Messages

16

Business Stuff / I have a wedding to shoot, so it is time to knock old ring rust off

« on: May 12, 2010, 12:30:32 AM »

This is a first for me I have a friend who has a conflict and could not shoot a wedding for him. Granted I shoot maybe 1 wedding a year. I had a bride actually ask how many images I would be giving them. It was a little funny to me because I don't think that way about most of my shoots. I tend to think more along the line of what needs to be covered not the amount images. I never had to worry about that when I shot weddings on film. Of course I am dating myself.

17

The Campfire / Re: Reluctant at first, thrilled now.

« on: April 30, 2010, 09:52:22 PM »

This is one of the more friendly and informative forums you will find. Gavin even puts up with the likes of me. 

Now if like heat there is photo.net.

If you want the disappointing is popular photography's forum. Just show what really bad moderator's can do.

18

General Photo Discussion / Re: "Slimming Lenses?"

« on: April 30, 2010, 02:04:32 PM »

Posing and lighting is the most effective way in camera to capture flattering portraits.



The lighting and the pose then the Focal Length 90mm is what make this image effective.
With this model If one was not careful she would have looked really thick. if shot wrong. It is not a case of being heavy but a case of the image being a double edge sword that can flatter or insult the subject.




Your traditional portrait lenses are in the 85-200mm range for the reasons mentioned by Gavin. It is important to keep in mind that different lenses have different distortion, compression and depth of field properties. Also have to be aware whether you are shooting a cropped sensor or full frame. This is one of the reasons, I never picked up a 50mm. I shoot most of my work these days on a Full Frame sensor so a 50mm is not the best choice a portrait, but a on a Cropped sensor I have seen some really nice work.

19

The Campfire / Re: Camera saves some hassle

« on: April 25, 2010, 03:37:26 PM »

I had a college instructor who would lower your grade if you did not have a camera with you at all times, be it a mall or campus. If he saw you without it your grade would get hammered. 

The House fire was I caught after a long day and night at work.

The SWAT team work maybe a hour after finishing up my shift.

The bus wreck was during lunch.

Of course it did not hurt having a police scanner. 

20

Business Stuff / Re: 2010 pricing

« on: April 12, 2010, 08:47:47 PM »

I guess I will ask a dumb questions, so forgive me. Who is your target market? What is there income? What does your competition for that target market offer? What are their prices and services? If you know the answer to those questions then you will most likely have your own answer.

21

General Photo Discussion / Re: NY Times article "The Shrinking Path"

« on: April 07, 2010, 02:27:26 PM »

What I think is funny, is they are trying to blame amateurs for the decline in photojournalism, magazine photography and stock photography. If you cut editorial staffs by 2/3 at many publications have fewer publications, how does amateurs effect the photojournalism market, it doesn't. Totally bogus. Amateurs have virtually no negative impact. This is smoke and mirrors.

Most publications have always needed amateurs for their content. The other thing is that publications are members of of AP (Associated Press) and they get free material from companies like NAPSI. What photojournalist did was bring that illustrated and added content to stories. This had a huge impact on local content, and coverage. But lets be clear if you cut your staffs like the NY Times did you are going to have local and national content.

As far stock photography goes I would argue the internet and digital photography changed the equation for stock, not just digital cameras. Really what you have now is a case of many shooters and companies making money instead of a few. The stock houses could control the price artificially because they were the only a few players. Just like De Beers does with diamonds.

It was an artificial market in which only a few made high profit. But now because the market has opened up you now have many people making money but with less profit.

As for Ms. Pruitt, If she keeps on shooting she will learn more. At some point she will value her technique. Because at some point if you follow her statement one has to ask why hire her at all when I can same quality of image?

22

General Photo Discussion / NY Times article "The Shrinking Path"

« on: April 05, 2010, 01:56:44 AM »

I almost get the feeling that the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/media/30photogs.html?hp is trying to blame digital cameras and amateur photographers, for the employment issues for photojournalism. I love the fact that they don't mention the decline of print as being a factor. 

My other favorite line is this quote: But amateurs like Ms. Pruitt do not particularly care.

“I never followed any traditional photography rules only because I didn’t know of any — I never went to photography school, never took any classes,” she said. “People don’t know the rules, so they just shoot what they like — and other people like it, too.”
I wonder if she will say that in 3-5 years. 

23

Workflow & Software / Re: Home server to backup PC and Mac

« on: April 04, 2010, 07:24:33 PM »

There is no reason why you can't set a home network with drobos or a media server that your different computer OS systems to access.

I think the solution depends largely on what you need to access and how many computers you planning on accessing the Data. For example I have about 5 computers accessing my databases, which are photos files, video files and graphics. I running Macs and a TriCaster Broadcaster (windows based) so I went with a network based system.

So for my clipart and templates I use network drives. For my photo server I am using a G4 Mac that I converted into a server that backs up with backup side drives. I do use firewire drives attached to my Mac that I uses final cut pro.

If you are running on only on machine then a firewire drive or USB2 system would make more sense.

I am looking at adding drobos because I can set them up on a network. The other device I am looking at is the HP mediasmart server.http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mediasmart-server/index.html?jumpid=ex_r602_go/mediasmartserver
What I like about the HP MediaSmart is that you can access it over the web to add files or access photos.

24

Pro Photo Show & Beyond / Re: PPS #67 Step Out of the Triangle.

« on: March 22, 2010, 09:24:31 PM »

The Contest reminds me of a story a friend of mine told me when he went to Brooks about 20 years ago when it was a top school. He had an instructor who would invite all of his students to a pool party to critique their photos. To put this in perspective these were archival prints. Acid free prints, about $75 dollars a piece in the late 80's early 90's to create.

Well the pool party was this. If there was one major flaw with the print be it bad spotting or mating it ended up in the pool. 

25

The Campfire / Re: 6400 ISO sample

« on: March 22, 2010, 06:04:25 PM »

Opps forgot one

Mayor Downtown Meeting
ISO 10,000
f/2.8 @ 1/80

26

The Campfire / Re: 6400 ISO sample

« on: March 22, 2010, 06:01:40 PM »

Here are some low light images with the D3

Girl with glow stick ISO 6400
f/2.8 @ 1/15
14-24mm f/2.8

Football IS0 8000
f/2.8 @ 1/500
70-200mm f/2.8

27

Pro Photo Show & Beyond / Re: PPS #67 Step Out of the Triangle.

« on: March 22, 2010, 04:17:15 PM »

Gavin really like the last podcast. The big thing to understand about Ansel Adams work was the huge range of tonality. The whites where white the blacks were black, but you still had details in shadows and the highlights. Yes there was true blacks and true whites but there was huge range of tonality in between. The way to think of the zone system is the manual version of matrix (segmented) metering that most cameras do today. As we say used to say for B&W film expose for the shadows develop for the highlights.

Today with digital I tend to say, expose for the highlight process for the shadows. Sorry I ramble, but I shot B&W for 10 years as professional, and study the zone system in school. What was funny was the zone system was one of those things you learn and you think your not going to use, but you find that use it subconsciously daily. It is funny that you mentioned thinking first about whether you want the image color or B&W before releasing the shutter.

I had that talk with many new shooters. That if they are going to make a B&W or do a Photoshop special effect they should plan it before the the shutter is released.  I have never been a great fan of image triage.

If you ever get the chance I would recommend getting Vincent Versace http://versacephotography.com/ on. He is the person that got me to accelerate my switch from film capture to digital. He really has one the best handles I know of on color space. If ever do put put him on that is a show I would love to sit in on.

28

Business Stuff / Re: Portrait viewing _ what do you Show?

« on: March 16, 2010, 12:06:52 PM »

It is not about showing off your technical skills. Here is the way I look at. There are five basic parts of a portrait shoot that has to come together.
(1) The technical, the lighting, exposure and camera.
(2) The composition and pose.
(3) The relationship between the subject and the photographer.
(4) The post processing.
(5) Presentation of final work.

If any of theses pieces are missing then the portrait, client and photographer suffer. So if you are are talking motoring out 200 plus shots during a 1 hour portrait shoot, and you are not working with a professional model, then I would make a strong bet that the composition and the relationship between the photographer and subject is suffering.

I will say this way. I have seen a lot of shooters that figure if they are shooting lots of frames then they do not have to work on the relationship with the client. It is using on aspect to cover a weakness in another aspect. As for closed eyes there really is no excuse for that in the digital camera age

Back to the original question I do see a lot confidence issues here. The big killer to me here is showing the client incomplete work unedited images. That has to kill the clients expectations.

In terms of post processing, every image is in someways is tweaked by the photographer unless they posting strait out of the camera. I take a basic concept an old professor said to me. If you are spending most of your time in a darkroom then you are losing money because you are not out shooting and making connections with clients. That goes for the electronic darkroom as well.

One of the reasons I brought a 4X5 view camera is not about the exposure but the process of capturing the image. A view camera is one of the most simple cameras made. No AF or auto exposure in their design. But that simplicity is what makes it complex. You have total control over focus, depth of field, perspective, and exposure. That control can  exciting and frustrating. As for them not being used any more not really true, product shots, food shots and architecture shots are were these cameras are used commercially a lot. Digital still can't touch the film. I suggestion is shoot one for a week even if you use a scanning back. It is a different beast.

It makes you focus on capturing the best image possible with each frame.

29

General Photo Discussion / Re: What Makes a Photographer a Professional?

« on: March 15, 2010, 03:43:32 AM »

My basic definition is someone who paid for goods and services. If you are asking how I define a quality professional that changed over time. When I worked as a photojournalist for these newspaper companies, it would have been about teamwork. I would have meetings with the editors, pagination and pressmen on a daily bases to discuss, editorial needs, quality and daily deadlines. If you missed a deadline by 5 minutes you could cost the company thousands of dollars. I ran these basic concepts as a photojournalist:

(1) Be the firstest with the mostest.
(2) Shot first ask forgiveness later.
(3) When in doubt motor out.

Those days were challenging because you never knew what to expect. In one day I had a homicide to cover, a plane crash, a car crash that had gone into a river, a high school basketball game and a press conference. 

Today it I do I still do journalism, but I also do editorial and commercial work. Today most my work is customer fulfillment. It is about more than meeting the customers need. It is about building the clients expectations and desires from the moment the first meeting to the shoot itself, and delivery of the images.

This week I have to shoot 40 formal portraits for business publication on location with a full studio, with a hair and makeup artist. So I have to coordinate schedules and timing. I also have 20 more portraits for a corporate client.

I have been lucky I have, been doing what I love for over 20 years. My first professional job was shooting a wedding at 16, then I put myself through college working for two papers part time, and the college information office. At 19 I photographed my first NFL game, by the time I was at a four year college I was a full time employee at a daily paper.
So I can't complain.

What I bring the table today is quality images, professionalism, product, event, commercial photography, editorial photography, photojournalism, portraits (formal, informal and environmental)  video, electronic (web and mulimedia) and prepress (print) requirements.

30

General Photo Discussion / Re: Photoshop Bokeh anyone?

« on: March 14, 2010, 05:42:39 AM »

To quote Vincent Versace, "Photoshop is a noun not a verb." BTW if you ever get a chance take a workshop from Vincent Versace http://versacephotography.com he has about the best understanding of color management that I know of.