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Popular Photography & Imaging just posted an article about five kinds of photos that "despite their simplicity to achieve, will leave your friends and family mighty impressed."
They aren't hard to do and yet presents great creativity and imagination. NO PHOTOSHOP is necessary; the above photo used Google's simple and free Picasa software.You don't even need a DSLR as the first featured shot was done with a digital compact camera.
The following is a personal rant. These happen seldomly but be warned, you may not like it.
A camera has several scene modes. These modes tell the camera what kind of picture you'll be taking. When a person takes a picture and it doesn't come out the way they thought it would, they instantly blame the camera.
AS IF IT'S A MAGIC BOX!?? THEY DEMAND PERFECTION WITH LITTLE EFFORT BY THE SO-CALLED PHOTOGRAPHER!? You know, you do have to try and think about the picture; give a little consideration to what the camera is trying to achieve.
If you don't like how you look in a photo, it's not because the camera sucks, IT'S BECAUSE YOU DON'T LOOK GOOD or IT WASN'T TAKEN WELL!!!
If you make a mistake, or worse you put the wrong setting, you cannot blame the camera for it. IT'S JUST A MACHINE.
IF YOU GET PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE, YOU CANNOT SAY TO HIM: "SORRY OFFICER, I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE GOING SO FAST. I HAD MY CAR SET TO RACE MODE!!!"
THINK A LITTLE, PEOPLE, THINK!
Have you ever gone to your local photo lab and wondered how they were able to get your film back in one hour? Or what goes on in the lab to have your digital pictures printed? Since I've worked in a photo lab (correctly called a mini-lab), I decided to give you all a little tour of what is it like to be behind the scenes.
Japan Camera was the first photo retailer to open a mini-lab in North America. A mini-lab is a small version of a photo processing center equipped with a film processor (C-41 chemistry) and a paper printer/processor.
These machines must be calibrated both every morning and when a new roll of paper is used to ensure proper colour rendition and paper quality. They must also be constantly monitored & maintained during operations.
Since people use less of film and more of digital ordering kiosks, it is not uncommon that a single client can ask to have printed an order say over 500 pictures!
FYI: digital pictures are not developed, they are printed!
This is our Digital Imaging station. We use this for any digital work such as scanning a photograph or colour correcting digital images. Here you can see a passport photo being processed.
This is the C-41 Film Processor. Here film is loaded and passed through a chemical process which develops the film. This is what allows for 1-hour availability!
This is our film station. As you can see, a processed film roll is being loaded into the reader in order to be colour corrected. This needs to be done since many times cheap films are used for taking photos often resulting in dull, unappealing colours (always use a well known film!) Also, a good minilab will try to maintain a certain consistency and accuracy in the colour rendition of your photos.
This is the final step in the creation of a passport. After it has been cropped and printed, it is then cut, stamped and package accordingly. This is of course if it is a single person. All this must be done in 15 minutes!
Finally, after the pictures have been printed & priced, the negative is the last step; it is cut and packaged.
To give you an idea of how intense it can be in the lab in one hour, these are some of the things that may be requested:
- Develop, correct, print and package several rolls of film
- Colour correct and print several small digital orders and one large order
- Keep track of incoming internet orders
- Prioritize passport images
- Change paper and calibrate printer
- Quality check to ensure prints are met by lab standards
It can happen that many clients are requesting services all at once. If an error occurs in any of the above steps, it can dramatically slow down or impede production.
As important as speed is, there is always a strong effort to ensure that a quality assurance on your photos is maintained. It is why the reputable well-maintained photo labs in the city have properly trained lab technicians and why prints there will always cost more than say *COSTCO or Walmart.
Keep in mind all that goes on in the lab (often at times) is performed BY 1 TECHNICIAN! ONE TECHNICIAN!
So the next time you have some prints to do, try to keep in mind what is happening behind the scenes and that the single technician is doing their fastest and best to get you a ONE HOUR SERVICE!
In the field, there are three kinds of photographers. A soldier analogy is used.
There are support soldiers with the big guns who fire several hundred rounds and will maybe or eventually hit their target.
Then there are the marksman. They don't necessarily have the big or fancy guns. These are the ones who train to get their targets with a single shot.
Recently, I've found a third kind. The special forces, whom you didn't even realize were there.
In my view, digital photography makes many into the support troops. The marksman are more passionate about the art; they think as film shooters since you only get one chance. Special forces... well I can't say cause then I'd have to kill you!
I usually won't talk too much about gear, but I thought this to be note-worthy to all you gearheads.
Every year, at this time, many of the world's largest photographic brands including Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Fuji and Sony come together under one roof at what is called PMA. The Photo Marketing Association (which was started as way to reflect the importance of marketing photofinishing and retailing services) holds an annual convention and trade show in Las Vegas, Neveada, one of the largest
Often at times, PMA has always been the focal point for which camera companies announced their newest tech for the present year. This usually marks the point when old cameras are phased out in favour of their replacement models.
For several years past, rumours leading up to the PMA would unveil to us what new DSLRs we can be treated to by all the major players. However with the economy in its present state, we are noticing a conservative approach to what (and even when) will be reveiled to us.
If you'd like to have a glimpse of what new toys are coming this year, visit http://www.dpreview.com/articles/pma2009/ to see live up to the minute reports from the convention floor. The PMA convention is from March 3 to March 5.
