Dream plan? I don’t know! I don’t really make a lot of plans. - Scott Cudmore I met Scott Cudmore about 10 years ago when he shot a short documentary on me surrounding a record I released (I am also a musician). I was struck then by his flexible and warm demeanor which was the kind of energy that puts actors, musicians (and people) at ease. An essential … [Read more...]
Macs for Photography?
Apple’s brand-new 16” MacBook Pro – it’s probably a great photographic workstation, but is it the only choice? For the more involved photographer (like most of the readership of The Luminous Landscape), the big technology companies are not really keeping pace with what we need. Some of us photograph seriously with phones as a secondary camera, many of us do … [Read more...]
Adobe, Why Have you Forsaken Us?
The future of Lightroom looks distinctly cloudy This week is Adobe’s annual Adobe MAX conference, where they set the direction of their products for the upcoming year – and there’s not much for photographers here, especially for subscription software where we’re paying for the updates whether we want them or not. As disturbing as the lack of updates is that what did get … [Read more...]
Chasing The Light & The Photographer’s Mindset
Photographers have been chasing the light since the 1820s when Nicephore Niepce successfully recorded an image using camera obscura. Before Nicephore Niepce, there were pioneers who contributed since the 1700s, creating a knowledge base from trial and error until Nicephore Niepce perfected the process with a lasting photographic image. My experience chasing the light as a … [Read more...]
SEAN TAMBLYN: GEORGIAN BAY BY KAYAK
https://luminous-landscape.wistia.com/medias/mxr0fjictt The 4th in our series on photographers and the environments in which they work takes us out onto the waters of Georgian Bay in Ontario. I've loved the landscape of 'the Bay' ever since first encountering it during a hiking trip in Killarney provincial park while in college and discovering the same incredible … [Read more...]
PhotoPlus booth rundown – Film says “ I’m not dead yet”
This piece and yesterday’s article on the general direction of the show were originally intended as parts of one article. While a technical glitch split them, I actually like where the split fell – between a general description of the show and a (much more hopeful) rundown of some individual booths… Not much use if you’re shooting digitally – some chemistry and a daylight … [Read more...]
PhotoPlus Report (everything except digital cameras and lenses).
(extended version of this article here) Who says film’s dead? More view cameras at PhotoPlus than I’ve seen in years… Yes, the one on the left is 8x10” There was a significant decline in participation among smaller manufacturers this year, continuing a trend I have seen for the past several years. Years ago, every little manufacturer of anything photographic was at … [Read more...]
Jeremiah Barber follow-up: Inventor
https://luminous-landscape.wistia.com/medias/zpa57jkc6h In this second follow-up to our video piece with Southern Utah photographer Jeremiah Barber, we look at one of Jeremiah's own inventions: the thinguma! Nick Taylor October 2019 … [Read more...]
PhotoPlus report – digital SLR and mirrorless cameras.
A Fujifilm X-Pro 3 in gleaming titanium. PhotoPlus 2019 was the smallest it has been in the decade or more I’ve been attending regularly. Sony didn’t attend, preferring to host their own event nearby, which was both inconvenient for those of us who knew about it, and I talked to several photographers who said “where was Sony”, not knowing about the separate event. Apart … [Read more...]
Artificial Light for Nature Photography
Photography is about playing with photons, at least in terms of conventional photography. Whereas in nature photography, with the exception of some underwater shots, it depends mostly on natural sunlight. However, the older photography becomes, the more photographers are willing to experiment. This is why photographers working outdoors can use tools sending photons to reach … [Read more...]
Embracing The Strange
A macro still from a video I directed using LED lighting Synthetics and Tertiary colors generate a buzz Plato wrote in one of his dialogues with Socrates: ‘He who has been instructed thus far in the things of love, and who has learned to see the beautiful in due order and succession , when he comes to the end will suddenly perceive a nature of wondrous beauty ……beauty … [Read more...]
The Present State of Mirrorless Part III: Where to go if you’re looking to switch systems or add mirrorless for the first time.
All the options may leave some of us thinking the picture is a bit hazy? Mirrorless options have proliferated in the past year, and trends have become clearer. Canon and Nikon have shown their initial hands and Leica’s L mount has moved off the fringes as Sigma and Panasonic join in. Fujifilm has made it very clear that their answer to high pixel-count full frame … [Read more...]
What is the Anthropocene to us?
Earth. Taken by NASA astronauts in the course of duty, Apollo 8 In the essay associated with his Anthopocene Book, Edward Bertynsky observes: “Our Planet has borne witness to five great extinction events, and these have been prompted by a variety of causes: a colossal meteor impact, massive volcanic eruptions, and oceanic cynobacteria activity that generated a deadly … [Read more...]
Jeremiah Barber follow-up: Stormchaser
https://luminous-landscape.wistia.com/medias/7iugisb24p In this follow-up to our video piece with Southern Utah photographer Jeremiah Barber, we explore his lightning photography, as well as the incredible waterfalls that spring up - and then just as quickly disappear - after desert monsoons. Nick Taylor October 2019 … [Read more...]
Bringing Xenon Flash to the Adaptalux Studio
Publisher's Note: On occasion, The Luminous Landscape sees fit to support and promote unique or useful photographic technologies and campaigns by small start-ups and individuals. The terrain of new camera tech, programs, and plug-ins is one that requires much sifting through. Sam's offerings continue to be beneficial products in the field of lighting and the advancing of … [Read more...]
