Official Publication of the Texas Professional Photographers Association, Inc.
VOLUME 54- #6 Oct/Nov 2019
Magazine Editor
Bill Hedrick, M.Photog.Cr. 1506 E. Leach St. Kilgore, TX 75662 903-985-1080 Editor@ThePhotographerOnline.com
Executive Director
Steve Kozak, M.Photog.Cr 5323 Fig Tree Lane Grand Prairie, TX 75052 972-601-9070 Steve@tppa.org
Printing by
Complete Printing & Publishing 1501 W. Panola Carthage, TX 75633 800-964-9521 www.CompletePrinting.com
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ON THE COVER “They Say We’ll Be Best Friends” was created by Kimberly Smith of Muskogee, Oklahoma. The image is actually just one of several in an album of the same name and shows the relationship of a dog and a little girl as they grow up together. “I had come up with the idea of doing a visualization exercise and I saw a little girl and a dog, so I wrote it down,” says Kimberly. “Months later, I was sitting at my desk retouching images and my dog, Sophie, came over and nudged my arm as she always does. As I turned to pet her and looked into that sweet face, I realized she was turning gray. and was my dog for my album.” One of Kimberly’s clients was used as the second model in this image. Kimberly will be one of the instructors at the 2020 Texas School of Professional Photography.
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People Working Together
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Never Say Never!
A Message from TPPA President, Ross Benton
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The Story of Phyllis Kuykendall by Steve Kozak
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Spotlight: Chris Fritchie
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Photographing Interiors
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Dark & Dirty on Easy Street
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Creating & Implementing a Sales Plan
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Beat the Algorithm
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Texas School 2020
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Spotlight: Mark Sykes
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History Remembers Hasselblad
“The Thunder Rocks and Rolls”
With Changing Technology by Ron Castle
The Story Behind the Image by Dave Montizambert
To Reach the Clients You Want by Mary Fisk-Taylor
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Getting Around Facebook Changes by Darty Hines
Scholarships Available by Don Dickson
“College Station Medical Center”
And the Apollo Moon Missions by Bill Hedrick
32 THE PHOTOGRAPHER is the official publication of the Texas Professional Photographers Association, Inc. Acceptance of advertising or publishing of press releases does not imply endorsement of any product or service by this association, publisher, or editor. Permission is granted to similar publications of the photographic industry to reprint contents of this publication, provided that the author and this publication are credited as the source. Articles, with or without photographs, are welcomed for review for inclusion. However, the editor reserves the right to refuse publication, or if accepted, the right to edit as necessary. For more information, visit www.ThePhotographerOnline.com. Send all communications, articles, or advertising to: THE PHOTOGRAPHER, 1506 E. Leach St., Kilgore, TX 75662. Phone (903) 985-1080, or Editor@ThePhotographerOnline.com.
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Oct/Nov 2019
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2019 TPPA Executive Council President Ross Benton l
Ross@StudioBenton.com
10828 Gulfdale St., San Antonio, TX 78216 (210) 804-1188
Vice-President Jenny Rhea Eisenhauer l
photographybyjennyrhea@hotmail.com
People Working Together
12218 Old Stage Trail, Austin, TX 78750 (512) 626-3309
Treasurer Cris Duncan l
cjduncan@mac.com
2402 Slide Rd., Lubbock, TX 79407 (806) 781-2747
Secretary Doc List l
Doc@doclistphotography.com
6001 W. Parmer Ln., Austin, TX 78727 (512) 924-9248
Councilman-at-Large Teri Whittaker l
TeriW@teriwhittaker.com
5407 Girnigoe Dr., Houston, TX 77084 (713) 898-8017
Councilman-at-Large Robin Janson l
Robin@sockmonkeyphotography.com
227019 Sable Oaks Ln., Cypress, TX 77433 (281) 561-9816
Chairman of the Board Tammy Graham l
Tammy@locationsphotography.com
3300 Joyce Drive, Ft. Worth, TX 76116 (817) 300-0780
Executive Director Steve Kozak l
Steve@tppa.org
5323 Fig Tree Ln., Grand Prairie, TX 75052 (972) 601-9070
Texas School Director Don Dickson l
Don@DonDickson.com
1501 West 5th, Plainview, TX 79072 (806) 296-2276
Magazine Editor Bill Hedrick l
Editor@ThePhotographerOnline.com
1506 E. Leach St., Kilgore, TX 75662 (903) 985-1080
PPA Councilors Brad Barton (Grand Prairie), Ross Benton (San Antonio), Cris Duncan (Lubbock), Jenny Rhea Eisenhauer (Austin), Tammy Graham (Fort Worth), Phaneendra Gudapati (Plano), Elizabeth Homan (San Antonio), Trey Homan (San Antonio), Robin Janson (Cypress), Mark McCall (Lubbock), Robert Norwood (Montgomery).
I
t’s difficult to believe that my time as TPPA President is already drawing to a close! It’s been an honor to serve as your president. During my time in this position, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some awesome people at TPPA, attend some great events and most importantly make some new friends. I have loved getting to know so many of my fellow photographers across the state of Texas and even beyond. As my term draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the many experiences and people that have blessed me and I simply want to say in my final letter to you, “Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you.” Working together, we’ve all become better. In my career as a photographer, I have the opportunity to travel over a fairly sizable swatch of the state to photograph different things for different clients. Sometimes, a photo shoot is a one-person job. Other times, I need some reinforcement! Thankfully, I have found a group of five photographers who serve as my partners and supporters when I’m asked to photograph a larger event. They will travel to help me as needed and I will travel to help them. Not only do we help each other professionally, we also invest in each other personally. We learn from each other’s successes and failures and we talk with each other about our lives and families. Working together, we have all become better. In the creation story at the beginning of the Bible, God delights in all He has made. One of the refrains in the opening chapter of Genesis is this: “It was very good” (Genesis 1:31). But when God created the first man Adam, He expressed a concern. “It is not good for the man to be alone,” He said (Genesis 2:18). So, God made Eve. Why? Because He knew that working together, things go better. At the end of the Bible, there is a man named John who sees a vision of heaven. What does he see? “I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,” John says (Revelation 7:9). John sees a huge crowd of people! Why? Because he knows that working together, things go better. The story of the Bible, from beginning to end, is the story of people working together. This fall, we will have the opportunity to work together at the iHeart Photography Conference at the Grapevine Convention Center, October 11-13. If you just need some fresh inspiration and encouragement, there will be something there for you. If you’re a pro but you know you still need to grow, there will also be something there for you. If you’re looking to grow your business and learn some of the latest tricks and tools of our trade, there will be something there for you as well. For more information, and to register, just go to www.iheartphotography.org. I hope to see you there because I know that working together, we can all become better! Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your president. Even as my role changes, my commitment to our industry – and to you – will not. I count it a privilege to call you my colleagues and my friends. All the best,
Ross Benton TPPA President
To contact any of your PPA Councilors, you may obtain their phone numbers from the TPPA Membership Directory or visit the TPPA website at www.tppa.org Complete financial information on Texas Professional Photographers Association is available to any TPPA member by contacting Steve Kozak, Executive Director, 5323 Fig Tree Ln., Grand Prairie, TX 75052 Steve@tppa.org
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If you are not a member of Texas PPA, this is my personal invitation to you to join! Email Steve Kozak, TPPA Executive Director, at Steve@tppa.org or call 972-601-9070.
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by Steve Kozak
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hyllis Kuykendall never intended to be a professional photographer. She still has old family photos of herself with a camera in her hand at the age of ten. She grew up taking photos and continued to do so after having children of her own, photographing her children, family gatherings, and even did her own holiday cards – all on “Program.” She spent 25 years as a legal assistant before working with her husband in their own business. In 2007, Phyllis took on the role of “Mother of the Bride” for her daughter’s wedding. Our friendship began when she selected me as the wedding photographer for this important event. During the engagement photos, bridal portraits, and the wedding day photography, Phyllis always expressed an interest in my process of creating these memorable images. After the wedding, I invited her to take some basic classes I was teaching and clearly remember hearing her say, “I will never be a professional photographer. I just want to learn more about my camera.”
learn more about lighting and how to get more out of her camera. She never thought she would enter image competition but loved hearing the judge’s comments and learning what goes into creating high quality images.
“Photographic Competition provides insightful feedback and an honest appraisal of your images from top tier photographers who are there to help you grow. By taking that evaluation and applying the suggestions to my work, I grew as an artist. This is why I continue to enter my images.”
Phyllis enrolled in Elizabeth and Trey Homan’s class, knowing full well that she was in a bit over her head and that she would never have a photography business. “Trey and Elizabeth shared concepts and techniques that I never knew existed or would have understood just trying to learn things on my own.” She recalls, “I was captivated by the creativity and the fresh ideas Elizabeth presented in class, seeing first-hand the value of capturing images with directional light and creating shadows.”
Like so many others, Phyllis began photographing in her make-shift studio… her dining room! She quickly discovered the challenges of photographing young children in the studio when, in 2009, a friend asked her to do her daughter’s senior portraits. “We did studio images and images in the Fort Worth Stockyards. I quickly realized how enjoyable it was to work with teens and seniors who could take direction and would be still,” she explains.
Phyllis also happened to earn a top award for one of her images in her first time entering the TPPA Annual Photographic Competition. “I was not even sure how to fill out the forms to enter,” she laughed.
Shortly after this class, Phyllis purchased her first set of lights and began working with them, practicing on family and friends. “I was eyeing new lenses and gear and I thought I could do a few small schools,” she explained. “Maybe it would help pay for my photography habit.”
Just two years into her journey, Phyllis was a professional photographer. “I continued my commitment to learn…even if just a little at a time. I was really inspired by photographic competition and entered my first image at the monthly competition in the guild. It won First Place. This was even more special because Trey and Elizabeth were that month’s speakers and judges. My first instructors at Texas School chose my image!” she remembers, fondly.
Never say, “Never!” After completing my classes, I encouraged her to look at Texas Professional Photographers Association for even more opportunities to learn. She hesitated because the name of the organization included the word “Professional.” After assuring her that she would be welcomed with open arms, I explained that, if you want to learn photography, there is no better place to learn than from professional photographers. Phyllis took this advice and joined Texas PPA and, in 2008 attended her first event... the Texas School of Professional Photography. This event is a week-long school held at the end of April in Addison, Texas. Students come from all over the US and abroad to spend one week learning from some of the best photographers in the world. What makes this event so unique that students spend the entire week studying with one instructor, giving them a deep-dive into the world of photography and a study that is focused on the student’s needs and goals.
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With her new lights and a thirst for knowledge, Phyllis joined her local photography guild and started watching photographic competitions to Oct/Nov 2019
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There was no denying she was headed for bigger and better things. In 2010, she earned her CPP and passed the exam on her first try. Still, Phyllis embraced image competition. “My father was an artist who worked with water colors. I loved the way he could mix the colors to produce the variety of hues to create his paintings. I regret that he did not live to see my career take off in photography because he could have provided me with so much insight. I do believe I am channeling his talent and gift when I am working on my images. I love doing digital paintings for competition.” As Phyllis continued entering images, her confidence increased and she ultimately earned her Master of Photography degree from PPA.
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A few years ago, I asked Phyllis to speak at one of our Texas PPA events. She of course told me, “I will never be a speaker.” As you might guess, she discovered her love of teaching and sharing with others and in 2019 received her Photographic Craftsman degree from PPA. “Now, I even have people reaching out to me to mentor them,” she says. “Looking back, Texas PPA provided me with a pathway to success that I would have never imagined. I’m so grateful that TPPA is there looking out for photographers, to pat you on the back and to encourage you along the way. I have this community of support that I would have never met if it were not for Texas PPA. I love that there are so many friendly people who are so willing to help.” When asked about her advice to others, Phyllis said, “I try to attend every event that Texas PPA offers. Of course, you have to budget for your continuing education and put a little away every month, but this is where you go to stay current and to get refreshed. If you are new to Texas PPA, go to the events and don’t hide in the background. Talk to everyone and introduce yourself to those you recognize from social media. They will be flattered. Walk up to groups and make yourself known.”
The Mother of the Bride who never thought she would be a professional photographer, who only wanted to support her photography habit, who would never enter image competition, and who would never be comfortable speaking in front of a group... has come full circle. Phyllis Kuykendall credits Texas PPA for providing access to opportunities for success. Through various Texas PPA speakers and events, she applied the knowledge she gained and she saw her sales double every year during her first five years in business. She gained confidence through success in photographic competition. She built a network of friends and colleagues which fosters a successful mindset and an atmosphere of encouragement. She took the opportunities to give back and discovered her love of teaching. This is what Texas PPA has been doing for photographers for over 120 years. The limits to what you can accomplish are boundless. Perhaps it is time to decide whether or not you want to pursue your own dreams. What can Texas PPA do for you?
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“The Thunder Rocks and Rolls” was created by Chris Fritchie of McKinney, Texas. When it comes to kids who have chosen the arts as their passion doing something cool and different is a big challenge. While talking to Reid, a high school senior, about his passion for percussion and his dream of attending the Berkley School of Music in Boston, Chris noticed the young man used words like insane, whirlwind, exciting, scary, nerve-racking, and others. “He was feeling overwhelmed, not knowing if he’d get in,” explains Chris. “But prior to this session, Reid learned that he had been accepted. “You could see the excitement in his face.” As an image maker and story teller, it seemed only natural to Chris to create a “storm” image that represented the hard work and chaos of trying to reach his dream. The final image took some time and involved over 100 layers to create. Reid was photographed on green screen and cut out to remove green spill. The road and the tornado came from Adobe stock. Once all of the elements were obtained, the entire image was connected to the subject with a black brush and creating shadows. “The Thunder Rocks and Rolls” is a play off of the Garth Brooks song, “The Thunder Rolls.” As Chris explains, “We had Reid set up his drum kit in the studio and I photographed him with some harsh light. Mom seemed to have had the most fun since she was the one who was in charge of keeping him dowsed in water.” Chris will be one of the instructors at the 2020 Texas School of Professional Photography.
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best and easiest way to get comfortable with the work without having to buy a lot of extra gear. It’s also a way to quickly build up a portfolio and get your business started. HDR still has its place, and I know a number of real estate photographers who offer two-tiered pricing with HDR as a cheaper option to the flash process. It’s impossible to do justice to post-processing interior images in a short article, so I’m going to limit the discussion here to some of my equipment choices and a few basic capture considerations. There are tons of free educational videos on YouTube that cover capture as well as post-processing real estate interior images. Nathan Cool and Rich Baum are two of my favorites and they offer tons of very helpful real estate photography videos. The website “PhotographyForRealEstate. com” is probably THE best online resource for wannabe and established real estate photographers. For those of you wanting to step it up to another level, I highly recommend Mike Kelly’s videos from FStoppers.com, a three-part series called “Where Art Meets Architecture.” These videos are extremely well produced and show capture and post-processing in detail I haven’t seen in any other training videos. They’re pricey but well worth it. Let’s get into the photography discussion. The same general photographic principles of exposure, focus and composition apply to architectural interiors as in any genre. But one element is sacrosanct when it comes to making a professional interior photograph – STRAIGHT VERTICALS. Nothing screams “amateur” more than sloppy vertical lines in a composition. Sometimes it’s difficult to line things up perfectly in-camera, but if you don’t get them right onsite, take advantage of the great Camera Raw/Lightroom “Transform” panel to clean everything up in post-production. To ensure straight verticals, your camera needs to be perfectly level. I used to rely on my tripod head’s bubble level to get the camera level, but I’ve found that my Canon 5D Mk IV’s internal level feature is much more precise and reliable. A sturdy tripod (see Illustration 1), along with a good quality “geared head”, is essential to quickly leveling a shot and holding the camera perfectly steady between your ambient and flash exposures. I check level on my camera every single shot, because all floors in the same house can have slight variations, especially on tile floors. I also use Live-View with my highlight alert turned on to set up my compositions and to make sure I have all the detail I need in windows or lighting features. Since my tilt-shift lenses are manual focus only, I’ve also added a large external monitor to help make it easier to get sharp images. The combination of a wide angle lens and a 7.1 or smaller aperture make for a pretty wide depth of focus (see Illustration 2). So, as long as you set your focus about one-third of the way into the composition, you can normally count on good sharpness throughout the image. You can go completely crazy with flash setups, but for real estate at least, I believe that two flashes can cover most situations efficiently. If lighting a third or fourth area is really necessary, it’s no problem taking a separate exposure and combining it with your base flash exposure. You can find videos online showing a simple technique used to combine these exposures by using the “Lighten” layer blending mode.
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Ron Castle
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lot has changed for me and my workflow since the last article I wrote on photographing interiors and I’d like to share that with you. When I first started my “career” in real estate/interiors photography, I used the High Dynamic Range (HDR) technique exclusively and processed my bracketed exposures in Adobe Lightroom. The quality of my final images was very acceptable and was more than adequate for my real estate clients. I was even asked to write a book on real estate photography by Amherst Media as a result. Even though my experience level at the time was pretty limited, I agreed to do it, and it’s been selling on Amazon for the past couple of years. The title is “Real Estate Photography For Everyone” (Not my title choice!). Another part of my workflow at the time included a super-wide angle, 11-24mm rectilinear zoom lens. This lens made even the smallest room look like a ballroom and my clients loved it! However, I eventually learned that it was not a great choice and have since sold it. The edge distortions were just too much, and in my opinion the lens really distorted the reality of the property as well.
Fast forward to today and, other than an occasional HDR image in special situations, I’m now using off-camera speedlights and combining one or more flash exposures with a single ambient exposure in Photoshop for most of my interior work. This is commonly called the “Flambient” technique. I’ve also replaced my ultrawide-angle lens with two tilt-shift lenses, a 17mm and a 24mm. These two lenses give me all of the coverage options I need for real estate and allow for much more compositional flexibility. It’s important to mention here that my initial motivation for changing workflows was spurred by Adobe’s decision to alter the HDR process in Lightroom. It started out as a 32-bit process, but during one of the big updates a couple of years ago, they quietly changed it to a 16-bit process to speed up the HDR processing time and this fundamentally changed the quality of the Lightroom HDR files. You can still get a 32-bit HDR output file in Photoshop, but it requires the time-consuming steps of leaving Lightroom, processing in Photoshop, and then saving back to Lightroom. Since the big advantages of the Lightroom HDR process had been convenience and quality, I decided to give the flambient workflow a try. The quality difference in my images has been dramatic, so I’m glad I changed! Having said all this, I still believe that for someone dipping his/her toes into real estate photography, the HDR process is the
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Illustration 1
Illustration 2
My own setup is shown in (see Illustration 3). I use two Canon 600EX-RT’s controlled individually on-camera by a ST-E3-RT trigger. It’s a high-end setup I used in my old wedding shooting days, but you don’t have to spend that much to get very reliable and cheap flash/trigger combos for real estate. I carry one flash on a quick-release belt clip which is all I need for most rooms. However, if I need to light an area in the shot that’s unreachable with my hand-held flash (aimed at the ceiling above me), I use my second flash mounted on a cheap, light-weight stand and place it in that area out of view of the camera. The title image (left) is an example where I was doing a single point perspective shot of a living room and a breakfast nook on the left was not within reach of my hand-held flash. I placed my stand-mounted flash back in the adjoining kitchen just out of sight of the camera to light up that room. Some purists would say that limiting your shots to smaller areas can make for more compelling and artsy compositions, but my practical experience with real estate agents is that they are much more interested in showing as much as possible in a photo along with the interconnections of the floor plan. Let’s briefly discuss why a flash exposure is so essential to making a good interior photo, how to get the best exposure, and also what the ambient exposure does for your final image. Anyone who’s ever tried to photograph an interior room lit simultaneously by artificial light and sunlight coming through a window, understands the mixed color temperature problems this creates. It can be especially bad if you have more than one source of interior lighting (fluorescent and incandescent in different fixtures). Since the flash is “daylight” balanced, the flash overpowers the artificial light inside and renders the color more naturally throughout the image. The other function of flash is to fill out the exposure and balance the inside light with the exterior exposure. It’s not critical to make the window exposure perfect, since just having some detail in the scene is usually enough. It actually looks unnatural when the window view is too dark, so making it one to one and a half stops brighter, gives the image a better look (see Illustration 4). THE PHOTOGRAPHER
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Illustration 3
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practice with real estate and architectural photographers. If you want to add back some warmth or glow to a light fixture, it’s easily done in Photoshop, but the no-light look is definitely a current and welcomed trend.
Illustration 4
The downside to most flash exposures is that the light is too flat and lacking in natural contrast patterns. The ambient exposure used in the “flambient” process overlays at least a portion of this natural contrast back onto the final image while preserving the detail and color balance of the flash exposure. This is a post-processing balancing act that ends up defining your “style,” and hopefully produces more striking images for your client. It’s certainly possible to place multiple flashes (or even a single one) to mimic natural light direction which would eliminate the need for a separate ambient exposure, but this can be a time-consuming process and difficult to master. It’s not practical for most routine, low budget real estate applications. The simple combination of a flash layer and an ambient layer is a much more forgiving method which allows for more latitude and speed during the capture process. As far as making the best exposures for flash and ambient, I generally slightly under expose my flash shots, and I try to make sure I properly expose the ceiling in my ambient shot. Since I usually bounce flashes off the ceiling, the flash shot can put hotspots on the ceiling that the correctly exposed ambient layer can cover up. One last thing I’d like to pass on regarding my workflow, is that unless an agent insists otherwise, I’ve started making it a practice to turn off as many lights as I can get away with before starting a shoot. You’d be surprised how much better your images look, and how much easier your post-processing is. I’m seeing that this is now a very common and accepted
I know we’ve only scratched the surface of a very complex topic, but I hope I’ve been able to give you a few pointers that will help you tackle photographing interiors. Ron Castle lives in Del Rio, Texas. After being awarded “Best New Artist” that year by the San Antonio Guild in 2014, he entered his first competition in IPC the next year and received a Diamond Photographer of the Year Award, landing all four images in the Loan Collection. In 2016, Ron earned his Master of Photogaphy degree from PPA. Although he has done “a little bit of everything” in his photography business, he has specialized in real estate, architectural, and drone photography. You can find more examples of his real estate/ architectural work on his website, www. roncastlephotos. com or some of his personal work and print sales at www.Photos OfTheWest.com
Illustration 5 THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Let’s finish up discussion of interiors photography with one often overlooked but important compositional consideration - how high to place your camera in a given shot. I used to struggle with how high to place my camera from one situation to another before I got my tilt-shift lenses. The problem with my old wide angle zoom lenses was that if I raised my camera level high enough to get good separation between elements of furniture or kitchen counters, I ended up with a lot more boring, unnecessary ceiling in my composition. At the same time it usually eliminated more interesting elements in the foreground or resulted in having to crop out desirable elements on either side. Having the ability to raise or lower my camera angle and then “shift” the whole composition down or up depending on the situation, has been a game changer for me. If you don’t have the luxury of a tilt-shift lens, shooting as wide as possible will at least give you better options to crop down later. The general rule for camera height is approximately 18 to 20 inches above the dominant horizontal element in your scene. For example if you have a dining room table or a counter top in the shot, you want to place your camera height around 18”to 20” above that surface. Visually, it’s easier to just look at the various pieces of furniture or kitchen counter tops and cabinets to see if there’s a pleasing gap between them in the composition or if they appear to merge together with little or no separation. Illustration 5 (bottom-left) shows an example of a kitchen photo that uses camera height to show all elements of the composition. I caution you to NOT take the easy road when it comes to raising your camera levels by using the tripod’s center post. Take the time to extend the tripod leg segments so that you maintain the camera’s stability. You’ll be surprised how long it takes the camera to settle down after touching it while the center post is raised even a foot. When you’re using very slow shutter speeds this can ruin a shot, and it can also ruin the alignment of your separate exposures.
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or this publicity image of “Easy Street” musicians, Annie Handley and Dave Devindisch, I wanted to create an impression reminiscent of the old jazz Blue Note LP covers and posters from the 1950’s and 60’s. These old covers and posters were B&W portraits of musicians with very high contrast (really dark shadows and bright specular highlights), and so, safe flat lighting wouldn’t give me the full-on dark and dirty lighting drama I so dearly lusted for! Creating dramatic lighting on more than one person at a time can be a little challenging in terms of good exposures for all. When lighting more than one person on a set, photographers tend to play it safe by placing their main-lights further away from the subjects in an attempt to evenly light near and far. When you move the main-light further away, the brightnesses of near and far subjects start to even out, the further the light gets from the subjects the differences in brightness become closer and closer to equal. Essentially you have given up dynamic lighting for exposure, this evenest usually creates boring lighting that is far from dramatic and is often so flat that it begins to kill the illusion of depth. For me this just will not do because I believe lighting is the most potent maker of depth in a photograph – when you lighten a tone it pulls that tone forward in the image, when you darken a tone that tone recedes. Both of these work together to create the illusion of depth! THE PHOTOGRAPHER
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Since a photograph is a 2 dimensional medium and so has no actual depth, I work hard to separate my subjects from their surroundings. I often do so by making critical parts of the subjects (e.g., eyes) fully lit and exposed as well as in sharp focus while all else, like the background, foreground, props, and secondary parts of subject, under-lit and soft focus. Backing the main-light away pushes the lighting of subjects and set towards fully and evenly lit, this means that our subjects “blend into” rather than “stand out” from their surroundings. So what is the solution? The one I favor is feathering gridded light sources. If you compare diagram A with diagram B in Image 002 (both without soft-grids), notice how the light path striking the subjects in A puts more intensity of light on Annie since she is closer to it. Dave who is further away receives less light. Now look at diagram B, the main-light source is angled away from Annie and on to Dave so now the more intense mid portion of the light path strikes Dave and the less intense edge portion of the light hits Annie. By feathering (turning) the source away from Annie drops her exposure so that it equals or comes closer to equal with Dave’s exposure. When you feather the light you lose some brightness on the subjects so an increase in exposure is necessary. Unfortunately this can decrease shadow contrast (lighter shadows) if you have light toned environment and/or tight quarters to shoot in. You see, a greater intensity of light bouncing off walls, ceiling, floor etcetera gets into the shadows making them less dark, less dramatic. Now compare diagram B with diagram C in Image 002, this setup has a 40˚ Lighttools Soft Egg-Crate grid installed on the main-light soft-box. Notice how the grid narrows the path of light down from 180˚ to just 40˚, this makes feathering the main-light more profound, a little does a lot! In addition to this, the grid blocks much of the light spill (the extra light spilling past the subjects caused by the feathering) from striking the walls, ceiling, floor, etcetera, resulting in higher shadow contrast (darker shadows).
There was an added bonus to shooting with the soft-grids, they are real rebels, breaking laws wherever they can! These grids are not unlike my chickens who refuse to conform, they do not adhere exactly to the Inverse Square Law (the grids not the chickens). This is caused by the way they block light. First of all, adding those little light directing/lightsucking black fabric cells to your light source drops the overall exposure. Now this probably sounds like a bad idea. However, there is a payback to that loss of light – when the subjects move away from the source. Their brightness should diminish by the Inverse Square Law. However, it does not. As the subject gets further and further away from the light, the grid blocks less and less light which helps to negate the decrease in exposure caused by distance.
Image 002 – Soft-box main-light a) not feathered, b) feathered, & c) feathered with grid.
When the subjects move toward the source, their brightness should increase by the Inverse Square Law. However, it does not. As the subject gets closer and closer to the light, the grid blocks more and more light, which helps to negate the increase in exposure caused by distance. This is a little known fact about soft-grids and it is this feature that gives our subjects a lot more freedom to move without the photographer having to constantly compensate exposure. Now that’s a dark and dirty trick, or I guess a bright and dirty trick depending on whether you are decreasing or increasing distance, that every lighting mavin should have! Lighting Specifications: 1. Camera: full frame mirrorless with 70-200mm lens set to 70 mm mounted on tripod sat 5.8 metres from subjects and was 1.6 metres from floor to center of imaging sensor. Exposure was set to F 2.8, 1/125, at 100iso. Camera was tethered to MacBook Pro using a Tether Tools rig. 2. Main-Light: a 1200 watt mono-block strobe fitted with a 90 x 120 cm soft-box with 40˚ soft-grid was placed 2.6 metres from subjects. Height of this light source from floor to strobe tube measured 2 metres. Exposure via incident meter put this light’s brightness (at subjects) equal with Image 003 – Diagram of full lighting setup.
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camera exposure setting. This expressed as a Lighting Ratio as a “+0 Incident” value – plus zero means hypothetical mid-grey card would record as mid-grey if placed against subjects. 3. Fill-Light: an 800 watt mono-block strobe fitted with a 90 x 60 cm softbox was placed 2.9 metres from subjects. Height of this light source from floor to strobe tube measured 1.9 metres. Exposure via incident meter put this light 3 stops darker than camera setting. Lighting Ratio: -3 Incident (minus three). 4. Left Rim-light: a 1200 watt mono-block strobe fitted with a 70 x 180 cm strip-light-bank and 20/50˚ soft-grid was placed 2.4 metres from subjects. Height of this light source from floor to strobe tube measured 1.6 metres. Exposure via incident meter put this light 2 stops under camera on edge of Dave and 1 and 7/10ths under on Annie. Lighting Ratio: Dave = -2, Annie = -1 and 7/10ths Incident. 5. R ight Rim-light: a 1200 watt mono-block strobe fitted with a 70 x 180 cm strip-light-bank and 20/50˚ soft-grid was placed 3 metres from subjects. Height of this light source from floor to strobe tube measured 1.3 metres. Exposure via incident meter put this light even with camera setting on edge of Dave and 8/10ths under on Annie. Lighting Ratio: Dave = +0, Annie = -8/10ths Incident. 6. Right Background Accent Light on Floor: a 600 watt mono-block strobe fitted with barn-doors was placed 2.5 metres from background. Height of this light source from floor to strobe tube measured 70 cm. Exposure via incident meter put this light 4 and 3/10th stops under camera setting on cabinet against the wall background – this light provided specular highlights on the cabinet. Lighting Ratio: -4 and 3/10ths Incident.
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7. Left Background Accent Light on Stand: a 700 watt mono-block strobe fitted with barn-doors and a single layer of diffusion material – white opaque acetate lighting gel called “Roscolux Tuff-Frost” – was placed 3.0 metres from centre of background. Height of this light source from floor to strobe tube measured 1.6 metres. Exposure via incident meter at background wall put this light 2-4 stops (left side to right side) under camera setting. Lighting Ratio: -2 to -4 stops Incident.
Dave Montizambert lectures internationally on lighting, digital photography, and Photoshop. He is also a published author having written two books on lighting and digital photography (www. montizambert.com) plus numerous magazine articles on these topics in North America, Europe, Russia and Asia. Dave also creates lighting & Photoshop tutorial DVDs for www.software-cinema.com & www.PhotoshopCAFE.com/ video and authors “Dave On Demand” (www.montizambert. com) lighting tutorial based photo-training now free to all. Dave is available for lectures and workshops in your area and can be reached through www.montizambert.com.
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authentic and simple way. For example, if you partner with a realtor that sells homes in an area that you know is a good fit for your family portrait business, you have a brand ambassador telling their clients that you are the right choice for their next portrait session. Perhaps they gift every new homeowner with a complimentary session to your studio for a family portrait. Hopefully, they can show off their own family portrait in their office that you created. These types of partnerships are golden when they are found. The next step of a solid sales plan is the process of turning a prospect into a client. This process usually starts with a phone call or email asking them some key questions and truly listening to the answers. We must understand who they want photographed and what they want their finished product to be. Assuming they have a budget that fits within your product lines, you can start developing a photography plan for this potential client. Once that is accomplished, invite them in for an in person meeting or telephone design session. The portrait consultation is one of the most important parts of this entire process. Because communication is the vital element of any relationship, we make a point of listening and educating the client, allowing the client to explain what types of portraiture they are interested in doing. We even ask clients to bring in, email or text us pictures of their family (if they can’t attend the consultation), and any areas in their home where they are considering displaying artwork. By viewing pictures of the children prior to the sitting, we automatically know whether there are any body issues, facial irregularities, hair and skin color types that should be taken into consideration in the camera room. We don’t want any surprises on the portrait day. The pictures of their home tell us everything else including color schemes, whether or not they have any other large portraiture or artwork on their walls, the direction of sunlight in the rooms, and their overall taste in home décor. During the consultation, we can refer to these facts and design the actual session to complement their space. At the consultation, we also explain that we will do all of the sales and decisionmaking in person. We discuss general sizes for a portrait or a portrait grouping depending on the spaces in their home and measurements that they will supply. This allows us to quote their creation fee as well as the pricing of the portraits they may purchase. At this time, we may also choose some framing corners that complement their home and the portraits we are planning. The consultation concludes with a very dedicated and well-informed client.
by MARY FISK-TAYLOR Texas School Instructor
Very few clients cancel their scheduled sessions, and our portrait averages are exactly where we want them to be. By educating and including your clients as much as possible, you create a much more willing and committed client, with the result being a happy client and a successful studio.
O
ne of the best ways to start working on a sales plan for a photography studio is to actually start with the products that you are going to sell. First, you want to make sure that your product offerings are in line with the studio brand you have worked so hard to develop. Your product lines should offer a BASIC, a BETTER, an AWESOME and a WOW. According to Dr. Paul Rodway, it’s common in commerce to present customers with choices. Most people choose the middle choice. So, when reviewing your creation fees, products, collections, and packages, make sure that what you want for your clients to buy is in the middle... the “Better-to-Awesome” range. Assuming that you understand your cost of goods and all of your offerings are priced correctly, these Better-to-Awesome options should ensure that you hit your average sales with the majority of your sessions. Of course, you’ll have some that hit below that average/middle and others who will hit above it. However, as a general rule, you should meet your projections and meet your sales goals if you just make sure to have the products you want to sell priced and placed in the middle of your product range. This works with a la carte portrait studios, as well as wedding collections, school packages and even senior portrait collections and commercial work. Whatever it is, make sure you offer them in at least a three-tiered option. When the top option is purchased, it actually makes your middle products seem like less of an investment and the top option to have more value.
Join Mary Fisk-Taylor and Jamie Hayes at Texas School 2020. Their course is not just about business. It also covers the creative and technical aspects that result in products your clients will love. Learn more about them at www.HayesAndFisk.com or their class at www.TexasSchool.org.
The next piece of the sales plan puzzle is to share these products and your brand with your “ideal client,” someone who finds the perfect solution to their problems or needs in the services or products that your company provides. The ideal client will be someone who is loyal to your company, frequently uses or buys your products or services, and is likely to recommend you to their friends and colleagues. For a small, creative business, the best way to connect with your ideal client and share your brand is to partner with associations, businesses, and services that they patronize. Once you partner with like-minded businesses, charities or organizations, you are more than likely to communicate both your products and your brand with that group of consumers in a more
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When clients leave the studio after the consultation, they have a full knowledge of where the portrait will be created, the clothing that should be worn, the approximate sizes of the portraits, the general pricing, and several framing options. The great news for us is that we have practically pre-sold the portraits and frames before they have even been photographed. Also, if the ballpark price is not a comfortable level for them, we give the opportunity right then and there to go home and think about what we have discussed. If they are okay with the pricing and excited to get started, we try to schedule their session on the spot.
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O
ne of the hardest things for social media is to figure out what we can post on social media to get the most reach. Recently, Facebook made major changes to the algorithm which makes it harder and harder for small businesses to reach their target market using their Facebook (business) Page and/or Instagram. How do we get the reach we used to get some years ago without paying for sponsored ads on social media? We can start by posting content on social media that will be something that our followers will want to share. This starts by discovering where your expertise lies and how we can use that expertise to our advantage on the social platforms. When we can figure out what we are an expert at and what makes us different from the other businesses in our area, we can use those differences to market to our clients. When we figure out what makes us unique, will we have the content we need to post on Facebook and Instagram? A successful business should have a library of unique content to put on social media. This content can be made from photos, videos, stories, and even text. But what do we post? What will provide engagement and what will get shares? To answer those questions, we need to complete the three unique content circles. Knowledge - The first circle of unique content is knowledge. This is your education, your skills, the things you know. Proper lighting and posing are two examples of your knowledge within the photography industry. In the circle of knowledge, we should list things that your clients cannot reproduce with their iPhones and/or consumer cameras (see image 1).
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Passion - The second circle in finding out unique content is passion. This word is very overused…. so let’s take a look at it a little deeper. There are many types of photography in this world. From senior photos to newborns to weddings to commercial work. The questions you have to ask yourself are: What kind of photography makes you tick? What do you get fired up about? When you get out of bed and are excited about your sessions on the schedule, what is driving that excitement? On the flip side, is there is something you hate doing? Is there a type of photography that drains your happiness? Why are you doing it? The Passion circle should only include the things that make you truly excited to be a photographer. When you create photography that makes you happy, that is the start of your passion. Many creatives say “photography is my passion” but that’s a generic way of thinking. Dive deeper into the type of photography that drives you to be a better photographer. For example, maybe your passion is high school senior portraits with a sports theme. List specific type of photo sessions that inspire you in your passion circle (see image 2). Tilt - The third circle is what makes us unique. Tilt benefits the client but it’s really about the competition. The tilt is the things you offer that no one else provides in your area. These are the things that separates you from your competition. The tilt is what makes your business unique from all others. Activity: To discover your tilt, make a list of everything your studio or business offers. Your list should be very long. The list should include everything you can think of in the customers process when they interact with your business. Walk around your studio and list everything from
image 2
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image 3
beginning to the end of the clients’ journey. Once your list is done, circle the items that are unique to your business. You are searching for items where you can use the word ONLY next to the word or words. When you can say; you can ONLY get this at our studio, that is something that makes your business unique. This is your tilt. These unique items are some of the most important things you can use as content on social media (see image 3). Expertise - Where these three circles intersect, this is where your expertise lies. When you own a business you are now an expert in your field. Consumers are coming to you because you know more than they when it comes to the products and services you provide. Customers come to you because you are the expert. They trust you (see image 4). The contents of your circles, your expertise, and the list of the things that make you unique are what you can use to create an engaging post on social media. We hear that a lot; ‘engaging post’. What does it mean? Engagement does not have to be confusing, it is pretty simple.
Engagement is simply a conversation. Engagement happens (A) when people interact to your social media post, (B) when followers comment on a post, and (C) when people want to share your post with someone they know. People share a post on social media because they feel the content will benefit a friend. When followers start to have conversations with other friends under your post, this will push your content at the top of the newsfeed. When engagement happens organically (without paying to boost the post or without you asking for comments) facebook and Instagram will push that content into the newsfeed at a higher rate. The more people that interact with your post the more it will get seen in the newsfeed. This is how the algorithm works. To apply the circles of content to a real-world situation, let’s look at an example of how we can use our expertise on social media to drive engagement. Through the years as a professional photographer, you have figured out what works and what does not work when it comes to a family portrait session. Perhaps your post could look like this: Our Top 4 tips to survive your family photo session. 1. Arrive a few minutes early. 2. Do not schedule your session during your child’s nap time. 3. Plan your clothing to complement each member of the family. 4. The time of the day will determine the location of your photoshoot. Learn more about family photos with our free Family Portrait Survival Guide which you can download from our website. (send them to your website for this guide)
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image 4
Three things happen with a post like this. (1) You will find people will WANT to share this post to help a friend they know who may be considering a family photo session. (2) People will want to comment on their good experience with you or their bad experience at another studio. (3) By providing the client with a free Family Portrait Survival Guide, you are using this guide as a lead generator for your business. When they leave social media and head to your website to download the guide, be sure to get some basic contact info so you can follow up with them at a later time. The downloadable content is called a lead generator. In addition to the 4 tips you have provided on family photo sessions, take those same tips and use your content circles to break the tips down even further. For example, a follow up post may look like this: Do family photos stress you out? We are the only studio in town with a coffee bar. Arrive a few minutes early for your photo session and relax with a complimentary cup of coffee. Insert a few incredible photos of your studio’s coffee bar and you not only have an engaging post for social media, but you also have a featured blog post about your studio. Partner with a local coffee company and crosspromote with them to reach even more potential clients. As professional photographers, we have a wealth of information that we, as the experts, can share with our clients to help make their photo days stress free and a unique experience. When customers believe in your advice and have an incredible experience in your studio, they will want to share your content with others. You want your followers to become a walking billboard for your company. Let them do the marketing for you. They will want to share your content on social media when it showcases your uniqueness and your expertise. Be the expert and post unique content and see how easy it is to beat the algorithm.
Darty Hines (PPA Craftsman) is constantly striving to find new and innovative ways for small business owners to succeed.His ‘street smart’ marketing and social media knowledge continues to help photographers and small business owners across the country. His straightforward no-nonsense approach to teaching will help you stand out in an overcrowded market and will empower you to be a uniquely better photographer, marketer and business person. Learn more about Darty at www.remarkablemarket.com. Oct/Nov 2019
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2020 Texas School Instructors
Scholarships Available Texas School of Professional Photography by
William Branson III
Jackie Kramer
Tommy Munoz
by Don Dickson
T
he 2020 Texas School of Professional Photography will once again be held at the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center in Addison, Texas. Over 1,000 photographers attend Texas School and we look forward to another great year in 2020. The hotel, located north of Dallas, just off the North Dallas Toll Road, is the setting for this event. Scott Detweiler
The 523 room Renaissance Hotel has agreed to a room rate of only $129, so more people will be able to stay at the host hotel. More information is available on the Texas School website at www.texasschool.org. You might want to go ahead and book your room because they will sell out fast. A bonus event will take place on April 25th, the day before classes begin. There will be six Pre-Con Classes available at a cost of only $49 for those registered for Texas School and $99 for those who are not registered. Online registration for Texas School ‘20 begins at 11pm on January 3, 2020. Last year the first class booked in only 3 seconds with several others within 2 minutes! If you’ve never experienced Texas School, you’ve missed out on one of the best learning experiences available to photographers in the world. There will be at least 36 classes covering every topic imaginable and all are designed to help your business grow and be successful. Along with classroom instruction, there is a fun and exciting social life at Texas School with parties, meal events, entertainment and an impressive trade show. Another good reason to attend is that all evening meals will be FREE, thanks to our many sponsors. Mark your calendar now for April 26 - May 1, 2020, and come and see for yourself what the “Texas School Experience” is all about.
Bree Adams Gary Box William Branson III Margaret Bryant Alison Carlino Carl Caylor Tony Corbell & Rob Hull Bob Coates Bry Cox Gregory & Lesa Daniel Mitch Daniels & Billy Welliver Bob Davis Scott Detweiler Cris & Deanna Duncan Kristi Elias Dan Frievalt Chris Fritchie Joe Glyda Jeff Gump John Hartman Jamie Hayes & Mary Fisk-Taylor Elizabeth Homan Steve Kozak Jackie Kramer Don MacGregor Dave Montizambert Tommy Munoz Sandra Pearce Jen Rozenbaum Ashley Siegert Kimberly Smith Francie Stonestreet Richard Sturdevant Ethan Tweedie Jason Ulsrud John Wilson
Carl Caylor
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Oct/Nov 2019 Oct/Nov
Don Dickson
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ach year the Texas Professional Photographers Association grants a number of scholarships to the Texas School of Professional Photography to be held at the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center in Addison, Texas. These scholarships are available to newcomers to the profession as well as photographers who have been in photography for several years and meet certain requirements. You may qualify! Two types of scholarships are available. The first is a classroom scholarship that pays the week’s tuition to a class. To be eligible for this scholarship, you must be a member of Texas PPA by July 1, 2019, and you must renew your 2020 membership prior to attending the 2020 Texas School. In addition, you must not have received a Texas School scholarship during the previous ten years. Also, you must not have been in photography for more than five years, or if you have been in photography for more than five years, you must have earned a minimum of 20 Fellowship Points from TPPA. The final requirement is that only one application per studio or firm will be accepted. The second type of scholarship is a “Wrangler Scholarship.” To be eligible, you must be a current (2020) member of Texas PPA, have attended the Texas School in the past, willing to work, able to get along well with people, able to take directions well, must have a car, must have satisfactory computer skills, and must be available by 9 am on April 26, 2020, through 2 pm on Friday, May 1, 2020. If you want to be a part of a very elite, fabulous, hard working group of people who are a very important part of the success of Texas School, and would like to be considered as a wrangler, then apply online today at www.texasschool.org/wranglerapplication. To apply for the classroom scholarship, go to www. TexasSchool.org. If you have any questions, ask any of the trustees, talk to someone who has been a wrangler in the past, or contact Cindy Romaguera, at 504-799-9729 or email her at Cindy@Romaguera. com. Remember, a Wrangler Scholarship is a “working scholarship.” When you are a wrangler, you get very close to your instructor, classmates, other wranglers, and the Texas School staff. You can apply for these scholarships online at www.TexasSchool. org, so sign up now and check the website and this magazine for further Texas School information and updates.
More Information At www.TexasSchool.org 29
“College Station Medical Center” was created by Mark Sykes, Cr.Photog., CPP of College Station, Texas. The image was commissioned by the hospital to produce an updated building shot, but Mark wanted to create more than just another snapshot of the building by producing an image that was warm, and inviting. The problem was the building was surrounded by other structures that needed be eliminated or de-emphasized, while showing off the hospital’s iconic curved roof over the portico. After walking the parking lot, Mark picked his spot for the perfect angle and waited. As luck would have it, a storm blew through the area the night before the shoot which seems to always create dramatic sunsets in this area the following night. Mark set up his camera just inches from the ground using his Tamron 14-30mm f2.8 superwide angle lens to shoot up at the building, giving the short 3 story building greater height and stature. After photographing the image, Mark gave the building a make over by re-painting the curbs, removing oil and tire marks on the driveway, dodging and burning certain areas of the building to create more light direction, and making all of the windows match since only a couple of the upper floor rooms were lit. Lastly Mark increased the overall warmth of the image by increasing the saturation and by placing a solid color layer in soft light mode over the entire image using a warm color from the sunset. The image scored 92 at Texas PPA Summerfest Image Competition.
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“Earthrise” (above) was first witnessed by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders. The modified Hasselblad 500C camera (left) shed its viewfinder, reflex mirror, auxiliary shutter, and even the leather cover to minimize the camera’s weight impact on NASA missions.
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t happened just after 10:30 am Houston time on December 24, 1968, as Apollo 8 astronauts Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders were coming around the far side of the Moon for the fourth time. Mission Commander Frank Borman was in the left seat preparing to turn the spacecraft to a new orientation, according to the flight plan. Navigator Jim Lovell was in the lower equipment bay about to make sightings on lunar landmarks with the onboard sextant, and Bill Anders was observing the moon through his side window and taking pictures with a Hasselblad still camera fitted with a 250mm lens. Meanwhile, a second Hasselblad with an 80mm lens was mounted in Borman’s front-facing “rendezvous” window, photographing the lunar surface using an automatic timer that took a new picture every twenty seconds. Suddenly, Bill Anders interrupted the conversation, “Oh, my God! Look at that picture over there! There’s the Earth comin’ up. Wow, is that pretty!” Because he was shooting with black-and-white film, he asked Jim Lovell to hand him a color film magazine.
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There was a sense of urgency in his voice, “You got a color film, Jim? Hand me a roll of color, quick, would you? Hurry.” The result was the iconic “Earthrise” image of a colorful Earth rising over the harsh and bleak lunar landscape. For those who first saw it, Earthrise was an unexpected and electrifying experience and an iconic image of the 20th century. It was also one of Hasselblad’s proudest achievements as part of space exploration history. The Hasselblad 500C that initiated a relationship between the camera company and NASA several years before the launch of Apollo was a technologically advanced camera at the time with a leaf shutter and automatic aperture stop down. Wally Schirra, a NASA mission pilot and photo enthusiast, suggested the 500C, a camera he already owned, be adapted to document human space travel. Seven years before the first Hasselblad would drop to the dusty lunar surface, NASA and the Swedish camera company worked together to modify cameras for the extremes of space. Oct/Nov 2019
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Astronaut Walter Schirra, center, checks out his spacecraft’s camera equipment with Paul Becker of McDonnell, left, and Roland Williams of RCA.
The Hasselblad HDC was adapted to withstand the rigors of space, using silver paint to help the camera move between extreme temperatures.
The camera shed its viewfinder, reflex mirror, auxiliary shutter, and even the leather cover to minimize the camera’s weight impact on the mission. The modified 500C then gained a 70 exposure film magazine instead of the traditional dozen photographs in a single roll. The retrofitted camera was taken aboard the Mercury 8 in 1962, taking photographs while orbiting Earth and paving the way for Hasselblad’s first trip to the moon.
and a specially designed film magazine that allowed for 200 exposures on Kodak 70mm film. The second camera used an 80mm f2.8 lens to capture images from inside the Eagle lunar module, and a third camera was used inside the Command Module with crew member Michael Collins while his two crew mates were on the lunar surface.
By the time Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the Moon, Apollo 11 was equipped with three of the medium-format cameras, including the Hasselblad 500EL Data Camera (HDC) and the Hasselblad Electric Camera (HEC). The first was outfitted with a Zeiss Biogon 60mm f5.6 lens
Like the 500C on earlier missions, the HDC camera was adapted to withstand the rigors of space, using silver paint to help the camera move between -85 degrees and 248 degrees Fahrenheit. A special plate was added to the camera to intentionally leave “+” marks in the images, which would later be used to make measurements and gather more data from the images. Basic photography principals, as well as instructions on using specific Hasselblad cameras, were built into NASA’s training program. As Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin ventured outside of the Eagle lander, Armstrong captured the first “selfie” when his own image was photographed as it was reflected in Aldrin’s helmet visor. When Apollo 11 blasted off from the Moon for the return trip to Earth, the American flag was not the only thing that was left behind. Sadly, after successfully capturing images on the lunar surface on July 21, 1969, the two Hasselblad cameras were left on the Moon. After they were hoisted up using a line to the lunar lander, the valuable film magazines were removed from the cameras. After an eight-day journey, the spacecraft that weighted more than 100,000 pounds at launch would return with a landing mass of less than 11,000 pounds. To cut weight for the return journey, the cameras and lenses had to be left behind on the Moon where they remain to this day, along with 10 others from later missions.
Neil Armstrong’s “selfie” was his own reflection in Buzz Aldrin’s visor.
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Those of us who used Hasselblad cameras in the decades since Apollo and before the digital revolution remember it as a dependable workhorse that set us apart from everyone else. The space program catapulted it into world fame and those of us who depended on it for our livelihood will never forget the vital role it played in the history of the world. Oct/Nov 2019
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