CI421 - 3D video with After Effects

Digital butterfly

After Effects is a powerful tool that sits between video editing and 3D pure digital creation. This software allows to animate 3D objects. Getting started is certainly not so simple, but the possibilities are almost limitless. Let's see together how to create an artificial butterfly and make it fly it over its favorite biotope.

CI419 - Mirrorless cameras and old lenses

A simple et cheap solution

The architecture of mirrorless cameras simplifies the design of adapter rings. It is thus possible to mix brands but also to mount old lenses on modern digital cameras. I have tested various ols Canon FD lenses with my Nikon Z6. Assessment after a few months of field practice.

NI60 - Mister T

The practice of macro photography is fascinating because it allows to reveal details that are hidden to our eyes. The high-speed photography that I have been practicing for over thirty years now adds the temporal dimension to it. I can capture actions that are far too fast for my eyes. I recently implemented these techniques to understand who is this strange T-shaped insect that lands on the curtains in summer.

NI56 - œdipoda grasshoppers

œdipoda grasshoppers have amazing mimetic abilities. Their exoskeleton takes on the color of their environment. Rather difficult to spot in their environment, they are also not very photogenic, too "tone on tone". This is true as long as they remain motionless on the ground. When they leap, they spread very colorful wings that impress intruders. High-speed techniques show how oedipod grasshoppers catapult through the air before spreading their beautiful wings !

CI411 - Slow motion video

When an action photographer discovers the possibilities of video recording with their digital camera, he may be tempted to shoot in slow motion. A slow motion shows all the details of movements. But our cameras are not designed for high-speed recording, and this article provides some tips for going beyond their limits.

NI54 - Early morning, noon and evening

Magic of light

Modern equipment is so sophisticated that one sometimes forgets that when it comes to photography, everything is driven by the mastering light. I have even discussed with photographers who believe that the high-sensitivity of their digital camera associated with the post-processing possible with their computer allows light to be overlooked. Big mistake, let's see why.

CI409 - Record your making of

Visitors od wildlife photo festivals can spot photos taken in dream locations. They often ask the author many questions about this particular biotope. Some even ask if it would be possible to follow the photographer in the field. The video is an excellent way to answer this request by showing the making of and by allowing to walk a few moments in the steps of the photographer. Let's analyze together how to make a nice making of.

CI408 - Gimbal stabilizer

Sophisticated camera movements give professional look to video footage. But holding the camera in your hand is a delicate exercise that may give seasickness to spectators. The solution: to use a 3-axis gimbal stabilizer based on technologies developed for drones. Discover how to use this new accessory which increases the possibilities of movement in video footages.

NI52 - Orchid near the river

A photo explained

A channel, a bank lit by the lights of the city, another wilder bank where orchids grow and a dark sky at nightfall. Let us analyze how to take advantage of this scene to take a picture of wild nature with an urban background. The Fuji GFX-50s medium format hybrid camera was there!

CI407 - Right settings for video

Record video with a still camera.

When it comes to video, some parameters have to be adjusted, taking into account the constraints of moving images. Let’s take a look at all the settings and analyze the best practices that allow to get beautiful rendering in video mode.

CI406 - Field practice with the Leica M

In a photographic world always changing, with DSLRs on the way to be replaced by mirrorless cameras, is there still a place for the Leica M? The launch of the Leica M10P is an opportunity to go through the qualities of a very specific photographic concept, but also to make the link with certain recent mirrorless cameras which offer similar functionalities.

CI403 - Timelapse

When the Nikon D850 came out, a teaser touted the camera’s ability to record timelapses in 8K. With a friend who is interested in timelapse video, we filmed dusk with the new Nikon, but also with an "old" Nikon D800E as well as with an Atomos Ninja Assassin external recorder. Follow us in the field and experience together how to make a timelapse.

CI399 - Nikon D850 review

On paper, the Nikon D850 seems to have all the qualities: high resolution, high-speed autofocus, fast burst up to 9 fps and good performance at high sensitivity. The body also offers new functions such as focus shift, electronic shutter or analogue negatives capture. I was eager to know how all these functions benefit the photographer's work. I have just spent three days in the field to find out if the D850's data sheet is keeping its promises.

CI398 - Tri-X season

An unexpected event made me want to touch again with film rolls to try to find back the flavor of the analog photography. To this end, I decided to get one of the best analog camera and I bought a used Nikon F6. I invite you to load a Kodak Tri-X film roll in this camera and to put the eye in its large viewfinder to live with me a Tri-X season !

NI46 - Why bugs in flight are so noisy?

The bug is an insect that smells bad, which stings the intruders who touch it and destroys many plants in the garden. Here is a brief summary of the insect's reputation in the minds of most people. However, it uses its odoriferous glands only as a defensive protection and must be seriously disturbed so that it feels threatened. Finally, gardeners are constantly trying to get rid of green bugs while caterpillars do much more damage. The bug should not be able to attract the attention of a photographer. Well, since I was interested in the characteristics of his flight, I discovered an amazing insect!

NI44 - Dance of speckled wood

If you walk frequently in the forest, you may have noticed that you always meet a small butterfly with a brown colors. when a gap in the trees lets the sun illuminates the ground, you may enter the territory of a speckled wood (Pararge aegeria). He is there, resting on a low sheet. If you pass too close to him, he flies away, climbs a few meters high to see who you are, then he comes to land in the same place, on his lookout!

CI393 - Match between mirrorless medium format cameras

Match in the field

Hasselblad and Fuji have just introduced the first mirror-less digital medium format cameras. Compactness, electronic sighting or even new optics have impacts on the habits of photographers who usually use medium format cameras for high-end jobs. We went to the field with these two new systems to analyze what they are going to change.

CI390 - 4K monitors jungle

Advice and pitfalls to avoid

4K monitor is very attractive for photographers. When upgrading the monitor, one can be tempted by the "very high def" offered by these new monitors. However, you should be aware of the many incompatibilities, total or partial, especially if you have equipment that is not very recent. Let's take a look at few barbaric terms that you should understand before making your choice: UHD or 4K, MST or SST, sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998, standard or extended gamut, etc!

NI40 - Speed flyers

Insects on the wing !

Insects seem to transgress all the laws of aerodynamics. A first flutter of wings is enough for them to take off. Their wings are both frail and very rigid. Some aerial miniature aerobatics use an unstable propulsion that should not allow them to fly. So, are our scientists mistaken in their calculations? Do insects take benefit of solutions that our engineers have not imagined or are they implementing techniques that are difficult to reproduce? This article tries to unveil some of the mysteries of insect flight!

CI382 - Wingspan, long antennae in the wind !

Nature sometimes creates strange animals. This is the case for the wingspan that have a tiny body and very long antennae. To put forward this singular morphology, I was led to implement two diametrically opposed photographic operating modes.

CI381 - Footage as a pro

Recent DLRs are all capable of recording video. But to shift from the shooting of fixed pictures to the making of a film, we have to question many habits. It is also necessary to replace certain accessories well suited to the photo by others designed for video. Let's take a closer look at the small and big changes that have to be made when we have the ambition to record footage with a DSLR.

CI377 - Leica M Monochrom and Noctilux

Dream camera and lens...

Just as the car journalist can't refuse a test drive on the last Ferrari, Ghislain Simard did not hesitate long when Leica offered to test the new Leica M Monochrom along with the Noctilux 50 mm f/0.95 ... a camera so different from those he uses on a daily basis. He gives us his verdict after an arlesian walk.

NI32 - Belle de nuit, ephemeral flower

The "Belle de nuit" is an atypical flower. While her cousins ​​await the first rays of the sun to open their corolla, this large yellow flower unfolds its large petals at nightfall. This beautiful is a flower of the night! Its generous dimensions and bright color make it a subject of choice for the macro photographer. But its hatching cycle and its large stems do not simplify the shooting sessions, quite the opposite. Let's see how to get around these difficulties to take full advantage of the graphics offered by this unique flower.

NI31 - Ladybird

The ladybird enjoys a very positive image. It is welcome in our gardens because it eats aphids that attack plants. It is easy to identify with its red wings full of dark dots. Finally, it is not shy. All these characteristics make it a very nice insect.

When trying to photograph it in flight , I realized that the Ladybird is also a patient model !