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A photographer and educator whom I respect and I got into a conversation on the web about the viability of filters on lens for purposes other than creativity. His contention is that a filter for protection is unnecessary and will degrade image quality. I found that I agree. Mostly. Let me explain why.
Read MoreFor many photographers, shooting people is where it's at, or at least where we'd like to be. Even if we prefer nature, or landscapes or wildlife, we all need to be able to make great portraits of people, even if only our friends and family. After all, we do have a really good camera, right?
Read MoreI recently taught an Introductory workshop for Photoshop on Layers and Masks. While most of the attendees found the workshop very useful, the general consensus was that making selections for masking would take a lot of practice and that while Photoshop does a good job, the user interface can be complicated and some of the tools cumbersome. I tend to use a third party tool for this myself and was reminded of its efficacy by a webinar delivered by my fellow educator #BlakeRudis. The tool I advocate is called Remask and until recently was available only as a plugin for editing applications from the folks at Topaz Labs. That changed with the recent update to Remask 5.
Read MoreOver the last couple of years, some peers have started referring to me as the Light Whisperer. I choose to take it as a compliment because I love working with light, be it the big source in the sky, flash or continuous light. I started doing this stuff back when continuous light meant tungsten bulbs that were hot and somewhat unwieldy. Later came fluorescents, either in the form of the big curlicue bulbs such as those used by Westcott in their excellent Spiderlite systems or the non-flickering perfectly balanced tubes in my beloved Kino Flo lights. LED panels were initially super expensive and fairly dim so you needed a lot to get a little. That's changed and a killer offering in the LED space comes from Bowens in the Limelite Mosaic.
Read MoreDespite reasonable arguments to the contrary, there's still a very strong perception that more megapixels are better, even when comparing on the same size sensor. It means that each individual photo receptor is smaller, and that means less light sensitive but the theory is that this is balanced out by increased detail and sharpness. Canon, as of this article, currently rules the megapixel roost in 35mm full frame with the Canon 5Ds and Canon 5Dsr cameras. The questions to ask are what does 50 megapixels bring you, and what do you give up?
Read MoreNo, I'm not kidding, That's the title, or more correctly the first part of the title, "Shooting in Sh*tty Light : The Top Ten Worst Photography Lighting Situations and How to Conquer Them". The book is written by Lindsay Adler and Erik Valind. Both are professional photographers, Lindsay known for fashion and Erik for lifestyle. Both are respected educators and I have taken classes with both of them. Given their expertise, I was curious about what the book would reveal
Read MoreFolks who know me, know that I support my friends. They also know that I don't "spin" stories to suit a desired outcome. Those things clear, I am writing this post to tell you that you WANT and NEED to get my friend Rick Sammon's book called Creative Visualization for Photographers.
Read MoreIt seemed for a while that there was no new glass coming out of Nikon. That's definitely changed this year and today Nikon announced three new lenses. Check them out below.
Read MoreAt some point, all serious and emerging photographers realize the need for a light stand. So we head into our local camera store or go online in search of the one solution to myriad problems. After all, we don't have tons of space to store kit, and we've all been down the road of buying something that looked perfect and actually, wasn't.
Read MoreWhat? Am I serious? Isn't Lightroom the most awesomest bestest photo application on the planet? For some people yes, but for others it's a bad trip. Let's take a look at both sides and you can decide if Lightroom is right for you.
Read MoreWhen hot shoe flash just doesn't have enough oomph, photographers go to studio strobes. The challenge with strobes has always been availability of power. Most major strobe vendors have developed high output battery pack systems so AC is not always required, but these packs have been in most cases heavy and expensive. Profoto released the self-contained B1 series a while back and they have been very successful. Now available is the B2 system which uses an external generator pushing 250ws. It's pricey so let's have a look.
Read MoreWhen it comes to full frame, Nikon was first into the big megapixel game. Now both Canon and Sony have entered the pool, and Nikon has done a version upgrade from the original class opening D800 and D800e. What does the D810 bring and how does it fit the needs of the working photographer?
Read MoreI've been a photography educator for a long time and a photographer for much longer. On a saddeningly regular basis, I meet folks working hard to improve their photography trapped in what I call the Well of EXIF. There are schools of thought that say studying other people's EXIF can help you make better images. I violently disagree.
Read MoreThis video helps educate photographer's in selecting a macro lens
Read MoreFor a number of years, my go to wireless remote system was a Hahnel Giga T Pro. It worked very well, but I was often perturbed because the user interface was not very intuitive and I always had to go back to the manual when some time had passed without me using it. The Giga T Pro has been replaced by the Captur system. Let's see if it improves on things.
Read MoreLet's cut to the chase here. Sony makes brilliant sensors. They understand video at a level not found in many other places. While the company struggles in other lines of business, Sony's photo business continues to do well. Despite false starts like the failed smart phone clip on lens/camera, Sony gets Compact System Cameras (CSC) Continued evolution of their lines has produced a series of winners. Recently they released the A7 Mk II, a mirrorless with high megapixels and superb dynamic range. So why isn't the world going to Sony?
Read MoreWhen it comes to consumer level DSLRs, no branding is better known than the Canon Rebel line. Potential buyers still walk into stores and say "I want a Rebel". Good on Canon for getting the marketing right and remaining consistent in their messaging. With the latest release cycle, the Rebel lineup forks, so it's worthwhile to take a look at what's happening.
Read MoreAnnouncing two new bags from Think Tank - the Trifecta lineup!
Read MoreWhen the tsunamis hit Japan, they trashed a lot of manufacturing and this resulted in delays to see new products. Glass manufacturing was specifically impacted. Nikon has resolved those issues and has announced three new lenses this week.
Read MoreMore and more, I encounter photographers who want to work while mobile, before they get a chance to get back to the "main" computer and import the images into Lightroom. They want to upload to a laptop daily, do some edits, may be even post some work, but not have to duplicate everything when they get back home nor have multiple catalogs and try to remember where everything is and which version is current.
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