F I E L D N O T E #13 LEICA Q2 MONOCHROME 📸
I recently bought my dream camera, the Leica Q2 Monochrome. It is everything they say it is, but it is better. I am still getting to grips with this new system after using Fujifilm for about 5-10 years (with a short stint on Sony and Lumix). I have taken a few shots below. They are nothing special, but for test shots, I see potential.
The macro on this camera is INSANELY good!
Below is a shot from home. I just loved the light and the blacks that the camera shows off.
To conclude, this is an awesome camera and I look forward to sharing more shots.
Unveiling the Magic: Why Your Business Needs a Behind-the-Scenes Photographer
In today's digital age, visual storytelling is paramount. While polished product shots and stunning customer testimonials are undeniably valuable, there's a hidden gem waiting to be tapped: behind-the-scenes photography. These candid captures offer a unique glimpse into the heart of your business, fostering deeper connections with your audience and propelling your brand forward. Here's why a behind-the-scenes photographer is an investment worth making:
1. Authenticity Builds Trust: Consumers crave authenticity. They want to see the real people behind the brand, the ones pouring their heart and soul into the products and services they offer. Behind-the-scenes photos showcase your team's passion, dedication, and collaborative spirit. Candid shots of brainstorming sessions, product development stages, and even lighthearted office moments humanize your brand, fostering trust and emotional connection with your audience.
2. Transparency Breeds Confidence: People are increasingly interested in understanding how things are made and where their products come from. Behind-the-scenes photography sheds light on your production process, showcasing the effort and expertise that goes into every offering. This transparency builds confidence in your brand's quality and commitment to ethical practices. Photos of sustainable sourcing, meticulous craftsmanship, or rigorous quality control measures can be powerful differentiators in a competitive marketplace.
3. Content Calendar Lifeline: The pressure to consistently generate fresh content is real. Behind-the-scenes photography provides a wellspring of engaging material for your social media channels, website, and email marketing campaigns. These photos offer a dynamic alternative to traditional product shots, keeping your audience engaged and interested. Documenting team outings, industry events, or even charity initiatives injects personality and fosters a sense of community around your brand.
4. Employee Appreciation Powerhouse: Recognition is a powerful motivator. Behind-the-scenes photography can be a fantastic tool for employee appreciation. Highlighting team members' contributions through candid photos acknowledges their hard work and fosters a sense of pride within your organization. These photos can also be used for internal communications or recruitment purposes, showcasing your company culture and attracting top talent.
5. A Window into Innovation: Businesses are constantly evolving. Behind-the-scenes photography can capture the spirit of innovation within your organization. Photos of brainstorming sessions, prototyping stages, or even failed experiments showcase your commitment to continuous improvement and a forward-thinking mindset. This resonates with customers who value innovation and appreciate brands that push boundaries.
Investing in a behind-the-scenes photographer is an investment in your brand's future. By showcasing the heart and soul of your business, you build trust, transparency, and a loyal following. In today's competitive landscape, authenticity is a powerful differentiator. So, don't be afraid to pull back the curtain and let your audience see the magic that happens behind the scenes.
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Daido Moriyama Exhibition
I recently had the opportunity to visit the Daido Moriyama: A Retrospective exhibition at The Photographers' Gallery in London. Moriyama is one of the most celebrated street photographers of all time, and this exhibition was the first major retrospective of his work in the UK.
The exhibition featured over 200 works from across Moriyama's career, including early work in magazines and book publishing, his interests in the American occupation and photorealism, as well as Moriyama's self-reflexive photographs from the 1980s and 1990s.
Moriyama's photography is characterized by its high contrast, grainy black-and-white images, and its often chaotic and claustrophobic compositions. He is known for his intimate and unguarded portraits of strangers, as well as his street scenes that capture the energy and dynamism of urban life.
One of the things that struck me most about the exhibition was the sheer diversity of Moriyama's work. He is a master of many different styles, and his photography is constantly evolving. From his early, more journalistic work to his later, more experimental pieces, Moriyama is always pushing the boundaries of what is possible with photography.
Another thing that I appreciated about the exhibition was the way it was curated. The works were arranged in a thematic way, which helped to highlight the different aspects of Moriyama's photography. For example, one section of the exhibition focused on his use of high contrast and grain, while another section focused on his close-up portraits of strangers.
Overall, I found the Daido Moriyama: A Retrospective exhibition to be an incredibly rewarding experience. It was a great opportunity to see the work of one of the most important photographers of our time, and it gave me a new appreciation for his range and versatility.
Here are some of my specific thoughts on some of the individual works that I saw in the exhibition: Stray Dog (1971): This iconic photograph is one of Moriyama's most famous works. It depicts a stray dog running down a busy street in Tokyo. The image is grainy and high-contrast, and the dog's face is obscured by its own fur. The photograph is both haunting and poetic, and it perfectly captures the sense of alienation and anonymity that can be felt in big cities.
Record (1972): This photograph is part of a series that Moriyama took of people listening to music on headphones. The image shows a young woman standing on a street corner, her face hidden behind a pair of headphones. The photograph is both intimate and voyeuristic, and it captures the feeling of being lost in one's own world in the midst of a crowd.
Tokyo (1974): This photograph is a classic example of Moriyama's street photography. It depicts a crowded street in Tokyo, with people walking in all directions. The image is grainy and high-contrast, and the people are blurred and fragmented. The photograph captures the energy and chaos of urban life, and it is a powerful testament to Moriyama's skill as a photographer.
Provoke (1968-1970): This magazine was co-founded by Moriyama, and it played a major role in the development of Japanese photography in the 1960s and 1970s. The magazine was known for its experimental and avant-garde approach to photography, and it featured work by many of the most important photographers of the era. The exhibition included a selection of photographs from Provoke, which gave visitors a glimpse into this important period in Japanese photography.
Overall, I had a fantastic time visiting the Daido Moriyama: A Retrospective at The Photographers' Gallery. It is a truly unique and unforgettable exhibition, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in photography or contemporary art.
How Alex Killbee Makes Cool Photos In Ordinary Places
I just watched Alex's latest video and I thought I would share it as this resonated with me and I think it will do the same to anyone starting out in photography.
F I E L D N O T E #8
Music Festival Photography Tips
- Get to the celebration early. This will allow you an opportunity to investigate the best spots for photographs and stay away from the groups.
- Know about your environmental factors.
- Try not to get so up to speed in taking photographs that you neglect to have fun.
- Be aware of other celebration participants.
- Try not to obstruct individuals' perspectives or hinder them.
- Have a fallback. Things don't generally work out as expected, so it's dependably really smart to have a plan B on the off chance that your camera breaks or your memory card gets full.
How Photography Can Help Your Mental Health
Reduces stress and anxiety
Taking photos can be a calming and relaxing experience. It can help to take your mind off of your worries and focus on the present moment. Photography can also be a way to connect with nature, which has been shown to have a number of benefits for mental health.
Improves mood
Looking at photos of happy times can help to improve your mood. It can also help you to remember the good things in your life, even when things are tough. Photography can also be a way to express your creativity, which can be a boost to your self-esteem.
Increases self-esteem
When you take good photos, it can help to boost your self-esteem. You may feel more confident and proud of your accomplishments. Photography can also be a way to connect with others, which can further improve your self-esteem.
Helps with recovery from trauma
Photography can be a helpful tool for people who are recovering from trauma. It can be a way to process your emotions and make sense of what happened. Photography can also be a way to connect with others who have experienced similar trauma.
Provides a sense of purpose
Photography can give you a sense of purpose in life. It can be a way to document your experiences and share them with others. Photography can also be a way to make a difference in the world.
If you are struggling with your mental health, photography can be a helpful tool. It can help to reduce stress and anxiety, improve your mood, increase your self-esteem, help you recover from trauma, and provide a sense of purpose. If you are interested in trying photography as a form of therapy, there are many resources available to help you get started.
F I E L D N O T E #5
Enhance Your Photography with Lightroom Presets: The Ultimate Guide
In the realm of computerized photography, post-handling assumes an imperative part in drawing out the genuine quintessence of your pictures. While proficient picture takers go through hours idealizing their altering abilities, beginners and lovers frequently end up looking for viable devices to smooth out their work process and accomplish dazzling outcomes. Enter Lightroom presets - strong altering instruments that can change your photos with only a couple of snaps. In this blog entry, we will investigate the universe of Lightroom presets and examine how they can reform your photography process.
What are Lightroom Presets?
Lightroom presets are pre-bundled sets of altering changes that can be applied to your pictures in Adobe Lightroom, a well known post-handling programming. These presets contain a blend of settings, for example, openness, contrast, variety reviewing, honing, from there, the sky is the limit, which can be applied to your pictures quickly. Consider them a single tick channels that can emphatically improve the look and feel of your photos.
Advantages of Lightroom Presets:
1. Efficient Productivity: Lightroom presets permit you to smooth out your altering cycle and save significant time. Rather than physically changing every individual setting, you can essentially apply a preset and see prompt outcomes. This is especially helpful while working with huge clumps of pictures or attempting to accomplish a predictable look across a progression of photographs.
2. Consistency and Union: Lightroom presets offer a dependable method for accomplishing steady altering across your photos. Whether you're altering a wedding collection, a movement series, or your own portfolio, presets empower you to keep a firm visual style, making a mark look that separates your work.
3. Openness and Flexibility: Lightroom presets are intended to take special care of different photography sorts and styles. Whether you lean toward lively and punchy colors, touchy dark and whites, or film-roused style, there's a preset accessible for each taste. Moreover, presets can be effortlessly altered and acclimated to suit your particular inclinations, giving you full command over the end-product.
4. Learning Apparatus: Lightroom presets additionally act as significant learning devices for picture takers at all expertise levels. By investigating different presets and looking at the changes made inside every one, you can acquire a more profound comprehension of the craft of post-handling. This information can be applied to your own altering strategies, permitting you to develop as a picture taker.
Finding and Utilizing Lightroom Presets:
1. Commercial center: Lightroom presets can be tracked down in different web-based commercial centers and photography networks. Some are accessible for nothing, while others are sold by proficient photographic artists and altering specialists. While perusing for presets, consider factors, for example, similarity, client audits, and the style that lines up with your vision.
2. Customization: Whenever you have obtained your ideal presets, it's memorable's essential that presets are not a one-size-fits-all arrangement. Explore different avenues regarding the changes inside each preset and tailor them to suit the particular attributes of your pictures. This customization step guarantees that the presets improve your photographs while saving their novel characteristics.
3. Building Your Own: As you become more OK with altering, you can begin making your own Lightroom presets. By saving the changes you make during the altering system, you can make customized presets that mirror your special style and imaginative vision.
Lightroom presets are a priceless instrument for picture takers hoping to improve their pictures productively and reliably. They offer a large number of advantages, from saving opportunity to accomplishing a durable visual style. Whether you're an expert, a novice, or basically a photography lover, investigating the universe of Lightroom presets can open up additional opportunities for innovative articulation. Embrace the force of presets and watch your photos show signs of life with only a couple of snaps.
Now that you've made it this far, here are a two of my favourite presets I have used and you can use too.
Cinematic
This arrangement of 25 Lightroom presets makes it simple to give your photographs a film enlivened impact. You'll get presets for making a wide range of kinds of variety impacts that make certain to make your photographs stick out. Some are strong, some are more unpretentious. All can be utilized to obtain extraordinary outcomes with your own photographs. Look at the slideshow underneath to review a portion of the impacts made with the presets.
These presets work for both Macintosh and PC. They are viable with Lightroom 4, 5, 6, CC, and Exemplary CC. Each buy at Openness Domain accompanies a 60-day fulfillment ensure.
Black and White
Dark and white photographs can be extremely strong and locking in. However, making astounding dark and whites requires more than just changing a variety photograph over completely to dark and white or eliminating all of the variety immersion. Extraordinary dark and whites can be made in Lightroom, yet you want to exploit the right settings. This set 43 Lightroom presets will make it simple for you to make strong dark and whites that you can be glad for. You'll get a wide range of impacts that you can apply. Whether you are working with scenes, road photographs, representations, or some other sort of photographs, this assortment of presets will become one of your top choices. You can see a portion of the impacts in the slideshow beneath.
These presets work for both Macintosh and PC. They are viable with Lightroom 4, 5, 6, CC, and Exemplary CC. Each buy at Openness Realm accompanies a 60-day fulfillment ensure.
Please note, these are not free presets but are worth the purchase to get you started.
Cinematic Mobile Photography — 10 Shots to Try
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