2015 Boston International Film Festival

The 2015 Boston International Film Festival was held this past weekend from April 16th through the 20th.It was a pleasure to have press privileges to photograph the Red Carpet presence, interviews and various functions.   Also had the opportunity to see some incredible movies, short films, documentaries and feature films.The following are links to the daily galleries.  You re welcome to screen grab any images for personal use.  If you would like high resolution images, edited images or images for any use other than personal please contact us via email at info@shivverma.com - please provide image numbers, and day references. Please clearly state the how and where you will be using the image/s.BIFF Day 1BIFF Day 2BIFF Day 3BIFF Day 4Biff Day 5 - These images will be available in a few days.

OnOne Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 Released

Here is the Press Release:

Introducing Perfect Photo Suite 9.5We take user feedback seriously. Our team has worked hard the past several months to improve performance and user experience in the latest release of our photo-editing app – Perfect Photo Suite. In this latest release, version 9.5, we’ve improved performance and usability for customers in several areas which include; browsing photos, portrait retouching, processing speed, feature additions, and enhancements.BrowseBrowsing photos is one of the key improvements and one of the most important tasks for photographers. Today, photographers use Perfect Browse as a front end to their workflow with other programs like Adobe® Lightroom® and Photoshop®.SpeedThe biggest reason to adopt this workflow is speed. Browsing photos must be fast, period. Improved speed in viewing photos assists in organizing photo libraries and helps determine what photos you want to work on. Specifically, the ability to view large Raw files in detail can take forever with some apps. Not with Perfect Browse. Users will see up to a 50% increase in speed with the latest version. Quickly seeing all the detail in photos without pixilation allows for faster culling, sorting, and rating. Then send your photos with the ratings intact to Lightroom or other applications, faster than ever before.OrganizeWe’ve also added new features to Perfect Browse, which makes it a great standalone option for getting organized. on1 Albums allow you to create a collection of your favorite photos and provide a fast way to view them without searching. Want to drag and drop photos into an album? It’s simple to do right in Perfect Browse. Select the photos you want to add to the album and drag them to the Album Hot Spot. Photos in an on1 album can live anywhere, whether in the cloud or on your computer.Faster Retouching and EffectsAnother area we’ve focused on is improved speed and performance for portrait retouching and filters in Perfect Effects. Perfect Portrait is now faster than ever for auto face detection, and finding the details of the face, eyes, lips, and mouth. With easier to adjust control points and smoother sliders it makes for much quicker portrait edits. Many of the filters in Perfect Effects have been updated to use the computer GPU to make them much faster.New FeaturesIn addition to all the performance enhancements, Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 also has some great new features. The Line Mask tool allows you to create a straight path for masking sharp edges where brushing is difficult. Luminosity Masks have also been added for users to work on the luminance values or lighter and darker parts of a photo based on a specific selection.

Click on the banner below to order your copy or upgrade now.

Noiseless Pro

Macphun the makers of Tonality Pro, Intensify Pro, Snapheal Pro and Focus Pro today release a public preview of their latest product Noiseless Pro.  It will be released as two versions Noiseless and Noiseless Pro. The pro version includes the ability to work with RAW files and will work as a plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom.One you install it and launch it the first thing you will notice is its simplicity.  It has a series of presets from Lightest to Extreme. Lightest I'm my initial tests did a great job. Multiple views and side by side comparison windows help you assess the amount of noise management. Zoom tools allow you to see how well it is handling noise and maintaining detail. Included is a wipe tool for previewing the effect.  Preview is not instantaneous but the software does render the effect fairly quick.Though the pro version will work with RAW files, my preference would be to allow the raw conversion using Adobe Camera Raw, DxO, or Capture One and then bringing the image into Noiseless either as a pug or as a saved tiff file.This is by no means a full review but a quick note to assess the pre-release and give an initial verdict - the product is simple and very good.I will do another review when the final release is available in the next 8 days or so.Click on the logo to order Macphun products or to preorder Noiseless and Noiseless Pro

Photograph Professional Models in a Studio and Art Gallery Setting - a Troika

Join us on April 25, 2015 for a one day, 3 hour, educational and hands-on lighting workshop.

The workshop will concentrate on the following:

• Understanding the properties of light
• Setting up and using off-camera lights
• Getting amazing images even in the harshest, brightest light
• Shooting outdoors with a hot shoe flash
• Shooting indoors with a hot shoe flash and other lights
• Using reflectors, diffusers and other light modifiers
• Studio lights will be Pro Photo and ARRI

You will learn how to light for portraits and leave with an understanding of how light works, color of light, quantity of light and quality of light. You will learn how to get consistent results and be confident in lighting your subject in any environment.

The environment for our model photo shoot will be the 70 South Street Gallery, a uniquely new and beautifully modern photo gallery located at 70 South Street, in Morristown, New Jersey.

Hands-on opportunities:

Participants will have the opportunity to shoot models at each of three light set-ups using their own cameras (a troika).One of the three light set-ups will be in a studio environment within the gallery:The following images are representative of the studio type imagery that we'll try to achieve:Another set-up will be on the actual floor of the gallery using natural light and portable lighting:The final and third set up will be out in the street in front of the gallery using the charming background of Morristown. Portable lighting may be used as required.While shooting in the natural environment of the gallery and the streets of Morristown, you will learn how to control backgrounds as well as how to light your subjects. Here are some samples of what can be achieved when shooting in a natural environment such as the streets of Morristown.Since there will be a different model at each of the 3 shooting stations and only 9 photographers, the photographers will split their shooting time between all three stations with only 3 photographers at each station at the same time.The hands-on experience, both indoors and out (weather permitting) is an invaluable means of re-enforcing the topics we cover.The workshop is designed for serious amateurs, hobbyists and emerging pros.You should bring your camera body with a lens capable of focusing between 85mm and 100mm focal length and wide angle lenses capable of 24mm focal length (this is optional). Zoom lenses in the 18mm to 200 mm are also a good choice.Model releases will be provided and one or two images suitable for the models to use in their portfolio will be greatly appreciated.Click here for details and registration.All images provided by the models and the 70 South Gallery

Martha's Vineyard - Memorial Day Weekend Workshop

In case you’ve missed it, Adventures in Photography (AIP) has organized a 5 day/4 night workshop on Martha’s Vineyard over the Memorial Day Weekend  where I will be instructing.This is rare opportunity for photographers and their non-photographer partners to share some quality time together.Photographers get to photograph the beauty and charm of this unique island community while their non-photographer partners explore the charming New England character of Martha’s Vineyard.Adventures in Photography (AIP) has reserved all of the Ashley Inn's 10 rooms from May 22nd until May 26th. We can accommodate 20 people based on double occupancy. The Ashley Inn is an upscale B&B and breakfast is included.We still have a few rooms available but expect that they will sell out.For a full description of this Adventure go CLICK HERE

No Aurora but the Milky Way

March 28, 2015 - Alaska Geo. Inst. forecasts a Kp index of 5 for the Aurora.  Kp 5 means - if the Aurora occurs you should be able to see it low on the horizon in Massachusetts.  Sounds awesome so we decide against going for the CamNats (Massachusetts Camera Naturalists) and head to Maine.  Acadia is always a great spot so we head to the loop road. WRONG most of the roads are closed.  A nice cop gives us direction on how to get to Sand Beach - so it is about midnight and we find our way to the parking lot.  Poor visibility forces us out of there and heading further towards Otter Cliffs.  The road is closed at the turnoff to Otter Cliff road. We pull over into a small clearing at one of the entrances to a parking lot and wait for the Aurora - nothing.  Well the Milky Way rises over the cliffs so we wait.  3:15 and the Milky Way shows its full arc.  It is cold, the wind does not help. I mounted the Rokinon 14mm on the Sony A7R to get this image.  The foreground trees were light painted during the exposure.Please click on the image for a larger presentation. A subsequent 7 image pano yielded the arc but the 14mm lend distortion is apparent. 

Wine and Cheese

As the cold and snow continues, photographing indoors is always a good choice.  This is another image created using light painting.  Equipment: Sony A7R, Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8, Maglight (non LED) flashlight, Surefire LED flashlight.  Exposure triad f/16, 30 sec, ISO 400. 5 image composite.Please click on the image for a larger rendition.

New Bags for your Mirrorless gear

Are you looking for a shoulder bag or backpack for your Mirrorless or compact DSLR camera system, one that can also hold a tablet or laptop?  Think Tank Photo has just released the Urban Approach 15 backpack, the first backpack designed specifically to hold a complete mirrorless or compact DSLR camera, as well as a 15” laptop, up to a 10” tablet, smart phone, and extra space for gear and personal items.  The Urban Approach 5 shoulder bag holds one medium to large mirrorless or compact DSLR body with lens attached, one to three additional lenses, and an 8” tablet.  The Urban Approach 10 shoulder bag holds one medium to large Mirrorless body or compact DSLR with lens attached, two to four additional lenses, and up to a 10” tablet.  And don’t forget that with my special arrangement with Think Tank, when you place an order for $50 or more you will automatically be able to receive a Think Tank item for free!Click on the links below to order or learn more.URBAN APPROACH 15 MIRRORLESS BACKPACKURBAN APPROACH 10 MIRRORLESS SHOULDER BAGURBAN APPROACH 5 MIRRORLESS SHOULDER BAG

Light Painting - Still Life

With all the snow and not many places to go, a little light painting seemed to be the thing to do yesterday. This also gave me the opportunity to test out the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 lens.  Mounted on the Sony A7R in crop sensor mode the lens performed flawlessly.  There was a fair amount of ambient light at 4:30 in the afternoon so I stopped down the lens to f/16 at ISO 50 that allowed an 8 second exposure.  Individual portions were light painted and three images combined to create this final composite.Please click on the image for a larger rendition.

Phottix Luna Collapsible Beauty Dish

The Phottix Luna collapsible beauty dish is the answer to location and on-the-go beauty lighting needs.

Design

The dish comes in a collapsed state in a drawstring sleeve. Also included is a diffusion sock. Folded up like an umbrella the beauty dish weighs 2.5 lbs. and measures 15.5 inches.As you open the unit and spread out the white internal panels, you see a very clever interlocking system. Each individual panel is spread and held by hinged white fiberglass rods that lock together. This keeps the panels spread and form the shape of the beauty dish. Just as easily, you collapse these rods to close down the dish. The assembly and disassembly is very easy and very quick.The internal reflector dish is mounted to the unit with three aluminum rods and screws. This is one component that feels a bit flimsy and in the unit I received one of the holding screws is loose and cannot be tightened. Possible over tightening during manufacture has caused the threads to strip.  A rear extension sleeve covers the front section of your strobe and stays in place using the provided drawstring.  The diffusion sock is also well constructed and fits snug over the edge of the dish.  The basic unit comes with a Bowens compatible speed ring. Speed rings for Elinchrome and Balcar units are available at a reasonable price. The Phottix HS Speed Mount is available for use with a hot shoe flashQualityThe overall quality is very good. The panels are well made and the material used is as god as some expensive soft boxes. The use of fiberglass instead of plastic keeps the unit rigid and maintains its shape even after multiple assembly and disassembly. The center reflector is a bit flimsy and could be made better.The Luna was attached to an Elinchrome strobe to check the quality of the light it produces. I found the light to be well balanced and provides very similar light to one produced by a metal beauty dish. The shallow rim does impact the quality somewhat. The light quality becomes much softer when you add the provided sock. As Phottix does not provide or make a grid for the Luna, controlling the light would require a DIY grid. I do hope they can make a grid attachment in the near future.Pros:

• Lightweight
• Quick assembly and tear down
• Good construction and materials
• Portability 

Cons:

• No Grid capability

Overall the Phottix Luna Beauty Dish is a great light modifier and ideal for location and studio shoots. The light quality is good and with the diffuser you have a true portable soft light suitable for head-shots and waist up portraiture. Most of all, the price is right - $60.I would recommend this for both location and studio work and there is one in my studio.

The Arcanum

Yesterday I became a "Master" at The Arcanum - feel privileged and proud to be a part of this group of distinguished and incredible photographers, mentors and most of all an exceptional community.The Arcanum founders and visionaries are Trey Ratcliff, Peter Giordano and Curtis Simmons. You can find out more about these Mystical Pioneers on their websites and social pages.The Arcanum delivers a personalized learning experience that values people over place, and coaching over content.Using the time-tested Master & Apprentice learning method within an online social community, you can quickly close the gap between aspiration and ability.If you want to be a part of this world of AWESOME or just to learn more click here or the logo above.There is also a great podcast episode worth listening to on the Sprouting Photographer - click here for the link.  This is an interview with Trey and Peter.

When all you see is snow......

A weekend earlier this month we were driving around looking for something interesting to photograph.  There is between 60 and 70 inches of snow up north and not much to capture.  It is getting dark when I spotted this image - not sure what attracted me the most. The contrast or the stark reality of so much snow.  This is a long exposure 1.6 second at ISO 100 using the Lumix GH4 with the 35-100mm f/2.8 lens at f/5.0.  Cropped to a panel and a bit of "Orton" effect applied.Click on the image to enlarge.

Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15mm f/1.7 ASPH - Review

Introduced in March 2014 the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15 mm f/1.7 lens is beautifully constructed. With a maximum aperture of f/1.7, Nano Surface coatings, a manual aperture ring and an on lens AF/MF switch this is an ideal all purpose lens. It is supplied with a well designed metal lens hood and a lens pouch.  Current street price of $498 makes this a very affordable high quality compact lens.On a full frame equivalent basis this lens has an angle of view of a 30mm lens. It is constructed of quality metals and plastics and has a metal lens mount. It is a light lens at a hair over 4 ounces or 115 grams. The lens feels good when held and exudes Leica quality.It is a small diameter lens that works well with the smaller form factor Panasonic MFT bodies. The lens does not extend below the base of the GM series bodies and will not interfere with tripod mounts.A well designed, circular metal lens hood does a great job of preventing flare. As with any lens, the lens hood is added protection for the front element of the lens.

Specifications:

Focal Length	15mm - Comparable 35mm Focal Length: 30 mm
Aperture	f/1.7 to f/16
Angle of View	72°
Minimum Focus Distance	7.87" (20 cm)
Elements/Groups	9/7
Diaphragm Blades	7, Rounded
Filter Thread	46 mm
Dimensions (DxL)	Approx. 2.26 x 1.42" (57.5 x 36 mm)
Weight	4.06 oz (115 g)

 The filter thread is 46mm. As the lens has internal focusing there is no rotation of the front section. This keeps any attached filter in the orientation as is was installed. The lens has a switch that is used to switch the lens from autofocus to manual focus. This is a very convenient feature so you do not have to use any switches or buttons on the camera to lock focus or to flip between the two modes. The lens has very fast autofocusing in good light and most acceptable in low light situations. The lens has a manual focusing ring that is well damped and smooth through the focus range. One nit that I have is that the lens has no focus markings. The lens focuses close with a minimum focusing distance of 7.87 inches or 20 centimeters.Another great feature of this lens is the manual aperture ring. It has positive clicks at 1/3 stop increments and is very comfortable to operate. To switch the lens to automatic camera controlled aperture the ring has an “A” setting that is beyond the f/1.7 making. The manual aperture ring does not work on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 body.  When using the manual aperture settings, the aperture blades remain stationary when the lens is set to Manual focus.  However, if the lens is set to Autofocus the aperture blades do open a fraction and then close down to the set aperture.  This is an important consideration for time-lapse photography where aperture blade deviations tend to cause flicker in the sequence.Performance: (This evaluation is based on using a test chart designed for use with ISO 12233 Photography as shown below)Sharpness is excellent in the central frame at f/1.7 and edge sharpness reaches the best at f/4.0. f/4 is the sweet spot for the lens tested. At f/11 there is a slight loss of sharpness due mainly to diffraction.Chromatic aberrations are minimal and not noticeable through the aperture range. High contrast edge fringing is just visible at f/1.7.  There is no fringing visible through the f/2.0 through f/11 range.  At f/16 there is slight fringing but that too is minimal and barely discernible until closely scrutinized.The following comments are based on real life tests.Lens flare is very well controlled and not perceptible even when the lens is wide open and shooting into bright light sources.  It is preferable to leave the lens hood on as a preventive measure.  That Nano Surface Coating does a good job here.Once again, testing the Chromatic aberrations of this lens I found it to be minimal and what little there is can be easily removed in post processing. High contrast edge fringing is visible at f/1.7 and was not tested at f/11 and greater.  In the MFT world one would rarely use f/11 and smaller apertures unless extreme depth of field is desired at the expense of refraction.Like most fast wide-angle lenses this lens demonstrates light fall off (vignette) when wide open. The falloff basically disappears at f/2.8.Barrel distortion is not noticed through the range f/1.7 to f/8.0Sample Images for distortion and vignetting:The first set was captured with the camera in portrait orientation.The second set was captured with the camera in landscape orientation.Sample Images for edge fringing:  

Pros:

• Superior build quality
• Fast autofocusing
• Excellent sharpness
• Low light falloff beyond f/2
• Barely perceptible chromatic aberration
• Manual aperture ring
• Lens body Auto/Manual focus switch

Cons:

• No focus markings

My verdict:  I highly recommend this lens and now own one.

Here are some additional sample images.

This first set is a set of straight on images of a store shelving.  Images captured using apertures of f/1.7 through f/5.6This next set is to demonstrate DOF and how well the lens deals with shallow DOF.

This last set of images is to demonstrate that the lens has minimum barrel distortion using real life examples:

Olympus OM-D E-M1 firmware Version 3.0 now available

This is from the Olympus press release earlier this month."With the introduction of new firmware Version 3.0, the weather-resistant camera is now capable of an impressive maximum 9 fps in the C-AF sequential shooting mode when using a Four Thirds® or Micro Four Thirds® lens, improving the ability to capture moving subjects. The newest firmware upgrade features an enhanced algorithm for phase-detection, raising the former C-AF sequential shooting speed of 6.5 fps to a maximum high speed of 9 fps. With this update, AF tracking performance is improved when using continuous-AF (C-AF) Sequential H mode. When set to C-AF, 37-point on-chip phase detection AF is used. Now, when capturing a quick-moving subject, photographers never need to miss the shot. A maximum 10 fps remains available when set to single-AF (S-AF) Sequential H mode.The update also adds support for the latest Version 2.5 of the Olympus Image Share Android® and iOS® app. Users can now select Movie as a shooting mode, and record movies while viewing the Live View screen on a smartphone."

When all you see is snow and the temps are 17 below.

There is no point freezing in these temperatures so here are three images begging for spring.  Each was shot using a Zeiss 50mm at f/ 1.4 and a shutter speed of 1/80 to 1/100 sec, ISO 100.  A high key setup with a single strobe on the background and two for the flower.  Each image was compiled from a stack of 6 to 9 images for the best DOF.Image personality achieved by post processing in LR5, PS6, NiK and Macphun.   

Photoshop Contender - Affinity Photo (Mac only)

The European company Serif makers of Affinity Designer have announced the Beta release of Affinity Photo.  Affinity Photo is slated as a Photoshop alternative and appears to be a very strong contender.  Available only as a Mac platform software and when released will be much cheaper than Photoshop. Their Designer product sells for $60.Of significance is the claim that as it is all new code and developed for the new processors and graphics hardware, it is much faster and greater overall performance than Photoshop.CLICK HERE to go to the Serif site and to sign up for the Beta

Topaz ReStyle - February Promotion

Effective today through the end of February 2015 get Topaz ReStyle for $20 off its original price of $59.99, that is just $39.99).Use the coupon code: febrestyleReStyle is a plugin designed to alter the colors in your image with its unique array of toning effects. The technology behind ReStyle uses a cutting-edge process to map the color and tone statistics from a source image.With this, creative possibilities extend to many inspiring choices. Restyle is a useful tool for the photographer or artist looking to alter the overall feeling and mood of his or her image. The program can even be used to revamp the tone of graphics and textures.CLICK HERE to order 

TWiP Episode 398 – Raiders of the Lost Art

In this TWiP episode Renee Robyn, Ibarionex Perello (The Candid Frame) and I join Frederick to tackle the hot question… is photography “art”, and are photographers “artists”?Your thoughts and comments will be most appreciated.CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE EPISODEThe audio only version can be subscribed to on iTunes or via an RSS feed.

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Speaking of Innovation - Olympus OM-D E-M5

Yesterday Olympus announced the OM-D E-M5 MkII - a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds camera.  I am not going into all the specs and details about this upgrade to the current E-M5 with one exception.  I am referring to “Innovation” - the E-M5 is capable of creating a 40MP image by using a sensor shift technology.  Sensor shifting is achieved using the same electronics and electromechanical functions of the 5-axis image stabilizer.  The technology shifts the sensor in 8 steps in a pattern where the first four frames move the sensor in such a way so as to capture all colors at each  pixel position.  The sensor then shifts 1/2 a pixel width up and to the left, capturing full color information in the onset position. The entire process takes about 1 second. As a result it is not feasible to capture these high resolution images of subjects that may move.  I guess they will perfect this technology over time but as it is it is impressive.It is worth reading an article on the Imaging Resource web site where they have compared images from the OMD E-M5 Mk II to the Nikon D810 (a 36MP camera) and some animated examples on the DP Review web site.On a side note - Canon today announced the M3 the third generation of its mirrorless camera - for the Asian and European market. I guess it is hard to compete against the strong foothold Panasonic, Olympus, Sony and Fuji have in North America.

Canon 50MP EOS 5D S and 5D SR - my 2 Cents

Canon announces two 50MP full frame DSLR (mirror box) cameras, the 5DS and the 5DS R. Price for the S is $3,700 and the S R $3,900. The $200 price difference give you the ability to deploy a The only difference between the models is that for $200 more you get self-cancellinglow pass filter. It is stated that the 5D Mark III will remain in production along side these new models.  Availability June 2015 but you can pre-order them now.  So whats new and what have Canon taken away from the great 5D MkII that is approaching its 3rd birthday on March 2, 2015?

Compare the 5DS and 5DS R to the 5D MkIII

• The 5DS has Gold lettering (top of the line EOS) the 5DS R on the other hand has white and red lettering more like the Rebel series vs all white on the 5D MkII
• 50.2MP CMOS sensor vs. 22.1MP
• 5fps continuous shooting vs. 6fps
• ISO 100-6400 (Extended ISO 12,800) vs. 25,600 (Extended ISO 102,400) Not a low light performer - Nikon and Sony are still on top.
• 61-point AF point with 41 Cross types and 5 double cross types (5D MkIII is the same)
• Metering 150k (RGB + IR) vs 63 segments (RG/GB)
• Digic 6 processors vs. Digic 5+
• Optical low-pass filter on the 5DS and the 5D Mk III. The 5DS R has a self canceling feature
• Motorized Mirror vs Spring loaded in the 5D Mk11I.  This is  refinement for Mirror lock-up to prevent mirror slap vibrations.  When active it uses a single shutter release rather than the two for the 5D MkIII.
• Built in Intervalometer (Thank you) vs. none
• Video - all three have the same video capture capability. However, the new models do not have a headphone jack and no clean manuals HDMI output. None of them offer 4K.  So for video the 5D MkIII is still on top.  part of the reason is the USB3 port that is much longer than the old USB2 port so there was no space left.  In my opinion - the 1D form factor would be the perfect body type for this introduction.
• USB 3 vs. USB 2. Fast UHS1 compatible card slots on the new cameras.

What else is missing

• No Touch Screen
• No Articulating Screen
• No focus peaking
• No Zebra Stripes
• No on-board stereo microphone
• No GPS
• No WiFi or NFC
• Innovation

So here are my thoughts on all this.  Why rush to announce this 5 months before any signs of availability.  Who really needs 50MP and particularly on a 35mm (full frame) sensor. 36MP sensors on the Sony A7R and the Nikon D810 are very unforgiving. Stability and accurate focusing are critical for a good image so if you want this camera, plan on getting a really solid tripod, a top quality ball head and learn how to use the combination well.  These will not be a casual users camera. Studio and landscape photographers will or may benefit.  The big questions I have are:What is the real low light performance - Reduced high ISO may indicate it not to be too greatWhat is the real dynamic range - will it be as good as the Sony sensors used in the Nikon D810 and the A7R.It will be great to see some test results and real life performance reports.