With the new year just hours away, we thought it’d be fun to recap 2018. Between covering the full-frame mirrorless trends, photography conferences like WPPI and PhotoPlus, reviewing the latest camera gear and helping you with camera and post-processing techniques, our team had tons of interesting articles that caught your interest!
Below are our top 10 most viewed articles for 2018. We hope you had a great 2018, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2019!
What Is focus stacking? (1/6/2018) - When you buy a fast lens with a bright aperture, like f/1.8, you go crazy making photos with a super-shallow depth of field. You photograph flowers where only one stamen is in focus, and you shoot people with super blurry backgrounds, and it’s lots of fun using the thin slice of focus. However, there are many times when that thin slice just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes you just need everything in focus, and even if you stop down to the lens’s smallest aperture you still may not be able to get everything in sharp focus. That’s where focus stacking comes in. What is focus stacking? Focus stacking is the process of making several pictures of a scene while changing the focus between shots and then combining them in software to get a sharp photo of the whole scene. It’s often used in close-up photography because when you focus close to a subject the depth of field is very shallow even if you use a small aperture. This is an exaggerated example, but it demonstrates the point. My kids and I made pictures of their toy cars. This is what the image looks like when it’s shot at f/1.2 with a very shallow slice of focus. It’s cool, but it’s not what you see when you look at a toy car. Shoot & shift, shoot & shift Focus stacking requires a completely stable platform–if there’s any movement, the shots won’t line up well. I used a Platypod Ultra with Vanguard Veo ball head to hold my camera steady. I added the rubber pad that comes with the multi-accessory kit because the table was so smooth that the Platypod moved around each time I fired the shutter. The pad made the whole thing rock steady and immovable. To make this picture all in focus, you should focus on the closest part of the car, then switch your camera to manual focus. Shoot a picture, then turn the focus ring on the lens a little bit to focus farther away and shoot again. Keep doing that until you’ve photographed the whole thing at every distance. This takes patience, but it’s a fun tool to keep in your kit. Lumix lets you cheat I should admit that I cheated to make the picture above. Lumix cameras have a feature called Post Focus which shoots the focus stack for you automatically and even combines all the photos automatically in the camera. The shots above are all straight from my GH5 camera, and it’s pretty good. The camera automatically senses which areas of the frame need to be focussed on and shoots a picture at every spot. It uses the 6K video capabilities to get it done, and it’s cool. Then you can choose to either combine all the images together or choose a handful of them to combine. It doesn’t always look this good–it may have some hinky spots of blurry focus, but it’s an amazing tool and really fun to use. I’ll show you how simple it is to do in Photoshop down below. Behind the scenes For these pictures, the cars and camera are sitting on the kitchen table. I positioned a softbox with a continuous light directly over the cars. Moving the light up and down makes it more or less contrasty. When it’s down very close to the table, the background behind the cars that isn’t lit becomes black, which is a fun effect. What’s more, this is the kind of thing kids can participate in. Since I used a continuous light instead of a speedlight or other flash, my daughter could see exactly what the picture looked like before shooting which helped her pose the cars in exactly the right spots. Stack in Photoshop Stacking the photos together in Photoshop is really simple because Photoshop automates the process. There are other tools out there that do focus stacking better than Photoshop, but I have Photoshop so that’s what I’m using. To get started, open all the photos from your stack as layers in a single Photoshop document. Next, select all the layers and go to the Edit menu and choose Auto-Blend Layers. The select the Stack Images option and press Ok. Now just wait a few minutes. Photoshop will blend it all together. If you need to make adjustments, you can use a black and white paintbrush to work on blending the Adjustment Layers a little better. Here’s the result from Photoshop. Conclusion I’m not an expert at focus stacking, but I do dabble in it. I think if you give it a try you’ll find lots of times when it would be a useful tool. My personal challenge is to use it for stuff that’s not close-up. I could use this to photograph a landscape using a wider and sharper aperture and then combine the images to get deep focus. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Why focus stack when I can just use f/22? (1/30/2018) - I’ve got three good reasons why using f/22 won’t get you a sharp picture. However, even though I’ve proven these reasons in my own work, you should go try it yourself. The other day, I wrote a brief introduction to focus stacking (check it out here) and it has spurred a lot of questions and discussion on my Facebook page (including some guest pictures below). The major question posed there is “Why not simply use a small aperture to create a photo with great depth of field and get everything in focus instead of a process like focus stacking which requires post-processing to complete?” Everyone who commented about using f/22 to get focus throughout the picture has obviously never tried it :D In focus ≠ sharp Lots of people with Ph.D.’s in physics have written good articles about diffraction and why you shouldn’t shoot at the lens’s smallest aperture (I’m using f/22 to represent your lens’s smallest aperture, which may be smaller or larger than f/22). You should go read those. I believe them, and I’ve experienced the fact that f/22 often doesn’t produce the sharpest possible photo. You can also read about hyperfocal distances which allow you to get everything in a scene in focus by focussing at a specific distance and a specific aperture/focal length combination. I made this photo using a hyperfocal calculator in the Field Tools app. This works well, and I’ve used it quite a bit. But being in focus doesn’t mean the picture will be sharp. Many times we think our pictures are out of focus, but really they’re just not sharp, which means it doesn’t look as clear as we think it should be. It may be that it’s not sharp because of that diffraction problem, but it’s often not sharp because of motion blur. I’d wager that most of the time, the lens is fine and doesn’t require the “fine tuning” people like to spend so much time discussing. Like Scott Bourne says, “90 percent of lenses are better than 99 percent of photographers.” Here are some examples from other readers. Adam Hynes used focus stacking to combine several images together made down the length of this slot canyon. Matthew Fry made these pictures of model trains and provided both shots that were stacked and shots made as single exposures for comparison. Wayne Carey used 17 photos stacked together to create this picture of a fishing lure. He does this regularly as he makes the catalog photos for the Strike King Lure company, where he works. This is a great example of a well-finished focus stack. Motion blur When you use f/22 to make a picture, you are closing the aperture in the lens, the hole that lets light into the lens is physically getting smaller. f/22 is half as big a hole as f/16. That little hole means you need the shutter open longer to make a proper exposure, and that means two kinds of motion blur can become evident, ruining the sharpness of your pictures. You’ll get motion blur from the camera moving in your hands or even atop your tripod if it’s not stable enough, or you’ll get motion blur of the subjects in your picture moving while the shutter is open, like grass and flowers blowing in the breeze. I’m lucky that the header image here isn’t blurry at just 1/60th of a second and less for the HDR I made. “How much slower is it, really,” you ask? Well, if I shot at f/4 instead of f/22, which is five stops different, the shutter speeds would be significant. At f/4 I could shoot at 1/200 of a second, and the software that stitches focus stacks together could work even if I handheld the camera. The same picture at f/22 would require a shutter speed five stops* slower, though. That’s going from 1/200th to 1/100th to 1/50th to 1/25th to 1/13th to 1/8th of a second, and even if you use a tripod at 1/8th of a second you are likely to experience both kinds of motion blur. Using my Lumix cameras for focus stacking, they’ll shoot a scene at 1/200 of a second in less than a second and it works well. *Yes, you could increase the ISO to get a faster shutter speed, but then you’d complain about noise in your photo. Do I really need to write another paragraph about that? :) Close up & macro The last example of f/22 just not working is when you photograph close to things or especially when you are doing true macro work. The fact is that the closer you focus–the closer your subject is to the camera–the shallower the depth of field becomes. Try this: set your camera on the tabletop and set two cups on the table. Switch your lens to manual focus and move the focus ring so that it is focussed as close to the camera as possible, then move the first cup until it is in focus. Then set your lens to its smallest aperture, like f/22, and you’ll find that the farther cup is not in focus. Now, if you use a fisheye lens to do this, then the farther cup probably will be in focus because while focussing closer to the lens makes the depth of field shallower, using a shorter focal length makes the depth of field deeper–14mm has more depth of field than 100mm at the same aperture and focal distance. When I used to use the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro lens, I could focus very close to the lens, stop the aperture down to f/45, and still only get a very small slice of a flower in focus. When you focus closely, a small aperture is inadequate to get the whole scene in focus, and focus stacking is a good way to overcome that problem. Conclusion Focus stacking is the way to overcome three problems that keep your photographs from having everything in focus. It allows you to use
What are the most popular used cameras and lenses? (2/16/2018) - Our friends at MPB.com keep track of which cameras and lenses are the most purchased over the course of the year. This is pretty interesting to see. Perhaps you’ve got one or more of these collecting dust in your closet. If so, it’s a good time to call MPB and see about trading them in. By buying and selling or trading different gear, you can experience a variety of equipment and refine your kit to what works best for you. I’ve owned over 30 changeable lens cameras in the last several years, and I don’t know how many lenses, from multiple manufacturers. You don’t have to feel locked-in to a camera system, especially when folks like MPB.com can help you sell the stuff you’ve got. Anyway, check out these top 10 reselling cameras and lenses from 2017. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens Hands down one of Canon’s most popular lenses ever, the 24-105mm f/4 lens has for a while been a staple for photographers at various levels. Why? It’s simple: versatility. The 24-105mm focal length makes this lens useful for a wide range of scenarios. At 24mm, it proves valuable for landscape photography and for capturing images while in tight spaces. However, the remaining zoom range allows for a slew of wildly-popular individual focal lengths, all packed into a single lens. Think about it, with this lens you can shoot at 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and of course 105mm, all with a fixed aperture of f4. Not to mention built-in image stabilization! This lens is a beast. Canon 5D Mk II You may be surprised to see the Canon 5D Mark II on this list, but the fact is people still really enjoy this camera. Afterall, it is the first Canon EOS camera to have video recording abilities! When it was announced, this new EOS camera was a huge deal. With a 21.1 MP sensor, 9 focus points, and 1080p video capabilities at 30 frames per second, this camera remains a great entry point camera or backup body for a vast handful of shooters. It’s the perfect example of a great photo investment for those who aren’t looking to break the bank on a full-frame camera body. Canon 5d Mk III When it came to our sales, the Canon 5D Mark III came in almost neck-and-neck with its predecessor, proving that people are still not convinced that a camera has to be the newest on the market to be the one they need. The Mark III was released a cool 6 years after the Mark II, and it boasted a multitude of new upgrades, including three times more AF points, dual SD card slots, faster JPEG/RAW shooting, video capture at 60fps, and better low-light performance. However, even with the upgraded specs and hardware, many photographers find that the image quality between the two cameras is only just barely noticeable. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G 35mm lenses are somewhat of a “classic” when it comes to a handful of photo genres. The Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G was our most popular 35mm lens of the year. A change in pace from older Nikon 35mm lenses, the AF-S model is lighter, quieter and a bit more versatile than its predecessors. Its autofocus is wicked fast and the images produced with this lens are nice and sharp. Also worth noting, this lens is compatible with Nikon’s popular line of DX cameras, such as the D7500. Canon 7D We were really happy to see some APS-C cameras on this list. So many shooters begin using crop-sensor cameras like these. The Canon 7D was released as a direct competitor to Nikon’s line of crop sensor cameras (such as the Nikon D500), boasting an 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, and able to achieve 8fps of continuous shooting, the 7D remains a go-to camera for photo enthusiasts, beginner and professional alike. It even has the “look and feel” of a camera from the 5D line. Nikon D810 For many people out there, Nikon’s release of the new D850 meant significant price drops for its predecessor model, the D810. This golden opportunity, coupled with the specs of the Nikon D810 made this one of our top selling cameras of the year. Inside its weather sealed body, the D810is packing a 36MP full-frame sensor, 1920×1080 resolution for video, and 5 fps of continuous shooting. Rather standard, yet suitable for many, is its ISO range of 64-12800 (expandable to 32-51200). And to be honest, this D810 is built tough. It has got that tank-like feel that we have come to expect from Nikon. Not only will the D810 save you a couple of hundred bucks when compared to the D850, it also packs a built-in flash, while still managing to be is 35 grams lighter than the D850. Weigh your options. Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS II USM The 70-200mm is the telephoto-sweet spot for photographers keen to shoot with longer focal length lenses. So, it’s no shock to see a telephoto lens on this list. The Canon 70-200mm f2.8 [mark] II was our bestselling telephoto lens for the year. Eighty grams lighter than its predecessor, the Mark II feels fantastic when used in the field. It’s easy to appreciate the ergonomics of this lens, with its metal frame, firm zoom, and easy to reach controls. Plus, at f/2.8, this fixed aperture lens makes it great for portraits and close-ups in a range of environments. Many find the fact that the tripod mount is fully removable from this lens to be an added bonus, a feature not available on the Tamron 70-200mm counterpart. Nikon D750 The Nikon D750 landed on this list as MPB’s other most popular Nikon body of 2017. Many see this camera as a sort of hybrid between the D610 (specifically the sensor) and the D810 (for its tilting LCD screen and other ergonomic similarities). Sporting a 51-point Multi-CAM 3500 FX II autofocus system, a 24MP sensor and 6.5fps continuous shooting speed, it’s no surprise this was one of our most popular selling Nikon bodies of 2017. Add in this camera’s lightweight design, incredible low-light abilities, weather sealing, and built-in wifi, and you’ve got quite a good deal on
Adobe brings powerful new features to Lightroom CC and Classic (6/19/2018) - This morning, Adobe announced updates to its desktop versions of Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC. While both programs have added a few new enhancements and features, Lightroom CC has also been updated to make it further in line with its Classic counterpart. Lightroom CC Adds Preset and Profile Syncing The big feature announced today is the ability for Lightroom CC to sync your presets and profiles between instances of the program. This works for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, ChromeOS and on the web, so you can have all your favorite looks with you no matter what device you’re on. This works for both custom-created presets as well as third-party presets and profiles. Also new is the ability to create presets on your mobile devices. For third-party presets, you first have to start on the desktop version of Lightroom CC, and then click on File, and then on the new “Import Profiles & Presets” menu option. You can then browse to import either a folder or selection of files — including a combination of both profiles and presets. Once you’ve imported these via the desktop version, they will sync to any other devices sharing your Creative Cloud account. Further Enhancements to Lightroom CC In addition to the preset and profile syncing feature, Adobe has also released a variety of updates bringing Lightroom CC closer in line with the features of Lightroom Classic. Batch Copy and Paste Settings If you’re batch editing photos, you can now apply your edit settings from one photo to a range of other photos, similar to the Sync Settings option in Lightroom Classic. To bring over all of the edit settings, go to the Photo > Copy Edit Settings menu option (or Ctrl/Command + C). You can selectively choose which settings to bring over by going to Photo > Choose Editing Settings to Copy (or Ctrl/Command + Shift + C). Once you’ve copied your edit settings, you can paste the settings by going to Photo > Paste Settings (or Ctrl/Command + V). Enhanced Sharing Options You now have more control over albums that you share to lightroom.adobe.com, allowing you to allow downloads, show metadata or show location data. Additional Mobile Features Healing Brush The healing brush that is a staple of the desktop versions of Lightroom has now been brought to the mobile version. This is super helpful for removing dust spots or other blemishes in your photographs. Remove Chromatic Aberrations (iOS Only) There’s a new checkbox in the Optics tab, allowing you to remove chromatic aberration in an image. Technology Previews Want to play around with the latest and greatest features that are next on deck for Lightroom CC Mobile? Now you can. On iOS, the first technology previews are a Long Exposure mode and Guided Tutorials, whereas Android users will see expanded HDR support when capturing photographs. The Long Exposure mode adds a new capture mode to Lightroom Mobile, capturing a series of DNG or JPEG images, stabilizing them and then merging them together. This creates the simulation of a long exposure. Guided Tutorials adds a new section to the Help & Support menu within the Settings, walking you through several different features of the app. Finally, the HDR Support Technology Preview for Android extends support of the HDR capture mode for devices that have not yet been fully certified for the feature. Classic Gets an Upgrade, Too In addition to the feature upgrades to Lightroom CC, Lightroom Classic has received a few additional upgrades, centering around the organization of your catalog. Profiles and Presets Management You can now control the visibility of profiles as well as expand and collapse all profiles to quickly scan through them. For presets, you can now rename and manage presets straight through Lightroom Classic. Color Labels for Organizational Folders Just like you can assign color labels to individual photographs, you can now assign color labels to a folder and then filter by those labels. Auto-Stack HDR/Panorama and Auto-Stack by Capture Time There’s a new “Create Stack” option within the HDR and Panorama merge tools, which helps to clean up your grid view of photographs. Faster Searching in Folders Finally, the speed in which you see folders has been greatly sped up. Conclusion Lightroom continues to be the industry leader when it comes to organization and development of digital images. With an affordable $9.99/month price tag, it’s encouraging to see Adobe continue to lead the way in terms of innovation in how you edit and manage your photographs.
NSFW: Working with models, the do’s and don’ts of implied, boudoir and nude photography (6/28/2018) - About a year ago I started trying out other genres of photography as a way to jump out of my nature photo comfort zone, reshape my style, and give my creativity a kickstart. This came after some pretty tough personal challenges and dark times that nearly ended my career. For whatever reason, after a few shoots, I found myself drawn to model photography. Beyond the initial shock of having to work indoors while not spending almost all my day knee or waist-deep in swamp water, the biggest surprise of all was how much I enjoyed the challenges of working with people, lighting, and in a studio setting. Specifically, I explored boudoir, fine art nude, and erotic photography, which are about as far away from my original bird photography roots as you can get! This article is a collection of do’s and don’ts for photographers interested in working with models in these styles of photography. I want to share the lessons I’ve learned collaborating with both professional models and photographers. Remember also, this is written by a photographer for other photographers. It in no way diminishes the role of the model in maintaining a professional relationship and standards with the photographer and crew. Rather, it acts as a guideline for the photographer in this realm. While many of the concepts apply to models as well, that is for another article (stay tuned!). There’s immeasurable value in just listening and developing a rapport with the people you work with to make sure you are acting professionally in their eyes, and they in yours. I hope this article helps you do just that! Myths of the erotic, nude or boudoir photoshoot A fairly large portion of the population imagines the moment you put a model and a photographer in a room together, a tsunami of unbridled passion carries them off into a wonderland of uncontrollable copulating, all thoughts of photography forgotten. Ummm, no. It just doesn’t work like that. Ever. We are in an industry where everyone knows everybody. This is also true because stories of behavior, good or bad, gets out quickly, particularly in these days of social media and #MeToo. People who act carnally, or, in other words, think only with their swimsuit regions, rarely make it for long. Sponsors won’t come on board, these photographers won’t get booked, and if they do, it will only be small jobs with little influence and minimal, if any, reward. Model Scarlett Dawn and I work together on a regular basis, I am the “official” photographer for her Patreon page, and she is a dear friend. While we love working together, we do so as professionals. We also work in some decidedly uncomfortable conditions. Like this surf shot where I am laying on the beach getting soaked and sand covered, or this image at an abandoned building where biting deer flies decided Scarlett was lunch, or this one last shot after both of us had just endured a 20 hour day full of exhausting shoots and travel before we went our separate ways. Photo shoots themselves, are not exactly arousing, sexually charged, events. In my experience, the model has just sat for an hour or more in hair and makeup. The actual shoot is often in a room that never has the temperature close to right. Then the model is asked to pose in ways that look good for the camera but are truly unnatural and uncomfortable for the human body to hold for any length of time. Being a model is hard, physically and mentally demanding, work. While the model is in makeup or wardrobe, the photographer has been setting up lights and props in the same uncomfortable room. He or she is consumed with thoughts of camera settings, quality and character of light, modifiers, backgrounds, foregrounds, color, exposure, and composition. During the actual shoot, the photographer is trying to make the image he or she has in their imagination come to life while also adapting and reacting to the poses and mood the model is working hard to create. The photographer gives direction. The model adds her interpretation. There’s a lot of back and forth communication happening all the time. There’s little thought of anything but working together to make truly great photos, within the amount of time reserved for a shoot. Amorous thoughts definitely are not at the forefront, or even back, of anyone’s mind. Nerves: Before, during and after In my articles I often mention developing the ability to previsualize and see the photo before I take it. As important as that skill is, it can also become a negative when you start thinking about the upcoming shoot. I am an over-thinker. I had already dreamed up a thousand ways I was going to look like an idiot, say something ignorant or offensive, and generally cause my first nude shoot to end in disaster. (Editor’s note: This is true for all of us when we first begin photographing intimate portraits.) My first true boudoir shoot was with model Charlie Kristine, a true professional who was patient with my lack of experience in boudoir photography. The image on the left is from our first shoot together, one of the few I saved. It was produced after 3 hours of nervous shooting on my part. The second is from our next shoot and came a little more naturally. The one on the right left is from a shoot this past spring, we did three completely different looks in one hour, producing shots we were happy with in a short amount of time. Thanks in large part to our comfort in working as pros together, and respect for what we each bring to the shoot. Overthinking and getting nervous before a shoot is easy. It is hard to talk yourself back off the ledge, so to speak. If you are uncomfortable, your model will be too. Get a grip, you are there to make art, not save the
Medium format vs. full frame (7/14/2018) - Medium format digital cameras have sensors that are significantly larger than full frame DSLRs. That also means the lenses are larger and the price tag is usually much larger, as well. Hasselblad has long been one of the top manufacturers of medium format cameras, and this series of videos compares medium format with full frame. The videos are produced by Hasselblad, so I’m sure you can guess which one ends up being better, but they give a fair insight into some of the advantages of medium format. Hasselblad, Fuji, PhaseOne and Pentax make some of the most popular medium format cameras and lenses, but most of these are the smaller of the two medium format sensors, 44mm x 33mm. A few years ago, I shot with Pentax’s 645D, and I loved it. I love the different view of the world, and I love the depth and detail that just doesn’t compare with small sensors like DSLR’s have. It’s about a lot more than just megapixels. If you get the chance, I highly recommend trying out some medium format cameras — I can’t wait to get my hands on the Fuji for testing. In the meantime, check out these videos and see some of the advantages to using medium format cameras.
Is your workflow compatible with MacOS Mojave? (9/24/2018) - Apple has officially released its latest MacOS — Mojave, version 10.14. This new version highlights features such as a system-wide Dark Mode, Stacks, Dynamic Desktop backgrounds and several new apps. It also introduces a great new feature for photographers — gallery and EXIF information views in the MacOS Finder. In my testing, the new OS has been very stable and without any major problems. But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be some compatibility issues in terms of third-party apps and devices. Software Update: There are some minor bugs in Photoshop CC, as mentioned below. Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Lightroom CC and Premiere CC work as expected under MacOS Mojave. There are two minor issues when it comes to Photoshop CC, as outlined below. In Photoshop CC 2018 and earlier, pen pressure does not work and a busy cursor might display while painting. To resolve this issue, follow the steps outlined by Adobe here. Also note that if you’re using Dark Mode, several elements do not adapt, including the application frame/panels, dialogs, pop-up menus, panel menus, context menus and OS dialogs. Adobe recommends changing the interface settings to better match in Photoshop’s Preferences. For Creative Suite users, if you have CS6, you should be able to continue using it like you always have. Older versions such as CS5 will continue to work — but Adobe warns of some possible compatibility issues. Furthermore, these were built on a 32-bit architecture, which Apple has stated will no longer be supported starting with MacOS 10.15 (which will most likely come out next fall). While 32-bit apps will continue to run in MacOS Mojave, you will most likely see some compromises made if you continue to use them in the long haul. In terms of other popular apps for photographers and videographers, Skylum’s Luminar 2018, Aurora HDR 2019 (and 2018) and Photolemur 3 work as expected. The latest version of PerfectlyClear also works without issues. Check for 32-bit apps To find out if you have 32-bit apps, click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the menu bar, then select About This Mac. Click on System Report. In System Report, you’ll see a ton of options. In the sidebar, scroll and click where it says Applications. This will allow you to click on each application you have installed on your machine, and it’ll tell you if it is built in 64-bit or not. Note that you might see some installers and uninstaller apps with a “No” next to 64-bit, which means those have not yet been updated. A notable one here is Adobe Application Manager; Adobe has already stated in a previous blog post they’re working on this. Another major one I saw was my Spyder5Elite color calibration tool, which is still using a 32-bit architecture. Just note that while these apps should continue to work under MacOS Mojave, they will need to be updated in time for the next major MacOS release, 10.15. Wacom tablets Update: Wacom has released a new, MacOS Mojave compatible driver, version 6.3.31. Click here for more information. This is where you need to be careful. In my testing, my Wacom Intuos Pro tablet connected, but stopped working every few minutes, despite staying connected. I reached out to Wacom support, and they’ve stated they’re planning on releasing an update early this week. For now, your Wacom tablet should still work, but you might run into some trouble. I found that whenever I used my pen to scroll, the tablet would stop working. If you rely on a Wacom tablet on a constant basis, it’s best to wait until the driver update is released. Other tablets might have similar issues, so be wary here. It’s best to check out your tablet’s support website for additional information on when and if MacOS Mojave will be supported. ROES Print Ordering Software If you order from a print lab, worry not — the ROES print ordering software works as expected under MacOS Mojave. Conclusion In my tests, MacOS Mojave is reliable in terms of performance and speed. I saw no issues when importing and editing a batch of photos into Lightroom Classic, and my iMac 5K system was just as speedy as it has been. Unless you rely on a Wacom tablet, you should be fine when it comes to updating. Have any questions about compatibilities, or did you find something we couldn’t? Let us know in the comments below!
How to post to Instagram from your computer — Easy as A, B, C (10/26/2018) - I hope this technique is as helpful for you as it has been for me. It’s well known that you can only post to Instagram from your phone app. Which means you’ve probably done all kinds of digital gymnastics in order to get your best photos onto your phone to share. Many people upload them to Dropbox or another file-sharing site, then download to their phones. I thought I had a good system, which was to use Lightroom mobile to sync photos between my desktop and phone. But this is better. Soooooo much better. The Lr Mobile and Dropbox solutions are a little buggy and sometimes don’t synchronize the photos. Most of all, they still require that you use the phone to do the posting. Also, you can’t use the return key to leave a space between paragraphs. That means you have to compose your post in another app then copy and paste to Instagram to have any degree of formatting. But now you can format your posts and type with a genuine keyboard instead of fat-fingering your way through a typo-ridden paragraph in the Instagram app. Here’s what you do. Using Google Chrome If you’re not using Google’s Chrome browser, it’s a great browser to get you going on this Instagram solution and it’s my favorite browser. In this case, Chrome lets you view the code for all parts of a webpage, and allows you to view it as if you were using a mobile device. You can also use Apple’s Safari and Microsoft Edge, by turning on Developer mode and changing the User Agent to an iPhone or other smartphone. You DON’T need to know how to code A. Don’t freak out — I don’t know anything about coding, either. All you do is go to Instagram.com, then right-click on a blank area of the page. Choose Inspect and your window will split and give you a view of the code on the page. B. Ignore all that colorful gibberish. All you need to do is click on the icon at the top left that looks like a smartphone and a tablet. This changes the view in your page to how it would look for a mobile device. C. Click to refresh the webpage and now you can see the controls you usually see in the Instagram app, including the + button to add a new post. Keep the Inspect pane open. Start posting When you click the + button, you’ll be able to navigate to anyplace your pictures are on your computer. You can now post to Instagram from your computer and share your best pictures however you like — including with watermarks and all the finishing you’ve done. Instagram is a terrific tool for sharing your photos, and now that you know how to post directly from your computer, you can share your best pictures and even type a decent paragraph to go with them. Happy posting.
Danger! Beware of 4 terabyte portable hard drives (10/27/2018) - Ruggedized hard drives are all the rage for photographers working in the field. I am all for them — they are more durable than plastic encased small form factor drives. The problem is with the thicker 4 terabyte offerings. In the case The ruggedized drives from manufacturers like Lacie and G-Tech in the 1 to 2 terabyte size are rugged as advertised, affordable and very portable. Each of these features a single hard drive that appears as a 1 or 2 terabyte volume on the computer. The 4 terabyte version Ruggedized drives over 2 terabytes have two hard drives in them. (The largest single 2.5″ internal drive is 2 terabytes.) They are set up for RAID 0. RAID 0 is designed for speed, not for protection. The risk of failure in these drives doubles. If either of them fails, all of the data stored on the drive is lost. RAID 1 — the safe 2 terabyte solution Some of these 4 terabyte enclosures offer a RAID 1 option. RAID 1 mirrors the data on one drive to the other, creating automatic protection against the failure of either drive. Set up for RAID 1, the drive is now a single 2 terabyte volume. JBOD — Just a Bunch Of Drives Another option on the so-called 4 terabyte drives (it’s marketing, after all, is said and done) is JBOD or Just a Bunch Of Drives where the 4 terabyte drive displays as two 2 terabyte volumes. This is the same amount of storage as if two individual 2 terabyte drives were plugged into the computer. It’s as safe as individual drive and not as protected as the RAID 1 version. On the bottom line… Two 2 terabyte drives in a single enclosure that offers either RAID 1 or JBOD is a very good and prudent option. RAID 0 is uber-dangerous. Thing is, the selling point from the manufacturers is capacity, not redundancy. Again, if the 4 terabyte enclosure does not offer RAID 1 or JBOD options take a pass and buy a pair of 2 terabyte rugged drives in their own enclosures instead. Update: October 28, 2018, 6:46 p.m. EDT Thanks to everyone who has commented so far on this post. From our readers, I’ve learned, as I often do, that they know more than I do and are willing to share. Thank you. There are 2.5″ internal hard drives up to 5 terabytes in size now available. As a professional photographer, I rely on B&H for not only my gear, but for my storage media as well. This evening I checked their offerings of 2.5″ drives. All of the hard drives I found are 2 terabytes or less. B&H does offer a 5 terabyte SSD drive and it is pricey.
Exclusive: What’s in store for Olympus? (10/30/2018) - This year at PhotoPlus Expo, all the rage was around mirrorless. Canon, Nikon and even Panasonic have joined the likes of Sony, introducing full-frame mirrorless cameras. But this begs the question — what’s in store for Olympus, a long-time mirrorless manufacturer using a micro four-thirds format? The micro four-thirds format was released by Olympus and Panasonic in 2008. While there’s been a handful of other micro four-thirds cameras made since its introduction, Olympus and Panasonic have been the heavyweights. With Panasonic’s announcement of its full-frame S1R camera, the company noted that they’re not abandoning micro four-thirds, just offering an alternative in the market. Despite that, many industry experts are worried about the future of the system. So where does that leave Olympus? I sat down with Aki Murata, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Olympus, and Olympus Visionary Joe Edelman, to find out what’s in store. Professional features in a compact body While Olympus might feature a micro four-thirds sensor, it includes many professional-level features, including 5-axis image stabilization, 4K video output, weather sealing, silent mode, High-Res Shot Mode, Live Composite Mode and more. “After we launched the [OM-D] E-M1 Mark II, many professionals switched to it,” Murata said. “We’ve been investing new features and new technologies like Pro Capture Mode, and this will continue. Our [image stabilization] is still the most powerful in the world, and that will not change.” As a former Nikon shooter, Edelman agrees. “I switched to Olympus for its mobility, design, features and quality,” he said. “I fell in love with Olympus because the OM-D E-M1 Mark II and the M.Zuiko lenses put the fun back in my photography, and to be clear, my work hasn’t skipped a beat.” All about quality and mobility For Murata and Olympus, mobility is the name of the game, which dates back to Olympus’ roots as a company with Yoshihisa Maitani, creator of the OM system. “[Maitani] said three things. We should provide ultimate reliability, a compact system and a lightweight system. This will differentiate us. He said we should be very unique, and stand out from others that way. “We want to provide mobility in the system. That’s why we don’t make full-frame — we will not make full-frame. It doesn’t make sense for us to do that. We want to provide cameras you can take anywhere and everywhere, and use them at any time. “We want to provide the cameras you can take anywhere and everywhere, and use them at any time.” So what’s next? “If it makes sense to develop something new, we will. Based on our philosophy, we want to provide the best picture quality in combination with mobility — we believe that’s the best solution,” said Murata. “Technology is always improving. People say micro four-thirds has limitations because of sensor size, but that will not be the case in the future as technology improves.” Reaction to Canon, Nikon and Panasonic While Olympus is all about quality and mobility, the company also recognizes and respects the need for a full-frame system. “So many of these new full-frame cameras are offering megapixel counts beyond what our eyes can appreciate and dynamic range that we don’t need unless we simply don’t want to pay attention to exposure in camera,” said Edelman. Not to mention the fact that the cameras are getting bigger and heavier and much more expensive.” “There will be a need for full-frame, but it’s not for everybody,” said Murata. “We believe that most of the professionals will be happy with micro four-thirds. We’d rather use our resources to develop new lenses and new bodies.” “We use our resources only on micro four-thirds, instead of developing a new system,” said Murata. We cannot give seamless experiences to our consumers [if we change]. It doesn’t make sense [to switch]. “We will be the pioneers in the micro four-thirds market.”Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash
