29 February 2008
TWIP Podcast Episode #8 - Stay Sharp
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Scott under:
Audio Podcast
TWIP Episode #8 - Stay Sharp - is in the feed.
Hosts: Scott Bourne & Alex Lindsay
Guest Host: Steve Simon
Guest(s): Fred Johnson, Ron Brinkmann
Location: San Francisco, New York, San Jose &
Show Notes By Aaron Mahler
- Ron Brinkmann is a self proclaimed amateur photographer whose major technical background is more associated with motion pictures and visual effects work. He founded the company that developed Shake, later purchased by Apple. After making the transition to Apple, he spent some time working on Aperture.
NEWS & DISCUSSION
- Getty has gone private - sold for $2.4 billion. Competition in the stock photography market has driven down prices, so Scott feels the Getty valuation is likely fair. The buyer was a private equity firm.
- Getty owns iStockphoto.com, so their holdings range from culturaly iconic, historical photos down to inexpensive, privately produced imagery.
- Scott feels that the large scale stock photography market is dead. For instance, in the 1980’s he had a single image bring him over $64,000 in licensing fees.
- Alex has been doing a great deal of research on how to best profit from iStockphoto. He is analyzing successful images to determine stylistic niches. Images involving people and abstract images are often hot sellers.
WEBSITE PICK OF THE WEEK
- http://strobist.blogspot.com (editorial note: somebody must have beaten me to it on this one - I wholeheartedly recommend it as well 
- This is a superb site to expand your knowledge on lighting and lighting techniques. It often has DIY lighting projects as well.
CONTINUED NEWS & DISCUSSION
- Sony has introduced its newest pocket camera: the W300 at 13.6 megapixels for about $350. Alex feels that 8 megapixels with better light sensitivity would be more beneficial than the megapixel bump (amens from the other show participants), but all around it seems like a good camera.
- As discussed in previous episodes, “megapixel madness” needs to stop. All pixels are not created equal. The focus needs to be more on image quality and light sensitivity once you reach 8 to 10 megapixels.
- Nikon D3 lust continues. Fred Johnson taunts everyone yet again with the fact that Nikon has loaned him a D3 with an array of lenses. He is reveling in the low light capabilities that have become the signature attribute of this camera. Canon has some work to do now to catch up.
- Ron is shooting with Canon gear as well (started with a 20D) and is also feeling the tug toward the Nikon D3.
- Scott thought hard about getting a Nikon D3, $17,000 price tag aside (not counting equivalent lenses he would need). He has, instead, opted to stick with Canon to see how they respond. For the meantime, he has succumbed to film-based nostalgia and recently purchased a mint condition Hasselblad XPan II (a rather rare camera since so few were made).
- He faced ridicule at the film counter trying to purchase some Agfa (no longer in business) and then Velvia 40 (now replaced by Velvia 50). Apparently, it’s been a while. To keep some technology in the process, though, he’s doing his metering with the live histogram of his Canon G9.
- Alex’s obsession of the week has been HDR as he prepares a forthcoming video. Look for it soon.
- Speaking of HDR has reminded Fred to point out a nifty feature in Photoshop CS3 (called “stacks“) that allows you to easily eliminate people and automobiles from busy scenes by shooting several images in sequence.
- A brief discussion ensues about printing on Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper for Black & white. The results are very reminiscent of some of the best papers from the film days of darkroom printing.
PRODUCT PICK OF THE WEEK
- Andrew Darlow’s 301 Inkjet Tips & Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers
- Also recommended is Andrew Darlow’s website: imagingbuffet.com
LISTENER QUESTION(s)
- A question from, Terry, a TWiP listener: What do you guys automatically do with your images once they are downloaded?
- Fred Johnson: Load them into Lightroom.
- Ron Brinkmann: Load them into Aperture.
- Don’t sharpen your images initially… make that stage print-specific. This spawns a general discussion about whether to sharpen at all and methods for doing so when needed. As an alternative to sharpening, Scott does a layered high pass filter.
- Breaking news: Scott saw enough appealing features during his field trip to Adobe to give Lightroom some intensive testing soon. He might possibly “rethink” his “marriage” to Aperture. (editorial note: as one who continues to favor Lightroom over Aperture, I’m seriously intrigued by this development)
- Jeff Bolton poses questions about how best to shoot on the street without offending people. Scott brings an attractive woman with him when he shoots and gets her to ask permission. Alex seconds this concept. One suggestion is to bring a long lens and not be obvious. Another suggestion is to use a short lens and, when noticed, respond along the lines of “I’m just a photographer… ignore me. Keep doing what you’re doing.” Basically, be casual and dismissive of your own presence. Be honest, of course, with those that persist in knowing who you are and what you are doing. Alex makes the point that it’s “contextual”. If you’re seen shooting a lot of general images and people feel that their inclusion is accidental, they are quicker to ignore you. If they feel they are the focus of the image or are being “stalked”, the reaction is entirely different.
- Several readers asked about lens focal lengths and the basis for selecting certain ones. Fred brings up for debate the age old stance that prime lenses are superior to zoom lenses in overall image quality. He feels that this is no longer true. Steve concurs and the old adage might well be… ahem… past its prime. Beyond this, selection of a given focal length is based on how you shoot and what you need. Do your needs or style of shooting call more for wide angle shots or the ability to have great reach (such as selecting telephotos for most nature photography)? While budget is always a factor and, with lenses, you often get what you pay for… the dictating factor should be selecting lenses on the basis of your shooting style. Scott also makes the point that telephoto lenses can be used to compress a scene (make something in the distant background seem closer to the foreground object than it is in reality). This is a very useful compositional technique but, again, situation or style-dependent.
- A few readers asked about the reasons for doing “tethered” shooting. Basically, this is a means by which the camera is directly attached to the computer WHILE shooting. With proper software, images you shoot will appear on screen in a matter of seconds which allows for more detailed analysis and shifts the storage of the images from the internal card to the computer itself. Tethered shooting, however, is generally a studio-only configuration (with the exception of wireless tethering and a laptop which is increasingly being done with outdoor fashion photography).
THIS WEEK’S FLICKR CHALLENGE THEME
- Signs. (editorial note: That’s all we’re saying. Go for it.) This week’s prize is Steve Simon’s book “The Republicans“.
- Next week the challenge will step aside and be replaced with a week of critiques. The contest and critiques may well begin alternating every other week. (editorial note: The TWiP critiques forum has begun)
TWiP PHOTO TIP OF THE WEEK
- Scott’s love of acronyms strikes again: SAS - Subject, Attention, Simplify. Ask yourself what the subject is of your shot and exclude those things that are not relevant. Draw attention to the subject (light, distance, depth of field?). Cut out those things that intrude on the subject. You can improve the SAS process via another acryonym based hint: LUDA - Look Up, Look Down, Look All Around. These two approaches will slow you down a little which is often a good thing… you’re less likely to have a good composition flawed by a tree limb or light pole sticking out of someone’s head.
- Next week’s special guest will be Ryan Brenizer, Amazon.com’s photo columnist who will be offering a full review of the Nikon D3.
- Ron Brinkmann can be found at http://digitalcompositing.com.
- Fred Johnson can be found at http://www.frederickvan.com/.
- Alex wants to point out the birth of a new podcast worth checking out: The Grip Guide.
- Scott’s photography can be found at http://avianstock.com.
- Steve highlights a project very dear to his heart: his “Heroines & Heros” book that documents HIV and AIDS in Africa. All royalties from the sale of this book benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Steve also invites listeners to attend a showing of his at the Leica Gallery in New York City - March 6th from 6 - 8 PM.
Send your thoughts, suggestions and questions to: twip at pixelcorps.com
Story ideas and other items of webly interest can be submitted via the TWiP Ideas Del.icio.us bookmarks
Share photos with your fellow TWiP listeners through the TWiP Flickr Feed
18 Comments so far...
Dennis Cadorniga Says:
1 March 2008 at 1:30 am.
Scott and Alex, you guys should switch to the D3 and D300. I placed my order for the D300 on a pre-order in November 2007 and received it in December. It is an amazing body! I shot a few frames with the D3 during a Nikon D3/D300 Pro Photo preview event and its an amazing body being able to shoot at ISO 25,600! I love my D300 and if I could afford the D3 body, I would get that as well! Keep up the great show production quality.
[Reply]
AdamR Says:
1 March 2008 at 10:54 pm.
I know the D3 is a great camera, but I think this lust of the D3 on the basis of high-ISO is a bit over the top. Yes, 25,600 is great, but it is really just an in-camera push of two stops. Canon traditionally allows a one-stop push in camera, Nikon often allows 2. It requires serious in-camera noise reduction, or serious post-processing noise reduction. I have downloaded a bunch of raw files for the D3, D300, 1D3, 1Ds3 and I have a 40D myself. When shooting raw and using Noise Ninja, the 1D3 and D3 are miles better than the others, with the D3 perhaps 1/2 a stop better at 25,600 equivalent. Both the 1D3 and D3 are very useable at 6400, ok at 12,800 and only in a pinch useable at 25,600 (IMO).
The 25,600 is a marketing move. The performance of cameras has improved, but they can’t change the laws of physics. There are very few images which are possible with the D3, but would not have been possible with the 1D3 six-months earlier (leaving aside lenses and autofocus issues - and I note that the circumstances in which the 1D3 autofocus was reported as struggling were not ones where high-ISO would be needed).
RN Clark has a good technical analysis of this at: http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/digital.sensor.performance.summary/ . This shows the signal to noise ratio for the D3 and the 1D3 are very very close. (Not surprisingly, the 40D and D300 are very close to each other, too, and both are behind the 20D. Performance differences are almost entirely software, and are largely removed by shooting raw.)
Even if we say the D3 has a one-stop advantage over the 1D3 in high-ISO performance (and I don’t think it is that much), is one stop really so revolutionary? Useful, yes, but not the jump it is being touted as.
That said, I can’t afford, but would be happy with either the D3 or 1D3. In the meantime, I love my 40D.
[Reply]
jack Says:
1 March 2008 at 11:20 pm.
Its funny you mention the xpan II ,as i was just looking at examples the other day ,here
http://www.pbase.com/cameras/hasselblad/xpan_ii
[Reply]
iPleb Says:
2 March 2008 at 5:52 am.
The TWIP crew should read this article …
http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/campaign_ct_2008.htm
especially after talking about street photography and walking around with a camera strapped to your chest
[Reply]
Amin Sabet Says:
3 March 2008 at 9:20 am.
Guys, I really enjoyed this episode, as I have enjoyed the others. One issue regarding which I’d like to contribute a point is that of image quality with high-megapixel, small-pixel cameras. Although it is clearly true that with a given generation of sensor technology a smaller pixel is a noisier pixel, this downside is partially mitigated by the sheer number of pixels and the effects of downsampling (ie, reducing the image size). For example at pixel level examination with high ISO files (ISO 3200 and up), Canon’s 1Ds Mk III (21MP) has a much lower detail/noise ratio than the Nikon D3 (12MP). However, careful downsampling of the 1Ds Mk III image to 12MP allows it to approach (but not match) the D3 result. OTOH, the slight dynamic range disadvantage of the small-pixelled camera (assuming similar sensor technology) persists, unaffected by downsampling. However, with regards to the balance between detail and noise, the final result - at a given print size - is that the high MP camera will generally do better at low ISO and not too much worse (after the effects of downsampling) at low ISO. This can be observed with large sensor cameras (eg 1Ds III and D3) as well as small sensor cameras (eg G9 and Fuji F30). Again, really enjoying the show! Regards, Amin Sabet (www.aminfoto.com)
[Reply]
Jason Bryer Says:
3 March 2008 at 1:43 pm.
First, love the show.
I have to disagree with the recommendation against capture sharpening. Given the nature of how digital sensors work, almost all photos could use some level of sharpening. In fact, the sharpening that lightroom does is actually capture sharpening. LR will also do output sharpening (on the print module) but I’ve found it to be less than satisfying IMHO. Jeff Schewe has suggested that once LR’s API is finalized PK sharpener may find its way into LR.
For much more info I would recommend Bruce Fraser’s Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Here are some links for further reading:
http://www.pixelgenius.com/
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/software/pk-sharpener.shtml
[Reply]
ET Says:
3 March 2008 at 3:37 pm.
Great show guys! I am just about ready to get my first DSLR and look forward to more TWIP’s to come. I hope more visual content will be rolled into the podcast to help the “newbies” out. Cant wait for some video shows!!
[Reply]
Mike Says:
3 March 2008 at 7:00 pm.
Did I miss it, or was the winner of the ROCK picture supposed to be in the show notes?
[Reply]
Scott Bourne Says:
3 March 2008 at 8:33 pm.
Mike you missed it - sort of…
- it wasn’t supposed to be in the notes but WAS in this post…
http://twipphoto.com/index.php/page/2
[Reply]
Sage Says:
4 March 2008 at 2:16 pm.
I just listened to this episode and heard the guys talking about the HDR feature in Photoshop. I use this all the time. I just published a photo to TWIP on flickr showing how it can be used. In the example, I photographed a busy freeway interchange in orange county, CA and removed all of the cars. You can see the photo here
[Reply]
Kevin Behringer Says:
4 March 2008 at 9:10 pm.
Ok, Scott. Time to step up. What are your new “tricks” for sharpening in LR? I hear you go into it and almost drove off the road waiting for you to tell your new techniques!
kevin
[Reply]
Steve Simon Exhibition Opening at the Leica Gallery New York March 7, 2008 : The Imaging Buffet Says:
4 March 2008 at 11:42 pm.
[...] Links: Article on ImagingBuffet.com about Steve Simon Steve Simon’s website Steve Simon on TWiP Podcast Episode 8 (This Week in Photography)Â Email This Post digg_bgcolor = ‘#FFFEF2′;digg_skin = [...]
cecilia wacholder Says:
5 March 2008 at 9:41 am.
I’m not as old as Scott, but I do remember using manual focus instead of auto for the “rabid focus” look because my Pentax wouldn’t be sharp enough without a bit of help. Now I need glasses to see sharp, let alone focus… ;o)
BTW, this week’s poll asked what camere we were using, but didn’t ask what we WOULD use if we had the money or could justify the expense… Guess I’ve become another D3 groupie!
Great show guys. Have a full buffer of questions, but I’m not sure if just dropping them here is ok, or did I miss a questions links somewhere? Probably did.
[Reply]
Scott Says:
5 March 2008 at 9:45 am.
Cecillia nobody is as old as me
U can leave questions here, or on the Flickr forum. Or you can use the blog email contact form. We can’t answer every question but we’ll at least look at it. Thanks.
[Reply]
Stalman Says:
5 March 2008 at 1:15 pm.
Keep looking into iStock Alex, it’s great and certainly can pay more than your mortgage with a handful of images. I can’t relate to your desperate desire for the D3 and willingness to ditch a full lens kit for it. Certainly it’s high ISO noise is a beautiful as you describe it, but looking Canon’s 1Ds mkIII, there is every reason to believe that a new 5D will be able to at least match it. I’m as frustrated as anyone with how slow Canon has been with this one, but I think patience is a vert underrated virtue in the digital age.
[Reply]
go Says:
17 March 2008 at 4:44 am.
Scotty, your G9 images on Flickr are TINY! How about a few full size shots so we can really see the benefits?
[Reply]
Sharpening with High Pass Filter - Sometimes Cloudy in Virginia Says:
17 November 2008 at 10:42 am.
[...] Enter the Hgh Pass Filter sharpening method… I first heard it this morning, catching up on an old podcast from TWIP. I did a little searching to find out more and found two nice tutorials on the method [...]
