DSLR – Pentax Body

Now, whilst I’ve not tried one of these new Giotto’s Vitruvian tripods, they certainly look quite good – what’s your opinion?

Giottos Tripods on Amazon

Giotto's tripod folded

Giotto Vitruvian tripod – PRESS RELEASE

Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the new Giotto’s Vitruvian VGR  tripods are designed to offer photographers not only a truly lightweight and compact tripod, but a fully functioning monopod and ball head too.

The Vitruvian tripods have been designed with “reverse technology” legs so that when collapsed they fold through 180 degrees to “surround” the tripod centre column and head  – folding down into a unit that measures only 40cm long.

There are two VGR models available, both with a maximum operating height of 157cm and a weight capacity of up to 4kg. The VGR9255 is manufactured using aluminium tubing and weighs 1.5kg while the VGR 8255 uses 6 layer carbon tubing and weighs just 1.28kg.

The tripod castings are made from a forged aluminium alloy for strength and the quick action twist leg locks require only 1/8 turn to lock and unlock – making it quick and easy to set the tripod up. VGR tripods are fitted with a compact ball + socket head that offers smooth and precise movement, incorporates independent pan control and has a quick release system.

Giotto's VGR tripod and head

You can also unscrew the tripod leg, remove the centre column and head then join them together to produce a full size monopod with a maximum operating height of 162cm. The Vitruvian comes with its very own carry bag and has a 5 year warranty, snazzy huh!

I will try to get hold of a sample and give it a good solid going over…

Sime

Tags: Giotto’s Vitruvian

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

Giotto’s Vitruvian tripod, true genius

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This Review of the Leica S2 is a guest Post by Justin de Deney from Camera Advice.

Invitation to Leica

A Lamborghini speeds by as I cross Berkley Square, on my way to the Leica showroom in the heart of Mayfair, central London. I have received an invite to view the new Leica S2 medium format digital camera. I don’t make a habit of attending to these events, but I thought, this being Leica, and, their first medium format pro-camera with autofocus, it might be worth a squint.

Showroom

The showroom is down a small mews, and the interior is reminiscent of an exclusive jewellery store. The lighting is subdued, and glass cases display gift boxes containing brightly coloured, beautifully crafted Leica cameras and lenses. I am ushered upstairs to the studio on the first floor where I have my first glimpse of the camera.

Leica S2 Body

The body is beautifully minimal and owes more to the looks of a 35mm camera than a medium format, reminding me of my first Pentax 67. It feels solid to hold and is pleasingly devoid of endless fiddly buttons and dials. The controls are simplicity itself, thankfully, and buck the trend of most over-complex digital cameras of the moment. There is a traditional shutter dial on the top, next to an easy to read OLED. This highlights each function in a different colour. On the back is the LED screen surrounded by four long buttons similar to the original phase one backs that I often use on shoots. These control the cameras menu functions and feel logical to use. This probably has something to do with my familiarity with the Phase One system.

Shooting with the Leica S2

The camera is tethered (by a USB cable) to a computer. It has a four pin connection which seems solid and reliable, unlike the usbs of most medium format backs which always seem to work loose without a little gaffer tape. It does also have two card slots, this means you can shoot raw to one and jpgs to another. My photo model, the camera demonstrator, waits for me to take the shot. I focus, release the shutter, the file uploads, and the result appears on the 32” apple monitor.

The download time is a little slow, but then this is a medium format, in tethered shooting mode. The auto focus is as good as it gets with a medium format but is noisier than I would expect from such a quality camera. The results though are spectacular. The resolution is 37.9 megapixels and the 3:2 sensor (the same format as a 35mm) is 56% larger than any full frame 35mm camera. I didn’t have time to do any in depth analysis of any of the specifications and lenses but from what I could see this camera shoots quality. This is no doubt down the Kodak sensor and the Leica lens.

Lenses

At the moment Leica only make four lenses for the S2. These are a 35mm, 70mm, and 120mm, all 2.5 and a 180mm 3.5. They make two versions, one that works with the camera’s focal shutter and another pricier version with a leaf shutter. This is also reminiscent of the old Pentax. The leaf shutter version means you can sync with flash up to 1/500. This is something I use all the time with my photography so I’d have to stump up the extra cash! They do have plans to increase the range but when this will happen I am not sure.
The lenses as you would expect feel solid. They match the simplicity of the camera body and as a package the whole product oozes class.

Would I buy the Leica S2?

I would want to spend some time with this camera before I decided to buy it. I only took a couple of shots in the studio and haven’t yet done any extensive or detailed analysis of it. Having said that I love the styling and simplicity of this kit. I also love the fact that this is a medium format in a 35mm body. I guess the only disadvantage of this is that if you need a back up camera you need a second body and not just another back like the phase one system. Having said that it does feel solid, reliable and has great image quality.

Did I mention the price?

Oh yes! The price! The camera body will set you back over $20,000 and each lens is around $5,000. Well what did you expect? This is a Leica and it is medium format. The quality is definitely far superior to any 35mm camera but whether or not it is worth this price tag probably depends on the size of your pockets and for whom you are shooting, but having said that I could definitely see myself working with this piece of kit.

Check out more of Justin de Deney’s work at Camera Advice.

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

Leica S2 – First Impression Review

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Dave Hill is a genius. Period. I could look at his images all day long and his behind the scenes videos are strangely addictive. Naturally, thousands want to create his hyper-real, painterly, utterly hypnotising look on their images.

The first observation one can make about his method is the painstaking attention to lighting during the shoot. In the final product, the lighting and contrast make the images what they are. This can’t be done without interesting lighting.

Of course after being engrossed in his work for far too long, I said, “I MUST know how he does that?!” I didn’t find anything from him personally, but there are plenty of photographers out there tearing the method apart and sharing their findings. The first tutorial I ran across was for PS using high pass filters. I got stuck at the end with the masking layer since I’m still only using PSE.

But have no fear PSE users! I found a really great method for creating the Dave Hill look in Lightroom from, who else, Scott Kelby. The following suggestions are his. My additions are in italics.

{SETTINGS}

• Recovery = 100
• Fill Light = 100 this doesn’t always work at 100 it depends on the image – you’ll have to experiment
• Blacks = Drag this slider to the right until photo looks balanced again, because setting the Fill Light at 100 will wash the photo out big time. In our example, I dragged it to 24. I haven’t been able to get the blacks all the way up to 24. In the example image, I went only to 17
• Contrast = 100
• Clarity = 100
• Vibrance = 100
• Saturation = -81 (basically what I do here is drag the saturation all the way to the left, to -100 (which removes all color, making it a black and white image), and then I slowly drag back to the right until some of the color starts to return to the image. In my image, I took it down to -61, leaving it a bit more colourful than suggested. I just love the red of the pushchair.

{ADJUSTMENT BRUSH}

Once you get the look the way you want it, head over to the adjustment brush. In Dave’s work, the models always have silky smooth skin, even the blokes. You can use to pre-set ’soften skin’ brush. When you’ve done the skin, click ‘new’ and do another soften skin brush. In this image, I used 5 or 6 new skin softening brushes before his skin was smooth enough. Even then, it probably could have used more:

Once it’s finished in LR, I headed into PS and did a simple duplicate layer > soft light > very low percent (around 10%) just to add to the contrast. You could even add a gaussian blur to the top layer to soften the image a tad bit more.

I don’t remember if Scott mentioned this or not, but a vignette can be excellent, especially in the case of intentional barrel distortion as in the image above.

One thing I’ve found with this method in LR is the problem of severe fringing of some of the more contrasty edges as seen here:

No matter what I do to alter the sliders, this does not go away. A biproduct of doing this method in LR, you’re better off finding ways to do it in PS if you have the resource. If not, you can just pretend it doesn’t exist like I do. I really should try harder to be a perfectionist!

Are there other photographers whose skills you totally covet and try to harness for yourself?

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

The Dave Hill Look in Lightroom

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Love them or hate them image libraries are a great way of generating an extra revenue stream, and because the websites don’t discriminate against people who aren’t classed as ‘professional photographers’, advanced enthusiasts and amateurs have just as much chance of selling as the pros. But as with all areas of photography the market is competitive and what you may want to supply could become lost in an ocean of clone like frames or may not contain enough of the correct keywords to get noticed. So here are a few ideas that may help you get started.

Start with some solid research to discover what is and isn’t popular. Log on to stock sites (for example: Crestock, Fololia, 123rf or Shutter Stock) and sort the frames using the popularity filter. This will display the most sought after images, allowing you to gauge the level of talent you are up against. Locate the genre you are particularly interested and see how images are received. If the download rate is poor or there is a vast quantity of similar frames then it is probably not worthwhile submitting large quantities to this area. Some libraries display lists of required and non required images with the submission guidelines. Categories such as landscapes, pets, flowers and sunsets are generally oversubscribed and as such only exceptional frames are accepted. Don’t be deterred though, take a creative approach to shooting these genres and you could find your images are chosen because they fill a gap in the website’s collection.

Currently undersubscribed areas include; travel photography of extreme places and nature, people in various situations and convincing lifestyle shots. Lifestyle portraits that include uniforms or props are big sellers and those featuring retro props are superb for conveying a message. For example an old fashioned telephone visually illustrates communication regardless time or place. Motion-blur and creative effect images are also in demand but be sure to always keep intention and composition priority.

There are many sites to choose from so to help narrow down the search for ones that suit you read the small print in the terms and conditions thoroughly. Make a point of establishing the answer to questions like: is it possible to contribute to other libraries? How much commission does the site take? What are the terms of cancellation? What are the minimum requirements for image size/resolution? How many uploads are allowed per week? Furthermore decide whether you want to sell your images on a royalty free basis (anyone can use the file for whatever purpose as many times as they like) or on an issue managed/exclusive license basis (sold for a specific use, time and territory). Create a database to help keep track of the images you have submitted to which sites and under what terms and conditions.

Don’t kid yourself that this is going to be a get rich quick scheme. Shooting, editing and uploading files is a time-consuming chore. Most veteran stock site suppliers say it can take up to five years to become established and earn a decent amount from the libraries. To increase your sales you should upload regularly, shoot a variety of genres and think like a customer. The design community is one of the largest demographics buying from these sites, so ask yourself what a designer would want from an image. Frames that contain isolated objects are ideal for designers as it offers flexibility in placing copy, so experiment with spacious compositions and keep the entire subject visible. Shoot against white backgrounds as this will make it easier for designers to manually remove the background. You don’t need an expensive white back drop for this, just use a simple white bed sheet, table cloth or piece of card. Where possible include clipping paths, keep edges clean and smooth, be aware of shadows caused by flash and avoid excessive feathering or jagged edges.

Images have to be executed to perfection to pass the rigorous acceptance process, so pay close attention to the histogram when capturing and view every image at 100% to spot dust marks or imperfections. Save yourself time and effort cloning during the editing phase by correcting problems during the shoot, for example sweep away flyaway hairs from the model’s face or change clothes showing unwanted logos or text. Images revealing high levels of noise or colour distortion are likely to be rejected too, so use a program like Neat Image or Noise Ninja to correct problem areas without affecting the overall quality.

Search engines obviously don’t see the picture only the keywording that goes with it, so give your photography the best chance to be seen and hopefully increase sales by attaching plenty of relevant words to describe it. Be sure not to add irrelevant words as some sites penalize photographers and some will only accept keywords matching their own vocabulary.

Further Reading on Stock Photography

• Microstock for Digital Photography Students – Make Money From Your Photography
• Microstock Update – How the Market has Changed and What That Means For Digital Photography Students

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

Shooting for Stock Photography Sites

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A Guest Post by Chris Folsom.

One of the great new features of Aperture 3 (get an upgrade from previous versions here) is the ability to add location data to photos and then display those photos on a map based on where they were taken. While similar features were previously available from plug-ins and add-ons, none of them handled geotagging as easily and elegantly as the native Aperture 3 Places system does now.

Getting Started

To enable the Places view in Aperture, simply click the Places button near the upper-right hand corner of the photo browser.

Doing so will display a map in the upper window where you normally view photos. The map is contextual to whatever project or album you are currently viewing. If the selected album or project doesn’t have any map data, it will default to a world map. If there is location data, a map will be displayed for those specific areas.

Adding Location information to your photos

Chances are, unless you were already using a geotagging plug-in, most of your photos won’t show up in Places. The one exception might be photos taken with a GPS equipped smartphone (such as the iPhone). The GPS data added to those photos will appear in Aperture 3 without any additional work.

But what about other non-GPS equipped cameras? Aperture 3 gives us a few options…

The first option is to open the Places view and do a search for a particular location. For this example, I’ll search for Fort Worden State Park in Washington State where I took some photographs a couple of years ago. I didn’t have a GPS device with me at the time but I would still like my photos to appear on the Places map.

?As I am typing, Aperture 3 presents me with a couple of location options and Fort Worden is on the list. Selecting it will immediately zoom the map in on that area. Now it is a simple matter of dragging the photos to the area on the map where they were taken. It isn’t quite as accurate as having true location data, but it is an easy solution for when a GPS isn’t available.

If you do have a GPS logger, Aperture will work with that too. If you aren’t familiar with GPS logging devices, they are small systems that can be clipped to a belt or camera bag and will track your location as you move around. Alternatively, if you own an iPhone you can download an app like GeoLogTag which will provide the same functionality on your phone. After the GPS logger has captured some data, it will create a text file that can be imported into Aperture 3.

The importing process is fairly easy. Highlight the project you wish to geotag and then switch to the Places view. Click the “GPS” button and then “Import GPS Track”. Find the GPS file on your computer and click “Choose Track File”.

The location data will show up as a blue line on the map. Drag one of your photos to the line and you’ll be asked if you want Aperture 3 to assign locations to the photos. Click the “Assign Locations” button and the GPS log will be matched up with photos based on their timestamps. Now the location data is imbedded in the image files themselves, even if you export them out of Aperture. This is a very handy feature for sites like Flickr that allow you to show location data on your photos.

?One other note worth mentioning… if you turn your GPS logging device on and off multiple times during one trip (to save battery life, for example), you may end up with more than one track file imbedded in a GPX file. To select these different tracks, click on the “GPS” button and then “Tracks and Waypoints”. You’ll be given a list of the track files included in the GPX file. You may have to go through multiple tracks to get all of your photos tagged.

I hope this helps you get the most out of a very cool new feature in Aperture 3. I know it is something I will be using a lot more of in the future.

Chris Folsom is a photographer based in Baltimore, MD. You can view more of his photos at Flickr or follow his photographic endeavors on Twitter.

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

Using Aperture 3’s Places

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This week’s Assignment theme is JUMP. It reminded me of this image that always made me chuckle. While perhaps not technically perfect it sure captured a moment (and that’s a big part of what photography is all about):

Image by Mikey Da Photographer

Check out the Jump images others are submitting and submit your own here.

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

JUMP: New Forum Assignment

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Attached Images

 

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I have the first version of the Sigma 70-200/f2.8 and the K-7. The AF is pretty speedy by my historical standards (istDs, K20D). However is the HSM version AF faster or just quieter? All ancedotal as well as scientific evidence accepted!

Thanks.

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Attached Images

 

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PentaxForums.com Marketplace Listing

Item for Sale
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro

Asking Price
395 USD

Item Location
Dayton, Ohio, USA

Item Description
For sale is one Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro. I purchased this lens new in January 2010, and have treated it like a baby since I’ve had it. I’m only selling it because I’m trying to reduce some redundancy in my lens collection (what can I say, I’m a macro addict).

This lens is in mint condition. I’m always hesitant to claim that anything used is truly mint, but in this case it couldn’t be any more like the day it came out of the box. There are no signs of use, everything is clean. There are no scratches on the glass, lens barrel, or accessories. Mechanically and operationally the lens is perfect…nothing wrong with the focus action or the aperture. Focus limiter and AF/MF clutch are 100%. In short, this is indistinguishable from original condition. I always strive to accurately describe my items, and I have no doubt you’ll be pleased with this item.

Also included is the original box, along with everything that came in it. The original lens caps, hood, pouch and papers are all here. I know the pouch didn’t make it in the picture, but I was trying not to clutter the scene. Besides the picture of the whole kit, I have also included a shot of the front glass, but since the front element is so recessed on this lens, it’s a challenging angle. Also posted below are a few shots taken with this lens over the past couple months using my K-7. It truly is a fantastic piece of glass.

I’ll ship within one business day of receiving payment. Buyer pays actual shipping costs. I have no problem shipping internationally, and have gotten quite used to doing so. Insurance is optional, but encouraged. I’ll allow the buyer to determine their own level of risk tolerance. But under no circumstances can I be responsible for damage caused by the carrier. Rest assured that I do make it a point to package things extremely carefully. As long as USPS doesn’t play football with it, it’ll be safe.

Payment only accepted via PayPal. PayPal fees are my responsibility (as I’ve said before…I’d never dream of charging the buyer for something that makes my life easier!).

Please don’t hesitate to contact me via PM if you have any questions. Thanks for looking!

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

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Are you the original owner of the item being sold?
Yes

Are you selling or trading this item?
Selling

Item Condition (Key)
Used
Mint

Shipping Destinations
Worldwide

Shipping Charge
Actual shipping costs

Shipping Services
USPS, UPS

Accepted Payment Types
PayPal

Return Policy & Additional Details
Buyer can return the item immediately if it’s not in the condition described.

Please send me a private message if interested in the item!

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A Guest Post by Scott Bideau from capturedbyscott.com

Image by Roberto Carlos Pecino

A common question asked by an amateur photographer looking to turn professional is, “what equipment do I need?” I’ll skip the discussion around skill and experience being more important than equipment, but before you rush out and buy any equipment or start offering your services to others, you should consider the various liability issues and the options for operating as a legal entity that are available for your business and obtain the proper insurance for both your equipment and liability. I’ll cover specific options available in the United States in this article, although similar concepts are available in other countries.

Legal Entities

The most common mistake for beginners is to operate a business as a sole proprietorship, meaning there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business. This may sound easy and convenient, but it also means that you have unlimited personal liability for the actions of your business, and this includes the actions of your employees or even volunteer assistants. Operating as a general partnership is even riskier because all the partners are personally liable, even if it is for something done by the other partner that you didn’t know about. Even if you have liability insurance coverage for yourself, an accident caused by one of your partners or assistants (paid or not) could significantly expose you to liability.

Imagine you invite a friend to be a voice activated light stand at a wedding and he accidentally drops the boom on the bride. Worse yet, imagine he misplaces an electrical cord and someone is electrocuted. Even if your friend drives their personal car on an errand or trip for your business, such as on the way to the church for the wedding, and causes a bad accident or injury, they are liable for their negligence, but so are you since they were acting as an agent or employee of your business. If you are doing business as a sole proprietor then you are in essence personally guaranteeing everything that the business and any agents or employees do. Your spouse likely won’t appreciate you etting sued for something an assistant did which results in a judgment lien against your house because you didn’t have proper liability coverage.

A much better idea is to separate your personal matters from the business by forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a corporation. In most instances, the LLC (not you) bears the responsibility for the liability of its other workers (paid or unpaid). You cannot escape liability for your own acts or negligence through an LLC, including possible claims for negligent supervision or training of employees or helpers, but you can significantly limit exposure for the acts or omissions of employees, agents or other members of the LLC. Filing as an LLC is a fairly simple process in most states and after the initial setup requires only a small fee and annual report to be sent to your state each year. Under current IRS rules, you can even include your single member LLC income and loss on your “Schedule C” form on your personal tax return.

Some photographers choose to form their business as a corporation, including making an election to become a “Sub S” Corporation (which eliminates the double taxation issue found with the C Corporation). While organizing as a corporation does provide certain benefits under unique circumstances, including the ability to carry forward a net loss from one year to the next (such as using the high startup costs for equipment this year to offset your profits next year) and has a longer track record of liability protection going back hundreds of years, often times the additional complexities outweigh the benefits. A corporation will require a separate tax return for the corporation even if there is only one stockholder. Either way, you should seek the initial advice of an attorney and an accountant to ensure your business entity is setup to your greatest benefit and protection.

Insurance

Once you’ve created the correct business entity for your operations, you should always obtain an adequate amount of liability insurance. Otherwise, you may be one accident away from financial ruin…even if you are setup as an LLC or corporation or were not even the one who caused the accident. General Liability policies can often be purchased for a very reasonable premium and if properly written can provide you and any of your employees, assistants, or even volunteers with adequate coverage. Be very sceptical if your insurance agent advises you that protection is already provided under your homeowner’s policy or tries to sell you a personal umbrella policy: personal policies almost always exclude liability or property protection for any commercial or business purposes…even part-time ventures. Always check your policy documents and get confirmation from your agent in writing! If you have filed as an LLC, both the LLC and you as the Member should be listed as “named insured.” Often times your employees, assistants and other non-members or non-officers of the company are not insured.

Finally, consider insuring your equipment. Many insurance companies who offer a commercial liability policy also offer inland marine policies, which is a strange name for a plan that protects your camera equipment from theft and accidental damage. These policies are often more expensive than the options available for personal equipment on your homeowners policy, but again, most personal policies exclude any commercial use. One exception to this rule is the popular “Personal Articles Policy” offered by State Farm, which in most states provides a “professional use” option to waive the commercial use exception specifically for camera equipment, but at a much lower in price than a full inland marine policy.

Scott Bideau is a management consultant with a strong passion for photography. You can view his photographic work at capturedbyscott.com.

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

How to (Legally) Become a Professional Photographer

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A Guest Post by SusanG from Camelot Photography Forum.

We talk about things like Workflow and Task Management. Yet, how much time do we dedicate to looking, really looking, into our own work? The end product itself!

I spent eight months last year photographing one linear mile. It wasn’t a planned series, but evolved into a long-term project. I recently reviewed the whole collection to select forty images as representative. In re-assessing the series, I took a long hard look to determine if the photography was an evolution of a signature approach, or a rut. That was not easy. It almost teetered into a self-involved downward spiral of “Why is everything rubbish?”

I kicked my ass out of that one ASAP as the end result of whinge-influenced decisions often is not a forward motion but a knee jerk response. Which can result in decisions that don’t further the goal. What does further the goal is to analyse objectively why an image (or images) failed or didn’t succeed as well as expected. Define the problem then look for solutions.

Also take the time to see what has been accomplished. If you know in your heart and mind that you have achieved a goodly portion of your photographic goals, take a moment to bask in that. There is more to be gained from honest congratulations then beating your self up. But keep that “Why Is Everything Rubbish” on hand for brief self-indulgences, and then use it in a positive manner.

My appraisal identified what lens and camera purchases I will be making next. I see that I still have issues resolving what I think I’m seeing to what I’m actually seeing in terms of composition. Which tells me I need to evaluate more completely the scene before I think I’m ready to click the shutter.

Perhaps that isn’t earth shattering, or a Road-To-Damascus moment. It is an important process and it has helped me to plan the next steps to where I want photography to take me.

Practical Things – Recap!

1. Look at what makes the bulk of your subject and composition. Think about making a specific purchase (lens, filters, even camera upgrade) to take those types of images.
2. Look for what’s missing! Could you have repositioned the camera to take a better or more complete perspective? Do you need to spend more time looking for different views to photograph a scene or subject?Be brutally honest with yourself when considering the above. You’ll stand a better chance of purchasing the equipment you need, and have a better idea on how to use it.
3. Look for what’s right in your photography! No matter how small you may think it, everything you feel you got right is one more step towards becoming the photographer you want to be!

These are only a part of an ongoing process. Once you know where your photography is, you have taken an intelligent and objective look at your work. There’s bound to be items I missed or are unique to your own photography. That is what makes your work unique. That is what defines part of your signature style.

SusanG is the Creator of Camelot Photography Forum, a MySpace™ Photography Site where anyone can find their new level.

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

Taking Stock of Your Own Photography

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Weekly Assignment

We finished another food photography assignment this week, and the subject was Main Dishes. We wanted you to show us how tasty the food that your meal is based around is. Our winners seemed to have a bit of a seafood theme going this week, but there were some great shots of other mains too. Our winner was phillj for the shot of Prawns. The lighting and colour really made this shot stand out to us. This shot was really just out of the ordinary which made it stand out in our eyes. Our first runner up was the first of two sushi shots we liked, bubblybeginner’s “Oishii Sushi” (or the sushi shot with the red chopsticks). The colours in this one were great, as were the patterns and the lines. The way that the background related to the foreground was perfect, and the combination of lines and circles worked great. All of it helping to highlight the sushi. And last, but not least, our second runner up was emmabelle’s Sushi on a Blue Plate. The shot had a lot of good choices on it. The blue plate really helped punch up the reds and greens of the sushi and helped to highlight the sesame, and the colour temperature suited the cold nature of the dish.

We’re on to the last of our food photography assignments this week and your assignment this week is to show us Beverages. Whether they’re hot or cold, alcoholic or not, we want you to show us your favorite beverages that quench your thirst. As usual, a quick reminder of the rules. First, your photo must have been taken between 17 February – 3 March 2010. Next, Your post must include the words “Assignment: Food Photography – Beverages” and the date that the photo was taken. Finally, your EXIF should be intact, and it’s useful if you can include some of the main points such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, lens, camera, etc. Next week’s assignment will be Jump. The goal is to get a picture of someone jumping. Whether it’s a person or an animal, yourself or someone else, we want to see them in mid-air. These shots can look really good, but they aren’t always as easy as you may think. Make sure you have enough light to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. You can try continuous shots or you might want to pull out your flash. But either way, get out there and Jump!

Hot Threads

• Photo Walk with Complete Strangers: We opened our Photo Walk forum recently, and one of the topics that’s been busy in there asks the simplest question: would you go on a photo walk with a group of strangers? If you are willing to do that, why not pop over to the Photo Walk area of the forum and see if there’s a walk by you, and if there isn’t, why not think of organizing one yourself?
• What Makes a Good Photo?: We all have different ideas of what a good photograph is, but we aren’t always sure what other people think. So why not come join in the discussion and tell us what it is that makes a good photograph in your mind.
• Photography Questionnaire: If you were ever interested in how some of our forum members got started in photography, what they do, what they like, and generally just a bit about the photography aspect of their lives, you may be interested in this thread. And if you have a few spare minutes, why not come share some details about yourself with us.
• What Would You Do: Every week there’s a chance for forum members to test out their post-processing skills by editing the photo of another forum member. Whether you’re new to post-processing or not, you’re welcome to join in the fun of the thread and see what you and others can do with the photo.

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (21-27 Feb ‘10)

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