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Weekly Photography Challenge – Panning
Panning is a great way to add a feeling of motion and movement to your images. It works well with street photography to isolate your subject and add a little drama.

Need more help? Read these dPS articles:
- Panning and Tips for Adding Motion to Your Street Photography
- 6 Tips to Master Panning Photography
- Showing Speed: Using Panning When Shooting Action
- How to Have Fun with Shutter Speed and Added Motion Blur
Weekly Photography Challenge – Panning

Here the subject and background were both frozen using a faster shutter speed.

In this image, a slower shutter speed like 1/30th was used to blur the background, while keeping the car sharp. This is called panning. You use a slower shutter speed and move your camera to match the speed of the subject to achieve this kind of image.

Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Panning appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
April 21, 2018
Panning and Tips for Adding Motion to Your Street Photography

One of the things I teach people on my photography workshops and tours is how to do panning. It’s a great technique to add to your skillset for shooting great street photography. Panning helps to isolate a moving subject and freeze it while at the same time blurring a potentially boring or ugly background.

I happened upon this bike race in Trinidad, Cuba. The street was full of people and the scene was very busy. So I chose to pan the riders as they went past to add a sense of motion and speed.

See the difference in this shot where I did not pan and everything is sharp. Notice how busy the scene is and the bikers are almost lost. Doesn’t it look like they are going a lot slower or frozen in place here as compared to the image above?

Tips for doing panning

Here is a video from Gavin Hoey and Adorama TV where he demonstrates how to do panning. He also walks through the camera settings to use to get started and how to adjust them as needed. Have a watch.

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Street photography with slow shutter speeds

Here is a different approach to adding motion blur to your street photography, by photographer Doug McKinlay. In this video, he talks about the need for a neutral density filter if there is too much light, and using a tripod to blur moving subjects or part of your scene using long exposures.

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Panning demonstration

Finally, here’s one more video that has a really good demonstration of how to execute panning, and what not to do as well.

I hope that gives you some ideas and starting points for adding panning and motion to your street photography.

The post Panning and Tips for Adding Motion to Your Street Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

April 20, 2018
Taking your drone to a wedding? Read this first

Best practices for flying your drone at weddings

It’s spring, and that means wedding season is upon us!* If you’re one of the many photographers planning wedding shoots this year, it’s also a great time to think about including aerial photography in your plans.

A drone is a great way to capture unique shots that can help tell the story of a memorable day, and in my experience more couples are requesting drone photos than ever before. I expect that trend to continue. On the following pages, I’ll share some of my best practices for flying drones at weddings, and give you some hints about things to pay attention to.

* Apologies to those in the Southern Hemisphere. We haven’t forgotten about you.

Get certified or licensed to operate commercially

In the US, pilots who fly drones for commercial purposes are required to pass the FAA Part 107 exam. Passing this exam is beneficial beyond just getting a certificate: in the process of studying, drone operators will learn important rules, regulations, and best practices for flying responsibly, all of which will make you a more knowledgable, safer pilot.

You can self study for the FAA exam using the study materials provided by the FAA, or by taking one of the numerous available online test prep courses like this one from Drone Pilot Ground School.

Outside the US, many countries have similar regulations, so make sure you know what the rules are where you’re operating and ensure that you have obtained any necessary permits, certificates, or licenses.

Register your drone with the FAA

After you successfully pass the Part 107 exam, you’ll need to register your drone’s serial number with the FAA. This registration is necessary if you’re flying your drone for commercial purposes, and costs $ 5. The registration number must be clearly marked on your drone so it can be identified if there are any issues or potential accidents.

It should be noted that this registration process is also required for recreational drones, and pilots who intend to fly their drones as a hobby. The FAA had previously removed the registration requirement for recreational drone use, but has recently reinstated it.

Get a good UAV liability insurance policy

Get a liability insurance policy that covers your drone activities. It’s not just a good idea – it will may in fact be required by certain venues before you’re allowed to fly. Venues (and commercial clients) might dictate how much liability coverage you need, or even ask to be listed on a rider, demonstrating that they are protected from any liability during your flights.

Having no liability protection during a wedding flight could be disastrous; despite careful planning and preparation for your flight, unpredictable things can happen. Having UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) liability coverage will ensure that you’re protected against the potentially large financial burden that could occur if an unforeseen situation arises.

Get a good UAV liability insurance policy

A common question I get is where to buy UAV insurance. Liability policies are offered through special aviation insurance companies, and traditional agencies will typically offer annual coverage based on the policy amount and number of drones covered. You can also purchase UAV insurance on a daily basis, for very specific places and time periods, and even specify the amount of coverage required.

If you intend to fly commercially on a frequent basis, it’s best to buy an annual policy since they tend to be a better value for long term use. However, if you will only be flying the odd commercial gig once in a while, then getting coverage for the day may be the smarter option. I’ve had an annual policy from Costello Insurance for the past two years, and they’ve been great to work with, but if you’d like to look at an on-demand provider, then you might want to take a look at Verifly, which has iOS & Android apps that can be used to book coverage straight from your mobile device.

Update your drone to the latest firmware

Verify that you’re using the latest software and firmware on all of your devices and drones. This includes updating to your drone’s latest mobile app on your phone or tablet, as well as updating the firmware on your controller, drone, and maybe even your batteries. All of these components operate in synergy, so if one part is out of sync you could be exposing yourself to unnecessary risk.

I always go through my checklist several days before a flight, ensuring that I check for updates on all of my devices, and making sure everything is properly charged and calibrated.

Calibrate your IMU and compass before your flight

This is something that I used to take for granted, until I had a very scary close call while trying to capture a beautiful sunset. I decided to pull over by a beach, and proceeded to send my DJI Phantom 3 Advanced up for a quick flight. The drone jumped up and immediately lost it’s GPS and compass heading, putting it into an uncontrolled frenzy in ATTI mode. I struggled through almost the entire battery charge to get it under control, and experienced the highest degree of stress I’ve ever experienced when flying a drone. I was lucky to get it back on the ground without damaging anything.

Looking back, if I had taken a few minutes to calibrate the compass and IMU, I would have a beautiful sunset to look back on instead of the stressful memory of that dreaded flight. Don’t let this happen to you, especially at a wedding. I now always calibrate my compass and IMU before each flight.

Monitor wind conditions

Knowing the wind speed and direction is a critical skill for any drone pilot. When flying downwind it can seem like wind isn’t an issue, but you don’t want to discover that it is when flying back upwind with a low battery. Pay attention to the wind and know both where it’s coming from and at what speed. I use an iOS app called Windseeker to help keep tabs on the wind conditions. It has geolocation abilities, and can even give you an augmented reality overlay of the wind direction for easier planning.

Wind can always be a factor when flying a drone, though to what degree may depend on which model you’re flying. I’ve found that the DJI Phantom series are pretty resilient, and can typically fly in moderate to strong winds. Smaller drones like the DJI Spark and Mavic Pro may not be able to fly in strong winds as adeptly as bigger drones. No matter what drone you’re flying, always use your judgment. If it’s too windy to fly, stay on the ground.

Use a visual observer

Having a visual observer is a requirement for any FAA Part 107 pilot flying for commercial purposes. It serves to cover the line of sight requirement during commercial operations, and is generally a good idea for any flight in my opinion. It’s very difficult to pay close attention to your controller and maintain line of sight to your drone at the same time.

Creating cinematic shots often requires close attention to your display, the controls, and your technique, and breaking that focus to maintain your eyes on the drone in the air will pretty much undermine all of those things. Play it safe and make sure you always have a visual observer to handle this task so you can focus on nailing that epic shot.

Keep a respectful distance

Flying with tact and consideration is a must in my opinion; when planning your shots, do so in a way that doesn’t intrude on the ceremony. I never try anything too fancy without discussing it with the bride and groom. If I need to shoot something that requires me to get relatively close to the ceremony, I always make sure it’s OK with them, and that everyone is aware of the audible noise that my propellers will cause.

Also, consider what type of drone is best for any given situation. If maximum image quality is needed I may use a DJI Phantom 4 Pro, but if image quality takes a backseat to noise, then I can often get more subtle shots with a less intrusive DJI Spark. My advice is to always balance respect for the wedding with the need to get the perfect shot, and discuss this with your clients. They’ll appreciate your need to get the best shots without causing a huge distraction that potentially overpowers their special moment.

Best practices for flying your drone at weddings

These best practices should allow you to get great drone photos or video at a wedding, while also ensuring that you’re operating safely, legally, and respectfully.

I’m interested to hear about other best practices you may have developed over time. Please share them in the comments below! We can all continue to learn and benefit by implementing them into our workflows.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 20, 2018
Capture One update adds new styles workflow, updated camera support
Phase One has launched the first major update to Capture One Pro 11, the company’s Raw conversion and photo editing software. Capture One 11.1 brings along a few important new features, including improved import performance, an updated styles workflow, a new resource hub, enhanced LCC presets, and support for new cameras and lenses.

The most obvious changes in the update come in the form of new workflow adjustments that should speed up the importing and processing of large numbers of photos. Now, you can apply styles and presets directly to a photo or on top of it as a layer; for even more control, you can control the opacity to make sure the effect is as subtle or significant as you want it to be.

Capture One has also thrown in a new ‘Spring’ collection as part of its included styles packs.

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A new ‘Normalize’ tool has also been added to the workflow. This tool replaces the old ‘Skin Tone White Balance’ tab within the white balance module and, “is designed to make easier baseline corrections to images.”

And if you’re new to Capture One (or simply want to refresh your skill set) Capture One has dropped the learning curve by adding a new Resource Hub. You can now get instant access to free learning resources directly in the app, including: tutorials, webinars, news, and blogs, plus direct access to support and Capture One’s web shop.

Finally, Capture One 11.1 also includes updated support for eight new cameras and 16 lenses. Below is a full list of the cameras and lenses that have been added to the more than 400 cameras already supported:

Cameras
- Sony A7 Mk III
- Fuji lm X-H1
- Leica CL
- Leica M262
- Leica TL2
- Leica V-Lux Typ 114
- Leica X-U
- Olympus E-M10 mkIII
- Olympus E-PL9
- Panasonic G9
- Panasonic GH5S
Lenses
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM
- Leica Elmarit M 90mm f2.8
- Leica Summicron M 90mm f2
- Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS (SEL18135)
- Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS (SEL24105G)
- Tamron 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD MACRO B016 • Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD A010
- Tamron SP 35mm F/1.8 Di VC USD F012
- Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 A025
- Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD F017
For owners of Capture One Pro 11, version 11.1 is available as a free update for both MacOS and Windows. If you don’t own the current version, Capture One 11.1 can be purchased for a one-time fee of $ 300 or used via subscription for $ 20 per month, or $ 180 per year if paid up front. There’s also a free 30-day trial if you want to test the waters before you commit.

To see what else is new and to purchase Capture One 11.1, head on over to the Capture One website.

Press Release
Phase One Releases Capture One 11.1

Update Provides New Resource Hub, Expanded Camera Support and Improved Workflow

COPENHAGEN, Apr. 19, 2018 – Phase One, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end digital camera systems, today released Capture One 11.1, a feature release to the industry’s premier RAW conversion and image editing software. The release enhances the Capture One user experience, through a new support platform and functionality updates to ensure a faster, smoother workflow. Improved Styles and presets workflow, support for 11 new cameras, including Sony A7 Mk III and Fuji X-H1 and 10 new lenses, including Tamron lenses for both Nikon and Canon, and an all-new Resource Hub are among the latest updates.

“Capture One remains dedicated to the needs of ambitious photographers. These latest updates introduce an extension to camera and lens support, as well as an all-new Resource Hub. The Resource Hub is an in-app portal that allows users to easily access news, tutorials, updates and much more – all designed to inspire photographers and ensure the best workflow and user experience in Capture One,” said Jan Hyldebrandt-Larsen, VP Software Business at Phase One.

NEW FEATURES AND TOOLS IN CAPTURE ONE 11.1

IMPROVED STYLES AND PRESETS

A new workflow adds a much faster way to apply both Styles and Presets to a Layer on one or multiple images, offering a direct control of opacity, imperative to wedding and portrait photographers.

Furthermore, a new Spring Styles Pack is included, offering bright pastel color grading to images, particularly helpful to wedding, portrait and landscape photography.

RESOURCE HUB

The Resource Hub has been introduced to offer quick access to free learning resources via a dynamic on-screen portal. Tutorials, news, webinars, blog posts and much more are offered in one convenient location to improve the user experience and learning curve with Capture One.

NORMALIZATION TOOL

The normalization tool provides a reference point for exposure and white balance for batch adjustments, now allowing any color to be used when previously the only option was a neutral grey.

NEW CAMERA AND LENS SUPPORT

The Capture One R&D team, alongside our color scientists, analyze hundreds of images from each camera to provide photographers access to the best out of box experience with natural profiles. Below outlines the new camera and lens additions that Capture One 11.1 supports. A full list of supported cameras can be found here: http://www.phaseone.com/supported-cameras

New camera support includes:
- Fujifilm X-H1
- Leica M262
- Leica CL
- Leica X-U
- Leica V-Lux Typ 114
- Leica TL2
- Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mk III
- Olympus E-PL9
- Panasonic G9
- Panasonic GH5S
- Sony A7 Mk III
New lens support includes:
- Canon lens:
  
  Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM
- Leica lenses:
  
  Leica Elmarit M 2.8/90
  
  Leica Summicron M 2/90
- Sony lenses:
  
  Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS (SEL18135)
  
  Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS (SEL24105G)
- Tamron lenses:
  
  Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 A025
  
  Tamron SP 35mm F/1.8 Di VC USD F012
  
  Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD A010
  
  Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD F017
  
  Tamron 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD MACRO B016
CAPTURE PILOT 2.0

Capture Pilot 2.0 adds camera control support for Sony, allowing users to change camera settings of the tethered camera directly from your iOS device.*

AVAILABILITY AND PRICING

Capture One 11.1 is available now for the Mac and Windows operating systems online at www.phaseone.com/store and from Phase One authorized partners worldwide www.phaseone.com/partners.

Capture One Pro

Owners of Capture One Pro 11 perpetual and subscribers can update for free by downloading. New customers can purchase Capture One Pro 11 for 299 USD or 279 EUR. Capture One Pro 11 is also available by subscription. A single-user subscription is 20 USD/EUR per month for a 12-month plan or a 180 USD/EUR prepaid subscription, paid annually.

Owners of Capture One Pro 9 and 10 can upgrade for 119 USD/EUR

Capture One Pro Sony

Owners of Capture One Pro Sony 11 can upgrade for free by downloading. New customers can purchase Capture One Pro Sony 11 for 79 USD/EUR.

Owners of Capture One Pro Sony 9 and 10 can upgrade for 69 USD/EUR.

Download a 30-day trial

A fully functional version of Capture One is available for a 30-day trial. Download the trial here: www.phaseone.com/download

Please see all products and payment options at www.phaseone.com/store.

*Requires in app purchase.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
April 20, 2018
Oppo and Corephotonics sign strategic agreement around dual-cameras

OPPO, one of China’s largest mobile phone manufacturers, has signed a strategic licensing agreement with Corephotonics, a developer of dual-camera technologies based in Israel. Under the agreement, the two companies will work together on the development on Oppo’s smartphone camera roadmap, covering optical zoom, depth mapping for bokeh simulation and related features, as well as other areas involving smartphone camera optics optics, mechanics, computational imaging and deep learning among others.

“Mobile photography is a key focus of OPPO, and we have always been eager to forge strong partnerships with leading suppliers like Corephotonics,” said Dr. King, OPPO’s Hardware Director. “Corephotonics’ dual cameras with wide-angled and telephoto lenses, along with the periscope-style construction, optical image stabilization and image fusion technology, edge mobile photography even closer to what digital cameras are capable of doing.”

Oppo and Corephotonics have worked together in the past, including on a 5x optical zoom module that was implemented in an Oppo prototype device and displayed at last year’s MWC. We’re looking forward to seeing the results from this now more formalized relationship.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 20, 2018
The Photo Studio AR app lets you ‘simulate’ a photo shoot with 3D models

Have you ever been at a beautiful location and wondered what a photo might look like if you had a model and some lighting equipment on hand? Well, you no longer need to wonder. Los Angeles-baased visual effects studio Surpuba AR has released Photo Studio AR, an app for Android and iOS devices that uses augmented reality (AR) to project a model into any real-world scene you can imagine.

The app features a collection of 3D-rendered models, all based off real people. You can pose them in multiple animated positions, change their location in the AR environment, resize them to fit the scene and even switch their outfits (and purchase other 3D models) via in-app purchases.

As for lighting, you can add multiple lights and props to the scene to emulate what a particular setup would look like. You can even alter where the artificial sunlight is in the app so that it reflects the Sun’s current position in the sky.

Finally, there’s also a built-in recording function so you can save your AR location scouting trip for reference down the road.

A collection of screenshots showing off the props and light modifiers available in Photo Studio AR.

You can purchase Photo Studio AR for both Android and iOS devices for $ 10. In-app purchases start at one dollar a piece. To learn more, head over to the company’s website by clicking here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 20, 2018
Viral KFC ad campaign turns fried chicken into flames with Photoshop

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New York City-based advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather’s latest ad campaign for KFC Hong Kong is on fire… so to speak. Tasked with advertising the release of KFC’s Hot & Spicy chicken, the agency created a clever collection of images that morphs the flaky breading and orange tint of crispy chicken into smoke and flames.

The clever Photoshop jobs include compositions of the spicy chicken with space shuttles, power rangers (we think?) and a rocket-toting drag racing car, but the concept has taken on a life of its own as all good memes do. A few Twitter users around the world have started Photoshopping their own versions of fried-chicken-as-fire.

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— ??? ??????? (@bokoyai) February 2, 2015

The series of advertisements picked up attention from the Post-Production Ads Reference Awards for the clever campaign—a well -eserved accolade. Below are a list of contributors to the campaign, as seen on the Ogilvy and Mather agency’s Behance collection.

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong

Client: KFC Hong Kong

Chief Creative Officer: Reed Collins

Creative Director / Business Partner: John Koay

Creative Director: Matt Nisbet

Associate Creative Director: Kai Fung Chan

Art Director: John Koay

Account Manager: Stella Fung

Project Manager: Jennifer To

Photographer: Illusion, Bangkok

Illustrator: Illusion, Bangkok

Retoucher: Illusion, Bangkok

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 20, 2018
5 Reasons Why Your Sunrise or Sunset Photos Don’t Look So Stunning
The holy grail of travel photography is a stunning photo looking into the vast distance taken at sunrise or sunset. It seems to just work as a blend of color, composition, and light to create something that often makes the viewer utter that famous word that any photographer wants to hear, “Wow!”.

But why is it then that so often when you look at your own sunrise or sunset photos they don’t look so stunning? Here are 5 reasons why your sunrise or sunset photos don’t live up to your expectations.

#1 – What’s the point?

I remember a picture editor once told me, “This might sound controversial, but a sunrise or sunset is actually pretty boring.” What he was referring to was the lack of compelling subject matter in a photo of a sunrise or sunset like for example an empty beach with just the setting sun.

While sitting on a beach and seeing a sunset can seem like a wonderful experience, unfortunately, the camera cannot replicate that. Most successful photos of sunrises or sunsets have a point of interest in them, in that there is a subject that is the main story and the sunrise or sunset is providing the light and the atmosphere.

That story doesn’t necessarily have to be a person or an object in the frame. The story could be the beautiful scenery or the crashing waves against the coast. But the key point is that there is something that gets the viewers’ attention. So, don’t just rely on the sunrise or sunset, try to build your composition using it as an addition rather than the story.

This photo just isn’t very interesting. There’s a lack of interesting clouds or even water movement.

In this image, the big rock in the foreground, footsteps in the sand and the people all add interest and context to the photo.

#2 – Clouds or no clouds?

For example, one element that can dramatically improve your sunrise or sunset photos is some clouds. Take your generic empty beach scenario from above, but this time add some dramatic clouds that the light can bounce off and suddenly you’ll go from something mundane to something that looks fantastic.

The clouds here add drama to the scene.

Of course, you can’t control the elements and no clouds in the sky means, there’s nothing you can do. In that scenario, you just have to work harder to frame your shot and give the viewer a point of interest.

While you generally want some clouds in the sky, too much cloud cover and you will often find the light seems flat and dull and the whole photo looks uninteresting (unless the sun can set below the clouds and light them up from underneath). So, in conclusion, while you ideally want some clouds, it’s important not to have a completely overcast day. You can, of course, plan your shoots around times when you will have the best conditions.

#3 – Are your highlights and shadows correct?

One of the big challenges in photographing sunrise or sunsets is the vast contrast you get between highlights and shadows. Your highlights are the light areas of your photo (such as the sky for example) and your shadows are the dark areas in the photo (for example your foreground).

If either is pushed too far you will get completely white areas for highlights and completely black areas for shadows. This means that these areas contain no pixel details and is something you want to avoid.

The problem you face when photographing sunsets or sunrises is that your sky will be bright, and your foreground will be dark (a high dynamic range). The way that you can ensure that your highlights and shadows are exposed correctly in this scenario is to use a graduated neutral density filter to balance out the difference in the highlights and shadows.

There are also other techniques such as exposure bracketing as well that can help you achieve this in post-production and actually just brightening or darkening these areas in a software like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. But whatever you decide, just make sure that your highlights and shadows are exposed correctly and fine-tune them if you need to in post-production.

The blue areas on this photo indicate where the shadows are being clipped (black with no detail).

Here the same image has been adjusted in post-processing to hold more detail in the shadow areas.

#4 – The image isn’t framed correctly

One of the key elements in ensuring the final photo looks great is to frame your composition correctly.

The easiest way to do this and a good starting point for any photographer is the famous Rule of Thirds where you try to place key points of interest on the intersection of the lines. But the Rule of Thirds is also worth remembering for your horizon line. Usually, you will find that placing the horizon either on the top third or the bottom third will look better than slap bang in the middle.

Horizon centrally framed.

Using the rule of thirds, the horizon here is on the lower third – off-center.

But try to consider the whole picture when framing your shot. Think if there are any areas that are just wasted space where you can crop in tighter. Or if your camera angle is slightly off and you can benefit by just moving a little to either side.

The beauty of photography these days is that you can usually take as many photos as it takes to get your shot framed right. So, play around with your composition and capture a few alternatives that you can then review later in post-production.

Your camera may have the option to display the Rule of Thirds grid when you’re shooting or in image playback mode.

#5 – You haven’t fixed mistakes

Usually, the first bit of feedback that I often give newbie photographers when I look at their sunrise or sunset photos is on elements that could easily be fixed in post-production. Whether you are an advocate of post-production or not there are certain things that you simply should not forego on any photo.

The two biggest of these are:
1. Ensuring that your photos are straight, that means the horizon line needs to be dead straight.
2. Making sure you have the correct white balance for the photo (if you haven’t already done so when taking the photo). Think about the scene that you are showing, is it a warm and golden scenario or is it a cool and crisp setting? Either way, tweak your white balance until it is correct.
If you do nothing else in post-production, just making sure these two settings are correct will immediately improve your photos.

This image is clearly not straight as can be seen from the horizon line.

Here the image tilt has been corrected.

Conclusion

Sunsets and sunrises are wonderful times in the day to photograph things. The soft golden light can transform an ordinary scene into an extraordinary one. When done well, they are often the photos that will be the “show stoppers” in any portfolio.

But always remember that a sunset and sunrise needs to work in combination with your composition and subject matter to create a wonderful photo. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to capturing great photos of sunrise and sunsets.

Now it’s your turn to get involved. Share your great sunrise and sunset photos below.

The post 5 Reasons Why Your Sunrise or Sunset Photos Don’t Look So Stunning appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
April 20, 2018
7 Great Ideas for Group Photography Events and Projects
Photography can be a lonely business, but there is no reason why that has to be the case. Of course, there are many that enjoy the solitude. If you’re a photographer who enjoys more of a community there are some great ways to get together for group photography.

The reasons to join a group are varied, and even if you’re a lone ranger there are likely some ideas here for you. Linking up with others could just be about an online community, or meeting up in person. However you like to do group photography, here are seven ideas for you.

Who’s going to take your photo if you always photograph alone?

1 – Create a photo walk

One of the easiest and most informal types of group photography event is the photo walk. These are often organized by photography clubs, and there is a popular one run annually by Scott Kelby. The nice thing about a photo walk is each participant can go at their own pace. The general idea is to have a start point, a finish point, and a time limit. You may choose to walk together as a group, or split off individually.

There may be some members who pass on tips to other photographers, making this type of event an informal workshop. At the end of the walk take some time to get to know your fellow photographers by having a meal, or stopping for a drink somewhere. Finally, share the photos you’ve taken that day on an agreed social media platform of some description.

Some people like to take all their gear to the photo walk! Or is the check-in for that flight this way?

2 – Photography clubs

Joining a photography club is one of the best conduits for group photography. Through a club, there is the possibility to organize many of the other ideas mentioned in this article. Photography clubs typically meet at regular intervals of perhaps once a week or once a month, though lots of activity can occur online between meetings.

The best place to find these clubs is through searching social media, your local community center, or perhaps there is a school club near you. These clubs are a great place to learn new photography skills, with evening post-processing workshops being fairly typical. Are you having trouble finding the right club for you? You could always start up your own group!

Meeting up with other photographers at a photo club is social, and is also a great way to learn.

3 – Group photography projects

These are projects that a number of photographers partake in together. The idea at the end is to have a body of work under a common theme taken by every member of the group. A project like this could well lead to a group exhibition or a collaborative photography book.

In most cases, you’ll work on the photography individually, though the leader of the project may seek to curate your work in a certain direction. The following are a few ideas that you could try:
- Subway project – Most big cities have a mass transit system, with many stations. The aim of this type of project would be to take one photograph per station. The larger cities usually have many stations, so dividing up the workload makes sense. In projects like these, it’s often a good idea to seek permission from the authorities before beginning to do any photography.
- 365 days or 52 weeks – Instead of working on your own project share it with others, and ask them to make photographs on the same theme as your own! The dPS weekly photography challenge could form the basis of this project.
- Food photography – Everyone loves good food, so combine this with your photography. Each photographer can pick a country. Then make food from that country, and photograph it. You could even make this into an international cookbook.
This photo was taken as part of a subway project in Seoul. It was a big challenge to photograph all the stations.

4 – A photography team

There are times when forming a photography team will give you the edge as a photographer. The more you move into the commercial world of photography the more this becomes a need, as you can’t be everywhere all the time. Think of events like weddings, sports, or festivals. The need to cover all your angles means teaming up with other photographers so they can be where you’re not.
- Event photography – Having more than one photographer allows one of you to concentrate on the wider scene, while the other covers moments closer to the action. Think of when tennis players go from singles to playing in pairs on a team. In doubles they have different roles and need to complement each other.
- Portrait photography – Another great example of when a team of photographers is needed is portrait work with strobes. In this scenario, there is one main photographer, but having other photographers or assistants there to help with lighting equipment is desirable.
Teaming up with other photographers can be a great way to pool resources.

5 – Create an association

Related to creating a photography team is making an association. In this case, you’re creating more of a guild, and indeed a photo team could be formed from members of that guild. A grouping of photographers like this will look to use each other’s strengths, to form a stronger unit when a client comes along.

Such an association might look to create a stock library of their images, albeit on a much smaller scale to larger firms such as Getty Images. Other models for such a grouping of photographers would be the Magnum organization, though of course on a smaller scale.

The more the merrier as long as you don’t step on each other’s toes!

6 – Weekly challenges

Weekly challenges are a good way to do group photography on an individual basis, and you can decide to opt out of weeks that are not your style. There is a great weekly challenge run by Digital Photography School, and you’ll find other photography communities that run a similar program as well.

It’s of course, possible to organize these on a more local level, where perhaps you meet up in a coffee shop together once a week to make your own challenge.

Seasonal photo challenges are a yearly staple for many photography groups. Spring is often a popular theme.

7 – Enter a photo competition

A final way you can interact with your fellow photographers is through a photo competition. The weekly challenge is, of course, a competition, but there are many different types of competition. Among the biggest contests are those organized by National Geographic or Sony to name but two. These are annual competitions and often have themes for contestants to try and fulfill.

There are also photography contests that require you to tell a story through a sequence of perhaps 10 photos. Once again these contests can be adapted to you and your community. If you have a photography club, why not take a leaf out of the bigger company’s book, and make a competition. A little competitive edge within your group can often be a great way of pushing you out of your comfort zone to help you produce even more amazing results.

How will you do your group photography?

There are many good ways to collaborate with others and do more group photography activities. Have you tried any of the ideas in this article before?

Perhaps you have a new more novel way to make a photography community that can be shared here. As always I’d love to get feedback from you, so leave your comments and I shall endeavor to respond.

The post 7 Great Ideas for Group Photography Events and Projects appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
April 20, 2018
Rylo update adds 180° mode, bluetooth capture and motion blur timelapse effect

Credit: Rylo

The popular Rylo 360° camera—a camera we called the “360 degree camera done right” in our review—is receiving a major update today. The update adds two new features for both iOS and Android users of the Rylo camera and app, with a third feature available only to iOS users for now.

Let’s take them one by one.

180° Mode

The new 180° video mode shrinks the field of view, allowing you to capture 180° video at higher resolution and better image quality than 360° mode allows. According to Rylo, 180° mode “is especially useful for chest-mounted shots or activities/scenarios in which one lens is blocked.”

Bluetooth Remote Capture

The name kind of gives this one away. Remote capture lets you sync your phone to the Rylo camera via bluetooth, which allows you to: switch between recording modes, start or stop a video, and snap a photo, all from the app on your phone.

Obviously, this feature will help if you’ve got the camera mounted somewhere hard to reach.

Motion Blur

A new feature for timelapse shooting, Motion Blur adds a ‘cinematic’ motion blur effect that is actually synced up to the speed of your timelapse shots (more speed = more blur). The effect doesn’t show up while shooting, but will be viewable upon export.

All three features ship today, although Bluetooth Remote Capture is currently only available for iOS, with Android support “coming soon.”

If you own a Rylo 360-degree camera and want to try these features out, all you need to do is update your Rylo app via the App Store or Google Play, then update your camera’s software through the app. And if you haven’t heard about the Rylo and want to know what this camera is all about, check out our full review at the link below.

Review: Rylo is a 360° camera done right

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 19, 2018