September, 2019 | Fixation

Shooting portraits, travelling the world, capturing sports stars at the peak of their prowess – Nyla Sammons certainly keeps busy. A professional portrait and editorial photographer based in London, Nyla has been a regular face at Fixation for years and it’s always a pleasure to be updated on what’s going on with her latest projects.

Nyla was recently able to grab some time between shoots to chat to us for our latest ProFile feature. Read on to find out about photographing badass women, shooting the aftermath of the 2016 election in New York, and more…

Thanks for talking to us, Nyla! What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working with a variety of clients on exciting briefs, and have a few lifestyle and portrait photoshoots coming up – all very top secret at the moment. I am also excited to be working on part two of my project, ‘Tough Women in Sport and Adventure’, where I get to meet and photograph incredible women who have gone beyond the ordinary to push boundaries and break world records in the world of sports and adventure.

When did you decide that photography was the career for you? What was the tipping point?

I worked in PR and marketing for about five years and as part of my marketing job, I was asked to take photos of some of the events we coordinated in the stores. I realised very quickly how much I enjoyed the art of taking good photos.

I knew working in marketing wasn’t fulfilling me anymore, so I decided to quit my job and enroll in a beginners’ course in photography, where I learnt how to move from automatic settings to manual. This began my journey – it showed me how to get so much more creative with what I was photographing, and opened my eyes to what was possible.

Your ‘Tough Women’ project is fantastic – truly inspiring images. Can you talk us through how that all came together?

Thank you, it’s actually the personal project I am most proud of to date. I met an inspiring lady called Kiko Matthews back in 2017 and photographed her press shots. At the time she was attempting to break the world record in becoming the fastest person to row the Atlantic solo whilst also raising £100,000 for Kings College Hospital. We stayed in touch, became friends, and I continued to follow her journey. Then in March 2018 after 49 days at sea, she finally made it and broke the record – how unbelievably badass is that?

I was so inspired and moved by Kiko and what she had achieved, I decided I needed to share it with others. I got in contact with Kiko and asked if she wanted to be a part of my portrait series called Tough Women in Sport and Adventure. Her excitement at coming on board then led me to contact other inspiring women. I was so honoured that so many of these women I contacted said yes and were so enthused about being a part of the project.

I photographed 10 women in total for the portrait series. I also contacted filmmaker Nathalie Baker and she did a great job in filming a short documentary to go alongside the photos.

For me, the project was about celebrating their achievements, showing the world what is actually possible, and inspiring other women and men.

Watch the video on Youtube

Was there something specific you were hoping to capture or evoke with the Tough Women project? And do you feel you were successful?

I photographed the women in a studio environment where it was only them, with no distracting location, so people could really connect with them emotionally. I then photographed them in their natural environment, because I also wanted to tell their stories, bringing their passions into the frame.

The photos were exhibited in the beautiful Crossrail Place roof garden in Canary Wharf in March earlier this year, to coincide with International Women’s day, which felt hugely appropriate. My goal was to both celebrate the stories of these women and inspire other females to push themselves out of their comfort zones, seek out adventure, and ultimately live a more fulfilled life. I got a lot of great feedback from those that came to see the exhibition, as well as via social media; it was an incredible feeling to hear from women of all ages and from all walks of life about how inspired and empowered they felt by it.

I was also over the moon that Red Bull also featured the photographs and stories of these women online, to share with their readers.

I notice one of your commissions on your site was photographing New Yorkers after the 2016 election for the Independent, which must have been an experience. Can you tell us what that was like?

I’ve visited New York a lot, but when I went in 2016 after the presidential election, where Donald Trump came into power, I felt a very different vibe. There was a sombre mood in most neighbourhoods and people didn’t seem as friendly as I once remembered. I voiced my concerns to an actress and tour guide Rachael McKinney, and we had an in-depth conversation where I learned first-hand how badly people were being treated as a result of the new President.

Rachael spoke of a friend of hers: Angel Ortiz, who spoke of an old Caucasian man who purposely threw his shoulder into him as he walked by, calling him a spic, and saying he couldn’t wait until they threw him over “The Wall”. This was just one of the many stories Rachael told me that brought tears to my eyes.
I wanted to share these stories and give those people of New York a voice. I felt more people should hear about what was really happening. I pitched the idea to the Independent in the UK, and thankfully they agreed!

Do you have a dream subject – something you’ve never photographed but would love to?

I have always had an interest in photographing forgotten tribes. I would love to meet them, live in their world for a bit and then document their lives. I have been watching ‘Walking the Himalayas’ with Levison Woods on Channel Four and I wouldn’t mind starting there…

What camera gear are you using at the moment? How does it help your photography?

I use a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. I’ve been shooting with Canon since I started my career in photography, six and a half years ago. My lighting kit is Profoto, which I use in the studio and on location because it always produces such beautiful light, and as it is battery-operated, it’s easy to take out on the streets.

When I started I bought a lighting kit from a semi-cheap lighting brand, but I wasn’t very satisfied with it and so would come into Fixation regularly to hire Profoto lights and softboxes for client work. I was there so much that the main guy from Fixation rental would always be interested in how the shoot went (he was also the guy I would ask a million questions to) needless to say we became friends and when I had enough money I bought the Profoto B1 lighting kit with a whole load of softboxes!

Where’s next for you – what do you think (or hope!) the future holds?

I am working with brands more and more, which I love, and I want to continue growing my brand lifestyle and advertising portfolio. I have a real interest in sports and adventure after working on the Tough Women project, and was so happy to have been featured on the Red Bull website. In fact, it would be amazing to work with Red Bull again in the future.

Nyla Sammons was talking to Jon Stapley. See more of her work at nylasammons.com

Panasonic Lumix S1H versus S1 and S1R: What are the key differences?

Panasonic recently rocked the mirrorless world with the full announcement of its third full-frame mirrorless camera – the Lumix S1H. While it rounds out a trifecta that includes the Lumix S1 and Lumix S1R, this new model is quite a different beast.

If you’re thinking about hopping over to the full-frame S1 system and aren’t sure where this new model fits in, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. In this blog we’ll take you through the main differences between the new Lumix S1H and the previous S1 and S1R cameras – as well as their similarities – so you can figure out which is the right buy for you.

In essential terms, the three cameras fulfil roughly three roles – the new S1H is a video specialist, the S1R is a high-resolution megapixel monster geared more towards stills, and the S1 sits somewhere in between.

But, of course, there’s much more detail than this to get into. So, let’s get started!

Key difference: The S1H masters video

The real key to understanding where the S1H sits in this lineup is video. While the Lumix S1 and S1R are stills/video hybrids, the S1H is very much a video-focused camera. For a comparison point, it occupies a similar sort of space the Sony a7s does compared to the a7 and a7R, though this is arguably even more of an extreme specialisation.

The Lumix S1H the first full-frame mirrorless camera to be equipped to shoot full-frame, uncropped 6K video (5,888 x 3,312) at 24 fps, as well as 4K at 60fps using a Super 35 sensor size.

Recording 6K “uncropped” means that it uses the entire width of its sensor, creating footage with a 3:2 aspect ratio. It also shoots 5.4K at up to 30p in 3:2 aspect ratio, 5.9K at up to 30p in a 16:9 ratio and Cinema 4K at up to 30p, or 60p with an APS-C crop.

The S1H can also record 10-bit internally in 4K and Cinema 4K up to 30p, bumping up to 60p with the HEVC codec. It records 6K, 5.9K and 5.4K in HEVC 10-bit 4:2:0. It also offers HFR (high frame rate) mode for slow-motion, which works in 10-bit with audio, unlike the VFR (variable frame rate) mode on the S1.

There’s also more coming for the S1H – Atomos, maker of popular recorders such as the Ninja Inferno, has promised that a RAW video update will be coming to the S1H, allowing it to put out 4K 60p in RAW format.

On this subject, it’s worth noting that a (paid) firmware update is available for the S1, which will give it some of the S1H’s functionality, such as 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording and the V-Log flat gamma profile.

Key difference: ISO sensitivity

There’s an interesting key difference between the cameras here. At first glance, it seems like the S1 and S1H offer pretty much the same deal – both these cameras provide ISO ranges of 100 to 51,200, expandable to 50 and 204,800 (the high-resolution S1R is a slightly different prospect).

However, the crucial difference is that the Lumix S1H has inherited Dual Native ISO from Panasonic’s Vari-Cam line of professional camcorders. What this means is that the user can switch between native ISO settings of 640 and 4000 without incurring any increase of image noise, which can be massively beneficial for video shooters.

Key difference: Ergonomics and heat dissipation

All the extra functionality of the S1H comes at a cost – and not just a financial one! (Although, yes, also a financial one.) The camera is noticeably bulkier and heavier than either of its S1 siblings – weighing 1,164g, while the S1 and S1r both weigh about 1,020g.

This extra weight is in part due to a cooling system incorporated into the S1H – when you boot it up you’ll notice the fan working. This, however, is what allows it to offer unlimited video recording time no matter what resolution or setting you’re using, while the S1 and S1R have strict time caps if you’re recording in anything other than 4K 30p.

Another ergonomic difference is the S1H’s rear LCD screen, which it borrows (like several of its features) from the fantastic Lumix GH5S. It’s a fully articulating model which can be opened out to the side and rotated 180 degrees.

Finally, there’s also a difference worth noting in terms of card slots. While the S1 and S1R have dual card slots, one for an XQD card and one for a UHS-II SD card, the S1H just has dual slots that both accept UHS-II cards, which aren’t as fast as XQD

Key similarities

There are plenty of similarities between these cameras too. The S1H and S1 both sport a full-frame sensor with 24.2MP of resolution, though in the case of the S1H it also includes an optical low-pass filter, which sacrifices some resolving power in favour of reducing unwanted artifacts such as moiré – makes complete sense for a video-focused camera! (The S1R is a different beast, with a 47.1MP CMOS sensor).

The cameras all use Panasonic’s Depth from Defocus autofocus system which provides 225 autofocus points, and all can shoot at up to 9 fps, or 6 with continuous focusing. All the cameras also benefit from Panasonic’s 5-axis stabilisation system that provides exposure compensation of up to 6.5EV. All cameras also sport an electronic viewfinder with 5.76-million dots of resolution.

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix S1H does a great job of completing the trilogy, and once you understand the different roles that these cameras fulfil, it really shouldn’t be too difficult to pick which one is right for you. If you’re focused on video almost exclusively, the S1H is easily the pick – while it’s significantly more expensive, it’s much more sophisticated in every department.

If you’re shooting stills then the S1 and S1R are the best cameras to pick – while the S1H does have stills capabilities, it would make no sense to buy it for this purpose when the S1 can do everything basically the same for much cheaper. If you’re going to be shooting stills exclusively then the S1R makes more sense, while a hybrid shooter will want to plump for the S1.

Thanks for reading – and we hope we helped you understand these camera a little better!

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Monthly Archives: September 2019

ProFiles | Nyla Sammons

Panasonic Lumix S1H vs S1 and S1R

Key difference: The S1H masters video

Key difference: ISO sensitivity

Key difference: Ergonomics and heat dissipation

Key similarities

Conclusion

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