Out of Focus & Off Topic MkII...

oshead · 01-08-2010 10:58am

Came across on the Lighting Mods blog.

Top 10 Lies told to Naive Photographers, Artists and Designers

1 "Do this one cheap (or free) and we'll make it up on the next one."
No reputable business person would first give away their work and time or merchandise on the hope of making it up later. Can you imagine what a plumber would say if you said "come in, provide and install the sink for free and next time we'll make it up when we need a sink." You would be laughed at! Also the likelihood is that if something important came along, they wouldn't use you.

2 "We never pay a cent until we see the final product."
This is a crock, unless the person is leaving the door open to cheat you out of your pay. Virtually every profession requires a deposit or incremental payment during anything but the smallest project. Once you have a working relationship, you may work out another arrangement with a client. But a new client should not ask you to go beyond an initial meeting and, perhaps some preliminary sketches without pay on the job!

3 "Do this for us and you'll get great exposure! The jobs will just pour in!"
Baloney. Tell a plumber "Install this sink and my friend will see and you'll get lots of business!" Our plumber friend would say "You mean even if I do a good job I have to give my work away to get noticed? Then it isn't worth the notice." Also the guy would likely brag to everyone he knows about how this would normally cost (X) dollars, but brilliant businessman that he is he got if for free! If anyone calls, they'll expect the same or better deal.

4 On looking at sketches or concepts: "Well, we aren't sure if we want to use you yet, but leave your material here so I can talk to my partner/investor/wife/clergy."
You can be sure that 15 minutes after you leave he will be on the phone to other designers, now with concepts in hand, asking for price quotes. When you call back you will be informed that your prices were too high and Joe Blow Design/Illustration will be doing the job. Why shouldn't they be cheaper? You just gave them hours of free consulting work! Until you have a deal, LEAVE NOTHING CREATIVE at the clients office.

5 "Well, the job isn't CANCELED, just delayed. Keep the account open and we'll continue in a month or two."
Ummm, probably not. If something is hot, then not, it could be dead. It would be a mistake to *not* bill for work performed at this point and then let the chips fall where they may! Call in two months and someone else may be in that job. And guess what? They don't know you at all.....

6 "Contract? We don't need no stinking contact! Aren't we friends?"
Yes, we are, until something goes wrong or is misunderstood, then you are the jerk in the suit and I am that idiot designer, then the contract is essential. That is, unless one doesn't care about being paid. Any reputable business uses paperwork to define relationships and you should too.

7 "Send me a bill after the work goes to press."
Why wait for an irrelevant deadline to send an invoice? You stand behind your work, right? You are honest, right? Why would you feel bound to this deadline? Once you deliver the work and it is accepted, BILL IT. This point may just be a delaying tactic so the job goes through the printer prior to any question of your being paid. If the guy waits for the job to be printed, and you do changes as necessary, then he can stiff you and not take a chance that he'll have to pay someone else for changes.

8 "The last guy did it for XXX dollars."
That is irrelevant. If the last guy was so good they wouldn't be talking to you, now would they? And what that guy charged means nothing to you, really. People who charge too little for their time go out of business (or self-destruct financially, or change occupations) and then someone else has to step in. Set a fair price and stick to it.

9 "Our budget is XXX dollars, firm."
Amazing, isn't it? This guy goes out to buy a car, and what, knows exactly what he is going to spend before even looking or researching? Not likely. A certain amount of work costs a certain amount of money. If they have less money (and you *can*) do less work and still take the job. But make sure they understand that you are doing less work if you take less money that you originally estimated. Give fewer comps, simplify, let them go elsewhere for services (like films) etc.

10 "We are having financial problems. Give us the work, we'll make some money and we'll pay you. Simple."
Yeah, except when the money comes, you can expect that you will be pretty low on the list to be paid. If someone reaches the point where they admit that the company is in trouble, then they are probably much worse off than they are admitting to. Even then, are you a bank? Are you qualified to check out their financial? If the company is strapped to the point where credit is a problem through credit agencies, banks etc. what business would you have extending credit to them. You have exactly ZERO pull once they have the work. Noble intentions or not, this is probably a losing bet. But if you are going to roll the dice, AT LEAST you should be getting additional money for waiting. The bank gets interest and so should you. That is probably why the person is approaching you; to get six months worth of free interest instead of paying bank rates for credit and then paying you with that money. Don't give away money.

5uspect · 01-08-2010 1:13pm

More new M$ tech:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/ivm/imudeblurring/
They use built in inertial senors to help deblur images with motion blur.

magicbastarder · 02-08-2010 10:19pm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/aug/02/news-photography-magazines

dinneenp · 03-08-2010 3:00pm

The week in pics from NBC
Wow to pics 1,3,10!

challengemaster · 05-08-2010 1:35am

came across this on a blog...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0yRGhcLPxo

pauld1 · 06-08-2010 8:06pm

very inspirational

http://www.blip.tv/file/1785698

Barname · 06-08-2010 9:04pm

5uspect wrote: »

More new M$ tech:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/ivm/imudeblurring/
They use built in inertial senors to help deblur images with motion blur.

nice find

wow

Heebie · 06-08-2010 9:35pm

It's really difficult to call it "new" tech.. since there have been cameras that do exactly this for several years. It's shake-reduction/image stabilisation.. although instead of moving the position the sensos readings come from around in real-time, they're going something focus-magic can do.. using readings from accelerometers in the camera. (or maybe even a combination of those two techniques.)
Leave it to Microsoft to copy other's inventions & call it both "theirs" and "new"

5uspect wrote: »

More new M$ tech:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/ivm/imudeblurring/
They use built in inertial senors to help deblur images with motion blur.

5uspect · 06-08-2010 11:57pm

I'm not sure I follow you, yes image stabilization isn't anything new and on sensor stabilization has been on Sony SLRs for awhile now. However Sony's solution mechanically stabilizes the sensor based on gyroscopic feedback. Nikon and Canon gyroscopically stabilize a lens element.

The difference here is that Microsoft don't use any hardware stabilization. Instead they record the non-linear multi-axis motion of the camera at a very high frequency to determine the deblurring equation. In PS for example you can only specify a single linear direction and strength.

Focus Magic appears to use more sophisticated deconvolution algorithms compared to PS, although they only appear to compare to Unsharp Mask and not any of the other sharpening techniques PS offers, in particular it's motion blur filter. Since this is one of the main selling points of Focus Magic I find it a little disingenuous they don't compare this feature. Also since they don't have the actual motion of the camera they can only ever approximate typical expected motion, which may not be a bad approach since most shutter releases involve fairly common motion by the user.

So it's pretty fair to say M$'s solution is indeed novel.

Heebie · 07-08-2010 1:09am

Both my Pentax cameras have IS in-camera which is done digitally in real-time by reading the accelerometers in the camera.

Focus magic lets you choose a distance and direction. (It doesn't compensate for 3-dimensional motion, nor do I think it can compensate for motion in one direction and then another.)

Both of the methods above work well but have limitations. A hybrid of the two (which is what M$'s appears to be from what I've read) would have less limitation because the main limitations of one are eliminated by the other.

But.. I don't consider taking two existing pieces of technology and hybridizing them to be creating something "new".

5uspect wrote: »

I'm not sure I follow you, yes image stabilization isn't anything new and on sensor stabilization has been on Sony SLRs for awhile now. However Sony's solution mechanically stabilizes the sensor based on gyroscopic feedback. Nikon and Canon gyroscopically stabilize a lens element.

The difference here is that Microsoft don't use any hardware stabilization. Instead they record the non-linear multi-axis motion of the camera at a very high frequency to determine the deblurring equation. In PS for example you can only specify a single linear direction and strength.

Focus Magic appears to use more sophisticated deconvolution algorithms compared to PS, although they only appear to compare to Unsharp Mask and not any of the other sharpening techniques PS offers, in particular it's motion blur filter. Since this is one of the main selling points of Focus Magic I find it a little disingenuous they don't compare this feature. Also since they don't have the actual motion of the camera they can only ever approximate typical expected motion, which may not be a bad approach since most shutter releases involve fairly common motion by the user.

So it's pretty fair to say M$'s solution is indeed novel.

5uspect · 07-08-2010 8:56am

Ah I didn't know about Pentax.

Calina · 07-08-2010 2:15pm

This is cute.

Ricky91t · 07-08-2010 5:43pm

BlurFX for iPhone is for free (was $.99)

iTunes store link: http://bit.ly/9YWnUC

Be quick!

pixbyjohn · 07-08-2010 7:05pm

Do as you say

Calina wrote: »

This is cute.

Calina wrote: »

pixbyjohn,. for the benefit of everyone else could you please put a more informative thread title in place or give a brief summary of what the links are.

It would be very helpful,

thanks.

AnCatDubh · 09-08-2010 9:37pm

I don't know if you've seen it yet but the Holga digital concept camera complete with sample photos. emmm.... smaple photos from a camera that doesn't exist?

http://www.saikatbiswas.com/web/Projects/Holga_D.htm

Ghost Train · 09-08-2010 10:47pm

AnCatDubh wrote: »

I don't know if you've seen it yet but the Holga digital concept camera complete with sample photos. emmm.... smaple photos from a camera that doesn't exist?

http://www.saikatbiswas.com/web/Projects/Holga_D.htm

full frame sensor will be super pricey holga, nice looking design though

Kintarō Hattori · 09-08-2010 11:08pm

AnCatDubh wrote: »

I don't know if you've seen it yet but the Holga digital concept camera complete with sample photos. emmm.... smaple photos from a camera that doesn't exist?

http://www.saikatbiswas.com/web/Projects/Holga_D.htm

It looks like a concept more than anything else. The images don't look real and seem computer generated. I didn't notice anywhere on the article that says it is actually in development.

artyeva · 09-08-2010 11:13pm

AnCatDubh wrote: »

emmm.... smaple photos from a camera that doesn't exist?

emmm they don't give samples - they give ''simulated images''

''the following images are shot using holga and other alternative lenses with digital slr. the productin holga is expected to have more vignette, light leak (depending on lens) etc.''

it would be the product design industry norm to have simulated images included when putting together any kind of a product concept pitch. personally i love the look of it. that wee mini flash with the bendy neck 'specially. not sure if i'll ever have the €600 or whatever ridonkulous price they'll probably retail at though.

AnCatDubh · 10-08-2010 11:42am

some basic posing techniques for portraits;

http://photo.tutsplus.com/tutorials/composition/how-to-achieve-the-perfect-portrait-pose/

oshead · 10-08-2010 2:33pm

This is amazing....

http://www.ashesandsnow.org/

Tallon · 10-08-2010 3:05pm

AWEEEEEEEEEESOME!!!

Kintarō Hattori · 10-08-2010 6:41pm

Tallon wrote: »

AWEEEEEEEEEESOME!!!

Saw it while I was in work so gonna go now and have a look at it in HD, thanks Tallon.

EDIT: Aww I don't think its in HD.

ericl · 11-08-2010 11:41am

Terrorists ’sick of being treated like photographers’

http://newsarse.com/2010/08/06/terrorists-sick-of-being-treated-like-photographers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Newsarse+%28Newsarse.com%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Ghost Train · 11-08-2010 11:45am

ericl wrote: »

Terrorists ’sick of being treated like photographers’

http://newsarse.com/2010/08/06/terrorists-sick-of-being-treated-like-photographers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Newsarse+%28Newsarse.com%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

The bbc website it looking good :pac: