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Retro-Cool Nikon Df See page 22

Art Streiber

Coaxing Performances For The Still Frame Lessons For Directing Talent & Crafting Elaborate Ensembles

Use Instagram Buzz To Boost Your Biz

Location Lighting!

Go-To Gear!

Leading Shooters On Their Essential Equipment Secrets

Inside Lightroom Pros & Cons Of Custom Defaults

Mobile Monolights Compared Quick Guide To Softboxes Go BTS On A Corey Rich Shoot

The Photo Hit Man! February 2014

Howard Huang Makes His Mark From Here To China

Photographed on the

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Trevor Hiatt airs it out in the Jackson Hole, Wyoming backcountry showing off his unique style on a cold winter day where the temperature hovered around zero all day. Photo by Lucas Gilman.

”I SHOOT THE WORLD’S TOP ATHLETES, AND MY WORKFLOW NEEDS TO BE JUST AS FLUID AND DYNAMIC AS THEY ARE.” – Lucas Gilman, Adventure Photographer and Filmmaker

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WORKS LIKE A PRO g-technology.com/WLAP Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Design by G-Technology in California. G-DRIVE and G-Technology are registered trademarks of HGST, Inc. and its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. G-DOCK ev is a filed trademark of HGST, Inc. and its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. ©2013 G-Technology, a division of HGST, Inc. All rights reserved.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Vol. 12 No. 1 digitalphotopro.com

Contents Features PORTFOLIOS

42 THE PHOTO HIT MAN Influenced by graphic novels and science-fiction movies, Howard Huang’s vibrant urban fashion and celebrity work is turning heads from here to China

By Mark Edward Harris Photography By Howard Huang

50 TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO In his photography of Hollywood’s A-list, Art Streiber coaxes the artists into performing for his camera

By Mark Edward Harris Photography By Art Streiber

58 7TH ANNUAL EMERGING PRO WINNER

Art Streiber

With an eye for creating austere projects, Maria Burns shows that you can make a tremendous impact with the simplest of ideas

Editor’s Note

As we kick off 2014, things are looking up. After some tumultuous years, the U.S. economy is trending upward, and I’ve heard from several photographers who are seeing significant increases in their business bottom lines. It’s anecdotal research, to be sure, but just a few years ago, everyone I spoke with was either down or way down.

There are still plenty of challenges, but there always will be at least some challenges. After all, if it was easy to make a living as a photographer, everyone would do it.

The Great Recession has trained us all to

8 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

do more with less. As studio spaces have been relinquished because of high costs, more photographers are keeping their interests mobile. Instead of a room full of equipment, we’ve pared down to the essentials. In lighting, there has been a shift to using portable on-camera flashes instead of heavy, bulky power packs, when possible. Sometimes, the small flash just doesn’t have the output you need, though, and between the studio power pack and the small handheld flash, monolights have risen as a sweet-spot alternative. Today, manufacturers are making these powerful lights even more useful

through the use of battery power. Freeing you from the wall socket, these monolights also let you use your full arsenal of studiostyle light modifiers. They don’t have the same output as a full-on strobe pack, but for a lot of shoots, the combination of power, mobility and control is hard to beat.

Of course, there always will be situations when you just need power, pure and simple.

Art Streiber was in that position when he was called upon to shoot a 100th Anniversary photo for Paramount Pictures. The famous photo is an impressive ensemble image. In this issue, we have an excellent interview with

Streiber, where he talks about how he works with some of the most talented and famous actors and actresses as a photographer.

Streiber is one of my favorite photographers because of his ability to draw a performance out of a person and capture that in a still frame. Take a look at the article “Tell Me What You Want Me To Do” to see more of his work and learn more about his approach.

I can’t recall of any photo-related company that has been as divisive among professional photographers as Instagram. Between the filters and the changes to the Terms Of Use, many pros have been vocal and vehe-

ment about their overall disapproval of the company. This has gone on even as usage by the overall population has soared. For all of its foibles, Instagram, like the rest of the socialmedia landscape, isn’t the enemy anymore than digital was the enemy in the film era or 35mm was the enemy in the large-format era. People love photographs, and they want to be able to take more pictures and do more with them. Instagram is simply serving that demand. As professional photographers, we shouldn’t be resentful of Instagram. In fact, pros should embrace it as another vehicle for helping your business. Think about it: This is

an enormously popular service with the sole purpose of circulating images with attribution.

If you’ve been steadfastly opposed to participating in Instagram, check out Jim Goldstein’s article. He’ll give you some new things to think about and ideas on how you can make use of Instagram on your terms.

As I gear up for the 2014 issues, I want to hear from DPP readers about article topics that would be of interest. Let me know what’s on your mind. You can find me on Twitter @DPPRobinson or send me an email at crobinson@wernerpublishing.com.

—Christopher Robinson, Editor

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 I 9

EDITORIAL CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON Editor WESLEY G. PITTS Managing Editor

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Vol. 12 No. 1 digitalphotopro.com

MAGGIE DEVCICH Associate Editor DAVID WILLIS Associate Editor ASHLEY MYERS-TURNER Associate Editor

Contents

MIKE STENSVOLD Senior Editor J. ANA FLORES, SAVA ALCANTARA Copy Editors

Equipment 76 BATTERY-POWERED MONOLIGHTS With a combination of portability, power, versatility and the ability to be used away from an AC outlet, battery-powered monolights are gaining an increasing following among professional photographers

By The Editors

JOHN PAUL CAPONIGRO, ROBERT HAWK, MICHAEL GUNCHEON, WILLIAM SAWALICH Contributing Editors JEFF SCHEWE, DOUG SPERLING, RYAN STEVENS Professional Advisors

ART KURT R. SMITH Art Director ERIC BECKETT Assistant Art Director CANDICE OTA Graphic Designer

82 THE FUTURE OF C-PRINTS Using a massive, new Polielettronica HD C-printer, Duggal Visual Solutions is producing jumbo-sized photographs with an apparent resolution of 6100 dpi

By David Schloss

WWW.DIGITALPHOTOPRO.COM WESLEY G. PITTS Online Director MIKE DECKER Web Art Director DAMIAN GREENE Web Developer

84 THE ESSENTIALS Top pros share the gear they can’t live without

LISETTE ROSE Web Production Associate

PHOTO MEDIA GROUP STEVEN D. WERNER Publisher/Editor In Chief

TECH

62 DEFAULTS: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD The pros and cons of using Develop defaults in Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw Text And Photography By George Jardine

CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON Photography Group Editorial Director KURT R. SMITH Executive Art Director EDITORIAL OFFICES Werner Publishing Corporation 12121 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200 Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176 (310) 820-1500

70 THE HERO IMAGE The evolution of a shoot with Corey Rich

By David Willis Photography By Corey Rich

Printed in the U.S.A.

PHOTO BUSINESS

66 MAKE USE OF INSTAGRAM The service is frequently scoffed at by professional photographers, but it can be a boon for your business

By Jim Goldstein

22

Digital Photo Pro is published by Werner Publishing Corp. Executive, editorial and advertising offices: 12121 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176, (310) 820-1500. Email us (editorial matters only) at editors@digitalphotopro.com or visit our website at www.digitalphotopro.com Copyright © 2014 by Werner Publishing Corp. No material may be reproduced without written permission. This publication is purchased with the understanding that information presented is from many sources for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy, originality or completeness. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering product endorsements or providing instruction as a substitute for appropriate training by qualified sources. EDITORIAL SUBMISSION: Digital Photo Pro assumes no responsibility for solicited or unsolicited contributions and materials. Submissions for review should be limited to no more than 40 photographs. Please submit duplicates for our review. Otherwise, insurance for such materials, in transit or in our possession, must be the responsibility of the writer or photographer. Digital Photo Pro does not accept or agree to the conditions and stipulations printed on delivery memos, packing slips and related correspondence as they are presented without prior notice accompanying submission materials. Exceptions to this disclaimer of liability on the part of Digital Photo Pro must be prearranged, executed in writing and signed by both parties prior to the shipment of materials in question. All submissions must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with sufficient postage to cover the cost of return. The class of mail and insurance coverage for returns will be determined by the amount provided for on the SASE. Writer/photographer guidelines are available on request, with the enclosure of an SASE. SUBSCRIBERS: Any obligation we owe to you, including delivery of your magazine, is contingent upon you providing us with your correct mailing address. If the Post Office notifies us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation to you unless we receive a corrected address from you within two years of the Post Office notification. BACK ISSUES are available for one year prior to the current issue. To order within U.S., send $9.00 plus $4.00 postage and handling (Canada: $9.00 plus $5.00; International: $9.00 plus $10.00) for each issue to Back Issue Dept., Digital Photo Pro, 12121 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176, or go online and visit the eStore. No orders processed without proper funds and specific issue information.

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Š 2013 2013 Canon Canon U.S .S.A., A., Inc n . All Al rights ghts res reserve erve v d. Canon and n EOS EO are reg giste istered red e trad trademarks of Canon Inc. in the th Unit United ed State State tatess and and may may also be b regi register stered ed trade trademark markss or tra tradema dema e rks in other other he cou countri ntries. ntri e Came es. mera shown shown with compatible third rd party party acc accesso esso sories ries e . All All othe o er er products prod ucts,, brand br nd name names, s, and and logos logos are tra tradema dema arkss of their their heir res respect re p ive owners. Certain imag pect ages es and and effec e ects ts are are simul simul im ated d.

ADVERTISING/SALES Los Angeles (310) 820-1500, Fax (310) 826-5008 DEBRA I. LEVINE Associate Publisher

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Vol. 12 No. 1 digitalphotopro.com

SCOTT LUKSH Eastern Advertising Sales Manager DENINE GENTILELLA Senior Advertising Sales Manager

Contents

CLAUDIA WARREN Senior Advertising Coordinator

MARKETING BASAK PRINCE Marketing Manager

DPP SOLUTIONS

90 JIBBING

MATTHEW WILKINSON Marketing Coordinator

Get a cool move in motion shots and a new perspective in still shots with these versatile camera supports

PRODUCTION/MANUFACTURING

COLUMNS

MAGGIE DEVCICH Editorial Production Manager

30 VISIONEER’S GALLERY

TAMMY REYES Production Manager

JESSE GARCIA Production Director

The Wave Sliding Club

By Baldev Duggal

CONSUMER MARKETING

36 (R)EVOLUTION

LIZ ENGEL Consumer Marketing Manager

DAN REGAN Consumer Marketing Director

Photoshop Blur Filters, Part 2

SUE C. WILBUR Web Audience Manager

By John Paul Caponigro

JOANNA RUTKOWSKA Online Advertising Operations Manager

Departments

TOM FERRUGGIA Newsstand Sales Manager

14 FIRST TAKES 22 DPP IN FOCUS 32 HI-TECH STUDIO: THE SOFTBOX 94 DPP MARKETPLACE 98 MISINFORMATION: MOVING TARGETS

BUSINESS/OPERATIONS LYNNE IRVINE General Manager LORIE SHUMAN Finance Director LASHON SIMMONS Accounting Assistant J. ANA FLORES Trademark & Copyright Manager JASON ROSENWALD Systems Manager

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ON THE COVER: Emmy Rossum by Art Streiber Digital Photo Pro (ISSN: 1545-8520)—Vol. 12 No. 1—is published bimonthly except monthly in November and December by Werner Publishing Corp. Executive, editorial and advertising offices: 12121 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176, (310) 820-1500. Periodicals Postage Paid at Los Angeles, Calif., and at additional mailing offices. Single-copy price—$5.99. 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. For orders, address changes and all other customer service, phone toll-free (800) 814-2993. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Digital Photo Pro, Box 37857, Boone, IA 50037-0857. Canada Post Publications Mail Class Agreement No. 1559788. See magazine mast for specific information on solicited and unsolicited contributions and the purchase of back issues.

12 I Digital Photo Pro

i .H i i .HHYLQ YLLQ //\QF YLQ /\\QFK

You coax a shy flower girl out of her shell.

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FirstTakes 14 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Art Streiber

For Paramount Pictures’ 100th Anniversary, Art Streiber was called on to take a single, epic photograph. “In my experience,” explains Streiber, the massively successful celebrity portraitist, “nobody really enjoys having their picture taken except for models. I liken it to dentistry. It’s something you have to and should do every year. I try and make it as easy as possible on my subjects.” A shoot with the photographer is much like putting together a film. He collaborates with a set designer and lights for mood rather than to show off his formidable technical skills. Streiber is also famously adept at working with group portraits, as you can see in this shot of 116 very famous subjects captured for the studio’s historic anniversary. The set alone took three weeks to build, and he and his team ultimately employed 56 Profoto heads. He explains in the portfolio article in this issue that he keeps from getting overwhelmed in shots like this by dividing larger groups into smaller ones, which he’s then able to piece together into a final cohesive composition.

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 I 15

FirstTakes

Howard Huang

Howard Huangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s explosive color palette, urban set design and gangster sensibilities have made him a popular portraitist for clients like VIBE, Billboard, Maxim, Panasonic and Nintendo. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a master composite artist, and the photographer will often shoot a background separately and then set the studio lighting to match the scene, which allows him to work as quickly as possible during the portrait aspect of the shoot. This gives him a big leg up when working around the limited time schedules of celebrities like Nicki Minaj, with whom he has collaborated on a number of projects over the course of several years. Find out more about the Hasselblad/Leaf and Canon shooter in the portfolio article in this issue.

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 I 17

drawing with his eyes, his nose and just a tear,” explains Finlay of his Brock Baker portrait. But the process of creating the piece was more than just Finlay’s vision. After a stint on the hit TV show Glee, Baker was ready to reinvent his image and eager to engage in Finlay’s process. Finlay explains, “This is an exchange between both of us. Something we both create. That communication. That bond that goes beyond just language. And it was a lot of improvisation.”

18 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Colin Finlay

FirstTakes After years as a war and conflict photojournalist, Colin Finlay is exploring a new outlet for bringing his personal creative touch to photography through the combination of original painting. “I wanted to bring the uniqueness of creating a one-on-one piece. I envisioned [this image] to be more like a pencil outline

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conceptual images. “They blend classic portraiture in a flavor along the lines of Irving Penn, with a theatrical over-the-top approach to costume, makeup and performance,” says Bradley. “The project was shot over a few days in a 100-year-old vaudeville theater called The Palace in Los Angeles, which has been boarded up and hidden from the public for decades, and is just now coming back to life with public performances.” Bradley and the Lucent Dossier performance group have been committed to working together for some time. “When we first met, after having been inspired by them for years, they said my images have been on their computer wallpapers for years. That made it easy to flow into creative collaborations,” he adds. The project will be launched on a micro-website followed by physical exhibitions in Los Angeles and New York. For updates, visit Bradley’s website at www.augustbradley.com.

20 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

August Bradley

FirstTakes Dramatic, cirque-inspired themes moved August Bradley to collaborate with the performance group Lucent Dossier on a new collection of short films and

DPPIn Focus

DPPInFocus

New Tools Of The Trade

Cameras I Digital Equipment I Software I Printing I Storage I Lighting

Nikon Df The highly anticipated full-frame Nikon Df utilizes current digital technology, such as the 16.2-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor and EXPEED 3 processor used in the D4, within a classic body design reminiscent of the Nikon 35mm film cameras. Solid mechanical controls are used for setting adjustments and controls, returning to a traditional SLR feel and reducing the need for scrolling through menus. With a 3.2-inch LCD screen and a glass optical viewfinder, you utilize the 39-point AF system to shoot up to 5.5 fps for sharp action shots. With an ISO range of 100-12,800, expandable to 204,800, the Df performs well in low light. Wireless connectivity is possible with the WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter for instant sharing or remote triggering. The Df is backward-compatible with classic Ai and non-Ai Nikkor lenses, as well as current AF, AF-S, DX and AF-D lenses. Purists may appreciate that the camera doesn’t offer video capabilities. List Price: $2,749 (body only). Contact: Nikon, www.nikonusa.com.

LED Fresnels Litepanels has added a 12-inch option to their Fresnel series. The Sola 12 (Daylight) and Inca 12 (Tungsten) provide a fixed lens, directional illumination and an output nearing traditional 2K incandescents while integrating LED technology. Drawing only 346W, the Sola 12 and Inca 12 are convenient low-energy units for location lighting, as well as efficient studio lighting. The cool-to-the-touch LED technology makes operating the lightweight housing possible without gloves. An integrated DMX module includes Ethernet connectivity for remote dimming, from 100% to 0 without any noticeable color shift or flicker, and focusing, with a 67º-15º beam angle. List Price: $4,795. Contact: Litepanels, www.litepanels.com.

Street Shooter The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GM1 is a mirrorless interchangeablelens camera squeezed down to a pocket-sized profile. With a high-quality, 16-megapixel Digital Live MOS sensor, the GM1 shoots both still photos and 1080 HD video at 60i/30p. The metal-alloy frame, with aluminum dials and brushed metal, feels comfortable in hand and has a stylish retro look. The 3-inch, 1036K-dot LCD screen allows you to set focus and trigger the shutter via touch sensitivity. Silent Shutter mode reduces shutter noise while in the field during sensitive moments. Built-in WiFi connects to your smartphone and tablet for asset transfer, as well as remote triggering using the Panasonic Image App. The GM1 also has integrated creative filters, as well as time-lapse and stop-motion features. List Price: $749. Contact: Panasonic, www.shop.panasonic.com.

22 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

check out www.digitalphotopro.com/gear/in-focus for more info

INTRODUCING A CAMERA AS

FA S T AS YOU ARE.

The blazing fast revolutionary Olympus OM-D E-M1. The heart of our OM-D E-M1 is our new TruePic VII image processor designed for maximum performance and speed. The E-M1’s new 16MP Image Sensor, with a Dual FAST Autofocus System, automatically switches between Contrast Detection and Phase Detection so you can focus at an astonishing speed—no matter which Olympus Zuiko lens you use. This, paired with a 1/8000-second mechanical shutter and 10fps sequential shooting ensures you’ll have all the speed you need to take incredible images anywhere you go. Move into a new world. www.getolympus.com/em1

• One of the smallest and lightest bodies in its class at 17.5 ounces* • Built-in Wi-Fi • Full system of premium, interchangeable lenses *E-M1 body only

“With the E-M1’s new Dual AF System, I get the stopping power and agility I need for rock solid performance. ” -John S. Ruth, Olympus Visionary Shot with the E-M1, Zuiko ED 35-100mm f2.0 lens with MMF-3

Move into a New World

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New Tools Of The Trade

Personalized Tripod

Cameras I Digital Equipment I Software I Printing I Storage I Lighting

Novoflex’s modular tripod, the TrioPod, is available in five different sets. Additionally, each part is available individually for maximum flexibility and expandability to match your changing needs. The system includes the 0.69-pound TrioPod tripod base, a center column, which extends the stand base height by 3.15 inches, 3- and 4-segment aluminum legs, 3- and 4-segment carbon-fiber legs, mini-tripod legs and a 3-segment hiking stick. List Price: $585 (TrioPod with 3-section aluminum leg set); $657 (TrioPod with 4-section aluminum leg set); $887 (TrioPod with 3-section carbon-fiber leg set); $930 (TrioPod with 4-section carbon-fiber leg set); $709 (TrioPod with Hikingstick II 3-section leg set). Contact: Novoflex (HP Marketing Corp.), www.hpmarketingcorp.com.

All-In-One Superzoom The 20.2-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 with 24-200mm ƒ/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* high-zoom lens provides incredible variability in an all-in-one design, perfect for lightweight travel. By combining the RX100 IIÕs Exmor R CMOS sensor and the new BIONZ X processor, Sony continues to reduce area-specific noise and increase detail. Three different sizes can be selected for autofocus, allowing you to

Ultratelephoto Zoom

match the size to your subject for accurate focusing.

Tamron has announced the development of the SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD ultratelephoto

Fast action can be captured at up to 10 fps with

zoom, compatible with both full-frame and APS-C formats. With a large focal-length-range

continuous AF. The RX10 continues to advance in video

expansion from the current 200-500mm lens offered, this lens is of particular interest for sports

capabilities, with 60p and 24p frame rates, HDMI out,

and wildlife photographers who need a little extra length without losing quality (from extenders) or

an adjustable audio level meter and headphone out for

time (by changing lenses). Including Vibration Compensation, a redesigned tripod mount and an

audio monitoring. Additionally, itÕs compatible with the

Ultrasonic Silent Drive for accurate AF, the lens is set up to shoot sharp images at a long focal

XLR-K1M adapter for pro audio recording. List Price:

length both mounted and handheld. List Price: TBA. Contact: Tamron, www.tamron-usa.com.

$1,299. Contact: Sony, www.sony.com.

Perfect Photo Suite 8 onOne Software has added new features to their photo-editing software with the release of Perfect Photo Suite 8. Both the Standard version (a stand-alone application) and the Premium version, which also integrates with Photoshop, Lightroom, Elements and Apple Aperture, use a unified interface of eight modules including Effects, Enhance, B+W, Portrait, Mask, Layers, Resize and Browse. The new Enhance module includes basic tools for brightness, contrast, sharpness, removing dust spots and vignettes. The Perfect Eraser tool removes objects with content-fill technology. A re-engineered Effect module provides custom filters and presets. The new Browse module makes it easy to scan through images on your computer, external drive, network and cloud-based storage, and work on multiple images at once. List Price: $299 (Premium); $149 (Premium upgrade); $79 (Standard). Contact: onOne Software, www.ononesoftware.com.

24 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

check out www.digitalphotopro.com/gear/in-focus for more info

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DPPIn Focus

DPPInFocus

New Tools Of The Trade Sling Strap For Women Designed specifically for the female body by female designers, the Kick strap by BlackRapid makes slinging a camera more comfortable for women. The short shoulder pad includes a built-in curve that “kicks” webbing

Pro Filter Line Kenko Tokina USA, Inc. has designed a new line of Hoya PROND filters for both still photo and HDSLR video use. The nine filters range from two to 10 stops in light reduction. ACCU-ND metallic technology coats the front and back of optical glass, creating the neutral-density effect for a neutral color balance that doesn’t add any additional color cast. A one-piece, thin, aluminum frame keeps the filter secure and parallel to the sensor. Available in ND4X through ND1000X densities and sizes 49mm-82mm. Estimated Street Price: Varies by filter size.

toward the center of the chest, making the sling placement well fitting. The shoulder pad is also thicker and wider than the BlackRapid Elle, which also makes it compatible with the Brad underarm system for extra stabilization. Estimated Street Price: $61. Contact: BlackRapid, www.blackrapid.com.

Contact: Kenko Tokina USA, Inc., www.kenkotokinausa.com.

Versatile Support Weighing a featherlight four pounds, yet supporting a full 22-pound capacity, the versatile 3POD P5CRH 5-section Carbon Fiber Compact Tripod with K3 Ballhead by Flashpoint is the perfect travel companion. With wear-resistant lock guards that provide against slippage due to wear and temperature changes, the 5-section legs individually fold and unfold with metal-jacketed twist locks and have three position settings to compensate for uneven surfaces. Each foot has a spike for outdoor trail use with a nonslip rubber cap. Quick moments and tight spaces may call for the P5CRH’s monopod configuration, utilizing the center column’s reinforced twist-lock technology. The included K3 Ballhead provides smooth 360º panning with two bubble levels and a sliding quick-release plate. List Price: $124. Contact: Flashpoint (Adorama), www.adorama.com.

26 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Sigma 35mm F/1.4 DG HSM Art Photographers looking for a fast prime lens will take note of the Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG HSM Art lens. Designed for a full-frame sensor and compatible with an APS-C sensor, the lens features a Hyper Sonic Motor for quick and quiet focusing, as well as a floating internal focusing system, allowing high performance, even at close shooting distances. SLD and FLD glass elements correct axial and chromatic aberrations. The lens is compatible with the Sigma USB dock for firmware updates and adjusting focus parameters. Estimated Street Price: $899. Contact: Sigma, www.sigmaphoto.com.

check out www.digitalphotopro.com/gear/in-focus for more info

© Ab Sesay

High Intensity, Low Heat A continuous light for both still and video shoots, the LED-200WA High-Intensity Series by Fotodiox produces 15,000 lux/m of luminance, two times the brightness of the previous model, while consuming only 200 watts of electricity. The 200WA runs on constant power instead of alternating current like many equivalent models, allowing it to run twice as long. Though it provides high intensity, it generates very little heat, making studio sessions more comfortable. Available in 5600K (Daylight) or 3200K (Tungsten), it’s housed in a strobe-like package with a Bowens S-type bayonet mount, making it compatible with standard strobe accessories.

A built-in glass diffuser creates soft and even light with a high color-rendering index for proper color in all environments. List Price: $424. Contact: Fotodiox, www.fotodioxpro.com.

Manfrotto Shoulder 50 The Shoulder 50 is a comfortable and sturdy shoulder bag that’s part of the new Manfrotto Pro line. The bag interior features a Camera Protection System (CPS) with thickly layered core center dividers that mold to cradle your equipment and provide shock absorption for two DSLRs with lenses attached, a strobe, a tablet, accessories and additional personal gear. Featuring a rigid, multilayered Exo-Tough outer construction with thermo-formed areas and reinforced feet to protect against impact, the Shoulder 50 also provides a back compartment for personal papers, a top zipper for quick gear access and a removable rain cover. Estimated Street Price: $189. Contact: Manfrotto, www.manfrotto.us.

PROFOTO RFi SOFTBOXES. IT’S MORE THAN A SOFTBOX. IT’S A LIGHT SHAPING TOOL. The Octa RFi is most commonly used for such purposes as fashion, beauty and portrait photography. One of the most important reasons for this is that its unique shape creates a beautiful, natural looking catch light in the subject’s eye.

RFi softboxes come in all sizes and shapes, and are compatible with all major flash brands. To ensure full control for the photographer, they have a deeper shape, a recessed front, double-layered diffusers and a highly reflective silver interior. Optional accessories are available for even more precise light shaping.

In short, an RFi softbox is more than just a softbox…

Glidecam VistaTrack Add smooth, even movement to your next video project with the Glidecam VistaTrack 10-48. Use the track on flat or uneven surfaces alike or mounted to a tripod to create vibration-free, high-quality movement. When using the integrated adjustable legs or a single tripod, the Linear Track and Dolly System supports cameras weighing up to 10 pounds, or provide added stability and support with two tripods for use with cameras weighing up to 30 pounds. Two quick-release plates are included. One plate mounts the VistaTrack to a single tripod and the other mounts the camera to the track. The system is available in 48-inch, 36-inch and 24-inch lengths.

List Price: $699 and up. Contact: Glidecam, www.glidecam.com.

Profoto US 220 Park Avenue, Florham Park NJ 07932 PHONE (973) 822-1300, profoto.com/us

DPPIn Focus

DPPInFocus

New Tools Of The Trade

Precision Panhead The Induro PHD3 panhead provides quick and precise camera positioning from a wide range of angles using a single-lock knob control. The one-lock knob gives full control over the 360º rotation of the panning base, while a separate knob controls +90º/-45º front-back tilt movement and +45º/-45º side-to-side tilt. A graduated scale and bubble level aid in accuracy. A double-safety lock is incorporated on the Quick Release clamp of the included Arca-Swiss-style top plate. Fits size 2- and 3-series tripods. List Price: $385. Contact: Induro, www.indurogear.com.

Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 Zeiss has introduced the 55mm ƒ/1.4 as the first lens in the Otus lens line. Named after an owl known for night vision, the Otus line is designed specifically for highresolution-sensor DSLRs, prioritizing sharpness and high image contrast and reducing chromatic aberrations. The internal 12-element optical design creates images without color fringe or distortion, while the external metal barrel allows for smooth manual focusing and comfortable operation. Available in F-bayonet and EF-bayonet mounts, the Otus line will be growing with additional lens lengths. List Price: $3,990. Contact: Zeiss, lenses.zeiss.com.

G-Tech Evolution G-Technology has developed a dual-bay storage system particularly useful for downloading files in the field, then quickly backing up once you return to your studio workspace. The G-DOCK ev with Thunderbolt hub ships with two portable stand-alone G-DRIVE ev USB 3.0 drives with 1 TB capacity each. The hub allows additional drives to be swapped in and out for flexible and expandable backup. Estimated Street Price: $749 ($199 for each additional 1 TB G-DRIVE ev portable USB 3.0 drive).

Contact: G-Technology, www.g-technology.com.

28 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

check out www.digitalphotopro.com/gear/in-focus for more info

©Klara G. for Anna Ekre

Canon Sensor Upgrade The Canon EOS 70D DSLR uses new Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, which reads phase-detection data from every pixel for smoother autofocus when shooting quick-moving subjects such as sports, wildlife and events. Knowing the benefit of this technology for filmmakers, Canon is offering a $500 Dual Pixel CMOS AF upgrade for the EOS C100 Cinema camera that was released in November 2012. After purchasing the C100, owners will be able to ship their cameras to the Canon Service Center to have the sensor upgraded.

Upgrades will start in February. Contact: Canon, www.usa.canon.com.

Mobile Apps For Professionals Formerly known as the app Trip Cubby, Mileage Log+ by Contrast has received an upgrade, becoming a much-needed convenience for photographers tracking mileage for reimbursement or tax deduction purposes. The app features auto-entry and autocalculation and saves frequent trips to reduce filing time, as well as quickly sorts and filters with customizable categories and reimbursement rates. Created keeping IRS compliance in mind, Mileage Log+ also compiles Excel-compatible email reports with PDF and CSV attachments. List Price: $9.99. Contact: Contrast, contrast.co.

In photography, between scouting, setting up equipment and working with natural light, timing is incredibly important. When you’re traveling in a new city, even more factors play into timing. The free Embark app for iPhone helps manage city navigation with step-by-step instructions so you can get to your location smoothly.

Using real-time information about late trains, closures and advisories, Embark gives you the best estimate as to when your train will arrive and what your schedule will look like. And Embark continues to work without an Internet or cellular connection while you’re underground in a metro system. Currently available for 10 transit systems, including Boston, Chicago, NYC, San Francisco

PROFOTO UMBRELLAS 12 MODELS. 2 SHAPES. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES. Available in 12 unique models and made with high-quality fabrics and surface-treated metallic elements, Profoto Umbrellas will provide a superior light for years to come.

Available in a deeper shape for photo-graphers who want a broader range of possibilities, and in shallower shape for those who value portability and ease-to-use.

For further information go to www.profoto.com/us/umbrellas

and Washington D.C., Embark is continuing to expand. Contact: Embark, letsembark.com.

Instead of single-image pseudo-HDR, bring true multi-image HDR photography to your smartphone. The Pro HDR app by eyeApps LLC expands your dynamic range with multiple image merging from the palm of your hand. Compatible with front and rear phone cameras, you can use auto-capture or manual mode for exposure, digital zoom, self-timer and flash. Edit the images by adjusting brightness, contrast and saturation, then save GPS and EXIF data. Compatible with iOS and Android devices.

List Price: $1.99. Contact: eyeApps LLC, www.eyeapps.com.

Profoto US 220 Park Avenue, Florham Park NJ 07932 PHONE (973) 822-1300, profoto.com/us

Akira Seo And The Fine Art Of Surfing

By Baldev Duggal

Photos courtesy of Duggal Visual Solutions

Visioneer’sGallery

Visioneer’sGallery

The Wave Sliding Club

Utter weightlessness, flying through the air, transcendental, mystical, magical, thrilling, enlightening—these are some of the ways those who seek their balance atop ocean waves express the euphoria of surfing in words. Surfing is more than a sport. It has come to define a subculture that’s synonymous with the spirit of soaring freedom. Born in Polynesia, within a century of its introduction in California, surfing has been embraced as a way of life by people around the world. The surf culture is much more than wave riding. It has had tremendous influence in shaping global fashion, language, lifestyle and music trends. Surfing has its beginnings in spiritual practices of the ancient Polynesians—a form of prayer through which they asked for protection from the ocean. The Hawaiians refer to surfing as he‘e nalu, which translates to “wave sliding.”

For non-surfers, this culture is both mysterious and awe-inspiring. The fearless and graceful glide of a surfer into the ocean, no matter how cold or

populated with sharks, and their thrilling ride on the perfect wave at speeds as high as 60 kilometers per hour, followed by the paddle back out, is a sight that epitomizes human freedom and union with one of the most untameable forces on our planet.

Surfing is a sport that’s played, or rather performed, by artists. It’s not simply a technical process, it requires a state of mind that sees different possibilities in every wave; it requires a faith in uncertainty and limitlessness, the skill and deftness of dancing, and the confidence of beautifully painted brushstrokes.

Photographer Akira Seo, who moved to the U.S. from Japan 15 years ago, recently opened his exhibition “Fish Out of Water” in New York with stunning portraits of surfers. As a surfer himself, Seo’s familiarity and intimacy with the surfing community enabled him to create portraits that allow people on the “outside” a glimpse into the otherworld of surfing. “At this exhibition, I wanted to

ABOVE: Akira Seo’s “Fish Out Of Water” photos printed with Duggal’s new HD printer.

30 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

express what is going on when the surfers are on the land. The ocean usually serves as the background for surfers. I chose the unrelated subject for the background intentionally, so the surfers’ expressions could tell what they feel,” says Seo. Choosing to print his dramatic black-and-white images on Duggal’s latest digital HD printer for its unprecedented image and tonal resolution, the images of surfers were mounted on gallery plexi boxes for installation at the Onishi Gallery.

Seo grew up in a small town by the seaside in Japan, so going to the beach and hanging out there with friends was a part of his lifestyle, and this is what made him into a surfer for life. In this exhibition, Seo presents images of surfers as they head toward the ocean’s infinite horizon and as they proudly stand on the shore embracing their ocean riding vehicles. The monochromatic images are both severe and gentle. The crisp lines and tangible textures of the natural settings contrast

© Frederico Martins

starkly with the tender human forms and curved shapes of the surfboards.

Some models pose with their boards in loyal partnership, and others stand united as if one being. Seo notes that these surfers love the water, love to surf and love the lifestyle it enables. They feel strong in their mastery of both land and sea, relating like fish to the water.

He presents beautiful portraits of these surfers to communicate what the surfers say they’d like others to see— strong, self-possessed, determined individuals who ride, with grace, the line between solid and fluid, restrained and free, powerful and vulnerable. On the

nomenal art of personal expression for those who have embraced it. Although the East Coast has a very long tradition of surfing, the weather makes it a more seasonal sport here than on the West Coast. Perhaps there’s a relationship after all between the experimental, radical nature of West Coast-born ideas to the culture of freedom and adventure that year-round surfing represents. For me, the most heartening part of Seo’s exhibition is the love for raw nature that’s communicated through each portrait. Each one of the surfers isn’t simply a sportsman; he’s at heart the guardian of the ocean. Kelly Slater, one of the

SHAPE SUNLIGHT WITH PROFOTO’S COLLAPSIBLE REFLECTORS The latest addition to our assortment of Light Shaping Tools is a powerful and cordless continuous light source – the sun.

Shape its light with one of ten collapsible reflectors, each equipped with two ergonomically shaped handles, to make them easy to hold and fold.

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For more information go to www.profoto.com/us

relationship between art and surfing, Seo states, “I think surfing on the wave is like painting on the canvas. Each surfer draws their own line by using their surfboard. They draw all different lines. Being a part of the wave and flowing with it…surfing is not only just a sport, but an artistic work. The models I shot were all very good artists, so I carefully chose the location for each one of them.”

To exhibit portraits of surfers heading out into the ocean for countless hours of joy and bliss is a gift to the people of New York City, a place that truly never sleeps. “I learned how to express myself from surfing,” Seo told me.

Surfing is truly an ideology and a phe-

most famous surfers of all time, states, “I think when a surfer becomes a surfer, it’s almost like an obligation to be an environmentalist at the same time.”

If the ancient Hawaiians surfed through the waves as a prayer for protection from the ocean, it’s encouraging to know that with the growing popularity of surfing and the growth of its culture around the world, we may now be surfing for the protection DPP of the oceans instead.

For more information on Duggal, visit www.duggal.com or check out the blog at www.duggal.com/connect and see their newest articles on the printing, photography and fine-art industries.

Profoto US 220 Park Avenue, Florham Park NJ 07932 PHONE (973) 822-1300, profoto.com/us

Hi-TechStudio

Hi-TechStudio

The Softbox

The essential light modifier for all genres of professional photography

By Ashley Myers-Turner

Softboxes create directional, diffuse, naturallooking light. The light quality might be compared to that of an overcast day, but using a softbox, you have control over the size, shape and direction of the light. Incredibly versatile, you can use a softbox as a key light, fill light or backlight. Their adaptability make them a favorite among professional photographers, from photojournalists who use small ones on a handheld flash to fashion and beauty shooters working on location to studio photographers shooting a perfume ad. A softbox should be in every photographer’s grip kit.

The basics of the design are simple.

The softbox attaches to a strobe or continuous light source. With four opaque sides made of fabric, the light bounces around the reflective inner lining, and it’s shaped and released out the oppo-

site side where a translucent piece of fabric spans the corners of the frame, creating the soft, even, diffuse light.

Most are roughly rectangular in shape, but several manufacturers also make octagonal models, which will create a more round catchlight.

The translucent fabric can be layered or traded out for various thicknesses, allowing the light to be customized for the space and subject. Accessories, such as grids, which limit light scatter, also add customized control, and you can use large gel sheets to color the light.

Size is one of the most important

TOP: LumiQuest SoftBox. ABOVE: Glow Hexapop R-series; Interfit Strip Pro Softbox.

32 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

factors in your softbox decision.

Ultimately, it’s the size of the light source (combined with its distance from the subject) that determines the hardness or softness of the light. For photographers shooting primarily headshots, detail fashion shots, small objects or children, softboxes around 24 inches or under usually will get the job done. Larger softboxes spread more light and can be moved farther away from the subject, giving you and the subject more room to work and move or for softer shadow transitions.

Large softboxes work well for fulllength portraits, as well as shots with many subjects.

Another important aspect to look for is the interior lining. Many softboxes have a standard white lining, while some are available with gold or silver interiors, or have the ability to swap between colors. Metallic interiors generally boost contrast and amplify your light output.

You also need to choose a diffuser that will match your light source.

Several factors may come into play. If you’re shooting video, you’ll need a

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continuous light source opposed to a strobe. But if you primarily shoot stills, you have more flexibility and your decision may be based on portability, cost of power output or the equipment you already have in your arsenal.

Here’s a sampling of what’s available.

The Chimera Mini Lightbank softbox measures 12x16 inches and can be used with your on-camera strobe while mounted to a light stand. With white or silver interiors and a sewn-in

front screen, it comes with a carry sack for complete portability. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Overhead Modular F2X Lightbank with a silver interior uses bare-tube strobes for lighting large spaces and objects, such as cars. Designed with no-tool quick assembly in mind, the F2X comes with 60-inch duffle cases for mobility.

For a mid-range softbox, the unique OctaPlus 57 Lightbank provides variable sizes as it can convert from

Light Once. Shoot Twice.

Jokers deliver ficker-free daylight to capture both stills and video on the same set, at the same time. They work just like a fash head. Their light shapers are incredible, and Jokers adapt to most of the refectors you’re using today.

Jokers are in rental across North America:

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34 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

5 to 7 feet. With a silver interior, it’s compatible with most strobes and continuous lights up to 1200W. www.chimeralighting.com The Glow R-series provides a variety of standard softbox sizes for both studio and location work, ranging from the 20-inch Hexapop to the 24x36inch Rectangle to the 71-inch Grand Softbox. All modifiers are heat-resistant and designed from durable gridded fabric lining. www.adorama.com For the mobile photographer who needs a very small softbox, LumiQuest has created softbox accessories for your on-camera strobe. The LumiQuest SoftBox (5x7 inches), LumiQuest SoftBox III (8x9 inches) and LumiQuest Mini SoftBox (3.25x4.5 inches) fold down to fit inside the laptop/tablet pocket of your bag, but quickly unfold and attach to your strobe with Velcro® or the optional UltraStrap. An extra diffuser section in the center reduces the flash hot spot to produce even, soft light.

The LumiQuest SoftBox has a bottom notch so that it doesn’t interfere with the AF or triggering functionality of the strobe. www.lumiquest.com Just as important as size is the shape of the softbox, which dictates the shape of the light. Square and rectangular softboxes are often used for product shots and fashion photography.

Compared to octaboxes, rectangles have a shorter depth and can be positioned into tight spaces more easily.

Interfit provides a wide range of rectangular sizes, from a 24x24-inch square to a 55x79-inch rectangle. With

flexible aluminum rods and specially treated heat-resistant fabrics, the boxes are made for durable, wide-range use. www.interfitphotographic.com Octaboxes are most often used for fashion photography, as they provide a large, full-length coverage area, as well as a circular catchlight in the eyes.

Along with rectangular softbox options, Fotodiox provides the Fotodiox Pro 36-, 48-, 60- and 70-inch Octagon. The interior dome features pro-grade omni-bounce silver fabric and includes a white baffle for softer lighting. The rotating speed ring can

be used with other shaped softboxes, as well. www.fotodioxpro.com Along with traditional softbox shapes, Dynalite offers the unique 16sided Grand Softbox. Made from Rimelite grid fabric, itÕs UV-coated and waterproof, providing color consistency, fade resistance and easy clean-up. The parabolic shape of the softbox sculpts the light all the way around the subject and provides a natural round catchlight for the eye. The

Grand Softbox comes in sizes from 35 to 91 inches and can be used with lights up to 650W. www.dynalite.com The strip softbox has a narrow rectangular shape, allowing light to carve out edges and provide contrast to highlight a particular area of the frame.

Bowens offers the Lumiair Strip 100 (29.5x15 inches) and Lumiair Strip 140 (55x15 inches). The reflective interior is color-calibrated and the box design (Cont’d on page 95)

Giottos: Aegis LCD Pro Screen Protectors.

Schott German optical glass. 0.5mm thick ± 0.05mm.Light transmission: 98%.

Resists 4KG pressure per square CM. 12 layer multicoating protects against scratches. Nano coatings repel moisture, dust, fingerprints.

Giottos: MH621 Quick Release. 2 bubble levels. Sliding plate w/safety lock button. Adjustable locking lever. Dual rubber pads. 1/4 & 3/8" slotted camera screws w/lift-up handle for easy mounting. Video pin.

1/4 & 3/8" threaded mounting holes. Side of base has threaded mounting holes to store extra screws.

Mounting plate 3.54 x 1.96 x 0.59", weight 3.52 oz.

Linhof: Techno Digital/RollFilm field camera system.

Made in Germany.

Gepe: Pro Lightstands.

Anodized black aluminum.

5/8" top stud with 1/4" thread. Models have various leg spreads, min/max heights, capacities, weights.

Rodenstock: Vario ND Filters. Calibrated in actual F stops 1.5 to 5. 12 layer multicoated. Extremely smooth rotation. Anodized aluminum mount.

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Giottos: MH1300-657 ballhead with QR. Arca compatible. 2 levels.

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LEFT: Fotodiox Pro Softbox, 36-inch Octagon; TOP: Westcott Pro 18x42-inch Bruce Dorn Asymmetrical Stripbank; ABOVE: Profoto Softbox RFi 3-inch Octa (90cm).

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800/735-4373 hpmarketingcorp.com digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 I 35

(R)evolution

(R)evolution

Photoshop Blur Filters, Part 2

How to use Smart Filters, Blur Tools and Blur Effects to control blur in your images

1)

This is the second of a two-part column about creative blur techniques. Inducing blur in a sharp photo seems counterintuitive, but it’s incredibly useful for guiding the viewer and eliminating distractions. There are several powerful digital tools that help you manage blur with precision. In this column, we >> More On The Web explore Photoshop’s Smart John Paul Caponigro’s Filters, Blur Tools and in-depth instructionals on image-processing and Blur Effects.

Smart Filters

printing techniques are available as an extensive archive online at digitalphotopro.com/ technique/revolution.

Smart Filters allow you to change the settings of filter effects in Photoshop at anytime, providing a significantly more flexible nondestructive file structure. Smart Filters can only be applied to Smart Objects. Convert a rasterized layer or group of layers to a Smart Object by highlighting it/them and going to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert To Smart Object.

1) Radial Blur 2) Surface Blur 3) Lens Blur

36 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

You can do many things with Smart Filters—switch them on or off, change their Opacity or Blend mode, mask them or combine multiple filter effects (you only get one mask for all

By John Paul Caponigro

2)

3)

Gemini by Bowens

Step up to consistent color stability and precision lighting control. With unmatched durability, Bowens has been a premier lighting brand for over 50 years.

Gemini is available in six models, from 400Ws to 1500Ws. Choose AC power or optional battery pack for the most versatile flash lighting system available today.

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(R)EVOLUTION of the Smart Filters applied to one Smart Object); using Layer Blend If sliders isn’t one of them.

Use Smart Filters sparingly, as the price you’ll pay for this flexibility is a significant increase in file size, as much as four times, which slows processing and saving time— but don’t write them off because of this.

Blur Tools filters— Tilt-Shift, Field Blur, Iris Blur—offer simplified interfaces, easier filter setting selectivity (though limited to hexagonal iris shapes), stronger intensity and faster performance than the Lens Blur filter. Not only can these filters be easily applied as Smart Filters, but they’re best applied as Smart Filters; apply one filter, and two new palettes will appear, Blur Tools and Blur Effects, which can be further adjusted in the future if the effects are applied as Smart Filters.

The Blur Tools palette allows you to activate one, two or all three of these filters and adjust the sliders that control each effect. The Blur Effects palette offers three sliders: Light Bokeh (this slider brightens bokeh effects), Bokeh Color (this slider increases the saturation of affected areas) and Light Range (this slider adjusts the range of levels affected, allowing you to target effects into shadows, midtones or highlights—more effectively than Lens Blur’s Threshold slider—and it intensifies the tonal range between the sliders, producing a more realistic effect).

Sooner or later, you’ll wonder how applying a filter selectively through 4) Field Blur 5) Iris Blur 6) Tilt-Shift

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(R)EVOLUTION its controls is different than applying a filter to a duplicate layer uniformly and then adding a mask. Sliders that provide selective application of an effect offer variable intensity, blurring an area more or less, while a layer mask selectively reduces the opacity of a uniform effect revealing the focused image below. The effect produced by these two methods can be significantly different.

It’s the type of selectivity, not the quality of the blur, that differentiates the Blur Tools filters from one another. Field Blur produces an overall effect. Iris Blur adds selectivity through a radial gradient. TiltShift adds selectivity through a reflected gradient.

Each filter has a blur ring. The central point controls the position of the effect; the outer ring dynamically adjusts the Blur slider. Pins can be used to place additional blur rings with overlapping fields of influence that will feather into one another gradually, making it easy to apply different filter settings to different image areas.

Radial Blur surrounds each blur ring with a second larger double ring.

The outer line can be used to adjust the size of the blur field, and it has one square radius roundness knob that makes the field rounder or squarer, and four outer ellipse points to adjust the shape and angle of the radius field. Between the outer line and the center double ring are four inner ellipse points that control the gradient effect between the center and the outer ring; dragging one point will move them all equally unless you hold the Shift and Option/Alt keys to control a single point.

Tilt-Shift adds a reflected gradient with two solid center lines that define a region of clarity between them (the center points on them control rotation) and two dotted outer lines that control the gradation of that region of clarity into blurred areas.

You can easily combine Iris and (Cont’d on page 93)

40 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Influenced by graphic novels and science-fiction movies, Howard Huangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vibrant urban fashion and celebrity work is turning heads from here to China

By Mark Edward Harris Photography By Howard Huang

42 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Portfolio digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 I 43

(T

aiwan-born, Hawaiian-raised, New York-based Howard Huang considers himself an urban fashion/celebrity photographer. Comics and Japanese anime are building blocks for the fantasy sets he creates for musicians, models and actors, from Lil Wayne and Jacki-O to Ice-T and Nicki Minaj. Huang often composites photographs to achieve his inner vision or an art director’s storyboard idea.

Huang creates color-bursting magazine features for publications ranging from VIBE and Billboard to Maxim 44 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

and The New Yorker. His corporate clients include Panasonic, Nintendo and Verizon. His book Urban Girls, published by Taschen, shows off his work in the niche market of AfricanAmerican and Latina bikini models, collectively known as “urban girls.”

DPP: Where do the ideas come from for your vibrant, high-energy setups?

Howard Huang: I grew up in Taiwan and was fascinated with comic books and anime, so a lot of the ideas come from that. As I got older, sci-fi films like Star Wars, Blade Runner and such also had an influence

on me. While most little boys wanted to be a fireman or an astronaut when they grew up, I wanted to be a graphic novel artist or a hit man.

DPP: A hit man?

Huang: Action films and comic books portrayed hit men in black suits or trench coats with sunglasses and guns. I think I was more into becoming an Armani hit man with a flair for fashion. Maybe I should say that I wanted to look cool and feel like a superhero. I was never a bad boy. I grew up in a very normal middle-class Chinese family. If anything, I was the

bad ass among nerds. I never thought I would be a photographer.

DPP: How did your evolution into photography develop?

Huang: I actually wanted to be a fine artist when I was in high school, you know, the kind that smokes and drinks at a café all day, has an attic studio in Paris and paints beautiful women for a living. That was, of course, an unrealistic fantasy to my Chinese parents at that time. So the middle ground of what my parents thought was good for me—going to school and majoring in business versus my fantasy of being a fine artist—was

that I learn graphic design as a real job skill to prevent me from ending up on the streets. My design courses led me to discover photography. Once I did, I was hooked.

DPP: What was it about photography that attracted you?

Huang: In my first basic photography classes at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, I discovered that the actual process of photography amazed me. It’s like magic when you first see your image coming up in the developer in the darkroom.

Though I’ve gone over to digital, that feeling of magic has never left me.

Words like gritty, graphic, action-packed, moody, sexy and mesmerizing can all be used to describe Howard Huang’s style.

OPENING SPREAD: Huang has worked extensively with hip-hop diva Nicki Minaj, and their collaboration has contributed to her extraordinary talent for inventing multiple identities.

ABOVE: Busta Rhymes on Wall Street.

RIGHT: One of the images from Huang’s 2012 Leila Shams Lookbook shoot.

I

Digital imaging technology has evolved to the point where we can now do it all better and faster, exerting much more control over each individual aspect of the finished work than we could in a traditional darkroom. I like to be able to produce the entire process from start to finish. I use digital manipulation and composite work to enhance my inner vision, but I rework an image in Photoshop in a way that the treatment isn’t obvious.

DPP: How did your style evolve?

Huang: Since I came from a traditional darkroom background, this whole new computer graphic thing opened up brand-new possibilities for me. Even in the traditional wet darkroom, where I would spend hours developing and printing, I was drawn to alternative processes like crossprocessing, cyanotypes and Polaroid transfers. While in college, I would experiment with different backgrounds and combine them with the model I photographed using Photoshop. I created mostly alien fantasy types of images. After college, I kept on experimenting while I was a digital assistant for photographer Michel Tcherevkoff in New York.

DPP: When you went out on your own, you became known as a master of photographing urban girls. Why the fascination?

Huang: I didn’t choose to be in this niche market. It kind of just happened for me. I wanted to do fantasy-themed shoots with agency models for fashion, but it turned out the urban fans love my vibrant color and style. I started to shoot for XXL Magazine, and one magazine feature led to another. I was 46 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Born in Taipei, raised in Hawaii and now based in New York, Huang worked with commercial photography legend Michel Tcherevkoff. His digital skills are honed to a fine edge, but Huang cut his teeth in a film darkroom. Regardless of the process, Huang creates a narrative in his mind when he’s conceptualizing a shot, and he’s always striving to make work with an emotional impact. ABOVE: Part of a recent fashion shoot in Shanghai, China. NEXT PAGE: Rapper Flo Rida photographed in a meat locker.

soon doing photo shoots with urban girls on a regular basis. Years later, Taschen saw my work and decided to publish my body of work in a coffeetable book called Urban Girls, featuring African-American and Latina women with nice curves. I had the pleasure of working with hundreds of sexy women, most of the time getting to execute my vision. Hey, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t complain about that.

DPP: How would you describe your style?

Huang: I have a taste for the dramatic, and I often see photography as a still frame of a movie. I love action and a single frozen moment of time that engages you.

DPP: Tell us about your experiences working with rapper, singer, songwriter and actress Nicki Minaj. Do you suggest ideas to her, or does she come in with her own ideas, or is it always collaboration? Your photographs are able to capture and cultivate her multiple identities.

Huang: I started working with Nicki a few years ago before she was internationally known. From the first time I met her, I felt that she was going to be a big star. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only talented, but she has a big presence and a very exhilarating attitude on set.

We hit it off right away. I presented my ideas to her and she loved them and totally went into character. Nicki is still the same creative eccentric artist even after her album Pink Friday dropped and she made a big name for herself. The difference is, now the sets have become more elaborate and she has more ideas of her own. But we just play like we always do. We have a great collaboration. To me, photography is to create a fantasy in a still frame, and her multiple identities fit perfectly into this approach. Both Nicki and I believe that photographs with a story behind them are the most >> More On The Web interesting kind of image.

Visit the Profiles tab of our website at www.digital DPP: What equipment do you photopro.com for more exciting imagery from work with? world-famous celebrity and Huang: The Hasselblad H2 with fashion photographers. the Leaf Aptus back or a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, depending on the job. digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 I 47

I have a bunch of cameras like any photographer, and the camera I use the most is my iPhone. We had a beautiful girl last year, and I’ve been trigger-happy with my phone’s camera. She has her own Facebook page, and I Instagram almost daily.

Someone said the best camera is the one you have on you at the time. It’s so true.

DPP: Between the medium-format and the 35mm, when do you go with one system over the other?

Huang: Whenever I’m in the studio, I try to use my medium-format camera with the Leaf back. But when I

missed the moment with a 100megapixel back, you might own an amazing piece of equipment, but you still missed the shot.

DPP: What’s your typical lighting setup?

Huang: I try to match my background light when I do the compositing work, so I usually shoot it first and then match the lighting in-studio with the model. I often use grids to control the light and create contrast.

Sometimes I use a ringlight flash set to a low power setting to catch a little shine on the skin, especially with darker-skinned models. I often have a

near Fast Ashleys Studio, so I often rent there. And there are a lot of other studios in my neighborhood, too. If the client wants to be in Manhattan, then there are, of course, even more options. I recently shot in China, and it’s all Broncolor there. I liked using them, too.

DPP: How are you able to get such vibrant colors in your work?

Huang: I’m using some gels, and I’m doing some post work to add some colors to my liking.

DPP: Do you still retouch and composite all your own photos?

Huang: Yes, mostly. But now I have

need fast focus or I’m shooting in low light on location, I use my Canon. The thing is, I shoot fast. That’s one trick when photographing celebrities. They don’t have much time. The faster you do a great job, the better. That’s why I originally chose the Leaf over the Phase One because of the capture rate.

But I’ve yet to test the new Phase One IQ2 and the Leaf Credo side by side. I usually will choose the fastest capture rate over the largest sensor. If you 48 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

top light and backlight. I own a bunch of Dynalites, which I’ve been using since school. They’re small and easy to transport. I also have some Profoto 7Bs that I use on location. I usually rent all Profotos when I shoot on location or in other studios, especially when I need fast recycle times and short flash durations. I have a live/work loft in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s not too big, but good enough to do the small shoots. I’m

assistants to do some of the cleanup work, and I do all the compositing and finishing touches on them. It’s hard to tell people how I want a certain contrast—darker here, a little lighter there—as well as positioning and blending composites just right. It’s a long process, but it’s like painting, so I do enjoy it.

DPP See more of Howard Huang’s photography at www.howardhuang.com.

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Tell Me What You Want Me To Do

In his photography of Hollywood’s A-list, Art Streiber coaxes the artists into performing for his camera

By Mark Edward Harris LL Photography By Art Streiber

50 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

F)

or the past two decades, Los Angeles-based photographer Art Streiber has been documenting the who’s who of Hollywood and beyond, with his portrait and entertainment photography gracing the covers and inside

pages of magazines from Vanity Fair, Esquire and Entertainment Weekly, to Wired, Fortune and Rolling Stone.

He has also put his camera to work for many of the major television networks and flm studios. Streiber’s clean graphic aesthetic, technical prowess,

Portfolio professional demeanor and mental acuity bring a sense of calmness and confdence to the often frenetic handler-handheld world of “Hollywood.”

The son of a banker might well have inherited the traits that have given his career such a solid foundation.

The trust built upon years of successful pressure-packed assignments helps Streiber push through barriers that can impede a creative shoot.

DPP: You often work with groups of celebrities such as the stars of Last Vegas—Robert DeNiro, Michael

Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline—for AARP Magazine. How did you approach putting these megastars into a single frame?

Art Streiber: There are a number of technological and aesthetic hurdles to overcome when photographing any digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 51

Tell Me What You Want Me To Do

group and certainly when you’re photographing a group of celebrities. The cast of Last Vegas shoot was in New York, and we had very limited time with our subjects because they’re all very well known and overscheduled. The hurdles start with coming up with an idea and a setting in which we’re going to place these people. So I brainstorm with the client and my set designer and come up with a look, a feeling and an aesthetic.

With the cast of Last Vegas, we opted for classic tuxedos in terms of wardrobe and fnally landed on the idea of photographing them in a bar. We were inspired by the Slim Aarons photo of Clark Gable, Van Hefin, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart. The idea was to really get these guys to hang out. My set designer had to fnd, build and stock a bar in the Pier

tional sets, one with a white background and the other with a blue background.

With the four A-list actors shooting on three sets, our total time with them was an hour. We got into the studio at 8 a.m. to build and light the sets so everything was nailed down and we could move from one set to another when the actors were ready at 6 p.m. If we have a limited budget, that might mean moving power packs between sets.

DPP: How do you make the shot dynamic with the group in front of you?

Streiber: It’s my job not only to coordinate every one of the subjects in front of me, but to make sure that it comes together cohesively—to make sure that it feels like an organic group. I don’t want my group photos to feel like I’m photographing a football or soccer team,

“I’m looking for the group to have a dynamic, for the group to rise and fall and have depth so that your eye keeps traveling through the frame.”

59 Studio in Manhattan, and then my crew and I had to light the bar to make it look as legitimate as possible. I’m always interested in a lighting look that’s appropriate and natural-looking unless I’m going for something very aggressive. In addition to the bar set, we had to do a cover, so we created two addi52 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

lining them up shoulder to shoulder.

I’m looking for the group to have a dynamic, for the group to rise and fall and have depth so that your eye keeps traveling through the frame. I’m charged with following the performance of every single person in the group and looking at everybody individually, as

Opening spread: art streiber’s extraordinary ensemble photography is on full display in this photo of the cast of Arrested Development. streiber is meticulous in his construction and execution of these photos.

He frequently creates groups within the group to focus the viewer, as well as the subjects themselves. abOve: streiber also likes to create photos that evoke a particular era as in this photo of bryan Cranston. rigHt: streiber’s ability to make particularly whimsical images is on display in this photo of seth rogan re-creating the famous scene in the Hitchcock flm North

by Northwest.

well as the group in its entirety. That’s a specialty that I’ve developed over the years by studying what works and doesn’t work in my pictures and the pictures of others—fguring out that in order to make a group really work, you have to break it up into smaller groups.

DPP: So, let’s say you had 11 people....

Streiber: I’m going to probably break that group up into a 3-5-3, 2-4-5 or 2-4-3-2 combination, turning people’s shoulders into each other or away from

each other so that there appears to be smaller groups within the group.

DPP: How much are you directing your subjects?

Streiber: I came from photojournalism. The premise in photojournalism is that you’re a fy on the wall.

You don’t engage with your subjects.

You’re a witness. You’re not affecting the outcome of the event in front of you. You’re just there to document. As I got more and more into portraiture,

especially celebrity portraiture, I had to grapple with the fact that I was directing people. Once your subject gets in front of you, they’re expecting your help and your direction. In my experience, nobody really enjoys having their picture taken except for models. I liken it to dentistry. It’s something you have to and should do every year. I try and make it as easy as possible.

I’ve really come to appreciate that actors want direction. I hear a lot, “Tell

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 53

me what you want me to do.” When they’re on stage or in front of the motion-picture camera, they’re being directed. They’re inhabiting a role, they have lines to project, they have blocking, they have an emotion to convey.

In the absence of that in front of the still camera, oftentimes they’re lost or insecure. So it’s my job to take them through a role, give them motivation, give them something to do, give them something to think about in order to elicit a great performance, even if it’s in front of the still camera.

DPP: How did you create your wellknown Paramount anniversary photo?

Did you feel the pressure of having so many major names in a single shot?

Streiber: The Paramount 100th anniversary photo was an incredible high point in my career, and it was absolutely daunting. In order to tackle a shoot that big, I break it down into bite-sized pieces. “Where are we going to shoot?

What’s the set going to look like? How are we going to light it? How are we going to arrange all these people?” I rely on an incredible team of professionals—my photo assistants, my set designer, my producer, my digital tech.

With this particular shoot, we also had the set builders, gaffers and electricians at Paramount at our disposal. So we were able to come up with an outrageous lighting scheme.

The grip department and the light-

ing department at Paramount built us trusses onto which we could hang our lights. We were on Stage 18 at Paramount, and that shot is lit with 56 Profoto heads, all with P50 Magnum dishes with grids aimed at specifc sections of the set instead of trying to go very, very big and soft. The idea was that we were going to build ourselves a stage and we were going to light it like a stage.

The stage itself was built over the course of three weeks. We shot on a Friday, got in on Monday and lit for 2½ days, then we dressed-rehearsed with stand-ins, all the while, my set designer Rick Floyd working side by side with Paramount executives, including the chairman of the studio Brad Grey, trying to fgure

Tell Me What You Want Me To Do

This spread, Top: The stars of Last Vegas were photographed on a compressed schedule. streiber had about one hour with the actors, and he had to work with them on three different sets. The concept for this photo came from a slim aarons photo of Clark Gable, Van hefin, Gary Cooper and Jimmy stewart. LefT: streiberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sense of humor can be seen in this photo of the Monty python ensemble. aboVe: Justin bieber in a photo that exemplifes the immortality of fame. NexT paGe: beyond work for major L.a. and New York entertainment studios, streiber has a special appreciation for doing magazine editorial work like this image of Zynga founder Mark pincus, which was shot for Fast Company.

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 55

out where everybody was going to go.

When it fnally came down to the big day itself, it took about 25 minutes to load all of these A-list actors, actresses and directors into the set, but we only shot for 5 minutes and 50 seconds. Once Rick had gotten everybody into position, we photographed the stage in three sections. I panned my Hasselblad H3 with the IQ160 back and a 150mm lens left, middle, right, left, middle, right.

When we had test-driven this, we realized that asking someone to sit still or stand still for much more than fve minutes was asking a lot. We really didn’t need to shoot in excess of 20 frames per each section with tiny adjustments of body positions on a couple of people.

DPP: How did you feel behind the camera, with 116 of the who’s who of Hollywood in front of your lens?

Streiber: I was nervous approaching the shoot, but I really wasn’t overwhelmed. By the time we got to the day of the shoot, everything was nailed 56 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

down. We had done our job. I realized that it was of staggering historical importance assembling this many actors, actresses and directors in one place, but it really wasn’t until they walked in the door that it really hit me. They came in without their managers, publicists, agents and assistants, so everywhere you looked there was a famous face.

That was kind of intimidating. But it turns out after talking with a number of them before and after the shoot that they were more nervous than I was.

Individually, for the most part, these people are fans of the other people in the image just like we are. A number of them were starstruck by their contemporaries or older actors or directors and couldn’t believe they were there.

Charlize Theron said to me, “Oh, my God, I got to put my hand on Harrison Ford’s shoulder.” We assume all these people know each other and live together in a gated community at the top of the Hollywood Hills, but the reality

is, most of them don’t know each other.

I remember right before the shoot started, I was making my way up to where my tripod was and Leonardo DiCaprio was just standing, staring at the stage with his arms crossed. I said, “Hey, Leo, I’m Art, I’m the photographer. We worked together a couple of weeks ago for The Hollywood Reporter.”

He kept staring at the stage and said, “This is monumental.” When DiCaprio said that about the project we were about to undertake, that really hit home.

DPP: What’s your approach to working with celebrities and entertainment people who can be very ego-driven?

Streiber: For the most part, the way I deal with people who the public feels have big egos or that get fawned over all the time is that I treat them as equals or I act like the director. I never say, “Oh, my God, it’s an honor to meet you. I love your work.” Maybe at the end of the shoot, I’ll say something (Cont’d on page 92)

With an eye for creating austere projects, Maria Burns shows that you can make a tremendous impact with the simplest of ideas Thanks to generous prizes from RED, Zeiss and Adobe, our 7th Annual Emerging Pro Contest was a huge success. The contest was groundbreaking. It was the first time we’ve run the Emerging Pro with our sister publication HDVideoPro magazine, and it was the first time we’ve invited participants to submit either a series of still photographs or a short film. As more DPP readers experiment with motion capture, we were particularly excited to see such a strong group of motion submissions.

58 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

The contest was conducted in two phases. First, we had an open call for submissions. From that group, we selected the top projects, both still and motion, to create our group of 10 Finalists. Each of them received a RED camera outfit with which they were tasked with shooting a new project. The timeline was very tight, so the Finalists had to be efficient and work under an inflexible deadline. From the 10 Finalists’ projects, Maria Burns’ film, Onus, was chosen as the winner.

Burns’ submission to the contest’s first phase was Tendance Brute, a stark short film that explores a human transformation as the subject evolves into a determined, elegant woman. Onus is an examination of the female psyche and the inner contradictions the protagonist confronts. Both are austere films, featuring dynamic movement, jarring jump cuts and a wellmatched soundtrack. Burns’ distinctive style and use of the simplest of sets let the performances come through in both films.

FILMMAKER: Maria Burns

PROJECT: Tendance Brute

FILMMAKER: Maria Burns

PROJECT: Onus

Simplicity seems to be the guiding principle behind Maria Burns’ conceptual filmmaking style. Simple doesn’t mean plain or dull. She uses the full frame to create tension where it’s warranted, and the occasional superimposition of two images is the most elaborate her VFX work seems to be. New filmmakers should take note of the way Burns crafted her compelling two films, Tendance Brute and Onus, each of which was just a few minutes in length and that took place on single sets.

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 I 59

Maria Burns

PROJECT: Onus

Maria Burns

PROJECT: Tendance Brute

Maria Burns

PROJECT: Onus

Maria Burns

PROJECT: Tendance Brute

Maria Burns

PROJECT: Onus

Maria Burns

PROJECT: Tendance Brute

Maria Burnsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; style is easily identifiable in these side-by-side frame grabs from Tendance Brute and Onus. Burns uses the human form, both static and in motion, to convey emotion and transformation. The films are confined in scope, and the sets themselves are reminiscent of experimental dance productions. Nothing is extraneous, and everything in the frame, from wardrobe to props, has been meticulously selected.

60 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Fig. 1

DEFAULTS: A Double-Edg The pros and cons of using Develop defaults in Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw Whenever you import new photos into Lightroom, they always come in with the same basic set of settings. Every control is generally set to zero, with a few notable exceptions, such as the controls in the Detail panel.

And these default settings seem to be the same for every camera. But did you ever wish that you could change that?

At their most basic level, customizing your Lightroom and Camera Raw defaults is child’s play. For instance, if you want your photos to come in with a bit more Contrast or Vibrance, setting that up as a Develop default is easy.

62 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Here are the steps to create a simple Develop default in Lightroom. (Note that Lightroom and Camera Raw share Develop defaults, so they can be set up with either processor. We’ll use Lightroom in these examples.) >> Start with one photo selected in Develop from the camera that you want to create a new default for. Each camera model that you use will have its own defaults, so this is important. >> Fig. 1. Click the Reset button to make sure you’re starting with the defaults. Or, better yet, shift-click

Text & Photography By George Jardine

the Reset button to start with the Adobe defaults. >> Fig. 2. In the Develop panels, set any new defaults you want for that camera, for example, +10 on the Vibrance control. >> Fig. 3. Choose Set Default Settings from the Develop menu. Notice in the Set Default Develop Settings dialog that it clearly shows you the camera model you’re about to create a default for. >> Fig. 4. Click Update to Current Settings, and you’re done.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

ed Sword So the process is very straightforward, and you now have new default Develop settings for that camera. But when you dig into it just a little deeper, you start to find out that Lightroom and Camera Raw defaults can be a lot more powerful—and complicated— than they appear on the surface. This is because of two preferences that govern how defaults behave. One will make defaults specific to a given camera serial number, and the other will make defaults specific to the ISO setting.

These two preferences make De-

same computer, such as at a newspaper or in a school computer lab. In these cases, there are almost always photographers with more than one of each of the popular camera models. By turning on the preference to make defaults The Pros specific to the camera serial number, First, Develop defaults are user- and each photographer with a Nikon D3, machine-specific, which means they for instance, will have his or her own will apply to any Lightroom catalog Develop defaults (Fig. 5). that’s opened, or any RAW photo that’s opened using Camera Raw, under one Second, the option to make defaults user account, on any given computer. specific to the camera ISO setting is This can be useful for any facility particularly useful for photographers where several photographers share the who do a lot of shooting at high ISO digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 63

velop defaults a lot more powerful, but with power comes responsibility, right? So, in each case, there are pros and cons to using the preferences.

Fig. 5

Fig. 6a

Fig. 6b

Fig. 7

settings. By default, Lightroom applies the same amount of sharpening and noise reduction to every photo imported. Many photographers may want to customize that default noise reduction for one or more ISOs, and this preference gives you that capability.

When you turn on these two preferences and start with a RAW fle, the Set Default Develop Settings dialog adds that very specifc information, telling you precisely what default you’re about to create.

Figs. 6a & 6b: Here, Lightroom is about to create a default for RAW fles coming from just one Canon EOS 5D Mark III serial number and only at ISO 1600. Photos from any other 5D Mark III or shot at any other ISO won’t be affected. (Note: JPEGs get their own default.)

This means you can make as many Develop defaults as you want and clearly gives you a great degree of control over very specifc camera settings.

But as you may be starting to guess, it also has its drawbacks.

The Cons

We’re back to that thing about how Develop defaults are user- and 64 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

machine-specifc. This means they don’t travel with your catalog. These days, more and more photographers are taking their entire catalog with them on an external hard drive when they go on location, especially now that we have the new Smart Previews feature in Lightroom 5. So if you move your catalog around from machine to machine, you’re either going to have to manage without your defaults or fgure out a way to take them with you.

With the ISO-specifc default preference, it’s either all or none. So once you turn on this preference, each ISO can have its own specifc preference, which is great, if you want to do something like set different amounts of noise reduction for a few specifc ISOs. But what happens when you want to have your cake and eat it, too? Once you turn on this preference, if you then want to make every photo you shoot with your 5D Mark III have slightly more Vibrance or any other setting for that matter, you have to build that into a new default for every single ISO that you use!

There’s no user interface for the defaults mechanism! This essentially means that you have no visibility into what defaults might currently exist on your system, or what settings they might be applying to any given import!

Any default that you create is simply stored as an XMP fle in the Defaults folder for the current user (Fig. 7).

The path to the Defaults folder on the Macintosh is: Users/<user name>/ Library/Application Support/Adobe/ Camera Raw/Defaults/.

The Windows path is: C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\ Camera Raw\Defaults\ .

It’s for this reason that I always recommend using the shift-click Reset routine before you create any new Develop default. Doing so will ensure that you’re always starting from the true Adobe defaults and not a default that may have been set up previously by you or anyone else using your computer. DPP Go to mulita.com to fnd George Jardine’s tutorials on Lightroom and his blog.

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The service is frequently scoffed at by professional photographers, but it can be a boon for your business

By Jim Goldstein

Make

Among professional photographers, Instagram may be one of the most reviled photography websites today, but its success is a reminder that we need to remain open-minded to succeed in our quickly evolving market. Looking past the novelty of photo flters and a square format, Instagram has flled a large hole—easy publishing and distribution of images via the mobile web. Five years ago, it would have been tough to imagine that mobile photography publishing would be as hot as it is today, but Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, who 66 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Insta

founded the company in 2010, saw the opportunity. Its launch was perfectly timed to ride the wave of interest in mobile digital photography and mobile applications. Now sharing mobile and DSLR images via smartphones and tablets has become the norm, raising the question, “How can pro photographers get the most out of this new medium?”

Expanded Opportunity Instagram’s meteoric rise has helped expand and rejuvenate interest in pho-

tography with new and experienced photographers alike. Now with a camera in most mobile devices, the opportunity exists for everyone to take and share imagery. This population of new photographers is hungry to learn and follow the inspiring work of others.

Even amongst existing photographers, mobile photography has created a new space for experimentation and discussion. The core of Instagram, which has helped it become one of the most successful apps of all time,

Use Of

gram is that it makes communication between fans and followers incredibly easy and accessible.

Mobile Trends To get a feel for how drastically the winds are changing when it comes to web-browsing behavior online, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a step back to expand our view.

As of November 5, 2013, Walker Sands, a public-relations frm, released a report showing that 28% of all their clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; traffc now comes from smart-

phones and tablets. In a parallel fashion, my photography website and blog, JMG-Galleries.com, also received 28% of its traffc from mobile users in 2013.

Each year for the past fve years, the percentage of my website visitors coming from mobile devices has doubled.

Mobile activity is trending higher at an incredibly fast rate, and you can bet that where trends go with social media/ photo-sharing sites like Instagram, your site will be sure to follow. As it stands, every day Instagram is adding

Without debating the ways one can apply flters or HDR effects with Instagram, the service provides professional photographers with an excellent tool for self-promotion. Pros like Jimmy Chin, David Sanger, Clark Little and Jim Goldstein, who wrote this article, have attracted thousands of followers.

Their names and images are constantly in circulation. With so many photographers clamoring for attention, using Instagram effectively can lead directly to your bottom line.

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 67

6 Instagram Pro Tips

Follow us on Twitter and stay updated on the latest trends in digital photography and technology.

1

Consistent User Name. Make sure your user name is consistent with that of your other social-media accounts. This will make it easier for people to recognize you as they join Instagram.

2

Use Hashtags. Employ both generic hashtags as you might with keywords, but also take advantage of unique self-branded terms that make it easy for people to see a set of images, especially if theyÕre added over extended lengths of time.

Utilize Geolocation. This is a fast way to introduce your work to others who enjoy similar subjects or events.

3

Engage With Fans. Don’t just reply to comments on your photos, but engage with your fans and followers to build rapport.

4 twitter.com/digitalphotopro

5

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP

6

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) 1. Title of Publication: DIGITAL PHOTO PRO; 2. Publication No. 1545-8520 3. Filing Date: September 17, 2013; 4. Issue Frequency: Bi-Monthly Except Monthly in Nov & Dec; 5. No. of issues published annually: 7; 6. Annual Subscription Price: $24.97; 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 900251176 Contact: Liz Engel, Telephone: (310) 820-1500; 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176; 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher, Steven D. Werner, 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176; Editor, Christopher Robinson, 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176; Managing Editor: Wesley Pitts, 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176; 10.

Owner: Werner Publishing Corporation, 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176; Steven D. Werner, 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176; Lynne D. Irvine, 12121 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025-1176; 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None; 12.

Does not apply; 13. Publication Name: DIGITAL PHOTO PRO; 14. Issue Date For Circulation Data Below: Sept/Oct 2013; 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation:; A. Total no. copies (net press run): Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 75,368; Actual No. Copies Single Issue published nearest to filing date: 77,737; B. Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 1. Paid/requested outside-county mail subscriptions stated on form 3541: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 26,058; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 25,629 2. Paid in-county subscriptions: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 0; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 0 3. Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sales: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 10,506; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 11,950 4. Other classes mailed through the USPS: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 0; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 0; C. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 36,564; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 37,579; D. Free distribution by mail: 1. Outside-county as stated on form 3541: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 1,389; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 752 2. In-county as stated on form 3541: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 0; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 0 3. Other classes mailed through the USPS: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 0; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 0; E. Free Distribution Outside the Mail: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 75; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 75; F. Total Free Distribution: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 1,464; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 827; G. Total Distribution: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 38,028; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 38,406; H. Copies not distributed: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 37,340; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 39,331.; I. Total: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 75,368; Actual no. copies each issue published nearest to filing date: 77,737; J. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 96.15%; Actual no. copies single issue published nearest to filing date: 97.85%.; 16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of this publication.; 17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including multiple damages and civil penalties). (signed) Dan Regan, Consumer Marketing Director, September 17, 2013.

68 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Web And Press Mentions. Always link to or mention your Instagram account on your website and in press announcements to facilitate faster growth in followers.

Profile Information. Always include your website URL in your Instagram profile to point people to the rest of your work and your business information.

55 million new photos with 1.2 billion Likes being received, a clear indicator of how fast photographers and photography viewers are relying on mobile publishing and sharing.

Varied Approaches Pro photographers use Instagram in myriad ways, including highlighting work that’s part of long-term projects, providing location and behind-thescenes footage, displaying portfolios, sharing experimental work to gauge interest, and sharing news and accolades, etc. These varied approaches provide ample room for photographers to experiment and succeed. Unsurprisingly, one common goal that runs across all these approaches is to increase one’s following. Surprisingly, though, there isn’t always a clear path to commoditize that following. Take, for example, the following professional photographers:

@DavidSanger (72K followers), travel stock photographer @Jimmy_Chin (113K followers), action photographer and filmmaker @ClarkLittle (588K followers), surf and fine-art photographer @thephotosociety (165K followers), collective of National Geographic magazine photographers We can surmise how these photographers are benefiting from increased exposure, but there’s no guarantee large followings translate to sales in any consistent fashion. In fact, the larger benefits may include general brand awareness, fan engagement, feedback and creative inspiration. Says David Sanger, regarding his large following, “It certainly helps and doesn’t hurt. Instagram acts as a portfolio for me, opening doors to contacts I might not have otherwise had.”

Pro photographers vary in their approach when it comes to sharing their work, and looking closely at how they use Instagram, there are a lot of lessons to be learned. Instagram itself is seldom used as the capture device, with most photos being taken by native camera applications. The pressure to post often is managed by infusing new work with past work that’s sourced from either mobile devices or DSLRs. Not all images shared are intended for publication and include conceptual/ draft images to create variation and solicit feedback. Increasingly common is the tactic of sharing behind-the-scenes footage to energize fans and followers.

Behind-the-scenes footage also acts as a great way to create a travel log or even a workflow lesson.

No matter what your photographic focus or which strategies you adopt, one universal best practice should always rule the day, and that’s to always post your best and have fun.

DPP

Jim Goldstein is a professional outdoor and travel photographer, as well as the VP of Marketing at BorrowLenses. com. Follow him on his blog, www. jmg-galleries.com/blog, Twitter (@jim goldstein), Facebook (www.facebook.com/ jmggalleries), Google+ (www.gplus.to/jim goldstein) and Instagram (www.instagram. com/jimgoldstein).

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Everything you love about Digital Photo Pro, on your favorite mobile device or computer.

www.digitalphotopro.com/

Illustrating the dramatic impact that even a subtle change can bring to a photograph, commercial lifestyle photographer Corey Rich spent a day working out with cross-trainer Del Lafountain to capture a series of high-impact shots of the towering athlete as he muscled through several hundred kettlebell repetitions. Ultimately, despite an extended sequence of well-executed, meticulously composed shots, only one fnal image stood head and shoulders above the rest. Interestingly, while Rich’s original concept was to capture the athlete at peak form using high-powered Profoto strobes in the controlled environment of the gymnasium, the fnal most successful shot is composed of natural lighting with a bit of fll from a Litepanels 1x1 Bi-Color LED panel. Rich says that, as a photographer, it’s important to stay adaptable at all times, even if it goes against your original concept.

“I went into this shoot feeling like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a great opportunity to use strobes, to use Profotos,’” laughs Rich, “and you can see in the frst experimental shots that the Profotos look pretty fat and pretty boring. First, I was trying to do this with bare strobes, and it looks like I tried softbox strips on each side, then I moved the strips to 45º angles to fatten the light, and fnally I ended up eliminating one strip to see if I could create more directional light. Then I had that epiphany, which is, ‘Wait a

The

Hero Image

The evolution of a shoot with Corey Rich

By David Willis LL Photography By Corey Rich

70 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Final Image

second, what’s so appealing about this location is all of this natural light pouring in from the windows, the daylight!’ And that’s when I took that step back, and I said, ‘Okay, hang on, the biggest attributes to this photograph are the big fag in the background, the natural light that’s pouring in through the window and then this very appropriate subject for this setting, the CrossFit athlete.

Sometimes, that’s what it really requires—to distill it down to ‘what’s working’ and ‘what’s not working,’ and then eliminate the elements that aren’t working and capitalize on the elements that are.”

Rich says that they had two Profoto 7b power packs with six or seven accompanying Profoto strobe heads. “The daylight coming out of Profotos and the quality of light to come out of the Litepanels, they’re both best in class in my opinion,” he says.

“Beautiful daylight and an incredibly fne shape to the light. We have a variety of light modifers for Profotos, and we have another set of modifers for our Litepanels kit. I fnd that they actually work quite well in tandem. For me, it’s a scaling situation; there are plenty of jobs where a set of four Nikon Speedlights

Despite beginning the set of images with the intention of using multiple Profoto strobe heads, the fnal image (left) is almost all natural light with a bit of fll added through a Litepanels 1x1 Bi-Color LED panel at right-front of camera.

Rich also employed a commonly available smoke machine to add ambience to the cold gym and to enhance the natural beams of light coming in from the back window. “I don’t want the viewer to think about how I was lighting it,” says Rich.

“In fact, my goal is that people shouldn’t even think that I added fll. It should feel like this was natural window light pouring in and wrapping around the body. As photographers, we know that’s not possible. There’s not enough light bouncing off that black foor to actually fll his body.”

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 71

Rich shoots the majority of his work on manual settings, and here you can see how even the slightest change in composition and exposure can have a profound effect on the fnal image. “This is a classic controlled environment, right?” asks Rich. “I’m setting up the lights, there’s window light pouring in, but nothing is changing. The idea of being in an automated mode sure doesn’t make sense—you’re setting yourself up because the camera will get fooled every time I make a subtle adjustment.”

will do the job. I mean they’re actually perfect—there’s less output, they’re very mobile, and it’s very easy to work with Speedlights. I can put them in my rolling bag and take them on the plane.

“We have a variety of Litepanels in our kit, from little Cromas to big 1x1s and video lights,” Rich continues.

“But the instant we start bringing Litepanels, we’re committing to traveling with a lot of luggage. When you step up to Profotos, you have a lot of cases going on the plane with you. Case in point is this series of images. I shot these in South Lake Tahoe, California. There’s no rental house for Profotos within a 150-mile radius of this town. Most of my shoots are even more remote than Lake Tahoe, so I’ll bring them if I need more power and more control. The continuous lights, of course, they come out when shooting video or I know I need to bring the ambient room light up.”

Rich says that after he had honed in on the available light pouring in through the gymnasium window as his base for exposure, he decided he wanted to supplement the beams of light through use of a commonly available smoke machine, which he had picked up on a lark during Halloween. An assistant fanned the smoke as he shot, and for several similar-looking exposures, the position of the smoke in the frame became the 72 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

deciding factor between a good shot and an excellent shot. He also added fll since he abandoned the strobes in favor of the natural light in the gym.

“I realized, okay, let’s supplement the fll light with a continuous light source, the Litepanels 1x1 LED light,” explains Rich. “While I do a lot of work with strobes, the beauty of continuous lighting for still photographers is that you can see it in real time. You’re not guessing how much power you want to output through your strobe, then you fre the strobe, then you look at the back of the camera.... The feedback is immediate because you can see it with your eye in real time when using continuous lights.

“And in a big space like a CrossFit gym,” he continues, “sometimes continuous lighting works really well for flling in background illumination by actually bringing up the entire room’s exposure. I really brought the 1x1s, and actually a whole kit of Litepanels, so that I could shape the light in the background. For example, I was lighting the subject most commonly with Profotos, and oftentimes, I was working with relatively low exposures and slower shutter speeds so that I could bring in the ambient light of the window. Lighting the background with continuous allowed me to bring the entire environment up into a matching daylight exposure versus when you’re

in a gymnasium and it’s just a lot of hanging halogen lights or fuorescent tubes, and it just doesn’t look very good. So the reason they were on set was to make my Litepanels the ‘house lights.’ But, then, having them there gave me the ability to switch gears and start working with them as my main light source, as well.”

For the composition, the idea was to showcase the build and strength of the CrossFit athlete. Generally, shooting from below is a good way to give your subject a towering presence for an overall feeling of power and strength in a composition. Rich tried this approach, as you can see in a couple of the frst outtakes where Lafountain occupies the majority of the foreground of the frame. While still successful, the framing of the American fag as Lafountain’s backdrop ended up accomplishing the same concept in a much less hackneyed fashion. Rich says that he tried several focal lengths and a number of compositions before deciding on the versatility of a 24-70mm zoom lens. The fnal shot was captured close to the 70mm focal distance.

“I really like the capability of a zoom,” he says. “Zooms today, both telephoto zooms and wide-angle zooms, they’re just so razor-sharp. And to have that fexibility, to shoot at 83mm or 76mm versus locked into those prime lenses,

it’s quite nice in a situation like this, where I’m making subtle adjustments, really paying attention to the edges and trying to make sure that I’m cleaning up the background relative to where I’m positioning the subject. The bottom line is that a zoom gives you an incredible amount of fexibility, and you’re not compromising sharpness or speed. Certainly, there’s a difference between an ƒ/1.4 lens and an ƒ/2.8 lens, but that ƒ/2.8 lens is still pretty darn fast, and it’s remarkable that they’re sharp wide open.”

Rich almost always shoots manually, and the subtle variations in expo-

I’m not much of a tripod guy, in fact, I almost never use a tripod unless I’m shooting something that absolutely mandates or necessitates keeping the camera still for more than 1⁄8th of a second. I feel like right up to about 1⁄8th of a second I can handhold if I do a burst of images, even on a relatively long lens.

“In this situation, my subject isn’t moving; he’s relatively stationary, at least in my fnal composition. He’s standing there relaxed, waiting for his next kettlebell swing, so I’m doing bursts of images so that I can make certain in a burst of 12 frames, for example, that one of those

turing a number of very usable exposures. “Never be satisfed with taking a few images and feeling like you got it,” he emphasizes. “You have to slow down and methodically look at your situation and try to block out all of the other pressure. All you’re really focused on is what’s happening in that rectangle: How am I going to make the most compelling image from the light, from the composition and from a moment in perspective?

“Most sports photography is about capturing action,” he continues, “whether that’s freezing action or whether that’s motion or creating a

In order to capture the decisive moment, Rich would “machine-gun” sequences using the rapid-fre capabilities of his Nikon D800 and D4 full-frame DSLRs while Lafountain powered through repetitions.

“I’m doing bursts of images,” Rich says, “and I’m doing that for the simple reason that I’m handholding.”

“In a controlled environment, it’s all about shooting enough,” explains Rich. “In this situation, there’s no vreason why I couldn’t continue to evolve the shot by making lots of exposures because, oftentimes, I’m surprised that an image I thought was the best while shooting turns out to be not as good as the evolutionary set of images you’ve been capturing.”

sure that you can see between similar frames are the result of small changes he’d make to camera settings while he shot—and he shot plenty. In order to capture the decisive moment, Rich would “machine-gun” sequences using the rapid-fre capabilities of his Nikon D800 and D4 full-frame DSLRs while Lafountain powered through repetitions. “I’m doing bursts of images,” Rich says, “and I’m doing that for the simple reason that I’m handholding.

frames is going to be razor-sharp even though I’m handholding at relatively low shutter speeds. The low-light capabilities in the D4 combined with the burst capabilities are pretty remarkable.

That camera has changed the world in the way we see low light. We never before could shoot at such high ISOs and have it look so great.”

But perhaps Rich’s most signifcant talent is that he continues to push himself even after he has succeeded in cap-

feel for what the athlete is doing. Some of that’s action photography, some of that’s the before and after—the jubilation, the defeat, the contemplation in advance. I think this image really fts into the broader category of sports photography in that this is an action moment. Here, we have this amazing athlete, poised in his venue, which is the gym, and the shot implies that he just did all of these kettlebell swings.

And you can see that at the beginning of the shoot, I was trying to shoot him swinging the kettlebell, where the kettlebell would be over his head, and it just didn’t look that good. It was creating awkward body movements. It put his body in a weird position, and it just wasn’t working for me. So then I stepped away from actually shooting ‘action,’ from trying to freeze the moment with the kettlebell over his head, or midway up, and then I switched him into a more contemplative ‘thinking about the workout’ pose. And that was more effective to me.

“That’s open-mindedness,” Rich concludes. “It’s being open-minded about going in with a preconceived idea, but then you need to be adaptable in terms of what’s actually going to generate the best, most compelling, most engaging and interesting photograph.”

DPP See more of Corey Rich’s photography at www.coreyrich.com. digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 73

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Photo by Michael Sherman The 2013 American Landscape Photo Contest Winner

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With a combination of portability, power, versatility and the ability to be used away from an AC outlet, battery-powered monolights are gaining an increasing following among professional photographers

By The Editors

Battery-Powered

Monolights

Monolights are self-contained pro fash units that plug into standard AC wall sockets, no separate power pack needed. All the controls are on the fash headâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;no need to move to a power pack to adjust power and other settings (although many newer monolights feature standard or optional remote controls). Some monolights can also operate from battery packs, making them suitable for use in the feld just about anywhere. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even one monolight that incorporates the battery so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need a separate battery pack.

The main features to look for in a battery-powered monolight are output, 76 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

recycling time, output range, number of pops per charge, modeling light power, types and sizes of modifers, size and weight, and price. Monolights tend to be less powerful than studio strobe power packs and heads, but the improved ISO capabilities of modern DSLRs are mitigating that power differential. At the same time, monolights give you access to all of the sophisticated modifers of a studio strobe outft.

Output. More powerful units give you more options for depth of feld (you can shoot at smaller apertures), light placement (you can place lights farther away if you have to, as for outdoor

sports action) and use of light modifers like umbrellas, which reduce intensity.

Some units are rated in watt-seconds (W-s), others in joules; one joule equals one watt-second. Note that joules and watt-seconds are measures of generator power, not necessarily light output; output also depends on the fash head and any light modifers used.

Guide numbers aren’t really useful for pro fash because they’re based on point-like light sources that follow the inverse-square law (double the fash-tosubject distance and quarter the light, triple the distance and get one-ninth the light, etc.), like shoe-mount fash units.

Pro units are generally used at close

2

3

range and/or with umbrellas or other light modifers that increase the size of the light source relative to the size of the subject, where the inverse-square law isn’t a useful measuring stick. Some pro-gear manufacturers include the tested ƒ-stop for a fash head (or head with specifc light modifer) at a specifc distance, which can be a useful comparison measure if another manufacturer provides the same data for its units.

Output Range. Monolights can also be operated at a range of power settings.

This is helpful not only when you want to control light output, but to control fash duration (lower power generally means shorter duration), battery life (full-power bursts take more out of the battery than lower-powered fash) and recycle times (the fash will recycle more quickly at lower power settings).

Because they’re self-contained, you can adjust the power of each unit separately in a multiple-light setup for easy control of lighting ratios. Color temperature can change with power setting, although with today’s units, this generally isn’t a big problem.

Pops Per Charge. Battery power is a critical limiting factor. When comparing potential purchases, note how many full-power fashes the unit can produce on a full battery charge. Also check into the cost of extra batteries and how long it takes to charge them fully.

Recycling Time. Recycling time depends mainly on the power output used, and the size and state of the battery. You want to look for recycling time to full power after a full-power burst. Note that recycle times will increase as the battery charge runs down, and that recycling times on battery power are generally slower than on AC power for units that can use both power sources.

Modeling Light Power. Modeling lights give you a good idea of how

Location Lighting Masters Crafting the light for a photo is an art, and it’s also an exercise in puzzle-solving. Two photographers you should follow to learn both the art and the puzzle-solving sides are David Hobby and Joe McNally.

Hobby is the founder of the popular Strobist blog, and McNally is widely known as one of the most innovative location lighting masters in the world. As much as we focus on the light head in this article, it’s knowing how to manipulate the light that really creates the style, look, mood and emotion in the photo. David Hobby’s Strobist blog is at www.strobist.blogspot.com, and Joe McNally’s website is at www.joemcnally.com.

the light will fall on your subject. A lot of photographers have come to rely on modeling lights because they make the process of lighting close to WYSIWYG. With AC-powered fash units, modeling lights aren’t a big problem. But with battery-powered units, they add signifcantly to the power drain. Therefore, one needs to be more judicious with the modeling light and be aware that, in some cases, battery-powered monolights don’t call for modeling light usage at all.

Light Modifers. One of the big advantages of studio-type fash is the range of excellent light modifers available—parabolic refectors, umbrellas, light boxes, snoots, grids, beauty dishes, barn doors and more. Many units accept standard “S” modifers. This is one of the most important advantages monolights have over smaller, hotshoe-type fashes. Although the overall power output is less than a studio strobe pack and head outft, you can use most, if

4

not all, of the same modifers. Check to see what’s offered for each unit you’re considering to make sure what you need is available.

Size. Portable means you’re going to be carrying it so consider dimensions and weight. Battery-powered monolights are more portable than

5

studio strobe packs and heads, and they’re more bulky than shoe-mount fash units. Everything in life is a trade-off, and when it comes to portablility, monolights aren’t perfect, but the trade-off is attractive for many location photographers, in particular.

Price. Higher-end monolights gen-

6

erally cost more than shoe-mount fash units, low-end monolights less than high-end shoe-mount units. You have to weigh the benefts versus the cost, as with everything in photography.

Monolights can do things shoe-mount fash can’t; if you need those features, you need a monolight.

7

8

Battery-Powered Monolight Sampler Output

Adj. Range

Model.

Light

Max. Recycle Pops per to Full Charge Power

Shortest Duration (sec.) ##

Modifers

Weight

Street Price

400 W-s 500 W-s 500 W-s 750 W-s 1000 W-s

5 stops 5 stops 5 stops 5 stops 7 stops

250W 250W 250W 250W 500W

370# 300# 300# 220# 150#

4 sec.# 5 sec.# 5 sec.# 7.5 sec.# 10 sec.#

1/1000 1/900 1/2900 1/2300 1/2100

Bowens Bowens S-type S-type S-type

5.9 lbs.

7.5 lbs.

7.7 lbs.

8.8 lbs.

9.9 lbs.

11.8 lbs.

13.8 lbs.

$399 $649 $899 $1,049 $1,249 $620 $757

BRONCOLOR Minicom 40 Minicom 80 Minicom 160 *Power Box 900/W

300 W-s 600 W-s 1200 W-s

5 stops 5 stops 5 stops

300W 300W 300W

240 120 60

1.5 sec.

3.0 sec.

7.5 sec.

1/2500 1/1500 1/1100

Bron Bron Bron

6.6 lbs.

7.2 lbs.

9.5 lbs.

14.3 lbs.

$1,338 $1,630 $2,245 $518

DYNALITE Uni400JRg *Jackrabbit II Pack

320 W-s

4 stops

100W

150

4 sec.

1/675

Dynalite

3.6 lbs.

2.3 lbs.

$599 $459

FLASHPOINT Flashpoint 180 Flashpoint 320M Flashpoint 620M Flashpoint 1220M Flashpoint DG400 Flashpoint DG600 *Flashpoint M D/C Power Pack

180 W-s 150 W-s 300 W-s 600 W-s 200 W-s 300 W-s

5 stops 5 stops 5 stops 4 stops 5 stops 5 stops

LED 100W 150W 250W 7W LED 7W LED

700 180 100 100 N/S N/S

N/S 1.5 sec.

1.5 sec.

4.5 sec.

3 sec.

3 sec.

N/S 1/1000 1/1000 1/1000 1/800 1/800

Bowens Flashpoint Flashpoint Flashpoint Flashpoint Flashpoint

2.1 lbs.** 3.0 lbs.

4.5 lbs.

5.3 lbs.

4.0 lbs.

4.4 lbs.

2.7 lbs.

$199 $99 $189 $299 $179 $199 $124

HENSEL Expert D 500 Expert D 1000 Integra 250 Plus Integra 500 Plus Integra 1000 Plus Integra Mini 300 Integra Mini 600 Speed Max *Power Max L

500 W-s 1000 W-s 250 W-s 500 W-s 1000 W-s 300 W-s 600 W-s 400 W-s

8 stops 8 stops 6 stops 6 stops 6 stops 6 stops 6 stops 8 stops

300W 300W 300W 300W 300W 300W 300W 300W

440 220 880 440 220 440+ 350 600

1 sec.

2 sec.

2.6 sec.

2.5 sec.

4.2 sec.

2.4 sec.

3.4 sec.

1.6 sec.

1/5600 1/3250 1/2380 1/1390 1/1680 1/1900 1/1000 1/2000

EH 10cm EH 10cm EH 10cm EH 10cm EH 10cm EH 10cm EH 10cm EH 10cm

7.5 lbs.

8.6 lbs.

6.1 lbs.

6.3 lbs.

8.6 lbs.

5.0 lbs.

5.1 lbs.

13.7 lbs.

10.1 lbs.

$1,020 $1,435 $710 $615 $1,107 $485 $625 $4,980 $1,995

Unit BOWENS Gemini 400Rx Gemini 500R Gemini 500Pro Gemini 750Pro Gemini 1000Pro *Small Travelpak *Large Travelpak

* Battery pack for the monolights ** Weight for head with battery # With Large Travelpak

78 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

## Shortest duration at full power; shorter durations are possible at reduced power (as short as 1/66,600 sec. with the Hensel Speed Max) ^ ^ Price for kit, including battery pack

Profoto Profoto’s battery-powered monolight is the B1 500 AirTTL, a self-contained cordless model with an onboard, exchangeable, integrated, lithium-ion battery, so you don’t have two pieces to deal with. The unit also offers TTL exposure control with Canon DSLRs

9

0.1 to 1.9 seconds (the unit can fre up to 20 bursts per second at lower power settings), and durations can be as brief as 1/19,000 in Freeze mode.

(Nikon compatibility is expected in 2014). Just plug the Air Remote TTL unit to your camera’s hot-shoe, and the off-camera B1 unit will automatically adjust its output for correct exposure.

Power can be adjusted from 2 to 500 W-s in 1/10-stop increments (a ninestop range), recycling times range from

10

Paul C. Buff Paul C. Buff offers a number of monolights that can be plugged

11

Battery-Powered Monolight Sampler Output

Adj. Range

Model.

Light

Max. Recycle Pops per to Full Charge Power

Shortest Duration (sec.) ##

Modifiers

Weight

Street Price

150 W-s 300 W-s

5 stops 5 stops

150W 150W

200 100

10 sec.

10 sec.

N/S N/S

S-type S-type

N/S N/S 1.8 lbs.

$229 $255 $109

600 W-s 200 W-s 300 W-s 400 W-s 600 W-s

4 stops 3 stops 3 stops 4 stops 4 stops

10W 150W 150W 10W LED 150W

N/S 150 100 N/S N/S

N/S 4 sec.

4 sec.

9 sec.

6 sec.

1/800 1/600 N/S N/S N/S

JTL JTL JTL JTL JTL

5.5 lbs.

3.3 lbs.

3.8 lbs.

10 lbs.

4.5 lbs.

$419 $269^^ $299^^ $449^^ $649^^

640 W-s 160 W-s 320 W-s 640 W-s 320 W-s 330 W-s 660 W-s 1320 W-s

9 stops 6 stops 6 stops 6 stops 6 stops 6 stops 6 stops 6 stops

250W 150W 150W 150W 8 10W 250W 250W 250W

500 500+ 500+ 500 500+ 500+ 500 250

3 sec.

0.75 sec.

1.5 sec.

3 sec.

1.5 sec.

1.5 sec.

3 sec.

7 sec.

1/2000 1/6000 1/3300 1/1800 1/2000 1/3300 1/1800 1/900

Buff Buff Buff Buff Buff Buff Buff Buff

4.3 lbs.

2.5 lbs.

2.9 lbs.

3.7 lbs.

2.5 lbs.

4.1 lbs.

4.9 lbs.

7.1 lbs.

3.5 lbs.

$499 $224 $279 $359 $399 $389 $439 $549 $239

PRIOLITE MB500 MBX500 MBX1000

500 W-s 500 W-s 1000 W-s

5 stops 6 stops 7 stops

LED LED 100W

400 220 160

3 sec.

2.5 sec.

2.5 sec.

1/4500 1/4500 1/4500

S-type S-type S-type

9.3 lbs.** 7.0 lbs.** 9.9 lbs.**

$1,479^^ $1,709^^

PROFOTO B1 500 AirTTL

500 W-s

9 stops

20W LED 220

1.9 sec.

1/1000

Profoto

6.6 lbs.

$1,995

300 W-s 600 W-s 130 W-s 300 W-s 600 W-s

4 stops 4 stops 3 stops 3 stops 3 stops

150W 150W 150W 150W 150W

1.5 sec.

3.0 sec.

1.3 sec.

1.4 sec.

1.9 sec.

1/800 1/600 1/1200 1/800 1/600

Visatec Visatec Visatec Visatec Visatec

5.7 lbs.

3.1 lbs.

5.0 lbs.

5.4 lbs.

6.8 lbs.

14.3 lbs.

$992 $1,249 $484 $644 $807 $518

Unit INTERFIT Stellar Xtreme 150 Stellar Xtreme 300 *Stellar Xtreme Battery Pack JTL Mobilight DC-600 Mobilight 201 Mobilight 301 Mobilight 401 Mobilight 601 PAUL C. BUFF Einstein E640 AlienBees B400 AlienBees B800 AlienBees B1600 AlienBees ABR Ringflash White Lightning X800 White Lightning X1600 White Lightning X3200 *Vagabond Mini Battery Pack

VISATEC Logos 800 Logos 1600 Solo 400 B Solo 800 B Solo 1600 B *Bron Power Box 900/W

Notes: Recycling times with battery power; will be quicker on AC Number of pops is unlimited on AC Pops per charge and recycling times are to full power after a full-power pop

240 120 500 240 120

digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 79

into AC or used with the Vagabond Mini Lithium, a third-generation, true sine wave current-limited portable power system. The all-digital Einstein E640 has a built-in fan and microSD slot for frmware upgrades.

Four AlienBees units (160, 320 and 640 W-s, and a 320 W-s ringfash) offer power settings from full to 1/32. Three White Lightning units (330, 660 and 1,320 W-s) offer dual power, high adjustable from full to 1/32 and low from 1/4 to 1/128. All offer quick recycling and built-in slave triggers. The Vagabond pack weighs just 3.5 pounds, but can operate up to four Paul C. Buff monolights (there are two outlets, but you can use a power strip to connect up to four heads). The quick-connect, rechargeable lithium battery provides 200 to 250 full-power fashes with 1,280 W-s of heads connected, 800 to 900 fashes per charge with 320 W-s.

The Vagabond Mini can power all the above-mentioned monolights.

Interft Interft’s Stellar Xtreme AC/DC Monolights are 300 W-s units. They have built-in slave sensors for fash and IR, modeling lamps and user-change-

here in an article about battery-powered monolights because the company also offers a batterypowered inverter that works with the mobile Broncolor monolights.

Broncolor offers six AC-powered Minicom monolights (300, 600 and 1200 J, with or without RFS radio control from a computer with eightchannel RFS interface). All can also be powered (up to 900 W-s worth) by the Power Box 900/W Battery Power Supply, which is a stand-alone inverter power supply. The Power Box can also handle modeling lamps up to 450 watts. With a single 300 W-s monolight, it can provide 240 full-power fashes. The Minicom monolights are available from 300 to 1,200 joules, with built-in photocell, IR receiver, and in RFS 2 units, radio remote control. The monolights can also be powered (up to 900 W-s worth) by the Power Box 900/W Charger, a stand-alone inverter power supply.

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Visatec Visatec makes several AC-powered monolights that can be plugged into the Broncolor Power Box 900/W. The

Powerpack & Lighthead Options While this article has focused on the benefts of monolights that can use a battery pack or plug into the wall, there are also battery-powered studio strobetype units available. These tend to be very powerful and give you maximum fexibility/control and all of the advantages of a large studio system. On the downside, these systems are heavy, bulky and costly. If you need maximum power and you need it without being connected to an AC outlet or a portable generator, a battery-powered studio strobe pack and heads is the answer. In this category are such systems as the Broncolor Move 1200, Elinchrom Ranger RX, RX Speed AS and Quadra RX, Hensel Porty L and Premium Plus, Paul C. Buff Zeus, and Profoto Acute B2, Pro-B3 AirS and Pro-B4.

able fash tubes. Recycling time on AC is 2 seconds to full power, on battery power, 3 to 10 seconds. Power is adjustable from full to 1/16 in 1/10-stop increments. The units include cooling fans. A full battery charge with the Mark II battery provides about 200 full-power fashes.

Broncolor Broncolor makes AC-powered monolights. We’ve included them 80 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Power Box 900/W is an inverter with a lead battery that converts its DC battery power to AC. Three of Visatec’s four Solo monolights (400 B, 800 B and 1600 B) and all fve Visatec Logos monolights (800, 800 BC, 800 RFS, 1600 and 1600 RFS) are compatible with the Power Box 900/W. The RFS units feature RFS radio control.

Priolite Featuring exchangeable lithiumion batteries built into the back of the lights, Priolite’s MBX500 and MBX1000 provide studio control and power without cords or external battery packs.

With the power of 10 to 20 speedlights packed into one unit, the MBX have suffcient output for use on location on sunny days. Both units feature a quick duration of 1/4500 at full power, modeling lights, optical slaves and bidirectional radio controls.

Hensel Hensel offers monolights that can be operated with AC or battery power.

The Expert D (500 and 1,000 W-s) features built-in radio receivers (Hensel Freemask Wizard or Hensel Strobe Wizard, both 3-channel, or Profoto Air receiver, 16-channel). The Integra Plus FM units (250, 500 and 1,000 W-s) incorporate a Freemask Strobe Wizard radio transmitter and Freemask (part of the Hensel hardware), which allows the photographer to take two shots on a white seamless and drop in any background. The frst shot is a normally lit

Continuous Lights The dramatic rise in the number of photographers who are also engaged in motion capture has created a lot of interest in continuous lights for still and motion.

Continuous units let you see the actual lighting (electronic fash units’ modeling lamps just give an approximation), but they don’t have the action-stopping ability of a fash or strobe. Most reasonable portable continuous lights are less powerful than strobe monolights, and incandescent continuous lights are hot (LED and fuorescent lights are much cooler and more energy-effcient). Some photographers prefer continuous lights for their ability to create a feeling of warmth in an image. This is highly subjective, but strobes have always been characterized as creating a sterile look, and as continuous lights have become more portable, powerful and cost-effective, they’re certainly worth a look.

13 foreground image and the other is a silhouetted background image that allows for easy masking in Photoshop. This eliminates the need for bluescreens or greenscreens and the problems they cause. The compact Integra Mini units come in 300 and 500 W-s versions; the Speed Max can deliver flash durations as brief as 1/66,660 seconds and up to 31 flashes per second. All can be powered (up to 2,000 W-s max) by the company’s two-socket Power Max L mobile power supply, which can deliver up to 880 flashes at 250 W-s, 440 flashes at 500 W-s. The Power Max L can also be used to power the company’s continuous lights.

Bowens Bowens offers six Gemini monolights, from 400 to 1,500 W-s, which can be powered by AC or the Bowens Travelpak. The Gemini 400Rx has a built-in Pulsar radio receiver; the others have a slot for a Pulsar receiver card.

The units are ruggedly built, and have either a 5- or 7-stop range and bright modeling lights starting at 250 watts.

The 500R features a digital readout with two dials for quick independent control over full stops and tenths of a stop. The Pro models also incorporate a cooling fan, and faster recycle and flash duration. The Travelpak comes in Small and Large versions. Both provide 400 to 1,500 W-s output and recycling in 4 to 15 seconds; the Small provides 50 to 185 full-power pops per charge; the Large, 100 to 370. Each can power up to two Gemini heads.

Dynalite Dynalite’s Uni400JRg monolight can be powered by AC or with the compact Dynalite Jackrabbit II battery. With the Jackrabbit II battery, the Uni400JRg can deliver up to 150 full-power (320 W-s) flashes with a 4-second recycling

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digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 81

Using a massive, new Polielettronica HD C-printer, Duggal Visual Solutions is producing jumbo-sized photographs with an apparent resolution of 6100 dpi

By David Schloss

Since the beginning of the medium, photographers have sought to make the largest possible sharp prints of their images. The image file size is often a limiting factor for print size. You can up-res a file with excellent results, but at a certain point the apparent resolution does break down. Today’s highres cameras and, in particular, very high-resolution medium-format DSLR backs, are shifting that limiting factor to 82 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

the output technology. If your files are big enough and your photos are sharp enough, a new Polielettronica printer at Duggal Visual Solutions in New York gives you an attractive option.

Duggal Visual Solutions is a cornerstone of the photographic business that has defined photographic processing since founder Baldev Duggal arrived in the United States from India in the

late ’50s and then launched his photoprocessing business in the 1960s.

The massive 30,000-square-foot facility on 23rd Street in New York City is a sprawling and frenetic hub of activity. My father, a commercial photographer in Manhattan in the 1970s, used Duggal for large output prints; I used Duggal in the 1990s when I attended the School of Visual Arts and needed a

shop to process my rolls of Velvia and make Photo CDs. Entering the front door of the complex feels the same as it did decades ago (albeit, at a different location), when I was a regular. Technicians in white lab coats calmly take orders, answer phones and dispatch packages across the boroughs. Only now the front desk is the proverbial tip of the iceberg, masking the enormous processing and corporate headquarters behind it. It’s also the gateway to services at the company’s seven buildings at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, each between 30,000 and 40,000 square feet.

With such a powerful command of the photographic output business in New York City and beyond, it’s no wonder that Duggal gets some exclusive toys to play with. One such toy is the reason I’m at the company’s headquarters: a massive digital HD C-print machine by Italian frm Polielettronica.

C-prints hearken back to the days of Kodacolor and refer to the use of chemicals and photo-sensitive papers to create output versus technologies like lithography or inkjet printing.

Digital C-prints keep the color saturation, vibrancy and feeling of flm output without needing to reproduce an image via a camera. Feed a digital image to a digital C-printer and out comes an image with the look of flm, but it’s a digital creation.

Digital C-printers work by exposing the photographic paper with a trio of laser beams and then developing that exposed flm in traditional chemicals.

While there’s a variety of digital Cprinters on the market, the Lambda is the most popular (and is also available at Duggal), with an output resolution maxing out at 400 dpi—an apparent resolution of 4000 dpi.

The Polielettronica printer has a 610 dpi maximum resolution and 48-bit color, and provides an apparent resolution of 6100 dpi. Duggal isn’t the only company to use the HD C-printer, but it’s the only one to have the newest, largest model, which produces output up to 100x50 inches.

With 48-bit color depth, the machine creates images with excellent continu-

ous tone and both highlight and shadow detail.

Installed in March 2013, the Polielettronica has been used by everyone from fashion photographers to cartographers, thanks to the incredibly high resolution of the output. One of the prints that Duggal shows off is a map with type so small, a loupe is needed to see the text—yet under the loupe, the letters are clear and crisp.

Cartographers aren’t the only fans of the new printers: Canon, Nikon and Sony all ordered massively large output from the device for the PhotoPlus Expo trade show in New York City in October 2013.

The process of taking a digital fle and creating an oversized digital print is pretty complex, so the Duggal tech pulled the side off of the printer and showed me how a photograph is turned into a gigantic print.

First, a fle is run through a RIP, or Raster Image Processor, the device that

photo paper, which is fed into a washing-machine-sized lighttight chamber around four feet wide. A circular drum holds the paper via suction, and the device slowly moves a laser to expose the paper.

The HD C-printer needs to perform calibration when the paper is changed, but when it has been completed, the device will stay in register, unlike inkjet or other printers that tend to come out of alignment over time.

Evaluating the images, I found them to be excellent, although not necessarily the best choice for all photographers. For casual output and even for some gallery work, we’ve seen inkjet devices produce highly detailed work with good longevity.

But the HD C-printer has two things going for it, most importantly, the C-print look. There’s a different look—albeit, sometimes subtle—between something produced on an inkjet and work that’s produced on The new Polielettronica HD C-printer that Duggal Visual Solutions installed in mid-2013 is capable of rendering fne details with stunning sharpness and clarity. Examining the resolution in a printout of a map reveals the precision.

separates the images into the RGB data needed to fow from the lasers, and then gets queued for print. Despite the huge amount of technology inside the box, the printer needs to be fed paper in gigantic lighttight cassettes.

The cassettes are flled the old-school way, in a large darkroom near the printer. It’s a bit like loading shells into a deck-mounted gun on a Navy ship, with a loading card used to align the cartridges. Some of the papers need to sit in the canister at least three weeks after rolling before use, so job estimation is important.

The HD C-prints can be output on transparency, metallic, matte or glossy

photographic paper using photographic chemical processing, and it’s a look that photographers and designers often seek out.

The other great thing about this printer is the super-large output size.

At 100 inches, it bests the widest inkjets by a considerable margin and produces best-in-class images.

For the next year, Duggal will be the exclusive user of the 100-inch version of the Polielettronica HD C-printer, explaining the popularity of the unit during the leadup to PhotoPlus Expo. DPP Visit duggal.com/hdc.aspx or call Duggal Visual Solutions at (646) 638-7316. digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 83

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The Essentials

Top pros share the gear they can’t live without We reached out to several professional photographers with a simple question: What’s the gear you can’t live without? We asked them to think about DSLRs, certainly, but also about things in their bag that are less obvious. The range of responses was pretty interesting.

From cameras to software, to apps and good-luck charms, manicures and insurance policies, check out the things that the best in the business rely on to get the job done.

August Bradley www.augustbradley.com Hasselblad H4D. I shoot all of my commercial and exhibition work on this camera because of its resolution, color depth, smooth tonal gradients, skin tones and versatility in post. I also love the feel of this camera; it becomes an extension of my hand and eye.

Datacolor Spyder4. Consistent, accurate tonal gradients and colors are hugely important to me, and this keeps my color management tight.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Enables extraordinary control along with very fast postproduction workflow. Essential for getting jobs done on time, and for achieving the looks I’m after.

84 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Peter Read Miller

www.peterreadmiller.com Hoodman HoodLoupe. The HoodLoupe is always around my neck on a shoot.

Not only is it great for viewing my camera’s LCD on a bright sunny day, but the adjustable diopter allows me to see the screen clearly and check critical focus without having to put on my glasses.

Canon Angle Finder C. I love to shoot from a low angle, often with my camera on the ground, and especially while shooting football. As time and photography have taken their toll on my neck and the rest of my body, it’s not easy for me to look straight through the camera when it’s that low. The Angle Finder allows me to kneel over the camera and look straight down to see the image.

Gumby And Pokey. These small replicas of the claymation figures have been my good-luck charms for the past 20 years.

They have been in my pocket on 99.9% of my shoots in the last 20 years. Although original Pokey is missing his leg and has been retired, and original Gumby was lost in a bicycle path mishap during the London Olympics, I’ve replaced them both, and their magic lives on.

Tyler Stableford

www.tylerstableford.com Think Tank Photo Speed Racer Bag. The thing I use all the time is the

Think Tank Speed Racer hipbelt bag. I take out all the divider compartments and all the padding, and I just shove as many lenses and camera bodies as I can in there. I use them for skiing, climbing—any type of field shooting. They’re super-versatile. If I need to carry a lot of gear on a quick shoot, I can carry it along with an avalanche pack for skiing in the backcountry. It just works well in all situations. I really use it for everything— climbs, coal mines, oil rigs. There’s rarely a time when a Speed Racer isn’t on my body.

Canon EOS-1D C. One camera that’s with me now is the Canon EOS-1D C. It’s essentially with us on every shoot for the main reason that we can shoot 1080p video at 60 fps, shoot 4K, and shoot full-frame stills, full res. So it’s the most versatile camera out there for me.

It’s our go-to second camera. That’s for both stills and video, since probably over half of my work is video now.

Peanut Butter CLIF Bars. I take them all over the world. Just food for surviving long days.

Sun Scout. A favorite app on my phone, Sun Scout tells you when and where the sun is going to rise and set, and how it tracks in the sky. On a scout day, I can stand in a position and figure out what’s going to happen tomorrow, where the sun is going to go. Essentially, I can set up my shot in advance. So, on motion shoots, it’s a big thing because of all the setup with equipment like cranes. It’s great to know what the sun is going to do. digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 85

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Ketch Rossi

www.ketchrossitreeoflife.com RED EPIC DRAGON. It’s my “GO2” camera. In life, we’ve learned to always compromise; choosing a camera is no different. However, when it comes to choose what to me is such an important tool, I carefully consider all reasoning for the purchase—what am I using the camera for, what are the most important aspects that such camera must deliver on, etc. In the past 30 years, I’ve used just about every camera ever made in the still photography world, and in recent years, I’ve ventured into what was always my final goal— filmmaking—and in this I needed a motion camera.

Now the new dilemma is that when thinking of only “ONE” camera to become my absolute “GO2” camera, I don’t want to lose the capacity to shoot still images because, after all, it was through still photography that I’ve become who I’ve become in the acquisition of imagery.

Yet now, what has priority is no longer still imagery, but motion imagery acquisition, and it needs to be of the highest quality, as to not only be as good as 35mm film, but surpass it, and be comparable to 65mm film.

That camera is the RED EPIC DRAGON, busting a 19-megapixel sensor, capable of shooting up to 100 frames per second in 6K. Not only can I shoot slow motion for narrative work, but I can use this incredible power to film a motion stream of 1 to 100 frames per second, and from there pull out my best still grabs to print, something that no other camera in the world can do, still or motion. It proves to be an invaluable tool when shooting fast-moving subjects of any kind, from natural events in nature, FX, sports, and allowing for capturing that perfect moment in a model’s hair or dress movement, etc. The applications are infinite, really, with this kind of power.

Additionally, it offers a high dynamic range of 16.5+ stops, high ISO sensitivity being as good as low ISO sensitivity, with extremely well-controlled noise and giving you those beautiful super blacks, with a crisp contrast, yet very gentle and subtle to skin tones. It offers user-interchangeable lens mounts for PL, Canon, Nikon, Leica M, and add to that the new RED MOTION MOUNT, which allows for controlling electronically up to 8 stops of NDs, with included linear polarization and IR filtering, in a global shutter, including a completely new Soft Shutter mode, to allow for more control and creative possibilities than ever before in both fields of motion and still image capture.

This camera has an incredible array of accessories to change configurations as needed in order to cover just about anything you can think of. At last, I now have a camera that allows me to capture the highest-quality motion images than ever before possible with any camera, film or digital, yet still also allowing to extract still images of 19 megapixels, and while not wanting to compare in image size to some of the new medium-format digital backs with up to 80 megapixels, I give up the extra pixels for the overall capacities that the RED EPIC DRAGON brings in both worlds of motion and still image capture together with a freedom of configurations like none that has existed before. It’s a camera that could go from Hollywood’s big-budget blockbusters for a 4K or IMAX printout, to a fashion photographer’s set, to print magazine spreads and large prints, with no problem at all.

86 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

Caesar Lima

www.caesarlima.com Phocus. I have my iPad out and use the Phocus app to preview the images wirelessly. This app works with my Hasselblad. While the client’s hair and makeup and wardrobe team stay in front of the monitor, I have my own screen, and I can show the model the images as feedback.

Sony RX-1. I use the RX-1 for shooting the “behind the scenes.” It’s a quality camera, with a full-frame, 24-megapixel sensor, and sometimes the client actually uses the images in their campaign. I always shoot at ƒ/2. It gives great depth of field, and it also helps to keep the cast and crew engaged when we’re not shooting. iPod. Music is so important. We have many different playlists to capture the specific mood for the type of shoot we’re doing—fast and slow, different genres, etc. It helps to get the models in the right mood.

If you’re shooting something that needs action or attitude or romance or sensuality, music is very important. I have a wireless system at the studio so anyone can play music from their iPhone or iPad.

Sarah Silver

www.sarahsilver.com Julliard Box. I got the JULLIARD box a million years ago from a dancer attending the Julliard School. It’s a 16x18x17-inch, squareish wooden box with JULLIARD stenciled on the side, and it was part of a dance that he was doing. He left it for me at the studio, and the box turned into the “everything” box. We do castings on it. We stand on it to get height instead of apple boxes. We use it for seated beauty. Basically, anytime we need to do anything that requires a box, we use the JULLIARD box. Years later, we even repainted the box black, but made sure not to cover the stencils.

One time we had the creative directors of Julliard at the studio, and they asked, “Did you steal our box?” It was a funny moment.

A Fresh Manicure. Everybody loves nails. Okay, well, maybe not, but everybody loves nails that are extravagant—it’s hard not to comment on flashy nails, and it’s a great conversation starter. I don’t know how it began for me, but somewhere along the way, I became obsessed with nails.

(I’m an obsessive ex-nail biter and have been in “nail rehab” for seven years now.) I’ve never missed a manicure— every two weeks without fail—and I’ve gotten really into bright colors and a long, long pointy shape. They’re 100% my nails, and people always say, “Wow, your nails are so...” You would be surprised how many people love nails.

Screen Square. We used to have this problem where we would run out of room tacking up pictures of selects onto my shoot monitor to help with making a layout while on set. We would have 4x6 printed images taped to images taped to other images running the entire perimeter of the screen. A very special person made a foamcore “frame” that fits around the monitor like a collar that we can use like a pincushion to put our favorite images on.

That way, we can keep track of what we like and where we’re going. It’s the only way I can map out a shoot, and I literally can’t work without it. digitalphotopro.com January/February 2014 | 87

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Martin Wonnacott wonnacott.com

Fresh Pair Of Paul Smith Socks. The socks are important to me, and like a lucky charm, in some ways. I always work without shoes on set and have done for years. It makes me feel at home, first of all. It also serves a practical purpose by allowing me to feel the stands as I move around in the dark. I also only wear Paul Smith socks because they’re whimsical.

Fresh Flowers In The Studio. Flowers are important to me because I believe in first impressions. I truly want clients to be as comfortable as possible when working with me. I think fresh flowers are calming and soften a space. They’re one of those details I always pick up on when I enter places.

Fresh Coffee. Coffee has to be good and on tap. I have a great espresso machine in my N.Y. studio, which helps start the day.

Nobody likes bad coffee.

Alison Wright

www.alisonwright.com Because I photograph in remote locations around the world, I’ll always have these three things.

My Medevac Insurance Card. When my bus crashed on a remote jungle road in Laos and I nearly died of my injuries, I didn’t have Medevac insurance. It was $25,000 out of pocket to be airlifted to a hospital in the U.S. I now have it.

A Buddha Amulet. I received this amulet in Thailand, and it has been blessed by numerous monks and lamas during my Himalayan travels. I carry it in the hope that it will protect me from ever having to actually use my Medevac insurance.

Nikon AF-S 50mm F/1.4G. This lens is just so deliciously sharp. It’s ideal for portraits, and it’s fast enough for low-light use. I never know when I might come across a great face that just begs to be photographed, but I’m ready with the 50mm. DPP

88 | Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

DPPSolutions

Jibbing Get a cool move in motion shots and a new perspective in still shots with these versatile camera supports

We’ve written a fair amount about sliders in DPP. A slider is a simple rail with a camera mount that allows you to get a smooth dolly effect in your motion shots. This small device creates a sophisticated effect and immediately gives your project an added level of visual interest. Even a relatively short rail of three or four feet can create a fantastic shot.

You can change the angle of the rail for diagonal moves and even close to vertical, but they’re best suited for more horizontal motion. To properly work in the vertical axis, what you need is a jib or a crane. The only problem with jibs has been that they’re usually large, heavy, difficult to transport and require an assistant—until now.

Seeing the opportunity presented by the DSLR filmmaking revolution, manufacturers have started to make smaller and lighter jibs that are designed specifically for these lightweight cameras. If you’ve seen any kind of behind-the-scenes footage from a film production, you’ve probably seen a jib or a crane of some kind.

Looking like a long boom mounted asymmetrically on a big tripod, the unit has a camera on one end and a counterbalance system on the other.

Essentially, it’s a simple lever with the tripod acting as the fulcrum. The longer the lever and the heavier the camera, the more counterbalance

weight you need. For Hollywood movies that are shot with big, traditional movie cameras, the whole system has to be huge and extremely heavy. For us as DSLR filmmakers, things can come way down in scale.

For all of its apparent simplicity, there’s one especially critical aspect to a jib that makes it less suitable for DIYers who might want to try building one

with parts from the local Home Depot.

The camera has to pivot to keep the framing consistent as you move the jib up and down. For example, let’s say you’re a wedding shooter and you’re doing a little video segment for the client. You want to start the shot framed up from eye level as the couple kisses, and with the camera mounted on the jib, you’ll raise the camera to get more of an overhead perspective. As the camera moves up, it also moves back a little, so you’ll also be backing off slightly, which shows more of the surroundings.

It’s not a big move. The camera will move up about three feet. If the camera doesn’t pivot, instead of keeping the bride and groom in the frame, you’ll end up with the camera pointed skyward. That pivot mechanism is critical, and it’s best left to the manufacturers.

We mentioned that the bigger the camera, the bigger the jib system has to be. For the smaller jibs we address in this article, a DSLR with a moderately sized lens is the sweet spot. If you’re using a big telephoto (like a 300mm ƒ/4 or larger), that large, heavy lens, even on the relatively small DSLR, may require a bigger, more heavy-duty jib system.

As with most equipment, there’s a lot of variety in available jib sizes.

We’re focusing on jibs that are suitable for DSLR users and are relatively lightweight and portable. By portable, we mean a range from airline travelready up to fitting in the trunk of a car or small SUV. Jibs are pretty simple tools, and with a little practice, a novice can quickly become good at using one smoothly.

Some jibs can be motorized, which is a particularly nice feature for doing smooth and repeatable moves. Also, if you’re going to do any time-lapse work, a motor is a necessity.

Here are a few selected examples of what’s available.

THIS SPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Libec Swift Jib50, DitoGear MiniJib, Carbon XL 10, Kessler Pocket Jib Traveler. NEXT PAGE: Cinevate Axis Jib.

90 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

DitoGear MiniJib

Kessler Pocket Jib Traveler Kessler is well known as an innovator in gear for DSLR filmmakers. The company makes several jibs in different sizes. The Pocket Jib Traveler is the company’s newest and most portable jib.

It collapses down to 27 inches in length and weighs 5.5 pounds. Kessler designed the jib to be ultralight and packable for any shooting endeavor. It has drag control and locks, and because of its unique folding mechanism, the Pocket Jib Traveler doesn’t need to be taken apart for travel. You can attach a camera rig that weighs up to 10 pounds to the jib. For a DSLR shooter, that’s sufficient for most situations. As with any jib, the Pocket Jib Traveler needs a weight for counterbalance. The unit has a sliding, extending rail for the counterbalance, which helps minimize the actual amount of weight you need to use.

The jib has 3∕8-16 and 1∕4-20 mounting options, allowing attachment to any tripod. www.kesslercrane.com

DitoGear’s MiniJib is great for working in small spaces. It’s available with arm lengths of 1.0 and 1.5 meters, and can handle up to 7.5 kg for motorized operation and 15.4 kg for manual operation. You can use it three ways: motorized with the OmniHead; manually with the MiniJib Manual Operation add-on; or manually mounted on sliders, dollies and other supports. The MiniJib can be used with any of DitoGear’s Motion controllers, from the battlefield-tested OmniController to the state-of-the-art multiaxis wireless Evolution. www.ditogear.com

Libec Swift Jib50 Libec’s Swift Jib50 features a telescopic arm that can extend 35.5 inches or slide back 12 inches toward the rear.

This allows higher angles than other Libec jib arms. Maximum payloads are 22 pounds at full extension (75 inches), 33 pounds at 57-inch extension and 44 pounds at minimum extension (39.5 inches). The unit itself weighs 36.1 pounds. It’s available alone or in a kit with a tripod and dolly. Ideal for budget-limited, smallcrew projects, the Swift Jib50 is easy to operate from the rear or for delicate camera work from the front. www.libecsales.com (Cont’d on page 92)

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(ContÕd from page 91)

Carbon XL 10 The light and versatile Carbon XL 10 can become a camera crane, camera jib, dolly with track, motorized time-lapse track, car mount, zerogravity head, remote-control camera and motorized rotating platform, all from a single kit of components. All Angle Balance requires less counterweight, while Aim and Shoot Controls make it easy to adjust the pan and tilt of the camera when it’s located remotely at the end of the crane arm. Designed specifically for airline travel and difficult-to-access locations requiring hand-carrying, the carbon-fiber system weighs just 50 pounds (100 pounds including cases). www.Carbon-XL.com

Cinevate Axis Jib Featuring a single-tube design, Cinevate’s Axis Jib sets up quickly and provides strong, solid support for up to 50 pounds—anything from a Canon EOS 5D Mark III to a fully loaded ARRI ALEXA. The four-foot arm produces a seven-foot vertical arc.

Dry-erase marker rings and a removable magnetic marker provide good repeatability of movements. The Jib’s 100mm bowl indexes at 90°, has pan and tilt locks, and supports underslung vertical- and horizontalmounted heads. The fully enclosed structure provides maintenance-free DPP operation. www.cinevate.com 92 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

staff photographer. At the time, they also had a men’s magazine called M. As the staff photographer, I had to shoot acknowledging their latest project. I everything, from fashion and portraits establish that I’m in charge and I want to still lifes, interiors, travel stories and to make them look great. At the same special events. After a couple of years in time, I want to be very collaborative L.A., where I met my now wife, they with my subjects. “This is what we’re transferred us to Milan where we were planning to do today. What do you from 1989 to 1993. My love of all genres think of this?” I acknowledge their of photography comes from perhaps my time limits and respect that they have being at the very beginning of my cashown up to do a job. I’ve been really reer a photographic jack-of-all-trades. fortunate that I’ve never had an actor We ended up back in L.A. in 1993. walk off the set and I’ve never had a I’ve always loved magazine photogshoot completely break down, though raphy. My great-grandfather started there was one time in Las Vegas when the first wholesale magazine distribuJerry Lewis kicked me out of his office tion company in Los Angeles, and my after I asked him to sit on the couch. grandfather worked there, my uncle DPP: Why was he so uptight about the and father worked there a little bit. couch? Did it belong to Dean Martin?

On Saturdays, I would go down to the Streiber: I’m really not sure why he Sunset News Company warehouse. It got bent out of shape. We had already was wall-to-wall magazines, everyphotographed him at his desk. I think thing from TIME and LIFE to Sports he was just over being photographed.

Illustrated to Richie Rich, Archie and DPP: What initially sparked your inPlayboy. I still get that same kind of terest in photography? visceral response to the glossy magaStreiber: It started in fifth or sixth zine covers I had when I was a kid. I grade. My grandfather was a very adlove contributing to magazines. vanced amateur. He had his own darkroom and processed black-and-white DPP: What changes do you make film and C-41 color negatives and made when you shoot in more of a reportprints. When I was in eighth grade, age mode backstage at the Academy he sold my brother and me his Canon Awards® for magazine assignments?

AE-1 for $5 and threw in a Streiber: I’m shooting with lens for $2. I started taking >> More On The Web the Canon EOS 5D Mark III more classic imagery black-and-white candids at For and I have an assistant holding from iconic photographers, school, and developing and see the Profiles section of an off-camera Quantum Qflash on the web at proofing the negatives in DPP so I can give the light a little bit www.digitalphotopro.com. his darkroom and making of shape. To get into that mode, prints with him. Eventually, I became it’s quite natural for me to put on black the photography editor of the newspajeans and a black fleece, and try and hide per and yearbook in high school. When in the shadows and capture these moI went to college, I joined the staff of the ments that occur right in front of you at school paper. After college, I did an inthe Academy Awards®. I love this kind ternship at the Riverside Press-Enterprise, of documentary work, and I’ve always then a traineeship at the L.A. Times. I loved the Oscars®, ever since I was a kid. thought I was going to be a photojourIt’s a real honor and privilege to be backnalist traveling the world looking for stage in the days leading up to and the photo stories and places of conflict. night of the Oscars®. I used to be the only guy back there. There are now five or six DPP: How did your career evolve of us, so it’s a little more crowded and the into focusing on celebrity portraiture? elbows are sharper, but there are amazStreiber: I fell into first lifestyle phoing moments that you just don’t have the tography, fashion photography and opportunity to capture anywhere else. DPP portraiture, and eventually celebrity portraiture. I started freelancing for Women’s Wear Daily and W in Los You can see more of Art Streiber’s work Angeles. In about 1987, they needed a at artstreiber.com.

(Cont’d from page 56)

(R)EVOLUTION (Cont’d from page 40)

Tilt-Shift blur effects, as the pins interact with each other using the same Blend mode (similar to Multiply) that adds the blur radius fields from each effect, as well as the areas of clarity. Where there’s an overlap, the clarity is preserved.

To customize blur effects even further, you can apply filters multiple times at different settings and in different combinations. This field is rich with possibilities.

All blurring can cause posterization. Guard against this by checking at 100% screen magnification.

Often, posterization can be cured by adding small amounts of noise.

(See my column on adding noise on the Digital Photo Pro website at www.digitalphotopro.com/technique/ revolution.html.)

Want to make image areas look even softer? Sharpen the areas that surround them. The opposite is equally true. Blurring techniques can make sharpening techniques look even more effective. Consider blurring techniques the complement to sharpening techniques; they’re just as important.

Combine blurring and sharpening techniques for extraordinary effects, which can be as subtle or as dramatic as you like.

Never before have photographers had so many ways to control the quality of detail in their images. Knowing what you can do, how far you can go and when to do it will help you enrich your understanding of photography, refine your eye and deepen your personal vision. Explore your options to find the tools and looks that will help strengthen your unique voice. It’s time DPP well spent.

John Paul Caponigro, author of Adobe Photoshop Master Class and the DVD series R/Evolution, is an internationally renowned fine artist, an authority on digital printing, and a respected lecturer and workshop leader. Get access to a wealth of online resources with his free enews Insights on his website at www.johnpaulcaponigro.com.

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(Cont’d from page 81)

(Cont’d from page 35)

time. It can also be plugged directly into AC power, with 1.4-second recycling and 400 W-s output. You can adjust power from full to 1/8 in 1/3-stop increments. Dynalite also offers the XP800 pure sine wave inverter with three AC power outlets for flash heads and three USB ports for electronic devices.

keeps light efficiency in mind. Each softbox includes a main canopy, rear cowell, front diffuser, internal diffuser, support rods and zip-up carrying case. www.bowensusa.com Broncolor’s new line of nine softboxes shows a range of shapes and sizes, from the 2x2-foot The Universal square box to various rectangles, 1x3.9-foot The Strip softbox and 4.9foot The Ultimate octabox. With colored markings on the tension rods and support rings, assembly is quick and easy. Three different diffusers and grid accessories provide added light control. Using adapters, Broncolor softboxes can be used with flash units from many different companies. hasselbladbron.com Photoflex’s line of softboxes includes rectangular and octagonal shapes for both strobes and continuous lights. The MultiDome is specifically designed to work with strobes and provides some of the most diverse lighting options from a single diffuser due to the softbox interior. With a white interior lining, the softbox features removable gold/silver panels for switching between warm or contrasting light between frames with only one light. The MultiDome also comes with a CircleMask for creating a circular shape on the rectangular form, perfect for portrait catchlights. www.photoflex.com

Photogenic

Photogenic’s compact Studiomax III AKC-160B (160 W-s), AKC-320B (320 W-s) and AKC-320BR (320 W-s, with built-in radio remote receiver) can operate on AC or battery with the optional AKB-1 battery pack, which provides up to 150 full-power flashes per charge.

Flashpoint

The Flashpoint 180 Battery Powered Monolight uses two NP-F960 batteries to provide up to 700 full-power (180 W-s) flashes per charge. The under-$200 kit includes the monolight, reflector, small umbrella, two batteries and charger, cords and carrying bag.

The Flashpoint M-series monolights can be powered by AC or DC (battery), and the Flashpoint 320M, 620M and 1220M (150, 300 and 600 W-s, respectively) feature low-cost, proportional modeling lights, built-in slaves and fan cooling. The DG400 (200 W-s) and DG600 (300 W-s) have cool LED modeling lights and digital readouts.

JTL

Profoto has two distinct lines of softboxes. With a variety of sizes and shapes, the RFi line for strobe shooting lets you choose an optional speed-ring adapter to make the box compatible with over 20 different flash manufacturers. Each adapter has full rotation and tilt function.

The HR (Heat Resistant) line can be used with either flash or continuous light sources. Also available in an array of shapes and sizes, the highquality fabric endures up to 1000W. Both lines feature soft grids, flat front diffuser and stripmask accessories. profoto.com With a double layer of heat-shield fabric and tent-style heat release vents, Westcott softboxes are equipped for use with lights up to 1000 watts. These softboxes are available with white or silver interiors in rectangular, octagonal, Stripbank and Asymmetrical Stripbank. Each comes standard with a 5- or 7-year warranty. www. fjwestcott.com An economical full-kit option that’s easy to set up, the CL-SPSBSFT1 Cool Lights 24x24-inch Speed Softbox & Grid is designed specifically for the Cool Lights CL-SFT1 fluorescent continuous light fixture.

The softbox reduces setup time by quickly popping open and attaching to the speed ring with tension. Carrying cases, diffusion silk and egg crate are all included.

DPP www.coollights.biz

JTL’s Mobilight DC-600 (600 W-s) and DC-1000 (1000 W-s) monolights operate off a proprietary rechargeable battery, providing up to 500 full-power flashes with the DC-600 and up to 260 with the DC-1000. Both have a builtin photo slave and 360° universal radio receiver for wireless remote control. DPP 1) Bowens Gemini 500R 2) Bowens Large Travelpak 3) Bowens Gemini 400Rx 4) Dynalite XP-800 Pure Sine Wave Inverter 5) Dynalite Uni400JRg 6) Flashpoint 180T 7) Paul C. Buff AlienBees B800 8) Paul C. Buff White Lightning X3200 9) Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini Lithium 10) Profoto B1 500 AirTTL 11) Priolite MB500 12) Interfit Stellar Xtreme Kit 13) Broncolor Minicom 160 RFS

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400/5.6 USM (77ø) ...................... 1339.00 'JTI FZF 64................. 1499.00 16-35/2.8 USM II (82ø) ................ 1699.00 17-40/4.0 USM (77ø) .................... 839.99 24-70/4.0 IS USM (77ø)............... 1499.00 24-70/2.8 USM II (82ø) ................ 2299.00 24-105/4 IS USM (77ø)................ 1149.00 28-300/3.5-5.6 IS USM (77ø) ...................

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24-120/4.0 G AF-S ED VR (77ø) .......... 1296.95 28-300/3.5-5.6 G AF-S ED VR (77ø) ..... 1046.95 70-200/2.8 G AF-S ED-IF VR II (77ø)....... 2396.95 70-300/4.5-5.6 G-AFS VR (67ø)...... 586.95 % XJUI $PMMBS ...................

80-400/4.5-5.6 D VR (77ø) ........................

200-400/4 G AF-S ED VR II (52ø)................

TC-14E II (1.4x) Teleconverter .....................

TC-17E II (1.7x) .....

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Flash System FL-300R Flash ......... 169.95 FL-600R Flash ...... 299.00 FL-50R Flash ........... 499.95 RF-11 Ring Flash .. 249.95 Zuiko 4/3 System Digital Lenses 35/3.5 Macro ED (52ø) ......................................... 229.95 50/2.0 Macro ED (77ø) ......................................... 499.95 7-14/4.0 ED (72ø) .............................................. 1799.95 11-22/2.8-3.5 ED (72ø) ........................................ 799.95 12-60/2.8-4 ED SWD (72ø)................................... 999.95 14-42/3.5-5.6 ED (58ø) ........................................ 249.95 18-180/3.5-6.3 ED (62ø) ...................................... 499.95 EC-14 1.4x Teleconverter ...................................... 439.95

AF Flash System AF-360FGZ ........................

AF-540FGZ .....................

SMCP-DA Digital AF Lenses 21/3.2 AL Limited â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pancakeâ&#x20AC;? (49ø) ...................................

40/2.8 Limited â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pancakeâ&#x20AC;? (49ø) ........................................

70/2.4 Limited â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pancakeâ&#x20AC;? (49ø) ........................................

10-17/3.5-4.5 ED IF (77ø) ...............................................

16-50/2.8 ED AL IF SDM (77ø) .........................................

50-135/2.8 ED IF SDM (67ø)............................................

50-200/4-5.6 ED WR (52ø) ..............................................

55-300/4-5.8 ED (58Âş).....................................................

Flash System HVL-F20M............... 149.99 HVL-F20S ............. 149.99 HVL-F43M............... 398.99 HVL-F60M ............ 548.00 Digital Lenses 24/2 Carl Zeiss (72ø) .......................................... 1399.99 50/1.4 (55ø) ............ 449.99 100/2.8 Mac (55ø) .. 799.99 16-80/3.5-4.5 DT Carl Zeiss (62ø) ........................ 999.99 11-18/4.5-5.6 DT (77ø) ........................................ 799.99 18-250/3.5-6.3 DT (62ø) ...................................... 649.99 70-200/2.8 G APO (77ø) ..................................... 1999.99 75-300/4.5-5.6 (55ø) ........................................... 249.99

10-22/3.5-4.5 EF-S USM Digital Lens

18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL (IF) DC WR Digital Lens

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SB-910 Speedlight i-TTL 4IPF .PVOU 'MBTI

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Prices, specifcations, and images are subject to change without notice. Manufacturer rebates are subject to the terms and conditions (including expiration dates) printed on the manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rebate forms. Not responsible for typographical or illustrative errors. Š 2000-2014 B & H Foto & Electronics Corp.

Alpha A7 DSLR

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609.00 629.00 449.00 499.00 899.00 499.00 369.00 499.00 969.00 969.00 1099.00 3399.00 699.00 479.00 949.00 669.00 499.00 499.00 549.00 899.00 1099.00 1659.00 1399.00 169.00 359.00

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Canon EOS #TO10028PCAF #TO101735CAF #TO111628PCII #TO12244DXC #TO1628FXC #TO1735F4FXC

Nikon AF #TO10028PNAF #TO101735NAF #TO111628PNII #TO12244DXN #TO1628FXN #TO1735F4FXN

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** Price After Rebate (Exp. 12-31-13)

60/2.0 LD IF Macro (55Âż) 90/2.8 Macro (55Âż) 10-24/3.5-4.5 (77Âż) 17-50/2.8 XR LD IF Asph. (67Âż) 17-50/2.8 XR VC LD IF Asph. (67Âż) 18-200/3.5-6.3 (62Âż) 18-200 7$ #MBDL PS 4JMWFS 7$ 1;%

24-70/2.8 VC USD (82Âż) 28-75/2.8 XR (67Âż) 28-300/3.5-6.3 XR LD (62Âż) 70-300/4.0-5.6 VC USD (62Âż) 75-300/4.0-5.6 LD (62Âż) 200-500/5-6.3 LD IF (86CÂż) Y 41 "' 1SP 5FMFDPOWFSUFS Y 41 "' 1SP 5FMFDPOWFSUFS

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012014

Misinformation

Moving Targets The many facets of photography today It’s cliché to say that professional photography has been in the midst of tremendous upheaval, but we’re going to say it anyway. We’re restating the obvious because the upheaval has been so unprecedented.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen fundamental shifts in the stock business, a massive influx of undervalued images from amateur photographers who are happy to see their photos used in exchange for little or, more often, no money, as well as a steady erosion of job pricing. Tough times, indeed. But amidst all of the chaos, there are some lights burning bright.

Since 2008, a sea change has Myth: occurred in image capture. In the fall of 2008, Nikon introduced the D90, and almost simultaneously, Canon introduced the EOS 5D Mark II. These DSLRs had one critical similarity. They both could shoot video. In camera or maybe one of the one of the greatest occurrences of synprosumer models that were betergy to hit the photography industry, a ter, but also large and complex.

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalThe new class of HD-videoist got an early 5D Mark II and procapable DSLRs put incredibly high duced a short, captivating movie. image quality into the hands of still Vincent Laforet’s short film Reverie photographers in the form of a camera was an Internet smash. It went viral to that was familiar combined with an the point where servers were crashing arsenal of lenses they already owned. because of the traffic. At that moment, Going from still shooting to motion everything changed. was a matter of flipping a switch, DSLRs that can shoot such highrather than changing to a camera with quality video were a revelation. Many diminished low-light capacity and filmmakers might have paused to ask lesser overall image quality. And, of what the big deal was— course, there was the gloriafter all, they were used to ous “cinematic look” that >> More On The Web Go to www.digitalphotopro.com was now accessible. Laforet using high-res movie camto learn more about cuttingeras, but for still shooters, and Reverie didn’t destroy edge technology and how it’s changing photography. a whole new door was depth of field, but it pointed opening. Up to 2008, the the way to a motion look video camera a still photographer was that hadn’t been achievable to most of likely to use was a dedicated motion us up to that point. camera with its own interface and So amidst all of the chaos of the controls. Also, it was likely to produce past decade, motion capture has mediocre image quality. Still shooters emerged as an area where still photogwho carried a video camera in their raphers again have a chance to differbag for occasional motion shooting entiate themselves and their skills probably had a high-end consumer from the throngs of amateurs who

n’t You Do Shoot o Need T tion Mo

98 I Digital Photo Pro digitalphotopro.com

have unwittingly flooded the market with cheap images. And this opportunity is golden. Motion is in demand, and it’s highly valued. To any still photographer who says that he or she has no experience with motion, we say hogwash. What’s a still photographer if not a director? In this issue of DPP, Art Streiber describes how he works as a director constantly, and Streiber has a lot of company.

If you’ve lamented the erosion of rates and the diminished demand for day jobs, flip the switch on your DSLR to motion and start immersing yourself in it. It’s not a matter of becoming a narrative filmmaker. Sure, you could do that, but clients want all sorts of other motion. From the condensation dripping down the side of a cold glass to the hair flip of a model on the runway, motion is a way for you to boost your worth and your rates. The glory days of the photo business probably never will come back, but don’t curse the darkness; instead, light a candle.

The future is brighter than you may DPP have thought.

The moment when you no longer take pictures, you make them.

This is the moment we work for.

// FREEDOM MADE BY ZEISS

Carl Zeiss SLR lenses Set yourself free. Free of the performance limitations of other lens systems. Free of trade-offs between sharpness and harmonious bokeh. Free of inconsistent build quality, unnecessary flare and mechanisms that focus â&#x20AC;&#x153;precisely enough.â&#x20AC;? Get to know the outstanding uniform characteristics of the manual focus ZE and ZF.2 lenses and get back to making images that matter.

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