Julien Dorol photos blog

In recent misadventures of hard drives, I take the problem of safeguarding it very seriously. After losing several GB of data, I have more confidence in the mail (I wonder if one day I had confidence). "Fortunately, the lost data were not of paramount importance, but it's still annoying.

I can not imagine losing a moment of photos both investment and the amount of work are important. The cost of equipment, travel, time to shoot, to processing photos and caption, the sentimental value, not to mention the possibility of losing a job that is not delivered or completed ... I find it unthinkable to leave all that energy to thank you for a fool disk drive that has decided to keep everything working for him for ever! My volume of images and files increases considerably, it took me seriously thinking about a backup solution, assuring data security, and the ability to easily retrieve them when problems arise. There are lots of solutions more or less safe and / or costly depending on the degree of paranoia. So I will describe one that suits me better. This is certainly not the best, but at least I can sleep peacefully.

I do all my backups on hard disks because that is what seems the safest. CDs are too small, and the DVD does not appear to be reliable over time. The online solutions, although interesting, ask me to worry about download times.

All my pictures are shot in RAW. Returning from a meeting or a trip, I import all RAW files on the laptop to do all the editing and processing. Once all my files sorted and processed, I export the JPEG standard in maximum resolution, and I keep on the disk of the laptop that JPEG. All RAW files are stored on a 2TB external drive that does not move from my home. The only safeguard is not enough because in case of theft or fire, it must "necessarily" an offsite backup. To make the backup of this disc, use small disks of 2.5-inch pocket, one for each year. Discs years past are stored offsite in a secure area, data from the current year are saved on a disk 2.5 "I did not bring with me to do a weekly backup (I store in a place where I can get them easily with friends or otherwise).

The other part to safeguard important documents on any work schedule with photos: articles, exhibitions, website backups, blog, paperwork ... All this represents a significant mass of files that would be really very painful to lose. To secure all this, I am a complete copy of the computer and daily on the hard disk of 2TB and another on a 2.5-inch drive that never leaves my bag. I set the record 2.5 inches for the computer to restart if it crashes over the primary drive.

Here is a diagram that may be clearer:

All these manipulations are less complicated than they appear because there is software involved in any transfer of data on a desired frequency, the desired disc, with the choice of making a boot disk or not ... For Mac users, I recommend the excellent " Carbon Copy Cloner ". Time Machine works well, but has some shortcomings such as the inability to set the backup boot disk.

Some companies offer solutions rather sophisticated, but even if the functions seem interesting, I doubt that the high price is justified compared to a more personal.

The camera equipment is not what excites me most about this activity, but there is however the tools I could not do without and which directly affect my pictures and my style.

The 50 mm is included. When I walk My library of images, I realize 70% of my images are done with this focal length. When I got back seriously into photography, I tried a lot of zoom lens (zoom) without ever finding anything of convincing for what I was looking for.

I'm finally back to my first love because the 50mm is actually the first goal I used the quick reflex silver that my father lent me when I was 10.

Today, I use the 50mm for several reasons:

At one time, this lens was proposed to office with boxes and been widely disseminated. The technology is so successful and inexpensive. Today, even entry-level 50mm (f1.8) worth hundreds of euro offers image quality that many zoom lenses more expensive are not entitled.

If the focal length reduces costs, it also reduces the backpack. Apart from the ultra high end models that open to f1.2 (if you had € 1400 you did not know what to do ...), the 50 remain fairly compact and light, qualities that I particularly during long hikes. It also helps to keep quiet and do not have a "monster" super light screwed to the case and slide easily into your pocket if you change your goal frequently.

The fixed focal length required to move rather than simply turning the zoom ring and keep your feet nailed to one place. Each variation requires framing to move (sometimes several centimeters), to turn around his subject, trying to work ... it pushes these pictures I found more precisely, and directly affects the quality of his compositions.

Technically speaking, these objectives provide a large opening and can work in conditions of very low light sensitivity without much up. I also like playing with low depth of field in my images, in order to highlight the main subject of his environment. The large openings of the 50 offer all the fun of playing between the foreground and background blur net.

I particularly like the portrait work with the 50mm lens because it is the vision that gives the closest to the human eye. The images produced have, in my opinion, a more realistic, more "authentic" as short as focal 24 mm by examples. But what seems most important is the relationship that requires focal with her: there's no talk of cheating by taking photos on the fly as one might do with longer focal lengths. The 50th requires proximity with the "model" which obliges to have his agreement. In other words, it first requires an exchange, a discussion, a complicity that inevitably will be felt in the image.

In my case, this is part of my approach. I do not want to just shoot people, but to the extent possible, to convey emotion, charisma, or charm they exude. By "discipline" and it requires honesty on this point, the 50mm is the ideal tool for me and indispensable.

To end this post, if you are purchasing your first digital SLR, the absolute fly zoom sold with the kit (often 18-55 mm opens up to f3, f5 see 5, 6). Construction is often mediocre image quality really little valued, and you would restrain openings miserably low lights that are often the most interesting.

Consider buying a body only and offer you a little (or step) 50 mm, even entered a range. Think also of older lenses found used for less than a mouthful of bread and that mount easily on the digital camera via adapter rings. I still use the lens of my "childhood" (a 50mm f1, 8 Zuiko OM10 once mounted on my father's) in relief, and I found even better than some recent targets ... and 10 times stronger! !!!!!!!!

It'll just rummage through the attic or running in the camera store nearest you.