Neurosis by Lili Bo Ming
As storytellers, our motivation is to create a connection, and when we look at it from this perspective, we have the opportunity to use storytelling to create influence, affect change and move big ideas forward. Nikon SA partnered with one of the @lampostluminaries, Lili Bo Ming – @flyinglotuseater, as she shares her vision for one of her latest projects, entitled Neurosis. “Mental illness is a topic that is very close to my heart as my mother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I have suffered from depression and anxiety as a child. I have a real compassion for people who suffer from mental illnesses and hope that this series will help friends, families and communities relate to these struggles and thereby solicit a connection and association. For this shoot, I worked with people who have been personally affected by the illness because I wanted raw authenticity. I wanted to share these survivors’ perspective and personal experiences, and translate it into visual art. The concept included carefully selected set-ups and lighting, chosen to powerfully portray the narrative. The images are intended not only to evoke emotion but to induce empathy, to let readers tap into the intangible aspect of understanding mental […]
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How my love for photography grew – Lili Bo Ming
Berenice Abbott once said ‘Photography helps people to see’, and so my passion for photography began. Being groomed by an award winning grandfather, my passion to see life on a scope grew. I wanted more. Using my grandfather’s old digital camera, I was clueless with different brands and features on cameras, I was just excited to explore this toy that helped me observe and see extraordinary narratives of the things around me! In 2020 I was elated to be one of the few women nominated to join Lamppost Production in their first fellowship for Africa women photographers. Nikon sponsored us with a Z50, which is a ‘must get’ camera for videographers. Holding my compact Z50 for the first time was an unforgettable experience, I cannot unpack the amazing features that contributed to my growth as a photographer and videographer. My favorite feature was the different frame rates, I loved playing with the slow motion for a cinematic effect! My journey took an unexpected turn when Nikon SA gave us the Nikon D750 with a 24mm-120mm lens. This was a dream come true. I was so geared to wake up and shoot incredible content. Though the pandemic stole our festivity, I […]
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My Experience with the Nikon Z5 – Mpumelelo Macu
The Nikon Z5 is a versatile camera for an entry-level full-frame mirrorless camera, a fantastic entry into the Z-series full-frame cameras. Coming from using the Nikon D750, I’m comfortable knowing that the image sensor matches up, and I get a lot more added functionality with the Z5. I can also use all my F-mount lenses with the FTZ adapter. The Z5 is the primary camera, and I’ve used it for various projects, from commercial work to smaller assignments… from shooting dancers around South Africa to shooting cars. The Nikon Z5 has never disappointed me. The AF is quick and snappy; easy to configure to your preference. When I’m shooting portraits, I use face/eye detection, and I can choose which eye should be in focus. I travel a lot for projects. With the new Nikon EN-EL15c batteries, I can charge my Z5 with a power bank when I’m on the road. It’s a perfect hybrid camera; when I am shooting video, I can take Hi-Res stills photographs while recording video. The electronic viewfinder is a great assistant because you get what you see through the viewfinder. The two SD cards slots are essential when you are want to shoot and backup […]
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Nikon Products Honoured with the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2021
The renowned Z 7II and Z 6II mirrorless cameras, NIKKOR Z lenses and the flagship D6 DSLR are the proud award recipients from the world-class design competition JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Nikon South Africa is pleased to announce that its imaging products have received the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2021. Red Dot Award: Product Design 2021 winning products Nikon D6 The D6 is Nikon’s flagship DSLR camera equipped with the most powerful AF system in Nikon history that provides the necessary support for professional sports photographers and photojournalists to perform at their best. In combination with the rich line-up of NIKKOR F lenses, photographers can capture decisive, once-in-a-lifetime shots with enhanced accuracy and precision. Nikon Z 7II and Z 6II The Z 7II and Z 6II are the next-generation full-frame (Nikon FX-format) mirrorless cameras for which the large-diameter and short focal flange distance of the Z mount were adopted. Reliability and operability have been improved with the adoption of Dual EXPEED 6, which increases the number of shots with a single burst of continuous shooting as well as enabling support of dual card slots, meeting the needs of users. MB-N11 Power Battery Pack Made for the Z 7II and […]
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Ultimate Wedding Photography Masterclass with Brett Florens
Join award-winning Destination Wedding Photographer Brett Florens for a 12-week Ultimate Wedding Photography Masterclass. With 13 live webcasts and 3 one-on-one personalised sessions, Brett has developed this intensive Master Class to be a solid foundation for a sustainable, fulfilling career as a successful wedding photographer. Brett has gathered all the knowledge that he has gained as a full-time professional wedding photographer and world-leading photographic educator over the past 20 years and created the perfectly balanced course. This will enable you to run your photographic business in line with the best practice techniques. 13 live webcasts PLUS 3 one-on-one personalised sessions All sessions are recorded to access indefinitely. Private Facebook group for support and informal communication. Online Webcasts Date: Starting 1 June 2021 for 12 weeks Time: *every Tuesday afternoon from 4-6pm Cost: R 9 750,00 Book here: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1506548438
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Emma Gatland – Lockdown in the Kruger
It’s exactly a year since we have been on this unexpected journey of being forced to stay at home and avoid contact with people and places. 2020 will carry many a story for each induvial. I had the privilege of creating a visual story of capturing photographic moments from nature. My fiancé and I had just returned back from a road trip around Namibia when we received the news of having to lockdown, his family own a laid-back lodge in the prime wildlife area of Klaserie called Africa on Foot, it was a no brainer that this is where we would all retreat, what we thought would be 21 days has rolled into 12 months and what an absolute privilege it has been to soak up a very quiet Klaserie bushveld. Usually filled with game vehicles, tourism and a buzz of fully operating lodges it was now ghostly quiet. We kept ourselves distracted by tracking lions, walking through the bush in search of any fresh tracks and enjoying witnessing the change of seasons and animal movements. With no other sightings being reported over the radio we worked hard and covered a great distance of traverse to capture and document natures […]
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Brett Florens on his expansion into Fashion & video
It’s undeniable that the lockdown and COVID-19 regulations have been incredibly challenging not only for the industry but photographers alike. We chatted to Brett Florens, a market leader in the wedding industry, about his photography business and how he expanded into fashion photography to ensure the survival of his business. Since starting with video, has your love for photography shifted to video or do you still prefer good old photography? Stills photography will always be my passion, but being able to create multimedia content for my clients has expanded my repertoire of content I can offer my clients. There is so much to learn about video and I am at the beginning of my journey, I like the learning process, but also enjoy the comfort zone of being so experienced with stills. It’s the best of both. Video is also fantastic for creating engaging behind the scenes content. It shows so much more than stills, it gives my followers the opportunity to see how I work on set, how I engage with the crew and subject. Which Z series features do you like the most and how do you feel it has impacted your shift from wedding to fashion photography? The built-in VR is fantastic as it allows any FX lens […]
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Get to grips with your camera’s Auto ISO setting
Auto ISO enables you to shoot with confidence in rapidly changing light conditions. With Auto ISO set, your camera automatically adjusts ISO as necessary without going over a maximum ISO ‘ceiling’ that you choose, which means you can focus more on your subject and worry less about the exposure. There are just two main settings to decide on: the slowest shutter speed you want the camera to use before starting to increase its sensor sensitivity, and the highest ISO sensitivity you are happy for it to reach before allowing it to switch to a slower shutter speed instead. • If you’re happy handholding the camera down to a shutter speed of 1/60sec, then set that as your minimum. Want to minimise the possibility of camera shake? Then set the minimum shutter speed to, say, 1/250sec. The Auto ISO feature tells the camera to change the exposure based on the changing light. As the light in the scene dims, the shutter speed drops to let in more light, ensuring a correct exposure. When it hits the ‘minimum’ shutter speed you set, ISO automatically increases to keep the exposure correct. • Auto ISO can also be used when you’re shooting with flash, […]
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Your essential guide to Nikon autofocus
While post-production editing can sort out many issues, an out-of-focus image isn’t one of them. Sharp shots are essential for great photography, so here’s everything you need to know about autofocus on your Nikon DSLR or Z series camera. There are no two ways about it: a soft, blurry, out-of-focus image will always be soft, blurry and out of focus. Sure, you might want to deliberately use image blur as a creative effect, but that’s a different ball game to simply not getting it sharp in-camera. Knowing how to focus accurately and which autofocus (AF) modes to use is one of the most essential photography skills. Accurate focus is vital because your depth of field revolves around the point of focus. Miss your focus point and the depth of field might be in the wrong place – so the wrong part of the image ends up sharp, while the crucial part is blurred. Nikon cameras use two AF systems to help you get it right: • Contrast-detection AF – not surprisingly, this needs areas of contrast to confirm focus lock. It relies on software algorithms to examine the image for contrast and edge detail. The area under the focus point(s) is analysed […]
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WHAT IS NIKON N-LOG AND SHOULD I USE IT TO RECORD VIDEO?
Think of shooting video using the Picture Controls in the camera as you would of shooting a still image recorded in JPG—the video file “bakes in” the exposure and colour. There really isn’t much you can do to adjust the look or feel of the video at this point. This is fine if you like the effect of the Picture Control on the video, or you aren’t interested in colour grading the final video in post-production. If on the other hand, you’re looking for more control over the exposure and look of your final video footage, you may be interested in recording video in N-Log. 10-BIT N-LOG FORMAT Shooting in 10-bit N‐Log format preserves details in highlights and shadows and expands the range of effects available through colour grading. Nikon makes a 3D LUT that will allow you to recreate the colour accuracy that Nikon is known for. Record video, capturing up to 12 stops of dynamic range of the camera’s image sensor, retaining detail in the highlights and shadows. WHAT IS A LUT? A LUT, or lookup table, is an array of preselected values used in movie colour correction to map colours from the original input footage to the […]
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