KWBaker

Photographer Jim Winters of Miami, Florida, created this crazy-looking DIY shoulder-mounted “triple axis” rig for taking pictures of planes at airshows. He calls his invention the TRIAXEZ.

Winters says his back used to hurt after photographing airplanes for hours at a time, but the improved weight distribution of his system has largely eliminated the pain and fatigue.

The rig may look heavy, but it’s actually made of aluminum and weighs only 4 pounds. A 12 volt battery in the back serves as both the power source — it keeps the camera juiced for days — and the counterweight for his Nikon D810 and 800mm lens on the front.

Connected to one of the hand grips is a camera remote that allows him to focus and snap photos without taking his hands off the TRIAXEZ. All the wiring is hidden inside the tubes and out of sight. The lens mount can also be moved forward and back 6 inches depending on which lens he has mounted.

There are also wheels on the bottom of the rig for easy transportation when it’s not being used for photography.

Here’s a sample photo Winters shot while using the TRIAXEZ rig (you can find more of his airshow photos over on his website):

The TRIAXEZ may be a useful invention for long days of photographing airshows, but we’re guessing it’s probably not the best thing to use for planespotting at major airports.

(via Jim Winters via Nikon Rumors)

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Image credits: Header photo by Pete Boden/Shoot2Thrill, all other photos by Jim Winters and used with permission

In March 2014, we reported that inventor Bob Crowley and his startup New55 were working on producing a new line of 4×5 instant film. That Kickstarter campaign turned out to be a smashing success. As the company continues to work on its instant film aspirations, its has released a new product that many photographers may find useful.

It’s a new monobath developer called R3 that lets you develop, stop, and fix black-and-white photographic film with a single bath.

It’s the “the most convenient black and white developer we know,” writes New55. “It can be used in the field, in the darkroom, in your bathroom, or in a dark-bag to conveniently develop your black & white negative film in a single pass.”

Instead of immersing your film in three different baths and agitating the tanks, R3 works without any agitation and will develop your film in just 6 minutes of soaking. You then rinse it off for 5 minutes, dry it, and you’re done.

New55 has confirmed that the developer works with New55 Atomic-X, Ilford Pan F, HP5 Plus, Kodak TMax, Tri-X, Efke 25, and Shanghai 100 so far, but it should work with any standard black-and-white film on the market, even “old exposed black and white film that has been sitting for years.”

Here are a couple of sample photos from film that was developed using R3 (more sample shots can be found on the New55 blog):

Ted Forbes over at The Art of Photography just published a video review of this monobath developer. It’s an informative look at what it is and how it’s used:

New55 does have some objections to certain statements and conclusions mentioned in the video. Crowley left comments on Forbes’ blog, saying that the developer isn’t designed specifically for Tri-X film and that it can be pushed and pulled quite easily.

“[W]e and many others used R3 on nearly every black and white film we could find over the past 5 years of teaching people about R3,” Crowley writes. “Also you can easily pull and push monobaths, with temperature […] Just go to 90F for 1.5 stops increase.”

If you’re based in the continental US, you can purchase a 950 ml (32 ounce) plastic container of R3 from the New55 online store for $20.

Photographer Jason Lanier is on a mission to end “discrimination against photographers.” He just posted the video above showing two encounters he recently had with law enforcement while doing a photo shoot in San Francisco. In both cases, the officials noticed his “nice” camera and high-end equipment and questioned him to see if he was shooting commercially without a proper permit (which can cost hundreds of dollars).

During the second stop, a park ranger notices Lanier photographing a model with off-camera lighting equipment set up. “Generally when we start setting up more than just a tripod and a camera, we get into the realm where we want people to have commercial permits,” the ranger says. “Because anytime you conduct business and make money in a national park, you gotta get a permit for it.”

Lanier then wonders: “But what happens if you’re not getting paid for the shoot? What if you just wanted to use the flash to take pictures of your own family?”

The ranger tells Lanier that he won’t be kicking the crew out of the area, but “what would satisfy” him would be if Lanier put away his off-camera flash equipment. “The thing I would ask is just to make it less official-looking,” he says.

What bothers Lanier is that this “discrimination” is against photographers who choose to shoot with certain types of equipment. If you walk around shooting commercial photos using a smartphone or a small mirrorless camera, no one would be any the wiser.

“We hope this video sheds a little light on what photographers go through and why we hope we can do something to make it stop,” Lanier says. He’s asking that the government “show some reason” and create a “reasonable permit fee” for photographers who wish to do smaller shoots in public parks.

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So, time for the last update on the project.The paddles are hanging from the roof and waiting for the oil to dry. And I'm even too tired to enjoy being done with them. But I think it's nice to get some distance now, then I'll enjoy them much more later.

Since my last post I've formed the grips, smoothed the surface and oiled them. And I've learned a lot from this. Especially how to make, prepare and use cabinet scrapers. But let's take the grips first.
I did most of the forming using spokeshave, knife and gouge. I used the spokeshave where I could then used the knife in the notches and the gouge for wide concave surfaces, like the fat part you grab on the grip.

Cozy workplace. The blanket helps to protect the paddle when it's clamped.

Filed under: Mercedes-Benz, SUV, Luxury, Off-Road

Mercedes has announced a series of updates for the G-Class, including a new G500 with an AMG-derived 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and more power across the board.

Continue reading Mercedes updates G-Class including new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 [UPDATE]

Mercedes updates G-Class including new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 May 2015 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As a beginning photographer, one of the easiest ways to move from taking average snapshots to more professional looking portraits is to develop a good understanding of light. Harsh and uneven lighting can often be distracting and make the photograph look amateur, whereas even lighting allows the viewer to focus solely on the subject and is more visually appealing.

Spending some time learning about the exposure triangle, the quality and direction of light is a great first step, something that I highly recommend to everyone. That said, even if you understand the theoretical aspects of light, it can still be difficult to walk into a park with your children, or clients, and know intuitively where to situate your subject for the best possible portrait lighting. So, I’d like to share one quick and easy trick that you can use to help you “see” the best light if you’re unsure of where to begin:

The Circle Trick

Step One:

Have your subject stand facing you, at the appropriate distance for whatever focal length you’re using. Think of the two of you being like a clock, with you in the center tether position and your subject as the clock’s hour arm in the 12 o’clock position. Take a photo.

Step Two:

Have your subject move to the three o’clock position. Pivot with them so that you continue to face each other. Take another photo.

Step Three:

Have your subject move to the 6 o’clock position. Again, pivot with them. Take another photo.

Step Four:

Have your subject move to the nine o’clock position. Continue to pivot with them, and take another photo.

Step Five:

Review the four photos that you’ve just taken, and decide which one offers the most appropriate lighting for the look you’re trying to achieve.

Unless you’re shooting at high noon with the sun directly above you, you’ll probably notice that the lighting will vary dramatically between each of the four photos, with some being much more visually appealing than others. This gives you a great starting point to be able to visually “see” the light and quickly determine which direction you’d like your subject to be facing for your portraits (or in a large park, which general direction you may want to head for your session).

Bonus Tip:

If you notice pretty severe backlighting as in the photo for the 12 o’clock position above, and that is not the look you’re trying to achieve, try having your subject sit down!

Keep in mind that the circle trick works in the reverse as well, with your subject standing in the same location and you walking around them as the positions of the clock. Sometimes it’s easier for the photographer to do the bulk of the moving around rather than the subject. On the other hand, I spend a lot of time photographing elementary age children, and find that they really enjoy getting to be a special helper at the beginning of a photo shoot. Getting them engaged early on is a good way to help them to feel comfortable with me. In fact, even though I don’t actually need to use the circle trick anymore to be able to see the light, sometimes I still use it as a quick ice breaker at the beginning of sessions with younger children, showing them the four different photos at the end.

For many people, understanding the quality and direction of light is something that’s learned practically – the more you practice, the more you’ll eventually begin to be able to “see” the light intuitively. This is one really simple (and quick!) way to begin to train your eye to begin to see light – so if lighting for portraits is something that you tend to struggle with, grab a friend and give it a try!

The post How to See the Light for Portraits: A Quick Tip for Beginners by Meredith Clark appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Ever since Steve Jobs put a camera into the iPhone, everyone has become a photographer. However, just because you have a camera, it doesn’t necessarily follow that you are a great photographer. Anyone can point a lens and press a button.

While some photos are works of art, others need editing, and we’re not just talking about slapping an Instagram filter on it. This means you need some easy-to-use photo editing apps. Here are the best photo editing programs for beginners.

1. Photoscape

While many photo editing programs have interfaces that are similar to Photoshop, this app goes a completely different way. It aims to be easy for beginners, and once you get the hang of the interface, you’ll have a lot of power at your fingertips.

Photoscape is also one of the best ways to open a PSD file.

2. IrfanView

Irfanview is an oldie but also a firm favorite among my friends and colleagues. Many people who don’t need to do a lot of image editing can make do with Irfanview. Which, as a bonus, is completely free.

One of the best features of IrfanView is its handling of batch conversions. You can rename a huge number of files in seconds, as well as resize them. You can also scan directly from a flatbed scanner, make screenshots, set wallpaper, and install plugins to extend the features even more.

3. SnagIt

Thank you for releasing the "grab text" feature @Snagit! It's killer. It is saving me from much frustration, costly #OCR tools (that are less accurate!) and boosts my #productivity on web design projects. Seriously – it's life changing! #brandcrush #snagit2019

— NadineNBone (@NadineNBone) January 31, 2019

SnagIt is a simple photo editing software. Even though it’s surrounded by free rivals, the developer TechSmith seems to think that SnagIt is worth $50. But in its defense, the screenshots are 100 percent perfect.

The current version is tightly integrated with all other TechSmith products. You can also upload to Google Drive and Microsoft Office, record your screen, and edit your screencast by trimming out the parts you don’t need. Other features include the ability to blur sensitive details, highlight important parts, and annotate images.

4. FastStone

At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was Windows Explorer, as it does bear some similarity with its yellow folder tree-like structure. However, this image editing app boasts some impressive features, and once again, it’s completely free.

As well as covering all of the usual image formats, FastStone also supports RAW image formats from all of the major camera manufacturers. You can then crop and resize your images, as well as apply the usual filters like red-eye removal and color adjustments. There’s also flatbed scanner support, the ability to edit EXIF data, and batch processing to rename and resize quickly. A portable version of FastStone is available.

5. Paint.NET

The venerable Paint.NET seems to be the crowd-pleaser, being installed on pretty much everyone’s PC. Starting life as a Microsoft product, it is now being compared to Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Photo Editor, and GIMP. It prides itself on being “immediately intuitive and quickly learnable,” making it the ideal photo editing software for beginners.

Images open in their own individual tabs and you have an unlimited history, so you can undo and redo image alterations as much as you want (disk space permitting). You also have Photoshop-like tools such as the Magic Wand feature, the Clone Stamp feature, and Layers.

And if you get stuck, you just need to consult the forum where someone should be glad to help out.

6. GIMP

GIMP is the best photo editing software for beginners who want to have Photoshop-like features but with a slightly easier learning curve. But unlike Photoshop, GIMP is free of charge and open source. It is also cross-platform and comes with a portable version that you can throw on your USB stick.

What is really great about GIMP, though, is the army of plugins and scripts which make it even more useful. From the GIMP extensions pack for Windows, to 3D screenshots, to turning photos into comic book images—there are a huge amount to choose from.

7. Photos for macOS

Photos is the photo viewing and editing app for macOS. Photos is backed up by iCloud Photo Library, meaning that your photo collections are available on all of your Mac and iOS devices.

You can connect your camera to have your photos imported, drag a photo directly into Photos with your mouse, and also take advantage of the editing and sharing options. And if you want an easy-to-use photo editor, look no further—Photos offers one-click enhancements of a photo’s colors.

8. XnView MP

XnView MP supports over 500 file formats, with all the usual suspects (JPG, PNG, GIF) as well as some lesser-known ones such as Amiga IFF, Amstrad CPC, and Kodak RAW. Cross-platform for Windows, macOS, and Linux, you can also do batch conversion tasks and use the program under various translated languages.

Ratings, color labels, and categories ensure that your photos remain completely organized.

9. Zoner Photo Studio

Zoner has a free edition and a paid edition. When you download it for the first time, you are immediately put on one month of Pro. After the 30 days are up, if you choose not to pay for Pro, then you are switched to the free version.

The Pro version costs $89. At that price point, you would be hard-pressed to find a reason to buy the app. As a comparison, the professional Adobe Lightroom is only $9.99/month.

Zoner has extras such as photo frames and templates, a script to view PS and EPS files, and several extras for RAW file formats. Other features include camera photo imports, batch renaming, batch re-organizing, a range of editing tools, and more.

10. Pixlr

Pixlr is a web app for editing photos. This is another easy-to-use photo editor that’s ideal for beginners. You can use the app to open an image from your desktop or from the web.

There’s support for masks and layers, plenty of adjustment, effect, and filter options, and a way to add text to your images. It should be noted that Pixlr is ad-supported.

Editing Photos on Your Smartphone

The photo editing apps for beginners in this article all work on your desktop. However, there are times when you might need to edit photos on your smartphone.

To learn about some of the options available, check out our articles listing the best photo editors for Android and the best photo editors for iOS.

Read the full article: 10 Easy-to-Use Photo Editing Programs for Newbie Photographers

William Blake once wrote, “Great things are done when men and mountains meet.” Climbing mountains can teach you a lot about life, but no area more so than time management. Time is precious. Everyone’s day has 24 hours. No more and no less. So how you tackle those 24 hours can make the difference between a wasted day, or a day you can be proud of. How you manage your time from the first moment you get up in the morning, to the last moment when you go to bed at night, is a lot like mountain climbing. I learned these lessons...

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Spend ten minutes walking down almost any street in the world, and you’ll see a familiar sight: a young person walking down the street with Apple’s iconic white earbuds firmly planted in their ears. They might be bobbing along to the beat, or they could be keeping their head down, just trying to get to work through the crowds. The rise of the iPod, the music-playing mobile phone, and a number of streaming media platforms all point toward a single, simple idea: music is important. It’s important to people on an individual level, it’s important to the human race on...

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Adam Senatori is an FAA-certified pilot and self-taught photographer. He brings both skill sets to the sky.

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Log cabin in Lake Runn, Sweden.

Contributed by Olle Nordell.

Church at Sanna Bay in Ardnamurchan, Scotland. 

Contributed by Michael Jones.

Handmade home in Grafton, New Hampshire.

Contributed by owner and builder Angus Gorman.

Cabin near Joshua Tree, California.

Contributed by H. Knorr.

Cottage near Hamar, Norway. 

Contributed by photographer Lia Pradal.

Killing a half-day fishing is one of life’s greatest joys. Measuring yourself against Earth’s dumbest creatures and being found wanting is terrible. For this reason, fishing is the most frustrating of our relaxing pastimes.

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