Posts by Author: John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
9 things to check on your camera before you hit record
Oct 5, 2017
John Aldred
One would think that shooting video would be fairly straightforward these days. With all the advances made in video-capable cameras the last few years, a…
5 reasons why you should consider buying into medium format
Oct 5, 2017
John Aldred
Thanks to cameras like the Hasselblad X1D and Fujifilm GFX 50s, there’s been a lot of fuss over medium format the last couple of years….
Google’s Pixel 2 combines optical and electronic image stabilisation for rock steady video
Oct 5, 2017
John Aldred
Optical image stabilisation is in high demand on new smartphones today. It beats the heck out of electronic image stabilisation. Google’s new Pixel 2 smartphone,…
Colorspike is an app-controlled stackable multicolour LED light for stills and video
Oct 4, 2017
John Aldred
Bitbanger Labs, makers of the popular Pixelstick light painting tool are at it again. This time it’s a module LED strip which bears more than…
GoPro Hero 6 vs GoPro Hero 5, is it worth the upgrade?
Oct 4, 2017
John Aldred
The GoPro Hero 6 is here. It’s new, it’s shiny, and it’s $100 more expensive than the old one. But is it worth the upgrade?…
The problem with variable NDs and why fixed NDs are still relevant
Oct 2, 2017
John Aldred
Variable neutral density filters are quite a wonderful thing. In theory. They let you adjust your exposure outside of the camera’s own systems as the…
Yes, saturation and vibrance are different things and here’s how they both work
Oct 2, 2017
John Aldred
When the vibrance slider was added to Adobe Camera Raw version 4, it was one of the most significant changes ever made to the popular…
Why Godox is succeeding where Yongnuo failed
Sep 29, 2017
John Aldred
The flash market used to be rather simple. You go to one company for speedlights, usually your camera manufacturer or a specialist brand like Metz….
The Nikon D850 has the same autofocus system as the D5 but it’s not as good
Sep 28, 2017
John Aldred
We know that the Nikon D850 autofocus system isn’t that great for video. This wasn’t really going to be much of a surprise. But it…
Why a white backdrop is the only portrait background you’ll ever need
Sep 28, 2017
John Aldred
I often see people asking what colour they should paint their new studio, or what backdrop should they get. My advice, if you only have…