https://ift.tt/2tIIB4m
NASA Astronaut Drew Feustel explains how he captured racetrack images from space https://ift.tt/2U8LRRW
NASA astronaut Drew Feustel has detailed his love of cars and racing in a new interview with Hot Rod Network, as well as his work photographing racetracks from space. Feustel has shared a number of these images on social media, each providing a unique look at racetracks around the world. The images were captured from the International Space Station, where Feustel served as commander from June to October 2018. During the interview, Feustel explained that he would work with mission control ground support teams to coordinate times when he could attempt to capture the images.
Feustel shot the images during his free time in space, where he'd plan ahead to capture the racetracks as the ISS passed overhead. The photography project 'wasn't a trivial thing,' he said during the interview, explaining that he'd have to consider whether the conditions would be clear enough to capture the images and how he would get them. Feustel said: The photos were taken in my spare time—nights or weekends, or middle of the night or whenever, basically when I knew I was going to be flying over a track I would plan ahead for the day so that I had some free time to use the 5 minutes that I had to catch a track as I passed overhead, and then get back on with my work—I managed to capture all of them.
The images were taken using a Nikon D5 camera with an 800mm lens and a doubler. Locating the racetracks from space was tricky and, in some cases, didn't pan out: When I looked out in the lens you could probably fit 30 tracks into the area, I couldn’t see them with the naked eye, usually, but if I pointed the camera in the right place, I could see them through the viewfinder. There were a lot of times where I couldn’t see them, and entirely missed a track because I pointed the camera in the wrong spot. The ISS's high-speed travel through space compounded the difficulty, giving Feustel less than a minute to capture the racetrack before the window of opportunity closed. The effort paid off, however, resulting in dozens of images of racetracks located around the world. The public can view Feustel's images on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. Photography News via Dpreview https://ift.tt/i0r8o5 February 27, 2019 at 01:29PM
0 Comments
https://ift.tt/2EiQUZu
Turning a Car Parking Monitor Into a $25 DIY External DSLR Screen https://ift.tt/2NwZc49 I was often disappointed by my Canon 5D Mark II not having a flipping or better yet a detachable monitor. Instances of this happened when I placed the camera on a fully extended tripod and had the camera pointed downwards to make a photograph of something on the floor. Getting one’s eye above the view screen was sometimes impossible. At other times I wanted to shoot from a very low angle or position and getting my face down to the camera was equally difficult. Cameras with view screens that flip out or up and possibly rotate overcome these problems. What to do? I knew that my camera had a video out capability and I had used it often while teaching as it allowed me to display on a large screen what was going on with the camera. But my “strange camera position” requirements needed an independently powered and portable display. We have a rearview camera on our camper that transmits a rear view to a small display or monitor in the cab. This got me thinking. Could I use such a terminal to hook-up my camera to? Well, to test the practicality of this possibility, I bought a $20 5” diagonal TFT color monitor advertised for use with a car backup camera. It required 12 volts provided by the car battery. It had a video-in connector and a power connector. Knowing that eventually I would want to fasten the monitor to something like a tripod I decided to install a ¼ x 20 inch “T” nut on the bottom of the terminals foot. Since the stand was hollow on the inside I gouged out part of the thin plastic bottom cover and glued the “T nut in place. Going further, I found among my left-over items a 3” metal bar with a hot-shoe adapter on one end and a couple of ¼ inch holes drilled along its length. Inserting this into the camera’s hot-shoe would allow me to fasten the terminal to the camera if I wanted that bit of convenience. My 5D Mark II camera came with a cable to connect its video-out signal to a terminal with video-in capability. I was quite familiar with it. Making the video connection from camera to terminal was straightforward using the yellow color-coded RCA connectors. For power to simulate the car battery, I used an 8 pack 1.5 volt per cell battery holder since this would output 12 volts. To make the battery pack to monitor power connection I used a 9V battery clip soldered onto the end of the terminal’s power supply cable that came with the terminal. This proved “tricky” as at first I connected the battery clip incorrectly. When I made the video connections and attached the battery clip to the battery pack and turned on Live View on my camera nothing happened. Needless to say, I was disappointed. However, I reversed the polarity of the power cable and suddenly the monitor displayed what the camera’s screen would. BTW, the camera screen goes dark when you output video. The monitor I got does not have an on-off switch. Although the power is connected the screen is blank until a video signal is detected. Interesting. It automatically switches as needed for PAL/NTSC. Finally, I could place the camera on the floor or at the ceiling and could easily see what the camera would be recording. Using the built-in image magnifier also let me adjust focus accurately while away from the camera. Finally, I noticed the monitor would work from 9 to 34 volts DC. So I thought I’d try running the monitor with a little 9V battery. I’m not sure how long it would run on this battery but it worked just fine. Here are the parts I used: One 5 Inch HD TFT LCD Digital Car Rear View Monitor free shipping found on eBay. $21.49 I’m happy! P.S. If any part of this is not clear you can contact me by email. About the author: Andrew Davidhazy is a retired professor who headed the Photographic Imaging and Technology program at RIT for over 40 years. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can find more of his work on his website. Photography News via PetaPixel https://petapixel.com February 27, 2019 at 12:47PM
https://ift.tt/2BT2ha4
The post How to Find Great Photography Opportunities Where You Live appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Prasad Np. Are you one of those folks who wait to travel to an exotic destination to make photographs? Is your camera nicely packed or gathering dust until you are traveling or on an assignment because you don’t have enough inspiration or subjects? If you are one such photographer, then you are actually missing countless photography opportunities right in front of you. No matter what level of skill and experience you have, the more you take your camera out and make photos, the better you get. Gone are the days when you made images on film, and there was a cost involved in acquiring and processing rolls of films. Now, thanks to the digital cameras, you can take as many photos you want and keep on learning and improving every day. So there’s no reason to wait until you are traveling to an exotic location to make images. Look around you, and you will find countless opportunities to make beautiful images, test your technical skills and take your game to the next level. Whether you live in a developing city like Gurgaon (where I live), or in a picturesque mountain town, there are photographs to be made and shared. So the question is, how do you find great photo opportunities when you think you live in a boring location? The first step is to believe there are beautiful photographs around you that you must capture. It doesn’t matter what your preferred genre of photography is. Whether you enjoy wildlife, landscape, people or street photography, there are photographs to be made right near your home, in your own city. Advantages of photographing your city and its surroundingsThe advantages of photographing your city and its surroundings include:
So here are a few pointers for you to find great photo opportunities right where you live. In this post, I am sharing some images I made in Gurgaon – a city I now call home. Go for skyline and redefine itEvery city has its own iconic skyline that people can identify it with. However, that should not restrict you from trying to redefine or interpret it in your way. You can always go for a different shot; especially if the city is still developing. Capturing it as it develops creates an everlasting record of the change the city went through as it grew. Even the most mundane of skylines can give a dramatic effect when you combine it with beautiful clouds or a sunset. Because you know the best vantage points from your previous experiences in your city, you can be well prepared and reach the spot in time to get the shot you have always wanted to take. Photograph seasonal natural phenomenon like blooming of treesMany cities in Japan are known for the Sakura or Cherry Blossom festivals. Think about what the equivalent may be in your city. Every change of season brings a visual spectacle that is a hallmark of that season. In Gurgaon and most of North India, April to June are months of Golden Shower. The hotter the weather, the more beautiful flowers of Indian laburnum trees you find. Make a point to find out when the local trees in your area are in bloom, so you are prepared to take their pictures. An advantage of this is you can go over an extended period and click pictures of the same tree in various stages of bloom, including being barren in autumn. If you have these trees growing close to local landmarks, then your pictures may be easily identified with your city. Local festivals and fairsLocal festivals & fairs are a great way to photograph your local community and happenings around you. Festivals and fairs are excellent opportunities to document the vibrancy and bonhomie of your city and how people connect – more so when a festival is a community event. “Lohri” is one such festival celebrated on 13th of January every year. Here, they light large communal bonfires in various housing communities, and people walk around the fire singing songs and celebrating. Find out what festivals your city celebrates. It could be as big as Christmas or something that could be very local, like a fair. Be there and make images to your heart’s desire. Night photography in your cityA big city is no place for star trails as light pollution may be too much. However, there are other night photography opportunities in abundance. All you need is a good vantage point, your DSLR and a sturdy tripod. Any high-rise with a safe observation area or a balcony can become your vantage point to capture the light trails of vehicles down below. Look for exciting locations like a curve in the local metro train tracks and wait for the train to come along. You can also click interesting images while incorporating the moon against your city skyline. The photo below of Super blood moon was deliberately clicked with part of it hiding behind the building to give an idea of the size of the moon compared to a normal one you see in the picture with the power towers. Go abstractNight photography is also a great time to go abstract with some images of your city. While there are no creative limits to what you can do when trying to create a work of abstract photography, it is always a good idea to never overdo it, especially when you are beginning. A creative idea you can try is to move to manual focus and deliberately click out of focus images that render the distant lights with a bokeh-like effect. Use a tripod or keep your camera on a sturdy surface. Also, use a time release button or remote to click images to keep your images sharp. Be observant of your surroundingsOne of the keys to photography is being observant of your surroundings. Even when you are on your apartment balcony or in your backyard, there are enough photography opportunities available to you. If you live in a highrise, look down. You may get an interesting frame like the photo below of the two kids carrying similar umbrellas on the sidewalk. Or perhaps, the cars passing below under the trees that look like a beast under the canopy of the rainforest. ConclusionAs you can see, any place can be a good location for making photographs. Don’t miss any opportunity to take photos as it helps in honing your skills both technically and artistically. Most of all, photographing your own city helps you learn much faster. You have an opportunity to click images in various seasons, in many light situations and go back as you need. Now it is your turn, do share where you live and your favorite image that you made in your own city. The post How to Find Great Photography Opportunities Where You Live appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Prasad Np. Photography via Digital Photography School https://ift.tt/29wB9CX February 27, 2019 at 12:13PM
https://ift.tt/2EjLTj4
Light Teaming Up with Xiaomi Too for Multi-Camera Smartphones https://ift.tt/2Ny77Ot Just days after announcing a new partnership with Sony, Light has announced a partnership with the Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi as well to develop new photography tech for smartphones. Light, which calls itself “the leader in advanced computational imaging,” has been pushing into the world of smartphones after its L16 16-camera camera failed to make a splash among dedicated cameras. The company’s technology revolves around using multi-camera arrays and computational photography for improved image quality and innovative features (such as refocusing photos after they’re shot). Under their newly signed agreement, Light and Xiaomi will “jointly develop and market new imaging solutions for smartphones,” which is what Light and Sony said they’re doing as well. But while Sony said it would be creating smartphones with “four or more” cameras, Xiaomi isn’t putting any specific number on how many cameras it’s planning to use. But Light and Xiaomi say they’re working to bring to market multi-camera smart devices that offer “DSLR-level” capabilities. “We are thrilled to partner with Light to leverage their advanced imaging solutions for our future devices,” says Xiaomi smartphone VP Zhu Dan. “Xiaomi works tirelessly to remain at the forefront of smartphone innovation, and perfecting smartphone photography is a key focus for us. We are excited to work on devices using Light’s technology so our users can produce even more amazing photos.” (via GlobalNewswire via DPReview) Photography News via PetaPixel https://petapixel.com February 27, 2019 at 12:06PM
https://ift.tt/2NvPxur
Why is Street Photography So Contentious? https://ift.tt/2ECdtd6 As a street photographer, I accept that I have a bias towards the kind of work and criticisms I prefer to seek out as an audience to the work of others – although there are examples of landscape or portraiture that I do enjoy it is street photography and photojournalism that take up the majority of my interest. I know that photographers and the photography community, in general, is a passionate one and that there is no shortage of critiques available for any work or opinion that creators choose to share. However despite knowing that there is criticism in every area of the art I still feel that some of the criticisms leveled against street photography as a genre as well as specific examples of street photographs are harsher than any I’ve seen in, for example, landscape, or portraiture. Of course, there is no objective status for any kind of photography, so why does it seem that street photography is treated with more hostility and controversy than any other genre? I simply don’t see the same level of judgment in other genres – I couldn’t even imagine people questioning how “legitimate” landscape or portrait photography is, for example, and yet somehow there are people who will feel that it is a valid opinion that street photography simply should not exist. I disagree with this strongly, as well as the mindset where that kind of opinion can originate. I’ve thought about this issue a lot, as I feel it is important to understand where criticism comes from and whether it can be used to improve my work in the field. One of the obvious reasons that street photography receives so much criticism is that the term contains such a diverse subset of image types that any singular example is open to criticism as any one of these. A “Street Photograph” can contain elements of portrait, journalism, wildlife, landscape, fine art, and even macro or any other category. It can, therefore, be judged on the merit and balance of any of those factors. This can be an issue when, for example, a street photographer has captured an image which is mostly a portrait but features elements of a landscape – and is judged on the merit of the landscape aspects rather than the portrait. I would argue that there are some fairly classical standards to measure the quality of a portrait – does the composition work, are the colors aesthetic, can you feel an emotion from the eyes, or tone, and so on. However what constitutes a “good” street photograph can be more difficult to define, and can involve only composition, or emotion, with other criteria ignored entirely in that specific image. Even in the example of a street portrait vs a regular portrait, things like the role of spontaneity vs planned vision, the role of collaboration between the subject and photographer, and control/lack of control over the environment, and control over oneself and the camera I find are overlooked. A street photograph is judged by the standards of whoever is viewing it, and if that person happens to have stronger opinions on how a landscape should look, or how a portrait should be presented, then that makes this hypothetical image entirely invalid. The rest of this article will be dealing with less ambiguous criticisms, but I thought it was important to deal with the role of the audience, and the way that “baggage” is brought by them to every criticism they present. No one image will ever please every photographer, let alone every armchair critic; accepting that is one of the most important things for an artist to deal with in order to come into their own, and find their voice unrestricted by others. RepetitionOne of the most common criticisms I see for street photography is that it’s “been done.” I think that this criticism can be valid, as many urban settings do look familiar – and there are even some “overdone” locations, which are popular for street photographers to visit. In London alone, there is the Tate Modern, British Museum, and Barbican Centre which must host dozens of street photographers each trying to produce something unique from the location. I think that outstanding photographers will be able to produce outstanding work regardless of how played out a location is, and that there is always a new angle or a temporary element that can be manipulated for an image. There are also “activities” in street photography which technically fit the genre but have nothing much to say; these include people standing around, crossing the road, or simply interacting with light. Good examples of these exist, with tension between elements and drama and mood from the light, but bad examples are far more plentiful. The number of active street photographers is only increasing. Photography is one of the most democratic art forms there is, and the price of entry is already in the pocket of most people in the form of their mobile phone. In such a saturated field it absolutely makes sense that work start to seem to look the same. Of course, over time those outstanding examples will hopefully remain while the rest will fade, but operating during this time of massive oversaturation and being a member of the audience as and when this work is being churned out can absolutely feel monotonous. I think that rather than being dissuaded from producing street photography I think that this should be used as an excuse to motivate yourself to become outstanding. My personal criterion for great work includes images with a tangible aesthetic, a storytelling component, emotion, and contain an unrepeatable moment. I have never settled for mediocrity in my own work and will always look for new ways to produce something engaging both for myself and for my audience. None of the examples I mentioned have anything inherently inartistic or bad about them, but they do dilute the selection and make it harder to identify the truly great work. My suggestion for this is to become more active in the gallery scene, both as a photographer and an audience to photography. Exhibit your work in person and visit galleries as often as possible to support your peers. The work will be better presented than on screen and will be more likely to engage you as the gallery operator has curated it. I also encourage you to become more active in your local and global street photography community. Share your work through a blog rather than a social media site where you can discuss thoughts as well as share images. Feedback from these ventures is much more likely to be useful rather than scathing and you will feel better about the genre overall. I also think that starting a long-term project is a great way to escape the monotony of repetitive work. By focusing work around a central theme or story, the methods and visual techniques being applied will mold and fit that content. The work will make sense when viewed as a collection as well as through standalone pieces, but the sense of monotony will vanish, as many aspects of ambiguity will be removed. Many street photographers find that they are re-treading old ground, going through the motions of the “Greats” and that their work, while aesthetically beautiful, lacks their personal touch and as a result can feel like simple variations on a theme. I find that mimicking composition ideas can be a great way to learn new techniques that, once mastered, can be applied spontaneously to new situations. However this kind of work I would be loath to share or sell as it is nothing more than painting by numbers. Over-SaturationThis is an expansion of an idea I touched on in the above point, but I think it’s worth elaborating on. Street photography is such an accessible genre, and photography such a prevalent art form that there is simply an incredible quantity of work being shared. So much work being generated does by definition mean that there will be more good work produced, but also means that there is a lot more bad and mediocre work to get through before finding those excellent images. Currently, the “best” street photographers you’ve heard of are the ones with the most successful marketing strategy. This is nothing new, and I find it really interesting that photographers as early as Ansel Adams have well-documented marketing strategies, which help explain why they are still so well enjoyed and long-lasting. We are also subjected to a lot of work from beginners, which will likely suffer from many of the issues I’m discussing in this article. We should be able to measure our criticisms against these and provide useful and constructive responses to people who have clearly not been doing work in the genre for long, rather than tearing them down with the same ferocity you would critique the work of a veteran documentarian. UninspiringAnother common comment I read is that a particular image is “uninspiring” either because the content is uninteresting or that the audience is not particularly engaged by it. Again, this is quite a generic criticism for any kind of photography or art, and what is inspiring to one artist at one stage of their journey can be absolutely dull to another at another stage. However, in street photography, an image can often be described as “uninspiring” simply because there is nothing interesting occurring in the frame. Many of the best unrepeatable street photography moments have elements of speed and spontaneity in the subject and required the fast reactions of the photographer to capture it. Many examples of New Wave street photography are much slower, towards the Fisherman approach rather than the hunter. If someone is not engaged by a piece of work then it can indicate that there is not enough tension in the composition, not enough moving parts to keep a viewer occupied. I find myself annoyed by a common trend in the presentation of these kinds of uninspiring images, which is that often the story (sometimes entirely distinct from what is happening in the image) is written in the caption rather than show in the image itself. Some photographers seem to think that labeling their subject or event as something “definitive” or ambiguous that it will elevate it to that status, rather than going the more difficult route of actually capturing that kind of thing in the first place. Using the Term IncorrectlyAlthough street photography is one of the broadest genres in photography, as discussed above; it is still a fairly well defined and understood one. The rise of the street as a “location” for things like street fashion and even street portraits would not have been as popular if not for some of the earliest street photographers. Without wanting to gate-keep any specific idea of what street photography is or isn’t, I still find myself seeing images marked as or referred to as street photography when they simply are not. A studio fashion portrait of a posed and directed model wearing a streetwear brand is not street photography. An urban cityscape long exposure from a rooftop with the photographer’s legs dangling over the edge is not street photography. Without clear definitions and boundaries in our understanding of what we are trying to produce and share we will lose and dilute our audience and confuse people trying to start out in the genre. Following TrendsThis point is a little similar to the idea of repetitive work but directly focused on the echo chamber of social media. Sharing work on Instagram is very different from publishing a book or zine, or featuring in a gallery, and also entirely different from producing work for a client brief or assignment. People often overlook the role that the social aspect of these sites have on the way creatives work, and it is difficult to ignore all of the little number tickers that tell you how popular you and your work are. Following trends are a great way to make that little counter move up as you contribute to a growing body of unoriginal and usually temporary work. Instagram tends to be an echo chamber of trends so if that’s the only place you consume street photography then your work will end up reflecting what you are being most often inspired by, or what you think is popular at the time. Taking a break from this environment and just focusing on honing your own vision is the best way to tackle this. Learning the trends can be an excellent way to learn new techniques or to incorporate a new style into existing approaches to street photography. Similar to my point about re-treading old ground this would not be work I would post until I was certain I had made it my own. Breaking the “Rules”In street photography, I find that photographers feel more comfortable breaking traditional “rules” opting to trade things like sharpness, depth of field, grain, motion blur, and even “good” composition, against emotion and “the moment” – going for the gist of a scene above technical and artistic perfection. These things are deliberately given up through the photographers chosen style, and yet when shared anywhere other than a street photography platform they are critiqued on all of these things. Perhaps only the greatest are immune from this but there must be some way to communicate that many of the things people find issues with were deliberate choices and that you are viewing an image the way the artists wants for it to be viewed, not a rough draft that was posted by accident. However, I also think that the photographer should have an understanding of why they made the decisions they did and that they should be equipped with that understanding when it comes to defending themselves. If they can’t explain why they made something the way they did then by learning that they will be able to take control of their aesthetic. PrivacyThere are a few issues people have with street photography that are more related to the sociological factors rather than anything artistic. Street photography by definition involves actions involving other people, usually without their explicit “consent” which provides for consistent discussion as to the exact ethics of street photography. Many people argue that street photography is an invasion of perceived “privacy” of the subjects, especially when that subject is identifiable, or in a vulnerable state. Although early street photography had equal issues unless those images became published in a gallery or magazine it was unlikely that they would be seen by many people, but the Internet means that any image has the potential to be seen by millions of people. This represents far greater “risk” to that subject’s privacy, and therefore issues like privacy are given more room in the conversation. I think an interesting recent trend in street photography is an effort to preserve privacy by presenting subjects as anonymous through obscuring or silhouetting the compositions. This “New Wave” street photography is a little more “cinematic” and often lacks the personal touch of eye contact and relate-ability. This preservation of anonymity whether conscious or unconscious on behalf of the photographer is something I find really interesting, and I’m sure after more thought I’ll have more to say on the subject. For now, though I think that it shows that there are forms of expression within street photography that are self-aware enough to take such issues seriously, and make aesthetic decisions accordingly. ConsentConsent is an extension of privacy, and some street photographers do deal with the issue by approaching their subject after the fact and checking things over with them. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission as the saying goes, and for photographers who choose for that to matter to them, this is an excellent compromise. However, I think that many issues of consent have been rendered irrelevant due to the current state of public surveillance by both government and individuals – especially in London where I live and shoot most frequently. Anyone worried about privacy while out in public is deluding themselves in my opinion, and taking that out on street photographers is just a symptom of this constant erosion of feeling like you can go unnoticed in a crowd. The artists’ intention does play a role when there is a specific idea being communicated in an image which might not reflect reality. I think that the best form of street photography is one that tells stories of hope and beauty rather than highlight ugliness or to make a mockery of someone. ExploitationOne of the connotations of street photography that invades privacy is that it “exploits” the subject. This is especially prevalent in discussions regarding homeless people, who are unable to have the same level of privacy as the more fortunate. I can see how this would concern people, especially when it comes to profiting from such images but my own view on the matter is that as long as you treat others as you would want to be treated essentially no image is really off limits. For homelessness specifically, I think that refusing to document such a pressing and damaging societal issue is the equivalent of “erasing” it from public discourse. The reason for choosing not to document such scenes in “everyday” street photography, which has no specific theme aside from the human condition, must go beyond not wanting to exploit the subject. We cannot pretend that these issues in society do not exist, and making images is the best way of keeping these topics not only at the front of street photography discussions but general discussions as well. All photographers have a different moral code and will draw the line in different places. I don’t think it’s controversial to say that there are incredible examples of street photography that in some way exploit a situation, and equally there are terrible images that do the same. The best examples can elicit a response, and if that response is sympathy or empathy then such an image can do a lot of good. For bad ones, the response is usually entirely about how it exploits the subject if there really are few redeeming qualities about it. Shock ValueOccasionally an image will be identified as having only one central intention – to shock the audience with its content. These are always interesting to talk about; as the discussion usually takes place around the value of the shock itself rather than the content of the image and the issues it may be dealing with – which sometimes have genuine substance. There has always been an audience for controversial work, and I think people are drawn to creating and consuming that kind of work in street photography in the same way that actual photojournalism is drawn to the more violent or scary stories (just look at the last few years worth of World Press Photo winners to see this). I think that street photography is full of all kinds of pieces of life and that controversial work receives attention due to the fact that it’s controversial. However, I also think that if there is something shocking in front of the photographer then they should not restrict themselves in that moment – and should make the image. Whether or not to share that image is then a decision they can spend longer on, and can even research to make an informed choice. I’ve recognized this hesitation in my own workflow and am in the process of changing that. Photographer Attitude and EgoMany people have an issue with specific behaviors and attitudes from street photographers that can have a negative effect on the way photographers are seen in general. There is more likely to be a confrontation between a random person and a street photographer than for example a landscape photographer, but the way that interaction goes will affect the way that person perceives most photographers they meet after that. I don’t really have a solution for this because their behavior is not really a reflection of the genre of street photography, and it is more likely that outgoing people are drawn to confrontational styles of street photography in the first place. It is possible to follow the advice of my previous point, to treat others as you would treat yourself, and be a mindful and valuable member of your community as a street photographer. To me, street photography is a way to identify aspects of the world that are neat or which speak to me, and sometimes those will take the form of a situation I will have to react to differently to my normal behavior in order to document. I do have a strong opinion towards photographers who choose to conduct their street photography by employing bold and intrusive techniques at almost all times, whether the situation calls for it or not, and that is as follows: make sure you are not producing mediocre work. The end results must absolutely justify the means if it means causing situations that may affect someone else’s day negatively. When it really comes down to using street photography to document your life and the lives of those around you self-censorship, both in the way you go about producing the work (by simply living your life) and sharing it, should not really be a factor. JealousyLastly, and this may sound cliché, it should be obvious that when some people find work that’s particularly outstanding in any field they will find reasons to put it down out of sheer jealousy. In street photography, it may be jealousy over the photographers capacity to consistently find and approach interesting characters, or live in a particularly aesthetic city, or even over the gear they are using. Jealousy can be redirected into inspiration, through practice you can produce the same if not better as the work you were jealous of using the tools available to you. I’m aware that everything I’ve discussed here is immensely subjective, and that your experience of street photography and street photography criticism may be entirely different from my own. Art is one of the most subjective topics there is, and art criticism will always be a difficult topic to tackle as an artist. I can only offer my own perspective on these ideas and hope that it helps aspiring photographers in any genre to deal with the way their work is judged and understood by their audience, and by themselves. I also know that it is one of my longer pieces, and I’ve still only been able to talk about a handful of topics. Thanks for sticking with the article throughout, and I look forward to hopefully continuing this discussion and any others that may happen as a result. About the author: Simon King is a London based photographer and photojournalist, currently working on a number of long-term documentary and street photography projects. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can follow his work on Instagram and you can read more of his thoughts on photography day-to-day over on his personal blog. Simon also teaches a short course in Street Photography at UAL, which can be read about here. Photography News via PetaPixel https://petapixel.com February 27, 2019 at 11:46AM
https://ift.tt/2TiK0Nd
This Mom Uses Her iPhone Camera to Turn Commutes Into Art https://ift.tt/2VntQQ0 Dina Alfasi is a mother in Israel who commutes to her architectural engineering job at a hospital. Whether she’s walking or riding a bus, train, or airplane, Alfasi is always ready with her iPhone to capture life’s beautiful little moments. Now married with a 15-year-old son, Alfasi has had a lifelong love for photography since shooting with a Kodak film camera as a child. When the iPhone and Instagram exploded onto the scene, Alfasi fell in love with mobile photography. “Today I shoot only with iPhone, currently iPhone X,” Alfasi tells PetaPixel. “The more I took pictures with iPhone, the more I realized that in mobile photography I was able to capture more authentic and meaningful frames. Beyond that, the ease with which the iPhone was pulled [out] anywhere, at any time, made me decide to focus on photographing with iPhone only.” And with so much of her time spent commuting, Alfasi has had a considerable amount of time to hone her skill at shooting artistic portraits of her fellow commuters (as well as passersby on the street). Here’s a selection of her work: “There is something both intimate and vulnerable about the way a person exists in a public space,” Alfasi tells Cult of Mac. “My daily photographs capture something inherently familiar in each of the strangers, lost in thought on their way somewhere. Photographing people on buses and trains has taught me a lot about the depths of human complexity. There is no end to discovering new facial expressions and behavior.” “What inspires me are the little moments that happen every day,” the photographer tells PetaPixel. “My work is a testament to telling stories through a single photograph and proof that all you need is just to look around and find those magic moments.” Alfasi’s work has been gaining international attention. She was one of the 10 photographers just selected by Apple as a winner of its Shot on iPhone photo contest. Her winning shot shows a reflection of a person in a heart-shaped puddle: You can find more of Alfasi’s work by subscribing to her Instagram. Photography News via PetaPixel https://petapixel.com February 27, 2019 at 11:01AM
https://ift.tt/2Thcxmt
Oppo Bringing 10x Zoom Smartphone Camera to Market https://ift.tt/2UgUQkl Oppo is teasing an innovative new smartphone camera system it has created: one that offers a 10x optical “lossless” zoom. The latest reports say the module is already in mass production and the first phone packing it will be out within months. GSMArena reports that the 10x zoom will be part of a triple camera module that will hit the market sometime in the second quarter of this year (i.e. sometime between April and June 2019). In addition to the 16mm ultra-wide camera with a 120° field of view and the 48MP camera (with perhaps a 28mm lens), the telephoto camera features a 160mm focal length (in 35mm terms), giving the tri-camera module a total zoom of 10x from ultra-wide to telephoto. Oppo was able to achieve such a telephoto focal length by building the camera with a periscope design that reflects incoming light by 90°, resulting in a compact yet telephoto 160mm lens. The prism used to bend the light also serves as the optical stabilization system for the camera (offering 73% more precise stabilization, GSMArena says). Oppo managed to get the entire triple camera module down to a width of just under 0.27in (6.76mm), meaning it won’t add unnecessary bulk to its host phone. Here are some additional examples of how photos shot with the 10x zoom compare to ones captured with the 1x ultra wide angle: 1x Ultra Wide10x Telephoto1x Ultra Wide10x Telephoto1x Ultra Wide10x TelephotoWe’ll be seeing this 10x zoom appear in the flesh soon, so stay tuned. Photography News via PetaPixel https://petapixel.com February 27, 2019 at 10:28AM
https://ift.tt/2NAEksU
The Winning Shots from Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019 https://ift.tt/2EfkSNN Underwater Photographer of the Year has just announced the winners of its 2019 photo contest. Photographer Richard Barnden of the UK won both Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019 and British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019 for his photo titled “The Gauntlet” (shown above). Here’s the description of Barnden’s winning shot:
Here are the other winning (and a couple of runner-up) photos from the major categories: You can find a larger gallery of 125 winning photos over on the contest’s website. Image credits: Header photo © Richard Barnden/UPY2019 Photography News via PetaPixel https://petapixel.com February 27, 2019 at 09:45AM
https://ift.tt/2TndtWg
Xiaomi and Light announce partnership to push smartphone photography forward https://ift.tt/2Sxmnfw It looks like Light, the maker of the L16 multi-lens camera, is really putting its money on the mobile sector. A few days ago the company announced it was partnering with Sony to use the Japanese chip maker's image sensor in its multi-camera modules. Shortly after, at the Mobile World Congress HMD Global launched its Nokia 9 PureView smartphone which uses Light's technology in its main camera. Nokia phones won't be the only smartphones to come with Light-engineered cameras, however. Now Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi and Light have announced that they'll collaborate in developing smartphone cameras and computational photography technology as well. The partnership is still brand new, so it will likely take some time before we see the first results in the shape of final products on store shelves. That said, it's good to see Light is working with multiple manufacturers to market its innovative imaging technologies, which will likely accelerate market penetration and innovation of multi-lens cameras alike. Photography News via Dpreview https://ift.tt/i0r8o5 February 27, 2019 at 08:44AM
https://ift.tt/2IHQyRt
Instagram 'Public Collections' feature discovered in Android app code https://ift.tt/2GPGsMx
Two years ago, Instagram released a feature called Collections that enables users to privately group posts together for organized safekeeping. The company now appears to be testing a new setting that would allow these users to make their Collections public. The discovery was made by software engineer Jane Manchun Wong, who has an excellent history with uncovering unannounced features in mobile apps. The new public setting for Collections is not available to users, but Wong recently published a screenshot of what the feature currently looks like. Instagram told TechCrunch that it is not testing the feature, which indicates it is still in development. It's possible the new option may appear for some users in the future when (if) public testing starts.
With the public option, Instagram users would be able to create curated Collections featuring a variety of content from different Instagram users. Based on the above screenshot, it appears Instagram would enable users to add contributors to their public Collections. Public Collections would help address the issue of unauthorized content sharing via screenshots, as well as offering an alternative to Pinterest 'boards.' As with any unannounced feature, it's possible the final product will differ from the version still in development. Likewise, Instagram may scrap the project and never release the 'public' Collections setting. Photography News via Dpreview https://ift.tt/i0r8o5 February 27, 2019 at 08:30AM |
Categories
All
Archives
November 2020
|