We live in a world of color. Rendering a multicolored scene in monochrome, or as “black and white” (in quotes because that label is a misnomer), is a paradox. Back in the old film days, the difference between shooting color and shooting black and white was explained like this: amateurs begin with black and white, graduate to color, and when they really understand their art, go back to black and white. I subscribe to that theory, and that’s why my mission today is to warn you to never let your camera create monochrome images for you.
The camera Michael carries might be his Leica M6, loaded with either Ilford XP-2 or Kodak BW400CN chromogenic film and fitted with either a 35mm f/2 or 50mm f/2 Summicron lens; or his Fuji X10 point-and-shoot with its zoom lens set for the equivalent of 50mm; or his Nikon D200 or D700 with the manual 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens he got with his F3 back when he was in college.
onOne Software, Inc. announced Perfect Photo Suite 8.5, a new version of its full-featured photo editor, which works as a plug-in with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and Apple Aperture, as well as a standalone app. Version 8.5 includes speed and productivity enhancements to the Perfect Photo Suite’s Browse module, improved performance with the Perfect Eraser tool, and enhanced masking support in Perfect Effects and Perfect Layers.
Like HARMAN CRYSTALJET ELITE RC 260gsm inkjet paper the new heavier HARMAN PHOTO CRYSTALJET ELITE RC 295gsm delivers exceptional quality prints with the appearance of real photographs. Prints have excellent vibrancy, a high colour gamut resulting in broad tonal range and good shadow and highlight definition.
I first looked at Auto FX Software’s DreamSuite Series One in the January, 2006, issue of Shutterbug. Since then, Auto FX has gone on to create DreamSuite Series Two and DreamSuite Gel. Now, Auto FX has released upgraded versions of all of these filter sets, plus an additional 12 new filters in a collection it calls DreamSuite Ultimate.
An exposed photographic plate or a segment of exposed film inside a dark camera body are analog equivalents of today’s Raw file. Before digital technology made it possible to capture visual images electronically, a photograph was visible only after it had been processed in a darkroom with chemicals. Now the processing is handled either in camera or by Raw rendering software. The word “Raw” is not an acronym; it’s a simple description for a file that contains pure data, invisible to the human eye.
Lensbaby announces the release of a 5.8mm Circular Fisheye lens in Canon EF and Nikon F mounts. With this Circular Fisheye lens, Lensbaby now offers photographers with crop sensor cameras a fun and affordable way to create circular images that transform the world around them.
The new Nikon COOLPIX S810c provides users with the power to capture high quality images in low-light or from a distance, delivering the results that would otherwise be a challenge to capture with a smartphone. The COOLPIX S810c features a 16.0-megapixel, backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor for excellent low-light ability, and a 12x optical zoom NIKKOR lens (with24x Dynamic Fine Zoom) to get the sharp shots from up close or far away. Further bolstering the low-light capability of the S810c, the camera has an ISO range up to 3200, as well as Lens-Shift Vibration Reduction (VR) to help banish blurry photos, even while shooting handheld. To capture those special moments, the camera also has a fast continuous shooting mode.
For its fourth season, the acclaimed Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) is giving photographers the opportunity to win awards with their “Life in Color” theme, with prize money for the Grand and first through fifth place selections totaling $120,000. Other opportunities for entries include General, Faces (Black and White) and Night Photography.
DxO Optics Pro is a Raw converter that keeps pace with the ever-growing, ever-changing world of digital photography. The newest version—DxO Optics Pro 9 (for Mac or Windows)—focuses on one of digital imaging’s most troubling artifacts: digital noise. Whether you’re shooting at high ISOs or bringing out blocked shadow detail in a seriously underexposed image or an HDR photo, digital noise (luminance and chrominance) can rear its ugly head. And now we can finally deliver a knockout punch to this culprit. But before you get in the ring, there are a few things you should know.