I’ve written a short article about ISO in the past, but it’s basically the setting for how sensitive your film or your digital sensor is to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive it will be.

ISO is part of the Exposure Triangle which is made up of Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. Put them all together correctly and you get the correct exposure for your photo. Understand what each of them do and you have the basis for all the creative options within photography. It all revolves around these three things in one way or another. So how do you use ISO to your advantage?

How to use ISO to improve your photos.

I’m going to concentrate on digital photography. This is where ISO becomes much more usable than the much more restrictive use in film. In digital photography, you can change your ISO setting for every shot if you wanted. For film, you are much more restricted in what you can change as it’s the physical film that has the sensitivity to light rather than a few bits of electronics like a digital camera.

So here’s a scene that you might be familiar with. You are outside, it’s early evening and the sun is starting to set. You’ve just gone past the Golden Hour where the light it magical, and you want to get a few more photos but you don’t want to use flash.

You’ve already got the depth of field you want by setting the aperture, and you’ve got your shutter speed as slow as you can go to avoid any unwanted blur, but there is still not enough light and your photos are coming out too dark, or Under Exposed.

Modern day digital cameras have seen huge improvements in the way the camera sensor handles low light and high ISO settings. Only a few years ago, your would get a huge amount of digital noise if you raised the ISO level much above 400 and your images would be ruined. Nowadays, you can crank the ISO setting up to 3200, 6400 or even 12800 in some cases and still get acceptable image quality. So now ISO becomes a much more usable setting that you can control and it will let you keep shooting as the sun gets lower.

So let’s get back to basics. Exposure. You have your aperture, your shutter speed and your ISO. For this example, let’s say your settings are:

• Aperture is set to f2.8 which is the maximum your lens will go to and you are using that because you want to get a nice blurred out background. You can’t open the aperture any wider to let more light in.
• Shutter Speed is set to 1/250th of a second because your subject is moving around and you want to make sure the pictures are still sharp. Any slower and your photos will look soft and blurry.
• ISO is currently set to 400. So quite low already to avoid getting any digital noise in your image.

So the sun is going down, the available light is getting less, you can’t get your aperture any wider to let more light in, you can’t slow your shutter speed down to let more light in, so you are left with ISO. Your good friend.

Changing your ISO from 400 to 800 is changing it by one stop. It’s a photography terms and experienced photographers all talk in stops. So from f2.8 to f5.6 is one stop. 1/125th of a second to 1/250th of a second is one stop. You get the idea. Notice the numbers, it’s approximately double or half for each stop as you go along the range.

Aperture: f2.8 -> f5.6 -> f11 -> f22 – Yes, there are settings in between this, but they are not full stops.

Shutter Speed: 1 -> 1/2 -> 1/4 -> 1/8 -> 1/15 -> 1/30 -> 1/60 -> 1/125 -> 1/250 -> 1/500 -> 1/1000

ISO: 100 -> 200 -> 400 -> 800 -> 1600 -> 3200 -> 6400 -> 12800

So by changing your ISO by one stop to 800, you are doing the same thing effectively as slowing the shutter speed down by one stop from 1/250th to 1/125th or making the aperture one stop wider from f2.8 to f1.4 (which in your case isn’t possible because the lens won’t allow that).

So you’ve now changed your ISO to 800, and you can now shoot at the aperture you want and the shutter speed you want. The only downside is that the image might have a little more digital noise in it, but as I said, technology has moved on a lot so if you are using a newer model camera, you probably won’t notice the difference.

So it’s still getting darker, you need to go from ISO 800 to ISO 1600. That might get you another 5 minutes of shooting. You can then keep adjusting the ISO until you reach the limit or the photo becomes unusable because of the digital noise.

So there you have it. ISO is your new friend. When I go our and shoot, I find I don’t adjust the ISO a great deal. In some cases, and it might be a feature on your camera, you can set Auto ISO and set a maximum setting for it. So you can let the camera pick the ISO it thinks is right for your Aperture and Shutter Speed settings. This can be very handy in changeable conditions but I think it’s a good idea to always understand what your camera is actually doing before letting it do it for you.

As an example of this in practice, I had a situation like this while I was taking photos at a summer party for the company I work for. The light was fading, but there was still things going on outdoors that I wanted to shoot. I was shooting with the widest aperture I could, at the slowest shutter speed I could to keep the image sharp enough, but the light was fading in the evening so I used the ISO settings to help. Here is the shot I was trying to take.

So a shot worth getting and thanks to the way my camera handled the higher ISO settings, you wouldn’t notice that I had to use ISO 1000 for it.

It would be great to see some of your higher ISO shots or times when you’ve had to bump up the ISO to get the shot you wanted.

I was using some pretty basic kit which consisted of the following:

Fujifilm X-Pro1 Digital Camera (16MP) with APS-C X-Trans CMOS Sensor (Body only)
– a reliable work horse of a camera. Good ISO capability but the not the fastest camera to use.

Fujifilm FUJINON XF35mm Lens
– a nice wide aperture for low light conditions.

YongNuo YN-560 III Flashgun
– cheap but effective. Lots of manual control.

PocketWizard PlusX Twin Set Transceiver
– these help you keep flexible. I wasn’t mounting the flash on my camera so I’d be hand holding the flash to keep it away from the lens to try and make the lighting a little better and not harsh, in your face light.

For my back up I had my Fuji X100s camera, a spare flashgun and a flash cable just in case…. more about that later.

The Gig.

It was a difficult gig. Very dark venue. Very small venue with lots of people so not a lot of space to move around in. However, all was going ok and everything was working well. So far so good.

Then came the moment I was most worried about. It was time for the couple to renew their vows. So, you remember earlier I said that I wasn’t a wedding photographer, well if I was then I probably would have checked the whole venue before hand rather than just the main room. I had forgotten to check the ceremony room beforehand which is a bit of a newbie error and one I won’t make again. I had to contend with dark walls, dark ceiling and very low light. Great atmosphere for the guests, terrible for the photographer. Nowhere to bounce light off so all I had was the small card built into the flash to use to bounce light. I could still get away with this.

So the main event started, the doors at the back opened and the couple started walking in, I was ready. At this point I started sweating a lot and wanted to swear loudly before hoping the floor would open up and swallow me. My flash wouldn’t work! I quickly gave my system a once over, checked the battery levels, checked the connections, all was good, but still no flash. My Pocket Wizard triggers had failed me for the first time ever. Now it was time to panic….. but I didn’t. I had to get the shots so I went back to the basics of photography and thought about the main elements that influence exposure:

Aperture.

I knew I needed to let as much light in as I could and my lens had a nice wide aperture of f1.4 (low number equals big hole). f1.4 was probably a little bit too wide as the depth of field would be tiny but f2 or f2.8 would probably be usable. Ok, aperture sorted.

Shutter Speed.

In situations like this, I wanted the camera to help me with some of the thinking but you still need to be aware of what the camera is deciding. So setting the camera to Aperture Priority will do the shutter speed for you but make sure you are still getting a fast enough shutter speed to avoid a blurry image. This was a challenge so I tried to make sure the shutter didn’t drop below 1/60th or 1/30th at a push.

ISO.

This was the key to saving the day. So don’t forget it was dark, I had no flash, I was using a really wide aperture and I needed a reasonable shutter speed. A high ISO setting was the answer.

As a quick recap, ISO is the sensitivity to light of the sensor. The higher the number, the more sensitive to light the sensor will be but also the higher the number, the more noisy the image will be.

So the Fuji X-Pro1 does produce good images at high ISO but I also knew there was a chance that some of these images might need to be printed. Told you it was a tough gig! I had to trust the equipment I had and also the software I was going to do the post processing with. I think I pushed the Fuji to it’s limits and it didn’t let me down. ISO 5000 was the level I needed to make sure the shutter speed stayed acceptable so I would get a sharp photo. I never use ISO 5000. Ever. I was scared, but it was all I could do. I got the shots but they were pretty noisy, but not as bad as I thought they might be, there was hope.

So the evening finished and I headed home. The next day I spent a few hours editing the photos using Adobe Lightroom CC and I have to say, the way it can clean up noise in an image is amazing. Adobe Camera Raw and the Fuji Raw files seemed to be best buddies.

Don’t Panic.

What could have been a disaster was avoided because I didn’t panic and I got the shots and the couple were happy. Phew.

So what could I have done better? Well, a few things:

• Check the venue better. If I knew what situation I’d be in, I would have better prepared.
• Use the most reliable equipment. That flash cable was sitting in my camera bag all night up that point. If I’d used that from the start instead of the flash triggers, I would have got more images.
• However, I think I got better images without the flash, so maybe I should have just asked for a little more light in the room. A bit more would have allowed me to use a lower ISO without effecting the mood of the event.

Overall it was a good experience, albeit a bit sweaty at times. I was pushed well out of my comfort zone, but because I had the fundamentals at my fingertips, I got away with it and most importantly the couple were happy with the results.

1. Nixplay Digital Frames

Bring their photo sharing to the next level with Nixplay’s line of digital photo frames. Using a Hu-Motion sensor, the frames turn on when someone enters the room, shuffling to the most recent photo, and turns off when they exit. The newest model is the Nixplay Seed. Ideal for people who want the ease of uploading wirelessly, the Seed connects to all social platforms, including Dropbox, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Picasa, and email. Photographers can share their work easily with family and friends. The slim power cord acts as the frame’s stand, and the frame can be displayed in portrait or landscape. The Nixplay Seed is available in 7-, 8-, and 10-inch versions and comes in black, blue, mulberry, and mango.

2. “Editing Day” Mug

Help keep them caffeinated during those late editing nights. This hand-lettered and hand-pressed mug made by Etsy user TheScribbleStudio will serve as their perfect companion, stressing “Do Not Disturb” with the inscribed #Don’tBotherMe. Available in an 11oz. ceramic mug or a 15oz. travel mug for editing on the go. Pair with their favourite bag of coffee or box of tea.

3. Level Camera Cube

The perfect levelling tool. As all carpenters know, a level foundation is necessary for a building to remain stable. And as all photographers know, even a tripod can’t always help keep a photo balanced. Use this level camera cube to help balance the camera, whether shooting with or without a tripod. Readily slips onto the camera’s hot shoe to get the most zen in your shot.

4. Custom Leather Camera Strap

Let the world know that this camera is theirs with a handcrafted leather camera strap from RSVPhandcrafted. From crossed arrows, a compass, glasses and moustache, or tree branch pattern, there is an option for every photographer in your life. To make it more uniquely theirs, choose a colour tag to add their name, initials, or monogram. Colours range from pearl to lime green. Pair it with a matching luggage tag for their camera bag.

5. Decorative Camera Case

Instead of the standard black camera bag, showcase your photographer’s personality with a decorative camera case from Janine King Design. This bag design includes a protective inner core that is water resistant and designed to protect precious gear. Featured is a paisley elephant design that suits the chicest of photographers. Select from over 80 designs. Pair it with a matching camera strap for a matching set.

Have a Star Wars fan in your life? Opt for ThinkGeek’s Star Wars Chewbacca Camera Bag and matching camera strap.

6. Camera Lens Mug

Perfect for lovers of DSLR lenses, this travel mug is as real as it gets. Except instead of working parts on the inside, it’s a delicious hot or cold beverage of their choice. A great conversation piece, this mug will be sure to draw second glances. The hood top is ideal as a coaster or plate for a quick snack. Pair with a bag of treats for snacking between shots!

7. Mobile Lighting Kit

Missed out on the Golden Hour or faced with bad lighting in general? Gift this mobile lighting kit for proper lighting on the go. Ideal for the phonetographer in your life, this kit includes a pocket spotlight, pocket reflector, and rainbow filter set that can be mixed and matched. It also comes with a pocket guide, Photojojo’s Guide to Photo EnLIGHTenment.

8. Microfiber Lens Cleaning Skinny Necktie

Nothing ruins a perfect shot like a smudged lens. From sticky kid fingers to dust particles looking for a new home, lenses can become dirty from an array of culprits. Not only is this microfiber necktie fashionable and business-appropriate, but also it is at the ready to clean any glass surface. This microfiber necktie is useful for phones, tablets, or glasses. Never suffer from a dirty lens again, as the solution is around your neck.

9. Vintage Camera Print Flight Bag

Prep them for long distance travel to shoots. Inspired by the evolution of the camera, this print bag features styles like the Polaroid camera and the point-and-shoot. Vegan friendly and non-leather, it is made out of 95% recycled material—so your favourite photographer can be green while making some green. Other options in the same print include a messenger bag and travel pouch. Include a TSA-approved toiletry kit so they are ready to go!

10. Lens Attachment

Your phonetographer will thank you. These cell phone lenses from Photojojo make taking photos on the go a breeze! No need to drag around a bulky DSLR camera and case. These lenses are small enough to fit in pocket or purse. Pick from one of five—or buy them all! Options include a wide/macro, fisheye, super fisheye, polarizer, or telephoto lens. These lenses are able to work with any device that has a lens on it (even laptops!). Add on one of their Dorito-shaped lens pouches to protect their new lenses.

11. Vintage Camera Pillows

Do you have a photographer in your life that loves their camera so much they just want to cuddle up with it? Make their dreams come true by gifting them a vintage inspired camera pillow. Available in The Tourist, Instant Shooter, or Flash Bulb, these pillows will fit well in a bedroom or office. The images are printed on cotton sateen and sewn onto cotton-twill by creator Rona J Smith.

From personalised camera straps to digital frames, there are endless options that will be the picture perfect gift for the photographer in your life. Some are more “out of frame” than others, but all will make for a great photo op on Christmas Day!

12. Photo App Pin

Help them showcase their love for their favourite photo app pin! Made out of laser cut acrylic, these pins mimic the icons for Pinterest, Photoshop, and Instagram, allowing photography lovers to represent their favourite. Place on a beanie, shirt, or camera strap. Suggest removing the backing and using as a push pin to hang up their work.

Happy gifting.

Guest Author

Hannah Nava loves writing about any topic, and Christmas is no exception! She currently writes on behalf of digital frame experts at Nixplay. When not marrying words, Hannah enjoys reading science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian works; sipping margaritas (always frozen); and trying to make the world a happier place. Tweet her @hannahmnava or connect with her on LinkedIn.

It’s probably best to admit that I don’t have a lot of interest in using film for photography. I am an out and out digital photographer. I’ve done the tour of duty of scanning in slide film and negatives, but digital made the whole process faster and easier and meant I could spend more time taking photos and without the wait to see if what you’ve taken worked out. But, this kit interested me. I’m a bit of a LEGO geek and have an engineering background, so actually building a camera and then using it appealed to me. So let’s begin.

The all important unboxing began and you can see that thought has been put into the packaging. You open it up, fold it out and everything you need is presented to you. The box contains everything you actually need, but I also used a stanley knife just to tidy up the plastic after taking it out of the plastic frame.

Another essential to have with you during a build like this is another camera so you can document it. For that I used my Fuji X-Pro1 with a 35mm lens. I used natural light from a window for the images to keep it simple.

The documentation is ok, but I think the designer could learn a lot from LEGO instructions. Some of the steps proved to be less than obvious, but with a little thought and logic, they were easily worked out. So let’s get started. First of all you build the lens.

Not particularly complicated, three parts and it was just a little tight to get it together and line up the holes to get the tiny screws in. You never know just how tight to make these things, the last thing you need is for something to snap. So be careful and don’t force anything. You do get a decent tiny screw driver with the kit which is good to see.

There aren’t actually that many parts to the build, but I could already see it was going to be pretty fiddly. For some people, a set of tweezers might be handy to help clip springs in place, but I managed to cope without them even with my banana hands.

After the lens, you build up the twin lens reflex view finder housing. This is a top down view finder like you see on some of the older film cameras and it made me think of Vivian Maier, one of my favourite photographers, and the way she took most of her images. Looking down, with a waist height view point. I was actually looking forward to trying this camera out.

Again, the instructions could have been a little clearer. I got the small lens round the wrong way initially so it didn’t fold flat. Easy to sort out once I realised though.

Next comes the shutter button and film winder. This is probably the most complicated part as it’s the most intricate. The little spring is easy to lose so it’s a good job an extra one was provided just in case. It all fits together nicely but pay attention to the instructions about the position things have to be it. Easy to miss.

So we are actually nearly done and the next part is where you start assembling the parts together to make it into something that looks like a camera.

The camera has one shutter speed of 1/60th or it has a bulb setting. The lens has a limited focusing ring but it’s just enough to give you a bit of flexibility. The aperture is fixed at f10. It even has a flash sync port on it and Lomography.com sells flash accessories if you want them.

Once the main parts are all fitted together, there are a couple of small bits to fit like the film winder knobs and the mirror lever on the side. Nothing complicated. The only bit I’m not sure I’ve done right is the dial for the number of exposures as this doesn’t seem like it will stay in place the disc with the numbers might rotate making it hard to know what exposure you are on. We’ll see if that causes me a problem once I use it.

So you now have a camera looking thing so it’s just a case of adding the final touches. The kit comes with various colour leather adhesive strips that you use to customise the body of the camera. I went for the standard black, but there is red or white if you want to get a bit more colourful.

Once that’s all done, we are finished. It was a pretty simple build, you just have to have a bit of patience and take your time to work out what the instructions are telling you to do.

So, I’ve ordered some film to try it out. I went for ISO 400 film which should give me enough sensitivity with the f10 aperture and 1/60th shutter speed in the British winter weather. Once I have had a play and got some results I’ll write part 2 of this article.

One thing to remember is that this is a Lomography camera and you aren’t going to get high quality images, but that’s the attraction of this type of photography and is one of the reasons that using film is still popular. We’ll see what results I can get and see if this camera ignites a bit more love for using film for my photography.

Have you used a Lomo camera at all? What did you think?

That all seems pretty simple and straightforward right? A common mistake when people tackle this sort of project is that they set their sights too high. I’ve done it myself, more than once. A classic case is a project I wrote about at the beginning of the year. Taking a photo every day of the year, for one year. It sounds simple doesn’t it? Yeah, I thought so. I can safely say that I failed in that project, and it’s only May!

Why did I fail?

I failed because I didn’t put enough planning into the project. I just thought to myself one day that I’d do it. For some projects, that’s enough to make it work, however, for most projects it’s a good idea to at least put a bit of planning into it.

So what planning should I have done?

Here are 5 tips on how to plan photo projects. As you get more experienced, you can make your projects more elaborate, but these steps will help for any sized project you might take on.

1. Plan your time.

Well the first thing is to work out what time you actually have to do this project and to do it well. Rushing the project is likely to end with bad results, so if you only have the weekends or certain evenings during the week (like me) then don’t pick a project that requires time every day. Make sure that when you are working on your project that you can concentrate and focus on it for a good few hours at a time.

2. Be realistic.

The second this is to work out what you have access to that you can base your project on. Setting yourself the goal of taking photos of wildlife when you live in the middle of a city is going to be a lot harder than if you lived in the country for example. You will get the opportunities, but they are just harder to come by. If this is your first project, don’t make it a hard one as your motivation for completing the project will suffer.

3. Showing your work.

The third point is to think about how you want to show your project. You might want it to be a personal project that you don’t share until it’s finished, or you might want to make it a more social project where you share your work as you go along and get feedback on it that might help you improve.

4. Don’t go large.

The fourth point is to not make it too big. A project that runs over a few weeks is a good amount of time for the first few. There is nothing to say that you can’t make these projects larger at a later date, but keep it manageable in the beginning.

5. Make it fun.

The last and most important thing to think about is to find a project that you’ll enjoy. Make it about something you are interested in. Something that will get you out of bed and motivated to go and take photos. If you aren’t motivated by it then any set backs or problems will stop you finishing it. If you are motivated then if you do come across any problems, you’ll see them more as things you can learn from which should make your project better.

Why I didn’t really fail.

Ok, so I didn’t manage to take a photo every day, but I did take photos. That’s the important bit, I went out and took some photos. I now have more photos than I did before and I learnt things as I took them. I used an Apple iPhone 6 for a lot of them, it was convenient, but while I was taking the photos I realised the app I was using to take the photos had some short comings, so I found a better iPhone app for taking photos as it gave me more control over the image and as a result I got better photos from it.

My next project.

To be honest, I haven’t decided yet. Point 1 talked about time. I don’t have much of that free at the moment, but I am doing a bit of travelling this year so I’m going to make the most of those opportunities. I know it’s going to be a documentary style project or maybe more focussed on street photography. I favour black and white a lot so maybe this will be a project in colour. Right now, I’m giving it some thought and planning it better, but I’m excited by it. It’s going to be a great learning experience and I should be a better photographer after it.

What’s your next project going to be? Please do share your ideas.

It was a few months after getting the Fuji X-Pro1 that I was fortunate to be in a position to add the Fuji x100s to my camera collection. I guess I became a Fuji fan boy having gone from the x20 to the X-Pro1 and then to the x100s. I still have the X-Pro1 though, it’s still a fantastic camera.

So how has my photography changed over this last year with the switch to a mirrorless system, fixed lens and compact form factor?

Well, I have to say, it’s injected a lot more motivation and inspiration into my photography. Before, with my DSLR, I’d shoot a bit of wildlife (or zoo life):

Some landscapes:

A bit of motorsports:

And a bit of macro:

But not many people pictures for some reason.

Several very different disciplines. While the images are ok and I was pleased with them when I took them, I wouldn’t class them as great. They certainly didn’t get me a job at National Geographic or a Formula One pass to travel the world. With all these different disciplines, I never really concentrated on one area of photography, and I think that is why I don’t think they are that great. I did lots of things OK, but not one thing really well. That’s just my opinion anyway.

The Fuji x100s, and the Fuji X-Pro1, have given me that focus, they have let me concentrate on an area of photography I have been growing more and more interested in, street photography. I no longer worry about motor sports or wildlife that tend to favour long zooms or telephoto prime lenses. I still take the odd landscape with the Fujis, the wide angle lenses are still handy for that, but it’s not something I choose to do often.

The extra motivation these cameras have given me has inspired me to go on workshops, such as the Street Photography Workshop with Eric Kim towards the end of 2014, I’ve been on a Liverpool Photo Walk organised by Matt Hart in early 2015, I’ve shot several events for the company I work for including Christmas and Summer parties, promotional events for Preloved.co.uk and IWOOT and I’m planning a lot more. So I can honestly say that in the last year, since moving to Fuji cameras, I’ve done more photography that I’ve really enjoyed and learnt more about photography than I did when I was using a DSLR.

I just want to add here, that I could be saying the same thing if I’d chosen a different mirrorless brand with similar features, it just happens that I chose Fuji.

So what are these cameras like to use compared to a DSLR?

Well, the first and obvious thing is their size and weight. They are about half the size, and well under half the weight. The lens is a big contributor to the weight of any camera, but the smaller lenses I now use, or the fixed lens on the x100s have helped reduce the weight of what I have to carry around massively with no reduction in quality. In fact, the lenses I now use are better than those I had on my DSLR, and they are cheaper too. Win win.

So with reduction in size and weight comes the next big change. I’m far more inconspicuous when I’m taking photos with these cameras. I should point out that I am 6’4″ tall, so I’ll always stand out unless I’m photographing an NBA Basketball match, but now I haven’t got a big camera in front of my face with a big lens. I’ve got a compact sized camera that still lets people see my face behind it. Unfortunate for some people, but it lets me engage in conversion easier when I’m doing street portraits for instance, it’s made me enjoy taking photos of people a whole lot more than when I was using a bigger camera:

As with most camera these days, ISO performance is so much better than it was when I bought my DSLR. How does this improve things? Well it means you have to worry less about your camera settings and can concentrate more on taking the photo. What would be a bit of a noisy image at ISO 800 on my DSLR, is now perfectly usable with my Fuji cameras. ISO 3200 can still be very usable with these cameras too so I can now take photos in a lot more places and conditions than I used to.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m a big guy with big banana hands, so small cameras are often tricky to use. These Fuji cameras weren’t the easiest to get used to straight away but after some use they don’t feel small and awkward to use. I can reach all the dials and buttons I need to. While they aren’t instinctive to me yet, I’m getting there so hopefully soon changing the settings will be second nature and I can spend more time composing the shot and talking to my subjects rather than fiddling with my camera.

I don’t want to get into too many technical aspects of the cameras. The Fuji cameras that I own are both very capable cameras, they produce high quality images and have all the bells and whistles that a serious amateur or professional photographer could need. The same could be said for so many different cameras nowadays it really isn’t important to get too caught up with minor technical aspects that forums are full of, just get a camera, get a memory card and get out there and take photos! That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. The Fuji cameras always do well in reviews against other cameras. Fuji keeps them ticking over with firmware updates and they will be more than enough for me for several years to come, even when newer models come out, there would have to be a very good reason for me to upgrade. Right now, I’d rather spend my money on travel to take me to places to take photos. That’s much more fun!

So should you be using a mirrorless camera?

Well, I’m not going to tell you to sell all your DSLR and go out and buy a Fujifilm X100T Digital Camera
or another mirrorless camera system… but if you do, please use my affiliate links, thanks, it all helps keep this web site going!

If you are deciding what camera to buy, then I’d strongly suggest you consider a mirrorless system. Look at the type of photography you want to do and see if these smaller camera systems suit your needs. You certainly won’t regret the lighter load to carry around.

Am I happy I moved to Fuji cameras?

Yes! Most definitely yes! I just wish I’d done it earlier.

I’d be really interested to hear what you all think of the mirrorless camera system. Have you made the jump from a DSLR? Have you gone back to DSLR after trying a different type of camera? Let me know. Maybe we can do an article on your experiences too.

Recently I was able to attend a photo walk arranged by Matt Hart, a street photographer and Fuji X photographer, who is based around Liverpool. There was a planned route that took us around some of Liverpool’s landmarks with plenty of opportunities to stop for a cup of tea and have a chat to the other photographers.

The slightly windy (bit of an understatement) day begun at Liverpool Cathedral, which is a fantastic piece or architecture with many photogenic angles and views. We all gathered for a group shot before setting off and it became clear that despite the weather, the turn out was great and there were well over 100 photographers at the start with more due to join us all along the way. Matt had done a good job of publicising the event on social media which just proves the importance of getting involved in the various ways of promotion the internet allows you to do, especially as most of it’s free.

After the group shot and a few announcements, we all headed off on the walk. Most people headed for the nearest coffee shop as the weather was rather cold and very windy.

There is always a danger on photo walks that if there is a large group of you all walking together, then you will all get very similar shots, or just lots of shots of each other. Myself an two other photographers that I knew decided to wander the route in a small group, away from the others, and try and seek out some photos that the other photographers might not get.

There were some set meeting points along the way so everyone could meet up and compare shots before moving on. A welcome stop was at Wilkinson Cameras where tea, coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits were laid on. It’s great when local businesses get involved in these events.

After a quick cup of tea, it was off out into the cold again, but just round the corner from the camera shop was a great spot for street photography. The light was amazing, with low light in front of us causing some lovely long shadows. The best bit was that because of the bright low light, it was reflecting off one of the big glass buildings which meant that you got some great back lighting from the sun, but with the reflected light off the building, you also got some great fill in lighting too. It was like being in a huge studio. Lots of fun.

The day carried on and we made our way down towards the Liverpool Docks. The wind had picked up more and even just holding your camera steady was difficult. Time for lunch we thought.

After refuelling we met up with the group again in some of the newer buildings around the docks for another group photo. The group was still keen to wander some more but I’d got through most of my batteries and the temperature was dropping so it was time to head off and see what images I had managed to capture.

Despite the weather, I had a really enjoyable day and that’s what a photo walk should be about. A group of people that share the same interest from all walks of life having a day out to take photos and have a good chat, and the odd cup of tea along the way. It’s inspired me to organise a photo walk myself and I’m already planning for it, so stay tuned for more information.

Thanks again to Matt Hart for organising it. I’ll be attending the next one for sure!

So onto the book. This is a large hardback book and is predominantly made up of Vivian’s images, printed to fill the pages, rather than lots of text about her, which for me works well because her images are fantastic. The print quality and paper quality is high which adds to the impact of the images.

The main things that stood out from this book are the low view point she used for the images. This is because the camera she was using for the most part was an old Rolleiflex camera which was held at waist height as you look down into the view finder. It’s a view point I personally don’t manage to use a lot as I’m very tall. I’ll certainly be trying it more though if my knees hold up and allow me to crouch down to get to that angle.

The big thing about the story of Vivian is that she took so many photos. She had her camera with her pretty much all the time and again that’s something I need to do more of. My Fuji X100s is small enough to carry around easily, but I also have an iPhone 6 with a great camera so I do have a camera on my most of the day, I just need to use it more.

Looking through the images, the moments that she has managed to capture are fantastic and very inspiring. You can see that they are fleeting moments which means that she would have had to think quickly and would have had to know how to use her camera quickly. This shows the importance of knowing your camera. Knowing what all the buttons and dials do and where they are on the camera so you can operate them quickly without losing concentration on getting the shot you want.

A highly recommended book for any photographer, not just street photographers. There is also a great documentary film about her too which is also something I would highly recommend watching.

For 2015 I’ll be doing a year long project where I’ll be taking a photo each day. Most of the photos will be taken using my iPhone 6 and apps like snapseed to tweak the images. I’ll then be posting them on Instagram using the hashtag #photo365

I won’t be posting every photo on this site, but I’ll be doing a few updates throughout the year.

Why don’t you try a similar project and post the Instagram hashtag you are using here so we can all follow your work.

A lot of you may be discouraged by this idea because lenses and camera accessories may cost an arm and a leg and getting the right fittings for the person’s camera can also be tricky. Photography accessories need not always have to be expensive and for just a few pounds, you’ll be able to buy a handful of gifts that can fill the stocking of your avid photographer friend.

Travel Mug

First up is this novelty travel mug. You might be thinking “What, a mug? What’s that got to do with photography?!” Well this one is special because this travel mug has a lens design for its body!

Pretty funky if you ask me, and if your friend or relative also has a love for coffee and/or carrying his or her own drinks around, this will definitely be a useful gift. The cool design is so detailed that non-photography enthusiasts might actually mistake it for an actual lens when it is closed.

Some mugs even have thermal interiors which is great for keeping drinks cold or hot on the go.

Flexible Tripod

A traditional tripod is a great stocking filler too, but if you want to give your friend a bit more versatility, a flexible tripod may be just the thing he or she needs. This is a particularly great choice if your friend has a smaller camera, maybe a compact system camera or a lomography camera.

A flexible tripod usually supports smaller camera bodies like those of point and shoot cameras. But if you are careful and use it carefully, they may also even work for DSLRs. Enough for a long exposure landscape shot maybe.

These tripods have legs that can be wrapped around objects and bent into shapes to provide a sturdy base. They are also very handy for supporting flash guns if you wanted to do some off camera flash work.

Waterproof Camera Pouch

If your photographer friend loves to go out on trips for photo walks or enjoys shooting in the outdoors, a waterproof camera bag will definitely be appreciated. There are waterproof camera bags designed for many different camera models and can accommodate one or two lenses as well.

A waterproof camera bag is great for winter or rainy seasons and can give the camera the protection it needs on the go. Your friend will thank you for taking the time to look for a protective gift that will keep his or her gear in great condition.

Camera Strap

This is another travel essential. If your friend loves walking around and going places, especially photo walks, giving him or her a comfortable strap to support the weight of the camera can make the travel more enjoyable. This is a great stocking filler idea because you can actually find many different camera straps from camera accessory stores and they are pretty affordable, too.

There are a lot of designs that can provide more support for the camera body while you are on the go. Choose straps that have adjustable lengths or padded shoulder straps so that the weight of the camera won’t be uncomfortable for your friend even after slinging it over his or her shoulder for a long time.

External Hard Drive

An external hard drive can be a great gift for someone who loves photography because this allows them to store more photos without using up the memory card on their camera itself. If you know that your friend or relative really is shutter happy or takes pictures of everything, this 1TB external hard drive is a great idea. Apart from storing stills, it can help your friend store videos and bigger resolution photos with ease. Extra storage never hurts anybody.

In fact, if you think about the usefulness of camera gear, this is one of those on top of the list. If this idea is a bit too expensive for you, you can actually consider asking for the kind of memory card your photographer friend uses and get him or her a spare one instead.

Photography Books

If your friend loves reading, searching the shelves of your local bookstore, or web site for a photography book is a brilliant idea. Photography books can give them inspiration on what to take pictures of and how to best take the photos.

There are a lot of books to choose from, some are specifically for wildlife photography, portrait photography, or sports photography. And if you know your friend’s particular interest, that’s a bonus! There are also books that offer general photography tips and one could be beneficial for beginners. You can find the right books in the art section of the bookstore.

You can find them online as well and maybe even get them delivered straight to your friend’s doorstep, already wrapped for a pleasant surprise!

Lens Pen

Now, this one is a very handy accessory in my opinion. I love this because it can help photographers clean their lenses without taking a lot of time. It is specifically made to be able to clean the lens even while it’s mounted on the camera body. It has a circular tip that can wipe off finger prints and other streaks on your lens. On the other end is a brush tip so you can remove debris and other stray particles.

This is a handy tool for any photographer and since it’s compact, it can easily be placed in the camera bag pocket. Isn’t it great to have a cleaning tool on the go? Another thing I like about this product is it’s a very affordable gift!

Domke Protective Wrap

Domke Protective Wraps are double purpose wraps for photographers who travel a lot. If your friend has a number of photography accessories that are always brought around for travels, these colourful wraps are great additional items to his or her collection. They are reasonably priced so you don’t have to worry about spending a fortune on these. They can be used to provide extra cushioning for the sensitive lenses and other camera parts.

These soft wraps can also be used for some mild cleaning. What makes these wraps great for wrapping purposes is that they have Velcro tabs on all the four corners which are used to “seal” the wrap onto the Velcro compatible surface. Your friend can wrap his accessories in a number of ways with these square Domke Wraps!

White Balance Filter

This mirror like accessory is handy for both outdoor and studio photography. That’s not even the best part. Some of these filters only cost a few pounds and since it is a handy item, it can literally fit into a Christmas stocking! The one I found is a bit more expensive because it has a nice strap that comes along with it. You can help your friend have a better eye for white balance when you offer this helpful accessory.

This can be bought online and most camera accessory stores. This is an ideal gift for someone who has been doing photography for a little while and has gone beyond the basics as they will be using white balance settings more frequently than a beginner would be.

Reflectors

This is quite a large gift to buy and wrap and it’s pretty much a giveaway because of its shape. But if your friend likes working on indoor photography, reflectors are great gift ideas. These are perfect for portraits shot in studio setups and can be appreciated most by those who you know already have their own little setups at home. This set I found is a 5 in 1 collapsible set, so your friend can get more variation from it. You can choose those that have white, black, silver, or gold surfaces.

Take a look at the ones your friend already has and try to get the kind that he or she doesn’t have yet. Be creative with the packaging of these items and you might even get away with making them think it’s something else! These are available in camera supply stores and aren’t too expensive. They are perfect for gifting and surprises.

You still have a couple of weeks to find, wrap, and deliver some of these neat gift ideas and you’ll definitely be able to make your friend smile and appreciate photography even more. These gift ideas are not just thoughtful but are also useful and perfect to complement your friend’s existing accessory collection.