volvera2008-blog

[volvera2008-blog]

Adapting to the Times by Taking a Live Event and Turning It Virtual: Portrait Masters 2020

It’s no secret that 2020 has thrown the world a few curveballs. But while the majority of events are either canceling or postponing, Sue Bryce and her team have hit the ground running in order to keep the Portrait Masters Conference alive and well. Last year, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Portrait Masters Conference in person. It was unlike any other conference I have been to. So, when the fate of 2020 events was sealed, I assumed that the hope for Portrait Masters was a lost cause. The amount of planning and organization required to put on an event such as this is a full-time job itself. Now, throw is the task of reworking the entire setup to be virtual, and things get out of hand. Through this process, Sue and her team met with a handful of companies to see demonstrations of the various offerings in the virtual trade show industry and were left underwhelmed. So, at the end of the day, they decided to cut their own road with their own ideas and offerings. In my chat with George Varanakis, he talks about some of these logistics and what they had to work through in order to make all the pieces to this puzzle fit together.  

Because the majority of these virtual conferences are doing some type of webcam conference, they wanted to make the experience for students a higher level. They wanted to give people more than what was expected. So, George talks about their decision to pre-record the majority of the content. This allowed them to have a higher production value while at the same time maintaining a safe recording environment for everyone involved, because it didn’t require a team of people to produce. They were also able to include things that would be more difficult to do with a full live event.      

One of the aspects of this conference that I am most excited to see is the shootouts. They partnered with Sony, Canon, and Profoto to create three separate groups of four Seattle Model Photographer to do a shootout together over the three days of the conference. So, on day one, you get to see all the chosen Canon photographers do this shootout together. The next day is Sony, and then, they cap off the event with the Profoto team. But the best part is that each individual shootout took place in the same location, with the same gear available, the same model, and with a time limit of just 30 minutes. In my chat with Lara Jade, she explains that the task is for each photographer to put their own flavor into the situation. To show that given the same exact options, each person has their own style and way of tackling an environment.  

Circling back to my experience with the in-person experience of Portrait Masters, one of my favorite parts was centered around the community itself. Sue and her team have done an amazing job of establishing an intimate feeling even though there are hundreds of people attending this event. This ability to sit at a table and meet and talk with other attendees was a big part of the experience. So, in order to keep this alive, there is going to be a set of online meeting spaces where attendees can virtually hang out with each other as well as with some of the speakers. If you have a question about lighting, they will have a room for you to get your answers. If you want to chat about posing, there will be a space for that too. And even if you just want to sit around and mingle over drinks, they have you covered.  

Outside of the shootouts and hangouts, you can of course expect to see amazing keynote presentations from some of the biggest names in the industry. People like Mark Seliger, Tabatha Coffy, Trista Nicole Smith, and of course, Sue Bryce herself. There is also an extensive list of the other 20+ speakers you can expect to see on the Portrait Master Live website. And because the event is pre-recorded and virtual, you’ll be able to rewatch any of the classes you missed or need to see again for either 30 days or forever depending on the option you sign up for. But for me, even though I’ll definitely be tuning into the big name people, I’m especially excited for the up-and-coming speakers. You see, Sue has built a reputation for bringing in people that are eager to get their foot in the door but may not necessarily have had the chance yet. Last year, for example, they brought in Dayron Vera, who ended up being one of my favorite presentations. This year, Sue has lined up three of these speakers: Kesha Lambert, Karl Ferguson, and Jai Mayhew.

While Kesha Lambert may not be that new of an up and comer (since she was just named a Sony Artisan), this was still her first time getting involved with Portrait Masters. In a recent chat I had with her, she told me that her talk is about writing a letter to 2010 Kesha. A way of exploring the idea of giving herself advice knowing what 10 years of work would bring her, which I think is a great way to give advice to the photographers that find themselves on a similar path.  

Keeping in line with this idea of bringing in new speakers and giving people the ability to teach and present, Sue is giving her keynote on speaking. In a recent chat with her, she explains that it’s time for people to start being a voice. And she explains that this talk is not just for those that are seeking the big stage. But instead, it’s for every business owner that desires to be heard. She wants to give people the confidence to speak to potential clients and become the face and voice of their brand, to build a community around what you do and empower those you serve.

While the idea of taking a live conference and turning it virtual seems like no ordinary task, it seems that The Portrait Masters crew has a solid plan. On one side, they could have done the standard low-quality webcam chat with lots of interaction, or on the other hand, they could have done the full-blown high-end production of an online tutorial but with no interaction of sense of community. Instead, they have found a nice middle ground that lets them have the high-end production while still giving the attendees the ability to interact with each other and experience what Portrait Masters is all about, all while offering brand new experiences, such as the shootouts.

[volvera2008-blog]

A Complete Guide to Better Focus With Fujifilm Cameras

In the past few years, Fujifilm's X Series cameras have made some major strides in autofocus performance, putting them on par with many advanced full frame bodies and positioning the series for high-speed sports and wildlife work. If you own a Fujifilm X Series camera and want to get the best possible performance out of your autofocus system, this is the video tutorial for you. Coming to you from Maarten Heilbron, this excellent video tutorial takes a deep dive into the autofocus system on Fujifilm X Series cameras. I recently reviewed the Fujifilm X100V, and with my last experience with the X100 series before the X100V being the X100S, I was truly blown away by the remarkable progress Fujifilm has made in its autofocus performance in just a few years, and I can see why their cameras are finding their way into the hands of more and more photographers. And when you combine that with the speedy burst rate of a camera like the X-T4, which offers an impressive 15 fps with the mechanical shutter or up to 30 fps with the electronic shutter and a slight crop, it looks like the Fujifilm system offers a capable and portable solution for a wide range of demanding genres.

Check out Seattle Model Photographer for the full rundown from Heilbron.

[volvera2008-blog]

Don't Make This Mistake With Your Photography Website

Your website is more important than ever. It is likely the first place potential clients look when they want to evaluate your work and if you are a good fit for them. So, to increase the chances of landing the job, make sure you do not make this mistake. 

Nowadays, most people turn to the internet when they want to find a Seattle Model Photographer , which means that often, they will wind up on your website. And undoubtedly, if we do not pay someone to do it, we design our websites on desktop or laptop computers and likely test them in desktop browsers. But the majority of users are likely not using desktop browsers to view your site; rather, they are using mobile browsers on their phone or tablet.

Here at Fstoppers, we see hundreds of thousands of users and several million pageviews every month. And you might think that a photo site is likely viewed in all its glory on a large, color-calibrated monitor, and there is probably some truth to that. But in actuality, the majority of our traffic comes from phones and tablets (even before the pandemic).

And that makes sense, if you think about it. The web has become as much a place of consumption as it has a repository of information, and as such, most people browse on their choice device for media consumption: their smartphone or tablet. I know I certainly do the majority of my casual consumption and Reddit perusal on my phone, only opting for my computer when I need to do serious work or absolutely need the larger display.

That is why it is so crucial that your website has a good mobile design. You can follow all the tips out there about SEO optimization, putting forth your best portfolio, etc., but if your mobile design is unwelcoming, bloated, or simply a pain to use, you will probably lose clients before they even get to your photos.

Thankfully, nowadays, many dedicated website design tools and platforms automatically create a separate mobile version for your site that is optimized for phones and tablets. For example, I use Rapidweaver for my site, and with just a few clicks, I can easily generate a clean, easy-to-navigate mobile version.

What Makes a Good Mobile Site? While the job is generally easier nowadays, it is still worth talking about some of the aspects of a good mobile site.

1. The Home Page and Navigation Are Intuitive and Uncluttered Screen space is precious on a phone. Don't waste it on a large splash screen with a call to action like "click here." Put everything the user needs to know front and center where it is easily found immediately. Similarly, make it easy to navigate the site. Nothing is more frustrating than watching nested menus bleed off the right side of my screen as I click onto the fifth level without an end in sight. It should be quick and obvious to the user to get around your site.

2. Check Those Load Times Sure, you want users to see your images at their best quality. But mobile data connections are often not particularly fast, especially away from urban areas, and if users have to wait a long time just for your images to load, you are going to start losing them. Generally, keeping everything at or below 2,000 pixels on the long side is a good rule to follow. I also run all my website images through JPEGmini before uploading them. It is a fantastic app that normally shaves about 60% off the file size of a JPEG with no discernible loss of quality. That adds up to major data savings and faster loading times when you are dealing with an entire photography portfolio.

3. Nothing Unnecessary It can be tempting to add flashy visuals to your site or the like. In fact, with the ease of modern design tools, it is more tempting than ever. But don't lose sight of why visitors have come to your site: to view your photos. No one ever made a sale because they had a cute animation on their site. Keep things as straightforward as possible. Cleanliness and simplicity are the formula for an elegant site.

4. Make Sure Image Galleries Are Responsive

This is a really crucial item. Phones and tablets come in all different sizes, resolutions, and aspect ratios, and a layout that looks great on one device might be totally wrong on another. Responsive galleries automatically detect the device the site is being used on and readjust the galleries to fit the screen, ensuring that your portfolio looks professional no matter what device it is viewed on. Most modern templates and design tools employ responsive galleries, but be sure to check to be safe.

5. Link to Instagram Many people also look to Instagram to find a photographer or to see more of your work, so make it easy for them to find yours. As you can see on my mobile site, there is a small but visible icon at the bottom of the site menu. Of course, working in the other direction, don't forget to link to your site in your Instagram bio.

6. Keep Users in One Tab No doubt, if you have spend any amount of time browsing the web on your phone, you know that managing multiple tabs in an annoying affair at best. Avoid using links that open a new tab; keep everything in one tab so users don't become disoriented by a new window popping open.

7. Make It Easy to Contact You Don't forget to make it straightforward to contact you. Make it easy to find a contact form or information on your site. Remember that typing on a phone is not something anyone wants to do for a long time, so don't ask for an abundance of information; just make it easy to get in touch with you and provide basic relevant details.

Conclusion Having a good mobile website is more important than ever. Be sure to take time to ensure that yours is in top shape to ensure that potential customers have the best possible experience and are more likely to select you.

[volvera2008-blog]

Are Your Photos Real or Not? If They Are Real, How Do You Prove It?

Recently, I got into a discussion with a guy on social media about one of my photos. He claimed it was fake. I had manipulated the image by adding birds, he said. The incident got me thinking about how easy it is nowadays to change an image completely. How do you prove your image shows the reality? When I was photographing with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 II, I got a chance to capture some sheep on a dike together with a flock of geese in the air. It was just a matter of time before some of the massive amount of geese in the area would fly over the dike, because they were flying everywhere. I posted the image on social media, when one guy responded in a very negative way. He said the image was completely fake.

One guy accused from manipulating this image. He said it was fake and wanted to see the raw file. When I refused he told me in public it was prove against me. What do you think? Is it reality, or fake? One guy accused me of manipulating this image. He said it was fake and wanted to see the raw file. When I refused, he told me in public it was proof against me. What do you think? Is it reality or fake?

Right then, I should have ignored the guy, but I didn’t. We got into a discussion, and he insisted I should send him the raw file to prove me right. I refused, of course. But I took the effort to send him a screenshot of the image in Lightroom. He kept on telling it was fake, and the discussion became very nasty. I ended it when he started swearing and even accusing me of manipulating all my other images also.

Are Your Photos Real or Manipulated? The whole incident got me thinking. With modern software like Luminar and its Augmented Sky option, it has become very easy to add all sorts of elements into the image. Of course, this is not the fault of Luminar. Photo manipulation had been possible since the dark ages. Nevertheless, with Al, it has become available for everyone without the need for very complicated workflows. You can make an image very appealing by adding interesting elements with just a simple click of a mouse button. In Luminar, you can add an aurora, lightning, the Moon, planets, and even a giraffe. And birds, of course.

A flock of birds at sunrise. Or is it? In reality it is a long exposure at sunrise and I added the birds through the augmented sky option in Luminar 4. Did you think it was real the moment you saw the image? A flock of birds at sunrise. Or is it? In reality, it is a long exposure at sunrise, and I added the birds through the augmented sky option in Luminar 4. Did you think it was real the moment you saw the image?

Most of the things you can add to the sky in Luminar are clearly fake. They blend in nicely, but you can see they aren't real. When you add birds into the sky, it's completely different. The image may become more interesting in a very convincing way. From this point of view, I can understand how someone like that guy might think it is not real.

There Is a Difference Between Photo Manipulation and Post-Processing I believe there is nothing wrong with manipulating images. It can be called art if it is done in an original way. Photo manipulation is completely different compared to post-processing. The latter is optimizing your image without changing reality. On some occasions, colors may be exaggerated, and perhaps some elements in the image can be removed digitally, but it is reality, for the most part. It becomes manipulating when elements are added to the image and when the image is changed completely.

I played around in Photoshop long before the age of Luminar and merged different images together. It was absolutely not art and amateurish at best. But it was fun to do, and I learned how to use the different tools in Photoshop. I have always been honest when presenting my Photoshop manipulations, and I never claimed these images were real.

I manipulated this image many years ago in Photoshop. There are three different images merged together. The forground, the birds and the sun and clouds. I never claimed it to be real. I manipulated this image many years ago in Photoshop. There are three different images merged together: the foreground, the birds, and the sun and clouds. I never claimed it was real.

Software like Luminar is just the beginning. It uses clever algorithms to merge all sorts of elements into an existing image without difficulties. We have seen Luminar skies all over the internet already. We can recognize these skies. It becomes much more difficult when custom skies are being used. Also, bird silhouettes are easy to add to an image. More software with similar possibilities will follow soon.

How can you tell the difference between a real image and a fake one? If you look at the photos below, can you tell which are real and not?

Reality or manipulation?  This one is a merger between two images. One of the path between the heather, and one of the trees and bench in the mist. Shot in the same location, two minutes after each other. But two images nevertheless. Reality or manipulation? This one is a merger between two images: one of the path between the heather and one of the trees and bench in the mist. Shot in the same location, two minutes after each other, but two images, nevertheless.

Reality or manipulation?  This one is real, although I have used two images with different exposures. One of the road with the traffic, and one of the sky with the aurora. It is HDR in a way... You tell me if this is considered reality or manipulation Reality or manipulation? This one is real, although I have used two images with different exposures: one of the road with the traffic, and one of the sky with the aurora. It is HDR in a way. You tell me if this is considered reality or manipulation.

Reality or manipulation?  I took this telelens photo from a hill in the French Auvergne region right after sunrise. The balloon drifted in the distance behind the castle. It is reality. Reality or manipulation? I took this telephoto photo from a hill in the French Auvergne region right after sunrise. The balloon drifted in the distance behind the castle. It is reality.

Reality or manipulation?  An amazing morning twilight, with a flock of geese flying over. It is reality, nothing is manipulated. Reality or manipulation? An amazing morning twilight with a flock of geese flying over. It is reality; nothing is manipulated.

Reality or manipulation?  Did Seattle Model Photographer add these paragliders into the image, or is it reality? Can you tell? Well, it is reality. It was the reason why I took this image.