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You’d be shocked at just how simple it is to get the redscale look everyone loves and craves. The redscale look derives from the organic look you can get from film. And so, I’m going to preface this piece by saying you should just shoot film. But you can also totally get the look digitally in-camera. Better yet, you don’t need to do post-production. In this short, useful photography tip, we’re going to teach you how to get the redscale look.

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If you’re organically shooting for the redscale look with film, it will vary depending on how you expose for it. Years ago, we reviewed Redscale by Lomography. We said the following:

“.the shorter your exposures are, the more red and orange the film results will be. But the longer your exposures are, the more normal they’ll look.”

So basically, the less light you give it, the more extreme the look. The more light you give it, the less the effect will be. You’ll need to dial in the look according to your preferences. Of course, if you shoot digital, you might want to just try the look. Well, you don’t need some fancy preset and you don’t need to even step into post-production. You can shoot the image and then just port it straight to your phone. That means you can just focus on creating the entire time. Here’s how to get the redscale look.

Tungsten Light and Daylight White Balance

Tungsten-colored light is a big way to start getting the redscale look. How do you know what Tungsten light looks like? Well, is there warm light in the room or whiter light? If it’s warmer, it’s closer to Tungsten. Does the light remind you of the warmer lights you see in bars? If that’s the case, then that orange light is closer to tungsten. Most street lamps are also tungsten-colored. Whiter light is more daylight colored.

Combine tungsten light in the environment with daylight white balance to get the redscale look. Your camera should have a daylight setting. But daylight white balance is anywhere between 5200-5600 Kelvin on your camera. Yes, this means, that you need to manually set the white balance by kelvin and not by using the white point option.

This is just one way to do it, but there is, of course, yet another way to get the look too!

10,000 Kelvin White Balance

In most lighting situations involving the outdoors or daylight, you can get the redscale look using 10,000 Kelvin white balance on your camera. For most cameras, this is the most extreme option on the warmer end. Want the extremely warm look with the clothes to be a different tone? Well, use a flash or shoot in daylight. Everything will have a tint of orange going over it and you’ll get a pretty awesome look without needing to do post-production.

Some of you might wonder if this is possible with an orange filter on the lens. An orange filter just makes the entire scene orange. That’s a cool look for sure, but it’s not quite the redscale look you want.

If you look at it, there are two schools of thought in photography: gear and photos. Some people are great with gear. Other people are great with making photos. Just because you’ve got an expensive camera doesn’t mean you can shoot a great photo. And it doesn’t mean you understand how to create a great photo, the idea of a moment, etc. I’ve also met a ton of photographers so into their art that barely know how to use their cameras.

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Some people are just more into cameras. Other people are more into photography. There’s a huge difference. Some people are into knives, but they’re not into cooking. Other folks are into gaming, but they’re not into building their own computers. A reasonable amount of people are into cars, but not necessarily driving them. Some folks are into archery, but not necessarily geeks about bows. Someone could really like whiskey, but not care about the distilling process.

This is something we need to keep in mind. It’s fine if cameras are your hobby. You can own a bunch of cameras because you like them. Cameras are a fun hobby. If you buy them used, you’re going to probably get a great buy. More so than any other tech besides TVs, cameras are used pretty carefully. You can’t go wrong when buying a used camera the way you can with a refrigerator or something.

At the same time, photography can also be a hobby. You can be just fine with your 30-year-old camera and just enjoy the act of taking photos. Even your phone could be enough, and maybe you’d just be really into the stories of the photos, looking at them, etc. It’s an enjoyable thing for sure. Some folks on the other hand might really like paging through photos in a book.

Now here’s the bigger thing: it’s wonderful if you’re just into cameras. At the same time, your interest in photography is equally just as wonderful. But I think we need to go deep down inside our souls and figure out which one we are. You could say you’re into street photography, but you may actually just like using cameras. Similarly, you could say you love Sony cameras, but you may have never touched anything else in your time shooting photos.

Can you genuinely be into both? Sure, but not a lot of people are. If I looked at our staff, I could easily see who is more into cameras and who is more into photography. Some people are a bit of both. If I look at brand ambassadors, I can easily tell who is into photography, who is into cameras, and who are both. There are people who call themselves photographers that end up just doing tons of layering in Photoshop. At the end of the day, they could do that with any camera. So they’re mostly just into being actual photographers and photo editors.

If you’re making it this far, you’re probably wondering why this matters. I think it helps change the conversations about both cameras and photography. Some cameras are a more tactile experience. You obviously pick up a Leica for a specific experience. But when you look at a bunch of the cameras on the market, the experience is very similar. Conversely, when you look at the different types of photography, they’re very different. So why then haven’t camera manufacturers tried to make themselves as diverse as the genres of photography?

If you ever experienced photography before Instagram, then you hopefully got to check out the tilt-shift lens. They were used for a variety of things: architecture, landscapes, and surreal work. It’s where the idea of miniatures comes from. And almost a decade ago, they were expensive and not used as creatively. These days, the tilt-shift lens is completely missing from various camera systems. And I think that the tilt-shift should make a return, but in a totally different way.

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Tilt-shift lenses were all about getting perspectives 100% totally what you want them to be. All of that can be done digitally via post-production these days. But a lot of photographers would rather not have to do it in post-production. After all, what’s the fun of photography if you’re spending all day behind a computer screen? Manufacturers like to talk about how some of their lenses don’t have distortion. And for the most part, a lot of distortion has been eliminated. But it’s not perfect still. A tilt-shift lens, medium format, or large format lens can still do things much better and get it right the first time around.

“The miniature effect is in essence, using the lens to drastically change the plane of focus by a tilt and/or shift to throw out the area of focus only keeping a small area IN focus.”

How a Tilt Shift Lens Works

Even so, I don’t think that that this is why the tilt-shift lens should come back. Instead, I think that the current landscape of lenses is just seriously lacking in variety. We’d know, we’ve reviewed more than any other photo publication.

Manufacturers also generally work to engineer all the character out of their lenses. These clinical experiments have removed the soul from optics. To that end, we get the perfect metaphorical tacos that still need a lime to be drizzled on them. And this means that a manufacturer doesn’t necessarily need to create a tilt-shift lens, but a tilt-shift adapter could possibly work. Even then though, the adapters don’t do as good of a job as a dedicated lens.

Years ago, we reviewed the Rokinon 24mm tilt-shift lens. And it touched on a very big and important point. Here’s a section from that review:

“Now a lens like this is built to CORRECT distortion caused by less than ideal perspectives (we can’t all shoot from a cherry-picker 20-50 feet in the air all the time). So thankfully with the shift adjustments available on this lens it is quite simple to correct the converging lines of taller buildings or even normal rooms from a higher or lower angle than eye-level.”

I’ll totally admit that this can be an annoying problem to deal with. But a tilt-shift lens would make sure that I don’t have to face it at all. And when I’m done with it for perspective correction, I’ll go play with it to create miniatures.

If you’re sitting here saying, “Chris, you can just do it in post-production,” then you’re missing the point. I don’t want to do it in post-production. A lot of us don’t. We’re still in a pandemic that isn’t over and people spend way more time in front of screens. We don’t need to anymore. We can spend time working with our cameras and getting the photos to be perfect in-camera. Photography is a skill, and we should make it so again. Yes, AI and technology has made the basics easier. But it’s up to us now to raise the higher end of skills up since the lower end has also risen up.

Sometimes, it’s best to put your camera down and take a step back from photography.

Whether you’re a die-hard hobbyist or a consummate professional, you likely practice photography a lot. But there comes a time in every photographer’s journey when things don’t go well. It can be a lack of enthusiasm, a struggle to find identity, or a general loss of love for the craft. When we hit lows in our journey, often the best solution is to take a break. And in this piece, we look at some signs that indicate you may need to put your camera down.

The Photography Aesthetic Hasn’t Evolved

I’m a big believer in progression. No matter how successful you become, you should always strive to improve and learn new things. That could mean photographing different types of subjects, or it could mean learning new photo editing skills that give your images more life.

If you spend time with your archive and notice your images look the same, it’s time to take a step back. It’s easy to get into a routine when it comes to creating. And that routine can be difficult to break. But, by stepping away from photography, you can return to it with fresh eyes. Taking a break also gives you time to gain clarity on what direction you then want to go in.

Photography Feels More Like a Chore

Even if your passion is photography, there will be phases where you just don’t feel it. You may develop resentment to the feeling that you must always use your camera. Instead of photography being a joyous thing, it starts feeling more like a chore. That’s normal and can come and go in waves. But when that feeling does arrive, take a break. It’s good to miss the feeling of making photos. It can help you realize why you enjoy doing it so much.

You’re Feeling Guilty About Your Lack of Productivity

Rather than taking a conscious break, photographers may just stop using their camera. Better known as a rut, the camera begins a life on the shelf. “I’ll make photos next week,” you may say, but next week never comes. Over time you start to feel guilty. “I should be making more photos.”

Instead of letting the guilt manifest further, and ignoring the obvious, decide to take a break. But the break has to be a conscious thing. For example, you can tell yourself, “I won’t make photographs for four weeks.” That way, you have committed to a date, and you don’t have to feel guilty. Hopefully, by the time you pick up your camera, you’ll have a new sense of enthusiasm.

You Focus Your Attention on the Negative Elements of the Industry

Every industry has its good and bad parts. The deeper you get into photography, the more you deal with egos, time-wasters, and a whole list of other issues. It’s par for the course, but people can usually handle all of that by connecting to the positive elements of being a photographer.

If you can no longer see those positives, and find that you focus your energy on the negatives, it’s time for a break. Honestly, it’s a miserable place to be in when all you see are the bad parts of something. Take a break, focus on your mental health, and come back when you feel positive again.

You Want to Have the “Falling in Love” Period Again

The romance that comes with starting photography is special. Learning new things and exploring new places with your camera is awesome. But like the infatuation stage of a relationship, it can only last so long. That doesn’t mean it stops being a good thing; it’s just more of a balanced enjoyment rather than an intense thrill.

But many photographers long for that initial buzz again. If this sounds like you, walk away from photography. Find something new to do or develop another passion. If the connection is strong, you’ll pick up your camera again. And when you do, it will feel like the beginning of a new, exciting relationship!

Taking a Break Doesn’t Have to Mean the End

Taking breaks should certainly be a part of your process. Breaks will prevent burnout and the loss of passion for what you love. Identify what you should do to be the best p...

On this episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by documentary photographer Dina Litovsky.

Dina has been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, TIME magazine, and more!

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The refined Wandrd PRVKE has plenty of room and plenty of comfort.

The Wandrd PRVKE generated a lot of buzz when the backpack launched on Kickstarter. And that was for a good reason — we gave the original bag the Editor’s Choice Award. Like most photographers, we’re picky about our bags. Now, Wandrd is back with an updated bag by the same name. The updated Wandrd PRVKE II keeps well-loved features like the roll-top, rear access, extra pockets, tripod pocket, and numerous compatible accessories. But, the updated version re-designs the back panel and shoulder straps for more comfort, and adds a luggage pass-through and accessory straps to the shoulders. It also fixes complaints on the earlier bag, such as stronger magnets on the top handles.

We called the original PRVKE the perfect camera bag “for the most part.” Can the updated version hit that perfection without any modifiers?

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Innovations

Wandrd PRVKE II Tech Specs

Wandrd PRVKE II Ergonomics

Wandrd PRVKE II Build Quality

Wandrd PRVKE II Ease of Use

What size Wandrd PRVKE do you need?

Conclusions

Likes

Dislikes

Too Long, Didn’t Read

The Wandrd PRVKE II is a versatile, well-built bag with a roll-top that’s almost like having two bags in one. It’s comfortable to wear and easy to use, but you’ll have to put the bag on the ground to access all the gear, and the placement of the laptop sleeve makes the back panel stiffer.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Versatile expanding roll-top

Comfortable straps and back panel

Two access points

The design keeps straps out of the way when accessing gear

Made from durable, sturdy materials

Cons

Small objects can fall from the top compartment into the main compartment

The laptop sleeve is poorly placed

Lenses with tripod collars are too big to easily get through the side access door

Without a waist strap, you have to put the bag on the ground for full access to gear.

Gear Used

I used the Wandrd PRVKE 41L with the Wandrd camera cube (a larger Pro size is available). I stashed the Nikon Z6 II and Z7 II, the 24-70mm f2.8 Z lens, the 70-200mm f2.8 Z lens, a 20mm f1.8, and the 24-200mm Z lens in this bag. I also slipped an iPad Pro and my 13-inch MacBook Pro into the laptop and tablet sleeves. A Manfrotto BeFree travel tripod was stashed in the side pocket. Finally, the roll-top stashed lots of extras for outings with my three kids, including sweatshirts and snacks for everyone.

Innovations

This updated Wandrd PRVKE II more of a refresh than anything crazy new. It houses more features, like a luggage pass-through and a back panel and shoulder panel designed for more comfort.

Wandrd PRVKE II Tech Specs

Wandrd lists these tech specs for the new PRVKE bags. You can find this and more in their Amazon Store.:

Materials: Waterproof Tarpaulin and Robic 1680D Ballistic Nylon. YKK Weather Resistant Zippers.

Dimensions:

21 Liter: 17″H X 11″W X 6.5″D

31 Liter: 19″H X 12.5″W X 7.5″D

41 Liter: 21H” X 12.5″ W X 9″D

Volume:

21 L to 26 L (rolltop full extended)

31 L to 36 L (rolltop fully extended)

41 L to 46 L (rolltop fully extended)

Weight:

21 Liter: 2.8 LBS

31 Liter: 3.4 LBS

41 L: 3.7 LBS

Wandrd PRVKE II Ergonomics

Like the original, the Wandrd PRVKE II backpack has a rear clamshell opening, quick access side door, and a roomy expanding roll-top. The 41L is a massive bag that’s 21 inches tall. I originally thought I picked the wrong bag for my small torso, but the big bag still fit okay, and I was grateful for the extra space.

Let’s start our tour on the inside of the bag. The PRVKE doesn’t have to be a camera bag — you make it one with the camera cube. (A larger Pro camera cube is also available.) While I generally don’t care for bags with camera cube inserts, I wasn’t bothered by the Wandrd camera cube because the zipper top and side door are made to tuck out of the way and under the cube. That means you don’t have to go through two zippers, but when you remove the camera cube to use the bag for eve...

We’re all fans of some photography brands. Some hold a special place in our hearts, and many among us defend them to no end. Other brands we can’t stand, and we secretly wish our favorite brand would do better than them. But this article isn’t about which brands are outshining others. Almost all leading camera manufacturers are guilty of doing (or not doing) one or more of the points below. What is worrying is that some of these unhealthy trends have continued for years. And manufacturers don’t seem to want to address these anytime soon. Which ones do you find most annoying?

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This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means. These points are ones I’ve been discussing with fellow photographers for nearly a decade now. It makes me wonder why, despite these issues being addressed in camera forums, manufacturers pretend they’re a non-issue. Isn’t the voice of the consumer valid to them? Isn’t it annoying when existing users reach out to brands with feature requests, only to have them ignored?

Table of Contents

Camera Manufacturers Not Providing Firmware Updates to Capable Older Cameras

Not Innovating Enough to Fill a Genuine Need

Camera Manufacturers Not Giving Prime Lenses as a Kit Lens Option

Pretending Like a Major Manufacturing Flaw Doesn’t Exist

Camera Manufacturers Not Providing Firmware Updates to Capable Older Cameras

Fujifilm is the most notable exception to this. I’m not a user of their cameras, but it brings me a smile to see them releasing firmware updates to old cameras. Many of these aren’t just updates that perform bug fixes. In many cases, they’ve brought AF performance of previous-generation cameras almost on par with current ones.

Let’s take the Fujifilm X-Pro2, a camera released to the public in early March 2016. Firmware version 5.00 made the following improvements:

The low-light limit for phase detection autofocus has been improved by approximately 1.5 stops from 0.5EV to -1.0EV, raising the precision and speed of autofocus in low-light environments.

The range at minimum aperture has been expanded from F8 to F11. For example, even when using the XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR with the teleconverter XF2X TC WR, phase detection autofocus can now be used.

Major improvements have been made to the AF-C performance while operating the zoom, which provides major benefits when shooting sports and other scenarios in which the subjects moves unpredictably.

Finely-detailed surface textures of wild birds and wild animals can now be captured at high speed and with high precision as a result of improvement in phase detection autofocus.

Fujifilm’s firmware releases are a testament to the fact that even older cameras can perform better with things like autofocus and subject tracking. Of course, they do this without having to resort to newer or dual processors. Manufacturers try to push consumers to purchase newer models for improved features. Yes, we’d all like faster AF. And we’d never complain if Eye-AF was an added feature with a firmware update. Just don’t keep spinning the annoying old tale that new features need newer processors. Fujifilm clearly proves that older processors can be improved upon if brands just took the effort to work on them. You don’t always need that latest camera; sometimes all you need is just a newer firmware for your current one. By continuing to support even first-generation models of their X-line of digital cameras, Fujifilm keeps their fan base loyal. We only wish more camera manufacturers would do the same.

In September of 2020, a whole bunch of Fujifilm’s cameras received firmware updates. These included the following: X-T4, X-T3, X-T2, X-T1, X-H1, X-Pro3, X-Pro2, X-Pro1, X-E3, X-T20, and X-T30. No doubt, it takes up a considerable amount of their R&D budget, but by continuing to innovate in this fashion, they ensure their customers stick by them. Plus it frees up customers from wanting th...

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I have been a Nikonian photographer for more than a decade. Yet, after trying the company’s first full-frame mirrorless, I chose to stick with a DSLR. I simply didn’t have the confidence in the Z7 and Z6 autofocus system and lack of ability to record to two cards at once. That’s exactly what Nikon focused on in the second generation, however. The Nikon Z7 II keeps much of the first generation intact but steps up the autofocus, adds a second card slot, and moves to dual processors. Then, there’s also the price bump of a few hundred bucks.

So, has Nikon earned my trust back with the Nikon Z7 II? I didn’t fall in love instantly like I had hoped, but gradually, the Z7 II earned my confidence. The Z7 II isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t outperform the competition. But, it’s a camera many photographers could still manage to fall in love with, especially paired with a Z system lens.

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Innovations

Tech Specs

Ergonomics

Build Quality

Autofocus

Ease of Use

Metering

Image Quality

High ISO Images

RAW File Versatility

Extra Image Samples

Edited

Unedited

Conclusion

Likes

Dislikes

Is the Nikon Z7 II Worth it?

Too Long, Didn’t Read

The Nikon Z7 II corrects much of what disappointed me in the first version, including a much better autofocus system and dual card slots. The Z7 II is beautiful inside and out: it takes beautiful pictures, and it’s also beautifully designed. But, while finally competitive, there are a few annoyances to contend with.

Pros and Cons

Pros

A much-improved autofocus system

Durable magnesium alloy build with weather-sealing

Image quality is great, especially with native Z lenses

In-body image stabilization

Dual card slots with XQD/CF Express and SD

Cons

While improved, the autofocus isn’t as good as Canon’s R series

Eyepiece rubber sometimes blocks the eye sensor

Viewfinder blacks out

Gear Used

I used the Nikon Z7 II with the Z 50mm f1.2 S, the Z 70-200mm f2.8 VR S, and the Z 24-200mm f4-6.3 VR. I used the Wandrd Sling strap, as well as the Wandrd PRVKE II and Lowepro Flipside backpacks.

Innovations

The Nikon Z7 II is more about fixing complaints about the first generation than crazy innovation. It adds the dual card slots, improves autofocus performance, and upgrades video to 4K at 60 fps (93 percent crop). The biggest change is the move up from a single processor to two, which improves performance.

Tech Specs

These Nikon Z7 II tech specs are a shortened version of the full specifications available from Nikon USA:

Sensor: 45.7-megapixel full-frame CMOS

RAW: 12 or 14 bit

Two card slots with XQD/CF Express, SD

EVF: .5 inch, 3690k dot

3.2 inch 2,100K dot touchscreen with tilt

Shutter: 30 sec. to 1/8000, Flash sync up to 1/200

10 fps burst

ISO: 64-25,600 (32-102,400 extended)

AF: Hybrid phase-detection/contrast with AF assist beam, -3 to +19 detection range, 493 focus points

5-axis sensor-shift stabilization

Video: 4K at 60 fps (93 percent crop of the sensor), up to 29 minutes 59 second recording time

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Li-ion battery rated at 360 to 440 depending on settings

Weighs 21.7 ounces

5.3 x 4 x 2.8 inches

Ergonomics

Little has changed on the exterior of the second-generation Z7. Save for the little “II” in the corner on the camera name, it would be difficult to tell the two apart at a glance. The biggest exception? The second generation has both the XQD or CF Express slot and an SD slot. That’s a must-have for working professionals who need to back up their images in the field.

The Z7 II weighs 21.7 ounces, which is significantly lighter than the Nikon D850. It’s also more compact, yet the grip is almost the same size, so it doesn’t have the uncomfortable hold of a compact camera.

A long-time Nikon DSLR user, the control scheme on the Z7 II feels like home. The top houses an LCD screen. Dual control wheels flank the shutter, on/off, record, ISO, and exposure compensation on the ...

Anna Neubauer joins us on this episode of Inside The Photographer's Mind. She's here to talk about her recent success at the Sony World Photography Awards, her motivation to photograph children, and to discuss a project she's currently working on.

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On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by fine art photographer Jennifer Thoreson.

Jennifer joins us to discuss her series Testament, her photography career, and her latest, moving project, The Prayer Glove Project.

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https://www.jenniferthoreson.com/

https://twitter.com/jennthoreson

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