Colour Grading, for impact

Colour grading can be noticeable but not over the top like in this shot of Jasmine.

Again in this photograph of Helen, I have been quite heavy with the colour grading but it’s still reasonably natural looking. The eye excepts it.

Sometimes its fun to just go crazy.

One can also use tints to match clothes to give a overall colour theme.

Play and have fun; if using destructive editing techniques then work on a copy, or if working non-destructively, like a product like Adobe Lightroom

Retro Cameras – Nikon Zf

Nikon has a strong history of iconic manual cameras like the original F and F2, the FM and FM2. I own and use a FM2.

Since the world went autofocus, camera design has evolved to what we have today. Cameras like the Nikon Z9 or Canon R3; amazing cameras that can be highly customised so that every function you personally need can be accessed quickly with the camera still at you eye, so you never need miss a shot.

There is a lot of nostalgia for old style cameras, and certainly for Nikon, the F mount Df was their first step back into their retro heritage. It was basically a Nikon D4 in a retro style body and while never hugely popular it was loved by the few that wanted it.

Fuji have really made the traditional dials and retro look popular, I think Nikon had a surprise success with the new Nikon Zfc. You can see a lot of people using them with the new chipped manual focus Voigtländer glass. It makes a great setup for people wanting to go old school. I see photographers using a Z7/8/9 and the best Nikon Z glass for their professional work and a Zfc when having fun.

Its been rumoured now for over a year that with the success of the Zfc which is a Dx crop format sensor, we will see a full frame version.

It’s likely to happen, but Nikon have some tough choices ahead. Will people pay for a real metal body. Performance wise, keep it cheep with a Z5 sensor and focus, or go higher end, Z7 sensor and the new computing power of the Expeed 7 processor.

Each nice to have drives the price higher. A tough one for Nikon, where do they price this?

Cameras I love but do not own – Leica Q

Is it any surprise that there is a Leica in my list of cameras I love but do not own. I think the reason I do not have this, is the lens. While I like 28mm for me I would want a 35mm for a general walk around camera like this.

The handling and focusing of this is simply brilliant. Once of the best compact cameras available but it is expensive.

With the release of the Q3 and its 60MP sensor for many gets round the limitations of just having a 28mm lens, cropping to 35 or 50mm still gives you a relatively large file size.

So much to love, build quality, the way you can auto or manually focus so well, just the price against it.

The Nikon D8xx series replacement is now here!

The D800 was amazing and just got better and better.

The Nikon D850 is quite rightly rated the best digital SLR ever made. Its unlikely it will ever be bettered.

The above shot was taken with my D800, its been my bread and butter working camera since it was released, as I try not to upgrade my cameras more then every five to ten years I have skipped the D810 and D850.

Since adding a Z7 to my cameras I have been waiting for a real pro level Z camera that would suit me. The Z9 and now the newly released Z8 are the two hot bodies at the top of my list.

Many wondered what the Z8 would be. Many hoped for a higher resolution camera like the Sony A7RV a very competent beast of a camera at 61MP. But you need to ask yourself, with the small increase that 61 MP over 45 MP gives in resolution, what do you loose. Speed is a big issue for some, its a slower camera but then at 61 megapixels it’s aimed at landscape and studio photographers, but at 61MP diffraction is going to be a big issue. Stopping down more than f/5.6 is going to start to impact the image quality, while at 50MP you can still use f/8. For some studio work that is not going to be an issue but 35mm format at over 50MP is going to be a niche product. While people want more, will they understand what they are loosing. If you want more resolution then 50MP you really want to go to medium format.

What Nikon released was a smaller Z9, you loose some function buttons and a PC port for studio flash, the large battery and built in GPS. So if your mixing old flash systems and need the extra custom buttons or shoot a lot with large lens and want the built in grip to help balance and the extra battery life, the Nikon Z9 is the one for you, but if your happy with losing the extra function buttons, quick access to drive modes, GPS and grip, plus poorer battery live, save some money to for more glass.

Nikon, Canon, Sony and Leica now have cutting edge mirrorless cameras for us, all with pros and cons, and differences in ergonomics. Despite what you will hear on the socials none of them have a clear lead and all are highly capable.

Hard Light verses Soft Light

Breaking out the soft box is what most people do in the studio, the larger the better.

If your after that soft romantic feel it is hard to beat. Sometimes though a harder light source can provide a more interesting light.

Here is a hard light shot with a little fill from a soft box and a hair light. The hard light from the beauty dish really sculpts the face. Many photographers would be but off with the shadow under the neck but this can be controlled with a soft box or reflector underneath. Sometimes a very large brolly on axis can also be used to control the shadows well.

This is basically the same image but with a soft box instead of the beauty dish, a much softer light but in some ways a more boring shot that does not suite the outfit or mood as much.

Knowing when to use a soft light and a hard light is half the battle.

Hard light from a magnum reflector.

Soft light from two very large Oct Soft boxes.

Think about the model, her look, the clothes, the mood and feel you want, then select the light modifier to enhance this look you are after.

DPReview to close

DPReview has been one of the top photography review sites and forum hosting for photographers for over twenty years.

This week we were all shocked to discover its closing down. I never knew that the site was owned by Amazon, and in the current cutbacks that Amazon are making the site is one of the loses.

There’s a lot of knowledge that is going to be lost. Hopefully Amazon can be persuaded to at least keep the site available for people to read even if there is no new updates, but so far to looks like the site will be deleted.