November 2011 Newsletter

News, Reviews, Courses and Articles From All Things Photography

Welcome to the November 2011 newsletter from All Things Photography!

The past two months have been ridiculously busy for me hence the delay in issuing a newsletter for a while. I have been buying and testing new camera gear and researching new techniques and software. However, the most challenging thing for me was to organise and run the recent 3 day wedding photography course in Weymouth.

The feedback has been great and the weekend was a great success with Saturday being rather special. We had a fantastic venue fully kitted out for an actual wedding taking place later that day. Somewhere we could shoot our models for real. We had some fantastic weather in which to do our location shoots of the models. To top it all, we had the chance to shoot the actual couple getting married that day as they watched the November 5th fireworks in the evening.

I may well organise a similar event next year.

Practical Photography

I have also been busy with the practical side of my business by doing lots of networking in and around Weymouth. I have learned a LOT about people, doing business and how to go about it in these "modern" times.

Already the weddings and jobs have started coming in for next year as a result of some excellent business relationships being formed. The future is looking somewhat rosier despite the current economic doom and gloom.

Anyway, enough about me, here are this month's items of interest:

Canon EOS 1DX

Wow, what a bar setter!

I had been hoping for a while that Canon would eventually break away from having two pro spec flagship cameras. Hoping they would merge all the best bits into one. That is exactly what they have done with the Canon EOS 1DX.

This new incarnation is set to, in my opinion, raise the bar for professional DSLR's to an all-time high. It should give the likes of Nikon something to really think about. However, I look forward to see what they come up with as an answer to the EOS 1DX!

If I could have a camera that encapsulated the majority of my wish list with regards to specs and quality, this would be it. There are a couple of things missing that I would like to have seen but I don't think technology and processing power are there yet.

Things such as 1080p movie mode at 60 frames per second and 720p at 120 fps.

Megapixels

I am blissfully happy that they have also decided against going for the huge megapixels in this mode. They have actually reduced the count from 21.1 on the Canon EOS 1Ds to 18mp on the EOS 1Dx. They have however, decided to greatly improve the quality of the sensor instead. Nice one Canon.

I used to own the pro range from Canon as in two of the 1D series of DSLR's but reverted back to the EOS 5D range. Mostly for compactness, lightness and ease of use. However, this may just get me working out in the gym again so I can reap all the benefits that this beast offers. Although what will the next incarnation of the 5D series hold…Canon EOS 5Dx anyone?

Go Pro HD Hero 2 Review

Way back in 2009, I rode across Africa for 8 days for Enduro Africa. For which I raised a healthy amount of money for various charities out there. During the ride, I tested a new helmet camera from Contour that would film my exploits whilst being attached to my crash helmet.

The camera worked extremely well and put up with whatever I threw at it.

However, in my typical style, I thought about how this camera could be made not only better but excellent. Better with various additions I would like to see. Contour released newer models over the years which greatly improved in many areas. However, about a month or so ago, another company called Go Pro released what was to become my dream "mini-take-anywhere" camera.

This is for photographers and videographers alike. Since buying it, I haven't stopped dreaming up huge amounts of applications and situations where this can be used. I love it!

Wedding Photography Course Round Up

I just thought I would give a quick mention of this course and to thank all those who attended. This was a great 3 day course and a pleasure to teach. What made it so special were a few things:

I may well try to organise a similar course next year. Perhaps strike up a deal with another wedding at the venue but we will see. If you would be interested, please get in touch and I will see how it goes. You can see a few images from the day on our photography blog.

DSLR Course: Weymouth, Dorset - 14th Jan 2012

This has been a popular one day course in the past but we have not run one for a while. If you have just bought a DSLR and are looking at:

…maybe this course will help.

Maybe you are buying a DSLR for a loved one this Christmas and this course would top off the present nicely!

The aim is to save you hours, days and weeks or trawling the internet looking for answers. When all you need is an intensive one day's training that will set you up and on the right track much faster!

Marketing for Photographers Course - UK - 21st Jan 2012?

I am thinking of running a one or two day marketing for photographers course in January. This would cover, in great detail, all the many ways in which you can promote and expand your photography business.

Marketing may not float your boat with regards to photography. However, if you are serious about your photography business, this is a hugely important, exciting and in depth look at how you can get more business for yourself. More importantly, how you can win it from your competitors. Whether you are a full or part time photographer.

We could all do with more business in these tough economic times.

Photography as a viable business isn't going away despite the number of people buying DSLR's these days. In fact in many areas it is booming! What has changed is the way everyone does business and the sheer speed at which it has changed. There are things, important things, that you simply must know about and do if you are to succeed.

Adapt to Survive

You either adapt, keep up and stay ahead of the game or your business suffers.

If you are interested, please get in touch and let us know. Once we hit 6 or more people, I can start to organise it properly. The price (not including accommodation at £30 per night) will be around £195 for one day or £295 for two days full, intensive training on:

Please fill out the form at the end of this page (note: currently not running…for now) to show your interest. Please share this newsletter with friends who may be interested.

50% Discount on ATP Members until Xmas Eve (ENDED)!

We are offering a festive discount on all full memberships to ATP Members. This is for our private membership section of All Things Photography as we head up to Christmas. The usual price to join is $65 but for now until Christmas Eve, you can get a full access membership for just $32. That is a 50% discount!

iPhone 4s Review

I could resist no more!

Having used mobile phones for over 15 years, it has taken me until now to finally give in to Apple and take the plunge with the iPhone 4s. What made me switch from HTC and Android?

Tidbits

Super Slow Motion Footage Effects

I have always been fascinated by slow motion footage as it enables me to study things in greater detail. I first encountered super slow motion when I bought my Sony HDR SR1 back in 2006. It allowed me to shoot footage at 240 frames per second (for a few seconds only) and then play back in super slo-mo.

However, the quality of footage was pretty poor and you needed a lot of light for it to work.

Then I saw various nature programs that used high speed cameras capable of shooting at ridiculous frame rates of 1000fps and more. Amazing but these cameras cost tens of thousands of pounds!

So I was over the moon when I discovered some software that would mimic the slowing down of footage. With very good results and at a fraction of the cost of high speed cameras.

I updated my Sony Vegas Pro software to Sony Vegas Pro 11, and it comes installed with a trial for a program called "Twixtor".

This is similar to software such as "Perfect Resize", formerly Genuine Fractals Print Pro, that increases the resolution of an image by adding pixels.

Twixtor slows down footage up to 1500 times and then fills in the gaps in the same way. It takes a lot of practice but even after a few attempts, I was getting some pretty good results.

Say Goodbye to Blurred Photos Forever…Soon!

Just when you thought Photoshop couldn't get any better, they come out with technology that just blows you away! This is a game changer for sure.

How would you feel about buying Photoshop if it could restore a blurred image that you have taken, due to camera shake/slow shutter speed, and restore it to perfect sharpness? What if you could do this to any digital images on your hard drive, no matter how old?

Wedding Photographer Scam: Beware!

One of our members over at ATP Members very nearly got caught by a scam that is aimed at wedding photographers. I received a couple of similar emails in the past and smelled a rat immediately so when our member called me with regards to this, I did some research and found we were not alone.

Well, that just about covers it for this month. I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and if you did, please feel free to forward it to your friends and family. If you are interested in our marketing for photographers course, please get in touch and we will get back to you asap.

Many thanks and take care putting those Christmas decorations up!