Tall Grass Photography

Collaboration

2011-09-24T17:04:00.004+09:30

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a two day photo shoot with a client & friend of mine, David Smoler of Studio Paris. The brief for the shoot was to provide images of professional hair designs for a client of David's, which were to be submissions for a national competition. There was also a lot of very specific fashion involved, which was provided by another client, as well as killer makeup on all the models - again provided by another professional who had a keen interest in the project.

Essentially my job in all this was to assist David in creating the 'look' that he had envisioned for each series of images (as well as getting some much needed exercise lugging lots of heavy equipment around). I supplemented David's lighting gear with my own so he had more options to choose from. I'm into gels and all sorts of lighting modifiers, some of which David hadn't used before, so it was a great way for him to play & experiment, and a great challenge for me to create the lighting effects that another photographer was seeing in their mind's eye.

It was a great experience for me in a number of ways. It's not the sort of shoot I have been involved with in the past, so the different style of photography was great to experience. It was also really valuable seeing how all the elements are co-ordinated for a shoot of this scale such as separate hair, fashion & makeup artists all doing their thing. The client sitting in on the shoot and having a voice in the process as we worked was also a new experience too (all good). David was great in letting me have a fairly free hand in setting up the lighting - we would have a chat about what he wanted to achieve, what sort of mood was required, and away I went. Soft boxes, grids, beauty dish, gels, reflectors - even mixing studio strobes with Nikon SB900s - they all had their place, and all were important tools in the process. I even ended up doing some DJ work with the music on day 2.

It was a long two days for sure, but that it how it goes, and what the job required. The results were well worth it. Over the two days there were 6 different models and about a dozen themes / sets that were shot... culminating in a ton of images to sort through (around 1500 I think) which have to be whittled down to just six finals for the submission. Both David & myself were really happy with the results, as was the main client and all others involved. We were also able to shoot some personal work in amongst everything else which was a huge plus too.

Unfortunately the submission process will not be over until early next year so I am unable to post any final images at this point (except for a lighting setup shot that I really like that doesn't give anything away).

Thanks again to David for giving me the opportunity to jump onboard - the collaboration was a great one, and won't be the last I'm sure.

The Power Of The Print

2011-08-22T16:49:00.000+09:30

The other day I was reminded of the 'power of the print' when a customer picked up a couple of 16x20 inch prints. She very rarely prints any of her work, and has never had any prints made above an 8x10. I was a little worried at first thinking we had made a mistake with her order - she was quite silent, and tears looked like they mightn't be too far away. Then she exclaimed "Wow! I took these pictures!" She experienced for the first time the joy of seeing your own photography in print form, and big.

These days it can be far too easy to forget about the impact a big print can make, about the pride & satisfaction it can bring. The process often tends to be you shoot your images, you download them, edit them and then file them. The end. I'm not saying there is no satisfaction seeing your images on screen, there definitely is, but when you make a big print of that same image and hold it in your hands, it is something else - the process tends to feel complete, at least it does for me. I'm lucky, and owning a photo lab allows me to print my images whenever I like, but even before that was the case I was making prints of my favourites from both my personal and professional work - I have a ton of unframed prints in big flat boxes at home that I pull out from time to time, and rotate through various frames.

Do yourself a favour and make a print or two of some of your favourite images - and I don't mean a 4x6 or an 8x10 - make a 12x18 inch print at the very least. And don't forget there are all sorts of options these days too in regards to paper types - I've just been experimenting with some textured fine art papers and man does it bring on a whole new dimension to the completed image. There are so many options when it comes to what you make your print on - high gloss, metallic gloss, lustre, matte, canvas, textured fine art... and they all just add to your creative toolbox and vision.

My final bit of advice is to get your prints done properly. If you don't have the facilities to make them yourself, have your prints made by someone who cares as much as you do about the final result - not a mass merchant who lured you in with cheap prices so you could browse in their furniture and carpet section whilst waiting for your prints.

RAW Vs JPEG

2011-04-11T01:14:00.003+09:30

and yes this was shot RAW...

Recently my business partner and I have been wearing a T-shirt in the shop on occasion with the slogan "I Shoot RAW" proudly displayed on the front (this is courtesy of another interesting personality & talent I follow online, Jared Polin, who is more commonly known as "Fro Knows Photo"). It has been an entertaining experience gauging what sort of response we get from our customers, and other people in our shopping centre we meet whilst wearing these... needless to say, we have received many a strange look as well as some clever comments which generally have nothing to do with photography, but hey, as long as it brings a smile it's all good.

The RAW versus JPEG argument has to be one of the most widely discussed topics in photography these days, with countless opinions on what is best. Most, unfortunately are based on misinformation or just plain old ignorance, and surprisingly it's more often the professionals rather than the hobbyists that I have spoken to over the last few years that are the ones falling into the second category.

Here's my two cents:

This will mean more to those who have shot film... I liken shooting RAW format images to using the best possible film for the job along with having it processed at the best lab available.

Does this mean it will make a great image out of a crappy one? No - the photographer is still the most important cog in the whole process by a long shot, but it does mean that you are allowing your camera to capture an image with the maximum quality it possibly can. The biggest difference, is that a JPEG captures 255 tone steps from absolute white through to absolute black, whereas a RAW file captures between approximately 4000 & 16000 tone steps depending on whether your camera can capture a 12 or 14 bit image. This is the reason why you are able to recover many an off exposure if required, as well as produce much better tone gradations - especially noticeable in big enlargements. Essentially, unless there is a damn good reason, why would you choose to capture sub-standard images on the gear you have invested a lot of dollars in?

I have been able to save many an image for the pro clients I process work for when they have shot RAW. Again, I am not advocating that you should shoot RAW to make up for bad or sloppy photography, but it definitely can get you out of a jam... and life can choose to throw tests at the best of us whenever it chooses.

As well as the significant tone range difference, there are a few other components of digital photography that can benefit from shooting RAW. In camera sharpening and white balance are two things that can be set on your digital camera. If you shot RAW, you have the ability to change both those things if required, in your post processing software. Ideally, you should have set those things correctly when taking the shot - that's what good photographers generally do - but white balance can be a doozy sometimes, and if you are on the run jumping from daylight to tungsten to fluro... well, you can see how it could be an enormous advantage to be able to fine tune later if needed. Again, this ability has allowed me to save a number of photographers who have say, accidentally shot the good part of a wedding that was outside (daylight) with a tungsten white balance - you would not know once I had finished with the images. The same scenario in JPEG - find a good lawyer.

Now to be fair, shooting JPEG sometimes has it's advantages over RAW. JPEG's, having a smaller file size. They take up less memory, and can be captured and written faster - enabling faster frame rates for sports etc. Often sports shooters will do this as getting "the" shot with super fast frame rates is more important than RAW tone range. A job may require quick, easy and instant view-ability - which JPEG will provide (in many cases photographers shooting under these circumstances will shoot a RAW+JPEG to give them the best of both worlds). Other than those two situations though, in my opinion RAW wins every time.

So if you haven't delved into shooting RAW because you didn't understand the why's or wherefores, or because you've been told it's only for Pro's, give it a try. Most current computers should allow you to view your RAW files in their native viewing applications, and software like Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture and iPhoto to name a few, will allow you to get the most out of your camera and out of your images.

Reputations on the line

2011-04-02T01:15:00.000+10:30

In my main line of work - running a photographic lab - I am often dealing with other photographers, but more and more these days, with the changing times, I am dealing with their clients too. These days it seems a lot of photographers are choosing to hand over a digital version only of the images they have shot for their client (there are many debates on this line of thinking too). When this happens, more often than not no form of print is included - not even a set of proof sheets. I'm not here to debate whether that is a smart way to do things but what I can say from my experiences over the years as a printer and a photographer, is that without something showing your client what sort of quality they should expect from the images you have made for them, they can potentially end up with anything - despite all your hard work.

What I mean by this is that many of them are being lured to the mass merchants to have their "professional" prints made - you know, the images you made with your professional gear, post processed on your high-end computer & software and expertly finessed all the way with your experience and passion... These mass merchants are destroying the retail photographic printing industry whilst they play out their pricing war on 6x4 prints (and most of the other common photographic services). They are only interested in running a lab as a loss-leader to the merchandise they sell (TVs, BBQ's, underwear etc), and have absolutely no expertise, and generally place little to no care in their photographic services. Granted, that potentially on the right day, with the wind blowing from the right direction and all the planets being in alignment, it is possible to get a reasonable looking print from a good file from one of these guys. But the rest of the time what your client will receive from them is not what you would want your client seeing.

I know this because I have lost track of the number of people I have dealt with now, who after having taken the CD of images they purchased from their photographer down to one of the TV selling / photo printing stores, and then after having been sorely disappointed, have come into my store and asked for my opinion on what they should do... generally they are angry at the photographer for producing such awful looking images and want to know if I can fix them. In the vast majority of cases the images are fine, they have just been printed badly (what can you expect for nine cents I guess). After I make new prints and explain to them what's going on (and repair the photographers damaged reputation) they are generally OK. I do know of cases where the client never learned the truth and assumed the photographer was to blame, and then did their best to not recommend that photographer... food for thought.

Personally, I don't like providing a client with only a digital version of my work. Where possible, even if that was all that was required for the job specs, I try to include something printed to go with the digital versions such as proof sheets. That way they see what I want them to see - they have an example of what the images should look like. Should they choose to print them somewhere unreliable or to view them on something that isn't going to render them favourably such as an old dodgy computer screen, new dodgy computer screen, television etc. you have something to uphold your vision. They may even choose to make their own prints at home (read colour profiling minefields) .There is so much potential for your images to not look the way you intended them to, the more you can give your client to protect your reputation - and keep them satisfied and happy - the better.

Mischievous Technology

2011-02-08T10:38:00.001+10:30

I was just reading an older blog post over at Strobist which reminded me just how much 'other' fun you can have with some of the technology we have in our hands these days.

I must admit, on a number of occasions I have travelled down a similar path to the story David Hobby describes in his post, using technology for a bit of self indulgent fun at someone else's expense (only ever in a way that causes minimal stress/carnage ie. I wouldn't mess with an actual shoot in progress or damage someone's reputation). Other than fooling with the wireless technology to randomly trigger someone else's strobes, you can also have some awesome fun hiding flash units in concealed areas and then popping of a burst of light with a wireless trigger at an appropriate moment... works great when combined with recordings of storm audio played just loud enough to get people wondering what's going on outside - especially when it's blue sky & cloudless. Hey, who ever said immature behaviour and photography didn't go hand-in-hand?

One thing to bear in mind with all this fun is that the universe will balance the ledger at some point... what goes around comes around. So have fun, be mindful of the situation you are about to mess with, and keep your sense of humour on hand for the day the tables may be turned.

Fresh Eyes & New Ideas

2011-02-01T16:43:00.000+10:30

Recently I was going through a lot of my old images - primarily to update my filing system, or rather to bring the older stuff in line with the way I have settled on doing things now.

I didn't get very far. As often seems to happen, I go for a trip down memory lane instead of getting on with the sorting and filing. And inevitably, I end up 'playing' with a number of the images too, as I've found that with the time that's passed between the shooting of a lot of these older images, my post processing skills & tastes have changed, and I often end up getting different or better results. Sometimes I find images that I had completely forgotten about or overlooked initially too, which now suddenly grab my attention and ask to be given another chance. New software, improved skills, better understanding of my 'style' - all these things keep me from the initial job at hand - but for the better.

Coincidentally, another great photographer and trainer I follow, Scott Kelby, has posted similar thoughts on a recent blog of his here which you may want to have a read of.

Getting personal at the beach

2011-01-22T20:01:00.001+10:30

For too long now I have been neglecting my own personal photography. There always seems to be something that gets in the way or an excuse to be made. Having said all that, at the end of the day it is you and you alone who can make the decision to just get out there and do it...

After work the other day I headed down to a local beach with my wife. We drove along and found a good spot to watch was left of the day. We took some dinner, a few beers and of course my camera gear. I decided to keep things simple and the gear to a minimum, so I only brought along two lenses, both primes - a 24mm and an 85mm - plus a tripod. While she read a book and watched the waves, I went hunting for images. I had all but forgotten the simple joy of just shooting for the hell of it. Within a 100 metre radius I found an abundance of visual gold, not to mention some much needed sunshine and fresh sea air. I need to do this far more regularly.

My parting comment is that if this sounds a bit like you at the moment, just grab your camera (any camera) and just go and shoot for an hour or so - even in your own backyard. Keep it simple, get back to the basics, and above all enjoy yourself. Reenergize your photography and get your creative juices flowing again.

spectators

got out waist/chest deep for this

30 second exposure to smooth out the waves

self portrait (single exposure/no Photoshop) to finish off

Toga! Toga! Toga!

2010-12-12T01:07:00.000+10:30

The Toga Crew

It's been a while since my last post... crazy time of year for everyone, especially in retail - you think I would be used to it after all these years but no, it still gets me every time.

Speaking of crazy times, I had my 37th birthday a few weeks back. The plan evolved from a quiet get together with family into an all out Toga party with lots of friends. After a few beers I decided to set up an impromptu photo booth in my back yard just for a bit of fun using some studio lighting - I figured with everyone having put in such a good effort with their outfits it was only fitting that we should make some good images. We all had great fun and it kicked the party along really well, as well as letting me get my photography fix for the evening...

The setup consisted of 2 back/rim lights plus one main light through a large softbox up front. The backdrop was just some small trees that looked sort of 'Romanish'. I'm sure my neighbours must have been wondering what the hell was going on with three studio strobes firing off in the back yard throughout the night, along with all the usual mayhem that comes with a great party.

Thank you to all my friends for a great night and for putting up with my photographic antics. Here are a few samples...

Yours Truly & my wife Emma

A Renewed Passion

2010-10-27T23:29:00.000+10:30

A couple of weeks ago I photographed a wedding. "So what" I'm sure some will say, but this wedding was very important to not only the bride & groom but also to me as a turning point in my photography.

I'm no stranger to wedding photography. In years gone by I have photographed well over a hundred of them - all on film. Mainly due to the limited free time I have had over the last five years after becoming an owner of a retail business, the Hub Photo Shop, my professional photography has taken a bit of a back seat. In that time, other than being a guest at a few, the last wedding I photographed was for some friends of mine a couple of years ago, and my first on digital - and I loved it. I was pretty happy with the results, as where they, and that little feeling, that little itch, started to come back - the one where you just want to keep on making pictures; officially you're doing a job but underneath that official veneer you are just loving making great images & having fun.

Well, that feeling was back again with a vengeance two weeks ago, and I am so glad I said yes to shooting this wedding. I have turned down many over the last five years - initially due to just not having the time, but then through lack of confidence & not wanting to do a bad job - having been out of the game for a while and all. I know Rhonda through the Hub Vet Clinic where I took both my Shepherds when I had them - she had asked me a couple of times throughout the year if I would photograph her wedding, and I had declined her on each occasion, but she wouldn't give up & something told me that I should say yes to her. Thank you Rhonda, and Torey, for letting me share your special day, and for reigniting my photographic passion in regards to weddings.

They couldn't have asked for a better day, especially considering the crazy weather we have been having recently. Everything was outdoors, within the grounds of Old Government House in the Belair National Park - a beautiful place surrounded by natural bushland and an almost endless supply of photographic opportunities. I had an awesome day, as did the happy couple, and I am really pleased with the images - winners all round.

Over the last five years, despite my lack of actual professional work, I think I have done the most reading, watching, researching & learning I have done ever - I think the inability to go out and shoot for real was replaced to a degree with an almost unsatisfiable thirst for new knowledge. So in a way this wedding was also a means for me to put a lot of that newly acquired 'text book knowledge' to practice in the real world. The contrast between the last 'payed' wedding I shot years ago and this one was huge in regards to the techniques & equipment I used - nothing amazingly startling, and common practice for many - but highly enjoyable and satisfying for me.

Thank you again Rhonda & Torey.

Some of my favourites from the day...

Indi

2010-10-18T10:01:00.000+10:30

This posting is not an easy one to write.

A few days ago I read a blog post of Joe McNally's that really hit a spot in my emotional psyche. Joe is one of the photographers / people I look up to and have followed for a while - and who writes as well as he photographs. About 4 months ago I lost Indi my German Shepherd due to an extremely aggressive case of meningitis. She went from being normal, happy & full of life, to being placed in an induced coma within 24 hours. She was only three and a half years old. Outside of my wife, she was my best friend - she seemed to understand me on a much deeper level than most people did. I could always count on her to provide me with inspiration when working on something at home or away, whether that be photography or paperwork... whatever. She would often watch over me in a sense, sleeping on the couch in the study where I am often working late at night. I still expect to see her now when I look over my shoulder...

I still don't understand why this happened the way it did. There were no warning signs. She was young, fit & healthy. She was one of the nicest natured animals you are ever likely to have met, in fact she often gave people a completely different view of German Shepherds after they met her. Life just sucks sometimes.

Looking to the positive side, I am very privileged to have known her for those three and a half years (had her since eight weeks old). She taught me a lot - without the need for one single spoken word. She is still teaching me. I thankfully have hundreds, maybe thousands even, of pictures of her. I have one hundred times that in precious memories, which have now become priceless. At my shop, she has become the face of 'Hub Photo Shop' to many as I have more framed pictures of her up than anything else. I have never sold one picture of her, and don't intend to, they are there purely to make the frames look good (and to keep me company if I am being honest). Since she has been gone, it has been hard answering questions about her pictures in the shop to people that don't know the story but in a strange way it has been good therapy too. I'm sure there would be many more questions if I were to suddenly remove all those pictures. Not many people know that she, and my previous Shepherd Elle, are the reason behind the 'running dog' graphic in my logo - they are a part of me, and I wanted to make that a permanent part of my photography in some way.

1st birthday

I have written this as part of a healing process I guess.

It hasn't been easy, and has brought back tears that I thought I was past. It has also made me recall plenty of happy moments too, which I am eternally grateful for. She will always be alive in my heart & my mind, as will the wisdom she left for me, and the inspiration she provided me.

Thank you my friend, and may you rest in peace. One day we will walk together again I am sure.

young Indi & me

a favourite spot

Food for thought

2010-10-14T23:11:00.000+10:30

The other day I got asked a favour by the owner of the cafe in the shopping centre where I operate my photographic store. He just wanted some basic shots of some new dishes they were going to put on the menu, so they could put them on display in their window to entice customers in. No problem. I have never really photographed food, and don't consider myself a food photographer, but hey - I don't generally pass up a challenge or an opportunity to make some nice images. I thought I would have a little warning and some time to prepare the shooting environment etc. Instead, a couple days later, with me on my own in the shop (my business partner on holidays), a freshly made breakfast dish arrives in store with a request to "do your best please". Okey dokey. I sent the waitress back to the cafe to bring back one of their tables along with some salt & pepper shakers and other items you would typically find on a cafe table.

There were three separate dishes to photograph. I arranged them as close as I could to receive the light from our main light we use for passport & ID images (small flash firing into a silver umbrella), and then hand held a difussed SB-900 I had in my bag (luckily) off to the side to add some light fill. Bearing in mind this is all set up in an area about 1metre x 2 metres as there is nowhere else to set up, there are customers coming in whilst this is taking place (retail store), and this food looks & smells really good and I'm starving. All were shot within a bout a ten minute window. Everything went surprisingly well considering. Customers who came in whilst this was taking place, and hadn't had lunch, I suspect may have been lured to the cafe upon leaving by the lingering aromas in the shop. As another surprise too, I got to keep and eat the last dish - pancakes with ice cream & berries - yum.

I still wouldn't consider myself a food photographer but I'm happy with the results, especially under the circumstances - as is the cafe owner. I'm now slotted in to do some more work for him - with a bit more lead time next time around.

the prints on display in cafe window

DIY Time

2010-10-08T00:57:00.000+10:30

I'd forgotten how much I love the DIY side of photography, and these days it can be too easy to avoid going down that path when we are surrounded by technology & computers doing everything for you at the touch of a button, the click of a mouse. I needed to get some new sync cables to connect some wireless receivers to my flashes & I needed to get them sorted for the weekend... was planning on buying some tomorrow & then gave myself a slap to the back of the head Gibbs style. I've already got all the bits I need in a box of 'not sure what I'll ever want this for but you just never know'. Thirty minutes later with the help of a pair of wire cutters, soldering iron and some heat shrink we're good to go!

I don't think a photographers bag is complete until there are some home made bits and pieces in it, held together with gaffers tape or whatever else was on hand at the time.

No Plan

2010-09-15T23:51:00.000+09:30

Just felt like shooting... spent an hour or so down at Hallett Cove at the end of the day last Sunday doing some long exposures with the setting sun & the tide. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to achieve but I was happy with the results. All where taken with a straight 24mm lens (D3 / full frame sensor), and a combination of neutral density & graduated neutral density filters - exposures times between 20 & 30 seconds. I would love to get some people into these shots with some creative off camera lighting at some point... next time.

Plan B

2010-09-05T20:02:00.006+09:30

Mindil Beach, Darwin

About a month ago I returned from a four week, 10,000km four wheel driving & camping trip away with some great mates - the trip was aptly named "Plan B" because it was literally that. Originally we had intended to go to Cape York but changed due to time constraints and lots of water potentially adding to the detours we might need to take... what we didn't realise was how apt that name was to be.

the Plan B crew at El Questro

It seemed almost every where we went we faced detours due to flooding, walks closed because of new time limits, towns booked out because of shows etc etc etc. We probably saw and drove through more water, and took more detours than we would have it we had stuck to the original plan truth be told but that just added to the adventure. 2000km of detours, lots of crazy weather and more mud than we knew what to do with... it wasn't exactly what we expected but it definitely was 'plan B'.

In a nut shell we went from Adelaide, South Australia through to Alice Springs via a lot of far north outback South Australia, which was very wet & muddy, then out to the Kimberly region of Western Australia (not via the Tanami Desert which was flooded), then back across to Darwin, back down through the Centre, and home via lots more mud & the Flinders Ranges. I wont go into details as you can read all about that on Tiffany Downing's blog she did on the trip http://topendtrip2.blogspot.com , but here are some images...

morning on the Oodnadatta Track

nothing beats a camp fire in the middle of nowhere

northern Bungles

chopper flight.. yee haaar!

chillin' at a waterfall in the NT

lots of this on the way home...

Inspiration from the past

2010-09-05T15:23:00.003+09:30

I grew up reading National Geographic as my dad had an annual subscription to the magazine. I didn't always understand the stories but I was always amazed & inspired by many of the images, even at a very young age.

In recent years as I have started to rediscover my love of photography I have made many uncanny connections to things in my past. In particular photography/photographers whose images made an impact on me in one way or another. For example, I didn't necessarily take note of the photographer of a particular image but that image and the story behind it firmly etched itself into my memory, and then I discover that a photographer whom I admire today is that same guy behind the lens of that particular image - and many others I have yet to make the connection with I'm sure. It has got me going back through lots of old magazines & books and looking at everything again with fresh eyes & fresh ideals.

One particular photographer who I would love to meet one day is Joe McNally - an American photographer who has shot for virtually all the famous magazines of substance out there including National Geographic plus a tonne of other great stuff. Below is a short video of some of the behind the scenes work of his to get an image of a light bulb being changed on the very highest point of the Empire State building for the Nat Geo story "The power of light". It is worth taking to the time to watch this *and make sure you watch till the end - amazing stuff. Bear in mind this is before digital was mainstream & Photoshopping was used to deal with 'unforeseen issues' - you had to get it all done right at point of camera. It is quite amazing to see what goes into the making of some of these brilliant images.

Joe is amongst many people I draw inspiration from, but he is a standout to me not just as a great photographer but also as a great human being - I highly recommend reading his blog (if you aren't one of the millions already).

Enjoy...

Ouch !!

2010-09-03T14:04:00.001+09:30

There are many different opinions on whether a UV / skylight or any sort of protection filter is required on your lens, and whether one reduces the clarity & performance of your expensive piece of glass. Well that last point is a good reason to consider one at least, as it can well be the difference between replacing the filter versus replacing the lens or at the very least an expensive repair to the lens's front element. I personally haven't found there to be any degradation to my images - all my lenses are fitted with a UV filter. I would recommend buying the best you can afford though as some of the cheap ones will definitely lower the image quality from what I have seen. I am definitely careful with my gear, and have had a pretty good run over the years but twice now a lens has been saved by that UV filter. The last incident involved my camera body with 24-70 lens attached falling from a back pack that wasn't zipped up properly onto a tiled floor (from over a metre). The lens hit first followed by a very loud noise and the distinct sound of glass smashing. This was followed by a string of naughty words from me along with a small coronary. After the smoke had cleared and I calmed down I discovered the filter had sacrificed itself and the lens had only a minor battle scar around the end of the barrel - I have tested it thoroughly since and it hasn't missed a beat. I am most certainly counting my lucky stars but I think it is also testament to the build quality and toughness of the true pro gear - it is big and heavy for a reason, and not just to put your spine out of whack. That $50 filter saved me $2000+.

this is the filter's outer ring after I persuaded it to part company with my lens.

Cool Lens Simulator

2010-05-22T14:18:00.000+09:30

Just a quick note about a great online 'lens simulator' I just came across...

It's produced by Nikon but it will give you a reasonable idea of what looks like what on any DSLR system really. Even for those who already have a fair idea of what angle of view & magnification different lenses produce it's still a bit of fun. It is also a good way of seeing what happens when you use a lens designed for a cropped sensor camera on a full framed sensor body and vice-versa.

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/simulator/index.htm

What you see is not what you get

2010-04-28T16:31:00.000+09:30

One of the most common problems I see in store when dealing with a lot of photographers who print is their monitor's calibration (or lack of). Most have some reasonable knowledge when it comes to working on their images themselves but are often unaware of the need to, and importance of calibrating their displays. It doesn't matter how good your camera gear is or how much you paid for your computer gear - if you are going to spend anytime working on your images (and you care how they look or print) you need to get your display looking reasonably accurate. Most displays will look absolutely stunning out of the box -super punchy colours, everything nice and bright... WOW! Wow does not generally equal accurate though, in fact most displays' brightness level ends up being reduced to half that of the factory settings - often even more so. Funny enough, most photographers' images from an uncalibrated display end up printing way darker than what they were expecting.

There are a number of devices on the market that will do all the calibrating for you. Most are relatively inexpensive and well worth investing in if you are serious about your images. In a nutshell the process involved is installing the software that comes with your calibrator, plug the calibrator (technical name = colorimeter) into a USB port and then dangle it in front of your display. Run the software, follow the prompts and let it do it's thing for about 15 minutes (the software generates a whole bunch of colour swatches for the device to read) and hey presto! Then you just need to recalibrate every now and again to allow for changes in your display through age and usage. Most initial changes are pretty dramatic, even on higher quality displays.

The are a number of brands and models to choose from - I've been using a 'Spyder' made by a company called Datacolor for the last few years and have been very happy. I generally recalibrate all the displays I use monthly, including my laptop. Just a note on the use of laptops for more precise work - yes you can use one but even the better ones require you to be viewing at an optimal position to see the most accurate result - if you are slouching, or if the screen is angled differently to the optimal position you can get a very different looking image. Some laptops are near impossible to use for accurate work. I tend to use mine for on location sorting and not so important stuff and do all my serious work & finishing on a dedicated desktop display.

In finishing, I have seen & tried many manual/DIY methods for calibrating displays but if you are serious about the quality of your work, and intend to sell it, you really should be making the effort to get your working display sorted. The investment will quickly be recovered in better looking images and less print wastage. Even if your images are only for web use or you provide your clients with a digital only version, you should still be providing them with a final image that left you as accurate as you could make it.

A good couple of days

2010-04-27T00:33:00.003+09:30

Just finishing up a great few days off - lately getting a couple of days off in a row is like finding gold.

I spent last night catching up with some close mates over a quiet beer or two, and today finished things up with a short 250km drive through the country side and down to Lake Alexandrina. I wasn't out to get any specific shots - just thought I'd try some experimenting with a few techniques I've been reading about lately if the chance presented itself.

On the way to a spot along Lake Alendrina we came across the entrance to a property that was a little different - these are a few 5 shot HDR images - shot RAW, combined using Photomatix Pro, and then finished off in Aperture 3. The B&W version was made using NIK Silver Efex Pro.

We went for a great walk along the shore of the lake - which is beginning to refill since the governments plans to replenish the lower lakes have been put into place. I took a few shot of Emm & Indi handholding my SB900 off to one side and triggering it wirelessly. The shot of Emm only has a tungsten white balance set, and the flash is gelled CTO (orange essentially) - this gives the sky an extra eerily blue look but keeps Emm's skin tones from going too cool. Not easy hanging on to a D3 one handed in windy conditions while hanging the other arm out with the flash - I can see why the big shots have assistants.

On the way home the weather started to get more interesting - I can never resist stopping for a shot on a dirt road somewhere for these sorts of images... another 5 shot HDR.

As a complete contrast, tomorrow after I finish up in the shop I'll be off for 'round 2' of photography at our local football club - 6 teams this time, as well as all the players photographed individually (approx 120) - all within about an hour. Hope I sucked up enough fresh country air today to last...

On a closing note, I would like to pass on my appreciation and utmost respect to our Diggers who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could enjoy the freedom and the lives we live today. These last few days I have enjoyed off have been due to the ANZACs - thank you.

Keepin' the creativity flowing

2010-03-31T23:27:00.003+10:30

I know this is an old topic these days but iPhone photography (or any other camera phone for that matter) really can be a great source of creativity. Despite my fetish for shiny new things, especially technology based, I'm a little late on the scene when it comes to purchasing an iPhone - only had one for a few months now. I have to say I love it. I make use of a ton of it's features everyday - it even allows me to talk to other people if I so desire (who woulda thought?) - and I especially use the camera on it, a lot.

I would be the last person to have expected this, considering I am more than happy lugging around ten kilos of camera gear regularly, and do so because of the results I get from that gear. Having said that, I am certainly not saying the picture quality compares or is even on the same planet but I'm not expecting it to be. What it does do is allow me to take pictures pretty much anywhere at any time, of things I wouldn't necessarily bother with. If I have an idea for a more 'serious' image I use the iphone to record my idea - and sometimes make notes using the voice recorder. On other occasions I just take pictures because it's easy to.. and just because I love taking pictures. I must admit I have been quite surprised at the quality of some of the results - again they are not destined to become wall murals but they do have their own unique quality nonetheless.

Bottom line is, if you haven't tried using your iPhone or any other phone's camera, give it a go - what have you got to lose? I obviously still shoot my important images & paying work with my SLR but in the meantime I'm having a great time challenging myself to come up with something surprising with my iPhone - and finding that it keeps my creative juices flowing. To quote Chase Jarvis - "The best camera is the one that's with you". There really is more to that quote than meets the eye (no pun intended)

All the images within this latest blog were shot on my iPhone & edited with applications solely on the iPhone.
Cheers,
Simon

The eyes have it

2010-03-14T14:41:00.001+10:30

It is easy to think everything is fine on a daily basis in regards to your health & well being but I think we all tend to neglect or avoid looking after ourselves to some degree. In my case I have been putting off a lot of things with the excuses of "I'm too busy", "it's nothing", "I'm young, don't worry about it" or just plain don't want to know about the 'what ifs'.

Recently I decided to go deal with a few things that I've been putting off for years. One of those was seeing an optometrist for an eye check - last one was a loooong time ago. I would say my eye sight is pretty reasonable - I certainly don't have any issues seeing pretty much anything at any distance, in fact I'm often the one in my group of friends whose eye sight seems to stand out as being better. After seeing the optometrist I emerged with a completely different scenario to ponder. My right eye is almost as good as the day it was made, however my left eye is significantly lower in ability. This miss match causes my right eye to work overtime and then my brain to also work way harder than it should to process and blend the two very different signals - I had no idea... other than a succession of nearly daily headaches & sometimes migraines over the last 2 - 3 years. I simply put all of this down to working often long, hard hours and would tell my self to just get on with the job at hand. I now sport a set of glasses for computer work and anything else that I'm concentrating on for long periods. This began about ten days ago and I am already experiencing a pleasant change.

About 5 or 6 years ago my time in front of a computer's display began to increase massively with the frequency of digital photography increasing. It is unavoidable in my line of work in a printing lab. On a daily basis in the shop I consistently view & edit an average of 500+ images, 6 days a week (on 'big' days where I am also working on weddings for other photographers that number could easily be 2000+). That doesn't include working on my own personal projects out of business hours. Not complaining, just painting a picture (no pun intended). Managing how much 'screen time' you endure per sitting is important - I try to limit myself to a twenty minute burst with a 5 minute break but this isn't always practical in the real world. This recipe has most certainly accelerated the degradation of my left eye. If I had acted earlier I could have slowed it down or halted it at a much better level, and avoided years of headaches induced by this. I'm sure I will still get headaches from time to time - I am human after all, and do enjoy a beer or two with friends every now and again - but at least I'll know where they came from.

The bottom line is, don't ignore things or put off taking care of yourself. If I was unable to enjoy photography as I do now, or was limited to how much time I could spend in front of a computer (my main source of income at this time) my life would be very different. My mother has advanced macular-degeneration and is legally blind. You think that would have been a glaringly obvious sign to take better care of my own eyes earlier...

Take care of yourselves, and never take anything for granted. Enjoy the gift of sight that you have and preserve it for a long as you can.

Take Care,
Simon

Here goes...

2010-01-24T22:21:00.000+10:30

I've been meaning to get off my backside & embrace the blogging phenomenon for a while now... I don't know who may end up reading this, if anyone, but here goes anyway. If nothing else, I hope this will be another creative stimulus for me, and maybe, just maybe, help and inspire someone else to do something they have been procrastinating about.

Introductions & some background. My name is Simon Fleming. I love photography ,always have & always will (I hope). Upon completing high school a while back I was unsure of what direction to go, as I'm sure was the case for many of us. Hmmm lets see, a helicopter pilot? A veterinarian? A sporting hero? Join the army and see the world...? Through my high school years I had worked part time at a camera store in the city which had help fuel my continuing interest in photography, and more importantly at the time paid for things a teenager needs. With that experience in tow, I thought while I figured out what to do I would apply for a job in a photographic processing lab - which I got on the basis that I knew how to print and operate the in store mini-lab (fully manual stuff in those days involving a thing known as 'film'). I had no idea how to operate the equipment but of I course I didn't tell them that. I thought to myself "how hard can it be? I'll figure it out as I go" - rapid learning curve followed immediately. A few years later I was offered a job working in a pro-lab where I stayed for another 4 years until it unfortunately had to close. I had a great boss & great work mates and learned a hell of a lot there - both from the photographers side of the fence and from the lab's side. I also spent a lot of time working in a darkroom there which I am really thankful to have been able to have experienced - having worked with a lot of these 'old-school' techniques and technologies really makes you appreciate Photoshop and the gear we have today from an industry point of view. Next on my destination list was the Hub Photo Shop, which I am still at today. About 5 years ago I had the scary decision to make of find another job as the store will be closing at the end of it's current lease or become a business owner... I am currently the co-owner of the Hub Photo Shop. About 6 months ago I also registered another business - Tall Grass Photography - which has been another one of the many things on my list of 'things I should be giving a go'. I'll leave the story behind that and more about my photography for another blog entry.

Well if you have read this far I sincerely thank you. I hope I haven't dribbled on too much. I now have an even bigger respect for those of you who are regularly blogging - I didn't realise how hard it would be to put into words my inner thoughts to be potentially read by people I don't know and haven't met.
I'm not sure how regular this will be yet but I certainly intend to put in a decent effort, so we'll see what happens.

Until my next post, thank you again.

Simon