professional photographers Archives - Page 9 of 13

Inflatable Photo Studio Space

Massiera Industries has come up with a clever idea for people who need studio space but can’t afford a rental studio. The company is offering several varieties of inflatable studio that come with a different set of features.

Ranging in size from 15 to 30 feet wide, these inflatable studios are easy to transport, and take only a few minutes to set up. When the shooting day is done, the packing up doesn’t take much longer than folding up a tent.

The concept allows photographers to have studio space anywhere they have a flat space and electricity. The smaller units pack up to box roughly two feet square and weigh less than 50 pounds and come pre-fitted with tie-downs for anchoring them against wind gusts. In some situations having the extra indoor space could be a life saver.

With a portable generator it would be possible to stage a studio shoot in the middle of nowhere. Not entirely certain why you’d want to do that, but if the weather kicked up on a location shoot it might be handy to have in the truck.

At least one model has a diffused natural light roof the others are made to keep the natural light outside.

The units use an external fan for inflation, much like the bouncy house you rent for your kid’s birthday party. The fans and air flow are hardly noticeable inside, potentially making them useful for location video besides photography. The entry door is wide enough to accommodate most equipment.

My only concern would be how well they regulate temperature in a hot climate, but that problem would seem to be easily resolved with either interior fans or a small cooling unit.

Massiera is currently in negotiations with one of the better known New York photo/video stores for exclusive North American distribution rights. Pricing hasn’t been finalized yet but is expected to be in the $1,800 to $2,000 range for one of the smaller units.

Beginning Strobes On a Budget

Using external flash in an umbrella — Starting out with an external flash in an umbrella is okay - by Wesley Oostvogels

To put together a decent strobe lighting setup it is not necessary to spend a huge amount of money. You can, if you have the cash, but it’s not necessary to get good results.

There are three basic types of strobes: Monolights, Pack & Head systems, and external flashes.

Monolights, which have the plug and all the circuitry built in to the flash unit. Monolights have the disadvantage of needing to be plugged in all the time and are primarily for indoor use.

Pack and Head sets are lights that come with a separate battery pack and can be used outside. They’re not conveniently portable, but they’ll move.

The other option are external flashes, which run on batteries. If you’re just starting out, external flashes are okay. You can mount them in a softbox or umbrella and get good results, though you may be limited at the distances you can use them. You’ll burn through more batteries, but they’re a lot easier to pack around and very versatile. The only downside to external flashes are the lack of a built-in modeling light. You have to take a picture to pre-view the results. Less of a problem in these days of digital cameras.

What you’re giving up with low end equipment is build quality, recycle times, and fine tuning. High end studio flash units can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and are color balanced to incredibly fine tolerances. In these days of RAW image management and the available fine tuning and batch processing available in post-processing, I’m not sure how important that is anymore.

There are mid-range professional lights like Paul C Buff’s AlienBees that are more than adequate for most professional applications these days.

AlienBees B400 in an umbrella — AlienBees B400 studio flash in an umbrella - by Paul C. Buff

If you’re new and piecing together an external flash setup on a budget, you can pull it all together for around $300. This is all equipment I’ve tested personally.

YN-467 $70

Can be used on camera for with compatible TTL with Canon cameras and is a surprisingly good flash unit. My only niggle with the design is the battery door feels a little flimsy. Power can be an issue with external flash units, but the YN-467 would light up the night in my testing.

YN-460 $45

Has a setting to operate as an optical slave, easy to change power settings. These make fine slave units.

Light stand w/ umbrella $39 x2 = $78

I’ve found ring lights and umbrellas to be my preferred way to light portraits over the years.

Background paper $20

I’d start with white and decide if you need a pattern later.

Reflector $13

Clamp it to a light stand if you don’t have an extra set of hands to hold it.

Flash trigger $34

You’ll want to upgrade this eventually, but all you need starting out is to trigger the key light and the slave will trigger the fill.

A highlight light, which can be any kind of spotlight or an extra flash on a snoot.

Or you can buy a low end introductory studio kit for about the same money. The disadvantage is you can’t move those outside without running extension cords all over. This is not equipment you’d want to build your business on, but it will get you through the learning stage without breaking your budget.

Beyond the introductory kits, then you’re into piecing together your studio lighting from higher end suppliers. I would recommend starting with a lower-cost system to gain experience before going out and dropping a bundle on equipment that you’ll want to keep for years.

The next investment I’d make after the flash units is a digital light meter. I’ll talk more about that and how to use it in another blog.

Showcase Your Work

You’ve spent years learning photography and honing your craft and it’s time to show your work to the world. That usually means a gallery and these days it’s probably going to be a web gallery.

You’ll have quite a few choices for web galleries and there are some technology decisions involved. The big tech decision is Flash verses no Flash. A Flash application can give you a rich visual display environment and fluid transitions, it can also provide tools for uploading your images, which is very convenient.

The downside with Flash is not all devices support Flash, particularly many mobile devices. Apple only recently added support for Flash on many of their iPhone and iPads.

For the widest possible audience, you’ll want to go with a CSS or scripted gallery. The challenge with those is they have to be updated regularly and not all browsers support standards equally. Some of them are plug-ins for other frameworks that have to maintained themselves.

Then there’s free verses paying for a gallery. I’m not above paying for a good gallery if it’s well supported and provides integration with social media and image sharing sites.

Here are a few to get you started.

Monoslideshow

I know, Flash-based and it costs money, but really delivers in terms of features, integration and functionality.

Graph Paper Press

Several WordPress themes there that make very attractive image galleries. The only downside is they’re trying to get you to subscribe to WordPress themes on plans that can run up to $100 per year. With the free themes on a subscription site, you can’t always be certain they’ll stay free.

Imagin

Another Flash gallery that has a free option with a branded logo or a low-cost option to purchase and remove the logo.

Zenphoto

Zenphoto is open source and free to download and use. You can donate to support development and purchase customizations if you want something to work a little differently.

What I like about Zenphoto is being able to set up password protected galleries. The downside is it can be tricky to setup if you’re not technically gifted.

Those will get you started. None of them are perfect, but they all have attractive features. Know of one I missed here? Post it in the comments.

Canon Announces Powerhouse EOS 1D X

The Canon 1D X is jammed with new features - by Canon

For Canon a big X marks the spot for the new king of the EOS line, the Canon EOS 1D X, which merges the 1D and 1Ds lines into one model. Offering a new combination of speed, resolution and image quality, Canon claims the 1D X is the most advanced EOS model it has ever produced and, from the specs, it’s hard to argue with that assessment.

The 1D X features a newly-developed 18.1-megapixel full frame sensor with 16-channel read-out and a sensitivity rating of ISO 100-51200, expandable to an eye-popping ISO 204,800. With ISO numbers like that you have to be approaching the ability to take pictures in the dark.

Backing up new sensor will be not one, but two Digic 5+ image processors. Canon claims speeds up to three times faster than the standard Digic 5 processor. The dual processors allow for full-resolution continuous shooting at up to 12 fps with 14-bit A/D conversion, which can be pushed to 14 fps in JPEG only mode.

It’s clear that Canon is aiming the 1D X at filmmakers, who have been generally opting for the Canon 5D MKII instead of the 1D or 1Ds. Canon claims the new Digic 5+ will reduce artifacts from moire and provide longer continuous shooting times by automatically creating a new file once it reaches the 4 GB file limit. Canon claims the continuous shooting time can be extended to nearly 30 minutes, up from 12 minutes in the 5D and 7D.

The 1D X also features twin CF cards which can be set to either write from one card to the next or duplicate photos on both cards.

In another nod to professionals using their Canon cameras primarily for video, the 1D X includes the ability to manually adjust the sound levels which are displayed on the LCD screen. You can almost hear millions of video shooters saying, “Finally!” at the same time.

Integrated into the camera is a gigabit ethernet port, but no word yet on whether video shooters will be able to get a raw data feed out of the data port. Right now that seems unlikely, but stay tuned.

The 1D X has added a second joystick on the back for controlling camera functions along with a 3.2 inch Clear View II LCD screen with 1040k dot resolution and anti-reflective coating. If you’ve ever noticed your pictures seem to look better in the LCD screen than on your computer, expect that to be even more noticeable with the 1D X.

back of Canon 1D X — On the back the 1D X sports another joystick controller - by Canon

As you would expect from any top of the line camera, the 1D X sports a high-grade magnesium alloy, advanced weather seals, and a new sensor cleaning system that uses wave-based vibrations to shake dust and dirt from the sensor.

Canon has some add-on features available that include the GP-E1 GPS receiver and the new WFT-E6 wifi transmitter.

In an unusual move Canon has announced the availability of the 1D X in March 2012, apparently trying to get some of their customers to postpone holiday purchases. U.S. pricing is expected to be in the range of $6,800 for the body only.

Video from Canon:

Working With Models

Jennifer - One of our local models building her portfolio

Working with models and talent is one of the hardest facets of photography, outside of strictly technical aspects, and one of the most necessary for being successful in the business. You not only have to be skilled at navigating the technical aspects of photography like framing, lighting, and exposure, you have to be able to connect with another person to bring out real emotion rather than simply poses.

Basic Posing

That’s a huge topic for a single article. The best way is to get as many different fashion magazines as you can lay your hands on and analyze the photos, don’t just look at them. Figure out the lighting and body positioning in detail. Study books like Doug Box’s Guide to Posing for Portrait Photographers and 500 Poses for Photographing Women by Michelle Perkins.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The only way to get good at it is experience. Fortunately, when models are starting out, they too need the practice and need to build their portfolio. Sometimes you can work out a deal based on mutual need. Those are called “TFP” shoots or Time For Prints: Their time, your photos. It’s a great way to build a portfolio when you’re starting out.

That’s how I met the girl pictured above, at a TFP shoot sponsored by a local gallery. Keep building those relationships and you’ll be successful.

Collective Action

Another thing you’ll discover getting involved in the business is that professional photographers practice even when they’re not working. Remember this article on Do You Have What It Takes? Pro photographers are working at their craft constantly.

Frequently groups of local photographers will partner up for a TFP shoot or pool together to hire paid talent. If you’re new to the business, absolutely get involved. You’ll learn a lot about posing just working around other photographers.

While you’re at it, get a box of business cards and get your name out there. Maybe you can pick up some work as a second photographer at weddings or event coverage while you’re gaining experience and models remember the photographers who make them look good and some have the clout to recommend photographers.

Branch Out

Everyone likes working with pretty girls and that’s where the biggest money in the modeling industry can be found, but don’t ignore men and more mature models. As our population ages there are a lot of jobs out there for older subjects. Not focusing exclusively on glamour shots for younger women is one of the ways you can set your work apart from others.

So remember, you can get a Canon 5D or a Nikon D700 and the best glass and studio flash units on the planet, but if you don’t know how to work with your subjects to get the best look possible, you’ll never grow in the craft.