Black Friday Tech Talk - Action Cameras from Nikon

This week, I'm looking at the cool new line of "action cameras" (think GoPro) that Nikon introduced recently. 

Nikon may have pro photographers in the bag with its line of DSLRs (me included), but the point-and-shoot market has all but disappeared, leaving in its wake action cameras from GoPro and others. The recently launched KeyMission line of "on the go" imagery devices comes in three flavors: the KeyMission 80, the KeyMission 170 and, most interestingly, the VR video-producing KeyMission 360, which has caught the eye of most tech bloggers and reporters. 

Nikon's obviously learned from other action camera manufacturers that there should be very few steps between picking up the KeyMission and starting to shoot. This camera's two largest faces are dominated by ultra-wide angle lenses, behind which sit 20-megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensors, capable of capturing footage in 4K. The top of the camera has a large record button, and also has a low battery indicator. One side of the device features a button for cycling through modes, while the other is a flap that hides space for a swappable battery and memory card. Nikon says the KeyMission is shockproof up to 2m (6.5 feet), and waterproof down to 30m (just shy of 100 feet), and it's also going to be selling silicone cases to further ruggedize the camera.

So early signs seem very good for this new "action line", and given the price points, Nikon is certainly shooting for those consumers that want the high quality of the Nikon name, and are will to pay the price for it... the three models run between $275 bucks up to $500 for the top-end KeyMission 360.

Turkey Day Facts & Fun!

Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday. Families get together for dinner and fun. Most people know the origin of Thanksgiving, but most do not know all the facts and trivia associated with Thanksgiving. Today's post shares Thanksgiving trivia & facts through a fun multiple-choice quiz that you can use around the fireplace or dining table. 

My Thanksgiving Quiz for YOU!

Start a new Thanksgiving tradition by having fun with these Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers. Simply cut them out, and place them in a basket or bag. Have your family members and guests divide into pairs or teams and see who can answer the most questions correctly.

Multiple Choice Thanksgiving Trivia Questions:

Thanksgiving occurs on the:

• Fourth Thursday in November
• Third Thursday in November
• November 26 each year

The first Thanksgiving lasted:

• One day
• Two days
• Three days

Which of the following was NOT served at the Pilgrims Thanksgiving meal?

• Cranberries, corn, and mashed potatoes
• Rabbit, chicken, wild turkey, and dried fruit
• Venison (deer meat), fish, goose

Which Indian tribe taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land and were invited to the Thanksgiving meal?

• Apache
• Wampanoag
• Cherokee

Approximately how many turkeys are eaten each year on Thanksgiving in the United States?

• 100 million
• 280 million
• 500 million

Which southern state was the first to adopt a Thanksgiving Day in 1855?

• South Carolina
• Virginia
• Georgia

What is a snood?

• The loose skin under a male turkey’s neck.
• A hat worn by a Pilgrim
• A hot cider drink served at Thanksgiving.

What utensil was not used by the Pilgrims to eat Thanksgiving dinner?

• Knife
• Fork
• Spoon

The best place to put the meat thermometer in the turkey is:

• The breast
• The middle of the back
• The thigh

Which president is believed to be the first to pardon a turkey and start this annual tradition?

• President Lincoln in 1863
• President Roosevelt in 1939
• President Harry Truman in 1947

The Pilgrims came to the New world seeking religious freedom and were also called:

• The Puritans because they wanted to purify the teachings and ceremonies of the Church of England.
• The Great Explorers
• The Wanderers

Today, our Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November because

• It is the date the Pilgrims landed in the New World.
• This was the date set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and approved by Congress in 1941.
• It was the date people voted to have it on.

What is a baby turkey called?

• A chick
• A nestling
• A poult

It has been estimated that how many Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving.

• 88%
• 50%
• 75%

A full grown turkey has about how many feathers?

• A million
• Too many to count!
• 3,500

Answers to The Above:

1. 1
2. 3
3. 1
4. 2
5. 2
6. 2
7. 1
8. 2
9. 3
10. 3
11. 1
12. 2
13. 3
14. 1
15. 3

We hope that you and yours truly enjoy a restful, peaceful and joyous Thanksgiving no matter what you're doing!

Behind The Scenes of a Catalog Photo Shoot

Signature Homestyles, a company founded to offer the widest selection of unique home decor items available for purchase via in-home gatherings, has been a long standing client here and we thought that you’d love to see a “behind the scenes” look at the making of the imagery for their upcoming 2017 catalog. You can learn more about their company and their exciting product offerings at: https://www.signaturehomestyles.com

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Set & ready to roll!

FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND

When I tell people what I do for a living, those with no knowledge of photography at all always remark on what an exciting life I must lead. To those with no experience in this industry, the life of a photographer is usually supposed to be how the job is often portrayed in films – photographer turns up to a shoot, presses a few buttons on a set that’s ready and waiting for them and then goes out drinking with the models. Of course, things are a lot less glamorous but far more interesting than that! Let’s take a look at an average shoot day in my life as a commercial photographer.

SO WHAT’S OUR PROCESS?

Several weeks before the shoot day

Signature Homestyles contacts our team to schedule shooting days and delivery of all their merchandise to the studio. rings up or emails requesting a quote to shoot corporate headshots. Being a large company, this usually means that there will be several shipments, plus many page layout review sessions to gain an understanding of the styling for the catalog and the photography we’ll be shooting.

A week before the shoot day

Client emails with a final description of what they are looking for, and works with us to set shooting dates. With that set, we embark upon our internal “production planning” so that we devise the perfect workflow for the project, and start to stage the merchandise, sets and propping so that we can dive right in on “shoot day".

Shoot day #1

Up early to wend our way through rush hour traffic to get to the studio, get things turned on and most importantly, to brew a big pot of industrial strength coffee. Even when you’ve worked with a client for a long time, there can always be some of the usual confusion as client representatives arrive and break the news of “last minute changes” for some of the day’s shots. We review the layouts, adjust lighting and then begin the task of setup and shooting.

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Shot #1 is underway!

Workflow & the art of being a people person

People who work in the corporate world are busy and in general have 17 different things on their mind, even during a studio shoot. Because of that, it’s critical to keep the atmosphere light, fun, and energetic. Being a photographer means being a people person. Each subject must be judged quickly and an appropriate approach taken for each. Engage shy clients in conversation to help them forget the stress, tell bad jokes and banter with the more confident – all the while directing and moving merchandise, sets and props to keep the workflow rolling. 

We analyze and upload photos to our servers as the shoot moves along. Setting up actions in Photoshop ahead of time saves a huge amount of time and makes the retouching process far faster.

Lunch break, as is often the way on busy shoots, consists of some “hand food" consumed in breaks between shots. Shoot day #1 wraps up at 6:30pm, after a long day of photographing many different items. Back aches a little, so it’s home for an early night.

After the shoot

So as the weeklong shoot is progresses towards completion, we continue sorting through all the photographs. As the photos have already been converted from RAW files and the lighting was set up correctly, it’s usually just a case of resizing images and cropping to suit.

A month later

After numerous emails and several phone calls it’s decided we’ll need "one more day” to shoot some special merchandise from another category. Given that we still have the sets and propping readily at hand, that extra day goes off without a hitch, and yet another catalog photography project wraps up..

Despite the little trial and tribulations that can pop up along the way with any shoot, I genuinely love what I do and the fact that every day in my professional life is different.

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Packing up the merch as we complete yet another successful shoot!

Study Suggests Selfies Help Your Confidence!

I take selfies all the time... for me, I've found it to be a fun form of self-expression, and a way to share with friends and family "a moment in time" that I'm immersed in. And while taking selfies might be joked about and mocked endlessly in many corners of the Internet, a recent research study shows that these images have positive side effects that go way beyond just sharing your face with the world — they can actually make you happy!

According to a recent journal article titled “Psychology of Well-Being,” a team of researchers found that taking daily self portraits can help increase a person’s overall mood and fight off the feeling of stress and loneliness.

Admittedly, the sample size and study length are small in this study, consisting of just 41 college students over a three-week time span, so you may and should view this information with a cautious eye. Nonetheless, the findings are quite intriguing.

Each of the 41 subjects were randomly assigned to take one of three images on given days. — a smiling selfie, a photo of something that made them happy, or a photo that was supposed to make someone else happy, which they were to send to that individual. Along the way, subjects were asked to record their moods three times a day using a dedicated survey app.

Results showed that of all three groups, the individuals who were directed to take selfies of themselves smiling ended up becoming more “confident and comfortable” over time. Those who captured an image of something they liked became “more reflective and appreciative” as time went on. The group who captured and shared a photo of something they thought would make someone else happy said they felt more calm and at ease, which the researchers attributed to the better connections being made due to sending the photo.

This particular study was just one of many taking place in academic and research circles that seek to better understand how technology plays a role in affecting our moods and behavior on a day-to-day basis. In speaking to Yahoo News about these results, Yu Chen, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral scholar in UCI’s Department of Informatics, said, “In short, just smile, take a selfie for yourself, and appreciate your smiles in the photo. That is your unique beauty.”

I think that is sound advice that could help all of us fight off the blues. So "snap away" and share with the world!

Six Tips for Capturing Great Autumn Images

Fall is a beautiful time for creating amazing imagery; the trees are awash in an array of vibrant colors. It’s also the time of year for soft shadows and beautiful golden sunsets.

One unique way to capture this Autumn splendor is by looking to incorporate “bokeh" into some of your images. Bokeh is a Japanese word that translates into “blur,” and among both professional and amateur enthusiast shooters, it’s the way the lens renders out-of-focus areas in the background or foreground as "orb-shaped" areas of light. Using bokeh in your image compositions can produce unique images, especially this time of year, when many areas of North America are awash in seasonal color.

So as we continue the transition into the cooler Autumn weather, here are six tips to help you capture amazing images to share with friends and family.

Carefully Think About Your Lighting...

You don’t need a strong source of light to achieve great bokeh, in fact, even a simple strand of lights or a streetlamp can make for some amazing bokeh. However, you do need some light, and it does need to be backlighting, or, located behind your subject. For amazing bokeh, the spectacular light found in golden hour can make for some beautiful autumn bokeh. Since the light will be at an angle during this time of day, it’ll be easier for you to position it behind your subject... Beautiful!

Embracing Seasonal Color...

If you’re hoping to capture the vibrant colors of autumn, consider heading out to a place where the changing foliage is in full swing. The sunlight filtering through the leaves makes a great opportunity for capturing bokeh, allowing you to create some classic autumn bokeh images. Heading out just after the rain can make for some striking images. Since the leaves will be damp they’ll be more vibrant and the colors more saturated than they would otherwise be.

The Subject of Your Image...

Bokeh can enhance almost any type of imagery. While the most common shots of autumn bokeh feature leaves or foliage, you can capture bokeh in a range of different situations. Consider photographing city lights after dark, or heading to a farmers’ market to capture the good that are on display. Aim to capture bokeh in the background of your autumn portraits, or get up close to an insect, an acorn, or seeds for some beautiful macro shots. There’s no shortage of opportunities for bokeh in the fall, so keep your eyes open! Any time you see some beautiful light reflecting off of something in the background or foreground, you know you have a great chance to capture bokeh.

Picking The Right Lens...

While you can capture bokeh with a number of different lenses, some lenses are especially suited for rendering out-of-focus points of light as bokeh. Ideally, you’ll want to use a very fast lens, and one that has a wide aperture (say f1.8 or f1.4, or even f1.2 if you can). Prime lenses are especially popular lenses for bokeh; since they’re extremely fast, and have a wide aperture, they tend to produce great results.

Think About Focal Length...

If you have a fast lens, by all means use it, but if you don’t have one – don’t worry. You can still capture some great bokeh. Just increase the distance between your subject and the background, or zoom in closer to your subject to separate them from the background, resulting in more blur – and better bokeh. Keep in mind that the farther your subject is from the background, the more creamy and blurred the background will be.

Your Aperture is Critical...

In order to capture great bokeh, you’ll want to set your camera to manual or aperture priority mode. Using a wide aperture of at least f/2.8 will help to draw your subject into focus, while throwing the background out of focus, creating the perfect opportunity for bokeh.

In Closing...

The next time you’re out capturing some of those amazing fall colors, look for opportunities to incorporate some bokeh into your shots. Capturing bokeh isn’t too difficult, and with a bit of practice, you’ll be able to quickly and easily spot opportunities to include it in your shots, adding something extra to your images this season.