Chromasia Training Blog

But that's just Photoshop!

2013-05-16T09:06:13Z

Over the years I've had quite a few protracted and often heated discussions about the role of post-production in photography, normally with people who seem to have a rooted objection to images that have been radically transformed. "But that's not photography, that's just Photoshop!" has been a relatively common criticism of some of my work. It's a complex debate – especially as it plays out differently within different areas of photography – and I certainly don't intend to provide a complete answer here, but an image I've been working on recently prompted the following. ]]> as I took the shot – that the final image would be very close to the original. The editing is just the icing on the cake.

Hover over the image to see the original

The changes I made to the next image were more dramatic, but before we take a more detailed look, let me explain the context. I travelled up to Jura recently, one of the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland, to run a two day photography workshop for the winners of the Spirited Community competition organised by the by the Isle of Jura. While I was sat on the train to Glasgow I got a text message from Libby, my wife, telling me to make sure I photographed the house on Jura where George Orwell wrote 1984. He was there in 1946 (to 1947), and stayed at Barnhill, a house owned by David Astor, the editor of the Observer. Orwell was in ill health - he died just a few years later - was recently bereaved, and struggled through one of the harshest winters of the century: but he finished a first draft of the book while he was there. As the house is almost eight miles from the nearest paved road, and we didn't have a 4x4, my only opportunity to photograph it was during a boat trip we took to the North of the Island to photograph the Corryvreckan whirlpool. So I just had a couple of minutes to grab the shot before we moved on. As you can see below, the initial shot is compositionally OK, but lacks any real impact, and this isn't what I wanted to achieve. What I wanted was something darker, and more dramatic: something to evoke the isolation of this remote house, and echo the bleakness of one of the most important and influential books of the twentieth century. So on this occasion – as I took the shot – I knew that the post-production would need to be quite a bit more extensive. You can preview the changes I made by below. Clicking one of the adjustment layers will enable it, and all the layers below it. To disable a layer, or layers, just click one of the lower layers.

To summarise: I cloned out a couple of distracting elements; converted the image to black and white using the Channel Mixer (biased towards the red channel to darken the sky and lighten the foliage); added a vignette to focus the viewer's attention more firmly within the frame; added Curves 2 to brighten the sea, land and house; added two additional masked curves to darken the sky; used Curves 5 to increase the contrast on the land below the house; toned the image with a curve; then added a final curves adjustment to brighten the house. I guess the important thing here is that I had an idea in mind: I'd pre-visualised the mood and feel of the shot before seeing the house. Once there, all I needed to do was compose the shot and get the exposure right. The heavy lifting was done later. On most other occasions, at least when I'm shooting landscapes, the pre-visualisation takes place during the shoot. The following shot is a good example – a bright, flat original, lacking in both mood and character – but the ingredients are there: the lone figure, hurrying through a vast landscape, beneath a potentially interesting sky.

Hover over the image to see the original

On other occasions, things aren't quite as simple. For example, I took the following shot because the scene was interesting – lots of structural detail, offset against a reasonably interesting sky – but I didn't have a predetermined strategy for the edit other than knowing that I'd need to compensate for the relative absence of light beneath the structure. Generally speaking, these type of shots are the most problematic – you'll find that lots of potentially interesting shots manage to avoid becoming interesting, despite your best efforts – but in this case it worked.

Hover over the image to see the original

To sum up then, before we move on to take a look at the image that prompted me to write this post, I'd say that most of the images I shoot fall into the three broad categories I mentioned above: those that I know will require little or no editing; those where I have a very clear idea about how the final image will look as I take it, even on those occasions where the changes are extensive; and those where I'm fairly confident that I'll be able to come up with something to compensate for any obvious problems (lighting, balance, and so on). In each case, and in response to "but that's just Photoshop", it's not: it's an integral part of the process, tied to the content of the scene and the way in which its potential is visualised at the time the shutter is pressed. Occasionally though, and this brings me to the image I want to discuss, I end up shooting something that's more difficult to process. Before we take a look at it though, I'll explain the context. It was my final morning on Jura, and I woke up at around 5.00am to a glorious sunrise. I skipped coffee, threw my clothes on, grabbed my RX1 and spent 15 minutes or so photographing the following scene.

Hover over the image to see the original

As the sun climbed higher, and the light began to flatten, I snapped a few more shots of the surrounding scene, including the one below. As I'm sure you'll agree, it's not a great shot. The composition is OK, but beyond that it's quite weak: the light is flat, it's underexposed, and it doesn't have a clear focal point. I did like the reflections, and the vague detail in the sky, particularly towards the right of the image, so thought I'd process it anyway. After about 30 minutes of trying a whole range of different approaches I finally worked out why I was having problems: I couldn't decide what the shot was about. If you look back through the rest of the images I included above you'll see that they're all about something: a lone figure on the beach, an ancient iron structure against the sky, the beauty of a sunrise, and so on. But what was this one about? The sky? The houses? The reflections? I'd been working in colour till this point, but thought I'd try black and white. It didn't work, at least not all that well. The sky looked good, particularly on the right, but the houses looked unnatural and the image as a whole seemed more like a collection of interesting parts than a cohesive whole. Given that I was struggling to come up with anything I was happy with I asked Ian Mylam, Antony Northcutt and Simon Jenkins if they'd be interested in taking a look at the image, with a view to coming up with their own version. And while they worked on it, I switched back to my colour version and tried again. Here's what I came up with.

My version (click the image to compare with the other versions)

And here are Ian's, Antony's and Simon's versions. Interestingly, despite the obvious differences between our versions (as you'll see below) I think we all hit on pretty much the same solution, but I'll explain what I mean by that below.

As you can see, Ian and I ended up producing quite similar versions, Simon created a darker, brooding image, while Antony went for a more painterly feel, but despite the pronounced differences I think they're all examples of the same solution. As I mentioned above, my initial problem with this shot revolved around trying to decide what it was about: the sky, the houses, the reflections, and so on. But, as the black and white version demonstrated, emphasising these elements just fragmented the image. It became a collection of parts, not a cohesive whole. The solution that we all settled on was to unify the image through colour. Ian and I chose a remarkably similar colour palette, Simon went for something warmer (though darker) and Antony chose a colder theme. In each case though, it's the colour that's the key, not the disparate elements. The colour unifies the image, providing a structure within which the rest of the components seem to sit quite comfortably. So, what's the moral of this story? Photoshop is a powerful tool, and it's one that can be used to radically transform an image to the point where "but that's just Photoshop" can seem like a perfectly reasonable and justified response. And if you trawl back through my photoblog, particularly the early years, you'll find quite a few examples of images that I would no longer produce: ones where I treated the post-production as something that was unrelated to the photographic process as a whole. I didn't pre-visualise. So would pre-visualising this shot have helped? Almost certainly, but in this case – remember that it was 5.30am, I'd skipped coffee, and I'm not a morning person – I think I would have probably just given up and not pressed the shutter at all. Generally though, if you're shooting a scene that you know is flawed, but you can pre-visualise an edit that will address those flaws, then your chances of producing a good image are massively higher than if you just snap and pray. In this sense then, the post-production comes first: you imagine or pre-visualise the final image, then press the shutter. On which note, while I'm reasonably happy with my attempt, and think that Antony, Simon and Ian produced good versions too, I'm by no means convinced that any of us made the best of this one, so if you'd like to give it a try you can download the RAW file here: http://www.chromasia.com/blog/download/_DSC3037.dng.zip Let me know in the comments below if you do, and if you come up with something you'd like to share, post in on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ChromasiaTrainingLtd I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Architectural Photography Competition: The Winners

2013-04-18T14:28:47Z

Back in February I was asked to judge an architectural photography competition sponsored by Goodman Business Parks. There were two prizes up for grabs – a Sony NEX-5R Compact System Camera for the overall winner, and a £50 Amazon UK Voucher for the runner up – and we received a great range of entries from around the world.]]> the shortlist

It wasn't an easy competition to judge as the quality of the submitted images was high, but after quite a bit of deliberation we managed to narrow it down to a shortlist of sixteen. I'm going to show you the runners-up first, including two that I'd like to give a personal honourable mention, then the two prize winners.

personal mentions

If I'd had two more prizes to give away I'd have awarded them to the following images, both of which I would have been delighted to have shot myself: a very striking image from Michael Connell, shot in New York; and a moody skyline from Ian Mylam, shot from Park Regis hotel in Dubai.

the winners

OK, so here are the winning images: a great, almost abstract shot from Martin Snelson, who wins the £50 Amazon voucher; and a beautifully complex shot of Westminster Tube Station from Tom Fakler: winner of the Sony NEX-5R. As I'm sure you'll agree, both are fantastic images.

If you're interested, Tom has written a blog post about the competition, including his initial thoughts on the NEX-5R here. It was interesting to see that he homed in on the very aspect of this image that took it from good, to truly excellent: "tiny commuters … just visible between the out-sized struts and tubes". For me, these lend both scale and mood to the image: small dark figures, tucked away in the corner of an almost other-worldy industrial scene. Well done, to both winners, my personal mentions, and the remainder of the shortlisted images.

Architectural Photography Competition

2013-02-02T08:06:14Z

As you'll know if you read my initial review of the Sony SLT-A99 I'm currently making the switch to shooting full time with Sony gear. I'm selling my Canon kit, have invested in a range on Sony/Zeiss lenses, and have recently acquired another Sony camera that I'll be blogging about soon (watch this space!). As such I was pleased to be asked to run and judge a UK based architectural photography competition that's being sponsored by Goodman Business Parks as the main prize is a Sony Nex-5R Compact Camera System. ]]>

Tweet your image

Include @chromasia and #GoodmanComp (so I definitely get it)

Or, you can just use the button provided below:

	Tweet #GoodmanComp

If you don't use twitter you can enter by placing a link to your image in the comments below. Prizes: Winner: Sony NEX-5R Compact System Camera (Black) Honourable Mention: £50 Amazon UK Voucher Update: Due to high demand we are now welcoming international entries. Please note: Due to the international restrictions of Amazon.co.uk vouchers, international entries will not be eligible for the honourable mentions category. Sorry! Ends: Monday 25th February 2013 At the end of the competition, we'll publish a gallery of all the best entries here on the blog. Best of luck, and please share this page with anyone you think might be interested in entering the competition! Terms & Conditions To take part in the Goodman Architectural Photography Competition, entries must be received by Monday 25th February 2013. To enter, upload your picture to any online host, making sure that it is publically visible. Goodman is not liable for any plagiarised entries, and by entering this competition, the entrant agrees to indemnify Goodman in full for any breach of third party intellectual property rights. The Goodman Architectural Photography Competition is an international competition, open to those who are aged 18 or over only. One entry per person. Goodman reserves the right to exclude from the competition any entry that does not meet criteria set out in these terms and conditions. Winners will be notified after Monday 25th February 2013 via e-mail. The e-mail will contain details of how to claim the prize. The competition winner must claim their prize within 7 days of being notified and Goodman/Webmaster reserves the right to select an alternative winner should a prize not be claimed. The prize is only valid for 6 months from the date that the prize is claimed. The prize cannot be exchanged for cash or otherwise and no cash alternative will be offered. Goodman reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or higher value in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Liability cannot be accepted for entries which are lost in transit or not received by webmaster due to technical difficulties. Webmaster/Goodman reserves the right to appoint third party judges to choose winners for each category. Judges' decisions will be final. Any decision taken by Webmaster/Goodman is final and no correspondence will be entered into. By entering into this competition, the entrant grants to Webmaster/Goodman a non exclusive, perpetual, royalty free license to use the photography and images in its blog for the purpose of this competition.

Night photography: capturing movement and light

2012-11-22T19:24:09Z

One of my favourite workshops is 'Shoot the City', a workshop I run twice a year for Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai. We start the day photographing architecture (normally at the DIFC in the heart of the city), after which we shoot the Jumeirah Beach skyline from the Palm: from late afternoon until about 30-40 minutes after sunset. We then head up to the rooftop bar of the Four Points Sheraton hotel on Sheik Zayed road: a great vantage point, with affordably great fries and tolerably cheap beer. During each workshop I teach pretty much the same techniques, most of which I've listed below, but during the latest workshop I decided to try something a bit different ...]]> use a sturdy tripod. Once the light starts to drop you'll find that your exposures can easily run to at least 30 seconds. If you use a flimsy or cheap tripod there's a good chance that it will move or vibrate during the exposure. To minimise any movement don't extend your tripod legs any higher than necessary, and don't raise the centre column (often the least stable component of cheaper tripods), but if you're planning on doing a lot of night photography the only reliable solution is to invest in a good tripod. Believe me, there's nothing worse than shooting a great scene only to find out later that all your images are blurred. Second, especially when you're photographing in very dark conditions, set your camera to manual focus. In very low light most autofocus systems will hunt for something to focus on, and often get it wrong. So switch to manual focus, choose an appropriate focal distance (use infinity for skylines), and then forget about it until you recompose or change the shot. Third, use a remote release (and/or mirror lockup) to minimise any camera movement during the exposure, and if you don't have one, use the self-timer. As a side-note, if you want to shoot exposures that are longer than 30 seconds you'll definitely need to get a remote release, either a simple device that will allow you to lock the shutter open in bulb mode, or a more complex one that will allow you to programme a predetermined exposure. Most camera manufactures produce a dedicated release, but the one I'm using at the moment is the Giga T Pro II 2.4GHz Wireless Timer Remote from Hahnel. It's not the cheapest remote on the market, but it allows you to programme exposures of any length, set timing loops, a fixed number of exposures, and so on. Fourth, use a low ISO: there's no point in introducing unnecessary noise, especially if you want to maximise the detail in your image. The following two images illustrate this point (both are 100% crops from the original). The first was shot at ISO 100, the second at ISO 3200. As you can see, the detail is quite badly compromised in the second image.

ISO 100

ISO 3200

Fifth, turn on long exposure noise reduction. Long exposure noise reduction uses dark frame subtraction (a second exposure, taken while the shutter is closed) to minimise the inherent inaccuracies of your camera's sensor, e.g. dead pixels, hot pixels, and so on. This second exposure measures any discrepancies in the way in which your sensor records data, and then subtracts these inaccuracies from the initial exposure. As such it's definitely worth using, but as the dark fram exposure takes as long as the initial exposure it can be a nuisance when you're using a longer shutter speed. Sixth, for long exposures you'll need to calculate the correct shutter speed as your camera can't set an automatic shutter speed longer than 30 seconds. I'm not going to cover this in any detail here (there's more information in my Photoshop for Night Photography tutorial), but in essence you need to increase the ISO and/or open up the shutter, note the exposure (e.g. four seconds at f/2.8 at ISO 3200), then adjust your settings accordingly. In this example that would result in a 480 second exposure at f/5.6 at ISO 100. Seventh, use a relatively small aperture. The following two images illustrate why. The first was shot at f/4, the second at f/16.

Shot at f/4. Note the diffuse nature of the 'point' light sources

Shot at f/16 to create a starburst effect

The starburst effect is caused by the diaphragm of the lens – the mechanism that opens and closes to control the aperture – but only when you use a relatively small aperture (around f/11 or smaller). When you use a large aperture any 'point' light sources in the scene will appear as unattractive blown-out blobs, but when you use a smaller aperture you get a much more attractive starburst. The following two images also illustrate this point. Both were shot at f/16.

Shot from the roof of an appartment building in Dubai

Shot from the 24th floor of an apartment building in Dubai

shooting movement

Using the guidelines I mentioned above will pretty much guarantee that you'll get sharp, detailed and well-exposed images at night, irrespective of the length of the exposure. So far though we've only talked about scenes with little or no movement – where the shutter speed clearly makes no difference – but what about when the movement is more significant? Clearly, if you're using a long exposure, the movement will blur, but the extent to which this is significant, or desirable, depends on the type of scene you're shooting. For example, if you take a look at the following image you'll see that the crane on the building just to the right of the centre rotated during the 30 second exposure, adding some motion blur and additional interest to an otherwise stationary scene.

Shot from the same location as the previous image

In the following shot the headlights from the cars travelling along the Sheik Zayed road have 'fused' into a continuous trail. Generally speaking, for fairly fast moving traffic, a shutter speed of 8 seconds or above works well. Slower than this and the trails from individual cars will be visible: as segments of light rather than a continuous and smooth trail. For traffic that's moving slower you'll find that you need a proportionally longer shutter speed in order to add the same degree of blur.

Shot from the Four Points Sheraton on Sheik Zayed road (15 second exposure)

In the previous example the movement (the headlights from the individual cars) was smoothed by using a relatively long shutter speed. In the following example the movement was partially a consequence of the 13 second exposure – the street lights rushing by – but also a consequence of hand-holding the camera during a 13 second exposure. So part motion, part camera blur.

A 13 second hand-held exposure

In the next example, despite the fact that the motion appears to be quite pronounced, the shutter speed was relatively fast (0.3s). In this case the motion is entirely unnatural: the camera was rotated at a busy intersection (the light sources are traffic lights, car lights, and so on.

A 0.3 second hand-held exposure

In the next two examples – a six minute exposure and a 30 second exposure – the movement of the water has been smoothed, hence the diffuse reflection from the light beneath the pier (in the first shot) and the various lights from the Jumeirah Beach buildings in the second.

Fleetwood Pier (Fleetwood, UK): six minute exposure

Jumeirah Beach skyline from the Palm (Dubai): 30 second exposure

something different

Having taken the Jumeirah Beach skyline image during all of my Shooting the City workshops, or a variation thereof, I wanted to try something a bit different this time: I wanted to freeze the water rather than smooth it. The shutter speed for the metered exposure at f/8.0 and ISO 100 was 30 seconds. To freeze the water I worked out that I needed a 1/4 second exposure, which was a bit slower than I'd guessed, but even so, shooting at f/8.0 would have required ISO 12800 to match the exposure of the first shot. I was shooting with the Sony SLT-A99, which is pretty good at high ISO, but nowhere near good enough to capture sufficient details in the building at such a high ISO. As such I decided to blend two images: one shot at f/8.0, ISO 100 was 30 seconds, the other at f/4.0 (I decided to compromise on the aperture to keep the ISO a bit lower, ISO 3200 and 1/4 seconds. I've reproduced both initial images below.

f/8.0, ISO 100, 30 seconds

f/4.0, ISO 3200, 1/4 seconds

At this resolution both shots look OK, though obviously need a bit more work, but if you take a closer look you'll see that the detail is compromised in the ISO 3200 version.

100% crop

In the case of the buildings this level of noise isn't acceptable, and while it could be removed using a range of noise reduction plugins, it would take a lot of the fine scale detail with. In the case of the sea though things weren't quite as problematic, a) because the noise wasn't quite so pronounced, and b) because the fine scale detail was irrelevant: rippling water is supposed to look smooth. To cut a long story short then, all I needed to do was blend both versions in Photoshop – i.e. use the ISO 100 version for the buildings and sky and the ISO 3200 version for the water (after running some fairly serious noise reduction). The net result, after some additional post-production (nine curves to make some global and selective changes to brightness and contrast) was the following image. While this may not be my favourite image that I've taken from this location I am pleased with how it turned out, both from a creative point of view – it's different to all the other slow shutter speed shots I've taken – and in terms of the fact that it's technically OK too: I'd be happy to print it out as the only loss of detail due to the noise reduction is largely irrelevant to the quality of the image as a whole. I'll be posting this one as next week's Mini-PSD, so if you already subscribe to our photography and post-production tutorials you'll be able to take a closer look at the various changes I made to this image during post-production.

Sony SLT-A99: Initial review

2012-11-14T15:37:30Z

At the start of September I received an email from GPP asking me if I'd be interested in being involved with the launch of a couple of Sony's new cameras, to coincide with my upcoming visit to Dubai for their Fotoweekend event: the SLT-A99, their new full frame pro-spec camera, and the NEX-5. I wasn't especially interested in the NEX-5 – it's a good little camera, but not one that I'd use – but the SLT-A99 looked more promising. If you're not familiar with Sony's SLT cameras the basic difference between them and a DSLR is that the mirror doesn't move, hence Single Lens Translucent rather than Single Lens Reflex. With a DSLR the mirror flips out of the way before you take the shot, with an SLT the majority of the light is fed continuously to the sensor, with a portion being routed to the main AF module via the mirror. In theory this means that you're losing around 0.3EV to 0.5EV from the outset, but in practice this loss of light seems to have little or no effect on the quality of the image. The deal was that I'd get to keep the camera and a couple of lenses in exchange for spending some time shooting in the UK followed by two days intensive shooting in Dubai. Those images would be used to create a range of A0 prints, a photo book, and so on. I was also asked to give a 10 minute presentation at the press conference and another public talk on my experiences of shooting in Dubai as part of GPP's Fotoweekend event. So, an intensive schedule (I was shooting on the 2nd and 3rd of November and the press conference was on the 6th), a fair amount of pressure (the images needed to be good), but I'd get to keep the camera and two lenses: the Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM Vario-Sonnar® T* and the Zeiss 85mm F1.4 ZA Planar T*, both of which are great pieces of glass. Was I delighted? Initially, no. Let me explain why ...]]> image quality

First and foremost, the SLT-A99 produces truly great images. I've been shooting with it for a few weeks now and in pretty much every respect the images are noticeably better than those I've shot with my 5D Mark II: greater detail, larger dynamic range, and better high ISO performance. Here's a couple of examples. The first shot in each pair is a 730px wide version of the original high res' (post-processed) file, the second a 100% crop. Both RAW files were converted with Camera Raw, with default input sharpening. No output sharpening was applied to the cropped images.

Sheik Zayed Road, Dubai: Sony SLT-A99 & 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM Vario-Sonnar® T* @ 18mm. 25s, f/9, ISO 100

100% crop. No output sharpening

Textile Souk, Dubai: Sony SLT-A99 & Zeiss 85mm F1.4 ZA Planar T*. 1/100s, f/7.1, ISO 640

100% crop. No output sharpening

As I hope you'll agree, the 100% crops indicate that this is a camera that can produce very sharp images, and while both were shot with good lens, the clarity of the images is at least partly due to the 24.3MP Exmor sensor. I haven't seen any objective tests yet but it's worth pointing out that this is probably the same sensor that Nikon are using in their D600 (see this page for confirmation). Now, it may be the case that the sensor in the D600 was produced to slightly different specifications but it doesn't seem likely that Sony would produce an inferior 24MP sensor for their own flagship camera. As such I think it's fair to assume that the IQ of the A99 is likely to be broadly comparable to the D600. If so, and if DxOMark are to be believed, the A99 should stack up very favourably against its nearest rivals: the Nikon D800 and the Canon 5D Mark III.

Nikon D600, versus Canon 5D Mark III, versus Nikon D800

And if you take a look at the scores for the Nikon D4, D3X, and the Canon 1Ds Mark III then the A99 starts to look very good indeed. In short then the sensor in the A99 is truly excellent. In a follow-up post I'll write more about its dynamic range and how it performs at higher ISO – I want to shoot some comparison images with my 5D II before I make any definitive statements – but my initial impressions are that it has at least two more stops of dynamic range than my 5D II and is clearly superior at higher ISOs. For the time being, trust me, this is a class leading sensor.

key features

OK, so the IQ's great, but what other features does the A99 have? I'm going to talk about a few of them in more detail below, but here's a quick summary.

24MP full-frame CMOS Sensor with on-chip phase detection AF
Dual AF system with 19 focus points plus an extra 102 AF points on the sensor
Fixed-mirror design SLT
2.4M dot OLED EVF (electronic viewfinder)
Focus peaking
14-bit Raw output
ISO 100-25,600
Up to 6 frames-per-second continuous shooting with AF (10 in burst mode)
ISO-compatible flash hotshoe with 'multi interface' expansion connector
Pull-out three-hinge tilt/swivel 1.23m dot RGBW LCD screen
Top panel LCD
Microphone and headphone sockets
Built-in GPS
AF Micro Adjust
Shutter rated for 200K release cycles
Rugged, lightest in class, weatherproof body
100% OLED viewfinder with 2,360K resolution (auto enlarges with crop lenses)
Dual SD slots
GPS
Full HD 50p (or 60p) video
Silent, customisable control wheel (especially useful for video)
Customisable button layout

In short then, this is a well-specified camera with a broad range of features, as you would expect for one that's targeted at the pro and high-end amateur market. I'm not going to go through all of these, but there are a few I want to draw special attention to, particularly those that are related to the EVF (electronic viewfinder), but there are a few other features that I'd like to mention first.

focus modes

The A99 has a variety of autofocus modes, more of which below, all of which are driven by a dual AF system: a dedicated 19 point AF phase detection module (with 11 cross point sensors), which is fed by light from the mirror, and a secondary 102 point phase detection system built into the sensor, as illustrated by the image to the right. The A99 has a range of standard autofocus modes (single shot, continuous, face detection, etc) but also has AF-D, a new system that utilises both focus modules to (according to Sony) improve focus speed and accuracy, particularly in terms of tracking an object through three dimensional space. I haven't had the chance to test this in any great detail – and coming from the 5D Mark II pretty much ANY new autofocus system is an improvement – but I can confirm that it's fast and accurate.

onboard image stabilisation

Unlike Canon and Nikon, where image stabilisation is built into some of their lenses, Sony have opted to incorporate it into the camera: the sensor moves, not a the lens elements. The major advantage is that all the lenses you use can be image stabilised, and it works very well. Take a look at the following example and you'll see what I mean. It was shot with the 85 f/1.4 at 1/4s, i.e. just over 4 stops below a sensible hand-holding speed of 1/80s.

The Vista Bar, Dubai: Sony SLT-A99 & Zeiss 85mm F1.4 ZA Planar T*. 1/4s, f/5.6, ISO 6400

100% crop. No output sharpening

In practice I found that I could get two stops of IS pretty much 100% of the time. At three stops somewhere around 90% were sharp, and at four stops about 30-40% of the images were sharply focussed. In short then it's a pretty impressive system. The only negative I found is that you need to delve into the menus to turn it on and off, which isn't a deal breaker, but is a bit annoying when you're switching between hand-holding and shooting on a tripod.

lcd panel

Articulating LCD panels are nothing new but it's rare to see them attached to high end cameras, particularly those that are aimed at the pro market, despite the fact they're extremely useful. For example, the following image was shot from about an inch above the ground, hence the strong reflection in the wet sand. With my 5D Mark II I would have shot this either laying in the sand, and getting wet, using Liveview, while craning my neck to see the screen, or by using a bubble level attached to the hotshoe to keep the camera level while guesstimating the composition. I would have probably got the shot, or something similar, but the process wouldn't have been very fluid. With the LCD panel on the A99 though, things were a lot easier. Flip it out, position the camera, compose, and shoot.

And here's the final image ...

ergonomics and design

One of Sony's marketing points for the A99 is that it's lightest in its class, by around 100g or thereabouts, but by the time you've stuck a decent piece of glass on the front – for example the Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM Vario-Sonnar® T* (which weighs almost 1kg) – the weight saving isn't really an issue. In fact, I think I would probably prefer it if it weighed a bit more, not because it feels insubstantial, but because it would be slightly better balanced. On the whole though it's a comfortable camera to use, and one that feels rugged and well designed. One of my favourite design features is that many of the buttons are customisable. For example, the AEL button can be reprogrammed for back-button autofocus, the silent control wheel can be used to switch focus modes, and so on. There's also an additional custom button that can be set to control pretty much any of the camera's features. This isn't a huge selling point, and I haven't felt the need to reprogram and of the key buttons, but it does demonstrate a commitment to usability that many manufacturers ignore.

electronic viewfinder (evf)

The EVF is the one feature of the A99 that I didn't expect to like – the whole idea of it just feels wrong – but, for a variety of reasons that I'll discuss below, it's turned out to be one of my favourite features. The major advantage of an EVF versus an optical viewfinder is that you see exactly what the camera sees: the image is fed directly from the sensor to the 2.4MP EVF. This has a range of major benefits. First, the image in the viewfinder is a 100% of the scene, so no more guessing what's at the edge of the frame. If you change the white balance setting you can see the change as you compose your shot. If you preview the depth of field you can do so without the viewfinder dimming because you closed down the aperture. What I like best about the EVF is that once you've taken your shot the preview appears in the viewfinder, either as a full-frame shot or with the histogram and shooting details. This is extremely useful as it means you don't need to constantly move the camera from your eye to check the exposure using the LCD panel. That said, I did find this a bit difficult to get used to – lifting the camera to your eye and seeing the previous shot is a bit disconcerting at first – but having got used to it I find it a much better way of working.

focus peaking

Focus peaking isn't new, but it is the first time that it's been available in a pro-spec body. If you're not familiar with it, it's a focus aid which uses the autofocus system to place a (red or yellow) outline around areas of the image that are in focus. This is especially useful when you switch to manual focus. For example, rather than trying to guess what's in focus (as you need to do when using an OVF), or switching to Liveview to zoom in and check, you get immediate feedback in the EVF about what's in focus and what's not. In practice this is a) very easy to use, and b) very accurate. For example, you can focus on the catchlight in a subjects eys at f/1.4 and know that you're nailed the shot, something that's almost impossible using an OVF. It's also a much better solution than using autofocus, which will often lock onto the eyebrow or some other nearby feature rather than your subject's eye.

negatives

So far then, so good, I'm sold on this camera. But there are some issues to bear in mind if you're thinking of buying into the Sony system. First, while Sony produce some fantastic lenses (particularly their Zeiss-badged glass), their range isn't as comprehensive as Canon and Nikon's. So, no tilt-shift lenses, a limited range of fast telephotos, and so on. For me, this isn't an issue – I'm happy with a handful of fast primes, a 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200 – and if I ever do need to use a more exotic lens for an assignment I'll rent one and use it with my 5D Mark II. Not a huge issue then, but one to bear in mind. It's also worth noting that there's also a comparative lack of 3rd party accessories for the Sony system. For example, Pocket Wizard produce TTL triggers for Canon and Nikon, but not for Sony. If the A99 is a success, and Sony do make inroads into the pro market then I guess that this will change, but, for the time being, bear in mind that your choices regarding third party peripherals and other kit will be more limited. Update (17th November): I've just been reading an article on Frank Doorhof's blog (who was also shooting with the A99 out in Dubai) about the Phottix flash triggers. These are wireless triggers that allow both manual and TTL control of your remote flash units. The good news is that these are now going to be available for Sony systems too. The final negative point, and one that seems to get picked up by most reviewers, is battery life: the A99 eats batteries. Typically I've found that I get between 400 and 500 shots, which is way less than I'd expect when shooting with my 5D Mark II. That said, it's a) not unexpected (the EVF uses quite a bit of power), and b) carrying around a couple of spare batteries isn't a huge issue. Other than the above though there's really not much else I can fault.

conclusions

As I guess you've already worked out, I'm seriously impressed with the SLT-A99. The image quality is superb, it has a great range of features, and no real negatives, at least none that have any major impact on my style/type of photography. As such I have no problem recommending this camera. Would I buy one if Sony hadn't given it to me? Yes, probably, though the effort, time and expense involved in selling my Canon gear to fund it would have been a major pain. And I guess that's the major problem that Sony will face in marketing this camera: anyone who's seriously considering upgrading to a pro-spec body probably already has at least one Nikon or Canon body and a bunch of lenses, so making the switch is a major commitment. For anyone just starting out though – maybe you have a Canon 600D and kit lens, or the Nikon equivalent – switching to Sony would make a lot more sense. I can't predict the future but, for now, I think Sony pretty much nailed it with the A99. At some point soon I'll post a more detailed article on the A99's dynamic range and low light ability. In the meanwhile, if there's any other feature you'd like me to focus on, let me know in the comments below. Likewise, if you'd like more detail about anything I discussed above, or have any other questions, let me know.

Millennium & Copthorne #CityView Photography Contest

2012-10-20T06:18:01Z

Here's a competition for any of you who are based in the UK or plan on visiting at some point soon. Millennium & Copthorne Hotels have launched a new blog and are holding a photography competition to kick start proceedings. Given the company's affinity with city life they are asking photographers to submit an image that captures the essence of their favourite city. Entry's so far can be seen here and I am pleased to have been asked to judge the 'Most Dramatic' category. Other categories include 'Most Shared', 'Most Creative' and 'Honourable Mentions'. ]]>

Tweet the URL of your best city photograph, including ...

#CityView and @MillenniumEU so your entry can be found.

Or, just use the following Tweet button, adding the url to your image: Tweet #CityView The prizes include three weekend retreats and two restaurant vouchers, plus the chance to be featured in their follow up article "The World's Greatest City Views". The competition closes on 31st October 2012, so submit your images soon, good luck, and I'll look forward to seeing your entries. Let me know if you decide to take part. Terms and condition can be found here. Update: The winners have now been announced: http://whatson.millenniumhotels.co.uk/city-view/city-view-competition-winners/ You can take a look at all the winning entries by clicking the link above but here's the winning shot from the 'Most Dramatic' category: a great shot submitted by Steve Deer. And here's why I thought it should win: "There were many great entries for the Most Dramatic category of the Millennium & Copthorne City View Travel Photography Competition - skylines at night, creative shots of iconic landmarks in many of our world's great cities, panoramas, shots of people on location - and a whole range of other creative and well-crafted images that capture the diversity and visual drama of many of the world's cities. Of all the images that were submitted Steve Deer's entry was my favourite. It's an unusual image, shot with a fisheye lens from very close to the ground, but it beautifully captures the scale, pace and drama of modern city life in a creative and compelling way."

Digiarte 2012 (9th edition)

2012-10-11T14:29:42Z

Earlier this year I was invited to take part in Digiarte 2012 (9th edition), an exhibition of smart phone photography in Sesto Fiorentino and Florence, Italy. The exhibition featured a range of my images, alongside ones from Zack Arias, Dave Hill, Seymour Templar, Misho Baranovic, Martino Pietropoli, Simone "brahmino" Bramante, Agnese Morganti, and Corrado Nuccini. I don't know what devices, apps and software anyone else used, but most of mine were shot with an iPhone 4 and Hipstamatic, with a some additional editing in Filterstorm. Here's how the project was described: "The starting idea is: of course anyone can take a photo with a mobile device, but how can an expert photographer optimize his workflow using a smartphone? Eye, Culture, Sense of Composition, Knowledge of Photography History and Aesthetic principles, the use of filters: How can these element affect the quality of a "mobile" photo? Our aim is to exhibit mobile photos by famous (and non-famous) great photographers that sometimes drop the heavy stuff (but nevertheless do not drop their creativity, their sense of art and style) and take some good shoots using a mobile phone camera. We invited artists who are active in any mobile photo communities, with both individual projects and works displayed within the big communities (e.g. Instagram, Hipstamatic, picplz, to name a few)." ]]> Hopefully the above will convince my better half that I should upgrade to an iPhone 5 ;-) If not then I'm stuck with the iPhone 4, which I don't really mind, it's a great little camera. And finally, here's some of my images that were included in the exhibition and video. Let me know what you think.

Digital Workflow: 101 (What do you want to learn?)

2012-09-05T13:54:23Z

I'm planning two series of short articles for this blog: one will cover digital workflow and post-production, the other, shooting (e.g. composition, depth-of-field, and so on). These aren't going to be complex, or exhaustive – anything that warrants a more detailed discussion will become a tutorial – but I do want them to be interesting, informative and useful. I'll write another post about the Shooting: 101 series soon, but it's the Digital Workflow series I want to talk about here as I'd like your help to pick the topics. Here's an initial list: some are my own ideas, while others were suggested on Facebook earlier today.

Sharpening for the web.
Setting up a Photoshop workspace.
Configuring Camera Raw.
Using 'Blend If'.
16 bit versus 8 bit editing.
Understanding the Apply Image command.
Using the Info Palette effectively.
Noise reduction techniques.
How to create and use Actions and Droplets in Photoshop.
Dodging and Burning.

]]> First, let me know which of the above topics interest you and I'll prioritise them. Second, there's a whole range of topics, tools, kit and techniques that could be grouped together under the heading of digital workflow. Let me know what else you'd like me to talk about. If it helps, think about digital workflow as ANYTHING to do with your digital images, so while that clearly includes post-production, it could also include digital asset management and so on. Third, if someone else mentions something that you'd be interested in, let me know. Fourth, DON'T include any shooting topics (e.g. ISO, aperture, composition, and so on). I'll create a separate post soon asking for suggestions for the shooting series. Once your suggestions start rolling in I'll add to the list of topics below. I'm aiming to post a couple each month, but they may end up being more frequent if the topics are straightforward. I'll also update the list as and when I get your feedback. I'm going to be starting with Sharpening for the Web as this is a something I've been asked about recently, but the order and content from then on is pretty much up to you. Digital Workflow: 101 (production schedule)

	1.		Sharpening for the Web.
	2.		?

So if you'd like to learn more about digital workflow, let me know which topics most interest you in in the comments below and watch out for my first Digital Workflow: 101 post on Sharpening for The Web.

Which images should you convert to black and white?

2012-08-14T09:15:40Z

I've spent a lot of time over the last few months concentrating on black and white photography, mostly because I was developing and recording my new course for Udemy: The Art of Black and White Photography, partly because I'll be running a one-day black and white photography and postproduction workshop during the GPP Fotoweekend training event in Dubai in November, but also because it's a form of photography I find enduringly fascinating. For my Udemy course I cover a whole range of topics: how to use Photoshop to best convert an image to black and white, what makes some images easier to convert than others, how to make a range of selective adjustments using curves and masks, and so on. And I suspect it will be much the same for my GPP workshop. The question I don't cover in much detail is the one I've used for the title of this post: which images should you convert to black and white? In other words, I don't want to talk about how to convert an image to black and white, I want to focus on why you should consider doing so. So, why is it that some images look great in colour, but bland and uninteresting in black and white, while others are considerably more striking? It's that question I want to focus on here.]]>

Click the image to enlarge

Desert sunset, Dubai Sunset on Blackpool Beach

Click the image to enlarge		Click the image to enlarge

From the Galata Bridge, Istanbul		Light Trails

In each case, as I'm fairly sure you'll agree, the colour plays a key role in determining the overall 'feel' of the shot, and while all of them could be converted to black and white, they would tell a different story as a result: probably a much less interesting one. In the case of these images then, the colour is crucial. For example, the shot of the desert near Dubai doesn't look too bad in black and white, at least not if you add a big boost to the contrast, but it has none of the warmth and richness of the colour version. Likewise, the shot of the boat in Istanbul is still striking in black and white, but a lot of the ambience is lost. And finally, more simply, the motion blurred light trails just look dull and uninteresting without the colour variation between them. In each case then the colour is a key component of the image, and while it would be possible to convert each to black and white, to do so would be to radically change the story each one tells. Now take a look at the following four images, where the issue isn't quite as clear-cut, and ask yourself "Does the colour make the image stronger?"


Click the image to enlarge		Click the image to enlarge

Venice Carnival, 2012		They shoot horses don't they?

Click the image to enlarge		Click the image to enlarge

Not Open		Save our Souls

For the first set of images we looked at the colour was critical in terms of conveying a particular mood. For this second set things aren't quite as clear cut as all of these (other than the shot of the disco/mirror ball) could look good in black and white too. The reason for this is that the colour in these images serves a different purpose, i.e. while it does contribute to the mood, it doesn't determine it. In fact, for each of these images the colour serves a different purpose. In each case it helps to delineate the key elements: the red Carnival costume from the much colder background, the red box containing the lifebuoy from the blue sky, and the orange lettering against the green metallic background. These then are images that I could have converted to black and white to produce a striking result, I would just have needed to increase the contrast between the various elements to convey much the same mood and feel. So for the first set of images converting to black and white would have been a definite mistake in terms of my aims for those images, but with this set I could have gone either way. Before we move on to discuss which images do work better in black and white, take a look at the following image (you can hover your mouse over the black and white version to see the colour image). Take a look, and before you read on, think about which version you prefer and why.

Istanbul

For me, the black and white image is massively stronger that the colour version, simply because the colour is distracting and irrelevant: I don't need to know that the tram is red, nor do I want the viewer's eye drawn to that section of the image (or the red reflection in the mirror). Likewise, the fact that the young boy at the bottom of the frame is wearing a green jacket while the one that's staring straight at me is wearing blue, is immaterial. In short, as with many street photographs, the colour has a negative impact on the image as a whole as it draws your attention away from the key elements. Let's take a look at another example, that's maybe not quite as clear cut. Again, take a look at both versions and decide which you prefer before reading on (just hover your mouse over the image to see the colour version).

The Flower Girl

In this case the colours are relevant: the pinks and greens of the bride's flowers help to describe the context, add to the mood, and so on. But it doesn't work well in colour, at least not in my opinion: mostly because I intended the shot to be about the flower girl (as sole, key element) not the flower girl AND the flowers. In the colour version my eye jumps between the two elements, but in the black and white version the separation between these two elements is decreased. Had I shot the image using a larger depth of field to put the flowers in focus as well as the flower girl, it might have worked better in colour, but having my eye drawn to an out-of-focus area at the opposite side of the frame from the key element really doesn't work. The image is less coherent in colour. To sum up the above, and answer our question, the images you should convert to black and white are those where the colour has a negative impact upon the image as a whole: in terms of hindering the story you're trying to tell, in making the image less coherent, and so on. For the last two images we looked at I think that was definitely the case, while for the first four it was a different story: for those images the colour was instrumental in conveying the mood and feel I wanted to get across. For the second set of images you could go either way: the colour is significant in terms of delineating the various elements within the shot, but it isn't essential. To finish up I have one last image to show you, and it's an image that's sat on my hard drive since March of this year, mostly because I really can't decide whether to post the colour or black and white version on my photoblog. I think that both have merit – I like the richness of the colour version and the separation between the model and the background – but I think the black and white version has more soul: it's about her, not the context in which we find her. Take a look at let me know which you prefer (hover you mouse over the image to see the colour version).

Samar Breitem (taken at the DIFC in Dubai)

How not to produce a promo video :)

2012-08-04T15:12:45Z

On a good day – when I've planned exactly what I'm going to cover in a video, have rehearsed the order and phrasing in my head, and have all the images prepped and ready to go (and there's a strong following wind), I can record somewhere up to about an hour of video. For my new Udemy course – The Art of Black & White Photography – things went a lot more slowly, mostly because I knew I'd be talking to a partly new audience. When I'm recording a video for our tutorials I don't always explain something I've covered in a previous video or tutorial, I take it for granted that either people will know it already, or, if they don't, I can refer them to the relevant source. For my Udemy course then I tried to make sure that I explained everything, and explained it in a way that made sense in the context of the course as a whole. Now it's finished I'm fairly sure I managed to do that, but it took me twice as long as usual – I only managed about 30 minutes a day – and then only because I was working at least ten hours a day. And the promo video took even longer!]]>

Yep, that's another train coming!

At this point we realised that the sun was setting, and we hadn't started on the direct-to-camera section. As we don't have any continuous lights this needed to be recorded outside, but the light was so bad that we ended up dragging a table, chair and laptop across the road to sit under a tree at the side of the road. Everywhere else the light was either too harsh or too dark. An hour later we'd pretty much nailed it, but not before we'd had to re-record it at least ten times because of passing cars, dogs, trains, a wobbling table, and curious villagers and donkeys, all of whom stopped to say hello as they wandered past, whether we were in the middle of recording or not. So, nine hours in and we had one minute and 26 seconds. Things picked up from there, and, the rest of it went OK, but slowly: it took us until 2.00am to get it finished. Two minutes and 49 seconds of video in around 14 hours: that's a rather unimpressive 12 seconds an hour. If the rest of the course had taken that long to record, even working a ten hour day for seven days a week, it would have taken five and a half months to record: the kind of timeframe that might work out if you're producing a Hollywood blockbuster, but not for a five and a half hour post-production course: me, Libby and the kids would have ended up living out of a cardboard box, scrumping apples, and rustling the neighbour's goats :-) Anyway, a tense day, and a very long one, but we got it done, and while it certainly won't win any Oscars, we're pleased with the result. We'll also be a lot better prepared next time round :-) Take a look and let us know what you think. And if you're one of the 100+ people who have already signed up, THANK YOU! We hope you enjoy it and we're looking forward to reading your reviews :-)

For further details, take a look at the course page on Udemy.

The 'Spirited Community': Competition update

2012-07-13T09:46:52Z

The 'Spirited Community' competition I mentioned in my last blog post, organised by the Isle of Jura, is now half way through. The first four weekly winners (selected from almost 500 entries) have been announced, and have each won:

An Olympus VG-170 camera.
A bottle of Jura 16 year old single malt whisky.
A 12 month subscription to David's online Photography and Post-production tutorials.

If you would like to take part, you have just another four weeks to upload your images.]]> the winning entries (weeks one to four)




Week One Winner (Michael McKillop) "This is a 50ft long knitted scarf that suddenly appeared one morning along Saltburn's famous Pier but no one knows who actually made it! It's a great example of a community pulling together to make something special. Google it & read all about it!"		Week Three Winner (Huzefa Rangwala) "In the remote village of Khabiya, some 50 kms from the Pakistan border, I chanced upon these kids who taught me the zest for life. In spite of temperatures touching 50C and uncertainties surrounding the most basic supplies (food, electricity and water), these kids are filled with life most evident from their beaming smiles. It goes on to show what community spirit is all about, even in the most trying conditions. Seen here are sisters Rasili and Gauri fighting for their two minutes of fame in front of the camera, while Himmat (extreme left) makes a funny face to the camera."



Week Two Winner (Saeed Anwar) "The Full of FUn mOMENT OF US"		Week Four Winner (Parvez Ahmad) "Friends are the Precious Gift of God."

At the end of the competition the three overall winners (one from the UK, one from the US, and one from the rest of the world) will win:

A week's all-expenses trip to the Isle of Jura, including a stay in the exclusive Jura Lodge and a VIP tour of the Jura distillery and island.
An Olympus PEN E-PL3 camera.
A one-day photography workshop on the island provided by David.

If you'd like to take part, just click the link below. http://www.isleofjura.com/communityspirit/

The 'Spirited Community': with Jura, Olympus & Chromasia

2012-06-12T06:08:52Z

If you enter just one photography competition this year, make sure it's the 'Spirited Community' competition organised by the by the Isle of Jura (one of the Southern Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland). All you need to do is submit a photograph and 50 word description of why it captures a sense of community spirit. For the next eight weeks, the photo that gets the most public votes during that week will win the photographer:

An Olympus VG-170 camera.
A bottle of Jura 16 year old single malt whisky.
A 12 month subscription to David's online Photography and Post-production tutorials.

At the end of the competition the three overall winners (one from the UK, one from the US, and one from the rest of the world) will win:

A week's all-expenses trip to the Isle of Jura, including a stay in the exclusive Jura Lodge and a VIP tour of the Jura distillery and island.
An Olympus PEN E-PL3 camera.
A one-day photography workshop on the island provided by David.

You can jump straight to the competition website below, or read on for the full press release. http://www.isleofjura.com/communityspirit/ If you do submit an image, please leave a comment to let us know.]]>

About the Competition
"Jura single malt whisky, in partnership with Olympus and Chromasia, is launching an online photography competition to find images from across the world that best embody the theme of 'community spirit'.

Three budding amateur photographers are being offered the chance to win an unforgettable trip to the island of Jura, off Scotland's dramatic West Coast. The island is famed for its small and close-knit community of less than 200, united by the island they love and the warmth of its people. The walls of the Distillery Visitor Centre are adorned with photos of Diurachs (the Gaelic name for the people of Jura) past and present, who have all played their part in contributing to the island's famous community spirit.

To experience Jura's island life for themselves, amateur photographers are invited to submit photographs that best tell a story of community spirit. These images could include photos of groups or individuals that evoke the spirit of the neighbourhood in which they live, or even photos of festivals and events that conjure the character of a particular place.

Each one of the three winners and their partners will enjoy a week's all-expenses stay in the exclusive Jura Lodge and a VIP tour of the Jura distillery and island. The winners will also receive an Olympus PEN E-PL3 camera to create a lasting memento of their visit to Jura, and a photography workshop on the island from award-winning photographer David Nightingale.

To enter, applicants must upload a photo that captures community spirit onto an e-postcard template along with a description in 50 words or less of why that picture tells a story of community spirit. Jura will assess a shortlist of the very best 'postcards' and pick three lucky winners – one from North America, one from the UK and a third from the rest of the world.

The competition, which can be found by visiting www.jurawhisky.com/communityspirit, opens on Monday, 11 June and will run for eight weeks, closing on Friday, 3 August.

Entrants are encouraged to share their e-postcards with friends and family. Every week for eight weeks, Jura will be awarding an Olympus VG-170 camera and a bottle of Jura 16 year old to the photo which receives the most public votes during the course of that week."

About the Isle of Jura
"Off the west coast of Scotland lies one of nature's best kept secrets, the Isle of Jura. Populated by a community of less than 200 known as Diurachs (the Gaelic name for the people of Jura), it is a place of myth, legend and intrigue – and an award-winning range of single malt whiskies, which hold the promise of good fortune for all those that believe.

There are four classic bottlings in the Jura Collection: Origin 10, Superstition, Diurach's Own and Prophecy. Many of the Jura whiskies have their own distinctive drinking rituals, but one cuts across the range. Islanders believe that it brings good fortune to knock on wood before they drink a dram.

For those who love the great outdoors, Jura is an idyllic place. Its three 'Paps' – or mountains – dominate the skyline, distinguishable from miles around and the focus for the tough Jura Fells Race which takes place every May. For those who like to explore, whether by foot, bike or yacht, there is a wealth of historical sites and natural phenomena to discover, from stone circles and standing stones to ruined castles and Iron Age forts; from sandy beaches and secluded coves to stacks, pinnacles and caves, as well as raised beaches from the Ice Age. Golden eagles, sea eagles, otters, seals and, not forgetting the 5,000 red deer which inhabit the island, are all a common sight, and carry on about their business uninhibited by humans."

The GPP Shoot-out, 2012

2012-03-30T12:40:39Z

Every year Gulf Photo Plus – the premier photography training company in Dubai and the Middle East – runs two major international events: one in March, the other in November. I've been lucky enough to be an instructor at every one since 2007 and have run workshops on various aspects of post-production (e.g. Creating Dramatic Images, Understanding the Curves tool, and Enhancing Portraits), a Landscape Photography workshop on the shooting and post-production of desert and urban landscapes, how to shoot the architecture of Dubai, a crash course in HDR photography, and a whole range of other workshops and seminars. The November 'FotoWeekend' events are relatively small scale – around four of five instructors – but the March event brings together a much bigger group. This year there were 13 of us – me, Zack Arias, David Burnett, Greg Heisler, David Hobby, Chris Hurtt, Bobbi Lane, Joe McNally, Louis Pang, Martin Prihoda, Claire Rosen, Steve Simon and David Tejada – and, as always, it was a delight to meet up with those I know well and a pleasure to meet those who were attending GPP for the first time. I could spend a long time writing nice things about GPP, including how well it's run by Mohamed and Hala and the rest of the GPP team, and could spend an equal amount of time writing about how much I enjoy taking part, how great it is to work with capable and enthusiastic students, and how much I enjoy taking photographs in and around Dubai ... but I won't, at least not now, because what I want to talk about in this post is one specific aspect of the March event: the shoot-out.]]> Joe McNally, David Burnett and Zack Arias. So, no pressure at all :) If you're interested the GPP video for the 2010 shoot-out is here (including the infamous Joey L polaroid), and the one for 2011 is here. If you watch them both I'm sure you'll agree that they all did a great job. 2012 followed the same format as previous shoot-outs, but with an interesting twist; the photographers were asked to produce a self-portrait, depicting both their essence and how they like to be portrayed. If you want to see how each of the photographers reacted to the news, just watch the GPP 2012 shoot-out video here. David Hobby was first up. Here's how he described the shot in a recent blog post: "Being a nonstop blogger and hopeless iDevice addict, I photographed myself using (and lit by) my iPhone. Zack Arias did the honors on shutter after I set it up. Fill and separation light was courtesy a pair of iPads which were VAL'd just out of the frame. (One separating my shoulder and one splashing my foot.) I thought it would be cool to mix things up and do the photo in the dim auditorium without using strobes. I was happy with the result and thought it was a departure from the previous shootout images." David shot 53 images (he chose the 39th as his final shot), educated and entertained us, and produced an awesome shot at the end of his 20 minute slot.

Click the image to enlarge		Click the image to enlarge

David Hobby		Martin Prihoda

Next up was Martin Prihoda. When Martin came into the auditorium he wheeled in a trolley of props: a small tree and some cushions. This seemed like a rather random collection of stuff but it turned out that he thought they might be asked to photograph a faloncer and his falcon. No such luck. Instead, after a minute or so of pondering, Martin chose to light-paint himself, sitting on the cushions beneath the tree. He painted the tree and surrounding area and Bobbi Lane painted him. Given a few hours or so this still wouldn't have been easy, but it would have been manageable, but with only 20 minutes to set up, shoot and edit Martin set himself a serious challenge. He shot 20 frames (a phenomenal amount given the amount of effort involved with each one), and chose the last frame as his final shot. He definitely pulled it off. Which brings us to Greg Heisler. If you're not familiar with Greg, check out his website. His portraits and essays have featured in Life, Esquire, Gentlemen's Quarterly, Geo, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and the New York Times Magazine. He has also produced over 70 cover portraits for Time. In short, he's a legend. Greg started out by saying that he didn't want to photograph himself, and then spent the next five minutes or so wandering around. He chatted to the audience, and to David Burnett and Zack Arias, but didn't take a shot, and didn't seem anywhere close to even knowing what shot he was going to take, … or so I thought. Ten minutes in and he started to set things up. He placed David Burnett's 4x5 camera under a soft box in front of some white seamless and balanced his hat on top. It fell off a few times, so he put it back on and adjusted the camera lens to support it. He checked his composition through his viewfinder and metered the lighting – "f/13. Hmmm. Can we go higher than that? No? OK." – but still didn't shoot a single frame. At this point, with well over half his time gone, people were starting to get a little bit nervous. He wandered around some more then sent his assistant back to the staff room to fetch his glasses. He taped them to a light stand and placed them between his camera and the camera and hat so he could shoot through them. But still no shot. He then spent another minute or so checking his composition, moving the glasses, and shifting the hat slightly (which fell off a few more times). By this point, with just a few minutes left, a lot of the audience, including me, could hardly bear to watch. Surely he wasn't going to blow it? With just two minutes left he finally pressed the shutter. As the image popped up on the screen (he was shooting tethered) a huge cheer went up from the crowd. He'd nailed it in one: an iconic shot, instantly recognisable as a representation of him. He did take a couple of extra frames, more for our benefit than his, but we knew he'd got the shot with his first frame.

Click the image to enlarge

Greg Heisler

I wish I had the words to convey exactly how it felt to watch Greg work, but I don't. Suffice to say that we all knew we had witnessed a genius at work: 18 minutes, one frame, and a utterly perfect shot. Without a shadow of a doubt it was the most extraordinary, spine-tingling and awe-inspiring piece of photography I have ever witnessed. If you'd like to watch an abridged version of the 2012 GPP shoot-out you can do so here.

Critique Slot Screencast #7

2012-01-17T10:23:35Z

If you're a subscriber to our photography and post-production tutorials you'll be familiar with our Critique Slot Screencasts. These are critiques of our subscribers' images, normally about an hour long, and split into two sections. In the first part I work through and critique the edit supplied by one of our subscribers – explaining the changes that were made, offering alternative solutions, and so on – while in the second I re-edit the image from the original RAW file. For this image, supplied by Doug Stroud, the processing centred around Doug's creative aims. Specifically, whether it was possible to create an increased tension between the foreground and background: the happy/innocent children at play, offset against a moody and ominous background. If you'd be interested in taking a look at a low-res version (730px wide rather than 1280px), and finding out how I would process this image, read on …]]>

Critique Slot Screencast #7 from David Nightingale on Vimeo.

For further information on our Critique Slot Screencasts and other photography and post-production tutorials take a look at the following links: http://www.chromasia.com/tutorials/online/ http://www.chromasia.com/tutorials/online/critique_slot_screencasts.php

Welcome to our new blog!

2012-01-15T08:41:35Z

Does the world need another photography blog? Probably not, but I'm going to create one anyway. Read on to find out why …]]>

My first blog image

Back in 2003, while working as a psychology lecturer in a UK university, I created a photoblog. Since then a lot has changed: I became a part-time pro in 2005 and then a full-time photographer in 2007. Shortly afterwards I combined my teaching and photography experience by providing online tutorials and workshops around the world. I've also written three books on photography that have been translated into several languages. Over that time my photoblog hasn't changed much: there are a few more social media buttons (Facebook was created the year after I started blogging), the comment system has been updated, and there have been a few other tweaks along the way, but essentially it has remained much as it was when I created it in 2003. I post an image, I talk about it, people leave comments, and so it goes on. All of which is great for focussing on individual images, less good when I want to talk about other things. I do cover a range of other topics – concerned with photography in general, specific bits of gear, the events I attend and organise, and so on – but it's not very systematic, there's no easy way to find the information, and its focus remains very firmly on the image of the day. What I want to do with this new blog is provide a platform for me to write about all the other aspects of photography that interest me, geared towards providing you with a range of coherent, practical and useful resources. I'll be writing about kit and software and asking for your reviews; discussing how to improve your creative skills (e.g. composition); covering a range of technical topics (exposure, depth of field, etc) and working through a range of post-production techniques you need to really make the most of your images. I'll also be including quite a few behind-the-scenes posts, from both my own shoots and the events and workshops I run and attend; previewing some of our tutorials and other teaching resources; interviewing a range of people who I think you would be interested in hearing from; and inviting a range of people to contribute guest posts. If there's anything else you think it would be useful for me to include, let me know in the comments below. Also, tell me what you'd like me to prioritise over the coming months. There's loads of stuff I plan on covering, and I think you'll find most of it useful and interesting, but let me know what you'd like to hear about first. I'd also be extremely grateful if you could help me spread the word about this new blog. I'll be shouting about it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and my photoblog, but it would be great if you could mention it too.