Exposure affects chart - visual explainer

 

Exposure Chart - effects of aperture, ISO, and shutter speed.

Exposure Chart - JPEG format

Exposure Stops

Exposure triangle

The best DSLRs and Mirrorless Cameras for Low Light Performance

 Which DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have the best low light performance (at high ISOs)?

Sony dominates most of the best low light cameras. Canon and Panasonic also have a few of the top 20 full-frame cameras for low-light performance.

DxO Mark does scientific testing of DSLR, medium format, and crop sensor cameras, and they update their Sensor Rankings chart regularly with the leaders. They have an overall ranking and a "sports" ranking, which rates the highest ISO the camera can capture great quality images.

May 2022 DxO Mark Ranklings by low light performance

1. Canon ROS R3 ($6,000)
2. Sony A7 III (only $2,000, Feb 2018)
3. Sony A7S
4. Panasonic S1R ($3,700)
5. Sony A7R III
6. Sony A9
7. Leica SL2-S
8. Sony A9 II
9. Sony A7R II
10. Sony A7C
11. Canon R6 ($2,500 - Aug. 2020)
12. Sony A7 IV
13. Leica M11
14. Sony A7R IV
15. Panasonic S1
16. Nikon Z6 II ($2,000 - Oct 2020)
17. Nikon Z6
18. Pentax K-1
19. Nikon Df
20. Nikon D3s

Some takeaways from this list.

Sony is the clear leader in low light performance, ranking no 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 in the top 10. And their 2018 model A7 III (currently 3 years old) takes the number two spot in the rankings, making it one of the best value cameras available on the market. For some odd reason, the A7 IV (successor to the A7 III, scores a lower low light performance at 3379 ISO versus it's older brother at 3722 ISO. That's a 400 ISO difference and the A7 IV is 3 years newer. What is happening here?

Nikon is lagging in low light performance. Their highest ranking camera is #16 on the list. They don't break the top 10 or even the top 15, even though the Z6 II camera was released in October 2020 and is newer than most of the cameras that rank higher.

Canon is barely on the list, and their R3 camera is both less than a year old and is $6,000, putting it out of budget for many professionals. Although they beat Sony's A7 III by almost 300 ISO points at 4,086 versus 3,722. 

Portrait Photographer Robert Osborn - Livingston, MT Gallery

Portrait photographer Robert Osborn's website.

He has a gorgeous gallery space on Main Street in Livingston, Montana with massive prints that immerse the viewer in his work.

Panasonic G7 price packages

The Panasonic G7 mirrorless camera is currently $500 with the 14-42mm lens (28-84mm equivalent).

Some third party sellers on Amazon offer this camera bundled with cheap tripods, filters, camera bags, and off-brand memory cards to consumers looking for a basic complete setup.

Costco Photo Print Prices 2018

Costco's 1-Hour Print Prices, as of January 2018.

4x6 $0.17
5x7 $0.59
8x10 $1.79
8x12 $1.79 *

11x14 $3.99
12x18 $3.99 *
16x20 $6.99
20x30 $9.99

Wallets (4)  $0.59


* Specialty sizes that best match professional camera photos dimension with minimal, if any, cropping.

Camera RAW version and Photoshop DNG Compatability

Camera Raw 2.4 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 2.4 (Photoshop CS) and later, and Lightroom 1.0 and later

Camera Raw 4.1 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 4.1 (Photoshop CS3) and later, and Lightroom 1.1 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.

Camera Raw 4.6 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 4.6 (Photoshop CS3) and later, and Lightroom 2.1 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.

Camera Raw 5.4 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 5.4 (Photoshop CS4) and later, and Lightroom 2.4 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.

Camera Raw 6.6 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 6.6 (Photoshop CS5) and later, and Lightroom 3.6 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.

Camera Raw 7.1 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 7.1 (Photoshop CS6) and later, and Lightroom 4.1 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model.

Running DNG Converter on older Mac OSs:

The last version of DNG converter that is compatible with Mac OS X 10.9 is DNG Converter 9.6.1 .  Newer versions of DNG converter require OS X 10.10 or newer

Digital Contract Services and Mobile App Signing

HelloSign
This is the only prominent digital contract service that appears to offer a free version of their service.  It's limited to three contracts per month and does not have templates, but if you're booking more than three contracts per month, $13/month (when paid annually) should not cut into profits too much.  For the wedding industry, where gigs are at least $1,000 each, this should be a reasonable cost to have contracts signed faster and avoid the time and labor of mailing and signing paper contracts.


Make Your Own Web Form / Fillable PDF / or Google Form Submission
To save on headaches of signing up for a new service or paying extra to use a premium service, create a custom contact form on your website that has fields for the bride to fill out and submit to you.
Contact Forms (with the right Wordpress plugin) can be easily duplicated and re-purposed for the next client.

After the client submits the contract form, copy the content into a Google Drive document, then make a PDF and send a copy to them so they have it.

ShootProof
They offer a 30 day free trial of their service, and there is also a free plan to host 100 photos.  I'll find out after the trial expires if the Contracts service is still available, but it appears that the all the features are available, as long as the user doesn't exceed the maximum number of photos for the respective plans.

Update: contracts are not included with the free plan and when I went back to finish my contract, it was hidden (probably until I paid for a subscription).

DocuSign

Their service's cheapest option is $10/month when paid annually. Five documents per month and a Mobile app should offer what small businesses need.  The 'Personal' plan does not offer branding, so larger or higher grossing businesses may want the 'Standard' plan at $25/month.

HoneyBook
A young professional wedding photographer I know uses HoneyBook for her wedding clients. It's one of the more expensive options, but their service provides a lot more than mere contracts.  They also provide online invoice and payments and project management.  If their project management and expense tracking is good, then it would be worth the $40/month to have an all-in-one solution that could replace or consolidate two or three other online services.

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Apps for Signing Digital Contracts

Shake (featured in 2013 on Gizmodo)

Create Your Own Greeting Cards - card shells from Photographer's Edge

The above is a sample of pricing 100 greeting card shells from Photographer's Edge.

The bright white card with a black border is elegant, can be used for any type of photo or artwork and is their top seller.


100 greeting cards is $102
$15 shipping (UPS ground)
-------
$117 for 100 card shells
= $1.17 per card shell

Protective plastic sleeves are a must to make sure your cards stay clean and crisp for the buyer.  They will also make your cards look more professional if they are in a rack or other type of display.

$1.17 card shell + $0.15 (4x6 photo print) + plastic sleeve protector
= $1.32 final cost per finished greeting card

If you make your prints at Costco, they around $0.13-0.15 each.

Shutterfly tends to have higher quality color reproduction and better in-house quality control. 
Their 4x6 prints are $0.15 each, but you will pay shipping.  They run promotions all the time, especially around holidays, if you spend around $25 or more to get free shipping.

Flickr - Another way to backup your original photos

Flickr stores up to 1TB of photos and video.  If you're a photographer you can safely store photos at their original size.  The original size images can only be downloaded if you wish to share them freely with the world using a Creative Commons license.

I use multiple services (Shutterfly, Mpix, Costco) to turn photos into small prints, enlargements, and sometimes photo gifts.  Since I have my photo archive stored across multiple hard drives, it can sometimes be a hassle to track down the original image to export a full-size JPEG for high quality printing (on silver-based photo paper).




Here's the official FAQ from Flickr as of January 2016:

 Can I access my original images?

We resize your photos to more web-friendly dimensions. Each image has a 75x75 and 150x150 square thumbnail and 100-, 240-, 320-, 500-, 640- 800*-, 1024-, 1600*-, and 2048*-pixel versions (that's the length of the longest side), as well as your original file.

When you view an individual photo page, click the "More" menu and then "View all sizes".

Your original files are available for you to download at any time. You can also use the global setting in your account to specify who can download original files: Only you; your friends and/or family; your contacts; any Flickr user; or anyone.

In case you have attached a Creative Commons license to your photo indicating you're OK with sharing it, this makes the original file available to anyone on Flickr.

Portraits of the Planet by Aly Hansen

Montana photographer Aly Hansen travels and shares photography on her blog:

http://www.portraitsoftheplanet.blogspot.com

These are some of my favorite images that she posted in 2015.

Quick and Unintimidating Model Release

The American Society of Media Photogaphers has provided this "pocket" model release that is meant to be fast and intimidating in situations where you need a basic level of protection.

-----

Bold phrases are place holders and should be replaced.

Permission for Photography

For valuable consideration received, I grant to Joe Photographer ("Photographer") and his/her legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish photographs of me, or in which I may be included, for editorial, trade, advertising, and any other purpose and in any manner and medium; and to alter and composite the same without restriction and without my inspection or approval. I hereby release Photographer and his/her legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability relating to said photographs.

X	SIGNATURE	(SEAL)
	NAME
	DATE OF BIRTH
	TODAY'S DATE
	PHONE
	STREET ADDRESS
	CITY, STATE, ZIP
X	IF MINOR, SIGNATURE OF PARENT/GUARDIAN

F-11 Bozeman vs. Shutterfly photo print prices

Price rundown for F-11 Photographic in Bozeman, Montana compared to Costco, Shutterfly, and Mpix. F-11 is relatively very expensive, but they have the overhead of a retail store that is privately owned and employee several people.

	wallet	4x6	5x7	6x9	8x10	8x12	11x14	12x18	20x30
Shutterfly	1.79	0.15	0.99	n/a	3.99	n/a	7.99	n/a	22.99
F-11 Photographic	1.49	0.49	2.99	3.99	5.99	7.99	14.99	24.99	85.00
Mpix	0.79	0.29	1.09	1.89	2.29	3.49	9.29	12.69	40.79
Costco	0.39	0.13	0.39		1.49	1.49	2.99	2.99

Choosing the Nikon D600 as my next camera

After the D700 was released it looked like a Nikon full-frame camera would finally be within reach of photographers who wanted to spend less than $4,000.

The D700 was announced by Nikon in July 2008, only a few months before Canon would answer back with the 5D Mark II.

For anyone shooting video, the 5D Mark II would be the answer for the next several years.

Would Nikon ever release a full-frame camera with HD video shooting for less than $3,000?

In September 2012 Nikon released the D600, a 24 megapixel full-frame camera with HD video.  The initial retail price was $2,100. 

DxOMark tested the D600 in September 2012 and the overall score was 94 out of 100, making it the number 3 camera on their list of every digital SLR on the market.  The only other two camera that beat it's overall score are the Nikon D800 ($3,000) and Nikon's D800E ($3,300).

As of June 2013, the D600 still ranks #3 in the DxO camera sensor database.

After seeing the D600's video and time-lapse capabilities with these German filmmakers, I had made my decision to save for the D600 instead of switching all my camera gear to Canon and getting a 5D Mark II.


Major photo outlets like B&H and Amazon have offered the Nikon instant rebate of $100 off, so the camera is $2,000 through June 1st, 2013.

$2,000 package (after $100 instant savings) offered by B&H through June 1st, 2013.
included free:
Ruggard Commando 35 DSLR Shoulder BagWatson EN-EL15 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.0V 1800mAh)SanDisk 32GB SDHC Memory Card Extreme Class 10 UHS-I

Retail price of these items on B&H's website:

Commando 35 DSLR Shoulder Bag - $35
Watson EN-EL15 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack - $35 (Nikon brand is $60)
SanDisk 32GB SDHC Memory Card Extreme Class 10 UHS-I - $40
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$110 retail value of free items

Camera Gear Dream List

If money were no object, this would be my camera gear Dream List:

Canon 5D Mark III ($3,500)
24-70mm f/2.8 ($2,200)
50mm f/1.4 ($400)
14mm ($2,360)

** I'm a wedding photographer, photojournalist, and soon-to-be filmmaker.

The next gear I might actually buy:

Canon 5D Mark II ($2,200 new, $1,600-$1,800 used)

Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 for Nikon cameras ($594)

What size memory card to use for a Nikon D300?

If you're shooting RAW images with a Nikon D300, the NEF format raw files made by the camera average about 10.7 to 11MB each.

For an 8GB card (which really holds 7.4GB of files) see [Hard Drive Size Capacities Calculator] to learn why
7,400MB / 11MB per image
= 672 images per card

For a 16GB Card (which really holds 14.8GB)
14,800MB / 11MB per image
= 1,345 images per card

On an actual memory card from a D300, 6.9GB of space was used and held 643 images.  That averages to 10.7MB per image.

Make a digital photo into an antique

Wacom Tips and Tricks Photoshop | The Aging Photo
After about 10 minutes in Photoshop using this tutorial and my own photo filter layer.

Circa 1993.

Canon 5D Mark II vs. Mark III

I'm considering buying a Canon 5D Mark II for video production, because it would be within my price range if I sold my most expensive lens (80-200 f/2.8) as well as my current Nikon D300 camera body.  The Mark III would have to wait until I shot either a few more weddings or wait until the successor model is released and the Mark III drops in price.

Used 5D Mark II models in top condition cost about $1,400 on Adorama.  B&H only has one right now in a 7 rating condition.

Current price: $1,800 (sale)  vs. $2,975 (sale)
Regular prices: $2,200 Mark II vs. $3,500 Mark III
B&H's special price on both cameras includes a SanDisk 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card Extreme 400x UDMA (valued at $57)

Information via Wikipedia Canon Mark 5D Mark III page:

22.3 megapixels compared to 21.1 megapixels
61 Point AF + 41 Crosstype AF compared to 9 Point AF + 6 Assist Points.
100–25600 ISO compared to 100–6400
6 frames per second continuous shooting compared to 3.9 frame/s
100% viewfinder, compared to 98% coverage
Larger 3.2-inch (81 mm) LCD with 3:2 aspect ratio, compared to 3.0-inch (76 mm) at 4:3.
Dual card slots—one CompactFlash (CF) with full UDMA support, and one SD (including SDHC and SDXC cards, but does not exploit the UHS-I speed class). The Mk II has only one CF slot.

Film and Video shot on the (2008 model) Mark II:

An episode of House from the 2010 season was filmed entirely on the Mark II.
Black Swan (also used 16mm film and the 7D)
Drive (some shots)
127 Hours (used the 5D Mark II, 7D, and other cameras)
Like Crazy (filmed entirely on the 7D)
Some shots in Limitless (2011) were made on it.
The Bourne Legacy (some shots)
The Avengers (some shots), also some using the 7D.
Captain America (some shots)
Medium TV Show (7D for some shots)

Movie Stills Photographers

Jaap Buitendijk - IMDb
Dutch photographer born in Holland in 1970.
The first big budget movie he photographed was Gladiator in 2000.

Hugo (2011)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Park 1 (2010)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
In Bruges (2008)
Blood Diamond (2006)
Children of Men (2006)
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Gladiator (2000)

David James - IMDb
Lincoln
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Mission Impossible III
Batman Begins
The Last Samurai
Minority Report
A.I.
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List


Jay Maidment - IMDb
British photographer.
The first big budget movie he worked on was Tomorrow Never dies in 1997. "He was introduced to established Unit Photographer, Keith Hamshere who invited him to be his replacement on the set of Tomorrow Never Dies.

Cloud Atlas (2012)
Wrath of the Titans (2012)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Hereafter (2010)
Clash of the Titans (2010)
The International (2009)
Wanted (2008)
Casino Royale (2006)
Flyboys (2006)
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Die Another Day (2002)
The World is Not Enough (1999)
Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace (reshoots) (1999)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Alex Bailey - IMDb
Snow White and the Huntsman
The Iron Lady
Sherlock Holmes
Atonement
Pride & Prejudice
The Phantom of the Opera
Troy
Enemy at the Gates


Van Redin - IMDb
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Gods and Generals (2003)
All the Pretty Horses (1999)

found via: Still Photographers & the Film Industry | DigitalAppleJuice

Kimberly French - IMDb
Elysium (2013)
The Grey
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Brokeback Mountain

found via: ScribbleKing: INTERVIEW: Movie Still Photographer Kimberley French

Photography gear birthday wishlist

Pocket Pod -- $24

Level Camera Cube -- $15

Camera Strap Buddy -- $15

Panasonic Lumix TS2 video recording times

Charts via:  Panasonic DMC-TS2 product page