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Some PFRE readers may not realize that there is a large flickr forum associated with this blog. I have to say that the PFRE flickr forum is one of the most powerful forms of photographic education that I’ve ever witnessed. There are several ways to benefit from this free educational forum. You can: Just look at the photos posted there each day. By just looking and not even joining the forum you can learn what good real estate photography looks like because many of the best real estate photographers in the world that actively participate, post photos and participate in the discussions in...
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US photographic trade body PMA and dpreview.com are conducting a survey looking for the views of dedicated amateur photographers. The survey asks about your photographic habits, the features you’d like to see in cameras and your use and experience of photo sharing sites and printing services. We’re aiming to get a...
![Hands-on with Photosynth for Windows Phone 8]()
When Google introduced the latest version of its Android mobile operating system – v4.2 – in November last year the Photosphere 360 degree panorama mode in the camera app was the most talked about new imaging feature. However, Windows Phone users were quick to point out that a very similar function had been available on their devices for quite some time. Microsoft’s Photosynth platform for creating 360 degree panoramas was officially launched in 2008 and the Redmond-based software giant released a corresponding app for Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ in May...
This opinion piece was contributed by Declan O’Neill from www.newzealandscape.com. The winner of one of Britain’s most prestigious photographic competitions was stripped of his title recently because of excessive use of Photoshop. David Byrne was the winner of the Landscape Photographer of The Year award and a £10,000 ($16000) prize but has now had his title and prize money taken away in a surprise move by the organisers of the competition which is supported by Epson, The Sunday Times Magazine and The National Theatre. The dramatic reversal came about after...
RWD & Device Detection?Building A Better Responsive Website By Jeremy Girard March 5th, 2013 Optimization, Responsive Design 0 Comments Earlier this year, I was in the beginning stages of a redesign for our company’s website. We had already been planning to use a straightforward responsive approach to Web design, which is our preferred solution for multi-device support. After hearing some frank discussions at An Event Apart conference in Boston about the limitations and challenges of responsive Web design, I realized that our solution needed a bit of adjustment. Thankfully, the project...
A guest post by San Diego Wedding Photographer, Wayne Yuan As full-time photographers shooting 30+ weddings a year, we have to admit, sometimes it’s easy to fall into the same old formulas when it comes to portraits. Even with new poses, taking portraits can become very mundane if the same compositions and angles are used for every couple–we’ve definitely been through that creative rut where our pictures start looking very familiar. Throughout the years, we’ve challenged ourselves to stay on top of our game with a few useful techniques. Here are some of...
According to a recent article in abc.com.au: Hundreds of small commercially operated drones could soon take to Australian skies under a radical new set of rules proposed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Melbourne this week. Under a new weight class system, prospective drone entrepreneurs with craft weighing 2 kilograms or less could take off after completing nothing more than an online application form. CASA officials say they want to encourage use of this emerging technology, but the drone plan will be forced to dodge flak from opponents who have raised serious concerns over...
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We’ve just posted a hands-on preview of Nikon’s latest small form-factor compact, the Coolpix P330. Externally almost identical to its predecessor the P310, the P330 features a larger 1/1.7″ BSI-CMOS sensor and raw capture mode – two additions that should make it much more popular with enthusiasts, as well as...
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Nikon has unveiled its first DX-format compact, the Coolpix A, alongside the enthusiast-focused Coolpix P330. The Coolpix A fits a 16MP APS-C CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter behind a 28mm equivalent, F2.8 prime lens. The Coolpix P330, meanwhile, gains a 1/1.7″ sensor and Raw-shooting capability, over its...
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Nikon has launched the AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, a redesigned version of the decade-old 80-400mm VR. The G version features an entirely new optical formulation, ring-type AF-S focus motor and a revamped VR system capable of a claimed four stops of vibration reduction. Jump to: Press Release Specifications Press Release:...
This is the third in a series of articles by Andrew S Gibson, the author of Understanding EOS: A Beginner’s Guide to Canon EOS cameras. Joel Meyerowitz once asked ‘If the world is in colour, why shoot it in black and white?‘ Okay, I can think of plenty of good reasons for working in black and white, but it seems that most photographers work in colour a great deal of the time. And when you work in colour, you naturally want to configure your camera to give the best possible results. To do so, it’s important to understand how your digital camera records...
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Canon has developed a 35mm full-frame CMOS image sensor designed for low-light video capture. The 16:9 sensor features a 1920×1080 pixel array, meaning each pixel measures a huge 19 microns along each edge – 7.5 times larger than the ones in the EOS-1D X. The large pixels and low readout-noise circuitry allow the sensor...
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Phase One has unveiled the Wi-Fi enabled IQ260, IQ260 Achromatic and IQ280 medium format digital camera backs. The 60MP IQ260 and IQ260 Achromatic feature maximum shutter speeds of 1/10,000th of a second. The IQ260 Achromatic is a black-and-white version, with no color and IR filter. The cameras’ wireless capabilities...
Animating The WebWe’re Gonna Need A Bigger API! By Jake Archibald March 4th, 2013 Animation, CSS, JavaScript 0 Comments Everyone likes stuff that moves about on the Web, right? Remember how you cried joyful tears when you first used <marquee>? I do. I nearly sobbed all the water out of my body as I gazed upon “JAKE’S COOL WEBSITE†bobbing back and forth in uppercase serif. Of course, we’re more mature as an industry these days. We’ve learned that users don’t want websites to look like a CSI console having a personal crisis; instead, we go for smooth transitions that...
An important element of photography is getting sharp, crisp images. You may be struggling with focus, especially if you are fairly new to DSLR photography. It is extremely frustrating to go out shooting, assuming you’ve got nice clear, sharp images, only to get home to find out they aren’t quite as sharp, or even in focus, as you had hoped. There are several things you can do to improve your chances of getting sharper images. Here are a few to get you started, if you have other tips please share them in the comments below. Five steps for achieving sharp images...
I’m ready to start accepting kitchen  shots for the March 2013 PFRE photographer of the month contest. For those not familiar with this series of monthly competitions take a look at the Contest page that describes all the rules and the whole contest process. For a look at last years monthly winners and all the yearly winners go to the best-of-the-best page (on the top menu bar click “Featuredâ€). This contest is a juried contest. The list of jurors is on the contest page. The primary purpose of the contest is being recognized by your peers in the real estate photography industry. The...
![Understanding HD Video [Book Review]](https://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Understanding-HD-Video.jpg)
After a careful read of Chiz Dakin’s book, I came to the conclusion that — for the right reader — her volume is the ant’s pants, the bees’ knees of ‘how to’ books in the video field. The right reader? Well that comes down to those who are competent in stills photography, own a DSLR or a CSC camera and know how to work with different lenses, be savvy with ISO, histograms etc. CSC? Compact System Camera or what could also be called a MILC (Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera). I also figure it would probably not be right for the hardened...
Over the last two years here at dPS we’ve run very popular competitions with the New York Institute of Photography to give away to lucky dPS readers some of their great photographic teaching. Due to popular demand – we’re doing it again this week! This year NYIP is giving away two prizes Fundamentals of Digital Photography These two prizes are designed to be helpful for two different levels of photographers. Each will be won by a different dPS reader. Here’s what you could win: Fundamentals of Digital Photography – worth $499 Complete Course in...
You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� Today we meet Helen Bradley, a long time writer on the site. 1. How long have you been shooting? I have been shooting seriously for about ten years. I started quite by accident. I needed some slides for an art class so I borrowed a Pentax K-1000 film camera, got some quick instructions on how to use an SLR and headed out shooting. It was love at first click! 2. Do you have a full time job or are you a full time photographer? I am a...
Straight out of the box I have to say the Nikon 1 V2 is the sexiest camera I’ve ever wrapped my mitts around. In ivory, with a finish reminiscent of a highly polished car’s enamel, the camera is a stand out. Unlike most other mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILC) the Nikon 1 V2 has a pronounced speed grip that is so effective it rivals even that of high end DLRs. The body is possibly pocketable but maybe not so easily with a lens mounted, but overall the body is quite small. And there’s a black body if your dress style is more modest. The body is...
There several property videos that I ran across this week that caught my attention: Olive 8 by Malia Campbell: Malia did a great job on this video, highlighting the killer views of all the classic sights that a downtown Seattle condo on the 31st floor has to offer. I  like the the iPlayerHD presentation that Malia is using on this one. It’s big and elegant looking, be sure to watch this one full screen! 331 Ocean Point Drive, Fripp Island SC by Heath Cowart: This video uses dialog between a home owner who invites her friend to visit her vacation home for the weekend to weave together a...
Building On The MeasureLogical Breakpoints For Your Responsive Design By Vasilis van Gemert March 1st, 2013 Design, Typography 2 Comments There are several tactics for deciding where to put breakpoints in a responsive design. There is the rusty idea that they should be based on common screen sizes, but this doesn’t scale well. There are no “common†screen sizes. Another popular tactic is to create a breakpoint wherever the layout breaks. This sounds much better. But it still leaves us with the question, How do you determine whether the layout is broken? One logical answer is to look at...
Earlier today we published the first of two posts in a series on Wildlife photography so thought this week we might give you an opportunity to practice the tips in it by making our challenge on the topic of ‘Nature’. It is a little broader than ‘wildlife’ because not every dPS reader is in a position to photograph animals in the coming week but if you’re able to we’d love to see what you can do. Feel free to photograph any aspect of nature you like. It could be some macro photography of flowers or insects in your back yard, you might want to get out to...
![Making Sharper Wildlife Photographs – [Part 1 of 2]](https://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Making-Sharper-Wildlife-Images-1-600x410.jpg)
Mountain Bluebird with prey: Canon EOS Digital Rebel, Canon 100-400 F4.5-5.6L IS lens @400mm, 1/800th of a second at F8, ISO 400 – Hand held A contribution by Paul Burwell from Burwell School of Photography If there is one area that seems to flummox more aspiring wildlife photographers it is the subject of making sharp images. You’d think that with today’s modern cameras and equipment that there’d be no problem going home with sharp images after each wildlife encounter. Un fortunately, that isn’t the case and I’m going to provide you with some tips and...
Learning From CinemaWhat Sci-Fi Tells Interaction Designers About Gestural Interfaces By Christopher Noessel March 1st, 2013 Design Patterns, Interfaces 0 Comments One of the most famous interfaces in sci-fi is gestural — the precog scrubber interface used by the Precrime police force in Minority Report. Using this interface, Detective John Anderton uses gestures to “scrub†through the video-like precognitive visions of psychic triplets. After observing a future crime, Anderton rushes to the scene to prevent it and arrest the would-be perpetrator. This interface is one of the most...
Whereas photography is about vision, composition is about aesthetics. In our previous readings in this series we learned how colour,  contrast and tonal range have a dramatic effect on the overall result.  Some teachers may say the first important rule in making successful pictures is composition, and indeed that may be so.  However,  I also like my intrepid readers to be unique and true to themselves.  Therefore, let’s argue that colour impact is more important than composition  ( remember folks, this series is for the novice and beginner  so please...
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Just posted:Â Fujifilm X-E1 review. With a sensor and imaging pipeline that is identical to the X-Pro1’s the X-E1 promises much of the X-Pro1’s fun in a more compact and affordable package. We’ve spent the past few weeks using the X-E1 intensely with the full range of lenses now available for the X-system, and have...
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Day four at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and the team at connect.dpreview.com is still at the show, visiting manufacturer stands to find the newest in smartphone and tablet camera technology. We’ve added brief hands-on articles of the weatherproof Sony Xperia Z tablet and multi-screen YotaPhone. Click the links...
![Samsung Galaxy S4 expected to be announced on March 14th]()
Samsung took to its Twitter account this morning to tell followers to “be ready†for the next Galaxy on March 14. Samsung is taking a page out of Apple’s playbook by announcing its latest device separately from a big technology conference. By releasing the latest Galaxy device away from the commotion of an event like Mobile World Congress happening this week, Samsung will be able to grab the attention of tech journalists who would otherwise be preoccupied with the news coming out of Barcelona. The bar for mobile photography has been raised at this week’s Mobile World...
![Vimeo adds ‘Looks’ filter effects for videos]()
Filters aren’t just for Instagram photos anymore. YouTube alternative Vimeo is now allowing users to choose from over 500 looks. The filters are temporarily free but will cost $0.99 each. Each “enhancement” can be adjusted from 0-100% intensity and can be viewed in a preview screen. More from Vimeo’s press release: Today, Vimeo adds visual enhancements called Looks to its video Enhancer toolbox, so now everyone can apply high quality, stylistic visual effects to their videos in addition to the licensed music options currently available. “By adding Looks,...
Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: March 2013 By Smashing Editorial February 28th, 2013 Wallpapers 4 Comments We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a matter of fact, we’ve discovered the best one—desktop wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd. This creativity mission has been going on for over five years now, and we are very thankful to all the designers who have contributed and are still diligently contributing...
Conferences RoundUpUpcoming Web Design Events By Jan Constantin February 28th, 2013 Community, Conferences, Inspiration 6 Comments A Web developer is never through with learning new skills. So many new techniques crop up over a year, that keeping up to date can be quite challenging, especially with the usual workload Web developers have on their plates. An enjoyable, speedy way to find out about all the new developments of the year, is to visit Web design and development conferences and workshops. These events not only deliver a huge load of information in a short period of time, they’re...
Over at our sister site – SnapnDeals – this month there’s a great deal running on 3 of our most popular eBooks from travel photographer Mitchell Kanashkevich. Normally $59.99 this week you can grab the following 3 eBooks for just $29.95: Natural Light: Mastering a Photographer’s Most Powerful Tool Transcending Travel: A Guide to Captivating Travel Photography Captivating Color: A Guide to Dramatic Color Photography All 3 eBooks are packed with practical information, inspirational images and lots of diagrams – and as usual they’re backed by our 60 day...
The City of Levallois Photography Award is open to all photographers aged 35 and under (as of 04 October 2013) regardless of nationality.
The award was launched to support young international contemporary creation, and discover and promote new talents. “Photographers must present their own new work, which has not been previously published or exhibited,” say the organisers. “The selection panel will pay particular attention to the consistency of the artistic approach in its form and content.”
The winner will receive a €10,000 cash prize, as well as a...
The Getty Images Creative Grants programme provides “two grants to facilitate collaboration between photographers, filmmakers, agency creatives and nonprofits to create a visual campaign that promotes positive change,” says Getty.
The $20,000 grants will be shared equally between the photographer or filmmaker and their agency partner “to cover costs as they work together to create compelling new imagery or video for the nonprofit of their choice.”
Applications can be sent until 15 March and will be judged on their technical, organisational and...
The Getty Images Creative Grants programme provides “two grants to facilitate collaboration between photographers, filmmakers, agency creatives and nonprofits to create a visual campaign that promotes positive change,” says Getty.
The $20,000 grants will be shared equally between the photographer or filmmaker and their agency partner “to cover costs as they work together to create compelling new imagery or video for the nonprofit of their choice.”
Applications can be sent until 15 March and will be judged on their technical, organisational and...
The Getty Images Creative Grants programme provides “two grants to facilitate collaboration between photographers, filmmakers, agency creatives and nonprofits to create a visual campaign that promotes positive change,” says Getty.
The $20,000 grants will be shared equally between the photographer or filmmaker and their agency partner “to cover costs as they work together to create compelling new imagery or video for the nonprofit of their choice.”
Applications can be sent until 15 March and will be judged on their technical, organisational and...
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Toshiba Semiconductors has been demonstrating a sensor module for mobile phones that allows Lytro-style refocusable images. The company promises 2MP images from an 8MP sensor and is already working on a version with higher-resolution output. However, there’s reason to believe such cameras would be even more prone to the...
Typeplate: A Starter Kit For Beautiful Web Type By Zachary Kain and Dennis Gaebel February 27th, 2013 Freebies, Typography 0 Comments As of today we’re pleased to announce Typeplate, a free-range and open-source typographic starter kit that will hopefully help you build beautiful, text-rich websites. The word on the street is that the Web Is 95% Typography, so as we hurtle towards the future, we think there’s still a lot we can learn from five centuries of history. Typeplate is the result of this exploration of our typographic heritage. “Another Framework?†We made Typeplate because...
I was inspired to write this article after recently asking the question, “What are your worst habits as a photographer?†on social media. Here are some of the most common responses followed by some suggestions. Please share your own ‘bad habits,’ better yet, how you managed to correct them. Everyone will benefit! Not taking your camera everywhere with you The best camera is the one you have with you. I may not always have my dslr with me, but I do have my iPhone. The quality is not the same, of course, but when I’m not shooting for a client it...
The Getty Images Creative Grants programme provides “two grants to facilitate collaboration between photographers, filmmakers, agency creatives and nonprofits to create a visual campaign that promotes positive change,” says Getty.
The $20,000 grants will be shared equally between the photographer or filmmaker and their agency partner “to cover costs as they work together to create compelling new imagery or video for the nonprofit of their choice.”
Applications can be sent until 15 March and will be judged on their technical, organisational and...
![Hands-on with the HTC One at the Mobile World Congress]()
We covered the HTC One quite extensively at its launch just over a week ago. We had been given the chance to play with the device at a pre-launch event in London but weren’t allowed to take any pictures. So we’ve taken the opportunity to pop by the HTC booth at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to have another look at HTC’s latest flagship and snap some pictures of the device. If you haven’t followed the smartphone news over the past couple of weeks, the One is HTC’s latest high-end smartphone. It comes with an impressive feature set and...
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US technology company Rambus has unveiled ‘Binary Pixel’ sensor technology, promising greatly expanded dynamic range for the small sensors used in devices such as smartphones. Current image sensors are unable to record light above a specific saturation point, which results in clipped highlights. Binary Pixel technology...
![Adobe releases Photoshop Touch for Android and iOS smartphones]()
Photoshop Touch is now available for both Android and iOS smartphones. The advanced editor from Adobe has features familiar to Photoshop users, but in a much smaller format: layers, advanced selections tools, adjustments and filters. The app was originally launched for 10-inch tablets and more recently a version for smaller tablets, such as the iPad Mini and Google Nexus 7,  was released. Photoshop Touch for phone is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play for U.S. $4.99. The smartphone version of Photoshop Touch also includes Scribble Selection for high-precision...
The Problem Of CSS Form Elements By Gabriele Romanato February 27th, 2013 CSS, Semantics 3 Comments Before 1998, the birth year of CSS Level 2, form elements were already widely implemented in all major browsers. The CSS 2 specification did not address the problem of how form elements should be presented to users. Because these elements are part of the UI of every Web document, the specification’s authors preferred to leave the visual layout of such elements to the default style sheet of Web browsers. Through the years, this lack of detail in the CSS specification has forced Web developers...
Zoos … love ‘em or hate ‘em? I think it depends on the zoo. I much prefer open range zoos where the animals have tons of space to roam around and live almost as they would in the wild. I can’t stand to see animals in cages especially when they pace back and forth in frustration. But zoos do play an essential role in conservation and education. When it comes to photographing at the zoo it’s easy to get distracted by the sheer joy of seeing the animals and forget everything we have learned about photography. Try to remember that all the rules of good...
The Getty Images Creative Grants programme provides “two grants to facilitate collaboration between photographers, filmmakers, agency creatives and nonprofits to create a visual campaign that promotes positive change,” says Getty.
The $20,000 grants will be shared equally between the photographer or filmmaker and their agency partner “to cover costs as they work together to create compelling new imagery or video for the nonprofit of their choice.”
Applications can be sent until 15 March and will be judged on their technical, organisational and...
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US technology company Rambus has unveiled ‘Binary Pixel’ sensor technology, promising greatly expanded dynamic range for the small sensors used in devices such as smartphones. Current image sensors are unable to record light above a specific saturation point, which results in clipped highlights. Binary Pixel technology...
I revisit this subject periodically because I think it is something everyone with a website needs to do. Google ranking is always related to a specific search term. The search term you are interested in as a real estate photographer is “real estate photographer your-town“. The idea is, when an agent in your-town does a google search for “real estate photographer your-town†you want to be listed as high as possible on the first result page so searchers see your website listing and click on it. Here is a quick and simple way to get your site high on the first page of search results...
Come Learn And Network With The ProsSmashing Introduces New Full-Day Workshops! By Smashing Editorial February 26th, 2013 Events 4 Comments In the past few years, we’ve been working hard to publish only the best in quality industry knowledge, and have decided to finally create a series of workshops to immerse participants in full days of learning and networking with leading experts. Drop by our offices to learn, schmooze and gain master skills! The workshops will all take place at Smashing Media’s Headquarters where tips and industry secrets will be given directly from some of the most...
![Plastic Cameras: Lo-Fi Photography in the Digital Age [Book Review]](https://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Plastic-cameras.jpg)
Years ago a cinematographer friend told me of a dinner he once had in Paris with a Mr Cooke. Mr Cooke of the famed British optical firm Cooke, Taylor and Hobson. During the meal Mr Cooke explained that he spent most of his waking and working hours designing lenses to perform with maximum sharpness and minimum degrees of aberration to achieve the perfect capture of the photographic image. In spite of these heroic efforts he spoke with some level of bitterness that certain cinematographers persisted in covering his carefully crafted lenses with all sorts of rubbish,...
The Power Of TypographyCreating Exciting And Unusual Visual Hierarchies By C. Knight, J. Glaser February 26th, 2013 Creativity, Fonts, Typography 1 Comment Layout, for both print and screen, is one of the most important aspects of graphic design. Designs that extend across multiple pages or screens, whether containing large or small amounts of type, must be carefully controlled in a way that is enticing and is easy for all to access. Careful control of visual hierarchy is a key aspect of the design decisions we have to consider. In this article, we will look at how frequently type needs to...
An important element of landscape photography is ensuring that all of the key elements within your composition are sharp. This can often include foreground objects that are a matter of meters from your camera as well as background elements that can be kilometres away. Therefore, to achieve this, you need to ensure your depth of field is large enough to render everything of interest, suitably sharp. In this scene it was important to capture everything from the frozen puddle in the foreground, to the hills in the background, in sharp focus When you focus on an...
Remember the 2010 Redfin Study that I’m always preaching about? Robert Preville, an on the ball Wilmington, NC Realtor has created a great little info-graphic that summarizes the Redfin study, the WSJ article on the study and a related NAR study and is giving it a way at his website. As I told Robert, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t think of this! As a reminder, the sources of data for the info-graphic are the following: Redfin original article on their study WSJ article that recaps the Redfin study NAR study from June 2012 I think Robert’s free graphic is a great marketing tool to...
With the posting of ACR 7.4 and Lightroom 7.4 ‘release candidates’ (RC), Adobe has updated its raw processing algorithms for Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor cameras, the X-Pro1, X-E1, X100s and X20. This move comes in response to months of online user requests for improved raw processing of the X-Pro1, Fujifilm’s flagship mirrorless interchangeable lens model. It is rare that Adobe’s Camera Raw team revisits its demosaicing process for previously supported cameras, so we were excited to try out this latest version with some X-Pro1 raw files and compare results...
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Adobe has announced ‘release candidate’ versions of Lightroom 4.4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.4. As usual, the latest near-complete versions add support for recent cameras. What makes this release especially significant, however, is improved support for Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor models, including the X-Pro1 and X-E1....
Not only will this be one of the longest Travel Photography Inspiration Project posts to date, it is one I am very excited to put together. All of the participants not only delivered high quality images, but they all also held true to my request to provide you, fellow DPS readers, with helpful tips, either about travel in Japan or about specific photos. Japan is on my list of places to visit and that’s just for the sushi. Putting together this post has opened my eyes to many of the beautiful areas of Japan as well as it backroads. I hope you enjoy this...
When lighting a subject, one of the things you want to try to do is create drama, or a context, using the light. This often means modifying your light source. One of the easiest ways to modify your flash to create a context, or drama, is to use a gobo. In this shot, the gobo was used on the background light, to create the illusion of light shining through window blinds. The off camera flash was a Canon 580 EX II, with the gobo positioned in front of it. The light on the model was a 580 EX II in a Westcott 18×42 strip box. Gobos are templates that go in front of...
Opinion ColumnThere Is No Mobile Internet! By Marek Wolski February 25th, 2013 Web Design 0 Comments It’s time to stop thinking about the Internet and online communication in the context of a device, be it desktop, tablet or mobile. Advances by Google and Apple have heightened consumer expectations, which now require stricter focus from us to create seamless online communications — communications that work everywhere and that get their point across. We need to embrace a device-agnostic approach to communicating with connected consumers and forget the idea of a “mobile Internetâ€....
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Just Posted: Sony NEX-3N hands-on preview with real world samples. We’ve had a chance to use and shoot with a NEX-3N and, now that Sony US has announced the camera, we can publish our look at the latest model. The 3N is the fourth entry-level NEX camera and the smallest so far. Despite this, it includes most of the features of...
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25, 2013 Lightweight, easy to use and packed with a variety of powerful imaging capabilities, the new Sony SLT-A58 camera is an ideal choice for consumers eager to explore the world of DSLR-style interchangeable lens photography. The new α58 camera is the latest to feature Sony’s acclaimed Translucent Mirror Technology, which delivers a potent combination of fast shooting, non-stop phase detection autofocus and continuous live image preview during still and full HD video (60i/24p) shooting. This innovative technology also allows the camera to shoot sharply focused images...
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Sony US has announced the Zeiss-branded Planar T* 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM and 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II A-mount lenses, alongside a redesigned DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II entry-level kit zoom. Both have already been announced in Europe. The lenses will ship from May 2013 at retail prices of around $1500, $2200 and $220 respectively. Jump to:...
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Sony has announced the Cyber-shot DSC-WX300, DSC-HX300 and DSC-TX30 compact cameras in the US market. The HX300 is a 20MP 50x superzoom with a 24-1200mm equiv. lens. Meanwhile the WX300 is an 18MP Wi-Fi compact superzoom with a 25-500mm equiv. lens. The tough, waterproof, card-style TX30 offers a 26-130mm equiv zoom. The WX300 will...
The PFRE jury has voted Jason Roehner’s photo of this Scottsdale, AZ property as the winner of the February contest. This month is Jason’s second photographer of the month win. He won back in September 2012. Here is the voting results: Jason Roehner – 49 Ilona Berzups -19 Nestor Trillo – 16 Luke Phillips -12 David Jones – 10 Matthew Waclo– 8 Mike Higginson – 5 Dean Hales – 5 John Nilsson – 5 Greg Dean – 3 Mark McHugh – 3 Volker Deitenbach – 3 Travis Edmunds – 2 Here are Jason’s comments on the technical details of this photo: I’m leaving all the photos up...
You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� Today we meet Anne McKinnell, one of our brand new, fresh and minty smelling writers. 1. How long have you been shooting? About 6 years if you add it all together. The first time photography was part of my life was in university 20 years ago. I wrote for the student newspaper and bought a used Canon AE1 so I could take photographs to go with my stories. I used to roll my own film, develop it, and make prints in my bathroom. After...
No Contrast – No Problem The most beautiful composition can be dashed by improper use of color and contrast. –CJ Rider As we learned in our last entry, harsh light can work well with bold and dramatic colours, yet blow-out the subtle and delicate tones. The colour red supported by black, or gold surrounded by blue provide the photographer with easy choices in creating a pleasing composition. But what shall we do if there is no colour or light contrast, but only a monotone or duotone with which to work?  Any photographer who has worked along Canada’s...
I usually start a review of a camera like this straight after brekky, while I’m fresh, with an uncluttered mind. But sometimes it seems I would have been better off by kicking off with a cluttered mind! So I pick up the NEX-6. Hit the power button. Look in the LCD. Looks awfully dark. What’s up? Go the finder menu and hit the factory reset button. No better. Look in the menu for the PASM options. None there! Oh! Oh! Dumbo missed the legibly inscribed, external PASM settings on the top mode dial. Just like most other cameras, but unlike the two most recent...
Do you ever see a beautiful scene, take out your camera, take the shot and then wonder what went wrong? Why doesn’t the display on the LCD screen look at all like the scene in front of you? Do you ever stand next to another photographer and wonder how they made an image that is better than the scene you see with your own eyes? Understanding how the camera “sees†is the key to figuring out why this happens and what you need to do to take charge of your camera and make the images you envision. If you’re already dreading the mathematical calculations, don’t...
![Tell a Story with a Diptych: Weekly Photography Challenge [With 15 Examples]](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5301/5647088956_1341871d32.jpg)
Earlier in the week we published a post on how to use Diptych’s to tell a story. Today we’re issuing the challenge to go out and shoot and edit one up to share with us! Come on – we dare you! No… we double dare you (it’s a Double Diptych Dare). Read Jason’s article on Diptychs, grab your camera and head out to shoot. You can tell any kind of story you want – shoot on the street, photograph an event, set up a little story in your home – it’s totally up to you as there are so many possible approaches to take (we’ll include a few ideas below)....
InterviewBringing Angry Birds To Facebook By Richard Shepherd February 22nd, 2013 Interviews, Web Design, Workflow 0 Comments There’s no avoiding those Angry Birds. They are, quite literally, everywhere: toys, snacks, cartoons, plush toys and that wildly addictive game that seemingly everyone has downloaded at some point — 1 billion of us last year alone. 2012 was another landmark year at the Angry Birds aviary, otherwise known as Rovio. The Finnish-based developer not only released a slew of tie-ins — from Green Day to Star Wars — but also went social. Not only did releasing Angry...
One of the things I’ll do is set up a remote camera in the back of the ceremony, elevated if possible. In this shot, a tilt-shift lens was used to create that miniature look. EOS 5D Mark III, TS-E 17mm f/4L. Exposure was 1/320, ISO 3200, f/4. Photo by Rick Berk/kNot Photography Throughout the first 20 years of my career in photography, I’d photographed a lot of different things- NHL All-Star games, Major League Baseball, NFL Football. I’d photographed portraits, boudoir, model portfolios. Landscape photography became a passion of mine. One thing I never...
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We’ve updated our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 review with an additional page of lens data, brought to you in collaboration with DxOMark. The RX1’s headline feature may well be its 24MP full frame image sensor, but the fixed Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm F2 lens is an equally crucial part of its imaging chain. We’ve added a...
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Nikon has signed a licensing deal with Microsoft to cover the use of patented technologies in its Android-based cameras. The deal is the latest instance of Microsoft pursuing makers of Android devices, claiming patent infringement. Despite free access being one of the founding ideas of Google’s Android operating system,...
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Sigma USA has announced the price and availability of its DP3 Merrill large sensor, fixed lens compact. The camera will be available from March 2013 at an estimated street price of $999. It is nearly identical to the earlier DP Merrill models featuring the familiar 15x3MP APS-C Foveon X3 sensor, but with a 50mm (75mm equiv.) F2.8...
I recently shared this photo on Facebook, Google+, and Flickr, with a quick tip on how to create a starburst effect. In this article, I’d like to share the thought process behind the image, and a few of the less successful images that led up to this final shot. Canon EOS 5D Mark III with EF 40mm f/2.8 STM, 1/320, f/14, ISO 100 Here’s the first shot of the tree: I shot this photo as soon as I saw the tree. It’s a fascinating tree, but not a very interesting photo. There’s just too much happening here. So I moved behind and tried a silhouette against the...
Sharing ExperiencesHow To Improve And Refine Your WordPress Theme Development Process By Siobhan McKeown February 21st, 2013 Techniques, Themes 12 Comments There is so much to learn about WordPress theme development. The Internet is home to hundreds of articles about building WordPress themes, to countless theme frameworks that will help you get started, and to endless WordPress themes, some of which are beautiful and professional but not a few of which are (to be honest) a bit crappy. Rather than write another article on building a WordPress theme (which would be silly, really, since any...
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.†– Joseph Campbell 1. Find the best photography course or workshops that work for you If you are going to invest in a photography course/workshop do some serious research first. It’s a huge investment so find out who the teachers are. Are they industry professionals that are going to be teaching you relevant styles and techniques? Is the style of teaching suited to your personality and photography? Who are the ex students that have gone on to create successful careers?...
Thanks to Suzanne Feinberg for sending me a link to the article over a PhotoAttorney.com that points out that the New Hampshire State legislature is considering a bill (HB 619-FN) that would make aerial real estate photography illegal. The bill in part says: A person is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if such person knowingly creates or assists in creating an image of the exterior of any residential dwelling in this state where such image is created by or with the assistance of a satellite, drone, or any device that is not supported by the ground. This prohibition shall not apply where the...
Hello there! I’d just finished writing this Synology 1512+ review and subsequently deleted it all… Why, you ask? Well – I have a bit of a history in I.T. and as such, found myself getting TOTALLY geeky with my review.. Those of you that have read any of my reviews to date, here on dPS, will know that I try to keep it ‘real world‘ …So, I’m going to write it again and dispense with all the ones and zeros in an effort to help you decide if moving to a Synology NAS is the way forward, or not. Synology DiskStation 5-Bay (Diskless) Network Attached...
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Nikon has announced the D7100 – a 24MP mid-range, enthusiast-focused APS-C DSLR. The D7100 promises high resolution by making do without an optical low-pass filter in front of its 24MP CMOS sensor. It gains a more sophisticated 51-point autofocus system and a 7fps 1.3x cropped shooting mode that provides a 2x crop compared to...
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Alongside the D7100, Nikon announced the WR-1 Transceiver, a unique wireless remote control. Able to remotely control multiple cameras capturing stills and videos, even time-lapse sequences, the Nikon WR-1 Transceiver mounts on the camera’s hot shoe, yet is controlled via a cable attached to the master camera. Communicating...
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Nikon Europe has announced the Coolpix S3500. Available in multiple colors, the entry-level compact features a 20MP CCD sensor, 2.7″ LCD, 720p HD recording and is compatible with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards. It will be available from the end of this month at a retail price of £129.99. Jump to: Press Release Specifications...
You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� Today meet photographer Darlene Hildebrandt from Alberta, Canada. 1. How long have you been shooting? I graduated from a 2 year photography program in 1988! So over 25 years now, mostly as a professional. I’ve been in the industry in many forms including: doing commercial studio work; had my own portrait/wedding studio for 12 years; was a trade rep for an album company and coached my photographer clients on business; some...
Building Trust And CredibilityHow To Sell Your UX Design Solution To Clients By Rian van der Merwe February 20th, 2013 Business, Guidelines, Process 0 Comments How do you convince clients to trust you with their valuable and much-loved product? In my experience, the best way to sell work to clients is to apply user-centered design not only to the work we produce, but also to the clients who commission that work. We have to understand who our clients are, what is important to them and what their goals are. And then we have to deliver work that not only meets the needs of end users, but also...
If a picture is worth a thousands words, how much is a diptych (pronounced diptik) worth? Train conductor walking to a Japanese Bullet train in Tokyo Station, Japan Photography is about visual communication: sharing stories, ideas, and feelings through images. A diptych of two images, or parts of two images, is an impactful storytelling tool. Look for thematic, compositional, and other visual synergies that will make your diptychs more powerful than the sum of their parts. Combine wide angle and telephoto shots By using a zoom lens, or simply cropping a larger...
In the last few months I’ve gotten quite a few questions about tours so I though it would a good time to revisit the subject. The central question is are tours important? Should real estate photographers provide tours? Here are some basics: What’s a tour? Historically the term virtual tour meant a series of 360 views. Nowadays the term has evolved to refer to anything from a simple slide show to a video slideshow of the property and everything in between. What’s the benefit of tours? A tour much like a little website dedicated to marketing a property. It’s a template that you can...
Over the last few weeks we’ve launched our brand new Portraits eBook – Portraits: Making the Shot – written by Aussie celebrity photographer Gina Milicia. But our launch special is about to end in the next 48 hours (details below). The eBook has already become one of the best-sellers in our library and we’ve had some lovely bits of feedback like these: “Absolutely brilliant book – I am so glad I bought it! It was worth every penny. There are so many good things in it and I feel completed validated as a new photographer, spending the last 3 years...
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Sony has announced the Alpha SLT-A58, a mid-range SLT camera with a newly-developed 20MP sensor. The A58 will replace both the A37 and A57 models, helping to simplify the company’s lineup. The A58 builds on the A57’s feature set and gains an SVGA (800×600 pixel) OLED viewfinder, rather than its predecessors’...
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Sony has announced the NEX-3N, its entry-level NEX camera, replacing the NEX-F3. The 3N is, as before, aimed at users stepping up from compact cameras and gains a compact-style zoom lever around its shutter button. It features a smaller body than the F3, and Sony says it is the smallest, lightest mirrorless camera to feature an...
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Sony has revealed the Zeiss-branded Planar T* 50mm F1.8 ZA SSM and 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II A-mount lenses, alongside a redesigned DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II entry-level kit zoom. The redesigned 70-400mm telephoto zoom offers faster autofocus than the existing version and comes in a while body that matches the recent 70-200mm and...
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Sony has announced the Cyber-shot DSC-WX300, DSC-HX300 and DSC-TX30 compact cameras. The HX300 is a 50x superzoom with a 24-1200mm equivalent lens in front of a 20MP CMOS sensor. Meanwhile the WX300 is a compact superzoom that Sony says is the slimmest 20x camera. It has an 18MP CMOS chip behind its 25-500mm equiv. lens. Finally,...
![The Remarkable Vivian Maier Story [Documentary Coming Soon]](https://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/vivian-Maier.jpg)
I love the story of Vivian Maier – a prolific and talented street photographer who who took over 100,000 images over her life yet showed nobody her work. Her images were only uncovered and purchased by John Maloof in an auction after her storage locker was repossessed shortly before her death. At the time of buying a box of Vivian’s negatives John didn’t even know the photographers name and had no idea about her talent – however as he began to examine and scan the images he realised he’d stumbled upon an amazing hidden archive of photos. He tracked down...
The colour of the object illuminated partakes of the colour of that which illuminates it. – Leonardo da Vinci In our past columns (see links below) we have discussed such topics as how one colour can complement or distract from a bordering colour. We have also learned that to truly see colour one has to understand how shades of grey are comprised of mere percentages of black ranging from pure white to pure black. A primary objective coming from these discussions should be an understanding of how contrast plays a primary role and is an integral component of...
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Samsung has announced a Wi-Fi-only version of its Galaxy Camera. It shares the same feature-set as the 3G and 4G versions announced last August, including a 21x, 23-481mmm equivalent zoom lens on the front with a 4.8″ touchscreen on the back. It runs Android 4.1 (known as Jelly Bean), the latest version of the operating...
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Olympus USA has announced the launch of the Stylus XZ-10 enthusiast compact, just three weeks after it was introduced to the rest of the world. A cheaper companion to the XZ-2, it’s built around a 26-130mm equivalent F1.8-2.7 lens, coupled with a 12MP 1/2.3″ type backlit CMOS sensor that offers ISOs up to 6400 and...
![HTC takes new approach to sensor tech in latest flagship phone]()
HTC has today announced its new top-end smartphone, the HTC One. As usual, a lot of rumors have been floating around the web for quite some time, with some leaked product information sprinkled in between. The new device was expected to be called the M7, but HTC has decided to simply drop the ‘X’ from the predecessor‘s name and call the new model the HTC One. There was also talk about a Foveon-style 3-layer sensor in the new device’s camera which got the attention of the mobile photography community, but it turns out this was really just a rumor. That said,...
From the seemingly timeless Southern areas to the modern heart of Buenos Aires, Argentina is a lively county with wide spaces, soaring peaks and a unique culture. Let’s wander around Argentina in today’s installment of the DPS Travel Photography Inspiration Project. And if you would like to be involved in the next country’s post, drop me a line here. Street Tango in Buenos Aires by Anand Gopol Tango dancers strike a pose on Florida Street in Buenos Aires. Tip: While in Buenos Aires, walk, walk, walk. It’s a great walking city and downtown is drizzled...
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Dozens of two-dimentional aerial photo calibration targets are scattered all across the United States, according to a report by the Center for Land Use Interpretation. Constructed mostly during the 1950s and 1960s, these large outdoor charts were used as ‘a platform to test, calibrate, and focus aerial cameras traveling at...
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Casio Europe has launched the Exilim EX-ZS30 featuring a 20.1 MP CCD sensor. It comes with a a 6x 26-156mm optical zoom lens and a 2.7 inch LCD. The camera includes beginner-friendly features include a Premium Auto mode and a set of eight Art shot filters. The Z320 will be available silver, black, purple, white, and pink at a...
![India, Instagram and a smartphone]()
In 2010 I travelled to northern Sri Lanka to document the post-war recovery efforts. I left my iPhone at home that time, worried that it wasn’t a ‘real’ camera and that I wouldn’t be taking the job seriously.  Recently I was presented with a similar opportunity to shoot in the sub-continent – as a blogger for World Vision Australia – but this time I couldn’t wait to use my iPhone. Two years later, it had become my camera of choice for documenting such a journey. World Vision Australia is the Australian branch of the worldwide international charity that works with...
Function Over FormDesigning For The Reading Experience By Marko Dugonjić February 18th, 2013 Fonts, Typography, Web Design 4 Comments With the rise of Web fonts as well as affordable hosted Web font services and ready-made kits, typography is reclaiming its title as design queen, ruler of all graphic and Web design. At the same time, for far too many designers, the main concern about typography today seems to be aesthetic in nature. The problem is, we tend to use typography and lettering as two interchangeable terms, which they are not. A quick look at the “typography†tag on Dribbble...
For guys, a little harshness in the light can be a good thing. So for this shot, I positioned the sun over his left shoulder, and a reflector to the right and in front of him. EOS-1D X, EF 85mm f/1.2L II. 1/320, f4, ISO 100. I’m big on shooting portraits outdoors. I love the natural light, the variety of locations available, and the more natural feel. I think for the average subject, a studio can be an intimidating place. The problem with shooting outdoors is that you are at the mercy of Mother Nature, for the most part, when it comes to light. But not...
We have a great bunch of  living room shots for February’s contest. The PFRE Jury is now deliberating on a February photographer of the month and will be finished voting Feb 23. All the contestants images are available for viewing and comments from anyone in the PFRE Photographer of The Month flickr group. Here are the entries as a fullscreen Flash slide show. For those on mobile devices that won’t display Flash the left-sidebar widget displays the submitted images in a non-Flash format. I’d like to encourage blog readers and jury members to join the PFRE Photographer of The Month...
Within days of starting dPS – back in April 2006 – I began to get requests from readers that they wanted a forum area on the site where they could: Share photos that they were taking Get critiques from other readers on their shots Ask (and answer) questions of other photographers Share their own tips Meet, network with and have a little fun with other photographers A few months later we did add a little forum to the site. It started very small with just a few sections and members but from day 1 was a place where dPS readers could do all of the above – and...
Getting your photographs onto an image library can be difficult. Most libraries have very strict technical guidelines and very tough editing procedures. However, following the 6 tips below to could increase your chances of getting accepted. 1. Decide which image library is right for you Image libraries vary greatly with regards to the type of images they are looking for. Some image libraries desire more lifestyle photographs whereas others would prefer reportage style images. You should look at many different libraries and see which ones suit your style of work...
It seems to me that the fixed lens, compact camera game has spawned two sub species: ultra long zoom models and those with ultra fast lenses … to some they’re called ‘bright’. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 belongs in the latter category and a dazzling model it is too: compact, light in weight and full of power. The Leica Vario Summilux lens has a maximum aperture of f1.4, stopping down to only f2.3 when the 3.8x zoom is extended from its wide 24mm to the tele end of 90mm (35 SLR equivalent). Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 Features The 10.1 megapixel MOS sensor...
Wedding receptions are notoriously dimly lit places that make use of a flash a must. In this shot, I wanted to balance the ambient light from the stage with my flash to create more depth to the image. EOS-1D X, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II. 600EX-RT Speedlite. 1/60, f/2.8, ISO 800. Photo by Rick Berk/kNot Photography Shooting indoors with a flash can challenge the best of photographers. Many times, the goal is simply to create enough light to illuminate your subject, and background be damned. The results, however, tend to be less than pleasing when we allow the flash to...
Earlier in the week we featured an image set that contained 25 images that all had ‘snow’ as a feature. So today we thought it might be fun to do a ‘weather’ challenge as our weekly theme. Your challenge is to take and share an image on the theme of weather. As we have a global audience this should produce images with a real variety of types of weather. Aussie – we want you to show the world what summer is like for you right now. North Americans and Europeans – show us how winter is going? We want to see rain, hail, snow, sun, storms, wind… you name...
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Swedish photographer Paul Hansen has won the World Press Photo 2013 award for his picture of a Palestinian family carrying two children who were killed in an Israeli missile strike to their funeral. The contest also awarded prizes in eight other categories ranging from Sports to Portraits. Some of these images may be familiar...
Converting The PrototypeiOS Prototyping With Adobe Fireworks And TAP (Part 3) By Shlomo Goltz February 15th, 2013 Fireworks, IOS, IPad 0 Comments In the previous parts of this tutorial (part 1 and part 2), we looked in detail at the building blocks of our design in Fireworks (pages, shared layers, symbols, styles), and we started to make a demo prototype in Fireworks. The demo prototype had six pages, linked together by hotspots, and each hotspot was customized for use with TAP. (Which page will the hotspot link to? Which gesture will initiate the hotspot link? Which transition will animate...
In this post Gina Milicia – author of our brand new eBook “Portraits: Making the Shot†shares 10 tips on directing a portrait shoot like a Pro. When I was starting out as a portrait photographer, I began creating a visual diary and mimicking the images I loved. Some people will tell you that it’s wrong to copy but for centuries, every generation of artist has imitated the masters before them. Once they’ve mastered the technique they move on to develop their own style. Photography is no different. You don’t have to come up with a thousand new ways to...
Spanish photographer Bernat Armangué has been shooting on the streets of Gaza, working for the AP team in Israel and the occupied territories, for the past four-and-a-half years. He was in Gaza last November to cover the 11-day conflict that broke out.
His set of images from the conflict represent a harrowing account of the airstrikes, injuries and deaths but also life continuing in spite of this. “As wire photographers, we usually provide daily content but, in locations such as this, we try to go deeper into what the war is.â€
One of Armangué’s most recognisable...
“The image that moved me especially was of a woman reading a book, sitting among garbage,” says World Press Photo 2013 jury member Anne Wilkes Tucker, curator of photography at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “It is a gorgeous image – so full of hope. News is not often filled with images of hope.”
The image entitled At the Dandora Dump taken by American freelance photographer Micah Albert, won first prize in the Singles Contemporary Issues category in this year’s contest. It shows a woman working as a trash picker in Nairobi, Kenya, reading a book she...
Working with Kathy Ryan of The New York Times Magazine, Nadav Kander was assigned in January last year to photograph the titans of the British stage, to draw attention to the UK’s strong thespian heritage before the Olympics.
He photographed such greats as Judi Dench, Mark Rylance, Patrick Stewart and Simon Russell Beale as well as Daniel Kaluuya, a young British actor whose portrait has won Kander a prize in this year’s World Press Photo awards.Â
For Kander, working with the subjects in their own setting, on the stage, was something he rarely does. “I generally take...
Swedish photographer Paul Hansen won the 56th World Press Photo for a picture of a group of men carrying the bodies of two dead children through a street in Gaza City. BJP‘s Olivier Laurent speaks with the jury’s chair, Santiago Lyon.
Olivier Laurent: How did you prepare for this competition?
Santiago Lyon: Being asked to be the chair was a big surprise. I was deeply honoured and humbled to be considered for this role, having never judged this before. To be elevated from a first-round jury member to be the chair was really exciting.
Of course, I began to...
Argentinian photographer Rodrigo Abd was on assignment in Syria for The Associated Press in March 2012 when he came across Aida, the woman in his World Press Photo (WPP) winning image. He was in the north of Syria in the town of Idlib, which was under attack by the Syrian Army. The day the image was captured, Abd was attempting to escape the town along with the rebels and ended up in a small Red Cross hospital.
“We were trying to shoot images of patients there and the people arriving. The scene was really hard to photograph because it was so terrible and so sad. A woman was in a bed...
Mechanism Of Action And EffectsDesigning Great Feedback Loops By Loren Baxter February 15th, 2013 Interaction, Process, User Experience 0 Comments The products we build are full of feedback loops, whether we know it or not. People who study human behavior agree that feedback loops play a critical role in what we do. From biofeedback to the quantified self, designers and psychologists alike are discovering the real power that these cyclical interactions play in shaping our day-to-day choices. Designing for behavior change can increase user engagement, create business value and improve lives....
“The strength of the pictures lies in the way it contrasts the anger and sorrow of the adults with the innocence of the children. It’s a picture I will not forget,” says Mayu Mohanna, a jury member at this year’s World Press Photo photojournalism contest. In the image, two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and her three-year-old brother Muhammad are being taken to a mosque for the burial ceremony, after they were killed when their house was destroyed by an Israeli missile strike. “Their father’s body is carried behind on a stretcher [and] their mother was put in...
Produced over two years, Condemned features images taken in seven African countries including Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. It was previously exhibited at Visa pour l’Image in September 2012.
In the project, Paris-based Hammond, who has been part of the photo agency Panos Pictures since 2007 and contributes to National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, The Sunday Times Magazine and The New York Times, explores the systematic violation of the human rights of mentally ill people who are often confined to prisons or hospitals, abused and forgotten about by...
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US underwater housing maker Nauticam has announced the NA-NEX6 for Sony’s NEX-6 interchangeable lens camera. Providing protection up to 100 meters depth, its body is made from aluminum with a scratch-resistant acrylic rear cover. It features a single-lock housing and a patented lens attachment mechanism which allows you to...
Web TypographySetting Weights And Styles With The @font-face Declaration By Laura Franz February 14th, 2013 Essentials, Techniques, Typography 9 Comments If people are on your website, they’re probably either skimming quickly, looking for something, or they’ve found what they’re looking for and want to read it as easily as possible. Either way, keeping text readable will help them achieve their goal. Bold and Italic Help to Organize Content A few months ago, I wrote an article on “Avoiding Faux Weights and Styles with Google Web Fonts.†I ended the article by showing that weights...
After unpacking this long-awaited camera my first impression of the Pentax X-5 was that it looked startlingly like a DSLR! Prominent speed grip, big lens, eyepiece, same feel. But it is of course a bridge camera, with a magnificent 26x zoom lens reach, operable from the top zoom lever. Pentax X-5 Features Those who prefer external controls will be in delight: the top deck houses the zoom lever and shutter button, on/off switch, exposure correction button and mode dial. The latter provides access to the various exposure modes (auto, manual), a user setting, movie,...
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Panasonic UK has announced a ‘Try Before You Buy’ service for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Micro Four Thirds camera allowing customers to borrow it as a kit along with the 12-35mm for 48 hours. This offer is available across a number of UK retailers with no obligation to purchase. The company says the scheme lets...
Web Content OptimizationSetting Weights And Styles With The @font-face Declaration By Laura Franz February 14th, 2013 Essentials, Techniques, Typography 1 Comment If people are on your website, they’re probably either skimming quickly, looking for something, or they’ve found what they’re looking for and want to read it as easily as possible. Either way, keeping text readable will help them achieve their goal. Bold and Italic Help to Organize Content A few months ago, I wrote an article on “Avoiding Faux Weights and Styles with Google Web Fonts.†I ended the article by showing that...
As an Aussie it seems a little strange to be posting this post right now because we’re experiencing a lot of sun right now – but based upon the people we follow on the dPS Twitter account it seems that the many of our readers are (and have been for a while) snowed in right now. So in tribute to our northern hemisphere readers – we decided to put together a series of images that feature the humble ‘snow flake’. Yes – all these shots capture snow falling in the hope of inspiring those of you whose cameras have been put away for the winter to get out and...
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Pentax Ricoh has released the first firmware update for its Q10 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. Firmware v1.01  improves operational stability and contrast AF performance. The update is available for immediate download from the company’s website. Click here for more details and to download Pentax Q10 Firmware v1.01...
Opinion ColumnDesigning In The Transition To A Multi-Device World By Francisco Inchauste February 13th, 2013 Opinion Column, Process, Web Design 1 Comment When I think about where we are with the Web in comparison to other media in history, pinpointing it is really hard. Is it like when the Gutenberg Press was just invented and we’re experimenting with movable type, or are we still embellishing pages and slavishly copying books by hand? Our knowledge of building digital things changes rapidly, taking us from newborn to adult and back again every couple of years. It’s both exciting and...
You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� Today meet UK photographer Elliot Hook. 1. How long have you been shooting? I’ve always taken pictures but it wasn’t until 2009 that I bought my first DSLR and started to seriously learn about photography. 2. Do you have a full time job or are you a full time photographer? I have a full time job in research science meaning that photography is an ‘all-other-time’ consuming hobby currently.  It is unfortunate that work stops...
Produced over two years, Condemned features images taken in seven African countries including Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. It was previously exhibited at Visa Pour l’Image in September 2012.
In the project, Paris-based Hammond, who has been part of the photo agency Panos Pictures since 2007 and contributes to National Geographic, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Sunday Times Magazine and The New York Times, explores the systematic violation of the human rights of mentally ill people who are often confined to prisons or hospitals, abused and forgotten...
iOS Game ElementsDesigning An Open-Source iPhone Game By Zack Grossbart February 13th, 2013 Apps, IOS, IPhone 2 Comments I love games and I’m a huge math nerd, so I made a new iPhone game based on a famous math problem called The Seven Bridges of Königsberg. I’m selling it in the App Store, but I also want to share it with everyone, so I made it open source. This article is the first in a series that will walk through iOS programming using this game as an example. This first article gives you an overview of the game and of iOS programming in general. We’ll look at a few specific...
A Guest Post by Ben Evans Holistic Photography is a way to develop an artist’s appreciation for the visual world. This is achieved by interaction with challenging ideas and technical mastery of the photographic craft. Photographers, in my experience as a photography coach, tend to gravitate toward two extremes; 1. Science I’m misusing ‘science’ to mean technical expertise and measurable results. Craft is closer, but popular usage muddies the meaning. Photographers attracted by this sphere tend to be focussed on the intricate details of their equipment,...
The Henri Cartier-Bresson International Award rewards “a photographer who has already completed a significant body of work, a talented photographer in the emerging phase of his or her career, with an approach close to that of documentary,” says the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.
The €35,000 cash prize must be used to carry out a project which would otherwise be hard to accomplish within the normal conditions of his or her activity.
While all photographers can enter the contest, they should be nominated by a photography institution. “The range of...
Going to the weekly sales meetings that the managing brokers run at real estate offices can be a great way for real estate photographers to meet listing agents that need RE photography services. In large metro areas where photographers have been doing this for a while, some managing brokers don’t invite vendors that are promoting a product or service to sales meetings. It never hurts to to ask. Just call the office and ask for the managing broker and ask her if you can come talk to the agents. What to you do or say? Give them some useful information  that they can use. I’ve created the...
As a photographer, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to travel around to some great locations in the United States and abroad. It’s hard to tell which places are worth going to and which really aren’t that great or worth the time investment. Some places in general are worth going to but certain places within that said place should be avoided. So I thought I’d start a series of blog posts here on DPS reviewing some of the places I’ve been in hopes that it will help out other photographers with travel plans in the future. In the future, I’ll also...
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Visual Supply Company has released the VSCO Film 03 camera profiles and film emulation preset pack for Adobe Lightroom 4 and Camera Raw 7. The software comes with customized camera profiles for Fujifilm, Canon and Nikon image files and allows native non-destructive editing of desired film effects within Lightroom and ACR. The...
![Roundup: Three smartphone cases to turn your phone into an action cam]()
We’re seeing more and more options for action-oriented mobile photography that allows smartphone photographers to get the shot they want while protecting their hardware. While GoPro products have been the on-the-go digicam choice for capturing extreme sports stills and video for a while now, some new hardcore camera phone cases enable users to achieve similar shots safely from their smartphone. #1. VicamPlus The VicamPlus is one such solution: It encompasses the iPhone 5 in a clear, black or white protective waterproof case with three possible lens add-ons incorporated into...
A Guest Post By: John Davenport You might have read the title to this post and thought that I was going to talk about how editing your photographs can make you appear to be a better photographer, but no, I really do mean better – behind the camera. I came across this idea of improving my skill behind the camera, by focusing on my skill behind the computer, when I was going about launching my new YouTube series, “Let’s Editâ€, which focuses on how to edit photos in Lightroom. What Exactly Can Editing Teach Us? As we start out on our photography journey we...
Beyond The NoiseA Critical Approach To Typefaces By David Březina February 12th, 2013 Fonts, Typography, Web Design 1 Comment I’ve always wondered, “What is it that makes a typeface or any other design good?†However simplistic this question may seem to typographers, it is a legitimate question many of us are trying to answer. After several years working as a professional type designer, teaching, and running a type foundry, I pretty much gave up my attempts to find a golden set of rules. The answer is not so simple. There is no established set of features which, when present, make a...
Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 18 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 14 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
I noticed recently that Adobe added some Performance hints to their Lightroom Help. In past Lightroom posts I’ve gotten many comments that indicate people have problems with Lightroom performance. Here is a summary of the hint subjects, see the Adobe article for details: Restart Lightroom Make sure you are using the latest version of LR 2 GB RAM is a minimum SSD Drives are a big help Move your catalog Check Photos’s RAM setting High-resolution displays Spot removal tool, local corrections and History panel Order of develop operations Avoid corrections you don’t need Zoom options...
Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 12 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
![An Introduction to Wedding Photography [Book Review]](https://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/refdp_image_0.jpg)
I remember once being invited to photograph a friend of a friend’s wedding. I declined. Why? At the time I had recently interviewed a number of pros who specialised in capturing that magic in the process of creating a magazine story on that occupation. Whew! Not for me I decided. Way beyond my skill set, patience, resourcefulness and energy levels. So, it was with a sense of relief that I reviewed this book, safe in the knowledge that no-one, and I mean no-one, could or would ever put me through the trauma that wedding photography presents. For her part, author...
Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 12 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
I remember once being invited to photograph a friend of a friend’s wedding. I declined. Why? At the time I had recently interviewed a number of pros who specialised in capturing that magic in the process of creating a magazine story on that occupation. Whew! Not for me I decided. Way beyond my skill set, patience, resourcefulness and energy levels. So, it was with a sense of relief that I reviewed this book, safe in the knowledge that no-one, and I mean no-one, could or would ever put me through the trauma that wedding photography presents. For her part, author...
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Canon has announced an upcoming service update to its EOS-1D C professional DSLR that will add 25 fps 4K video recording. The camera currently captures 4096 x 2160p resolution videos at up to 24p without downscaling, from an APS-H crop of its 18MP full-frame sensor. In a service advisory, the company promises more information about...
![Flickr software bug makes some private photos public]()
It seems that the popular photo sharing service Flickr inadvertently made an unknown number of its users’ private images viewable to the public. According to a story on The Verge, a software bug caused the issue that made images marked private visible when browsing some users’ photostreams between January 18 and February 7. Only images uploaded between April and December of 2012 were in danger of being exposed. Flickr vice president Barry Wayn used a Flickr help forum thread to assuage concerns: “Only a small number of Flickr users were impacted, and we are in...
Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 8 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
This is the first in a series of articles by Andrew S Gibson, the author of Understanding EOS: A Beginner’s Guide to Canon EOS cameras. Your camera’s Mode Dial is the gateway to its exposure modes. Knowing which exposure mode to use, and why, is the key to creative photography, and to taking photos like the one above. If you want to create beautiful images then you need to know how to control your camera’s settings. It all starts with your camera’s Mode Dial (not all cameras have a Mode Dial, but most do). Here’s what the Mode Dial from the EOS 650D (or...
MarketingHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients 0 Comments Spam! Monty Pyton may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message indiscriminately to (large numbers of...
I’ve been using what I’ve called the 10 essentials of real estate photography for a long time in my Photography For Real Estate eBook and the Realtors Guide to Using Photography in Real Estate Marketing. This is my attempt to boil down principles into a concise statement. Last October I did some tinkering with the 10 essentials and got a lot of good reader feedback. I’ve incorporated that feedback and refined the words a little to come up with a statement that I’m happier with than the October 2012 version: Understand the purpose of each photo. The primary purpose of a real...
You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� We thought it would be a good time to introduce them to you through a series of interviews. Today meet Barrie Smith, Australia based writer-photographer. 1. How long have you been shooting? Decades. Barrie Smith 2. Do you have a full time job or are you a full time photographer? I am a full time writer-photographer.  3. What does this require? Ability to move quickly. Many of my subjects are people stories so I may make contact with...
A Guest Post by Ben Evans Have you discovered what type of photographer you are? Doing so will make a big difference to your photography, allowing you to improve faster. If you don’t know right now, read on and I’ll help you find out. ?Okay so the first thing to understand is that Holistic Photography is both a Craft and an Art. The earliest photographers were often skilled in both painting and chemistry; an unlikely combination today.??We will see that you develop competency in craft and art separately. This understanding gives us the four Types of...
![100 Clever Digital Photography Ideas [Book Review]](https://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/100-Digital-Photography-Ideas.jpg)
One of my faves is lists of ‘clever’ ideas and hints on how to improve your digital photography, so this book hit home immediately. Author Cope recalls that ‘there was a time, not so long ago, when photography was in serious decline …. Although cameras were becoming easier to use … people were just not buying them as they once had.†Digital cameras and photography arrived just at the right time. Cope’s book is an absolute treasure house, beginning with a camera parade that identifies the various camera types (camera phones, compacts, bridge, DSLR...
As photographers we often question the strength, type and direction of light, but because most of today’s cameras’ auto-functions are greatly enhanced, it can be easy to forget about the colour of light. Seasoned shooters will undoubtedly be aware of the importance of white balance, but for those new to photography or for photographers looking to go ‘off piste’ and take a more manual approach to image-capture then this whistle stop guide might be able to help. In this handy tutorial, we’ll explain not only the importance of controlling white-balance, but...
After about 24 hours on the ground here in paradise (Maalaea Bay Maui) I’m just about recovered from the 6 hr 737-800 ride from Portland. The sand, sun, fluffy clouds and 81 degrees today and finally the lovely sunset this evening from near Lahaina has a way of fixing almost anything! Since I’m here on Maui this week it seems appropriate to feature some Makena beach property video. Just so happens that Tom Tezak has invited me to lunch while I’m on Maui and his email has links to several of his real estate videos: Source Article from...
This week your photographic challenge is to take and share a photo on the theme of ‘Cute’. We’re expecting to see cuddly kittens, big eyed puppies, gorgeous babies shots of toddlers doing… cute… things – and other such cuteness! Once you’ve taken and selected your best Cute shot upload it to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it or – embed it in the comments using the our new tool to do so. If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSCUTE to help others find them....
How To Get The Most Out Of A Premium WordPress Theme By Alex Denning February 8th, 2013 Techniques, Themes, Tips 1 Comment There has quite probably never been a better time to be a premium theme user. While a huge increase in the supply of quality premium themes hasn’t particularly driven down prices, it has promoted a huge push for innovation, best practices and quality design. Unfortunately, there’s one crucial thing which rarely gets quite so much attention as the must have responsive design: after-sales support. Sadly, all too often, documentation is seriously lacking, and getting a...
If You Love Your Brand, Set It Free By Jose Martinez Salmeron February 8th, 2013 Business, Inspiration 4 Comments The practice of branding is undergoing a deep transformation — a change brought about by our kaleidoscopic postmodern culture, the development of communication technology and rapid globalization. In prior decades, brand managers aimed to establish their products and services primarily by way of consistency and repetition. A brand’s voice and message were to be the same, independent of marketing channel. The goal of the designer was to define identity systems that would ensure...
If you’ve ever been a little lost while reading your camera’s manual, or a photography magazine it could be that you just need to learn to speak “photographer†language. In this article I’ll go over some of the most common technical terms, as well as some less common slang or photographer jargon. By the end I promise you will have a better grasp on the language and be able to have a conversation with a seasoned pro and hold your own! Speaking “Photographer†– the Basics These are the terms you’ll find in your camera’s manual and in most...
No matter what your artistic interests, whether photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, etc., the underlying force behind your work is creativity. It’s much easier to talk about technical aspects of photography as it’s a tangible skill, unlike the more mysterious intangible skill of creative thought. While every art form is unique unto its own, harnessing one’s creativity is a universal skill. There are some that might say you either have it or you don’t in relation to creativity, but the truth is we’re all creative. Every child makes believe at...
We’ve been shooting with the Olympus 17mm F1.8 lens for a while now and have put together a sample gallery showing the sorts of things it can do. We’ve also prepared some notes on the experience of shooting with the 34mm equivalent fast prime for Micro Four Thirds and included some shots that match ones we included in our Sony RX1 gallery. Beyond that we’ve tried to show a the lens at a series of apertures to show how the lens behaves. First Impressions The 34-40mm equivalent focal length range is already pretty well served for the Micro Four Thirds system –...
FreebieSt. Valentine’s Day Icon Set (16 PNG/EPS Icons) By Smashing Editorial February 7th, 2013 Freebies 1 Comment Today, it is our great pleasure to present to you a fantastic St. Valentine’s icon set  —  exclusively designed by our illustrator Ricardo Gimenes for Smashing Magazine and its loyal readers. The icons presented are available in transparent and non-transparent PNGs (256×256px, 512×512, 1024×1024px), as well as in EPS format and are perfect for any projects you have coming up for St. Valentine’s Day. Enjoy! Download the Set for free! This icon set is completely...
UX Design Q&A Account Creation, Standalone Mobile Websites, And Dealing With Non-UX Designers By Christian Holst February 7th, 2013 Interaction Design, Mobile, Process 0 Comments Editor’s note: Welcome to Smashing Magazine UX Design Q&A. It works like this: you send in questions you have about UX Design, and each month we’ll pick a handful of questions asked by our readers about best practices in designing smart and usable experiences. They will be answered by Christian Holst, a regular author here on Smashing Magazine and founder of the Baymard Institute. Prior to cofounding the...
I recently asked this simple question on social media: “What do you think would help improve your photography?†Your answers prompted me to try to come up with some tips and possible solutions that could benefit everyone. Time The number one answer was finding the time to go out and shoot more. Yes, we all wish that our days were a few hours longer or that we could function on less sleep…  Let’s assume you cannot make any big changes to your schedule but you crave more time with your camera. Consider the following options: Stuck in an office all day? Skip...
Back in the late 1980′s when I started shooting my wife Levi’s listings. She represented a builder in neighborhood of new homes on the Sammamish Plateau  on the Eastside of Seattle. She insisted that when the home was sighted above the street (many homes in this neighborhood were) we had to shoot the front shot from at least the level of the front door or preferably above. Her approach for shooting elevated shots was to either stand on the top of her Mitsubishi Montero or get the developer’s superintendent to bring his big rig over in front of the listing and stand on top of  it to...
Introduction The Samsung Galaxy Camera might not be the first Android-powered camera on the market — Polaroid showed a prototype camera running on the Android operating system at CES 2012 and Nikon launched the Coolpix S800c, a compact camera running Android 2.3, in August this year. However, in contrast to Polaroid and Nikon, Samsung is not only a manufacturer of digital compact cameras but also currently the most succesful player in the Android smartphone...
You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� We thought it would be a good time to introduce them to you through a series of interviews. Today, we meet Texas based photographer James Brandon, author of the e-book Tack Sharp: A Step By Step Guide To Nailing Focus. 1. How long have you been shooting? I really got serious about it around 4 years ago on a trip to Mexico with my wife. We went to the Mayan ruins at Uxmal and I was hooked. I don’t know what it was about that trip...
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The World Photography Organisation has announced the shortlists for the professional, open and youth categories of the 2013 Sony World Photography awards. This year’s competition saw the highest number of submissions to date with more than 122,000 entries from 170 countries. The shortlist offers an insight into a...
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The makers of Raspberry Pi – the popular low-cost computer – have announced the development of a new camera module, expected to cost $25. Since the first version of Raspberry Pi was released early last year, more than half a million of the low-cost boards have been sold to eager enthusiasts all over the world. The low...
Working with studio lights can be a daunting process for many photographers. Many find the studio to be a place of fear and anxiety where the sanctity of natural light has vacated and the hauntingly, horrific wasteland of light stands, strobes and modifiers is all that remains. So how does one meander there way through this alien landscape and find a corridor of comfort in which they can relax? The simplest and often most powerful way to navigate this network of nerves is with a go to one light set-up that will provide a never ending reservoir of great imagery....
Magento TutorialCreating An Affiliate Tracking Module In Magento By Joseph McDermott February 6th, 2013 Magento 0 Comments In this tutorial, we will create a Magento module that will capture an affiliate referral from a third-party source (e.g. an external website or newsletter) and include a HTML script on the checkout success page once this referral has been converted. We will be covering the following topics: Capturing URI request data, Saving to and retrieving values from cookies, Adding custom content to the checkout success page, Adding module configuration to the Magento admin panel,...
At CP+ we were able to get our hands on a pre-production version of one of Olympus’ more interesting recent offerings – the Stylus XZ-10. The XZ-10 sits in the company’s lineup below the XZ-2 and, unlike its larger brother, has a 1/2.3″ sensor – the standard size used in the majority of compacts. In this respect its closest rival is a camera like Nikon’s P310 but the XZ-10 has a solidity of build and a level of direct control that the Nikon doesn’t. Crucially it also has a more consistently fast lens than any of the cameras it competes with...
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Sony has announced firmware updates for its SLT-A37, A57, A65, A77 and A99 digital SLRs. Firmware version 1.01 for the SLT-A99 adds Dual-AF compatibility with key A-mount lenses. Updates for the rest of the SLTs including the A99 add automatic lens correction with several A-mount lenses. Click here to go to Sony’s...
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Nikon has posted a firmware update for its 1 V1 enthusiast small sensor mirrorless camera. Firmware version 1.21 resolves a minor bug related to live view performance immediately after a lens is attached. The firmware is available immediately for download.. Click here to find out more and download Nikon 1 V1 firmware v1.21
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![Talk of ‘ultrapixels’ leads to speculation about Foveon-like HTC smartphone]()
If early tech blog reports ring true, HTC’s much-anticpated “M7” smartphone, expected to be revealed at press events to be held in New York City and London on February 19, may seriously be worth the excitement. According to Pocket-lint, HTC will forgo a previously-speculated (and presumably conventional) 13-megapixel sensor for three, 4.3MP sensors to achieve a stacked “ultrapixel” sensor. Although we don’t know what this means  – sensors aren’t transparent, so you can’t simply ‘stack’ three on top of one another...
One Of The Most Effective Ways To Improve Your Real Estate Photography
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Mar, 2013 |
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Some PFRE readers may not realize that there is a large flickr forum associated with this blog. I have to say that the PFRE flickr forum is one of the most powerful forms of photographic education that I’ve ever witnessed. There are several ways to benefit from this free educational forum. You can: Just look at the photos posted there each day. By just looking and not even joining the forum you can learn what good real estate photography looks like because many of the best real estate photographers in the world that actively participate, post photos and participate in the discussions in...
Complete our survey for the chance to win an iPad
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Mar, 2013 |
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US photographic trade body PMA and dpreview.com are conducting a survey looking for the views of dedicated amateur photographers. The survey asks about your photographic habits, the features you’d like to see in cameras and your use and experience of photo sharing sites and printing services. We’re aiming to get a...
Hands-on with Photosynth for Windows Phone 8
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Mar, 2013 |
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OPINION: Why Photoshop is Ruining Landscape Photography
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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This opinion piece was contributed by Declan O’Neill from www.newzealandscape.com. The winner of one of Britain’s most prestigious photographic competitions was stripped of his title recently because of excessive use of Photoshop. David Byrne was the winner of the Landscape Photographer of The Year award and a £10,000 ($16000) prize but has now had his title and prize money taken away in a surprise move by the organisers of the competition which is supported by Epson, The Sunday Times Magazine and The National Theatre. The dramatic reversal came about after...
Building A Better Responsive Website
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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RWD & Device Detection?Building A Better Responsive Website By Jeremy Girard March 5th, 2013 Optimization, Responsive Design 0 Comments Earlier this year, I was in the beginning stages of a redesign for our company’s website. We had already been planning to use a straightforward responsive approach to Web design, which is our preferred solution for multi-device support. After hearing some frank discussions at An Event Apart conference in Boston about the limitations and challenges of responsive Web design, I realized that our solution needed a bit of adjustment. Thankfully, the project...
10 Techniques for Amazing Portraits
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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A guest post by San Diego Wedding Photographer, Wayne Yuan As full-time photographers shooting 30+ weddings a year, we have to admit, sometimes it’s easy to fall into the same old formulas when it comes to portraits. Even with new poses, taking portraits can become very mundane if the same compositions and angles are used for every couple–we’ve definitely been through that creative rut where our pictures start looking very familiar. Throughout the years, we’ve challenged ourselves to stay on top of our game with a few useful techniques. Here are some of...
Australians Working On Laws To Allow Commercial Use of UAVs
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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According to a recent article in abc.com.au: Hundreds of small commercially operated drones could soon take to Australian skies under a radical new set of rules proposed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Melbourne this week. Under a new weight class system, prospective drone entrepreneurs with craft weighing 2 kilograms or less could take off after completing nothing more than an online application form. CASA officials say they want to encourage use of this emerging technology, but the drone plan will be forced to dodge flak from opponents who have raised serious concerns over...
Just Posted: Nikon Coolpix A preview – hands on with the DX compact
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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I still think you shouldn’t use “DX format” as a general term of photography, instead say “APS-C format” or “APS-C format (called DX format by Nikon)”. By saying “DX format”, you’re kind of making your self part of Nikon PR and make us believe that “DX format” is a regular, general term. I see that in the intro to this artice you use first “DX” and then “APS-C” equivalently. But to people unfamiliar with Nikon PR speak, it might not be clear hear that “DX” and...
Just posted: Hands-on preview of the Nikon Coolpix P330
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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We’ve just posted a hands-on preview of Nikon’s latest small form-factor compact, the Coolpix P330. Externally almost identical to its predecessor the P310, the P330 features a larger 1/1.7″ BSI-CMOS sensor and raw capture mode – two additions that should make it much more popular with enthusiasts, as well as...
Editor’s opinion: Nikon’s AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm F4-5.6G ED VR
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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Well, yea, “shame about the price.” I offer $1400. Want more? Nope, not from me, you keep the lens. I am endlessly patient. I will rather take my old 80-200 F/2.8 with extender.
Source Article from http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/03/05/editors-opinion-on-nikon-AF-S-nikkor-80-200mm-f4-5-6-G-ED-VR-zoom
Nikon launches 16MP DX-format Coolpix A and P330 enthusiast compacts
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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Nikon has unveiled its first DX-format compact, the Coolpix A, alongside the enthusiast-focused Coolpix P330. The Coolpix A fits a 16MP APS-C CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter behind a 28mm equivalent, F2.8 prime lens. The Coolpix P330, meanwhile, gains a 1/1.7″ sensor and Raw-shooting capability, over its...
Nikon unveils AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR telezoom
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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Nikon has launched the AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, a redesigned version of the decade-old 80-400mm VR. The G version features an entirely new optical formulation, ring-type AF-S focus motor and a revamped VR system capable of a claimed four stops of vibration reduction. Jump to: Press Release Specifications Press Release:...
Understanding Colour on Your Digital Camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Mar, 2013 |
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This is the third in a series of articles by Andrew S Gibson, the author of Understanding EOS: A Beginner’s Guide to Canon EOS cameras. Joel Meyerowitz once asked ‘If the world is in colour, why shoot it in black and white?‘ Okay, I can think of plenty of good reasons for working in black and white, but it seems that most photographers work in colour a great deal of the time. And when you work in colour, you naturally want to configure your camera to give the best possible results. To do so, it’s important to understand how your digital camera records...
Canon develops high sensitivity full-frame CMOS sensor for video
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Mar, 2013 |
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Canon has developed a 35mm full-frame CMOS image sensor designed for low-light video capture. The 16:9 sensor features a 1920×1080 pixel array, meaning each pixel measures a huge 19 microns along each edge – 7.5 times larger than the ones in the EOS-1D X. The large pixels and low readout-noise circuitry allow the sensor...
Phase One unveils IQ280, IQ260 and IQ260 Achromatic digital backs
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Mar, 2013 |
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Phase One has unveiled the Wi-Fi enabled IQ260, IQ260 Achromatic and IQ280 medium format digital camera backs. The 60MP IQ260 and IQ260 Achromatic feature maximum shutter speeds of 1/10,000th of a second. The IQ260 Achromatic is a black-and-white version, with no color and IR filter. The cameras’ wireless capabilities...
Animating The Web: We’re Gonna Need A Bigger API!
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Mar, 2013 |
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Animating The WebWe’re Gonna Need A Bigger API! By Jake Archibald March 4th, 2013 Animation, CSS, JavaScript 0 Comments Everyone likes stuff that moves about on the Web, right? Remember how you cried joyful tears when you first used <marquee>? I do. I nearly sobbed all the water out of my body as I gazed upon “JAKE’S COOL WEBSITE†bobbing back and forth in uppercase serif. Of course, we’re more mature as an industry these days. We’ve learned that users don’t want websites to look like a CSI console having a personal crisis; instead, we go for smooth transitions that...
5 Tips to for Getting Sharper Images
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Mar, 2013 |
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An important element of photography is getting sharp, crisp images. You may be struggling with focus, especially if you are fairly new to DSLR photography. It is extremely frustrating to go out shooting, assuming you’ve got nice clear, sharp images, only to get home to find out they aren’t quite as sharp, or even in focus, as you had hoped. There are several things you can do to improve your chances of getting sharper images. Here are a few to get you started, if you have other tips please share them in the comments below. Five steps for achieving sharp images...
Now Accepting Kitchen Shots For March PFRE Photographer Of The Month Contest
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Mar, 2013 |
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I’m ready to start accepting kitchen  shots for the March 2013 PFRE photographer of the month contest. For those not familiar with this series of monthly competitions take a look at the Contest page that describes all the rules and the whole contest process. For a look at last years monthly winners and all the yearly winners go to the best-of-the-best page (on the top menu bar click “Featuredâ€). This contest is a juried contest. The list of jurors is on the contest page. The primary purpose of the contest is being recognized by your peers in the real estate photography industry. The...
Understanding HD Video [Book Review]
Posted by Chris Roubis on 3rd, Mar, 2013 |
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After a careful read of Chiz Dakin’s book, I came to the conclusion that — for the right reader — her volume is the ant’s pants, the bees’ knees of ‘how to’ books in the video field. The right reader? Well that comes down to those who are competent in stills photography, own a DSLR or a CSC camera and know how to work with different lenses, be savvy with ISO, histograms etc. CSC? Compact System Camera or what could also be called a MILC (Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera). I also figure it would probably not be right for the hardened...
Win One of Two Photography Courses from New York Institute of Photography
Posted by Chris Roubis on 3rd, Mar, 2013 |
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Over the last two years here at dPS we’ve run very popular competitions with the New York Institute of Photography to give away to lucky dPS readers some of their great photographic teaching. Due to popular demand – we’re doing it again this week! This year NYIP is giving away two prizes Fundamentals of Digital Photography These two prizes are designed to be helpful for two different levels of photographers. Each will be won by a different dPS reader. Here’s what you could win: Fundamentals of Digital Photography – worth $499 Complete Course in...
Meet The Photographers Who Write For Digital Photography School ~ Helen Bradley
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Mar, 2013 |
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You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� Today we meet Helen Bradley, a long time writer on the site. 1. How long have you been shooting? I have been shooting seriously for about ten years. I started quite by accident. I needed some slides for an art class so I borrowed a Pentax K-1000 film camera, got some quick instructions on how to use an SLR and headed out shooting. It was love at first click! 2. Do you have a full time job or are you a full time photographer? I am a...
Nikon 1 V2 Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Mar, 2013 |
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Straight out of the box I have to say the Nikon 1 V2 is the sexiest camera I’ve ever wrapped my mitts around. In ivory, with a finish reminiscent of a highly polished car’s enamel, the camera is a stand out. Unlike most other mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILC) the Nikon 1 V2 has a pronounced speed grip that is so effective it rivals even that of high end DLRs. The body is possibly pocketable but maybe not so easily with a lens mounted, but overall the body is quite small. And there’s a black body if your dress style is more modest. The body is...
This Week In Real Estate Video #47 – Olive 8 And Fripp Island
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Mar, 2013 |
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There several property videos that I ran across this week that caught my attention: Olive 8 by Malia Campbell: Malia did a great job on this video, highlighting the killer views of all the classic sights that a downtown Seattle condo on the 31st floor has to offer. I  like the the iPlayerHD presentation that Malia is using on this one. It’s big and elegant looking, be sure to watch this one full screen! 331 Ocean Point Drive, Fripp Island SC by Heath Cowart: This video uses dialog between a home owner who invites her friend to visit her vacation home for the weekend to weave together a...
Building On The Measure: Logical Breakpoints For Your Responsive Design
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Mar, 2013 |
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Building On The MeasureLogical Breakpoints For Your Responsive Design By Vasilis van Gemert March 1st, 2013 Design, Typography 2 Comments There are several tactics for deciding where to put breakpoints in a responsive design. There is the rusty idea that they should be based on common screen sizes, but this doesn’t scale well. There are no “common†screen sizes. Another popular tactic is to create a breakpoint wherever the layout breaks. This sounds much better. But it still leaves us with the question, How do you determine whether the layout is broken? One logical answer is to look at...
Nature: Weekly Photography Challenge
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Mar, 2013 |
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Earlier today we published the first of two posts in a series on Wildlife photography so thought this week we might give you an opportunity to practice the tips in it by making our challenge on the topic of ‘Nature’. It is a little broader than ‘wildlife’ because not every dPS reader is in a position to photograph animals in the coming week but if you’re able to we’d love to see what you can do. Feel free to photograph any aspect of nature you like. It could be some macro photography of flowers or insects in your back yard, you might want to get out to...
Making Sharper Wildlife Photographs – [Part 1 of 2]
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Mar, 2013 |
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Mountain Bluebird with prey: Canon EOS Digital Rebel, Canon 100-400 F4.5-5.6L IS lens @400mm, 1/800th of a second at F8, ISO 400 – Hand held A contribution by Paul Burwell from Burwell School of Photography If there is one area that seems to flummox more aspiring wildlife photographers it is the subject of making sharp images. You’d think that with today’s modern cameras and equipment that there’d be no problem going home with sharp images after each wildlife encounter. Un fortunately, that isn’t the case and I’m going to provide you with some tips and...
Learning From Cinema: What Sci-Fi Tells Interaction Designers About Gestural Interfaces
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Mar, 2013 |
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Learning From CinemaWhat Sci-Fi Tells Interaction Designers About Gestural Interfaces By Christopher Noessel March 1st, 2013 Design Patterns, Interfaces 0 Comments One of the most famous interfaces in sci-fi is gestural — the precog scrubber interface used by the Precrime police force in Minority Report. Using this interface, Detective John Anderton uses gestures to “scrub†through the video-like precognitive visions of psychic triplets. After observing a future crime, Anderton rushes to the scene to prevent it and arrest the would-be perpetrator. This interface is one of the most...
Learning to See, Part VII
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Whereas photography is about vision, composition is about aesthetics. In our previous readings in this series we learned how colour,  contrast and tonal range have a dramatic effect on the overall result.  Some teachers may say the first important rule in making successful pictures is composition, and indeed that may be so.  However,  I also like my intrepid readers to be unique and true to themselves.  Therefore, let’s argue that colour impact is more important than composition  ( remember folks, this series is for the novice and beginner  so please...
Just posted: Fujifilm X-E1 Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Just posted:Â Fujifilm X-E1 review. With a sensor and imaging pipeline that is identical to the X-Pro1’s the X-E1 promises much of the X-Pro1’s fun in a more compact and affordable package. We’ve spent the past few weeks using the X-E1 intensely with the full range of lenses now available for the X-system, and have...
Satechi introduces BT Smart Trigger wireless shutter release for Canon
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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OK, I’ll be different and be happy this came out. I already ordered mine. Stoneysanpper – from the description of the one I purchased “Satechi Bluetooth Smart Trigger (A) for iPhone 4S / 5, iPad 3 / Mini, iPod Touch 5G for Canon EOS-1V/1VHS, EOS-3, EOS-D2000, D30, D60, 1D, 1Ds, EOS-1D Mark II,III,IV, EOS-1Ds Mark II,III, EOS-10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 5D, 5D Mark II,III, 6D, 7D, and RS-80N” I’ll put in a review once I get it. ~Conan
Source Article from...
Hands-on with weatherproof Sony Xperia Z and multi-screen YotaPhone
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Day four at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and the team at connect.dpreview.com is still at the show, visiting manufacturer stands to find the newest in smartphone and tablet camera technology. We’ve added brief hands-on articles of the weatherproof Sony Xperia Z tablet and multi-screen YotaPhone. Click the links...
Samsung Galaxy S4 expected to be announced on March 14th
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Vimeo adds ‘Looks’ filter effects for videos
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: March 2013
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Desktop Wallpaper Calendar: March 2013 By Smashing Editorial February 28th, 2013 Wallpapers 4 Comments We always try our best to challenge your artistic abilities and produce some interesting, beautiful and creative artwork. And as designers we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a matter of fact, we’ve discovered the best one—desktop wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd. This creativity mission has been going on for over five years now, and we are very thankful to all the designers who have contributed and are still diligently contributing...
Conferences RoundUp: Upcoming Web Design Events
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Conferences RoundUpUpcoming Web Design Events By Jan Constantin February 28th, 2013 Community, Conferences, Inspiration 6 Comments A Web developer is never through with learning new skills. So many new techniques crop up over a year, that keeping up to date can be quite challenging, especially with the usual workload Web developers have on their plates. An enjoyable, speedy way to find out about all the new developments of the year, is to visit Web design and development conferences and workshops. These events not only deliver a huge load of information in a short period of time, they’re...
Snap Up this 50% Off Deal: 3 Captivating eBooks by Mitchell Kanashkevich
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Over at our sister site – SnapnDeals – this month there’s a great deal running on 3 of our most popular eBooks from travel photographer Mitchell Kanashkevich. Normally $59.99 this week you can grab the following 3 eBooks for just $29.95: Natural Light: Mastering a Photographer’s Most Powerful Tool Transcending Travel: A Guide to Captivating Travel Photography Captivating Color: A Guide to Dramatic Color Photography All 3 eBooks are packed with practical information, inspirational images and lots of diagrams – and as usual they’re backed by our 60 day...
€10,000 for grabs in photography award
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Getty Images’ Creative Grants programme open for entries
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Upgrading From The Most Popular Real Estate Photography Camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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The Canon 5DMkII is the most popular real estate camera used by readers of this blog (17.5%). The 5DMKIII and 6D have been out for quite a while and the 5DMKII was officially discontinued at the end of last year. So there are 18% or more of us wondering when we get ready to upgrade which is the best upgrade path? I thought it would be interesting to take a general look at the main considerations and get the advice of the readers that have already made an upgrade. I know, Nikon people will say I should include the D600 and D800. But we all tend to be trapped in a system by the glass we have....
Getty Images’ Creative Grants programme open for entries
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Getty Images’ Creative Grants programme open for entries
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Toshiba shows-off Lytro-style Light Field module for mobiles
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Feb, 2013 |
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Toshiba Semiconductors has been demonstrating a sensor module for mobile phones that allows Lytro-style refocusable images. The company promises 2MP images from an 8MP sensor and is already working on a version with higher-resolution output. However, there’s reason to believe such cameras would be even more prone to the...
Typeplate: A Starter Kit For Beautiful Web Type
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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Typeplate: A Starter Kit For Beautiful Web Type By Zachary Kain and Dennis Gaebel February 27th, 2013 Freebies, Typography 0 Comments As of today we’re pleased to announce Typeplate, a free-range and open-source typographic starter kit that will hopefully help you build beautiful, text-rich websites. The word on the street is that the Web Is 95% Typography, so as we hurtle towards the future, we think there’s still a lot we can learn from five centuries of history. Typeplate is the result of this exploration of our typographic heritage. “Another Framework?†We made Typeplate because...
What Are Your Worst Habits As A Photographer?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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I was inspired to write this article after recently asking the question, “What are your worst habits as a photographer?†on social media. Here are some of the most common responses followed by some suggestions. Please share your own ‘bad habits,’ better yet, how you managed to correct them. Everyone will benefit! Not taking your camera everywhere with you The best camera is the one you have with you. I may not always have my dslr with me, but I do have my iPhone. The quality is not the same, of course, but when I’m not shooting for a client it...
Getty Images’ Creative Grants programme open for entries
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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Hands-on with the HTC One at the Mobile World Congress
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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Rambus unveils ‘Binary Pixel’ sensor tech for expanded dynamic range
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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US technology company Rambus has unveiled ‘Binary Pixel’ sensor technology, promising greatly expanded dynamic range for the small sensors used in devices such as smartphones. Current image sensors are unable to record light above a specific saturation point, which results in clipped highlights. Binary Pixel technology...
Adobe releases Photoshop Touch for Android and iOS smartphones
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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The Problem Of CSS Form Elements
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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The Problem Of CSS Form Elements By Gabriele Romanato February 27th, 2013 CSS, Semantics 3 Comments Before 1998, the birth year of CSS Level 2, form elements were already widely implemented in all major browsers. The CSS 2 specification did not address the problem of how form elements should be presented to users. Because these elements are part of the UI of every Web document, the specification’s authors preferred to leave the visual layout of such elements to the default style sheet of Web browsers. Through the years, this lack of detail in the CSS specification has forced Web developers...
7 Tips for Photographing at the Zoo
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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Zoos … love ‘em or hate ‘em? I think it depends on the zoo. I much prefer open range zoos where the animals have tons of space to roam around and live almost as they would in the wild. I can’t stand to see animals in cages especially when they pace back and forth in frustration. But zoos do play an essential role in conservation and education. When it comes to photographing at the zoo it’s easy to get distracted by the sheer joy of seeing the animals and forget everything we have learned about photography. Try to remember that all the rules of good...
Getty Images’ Creative Grants programme open for entries
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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Rambus unveils ‘Binary Pixel’ sensor tech for expanded dynamic range
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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US technology company Rambus has unveiled ‘Binary Pixel’ sensor technology, promising greatly expanded dynamic range for the small sensors used in devices such as smartphones. Current image sensors are unable to record light above a specific saturation point, which results in clipped highlights. Binary Pixel technology...
Quick And Easy Way To Get Higher Google Ranking For Your Website
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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I revisit this subject periodically because I think it is something everyone with a website needs to do. Google ranking is always related to a specific search term. The search term you are interested in as a real estate photographer is “real estate photographer your-town“. The idea is, when an agent in your-town does a google search for “real estate photographer your-town†you want to be listed as high as possible on the first result page so searchers see your website listing and click on it. Here is a quick and simple way to get your site high on the first page of search results...
Instagram hits 100 million monthly users milestone
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Feb, 2013 |
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Congrats to @instagram for building such an amazing platform, now, with over 100 million active, monthly users, and thanks for such a great community! IG is a connecting platform. A truly global, real-time, life-sharing, visual, experience, that not only helps you to change your perspective when you allow your creative flow, but it also inevitably brings photography to many that hold a mobile device. ..and it reinvigorates, and, reunites it with those that once loved Photography too. Not to mention how much Instagram has changed our lives in so many profound ways, either directly or...
Smashing Introduces New Full-Day Workshops!
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Feb, 2013 |
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Come Learn And Network With The ProsSmashing Introduces New Full-Day Workshops! By Smashing Editorial February 26th, 2013 Events 4 Comments In the past few years, we’ve been working hard to publish only the best in quality industry knowledge, and have decided to finally create a series of workshops to immerse participants in full days of learning and networking with leading experts. Drop by our offices to learn, schmooze and gain master skills! The workshops will all take place at Smashing Media’s Headquarters where tips and industry secrets will be given directly from some of the most...
Plastic Cameras: Lo-Fi Photography in the Digital Age [Book Review]
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Feb, 2013 |
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Years ago a cinematographer friend told me of a dinner he once had in Paris with a Mr Cooke. Mr Cooke of the famed British optical firm Cooke, Taylor and Hobson. During the meal Mr Cooke explained that he spent most of his waking and working hours designing lenses to perform with maximum sharpness and minimum degrees of aberration to achieve the perfect capture of the photographic image. In spite of these heroic efforts he spoke with some level of bitterness that certain cinematographers persisted in covering his carefully crafted lenses with all sorts of rubbish,...
The Power Of Typography: Creating Exciting And Unusual Visual Hierarchies
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Feb, 2013 |
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The Power Of TypographyCreating Exciting And Unusual Visual Hierarchies By C. Knight, J. Glaser February 26th, 2013 Creativity, Fonts, Typography 1 Comment Layout, for both print and screen, is one of the most important aspects of graphic design. Designs that extend across multiple pages or screens, whether containing large or small amounts of type, must be carefully controlled in a way that is enticing and is easy for all to access. Careful control of visual hierarchy is a key aspect of the design decisions we have to consider. In this article, we will look at how frequently type needs to...
Getting Landscapes Sharp: Hyperfocal Distances and Aperture Selection
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Feb, 2013 |
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An important element of landscape photography is ensuring that all of the key elements within your composition are sharp. This can often include foreground objects that are a matter of meters from your camera as well as background elements that can be kilometres away. Therefore, to achieve this, you need to ensure your depth of field is large enough to render everything of interest, suitably sharp. In this scene it was important to capture everything from the frozen puddle in the foreground, to the hills in the background, in sharp focus When you focus on an...
Free Info-graphic That Illustrates The Redfin Professional Real Estate Photography Study
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Feb, 2013 |
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Remember the 2010 Redfin Study that I’m always preaching about? Robert Preville, an on the ball Wilmington, NC Realtor has created a great little info-graphic that summarizes the Redfin study, the WSJ article on the study and a related NAR study and is giving it a way at his website. As I told Robert, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t think of this! As a reminder, the sources of data for the info-graphic are the following: Redfin original article on their study WSJ article that recaps the Redfin study NAR study from June 2012 I think Robert’s free graphic is a great marketing tool to...
Adobe updated Raw support for Fujifilm X-Trans tested
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Feb, 2013 |
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With the posting of ACR 7.4 and Lightroom 7.4 ‘release candidates’ (RC), Adobe has updated its raw processing algorithms for Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor cameras, the X-Pro1, X-E1, X100s and X20. This move comes in response to months of online user requests for improved raw processing of the X-Pro1, Fujifilm’s flagship mirrorless interchangeable lens model. It is rare that Adobe’s Camera Raw team revisits its demosaicing process for previously supported cameras, so we were excited to try out this latest version with some X-Pro1 raw files and compare results...
Adobe posts Lightroom 4.4 and ACR 7.4 release candidates
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Feb, 2013 |
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Adobe has announced ‘release candidate’ versions of Lightroom 4.4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.4. As usual, the latest near-complete versions add support for recent cameras. What makes this release especially significant, however, is improved support for Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor models, including the X-Pro1 and X-E1....
Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Japan
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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Not only will this be one of the longest Travel Photography Inspiration Project posts to date, it is one I am very excited to put together. All of the participants not only delivered high quality images, but they all also held true to my request to provide you, fellow DPS readers, with helpful tips, either about travel in Japan or about specific photos. Japan is on my list of places to visit and that’s just for the sushi. Putting together this post has opened my eyes to many of the beautiful areas of Japan as well as it backroads. I hope you enjoy this...
Using Gobos To Create Dramatic Lighting
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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When lighting a subject, one of the things you want to try to do is create drama, or a context, using the light. This often means modifying your light source. One of the easiest ways to modify your flash to create a context, or drama, is to use a gobo. In this shot, the gobo was used on the background light, to create the illusion of light shining through window blinds. The off camera flash was a Canon 580 EX II, with the gobo positioned in front of it. The light on the model was a 580 EX II in a Westcott 18×42 strip box. Gobos are templates that go in front of...
There Is No Mobile Internet!
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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Opinion ColumnThere Is No Mobile Internet! By Marek Wolski February 25th, 2013 Web Design 0 Comments It’s time to stop thinking about the Internet and online communication in the context of a device, be it desktop, tablet or mobile. Advances by Google and Apple have heightened consumer expectations, which now require stricter focus from us to create seamless online communications — communications that work everywhere and that get their point across. We need to embrace a device-agnostic approach to communicating with connected consumers and forget the idea of a “mobile Internetâ€....
Just Posted: Sony NEX-3N hands-on preview with samples gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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Just Posted: Sony NEX-3N hands-on preview with real world samples. We’ve had a chance to use and shoot with a NEX-3N and, now that Sony US has announced the camera, we can publish our look at the latest model. The 3N is the fourth entry-level NEX camera and the smallest so far. Despite this, it includes most of the features of...
Sony US announces SLT-A58 DSLR and NEX-3N mirrorless cameras
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25, 2013 Lightweight, easy to use and packed with a variety of powerful imaging capabilities, the new Sony SLT-A58 camera is an ideal choice for consumers eager to explore the world of DSLR-style interchangeable lens photography. The new α58 camera is the latest to feature Sony’s acclaimed Translucent Mirror Technology, which delivers a potent combination of fast shooting, non-stop phase detection autofocus and continuous live image preview during still and full HD video (60i/24p) shooting. This innovative technology also allows the camera to shoot sharply focused images...
Sony US launches Planar T* 50mm F1.4 and 70-400mm F4.5.6 G SSM II
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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Sony US has announced the Zeiss-branded Planar T* 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM and 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II A-mount lenses, alongside a redesigned DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II entry-level kit zoom. Both have already been announced in Europe. The lenses will ship from May 2013 at retail prices of around $1500, $2200 and $220 respectively. Jump to:...
Sony US introduces Cyber-shot WX300, HX300 and TX30 compact cameras
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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Sony has announced the Cyber-shot DSC-WX300, DSC-HX300 and DSC-TX30 compact cameras in the US market. The HX300 is a 20MP 50x superzoom with a 24-1200mm equiv. lens. Meanwhile the WX300 is an 18MP Wi-Fi compact superzoom with a 25-500mm equiv. lens. The tough, waterproof, card-style TX30 offers a 26-130mm equiv zoom. The WX300 will...
Congratulations Jason Roehner February PFRE Photographer Of the Month
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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The PFRE jury has voted Jason Roehner’s photo of this Scottsdale, AZ property as the winner of the February contest. This month is Jason’s second photographer of the month win. He won back in September 2012. Here is the voting results: Jason Roehner – 49 Ilona Berzups -19 Nestor Trillo – 16 Luke Phillips -12 David Jones – 10 Matthew Waclo– 8 Mike Higginson – 5 Dean Hales – 5 John Nilsson – 5 Greg Dean – 3 Mark McHugh – 3 Volker Deitenbach – 3 Travis Edmunds – 2 Here are Jason’s comments on the technical details of this photo: I’m leaving all the photos up...
The Winner of $1000 in Lenses and Personal Mentoring is…
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Feb, 2013 |
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Over the last few weeks we’ve run a competition to give away $1000 worth of lenses and personal mentoring with Gina Milicia – author of our Portraits: Making the Shot eBook. Over the weekend this competition ended and we’ve now drawn and notified the winner! The winner is…. Lizabeth Simonton. Congratulations to Lizabeth – we’ve just sent you an email with details of how to get your prize! Thanks to everyone else who picked up a copy of our Portraits eBook. We trust you’re enjoying it and seeing an improvement in your Portraits.
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Meet The Photographers Who Write For Digital Photography School ~ Anne McKinnell
Posted by Chris Roubis on 24th, Feb, 2013 |
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You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� Today we meet Anne McKinnell, one of our brand new, fresh and minty smelling writers. 1. How long have you been shooting? About 6 years if you add it all together. The first time photography was part of my life was in university 20 years ago. I wrote for the student newspaper and bought a used Canon AE1 so I could take photographs to go with my stories. I used to roll my own film, develop it, and make prints in my bathroom. After...
Learning to See, Part VI
Posted by Chris Roubis on 24th, Feb, 2013 |
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No Contrast – No Problem The most beautiful composition can be dashed by improper use of color and contrast. –CJ Rider As we learned in our last entry, harsh light can work well with bold and dramatic colours, yet blow-out the subtle and delicate tones. The colour red supported by black, or gold surrounded by blue provide the photographer with easy choices in creating a pleasing composition. But what shall we do if there is no colour or light contrast, but only a monotone or duotone with which to work?  Any photographer who has worked along Canada’s...
Sony NEX-6 Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 23rd, Feb, 2013 |
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I usually start a review of a camera like this straight after brekky, while I’m fresh, with an uncluttered mind. But sometimes it seems I would have been better off by kicking off with a cluttered mind! So I pick up the NEX-6. Hit the power button. Look in the LCD. Looks awfully dark. What’s up? Go the finder menu and hit the factory reset button. No better. Look in the menu for the PASM options. None there! Oh! Oh! Dumbo missed the legibly inscribed, external PASM settings on the top mode dial. Just like most other cameras, but unlike the two most recent...
Why does your camera see things differently than you?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 23rd, Feb, 2013 |
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Do you ever see a beautiful scene, take out your camera, take the shot and then wonder what went wrong? Why doesn’t the display on the LCD screen look at all like the scene in front of you? Do you ever stand next to another photographer and wonder how they made an image that is better than the scene you see with your own eyes? Understanding how the camera “sees†is the key to figuring out why this happens and what you need to do to take charge of your camera and make the images you envision. If you’re already dreading the mathematical calculations, don’t...
This Week In Real Estate Video #46 – Reflection Tower II
Posted by Chris Roubis on 23rd, Feb, 2013 |
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When I was recently in Maui I had lunch with Tom Tezak and we were talking about this video from 2007 by Brett Clements and other examples of great real estate video in general. Brett’s Reflection Tower II video is one of my all time favorite property videos. It was the first video I  saw that convinced me of the potential of property video. I did a post back in 2008 on this video that linked to a high quality version that seems to be gone now so we’ll have to do with this low-res version. Brett won a Australian Marketing Award of Excellence for this video in 2007. The reasons I find...
Nine State Legislatures Moving To Restrict Drone Use – More On The Way
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Feb, 2013 |
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In yesterdays post, when I predicted that there would be more states to follow New Hampshire, little did I realize there were already eight other states that had legislation in work to restrict UAV use in some way. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Eighteen states are considering bills that would limit the use of unmanned aerial systems, and more are likely to follow suit. The most restrictive bill in work is right here in Oregon. Oregon’s Senate Bill 71, if passed would make possession of UAV a Class B misdemeanor punishable by 6 months in jail! Whoa, I need...
Tell a Story with a Diptych: Weekly Photography Challenge [With 15 Examples]
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Feb, 2013 |
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Earlier in the week we published a post on how to use Diptych’s to tell a story. Today we’re issuing the challenge to go out and shoot and edit one up to share with us! Come on – we dare you! No… we double dare you (it’s a Double Diptych Dare). Read Jason’s article on Diptychs, grab your camera and head out to shoot. You can tell any kind of story you want – shoot on the street, photograph an event, set up a little story in your home – it’s totally up to you as there are so many possible approaches to take (we’ll include a few ideas below)....
Interview: Bringing Angry Birds To Facebook
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Feb, 2013 |
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InterviewBringing Angry Birds To Facebook By Richard Shepherd February 22nd, 2013 Interviews, Web Design, Workflow 0 Comments There’s no avoiding those Angry Birds. They are, quite literally, everywhere: toys, snacks, cartoons, plush toys and that wildly addictive game that seemingly everyone has downloaded at some point — 1 billion of us last year alone. 2012 was another landmark year at the Angry Birds aviary, otherwise known as Rovio. The Finnish-based developer not only released a slew of tie-ins — from Green Day to Star Wars — but also went social. Not only did releasing Angry...
Weddings Through The Eyes of a “Noobâ€: Lessons I Learned
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Feb, 2013 |
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One of the things I’ll do is set up a remote camera in the back of the ceremony, elevated if possible. In this shot, a tilt-shift lens was used to create that miniature look. EOS 5D Mark III, TS-E 17mm f/4L. Exposure was 1/320, ISO 3200, f/4. Photo by Rick Berk/kNot Photography Throughout the first 20 years of my career in photography, I’d photographed a lot of different things- NHL All-Star games, Major League Baseball, NFL Football. I’d photographed portraits, boudoir, model portfolios. Landscape photography became a passion of mine. One thing I never...
Just posted: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 review updated with lens data
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Feb, 2013 |
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We’ve updated our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 review with an additional page of lens data, brought to you in collaboration with DxOMark. The RX1’s headline feature may well be its 24MP full frame image sensor, but the fixed Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm F2 lens is an equally crucial part of its imaging chain. We’ve added a...
Nikon and Microsoft sign an Android-based camera patent deal
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Feb, 2013 |
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Nikon has signed a licensing deal with Microsoft to cover the use of patented technologies in its Android-based cameras. The deal is the latest instance of Microsoft pursuing makers of Android devices, claiming patent infringement. Despite free access being one of the founding ideas of Google’s Android operating system,...
Sigma USA announces price and availability of DP3 Merrill
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Feb, 2013 |
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Sigma USA has announced the price and availability of its DP3 Merrill large sensor, fixed lens compact. The camera will be available from March 2013 at an estimated street price of $999. It is nearly identical to the earlier DP Merrill models featuring the familiar 15x3MP APS-C Foveon X3 sensor, but with a 50mm (75mm equiv.) F2.8...
Case Study: The Evolution Of The BEM Methodology
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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Case StudyThe Evolution Of The BEM Methodology By Maksim Shirshin February 21st, 2013 CSS, HTML, JavaScript 0 Comments This article is a case study about the evolution of BEM, a methodology that enables team members to collaborate and communicate ideas using a unified language that consists of simple yet powerful terms: blocks, elements, modifiers. Learn about the challenges that a big company faces when gradually building an entire ecosystem of services with an ever-growing team of developers. Once upon a time, in a distant country far far away, an IT company named Yandex started developing...
Take your Time and Work the Scene
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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I recently shared this photo on Facebook, Google+, and Flickr, with a quick tip on how to create a starburst effect. In this article, I’d like to share the thought process behind the image, and a few of the less successful images that led up to this final shot. Canon EOS 5D Mark III with EF 40mm f/2.8 STM, 1/320, f/14, ISO 100 Here’s the first shot of the tree: I shot this photo as soon as I saw the tree. It’s a fascinating tree, but not a very interesting photo. There’s just too much happening here. So I moved behind and tried a silhouette against the...
Sharing Experiences: How To Improve And Refine Your WordPress Theme Development Process
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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Sharing ExperiencesHow To Improve And Refine Your WordPress Theme Development Process By Siobhan McKeown February 21st, 2013 Techniques, Themes 12 Comments There is so much to learn about WordPress theme development. The Internet is home to hundreds of articles about building WordPress themes, to countless theme frameworks that will help you get started, and to endless WordPress themes, some of which are beautiful and professional but not a few of which are (to be honest) a bit crappy. Rather than write another article on building a WordPress theme (which would be silly, really, since any...
30 Things you Should Know to Help you Start a Photography Business
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.†– Joseph Campbell 1. Find the best photography course or workshops that work for you If you are going to invest in a photography course/workshop do some serious research first. It’s a huge investment so find out who the teachers are. Are they industry professionals that are going to be teaching you relevant styles and techniques? Is the style of teaching suited to your personality and photography? Who are the ex students that have gone on to create successful careers?...
New Hampshire Moves Towards Prohibiting Aerial Real Estate Photography
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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Thanks to Suzanne Feinberg for sending me a link to the article over a PhotoAttorney.com that points out that the New Hampshire State legislature is considering a bill (HB 619-FN) that would make aerial real estate photography illegal. The bill in part says: A person is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if such person knowingly creates or assists in creating an image of the exterior of any residential dwelling in this state where such image is created by or with the assistance of a satellite, drone, or any device that is not supported by the ground. This prohibition shall not apply where the...
Synology DS1512+ NAS review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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Hello there! I’d just finished writing this Synology 1512+ review and subsequently deleted it all… Why, you ask? Well – I have a bit of a history in I.T. and as such, found myself getting TOTALLY geeky with my review.. Those of you that have read any of my reviews to date, here on dPS, will know that I try to keep it ‘real world‘ …So, I’m going to write it again and dispense with all the ones and zeros in an effort to help you decide if moving to a Synology NAS is the way forward, or not. Synology DiskStation 5-Bay (Diskless) Network Attached...
Just Posted: Nikon D7100 Hands-On Preview
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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I think I’m gonna go on a hunger strike until Nikon releases an optional version d7100 that has an AA filter. With the d800 vs d800e articles on here as well as other highly respected photography sites/sources, the consensus was uniformly in agreement with each other that for the vaaaaaaaaaast majority of shooting situations, the image quality was better WITH an AA filter than without one. That the non-AA d800e was only superior in VERY specific, narrow, niche, rare, shooting situations, at very specific narrow aperture range in very specific conditions, but in the rest of the...
Nikon unveils D7100 mid-level 24MP APS-C DSLR with no low-pass filter
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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Nikon has announced the D7100 – a 24MP mid-range, enthusiast-focused APS-C DSLR. The D7100 promises high resolution by making do without an optical low-pass filter in front of its 24MP CMOS sensor. It gains a more sophisticated 51-point autofocus system and a 7fps 1.3x cropped shooting mode that provides a 2x crop compared to...
Nikon announces advanced WR-1 radio remote control
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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Alongside the D7100, Nikon announced the WR-1 Transceiver, a unique wireless remote control. Able to remotely control multiple cameras capturing stills and videos, even time-lapse sequences, the Nikon WR-1 Transceiver mounts on the camera’s hot shoe, yet is controlled via a cable attached to the master camera. Communicating...
Nikon Europe releases Coolpix S3500 compact camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Feb, 2013 |
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Nikon Europe has announced the Coolpix S3500. Available in multiple colors, the entry-level compact features a 20MP CCD sensor, 2.7″ LCD, 720p HD recording and is compatible with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards. It will be available from the end of this month at a retail price of £129.99. Jump to: Press Release Specifications...
Meet The Photographers Who Write For Digital Photography School ~ Darlene Hildebrandt
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� Today meet photographer Darlene Hildebrandt from Alberta, Canada. 1. How long have you been shooting? I graduated from a 2 year photography program in 1988! So over 25 years now, mostly as a professional. I’ve been in the industry in many forms including: doing commercial studio work; had my own portrait/wedding studio for 12 years; was a trade rep for an album company and coached my photographer clients on business; some...
Building Trust And Credibility: How To Sell Your UX Design Solution To Clients
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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Building Trust And CredibilityHow To Sell Your UX Design Solution To Clients By Rian van der Merwe February 20th, 2013 Business, Guidelines, Process 0 Comments How do you convince clients to trust you with their valuable and much-loved product? In my experience, the best way to sell work to clients is to apply user-centered design not only to the work we produce, but also to the clients who commission that work. We have to understand who our clients are, what is important to them and what their goals are. And then we have to deliver work that not only meets the needs of end users, but also...
Use Diptychs to Tell a Story
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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If a picture is worth a thousands words, how much is a diptych (pronounced diptik) worth? Train conductor walking to a Japanese Bullet train in Tokyo Station, Japan Photography is about visual communication: sharing stories, ideas, and feelings through images. A diptych of two images, or parts of two images, is an impactful storytelling tool. Look for thematic, compositional, and other visual synergies that will make your diptychs more powerful than the sum of their parts. Combine wide angle and telephoto shots By using a zoom lens, or simply cropping a larger...
Everything Real Estate Photographers Need To Know About Tours
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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In the last few months I’ve gotten quite a few questions about tours so I though it would a good time to revisit the subject. The central question is are tours important? Should real estate photographers provide tours? Here are some basics: What’s a tour? Historically the term virtual tour meant a series of 360 views. Nowadays the term has evolved to refer to anything from a simple slide show to a video slideshow of the property and everything in between. What’s the benefit of tours? A tour much like a little website dedicated to marketing a property. It’s a template that you can...
LAST CHANCE to Get these Free Bonuses with Our new Portraits eBook
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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Over the last few weeks we’ve launched our brand new Portraits eBook – Portraits: Making the Shot – written by Aussie celebrity photographer Gina Milicia. But our launch special is about to end in the next 48 hours (details below). The eBook has already become one of the best-sellers in our library and we’ve had some lovely bits of feedback like these: “Absolutely brilliant book – I am so glad I bought it! It was worth every penny. There are so many good things in it and I feel completed validated as a new photographer, spending the last 3 years...
Sony announces SLT-A58 20MP mid-level DSLR-style camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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Sony has announced the Alpha SLT-A58, a mid-range SLT camera with a newly-developed 20MP sensor. The A58 will replace both the A37 and A57 models, helping to simplify the company’s lineup. The A58 builds on the A57’s feature set and gains an SVGA (800×600 pixel) OLED viewfinder, rather than its predecessors’...
Just Posted: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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If I consider the price, I see no reason to step from the NEX-7 to the RX1. Yes, it is an exceptional camera, makes exceptional shots in jpeg, but since me work-range is between 100 and 800 iso, I do not find any excitement. I would like to get one, but on the end, I can invest my money in better things. So, like planed, let’s wait a NEX FF come out.
Source Article from...
Sony announces NEX-3N 16MP entry-level mirrorless camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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Sony has announced the NEX-3N, its entry-level NEX camera, replacing the NEX-F3. The 3N is, as before, aimed at users stepping up from compact cameras and gains a compact-style zoom lever around its shutter button. It features a smaller body than the F3, and Sony says it is the smallest, lightest mirrorless camera to feature an...
Sony has revealed the Planar T* 50mm F1.8 and a 70-400mm F4.5.6 G SSM II
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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Sony has revealed the Zeiss-branded Planar T* 50mm F1.8 ZA SSM and 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II A-mount lenses, alongside a redesigned DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II entry-level kit zoom. The redesigned 70-400mm telephoto zoom offers faster autofocus than the existing version and comes in a while body that matches the recent 70-200mm and...
Sony launches Cyber-shot WX300, HX300 and TX30 compact cameras
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Feb, 2013 |
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Sony has announced the Cyber-shot DSC-WX300, DSC-HX300 and DSC-TX30 compact cameras. The HX300 is a 50x superzoom with a 24-1200mm equivalent lens in front of a 20MP CMOS sensor. Meanwhile the WX300 is a compact superzoom that Sony says is the slimmest 20x camera. It has an 18MP CMOS chip behind its 25-500mm equiv. lens. Finally,...
The Remarkable Vivian Maier Story [Documentary Coming Soon]
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Feb, 2013 |
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I love the story of Vivian Maier – a prolific and talented street photographer who who took over 100,000 images over her life yet showed nobody her work. Her images were only uncovered and purchased by John Maloof in an auction after her storage locker was repossessed shortly before her death. At the time of buying a box of Vivian’s negatives John didn’t even know the photographers name and had no idea about her talent – however as he began to examine and scan the images he realised he’d stumbled upon an amazing hidden archive of photos. He tracked down...
Maintainable Code: Using White Space For Readability In HTML And CSS
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Feb, 2013 |
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Learning to See, Part V
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Feb, 2013 |
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The colour of the object illuminated partakes of the colour of that which illuminates it. – Leonardo da Vinci In our past columns (see links below) we have discussed such topics as how one colour can complement or distract from a bordering colour. We have also learned that to truly see colour one has to understand how shades of grey are comprised of mere percentages of black ranging from pure white to pure black. A primary objective coming from these discussions should be an understanding of how contrast plays a primary role and is an integral component of...
Samsung announces Wi-Fi-only version of Galaxy Camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Feb, 2013 |
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Samsung has announced a Wi-Fi-only version of its Galaxy Camera. It shares the same feature-set as the 3G and 4G versions announced last August, including a 21x, 23-481mmm equivalent zoom lens on the front with a 4.8″ touchscreen on the back. It runs Android 4.1 (known as Jelly Bean), the latest version of the operating...
Olympus USA announces XZ-10 enthusiast compact
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Feb, 2013 |
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Olympus USA has announced the launch of the Stylus XZ-10 enthusiast compact, just three weeks after it was introduced to the rest of the world. A cheaper companion to the XZ-2, it’s built around a 26-130mm equivalent F1.8-2.7 lens, coupled with a 12MP 1/2.3″ type backlit CMOS sensor that offers ISOs up to 6400 and...
HTC takes new approach to sensor tech in latest flagship phone
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Feb, 2013 |
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FAA Progressing Towards Integrating Drones Into US Airspace But Public Is Protesting
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Feb, 2013 |
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The topic of operation of UASs (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) more commonly referred to as drones is really heating up. This last week there were articles in every publication from New York Times, to National Geographic Magazine and every other publication on the planet weighing in on use of drones! All this exposure and controversy is not helping the resolution of commercial UAS rules. The good news is that the FAA is making progressing towards coming up with rules and regulations regarding UAS use. This article recently released by the FAA summarizes the progress, from the point of view...
Nikon D5200 hands-on preview updated with menus, test data and samples
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Feb, 2013 |
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I think you may be looking at the Miniature Effect images, and not realizing that it’s an in-camera filter effect where the D5200 blurs the top and bottom of the image frame. Sure the 18-55 is doesn’t have the same optical performance of the 70-200 f4 or 85 1.8G, but it gets somewhat of an underserved bad rap. Look at image #12 and #18, and many others, they are tack sharp. And certainly the Photozone and Lenstip MTF resolution tests from the 18-55 VR, it puts up extremely high resolution numbers. It doesn’t have the best build quality, but it’s a sharp lens,...
Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Argentina
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Feb, 2013 |
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From the seemingly timeless Southern areas to the modern heart of Buenos Aires, Argentina is a lively county with wide spaces, soaring peaks and a unique culture. Let’s wander around Argentina in today’s installment of the DPS Travel Photography Inspiration Project. And if you would like to be involved in the next country’s post, drop me a line here. Street Tango in Buenos Aires by Anand Gopol Tango dancers strike a pose on Florida Street in Buenos Aires. Tip: While in Buenos Aires, walk, walk, walk. It’s a great walking city and downtown is drizzled...
Report zooms in on giant camera resolution test charts throughout the US
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Feb, 2013 |
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Dozens of two-dimentional aerial photo calibration targets are scattered all across the United States, according to a report by the Center for Land Use Interpretation. Constructed mostly during the 1950s and 1960s, these large outdoor charts were used as ‘a platform to test, calibrate, and focus aerial cameras traveling at...
Casio Europe releases 20.1 MP Exilim EX-ZS30 camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Feb, 2013 |
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Casio Europe has launched the Exilim EX-ZS30 featuring a 20.1 MP CCD sensor. It comes with a a 6x 26-156mm optical zoom lens and a 2.7 inch LCD. The camera includes beginner-friendly features include a Premium Auto mode and a set of eight Art shot filters. The Z320 will be available silver, black, purple, white, and pink at a...
India, Instagram and a smartphone
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Feb, 2013 |
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Designing For The Reading Experience
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Feb, 2013 |
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Function Over FormDesigning For The Reading Experience By Marko Dugonjić February 18th, 2013 Fonts, Typography, Web Design 4 Comments With the rise of Web fonts as well as affordable hosted Web font services and ready-made kits, typography is reclaiming its title as design queen, ruler of all graphic and Web design. At the same time, for far too many designers, the main concern about typography today seems to be aesthetic in nature. The problem is, we tend to use typography and lettering as two interchangeable terms, which they are not. A quick look at the “typography†tag on Dribbble...
Sun Too Harsh? Modify It!
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Feb, 2013 |
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For guys, a little harshness in the light can be a good thing. So for this shot, I positioned the sun over his left shoulder, and a reflector to the right and in front of him. EOS-1D X, EF 85mm f/1.2L II. 1/320, f4, ISO 100. I’m big on shooting portraits outdoors. I love the natural light, the variety of locations available, and the more natural feel. I think for the average subject, a studio can be an intimidating place. The problem with shooting outdoors is that you are at the mercy of Mother Nature, for the most part, when it comes to light. But not...
PFRE Jury Is Now Voting On February PFRE Photographer Of The Month
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Feb, 2013 |
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We have a great bunch of  living room shots for February’s contest. The PFRE Jury is now deliberating on a February photographer of the month and will be finished voting Feb 23. All the contestants images are available for viewing and comments from anyone in the PFRE Photographer of The Month flickr group. Here are the entries as a fullscreen Flash slide show. For those on mobile devices that won’t display Flash the left-sidebar widget displays the submitted images in a non-Flash format. I’d like to encourage blog readers and jury members to join the PFRE Photographer of The Month...
Welcome to the Newly Updated dPS Forum
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Feb, 2013 |
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Within days of starting dPS – back in April 2006 – I began to get requests from readers that they wanted a forum area on the site where they could: Share photos that they were taking Get critiques from other readers on their shots Ask (and answer) questions of other photographers Share their own tips Meet, network with and have a little fun with other photographers A few months later we did add a little forum to the site. It started very small with just a few sections and members but from day 1 was a place where dPS readers could do all of the above – and...
6 Tips for Getting Your Work on Travel Image Libraries
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Feb, 2013 |
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Getting your photographs onto an image library can be difficult. Most libraries have very strict technical guidelines and very tough editing procedures. However, following the 6 tips below to could increase your chances of getting accepted. 1. Decide which image library is right for you Image libraries vary greatly with regards to the type of images they are looking for. Some image libraries desire more lifestyle photographs whereas others would prefer reportage style images. You should look at many different libraries and see which ones suit your style of work...
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Feb, 2013 |
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It seems to me that the fixed lens, compact camera game has spawned two sub species: ultra long zoom models and those with ultra fast lenses … to some they’re called ‘bright’. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 belongs in the latter category and a dazzling model it is too: compact, light in weight and full of power. The Leica Vario Summilux lens has a maximum aperture of f1.4, stopping down to only f2.3 when the 3.8x zoom is extended from its wide 24mm to the tele end of 90mm (35 SLR equivalent). Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 Features The 10.1 megapixel MOS sensor...
Dragging The Shutter: Balancing Fill Flash With Ambient Light
Posted by Chris Roubis on 16th, Feb, 2013 |
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Wedding receptions are notoriously dimly lit places that make use of a flash a must. In this shot, I wanted to balance the ambient light from the stage with my flash to create more depth to the image. EOS-1D X, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II. 600EX-RT Speedlite. 1/60, f/2.8, ISO 800. Photo by Rick Berk/kNot Photography Shooting indoors with a flash can challenge the best of photographers. Many times, the goal is simply to create enough light to illuminate your subject, and background be damned. The results, however, tend to be less than pleasing when we allow the flash to...
This Week In Real Estate Video #45 – Maka’alae Hana Luxury Estate
Posted by Chris Roubis on 16th, Feb, 2013 |
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My body is back on here on the mainland but my head is still on Maui so I’m featuring a listing by Jordan Smith on the Hana side of Maui on the hillside high above world famous Hamoa beach. The video was shot by Travis Rowen. Last Monday, while on Maui, I visited Tom Tezak’s office meeting in Wailea and subjected everyone at the office meeting to my What Realtors Need to Know About Photography sermon. They seemed like they appreciated the info. They pointed out that I need to add info about video to the presentation. While at the meeting I talked one-on-one to a many of the agents and...
Weather: Weekly Photography Challenge
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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Earlier in the week we featured an image set that contained 25 images that all had ‘snow’ as a feature. So today we thought it might be fun to do a ‘weather’ challenge as our weekly theme. Your challenge is to take and share an image on the theme of weather. As we have a global audience this should produce images with a real variety of types of weather. Aussie – we want you to show the world what summer is like for you right now. North Americans and Europeans – show us how winter is going? We want to see rain, hail, snow, sun, storms, wind… you name...
World Press Photo announces 2013 contest winners
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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Swedish photographer Paul Hansen has won the World Press Photo 2013 award for his picture of a Palestinian family carrying two children who were killed in an Israeli missile strike to their funeral. The contest also awarded prizes in eight other categories ranging from Sports to Portraits. Some of these images may be familiar...
Converting The Prototype: iOS Prototyping With Adobe Fireworks And TAP (Part 3)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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Converting The PrototypeiOS Prototyping With Adobe Fireworks And TAP (Part 3) By Shlomo Goltz February 15th, 2013 Fireworks, IOS, IPad 0 Comments In the previous parts of this tutorial (part 1 and part 2), we looked in detail at the building blocks of our design in Fireworks (pages, shared layers, symbols, styles), and we started to make a demo prototype in Fireworks. The demo prototype had six pages, linked together by hotspots, and each hotspot was customized for use with TAP. (Which page will the hotspot link to? Which gesture will initiate the hotspot link? Which transition will animate...
5 Fail Proof Portrait Poses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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In this post Gina Milicia – author of our brand new eBook “Portraits: Making the Shot†shares 10 tips on directing a portrait shoot like a Pro. When I was starting out as a portrait photographer, I began creating a visual diary and mimicking the images I loved. Some people will tell you that it’s wrong to copy but for centuries, every generation of artist has imitated the masters before them. Once they’ve mastered the technique they move on to develop their own style. Photography is no different. You don’t have to come up with a thousand new ways to...
World Press Photo: "Stories are about people," says Bernat Armangué
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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World Press Photo judges discuss emotion and content in winning images
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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World Press Photo: Nadav Kander awarded First Prize in Staged Portraits Singles
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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World Press Photo: Santiago Lyon speaks of winning image’s power
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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World Press Photo: General News winner on the importance – and difficulties – of reporting from Syria
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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Mechanism Of Action And Effects: Designing Great Feedback Loops
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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Mechanism Of Action And EffectsDesigning Great Feedback Loops By Loren Baxter February 15th, 2013 Interaction, Process, User Experience 0 Comments The products we build are full of feedback loops, whether we know it or not. People who study human behavior agree that feedback loops play a critical role in what we do. From biofeedback to the quantified self, designers and psychologists alike are discovering the real power that these cyclical interactions play in shaping our day-to-day choices. Designing for behavior change can increase user engagement, create business value and improve lives....
Swedish photographer Paul Hansen wins 56th World Press Photo
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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Panos Pictures photographer Robin Hammond wins 2013 FotoEvidence Book Award
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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Nauticam introduces NA-NEX6 underwater housing for Sony NEX-6
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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US underwater housing maker Nauticam has announced the NA-NEX6 for Sony’s NEX-6 interchangeable lens camera. Providing protection up to 100 meters depth, its body is made from aluminum with a scratch-resistant acrylic rear cover. It features a single-lock housing and a patented lens attachment mechanism which allows you to...
Panasonic UK launches a ‘Try Before You Buy’ service for DMC-GH3
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Feb, 2013 |
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For what it will do, the GH3 is worth full list if you are a serious videographer. If you also need great stills, it’s worth more. It is important to explain how this is a HYBRID camera. The term means “a blend of different media.” Not even dxo understands that. Those of us who use photography, video, audio, and computers to create content for training, advertising, and inspirational purposes will love this camera. It can handle all our image and video capture needs. I can see having a complete m43 system based around a couple of these (for multi-camera video jobs),...
Web Typography: Setting Weights And Styles With The @font-face Declaration
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Feb, 2013 |
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Web TypographySetting Weights And Styles With The @font-face Declaration By Laura Franz February 14th, 2013 Essentials, Techniques, Typography 9 Comments If people are on your website, they’re probably either skimming quickly, looking for something, or they’ve found what they’re looking for and want to read it as easily as possible. Either way, keeping text readable will help them achieve their goal. Bold and Italic Help to Organize Content A few months ago, I wrote an article on “Avoiding Faux Weights and Styles with Google Web Fonts.†I ended the article by showing that weights...
Pentax X-5 Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Feb, 2013 |
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After unpacking this long-awaited camera my first impression of the Pentax X-5 was that it looked startlingly like a DSLR! Prominent speed grip, big lens, eyepiece, same feel. But it is of course a bridge camera, with a magnificent 26x zoom lens reach, operable from the top zoom lever. Pentax X-5 Features Those who prefer external controls will be in delight: the top deck houses the zoom lever and shutter button, on/off switch, exposure correction button and mode dial. The latter provides access to the various exposure modes (auto, manual), a user setting, movie,...
Panasonic UK launches a ‘Try Before You Buy’ service for DMC-GH3
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Feb, 2013 |
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Panasonic UK has announced a ‘Try Before You Buy’ service for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Micro Four Thirds camera allowing customers to borrow it as a kit along with the 12-35mm for 48 hours. This offer is available across a number of UK retailers with no obligation to purchase. The company says the scheme lets...
Dell announces UltraSharp monitors that cover 99% of AdobeRGB gamut
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Feb, 2013 |
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Dell UltraSharp U3014 30-inch Monitor with PremierColorUsers will experience outstanding color accuracy, precision and performance with the Dell UltraSharp U3014 30-inch monitor with PremierColor. The U3014 is Dell’s flagship high performance monitor with a 16:10 aspect ratio, suitable for the fine level of detail required for color-critical work such as CAD/CAM, graphic design, desktop publishing, gaming or media creation. In addition, users will experience stunning high-definition details and the ability to view more onscreen content with 2560 x 1600 resolution. More than just a high...
Web Content Optimization: Setting Weights And Styles With The @font-face Declaration
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Feb, 2013 |
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Web Content OptimizationSetting Weights And Styles With The @font-face Declaration By Laura Franz February 14th, 2013 Essentials, Techniques, Typography 1 Comment If people are on your website, they’re probably either skimming quickly, looking for something, or they’ve found what they’re looking for and want to read it as easily as possible. Either way, keeping text readable will help them achieve their goal. Bold and Italic Help to Organize Content A few months ago, I wrote an article on “Avoiding Faux Weights and Styles with Google Web Fonts.†I ended the article by showing that...
25 Stunning Snow Fall Images
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Feb, 2013 |
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As an Aussie it seems a little strange to be posting this post right now because we’re experiencing a lot of sun right now – but based upon the people we follow on the dPS Twitter account it seems that the many of our readers are (and have been for a while) snowed in right now. So in tribute to our northern hemisphere readers – we decided to put together a series of images that feature the humble ‘snow flake’. Yes – all these shots capture snow falling in the hope of inspiring those of you whose cameras have been put away for the winter to get out and...
Pentax Ricoh updates firmware for Q10 mirrorless camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Feb, 2013 |
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Pentax Ricoh has released the first firmware update for its Q10 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. Firmware v1.01  improves operational stability and contrast AF performance. The update is available for immediate download from the company’s website. Click here for more details and to download Pentax Q10 Firmware v1.01...
Opinion Column: Designing In The Transition To A Multi-Device World
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Feb, 2013 |
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Opinion ColumnDesigning In The Transition To A Multi-Device World By Francisco Inchauste February 13th, 2013 Opinion Column, Process, Web Design 1 Comment When I think about where we are with the Web in comparison to other media in history, pinpointing it is really hard. Is it like when the Gutenberg Press was just invented and we’re experimenting with movable type, or are we still embellishing pages and slavishly copying books by hand? Our knowledge of building digital things changes rapidly, taking us from newborn to adult and back again every couple of years. It’s both exciting and...
Meet The Photographers Who Write For Digital Photography School ~ Elliot Hook
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Feb, 2013 |
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You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� Today meet UK photographer Elliot Hook. 1. How long have you been shooting? I’ve always taken pictures but it wasn’t until 2009 that I bought my first DSLR and started to seriously learn about photography. 2. Do you have a full time job or are you a full time photographer? I have a full time job in research science meaning that photography is an ‘all-other-time’ consuming hobby currently.  It is unfortunate that work stops...
Panos photographer Robin Hammond wins 2013 FotoEvidence Book Award
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Feb, 2013 |
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Designing An Open-Source iPhone Game
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Feb, 2013 |
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iOS Game ElementsDesigning An Open-Source iPhone Game By Zack Grossbart February 13th, 2013 Apps, IOS, IPhone 2 Comments I love games and I’m a huge math nerd, so I made a new iPhone game based on a famous math problem called The Seven Bridges of Königsberg. I’m selling it in the App Store, but I also want to share it with everyone, so I made it open source. This article is the first in a series that will walk through iOS programming using this game as an example. This first article gives you an overview of the game and of iOS programming in general. We’ll look at a few specific...
What is Holistic Photography?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Feb, 2013 |
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A Guest Post by Ben Evans Holistic Photography is a way to develop an artist’s appreciation for the visual world. This is achieved by interaction with challenging ideas and technical mastery of the photographic craft. Photographers, in my experience as a photography coach, tend to gravitate toward two extremes; 1. Science I’m misusing ‘science’ to mean technical expertise and measurable results. Craft is closer, but popular usage muddies the meaning. Photographers attracted by this sphere tend to be focussed on the intricate details of their equipment,...
Henri Cartier-Bresson International Award opens for entries
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Feb, 2013 |
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Real Estate Photographers Going To Realtor Sales Meetings
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Feb, 2013 |
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Going to the weekly sales meetings that the managing brokers run at real estate offices can be a great way for real estate photographers to meet listing agents that need RE photography services. In large metro areas where photographers have been doing this for a while, some managing brokers don’t invite vendors that are promoting a product or service to sales meetings. It never hurts to to ask. Just call the office and ask for the managing broker and ask her if you can come talk to the agents. What to you do or say? Give them some useful information  that they can use. I’ve created the...
Just Posted: Canon EOS 6D In-depth Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Feb, 2013 |
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You’re jumping to quite a few conclusions here, some are understandable, some are hilarious, but just a quick note for clarity’s sake – we can’t review everything allatonce. We have to parcel out a lot of time to complete a full review and we can’t always plan this time as neatly as we’d like, because there’s a lot going on in the industry. The 6D review is, frankly, late. This is because we had to wait until early January before we recieved a reviewable camera (although we were loaned one over Xmas that we used to do some of the studio work)....
Photography Bucket List – Big Sur
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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As a photographer, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to travel around to some great locations in the United States and abroad. It’s hard to tell which places are worth going to and which really aren’t that great or worth the time investment. Some places in general are worth going to but certain places within that said place should be avoided. So I thought I’d start a series of blog posts here on DPS reviewing some of the places I’ve been in hopes that it will help out other photographers with travel plans in the future. In the future, I’ll also...
Visual Supply Company releases Film 03 presets pack for Lightroom & ACR
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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Visual Supply Company has released the VSCO Film 03 camera profiles and film emulation preset pack for Adobe Lightroom 4 and Camera Raw 7. The software comes with customized camera profiles for Fujifilm, Canon and Nikon image files and allows native non-destructive editing of desired film effects within Lightroom and ACR. The...
Roundup: Three smartphone cases to turn your phone into an action cam
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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Epson announces VS220 and VS320 budget projectors
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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I have an “office-type”, IBM-branded InFocus LCD projector with built-in scaling technology displaying at 1024×768 via component connectors. It accepts 1080 video which looks great on it, in fact much better than the budget true-1080 projector my neighbour has. I bought it for £80 brand new without the lamp, then managed to buy two lamps for just under £200, then bought a 2nd InFocus version for £11.
Source Article from...
Improve Your Photography By Learning to Edit
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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A Guest Post By: John Davenport You might have read the title to this post and thought that I was going to talk about how editing your photographs can make you appear to be a better photographer, but no, I really do mean better – behind the camera. I came across this idea of improving my skill behind the camera, by focusing on my skill behind the computer, when I was going about launching my new YouTube series, “Let’s Editâ€, which focuses on how to edit photos in Lightroom. What Exactly Can Editing Teach Us? As we start out on our photography journey we...
A Critical Approach To Typefaces
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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Beyond The NoiseA Critical Approach To Typefaces By David Březina February 12th, 2013 Fonts, Typography, Web Design 1 Comment I’ve always wondered, “What is it that makes a typeface or any other design good?†However simplistic this question may seem to typographers, it is a legitimate question many of us are trying to answer. After several years working as a professional type designer, teaching, and running a type foundry, I pretty much gave up my attempts to find a golden set of rules. The answer is not so simple. There is no established set of features which, when present, make a...
Do’s And Don’ts: How To Use Email To Alienate Your Users
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 18 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
Do’s And Don’ts: How To Use Email To Alienate Your Users
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 14 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
Performance Hints For Adobe Lightroom 4
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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I noticed recently that Adobe added some Performance hints to their Lightroom Help. In past Lightroom posts I’ve gotten many comments that indicate people have problems with Lightroom performance. Here is a summary of the hint subjects, see the Adobe article for details: Restart Lightroom Make sure you are using the latest version of LR 2 GB RAM is a minimum SSD Drives are a big help Move your catalog Check Photos’s RAM setting High-resolution displays Spot removal tool, local corrections and History panel Order of develop operations Avoid corrections you don’t need Zoom options...
Do’s And Don’ts: How To Use Email To Alienate Your Users
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 12 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
An Introduction to Wedding Photography [Book Review]
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Feb, 2013 |
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I remember once being invited to photograph a friend of a friend’s wedding. I declined. Why? At the time I had recently interviewed a number of pros who specialised in capturing that magic in the process of creating a magazine story on that occupation. Whew! Not for me I decided. Way beyond my skill set, patience, resourcefulness and energy levels. So, it was with a sense of relief that I reviewed this book, safe in the knowledge that no-one, and I mean no-one, could or would ever put me through the trauma that wedding photography presents. For her part, author...
Do’s And Don’ts: How To Use Email To Alienate Your Users
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 12 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
An Introduction to Wedding Photography
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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I remember once being invited to photograph a friend of a friend’s wedding. I declined. Why? At the time I had recently interviewed a number of pros who specialised in capturing that magic in the process of creating a magazine story on that occupation. Whew! Not for me I decided. Way beyond my skill set, patience, resourcefulness and energy levels. So, it was with a sense of relief that I reviewed this book, safe in the knowledge that no-one, and I mean no-one, could or would ever put me through the trauma that wedding photography presents. For her part, author...
Canon to add 25fps 4K video recording to EOS-1D C pro DSLR
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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Canon has announced an upcoming service update to its EOS-1D C professional DSLR that will add 25 fps 4K video recording. The camera currently captures 4096 x 2160p resolution videos at up to 24p without downscaling, from an APS-H crop of its 18MP full-frame sensor. In a service advisory, the company promises more information about...
Flickr software bug makes some private photos public
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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Part 1: Application: A Thorough Introduction To Backbone.Marionette
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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Part 1: ApplicationA Thorough Introduction To Backbone.Marionette By Joseph Zimmerman February 11th, 2013 Code, JavaScript 0 Comments Backbone.js is quickly becoming the most popular framework for building modular client-side JavaScript applications. This is largely due to its low barrier to entry; getting started with it is super-simple. However, unlike Ember.js, Backbone, being so minimal, also leaves a lot up to the developer to figure out. So, once you start getting into more advanced applications, it’s no longer so simple. Backbone.Marionette was created to alleviate a lot of the...
Do’s And Don’ts: How To Use Email To Alienate Your Users
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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Do’s And Don’tsHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients, Marketing 8 Comments Spam! Monty Python may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message...
Finding Your Way Around the Mode Dial
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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This is the first in a series of articles by Andrew S Gibson, the author of Understanding EOS: A Beginner’s Guide to Canon EOS cameras. Your camera’s Mode Dial is the gateway to its exposure modes. Knowing which exposure mode to use, and why, is the key to creative photography, and to taking photos like the one above. If you want to create beautiful images then you need to know how to control your camera’s settings. It all starts with your camera’s Mode Dial (not all cameras have a Mode Dial, but most do). Here’s what the Mode Dial from the EOS 650D (or...
Marketing: How To Use Email To Alienate Your Users
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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MarketingHow To Use Email To Alienate Your Users By Paul Boag February 11th, 2013 Business, Clients 0 Comments Spam! Monty Pyton may love it, but the rest of us are not so convinced. But what is spam? Are you spamming users without realizing it? And is there any place in the world for email marketing? Most of us have a love/hate relationship with email. Its one of those necessary evils. Nowhere is our relationship with email more confused than when it comes to spam. For a start, spam is hard to define. Google defines it as: Sending the same message indiscriminately to (large numbers of...
The 10 Essentials Of Real Estate Photography
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Feb, 2013 |
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I’ve been using what I’ve called the 10 essentials of real estate photography for a long time in my Photography For Real Estate eBook and the Realtors Guide to Using Photography in Real Estate Marketing. This is my attempt to boil down principles into a concise statement. Last October I did some tinkering with the 10 essentials and got a lot of good reader feedback. I’ve incorporated that feedback and refined the words a little to come up with a statement that I’m happier with than the October 2012 version: Understand the purpose of each photo. The primary purpose of a real...
Meet The Photographers Who Write For Digital Photography School ~ Barrie Smith
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Feb, 2013 |
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You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� We thought it would be a good time to introduce them to you through a series of interviews. Today meet Barrie Smith, Australia based writer-photographer. 1. How long have you been shooting? Decades. Barrie Smith 2. Do you have a full time job or are you a full time photographer? I am a full time writer-photographer.  3. What does this require? Ability to move quickly. Many of my subjects are people stories so I may make contact with...
What Type of Photographer Are You?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Feb, 2013 |
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A Guest Post by Ben Evans Have you discovered what type of photographer you are? Doing so will make a big difference to your photography, allowing you to improve faster. If you don’t know right now, read on and I’ll help you find out. ?Okay so the first thing to understand is that Holistic Photography is both a Craft and an Art. The earliest photographers were often skilled in both painting and chemistry; an unlikely combination today.??We will see that you develop competency in craft and art separately. This understanding gives us the four Types of...
100 Clever Digital Photography Ideas [Book Review]
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Feb, 2013 |
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One of my faves is lists of ‘clever’ ideas and hints on how to improve your digital photography, so this book hit home immediately. Author Cope recalls that ‘there was a time, not so long ago, when photography was in serious decline …. Although cameras were becoming easier to use … people were just not buying them as they once had.†Digital cameras and photography arrived just at the right time. Cope’s book is an absolute treasure house, beginning with a camera parade that identifies the various camera types (camera phones, compacts, bridge, DSLR...
Perfecting and Playing with White Balance
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Feb, 2013 |
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As photographers we often question the strength, type and direction of light, but because most of today’s cameras’ auto-functions are greatly enhanced, it can be easy to forget about the colour of light. Seasoned shooters will undoubtedly be aware of the importance of white balance, but for those new to photography or for photographers looking to go ‘off piste’ and take a more manual approach to image-capture then this whistle stop guide might be able to help. In this handy tutorial, we’ll explain not only the importance of controlling white-balance, but...
This Week In Real Estate Video #46 – Another Shitty Day In Paradise
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Feb, 2013 |
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After about 24 hours on the ground here in paradise (Maalaea Bay Maui) I’m just about recovered from the 6 hr 737-800 ride from Portland. The sand, sun, fluffy clouds and 81 degrees today and finally the lovely sunset this evening from near Lahaina has a way of fixing almost anything! Since I’m here on Maui this week it seems appropriate to feature some Makena beach property video. Just so happens that Tom Tezak has invited me to lunch while I’m on Maui and his email has links to several of his real estate videos: Source Article from...
Nikon D5200 added to our studio comparison database
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Feb, 2013 |
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I am in the same boat. I have the D5100 and like it, except that I also own an Olympus E-PM1 and it has 35 AF points to the 11 of the D5100. That makes me think the D7000 would be a good upgrade in that regard, as it has the same sensor & tons of buttons etc as well as 39 AF points, but when I’ve pondered upgrades before I went for newer sensor technology vs a better body in the same sensor. That’s why I sold my D200 for a D5000, and upgraded the D5000 to the D5100 vs the D90. My main concern is the cost of upgrading other things: if the 18-105mm VR I use would be...
Steve McCurry’s ‘Last Roll of Kodachrome’ photos are now live on his blog
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Feb, 2013 |
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Not to be processed but to be shot in the timeline of when the clock ran out. I watched Dwayne shoot his last roll that day as I had 12 frames left to go in one camera and 7 in another. In early 2005, I contact Dwayne’s son at the lab about this project. I told him I wanted to shoot the film until the very last moment and he said it was a long ways off but OK. So over the years, we kept in touch, I went out to visit with him and my project gained steam: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/videos/2011/01/04/kodachrome-a-little-stained-glass-window-of-truth.html So on December...
CUTE: Weekly Photography Challenge
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Feb, 2013 |
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This week your photographic challenge is to take and share a photo on the theme of ‘Cute’. We’re expecting to see cuddly kittens, big eyed puppies, gorgeous babies shots of toddlers doing… cute… things – and other such cuteness! Once you’ve taken and selected your best Cute shot upload it to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it or – embed it in the comments using the our new tool to do so. If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSCUTE to help others find them....
How To Get The Most Out Of A Premium WordPress Theme
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Feb, 2013 |
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How To Get The Most Out Of A Premium WordPress Theme By Alex Denning February 8th, 2013 Techniques, Themes, Tips 1 Comment There has quite probably never been a better time to be a premium theme user. While a huge increase in the supply of quality premium themes hasn’t particularly driven down prices, it has promoted a huge push for innovation, best practices and quality design. Unfortunately, there’s one crucial thing which rarely gets quite so much attention as the must have responsive design: after-sales support. Sadly, all too often, documentation is seriously lacking, and getting a...
If You Love Your Brand, Set It Free
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Feb, 2013 |
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If You Love Your Brand, Set It Free By Jose Martinez Salmeron February 8th, 2013 Business, Inspiration 4 Comments The practice of branding is undergoing a deep transformation — a change brought about by our kaleidoscopic postmodern culture, the development of communication technology and rapid globalization. In prior decades, brand managers aimed to establish their products and services primarily by way of consistency and repetition. A brand’s voice and message were to be the same, independent of marketing channel. The goal of the designer was to define identity systems that would ensure...
Deciphering Photo Jargon – Learn to Speak “Photographerâ€
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Feb, 2013 |
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If you’ve ever been a little lost while reading your camera’s manual, or a photography magazine it could be that you just need to learn to speak “photographer†language. In this article I’ll go over some of the most common technical terms, as well as some less common slang or photographer jargon. By the end I promise you will have a better grasp on the language and be able to have a conversation with a seasoned pro and hold your own! Speaking “Photographer†– the Basics These are the terms you’ll find in your camera’s manual and in most...
6 Ways to Enhance Your Creativity
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Feb, 2013 |
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No matter what your artistic interests, whether photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, etc., the underlying force behind your work is creativity. It’s much easier to talk about technical aspects of photography as it’s a tangible skill, unlike the more mysterious intangible skill of creative thought. While every art form is unique unto its own, harnessing one’s creativity is a universal skill. There are some that might say you either have it or you don’t in relation to creativity, but the truth is we’re all creative. Every child makes believe at...
Just Posted: Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8 sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Feb, 2013 |
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We’ve been shooting with the Olympus 17mm F1.8 lens for a while now and have put together a sample gallery showing the sorts of things it can do. We’ve also prepared some notes on the experience of shooting with the 34mm equivalent fast prime for Micro Four Thirds and included some shots that match ones we included in our Sony RX1 gallery. Beyond that we’ve tried to show a the lens at a series of apertures to show how the lens behaves. First Impressions The 34-40mm equivalent focal length range is already pretty well served for the Micro Four Thirds system –...
Freebie: St. Valentine’s Day Icon Set (16 PNG/EPS Icons)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Feb, 2013 |
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FreebieSt. Valentine’s Day Icon Set (16 PNG/EPS Icons) By Smashing Editorial February 7th, 2013 Freebies 1 Comment Today, it is our great pleasure to present to you a fantastic St. Valentine’s icon set  —  exclusively designed by our illustrator Ricardo Gimenes for Smashing Magazine and its loyal readers. The icons presented are available in transparent and non-transparent PNGs (256×256px, 512×512, 1024×1024px), as well as in EPS format and are perfect for any projects you have coming up for St. Valentine’s Day. Enjoy! Download the Set for free! This icon set is completely...
UX Design Q&A: Account Creation, Standalone Mobile Websites, And Dealing With Non-UX Designers
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Feb, 2013 |
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UX Design Q&A Account Creation, Standalone Mobile Websites, And Dealing With Non-UX Designers By Christian Holst February 7th, 2013 Interaction Design, Mobile, Process 0 Comments Editor’s note: Welcome to Smashing Magazine UX Design Q&A. It works like this: you send in questions you have about UX Design, and each month we’ll pick a handful of questions asked by our readers about best practices in designing smart and usable experiences. They will be answered by Christian Holst, a regular author here on Smashing Magazine and founder of the Baymard Institute. Prior to cofounding the...
What Would Help Improve Your Photography?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Feb, 2013 |
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I recently asked this simple question on social media: “What do you think would help improve your photography?†Your answers prompted me to try to come up with some tips and possible solutions that could benefit everyone. Time The number one answer was finding the time to go out and shoot more. Yes, we all wish that our days were a few hours longer or that we could function on less sleep…  Let’s assume you cannot make any big changes to your schedule but you crave more time with your camera. Consider the following options: Stuck in an office all day? Skip...
How Do You Shoot Elevated Real Estate Photography Shots?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Feb, 2013 |
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Back in the late 1980′s when I started shooting my wife Levi’s listings. She represented a builder in neighborhood of new homes on the Sammamish Plateau  on the Eastside of Seattle. She insisted that when the home was sighted above the street (many homes in this neighborhood were) we had to shoot the front shot from at least the level of the front door or preferably above. Her approach for shooting elevated shots was to either stand on the top of her Mitsubishi Montero or get the developer’s superintendent to bring his big rig over in front of the listing and stand on top of  it to...
Just posted: Samsung Galaxy Camera review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Feb, 2013 |
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Introduction The Samsung Galaxy Camera might not be the first Android-powered camera on the market — Polaroid showed a prototype camera running on the Android operating system at CES 2012 and Nikon launched the Coolpix S800c, a compact camera running Android 2.3, in August this year. However, in contrast to Polaroid and Nikon, Samsung is not only a manufacturer of digital compact cameras but also currently the most succesful player in the Android smartphone...
Meet The Photographers Who Write For Digital Photography School ~ James Brandon
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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You’ve been reading their articles for months or years, have you ever wondered “Who are the photographers who write for dPS� We thought it would be a good time to introduce them to you through a series of interviews. Today, we meet Texas based photographer James Brandon, author of the e-book Tack Sharp: A Step By Step Guide To Nailing Focus. 1. How long have you been shooting? I really got serious about it around 4 years ago on a trip to Mexico with my wife. We went to the Mayan ruins at Uxmal and I was hooked. I don’t know what it was about that trip...
Sony World Photography Awards 2013 announce shortlist of finalists
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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The World Photography Organisation has announced the shortlists for the professional, open and youth categories of the 2013 Sony World Photography awards. This year’s competition saw the highest number of submissions to date with more than 122,000 entries from 170 countries. The shortlist offers an insight into a...
Creators of Raspberry Pi computer announce $25 camera module
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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The makers of Raspberry Pi – the popular low-cost computer – have announced the development of a new camera module, expected to cost $25. Since the first version of Raspberry Pi was released early last year, more than half a million of the low-cost boards have been sold to eager enthusiasts all over the world. The low...
Studio Portraits – Getting Started With One Light
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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Working with studio lights can be a daunting process for many photographers. Many find the studio to be a place of fear and anxiety where the sanctity of natural light has vacated and the hauntingly, horrific wasteland of light stands, strobes and modifiers is all that remains. So how does one meander there way through this alien landscape and find a corridor of comfort in which they can relax? The simplest and often most powerful way to navigate this network of nerves is with a go to one light set-up that will provide a never ending reservoir of great imagery....
Magento Tutorial: Creating An Affiliate Tracking Module In Magento
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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Magento TutorialCreating An Affiliate Tracking Module In Magento By Joseph McDermott February 6th, 2013 Magento 0 Comments In this tutorial, we will create a Magento module that will capture an affiliate referral from a third-party source (e.g. an external website or newsletter) and include a HTML script on the checkout success page once this referral has been converted. We will be covering the following topics: Capturing URI request data, Saving to and retrieving values from cookies, Adding custom content to the checkout success page, Adding module configuration to the Magento admin panel,...
Get The Most Out of Lightroom By Shooting RAW
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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In this little 22 min video Julieanne Kost goes through the basics of creating the highest quality photographs by learning how to crop, remove lens distortion, correct perspective, make global and local color and tonal corrections in the Lightroom 4. These are all the basic things real estate photographers need to know how to do and they all work best if you start with a RAW file! A recent discussion with a beginning real estate photographer made me realize that not everyone appreciates importance to shooting in RAW format. Sure RAW files are bigger but these days when a 1TB disks are $100...
CP+ 2013: First impressions of the Olympus XZ-10
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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At CP+ we were able to get our hands on a pre-production version of one of Olympus’ more interesting recent offerings – the Stylus XZ-10. The XZ-10 sits in the company’s lineup below the XZ-2 and, unlike its larger brother, has a 1/2.3″ sensor – the standard size used in the majority of compacts. In this respect its closest rival is a camera like Nikon’s P310 but the XZ-10 has a solidity of build and a level of direct control that the Nikon doesn’t. Crucially it also has a more consistently fast lens than any of the cameras it competes with...
Sony firmware for NEX-7, NEX-6, NEX-5R,NEX-5N and E-mount lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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Although it seems to be just updates for lenses I’m not interested in, the NEX-C3 (and F3, if it doesn’t have the same support) better get the same update in time. It’s the same generation as 5N. Edit: Ok, if it’s just lens corrections, I guess they don’t have that. My bad. I heard someone say that it also gives 5N better bracketing, is that so? If so, that better be coming.
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Sony announces firmware for SLT-A37, A57, A65, A77 and A99
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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Sony has announced firmware updates for its SLT-A37, A57, A65, A77 and A99 digital SLRs. Firmware version 1.01 for the SLT-A99 adds Dual-AF compatibility with key A-mount lenses. Updates for the rest of the SLTs including the A99 add automatic lens correction with several A-mount lenses. Click here to go to Sony’s...
Nikon posts firmware update for V1 small sensor mirrorless camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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Nikon has posted a firmware update for its 1 V1 enthusiast small sensor mirrorless camera. Firmware version 1.21 resolves a minor bug related to live view performance immediately after a lens is attached. The firmware is available immediately for download.. Click here to find out more and download Nikon 1 V1 firmware v1.21
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Talk of ‘ultrapixels’ leads to speculation about Foveon-like HTC smartphone
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Feb, 2013 |
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Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with a Nikon D850. I do unpaid TFP and commercial paid work.