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EDITORIAL WES PITTS Editorial Director TERRY SULLIVAN Editor KRISTAN ASHWORTH Managing Editor DANIEL BROCKETT, MARK EDWARD HARRIS, WILLIAM SAWALICH Contributing Editors ART & PRODUCTION SCOTT BRANDSGAARD Senior Designer NICOLE POPMA Graphic Designer

JULY/AUGUST 2020 Vol. 18 No. 4 digitalphotopro.com

Contents Departments 4 EDITOR’S NOTE 5 NEW PRODUCTS 66 LOOKING FORWARD

Portfolios

SALES & MARKETING (617) 706-9110, FA X (617) 536-0102

12 LIVE FROM CHICAGO!

ALEXANDRA PICCIRILLI Media Solutions Director apiccirilli@madavor.com

How Zoran Orlic combined his love for music and photography to forge a career documenting rock ‘n roll history

BOB BEUCLER Senior Media Solutions Manager bbeucler@madavor.com

By William Sawalich | Photography By Zoran Orlic

CLIENT SERVICES clientservices@madavor.com TIM DOOLAN Social Media and Marketing Manager

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18 AMISH ON VACATION Taking a whimsical approach in documenting how a small and unique American cultural subgroup lets their hair down

By Mark Edward Harris | Photography by Dina Litovsky

TOMMY GOODALE Senior Marketing Associate ANTHONY BUZZEO Content Marketing Supervisor

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Printed in the U.S.A. Digital Photo Pro (ISSN: 1545-8520)–Vol. 18 No. 4–is published bimonthly except monthly in November and December by Madavor Media, LLC. Executive, editorial and advertising offices: 25 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 404, Braintree, MA 02184, (617) 706-9110. Periodicals Postage Paid at Boston, MA, and at additional mailing offices. Single-copy price–$6.99. Annual subscription in U.S., Possessions, APO/FPO–$24.97. Canada–$39.97; other foreign–$39.97, including postage and taxes. Payable in U.S. funds.

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JULY/AUGUST 2020 Vol. 18 No. 4 digitalphotopro.com

Contents 26 LEANING INTO VISION A promising photojournalist gains her footing

OPERATIONS

26

JASON POMERANTZ VP, Circulation Strategy CHEYENNE CORLISS Operations Director

By Amy Touchette | Photography By Desiree Rios

ANDREA PALLI Client Services and Circulation Supervisor

34 SHREDDING IT

TONI EUNICE Operations and Front Desk Coordinator

Kathy Hayes shoots the daring, colorful subculture of grown-up skateboarding from the inside out

By Russell Hart | Photography By Kathy Hayes

DARREN CORMIER Client Services Associate AMANDA JOYCE Accounting Director TINA MCDERMOTT Accounts Payable Associate WAYNE TUGGLE Accounts Receivable Associate

DIGITAL OPERATIONS LEZA OLMER Director of Digital

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RYAN GILLIS Audience Development Analyst MIKE DECKER Senior Digital Designer DAVID GLASSMAN WordPress Developer

EXECUTIVE JEFFREY C. WOLK Chairman & Chief Executive Officer COURTNEY WHITAKER Chief Operating Officer STUART CRYSTAL SVP, Sales & Strategic Partnerships MATT MARTINELLI Content Director In memory of Susan Fitzgerald, COO, 1966-2018

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Shed Some JULY/AUGUST 2020 Vol. 18 No. 4 digitalphotopro.com

Contents

42

Light

Equipment 42 FIRST-LOOK REVIEW: THE OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 MARK III IN COSTA RICA How a new, versatile, compact OM-D camera body performed in the tropics

By Terry Sullivan

50 REVIEW: VIDEO EDITING WITH DAVINCI RESOLVE 16

50

The latest version refines existing features and introduces a number of new cutting-edge ones

By Daniel Brockett

58 AUDIO ASSIST: BUILDING A TRAVEL AUDIO RECORDING TOOLKIT

By Daniel Brockett

ON THE COVER: The cover image for this issue was captured by Ukrainian-born photographer Dina Litovsky, who now lives in New York City. This image is part of a series she photographed on vacationing Amish, which helped her win several awards, including the Nannen Prize, in Germany, and PDN’s 30 for New and Emerging Photographers to Watch. On her website, Litovsky describes her photographs as “visual sociology,” in which she “examines different aspects of contemporary culture, often focusing on subcultures and social gatherings.”

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Eliseo, Ama’s great grandson and the photographer’s second cousin, places his hand on Ama’s inside her home on November 5, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Photo by Desiree Rios.

Editor’s Note It has been tremendously difficult for most businesses since the outbreak of coronavirus began to affect the U.S., starting in March, resulting in massive shutdowns of many sectors of the economy by the end of that month, including a Global Level 4 “Do Not Travel” Health Advisory issued March 31 by the U.S. government telling citizens to avoid all international travel.

The fallout has been severe for photographers: According to a recent survey compiled and posted on Lensrentals, around 96 percent of the photographers and videographers polled said their work and/or income had been impacted by COVID-19, and about 75 percent had all or almost all of their jobs canceled. Perhaps the most heartbreaking data point is that 81 percent of those polled are considering leaving the industry due to the loss of income.

It’s one of the reasons it was so difficult to write this Editor’s Note to properly introduce this issue—the Travel Photography & Photojournalism Issue.

But then I look at the image on this page, by a young photographer, Desiree Rios, who has been covering stories of COVID-19 herself for The New York Times. The image you see 4 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

is of her young cousin’s chubby, lineless hand tenderly touching his great grandmother’s furrowed hand, and I literarily see hope. In this time, when we’re being asked to stand 2 yards from each other (and for good reason), this image of a young child touching his great grandmother’s hand seems all the more moving. I suppose for me what the image symbolizes is that connecting with each other is profoundly human and important. But it will be challenging to embrace those we love when we’re afraid we might accidentally infect them.

However, I also found Rios’ words, which you’ll read in an article by writer and photographer Amy Touchette, equally inspiring. In the story, Rios

says that for a photographer to create a stable and productive career as a photojournalist, it’s “all about perseverance and dedication because there’s going to be a lot of rejection. If photojournalism is something you’re truly passionate about, it’s up to you not to give up on that. Everyone has a unique perspective. Everyone should show it. We need more creative people out there.

We need more storytellers out there.

There’s never too many of them.”

Thank you for those inspiring words, Desiree Rios. We truly need them now!

— Terry Sullivan Editor editors@digitalphotopro.com

A Note To Our Subscribers We hope you and your loved ones are healthy and safe during this difficult time of the COVID-19 crisis.

All of us at Digital Photo Pro are as committed as always to bringing you inspiring images, stories and professional techniques for all genres of photography. Amid the concerns about social distancing (including mail delivery) and possible printing disruptions, for the duration of the crisis we’re moving Digital Photo Pro to a digital format, to be delivered to your email inbox. We have invested in a state-of-the-art technology platform that will make this digital experience incredibly robust—including the highest-quality images, the ability to “turn” pages and a mobile-optimized edition designed for comfortable reading when viewed on phones. We’re confident you will enjoy this experience and greatly appreciate your support as part of the Digital Photo Pro community.

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Tamron Launches 70-180mm F/2.8 Zoom For Sony Full Frames

Last fall, at PhotoPlus Expo, Tamron announced that it had been developing four lenses designed to work specifically with Sony E-Mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. This past April, it officially launched the fourth lens, the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD (Model A056), a large aperture telephoto zoom lens for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. According to the company, “it’s the lightest and most compact in its class…and delivers quiet, fast focus and superb performance.”

The lens should be available now, but Tamron stated, “due to the spread of COVID-19, the release date or the product supply schedule could be delayed."

The 70-180mm F/2.8 has a number of impressive features, including: • Optical construction of 19 elements in 14 groups.

• Several special lens elements, including a

• • •

• •

total of six XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) and LD (Low Dispersion) lens elements combined, and three GM (Glass Molded Aspherical) and hybrid aspherical lens elements combined.

A 33.5-inch minimum focusing distance.

A 67mm filter diameter.

A newly developed VXD (Voice-coil eXtremetorque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism, which Tamron says is for a quieter and quicker autofocus drive.

A floating system to achieve excellent optical performance at all shooting distances.

Moisture-resistant construction for added weather protection and fluorine coating for easy maintenance.

Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD (Model A056) List Price: $1,199 Website: tamron-usa.com

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>> Canon Introduces EOS C300 Mark III Cinema Camera Canon has updated its popular C300 series cinema camera to the new EOS C300 Mark III, which will be available later this year.

The new cinema camera, its third iteration in this particular cine line, has a sensor with a Super 35mm format. However, physically speaking, Canon says it looks identical to the C500 Mark II (which has a full-frame format sensor).

Canon also said it has expanded its Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus or AF. Now, “in phase three…we will put different gain amplification on every 8-plus million photo sites” or 8.85 megapixels on the sensor. Canon is calling this sensor technology its “new Dual Gain Output (DGO) sensor.”

According to Canon, the “newly developed 4K Super 35mm DGO imaging system captures high dynamic range content by reading out each pixel through two separate gains. One gain prioritizes saturation in highlight areas while the other suppresses noise in the shadows.” That means the Canon EOS C300 Mark III should produce images with up to “16+ stops of dynamic range…with clean rich shadows and vibrant highlights in up to 4K/60p.”

It’s equipped with Canon’s latest video imaging processor, the DIGIC DV 7, which can record 4K and HDR video up to 120 frames per second or 2K at 180 fps, with 4:2:2 10-bit XF-AVC recording.

Other features include: • Two CFExpress media card slots.

• 5-axis electronic image stabilization, which can be used without an optically stabilized lens.

• Compatibility with EF and PL lenses (with optional mount kit) as well as anamorphic and spherical lenses.

Canon also said the new cinema camera supports Canon Log 2 and 3 and has four-channel recording that supports 4 XLR inputs with the use of the EU-V2 expansion unit.

Canon EOS C300 Mark III (body only) List Price: $10,999 Website: usa.canon.com

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The new Canon EOS C300 Mark III cinema camera (front view, no lens).

Canon EOS C300 Mark III cinema camera (side view).

Canon EOS C300 Mark III with Canon’s CN-E 70-200mm T4.4 L IS KAS S zoom lens.

>>

Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro

This past spring, Blackmagic Design introduced a new live production switcher, the ATEM Mini Pro, which, according to the company, is a new low-cost live production switcher that has “all the features of ATEM Mini but now with extra features for recording, streaming and monitoring.”

Blackmagic Design also said the new ATEM Mini Pro includes a new hardware streaming engine to allow direct streaming via its Ethernet connection to YouTube Live, Facebook and Twitch.

The new ATEM Mini Pro also supports recording the stream direct to USB flash disks in H.264, as well as recording to multiple disks for continuous recording, and includes multi-view capability on the HDMI video output that allows all inputs to be monitored on a single monitor, as well as live status of recording, streaming and the audio mixer.

Other new ATEM Mini Pro features include: • A miniaturized control panel-based design.

• Supports connecting up to four cameras or computers.

• USB output operates as a webcam and supports all video software.

• Two stereo audio inputs for connecting desktop or lapel microphones.

• A free ATEM Software Control for Mac and Windows.

• Internal media for 20 RGBA graphics for titles, opening plates and logos.

• ATEM Advanced Chroma Key for green/blue screen work.

• Audio mixer supports limiter, compressor, six-band EQ and more.

• Remote HDMI control with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras.

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NewProducts >> Epson Announces Two Pro Desktop Printers—SureColor P700 and SureColor P900 It’s been several years since Epson introduced new mid-range, desktop inkjet printers for pro photographers in the 13-inch to 17-inch range. But this past April, Epson announced two new models: The Epson SureColor P700, a new 13-inch-wide inkjet desktop printer, and Epson SureColor P900, which is a new 17-inch-wide inkjet desktop printer.

Both should be available now.

The new models replace two much older Epson desktop printers—the SureColor P600 (introduced in the fall of 2014) and SureColor P800 (introduced in the spring of 2015).

Here are some of the new features and capabilities of the updated Epson inkjets: • The new models are smaller and more compact than the previous versions. For instance, Epson says that the new SureColor P900 is 23 percent smaller than its predecessor, the P800.

• Epson updated the wireless features up to 5 Ghz (in addition to 2.4 Ghz).

• The company increased the size of the LCD to a new 4.3-inch touchscreen display.

• The new printers use 10 channels (separate ink cartridges) in the print head. And for these models, Epson has dedicated channels for both glossy and matte black ink. (In other words, there’s no more switching required between glossy vs. matte inks.)

They also have a new violet ink cartridge.

• Epson says the new models have easy-touse interfaces and provide easy printing from smart devices, including the ability to print “color-managed files” directly from an iOS device.

• All-new Carbon Black Driver technology dramatically increases Dmax for best-inclass black density on glossy papers.

• Epson says the models have an industryleading print permanence—UltraChrome PRO10 ink is expected to create prints that last up to 200 years for color and 400 years for black-and-white prints. Epson says it’s also reducing the ink capacities in the cartridges to help photographers save money.

8 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

New Tools Of The Trade

Additionally, Epson says it has a new mode called “Carbon Black,” which provides a super-high DMAX. It uses the existing light gray ink already in the printer and provides a very rich, “wet”-looking black on glossy papers. The printers also handle a variety of papers and surfaces, including thicker boards. Epson also overhauled the printers’ software.

Epson SureColor P700 List Price: $799 Epson SureColor P900 List Price: $1,295 Website: proimaging.epson.com

Epson SureColor P900

Epson SureColor P700

Lexar Professional Multi-Card 3-in-1 USB 3.1 Reader

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Lexar Multi-Card 2-in-1 USB 3.1 Reader

Lexar Introduces Multi-Card Readers Although most cameras include wireless features that allow you to quickly transfer photos and even video to your laptop, computer or mobile devices, it’s still wise to have a versatile, reliable memory-card reader to move your image files and video clips quickly. And Lexar has just introduced two such multi-card readers.

The Professional Multi-Card 3-in-1 USB 3.1 Reader supports SD, microSD and CompactFlash cards, with transfer speeds of up to 312 MB/s for SD and microSD UHS-II cards, and up to 160MB/s for CompactFlash cards. It’s backwards compatible with SD and microSD UHS-I cards (up to 170 MB/s), and it comes with a USB 3.1 Type C-to-Type A cable.

The Lexar Multi-Card 2-in-1 USB 3.1 Reader, which supports SD and microSD UHS-II cards, is designed for quick multi-card photo and video transfers. It can also simultaneously move files from SD and microSD slots to your computer and is backwards compatible with SD and microSD UHS-I cards (up to 170 MB/s) as well as USB 3.1 and 2.0 ports.

Lexar Professional Multi-Card 3-in-1 USB 3.1 Reader List Price: $29 Lexar Multi-Card 2-in-1 USB 3.1 Reader List Price: $19 Website: lexar.com

>> For the latest product news and

in-depth coverage of new announcements, visit digitalphotopro.com/newswire

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Santa Cruz, California

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digitalphotopro.com CARES Act Provides Emergency Funding For Professional Photographers It’s been a very difficult time for photographers, particularly event and wedding photographers, as nationwide shutdowns continue due to the effects of coronavirus.

In early April, William Sawalich put together this helpful guide to financial aid and emergency funding for professional photographers, through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. For more, see his story here: digitalphotopro.com/newswire/caresact-provides-emergency-fundingfor-professional-photographers

Virtual Fine-Art Photography & Film Friday: Dorothea Lange At The MoMA & More Although museums have been hit by the effects of the coronavirus, they're still presenting fine-art exhibitions online. We’ve compiled a few notable photography shows, including the Dorothea Lange retrospective at the MoMA. See it and more at: digitalphotopro.com/ newswire/virtual-fine-art-photography-film-fridaydorothea-lange-at-the-moma-more

HDVideoPro: Sound Devices Steps Up During Pandemic Contributing Editor Daniel Brockett reported on how Sound Devices, a Wisconsin-based audio company, is working to help out in its local community. According to his blog post, Sound Devices workers have been putting in time on the clock to ramp up production of personal protective devices. Learn more about it here: hdvideopro. com/blog/sound-devices-steps-up-during-pandemic

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2019 STREET SCENE GRAND PRIZE WINNER “COFFEE REFLECTIONS” BY HEIDI WALKER Henri Cartier-Bresson, credited as a pioneer in street photography, gave us the concept of the “decisive moment” in image making. Of his transition as an artist from painting to photography, he said, “I suddenly understood that a photograph could fix eternity in an instant.”

For our Street Scene 2020 Photo Contest, we want to see your best photographs that capture a Brought to you by

candid moment, an interaction of people, places, forms and light that tell a unique story.

Don’t miss out. Enter now at:

dpmag.com/streetscene The contest deadline is July 17, 2020

“Zoran has been a friend to the band and organization for many years,” says Wilco singer and guitarist Jeff Tweedy, depicted here by music photographer Zoran Orlic. “His beautiful work has been used on our record covers, in videos and for promotion.” Of photographing an iconic musician like Tweedy, Orlic is equally complimentary: “Capturing the in-between moments of Jeff Tweedy lost on a sonic wave is a beautiful thing." This photo was taken in June 2012 in Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver.

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LIVE

By William Sawalich | Photography By Zoran Orlic

How Zoran Orlic combined his love for music and photography to forge a career documenting rock ‘n roll history digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 13

“Neil Young was in 100 precent top form, rock-your-world mode with more energy than I ever expected to see,” says Orlic. “This one is from Malahide Castle in Dublin, Ireland, in June 2008. An LA band called Everest was signed to Neil’s Vapor Records label, and I was touring with Everest that summer with My Morning Jacket. This was a one-off with Neil kicking off his EU tour.”

Z

oran Orlic’s photography journey began early. When he was just 12 years old, he got a Canon AE-1 film SLR and was instantly hooked; his obsession grew, and he was quickly shooting nonstop. He’s never stopped.

Photography became one of the great passions of his life. The other is music.

Orlic is a world-class music photographer, known in particular for his unique perspective on live music— instantly recognizable to fans of bands such as Wilco, The Frames and Trampled by Turtles.

The Croatian-born photographer 14 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

relocated to Chicago at an early age and began photographing bands in college. As a young musician might, he took his mantra seriously: practice, practice, practice. It wasn’t until he chanced upon the work of one of the greatest rock photographers of all time that lightning struck, and he realized what he wanted to do with his life.

“It was a photo of Bono by Anton Corbijn,” Orlic says. “When I saw the poster, I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ I’m not one of these guys who studied classic photographers or modern photographers or anything. Anton

Corbijn is literally the only reason I do this. I still have the poster.”

Fandom has continued to be essential to Orlic’s work. Not only because he remains an admirer of Corbijn’s luscious black-and-white photography, but also because he’s a fan of the bands with whom he works. It’s as if he can’t put his all into an assignment unless he feels a connection with the artist and their music. That passion is evident to the fans who consume his visuals to help connect with their favorite artists.

In this sense, it’s as if he collaborates with the musicians themselves.

“I don’t know if I want to, or can, consistently shoot artists I’m not interested in,” he says. “I’m 52 now, and essentially since college, I’ve done two major projects that have slightly overlapped for roughly 24 years.”

The first gig began shortly after college. Orlic had been begging bands to let him photograph them while trying to make any contacts he could. It was another chance encounter that changed the course of his career when he happened upon the music of Glen Hansard’s band, The Frames. He fell hard and wrote Hansard an adoring fan letter. Then, as it only happens in books and movies and songs, the phone rang and magic happened.

“He was just blown away,” Orlic says. “How could this even happen?

Those times were totally different. We ended up talking for hours about the Chicago music scene, which was enormous, and he was a huge fan. That was it. A year later, my friend and I paid about $160 round trip to Dublin, saw The Frames play and met the whole band. It was amazing.”

As these things go, at least for Orlic, that encounter led to a 12-year working relationship that saw him do practically everything for The Frames, from marketing to managing tours and, eventually, handling their promotional photography. That culminated with a coffee table book showcasing his photographs of the band.

When that relationship waned, another began—one that continues to this day. For more than 15 years, Orlic has provided promotional shoots and live concert photography for the Chicago-based band Wilco. This, too, sprung out of correspondence—not a fan letter this time but rather a solicitation to photograph the band.

“I shot Jeff,” Orlic says of his first photo shoot with Wilco’s founder, Jeff Tweedy. “They liked it, and the rest is history. I just kind of never left.”

From the perspective of the bands and record labels for whom he works, Orlic’s easygoing manner and ability to produce images efficiently and

without getting in the way are equally as important as his artistic prowess.

“There’s a high level of respect involved with not interfering and being stealth,” Orlic explains. “That’s kind of me in general, anyway. I can tell you any photograph you’ve ever seen posed with Jeff and the band, those are all completed within minutes. That’s the only reason I’m still around: Because Jeff loves the fact that he doesn’t have to think about that, doesn’t have to think about me. Which also creates an incredible environment for me, as I cover pretty much every record, and I’m in the studio quite a bit. I can liter-

probably my most personally enjoyable work. I just love capturing live music.”

Orlic’s concert photography is artful and unique, filled with odd angles and peculiar perspectives that emphasize the fleeting, magical nature of the spectacle of live music. He manages to capture essential moments during performances without resorting to the same old cliché images so many other photographers are after.

“People kind of recognize me by how my live photos look,” he says, “by the negative space. That’s complete success for me. That’s what I love! I think the other part of being a huge music fan—

When I saw the poster, I was like, "That’s what I want to do." I’m not one of these guys who studied classic photographers or modern photographers or anything. Anton Corbijn is literally the only reason I do this. I still have the poster. ally be a proper fly on the wall because no one cares, no one even notices me.”

Tweedy agrees. “We rarely trust photographers the way we trust Zoran,” he says. “He has a stealthy, fly-on-the-wall quality that makes it easy to have him backstage and in the studio, enabling him to capture the moment without getting in the way of the proceedings.

“Plus,” Tweedy adds, “he’s a great hang.”

Earning the trust of high-profile artists is no easy feat. Frankly, any level of success in the music business is elusive for photographers and musicians alike: years of low-paying gigs that lead to fame and fortune for a lucky, if statistically insignificant, few. Yet a glimpse at the foot of any stage reveals more photographers joining the ranks every year. It has made the job more challenging and access more essential than ever.

“Ironically,” Orlic says, “that’s

especially of the band that you’re shooting—is you have enough knowledge of the music and what’s going to happen. Because to me, live photography is about the moment. It’s the moment between the expected—which is the cliché photo—and nothing. It’s that moment right in between. It’s emotion, it’s composition...it’s something, but it’s not the newspaper photo, it’s not the Rolling Stone photo. It’s more on the art end than the obvious. Because the obvious isn’t interesting to me.”

Sometimes music photography entails collaborating closely with the artists themselves, while in other cases, the label oversees the production of every shoot. Some labels dictate specifics, though Orlic typically receives a lot of creative freedom.

“With Wilco,” he says, “they have their own record label, so it’s a different animal because it’s all in house. But I’ve done a few shoots with the band Low, digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 15

16 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

This page: Live music photographer Zoran Orlic says this image was from one of the five nights Lucinda Williams played at the El Rey in Los Angeles. “She played five of her albums through and through, with lots of different guests every night,” says Orlic. “I was there for three of the nights. She was at the top of her game.”

Opposite, Top: In this photo, Orlic photographs David Yow, performing as frontman with LA band Qui, at The Casbah in San Diego, which is one of Orlic’s favorite music clubs. “The legendary frontman of Chicago’s Jesus Lizard is absolutely on fire, as he always is— physically and emotionally,” says Orlic.

Opposite, Bottom: In this image of Matt Berninger, lead singer of the band The National, which the photographer captured in September 2010 at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, Orlic says he was focused on the singer’s body language. “Matt is so tall and lanky,” Orlic says, “but has the movements of a great blue heron, spreading his wings to communicate his message to the fans.”

up in Duluth, and that’s strictly through Sub Pop [Records, the band’s record label]. Sub Pop is paying for it, and they’re commanding the expectations, the entire thing. I literally just show up.

But there’s no communication with the band whatsoever outside of getting there and hopefully scouting locations.”

Across genres, photography is too often undervalued by the industries that utilize it most. In the music business, this is at least partly a function of the army of up-and-coming photographers trading photographs for access to the bands they adore. It’s a meritocracy that functions much like the system for musicians themselves. Still, Orlic encourages young photographers and music fans to follow wherever their passion may lead.

“I think it just comes down to a band’s management having pools of people who are willing to just be there and give them everything for free,” Orlic says. “Unfortunately, that’s the bottom line. But you know, [pioneering

musician and producer] Steve Albini has been quoted a million times saying, ‘Never, ever do your art to survive, to put food on the table. You will ruin your art.’ That’s an extreme view of it, but I think there’s something in the middle. If you’re in photography school right now and you think you’re going to be Anton Corbijn, you better have a Plan B of being a commercial photographer. What I would have done if I took myself seriously, if I could do it all over again, I would’ve gone to photography school or art school, and then I would have interned…in the commercial world, where you’re actually going to be able to make money to survive.

And then during that whole time, absolutely shoot your ass off with thousands of bands. Do whatever you can to keep that as pure art, and enjoy it.”

DPP

To learn more about of Zoran Orlic and his evocative music photography, visit his website at zoranorlic.com. digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 17

The nightly women’s volleyball game is the community’s main spectacle.

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Amish on Vacation

By Mark Edward Harris | Photography By Dina Litovsky

Taking a whimsical approach in documenting how a small and unique American cultural sub-group lets their hair down digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 19

Big Olaf Creamery is a popular ice cream shop and hangout in Pinecraft, a neighborhood in Sarasota, Florida.

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here’s a tendency in photojournalism, documentary and even editorial photography to seek out the sensational, particularly to document the strife that’s part of current events and history.

However, even in these turbulent times, most people spend their time performing commonplace tasks and engaging in routine activities. For example, their lives—our lives—are focused on things like their children’s grades, paying bills or what to make for dinner.

The renowned Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt once told me years ago, “I’d like to see photographers shoot duller things and make them interesting. I don’t mean like wilting lilies or flower arrangements, but human stuff.

Stuff that doesn’t jump out at you. Life is not only misery and hysteria, it’s also everything in between.”

The projects of Ukraine-born, New 20 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

York-based editorial photographer Dina Litovsky epitomize the “everything in between” approach.

She finds daily life a bottomless treasure trove of photographic opportunities. It’s why magazine photo editors seek Litovsky out when looking for a photographer to fill their pages with penetrating images that depict the more subtle moments of the human condition. Her award-winning series Where The Amish Vacation serves as a fascinating example.

Digital Photo Pro: How did the Amish on Vacation project come about?

Dina Litovsky: It started as an assignment for The New Yorker magazine. A former Amish woman was my guide.

Everything that was in that feature was basically shot over a weekend. I then turned it into a personal project and have been back three times.

Where was this project shot?

This is in Pinecraft, a little community in Sarasota, Florida. It’s been a winter vacation spot for the Anabaptists since the 1920s. It’s grown a lot since then.

Amish and Mennonites from around the U.S. have been coming back every season, which is from November to March. The community consists of very typical Florida houses that are either owned by the Amish or can be rented for the season. It’s not gated, and anyone can go there. For my last two trips, I stayed in a small house in Pinecraft. I wanted to really integrate myself in the community.

Since some members of those communities don’t typically use mechanized forms of travel, how do they get there?

Everybody has different rules, including those within the Amish and Mennonite communities. Some will ride in planes, others won’t. Some will ride bikes, others

won’t. To generalize, those who go to Pinecraft are, by default, a little more liberal than those who aren’t allowed to fly or ride at all. Mennonites, who have more relaxed rules, and some Amish groups fly there. The most common way to get to Pinecraft is by chartered buses from Ohio and Indiana, which take around 24 hours.

Why did you end up making it a personal project?

Sometimes you find the perfect project where you’re having so much fun shooting.

On my very first trip, I felt euphoric while photographing, and I just knew it was going to be my next project. That feeling hasn’t left me.

I’m not interested in the Amish as a religious group.

For example, I’d never think of going to Lancaster [Pennsylvania] to photograph their way of life. My work in general revolves around documenting leisure with a focus on modernity. Amish A young Amish woman on a hoverboard crosses the street with her children.

are a group that we associate with hard work. We don’t stop to think that they take vacations, but, of course, they do. I thought that was interesting.

There’s another point of interest for me: While the Amish are in Florida, they’re coming into contact with the modern world.

The subjects in your series seem to be at ease with you photographing them.

Most Amish are OK with being photographed, as long as they’re not being asked to pose. Every group has their rules.

The ones that can’t be photographed at all are more likely to be the ones that don’t come to Pinecraft. So, the place filters out the really strict ones by default.

Also, everybody’s on vacation. People, no matter where they’re from or who they are, are in better moods on vacation.

Another important thing is that I’m not going into people’s homes. I’m not going to Lancaster. We’re both on neutral territory. In Florida, I’m just as much a visitor as they are. I think all of that contributes to the fact that most people don’t mind the camera.

I’ve been back several times, so by now many people know me and are quite

This project has taught me that we actually know very little about the Amish and Mennonite rules.

friendly. I’m shooting in the streets in a respectful way, not asking anyone to pose for me. If I want to get closer, I ask for permission, which is almost always given.

There hasn’t been a single negative incident in the four times I’ve been there.

If someone doesn’t want to be photographed, they’d turn away or somehow indicate that, and I respect it. It’s sort of an intuitive dance.

What equipment are you working with? You’re filling the frame so well with your compositions.

For the first two times, I limited myself to a 35mm lens. Then, I started getting a little more relaxed and started shooting the beach scenes. So, I needed a bit of a zoom. But even with my 24-70mm zoom, I’m making sure it doesn’t go wider than 35mm or zooming in more than 50mm for this project.

I used the Nikon D4 for most of the project. However, I just got the Nikon Z 6 and used it to shoot the last time I was in Florida but only during the day. The moment it gets to dusk, I switch to the other camera. I don’t like going above ISO 800 with the Z 6. But it’s a beautiful camera during the day.

How did you initially get into photography and learn the tools and techniques of the trade?

I graduated from NYU in 2002 with a degree in psychology, and I finished premed. But I ended up not going to med school, which I initially had planned to do.

I got my first camera—a Nikon digital—when I was 22 and started shooting for myself. Then, I started shooting weddings. Eventually, I went to the School of Visual Arts and received my master’s in 2010. In terms of editorial assignments, I started around seven years ago and stopped shooting weddings. I’m doing some commercial work, too, as well, but 90 percent of my projects are editorial.

How often are the editorial projects your ideas versus those being assigned to you by magazines?

The Dog Show or Debutante Ball, for instance.

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Before, it used to be half/half. For example, I pitched the Last Bell in Ukraine and Westminster Dog Show to National Geographic. The more work I get from magazines, the less inclined I am to find my own because I can only handle so much. When things get quieter, I start looking for homes for my own ideas.

It’s a balance, but I’d say most of the time now, people approach me. If I have an idea for a project that I’m excited about, I find a fitting publication and pitch it.

feeling of whimsy and lightness versus recording what’s happening or “this is how the Amish do stuff.”

But it’s still journalism in that you’re not creating the scene in front of your lens.

I’d say it’s documentary photography versus journalism.

In much of my work, I’m lighting it in a way where I’m inserting my opinion on the scene. I can distort the reality of the scene by darkening everything around the subject, using an off-camera,

With the Amish, I'm not using flash. The scene in front of me is rich and colorful enough not to require that extra layer.

Many photojournalists and editorial photographers tend to focus on more “noisy” subjects, such as war and riots. It’s why “conflict photography” is a category in our profession. But you seem drawn to more subtle, quieter stories.

I don’t consider myself a photojournalist.

I’m not really invested in documenting the facts of life. I’m choosing subjects that feel visceral to me, and in those, I’m more interested in the minute details— everyday life, leisure activities.

I also mostly go for subjects into which I can project my own opinion and emotion. I’m not an objective photographer. I only pick subjects where my opinion can come through.

With the Amish, for example, I have a specific point of view I’m trying to communicate. I’m framing my images as tableaus. By that, I mean [my photographs are] carefully “arranged” figures in the street, interacting with each other, seemingly unaware of the photographer and the viewer.

I’m interested in communicating a

bare Nikon speedlight. I’m also not very objective in my shooting, and, in fact, I’m not interested in being objective.

So, the subject has to be of a nature where this approach fits. With the Amish, I’m not using flash. The scene in front of me is rich and colorful enough not to require that extra layer.

You’re also working on a book version of your Amish series.

What do you hope to convey through that?

When people see that I’m photographing Amish, I often hear, “You can’t take these photos, they can’t ride bicycles…”

There are a lot of absolutes. One of the things I’ve learned is that all these groups are very different. I recently posted an image on National Geographic’s Instagram site of an Amish woman riding a hoverboard. Many people Top: Young women watch the nightly volleyball game in Pinecraft Park. Bottom: An Amish family watches the Christmas parade come through Pinecraft.

commented that she couldn’t be Amish because of the hoverboard, that she must be a Mennonite.

This project has taught me that we actually know very little about the Amish and Mennonite rules.

Unless you ask the person which community they belong to and what their specific rules are, you are simply guessing. Some use cell phones as long as they’re not smartphones; others frown on that. Hoverboards are allowed in some groups but not in others. Those differences are very interesting to me.

Your series is able to convey a very different side of the Amish community, one that has mostly remained hidden until this project.

I don’t want to photograph the Amish sitting at a table and praying. That’s sort of what you’d expect. I’m not going into people’s houses.

Pretty much everything for this series I’m shooting on the street. The Amish and the Mennonites there mix together, which doesn’t happen back home, where they mostly stay in their own communities. Also, it’s often looked down upon to date outside of their own group— for example, for an Amish to date a Mennonite.

Pinecraft may be the only place where, once a year, all the Anabaptists can mingle amongst each other. I asked many people why they love Pinecraft so much, and the most common answer was that it gives them a chance to meet one another.

It’s this mixing that fascinates me, in particular, therefore I’m focusing on group interactions and portraits.

I heard that a lot of couples met in Pinecraft and ended up getting married, including between Mennonite and Amish. The rules are definitely a little bent there. It’s a place of endless fascination for me.

DPP

For more on Dina Litovsky’s work, go to dinalitovsky.com.

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Two women pass by a mural depicting the ideal of the Amish life back home.

digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 25

Leaning Into

Vision

By Amy Touchette | Photography By Desiree Rios

A promising photojournalist gains her footing

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Eliseo, Ama’s great grandson and the photographer’s second cousin, places his hand on Ama’s inside her home on November 5, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Ama plays video games on her iPad while her granddaughters, Bianca and Julianna, are occupied on their cell phones on March 19, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas. Baby Eliseo sleeps in the arms of his mother, Bianca.

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resh to the game, photojournalist and documentary photographer Desiree Rios has been out in the field covering news stories for only a couple of years, and she’s already a regular contributor to The New York Times. While she’s still learning the ebbs and flows of freelance life, her solid landing in the news industry has as much to do with her ability to professionally document a story as her ability to fuse it with her own vision.

It’s an epiphany that’s easy to dismiss because it seems contradictory, but for Rios, the awakening has proven key to her career. “The first thing one of my mentors, Darcy Padilla, told me was that I’d never be a good documentary photographer until I dropped the naïve notion that what I’m producing is objective,” she says. Padilla explained to her, “‘You need to realize you have 28 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

a vision. You have an eye. Your work is very much subjective. It’s now your responsibility to make sure your photographs are fair and accurate.’”

Freelancing During A Pandemic At the time of this writing, Rios was covering the coronavirus in her home base of New York City. Rios, who was deemed an essential worker, said that editors have been looking out for the physical and mental health of their photographers, providing personal protective equipment, or PPE, and assigning work judiciously so that no one photographer is exposed too frequently both to the virus and the intensity of witnessing its effects.

The pandemic distinguishes itself from other news stories Rios has covered because “there’s so much breaking news,” she says. “It’s happening so quickly, that’s how assignments

are coming in, too. I get a phone call: ‘We need you out tomorrow. Can you do this?’”

The timeline of pitching stories to publications has likewise accelerated.

“We’re learning what’s happening when the publications are learning what’s happening, so it’s a more open and rapid communication. When there’s not so much chaos going on, it’s more formal.”

Her coworkers have similarly banded together to support one another during this unprecedented time. “Even though we’re all freelancers, a good group of us who are going out there frequently have been checking in with each other. A good friend of mine was able to get a few masks and other protective materials like gloves and stuff and just dropped off a bag, so we’re all checking in with each other, making sure everyone is safe.”

The matriarch of the family is Desiree Rios’ grandmother, whom she calls “Ama” or “love.” In this image, Ama poses for a portrait inside her home after receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday on March 6, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Discovering Photography’s Impact Developing close, supportive relationships like these has been a steady impulse from the beginning of Rios’ exploration of photography. Part of what drove her to get an undergraduate degree in photojournalism at St. John’s University was going out and photographing with her college roommates. While none of them took up photography as a career, Rios began studying the legends and was immediately hooked.

She was studying journalism at the time and started to feel compelled to include photography in some of her articles. “Like a lot of aspiring photojournalists, I knew I wanted to one day make an impact with my photos,” so she switched majors during the second semester of her freshman year.

Establishing Relationships With Inspirational Photographers And Industry Pros After graduating from St. John’s, she applied to the MFA program at San Francisco Art Institute, in part because documentary photographer Padilla was teaching there. Rios was a big fan of her work, especially Family Love, Padilla’s intimate, epic, 21-year portrayal of a family. Padilla was no longer teaching at SFAI by the time Rios enrolled, but she reached out to Padilla anyway and thus began a relationship that stands today.

“Darcy is one of those mentors who always keeps up with me. She is literally texting me with resources for freelancers now [in response to COVID-19].”

Also during her graduate studies, Rios met Leah Millis, a photojournalist who at the time was working for the San Francisco Chronicle and is now a staff

photographer for Reuters. Through her, Rios learned “all the [real-world] practices of photojournalism.”

Millis also introduced her to Women Photograph, an initiative that seeks to elevate female visual journalists, the impact of which has been formidable, if not essential, to Rios’ development.

Through Millis’ urging, Rios applied to and was accepted into a workshop facilitated by Women Photograph, which included a portfolio

review. She had just moved back to New York City from the West Coast after completing graduate school, and the one-on-one, in-person meetings with photo editors proved indispensable. Many liked Rios’ work and have been assigning her stories ever since. To date, in addition to her regular contribution to The New York Times, she has also worked for CNN, BuzzFeed News, Vox Media, The Guardian and elsewhere. digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 29

Eliseo sleeps in Ama's bed on Easter Sunday on April 1, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Shortly thereafter, she was accepted into Women Photograph’s mentorship program, which pairs mentees with an editor and a working photographer. In Rios’ case, that was Nicole Frugé, the deputy director of photography at the San Francisco Chronicle, and Brooklyn-based documentary photographer Natalie Keyssar, both of whom “were amazing at giving me feedback with my work. At the time, I was barely freelancing, so they gave me so many tips. And when I was working through a project or a larger assignment, they would just always be there to support me,” Rios says. “So, yes, Women Photograph allowed for so many opportunities for me.”

Paying It Forward Having been on the receiving end of so much support, Rios had long wanted to give back and, in 2019, landed an adjunct teaching position at her alma mater, St. John’s University. (She also teaches 30 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

high school students photography at the Bronx Documentary Center with its founder, Michael Kamber.)

Top on her list was cultivating real-

do in a newsroom.

Rios wanted to change that, so her courses emphasize practical skills, such as captioning and the respon-

With Bendiciones, “you see so much of myself through the images, and it’s a goal of mine to bring that to assignment work.” world photojournalism skills that her undergrad program lacked when she was enrolled. “The professors did a really good job of letting me explore things creatively.” Rios also said her photojournalism professor was great at teaching her the ethics behind capturing images. But students weren’t required to put it all together and work the way current photojournalists

sibility that goes with writing captions, as well as how to reach out to editors, put together a portfolio, apply for workshops and get internships. “I never did an internship out of school, and I think that really made it difficult to get myself out there, get my work out there, try to speak with people and other opportunities because I didn’t have experience in a newsroom.

So, I really try to push my students into looking for opportunities like that,” she says.

Adapting Curriculum for Online Learning And Focusing On Personal Projects Since St. John’s spring semester was moved online due to COVID-19, Rios had to rethink her curriculum, but her proclivity for relationship-building remained. “I’m trying to make this a creative outlet right now, so I paired each of [my students] with another student who are either in the same time zone or in a completely different state because they all had to go back home. Having photo dialogues, making a picture every day and learning how to analyze and respond to photography,” she explains, lets them explore the medium outside of the classroom setting.

“All of their documentary project ideas”—a capstone of the course— “aren’t achievable right now. So, they’re making very personal work: How their

Top: Ama's Bible opened to Psalm 91 and Eliseo's hilo rojo on Ama’s nightstand in her bedroom on March 21, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. To stop Eliseo's hiccups, Bianca placed el hilo rojo, or a red thread, on his forehead. She was unable to find the red thread after nursing the baby and later found it inside Ama's bible.

Bottom: A framed picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Ama's living room on March 14, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Julianna, Bianca and Michelle Castillo (left to right), who are sisters and also the photographer’s cousins, outside of Ama’s home on Easter Sunday on April 1, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. “We celebrate Easter by throwing or smashing hollowed-out chicken eggs filled with confetti, traditionally known as cascarones, over each other's heads,” says Rios.

families are responding to the coronavirus or how they’re responding or scenes on the street when they do go out grocery shopping. They’re all very personal projects, which I’m all for because personal projects have so much to do with building yourself as a photographer.”

It’s something she keeps front and center as she navigates her own career, too. “You can work on all these assignments, but you always have to make sure to check in with that project that gave you so much passion, so much inspiration,” says Rios.

For her, one of those projects is Bendiciones, an homage to her family, specifically her grandmother, who emigrated from Mexico in the late 1960s and is always offering family members “bendiciones” or her blessings. “My mom’s side of the family is predominantly women, and so I started photographing our relationship to each

other and also with the matriarch of the family, my grandmother, who I call ‘Ama,’ or ‘love.’”

Rios had only ever focused on stories outside of her own, so turning the camera onto herself and something that she loves, her family, was challenging.

Rios is still sorting through this personal photographic exploration, which remains an ongoing project, and all that it means. But one thing is clear: These familial relationships have come to define her professional vision, which is often trained on social injustices and women’s issues.

“Some photographers have sort of a niche; they know they tell these specific stories. I think because I’m so early into my career, I’m still understanding that, but there are definitely assignments that really hit home for me, and they all reflect back to my family, what makes me, me.” With Bendiciones,

“you see so much of myself through the images, and it’s a goal of mine to bring that to assignment work, too.”

In the end, creating a stable and productive career as a photojournalist “is all about perseverance and dedication,” Rios says, “because there’s going to be a lot of rejection. If photojournalism is something you’re truly passionate about, it’s up to you not to give up on that. Everyone has a unique perspective. Everyone should show it. We need more creative people out there.

We need more storytellers out there.

There’s never too many of them.” DPP

For more on Desiree Rios’ work, go to desireerios.com Opposite: Ama prepares breakfast inside her kitchen on March 22, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Silly Girl Skateboards team rider Jean Rusen of Tempe, Arizona, catching air in a backyard bowl at Slash Camp in Colorado. August 2016. Exposure: 1/1000 sec., Ć’/8, ISO 1000.

Shreddi 34 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

ng It

By Russell Hart | Photography By Kathy Hayes

Kathy Hayes shoots the daring, colorful subculture of grown-up skateboarding from the inside out

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Slash Camp founder and host Ashley Mott doing a grind in a backyard bowl in Colorado during Slash Camp weekend in August 2016.

Exposure: 1/800 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 1000.

S

kateboarding was a big part of college life for photographer Kathy Hayes. At first, it served as a mode of transportation through New York City’s concrete jungle and from one to another of her school’s scattered midtown buildings. It then evolved into a pick-up sport that, before small towns had their own skateparks, found arenas wherever there were hard, curved and banked surfaces.

One popular point of assembly for her cohort was the now-legendary Brooklyn Banks, under the Manhattan end of the Brooklyn Bridge—a landscape of brick and concrete that once resonated with the sounds of skateboarding mixed with the music of the Beastie Boys played through an old-fashioned boom box.

A youthful diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in Hayes’ knee, one of a skateboarder’s most important tools, curtailed her “skating” career for many years. A decade later, helped by 36 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

multiple surgeries and new medications and inspired by people who were still skating as they approached middle age, she picked up where she had left off. “I was watching friends even in their 50s still shredding,” she says, using the enthusiast’s term for determined, skillful skateboarding. “So I dusted off my board and started to skate again. It was life-changing.”

What also changed was that Hayes started bringing a camera along on her skate outings. She had taken pictures all her life, starting with a Bugs Bunny-themed cartridge camera her mother gave her when she was 5 and, later, majoring in photography at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). But it wasn’t until her late 30s that Hayes’ two passions came together. Having been schooled in film-based photography, Hayes was challenged by her borrowed Canon EOS 5D DSLR— though it was much more suited to skateboarding’s action and informality

than the old Rollei twin-lens reflex medium-format camera she had been using until then. “I was pretty lost when digital took over,” she recalls. “I basically taught myself but was doing a lot of things wrong.”

To learn things the right way, Hayes went back to school at SVA for a master’s degree, studying in its intensive, year-long Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Digital Photography, which is taught by some of the most knowledgeable people in the photography business. And when it came to picking a subject for her thesis project, the choice was clear.

“I realized that my work would be stronger if I photographed something I knew and loved, so I started shooting the world of grown-up skateboarding more resolutely,” says Hayes, whose hand was forced by a skateboarding collision that injured her wrist, temporarily knocking her out of the action and into the photographer’s “box.”

Skateboarder and amputee Garry Moore, in his woodshop at his home in Berlin, Maryland. April 26, 2015. Exposure: 1/100 sec., ƒ/7.1, ISO 320.

Lucky for Hayes, the world of grownup skateboarding is both visually rich and full of human interest, and far removed from the popular perception of skateboarding as a risky, unsavory and antisocial adolescent behavior.

The body of work she created, and which continues to this day, can be seen in full at kathleenhayesphoto.com. It’s titled “Shred Til You’re Dead.”

Hayes’ images of mid-life skateboarding’s highly social realm gain

their strength from her insider’s perspective, something that’s true of most great photography of human subcultures. “I wouldn’t have the same level of intimacy and access if I weren’t part of the scene myself,” she says. “I don’t think I’d be as comfortable if I were an outsider, and my subjects wouldn’t be as comfortable with me as a photographer. Skaters generally don’t want some random person lurking on the scene. There might be drinking, pot smoking, people getting silly. I’ve

taken plenty of pictures over the years that would’ve gotten me on the shit list if they’d ended up in a magazine or on social media.”

It helps that Hayes has dozens if not hundreds of like-minded friends, not only in the U.S. but also around the world, who stay in touch with each other. They get together both for local, impromptu skating sessions and for large-scale skateboarding expeditions to far-away places. “Sometimes you can just show up at a spot and find people skating, and sometimes it happens with a text thread,” says the photographer. “But there are also a lot of group road trips and caravanning to various places, exploring different cities and connecting with the locals.

Community and camaraderie are a big part of grown-up skateboarding. It’s so social and celebratory.”

Hayes’ subjects may be iconoclasts, but they live very different lives than their teenage counterparts. “Lots of them have day jobs and families,” says the photographer, who herself works as an academic adviser to SVA students. “But they didn’t quit skating because they got old. They didn’t quit because they had an injury; in fact, some have overcome major physical handicaps that would have led others to lead mundane, stationary lives.

They haven’t given in to being told they were too fossilized to be engaging in an activity associated with reckless youth.”

Many of Hayes’ subjects and companions are female, some of them “skate moms” Hayes has met through a women’s skateboarding group that holds what are known as Slash Camps throughout the country. One of Hayes’ skating pals has a couple of kids and runs a Montessori School in Charleston, South Carolina; another has two girls and works at an artsoriented charter school in Tempe, Arizona. Another of Hayes’ California comrades is the daughter of Patti McGee, the first female pro skateboarder, 1965’s national champion, and the first woman inducted into the digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 37

Skateboarding Hall of Fame. In 1965, McGee appeared on the cover of Life magazine doing a handstand on her skateboard, for a story on the craze shot by the great Life photographer Bill Eppridge. Mother and daughter now run their own skateboard company, Silly Girl Skateboards, and Hayes is committed to using their highly graphic boards, one of which features the Life magazine cover shot.

They haven’t given in to being told they were too fossilized to be engaging in an activity associated with reckless youth.

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Hayes doesn’t consider herself a sports photographer. She’s simply photographing a subculture in which an athletic activity is the focus. That said, she has done a lot of surfing, the aquatic parent of skateboarding.

Hayes still loves to surf but points out that it’s a very different activity, not only from participants’ and photographers’ perspectives but also in a human sense. “Just like concrete and water are very different elements, skaters and surfers are very different people,” she says. “Surfers are much less social than skateboarders and very competitive. They’re even competing for every decent wave that comes along. They spend most of their time waiting and watching.

Skateboarders can just hop on a ramp and ride it and stop to socialize whenever they want. They’re not trying to outdo each other. They’re mostly just challenging themselves.”

Hayes also says that the cost of surfing gear makes it socially exclusive, limiting the kinds of people, and photographic subjects, who have access to it. That’s all the more true of snowboarding, skating’s alpine cousin, in which even the cost of a weekend’s lift ticket can be prohibitive. “Besides,” says Hayes, “skateboarding is the only one of those sports where you can have a barbecue going and a band playing.”

Cost is also a factor in photographing board-based sports. “You need a powerful telephoto lens to do a good job shooting surfing and snowboarding, too,” says Hayes, who has also snowboarded. “Aside from being really expensive, it’s awkward. I’ve

shot surfing from the beach with a telephoto, and during a big swell, it was more than I could handle. Telephoto photography just isn’t my thing.

It’s a different experience being so far away from the action, and it changes the kinds of pictures you can make. I prefer to be up close with my subjects, with shorter lenses, so I can be a part of their world. And shorter lenses are less expensive.” Skateboarding action is easier to capture than surfing for other reasons, too. “If somebody does a good trick, for example, I can ask him or her to repeat it,” she says. “She might end up doing it 10 or 20 times so we can get it right.”

Skateboarding photographers aren’t the outside observers that photographers of organized sports are, so shooting the subject comes with an unwritten code of honor that can affect how Hayes works, and in particular her final edits. “With skate action shots, there’s a big controversy about whether to publish or post images that aren’t

Top: Jenni Helms, a Ferrari mechanic from Colorado, cruising around a backyard bowl at Slash Camp in Colorado. August 2016. Exposure: 1/1000 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 5000. Bottom: Elyse Clouthier models the SLASH CAMP tattoo she got by another skater and camper at Slash Camp in Colorado to emblemize the trip. August 2016. Exposure: 1/10,000 sec., ƒ/2.8, ISO 1000.

Opposite: Skatriarch Sesh host Shannon Smith and her son Johnny O at the Bridge DIY skate spot in Charleston, South Carolina. June 2019. Exposure: 1/200 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 250.

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of ‘makes,’ tricks that are successfully completed,” she explains.

“Sharing or publishing photos of non-makes is frowned upon. But sometimes a shot of a skater attempting a trick can be better than a photograph in which they actually land it.

If they didn’t land it, some photographers, and lots of skaters, consider that image a hard no. I sometimes delete those pictures off my camera as I’m shooting.” When pressed if she would delete an otherwise excellent photograph on strictly athletic grounds— say, a mid-trick shot in which the landing itself wasn’t shown—Hayes admits that she would probably keep the image. Viewers, and skaters, wouldn’t be the wiser.

Surfing also lacks the intense visual culture that makes skateboarding a more interesting subject for Hayes.

This is true even of the boards themselves. “Most surfboards are solid white unless you pay extra to have them customized,” she says. “But offthe-shelf skateboards are all about the graphics. And they’re often designed by skaters.” In fact, many skateboard enthusiasts are themselves artists or musicians, and they bring those talents to skating meetups.

“DIY skate spots are practically skateable art and usually covered in a local skater’s artwork,” says Hayes.

“Handmade skate zines are also a huge part of the culture and are full of skaters’ work. And there are curated exhibitions of artwork by skateboarders.” Along with participating in those shows, the photographer herself has branched into other visual media.

“I started silkscreening a few years ago,” she says, “and I’ve been using it to make and sell glow-in-the-dark skate gear tote bags.” She has also created silkscreened, skateboard-themed shirts for an annual skate party in Massachusetts where “each year, the bowl gets a fresh design that’s unveiled at the party.”

Skateboarding’s committed visual culture is also why Hayes prefers to 40 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

shoot in its less-formal venues, even though it might be easier to do her work at sanctioned skateparks or at skateboarding’s ever-increasing number of competitive, professional events. (The sport is scheduled to debut at the next summer Olympics, but Hayes is unlikely to be joining the throngs of sports photographers who will be there to photograph it.)

Some of these places are the private back yards of people who’ve dedicated their real estate to the sport’s ramps and curves. Some, like the Brooklyn Banks, are public places where skateboarders have appropriated in a rowdy challenge to propriety—though these days, participants are likely to bring their own wooden and sheet-metal props, from ramps to grind rails to quarter-pipes. Some, perhaps most authentic of all, are backyard pools that have been drained for the winter or permanently by owners who would rather skate than swim. (Pool skating and its “vert” maneuvers got their start during the 1976 California drought.) Personalized and quirky, such places offer a richer and more meaningful context for Hayes’ photographs. Whether those images are of skaters in action or environmental portraits of skaters themselves, they provide a visually dense, exciting environment for photography.

Given that Hayes is an active participant in the very thing she photographs, rather than an outside observer, how does she divide her time between shooting and skating? “I love doing both, so it’s a tricky balance,” she says. “It really just depends on the flow of things and the opportunities that present themselves. If it’s a really fun session, especially with the ladies, it’s hard to just do one or the other. I might be shooting photos, and someone entices me over to the snake run to skate. I’ll end up taking a few runs, then going back to shooting some photos. If the bowl or pool is too gnarly for me, then I just shoot. And if I’m having too much fun skating, I end up shooting less!”

DPP

Above: Jon Nicholson, an art handler and DJ from Brooklyn, on his way back from skating the Pier 62 Skatepark in Chelsea, New York City. April 8, 2016.

Exposure: 1/160 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 400.

Left: One of Marc Emond’s many skateboards. Ocean City, Maryland. April 2015. Exposure: 1/640 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 100.

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There’s always a tradeoff when using a teleconverter like the Olympus 2X MC-20, which I used for this shot. I needed it to get visually closer to animals like this black iguana that I photographed in Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica, but using it meant I’d lose two stops of exposure.

So, my widest aperture on the lens was ƒ/5.6, not ƒ/2.8, which is why I increased my ISO to ISO 6400. But even at this somewhat high ISO, the E-M1 Mark III still kept image noise at bay, and I felt I still captured a shot of this iguana with a lot of character and expression. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO with M.Zuiko Digital 2X Teleconverter MC-20. Exposure: 1/500 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 6400.

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Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III with 12-40mm lens

FIRST-LOOK REVIEW:

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III In Costa Rica

By Terry Sullivan

How a new, versatile, compact OM-D camera body performed in the tropics

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This past February, I traveled to the beautiful, tropical Central American country of Costa Rica with Olympus to try out its latest mirrorless camera, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. (This was more than a month before the U.S. Department of State issued a Global Level 4 “Do Not Travel” Health Advisory, on March 31, 2020, which advised “U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19.”)

Although I was excited to travel to this Central American country, I didn’t know much about it. After doing some research, I found out some interesting facts: It has more than 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity, even though, geographically speaking, it’s a rather small country.

Costa Rica also has 801 miles of gorgeous coastline, and there are 121 volcanic formations. And although I didn’t see any active volcanos, I was enchanted by the images of the mountainous terrain as well as beaches with black sand, which are a result of lava deposits.

Although it was still early February when I arrived at our hotel, right on Jacó Beach, which faces the Pacific Ocean, I found it was still quite hot and very humid. I realized it meant that almost any shoot might quickly tire me out since I hadn’t done a lot of hiking in tropical conditions.

For me, that was a valuable benefit of having a lightweight camera system. Another was that it’s ruggedly constructed, which Olympus has included in many cameras in the past, including the E-M1 Mark II. But a rugged exterior isn’t the only quality or feature the E-M1 Mark III shares with its predecessor. In fact, the E-M1 Mark III only included rather modest changes to this camera, keeping many of the main features and specs the same: In addition to the sensor, you’ll find the same powerful in-body image stabilization system (or IBIS) as well as the ability to fire off 18 frames per second using 44 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III with new Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4.0 PRO lens (top view)

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III (back view)

Although we weren’t moving very fast on our river cruise along the Tárcoles River, I set the shutter speed at 1/250 sec. to make sure I shot a sharp image, particularly using a long lens like a 300mm (which has a 35mm-equivalent focal length of a 600mm lens). But I needed to increase the ISO since the late-afternoon light was beginning to dim. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO. Exposure: 1/250 sec., ƒ/4.5, ISO 2000.

the electronic shutter, which is also silent, while still providing you with autofocus and autoexposure. The display and electronic viewfinder— a 3-inch swiveling touchscreen LCD and an EVF with 2.36 million dots—are pretty much the same.

Most of the changes Olympus implemented are what you might call “computational photography” related, powered via the TruePic IX processor. For example, although the IBIS system is the same, Olympus claims the new E-M1 Mark III allows you a greater number of stops (7.5) of IS with select Olympus stabilized lenses.

It also has an impressive Live ND

filter feature, which produces a slowshutter effect instead of needing to buy extra physical ND filter accessories.

The E-M1 Mark III now includes a more robust high-res (composite) shot mode, too, that produces higherres images than before—a 50-megapixel photo in handheld mode and 80-megapixel shots on a tripod. (The E-M1 Mark II’s high-res shot mode provided 25 megapixels for handheld and 50 megapixel for tripod modes.)

Performance And Image Quality While Shooting Wild Animals My Costa Rican trip with Olympus lasted just a few days—we essentially

had two shooting days—but they were quite educational, with stops at Manuel Antonio National Park, a cruise along the Tárcoles River and shooting surfers riding the waves in the Pacific Ocean as well as a beautiful sunset at a beach named Playa Hermosa.

One focus of the trip was photographing wild animals, and it reminded me of a useful quote from the wonderful 1999 edition of The National Geographic Photography Field Guide, a book written by Peter K. Burian and Robert Caputo. In the book’s intro to the chapter on photographing animals, the authors write, digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 45

“Photographing animals, be it your pet dog or lion in the wild, calls for time, patience and sensitivity. You should treat making images of animals the same way you would those of people: Think about their character and then try to get it on film.”

To do this, the authors suggest, “you have to wait for, and learn to anticipate, their behavior.”

But technically speaking, the success of capturing successful photos of wildlife subjects depends at least somewhat upon the quality and performance of your camera system.

During my trip to Costa Rica, the E-M1 Mark III was by and large fast and accurate. It’s this speed and 46 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

accuracy that provided me with lots of opportunities to capture the character of the animals I saw via their fleeting expressions—from the Buster Keaton-like deadpan gaze of a black iguana to the theatrically comic expressions of a trio of white-faced, or capuchin, monkeys in Manuel Antonio National Park to the menacing, dragon-like eye of an American crocodile in the late-afternoon light along the Tárcoles River.

Travel and nature photographer and Olympus educator Rob Knight, who joined us on this trip, offered some helpful tips as well, which helped me capture my shots. For instance, Knight says he often likes

to observe the subjects in order to actually determine the “decisive moment” to capture them with his camera.

So, after we arrived at each destination, although I was eager to start shooting immediately and begin firing off 18 frames per second in the hopes of capturing a great shot, I first studied my wildlife subjects before I started photographing.

Technically speaking, I generally shot in continuous AF mode, using the electronic shutter for 18 fps with AF. I did sometimes switch to single AF, though, which worked well enough. I experimented with some of the other modes, but these two AF

The E-M1 Mark III did an exquisite job rendering the scaly texture of this baby American crocodile, which we saw on the banks of the Tárcoles River in Costa Rica. But it also did a fine job catching the crocodile’s menacing glassy eye.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO with M.Zuiko Digital 2x Teleconverter MC-20.

Exposure: 1/250 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 800.

modes were the most useful for me on this trip.

Lastly, I found the image stabilization was quite useful, allowing me to shoot in a lower lighting situation with lower shutter speeds but still capture sharp shots.

Highs & Lows I found a lot to like on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, but it’s not a perfect camera. For instance, it would have been nice to have a more updated image sensor with more resolution, but for many event, action and nature shooters, the sensor should suffice.

Here are some notable highs and lows on the camera:

Essential Accessory: LaCie 1TB Rugged USB 3.1 Type-C External SSD A valuable asset when traveling When you travel to photograph a location or event, it’s essential to have a backup plan. On this trip, a valuable accessory, which was an important part of my backup plan, was the LaCie 1TB Rugged USB 3.1 Type-C External SSD ($250).

The interface is compatible with my MacBook Pro, which proved essential.

According to LaCie, this version, which is “slower” than its pricier brand sibling, the 1TB Rugged SSD PRO Thunderbolt 3 External SSD ($400), has data transfer speeds of “up to 950 MB/s, which is enough bandwidth to transfer and edit raw 4K video,” says LaCie. The company says the PRO model has “data transfer speeds of up to 2800 MB/s, which is

enough bandwidth to play back 6K, 8K and super slo-mo source files.”

Since I was shooting mostly stills, I wanted an SSD that would be quick, reliable and rugged, which this model certainly was. It was also quite lightweight, just under 5 ounces. And because SSDs are shock resistant (unlike traditional hard drives), they’re far less likely to fail if you accidentally drop them.

All in all, the SSD successfully stored the thousands of images and video clips from my short Costa Rica trip, which was definitely an example of what I would consider a once-in-a-lifetime type of photo shoot.

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To shoot this spectacular sunset from Playa Hermosa, which is located in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica, I switched to a 12-100mm lens and shot at the widest end of the zoom range, giving me a 35mm-equivalent focal length of a 24mm lens. I liked how this image picked up the flock of birds in the distance near the center of the photograph. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f11 IS PRO Lens.

Exposure: 1/500 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 800.

Highs: • A more compact system than many full-frame mirrorless systems.

• Powerful In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS).

• Includes a rugged exterior.

• Two memory card slots.

• Nicely designed physical controls, including a new joystick.

• Unique features, like Starry Sky AF mode and Handheld HighRes mode.

• Fast 18 frames-per-second burst modes with autofocus and autoexposure.

Lows: • Older 20-megapixel Live MOS Micro Four Thirds image sensor may be lower resolution than what some pros are looking for.

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• Video capabilities could be more robust.

• Occasionally, I found the autofocus didn’t track subjects as accurately as I expected.

• The camera body is a bit pricey.

Bottom Line: A Decent OM-D With Some Compromises, But Overall A Very Good Value Overall, I found I captured some rather successful wildlife shots due to the versatile nature of the E-M1 Mark III. But there are some drawbacks to this camera, such as the previously mentioned image sensor technology.

This limitation extends to some of the video features, which are less powerful and versatile than cameras from other brands. Additionally, while I felt the AF technology was effective in most cases, at other times,

it didn’t always provide the tracking I was hoping for.

However, overall, I found the in-body image stabilization (IBIS) worked extremely well and was very helpful in low light settings.

I also found the flip-out swiveling LCD to be a valuable asset. Most of all, the 18 frames per second burst modes provided me with hundreds of JPEGs and RAW files from my Costa Rica trip.

Outdoor, action and wildlife photographers should definitely consider checking out the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III. I think you’ll be impressed with how it performs and handles, particularly if you’re considering a camera system that’s smaller and lighter than other brands. It could make a great choice for your workflow…and your work.

DPP

Composing wildlife subjects in motion, like this pair of white-faced, or capuchin, monkeys, can be quite challenging, particularly if they’re moving erratically.

But with the E-M1 Mark III’s fast burst mode and its ability for you to quickly set or reset the camera’s focus point using the camera’s new joystick, you can be reasonably sure you’ll not only capture the subjects you want but photograph them in a way that’s compositionally pleasing. However, you’ll want to take some time to try these features out and practice them before your assignment. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO with M.Zuiko Digital 2x Teleconverter MC-20.

Exposure: 1/500 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 3200.

Our local guide for our cruise along the Tárcoles River spotted this very animated yellow-headed caracara, which is a bird of prey in the Falconidae family. Again, I shot this image in the late-afternoon light, when some of the sunlight was starting to fade. So, I increased the ISO to ISO 6400. I really liked how the Olympus system captured the wispy texture of the bird’s feathers and the hard edge of its beak. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.ZUIKO Digital ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO with M.Zuiko Digital 2x Teleconverter MC-20.

Exposure: 1/250 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 6400.

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REVIEW: Video Editing

With DaVinci Resolve 16 The latest version reďŹ nes existing features and introduces a number of new cutting-edge ones

By Daniel Brockett

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DaVinci Resolve feels familiar but adds lots of nice touches to make editing feel fast and accessible. The program has eight modules that function as separate yet connected and interrelated tools. No more importing and exporting to separate apps and programs is required for a complete integrated workflow.

The last time I wrote about Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve was almost two years ago. Since then, the world of editing software, as well as pro video hardware, has evolved at a dizzying pace.

In the latest version, DaVinci Resolve 16, the company has expanded the program with hundreds of cuttingedge features and refinements to existing features.

DaVinci Resolve Studio 16: Free Or Studio Version?

Before diving into the features, though, I wanted to point out that there are two versions of DaVinci Resolve available— the free version and the Studio version, which costs $299. And while there are

differences between the two, the great thing about the free version of DaVinci Resolve is that it’s a remarkably capable editing tool that hasn’t been “dumbed down” or oversimplified.

You can download the free version here: blackmagicdesign.com/products/ davinciresolve But for those who want the topof-the-line version, here are some of the features and tools Blackmagic Design added: • Support for 4K-, 8K- and higherresolution projects, at frame rates up to 120 frames per second.

• Blackmagic Design’s new Neural Engine AI technology is used to power the software’s facial recognition feature, which automatically sorts and organizes clips into bins based on people in the shot.

I tried this feature out on a couple of projects and found it alone makes the upgrade worthwhile in time savings.

• The new Neural Engine AI also lets users apply speed warp retiming, automatic color balancing and automatic color matching.

• Additional tools include film grain tools, advanced noise reduction, blur and mist effects, HDR grading, 10-bit H.264 support, 3D-immersive audio, stereoscopic-3D support, multi-user collaboration, motion blur effects, dozens of ResolveFX and FairlightFX plugins and many additional features.

Blackmagic Design’s website also has a comprehensive comparison page of the two versions here: blackmagicdesign.com /products / fusion/compare

Exploring DaVinci Resolve’s Video Editing Pages Overall, the software’s interface is organized into various workspaces, which Blackmagic Design calls Pages.

These include the Media page, Cut page, Edit page, Fusion page, Color page and Fairlight page. Although both versions offer a deep editing suite of tools for many tasks, including media management, quick cutting, full-featured editing, color correction and grading, 3D and composting, and sound mixing, I’ll focus on mainly its editing capabilities—in the Media, Cut and Edit pages. Plus, I’ll touch on some of the improvements to color correction, compositing and soundmixing functions.

Media Page The media page is the primary interface for importing and organizing your media and timelines (even timelines from other applications).

And while testing it, I found it can perform even the most complex media import tasks.

To provide flexibility, DaVinci Resolve keeps source media used by a project separate from your timelines, which means you can easily update and manage the clips used on timelines. It also lets you import and reorganize new media clips, switch between offline and online media, and troubleshoot problems you might run into.

One of the main sections on the Media page is the Media Storage browser, which is divided into two sections: the Volume List and the Media Browser. The Volume List shows all of the volumes connected to your computer, allowing you to easily browse them for media that you want to preview and import into your project.

One handy feature I especially liked in the Media Storage browser was what Blackmagic Design calls “scrubbable clip view” (which is similar to Apple’s Final Cut Pro X’s “clip skimming”): It allows you to scrub or skim through a clip’s contents quickly by digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 51

simply hovering your mouse over the clip and scrubbing through it by moving the mouse left or right.

Viewing Options: In the Media Storage browser, you can view clips as scrubbable thumbnails or switch to a list view to fit more clips and clip info into the same space. It’s also pretty easy to configure other parts of this browser. In order to prioritize what information you want to view, you can choose items from a pull-down menu.

Or arrange or resize the columns into the order and width you want by dragging and dropping the columns or dragging their borders to the size you want. Sort any column in ascending or descending order, too.

You can use the DaVinci Resolve Media Storage browser in list view to see more clips with added information in a smaller space.

The Media Pool, which lets you view your media in several ways, is viewable from all of the different pages within DaVinci Resolve.

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Viewer: The clips you select in any area of the media page show their contents in the Viewer. The current position of the play head is shown in the time code field at the upper righthand corner of the Viewer. There are also simple transport controls that appear underneath the jog bar, which let you move through the clip quickly: Jump to First Frame, Play Backward, Stop, Play Forward and Jump to Last Frame.

Media Pool: The Media Pool section, which is your central media control center for all of the pages in DaVinci Resolve, contains all of the media that you import into the current project, as well as all of the timelines you create.

It also contains all media that’s automatically imported along with Projects, Timelines or Compositions that have been imported into DaVinci Resolve.

On the Media page, there’s enough room given to the Media Pool to make it an ideal place to organize the clips in your project. I was impressed that the Media Pool is mirrored in the Cut, Edit, Fusion, Color and Fairlight pages, as well. That means you always have access to all of your clips in a central location as you build timelines in the Edit page, composites in

DaVinci Resolve’s Cut page is functionally different than the edit page, allowing you to edit your clips in two different manners, depending on your needs.

the Fusion page, grades in the Color page and sound design in the Fairlight page.

Audio Meters: I’m very audio-focused since I used to own an audio post facility. In DaVinci Resolve, an audio meter to the right of the Viewer shows you a graphical representation of the audio levels playing in the current clip or in the timeline as you play through the Viewer. The audio meters are animated vertical bars that are tinted to indicate how loud the levels are. The colored indicators represent: • Green, for safe audio levels.

• Yellow, for levels that are peaking at approximately safe levels.

• Red, for levels that may be peaking too high, risking clipping the signal and causing distortion.

Cut Page DaVinci Resolve’s Cut page is a focused environment for fast editing.

It does share some panels and control with the Edit page, but the controls on the Cut page are designed for

speed. It’s particularly useful in situations where you need to quickly cut a news segment, build an episode of web content, edit a straightforward program, experiment with multiple arrangements of a scene or put together a first assembly edit.

The Cut page is also a good introductory editing interface for people who are new to editing since it presents a streamlined set of tools that are fast to learn and simple to use.

Because I’ve been a Final Cut Pro (FCP) X user, I can see the resemblance between Resolve’s Cut page and FCP X’s interface and functionality. That’s good news for DaVinci Resolve since FCP X is a fast app to learn how to use.

However, although the Cut page is for quick edits, it doesn’t mean it has to remain a cookie-cutter interface. There are several ways to customize the Cut page, including using the Projects Settings Quick Menu, which allows you to access project settings or create or open existing custom project presets.

Understanding DaVinci Resolve’s “Gaps”: One intriguing feature that I discovered on DaVinci Resolve’s Cut page is that Blackmagic Design had engineered something that it refers to as “Gaps,” a feature that functions similarly to FCP X’s magnetic timeline.

Here’s how it works: In DaVinci Resolve, because Track 1 is meant to hold the principal clips for your program, the timeline automatically rearranges itself to close gaps that would otherwise result when you move or rearrange clips in Track 1. Superimposed clips in Tracks 2 and above will then move to keep in sync with the clips they’re superimposed over.

However, this behavior works just on Track 1. If you move superimposed clips on Tracks 2 and above to place them wherever you want, the gaps will be left between multiple clips on the same superimposed track so they can be edited at specific places.

Edit Page The Edit page in DaVinci Resolve is where I spent the majority of my digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 53

DaVinci Resolve’s Edit page is where you edit larger and more complex projects.

The interface is efficient, streamlined and will make sense to any experienced editor.

time working with the program. My overall impression of the Edit page is that it felt remarkably like working in the timeline in both Adobe Premiere CC and AVID Media Composer, and quite different from working on FCP X’s trackless magnetic timeline.

I also found that the Edit page has evolved into a source-record style Nonlinear Editor (or NLE) and, to me, a source-record interface really only has one way to function: You have three main working areas—the browser on the left and the source and timeline viewers at the top center and right of the page, with the timeline taking up the bottom half of the interface.

I’ve worked using both sourcerecord style and magnetic timeline style for years and now, jumping back to DaVinci Resolve’s timeline, I was struck that it felt a bit slower to quickly cut together material in comparison to FCP X, while it feels almost identical to the speed I’d experience in Media Composer or Premiere.

On the other hand, DaVinci Resolve 16 now gives you a choice if 54 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

you want a simplified magnetic timeline such as Gaps on the Cut page or a traditional source-record interface on the Edit page.

In comparison to the DaVinci Resolve Cut page or FCP X’s magnetic timeline, DaVinci Resolve’s Edit page seems to let the editor decide exactly where and how a clip in the timeline will merge with the media that surrounds it. In contrast, I had to “fool” Apple’s FCP X interface into letting me do what I wanted. (However, I may have been able to find out, but I’d need to take extra time to figure out how to do it the “magnetic timeline” way.)

What’s nice is Blackmagic Design has built in both a traditional timeline into the main Edit page and an FCP X-style magnetic timeline on the Cut page. That means the editor can choose the best method for each project. That’s very impressive, and it makes DaVinci Resolve the only editing tool that gives the user a choice about the approach they want to use.

None of the other major video editors allow the user to do that.

Additionally, let me also say that if you have experience editing in AVID Media Composer, Adobe Premiere or Apple’s discontinued Final Cut Pro Studio, you’ll be very at home in the Edit page of DaVinci Resolve.

Lastly, let me highlight a few special functions I discovered on DaVinci Resolve’s Edit page that set it apart from other video editors: • Superimpose Audio Waveforms in Viewer: By selecting Show Full Clip/Zoomed Audio Waveform in the three-dot menu, you can make DaVinci Resolve display a superimposed audio waveform over the Source Viewer window.

Since you use the Source Viewer to mark your in and out points, being able to look at the dialogue waveform lets you quickly and easily make your cuts in between words and sentences.

• Rapid Color Coding Clips From The Timeline: DaVinci Resolve isn’t the only NLE to allow you to color code clips on the timeline,

The Media page lets you import, categorize and organize your media.

I liked how DaVinci Resolve gives you an option to view clips in the Viewer with audio waveforms superimposed, making finding pauses in dialogue easier and quicker.

but I found the implementation and ease with which you can color code your clips in the timeline convenient, easy and, most importantly, fast!

• Color Grades Are Associated With A Timecode Of A Source Clip: Within any given timeline, color grades are associated with the instance of the clip. Moreover, each clip in any single timeline can have multiple grades kept as independent “local” versions, easily switched between, and each instance of each clip in different timelines can as well.

That means that as you alter the timeline, each clip’s grade moves along with it, making it extremely easy to move back and forth between editing and grading as your needs require.

By default, each timeline in a project has independent sets of grades using local versions; this is true even if your timelines are duplicates. That means each clip within every timeline has a completely independent grade.

• FX: DaVinci Resolve supports the use of third-party OpenFX filters, transitions and generators in the Edit page. Once you install these effects on your workstation, they appear in this section of the effects library, organized by type and group depending on the metadata within each effect. In addition to third-party OpenFX, DaVinci Resolve includes dozens of ResolveFX plugins for use in Edit, Fusion and Color pages.

I’ve spent most of this review discussing the editing functions of DaVinci Resolve, but it’s important that we also at least give a mention to the other pages available in the program.

DaVinci Resolve’s Color page is the industry standard in high-end color correction and grading.

The interface is node-based and features a lot of power while staying clean and uncluttered.

Fusion Page: The Fusion page is intended to be a feature-complete integration of Fusion, a powerful 2Dand 3D-compositing application with digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 55

DaVinci Resolve’s Fairlight page features a deep audio mixing tool, which is more sophisticated than most video editing programs have.

over 30 years of evolution serving the film and broadcast industry, creating effects that have been seen in many productions. It’s a very capable, nodebased compositing tool that could be covered in a review of its own.

Color Page: Given the origin of DaVinci Resolve as a professional grading application, the Color page is a significant part of the overall DaVinci Resolve experience. It features all of the controls available for manipulating color and contrast, reducing noise,

creating secondary color corrections, building image effects of different kinds, adjusting clip geometry and making many other corrective and stylistic adjustments. The Color page is also a node-based tool that has become an industry standard in color correction and grading. And like the Fusion page, it could certinaly have its own comprehensive review.

Fairlight Page: The Fairlight page is an optimized look at the audio tracks of your project, with an expanded

KIT OPTIONS AVAILABLE

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mixer and custom monitoring controls that make it easy to evaluate and adjust the levels of your program in order to create a smooth and sophisticated sound mix to add the final polish to your project.

Is DaVinci Resolve Studio 16 For You? Deciding which video editor to use or switch to has become more and more difficult these days, in part because apps are including so many more tools.

But to figure out if DaVinci Resolve Studio 16 is the right choice, you need to evaluate your workflow and, more importantly, who you work and collaborate with.

If you’re a solo editor who performs all functions on a given post project, DaVinci Resolve Studio is a strong contender. Unlike other platforms in the market, which require an expensive monthly subscription for life, DaVinci Resolve Studio is only $299 and doesn’t require a connection to the internet. Upgrades are free, and there are no monthly subscription fees.

This factor alone makes its value equation superb, in my mind.

Also, the toolset is very deep. For example, many colorists use and are comfortable with DaVinci Resolve for color grading and color correction.

However, realistically speaking, ProTools is still the tool of choice for audio postproduction professionals, and Adobe After Effects is still an immensely popular compositing and motion graphics tool that’s widely used. However, both Fusion and Fairlight are very capable tools that can definitely be well utilized, depending on who you’re collaborating with for those functions and if those tasks are being handled in or out of house.

For me, the functionality of DaVinci Resolve Color and Fairlight are the main drivers in learning the program.

However, as an experienced editor, I feel that the more editing programs I’m well versed in, the better. And for those looking just to try it, the free version of DaVinci Resolve is still a polished and capable tool. If you like it and continue using it, upgrading to the Studio version is well worth the $299.

DPP

Top: DaVinci Resolve’s Fusion page allows you to perform sophisticated composting and motion graphics using a node-based workflow that’s unique and very capable for building complex sequences.

Bottom: Blackmagic Design’s training page on its website features an extensive array of training media, both video and written/downloadable content.

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AUDIO ASSIST:

Building A Travel Audio Recording Toolkit

By Daniel Brockett

Before you head out on the road, use this guide to bring just the essential gear you’ll need for your project

When you travel and need to shoot on location, it’s helpful if you’ve assembled a capable yet streamlined travel audio recording toolkit.

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For those outside the filmmaking business, video is often regarded as purely a visual medium for obvious reasons. But those of us who actually create films understand the importance of audio in a project and how it can be as essential as the visual components of a production.

It’s why this issue’s Audio Assist column focuses on creating your own audio recording toolkit. And not just any audio toolkit, but one small and lightweight enough to take on the road with you.

It’s important to note that building any on-location travel audio recording toolkit will depend on the types of shoots you support. So, for instance, some of you might need to choose additional or different gear. I’ve attempted to make this toolkit compact, lightweight, affordable, capable and, most importantly, flexible, so that it might be used to record sound for a variety of projects, including narrative, documentary, corporate, event or reality television. Additionally, I wanted the kit to be able to work on its own or when it’s combined with other components.

But Do You Actually Need An AudioRecording Kit? Before we begin, some projects might not need an audio kit at all. In some cases, the audio features of your camera may be good enough. But you need to research which camera you’ll be using since on-camera audio recording wildly varies when it comes to recording sound. Some are decent and usable, but many record audio with terrible sound quality.

For example, an inexpensive mirrorless hybrid, DSLR or prosumer type of video camcorder won’t generally produce great quality audio. Often, even if the camera has a mic input, it’s going to be a plastic, 3.5mm stereo input.

It’s also typical for these cameras to feature low-cost, low sound quality microphone pre-amps and, in many cases, especially in the sub-$1,000 range, the overall audio chain may be 60 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

substandard, producing audio with tinny, limited dynamic range and a poor signal-to-noise ratio. The plastic inputs themselves often become loose or break with repeated use. Many low-cost cameras don’t even have a headphone jack to allow you to monitor what the camera is recording.

Interestingly, many higher-end cameras also have substandard audio but for different reasons: In highend cameras, it’s assumed that every sound shoot will have a sound mixer, recording high-quality sound into an external recorder. Most high-end cameras have audio inputs simply for recording scratch audio, nothing more, so the audio circuitry typically isn’t great, either.

Ironically, I’ve found that mid-level cameras like the Sony PXW-FX7 Mark II, the Canon EOS C300 Mark II, Canon EOS C200 or Panasonic EVA1 often have better sound quality than more expensive, higher-end cameras (models that cost over $50,000).

It’s why even the most inexpensive audio recorders have superior sound to even the best-sounding camera. And the good news is that there are a lot of choices for audio recorders for location sound. Almost all of them have at least good sound, and the majority of them sound great, especially when compared to camera audio.

Recorders And Recorder/Mixers Since we’re assembling a travel audio recording toolkit, we’re going to keep the priority on size and weight. No matter how you travel, the smaller the size and lighter the weight, the better.

We’re also going to prioritize for just a small amount of microphone inputs; usually, three or four microphone inputs are adequate for a travel recorder, but not always. There are plenty of recorder/mixers on the market with 10 or more channel/inputs, but most of these units are physically larger and heavier than the smallest units on the market.

I’ve tested both of the recorder/

For some projects, recording in-camera sound will suffice, provided the camera has high-quality microphone pre-amps and good-quality sound recording capabilities. The Sony PXW-FX9 is an example of such a camera that offers high-quality in-camera audio recording.

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mixers featured below. They’re both excellent choices for assembling a small, lightweight location sound recording toolkit, although each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Research which features matter most to you: You get more channels and inputs on the Zoom, but the Sound Devices unit has 32-bit floating point audio recording, which allows you to dramatically recover or change audio levels after recording.

The Zoom F4 features four TRS/XLR line/microphone inputs.

• Zoom F4 ($549): The Zoom F4 is a sound-bag-friendly, multi-track field recorder with look-ahead limiters for distortion-free 24-bit audio and up to 6-input/8-track recording for filmmaking and video content creation.

It also has headphone and balanced-line outputs, precision time code and sync features, versatile multi-track modes and Ambisonics support for VR/ AR/360 audio.

• Sound Devices MixPre-3 II ($680): The MixPre-3 II is a three-channel/five-track multi-track field recorder that can record up to three tracks of external sources, plus a stereo mix at up to 32-bit/192 kHz while monitoring your audio headphones. It records at 32-bit floating point audio to an internal SD card and can serve as an audio interface capable of 32-bit floating point streaming over USB to a Mac computer. It also comes with Kashmir analog mic pre-amps, Bluetooth for wireless control via the Wingman mobile app, a built-in time code generator and Bluetooth control.

Boom Microphone The Sound Devices MixPre-3 II features 32-bit floating point audio recording and offers two XLR inputs on one side and a single XLR input on the opposite side of the unit.

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Your primary microphone in your kit will usually be one of two types of boom microphones: shotgun or cardioid.

For recording exteriors and outdoors, you’ll obtain the best results with a shotgun microphone since it rejects more off-axis noise than most other microphone types. For reflective interior environments, a cardioid, hyper-cardioid or super-cardioid microphone will work best since it will pick up fewer room reflections.

• Shotgun Microphone: Røde NTG5 Moisture-Resistant Short Shotgun ($499): This moisture-resistant shotgun mic lets you capture natural, uncolored sound indoors or outside for your next indie film, TV shoot or documentary project without weighing down your kit. It sounds very good and ships as a kit with a microphone mounting system and wind protection, elevating it from just a great mic to a great mic kit for under $500.

• Cardioid Microphone: Audix SCX1-HC Studio Condenser Microphone—Hypercardioid Polar Pattern ($499): If you’ll mostly be shooting interiors, the Audix SCX1-HC is an outstanding value. Its hypercardioid polar pattern will record fewer standing room reflections than a shotgun would.

It’s also fairly neutral, rendering sounds as your ears hear them for a natural, open sound. The package includes an external foam windscreen for reducing wind, sibilance and pop noise, a nylon molded snap-on clip and a foamlined wooden case. You can also buy an accessory shock mount for an additional $39.

Boompole For travel, you’ll have a better experience using a shorter, smaller and lighter travel boompole, unless you specifically need to boom talent in a wider shot, which requires a longer boompole.

• K-Tek KE79CCR Traveler Aluminum Boompole With Internal Coiled Cable ($266): I purchased the KE79CCR boompole for a documentary shoot in Brazil. I was traveling alone and needed a small and lightweight pole for simple sit-down interviews. The K-Tek has performed very well over the past two years. Fully extended, it reaches nearly 7 feet and is long enough for most sit-down interviews.

When collapsed, it’s small enough to fit into my suitcase, so I eliminate the need to bring a separate boompole case.

The Røde NTG5 is an excellent value since it not only sounds very good but also includes a full accessory kit.

XLR Cables I recommend traveling with four to six 25-foot XLR cables, depending on how many microphones you plug into your recorder. Even if you’re only using a boom and a lavalier for interviews, it’s smart to bring a couple of spare cables.

I’ve found buying shorter 10-foot to 15-foot cables can save a bit of weight in your travel kit, but the times I’ve traveled with only shorter cables, I’ve regretted not bringing longer cables. I also like to have four different colors so that you can assign one color to a boom and one to lavs, and you can easily tell them apart.

• Kopul Premium Performance 3000 Series XLR M to XLR F Microphone Cable ($16)

Lavalier Microphones It’s always a good idea to have a subject double miked in case one microphone has a technical problem. In such cases, you have a backup. And lavalier mics are great for recording a second channel on talent.

One question you’ll need to ask yourself—do you need to bring wireless lavaliers? One thing to consider for your travel kit is this: If you can avoid wireless lavaliers, you’ll typically end up with better-quality sound if you can avoid using any wireless microphone systems.

The Audix SCX1-HC has similar sound characteristics to the industry standard but considerably more expensive Schoeps CMC-641 mic.

The K-Tek KE79CCR Traveler is a small and lightweight travel boompole that fits into most checked baggage and extends to almost 7 feet long.

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If you’re only shooting sit-down interviews or seated stationary talent in other shooting styles, use a hardwired lavalier, not a wireless system.

But many types of shoots really require a wireless lavalier system. Walk and talks, talent moving through a scene, gimbal work with dialogue, and, of course, there are dozens of other scenarios where wireless lavaliers are necessary.

Wired Lavalier Systems: If you mostly shoot sit-down interviews with your travel kit, skip using a wireless lavalier system. You’ll save money, batteries, weight and bulk, too.

The Lectrosonics L Series ZS-LRLMb Camera Mount Wireless Omni Lavalier System is a top-of-the-line professional wireless lavalier system.

The Sennheiser EW 512P is a popular UHF wireless lavalier system that offers greater range than other Sennheiser lavalier systems.

The Deity Connect is a two-channel 2.4GHz diversity wireless lavalier system with a lot of pro features at a very reasonable cost.

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• Sanken COS-11D Miniature Omnidirectional Lavalier Mic with XLR Output ($469): This omnidirectional lavalier mic is intended for professional speech capturing in sound reinforcement, presentation, theatrical, broadcast and recording applications. Its miniature capsule yields a wide frequency response, omnidirectional polar pattern.

Wireless Lavalier Systems Here are three wireless options for lavalier microphones: • Lectrosonics L Series ZS-LRLMb Camera Mount Wireless Omni Lavalier Microphone System ($2,399): This model is a cameramounted wireless microphone system that offers filmmakers, journalists and videographers a set of advanced features designed to deliver flexibility and broadcast-quality sound for professional ENG and video productions. If you speak with professional sound mixers, Lectrosonics is considered the industry-standard wireless lavalier, and for good reason. It offers the longest range (UHF) and greatest consistency. The

products are pricey; however, if you have the budget for it, you won’t regret buying a Lectrosonics system.

• Sennheiser EW 512P G4 Camera Mount Wireless Omni Lavalier Microphone System ($899): The rugged EW 512P G4 combines a wide 88 MHz bandwidth with 3,520 frequencies and an RF output level up to 50 mW for a clean transmission and broadcastquality sound. The Sennheisers are regarded as good-quality, mid-range (UHF) lavalier systems. The EW 512P G4 won’t have the same range or features as the Lectrosonics system, but it is much more affordable.

• Deity Microphones Deity Connect Dual-Channel True Diversity Wireless System ($669): Unlike the Lectrosonics or Sennheiser systems, both of which are UHF, the Connect operates in the 2.4GHz frequency. The other big difference is, the Connect offers two channels, with two transmitters and a two-channel receiver for less than $700.

The 2.4GHz system has slightly more latency than the UHF systems but less range.

However, it may offer perfectly acceptable results in many lineof-site situations.

Audio Bag You’ll generally need an audio bag to use with your travel kit. It’s great to keep your mixer/recorder safe and secure while traveling or shooting.

You’ll also keep your options for powering your recorder mixer and possibly powering wireless microphone receivers in the bag as well. Here are two bags to consider: • Porta Brace AR-F4 Custom-Fit Cordura Case for the Zoom F4 Recorder ($189): The Porta-

The Sanken COS-11D is an industry-standard lavalier microphone that cuts well with most popular shotgun microphones.

The Porta Brace AR-F4 Case is custom-designed to hold not only the Zoom F4 Recorder but also wireless receivers and other accessories.

The K-Tek Stingray MixPro is designed to hold the smaller MixPre-3 II and MixPre-6 II recorders.

Brace AR-F4 is a portable case made specifically for the Zoom F4 recorder, giving you an abrasion-resistant 1000-denier Cordura nylon construction, as well as two rigid frame panels to ensure protection.

• The K-Tek Stingray MixPro Audio Bag for MixPre-3 II ($190): The K-Tek Stingray MixPro Audio Bag is designed for Sound Devices’ MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 recorders as well as a couple of wireless systems, NP-1 batteries and various accessories.

Miscellaneous Accessories There are many audio accessories to fine-tune your travel audio recording toolkit to your specific needs.

One to consider is power options: If you have a location sound audio bag, either solution provided here gives you enough room to include an optional add-on battery or BDS (Battery Distribution System) to power every accessory and recorder in your bag.

Another accessory you might need is a Bluetooth or WiFi solution for wirelessly distributing your time code if you can’t run a BNC cable from the recorder to camera.

The components and options we’ve assembled here will result in a highquality, pro-level travel audio toolkit that can be modified in countless ways to support larger shoots with more cameras, more microphones and more accessories. For example, you might introduce IFB systems to send your sound to the director wirelessly if the director isn’t you or you need to have clients or other crew monitor the sound as well.

But the components aren’t just versatile. They’re also lightweight and small, fitting easily into a backpack or camera bag. And, most importantly, they all offer features that just a few years ago wouldn’t have been available in such small sizes and at such low prices.

DPP digitalphotopro.com July/August 2020 | 65

LookingForward

Portrait & Fashion Issue

Text & Photography By Terry Sullivan

I

n the past couple of years, I’ve been lucky to attend a number of camera events where the camera brand wasn’t just presenting a new product but had a variety of cool setups to demonstrate how versatile the camera was at shooting multiple types of genres. In fact, I captured the image of this New Wave-looking model (who vaguely reminded me of Dale Bozzio, the lead singer of the 1980s band Missing Persons) during one such event: Sony’s introduction of its new 61-megapixel a7R IV full-frame mirrorless camera in New York City last summer…when we were still able to get closer than 6 feet to each other.

But the reason I’m presenting this shot is that I love how it blurs the line between being a fashion photo and a portrait. Sometimes when I look at the shot, the makeup and her attire seem to draw my attention most.

Other times, I’m struck by the gesture of her hands and the very slight tilt of her head, which reminds me of what a portrait painter might look for when creating an oil painting.

Of course, I’m happy to leave it as a blurry line, so to speak.

But in our next issue, we’ll be exploring what the best portrait and fashion photographers look for when they capture a portrait or a fashion photo—from how they create their concepts to their process and the gear they use and on to how they publish their final shots.

So stay tuned!

DPP

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INSPIRATION EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

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EVENING PRESENTATIONS

NETWORKING EVENTS

NO-FEE SLIDE SHOW CONTEST

NADAV KANDER

ERWIN OL AF

MATT MAHURIN

FRANK OCKENFELS 3

The Power of Imagination

Work: The Master Class

Looking Beyond The Obvious

Pursuing Your Passion

KEITH CARTER

MIRANDA PENN TURIN

ART STREIBER

SANDRO MILLER

Directing & Lighting Subjects

The Poetry of Perception

Lighting Like A Master

Editorial Photography

MEL ANIE PULLEN

MICHAEL C. BROWN

The Fine Art Narrative

Documentary & Reportage (c) BEN HASSETT 2020

TIM GRIFFITH

Architecture:Building Relationships

GILES CLEMENT

Alternative Processes

THOMAS HOLM The Fine Art Nude

NINO RAKICHEVICH

Street Photography

BEN HASSETT

Considering Beauty

TODD HIDO

Nocturnal Narratives

SCOTT FRANCES

Expressing Architecture

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