Posts Tagged ‘Juan Pons’OPG Shirts are EverywhereThursday, May 26th, 2011
While on his Southwestern Caravan Workshop, our pal Juan Pons snapped this image of Carl Shortt Jr. wearing an OPG shirt in Arches National Park with his iPhone. If you have a photo of an OPG shirt or hat in a cool place, send it on! (to info@outdoorphotogear.com) You might just make the blog. Check out Juan's workshops here and Carl's Sugmug page is here. Thanks guys! Think Tank Retrospective Bag ReviewFriday, May 6th, 2011In this video, Juan takes you through the cool features of the Think Tank Retrospective line, and compares the Retrospective 10, 20 and 30. Think Tank has just released the Retrospective 5 with the same features in a size smaller than the 10. Enjoy! Click to view the Think Tank Retrospective Bag video review transcript.Hi, I’m Juan Pons from the Digital Photo Experience. I’m here to do a couple of product reviews for you guys, in conjunction with my friends at Outdoor Photo Gear. The first thing I want to talk to you guys about is this new line of Think Tank Photo bags. If you follow me at all, you know that Think Tank Photo bags are my favorite bags. They recently came out with this line of Retrospective bags.
There are three different sizes and in two different colors. They come in this pine stone color, which actually is turning out to be very, very popular. One of the cool things about this bag is that they have kind of a retro look to them. Following the normal Think Tank philosophy, these bags are made to be inconspicuous, meaning that you don’t look like you’re carrying very expensive photo gear around with you. As with all other Think Tank Photo bags, these come with a full compliment of dividers and a lot of pockets and organizers inside to carry all of your gear. But what’s really cool about these bags, that I really like, is the fact that you can actually turn the bags into kind of a silent mode. So if you are at an event or wedding or you are a photojournalist and you can’t be opening and closing your bag and causing this big ripping effect of the Velcro opening and closing like you can see here, you can actually turn those Velcros off, if you will, and make the camera bags completely silent. That applies not just to the exterior flap but also to the pockets inside. The way that works is that they do have a flap here with another Velcro section, a loop section of the Velcro, that covers the hook part of the Velcro itself. So you can make these bags nice and quiet. Again, this applies to all three sizes of the bags and the two different colors. The Retrospective line of bags are shoulder bags primarily, but they have two ways of carrying them. First they come with the shoulder strap, which is nice, wide, comfortable, and really beefy strap. I like that a lot. But they also come with a handle, so you can pick up the bags very easily. As with all other Think Tank Photo bags, they also come with a rain cover, so you can cover the bag if you find yourself in a torrential downpour. So the three bags are the 10, the 20, and the 30. The 10 obviously being the smallest, but it still can hold two to four lenses, and it can also hold a pro body with a smallish, medium-sized lens attached to it, like my favorite 24-105. In addition to that, it has a pocket in the front, which can carry another body. The 20 is the tallest of the three, and it can hold a pro body with a 70- 200mm lens inserted vertically into the bag itself. And it can still hold two to three lenses next to that. As with the 10, it has a pocket in the front where it can hold another body, even a pro body as well. The 30 is the widest of the three, and approximately the same height as the 10. It can hold your lenses, four to five lenses inside, and it can even hold the 70-200 attached to the camera, but the difference is that the camera needs to be sitting lengthwise. It has two pockets in the front, so it can carry an additional two bodies, or if the inside is full of lenses you can put two bodies in the front as well. Out of the three bags, the 20 has got to be my favorite. A lot of it has to do with the fact that it can hold a 70-200mm lens attached to your camera while still carrying a lot of other equipment inside very comfortably. I do like the pine stone finish of the bag. You can get them all in either black or this pine stone, but this pine stone finish is very stylish and also makes the bag look more retro. If you have more questions, be sure to go to the Outdoor Photo Gear website at OutdoorPhotoGear.com. We're Back On the DPE Podcast with Rick & Juan!Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
After a busy break, Chris from OPG is back on the DPE podcast as the "Gear Guru". He'll be featuring a group of gear each podcast, and discussing that gear with Juan. Both Rick and Juan love answering your questions. No question is too basic or too advanced, so if you have questions you would like answered, please send them on in and they’ll get to it pretty soon. You can send your questions via email to or click on the “Contact us” button on the top of the http://dpexperience.com website. The DPE podcast is sponsored by the amazing folks at SmugMug. Make sure to check them out and if you sign up by following this link, you get an awesome 20% off your first year! How cool is that!
This is Episode number 34 of the Digital Photo Experience Podcast with Rick Sammon & Juan Pons. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here: DPExperience Podcast on iTunes so you don’t miss a single episode. Listen to the podcast here: [audio:http://dpexperience.com/podcast/Episodes/DPE-20110501.mp3] To download the mp3 file directly click here Hope you enjoy this episode. Show Notes/LinksDPE Podcast with Rick Sammon, Juan Pons & Chris KlaphekeWednesday, November 17th, 2010Here's a link to this week's DPE Podcast, full of bird photography tips and other great info:
In this episode of the DPE podcast Rick interviews Chris MacAskill, co-founder of SmugMug, Juan & Rick interview Chris Klapheke, owner of Outdoor Photo Gear, and between the two interviews Rick and Juan answer your questions. To get the enhanced version of the podcast with images and chapter markers, subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here: DPExperience Podcast on iTunes Listen to the podcast here: For those that need a plain mp3 feed click here To download the mp3 file directly click here Show Notes/LinksAdobe Releases Lightroom 3.2 and Camera Raw 6.2Wednesday, September 1st, 2010Earlier this month Adobe released “candidates” for Lightroom 3.2 and Camera Raw 6.2 and today they have released the final versions of these updates. These final version contain even more bug fixes and support for 16 new cameras (up from 12 on the candidate releases) including support for the just recently announced Canon 60D. To check out the new features, big fixes, new cameras supported check out this article on the Lightroom Journal. To download updates, click on the appropriate links below:
Follow Juan on The Digital Photo Experience Video with your DSLR: Why use a Digital SLR to shoot video, The GoodWednesday, August 18th, 2010
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnZLTzRYw1Q I am amazed that there is a debate still going on about why anyone would want to use a DSLR for shooting serious video. The arguments remind me of the early days of digital photography, where many out there would argue that images NOT taken on film were not real photos. Today we know differently. To this end I want to share with you why I shoot video with a DSLR, what I find the be the advantages and disadvantages of using what many are now referring to HDDSLRs (I personally prefer the term Video DSLR). In this first installment I will talk about what is great about shooting video with DSLRs. Tomorrow I will follow-up with what I consider to be the shortcomings of such systems. Multiple lensesThis is by far the most important reason for me to use a DSLR to shoot videos. I can use my entire arsenal of still lenses. I can use my macro lenses, my wide angle 10mm, my Super-telephoto 500mm, even tilt-shift lenses. This flexibility is completely unprecedented, that is, unless you had a large personal fortune you did not mind spending it on lenses and cameras. I grew increasingly frustrated with my previous video camera because I could not capture the macro images I wanted to film due to the lens limitations of my camera. The Yellowstone video above I would not have been to capture if I had not been able to shoot with my 500mm lens. Yes there are video camera systems with even greater reach and incredible zooms, but some of these can cost more than $100,000, and at those prices these are out of reach for most people; including myself. Low Light CapabilitiesBecause of the large sensors DSLRs have, these cameras have what could be considered nothing short of spectacular low light capabilities. Art Howard, on a recent assignment, was able to shoot video of sleeping bats inside a cave using nothing more than the headlamps they were wearing. Last year I was able to capture some great footage of Pine Barrens Tree Frogs using nothing more than a small battery powered lamp, as you can see the in the video below. Neither of these shoots would be been possible under the circumstances with traditional video equipment as these shoots would have required significant lights, which would have been impossible to use in either of these two situations.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsCnjs6K3S0 Film Like DOFIn photography we control the depth of field in our images by adjusting the aperture on our cameras. The wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field. But did you know that your cameras sensor size also affects the depth of field? True! All other things being equal such as lens and aperture, two cameras with different sensor sizes will produce different depths-of-field. For example, a Canon 5D MarkII will produce a shallower depth of field than a Canon 7D, as the 5DII has a larger sensor than the 7D. You may now be asking, why does that matter? It matters a lot, as most video cameras have TINY sensors, typically 1/3″ or 1/4″ or 1/5″, compared to a full frame still camera sensor, which is about 1.4″. What this means is that video cameras have a very deep depth of field. Think about this for a minute. As a still photographer, if I took away from you the following apertures (2.8, 5.6, 8) how would you feel? I know I would feel severely limited creatively. That's how I felt when using a video camera. True, I’ll take as much DOF as I can get when shooting macro, but everywhere else, I rather have my entire DOF range at my disposal, to use as I please. This DOF issue is one of the primary reasons why most movies are still shot using film. Film is a LOT more expensive to shoot with, you can’t see the results immediately, and it’s a hassle to deal with. Independent filmmakers have been embracing the DSLR for movie making in droves, because the DOF control these systems offer allows them the tell their stories better without the expense of using film. If you want to see a great comparison on sensor sizes check out this wikipedia article. One SystemThis is my last point, but by no means the least important. ONE SYSTEM. What I mean by this is that I have one type of battery, one type of charger, one type of memory cards, one type of lenses, one type of tripods and camera plates, etc. I don’t have to carry multiple formats of the same thing as my photo equipment serves multiple purposes. But MOST important, I only need to learn and know how to operate ONE type of camera. No need to learn multiple switches, dials, controls, menus, capabilities, limitations, etc. These are the same properties of my still camera, because IT IS my still camera. I know the controls of my camera to the point I don’t need to think about them or look at the camera to make any changes, I just “know” how to make these changes without even thinking about it. This is hugely important, because when you need to make a quick adjustment, you just make it, no thinking about it, no need to try and remember where the controls are on this camera, it just happens, and consequently I get the shots I am looking for, more often than not. The video landscape is not all rosy--there are certain limitations and issues. I'll cover those issues tomorrow, and what I do to overcome them. However, in my opinion, the positives FAR outweigh the negatives, but you need to decide that for yourself. Hopefully these articles will help you make your own decision. -J Grand Tetons Landscape, HDR Stitched PanoramaWednesday, June 30th, 2010
Grand Tetons, HDR Stitched Panorama - ©2010 Juan A. Pons (click to enlarge) I am not much of a landscape photographer, I tend to concentrate more on wildlife, but sometimes the landscape is so majestic, as it is in the Grand Tetons, that it is hard to make a bad image. I made this image (MAKE SURE to click on it to enlarge it) last week during my Spring Yellowstone & Grand Tetons photo workshop. We had some pretty uncooperative weather the first few days we where there, but we had a few occasions during those rainy days where we had a pretty clear view of the mountains. That morning, I took the opportunity to make a large HDR & stitched panorama. This image was made by taking 18 individual frames. Here is a quick rundown of the process to making an image such as this.
Now you’ve completed half of the work, next up you need to process those images. In the case of the image above of the Grand Tetons, I ended up with a panorama that was 6 images wide, and since I created a 3 image bracket for each I ended up with a total of 18 images that I needed to work with. Keep in mind that the more images you create, the longer the processing is going to take and the more memory you will need on your computer to work with the image. Just to give you an idea, my final image file, after HDR, stitching and cropping came out to a 50MegaPixel image, at about 1GB in size!!! Here is a basic workflow for creating the final HDR, stitched image:
We are not done quite yet. Now you need to stitch the images together. In my case I use Photoshop to do the stitching but there are other excellent tools that also do a great job. So bring those HDR images (in my case 6 of them) into your stitching program and let it go thru the images and merge them together into one image. Now you are ready to do some of your final processing on the image. First make sure your horizon is level, crop the image as necessary or use the new content aware fill in Photoshop CS5 to fill in those empty spaces, and make all your contrast, color and sharpening adjustments you normally would do. Remember at this point you are dealing with a BIG file so make sure your computer is up to the task. That is it! I hope you found this quick tutorial on HDR stitched panoramas useful. As always if you have any specific questions, feel free to post them in the comments below. If you don’t own Photomatix and are interested in getting a copy, you can get a 15% discount when purchasing Photomatix, simply make sure to use this code upon checkout: “OPG15” to receive the discount. Here are a few other articles on DPE on both HDR and Stitched panoramas that I thought you might find useful.
Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours. Wildlife Week: Pre-visualizeSunday, May 30th, 2010
Luna Moth, Chatham County, NC You may have noticed that when referring to the process of photographing something I use the verb “make” and not “take.” The use of the word “make” on my part is VERY deliberate. To me, “making” an image requires fore-thought, planing and skill. Yes we all get lucky from time to time and “take” a great image without much thought, but in order to consistently create great images you have to be disciplined, prepare, plan and pre-visualize. Pre-visualization is a simple and effective technique that can help in providing direction and focus to your photography, whether that is wildlife, portrait, lifestyle or whatever other type of photography you are into. All of us, wildlife photographers, have those destinations we dream about going to, whether it is Africa, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Yellowstone, Alaska, or wherever. Naturally we want to make the best of the time we are there, and be productive and effective at making pictures. This is were pre-visualization can help. Pre-visualization is nothing more than creating, ahead of time, in your minds eye the images you want to create. In other words creating a mental list of those images that for you will constitute a successful shoot. This will provide you with focus and purpose when at your destination and hopefully ensures that your time is spent as efficiently as possible. Let me give you an example using the image above. I had a very concrete idea of what I was looking to shoot, and in this case the location was not so much a factor. I have been fascinated by Luna moths since I first laid my eyes on one when I was about 12 years old at summer camp in New Hampshire. I learned about their behavior, their life cycles, their preferred foods (they only eat while in their caterpillar stage, as the moths do not have any functioning mouth parts), etc. Typically, Luna moths have 2 or 3 generations in a year, with one of those generations overwinter in their protective cocoons. I had noticed that those generations that overwinter had much more vibrant colors than those that only lived through the summer; and that in some cases the Luna moths around my home had a very vibrant purple band around the bottom edges of their wings, a vibrant purple that matched almost exactly the color of the blooming Redbud trees that are so prevalent around my home. With that information I then pre-visualized this image of an overwintering Luna moth with the purple color resting on a Redbud branch. Without going into too much detail, I had to get very lucky to find a newly emerged Luna moth with the right colors during the brief period of time in the spring when the Redbud are blooming (the flowers last approximately 3 weeks). With this pre-visualization in my head I worked hard to find the right Luna at the right time for 3 consecutive springs. One year I got exceptionally lucky and got the image I had in my head all that time. Where was this image taken? In my front yard! The only reason I was able to get this image was because I was prepared, I had studied this two species (Luna moth and Redbud tree), and pre-visualized the image I wanted to capture. This pre-visualization helped me persevere for more than 3 years to get the image I was looking for. Here is another example. Having observed Carolina Chickadees for many years I had noticed that they appear to be very playful. So I set my mind to try and capture that playfulness. I had also noticed that when trying to perch on a thin, smooth branch they had a propensity to hanging upside down. I then proceeded to visualize this image of a chickadee hanging from a small flowering branch. I created a setup on one of my bird feeders trying to make this image. I captured lots of other great images, of many other bird species, but I kept at it looking to make that one image I had pre-visualized. IAfter a few days of persistence I was rewarded with the image below: 
Carolina Chickadee, Chatham County, NC In summary, pre-visualization can help you in focusing your efforts, and make sure you make the most out of any shoot. Study your subjects, the location, and environment in order to help you conceive of compelling images. As I like to say “Luck favors the prepared” This article brings “Wildlife Week” to a conclusion. I hope you enjoyed these articles and that you got something from them! Juan Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours. Wildlife Week: Respect WildlifeSaturday, May 29th, 2010
Pileated Woodpeckers, Chatham County, NC No image, no matter how good, unique or special it may be, is worth stressing, endangering or otherwise harming wildlife. As wildlife photographers, we all need to be advocates for wildlife, after all, if we, who love to photograph them, are not, who will? As wildlife photographers we need to set the example for others, we need to take responsibility for our actions and make every effort to lessen our impact on wildlife and the environment. There any number of organizations promote their own code of ethics for safe and respectful enjoyment of nature, and I will list a few of those at the end of this article. Here is my basic set of guidelines that I follow. I’ve made these simple and to the point in an effort to make it easy to remember and stick to.
Eastern Bluebird Nest, Chatham County, NC Keep up with Juan on The Digital Photo Experience and learn about Juan's workshops at Wild Nature Tours. |
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Video with your DSLR: Why use a Digital SLR to shoot video, The Bad
Thursday, August 19th, 2010www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C6ysj7wGxQ
Yesterday I wrote about some of the advantages of shooting videos with DSLRs, which hopefully gave you an idea why they have become so popular.
There are two sides to every coin, and video on DSLRs is no different. Some major drawbacks exist as a result of where we are in the evolution of these new hybrid camera systems.
Video capable DSLRs are first and foremost designed and engineered for taking still images, with video being a secondary function. As such, you can expect manufacturers to prioritize functionality and design accordingly. Also expect any compromises that inevitably need to be made, to be made in favor of still photography.
So here are some of the areas that I feel are most challenging when shooting video with your DSLR.
Audio Recording
Audio can make or break your video, and what I mean by this is that bad audio can ruin even the most spectacular video you've ever seen. Yet, good audio usually just goes completely unnoticed. Just like we control the amount of light we let into our camera with stills, we need to control the audio levels as well. Just like we have a viewfinder to see what it is that we are shooting, we need a way to monitor the audio we are recording to make sure we are capturing the right sound.
Unfortunately, most video capable DSLRs don’t have any audio controls. They have something called AGC, or Auto Gain Control, which makes the audio sound terrible in any situation where the sound levels fluctuate.
But there are ways around this. I wrote a two part article here that shows you how to record good audio:
Recording audio with your video DSLR, Part I
Recording audio with your video DSLR, Part II
In the first part I show you some bad audio and some good audio so you can judge for yourself how important this is.
Rolling Shutter (Jello-Cam)
This is probably the biggest issue with DSLRs for which there is no solution. "Jello-Cam" is a phenomenon that is caused by the way the sensors in DSLRs capture the image: they use what is called a rolling shutter. For a good definition and examples check out this wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_shutter
Jello-Cam really comes into play only when shooting fast moving subjects or when you are moving the camera very quickly. For me, personally, this is not a factor, but it may be for you.
No Articulated LCD Screen
Not having an articulated LCD screen can be a a pain, and sometimes quite literally a pain in the neck. In most cases I'm not holding my camera right at eye level. Usually I am holding it lower, or to the side or sometimes up above. Having a fixed LCD on the back of the camera makes it difficult to see what you are shooting in these situations. Attaching an external monitor can remedy this, but they are usually expensive, and it’s just another piece of gear to carry around.
Limited Autofocus Functionality
This is one of the things people complain the most. However most professional camera operators do not rely on autofocus, focus is almost exclusively done manually. In movie sets they have people whose SOLE responsibility is focus! For me this is not a big issue. Yes most AF systems are very good a focusing on what is in front of them, however most AF systems are not very good about reading your mind and knowing exactly what to focus on, and most often than not, the thing I want in focus is not in the middle of the frame.
No Power Zoom
This is another limitation that does have an effect on most folks. Butter smooth zooms and pulls, are often done by motorized power zooms. I don’t know of a single DSLR still lens that has a power zoom. However with practice you can get very good at zooming. I have seen people do it very very smoothly, as well if not better than the best power zooms. So this can be overcome with practice, also you can use a follow focus mechanism for this to make it a bit easier.
No Built-in ND Filters
In the first part of this article we talked about the awesome shallow depth of field that DSLRs provide us with and that this is quite possible the single biggest reason why these cameras are so revolutionary. Naturally, this is something we want to take advantage of, however in very sunny situations we may be forced to deal with smaller than desired apertures to keep our exposure in check. In very bright sunny situations, even at ISO 100 you may be forced to go as low as f16 to keep proper exposure (since you want to keep your shutter speed at around 1/60, this may be a topic for another article). So in a situation like this what do you do? You use a neutral density filter. An ND filter is nothing more than a dark piece of glass that is neutral in tonality so as not to introduce any color shifts, that simply cuts the amount of light entering the camera, thus allowing you to keep a wider aperture.
Why is this a limitation you ask? It’s not, this is something that affects every camera from the cheapest to the most expensive, BUT professional video cameras have built in ND filters in different strengths that you can turn on and off, with DSLRs you need to add ND filters in front of the lens either thru screw-in filters or thru a Matte Box.
Length of Shot limitations
Most video capable DSLRs have a limitation on how long a single shot can take, normally this limitation is time based, sometimes file sized based, or a combination of both. On the Canon cameras it’s a combination of both factors, but it effectively limits you to about 12 minute long shots. 12 minutes is a LONG time for a single shot, so for most of us this is a non issue. I personally never even come close to that, but again depending on what you are doing you might. If you are looking to record hour long interviews with people, this will certainly be an issue for you.
In Summary
Yes there are some serious issues and limitations when shooting video with these video capable DSLRs, specially when compared with dedicated video cameras. But by the same token these cameras provide capabilities and conveniences unmatched by traditional video cameras. As with everything else in life, the choice here is a matter of compromises, so you need to determine what is most important to you and make your choice.
In the end for me the benefits offered FAR FAR outweigh the limitations and inconveniences, so now I shoot video exclusively with my pair of Canon 7Ds!
-J
Follow Juan at the Digital Photo Experience.
Tags: HDDSLR, Juan Pons
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