The Phoblographer

Most new photographers would never know or understand when the best time to shoot portraits is. But if you want an effortless time and diffused natural light, then you’ll have to plan accordingly. Most importantly, you’ll need a subject that’s got the time to shoot. And you don’t need a fancy camera or lenses for this method. As long as you just know and understand the timing, you’ll see that this is universally the best time to shoot portraits. So what is it? We’ll tell you after the jump.

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The Best Time to Shoot Portraits and Why

The best time to shoot portraits is during an overcast day when the sun is behind the clouds. Some photographers and producers call this the softbox look in the creative industry. Obviously, this doesn’t mean it will always happen during the golden hour. The Golden Hour is very nice, but if you don’t know how to use the light, it’s useless. Instead, it’s easier to just get naturally diffused lighting in all situations and from every angle.

Here are some specific reasons why the best time to shoot portraits is during a cloudy day.

You can shoot at a wider aperture and a lower ISO. This will give you sharper images and often a lot of data to work with in post-production. As you raise the ISO of a camera, it tends to lose both color rendition and dynamic range.

You can use your camera’s spot metering methods to meter for a subject’s face.

No matter the angle, and as long as you’re exposing accordingly, no angle can look bad.

You’re not going to have deep, dark shadows under their eyes or under their chin. No one wants those. (I purposely grow a beard to hide my chin, or chins rather! Ha!)

Colors tend to pop more with soft, diffused lighting.

If you’re using auto white balance, it’s going to add warmth to the image to make the skin tones look more radiant.

You can do all this using just natural light. If you choose to mix in a flash, it will make everything pop even more.

How to Do It

Here are a few tips on utilizing a cloudy day. Once you try it, it will really hammer in why it’s the best time to shoot portraits:

Consider bringing a reflector. It will bounce light back into someone’s face and under their chin.

Don’t want to bring a reflector? Change the pose up or shoot very tight.

Shooting a photo with a subject by a red brick wall will make your subject appear more red.

Use your camera’s natural HDR mode. It will raise the shadows and nerf the highlights, but to the point where a portrait will still look natural.

Grab a lens with a shallow depth of field and a fast aperture. A standard nifty 50 lens is just fine. At that previous link, you’ll find our reviews of lots of them.

Pose your subject. Even though there is all this diffused lighting, you’ll still have to move them around a bit. Come up with a concept of some sort.

At the end of the day, just remember that you shouldn’t stress any of this. Look at the image, assess what’s going well and what’s not. Figure out a solution to what’s plaguing your photos. And always remember to experiment.

On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by underwater photographer Brett Stanley.

Brett joins us to talk how his creative process, the types of clients that visit his home studio, and what type of personal work he likes to do. It's a fantastic show and one you're sure to enjoy.

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On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind we're joined by our Reviews Writer, Brittany Smith.

If an app version is incremented by a whole number, this usually indicates that many new features have been added. In some cases, it could mean an almost complete overhaul of the app itself, both visually and functionally. Rarely have I seen an app undergoing such an upgrade that negates the core purpose of the app itself. Judging by the recent reviews I’ve seen on the App Store, I’m not the only one who’s facing these problems with the FilmLab 2 app. I hope the app’s next update corrects what I’ve observed, which I detail below.

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Table of Contents

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Ease of Use

It’s Not Easy Anymore

How Good Are the Changes in Version 2?

Improved editing tools (after clicking a photo using the camera, or selecting a photo from the Photo gallery)

Who Thought It Was a Smart Idea to Remove the Crop Tool?

That Yellow Overlay

What’s With the Colour Cycling?

Delayed Response to Pressing the Shutter Button

Conclusions

Likes

Dislikes

Too Long; Didn’t Read

I wouldn’t call this roundup scathing, but I really think the folks at Develop and Fix, Inc need to fix the main reason why someone would use this app (to seamlessly and flawlessly preview negatives). Version 1 of this app was really amazing. But the experience of using version 2 might be why someone will look for another app that does the same feature better. I used the Android version a lot when working on my Negative Supply Basic 35mm Kit review earlier this year. That app worked great (and still does on version 1.5.0, released on Apr 17th, 2020). It was a real time saver when it came to picking negatives to scan for the review.

In September, the developers got in touch to state that the iOS version 2 was in beta. The apps we tested on my iPhone and iPad weren’t the beta ones though. They were tested on FilmLab 2 after it was released to the App Store. If you’ve got the FilmLab iOS v1 app, I strongly recommend not upgrading it to v2 for now. You’ll see why in the review below.

Pros and Cons

Pros

FilmLab has moved to a freemium model

The mobile version now uses the same colour conversion engine as their desktop software

There’s an optional Pro version that allows you to import and edit files stored on your mobile device

Finer, in-app edits with numerical adjustment values for each slider

Integration with Files app on iOS to allow file imports from Photos library, memory cards, iCloud etc.

All edits done in the app are non destructive

Pro upgrade has the same license as the Desktop app. You don’t have to pay extra for the license on multiple devices

Cons

What was earlier a simple inversion of the negative (which allowed you to see what the photo was) now has the preview screen cycling through Yello, Cyan, and Magenta, as well as varying levels of exposure when the app’s camera is open and focused on the negative

Eventually the negative preview has a highlighter pen-yellow tinge to it

The headaches that come from viewing (or trying to preview) your negatives because of the above points

Previewing the negative has become a lot more painful in version 2

Gear Used

iPhone SE on iOS 14.8; FilmLab 2.0.1 (non beta)

iPad 6th Gen on iOS 15.0.2; FilmLab 2.0.1 (non beta)

Huawei P30 Pro on EMUI 11.0.0; FilmLab 1.5.0 (to compare new version against previous)

Negative Supply 35mm Basic Kit

Ease of Use

“FilmLab makes it easy to view and digitize film negatives. All you need is your iPhone or iPad, and a light table or other back light.”

I hadn’t tested version 1 of the app on iOS, but assuming it had similar functionality to version 1 on Android, I would agree with the above statement. I heavily relied on it while working on my Negative Supply 35mm Basic Kit. Having to sift through tons of negatives to pick a handful of images for that article wasn’t easy. Then I discovered FilmLab (for my primary phone using Android). I didn’t even use the LightSource ...

When it comes to camera bags, I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done here at The Phoblographer. We’ve arguably reviewed the most camera bags of any publication. And our team comes in a variety of body shapes, plus we’re of different genders. I’ve been reviewing Manfrotto bags for a long time, and they always seem to do something that doesn’t get it quite right. That’s what I experienced with the Manfrotto Advanced Active III for the most part. I purposely held off on writing this for a month. Why? I wanted to sit with my feelings on it and step away from the experience. But after some time away, I still feel the same.

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Too Long; Didn’t Read

The Manfrotto Advanced Active III could’ve been better with the addition of a few things like a waist strap and better side pockets. In our meeting with Manfrotto, they told us it didn’t need a waist strap. But, we found this to be a poor understanding of the modern photographer.

Pros and Cons

Pros

It’s all black.

A decent amount of pockets and compartmentalization

It can hold a surprising amount of gear, just not in the camera section.

For what this bag is, it’s comfortable but could’ve been made so much more so.

It’s only around $109.

Cons

I wish there were a canvas and leather version of this bag. I understand that can be too heavy, so I’d settle for treated hemp.

It really needed a waist strap.

The side pockets feel restricting.

I don’t quite understand how the top compartment is so huge yet the camera compartment is so small.

I think all backpacks these days should have a roll-top standard. It lets a photographer expand the capabilities of the backpack.

Innovations

In the grand scheme of things, the Manfrotto Advanced Active III isn’t reinventing the wheel. Everything that we’ve seen from this camera bag we’ve seen from others. So what makes it stand out? Manfrotto’s padding is quite good and gotten better. But this is across the entire latest refresh of products.

Gear Used

We stuffed the Manfrotto Advanced Active III with:

Sony a7r III

Tamron 17-28mm f2.8

Tamron 70-300mm FE

Macbook Pro 2015

Books

Filson mask

Tech Specs

The tech specs for this bag are borrowed from the Adorama listing.

The Advanced Compact, Active, Befree, Gear, Fast, and Travel backpacks offer a diverse variations of backpacks that differ in overall capacity, designated compartments for camera gear and personal items, and various options for access points to the gear compartments that complement the needs of every creator with any kind of on-the-go workflow.

Black Microinjection 3D Logo: Characteristic feel of the Manfrotto Bag collections’ new sleek and minimalist design Gray Hypalon Pullers: Durable lightweight accents for the main gear compartment access Gray Functional Details Total Black Polyester Fabric: Characteristic feel of the Manfrotto Bag collections’ new sleek and minimalist design Manfrotto Branded Lining M-Guard Dividers – Improved Protection Harmonized Harness System with Chest Strap

Ergonomics

The Manfrotto Advanced Active III is a fascinating bag. First off, if you’ve ever wanted a camera bag that doesn’t look like it’s a camera bag, this is probably one of if not the best option on the market. When you look at it, you wouldn’t at all think it’s a camera bag. It’s also got a very plain, nondescript look.

The low profile of the bag mostly permeates through the rest of the design. Manfrotto’s big logo, red tabs, and structured back pad make things look a bit different.

On the side of the bag, there isn’t much in the way of pockets. Quite honestly, you can forget about bringing a tripod with this bag. In my opinion, Manfrotto took the support strap to hold a tripod and put it on the wrong side. The pocket below isn’t very expandable. However, the pocket on the other side is easily expandable enough to accommodate a tripod...

“I somehow see Plexus as a portrait project – a portrait of what has faded, and what is still lingering,” explains photographer Elena Helfrecht. “Maybe it can be seen as a sort of conjuring.” I originally poured over the images in Plexus on a mobile phone, and realized I wasn’t doing her work justice. When I looked at Plexus on my iMac, I had a completely different experience. I immediately thought of the Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, and more of the found-footage horror movies that dominated my younger years. That’s where I became enamored with the series.

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I think Plexus is not a series that belongs in print. To be honest, I think that would ruin the series. It belongs on your screen in dark mode, with you staring at the photos. When you peer into the work, you can almost feel its moving elements. Combine this with the fact that Plexus explores generational trauma, and you’ve got a recipe for a cinematic piece of photographic work.

Personally, I’m also a huge fan of the direct flash, no Photoshop or post-production, and the use of black and white.

The Essential Camera Gear of Elena Helfrecht

Sony a7r II

Flash

I am mostly working digitally, as this allows me to experiment with the utmost flexibility, and without material (and financial) restrictions. My main tool is a Sony A7RII, which I chose first and foremost because of its capabilities to work in low light.

Phoblographer: It looks like you’ve used a lot of direct flash. How did this help you express yourself creatively?

Elena Helfrecht: The beauty of flash is its ability to highlight forms and structures and to blacken out the background. This often helps me to elevate the subject I had in mind. Since one overarching concept of the project is the visualization of psychological structures, and the exploration of how they are connected through different times and international contexts, the materials of the photographed subjects become a symbol for these aspects. Flash, together with the reduction of color, even them out and make them appear as one fabric.

Phoblographer: How much Photoshop was used in this project? Was most of it created in-camera?

Elena Helfrecht: While I always work on contrasts, lighting, and minor retouching, the whole project was created in-camera.

“The beauty of flash is its ability to highlight forms and structures and to blacken out the background. This often helps me to elevate the subject I had in mind.”

Phoblographer: A lot of your work is in black and white. What do you feel it does for your creativity?

Elena Helfrecht: A reduction of colors emphasizes form and structure, and it breaks down the image, so only the essentials are left. In turn, the image becomes more abstract and the eye is guided towards shapes and textures, which often helps to materialize the vision I had in mind. Recently, colors frequently seem more and more like a distraction to me. If I use color, it has to be for a very specific, often symbolic, reason.

Phoblographer: What photographers have influenced you? How have they done so?

Elena Helfrecht: It’s not only photography that influences my work, but my roots actually lie in art history. I think Symbolism and Romanticism have influenced me a lot. And then there is literature and movies, too. Some photographers I adore are Joel-Peter Witkin, Roger Ballen, George Shiras, Frederick Sommer, Annegret Soltau, and Francesca Woodman, for example. I believe we are constantly influenced by what we see and experience.

Phoblographer: Almost all of these images were shot in portrait orientation. How does that help viewers understand what you’re conveying in the images? Was that a purposeful creative decision?

Elena Helfrecht: I somehow see Plexus as a portrait project – a portrait of what has faded, and what is still lingering. Maybe it can be see...

If you’re a fan of landscape photography, then you’re probably aware of the feature on Olympus cameras called Live ND. Since it was introduced years ago, no other camera manufacturer has implemented it into their cameras. Granted, there has also been a worldwide pandemic that’s restricted productivity and innovation. But still, Olympus cameras, and therefore OM System cameras, are very capable. For a while, they were the only ones with vehicle AI autofocus tracking. But in truth, Live ND is one of the coolest things they’ve made.

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Have you ever gone to photograph a landscape and then needed to bring along ND filters? It’s not all that inconvenient, but you may have a whole stack of them in a case. Lots of them also vary by quality. Some remove all colors casts and provide maximum sharpness. Other filters make the image softer and dreamier. While I personally like the latter look, not everyone has the same taste. So Live ND gives photographers a bit of help with things like that. It acts as an artificial ND filter.

Unfortunately, it was a feature that also wasn’t talked about a lot. That’s a problem with the way camera reviewers often do their jobs. Instead of focusing on some of the major new innovations, they mostly focus on image quality. But in reality, no one can tell the difference between a Canon photo or a competitor’s. Reviews Editor Hillary Grigonis proved this a while back. These days, in many cases, sensor size won’t matter until you get to the extreme edges of photography. Sure, Olympus can’t do high ISO imagery as cleanly as other cameras. But if you add their art filters, you’ll get unique image quality.

When it first hit the scene, I thought a lot of other manufacturers would’ve copied it. I mean, it would make sense for Sony, Canon, or Nikon to do something similar. But at the same time, I thought Panasonic cameras would’ve gotten it as they have the Live Composite feature. That wasn’t the case. And instead, OMDS keeps this tech to themselves.

And bravo to them! In a world where too many cameras do the same things, OMDS is standing out. At this point in time, image quality is such a small factor to buying a camera. You can do a whole lot with post-production. Of course, we always say we’ll try to do the least post-production possible. But that really truly happens with very few camera systems. We wish Olympus applied their Art Filters to their RAW files in Capture One. We also wish that several brands weren’t on an endless quest to achieve clinical perfection. But, in a camera world where many manufacturers use the same components, features are what will differentiate them from each other.

With that said, there’s a lot of praise the the OM system deserves. At the same time, they surely can improve their animal autofocus detection, high ISO output, and perhaps even add more AI to the system. Since they use a smaller sensor, AI is truly their future. It works the processor nowhere as hard as it would with a full-frame sensor. With that said, I’m hopeful for the future of OMDS. I just hope all the manufacturers start to realize that photography can all be done within the camera.

For $600, the Sony 40mm F2.5 G delivers portability, speed, and pretty good image quality.

Sony’s G lenses have a reputation for high-end image quality — but with a price to match. Sony’s newest optics in the series were announced on March 23. These put G series sharpness in a trio of compact lenses that are $600 each. The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G, alongside the new 50mm and the 24mm, is now the most affordable of the E-Mount G lenses. The question is, did Sony sacrifice too much to reach that lower price point?

The most obvious sacrifice is the aperture — and f2.5 instead of the f1.8 or f1.2 of pricier lenses. By going with a slightly narrower aperture, Sony has managed to create a weather-sealed lens that weighs around only six ounces. I tested the Sony 40mm f2.5 G in a portrait session to see just how well the $600 lens holds up.

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Innovations

Sony 40mm f2.5 G Tech Specs

Ergonomics

Build Quality

Autofocus

Ease of Use

Image Quality

Bokeh

Sharpness

Lens Character

Color Rendering

Extra Image Samples

Edited

Unedited

Conclusions

Likes

Dislikes

Too Long, Didn’t Read.

The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G looks almost exactly like the 50mm f2.5 G and even captures similar images. But, the lens is a bit more flexible with a closer autofocus range. That, plus the slightly shorter focal length, makes the affordable, compact lens a good option for working in tight spaces.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Light and small

Aluminum build with unique hood design

Weather-sealed

Wider autofocus range than the similar 50mm

Sharp photos

Accurate color

Affordable

Cons

Not the brightest G series lens

Bokeh isn’t quite perfect

Some chromatic aberration

Gear Used

I paired the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G with the A7R IV body. In some portraits, I also used a Wescott reflector.

Innovations

The Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G doesn’t really do anything drastically new. But, it does put some high-end touches into an affordable, compact lens.

Sony 40mm f2.5 G Tech Specs

Aluminum build

Weather-sealed

Internal focus with double linear motors

Minimum focus distance 11 inches (9.8 inch in manual focus)

Measures 2 3/4 inches long

Weighs about six ounces

Ergonomics

Except for the numbers on the lens, the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G looks identical to its sister lenses, the 50mm f2.5 G and the 24mm f2.8 G. The lens trio share both a similar control scheme and size.

The 40mm weighs around six ounces. Mounted, the lens only sticks out from the camera body about two and a half inches. That creates a well-balanced system that doesn’t pull the front of the camera down.

The lens has three simple controls near the mount. Near the left hand, the barrel houses an autofocus lock button and, just below that, a switch to move to manual focus and back. A bit tucked away on the opposite side of the lens, an aperture de-click switch sits near the camera grip. Like the 50mm and 24mm, it lacks a focal distance scale.

The aperture control ring has a thin textured grip. Below that, flush with the lens, the different aperture settings are clearly labeled. The lens turns with a satisfying click or with the de-click switch, smooth and without hesitation. At the front of the lens, the focus ring is wider, with a slightly smoother texture. Reaching for a ring without taking your eye from the viewfinder is easy to do by feel.

At the front, the Sony 40mm f2.5 G has a hood that feels more like part of the lens than a separate hood. The hood is only about a fingertip deep but has a small lip at the front that should also help keep out rain and fingerprints. The hood is so small that there’s no need to reverse it for storage. A 49mm filter can be attached to the hood itself or the lens with the hood removed.

Build Quality

Made from aluminum, the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G doesn’t feel like a budget lens. The lens is sturdy yet not overly heavy. The lens cap feels a little more budget, but that’s partly because it’s a tiny 49mm cap.

The lens is also weather-sealed. While I didn’t...

Buying a film camera can be very confusing. After all, you can’t really ask questions about the megapixels. Further, the autofocus doesn’t have things like face and eye detection. Film cameras let you do things much differently from digital. They’re fun! In 2022 though, it’s nonsensical to ask yourself the same questions folks did back in the ’90s and prior. You could say that your camera took good pictures, but it would be the film that did it along with the lenses. We’re diving into the questions you should ask yourself about how to buy a film camera. And I’m sharing my experience from buying them for over a decade.

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Table of Contents

Choose the Right Shops (eBay, Blue Moon Camera, and More)

Point and Shoot, Rangefinder, or SLR?

Medium Format, Large Format, or 35mm?

Your Best Bet Is All Mechanical

Check Out the Lens System (If There Is One)

Choose the Right Shops (eBay, Blue Moon Camera, and More)

First off, choose the right shops. If you’re wondering how to buy a film camera, don’t get it from an awful source. You can’t always trust Craigslist. And so let’s dive into this a bit more:

Some retailers do nothing to prep the camera for resale. Some will buy it straight from a buyer for a stupidly low price, and then sell it straight to you for more than they bought it for. I wouldn’t go with any of the big guys unless it’s a really big purchase of a camera that’s also very rare.

Even the people I know who work at the big camera shops don’t buy their used film cameras there.

Some retailers go as far as revamping and refurbishing the cameras. Blue Moon Camera, our partner for the Rare Camera Store initiative, does this!

eBay can have good shops, but be sure to check the ratings.

Etsy can be an awesome place to buy cameras if you can get them at the right price.

Look around at prices on the market. Don’t be afraid to be confrontational. The truth is that you’re not going to be sitting there one day when you retire regretting you were confrontational. Hold them accountable. If the store you’re looking at is charging more, ask them what’s justifying the extra cost. Good shops will be transparent with you.

Point and Shoot, Rangefinder, or SLR?

There are lots of tough questions you need to answer as far as how to buy a film camera. One of them is about the camera type. A point and shoot will keep things simple. A rangefinder is one of the smallest and most versatile. Plus, they can transition easily into digital if you’re reaching for something with Leica M-mount. An SLR can transition into digital too, though a bit poorly these days. SLRs show you what you’re getting in the viewfinder, while other cameras give you an approximation.

Personally, I reach for point and shoots and rangefinders. There are affordable SLR film cameras, but I’ve got a good enough experience with modern day mirrorless!

Medium Format, Large Format, or 35mm?

Here’s another big question! What format are you intending to shoot? 35mm is a small format, but if you think about how to buy a film camera and what you’re buying it for, it could be the tactile experience. If you’re going for 35mm, get it because it feels good, the film you want is easier to get in 35mm, or it’s just fun. Otherwise, just go medium format or large format. Most digital cameras can outdo what 35mm film does these days. But medium format can outdo digital in many ways.

Your Best Bet Is All Mechanical

THIS IS A BIG ONE!!! Cameras with electronics are prone to failure. Some cameras are a combo of both mechanical and electronic. For example, look at the Leica M6 or Leica CL. They’re mechanical cameras but the meter uses electronics. If anything, your Leica M6 will just become a Leica M4! Mechanical cameras will also mean that they’ll keep working pretty much no matter what. If your camera needs a battery to power the shutter, buy with caution.

Check Out the Lens System (If There Is One)

S...

On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by our EIC, Chris Gampat.

Links to Gear Discussed:

OM System OM1: https://amzn.to/3BXy4Es

(Full review: https://www.thephoblographer.com/2022...)

Nikon Z 28mm f2.8: https://amzn.to/3C1mnws

Canon QL17: https://amzn.to/36PQfAD

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