Links
Free e-book on PJ ethics
Fri Nov 14th - 1:05pm
I've only had time to skim parts of it but this looks like it could be a valuable refresher, a free e-book about ethics in photojournalism:
Photojournalism, technology and ethics.
What's right and wrong today?
We exist!
Thu Jun 19th - 11:37pm
One for local readers: If you've ever looked for our part of the world on Google's satellite maps then you'll have found little more than a load of blur. But not anymore! Now you can zoom in almost all the way. For example here's the closest you can get to the Memorial Hall in Balintore. You can get an even better view of Inverness, for example here's part of the Eastgate Centre.
Remember you can click + drag those maps to look around.
Motivated lighting and bounce flash tips
Tue Jun 10th - 10:50pm
Two lighting links that you may find interesting:
- David Hobby (Strobist) posted a picture on Flickr of a contortionist in a locker. The ensuing discussion covered what David calls "motivated lighting", ie: lighting for a reason, rather than just for the sake of it.
- New Jersey wedding photographer Neil van Niekerk's guide to natural looking flash includes some great examples of using bounce flash in churches. After reading his guide I went around the house taking photos with the flash on camera but pointed directly behind me and the results were astounding. There's a lot more good stuff in Neil's guide but for that one tip alone I owe him a huge debt of thanks.
Interior / exterior flash diffuser comparison
Mon Oct 1st - 1:04am
Many thanks to Paul Morton for posting a comparison of flash diffusers showing the different lighting styles they produce, both on the subjects and the way they throw light around the room. Goes nicely with this comparison of modifiers.
One of the diffusers that Paul has done sample photos with is his own invention that he calls the CrossSphere. I think it will work better with the two reflectors straightened to produce equal throws of light in all directions but I'll say right now that I think the CrossSphere is going to be a minor revolution in photography as many people are going to make them as an alternative to Gary Fong's Lightsphere. The reason why is that when you look at all the other home-made alternatives to the Lightsphere they look cheap and amateurish, whereas the CrossSphere can be made to look like a professional piece of equipment.
Flash modifier comparison
Thu Sep 27th - 3:05am
Thanks to Nunya Biznas for this link to a comparison of flash modifiers showing the effects of many different diffusers, ranging from bounce flash to umbrellas, Lumiquest softboxes and the Gary Fong Lightsphere.
The page was last updated in January 2006 so two noticeable exceptions are the Demb Diffuser and the new Gary Fong diffuser, the Whaletail, but it's a good resource all the same. (Sorry Gary but does anyone else think the Whaletail looks a bit like a toilet?)
Personally I've used the Stofen Omnibounce (good) and the Lightsphere (excellent) but nowadays I'm back to either direct or bounced flash. I've found that the most important qualities in a light source are direction and power, so if you've got enough light coming from the right angle then diffusion doesn't make a great deal of difference, at least not for the sort of photos that I do.
India: A Kite’s Eye View
Mon Sep 24th - 4:34am
The BBC has a gallery of photos from India: A Kite's Eye View, Nicolas Chorier's book of aerial photographs taken using a camera attached to a kite. Some info:
Chorier uses a Canon 5D camera, and the whole rig on the kite weighs about 2kg, depending on the lens and extra battery. The cradle with the camera operates by remote control and can achieve a 360-degree rotation and 90-degree tilt. An air-to-ground video link provides real-time monitoring on a portable TV for accurate framing.
And in case picture #4 reminds you of another aerial photo, here's a link to a page about Illusions of Arabia, the famous image by George Steinmetz.
BBC article on Lomography
Sat Sep 22nd - 1:19pm
The BBC has an article about the Lomography craze which in essence uses a range of poor quality Russian cameras to elevate snapshots to a form of art.
As mentioned in the article the popularity of certain Lomo cameras has pushed their prices up considerably, but personally if I was going to jump on the bandwagon (which I probably will) then I'd be more interested in a Holga camera which can still be obtained quite cheaply.
If you've got no idea why people are so enamoured with these old film cameras then have a look through some of the Flickr groups dedicated to photos that were produced with them, or using post-processing techniques to reproduce the style, starting with this group for Lomos and this group for Holgas.
Flash Zebra
Sat Sep 22nd - 12:10am
Flash Zebra is described as "a business focused on manual off-camera flash, both small hotshoe-type flash and studio flash", offering "custom adapters and cords that most photographic merchants pass over due to lack of volume". The web site also has a small tips & techniques section. (Thanks Simon Johnson.)
Bracket mod to avoid shadows
Thu Sep 20th - 1:14am
I've rigged my camera and flash in some bizarre ways but this contraption by real estate photographer Malcolm Waring goes a step further, using a modified bracket that allows him to swing his flash right down close to the lens to reduce shadows.
Links du jour
Wed Sep 19th - 4:26pm
Things you can click on if you're so inclined, some old, some new…
- Nature Photographers magazine explains how to simulate Orton imagery with digital files, producing photos which are described as "painterly, ethereal, and romantic".
- French magazine Paris Match reportedly edited an unflattering photograph of President Nicolas Sarkozy to slim him down a bit. Consider this in context with the June 2006 sacking / forced resignation of Paris Match editor Alain Genestar, allegedly for political reasons, after he ran an exposé on Sarkozy's wife having an affair, apparently making an enemy of Sarkozy himself who at the time was still a minister.
- Colour Lovers has an enlightening article on the Müller Formula which can help you to predict which combinations of colours people will find appealing.
- Create an underwater camcorder housing for less than $10, although I'm guessing that UK folks will have more trouble finding the ammo box.
