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Hands on with the ShiftCam ProGrip

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Smartphone photography is on the rise, there’s no question, and we’ve had our eye on the ShiftCam ecosystem since their Kickstarter announcements. The ShiftCam ProGrip has gone beyond the Kickstarter phase and is now out there for purchase, along with other items in their line-up. There are other systems available to hold our smartphone and make it look and feel more like a camera, but ShiftCam seems  to be up there as one of the better systems. Here’s why:

As a travel photographer and educator, I am constantly shooting, and when I don’t have my ‘proper’ camera with me, I turn to my iPhone. It’s often said that the best camera is the one you have with you, and with the advances being made in phone camera tech, I  find myself using the images I make with my phone more and more often. To that end, I want to be able to treat my phone more like a ‘proper’ camera, and part of that experience involves the look and feel. Rather than feeling like I’m holding a phone, I often want to feel like I’m holding a camera. And beyond that, I want to be able to attach my phone to my tripod.

Photography Copycats – The fine line between inspiration and ripping off others

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This is a tricky article to write. I’m writing it because of observations I’ve made within the photography community, so here goes.

As photographers, we all know that copying other photos and reverse engineering them is part and parcel of our learning experience. We’ve all been on more or less the same journey, impressing ourselves with what we now know to be rather cliché shots that, at the time, we thought were amazing. I’m talking about selective colour, Dutch tilt, and all the stuff that we learn from and leave behind as we find our own photographic voice. There are some examples around of more extreme learning where photographers are literally cloning the work of others in a copycat fashion, and that’s what I want to try and pick apart today.

Is VERO the solution to the Instagram problem?

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It’s fair to say that almost all Instagram users are peeved at the crazy drop in engagement lately. If this was the only concern we had, I guess we’d stick with the program and find a solution, but it isn’t. The other major curveball that flew in at us is that the photo-sharing app is now apparently focused on anything but photos. Reels, videos, and ads are flooding our feeds, and countless photographers are voting with their feet and starting to build a presence on VERO in Peter McKinnon’s wake. He has put out two YouTube videos to encourage people over to VERO in the past month, which can be found here and here. Now, I’m a big fan of Peter and his achievements, but let’s look at this in the most entertaining way possible: a fight!

VERO is built around being ‘True Social.’ They proudly state that they’re ad-free and algorithm-free. This is where Instagram started, and users are calling for a chronological feed to be brought back as standard, replacing the algorithm-driven feed we have now. There is a way to achieve this, but it requires some tapping around. Let’s give VERO a point for this.

Should photographers be worried about AI in photography?

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Artificial Intelligence in photography is showing huge growth. We’re even seeing our social media feeds flooded with AI-created images. Just last month, we saw that an AI-generated image won first place at a fine arts competition. We’ve also seen Getty Images moving away from  AI-generated images. I agree with this decision, but we also need to address the wider landscape because, quite simply, AI art isn’t going away.

XenceLabs versus Wacom – there’s a clear winner

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The graphics tablet scene has been hit hard with the launch of a range of tablets by XenceLabs. Founded in 2019, XenceLabs is formed mainly of former Wacom employees. According to them, they were stuck in a rut and hitting brick walls put up by upper management when they were at Wacom. The designers, developers, and engineers could not smash through this brick wall and decided to go ahead and make XenceLabs to break free of the corporate shackles. Of course, I wasn’t really there, so I can’t say for sure, but this is the narrative they share.

XenceLabs currently offers us a small handful of tablets: the Medium SE, the Medium, and the Small. The sleek design is not only aesthetically pleasing but also offers us a comfortable and convenient pen experience and feels like a premium product, particularly in the Nebula White color. Wacom offers similar devices. To be honest, they were offering them first. A sample of the range includes the Wacom Intuos, Wacom Intuos Pro, and Wacom Cintiq Pro. So different price range for different uses and creatives.

Instagram hates photographers

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The metaverse is a strange place. The outward visage of the social media giant is that it’s a place where people can express their views and their creativity. The truth of the matter is that it’s all a front for ad revenue. I know, it’s hardly a surprise, but in the interest of revenue, this gargantuan brand has declared war on photographers in the interest of cash flow.

Eight photography podcasts you should follow for inspiration and education

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Constant education and inspiration are important in photography. The worlds best photographers will share the fact that they’re constantly learning and refining their skills. A great way to get this inspiration is through podcasts that we can listen to in the background when we edit images. There have been a few new podcasts come onto the scene during and after lockdown. Here’s the DIY Photography list of great photography podcasts for you to listen to.

The northern lights are spectacular this year, but the strongest are still to come

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The northern lights have hit headlines lately as solar flares have sent charged plasma hurtling through space at break-neck speeds. We’ve had reports of aurora being visible at seriously low latitudes, including Luxembourg. There’s a reason for this, and any nighttime photographers need to know what’s going on.

I’ve written a book about the northern lights. It’s a huge passion of mine and I’ve made it my mission to educate myself on nature’s greatest light show as much as I possibly can. I was lucky enough to have spent the past winter travelling throughout the Arctic in my van. I witnessed the aurora on an almost nightly basis and enhanced my knowledge through research and observation. While I love to dive into the science and the technicalities, I’ll spare you those details in favour of the more exciting stuff.

Hands on with the Platypod eXtreme

We recently covered the launch of the Platypod eXtreme. It’s the latest of Platypod’s Kickstarter projects and it’s part f their flat tripod line, coming in at $119 on Kickstarter.  I have had one in my hands since late January. I took it with me to Iceland, Croatia, Wales, and a number of other places to test. Here are my thoughts.

The eXtreme boasts a few improvements on the Platypod Max (reviewed here), which is the model it most closely resembles. There are some clear upgrades to this model and it will be my go-to “tripod” for low-angle shots. The weight of the eXtreme is up there on the list, it weighs only 9.6oz versus the Max which comes in at 12.9oz (and is actually smaller). The construction of the eXtreme is where the weight saving comes in. There are more cut-outs for accessory use and to make space for the collapsible screw legs, which gives the eXtreme its angular-looking aesthetic. The material itself, which is aircraft-grade aluminum, remains the same high quality as before, and the thickness is the same.

The best vloggig rig – its quite unorthodox

I’ve only recently gotten into vlogging with my new YouTube channel, and I’m far more used to being in front of someone else’s camera for videos so this is a new world for me. I’ve played around and done a lot of research to figure out the ideal vlogging rig, and I think I’ve managed to create it.

Let’s start by defining what makes the ideal vlogging rig. It’s important to have a capable camera with a preview screen that can face the content creator (that would be me). Perhaps more important than the camera is the audio – we will watch bad video, but we won’t listen to bad audio! Next up, lighting. In low light conditions, we need to add our own light, and we should be able to match the colour temperature of the ambient light. Finally, a good, sturdy base for when we put the camera down and something ergonomic to hold onto. So, here’s my solution: –

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