To keep this series about architectural photography going, let's talk a little about gear :-) Having the right gear can help you best more productive, faster and overall give a better service to your clients. However, don't forget that it doesn't replace skill and it won't make you a better photographer. This is a pretty extensive gear guide for commercial architecture. Don't worry if you're starting out or if you don't have a lot of gear. You don't need all of this at all. And you can rent a lot of it for specific photoshoots. I started … [Read more...] about Gear Guide: Architectural photography kit
tilt shift
Great Savings on Used Gear Week of 02/12/2018
(Editor's Note: Our friends at MPB.com have some really great deals on select used camera bodies and lenses. MPB is a great place to sell your used gear that's lying around taking up space.) Save on cameras, lenses and other photographic equipment by buying used. Sell cameras and lenses you are no longer using at MPB.com. … [Read more...] about Great Savings on Used Gear Week of 02/12/2018
Cambo Actus & FUJIFILM GFX – part-1
Testing the Ultimate Technical Camera – part 1 Cambo USA recently contacted me with an opportunity to test the Cambo Actus technical camera with the FUJIFILM GFX—this was very exciting for me because I could renew my experience with view cameras in a new digital configuration! The folks at Cambo USA provided a fully configured demo unit, so I could put the system through its paces! The Cambo Actus is essentially a view camera front end for just about any digital camera that gives the serious photographer the ability to use full lens tilt & … [Read more...] about Cambo Actus & FUJIFILM GFX – part-1
The View Camera Aesthetic in the Digital Realm part 4
(Editor’s note: Guest contributor Steve Inglima concludes his series of posts about the view camera and how its aesthetic informs digital photography. This article offers ways to add view camera functions to DSLRs. Read part 1, part 2 & part 3.) With an understanding of the benefits of having independent controls over front and rear standard movement, What can we do to bring that utility, capability, set of sensibilities to the digital realm and the size of the silicon sensor used for most digital capture? Miniaturizing the view camera … [Read more...] about The View Camera Aesthetic in the Digital Realm part 4
The View Camera Aesthetic in the Digital Realm part 3
(Editor's note: Guest contributor Steve Inglima continues his discussion of the view camera and how its aesthetic informs digital photography. This installment explains the circle of coverage in relations to the shift movement in the view camera and the DSLR equivalent, the tilt / shift lens. Here are links to part 1 and part 2.) Shift & rise movements Shift and rise  are the other movement opportunities. Shift is varying the relative position left/right of the lens from the sensitize material, while rise is the up/down movement. Both are … [Read more...] about The View Camera Aesthetic in the Digital Realm part 3
How to Use Manual Focus Lenses
My first digital camera was a Nikon D90, and, as with the other 23 changeable lens cameras I've owned since, it was intended for autofocus. You're just supposed to put the focus point where you want to focus and let the lens and the camera do the work. This usually works well, unless it's too dark or your lens is manual focus only. I used to be scared of soft focus when using manual focus lenses, and I was jealous of the marvelous options in manual focus lenses, like terrific wide angles from Rokinon/Samyang that are both sharp and … [Read more...] about How to Use Manual Focus Lenses
Close-Up with a Tilt Lens: Lensbaby Edge 50 Mini Review
I really enjoy close-up photography, so when my daughter had a dance recital recently, I had ulterior motives for buying her a bouquet of flowers. Right after she was in bed, I set about photographing her flowers. In this case, I wanted to put a new lens through its paces, and this lens is uniquely qualified to photograph closeups of tulips. The Lensbaby Edge 50 is both marvelous as a closeup lens, and its tilt feature makes it ideal for focussing on long things and maintaining sharp focus. The Edge 50 Optic Firstly, the lens is a marvel. It's … [Read more...] about Close-Up with a Tilt Lens: Lensbaby Edge 50 Mini Review
Long Exposures with the Canon 17mm Tilt Shift | Joel Grimes – What’s in Your Bag
Melissa Niu of Photofocus and Chase Reynolds of LensRentals.com talk with commercial photographer Joel Grimes about shooting long exposures using filters on the Canon 17mm tilt-shift lens. https://youtu.be/yYwk1XhyOUs Gear Discussed Canon TS-E 17mm f/4 - http://bit.ly/1JaLTxx Fotodiox WonderPana 145 Essentials Kit Brought to you by LensRentals - http://bit.ly/pflensrentals SongFreedom - http://bit.ly/songfreedom Photofocus - https://photofocus.com About Joel Grimes Joel is a commercial advertising photographer with a distinct … [Read more...] about Long Exposures with the Canon 17mm Tilt Shift | Joel Grimes – What’s in Your Bag
Adding Shallow Depth of Field in Photoshop
In this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to add a shallow depth of field effect to a landscape photograph using the Tilt-Shift Blur Filter in Adobe Photoshop, and then refine it with layer masking. This effect works best on images that have leading lines, allowing the blur to easily fade into the distance. 1. Convert the Layer to a Smart Object I will start with my photo opened up inside of Photoshop CC. When I add filters to images, such as the Blur Lab filter in Adobe Photoshop, I want to make sure that I am also working non-destructively. … [Read more...] about Adding Shallow Depth of Field in Photoshop
Creating A Tilt Shift Effect Using Snapseed On Your Mobile Device
It goes without saying that one of the chief goals as a photographer is to clearly convey what the subject is within your photo. Effectively doing so makes it easy for the viewer to focus exactly where you intended them to. However, it is not always that easy to do so when you're in the field. Maybe it's a limitation with the lens you have, or it could just be that you're unsure about what you want to set as your visual anchor. That's where adding a simple Tilt Shift effect can do wonders, and the great thing is that there is no shortage of … [Read more...] about Creating A Tilt Shift Effect Using Snapseed On Your Mobile Device
A Sliver of Focus – The Canon TS-E 45mm F/2.8 Tilt-Shift
Portraits with a tilt-shift lens? YEAH. I've never done it and I wanted to, so I rented the lens! If you aren't familiar with a Tilt-Shift lens, then you're probably got a somewhat confused face going on as you read this. It is a special lens, mainly used for architectural photography, due to its ability to help correct perspective distortion and increase depth of field with the tilting action of the lens. Essentially the lens has a very precise bend in the middle that can be dialed in and angled. But, one can use this tilting action to get … [Read more...] about A Sliver of Focus – The Canon TS-E 45mm F/2.8 Tilt-Shift
