Moment Lenses- The Filmmaker Collection

Have you seen the teasers Moment has been dropping the last couple weeks? So excited to see they finally revealed their new filmmaker collection! Beautiful, cinematic video on your phone. It just launched on Kickstarter so it’s a good time to get it at 30% off.They announced four new products.Anamorphic Lens - $149A lens that makes your videos look widescreen With sweet flares and letterbox screen, this is the holy grail of video. Typically super expensive, but we made it affordable.iPhoneX Battery Photo Case - $99The first photography battery case on the market for iPhoneX. With wireless charging and an electronic shutter button, we make it easier to shoot video and recharge your phone. Universal Gimbal - $40To get butter smooth video on your phone, you need a gimbal. The first adjustable counterweight to balance your gear on a DJI Osmo, Zhiyun SmoothQ, and Evo Shift gimbals. Modular to 60g, 90g, or 120g.Lens Filter Adapter - $40The Moment Filter Mount lets you attach a standard 62mm filter to any of your Moment Lenses. Simply press fit the mount onto your lens and you’re ready to go. Available exclusively on Kickstarter. Early bird pricing starts at 30% off. Ships in June 2018

Portrait of Lincoln at Sunset

I asked on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/photorectoby/   How many people can you count in this image?Sunset over Lincoln Monument on a warm spring evening.   Captured with the Sony a7RII and Canon 70-200 f/2.8 Lens attached via Sigma MC-11 Adapter.Full Resolution Download

Big 5 on Safari

In Africa, the big five game animals are the African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and rhinoceros. (Why are they they Big Five?)  We were incredibly lucky and in just a few short days had awesome and multiple photo opportunities with all of these species.  Watch my Tanzania Safari Adventure Video with Thomson Safari and McKay Photography Academy. 

Drones aren't allowed in the Serengeti - So how did I get this shot? Check out my facebook page for the answer in 360 degrees http://photorec.tv/fb

A photo posted by Toby (@photorectoby) on Aug 26, 2016 at 8:22am PDT

African Elephant - Watching this guy pick up a fallen log like it was nothing a few minutes later #thetrunkisstrong was super cool.

A photo posted by Toby (@photorectoby) on Sep 14, 2016 at 5:54am PDT

Cape Buffalo - These dudes are mean #MOFOS One guide had a story about when he was a child and one chased him into his house and got stuck in the door - He saw the buffalo crying tears and decided he was sad because it didn't get him. 📷 Captured with the #Sony #a7r2 and #Sigma 150-600 C

A photo posted by Toby (@photorectoby) on Aug 30, 2016 at 12:24pm PDT

…And then he looked into my soul. Seriously! A moment of the @thomsonsafari #mckaylive trip that will remain etched in my brain forever. The evening light across his back, just lounging on a rock on one of our last nights in the #Serengeti 📷 Captured with the #sonyalpha #Sony #a6300 and @sigmaphoto 150-600 C Lens. You can learn more about the gear I brought including the a6300 and Sigma 150-600 performance at http://photorec.tv/safarigear/

A photo posted by Toby (@photorectoby) on Sep 12, 2016 at 5:44pm PDT

Black Rhino - This was a dreamy, amazing moment - one minute we were headed back to camp after a long day of shooting and the next we are flying across a burned area of the Serengeti to catch a glimpse of an animal that is so rare some of the guides haven't seen it in two years!! . Captured with the #sony #a7rII and @Sigmausa #150to600C

A photo posted by Toby (@photorectoby) on Aug 15, 2016 at 7:10pm PDT

Lightroom Mobile Updates

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQK2k6a1A-ALightroom Mobile has been updated on Android and iOS - Take a look at the new PRO camera built in that provides shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation and allows DNG(RAW) Capture and editing on your mobile device. Is it as buggy and slow as LRM has been in the past? How does Lightroom Mobile compare to Snapseed? And on iOS you can now edit any RAW file (coming soon with iOS 10 support)SUBSCRIBE for more contentYou can download Lightroom for Android 2.1 here now for free.Lightroom mobile 2.4 is available immediately for iPhone and iPad from the iOS App Store for free.Mobile Photos shot with the new Camera App in Lightroom Mobile 2.1 on Android (DNG Support)https://www.instagram.com/p/BH2pBkoDYO4/?taken-by=photorectobyhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BH1EME7Du0U/?taken-by=photorectoby 

Instagram Winners #PRTV_Food

A fantastic group of delicious food photos were submitted for this weeks challenge. Next week's challenge - High Key! Post your images on Instagram and tag them #PRTV_highkey- more info at PRTV 

Toby’s Winner (follow Toby on Instagram)

#prtv_food #prtv

A photo posted by Eduardo Gimenes (@gimenes.eduardo) on Nov 30, 2015 at 1:44pm PST

Toby’s Honorable Mentions

#prtv_food #wheat #harvest2015

A photo posted by Tony Lawrence (@tony_lawrence.sa) on Nov 28, 2015 at 5:11pm PST

#prtv_food #prtv #pears A photo posted by Joe McClure (@mcjoe45) on Nov 28, 2015 at 8:03pm PST

Christina’s Winner (follow Christina on Instagram):

#prtv_food #wheat #harvest2015 A photo posted by Tony Lawrence (@tony_lawrence.sa) on Nov 28, 2015 at 5:11pm PST

Christina's Honorable Mentions

- #Raisins #vert #grapes #green #vacances #travel #voyage #ete #summer #été #France #vendanges #prtv #prtv_food

A photo posted by Ursula (@ursulanoircent) on Aug 27, 2015 at 5:40pm PDT

See all the images- leave a comment and like on your favorite. #PRTV_food

Assignment Critique for May - Cropping

A broad story with a fraction of the image https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzERZ4M25_c

Weekly Instagram Challenge Winner - Minimalism

Announcing the winner, runner-ups and honorable mentions for the challenge minimalism.  We had fantastic participation and picking a winner this week was difficult, so many strong images.  Ultimately @christinabernales picked -https://instagram.com/p/3IltpXKWCG/?tagged=prtv_minimalRunner Upshttps://instagram.com/p/2_45gBqK1V/https://instagram.com/p/3GpcDzRocw/ Honorable Mentionshttps://instagram.com/p/3BAPHphwPa/https://instagram.com/p/29aLMvHJuz/https://instagram.com/p/3Bb-aUn-4g/ Thank you to all who participated  - See the complete list of submitted images hereThe Next Challenge - Entropy- Tag your entries #PRTV_entropy and #PRTV by Wednesday, June 3rd at noon.  At this time you are welcome to submit a few images but please refrain from submitting more than a few.Thanks!

Weekly Instagram Challenge Winner - Entropy

Announcing the winner, runner-ups and honorable mentions for the challenge entropy.  What a change from the order and peacefulness of last week's minimalism! Picking a winner this week was again difficult and @christinabernales and I did not agree 100%. For future contests we will each pick a winner and some additional faves.  Winner for week 4 - Instagram Entropy Challengehttps://instagram.com/p/3ODa3gKKwN/?tagged=prtv_entropyRunner Upshttps://instagram.com/p/xUOfL9EkX6/https://instagram.com/p/3Np8p6Qgf7/ Honorable Mentions(mostly because of the hashtag #quantummechanics)https://instagram.com/p/3ZaPuWu07q/https://instagram.com/p/3Q46K9RoQ3/ Thank you to all who participated  - See the complete list of submitted images hereThe Next Challenge - monochromatic- Tag your entries #PRTV_MC and #PRTV by Wednesday, June 10th at noon.  At this time you are welcome to submit a few images but please refrain from submitting more than a few.Thanks!

GoPro Hero vs the HTC RE

Last we I wrote about the new GoPros, highlighting the fact that the new entry level GoPro, the Hero, was poised to crush the low level market of action cams.  This doesn't mean that other companies are going to give up or should give up. We mentioned this on the last podcast and now HTC has officially launched a device that looks like a small version of the military flashlight or a periscope or a weird tube of lipstick. There are just two buttons on the device: A shutter button on the outside, which you press once to take a picture and long-press for a couple seconds to take video, and a slow-motion capture toggle that you have to hold down to activate before starting the video. This sounds similar to GoPros new quick start method where you hold the power down for a few seconds and immediately start filming.  The RE is smarter (supposedly) and has ditched the power button and will sense when it is needed aka you lift it out of the bag.Selling for $200 the RE offers 16MP f/2.8 lens with 146° view.  Spec wise it certainly seems better than the $130 GoPro Hero and it offers Bluetooth Connectivity and the ability to live stream via the app. The table below gives you a few more specs and the side by side vs the new GoPro Hero which sells for $130. Specs aside I am continually impressed with the quality out of the GoPros and the footage I have seen so far out of the RE is decent but noticeably less than what you would get from the Hero. The Hero offers a huge ecosystem of accessories and mounts.  The HTC RE will have a few mounts - see below and has a standard tripod socket in the bottom as well as a micro USB charging port.  Water proof for 30 minutes, a rubberized stopper, sold separately brings the waterproof-ness up to level with the GoPro.

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	GoPro Hero	HTC RE	Polaroid Cube
Resolutions	1080p at 30fps or 720p at 60fps	1080p at 30fps or 720p at 120fps	1080p 30fps or 720p 30fps
MP	5MP and 5fps burst	16MP	6MP
Connectivity	No Connectivity	Bluetooth Connectivity	No Connectivity
Headline Feature	Waterproof to 141' Compatible with all GoPro accessories	time-lapse(customizable from the app), 8GB Micro SD installed (128GB max), speaker.	Tiny cube with a magnet mount built into the bottom
Price	$499	$200	Now $349- going out of stock
BUY	B&H photo video | Amazon	HTC RE Site	Amazon

---

  Recommended GoPro Accessories - Watch my video on the best bag for your GoPro stuff

Image Critique - Oct 1 and Submission for Oct 6th

We had another fine critique and even experimented with using Lightroom to make the adjustments we were suggesting.  Something we will continue in the future.  Submit photos for next week's critique below. I ask that you submit a maximum of three(3) images. RAW or JPEG are acceptable and they should be a minimum of 1080 pixels on the short edge. We had several submitted this week that were too small to critique. I have been asked if images submitted in previous weeks, that were not critiqued, need to be submitted again?  At this time I ask that you submit your images each week.Upload Files through dbinbox.com

Photo Assignment #2 (Double Take)

Just a reminder that we announced in a past critique that we have a new assignment!   I haven't come up with a catchy title - feel free to submit some suggestions below.  Thanks to Roy M for the name suggestion! Your assignment involves two images - one that captures "everything" and a second image that picks a subject within that "everything" to focus on(no pun intended). Our goal here is to get you to look at a scene and decide what is special about the scene and what you can capture to highlight that special-ness. In our recent photo critique, Terry submitted two images that illustrate the assignment nicely.Our most recent Critque where we talk in more detail about the assignment at the 23:25 mark.We will be looking to critique Assignment #2 photos during the last weekend in May.   So get out and get shooting 2x.  And leave a name suggestion for this assignment. 

Super Moon? Super Crop!

How to Photograph the Super Moon & Regular Moons too.

A few times a year we hear that the next full moon will be a SUPER MOON. The media loves to talk this up with the SUPER MOON headlines everywhere and while the size difference isn't THAT impressive - More info here about the size (the Moon can appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon). The May 26th, 2021 moon will just be 7.6% bigger than average.

Super Moon or not any moon (it doesn’t even need to be full) is a great opportunity to get out and shoot the moon. Few of us have zoom lenses large enough to capture the moon as is massively shown in mostly fake shots but we can get close enough with some cropping to at least impress your friends. The image below was shot with a 200mm zoom on a full-frame sensor and then heavily cropped.

The photo below is FAKE and is often shared online.

supermoon - SUPER FAKE - Snopes Info - Creator Unkown.

The Rest of the Moon Photos on this Page are Real (mostly)

Real Moon Photo - Captured during the Snow Super Moon of February 2020. Sony a7Riii + 100-400 (at 400mm) +1.4x =560mm and cropped in lightroom
EXIF 1/400 f/09 ISO 100
CopyRight: Tobias Gelston

Real Moon Photo - Captured during the Snow Super Moon of February 2020. Sony a7Riii + 100-400 (at 148mm)
EXIF 1/160 f/9 ISO 100
CopyRight: Tobias Gelston

While it is not impossible to get a photo like the red moon above the mountains (first photo in the document) it is very difficult and requires a VERY long lens. But even without a very long lens you can get decent photos of the moon - Here are my tips -

https://instagram.com/p/6ynfH4NMOR/

Moon Photography Tips:

1) Plan - what time is the moon visible in your area? http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/moonrise.html?obj=moon-- You can certainly capture the moon in the sky but it will often look small and less impressive. Pay careful attention to the rise and set times, this will allow you to incorporate some of the landscape making for more interesting photos. Even better if you can capture it near sunrise or sunset, providing some light for the landscape. My moon over snowy mountains photo above was taking about 30 minutes after sunrise.

2) Knowing where the moon will break the horizon and the angle it will travel as it rises is important - Photopills App offers info on rise, set, and the path of celestial objects including the moon.  It will even allow you to overlay this info with your real-world view. Another option is the http://photoephemeris.com/.

3) Get off AUTO mode.  When shooting a small bright object in a very dark sky your camera is going to be easily confused and often the moon will be captured as a featureless white blob. Shoot MANUAL - good starting values  ISO 200, Aperture f/8, and shutter speed 1/125 to 1/250 of a second. These settings are just starting values, depending on the conditions in your area - city lights, clouds, sunlight. you may need to adjust. If you are photographing a thin crescent moon your shutter speed may be much slower, closer to a second.

NOTE: An eclipsed moon is much less bright - You are going to need to open the aperture wider, slow your shutter speed and adjust ISO accordingly.

4) You may be able to autofocus on brighter moons, place your focus point right at the edge of the moon - the contrast between the light and dark will help the camera focus. If you don’t have any luck using AF switch to manual focus magnify your view and carefully move your focus ring toward infinity.

5) Tripods are almost mandatory. Remember the general rule of thumb is a shutter speed twice your focal length. If you are shooting with a 70-300 lens and using 300mm - your shutter speed should be 1/800 second. Any slower than that and you should be on a tripod. Tripods also help you compose a shot - plan where the moon will be, set up your tripod, and wait.

5) Review your shots as you take them, zoom in on the images when you review to check focus and exposure levels.  I have been fooled in the past thinking I was capturing sharp images of the moon and only once I looked at them on the computer realized they were all a little soft. I'd love to see some full moon shots on my Facebook page or Instagram tag me! 

I captured the photo below on October 31, 2020, as the supermoon rose above the Seattle Skyline. This is a composite. One photo for a good exposure of the moon and one photo for a good exposure of the city and sky. I combined in Photoshop but needed to increase the size of the moon by about 10% to hide some issues with the original moon. This is the reason for the “almost” in the title of this article.

The two photos used for the composite moon over Seattle.

Blurb - Your Photos Will Look Better Printed

And it is easy!I have been a fan of Blurb for a few years now and their new, super simple, Designer Templates are sweet.  I figured I'd take just a few minutes and show you how I recently made a book of my Costa Rica Trip Photos.   Do you have summer plans?, early summer plans?  Blurb has two deals happening right now:  Remember creating a book is as easy as connecting your Facebook or Instagram account.

•  25% off – with code ADOBEPROS at checkout by June 24, 2013*
• 15% off – with code BOOKSFORSUMMER through 6/30 **

  *Offer valid through June 24, 2013 (11:59 p.m. local time). Valid for printed books only. A 15% discount is applied to your product total with a minimum order of USD $50, a 20% discount is applied to your product total with a minimum order of USD $100, or a 25% discount is applied to your product total with a minimum order of USD $150. Maximum discount is USD $100, GBP £65, EUR €75, CAD $100 or AUD $100 off product total. This offer is good for one time use, and cannot be combined with volume discounts, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.**This offer is good for 15% off your product total up to a max discount of $150 USD, CAD & AUD. Each code may only be used once per user and on books made by you. Offer expires at 11.59pm (local time) on June 30th, 2013. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offers, volume discounts or retroactively applied to any previous orders.

Blurb - Your Photos Will Look Better Printed

And it is easy!I have been a fan of Blurb for a few years now and their new, super simple, Designer Templates are sweet.  I figured I'd take just a few minutes and show you how I recently made a book of my Costa Rica Trip Photos.    If you hurry you can save 20% off by using the code DESIGNMYBOOK.   Prices start at just $12.99! 20% savings ends March 31st! Get creating!  

365 Project - KISS

I mentioned in my Be a Better Photographer Tip #53 [Project 365 & Gimmicks] that I was considering starting a 365 project again (results of my last attempt a few years ago).  Well the first 8 days of 2013 were easy, traveling through beautiful Costa Rica and Panama there was something new and exciting to photograph every day.Now and I am back home and although Southern Vermont blanketed by snow is no less photogenic it is a struggle to see past what is to my eyes "ordinary" AND to find the time.  Mostly to find the time.     Here is my plan with an emphasis on keeping it simple(KISS) and not giving up the whole thing if I miss a day. . or two.

1. Take a photo each day - My goal will be to use my DLSR 98% of the time but if I have taken a cell phone photo that I am particularly proud of that can work too.
2. Review the photos with some regularity. The back of the camera is not a substitute for seeing the photo on a big screen and inspecting the photo along with the metadata - seeing your settings side by side with the image is a great way to understand the relationship of exposure, depth of field, movement blur etc.
3. Upload these photos with some regularity - probably to a Facebook album, maybe to Blip and anywhere else I feel like sharing.
4. Provide a few additional challenges, themes or ideas to keep it fresh- This might seem to fly in the face of keeping it simple but you do run the risk of hitting a mental road block and giving up for lack of creativity.  Sites like http://projectlife365.com provide ideas/challenges for each day, helping to keep the brain juices flowing.  Plus it is really fun to meet a challenge and then review how others approached or interpreted the same challenge.

 I will be back with some more ideas soon - in the meantime pick that camera up an snap a photo, then do it again tomorrow and the day after.  You certainly aren't going to improve your photography by putting it off.  And don't hesitate to give me a shout and ask how I am doing with the challenge.