PHOTONews Canada Winter 2010

YOU R SOU RCE FOR CANADIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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VOLUME 19, NO. 4 · WINTER 2010-2011 · $ 6.98

MICHEL ROY

The Magic of Winter DR. WAYNE LYNCH

Traveller’s Camera

Serengeti Safari

PETER BURIAN

Zooming into 2011

Choosing The Three-Lens Kit

ELI AMON

Lighting On Location DARYL BENSON

Photo Inspiration!

PLUS: Photo by Michel Roy

Your Holiday Gift Guide!

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MICHEL ROY

The Magic of Winter News

DR. WAYNE LYNCH

Traveller’s Camera

Serengeti Safari

PETER BURIAN

Zooming into 2011

Choosing The Three-Lens Kit

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YOU R SOU RCE FOR CANADIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

ELI AMON

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PLUS: Photo by Michel Roy

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PM40040669 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 22 Telson Road, Markham, ON, L3R 1E5

COMPLIMENTARY ISSUE

Cover Photo by Michel Roy ©

Publisher Jacques Dumont jdumont@zakmedia.ca Editor Norm Rosen editor@zakmedia.ca Graphic Design Jean-Denis Boillat info@komconcept.com Contributing writers/photographers Dr. Wayne Lynch; Peter K. Burian; Daryl Benson; Michel Roy; Eli Amon ADVERTISING adsales@zakmedia.ca Published by

Zak Media 189 Rue Alfred-Desrochers Saint-Augustin, QC, Canada G3A 2T1 Tel: 418 871 4294 Fax: 418 871 4295 www.zakmedia.ca PHOTONews is published four times a year (Spring; Summer; Autumn; Winter) by Zak Media for Amplis Foto, and distributed to 50,000 photography and video enthusiasts throughout Canada.

All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material appearing­in this magazine in any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher.

SUBSCRIPTIONS – Address change visit www.photonews.ca or contact Amplis Foto, 22 Telson Road, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 1E5 Tel: 905 477 4111 Fax: 905 477 2502 Subscription rates: One year (4 issues) $27.92 CDN, two years (8 issues) $55.84 CDN. Single copy price: $6.98. © 2010 PHOTONews Magazine, Zak Media Printed in Canada ISSN 1185-3875 Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40040669 Undeliverables to: Amplis Foto, 22 Telson Road, Markham, ON L3R 1E5

4 | PHOTONews

When the crisp autumn air gives way to the first frost of winter, it is time to prepare for Canada’s most challenging photographic season.

While friends and family huddle in the warmth of their homes, I pack my cameras and head out into the snow, searching for the subtle nuances of light and shadow that make winter photography so rewarding.

Eccentric? Perhaps, but until you master the art of metering winter light, and surmount the many obstacles of cold weather photography, you haven’t really explored the full spectrum of the Canadian photographic experience.

This issue is dedicated to the art of photographing winter. To showcase the magnificence of the season, we turned to Michel Roy, our Digital Darkroom specialist, who enjoys winter more than anyone I have ever met – his spectacular portfolio focuses on the technique of capturing the subtle nuances of winter light. When it is so cold that the snow squeaks, Michel heads out to capture images that portray the Canadian winter, and he returns with photographs that convey the pioneer spirit and sense of humour that define our unique relationship with the season.

Of course, not everyone looks forward to the blistering cold of the season, so we asked Dr. Wayne Lynch to take us along on a Serengeti Safari… the trip of a lifetime for many photo enthusiasts. Wayne’s in-depth knowledge of the animals and their habitat adds perspective to this fascinating destination.

We try to blend the content of each issue of PHOTONews to match the interests of all levels of photographers. In this issue, Peter Burian discusses the selection of your first DSLR lenses in “Zooming into 2011”. Eli Amon describes his technique for professional location lighting, and our newest

team member, Daryl Benson, explains how images can be enhanced through the art of visual presentation.

With the holiday season almost here, we have provided a special Holiday Gift Guide, showcasing some of the most exciting new products for photo enthusiasts. Why not put a few “Post-It” notes on the appropriate pages, and leave the issue where friends and family can see it… think of this subtle hint as a public service for friends and family.

One of our goals at PHOTONews is to bring the thrill of photography to Canadians from sea to sea. Our interactive flickr® group – www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/ provides a forum for all readers to share pictures and stories of their photographic adventures. The PHOTONews Gallery is where readers post their submissions for the quarterly challenge, and we select our Reader’s Gallery images from the photos posted to the flickr® group pool. The group is open to all Canadian photographers, it’s FREE, and it’s fun!

PHOTONews issues are available on-line in our digital editions – visit www.photonews.ca for your links to the recent issues!

Don’t let the most interesting of Canada’s seasons slip by – dress warmly, grab your camera, and enjoy the best view of the Canadian winter through the lens of your DSLR! Norm Rosen, editor editor@zakmedia.ca Visit the website at www.photonews.ca Join the flickr® group at www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/ Questions or comments?

Please send me an e-mail – editor@zakmedia.ca

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The Three-Lens Kit. How to choose them, how to use them. By Peter Burian.

Great gifts for photo enthusiasts!

6 | PHOTONews

39

16 Winter Photography

You’ve got to love it! Michel Roy shoots Canada’s coolest season.

Lighting on Location

What’s New?

Eli Amon takes the studio on the road – here’s how he “travels light”.

A selection of new products for photo enthusiasts.

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Senso and Litos One of the highlights of Photokina 2010 was the introduction of the new Broncolor Senso and Litos system. Compact and robust, this new design is ideal for the professional shooting on location, or for studio situations.

The Senso power pack is available in two power classes: 1200 J* (A2) and 2400 J* (A4). With two channels and 3 outlets you can select symmetry or asymmetry modes.

The wide range of 6.5 f/stops in symmetry mode is comparable to the well-known Grafit system, and there is a 5-f/stop range in asymmetry mode. The power pack is intended for studio or location applications on AC supply. With recycle times of 1.5s for the A2 and less than 3 seconds for the A4.

Design follows functionality in this new power pack. The front of the Senso displays a clear arrangement of the operating controls. Two digital LED displays allow very accurate power control, and you can switch display modes between f-stops and Joules.

With capacitor switch-off it is possible to control the power pack over 3 f-stops with

10 | PHOTONews

constant colour temperature. Over the whole range you have colour temperature consistency of +- 100 K. A sophisticated cooling system works when required, assuring long lifespan for the unit.

Senso is small but tough. Rubber gaskets absorb shocks in location situations. The bottom plate is closed, so even in wet surroundings the power pack can be used. Senso can be operated worldwide thanks to a switchable voltage selector.

Senso delivers fast flash durations. On the A2 you reach full power at 1/600, with A4 1/300. The modelling light supports up to three 650W tungsten lamps. Triggering the flash is possible over synchro, a photocell and new radio triggering system. There are 99 studio and unit addresses for maximum flexibility in planning and controlling your studio equipment.

The Litos lamp is compact, modern, and delivers outstanding performance in a multifunctional unit. The design is durable and versatile. The housing protects lamp heads during transport, and it can be used as a standard reflector.

The housing is heat resistant and breakproof due to a fibreglass reinforced polyamid material. With one 2400 J flashtube and a 300 W modelling light you will hold a powerful lamp head in your hand. A pan/tilt head is integrated in the design. When you need a hard light – the Litos standard reflector is ideal. If you need a soft light use the optional Flex 70by70. If you plan to shape the light, no problem – the bayonet mount offers you access to the whole range of Broncolor accessories.

Litos is intended to work with Senso only.

Compatibility with Broncolor accessories offers substantial flexibility for long-term use.

The Senso and Litos will be offered in four different Kits, including power packs, lamp heads, flex 70by70 and synchro cables.

For more information on the Broncolor line, please visit www.bron.ca. * Joules are approximately equivalent to Ws.

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Winter 2010-2011 | 11

AutumnContest Congratulations to the winners of the quarterly PHOTONews Challenge!

Miner’s Path.

Thane Vanderaegen of Lethbridge, Alberta, captured this image of the Miner’s Path Bridge in Coleman, Alberta with a Canon 5D MK II and a 17-40 mm Canon lens. This shot was taken as a 3-shot bracketed exposure at f/22 with ISO 50 and the zoom set to 23mm. “I hoped to retain details in both the leaves in the foreground and the bridge in the background, with the added benefit of “slowing-down” the water in the creek.By shooting low I hoped to bring the viewer in towards the bridge following the leaves on the side of the creek.”

Vortex of colour.

Bruce Gunion, of Kingston, Ontario shot this photo with a Canon EOS D60, zooming during the exposure to create a vortex of colour.

12 | PHOTONews

Back roads of the Bar River area.

Frank De Simon, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, captured this pastoral image with a Nikon D90 and a 18-105mm lens polarized @ 48mm. shooting at 1/180 second and f4.8, ISO 200. “I Used PhotoShop to create a -2 and +2 exposure and Dynamic Photo HDR to tweak the image. This image is one of over 300 shot while on a photo tour with 2 friends. We spent the day cruising the back roads of the Bar River area east of Sault Ste Marie. The sun was just starting to set causing the fall colours in the trees to pop. What an end to a gorgeous fall day!”

Cool Autumn morning.

Sue Thompson, of Chatham, Ontario, was out bright and early on a cool Autmn morning to capture these beautiful dew drops using her Rebel XSi and Hoya close up lens set shooting at 1/125 sec. and f 5.6 ISO 200. “I was lying on my stomach facing the into the direct sun to capture the light on each drop.”

Gravel country road.

Ivan Sorensen composed this idyllic image for our PHOTONews Autumn Challenge. “I love capturing light and shadows and will cruise the countryside looking for the right shot. I found it here on this gravel country road and by using medium zoom to make the journey into the light, I was able to recreate the the image that was left in my mind. Nikon D90, 1/180 sec. @ f/9.5, ISO 200 +2 EV. 150mm.”

Color juxtaposition of green.

Harris Hui of Vancouver took this picture with a Nikon D300 and Nikon 18-200mm VR lens, mounted on a tripod, in the Van Dusen Garden Vancouver. The settings were ISO 200 f/13 and 1/80 second. “It was a bright sunny afternoon. There was not much fall color yet in that weekend but I managed to find this spot with great colour juxtaposition of green, red and white fall colours. I was happy at the end of the day!”

Iconic Maple Leaf.

This photo of the Iconic Maple Leaf was taken by Monica de Moss of Dalhousie New Brunswick. “I used the Canon 7D with 18-55mm kit lens fully extended, f5.6, 1/30s and ISO 100. I selected a manual white balance so that the light and colour wouldn’t be blown out on the leaf but still allows detail on the log background. I really liked the way the colours and the morning light showed the details of the dew on the leaf.”

Don’t miss the Winter PHOTONews Challenge – see page 58 for details, and post your best shot at the PHOTONews flickr® group – www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/

Winter 2010-2011 | 13

Reader’sGallery

Abandoned Thane Vanderaegen, of Lethbridge, Alberta, captured this image of an old delivery truck on an abandoned homestead south of Foremost, Alberta. It was shot with a Canon 5D MK II and Sigma 50-500mm lens at 98mm.

This shot was exposed at 1/5 of a second at f/2.8 with hopes of blurring the grain in the foreground and still showing some detail to the old farmhouse in the background.

Blaze Barna Tanko, of Calgary, captured this image of his dog Blaze (Hungarian Vizsla), on January 18, 2010 in the midday sun with a Canon 5D and 24-70 f2.8 L lens, set at 24 mm, shutter speed 1/500 second, aperture f/5.6 and ISO 100, evaluative metering. Photo processed in Adobe Photoshop CS5. The fresh snow acted like a giant reflector screen bringing up the details on the dog.

Scarborough Bluff Arindam Bhattacharya of Toronto captured this image of Scarborough Bluff with a Canon 450D and 15‑85mm IS Lens, shooting at 1/40 sec. and f/16, ISO 100. ”It was a cloudy day and a bit disappointing until I observed that the sky colour was changing in the east.

I decided to head for to Scarborough Bluff, where I knew that I could find a location with a clear view of the sky and some interesting foreground.”

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PHOTONews Magazine is delighted to recognize the work of the following Canadian photographers, whose vision and creativity brightens our Reader’s Gallery this issue.

Our new website now includes a special gallery section, where all readers can view the work submitted and post comments… we encourage you to post your favourite image, no larger than 600 pixels wide – a selection of the best of the images will be published in each issue of PHOTONews!

Readers participating in the published gallery will receive a special gift.

Photographers will retain all copyright to the images shown in the gallery, both online and in print.

Take a few minutes to review your favourite images, and visit http://www. flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/ for complete instructions for submitting photo files to the PHOTONews Reader’s Gallery!

Reflection of a window Jim Forrest of Barrie, Ontario captured this image of Fall colours in the reflection of a window at the Cemetary Chapel at the Barrie Union cemetary. Nikon D300s and Nikon 10.5 Fisheye lens, shooting at 1/250 second and f/5.6, ISO 400.

“The reflection in the window caught my interest of an interesting image to shoot.”

Alia Andreas Schneider, of Wellesley, Ontario, captured this image at the Digital Imaging show in Mississauga. A handheld Canon 7D with a 70-200 f2.8L IS lens at 90mm was used. Bowens lighting using a 5’ Octo softbox and 4’ soft strip softbox activated with a wireless trigger provided the perfect light with settings of ISO100 at f6.0 and 1/125. The telezoom lens was used to get closer and have flexibility to concentrate on the feature of the model’s face.

“The unique opportunity to photograph the live art of Natasha Kudashkina in the perfect setting just needed to be taken. (Model: Alia) In conversion from RAW into Photoshop I adjusted the Clarity setting down to -42 to smooth the edges of the colors and reduce the texture of the skin.”

Winter 2010-2011 | 15

SpecialFeature by michel roy

Winter photography

you’ve got to love it!

Don’t spend the winter waiting for the first day of spring! Taking photos on a cold, crisp winter day is a great way to enjoy one of Canada’s most photogenic seasons.

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Winter 2010-2011 | 17

WinterPhotography [ by Michel Roy ]

I love winter. I can’t wait for the first snowstorm to blanket the landscape with a frosting of magic crystals… and I take great pride in being able to overcome the many challenges of cold weather photography to capture images that cause my friends and clients to say “WOW!” The most important element of winter photography is obviously to be well prepared.

This preparation starts with a wise choice of clothing. Warm and comfortable are the two key goals. If you are cold and wet, your winter photography adventures will be short and unproductive.

To succeed in recording the majesty of the Canadian winter, you have to second-guess your camera meter. Conceived and manufactured in much warmer environments, the camera meter always tries to achieve an average exposure corresponding to blue skies, green grass, and an overall reflectance of 18% grey – about the shade of a well-travelled asphalt road. Obviously, this won’t work between November and March! That is why the photography of snowscapes often results in underexposed images. Winter subjects rarely match

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Winter 2010-2011 | 19

WinterPhotography [ by Michel Roy ]

the camera’s programmed target exposure of medium grey – many winter photos will be too dark if the camera is set on any of the automatic exposure modes. The solution is to take a meter reading of a Kodak 18% Grey Card, then set the exposure manually, or dial-in the appropriate exposure compensation factor.

Once you are confident that you can tackle the winter exposure challenges, you are ready to explore the great outdoors for photo opportunities. Winter provides a variety of unique subjects, look for ice formations, newly fallen snow, reflections, animals in their winter habitat – the possibilities are endless once you leave the warmth of your home to explore the winter wonderland.

Some of the most striking winter images can be captured more easily in winter than during the warmer seasons – for example, sunrise is a breeze in winter, because you don’t have to wake up at 3h30 in the morning! So get out and catch that great light of the first hour of the day!

“Some of the most striking winter images can be captured more easily in winter than during the warmer seasons.”

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by Wayne Lynch

PhotoDestinations

Wildlife Jewel of East Africa

A

As I write these words I’m parked in a Toyota more among the throng to be hungry enough, Land Cruiser above the muddy banks of the impatient enough, or naive enough to plunge Mara River in southern Kenya, just a few kiloacross the river to reach the green flush of oat metres north of the Tanzanian border. Less grass all of them can see, and probably smell. than an hour ago, the horizon released the I try not to take my eyes off the herds for more flaming eye of the rising than a few moments at a sun and I’m bathing in the time because I know from The name Serengeti past experience that a warm embrace of the sun’s first rays. As I wait, river crossing can begin is derived from I’m not alone. A small without warning: the the Masai language cluster of white-backed action changing suddenly and means a wide vultures, roosting in the from milling to mayhem. nearby trees, is also waitIn an instant it happens. open space. ing, but waiting is what A trio of adult zebras leaps vultures do best. A swirl in into the coffee-colored watthe water catches my eye and I recognize the ers and swims powerfully across the river. The languid sweep of a crocodile’s tail. When I look suddenness of the event and the splashing and closer, I count five of the scaly beasts drifting braying of the zebras seems to immediately between the riverbanks like guests at a recepinfuse the waiting wildebeests with couragetion, waiting for the buffet to be served. On the ous resolve, and wave after wave of their ranks far side of the river, less than two hundred plunge into the river. The noise, the dust, the metres away, hundreds of wildebeests, along determination, and the wildness in the animals’ with some zebras, shuffle around in a thick eyes imbues the moment with a primal feel and cloud of amber dust. The wildebeests and the I purposefully stop photographing to fully savour zebras are also waiting; waiting for one or the beauty of this ancient natural event. When the

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Winter 2010-2011 | 23

PhotoDestinations [ by Wayne Lynch ]

knobby head of a crocodile erupts from the foam I snap back into action but the resulting photograph fails to capture the flailing legs of the drowning wildebeest or the underwater struggle that precedes it. The crossing is over in less than ten minutes. Several wildebeests have been captured by the crocodiles, but hundreds have escaped, and the survivors will fatten on the fresh green grass around me.

Before the morning concludes I photograph a gaggle of vultures squabbling over a carcass, a pair of male giraffes wielding their heads like sledgehammers in a contest of neck

24 | PHOTONews

wrestling, a newborn Thomson’s gazelle nursing on shaky legs, and a stately secretary bird stomping a fleeing cobra, then swallowing the battered serpent in a single gulp. Such is a day in the Serengeti, one of the greatest wildlife locations on the planet.

The name Serengeti is derived from the Masai language and means a wide open space. Nowhere else on Earth can a person see such an incredible array of wildlife: 1.3 million wildebeests, 200,000 plains zebras, 440,000 Thomson’s gazelles, 100,000 impala, 200,000 topi, hartebeests, and

African buffalo, plus scores of a dozen other kinds of hoofed mammals. Then there are the predators: 7,500 spotted hyenas, 3,000 lions, 1,000 leopards and several hundred cheetahs. When I was in East Africa this past September the density of predators had attracted film crews from the British Broadcasting Corporation, Disney Nature and National Geographic: all striving to capture the visual splendour of the Serengeti.

The Serengeti ecosystem, at 25,000 square kilometres (9,600 sq. mi), is just a bit larger than the combined size of Jasper, Banff,

Kootenay, Yoho and Waterton National Parks in Canada’s Rocky Mountains. This rich ecosystem is a mixture of open plains, acacia woodlands, and forest-rimmed rivers. Eightyfive percent of the Serengeti is located in Tanzania, centred around Serengeti National Park; the remainder is in southern Kenya, mainly in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

The Serengeti is best known for its annual migrations of wildebeests, zebras and Thomson’s gazelles in numbers that defy the imagination. The animals move around in response to geographical

differences in rainfall, which produces differences in the amount of fresh green grass available for them to eat. From December to March, the great herds are clustered in the southern Serengeti in Tanzania, and then from August to October they concentrate in the north in the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. Outside of these months the animals are in transit, migrating between the two key areas.

Most visitors to the Serengeti travel as part of an organized safari. As a photographer, your number one consideration is whether

the safari is a general interest tour or a specialized photo tour. In the past year, at least half a dozen people have asked me why they should travel to East Africa on a photo tour instead of a general nature tour. They asked.

“Doesn’t every tour focus on the streaming herds, elephants and lions?” “Why are photo tours generally more expensive than standard tours, and do you need to be an expert photographer to join a photo tour?” Here are four compelling reasons why a photo tour is the only way to visit the Serengeti if you’re an avid shutterbug.

Winter 2010-2011 | 25

PhotoDestinations [ by Wayne Lynch ]

1 Optimal Scheduling of Daily Programs Every photographer knows that early morning and late day are the times when the light is most appealing for capturing everything from landscapes to leopards. That often means early wake up calls, breakfast in a box, and late evening dinners. On many of the general interest safaris the daily schedule revolves around dining room hours at the whim of the lodges. Little consideration is given to when the light is optimal for photography.

2 Extra Room in the Vehicles To reduce the cost of a tour, many safari operators assign just one seat for each passenger.

Typically, the brochure simply states that the tour features “modern, comfortable, minibuses” or “spacious 4-wheel drive vehicles”.

What they don’t tell you is that you will be packed inside like sardines, each person cradling his or her camera gear on their lap with their water bottle jammed between their knees. In the Serengeti, the standard mini-bus or Land Cruiser holds eight passengers, squeezed shoulder to shoulder, half of whom must photograph through the grime of a dusty window.

On a specialized photo tour each vehicle generally carries only three or four passengers.

In this way, everyone has elbow room to photograph all at once, and fewer photographs are ruined by people jumping up and down from their seats, jiggling the vehicle. In short, on most photo tours you get at least two seats for every person, one for your bottom and another for your camera bag.

3 Time Spent With the Subjects Photographers are generally very patient people who never mind waiting, sometimes for hours, to capture exciting light or unusual behaviour with their cameras. A tourism study done in Kenya in the 1980s determined that the average tourist spent just three minutes watching the first lion they saw on a safari, and once they had seen three lions they didn’t stop to watch any others. You can imagine the frustration a photographer would feel being trapped in such a vehicle because every encounter has something different to offer.

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Winter 2010-2011 | 27

PhotoDestinations [ by Wayne Lynch ]

4 Leaders Who Are Photographers Tour leaders who do not photograph cannot appreciate the difference that a bend in the road can make to the strength of a composition, the importance of the last 30 minutes of light at the end of the day, or the patience needed to wait for a catch light in the eye of an eagle. Many years ago, I co-led a photo tour to Costa Rica with a local leader who was reputed to be one of the finest naturalists in

the country. Indeed, this pleasant man knew his birds, his plants, and his beetles, but he knew nothing about photography and the interests of photographers. When we stopped for a pleasing shot of a tropical landscape he argued that the parking lot around the next corner was better. It never was. When we stopped for the twentieth time in a day he protested that we would be late arriving at our daily destination. We never were. And when we stopped to photograph some cowboys, he said it wasn’t safe, yet their smiles and

laughter told us that it was. Without my intervention, this skilled and knowledgeable local guide would have turned our photo tour into a photo failure.

A question that everyone has before a photo tour to Africa is “what equipment will I need?” Bring at least two camera bodies, three is better, in case one breaks or fails. For wildlife, the most useful lenses are medium telephotos in the 100 to 300mm range. If you like to photograph birds then you will need something bigger, in the 400 to 600mm range. Wide angle lenses are also a must to

28 | PHOTONews

capture landscape scenes. (Tip: If you own backup lenses, bring them along in case your primary lenses get broken or malfunction).

Surprisingly, an electronic flash is also very handy to have. With the development of lownoise digital sensors which permit the use of high ISO settings I end up using an electronic flash to fill the shadows many times during a typical safari. Generally, tripods and/or monopods are useless in the cramped confines of the vehicles from which you will do the vast majority of your shooting. The best way to stabilize your camera is to use a bean bag.

Storing images is another issue that plagues every travelling photographer. On my last safari to the Serengeti I polled 20 photographers to see how many images they had shot on a two-week photo tour. The average was between 75 and 100 gigabytes, with one fellow shooting a remarkable 325 gigabytes.

He confessed that he had shot over 17,000 images. I was happy it was him who had to edit those photographs and not me. My usual storage routine is to download everything onto a laptop and then back up all the images on a small external hard drive.

A safari to the Serengeti will be one of the most expensive photo trips of your life. With good advance planning and careful tour selection I can guarantee it will be also be one of your greatest photographic experiences.

On the Net Follow Wayne’s adventures at his website – www.waynelynch.ca and don’t miss his latest book - Planet Arctic - Life at the Top of the World - now available online and through better bookstores everywhere.

Winter 2010-2011 | 29

DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER,

SHOOT WITH

THE MESSENGER

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ION LUT 2 E VO ENGER S S N I ME ING 1!

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Holds a laptop up to 15.6” in a padded pocket

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PiggyBack Pocket slides on to rolling luggage

Quick access to camera through The Quick Access Top

Tamrac products are marketed and distributed by Amaya Foto, a division of Amplis Foto Inc. Visit tamrac.ca for more details.

by daryl benson

PhotoInspiration

Visual Design & Image Presentation After 30 years in any business a person tends to get jaded. I love what I do but it’s gotten more and more difficult to be pleased by my images or inspired by the work of others. I’m rarely impressed now by a single image. What I do enjoy seeing and what I respond to is imagery where I can recognize a mind at work behind the camera, keyboard, pen or paintbrush - not just the flawless execution of technology and technical proficiency, but an actual idea well communicated, a human mind working!

One of the areas in photography where this idea is still ripe for exploration is “Image Presentation”. Creating the initial photograph is often just the first step in a much larger creative process. This is what I want to communicate in words and images with my new column in PHOTONews.

Winter 2010-2011 | 31

PhotoInspiration [ by Daryl Benson ]

Meet Daryl Benson

The newest member of the Photo News Team!

DARYL BENSON was born on the Canadian prairies and has spent a good portion of his life travelling and photographing on every continent. From penguin colonies surrounded by glaciers in Antarctica to aromatic fields of lavender in Provence, France; from the dragon’s teeth limestone mountains of Guilin, China to the arid, red Nullarbor Plain of the Australian outback; and from the wind-tortured mountains of Patagonia in South America to mass wildlife migrations on the Serengeti Plains of Africa.

After seeing, experiencing and photographing at all of these exotic locations Daryl claims to get his best photographs here along the coasts, prairies, mountains and forests of Canada. It is the place he knows best – it’s home!

32 | PHOTONews

Winter 2010-2011 | 33

Zoominginto2011 by peter K. burian

Add an Ultra Wide and a Tele Zoom for the

Ideal Three Lens Kit Virtually all digital SLR cameras are sold with an inexpensive kit lens, typically an 18-55mm model that provides focal lengths from moderately wide angle to short telephoto.

That’s a suitable range for some purposes - roughly equivalent to 28-85mm in 35mm film photography - and high-grade models are also available (such as the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC Di II). But this type of zoom is not an allpurpose model by any means. For most travel, event and landscape photography, I definitely want two additional lenses, including an ultra wide and a telephoto zoom.

34 | PHOTONews

In fact, I recently did a great deal of shooting with focal lengths from 10mm to 300mm, covering the angles of view from 103º to 5º degrees, primarily with a Nikon D90. Subjects included classic British cars, birds of prey and costumed characters at a festival, a fall fair, as well as go-kart and cycle race action. The three lenses would have been ideal for other applications too of course, such as landscape and travel photography.

SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di-II LD Aspherical [IF]

The Ultra Wide Lens Any DSLR owner who is frustrated by the inability to make ultra wide photos would definitely appreciate a lens such as the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF zoom (roughly a 15-36mm equivalent). It’s very useful for including large groups of people in a single shot but also for more creative images: dynamic wide angle perspectives with a powerful near/far relationship and extensive depth of field.

Designed specifically for DSLRs with the typical sensor size (not full-frame or 24x36mm), this lens covers a 103º field of view. That’s more than our two eyes can see without scanning. The Tamron designers specified an impressive optical formula to minimize aberrations and distortion: glassmolded aspherical element, three hybrid aspherical elements, two pieces of Low Dispersion glass plus a High-refractive Index glass element. This design also controls light fall-off (darkening) at the edges, while exten-

sive use of multi-layer BBAR coatings minimizes flare.

This 10-24mm lens features Tamron’s micro-motor for autofocus with Canon and Nikon mount DSLRs. This ensures that AF is available with all of the cameras, including Nikon bodies without their own focus motors. The focus ring does rotate but the

lens barrel is adequately long for a comfortable grip without impeding the ring’s movement. Autofocus is fast and responsive for a lens of this type and the motor produces a gentle hum that is certainly not distracting.

Particularly at f/8 in the 10-18mm range, this lens produces stunning sharpness across the entire frame.

Winter 2010-2011 | 35

Zoominginto2011 [ by Peter K. Burian ]

The Telephoto Lens While some shooters prefer a “fast” zoom such as a 70-200mm f/2.8 model, I find a longer lens more useful for racing events, distant vignettes in a landscape or city scene. It’s great to be able to fill the frame with a 105-450mm equivalent lens that’s smaller and lighter than the f/2.8 model. The lens I used - Tamron’s new SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD - is particularly noteworthy because it is the first to employ the company’s proprietary Ultrasonic Silent Drive autofocus motor. Naturally, it’s also equipped with the Vibration Compensation system that provides image stabilization.

The USD technology is complex but the performance benefits are far more important: very fast and nearly silent autofocus. Full-time manual focus override is available, great for slight focus touch-up without switching out of AF mode. This feature is useful in close-up photography for example, when the camera might insist on focusing on an owl’s beak, instead of the eyes. Thanks to internal focusing, the lens barrel does not rotate, so the

36 | PHOTONews

effect of a polarizing filter never changes.

Note: Unlike the Di II lenses, this Di model is suitable for all types of cameras: DSLRs with the typical small sensor, full-frame models with the huge 24x36mm sensor and also 35mm cameras. Now available in Nikon and Canon mount, it will soon be available in Sony mount as well.

Build quality is excellent, including a highgrade polycarbonate barrel and a solid stainless steel mount. The minimum focus distance of 1.5 metres provides a maximum magnification of 0.25x (a 1:4 magnification ratio) at 300mm; that’s fine for close-ups of large blossoms, small pets or icons that you find in a market while traveling.

The optical formula is especially impressive, including a sophisticated Extra Low Dispersion element plus a conventional Low Dispersion element. The combination is said to be very effective in providing high resolution and contrast and in eliminating chromatic aberration, also called purple fringing. And finally, Tamron employs new BBAR (BroadBand Anti Reflection) multilayer coatings. The latter - plus the very deep lens hood

(included) - minimized flare even in extreme side lighting during an early morning race.

With the VC switch set to ”on”, I was consistently able to get sharp photos at 300mm (a 450mm equivalent on the Nikon D90) at 1/60 sec. in a dark cathedral while hand-holding the camera. Roughly half of my images made at 1/30 sec. were adequately sharp for nice 8x10" glossies. By comparison, with the VC set to ”off”, I had to use 1/400 sec. for a high success ratio. When bracing the camera on a solid object, I got a few sharp images even at a 1/6 sec. shutter speed.

Performance and Quality In my Review of this Tamron 10-24mm f/3.54.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF lens in a previous issue of Photo News, I made the following comments. ”All ultra-wide zooms produce some light falloff at the edges of the frame, but that was well controlled, barely visible by f/5.6-6.3. At the most commonly used apertures of f/8 to f/16, edge brightness almost matches central brightness. Linear distortion is

Tamron 70-300mm USD specifications

Focal length Diagonal Angle of view Maximum aperture Minimum aperture Lens Construction Number of diaphragm blades Minimum focus Maximum magnification AF motor type Image stabilization Filter thread Weight Dimensions Compatible Mount

surprisingly low for a lens with such extremely short focal lengths. In fact, I have experienced more barrel distortion (bowing outward of lines near the edge of the frame) with some 18-55mm zooms.” ”With a short focal length lens such as this, the most frequently-used apertures are f/8 to f/16. At these f/stops image quality is superb, especially in the 10-18mm range. My technically best JPEGs made 13x19" prints that look outstanding when matted and framed.”

The SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD was impressive in many aspects. Linear distortion is surprisingly low and flare is very well controlled. This brand new lens can produce high resolution in the central 60% of the frame at most apertures and focal lengths; it’s outstanding at 70mm to 135mm even at f/4.

Stopping down to f/10 provides very high edge-to-edge sharpness.

At longer focal lengths, centre sharpness is still good at f/5.6 and very good at f/8. And again, the best performance across the frame is provided at f/10 with no apparent colour

fringing around subject edges. Light falloff (corner darkening) was noticeable in wide aperture photos that included the sky but this was virtually eliminated by f/8. Of course, slight corner darkening is very easy to correct with imaging software that includes a tool designed for this purpose.

Ultrasonic autofocus - with a Nikon D90 and especially with a D700 - was quick and suitable for tracking the motion of costumed characters and cyclists approaching my position. At longer focal lengths, the maximum aperture shrinks to f/5.6 (typical with a 70-300mm lens) reducing the amount of light reaching the camera’s AF sensor. That did create some autofocus issues during the go-kart race, with competitors moving erratically: slowing or accelerating rapidly. For better tracking AF performance, I moved closer to the action and used shorter focal lengths; this tactic increased my success ratio of sharply focused images.

It’s also worth noting that the SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD received the Best Zoom Lens 2010-2011 award from the

70-300mm 34° 21’-8° 15’ F/4 – 5.6 F/32-45 • 17 elements/12 groups 9 1.5m (59.1in.)

1:4 (at 300mm: MFD 1.5m) Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) Yes 62mm 765 Grams 81.5 x 142.7 mm (3.2 x 5.3 in) Canon, Nikon and soon, Sony

European Imaging and Sound Association, a group of 50 European magazines. The EISA panel praised its ”razor-sharp image quality that makes full-frame photos look like medium-format images ... near-silent autofocus system ... and superb image stabilization”.

Final Assessment When considering my entire portfolio of images, I’d estimate that only 10% of them were made with focal lengths outside the 10mm to 300mm range, usually with super telephotos. Granted, a true Macro lens is also an essential tool. But in other respects, a three lens kit should meet just about every need a photo enthusiast will encounter. So if you’re still using only a kit lens or other ”standard” zoom, I can strongly recommend adding an ultra wide and a telephoto zoom. Start with the one that you’re likely to use most often, adding the third lens as your budget allows, and you can zoom into 2011 with a threelens kit that will meet the challenges of your photographic adventures.

Winter 2010-2011 | 37

y a d i l o H

e d i u G t f i G 2

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AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di-II Ultra Wide-Angle Zoom Lens Designed exclusively for your DSLR with a smaller-sized sensor, this ultra-wide focal length will enhance you your landscape and travel photography. Fully compatible with Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony DSLRs. $590 www.tamron.ca

2

2

AF 70-300mm VC f/4-5.6 Di VC USD Telephoto Zoom Lens Ideal for your action, portrait and landscape shots, it uses both an Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) for fast, quiet autofocusing, and Vibration Compensation (VC) for sharp, hand-held images that would not be possible with a non-VC lens. Fully compatible with Canon and Nikon DSLRs with full-frame and smaller-size sensors.

3

3

AF18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC Wide to Telephoto Lens With a 15x zoom ratio and designed exclusively for DSLRs with smaller-sized sensors, this is the perfect all-in-one travel lens.

The Vibration Compensation (VC) feature allows for shooting at slower shutter speeds, such as low-light scenes. Fully compatible with Canon and Nikon DSLRs. $670 www.tamron.ca

$510 www.tamron.ca

HolidayGIFTGuide • Winter 2010-2011 | 39

1

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2

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Metz 58AF-2 Professional power for less money. The Metz 58AF-2 is perfect for any event/wedding photographer with its unique secondary fill flash to eliminate shadows when bouncing flash. $649.99 www.metzflash.ca

3

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Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly 724 (Super Bright) Equipped with 2 super bright LEDs, the Arctic Butterfly 724 makes sensor cleaning a breeze.

The built in motor means no canned air required, perfect for traveling.

4

4

40 | PHOTONews • HolidayGIFTGuide

Metz 50AF-1 Power, Simplicity & Compatibility. The Metz 50AF-1 can be used wirelessly with any camera with its unique servo mode or as a wireless TTL remote flash. $261.99 www.metzflash.ca

Visible Dust BriteVue Sensor Loupe 7x Featuring 6 Super Bright LEDs and High Quality Optical Glass, the BriteVue Sensor Loupe 7x reveals the smallest dust particles on your DSLR sensor.

5

5

LumiQuest Mini Softbox This small softbox will improve the quality of light from a dedicated flash. It attaches in seconds with velcro and folds flat for easy transport.

$41.99 www. lumiquest.ca

6

6

LumiQuest Soft Screen To improve the quality of light from your built in flash, the soft screen will reduce the harshness of your flash. It folds flat and can be set up in seconds.

$25.99 www. lumiquest.ca

www.sonystyle.ca

1

2 2

1

1

Sony A33 DSLR camera with 18-55mm lens ($799.99 for A33) Change the way you shoot pictures with Sony’s awardwinning camera with Translucent Mirror Technology. Shoot 7 frames per second or HD video with the fastest movie autofocus of any DSLR on the market. www.sonystyle.ca/dslr

2

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Sony NEX Compact Interchangeable Lens cameras (NEX-5 for $799.99, NEX-3 for $699.99) Go where no DSLR has gone before with Sony’s gamechanging NEX cameras. They offer an APS-C sized HD CMOS sensor and interchangeable lenses for DSLR caliber quality, but with the size and simplicity of a compact camera. Be inspired to shoot HD movies and holiday photos with beautifully defocused backgrounds like a professional. www.sonystyle.ca/NEX

HolidayGIFTGuide • Winter 2010-2011 | 41

2

1

3

1 1

KT PL-LT-317 The LighTri is uniquely designed to keep your DSLR in quick-draw position at all times, and the top flap features both a right and left "pull to shoot" opening.

Carry your gear either on your back or on your torso and simply switch from one position to the other by swinging the bag from back to front to grab your camera for shooting. Four sizes available for a variety of equipment! $154.99 www.kata-bags.ca

42 | PHOTONews • HolidayGIFTGuide

2 2

Kata Ultra-Light Bumblebee-222 Backpack The lightest and most technologically advanced photo backpack on the market! Featuring dual compartment design for a DSLR with multiple lenses and accessories, and plenty of space for personal items. $339.99 www.kata-bags.ca

3 3

Kata DL-H-531-B D-Light Hybrid-531 DL Shoulder Bag Made from lightweight durable Ripstop nylon and designed to carry a still camera and a video camcorder in a single bag that can be split in two. Includes shoulder straps and detachable rain cover. $64.99 www.kata-bags.ca

1 1

MODO 785B Tripod

with Photo/Video Head A compact tripod for both photo and video use, it folds down to 17“ and reaches 59” high. Ideal for your compact or bridge camera, as well as small camcorder. $99 www.manfrotto.ca

2

2

4

MODO 790B Monopod

4

A full height 5-section monopod folding down to 15½” , offering stable support for your compact digital camera or DSLR with kit lens. $39 www.manfrotto.ca

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MODO 797 Pocket A table-top pod that folds up completely flat to stay attached to your compact digital camera. Very useful for self-timer, low-light and long-exposure shots. $48 www.manfrotto.ca

Canon G12 The G12 is loaded with powerful technologies. Canon’s HS SYSTEM, 2.8” Vari-angle LCD, and RAW + JPEG image modes. Plus, new upgrades like HD Video, multiple aspect ratios and High Dynamic Range.

1

$569.99

2

3

4

HolidayGIFTGuide • Winter 2010-2011 | 43

BRNO llc

2

1

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1 1

National Geographic NG A2560 Africa Series Medium Satchel Made from water-repellent 100% cotton, and designed to carry and protect a D-SLR or camcorder with media accessories. It also holds a laptop computer with a screen up to 15.4”. $129 www.geographicbags.ca

2

2

3

3

National Geographic NG A5270 Africa Series Medium Rucksack Designed to carry and protect a D-SLR camera or camcorder with media and accessories, plus a laptop computer with a screen up to 15.4”. An upper storage compartment holds personal necessities. It is made from water repellent 100% cotton with a padded interior. $165 www.geographicbags.ca

44 | PHOTONews • HolidayGIFTGuide

BRno White Balance Caps These lens caps are the easiest solution to get perfect white balance in seconds. Since it’s a lens cap, it’s easy to carry and will always be with you. $62.99-83.99 www.balens.ca

4 4

Genus ND Fader The Genus ND Fader is a variable neutral density filter that offers 2-8 stops of light reduction with a simple twist of your wrist. $104.99-198.99 www.genustech.ca

4

1 1

GT1541T Traveler Series 6X Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs Ideal for your DSLR with zoom lens, miniDV camcorder or spotting scope. It uses light-weight 6x carbon fiber construction, a unique 180O folding leg system for compact carrying, while offering a standard working height tripod. Ideal for photographers on the move or when space and weight are key factors. Tripod head not included. $674 www.gitzo.ca

2

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GT2840C Series 2 Basalt Compact Tripod Legs Made of basalt rock, this lightweight tripod is a great choice for your DSLR using long telephoto lenses. It can be set-up from eye-level to as low as 1.5 ft. from the ground for all types of shooting. Tripod head not included. $599 www.gitzo.ca

3

3

GH2750QR Series 2 Off-Center Magnesium Ball Head

3

An off-set ball head for versatile camera positioning, offering smooth rotation, strong locking knobs and quick release plate. An independent rotating base makes your panoramic shooting easy!

3

$299 www.gitzo.ca

2

1

HolidayGIFTGuide • Winter 2010-2011 | 45

1

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Ilford Galerie Offering excellent colour reproduction, high sharpness and a finish that eliminates glare and finger prints, Galerie Smooth Pearl is the perfect inkjet paper for printing your favourite images!

5 Bonus Sheets of double-sided Lustre paper included! $26 www.ilfordgalerie.ca

46 | PHOTONews • HolidayGIFTGuide

3

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HMCARD1 The perfect way to remember that Special Occasion. 30 sheets of Hahnemühle FineArt paper in 4" x 6" format complete with a storage tin embossed with the timeless Hahnemühle Rooster logo. $25.60 www.hahnemuhle.ca

HMWRAP3 Gallery Wrapped images on canvas are the hottest display product on the market and now you can do it at home. The kit contains everything you need to print and wrap an 8 1/2 x 11 image, including two sheets of canvas and one wrap kit. $28.50 www.hahnemuhle.ca

4

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HMALBUM4 The luxury of leather and stunning Hahnemühle Photo Rag Duo double sided inkjet paper combine to give you an album of images that anyone would be proud to own and display. $283 www.hahnemuhle.ca

2 1

3

1 1

Evolution 6 More than a sling bag or a backpack. Tamrac's Evolution 6 can be used as a very comfortable backpack or as a fast access right/ left shoulder sling bag with capacity for up to a 70-300 lens.

Features built-in tripod holder.

Available in Brown/Tan or Black/ Grey. $135.99 www.tamrac.ca

2 2

Evolution 8 More than a sling bag or a backpack. Tamrac's Evolution 8 can be used as a very comfortable backpack or as a fast access right/ left shoulder sling bag with capacity for up to a 70-200 F2.8 lens. Features built-in tripod holder. Available in Brown/Tan or Black/Grey.

3 3

MultiDisc Kit Five surfaces in one package!

Improve your lighting in your images with a MultiDisc. This kit comes with a 42" MultiDisc, LiteDisc holder and a stand. $209.99 www.photoflex.ca

$177.99 www.tamrac.ca

HolidayGIFTGuide • Winter 2010-2011 | 47

by eli amon

TechTips

Lighting on Location Shooting professional portraits on location is always an interesting break from my studio work. Whether it is a corporate profile, a wedding or engagement session, or school photography, the assignment always presents an opportunity to create images that will bring a smile to the face of the client, and everyone who sees the pictures.

In the studio, I have access to a wide range of lighting and backdrops – on location, I have to consider the logistics of the assignment, the setting, and the desired

results. My subjects often have a limited amount of time, and that means I have to travel light, with equipment that sets up quickly, packs up even faster, and delivers professional quality.

I have a portable lighting kit that lets me set up a portrait studio on location. Even in a tight space with no electrical outlets, I can get the professional look without compromising on quality.

Going downtown with very heavy equipment can be a challenge – just hiking from the parking lot to the client’s office can be

“I Use the Qflash Trio and two additional Qflash units for most of my location assignments.”

– Eli Amon

With an LED battery charge indicator, you always know how much power you have to work with - I typically get 1200 shots per charge.

48 | PHOTONews

exhausting! That’s why I go on location with my camera bag, a bag with three Qflash units and Turbo batteries, a portable backdrop, and three Manfrotto 1052BAC light stands.

Portability is the key, but your location lighting has to be professional caliber – you have to arrive on site, set up, and start shooting right away.

For location assignments, I use my Canon 1D Mark IV, and a selection of portrait prime lenses – the 135mm f/2.8 is a favourite, but for fast-moving assignments I often

For the executive portrait of David Ellison, from Ellison Law, I used a Canon 1D Mark IV with a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens. The camera was set to Manual - ISO 400, 1/80s to 1/125s @ f/4.0. I used a Quantum TRIO on-camera, set at QTTL minus 1 stop. The secondary flash was a Quantum Q-T5d-R with FW7Q FREE - X –WIRE Receiver set to QTTL, in a small soft box mounted on a light stand, fully controlled and triggered by the on-camera flash.

For most of those shots, the secondary flash was positioned at 45 degrees to the subject, just outside of the frame. I chose a low angle of view to empower the image of the subject.

I shot at wide-open aperture (for shallow depth of field) to eliminate distracting background detail and draw the attention to the subject.

Please note that these shots are straight out of the camera images without post processing or retouching.

pick a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom. I arrive on location and usually set up all three Qflash units.

I mount the main Qflash on a Custom Bracket. I am left-handed, so the provision to adjust the bracket to the “wrong” side of the camera is a big help. When you power the Qflash with a Quantum Turbo battery on a shoulder strap or on your belt, the camera, flash, and bracket actually weigh less than your camera with a 580 EX II flash and batteries. The bracket lets you separate the flash from the lens axis to prevent red-eye, and

mounting the flash higher above the lens axis angles the light down enough to reduce or eliminate shadows behind your subject.

I power each of my Qflash units with Quantum Turbo 2x2 batteries, and I generally get 1200 shots per charge. The new Q3 battery is smaller and more powerful, which is a major plus. Most of my Quantum Turbo batteries are five years old or more, and they just keep on working, year after year, with no loss of power or capacity All of the Quantum batteries have an

LED read-out, showing how much battery power is left. The Quantum batteries also recycle very fast, especially when you shoot in TTL flash mode. The QFlash is made to handle rapid shooting over a long session.

Standard shoe-mount flashes tend to overheat when used in a professional situation - take too many shots in too short a time frame and the standard flashes will shut themselves down until they cool off. The QFlash just keeps on working.

I have several Qflash units, of different vintages, and they all work together as a team. I use a Qflash Trio as my main light, for the remote flash I use the T5d because it is more powerful, and gives one full aperture over my older Qflash, which I use as a background light - every now and then I turn it around to act as a rim light to separate the subject from the background.

Light management in the studio generally involves softboxes and umbrellas, but these can be a problem when shooting outdoors, or in tight spaces. On location, I prefer the halo softbox as my main light, and I use the diffusers provided by Qflash.

What I like about the Qflash system is that even if the second flash is in the softbox, I have full control over the slave flash from the on-camera flash. While I use the flashes in manual mode most of the time, they work very well in TTL mode – I find the Qflash automatic modes to be more accurate than

Winter 2010-2011 | 49

LightingonLocation [ by Eli

Amon ]

the camera’s TTL flash system, and you can limit the sensor on the Qflash – you can “tell” the flash how far you are from the main subject, and it will ignore the background light and other ambient lighting that would skew the exposure. This is a real plus when you have strong backlight situations that defeat the camera TTL sensor readings. The Qflash is very versatile – and when you only need a little bit of fill, you can dial down the power to shoot at f/1.4 at 800 ISO. There are excellent videos on the Qflash website, where Will Crockett explains the Qflash products, and shows you how to set up your location lighting studio – you can find the videos at www.quantum-flash.ca The parabolic reflector of the Qflash gives you a much better quality of light than the small shoe mount flash units from the various camera manufacturers. The surface area of the Qflash reflector is about four times the size of the typical shoe mount flash, and you get a circular catch light in the subject’s eyes, which I prefer to the rectangular catch light from conventional flashes. You

50 | PHOTONews

can also remove the parabolic reflector and use the Qflash as a bare bulb light, which gives 360° light.

Lighting Techniques My preference in portrait photography is to use flash in a subtle manner to light the subject, I like the natural look, with just the right amount of fill-in flash. I have a formula that works for me – I underexpose the subject by about 1/3 of a stop, and I set the flash to –1, and that adds just enough flash to balance the flash and ambient light. It is a balancing act – you subtract light from the ambient exposure, and add light from the flash. This lets me control the quantity of the light and the quality – the accuracy and colour consistency of the Qflash makes this technique very successful.

Because I shoot weddings, where the colour of the bridal gown is critical, and exposure is always a concern, I like to set custom white balance with a gray card, but for general subjects you don’t really have to go to this extent to get excellent results - the Qflash system communicates the colour temperature of the

flash to the camera, so even if you shoot using auto white balance, the images will be very good right out of the camera.

When you are just starting out, you have to second-guess your camera system – when you are shooting dark subjects, like a bridegroom in a black tuxedo, you have to cut the flash power 1 stop to 2 stops, and when you shoot a bride in a white gown you set the flash to + 1/3 or + 2/3 to keep the details in the dress.

For location shots, I like to set up my subjects in the shade with a well-lit background.

I balance my flash with the ambient light for great exposures. The direction of the light can make or break the shot – you want to have your flash coming from the same

For the location shots in the park, I used a Canon 1D Mark IV with a Canon 70 –200mm f/2.8L IS lens, or a Canon 50mm f/1.2 L. The camera was set to AV (aperture priority) minus 1/3 of a stop, ISO 200 @ f/4.0. My flash was a Quantum TRIO, on camera, set at “Auto Fill” minus 1 stop, with the sensor limited to the subject distance.

general direction as the sunlight so you don’t have conflicting shadows.

If there are no shaded areas available, I sometimes shoot against the sun, letting the ambient light provide a natural rim light, and I balance the light with flash. You want the face to be in the shade so that when you add flash you don’t get too harsh a lighting effect.

The secret of good flash in portraiture is to make it look like there was no flash at all – the flash is there to help the lighting – you want to balance ambient light with fill light, although in some situations, like theatrical poses, you may want the more dramatic “look”.

When I shoot people against a landscape background I set the Qflash to HSS (High Speed Synchronization) and I shoot at a very high shutter speed to capture the background, and the Qflash illuminates the subject.

Without the fill-in flash, the subject would be almost a silhouette against the background.

With the new firmware, the Qflash can be used for HSS, and as soon as you drop

the shutter speed of the camera the flash automatically switches to normal flash mode – increase shutter speed and the Qflash goes into HSS mode – so you don’t have to stop and reset the flash.

Take a look at the technical data accompanying the photos, and use this as a starting point to develop your own location lighting style – make notes on the position and settings of each piece of equipment so you can duplicate the results, and before long you will be the master of your own location lighting system!

Location lighting for the avid photographer Can the photo enthusiast produce similar results with conventional equipment?

Absolutely! The modern shoe mount flashes, like the new Metz 58 AF2 and 50 AF1 work beautifully in wireless TTL mode, giving you lots of creative potential. You can set up a three-flash portrait using any of the mid-range to top-level DSLR cameras. You

may not have the output of the Qflash units that I use, but you can certainly work within the specs of the smaller flashes – the technique is the same, the position of the lights is the same, and you can manage the flash output with a range of accessories like the Lumiquest Softbox II and the Pocket Bouncer.

The Metz 58 AF 2 flash has an advantage when you shoot in a small room – you can bounce the flash off the ceiling, and the secondary flash gives you a nice catch light in the subject’s eye. The latest Metz models have repositioned the slave sensors, giving you excellent communication between the wireless master and slave units.

I like to use the Metz flashes in settings where speed and mobility are essential – I soften the light with a Lumiquest Softbox II and the results are excellent. If you use more than one camera system ask your photo retailer to show you the Metz units that have dedicated modules for each of the major camera brands.

Winter 2010-2011 | 51

NewProducts

Lumiquest LTp and Ultra strap The LumiQuest SoftBox LTp is roughly twice the size of the SoftBox III. Designed for off-camera use, the surface area is 120 sq. in. – that is over 40 times that of the flash itself, producing the softest shadows of any LumiQuest SoftBox. Ideal for those who have a laptop pocket in their camera bag/backpack and wish to use this feature to conveniently carry a larger SoftBox.

The UltraStrap is the most secure, non-adhesive flash accessory

mounting strap available. The neoprene and Velcro® loop design applies

a constant 3 lb. tension to the flash with a non-skid surface. Use the UltraStrap to attach LumiQuest accessories without sticking anything to the flash!

See the full LumiQuest line, including video tutorials, at www.lumiquest.ca

Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Kata has a new backpack for a Pro DSLR with up to 300mm lens and battery grip attached, plus an extra body and 4-5 lenses, accessories and a 15.4” laptop.

The Pro-Light Bug-203 PL is a multi-featured professional backpack designed to provide quick access to your main DSLR. Lightweight and protective, it has a specially formed foam encased spring steel Spine Guard that runs down the front of the bag for ultimate structural protection. Light yet durable RipStop fabrics and meshes, Aeriform foams and Spider Webbing straps and fantastic modularity allow you to adapt the bag to your specific needs.

The Bug-203 PL has an advanced ergonomics Gecko harness system to provide extra cushioning where it counts, a shapely contour to fit your body, and a soft molded 3D foam back for comfort, support and ventilation.

Check out the Kata line at www.kata-bags.ca

52 | PHOTONews

Three New Metz Flashes!

There are three exciting additions to the Metz flash lineup, available for Canon, Nikon, Olympus/Panasonic, Pentax and Sony cameras.

The 24AF-1 is the perfect TTL compact flash for a compact camera. With a pivoting head for bounce flash, and an AF assist beam for low light focusing performance, this compact unit has a guide number 24 for ISO 100/21° and 35 mm.

The 36 AF-5 digital is simple to operate, with flash readiness indicator and correct exposure display on the back of the flash and in the camera viewfinder (subject to camera). The vertically tilting swivel reflector affords creative illumination options and bounce flash. Manually adjustable zoom reflector adjusts coverage for 28/50/85mm. A wide-angle diffuser is suitable for focal lengths from 18 mm (135 format).

With a guide number 36 for ISO 100/21° and 85 mm, the 36 AF-5 delivers up to 450 full flashes with alkaline-magnesium batteries.

The 44 AF-1 digital is a perfect balance of performance and price. Compact size, full TTL functions and the ability to be used off camera in a servo mode manually (for cameras without flash commander units) or as a remote wireless TTL flash (with a wireless TTL commander flash) make this an excellent high performance flash for amateur photographers.

Numerous features such as fully automatic zoom, integrated wide-angle diffuser for 12 mm illumination, a flip-out reflector card and a USB interface for rapid software updates complete the system flash unit.

Metz flashes are always current with firmware upgrades – so your investment lasts a long time! For more information visit www.metzflash.ca

Winter 2010-2011 | 53

by peter K. burian

PrintingYourDigitalPhotos | PART two

Moving Up to Larger Prints I

n the last issue of PHOTO News, we discussed the technology of home photo printers, papers and ink, focusing on the letter size machines that are available in Canada. Readers who may have missed the article can read the full text in our digital edition archive, at www.photonews.ca.

In this issue, we will take the big step up to the larger format home printers that bring gallery format photos to your digital darkroom.

54 | PHOTONews

13x19-inch Format Printers At one time, printers of this format were very expensive and primarily targeted professional studios. These days however, some of the machines are downright affordable, so they’re very attractive even to scrapbookers who need 12x12” prints. And even the high-end models with the most sophisticated technology and pro features sell for under $1000. Let’s take a look at the best of these, and briefly consider some more affordable alternatives.

Canon Pixma Pro9500 Mark II: This 4800 x 2400dpi machine employs the Fullphotolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) technology and a 7,680 nozzle printhead firing microfine droplets. It also boasts many features: RAW file printing from Canon pro software, 16-bit per channel printing, a dedicated Monochrome mode and Ambient Light Correction. The latter should ensure that a print will look similar in all types of lighting conditions.

The flat media path can handle a vast range of fine art media of several brands,

including thick papers (up to 1.2mm) such as Baryta and canvas. (Roll paper cannot be used.) While the Pro9500 Mark II is not super fast, this pro-oriented machine makes gallery quality colour prints using a full ten Lucia pigment inks, including gray, black and matte black for neutral and gorgeous monochrome prints. Estimated print permanence is 100 years, on display, when using certain media.

(Street Price, $900) The more affordable Canon Pixma Pro9000 Mark II ($500) features the FINE technology too, and supports thick media, but it’s faster and employs eight ChromaLife 100 dye-based inks. Colour prints are vibrant and absolutely stunning; monochrome prints are highly acceptable. Estimated print permanence is 100 years in an archival album or 50 years on display.

Epson Stylus R2880: Suitable for professionals who need exhibition-quality prints, this 5760x1440dpi machine is just as popular among serious photo hobbyists.

Employing a high-performance Advanced

Canon pixma pro9000.

HP Photosmart B8550.

MicroPiezo AMC print head with 1440 nozzles firing micro fine droplets, it uses eight UltraChrome K3 inks – with two blacks simultaneously – and ships with an incredibly versatile driver software. The R2880 can produce superlative results: richly saturated colour prints of gallery-quality with a wide colour gamut and consistency when viewed under any type of light.

Advanced Black-and-White mode is very useful too for perfectly neutral (or warm, cool or sepia if desired) prints that satisfy the most demanding traditionalist. The front paper path is suitable for fine-art media as thick as 1.3mm in cut sheets or rolls; it can make prints as large as 13x44”. The estimated on-display permanence is 200 years, when made with certain media. While the printer and the inks are expensive, the R2880 is the leader in the 13x19” category. (Street price, $900).

Selling for about 50% less ($600), the fast enthusiast-level Epson Stylus Photo R1900 employs a similar print head to spray even smaller droplets of six UltraChrome

Hi-Gloss2 pigments, including red and orange and Photo Black or Matte Black. When using certain media, the printer also sprays a Gloss Optimizer. It can provide stunning prints with a wide colour gamut and very good monochrome outputs. This machine also accepts thick fine-art media (to 1.2mm), in cut sheets or rolls for sizes up to 13x44”. Depending on the media used, the on-display permanence rating is up to 150 years.

HP Photosmart Pro B8550: Quite affordable for a 13x19” format photo printer ($350) with up to 9600x2400 optimized dpi resolution, this one is particularly popular. It’s equipped with versatile printer software for creative projects plus extras such as Photo Fix, Auto Sharpening, Adaptive Lighting and Auto Red-eye Removal. Other useful features include a 2.4” LCD screen, slots for direct printing from memory cards and USB keys, plus Bluetooth compatibility with an optional adapter. This 13x19” format machine can make fully saturated colour outputs using four Vivera dyes, including black, in individual tanks.

It also accepts a larger black pigment cartridge that’s used when printing documents.

While the Pro B8550 accepts only cut sheets, it can use media longer than 19 inches (up to 44”) in weights up to 252 g/m² (or “24 pound bond”). The print permanence rating is impressive for a machine using dye inks: 100 years on display and 200 years in an archival album, when using certain papers.

It’s not super fast but does make beautiful colour photos and good monochrome outputs with a decent tonal range.

Use Genuine Inks It may be tempting to use aftermarket inks to save money and that approach may be acceptable when printing Web pages using a cheap second printer. (Of course, some ink cartridges include a feature that renders them inoperable if re-filled.) But the machine you use for photo printing should remain pure, employing the manufacturer’s cartridges with the inks required to optimize the Micro Piezo, FINE or other technology.

Winter 2010-2011 | 55

Epson R2880.

The suitable inks are also formulated for maximum consistency so you won’t experience unpleasant surprises when printing the same image in the future. And it will also ensure the optimal print permanence; some aftermarket inks are simply not very resistant to fading and colour shifting.

A couple of years ago, PC World magazine commissioned the prestigious Wilhelm Imaging Research lab to conduct durability and image quality tests with Epson and aftermarket cartridges. Epson cartridges offered overall better durability, image quality and reliability. (This finding is likely to be similar with Canon and HP inks too.) And reliability is a significant factor as the magazine indicates. “Judging from our experience, finding a reasonably priced substitute for brand-name ink can be a risky business… you may have to spend a lot of time cleaning clogged print heads.”

More recently Wilhelm Imaging Research conducted a study of many aftermarket ink jet cartridges and refilled cartridges and found that they did not meet the same standards as genuine inks in light-fading stability.

56 | PHOTONews

While the aftermarket inks vary, there’s simply no way to know which might be acceptable and which might lead to fading after a couple of months.

Try New Types of Media Many inkjet photo printers -- particularly the high-end 13x19” models -- accept a wide variety of media, from bond paper to photo paper to specialty paper such as watercolor or canvas.

Most people tend to use only a few types, especially the standard photo glossy and photo matte and they’re fine for getting started. Of course, there’s a wealth of other inkjet media in top-rated brands such Hahnemühle FineArt and Ilford Galerie Professional. You may be amazed at the results you’ll get on inkjet canvas, watercolor, Photo Rag, Baryta, Gold Fibre Silk and etching papers. Textured papers especially add a tactile element that draws the viewer into the image.

Compatibility: Both the Hahnemühle. com and Ilford.com sites provide ICC profiles for downloading as well as and advice re: suitable settings for Media (an essential item) in

the printer drivers of specific inkjet machines.

Nearly all of the inkjet papers of both brands (except Ilford Classic) are pigment compatible so they’re suitable with virtually any high-end or pro-calibre inkjet printer.

Do note however that certain media are available only in wide format: 17-inch rolls, suitable only for the larger machines such as Canon’s imagePROGRAF and Epson’s Stylus Pro wide format models. But there’s a wide range of media in cut sheets too. I strongly recommend buying a starter pack including at least eight different types of inkjet paper.

Ilford Galerie: The Professional Inkjet Photo Range includes many options that most photographers would love, available in four distinct series, Gold (best with pigment inks), Smooth, Classic (only for dye based inks) and Graphic (in wide format rolls only). The Ilford Galerie sample pack that I tried provides Smooth Pearl, Smooth Gloss, Gold Fibre Silk, Smooth Heavyweight Matte, Smooth Lustre Duo, Smooth Fine Art, as well as Classic Gloss and Classic Pearl. My favourite was the Gold Fibre Silk, a baryta coated fibre base paper

Genuine Canon inks.

(recommended especially for pigment inks) with a slightly warm tone, a subtle stipple finish and a wide colour gamut for very vivid photo prints with high sharpness.

Hahnemühle Fine Art: This German company has been making high-grade papers for 426 years. Their media for digital printing includes a superior ink receptive coating that’s perfect for use with either pigments or dyes.

This brand particularly targets photographers who make and print fine art images, with a wide range of very traditional inkjet-compatible media and some unique products.

I tried two of the Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet sample packs, providing an opportunity to be more adventuresome with media such as Daguerre and Monet Canvas, Baryta Fibre Base, various types of Photo Rag, both Sugar Cane and Bamboo as well as really gorgeous gallery and museum style paper including German Etching (100% Cellulose) and William Turner (100% Cotton). Since I had not tried canvas previously, I really appreciated working with Daguerre Canvas with high white brightness that provides clean colours

and snappy contrasts; it’s also highly suitable for monochrome reproductions.

Experiment: Even if you follow the technical advice provided by the paper manufacturer’s Web site, be prepared for some artistic experimentation. Adjust the color balance, saturation, sharpness, and contrast to achieve the perfect effect for any type of subject.

Make test prints until you find just the right combination of settings that provide the optimum results. An important part of the creative process, the paper that you select - and your printing techniques - can make a major difference. A willingness to go beyond basic techniques will pay dividends, helping to enhance your best images.

Winter 2010-2011 | 57

FinalFrame

Ridgetop View. – Andy Zeltkalns of Bracebridge, Ontario captured this image using a Nikon D300, shooting at 1/10 second at f/9 and ISO 200, using a zoom lens at 16mm. “ I was part way up a ridge during my winter hike. The evening sun created a nice hue on the snow. I used spot metering to expose for the mid-range shadow.” Andy can teach you to take pictures like this! Check out his website at www.zelcamphotography.com

Snow Day Challenge Our PHOTONews Challenge for Winter 2010/2011 is “Snow Day!” – a theme that is open to a wide variety of interpretations. Look for subjects that represent friends and family enjoying winter activities – or any image that you feel is really “cool” in every sense of the word!

To participate in the PHOTONews Challenge, please visit our flickr® group at www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/ and click on the discussion thread titled “PHOTONews Winter Challenge”.

Post a 600 pixel wide version of your entry in this thread – please include your name, your location, a description of how you took the photograph, and why you feel it is a special image.

Full instructions on how to join the flickr® group, and how to post photos, can be found at the flickr® site.

The photo pool at our flickr® group will also be used to select images for our Reader’s Gallery – so take a look, sign in, post a few of your favourite photos, and enjoy our interactive photographic adventures!

58 | PHOTONews

COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE:

Spring 2011

Our next issue will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of PHOTONews Magazine – now Canada’s largest circulated photo enthusiast publication. We have planned a very special issue, filled with helpful hints and fantastic photos from some of Canada’s finest photographers, plus a selection of the best images from our readers!

For in-depth information on the equipment and techniques featured in this issue, please visit the website www.photonews.ca.

To participate in our flickr® group, please visit www.flickr.com/ groups/photonewsgallery/ where you can sign up to exchange ideas and display your favourite photographs – it’s fun, it’s free, and it’s a friendly environment for photographers of all ages and skill levels.

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