Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the creative benefits of using ND (Neutral Density) filters in photography. This can be viewed here. Although I love ND filters they can require a larger initial investment which could be a barrier for people who want to play around with long exposures photography.
What if there was another option that let you adjust the strength of the light reduction which costs less and still offers decent image quality?
Lensbaby’s OMNI Creative Filter System was announced earlier this year for pre-order and is now shipping. It’s an interesting system offering some very unique creative options for both photographers and filmmakers. We stopped by the Lensbaby stand at PhotoPlus 2019 to see it in person and find out all about it.
Today at Adobe MAX, Adobe announced Photoshop Camera. It’s an app for Android and iOS devices which brings tons of creative AI-powered features straight to your smartphone camera. And believe it or not, it will be free for download.
A Chinese vlogger known as “Your Highness Qiao Biluo” recently came under fire after she was busted for using a face filter to make herself look younger. Thanks to a glitch during a live stream last week, Qiao Biluo appeared without her usual filter. And as it turned out, she is much older than she presents herself to be online.
Although many filters are no longer required with digital photography, thanks to the power of applications like Lightroom, Capture One and Luminar, there are some that can still be very useful. Particularly neutral density filters. But filters that go onto the end of your lens can be a pain, especially when it comes to keeping them clean.
California-based Aurora, though, has developed a drop-in filter solution for mirrorless camera lens adapters that not only keeps the filter clean and protected but also means you don’t have to swap it out when changing lenses. They kicked off recently on Kickstarter, and have already more than doubled their goal.
Lensbaby has become a bit of a household name in recent years and for those of us searching for a more unique look to our images, Lensbaby has been there to provide a whole host of creative solutions. Their latest product is no different, but this time around they aren’t producing a new lens, but instead a ‘creative filter system’ called the Omni.
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one of these Omni’s prior to launch and I also had chance to test it out on a couple of portrait shoots recently so I thought I would share my thoughts on it here.
Last Friday, Pakistani official Shaukat Yousafzai addressed the public in a press conference which was live streamed on Facebook. It wouldn’t have been anything unordinary if his face hadn’t been modified with the “cat filter.” During the live stream, the politician appeared with digital cat ears, whiskers and rosy cheeks, which turned the press conference into a sort of comedy.
Shooting through stuff like crystals and whatnot isn’t a new idea, but it’s not one that’s really been developed, commercially. Sure, you can go on Amazon and buy a crystal to shoot through, but it’s not easy to work with unless you want to build some kind of custom rig or just hold it yourself in front of your lens.
Lensbaby, though, has been working on this idea, and they’ve created the new OMNI Creative Filter System. At the moment, it’s essentially a ring that screws onto your lens with magnetic… divots, I suppose, into which you can mount one of several different “filters”.[Read More…]
Chiefly I use filters when I want to:
How water should look in an image is of course subject to endless discussions and depends on one’s personal preferences. I prefer smooth water…. or water with some textures which demands exposures at around one fourth of a second.
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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