Julia Anna Gospodarou | Black and White Fine Art Photography and Architectural Photography

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Home » Gear Software Reviews

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May 10, 2018 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

Complete Fujifilm GFX 50S Review – Most Affordable Mirrorless Medium Format Camera – UPDATE 2020

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Fujifilm GFX 50S new york brooklyn bridge

EXTENSIVE UPDATE 2020

This Fujifilm GFX 50S review is the most extensive and complete review of this camera to date (continuously updated with everything new in the GFX world), also covering shooting long exposure, which hasn’t been covered before with this camera. The GFX is the most affordable mirrorless medium format camera – Fujifilm GFX 50S body Adorama Store – and, according to many, the best in its category. It is a practical camera, that packs the highest quality in a much smaller format than a traditional medium format, thanks to being mirrorless and well designed. I am working with this camera for a few months and I can say I am overly pleased with the results and the image quality I can get with it. In this review I will show you why this is the best piece of gear to invest in, if you want for your images the highest quality and detail, the highest dynamic range together with the well-known magic feel of the medium format. All this while still not breaking the bank. Also, you will be able to understand what medium format is and how it works. 

Since this is important for the objectivity of any review, I want to mention that I am not Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear Software Reviews · 48 Replies ·

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April 20, 2018 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

FIRECREST 16 STOPS FORMATT-HITECH ND FILTER FULL REVIEW – UPDATE 2020

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Firecrest 16 Stops Formatt-Hitech ND Filter - Circular and Rectangular filters with package

Firecrest 16 Stops Formatt-Hitech ND Filter – Circular and Rectangular filters

In this review, I will talk about the hugely popular Firecrest 16 Stops Formatt-Hitech ND Filter (IRND 4.8), the most “neutral” neutral density filter in the world. The new Firecrest 16 offers 16 ND stops in one filter, this is what 16 stands for. This neutral density filter is not only the most neutral in the world, but, in its circular version, it is also the slimmest stackable ND filter in the world, only 5.5mm thin.

UPDATE 2020

More recently Formatt Hitech has also launched a 10-stop Firecrest ND filter and a 13-stop Firecrest ND filter, whose characteristics are similar to the Firecrest 16 Stops Formatt-Hitech ND Filter we are reviewing now, so you can consider this review covering the 10-stop and 13-stop filers too. Also, the Formatt-Hitech neutral density filter line has extended from 1-stop up to 24-stop ND filters, which is more than you will ever need in terms of long exposure.

You can find more things about the Firecrest filters and many other subjects related to black and white fine art photography (composition in black and white photography, vision, black and white processing tutorials), in the book From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography, by me and Joel Tjintjelaar, where we both talk about these filters extensively together with reviewing the most important other filters on the market and generally the equipment you need for creating long exposure and black and white fine art architectural photography, and even going beyond architectural photography. We were the first who talked publicly about the Firecrest filters (in the book) even before they were

Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear Software Reviews, Most Popular · Tagged firecrest 16, firecrest filter, firecrest full review, formatt hitech, irnd 4.8, long exposure · 31 Replies ·

Archives

December 9, 2017 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

Long Exposure Photography with Medium Format – Fujifilm GFX 50S – Extensive Review

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Immaterial Intricacy - Brooklyn Bridge, New York - © Julia Anna Gospodarou 2017 - Long Exposure Photography with Medium Format

Immaterial Intricacy – Brooklyn Bridge, New York – © Julia Anna Gospodarou 2017

Long exposure photography with medium format is a subject that hasn’t been covered extensively so far. My goal in this article is to fill this gap and provide more information about how you can create the best long exposure images when shooting with a medium format camera. The camera I am using to analyze long exposure photography with medium format in this review is the new Fujifilm GFX 50S.

I am working with this camera for a few months already and recently I have made a complete Fujifilm GFX 50S review that you can find on my website. It is the most extensive Fujifilm GFX 50S review available at this moment and if you are interested in this camera I would recommend you to start by reading the main review and then continue here.

Before starting with this review let me tell you that for even more information and tricks & tips about long exposure photography, you can read my Long Exposure Photography Extensive Tutorial that I have published some time after this review, where you can find all the details about this technique in a complete guide.

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These are the neutral density ND filters and accessories I am working with to create my long exposure photography and you can see the great results in my many award-winning images. Formatt-Hitech was the first to create truly neutral ND filters back in 2014 , the Firecrest line, the first to create an "anti light-leak" holder, and they keep innovating with the new Firecrest ULTRA ND filters.. This is why I work with this brand. It gives me the best results. Get 10% OFF discount for any Format-Hitech product - ND filters, ND grads, polarizing filters, holders, accessories from the link above with code "JULIA10"

INTRODUCTION

LONG EXPOSURE WITH MEDIUM FORMAT AND HIGH-RESOLUTION CAMERAS – WHAT IS THE STATUS QUO

In a few words,  I have to say I am extremely pleased with the results I get when shooting with the GFX, both stills and long exposure. Contrary to my initial fears about shooting Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear Software Reviews, Tutorials Fine Art Black and White Photography · 15 Replies ·

Archives

November 6, 2017 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

BEST GEAR AND PHOTOGRAPHY DEALS

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Here you can find our recommendations for the best tools you can use to create fine art black and white photography, long exposure and architecture photography, and above all, to create Julia Anna Gospodarou’s trademark style (en)Visionography™, which is a new way of creating fine art photography. We are offering here the best gear and photography deals, plus the best discounts out there for these tools. 

Julia Anna Gospodarou considers these tools the best and uses them in her photography, from capturing the RAW file to creating the final fine art image. They helped her win tens of awards in international photography competitions and acquire worldwide recognition. They can help you too.

Use the codes listed with each product to get the discount by clicking on the link in each product image and providing the discount code at checkout.

We are constantly updating this page with new discount codes and products, to reflect the latest news and the state-of-the-art and most efficient available software and gear, so be sure you subscribe to our website and keep coming back often to get the latest gear and software news and discounts.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear Software Reviews · Leave a Reply ·

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December 29, 2016 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

FREE FINE ART DXO PRESET SERIES DARK CITY (EXTENDED 2019 EDITION)

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Houston TX, Chevron Ring -Dark City Soft Blur - DxO Preset Series Dark City

Houston TX Chevron Ring – Image created exclusively with Dark City Soft Blur Preset

FREE PRESETS

This is the new FREE extended 2019 version of the original fine art DxO Preset Series Dark City, created by Julia Anna Gospodarou.

Some of you may be familiar with the images featured here and with the first edition of my Dark City DxO presets. Μany fine art photographers have been already using for a while the original version of these presets and they created outstanding fine art photography with them. I am using them myself extensively in my work. Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear Software Reviews, Store · 10 Replies ·

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November 24, 2016 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

BLACK FRIDAY 2016 OFFERS… and WHY I DO NOT BELIEVE IN QUICK FIXES

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BLACK FRIDAY CYBER MONDAY 2016

FOREWORD

(BLACK FRIDAY DISCOUNTS BELOW)

Before I start with the practical things, I want to say that I am so proud of all my students and the people who read this blog and react to my ideas. I had the occasion in many circumstances to understand how you think even if I don’t know everyone personally. But I can understand from simple things the depth of your artistic soul and how much you all have to say, and I am moved. Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear Software Reviews, Store · 2 Replies ·

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November 26, 2015 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

TOPAZ LABS BW EFFECTS 2 FULL REVIEW – UPDATE 2020

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Topaz Labs BW Effects 2 Full Review

Topaz Labs BW Effects 2 Full Review, an in-depth review of what I consider the best black and white converter on the market

UPDATE 2020

This is an updated and enriched version of the very popular Topaz Labs BW Effects 2 Full Review, I first wrote when Topaz BW Effects 2 was launched. It is a complete evaluation of my main black and white converter and the plugin I use the most in my work, together with the new Topaz AI plugins, as DeNoise AI (the best denoiser I have ever worked with), Sharpen AI (a great sharpener), Adjust AI (which is great also for when I work in color), Mask AI (the best mask and selection creator that can save you hours of editing in Photoshop), Gigapixel AI (fantastic tool for enlarging images and preparing for print).

I consider Topaz collection the most advanced and complete set of plugins on the market today and I use many of the plugins it comprises when working on my photographs. Especially now that many of these plugins can be found in Topaz Studio 2 too, with AI technology incorporated, there is no limit to what you can do with Topaz.

NOTE:

I make a demo on how to use Topaz BW Effects 2 and the other Topaz plugins at my workshops, together with a walk through my entire black and white processing workflow Photography Drawing™, to show how I process the award-winning images that brought me the highest distinctions, like Photographer of the Year IPA International Photography Awards. As you can imagine, this is one of my most popular courses.

I am working with the Topaz Labs Collection and especially the BW Effects 2 plugin for a few years already and the experience was always great. The Topaz software helps me a great deal in creating my fine art black and white photography and it simplifies a lot the workflow I’m using. I couldn’t take it out of my workflow without making my life much harder. Since I have such a good experience with the Topaz Labs software, and the BW Effects especially, I’d like to share with you my impressions updated now after working with the plugin for some years already.  Besides my impressions, since this collection is really worth it, I will also share a discount code for 15% off for any Topaz product: plugins, AI Bundle, Topaz Studio etc. How to get it? Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear Software Reviews, Most Popular, Tutorials Fine Art Black and White Photography · Leave a Reply ·

Archives

May 11, 2015 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

HOW TO CREATE BLACK AND WHITE FINE ART ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY – DXO LIVE WEBINAR

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The extended DxO Webinar “Explore Architectural Photography with Julia Anna Gospodarou”, where I show how to create black and white fine art architectural photography

I presented this webinar live recently in my quality as DxO Image Master and being invited by DxO to talk about what I love most:  Black and white fine art architecture.

The 1000 available spots for the webinar were sold out in just a few days and the attendance was maximum.

Now the webinar is featured on the Tutorials page of DxO where other great photographers share their knowledge too. The video can now be watched directly on YouTube.

The feedback I received after the webinar was overwhelming, thank you all for the fantastic support and good words.

If you couldn’t attend the live event, you can watch the most important parts of the 2 hours webinar in an hour and ten minutes long version made by DxO. The webinar can be watched also on the official Tutorial DxO Page. I’m showing how to use DxO OpticsPro, DxO ViewPoint and DxO FilmPack to create compelling black and white photographs, architectural but not only. The principles can apply to any kind of fine art photography. Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear Software Reviews, Tutorials Fine Art Black and White Photography · Leave a Reply ·
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juliaannagospodarou

Internationally acclaimed Photographer|Architect|Author|Educator|Founder of (en)Visionography™|FormattHitech GlobalAmbassador|Fineart Prints|Workshops

Julia Anna Gospodarou
Fluid Time III – Two Worlds The third image in m Fluid Time III – Two Worlds
The third image in my 2013 Fluid Time series. This is one of the most interesting buildings in Chicago, the Hancock Center. One of the things I love about this building, in terms of architectural design is that the structural frame of the building is placed exteriorly and not at the interior as usually, and it is visible on the façade. For those who are wondering, this x-braced reinforcement system allows for larger open spaces in the interior of the building which is why it is ideal for an office building like this, and it also allows for rising taller structures. When it was built, in 1965, the Hancock Center was meant to be the second taller building in the world. 
Like all the images in the series, here too, I used the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens, to focus on the relation between the 2 buildings – hence the title: Two Worlds. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #hancockcenter #skyscraper #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Fluid Time II – Utopian Connections Second in my Fluid Time II – Utopian Connections
Second in my 2013 Fluid Time series, this image shows the Prudential Plaza Tower in Chicago, flanked by the Prudential Plaza One building and the Aon Center.
Here I used again the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens, as I did in all the images in this series, to isolate different planes of focus in order to create depth. 
There are three things that you can use to create depth: composition, selective depth of field, and selective work with light. All 3 of them are just as powerful if used right. 
I’m working right now on finalizing a video course about creating B&W photography where I will get into a lot of details about these aspects and many more. If you are interested, keep an eye on this space and I’ll be back with more about it very soon. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #prudentialplaza #aoncenter #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Fluid Time I – Parallel Realities One of my favo Fluid Time I – Parallel Realities
One of my favorite series, shot in 2013 in Chicago – one of my favorite cities. In this series, I worked with the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens to create selective focus, a technique that gained traction among fine art photographers after that. Which is one of the reasons why I consider this one of my most important series. I believe what we do becomes even more valuable if we can not only express ourselves through photography, but we can also inspire others. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com
Have a great weekend, everyone! 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #millenniumpark #pritzkerpavilion #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Happy New Year 2021! Wishing a wonderful new year Happy New Year 2021! 
Wishing a wonderful new year to everyone, filled with much love, peace, and inspiration. 
Yours truly.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! A Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! 
A special Christmas this year, coming after a strange year that was like nothing we knew. Now that this year is almost over, we can start looking with trust and hope to the new year to bring back all the things we missed this year.  Stay safe and enjoy these special days with your loved ones.
Shortly into the new year, I’ll have a nice surprise for you. Something many of you asked for. If you’re curious, you can subscribe to my website and find out http://bit.ly/enV_Subscribe Also, I’ll be back with some holiday offers these days. Stay tuned. 
Trivia: This image is a 10-shot panorama made with the medium format. The resulted image is so large that you can practically print it in any size. It is also so large that Lightroom can’t even show a 1:1 preview, so you can only process it in Photoshop. 
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#happyholidays #bucegimountains #romania #trees #popular #instagood #landscapephotography #landscape #envisionography #snowscape #monochrome #myfeatureshoot #bw #blackandwhite #blackwhite #fineartphotography #fineart #blackwhite #bwbeauty #bwoftheday #stunningbnw #Instablackandwhite #Picoftheday #Landscapelovers #bnw_planet #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography
_Flow State II – Toronto_ I’ve always loved wo _Flow State II – Toronto_
I’ve always loved working with motion blur, especially combined with great architecture, and shooting this series was one of the best experiences doing that. Planning to go back to Toronto next year for some more.
In the meanwhile, until tomorrow, you can still find at the link below (LINK IN BIO too) the 2020 Black Friday/Cyber Week discounts: my book and tutorials, and other great offers I curated. Lots of offers for great inspiration.
http://blog.juliaannagospodarou.com/gear-photography-deals/

#fineartphotography #artphotography #toronto #torontophotography #torontoarchitecture 
#interiorarchitecture #fineart #blackandwhite #bnw #bnwphotography #limitededitionprints 
#Insta_bw #monochrome #architecturephotography #architecture #architecturefineart 
#creative_architecture #cityview #envisionography #photographydrawing #juliaannagospodarou 
#instadaily #instagood #architecturelovers #archdaily #travelphotography #longexposure #ndfilters #formatthitech @formatthitech
_Latent Equilibrium - Los Angeles_ Happy weekend, _Latent Equilibrium - Los Angeles_
Happy weekend, everyone! 
You are invited to our upcoming LIVE ONLINE (en)Visionography Workshop - The Art of B&W Fine Art Photography, on Nov 20-22.
Among others, you will see how this image was created, from start to finish.  LINK IN BIO
http://blog.juliaannagospodarou.com/live-online-photography-workshop-november-2020/
The first 2 workshops were a huge success, the next one will be even better. See you there!
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#losangelesarchitecture #losangelesphotography #losangeles #waltdisneyconcerthall #frankgehry #fineartphotography #contemporaryphotography #fineart #blackandwhite #bw #bnw #bnwphotography #bnw_city #bnw_planet#Insta_bw #monochrome #monoart #architecturephotography #architecture #amazingarchitecture #architecturefineart #cityview #formatthitech #ndfilters #envisionography #photographydrawing #juliaannagospodarou #photoshop #photographyworkshops
Delighted to be published again in the most import Delighted to be published again in the most important Greek photography magazine Φωτογράφος “The Photographer”, in a special issue dedicated to architectural photography. I’m honored to be featured with an interview and a series of my architectural work.
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#photographyarticle #photographyinterview #fotografosmagazine #longexposure #ndfilters #fineartphotography #architecturephotography #urbanphotography #juliaannagospodarou #photographymagazine #envisionography
_良心の残響 Conscience Reverberation I – To _良心の残響 Conscience Reverberation I – Tokyo_
One more image in my collection from a fascinating city. I can’t wait to get back to Tokyo for another workshop when the borders open.
In the meanwhile, if you want to learn to create this kind of images, like hundreds of other students have over the years, you can join our live online (en)Visionography workshop - The Art of B&W Photography, on November 20-22. It will be a captivating journey into black and white fine art photography and if I am to quote my students, “Taking Julia’s (en)Visionography workshop was the best decision I could make for my photography”. Sign up here  https://bit.ly/enVLiveNov2020 (link also in bio) Only a few spots left.

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#tokyoarchitecture #tokyo #tokyoskyline #tokyocityscape #fineartphotography #fineart #blackandwhite #bw #bnw #bnwphotography #monochrome #architecturephotography #architecture #architecturefineart #envisionography #nightphotography #photographydrawing #juliaannagospodarou #photographyworkshops #FujifilmGFX50S #mediumformat #fujifilm #urbanphotography #photoshop #photoediting
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Creating (en)Visionography Video Tutorial long exposure fine art architecture photography
From Basics to Fine Art_Black and white photography, architecture, long exposure

SPECIAL JANUARY SALES 15% OFF – CODE: JULIA15, ENDS JAN 31, 2021

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