Lmst

Butterflies in Bhutan

I'm going to miss Bhutan when I head home, but this time for the most tiny of reasons. The butterflies. Having a few days to step into their miniature world of scaly wings and hairy heads has been an absolute joy.

https://ewenbell.com/blog/Butterflies_in_Bhutan

#photography #butterflies #bhutan #ThePhotographyBlog

For those who prefer to have a read, here's the blog version :)

New on the blog - "Getting Out of Struggle Town"

Even professionals get stuck in a rut sometimes, but with the benefit of a little inspiration we often find our way out again. On my latest journey through Nepal I found an old tool that helped me see things in a new way.

https://ewenbell.com/blog/Getting_Out_of_Struggle_Town

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"Getting Out of Struggle Town"
on Ewen's photo blog

"New Life for EF Lenses"

https://ewenbell.com/blog/New_Life_for_EF_Lenses

Not only does the AF system on the LUMIX S5II deliver amazing results for native L-mount lenses, but the performance of EF lenses is exceptional to the point of giving Canon owners a legitimate upgrade path at an affordable price.

#ThePhotographyBlog⁠
#GoodGear⁠
#LongReads⁠
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#Lumix
#LMount
#FullFrame

Not only does the AF system on the LUMIX S5II deliver amazing results for native L-mount lenses, but the performance of EF lenses is exceptional to the point of giving Canon owners a legitimate upgrade path at an affordable price.

An old lens is like a good friend, you’re always happy to see them again. I’ve been lucky enough to share a lot of journeys with my old EF mount gear in decades past and they have served me very well. Most of the lenses I have for EF mount are just a little bit unique – I never bought cheap gear. The 50mm f/1.2 is a big favie of mine, but also the Zeiss 50mm f/2 macro. You can never have too many 50mm lenses!

I moved over to the L-Mount system quite some time ago however, and most of my EF lenses have been sitting on the shelf since then. I use a few for studio work, to save me packing down a rig each time I head off for a travel shoot. In the studio we mainly shoot manual focus anyway, so the limitation of older lenses attached with an adaptor were never an issue.

With the release of the new LUMIX S5II however, there is new life for my old lenses. It turns out that many of my EF lenses work equally well on this new LUMIX than they did on my old DSLR gear. That’s quite a result, especially given the sheer number of Sigma EF f/1.4 primes we bought during those years! My trusty old Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 MkII performed nicely on the LUMIX S5II, but undeniably with a touch of lag when compared to the native LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. The 50mm f/1.2 performed pretty much the same on the LUMIX S5II as the 5DSR, and likewise when I tested the more recent 50mm f/1.8 STM by Canon.

New on the blog: "Neutral Density Theory vs Chaos"

Planning and shopping for a simple solution to my ND filter needs has been a major drama, right up there with renovating a house or planning a wedding. It’s just not nearly as straight forward as it should be. Will magnetic filters be the saviour of the stills+video shooter?

https://ewenbell.com/blog/Neutral_Density_Theory_vs_Chaos

#ThePhotographyBlog⁠
#GoodGear⁠
#LongReads⁠
#Photography
#NDFilters

Neutral Density Theory vs Chaos

Planning and shopping for a simple solution to my ND filter needs has been a major drama, right up there with renovating a house or planning a wedding. It’s just not nearly as straight forward as it should be. Will magnetic filters be the saviour of the stills+video shooter?
August 2023

180° Rule

But everything has changed in photography, because now we also shoot video. And where I once saw ND filters as a luxury, they are very much an essential item. The reason is because I like to film my video with a 180° shutter. This simply means that when capturing footage at 30fps, I’ll aim for a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second. 180 degrees. This formula keeps the footage smooth to the human eye. If your shutter speed steps higher then your video starts to show the staccato effect, where the gaps between frames are noticeable to the human eye... and unpleasantly distracting.

I want smooth and professional looking footage, so I shoot 180° shutter angle. But, I also want shallow depth of field and f/2 is absolutely my sweet spot for composition. So I want everything.

"Do You Care About AI?"

"The fundamental differences between machine learning and human artistic expression is not something you can teach. It's something you have to experience. That's always going to be the bridge that AI cannot cross."

https://ewenbell.com/blog/Do_You_Care_About_AI

#NewOnTheBlog #Photography #DoNotTrain #LongReads #CareersAndIdeas #ThePhotographyBlog⁠

The fundamental differences between machine learning and human artistic expression is not something you can teach. It's something you have to experience. That's always going to be the bridge that AI cannot cross.

What I strive for in my photography is simply to share my world with other people. What I love most about other photographers is when I get to step into their world and understand how we're different. The problem with the machine learning (AI) revolution is that none of these systems exist in the real world anyway. They tell us nothing about the human experience, instead they threaten to bury reality itself by the sheer scale of their output.

My objection to AI applied to art is the absence of human experience in the process. That experience is what brings meaning and value to everything we do.

If we allow photography and other art forms to be replaced by "AI generated content" we lose a critical path to understanding our own selves and our place in the world. We lose everything that matters. AI offers us a dystopian future that removes all meaning for both the consumer and creator alike.

The very real danger I see ahead for us humans is finding ourselves plunged into a world where AI generated a large part of our reality. It's already happening on social media. We digest so much sensory input through touch screens, on the assumption that we're getting a filtered stream of what's happening in the world. But it's not so much filtered as manipulated. Algorithms are already distorting our reality, and that before we start flooding the internet with AI generated content.

The major failing of AI/ML output is that it's being trained on the *results* of creativity, not the *source* of it. Mozart didn't compose music based on his other works, he had other life experiences and passions which influenced his creative direction. Machine Learning in it's current form is only learning to replicate art, not create it.

While it should be possible in some measure to redesign the process of machine learning towards deeper levels of influence, there's also a very good reason this might be unpopular. Humans by nature are quirky, irrational and unpredictable. None of these traits are high on the list of what we want from machines.

Had a few new posts on the website recently. Most of them aren't 3,500 words thankfully!

https://ewenbell.com/blog

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Creatively Valued

Most of the time our clients are wonderful people to work with, because we're helping each other to get where we need to be. But sometimes you end up with a client who actually doesn't value your work at all, and that's a problem in more ways than you might imagine.

Photography is My Family

Someone recently commented to me, “I don’t know how you do it all!” Which seemed kind of funny because most of the time I feel like I’m not doing nearly enough. I’m also aware how lucky I am to have the luxury of dedicating myself to my photography in a way that not everyone can. It’s not that I don’t have time for friends and family, it's just that photography IS my family.

Benro GX35 Ball-Head Review

Quality yet affordable option for full-frame cameras if you're looking to swap out your old ball-head for an Arca-Swiss alternative.

4K for Minimalists

How much gear do you really need to get started with quality 4K video production? We tend to think that better video is about adding more gear, but smaller rigs and zero accessories is fast becoming the ultimate setup for engaging cinematography.

"I believe that the photo should be more important than the photographer.

When I travel with camera in hand my objective to achieve something wonderful in the way of photography. I want to make a beautiful image, something more amazing than anything I have done before. It’s about the photograph. It’s about the act of creation. It’s not about me."

#Photography #Philosophy #ThePhotographyBlog #Fotografie

https://ewenbell.com/blog/Putting_The_Photo_First

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