At some point, we all go back to our roots as part of our growth. For us, that place is San Antonio, TX. Being that San Antonio is our hometown, we like to stay tuned to the real estate market there. When looking through listings online, we noticed a need for higher-quality real estate photography in the area and its surroundings. This was our motivation for expanding Sharp Frame Media in San Antonio.
The city of San Antonio, Texas has a rich story to tell. With its beautiful Hill Country and historic founding, being one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the state, Sharp Frame Media is pleased to announce our real estate services are expanding into the Alamo City.
Past, present, and future Sharp Frame clients can expect the same high-quality photography that we guarantee! Sharp Frame knows there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter or average listing, and with San Antonio being ranked as one of the top 10 “hidden gem” housing markets by the National Association of Realtors in 2022, making your property stand out is our top priority.
San Antonio’s real estate market is particularly unique. So, let’s look at some key elements that will shed light on what makes this Texas city stand out from the crowd.
Population
According to Roofstock, the River City is one of the top 10 major metropolitans that experienced one of the biggest population growths within the past decade. On average, 66 people move to San Antonio per day, making it one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.
Job Market
According to the city’s local news, San Antonio has increased the number of six-figure jobs available by 167% between 2015 and 2020, leading the city to outperform other major Texas cities within the same category.
Real Estate Market
In 2020, San Antonio was listed as a top 5 city to make a good home investment in. Today, the city’s real estate market is expected to outperform other Texas cities.
Strong Renters Market
The San Antonio Business Journal named the city one of the most stable markets for renters. In fact, 39 percent of the city’s occupied housing units are rent-occupied households.
Quality of Life
With the cost of living just two percent above the national average, San Antonio is a beautiful and sunny place to live with plenty of fun activities to stay busy such as The Alamo, San Antonio River Walk, SeaWorld, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
Why Partner With Sharp Frame Media.
With over sixty-five 5-Star reviews on Google, we pride ourselves in going above and beyond for all our clients, and we back our work with our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Policy. In addition to our promise of great quality and service, here are some additional benefits of partnering with us:
Free Property Websites – All of our photography packages include a free property website which can easily be shared to promote your listing and gather leads.
Access Photos On The Go – Realtors can access their listing photos on the go through our Aryeo app.
Next Day Delivery – All of our real estate photo shoots are guaranteed a next day turn around (except for Saturday shoots).
Book Online Anytime – our online booking system allows you to schedule a shoot with one of our photographers which can conveniently be done 24/7.
Blue Skies Guaranteed – No need to ever pay to make your skies look beautiful and blue. You have a shoot scheduled on a cloudy day? No worries, we got you covered.
Competitive Pricing– Finding good quality at a great price can sometimes be tough. Luckily, Sharp Frame Media is offering top quality real estate media at a very competitive price. You can check out the website for a complete service menu: https://sharpframemedia.com/pricing/
Sharp Frame Media will be servicing the following areas in San Antonio: Leon Valley, Balcones Heights, Helotes, Castle Hills, and Shavano Park. Do you have a property ready to list? Do not hesitate to book today. Here is how to get started:
Interested In Booking A Shoot
Book your San Antoniolisting photography online at:
Photography has become a part of our lives. We’re taking images every day, sharing them with friends and family, and quietly encouraging others to do so without even realizing it, resulting in an incredible amount of photos being taken globally.
Pressing the shutter release button starts a chain reaction inside a camera, leading to an image being recorded. It’s a series of events that happen one after the other inside the camera, all triggered by pressing the shutter release button. It’s like a domino effect – smooth and efficient.
Ever wondered what exactly transpires inside a camera during that process of image-making? Did you ever want to know how a camera captures an image? Today, we’ll learn all about that and more.
How Does a Camera Work?
The camera is a light-tight box with a small hole at one end. Light enters the camera through that hole, and an image is formed on a photographic medium. This is the simplest explanation of the inner functions of a camera. However, beyond this simple explanation, about a hundred different processes happen like clockwork.
From Light to Image, How Is an Image Formed Inside a Camera?
Thanks to the arrival of powerful smartphones with built-in camera systems, there is a capable camera in almost every hand around the globe. If the Kodak Brownie brought photography to the average consumer, smartphones have definitely brought photography within everyone’s reach.
Regardless of the make or model of the camera that you look at, it’s essentially made up of three main parts. We can segregate them into the lens, the camera body, and the light-sensitive medium, which converts optical signals into electronic information.
Light rays enter the camera through the lens. They pass through the camera body and hit the sensor at the back of the camera, where the image is formed.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these components to try and find out exactly the role that each of them plays in the image-making process.
Part 1 – The Lens: Capturing Light Rays
The first part of the camera deals with the light rays coming into the camera. It does so through the lens barrel.
The lens barrel has optical glass elements. The job of these glass elements is to accumulate the scattered light rays and funnel them onto the film or the image sensor at the back of the camera to produce an image.
Apart from that, there are some other glass elements that help to focus the image.
On top of these, there are many other elements as well, and they each have specific roles to perform. These include ED elements that help in correcting chromatic aberrations, VR elements to counter image shake, and so on.
One of the essential features of your lens is the zoom function. Not all lenses have that functionality, though. Lenses that cannot zoom are known as prime lenses.
When you turn the zoom ring on the body of the lens, certain elements inside the lens barrel move backward and front. This movement has a magnifying effect on the image. So, when you zoom in, the subject appears larger, and when you zoom out, the subject appears smaller.
Part 2 – The Digital Camera Sensor
The digital sensor is the most essential aspect of your camera. It’s the digital sensor that captures light and transforms it into electrical signals. In the older days, there was photographic film in place of the digital sensor.
I’ll discuss the photographic film right after this.
The digital sensor is made up of a thin board. On one side of the board are an array of light-sensitive photodiodes. The other side of the sensor has the wiring bit.
On some older camera systems, the wiring happened to be on the same side as the photodiodes. This was fundamentally a poor design. This led to a lot of cluttering and resulted in the loss of light and an increased amount of noise.
Modern camera sensors are designed better. They are designed using a stacked architecture that further reduces noise and improves the quality of the images. Plus, the backside-illuminated design ensures that the photodiodes are able to collect a lot more light and, as a result, produce cleaner images. I will discuss in detail how a typical image sensor works in a subsequent heading below.
Camera Film
Before the digital sensor, there was photographic film. The photographic film was popularized and mass-produced during the time of George Eastman. But during the initial days of photographic film, it was not made using a plastic material. Instead, it was made with paper. Nitrocellulose-based transparent film started in 1889.
Modern photographic film is a thin strip of transparent film base with one side coated with a gelatin emulsion layer. Silver halide crystals are used in that emulsion. This silver halide crystal determines the light sensitivity of the coated surface, the resolution, and the overall image quality.
Darkroom
The darkroom is associated with the development and printing of photographic film. It’s an age-old process that has now been rendered useless because of the advent of digital sensors and in-camera image processing.
A dark room is a light-tight room that is used to develop the rolls of film shot.
A series of chemical baths are prepared, and the negative is bathed in those solutions to initiate the development and when the development process is done to stop further development. The first solution is known as a Developer and the second one is a Stop Bath.
Once the rolls of film are developed, they’re then printed using printing paper. An enlarger is used to transfer light through it and onto a photographic paper containing light-sensitive silver halide.
Part 3 – The Camera Body
The camera forms the main body of your photography unit.
In a broad sense, the camera systems can be divided into two segments – (a) those with an interchangeable lens system and (b) those with a fixed lens system.
Both are popular, and both have their advantages and disadvantages. But the first one (those with an interchangeable lens system have become the most dominant).
These camera systems have a lens mount, meaning you can swap lenses and choose which lens to go to in a particular shooting situation. Thus, the name interchangeable lens cameras.
There are two major types of interchangeable lens camera systems currently in use – (a) DSLRs and (b) Mirrorless.
The Mechanics of a DSLR Camera and How It Works
Let’s look at the physics of how an image is formed inside one of these camera systems. Both DSLRs and mirrorless systems have one thing in common: the digital sensor at the back of the camera. They also have one big difference, and that’s the reflex mirror. DSLRs have those, and mirrorless cameras don’t. That also explains why a DSLR has an optical viewfinder, and a mirrorless camera has an electronic viewfinder.
Both camera systems being pretty similar; I will take a DSLR to explain the actual process of image-making in one of these camera systems.
The Lens
As has already been explained before, DSLR stands for digital single-lens reflex. The word reflex stands for the reflex mirror inside the camera. When you look through the viewfinder of a DSLR camera, the view you’re looking at is that which is produced by the light entering the camera and getting reflected via the reflex mirror.
By now, you are aware that the lens barrel allows light to get inside the camera. The lens has a small opening known as an aperture. This aperture size can be controlled using a set of mechanical and electronic controls on a camera.
The larger the opening of the aperture, the more the quantity of light that enters the camera and vice versa.
The Reflex Mirror
After entering the lens barrel, the light hits a reflex camera. This reflex camera is set at an angle of 45 degrees to facilitate the reflection of the light upward at an angle of 90 degrees.
After getting reflected by the reflex mirror, it is further reflected by a pentamirror or a pentaprism, depending on the type of DSLR camera you have. After reflection, the light is then routed through the viewfinder at the back of the camera. This is the view that you can see when you’re looking through the viewfinder.
But that is not all. When you press the shutter button, the reflex mirror sitting in front of the image sensor swings upwards and away from the path of the incoming light. The light now has a clear path towards the sensor at the back of the camera.
The Shutter Curtains
But before that can happen, the shutter curtains need to open. There are two shutter curtains on any DSLR camera. The first one opens to allow light in and reach the sensor. The second one follows right after to close the opening. After the image-making process is complete, both the curtains reset and are ready for the next shot.
The Image Sensor
The final process happens when the light rays reach the image sensor. Each photodiode on the image sensor can be compared to a bucket collecting water. Except, in this case, the photodiodes are collecting photons.
The photons are converted into electronic information. It’s pertinent to mention that each photodiode is covered with a filter that allows only one of the three primary colors to filter through. The rest of the colors are all discarded.
The photodiodes are arranged in an array where the three primary colors – blue, green, and red are collected. Interestingly there are twice as many green filters as red or blue filters. The reason being that the human eye is more susceptible to seeing the green color than the red or blue colors. Having twice as many green pixels allows for a cleaner and more natural-looking image.
The Process of Autofocusing Using Phase-Detection Autofocusing
The process of autofocusing is a relatively new technology in cameras. I don’t have the scope to discuss everything about autofocusing and its history here. I can say that autofocusing on early DSLR camera systems was dependent on the lens mechanism where a beam splitter was used to split the light beams coming into the camera and hitting the main reflex mirror.
After hitting the main reflex mirror, the light was redirected onto an autofocusing sensor at the bottom of the camera. The split beam hit a secondary mirror before reaching that autofocusing sensor. This is a very complex technology that depends on the mechanical efficiency of the camera’s design.
Phase Detection Autofocusing Technology and Its Latest Improvements
The only major setback of the traditional phase-detection autofocusing mechanism is that with the camera in live view mode, it does not work. Camera manufacturers had to rely on the older and slower contrast detection autofocusing mechanism to lock focus in live view mode.
Modern DSLR camera systems use upgraded phase-detection autofocusing technology. The technology uses an on-chip phase detection autofocusing design built onto the main sensor chip.
Canon was the first camera brand with this new autofocusing technology. They named it Dual Pixel Auto Focus. Today a majority of camera manufacturers use the same technology in different forms. You can find similar technology in smartphones.
Concluding Thoughts
The internal process of a camera is a testimony to the ingenuity of the human mind. From its humble beginnings some 2000 years ago, when camera obscura was first discovered, to the modern marvel that’s a mirrorless camera, the technology has come a long way. And with it has evolved the process of image-making.
However, what hasn’t changed are the basic principles of image-making, the rules, and the guidelines. It’s still the human mind where the image is first formed before a camera captures it.
The human mind has constantly pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with a camera. New technology has simply made it easier to capture one’s vision, but it has not been able to eliminate the six inches behind it.
Found this to be an interesting read? Want to know more about how a photography lens works? Check this out.
If you ever needed a wide-angle lens or generally wanted to capture an ultra-wide-angle, you’ve probably went with a wide lens with the fisheye effect, especially if you needed to do some outdoor photography.
But is that the only way that wide-angle photography could be done?
While these are the most used wide-angle lenses, fisheye lenses are not the only option you have, and you can do wide-angle photography without that effect if you don’t like it.
In this article, I will go through some of the benefits that you’ll have if you opt for shooting with wide-angle lenses, as well as what are some of the best wide-angle lenses without the fisheye effect that you can purchase. So, without further ado, let’s get you some amazing wide-angle photos!
Benefits Of Having Wide Angle Lens Without Fisheye Effect
The main way we differentiate wide-angle lenses from other ones is by the focal length being 35mm and below, and they usually drop to 24mm. If you see something with a focal length that’s even lower than that, then you have ultra-wide-angle lenses in front of you.
The first and most obvious benefit that you’ll get when taking photos with wide-angle lenses is sharpness. Sharpness is something that is highly important for good photos, so if you want to be sure that you’ll get that, the best lenses won’t be the ones with a short focal length.
Relating to that, photos taken with wide-angle prime lenses tend to have way more texture to them, and having appropriate texture is how you get the essence of your subjects.
Obviously, with wide-angle lenses, you’ll be able to get more things in your photo, meaning that you don’t have to change the composition that you wanted to capture at first. You’ll really get everything in your frame.
Pictures taken with wide-angle cameras are also way easier for post-production. You can always cut out the things that don’t belong in the frame, but you can’t get additions in the frame if you haven’t captured them in the images in the first place.
Finally, wide-angle lenses are very compact and great for the tasks you might have to do on the go. Every photographer has a big and bulky pair of lenses that they never seem to use because they are too big to be carried around, but with these, you won’t have that kind of a problem, and you will get many great full-frame photos.
Best Wide Angle Lenses For Digital Cameras On The Market
Now that you know the benefits of having a wide-angle lens camera, it’s time to find you some lenses to work with. These might not be the widest lens options available, but they come as the most recommended and with plenty of good reviews, especially if you want to avoid having the fish eye filters and distortion in each photo you take.
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
If you have a Canon camera, and you’re one of the photographers who prefer Canon over Nikon, then this could be great for you.
As you would expect from an original Canon piece of equipment, this lens is of a higher price, so if you need to be careful with your budget, then you should maybe shoot your shot elsewhere. But, if the price is not a problem, let’s see what this Canon EF mount has in store.
The first thing you notice with this lens is the speed at which everything is done, so if you like to photograph speedy, without much space to overthink it, then this is great for that purpose.
Also, the colors were excellent, especially the blues and the greens of each image.
Another great focus point for this is that the focus when filming a video with this is amazing and does exactly what you want it to.
If you need a lens for purposes like that, then definitely look more into this one here.
TOKINA ATX-i 11-16mm
If you need something that’s good, but won’t have the price that will break your bank account, then this TOKINA model is probably the answer to a lot of your needs.
The first amazing thing about this is that they do versions for either Canon or Nikon, so if you like it, you can get a version for each of the brands.
The first thing that came into focus with this one is its amazing edge-to-edge sharpness.
One thing specific to this lens and Canon cameras is the fact that the videos made with that combination are amazing, so especially if you need a wide-angle lens video gear for creating video content and have a Canon, then this wide-angle lens is going to be your best friend.
Here’s another great non fisheye lens for the Nikon Z mount!
This lens is a good choice, mainly because this is a lens with an excellent price for what it does, so if you want to update your Nikon camera, but want to avoid getting a lens from Nikon directly to save some money, definitely look at this option up, here.
Every photo taken with this one ended up being very crisp and bright, and the fisheye distortion was nowhere to be seen, while everything I wanted in the frame was in the frame.
Let’s Make Amazing Wide Angle Photography
Now that you got some expert advice on the wide-angle lens and have options to choose from and buy, you will be ready to enjoy your photography even more, as your shots will inevitably become better.
But, if you plan on doing a lot of travel photography and are still unsure what the best things to do are, then definitely check out these tips and get the best out of your trips.
The Polaroid Go is now available in two new colors, Black and Red. In addition, colored filters and an arthouse-style black instant film are available for purchase.
The Polaroid Go is the world’s smallest analog instant camera that you can hide in your pocket and carry wherever you go. It truly pushes the boundaries of where you can “Go Create”. The Polaroid Go comes in at 4.1″ x 3.3″ x 2.4″.
At such a small size for an instant camera, the Polaroid Go does not skimp on features. It comes with a high capacity battery, self timer, double exposure option, dynamic flash, selfie mirror, and now lens filters offering red, blue, and orange tinted photos. The new matte black frame instant film is great for drama and is the smallest of its kind.
The Polaroid Go campaign has featured Miranda Makaroff, a fashion designer, blogger, dj, and actress and Ibby Njoya, a set designer and artist.
“I love the new possibilities that the Polaroid Go creates. It makes it so easy to capture inspiration wherever I travel, which plays a big part into my creative process as an artist,” Makaroff stated.
“For me, Polaroid has always been a tool of documentation and experimentation. As an artist, it’s allowed me to process the development of my skills as a set designer. Getting to experiment with the Polaroid Go’s portability during our shoot in the Canary Islands was so fun, I love how easy it is to bring it everywhere,” Njoya mentioned.
Originally, the Polaroid Go pro only came in white.
“The Polaroid Go has portability and the spirit of exploration in its DNA. We’ve seen an incredible response for this new camera format so we wanted to introduce even more ways for people to dive deeper into their creativity, while making it easy for them to go anywhere and capture whenever inspiration hits,” Oskar Smolokowski, Polaroid CEO, said.
Polaroid is not new to innovation. It produced 3D glasses and ski goggles for the US Army in the 1940s. In 1947, Polaroid created the first instant camera. Many innovations followed, and Polaroid cameras inspired such famous artists as Andy Warhol and Helmut Newton.
With the advent of digital cameras, the end of instant film was announced in 2008, but the last remaining Polaroid factory was saved by instant photography fans and in 2017 a new brand dedicated to original analog instant photography products, Polaroid Originals, was launched. In 2020, another step in the evolution brought all of its products under one name, Polaroid.
Today, you can be part of this tradition with the Polaroid Go, a breakthrough portable instant camera meant to allow creators to go and explore the unexpected places in the world.
Check out the links below for availability:
Polaroid Go Black Camera MSRP: $99.99 / €119,99 / £109,99 Polaroid Go Black Film Double Pack MSRP: $19.99 / €19,99 / £18,99 Polaroid Go Filter Set MSRP: $19.99 / €19,99 / £18,99
