Category Archives: Review

Description: review, evaluation, examination, study, analysis, audit, check, consideration, file, inspection, reassessment, reconsideration, reflection, report, rethink, retrospect, revision, scan, scrutiny, study, survey, view
May include: criticism, judgement
Notes: criticism is an evaluation or judgement of something, while critique is a somewhat elevated term for the same thing; review is used as a synonym for these but may also imply a more comprehensive study

DIY Camera Chest Harness for Weak Hands & Arms

Chest based harness to help support the weight of your SLR if you have weakness in the hands or arms

Chest based harness to help support the weight of your SLR if you have weakness in the hands or arms. Click to see the full construction articles on Instructables.

Carry on using your SLR after weakness causes problems

A lot of people suffer from weak hands and arms. Injury, disease and age can all affect photographers. It is understandable that weakness makes it difficult to lift or hold a DSLR. The frustration, and perhaps pain, can be very off-putting. Here is a solution that just about anyone can make. It takes the weight off the hands and arms. Bracing the weight of your camera against the chest makes sense. It is a stable platform, the weight is supported by the neck and shoulders and it is easy to use with one hand. Using a remote trigger you can even hold the camera with just your left hand.

This easy-build solution is found on “Instructables.com“. There are detailed instructions on how to build the ‘Camera Chest Harness‘. In addition detailed photographs show you the components and assembly. All the parts are easily purchased or made from materials found in local hardware warehouses or DIY stores.

If you have not seen “Instructables.com” it is a great site. There are lots of Instructables DIY photography Projects as well as thousands of other interesting ideas for DIY projects. If you sign up for free you can follow people to keep up with their latest projects. Or, you can post your own hacks or projects. You can comment and ask questions and take part in all sorts of community activities including competitions. There are quite a few DIY photography projects there too. Why not take a jump over there and check it out.

Of Softboxes and light… New Interactive Website

The difference between hard and soft light can make or break your picture.
New website provides interactive light experience

A new website has been exciting photographers of all levels. The site, Virtual lighting studio by zvork External link - opens new tab/page is an interactive site allowing you to set up studio lights. You test your light set-ups on a virtual person. The pictures above show two light set-ups with one light using a softbox and as an alternative a bare strobe (flash).

You can use up to six different lights. Each can be set up differently. There is a bare strobe (flash); snoot (focusses the light); a ring light and two sizes of soft box. The intensity of the light can be changed from hard light to soft light, as well as the colour too. You can even turn on the ambient light and control the intensity and colour of that as well. To vary the light conditions you can move the light right or left of the person, around the back. In addition you can move the lights up and down to get light from above and below. Back and forward options allow you also move each light nearer or further from the subject.

Once you have designed your light set-up you can take a snapshot and try another. To see the light set-up as a design you can swap between the studio view and the light layout design. You can print it off or keep a copy as an image. The drawing of the light set-up could do with some further development, but it is perfectly understandable and usable.

One feature I particularly like is the ability to temporarily turn off all the lights except one using the ‘solo’ button. This is to enable you to adjust that one light without the impact of the others. Then you can turn them back on again to see the final result.

Virtual Lighting Studio web page

Virtual Lighting Studio web page.

One criticism – after playing with the features for I was not able to eliminate a light band under the chin. It looks like a line of reflection from a mirror and it is not life-like. It doesn’t interfere with the overall experience if you ignore it.

I spent several hours with this page. Really the best thing to do is try it. For starters and improver’s in photography it is a wonderful opportunity to play with a range of light conditions. For more advanced and professional photographers it is an invaluable light design tool. It provides everyone with a design planner for lighting on a real shoot. I really enjoyed using this site and have used some of the results.

This is an interesting and useful site that photographers at all levels can benefit from trying out. It is free and provides a full set of help details. Click the button in the top right hand corner of the site. The site is still in its Beta version… out for testing with the public. So feedback and comments will help the developers to improve the site.

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Nikon Release a Stunning New Model… The D3200

The new Nikon D3200...

New full featured DSLR sets a new standard

Today Nikon announced the release of a new model. It is an advance on the popular D3100. While it is primed for the family and amateur market the D3200 is no lightweight. Boasting a 24 megapixel sensor it matches the ‘pro-photography’ market and could fulfil a niche as a light and flexible camera for the photographer on the move. It is priced to meet the same market that the Canon Rebel/D550 series cameras fill. However, it looks to leave the Canons standing.

The stylish design comes in two colours – Red and black. The advances are not skin deep. Below the surface is a slick imaging machine. The sensor is a 24.2MP DX-format CMOS with great colour fidelity, sharpness and tonal variation. The EXPEED III image processor provides a range of in-camera image manipulation facilities as well as superb picture quality and HD 1080p video. There is a large, 3inch LCD screen which allows bright clear framing, playback, menus and controls as well as ‘Guide Mode’ settings. The menu navigation is intuitive and clear as well as friendly.

The lens mount is suitable for a wide range of Nikkor lenses. The bundled ‘glass’ is the versatile AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G (Vibration Reduction) lens – a mid-range lens with superb optical quality and stabilization. The camera houses an eleven point auto-focus system using phase detection to ensure the quick focus response.

Modern cameras have great ISO and noise reduction systems. The D3200 is no exception. The top level of the ISO range is 12800 and the noise processing is reported to be of high quality. This looks like a great system to meet the full range of light conditions any photographer will encounter.

While the camera is probably best suited to the amateur and family market the large sensor size, excellent video specifications and ease-of-use make it a great opportunity for entry-level users to buy a camera they can grow into. On top of that there is the added bonus of wireless.

The D3200 looks like being the first truly mobile enabled DSLR. A small plug-in accessory is going to be available that will enable the camera as a mobile device. Called the WU-1a wireless mobile adapter the unit will automatically connect with your smartphone for upload. It will even let you use your phone to control the camera to take shots and video. There is an intuitive app. to help the process along on your phone. Get the shot and share it all in one! That beats hands down the limited and geeky Canon wireless offering on the Canon IXUS.

Combined with the other features of this camera, the wireless will be a big boost for sales. In the mobile world of today the camera manufacturers have lagged behind. Nikon have obviously decided to take a leap with this camera and it is aimed at the right end of the market. Great news. Lets hope the likes of Canon and others will follow suit. At the moment the camera manufacturers are looking decidedly behind the times in terms of wireless access and facilities. Nikon is clearly determined to break the barriers.

Another feature that will excite the mobile generation is the in-camera editing features. Mobile phones have got streets ahead of cameras on editing. Well the D3200 is fighting back. The camera features a ‘Retouch Menu’. It offers a whole range of post processing features… Resize, Color sketch, Selective colour and other process tools. The traditional ‘red-eye‘ correction, and Monochrome (Black-and-white, Sepia and Cyanotype), is available along with Filter effects (Skylight, Warm filter, Red intensifier, Green intensifier, Blue intensifier, Cross screen and Soft). Other features include: Color balance, Image overlay, RAW processing, Quick retouch, Straighten, Distortion, Fisheye, Color outline, Perspective control and miniaturisation. It is also possible to edit your video clips in the camera too.

It is looking like European distribution and sales will begin sometime in May/June. Of course we will keep you posted on that and ensure that you get the latest on this camera as we know more. In the meantime this looks like being the most forward looking DSLR to come out for some time and it smashes the preconceptions of recent times about DSLRs. if you are looking to get your first DSLR and love to share your pictures this could be the mean machine you are looking for to do the right thing!

The Nikon D3200... stylish and a new standard in size and power!

The Nikon D3200... stylish and a new standard in size and power!

The Nikon D3200... A new standard in wireless connectivity.

The Nikon D3200... A new standard in wireless connectivity.

The Nikon D3200... High resolution and 24 megapixel

The Nikon D3200... High resolution and 24 megapixel - A market breakthrough for the amateur, family and mobile generations. The camera has pretentions to the professional photographer market too. The 24 megapixel sensor will allow large print sizes.

The Nikon D3200... great facilities and intuative menu navigation and use.

The Nikon D3200... great facilities and intuative menu navigation and use.

Contribute A Definition?

Send us a definition of a photographic word or phrase...

Send us a definition for our list of photographic words and phrases. Simply write a clear definition and send it in. Include an original picture if you wish. Give us your name and a link to your website and we will credit your work.

Google Honors an Early Photographer

Todays Google Doodle honors Eadweard J. Muybridge who is celebrated for his pioneering photography using stop-frames.

Todays Google Doodle honors Eadweard J. Muybridge is celebrated for his pioneering photography using stop-frames.


The Google Doodle today is an animation of a famous study of horses in motion. The photographer, Eadweard J. Muybridge, is best known for this work. Muybridge was engaged by race horse owner and breeder Leland Stanford. Artists had depicted horses running with all four legs off the ground. Stamford, a californian business man and horse breeder, wanted proof of this locomotion. Muybridge deployed 24 cameras to take detailed film sequences capturing the motion of horses legs throughout the galloping cycle. He produced a film strip that showed the whole range of leg positions.

Muybridge did his work for Stamford in 1872. The sequence he produced proved that all four legs did indeed leave the ground at once. Artists had depicted the legs streched out to the front and behind when this happened. Muybridge showed that the legs were all tucked up under the body at the time they were all off the ground. The position is shown in the Google screen capture above in the first column.

Muybridge was born in Kingston on Thames, UK, on 9th April 1830. He later lived in the United States. While recouperating from a serious stage coach accident he became a committed photographer. He initially focused on landscapes establishing his career as a photographer. After his success with the horse film sequences he continued to investigate human and animal movement. His work was associated with academic papers and popular books. He died of a heart attack in 1904.

His work on the film sequences is widely regarded as a precursor to modern videography. Muybridge invented the zoopraxiscope during the course of his work on movement. The moving-sequence invention was one of the earliest attempts to animate film into moving pictures. His early popular insights into movement in film are said to have contributed to the later developments leading to motion pictures and eventually cinema.

Photoblogs

'tumblr' is one of the top photoblog sites - an extraordinary range of photoblogs.
Click to go there...


There are many different ways to blog. Of course photoblogs are right up there with the most popular. Here is a definition from our glossary…

Definition: Photoblog

Definition: Photoblog | Glossary entry

Photoblog

Photobloggers predominantly post photographs rather than text posts. In many cases words are not used at all. Although Photobloggers can add text if they wish. There is normally space for comments from viewers of the photoblog. On some photoblogging sites the photoblogger may also be able to add video and music.

Photoblog sites differ widely in their format. Some are difficult to distinguish from an ordinary text blog. Some concentrate on a constant stream of photographs. Usually the design of the photoblog allows for the photographs to be displayed more prominently than the text. Some photoblogging sites have been keen to show that they are able to host blogs of a wider scope than just photographs. So the lines are blurred between a text blog with pictures and a photoblog with text. However, photoblogs normally have a proportionately higher photo posting than text posting.

Photoblog sites and independent photoblogs rely on their followers, friends and links to be successful. In that respect they are a part of the wider social networking phenomenon on the Internet. How the networking between blogs occurs is different according to the blog platform or site where the blog is hosted. However, photoblogs all have one thing in common – the goal is to get your photographs seen by others. In general, the bonding between posting photobloggers is the comments they make about each others pictures.

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One excellent way to improve your photography is to practice, practice, practice. A daily posting of your photos is a way to ensure that you do a little photography every day. You could work within a daily posting on a structured site like one of the 365 projects. These generally encourage you to do a photo-posting every day for a year (or longer if you wish). On the other hand a photoblog, or a photo-sharing site, gives you scope for a daily posting or to have gaps between your postings. To improve your photography it is just great to be able to get some pictures posted. Others on the site may comment, or you can get your family and friends to comment or just look at your shots. The important thing is that you take photographs. Photoblog sites give you the chance to get your shots out there. This gives you a reason to take more!

tumblr External link - opens new tab/page is predominantly a site for creative people although many of the users are photo-centered.
Here is what Tumblr have to say about themselves…

Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything.
Post text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos from your browser, phone, desktop, email or wherever you happen to be. You can customize everything, from colors to your theme’s HTML.

I spotted one blog over there today in which all the pictures were (at time of writing) in black and white. In the http://dilke.tumblr.com/ External link - opens new tab/page blog the monochrome theme gives the whole procession of pictures its common element. There are some pretty eclectic things to look at, some shocking shots and some brilliant art. I have rarely been as captivated by a single set of pictures. This is a great photo-stream and one that is full of iconic and different, ‘out-of-the-box’ ideas. A large number of the pictures are art works. Even if you don’t like the whole picture stream, you have to admire the style, art and insight.

The Tumblr site allows you to ‘reblog’ – to post-on blogs by other people. It is one of the ways to spread the word about other bloggers shots. So the pictures may not all be from one person on each site. However, the collection is worth viewing in its own right.

Tumblr has a huge number of page views every month, numbered in the billions. As with any popular site you get the good and the bad. But in general the people who use the site are all creative people. A great place for inspiration and insight if you are a photographer.

Why not take a look at Tumblr External link - opens new tab/page yourself. You might want to try it out. Its free and you can design your own blog space to suit your style once you join up. Of course you don’t have to join. You can just look over the blogs that are there to see what is happening. It is an interesting site and well worth a look.

There are a wide range of other photoblogging and photosharing sites. We will be reviewing a few of them in the future so keep your eyes open here for more information.

Going Off-Camera with the Latest Flash…

The new innovative Canon flash - new dimensions...

The new innovative Canon flash - new dimensions in flash technology. Click to see the article on the Canon website.


Off-camera flash is one of the most liberating aspects of flash technology. The idea is to get your camera to capture light that is controlled by you. You set up the flash so you can design how viewer sees your shot. In recent years flash units attached to DSLRs have become very sophisticated. This latest release from Canon has a range of high quality control features and in-built radio technology.

Syl Arena is a well known author in the field of flash technologies. In this article he reviews the latest offering from Canon. It is a rounded and informed view.

Contribute A Definition?

Send us a definition of a photographic word or phrase...

Send us a definition for our list of photographic words and phrases. Simply write a clear definition and send it in. Include an original picture if you wish. Give us your name and a link to your website and we will credit your work.

How To Be Creative – its not a talent!

It is perhaps something that we would all like – to be more creative. Well, one of the UKs most creative comedians provides some insights in the video below. It is perhaps something that is often out of the grasp of many of us. The ‘Monty Python’ star, John Cleese, speaks on creativity. He points out it is something that anyone can do. It is not a talent, but a way of working. For photographers creativity is a about giving yourself time to work on an idea and doing things to make it more original. Try to relate what John Cleese says to your own creative day-to-day photography.

Have fun, this is great stuff for working on your photographic projects.
[Apologies for the quality of the visuals.]

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