The TED Prize is designed to leverage the TED* community’s exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and, much more important, “One Wish to Change the World.” After several months of preparation, s/he unveils his/her wish at an award ceremony held during the TED Conference. These wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact. The 2011 winner JR ahs produced a magnificent and touching video about a recent photographic project which is not only groundbreaking but also very emotional to watch.

The list of  previous winners of the TED price includes Jamie Oliver, Bill Clinton and Bono

I know the above video has been available online for quite a while, however it is one of those clips you can watch over and over again.

Thanks for reading

Morts

*TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design

source: tedprize.com/about

Keyboard Shortcuts in Photoshop - copyright by Photo-Templates.com

I am an avid user of various computer programmes for post-processing my images with Adobe Photoshop being the one I use the most for RAW processing and colour adjustments. As I often work with a large number of photos and huge amounts of data I have found the Adobe shortcuts sheet above to be of great help to me. It makes it easier for me to work flawlessly as well as speeding up the entire process. There are many different versions of this sheet and they can all be found via a simple google search. If you are using Lightroom, Aperture, Elements or something similar I am sure you can find lists of shortcuts for those too. The  basic list above is compiled by Photo-Templates and is in my opinion one of the easiest ones to work with. Feel free to print/copy/save the list for your own personal use.

Thanks for reading

Morts

One of the most important things when taking photos with a digital camera today is to get the exposure right. The exposure basically means to get your aperture, shutter speed and ISO setting correct and thereby to avoid over- or under exposing your file. The histogram which is a build-in graph-function in most modern DSLR cameras is the best way to check whether you have got it right. The good man Greg Cazillo from Cazillo.com have recently posted a very useful and interesting video lesson about the importance of being able to read the histogram on you LCD. The lesson takes less than 13 minutes to watch but will teach you almost everything you need to know about histograms.

Thanks for reading

Morts

video copyright by Gregory Cazillo @ Cazillo.com

HDR image from Tasmania, (-1.5, 0, +1.5) edited in Photomatix Pro

With digital cameras comes digital technologies, and one of the most talked-about processing techniques is High Dynamic Range or HDR.  Done professionally and correct it can create stunning dynamic images which would be hard to reproduce artificially.

HDR photographs are often created by shooting multiple photos of the same scene with various exposure settings. Most modern DSLR cameras have a build-in Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB)  function which, automatically, takes a number of photos with various preset exposure steps such as  -2,  0 and +2 which basically mean that the camera under- and overexpose a frame which leaves you with three shots where one of them will be very bright due to overexposure, one will be very dark due to underexposure and one will be more or less as measured by the camera.  Some photographers even shoot HDR images with series of 5 or 7 different exposures!

After loading your photos onto your computer you will need specially designated HDR software to process and merge the images into one final image. One of the most used programmes is Photomatix which offers you free trial from their homepage.

Depending on your skills and the quality of your shots you will end up with a photo which will offer you a wider spectrum of the light levels you find in real scenes.

If you would like to experiment with HDR yourself this is what you need:

• a DSLR Camera
• a sturdy tripod with a solid head
• remote/wired trigger (to avoid camera shake)
• a computer with HDR processing software

I recommend first-timers to use the build in AEB function which most DSLR cameras have build-in. Frame your shot and press the shutter..  Try to experiment with different intervals and even with various numbers of exposures.

The important thing is to keep your camera fixed and aligned which will guarantee an easier process when merging the photos together later.

For a tutorial on how to use the Photomatix software please watch this video.

Feel free to upload links and comments with your first-hand experiences with working with HDR.

If you need some inspiration please see the homepage of Ken Kaminesky who is famous for his travel- and landscape photography.

Thanks for reading

Morts

Top-5 photography essentials under $25.00!

Whether your are a pro shooter or a hobbyist you know the importance of having reliable, functional equipment. Unfortunately most pieces of photography equipment today does cost a significant amount of money and does need a bit of budget-planning before being purchased (or that is at least what I try to convince myself about).

With this in mind I have made up a little top-5 list of accessories which might help you when doing a photo shoot. They can all be bought on a very tight budget, in fact none of it will set you back more than $25.00, but will hopefully help you improve the quality of your photography and ignite your creative mind.

1) Giottos Rocket Blower: This is probably one of the most underrated items in my lowepro bag. I simply use it all the time. With sensor dust being one of the most common problems with DSLR camera today this is simply a ‘must-have’ for all photographers. I use it not only for camera sensors but also for lenses where it can remove smaller particles which could scratch and damage the lens if you use a standard lens cloth. It is lightweight, very easy to use and it comes in three different sizes ranging from around $10.00-15.00* buy it here in the US or here in the UK

2) Studio Clamps: These little handy clamps are sold at around $20.00 for ten on Ebay but can also easily be purchased in hardware shops, Tesco, Bunnings or even in Walmart. They can be used in numerous ways: to hold your backdrop in place, to fix your reflector (see below) or to keep unwanted items such as cables, ropes etc out of your shooting frame. They come in many different sizes from the small 62mm to the bigger 285mm. I keep a few medium ones in both of my bags.

3) Portable collapsable reflector discs: Not many items can change a photograph as much as a simple reflector disc. If you can only afford one of the items on this list then this is the one to focus one. They come in various shapes, sized and colours, which all have their respective advantage and effect: White: to diffuse the already existing light source available (the sun, strobes etc). Black: This colour does obviously not have a reflective effect, but works as an absorbent and can block out all light when used between the light source and the model. Gold: This is my personal favourite, but it should be used carefully as it will quickly make your model look orangey and almost fluorescent. It produces a nice warm light. Silver: Probably the most used colour as it it fantastic when working in low light or when you need a settled controlled reflection.
Many different manufactures have so-called 5in1 models which also comes with a translucent middle, which can be used to filter/diffuse the rays of the sun. Usually a 2-sided gold/silver or gold/white will cover most needs. I personally prefer the 24″ (60cm) triangular models as I find the little grip very helpful when shooting on-location. I recommend checking out ebay as there a literally 1000s of sizes and versions on the market. Very affordable and very useful.

4) Gaffa or duct tape: Sometimes you find that the clamps mentioned above just are not enough, or cannot solve the issue! this is where that indispensable roll of gaffa tape comes in handy. I am sure there are blogs out there with the sole purpose of explaining all the ways you can use gaffa. Usage is unlimited and is not limited to fixing things that are broken or loose.

5) Head torch or a small flashlight: This is one of those items that many photographers tend to forget. Personally I always have at least two small light weight torches in my bag. The obvious use is of course to assist you in the dark hours or to be ‘your eyes’ when shooting time lapse sessions at sunrise/sunset. If you enjoy experimenting with your photography a torch can also ad a creative twist to your photos. use it for writing in the dark when experimenting with longer shutter speeds. It can create a great effect and, when done correctly make an average photo look spectacular. To illustrate this please see the photo below taken with a 10sec exposure just after sunset.

Thanks for reading

Morts

Painting with light, Uluru, Australia 2011

If you have read my post about what equipment I use, you will already know that I am an avid user of the Sandisk Extreme Pro memory cards and card readers as well as using WD HDD for storing and backing up my work.
I have received quite a few emails asking about my standard workflow for still shots when I am travelling and I am currently planning to upload a video soon which can illustrate how I work when in the ‘field’.

External backup aside I am a big fan of split-risk workflow which basically means that I use several smaller sized cards for my shots instead of relying on using only one or two. All my memory cards are labelled with numbers and are stored in two numbered LowePro Pixelpak hard cases which keeps them protected, safe and dry. I usually don’t bring more than eight memory card for a shoot and rarely end up using more than 4-5 for an entire day’s shoot (with two bodies).

More important than your brand and size of memory card is your dedication to your work and your ability to keep your work-flow dynamic and organised. It is only worth having a back-up system if you constantly remember to maintain it!

I usually use this very simplified 3-step procedure:

1) At any given point during a shoot when I have a short break or a pause (in between shoots, lunch time, in between models etc) I replace the used  memory card in the camera with a new recent-formatted one. I usually shoot on 16GB cards, and always in RAW + Jpeg. The used card are then moved into Pixelpak #1

2) If in studio/on location I transfer the untouched image files direct onto two 1TB Western Digital HDD. This can be done either via a daisy-chain system or via two separate transfers. After having checked that the transfer has been done successfully I always format the card so it is ready for use again. Should I forget to format the card I can not be sure whether the photos has been transferred onto a drive or not.. therefore: this is a very essential part for me!

3) Store the HDD in two separate locations: One at home and one in the studio/office.

A few last things to remember:

- Never erase or delete your original RAW files

- Use photo-designated software such as Lightroom, Iphoto or Aperture and make use of the rename/tags function whis is build in in these programmes.

- Keep it systematic and organised so it is easy for you to do without too much hassle.  What works for me does not necessary work for you. Find your own flow and stick to it.

Thanks for reading

Morts

A very few people leave an impression so great that it is impossible to forget. Terje Sorgjerd from Norway is one of these people. Ever since I saw one of his first attempts on doing a time-lapse film I have been amazed of how beautiful and stunning his simple work is.  A time-lapse is basically nothing else but a series of still photographs being captured at certain controlled intervals. Most modern DSLR cameras can do this today without investing in anything else but a cabled timer release and a sturdy tripod.

I will personally bring a time-lapse ‘how-to’ video within the next month or so, as it is a great technique if you want to take your creative work one step further.

Terje, a young man from the high north like myself has done this for a few years now and his latest videos has been seen by several millions of people online. I have posted my favourite video in this post but, please do yourself a favour and check out his Vimeo page as well as his facebook fan page. his work is amazing and should be the level all photographers should aim towards!

Just watch and enjoy… Only two more day until the weekend

Morts

Have you got a five-year plan?

So. You have bought a camera, you know how it works, and now you want to take it a step further! You want to share your photos and if possible get them published for other people to see.  But where to start?

There are a lot of ways you can get your photos published, below I have mentioned a few ways, which I believe works, or which have worked for me in the past. Remember: there are many other ways, which might work better for you!

However, before you plan to follow these steps there is one thing you must remember: make sure to view you photos with a very critical eye before you ask someone else to publish them! I usually recommend to share them online, either via facebook or in your local photo club (if you are a member of such) and ask for criticism (good things as well as issues where you can improve). The first few times I received negative feedback I was not sure whether this business was something for me at all!  I had spent a full week shooting birdlife with my newly purchased equipment and was extremely happy with the result, which to me looked like the stuff I saw in magazines and on posters. My mistake? not knowing my camera well enough, not using a tripod or simply being too biased.  Remember: if you wanna make it in any business you have to work hard and dedicated. And it takes time, sometimes very long time.

How to stay motivated?

Every music photographer in the world is dreaming about, one day. to shoot a cover for one of the major magazines in the industry, although it might not happen overnight, you will get closer to that big assignment for every little job you shoot.. remember: “Every time you press the shutter, you are one shot closer to your dream assignment”!

I am personally motivated by two particular magazines, which I know is still not an option for me, but to remind myself every day that this is what I am aiming for, I have copies of these magazines, not just in my office, but also on my bed side table, studio, car etc.  I know every single photo editor on these magazines by name, title and I have got their contact details handy should I need it. I do NOT waste their time by sending in average photos, or photos which are irrelevant/not within their specific area of business.  Twice a year I produce a contact sheet with my 15-20 best photos taken during the last six months and submit it to the editor. Although I am yet to make it to the cover, I have had a great amount of my photos published in various sub-sections of the magazines.

Get inspired to submit

Once a month I take my notepad and a pen and head into the city. I visit every single magazine and newsstand I know making notes of all the magazines I see, which would potentially be interested in my photos. I write down the title, contact details and the name of the editors (usually found on page 1-3). It is not unusual for me to bring home a list with 20-25 names of magazines or publications. Step two in this process (unless you can afford to buy a copy of each of the magazines) is to check out their homepage, make notes (mental as well as psychical) of their style of photography and feel free to send them an email requesting their submission/contribution guidelines (these are very often also written on their homepage under ‘contact’ or ‘about us’.  Read them. and then read them again! If they ask for non-compressed Jpgs, then this is what you send them! do not start sending them tiffs or slides.

As mentioned further up, I do not submit any photos to anyone, until I have had other people commenting on them. If you can guarantee that all your photos are of extremely high quality and that they all are immaculate then it might be YOU they call when they need someone to work on a special assignment, or when they are hiring for new positions.

This is far from a complete guide, It is even far from being any guide at all, but is my thoughts and ideas on how to keep the spirits up and how to stay focused.  For me there are no bigger joy than to see my images on print, especially if other people pay me to print them

What is your ‘one’ best piece of advice? please share with us.

Morts