Working the Scene from Four Different Perspectives: Protest Photography

 Tags: Photography for Beginners, Protest Photography, Civil Unrest

 

  by Simon King

 

Expressions of civil unrest have provided many opportunities for photographers to capture the energetic, emotional scenes which are the byproduct of demonstrations, protests, riots, and other manifestations. Crowds offer such a dynamic set of possibilities that I’ve even heard some describe protests as being “cheating,” or “too easy – fish in a barrel.”

While it’s certainly easier to find something close and interesting to frame it is not easier to produce actually meaningful work by any standard – if it were then every protest would be accompanied by dozens of powerful, iconic documents. Instead, like any other genre, it requires a huge investment of time and care to produce something that can escape the genre – a true artifact. 

We live in interesting times, and those times have offered many such opportunities, involving masses of citizens seeking resolution and outlets for their agenda. Over the last few years our documentary co-operative has spent hundreds of hours in these spaces; walking, talking, learning, and photographing, with the intent of producing a record of testimony. We have not looked at straightforward reportage, but rather a closer investigation into the way these protest spaces operate. 

Where many find themselves amplifying the agenda contained within their photographs we worked towards a more sociological goal of humanitarian observation. Many photographs within a protest space document the physicality of signs, gestures, or performances, but in our opinion lack nuance. We did our best to identify based on our own values what was worth documenting on a case by case basis, moment to moment – a photographer’s documentary vision, not necessarily a surface level analysis. 

Here, we present some of those values, along with some of our decisions in terms of the gear and methodologies we used while documenting protest spaces over recent months. 

Andrew Blowers

I am lazy when it comes to equipment. Early in the summer I remember carrying my Leica M4-P, with my Nikon SLR and 200mm over my arm, and realising that one of them just wasn’t making sense to me anymore. M rangefinders are my comfort zone. They work exactly how and when I need them to, no thought required. The SLR and 200mm was necessary for the more “press” approach I was trialing, but did not work in my favour either at a distance or up close. 

The size and weight, combined with the way my subjects perceive it and me (in my often dark grey/black outfits) was intimidating, and it offered more trouble than it did benefit in the added reach. The 200mm “look” can often seem a little voyeuristic, even when in crowds, and I would prefer to have as little space both psychologically and physically between myself and my subjects when possible. 

Since that moment I’ve been working as light as possible, even shedding my bag. As a musician I’ve hung heavy instruments around my shoulder and neck for years, so being able to free myself from any straps, even light-weight ones, is immensely freeing. Nothing gets in my way now, and importantly I feel  free when I slip through a crowd, or situations where looking like anything “official” could cause tension. I remain impartial, able to deflect interrogation from agitated and angry protesters and police alike. I don’t look like mainstream media with a small camera and no bag, so all that’s left to manage is my attitude and their ego.

For any protests that I felt were likely to incur conflict I would pair down further still, one M body and one standard lens, usually 35/50mm, with as much film in my pockets as I could manage. This is pretty much my proven way of working best – absolute minimum, absolute restriction, no worry or frustration or compromises: just shoot, and occasionally run. 

50mm will always win out if I’m unsure what to have with me. I’ve shot with it almost exclusively this year – a Zeiss Planar f/2, which seems the best balance of size and performance. I wouldn’t want faster, as I can always push HP5+, and the weight and size quickly makes it a hindrance compared to the payoff of any “look” I’d be achieving. This work isn’t about the look, it’s about the content: I can fit that content into a 50mm frame, and that’s what matters. 

For a while I tried working with two bodies, my M4-P with 50mm, and my M3 with a 90, but decided that for regular use this was overkill. I really could do what I needed to on 50mm, I just needed to learn to trust myself and get on with it. In thick crowds a 35mm can be useful, but not essential, so when I carry two M’s now it’ll be with 35 and 50. This also gives me the option to switch between bodies when I find my film exhausted unexpectedly – it’s always best practice to keep an eye on the frame counter, and to use any luls in action to capture some context and still life to finish any rolls which have passed frame 30.  

We decided early on as a group that in protest environments it was the most sensible thing to work in pairs. This had a safety aspect, as photographers are often targets for those frustrated with the way they are represented by the mainstream media, but also worked creatively to allow us to support each other’s ideas and perspectives while in the field.

I often worked alongside David, and quickly became accustomed to dodging each other whilst also avoiding projectiles like glass bottles, traffic cones, and even flares and fireworks while working some of the more lively manifestations. As I was shooting a touch longer at 50mm than David was at 28mm I was able to literally watch his back in the melees between protestors and police, whilst also being able to work comfortably without actually having to “work around” each other. Often we would capture the same moment, but with different details noticed, which made for very complimentary results. 

The most recent technique I’ve been experimenting with is an off camera flash – almost the classic Gilden setup. This also allows me to engage with my subjects with a bit more energy, encouraging me to move in, grab a single frame, and get out of there. The entire rig on my M4-P is manual, which means control must be incredibly precise. While the classic 28mm Leica shooters have little trouble zone-focusing it took me a little while to adjust to using my 50mm at 2m, stopped down, and still having little depth of field to work with. I needed to approximate the distances required before stepping into place. 

The flash is an older model, so the recycle time is quite a while. This encourages me to commit to a shot then follow through – no messing around. One of my favourite successes of this method can be found on page 44 of our debut zine, BARDO: Summer of ‘20, but this one here shows a good technical application.

Approaching the winter I’m hoping to take this method further, so that I can work in this style when appropriate, weave it into other projects, and hopefully offer a distinct aesthetic in the end results.

David Babaian

A couple of years ago I was photographing at Notting Hill Carnival with Simon, when a police line forced the sprawling masses to funnel into a tightly packed street.  Much like a crowd at a music festival trying to get up close to their heroes, everybody continued pushing harder and harder to get to the front. 

Waves of people kept rolling in, and I found myself in a position I needed to get out of – pinned up against a metal fence without an inch to move, whilst the swells of people kept on pushing. I hated it. 

I wasn’t used to this sort of situation. Panic set in, and self-preservation immediately became the name of the game. After shoving and squeezing, Simon and I eventually managed to get out of the main crowd and into a car park. This was the moment that I knew I had failed. A week or so later, with negatives scanned, I had my confirmation: not a single noteworthy image. 

This was perhaps my biggest lesson in photography so far. I was deeply embarrassed about the way I had handled the situation, and more to the point, I was massively disappointed with myself and the images that I had produced (or the lack thereof). 

My priority had been comfort and a perceived threat, which once dealt with now seems petty. I had to do better. I realised that I’d thrown away an opportunity to document an historic event, and if I was going to go forward and make images that are truly important rather than vapid “man walks through light” street style pictures, I had to embrace the chaos: I had to learn to love the unexpected nature of crowd movement and be at home in those waves. 

So I studied. I looked to the great visual storytellers, and learned how to use mayhem to form an image in layers. I realised that a single frame didn’t need to exclusively tell one single story, but rather could represent a myriad of converging life experiences and their interactions with each other. I ditched the 50mm lens that had been practically welded to my camera in favour of a little 28mm and I vowed not to shy away or distance myself again. Humanity is up close and personal.

Ironically, despite the Government programming and social mantra of 2020 being to “keep apart,” I found myself in situations where I had never been closer. I spent the summer documenting from the thick of dense crowds of protestors, documenting social transitions with my colleagues of NEG. 

In my experience the vast majority of these protests have been both peaceful and specifically non-violent; with almost no exceptions the police seem to have done an outstanding job of inspiring chaos, turbulence and disorder. 

At almost every protest, the heavy-handed nature of the policing has meant that the biggest threat to me has actually come from the authorities rather than from any rowdy rioters. We have had to become acutely aware of police movements and tactics during demonstrations in order to stay safe, so working in pairs as a minimum has proven invaluable: our body of work is very much a team effort rather than that of any individual.

Crowds can be daunting things, and while it’s said that the easiest place to hide is in a crowd, this certainly isn’t true if you have a camera… so don’t try. We live in a world where a camera is often initially perceived as a weapon – “Why are you taking that photo? Who are you selling it to?” – so being comfortable in these situations is paramount. 

Body language is communicated instantly with all those around, so confidence (not misplaced ego) and empathy are crucial. Looking back on that day at Notting Hill, I wonder how I may have seen things differently if I had embraced the chaos rather than shying away from it.

Sagar Kharecha

I actually only shot my first roll of film in January 2020, and spent the rest of the year embracing all that analog has to offer. I’ve been consciously disconnecting from an autofocus, auto-exposure, continuous-high, scatter-gun approach. Throughout 2020, protests have presented ideal environments to exercise critical thinking, and naturalise full manual control whilst operating in dynamic, volatile situations. 

One example burnt into my memory was during 13th June – an event soon dubbed as the ‘Battle of Trafalgar’. We knew the significance of that day prior to arriving, so I had brought an F2 with 28-200mm & Minolta with 50mm. Without previous training or shock exposure I was quickly overwhelmed with panic and too much choice during critical moments, resulting in hesitation and underwhelming frames. On that day I was paired with Simon – still recovering from a leg injury, and we stayed at the outskirts, cautious not to get involved in the thick of the action. Despite our cautious approach we found ourselves unexpectedly caught in the middle of a clash between the two factions of the day by St. Martin’s Church, narrowly escaping violence by essentially hiding in a corner and timing our escape once the majority of instigators had passed us by.

In this kind of environment we would always work in pairs in the field, but also as a team to coordinate and share open-source, human intelligence before, during, and after events. We assess risk, debate contingency plans, and make informed decisions when entering volatile spaces.

My current setup is now comparatively refined and consists of HP5 PLUS (often pushed), Nikon F2 & 50mm f/1.8, and more recently a 24mm f/2.8, to avoid complacency and start learning a more socially involved focal length. The 24mm requires me to be inside scenes I could usually approach from within a few steps with a 50mm. 

Sharing the same format with the others helps when it comes to troubleshooting problems on the fly. Although Andrew, David, and Simon are primarily rangefinder photographers they have good technical knowledge with resolving mechanical issues, and a deep film understanding which means advice on exposure and application. Film could be shared although we all know to carry spare rolls and batteries, even when we don’t expect to use them.

On one occasion David and Andrew identified an opening by King Charles St. during a clash between police and protestors, and while the police were occupied coordinating resources, we walked confidently towards the flashpoint by the War Room arches unhindered. 

Taking advantage of a usually restricted, and therefore extraordinary environment, it was important to produce good work without provoking unwanted attention from either side. 

Diving in-and-out close to the line made for intense imagery and training. News had reached that police were anticipating a surge, just then a banana peel was thrown at me – luckily nothing more damaging followed. A black female TSG officer was removed from the flashpoint, singled-out by protestors as a “race traitor”. She broke down crying, guarded by fellow officers warding away photographers from the scene. I couldn’t get the shot out of an informed fear of reprisal.

Beyond violence, cardboard or megaphones; protest photography manifested into the question of how best to maintain and improve clarity of thought. In the pursuit of powerful imagery, film gave me the limitations I needed to break my photographic crutches.

Simon King

During a protest in early June I took a glass bottle to the leg – luckily nothing serious –  which for a while affected my ability to work in the heat of any action. I adapted to this by adopting a longer-lens approach, and working my way around the outskirts of the activity. My results were not exciting, as I was drawn towards more details and context, but definitely valuable transitional work to fit into projects.

As photogenic as some of the more explosive moments of action can be at this sort of thing, I do prefer a calmer, more clinical approach to working: until those moments arise I can still be productive in working towards a larger project. 

Working the periphery often gives me subjects who are in some way “outside” if only in that mental state of being there without being in the midst of a rolling, roaring mass. Characters, details in discarded detritus, and the ability to keep my eyes on possible issues or situations arriving make the outskirts a great place to work. 

For this approach I used my SLRs, which give a longer reach than my rangefinders – I have a Nikon 70-300mm which was only about £40, but has produced some of my favourite photographs to date! It’s a cheap and versatile lens, but does require the use of faster speed films, so either a 3200 option, or pushed 400 @ 1600 are valuable carries.

Later on in the summer, with a fully healed leg, I decided to spend more time with a 35mm, and to work on producing layered compositions. For this approach I spend a lot less time actively seeking out small points of interest, and instead wait until there’s some kind of rapidly shifting situation. I look for the potential to incorporate something useful in the foreground, midground, and background. 

My rangefinder M’s are perfect for this approach, and the 35mm and 50mm lenses are almost designed for these kinds of images. Classic documentary work is the angle here, and a very different end result compared with what I produce on my Nikon with a 300mm.

While in crowds I am looking at faces, then at body language, in order to read a scene from the way someone is presenting themselves in that space. I avoid machismo and posturing, and prefer a more intimate, tender expression. Two people or more are much more preferable to one alone, as a vista featuring a group dynamic has a lot more interest than one character at a time, unless they’re especially standout.

Onlookers, or those affected by protests which block roads or perform other acts of civil disobedience make for great subjects. There is always a mix of curiosity and frustration as their day is interrupted. 

I don’t think there’s much difference between what I search for in these situations and what I look for while out shooting general street photography work. The potential for strong narrative driven by humanity is at the heart of my work, and thematic differentiation isn’t really evident in a tangible way. I like these photographs because they fit next to pretty much any of my others – and can be woven into many of my projects.  Share this article.

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Film Photography Is at a Crossroads Headed for Extinction: What It Would Take to Turn It Around and Why It Won’t Happen

 

 

by James Madison 

 

  

The writing is on the wall for film photography. It is a zero-sum game with only one end result – the extinction of film photography. Perhaps something will happen to change that but I doubt it.

There are three types of film photographers: those that have been in the game before digital was around, those that got into shooting film in a world after digital cameras became ubiquitous, and those that have yet to try it but will in the future. For many young photographers, regardless of experience, they have at least one experience of al older photographer talking in a condescending manner towards them for shooting film. This blows my mind. 

My personal experience with an older photographer of the curmudgeon variety was with the man who owned and ran the only film processing place in town who would do one of two things every time I saw him. One, he would tell me that he didn’t understand why I would shoot film – that it made no sense and I should stop. Or, if he wasn’t actively trying to discourage me from shooting film, he was trying to sell me more film than I needed or sell me one of his own cameras. It was the strangest juxtaposition. He didn’t want me to shoot film for selfish reasons but then again, he had a particular vested interest in me to continue shooting film and using their lab to process my film. It got to a point where I made an effort to only visit the shop when the owner wasn’t in. 

At the end of the day, this whole dynamic was by and large one of the strangest I’ve ever had with another person. In summation, I needed his shop to be around so I could get my film processed and he needed me to continue being a customer because without me and others like me, he would have been out of business. That said, he despised young film photographers and I found his company grating. There was never a clear winner in our exchanges, only business transactions. 

Zero-Sum Game

What is a zero-sum game you ask (or maybe didn’t)? It’s simple. For every team playing a "game," the wins are perfectly balanced with the losses. In its simplest form, there are two teams. Whatever amount team A starts to win by, team B starts to lose by as is how games work. In a zero-sum game, however, what goes up must come down and the wins of team A equate to the losses. Before it’s all said and done, all the wins along with all of the losses sum to zero.

Within the world of film photographers, the way I think about it, is that there are the people who have been shooting film for a while (team A) and then those who have only most recently got into film along with those who have yet to get into but will at some point in the future (team B). Team A includes people who remember when the price of a Contax T2, or Hasselblad 500CM, or Mamiya 7, or any other camera that was just a fraction of their current price just a few years ago compared with today’s market value. And then there’s team B, those who have only known todays price point or will come to know it this way when they start shooting film. The main loss for team A is obviously the stark increase in prices for cameras. It can be frustrating, I know. As you may know from the article on my most recent medium format acquisition, the Fujifilm GA645, the price for that camera just a couple years ago was hundreds of dollars less than the going rate now. I found it particularly difficult to shell out hundreds of dollars more than someone did just two years for the same camera. Except not for the same camera but rather a camera two years closer to breaking.

The primary to benefit to team A is in fact, indirectly, the sudden and substantial jump in camera and film prices – it is a sign of increased interest in film photography as a whole. Prior to this increased interest, in the days of nice cameras being cheaper, one film stock after another were being discontinued. It seems strange to think of Kodak’s TMax 3200P or Ektachrome E100 as anything but new stocks but in reality, they are more or less re-releases of films Kodak made and discontinued years ago. The same thing happened with Fujifilm Neopan Acros. (The list could go on but I’ll cap it here.) Without the uptick in popularity, prices on film cameras would have likely have remained low but more and more film stocks would have likely been discontinued, leaving the market more and more bare. 

The Extinction of Film Photography

It is with a heavy heart that I come to terms with the finite nature of film photography. I would not at all be surprised if within my lifetime I see the end of new film production. It doesn’t take much to effort to come to the conclusion that with so few cameras being made today, the overwhelming majority of cameras in use were made decades ago. That fact coupled with fewer and fewer businesses equipped to repair older cameras, clearly spells out what will eventually be an end for vintage cameras being the norm.  

In addition, I would argue that much of the reason film photography started gaining traction again was in large part because it was so inexpensive. A Pentax K1000 was easily $50 or less and most Minolta models were under the $50 price point. In fact, my reintroduction to film photography after college was through the purchase of a Nikon F2 (from the guy who owned the film lab I mentioned above) for $100, equipped with a 50mm f/1.4. Today we live in a vastly different world. More and more photographers and people wanting to get into photography are considering getting into film and as such the prices for cameras will continue to grow. 

What Would Turn Things Around

I started this article talking about the zero-sum game because the film photography world needs more photographers to continue to grow and expand. The growing number of photographers, however, equates to higher and higher prices for both film and cameras. With so few manufacturers making new film cameras (and the cameras that are available are either very cheap or horribly expensive), photographers are relying more and more on decades old cameras which, with their finite stock, are getting further out of reach for people getting into film photography.  

As such, I would argue that the only thing that could truly turn things around is for more manufacturers to present new options for cameras and among those that currently make them, to offer less expensive options. I don’t know anyone that is willing to pay the money for a Nikon F6 or Leica M-A which cost more than $2,500 and $5,000, respectively. (If you do and/or have, more power to you.) Gone are the days of the newly made Nikon F100 or Canon Elan 7. If any would just make 35mm cameras (or even medium format cameras!) that fit somewhere between the plastic, gimmicky Lomography cameras which don’t even get put into the 35mm category on B&H’s website and the ultra-expensive, “I should have just bought a digital camera” Nikon and Leica options. That said, I don’t think that will ever happen. Though camera sells have been on the decline, investing in the production of a film camera doesn’t even seem to be a remote possibility. 

What do you think? Do you see any manufacturers staging the comeback of modern film cameras? 

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5 Tips for Underwater Photography with a GoPro

By: Ian Johnson 

Jumping from a cliff. Diving with whale sharks. Documenting a road trip. The compact, rugged technology of the GoPro has created incredible opportunities for capturing the action of events like these. And while the GoPro is known mostly for its video capabilities, improved senor technology means it’s also a camera capable of high-quality imagery that can withstand harsh conditions such as water and dust.
And being able to shoot in adverse conditions opens new opportunities for creative photography.
In the past few months I’ve been experimenting with a GoPro Hero5 to shoot underwater photography. Although shooting underwater is a new realm for me, I’ve found that by applying generic photography knowledge I’ve grown quickly and made the GoPro work for me.
I hope you can learn and adapt what I’ve learned for your own purposes with these five tips for underwater photography with a GoPro.

I used a GoPro under water to capture the behavior of these breeding salmon in Alaska.

1. Know the Minimum Focus Distance

You may already know that the GoPro has a very wide field of view (FOV), which lets you frame a subject with the contextual scene around it. When searching for an image, focus on your desired foreground element and then get as close to it that foreground element as you ethically can. Place your camera close and take advantage of the GoPro’s 12-inch (~30cm) minimum focus distance. Placing the foreground element about 12 inches from the camera will emphasize it while still providing surrounding context.

I kept the minimum focusing distance in mind for this coral. The image was taken from very close while snorkeling.

2. Pre-set your Camera Field of View

Following in line with the minimum focusing distance, be sure to pre-set the FOV for your GoPro before entering the water. Even though GoPros are waterproof, I use a third-party housing to further protect the camera. And if you use a housing you can’t engage the touch screen, so you need to set the FOV first.
If you can’t get close enough to your subject, set the field of view to “Narrow”. This will require you to aim your camera precisely, which can be difficult if snorkeling or swimming. Of course, you can keep an eye on the back screen to help you compose the shot.

I used a narrow field of view to capture this image of this large trigger fish in Hawaii.

3. Set Your Camera Defaults to Maintain Image Quality

Setting your default settings ahead of time will help you capture quality photographs. GoPros have pretty good image quality in well-lit conditions, but the image graininess (noise) will increase quickly as the camera adapts its ISO to low-light conditions. You can control the image quality by setting a maximum ISO setting. With your phone connected to your GoPro, go into your settings and change the maximum ISO to a value of 800 or less. While you’re there, you may want to set the default mode to “photo”. Doing this will ensure you can quickly take a photo if your GoPro shuts off while underwater and you need to turn it back on.

Underwater conditions can be very murky and may cause your camera to boost the ISO, which will result in greater image noise.

A slower shutter speed due to low light caused some of the darting herring in this image to blur.

4. Stabilize Your Camera

If the water is cloudy or the day isn’t sunny the camera will shoot at slower shutter speeds, which may result in blurry or non-sharp images. This will be particularly noticeable if you can’t keep the camera  stable. If you’re hand-holding the camera, keep it as stable as possible. You can also mount the GoPro to a tripod and place it in a suitable location. This is more useful when a phenomena or animal is predictable, such as salmon in a river. Just as it does on land, using a tripod will help stabilize the image.

I captured this image from a tripod. This was necessary because this salmon was wary of any movement in the river that reminded it of a bear.

If you’re out of the water and photographing something near you (think of tide pools) you can keep the camera stable by mounting it on a extension pole. You can buy one, or even build one relatively easily. A long pole will help you photograph something far away, and if you have a long pole (say 12 feet) the top of it will help counterbalance the GoPro at the bottom. If you’re using the pole in shallow water try bracing it against the bottom for further stability.

I used a long pole and a GoPro to capture an image of this sponge during a low-tide cycle in Alaska. I braced the pole against the bottom to take this image.

This image combines a couple of the concepts discussed in this article. I kept the camera on a pole and maintained the minimum focusing distance to capture the image of this octopus in a tide pool.

I used a pole and a GoPro to photograph these colorful tube worms and anemones under a dock.

Another camera setting useful for stability is the time lapse mode. Set the camera to time lapse (say, one shot every second) and start taking images. Compose your shot underwater, and then hold the camera in place while it takes pictures. Since you won’t have to fumble for the trigger button it will be easier to keep it still and ensure your images are sharp.

I used the time lapse mode to capture this school of fish in the clear waters of Hawaii.

In some situations you may be able to trigger the camera with your phone. The GoPro’s wifi network will cut out under deep water, but if the camera is on a tripod with only a small covering of water you can trigger the camera remotely from a distance. You’ll need to experiment with how much water is too much for the wifi network. Remotely triggering the camera may help you ethically and safely photograph wildlife.

I remotely triggered this image of a large coastal brown bear moving up a river in Alaska.

Although I don’t use underwater lighting, you can avoid blurring by using strobes or other versions of underwater lighting. These will help keep your shutter speed up and your ISO low. But use them with discretion depending on your subject. In some circumstances they may be detrimental to wildlife.

5. Use a Housing for Split-Level Photography

Split-level imagery is a way to help give an image context and tell a story. To create the effect, use an underwater housing with a convex dome and then place the dome half-in and half-out of the water. By doing so you get to observe both the underwater world and the terrestrial world. I use a housing by GoPole to create split-level images capturing the streams and local salmon runs of Alaska. You can use this technique anywhere to create compelling images. You can create split-level images by hand-holding the camera or using a tripod as I mentioned earlier.

A GoPole dome housing was used to create this split-level image of a large coastal brown bear.

The split-level shot helps tell the story of these spawning pink salmon under a large log in Alaska.

The Takeaway

I want to reiterate that I’m not an expert at underwater photography. But I’ve enjoyed extending my capabilities and skills to that realm. The GoPro is a fun way to learn underwater photography techniques without breaking the bank. And since GoPros are naturally waterproof, the likelihood of destroying gear is lowered substantially.
As I like to say, “pixels are cheap,” so I hope you make a lot of pixels while shooting photographs underwater with your GoPro.

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The Best Entry-Level Flatbed Scanner for Film: Fstoppers' Long-Term Review of the Epson V600

Tags: Photography for Beginners, Epson V600

by James Madison

 

For photographers looking to get into scanning their own film, the Epson V600 is the perfect first flatbed scanner.

Still made new, the Epson V600 is available for $230 from most retailers that sell camera equipment. It doesn’t have the best reputation when compared with its more refined and expensive sibling, the Epson V850. It does, however, come at a much lower price tag at one fifth the price. It’s true, the V850 has many updated features that would result in sharper images, but for all intents and purposes, the difference is minimal unless you’re making a fairly large print. 

Example scan of 35mm (Kodak Gold 200)

For those that are debating whether a scanner is right for them, the V600 is the perfect way to get into home scanning without spending more than $1,000. So, how much experience do I have with this scanner? I am nearing scan number 3,000. Since I started, I’ve learned a great deal about how to get the best scans, and even now, I still debate every now again re-scanning some of my old negatives because the conversion software that I prefer to use (Negative Lab Pro) gets updates, but that’s neither here nor there. The Epson Scan software that comes with the V600 is very disappointing and is not capable of distinguishing the difference between frames, so now, I have to manually select the frames myself and crop later (which is fine, just a slight annoyance). 

How does the V600 compare to digitizing with a digital camera and a macro lens? For color negative and color reversal film (slide film), a flatbed scanner provides a substantially better workflow, particularly as it pertains to dust removal. For black and white film, on the other hand, scanners cannot do dust removal, so there is little benefit to a flatbed scanner compared with digitizing with a digital camera. When it comes to the quality of the scan, I would argue that the difference is primarily driven by the film, format, and the amount of under/overexposure. For astrophotography specifically, I cannot stand the use of a flatbed scanner. Perhaps I just need more practice or some good advice, but my scans always come out really grainy and with minimal detail. Using my Sony a7R II and a macro lens, however, makes a world of difference. When it comes to the colors, assuming the conversation is about the color negative film, I have limited experience comparing the results side by side, and for those particular examples, I couldn’t tell any substantive difference between the two methods on the colors alone. The sharpness was substantially better on the Sony, though for 6x4.5 negatives, an 8x10 print would not show any difference. For 35mm, there seems to be a pretty big improvement, but with the slower workflow, I still wouldn’t use it the majority of the time. Perhaps if one day I buy the Mongoose automatic film scanner, I will change my mind, but for the time being, I use my V600 for 35mm to 120. 

Example scan of a 6x4.5 negative (Ilford Ortho)

What I Like

• Affordable relative to other quality flatbed scanners
• Very easy to use
• Capable of using DIGITAL ICE for pretty high-quality dust removal

What I Don’t Like:

• It cannot scan large format, so I’m relegated to digitizing my 4x5 with my digital camera
• It’s slow and takes a long time to warm up
• The conversion software is pretty terrible
• The scans are not as sharp as you'd get from a digital camera

Do you own or have you ever used the Epson V600? If so, what are your thoughts on this particular scanner? Do you have any thoughts on the V600 compared to other scanners or other scanning methods? You can get yours here: Epson V600.

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Cheap Film Cameras

9 Tips for Aspiring Young Photographers

Tags: Photography for Beginners, Photography, Flash

By: Simon Bond 

Photography is an amazing way to express yourself and see the world around you. It’s therefore not surprising that photography is a favorite pass time for young people. Recently I was asked to give my tips for aspiring young photographers (and those of any age!).

It’s such a great subject that sharing it with the dPS community seemed like a great idea. Even if you’re an old hand at photography, it’s always worth remembering the path you took to becoming a great photographer. We were all young and aspiring once!

Let’s look at some tips that will help you succeed whether you’re new to photography or not.

Learning to use off-camera flash is a key lesson for aspiring young photographers who want to take 

portraits.

1 – Be patient

In today’s world, we all want everything at once. To quote the lyrics from a song “How soon is now?”

As with anything that’s new to you, you’ll need to show patience. Learning a new vocation is a marathon, not a sprint. While it’s true some people will have a natural eye for photography, they also won’t succeed without patience and application.

You also need to figure out what success means to you. There are many who will see that as a large following through social media. While it’s a measure of success to have a large following, it’s certainly not the only measure. In fact, the approval of a huge number of likes through social media can stunt your development, as it may well blind you to some of the mistakes you make when taking photos.

So take your time, accept the fact that you’ll make some mistakes along the way, and allow your photography to grow organically.

Photographing with friends is a great way to gain experience. This is of a local music band.

2 – Look for places to get feedback

Feedback is an important part of your development. You can’t always see your blind spots, that’s why seeking out advice from others is a good idea. The type of feedback aspiring young photographers look for is important, it can have a big impact on your growth.

• Thick skin – You’ll need thick skin, or the ability to accept constructive feedback. Then you need to be able to apply it to your future work which will allow you to grow.
• Seek feedback – The choice of the word feedback over critique is important here. Critique is a negative word, where feedback is neutral. In addition to being given advice on areas a photo needs improving, the feedback giver should also be telling you the things you have done right. All too often people see the word critique and will then only look for the faults in a photo.
• Stay true – As a photographer, you will develop your own style, so you need to remain true to this style. Feedback should be fixing technical faults, not seeking to change a photographers style. Photography, after all, a creative pursuit, and the wrong feedback has the potential to stunt the growth of aspiring young photographers.

It’s always a good idea to get feedback on your work but choose your sources carefully. 

3 – Choose a niche to master

Photography is a broad area, and there are so many different types or genres of photography. The old saying about being a “jack of all trades, and master of none” rings true here.

Every photographer will eventually gravitate to a particular type of photography. Of course, it’s great to try out new genres from time to time, and in the early day’s it’s worth trying out different techniques to see which is the one for you. But sooner or later though you’ll need to decide whether you’re a portrait, landscape or food photographer.

Each of those photography types has many skills you’ll need to master before your photos really stand out from the crowd. There again you may wish to be a travel photographer, in which case, you’ll need to be good at just about everything.

Crystal ball photography is one niche, will you choose this or something different?

4 – Identify a mentor

Every field of photography will have its masters. In most cases, there will be more than one person you can approach as a mentor. Once you have decided on the genre of photography you wish to become good at, find someone who is already good at that, and approach them to be your mentor.

In today’s digital world it’s much easier to do this online. Remember the photographer you approach will be a busy working professional, and you may need to pay a fee for their time. Of course, if you pay a fee you will expect results, so set some clear parameters and goals for your sessions with them.

Your mentor will teach you the ways of The Force. Well okay, the ways of the camera.

5 – Join a photography group

One of the best things aspiring young photographers can do is join a photography group. This can either be online or in person. The majority of photography groups or clubs have a mixture of levels and abilities, and it may well be you’ll find your mentor by joining such a group.

There are so many benefits to hanging out with other photographers. The ability to bounce ideas off others, gain feedback on your work, and grow as a photographer within the group are all positives to joining a group.

Joining a group is a great way to learn about photography and make new friends.

6 – Learn your craft in your locality

Now hopefully you’ve joined a photography group, and you know which style of photography you want to pursue. It’s time to really put the time into learning everything there is to know about it.

Now, of course, you might happen to live in an amazing location like New York, or you have easy access to Angkor Wat because you live in Siem Reap. Those living in less glamorous places nevertheless need to learn the techniques and tricks needed to make the best photos they can, and in turn, put the glamour in their local area. Everywhere has its point of interest, and training your photographer’s eye to see that will help you become a better photographer.

• Landscape photographers – A great technique to learn is digital blending. You can learn how to do this in your local area, and then when you visit one of the world’s iconic landmarks you’ll be ready to make the best photos you can.
• Portrait photographers – Learning how to use off-camera flash will really lift your game, you can do this with friends and family as your models. Then when the chance for that big photography gig comes along, you’ll be ready.

Practicing your photography skills close to home is a good idea.

7 – Visit locations that will help your photography shine

Having built your knowledge in photography, and picked out a style, it’s now time to pick out a location where your photography will really shine. This will involve some form of investment in you traveling to a specific place that best suits your photography.

This is obviously not something you want to rush into, the key to success here is good planning. As an aspiring young photographer looking to establish yourself, getting some amazing portfolio photos is important. These are some of the steps needed:

• Location research – Use websites like 500px as a resource to find the locations you’d like to photograph yourself. Time spent on these sites will also give you inspiration for new ideas and directions you could take your photography.
• Equipment – You’ll need the right equipment to get the best photos, so consider carefully what you’ll purchase.
• Logistics – Think about the logistics. How much will your trip cost? Are you going at the best time of year for the light and weather? Is where you’re staying going to give you easy access to places you want to photograph?

This photo is of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur is iconic. Earlier photos were taken to practice 

the techniques needed for this photo, such as digital blending.

8 – Invest time learning post-processing

Photography is a two-step process. First, you’ll need to take the photo, but then you’ll need to process it on a computer or perhaps even in a darkroom. There are lots of things that can add to your photography with post-processing, below are just a few areas that you should focus on for landscape or portrait photography.

• Landscape – Learning how to use digital blending, sharpen your image, and how to remove unwanted elements from your photo.
• Portraits – Learn how to soften the face, but sharpen the eyes. Learn about compositing your photos, so you can blend studio portraits with other backgrounds.

9 – Set limits

A great way to push yourself, and learn more about photography is to set limits. In the days of film photography, you’d be limited to 24 or 36 photos per roll of film, though you could, of course, carry additional rolls with you.

The point is you were limited to a finite number of photos, so you’d have to consider your shot selection carefully. This is an example of a limit or parameter that can make you grow as a photographer. The following are a few others which you could try:

• Focal length – Take photos from only one focal length.
• Aperture – Choose only one aperture for the whole day.
• One color – Take photos of only one color for the whole day.

What tips do you have for aspiring young photographers?

Are you an aspiring young photographer? Which of these tips will you follow, and have you learned anything new that you can take into your photography?

Have you ever mentored someone else who was new to photography? What was your experience with that? As always we love to hear from the community, so please leave your replies in the comments section below.  Share this article.

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The Path to Better Photography

Tags: Photography for Beginners, Camera, ISO

Ed Verosky is a professional photographer and author based in New York. In this article, Ed presents his recommended path to learning photography.

If you’ve ever wanted a little guidance when it comes to learning photography from top to bottom, this  post is for you! There’s a lot of information out there, and tons of books, tutorials, workshops, etc. to learn from. But it’s not always easy to know where to start, or where you should focus your efforts when it comes to really improving your knowledge of the art and craft of photography. With that in mind, here’s a “learning road map” I’ve put together for you that has helped many of my readers. I hope it helps you with your quest to become a better photographer.

Getting Started

First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. You’re probably looking at this right now, excited about the possibility that you might actually learn something new, something that will elevate you as a photographer in some way. Whether you are a beginning photographer, or someone who’s been at this for a few years, you probably have the desire to improve on this thing that you love.

Photography means something special to you; it’s a kind of magic that allows you to express yourself. It’s your way of communicating and sharing with the world. Whether you’re doing what you love to earn extra income, or simply for the pure excitement and enjoyment of it, that’s reason enough to want to keep improving and learning and growing. It’s not only the technical skills, but the psychology and artistic sensibility of what we do as photographers that keeps us constantly in the need to learn and adapt to everything from new gear, to new people/clients, to our own ways of expressing ourselves.

How to Use this Post as a Guide

Print this post out. It’s your guide and starting point. It can serve as a road map to learning the basics of photography, helping you to build a solid foundation from which to grow and become really good at what you do. I encourage you to use this road map and seek out multiple resources, like DPS, to further your understanding of each topic that follows. My blog, newsletter, video tutorials, and ebooks will also definitely help you learn about these things quickly and in great detail. But I routinely direct people to outside resources as well, because I think it’s important to learn from more than one teacher in order to really drive home the knowledge and principles of photography.

I’m very excited about this journey you’re on, and it’s my goal to do everything in my power to help you get everything you want out of your photography. I’m obsessed with teaching and demonstrating what I’ve learned and all the new things I continue to learn. I’m sincerely happy that I have another person I can share this excitement with right now. That’s you!

Now, we’ll begin our discussion of the four topics that I feel are most important in your development as a good photographer: the camera, the lighting, the subject, and post-processing.

The Camera

The first part of becoming a complete photographer is knowing how your camera works, inside and out. Your camera is the main mode of communication between you and the outside world as a photographer. Like your voice, your photographic vocabulary is extremely limited without some good understanding of how best to tell a story. Put the effort into learning everything about your camera and and it will pay off, big time. Plus, you’ll be able to speak intelligently about your craft, and be able to ask the right questions when it comes to the topic of lighting. The camera and the lighting; knowledge of one topic supports an understanding of the other, so you need both. Start with your camera.

Good resources will provide numerous visual examples to help you understand how exposure works. The sequences above are just a few that I use in my eBooks to illustrate the interdependent nature of exposure controls on the camera.

———————–

Here are some of the most important things you should learn about:

• Raw and JPEG. The differences between Raw and JPEG file formats. Learn what the differences are and why one is not always better than the other. For example, I strongly recommend that people shoot in the largest Raw format their cameras produce. But that’s not always the practical choice, nor is it always necessary. In general, however, Raw will provide you with the highest quality file from which to work with. From there, you can export out to fine-tuned JPEGs that are sure to produce prints and web display images of excellent quality. But this isn’t the whole story, and you should probably investigate what these file formats are capable of, and how they work with your post-processing software, so you can make the most informed decisions according to the demands and limitations of your schedule, software, and client needs.
• ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. These are the fundamental components of exposure and a huge topic for photographers. Our cameras are able to keep these three components in check for us in automatic shooting modes, but the auto-metering and exposure mechanisms don’t always get it right. Understanding exactly how ISO, aperture, and shutter speed interrelate will give you complete control over exactly how your exposures turn out. You need to understand this topic in order to make educated decisions about how to adjust exposure even when using automatic shooting modes. There are shortcuts to learn, too. But I cannot stress how important it is to get a real, rock-solid, understanding of exposure.
• How to do the math of photography. It’s easy once you get the hang of it, and it’s an essential part of working with all aspects of exposure and lighting. What is this “math” all about? Well, it comes down to how light is measured in photography; we talk about light in terms of “stops” which are traditionally full increments of camera and lighting adjustments. Each stop either doubles or halves the amount of light you’re working with. For example, when working with apertures (often talked about in terms of f-stops), moving from one full f-stop of say, f/5.6 to f/8.0 cuts the light entering the camera by half. Likewise, changing your shutter speed from 1/500 sec. to 1/250 sec. allows twice as much light to expose the camera sensor. ISO works the same way; ISO 200 makes your sensor twice as sensitive to the light hitting it as ISO 100. Lighting has a similar math with a few good rules you can follow. Knowing all of this and putting it to use will put you in complete control of your lighting and exposure.
• White Balance. Light comes in many different colors, even when it looks white to your eyes, a light source can reproduce as blue, green, or orange. Learn how to control and fix it both in-camera and during post-processing. When you’re using different types of light sources together like flash and household incandescent lamps, you’ll have to make some decisions about how to handle the difference in light color, if at all.
• Shooting modes. Which camera mode do you typically shoot in? There are several to choose from including full automatic, program, aperture priority and shutter priority. There’s also manual mode which is very important to know how to use. In fact, for studio-type lighting, manual mode is usually the best choice. Learn what each camera shooting mode does. Each one has a real purpose and knowing how to choose the right one is crucial.
• Manual mode. Understand how to use it and gain total control over every aspect of exposure. No, you don’t have to shoot in manual mode all the time to be considered a “real” photographer, but for many situations, knowing how to use your camera in manual mode will save you from disaster. Manual mode is also important in studio work and anytime shooting conditions require you to do the thinking when your camera’s auto modes aren’t cutting it.
• Understand all the metering, focusing, and drive modes on your camera. It’s easy to find one thing that works and simply stick to it. But sometimes you need to switch things up to get better results as conditions change. Learning what your camera’s capabilities are is going to come in handy.
• Evaluate and fix your shots. Know how to most effectively use all the tools available on your camera to properly evaluate and adjust your exposures as you’re shooting.

Ok, remember the broad list of things you need to learn: camera, lighting, subject, and post-processing? Well the list above is just the CAMERA part! Trust me, I know that part alone can seem overwhelming, and that’s why most people never bother to learn it all. That’s a real shame, because it’s the first part of becoming a complete photographer; you need to know everything about how your camera works.

Fortunately, you don’t need to know everything from the start. If you’re using your camera in a way that’s working for you right now, keep doing that. There’s no reason to give that up. But in the meantime, start building on your current understanding and usage of the camera and learn a little bit more as the weeks go on. Soon, everything’s going to start coming together and you’ll find that you have a total command of the camera. That’s the goal. Read the best resources on using your DSLR, and just commit to wanting it. It’s going to happen, I promise!

Lighting

Although setting your camera to one of the auto exposure modes is a great way to solve the immediate problem of getting a properly exposed image, it won’t solve your lighting concerns, and it’s your lighting that really makes the difference. Many photographers soon realize that what separates their images from better work is the application of good lighting techniques and different types of lighting sources. I would say that the ability to skillfully use lighting is the number one technical skill a photographer should seek to acquire in order to produce good work. Unfortunately, this is also the number one place photographers tend to drop the ball.

Learning how to control your light will allow you to easily create effects like overpowering daylight (above). Here, the right combination of camera settings and flash power create a nighttime effect, even though there is actually bright window light coming into the studio.

———————–

Sure, lighting isn’t easy at first, and maybe that’s why so many photographers just give up on learning how to do it properly. It takes time, experimentation, and a good teacher to help you get to where you need to go with photographic lighting. Good books and tutorials can help you with that. When I teach, my goal is to show readers how to use natural, constant, and flash lighting in a way that really gives them a handle on it quickly.

In order to really master lighting for photography, you should learn the following things:

• How light actually behaves. By learning the properties of light, you can easily control the way it can be directed, redirected, and modified to suit your needs.
• How light is measured in photography. There’s a very easy and powerful math to photographic lighting (which I touched on earlier). It’s been around for a long time and has served photographers well. Learning how to measure light is crucial to good lighting and good exposures.
• How to use strobe/flash lighting. This is one of the most powerful and convenient types of lighting you can learn to use. Knowing how to use both on-camera and off-camera flash is what separates many photographers. While it’s ok to feel comfortable being a “natural light only” photographer, it’s also limiting.
• Lighting for portraiture. Using your knowledge of lighting will transform your portraiture work to a new level. There are five important lighting patterns you should absolutely know. Starting with a single light source, you can apply these patterns and build upon them to eventually create portraits that take advantage of multiple lights.
• Mixing and matching light sources. Make sure to understand how different light sources (although many appear to look white to your eyes) will cause major color shifts in your exposures. You can handle these problems in-camera with good white balance techniques and also during post-processing.

The Subject

I believe in teaching portraiture in a semi-traditional way; instructing on the fundamentals and quickly moving to a more freestyle approach. An appreciation for traditional lighting patterns and contemporary portraiture will give you a good foundation for all of your portraiture work. But in today’s marketplace, the old traditional portraiture isn’t the only game in town. Working photographers should look beyond typical portraiture to find ways to differentiate themselves from others. One of the main things I like to stress is that you should start thinking about unconventional posing, directing, lighting, etc. eventually developing your own style.

Great subjects can inspire you to get creative with your posing and lighting techniques. This type of experimentation will help you develop your own unique style.

———————–

Again, this all begins with really knowing the fundamentals of lighting, and getting very comfortable with your gear so it becomes an extension of your vision and not something that gets in the way of the creative flow. But simply knowing how to use the tools and basic techniques of your craft isn’t enough. You need to let go of the things that hold you back from creating your best work and explore new ways to look at and create portraiture. Yes, the soft skills like working with subjects and clients are important which is why it’s one of my favorite things to teach.

Here are some of the most important themes and topics I tend to discuss on a regular basis:

• Classic Lighting. The basic traditional lighting patterns are classics and always look great. Even if you’re the type of photographer who doesn’t like to do things the traditional way, get to know the classics because they come in handy and the principles they’re based upon apply to ALL types and styles of lighting.
• Creative Lighting. I strongly encourage you to go nontraditional, too. Working with your subjects in a way that encourages creativity includes bending and breaking the rules of traditional lighting.
• Developing Your Own Style. It’s imperative for working photographers to do this in order not to drown in a sea of competition where so many are producing work absent of any unique style or vision. Amateurs have even more reason to explore the artistic areas of portraiture since it is a part of the amateur heritage to do so, and also because they don’t have the burden of producing work according to the tastes and needs of paying clients. When I talk about developing your own style, I don’t necessarily mean that you can, or should attempt, to do it deliberately. I don’t think you can create a true style as much as you can identify it by looking back at your work as time goes on. But in the meantime, take this as a cue to work in a way that is your own.
• Portraiture Projects. One of the best ways to expand your body of work, as well as come up with new imagery that you otherwise might not have thought of, is to start a photo art project. Starting with just a simple idea or theme, you might find yourself discovering many different ways to express it. Even a very general concept has a tendency to build on itself as it becomes, at the same time, more defined and diverse. This process of creation and discovery can only enhance your artistic vision and technique.
• How to Find Great Subjects. Good models are everywhere, you just have to know how to find them. This is another thing I talk about in my books, but the main message here is that family, friends, and strangers can all make great subjects. You don’t always have to look to “model” directory websites to find great people to photograph. I’ve gotten some of my best results through other means.
• How to Direct Your Subjects. Whether your portrait subject is a client or a collaborator in your next artistic vision, it’s very important to get them excited and on-board with your ideas for the shoot. They are the actor in your drama, the star of your movie, even if your “theater” is only an ad-hoc studio setup, your subject’s confidence and enthusiasm are key ingredients for a successful shoot.
• Make Your Work Personal. This is very important. No matter what, or who, you photograph, if you invest something personally in your efforts, it will show. Your work will be less generic and more substantive. It’s often said that all portraits are really self-portraits. While it’s not always that evident, the truth is that the best portraits happen when you recognize something special as you click the shutter. And what you recognize most often comes from a very personal place.

Post-Processing

It can be argued that post-processing happens the moment a digital camera processes the data off the sensor, and certainly when a file is converted, via some programmer’s algorithm, for view in a RAW conversion engine common in most digital workflows. Why not make the absolute most of the tools available to you, just as photographers have always done? It used to be darkroom tools, like various ways of developing film and selectively exposing photographic paper during the printing process, which allowed the photographer to enhance or correct problems with an original negative. Now it’s digital. Of course you can ruin any photograph with overdone effects or cheesy gimmicks. But used thoughtfully, post-processing techniques can help make a good picture an outstanding one.

• Raw Conversion Software. I recommend that you learn how to use Raw conversion software which powers and comes built-in to Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom products. Working with Raw files has gotten to be a rather seamless part of the normal workflow.
• Image Editing. Software like Lightroom and Aperture make organizing and basic editing a breeze. Adobe Photoshop is the standard professional editing (retouching) tool of choice, however, the less expensive Photoshop Elements might have just enough features to allow you to do the type of post-processing you’re interested in.

Try out these products for free by clicking on the following links. You should see a “Trial” link on each product’s information page:

• Adobe Lightroom
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Photoshop Elements

Of course there are also other fun and effective ways to post-process your images, including using some popular mobile device apps. This is one of my favorite topics to cover as I’m a big fan of iPhone photography and mixing DSLR photography with phone photography editing and sharing technologies.

Some of the things you might be interested in learning include:

• Retouching. Using Photoshop tools like the clone tool, liquify, and healing tools to remove blemishes, tighten up body parts, and otherwise improve the overall look of your portrait subjects. “Photoshopping,” “airbrushing,” or retouching is so prevalent these days, it’s almost expected that you offer this to paying clients as part of the service. You can learn to do at least the basics by watching a few tutorial videos on YouTube, but I suggest you also invest in some basic detailed instruction from books like the popular ones by Martin Evening. Once you get that under your belt, you’ll be ready to tackle more advanced topics.
• Effects. There are several effects that are popular with photographers these days, including texturing, compositing, and alternative color processing and black and white conversions. Some effects can be purchased as presets and actions making them simple to apply. However, I recommend you also learn how to create and manipulate images directly so you’ll know exactly how to get the looks you want and make them unique.
• Image Preparation. You’ll also want to know the best ways to prepare your images for use in various applications like prints of specific sizes, on-line web galleries, distribution and presentation on the web, etc. Knowing the ins-and-outs of image resolution and quality settings will help you make the most of your photography. After all, what good is all the work you’ve done up to this point if you don’t know how to best present your images in the end?

This Is Just The Start

I realize there’s a lot of information in this post. At the same time, it’s not complete, just one general outline based on my experience and teaching methods. But I strongly encourage you to find your place on this map and start navigating your way through it. It will take some time, but that’s one of the best things about photography, the discovery.  Share this article. 

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