SpyderBLOG » Articles

David Saffir: Managing Exposure, Lighting, and Color

aprachar — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:32:23 +0000

This is the first in a series of articles discussing proactive management of key elements involved in creating high-quality digital images. In this segment, I’ll review use of the SpyderCube in managing dynamic range and exposure. The simplest take-away from the oft-misunderstood Zone System, is that an image should be exposed to utilize the most or all of the range from black to white, without unintended clipping of near-whites, or blocking up of near- blacks. If the image does not incorporate the full dynamic range in a scene, the photographer should have done this by intent. In digital photography, the most commonly recommended camera settings involve protecting detail in the brightest parts of the image, and correcting everything else in post-processing.

C. David Tobie: Magic Lantern and HD RAW Output from the 5D Mark lll

aprachar — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:20:42 +0000

Magic Lantern is an Open Source project that was created to provide extended features and more user control to the Canon 5D Mark ll camera, specifically for videography purposes. The project has since been extended (no surprise) to the 5D Mark lll camera as well, and offers some advantages even for still imaging. Magic Lantern is firmware that is run on top of the Canon firmware. As such, it involves "hacking" your camera to install it, but has a history of successful use without problems. All this now becomes much more important, as Magic Lantern has recently been making progress that has captured the interest of the entire videography industry. They have moved on from "short burst" video capture to continuous capabilities, and now are able to capture 14 bit RAW data from the 5D Mark lll. The results of this are more than interesting; they may well be groundbreaking.

C. David Tobie: Workspace Conditions and Color Critical Work

aprachar — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:03:07 +0000

Views are a wonderful thing, and when you work your way up to a corner office, the idea of blackout shades dimming your room to low light levels, and not allowing you to even see whether the sun is shining or not is something that many resist. After all; you’re an editor (architect, advertising account manager, etc) now, not a photo retoucher (draftsman, graphic designer, etc). However; if you select the images for articles, choose amongst architectural renderings, or ad versions, or if you are in any way part of the workflow that processes images and layouts for press output, web output, fine art prints, wedding albums, or any other color critical use, then either you are part of the color managed solution… or else you are part of the color management problem.

C. David Tobie: Adobe Angst and the Creative Cloud

aprachar — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:22:47 +0000

The saying is that you can't stop progress. And yet we aren't always happy about it. Many of us live in towns or neighborhoods which once were quite self sufficient, with services from barbers and hairdressers to hardware and grocery stores. Now most of us have to travel miles to reach larger, more impersonal, alternatives to these long-gone local shops. That's progress. The digital revolution has been a main focus of progress in the last couple of decades, and many of the professions that have been "digitized" have suffered as a consequence. Unless your digitally impacted line of work is licensed and mandated, you probably earn less, and have less job security, than in the analog days. Photographers and graphic designers have been hard hit in this manner, and at the same time that their livelihoods have been impacted, their responsibilities have mushroomed. They learned a range of new and foreign computer skills, studied everything from prepress standards to color management, and those that survived have developed some type of balance in the digital world. The description above attempts to set the stage for the angst that has rocked the photo and graphics community since Adobe, King of imaging software, announced that it is moving virtually all of its graphics, photo, and video applications to a subscription-only model. Adobe did not do this lightly, nor without research and testing. Its not something that user response it likely to change: Adobe has seen the future, and this is their response to it.

Zenfolio: Helpful Tips for Setting up Your Photography Website

aprachar — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:00:46 +0000

It’s an accepted fact that a photography website is necessary for a professional photographer today. Your website is the essential tool to promote your business, acquire new clients, and provide your existing clients with a place to view and purchase your work. Your website, featuring your online portfolio, is like your online window display, artfully highlighting your work and making sure that no matter where you are your portfolio is easily accessible. Pulling together the many elements to create an effective and impressive online presence is the first and most important task. Zenfolio is there to help you take that all-important first step. Zenfolio has been powering the websites of tens of thousands of photographers since 2006. This is what we live and breathe. That’s why we’re excited to share our knowledge with you at the ZOOM Tour.