This week, Erin Holmstead told us about the compact lights she uses for photography, while Nate Torres made the argument about why EXIF data isn’t important.
Scott Wyden Kivowitz walked us through creating a custom studio lighting setup, while Bryan Esler reviewed the new Olympus 100-400mm lens. Finally, Giulio Sciorio talked about how he utilizes Aurora HDR on his street portraits.
My go-to lights fit in the palm of my hand. Don’t yours? - If I told you that my two must-have lights fit into the palm of my hand, would you believe me? One of those lights alone was used to light my face in the image below. Would believe me that? Lume Cube The first light I like to pack in my camera bag is the Lume Cube 2.0 Daylight-Balanced Portable LED Light. It is a rechargeable, 1-inch by 1-inch square cube that has a 5600K color temperature. The unit’s output is dimmable from 0 to 750 lux. The low light mode is also accessible and you are able to dim the light from 10 to 1%. Another feature that is important to note about the Lume Cube is it is waterproof down to 30 feet. This allows you to comfortably use the Lume Cube in wet weather as well as dry or when submerged. The coolest part of this light is the fact that it can be controlled either manually or via Bluetooth using the Lume-X app, which is available for iOS and Android. These lights come with a wide range of accessories like honeycomb grids, diffusers and gels. The light has four magnets on the front of each corner which is how each accessory attaches. This lets you stack them on top of each other, allowing you to create any combination you want. Godox Round Mini Next, I always have Godox Round Mini RGB LED Magnetic Light (B&H | Amazon) in my bag. This compact, lightweight and versatile LED light feature two different lighting modes and 14 special effects, ranging from RGB Cycle, flash, candle, firework and lightning. You can also adjust the R1 from tungsten to balanced daylight (2500 to 8500K). This light also includes a magnetic dome diffuser. You can mount it to a tripod, the back of a phone or magnetically to a metal surface. One full charge will give you up to 1.5 hours of light. Three ways I use these lights With each of these lights being so compact it is super easy for me to use them when shooting self portraits. I can easily hold one or two lights in one hand, allowing me the option to create different lighting patterns in a matter of minutes. The second way I use these lights is when shooting product photography. I don’t have a lot of space to work within my little office and these lights together or separate carry enough punch to light up products. Allowing me to quickly change their positions without and hassle. The third and final way I love using theses lights is when I am light painting. At the click of a button, I have multiple color options and speeds. These make light painting incredibly easy and fun. I have used both these lights as the main light, fill and the kicker. They are both incredibly versatile and compact. You can’t go wrong with either … so you might as well get both. :)
Why EXIF data isn’t that important - In today’s article, I’m going to discuss why EXIF information is not that important. Before I do that, let’s discuss what EXIF is. What is it, and why do people think it is important? EXIF is an abbreviation that stands for “Exchangeable Image File.” It stores all the metadata related to your image file — the resolution, date/time, exposure settings and other camera settings. It can also include more advanced information such as GPS location if your camera supports the feature. People consider the information important for two main reasons: Sorting and archiving pictures. Info such as date/time and location are useful for sorting and archiving. Experienced photographers who want to study their work and really understand the impact of different camera settings on their work. It can also be useful when editing. Why it does not really matter Some people believe that as a photographer you must understand every small technical detail about your work. Well, I don’t think so. Starting in any new hobby or field of business in this world is extremely hard. The first steps have so much pressure, caused by ideologies, visions, pressure from peers and even families. People think that they must start with a bang and become a millionaire overnight. This often leads people to study a subject for months and even years, without enough practice and only theory. If you give someone interested in photography a book on how to use EXIF data and what it is, they will probably be shocked and become discouraged. EXIF data is one of the nitty-gritty details of the world of photography. Sure, you will sound more experienced in your field if you reply “I shot this in … ISO with 1/6s exposure …” But use of such words isn’t needed. It might sound cool or smart, but it’s unneeded and comes across as you showing off how much you know about something. People do not talk about their photo’s EXIF data in the caption unless someone specifically asks for it. The same thing also applies to your daily conversation if someone asks about your photo. You are much better discussing how you framed the shot, organized the lighting, etc. Overcomplicating theories to freshmen is not cool The theory is cool and all, but without enough practice, it is practically useless. Studying how to run and practicing how to correctly run feels vastly different. Only studying does more harm than good. The correct approach when talking about how to do something would be making it simple. There is a reason there are many books using the “how to something for dummies.” It serves as a little introduction for them. How to do anything, without worrying about the butterfly effect that may happen to them. Telling somebody that Iso speed ratings and what focal length does do to each other to someone just starting out would just spook them away. People would say … “But if you simplify it, then they won’t understand why it matters” or “simplifying does more harm than good.” To that, I’d like to say that if you cannot explain something complex to someone new in that certain field, or an elementary schooler, that means you don’t understand it quite enough. Overcomplicating something to make it seem more grandiose will not help many people. Maybe if your circle is full of “professionals” that love to use specific terms, then it’s fine. But for a beginner? I’d say otherwise. Let them get used to it and become invested. Only then will EXIF data truly matter.
How to create your own smart studio lighting - While my office is also my studio, just like so many other photographers, I am in a unique situation. My office/studio lights have to be adjusted for various scenarios: Working at my desk Recording a video for my YouTube channel Hosting The WordPress Photography Podcast for Imagely Hosting The Photographer Show here at Photofocus Studio family photography session Studio headshot photography session Studio cake smash photography session I try to be a very organized person, but when you have so many different setups that need to be in place, it can get hard be efficient. So ,I found my own method which I call my Smart Video Lighting Setup. Here is how it works. As an Apple user, I use HomeKit and talking to Siri. I set up a HomePod to be the hub for everything. If you’re an Android user, you can replicate this using Google Home or Amazon Alexa. I set up Siri Shortcuts (Amazon calls these Routines for Alexa) to run various tasks based on what I am filming or photographing. I can either tap on my phone or iPad screen to run a bunch of tasks required for the session. Or, if the HomePod plays nice (it doesn’t always see the Siri Shortcuts) I can ask Siri to run the shortcut. For example, I could say “Hey Siri, Headshot Session” and all of a sudden my entire studio will convert its lighting into a headshot session setup. I am always tweaking my setup, and devices used to make it as optimal as possible. But here is the current setup for my video lighting setup: My overhead room lights in the studio are on a smart switch I have a smart switch to turn on the key light and video monitor A Philips Hue light strip is above the background taped to the ceiling A Philips Hue bulb is overhead used as a hair/rim light At the time of recording the video, I was using outdoor RGB floodlights, which are Alexa based. I used a HomeBridge server to make them HomeKit compatible. Since then I’ve switched over to two more Philips Hue bulbs to control the background color accents. This means I can use the floodlights for other tasks. In the video below you’ll see how all of this works. I am not recommending everyone to do this. But if you are in a situation like myself, where you’re constantly changing your scene, then going the smart lighting route might be a good idea. If that is the case, then hopefully I have inspired you to think outside the box to make the magic happen.
Does the new Olympus 100-400mm hit the mark? - I’ve had the new Olympus 100-400mm f/5-6.3 (B&H | Amazon) for a few days now, and I finally was able to take it out and photograph some wildlife. I took the lens, paired with my E-M1X, to Blandford Nature Center, where I knew I’d see at least a few animals. While a lot of photographers will think this is a great birding lens, it’s a great, affordable choice for anyone photographing any type of wildlife. First impressions One of my favorite Olympus lenses is the 300mm f/4 PRO. The sharpness and compression combines to create some really stellar image quality, whether you’re photographing landscape details or alligators in Costa Rica. With the 100-400mm, Olympus took the footprint of the 300mm and put its optics into a telephoto zoom body, providing a versatile reach to photographers. While it’ll undoubtedly be compared to the Lumix 100-400mm, the Olympus version certainly holds its own and is very similar. The lens feels great and well-balanced in the hands, on both my E-M1X and E-M1 Mark III cameras. The zoom ring was a little slow in my opinion, but nothing you can’t get used to. The fact that the lens protrudes as much as it does when zoomed in might look a little strange to the everyday observer, but it doesn’t take long to get used to. Specs Aperture: f/5 – f/22 Minimum focus distance: 4.27 feet / 1.3 meters Optical design: 21 elements / 15 groups Diaphragm blades: 9, rounded Image stabilization: Yes Filter size: 72mm Dimensions: 3.4 x 8.1 inches Weight: 2.46 pounds Performance During my time using the Olympus 100-400mm, I was pretty impressed with what it could do. Focusing was pretty fast and, for the most part, spot on. It was able to keep up with burst shooting (as long as I could follow my subject’s movements). Images were crisp and of great quality. If you’re in the great outdoors with some decent light, the lens should have no problem hitting your targets. I photographed a couple of goats and other animals, and even as they moved around it focused very well, to the point where I thought I was photographing with a much more premium lens. Focusing was a bit slower when there wasn’t as much light or contrast available, as shown below with these shots of a falcon and owl in their cages. It would often lock on the cages behind them for focus, instead of the birds. My hit rate in this scenario wasn’t quite as high as I had hoped for. Still, I was able to get some decent shots. Though, due to its f/5 maximum aperture, I had to really boost my ISO in those darker areas. In terms of things like bokeh, I was pleasantly surprised. I talked earlier about the compression look you get with the 300mm f/4 PRO, and the 100-400mm rivals that look. For a micro four-thirds lens, it really looks quite artistic and blurs the background nicely, even at higher apertures. Problems with focus and recompose? One thing I did see was a potential issue using the center focus point to focus and recompose. I tried this experiment several times, at different apertures and focal lengths. When zoomed out completely to 100mm, it seemed to lose focus just ever so slightly while recomposing. You’ll see what I mean in the photos below, where I focused on the front blackberry. The photo on the left is with the blackberry right in the center of the frame, with focus tack sharp. The photo on the right is once I recomposed the image. You’ll see that the focus didn’t follow that blackberry. Both of these were taken at 100mm at f/5. I tried this with a few different focal lengths (which bumped up the aperture), and while it was still prevalent, it wasn’t as obvious an issue. Still, it’s something to keep in mind if you rely on focus and recompose like I do. This is something I’ll be testing further in the coming weeks. Olympus has had issues with focus and recompose with past lenses, and they’ve fixed them relatively quickly via a firmware update. Here’s to hoping they do the same here. The verdict For me, it’s kind of a toss-up with this lens. The image quality is really nice, and it’s great to have a lens with the amount of reach that it has. If you’re a wildlife or bird photographer, it’s definitely something to consider. But it falls a bit short for me when it comes to autofocus — primarily with the focus and recompose method. I might sound a bit old school saying that, but seeing a little softness in the photos when doing this is a bit disappointing. If they can fix that issue, this lens is a winner. And I think Billy would agree.
Perfecting street portraits with Aurora HDR - Street photography is such a vast topic and one that’s wide open to interpretations. My view is that street photography is more of a state of mind than a look or process. For me, street photography is about connecting with people and creating their portrait on the spot. Even with the latest camera, there’s only so much dynamic range the imaging sensor can record so we must compromise: Do we save highlights or shadows? Most of the time I’m satisfied with stretching out the dynamic range of the RAW file in Capture One, but that takes time. While I dig the results on Capture One, sometimes I just want the image done so I can move on with life. This is where Aurora HDR enters my workflow. The initial results impressed me, and with a bit of time I was able to perfect street portraits with it. Quickly increasing dynamic range Like any other modern photography app, Aurora HDR has more features that most of us will ever use. And that’s OK. For my test, I kept the interface at its default, but it can be customized to suit your style. Speaking of styles, Aurora has plenty of crazy looking HDR looks built in of which, I found only one that I would use ever so lightly. For my taste, the default settings for all looks are very intense, but you can dial back any look you’re using. Looks can be purchased for Aurora but there’s also plenty of free options. Plus you can make your own, which is what I suggest. Additionally, you can load in any LUTs you might have for video or still photography, which can be super helpful to keep a consistent look across platforms. My workflow for street portraits What I found that works for me is to first, load a RAW file into Aurora HDR and let it process with default settings. Next, load the original image into its own layer, which Aurora will do without any type of adjustment including lens corrections. Then reduce the opacity of the layer the original image is on to blend in the HDR version which Aurora processed upon launch. At this point I’ll often go to the bottom layer that’s been given the ol’ HDR treatment to further tweak with some slight desaturation and reduction in contrast then crop and done. This might appear overly simple for you, but it’s how I like my images to appear if I were to process them in Aurora. If you have not considered using Aurora HDR yet, definitely download a trial and give it a go. If you like working with HDR images already, then purchasing Aurora HDR is a must. Aurora is simple to get started with, but has enough depth to keep you exploring the darker (or lighter) sides of photography.
