Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
It looks like vlogging has turned from being the strange pastime of a select few “self-absorbed” individuals into a more mainstream pursuit. When companies like Vitec, owner of Manfrotto, start taking an interest in the genre, you know it has probably become a big deal.
Vitec today announced that they have acquired two of the companies most associated with vlogging equipment. JOBY, makers of the GorillaPod, and Lowepro, probably the most popular brand of camera bag out there amongst vloggers.
The Nikon KeyMission cameras have had a bit of a tough time. First the KeyMission 360 suffered a long delayed launch. Then the line was split into three separate cameras, all of which felt a bit underwhelming. Finally they were unleashed on the general public, few of which seem particularly impressed by them.
One thing that’s not been mentioned much is the KeyMission’s durability. Chances are, this is because few have had one long enough to really put it to the test. But not so much for Russel Edwards at RSE Photography. He set one up in a tiger’s enclosure during feeding. One tiger, though, seemed a little confused about what was on the menu.
It’s hard to get smooth video without stabilizer, that’s for sure. But unfortunately, sometimes you’ll be stuck without it and you’ll have to improvise. There are various tricks for stabilization, and Ted Sim from Apurture shares six DIY hacks each of us can use. They involve readily available items, and some of them even involve relying only on your body and don’t require any props. So whichever situation you find yourself in, you will find at least one of these tricks handy for getting smoother footage.
Despite not having an LCD that lets you review your photos & video, it turns out you can chimp with a 360° camera. The New York times were filming for The Daily 360 at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Laikipia, Kenya. A curious chimp came along to see what was going on. Quizzically looking at the camera stood on its, appropriately named, GorillaPod, it picks up a stick to poke it.
A keeper off to the side starts to laugh, amused at the chimp’s behaviour. Then as the chimp actually manages to get hold of the camera, they start trying to reason with the chimp to give it back.
Both photos and specs seemed to have been leaked for Canon’s upcoming M6 mirrorless camera. And there seems very little to distinguish it from the EOS M5, released only a few months ago. In fact, the only real differences seem visual. There’s a slightly different control layout on top, the popup flash has moved, and the electronic viewfinder has been removed entirely.
Looking at the specs so far, though, they appear pretty much identical. Same resolution, same processor, same video, same tilting touchscreen LCD, built in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. That is, assuming the information is accurate.
Do you prefer natural light over studio light? Peter McKinnon does, and in his latest tutorial, he shows a simple way to make your own “natural light” when you don’t have enough of the real one. And not only is it simple, but you can make this setup for about $80, maybe even less. If you shoot and/or live in a place with little natural light, this setup is a lifesaver.
Living on the 9th floor in my apartment, anything that gets left in the car, stays in the car. Even if I later “suddenly” remember that I need it while I am at home. Having the enormous responsibility of my project 365, this is usually bad news for me. I knew that I was going to take a picture of one of my guitars because I had planned to. The only problem is, I wanted a table top. And for that… you need a tripod. I’m sure you know where I am going with this. Yes, the tripod is in the car, and its pouring outside, its cold, and anyway I’m flustered because I decided to postpone the picture till 2:00 am. I’m just not going down to get my tripod!
So it was time to work around it, because honestly, I couldn’t think of anything else to take a picture of…
Vlogging has seen a massive boom over the last couple of years. But, there still aren’t really any perfect options out there when it comes to the gear used and how to set it up. Everything seems to have a compromise. You get touch screen, but no 4K. 4K but no touch screen. Or you get both, but the AF can’t keep up. Or you get everything you want, but you can’t see the camera’s LCD and have no idea how your framing is.
There’s all kinds of different workarounds out there to make life a little easier. Some options, though, aren’t quite as versatile as others. Switching from a mounted camera to handheld (or vice versa) can be a pain. In this video from DSLR Video Shooter, Caleb Pike shows us how to build out own vlogging rig that can be easily adapted to almost any setup.
I recently returned from a seven day wilderness canoe trip to Algonquin Provincial Park with my family.
The purpose of the trip was half family vacation and half extended photoshoot for my portfolio at Stocksy United.
Backcountry canoeing with an eight and ten year old meant that we had to stick to a relatively moderate route – but paddling roughly 60 km in total with 10 km of portages also meant that we had to pack as light and compact as possible.
So when it came to photography gear, I could only bring the essentials – but what camera equipment do you really need to pack for seven days in the woods?
Photographing a meteor shower is more like photographing a time-lapse than traditional still photos. You can never anticipate where or when a meteor is going to streak across the sky.
In order to catch them, you have to set up and take as many photos as you can throughout the night with a wide angle lens on the camera. If you leave the camera in the same position, you can use the resulting images for a short time-lapse clip in addition to the still images you can capture.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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