TWiP #228 – Google <3 Photographers

This week on TWiP: The camera manufacturer industry is abuzz with big news from Olympus, Canon, and Red, Google+ launches pages for businesses, and an interview with Photoshop guru Jeff Schewe.

Hosts: Frederick Van Johnson, Martin Bailey, Thomas Hawk, Steve Simon

NEWS & DISCUSSION

Olympus Admits Using Acquisitions to Hide Decades of Loses
The Olympus saga continues with shocking new revelations that the company used acquisitions made in 2008 to sweep decades of loses under the carpet. Martin and Thomas both think that the Olympus brand will survive and continue on but neither are sure what the future will look like for them. Martin thinks that if they get delisted then they might get broken up into smaller parts and there may be a chance that some of the parts might be purchased by one of the larger camera manufacturers.

Canon Announces the C300 and Red Announces the Scarlet
After months of build-up, Canon finally introduced it's foray into the high-end video market with the C300.

• New Canon C300 comes in two mounts – EF & PL to accommodate existing EF lenses and a new line of PL cinema lenses
• C300 has a 35mm sensor capable of 4K resolution and a modular design
• Pricetag on the C300 – $20,000

Not to be outdone, just a few hours later, Red announced it's latest camera – the Scarlet.

• Available mid-November for $9750
• Shoots 4K at up to 25fps or stills at 5K
• Aluminum mount accepts Canon EF lenses with an optional PL mount available

While the Scarlet seems more affordable compared to the C300, Martin points out that price is just for the brains whereas the C300 comes fully equipped. Martin figures that a fully equipped Scarlet will run closer to $15,00o once you add all the pieces to it but also points out that compared to what they used to cost, these cameras are relatively affordable. Thomas thinks that the C300 is overpriced for his use but does appreciate the specs.

Google Launches Google+ for Business Pages and Announces A Photography Contest for Students
Proving that it's serious about social and in it for the long term, Google finally launched Google+ Pages for businesses and organizations. Thomas loves Google Plus and has found the level of engagement and sharing far better than on other sites like Facebook and Flickr. For photographers looking to learn how to utilize Google+, Thomas has a great article on his website called 10 Tips on Google Plus for Photographers. Martin has also been very active on Google+ and found that people understand it better than other sites like Twitter. Frederick is still trying to figure out how to use the business pages. Steve is intrigued to learn more about Google+ and plans to check it out and try to use it more.

In related Google+ news, they have also launched a competition for student photographers.

• Top 100 winners will get a Galaxy Nexus phone
• Top 10 winners will have their work featured at Saatchi Gallery in London for 2 months & win a trip for 2 to London for the grand opening
• Grand prize winner will also receive a trip anywhere in the world with a professional photography coach

INTERVIEW WITH JEFF SCHEWE
Jeff Schewe has been an award winning Advertising Photographer in Chicago for over 25 years. He is accomplished in tabletop, location, portraiture and particularly accomplished in computer imaging. Jeff shoots a variety of subject matter and likes to control as much of the production as possible. He does this by making his own models, designing and building his own sets, painting backgrounds and employing computer imaging. Jeff Schewe is a Photoshop Guru's Guru. He's on the inside of the development and testing of Photoshop and has helped guide and direct many features since Photoshop 4.0. In this interview, Frederick chats with Jeff about the current state of commercial photography. To learn more about Jeff, visit his website at http://www.schewephoto.com/

LISTENER QUESTIONS

Question 1: Adambindslev in the forums writes: I am attending the yearly “Lantern-Fest” – a festival where children and adults walk through the dark forest carrying lanterns. Anybody with tips and tricks for photographing events like that if you can't use a tripod?

Martin suggests bringing an image stabilized lens if he has one. He can also set his ISO as high as he dares and shoot with a wide-open aperture. Experiment with exposure compensation and try to let the scene go a bit dark. Experiment with long exposures and mix in some flash to freeze the subject and get some light trails from the lanterns.

Thomas thinks there is a lot of great noise reduction software out there these days so he would be even less conservative with his ISO and shoot above 1600. Try to stabilize yourself against a tree or a light pole. Look for natural tripods. Do some creative things with long exposures.

Steve suggests that this might be one of those times where Adam will want to shoot in manual mode.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Martin – Color Efex Pro 4 from Nik Software

Thomas – Canon 8-15 f4 Fish eye

Steve – Feisol monopod

Frederick – Paul C. Buff Einstein E640 Flash Unit

WRAP UP

Follow us on twitter.com/ThisWeekInPhoto. Join the Flickr critique group. You can also join our Facebook group and add us to your circles on Google+.

Martin Bailey – http://www.martinbaileyphotography.com or http://www.twitter.com/martinbailey

Thomas Hawk – http://www.thomashawk.com or at https://plus.google.com/u/0/104987932455782713675/posts

Steve Simon – www.twitter.com/stevesimon or http://www.stevesimonphoto.com or https://plus.google.com/u/0/117574356623680867920

Frederick Van Johnson – www.frederickvan.com or www.twitter.com/frederickvan or Google Plus

CREDITS