Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

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I’ve been itching to test out the Canon 17mm f/4 tilt-shift lens for a long time and thanks to BorrowLenses as a courtesy this lens was made available to me for testing. I am far from being a camera gear tech-head, so if you want to get MTF chart info and other technical minutia I have provided links below to other reviews of this lens that I think are great & include greater tech info. The purpose of my time with this lens was to write up a practical review… in other words share with you how this lens held up in real-world conditions. Read more…

2009 offered up some great developments on the technical side of the photography industry, while the down economy has squeezed many photographers. In this regard 2009 was certainly a year to both love and hate. What might be around the corner in 2010? Here are my 10 Photography Predictions for 2010:

1. Computational Photography will hit a new landmark
   Expect a variety of announcements in regard to computational photography in 2010. Cameras will certainly be taking a new path in their evolution as we got a glimpse of in 2009 with the open-source camera. Beyond 2010 we might see some of this technology in a more traditional commercial camera.
2. Digital Noise Vanishes, but Faux Film Grain Comes Into Fashion
   I think it’s fair to say the latest cameras that have come out from Nikon and Canon have nearly done away with digital noise even at traditionally ultra high ISO settings. Ironically I predict that as people get use to noise free photos faux film grain will come into style.
3. Film makes a comeback… a small one
   Counter to my earlier writing Film is Dead. No Really! film will catch on even more with photographers who have caught the digital photography bug. The population of film photographers will grow a bit in 2010 (beyond photo schools & fine art photographers), but the big question is, “Will this growth sway film manufacturers from discontinuing more film stocks?”
4. Orphan Works Legislation Rears Its Ugly Head in Washington, but only Briefly
   Orphan Works Legislation will reappear on Capital Hill, but only late in 2010. Even then the legislation will be put off until 2011 due to continued partisanship on larger economic and other social issues/legislation. Even though I’m making this prediction I’m making plans to watch for any movement on this legislation through out the year. Photographers cannot afford to remain idle on this issue. John Harrington’s Photo Business News & Forum does a great job on relaying updates & editorial to this legislation and an official site to monitor status of legislation moving through the U.S. Congress is govtrack.us.
5. More Virtual Trade Shows
   In order to maximize cost savings photographers and photo companies alike who are reeling from the down economy will opt to attend more virtual trade shows versus traditional trade shows. PDN hosted a couple of the more popular virtual trade shows this year. I’m expecting to see this trend continue through out 2010 until the economy improves.
6. Camera Sensor Megapixel Wars Plateau
   Camera manufacturers will focus on camera enhancements other than increased sensor resolution for new dSLR models. As the economy continues to struggle the broadest segment of the camera consumer market will accept the 20 megapixel sensor resolution as the norm. This will be driven by a slow down in sensor resolution research and a standardization of manufacturing for such resolutions. Even the biggest camera manufacturers hit hard by the economic melt down of 2008/9 are going to be looking for new ways to meet demand, remain competitive and most importantly cut costs. Expect to see marketing that reflects this shift in the near future. That being said the medium format digital photography market will see continued activity to optimize sensors falling in the 40-80 megapixel range. Even in this market attention will fall on improving ISO sensitivity and digital noise after the dust settles.
7. Crowdsourcing of Photo Content Formally Threatens Microstock
   The low end of the stock photography market will start to be squeezed in 2010 as crowdsourcing photo sites/services emerge. The early exploration of this trend has been happening with photo contest rights grabs (see  How The Rights To Your Photo Are Being Hijacked Through Photo Contests & Social Media circa 2008), but will take on a more formal legitimate front this year. Why would I possibly imagine such a thing? Perception of the value of photography continues to plummet and its bound to get worse before it gets better. The only thing worse than photos that cost a few dollars to license are photos that can be used for free.
8. Well Known/Famous Photographers File for Bankruptcy
   Annie Leibovitz isn’t the only well known photographer facing tough times due to personal problems and an economy in free fall (see Agreement Reached on a Reprieve for Leibovitz Loan Repayment), she just may be the most visible. Photographers who have not embraced new marketing and revenue models will face the hardest of times. Those who have been slowest to adapt and have been over extended will suffer the worst fate. In 2010 it’s only a matter of time before news of bankruptcy hitting well known photographers comes to light.
9. Self-publishing forces the transformation of traditional photo publications
   The last 4-5 years have been a boon for photographers in publishing content online on their own terms via blogs, YouTube, etc. The last 2 years have provided even further opportunity to photographers as print on-demand services (Blurb, LuLu, MagCloud, and an infinite number of other printers) have established themselves. Photographer generated content as reached a tipping point at the close of 2009 and more traditional publishing outlets will begin to leverage this content for their own purposes. Whether content is integrated to a magazine web site or to the magazine itself editors will have an easier time picking and choosing content. The big question is will they opt to have this content in print or republish it online or both?
10. dSLR Video Leans Toward Niche Adoption vs. Broad Consumer Adoption
    I’m inclined to think that dSLR video will be wildly popular with a narrow audience and remain as an unused feature by the vast majority of the consumer market.  Film & Television cinematographers will flock to dSLR video at a higher percentage than still photographers. The reason for this is cinematographers are already used to the extra cost of video production while most still photographers are not. Shooting production quality video with a dSLR requires a large outlay of cash for accessories, well beyond the budget of most still photographers. Thom Hogan’s recent observation (Dec. 29, 2009) highlights how low video enabled dSLRs fall on the top sellers list for camera manufacturers. Perhaps this is a sign of the tough economy limiting the number of upgrades photographers make, but in combination with random observation of friends & colleagues I’m finding that those with dSLRs that shoot video often never use the feature. If video is your thing be sure to check out Vincent Laforet’s predictions.

Technorati Tags: photography, predictions, 2010

Almost 5 years ago I wrote an article on the pros and cons of using RAW versus JPEG and why I was shooting in RAW (see RAW vs JPEG: Is Shooting RAW Format For Me?). These days the argument of using RAW versus JPEG is well… not an argument at all. Most photographers realize that shooting in RAW provides a great number of benefits and many if not all the reasons to avoid using RAW have been nullified thanks to a variety of technical innovations including larger capacity compact flash drives & hard drives, maturation of RAW converters, development of photo specific editing/management software and faster more powerful computers. Now the question that faces photographers is should I convert my RAW files to DNG? Read more…

It seems like only yesterday that I first reviewed the camera in the original iPhone “Apple iPhone Camera Review: The One Thing Apple Isn’t Hyping“. At the time of the iPhone release 3 years ago I was not terribly impressed with the quality of the digital camera with in the phone and my opinion didn’t change with the lack of camera upgrade in the iPhone 3G. As part of the iPhone 3G S release the camera with in the phone has been upgraded and the difference between this generation and past generations is quite an improvement. Unfortunately not every short coming of the original iPhone camera has been addressed, but the vast majority of improvements warrant sharing another review. Read more…

These days its hard not to hear about doom and gloom news with the economy and for many photographers part of the “fix” they get with photography is picking up gear. While it may not make sense to pick a couple thousand dollars in gear in this economic climate there are things you can buy for under $30 that will certainly help you when in the field or studio. Here are 5 products that fit the bill and will keep you swimming in biodegradable foam peanuts.

invisibleSHIELD Camera LCD Screen Protector
For the sake of truth in advertising if you have a cell phone, digital camera or even a laptop I would recommend the invisibleSHIELD product for it. I’ve had a screen protector on my camera LCD screen from the first day I got it and it was the best thing I ever did. It cost me $12. When compared to other screen protectors my friends have purchased, mine is the only one that hasn’t been messed up by some weird age related effect. My screen isn’t dimmed by it, there’s no fogging and its virtually indestructible keeping my screen from getting chipped or scratched. I liked their product enough I forked out $55 for their MacBook Pro 17″ product. Definitely money well spent.

Lens Cloth
A good microfiber lens cloth is so cheap its worth getting two. Keep one in your camera bag and one in your jacket or wallet. This should be your first line of defense to keep dust specs from polluting your digital photos. Clean the front and rear element of your lenses to be sure that you’re not picking up clearly defined dust specs when shooting at f/22 or beyond.

Giottos Rocket Air Blower
The large version is under $20 at B&H, Amazon.com, etc. and its the fastest and least invasive way to rid your sensor of dust particles. I’ve owned one since 2004 and it’s never let me down. I should also add its my dogs favorite camera accessory. No matter where my dog is when I’m using it he runs over thinking its a toy. Dog owners beware.

Bubble Level
If you’re looking for a quick way to determine if your camera is level this is the way to do it. A hot shoe two axis or three axis bubble level is easy cheap and effective. It’s not uncommon to find these on sale so keep your eye open.

Multi-blade Screwdriver
This is the latest addition to my camera bag. I recently noticed that one of my lenses was working loose from the camera mount ring near the rear element. I was lucky that I didn’t break or lose my lens. Using a key or fingernail is no way to tune up camera equipment. In short order I got one of these multi-blade screwdrivers and now use it on my lenses and tripod.

Have any other must have accessories that you can pick up for under $30? If so share’m here.

An interesting encounter on Twitter got me thinking about the subject of permanence in relation to digital photography. Humorously @pogue (aka David Pogue) was noting the grammatical error in Outdoor Photographer referencing the “sense of permanency” of digital photography in books.  David Pogue, a New  York Times technology writer and Internet celebrity, while making light of this grammatical faux pas got me thinking perhaps the writer made a Freudian or even blatant slip revealing the underlying opinion that digital photography lacks permanence.

Numerous articles, including more than one on my blog, have discussed the critical need to back up digital photos as hard drive failure and natural disasters are inevitable. The question remains, is digital photography any less of a permanent medium than film photography?

Any artistic medium is subject to disaster, small and large, and the elements. Often we delude ourselves thinking that what we create will last forever. We’re inundated with marketing for archival material (ex. 100 year ink or paper, film, gold DVDs, etc.) but this in itself is an illusion when you think beyond the context of a single lifetime. I suppose for many of us a single lifetime is more than enough to ponder. Anything more would be presumptuous. For more on this in relation to prints I recommend listening to Brooks Jensen’s take in relation to Archival Madness. None the less many creatives do think in this way. For the few lucky enough to be considered influencers and masters, thinking this far ahead will pay off.

For the rest of us how realistic is the expectation that our digital photos taken today will be useable in 10, 20, 30 or 50 years? While digital photography provides great upside in immediate access, dynamic range, clarity, etc. here and now its longevity is questionable. CD’s and DVDs erode or get lost, hard drives fail, file formats change, backup formats change, computer operating systems change… everything changes with digital technology. The strength of film and why it feels safer to some is that over decades the formats varied very little and definitely less than digital has in its very short lifetime.

If you’re thinking that your work holds permanence think again. It might be best to reset your expectations knowing that you’re bound to experience a failure and loss of your work whether in digital or printed form. It’s just a matter of time. Or is it?

And just for David… be sure to you choose a smart approach to ensure the permanency of your digital photography. The same goes for you film photography dinosaurs.

Technorati Tags: Photography, permanence, digital photography, film photography, back-up strategy

It’s seldom that lens lust will get the better of me, but its looking like it happening. Canon’s announcement of the 17mm Tilt-Shift lens (not to mention the 24mm Tilt-Shift II lens) has my attention. While I have the 24mm Tilt-Shift I at the moment I’m most interested in the 17mm Tilt-Shift. I’ve been out recently with my 24mm TS and been stymied by the narrower field of view. For most the 24mm would suffice in most situations but I can’t stop going wide. I suppose Frank Capa had his mantra  ”If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”. I on the other hand like to say “If your pictures aren’t good enough you’re not photographing the scene wide enough”. Easy enough to say if you’re into nature and landscape, but perhaps not so true if you’re a portrait photographer. Unfortunately the price point is steep. $2499. Ouch!

Technorati Tags: Canon 17mm Tilt-Shift

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This has been making the rounds online this week and I had to share it in case any readers here have missed it. In 1975 Kodak developed the first digital camera prototype. Hardly something you’d carry around your neck to a family function. 100 line black and white image were recorded to a cassette tape and took 23 seconds to write. The “microcomputer” being the size of a large VCR was required to display the image on a “monitor” (actually a TV).

The question I have is how many MegaPixels rather MilliPixels would this have been?

Read and see more photos of this beast of a computer here:
Kodak’s First Digital Camera

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