TOP 10 TECH TIPS for Photographers to AVOID DISASTER and KEEP YOUR PHOTOS SAFE | Peter Morgan

Watch the recording of this LIVE Broadcast as I chat with Photographer and Tech Expert Peter Morgan as we discuss the TOP 10 TECH TIPS for Photographers including Backup Solutions BEST PRACTICE to AVOID DISASTER and KEEP YOUR PHOTOS SAFE …

links mentioned in the video:

• Tech for Togs Website: www.techfortogs.co.uk

• Tech for Togs on Instagram: @techfortogs

• Tech for Togs on Facebook: @techfortogs

• Synology: www.synology.com ( NAS RAID Backup Solution )

• BackBlaze: www.backblaze.com ( Cloud Backup )

• UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply): glyndewis.com/gear/#powersupply

Portrait using a 55mm Prime and LED Lighting

I’m currently trying out a new portrait style for me using a different lens focal length than what I’ve used for a while now, and also adding in an additonal light to my usual one-light set up.

For some time I’ve used the Sony 85mm G Master lens with my Sony A7RIV and have and still do love it for the quality and sharpness of the files it produces. However I’m now going to be using a 55mm focal length … my Zeiss f/1.8 Prime Lens.

It’s hard to put into words what I’m really liking about the look the lens gives … it’s just different. Some would say that it gives a much more realistic ‘as the eyes see it’ look but I guess that also depends on how close to the subject you position yourself.

I also like how the focal length means you’re much closer to the subject, making the portraits much more intimate and revealing of the person being photographed ... if that makes sense.

I’m also, like I said, using an additional light with this new look I’m working on; both of which are LED Constant lights.

I’ve been using the 60W Westcott L60-B COB LED for a while now but a few days ago I received the new 120W L120-B COB LED; a slightly bigger unit with the advnatage that no adaptor is needed to fit any of my light modifiers.

So the portrait of my friend Anthony above, I took using one of the grey walls in my office as the background; here’s the set up showing the positon of the lights …

LIGHTING

Westcott L60-B COB LED fitted with a square Westcott Pocket Box Softbox rear and camera right and positioned so that it added both a bit of light onto the background but also a hint of light onto the camera right side of Anthony’s head.

Westcott L120-B COB LED fitted with the 24” Rapid Box Switch Softbox

Westcott 2-in-1 Reflector (silver and White) with silver side uppermost

*NOTE: If you’re looking to invest in Westcott Kit, then give me a shout and I’ll pass on a Discount Code

Westcott L120-B COB LED

Westcott 24” Rapid Box Switch Beauty Dish

Westcott Pocket Box Speedlight Softbox Kit

camera settings

• Aperture: f/5.6

• Shutter Speed: 1/60sec

• ISO: 1250

When taking Anthony’s portrait I was experimenting with different apertures to see hat I prefered for this new look; f/2.0 , f,4.0 , f/5.6 and actually liked the look of f/40 as with the 55m lens it gave a great depth of field with the tip of the nose in foucs and then from the ears losing focus.

However, I mistakenly left the camera in f/5.6 so during the retouching in Lightroom I used the Lens Blur to convincingly fake the depth of the field.

retouching in lightroom

The portrait I retouched using only Lightroom and I’ve added it into my Lightroom Community Profile Page …

When you go to my Lightroom Community Profile Page, click on the portrait and this will then take you to where you can see all of the retouching steps I did to the ‘out of camera’ file. You can also save the settings as a preset to use on your own images and even click on Remix to get access to a Smart Preview of my original file and have a go at retouching it yourself.

Westcott Wednesday: Unlocking the Potential of Constant Lighting

So here’s a date for the diary …

In conjunction with Westcott and B&H Photo and Video, on the 15th May @ 3pm EDT (8pm UK) I'll be on "Westcott Wednesday" going through the WHY, WHAT and HOW of using Constant Lighting when taking portraits.

Thid will be the latest installment of the regular Westcott Wednesday series hosted by B&H in which I’ll be, as the description says …

Join us for this presentation as Photographer Glyn Dewis takes us through a journey shifting from traditional flash to constant lighting in portraiture. With a mix of image examples and behind the scenes, Glyn will explain how constant lighting has become the cornerstone of his portrait work, injecting a newfound level of creativity and enthusiasm into his photography.

“At first, using constant light almost felt like cheating but I’ve since completely changed my mind because aside from being under no illusion of the results I get and the ease of setting up, more than anything it enables me to concentrate even more on the person in front of my camera and the concept we’re working on.”

Oh and this event is FREE , will last about 1 hour and will be over on the B&H Event Page on YouTube ( LINK )

DISPLAY 123 - Screen Calibration SIMPLIFIED but IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE

The Display 123 from Calibrite removes the technicals from Screen Calibration making it possible for everyone with a simple 3 step process ... BUT it's not aimed at the Professional!

NOTE

The Display 123 is NOT suitable for the new LED technology Displays such as in the New Apple Macbook Pro M3 and Apple Pro Display XDR; for these a device like the Display Pro HL from Calibrite would be needed. The display 123 COULD prolfile these displays however only in sRGB. For all other displays using Backlit technology (which is currently the majority of displays on the market, the Display 123 will Calibrate the screen albeit without the additional parameters that more expensive / high end devices can. The display 123 is more aimed at the Consumer as opposed to the Professional.

For more information check out the Calbrite website ( LINK )

Want / Need a BIGGER Display to use with your Apple MacBook ?

So this morning I was contacted by someone from my Newsletter Subscriber list asking about the BenQ Discount I’m able to give details about for their SW and PD range of displays, but also asking a bit of advice on their choice of display.

In short, they use a MacBook Pro as their main computer but the current display (not BenQ) that they plug their MacBook into, after a good few years of reliable service has developed a fault that by all accounts to get fixed would cost more than a replacement, so … a replacement it is.

SW or PD ?

Initially they were looking at getting the BenQ SW272Q which basically has the same spec as the display I have, the SW272U other than it’s a 2K display rather than 4K, however after a bit of digging about to discover exactly what they do, I suggested they consider a Display from BenQ’s PD Range.

As for ‘what they do’ it was mainly editing their photographs but not doing any home printing; if they did print any images they used a lab. They also did a little bit of video editing for social media content and the rest was general day to day computer use stuff.

The reason I recommended they take a look at the PD range of displays from BenQ was first and foremost because their main computer is their MacBook Pro.

Mac Ready

The PD range of displays are Mac Ready, meaning when you connect the MacBook and turn on M-Book mode you get identical colour and brightness, basically meaning no difference between the MacBook screen and the BenQ PD display.

HASSLE FREE Connection

Using just one cable, Thunderbolt 3, you connect the MacBook to the display and this cable is also used for audio, video and data.

ERGONOMIC STAND INCLUDED

The PD displays come with an ergonomic stand that as well as having that Mac metal kind of look, is also able to tilt, rotate and is height adjustable.

2 DISPLAYS IN 1

I have the PD 3420Q as a 2nd display, and because of the ultra wide screen format being 3440 x 1440, it’s like having 2 Displays in 1.

Unless I have Premiere Pro open full screen on my PD display, I’ll often have the Chrome Browser AND my MacMail open together side by side which makes day to day working at my computer way more efficient.

There’s lots more to the PD displays but I just thought it beneficial to share the main reasons I recommended the PD over the SW range of displays, and also to give you something to think about if you were consiodering a new display … especially if you’re a Mac user.

PRICE DISCOUNT

Anyway, if you are looking to get a new display now or in the near future, drop me a message and I’ll give you a link to a page where I have details that explain how you can get a discount on Benq displays in the SW and PD range.

There’s a reason I won’t just post that openly here and when you go to the page I explain why that is 😉

Also, here’s a link to my GEAR page where you can see my desktop set up and the displays I use.