We kicked off January with some great new content to get you going this year! This week, Darren Miles told us about five things successful photographer’s don’t do. Then, the Photofocus Editorial Board discussed what Nikon has to do to stay relevant.
Lauri Novak told us about the brand-new Photofocus Community, while Ken Lee gave some great ideas for how to photograph with hand sanitizer. Finally, Bob Coates taught us how to capture more striking bird photographs.
What Nikon needs to do to stay in the game - Back in the day, there were two primary camera brands — Canon and Nikon. If you walked into any camera shop, Canon and Nikon were the main brands you saw. The companies moved the photography industry forward year after year, from film cameras to DSLRs. Even today, if you walk into a camera shop, those two brands take up some pretty big shelf space. But now that the mirrorless revolution is in full swing, offering photographers smaller and lighter gear that rival DSLR technology, the market is shifting. Companies like Olympus and Panasonic jumped in first, with Sony following. Canon and Nikon were a bit more cautious, but did eventually release cameras and lenses in 2018. While Canon has started to thrive with the recent releases of the EOS R5 and R6 cameras, Nikon is, well, a bit left behind. Nikon has started to embrace mirrorless with their Z series of cameras, but they have not been well received thus far. Looking at the Amazon top sellers for mirrorless photography should tell you this — the Nikon Z 50 is the first camera by the company listed, and comes in at #19 as of this writing. With the news breaking recently that Nikon had shut down their Japan manufacturing plant, many are starting to question Nikon’s future. Sure, we’ve heard this before. But until now, there were no big steps at the company to signify their eventual demise. It’s clear Nikon is skating on thin ice. In order for Nikon to be taken seriously as a player in the mirrorless game, they have to adapt. And fast. So what does Nikon need to do to push the envelope and truly embark on their mirrorless journey? Focus on unique technologies When you look at Olympus, which just completed the sale of their camera division to Japan Industrial Partners, they actually did a lot of things right when it came to development of the technologies they put in their cameras. Features like Live Composite — still not found on any other camera brand — let you take long exposures without the worry of overexposing your image. Pixel shift technology allowed the company to produce high-resolution images, while state-of-the-art image stabilization and weather sealing meant that Olympus cameras could literally be taken anywhere. Nikon should invest in some unique features like this. The image stabilization found in Canon’s new cameras is second to none, and Nikon absolutely has to compete here. At the same time, the company should develop fun features (like Live Composite) for their users. After all, isn’t using a camera supposed to be fun? Another “new” technology that Nikon desperately needs to develop is their own sensor technology. With Sony supplying Nikon’s sensors, there’s very little that Nikon can do to differentiate itself. Sensor technology is a backbone of any camera manufacturer. Sony has it, Canon has it and Fujifilm has it. Nikon doesn’t and that’s not good for the brand’s long-term survival. The big trend with Nikon is that they don’t develop, and that they waste time in development of gear that doesn’t sell. They also often look to third parties for their technology — not only with their sensors, but with their post-processing software. Nikon needs to bring this in-house and focus their time on developing products that will sell with the mass market. Keep improving video The video autofocus on Nikon’s Z series of cameras is certainly a massive improvement over what they had to offer on their DSLRs. But in order to catch Sony and Canon, they still have a long way to go. Invest in top-notch image stabilization, and keep improving autofocus. While the Z 6II and Z 7II brought a lot of pro-oriented video features, Nikon should add features for the vlogging audience, too — specifically with the Z 5. Develop a true pro body While the Z 6II and Z 7II might be great cameras, Nikon is missing one thing — a true mirrorless pro body. Canon’s missing it too, but it got a lot closer with the R5. Give pros a camera that outputs a high frame rate and that’s super durable. Give them something that’s great in low light. Consider adding a built-in grip for pros. Basically, take the D6 and adapt it to the mirrorless market. Sure, it won’t be Nikon’s bestselling camera. But it’ll show they’re serious and in it for the long haul. Speed up lens development for pros This is by far the biggest weakness when it comes to Nikon’s Z system. When the company launched its Z mount lenses, it came out with slower, smaller lenses like the 24-70mm f/4. While that may be great for casual photographers, pros rely on f/2.8 and faster lenses. With smartphones encroaching more and more each year on casual cameras, Nikon should have focused more on the pro market with their lenses. They made strides on this in 2020, but they need to continue to do so. The fact that there are only two Z-mount lenses that are faster than f/1.8 is really a shame. They need to develop 85mm and 35mm f/1.4 lenses pronto. Additionally, it would serve them well to team up with third-party lens manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron. Not everyone can afford native glass, and not everyone wants to bother with an adapter. When Sony authorized third-party lenses, that system sped forward like a speeding bullet. It’s about time Nikon does the same. Nikon’s not going away … for now We were all shocked when Olympus sold off its camera division. Could a similar fate be on the way for Nikon? By no means do we pretend to be stock analysts, but what we’re seeing is troubling. Nikon stock is at half its value from five years ago, and the company’s net profit margin is down 400 percent. Nikon lost over $80 billion last year alone. At the rate they’re going, Nikon will be out of business in 4-5 years unless something changes. They need to
The legacy of Olympus - January 1, 2021 marked a major shift in the history of Olympus, as the company’s camera division was officially acquired by Japan Industrial Partners (JIP). While no one but JIP truly knows what’s in store for the future, one thing is for sure — Olympus has had a major impact on the camera industry since day one. With a focus on making smaller, more compact cameras, Olympus was ahead of its time during the SLR era. With state-of-the-art film cameras like the OM-1, photography became more approachable, and ultimately led the charge to the mirrorless world as we know it today. Olympus was at the forefront of the mirrorless revolution, adopting the micro four-thirds format to keep its cameras and lenses small and compact. While Olympus has long been seen as somewhat of a niche brand, the company developed some absolutely remarkable technologies over time. For me, Olympus was the first digital camera I ever used, with the Olympus Camedia point and shoot. And while I stepped away from the brand until almost three years ago, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Olympus cameras every day since. When I first picked up the OM-D E-M1 Mark II after being lucky enough to win it at WPPI, I was extremely satisfied with what I could do with it. Olympus provided creative solutions to photographers, opening up a realm of technology that was nowhere else to be found. Tools like Live Composite and more recently, Live ND and Handheld High Res, let me truly have fun with photography again. I recently had the pleasure of talking with several of Olympus’ ambassadors, to get their thoughts on the company, and what it has meant to them. Here’s what they had to say. Peter Baumgarten Olympus Visionary “I purchased my first camera when I was 12 years old with the money I had made at my first summer job. It was the Olympus OM-1n. I didn’t know anything about photography at the time, but my dad insisted that I get a good quality camera that was fully manual. I pumped hundreds of rolls of film through that camera during my teenage years. Little did I know that my choice to purchase an Olympus camera back in 1976 would eventually lead me to have a direct affiliation with the company. I loved that camera so much that when I decided to make the move to digital in the early 2000s I stuck with the brand. I’ve never regretted that decision. I continued to upgrade my gear over the years and was constantly impressed with the innovations that were brought in with each new camera body that I purchased. “In 2014, I was asked to become a member of the Olympus Visionary team. It was an invitation that has completely changed my life. It has provided me with a much wider audience for my photography than I could have imagined, allowed me to travel throughout North America to present to other photographers, and most importantly has created friendships with other ambassadors and the wonderful people who worked for the company. Regardless of what the future holds for Olympus and its new owners, my experiences with the company and its people have been incredibly positive.” Jamie MacDonald Olympus Educator Jamie put together a brief video outlining his experience with Olympus, which you can watch below. Tracie Maglosky Olympus Visionary “For some, Olympus is another camera brand. For me, Olympus is the brand that I cut my teeth on, grew my business with, forged a name in the photography teaching circuit alongside. It’s more than just a brand. It’s a legacy … a legacy of innovation in technology, connection to the people who make Olympus up that have become family, memories that I will cherish forever. “The future is unknown but the past is a pleasant tattoo that I will forever hold on my heart of a brand that I’ve always believed in and that always believed in me.” Rob Knight Olympus Educator “The impact that Olympus has had on my photography and my careers a story in two parts. The first part of my story is much like the story I’ve heard from countless photographers over the past nine years. When I bought the E-P3 PEN camera as a ‘walk-around”’ camera, I intended to keep my full-frame Nikon kit for my ‘real’ photography work. That cute little PEN camera reminded me how much I enjoyed photography. It was simple and fun to use, and the images were better than I expected. I began to write about my experience with the Olympus system on my blog, and that introduced me to what is now the thriving and creative micro four-thirds community. When the OM-D E-M5 came out I found myself using my full-frame system less and less. In just a few months I sold by Nikon gear and I’ve been working with and teaching about micro four-thirds cameras ever since. “Fast forward to 2019 … I was a brand ambassador for a different micro four-thirds camera company and I was unhappy. It wasn’t easy to resign from that team after six years, but I didn’t feel like my skills and expertise were being utilized or appreciated. I was offered the chance to try the current line of Olympus OM-D cameras around that same time, and my experience was similar to the one I had with my PEN camera years earlier. The cameras and lenses did what I needed to do and got out of the way. I was having fun again behind the camera, and I wanted to tell everyone about my experience! When Olympus invited me to join their new Olympus Educator team, I jumped at the chance. The entire Olympus team has made me feel like a part of the family since day one, and it is a family that loves photography. I never feel like I’m working with an electronics company that sells cameras, I feel like I’m working with a photograph company. What
Macro photography at home: Creating otherworldly scenes with hand sanitizer - I’m stuck at home a lot. You probably are as well. But we can still experiment and be creative with our photography — and it doesn’t need to cost very much. Keeping expenses low I wanted something simple. I have minimal equipment and wanted to experiment with items found around the house. I already had a Lensbaby Edge 35 Optic lens (B&H | Amazon), so I purchased their Macro Converters (B&H | Amazon) so I could do macro photography. This would be one of my first experiments! Hand sanitizer bubbles With the amount of hoarding many have done during this pandemic, I know that just about everyone has hand sanitizer at their house. We keep some in the car. I emptied some of the hand sanitizer I had into a glass container that had a flat surface. Why? The hand sanitizer bottle I had was small and curved and had labels. I thought I would try a slightly larger bottle with flat surfaces. This was one of my less successful experiments. I just didn’t like the way they were coming out and struggled with getting focus. The shallow depth of field I had made it very difficult to get anything in focus since all the bubbles were on different planes. Not quite the best container for the job The container I used was slightly too small, and I could see the edges, which I’ve cropped out here. This was a formerly a spice container, so I would recommend something slightly larger. Or you can photograph from the hand sanitizer bottle itself if you can soak the label off and it has a flat surface. If you do not have a flat surface, it readily distorts the bubbles. After getting focus, I turned off all the lights and closed the windows so it was relatively dark. I illuminated this with the Luxli Viola with a red light coming from camera left, as seen above, and a handheld ProtoMachines LED2 coming from the right and above. You can see the ProtoMachines here laying on the table. Don’t forget Thoroughly clean the bottle and peel off any labels and scrub the bottle before using. Every single blemish seems to show up if you don’t. Exploring is fun! The whole idea here is having fun and exploring. What do the various items around your house look like under a proverbial microscope? Not only can you find out — you can take photos of them.
Capturing more striking bird photographs - Bird photography or photographing birds can be quite challenging. Why you ask? Birds are everywhere. It’s a piece of cake to make bird images. Well, yes and no. It’s easy to acquire a photo of the avian species. It’s quite another to get a good or even excellent capture. Read on and I’ll give you some ideas to improve your number of keepers from a session as well as the one word, which will allow you to create more striking images. What’s the one word for better bird photography? Patience. In my opinion, learning to have patience in your bird photography will make you a stronger image-maker. There’s a tendency to get to a location, or to start photographing a new species, and begin immediately pressing the shutter button. You should take some time and study the behavior of your subject. Watch the movements for clues of when to shoot. Many birds tend to take off into the wind, especially the larger ones such as herons and great white egrets. Many species will defecate just before taking off. Hummingbirds will generally fly to the exact same branch just before feeding. They will approach the feeder and hover momentarily at the same position on return visits. Some birds will leap up to begin flight while others will use gravity to accelerate into motion. With knowledge such as that, you can anticipate the exact moment to capture a bird beginning flight. While gorgeous portraits can be made I find that capturing moments of behavior tend to be more interesting. Patience. Study photographs of your target birds before ever going on location. When you arrive at a target rich environment spend time observing behavior. Leave the camera down for a while. Look some more at your prey. This may even mean coming home not with photos, but with new knowledge for future sessions. Only when you can begin to anticipate the movements of your subject is it time to bring the camera up to your eye. Ultimately, you will become a better bird photographer faster if you practice patience. What gear should you use? As a former Panasonic Lumix Ambassador, I had access to grow with the advent of mirrorless micro four-thirds camera gear. That is where most of my experience lies so that’s what I share. Many improvements came with mirrorless systems. Smaller, lighter bodies and lenses were a huge change to help photographers in the field. Better electronic image stabilization built into the cameras and lenses has led to being able to handhold the camera in situations that, in the past, would absolutely require a tripod for bird photography. I became a much better bird photographer when I acquired a longer lens. Being able to have a subject fill a large portion of the sensor even when at a distance means not disturbing the subject. There’s a tendency for birds to take to the wing when you get inside their comfort zone. I used the Lumix GX85 (B&H | Amazon) for the image above. When the Leica 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 (B&H | Amazon) came out, I bought it. Since the sensor is half the size of full-frame cameras, the weight of the glass is relatively light as well. I can handhold this lens at 1/60s or 1/125s or less and still acquire sharp photos. This is a combo that has a similar reach to an 800mm full-frame at less than four pounds. With all that said, you can use any gear that fits your needs. All of the ideas, except for maybe the light weight and hand-holding, I share are cross-platform. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji and Sony are all wonderful pieces of technology. What’s next? I’ve got some more ideas on creating solid bird photography. Field tips, places to find subjects and processing ideas coming soon! Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
Five things successful photographers don’t do - A few years ago, I made a YouTube video on this very topic. As we move toward the end of another year, I think it’s worth revisiting. I’ve been in the photography business for over a decade. In that time, I learned a thing or two about how to run a successful photography business. In this piece, I thought I’d share some of those with you. Here are five things that I don’t do that have helped me be successful. 1. Don’t put just any photo on your website You know the old expression, ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression.’ Nowhere is that more true than in today’s online world. The first photo to appear on your website needs to have an impact, it needs to be the best of the best of your images. Every image after that has to have some kind of impact as well. Do you want to win clients? Your website images have to be awesome. 2. Don’t make your clients wait I get it — you shouldn’t set an unreasonable expectation here. No one expects you to turn wedding images around in 24 hours. However, if you’re a portrait photographer, specifically professional portraits for business, if you want to make an impression, have proofs ready the same or no later than the next day. To really shorten the cycle, try tethering. Word will get around about how quick and efficient you are. 3. Don’t make the mistake of asking other photographers what their settings were I used to be that guy. When you’re new, it’s one thing to ask a more experienced photographer what his/her settings were in a specific image. However, trying to imitate those settings and applying them to any given situation is a recipe for disaster. What you eventually learn is settings are situational. The best way to learn is to practice and practice a lot! 4. Don’t obsess over gear I’m still guilty of this today. I obsess over gear, but I’ve gotten much more strategic about it over the years. The latest and greatest cameras, lenses and lighting are all nice. They make getting the shot faster and more efficient. But they don’t make the photo — you the photographer do. The best tool is the one between your ears, not the one in your hand. If you need inspiration with the gear you have, go to a photo site like Flickr or 500px. Seek out groups that use the gear you already have to remind you what’s possible. I’ve lost my interest in new gear when I’m reminded of how great my existing gear is. 5. Don’t waste time trying to impress other photographers Here’s a friendly reminder — other photographers don’t write checks to you, your clients do. As cool as it may be to impress other photographers, remember, they’re not paying your bills. Your clients are. Focus your time, effort and energy on impressing them! They’re the only ones who truly matter.
