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  • Artist caught using stolen photos for $20,000 Calgary art installation

    Image by Derek Besant via Avenue Calgary

    A public art installation in Calgary has been removed after it came to light that the artist behind it, Derek Michael Besant, used copyrighted photos as part of the project without permission.

    Besant was commissioned by the city of Calgary a couple years ago to create the $ 20,000 CAD / $ 15,500 USD art exhibit as part of the city’s 4th Street S.W. Underpass Enhancement Project. The resulting exhibit, which was located in the 4th St. S.W. underpass, featured large Polaroid-esque images showing blurred individuals with brief quotes overlaid onto them.

    The individuals in the images were allegedly travelers with whom Besant had interacted in the underpass. Local publication Avenue Calgary reported in 2015 that Besant had spent a couple days in the underpass with “a camera, notepad and recorder” to get images and quotes from people who passed through. However, that lie fell apart after a Calgary traveler noticed that one of the project’s images resembled UK comedian Bisha Ali.

    He sent Ali a note about it, at which point she began deconstructing the lie publicly online, pointing out that at least a few of the other images were also portraits of comedians. Ali detailed the entire saga in a long Twitter thread accessible here.

    Late last month, Canadian publication MacLean’s unraveled the rest of the story, reporting that the images were swiped from the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and that the artist had recommended to Calgary Head of Community Services Kurt Hanson that the city take down the exhibition.

    In a tweet on the matter dated November 29th, Ali reported that Calgary was taking down the art installation:

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Weekly Photography Challenge – Wide-Angle

    Different lenses produce a different look and effect in your images. Wide-angle lenses add depth and dimension to your images and give them a sense of three-dimensionality. They can be used to add humor and add interest as well. But, you must use a wide-angle lens properly.

    Weekly Photography Challenge – Wide-Angle

    The key to using a wide-angle lens is to get close to your subject. Really close! Not so close that you can’t focus, but close enough to make the subject appear larger than real life.

    • Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography
    • How to Use a Wide-angle Lens with Wildlife for a New Perspective
    • How to Use a Wide-Angle Lens for People Photography
    • 6 Reasons to Love Ultra-Wide Lenses

    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 – Wide-Angle by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


    Digital Photography School

  • Affinity Photo named Best iPad App of 2017, celebrates with 50% off sale

    When Affinity Photo for iPad first launched, it touted itself as a game changer: “the first full blown, truly professional photo editing tool to make its way onto the Apple tablet.” And ever since, people (DPReview included) have been confirming that this app is, indeed, a really impressive iPad image editor.

    Well, if you needed just a little more convincing, there’s one more data point to consider: Apple just named Affinity Photo for iPad its “Best iPad App of 2017.” That’s pretty great, and to celebrate the folks at Affinity Photo are hosting a 24-hour flash sale, knocking the price down 50% to just $ 10 bucks on the iTunes App Store.

    As of this writing, the flash sale will end in 17 hours and 35 minutes, so if you’ve been considering a solid iPad photo editor, check out our Affinity Photo for iPad review by clicking the big blue button below. Then head over to the Affinity Photo website to learn more or get a copy for yourself.

    Affinity Photo for iPad Review

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • VSCO reveals ‘Messages’ feature, takes on Instagram’s DMs

    VSCO X subscribers and free users alike will soon have access to a new direct messaging feature simply called Messages.

    VSCO announced the feature earlier this week, bringing its app up to speed with Instagram, which has allowed direct messaging for ages. Using VSCO Messages, users can share text, images, DSCOs, profiles, and journal entries directly with other users who follow them. Direct messages can only be sent between followers, and they’re joined by the ability to leave a conversation, block the user, and/or report them if necessary.

    VSCO X subscribers are getting access to the feature first, but free users will get Messages in the near future.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Meyer Optik Goerlitz launches P75II F1.9 lens with coverage for medium format

    German optical manufacturer Meyer Optik Goerlitz has launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund the construction of a new version of its Primolpan 75mm F1.9 portrait lens that will be designed for sensor sizes from Micro Four Thirds all the way up to medium format.

    The so-called P75II will have a much wider image circle, to enable it to be used with the smaller medium format sensors such as the Hasselblad X1D and Fujifilm’s GFX 50S. As a consequence of the larger covering circle, Meyer Optik claims smaller formats will enjoy added contrast across the frame.

    The lens is a redesigned version of a lens produced in the 1930s by Meyer Optik, but the war and the communist control of East Germany halted production of the original after only 2,000 had been made. The newest version has modern glass and coatings, and a new internal design to enable medium format compatibility. The closest focus has also been reduced to 55cm/1.8ft, and the company is introducing a Meyer Achromat accessory close up lens attachment that reduces that distance further to just 25cm/1ft.

    While the original lens used a Cooke triplet design, the new P75ll is constructed with five elements in four groups and a 14-bladed iris to produce the famous bubble-type out-of-focus highlights the company has become known for. Glass will come from Schott and Ohara, the aperture will run from f/1.9 to f/16, and the front filter thread will be a standard 52mm.

    At the time of writing, the lens has raised over $ 120,000 on a target of just $ 30k, with a full month left still to run. Lenses can be had for a pledge of $ 650 against an expected full asking price of $ 2,500, while a kit with the Achromat close-up lens is going for $ 800 against an expected retail price of $ 2,600. You get to choose between either a black or silver finish, and Meyer Optik Goerlitz expects the lenses to ship at the end of September 2018.

    For more information, visit the Meyer Optik Goerlitz P75ll Indiegogo campaign page.

    Mounts:

    • Leica M
    • Canon EF
    • Nikon F
    • M42
    • Sony-E
    • Fuji-X
    • Micro-Four Thirds
    • Pentax-K
    • Fuji’s GFX (if the campaign receives more than 25 supporters for this mount)

    Manufacturer Information

    Return the lost treasure: Create the P 75 II f1.9

    The P75 II is the advanced version of the rare vintage Primoplan 75. Along with its specially designed achromat lens the P75 II can go down to a minimum focal distance of just 25cm or less than 1 foot. Its enlarged frame size allows use on mid format cameras and increases contrast and resolution. It is a bokeh lover’s dream with a variety of possible bokehs build into one lens: from circular, melting rings to swirly and creamy backgrounds. Yet, its center sharpness is magnificent.

    Prototype Stage

    When the ingenious Paul Schaefter first constructed the Primoplan 75/f 1.9 in early 1930’s, his goal was to create the best lens of its kind. Even a century later, its ability to create the most striking and impressive bokeh-effects have stood the test of time. When we decided to recreate and modernize this lens, we knew we had an important legacy to uphold – and the results were beyond even our high expectations.

    With the modern Primoplan 75, the creative photographer has the perfect means in his hands to compose his images with the required background and dreamlike transition from sharpness to fuzziness. But see for yourself.

    But we wanted more so we carefully innovated and have developed a new version of the Primoplan 75, which we have named the P75 II. In the new P75 II, you’ll find that we’ve reduced the minimum focal distance by almost 30% to just 55cm or 1.8 ft. and we enlarged the image or frame size so that we can now also cover mirrorless medium format cameras like Fuji’s GFX 50s. Also, as a consequence, we improved the contrast of the images for 35 mm (full format and mirrorless) dramatically. The Meyer P75 II is just simply the perfect tool for portrait, nature photography and, through the enhanced contrast, black and white photography.

    Help us to put this legend back into your hands

    The region in Germany around Jena-Dresden-Goerlitz gave birth to so many famous camera and lens advancements in the early part of the 20th Century, you might call it the Silicon Valley of photography of its time.

    At this time, genius Paul Schäfter developed the Primoplan 75, whose design Meyer-Optik-Görlitz applied to protect on 17/06/1936. It soon became famous for its unique, dreamlike ability to create bokeh, along with a soft transition from fuzziness to sharpness which is still unmatched.

    Lights seem to magically, melt into each other. Yet, the P75 II maintains that special Primoplan center sharpness, dramatically stressing the core of the image.

    World War II abruptly put a halt to this success story. After the war, the company was more or less taken over by the new East German government. While some dedicated skilled workers restarted what was left of the company by 1949, barely two thousand Primoplans had been built.

    For a short time, it seemed as if the wonderful lenses could return to their original glory as photographers around the world hailed the return. But again, politics interfered and the communist central planning committee put an end to the Primoplan line in favor of other lenses. So, the Primoplan series can rightfully be called a lost treasure.

    No wonder vintage Primoplans are selling at extremely high prices. We knew from the beginning that bringing the Primoplan back would be a tough task. The glass of the time was no longer available, and the use of lead in optics is no longer acceptable. But after lengthy calculations, prototype building and tests, Dr. Wolf-Dieter Prenzel, leading development engineer of Meyer Optik, succeeded in adapting the historic lens construction to modern-day photography while keeping the characteristics of the lens alive.

    In 2017, the first new P75 lenses – at the beginning still called Primoplan 75 – hit the market and were soon sold out.

    But we wanted to take the saga further and following Paul Schaefter’s legacy, we went on and developed the Meyer P75 in a second version with even better features.
    Come and join us on our journey and help us to revive a literally historic lens.

    The Primoplan 1.9/75 is known for its fine progression from focus to blur, exceptional base sharpness and unique, dreamy, creamy bokeh, which lets the light magically flow together. The 75mm focal length creates a natural viewing angle and does not compress as much as longer focal lengths. Its 14 aperture blades enable the camera to create impressive blur patterns even when stopped down.

    “Bokeh Lover’s Dream Lens”

    There is much talk about bokeh. Different lenses have their strength and weaknesses. But the Meyer P75 II is a true king of bokeh because it offers the photographer a whole range of different bokehs in one lens. With the background at a closer distance, the 14 aperture blades display their merits and a wonderful circular, donut-type bokeh appears with the colors melting into each other. When the background is at about 9 feet/3m this becomes a more rotating composition of out of focus effects. But all the time these bokeh effects remain discreet and are not intrusive. You might call the P75 II bokeh effect noble or refined.

    The Primoplan 75 is perfect for portrait photography. It adds a creamy, background-melting bokeh, classic sharpness and exceptional color rendering that produces skin tones that are almost perfect straight out of the camera. While there is always a great debate when you ask photographers to name their favorite focal length for portraits, we think the 75mm hits a sweet spot that gives you a bit more compression than a 50mm but allows you to work in slightly tighter spaces than an 85mm or 105mm lens.

    The original Primoplan 75 / f1.9 is an enhancement of the Cooke triplet, in which a central dispersion lens is flanked by two groups of lenses, each acting as a converging lens. The rear group consists of a single biconvex converging lens. This exceptional design results in breathtaking images. The New P75 II (Primoplan type lens) will remain the basic construction but our lens designer Dr. Wolf Dieter Prenzel, has worked on major improvements in the optical scheme to make a perfect lens even better.

    We are using a completely new lens design and lens materials which also are upgraded with a special coating to make them as resistant to environmental influences as possible. Of course, it will maintain the classic sharpness and versatile bokeh that vintage enthusiasts love, while incorporating modern technological advances for today’s DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.

    The modern P75 II will come with mounts for:

    • Leica M
    • Canon EF
    • Nikon F
    • M42
    • Sony-E
    • Fuji-X
    • Micro-Four Thirds
    • Pentax-K
    • NEW: Fuji’s GFX (if we get more than 25 supporters we will create a native mount)

    The P75 II will be launched with a larger image circle which also covers mirrorless mid format camera sensors. As a result, the image look will be persistent from center to the corners to reduce down edge effects to a minimum.

    Paul Schäfter was the direct successor of Paul Ruolph at Meyer Optik. Rudolph died in 1935 and Paul Schäfter took over. He developed some of the most important Meyer lenses which were to be the backbone of the firms production for 25 yaers to come namely the Primoplan lenses and later also the so called Primotar 135mm and 180mm lenses. His colleague was Stephan Roeschlein who had designed the Trioplan lenses for Meyer. After the war Paul Schaefter left East Germany and Meyer optic and worked for a company by the name of ISCO in Braunschweig.

    Shipping

    The Meyer P75 II will be available worldwide. To minimize shipping costs, our rewards will either ship from the U.S. or from Germany, depending on your – our supporter’s – location. Since local regulations vary, please note that we cannot be held responsible for additional sales taxes or import/customs fees added by your country.

    Deliveries to the U.S.: Shipping costs of the lenses in the U.S. are $ 20 USD. For most deliveries inside the U.S., there is no additional fee besides shipping costs. Since we have a shipping hub in Nevada and an office in Atlanta, Georgia, for deliveries to these states, the local sales tax applies. Please note that sales tax is not included and must be added in line with local regulations.

    Deliveries to the European Union: Shipping costs within the European Union are $ 20 USD. For our supporters from the European Union, please note that VAT is not included. For supporters from the European Union 19% VAT (VAT Germany) need to be added seperately. If our project is successfully funded, we will get in contact with you in case of open VAT.

    Deliveries outside U.S. and the European Union: For deliveries to regions outside U.S. or the European Union the shipping costs are $ 50 USD.

    Please note there may be extra import costs/customs/taxes to pay upon delivery, depending on your location. Customs and taxes are subject to possible change and applicable law at the time of delivery will have to be taken into account. If you have a question about shipping or handling, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Chaos, color, and community: 10 days in India

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    Photographer and Resource Travel writer Brandon Cunningham recently embarked on a long-awaited photographic journey. After 36 hours of travel, he arrived in India for a soul-affirming 10-day trip with the non-profit The Giving Lens—an organization that empowers local communities and their youth by encouraging them to pursue their creative aspiration.

    Cunningham describes his experience in an article on Resource Travel, bringing us along on a travel photography trip that clearly left an indelible mark.

    India was everything and more than I imagined. I prepared for what seemed like forever, but all of the preparation in the world could have made me ready for the connections, love, and inspiration that I gained in this complicated and beautiful country.

    […]

    While reading, talking and watching motion pictures provide some insight to the visiting community, until you put your feet on the ground, breathe in the local aromas and watch life unfold in front of your camera, there is simply no preparation for the joy and overwhelming appreciation of being welcomed into homes, families and communities.

    We’ve included a small selection of the colorful and chaotic photos Cunningham returned with at the top of this post. To see more and read all of his thoughts on the journey, head over to Resource Travel where a full 45-photo gallery awaits.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • How to Enhance Colors Using Photoshop’s Color Range Tool

    Luminosity Masks have become a go-to technique for many photographers wanting to make selective adjustments on their images. While it’s a great way to create precise masks, it’s a mask solely based on the luminosity of a pixel and it may not be ideal when you only want to make adjustments to a specific color. Perhaps you want to enhance that beautiful sunset you photographed last night or maybe you want to change the color of your subject’s eyes. Regardless of what color based adjustment you want to make, there’s a simple and quick method of creating a precise selection based on the color value using Photoshop’s Color Range Tool.

    Why Use Selective Adjustments

    Before we jump into how you can create a precise selection based on a color, I quickly want to talk about why you should be using selective adjustments in your post-processing.

    My area of expertise is landscape photography but this topic is important no matter what type of images you capture or your ambitions. If you have a desire to make your images look better, you need to be making some selective (local) adjustments to them.

    It doesn’t need to be anything super-advanced, but start by at least making some selective color adjustments. The main reason you’d want to do this is to get rid of the unwanted color cast. The color cast can come as a result of your previous post-processing or it can come straight from the camera and it’s something that sticks out as a negative when viewing the image (the exception is when it’s a deliberate color cast that serves a purpose).

    How to Enhance Colors Using Photoshop's Color Range Tool

    I used Selective Adjustments to keep the shadows cold in this image.

    It’s also quite common that you’ll want to make an adjustment only to a specific area of an image (known as a local adjustment). A normal adjustment will affect the entire image (known as a global adjustment). Instead, create a mask that selects only the part of the image you want to affect (for example the highlights, a color, or maybe just a specific subject) and make your adjustment. Now, you’ve kept the majority of the image untouched but have made a visible adjustment to that particular area – no global color cast and no unwanted effects.

    Create a Mask Based on Color

    Okay, let’s jump into it and start making a few adjustments based on a color. In the example below, I want to increase the saturation and brightness of the yellow flowers in the foreground. A typical way of making a similar adjustment would be to use the Hue/Saturation adjustment and increase the saturation of the yellows. Yes, the flowers are saturated and brighter now but so are the cliffs, areas in the sky, and even some of the water.

    How to Enhance Colors Using Photoshop's Color Range Tool

    First of all, make sure that you’re on a Stamp layer – in other words, one which is all the layers below it merged into one (you can delete this layer later but you’ll need it for the next step). Now, go to Select > Color Range… A new box should now appear and it’s here that you’re going to create the mask.

    How to Enhance Colors Using Photoshop's Color Range Tool

    For the best results, make sure that Sampled Colors is selected in the top drop-down menu. It’s possible to work with the other options as well but I find the mask to be much more accurate by manually sampling the colors you want. Next, with the Eyedropper Tool selected, click on the color in your image that you want to select. For me, that’s one of the yellow flowers in the foreground. Notice that the image within the Color Range box now has changed and it’s mostly black. This represents the selection we’re making (only the white parts of the mask will be affected).

    Refine the mask

    The Fuzziness slider is a useful tool to make the selection more or less refined. By pulling the slider towards the left, you’re creating a more restricted mask and it affects less of the similar colors to what you’ve selected. Pulling it towards the right has the opposite effect and the mask starts including similar colors. I prefer to use a fuzziness of approximately 70-80 but I recommend you play around with it for each shot.

    How to Enhance Colors Using Photoshop's Color Range Tool

    That’s it! Click OK and you’ve created a precise mask based on that color. Now, you choose the adjustment you want to use – I’ll use the Hue/Saturation slider for now.

    Adding Colors to the Selection

    Before we continue and start enhancing the image, I want to show you how you can add more colors to the mask. Let’s say that I also wanted to make the same adjustment to the bright parts of the sky. Before clicking OK and creating the selection, I would simply hold shift (or select the second Eyedropper Tool named “Add to Sample) and click on the sun. You’ll see that the mask has changed and the area around the setting sun is also whited out.

    How to Enhance Colors Using Photoshop's Color Range Tool

    Unfortunately, this step also included some of the cliffs in the lower right corner which I don’t want to be affected. The best way to remove that from your mask is to paint directly on the mask with a black brush after creating an adjustment layer.

    Making the Adjustment

    The last thing I’m going to do is to increase the saturation and brightness of the flowers. With the mask we created active (you know it’s an active mask when you see the marching ants around your selection), create a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Since we’ve already created a mask that targets only the yellow flowers, we don’t need to go into the yellow channel, instead, we continue using the Master channel.

    Now just drag the Saturation slider towards the left until the colors are saturated to your taste. I also increased the Lightness slightly to make the flowers pop even more.

    Before

    How to Enhance Colors Using Photoshop's Color Range Tool

    After

    This technique of creating a precise mask can be used with any adjustment layer that you want. I often combine it with any color-based adjustments such as Hue/Saturation, the Photo Filter, and Color Balance. For adjustments that affect the brightness and contrast of the image, I prefer using Luminosity Masks.

    The post How to Enhance Colors Using Photoshop’s Color Range Tool by Christian Hoiberg appeared first on Digital Photography School.


    Digital Photography School

  • The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    If you do any photography for clients, either on a regular basis or whenever work comes your way, there can be a tendency to be somewhat creative when answering questions about your skills, abilities, and expectations. You might be asked to shoot a wedding when you don’t necessarily have the gear or experience to do what the client expects. Or someone might ask you to take product photos when your background is in portraits.

    It’s not uncommon to be on location at a photo session and have things suddenly go awry or get strange requests from your clients. Even in the editing phase, you could very well find yourself dealing with a situation that you aren’t ready for. In times like these, it’s important to remember three simple words we have all heard since we were kids – tell the truth. You might not like the immediate results, but it will work out for the best for you and your clients in the long run.

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    Set your client’s expectations

    Not long ago I was asked to do a portrait session for a high school senior. I knew the family and we were all looking forward to the session. But about a week before we were scheduled to take photos, we hit a bit of a wrinkle. Her parents asked if their daughter could have her two dogs in the photos as well. I had a moment of panic because this was a situation for which I was quite unprepared.

    After I thought about it for a little while, I realized I had two choices, neither of which was all that appealing. I could have said yes in which case I would be agreeing to something that I was not ready for. Or I could have said no in which case I would have run the risk of angering the client and maybe even losing their business to another photographer who would agree to take the photos they wanted.

    The truth of the matter, though, was that I simply didn’t know the answer so I told the client just that. Rather than say yes or no, I laid my cards out on the table and hoped for the best. I explained that I would be willing to give it a try but I had no experience with this sort of situation, and there would be a chance the pictures wouldn’t turn out at all.

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    This high school senior wanted some pictures with her dogs. I obliged but tried to be as honest as possible regarding my comfort level and experience with this type of photography.

    Honesty is the best policy

    Instead of being upset or angry, her parents were quite pleased with my response and told me they appreciated me being upfront about it. They felt more comfortable working with someone who was willing to tell the truth rather than spend money on a photographer who just told them what they wanted to hear and might not be able to deliver on the results.

    On the day of the shoot, I continued the trend of being open and honest and suggested a couple options for photos, many of which the family quite liked. I even enlisted the help of the parents. Even though the photos aren’t going to win any awards or get printed in magazines, the family was more than pleased with the results. They liked the collaborative nature of the photo session as well. They felt like they could trust me and knew that I would do everything in my power to get some photos they would like, and in the end, that’s what really mattered.

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    We enlisted her mom to help!

    This type of honesty can go a long way towards making sure your clients know what to expect when they book your services. Getting everyone on the same page before, and during, the photo session can help make sure they know what they are getting and you know that you haven’t promised something you can’t deliver.

    Work with a safety net

    Being open and honest with your clients is a little tricky and can involve walking somewhat of a fine line because as a photographer you are getting paid to know what you’re doing and you have to project a certain degree of confidence. After all, people are paying you to know what you’re doing so you had better know how to do it!

    That being said, if you are honest with your clients about what you can do, it can give you a great deal of wiggle room when out actually doing a photo session. It also helps build a relationship of trust with your clients.

    I normally shoot photos on location at parks and open areas around town. When I was taking pictures for another high school senior the two of us met up at a local garden, talked about school and college, and then got to work on the photo session. I started by giving him some very specific directions to get some good shots in the bag – the slam dunks if you will. He politely obliged, and we took some pictures that turned out just fine when I reviewed the images on my camera.

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    This young man was willing to try some new locations and poses for his senior photos. We got some good ones in familiar spots first, and then tried a couple of experiments just to see what would happen.

    Get the safe shots then experiment

    After that, I spoke to him quite plainly about some ideas I had and asked if he would be comfortable trying some pictures that might be different than what he expected. Instead of just barking orders I explicitly said: “I’ve got an idea and I’m not sure how it will turn out, but would you be up for trying something and see what happens?” This sort of talk put him at ease, and he told me he appreciated that I was straightforward and plainspoken with him, and he gladly agreed to experiment with some poses and locations that were new to both of us.

    I don’t have quantitative data to support this, but I have a strong suspicion that if I had played the classic “fake it ’til you make it” approach I would have been nervous, fidgety, and a little on edge the whole time. Instead, my honesty about the photos we were taking helped make the session comfortable for both of us and we got some pictures that both he and his parents liked quite a lot.

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    Neither of us had ever been to this spot before, but I asked if he was willing to try something new and he was all for it.

    Be open to ideas – but be honest if you aren’t sure about it

    Here’s one final example of how important honesty is when working with clients. Not long ago I was asked to shoot photos of a family in early November in time for them to get their Christmas cards printed. We discussed the details of the shoot beforehand and she gave me examples of the types of pictures she was hoping to get. I assured her that I could certainly get that same look and feel. (I really meant it too because I knew the location, I knew my own capabilities, and I was entirely confident I could get the shots she wanted.)

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    During the photo session, one of the family members asked about some different types of pictures. Rather than blindly agree with everything she asked for, I slowed down and discussed the details with her on the spot. I knew the capability of the lenses I had with me, I knew the setting and the lighting, and I asked her several questions in order to make sure I was giving her honest and straightforward answers.

    Soon enough I found myself standing atop an eight-foot ladder shooting straight down at a collection of hands on a tree stump. While it was certainly something I had not imagined beforehand I was able to set expectations with the client, build a safety net in case things didn’t work out, and ultimately get a shot that everyone liked.

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    Not the type of picture I’m used to taking, but I explained that and the family didn’t mind at all.

    Be honest with yourself

    I want to make it clear that as a photographer working with clients you should absolutely possess a high degree of knowledge regarding your craft. You should understand lighting and composition, and know how to work with your subjects (even if they’re inanimate objects) to get the pictures you want. You should know your camera like the back of your hand and have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of exposure like aperture, shutter, and ISO.

    But you should also know your own limitations, and understand what you can do as well as what you haven’t yet learned. Essentially you need to make sure you don’t over-promise and under-deliver when crunch time hits.

    This is a mistake that a lot of new photographers make, myself included. It’s thrilling to get a new camera and some lenses and think that you can suddenly start taking on paid jobs. I know, I’ve been there! But if you take time to learn your own limitations and be honest with yourself about what you really should and should not be doing, you will find yourself producing better results while also having a clear idea of how you can improve over time.

    Here’s a photo that illustrates what I’m talking about

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    I took this picture without being honest with myself. When I look back on it now I notice so many problems that were plain as day if only I had been willing to see them. This mother and her girls look great, but as their photographer, I really should have known better before agreeing to do their photos.

    I had gotten a DSLR and a 50mm lens about a year before this and I thought I knew everything there was to know about photography! But in reality, there was a vast chasm between what I thought I knew and what I actually knew.

    • I didn’t understand the relationship between aperture and depth of field, hence the reason the girl in the foreground is out of focus.
    • I didn’t fully understand the capabilities and limitations of my gear and shot at much higher ISO values than I should have in this scenario.
    • My knowledge of light, shadows, and composition was lacking.
    • I didn’t know how to edit my RAW files to get the final images to look how I really wanted.

    The list could go on, but the lesson here is that if I had been willing to own up to my shortcomings I would have either waited to do the photo session until I actually did know what I was doing. Or I would have been more forthcoming with the clients about what I could do and what they could expect.

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    This shot turned out okay, but there was a lot I didn’t know about using external speedlights when I took it. I should have taken more time to learn what I was doing first.

    Do the right thing

    One final note, or perhaps a bit of advice, is to be forthcoming with your clients about the limits of what is culturally and legally permissible. If you’re in this business long enough you might be asked to shoot photos at a spot where photography is prohibited by custom or by law. (Note: if you are ever asked to take photos on train tracks, do not do it. Not only is it dangerous and life-threatening, but train tracks are private property and you will likely be trespassing if you shoot photos on them.)

    Alternatively, someone might inquire about taking pictures at locations that are particularly dangerous to themselves or you as the photographer. Sometimes even the subjects you are shooting might want to engage in risky activities or behaviors that are either illegal or, as your gut instinct might tell you, just plain wrong.

    Trust your instincts

    It’s best to be upfront and honest if you find yourself in these situations. Tell your contacts or potential clients, “Thanks, but no thanks.” and explain that you just aren’t willing or able to meet their request. “But my friend did it, and it was no big deal!” they might reply. If they do…stand your ground, maintain your integrity, and advise them to look elsewhere for their photos. Don’t compromise your integrity and professionalism to get pictures you know you shouldn’t be taking.

    The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients

    Conclusion

    One of the best feelings in the world is when I see someone pick up a camera, get inspired, and start using it to create images with meaning, impact, and a sense of artistry. Digital cameras make photography easier than ever before but if you are working with clients whether it’s shooting weddings, portraits, products, real estate, or any other type of transactional relationship you have to be honest with them and yourself to build a rapport and sense of trust that can lead to long-term partnerships.

    The post The Importance of Being Honest With Yourself and Your Clients by Simon Ringsmuth appeared first on Digital Photography School.


    Digital Photography School

  • Snapdragon 845 will bring 10-bit color, faster burst and more to next year’s smartphones

    With smartphones, image processing is as important—if not more important—than the camera hardware components themselves, which is why the chipset is a crucial element in the imaging pipeline. Most Android smartphones come equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets, and the company has just unveiled its latest top-end product, the Snapdragon 845.

    We will probably see the Snapdragon 845 in many of 2018’s high-end devices, and that’s a very good thing for the camera system.

    As you’d expect from any new chipset, it’s faster than the predecessor Snapdragon 835, comes with more integrated AI processing power and supports higher data speeds. However, the Snapdragon 845 also offers a range of important improvements in the imaging department.

    Images can now be captured in 10-bit color with a Rec. 2020 gamut, offering a wider range of tones and hues than the previous 8-bit color. While that’s impressive, the 845’s capability to shoot 60 frames per second at 16MP is even more important when you consider image stacking applications, such as HDR modes or low-light modes that combine several frames to average out noise and improve overall quality.

    Another area of improvement is slow-motion video. Next year’s Android flagships will be able to record an impressive 480fps slow motion at 720p in HDR—unfortunately, 1080p resolution will still be limited to 120 fps, lagging behind the current iPhones’ 240 fps capability. Qualcomm is catching up with Apple in terms of video frame rates, though. Like the iPhones 8, 8Plus and X, Snapdragon 845-equipped phones will be able to record 4K footage at 60 fps.

    The Xaomi Mi 7 will be the first 2018 model to come with the new chipset, but it’s also expected to be installed on the Samsung Galaxy S9 (which may also come with a variable aperture…). Other brands will likely follow soon after, giving mobile photographers a lot to look forward to in 2018.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Interview: Sofi Lee is a pro shooting with vintage digital compacts

    Portrait of the photographer

    Film nostalgia in photography might be all the rage today – it seems a lot of people are hungry for that ‘organic, analog look’ – but for Seattle photographer Sofi Lee, nostalgia for vintage digital compacts is a lot more fun. And it’s the limitations of these cameras that help to set Sofi’s professional work apart from the crowd.

    Lee only graduated college two years ago, but in that short time has amassed quite a few clients in the Pacific Northwest by shooting beautiful images that, yes, feature blown highlights, chromatic aberration, rudimentary noise reduction, coma and more.

    Tell me about your professional work as a photographer.

    I do photography and animated GIFs, mostly for journalistic purposes. My Seattle clients include Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, City Arts and the Weekly Volcano in Tacoma. Nationally I’ve worked for Vice.

    Sofi shoots a lot of portrait work for publication in the Pacific Northwest. This image, of the band Pleather, was shot on a Fujifilm FinePix E900. Photo: Sofi Lee

    I know you spend a lot of time shooting with digital cameras from the early and mid- 2000’s. Tell me a little bit about your interest in these cameras.

    I first got into older point and shoots back in 2014. At the time, the analog revival was really taking off. I was in a commercial photography trade school and watched many of my peers either straight up shooting film or trying to recreate the aesthetics of film in editing. There were definitely a lot of talks in class about photographs looking ‘too digital’ as well as instructions on how to add more of an ‘organic, analog’ feel to your images.

    There were definitely a lot of talks in class about photographs looking too ‘digital’ as well as instructions on how to add more of an ‘organic, analog’ feel to your images.

    At the time, I observed to myself that the re-emergent fascination with film was probably ephemeral, specific to the current zeitgeist and highly rooted in nostalgia. So I asked myself, ‘What will be the thing people look back to next, after film?’ I started digging through Flickr archives of photos taken on older point and shoot digital cameras, or ‘digicams’ as some people called them, and felt there was something different about them.

    They stood out in a way apart from modern digital files: The dynamic range is narrower and the shadows have a character that looks different from those of modern CMOS cameras [due to the lower pixel count and simplistic noise reduction]. That really interested me, so I started spending hours poring over DPReview [laughs] looking for cameras. I made a list of qualities I looked for: cameras with CCD sensors that shot Raw and, initially, were released around 2001.

    The Canon PowersShot G2, in hand.

    So what was the first camera you settled on?

    The camera I ended up settling on was the Canon PowerShot G2. It turned out that Raw was very uncommon for cameras at the time apart from pretty much Canon cameras. I also picked it out because its maximum aperture is F2.0. The body also has a classic look to it, something ineffably iconic of its era. When I saw it, I said to myself, ‘That’s the one.’

    The Canon G2 ended up coming with me everywhere I went. I think a lot of photographers find freedom when they shoot film, but I found it here instead.

    So I started taking photos and made a Tumblr [blog] album called Summer of G2 to host it. With this gallery, I did street photography, still life and portraits and kind of let loose, departing from the more restrained work I had to do in my commercial photography studies. The G2 ended up coming with me everywhere I went. I think a lot of photographers find freedom when they shoot film, but I found it here instead.

    Another portrait shot on the Fujifilm FinePix E900. Photo: Sofi Lee

    You mentioned that you appreciate the limited dynamic range and blown highlights that come with these older digicams, specifically ones with CCD sensors. What else do you consider to be part of the vintage digicam look?

    This is by no means specific to CCD sensors, but one thing that really stood out to me was chromatic aberration. Obviously, this is something that’s been around as long as glass has, but because of the of the tiny sensors and lenses, CA really stands out. A lot of people hate this, but I think it’s gorgeous. I feel like people look like they’re glowing when they’re surrounded by CA.

    Another thing is, well, I basically have a grudge against shallow depth of field and bokeh. It’s something which has a stranglehold on the photo-aesthetic world right now. I get why people like it and why it emerged as ‘looking professional’ when everyone shot with digicams. But on the other hand, I like a deep depth of field a lot. I think there’s a lot of challenges when having to account for everything in the frame being in focus. I have to really stop and think about what I’m shooting before I shoot it.

    The Canon S40.

    So you started with the Powershot G2 (2001) – did you eventually move on to more modern cameras? if so, tell me a little bit about that journey.

    When I first picked up the G2, I also started going to thrift stores almost every day to hunt for interesting cameras. I lived really close to a Goodwill [thrift store] so I’d stop by every time I happened to pass it, say on the way to get groceries. On my free days, I’d travel to the suburbs and hit up every thrift store there.

    Soon enough, I amassed a pretty sizable collection. No one was really looking for these cameras at the time, so they were cheap and plentiful. Since then, actually, I’ve seen a lot fewer. I’m curious if other people are starting to get into them as well. That or Goodwill is catching on and just putting them on their online store.

    Anyway, the first cameras I started using after the G2 were the PowerShot S series. I got the Canon S40 first and then I came across an S30, brand new in the box with manual and cable and stickers and all.

    What did you pay for it, do you remember?

    Five bucks, I think. Originally it was a $ 200-300 camera.

    Just a small part of Sofi’s ‘digicam’ collection.

    Wow.

    I honestly picked up so many cameras. Anytime I saw something interesting, I would look it up, see if it had a CCD sensor and if it did and was old enough, I would grab it. Eventually I accumulated too many and had to become more selective.

    ‘My sweet spot now is between 2008-2011. Cameras from this era have a good resolution for print but still have the digicam look.’

    I started keeping a Google Sheets document of every camera that shot Raw on my smartphone. There’s a Wikipedia page that helped a lot. And one by one, I ticked a lot of those cameras off. Actually, a few months ago, my assistant was looking through my collection and was just like, ‘Wow, you have pretty much everything on this list.’

    The S30 was $ 5, what was the average price you were spending, and was there a cut off in terms of how high you would go for a camera?

    It was all dirt-cheap. I remember one time I picked up a PowerShot G6 for 12 bucks. Some of the higher-end looking ones, like the Olympus E-20, would go for $ 25. Those would be a little out of my range: it depended on how nice it was. I’ve definitely walked away from cameras that were too expensive.

    A portrait shot on the Panasonic LX5. Photo: Sofi Lee

    CCD sensors were eventually replaced by CMOS sensors in a lot of these premium point and shoots. What year do you consider your cut off when shopping for used compacts?

    My sweet spot now is between 2008-2011. I get asked to do professional/commercial work with these cameras and there was a while I’d have art directors telling me, ‘this stuff is great, but can you give it to us in higher resolution?’ [laughs] And I’d have to say, ‘Sorry, this is the highest I have.’ Because of this, I started narrowing down the cameras I was using and stuck with ones that shot higher resolution.

    Cameras from this era [2008-2011] have a good resolution for print but still have the digicam look – great optics and Raws that allow me to do what I want. That’s not to say the cameras before that time weren’t any good, but the Raws can be challenging to work with.

    You mentioned resolution and I guess in the simplest terms, to what extent does image quality matter to you? And does it matter to you personally, or is it more just the requirements of being a working professional?

    I would say it’s mostly requirements. I’m even fine with 5MP cameras – that’s the lower end of what I’ll accept – but as long as it takes a good photo I’m generally happy. I think there’s too much emphasis on megapixels. Maybe that’s just because people like cropping their 42MP images. I don’t like cropping though, I try to get it all in camera if I can.

    The Olympus XZ-1.

    So what cameras are you currently shooting with? If you were headed out on a shoot after this interview, what would be in your bag?

    I always have the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 (2008) on me. It literally lives in my bag and I never leave home without it. I use it more than I use my cell phone camera, actually. I love this one because it’s an ultracompact with a 15MP CCD sensor and also shoots Raw. It keeps a low profile: everyone just thinks you’re an anachronistic tourist when you use it. It’s quite a marvel of engineering; there really isn’t anything else like it. I use it in about 90% of my photos. It also has the unique honor of being DxOMark’s worst camera [laughs].

    I always have the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 (2008) on me. It literally lives in my bag and I never leave home without it.

    But if I need to do a portrait or something involving a strobe then I have a few different options. I’ll use either the Olympus XZ-1 or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, which I really like for the aspect ratio options. I also shoot with the Fujifilm E550, an older model – from 2004 I think – that manages to shoot 12MP Raws, higher than most DSLRs at the time. It has the best flash metering I’ve ever seen. It’s also nice and compact, with great ergonomics. I’ve done a number of shoots with it, including band portraits.

    A portrait shot on the Olympus X-Z1. Photo: Sofi Lee

    Do you run into any issues sourcing batteries or cables for these old cameras?

    A lot of that is available through eBay and Amazon stores, actually! So that hasn’t been that big of an issue. The biggest issue is sourcing accessories. I like collecting the original optional accessories as well, such as flash units or cases, and that’s really the more challenging part. This is stuff I really have to hunt for and a lot of the times I only find them if I look up obscure reviews or old manufacturer’s websites in Japanese.

    The bigger issue, really, is memory cards. Most of the cameras take CF or SD cards but there are some like the Fujifilm E550 that take XD cards. Those are somewhat uncommon, tend to be expensive for their capacity and a pain to get files off onto my computer. I also have a Fuji that only takes PCMCIA cards. Yeah, that’s no fun.

    Sofi’s cable drawer.

    So do you have a favorite camera in your collection?

    I find myself always coming back to the FX150 and the LX5, but I’ve talked enough about those I think. I have a sentimental connection to the G2. But right now I’m really excited by the Ricoh Caplio GX100 and the Panasonic LX2.

    I picked up the GX100 at a thrift store for $ 6: it was in pristine condition and looked just like the GR series. It’s very basic yet basically anything you could want in a camera of that size. The LX2, though, is fun because of the widescreen 16:9 sensor. It’s the same aspect ratio as APS film in APSH mode, so it reminds me of that when I’m shooting with it.

    How many digital cameras do you think you own?

    Maybe like 50.

    Getting back to this current wave of film nostalgia, do you think we will look back at this era, 10, 20 years from now and laugh at ourselves?

    Trends always change: I definitely don’t see photography aesthetics being static. If you look at the history of photography we can see how a lot of styles came and went. The obsession with shallow depth of field and bokeh is another thing that will probably go at some point. I’m personally getting tired of seeing one eyelash in focus.

    The Panasonic LX2, in hand.

    What’s the deal with pixel peepers?

    I think there are a lot of different reasons people are into pixels, but I think pixel-peeping as a phenomenon has a lot to do with consumerism. People want the ‘best of the best’ and back it up through a variety of ‘scientific tests.’ Personally, I’m not into technical perfection and feel that falling into pixel-peeping strips photography from a lot of its character. In fact, high-end cameras, once you’re pretty good at shooting, make it too easy to produce an acceptable image. Where’s the fun in that?

    That said, I think flipping the complete opposite direction – analogue worship, basically – isn’t good either. This comes from a false dichotomy that film is all character. There’s more than one way to be ‘pro-character’ or ‘against pixel peeping’.

    A lot of interviews I read on photography sites end with a sort of adage about the best camera being the one you have with you or how film inspires you to just think and shoot rather than pixel peep. I think photography is more than just capturing an image though; it’s also about imposing your vision on it. The best camera is the one that’s right for the vision, with the right noise profile, lens distortions, etc. Anyway, I’m sort of rambling [laughs].

    Check out more of Sofi Lee’s photography and animated GIF work at Sofi.pics, and in the gallery below:

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    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)