Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
There are no two ways around it, high quality continuous LED lights are expensive. When you need a good amount of light and a high CRI that passes all the necessary certifications and safety checks, that’s just the way it is.
Sure, there are cheaper LEDs out there, but they’re often not very good. They have colour issues or aren’t very powerful. But if you’re handy with tools and a soldering iron, there may be a better, inexpensive DIY option, as this video from Matt Perks illustrates.
Light is vital to photography. Without it, we wouldn’t have photographs. Our sensors would just be recording blackness. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of making my own light. Mostly with flash, and mostly on location. This has meant that I’ve had to dip into the world of high speed sync a lot.
But what is high speed sync? And why would you want to use it? In the latest Laws of Light video, Jay P Morgan answers those questions and more.
It’s that time of year again when all the fanboys flock to San Jose for the annual iPhone announcement. This year, they’ve announced three new iPhones. There’s the iPhone XR (an iPhone X with one camera), then iPhone XS (an iPhone X with more fake bokeh), and the iPhone XS Max (an iPhone X with a big screen).
They’ve received a new processor, of course, and some new computational photography features that’ll probably filter down to their other iPhones in some variety, too. But aside from a tiny bump to ISO performance on the wide angle camera, that seems to be about it, really.
It’s September which means another generation of Apple iPhones. This year, the iPhone XS (pronounced “ten ess”) adds a slightly larger sensor plus significantly more computing power via the A12 Bionic Chip to enhance the phone’s image signal processing.
An example of my teammate Clinton Lofthouse showed us how a single photo can cause a flood of hilarious trolling on Facebook. This happened recently in a houseplant hobbyist group after a guy posted a shirtless selfie with an orchid he’d just bought. This quick snapshot caused some users to get dramatic over “posting porn to the group.” As a result, other members started trolling them by posting their own nude selfies with houseplants.
There’s not much information to go along with this timelapse from the LA Times. If there’s more information on the LA Times website, I can’t see it, because apparently, they haven’t figured out how to add a disclaimer and an “I Accept” button for EU residents yet. But I couldn’t stop watching this video once I hit play.
August and September have been pretty exciting as far as gear announcements go. Nikon Z7 and Z6 are out, along with the lenses and adapter. Canon’s full-frame-mirrorless system has also been launched, and Fujifilm X-T3 is out, too. Many photographers are thinking whether to switch systems or gear brands, and it’s a kind of a big decision to make. In this video, Mark Denney discusses three very important things to consider before you make the final decision. Because, when you take everything into consideration – you may not need to buy the new gear after all.
Well, I had a feeling this one might be coming. With anticipated price drop on the GFX 50S and rumours of slightly more budget-friendly GFX 50R, a new 100MP body was almost certainly on the cards. Now, according to Fuji Rumors, the Fuji GFX 100S will be announced on September 25th during the press briefing at Photokina 2018. Or at least, they’ll be announcing the development of it.
Mainly, I do photography for fun, and I like experimenting with random stuff to get unusual effects in my photos. For my birthday last year, a got a brilliant shiny cosmetic purse from a friend. It instantly became my favorite traveling companion, but I also immediately saw the potential for using it in my photos.
There have been a few occasions this year that I have used this little purse for photography, combining it with the LED flashlight on my smartphone. And I must say: I’m surprised by the funky lighting effects you can achieve with just two everyday items!
Ever since the release of the Zhiyun Crane 2 with its 3.2kg load capacity, other companies seem to be pushing the boat out just a little further each time. The original MOZA Air came out to match it, followed by the DJI Ronin-S, which can handle a rather impressive 3.6kg. Now, Gudsen has announced the new MOZA Air 2 which takes a whopping 4.2kg.
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.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
