Third Eye Camera

Designed to study the beauty of decay.

4”x5” camera made from Aluminium, Titanium, Brass, Silver, Gem Stones and a 150 year old skull of a 13 year old girl. Light and time enters at the third eye, exposing the film in the middle of the skull.

Untouchable (HIV Camera)

Designed to study and photograph a geographic comparison of people suffering from HIV.

4”x5” camera made from Aluminium, Copper, Titanium, Acrylic and HIV positive blood. The blood pumps through the camera then in front of the pinhole and becomes my #25 red filter. Designed to shoot a geographic comparison of people suffering from HIV.

Heart Camera

Designed to take photos of soon-to-be mothers who are at least 8 months pregnant, and explore my relationship with my twin brother who died at birth.

4”x5” camera made from Aluminium, Titanium, Acrylic, Formaldehyde and an infant human heart.

Dragonfly Camera

Designed to study and photograph time segments of children.

4”x5” camera made as an altar for a 9 year old girl that passed away. Made from Aluminium, Steel, Acrylic, Insects, and other relics.

Yama (Tibetan Skull Camera)

Designed for the study of exodus and for the research of modern incarnations of historical iconic figures.

The latest camera is named Yama, the Tibetan God of Death. In Tibetan Buddhism, Yama will see all of life and Karma is the “judge” that keeps the balance. The skull was blessed by a Tibetan Lama for its current journey and I’m working with a Tibetan legal organization that is sending me to the refugee cities in India.

Yama’s eyes are cast from bronze and silver with a brass pinhole in each. A divider runs down the middle of the skull creating two separate cameras. A finished contact print mounted on copper is inserted in to the back of the camera to view what Yama saw in 3D.

Yama is made from Aluminium, Titanium, Copper, Brass, Bronze Steel, Silver, Gold, Mercury with 4 Sapphires, 3 Rubies (The one at Yama’s third eye was $5000.00), Asian and American Turquoise, Sand, Blood, and 9 Opals inlayed in the Skull. The film loading system is pneumatic. A 300psi air tank in the middle of the camera powers 2 pneumatic pistons to move the film holder forward and lock it into place. The switch to open and close the film chamber is located under the jaw.

Designed for two photo series. First series is of my interpretation of the modern incarnation of Southeast Asians deities. Second will take place in the Tibetan refugee cities of India, a home coming through the eyes of a 500 year old Tibetan.

Sons of Abraham (9/11) Camera

Designed to study the Passions of Abraham by capturing images of Imams, Priests, and Rabbis holding a Koran, Torah or Bible, in front of a Church, Mosque or Synagogue. Different man, different book, different building.

4”x5” camera made from a solid block 6061 T6 Aircraft Aluminium inlayed with a piece of the Bible from 1860, a piece of the Koran from1960 and a piece of the Torah from 1880. The jagged piece of metal in the front of the camera with the pinhole in it was once part of a support beam holding up the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Wood Camera

Designed to study distance.

The Wood Camera is made from Wood, Aluminum, Copper, Steel, Acrylic, and Insects. Most of the camera parts were found in Death Valley, CA. The camera has an interchangeable front plate used to float objects in front of the pinhole. With pinhole photography the focus is infinite. Objects which are a quarter-inch in front of the pinhole are just as in focus as objects 20 miles away.

Deer Camera

Designed to study the core ritual of the hunt and man’s arrogant separation from Nature.

4”x5” camera made from Steel (3/4” plate found in the desert near Mexico), Brass (parts from an 1800’s gold scale and bullet shells), Bronze, Copper (Bullets), Aluminum, Antler and Ivory (carved hand from a 18th century Christ figure).

Wayne Martin Belger at Work.

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One post that will be particularly interesting is: Preparing for the Olympics

© Vincent Laforet

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Earlier in the week I posted that Nikon have released their new Nikon D90 DSLR, a camera which they are proudly publicizing is the first DSLR to shoot with HD Video.

In the comments on that post the main theme being discussed is whether video belongs on a DSLR.

We’ve long seen video on point and shoot cameras (and I see a lot of people shooting video that way when I’m out and about) but does video belong on a DSLR?

Video on DSLRs? The Debate So Far

‘It just sounds weird to shoot videos with DSLR camera, don’t you think?’ – Robert

“Now this is just wrong I think. Why would you need video on a DSLR? I’m pretty disappointed about this. I was afraid that this would be the next step from Live View. I hope Canon will not include this video feature in their DSLR’s.” – Horia

“I’m conflicted about the video. Kinda like the pop up flash. Once you get into advanced amateur or pro, it’s just not a good feature. or is it?” – Rosh

“I believe the feeling is if my 100.00 10mp P&S can take movies than how come my 1300.00 dSLR can’t? Granted you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. I think Nikon is just thinking ahead and trying to grab more marketshare.” – Pete Langlois

“The fact that they added video to this body caught my eye… It’d be sweet to utilize the different lenses to make videos. Wide apertures.. manual focus… different angles… man… it’d be much more dynamic than point & shoot recording.” – Andrionni

My Thoughts on Video on a DSLR

I’ll have to admit – that my first thought when I saw this being touted as a killer feature of the D90 was to giggle. The thought of whipping out a DSLR to shoot video feels weird (to me at least). I’ve done video on my point and shoot and mobile phone and even found the fact that they shoot video to be quite handy – but a DSLR?

However – my mind then started to take over some of my feelings. As Andrionni points out above – the possibilities of shooting video through a DSLR are interesting. It would not be limited to shooting through a tiny 3x optical zoom than most point and shoots come with – you could fit any lens you like. Wide angle, macro, fisheye, super telephoto zoom…. While the quality will be undoubtably lower than a purpose built HD video camera – I can actually see times where it could be fun and useful to have the ability to switch my trusty DSLR into video mode and start shooting.

Would I be tempted to trade in my video camera for a DSLR – not any time soon – but would I use video on a DSLR? Probably – but I’m sure it’d feel weird at first and will get a few odd looks from others.

Does Video Belong on a DSLR?

What do you think? Does video belong on DSLRs? Would you use it? Let us know what you think in comments below. Looking forward to some good discussion.

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Nikon have just announced their newest DSLR – the Nikon D90.

The Nikon D90 builds on the success of previous Nikon DSLRs and breaks a little ground of its own as the first DSLR to incorporate shooting HD movie clips.

Using Auto Exposure and Auto Focus that is featured in Nikon’s pro model DSLRs the Nikon D90 has a 12.3 megapixel sensor, ISO range of between 100 to 6400, 3 inch LCD screen (920,000 pixels with 170 degree viewing), Live View mode (for framing shots with the LCD) and a lot of other great features.

The Nikon D90 shoots movies (a first for DSLRs) at 24 frames per second and at a resolution of 1280×720 pixels (16:9), 640×424 (3:2), and 320×216 (3:2).

The Nikon is already available for ordering at Amazon – check out the prices at:

• Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
• Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens

You can read more about the Nikon D90 DSLR in the news release announcing it from Nikon below.

Nikon D90 DSLR News Release

NIKON D90 DIGITAL SLR ANSWERS THE CALL FOR CREATIVE FREEDOM WITH ADVANCED FEATURES THAT BENEFIT ALL LEVELS OF PHOTOGRAPHERS

It’s All You Need: The 12.3 Megapixel Nikon D90 D-SLR Premieres with the New 18-105mm VR Lens to Give Photographers Superb Image Quality, Live View Shooting, Nikon’s Scene Recognition System, and HD Movie Clip Recording

MELVILLE, N.Y. (Aug. 27, 2008) — Nikon Inc. today announced the D90, a digital single lens reflex (SLR) camera that redefines the creative boundaries of digital photography allowing photographers to easily create stunning still images and High Definition (HD) movie clips with sound — with the same camera. A host of Nikon core technologies were leveraged to develop the D90’s scope of versatility, calling on years of photographic and optical expertise. Whether consumers are graduating from an advanced compact digital camera or are a seasoned D-SLR enthusiast, the Nikon D90 emphasizes brilliant image quality and versatility with its exclusive advanced Scene Recognition System, intuitive creative controls, blazing fast performance and the industry-first ability to create HD movie clips at 720p in the new D-Movie mode.

Inspired by Nikon’s acclaimed flagship DX-format digital SLR camera, the D300 and building on the success of the wildly popular D80, the D90 delivers stunning image quality. The CMOS image sensor and 12.3 effective megapixels combined with Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED image processing system deliver outstanding images with fine details, smooth tones, brilliant colors and low noise across a broad ISO range.

Photographers are able to easily compose stunning images using the Live View Mode on the large 3-inch 920-k dot high-resolution LCD screen. The 11-point auto focus (AF) system utilizes Nikon’s exclusive Scene Recognition System and Face Detection to help make the best shot in a variety of environments. Matched with the new versatile AF-S NIKKOR 18-105mm Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization lens, and a burst rate of up to 4.5 frames per second, photographers can confidently capture fast action and precise moments as they unfold. Also helping to ensure no missed memories, the D90 offers fast handling with a power-up time of a mere 0.15ms and split-second shutter response measuring just 65ms, eliminating the frustration of pictures lost to shutter lag.

“The D90 delivers incredible imaging performance and control, setting a new standard for its class. This marriage of outstanding still image performance and HD movie clip capacity represents the dawn of a new age for D-SLR cameras. The D90’s handling characteristics and long list of features are sure to deliver the photographic experience that Nikon photographers have come to expect from Nikon engineering,” said Edward Fasano, general manager for marketing, SLR System Products at Nikon Inc. “Everyone at Nikon is especially eager to see the myriad of ways that imaginative D90 photographers will explore the world of cinematic 24fps HD video through the eyes of NIKKOR optics.”

Legendary Image Quality

For shooting in a variety of lighting conditions, the D90 has a wide sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 3200 (expandable to Lo 1 ISO 100 and Hi 1 ISO 6400) to deliver incredible low-noise images. The camera also employs an Image Sensor Cleaning function that works to free image-degrading dust particles from the sensor’s optical low-pass filter, helping to ensure spot-free images.

The new D90 companion lens, the AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR provides a versatile focal length, and the benefits of Nikon Vibration Reduction (VR) imaging stabilization technology. Nikon VR reduces the image blurring effects of camera shake allowing photographers to shoot hand-held at as many as 3 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible*, assuring dramatically sharper images, even in challenging lighting conditions.

Borrowed from Nikon’s professional line of digital cameras, the D90 is the most affordable camera to include Nikon’s Scene Recognition System and adds newly-developed advanced Face Detection technology. The intelligent Scene Recognition System interprets color and brightness information of each individual shot from the 420-pixel RGB sensor, and applies changes to AF, auto exposure and auto white balance. The D90 can also detect up to five faces using the new Face Detection system, producing flattering portraits with astounding definition and accuracy. While in playback mode, simply press the zoom button and portraits captured with Face Detection can be immediately magnified to ensure proper focus on the subject and faces are displayed on the LCD screen within brackets for easy reference and subject tracking.

The D90 benefits from Nikon’s comprehensive digital image processing engine, EXPEED, which provides smooth tones, rich colors and defined image details, as well as enhanced processing performance. Additionally, Nikon’s exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II helps to ensure accurate exposures, even in the most challenging lighting conditions. Evaluating each scene, input data from the system’s sensor is automatically referenced against an internal database of over 30,000 scenes derived from actual photographs to calculate correct exposure values. To push the creative boundaries even further, Variable Center-Weighted metering and Spot metering centered on the active focus area are also available, as are exposure compensation and auto exposure bracketing.

The Next Big Blockbuster

For the first time in digital SLR photography, Nikon introduces the addition of the D-Movie mode, allowing consumers to create their own HD movie clips (1280 x 720) with sound from their D-SLR camera. Photographers will appreciate the cinematic qualities that come from the 24fps frame rate, which matches theatrical film, whether producing vacation clips or creatively melding stills with video. Additionally, the large size of the D90’s DX-format sensor, combined with the optical superiority and broad selection of NIKKOR lenses, provides shooters with the ability to capture amazing perspectives not possible with typical camcorders. D-movie clips also benefit from Nikon VR image stabilization, which is automatically activated during recording to aid the low-light capability that trumps many other hybrid devices. Users can record movie clips onto an inserted SD / SDHC card, created as Motion JPEG AVI files that are easily edited with widely available video editing software. The D90 also features an HDMI terminal, allowing viewing of both pictures and movies on High Definition televisions.

D90 Delivers Peak Performance

The D90’s unprecedented start up time and imperceptible shutter lag derives from the same standards as the professional sports photographer choice, the Nikon D3. JPEG bursts can be shot as rapidly as 4.5 frames per second, allowing photographers to capture detailed action sequences or catch fleeting expressions that might otherwise be missed. Images are also processed and previewed rapidly at 120 ms, which is less time it takes to move an eye from the viewfinder to the screen. Users are also able to creatively stop the action with a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 second or create long-time exposures down to 30 seconds.

Nikon’s 11-point AF also offers best-in-class speed and performance, helping to ensure sharp focus at any focal length. Adopting a refined version of Nikon’s advanced Multi-CAM 1000 AF Module, the AF system’s center area wide-frame operation adds inherent focusing options that will instill greater confidence in getting the desired shot. Single-point AF is suggested for static subjects, dynamic-area AF for moving subjects, auto-area AF for spontaneous shooting and 3D-tracking (11 points) AF for when changing the composition after focusing on a subject.

Push Creative Boundaries to the Limit

No matter the level of experience, the D90 makes high-quality photography fun and easier for a remarkably broad range of picture-takers. Users can enjoy complete control over all manual features or let the camera optimize settings automatically. For the camera novice and photography enthusiasts, the D90 puts all of the tools to explore new creative possibilities at their fingertips through the simple menu driven interface. For those looking to enjoy the added performance and versatility of digital SLR photography, creative shooting is as simple as rotating the Mode dial with Advanced Scene modes on the camera. There are many options when it comes to realizing creative vision, such as Picture Control settings to provide an assorted palette of color effects that optimize color, saturation and hue through user-selected choices of Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, and Landscape. Popular editing tools such as Nikon’s exclusive D-Lighting and image trimming, image overlay, and a wide assortment of color filters can also be applied to images after capture. The D90 also provides new options for in-camera image enhancement, including:

• Distortion Control: Adjusts lens aberration
• Straighten: This feature helps to correct linear inclination of an image for straight horizons and landscapes
• Fisheye Effect: In camera filter produces optical effects similar to a fisheye lens

Skillfully Capture Inspiring Images

The D90 has been engineered with the photographer in mind with an intuitive interface that places a variety of automatic and advanced features at the hands of the user. The camera is built to withstand the rigors of an urban excursion or backcountry safari while boasting an impressive shutter mechanism that is tested to 100,000 cycles for durability. Whether upgrading from a compact digital camera or already a seasoned hobbyist, the D90 D-SLR will help anyone take great pictures, thanks in part to the following new features:

• Battery life – new circuitry enhances power consumption, affording up to 850 shots in typical conditions on a single charge of the Lithium Ion battery (CIPA standard)
• Viewfinder – The bright viewfinder offers a luminous 0.94x magnification to more accurately compose images
• LCD screen – the high resolution 920,000-dot, 3-inch LCD screen gives a 170-degree angle of view to make both composing and sharing easy and fun
• New playback function – Users can show their images in either four, nine or 72 thumbnail images, or use a new calendar format to easily find photos; Users can also show their photos via Nikons pictmotion slideshow, including background music
• Built-in Flash – The built in Speedlight offers a guide number of approximately 18/56 (ISO 200) and can wireless control up to two groups of Speedlights in full iTTL mode

Nikon System Legacy

The Nikon 90D also offers unprecedented compatibility with Nikon’s extensive selection of NIKKOR lenses, including DX NIKKOR lenses, which are designed for optimum performance with Nikon DX format digital SLR cameras. NIKKOR lenses offer legendary optical superiority and add to the D90’s ability to deliver outstanding images. Paired with the D90 is the new AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens, which provides a versatile 5.8x optical zoom and VR image stabilization, for even sharper handheld picture taking. This lens offers a 27-157.5mm focal length in 35mm equivalent, a one-lens solution that offers a broad focal range to let photographers get up close and personal to their subjects from a distance, or wide for breathtaking landscapes. The built-in Silent Wave Motor ensures quick and quiet AF operation, while an aspherical element and ED glass deliver high resolution, high contrast images with minimal chromatic aberration and distortion.

Photographers will also enjoy advanced functionality anywhere in the world with system accessories designed for the adventurous globe trekker. When used with the Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit (available separately beginning November 2008), the D90 provides geotagging to images with latitude, longitude and altitude data imprinted on the images’ metadata. Users can also prolong their adventure with the MB-D80 battery pack that accepts two EN-EL3e or six widely available AA-size batteries. Additionally, photographers can share and upload their images with a wireless interface optimized for the Eye-Fi ™ wireless enabled SD card wherever there is a wireless network.

The Nikon 90D is also fully compatible with Capture NX2 software (available for purchase separately), Nikon’s highly versatile and elegantly simple new photo editing solution designed to help photographers tap into the full potential of NEF (RAW) images. Featuring an innovative user interface that provides easier access to powerful and visually intuitive enhancement tools, Capture NX2 affords photographers the ability to use revolutionary control points.

Price and Availability

The D90 will be available throughout the United States beginning September 2008 at an MSRP of $999.95* for body only and $1299.95** for body and lens outfit that includes the new AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens. The GP-1 GPS unit will be available in November 2008, and pricing will be announced near the time of its delivery to the marketplace. For more information, please visit www.nikonusa.com.

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This week’s lesson is Exposure and Stops

So far we have covered the basics of turning light into an image, starting with the concept of the pinhole camera, then introducing lenses and how they focus light, and last time about how the qualities of the lens affect the size and brightness of the projected image. So far this has all been pretty theoretical, but it’s important groundwork to helping you internalise how the camera works. When you know these basics, you can get to the solutions of photographic problems that much faster.

This lesson we’re finally going to start getting a bit more practical. You will learn about the brightness of light, and how it is controlled. Of all the fundamentals of photography, this is probably the most important to understand, and can be the most intimidating because of the terminology used. But fear not! The mysteries of exposure and stops are about to be revealed!

What is “exposure”.

In the simplest terms, exposure is: “is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium during the process of taking a photograph” (Wikipedia).

Whether it is a digital sensor chip or grains of chemically dosed silver on a film, it is the same thing. The greater the amount of light that falls onto a particular region of the photographic medium, the brighter that part of the recorded image will be when reproduced, whether on screen, print or slide.

The variation of brightness in the real world is absolutely huge, much more than you might think from your subjective experience of it. A subject lit by the midday sun on a beach looks over four thousand times brighter to your camera than the same subject lit by the quarter moon!

Brightness is measured in “Exposure Value” or EV.

You might recognize this acronym from your camera’s settings or manual. An EV of 0 is defined an image exposed for 1 second at f1. Steps of one up or down from zero are a change in the light by a factor of two. So an EV of 1 is twice as bright, EV 3 is eight times as bright, and EV -2 is one quarter as bright.

The “Stop”

A step up (doubling) or down (halving) by one EV is called a “stop”.

If you only come away from this lesson having learned one thing, it is this. Photographers talk about light and exposure settings in terms of stops. In photography a stop can refer to different settings in any of the three points of the exposure triangle (more below). One of the most important and useful things you can learn as a photographer is to get an intuitive feel for light levels.

I’m not suggesting that you should be able to walk onto a location and immediately be able to assess the EV of the light and determine the correct exposure settings (although some very experienced photographers can do just that!) – that’s what your exposure meter is for. However, if you can learn to look at a photo you have taken on the back of your camera, and see that the exposure needs to be increased by say 2/3 of a stop, then you will become a much more efficient and successful photographer.

Controlling Exposure

To accommodate the huge variety of brightness levels we see in the real world, we need to be able to control how much light gets to the camera’s sensor. We do this by adjusting one or more of the three points of the “exposure triangle”. These three points are ISO, Shutter and Aperture.

The aperture is an adjustable iris or opening that can be made wider to let in more light, or narrower to let in less. The shutter is the “gate” that allows light onto the sensor, and it can be left open for different lengths of time, to let the sensor collect more or less light. Finally, the ISO once referred to the sensitive to light of the film in the camera. In digital cameras it refers to the “gain”, or amplification of the information collected by the sensor. In film days, changing ISO meant changing films. Today the ISO can be easily adjusted with a dial.

Each of these points will be the subject of future lessons in Photography 101. For now, you need to know that they are there, and that they all work together to control the exposure. At the centre of the exposure triangle is your camera’s light meter. It is by reading this that you determine how to set each of the three points. We’ll cover that in a future lesson as well, probably in Photography 102 – A Basic Course in Taking Photos.

Trade-Offs

Each method of controlling exposure does so in a different way, and as such, has a different effect on the character of the resulting photo. Increasing the shutter speed reduces the light, and freezes motion. Decreasing it allow more light in, but blurs movement occurring while the shutter is open. Closing the aperture decreases the light, but increases the depth of field, meaning sharp focus over more of the image. Opening the aperture lets in more light, but decreases the depth of field, meaning a narrower window of sharp focus. Increasing the ISO amplifies the light collected, but also amplifies the random noise in the chip, which can become visible in photos at higher settings.

It’s important to note that all of these effects can be used for creative purposes in photography. Having a narrower depth of field for example can be an artistic effect in a portrait, a slower shutter speed can convey a feeling of movement. Taking a good photo is the result of the conscious choice of the three points on the exposure triangle in order to get a well exposed image which has a character pleasing to the photographer. Adjusting the settings is a balancing act that affords huge creative options to the photographer.

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So you have the camera you have the lens/lenses but for some reason you are still not satisfied with your work. Many beginning photographers have this problem at one point or another. For me this took place very early on.

There are several accessories out there that will greatly improve your photography if used right.

Tripods

Perhaps the most important accessory for the beginner is the tripod. A tripod will give you extra stability as you seek the perfect shot. By using a tripod, especially when shooting landscapes, night shots, and portraits, you allow yourself to create sharper and far better looking images then if you were not using a tripod. Additionally tripods allow you to place your camera at angles you the photographer would not be able to achieve unless you have training as a contortionist. Finally, by adding a tripod to your photography arsenal you will be able to practice your photography on yourself any time you want, assuming you have a remote.

Tripods come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. My first tripod was a cheaper model I got at my local Best Buy; and needless to say it was out of commission two months after I bought it. Seeking something a little more reliable I turned to Bogen Manfrotto. Bogen Manfrotto is perhaps the best tripod manufacturer out there. They offer a wide range of tripods starting at around $100 U.S. for aluminum models all the way up $700 U.S. for their carbon fiber models. Gitzo is another popular brand with prices similar to those of .

When purchasing your first tripod think of it as a long term investment towards better photographic results.

Remote Shutter Releases

Another important camera accessory every beginner should have is a remote shutter release. Remotes are very handy when shooting night and landscape shots when longer exposures are required as it will reduce camera shake thereby reducing blur. They are also essential for self portraits, and group shots.

There are two types of camera remote controls: cable or wireless systems. Most camera manufacturers make their own so depending on your camera system price and/or type may vary. However most remotes will not put much of a dent in your pocket book. Based on my personal experience I can not recommend the purchase of a remote enough. It is one of those must have accessories.

Filters

Lens filters are another camera accessory some beginners may find useful. Lens filters essentially act as sunglasses for your lenses. They offer protection from such things as UV light, dust, water, scratches, finger prints, etc. etc. In addition to protecting your lenses they also help photographers create better images by reducing flare, and reflections. Some even add color and contrast to your photos.

There are many types of lens filters however, I am only going to list those most useful to the beginner. The most useful is the polarizing filter. Polarizing filters help reduce reflections, they minimize blown out areas in your photos and they also add more vivid color and better contrast to your photos. The second type of filter useful to the beginner is a nuetral density or ND filter. ND filters reduce the amount of light entering your camera without effecting the overall color.

Overall lens filters are a good accessory to have if you find yourself shooting a lot of landscape shots or if you just want something to help protect those expensive lenses of yours.

Camera Bags

Now what are you going to carry all of these accessories in? Most likely a camera bag, and if you are anything like me choosing the right camera bag is very very big deal. Given the sheer volume of camera bags on the market today, choosing the right one becomes more trial and error. You will most likely go through two or three before you find the one right for you.

Camera bags come in many different forms. The most popular seem to be over the shoulder bags, sling bags, and backpacks. If your gear collection is minimal like mine a shoulder or sling bag will fit your needs well. If you have a large amount of gear a backpack would be better for you.

The most popular brands include LowePro, Crumpler and Tamrac. I currently use a LowePro Slingshot 100 AW camera bag (pictured left) and love it. And if my memory serves me well this was one of the most popular camera bags used by DPS readers.

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An Introduction to High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDR)

HDR, or High Dynamic Range Imaging seems to be all the rage these days. HDRI is described as:

In image processing, computer graphics and photography, high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of exposures (the range of values between light and dark areas) than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention of HDRI is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows. (from Wikipedia)

More accurately however, the images that are commonly seen and referred to as HDR or HDRI images are tone-mapped.

Tone mapping is a technique used in image processing and computer graphics to map a set of colours to another; often to approximate the appearance of high dynamic range images in media with a more limited dynamic range. Print-outs, CRT or LCD monitors, and projectors all have a limited dynamic range which is inadequate to reproduce the full range of light intensities present in natural scenes. Essentially, tone mapping addresses the problem of strong contrast reduction from the scene values (radiance) to the displayable range while preserving the image details and color appearance important to appreciate the original scene content. (from Wikipedia)

Definitions and technicalities aside, I decided to look into HDR and tone mapping a bit closer to see if there really was a difference between different processes. I was curious to see if there was noticeable differences between generating HDR/tone-mapped shots from a single RAW, multiple RAWs, multiple JPGs from the camera, and multiple JPGs generated from a single RAW. For the purposes of the rest of this post, I will be referring to my final images as HDR images (even though we all now know that’s not exactly correct). Here is the original, straight out of the camera image shot with my Canon Digital Rebel XT/350D.

Honestly, not a bad image for SOOC! Anyways, the recommended way to produce HDR is to take multiple exposures using your camera’s Auto Exposure Bracketting (AEB) setting. I’m not going to get into the details on this, I’m merely posting my comparison results here.

ReDynaMix

In the past, I’ve used the ReDynaMix Photoshop plugin to generate my HDR images from a single RAW file. It really can’t be beat for the $16 price tag. It worked pretty decently, but I’d heard that Photomatix was a much better program to use. Below is the image above run through the ReDynaMix plugin.

Not too shabby.

Photomatix

Photomatix is a much more robust, and more expensive ($99), program to use but allows for blending of multiple exposures into a single HDR file, as is recommended. I’m going to be up front here. I don’t walk around with my tripod in my back pocket, so taking multiple exposures without getting movement is very difficult. I tried Photomatix ages ago, but for some reason I guess I just wasn’t steady enough. Fortunately, this set of multiple exposures turned out and aligned nicely when I imported them into Photomatix. The three shots were taken at an exposure value of 2, meaning I had a shot that was properly exposed, one that was underexposed by 2 steps and one that was overexposed by 2 steps. Because the Canon Digital Rebel series only allows for 3 photos in AEB mode, that is all I am going to use. Using the .CR2 (RAW) files out of the camera I created the HDR image you see below (note, clicking this image takes you to the Flickr page). I processed it as I normally would process for HDR, tracked the settings and made some final curves and unsharpen mask adjustments in Photoshop.

Pretty close to the ReDynaMix version, but definitely crisper and more variation between the dark and light areas. This is especially noticeable in the BMW logo area, below the BMW logo on the grill, the upper right corner, the dirt/water streaks and between the buildings near the top. A much better looking HDR image in my opinion. As a comparison, I created an HDR image using the corresponding JPG files from the camera. I used the exact same Photomatix settings and Photoshop Curves and Unsharpen Mask adjustments. The image below is the result.

Still cripser than the ReDynaMix version, slightly washed out I think from the RAW version, but not much.

Camera JPG or generated JPG?

If you’re still reading, thanks for sticking with me this far. This is what I was really wanting to test out. Are there noticeable results between exposures generated in camera, and exposures generated using Photoshop’s Camera RAW plugin from a single RAW? Using the Camera RAW plugin for CS3, I can generate JPG files with various exposure values ranging from -4 to +4. For the intent of this test, I created a -2EV and +2EV from the 0EV RAW file out of the camera, and used the 0EV JPG from the camera as well. Below are comparison shots of the in camera EV JPG files (on the left) and the Photoshop generated EV JPG files (on the right). The top image is +2EV, the bottom -2EV.

As you may be able to see, the Photoshop generated JPG files are a bit lighter and washed out, but only slightly. Using the two newly generated EV JPG files and the originally exposed JPG from the camera, I recreated the HDR image, again using the same settings as before. The images below are a comparison between the in camera JPG HDR file (top) and the Photoshop generated JPG HDR file (bottom).

Can you see the difference? Sometimes I think I can, then other times I think I can’t… there are some areas that are a little lighter and perhaps washed out, for example the area below the BMW symbol, but all in all, it isn’t much.

The final test: 3xp or 7xp?

And that concluded my test. Or so I thought. I see people producing HDR images with 3, 5, 7 and even 9 exposures set to various EVs from 1/3, 1/5, 1 and 2. So I thought I’d do a quick comparison between an HDR using the 3 Photoshop generated exposures and 7 Photoshop generated exposures with an exposure value of one. In layman’s terms, the bottom image above uses +2, 0 and -2 EV JPG files, the image below uses +3, +2, +1, 0, -1, -2, and -3 EV JPG files.

Some obvious differences between the two images, there’s a bit more range in the 7 exposure version, which is understandable.

The verdict

Thanks for hanging in there, hopefully I saved you some time with having to go through this process yourself. The image below (clicking will take you to the Flickr page, which you may have found this article on) is the 4 final HDR versions in a mosaic for easier comparison. Top left: 3 exposure, 2 exposure value, in camera RAW; top right: 3 exposure, 2 exposure value, in camera JPG; bottom left: 3 exposure, 2 exposure value, generated JPG; bottom right: 7 exposure, 1 exposure value, generated JPG:

Seeing the images together like this, you can see subtle differences between the three 3 exposure shots (top left, top right and bottom left), and you can see a bit more color variation in the bottom right 7 exposure shot. I do think that the HDR generated from the camera .CR2 (RAW) files turned out the best, I wish my camera was capable of doing 5 or 7EV shots without having to change the settings, and I also wish I was a human tripod. That being said, neither is going to happen and if I showed you each of these images separately, unless you are an HDR geek/expert/guru, you’d be hard pressed to see the differences or tell me one looked better than the other. That being said, I’ll most likely use the Photoshop generated JPG files for my HDR’s unless I have a tripod or can be certain I won’t budge between exposures. Besides, I’d never get an HDR like this based on 3, 5, 7 or 9 EV exposures in a camera:

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you found this informational and useful! Happy HDR’ing.

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However these days with the increase in people buying DSLR cameras (they are so much cheaper and more people are feeling comfortable enough with digital now that they want to take it to the next level) the biggest question that I’m now asked is ‘Which Lens Should I buy for my DSLR?‘


Answering the question is something of a minefield as each digital camera manufacturer offers a large range of lenses of different qualities and budgets. Add to this that each photographer shoots differently and has their own styles and preferences and it can be something of a minefield to navigate to answer the ‘which lens’ question.

What follows below is an attempt to unpack the different types of lenses that most manufacturers offer in the DSLR market. I’m not going to get into talking about specific lenses but want to give a brief introduction to some of the terms and types of lenses that you’ll come across as you begin to explore the DSLR lens market.

Keep in mind that most DSLRs are not what are known as ‘full frame’ cameras. Their sensors are generally smaller than full frame and as a result lenses don’t have the same impact on these cameras as they would on a film camera. This is why you’ll often hear manufacturers talking about the ‘equivalent’ focal length of a lens.

Types of DSLR Lenses

Standard Lenses – this is a term that seems to be disappearing a little from terminology. Traditionally on film cameras it was used to describe lenses in the 50mm range because this is what usually came with the camera.

Kit Lenses – These days the lens that is offered as a package with the DSLR is generally called the ‘kit lens’. It is generally an entry level quality zoom lens. They are usually a fairly general purpose lens designed for everyday shooting. My personal preference is always to buy the DSLR as a body only and to upgrade the lens from the kit lens as they are generally at a lower to medium end of the spectrum of lenses.

Prime Lenses – A prime lens is a lens that has one focal length only. They are becoming less popular in an age where photographers like to have the convenience of a range of focal lengths at their finger tips (see zoom lenses) but they are definitely worth considering. Zoom lenses are increasing in the quality that they offer but prime lenses are known (especially at the top end) for their image quality and speed (faster aperture).

While many like the convenience of zoom lenses I actually enjoy the challenge of prime lenses and find that they make me think about my photography a little more than when I have a zoom attached (I get a little lazy).

Telephoto Zoom Lenses – Zoom lenses are the most popular DSLR lenses at present and come in a range of configurations and levels of quality. Obviously the benefit of zooms are that you do not need to physically get closer to your subject to get a tighter framing of the image. These lenses can have quite narrow ranges or quite long ones.

Keep in mind that if you buy one with a long focal length (for examples you can get them in lengths ranging up to 300mm or longer) that the longer your focal length the more impact that camera shake has on your images. More and more lenses these days are being released with Image Stabilisation (IS) to combat camera shake.

Macro Lenses – these lenses are specifically designed for shooting objects up close. Many lenses and cameras come with a ‘macro’ setting but true macro lenses will produce images that are life size and that enable you to get in incredibly close from the subject you’re shooting.

Wide Angle Lenses – As their name suggests, these lenses enable their users to take shots with a very wide perspective. They are useful for landscapes and for getting in nice and close to subjects still fitting a lot of them in.

Wide angle lenses come both as prime lenses but also are being found at the lower end of telephoto zoom lenses increasingly. Be aware that very wide lenses will sometimes distort your image a little (or a lot), especially at the edges of your photos where they can be quite curved. This can be used to great effect but can also be quite frustrating at times.

At the extreme end of the ‘wide angle’ range are ‘fisheye lenses’ which purposely distort your image in a curved way to get more into the shot. Again this is a style of photography that many love but is an art to get right.

So there you have it – you’re now at least equipped with some definitions and starting points for shopping for your next DSLR lens purchase.

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Photoshop is the greatest programme known to man, well photographers anyway. Computers were invented just to run Photoshop. Every picture on this website has had some work done on it in Photoshop, even if it was just to get the size right.

This section of the site consists of a few tutorials for the absolute beginner covering such essentials as making your pictures the right size, getting the contrast right and getting the colour right.

These tutorials are not meant as an instruction book for using Photoshop they are designed to help you make better, more informed choices in your editing, whatever software you may use.

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So, in short, the way to photography fireworks is to set the camera to manual exposure, set the aperture to a suitable
f-stop and the shutter to b or bulb. Open the shutter just before the firework bursts and close it after it’s finished. Easy!

Tripod

The first thing we need is a sturdy tripod. The alternative methods of support that I mentioned in the photographing buildings tutorial won’t cut it here. Here we are talking about seriously long shutter times of several seconds so nothing but a good sturdy tripod will do. The second piece of kit that would be very useful is a remote shutter release so you don’t have to touch the camera at all. In the old days this was a cheap piece of kit called a cable release but nowadays it is more likely to be an electronic gizmo with a higher price tag. I, personally, don’t use one but that’s because I’m a cheapskate.

Focus

I’m afraid all the modes and settings that you paid all that money for are all useless when photographing fireworks and auto focus is one of them. If you leave your camera set to auto focus the lens will whirr backwards and forwards in a demented fashion trying to find something to focus on in the black sky.

Set the focus to manual and then focus on something in the far distance. Don’t just wind the focus ring around to the end of its run, check it against a distant object if you can.

Aperture & Shutter Speed – The Technical Stuff

The exposure is going to be determined by the intensity of light from the firework which, as it bursts will spread across the sky. So we can only be guided by people who have been successful in the past as there is not way to measure the light at the time. There is TTL metering which can measure the light during an exposure, as it does with a flash exposure but, in the case of fireworks, there is far too much contrast to give a useful reading.

The aperture you set depends on the ISO rating (basically the sensitivity to light) for the film or the ISO rating set on your digital camera. At ISO 100 you will need to set the aperture to between f8 and f16. So a good start would be f11 at 100 ISO but be prepared to vary this a little for very bright fireworks.

For an explanation of ISO film speed rating see my tutorial – ISO rating for Film Speed

As I mentioned above, the shutter speed needs to be set to b or bulb (bulb refers to the old fashioned type of remote shutter release, on which you literally squeezed and rubber bulb and triggered the shutter with a burst of compressed air). At this setting there is no set time for the exposure, when you press the button the shutter opens and when you release it the shutter closes. So the shutter may be open for several seconds. There is no significant build up of light on the film or sensor as the sky is black and the firework is only lit for a short time at any one spot before it spreads out.

For more details about shutter speeds and apertures have a look at my shutter speeds and apertures tutorial.

Framing

Framing a picture you can’t yet see is always going to be a challenge. What are you going to aim for? I think there are basically three shots to consider, there is a wide shot that includes a bit of foreground – a building or monument, especially if they are floodlit, or just silhouettes of the crowd. This can be really great when it all comes together but there are quite a few problems. Will the fireworks go off in the right place in the frame? Will everything be properly exposed? Will any movement on the ground be too blurred?

Another way to work is to shoot all the elements separately then combine them in Photoshop. Shoot the whole scene without any fireworks then shoot the fireworks separately and drop them into your main picture in exactly the position you want them. Because the sky is black this is really easy to do (I’ll explain later).

If you’re planning to do this it’s important to make sure you get the whole firework in the frame like this one on the left.

Thirdly you can go for maximum impact with a tight shot where the firework fills the whole frame and spills out the edges. This can be a bit hit and miss, literally, as you may end up pointing your camera in the wrong place entirely.

Lastly a very interesting option is to leave the shutter open while several fireworks explode building up patterns in your picture.

The safest way though, if you are a Photoshop fan is to build your picture from elements photographed one at a time.

Layers

The image above is made up of six different pictures. It would hardly qualify as the most realistic picture of the year but it is quite colourful and exciting, and it portrays a good impression of a firework display. The background of the picture is the photo of the buildings (I had to extend the sky a little using the ‘canvas size’ tool to make a bit more room for the fireworks.

The fireworks were then added one by one by simply dragging the photo into the widow of the background picture. This creates a new layer on top of the existing layer. At this stage you can’t see the background layer at all. However if you change the layer mode from ‘normal’ to ‘lighten’ the background reappears.

Below you can see the layers palette for this picture layer 3 is selected which contains the blue firework and you can see at the top of the palette the layer blending mode is set to ‘lighten’. This means that only the parts of the image that are lighter that the layer(s) below will show. For the purpose of our subject this is ideal as the background of each image disappears.

If, as in the case of three of our layers, further control is needed, we can apply a layer mask. These are represented by the white rectangles that you can see on layers 1, 2 and 3. The black blobs represent parts of the image that have been blocked by painting black onto the layer mask. The great thing about layer masks is that by using soft edge brushes and or different opacities you have a very fine degree of control over what shows and what is masked. Also, by using white instead of black you can reverse the effect entirely or partially. As you can see on layer three I have used the mask to tone down the ends of the white trails at the bottom of the firework to try to blend them into the background a little better.

The ability to stack layers on top of each other is one of the best things about Photoshop. It becomes so easy to put together different elements as in this case or make adjustments to the colour or contrast, using adjustment layers, that are completely reversible and adjustable and never need to become irreversible. For someone like me who can never make up their mind, that’s wonderful!

Using the move tool while selecting a layer enables you to move each element anywhere in the frame, so you can have hours of fun getting the positioning just right. Also on the ‘transform’ menu which is one of the choices under edit you have the chance to resize each element, rotate them or distort them in other interesting ways. I have done a fair amount of resizing in this picture.

Hue & Saturation

Another tool that I made extensive use of in this picture is ‘Hue & Saturation’. This can be found under the ‘Image’ -> ‘Adjustments’ menu.

There are various ways of changing colour in Photoshop, some are very subtle and are used for colour correction, but when we need a completely different colour the ‘hue’ slider is the one to use. The two pictures on the left are both from the same photograph, the one at the top is the original photo and the one at the bottom is the altered version. Not all hues will work well, you need to select the colour quite carefully bearing in mind that fireworks are usually bold prime colours. This one works quite well in blue as well and I used a blue version in the picture at the top of the page.

To further disguise that this is the same object I have reversed the image horizontally and rotated it a little. I tried flipping it vertically but it definitely looked upside down so I abandoned that one.

Lastly I also made extensive use of the ‘curves’ tool to try to balance the elements and get them to blend together. You can apply a separate curve adjustment to each layer and, as I mentioned above, but did not do on this occasion for the sake of simplicity, you can save the ‘curves’ adjustment as a separate layer. See my tutorial on contrast for more details on curves.

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