1. Always format the memory card in-camera (formatting on a computer may not be right for your camera, same thing about formatting on another camera)
2. Always wait 3 seconds before ejecting the memroy card (or check the red LED flashing on the camera body and wait until it defintely stops blinking)
3. Copy/backup the contents as soon as possible (a portable hard drive is the best option; Do not wait for time in front of your portable PC), then immediately re-format the card (on the camera!)
4. Never apply image selection in-camera (judging image quality is nearly impossible on the camera LCD; Always edit on your PC/Mac)
5. Personal routine: Store empty and exposed cards in separate bags (different sleeves in the backpack, different colors/texture for different card cases or bags)

Travel bags content

Yes! I wrote bags because I strongly recommend having separate bags to split your gear in two categories:

1. Items you need upon arrival; For example, the main DSLR camera body, one or two critical lenses, the battery charger.
2. Items that could be replaced or that would void the trip if missing; For example the monopod, the tripod, replacement cables, the second backup hard drive, some gear bag, etc.

Sorting into these two categories must be less than subtle. It must be draconian and ruthless. Only needed items will go into the first category (the first bag). When arriving at destination, it will be easy to re-organize yourself and spread equipment differently in various bags. Your aim is to reduce drastically the weight of your cabin luggage -it will certainly go other the prescribed limit of the air line. So, before negotiating with the company, you must be able to show that you did your job. And it’s better to sort it out with a cool mind rather than in front of the check-in counter.

For your information, here is my own split (when I go and prepare a photo trip/safari):

1. Essentials:
   • Main DSLR body
   • Long tele-lenses, lenses
   • Battery charger
   • All empty memory cards (they weight nothing!) in a clearly labelled bag
   • Portable hard drive (Hyperspace Colorspace UDMA or similar), a first backup disk and attached connection cables
   • Laptop and charger
   • Invoices of all the gear (You never know when Customs will want added scrutiny)
   • Medical drugs (With prescription, possibly in several languages)
2. Replaceables:
   • My GoPro camera (I mainly shoot pictures; Video is an additional fun, not a priority)
   • Lens bag (like the LowePro Lens Trekker 600AW : The tele-lens will return to its own bag only upon arrival)
   • Extension tubes, optical additions
   • A monopod and/or a tripod (you may want to keep a microscopic Gorilla-Pod in cabin luggage)
   • All replacement batteries
   • The second backup drive (Never keep all your backups in the same bag)
   • The laptop bag
   • Replacement cables
   • Replacement battery chargers and corresponding cables like the 12V car plug connection
   • Sensor cleaning kit, gear cleaning kit(s)
   • A repair kit (neoprene glue, cyanoacrylate glue, knife,scissors, mini-screwdriver)
   • All replacement USB cables (I always have a full set of cables to be able to connect to nearly anything I can find)
   • Most of your clothes
   • Possibly, user manuals (but I prefer the electronic version right on the laptop drive)
   • Headlight and flashlight
   • Gaffer tape
3. Those I can’t decide:
   • Second DSLR camera body
   • Lens filters

Trip Preparation

Some issues are better handled a few days (weeks) ahead. Some are obvious, some may come as a surprise to you.

• If you have a press card from a known newspaper or agency, you may want to contact directly the air company before flying. Some have specific policies (and assistance) to press members, including options to transport expensive gear in cabin (a pro video camera is the first example I would give). But if you only are a well-equipped enthusiast, don’t even try asking…
• Think about country visas for countries you will enter. Two common traps:
  1. If your have a connecting flight, you may have to checkout in a country with different immigration rules than on your destination (even if you stop for only an hour). Check with the airline company beforehand.
  2. Regulations may have changed between reservation and your flight. You’d better check on the Internet ahead of time.
• Some countries accept to establish a visa upon arrival at the airport, but they usually require an immediate payment. Do you have enough cash (in the right currency) ? Is it in your cabin luggage?
• Are your immunization shots perfectly aligned with local regulations? Forget your opinion about the innocuity (or not), local officers will not engage in scientific controversies.
• Some dollars and local cash (spit between different pockets)
• Sun tan
• Non-critical drugs (including drug purse with blisters dressing, burns soothing cream, insect repellent)
• Prepare some reading and entertainment (movies, video games, etc.) pre-loaded on your laptop or iPhone (with headphones to avoid annoying your neighbors and to isolate yourself from the background noise in the plane or the bus).

Finally, it becomes more and more important to ensure that your computer gear and software will work even far from home and without an Internet connection. For example, if you have 2-step validation on your email, be sure to also have replacement safety codes from your service provider (if you are not recognized when far from home or on a different network).

Test your software package without an Internet connection, too. Would your photo software still work when 5000 miles from home? Nothing funny or silly! It happened to me once and this is a real pain in the neck…

Last-minute check

But there are also some last-minute reminders to avoid being caught by surprise. Some items to collect when closing the home door. Check that you have…

• Your passport number (if you lose it, it will be easier to communicate with your consulate); Better, send a scanned copy to yourself or on your smartphone.
• Address and telephone number of your contact upon arrival (not the travel agent at home).
• Address and telephone number of your hotel or lodge.
• Address and telephone number of your rental car company, and the contract number.
• Copies/scans of the tickets and check-in boarding passes on your smartphone.
• Airport parking access code (if you reserved/booked a parking for your car).
• One or more Frequent Flyer program cards (FlyingBlue at Air France, Mileage Plus, or any other similar card program).
• Credit cards (you’d better have more than one in case the main one fails to work, for any reason – It happened twice to me and the failure correction is always waiting for you… at home)

Finally, I recommend to spread dozens of business cards in each and every bag you own and bring with you. If lost, the airport or the company will have no difficulty finding you again, even if the external labels, stickers and attachments are all lost.

Bonus: A free bean bag

Sometime, the airline will distribute a small bag with amenities to assist you during the flight (toothpaste, face mask, ear plugs, etc.) Grab the socks. They are one of the best possible small bean bag, when you fill them with rice or wheat bought on a local market.

Have a nice photo trip!

photo credit: Tarun K Photography

Then, there is only one solution: Be prepared!

• Explore the location: Know where you go, use Google Maps and Google Earth to discover the topography, the terrain, the location of monuments, roads and streets leading from one place to another.
• Orient yourself: the same tools will allow to see on what side you want to go to make the back-lit photos you want or to have the best angle at sun rise.
• Let inspiration come to you: There is nothing wrong in using Flickr to know what the other travelers have brought back from the place you don’t know yet. Discover the usual pictures that everybody gets and find some that are less common or more surprising : You’ll get the images that everybody expect back at home and a few good surprises too (even if you will not stay long enough to explore all aspects of a single subject).

But there is also a mean to speed preparation up and to go much further: Get a guide. It has many advantages:

• A guide knows every square meter of your destination: You will never be as prepared as he is.
• Choose a guide who knows what photography is. Most will only lead you to the place. This is even more important for difficult photo subjects like a safari photo trip: Your guide must be able to place himself (or place the car) at the right location, he will have to accept to stay longer in one location, near one animal; He should accept to leave early and stay late on the spot. You will avoid most of the tourist-run places. for this, the best is to find photo-oriented travel agents or to talk to the guide (even using Skype).

photo credit: SPM435
• You will be able to concentrate on photography without worrying too much about the rest (he’s not a body guard, but you shouldn’t have to keep an eye on your back and on your bag while you shoot).
• In some cases, the guide is the only mean to reach some locations: He’s the key to some religious ceremonies, to isolated places, to off-road tracks only accessible under precise conditions, etc.

Nevertheless, also think about keeping time to breathe, to think and to take the place in. Don’t stick to eye to the viewfinder all day long. Look around, widen your personal landscape. If your traveling with your family, also bring them into the photo business: I recommend making sure that everybody has a camera and you dispense some advice and make sure children participate (for example, a friend of mine had a real golden wooden frame that kids would use to frame themselves with monuments during specific photo games).

photo credit: EvelynGiggles

• …if the price difference with New is really large enough (don’t forget that in most countries and in Europe importing photo gear from outside requires to pay VAT and a few % of custom duties): Buy New if the difference is small, you’ll also get a manufacturer warranty.
• …if the selling web site is reliable ( is rather good but is not the only one – your recommendations down below? What do you think about KEH or Adorama Used?)
• …if the seller is reliable. Most of the second-hand web sites have a rating system to know if their sellers have previously satisfied their customers. A good rating and/or many satisfied customers is a god safety net for you. Beware of accounts hacked by a third party: An account which did not move for a long time and starts selling expensive photo gear out of nowhere.
• …if the seller offers a free return condition if you are not 100% satisfied.
• …if the camera, the lens is in good shape (precise photos are critical and must describe the real object, not Nikon, Canon or Pentax official photos).
• …if the object is not naturally subject to time degradation. For example, photo film has a “use before” date. But this is also true of some cameras whose leather-like covering will unglue itself in time, and some Canon zooms are known for a really high failure rate of the IS system, etc.

With these tips, you are now ready for second-hand gear and for purchasing expensive gear at a very low price.

So, many people want to see my photos immediately out of the camera, right after the recording. This is not an issue for me when we are speaking of showing the picture on the back of my camera (Nobody can see anything there, anyway…) but I actively resist when we’re speaking about final pictures. As a matter of fact, I work some more. This is something that ussually annoys a lot of other photographers, but that I consider an integral part of taking a picture (and this is a reason why I switched to digital photography early). First, I sort pictures out in Adobe Bridge. I usually keep only a small part of the images I shot. In a family reunion, I may keep half of the shots (It may vary). From a photo safari, I keep between 1% and 3% of the recorded files. The rest is not really worth it. Your mileage may vary (some will say that I should shoot less and think more, but it’s my style), but you need to select your best pictures.

Then, I enter the real development phase: I work from the RAW picture files of my camera, but this would be near exactly the same from JPEG picture files (I just prefer to start with images less digitally massaged by the camera to reach my own pictures). Consequently, a lot of what I do happens in Adobe Camera Raw (and it applies mostly to Lightroom users too). Here is how I proceed and… why.

The first thing requires to notice that the histogram of most images does not fully cover the full range from black to white: There is not real black (on the left of the histogram) and not real white (on the right). It may be an artistic choice, but in most cases this is merely a consequence of the limitations of the photo camera.

I follow a two-step approach to extend to a full light dynamic range. First, by using the Exposure control to push the highlights to the right of the histogram. Here, I pushed the Exposure to +0.35 to align the last bit of the histogram with the right hand side (I ensured that the white pixels are actually completely white, not light grey and I don’t blow them out).

Then, I do the same with shadows (and the left hand side of the histogram) using the Blacks, pushing only a little.

From this point, the picture dynamic range is maximal. It is also possible to correct the contrast, but it is not often necessary if the shooting conditions were average.Similarly, apart from significant problems in the original, it is not necessary to use the Fill light to lighten dark shadows.

The next step is to re-frame the image: Some will say that I have the bad habit of centering my subject too much, but when we speaking about very active animals, like the three jackals of this picture, I prefer to use the central AF zone of my Sony Alpha 700 which has the most sensitive and fastest AF sensor. So, I leave the re-framing job to Photoshop (even if I recognize that whenever it’s possible, it is simpler to think about framing correctly from shooting time).

For this, I use the re-framing tool in the tool bar at the top of the Adobe Camera Raw window and I choose the right frame with the mouse (thinking about painting traditions and the rule of thirds).

Some will prefer to start the whole process with re-framing (rather than waiting here for this). There are some good reasons for it (specially so when re-framing is used to remove an ugly over- or under-exposed area from the picture). I believe that in most cases, it’s more an issue of personal preference.

Next comes the most controversial step: Detail accentuation. It is easy to over-do it and I strongly recommend to keep the original Adobe settings rather than stepping all over it with too much accentuation (many people do it and I won’t give names). As a matter of fact, it’s true that I tend to force more of these fake details in web pictures than in quality prints.

The best is probably to experiment very lightly, in the Camera Raw settings, after zooming in onto the important area of the image (I’m less tempted to over-do it when it’s big in front of my eyes).

Then, it is simple to open a copy of the image in Photoshop from the “Open copy” button. It will be necessary to save a fine-tuned copy or to print it on your ink-jet printer.

I simply recommend to always convert colors (the impact is usually small but I tend to have confidence in Photoshop choices).

And here is a nice additional step that I get from Patrick Fagot, photographer that I love and whose teachings I used as a basis for my own ideas to use Photoshop, thanks to his advice during photographic trips with did together in Brazil an in Botswana. He advises to immediately add a colored frame to the best photos in order to give them a little additional pro finish and this is true that it help the picture to “pop out”.

It’s only a matter of using the Photoshop Image > Canvas size... control…

…and to choose a new size increased by a few millimeters around the image (and the right Canvas extension color – Black is often good but you can experiment).

Some will prefer the Relative control which allows to give a relative increase size, but I feel it is less comfortable.

From this description, it is possible to change a few settings around this. And I guess this will give inspiration to some of the readers.

If you want to go further: All other tips and tricks of YLovePhoto.

1. Color: Even if the leaves are already colored, shooting at sunrise or sunset will add a little bit more of colors and it is always more natural than blooming it with a saturation filter in Photoshop.
2. Color: Green is also a color, so watch for color oppositions.
3. Polarizing filter: Reducing the specular light reflexion, some of the colors will be enhanced by the use of a POL-C filter.

photo credit: samenstelling
4. Background: Like always, check your background and if it is not adequate be sure to open the aperture to blur it.
5. Speed: If there is wind, even a light one, be sure to push the shutter speed up to fix it.
6. Speed: If there is a river, a stream or some other moving object, be sure to push the shutter speed down to blur them.
7. Tripod: If you shoot pictures under the trees, you will probably not have enough light for fast speeds, so bring your tripod.
8. Water: Leaves look better when covered with some water (it could be rain or some water you brought).
9. HDR: Many forest pictures suffer from extreme dark areas and very bright areas (specially when the subject is back-lit). It’s the right moment to try and use HDR (High Dynamic Range) techniques.

1. When? Fog does not appear in any weather conditions but it is relatively predictable. More or less, for a misty morning, you will need to have a relatively warm day before with a cold night without wind. Fog will tend to accumulate in the depressions (like a valley) which will favor night radiation fog and coastal areas will often have a good source of water vapor and a good potential for heat loss over ground.



2. How? Use the light histogram to “shoot at right” or “expose at right”. It’s a fact that the camera will tend to under-expose the picture to try and get a medium grey image while the reality that you want to catch is rather white. In some case, you will probably use a preset over-exposure of 1 EV or 1.5 EV.
3. Back-light: Even if you do not easily see the sun, favor the “back-lit” orientation.

photo credit: 1suisse
4. Silhouettes: Fog is the occasion to sharply cut the silhouettes on a clear background.
5. Surfaces: Mist will tend to draw clear-cut surfaces on the different planes of the picture.
6. Rays: As soon as the sun starts to be available and starts to pierce the last strands of mist, watch for the moment when light rays will appear in the landscape.

Is a UV filter harmful?

First, I would like to demonstrate once again the critical importance of having a very good quality filter rather than the usual plastic junk. Too often, we forget that the filter is degrading the image quality and that the better the lens, the worst the impact. To clearly show this impact, LensRentals tried to stack up to 50 filters on the same lens. the result is so immediately obvious that you don’t need to go pixel-peeping at 100% scale:

But even one filter will decrease image quality.

Of course, if you want to compare the impact of the impact difference between a pro filter and a cheap run-of-the-mill filter, you can stack just 5 pro UV filters and 5 cheap UV filters. Here again, you’ve got food for thought before you buy your next photo filter:

I insist! this last test does not use 50 filters, but only 5 UV filters and the result is immediately perceptible to the naked eye of the non-expert, even if you’re not looking for it. With only one filter, you can do the test by your own and decide that using filters is a matter of thoughtful choice.

How Polarizing Filters Work?

This is one of the best and simplest explanations and demonstrations of the operation of these basic filters: A Polarizing Filter on the left and the Neutral Grey Filter on the right.

Source: PetaPixel.

photo © 2009 Amaury | more info (via: Wylio)

1. Know the place: You may use maps or scout the location, but be prepared and since there will be a lot of people and moving around is less of an option when the show starts, be sure to know exactly where you want to be (and be there beforehand).
2. No flash: It won’t help for the fireworks, it could only light up some foreground elements in front of the show (and light balance will be difficult to obtain). It’s better/easier to use the shadow of these foreground objects, if it is easily recognizable.
3. Use a tripod: It’s night time, there is light, but not enough. Apertures will be wide and speed will be low. Get a heavy, sturdy one (Avoid being bumped into by people and limit exposure to the wind: All these make blurry photos).
4. No autofocus: You need to focus at the infinity and then go back to manual.
5. Use long shutter speeds: The longer speeds will allow filling the pictures with more light (But don’t over do it; Several light flowers are good, a bunch of colored streaks is probably not right).
6. Experiment with apertures: If there is more than the fireworks to be placed in the picture (a good idea), try experimenting with the aperture to choose the best depth-of-field.
7. Have a flashlight: At night, it will be difficult to find your way around.
8. Have replacement parts ready: Batteries or Flash cards must be in an easily accessible location (without light, it’s easy to reach for your pockets, right?)
9. Don’t check the pictures on the LCD: There is no time for this, shoot, you’ll look later. (Option: Check only 1 or 2 images at the beginning, nothing after that).
10. Frame: Think and try different compositions and frames (panoramic, vertical, etc.)

Happy shooting, now!

1. There is no light: In most small concert venues, light is just not there. As a concert-goer, you make think that the stage is flooded in light. This is really not the case. While lighting techniques may be sophisticated, they are very expensive and even the biggest international-level stages are insufficiently lit. Bring a prime lens with a pro-level large-aperture: f/2.8 is OK, if you can get a f/2 or better, you will perceive the difference. We would recommend to start with a cheap second-hand 50mm or 80mm lens.
2. Always shoot in RAW: The processing software will allow to compensate for the wild color balance of lighting and to use the most sophisticated noise reduction algorithm (since you will use high ISO, you’ll get too much noise).
3. Use either Aperture priority mode (or manual if you feel comfortable with it): You want to use the widest aperture and you want to stick to it.
4. Use the fastest ISO that your camera allows while keeping noise level low enough for you. Anyway, you will feel that it’s not fast enough, so stick to this value.
5. Use central AF: This is the most efficient AF sensor and you will need that to cope with the weird contrasts and low lights that are trying to make your autofocus trip.

Etiquette

There is one little secret that concert photographers do not usually share with you: Live music photography is mostly all about etiquette. Or should I say rules? Or even regulations? It is not immediately apparent to the public, but there are rules to stick to. Know them, use them.

• Don’t be a burden on Security: The security guards are there for a purpose, they need to ensure safety both for the public and the artists. But you are going to be in the way. So, be polite and obedient. One of the worst things would be to continuously move around; Stick to your place an never leave the pit or the security people will perceive you as a pain in the neck.

JerkSystem at Elysée Montmartre
Copyright (C) Yves Roumazeilles
• Don’t be a pain to other photographers: Again, moving around is usually difficult and it will come as unpleasant to the other photographers. Even if they know you and like you, rushing around will get them annoyed (to say the least). Choose you spot and don’t move (mostly).
• Don’t piss off the fans: They paid for it; Don’t get in the way or make it very very short and move out. If there are times when music is very quiet, just don’t shoot. You don’t want your shutter to be heard (no problem during heavy metal live performance, a major issue for classical music and some jazz). It’s quite easy to be forcefully removed from the pit…
• One rule to rule them all: 3 songs, no flash. Some concert may accept exceptions to this universal rule, but NEVER break this one, without an explicit and repeated confirmation from the concert hall management. In most cases, security will come to you at the end of the third song. Just pack you gear and move out. Don’t complain, don’t argue, don’t try to steal one more shot. And be sure that your camera not even has a flash, to be sure not to break the “no flash” commandment.
• Your pit access badge is not a backstage badge. So, don’t try to piss off security walking in the wrong direction.

When you’re done, you may leave politely, but it is usually acceptable if you stay and I suggest you do so. 3 songs of intense shooting is too much for you to take the music in. Stay and share the concert with the fans. You may be one, you may become one.

Car racing (or motorcycle racing) is assuredly a favorite spot for photographing an exceptional subject: bright colors, shiny metal, technical expertise, intense concentration around competition, everything is present. So, here are a few tips to start motor race photography in the best possible conditions.

1. Gear: With or without accreditation, you will certainly be far from the track; So, you must get a long focal telephoto lens (200mm mini, 400mm is even better if you want to catch some details).
2. Advanced preparation: Ideally, you must go and visit the place to “take your bearings” (remember that it is often easier to move around the circuit during the officials tests a few days before the race), and you will be able to take advantage of it to shoot some more photos.
3. Competition: This is a race, so try and capture the spirit. Think about shooting not only one nice car, but several of them simultaneously (it’s easier in the curves) possibly during the overtaking phases.
4. Speed: Everything is fast, so you must choose a high shutter speed (at least 1/1000s when the car runs before you, maybe 1/250s when the car comes to you in a low speed curve).
5. Autofocus: Be sure to choose the continuous AF mode or AI-Servo mode ; The cars are fast and this is the most common trap even for fast AF systems.
6. Stands: Look around and don’t let the track keep all your attention. The stands are a place where a lot of things happen. Even better, on most race tracks, the arrival of a car in the pit is announced to the teams (and to the photographer) by a horn.
7. Podium: Of course, don’t forget to shoot the winner, either under the checkered flag or on the final podium.

One additional advice: Accreditation can be a real issue for all major car races. For example, if you are not a pro, with a large set of previous work in the automotive field, and the support of an influential press body, your chances to a photo accreditation is nil in Les 24 Heures du Mans. But it is always possible (maybe even good) to practice in the less restricted conditions offered by less prominent races on major tracks, races on small local circuits, or even kart racing competitions. And entrance fees are much lower, too.

This is a great idea for Mothers Day or Fathers Day: A point-and-shoot photo camera to snap pictures of the kids and grand-kids. But how do we pick the best one? There are thousands of them, the largest brands launch new models each and every week. So, let’s follow simple rules (They’re always the best ones).

A nice lens

Whatever the other qualities of a photo camera, I can’t repeat it enough: The lens is critical. The digital sensor may have millions of pixels, in a mobile phone, the poor plastic bit that is sold as a lens is the limiting factor.

Watch for cameras whose lens opens wide (it may be f/2.8 or f/4 maximum) because this allows to shoot with less light. If it feels useful, the zoom amplitude may be worth looking at, but the widest amplitudes generally go with (relatively) bad quality. On the opposite, a short focal length (35mm or 28mm, as film equivalent) is also a safe way to shoot a good picture when there is not enough space to move back. All this will secure a good image success rate in the usual conditions of a kid’s birthday party or a family dinner.

Cute or robust?

The compact photo camera market has progressively split itself between small jewel-like cameras (often quite fragile) and more robust cameras (whose appearance makes them far less cute).

You will have to choose depending on the desired size (according to the person who will receive the gift) and the kind of use (a grand-dad may not lend his camera as easily to a young kid depending on the kind of camera).

LCD comfort

The next most important item is the LCD screen on the back of all the point-and-shoot cameras. This display must be as readable as possible, even in the sun light. This is never completely true (the right technology is just not there yet) even if the OLED displays are not far from perfection. But if you can test and compare at the door of the shop, you will immediately see which one to choose.

The digital sensor

Finally, you can have a look at the image sensor. The best solution is still to have a very large-sized sensor (usually described as APS-C format or SLR-size sensor). In this case, the camera is slightly bigger but the image quality is notably improved. You’ll get a sensor normally found in a Digital SLR photo camera.

With all this, you’re ready to go and pay a visit to the windows of the point-and-shoot camera shops in your city. Just in time for Mothers Day and Fathers Day.

1. Organize your space: A helicopter is a very small space, already quite cluttered. As soon as you climb, set your gear up in a way that will not bother others. Don’t touch the controls if they are accessible, even when handling your bag or its contents. Check before take-off how you can change your lens if you intend to do it in flight.
2. Attach everything: A helicopter moves, bends, vibrates and is far from the ground. Make sure the bag won’t move (better, attach it) and make sure that the camera strap is around your neck..
3. Open the door: It will depend on the model (and on the pilot) but if it is possible, take a jacket (against the wind) and open the door to have no obstacle between your lens and the subject.
4. Watch for the blades: After all, you’ll forget easily about them but the blades can readily go into the frame on a standard or wide-angle shot. Either you want them clearly in (test the shutter speed for better effect), or you want to make sure they do not appear at all.
5. Choose your angle: Avoid shooting flat at the horizon (with its atmospheric haze) and take advantage of the overhanging position to try either slightly high angle shots or perfectly vertical ones right under the helicopter.

More than a tip, an advice: Have fun. Shoot as much as you can but keep also some time to watch and inhale. There is a world out of the viewfinder.

photo © 2009 Autumn & Phill M. | more info (via: Wylio)

So, this month’s Y-tips are all about trying to help us shift to high gear to make our photos as nice as the pets we love.

1. Choose the best time: Take advantage from the proximity with your model to choose the time when it is most available, most cooperative.
2. Climb down to your subject level: As for many other models, an animal is best shot from eye level (its eye!), even if it means crawling on the floor or shooting a pet when it is set on furniture.
3. Watch the background: Inside or outside, the picture background can be quite distracting. Choose an adequate background or use a wide aperture to make it fuzzy.
4. Include its environmental: Choose a beautiful location that goes well with the pet and do not frame too tightly around (include the field, the beach, for example).
5. Close the frame: On the exact opposite, you can go very near a cooperating animal. Why not try to shoot a detail (an eye, an hear, a tail tip)?
6. Compose a scene Once again, since your pet is much more cooperative than the neighbor’s cat, you can try to create a scene. But be sure to prepare everything before you bring the animal in; Pets are less patient than most human pro models.

photo credit: Dinh Huynh

So, let’s not forget the basic advice for the photographer in cold weather and we’ll bring good pictures back from the near-Arctic zone of our holidays.

1. Protection against mist and water vapor: Cold generates mist any time hardware moves quickly from one place to another one, violently changing temperature. In a house, it’s warm with a lot of humidity; Outside, it’s cold and the air is dry. Use a plastic bag for freezing food. You’ll close the camera and lenses with outside dry air before getting back in. Don’t forget to remove the battery and/or memory card on the doorstep, of course.
2. Protection against snow: As for rain, you must be wary of the bad consequences of humidity directly one the photo equipment. If the camera is weather-sealed, you’ll forget about it, mostly. But, if not, don’t let snow fall onto it. It’s so much nicer, but it will short-circuit electrical contacts in about the same time.
3. Electrical storage: Be prepared: You need more batteries. In the cold temperatures, all batteries seem to loose a lot of their autonomy. It is advisable to keep unused batteries near your body (for body heat), but above all double all your habits for additional energy storage. You need twice the spare batteries.
4. Protection of the photographer: Hardware is not the only one sensitive to cold. The software photographer also gets cold. Remember to always be clothed more than adequately. You will not shoot good pictures if your are frozen to immobility and get a cold. Remember that it’s always more difficult if you are not moving for a long time.
5. Protection of the photographer: More specifically, choose cautiously your gloves. They must be as warm as possible and as thin as possible (to keep a good finger sensitivity on the controls). You’ll find excellent technical products in shops specializing in outdoor and alpine sports.
6. Don’t forget the light: This is the most common problem with snow, you must over-expose by 2 stops when snow is visible in the viewfinder. The metering sensor and system will try to render some kind of medium light grey color, and with all this white snow, it will strongly under-expose. You must compensate and OVER-expose.

Snap nice frozen photos! And show us them on the Facebook page, or in the Flickr group.

photo credit: kevindooley

The cause of digital noise is inside the photo sensor itself. Short of using a sensor at a very low temperature (this is the astronomers solution, though), thermal random moves of the electrons in the sensor material will produce false color values in the sensor. These small spots are corrected (but only up to a point) by the firmware of the photo camera, but we can help it a bit.

• Use small ISO: The higher the ISO sensitivity, the more difficult it is for the sensor to amplify these small useful signals. Be specially aware of the risks involved with the “Auto ISO” mode which will choose (not always wisely) the sensitivity. Some Nikon DSLR cameras like the D7000 allow to fix your own limits to the max ISO values of the auto ISO mode; This is a good thing. The maximum value depends a lot on your camera, but today, 400 ISO are very difficult (too much?) for a compact camera, only the most modern APS-C cameras will safely reach 800 ISO, semi-pro and pro DSLR will go further. But beware: The older generations (last year!) may be limited to one or two stops lower.
• Don’t forget the noise reduction mode of your camera: This is specially true for long exposures (more than 1/10s) and nearly all cameras have a special mode to identify long exposure noise, but it is not always selected in the menus.
• Keep your camera cold: We forget it too often, this is “thermal noise”. The warmer the sensor, the more noise there will be. So, keep the camera cold. If you use the LiveView mode or video capture, give it some time (one minute?) for the sensor to cool down after these continuous and intensive uses before trying to shoot a low noise picture.

After that, there is only Photoshop, GIMP or any other photo repair software which will be able to correct what has been recorded by the sensor.

« 2011, Neiges et Glaces du Monde » (2011, Snows and ices of the world) is a project of Marion Jonchères, French mountaineer, sportswoman, adventurer to the end of the world. During a full year, this frail young woman will face cold and altitude while climbing icy summits all over the world, on all continents.

But Marion is also a photographer ; This is why we asked her to share her tips and tricks with us for a better photography in (high) altitude. They will be applicable under 6000m too, of course.

You can follow her 2011 adventure on her blog at ice-altitude.com.

When Yves asks me about the peculiarities of mountain photography, I ask back: What mountain photography? The pictures of the admiring tourist using his photo camera from an outdoor café facing the snowy peaks? Maybe not… Or the pictures of an assiduous practitioner, whose camera is a part of the mountaineering gear? Of course, this goes with some constrains… Here are the lessons I draw from my modest amateur experience.

• • Focus on a camera body as compact and lightweight as possibleDon’t forget that you must carry the photo gear and that it must not limit your progression. The photo hardware is stored in the backpack or carried, inside the clothes or on a shoulder strap. Forget about sensitive equipment!
    If you leave for a trekking or a long expedition, remember the spare batteries or solar battery chargers. The most farsighted mountaineer will have several memory cards, just as insurance against losing all the pictures in case of the long fall of the camera into a crevice or a river…
  • Use a UV filterUltra-violet (UV) light density will increase with altitude. Snow has a blinding effect. The UV filter (Skylight 1A or 1B) helps moderate these effects. Moreover, it will protect the lens if, like I do to speed up operation, you never cover the lens between shots.
  • Favor a wide-angle lens and leave the telephoto homeA wide-angle lens (up to 18 mm) will allow to step back from the somewhat imposing mountains and will better capture your feeling in front of a mountain range… Sometimes, one would wish being equipped for panorama photography!To capture pictures of your climbing partner in action, forget the telephoto lens except if you intend to check on his ice spikes or his climbing helmet. However, a slightly longer focal length (135 mm) is useful to isolate an individual while keeping some image depth.

    And if you want to track the progress of your partners on a mountain side or define an itinerary, you’d better have binoculars ; It’s less heavy and more powerful.

  • Of the difficulty to capture the actual inclination of a rock / snow / ice slopeThe rock wall is vertical and snow slope is inclined to more than 60 degrees, and your leader, above you, still seems to be crawling on all fours? This is the main difficulty for a picture or the progress of your leader. You’d better try to shoot pictures of a person roughly on the same level as you (be sure to catch his best profile!), the sky or other mountains being a background to highlight the position of your model and the slope he/she’s working on. Some low angle shots may be successful too if you keep composition lines or a focal point (an ice tongue or a moraine…).

• Forget about back-lightingExcept if you want to draw the different planes of ranges up to the horizon, mountain is usually quite ugly when back-lit, crushed in light, rock will become black, without any of the contrasts brought by a more favorable lighting.
• Which is the nicest light?Very personal question… If the sunsets can give you magnificent colors, most notably in rosy tints, still prefer the colors of sunrise. The morning orange will be warmer than in the evening and the atmosphere will be clearer. Also notice with interest the pastel lights so peculiar in a Winter afternoon, drawing into apricot or peach: Quite a treat (figuratively speaking)!
• To dazzle your friendsYou just climbed a snow couloir still somewhat unimpressive? So, climb down quickly and shoot the couloir while facing it from a little distance: Your friends may feel that it is now near vertical!
• Despite all your talent and the quality of all your gear… be ready for frustration!Stopping to get your camera out of your jacket will quickly become annoying when you also have to concentrate on your progress. How many times did I feel I had shot 100 pictures to discover only 30 in the camera when the climb is done and most of them uninterested or not spectacular enough or not worth taking… It is somewhat hard to simultaneously climb, admire and shoot! Choose your partner cautiously: On top of his mountaineering qualities, he must be patient to stop whenever you want and whenever the safety conditions are met (certainly not under a serac or in the middle of a snow bridge…)

Here’s what I can do to help start again with fresh ideas, new energy for photography:

• Open a photo book and start looking for what surprises you and is different from your own work: Different subjects, different compositions, new colors, new places.
• Pop a DVD and watch a movie. Sometimes, you will notice how a director of photography can be a great photograph. I’d like to mention two movies right now: In Cold Blood (by Richard Brooks, 1967; DoPh: Conrad L. Hall) and Desert Flower (by Sherry Horman, 2009; DoPh: Ken Kelsch).
• Go to an art museum near me and check for all kinds of paintings and graphic art.
• Go and visit a local craftsman to see what they do with metal, wood or stone. Art can sometimes start from all kinds of materials.
• Open a photography magazine and skip the hardware/software pages to check the pictures from great photographers: I like the photo agency pages of Chasseur d’Images (in France, Europe) for they present commercial photography at its best.

Usually, it’s enough to go further, not only as a zombie, but as a renewed photographer.

Post scriptum: For those who did not recognize his name, Conrad L. Hall is a director of photography who is widely recognized and participated to many great movies. Just remember American Beauty and Road to Perdition (both of Sam Mendes), or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

photo credit: mikebaird

As a matter of fact, I count 1 point for each of the following criteria:

• A – Attitude, Activity, Action
• L – Light and Exposure
• C – Composition of the image
• I – Interaction of the subject with its environment, model placement
• D – Crisp Details, no blur

After all, if you want a top photo, you could do much worse than try and fill all these conditions. A good photographer will remember these criteria at shooting time; An excellent photographer will apply them without even thinking about it; For my part, I still need to remember them while sorting RAW files under Adobe Bridge.

A few tips and tricks I grouped for you in order to reach the maximum possible sharpness on your photos (and my photos):

• Light: Darkness is not favorable; It brings fuzziness when the subject moves and a difficult automated focus.
• Speed: A fast shutter speed is good to freeze the subject in place.
• tripod: In order to be stable, there is no better solution than screwing the camera to a good old sturdy tripod.
• ISO: Choose a sensitivity high enough for the shutter to stop all movement, but not too high (to avoid blowing the digital noise up).
• Autofocus: An AF finely tuned (for those who have micro-setting of the AF), using the AF in the right mode (according to the subject -moving or not- there are different AF modes on your SLR).
• Autofocus Zones: The choice of the AF zone(s) is also critical (it is all too often to focus on the background rather than the model). It is quite important to focus on the eye of the subject rather than on the nose.
• Subject: If everything else is already optimized (especially in low light), make sure that the subject itself does not move.
• Sensor: Of course, use a camera whose sensor is as high resolution as possible; But do not let figures fool you: The more resolution, the more digital noise. do not use a 10MP+ P&S, or a 18MP+ D-SLR with an ASP-C sensor, for example).
• Lens: It’s always better to use a lens with a pro sharpness (and a pro price, too) but each glass has its optimal conditions for use (hardly the full aperture, often not the most closed diaphragm).
• Filter: shun unnecessary filters (like the Skylights or the UVA/UVB) or low quality filters (who add their own optical defects to those from the lens).
• Software: Do not push to the limit of the noise reduction software settings (while NR crunches noise, it also removes details and image crunchiness).
• Format: Avoid JPEG or use JPEG at a low compression rate (the compression artifacts start by eroding the fine quality of your image). Stay in RAW (or in TIFF)

When you are in a plane of a light plane flying near a mountain range, it is quite tempting to shoot a few landscape photos; But the conditions will stay very difficult for the photographer. There are many traps and the results may loose a lot of quality compared to what you expected.

For example, problems could be:

1. The presence of visible obstacles
2. The atmospheric turbulence
3. The atmospheric veil
4. The vibrations of the plane
5. The optical limitations of the cabin window

First, you must be seated near a window (and on the right side) and you must avoid the presence of the wing and/or an engine which could reduce the view. Choose your seat wisely at check-in time or politely negotiate with the passenger better seated.

The engines of the plane produce a lot of air turbulence that is very perceptible just behind them. Seat sufficiently in front (unfortunately, the more expensive seat are often in the front of the plane).

Air moisture and dust are less problematic at high altitude than at ground level, but you will probably shoot your landscapes from very far. Only when the sky is very clear can you try a flight. Then you would limit the atmospheric veil to its minimum. It’s even better to fly early in the morning (the light is nicer and the air moisture is still mostly on the ground). Chance must fly with you (or you will have to compensate with perseverance).

Then, a plane shakes a lot. Even more when it’s a small plane. Not as much as a helicopter, but it is definitely not stable! So, choose a fast shutter speed. Worse: Those vibration frequencies are not well compensated by the image stabilizer of your camera or lens; They are targeting the smoother moves of the photographer. For an 80mm lens, I would advise faster than 1/200 s; For a 35mm, faster than 1/100 s. You may have to crank your ISO up a little for that.

But the biggest interference will probably be the window itself. Nothing much you can do: It is not a neutral photo filter. It will darken irregularly the image. It is not really compatible with polarizing filters (color shift and forced shading in the sky part of the image). It usually has a lot of scratches and stains (those inside may be cleaned, but going outside is tougher…)

In the end, shoot! Don’t hesitate to shoot twice, think about building panoramas (shoot according to the advice for good panoramic photos at Roumazeilles.net, and assemble them with PhotoMerge in Photoshop or with AutoPano Pro).

The photos illustrating this article are Copyright (c) 2009 – Yves Roumazeilles (all rights reserved)
Click on the thumbnails to see the larger photo.

• B&W loves textures and fine grained surfaces
• Check your light
• Use low ISO: Image noise is more visible in B&W
• Check your composition: The lack of colours will make your spectator more attentive to a a bad framing
• Before converting to B&W, do all the cleaning and editing (the results will be better)
• Your photo software may have a better option that just desaturate or convert from colours to grey shades
• Edit again after conversion to Black-and-White
• Even when shooting in colour: If it does not work in colour, try it in B&W

photo credit: Dave-F almost retired

Here are my rules to photography self-improvement:

1. Think about it permanently. You must start seeing the world with a photographic eye, look for, then find photos anywhere you go (with or without a camera): while driving a car, on the highway, in a small street, in the subway, in a family reunion, in the city, in the country, in the zoos, at work, in the plant, etc.
2. Experiment. There are millions of specific photo techniques. The digital cameras allow us to try anything without any kind of expense. You must try and try again: backlight, high-angle shots, low-angle shots, panorama, macro, speed, flash, etc.
3. Pratice. You must shoot a lot and check the results continuously to see what works and what does not. Also, shooting a lot is a good way to learn the inner operation of your photo camera. The first time you drive a car, it’s a bit hard… then it grows on you. And you forget about the moves and stop thinking about it. It’s only then that you can do whatever you want. When I will handle my camera with my eyes closed, I will botch less pictures for my slow reaction.
4. Push the camera aside. Soemtimes an empty battery, a forgotten camera will allow you to shoot pictures in your head only. No technical constraint: Look.
5. Never let it go. Endurance is needed to keep going. Never despair. Keep shooting images. It won’t come in a week.

Finally, when you get this level, what will be left? Profit (or not) from your inner photographic self: There are some “natural-born photographers”.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge them

If you want to only watch the photographs, you can merely ask for a large format print on RedBubble (or a simple card).

But I think that the story of these three photos is a good example of what I (sometimes) succeed in doing in photography. Let me tell you this story.

The location

The Lake Der-Chantecoq is located in France between Troyes and Saint Dizier, at the gates of the Champagne vineyards. It is a man-made volume created to be hold the high waters of the River Marne to reduce the risk of flooding Paris. Several villages have be drowned in its waters when it was built between 1967 and 1974. Water fauna and migratory birds adopted its 48 km² (the largest artificial lake in France) in their long journeys and its being classified Réserve Nationale de Chasse et de Faune Sauvage provides good protection. So, this became a common meeting point for amateur ornithologists (with or without a photo camera).

Tip: If the specialists go there, follow in their steps.

The time

I wanted to go there for a long time, but only a little whim (“why not go and watch sunrise there? I don’t have anything better planned for the day”) in order to have me moving. Let’s remember that early and late hours provide these lights often named the “golden hour” for they offer richer lights, quieter moments (less tourists). You may have to make some little effort, though (African safaris are not the only time to wake up early).

But, I have to admit that this was a little over my usual limit: Up at 3:30 to drive from Paris in time for sunrise…

Tip: Wake up early (or stay late).

The weather

I should have been checking the Weather Channel before leaving: Heavy fog on the last 60km.

Tip: Check the weather before.

What could I do when light is lacking and colours are gone? (Usually, colours are easier for me and my eye) Let’s choose something completely different: Monochrome. If I had checked the weather, I may have hesitated to wake up early and I would only had had the grey afternoon of that same day.

Tip: Don’t check the weather and use whatever happens to be at hand.

The frame

This is no random chance if those three pictures are framed vertically. Many a photo would look better (would look more “pro”) once in a frame favoring their height. Quite a large number of my best photos are vertical (I have to fill the frame adequately, but it’s often more dynamic).

Tip: Always check if a vertical frame “would be better”.

The composition

Advice is made to be forgotten, but for composition millenia-old rules are to stay. One of them, “the rule of thirds”, requires to cut the image in three identical parts, locating the subject(s) adequately in the frame.

In the picture here on the right, I think I had a little success. The grebe is in the lower third, the bush in the upper third. Let’s not get technical though: I introduced a slight imbalance to compensate for the relative masses of both subjects.

In the case of the backlit grebe, composition is using 1/3 plus 2/3. In the upper part, there could be another object (like the bush in the previous photo), but I chose to leave this space empty in order to let the sun fill it. The rule o fthirds is here… with a twist.

for the duck picture, I wanted to take advantage of the mirror effect in the lake water. I could have built a perfectly symetric image composition, but “it didn’t fly”. So, I reframed it slightly to give a little more space over both silhouettes and let the duck take off.

Here is a centered composition. Out of center.

Tip: Choose your composition before pressing the shutter release.

The final steps

Once the photo shot, it is possible to reach the image development stage (like for a chemical silver picture, but with computer-based techniques). This is not the easier part, but I like it and the computer is forginving: You don’t have to pay your errors and trials with expensive chemical baths and photo paper.

Here, the sky is the limit. The first thing to do, maybe the easiest, is to reframe the image. The grebe on the right was not framed like that on the original image. As a matter of fact, the enormous light contrasts made the autofocus a bit imprecise. So, I chose to focus on the bird with the most sensitive AF sensor (center one for most SLR cameras) and not to reframe immediately but only later. I also used the computer to perfect centering of the glimmer (the bird was always moving around, diving down, and I did not want to risk missing the right moment; I kept some finishing steps for a later stage).

But this image also had its inherent difficulties. It’s not too visible in the Internet-sized picture, but it was critical to maintain a perfect quality on large prints and posters; Two dangers loomed in the original file:

• I wanted to keep the extraordinary structure and shape of the glimmering sun: Seen from a very short distance, it looks a lot like hundreds of white-hot metal slabs.
• The violent backlight on the bird created a slight reddish aura that I did not want.

This is one situation where I drop the JPEG file in favor of its Raw counter-part. Thanks to Adobe Camera Raw for its ability to simultaneously work on optical defects like this aura (with a lovely choice of settings), image accentuation and colour balance (it is critical even if the photo seems to be made of only five impressionnist coloured oils).

Raw was also the only way to keep the soft pink colour of the other grebe.

Even if it was simpler for the flying duck, it was worth a small correction using Photoshop curves to bring colours back.

In the end, both monochrome images received intensive care to clean up little details: Each water reflection was checked and evaluated individually and in the context of the overall photograph. Some were promtply removed. Many have simply been tweaked a bit. For example, the future owners of a large print of the duck’s flight will notice a few water droplets flying around the bird and their reflection on the lake surface.

Tip: Never stop before image editing.

But I worked only on these three images. 80 shutter clicks, sorting done by a fanatic. I don’t want to spend my energy on images that would not be worth it. I slowly teached myself that it’s no use trying to control images in the field and that I must drop anything less than perfect. Even with this, all my images are far from perfection and those who are obviously not will never leave Adobe Bridge.

Tip: Remove anything less than perfect. Only keep the best.

It’s easier if you had a clear idea of the photo you wanted to get while releasing the shutter. Your pictures are linked by this common initial aim.

Tip: Decide what photo you want. Do not just press the shutter release.

Luck

Once you have all aces in your game, luck is welcome too. On each of these images, there is a bit of luck.

• I expected a nice light in the glimmering sun, but I did not know that it would happen in long strokes like that.
• The near-perfect monochrome of the “pink grebe” would not have been possible without the 30 or 40 minutes when the sun was masked in the softening fog.
• The duck’s reflection is only a product of the very slight wind agitating the lake’s surface. A little more, a little less, and the picture would have been totally different. I think I would not have liked it.

Tip: Have luck. After all this, you earned it.

Now, if you were not disappointed by the detailled explanation, you may still buy a large format print on RedBubble.

 

Lion – Copyright 2008 Yves Roumazeilles

1. Be ready. Always keep your camera ON. Switching it ON is a useless distraction when you need to shoot something. Nature will surprise you. Be ready for surprises… and to catch them.
2. Be ready. Always keep your camera on your lap or next to you. Nature will surprise you. Be ready for surprises… and to catch them.
3. Be ready. Don’t bother with the LCD screen. Shoot images, look at them later in the lodge. Things happen during your LCD-fetish time. Nature will surprise you. Be ready for surprises… and to catch them.
4. Take your time. Stay with the animal. Don’t look and say “OK. We saw it. Let’s go to the next”.
5. Know the animals you’re supposed to find on the location (ask your guide before) and look for them. Incessantly. Even while chatting with the other people around you.
6. Bring a 300mm or 400mm lens with you. Animals are shy and they won’t let you approach easily.
7. Shoot with a fast speed. Animals move! For birds, keep the speed above 1/1000 second. For larger animals, keep it above 1/500.
8. Frame the subject, avoid putting it in the middle/center of the photo. Moving it to the side and having it walk into it is better. Avoid having the animal “looking outside the frame”.
9. Focus on the eyes.
10. You may be tempted to shoot immediately, don’t. First look at the light on the animal. For example, a walking elephant may have the eyes in the dark. A second later, the sun will shine in the eye. What picture will be the best? The one you waited for. If waiting seems too difficult, shoot one “souvenir”, then look and wait. Then shoot “the right one” (I do this a lot with birds: Get one, then try to get the “right one” before it flies out).
11. Shoot early in the morning, or late in the evening. Hard light at mid-day will kill all subjects with ugly shadows.
12. There is no perceptible difference between a sleeping lion and a dead lion. Would you shoot a dead lion? So, wait for the return of life. By the way, sleeping lions will move, even if only to move out of the sun rays through the tree that hides them. You may have to wait for fifteen minutes (or an hour), but it will move for sure.
13. Look for animal behaviour: drinking, grooming each other, walking together, fighting, jumping, birds landing, etc. Those will make interesting stories.

 

Buffle – Copyright 2008 Y.Roumazeilles

Here is the application with a rather dull image taken from the back of La Défense in Paris.

1st solution: Photoshop

Let’s start preparing the picture with Image > Adjustment > Shadow/highlight.... We’ll start with quite heavy settings! Shadows: amount:50%, tonal width:45%, radius:44px ; Highlights: amount:67%, tonal width:65%, radius:46px ; Adjustments: color correction:+20, midtone contrast:0, black clip:0,01%, white clip:0,01%.

You have one heavily modified “base” layer. Duplicate it and select an interaction of color dodge. Highlights are burnt and totally white. But the colours have been hightened.

Do the duplicate dance again, but with an interaction of linear burn. Now, there is too much black. Set black as foreground color, then Select > color range... and apply a fuzziness of 100. Now add a new layer mask using the little icon with a circle in a rectangle at the bottom of the layers box.

Now, duplicate it again, but with an interaction of Overlay. Press Ctrl-I. You can start playing with the opacity of the last two layers, preferably 40% for “overlay” and 60% for “linear burn”.

Set white as foreground color, then Select > color range... and apply a fuzziness of 100. Select the “base” layer, duplicate it, and move it up the list of layers. Again, use the icon to add a layer mask. You may want to apply a Gaussian blur with Filter > Attenuation > gaussian blur... with a radius of 2. This step is giving the kind of halo that is most visible in most HDR images, so choose the adequate radius value for your image.

last step could be to correct the always-possible color shift (or to create one) by adding an adjustment layer (using the black-and-white circle icon), option color balance.... But it is not often needed:

Source: a now-closed web site at www.hdrphotos.net.

2nd solution: The Gimp

Using The Gimp, you may use directly the plugin from Gimpology.com. It’s propably a little less extreme than my prefered solution.

3rd solution: Photoshop tutorial

I found another Photoshop tutorial on the web at Various Photography Thoughts.

Final Note

CreateHDR which is supposed to do all this for free and online does not seem to work anymore, except -sometimes- for very small pictures. Did they have too much success?