Casio has posted a firmware update for the Casio EX-H20G digital compact camera. Version 1.01 enables the camera to write all positioning log data stored in its memory to a memory card. This output log will be saved as a *.kml file. Casio has added a page dedicated to the use of this function to the user’s guide.
Webstie: Casio EX-H20G Firmware Update
The Sony A33 is a new DSLR camera that uses Translucent Mirror Technology to offer high-speed shooting and a smaller body size. Compared to a conventional DSLR camera, Translucent Mirror Technology utilises a fixed, translucent mirror that splits the optical pathway between the main image sensor and a separate phase-detection autofocus sensor, and offers a simplified mechanical design that enables the camera to be smaller. The 14.2 megapixel A33 features up to 7fps burst shooting, 1080i HD Movies with continuous autofocus during shooting, 15-point phase-detection autofocus system, Quick AF Live View, a 3-inch free-angle LCD, a Tru-Finder (Electronic Viewfinder) with 100% coverage, 3D Sweep Panoramas, Auto HDR and Multi-frame Noise Reduction. The Sony A33 costs $599.99 in the US and £579.99 in the UK for the body only, and about $699.99 / £679.99 for the body and 18-55mm zoom lens.
In many ways the new Sony A33 is very similar to the company's more conventional mid-range DSLR lineup, with models such as the A390 looking almost identical from an external point of view. The A33 is very different internally, though, dispensing with an optical viewfinder in favour of an electronic version, and using a fixed semi-translucent mirror instead of the moving non-translucent mirror of a DSLR. The translucency of the A33's mirror means that enough light can pass through it to the sensor to allow it to remain fixed in place at all times, with the ability to reflect some of the light onto a phase-detection auto-focus array that sits in the top of the A33 body. This combination means that the A33 can offer full-time DSLR-like focusing speeds, even during video recording, plus an excellent Live View system with 100% scene coverage and a fast continuous shooting rate of 7fps, whilst being physically smaller and lighter than a comparable DSLR.
Measuring 124.4 x 92 x 84.7mm and weighing 433 grams, the Sony A33 is more diminutive than most DSLRs and comparable Compact System Cameras like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. This is ideal for the hobbyist and family user target market, with Sony trying to entice those trading up from a compact or bridge camera with a promise of more professional looking images, ease of use and affordability, all wrapped up in a small, lightweight package. The main drawback when comparing the A33 to Micro Four Thirds models like the GH2 are the bigger Alpha lenses, but as a tradeoff you do get the same APS-C sensor as the NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras with all the associated image-quality benefits of using a larger sensor.
Although it feels a little plastic-y in hand, build quality is on a par with other DSLR and CSC cameras in the same price range, neither cheap enough to put you off or solid enough to contend with more pro-level models. The A33 features an adjustable rear 3-inch LCD, still a relative rarity on a digital SLR. This is bracketed at the bottom and can be tilted down and then swivelled to the left and right through 270 degrees, and can also be flipped around to face inward to help protect it from scratches. The A33 has a clever eye level sensor that switches off the rear screen's info display as you bring your eye close to the optical viewfinder, plus a facility that automatically flips the same display through 90° should you turn the camera on its side to shoot portrait fashion.
One advantage of the Sony range over either Canon or Nikon is that the A33 features built-in sensor shift image stabilization, hence no need to spend extra on specialist lenses to help combat camera shake. On the Sony A33 light sensitivity stretches from ISO 100 all the way up to ISO 12,800, with a quasi top speed of 25,600 achieved by taking and combining six frames at once. The continuous shooting speed of 7 fps at full resolution when using the EVF or in Live View mode is excellent for a mid-range camera, while Sony's long-standing D-Range optimizer function helps to even out tricky exposures, for example where a bright background would normally throw the foreground into deep shadow.
The A33 can record 1080i HD 1920 x 1280 pixel movies at either 25fps (PAL) or 30fps (NTSC) in the AVCHD format, or 1440 x 1080 pixels at 25fps in the MPEG-4 format, useful as this format can currently be shared more easily. There's also a 640 x 480 VGA mode at 25fps. There's a limitation of up to 29 minutes, or 9 minutes if SteadyShot is turned on, for the AVCHD format, and a 2Gb file size for MP4 video. Stereo sound is recorded during video capture, and you can fit an optional external stereo microphone to further improve the quality. The HDMI port allows you to connect the A33 to a high-def TV set, but only if you purchase the optional HDMI mini-cable.
As with Live View, continuous phase-detection AF is possible whilst shooting movies on the A33, a distinct advantage over DSLR cameras and fast enough to rival Compact System Cameras like the Panasonic Lumix GH1/2. It allows you to track fast-moving subjects without having to resort to manual focusing, ideal for the beginner target audience who are used to compacts that can auto-focus for both still and moving images. There are a couple of caveats - the focusing can be heard on the soundtrack, although using an external microphone gets around this, it sometimes struggles to keep up with the subject, and more notably the shallow depth of field that's inherent to a large-sensor camera produces noticeable and often unwanted "jumps" as the AF system locks onto different subjects in the frame.
In addition to continuous AF and manual, the selected AF Area can be changed within the frame to easily create the professional "rack focus" effect, where the focus moves between the background and foreground subjects. Less pleasing is the inability to change the shutter speed or aperture during recording - you can only set the aperture if you shoot with manual focus and only then before you start recording. On the plus side, exposure compensation, creative styles, white balance, AF area and metering mode all apply equally to stills and moving images.
The Sony A33 can shoot full-resolution 14.2 megapixel pictures at up to 7fps whilst maintaining continuous auto focus and auto exposure, an impressively fast rate for such an inexpensive camera. To achieve the full 7fps you need to set the exposure mode dial to the dedicated burst mode, which locks the exposure at the start of the sequence. You can set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO by changing to Single focus mode, but you then lose the ability to refocus between frames. Also the A33 can't maintain Live View during burst shooting, instead displaying the frame that you've just taken, making panning with the subject virtually impossible and rather going against the grain of the otherwise excellent Live View system.
From the front the Sony A33 looks unthreatening to the novice DSLR user. Apart from a familiar ridge housing the pop up flash above the Alpha lens mount, its most distinguishing feature is the traditional handgrip complete with leather-look rubberized covering that extends around the side and rear of the camera. Naturally smaller than the grip on the A390, its a squeeze to fit three fingers around and makes it tricky to hold the camera completely steady for shooting handheld. Built into the grip itself is a narrow sliver of a window for the remote sensor, should use of one be required as an optional extra.
At the top of this grip, but still at the front, is the camera's one and only control/command dial, situated beneath the main shutter release button and on/off switch, where it falls readily under the forefinger. In the absence of any top-mounted LCD window, users can twist this to rapidly scroll through screen menu options and folders, a task also achieved in slower, steadier fashion by tabbing through the same using the familiar four-way control pad at the rear, as well as adjust apertures and shutter speeds.
Over at the other side of the lens mount we find a comfortably large button to release the lens, adjacent to which is a self-explanatory slider switch for alternating between auto and manual focus. Sony has subtly incorporated instances of its Alpha trademark 'cinnibar' (orange to the rest of us) colour on the camera, here only visible in the Greek symbol for Alpha that makes up the logo and a thin line encircling the lens surround. The Alpha mount also offers compatibility with A mount lenses from the Minolta and Konica Minolta range, Sony having bought up that company's expertise wholesale in 2005 to launch its own range.
The A33's top plate features the aforementioned shutter release button encircled by an on/off switch that visually apes the zoom levers found on some compact cameras. The shutter-release has a definite half-way point, with the focus points (a choice of 15) rapidly illuminating green in the viewfinder and a confirmation bleep signaling that focus and exposure has been determined and the user is free to go on and take the shot. With imperceptible shutter delay, a full resolution JPEG is committed to memory in just over a second in single shot mode, a RAW file in three. The D-Range provides one touch access to the A33's extensive number of Dynamic Range options. D-Range Optimiser (DRO) is Sony's solution to improve shadow detail in photos taken in contrasty light, while the High Dynamic Range Optimiser (HDR) captures more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image.
Next on the Sony A33 we come to the Finder/LCD button alongside the pop-up flashgun and three small holes for the built-in speaker. If choosing 'Finder' with the camera set to auto-focus, bringing your eye level with the viewfinder and sensor below will neatly prompt the camera to automatically focus on whatever it's aiming at (you can turn this feature off by disabling the Eye-Start AF menu option). Pressing the same button again switches to the LCD, automatically blanking out the viewfinder with the rear screen bursting into life instead. As expected the Sony's top plate also features a shoe for an optional accessory flash situated just above the electronic viewfinder, with a dedicated button to manually release the pop up flash situated just in front. The built-in flash can also trigger an optional wireless accessory flash.
Over at the far left of the A33's top plate is a shooting mode dial that's slightly sunk into the bodywork, thus helping to prevent the dial accidentally slipping from one setting to another when placing into or retrieving the camera from a bag. Arranged around this are 10 selectable options, running from full Auto and Auto+ to the creative quartet of Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter priority and Manual, plus dedicated modes for the 7fps continuous shooting, Panorama (normal or 3D), Flash Off and a Scene option which includes pre-optimised scene modes for common subjects such as portraits, landscapes, close ups (macro), sports, sunset, night, night portraits and handheld twilight.
The Auto+ mode goes even further than the standard Auto, automatically recognizing the correct scene mode and then taking advantage of the camera's high-speed shooting capabilities to shoot and combine up to six shots to produce images with greater dynamic range and lower image noise.
At the rear of the A33 we find the free-angle 3-inch LCD screen, which has an impressively high resolution of 921,600-dots, 16:9 wideangle ratio and can be adjusted for brightness. While the ability to both tilt and rotate the screen is very welcome, placing the bracket at the bottom does make it impossible to attain the video-friendly side-on position that some other rival models offer, a real shame considering the A33's video capabilities.
Instead of the bulky optical viewfinder of a conventional DSLR, the Sony A33 has a smaller electronic viewfinder. The mere mention of an EVF is usually enough to elicit loud groans from any serious photographer, as they have traditionally been poorly implemented in the past, with low-res, grainy displays that were only really suitable for still subjects. Thankfully the electronic viewfinder on the A33 is far better than any previous system. It has a large 1.1x magnification, 100% field of view, and a 1,440,000 dot equivalent resolution, resulting in a very usable display that won't leave you cursing.
As the EVF is reading the same signal from the image sensor as the rear LCD screen, it can also display similar information - for example, you can view and operate the A33's Function Menu, giving quick access to all the key camera settings while it's held up to your eye. The various icons used to represent the camera settings are clear and legible. The icing on the viewing cake is the clever built-in eye sensor, which automatically switches on the viewfinder when you look into it, then switches it off and turns on the LCD monitor when you look away.
The main downside of the A33's EVF system occurs indoors in low light, as it has to "gain-up" to produce a usable picture, resulting in a noticeably grainier picture. In all other situations, however, the electronic viewfinder on the A33 is the equal of and in many areas better than a DSLR's optical viewfinder, particularly those found on entry-level models which are typically dim and offer limited scene coverage. The truest testament to the A33 is that I mostly used it by holding it up to eye-level, something that I wouldn't do unless the EVF was of sufficient quality.
To the left of the viewfinder is a button marked Menu. Press this and a number of shooting and set up folders appear on screen, with white text on a black background aiding visibility. The three shooting folders allow users to select image quality and - if JPEG (RAW and RAW+JPEG also available) - compression rates too. Here users can also set the Movie quality and audio options, switch on SteadyShot, long exposure and high ISO noise reduction - all in fact activated as a default, as is the likes of the eye start feature. Playback, memory card, time and two further set up folders allow the likes of LCD brightness to be adjusted, the help guide to be turned on or off, plus user languages, folders and file numbering to be specified.
To the right of the viewfinder is a small wheel for dioptric adjustment that isn't too stiff and rigid. Just below and to the right of this is a welcome dedicated button for one-touch movie recording, another for adjusting exposure compensation (+/- 2EV) in P,A,S,M modes, which also doubles up as a means of zooming into images and magnifying detail when in playback mode, and a handily-placed third marked AEL for locking the exposure.
To the right of the A33's screen is a Function ('Fn') button for those details that we'd expected to find amidst the menus but didn't. Here for example we find the Drive modes, Flash modes, along with Autofocus modes (a choice of single shot, auto or continuous), AF area (wide, spot or local), Face Detection, Smile Shutter, ISO speed, Metering (multi segment, centre weighted or spot), Flash compensation, White Balance (including a custom setting), DRO/Auto HDR, plus Creative Style settings. These pre-optimised user selectable settings run from the default of 'standard' through the self-explanatory vivid, portrait, landscape, sunset and black and white. For each of these creative options, contrast, saturation and sharpness can be individually adjusted.
Beneath the Function button we find a familiar four-way control pad. Ranged around this are settings for switching on or off the on-screen display, selecting from the white balance settings, ISO (auto, ISO100-12,800), and single shot/ burst capture, self timer or bracketing options (three shots at 0.3EV intervals). At the centre is a 'AF' button that comes in particularly handy when scrutinizing the screen in Live View mode. Press this and, as with a press of the shutter release button, the camera will automatically and rapidly determine a point of focus for you. Underneath these options is a playback button for the review of images and a self-evident trash can button for deleting images on the fly.
On the left of the A33 is a HDMI output in order to hook the camera up to an HD TV (the cable is once again an additional purchase) alongside the expected USB connection, both protected by the same rubber flap. Underneath are ports for a remote control and an external microphone, the latter potentially allowing better sound quality to be recorded than via the camera's built-in stereo microphones. Two partially recessed metal eyelets on either side of the body allow the supplied camera strap to be attached. On the bottom of the camera is a shared compartment for a choice of either SD or Memory Stick to save images to, lithium-ion battery that supplies a life-span of 270 images with the viewfinder or 340 images in Live View mode, plus a metal tripod socket that's in-line with the centre of the lens mount.
ShareThis If you enjoyed this review, please spread the word by bookmarking or promoting it on social sites, post it on Facebook, or email it to a friend!Sony A33, sony, a33, slt-a33, slt, alpha, review, DSLR, 14 megapixel, 3 inch LCD, tilting, 1080i, hd, hd video, hdmi, 7fps
PhotographyBLOG is a member of the DIWA organisation. Our test results for the Sony A33 have been submitted to DIWA for comparison with test results for different samples of the same camera model supplied by other DIWA member sites.
Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced the release of Ansel Adams for the iPad. The app provides a multi-tiered introduction to the life and work of the most honored American photographer of the twentieth century, and includes a slideshow of 40 Ansel Adams photographs, with optional audio narration, written commentary, or synchronised music. Ansel Adams for the iPad is available on iTunes for $13.99.
Website: Ansel Adams for the iPad
Press Release
Beloved American Photographer Ansel Adams Comes to the iPad in a Groundbreaking Interactive App
Little, Brown and Company announces the publication of Ansel Adams for the iPad, a multi-tiered introduction to the life and work of Ansel Adams, the most honored American photographer of the twentieth century. For $13.99, this app offers spectacular features including a slideshow of Ansel Adams’ photos, embedded video, original letters and postcards, an e-card feature, and a chronology of Adams’ life and career.
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 3, 2010
Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced the release of Ansel Adams for the iPad. This groundbreaking interactive app, available now on iTunes for $13.99, provides a multi-tiered introduction to the life and work of the most honored American photographer of the twentieth century. Taking full advantage of the remarkable screen resolution, backlit display, and audiovisual capabilities of the iPad, this app sets a new standard for the presentation of art and biography on a hand-held device.
The app was created in collaboration with The Ansel Adams Trust and includes:
* A slideshow of 40 Ansel Adams photographs, with optional audio narration, written commentary, or synchronized music
* Option to run the slideshow with any musical selection from your iTunes library
* Embedded video excerpts from documentary films about Adams, including the Ric Burns/Sierra Club Emmy Award-winning film for PBS, spanning Adams’ career
* A rich selection of letters between Adams and leading figures in the worlds of art, photography, and politics, including Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Weston, Garry Trudeau, and Jimmy Carter, with many original letters shown in facsimile
* Delightful and amusing vintage postcards that Adams sent to his closest friends, Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, while on the road photographing America’s wild places, with original postal stamps and cancellations, doodles, and hand-written notes, with flip-to-read functionality
* Send-an-e-card feature, allowing the user to create an e-postcard with one of Ansel’s images, enter a message, and email to friends directly out of the app
* Facsimile reproduction of the Ansel Adams Playboy interview, the most substantial print interview he ever gave
* A chronology of key moments in Adams’ life and career and a complete bibliography
* Links to websites of interest to Ansel Adams fans
The extraordinary luminosity provided by the iPad screen gives the photographs in the slideshow a feeling and impact very similar to that of seeing an original Adams print in a museum setting. These photographs were selected by Andrea G. Stillman, who worked for the legendary photographer in the last decade of his life, has edited many books of his work, and is the foremost expert on his work. The photographs span Adams’ career and showcase the full range of his mastery. Stillman also provides the audio narration for the slideshow.
Maja Thomas, senior vice president of Hachette Digital says: “Creating this application is the realization of a dream we’ve nurtured for years. It has finally been made possible by the invention of the iPad. The combination of Ansel Adams’ renowned images, the commentary, letters, postcards, and video features make this a work that can be appreciated in different ways and multiple times. We believe a new audience will join longtime fans of this beautiful work and discover fresh inspiration in this app.”
Ansel Adams (1902 – 1984) was the most honored American photographer of the twentieth century. Through the exhibition and publication of his work, his writings, and his leadership in the Sierra Club, Adams was also a prescient and highly effective voice in the fight to preserve America’s remaining wilderness.
In 1976, Ansel Adams chose Little, Brown and Company as the exclusive authorized publisher of his books, calendars, and posters and he established a special Publishing Rights Trust to supervise state-of-the-art image reproduction. The result of the Ansel Adams-Little, Brown collaboration has been a series of celebrated publications—perhaps the most successful single-artist publishing program in history.
Little, Brown and Company is the publisher of many of Ansel Adams’s books, including Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs, Ansel Adams at 100; Ansel Adams: In Color, Ansel Adams: The American Wilderness; and Ansel Adams in the National Parks, published on October 21, 2010. Founded in 1837, Little, Brown has long been recognized as a publisher committed to publishing nonfiction and fiction of the highest quality. Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the second-largest publisher in the world.
See the app on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ansel-adams/id400716705?mt=8
BenVista released PhotoZoom Pro 4 and PhotoZoom Classic 4 today. With PhotoZoom Pro 4, BenVista claims to offer a breakthrough in “uprezzing” and cleaning up mediocre or even low-quality photos to produce acceptable enlargements. Says D.S. Schoolwerth, CEO at BenVista: “We have developed a technology that combines perfectly with our S-Spline Max resize method. Not only it cleans up JPEG compression artifacts and noise, the image will also look perfectly sharp and true to nature after enlargement.” Other improvements include 64-bit support, additional fine-tuning options, new pre-defined settings for different types of images, and additional presets for common print and pixel sizes. PhotoZoom Pro 4 costs €169, while the less feature-rich but still powerful PhotoZoom Classic sells for €79.
Website: BenVista
Benvista Press Release
BenVista releases PhotoZoom Pro 4
ARNHEM, December 6, 2010 – Today BenVista announced the release of their new software for digital image resizing PhotoZoom Pro 4, which as of now is available for both Windows and Mac platforms.
The PhotoZoom series is specialized in enlarging (and downsizing) digital images while preserving original quality, for which it uses BenVista’s patented, award-winning S-Spline technologies. With PhotoZoom Pro 4, BenVista aims to tackle an additional challenge: creating acceptable image enlargements based on mediocre or even low quality originals.
Says D.S. Schoolwerth, CEO at BenVista: “Ideally, you always have high quality originals to work with. But reality can be different. What if all you have is a low-res original full of noise? And what if a client insists on working with a low quality image from the Web, that suffered quality loss due to JPEG compression? Enlarging such images usually isn’t a very good idea: distortions will become disturbingly visible. Or when you apply repair filters prior to resizing the image, the end result often looks blurry and artificial.”
With PhotoZoom Pro 4, BenVista claims to offer a spectacular new solution to this problem. Schoolwerth: “We have developed a technology that combines perfectly with our S-Spline Max resize method. Not only it cleans up JPEG compression artifacts and noise, the image will also look perfectly sharp and true to nature after enlargement.”
Another major new feature of PhotoZoom Pro 4 is 64-bit support. With the increasing popularity of 64-bit versions of Windows, Mac OS X, and Photoshop in mind, PhotoZoom Pro 4 now fully supports 64-bit environments, both as a stand-alone application and as a Photoshop plug-in.
Other improvements are additional fine-tuning options, new pre-defined settings for different types of images, and additional presets for common print and pixel sizes.
Besides PhotoZoom Pro 4, BenVista also released PhotoZoom Classic 4 today. Although the Classic version misses some of the Pro version’s features, it too creates outstanding image enlargements thanks to its S-Spline XL image resize technology. Also, the price of the Classic version is significantly lower, allowing the PhotoZoom series to reach a wider public.
Demo versions of PhotoZoom Pro 4 and PhotoZoom Classic 4 can be downloaded directly from the BenVista website: http://www.benvista.com. Various upgrade options are available.
A Guest Post on Creativity by Kyle Miller from Photography Tips.
Canon 5d Mark II ISO:125 Shutter:1/250th Aperture:f5
Clients today are in love with creative and candid portraits. The day where you would take the same posed shots with every client is far out the window. To advance in a highly competitive market place you have to have images that pop above the rest. With that said my question to you is creativity an accident or skill? If you are shooting the same portraits with every client are you being creative?
With all of my clients:
I first take time to build a relationship with themFeed off them during the portrait sessionWork off their personality and add my artistic twistUse photography rules and techniques to enhance imagesTaking creative portraits is much more challenging. I believe if you follow a few pointers or incorporate a few of my ideas into your shoots, your pictures will improve while you and your clients will have a blast.
Canon 5d Mark II ISO:100 Shutter:1/500th Aperture:f7.1
I am, like most photographers out there, a wedding and portrait photographer. Being a wedding and portrait photographer I spend most of my time working with subjects that are not models. Since my subjects they will usually feel uncomfortable in front of the camera. They don’t know how to act, where to put their hands, or where to look. Do I look at you? If that is not challenging enough your subject doesn’t really know who you are, because you may have met them only once or twice before the shoot. I don’t know about you but I would find it difficult opening up to a camera when I don’t know the photographer.
You need to spend time building a relationship with your clients. When you meet with your clients don’t only talk business, spend time sharing stories, because the more you share the more they will open up to you. My photography company shot 71 wedding this year, and as you can imagine you can’t always find time to meet with every couple multiple times before the wedding day. That’s OK, before you start your portrait session spend time just talking with you clients even if its for just a little while. It will make you seem more personable. As a side note I should mention that I believe for a client to be photogenic its not based on how somebody looks its based on their emotions and interactions with the camera. Remember it’s hard to open up to a camera and photographer if you don’t know or trust them.
Canon 5d Mark II ISO:1000 Shutter:1/200th Aperture:f4
The hard part is over, because once you have laid the groundwork and your clients feel comfortable around you they are much more likely to play during their photo session. As a good photographer you will need to take that positive energy and feed off it. I encourage my couples to continue talking with each other and often I have a close friend of theirs poke fun at them to spice things up. By creating this fun positive environment your couples will enjoy the portrait session which is a good thing but they will be more likely to flirt with the camera. If you are constantly just posing people your pictures will become boring, and you will actually start to kill the mood you work so hard to create. I am not saying you can’t pose, just set the pose up loosely so the background and light look nice then build from their.
Canon 5d Mark II ISO:400 Shutter:1/100th Aperture:f2.8
When the couple opens up the camera, and the groom give his bride a kiss on the cheek, try to encourage them. Play with the couple and have him dip her back, as it creates shape and is a great way to show off a vial. This is all great as you will get a good picture out of it, but the magical shot is just after that as they will giggle. If my couple is a very shy I could ask the groom to kiss her again, but to close his eyes. Its just a simple change but the message in the picture is so much different and stronger.
I tell photographers to treat your portrait sessions like it was an improv act. If you don’t follow theater let me help you out. Improv is unscripted theater, where actors feed off each other. The actors may or may not know where their skit is going but its the journey or how they get there that is a surprise. With portraits watch how your subjects behave around each other and just add your twist. When you add to the picture your subjects will start to work back and forth with you. Please keep in mind when you are working back and forth with a client you can’t pass on an idea. If your bride floats an idea and you crush it you will destroy everything. You have to take her idea and build on it even if you don’t like the idea at first, as its just a building block. Remember all creative candid pictures have to start somewhere.
Canon 5d Mark II ISO:400 Shutter:1/320th Aperture:f5.6
If you handle your portrait sessions in a cookie cutter approach where you use the same wall or background every time, technically speaking, things will become very easy. You know if you use this magical wall, that every time you should put your key light to camera left, and it should be at 1/16th power. When working with your subject(s) you need to have a strong technical background as you will never know what situation you will get your self into. I think a great example of my point is a groom I had earlier in this summer.
After our portrait session with the bride, groom and full bridal party my groom tells me he has a concealed weapon permit which he is proud of and wanted to know if I would be OK taking picture with him and his gun. I personally was against the idea but just like I mentioned earlier, you have to take the idea and build on it. So building on this idea I said we can make the photos have a Godfather feel to them. I knew if I shot with a shallow depth of field I could create a strong image with him looking down gun. I also remembered an amphitheater just down the road that would create a great monochromatic image with amazing lines. You have to take the idea and apply standard photography techniques: exposure, framing, composition etc… I say this because if you are only thinking about the idea your images could look boring. You are a great photographer use your knowledge and make the pictures amazing!
Canon 5d Mark II ISO:400 Shutter:1/500th Aperture:f2.8
With all of my clients I flow the same system every time:
I first take time to build a relationship with themFeed off them during the portrait sessionWork off their personality and add my artistic twistUse photography rules and techniques to enhance imagesIt takes a lot of energy becoming emotional involved with all of my clients, but the pictures show the hard work. Your pictures will have so much emotion and life to them, and your clients will enjoy the experience so much more. I hope this helps
Happy Shooting
Kyle Miller has been a professional wedding and portrait photographer for several years. He shares his knowledge on his blog Photography Tips where you can also download his eBook 7 Essential Photography Tips for free.
Guest Contributor This post was written by a guest contributor to DPS. Please see their details in the post above. Become a Contributor: Check out Write for DPS page for details about how YOU can share your photography tips with the DPS community.
Now, I don't do a ton in terms of decorating, even though I love to decorate, but I try to add a few cute touches for every holiday. My real weakness is taking stuff down--last years' Christmas decorations stayed up well into March. Procrastination: A curse.
A few weeks ago right before Thanksgiving, our house looked like this:
Bring friends! As usual, the more, the merrier! It is THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, 7-10. Just click the banner below to RSVP on Facebook, or leave a comment and let us know you'll be there (and how many you're bringing with you). But don't RSVP both places unless you're two different people. Which would be weird:
Samyang Poland has announced the European launch of the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC lens for the Samsung NX mount. Given that the the existing Samsung NX cameras use an APS-C sized sensor, the lens’ angle of view is equivalent to that of a 21mm lens mounted to a 35mm camera. The recommended retail price of the manual-focus Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC lens is €329.
Samyang News Release
Samyang 14 mm f/2,8 ED AS IF UMC lens with Samsung NX mount is now available for sale!
Samyang Optics is pleased to announce that Samyang 14 mm f/2,8 ED AS IF UMC lens with Samsung NX mount is now available for sale.
Samyang AE 14 mm f/2,8 ED AS IF UMC is the third Samyang lens featuring Samsung NX mount. It has been designed for Samsung cameras like NX100, NX10 and NX5. Recommended retail price for the product remains the same as for other lens mounts and has been established at €329.
The Plugin Site just released Version 2 of its FocalBlade plug-in for Mac Os. FocalBlade is a plugin that sharpens photos for display and print with the help of various automatic and manual tools. It also reduces noise and produces natural-looking bokeh, soft focus and special effects. Version 2 renders 10 to 100 times faster than Version 1 (depending on the used settings and CPU). It supports multiple sharpening workflows and various output devices. Additionally, FocalBlade 2 achieves better sharpening effects with less artifacts through improved edge masking and halo reduction. FocalBlade 2 for Mac OS X is $69.95 for the regular licence and $39.95 for the academic licence. A Windows version is also available.
Website: The Plugin Site
The Plugin Site Press Release
The Plugin Site Released FocalBlade 2 for MacOS X
The Plugin Site (http://www.thepluginsite.com) released Version 2 of its FocalBlade plugin for MacOS X. During the seven years of its existence FocalBlade has gained an entourage of thousands of photographers world-wide and established itself as probably the most popular sharpening plugin for Photoshop and other compatible applications. Based on an extensive survey of more than 1000 of its users FocalBlade 2 received an innovative overhaul and dozens of elaborate new features.
Reviewers already raved about Version 1 of FocalBlade naming it, e.g. “The definitive sharpening tool” (Photoshop Creative), “Smarter than Photoshop’s Smart Sharpen” (IT Enquirer), “The most versatile sharpening program around” (Royal Photographic Society), “The most powerful and flexible tool yet produced for image sharpening” (Luminous Landscapes), “The best sharpening plugin” (ShutterTalk), “The ultimate of its type” (About.com) and “Arguably the number one sharpening tool” (Imaging Resource). Not resting on these laurels Harald Heim, director and chief engineer of The Plugin Site, said: “We invested a great deal of work to improve FocalBlade even further. We felt committed to equip our loyal customers with an even superior tool.”
Overview
Basically FocalBlade 2 can be described as a plugin that sharpens photos for display and print with the help of various automatic and manual tools. But that is not all. It also reduces noise and produces great looking blur, soft focus and special effects. FocalBlade is ideal for sharpening and enhancing all kinds of photo, e.g. snapshots, landscape photos, portraits as well as high-ISO shots for various displays and printing methods. It effectively sharpens and reduces noise at the same time.
FocalBlade supports one, two and three pass sharpening workflows, incorporates modes for various tasks and experience levels offering interactive explanations for each feature. FocalBlade even batch process images with the help of actions or scripts. Its Split View and Preview tab sheet features are great for comparing the original and sharpened versions as well as visually choosing the sharpening strength. Displaying the edge mask and sharpening halos in FocalBlade is a great help for manually fine-tuning the effect. Additionally you can apply grain to increase the impression of sharpness in low-quality images. More than 80 presets are delivered with FocalBlade and saving your own preset files is also possible.
New in Version 2
FocalBlade 2 renders 10 to 100 times faster than Version 1 (depending on the used settings and CPU). It supports multiple sharpening workflows and various output devices. FocalBlade 2 is now fully scripting aware and supports smart filtering in Photoshop CS4 and CS5.
FocalBlade 2 achieves better sharpening effects with less artifacts through improved edge masking and halo reduction. It now allows sharpening radiuses of up to 32 pixels. To further reduce sharpening problems three colors can be chosen to be protected from the sharpening effect. The new Softproof feature, which simulates the sharpness of prints on screen, helps users achieve satisfying sharpening results without test prints.
Lab and CMYK images are processed by FocalBlade 2 without having to switch to RGB mode and back. FocalBlade also reduces color noise, adds grain, zooms the preview up to 3200%, benefits from several UI enhancements, including a Navigator tool for quickly displaying an image area, and contains many other new features.
The Magic of FocalBlade
FocalBlade transforms the most lifeless image into something unbelievably sharp and artifact-free so quickly and with so little effort, that the whole process can seem like magic. In fact the secret lies in its sophisticated and painstakingly fine-tuned algorithms. These enhance and uncover the smallest details with radius values smaller than 0.1 pixel and sharpening up to 2000% without damaging the image. Edges and surfaces are sharpened independently, which means a photo can be sharpened overall without destroying the softness of areas such as sky, walls, skin and other even surfaces. The Adaptive Radius method even sharpens each image pixel with a different radius depending on its details level. FocalBlade avoids halos at high radius settings and even provides sliders for suppressing white and black halos independently. Furthermore, it allows the user to protect shadows, highlights and certain colors.
FocalBlade produces unmatched sharpening results and offers a tremendous amount of control of the sharpening process. Unlike other tools it features automatic sharpening, does not add visible halos, does not increase noise, retains a photographic look, respects edges, allows precise adjustments and instantly achieves a great result. FocalBlade is flexible as well as very easy to use. Best of all, FocalBlade saves precious time and is available at an affordable price.
Availability & System Requirements
FocalBlade is a plugin that can be used in various graphics applications, including Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. It is also available as a 64-bit plugin for Photoshop CS5 for MacOS X. It works with RGB, Grayscale, Lab and CMYK images with 8-bit and 16-bit per channel.
FocalBlade 2 is available for MacOS X and Windows. The regular license sells at $69.95. The academic/educational license costs $39.95. FocalBlade can be purchased at http://www.thepluginsite.com/order/. A demo version that renders a watermark can be downloaded at http://thepluginsite.com/download/.
Company Info
The Plugin Site is located in Nuremberg, Germany, and mainly develops Photoshop plugins for photo enhancement. We created the Harrys Filters, PhotoWiz, Plugin Galaxy, Plugin Commander, Edge & Frame Galaxy, HyperTyle, HTML Shrinker and Photo Galaxy products. In the past we produced Alpha Magic together with Hollywood FX/Pinnacle and developed the FilterMeister development environment with AFH Systems.
The BenQ S1420 O.I.S. is a new 14-megapixel compact camera with optical image stabilisation and HDR II image enhancement technology. Featuring a 26-130mm equivalent zoom lens, a bright 3.0” LCD, 720p HD video capture and a range of creative shooting modes which includes “LOMO”, “Fisheye” and “Colour accent”. The orange coloured S1420 will be available in China and Asia Pacific in December, Latin America and Europe in January 2011.
Benq Press Release
BenQ’s New S1420 O.I.S. Camera – The Most Powerful Technology for Anti-Shake
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, December 6, 2010 – BenQ announced the expansion of its S-series digital camera lineup today with the 14 Megapixels S1420 digital camera. Stylishly encased in a vibrant orange-coloured metallic casing, the S1420 is designed for those who pursue high image quality whilst also values compact and mobility of their cool camera.
The O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) feature on S1420 prevents blur on shots and it is the most powerful technology for anti-shake. This amazing feature works automatically and compensates for unintended camera movements or slow shutter speeds to deliver crisply rendered, sharp and crystal clear images which without might ruin an otherwise perfect shot.
S1420 is the ideal camera companion with the flawless combination of the 26mm wide-angle lens with 5x optical zoom. The wide-angle lens give allows expanded field of view needed for group shots, ensuring everyone is in frame even in a close-up shot whilst the powerful zoom makes it possible to capture detailed photos even when the subjects are of a distance.
BenQ’s HDR II image enhancement technology is a magical feature that lets users get great shots of high-contrast scenes that are usually so difficult to photograph well. HDR II depicts the scenes in the photograph exactly how it is seen by the eye, with all the details in both dark and bright areas intact. Furthermore, HDR II allows previews on the bright 3.0” LCD with HDR applied, so users know exactly what kind of shots they will be taking.
BenQ’s S1420 comes bundled with a full range of creative shooting modes which includes “LOMO”, “Fisheye” and “Color accent”. The “LOMO” adds effects like dark-corners, off-kilter exposure, and over-saturated colors to snapshots turning the photographs into gallery-worthy artworks. Apply the “Fisheye Lens” to get a wide-angle hemispherical view of the photographic subjects, adding a new source of fun and intriguing creative possibilities to photos. The “Color accent” effect allows users to keep one selected color in the photo whilst having the rest converted into black and white, heightening the ambiance and imbuing the photographs with mood and personality.
When even a great photograph cannot capture the action desired, S1420’s 720p HD movie recording capability comes into play, allowing users to record the actions in crisply detailed, brilliant and vivid HD videos. The highlights of one’s life can now be preserved in big, beautiful movies.
S1420’s highly sensitive sensor can take realistic-looking, detailed photographs in a low light scene. An ISO 6400 exposure index ensures that photographs in a dance-club or a romantic candle-lit restaurant are not compromised.
BenQ’s vibrant orange-coloured S1420 will be available in China and Asia Pacific in December, Latin America and Europe in January 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.BenQ.com
MacPhun today announced the upcoming release of FX Photo Studio 3.1 for the iPhone, IPad and iPod Touch. Billed as the collection of photo effects on the AppStore, The new version adds 10 new filters, introduces faster image processing and sharing via Tumblr. The most innovative new feature is the sharing of presets - the user gets a unique code for every preset created, which can then be emailed or shared from inside the app via Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr or Facebook. FX Photo Studio sells for $2.99, with this version expected to be available in the App Store within a week or two.
Macphun Press Release
FX Photo Studio lets iPhone users share photo effects
MacPhun LLC today announces the soon release of FX Photo Studio 3.1. Among new features, updated version of this popular photo app introduces faster image processing, 10 new filters, sharing via Tumblr and most notable innovation, sharing of presets. This feature lets users share combinations of effects, created with FX Photo Studio, with anyone around the world who has FX Photo Studio on his/her iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
New York, NY - MacPhun LLC, developer of photo and video apps for iDevices, today announces the soon release of FX Photo Studio 3.1. Among new features, updated version of this popular photo app introduces faster image processing, 10 new filters, sharing via Tumblr and most notable innovation - sharing of presets. This feature lets users share combinations of effects, created with FX Photo Studio, with anyone around the world who has FX Photo Studio on his/her iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
FX Photo Studio currently features 171 high quality photo effects and filters (largest collection on App Store), lets users apply these effect on images, adjust and mix them, as well as combine multiple effects together and save sequences into presets for future use. Update of FX Photo Studio, which is about to hit the App Store, will let users share saved presets with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad users around the world.
For every preset created, user gets unique code, which can be shared from inside the app via E-mail, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr or Facebook. And vice versa - users can get codes from other people, enter them in FX Photo Studio and get a unique preset, which was created by someone else. MacPhun developers say that presets sharing feature will definitely make iPhoneography culture even more appealing to the public, as lets people not only take and share pictures, but actually share tools they use to make pictures better.
Being the only app offering presets sharing, updated FX Photo Studio also introduces other features, which make app more powerful and user friendly. Version 3.1 gives possibilities to preview images in the documents folder, delete images from the documents, and share images via Tumblr, not to mention optimized cropping tool, new setting options, faster image processing and faster previews. Updated version also presents 10 new filters, including Dixon and Tokyo (Groovy Lo-Fi category), Lemoore, Monterey and Marine (Color Fantasy), Noir Red and Noir Sepia (Photo Styles), Yellow Glow and Sepia Glow (Glow category). The mentioned effects have been selected as TOP requested by users of the current version of FX Photo Studio.
Updated version should hit the App Store within a week or two. Previewing the release MacPhun invites iPhoneographers, media people, tech geeks and simply iPhone app fans to take an early peek at the update. Requests should be sent to support. Due to the large number of requests, MacPhun can’t guarantee ad-hocs and promo codes for an early preview to everyone, but the first will definitely get this chance.
FX Photo Studio 3.0: http://www.fxphotostudioapp.com
Purchase and Download: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fx-photo-studio/id312506856?mt=8
MacPhun LLC specializes in iPod touch, iPhone and iPad software development. The company has been working in this field since the start of the iPhone era and they love what they do. MacPhun consolidates passionate professionals inspired by the idea of creating innovative, enthralling and consistently high quality software. Company focuses on developing photo and video applications and has already created a number of successful products, including Photopal (for iPad), Hollywood FX Video Maker, Perfect Photo, and Vintage Video Maker, which was selected by Apple among ‘Best Apps of 2009’. Copyright (C) 2010 MacPhun LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The entire subject of hanging is fascinating to some and its lure perplexing to others. The facts of hanging, its history, tools, technology and the anatomical and biological aspects of the condemned are all mired in speculation, exaggeration, mystery, misinformation and urban myths. The acquaintance I wrote about in my story Power, once claimed he had the hangman's formula - a supposed equation for calculation of rope length based on a person's body weight. In fact, such a thing does exist as the British Table of drops. The original table of the "Long Drop" or measured drop was worked out by William Marwood in 1872. A revised table was issued in 1913. In is still in use by a few countries to this day. You can read more and see the tables here.
The best case in point regarding the interest in hanging in New York City is the Hangman's Elm located in the northwest corner of Washington Square Park which stands 110 feet tall. In 1989, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation determined that this massive English Elm dates back to 1679, making it over 330 years old and the oldest known tree in Manhattan.
It is still unclear how many, if any, individuals were hung from this elm in public executions which did occur in a nearby gallows - the only recorded execution was of Rose Butler, in 1820, for arson. An article in the New York Times sees some hangings there as likely but other sources cite it all as urban mythology. But the fascination with hanging still exists and the belief that this elm was used for hanging persists. It all makes for a great sound bite or tour factoid, giving the neighborhood just that much more historical color.
I have the privilege of seeing this tree from my home daily and much like the cat who brings home the dead mouse as a macabre gift for its owner, I offer my fellow readers this story and photo of the Hangman's Elm. Whether it's a tree, a noose or the Long Drop table, the fascination with this style of execution just keeps hanging around ...
A guest post by Valerie Jardin.
There’s never been a better time to be a female photographer! More and more camera gear is designed for women, colors are finally competing with the traditional black camera bags and even camera straps are now designed for us! The Black Rapid RS-W1 strap came out early summer 2010. I must admit that I was a bit leery at first at the thought of having my precious gear hanging from a single point of attachment.
All Black Rapid straps attach to the tripod mount or the lens. Once connected, the camera hangs upside down for quick and easy access. The adjustable bumper system will keep the camera in place while you are walking and allow you to quickly draw it to your eye to shoot.
I have used the strap attached to my camera body with heavy lenses such as the 24-70 mm f2.8 and the 70-200 mm f2.8. The camera stays in place and the weight is evenly distributed on your shoulder to prevent neck pain often caused by traditional camera straps. Since I was a bit concerned about the single point of attachment, I made sure to check often that the connector piece, made of solid stainless steel and screwed to the tripod mount, was secure. It never loosened up on its own, probably due to the rubber compression washer that prevents any movement.
Its curved front pad with mesh underside is made to fit the woman’s body shape. Why didn’t anyone think of this before? It is made of Ripstop Nylon and webbing with a girlie touch as it features a cool frilly pattern on the shoulder and front of the strap. It retails for just under $60… Not cheap but it is definitely built to last and, in my opinion, it is worth every penny of it just for the relief it has given my neck! Now, if only it could come in a variety of colors…
Get a price on the Black Rapid RS-W1 at Amazon.
Black Rapid manufactures a variety of other designs, including a double strap as well as a newly released FastenR-T1 tripod mount that I will be writing about shortly.
Connect with Valerie on Facebook or visit her website.
Guest Contributor This post was written by a guest contributor to DPS. Please see their details in the post above. Become a Contributor: Check out Write for DPS page for details about how YOU can share your photography tips with the DPS community.
For the first time in its history, the Sony World Photography Awards is being held in London, on 27 April 2011. The awards will take place during the annual World Photography Festival & Exhibition. Honorary Judges for the 2011 Awards will be present and participating in the Festival, and the winning photgraphs will be on display for everyone to see. Other Festival programme highlights include workshops covering such topics as book design, designing your portfolio, merging film with stills and more; a five-evening series of intimate conversations with some of the greatest living photographers; and the World Photography Seminar Series including a panel debate on the London photography scene.
Website: World Photography Festival
The blue hour is that beautiful period of time that isn’t quite day time and isn’t quite night time. The quality of light thrown off is an absolute gift for photographers who can really use that quality of light to produce special colors in photography. It’s had enough of an impact on the general public for at least on restaurant in every city to be called L’Heure Bleue too. This collection should show you why it’s such an inspiration to people.
photo © 2009 Sento | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 William Cho | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 Francesco Pappalardo | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 Francesco Pappalardo | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 Alpha | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2007 Michael | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 William Cho | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2006 J. A. Alcaide | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 Gervasio Varela | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 Kenny Louie | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 Dennis | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 daynna | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 William Cho | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 William Cho | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 Paul David | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 Henry | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 Robert S. Donovan | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 Ashley | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2008 Felix | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2008 Steffen | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 Mohd Kamal | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2010 Lars Plougmann | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 Geno | more info (via: Wylio)
photo © 2009 Sebastian | more info (via: Wylio)
