Why You Should Get Yourself A Guilt-Free Camera!

By Federico Alegria

I don't like to refer to photographers as amateurs or professionals; I would rather say that they are either passionate or not. You can hire a professional photographer who is bland and without passion. And you can meet an “amateur” photographer who is extremely passionate about the craft.
Let's talk about passionate photographers today. There comes a time in a photographer's life when this passion gets serious, and your hobby is now a craft and it might start demanding tremendous amounts of energy and focus. To clarify, I'll talk about my very own, personal experience first so you can get the bigger picture here.



I've been a street and documentary photographer for over a decade now. I love it, and I am forever drawn to this beautiful genre. I only shoot scenes that feel meaningful to me. However, this serious approach has deprived me of having fun taking pictures of anything that might feel silly or vernacular.

Where Does The Guilt-Free Camera Concept Fit Here?

So I got, what I call, a guilt-free camera; a camera that is different from the one I regularly use for my serious photographs. That is a camera that doesn't make me feel guilty for simply taking photos. I first encountered this feeling after learning to shoot with film. It was all new again, everything was worthy of being photographed, and everything looked interesting to me. It was like learning about photography all over again. Of course, I eventually started taking photos of people and documenting social themes, but I never felt guilty, just taking a “snap” of a doorknob, for example.

My Experience With Cameras

When I first started, I shot mainly with a chunky DSLR from Canon. Later, as I moved into the street and documentary photography genres, I picked up a compelling point and shoot, the G1 Mark 1. After a couple of years, I switched to my current Fuji X100T. I use this camera often, but I don't feel moved to shoot everything with it. Therefore, I use any of my guilt-free cameras to have fun and leave my inner, serious photographer behind.
Here is what I've learned:

My Point And Shoot Experience

Photo retrieved from Canon

The point and shoot camera was a Canon A2200 IS I “borrowed” from my mom, and I don't know where it is right now. It was my first experience with a guilt-free camera and happened back in the days when I still used a DSLR. DSLRs are huge, and I couldn't manage to have it with me at all times; therefore, I took this tiny $100 camera with me.

It gave me an amazing experience; it was my first encounter with having a dedicated photography device with me at all times. It is what gave me my current view on cameras as a tool mind-set. This tiny red camera shot funny JPEGs, but it gave me the freedom of being a goofy kid with a camera all the time.
(Please don't tell my mom I lost it)

My Beloved Film Camera

My Yashica Mat 124G

I learned photography in a sort of backwards order. First, I learned with a digital camera, and then I got curious about film. It happened precisely after watching The Bang Bang Club. Learning to shoot with a film camera is nothing new if you are already familiar with manual exposure, the great mind-blowing experience was developing the film.
After I learned how to develop film, I got a little bit obsessed. I was shooting everything with my film cameras (I got three of them, a Pentax Super Me, a Pentax K1000 and a Yashica Mat 124G TLR camera!). From flowers to doorknobs, umbrellas and my parents, everything was new again, and I loved that experience.
For the serious jobs, the bigger digital cameras were the ones I used, but shooting with film made me more conscientious about shooting less, but with more quality.

Taking On An Experimental Camera

Photo By Liudmila & Nelson – Susse Frére camera in the collection of the Westlicht Photography Museum in Vienna, Austria, Public Domain.

Ok, then I went to a workshop and learned to shoot with a box camera – yes shooting on something that looks similar to a daguerreotype. It was entertaining to see how you can virtually make a camera with pretty much anything. Of course, the images lacked quality. There was little to no control at all, but it was a fun experience, especially because only long exposures were available with this intriguing camera.

VSCO Camera App

My VSCO Experiment

Many people don't believe me when I tell them that I do like shooting photos with color. The main problem is that capturing color in the streets is quite difficult. Also, I haven't learned to develop C-41 negatives nor E-6 slides, so I only shoot black and white film.
VSCO is like a very hipstery Instagram with a weird UX/UI. But it renders color in a fun way, and they sell some amazing presets that promise to reproduce specific film looks.
After changing over to a more powerful smartphone, I downloaded the VSCO mobile app. I had so much fun with it that I even built a side project that you can see here.
Thanks to this, I'm able to have fun with photography, and I also ended up doing some candids as well. But I don't feel guilty about shooting a rock or a tree, for example.
This tiny free app has made me see the world from a different and more relaxed perspective.

Getting A Small Action Camera

My Tiny Sony RX0 II

My latest acquisition is a Sony RX0 Mark II, and I'm still trying to figure it out. But I'm able to carry it with me everywhere, even in my pockets! It shoots raw in manual, although it has a fixed aperture of f/4. This fixed aperture limits my options, so like the point and shoot or learning film, I have to experiment and get creative with my photography.

My trusty X100T

Alright, I might be exaggerating this whole “guilt” thing, but I don't consider myself as unique or special. I'm sure that other photographers feel the same way I do. Even if this isn't a common feeling, the possibility of recapturing what it feels like when you first take up photography is exciting. Some other photographers like Sebastião Salgado have made an even bolder move, they have switched genres, and have started learning the whole thing again.
Whatever you do, never stop being surprised by the great wonders of photography! Teach others, get guilt-free cameras, or switch genres from time to time.
Tell us what you do to keep photography fresh in the comments below

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11 Books Every Photographer Should Have

By Federico Alegria 



Photography related books are a must for anyone with a deep love for this craft. We've talked about this topic before, but as time goes by, and bookshelves start to flood, these ideas need to be revisited at some point.
Today I want to share with you 11 photography related books that I think any photographer (no matter the experience) needs to read at least once.

Photo by Federico Alegría

Here you'll find different topics around photography, from a very concise manual on black and photography (my bible perhaps), to some books about how specific photos were made. You'll also find various others that will make you think about the wonders of photography.
We are evolving into a state in which photography is ubiquitous, and we need to start asking ourselves about where are we planning on going with this. If we lose the ability to self-critique, then we will just replicate the same thoughts and images all over again.

The Ongoing Moment – Geoff Dyer

I got this book as a gift from my friend Ben Lundsten and I'm currently using it in my lectures. This book is a very innovative approach to the history of photography. Based on the principles of storytelling, this book feels like a novel in which all the characters are the great masters of photography that we all admire.
Here we can see how several photographers have approached specific familiar places in their own way. If you are into the history of photography, this book is an absolute must.

Camera Lucida – Roland Barthes

This is a short but comprehensive book written by a very important thinker. Here he reflects on the purpose of photography as a human action driven by the impulse for registering things that are important to no-one else but us.

Roland Barthes also develops one of the first ways of actually reading a photograph by bringing the terms of “punctum” and “studium” to the field of photography.
His deep interest in photography and its potential to communicate things made him write this fantastic book that should be on your shelves.

Object: Photo – Modern Photographs: The Thomas Walther Collection 1909–1949

This colossal book includes several photos from great photographers (some popular and some others should be popular) that were taken around the first half of the twentieth century. The book comes in three main parts; the first part has a ton of insightful essays that are great for meditating on and thinking about photography. The second section – the best part, in my opinion – is some of the photos from this collection, and last but not least, the whole collection catalogue. This is a slow-paced approach to the history of photography and includes a digital platform for some interactive goodies.

The Complete Guide to Black & White Digital Photography – Michael Freeman

Photo by Kevin Grieve

Freeman is a natural teacher, he has a lot of fantastic photography books, but this one is special for me. It was my very first photography book I bought ever and is still to this day an excellent reference for me.
It made me understand black and white at a very early stage in my career and is perhaps the best guide you could read for understanding why black and white photography is different from what you think. There is a new book by Freeman on Black and White photography that feels like it could be a revision of the Complete Guide to Black and White Digital Photography, and you can find it here.

Street Photography: Creative Vision Behind the Lens – Valérie Jardin

What I liked about this book is the transparency in which Valerie shares how these images where made. This is very hard to find in photography, and it should be taken with more respect than it already is. Here we can follow her through an epic photo walk around the globe. After surpassing the practical and technical aspects of street photography, she shares her personal experiences from her favorite shots.
In this book, you'll learn about the technical and compositional choices she made, but more importantly, you'll get to know her thought process too.

Photographic Visions: Inspiring Images and How They Were Made – 1X

I have a love/hate relationship with 1X, but I have to recognize one thing, they make some incredible photo books! This book is unique because it reveals how some of the most inspirational photographs published on their platform (at that moment) were made.
This book goes into details and compiles explanations from the photographers themselves, so it is no surprise that some of the discussions and processes are better explained than others. Still, it is an amazing book that is still valid today.

Magnum Contact Sheets

Photo by Beatriz Pérez Moya

This book opened my mind for two main reasons. The first one that after a few pages, I was able to realize that iconic photos have brothers and sisters. This might not feel like a huge thing, but let me elaborate. For some reason, I was always feeling guilty as I was not able to shoot meaningful scenes just once, even though when I do shoot, I shoot very few frames (thanks film photography, that is what I learned from you). By reading this book, I was able to realize that it wasn't wrong for me to shoot plenty of frames.
The other great thing that I learned from this book is the importance of the editing process – that is the editing process that is all about picking solely keepers – in photography.
This decision, what to keep and what to remove, was firmly made by editors back in the day, and thanks to them we have the iconic photos we know and love today.

The Decisive Moment – Henri Cartier-Bresson

Alright, I've got to be honest, this book isn't in my hands yet, but I can speak a bit about it for now. This book was originally published in 1952, and it became HCB's opus magnum, at least in intellectual terms. The name was adjusted to “the decisive moment” so it would sell, and the original title in French is “images à la sauvette“, which is something more sophisticated if you think about it. He believed in that term, which translates literally to something like “images on the fly”, hence the decisive feeling of the Americanized title.
Beyond the jargon, this book includes profound thoughts on photography made from HCB himself, and of course, it has some amazing photos. Oh, and the cover is a painting made by Matisse exclusively for this book.

The Americans – Robert Frank

It is said that this book changed the course of twentieth-century photography, and it made it only with 83 photographs. So imagine, 83 photos capable of rerouting a complete discipline in a whole different direction.
Here you'll find a vision of America that opened people's eyes. And even though the 83 photographs are superb and tell a wrenching story, for me the best part is the intro, which was written by Jack Kerouac, and is beautiful.

On Photography – Susan Sontag

Photo by Lynn Gilbert

This book first appeared in 1977 and is one of the most highly regarded books about photography ever written. This is perhaps the next step for all photographers that are starting to develop some serious existential questions about their craft.
In this work, you'll find a set of essays about the meaning of photographs and the career of a photographer. Even though Sontag was not a photographer herself, she was Annie Leibovitz's partner so you can expect a profound critique of the craft.

Photography Changes Everything – Marvin Heiferman

If this book doesn't make you think about the power photography has, then I don't know what else I can share with you that will. This book comes with plenty of essays that illustrate how photography changes culture, society, and people. It has shaped what we want, what we see, who we are, what we do, where we go and what we remember so strongly, that, as the author says, Photography Changes Everything.
So remember ladies and gentlemen, photography can change anything, so ensure you shoot with a responsible eye.

Photo by Thought Catalog

The works go beyond recipes and manuals written to help us replicate other photographers' styles; all of these books make us think and understand the beauty of photography.
As long as we can nurture our love for photography by thinking more about what is what we want to achieve with our shots, the more meaningful our photography will become.
One of the best ways to build an inquiring mind and eye is, of course, through reading. I hope that you find these books as mind-blowing as they have been for me.

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Sell your photos on the internet

Saulo Silva 
Travel Photography 
making it simple

 

This weeks' FREE Photography Ebook.  Get your copy here.

http://www.saulosilvaphoto.com/downloads/SSfp_Travel_Photography.pdf

What You Can Learn From Entirely Different Photography Genres

By: Mat Coker

If you spend any length of time within one photography genre, you come to the point when you wonder, what would take me to the next level?
Deepening your creativity often means making connections between unlikely things.
If you want to deepen your photography, one option is to take what you learn from one genre and apply it to another. Could you find something used in portrait photography and apply it to landscapes? How about taking an approach from birth photography and applying it to real estate photography?
Let’s explore the idea of combining approaches from different photography genres.

I had been out taking some landscape photos when I saw these canoes. A photo of the canoes 

on their own wasn’t working out for me. But when I saw this child come walking by it gave me 

an idea. I thought of all the street photos I had seen of people walking past interesting objects 

or backgrounds. For the fun of it, I adopted that concept here. I love the way the boots echo the 

yellow canoe.

What Portraiture can teach us about Landscape or Nature Photography

I’m a portrait photographer. What I love about portraiture is exploring the way people express their hidden selves through their body. You can see expression and gesture in feet, hands, and faces.
If you love to photograph nature and landscapes, you can take this concept of gesture (something we normally look for in people or animals) and apply it to your nature photography.
The more I focus on gesture in people, the more I see it in nature as well. Consider what Jay Maisel has to say in his book, Light, Gesture, and Color:

“Gesture is the expression that is at the very heart of everything we shoot. It’s not just the determined look on a face; it’s not just the grace of a dancer or athlete. It is not only the brutalized visage of the bloodied boxer. Neither is it only limited to age, or youth, or people, or animals. It exists in a leaf, a tree, and a forest. It reveals the complicated veins of the leaf, the delta-like branches of the tree, and when seen from the air, the beautiful texture of the forest.”

I believe something like gesture is what we’re after when playing with lines in a photo or even slow shutter speeds. Look at nature through the lens of gesture, and you’ll be more creative in your nature photography.

When I looked up at this tree, it was the gesture of the branches that drew me in. It takes 

decades for those branches to get there. Though they’re holding perfectly still, there is the 

feeling of gesture because of their shape.

I love to play with light. While photographing these flowers, a little lens flare struck my view. 

It’s very subtle, but on the right side of the photo, you can see a faint burst of warm light. It’s 

as if the flowers are reaching for the light.

What Wedding Photography can teach us about Food Photography

I’m not a food photographer, but if I photograph a wedding or event, I try to include a photograph of the dinner. Couples pay a lot for their meal, so why not add a photo? The problem is a stark white dinner plate full of food looks lifeless and uninspiring among all the other wedding moments. There was a disconnect between my candid event photography and my attempt at food photography.
Weddings are about writing a new story; joining families and sharing life. But I discovered that there is just as much of a story in the food as there is in the rest of the wedding. When I was able to chat with a chef as she prepared food for the guests, I came to learn how much she loves her craft. There is as much heart in the preparation as there is in the sharing of the meal.
So I began to photograph the meal just like I did the rest of the wedding. I took the heart of what I had been pursuing in all those candid wedding photos and applied it to photographing the food.

What Birth Photography and Real Estate Photography can teach us about each other

I can’t imagine two genres more opposed than birth photography and real estate photography.
If I tell a friend that I photographed a house for a real estate agent, they don’t care. They assume it’s just something boring I do for money. But when my wife tells people she photographs births, their jaws hit the floor and a passionate discussion ensues.
For most people, maybe photographers too, real estate photography is a boring necessity while birth photography is an exciting adventure. After all, one of those life experiences is about drama, emotion, and new beginnings, while the other is a series of appointments and paperwork until the ordeal is over.
Yes, but which experience is which?
Have you ever bought or sold a house? Then you know there is plenty of drama and emotion involved. Have you ever had a baby? Then you know there are plenty of appointments and paperwork. Both experiences – home-buying and having babies – are filled with the potential for adventure and emotion.
Try taking the obvious emotional excitement of birth photography and applying it to real estate photography. When you force yourself to flip everything on its head, you might see something quite different.
Many families have a negative birth experience. They’re treated like a commodity by their doctors and the hospital staff. A birth photographer knows that even if a laboring woman is given a bad experience by hospital staff, the photos still have to portray the unique beauty of the experience.
Even though real estate photography may often feel like a commodity, it can be a beautiful part of the story. First-time homebuyers are on an amazing life journey. Perhaps there can be more spontaneity and emotion in real estate photography than we first think – even if it’s hard to represent in typical real estate photos.

My wife, Naomi, made these birth photos. I love to see the range of emotion and depth of 

personality in her photos. But they certainly make my real estate photos look dull.

I know that my real estate photos are part of a larger story and every once in a while I have the
chance to photograph that story. Sometimes that comes by being able to photograph the move-in day.

What Street Photography can teach us about Newborn Photography

If you’re tired of posing newborn photos, street photographers can be your guide. They are masters of spontaneity – taking whatever moments the situation gives to them. Street photographers are explorers of society. As a newborn photographer, you can be an explorer of human nature in newborns.
Wait and see what that baby will do. Take what the newborn gives you rather than forcing your vision and poses on them. There is nothing wrong with posing, but it can be exciting to explore other moments that happen naturally.

Do you know all those adorable photos of newborns wrapped in beautiful fabrics and
placed in baskets? Well, this is the reality; a screaming newborn and bewildered older
brother. Take the moments that come to you.

Think beyond your genre of photography

When you want to deepen your creativity as a photographer, begin with the principles of the genre of photography you’re working within. When you’re ready to go even deeper, go beyond the principles of your genre and consider what different photography genres might teach you.

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Nikon’s New D6 Powerhouse DSLR is Imminent

by Kehl Bayern

Everyone loves new gear, and Nikon heads are particularly known for being the first passengers on the hype train.

D6

from Nikon.

But it looks like the hype surrounding Nikon’s new DSLR, the D6, is very real and it is going to make more than a few photographers excited.
Word began leaking on the net about this camera’s upcoming debut and it looks like Nikon decided to take the lead today and confirmed that, yes, the company’s most powerful DSLR yet, the professional-grade D6, is coming and, even better, there’s a bonkers lens option premiering alongside it: a 120-300mm f/2.8 VR lens according to PetaPixel.
In a press statement from Nikon, the company said, “Nikon released the D1 digital SLR camera in 1999, making 2019 the 20th anniversary of the single-digit D series. Thanks to the imaging know-how cultivated over Nikon’s long history in camera development, Nikon’s professional DSLR cameras have continued to evolve by introducing some of the industry’s most advanced technologies and responding to the strict demands of professional photographers with the ultimate in performance and reliability, even in the most severe conditions.”

 
 AF-S NIKKOR 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR F-mount lensAs for the AF-S NIKKOR 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR F-mount lens, the company said, “This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Nikon F mount…The new AF-S NIKKOR 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR F mount lens […] will provide professional photographers in fields such as sports photography with even greater support.”
No word on the most critical information yet such as the camera’s release date and its price. Whenever we get word on that, we’ll let you know.
You can watch a presentation on the Nikon D6 by clicking here.
Let us know your thoughts of Nikon’s upcoming D6 in the comments below

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Is Canon Working on a Mirrorless-to-DSLR Camera Converter?

By Kehl Bayern


Tons of news this week in the camera gear department and Canon is turning up the notch just a little bit more as we close it out.

EOS 1 DX

from Canon.

Reports are swirling around the web that the Japanese optics giant is developing nothing less than a mirrorless-to-DSLR camera converter in a bid to bridge two worlds and two massive segments of the modern market.
The indication that the company might be doing this came in addition to the news that revealed (though not surprisingly) that the company was developing an EOS R that could replace their own 1 DX with the release of this new camera rumored to be some time after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The sentence in the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun that got everyone talking about a converter is the following “We are also developing a converter that can join a mirrorless camera to an interchangeable lens for a single lens reflex camera.”
Of course, some people think the photography press might be reading too much into this and that it could just be some kind of EF adapter. PetaPixel highlights a report from Canon Rumors that described such a gadget all the way back in January 2018.
What this means for the company’s DSLR lineup in the long run is an even more interesting question. Could this be the way Canon moves users over to mirrorless systems as DSLRs take a less prominent place in the product lineup or is it just another gadget that will definitely have a market?
We want to know your thoughts, of course, and you can leave those in the comments below.

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Three Mistakes That Kill Image Quality (and How to Avoid Them)

By: Adam Welch

We all want to make the highest quality photographs we possibly can, right? Hopefully, you just gave a very slow yet very serious head nod in agreement to that statement.
There are a host of factors that play into the final quality of your digital images. Even the phrase “image quality” seems to be the best way to sum up all the pieces that have to come together for us to consider our photographs to be of high quality. Sharpness, composition, color balance and contrast are a few variables that jump to mind along with a multitude of others that we can and cannot control.

In this article, we’re going to look at three mistakes that you could very well be making with your photography right now which could be sabotaging your image quality before they ever leave your camera. Luckily, all of these mistakes are easily remedied once you realize they exist. Let’s get started.

Shooting “wide open” all the time

Make no mistake, from a lens standpoint, we live in an extraordinary time. Lens manufacturers have evolved to the point where we currently see extremely well-constructed optics with beautiful sharpness capable of shooting with relatively enormous apertures.
Not even a decade ago, you virtually could not find a “fast zoom” lens with a maximum aperture wider than F/4 for less than a $1,000US – at I least I never did.
Now, it has become blissfully common to acquire an outstanding F/2.8 or wider lens without taking out a second mortgage on your home.





https://resources.digital-photography-school.com/ref/937/



This new age of lens evolution comes with a few caveats, though. Just because your lens is a low-light beast capable of shooting at F/1.4, doesn’t mean that is an ideal aperture for every situation. You see, lenses have certain “optimum apertures” which provide the sharpest results for that particular lens.
In most cases, the widest aperture of your lens, while providing the best light gathering and arguably the best bokeh, is usually the worst optical setting for your lens. The widest aperture setting of your lens often makes nasty little image problems more apparent. Chromatic aberrations, edge softening, and vignetting all become more pronounced when you shoot wide open.

The solution:

Stop down your lens, even if it’s only by a stop or two. You’ll lose some light, but you will also likely see a markedly visible increase in image sharpness and overall quality. While it’s true that not all lenses are created equal (some show shockingly fantastic performance even at their widest apertures), the outcome will probably only become better if you stop down.

A good F/1.4 lens will be great at F/2.8 and likely outstanding at F/4. If you’re worried about losing that “creamy” bokeh, you may be surprised to see how little background blur you lose with a couple of stops on the wide end of your aperture. It depends on the relative distance of objects in the scene as much as it does on the aperture.
So if you’re suffering from a lack of sharpness and heavy vignetting try stopping down that lens and observe your results.

Poor body mechanics

No matter your gear, conditions or subject matter, if your camera is moving unintentionally, then your images will likely never be as technically qualitative as they could be. Camera shake robs sharpness and can make an otherwise strong image unusable.
Some of us can naturally hold our cameras more steady than others. In-camera or in-lens image stabilization can help, and of course, a trusty tripod is always a good shooting companion.
All of those things aside, simply being conscious of your body mechanics can go a long way to improve the quality of your photographs. At the same time, a bad grip on the camera and poor bodily positioning can cost you a photo.

The solution:

Whenever you’re shooting handheld, be mindful of how your hands grip the camera and the position of your arms and legs. Keep a flat-footed stance with your legs about shoulder-width apart. If you’re using a DSLR or other interchangeable lens camera, grip the camera body firmly with your right hand with your left supporting the lens. Also apply slight opposing pressure (push with the right, pull with the left). Tuck your arms in close to your body for maximum stability.

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This will work to help steady your shot. Along those same lines, gently press the shutter button instead of sharply pushing down, which can lead to the camera jerking.

Elbows tucked, solid grip and lens support.

Bonus tip:

Be mindful of a handy little formula called the “Reciprocal Rule.” This rule will help you approximate the slowest shutter speed based on your focal length to avoid moderate camera shake. The Reciprocal Rule is incredibly simple:

So, if you’re shooting with a 50mm lens, the slowest shutter speed you should use would be 1/50th of a second. Shooting at 100mm? Your slowest shutter speed should be 1/100th of a second and so on and so forth. This is not an ironclad rule but it is a highly practical one.
For more ways to obtain sharper images be sure to check out my other article 4 Simple Ways to Get Sharper Photos

Neglecting your settings

As simple as it sounds, not being cognizant of your camera’s settings is one of the most frustratingly preventable image quality killers that you will ever encounter. Consistently out of focus images? Check that your viewfinder diopter is adjusted to your eyesight – especially if you wear corrective lenses. Are your photos suddenly pixelated at high magnification? Make sure you haven’t accidentally changed your camera’s resolution (happens more than you might think) to a lesser megapixel count.

These are just a couple of points to consider, but there are many more. The bottom line is that if you aren’t continuously aware of what your gear is doing, not only are being a sloppy photographer, but you are also limiting yourself and your work for virtually no reason at all.

The solution:

Brace yourself for a huge surprise! Just kidding.
The easiest way to fix a neglectful mindset towards your shooting is to force yourself to remain vigilant. This means constant checks of your deep camera settings such as image and video resolution/format, camera firmware, and micro AF lens adjustments. Sure, keeping track of all these things isn’t an immersively fun experience, but neither are bad photographs.

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Do yourself and your photos a favor and never fall into the trap of complacency when it comes to your camera’s settings.

Summing up…

We all could be better at doing the things we love. Each one of us, no matter how experienced or accomplished, will always make mistakes with our photography. The only way we can prevent those image quality mistakes from constantly occurring, and improve the quality of our photos is to make sure we are aware that anything is wrong in the first place. If you do not see the quality of images you would like, the first step towards finding out the problem is realizing that there is one. From there it’s just a matter of working the problem until you resolve it or significantly mediate it.
Put the tips we’ve listed here to work, and you’ll see your image quality improving immediately.
Oh and remember, we’re all in this together! Feel free to share any other tips for image sharpness, or if you have a sticky little issue with your picture quality, feel free to let us know in the comment section.

5 Compact Cameras That You Will Enjoy Carrying Everywhere You Go

By Jason D. Little 
 

When mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras burst onto the scene and first hinted at their staying power, the apparent savings in size and weight compared to DSLRs was touted as a major advantage of mirrorless systems.
The thinking was that if you hated having to carry around a bulky, heavy DSLR and lens all the time, switching to mirrorless would solve that problem.

Ricardo Esquivel 

It didn’t work out quite as some people had hoped. In many instances, once you stick a lens on a mirrorless body, you’re not seeing that much of a size/weight advantage over a DSLR setup.
Of course, there are exceptions — Olympus, Panasonic and Fujifilm camera bodies and lenses tend to be compact. But there are even exceptions to this exception.
I guess this just serves as a stark reminder that there’s no such thing as a perfect camera. If, however, you hate carrying around a bulky camera, no matter DSLR or mirrorless, you do have other options.
Here are five compact cameras that you’ll actually enjoy carrying everywhere you go.

Fujifilm X100

The thing that, perhaps, stands out most about Fujifilm’s X100 series is its looks. It has the looks of a classic film rangefinder, which seems to appeal to just about everyone.

The camera is slim and lightweight and has an APS-C sensor. The 23mm f/2 lens provides a 35mm field of view. The perfectly arranged physical dials make the camera a breeze to operate.
The current iteration, the X100F, boasts a 91-point hybrid autofocus system and the third generation of Fujifilm’s infamous X-Trans sensor (now packing 24-megapixels).
Older versions of the X100 remain viable options, even the original 12-megapixel X100 with its slower but still accurate autofocus.
The X100 isn’t really pocketable…unless it’s a large jacket pocket.

Sony Cyber-Shot RX100 VII

Sony’s RX100 series camera is on its seventh version as of this post. Like the previously discussed Fujifilm camera, the Sony RX100 has kept a few key characteristics in place throughout the life of the camera — the small, pocketable body, the 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor and the Carl Zeiss lens.
Lens specs have changed over the years. The latest entry, the RX100 VII, sports a 24-200mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-4.5 lens. A number of earlier models have a 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens.
While not as immediately (or ever) user-friendly as the Fujifilm X100, Sony’s RX100 line packs an amazing, versatile set of features into a body that easily fits into a big pocket or small bag.

Ricoh GR III

While the cameras above have enjoyed regular and relatively frequent upgrades, the Ricoh GR has not. Yet it has remained a staple among many street photographers.
The Ricoh GR II was released in 2007. Since then, it has reached legendary status and is often referred to as the perfect street photography camera.
The Ricoh GR III doesn’t change the two most important ingredients in the recipe: a 28mm equivalent f/2.8 lens and an APS-C sensor. Ricoh did spice a few things up, however.
The GR III’s sensor is 24-megapixels, the body is slightly smaller, the rear LCD is touch-sensitive, and there’s three-axis image stabilization.
If none of those new additions matters much to you, the GR II is still an awesome option with a pretty attractive price tag.

Canon G5X Mark II

Something that the cameras mentioned to this point have in common is they keep the same (or very similar) body size and shape through each generation. Not so with the second generation of the Canon G5X.
The G5X Mark II body has been completely overhauled. While the design of the previous generation (which still represents good value for the money, especially on the secondhand market) looks something like a mini DSLR, the Mark II is a bit more svelte, making it more pleasant to carry.
The most impressive thing about this camera? I’d argue that it’s the 24-120mm equivalent f/1.8-2.8 lens. Combined with a 1-inch, 20-megapixel sensor and that’s a lot of imaging power in such a small package.
Should you go with the G5X Mark II, you’ll also get a rear touch screen, optical image stabilization, 4K video and a pop-up electronic viewfinder.

Panasonic Lumix LX100 II

The LX100 II, like its predecessor, features a fast 24-75mm equivalent f/1.7-2.8 lens, a Four Thirds sensor and a built-in electronic viewfinder.
Panasonic has upped the ante with this latest entry by jumping from 12 to 17 megapixels, incorporating touchscreen functionality and adding two additional physical function buttons that make an already user-friendly camera even more customizable.
The camera body remains largely unchanged, which is a good thing. Though the camera won’t fit into pants pockets, the LX100 II is still compact enough to take with you everywhere you go.

What is your preferred everyday carry camera? Let us know in the comments.

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Rich Kids are Paying Thousands to Have Their Photos Featured on this Site

Sep 05, 2019

DL Cade

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Back in 2008, an app called I Am Rich appeared on the iOS app store for $1,000. The now-infamous app did absolutely nothing—it was just a status symbol that proved you had money to burn. Now, a website and Instagram account called Golden Price Tag is following in I Am Rich’s footsteps, and rich kids are paying $1,000 and up for the “privilege” of having their photos featured.
The opulent website and Instagram account only cropped up a few days ago, and according to the site’s FAQ, the system is pretty simple:
Anyone can submit a photograph and caption, along with a payment of at least $1,000. If your photograph “holds up to our gold standard,” Golden Price Tag will slap their logo onto the photograph and upload it to their Instagram account. Once it’s live, you’ll be listed as one of the site’s “Gold” members, where people can see how much you paid to have your photo featured.
It’s like “Rich Kids of Instagram” meets the I Am Rich app, and it seems to be working:

If your photo is chosen and your payment is “accepted,” the photo goes live on the website and Instagram account. If it’s not—although we somehow doubt any photo and payment would ever be rejected—the site says you’ll “get your money back.”

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