This week our team ventured out to Las Vegas for WPPI! We saw some great new products from companies like Savage, Platypod, Insta360, Tether Tools and more. Stay tuned for more coverage next week!
James Maher kicked off the week and gave us six tips for new street photographers, while Andrew Ford gave us some simple ways to optimize our YouTube channels. Nate Torres told us how to use leading lines, while Kevin Ames talked to Insta360 and Bryan Esler talked to Savage about their new C-Stand.
Five simple ways to optimize your YouTube channel - If you aren’t doing the little things to optimize your YouTube channel, what are you waiting for? Google (YouTube’s parent company) is the largest search engine in the world and YouTube, as a separate entity, would actually rank as the second largest search engine. So, anything you do to enhance your channel and videos has immediate impact on search rankings. In addition, these simple tips will provide a better user experience that will attract subscribers. Channel images First, make sure your channel images are clean, readable, and relevant. Your circular account icon is actually uploaded through your Google account. It is recommended that your image is a 250×250 pixel square, but remember the corners will be cut off. Choose a meaningful representative image. Text will most likely be unreadable unless it is a short bold word. Your channel art (header image) can be changed by clicking the image icon in the upper right on your channel page header area. You’ll need a 2560×1440 pixel image at 72 dpi that is under 6MB file size. This will fill a TV display, but will be cropped for desktop and mobile displays. As you see in the image below, the dark blue area that I’ve highlighted in the TV image is what displays on desktop or mobile. Unlike the account icon, there is more room here for text/taglines and appealing imagery. About info When you click the “Your Channel” or “Customize Channel” option, you will see menu headings running horizontally below your channel art. The “About” section is important to fill out. Be sure to add a description for your channel, including keywords that are relevant and helpful for your search rankings. This section is also where you can add a contact email. Be sure to add custom links, such as your website and social media channels. These will appear over the bottom right corner of your channel art image. Trailer You can create a video, or trailer, for new visitors to your YouTube channel. This video is not shown to channel subscribers, so the goal is to create a short video to explain your channel and get newcomers to subscribe. You can also choose a video or playlist to play here for returning subscribers. Channel organization As your video content grows, proper organization will help viewers find what they want more easily. You should put your videos into Playlists, which is a group of videos. You can order the videos, so put your best or newest content at the beginning of the list. Make sure your playlist is properly named with relevant keywords. Then, on your channel page, you can add a Section. Inside each section, you have many options of what to display. The above image shows the complete list of options. This is a good place to list multiple related playlists. For example, if you have a sports channel, you could make a section for Football Videos and one for Baseball Videos. Inside the Football section, you could have several playlists, such as Player Interviews, Best Running Plays and Best Passing Plays. This helps the viewer find what they are looking for and presents a more professional and organized appearance. Help out your videos Simply posting video content won’t set you apart from the millions of other channels. Your videos need titles that are descriptive and catchy. Test different keywords in titles and/or descriptions to see what works best for you. Also, try out using hashtags in both titles and descriptions. When uploading your videos, it is important to add many relevant tags in the Tags section. This not only helps your video be found in a Google search, but also increases the chance it shows up as a YouTube suggested video for a relevant search in site. It cannot be overstated how important this is. One YouTube channel that I run achieves roughly 40,000 monthly views. Over half of those views come from YouTube search and being a YouTube suggested video. That is huge! The final points I’ll make about maximizing your video content are to ensure the intro is catchy enough to keep viewers watching (that is where most viewer drop-off occurs), that you use Cards to keep viewer interest in longer videos (by offering nuggets, related links or skip ahead choices), and that you end with a call to action or a promotion of your other social channels.
How to use leading lines: A simple guide - Many professional photographers will tell you that every winning shot is about composition. You may have captured all of the action, instilled in your photograph a certain mood or emotion or even shot your photos at a breathtaking location. But without good composition, your photographs will still look amateur even to the untrained eye. Composition is the encapsulation of many concepts that all strive to do one thing — make the positive and negative, the foreground and background, and the shadow and highlights all work harmoniously. Composition is about your use of space, how that space interacts with itself and where your audience’s eye is drawn to and the subsequent path it takes. One key to great composition, which is often overlooked, is known as the “leading lines technique.” What are leading lines? Even in nature, lines can be found that tell our eyes where to look, what path to follow and what is most important, even if all of this is done subconsciously. In photography, the concept of leading lines takes this unconscious habit and tries to control it. Using lines, either natural or man-made, to lead your audience in a certain way when viewing your photography. Composition is all about hierarchy and leading lines are one of the best ways to establish an intentional one. Things like train tracks, though innocuous in most settings, can act as a clever way to bring attention to your subject. While train tracks are an obvious example, many others can be found if you cultivate the special awareness and intuition of a great photographer. Why are leading lines important? While leading lines aren’t present in all photographs, they’re still a unique, often underused technique to put in your arsenal. Not every backdrop will have them and sometimes you simply don’t need them. However, when you see them in their natural habitat, it would be worth taking advantage of them even for just a few photographs. A photograph with great composition that utilizes leading lines effectively has an exceptional quality that’ll catch the attention of many people. Something is alluring about subconscious direction and that’s exactly what the concept of leading lines aims to do. How do you use leading lines in photography? To use leading lines effectively, you first must have an eye for them. Finding them in nature can be hard when you’re in a session. Yet, it’s best to train yourself to keep your eyes open. Being aware of your surroundings even amid photographing your model is what will make you a great photographer. Keeping a mental (or physical) list of backdrops with leading lines can be a beneficial asset to your photography business. Not only does it take the guesswork out of finding the perfect location, but it allows you to decide preemptively if that is the look you want for your client. When it comes down to it, composing your shot using either the golden ratio or by playing with both symmetry and asymmetry will get you different results. For instance, a perfectly centered shot of train tracks so they grow smaller, eventually disappearing against the horizon, is a great way to use the lines drawn by the tracks. In other cases, using the golden ratio or introducing those same lines asymmetrically might get you an unorthodox result, which can be just as good. Leading lines photography ideas Leading lines can be found anywhere be it in nature or as part of a man-made structure. However, there are some great go-to options that photographers often utilize when using the leading lines technique. Train tracks What better way to draw attention to your subject matter than by positioning it in the middle of train tracks? Or maybe your wish is to buck the trend and place them outside of that space? No matter how you decide to use the bold lines creating by a set of train tracks, you’ll find it quite easy to conjure up striking imagery with little effort. Imposing walls When you’re shooting from ground level, placing your lens close to the surface of a wall can give you an interesting angle that leads your audience’s eye toward the horizon. The closer you get to the wall, the smaller your viewer will appear against the imposingly large wall framing your photograph. Stairs & escalators There are many ways to shoot a set of steps. No matter where you position your camera you’ll be able to capture the stark angles and leading lines created by the stairs. Shooting from the bottom looking upward can give your photographs an imposing quality. Shooting in the opposite direction can capture your subject matter as they exit the frame. Archways An archway or tunnel can be a great place to shoot a portrait. Not only does it provide you with visually interesting curves, but it brings immediate attention to your subject, making them a literal keystone to the photo. Depending on your lens, you can make their figure imposing or meek or something in-between. There’s plenty of room for experimentation. Leading lines & framing are just one tool in your arsenal It’s best to treat the idea of leading lines as one tool of many that you have in your arsenal. Not every session needs it and it’s not always appropriate. However, when used appropriately, leading lines are a straightforward way to build your photograph’s composition. Most of all, it’s a great way to highlight your subject matter. There are many ways to build composition in a photograph. Your job as the photographer is to build something for your client that sits on a sturdy foundation and has lasting power. That means you should keep the gimmicks to a minimum and use your knowledge to enhance your client. Leading lines is just one way to enhance a photograph but it’s an effective and creative one.
Talking the OneR modular action camera with Insta360 - At WPPI 2020 in Las Vegas, Insta360’s Katherine Chung talked with me about the company’s latest action camera. The OneR modular action camera Kevin Ames: Katherine, what’s the latest from Insta360? Katherine Chung: Insta360 just launched the first modular action camera. And this camera’s really exciting because you’re not only limited to just 360º views. Now you can switch out your 360-degree lenses. You can change to your 4K lens to even your one-inch sensor, Leica lens for whatever you need to capture. KA: A new sensor is included in each of the lenses, right? KC: Yes. Three affordable modular action cams KA: Does that really drive the cost up? KC: I would still say our costs are fairly competitive for what they are and the tremendous possibilities that you can get with these cameras. KA: What’s the price range? KC: So with the twin edition — with the 4K wide-angle and the 360-degree module — you’re looking at about $480. That’s very reasonable. Then if you wanted the additional one-inch wide-angle module, that’s just an additional $300. Modular action camera image stabilization KA: Very nice. So, under $800, you get three different sensors, three different lenses. Do all of them have the Insta360 image stabilization? KC: Definitely. So all of our cameras have two layers of stabilization. There’s an active gyroscope built inside, and once you’ve captured footage there’s another layer of digital stabilization. So you’re always want to have buttery smooth footage. KA: To help me understand, how does Insta360 stabilization differ from GoPro’s hyper smooth? KC: I believe GoPro stabilization is just digitally stabilized. And I would think that they’re fairly similar in what they’re doing. But if you look online, there are various comparison videos that’ll compare the two cameras or multiple cameras side by side and you can tell yourself — tell for yourself which cameras have the best better stabilization. Review camera The OneR is on our list to review, but they’re currently in short supply to due to the Coronavirus outbreak closing productions at Chinese factories. I hope to be able to put this new modular action camera through its paces soon and write an in-depth review.
The new C-Stand everyone’s talking about - There’s an interesting buzz coming from the Savage booth at this year’s WPPI, surrounding their brand-new Stainless Steel C-Stand with Grip Arm Kit. While many photographers know Savage for its paper backgrounds, the company is becoming increasingly known for its studio gear. With the new C-Stand, Savage offers a product that solves a lot of problems for photographers. It can fit into tight corners with ease and even adapt to stairs and uneven terrain. Most importantly, the C-Stand lets you use multiple lights or modifiers without having to stack C-Stands on each other. It lets you combine a light, scrim, reflector and other accessories with ease. In a sense, Savage has taken the ever-popular C-Stand, and kicked it up a notch to create something truly compelling for studio photographers. “There is a lot of versatility. In many applications, one stand replaces two. You can do things you could never do with any other C-Stand,” said Rusty Reeves, director of product development. While C-Stands are a favorite of studio photographers due to their stabilization and versatility, Savage’s new offering has some important differences compared to others on the market. For one, the C-Stand is entirely made of stainless steel — instead of chrome-plated steel — meaning that magnets won’t stick to it. More importantly, it also means it won’t rust where the chrome plating has been damaged through use, or from inside the tubing where there may be no chrome plating. It’s less likely to break over time. It’s also the first C-Stand available with a Rocky Mountain leg and turtle base combination. The center riser is also removable for storage, while the short riser can be used to level the stand by extending it through the junior receiver on the leg. The main riser can be used in the junior receiver on the leg to mount lights flush against walls or in corners. Finally, the second baby pin on the leg allows for mounting of low angle lighting, as well as providing for other creative options. “The junior receiver in the leg does multiple things for you. The first thing is this is what they call a turtle based C-Stand, which means you can move remove the riser from the base. So I can take out the short leg, I can move the riser and now I can put my light flush in a corner,” said Reeves. “But besides that, before anybody has either had to have a turtle base, or what they call a Hollywood or a Rocky Mountain-based amount on stairs or uneven surfaces. Ours is both because, if I’m up on a step, I can mount it on a stairway.” The Savage C-Stand is available in stainless steel for $232.99. A black-coated stainless steel version will also be released at a future date. Check out the video below for more information and a brief demonstration:
Six of the most important tips for new street photographers to know - Street photography is an incredibly difficult form of photography. You need to go out into the world, capture spontaneous and often instantaneous random photographs of scenes and people who you’ve probably never met before. And somehow, eventually put these disparate moments all together into a cohesive body of work. Specifically, the initial jump in experience from complete beginner to decent street photographer can seem incredibly daunting. But there are specific street photography tips that can make this jump much simpler for you and fairly easy. It’s really the next jump that takes the real-time to master! 1. The camera is important! I’ll be the first one to say that you can use any camera for street photography. I’ve used iPhones, mirrorless, SLRs and even medium format cameras. They all work and you can figure out ways to make them work well. That being said, some street photography cameras are more conducive to helping you excel at the genre. I highly recommend the Fujifilm X100V. Small and light is the name of the game. These days, mirrorless or Micro Four-Thirds cameras are what I believe to be the best for street photography. They provide the image quality, camera speed and high ISOs, but most importantly, they are small. Using a small camera will, of course, make you less conspicuous when out on the street. But even more so than that, you will have faster hand-eye coordination. Likewise, you’ll be able to shoot more spontaneously with a light camera. You will become more instinctual. Also, I highly recommend using a light prime lens such as a 35mm or 50mm (full-frame equivalent). These lenses will allow you to get close. They are small, and just the act of using a prime lens will make you much faster and more intuitive with your camera. You will get used to the focal length and moving to frame the scene. You won’t have to waste time zooming. And your camera will be smaller and lighter. 2. Quick settings The first step to figuring out the best settings for street photography is to look outside and see how strong the light is. This step is what dictates all the next steps. Then I will set my ISO, and I will set it pretty high. My general rule is to set the camera to ISO 400 if I am in bright sunlight, 800 to light shade, 1600 for dark shade and 3200-6400 for dusk into evening. This being said, even if it is sunny, if there is a shady side of the street that you plan to photograph on at points, you need to set your settings for the shady side. If you strictly set them for the sunny side, then your shots will often be blurry on the shady side. Since buildings are so tall in New York and there are so many areas of shade, I am usually at ISO 800 on sunny days unless I am staying in the direct sunlight for a long time. The reason for settings the ISO high is to give us much more flexibility with our aperture and shutter speed. I typically prefer to have as much depth of field as possible (although that’s often not possible if the light is low), so on sunny days, I will usually be around f/8. This is in case I miss the focus on a subject a bit and so I can get multiple subjects at different depths to be fairly sharp. You can do street photography well in Manual, Aperture or Shutter Priority mode if you know them well. That being said, I typically recommend Aperture Priority, so the camera can set the shutter speed. Changing the camera constantly in Manual just takes away too much focus from the subjects for me. I will set the ISO and aperture and then pay attention to the shutter speed that the camera chooses. During the day, I try to keep the shutter at 1/250s of a second or faster to freeze motion in people. At night, I’m OK going down to 1/125s or 1/80s of a second. 3. Acting and getting close How you carry yourself if the key to getting close to your subjects. Getting close is important to have your photography feel intimate. While a lot of times I shoot very quickly so subjects won’t notice anyway, I always try to look like I don’t notice them in the first place. I keep my gaze slightly to the side or above them as if I’m engrossed in the background. And when I really need to be candid, I will aim the camera up at something behind them, like I am photographing the background. I look around through my camera to capture them, then put the camera back up toward the background. It just looks like I was looking around with my camera and they were in the way. I also try to not take my camera away from my eye after capturing a person, instead waiting for them to walk through or aiming my camera away before removing it, so as not to tip them off that I took their photo. Finally, it’s OK to wait and let your subjects come to you instead of you getting in their face. By waiting in a busy area you will allow people to enter your personal space instead of you entering their space, and this changes the dynamic significantly. If you carry yourself in the right way with these tips, you will be able to get away with much more than you might imagine. 4. Capture expressions and gestures A main goal of street photography is to share emotions and feelings in our photographs. An important way to do that is to show these feelings in other people. Don’t just look for the flashiest person. Look for the person who has the most interesting expression on the face, in their eyes, or with their body language. This is a major aspect to honeWin free prizes just for entering the Photofocus Celebrates 21 Years contest! Get started today.
