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Shopping for a photographer? Whether you are one yourself or not, chances are you could use some ideas. From stocking stuffers on up, we’ve got some photography gift suggestions for every budget.
2017 Holiday Gift Guide: Under $ 50
2017 Holiday Gift Guide: $ 50-200
2017 Holiday Gift Guide: Over $ 200
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There’s an incredibly talented online community of colorization enthusiasts and professional retouchers who spend their free time bringing iconic black-and-white photography to life in color. You typically find their work on Facebook, Reddit, or occasionally featured on photo blogs, but we’ve never seen it published in any official printed capacity we’d want to display on a coffee table… until now.
Retrographic: History’s Most Exciting Images Transformed Into Living Color is a photo book released in September that any photo lover would be proud to own and display. A labor of love created alongside the aforementioned colorization enthusiasts and professional retouchers, the book is the brain-child of author, photo-curator, and Royal Photographic Society member Michael D. Carroll.
“Through the careful selection of striking images and dedicated colorization research, Retrographic takes the reader on a visual tour of the distant past,” explains Carroll. “Many of these moments are already burned into our collective memory through the power of photography as shared by people across the 190-year long Age of the Image. And now, these visual time capsules are collected together for the first time and presented in living color.”
The book contains 120 images in all, including some of the most iconic and influential in history—The Burning Monk, V-J Day in Times Square, The Wright Brothers’ First Flight, and many many more. As Carroll explained to us over email, the idea was to present people with a photographic history they could more easily relate to:
There is a tendency for people of the present to look back at history in black and white, which can be highly aesthetic in that black and white makes the subject look pleasing to many people. However, black and white can make the viewer feel detached from the subject. We hope that adding color breathes life into historical images and reconnects people to those who went before and helps us to understand and empathize with them.
And if the colorized photos aren’t enough, the book’s remaining 73 pages are filled will “informational gems” and narrative, including a forward by Royal Photographic Society Ambassador Jeff Vickers.
You can browse through a sampling of the images included in the book below, and if you want to learn more about Retrographic, visit the book’s Facebook page, or pick it up for yourself on Amazon.
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Size, resolution, and formats… What do pixels have to do with it?
Do you buy your camera based on its number of megapixels? Are you having problems sharing your photos online? Does your print look low quality even if it looks great on the screen? There seems to be a lot of confusion between pixels and bytes (image size and file size), quality and quantity, size, and resolution.
So let’s review some basics to make your life easier, your workflow more efficient, and your images the correct size for the intended usage.
This image is sized to 750×500 pixels at 72 dpi, saved as a compressed JPG which is 174kb. Let’s look at what all that means.
One of the biggest misunderstandings comes from the concept of resolution. If this is your case, believe me you’re not alone.
The problem is that resolution can refer to many things, two of them relate to the problem at hand. Further on I’ll explain these two resolution concepts, however, they have one thing in common that I need to clarify first. They both have to do with pixels.
You’ve probably heard a lot about pixels, at least when you bought your camera. This is one of the most available and “valued” specs on the market so I’ll start there.
A digital photo is not one non-dividable thing. If you zoom in far enough you’ll see that your image is like a mosaic formed by small tiles, which in photography are called pixels.
The amount of these pixels and the way they are distributed are the two factors that you need to consider to understand resolution.
The first kind of resolution refers to the pixel count which is the number of pixels that form your photo. In order to calculate this resolution you just use the same formula you would use for the area of any rectangle; multiply the length by the height. For example, if you have a photo that has 4,500 pixels on the horizontal side, and 3,000 on the vertical size it gives you a total of 13,500,000. Because this number is very unpractical to use, you can just divide it by a million to convert it into megapixels. So 13,500,000 / 1,000000 = 13.5 Megapixels.
The other kind of resolution is about how you distribute the total amount of pixels that you have, which is commonly referred as pixel density.
Now, the resolution is expressed in dpi (or ppi), which is the acronym for dots (or pixels) per inch. So, if you see 72 dpi it means that the image will have 72 pixels per inch; if you see 300 dpi means 300 pixels per inch, and so on.
The final size of your image depends on the resolution that you choose. If an image is 4500 x 3000 pixels it means that it will print at 15 x 10 inches if you set the resolution to 300 dpi, but it will be 62.5 x 41.6 inches at 72 dpi. While the size of your print does change, you are not resizing your photo (image file), you are just reorganizing the existing pixels.
Imagine a rubber band, you can stretch it or shrink it but you’re not changing the composition of the band, you’re not adding or cutting any of the rubber.
In summary, no resolution is not the same as size, but they are related.
Because of the aforementioned correlation between size and resolution, a lot of people think that megapixels equal quality. And in a sense it does because the more pixels you have to spread out, the higher the pixel density will be.
However, on top of the quantity you should also consider the depth of the pixels, this is what determines the amount of tonal values that your image will have. In other words it is the number of colors per pixel. For example, a 2-bit depth can store only black, white and two shades of grey, but the more common value is 8-bit. The values grows exponentially so for example with an 8-bit photo (2 to the power of 8 = 256) you’ll have 256 tones of green, 256 tones of blue, and 256 tones of red, which means about 16 million colors.
This is already more that the eye can distinguish which means that 16-bit or 32-bit will look relatively similar to us. Of course, this means that your image will be heavier even of the size is the same, because there is more information contained in each pixel. This is also why quality and quantity are not necessarily the same.
Therefore quantity helps, but also the size and depth of each pixel determine the quality. This is why you should look all the specs of the camera and its sensor and not just the amount of Megapixels. After all, there’s a limit to the size you can print or view your image, more than that it will only result in extra file size (megabytes) and no impact in the image size (megapixels) or the quality.
First of all, you need to choose the outlet for your photo, there is a maximum density that you need. If you are going to post your image online you can do great with only 72 dpi, but that is too little for printing a photo. If you are going to print it you need between 300 and 350 dpi.
Of course, we are talking about generalizations because each monitor and each printer will have slightly different resolutions as well. For example, if you want to print your photo to 8×10 inches you need your image to have 300dpi x 8″ = 2400 pixels by 300dpi x 10″ = 3000 pixels (so 2400×3000 to print an 8×10 at 300dpi). Anything bigger than that will only be taking up space on your hard drive.
Open the menu for the image size and in the popup window, you need to tick the Resample Image box. If you don’t activate “resample” you will only be redistributing the pixels like I explained at the beginning of the article.
You can also choose to tick the Constrain Proportion if you want the measure to adjust according to the changes you make. So the width adjusts when you change the height and vice versa.
8×10 inches at 300 ppi, this is the size needed for printing an 8×10. Notice the pixel size is 3000 x 2400.
750×500 pixels at 72 ppi. This is web resolution and is the exact size of all the images in this article. The size in inches is irrelevant when posting online – only the pixel size matters.
On the top of the window, you’ll also see how the file size changes. This is an uncompressed version of your image, it’s the direct relationship I explained in the first part of the article: fewer pixels means less information.
Now, if you still want to change the file size without resizing anymore, you have to do it when you save the image. Before saving your photo you can choose the format you want:
If you don’t want to loose any information you need to save an uncompressed format. The most common, and therefore easier to share is TIFF.
If you don’t mind losing a little information as long as you have a lighter file, then go for a JPEG and choose how small you want it. Obviously the smaller you set it, the more information you will lose. Fortunately, it has a preview button so you can see the impact of your compression.
JPG high quality.
JPG low quality. Notice how it’s pixelated and breaking down? If you crunch it too much or go too low quality you risk degrading the image too far.
So there you have it. So quality, quantity, size and resolution explained and they all have to do with pixels, as they are the basic units that constitute your image. Now that you know you can make the best choices to print, share and save your photos.
The post How to Understand Pixels, Resolution, and Resize Your in Photoshop Correctly by Ana Mireles appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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Few would argue that in 2017 the mobile device industry is a major driver of imaging hardware innovation. Long gone are the days when the size of the image sensor and the aperture were the major determining factors for image quality. Instead, phone manufacturers have turned to software and computational imaging methods to achieve better detail, wider dynamic range and lower noise levels, as well as high-quality zooming and DSLR-like bokeh effects.
High-powered chipsets with built-in image signal processors and sensors with very fast read-out times make it possible to combine image data that is captured by dual-lenses, or several frames recorded in quick succession, within milliseconds. These methods produce image quality that would have been unthinkable on a smartphone only a few years ago and often surpasses basic compact cameras.
Thanks to those advances in software, but also new hardware concepts, such as dual-cameras, hybrid AF-systems and more powerful image signal processors, current smartphone cameras are better than ever before. Here is our selection of the best models available in 2017, noting where their particular strengths lie.
Dual 12MP-camera | 28/52mm equiv. focal lengths | F1.8 and F2.4 apertures | OIS | 4K/60fps video | 5.8-inch display
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Apple’s brand new flagship iPhone X pulls all the technological plugs and comes with features and specifications that we haven’t seen on any iPhones or even other smartphones before. The iPhone X offers a marginally faster F2.4 telephoto lens than its cousin iPhone 8 Plus and, compared to last year’s 7 Plus, adds optical image stabilization in the telephoto lens. On the video side of things the X is capable of recording 4K footage at 60 frames per second and slow-motion clips at 1080p resolution and 240fps.
As you would expect, all the new technology has a boosting effect on image quality and the iPhone X is currently ranked second on DxOMark.com, behind only the Google Pixel 2, and with the currently highest Photo score of 101 points.
But the iPhone X not only offers outstanding image quality, it improves on the imaging viewing experience too. The iPhone X’s wide gamut OLED is the most color accurate device on the market, partially thanks to iOS’ internal color management but also because of display calibration. That’s a benefit to anyone who takes and looks at photos on their mobile device.
The device also comes with a number of innovative features. Portrait Lighting is an AI-powered feature in beta that works with front and rear cameras. It allows users to apply different lighting styles on top of simulated-bokeh-portraits. The iPhone X also used Face-ID to unlock the device, relying on an array of cameras and sensors at the top of the edge-to-edge display.
What we like: Excellent detail and dynamic range, natural bokeh mode, 4K video at 60 fps
What we don’t like: Price, underexposure and red-eye with flash
Dual-camera | 16MP 1/3.1″ / F1.6 / OIS main camera | 13MP / F1.9 super-wide-angle | 4K/30fps video | manual video control | 6.0-inch display
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The LG V30 is the Korean manufacturer’s latest flagship smartphone and comes with an unusual dual-camera setup. Instead of a telephoto lens the V30 offers a secondary super-wide-angle that lets you squeeze more scene into the frame, without the need for accessory lenses.
The V30 also sets itself apart from the competition with a very comprehensive video mode that comes with manual control over shutter speed and sound recording levels, among many other parameters. You can also choose from 15 new Cine Effect color presets that are based on film genres and the Point Zoom mode allows for stable zooming into a target in the frame rather than the center.
In testing for our forthcoming review we found the V30 to deliver excellent video image quality. Still images are good as well, with wide dynamic range and good sharpness across the frame, but levels of detail lag just a touch behind the very best on the main camera and can be pretty low on the super-wide-angle. Still, the V30 is an excellent option for mobile videographers and those who appreciate a super-wide-angle.
What we like: Great video feature set and stabilization, super-wide-angle offers new framing options, excellent display
What we don’t like: Poor detail on super-wide-angle, zoom quality, no bokeh mode
Dual-camera | 12MP / F1.7 / 26mm main camera | 12MP / F2.4 / 52mm | OIS | 4K/30fps video | 6.3-inch display
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The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is the Korean company’s late entry to the dual-camera game but has immediately set new standards. The camera module combines a 26mm equivalent 12MP wide-angle module with a 52mm equivalent tele camera.
The secondary camera comes with a smaller sensor and slower aperture than the main module, but together with the iPhone X the Note 8 is one of very few dual-cam smartphones to offer optical image stabilization in both lenses. In DxOMark’s Mobile testing the dual-camera setup achieves outstanding results, including the best zoom performance among all current smartphones. Good detail and a natural looking bokeh mode also contribute to the high overall score of 94 points.
In the video department the Note 8 comes with 4K resolution and a 240fps slow-motion option. With its massive 6.3″ Quad-HD+ display and S-Pen stylus the Note 8 is also an interesting option for those photographers who like image editing on the device. It stands up very well in our comparison against the iPhone X, making it a great option for any Android user.
What we like: Class-leading zoom, large display and stylus, good bokeh mode
What we don’t like: Lower DR than some competitors, price
12.2MP 1/2.6″ sensor | F1.8 aperture | OIS | 4K/30fps video | 5.0-inch display
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The original Pixel was one of last year’s best smartphones and there is no doubt version two is following right in its footsteps. The Pixel 2 is one of the few current high-end smartphones with a single-lens camera but it makes up for a secondary camera with a host of advanced Google software features.
Despite a slightly smaller image sensor than on the predecessor, the Pixel 2 achieves excellent dynamic range and very good detail in all conditions, earning it the best overall performance and the current top spot in the DxOMark Mobile ranking. Testers were also impressed with the video mode that combines optical and electronic stabilization for ultra-smooth footage.
The Pixel 2 might have to make do without a secondary lens but thanks to Google’s software wizardry and Dual Pixel technology (split left/right pixels) it’s still capable of creating a usable fake bokeh Portrait Mode effect, and digital zoom has improved over the previous generation as well.
Early Pixel 2 adopters have reported some display troubles but Google has taken measures to fix them, making the Pixel 2 an easy recommendation for any mobile photographer. As a bonus the device comes with an integrated but currently dormant image processor called Visual Core. When it’s activated via a software update in the near future, it should give the Pixel 2’s image quality another boost.
What we like: Class-leading detail and dynamic range, excellent hybrid video stabilization, “pure” Android operating system
What we don’t like: Display issues on early units, lower zoom and bokeh performance than closest competitors
Dual-camera | 12MP RGB and 20MP monochrome sensors | F1.6 aperture | OIS | 4K/30fps video | 6.0-inch display
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The Huawei Mate 10 Pro is not a cheap smartphone but will cost you significantly less than the Leica M10 or pretty much any other Leica camera for that matter. So, if you always wanted to carry a Leica in your pocket but are strapped for cash, the Huawei device might be a good compromise. It doesn’t come with the famous red dot but, like the P10 and several other recent Huawei smartphones it has a Leica badge right next to its camera module.
It’s not all about the badge though. The Mate 10 Pro comes with an innovative dual-camera setup that combines a 12MP RGB sensor with a 20MP monochrome chip. Image data from both sensors is combined computationally to achieve better detail, increased dynamic range and lower noise levels. The high-resolution monochrome sensor also allows for a 2x lossless zoom and a unique Huawei feature: a monochrome mode that doesn’t simply convert RGB images, but captures black and white images natively.
And Huawei isn’t relying on hardware alone on the Mate 10 Pro. AI and neural networking are applied to improve the quality of the fake bokeh mode and power the automatic scene selection’s object recognition. Motion detection reduces motion blur in low light conditions.
The combination of innovative hardware and software concepts pays off and at 97 points the Mate 10 Pro achieves one of the best overall scores on DxOMark, tying the iPhone X for second place in the ranking.
What we like: Great detail in low light, monochrome mode, decent zoom and bokeh
What we don’t like: Limited slow-motion video options
While Black Friday was born in the United States, people from all over the world now wait for this day to do some serious shopping too, and photographers are no exception. The Friday after Thanksgiving has become popular everywhere marking the beginning of the winter holiday season. So are Black Friday deals really a “big deal” for photography enthusiasts? Yes, Continue Reading
The post Best Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals for Photographers appeared first on Photodoto.
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The bride and groom, Tim and Kylie, were married two years ago in Long Beach and between all the formalities and rainy weather they were left feeling a little empty handed and did not get the photos they imagined. They wanted to remarry and to be intentional about making their day about everything they could ever imagine.
They are both very into fitness and outdoorsy people
None of us had been to Norway prior. We were worried about there being crowds at the Trolltunga or the visibility upon arriving to the top. We checked the weather every day for a week before arriving and every day it said it would be sunny. But on the day of their wedding, heavy rains were in the forecast. Although it rained throughout the hike, we miraculously had somewhat of clear skies with epic clouds that added a little bit of drama to the composition of the photos.
The hike took us a little longer than it typically would: 14 hours total. We all had backpacks weighing around 35lbs. We also had rogue weather… it would be windy, raining and then just stop. Although it was definitely physically difficult, your brain is so stimulated from being surrounded by such beauty that it makes it enjoyable. There is some out of this world scenery and half the time you can’t even believe what’s around you.
It is our instruct as humans to want to capture what is around us to make it last and sink in. So as you can imagine being in an unbelievable place with something around every corner you want to snap every second. But on this particular hike the main goal was to be intentional in capturing the story of what was happening, really zoning in on the dialog between the couple and place.
For me, this particular wedding and photos represent one of the biggest challenges I’ve come across in shooting photography: the mental game. I literally had to jump over obstacle after obstacle, but pushing through always pays off. There’s nothing like being at the top of an immense landscape or mountain, literally or figuratively, looking into your viewfinder, and knowing that everything that came before was so worth it.
Nick Falangas is a professional photographer, half of the husband and wife duo that make up Priscila Valentina Photography. He is constantly striving to push the boundaries and create exceptional photography.
He has shot hundreds of events all over the world. You can follow along on Instagram @PriscilaValentina_Photography, Facebook, Website and Blog.
I love travel portraits. Not only do they test your photography skills but also challenge you to interact with people in unfamiliar environments. The end result directly reflects your subject’s personality along with your ability to make them feel at ease, read the light, select optimal settings, and compose a great shot.
A boy named Ashim and his father at Dasaswamedh Ghat – Varanasi, India.
Every photographer has a slightly different approach, which evolves with every new person you meet and country you visit. Join me as I walk you through an encounter from start to finish and share tips on how to shoot engaging travel portraits.
As a photographer, it’s up to you to develop your own code of ethics. However, I implore you to seek permission and not just stick a camera in someone’s face. The initial approach can often be the hardest part; taking the shot is comparatively easy.
Aim for a consensual, mutually enjoyable exchange from which you can both walk away with a happy story to tell. Be open, smile, and pay people compliments.
Boy monks at Rumtek Monastery – Sikkim, India. I kept my camera at my side, introduced myself, and asked their names. Their answers made me regret leaving my notebook in the car (Sikkimese names are notoriously long). They wanted to talk about soccer. When I asked for a photo, the boy on the right jumped and said “I know a good place. Follow me!” It was a fun encounter and their personalities shone through in the pictures because they’d had a chance to chat about their favorite topic.
If it’s a firm no, you can smile warmly, tell them it’s absolutely fine, and ask them if they would like to see photos you’ve taken of the local area. This way, you can both still walk away having had a pleasant experience, and sometimes, they even change their mind.
Your challenge now is to make your subject feel at ease. The best portraits come when people are relaxed and open to you. Most crucially, don’t rush the photo, say goodbye, and walk away. Show genuine interest in their lives.
Ask questions if you can speak a mutual language. If not, remember that much of your intentions and warmth can be communicated through body language, facial expressions, and gestures.
Ba-An, an 81-year-old lady, in front of the Banaue rice terraces – Luzon, Philippines. I will remember Ba-An because I had the longest and most interesting conversation I’ve had with anyone before taking their portrait. “These? They’re chicken feathers,” she said when I asked about her headdress. “Sometimes I tell people it is tradition, but really, we just started doing it a few years ago!”
With permission granted and your subject warming to you, the next step is reading the light. Whether it’s day or night, look at the lighting conditions around you. Consider asking your subject to turn their body or move completely to seek the best light.
While waiting for a Hindu ceremony to begin, this gentleman wobbled his head enthusiastically and motioned towards my camera – Varanasi, India. Sometimes, as in this situation, when people see you photographing others in a respectful manner, they may prompt you to take their portrait. I asked him to turn so that the light from a spotlight would be cast across his face at a less harsh angle.
Ideally, you have a fixed focal length (prime) lens with a wide aperture attached to your camera body. However, if you’re traveling, you may have an all-purpose zoom lens attached. I like portraits that I’ve taken with both types.
With my fixed focal lens, I often shoot portraits at f/2.8 or slightly above. If you shoot any wider, the focal plane can be so thin that you risk your subject’s eyes being in focus but having their nose out of focus. For a zoom lens, I recommend selecting your widest aperture but standing further away from your subject. Zooming in on their face will accentuate the shallow depth of field effect that works so well for portraits.
A Muslim traveler at Haji Ali Dargah, an Islamic shrine off the coast of Mumbai – India. My settings and lens for this portrait were f/2.8 | 1/1600th | ISO 160 | Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art lens. The fast shutter speed allowed by using f/2.8 picked out fine details on the man’s face. Such a fast shutter wasn’t necessary for this level of sharpness but it was an extremely bright day in Mumbai.
For engaging portraits, the most important element requiring sharp focus is the eyes. I suggest setting your camera to spot focus on the center AF point. Next, aim the center point at one of your subject’s eyes. Use the focus and recompose method – or even better – the back button focus method to lock in on the eyes. This will ensure they’re in sharp focus in the finished photo.
Numerous compositions can work for portraits. The rule of thirds can work incredibly well but try not to wear it out or all your travel portraits will look the same.
Another one to try is placing one of your subject’s eyes directly in the center of the frame; a study proved that portraits composed this way appeal to viewers on a subconscious level. I promise I’m not making that up. This can be applied in portrait or landscape orientation.
A general rule exists in travel portraiture that you shouldn’t place your subject directly in the center of the frame; however, rules are made to be broken sometimes.
As I stood taking pictures of the Banaue rice terraces, I heard a frail voice saying “Photo? Who is taking a photo?” It belonged to a 96-year-old woman named Bah Gu-An. She was completely blind. I wasn’t sure how to communicate as I normally would for a portrait so took her hands in mine to let her know I was there. Her friends translated back and forth for us. I decided on a rule of thirds composition because I felt the blue umbrella added extra visual interest and balance to the frame.
Try not to stand above your subject if they are sitting. This is intimidating and works against your goal to relax them. Positive psychological things happen when you come down to someone’s eye level. Take a look at the example below.
A Hindu holy man on a tiny island in the Brahmaputra River – Assam, India. This is not a touristy location in India so he is the real deal. I sat down on the step to receive a blessing. Accompanied by mystical chanting, I drank some lukewarm tea of unknown provenance, had air blown all over my face, and ash spread across my forehead. We chatted after and I felt in no rush to suggest a portrait. It was a fascinating experience. What do you think when you look at his facial expression – Is the time spent together palpable?
Posed refers to approaching a person and asking them to sit for a portrait, whereas candid portraits refer to catching a person in an unguarded moment. This doesn’t have to mean without permission.
For the image below, I’d already gained this lady’s trust and permission but waited until she’d forgotten that I was there to continue shooting. Later, I showed her all of the photos, which she seemed happy with.
A devotee watches the nightly Ganga Aarti ceremony – Varanasi, India. This image could be called a candid environmental portrait.
A headshot refers to filling the frame with your subject’s face. The background is not important for setting the scene, although you might consider finding one of a complementary color to your subject’s clothing, skin tone, or eye color. Environmental portraits are zoomed out to allow your subject’s surroundings into the frame to add to their story.
When you have someone’s permission and have bonded with them, consider staying with them a while and shooting a series of images. This is what I did when I met one man in the Philippines recently. I directed him gently for a series of shots after telling him how interested people would be to learn about his culture. He was happy to oblige.
I would have kicked myself if I’d walked away without getting a side profile shot of this man and his headdress that featured the real heads of a long-dead bird and monkey.
I decided to fill the frame here to draw attention to his excellent smile, patterned clothes, and monkey headdress.
Aftercare means bringing the encounter to a close in the best possible manner. I believe an extra layer exists as to why the verb is to “take” a portrait. You are taking something from them, but what are you giving in return?
Make sure you show the person their image on the back of your camera, pay them a compliment, and thank them sincerely. So much joy can come from this simple act.
A man named Ibrahim at the Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai. As we sat together cross-legged on the ground enthusiastically shaking hands at the side of a busy walkway, I could tell from his reaction and those of passersby that this wasn’t a common occurrence. The overall encounter lingered with me for the rest of the day, and I sincerely hope that Ibrahim remembers it fondly too.
I want to know your best advice for shooting travel portraits and see the images you’re most proud of. Be sure to share them in the comments section below.
The post How to Shoot Engaging Travel Portraits from Start to Finish by Ben McKechnie appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Photographer Ryan Earl and filmmaker Nick Arcivos of AmnesiArt recently created an extremely impressive cinematic short film. Impressive not only because the shots were gorgeous, well-planned, and well-executed… but also because the entire thing was shot on an iPhone X.
The film is called ‘Made in Paris’, and it’s a cinematic portrait of Elise Lepinteur, protégée of world-famous pastry chef Christophe Adam.
It was shot and edited over the course of four days, but unlike Matteo Bertoli’s recent 4K iPhone X short film, Nick didn’t shy away from using a little bit of gear to help take the shots to the next level.
“We produced and edited this short piece in only 4 days with the help of Gitzo monopods, a DJI Osmo Mobile gimbal and a Zhiyun Smooth Q gimbal,” he tells DPReview. “For the macro shots, we used iPro Lenses by Schneider Optics. The audio was recorded with a Rode Lavalier Mic, Rode NTG3 Shotgun and a Zoom H4N, and we also used a Marsace MT-01 table tripod and a cheap Andoer mini dolly.”
For lighting, Nick tells us they used three LED lights: a Litepanels MicroPro, a Yongnuo YN300 Air Pro, and a Litepanels Astra 1×1. For the interview, they only used the MicroPro and the Astra 1×1.
Here are a few behind the scenes photos that Nick shared with us, showing how some of the shots in the film above were captured:
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As for how the phone performed, Nick and Ryan were seriously impressed:
We were blown away by the quality of the OLED screen, its size is perfect for monitoring the shoot. Results are even better than last year iPhone 7, colors are more vibrant, and we found the dynamic range was improved.
Apple also finally provided the option of shooting 24 FPS in the Camera app. Before, we had to essentially rely on Filmic Pro, so this time we only used it for the fridge and flour (slo-mo) shots. It was the only way for us to monitor and start recording with the Filmic Remote app.
Does the final footage match what you could capture with a more serious video camera like the Panasonic GH5 or a cinema monster like the Arri Alexa? No, definitely not. But Nick and Ryan summed up our thoughts well when they said, “when we look at the results, even for us as pro filmmakers, it is hard to believe it was shot on a smartphone.”
Check out the full video up top, scroll through some beautiful screen grabs below, and then visit the AmnesiArt website and YouTube Channel for even more filmmaking goodness to inspire you this Friday afternoon.
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All photos by Ryan Earl and Nick Arcivos, and used with permission.
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Traditional camera manufacturers fail beginner photographers over and over.
They’ll gladly sell you a camera with a kit lens, but they’ve struggled to help beginners with any of the challenges that come after taking it out of the box.
It’s not for lack of trying; every manufacturer has some form of beginner-friendly mode that will tell you how to open the aperture wider for sharp subjects with blurry backgrounds. But when you put a slow kit lens on a typical entry-level camera, you quickly find that there’s more to it than just opening or closing the aperture.
And as your memory cards fill up with photos, you realize there’s so much more to photography than just pointing a nice camera at a subject – from composition to editing to how the heck do I get these off my camera and on to my phone so I can share them? It ends up being a frustrating experience, and that nice new camera ends up on a shelf at home.
I recently paid a visit to a little boutique on University Avenue in Palo Alto that’s taking a radical approach to bringing photography to beginners.
Relonch doesn’t sell anything you can walk out of the store with, and it’s not a hardware company. Their ‘Photo Club’ lends out its Relonch 291 camera free of charge. Specifically, it’s a Samsung NX camera stitched up inside a brightly colored leather case. Only the viewfinder, shutter button and diopter are exposed – no LCD, no dials, everything else is off limits.
I know, I know, to a seasoned photographer, this is a vision of hell. But for a beginner who doesn’t really want those things, it’s kind of genius.
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Here’s how it works: you reserve the camera in advance and borrow it for, say, the length of a vacation. The camera uses a 4G data connection to automatically send a preview of each photo taken to a companion app. The previews are just that – they’re screenshot-proof because they’re sepia-toned and watermarked. You select the photos you want to keep at a $ 1 each. At that point they’re sent to the cloud for processing, and back to your app where they’re yours to keep.
Interestingly, instead of a kit zoom Relonch 291 comes with a fast prime attached. And you aren’t just handed a camera when you walk in the door – you also get a crash course in photographic composition.
During this lesson there’s no mention of shutter speeds or f-stops because there’s no need – the camera handles all of that. Instead, it focuses on getting the user to try different composition techniques that take advantage of the shallow depth of field afforded by the lens and larger sensor.
Yuri Motin, a Relonch co-founder, takes me through the introductory session that a typical customer gets when first picking up a camera. And let me tell you, it is a rare customer experience. Nobody at Best Buy ever made a cup of Cuban espresso for someone buying their first DSLR.
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| Relonch automatically processes Raw images, making adjustments to exposure, white balance, sharpening and so on. This is a photo Yuri took of me with one of the cameras. Bless the facial-recognition-skin-smoothing algorithm that produced this image. |
A little cafe setup at the camera club allows you to try focus-and-recompose to put either your subject or the coffee in front of them in focus. Another scenario I’m guided through is using the handle of a suitcase to frame Yuri in the background, pretending to charge his phone while sitting on the floor. It’s a common scene to anyone in an airport, but an opportunity for a candid portrait that many beginning photographers would overlook.
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| I didn’t frame this exactly how Yuri told me to but he gave me a passing grade anyway. |
Relonch has cleverly addressed many of the pains beginning photographers feel. Sending the images to your smartphone happens automatically. Curation is built in – instead of coming home with hundreds of photos, you have only your favorites. The fast prime lens offers much shallower depth-of-field than your typical slow kit zoom, and the composition lesson helps first time photographers use it to their advantage.
And then there’s the look of the thing – the brightly colored leather case gives the camera a dual purpose as a fashionable accessory. It’s not a look everyone will want to sport, but if you ask me it’s miles ahead of any attempt by Canon or Nikon to dress up an entry-level DSLR.
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Relonch announced its 291 camera just under a year ago, and at that point planned to loan cameras at a rate of $ 100 per month, with the same image editing process baked in. There was a catch, though – only your best photos were delivered to your mobile device, and they didn’t arrive until the next day.
In the end, Relonch launched with a pricing plan that’s easier to stomach, and the service is now aimed clearly at travelers. And that’s a pretty smart move, because I hear this line a lot:
“I’m going to [insert exotic location here] and want to take better photos than my phone takes, what camera should I buy?”
That answer is getting more and more expensive, because the difference between what your phone and a $ 500 camera can do is rapidly shrinking. Paying by the photo rather than sinking a grand into a camera system you may or may not continue to use after the trip sounds like a fair value proposition.
And it’s also true that these days people, especially ‘The Youths’, seem perfectly happy to pay a little bit at a time for something they don’t own, rather than invest a lot of money up front to own it. Not all that long ago it seemed unfathomable to pay a fee every month to access your music collection, or drive a car you don’t own and pay by the hour. But the Spotify-ing, Zipcar-ing generation is happily embracing a life owning less.
Still, there’s another hurdle in the way. Relonch’s business model may have partially been made possible by the smartphone, but it’s a double-edged sword: smartphone cameras might just become good enough to render it unnecessary.
Yuri isn’t worried about that. When I ask him what Relonch thinks of the rise of bokeh imitating Portrait Modes, he says they welcome more beautiful photos in the world. He doesn’t see the smartphone as a competitor, because he believes that once they try it, Relonch’s members prefer the participatory experience of taking photographs with a traditional camera, with a viewfinder. And with curation built into the experience, Relonch’s customers end up with photos they want to revisit again and again.
But does that audience really exist? I’m less convinced. While that may be true for a small portion of the photo-taking population, camera makers know all too well that there are plenty of people whose desire to carry less stuff around overrides the appeal of using a dedicated camera, no matter how much better it is. If Relonch is counting on growing its business they’ll have to tap into a market that seems to be happily retreating to their increasingly capable smartphones.
Relonch might not in the end survive the rise of smartphone photography, but it seems to me that they’re onto something. You certainly can’t beat the smartphone by insisting that every camera user learn the intricacies of exposure and post-processing to get the results they want. Smartphones – and to an extent Relonch – meet these consumers partway and do the rest of the leg work.
It’s time to pay attention, traditional camera manufacturers of the world.
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We’re counting down our top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017. At #7 we have the Olympus Tough TG-5. And here we thought the compact camera market was dead!
All joking aside, this is a lovely little camera. Read why we called it ‘best rugged compact you can buy right now.’ It features a 25-100mm equiv zoom lens and has a hermetically sealed body making it waterproof down to 15m/50ft, drop proof from 2.1m/7ft, crush proof up to 100kg/220lb and freezeproof to -10C/+14F.
And for more on the TG-5 here’s another full gallery we shot with it on a trip to the Washington Coast:
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#10: Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art
#9: Fujifilm GFX 50S
#8: Nikon D7500
#7: Olympus Tough TG-5
#6: To be revealed on 11/19
#5: To be revealed on 11/20
#4: To be revealed on 11/21
#3: To be revealed on 11/22
#2: To be revealed on 11/23
#1: To be revealed on 11/24