Datacolor contacted me a few months ago about a new color calibration product they were releasing. After meeting with their PR team over a conference call, they sent me a pre-release SpyderX Elite calibration system to test. They did not compensate me for this review, nor do they expect anything specific in return. I’ve written this review as a service to our audience and as a guide to those who might use this equipment in their own workflow. Quick answer I highly recommend the SpyderX Elite and can confidently say that it does an excellent … [Read more...] about Datacolor SpyderX Elite review and installation guide
Mike Hagen
President at Visual Adventures
Mike Hagen is a professional photographer, author, and educator. He operates workshops around the world and is well known for his engaging style and humor.
Latest posts by Mike Hagen (see all)
- Datacolor SpyderX Elite review and installation guide - February 13, 2019
- Shutter Priority and when to use it - January 23, 2019
- Aperture Priority: What’s it good for? - January 13, 2019
Shutter Priority and when to use it
Shutter Priority exposure mode is a fantastic tool for controlling how motion appears in your final image. This exposure mode allows the photographer to set the shutter speed while the camera determines the aperture. Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras offer at least four different exposure modes including shutter priority, aperture priority, program mode and manual. Although I shoot the majority of my images in aperture priority, I regularly use shutter priority for subjects where I’m concerned about properly conveying motion. How to set up … [Read more...] about Shutter Priority and when to use it
Aperture Priority: What’s it good for?
As a working photographer, I’m always looking for the most efficient way to create high-quality images. There are hundreds of things to keep track of during a photoshoot, but nailing the exposure is definitely one of the most important. Choosing the right exposure mode can make or break your photo experience. Modern cameras generally give the photographer four exposure modes to choose from: programmed auto, manual, shutter priority, and aperture priority. For my work, I’ve found that aperture priority works best for most shooting scenarios. … [Read more...] about Aperture Priority: What’s it good for?
The advantage of Auto ISO
In photography, ISO is a rating of your camera sensor’s sensitivity to light. A lower ISO like 50 or 100 means that the sensor will require longer shutter speeds and larger apertures to properly expose an image. A higher ISO like 1600 or 3200 will require shorter shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures to properly expose an image. What is Auto ISO? Almost all current interchangeable lens digital cameras give you the option to manually select an ISO value or to use a setting called Auto ISO. There are advantages to setting your ISO for a … [Read more...] about The advantage of Auto ISO
Creative Christmas tree light photography
Christmas is a wonderful time of year for us photographers because we get to experiment with all of the beautiful colors and shapes associated with the season. I’m always striving to find new ways to be creative, so last year I challenged myself to produce creative interpretations of Christmas tree lights. I’d like to show you six different techniques I used that should help get your own creative juices flowing. Since these images require long exposures, you’ll need to use a tripod. Also, you’ll need to use a zoom lens that allows manual … [Read more...] about Creative Christmas tree light photography
Getting started with Adobe Lightroom HDR panoramas
A few months ago I traveled to Knoxville, TN for my niece’s graduation. I took an afternoon to take a side trip down to the World’s Fair Expo center to do some architectural and travel photography. It was an overcast day and the afternoon thunderstorms started to roll in, but I wanted to photograph this really interesting outdoor amphitheater and noticed that I need to create a panorama in order to capture the entire structure from left to right. After metering the scene on my Nikon D850 I noticed that the contrast range was too great to … [Read more...] about Getting started with Adobe Lightroom HDR panoramas
Landscape photography on gloomy days
There are two things you are almost always guaranteed to find on the Oregon Coast: Stunning beauty and lots of rain. This summer, I took my family on a quick photo adventure along the central Oregon coast to enjoy the last days of sunshine before school started up again. One of the locations we visited was Devil’s Churn, a place known for beautiful landscapes surrounded by crashing waves from the Pacific Ocean. My plan was to shoot some sun-kissed landscapes, but unfortunately, we were greeted with overcast skies and lots of mist when we … [Read more...] about Landscape photography on gloomy days
Five keys to printing cell phone photographs
Editor's Note: We welcome Mike Hagen to the Photofocus team. Mike Hagen is a professional photographer, author, and educator. He operates workshops around the world and is well known for his engaging style and humor. Learn more about Mike at visadventures.com Every week I get questions from people about the image quality of cell phone cameras. In fact, just the other day, I was meeting with a gentleman over coffee and he wanted to know about the image quality differences between my Nikon D850 and my iPhone X. It seems like a silly … [Read more...] about Five keys to printing cell phone photographs
