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RAW vs JPG – the final discussion

June 18, 2011 Neil vN 63 Comments

RAW vs JPG - the final discussion

The RAW vs JPG debate has raged on to the point where pretty much every photographer has been worn down, or left confused. It's been done. But bear with me on this one. It'll be quick. And convincing. Then we really are done with this. Here it is: There is NO photographer on this planet who is good enough to get: - correct white balance, - correct exposure, - correct brightness level, - correct overall and local contrast, - correct saturation, - a good black point, - or anything else you’d like to add, DURING the moment of capture, for  Read more inside...

Using flash with incandescent / tungsten light

June 14, 2011 Neil vN 23 Comments

Using flash with incandescent / tungsten light

I have used this photograph several times in the past to illustrate various aspects of flash photography in low light, so it might be time to discuss this image more thoroughly. We'll also pull together a few other topics and see how it all comes together at this one point: Dragging the shutter Gelling your flash Bounce flash technique Direction of light The advantage of using TTL flash Working alongside a videographer    Read more inside...

review: Fuji X100 – photographing a wedding

June 13, 2011 Neil vN 62 Comments

review: using a Fuji X100 for wedding photography

Being impressed so far with the image quality from the Fuji X100 (affiliate), based on my initial impression of the camera, I was tempted to put the camera to a real test. A test where we remove the luxury of using the camera just as a walk-about fun camera. Instead, I wanted to shoot an event where there are real expectations from the images. With that idea in mind, I asked around if any of my wedding photographer friends would consider using me as a freebie 2nd shooter, where I would use only the Fuji X100 as my  Read more inside...

how to carry your camera over your shoulder

June 7, 2011 Neil vN 25 Comments

how to carry your camera over your shoulder

An interesting comment came up in the article on choice of lenses for wedding photography. The observation was that the photographer, Lou, felt like he was the proverbial bull in a china shop when he carried two cameras over his shoulder. With the lenses protruding on either side, it was tough going through doorways without knocking something. There are numerous camera strap solutions available on the market - rapid straps and holster systems. Most of them work well. I still like the old-fashioned camera strap on the camera. One thing I  Read more inside...

photographic composition – eliminate & simplify

June 6, 2011 Neil vN 19 Comments

eliminate & simplify - the first steps in photography composition

These two images were taken from more or less the same spot. All that changed was my vantage point, and my choice of lens. This vibrant park in Manhattan seemed like an interesting place to photograph, but when photographing a couple, I really want the accent to be on them. The best way to do this is to frame them so that the background is as simple as possible, but still complements the final photograph. I had the couple sit on top of this grassy mound, and I lay down on the grass, and framed them tightly  Read more inside...

Exposure metering – expose for your subject !

June 1, 2011 Neil vN 27 Comments

Exposure metering - expose for your subject !

In preparation for a review of the Fuji X-100 camera, I met up with Anelisa to see how this little camera performed during an actual photo shoot. The image above was one of the photographs we ended up with. Now, there is something specific about it that I wanted to explain in a separate article, instead of it being glossed over deeper inside a camera review. The composition is simple - I do like my compositions fairly central, it seems. Similarly, the lighting is simplicity itself - all available light. There were two main sources of  Read more inside...

Photographing couples – Going beyond just posing

May 31, 2011 Neil vN 10 Comments

Photographing couples - Going beyond just posing

With the recent post on a few guidelines on posing people, I wanted to add the reminder that when photographing people, our final destination isn't just the posed photograph, but that we should try and capture something about our subject. Something about their personality, or showing some facet of who they are and their lives. When photographing couples in particular, my accent is on photographing their relationship as well. In addition to the portraits of the couple, I want to show how they interact with each other - playfulness  Read more inside...

How to pose people for portraits

May 29, 2011 Neil vN 33 Comments

How to pose people for portraits

When you work with models, or subjects who are used to presenting themselves to the camera or an audience, it is much easier for the photographer to pose them. The challenge though is how to pose people who aren't used to pose in front of the camera. Then it is up to the photographer to guide them, and give clear instruction how they should pose for the camera. The question just came up in the Tangents forum - how to pose everyday normal people. The photograph above is of me as I was showing a model at the After Dark photography workshops how I  Read more inside...

Video tutorial – Using LED video light for photography

May 25, 2011 Neil vN 31 Comments

Video tutorial - Using LED video light for photography

Regular visitors to the this website will know that I favor video lights for dramatic portraits. The what-you-see-is-what-you-get nature of continuous light, makes it really easy to get interesting light on your subjects. But it does need some finessing in how you position it for portraits. Meeting up with Anelisa, one of my favorite models, we created this tutorial video clip to show exactly how I use the video light for portraits. It also explains my starting point in choosing the direction of light, and also shows how I often  Read more inside...

Create emotional impact in your photography!

May 24, 2011 Neil vN 7 Comments

Create emotional impact in your photography!

Walking past this Tiffany's jewelry store, I was immediately drawn to their window displays. Now, I am usually drawn to displays of high-tech toys and cameras and stuff ... not displays of jewelry stores. But these window displays were eye-catching and effective. It made me stop to take a closer look. The photograph above is of one of the six display windows. And it should be immediately obvious why these simple displays have such impact - there is a very clear appeal to your emotions.  Read more inside...

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