Tether Better

tEthEr

BY GREG SCOBLETE

BetteR

PHOTO © CLAY COOK

PDN ASKED PHOTOGRAPHERS WHY THEY SHOOT TETHERED AND THE RESPONSES ARE AS VARIED AS THE CREATIVES.

For Toronto-based commercial photographer Giancarlo Pawelec, one of the main benefi ts of tethered shooting is getting a clearer look at your images. “Nothing beats looking at a photo at 15 inches or 27 inches or even 100 inches. You can pay attention to details you may have missed,” Pawelec says. If you’re worried that shooting tethered will slow down your workfl ow, Pawelec says that on balance, it’s actually more e cient. “You can’t suddenly jump on a ladder or start running, but you can see things you would have missed by just chimping—lighting, hair, jewelry, etc.” Spotting those issues during the shoot actually saves you time in reshoots or laborious post-production, Pawelec notes. Besides, he adds, just as fi lm photographers love how the medium forces you to think before you shoot, a tethered workfl ow encourages the same mindfulness. Editorial and advertising photographer Clay Cook says that for many jobs, not shooting tethered isn’t even an option. “When you work in advertising and editorial, tethering is mandatory, sometimes even part of the contract,” Cook says. Beyond giving clients a chance to peer over your shoulder, tethering helps foster a collaborative environment among everyone working on a shoot—stylists, hair and makeup artists, models, etc. “It brings everyone in and is a game changer when you’re working with teams of people,” he adds.

TEST & PREP No matter what type of photography you’re engaged in, don’t start tethering without shooting some personal projects fi rst, advises beauty and commercial photographer Quentin Décaillet. This way, you can experiment with software and workfl ow outside the crucible of a paid assignment.

Before photographer Jana Cruder even starts shooting, she ensures both her camera fi rmware and Lightroom are up to date. She then makes test shots “before I’m under the pressure of the shoot day to make sure everything runs smooth. If it is going to be a particularly tight shoot day, I may go as far as creating the capture folder and settings ahead of time for fi le naming and arranging shots by catalogues,” she says.

Keeping your tether cable securely in place is another vital step in setting up a successful shoot. Pawelec secures his cable using the JerkStopper from Tether Tools, while Cook is partial to the TetherBlock (also marketed by Tether Tools, but invented by photographer/entrepreneur David Blattel).

THIS PAGE: AS AN EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHER, CLAY COOK IS OFTENTIMES REQUIRED TO SHOOT TETHERED. BUT HE APPRECIATES THE COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT IT CREATES ON SET BECAUSE EVERYONE (CLIENTS, STYLISTS HAIR AND MAKEUP ARTISTS, MODELS, ETC.) CAN PEER OVER YOUR SHOULDER.

START POST-PRODUCTION BEFORE YOU SHOOT

One of the signature advantages of tethered photography is that it lets you get a jump on some post-processing steps while you shoot. When Cook shoots tethered into Capture One, he’ll set the software to a Styles preset or a custom color grade to images as they’re transferred onto his laptop. “It just starts with basic exposure controls—brightness, contrast, desaturation,” he says. “I don’t mess with shadow density or exposure; that I want to get right in camera.” Giving images a color grade instantly helps clients visualize what a final image will look like, Cook adds. “I don’t want a color grade that alters the base. I find something that’s not overly toned—a medium grade that matches the final output after retouching. Then that tone is applied to every image I shoot automatically,” he says. Pawelec, likewise, will apply settings like black-and-white conversions to images in Capture One as they’re imported into this computer.

Cruder takes a similar approach while tethered into Lightroom. “As I test and hone in the look of the shoot, I then create a modified preset in Lightroom—laying the basic look and feel of the shots that day. I then apply those settings as the captures come in. At the end of a session or in between shots, I use Lightroom to star and mark my faves, open Photoshop and do a few quick edits.”

ORGANIZE & BACK UP AS YOU SHOOT

Beyond applying effects, you should also configure your tethering software to cleanly organize and back up images as they’re transferred into your computer. Cook works in Capture One using the Sessions tool. He will name his Capture One Session folder with the client name, the specific shot and the date. “Once we have those files on the laptop, we transfer those files onto the server in the studio. That server is backed up several ways, and we reference those files in a Capture One catalog.” Cook says he creates a new Catalog every quarter to keep the software humming along (too many images in a single catalog can slow down the software’s performance).

Cruder also works in Lightroom's Sessions tool. “I create the Session on my shoot laptop, then set it up to mirror a copy to an external drive,” Cruder says.

Décaillet shoots tethered to Capture One using Sessions as well. “I create a few folders: I make a pre-light folder and then folders for each look. This way,” he says, “I’m organized right from the start.” +

THIS PAGE: COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER GIANCARLO PAWELEC SHOOTS TETHERED BECAUSE IT HELPS HIM GET A CLEARER LOOK AT HIS IMAGES. IT ALSO MAKES HIS WORKFLOW MORE EFFICIENT BECAUSE HE CAN SPOT ISSUES WITH LIGHTING, HAIR, JEWELRY, ETC. DURING THE SHOOT, SAVING HIM TIME DURING RESHOOTS AND IN POST-PRODUCTION.

SOME MUST-HAVES FOR TETHERED PHOTOGRAPHERS

SMART SHOOTER 4 PRO While Capture One and Lightroom are popular apps for tethered shooters, don’t overlook Smart Shooter (at least if you’re a Canon and Nikon photographer). This specialty software lets you save a copy of your image file to your memory card and computer simultaneously. Now on version 4, Smart Shooter offers a number of image views and supports custom scripts that allow you to control how the camera functions (without manually adjusting settings after each shoot). It can also support multiple cameras tethered to a single computer.

Price: $196 Tethertools.com

TETHER TOOLS TETHERBLOCK The TetherBlock is designed to secure your tether cable firmly to your camera’s data port. It has three channels carved into the bottom for USB, FireWire or HDMI cables and mounts to your camera’s tripod socket. There’s a standard plate and a version of the Block with an Arca-Swiss compatible design for use with ball heads.

Price: $90; $100 (Arca) Tethertools.com

DIGITAL ALA CART The Digital ala Cart is a multitasking laptop case that doubles as a workstation when you’re shooting in the field. It’s roomy enough for a laptop, power supplies, external hard drives and more. Inside you’ll find a fold-out shade and a drop-down visor for working in bright sun. Laptops between 13-17 inches can fit on the case’s spring-loaded platform. It includes a tripod stand adapter so you can secure the case to a tripod.

Price: $695 Digitalalacart.com

BENRO GOPLATFORM The GoPlatform can be mounted to any tripod via a 5/8” socket, a 3/8”-16 female adapter, ¼”-20 female adapter or an Arca-style mount. Once it’s been mounted, you can securely fix your laptop (up to 15 inches) using the integrated tie-down strap to shoot tethered. The platform is vented to allow your laptop’s heat to dissipate. It can mount a variety of accessories, including a coupler and rail, without tools, including a coupler and rail.

Price: $125

Also available for Rental.

All Canon cameras sold at Tempe Camera include Canon U.S.A., Inc one-year limited warranty/registration card.