Editor's Note: We welcome Mike Hagen to the Photofocus team. Mike Hagen is a professional photographer, author, and educator. He operates workshops around the world and is well known for his engaging style and humor. Learn more about Mike at visadventures.com Every week I get questions from people about the image quality of cell phone cameras. In fact, just the other day, I was meeting with a gentleman over coffee and he wanted to know about the image quality differences between my Nikon D850 and my iPhone X. It seems like a silly … [Read more...] about Five keys to printing cell phone photographs
smartphone
Gear Review: Eyeforcer Glasses
I was surprised when I was approached about reviewing this product, but the more I use it, the more I like it. Eyeforcer is a pair of glasses that sense when your head is tilting and activate a light to remind you to lift your head back up. In fact, if you ignore the blinking light by your eye for too long, it'll send you a text message. Is it necessary? I've heard on the news several times over the last few years that people are having neck and back troubles from using their phones and tablets. The problem comes from tilting your head too … [Read more...] about Gear Review: Eyeforcer Glasses
iPhone X Introduces a Plethora of New Photography Features
Apple has put a huge emphasis on photography in the iPhone X. Behind its $999 price tag comes a 12-megapixel camera, making it a great alternative to your heavy photography kit. The Specs The iPhone X features a 12-megapixel camera with two lenses — a wide-angle f/1.8 lens and a telephoto f/2.4 lens. These feature an optical zoom, as well as a digital zoom of up to 10x for photos, and 6x for videos. Both lenses also feature dual optical image stabilization (OIS). Apple also boasts that the camera has a image signal processor, which … [Read more...] about iPhone X Introduces a Plethora of New Photography Features
This Changes Everything, How to Accurately Meter Light-Flash-Color from Your Smartphone
The light meter in our camera's only read light bouncing off the subject. They can't read color or flash (unless it's from its own speedlight.) They also can't read light falling on the subject also know as "incident" measurement. Incident flash meters run from a low end of $200.00 to $750.00 for a pro version. Color meters are really pricey at $1700.00. Which brings me to a new incident meter that connects to iOS & Android smartphones via bluetooth. Introducing the Illuminati Meter Illuminati Instruments introduced a compact incident … [Read more...] about This Changes Everything, How to Accurately Meter Light-Flash-Color from Your Smartphone
Apple’s New iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Cameras
Apple have just announced the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Of course, we're most interested in the camera(s) specs. iOS 10 Shoots RAW That's right, now you can shoot RAW photos on your iPhone, and it doesn't even require buying a new phone. Some other phones already shoot RAW, but this is new to iOS. Adobe Lightroom Mobile is already optimized for working on RAW photos, and Apple said these new phones are perfect for it. iOS 10 should be available September 13th. 12-Megapixel Sensors and Performance The iPhone 6s also had a … [Read more...] about Apple’s New iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Cameras
DroboAccess: Encrypted Connection to Remote NAS Drobos
Drobo has launched DroboAccess, an app that's part of the myDrobo applications available on its networked attached storage (NAS) devices. The 5 drive bay Drobo 5N and its big brother the 8 bay Drobo B810n using DroboAccess allows users to share files and folders by means of links. They can be read only or read / write and have password protection. Best of all it's a browser based solution that lets users get their files from anywhere on desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets. It is available now. Getting to DroboAccess Check for updates … [Read more...] about DroboAccess: Encrypted Connection to Remote NAS Drobos
Shooting Raw on a Smartphone with the LG G4
I was recently given the new LG G4 smartphone to try out by my friends at ThreeUK. Theres a lot I could write about the software, shape etcetera, but Im a phoneographer so lets get straight to the camera. Go Manual The camera is good on this phone but really comes into its own when you opt to switch to Manual mode. Here you can opt to change; White Balance Focal depth Exposure compensation ISO Shutter speed All pretty cool and opens up some great photographic opportunities, but what really got me excited was the option to shoot jpg or DNG … [Read more...] about Shooting Raw on a Smartphone with the LG G4
Fun Skewing an Image
As the driver drove us from the Las Vegas airport to our hotel, I saw a billboard promoting a comedian's act for one of the hotels. That got me thinking of my comedian buddy Frankie Paul. We joked about him performing in Vegas. I thought how cool will it be when I see Frankie's act promoted on a billboard here. This gave me an idea. I can add Frankie to the billboard! By the time my camera photo was ready, I missed my opportunity. I waited for another billboard and quickly took a shot. To add Frankie to the billboard is actually really easy … [Read more...] about Fun Skewing an Image
Make your Vacation Cell Phone Photos Better
We took the day off to walk around Las Vegas before our scheduled filled work week at the Photoshop World convention began. People were everywhere taking cell phone photos of themselves and loved ones in front of Vegas landmarks. Every shot the same; they got as close to the landmark as possible then captured the image. That got me thinking. This will be a great article to write How I got the shot. To start with, these are cell phone images. We only had a few seconds to snap a shot before people walked into our frame. I tried to recreate a … [Read more...] about Make your Vacation Cell Phone Photos Better
Sport Portrait Composite part 1of 3 | How I Got the Shot
My son Alec's passion for lacrosse is contagious. You can't help getting excited when he talks about key players, the game, and what to look for when watching. His enthusiasm had me embark on a two year project of capturing the sport known as "The fastest game on two feet." First a little history. Alec's high school didn't have a lacrosse program. Lacrosse is fairly new in Florida. I teamed up with a few parents and we were able to raise enough funds, find a coach and raise awareness to create a team. The first year wasn't easy to say the … [Read more...] about Sport Portrait Composite part 1of 3 | How I Got the Shot
Turn Your Phone 90 Degrees (NSFW)
Vertical Video. Unless you're hanging a television set in portrait aspect ratio (think digital signage) there's likely no reason to shoot this way. Video is a panoramic medium (embrace it). Apparently it bothers other people too. Perhaps we can all share this movie with a few other folks who could benefit from watching. Just a little light-hearted humor for your enjoyment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqHZJe6306k ______ … [Read more...] about Turn Your Phone 90 Degrees (NSFW)
Thoughts on Smartphone Usage
Evgenia Tiplyashina Last week, we ran a poll on smartphone usage by photographers. If you haven't voted, we'd love to hear your opinion (click here). We're trying to better understand how photographers view smartphones. The Results So Far The results so far are quite interesting (people were allowed to vote on multiple choices, but only one time total). Here's where it breaks down (with my editorial analysis included). I Use It If It's The Only Camera I Have 31.17% No surprises here. A photographer will not let the moment escape. If a tool … [Read more...] about Thoughts on Smartphone Usage
How Often Do You Use Your Smartphone for Photo Tasks
We're thinking of adding more coverage for smartphone camera apps and photo tools, but we want to know more about how you're using your smartphone. Please respond to the poll below. You can choose multiple responses as well as leave comments below. We want to gauge what and how much to cover. ________ … [Read more...] about How Often Do You Use Your Smartphone for Photo Tasks
Shooting Long Exposure — Put Your Smartphone to Use
Does your camera offer a smartphone app? Many do and you might be surprised by what they offer. Here are a few, but there are more out there (just check your owner's manual). Some cameras have Wi-Fi built-in, others require an adapter. Canon EOS Remote Nikon Mobile Utility Olympus Image Share Note: While this article is primarily about the Olympus, you can apply the technique to most cameras that offer Wi-Fi apps or even a tethered remote. I recently picked up the Olympus OM-D E-E-M1. One of my favorite things about it is the great mobile … [Read more...] about Shooting Long Exposure — Put Your Smartphone to Use
90% of People Have Only Taken a Photo with a Camera Phone in Their Lifetime?
As I was browsing my Twitter feed... the following infographic popped up. Keeping in mind that infographics are created by marketing people most often, you have to take these facts with a grain of salt... The ad (I mean infographic) is for a new Windows model of a smartphone. Fortunately, they do provide sources for their claims (see the bottom of this page). 90% of People Have Only Taken Photos on a camera Phone vs. a Camera This report released earlier this year points out that there are 5.2 Billion mobile phones on the planet for a … [Read more...] about 90% of People Have Only Taken a Photo with a Camera Phone in Their Lifetime?
My HDR Smartphone Workflow
By A lot of photographers scoff at smartphone cameras. I on the other hand love having software and camera built into one with easy sharing. It lets me work when the inspiration hits. One of those areas is HDR. Here's how bad a normal smartphone image can look. This is from late on a Fall night. While working on an smartphone may seem less than ideal, it is still a common practice. You can choose to have the phone simply capture the multiple images, or use the software on phone to quickly process the image. Several smartphones now … [Read more...] about My HDR Smartphone Workflow
The Impact of Smartphone Cameras
While much justifiable criticism has been levied against the evolution of cellphone cameras, there is a tremendous beneficiary journalism. We know have a literal global network of camera operators with the ability to capture newsworthy events and transmit usable photos. Many photographers dismiss this technological shift. After all, how can a point-and-shoot (especially a low quality one at that) take the place of a modern DSLR with a selection of lenses? The answer is easy speed and mobility. Lets accept that a modern smartphone has a … [Read more...] about The Impact of Smartphone Cameras
