This week, we’ve been using the new 50 mpx Canon 5DS for the first time. The obvious reaction from anyone with the most basic of camera and web imaging knowledge is “Why on earth do you need 50 megapixel images? Surely web images need to be small?’ And indeed, they’re quite right, but the Canon 5DS is here for other reasons, not just the huge imaging size.

Until now, the Canon 5D mk2 and mk3 have been the cameras in use. They are mounted on a fixed tripod position and shoot ‘tethered’ into a computer workstation. This gives us several benefits, including the ability to see instantly on a large screen the fine detail of the product we’re shooting, plus of course there are no memory cards taking up download time in our worksflow. The image is imported instantly into our editing software, then a series of actions are performed to make the images ready for use by our client.

The big issue with the previous Canon EOS 5D series was the well known weakness of the USB connection in the camera. This was mounted directly to the camera’s memory board and with no strain relief for the cable, the constant load eventually resulted in failures needing to be sent away for repairs.

The new Canon 5DS has a different mount for tethered shooting, so we’re pretty confident that this issues will now be a thing of the past. As for the 50 megapixel image size? Well, 144 mb images certainly put a strain on your workflow and computer processing power. This, of course, works it’s way down the line, through storage capability, the automated actions we have set for fast workflow, plus of course other members of the team who work on cutouts and layouts are all impacted.

However, it’s certainly useful to have as large an image file as this. After all, if the call comes to create a banner right across Heathrow Terminal 5, we probably have an image on file that would do the job!

The post The New Canon EOS 5DS and Our eCommerce Workflow appeared first on MI Images.

The post NEXT Editorial Photography appeared first on MI Images.

The post JD Sports eCommerce Photography appeared first on MI Images.

The post Tom Dixon Retail – New eCommerce Images appeared first on MI Images.

And it wasn’t in just any old car, but in the Radical prototype racing car run by 6th Gear Experience director Andy Cummings. Andy races an identical car to this one in the Radical sports prototype racing series across Europe, so his idea of a relaxing afternoon is scaring passengers witless in a series of high speed rides in the Radical. Our first picture shows Lee with his very best Nervous Smile at the pitlane exit. The image below was captured by the quick reactions of our trackside photographer as the pair took the chicane flat out at the end of the lap. The fine detail of the shot clearly shows Lee’s white knuckles on the roll cage. We’d ask him for a comment, but he’s not begun speaking again just yet….

The post Our Photographer in the Passenger Seat.. appeared first on MI Images.

Based at the beautiful Goodwood circuit, they operate a fleet of classic cars for customers to drive on track. This classic Mustang is one of the cars available to drive, along with E Type Jaguars, air cooled Porsches and even classic Aston Martins. No traction control, ABS brakes or other modern aids, this is track driving in one of it’s purest forms. Mythrill Racing’s website shows the full details of the classic cars they have, take a look here

The post Icons – Mustangs and Goodwood appeared first on MI Images.

Why are we so thrilled by this? We’ve been working hard with Next for more than a year now, constantly improving the product photography used in the online stores to depict the products you can buy from Next Online and in their catalogue. With store sales up 1.7% but online sales increasing by 12% it shows that good photography to accurately depict your items for sale is now more important than ever.

We’re currently working with several other retailers on ways to improve the customer experience online through quality product photography and it’s an exciting time for us. If you have an online store with a range of products, we can help you improve your success in selling online. Drop us a line for a chat about ways to achieve this, we’re always happy to discuss this fascinating area of online selling.

The post Next Profits Up 12%, We Hope We Helped appeared first on MI Images.

Unless it’s a newsworthy event, a peak-of-the-action goal scoring shot or an Olympic winning sprinter, we never give it a thought. And yet just as much care is needed in the creation of the photography you see all around you, every day.

Just to remind you, here’s a selection of that type of photograph. Fore more than a year now, we’ve been working with the NEXT catalogue, photographing every pair of shoes, each article of furniture, in every combination and from several angles, so that customers can make shopping choices online. Together, we devised an entire workflow, a cottage industry of product photography so that when new products go live, the images are ready to describe and portray. It’s something that needs to be controlled, repeatable and above all, high quality. When images are used to portray goods for sale, they must be accurate and honest, not Photoshopped like a supermodel. Below is a diagram of one of our studio layout bays.

We use both Canon and Nikon cameras in our work, shooting tethered into Apple Mac workstations so that we can examine each image minutely to ensure the best quality. Far from being boring, it’s actually rather absorbing. For instance, just how do you photograph a heavily mirrored vanity unit made from mirrored panels and highly polished surfaces without appearing in the reflections ourselves? Well, that’s probably a subject for another blog post….

The post We Produce The Images You See Every Day appeared first on MI Images.

Kit all packed up after a busy week in the studio @profoto #officalphotographer

The post Kit all packed up after a busy week… appeared first on MI Images.

Extra safe @solalights #canon

The post Extra safe @solalights #canon appeared first on MI Images.