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The Gnarbox 2.0 SSD lets you backup photos, make selects, review footage and more
If you’re looking to seriously speed up your on-location photo and video workflow without carrying around a laptop, the new Gnarbox 2.0 SSD should probably be at the top of your gear wishlist.

Debuted earlier through crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, Gnarbox 2.0 SSD allows you to backup your photos and video in the field, review and rough-cut footage, cull and edit images, showcase selects, and seamlessly transition all of this into your professional workflow once you’re back in the studio.

Gnarbox does so much it’s kind of hard to describe, but the video above and Gnarbox’s own description from the Kickstarter campaign below do a pretty good job.

GNARBOX 2.0 SSD is a rugged backup device for content creators who prefer to travel without a laptop. Unlike other portable hard drives, we have assembled an ecosystem of mobile applications that serve the professional workflow from the field to the studio.

With single-step backup, dedicated workspaces for photographers and videographers, and integrated access to professional editing software, GNARBOX will save you time and make you a more reliable creator.

The Gnarbox 1.0—which we actually recommended in last year’s holiday gift guide—provided a compelling solution for photographers and videographers who do a lot of work on-location. And everything 1.0 could do, the Gnarbox 2.0 SSD can do better and faster.

Inside the newest build you’ll find a 2.4 GHz Intel Quad Core processor, 4GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of NVMe SSD storage; photos and video can be uploaded to the device using either the SD card slot or one of the two USB-C ports; and the whole thing is powered by a replaceable battery that promises enough juice to back up 36,000 photos, review up to 10 hours of 4K video, and transfer one full TB of data.

All of that hardware works together with a set of dedicated apps—Safekeep, Selects, Sequence, and Showcase—that allow this little computer-in-a-box to do all of the things mentioned above.
- Safekeep: The most complete field backup experience, with tailored file/folder organization and sleek tools to manage file transfers across your devices.
- Selects: Provides super-fast RAW image preview and easy-to-use tools to mark your selects, manage metadata, and save time preparing your shots for edit.
- Sequence: Has the tools you need to review footage, start rough cuts in the field, and seamlessly transition your video project to the studio.
- Showcase: Lets you view your photos and videos in high resolution on any HDMI-enabled screen.
Here’s a closer look at the new Gnarbox 2.0:

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As we said at the top, this is a pretty compelling solution for on-location photographers and videographers who don’t want to carry a laptop. And apparently, we’re not the only ones who think so: it only took 39 minutes for the new Gnarbox 2.0 to breeze past its Kickstarter funding goal.

As of this writing, with 59 days to go, the company has already raised nearly $ 200,000, which makes us pretty confident they’ll deliver product come December.

To learn more about the Gnarbox 2.0 SSD or order one for yourself—pledges start at $ 300 for a 128GB version and max out at $ 700 for the largest 1TB build—head over to the Kickstarter campaign. If you’re quick, you might even snag one of the very last Early Bird deals still available when we hit Publish.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
April 3, 2018
How to Get the Most from Lightroom Presets

Where should I start when talking about Lightroom presets? The subject has been covered so many different ways by so many different writers that at times even I think there’s nothing left to say. Or is there?

Most of us already know that using presets in our photo editing workflow speeds up processing. I mean, who couldn’t use a little help now and again especially when you’re attempting to wade through six or seven hundred images from that last wedding where the groom couldn’t stop blinking.

Not only that, but perhaps my favorite part about using presets is the creative jumpstart they can give my work.

Like I said, you already know all this, right? So instead of droning on about how to make presets or export them or download them, we’re going to discuss a seldom mentioned topic; how to get the most out of the presets you already have and use.

Designate Import Presets

Lightroom presets are surprisingly versatile and can be applied to some extent literally during every phase of your processing in Lightroom. One of the most underutilized applications for Develop Presets happens at the very first phase of editing, importing the image.

Any Develop Preset you might have in your processing treasure chest can be applied with the click of the mouse to each image you import.

Do you have a lot of photos from that Blinker wedding I mentioned earlier? Try making a preset that works exclusively for each sequence of photos. Do you find yourself using similar contrast or clarity all the time? Apply the appropriate preset upon import to save time later. It’s almost too easy not to do.

And import presets aren’t limited to the just the develop variety either. Perhaps even more useful are metadata and keyword presets that can be applied at the same time. You can do that directly below the develop preset drop-down on the import screen.

Avoid Conflicting Presets

When I’m not off making photographs on some remote mountaintop you can generally find me sitting at the computer making presets. As the lead developer of presets for Contrastly.com I’ve single-handedly manufactured over 1,200 presets for Lightroom.

Even after making so many I still sometimes run into the hair-rippingly frustrating situation, when one of my presets overrides edits that I’ve already made to a photo. What usually causes this is when I forget to uncheck an edit box I didn’t adjust in the “Save Preset” window when saving my new preset.

In order to save yourself a little grief, always – and I mean always – remember that when you make a new preset only save (check off) the edits you’ve actually made. NEVER (requisite shouting) leave a box checked even if the value is zero.

The reason for this is that even if an adjustment slider is set to zero checking the box will save that slider to zero in your preset. This means that if you have a preset that only affects the tone curve and you leave all the boxes checked all the other edits you’ve made will be reset to default by the Lightroom Preset. Sad times.

Don’t Stop at the Presets

Like I said earlier…I’ve made a lot of presets and I hope that they help people get the most out of their photos. Yet if there’s one thing that I sincerely hope my presets don’t do is become an endpoint.

Presets are a ladder. Don’t simply apply a preset and hope for the best. Most presets are intended to be post-processing workhorses and/or springboards for your creativity. In either case, don’t stop at the preset. Even though the stars sometimes align and a preset might hit the bullseye with a single click, don’t be afraid to change things around.

As you test out presets feel free to update the settings or create a brand new mutant preset based on the edits you see before you. Some of my personal favorites the ones I’ve engineered to simulate expired film and vintage cinema.

Almost every time I narcissistically employ one of my own presets I find myself adjusting and tweaking until I have something completely new that I end up saving as a fresh preset. The process becomes cyclic. This is how great presets are born.

Final Reminders…

Lightroom presets are an old standby in the post-processing world. Oddly enough, not everyone uses them to their full potential. Making, saving or downloading Lightroom presets is only the first act in a great play.

Remember the value of import presets for speeding up your editing from the beginning. When making your own presets always remember to select only the aspects of the development that you’ve adjusted and not any zeroed out sliders. Don’t be afraid to change presets, especially the ones you’ve paid good money for, in order for them to better fit your own creative vision.

And most importantly, never allow yourself to simply stop at the presets…well, most of the time. Get the most out your presets by making them your own. Allow your presets do most of the heavy lifting if need be, while always following your own direction.

The post How to Get the Most from Lightroom Presets appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

April 3, 2018
Adobe releases ‘massive update’ to Camera Profiles in ACR and Lightroom
The new Profiles panel in Lightroom CC. Credit: Adobe

Earlier today, Adobe launched a major update to Camera Profiles (now known as just “Profiles”) in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), Lightroom Classic CC, Lightroom CC, and both versions of Lightroom Mobile. The update brings six new Adobe RAW profiles, over 40 new Creative profiles, a new profile browser, and a bunch of new features and feature enhancements across both mobile and desktop.

The most significant update here is obviously Profiles.

Camera Profiles has now been renamed “Profiles”, and the whole panel has been moved so it’s easier to find. In Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom Classic CC, Profiles have been moved from the Camera Calibration panel into the Basics panel; in Lightroom CC, they’ve been added to the top of the edit panel.

But this update isn’t just about adding Profiles to Lightroom CC and moving them around a bit. There are now six new Adobe RAW profiles to work with.

Six New Adobe RAW Profiles

In addition to the tried and true Adobe Standard, you now have Adobe Color, Adobe Monochrome, Adobe Landscape, Adobe Neutral, Adobe Portrait, and Adobe Vivid. Credit: Adobe

Previously, the only Adobe RAW profile you had at your disposal was Adobe Standard. Now, you’ve got six more to choose from:
- Adobe Color: designed to improve the look and rendering of warm tones, improve the transition between certain color ranges, and slightly increase the starting contrast of your photos. As the new default, it was designed to work with the widest range of photos.
- Adobe Monochrome: Tuned to be “a great starting point” for any black & white photo. Results in better tonal separation and contrast than Adobe Standard converted to B&W.
- Adobe Landscape: Produces more vibrant skies and foliage tones.
- Adobe Neutral: Provides a starting point with very low contrast. Adobe claims this one is most useful “for photos where you want the most control, or that have very difficult tonal ranges.”
- Adobe Portrait: Provides “more control and better reproduction of skin tones.” This means less contrast and saturation applied to skin tones throughout the photo, so you have more control over how those tones turn out.
- Adobe Vivid: A “punchy, saturated starting point.”
The point of each of these profiles (and Adobe Standard) is to give your images a unified “look and feel” regardless of the camera you’re using. But now, rather than a single profile, you’ve got six “starting points” to choose from depending on your genre and photo editing style.

Adobe Color replaces 10-year-old Adobe Standard as the default profile for newly imported photos, but you’ll still have access to all of them in the new Profiles section of the Basics panel.

New Creative Profiles

Creative Profile comparison. Credit: Adobe

You now have 40+ Creative profiles to choose from, split up into four groups: Artistic, Modern, Vintage, and Black & White. These profiles can be applied to both Raw and non-Raw photos, and come with a 3D Lookup Table (LUT) for a level of control that was previously reserved for Photoshop.

Creative profiles also come with an Amount slider, so you can increase or decrease the effect.

Black & White Creative Profiles comparison. Credit: Adobe

Additionally, Adobe has also been working with some popular Lightroom preset creators to create a range of 3rd Party Profiles, some of which are already available today. These include profiles by photographers Brian Matiash and Matt Kloskowski, and companies like RNI Films and Contrastly.

You can find links to all of the 3rd Party Profiles on the Adobe blog post about this update.

Updates to Lightroom CC on Android and iOS

The new Detail tab in Lightroom CC for Android. Credit: Adobe

In addition to the Profiles update described above, Lightroom CC for iOS, Android and ChromeOS all got some feature updates and upgrades as well.

On the Android/ChromeOS front, a new Details tab provides Sharpening and Noise Reduction options, Grain options have been added for “realistic film grain,” and some additional control for sharing images over Lightroom CC Web have been added as well.

For iOS users, the new Geometry tab will help you straighten crooked and skewed photos using new Upright, Guided Upright, and Geometry sliders; the same Grain options mentioned above have been added, and Adobe has introduced a Left-Handed Editing Mode on the iPad. The company has also done some iPhone X layout optimizations to take advantage of the dreaded notch.

The new Geometry tab in Lightroom CC for iOS. Credit: Adobe

A Few More Things

Finally, in addition to everything mentioned above, a few minor improvements have been made to Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC on the Desktop.

In Lightroom Classic CC, the Dehaze tool has been made more accessible by moving it to the Basics panel, the Tone Curve panel has been expanded for better/more precise control, and the face-tagging algorithm has been improved.

In Lightroom CC, support has been added for Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, and a new filter option has been added that allows you to sort your images by “sync status.”

To learn more about all of the updates detailed above, and particularly if you want to dive deeper into the new Profiles features, head over to the Adobe blog or update your Adobe Camera Raw, Lightroom CC and/or Lightroom Classic CC to the latest version. This update went live about 15 minutes ago, and should be available to all Creative Cloud subscribers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
April 3, 2018
Quick look: Canon’s new compressed Raw format

Canon’s new entry-level EOS M50 is also the first Canon camera to come with the new Digic 8 processor, allowing it to capture smaller C-Raw files in the new CR3 format.

The EOS M50 may be aimed at beginning photographers, but its all-new Digic 8 processor makes it Canon’s first camera to use the CR3 Raw file format. Older Canons that used the CR2 file format could capture either losslessly compressed Raw files or ‘medium’ and ‘small’ equivalents, both saving you disk space, the latter at the expense of reducing resolution.

However, if you enable the compact ‘C-Raw’ option on the M50, the files will be 30-40% smaller than their losslessly compressed equivalents without any reduction in resolution. But are there any other image quality penalties to pay? Let’s take a look.

Click here to download the original Raw files for all of the below comparisons.

Base ISO

Uncompressed Raw Compressed Raw

Click through for full size
ISO 100 | 1/40 sec | F5.6 | Canon EF 50mm F1.4

The above images were shot and processed using our standard studio testing procedure. Do you see any differences? We couldn’t find any – but we decided to see if boosting the ISO value and using our low-light scene would turn anything else up, particularly in terms of shadow noise.

High ISO

Uncompressed Raw Compressed Raw

Click through for full size
ISO 12800 | 1/40 sec | F5.6 | Canon EF 50mm F1.4

Now that we’ve switched to our low light setup and boosted the ISO by seven stops, the images still appear all but identical, even in terms of noise levels. So far, it looks like it’s best for you to go ahead and switch into C-Raw and save yourself some disk space.

But when we put the EOS M50 through our standard exposure latitude test, we did find some evidence of what sort of processing is happening in Canon’s C-Raw files.

Pushed shadows

Uncompressed Raw Compressed Raw

Image pushed four stops in Adobe Camera Raw

Our exposure latitude test involves exposing our studio scene with increasingly lower exposures, and then pushing them back to the correct brightness in Adobe Camera Raw. With many older sensors, you would see an abundance of noise being added by the camera, but today’s sensors output files that are much more tolerant to this sort of manipulation.

Basically, after pushing the files, we look into the shadow regions to assess the exposure latitude (essentially the dynamic range) of the Raw files. And it’s after underexposing the EOS M50 by four stops and then re-brightening, we start to see some clearer differences between the regular Raw files and their C-Raw equivalents.

The resulting pattern can be more difficult to remove or reduce than normal noise patterns, and is reminiscent of artifacts left behind from noise reduction algorithms that we’ve seen in the past.

At this time, we’re optimistic that users of Canon’s new Raw format can shoot in C-Raw without a noticeable impact on image quality.

But after all, this is a four-stop push. Depending on your shooting, this may indicate a slight dynamic range disadvantage to using C-Raw, but it’s likely to remain an edge case for most users. And so we’ve decided to finish off with a more informal test in a more common situation. We wanted to see if processing out the two different Raw files would turn up different results for the gradient in a blue sky.

Blue skies and takeaways

Uncompressed Raw Compressed Raw

Click through for full size
ISO 100 | 1/640 sec | F8 | Canon EF-M 15-45mm F3.5-5.6

Smooth gradients can often trip up compression algorithms, particularly in many cameras’ JPEG engines, so we wanted to see if there was any noticeable difference when the EOS M50 compresses its Raw files. As with our un-pushed studio images, it’s again impossible to tell which is the normal Raw file, and which is the C-Raw file. So what does this all mean?

Of course, we still have plenty of tests to run on the EOS M50, but at this time we’re optimistic that users of Canon’s new Raw format can safely shoot in C-Raw and save themselves valuable memory card and disk space without noticeable impact on image quality.

Note that all of the above images of our studio scene were processed in an identical manner to images in our studio scene widget, meaning there was no sharpening nor noise reduction added. Adjustments for the blue sky scene were limited to highlights, shadows, whites and blacks in Adobe Camera Raw, and sharpening and noise reduction were left to default levels.

Click here to download the original Raw files for all of the below comparisons, and to see how the EOS M50’s uncompressed Raw files compare to its peers, check it out in our studio test scene.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 3, 2018
Meyer Optik unveils Nocturnus III 50mm F0.95 with new mechanics and Leica M mount
German lens manufacturer Meyer Optik Gorlitz has redesigned its super-fast 50mm F0.95 lens both inside and out, and has added a Leica M mount option to the existing Fuji X and Sony E Mount fittings.

The Nocturnus lll has a new mechanical construction, according to the company, that makes manual focusing and adjusting the aperture almost silent. This new version is somewhat lighter than the Mark ll model, and there is also a slight design change to the outer barrel of the lens that now sees a cut-away in the metal to show the aperture value in use.

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The manual focus lens features a 15-bladed iris that closes down from F0.95 to F11, and the stepless aperture construction and ‘nearly silent’ focus control make it suitable for use in video. Inside you’ll find 10 lens elements in 7 groups, which gives the Nocturnus III a close-focus distance of 0.50m and total weight of 790g.

The new version of the lens is due to ship in August this year, and will cost $ 3,000 in either black or silver. Pre-orders made before the middle of April, however, can be made at a discount of up to 60%. For more information, visit the Meyer Optik Gorlitz website.

Press Release
Meyer-Optik-Görlitz launches new Nocturnus III 50 F0.95 with mounts for Sony-E, Fuji-X and Leica M

The third edition of the Meyer-Optik-Görlitz Nocturnus 50mm F0.95, which is known for its exceptional light intensity comes in a new design and features now mounts for Sony-E, Fuji and Leica M. The lens is currently available through a pre-sale campaign on the manufacture’s website.

Meyer-Optik has just announced the launch of the Nocturnus 50 F0.95. The super-fast manual-focus lens is optimized for use with full-frame sensors, but also works with APS-C cameras. The third edition comes in a new design and now features mounts for Sony-E, Fuji-X and Leica M. Within the next 14 days, the lens in offered in a pre-order sale, where it is available for less than 60% of its future MSRP.

Like its predecessor, the new Nocturnus comes with a focal length of 50mm and an aperture range from F0.95 to F11. Thus, the lens features a lot of versatility both when shooting in available light conditions and in terms of depth-of-field. Its 15 aperture blades with anti-reflective coating, make the new Nocturnus III 50 F0.95 a unique tool to create a pleasant bokeh with circular highlights whilst creating great sharpness in the focused areas.

The Nocturnus has a minimum focus distance of 50cm and weighs 790 grams. The new mechanical design of the Nocturnus III makes the Nocturnus also an interesting option for videography: Manual focus control and the stepless aperture ring operate almost silently.

Technical Specifications:
- Focal length. 50 mm
- Aperture: f0.95-11
- Angle of view: 23°
- Minimum focusing distance: 50 cm
- Filter diameter: 67mm
- Optical design: 10 elements in 7 groups
- Aperture blades: 15, steel, special anti-reflex coating
- Weight: 790 g
- Color: Black or Silver
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
April 3, 2018
Late March Paddling with 2018 All Star SUP by Starboard

Late March on Beaver Pond in Arapaho Bend Natural Area near Fort Collins. The lake was ice free for about two weeks. No green colors yet. Geese are still swimming, but starting to settle down on two islands. Muskrats are […]
paddling with a camera

April 3, 2018
Canon shows off full-frame sensor that shoots 100fps Full HD in ‘exceptionally low-light’

At CES 2018, Canon unveiled three specialized CMOS sensors: an ultra-high resolution 120MP APS-H sensor, a 5MP Global Shutter sensor, and a 19?m Full HD sensor capable of shooting 100fps Full HD in extremely low light. Each does something special—offering high resolution, global shutter, and high-sensitivity, respectively—and now, a few months later, Canon is showing off these sensors in a series of demo videos.

The first video featured the 120MXS sensor, which can shoot a mind-boggling 9.4fps at 120MP resolution. Now Canon USA has released the second video in the series, demoing its full-frame 19?m Full HD sensor made for shooting slow motion in extremely low light:

The 35MMFHDXS CMOS sensor, capable of shooting 100fps Full HD in ‘exceptionally low-light environments.’

The sensor is called the 35MMFHDXS, and in many ways it’s the polar opposite of the 120MXS. It only contains 2.2 effective megapixels, but each of those pixels is a whopping 19?m x 19?m in size, allowing them to capture a lot of light. This, combined with new pixel and readout circuitry that helps reduce noise, is what allows this full-frame sensor to capture Full HD at 100fps even when shooting in very little light.

You can see what this means in the video up top, or read Canon’s own description of the 19?m Full HD sensor below:

The 35MMFHDXS CMOS sensor delivers high-sensitivity, low-noise imaging performance, enabling the capture of Full HD video even in exceptionally low-light environments. The sensor’s pixels and readout circuitry employ new technologies that reduce noise, which tends to increase as pixel size increases. High sensitivity and increased well depth have been achieved through a larger pixel size of 19?m x 19?m (square) with proprietary device design technologies. The 35MMFHDXS CMOS sensor is available in RGB, RGB+IR or Monochrome.

Sample video screenshot. Credit: Canon

These new specialized CMOS sensors now have their own landing page on Canon’s website, where you can dig into the specs and read a full white paper on each of them.

As with the 120MXS, we probably won’t see this 35MMFHDXS sensor in standard, consumer-facing Canon cameras anytime soon; however, the technology Canon is developing to create these “advanced CMOS sensors with state-of-the-art technologies” will no doubt trickle down into the sensors the company will use in its DSLR and mirrorless cameras of tomorrow.

Check out the demo video above, and then head over to the Canon landing page to learn more.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 3, 2018
Sheriff’s Deputy who shot photographer won’t face criminal charges

On March 22nd, a grand jury decided that Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Jake Shaw will not face criminal charges for injuring photojournalist Andy Grimm. Shaw shot Grimm after mistaking the photographer’s tripod and camera for a gun.

The incident took place in September of 2017. Grimm was shot by Deputy Shaw in New Carlisle, Ohio, while attempting to photograph the deputy during a traffic stop. The incident made national news in part because it was captured on Shaw’s body cam, which recorded the deputy telling Grimm that he’d mistaken the photographer’s camera and tripod for a firearm.

In December, Grimm, his wife, and KBA News filed a lawsuit against Deputy Shaw, the City of New Carlisle, and the Clark County Board of County Commissioners. The lawsuit, which seeks a minimum of $ 75,000 in damages, accuses Shaw of using excessive force and violating Grimm’s civil rights. According to initial reports, the Sheriff’s Deputy allegedly failed to warn Grimm before opening fire.

Further, the legal complaint claims Grimm has suffered physical and psychological issues since the shooting, as well as loss of wages during his recovery time, and that local law enforcement agencies have “retaliated against” KBA News over the ordeal, resulting in a “loss of business profits.”

However, according to the Springfield Sun-News, Clark County’s lawyers have argued that Deputy Shaw reasonably believed Grimm’s tripod was a firearm. The statement reads:

Defendants aver that it reasonably appeared to Deputy Shaw that Andrew Grimm possessed a firearm under the conditions facing him, in the course and scope of his employment, and in good faith, to make a split-second decision to discharge his weapon in order to protect the public and himself from perceived deadly harm.

Per initial reports, the shooting happened at night during a thunderstorm. Grimm claimed to have first flashed his vehicle’s lights and waved at Shaw, who was conducting a traffic stop, in order to alert the deputy to his presence. As well, Grimm previously stated that he started to set up his camera and tripod “in full view” of Shaw, though moments later he was shot, allegedly without warning.

The county says Grimm may have some responsibility in the shooting, saying that the photographer’s “own contributory and or comparative negligence and/or assumption of the risk may have caused or contributed to cause the injuries and damages of which he complains.”

On March 22nd, a grand jury accepted the county’s arguments, ultimately deciding that Deputy Shaw should not face criminal charges for the shooting. According to local news WHIOTV7, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an administrative review of the shooting, which has also been investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Deputy Shaw returned to work in October under a reassignment to the county jail.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 3, 2018
Tips for What to Shoot at Midday

“Don’t shoot at midday!” How many times have you heard that advice? And that you should only shoot during the Golden Hour?

While it is true the grandest landscape vistas prefer the sun lower on the horizon, there is no reason to pack up your camera and take a nap just because the sun is high. Midday may not be ideal for some types of landscape photography, but there are plenty of high-quality photos to be shot.

NOTE: All photos in this article were taken between 10 am and 3 pm.

Details

Details, details, details. Getting in close and ignoring the wide panoramas during midday will open a new world of possibilities.

Close-up prayer wheels – Nepal – shot at midday under cover so the light was coming from the side.

It’s a great time for macro photography as there is ample light for the smaller subjects (and the lenses used to capture them). Beyond macro, look for snippets of a scene that will help describe your subject alongside the Golden Hour shots.

Detail of mosaic tiles with metal door close-up – Morocco.

Close-up of sailing yacht rope and winch – USA – Washington – Bellingham

Plumeria flowers shot outdoors.

Skimmer and strainer – India.

Patterns

Barring the grand vista, looks for patterns in your landscapes. Or in any subject, for that matter.

In my opinion, looking for patterns changes something in your mind. While patterns are certainly artistic in nature, for me they switch on my analytical side and help me to see a scene differently.

Rippled sand in desert – Oman.

Bridge railing – Bhutan.

Kayaks kept in a row – USA – Colorado.

Use a Diffuser

A diffuser will work wonders for those harsh shadows found at midday. You don’t have to drop a fortune on the coolest model as even tracing paper can be used to defuse the light falling on small objects.

The best diffuser is one I like to call, “passing clouds”. I love to have some light clouds in the middle of the day as it brings an even light to subjects.

Close-up of a whale swimming in the sea – USA – Alaska

View of people visiting Harmandir Sahib temple – India.

Here’s an example of some rather large diffusers (used for the next image, with the help of some flash).

Use Your Flash

Whether it is the flash that is built into your camera or an external unit (on the hotshoe or off), adding even more light to a scene might seem counterintuitive at first. Yet adding that light can balance the existing light and remove shadows.

For one thing, the extra light your strobe puts out is probably not going to outshine the sun, I hope. This means the highlights in a scene will hold steady while that extra light gets up under hat brims, eye sockets or any other areas with shadows.

You may need to play around with your strobe’s power (either directly in manual mode or by using your camera’s flash exposure compensation) to get the balance just right.

Star Bursts with a Small Aperture

Have you ever seen those shots with the sun high in the sky and half a dozen (or more) rays emitting from the center of it? Have you wondered how to get such a shot?

It’s really quite easy. Switch to Aperture Priority mode and close down your aperture. That’s it! The more closed the aperture, the more those rays are accentuated, Now all you have to do is frame an interesting composition.

Here are a few more tips on starbursts and sun flares.

Watch Your Angle

Some people believe that once the sun is high in the sky, directly overhead, the light is all the same. This is not true.

While there may be a 15-minute span of time when the light really is the same from any angle, the rest of the time you can find better light by slightly changing your camera angle or position.

Take a look at these sun-dried peppers from Bhutan. Coming upon the peppers I noticed their vibrant red color, giving a clear warning about the spices within. But the first shot was not the best.

When I moved around to the other side of the peppers, that slight change in the sun’s angle (or, more accurately, my relation to the sun’s angle) made all the difference in a capturing the essence of the peppers.

Look for Unique Angles

If the sun is coming in from high overhead, why not get up higher and shoot with it at your back? All these shots are from a third story hotel window looking down on street life in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Some Landscapes Still Work

Photography is certainly not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. While many landscape photographers will tell you there is nothing good to shoot in the middle of the day, there are areas of the planet which lend themselves nicely to wide landscapes in bright light.

I am thinking specifically of the higher places, like Nepal, Bhutan and the Andes, to name a few. The same applies to landscapes as to those peppers mentioned above. Sometimes all it takes is turning around to notice the sun is slightly better in one direction than another. Here are some examples of midday light from around the world.

Yellowstone National Park

Seljalandfoss, Iceland

Mission Ridge Ski Area, Washington, USA

Boudhanath Stupa, Nepal

Washington State Ferry, USA

Mani stones and the Himalayas – Nepal

The time of year can also help. In places like Iceland in the winter, the midday sun is still very low in the sky as compared to the summer.

Conclusion

I agree that grand landscapes with amazing light are usually not found at midday. The Golden Hour holds its name for good reason. But that doesn’t mean you need to hide inside and stop shooting when the clock approaches noon!

Get out there and look for the type of subjects you like, but in midday light. Experiment and see what you can make come alive while other photographers wait for sunset.

The post Tips for What to Shoot at Midday appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

April 3, 2018
CIPA: DSLRs outperformed mirrorless in February, compact cameras still tanking

Photo by Federico Bottos

The February CIPA report has been published, and overall, it’s still not a pretty picture for the digital camera industry. According to the Japanese agency, overall digital stills camera shipments worldwide were down 26.6% compared to the same month last year.

The CIPA report shows overall digital camera shipments remained flat—a 27% decrease compared to the same month last year.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that most of that drop is due (once again) to the demise of the compact camera.

If you break Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILCs) out of that picture and into its own graph, the story gets a bit rosier. ILC shipments (that’s DSLR and Mirrorless combined) were down only 5.4% compared to the same month last year—DSLR sales by themselves actually eked up 0.1%, while mirrorless sales dropped by 15.8%—and outperformed February 2016 by 17.3%.

ILC shipments actually outperformed 2016, coming up only a few percent short of last year’s February report.

To get to that overall 26.6% drop, you have to account for the whopping 44.7% drop in compact camera shipments… a sad if not surprising figure. You can see each of the percentages—overall, compacts, ILCs total, DSLRs, and mirrorless—highlighted in the chart below:

This month’s shipment numbers compared to the same figures from last month.
From top to bottom: All Digital Cameras, Compacts only, all ILCs, DSLRs only, Mirrorless only.

Taken as a whole, a weak end to 2017 seems to have led into a weak beginning to 2018. But if you look at ILC numbers by themselves, the picture is a bit less bleak. Sure, 2017 still ended on a pretty sad slump compared to 2016, but February has seen a big jump over January where, in previous years, that line has stayed flat or even seen a decline.

If March outperforms February—as is usually the case—it could mean the ILC market, least, is stabilizing a bit. And if Canon and Nikon release full-frame mirrorless cameras sometime this year, we could even see 2018 outperform 2017. Of course, that’s all speculation for now, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on the numbers in the coming months.

In the meantime, if you want to dive deeper into shipment data by region, or see how camera production did in February (DSLRs up 4%, Mirrorless down 11%), head over to the CIPA website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 3, 2018