Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
The film vs digital argument has been going on since DSLRs first hit the market a couple of decades ago. But it doesn’t seem to be dying any time soon, especially with films popularity growing again. One of the big debates between the two formats that regularly pops up is that of dynamic range.
So, photographer Bill Lawson put it to the test. He shot some Kodak T-Max 100 in a Nikon N90s vs the more recent Nikon D750 DSLR using the Nikon 135mm f/2 AF-D DC lens on both to see how they compare.
Normally when we talk about exposure calculators in photography, it’s to figure out what ISO, aperture and shutter speed we want to use for the scene before us. But with the rate of payments coming in “exposure” seemingly on the rise, a new type of “exposure calculator” has arrived. This one just popped up on Photography Domination, and it’s pretty amusing.
If you’re just starting out with photography, the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed is one of the crucial things to learn. However, it can be difficult to grasp if the concept is new to you. In this great animated video from Apalapse you’ll easily learn the relationship between the three parameters and how they affect the exposure and the look of your images.
Metering is one of those strange aspects of photography. It’s actually a rather straightforward principle, but it seems complex to new camera users due to unfamiliar terminology like “spot”, “evaluative” and “incident”. But it’s pretty easy to get to grips with.
In this video, photographer Saurav Sinha, goes over the basic metering modes that are common to pretty much all cameras. Those are spot, centre weighted and matrix or evaluative metering. There are other brand-specific metering modes available on some cameras, but these are the ones you’ll come across most often.
In tricky lighting situations, most photographers expose for the highlights to prevent them from getting blown out. But this can create dark shadows which sometimes don’t preserve enough detail. What to do with them? Should you brighten them up in post? According to Sean Tucker, you shouldn’t. Instead, just embrace them and use them to your advantage. In this highly inspirational video, Sean discusses how to do it, and why this advice goes for both photography and life.
500px has introduced some changes to its web and mobile platforms. According to the company, it should increase the exposure for photographers, but judging from the comments – the photographers don’t seem to be happy with the redesign.
There’s a lot of myth and misinformation out there about grey cards. They’re often a bit of a pain to use sometimes, too. But they can be one of the most valuable tools photographers have at their disposal when it comes to getting good and consistent exposure. In this video, David Bergman walks us through how to use one.
Although meters in digital cameras have come a very long way and become extremely advanced, metering with film often isn’t so simple. With digital, even if your camera’s meter isn’t that great, you can quickly and easily see the results on the histogram to know if they’re right and adjust accordingly. But for film, we need to be a little more sure.
In this video, Jay P Morgan at The Slanted Lens walks us through three ways of metering our shot when using film. Specifically, Kodak Portra 400, Fuji 400H and Portra 800.
Dodging is a good way to draw attention to the subject in your image. However, it comes with certain drawbacks, and sometimes alternative methods are a better solution. In this video, Jonathan Lee Martin gives you five alternatives to dodging that will make your subject pop without harming your image.
The Exposure Triangle; you’ve heard of it, I’m sure. It’s fabled in story and song and celebrated by photo instructors everywhere. We can even buy t-shirts commemorating the concept! There have been countless articles written about the “exposure triangle” (try a web search and see for yourself), all with the intent of helping newcomers to photography figure out how exposure works in their cameras.
Some of these articles are obscure and pedantic and, as my friend Shaw would put it, indulge in technobabble to impress the reader with the writer’s expertise. Others make a sincere effort to communicate important information to the reader, but all of them fail to acknowledge that beyond ISO, aperture and shutter speed, there is a fourth part of the exposure equation, the part without which there would be no exposure at all; and that part is light.[Read More…]
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
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