focussing through to the actual camera movements is perfectly executed. Go through the motions a few times and when you are sure that you have it down, speed up a little. Again, repeat this until you’re satisfied that you have it down. Then speed up again.

Keep practicing like this until you’re performing all the actions without even thinking about them. Doing this for just an hour will reduce your chances of a mistake when you are standing at the edge of a lake in that once in a lifetime perfect light.

If you really want to hammer it down, don’t just practice like this once. If you have some downtime, try using that time to reinforce these skills instead of, say, scrolling through your phone.

5) Take notes

Notes don’t have to be complicated, they just need to be clear enough that you understand them without much effort.

Taking notes will ensure that you are an organizational genius. It doesn’t matter how you take your notes, whether it be on a notepad, your phone, or in voice recording app such as Evernote. As long as you can annotate the file numbers where each of your panoramas starts and stops, you’re on to a winner.

Editor’s tip: You can also take a shot of your hand in front of the lens before and after your pano shots so you can mark the beginning and end of the series that way as well.

6) Longer lenses

Instead of using your wide-angle lenses, use longer focal lengths when making panoramas. 35mm, 50mm and 85mm are all good choices depending on the scene in front of you. The longer focal lengths allow a different perspective by bringing everything forward in the frame, unlike wide-angle lenses that push everything back.

Because you are both shooting in portrait orientation and stitching together multiple images, you will still get a wide view of your scene with the sky and foreground intact.

Long lenses are great for panormas. The images for this panorama were shot at 200mm. However, 50mm, 85mm and any focal length above that, will help to bring your subject forward in the frame.

7) Manual exposure

For the best results, set your camera to Manual mode for the duration of your sequence. If your exposures don’t match from frame to frame, then the software may not be able to merge your panorama.

If your scene is simple and has relatively few elements in it, you may get away with Aperture Priority mode. However, if one half of your image has a mountain or a building and the other half a clear sky, the difference in exposures will result in unusable images for the panorama merge.

8) Small aperture to help with stitching

Another way to make sure the stitching software performs well is to use a small aperture to keep everything in the frame as sharp as possible. Using apertures like f/11 and f/16 will go a long way in helping you to get sharp panoramas.

You can use larger apertures if you’d prefer, but just be aware that it might result in the software being unable to merge your panorama.

9) Focus somewhere inside your frame

In this image, I focused two-thirds of the way down the path, set the lens to manual focus, and then reframed the camera to start at the left.

When focusing, it seems easy enough to set your focus somewhere in the first frame of your sequence. If you’re focusing to infinity, that’s fine, but if you’re focusing on a point closer to you, your focal point may not wind up in your final crop.

It takes longer and requires you to be careful not to jar the camera, but consider setting the focus on your main focal point of the image. Then switch to manual focus and recompose the camera to your starting position.

This does create an extra chance for things to go wrong. However, you have to ask yourself whether it’s better to have an out of focus image because of a mistake or an out of focus image because you didn’t bother to take the necessary steps in the first place?

10) Portrait orientation

When shooting panoramas, you have access to all the information in the horizontal aspects of a scene. Maximize your information in the verticals by shooting in portrait orientation.

Because you will be creating one big image out of many smaller images, it’s a good idea to maximize the amount of real estate you have to create the final photo. Instead of keeping your camera in landscape (horizontal) orientation, put it into portrait (vertical) orientation so that you get as much information as possible on the vertical axis of your scene.

As far as the horizontal, you can always take more photos at either end of the sequence to make sure you get the most information, but this isn’t the case with the vertical.

11) Excessive overlap

In this sequence of three images, you can see just how much overlap there is. With the left and right images lined up, the middle image is barely visible. Overkill? Maybe, but it’s worth it for peace of mind.

When you are taking the images that you will stitch together, be overly generous with the amount you leave as overlap from one image to the next. Yes, this will result in you needing more frames for a complete sequence and it will require more processing power as well. But it also gives you more leeway in the stitching process and it will result in better final images.

12) Overshoot

Taking more images than you need for your final panoramas will provide you with a wealth of options for composition once you’re back at the computer.

When creating panoramas, there’s only one hard and fast rule (apart from the tripod) that I adhere to. That is to take more images in a sequence than I think I need. For example, if you’re trying to create an image of a church and you get all the images you think you need in five frames, shoot five more.

If you allow yourself excess on either edge frame, you will have far more compositional choices later. On top of that, you will also negate any potential distortion that may cause your focal point to be cropped during merging. Trust me, the wiggle room this provides is well worth the tiny bit of extra time and space on your memory card.

13) Be fast

Because you are taking multiple images for each panorama, there is a chance that elements in your scene may be moving. Water and clouds can prove to be a huge headache in the stitching process. You can alleviate this to a degree by being fast. Once your first shot is created, your hands should be already moving to change the camera to its next position.

14) Bracket for HDR

Merging to HDR and stitching panoramas in Lightroom works really well. Merge each individual frame to HDR first, then stitch them together as a panorama.

Should you find yourself in a high contrast scenario, feel free to bracket your exposures for HDR blending. I have had good results in Lightroom with blending each frame (from a bracketed set of exposures) into HDR individually and then merging them all together as a panorama.

If you try this, make sure you don’t use the Auto Tone function in Lightroom’s Merge to HDR dialogue box. It will treat each image as an individual and will make it next to impossible to stitch your images together as a panorama. Instead, wait until your panorama is merged and then make your adjustments manually.

15) Use your GND filters

When creating panoramas, use your GND filters to your heart’s content.

Likewise, you can use graduated neutral density filters to your heart’s content. If you have a tricky horizon line, such as a mountain range, just move your filter into the appropriate place between taking the images. As long as you are careful to not move your camera, this will work just fine.

Part three – Post processing

Because you are stitching together your images in software, the post-production stage of creating panoramas cannot be ignored.

16) Create a system to differentiate sequences in Lightroom

After a heavy session of shooting images for panoramas, you may find yourself inside Lightroom utterly confused. Triple that confusion if you were shooting HDRs and panoramas together. With so many similar images, it can difficult to figure out what starts and stops where.

An easy way to deal with this at the time of shooting is to devise a way for you to know when a sequence starts and when it ends.

All I do is wave my hand in front of the lens for the first image, then I take the first frame again having removed my hand. At the end, if I’m starting another panoramic sequence, I do it again. Inside Lightroom, all you have to do is look for the images that fall between the shots of your hands.

It doesn’t matter how you differentiate your sequences, but you definitely need to do something. It will save you hours of frustration and confusion.

I also use the color label system in Lightroom. After identifying a panoramic sequence, I select them all and right click and select “Set Color Label > Blue” from the menu.

Other options include taking a photo with the lens cap on or holding a piece of paper in front of the lens. You could do anything for this as long as it helps you figure out where things begin and end.

If you combine this with taking notes, then you should never find yourself in a state of confusion.

17) Do Lens Corrections and Chromatic Aberration removal first

An important step to take before you start the stitching process is to apply any Lens Corrections and removal of Chromatic Aberrations before you stitch the images together. Any vignetting or distortion caused by your lens can have drastic effects on your panoramas and it’s best to deal with them before they have a chance to become a problem.

18) Use boundary warp

Using boundary warp in LR Merge to Panorama can help ensure that you get everything you intended in your frame.

The Auto Crop function often works well to get rid of the white space around a stitched panorama, but sometimes elements in your scene (foreground elements most of the time) can wind up cropped out of the composition. You can use the boundary warp slider in the Merge to Panorama dialogue box to adjust how your image is cropped.

It doesn’t always work, but if you are unhappy with how things appear, remember to try the boundary slider as it may fix your problem.

19) Crop

If you’re at all like me, then cropping is a bit of a dirty word. You know, get it right in camera and don’t sacrifice the resolution and all that jazz. In terms of panoramas, throw that out of the window. Not only should you crop to your heart’s content, but you should revel in it.

If you have overshot a scene, you probably have a really wide image. The thing is, those really wide panoramas often aren’t very pleasing. Go in with the crop tool, and find a strong composition inside of your stitched frame.

Try to think about it like this – your image, straight out of the stitching software is what you saw at the scene. Instead of composing your image while behind your camera, you’re now composing it with the crop tool. Because you (hopefully) took more images than you needed and you have far too much information to best present your subject. Just get rid of the excess and leave only what needs to be there.

20) Consider standard crop ratios

Here is the original panorama straight out of the stitching software. While cool, the format is a bit wide for most uses.

As mentioned, ultra-wide panoramas are a hard sell. They are cool from a technical standpoint, but in terms of composition, they tend to fall short. Instead, consider using crop ratios already associated with panoramic images. These include 16:9, 16:10, 1:3, 6:17, 1:2.

The first two of these are already crop presets in Lightroom. The last three are all aspect ratios native to dedicated panoramic cameras. In order, they are the Hasselblad Xpan, the Fuji GX617, and the Lomography BelAir.

16:9 Ratio

16:10 Ratio

1:3 Ratio

6:17 Ratio

1:2 Ratio

As you can see, there are plenty of options for established crop ratios.

Bonus round

21) Shoot panoramas of normal scenes for bigger files

Not every scene needs to be shot as a panorama. In fact, there is more than enough for you to accomplish as a photographer if you never so much as touch the technique.

However, panoramic stitching offers you another tool that may not be as obvious.

Shot normally, the resulting PSD file is about 35mb.

If you approach a normal scene (let’s say in a 2:3 ratio) and shoot it in a panoramic sequence, the extra information you capture in the vertical means that your final image size will be quite a bit larger than just a straight shot from your camera.

If, for example, you suspect that you will want to make a huge print of a particular image, this technique will give you some extra resolution to work with.

Cropping in from the panoramic sequence gave me a PSD file of 55mb, nearly twice the size of the original.

Conclusion

That’s a long list, but it’s not exhaustive. If you’ve stuck with me this long, you’re probably pretty serious about getting the most out of your panoramas.

If you’re just starting out with this technique, remember not to be too hard on yourself if you forget to use every one of these tips. Take it slow and before you know it, you’ll find that all of this becomes second nature with only a little bit of effort and practice.

The post 21 Tips to Help You Create Better Panoramas appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 18, 2018
Review of the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Art Lens
Every photographer’s kit needs to include both a wide and ultra-wide lens. These lenses provide the flexibility to shoot a variety of subjects such as portraits, landscapes, astrophotography, and food. Wide lenses provide a unique and fresh way to portray subjects and are a great way to shoot contextual scenes that emphasize foreground elements. New to the market in 2018 is the Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DG Art Series Lens.

It provides a constant fast f/2.8 aperture and a zoom that transforms your field of view from wide (84.1 degrees) to ultra-wide (114.2 degrees). I took this lens for a test-drive to give you a glimpse of its performance.

I will save my very positive overall numerical rating for the end. So let’s get into some of the nitty-gritty findings of this functional and flexible piece of glass.

Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG Art lens on a Nikon D800.

First Impressions

There’s always a thrill the first time you unroll a lens from its packaging and lift it from the box. I immediately noticed the weight of the lens (officially ~40oz; 1,150g) giving it a quality feel. The metal construction of this lens is on display and the only plastic parts are the lens cover and lens hood.

I was struck by the large size of the lens – it is much larger than my Sigma 24mm f/1.4. However, this makes sense as the extra size is necessary to accommodate the zoom from 14-24 mm. Overall my first impressions on the look and feel of this lens were excellent.

I tested the Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 on a Nikon D800 and Nikon 810 body. It fit that body well and has a good feel on the full frame body.

Build Quality

Sigma did not cut any corners when constructing this lens. The all-metal build gives it a sturdy feel and results in the weight I eluded to in my first impressions.

The metal construction includes the rear mount to give the lens longevity and life. The zoom ring and focus ring are textured for a solid grip and operate very smoothly. I was happy to note that the construction of this lens is dust and splash resistant which are valuable traits to me as a landscape and nature photographer.

The lens cap has a snug fit and amply covers the aspherical lens.

The outer element of the Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 lens has a aspherical, dome-shaped glass.

The lens is large (5.3 inches long) and well built. Texturing on the focus and zoom rings provide a good grip.

Metal mounts will provide longevity for this lens. A large rear element helps with light collection .

Image Quality

In the Lab

To conduct sharpness tests, I took the lens into a variety of conditions both indoors and outdoors.

Let’s first take a look at the results of a traditional test using the pages of a book to determine sharpness and chromatic aberration. For that test, I adjusted the camera to Aperture priority mode and adjusted the aperture throughout its range (f/2.8 – f/22). All images were shot with a tripod with the exact same lighting in a lightbox.

Individual results for each setting are available below showing a 1:1 ratio crop of the same numbers at the edge of the lens. I found the lens too soft when wide open at f/2.8. That is an expected result, but the softness was very noticeable. It was very sharp all the way to the edge of the image at f/8 and f/16. Sharpness declined at f/22. Image sharpness was maintained to the edge of the lens – impressive for an ultra-wide lens.

I found there to be a limited chromatic aberration that is easily correctable in Lightroom. Particularly in the corners of the image there was distortion at 14mm, but that is a common result in ultra-wide lenses.

Here is a test of the lens for sharpness at f/2.8 at the edge of the image. You can see blurring along the edges of the numbers which is expected at the edge of an ultra-wide lens when shot wide open.

The lens became much sharper at f/8. You can see clear, crisp lines out to the edge of the image.

At f/16 I found this lens to be even sharper than f/8. Very crisp lines out to the edge of the image.

At f/22 the lens lost some of its sharpness. This is not unexpected with a lens fully stopped down.

In the Field

Similar to the lab test results above, I cropped images at 1:1 taken in natural lighting conditions to look at the sharpness of this lens. The results showcase sharp images even when taking hand-held photographs.

In particular, you can see the lens is extremely sharp in the middle and how the stars become distorted at the edge of a crop after a long exposure.

Stars shot with the Sigma 14-24mm. This is a crop at the edge of the lens and you can see due to the long exposure that some star trails are seen. This is due to the distortion that occurs to the image’s edge at 14mm

This 1:1 crop is at the center of the lens and shows off how sharp this lens is in the middle.

This 1:1 crop of an eagle passing overhead shows good sharpness in the wing edges – even at the edge of the image.

Focus, Accuracy and Speed

As is my experience with other Sigma Art Series lenses, the autofocus is fast, accurate, and does not produce much (if any) noise. This lens integrates a hyper sonic motor (HSM) to pull off the noiseless focus.

A huge benefit of the lens is the small minimum focusing distance of 10 inches. That gives you, the photographer, unlimited options on what foreground element to leave in focus. In low-contrast situations such as a cloudy day the autofocus did not hunt for the subject, and focusing from 10 inches to infinity was very fast.

Shots from the Field

The images below are meant to show off the flexibility of this lens ranging from 14-24mm, the shallow depth of field you can achieve with an open aperture, and its usefulness for different subjects. I’ve featured some landscapes, people, and food that I was able to photograph.

I was really happy to have the maximum f/22 aperture to create brilliant starbursts. This is a nice creative technique for landscapes, and the ability to stop down to f/22 gives flexibility for shooting flowing water as well.

The ultra-wide angle and close minimum focusing distance allow you to put foreground elements in perspective.

This tree is nearly 50 feet (15m) tall and I needed a wide angle to capture the whole thing. The ultra-wide lens tilted the tree creating a slight distortion which is characteristic of ultra-wide lenses.

Using the wide-angle to capture a whole scene along the beach. I took this image at 14mm and stopped down to give sharpness to the logs and distant mountains.

A ship, sunset, eagle, and beach house captured in a single frame thanks to the wide-angle lens.

The wide aperture helped me shoot this shot in low light during a local dance.

The minimum focusing distance is helpful for food photography and the shallow depth of field can draw your eye to foreground elements.

Increasing the f-stop can capture the depth of an entire scene. I found this useful in this food scene to emphasize the food and show off some Alaskan Brewery products, too.

This image was captured at 14mm. The next image was captured at 24mm with the camera mounted in the same position. These images give you insight into the field of view at a wide and ultra-wide focal length.

This image was captured at 24mm to compare to the 14mm image above.

Pros and Cons of the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Lens

Pros:
1. Close minimum focal distance – I found the 10″ focus distance to be very helpful in creating interesting landscapes and in scenes where a foreground element needed to be emphasized and placed in context with its surroundings.
2. Fast and accurate autofocus – A solid autofocus system can be a photographer’s best friend!
3. Flexibility – The 14-24mm zoom range gives you the flexibility to transition between a wide and ultra-wide lens. Effectively replacing two lenses is a huge benefit.
Cons:
1. Large size – I was pretty surprised at how big the lens is, and it’s worth noting that it will take up quite a bit of space in your kit as well. Fortunately, it can replace an ultrawide and wide lens perhaps saving you space in the longrun.
2. Lack of sharpness at wide open apertures – The weakest part of this lens is the softness at open apertures. Fortunately, it is a very sharp lens when stopped down.
3. Aspherical glass – As a landscape photographer I like to use neutral density filters and polarizers to make the most of a scene. The aspherical dome of glass requires carrying a separate filter set.
Final Rating and Product Value

Overall Rating : 9 out of 10 – this lens provides some excellent features, great build, and overall quality. Sharpness in the center of the image is excellent and the edges maintain sharpness as well.

My main reason for pulling this lens down to a 9 is the size of it. Those looking for a concise and smaller kit may benefit from a prime ultra-wide to decrease the lens bulk in their kit.

The value of this lens on Sigma’s website is $ 1,199 USD (check here for pricing on Amazon). Although that figure seems a bit high, the build quality warrants the price. You also have peace of mind knowing that the lens is effectively replacing the value of two other lenses in your kit.

The post Review of the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Art Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
June 17, 2018
Look inside the factory where Kodak Ektachrome is (re)born

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Kodak has restarted production of one of its most famous film emulsions – Ektachrome. Popular Science editor Stan Horaczek recently go to take a look inside.

Launched in 1946 and discontinued in 2012, Ektachrome owes its rebirth to a relatively recent resurgence of interest in film. Easier to develop than its more famous cousin Kodachrome, Ektachrome should be back in the hands of today’s film photographers before the end of this year.

You can scroll through the images above to take a brief look into Kodak’s factory in Rochester New York, and for more information, we recommend reading the full article, linked below.

‘Inside the facility where Kodak brings film back to life’ (popsci.com)

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

June 17, 2018
DPReview TV: Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD hands-on field test

The Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD is an affordable F2.8 standard zoom for full frame Sony E-mount cameras. It’s one of the first third-party zooms designed to take full advantage of the short Sony mount, resulting in a small, light carry-everywhere lens. What are the trade-offs, compared with the alternatives? Chris and Jordan take a closer look…

Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

June 17, 2018
What Makes Great Photos? 5 Factors That Can Take Your Images From Good to Great

Have you ever heard the phrase “light is everything” or perhaps “composition is everything”? I know I have many times. But they can’t both be everything, that’s not possible. So what is really going on? Obviously, there is at least a grain of truth to both expressions. But are there other factors that make great photos?

As it turns out, there are and things are not quite as simple.

A photo with very poor composition will fall apart and it will never be a great photo. But a decent composition capturing the most fantastic light can be a good photo, if not a great one. On the other hand, a great composition in poor light can make a dull photo.

Creating a photo almost always includes some sort of compromise. Either the light is not great, the timing is not perfect, or it is not possible to get to the ideal location, because you can’t walk in thin air or on water. Or maybe the prime elements in the scene are not arranged perfectly.

There are so many factors that have to come together at the exact same time, that it seems impossible to make a perfect photo. And that is part of your life, as a photographer, but knowing what counts, can make your success rate of making great photos higher.

What makes great photos?

It is a number of things that make a great photo and composition and light are obviously on that list, but what is the rest?

I find that there a five important factors that combine to make great photos. If you can maximize all five you will have a perfect photo. However, creating such a photo is really rare even for the very best photographers.

Let us have a look at them and then discuss in more detail.

5 factors that help make great photos

You don’t have to maximize all five to make a great photo. A decent composition with fantastic light and timing, with fantastic post-processing, can make a great photo. The same goes for an outstanding composition. You will be able to make up for the lack of light to some extent. So you just have to balance the five factors without dropping any completely.

If one of the factors is somewhat lower, it can be compensated by one or more of the others if they score high. You could see it as the sum of the five pillars, that gives an indication of how great a photo is, as long as you don’t have any hitting the bottom.

They all work together

A completely failed composition, bad light, completely missed timing, non-existent story and poor image processing will tear a photo into pieces.

The factors are very often interconnected. For instance, the composition is often connected to the timing of capturing a moving object. And the light is connected to the timing, in the case of the natural light. The composition can also be connected to the light, a shadow or some light beam or another light source.

They are all dependent on each other, which increases the complexity. No wonder it is hard to create great photos! And no wonder some types of photographers, like those who do commercial studio and model photography, try to control some of the factors – namely the light – to be able to get a larger success rate on their photos.

Factor #1 – Composition

The composition is something that comes naturally to some people while others have to learn it. It is a fundamental skill to master as a photographer. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, try to copy other compositions you like, in your own way at different locations. That will quickly improve your skills.

Factor #2 – Light

The light can be many different things. There’s hard light, soft light, defused light, warm light, cold light, studio flash, the natural light just to mention some of the most commonly known types. Light is a big topic and it requires some research to get the full understanding. But that is not required to create great photos.

If you are into landscape photography, you will increase the quality of your photos by avoiding a blue sky in the middle of the day. Instead, go for sunrise and sunset times. The time after sunrise and before sunset is called the Golden Hour. Blue Hour also provides excellent light for landscape photography.

If you are into flash photography you would do well by experimenting with an off-camera flash, rather than on-camera. As well try high-speed sync flash which opens doors for creative flash photography.

My advice is to learn about the type of light that is relevant to the kind of photography you enjoy doing.

Factor #3 – Timing

The timing, depending on the type of photography you do, can be a matter of capturing that instant of a second that makes a difference. You have to capture a moment – the magic moment.

The moment of a fleeting kiss, the instant a football player kicks the ball, the moment the wave crash onto a rocky shore with a huge splash. Or as in this case, the instant four people put the same foot on the ground while walking at the same distance.

Other moments are more slow, like a sunrise. Nevertheless, it is still about timing.

You have to get up early, very early sometimes, to get to the location. That is timing. Or as in this case, getting a photo without any people, at the central station at blue hour is about timing too.

Empty Central Station in Copenhagen.

Factor #4 – The Story

The story of a photo can be anything ranging from “what delicious crumbles sitting on top of that cupcake”, to “what a fantastic round boulder on that beach” to a “touching relation between people”. A story can be somewhat abstract, yet there has to be a purpose of why you choose to include what you do in the photo.

Sometimes a story is complex and deep, while at other times it is simple “that is a nice boulder sitting in a beautiful landscape“.

You may not be equally good at telling all kind of stories, through your photos. This is perfectly alright and it is fine to stick to what you do best.

I find that story and timing can be very tightly connected as in this case of the image below. Capturing a gondola on a super busy Canal Grande in Venice, and making it seem like a peaceful romantic moment is not as easy as it may sound.

If you can get a spot, you can literally stand on the Rialto bridge for hours, while you enjoy the view. The view is full of activity and happy people.

Factor #5 – Image Processing

The last and fifth factor could raise some discussion. One that I do not want to get into here. And if you are a strong believer in Straight Out Of Camera (SOOC) photos, this point will not be relevant to you.

If you believe in photo editing, you may also know that it is often the thing that transforms a photo from flat to an image that pops. In some cases, that is what makes or breaks a photo.

Image editing or post-processing is by no means easy and there are a lot of opinions out there. But even simple things like, adjusting white balance, exposure and contrast can be the difference that makes a photo pop.

If you are into documentary photography, there are certain things you are not allowed to do. You do not meddle with reality. But if you don’t do that kind of photography, it is in the post-processing phase that you can make your artistic interpretation.

Before and After. A creative interpretation.

What to look out for

Image editing is a race car without a seatbelt. There are a number of things that can totally ruin your image and if you are not careful. Some of the classic problems from over-processing include halos, too contrasty and over-saturation, but there are many others.

This wedding photo of Alexander and Mia was shot in the worst possible light of midday with a blue sky. In post-processing, I have created a softer and warmer feeling to compensate.

A reason to build up your skills in image processing is that you can compensate to some degree for the other factors. You can enhance the good bits, and hide the less desired parts. Remove unwanted objects to present your photo is the best possible way, from what you captured in your camera.

A great side effect of upping your editing skills and paying some real attention to your photos is that you will get a better understanding of what make great photos. You will find things that degrade your photo (why did I include that dustbin?) and learn to avoid them next time you are on location shooting.

You learn by making mistakes and trying to fix them. The more times you fail, the better photographer you will end up being.

Final remarks

In photography, there are no absolutes. Not two people have the same opinion. We do not all like the same, things so what some people would deem a perfect photo, others may not deem perfect. Yet, there are some tendencies and you could do worse, than paying attention to what people like and don’t like if you want to create successful photos.

Any critique is an opportunity to learn something new.

The post What Makes Great Photos? 5 Factors That Can Take Your Images From Good to Great appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

June 17, 2018