Introduction

Wether you are an amateur or professional photographer, you’ll want, at a time, to buy a new camera. This desire will come sooner or later depending of your personality, but this moment will happen…

Questions you have to ask to yourself

To know if you have to buy a new camera, you should ask to yourself several questions. Firstly:

Do I want to buy a new camera because because I need it or because I cannot resist to buy this wonderful new … (fill the blank with the camera of your choice)?

• Answer 1: “A cannot resist” – If you can afford to buy it (and your family will not suffer the consequences), buy it! You will one day sooner or later! So, enjoy using the new camera as soon as possible!
• Answer 2: “I need it because…” – In this case, you will have to ask yourself another question. Because you will always find good reasons to buy your new toy. If you are a professional photographer, you should always have this second answer, and it is even more important to ask to yourself this another question.

Let’s take a real world example: myself Today I’m working with two DSLR. One of these is a Nikon D2X.

Nikon D2X

I own it for several years and it is always a perfect tool for my work, but there is always this new DSLR that I’d like to buy… So, I must ask to myself the good question and be honest when I answer to it:

What are the new features of this new DSLR that will help me in my daily basis work or get new customer contracts?

• “the LCD screen is better” – Sure I like a lot the D700′s LCD screen. I have a better feedback regarding image quality and details. It is far better than the D2X’s LCD screen. But does this LCD screen prevent me to take good photos? No, so it is a bad argument.
• “there is less noise above ISO 400″ – It’s true. But I mainly use the D2X for sport event photography during daylight. If I need to take photos with an higher ISO, I’m using my D700. So, this is another bad argument.
• “I can record videos” – This is the new hype in the photography business. But does my customers ask me if I could provide a movie alongside my pictures during sport events or during corporate events? Not yet. I’ll have to think about this argument in some time when my customers will ask me to shoot movies (and they will in some time). But right now, there is no business advantage to invest in a new DSLR for this new feature. So, this is an argument I’ll have to look at again in a few months (or weeks).
• “better resolution (more pixels)” – Maybe, but it will not be an advantage for me. I will have more work to process my photos. I will need more powerful computers, more storages and more backups. Furthermore, my print quality is excellent for my needs and my customer’s needs. So, this is another bad argument.

Looking at these four arguments, none passes the test question. So, my decision is easy to take: I keep my D2X. But I’ll have to ask myself the same questions in a moment when my customers will ask me to shoot videos.

Conclusion

Wether you are an amateur or professional photographer, ask always to yourself good questions before buying a new camera. Unless this is just a “impulse” that you can afford, it will let you focus on your photos and not think that with a new camera you will magically… (fill the blank with your favorite excuse, “make better photos”, “have more customers”,…)

Introduction

In this post, we will use Argyll CMS and dispcalGUI to calibrate a monitor in Mac OSX.

Calibration goals

Monitor calibration is a must have for any photographer. The goal when you calibrate your monitor is to have color references known by everyone (humans and software), you will display “true” colors.

Each monitor is not equal regarding color rendition. For example, some monitors are able to display more color shades than others. Remember that monitor calibration is not magic: if your monitor has an average quality, the calibration will improve the displayed color but will not help to display colors that your monitor is not able to render.

Anyway, a calibrated monitor will help you a lot to know how the printed color will render.

Softwares

In this article, we are using two software (running Apple OSX 10.6.3):

• Argyll CMS v1.1.1: download here. It is a free calibration software.
• dispcalGUI v0.3.8.0: download here. It is a graphic user interface for Argyll CMS.

These two software are free and are also available for Microsoft Windows.

To use these software, you need a calibration device. I’m using a device provided with Monaco Optix XR that I bought few years ago. It is a X-Rite DTP 94. I have found Argyll CMS because the software provided in the Monaco Optix XR package is not working with Apple OSX 10.6… And I am happy to have found it because it is as powerful (but less easy to use) than other available software that cost more than 200$.

Calibration

First, install the software, following dispcalGUI quick setup guide.

Before starting the calibration process, your monitor must be turned on for at least 30 minutes, otherwise the color rendering will change before the screen is warm. You should also turn off your screen saver and your energy saving settings: you do not want to have you monitor or your computer turned off while the calibration process is running!

Launch dispcalGUI.

You can plug your calibration device, it will be automatically detected by dispcalGUI.

dispcalGUI, click on the image to see it larger

Define these settings in dispcalGUI:

• Select “Photo” in the Settings combo on top, it is a good starting point for other parameters
• Whitepoint: select 6500°K. If you have an high quality monitor (EIZO brand for example), you can select 5000°K.  This is the light temperature used in fine art exhibitions. It is also the best temperature to compare printed colors with your monitor colors. Nevertheless, 6500°K is supported by all monitors and provides a good color rendition.
• White level: Other, 120cd/m². It is a good brightness if you are working in a room not too dark. If you are working in a dark room, define a White level of 100cd/m².
• Do not change the black level (Minimal).
• Gamma setting: 2.2. The default value is 2.4. After a reader sent me a comment regarding the default value of my EIZO monitor (2.2), I am now using this new value.
• Black output offset: if you have a high quality monitor, set it to 0%, you will have a better dark color shades. Otherwise, use the default value of 100%.
• Profile type: “Curves + Matrix”. If you are selecting a LUT profile (slightly better profile quality), Lightroom and Photoshop colors rendition could not match.
• Testchart file: photo.

You are now ready to calibrate your monitor!

Click on “Calibrate and Profile”.

Center your device on top of the displayed window, like shown on the picture above. Then the process continues in a terminal window.

Using a LCD screen, we will use two options in Argyll CMS:

• 2) White point: setting your monitor color temperature
• 3) White level: setting your monitor brightness

Start by pressing 2 on your keyboard. Your calibration device will continuously calibrate your monitor. The goal is to have a DE close to 0 by changing your monitor color gains:

In this example, I have an almost perfect DE (0.1).

During your monitor setting, Argyll CMS helps you to find the color gains. For example R++ means that you must increase the red color gain. For information, on my EIZO S2410W, I can adjust color gains in this menu: “Color” > “Gain”.

The next step if the white level setting. Press 3 on your keyboard. The setting is easier to achieve than the white point setting. Argyll CMS displays the target brightness and the measured brightness. You have to increase or decrease your monitor brightness to reach the target (120).

If you cannot set the white point or the white level in your monitor, just skip the related menu option.

It is time to launch the calibration process. Press 7 on your keybord (Continue to calibration).

You have time to drink a coffee… It is a long process…

Once the calibration is done, you will be able to install your new profile. Before doing that, it is interesting to try the color rendition with your new profile versus your actual profile. You achieve that by selecting or deselecting the first option of the window (Preview calibration).

Conclusion

Your monitor is calibrated! If it is the first time you are working with a calibrated monitor, you will not like the rendered colors, because they are less saturated. It is normal as default settings for monitors renders highly saturated and contrasted colors to match TV rendition that are pleasing people. Once you will be used to your new calibrated monitor colors renditions, you will not be able to work again on an uncalibrated monitor!

Now, you have reference colors. That will helps you a lot for your prints.

Updates:

• August 21th, 2010 : change of the gamma level value used.

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Introduction

We are using some lenses less than others: for example tilt and shift lenses.

These lenses are mainly used for architecture and landscape photography. And they are often also expensive.

24mm f/3.5D ED PC-E NIKKOR

Issues

Let’s look at the 24mm f/3.5 PC-E NIKKOR. It is a really good tilt & shift lens but…

• it is not a zoom lens
• it is a manual lens (no autofocus)
• the public price is about 2200$

2200$ for a manual lens? It is a high price for a lens nowadays. If you are not a photographer specialized in architecture photography, it is a big expense to have some fun and try new things.

Furthermore, if you only have only few orders for architecture works, it will be hard to have a return on investment.

The answer

As a Nikon professional, you have certainly subscribed to NPS… You have to know that you can rent lenses at an official NPS shop if you are a NPS subscriber.

If you have an order from time to time for an architecture work, you should rent this tilt & shift lens. You can rent the 24mm f/3.5 PC-E NIKKOR for around 100$ a day. If you have a full day of architecture work, it would pay for the rent.

It is also a good solution to try a new lens during a full day before buying it. Furthermore, if your NPS shop is a good businessman, you will probably be able to negotiate a discount on the lens if you buy it after that.

When to buy the lens?

That will depend on the number of work that will use this lens.

Regarding our example, the lens is sold around 2200€ and you rent it for 100€ a day. So, it will be better to buy it if you have at least 22 days of work with this lens.

In all cases, I strongly advise you to rent the lens before buying it. You will be able to play with it and check if it really fits your needs.

Introduction

When you are shooting sailing photography, you should not have 25 parameters to set before taking the photo, otherwise you will miss the photo!

So, you have to find settings that you will use during the whole race.

How many cameras ?

When I take pictures of sailing events, I always use two cameras (at the time I’m writing this article):

• A Nikon D2X camera with a 70-200 lens for long distance photos

Championnat Grand Surprise - Thonon - Friday: Photo 22

• A Nikon D700 camera with a 24-70 lens for short distance photos

Having two cameras helps you to not miss a photo. You don’t have to change lenses to take a short or long distance photo: you just have to switch between two cameras. When you are taking photos during a sailing event, you are always switching between short and long distance photos.

Settings

Most of the time, you do not want to change these settings during the event. So, you have to find settings that will match your needs for most of the situations.

For long distance photos, I’m using these settings on the D2X:

• Shutter priority mode: at least 1/1000 s (to change regarding amount of available light). When you are shooting a sailing event, most of the time you are also on a boat (that is moving). As you want a sharp picture, you have to minimize the exposition time to freeze the action. Furthermore, as boats are far, even if a small aperture is automatically selected, boats will be completely sharps.
• Automatic ISO: on the D2X, I’m using ISO up to 400 to have a superb print quality. If you are selecting an higher ISO setting, the photo grain will be noticeable on the photo print.
• White Balance setting according to the weather: This setting is not really important as I’m shooting RAW, that allows me to change the white balance in post-production. However, I am selecting a white balance according to the warmness I want in my photos to have less post-production work. Most of the time, I’m using a “cloudy” or “sunny” white balance for sailing photography.

For short distance photos, I’m using these settings on the D700:

• Aperture priority mode: at least f/8. For short distance photos, I want a fully sharp boat. However, you have to check during the event that the shutter speed is not too slow. If it’s too slow, change to manual mode or shutter priority mode.
• Automatic ISO: on the D700, I can easily use up to 800 ISO. When the weather is bad, I can use an higher setting without reducing the photos print quality.
• White Balance setting according to the weather: same explanation than for short distance photos.

ISO 800 Photo example

Conclusion

These settings are a starting point for you own settings. You will have to adapt them to your own cameras. Of course, during an event, you can change them to take a unique photo that you will have time to setup.

If you have one camera with one zoom, select the setting regarding how you will use the zoom: at short or long distance. If you will use both, select a shutter priority mode.

Introduction

Recently, I have been to the Nikon Pro forum, the 22th of March in Paris. The goal for Nikon was to present the video function in their pro cameras. The invitation card was clear enough:

Nikon Pro Forum, March 22

As I was exploring the usage of video for my job, I wanted to have experiences of other photographers on their use of video and especially their business opportunities.

Forum presentation

Conferences were mainly organized by the web site photographie.com. Its editor, Didier de Faÿs was the moderator of conferences and unfortunately it was pretty bad in this role. He was often at a loss for words and he was not giving a good rhythm to the conferences. Moreover, he seemed to know personally some of the photographers and it introduces a lot of collusion: a moderator should be neutral, but he often spent his time to congratulate the guests.

Morning conferences: a deception

Morning conferences were bad. The first conference “Being a pro today” was an annoying discussion. The only person who was interested was a buyer of art that should participate… and who was not present! Otherwise, the discussion revolved around sales trends for consumer cameras (totally useless for a pro) and photos management workflow (I think that any professional has already tackled this issue today).

The next conference was really “parisienne” (living in a microcosm and only looking at himself). The photographer Elisabeth Schneider showed a video she made. You can watch it on this page (in French).

I have nothing to say about the video of Mme Schneider that has a good tempo and an interesting subject. But it was her first try with video and she was very arrogant and presumptuous. She says in the interview that this is a video she has done during her studies and her teachers have helped her enormously. However, she was always refocusing the discussion on herself and forget to be modest.

Afternoon conferences: far better

Luckily, the afternoon speakers were more interesting.

First in the conference “Try the video”, two people were part of the discussion.

Olivier Lambert, the owner of the web site brêves de trottoirs (brief sidewalks), presented his work. These are short videos about the neighborhoods of Paris. This work is unpretentious and pleasant to watch.

The interesting point was the business side of this site. The two creators of the site have received afund  from the CNC to help them make this site. But no diffuser (online newspaper, television) was willing to pay to broadcast their videos, although they were interested in them. Their reaction was always the same: why should they pay to broadcast them when they were freely available on the Internet? This highlights a major problem with this kind of video works: how to be payed for your work?

Then Thierry Rajic talked about his career: a former commercial photographer who had the opportunity to become a director, first for clips then for advertisements. The most interesting part of the talk was that he highlighted that a photographer and director are two separate jobs and that a good photographer will not necessarily be a good director (it was quite comical as the moderator tried to absolutely make him say the otherwise).

Finally, William Herbaut was presenting web documentaries. It is a new way to present stories that newspapers and TV channels start to experiment en their web sites. France 5 has some of them on its web site (in French).

Retour à Tchernobyl - Guillaume Herbaut

Guillaume Herbaut is working on a web documentary on Tchernobyl. He was talking about it in the conference “Why doing a web documentary?”. You can already read his blog (in French). The business approach for this work was interesting. It will sell it through different mediums:

• publications in magazines
• a web documentary sold to a news paper or a TV channel
• a book published the same time than the web documentary
• a photo exposition in a fine art gallery

Moreover, it has found additional funding:

• the fine art gallery has funded part of the story
• the CNC has funded another part.

It is interesting to see the various business opportunities available for this kind of personal work. We must remember to work hard on pre-production to validated all these opportunities.

Conclusion

Manufacturers highlight video in their cameras  but photographers  have not yet found a definitive business model for the exploitation of these videos.

Photographers who are journalist can also create web documentaries. But journalist are a minority among photographers.

As a photographer, you can also provide a new service for event photography (especially for business events). So you can take photos during the event and also provide a video (composed of still photos and videos) of the event. The main advantage for your customer is to reduce his cost. But your customer will think that as you are already working on the event, the additional cost for the video will be small (he is just forgetting the post-production work related to the video). So, if you want to sell this kind of service, you should not have an high expectation regarding the price of this service, otherwise your customer will directly hire a company specialized in videos.