Shooting for Free

Some don't want to pay that for a photographer. 

Most photographers know one friend or associate that will ask to shoot an event for no compensation.  It gets annoying because that person does not respect photography as a business.  There are bills, and equipment maintenance and upgrades are not cheap.

However, despite that, there are instances where it is okay to photograph for free.  This article will list a few examples. 

Example 1: Building the Portfolio

Ideally, a portfolio, the most important selling point a photographer owns, should be ready before becoming a professional photographer. That said, a photographer has to start somewhere, and a rookie photographer to shoot an event or two for free in order to build the portfolio, and build potential clientele. 

Please note that if the business or person says a photographer cannot use the photos for a portfolio, tell them to pay you or walk away.  At that point, a photographer will have nothing to show for service and effort.

Example 2: Tax Exemptions and Charity

In the United States, a non-profit organization with the proper credentials can give a tax voucher, in exchange donating photography prints and materials such as CDs (but not services and time, as widely believed).  Nevertheless, the photographer will feel good about helping a great cause, and it helps with gaining experience.  The tax relief helps as well.  

Example 3: Personal Projects

Some photographers have projects that they like to work on solely for the artistic value or personal interest.  When shooting for compensation, creative control can be stifled because client wants and needs take priority.  By shooting a personal project, you will not receive money, but it gives you complete creative control.

Conclusion:

There are more examples, but the general idea is that as a photographer you always shooting free in exchange for something else, whether it is for money, charity, or personal reasons, or just for fun.   A photographer shoots a friend because the photographer enjoys working with that person?  Yes – he or she is doing it for fun. 

The friend that wants a shoot at a crowded club that the photographer hates for no compensation?  No fun or personal benefit?  No interest?  No photographs!  

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Using High Dynamic Range (HDR)

High Dynamic Range (HDR for short) is a term that most photographers know and understand.  However, some people don't know the meaning behind it, or why it is important.  This article covers that.

What is HDR?

In the developer's room, there are many tools that photographers use to enhance their photos and make them stand out more.  For film shooters, it means spending time in the dark room manipulating negatives to get the right feel.  For digital shooters, this means time behind the computer with an editing program.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) was used for 3D graphics, but in recent times, became a part of photography editing that is essential for some gorgeous shots, usually on a scenic level.

How does HDR work?

A photographer either takes two or more pictures at different exposures, or edits the raw file of a photo to create those images at different exposures.   Most photographers use three photos -- one as a base photo to use, one photo with a higher exposure, and a photo with a lower exposure.  It is possible to use multiple photos.

Then the photographer uses a program such as Photoshop or Photomatix to blend the photos together into one photo.  From there, the photographer chooses his or her edits before producing the final picture.

A Sample of using HDR.

For myself, I use a combination of Lightroom and Photomatix Pro for my sample, which is shown in the images below.

In the first sample, I will show a side by side comparison.  The original, unedited shot is represented by left side, and the final HDR product is represented on the right.

You can definitely see the difference.  The HDR portion has more vibrance than the portion on the left.  The grass looks more lush, the dirt looks richer, and the shadows on the trees are more prominent.

For a full comparison, I present the original and final image.

This is the original image in full.  The trees have a lot of detail, but the ground looks slightly bleached.  If I were to darken the picture, the trees would lose their detail due to increased shadows.

This is the full shot using HDR.  The ground is darker, while the trees maintain their detail.  (And the tree in the upper right corner even gained detail.)  To accomplish this, I made the base picture, then used a picture two exposure values darker (-2 EV), then one two EV levels lighter (+2 EV).  I blended them, and this, is the result.

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Nikon Releases D4s Professional Camera

Earlier today, Nikon announced the release of their new flagship camera, the D4s, which will be available for purchase on March 6, 2014.  

Some Specifications

• 51 Autofocus points with phase detection.  
• Shoots up to 11 fps
• Native ISO of 100-25,600
• Extended ISO of 50-409600
• Full Frame CMOS Censor (36 mm × 23.9 mm)
• 16.2 Megapixels 
• Improved Time Lapse shooting.  
• 1080 HD recording @ 60 fps.
• Pentaprism Viewfinder at 100% visibility
• EN-EL18a Lithium ion battery that takes approximately 3200 shots.
• Two Compact Flash Memory Card slots.  

Thoughts

Some will be disappointed that the D4s retains the 16.2 megapixel censor from the D4 instead of the rumored 36 megapixels like the full censor D800, or even using 24 megapixels like the smaller censor in the D7100.  However, as I stated in an earlier article, outside of editors printing large photos, megapixels are not that big of a deal.  

However, the D4s has the potential to take beyond amazing pictures.  An improved native ISO and autofocus features are the biggest things going for the D4s.  For the ISO, a photographer will have an easier time getting the great shot in the dark with little noise (if any) showing on the picture.  More importantly, the autofocus for the D4s adapts to when a person or object changes distance from a camera.  A photographer can capture that exact moment when someone gets posterized on a dunk, the ball makes contact on a home run, or a car zooming by more easily.

Another plus is time lapse photography, which is awesome for scientific experiments.  Plug the camera into an outlet, get a huge memory card, and the D4s will take up to 9,999 time lapse photos.  Taking an automatic shot every ten minutes, the camera will take shots for over two months.

Conclusion

The D4s has some new features that are a great for professional photography, and I am sure the pros will appreciate the faster processor and focus, where fast timing is crucial.  That alone will be worth the upgrade.

However, for Nikon shooters looking to upgrade their DSLR camera for casual, semi-pro shooting or videography, stick with the D800 or the D7100, and use the rest (or any) of the $6,500.00 sticker price for the D4s on more lenses and accessories.

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Bad Delivery

Photography, like anything else in life, can provide amazing and memorable experiences.  Then there are the moments where situations go wrong, and all a person can do is laugh later.  

This story is about the latter.                                                              

The Event and Deal

Around July 2013, I worked an event – a baby shower – for an old classmate back from my high school days.  I shot pictures for four and a half hours in exchange for monetary compensation.  Furthermore, as part of the deal, I was to deliver the pictures digitally the next day, and a DVD copy of the pictures within the week.  

The event was nice and fun.  The client and her husband were gracious hosts to everyone.  Even I felt nice and loose, and blended in with the background -- something every photographer should do.  

What could possibly go wrong?

What Went Wrong?

I mailed the DVD to the client two days after the event (the event was on a Saturday night).  Normally it takes one or two days for mail delivery within New York City.  When she did not receive the DVD after one week, I sent a second one, making sure the address was correct.  

When the second DVD did not reach the client again, I delivered the DVD directly on a hot summer day after the client recovered from childbirth, and apologized for the unreasonable delay. 

While the client was not upset about it, I was furious. One of the aspects I pride myself on is promising and delivering good service.  With the lack of delivery, it gave the perception of incompetence, which is never good for business.

I demanded answers from the Post Office both times, who did not find the DVDs at that time.    

Return to Sender

Around November 2013, I received both DVDs marked as return to sender in good condition.  I reviewed the addresses on the package.  Sure enough, they were the correct address that the client gave me.  Naturally, by the time the DVDs were returned, the client moved out of New York City.

Great job, United States Postal Service!  

Lesson learned.  Next time, I will use UPS, or just make the direct delivery myself.

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Understanding Megapixels

What is a Megapixel?

A megapixel is a number that represents the approximate area resolution of an image.  Camera companies will report the highest megapixels (or MP for short) number possible as one of the selling points for a camera.  It mostly worked.   

Are Megapixels a Major Factor in Photo Quality?

Contrary to popular belief, megapixels are a minor factor in determining the quality of a photo – the camera sensor, the lens and (especially) the skill of the photographer are by far more important factors.  As a result, megapixels for cameras are overhyped.  

Exasperating the overhype, there are some phone and compact cameras with high MP counts that do not produce.  Sometimes, the sensor and lens cannot keep up and will produce a pixilated image.  A lower resolution setting would be required to shoot a high quality image with the same camera.  Furthermore, higher MP pictures take longer to process.  If you need to shoot quickly (such as a sports event), a lower MP setting is a must. 

An example of megapixel overhype is the Nokia Lumia 1020.  The phone possessed a 41 MP camera, which is higher than expensive professional DSLR cameras like the Canon 1Dx and Nikon D4! 

The problem was that the Lumia 1020 took mediocre pictures at the highest resolution and processed them very slowly.  However, with lower resolutions, the phone took advantage of the better censor and lens, and produced photos that surpassed the Galaxy S4, iPhone 5s and HTC One in quality.  Not surprising, the next phone in the series, the Lumia 1520, cut the maximum resolution to a more reasonable 20 MP.  

When do Megapixels Matter?

Megapixels do matter when it comes to editing or printing large images. 

For editing, the reasoning is straightforward.  A larger resolution image allows better precision with editing and cuts that can improve the final image.

For printing, an excellent quality print comes at 300 pixels per inch (ppi), or 90,000 pixels per square inch.  With that in mind, there is an equation that determine how many pixels you need from a camera in order to get an excellent quality print. 

L (in inches) · W (in inches) · 90,000

Now, let's try a few examples with the equation.

And apologies for throwing mathematics into the post.

Example A: Store Prints / Online Poster

This person only buys a camera to print typical 6" by 4" photos that can be picked up at a store.  The digital versions of these photos are also small enough to upload on websites with ease at an excellent resolution.

Using the equation mentioned above:

  

6 · 4 · 90,000 = 2,160,000 pixels ≈ 2.2 megapixels
All modern cameras have at least 8 MP in resolution.  Most camera sensor can handle a 3 MP image with ease. For anyone looking to print typical photos or to share them with people (which is the majority of people who use phone cameras and compact cameras), megapixels are not important. 

Example B: Newspaper Cover

A photographer wants to print a picture the size of a newspaper page, which is 11" wide, and 17" to use as potential front cover for a featured story.

Using the equation again.

11 · 17 ·90,000 = 16,830,000 pixels ≈ 16.9 megapixels

To take that kind of a picture, one would need a camera that is packing at least 16.9 MP (or rounding up, 17 MP)  This is when megapixels matter, as a 14 MP camera cannot match the print quality at this size as an 18 MP camera would.

Provided the censor of the 18 MP camera censor can produce a quality image at max resolution. 

Example C:  An Enormous Wall Decoration

A person wants to print an enormous 20" x 30" photo on a wall to fill in blank space on a wall in a home.

We need to use the equation again. 

20 · 30 · 90,000 = 54,000,000 pixels = 54 megapixels

To print an enormous photo at an excellent quality one requires an insanely expensive medium format studio camera, or stitch together several photographs together like a panorama in a photo editor first to keep the quality high.

The person should just use twenty-five 4" x 6" photos or four 11" x 17" photos to decorate the wall.  It's just cheaper.   

Conclusion

Again, megapixels measure the resolution of an image and how large it can become, not the quality of an image.

For any person using a camera phone or compact phone to put pictures online or print basic 4x6 pictures, megapixels should not be a major consideration when deciding to purchase a camera.

However, for a person looking to print larger images, or for those who edit images, megapixels are an important consideration. 

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