JARED POLIN JUNE  2014 

One of the most important ways to become a better photographer is to step outside of your comfort zone. Now this is much easier said then done but it is something I am personally working on.

The type of photos I capture generally revolve around candid images. In this case I set up a continuos light studio inside my loft to take portraits of my model. This is the furthest thing away from candid and totally out of my every day comfort zone.

CLICK HERE to see all of the full res images from this photo shoot.

Click Here to view all of the FULL RES Images from this photo shoot.

As scary as it may seem to veer out of your normal zone it’s something every photographer should be doing. Sure you may be good at one thing or another but the only way to get better is to experiment. You are shooting digital, you have no film to waste, processing to have done or prints to make. You can simply get out there, shoot, review and shoot some more. That is the leg up you have today over 20 years ago.

Click Here to view all of the FULL RES Images from this photo shoot.

When I set up this 5 Min Portrait is Jenna I knew I wanted to do something different than I normally did. I decided I wanted to shoot continuous light portraits using my keno flows. I set them up in a simple pattern which is very similar to what Peter Hurley does for his head-shots.

One thing you have to keep in mind is you can have the exact same lighting set up as Peter or I, the same camera and settings and not get the same results. I wont get the same results as Peter because I don’t talk to the subject the same way he does as well as seeing the world different. This doesn’t mean I wont capture something that is still amazing. You have to remember that we all see the world different, we interact different and pull out different emotions from our subjects. There is no right or wrong way to do this, just some people do it better than others.

My goal with this shoot was to capture a nice little cross section of images of Jenna. Jenna is not a professional model but has posed for a few photographers in the past. I think she is great in front of the camera and takes direction very well.

With any photo shoot I like to come out with three to five solid keepers regardless of how many images I take or don’t take. Generally speaking you wont get to see the non keepers from most photographers but I chose to share every shot from this 5 Min Portrait. I do that so you can see not just the best shots but the ones that just missed or were so far off base that I never should have let them see the light of day.

Click Here to view all of the FULL RES Images from this photo shoot.

This is all about learning and becoming a better photographer, the only way you get better is to step outside of your comfort zone and practice. There is not shame in not getting the best results when you are trying something new. The only shame is if you don’t try.

With this 5 Min Portrait I only filmed the first part of the shoot. After the initial head-shots were captured I changed up the lights and the scene to allow me to try some other scenarios before finally doing some natural light portraits around the loft. You can see those images in the editing video below.

Editing the 5 Min Portrait

As I have been doing more often after photo shoots like this, I am going to share with you the editing process I went through to get the final images. It is important to remember that this is my style for editing and not everyone will like what I come up with. It’s very important to formulate your style not only in the images you capture but in the way you process them. With that said, there is a lot of information you can take out of this section so please enjoy.

Click Here to view all of the FULL RES Images from this photo shoot.

I also share with you images that I captured after the camera stopped rolling. We kept shooting for another hour or two, trying different lighting setups and poses. One thing I learned from this shoot is that I am not very good with directing the model when it comes to posing. This is something I am not terribly to used to doing. When I am shooting candids I let the model to what they do and capture it. In this setting, I have to tell the model what I am looking for in order to bring that out of them.

On the other hand when you work with a professional model they tend to know how to flow andmove which makes for less work giving direction. That is in no way a knock at Jenna as she did a fantastic job in front of the camera.

Click Here to view all of the FULL RES Images from this photo shoot.

If you would like to view all the full res exports please CLICK HERE.

USING EVERYDAY OBJECTS FOR MAKING OUTSTANDING BACKDROPS

I am a big fan of using simple objects or DIYing solutions in my photograph. One thing I always like doing is using a Gobo (photography lingo fo go-between) to make any plain background stand out. Nowadays, I am using a device called the Light Blaster which can act as a dedicated gobo projector, but before I got it, I DIYed my own patterns for the background.

So here are examples of everyday objects I use to create some cool patterns on the background.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND LIGHT STANDS

When I was starting out and practicing photography I always tried to look at shots that inspired me, and try to replicate it to practice my lighting. One shot that I wanted to try was a famous shot by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair of Lance Armstrong.

I knew that when shooting my model he would have to be very still, but I still wanted my photo to show some motion.

The first thing I did was to place a softbox above the subject as the main light. I knew that I needed to use a a “slow flash” (i.e. have a “long” flash burst) so the water will show some motion. I used a cheap studio strobe that I knew had a slow flash duration. My camera was set on timer mode to allow me enough time to go by the model side and splash some water on him for when the shutter clicked (talk about low budget).

Because of the slow flash duration, you could actually see some blur on the droplets hinting of right to left motion which made the shot look like the model was moving.

Next challenge was the background. It was too plain. I wanted to add a little bit of spunk to it, so what I did was placing 2 light stands and hanging some Christmas lights between them. But I did not use the Christmas lights for producing any light. Instead, I got a speedlight and gelled it blue, and shot it thru the mesh Christmas lights. This got me some texture on on the background.

Here is the final shot:

PUNCHED CARDBOARD

This was a part of my 365 project – shooting a portrait a day for one year. I really wanted a matrix theme shot  It’s just me, I know. For lighting I used a mainlight above the subject shot through a softbox, and two speedlights back left and right for the kickers.

I had a green gelled flash pointed at the background, but I was just getting a plain boring green background. I wanted a little bit of texture. I had a cardboard lying around so I got some scissors and just cut some holes in the cardboard and placed it in front of my strobe so I got some textures on my background.

FINAL SHOT

THE BASKET

I always bring this blue basket whenever I have a workshop outside the studio. I found it in our kitchen but never brought it back ever since (this got me in whole lot of other troublesm but this is for another post). This is the item I use to show the participants that you can use everyday objects to make your light more interesting.

For this shot I placed the basket behind the subject with a CTB gelled flash inside.

Now if you just move the basket just a few feet away it will give you all kinds of  different patterns. Here is what it looks like if you place a bare flash inside the basket.

But to make it a bit more interesting, I normally gel the flash with a CTO gel, this gets a nice sunset feel to the photo.

Setup Shot

The final output will look like this

A PLANT (YOU KNEW THIS WAS COMING)

I got a plant from our garden and placed it right in front of my flash to get some leaves effect pattern on the background. For the main light I placed some CTO gel with a small softbox on the right of the subject. And for the background light, I placed a speedlight with a CTB gel shooting thru the plant on my left.

THe biology of the plant gives a nice random pattern, and if you want a quick change you can always rotate the plant a bit.

Those were just a few ideas for using everyday objects as a gobo for your photo. What do you use?

via: Do it Yourself Blog

How common are film scratches?

Ray - , Jun 29, 2014; 05:19 a.m.

In the past I got scratches, checked the pressure plate and found similar marks, gave it a clean and it is gone then. Then on my other camera got scratches and looked at it and maybe something on the pressure plate again. Looked at the film and I could be wrong, it is hard to see, but the scratches looks like on the base side (the non dull side). I've gave that a clean for now and a wipe down on the pressure plate with a microfibre cloth.

How common are these things in general ... and do film scratch over time say from some film sleeves and how slides are stored?

Does scratches show up with slide projectors?

Responses

Jochen Schrey , Jun 29, 2014; 08:47 a.m.

I consider the quaint projectors where you wind the film roll through by knob rather suspicious...
Same about the mini guillotine cutters for your individual slide. - Scissors might be a safer bet. - Magazine or hand fed projectors for mounted slides should be safe and harmless.

JDM von Weinberg , Jun 29, 2014; 06:27 p.m.

Scratches on the film that do NOT come from the camera, or dirt in the canister 'felt', are unknown to me. Started shooting film (admittedly roll film) around 1954, 35mm since 1960. Still shoot some film in my carpy old cameras to this day.

Scratches and dirt from the processor facility? - not even Kodachrome was immune to dust stuck to the newly processed film.

via: Photo.net

GO WIDE IN BLACK AND WHITE! IMAGE/SPECTRA FILM IS BACK!

Lucile Le Doze, Worldwide | Jun 27, 04:29 PM

Keep an eye on the B&W Image/Spectra film!

First introduced by Polaroid in the late 1980s, Spectra film (called ‘Image’ outside of North America) is different than the regular integral film for SX-70 and 600 Polaroid cameras. It has a wide image area of 9.0 × 7.3 cm (3.5 × 2.9 in), although it is otherwise identical to 600 film in ISO speed and development method.

Impossible started producing Image/Spectra film in 2010, a few months after introducing new Color and B&W films for Polaroid 600 and SX-70. Derived from the same materials used for the B&W film for Polaroid 600 cameras, Impossible launched the very first B&W Image/Spectra film in instant photography history. Polaroid itself never produced a monochrome film for Image/Spectra cameras.

Hovever, in August, last year, production of the wide-frame B&W film for Polaroid Image/Spectra cameras had to be suspended, due to an issue in the sourcing of essential structural components impacting on how the film functioned with the then existing film chemistry.

The problem lay in a custom adhesive and a thin rail that controlled the thickness of the paste spreading from between the films negative and the positive layers. The rails used for SX-70 and 600 films were too thick to be adapted to the requirements of the Image/Spectra film.

“We are always aiming at assembling the best components to produce unique instant photography materials. Issues in the sourcing of components, even the smallest ones, can suspend production for several months. This new release of the Impossible B&W film for Polaroid Image/Spectra camera marks a new milestone in our research towards an entirely new range of films featuring improved tones and a faster development time” – Stephen Herchen, Impossible’s CTO

“The Image/Spectra system allows photographers to capture the ‘decisive instant’ in a wider, more cinematic format that many prefer. With its more refined functionality and controls, they can experiment more with it too. We were determined that with this new B&W Image/Spectra film, a great camera finlly got the great film it deserved!” – Creed O’Hanlon, Impossible’s Berlin-based CEO

B&W Image/Spectra Film has now been re-formulated by the Impossible’s R&D teams in Enschede and Monheim. It now features improved tonal range, contrast, sharpness and a faster development time. and… it is already available on the Impossible Online Shop!

via: Impossible Blog

Give Film Photography a Chance

 June 2014 by VPB

The advent of digital cameras revolutionized the photography world.  Photographers now incorporate new digital photography techniques, like high dynamic range imaging (HDR) and instant focus stacking.  People now view digital photos prior to development and printing.  The costs of taking hundreds of pictures are now more inexpensive and time efficient.  Gone are the times of dark rooms, red lights, and film photography.

Society gained some efficient technology but lost something in the process.  These days, there are processes and rules for casual photography.  After a picture or series of pictures are taken, everyone views and approves the picture before moving on.  If some people reject the picture, they usually demand a retake.  They may also demand deletion.  The old one is deleted and replaced.

We take hundreds of photos and print/post/keep the ones we like.  Most of the time, we delete the ones we don’t like.  There’s nothing wrong with digital cameras or taking multiple pictures.  Using digital cameras just run the risk of deletion.  For film photography, people can’t see the picture after they take it.  It is time captured in its true form.  No one can instantly delete it or replace it.  It is unfiltered, unbiased, pure.

I recently remembered I still had an old disposable camera from several months back.  If the pictures we took were in a phone gallery or on a digital camera, they could have been easily deleted.  Those memories could have been easily forgotten.

Don’t get me wrong, digital cameras are great.  Just don’t be tempted to delete every picture someone doesn’t like.  Give film photography a chance, or stop deleting digital pictures.  All pictures tell stories.  Even the derpy ones.

Scenic photographer in his element

KEITH EDMUNDS

(Photo: Keith Edmunds)

I began working as an art and scenic photographer over 30 years ago, sometime around my junior year in college, when my wife received a camera as a present. I was living in Burlington at the time. I borrowed her camera to try out some experimental shots like I had seen in some art magazines. A company that used to advertise in the newspaper gave away free film as long as you sent it back to them for processing. I got hooked on photography and spent every penny that didn't go to food or rent on slide film. I tried all of the tricks and tips and learned quite a bit of fundamentals mostly by making mistakes. I didn't keep the wife, but I did keep the camera, and up until last year it was still my primary camera body.

Keith Edmunds(Photo: Courtesy photo)

For over 15 years after that I lived in the Tampa/ St Petersburg, Fla., region where I exhibited and worked. Among other positions there I worked managing photo labs, teaching digital imaging, and as a portrait photographer. Portrait photography is a demanding business. It showed me the value in making good-looking images that people can relate to. Smart and arty pictures are all well and good, but they don't pay the bills. A picture can be intelligent, but it has to be good looking too. It has to be well-composed, well-lit, and well-crafted or it will have no appeal, and with no appeal it has no viewers. Scenic photography and landscape do not get the full credit and serious treatment that they deserve from the artistic community. To create an image that has an instant appeal is a sign that it is communicating well. It does not need an explanation or a bunch of words to justify it, because it speaks directly.

Pond(Photo: Keith Edmunds)

Upon my return to Vermont I still do some art and commercial work, but I have primarily dedicated my energies to local landscape, local scenics, and local portraits. Vermont has a strong history of showing support for scenic and landscape photography, and that tradition is still very much alive in the local arts and crafts communities. It's important for an artist to be a part of a community. If that community provides support and venues for artists, then those same artists should show a commitment in return. They have the ability to express and showcase the community... its land, its businesses, its people.

Waterfalls(Photo: Keith Edmunds)

Although I have 30 years of work shot with traditional film, the current work that I am now showing represents only local images and are all done since my recent transition entirely over to digital photography. The transition to digital has allowed me to produce a number of images and reach a number of people that would not have been possible in the days of film. A day's worth of processing and editing with a digital camera that costs less than a dollar in electricity and file storage space would have cost thousands of dollars were I to try to reproduce that with film and labs. There is immediate access to the images right on the back of the camera. If something is going right you can explore that further. If something is going wrong you can see and correct the problem before a once-in-a-lifetime shot is lost forever. While there are many traditional cameras film emulsions that have gone out of production, and while I miss them greatly, the advantages of the digital age cannot be doubted. This truly is the golden age for photography and imaging.

You can find most of my work online at www.keithedmunds.com and follow me on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/rutlandvtphoto.

How to Capture Portraits That Are More Than Just Snapshots

By Jason D. Little

t seems some photographers have a natural inclination for portraiture; nearly everything they do has all the elements of a great portrait and they make it seem so easy. I don’t know if there’s a gene that makes some photographers better portraitists than others, or if it comes down to practice and more practice. For the sake of argument, let’s go with practice, that way the rest of us have hope of becoming good portrait photographers someday. 

The tips below should help you out a bit along your journey to achieve that very goal. These tips are less about technical information like camera settings and flash ratios, and more about the practical intangibles that lie at the center of portrait photography. Read on.

1. Establish a Connection

Remember, this is portrait photography, people pictures. So learn to see your subject as more than just a subject. Exchange stories, share a laugh. If the person behind the camera can establish a good rapport with the person in front of the camera, everything else is more likely to fall into place. Lens focal lengths and camera settings and lighting patterns aren’t insignificant factors, but an air of trust and comfort between subject and photographer will prove invaluable when it comes to injecting a portrait with that “something special” quality.

Image by Peter McConnochie, on Flickr

 

2. A Little Flattery Goes a Long Way

Closely related to the idea of establishing a connection, you can boost your subject’s confidence by engaging in a little flattery. Think of things from the subject’s perspective for a moment. It’s likely that they have spent quite a bit of time preparing for their session, knowingly going into something that falls flatly out of their comfort zone. Imagine how much more unsettling it can be to have someone pointing a camera at them and not knowing what the person doing the pointing is thinking. So tell them how great they look. Be enthusiastic with your compliments. The boost of confidence your subject experiences will be apparent in the final images.

Image by Anastasia R, on Flickr

 

3. Shoot in Your Subject’s Preferred Environment

A portrait shoot can take place anywhere. I’m sure no one would object to a beach dotted with palm trees. And studios with muslin backdrops have their place. Neither, however, is a requirement for a successful photo shoot. In fact, shooting in and around a subject’s home might be ideal, as the familiarity of the location will put them at ease and allow their personality to come through more easily. Forcing people to sit under hot lights or endure the frenetic flashing of strobes when they clearly are uncomfortable is counterproductive. And not very nice. So go to their happy place with them, wherever that may be, and you’ll get portraits that are a truer reflection of their personality.

Image by MOTOKI Plasticboystudio, on Flickr

 

4. Capture the Unscripted Moments

It’s easy to get caught up in the routine of posing your subject and taking the shot; pose, shoot, pose, shoot, and call it a day. In some respects, that’s just the way it goes; that’s how most portraits are made. But there’s always something else there, something you don’t want to overlook or dismiss. At some point there may arise an occasion when you’re not “formally” shooting — perhaps you’re changing locations or just about to wrap up the session. These so-called camera-down moments, when the subject doesn’t feel the weight of the lens aimed at them, provide an opportunity to sneak in a few quick shots. The spontaneity of these candid-like shots can reveal the authenticity that portrait photographers crave.

Image by Iryna Yeroshko, on Flickr

 

5. Shoot in Aperture Priority

Seasoned photographers and self-proclaimed experts will probably insist on shooting fully manual, which is perfectly fine. But if you’re someone who is looking to be unencumbered by technical concerns without forsaking your creative vision, then use aperture priority mode. In order to isolate the face/facial features you’ll want to set a relatively small aperture, typically f/2.8 to f/5.6. Your camera will then choose the appropriate shutter speed. If you find the shutter speed isn’t quite fast enough to avoid blur at your chosen aperture, just boost ISO. Given the quality of most current DSLR sensors, jumping from ISO 100 to ISO 400 won’t negatively affect your images.

Image by jDevaun, on Flickr

 

6. Don’t Fear Your Own Creativity

Don’t let rules put a damper on your output. There’s no reason you should be content with making photos that you can’t get excited about. Get creative with your portraiture:

• Use non-traditional focal lengths – Wide angle lenses aren’t flattering to faces, but used the right way you can create some unique, eye-catching portraits; also use wide angle lenses for full body portraits or environmental portraits.

Image by Robert Bejil, on Flickr

 

• Use creative framing – Instead of placing your subject in front of a wall or studio backdrop, use something more dynamic; windows, doorways, trees, all work well as framing devices.

Image by Lies Thru a Lens , on Flickr

 

• Overexpose – You don’t need an elaborate lighting setup to get a clean, bright, high-key look. Even it’s not a “true” high-key shot, slightly overexposing can give your image a nice bit of pop.

Image by Light – VoxEfx by Vox Efx, on Flickr

 

• Introduce a prop – It can be anything: a flower to hold, a chair to sit on, anything that might put your subject at ease. Plus, the prop adds an additional dimension to the photo.

Image by Larissa S., on Flickr

 

• Creative post-processing – The sky is the limit. Aside from the standard routine of sharpening eyes and removing blemishes, you can introduce textures, create double exposures, or use color isolation.

Image by MahPadilha, on Flickr

 

• Look beyond the face – Portraits don’t always have to be all about faces. Try focusing your attention on another part of the body.

Image by Bhumika Bhatia, on Flickr

 

In short, simply follow your creative instinct and know that becoming a good portrait photographer is well within your reach. Keep shooting.

Ever seen a photographer in a movie? Well, we’ll leave out the likelihood that it was a male photojournalist in a war zone exposing the “truth” (like no other type of photographer exists) and move straight onto the golden cliches that Hollywood likes to push. Here are a few things that our new hero almost certainly has:

Rugged Good Looks – Well this one goes without saying. We are all a remarkably handsome bunch of people. No arguments with that one! Let’s move on…

An Infinite Travel Budget – When you hit the road in a movie, it’s all about the story and the shots. Now the photographers in any movie, in addition to being remarkably handsome and incredibly stylish are also able to travel basically forever. Without thought. Or presumably cost.

I guess that means they are all really rich. Which is great, because the reality is that most photographers earn about half the average national income. Personally, I’d be taking the movie gig any time.

An Uncanny Ability to Find Awesome Bars and Hotels in the Third World – Anybody who has ever been to a developing country will know that the chances of finding a good bar in or near a warzone can be somewhat limited. Hell, finding clean water is often a pretty challenging experience, let alone a traditional Parisian Sidecar cocktail made to specification by a barman wearing a tuxedo who was trained at The Ritz.

A clean toilet – now that’s something a lot of us would actually settle for.

Many have horror stories of arguing with a dreadlocked Aussie backpacker who was “finding himself” by working for food at a crappy hostel with bed bugs and trying to charge extra for a shower. I honestly wish we could have this superhuman ability to find the amazing war hotels of Hollywood legend. I’d probably move in.

Aviator Sunglasses – What is with that? Has anybody even worn aviators since Top Gun ruined it for everybody? Just say no!

A Fake Tan – For some reason a real tan never really made it into the movie director’s thinking.

A Crappy Vest and Cargo Pants – Now I know some folks love to get around in this getup in real life, (and there’s absolutely no judgement from your Light Stalking family), but these folks are an exception rather than a rule. Except in Hollywood, where every person who comes within 10 feet of a camera is suddenly wearing them – usually in beige.

Above: Under Fire – A Wonderful Movie Brought to You by the Colours Beige and Orange

 

A Boyishly Idealistic Fervour to Change the World – Now sure, there are plenty of reasons to be appreciative of photographers and the role of some in history.

On the other hand, there are a vast swathe of us who just like producing quality images – cos… you know… pretty.

Oh well.

A Super-Human Abilty to Find Reliable Communications (Phone, Internet) in War Zones – Anybody who has done much travelling (anywhere really) knows that communications are a huge challenge to get right. Scrambling to find a sim card or an internet cafe with the slowest connection takes an inordinate amount of time when you arrive in a new country. This goes triple if the country is a developing nation. Having coms sorted just doesn’t happen unless you have a lot of money (which takes us back to the infinite travel budget thing).

They Can Only Exist in Warm Climates – Seriously, it’s like photographers don’t exist in cold areas according to Hollywood. Look at this list of movies about photojournalism – not a single one is set in a cold climate!

A Lack of Personal Humour – Seriously, can’t just one of our photographer heroes or heroines crack a joke? Just once?

Why so serious?

All Fun Aside, Here are Some Great Movies With Photographers

• The Bang Bang Club
• Under Fire
• The Killing Fields
• The Year of Living Dangerously
• Spy Game
• Blow Up

Check them out and leave us some movie suggestions of your own in the comments!