Just A Quick Update: Frank Doorhof Workshops

Frank Doorhof, who will be doing a two day workshop in L.A. in early June, just made a post to his blog talking about the many questions he gets about his mind numbing glamor photographs that I wanted to share ... it is HERE.

Equipment Review: 1c - 12 Compact Flash Cards

Slot #4, which is empty in my original image, sometimes holds these three Compact Flash card cases. Unlike the compact flash card case in slot #5 which I'll talk about next time, these three cases, each with four 1G Sandisk Ultra II CF cards are only used for a couple of special purposes.

So, why do I use Sandisk? I used to use Lexar. Unfortunately, on one of their very expensive cards that I purchased (about $450 if I recall), they had a problem with the embedded driver so that it dropped images, corrupted images and generally wrecked havoc on me. When I finally found out what the problem was, no thanks to Lexar, I also found out they were going to replace them. But, I had to pay to return the card and then wait while they then sent one back. So I was out shipping and without the card for a couple of weeks, without any compensation ... not even a credit toward the next card. So, there will never be another Lexar card in my cameras. I've never had any trouble with any Sandisk card. So, while I am sure there are zillions of folks without problems with Lexar, I think there are many fewer who use them in the very most expensive Pro line of DSLRs and utterly rely on them for their clients ... I simply can't afford that kind of arrogance.

So, what are my "special purposes" for these 12 cards? I have two actually. The first has to do with the Supper Club shots I do at the casino. Normally this is just me wandering around the Samala Room at the Chumash Casino Resort where a dozen round tables with elegant place settings, a four diamond catered buffet for about 130 people and dinner music and then entertainment is served up for invited guests only. I have the marvelous job of asking people who have come to have dinner and enjoy a show if I can take their picture while they are trying to eat! Sounds awful ... but after the first three or four events I got the hang of it and now everyone really enjoys it. Sometimes when I walk into the room with my camera hands go up at tables. In fact, I now stand just ahead of the buffet line and capture the guests while they are waiting in the line ... no food in teeth and something to entertain them. Many couples have albums of my little refrigerator pictures ... they get them in 4x6 prints.

But from time to time, we setup a themed photobooth, bring in studio strobes and then shoot & print immediately, put the pictures in frames and give them back to the guests before they leave. And when we do this, I need to shoot a few, give the printer operator the CF card that they print from, and start a new card. Also, since I need to provide digital images to the casino of all these prints, I can't recycle the cards. Turns out that a dozen 1G cards works out really well. And interestingly, I normally have a 12G Sandisk Extreme III in my primary body, although I expect I will get a couple of Extreme IV's to use in my 1DsMIII which supports DMA, a higher speed transfer protocol.

And the other use ... shooting boxing with an assistant. This allows me to shoot one or two rounds, pass the card to my assistant with a laptop, who can download, cull and edit the RAW images while I am shooting subsequent rounds or bouts. The reason for this fast processing is that Showtime (for whom I do this on rare occasions) or other media want the images as soon after the fights as possible to go with the ringside commentary that their writers turn in. They'd like to have the images before the fights but that isn't yet possible! :-)

Hope this gives some of you some good ideas or a different perspective.

Be Safe!

Dwight

Frank Doorhof Glamor Workshop in L.A. June 7 & 8, 2008

Many of you know that I am beginning to explore Portrait/Glamor photography. I've spent a bunch of money putting together a small studio in my house with high end equipment. I've spent a lot of time reading and experimenting. But when push comes to shove, the best learning comes from actually seeing what happens on a photo-shoot (as with the Jason Cole DVD I recently reviewed which has just started pressing and will be out in about two weeks) or even better, participating! Last year I attended Frank Doorhof's glamor workshop in Los Angeles and learned a huge amount. I had never used my lightmeter in the studio before the workshop ... I just tethered my camera to my laptop and did a long series of exposure tests until I got where I wanted. After seeing how to do this properly with my meter at Frank's workshop, it now takes maybe three test shots because the exposure is so close when I start. I now always do the first shot in every lighting change having the model hold a gray card to her face ... huge difference in white balance correction, as I saw in Frank's workshop. I also saw how to create subtle but interesting lighting on my background papers and how to use gels.

Since I can't recommend this kind of learning strongly enough and since Frank, from the Netherlands, is coming back to L.A. on June 7 & 8 this year, I wanted to make sure everyone was aware since he doesn't do much in the way of advertising. Frank runs sold out workshops back home every week. You can see a portfolio of his work at http://www.frankdoorhof.com/portfolio/ and his workshop schedule at http://www.fotografie-workshops.nl/ENGELS/overview.html with an email address to request a slot at a workshop.

So, you might ask if I am attending this year? No. I have conflicts with my casino work and will be out of the country immediately afterward ... and I had a free invitation, sigh. But Frank will be visiting with me for a couple of days to go wine tasting in the Sta. Rita Hills appellation where I live, visit a few missions, play at the ocean, and generally relax.

I'll have the next installation of the Equipment Review sometime in the next few days ... I'm very busy, as always.

Be Safe!

Dwight

Equipment Review: 1b

Some of this review will be kinda trivial for most of you, but there are always a few newbies who, when they don't understand something will either accept that they don't know it and keep quiet, or send me an email asking something they should have asked as a comment so that everyone else who didn't understand it could see the answer, too. Please, if you don't understand something I write about ask on the blog in a comment. Also note that you should be able to click on any of the images inline and get another version that includes EXIF and IPTC data for the equipment images that I take for my blog.

So, on to slot #1: Eclipse fluid is usually used with Sensor Swabs (slot #18) to clean the sensor of your dSLR. It will melt the finish right off your furniture (actually it just makes mine white) so don't treat it like lens cleaning solution (slot #18). On the other hand, it is not dangerous (although I don't think the TSA will let you take it on checked luggage and it cannot be shipped so you have to buy it locally) so don't get freaked out. In fact, don't get freaked out about wet cleaning your sensor ... it is not rocket science ... I know of no one who has done any damage to their camera by wet cleaning the sensor. Just don't use too much solution and do follow the directions that are all over the web with pictures and diagrams that I won't repeat here. Also in slot #1 are two "TC's" (Tele Converters, although Canon calls them Extender EF II), one is 1.4 meaning it will multiply the focal length of a lens by 1.4 times (400mm becomes 540mm) and the other is 2.0 and will double the focal length of the lens. Please note two things: (1) these only work properly when used with the lenses and bodies for which they are designed, and (2) they will also lower the light capturing ability of the lenses on which they are used, so that an f/2.8 lens will become an f/4 lens with the 1.4 TC. They attach as female on one side and male on the other. Most of us attach the TC to the lens first and then attach the lens/TC assembly to the camera. They are not cheap. Also note they have two red dots, one for aligning with the lens and the other for aligning to the body ... it will be pretty obvious which is which when you attach them. And finally in slot #1 I keep at least one quick release plate that attaches to my Bogen 3021 tripod with Manfrotto 3030 head. I like the quick release plates since you attach them to the camera and can leave them on while taking the camera on and off the tripod as they are light weight and don't get in the way when using the camera, although I don't leave them on if I don't expect to be using the body on a tripod. I will show them in use in a later equipment section when I discuss my tripods.

These pictures were all taken with the 1DMIII body shown in slot #2 of my diagram image. I will not be reviewing the 1DMIII bodies as there are many, many excellent reviews on websites such as Rob Galbraith, Photography-on-the.net and many others and you can read their specs at the Canon website (and almost anywhere you would buy one.) If you have specific questions about my usage I'm happy to answer or point you to a good reference. The same goes for the 16-35mm f/2.8L lens although I will talk about how/when I use this lens in a later section after reviewing the equipment.

Be Safe!

Dwight

Equipment Review: Part 1a

I'm going to back up for a second and talk about Pelican cases. First, they come in a huge variety of sizes and shapes and purposes. They are guaranteed against almost everything almost forever ... see the warranty here. I have five Pelican cases in three sizes. The one shown in my last post is a Pelican 1610 and is my primary case of which I have only one. I will also be showing my two Pelican 1510 cases and two Pelican 1660 cases. I bought all my Pelican cases from B&H in NYC. And I'll stick a quick disclaimer in here: I have no relationship other normal customer with either Pelican or B&H, but I am a customer because they deliver and are totally reliable for me.

I have two bits of information that are the core of today's post: (1) Pelican is very responsive to case failures, which do happen, and (2) the Pelican 1510 is a masterpiece.

First, yes, Pelican cases can fail. But you need to consider that they are designed to be waterproof and to withstand huge pressure changes. [Please note that this is my understanding and I am not guaranteeing anything personally ... you must verify this yourself with Pelican.] They have gaskets that need maintenance and replacement and they have pressure relief valves. Amazing stuff, eh? Yes, I had a failure on my Pelican 1610. This case has four latches. All the Pelican cases have more latches than minimally necessary. The left front latch on my Pelican 1610 broke upon opening one day. The other three latches were easily adequate for continued use. I filled out an online form at Pelican. Next business day I got phone call from a marvelously pleasant young woman. She asked me to describe the latch and it's failure. She assured me that I could easily replace the latch and she was sending me a latch replacement kit. She did. I did. And I have an extra latch, which I think will fit any of my cases as the kit contained two latches. No charge.

Second, and this can be VERY significant these days, the Pelican 1510 is within the size limits for carry-on luggage for continental and intercontinental air travel ... check the Pelican 1510 link above for details. Last summer we vacationed at Club Med in Cancun, Mexico. I wanted to take camera equipment but am unwilling to check it. So I loaded up my Pelican 1510 with my 5D and some lenses and Epson P-2000. In fact, my wife liked the case so much, mostly because of the wheels and handle, that I loaned her my second one for her carry-on. While one of the flight stewardesses thought it was too big for overhead and it did require some wiggling, it comfortable fit into the overhead luggage racks of four different aircraft. And it sure is nice, when your flight connections fail and you have to walk miles and miles in the airport, to simply pop the handle and roll it. There are also handles on two sides so you can carry it in the portrait or landscape mode. :-) And you can sit on them ... the 1510 was perfect for my then 5-year-old daughter to rest her weary bones.

The cases I have all have the option of inserts as shown in my 1610 image, or pick-a-part foam inserts or nothing. I believe they also have lid pocket inserts available but I don't use these so I am not familiar with them.

So that's it for now.

Be Safe!

Dwight

Equipment Review: What I Have & How I Use It: Part 1

I've been promising for a while in various places to explain what equipment I have and how I use it so I am starting a multipart series on just that. The way I am going to do it is to work my way through the several Pelican cases I use and then go to other equipment. I will do my best to include explanatory photographs.

So, here is my primary Pelican case and it's contents. This is a Pelican 1610 with dividers. I have labeled the compartments with both contents and numbers. I will use the numbers to talk about the contents. You should be able to click on the image here to see a much larger version where you can actually see the equipment and read the labels.

For this post I will just enumerate the equipment and in subsequent posts I'll talk about how I use it and give additional images as needed. #1 in the upper left corner has Eclipse Fluid for cleaning sensors. [Sensor Swabs for use with the Eclipse are in #18.] Under the fluid are a 1.4TC and 2.0TC in their provided cases. Finally there is a quick release clamp for my Bogen 3021 tripod.

#2 Contains a 1D Mark III body.

#3 16-35mm f/2.8L lens. The white booklet to the left is a 1D Mark III manual.

#4 Two slots that used to hold 1D Mark IIN batteries that are currently unused.

#5 CF case. There's CPF in there, too, where I usually have an Epson P-2000.

#6 Filter case.

#7 1D Mark III w/70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens.

#8 Some Ziploc bags. One has Etymotic ear plugs. One has Dynatech Gray Card. One has DEMB flash diffuser.

#9 Gitzo tabletop tripod.

#10 300mm f/2.8L IS lens. This is my very favorite lens although not my most used ... but I'll talk about that later.

#11 Rocket blower to get dust off sensors.

#12 Spare loose rechargeable batteries for my 580EX II and a battery test meter.

#13 Stack of business cards in Ziploc.

#14 580EX II. What you can't see because of the Ziplocs is a Canon Compact Battery Pack CP-E4 and two CPM-E4 battery holder inserts each with 8 rechargeable batteries in it. The holders slip into the Battery Pack. I'll talk about how I utilize these later.

#15 Trifocal glasses. I only use these for shooting and for that they are essential. Oddly I can't seem to get used to using them for anything else.

#16 Leatherman Charge tool in case.

#17 Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens wrapped in lens cloth on top of Canon 14mm f/2.8L lens wrapped in a lens cloth. I haven't found a better way to keep them both in there.

#18 TC-80N3 remote release. Flashlight. Sensor Swaps and lens fluid ... this lens fluid is not used with the Sensor Swabs.

#19 Several Mark III batteries that can be used in my two 1D Mark III's and my 1Ds Mark III.

#20 24-70mm f/2.8L

So that's it. That stuff goes with me almost anywhere I shoot with a few exceptions that I will discuss in subsequent posts. Please feel free to ask questions. I'll talk about each of the items in here and then move on to my other cases.

Be Safe!

Dwight

Glamor Photography Instructional DVD: Jason Cole

This is sort of an advert for Jason Cole's soon to be released instructional glamor photography DVD: The Passion of the Art. Jason is a wedding and glamor photographer out of Wollongong, Australia, down the coast a bit from Sydney in NSW. He has shot for FHM and Ralph among other well known glamor slicks. For reasons not clear to me, Jason decided to put his vast experience into a DVD tutorial. I found out about it as he posted for suggestions at Photography-on-the.net, an online, somewhat Canon oriented forum run by a Finn with a very large, world-wide membership in which I have been a very active participant for the last three years. Next thing I knew, Jason (who doesn't know me from Adam) asked if I would be a Beta reviewer for the DVD, getting it a month or so before GA and giving him feedback. I explained to Jason that I didn't know much about glamor photography and he pointed out that this is just what he needed: someone familiar with all the equipment (cameras, studio lighting, experience shooting lots of things) but not experienced in glamor. So, I asked, "What's in it for me?" As he does so frequently, he laughed (well, actually, he put, "lolol" in his email) and said that he'd give me a final copy of the DVD when done. So I agreed. And now, even though it will not benefit me a farthing (or whatever the Aussies use for currency) I want to make you aware of its existence ... well, in a couple of more weeks. This is a really useful reference.

The Passion of the Art contains three basic sections: equipment, models and shooting. Jason explains the equipment he uses (which is Canon and Broncolor), some tidbits about models with help from his MUA, and then four extensive photoshoot sections: one in the studio, one in a mechanic's garage with lots of machinery, and two at the beaches of NSW. This is the meat of the DVD for me. Jason gives one tip after another on dealing with the models and setups and then you get to watch him do the shoots as he again narrates his activities. The videography is first rate rather than just having a friend with a consumer video standing around like the YouTube spots. He explains why he selects his lenses and lighting choices and shows what some lighting options look like and how each addition enhances the overall effect he is after.

What impressed me most about this DVD was getting to see and hear Jason work with the models. How he communicates with them. How he gets them into the right mood. How he gets the right look. And the second, and for many the most important thing is, he explains in depth how to shoot a magazine spread. He explains what is needed and then talks you through the shooting and finally shows how the post processed images to be given to the editor look. Each of the four shoots has a theme and he shows how to tie them together to make a coherent story.

At my latest check Jason was offering the DVD, due out in mid-April, for $69 USD at http://www.jasoncolephotography.com.au/_portal_page/off-pages/dvd-vol1/dvd-vol1.html.

Be Safe!

Dwight