Professional Photographer Magazine Web Exclusives: Product Reviews Archives

Continue reading "Preveal: Super Sales, Living Off The Wall" »

Ask any experienced filmmaker or videographer what is the most essential element of any shoot (other than the camera), and good lighting should be right at the top of the list. When you’re working with a huge production budget, you can pretty much get any kind of lights you want. As the budgets (and crews) become smaller, being able to get good lighting becomes a bigger challenge.

I own a small, independent production company, and many of the commercial video shoots I do fall into that latter category—small budgets ($3,000 to $10,000) and small crews (often just me and an assistant). That means I have to make both the dollars and the labor go as far as possible. I need something powerful and portable in the lighting department.

I’ve used a broad range of lights in the various film and video projects I’ve produced. As is the case with most things, the best of the best are worth the money you invest, but under budget constraints, they can be cost prohibitive. Luckily, there is a range of alternative solutions that offer similar lighting at a fraction of the cost.

Tungsten Lights

About seven years ago, when I first invested in a light kit, I got a small Lowel kit. Lowel is a leading brand in the film and video lighting business. The kit I chose came with four tungsten lights, stands, scrims, an umbrella, power cables, removable barn doors, and a case to carry them all in. It was a good kit for doing traditional three-point lighting setups.

My Lowel light kit comes with a hard case. You get a
good workout carrying this bad boy around.

The downside to this kind of kit is that it is very heavy to lug around, and the bulbs get extremely hot. Within literally seconds of turning them on, the surrounding casings and barn doors can sear your flesh if you’re not careful.

Arri is another popular tungsten light brand. I see a lot of Arri lights on film shoots, probably more than any other lighting brand. But, like the Lowel lights, Arri lights can get very hot and can be heavy.

Arri is a trusted brand that's very common on traditional movie sets.

Both Lowel and Arri lights can tend to be on the expensive side. I believe I invested nearly $1,500 in my kit (in 2006 dollars).

For most of the work I do now, I choose fluorescent and LED lights.

Fluorescents

About two years ago I was introduced to Kino Flo fluorescent lights. Kino Flos are one of the most trusted and popular brands for shooting commercial videos. They range in size and style, are dimmable, come in carrying cases, and do not get hot. You can use them with either daylight-balanced (cooler) or tungsten-balanced (warmer) fluorescent bulbs. The downside to Kino Flos is size and cost. Some of them can be relatively weighty and require large C-stands—heavy, three-legged metal stands used to hold everything from lights to boom poles to light blocking flags. Second, they are expensive. The cost of the light alone for a typical 4-foot 2Bank Kino Flo is more than $1,000 (2Bank indicates the number of fluorescent bulbs the unit takes). A 2-foot 2Bank Diva-Lite (another type of KinoFlo) can set you back more than $800 for the light alone, over $1,000 if you get a full kit. But, you get what you pay for. These lights are durable and powerful.

I used a 4-foot 2Bank daylight-balanced Kino Flo to light the desk from above in this scene from my 48 Hour Film Project. Notice it’s mounted on a C-stand. One of my soft box fluorescent lights acts as a fill light to the side.

If I had my druthers, I’d use Kino Flos for all my shoots, but my budget doesn’t always allow me to rent them. I seldom use my Lowel kit, but opt instead to light with a set of fluorescent soft box light kits that my filmmaking partners or I own. They’re light, don’t get hot, and are quick to set up. The downside is that they’re troublesome to transport. The ones in the brand I own don’t fold up, and the ones in the brand my filmmaking partner owns requires a lot of time to take apart and break down—so much that whenever we use them, we don’t even bother dismantling them. We just throw them in the car.

The great thing about this lighting set is that it’s very inexpensive. The Cowboy Studio lighting set we use costs just north of $200 for a three-light kit that includes stands and a carrying case. The build-quality is not particularly durable though. We’ve broken a lot of bulbs on sets.

The Cowboy Studio soft box lighting kit on a recent commercial video shoot.

LEDs

A few months ago I helped out on a shoot where my filmmaker partner had rented an ikan 500 LED daylight-balanced light kit. (FYI, 500 does not indicate wattage; it’s the actual number of tiny LED bulbs in the light. The wattage is equivalent to 350W). I immediately fell in love with them. They ran cool (both the color temperature as well as the actual temperature of the bulbs), were compact, lightweight, dimmable, and had a strong metal build. It was like having the lighting power of a Kino Flo without the high rental cost or size. I also loved the fact that they came in a padded, easy-to-carry case that included stands. In addition to dimmable lights, the back has switches for turning the four main panels of lights on and off. They run on AC power and can also be powered by Anton Bauer’s V-mount battery if an outlet is not available. Another popular feature of this kit is a remote control that allows you to control dimming and power from a distance. The light by itself runs around $430 at Adorama. You can get the three-light kit with case and stands for just over $1,400.

The ikan 500 comes with attached barn doors, metallic body with handle, power, and remote.

I’ve rented these ikan lights myself from a local rental house for as little as $105 for the three-light kit. Compare that to $165 to rent three 4-foot 2Bank Kino Flos, which are heavier, don’t include a remote and also require three C-stands (which most rental houses include with your rental). What’s also nice about the ikan kit is that they can actually be shipped (that’s how I received them when I rented them). That’s how compact they are. They can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

Here’s a commercial video shoot with a traditional three-point lighting setup using three rented ikans. In the background you can see my Cowboy Studio lighting up the back wall to give the shot some depth. Image ©Mighty 8th Media.

Here’s the reverse angle of the three-point ikan setup. You can see the third light (the hair light) under the moose head. Image ©Mighty 8th Media.

Here I’m setting up the ikan lights outside. The lights can be mounted on light (i.e. non-heavy) stands that are easy to transport—a nice change from the heavy C-stands. Image ©Mighty 8th Media.

An ikan Competitor

Recently I had the opportunity to use a Flashpoint 500 C LED light kit from Adorama. This is an obvious alternative and competitor to ikan’s light. It has a similar build with metallic body, barn doors, handle, AC power, and dimmable lights. The Flashpoint model does not have a remote.

Whereas the ikan light has four sets of panels that can each be turned off by its own switch, the Flashpoint has two groups of lights, each controlled by its own dimmable switch. I tested two models: The Flashpoint 500 has all daylight-balanced (5,600K) LEDs, and the Flashpoint 500C has half the lights daylight-balanced (controlled by the dimmer on the left) and the other half tungsten balanced (2,700 to 3,500K and controlled by the dimmer on the right).

The light on the left is the Flashpoint 500C model that’s half daylight-balanced and half tungsten (although in this image only the tungsten-balanced lights are activated). The image on the right is the model with all daylight-balanced LEDs.

Other than the fact that the daylight-balanced-only model has larger dimmer knobs, there's nothing to indicate the model on the unit itself. The LED 500C is the one with both types of balanced lights, but the paperwork I received for that light just read LED 500. So, if you order either light, test it right away to make sure you received the correct model.

If you want the flexibility of lighting with either a warmer or a cooler tone, then obviously order the 500C. However, the tradeoff is that you cannot use both knobs for more light (unless you want to mix color temperatures, which is not a good idea unless your video will be black and white). If you get the daylight-only model, then you can crank both knobs to their maximum setting to boost light output.

I had the opportunity to use the daylight-only 500 model on a shoot and I was pleased with the results. I was lighting my subject with an entirely black background. For creative reasons I did not want a traditional three-point light setup. I used only a key light, no fill or hair light. The Flahspoint 500, with both dimmers turned up all the way worked perfectly.

Ungraded, raw footage screen grab from my video shoot. The subject is lit solely with the Flashpoint 500.

Flashpoint Pros and Cons

In comparison with the ikan, the Flashpoint build has less quality. For instance, the dimmer switches have a lower quality construction, and the Flashpoint 500 lights did not come on until the knob was at the fifth power mark. On the 500C, the lights did not turn on until the sixth power mark.

Intuitively, as soon as the dimmer clicks on, there should be some light at the lowest power setting. However, the lights did not come on until the dimmer was all the way to the fifth power-level mark.

Also, from a design aspect, I would prefer it had a more traditional on/off switch as well as the dimmer. (You turn it on via the dimmer switches). In addition to dimmers, the ikan lights have on/off switches for each of the four banks of LEDs.

Those were the only issues I had with the unit. In doing research for this article, I did come across user reviews reporting other quality issues on adorama.com. I had no such issues.

As cons go, the ones I encountered are relatively minor when you consider the main pro: the cost. It’s about $240 for the Flashpoint 500C LED vs. $430 for the ikan. So if you’re on a budget and need a relatively sturdy, lightweight and powerful light for video production, the Flashpoint is not a bad investment.

Rent and Experiment

This article only touches on a small set of the possibilities at your disposal for lighting a video or film shoot. I strongly encourage you to test different options by renting first, then seeing what works best for you. Ultimately, you will get what you pay for, but even if in the short term you can get by with the lower priced options, you can still produce quality work, and hopefully earn the money to upgrade to the “big boys” later.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 4, 2013 10:14 AM | Permalink

Preveal: Super Sales, Living Off The Wall

By Cate Scaglione

A friend of mine runs a successful high-end family portrait business from her home. She shoots mostly outdoors and conducts the majority of her preview/sales sessions in the client’s home. I’ve always admired the fact that about 80 percent of her portrait sales are wall art canvas arrangements, or clusters. With a higher than average sale, she’d consistently “move the wall” in these sessions. I absolutely love to sell fine art wall portraits to clients. It’s not just for their higher margins and a reduced production workflow, but more important it’s the best way to showcase my work. This said, wall art sales have always required a bit more client persuasion on my part. Clients always seemed to naturally gravitate toward my albums or image presentation boxes. Could this simply be a lack of “visualization”? While I owned several Photoshop wall templates, they were inefficient and could not be done in real-time. My friend kindly revealed the secret to her success… Preveal.

Preveal is a simple, intuitive iPad application that transforms the dynamics of both in-home, or even in-studio sales sessions. After watching a brief video tutorial, I downloaded Preveal onto my iPad and was set up in less than 10 minutes.

The beauty of this application lies in its simplicity. After configuring the app with your free Dropbox subscription, you can simply load your session’s images at the touch of a button in an organized fashion.

Preveal enables three options for your virtual room setup. You can pre-load a JPEG of the client’s wall space (before the viewing session) in your Dropbox, use one of the many available standard room templates, or take a photo of the client’s wall from your iPad. If you want to use the real-time iPad photo, you’ll need to have strong natural or artificial light, otherwise your presentation will appear grainy and muddy. Clients truly appreciate the effort that you are configuring a product—not simply selling a product—to fit their home environment. With the quick glide of your fingers, clients will be impressed with your design savvy and high-end customization. This app made me feel as prodigious with my iPad skills as the Geniuses at my local Apple store.

There’s not much work or preparation entailed with this application. Preveal contains pre-configured wall arrangements from top vendors like Bay Photo, Pro DPI, and Design Aglow so you don’t need to start from scratch. Although, you could choose to reconfigure any of these to your liking, by saving it as a favorite.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 14, 2013 3:02 PM | Permalink

"Capturing Love" Delivers Sage Same-Sex Wedding Photography Guidance

By Joan Sherwood, Senior Editor

“Capturing Love”
By Thea Dodds and Kathryn Hamm
Authentic Weddings, $32.95

Same-sex wedding photography, which has been a very small niche market, has the potential to grow exponentially in the next decade and beyond. Same-sex marriage is now legally recognized in nine U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and all of Canada. Consider that many of the couples first in line for their license have already been together for years and often decades. They may not splurge on all the lavish trappings that some young couples do, but they typically seek out good, professional photography to document their special day. They want a photographer who “gets” them, who understands just how much it means to them to be able to marry, and who knows that “square one is understanding that a one-size-fits-all approach to working with same-sex couples will not be effective,” say the authors of “Capturing Love: The Art of Lesbian & Gay Wedding Photography.”

Cover photo ©It's Bliss Photography

This book is an insightful, practical, visual guide to photographing same-sex weddings. It features a gorgeous selection of photographs from 38 outstanding gay and lesbian wedding photographers depicting the real-life happy moments of 46 same-sex couples.

Co-authors Kathryn Hamm and Thea Dodds complement each other well in their areas of expertise. Hamm is the president of GayWeddings.com, an online boutique and resource dedicated to serving same-sex couples since 1999. Dodds is an award-winning photojournalist, co-founder of the non-profit organization Greener Photography, and a PPA member. Dodds’ influence is evident in the book’s emphasis that wedding photographers must have a solid foundation in technique, posing, and professionalism, because to shoot same-sex weddings, the photographer will have to develop an expanded skill set and understand how and when to revise the traditional rules to best serve their same-sex clients.

Weddings are changing, and photography education needs to change too. For wedding photographers, it can be a challenge to pose and set up a wedding portrait in a way that truly reflects the uniqueness of each couple, especially when they’ve been trained to use a certain set of poses that were designed for a man and a woman. We hope “Capturing Love” inspires every photographer shooting a same-sex wedding to think outside the box, and to create photos that truly capture the one-of-a-kind magic present at each couple’s wedding day. —Thea Dodds

Left ©Andrea Flanagan Photography; Right ©Tammy Watson Photography

The main body of the book does an excellent job of explaining the importance of getting to know the couple and understanding how they see themselves, what the elements of their ceremony mean to them, who among the guests should be included in photographs, and the role they have in the couple’s life. There are wonderfully informative sections on poses and composition for engagement sessions and wedding day photos of two brides and two grooms and how some popular shots can be altered to showcase the same-sex dynamic. The illustrations reflect a natural style with real couples who feel free to be themselves in front of the camera. In the examples, the photographer describes the circumstances and challenges of the shoot, and why they made the decisions they did. These are accompanied by an analysis of the image from the authors, noting what makes it a good image and offering relevant suggestions to the reader.

Left ©Cean One Photography; Center ©Brian Pepper & Associates; Right ©Maggie Winters Photography

Hamm and Dodds emphasize how important it is to capture authentic images that reveal who the couple is and how they feel about each other. The marvelous selection of photographs that illustrate this book do that so well that I felt I was sharing the moment as I viewed them. I found myself smiling over the brilliant joy and tenderness portrayed in the photographs, some even bringing a tear to my eye. I may be a little more sentimental about the topic than others, though. My own wife and I were together for 13 years before we were able to marry legally in Toronto in 2004. Our wedding gift from my family was flying in our photographer from Seattle to document our special day and the courthouse ceremony. She captured a tear rolling down my cheek then, too.

©Kristin Chalmers Photography

“Capturing Love” is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to become the go-to same-sex wedding photographer in their market by earning their clients’ trust and adoration. Its message is imbued with the warmth and understanding its authors feel for this market, the advice is solid, and the collection of same-sex couple photography is the best I’ve ever seen. Follow this advice and your clients will love you.

“Capturing Love” will be released in a limited run from publisher Authentic Weddings on Jan. 16, with a full release to follow in March. The book is available for purchase at Lulu Press, for $32.95 USD.

Thea Dodds will be at Imaging USA Jan. 21 and 22. You can reach her at thea@capturingloveguide.com or phone/text: 617-759-3964.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 16, 2013 3:02 PM | Permalink

Give Clients a Custom Preview with Shoot and Sell App

By Betsy Finn, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Today’s client often wants to see, or visualize, a product before they are certain about making an investment. Fortunately, this need for on-the-fly visual aids can be satisfied—at least if you have the right app on your iPad. Shoot and Sell allows you to create instant wall displays whether you are at your clients’ home or in the studio—anywhere.

After installing Shoot and Sell (from Apple’s App Store), my first visit to the app began with a walk-through tutorial. While there is an option to “get started now,” I did appreciate learning about all the features, and about the intuitive controls and options.

Then it was on to the home screen of the app, which is simply a background image, or “wall.” The default wall features a modern teal couch and a neutral tan wall. There are three main controls: +Display, +Image, and Edit Wall. The first two buttons add image units to the wall; +Display adds groupings of multiple images, and +Image adds a single empty canvas.

The Edit Wall button allows you to change the background image to another default background or you can even use your iPad’s camera to take a photo of your client’s wall on the spot. There is a measuring feature that will help you to calibrate image sizes within the app, so that a 20x30 will be displayed in accurate proportion to the dimensions of your client’s room. I thought this was a great feature, as it allows you to show your clients’ images true to actual size on their own wall.

You can also tap directly on an image or grouping to edit, resize, or reposition it. The standard two-finger pinch and rotate commands for an iPad will also work within Shoot and Sell. An additional menu bar appears when editing an image canvas, giving you the ability to do things like rotate, flip, add frame, duplicate canvas, replace image, or delete canvas. When done editing an image, just tap on the wall to apply your changes. Multi-image displays respond similarly to individual image canvases, except that the image display is rotated, and moved as a unit rather than individual canvases.

Continue reading "Give Clients a Custom Preview with Shoot and Sell App" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 15, 2013 11:28 AM | Permalink

Review: "The Digital Negative" by Jeff Schewe

Continue reading "Unified Color HDR Express 2: Perfect for the Natural Look" »

“The Digital Negative” By Jeff Schewe
Published by Pearson / Imprint: Peachpit Press

As an admitted perfection freak of a commercial photographer, an unpaid alpha tester of Photoshop since the early ’90s, and one of the original drivers in the creation of Lightroom, Jeff Schewe belongs to an elite echelon who know the ins and outs of Photoshop and Lightroom better than anyone save Adobe’s development teams. Taking as his model Ansel Adams’ classic “The Negative,” this Schewe’s first solo effort as an author. “The Digital Negative” concentrates on the use of Lightroom’s Develop Module and Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and the use of Photoshop to perfect a digital negative. What you can learn here is somewhat applicable to other image processing applications as well. Copiously illustrated with photographs and screen shots, and weighing in at fewer than 300 pages, the book does a fine job of laying out practical and useful explanations of raw processing procedures for all working photographers.

The first chapter in “The Digital Negative” defines the capture technology, what a raw file is, why “expose to the right” makes for technically better files, the components of digital noise, and why raw trumps JPEGs processed in-camera. Getting the exposure right—and by right Schewe means as much of the luminance information into the richest data fields (which are represented on the right side of a histogram—hence “expose to the right”) is the foundation everything else is built on.

After that the heart of the book explores the panels, sub panels, and individual controls and what they do in Lightroom’s Development Module (which is much like the current version of Adobe Camera Raw but with a different and more user-friendly interface). Of particular note there is a clear, short exploration of the current state of both global and localized sharpening tools and their capabilities in ACR and Lightroom. Since Schewe is co-author (with the late Bruce Fraser) of the second edition of the classic “Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom.” he has a deep understanding of the sharpening process.

If you want to take things a step further, Chapter Five discusses various post-processing Photoshop techniques to improve color, use creative localized sharpening techniques, enhance mid-tone contrast and texture—all involving the use of layers, masks, and blend modes. If you have ever been curious about working with the various layer blend modes in Photoshop, the two-page Blending Mode Magic breakdown is as concise as you’ll find anywhere. The very basics of retouching and compositing multiple images are also covered.

Chapter Six is unique among dozens of digital darkroom manuals I've examined because it covers something all photographers and studios must wrestle with: creating and implementing time- and resource-efficient workflows. Whether or not you think what you are doing is fine art doesn’t mean you don’t have to get it out the door as quickly as possible if you want happy clients.

So what is missing? A discussion of printing and other output methods. You’ll have to wait for the upcoming “The Digital Print” (not to be confused with Martin Juergens older work of the same title, aimed at curators and conservators).

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 12, 2012 3:55 PM | Permalink

New Ilford Galerie Prestige Inkjet Papers

By Stan Sholik

Ilford Imaging Switzerland GmbH traces its roots back more than a century to the early days of photography. Through the years, companies under the Ilford name have produced high-quality photographic papers from darkroom days to the inkjet present. Now owned again by the British, the current inkjet paper offerings from Ilford Imaging Switzerland are grouped into two lines: Galerie Premium and Galerie Prestige. The more affordable Galerie Premium papers are aimed at enthusiasts, amateurs, and students. The Galerie Prestige line products are designed to meet the tastes and needs of professional photographers.

Ilford recently introduced four new papers in their Galerie Prestige line: Gold Cotton Smooth and Textured, and Fine Art Smooth and Textured. At 330 grams per square meter (gsm), the Gold Cotton papers are the heaviest papers in the Prestige line except for the Smooth Fine Art Canvas. The Fine Art papers weigh in at 220gsm. Ilford’s 190gsm Galerie Prestige Smooth Fine Art paper remains available despite the similar name to the new Prestige Fine Art Smooth paper.

The color of all four papers is the same slightly creamy white with a matte finish. The two smooth papers are indeed smooth, similar to hot press fine art papers from other manufacturers, while the two textured papers have a subtle texture reminiscent of cold press papers. Despite the smooth vs. textured surfaces, prints are virtually indistinguishable in color, contrast, and saturation when printed using the downloadable Ilford printer profiles. The most obvious difference when handling the papers is the weight difference of the heavier Gold papers over the Fine Art, and the more subtle differences in surface texture.

The Gold Cotton papers are mold-made without optical brighteners from 100-percent cotton rag. No optical brighteners are used, ensuring that the colors will not fade or shift over time. While archival information is not available, images printed on these papers should be very long lasting.

The Fine Art papers are also mold made, but rather than 100-percent cotton rag the paper contains a high cellulose content giving it a similar feel to cotton rag papers. Other than the weight difference, the Fine Art papers do feel very much like the Gold Cottons.

Despite the similarities, there is a major difference between the papers. The Fine Art papers are coated on both sides for printing, making them ideal for wedding albums or other projects requiring double-sided printing. The Fine Art papers are heavy enough to ensure no bleed through of images, but light enough to work well as pages of an album. The creamy white matte finishes, and for me the textured surface, make a beautiful setting for wedding photos.

Handling and printing the papers is straightforward. As mentioned, printer profiles for many Canon, Epson, HP, Kodak and Lexmark printers are available at Ilford.com for each paper. On Canon PIXMA Pro printers, the media type is “Other Fine Art Paper,” while for Epson it is “Ultra Smooth Fine Art Photo.” Using the correct profile and media type is essential to obtain optimum quality output with these papers. As with any heavy fine art paper, you must load sheets one at a time through the proper loading slot for the paper to feed properly.

The new Ilford Galerie Prestige papers are available in cut sizes from 4 x 6 inches to 17 x 22 inches as well as 24-inch and 44-inch rolls. Street price is about $60 for 100 sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper.

Stan Sholik is a commercial/advertising photographer in Santa Ana, Calif., specializing in still life and macro photography. His latest book is "Lightroom 4 FAQs" (Wiley Publishing).

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 12, 2012 2:18 PM | Permalink

Unified Color HDR Express 2: Perfect for the Natural Look

By Stan Sholik

Creating high dynamic range (HDR) images with most software is a complex, time-consuming task that can frustrate photographers new to the process. This is particularly true when you simply want to create a natural looking image with increased highlight and shadow detail, not a surrealistic HDR image.

Unified Color provides software with extensive controls for creating complex interpretive HDR composites with its HDR Expose 2 and 32 Float v2 software for photographers wishing to immerse themselves in the full HDR process. But Unified Color also provides a simplified but still highly capable program now in its second version, HDR Express 2. It's the perfect HDR solution for photographers getting started with HDR, and for photographers looking for HDR software that creates natural, rather than interpretive, images.

HDR Express 2 excels in quickly creating natural looking images that don’t even appear to have been processed through HDR software. ©Stan Sholik

HDR Express 2 distills the HDR user controls down to seven basic sliders: exposure, highlights, shadows, black point, contrast, saturation and white balance. All but the black point slider allow you to increase or decrease their respective settings; black point can only be increased. The contrast slider is more a control of local (micro) contrast rather than overall contrast. But even at the highest contrast setting and with the saturation slider at maximum, the HDR image just looks contrasty and over saturated, not especially "grungy."

HDR Express 2 installs as a standalone application and as a Lightroom plug-in on Mac and Windows systems running the latest operating systems, and additionally as an Aperture plug-in on Macs. System requirements are minimal compared to some HDR software, and HDR Express 2 runs far faster than the previous version. Still, a fast computer, a 64-bit operating system, and more than 4GB of RAM available ensures the fastest image processing.

Not only is HDR Express 2 faster than its predecessor, it allows you to work more efficiently. One of the new features is the ability to automatically arrange, sort and group bracketed exposures from the folder you choose. RAW files are sorted separately from JPEGs and TIFFs, and you can choose to only show the file type of your choice. This is a great feature if you shoot both RAW and JPEGs at the same time but want to use the RAW files for HDR.

When you choose to create a new HDR image from the opening screen, this screen opens. Here you choose a folder of images and HDR Express2 groups bracketed exposures into sets while displaying image thumbnails. Even with the sets of very similar images here, HDR Express 2 grouped them accurately. A histogram allows you to choose only those images you need.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 12, 2012 9:44 AM | Permalink

StickyAlbums: Practically an App for Instant Referrals

By Cate Scaglione

When our friend and fellow PPA member, Kristi Sutton Elias of Long Beach, Calif., told us about StickyAlbums, we knew we had to give it a try. At her suggestion, we did the free trial and were immediately hooked on the concept.

The bottom line is this: If you need a tool that lets your clients enthusiastically share your work with their entire social network, StickyAlbums are the way to go.

In our studio, Je Revele, we believe there's only one thing that generates business more than a solid referral: the solid visual referral. An online endorsement with an accompanying visual is as good as gold. That's the premise behind StickyAlbums. If you want your studio and your work to go viral, StickyAlbums could be the tipping point. Global retail brands and major marketing pioneers are always looking for new ways to infiltrate the mobile communication space. StickyAlbums, founded by photographer Nate Grahek, gave us a leg up in our own industry. So, enough hype.

HOW IT WORKS
A StickyAlbum is a mobile smartphone app that allows you to share your client's session images in a mobile "mini-website" format, complete with your studio's own branding. In turn, your client can show off your work to family and friends straight from their mobile phone or tablet. It gives clients the choice of several social media platforms to share their album using text message, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or email. Your images can be passed forward and shared in a crisp format, without the ability for a client to download, or right-click copy. Genius.

Here's a simple run-through:

1. You set up your album from the user-friendly StickyAlbum site according to your branding and specifications. They even provide optional downloadable branding template files to help you design it. They also provide a great tutorial online to guide you through your first album. You need to think strategically about where and how your customers will get to link to your website, because that's where the new site traffic flow begins.

2. Once your settings are arranged, you can create individual client albums and upload your images. It allows a maximum of 30 to 40 images per album, which could be considered a drawback. But still, a great sampling of your work. Images must be resized to meet StickyAlbum dimensions. Here at Je Revele we set up a batch Photoshop action to resize for us. StickyAlbums can resize images for you, but it doesn't always work with large files or images you want to appear at a specific ratio. I'm optimistic that this function will be improved in future; StickyAlbums upgrades frequently. According to Grahek, "The StickyAlbums Builder ... creates a lower-res image (1,600 pixels) that is delivered to users on phone-sized screens and then a 2,048-pixel image for users on a computer or iPad 3. However we recommend users process their images down to 2,048-pixels on the longest edge before uploading to the builder to save upload time."

3. Next, you have StickyAlbums’ latest feature, the option to embed YouTube or other site links. We embedded our Animoto slideshow set to music into a client's album recently, and she loved being able to access her slideshow presentation to share with friends. It's great to be able to use two vendors that we use frequently in tandem and have it work so well. It could also be a great way to visually promote our client experience in the future.

4. As a final step, you simply copy and paste a link and email it to your clients. When they receive it, they'll get a prompt to add the app to their phone. When they tap the app on their screen, it is a mini-website, complete with a link to our studio phone and website. It couldn't be easier for them, or for us. When your client shares the album, the recipient must then upload your studio's app on their phone too. A small number of clients consider it a drawback when they want to share a single image rather than the entire album, but I like it. StickyAlbums is considering single-photo sharing for future upgrades.

Continue reading "StickyAlbums: Practically an App for Instant Referrals " »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 4, 2012 3:03 PM | Permalink

If Style Is Your Bag: A Roundup of Fashion Camera Bags

By Robyn L. Pollman

The rules for my bag test are simple. I select camera and electronic equipment I own and use for both personal and professional photography to put into each carrier. With the exception of laptop and iPad pockets, I don’t put other items into exterior or interior pockets. To fit all my usual gear into the bag, I may or may not use all of the removable protective padding that comes with the bag.

All the bag contents shown here fit inside each bag while still allowing the zipper or snap to be closed.

SAILING INTO COMFORT
Jo Totes; $107; jototes.com
This classically styled and comfortable Georgia Nautical satchel has plenty of pockets to keep photographic and personal gear organized. The faux leather exterior is complemented by a dark blue cotton lining.

Best feature: Security. The antiqued metal hardware locks, and the iPad pocket zips.
In this bag:
Nikon D700 body with grip
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Nikon SB-800
HTC Evo Shift 4G phone
Abie Designs camera strap
Wallet-size WhiBal card

NEW CONVERTIBLE
Epiphanie; $224.99; epiphaniebags.com
Brooklyn is that rarest of photographic accessories: a fashionable camera backpack. Load up this chic bag and you can carry it all day. It accommodates a 15-inch laptop, iPad or tablet, camera with attached lens, one long lens, one short lens, flash, battery pack, and wallet.
Best feature: Easily converts from a backpack to a messenger bag to accommodate your travel and shooting needs.

In this bag:
Nikon D700 body with grip
Nikon 50mm f/1.4G
Nikon 85mm f/1.4D
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D
Lensbaby 2.0
Nikon SB-800
Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro
Speck SeeThru Case for MacBook Pro
HTC Evo Shift 4G phone
Abie Designs camera strap

BYE-BYE BOXY
Emera; $169; emerabags.com
Move over, boxy camera carrier, there’s a new bag in town. She’s well bred but knows how to hang. An ideal merger of function and style, the Classic Canvas bag boasts seven customizable, padded compartments for stashing, and room for a laptop and water bottle as well.

Best feature: Looks and carries like a handbag, and you’ll love the extra protection of the metal feet on the bottom.
In this bag:
Nikon D700 body with grip
Nikon 50mm f/1.4G
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Nikon SB-800
Apple iPad2
Speck iPad2 FitFolio Cover
Abie Designs camera strap

DO-GOODER
Kelly Moore; $229; kellymoorebag.com
A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of the Thirst Relief Bag will provide a lifetime of clean drinking water for up to four people through thirstrelief.org. Inside this bag you can carry a camera body, 10-inch lens, flash, phone, batteries, 17-inch laptop, and accessories. The outside back pocket can hold a 15-inch laptop or tablet.

Best feature: The handle is exceptionally durable and secure.
In this bag:
Nikon D700 body with grip
Nikon 50mm f/1.4G
Nikon SB-800
Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro
Speck SeeThru Case for MacBook Pro
Abie Designs camera strap

Continue reading "If Style Is Your Bag: A Roundup of Fashion Camera Bags" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 28, 2012 3:10 PM | Permalink

iLapse: Awesome Time Lapse Video Creator

By Joan Sherwood, Sr.Ed.

iLapse from Mea Mobile is a fantastically simple intervalometer for your iPhone or iPad. The app records your video at 1280 x 720 for output at 24, 25, or 30 fps. at intervals from .5 to 20 seconds, and for a total of up to 10,000 frames. It tells you how long your sequence will take and how long the resulting video will be at your chosen frame rate. You can lock exposure and tone, or leave it to the camera to adjust as conditions change. It works tethered to USB power or with the phone’s battery. If you do a long sequence, your phone will heat up noticeably. Once the sequence is finished, the app automatically processes it to High Definition time-lapse video, and you can watch it immediately and save it to your camera roll to use as you’d like.

If you want to take a sequence of stills, you can do that, too. It’s amazingly fun and simple, and it’s only $1.99.

SPECIAL: ALL MEA MOBILE APPS FREE THROUGH WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21: www.meamobile.com/72for72/

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 20, 2012 11:29 AM | Permalink

HP MagCloud Is Just About All You Can Ask for in Budget Self-Publishing

By Joan Sherwood, Sr.Ed.

For any photographer who wants to self-publish a look book, brochure or calendar, HP offers a high-quality, low-cost option with MagCloud. One of its most impressive features is the ability to publish your work and offer a digital version for free. Over a minimal baseline price, you have control over the price of your printed and digital product. There is no minimum to how many print versions you or your client must buy. If it came with it's own mini downloadable graphic designer, it would be perfect.

The only minor barrier I’ve discovered in using HP MagCloud is that you (or someone you hire) will have to design the pages. Photographers are not often skilled page layout and graphic designers with a flair for typography. Though HP provides templates for their various formats for multiple applications, including Photoshop, InDesign, Word, Pages, Aperture, and others, designing a page is not the same as composing a photo. Once the designing is done, you only have to convert to PDF and upload. On the other hand, you may have materials already designed and ready to go in your existing marketing materials and templates (double-check trim and bleed areas).

The last caveat is that your readers will have to register on the MagCloud.com site to be able to see and download your publication.

We had samples of the print products sent to us (a large calendar and square and rectangular perfect-bound books), and the quality is absolutely top notch for its price. The MagCloud blog has helpful entries, including one that demonstrates what implements can write on their uncoated satin paper stock if you intend to make a calendar (most pass the smudge test).

There are too many positives to mention, but my short list is that your digital publication can include active hyperlinks, the print quality is fantastic, binding is sturdy, and the digital version is fully functional with iPad.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 20, 2012 10:37 AM | Permalink

Review: "The Passionate Photographer: Ten Steps Toward Becoming Great"

Continue reading "Booksmart Studio Metal Media Adds Shine, Depth, and Unconventionality" »

“The Passionate Photographer, Ten Steps Toward Becoming Great”
By Steve Simon
Published by New Riders

This book may change your life.

Newspaper photographers are by their nature storytellers who most often must collapse a complex narrative into a single frame. This is the training Steve Simon brought with him when he moved his career from being a newspaper shooter for the Canadian Edmonton Journal daily toward doing longer-term documentary projects for other editorial outlets as well as corporate and non-profit clients. Simon began that evolution back in the mid-1990s with a self-directed project about what life was like on the United States side of the border at a time when the Canadian press was full of stories about how Canada was becoming more like the USA. Since beginning his freelance career and moving to New York City, he has been acknowledged by groups like the Art Directors Club of New York, and he has won a National Press Photographers Picture of the Year. His clients include Nikon, Lexar, Apple, The New York Times Magazine, and Mother Jones. He also lectures at the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York City, and teaches workshops and seminars. In short he’s not only successful but respected by clients and peers. Mr. Simon has also written and photographed four books of which “The Passionate Photographer” is the latest.

Mr. Simon’s evolution from daily news shooter to freelance documentary photographer frames the narrative of “The Passionate Photographer” in which he shares what he’s learned about creative and professional growth. These lessons are applicable to all professional photographers even if you have never had an interest in being a photojournalist. The book is written cleanly and concisely, and its path is not complicated: Discover or rediscover the kind of photography that inspires you to great depths of passion, which Step One defines as “an inch wide, a mile deep.” Once you have figured out that critical first step, the rest of the steps flow toward the natural goal: sharing your passion for the subject. Simon’s passion is photographing people in their cultures, and he’s turned that passion into a career that regularly takes him around the world.

“The Passionate Photographer” contains some very basic technical information scattered throughout, and Step Six (a useful conceit of the book is that chapters are called Steps) is a 16-page discussion about light and color, but this is not a book about technology or photographic technique. Instead it’s about psychological states that lead to creative breakthroughs. The meat, potatoes, and gravy here are the interrelated topics of how to get yourself out of your comfort zone because being passionate about what you do means being willing to take (sometimes calculated, sometimes not) risks, how to engage more creatively and more closely with your subjects, and how to keep failure from discouraging you (“Step Seven, The Art of the Edit: Choose Well and Be The Best You Can Be,” “Step Eight, Assessing Strengths and Weaknesses: Never Stop Learning And Growing,” “Step Nine, Action Plan: Setting Goals And Creating Strategies”).

Step Ten covers the crucial part: “Follow Through: Share Your Vision With the World.” Steve Simon’s final words in “The Passionate Photographer” summarize not only this last chapter but it seems his entire approach to his career: “Shoot, share, learn; and shoot some more. Repeat. Enjoy. Become the great and passionate photographer you dream of being.”

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 20, 2012 9:58 AM | Permalink

Nanoha Macro Lens for Mirrorless Cameras Delivers 5X Detail

By Joan Sherwood, Sr.Ed.

This specialized lens takes macro to an extreme level, achieving 4X to 5X magnification. The built-in LED illumination lights the plane of focus perfectly with a simple USB controller. Four aperture settings (f/11, f/16, f/22 and f/32) give you some control, but even at f/32 the depth of field is so shallow that I could focus on the ridge of a dime and have the plane of the coin be out of focus.

The lens comes with four target holders that snap into the lighting module, which is also removable.

If you have a Micro Four Thirds Olympus or Panasonic camera or Sony NEX camera, and you want to do some extreme macro exploration, with possible stock photography or creative background uses, this $499.99 lens from International Supplies will open a new creative window for you.

Pictured: crapemyrtle petal (top),
guinea feather (center),
edge of dime (bottom).
Click image for 900x900 pixel image, downsampled from 3,024x3,024 pixels.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 20, 2012 9:34 AM | Permalink

Booksmart Studio Metal Media Adds Shine, Depth, and Unconventionality

By Stan Sholik

As photographers strive to set themselves apart from their competition, many find offering a unique look to their clients for their prints is a brand-enhancing way to stand out. Booksmart Studio is providing just such an option with inkjet printable aluminum. Photographers with a compatible inkjet printer can create samples, portfolio pieces, and final prints for clients as easily as they create inkjet prints on common media. The look is unique, often three dimensional, and is sure to set your work apart from your competitors.

The five available surfaces of inkjet printable media are, left to right, Satin White, Matte Silver, Satin Silver, Brushed Silver, and Satin Gold.

Five different surfaces are available for the fine art media aluminum sheets that are coated to accept most dye and pigment inks. Satin White has the look of smooth luster paper and is best for images with high detail and saturated colors. Satin Silver has a very fine grain structure that also lends itself to detailed images, and the surface reflects light back through the image making it almost three dimensional when viewed from certain angles.

The Satin White media has the look of smooth luster paper with
high sharpness and saturation. I muted the saturation somewhat
when making this print.

The surface of Satin Gold media is similar in reflectance to Satin Silver, but has an appearance somewhere between brass and 24k gold. This tends to mute saturated colors, and I found it perfect for a bridal portrait where softness is a virtue. Booksmart’s Matte Silver media also provides a muted look, but without the three dimensionality of Satin Gold. Matte Silver also appears somewhat yellowish under certain lighting conditions, but far less so than Satin Gold.

This photo doesn't begin to do justice to the Satin Gold print that
is far more beautiful. As light reflects from the print at different
angles, the depth of the photo changes from two dimensional
to three dimensional.

Brushed Silver is the final surface option and it is my personal favorite. With the texture of brushed aluminum sheet metal, it’s probably not the choice for romantic portraits or for weddings. But the infrared landscape photo I printed on it is just amazing, as is a commercial still life. The illusion of depth is outstanding, as is the ability to hold a deep black and clean white.

An infrared image printed on Brushed Silver appears positive in
some areas and almost negative in others while retaining the
surface pattern of a brushed aluminum sheet metal. Blacks are
deep and rich, and whites are clean with good detail.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 19, 2012 11:54 AM | Permalink

ProShow App Mobilizes Slideshow Creation

By Betsy Finn, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Wouldn’t it be nice to spontaneously create a professional-looking photo video for your clients when you are on the job? Well, if you are a Photodex ProShow Web user, you can now do that in addition to accessing your existing shows directly from your iOS device.

The ProShow App is easy to download and install from the Apple App store. Once installed, you will need to log into your account (so that your shows will be saved, etc). It is free to create a basic account, but you may find the upgraded accounts more suitable. There are three levels available: Free, Plus for $30 per year, and Premium for $150 per year. Free accounts have the ProShow Web watermark on videos, Plus and Premium account holders can upload their own custom watermark. The Premium account will also give you totally unbranded videos (Free and Plus videos have a ProShow Web outro), and full 1080p HD video output.

Since I already had an existing account with ProShow Web, once I logged into the app for the first time, I already had shows in the app. I really appreciate the cloud-based storage of slideshows and such, because it is frankly a pain to try to manually sync multiple devices, let alone remember on which device you created a particular project. In the screenshot below, you can see a few slideshows, ranging from completed shows to works-in-progress.

Four shows are displayed on the screen at a time. To view or edit additional shows, you do have to swipe over to the next page. To create a new show, you simply click on the “new” icon. Alongside that button is a refresh button, in case you don’t see a new show that was added (e.g. from another device). It is pretty easy to delete shows; the app follows typical iOS delete behavior—long hold on a show until the show pictures begin to shake, and then you can delete any show by clicking on the bubble X at the upper-right. When you are finished, just click the red Done button.

Continue reading "ProShow App Mobilizes Slideshow Creation" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 16, 2012 3:26 PM | Permalink

Arca-Swiss d4m Tripod Head: Light Weight, Strong Features

Continue reading "Arca-Swiss d4m Tripod Head: Light Weight, Strong Features" »

The Arca-Swiss d4m tripod head is one of the more beautiful photographic instruments I’ve seen as well as being a pleasure to work with—the movements are smooth and there is virtually no head creep even with heavy off-balance loads.

Starting at the top, the head mount: You can order the d4m with a variety of mounting systems—a standard 1/4-inch or 3/8-inch screw, or several variations on the open-ended channel quick-release system Arca-Swiss pioneered back in the 1980s. The clamp that came with the d4m I was sent to evaluate is a dual-level model that tightens with a knob, which I recommend over the Arca-Swiss lever-locking design that is also available.

While Arca-Swiss’ original QR design is now the most widely copied quick-release design available, the problem is that not all brands that make "Arca-Swiss standard" quick-release components strictly adhere to Arca-Swiss’ specifications: some plates are a hair wider, some slightly narrower, and some use a different bevel angle. In my tests, the wider upper channel worked securely on every brand I tried with it: Really Right Stuff, Kirk, Novoflex, Acratech, Induro/Benro, Foba, Sunway Foto, Graf and Markins plates, brackets and rails all were secured with no slipping or binding.

The lower level in this clamp is narrower and works with Arca-Swiss’ new lighter Slidefix plates. I like the way the Slidefix system works, especially with smaller cameras and for keeping weight and bulk down when hiking long distances. The d4m camera platform also features two half-inch long bar type levels that are easy to read at eye level. One is on the back and one is on the left side of the round platform.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 15, 2012 10:33 AM | Permalink

GoPro HD Hero2: Compact Problem Solver

By Chris A.

Image ©Court Leve

Recently I photographed a wedding at a beautiful, historic New England church. While the setting was perfect for romantic, sophisticated wedding images, I found myself faced with two church rules about photography inside the building. First, strobes were not permitted (which isn't uncommon), but the second and most disconcerting was that I was restricted to photographing the ceremony from the balcony only. This was apparently so my presence wouldn't distract the participants and guests during the wedding ceremony. Not being able to shoot from the main floor of the church was frustrating. Typically, I carefully, quietly, and discreetly move all around the wedding venue to get a variety of angles and perspectives. But not that day.

It was there, stuck in the balcony, when I wished I had my GoPro HD Hero2 camera with me.

The GoPro HD Hero2 has taken the video world by storm. From the X-Games, pro sports and Olympics, to television shows and rock n roll concerts, clever and creative applications for this diminutive professional video camera seem endless. But the Hero2’s video prowess is only half of the story as the pocket-size powerhouse offers versatile still photo capabilities as well.

As a still camera, the Hero2 is a well thought out, auto-mode point and shoot, offering minimal setting options for photographers. However, the lack of a pure manual mode shouldn’t dissuade a creative photographer from seriously considering adding one of these amazing cameras to their image-creating arsenal. While designed primarily for shooting video of action sports, put all of the HD Hero2 capabilities into the hands of an innovative professional photographer, and opportunities to capture amazing, dynamic images are sure to follow.

Continue reading "GoPro HD Hero2: Compact Problem Solver" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 9, 2012 9:46 AM | Permalink

Hands-on Preview: Nikon D600

By Ellis Vener

Dateline: New York City, September 12, 2012

At a press preview in New York City, Nikon USA showed off the much-rumored D600 to a small group of journalists. The D600 is a 24.3-megapixel FX-format (FX is Nikon’s designation for their 24x35.9mm-format digital cameras) digital SLR with full-HD 1080p and 720p video that you can switch between FX and DX for a telephoto boost or to alter depth of field. According to Nikon’s Steve Heiner and Lindsay Silverman, the D600 is Nikon’s lightest, smallest, and most affordable FX DSLR ever.

The D600 fills the hole between the now discontinued 12-megapixel D700 and the36-megapixel D800 FX cameras. It’s roughly the size and weight of the DX-format D7000 body. The D600 is about 16 percent lighter than the D800 (26.8 ounces) and is a few millimeters shorter in height and width. Holding and operating it feels much like the D7000. In many ways the D600 is like a D800 Lite. Besides its 33-percent lower total resolution there are some electronic and mechanical differences.

One of the design goals with the D600, according to Nikon reps, is to reduce the need to go through different layers of menus, so some of the buttons on the front and back control dual functions. In particular the Function and the Depth of Field preview buttons on the right side of the lens mount are user programmable.

Significant features for stills and general operation:

• 24.3-megapixel full-frame (Nikon FX) resolution and a little under 11-megapixel if used as a DX-format camera. Nikon does not disclose who does the fabrication on their CMOS imaging chips, but Lindsay Silverman pointed out that the CMOS in the D600 is a Nikon design
• Processing chip uses a variant of Nikon’s EXPEED 3 processor
• Normal sensitivity range ISO 100 to 6400, plus a Lo1 (ISO 50 equivalent) and on the high end up to an equivalent ISO 25,600 in the Hi settings”
• Nikon claims a “high” signal to noise ratio throughout the sensitivity range
• TTL exposure metering in spot (4mm circle), center-weighted, and matrix metering modes
• 3D color matrix metering II for type G and D Nikkors, color matrix metering II for other CPU equipped lenses
• Metering range 0 to 20 EV
• EV adjustment range +/- 5 stops (10 stop total range)
• Shutter speed 1/4,000 second to 30 seconds, plus B. Normal Flash Sync speed (top) 1/200 second; shutter assembly life expectancy 150,000 cycles
• Nikon Multi-CAM 4800 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection over a -1 to 19 EV (ISO 100 @ 68˚F) range; autofocus options for SLR type shooting selectable between 39 3D tracking points, and 39, 21, 9, and 1 Dynamic-area AF points
• Live View autofocus features contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame; in Face-Priority or subject-tracking AF modes the camera selects the AF point
• Top frame rate in continuous mode 5.5 FPS when shooting NEF or JPEG format
• Dual SD media slots.
• Compatible with over 60 Nikkor lenses including DX-format lenses (some Nikkor DX zooms will fill the full 24x36mp area but not at their widest settings)
• Battery capacity approximately 900 frames
• The built-in pop up flash can also work as a Nikon iTTL commander for two groups and four channels; flash beam is sufficient for a 24mm lens in the full FX format
• The control cluster on the left side of the camera’s pentaprism has an expanded range of functions
• Viewfinder 100% view at 0.7X magnification
• 3.2-inch (diagonal), 921,000-dot wide-angle TFT-LCD preview screen
• A smaller version of Nikon’s long-established 10-pin external control connection

Continue reading "Hands-on Preview: Nikon D600" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 18, 2012 10:59 AM | Permalink

Entry to Fun: Lensbaby Spark

Continue reading "Entry to Fun: Lensbaby Spark" »

Today, Lensbaby introduced the newest addition to their creative lens line at Photokina 2012: the Lensbaby Spark. It’s geared toward the photo enthusiasts, but at $80 it allows more advanced photographers to invest in a fun creative tool without blowing their budget.

The Spark is a lightweight, manual focus, 50mm optic featuring a f/5.6 fixed aperture. The focus range is about 13 inches to infinity. For the purpose of shooting images for this review I used the in camera metering system on my Canon EOS-1D X and no difficulties obtaining proper exposures with this lens.

The Spark’s focus range is about 13 inches to infinity. This image is taken at about 15 inches from the subject.

The build quality of the Spark is lightweight, sturdy and low on frills. The resulting images with their softness and blurring are impressive considering that Spark seems like a simple and straightforward tool. The Spark creates images with the familiar Lensbaby sweet spot of focus surrounded by beautiful, gradually increasing blur with the benefit of built in vignetting. I captured the images for this review at dusk in mid-September and found the quality of color and contrast straight out of camera to be what I normally expect during this time of day. I shot these photos in raw format and only modified them in Adobe Camera Raw 7.1.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 18, 2012 8:45 AM | Permalink

Testimonial: Say Goodbye to Neck Pain with SpiderPro Camera Holster

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

How many times have you spent the day photographing a wedding or other event with your primary camera and an extra camera hanging by a strap around your neck? Juggling two cameras on the job with the extra one always sliding off your shoulder? How does your body feel at the end of a day like that? How does your neck feel? Thankfully, there is an alternative to this pain-in-the neck occupational hazard. The solution is the SpiderPro Camera Holster by Spider Holster. Instead of wearing your camera around your neck all day, you can wear the camera in a holster on your hip like an old gunslinger from the Wild West!

I picked up the SpiderPro System at Imaging USA in January, and I've been using it ever since. It is safe and secure, but still delivers quick and easy access. You don’t even need to worry about the safety of your on-camera flash; the way the system is designed, the camera and flash hang upside down next to your leg, keeping the flash unit from potential damage as you walk around.

The Spider Holster concept is both elegant and simple. Using a hex wrench (supplied), attach the SpiderPro plate to the bottom of your camera.

Securely screwed onto this plate is the stainless steel pin that slides into the SpiderPro holster.

Now, with the SpiderPro belt securely in place around your waist, slide the pin into the holster and seat it at the bottom. Because the belt is designed with a generous width, the weight of the camera and lens is distributed to a larger surface area. This means your waist and hips are bearing the weight of equipment instead of your neck. Talk about a weight being lifted!

Continue reading "Testimonial: Say Goodbye to Neck Pain with SpiderPro Camera Holster" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 12, 2012 10:25 AM | Permalink

Cinema and DSLR Comparison: Canon EOS C300 vs. 5D Mark III

Continue reading "Cinema and DSLR Comparison: Canon EOS C300 vs. 5D Mark III " »

It's challenging to compare Canon's EOS C300 (the first in its line of cinema cameras) with the EOS 5D Mark III (the long-awaited update to the 5D Mark II). When it comes to video quality and features, the C300 handily wins. But that doesn't mean buying or renting this camera over the 5D Mark III is a slam dunk. Having now used both cameras in the field, I want to highlight some key differences that will be worth considering, especially when you take into account the street price for the C300 is about $16,000 vs. $3,500 for the 5D Mark III.

This is by no means an exhaustive comparison. The point of this article is just to point out some specific concerns about each camera.

A New Line of Cinema Cameras
The C300 was announced November 2011 and is the first in Canon's line of cinema cameras. Since then they have also released the C500 and the 1DX, which will be a 4K camera. The C300 is a full-blown cinema camera but with a weight and form factor similar to a Hasselblad. It has many of the features that traditional filmmakers and video producers like me missed once we started shooting with DSLRs. Things like peaking (the ability to set the viewfinder to show areas of greatest focus), professional XLR audio inputs, zebra lines (live display of highlights), and professional grade BNC outputs for use with high quality monitors (vs. the cheapo, but works-in-a-pinch HDMI outputs you get on DSLRs).

On the set of a music video with a 5D Mark III connected to a SmallHD monitor via HDMI cable, the cable broke later during filming.

The C300 has a Super 35mm chip, which is equivalent to a 1.5X crop factor (vs. the 5D Mark III's full-frame sensor). There's an EF-mount model for taking Canon EF lenses, and a PL-mount model for using more traditional cinema lenses. Currently there is no adaptor if you want to have both options on one camera.

Here’s the Canon EOS C300 on set of our documentary shoot, loaded with a Zeiss CP.2 Cinema lens with EF mount (Note: the CP.2s are specially made cinema lenses with EF mounts. Definitely worth renting or owning if it fits your budget).

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 11, 2012 10:59 AM | Permalink

Review: Nikon Speedlight Handbook

By Allison Earnest

When I teach about lighting for photography it is not uncommon for my students to own different flash units, which has made me more proficient at reading instruction manuals. In many cases manufacturers’ user guides can be convoluted, making learning the product features a bit daunting.

Though I’m quite familiar with using my Nikon Speedlights, I wanted to find a comprehensive easy-to-read book that I could share with my students. I found Stephanie Zettl’s “Nikon Speedlight Handbook: Flash Techniques for Digital Photographers” (Amherst Media) and was quite impressed with Chapters 2 and 3, which I found to be invaluable for users of Nikon Speedlights—a true user’s handbook.

Chapter 2—The Nikon Speedlight System—is very detailed in describing a variety of Nikon Speedlights coupled with detailed diagrams of the many functional aspects of the SB-900, SB-700 and SB-400 flash units. I even learned a thing or two about my SB-900. Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised to see Zettl mentioned the Nikon SU-800 Remote Commander, which I think is a must for Nikon users.

Chapter 3—Settings, Functions and Menus—is a well-written section of valuable information and lighting charts that photographers can reference for information on guide number settings, exposure compensation and custom settings.

Zettl uses her creative images to illustrate different lighting styles using a variety of small flash light modifiers as well as photographs that demonstrate the beauty of using single and multiple Nikon Speedlights. You can find inspiration and valuable information throughout the book.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 10, 2012 11:36 AM | Permalink

Brilliantly Vintage Yet Perfectly Modern: The Modern Hard Case

By Robyn L. Pollman

The Modern Hard Case by drop it Modern is a vintage-inspired bag that was thoughtfully engineered to create the perfect combination of quality and security for your camera. The exterior is constructed of genuine leather. The interior features a rich, thick corduroy lining to protect your gear.

©Robyn L. Pollman

The Modern Hard Case comes standard with well-designed features, such as an adjustable waist strap and customized pockets.

This bag is designed with:
• 100% Handcrafted leather in brown or black
• Solid metal hardware
• Room for a camera body, two or more lenses, and accessories
• iPad & iPhone pockets built in
• Three Removable dividers
• Top flap gives easy access to memory cards, batteries, and lens caps
• Metal push-button clasp for easy opening & closing
• Adjustable messenger strap with leather shoulder pad for added comfort

©Robyn L. Pollman

My favorite feature: No more fumbling and digging around in your camera bag for extra batteries, flash cards, and lens caps—this bag has secure slots for each of these in the top flap.

What’s shown in the bag:
• Nikon D700 body with grip
• Nikon 50mm f/1.4G
• Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
• Nikon SB-800
• Apple iPad2
• Speck iPad2 FitFolio Cover
• HTC Evo Shift 4G phone
• Abie Designs camera strap
• Wallet-size WhiBal card
• CompactFlash Cards

The rules for my bag-tests are simple. I select camera and electronic equipment I own and use frequently both for personal and professional photography. With the exception of laptop and iPad pockets, I do not fill any exterior or interior pockets with additional items. I only fill each bag's interior compartment. In order to create additional storage space (exactly how I would carry the bag and contents for personal use), I do not always use all of the removable protective padding included with each bag.

Everything shown photographed in the "what fits" images has to not only fit inside the bag, but also allow the zipper or snap on the bag to close, and the bag has to remain closed when worn on my shoulder.

Measures in inches: 12.5 W x 9 H x 6.5 D
Messenger strap: 34 to 58 inches
Waist strap: 30 to 44 inches

©Robyn L. Pollman

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 14, 2012 11:36 AM | Permalink

Improve Your Precision with LensAlign MkII

Continue reading "Improve Your Precision with LensAlign MkII" »

It’s no secret that working professionals need to make sure that the tools of the craft work together smoothly and reliably. It is also true that just because high quality cameras and high quality lenses cost a lot, it doesn’t mean they will work together perfectly straight out of the box. Cinematographers and camerafolk in the broadcast industry, and some still photographers, have known this for decades.

While most of us still photographers are not able to cherry pick our lenses—trying several examples of the same lens to find the best one— and fewer go to the expense and trouble of having the optics in their lenses centered and collimated. Even if you do that does not ensure that the lens will then perfectly match an individual camera body. What is needed is a system for fine-tuning the autofocus system for individual lenses to eliminate the computational errors that result in front focusing or back focusing. Fortunately nearly all mid-range and high-end cameras introduced since 2007 have this. All that is needed is a method for testing and a target.

Outside of making one yourself, there are a couple of kits available to make the AF fine-tuning process easy, but the most venerable is the LensAlign from Michael Tapes Design. The original LensAlign PRO (ppmag.com review) and LensAlign Lite have now been replaced by the LensAlign MkII and MkII Plus. The difference between the standard MkII and the MkII Plus models is the size of the focusing target and the length of the ruler, with the larger target and longer ruler of the Plus model designed for use with 300mm and longer telephoto lenses. The long ruler and target of the Plus can be purchased separately and used with the basic MkII.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 11, 2012 12:02 PM | Permalink

New Ilford Papers and a Special Free Print Offer

SPECIAL, LIMITED TIME OFFER: ILFORD is once again partnering with Canon U.S.A Inc for the Try My Photo program, where participants can receive a free print of one of their images on ILFORD GALERIE Prestige Smooth Gloss 310 gsm or Smooth Pearl 310 gsm papers. Each print comes with detailed information about how the image was printed, making it easy for the photographer to replicate and achieve the same results with their home printer. Interested parties can register online at www.TryMyPhoto.com. The program runs from June 17- September 30, 2012.

Those of us who have been printing our own work for a while recognize Ilford as one of the first paper companies to really embrace the inkjet market. Their Smooth Pearl and Smooth Gloss papers have been staples for inkjet enthusiasts for years, with solid performance and sensible pricing. More recently their top of the line professional papers such as their Galerie Prestige Gold Fibre Silk have really turned heads. Adding to this line of elite papers, Ilford has introduced the Galerie Prestige Smooth Gloss and Galerie Prestige Smooth Pearl papers. Intended to replace the current line of Smooth Gloss and Smooth Pearl papers, these new papers are 2012 TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) award winners for Best Fine Art Inkjet Papers.

I recently received samples of these papers and they perform beautifully on our Epson R3000 and Stylus Photo Pro 4900 printers. The weighty 310 gsm papers feel substantial and are a pleasure to work with. The surfaces of these papers show gorgeous detail and a very deep DMAX. Color reproduction is spot on with the supplied ICC profiles. Ilford has really done a fine job with these new papers.

Learn more about Ilford papers.

—Mark Levesque, Studio Mark Emile

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 10, 2012 11:51 AM | Permalink

Nikon D800: A Filmmaker's DSLR

By J.R. Hughto

Not since the release of the D90 in August 2008 has a Nikon DSLR camera hit the market with outstanding video capability. The D90 was the first DSLR to record in high definition, but it was eclipsed almost immediately by Canon’s release of the 5D Mark II, which has dominated the video DSLR market. Now Nikon introduces the D800, a camera that not only matches the performance of Canon’s new 5D Mark III but in some ways surpasses it.

For still photographers, the D800’s 36.3- megapixel FX-format sensor is the party piece. Its high resolution translates into incredible sharpness; great news for videographers, this resolution does not go to waste. Even when video is recorded internally in the camera’s h.264 format, the capture’s sharpness is high while the moiré is slight. The major leap in resolution hasn’t hurt the signal-to-noise ratio at high ISO settings. Video quality is quite good up to ISO 3200—which isn’t even blazingly fast compared to the camera’s maximum ISO of 25,600—remarkable for a camera with such high resolution.

SEE NIKON'S OFFICIAL VIDEO

The most powerful new feature for video—and unmatched in its price class—is the D800’s ability to stream uncompressed 8-bit, 4:2:2 progressive video from its mini-HDMI port without overlays of any kind. This allows recording to an external device for as long as the batteries last. I used a Sound Devices PIX 240 video recorder with the camera. Setting it up was a straightforward, three-step process: remove the memory card from the D800 (which triggers progressive output over HDMI), set the camera to automatic output in 1080p24 mode, and set the PIX 240 record ing mode to Same As Video Input (to record whatever frame rate and raster it detected). The only drawback of external recording is that the camera cannot record internally and externally synchronously. When recording internally, the HDMI tap automatically down-converts to 720p60. Though the difference in quality between internal h.264 and external ProRes HQ is immediate and obvious, the h.264 implementation is quite good considering the compression.

Continue reading "Nikon D800: A Filmmaker's DSLR" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 11, 2012 3:05 PM | Permalink

Explore Metal Print Potential

By Mark Levesque, CPP, M. Photog., Cr

Metal prints are real head-turners. Seriously, we're talking high impact. In an industry where differentiation is critical, metal prints provide photographers with a product that is new, different, and not yet available to the masses of new camera owners. It’s as close to a leg up as can be expected in the current state of the industry, and photographers would be wise to consider metal prints as part of their product offering.

The metal prints product round up in May's Professional Photographer magazine showed the wealth of choices in this product space. From regular rectangular panels to custom shapes, to multi-panel murals and ornaments, there are plenty of options to fit with your existing product line.

A ChromaLuxe white-base, custom shape metal print.

Metal panels are created using a dye-sublimation process. A print is made using dye-sublimation inks on a sheet of transfer paper, which is then placed on an aluminum panel that has been coated with a special polymer. A heat press is used to apply pressure at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which causes the ink particles to sublimate from a solid to a gas, which then bond with the polymer molecules. This process causes the dye particles to be embedded in the polymer coating, with the dual benefits of color fastness and surface durability. The risk of scratches marring the surface is minimal; the hard shell polymer coating is quite resistant to abrasion.

Most of the labs that offer metal prints are using ChromaLuxe’s dye-sublimation technology. The lab is supplied with a recipe for creating the panels, as well as the coated aluminum panels themselves. Each lab tweaks the recipe to become the lab’s own, so there may be subtle differences in the product appearance even though the raw materials are coming from the same place. It is a good idea to order some samples from your lab to ensure that you know that your lab’s implementation of the dye-sublimation procedure suits your style, and also so you are familiar with the various finishes.

Continue reading "Explore Metal Print Potential" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 11, 2012 11:50 AM | Permalink

Easy Transmitting and Remote Firing with MicroSync II Digital

By Betsy Finn, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

If you've been in search of a compact wireless transmission system that fires your camera or strobes, then you may want to consider MicroSync Digital products. I was initially drawn to them because of the small size of the transmitter; it is just a little bigger than my thumb.

The transmitter has an LCD screen that displays the channel you're on and the battery level. There is a button next to the LCD screen that you can use to manually fire strobes (or the DSLR). On the flip side, there is an LED light (visible in image below) that flashes when in use. The transmitter also has an input for a sync cord if you'd like to connect to your DSLR that way, rather than using the hot shoe attachment. This unit comes pre-installed with a watch battery (CR2032); according to my user manual the battery should last approximately three years.

The receiver is larger than the transmitter, but still fit (mostly) in the palm of my hand. It also features an LCD screen and LED light; there is a receiver output and several strobe sync plugs that can be swapped out for compatibility with most lights (mono plug, mini plug, two prong plug). Each receiver takes two AA batteries; these won't last as long as the transmitter's battery, but should be good for about a year.

Receiver plugged into mono plug on a strobe unit (Strobe firing)

Receiver connected to DSLR via cable release cord (DSLR remote firing)

Continue reading "Easy Transmitting and Remote Firing with MicroSync II Digital " »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 21, 2012 8:35 AM | Permalink

Portfolio Pro Improves Integration for iPad

Continue reading "Portfolio Pro Improves Integration for iPad" »

Portfolio Pro ($9.99) is a new app for creating a digital portfolio on the iPad, introducing Flickr and Dropbox integration as a welcome addition to the genre. Last year, we reviewed MediaPad Pro, and while we still like that app, Portfolio Pro greatly simplifies the process of populating and updating portfolios. It opens many new possibilities for photographers, and people in other fields as well, due to its ease of use.

The ease of use comes from integration with the Flickr and Dropbox APIs, allowing users to pull images directly from either of these cloud services into their portfolio. For photographers who have galleries already on Flickr, they can be imported on a set by set basis, speeding up the population of the app, using organization that many photographers already have in place.

Using Dropbox is similarly easy, and will work well for people who don’t want to use Flickr. Both services offer a free subscription level. Adding a step to your workflow that involves sending portfolio-worthy shots to either service directly from Lightroom or Aperture yields the benefit of having remote access to your best shots at any time, and the ability to tweak content during downtime.

The app also works beautifully in conjunction with images stored directly on the iPad. For photographers whose favorite online image services haven’t been linked to, it’s still possible to pull selections from them with the browser. The same holds true for photographers who want to pull images directly from their own site. For those using the iPad’s Camera Connection kit, it’s possible to upload images directly from the camera to the device and then into the app.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 16, 2012 10:49 AM | Permalink

Reliability Boost: Nikon SB-910 AF Speedlight

Continue reading "Reliability Boost: Nikon SB-910 AF Speedlight" »

From the incremental increase in product number and price, it is clear that there are no big changes in the Nikon SB-910 AF Speedlight from its predecessor, the SB-900. But the small changes make the SB-910 a worthy successor to the venerable SB-900.

Having personally experienced unexpected thermal shutdown of my SB-900s under conditions where my SB-800s were able to function, I appreciate the tweaks that Nikon made to the thermal sensor system. With the SB-910 there no longer is total shutdown until temperature levels decrease. Rather, recycle times decrease, allowing you to keep on shooting, just not at motor drive speeds, or so I’m told. While I tried to overstress the SB-910, I wasn’t successful. I think it would require higher ambient temperatures and humidity than the conditions I could test in, along with rapid firing. Wedding, sport and other photographers no longer need to fear their Nikon flash shutting down at an inopportune moment.

Thermal control didn’t come at the expense of flash function. Flash output of the SB-910 is identical to my SB-900s. This indicates that the SB-910 is using the same internal components for the flash system. TTL exposure accuracy is as good as ever, and repeated photos of the same subject still yields identical exposures.

Recycle time isn’t affected by the new thermal sensor system either. If anything, recycle time seems less with the SB-910, particularly at full power.

There are some tweaks to the shape of the flash body, but my RadioPopper radio slaves still align properly, so the changes are minor. And the PocketWizard ControlTL system interfaces properly also.

Nikon nailed the ergonomics and menu system on the SB-900, so there was little that needed improvement, but Nikon found a few things. The buttons on the back are now larger, and the three selection buttons below the display are backlit to ease operation in the dark. The Zoom button on the SB-900 is replaced with a Menu button to allow easier access to the menus.

©Stan Sholik

Externally, the SB-910 (left) is nearly identical to the SB-900 (right). Minor changes in the buttons below the LCD improve on the already excellent ergonomics. The menus on the SB-910 have been slightly revised also, and the brightness of the LCD has been greatly improved.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 18, 2012 11:09 AM | Permalink

Budget Friendly, High Quality: Epson Stylus Photo R2000 Inkjet Printer

Continue reading "Budget Friendly, High Quality: Epson Stylus Photo R2000 Inkjet Printer" »

Are you in the market for a versatile high-quality pigment printer but your budget is a factor? The Epson Stylus Photo R2000 might be just what you are looking for. It isn’t a workhorse like the big Epsons and Canons, it isn’t even a quarter horse like the R3000, which uses Epson’s K3 Ultrachrome pigment inks, but the R2000 handles everything from printing on a DVD to 13-inch wide rolls, handles individual sheets of thick media, can print fast, can be connected to your computer a couple of different ways including wirelessly, costs less than $500, and most importantly, makes really good looking prints.

The heart of any printer is the inkset and the print head. The R2000 uses Epson’s UltraChrome Hi-Gloss 2 pigment inks. Eight inks total are installed, although only six colors of ink will be used whether you print on a matte or gloss type surface paper. The inks are Photo Black, Matte Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Red and Orange. The eighth ink is a clear protective “Gloss Optimizer” for use on Luster, Semi-gloss and gloss surface papers. Both the Photo Black and Matte Black inks have their own dedicated channels to and nozzles in the print head and that saves you both time and money when switching media types. With the R3000, for example, Epson estimates that switching from Photo to Matte Black consumes 1ml of ink and takes approximately two minutes while going from Matte to Photo Black drains 3ml and three and a half minutes. With dedicated channels and nozzles for both blacks this removes those considerations as operational cost factors. On the other hand, the lack of gray inks makes the R2000 a less than optimal choice for printing black and white images, as the grays are created by blending dots from all six inks.

Inside the Advanced Micro Piezo AMC print head, each ink is distributed to each of 180 dedicated nozzles. By varying the electric charge (the micro piezo technology at work) on the nozzle as the ink reaches it, the droplets jet out in three different sizes ranging down to 1.5 picoliters. Ink droplets are measured by volume, and the smaller the amount of ink used to form a printed dot the smaller the dot on paper will be. This influences color balance and print resolution. Inkjet printers are very highly engineered machines designed to work at incredibly fine tolerances. Consider that even the mass-produced R2000 delivers droplets as small as 1/1,500,000,000,000th of a liter and it has to consistently deliver these tiny amounts of each ink on top of each other to form the image while the head is moving across and down the length of the page. If you are printing at 360 dpi, an 8x10 print will be made up of 201,600 precisely sized and placed individual droplets of ink while a 12x18 inch print will use up to 544,320 droplets, for even finer print resolution double that when printing at 720 dpi. By varying individual ink droplet size Epson’s Advanced Micro Piezo print heads printers create a continuity of tonal and color transitions and detail resolution that even the pickiest of magnifying-glass-carrying pixel peepers will appreciate.

Posted by Chris Homer on April 17, 2012 2:42 PM | Permalink

The Joy of Film, Without the Mess: Exposure 4

By Betsy Finn, M.Photog.,Cr.,CPP

With film cameras becoming a thing of the past, and many studios relying exclusively on digital darkrooms, we're seeing a new generation of photographers that has never known the joys of developing and printing film. Despite this, many photographers search for the ultimate action or filter to get that old-school film look for their images. It's tough to find something that closely approximates the look of film, but I think I've found the tool that's up for the challenge. Whether you're trying to capture the look of a daguerreotype, or a specific year of Kodachrome, Alien Skin Software’s Exposure 4 has the flexibility to get you there. Running as a plugin within Photoshop or Lightroom, Exposure 4 offers a wide array of features and customization options.

In order to develop realistic film looks, the developers at Alien Skin software studied film grain photomicrographs of available film stocks and conducted test shoots under controlled light situations. For discontinued film, they relied on photo archives and the expertise of a number of photographers. This attention to detail paid off, in my opinion, as the results are the most realistic film grain and processing effects I've seen to date.

There are a number of impressive new features in Exposure 4: the redesigned interface (see below), improved speed, group presets, and thumbnail previews, to name a few. I found the plugin to be very user friendly, and was able to dive right in without even having to watch any tutorials or read directions.

The plugin consists of a main image viewing area (center), and two side panels that can be minimized. The center area includes the image, and a menu bar that spans the width of the window. This menu bar includes a button for saving custom presets, zoom functions, and a before/after view option. On the left panel, there is a thumbnail viewer and all the various settings that you can apply; there is a tab for factory settings as well as user settings. There's also a search bar that you can use to query keywords. On the right, you'll see a number of settings tabs that allow further customization and tweaking.

When you save your custom setting, you select a name, choose a category, and can even add a description.

Continue reading "The Joy of Film, Without the Mess: Exposure 4" »

Posted by Chris Homer on April 6, 2012 8:56 AM | Permalink

Air Display Turns an iPad into a Second Monitor

By Curtis Joe Walker

Air Display by Avatron Software ($9.99) is an app available for both iOS and Android that turns a tablet or smartphone into a wireless touch display for Windows and Mac. Other versions can turn computers (such as an iMac, or an otherwise useless old laptop) into a wireless secondary display as well.

Wireless linking means there's a bit of a delay in the mouse movements. Using Air Display as a primary screen while editing photos is not the purpose of the software. Rather, it allows a mobile user to eke out a bit more desktop from their laptop screen for parking toolbars and other essential clutter. It allows a desktop user to actually walk around the house with a screen backed by a full-powered computer in the den, driven by a virtual keyboard and a touch interface.

While the device is in use, jumping between other iOS apps will cause the connection to the desktop app to be interrupted, however Pandora can still play in the background, thankfully offloaded from the precious CPU cycles of the main computer. Accessing basic functionality through the 4-finger-swipe method will not interrupt the connection, and many iPad functions are unobtrusively maintained.

The software may not revolutionize one's workflow, but it gives a very powerful and useful capability to something otherwise likely to be sitting unused on a desk for part of the day.

Bonus: When used in conjunction with an Apple TV ($99), an iPad can wirelessly mirror itself onto a big screen TV or projector, effectively turning any HDTV into a wireless computer monitor.

Geek Bonus: Users itching to try out cutting edge operating system touch interfaces as they are being developed in Windows 8 and Mac OS 10.7 will now have an inexpensive means of testing out OS-level touch interface integrations using a tablet they may already have lying around.

iOS - http://itunes.apple.com/app/air-display/id368158927?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&mt=8
Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avatron.airdisplay

Posted by Chris Homer on April 6, 2012 8:34 AM | Permalink

Best of Bags Guide: Pompidoo Cologne Bag and Shootsac Tote & Shoot

By Robyn L. Pollman
All Images © Robyn Pollman

The December 2011 issue featured several camera bags and the gear that fit inside them. Web Exclusives had an accompanying online article with several more bags.

Now we feature two more bags by Pompidoo Camera Bags and Shootsac.

The rules for my bag-tests were simple. I selected camera and electronic equipment I owned and used frequently both for personal and professional photography. With the exception laptop pockets, I did not fill any exterior or interior pockets with additional items. I only filled each bag's interior compartment. In order to create additional storage space (exactly how I would carry the bag and contents for personal use), I did not always use all of the removable protective padding included with each bag.

Everything shown photographed in the "what fits" image had to not only fit inside the bag, but also allow the zipper on the bag to close – and each bag had to remain closed and stay closed when worn on my shoulder.

POMPIDOO Cologne Bag shown in Idle Turquoise - $323

Pompidoo is a new brand that uses natural leather and well thought-out form in a combination of contemporary design and functionality.

Inside, the Cologne Bag is separated into two compartments—one side for photo equipment with three removable padded dividers, and the other side for personal items and accessories.The bag also includes an interior zippered pocket for mobile phones.

My favorite feature: The color choices for the Cologne Bag line—they offer this style in virtually every color in the rainbow.

The Cologne Bag is made of genuine leather. The bag stands upright on its own and features a padded interior with two external zippered pockets.

Held:
Nikon D700 body with grip
Nikon 85mm f/1.4D
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Nikon SB-600
Abie Designs camera strap

Measures: 45cm wide x 35cm high x 18cm deep

pompidoo.com

SHOOTSAC Tote & Shoot shown in Red - $229.00

The Shootsac Tote & Shoot by Jessica Claire is a fully-padded tote bag. It features a side-loading camera pocket for access to a camera with full-size lens attached from an outside pocket, ready to shoot. This leaves the main compartment of the bag free for an extra lens, a Shootsac Lens Bag, or other personal items.

My favorite feature: It would be hard to choose between the camera pocket (I've never seen anything like it!) and the back zippered-pocket that can hold an iPad, or be unzipped from the bottom to slip over the handle of a roller carry-on.

The Tote & Shoot is made from a polymer surface that resists stains, abrasion and germs with antimicrobial properties. Environmentally speaking, the material is PVC-free and contains no heavy metals, latex or other harmful ingredients. It is also water repellent and remains supple in any weather- it does not get stiff in the cold or soft in the heat.

Held:
Nikon D700 body with grip
Nikon 50mm f/1.4G
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D
Nikon SB-600
Apple 15" MacBook Pro
Speck SeeThru Case for MacBook Pro
Abie Designs camera strap

Measures: 17" wide x 13.5" high x 6.5" deep

shootsac.com

Posted by Chris Homer on March 8, 2012 2:37 PM | Permalink

CameraBag 2: A Fab App Goes Desktop

Continue reading "CameraBag 2: A Fab App Goes Desktop" »

A few years ago I purchased my first ever iPhone phone editing app, and it happened to be the original CameraBag. At the time it felt completely revolutionary and simple to select an image from my photo library, run it through the app and end up with a completely edited image; to me it was simply amazing! This was the dawn of the iPhone camera apps, and the concept was different than what I (let's face it, all of us) was used to. Over the years, phone camera apps have come a very long way, and they seem to be getting better with each passing release.

Nevercenter, the creators of CameraBag, have created another revolution for photo editing, but this time for processing images on your computer. CameraBag 2 is an endlessly customizable, simple, cost-effective way to process images outside of the usual editing environment (for me – Photoshop CS3). I liked the program enough to envision using CameraBag 2 time after time to create fun processes with all my unedited point-and-shoot images, and even occasionally for use in customizing personal images taken with my DSLR.

Enough raving about CameraBag 2, the real question is, "What can it do?" Short answer? A lot! It can do a lot!

COLOR CORRECT

We all have them (you know you do, too): Those images in which the white balance is less than perfect. What many photographers do is mask that unbalanced color with another color via a “vintage” process. I admit that’s tempting, but I like to work with a more balanced image before doing crazy processing techniques to it. CameraBag 2 has the ability to color correct any image right inside the app itself. Take for example this image (left), noisy, underexposed with ambient tungsten lighting from a table lamp over 10 feet away, it’s a fun image taken with my Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II and my Lensbaby. I did a quick color correct to just make the image less orange (below). It was a quick fix with the Color Corrector tool under CameraBag 2's Adjust tab. The curve was pulled below the midline to correct for the orange color. I pulled the orange out from the shadows and midtones. Pulling the points below the horizontal set line desaturates your chosen color out of the image. The left-hand point on the line indicates shadows, the right point highlights. This is a quick way to do an overall color correct, and it's very effective in getting out whatever heavy cast you want.

STYLES MENU
For this before shot I’m using a quick point-and-shoot image shot with my Canon S95. It’s an image of my daughter before an annual father-daughter dance with an ’80s theme (below). I wanted to find my favorite variation in the Styles menu, CameraBag 2’s base styles, which you can create and add additional variations to. It’s easy to determine what style looks best; the options pop up when you hit the Quicklook Button above the Styles options (below). Here you can preview all the options from CameraBag’s base styles.

After selecting the look you want from the Quicklook options, you can click on the Adjust tab to adjust colors individually. Initially, I picked the 1983 style, but I didn't like the green cast (below), so I ended up choosing the Helga filter and adding a custom border.

Posted by Chris Homer on March 8, 2012 2:01 PM | Permalink

The Top 5 Social Websites for Photographers

By Curtis Walker

Being a photographer means being a visual communicator, and the Internet is finally catching up to us. We’re now able to casually post a shot during free time, connect with friends, and keep a fresh set of photos where the greatest number of people are likely to find them, all the while providing a source of entertainment and inspiration that doesn’t infringe on the viewers’ usual activities or feel like a sales message. It's also wise to overlay your logo and copyright to any images that can be reshared so that you continue to get credit for it as it spreads to more pairs of eyes.

The best improvements in efficiency come from sites and services that integrate with the services we already find indispensable, Twitter and Facebook chief amongst them.

1. Instagram — This iOS-only "visual Twitter" streamlines the act of photography, editing and sharing into a single app. Using an iPhone as a camera is kind of cheating, but it has honed my craft as a photographer, while letting me follow some of my favorite photographers and their snapshots. Some people prefer to keep their aesthetic pure by posting only photos taken with other cameras. If posting photos to Twitter is already part of your regimen, filtering the flow through Instagram will enhance the experience and promote sharing to a plethora of other sites. Note: An Android version was announced at the end of 2010, but has yet to materialize.

How I use Instagram: On a daily basis. I dedicate myself to posting the most interesting thing in front of me at any given moment. Sometimes it’s old work, sometimes a picture of my food (what better way to share lunch suggestions?!). I can then turn on the geotagging feature, allowing me to check into Foursquare. I can also set the post to forward to Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Flickr and so forth. I feed different content to different networks. Portfolio work goes on Tumblr, which has its own feed to Twitter. If I recycle an old image from my vast archive on Flickr, I might want to turn off posting to Flickr. On the other hand, I may want to shuffle something old to the top of the deck and see who responds.

Bonus Add-on Service: Statigr.am. This service builds detailed reports about Instagram activity and allows full interface with Instagram content. It even makes suggestions about the best time to post images, based on previous interactions. The iPhone app remains the sole way to post content, however.

2. Pinterest — This visual smorgasbord is the mature descendant of the lowly bookmark, and the visual equivalent of Facebook's Like button. Using it as a means of organizing and cataloging content from across the Web, users "pin" sites of their choice, and select the image of interest. These pins are organized by user-defined categories, such as "cool wedding photos" or "props." Photographers can pin photos from their own site as well, adding their work to the conversation and exposing their portfolio to new eyes.

Currently, Pinterest is invitation only, but getting an invitation is usually as easy as asking for one from a contact already on the site.

Continue reading "The Top 5 Social Websites for Photographers" »

Posted by Chris Homer on March 8, 2012 11:17 AM | Permalink

Kubota AutoAlbum 3 Makes Designing Albums Simple

By Mark Levesque, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Wedding albums have come a long way since the days when they were a simple collection of 8x10s and 5x7s in matted pages. With all of the choices available for album styles now offered, the photographer has much more flexibility in creating a stylish keepsake. The downside could be that the photographer now takes on yet another role, that of graphic designer. Fortunately, software has kept pace with the changing landscape, and there are a number of tools available to facilitate album design. A natural fit for photographers is the latest iteration of the Kubota Image Tools Photoshop plug-in AutoAlbum 3.

By leveraging the photographer’s knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, AutoAlbum eliminates part of the learning curve in album design. AutoAlbum provides more than 500 layouts as templates for designing your album, and includes a dashboard that will be familiar to those already acquainted with Kubota Image Tools products. The concept is dead simple—select a layout from the dashboard and populate it with your images. Each layout is implemented as a Photoshop action, with stops for the user to select each image in the template. Directions tell the user whether to select horizontal or vertical images, and each image is placed into the layout as a Smart Object, allowing for unlimited resizing with no loss of image quality in the rendered version. When the action completes, the user is prompted to save the resulting file as a layered Photoshop document to allow for future editing and replacement of images.

Selecting the desired layout is facilitated by the Template Library Book included with the software, as well as by the built-in search capabilities of the dashboard. Each layout includes both an ordinal number and a code that indicates what type of layout it is. The code is easy to understand, and it allows the user to find every layout of a particular type. A thumbnail in the dashboard gives you a visual representation of the layout, and using the arrow keys, you can quickly cycle through each candidate. If you've identified the desired template in the Template Library, you simply type its number in the search field and it comes right up.

Most of the layouts include a black background and a white stroke around the images. The background color is implemented as a fill layer, which allows you to easily change the color. Simply double-click on the page color layer and the color-picker dialogue pops up. Select the color you want, click OK, and the color changes instantly, a boon to Photoshop neophytes. The templates come with relevent helpful guides you can consult while tweaking the layout.

Continue reading "Kubota AutoAlbum 3 Makes Designing Albums Simple" »

Posted by Chris Homer on March 8, 2012 10:34 AM | Permalink

ZReiss 3.5" Touch Screen Digital Photo Albums: A New Way to Display

By Betsy Finn, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

I’m always on the lookout for neat new ways to display and showcase images. At a recent tradeshow, I spotted some miniature digital albums at the ZReiss booth. They’re about the size of a typical wallet album, but instead of containing print pictures, these have a touchscreen digital display.

The 3.5" Touch Screen Digital Photo Album display automatically turns on when you open the leather cover. You can watch pictures in slideshow mode, using the button on the side of the album, or flip through the images by swiping your finger vertically across the screen. To change albums, swipe your finger horizontally across the screen. I had to consult the manual to figure out this not-quite intuitive navigation. I also had to press the screen a bit harder than expected, but maybe I'm just used to a more sensitive screen. The rechargeable battery in this product will last through four hours of continuous play; it’s charged via USB.

The device comes with sample images in three sample albums, so you can actually play with it straight out of the box without loading pictures of your own. The album comes with self-loading software—when you plug it into your computer, it brings up the Photo Viewer interface. The software is compatible with PCs and some Macs; a future firmware upgrade, when released, will be compatible with all versions of Mac. A USB cable is included with the album, and it plugs into the port on the album's side.

Continue reading "ZReiss 3.5" Touch Screen Digital Photo Albums: A New Way to Display" »

Posted by Chris Homer on March 8, 2012 9:54 AM | Permalink

Book Review: Visual Stories - Behind the Lens With Vincent Laforet

Visual Stories: Behind the Lens With Vincent Laforet
By: Vincent Laforet with Ibarionex Perello
New Riders/Voices That Matter

Reviewed by Ellis Vener

Until his recent migration to being a full-time director, Vincent Laforet primarily worked as a photojournalist—most prominently as a staff photographer for The New York Times—and later as a freelancer. It was a career Laforet was born to: his father was a shooter for the Gamma Photo Agency in Paris and gave Vincent his first camera in 1980 when he was just 15. "Visual Stories" distills the lessons he learned in his 18-year career as a still photographer, accompanied by a collection of what he considers his most successful and favorite images. If you know any young person who aspires to be a storytelling photographer or someone who aspires to be a better one, I highly recommend this book. Not only are the photos terrific and reproduced well, but Laforet — interviewed by Ibarionex Perello — engagingly tells the backstory behind each image.

However, the book package has some editorial problems. For my taste, there are too many images reproduced twice. At only 214 pages this isn't a big book, and I know Laforet has more equally terrific images in his portfolio. In one case, a photo taken from a helicopter directly over the Empire State building at sunset (also the cover image) is completely mis-captioned as "Aerial photograph of Ground Zero at sunset almost five years after the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks." Ground Zero is in the photo – but so is the entire New York City metropolitan sprawl. What really makes this odd is half of the opposite page discusses the making of this image at length and why Laforet thinks it "speaks to a lot of who I am as a photographer."

Continue reading "Book Review: Visual Stories - Behind the Lens With Vincent Laforet" »

Posted by Chris Homer on February 29, 2012 12:00 PM | Permalink

Speed, Improved Interface Come to HDR Expose 2

Continue reading "Speed, Improved Interface Come to HDR Expose 2" »

If you are interested in high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, you have likely investigated and purchased a number of HDR programs. If one of those programs was HDR Expose from Unified Color Technologies, you probably liked the very realistic results it created, but were put off by its lack of speed as the entire image recalculated each time an adjustment was made.

With a completely reengineered architecture, performance is significantly improved in HDR Expose 2. It sports a revised interface, additional presets and new tools. If you are looking for another option to create realistic HDR images, HDR Expose 2 may be what you are searching for.

The speed increase doesn't come from applying adjustments to a low resolution image. HDR Expose 2 applies the changes to the full resolution tone mapped image that is one of the sharpest images you will find in an HDR program. While Unified Color says that adjustments are applied in "real time," the image does not adjust as you move the adjustment sliders, which is what I consider "real-time." While viewing the changes as you move the sliders would be most useful, adjustments are applied instantaneously as soon as you release the mouse from the slider. Performance is excellent.

The interface changes are also welcome. The workflow now proceeds logically from the top of the tools palette on the right of the interface to the bottom. At the very top of the tools palette is the Brightness Histogram. This shows the entire luminance range of the HDR image with a light gray section showing the tones in the histogram that will be reproduced on a monitor or in an 8- or 16-bit image. As you make adjustments to the image, the changes are updated in the histogram display. The histogram even includes tools to show highlight and shadow clipping. Histograms in other HDR programs are poor guides to follow, but I found the HDR Expose 2 Brightness Histogram to be quite useful and accurate.

The initial screen when HDR Expose 2 is opened as a standalone application to create an HDR image from a single image sequence. When the application is opened from Lightroom or Aperture, the upper menu bar does not appear. The available options are chosen from a Preferences panel.

After adding the image sequence to the opening screen, thumbnails of the images are shown along with ghost reduction and alignment options. A box in the lower right displays a histogram of any image you have selected. This is a nice way to ensure that you have enough images, but not too many, to create a good HDR image.

Once HDR Expose 2 creates the HDR image, you have the option of applying one of the presets to start the adjustment process. Each preset automatically tone maps the image to the 8-bit color space for display in its own way. A Brightness Histogram shows the full dynamic range of the HDR image with a gray rectangle displaying the tonal range in the tone mapped image. The Brightness Histogram can also display the highlight and shadow overlays shown here.

Twelve presets are included, and the preset thumbnails display the image that you have opened. There isn't a wide variation among the six color presets or among the five monochrome presets. All give a realistic rendering to the scene. The final color preset, Grunge, cranks up the local contrast to the max and sets this preset off from all of the others. But if you're after grunge HDR images, this is not the best program for you. The local (micro) contrast control has less range than many other HDR programs, limiting your ability to "grunge" your images. There is also an option to turn off the local contrast control all together.

If you come up with a combination of adjustments that you like, you have the ability to create your own presets. They are added to the end of the thumbnail list.

Some of the new tools remove controls, while others add controls. There's no longer a halo reduction tool. That function is handled automatically in HDR Expose 2 and works well. You can now choose automatic tone mapping, but there are controls for Exposure, Highlights and Shadows if you choose to perform manual tone mapping.

The automatic halo reduction works well, with only the slightest halos showing in these areas of high contrast.

Two new tools, Dodge and Burn, allow you to brush on or remove exposure to the image. The brush size is limited to 100 pixels, so it takes a while to burn in a large area of sky. But few other HDR programs even offer this degree of control.

HDR Expose 2 includes Dodge and Burn brushes for making very local tonal changes. I began using the dodge brush to lighten the trunks of the palm trees, and then decided I like them better dark.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 10, 2012 8:52 AM | Permalink

Faster, Natural Retouching with Beauty Bar Pro for Photoshop

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Beauty Bar Pro is all about flexibility; the action set runs within Photoshop, and is designed to be an asset to your current workflow. I've never been a fan of image retouching that turns skin to a smooth, plastic texture (or lack thereof). And, I do prefer to individually retouch the images that my clients order. So, the Beauty Bar set from Craig's Actions fits perfectly into my retouching workflow. And chances are, it will fit into your workflow as well. Why? Because you are in control of how much retouching is done. If your retouching is more heavy-handed than mine, Beauty Bar Pro can accommodate your personal preference too. Because Beauty Bar is a set of Photoshop actions, you can tweak them to run the way you want.

This first example is of a typical problem for senior portrait clients—retouching acne. Using Beauty Bar, you can make quick work of even the most thorough retouch. Now, every software/workflow solution has a learning curve. And since I wanted to make sure to get things right, I asked developer Craig Minielly how he would use his action set to retouch this image:

To achieve the most pleasing result (below), Minielly ran Blemish Buster, one of the actions in the Beauty Bar set, twice. The first time he focused on finer settings, removing smaller blemishes (setting: 22/6), and the second time on larger blemishes (setting: 45/10). He also recommended a quick pass with the Blush Less action, and finally enhancing the image with the Beauty Bar Pro Custom Action (to match skin tone and texture). In my first attempt at using Beauty Bar, I didn't achieve these results nearly as quickly as Minielly—his total retouch time for the entire portrait? Three minutes. If I was more accustomed to using them, I do think I could achieve some very efficient editing times per image.

Just as a comparison, here's the same image, retouched using Portraiture. Personally, I think Beauty Bar did a better job preserving details while still removing the blemishes.

Continue reading "Faster, Natural Retouching with Beauty Bar Pro for Photoshop" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 8, 2012 2:27 PM | Permalink

Wrap Your Mind Around Warp: Adobe After Effects CS5.5 Warp Stabilization

By Jack Reznicki

Mid-number software upgrades rarely impress me. When Adobe’s Creative Suite had an inter-number upgrade, from 5.0 to 5.5, I was expecting just the usual bug fixes and minor adjustments. But buried in After Effects is a real “WOW!!” feature I would expect in a whole-point release. This new feature should really amaze and wow video shooters and the vast army of still shooters venturing into the video realm. The name for this feature, Warp Stabilization sounds like a feature you’d hear in an old Star Trek episode. “Captain, the Wrap Stabilization has seized up! She can't hold on much longer!”

Warp Stabilization is just Adobe’s name for a feature that takes shaky video footage and, well, stabilizes it to look like you used a Steadicam or shot the scene with your camera mounted on a dolly. It really doesn’t sound like much until you see it in action. Then your jaw drops. To me this feature alone is worth the total price of After Effects. The first video here is the raw footage, and the video embedded below it is the stabilized version.

What really blows my mind is not just what it does, which is amazing and magical, but the fact that it’s so automatic and simple. It’s drag and drop. There have been ways to stabilize shaky sequences before, but you had to know what you were doing, you had to find a fixed point, play with the parameters, input numbers. It took a lot of time, skill and praying. With CS 5.5, you drag and drop Warp Stabilization adjustment into the video sequence and After Effects does it all in a shockingly easy and fast way. No entering numbers, moving sliders, or looking up complex steps in the manual. It analyzes the footage on its own, and then processes the clip in the computer’s background, so you can continue working on something else, like more photo editing, web surfing, or solitaire. No waiting for spinning beach balls or slow status bars.

While it’s at it, fixing your shaky take behind the curtain, it also fixes another inherent problem prevalent with DSLR footage—the cursed rolling shutter artifacts.

Continue reading "Wrap Your Mind Around Warp: Adobe After Effects CS5.5 Warp Stabilization" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 12, 2012 3:21 PM | Permalink

Two Bags to Gear Up and Go: Chrome Niko and Lowepro Pro Messenger 180 AW

By Joan Sherwood

I prefer camera bags designed for a moderate amount gear that you can carry and maneuver around with without knocking lamps off the furniture every time you turn around. The Lowepro Pro Messenger 180 AW and the Chrome Niko fit that bill, and provide a lot of features that are important when you want to travel or explore a city while carrying lean, and when you have a shoot that doesn't require a suitcase full of gear. My big requirements are comfort, security and light weight.

At first glance, I thought the Chrome Niko was going to be one of those bags that only guys and chicly flat-chested women could wear comfortably, and that it would never even look right on me, but I was wrong. I found out that by lengthening the seat-belt style sling strap, it hangs rather nicely. Much better than other sling bag styles I’ve tried. It sits comfortably, low on my back, with the padded section of the strap hanging across my shoulder where it should, and the metal buckle components falling just below my clavicle. It weighs 2.3 pounds, compared to the Lowepro’s 3.4 pounds, and it feels like half of that is in the buckle. For security, the Niko has buckles that cross over the main zipper to foil theft while you’re wearing it in crowded spaces, and a waterproof main zipper to keep out rain, though it also makes it a little more difficult to unzip.

The Niko has the smaller capacity of the two. By my own measurement, the main compartment is 11x8x5. You could carry a DSLR with lens, an extra lens and a speedlight flash comfortably with no problem. The top compartment could hold an extra flash, water bottle, or modern necessities like a phone or backup drive. The top compartment is the only easy-access exterior pocket. There is a flat, water-protected pocket on the main interior for memory cards. The Velcro placement on the side straps makes them suitable for only the slimmest of tripods, better for holding a light rain jacket really.

The Niko construction is a bit stiff and the shell padding is formidable. It comes with the standard, Velcro-attach padded dividers that most camera bags have.

Continue reading "Two Bags to Gear Up and Go: Chrome Niko and Lowepro Pro Messenger 180 AW" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 12, 2012 12:25 PM | Permalink

Words of Experience, a Review of "Sketching Light" by Joe McNally

Read an excerpt from “Sketching Light"

“Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash”
By Joe Mc Nally
Part of the series, “Voices That Matter,” published by New Riders Press

Every well-known successful photographer you can think of knows how to use light to tell stories. By “well known” and “successful,” I don’t mean someone with thousands of friends and followers on social networking sites, I mean photographers who make their living and reputation by working for real-world clients. You likely have your favorites; mine are Dan Winters, Gregory Heisler, Matthew Jordan Smith, Nick Knight and Joe McNally. Perhaps no one on my list is as broadly influential as Joe McNally, mostly because he has successfully taken on the challenge of using social networks and teaching what he knows through seminars, workshops and books.

Fortune has favored McNally with resilience and a great sense of self-deprecating humor. He seems to approach assignments big and small with equally intense levels of preparation, energy and flexibility. Fortunately for us, he brings these traits to his fourth how-to book, “Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash” (New Riders Press).

In this lighting cookbook, McNally provides abundant recipes and results, complete with copious notes, diagrams and “war stories.” These are not the kind of lighting formulas that mandate placing Light A with Modifier X at a 32-degree angle to the left, slightly above and 6 feet from the subject, and placing Light B with Modifier Y here or there with specific key-to-fill-to-accent ratios—you get the point. Instead, McNally gets you to thinking about how to generate and use light to help the story you want the photograph to tell, and to make that story engage with the viewer’s imagination. Even if you think you already know a lot about lighting, I bet you’ll pick up more than a few good ideas from “Sketching Light.”

And really, the book really isn’t so much about how to make nice with light, but how to live. In the first lines in the introduction, he writes:

The key word on the cover of this book is not “flash,” or even “light.” It’s the word “possibilities.” Because that is, at its core, what this book is about. It isn’t about pictures that already exist. It’s about what might be possible to create, in terms of pictures, if you experiment with light.

Continue reading "Words of Experience, a Review of "Sketching Light" by Joe McNally" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 12, 2012 11:25 AM | Permalink

Wacom Inkling Adds Flourish and Saves Time

By Betsy Finn

The Wacom Inkling is a real pen that captures your pen strokes on any paper. When you’re done drawing or writing, just plug the receiver into your computer, access the image, and edit as desired in Photoshop or other image-editing application.

The Wacom Inkling pen and receiver (clipped onto paper).

While it may have more appeal for graphic and illustration artists, I immediately thought of ways the Inkling could be used practically in a photographer's business, too. I could use it to take notes during client consultations, marking areas of a proof the client wants fixed or sketching notes for a wall collage, all of which could be stored digitally with the client's other information and image files. On the client side, I thought the Inkling would be a great tool for personalizing portraits. For instance, I could have my clients sign their name for their wallet-size portraits, or write a note to put into their wedding album. It all sounds good in theory. My next step was to put it into practice and see how well the Inkling would work for my ideas.

To begin, clip the receiver to your paper, and push the power button. Every time you clip/unclip the receiver, it starts a new drawing. There’s also a button on the receiver you can push to start a new layer while you are drawing. These layers are saved into the image and can be exported to Photoshop as layers. When you first turn on the receiver, it displays a red light that switches to green once the pen is active.

Continue reading "Wacom Inkling Adds Flourish and Saves Time" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 4, 2012 2:46 PM | Permalink

Perfect Layers Is A Workflow Game Changer

By Stan Sholik

Perfect Layers from onOne Software is destined to be as much of a workflow game-changer for photographers at all levels as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom has turned out to be. Installed as a stand-alone application or as a plug-in for Lightroom or Apple Aperture, Perfect Layers provides much of the layer and masking functionality for which Photoshop or Photoshop Elements was needed in the past.

I count myself among the many photographers who resisted using Lightroom when it was first released, and now I find myself using Lightroom for most of my editing and raw conversion. I have come to regret the times I must leave Lightroom and open Photoshop in order to blend in a better sky in a landscape photo or swap a head in a group shot. With Perfect Layers, these changes and many more are possible within Lightroom and Aperture, and within Perfect Layers itself when you open it as a stand-alone application.

While Perfect Layers performs many layer and masking functions, it is not a total replacement for Photoshop. Perfect Layers can’t create text layers, vector masks, layer styles (darn, no drop shadow), adjustment layers, paths, alpha channels, Smart Objects, layer groups or clipping paths. And if you created a file in Photoshop with any of these attributes and tried to open it in Perfect Layers, Perfect Layers opens a flattened copy of the file. Otherwise, Perfect Layers opens layered PSD files. It also saves the layers you create while using Perfect Layers in the native Photoshop PSD file format that you can open in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or again in Perfect Layers.

For photographers who don’t own or have sworn off of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, you can use all of the capabilities of Perfect Layers as a stand-alone app or through Lightroom or Aperture, and save the finished image as a flattened TIFF or JPEG file rather than a PSD. You will lose all of the layer information of course.

Creating toned images with a texture overlay from a color capture only takes a couple of minutes in Perfect Layers. I selected a color image and created a virtual copy in Lightroom. I converted the virtual copy to a contrasty monochrome image in Lightroom and exported it to Perfect Layers. Then I added a color fill layer for toning and imported a texture. After adjusting both to my liking I saved the image back to Lightroom. In Lightroom I added a vignette and exported the image. ©Stan Sholik

Continue reading "Perfect Layers Is A Workflow Game Changer" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 2, 2011 11:06 AM | Permalink

microGAFFER Tape Frees You From the Massive Grey Roll

Continue reading "Steady in the Studio: Tether Tools and Tabelz Laptop Camera Stand Tables" »

Do you need gaffer’s tape at all? Yes you do. Unlike duct tape, gaffer’s tape leaves almost no sticky residue, is waterproof, and is easy to cut and deliberately tear. At the same time it is strong and reasonably heat resistant. You might even need different colors of it.

We use gaffer tape for a wide variety of jobs, not only for taping down cables and identifying bits of gear, but also for holding props in place, marking where people need to stand, locking down focus rings (useful for aerial, macro and stitched panoramic photography) and de-linting subjects’ dark clothes. It’s also useful for making minor repairs. But, until recently, the problem with gaffer tape has been that it mostly came in long three-inch wide heavy rolls and only in black, gray, and white. We use gaffer’s tape a lot, but a single full-size roll of the stuff will last me a couple of years at least as mostly we only need small short lengths, unless we're taping down power cords. Rather than buy and carry around full-size rolls of different colors Visual Departure’s microGAFFER packages solve both the space, weight and price problem. It’s also an advantage that it comes in a range of colors.

For starters, the microGAFFER rolls are small—only 1 inch wide and 8 yards long—and come on small cores. A roll is small enough to fit a couple of them in your jeans pocket or in a small camera bag compartment. A package of four rolls is roughly the size of a 50mm Canon or Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens and hood.

Beyond securing cables, gaffer’s tape in different colors works great to create quickly identifiable markers for different tools. You use it to know this power cord goes to this light or this remote goes with this camera, this lens hood goes with this lens, etcetera. Even if you don’t have a lot of gear, this makes for a more efficient way of working and packing up before and after a shoot.

MicroGAFFER tape kits come in four-roll packs and in two options. The monochrome packs contain two black, one gray and one white roll. The microGAFFER Fluorescent tape kits each contain one roll of really bright orange, green, pink and yellow tape. The street price for either kit is $19.95.

Background: So what the heck is a gaffer and why do they have a need for a special type of tape? On a movie or television set, gaffer is the official title for the chief electrician. This means that the gaffer (and the gaffer’s assistant, known as the best boy) and the rest of the electrical department are responsible for all of the lighting instruments, a job that includes making sure all of the electrical cables stay safely and securely connected. Grips, on the other hand, are the people responsible for setting up and rigging the lights and modifiers. The worlds of cinematography and still photography have always borrowed from each other—some tools, like collapsible softboxes, have migrated from the world of still photography to film photography, while other tools—like gaffer’s tape and C-Stands—have migrated the other way.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 7, 2011 4:13 PM | Permalink

Steady in the Studio: Tether Tools and Tabelz Laptop Camera Stand Tables

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

While working in the studio, I've become very fond of my studio camera stand. Using a camera stand lets me focus on interacting with my clients, and allows me to set where the camera will be for a series of frames. If need be, I can leave the camera to adjust my client's pose without losing the in-camera composition that I had set up. The one shortcoming to working this way is what to do when you decide to shoot tethered to your computer. While many studio camera stands come with two mounting arms, it's not often you find one pre-equipped with a laptop table. So, after a little research, I found two companies that sell portable laptop stands, or tables. Both of the products I'll be discussing are designed to be installed on your tripod, camera stand, or even a light stand (depending on thread size).

The first table I tested was manufactured by Tether Tools (tethertools.com). Based on my laptop's dimensions, I opted for the Tether Table Aero Traveler (it comes in black or silver). I also received some other optional accessories, including a Secure Strap for securing the laptop to the table, an XDC Solo (external hard drive shelf), cupholder, an Aero ProPad (cushiony pad for on top of the table), and some Jerk Stoppers (tools for keeping your tethered cord securely attached to your camera and computer ports). In the image below, you'll see all these items, including an upside down view of the Aero Tether Table.

The Tether Table comes with three different mounting methods (see below). The knob at upper left is for securing the table to a lightstand (biggest hole). The other two threaded holes are for the standard tripod threads.

I found that the various accessories sold with the Tether Table were helpful in making sure my laptop wouldn't just work its way off the stand. In the image below, you can see the laptop sitting on the non-slip Areo ProPad; it is also secured by the Secure Strap (an elastic strap with hooks at the ends that hold the laptop in place). Additionally, both the front and back edges of the Tether Table have a raised lip, so if you do use this out in the field, you can use it at an angle without having to worry about losing your laptop.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 7, 2011 11:08 AM | Permalink

An HDMI Cable That Ditches the Bulk

Continue reading "An HDMI Cable That Ditches the Bulk" »

When you need to do a presentation, bigger is better for the screen that you'll use to show your work, but smaller is better for the equipment you need to bring with you. On a location assignment, showing your portfolio to an ad agency, or selling your services to a couple looking for a wedding photographer—the less you need to carry, the happier you’ll be.

An active HDMI cable lets you show a wedding portfolio
on your iPad 2 to an engaged couple in their own home
without toting a bulky cable. ©Stan Sholik

RedMere cables are roughly 1/4 of the diameter of standard HDMI cables and will coil into a diameter of less than one inch. Yet the cables are guaranteed to deliver full 1080p HD picture quality while you control the show from as far away as 10 feet. Most 10-foot HDMI cables are heavy and bulky and won’t coil comfortably in your pocket, camera bag or iPad case. That is the problem that RedMere has solved with their RedMere HDMI cables.

©Stan Sholik

The availability of an HDMI output on most digital SLRs gives traveling photographers the option to leave the laptop at home and take along a compatible HDMI cable to preview photos and videos in any hotel room with an HDTV that has an HDMI input. For photographers showing their portfolio to prospective clients, the iPad 2 is becoming the device of choice. With a Digital AV Adapter and an HDMI cable, you can connect an iPad to an HDTV and make the presentation even more impressive.

RedMere’s technology is based on a tiny, self-powered chip built into the HDMI cable connector. The RedMere chip boosts the signal so that the cable can be even thinner than an iPad USB cable and still handle the 10.2 GB/s data rate. Cables with RedMere technology, also known as “active” cables, are the world’s thinnest, lightest, and most flexible cables for products that connect using HDMI technology, according to the company.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 29, 2011 3:31 PM | Permalink

Hot Stuff: Bad Sass Backdrops

By Robyn L. Pollman

Bad Sass Backdrops are printed on quality 100% canvas by Pixel2Canvas. Bad Sass Backdrops offer “split” and “tri-split” backdrop options, which allows the customer to decide how they want to split an 8-foot or 10-foot canvas backdrop. Photographers can select a background design for one half of the canvas, and a faux-flooring option for the other half using the “split” option. Or with the “tri-split” option, use a background design on both ends of the canvas, and a faux-flooring option in the center. By turning the 10-foot canvas around, photographers have two background options in one.

©Robyn L. Pollman

Professional Photographer readers can take advantage of the following promotion: 30% off any backdrop order using code PPA30 (code not valid on Sassafrass Magnetic Moulding). The coupon code is valid until October 31, 2011.

See more from Robyn L. Pollman at paperieboutique.com and buttonsandbowsphotography.com.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 13, 2011 2:59 PM | Permalink

As Good As It Gets: Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZF.2 Lens

Continue reading "As Good As It Gets: Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZF.2 Lens" »

For five years, Carl Zeiss has produced single focal length, manual focus lenses for camera bodies that accept Nikon, Canon, Sony, K-mount, and M-42 screw-mount lenses. These lenses are highly regarded by landscape, closeup and portrait still photographers, for both film and digital cameras. Videographers have also become a major market.

The latest in the series is the Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4, presently available with Nikon and Canon mounts. I tested the Nikon ZF.2 model.

The Zeiss lens (left) is larger and heavier than my older 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor (right). Image quality of the Zeiss is also greater. The Zeiss ZF.2 series of lenses for Nikon don’t include the metering prong of classic Nikkors and of the Zeiss ZF lenses, but do include Nikon’s auto-indexing (AI) ring and tiny secondary aperture scale. Zeiss ZF.2 lenses include an internal CPU and external contacts that transmit EXIF information to the camera body as well as allow the use of all metering functions. ©Stan Sholik

Zeiss incorporates an improved T* anti-reflection coating and a nine-blade aperture for a nearly circular diaphragm. If you’ve ever wondered about the pleasing bokeh effect, you’ll instantly know it when you view images shot at f/1.4 with this lens.

I needed a high shutter speed to capture this model making jewelry lit only by window light. Shot at f/1.4, vignetting is visible at the edges of the frame, but more important to me is the beautiful soft look of the out-of-focus model in the background. ©Stan Sholik

This assignment photo for a dog-friendly vintage clothing store was a perfect opportunity to use the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4. I needed to use available light in a dark area of the store to stop the action of the dogs and show the models enjoying the shopping experience. Shooting wide open also allowed me to focus attention on the model. ©Stan Sholik

The silky smooth focusing ring on the 35mm f/1.4 rotates through about 150 degrees from minimum focusing distance to infinity, for extremely accurate focusing. At an aperture of f/1.4, the image is four times brighter than one shot with an f/2.8 lens, making focusing easy, even with the viewfinder screens in modern digital SLR cameras. The focusing ring stops when you turn it to infinity or the minimum focusing distance, so you always know where those points are. These attributes are what endear Zeiss lenses to videographers.

The aperture ring includes half-stop detents that click firmly into place between the marked aperture settings. The extensive use of metal in the lens construction gives it the look, feel and weight of classic Nikkors. The 35mm f/1.4 is a monster compared to my 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor. The Zeiss weighs more than twice as much, is twice the length, and requires 72mm filters rather than the Nikkor’s 52mm filters. Having tested other Zeiss lenses, I wasn’t surprised to find the 35mm f/1.4 superior to my old Nikkor 35mm f/1.4, but it’s surprising how far more superior it is.

Even at maximum aperture, the Zeiss shows superb sharpness in the center of the lens. Sharpness falls off somewhat to the edges of the frame if you ever place the subject near the edge of the frame when shooting wide open. By f/2, sharpness is excellent everywhere. There’s a hint of barrel distortion at f/1.4 on a full-frame camera, but that too disappears by f/2. Distortion is non-existent on a DX-format camera.

Sharpness is superb at the center of the image at all apertures and also at the edges by f/2. In this image shot at f/8, the tiny hairs on the stem of the weed are perfectly sharp against the sky. ©Stan Sholik

In image after image with this lens I am impressed with its sharpness and its ability to render color so accurately. Despite it being moderately wide angle, there is no hint of distortion. ©Stan Sholik

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 7, 2011 12:14 PM | Permalink

From Click to Quiet: Silence Your Shutter with AquaTech Sound Blimp

Continue reading "From Click to Quiet: Silence Your Shutter with AquaTech Sound Blimp " »

When most photographers think of a sound blimp it’s usually in connection with shooting on a movie or television set when sound is being recorded. A sound blimp with a lens tube connected effectively silences the sound of a SLR anywhere beyond a couple of feet from it.

Using a sound blimp isn’t limited to shooting film or television stills. I have used a sound blimp for more than 20 years and have never been on a movie or TV set. I use a sound blimp to photograph symphonic, choral and dance productions, as well as theatrical plays. Other photographers use a sound blimp for surveillance, courtroom, wildlife and even sports, such as golf, photography. Sound blimps also provide environmental protection in harsh sand and dust environments.

After 20 years, the foam in my blimp has had it, and I was ready to send it to the manufacturer for refitting when I discovered a new source for sound blimps, AquaTech, located in Orange County, Calif. AquaTech is best known for their waterproof sport and surf housings and their line of environmental shields for cameras and lenses. I contacted AquaTech and received a sound blimp for a Nikon D3X/D3S/D3 to test. Other models are available for Nikon D700, D300s/D300 and Canon 5D Mark II cameras.

The external controls straddle the viewfinder eyepiece. The ribbed soft rubber pads on the hand grips and the shape of the body make holding the AquaTech blimp with both hands solid and comfortable. There are D-rings on the hand grips for attaching an accessory shoulder strap.

The AquaTech sound blimp is a far cry from the Jacobson blimp that I own. Rather than a squarish box, the AquaTech looks more like an underwater housing. And although it is less than 1/2-pound lighter, the ribbed rubber hand straps and the contoured grip built into the body make it far easier to carry and hold. The entire back surface of the AquaTech blimp is hard clear plastic, covered on the inside with sound-deadening foam. A window cut into the foam allows you to see the LCD screen and through the viewfinder.

But the biggest advantage to the AquaTech is borrowed from their sport and surf housings. There are three controls on the back of the blimp (see above) that mate with controls on the rear of the camera. Pressing one allows you to review the last image. Pressing another allows you to activate the autoexposure/autofocus (AE-L/AF-L) lock button on the camera to perform whatever function you have programmed for it in the Custom settings.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 7, 2011 10:01 AM | Permalink

Studio Lighting and Portraiture DVDs Deliver Great Foundation Skills

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

A fun and educational package recently arrived in my mailbox for review—a pair of instructional DVDs by Don Chick, M.Photog.,Cr., CPP, from his The Confident Photographer instructional series:

• Studio Lighting (with a 4x6 soft box)
• Studio Portraiture (Basic – Intermediate)

Being familiar with Chick’s lighting and teaching styles, I was looking forward to watching these DVDs, and I think you will be, too. While there is some crossover content, I didn’t find it to be too overdone, and considered it more like a review, or introduction, before the meat of the lesson. I think it will be rare that someone will plan to watch both back to back, as I did. It’s more likely that you’ll refer to one or the other at a given point, and in that situation, the brief review will be helpful.

The Studio Lighting DVD covered white balancing methods, lens selection (distortion), and two basic light setups. In contrast, the Studio Portraiture DVD focused on the different light setups that Chick relies on— three-light and six-light setups, and the use of accent lighting. In the second DVD, Chick also discusses how he creates his signature character study portraits (lighting, clothing, accessories, etc).

On both DVDs, Chick talks you through the lighting setup, explains why he does things a specific way, and then lets you watch him interact with his subject as he creates a series of images. Final images are also shown throughout the DVD, where appropriate. While not a new concept to me, I appreciated that Chick took the time to show the effects of his lights by using each unit’s modeling lamp. This is a particularly useful teaching tool for those who are new to studio lighting.

Some of the techniques that Chick teaches are basic building blocks of studio photography, such as broad vs. short light, but he also includes more advanced techniques. I enjoyed seeing how he uses a handheld reflector to add a little something extra to the lighting setup, and appreciated his discussion of gobos and when they can be effectively used for a studio portrait (your clients with thinning hair or bald spots will thank you).

Continue reading "Studio Lighting and Portraiture DVDs Deliver Great Foundation Skills" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 6, 2011 4:08 PM | Permalink

Kubota RPG Speedkeys v2 Expands On Shortcuts and Customization

In 2009 we wrote about using Kubota RPG Speedkeys as a tool to speed up the Lightroom workflow process. Kubota RPG Speedkeys is a small wireless keyboard that is pre-programmed to run time-saving adjustments and shortcuts in Lightroom such as increasing or decreasing exposure and picking/rejecting photos. The original review of Kubota RBG Speedkeys is still accurate—it's still important that you remove the USB receiver when restarting your computer, it still comes with Kubota's handy lightroom presets, and it’s still a great workflow tool. But with Kubota RGB Speedkeys 2 for Adobe Lightroom, there are noteworthy updates to the original version that have now taken this workflow tool from good to great, and it’s available to all present and new users of the Speedkeys keyboard.

The original version of RPG Speedkeys provided you with Kubota's Lightroom Presets, but you were limited to only being able to run the Kubota presets from the keyboard. This is no longer the case. Now you can run any preset installed in Lightroom from the Speedkeys keyboard. You’re no longer confined to the original shortcuts provided by Kubota Image Tools either; they now provide a multitude of shortcuts to choose from. And instead of having the key positions set for you, you can customize the shortcuts and presets to any key you choose.

The upgrade starts with a new version of the Kubota RPG Speedkeys software. The software is intuitive enough that you probably will not need to read any instructions. The interface shows a graphical keyboard, and you simply drag and drop keys onto it. Selecting a key will allow you to pick a preset that the key should apply. Once you have your keyboard setup in the software, you can match your physical keyboard to it by matching the keys.

Setting up the physical keyboard is simple, but If you’re the type of person who doesn’t usually read instructions, this is where you’ll need to pay attention. The new keys that come with the upgraded keyboard look like they are complete panels that should be put into the keyboard. But don’t go taking apart the keyboard yet. They are not meant to be used as complete panels, but as as individual keys. There is a small pick included to pop the keys off both the original keyboard and the replacement key panels. (Don't worry, it’s completely safe, and once you pop a few keys off, you’ll find it’s pretty fun!) Replace the keys on the Speedkeys keyboard one-by-one to match your software setup, and you are ready to go!

If you own the original version of Kubota RPG Speedkeys, this upgrade is available to you by contacting Kubota Image Tools at kubotaimagetools.com. If you're looking for a complete tool to speed up your Lightroom workflow, the Kubota RPG Speedkeys for Lightroom retails for $349 and can be purchased at kubotaimagetools.com.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 6, 2011 3:40 PM | Permalink

Image Adjustment Gets Better: DxO Optics Pro v6.6

Continue reading "Image Adjustment Gets Better: DxO Optics Pro v6.6" »

DxO Labs recently came out with updates to its award-winning optical correction and raw conversion software, DxO Optics Pro v6.6. DxO Optics Pro functions like a digital photo lab, improving the quality of straight out of camera (SOOC) raw or SOOC jpeg images. It's image enhancement addresses optical corrections, noise removal, exposure optimization, keystoning correctionn, color control and dust removal.

In this review I opted to use the standalone version of DxO Optics Pro v6.6. The program is easy to use within recent editions of Photoshop and Lightroom or as a standalone appplication.

When I first opened DxO Optics Pro, a pop up window appeared with tips on how to utilize the program. I found it helpful, and you can turn it off once you’ve learned the ins and outs of the program. The wizard took me step by step through the image correction process. You can select one or many images to work on at one time, and when you make corrections, you can have them apply all at once to a batch of images—a real time saver.

When you first open original images from your camera, the software will detect its EXIF metadata. If it detects that an Optics Module exists for your camera and lens combination, the software will automatically download camera profiles from the DxO website for your camera. There is no guesswork, no worrying about where to install these profiles—the software does it automatically. I like that my computer isn’t storing useless profiles camera and lens combos that I will never use. The ease of use is much appreciated in that regard.

For automated processing and speeding workflow, professionals and advanced amateurs are likely find DxO Optics Pro preferable to usual go-to options simply because of the personalized Optics Modules and presets. What might take hours converting and adjusting takes mere minutes in DxO Optics Pro v6.6, which is an impressive feat. The processing automation enabled by the camera/lens-specific modules is amazing, though, as you’ll see after the jump, it’s not a miracle worker in every case.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 6, 2011 11:07 AM | Permalink

Italian Design Meets Practical Function: B-grip EVO Camera Belt System

Continue reading "Italian Design Meets Practical Function: B-grip EVO Camera Belt System" »

From fashion to high-performance sports cars, Italian companies create some of the most beautifully designed and skillfully manufactured products in the world. CPtech of Bologna brings Italian design and manufacturing to photography with the introduction of the b-grip EVO camera belt grip system.

The b-grip EVO system rides comfortably and securely at belt
level without hindering your movements. Image ©Stan Sholik

The b-grip system consists of a belt worn at the waist. The belt threads through the b-grip base plate, and a quick-release plate connects the base plate to the camera tripod socket. The b-grip securely supports still or video equipment up to 17.6 pounds. This frees you from neckstraps with cameras banging against your body and from aching shoulders at the end of the day. It also frees you from reaching into your camera bag, backpack or beltpack to retrieve your camera, lens, flash, or your video equipment.

The b-grip EVO system consists of the b-grip camera plate, base plate and belt. ©Stan Sholik

The b-grip base plate removed from the belt with the camera plate attached and locked. ©Stan Sholik

The b-grip base plate removed from the belt with the camera plate removed. ©Stan Sholik

The two b-grip plates are high-tech injection-molded plastic resin that is impregnated with fiberglass fibers and glass microspheres. The woven belt is heavy duty enough for the SWAT team, yet the complete system is light and comfortable to wear. And not only is the system functional, its style is unobtrusive, and it incorporates several well-designed features that add to its usefulness.

One security feature is a rubber stopper in the quick-release plate. You must remove it to attach the plate to the camera’s tripod socket. Once you've reinstalled it, it locks the screw to prevent the screw from loosening. And if your tripod head accepts the square German DIN plate (Velbon, Bilora, Cullman and other heads), you never need to remove the b-grip camera plate. My Arca-Swiss head holds the b-grip camera plate securely, but there is a little play in it.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 6, 2011 9:26 AM | Permalink

Artsy Couture Gallery Blocks Add a Stylish Dimension

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

When I first spotted Artsy Couture Gallery Blocks on a tradeshow floor, I was intrigued and asked the salesperson how the product was created. They have a depth like canvas wraps, but with sharp, neat edges. It’s a three-dimensional presentation of multiple blocks layered on one piece, too. The salesperson showed me that the pieces have a wood substructure and explained that the prints are metallic with a laminate-type coating over the top.

For the purposes of this review, I tested out three different products:

• 6x6 Gallery Block Set (3 single blocks with no backboard)
• The Top of the Line (7x10 floating gallery block on a 15x20 backboard)
• The Show Off (four 9.5x7.5 floating gallery blocks on a 21x21 backboard)

The Gallery Block set was very straightforward to order and lay out using ROES. The hardest part was selecting which designer template I wanted to use. Rather than having my images wrap around the edge, by selecting a designer template my 6”x6” gallery blocks ended up having a nice decorative fleur-de-lis pattern on the edges of each block. This turned out quite nicely!

Next, I designed The Show Off. While using ROES was no problem, I did spend more time figuring out the best layout option. Again, by selecting a designer template, I was able to have a pattern element on the edges to tie all the floating blocks together. The backboard also displayed the same pattern element. In the screenshot below, you’ll see how the layout is shown in upper left, and the four floating images (and wraps) as well as the backboard can be edited individually.

For my final sample piece, I designed The Top of the Line. This one was a little more complicated, because while I was happy with the layout, I wanted a horizontal orientation rather than vertical. By reading the directions, I discovered this was no problem—you just have to let Artsy Couture know in the ROES notes which way is “up” so the piece will hang properly.

Continue reading "Artsy Couture Gallery Blocks Add a Stylish Dimension" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 9, 2011 10:24 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

DxO FilmPack 3: Film Fidelity Without Digital Compromise

Continue reading "DxO FilmPack 3: Film Fidelity Without Digital Compromise" »

With 10 years in the digital image calibration business, DxO Labs has a strong reputation for quality image processing. This reputation is furthered with the updated release of their FilmPack 3. New in this version of FilmPack is a redesigned user interface and the ability to use the program as a standalone option or as a plug in within Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop and Apple's Aperture software programs.

What is the DxO FilmPack?

Sometimes we yearn for the nostalgic charm of fine black and white film photography and the incredible grain and vivid colors of analog color photography, but with the practical ease of digital imaging. There are tens if not hundreds of Photoshop actions that attempt to emulate that magical film feel. While we can come close to replicating film colors, contrast and luminosity within layers of levels, curves and contrast adjustments in Photoshop, we often fall short of achieving true film emulation. With improved noise reduction in the newest digital sensors comes a loss of realism and depth. Less noise equals smoother and buttery imagery, but that same combination of qualities produces images with decreased depth. When chemicals react with film and light you end up with photos that are filled with depth and grain, something modern digital photo sensors can't quite emulate.

With FilmPack 3, the authenticity of film grain is once again within reach. The FilmPack offers the beauty of various film grains to apply to images both black and white as well as being integrated within individual film presets. For instance you may long for the smooth neutral tonality, highlight and shadow detail and film grain of Kodak 400CN or maybe your desire is the vividness and contrast of film in a more realistic interpretation of the scene than you can achieve within the confines of the curves tool in Photoshop. The FilmPack serves both these purposes. With the click of the preview button after import, your images are displayed in the array of dozens of film choices: color negative, color positive, black and white and cross processed film options are at your disposal. There is no need to open multiple windows or run additional actions, the FilmPack allows you to preview and spot edit your images to taste with no more effort than clicking on a few options.

Figure 1: DxO FilmPack 3's emulation of the smooth neutral tonality, highlight and shadow detail and film grain of Kodak 400CN.

Figure 2: You can achieve the vividness and contrast of film in a more realistic interpretation of the scene than you can within the confines of the curves tool in Photoshop.

Figure 3: With the click of the preview button after import, your images are displayed in an array of dozens of film choices: color negative, color positive, black and white and cross processed film options are at your disposal.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 5, 2011 3:26 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

An Exciting Point of View: POV.HD Video

By Joan T. Sherwood, Senior Editor

The POV.HD from V.I.O captures HD video from a camera head about the size of a half-roll of quarters, which is tethered to a TV-remote-sized controller by a 1.5-meter cable. The controller itself has a small wireless remote control, and the head has several mounting options, including helmet and goggle mounts, a magnetic system and strap options. The camera head and controller are also durable (IP67 certified) and water proof (to 1 meter), so it can take the punishment of most sports to get an exciting POV video.

There is some very exciting potential for a POV video camera like this in conjunction with kids sports or senior portrait fusion (still and video) slideshows. Video clips captured with the POV.HD are saved in mp4 format to an SD card in the controller (4GB card included). The unit is not SDXC compatible. You can choose either 1920x1080 or 1280x720-pixel resolution and various progressive scan rates (1080p30, 1080p25, 1080p24, 720p60, 720p30).

It does include a small built-in microphone attached to the cable, but its capability is limited. If you can secure it to your subject in a way that keeps it stationary and not brushing against anything, you could feasibly get functional ambient audio to overlay on a soundtrack.

The best features of the POV.HD are the versatile camera head that does a decent job even in some difficult lighting situations, the video resolution, the durable construction, the LCD screen on the controller that lets you monitor what the camera head sees, and the tiny wireless remote control that works up to 15 feet away from the main controller. The drawbacks are the need for a tether; the 328 gram (11.56 ounces, with 4 AA batteries) weight of the controller, plus 186 additional grams (6.56 ounces) of camera head and cable; and the barrel distortion of the wide f/2 lens, particularly in full HD. It can also chew through some AA batteries, so have spares on hand.

With a controller that has to stay tethered to the camera head, you'll have to find a spot to secure it to the person or thing that the camera is mounted to. Does anyone still have a fanny pack? Cargo shorts pockets would work as well. Luckily, you can lock the buttons, so you can stow it inside anything without the recording settings getting inadvertantly changed. Still, some sort of sports holster would come in handy. The system does come with a nice carrying case, but it's larger than what you would want to attach to a skateboarder.

The camera body has a 6-element glass lens and, according to V.I.O., offers the widest field of view on the market at 142° in 1080p30 format. The camera body is 1.5 inches in diameter on the lens face, and approximately .875 inches wide on the smaller end. The CMOS sensor is native 1080p, and the controller offers quite a bit of flexibility over exposure and processing, including exposure compensation and metering, as well as sharpening, noise control, in-field editing and other features.

Continue reading "An Exciting Point of View: POV.HD Video" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 18, 2011 3:10 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Hot Stuff: The New Loktah LifeStyle Bag

By Robyn L. Pollman

Loktah, a natural media products company, has introduced their new LifeStyle line of bags. These bags feature warm earth tones textured by handmade hemp fabric. They are refined by champagne toned edges and waterproof lining. They can be used with or without the padded shoulder strap.

The CaseBag is designed for the iPad with up to a 23-inch strap drop and features a speaker opening with power opening and volume opening, a back magnetic pocket, and two magnetic closures. Public pricing: $75.00.

The LaptopBag is designed for laptops up to 17 inches with a 20.5-inch strap drop, two zippered pockets inside the front closure, a 13-inch back pocket on the outside, and is secured by magnetic closures. Public pricing: $132.00.

Both bags are creatively timeless in design.

Loktah, founded in 2008, creates natural packaging for the photographic and videography industries. They offer world-wide shipping via UPS and USPS. Volume discounts are available on large orders. Loktah Pro is exclusively for Professionals, with accounts processed within 24 to 48 hours.

See more from Robyn L. Pollman at paperieboutique.com and buttonsandbowsphotography.com.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 18, 2011 1:43 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Need for Speed; Lexar Professional Dual-Slot USB 3.0 Card Reader

By David Saffir

I recently received two products for testing—the Lexar 8GB 600X UDMA CF Card, and the new Lexar Professional Dual-Slot USB 3.0 Card Reader. Together, they deliver the fastest download times to a host computer I’ve seen to date.

This card reader accepts CF UDMA cards, SDXC, and SD UHS-I (SD 3.0) card formats. The reader is also backward compatible with USB 2.0 devices, and standard CF, SD, and SDHC cards.

The card reader can perform downloads of single cards, concurrent downloads of a CF and SD card, and transfer data from one card to another.

It is robust and well made, and should hold up well in studio or field use. The card reader follows along in the design of its USB 2.0 predecessor, a clamshell setup that snaps shut when not in use. We all know that a piece of dirt or debris in the wrong place can damage or ruin a card reader or card.

Of course, a USB 3.0 cable is provided; the card reader end of the cable is unique to 3.0, and the host connection end will fit either a 3.0 or 2.0 port. The host connection part of the cable is marked in blue to differentiate it from USB 2.0.

This USB 3.0 card reader can reportedly reach speeds of up to 500MB per second. This is blazing fast—obviously much faster than USB 2.0. But what happens when you try to download your images to your computer?

I tried a half-dozen PCs, all running Windows 7 (there are USB 3.0 drivers available for Mac, but I did not have one available to me). Test machines included desktops and laptops, all equipped with USB 3.0 ports.

Continue reading "The Need for Speed; Lexar Professional Dual-Slot USB 3.0 Card Reader" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 15, 2011 11:42 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Foba BALTE Quick-release Plate Manages Tethering Cables

Continue reading "Foba BALTE Quick-release Plate Manages Tethering Cables" »

If you regularly use a tripod you know the value of a good quick-release system that speeds up connecting and disconnecting a camera or lens from the tripod head and very securely holds the mass of the camera and lens combination to the tripod head. There are two common QR designs used today, Arca-Swiss’ open ended design and the various fixed cavity shape Manfrotto designs. The Manfrotto design features clamps and plates of various shapes. Arca-Swiss’ mechanically simpler, more ergonomically hand friendly designhas been copied by a broad range of manufacturers.

The newest addition to the Arca-Swiss based QR system comes from the Switzerland-based Sinar Broncolor Foba coalition, the Bron Imaging Group. Designed for photographers and videographers who regularly work with a camera tethered to a computer, the Foba BALTE plate’s unique feature is a pair of channels in the body of the plate that can carry either a USB, Firewire 400 or 800 (and presumably soon an Intel “Thunderbolt”) cables. The body of the camera (or perhaps a lens with a tripod mount foot) is the channels’ ceiling.

The design works well whether the camera is tripod mounted or hand held. It removes the stress and tension of a cable’s weight from the port on the camera and keeps the cable gathered neatly directly under the main part of the camera’s body. The body of the plate is hard black anodized black aluminum. To tighten the plate to a camera body requires a simple flat blade screwdriver or in a pinch, a thin coin like a U.S. dime. The plate is no thicker than a current standard QR plate from Really Right Stuff, In fact it has a lower profile than the base of a Really Right Stuff "L" plate.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 13, 2011 11:41 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Raw Gets Better in ACDSee Pro 4; Map View Makes Use of GPS

Continue reading "Raw Gets Better in ACDSee Pro 4; Map View Makes Use of GPS " »

Since I was first introduced to ACDSee Pro when it was in version 2.5, I have recommended the program to casual users who didn’t want to learn, or didn’t need, the complexities of Adobe Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom. These users included friends, advanced amateurs and my wife. With the introduction of version ACDSee Pro version 3, I began using it to manage my own casual photography.

Version 3 impressed me with its speed on our not-so-advanced Windows machine at home, and the fact that it combined the digital asset management functions of Bridge with the global adjustment abilities of Lightroom, all in one program. Version 3 cleaned up the look of the interface and introduced the concept of modes, allowing users to easily move between browsing, viewing, processing their images, and then uploading them to ACDSee Online for sharing with others. The raw file processor of version 2.5 became the Develop sub-mode of the Process mode in version 3, with the capability to make non-destructive edits to RAW, TIFF, JPEG and other file formats. Version 2.5’s Edit mode for non-destructive pixel-level edits became the Edit sub-menu in version 3.

The shortcomings in version 3 were few, but some would be important to me if I wanted to migrate to the program for my commercial work. While version 3 included raw processing, it lacked chromatic aberration and color fringing correction tools, and the results were too contrasty for my taste. I’m also in the habit of applying full IPTC metadata to my images, and support for IPTC wasn’t quite there in version 3.

With the release of ACDSee Pro 4 for Windows, these shortcomings are eliminated and a few new features are added. I’m not convinced there are enough new and upgraded features to warrant a new version number or the $167.99 upgrade price, but version 4 does offer incremental and useful improvements in areas that interest me.

Raw file processing is one of these areas. ACDSee now includes both color aberration and color fringing correction tools. But perhaps more significantly, processing raw files is now accomplished in the ProPhoto RGB color space rather than Adobe RGB color space. This allows for adjustments to be done using a larger color gamut and therefore greater precision. ACDSee writes their own raw file processing algorithms, and the algorithms are revised in the latest version to provide smoother and more accurate adjustments to color, contrast, and exposure. The differences between the same image processed in the two versions are obvious with version 4 being the clear winner. One downside continues to exist as a result of ACDSee writing the raw processing algorithms—it takes a while for support for new cameras to become available. My Nikon P7000 is still not supported.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 30, 2011 4:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A Look at Square, the Credit Card App for iOS and Android

By Curtis Walker

Square first launched their service a year ago, since then they’ve grown into a valuable credit card processing resource for individuals and small businesses. Invented by Jack Dorsey after a friend lost a $2,000 art sale due to a cash-only operation. Dorsey (@jack) is also the guy who invented Twitter.

Unlike every other credit card solution, Square charges no upfront costs and skims a mere 2.75% off transactions. Unlike PayPal, which is also inexpensive, Square requires no setup on the part of the customer.

Available now for Apple iOS and Google Android, the Square app is free. It works in conjunction with a free credit card reader that plugs into the plain old headphone slot. The best experience comes from using the iPad app. Users can enter individual prices or use set up items in advance. Sales tax and tips can also be collected.

Once items have been added to the cart, swiping the card takes the user to a confirmation page where they sign and confirm the purchase. Receipts are delivered via SMS or e-mail and include all sorts of useful information for the customer. An internet connection is required in order to make any purchases.

The only restriction on charges is a limit of $1,000 per week to be deposited for new users. Transactions above that amount are held for 30 days.

Square is ideal for any business that wants to accept credit cards while avoiding the majority of fees involved.

New users can sign up for Square online or at any Apple Store.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 30, 2011 3:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Just Right Light: Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight

Top-of-the-line technology and a bit less brawn makes the Nikon SB-700 an excellent flash in its class.

Continue reading "Just Right Light: Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight" »

The Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight is the newest addition to Nikon’s family of iTTL battery powered electronic flashes. It’s smaller and less powerful than the slightly older SB-900 AF, yet it’s more capable than the SB-600 AF Speedlight it replaces. It has the same electronic “brains” as the SB-900, with a better GUI and communication with Nikon DSLR cameras and other accessories, and some of the same mechanics. The SB-700 has a set of hard plastic color filters rather than the gelatin type, and the refined Thermal Cut-Out Protection System to slow recycling when the flash tube needs protection from high heat.

The SB-700 retails for about $325, the SB-900 for about $495. Is this product worth the $170 savings? Depends on how you use small flash. If you constantly use an SB-900 at maximum output or if you need the ultra-short recycle time and increased capacity of an external high-voltage battery like a Quantum Turbo, the SB-700 is not for you. But if you’re in the market for a second flash to use on or off camera, or if you dislike the bulk and weight of the SB-900, rarely use an SB-900 or 800 at full output—in other words, you rarely see the recycle light blink —then by all means, look at the SB-700.

With small lights, I follow a more-is-more philosophy; it’s easier to get a flash to produce much less light than its full capacity than it is to get a low-energy flash to exceed its capability. Even with the ever-improving ratio of noise to high ISO of digital cameras, real-world measurement of maximum energy is a useful baseline for measuring performance.

To compare an SB-700 to a 900, I set up a simple test in a dark-walled studio. I measured output at the various zoom settings with a Sekonic L-758DR meter that was mounted on a stand 10 feet from the stand-mounted Speedlights. I shot five frames at each of the flashes’ zoom settings to evaluate consistency. Both flashes were powered by freshly charged Sanyo Eneloop batteries. To calculate the guide numbers, I used the formula, GN=distance X ƒ-number at ISO 100.

The results were a little surprising, in a good way: The SB-700 is more powerful than Nikon’s published numbers, but not evenly across the settings. When both flashes were set up for wide-angle coverage of 14-35mm, the SB-900 was only 4/10-steps brighter than the SB-700; at the 50-70mm zoom settings, the difference widened to 6/10-steps; and at 85-120mm the gap again widened slightly to 7/10-steps.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 30, 2011 10:07 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Bay Photo CollageWall Delivers on Easy-Install Claims

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

The CollageWall by Bay Photo has a patent-pending hanging system that makes it easy to hang pictures in a grid system. I was intrigued to see how the system works, and to see if the installation was as easy and fool-proof as promoted. So, I downloaded Bay Photo’s ROES software, and experimented with different image combinations and layouts. This step of the process was easy. You simply choose the type of CollageWall you’d like—photographic prints or metal prints. I first designed a 16-image piece, but decided it looked a little busy. My final design included six images over a 2x3-foot wall space.

My CollageWall order arrived in a timely manner, complete with hanging materials and printed instructions.

The hanging materials included a set of silver push pins, painter’s tape (for hanging the template), and a drill bit for predrilling the pin holes if you have plaster walls.

While installation seemed pretty self-explanatory—put the pins in the circles on the hanging template—I figured it couldn’t hurt to watch the instructional video before getting started. The video actually helped clarify a few things for me, like the fact that after placing the template on the wall, you should make pin prick marks at each of the hanging sites rather than pushing the hanging pin in all the way. That way you can save the template for later use if needed.

The video also explained how to separate my CollageWall elements, which arrived mounted to black cardboard as you’ll see below.

The mounting bracket is made out of this cardboard, as are little foldable easel stands. Should you choose to swap out a new picture in your CollageWall, simply attach the folded easel stand to the back mounting bracket, and you have a self-standing display piece. This is a great feature to point out to clients to let them know they can keep their CollageWall updated with recent images and still display the earlier photos however they would like.

Continue reading "Bay Photo CollageWall Delivers on Easy-Install Claims" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 29, 2011 12:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (1)

6 Etsy Shops We Love

By Robyn L. Pollman

WARNING: This column can be dangerous to your wallet. For those who have not discovered Etsy, prepare to lose a great deal of your time (and money) by having a look around. Etsy’s motto is, “Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade.” They combine the products of an outdoor market or craft fair with the ease of online purchasing. Etsy features several hundreds of thousands of sellers in over 150 countries. If you can think of it, chances are you can buy it there!

Stash Bags
Stash Bags makes stylish and useful camera bags for men and women in three sizes, including a large size suitable for professional use. The store also sells messenger bags for laptops, the MacBook Air, iPads, e-readers, iPods and iPhones. Bags are handmade and designed with vintage fabrics, using leather and metal elements as hardware with a modern function.

Baby P Designs
Baby P Designs offers cute, stylish made-to-order newborn hats and photography props including hand-knit baby cocoons, wraps, slings, blankets and diaper covers. Their Handspun Luxe Collection includes custom handspun spun wool. The store also features a "Ready to Ship" line which ships immediately with purchase, and custom designs are available.

Hairbows Lady
Don't let the name fool you - this Etsy shop is a packaging addict's dream. The Ribbon Center contains over 350 different varieties of ribbon in every color scheme, pattern, and size imaginable. They also sell holiday themed ribbon and package embellishments.

Shimrit'a Cupcakes
These faux-cupcakes and treats are perfect for birthday sessions. They look amazingly real and good enough to eat, but eliminate the risk of icing and grease stains from tiny little fingers. They also guarantee that the icing will not melt and slide off the cake before you've had a chance to take the shot. Props are available in sizes from mini to regular and jumbo cupcakes, and the store sells full-size cakes as well.

Fuzzy Lumpkin Crochet
This Etsy store carries baby hats, headbands, baby wraps and cocoons, baby booties, photo props, jewelry, accessories, warm winter items, crocheted flowers, doilies, bags and more. If it can be crocheted, it is for sale here. Custom pieces available upon request. Their "Softest Ever Hat" (shown) is a parents-favorite for holiday and winter newborns.

It's Written on the Wall
It's Written on the Wall carries over 300 quote designs to decorate your office or studio. They will design custom quotes as well, and offer over 60 color choices and 9 quote categories. Application instructions are included to adhere vinyl lettering to walls. Removal is quick and easy.

See more from Robyn L. Pollman at paperieboutique.com and buttonsandbowsphotography.com.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 7, 2011 1:50 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

More Than Just DAM: ACDSee Pro Finally Goes Mac

Continue reading "More Than Just DAM: ACDSee Pro Finally Goes Mac" »

Professional photographers using Windows-based computers have a variety of imaging software applications at all price points available to them. Mac-based photographers have only a few options available from Adobe and Apple. The release of ACDSee Pro (Mac) provides a new and worthy option for Mac users.

After nearly two years in beta testing with professional photographers, ACDSee Pro (Mac) is now available in version 1.8. While not as feature rich as the Windows version, now in version 4, ACDSee Pro (Mac) is a solid offering with the potential of becoming an essential part of many Mac photographers’ workflows.

To categorize ACDSee Pro (Mac) as a digital asset management (DAM) application is to ignore many of its strengths. It isn’t simply an alternative to Adobe Bridge, although it performs many of the same functions. You can import images directly from your camera or camera card, browse images, videos and other assets anywhere on your computer or network without importing them, add IPTC and EXIF metadata and keywords, and perform file management functions. One of the greatest strengths of the Mac version, as well as the Windows versions that preceded it, is the speed with which it displays thumbnails.

It isn’t simply an alternative to Adobe Lightroom either, although ACDSee Pro (Mac) allows non-destructive global image editing and RAW file conversion, leaving only complex pixel-level editing, masking and layering tasks to Photoshop or similar software. ACDSee Pro (Mac) can view and process JPEG and TIFF files, and the RAW file formats supported by the Mac operating system.

In fact, it is difficult to fit ACDSee Pro (Mac) into any one category because it is capable of doing so much. It may be easiest to think of it as software that will do virtually anything that a professional photographer would need to do with a large image library, from importing digital captures to exporting final files to the lab or your client.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 7, 2011 10:14 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Bigger Looks Better: OnOne Perfect Resize 7 Professional

By Curtis Walker

Back in December, 2010, onOne Software released a new version of Genuine Fractals, now renamed Perfect Resize 7. The new name makes it much simpler for consumers to understand the purpose, focusing on the what more than the how.

Perfect Resize 7 is a long-lived super-sizing application that uses a complex re-sampling algorithm, enabling digital image enlargement without the undesirable effects of pixelization. Miraculous things are possible, like pixel-free gallery art prints from a 10-megapixel Nikon D80. The fractal-based interpolating algorithm does not invent detail that never existed, and it performs upscaling far more elegantly than crude bicubic resampling.

For anyone who’s already familiar with the product, a few important new features make it a worthy upgrade: Apple Aperture- and Adobe Lightroom-native plug-in support, and gallery wrap features top the list. The native plug-in support is great because you don’t have to launch into Photoshop first, killing RAM. As part of a workflow, it’s great. Once the master edits are complete, the user simply sends the final image through Perfect Resize to generate a digital master for final proofing or delivery. If you edit primarily in Photoshop, there's a new onOne panel available to give you fast access to any of the applications in the Perfect Photo Suite. To bring up the panel, just go to Window > Extensions and select onOne. Then you can nest the panel wherever you'd like for your workflow. Watch this video from onOne for Lightroom, Aperture, and other application workflow information.

The gallery wrap function is a nice bit of efficiency built into the new workflow as well. It gives you a fast, easy way to create side panels for a gallery wrap. You can choose a reflection of your image—a mirror of the portion of your image closest to the sides—or a stretch, which samples a section of pixels along the border and stretches them out to fill the side panels.

Continue reading "Bigger Looks Better: OnOne Perfect Resize 7 Professional" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 6, 2011 1:30 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A How-to Photoshop Retouching Guide for Face and Body

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Photographers looking to refine their retouching skills should consider adding Bodyshop: The Photoshop Retouching Guide for the Face and Body, by Birgit Nitzsche and Karsten Rose, to their library. Bodyshop focuses on practical ways to refine and improve on the human body in Photoshop, after the image has been captured by the camera. The book contains many walk-through demonstrations with straightforward before and after comparison images, as well as a bullet-point summary of what changes will be made and explained. For each topic, the authors go through a detailed step-by-step explanation of how to accomplish the retouching technique.

The layout of the book makes the examples easy to follow, or even to skip ahead in the retouch process if you already understand how to do several steps. I found myself skimming through some portions of the explanation that already made sense to me so that I could get to the techniques I needed to learn. If you are someone who learns by doing rather than simply reading about a new technique, you can download work files either from the book’s website or from the included resource DVD. The DVD contains:

• Before and after versions of the images
• Setting files
• Trial version of Nik Software

There are two ways to study the techniques in Bodyshop—you can either read through, cover to cover, or jump to the section you need the most help with by consulting the table of contents. Each of the demonstration sections is listed in the TOC, so you can effectively use this book as a reference guide when retouching. Here’s a sampling of what’s in each chapter:

• Chapter 1: Body Contours (slim legs, reduce belly, replace missing body parts)
• Chapter 2: Facial Contours (reduce laugh lines, refine nose, change facial proportions)
• Chapter 3: Eyes (adapt eye size, remove glasses reflections, opening blinking eyes)
• Chapter 4: Mouth (correct teeth, emphasize lips, add lip gloss)
• Chapter 5: Skin (improve skin texture/tone, reduce skin glare)
• Chapter 6: Hair (isolate hair from background, bring out texture, remove stubble)
• Chapter 7: Hands and Feet (emphasize age, get fingernails into shape)

At the end of each chapter, you’ll find a basic overview section to help increase your understanding of: workflow, layers, paths, blend modes, special layer techniques, sharpening and paths. Like all the demonstrations, you can quickly access these segments of the book.

Whether you choose to use “Bodyshop” as a reference guide or more of a hands-on tutorial, the techniques demonstrated are done so in a clear and concise manner, followed by an in-depth walk-through on the subject. I appreciated the detailed instructions when learning about unfamiliar techniques, and the ability to quickly review the before and after versions was helpful as a reminder of the purpose of each exercise. This book will be a great addition to any retoucher’s library. “Bodyshop: The Photoshop Retouching Guide for the Face and Body,” by Birgit Nitzsche and Karsten Rose, is available for $49.99 from wiley.com/go/bodyshop or from Amazon for $31.49.

Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP, has a portrait studio in Dexter, Michigan (BPhotoArt.com); she shares tips and ideas for photographers at LearnWithBetsy.com.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 27, 2011 3:21 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

SpyderGallery: Color Calibration Now a Reality for Your iPad, and Free

By David Saffir

Almost any photographer who owns an iPad enjoys its form factor, usability, and overall coolness. But color on the iPad is something of a mystery that raises a few questions—does it use the sRGB color space? (no) Something else? (yes) Can it be calibrated? (finally: yes, it can!).

A new product from Datacolor, SpyderGallery, makes it dead easy to calibrate your iPad—versions 1 or 2—and the results are noticeably better: image quality, color accuracy, saturation, shadow detail, and detail in highly saturated areas are improved, within the constraints of the iPad color range of course. It uses an existing screen calibration instrument from Datacolor, the Spyder3, and some new, and unique, software applications.

Continue reading "SpyderGallery: Color Calibration Now a Reality for Your iPad, and Free" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 27, 2011 11:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A New Angle on Video in an Economy HD DSLR: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Continue reading "A New Angle on Video in an Economy HD DSLR: Canon EOS Rebel T3i" »

There once was a time when launching a video production business took thousands of dollars in startup capital for the professional equipment alone. Then came the Canon EOS Rebel T2i camera, priced at $800, offering video quality on par with the EOS 7D, quality surpassing that of professional camcorders of just a few years ago that sold for five times more. Now, less than a year after the release of the T2i, Canon has released an upgraded model, the Rebel T3i, selling for about $850. Here, we look at the new model as a video production tool, and at some key differences between it and other popular Canon HD DSLRs.

Unlike almost all earlier Canon HD DSLRs except the 60D, the T3i has a flip-out view screen with 270 degrees of rotation. That’s an important feature to event film makers, who frequently need to shoot high or low. Having a flip-out view screen and being able to angle it to get those shots is a fantastic benefit—so often it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.

The second major physical difference between the T3i and other models is the absence of a topside digital display. It does sport the traditional Rebel dial to set the camera modes, the power switch, the ISO button, and the adjustment dial. Turning the dial alone adjusts the shutter speed, and turning the dial while holding down the aperture/exposure compensation (Av) button on the backside adjusts the aperture. You can easily adjust other settings on the fly from the Quick Control button on the back.

The camera has a dedicated movie mode, and A/V-out and HDMI-out ports on the side for linking the camera with external monitors. There’s also a port for a mic connection with a 1/8inch mini-jack. The T3i is smaller and lighter than the 7D, and it uses SD cards, including SDXC extended capacity cards. As you’d expect of a camera in this price range, it feels much less rugged than the 7D and larger cameras, and lacks the weather proofing as well.

But let’s get to the meat and potatoes of its use for video production. It does not have the feature set you’d want for professional still photography, but it packs a powerful punch for video production. The key aspects:

FOCAL LENGTH: The T3i has an APSC sensor, which makes the 35mm-equivalent focal length about 1.6X. A good focal length range for shooting traveling shots on devices like a glide-cam is 16 to 24mm. Divide by 1.6 to determine which focal length lens to use. I prefer the 12 to 16mm range with a 1.6 lens factor. For weddings and other events where you can’t get that close, slap a 70-200mm lens on this baby and your reach extends to 320mm. That comes in handy.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 4, 2011 12:13 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

58 Custom Keys to Streamline Your Workflow: X-keys Professional

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

X-keys Professional, from P.I. Engineering, is a 58-key customizable keyboard; straight out of the box, it might look unassuming. But that's the beauty of it—you can customize X-keys to your heart's content. Imagine how 58 custom keys could help streamline your workflow. I have to admit, once my X-keys unit was set up and operational, it really helped increase my editing efficiency in Photoshop, but I'm getting ahead of myself. First to explain how it works.

The X-keys unit ships with a set of key labels, the software disc, and three double-sized keys that you can install if you choose. I opted to keep all 58 keys, since I knew I would use them! You can download (or order) legend sheets to create customized key labels. I found it most useful to make my own key labels, along with a layout chart of which shortcuts I wanted to associate with certain keys (download templates).

My process began with making a list of all the shortcuts I use most frequently—whether in Photoshop, Bridge, or just general computer actions. Here's a picture of my worksheet—I wrote down the desired label, whether the shortcut would be a global command (or program-specific), and what keystrokes to program.

Then, I created a rough draft of my layout (using my worksheet). As I wrote down where to program each action/keystroke, I also made note of any existing keyboard shortcuts on the worksheet. For example, I created Undo and Redo buttons—which are global keystrokes, but also Photoshop-specific. When Photoshop is open, the Undo/Redo buttons perform the Step Forward/Backward function. For some of my desired buttons, I did not have any keyboard shortcuts assigned in Photoshop. So, rather than programming keystroke by keystroke within the X-keys software, I simply created an action in Photoshop, and then assigned a keyboard shortcut (e.g. Shift+F7) to the action.

Continue reading "58 Custom Keys to Streamline Your Workflow: X-keys Professional" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 4, 2011 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Practical Photoshop Instruction for Nature Photographers Is Applicable for All

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Ellen and Josh Anon, a mother-son photographer team, have partnered to write “Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers.” The book is written specifically for nature photographers who want to fully utilize features in Adobe Photoshop CS 5. The authors focus mainly on techniques using the standard version of Photoshop, but also include sidebars in each chapter on how to do particular tasks using Photoshop Elements.

“Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers” is subtitled “A Workshop in a Book” for good reason. As each chapter progresses, you'll find sections titled Try It. These sections are helpful if you learn by doing, allowing you to download the appropriate image file from the companion website and practice the techniques you've learned. In addition to the working files, there are also video tutorials available to give you a better understanding of certain techniques. I found the section on how to adjust color temperature without relying on visual techniques particularly interesting. This process would be invaluable for any photographer who suffers from color blindness or who has to work on a non-calibrated or improperly calibrated monitor.

The goal of this book is to provide photographers with an easy and efficient workflow. With that in mind, the Anons discus workflow, exposure, color, adjustments, composites, output techniques, and more. They present two workflow options (traditional and flexible) for you to choose from, as fits best into your working style.

Continue reading "Practical Photoshop Instruction for Nature Photographers Is Applicable for All" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 14, 2011 9:34 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Getting Into Green Screen: Will It Work for You?

By Kurt Robertson

Backgrounds are a major expense for a photography studio. Over the years, I have worked with countless canvas, muslin, and various other backgrounds. One of the things I always longed for was the ability to change the background to match the theme or subject at will without taking so much time to arrange and light the new background choice.

One of the big developments in the digital imaging world is chroma-key technology. Chroma-key software has the ability to drop out specific colors, usually bright green or sometimes bright blue. Chroma-key in video has been around for many years, but does this technology now have a place in portrait photography as well?

I combined a chroma-key portrait with this background from EZ Backgrounds using PhotoKey4. I retouched blemishes and other minor details in Photoshop CS5 and then processed it with Imagenomic Portraiture, adjusted the contrast, and used Nik Color Efex Pro 3 to warm up the image and darken the corners. I sharpened the image with Nik Sharpener Pro and finally added a cement wall texture in the overlay blending mode of CS5. Overall processing took about 20 minutes. ©Kurt Robertson

Just as film photographers didn't switch to digital SLR cameras without experiencing workflow consequences, adding digital backgrounds to your studio will create new issues. How will you extract the subject from your images? How will you put the backgrounds into your images, and how good will the quality be? How much time can you afford to prepare your images? Most important, how will you present and sell the images?

With that in mind, let’s take a look at two contenders, Green Screen Wizard Pro 5.0 and PhotoKey 4 Pro.

Green Screen Wizard is a PC-only application with several versions available. Green Screen Wizard Pro 5.0 has many useful features for event photography, but our primary focus for this article is image presentation, green screen removal and image output.

Image courtesy Green Screen Wizard

Green Screen Wizard Pro 5.0 has a simple workflow for portrait studios. You click Load Foreground to load in your green screen photo and Load Background to preview your image. The Pick button allows you to preview the photo on multiple backgrounds at the same time (below), which will be valuable if you want to let clients choose their favorite background. It’s also useful for studio staff to be able to look at several options. You can also output just the subject with a transparent background as a .png file. Once you combine the subject with a background, the file will output with the background and subject combined (flattened).

Images ©Kurt Robertson

Continue reading "Getting Into Green Screen: Will It Work for You?" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 7, 2011 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: DxO Optics Pro v6.5 is an Auto Adjustment Hit

Continue reading "Pro Review: DxO Optics Pro v6.5 is an Auto Adjustment Hit" »

There is no “magic bullet” software for post production of raw and JPEG image files. Each program comes with an upside and a downside. The upside with DxO Optics Pro is its automatic adjustment presets; the downside has always been its speed of operation, especially on a Mac. Version 6 showed some speed improvements and now version 6.5 (actually 6.5.5 as of a few days ago) shows greater improvement still, making it worth looking at in detail.

With many advanced and professional photographers comfortably settled into either a Lightroom, Aperture, or Bridge/Photoshop workflow, it may be a tough sell for DxO to convince them to investigate another application. But Optics Pro has much to offer, chiefly its processing automation and camera/lens-specific DxO Optics Modules, although neither of these are new to version 6.5.

Image correction with little or no human intervention lies at the core of Optics Pro’s processing automation. In addition, there is a series of tools that allow you to fine-tune the automatic corrections.

DxO revised the Optics Pro interface in version 6.0 and has kept the same clean, contemporary look in version 6.5. Four tabs at the top, Select, Customize, Process and View take you to different windows as you move through the workflow. In the Select tab, the browser pane is to the left, a Preview pane where the images in the selected folder appear is to the right, and a Project pane at the bottom hold selected images for processing. In the “First Steps” mode, information to guide you through the process appears onscreen.

The automation is built around workspaces and presets. Three workspaces are found in Optics Pro: First Steps, Essentials and Advanced User. The First Steps workspace includes the basic corrections and a wizard to walk you through the workflow if you are new to the program. Additional tools are added in the Essentials workspace and even more in the Advanced User. Tools with corrections that DxO has made automatically are indicated with an “Auto” in the tools header. These automatic corrections could be based on image content or camera, camera/lens calibration for the parameters that Optics Pro finds in the image EXIF information and the corresponding DxO Optic Module that you have downloaded.

The Customize tab is the most complex, even in the First Steps workspace shown. Visualization tools are on the left, a preview of the adjusted image is in the center, adjustment palettes are on the right, and the Project pane from the Select tab, is below. The First Steps workspace has minimal adjustments available.

The Essentials workspace adds a histogram to the Visualization tools and more adjustments are available in the adjustment palette.

The Advanced User workspace adds a small amount of EXIF information to the Visualization tools and all of the available adjustments are listed in the adjustment palette.

From my experience while testing, this part of the automation works extremely well, particularly so if you have the appropriate Optics Module loaded. While there are more than 3,000 Optics Modules available, I seemed to have the wrong combination of Nikon camera and Nikkor or Sigma lens to make use of them most of the time, but when I did, there was an noticeable, though slight, improvement in image quality. Where I did notice an amazing improvement in image quality was in images from my Nikon P7000, which was recently added to the Optics Modules. For a compact camera, the P7000 is excellent, but with Optics Pro the images are superb. I saw the same high degree of improvement in images from a Canon G12.

If Optics Pro detects EXIF metadata that indicates you are adding images to a project for which an Optics Module is available, it will prompt you to download the module.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 6, 2011 2:19 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Improve Video Stability and Production Quality with Zacuto Rigs and Z-Finder Pro

Continue reading "Improve Video Stability and Production Quality with Zacuto Rigs and Z-Finder Pro" »

If you decide to take up the craft of DSLR filmmaking, one of the things you will quickly realize is that shooting video is very different from shooting photos. One of the key differences is that unless you are extremely experienced, hand-held video shot with a DSLR will look terrible. It’ll be too shaky, resulting in significantly lower production quality than stabilized footage. The other thing you’ll notice is that trying to focus with an LCD screen is extremely difficult, especially at the wider apertures where depth of field is very shallow. These cameras were just not ergonomically designed to shoot video. As usual, Mother Necessity has led the way to a whole sub-industry dedicated to providing gear that helps the DSLR filmmaker shoot proper video.

Zacuto, based in Chicago, Ill., is one of the leaders in that industry. Created by veteran Emmy-award-winning film and video producers Steve Weiss and Jens Bogehegn, one of the reasons their gear has become so well known is because they bring more than 50 combined years of industry experience. I had the opportunity to try out three of their most popular DSLR accessories: the Z-Finder Pro, the Target Shooter, and the Striker.

The Z-Finder Pro: The Z-Finder Pro is perhaps Zacuto’s number-one DSLR accessory. It is an optical viewfinder that connects to the back of the DSLR, magnifiying the LCD live view image. If you’re using manual focus, this allows you to dial-in focus and keep it there as you shoot. It also blocks out glare from additional light sources like the sun. It also serves as an additional point of contact to get steadier shots. The more points of contact you can have, the more stability you have. When you hold a DSLR up to and against your eye with the Z-Finder Pro, you now have three POCs: two hands and your face.

When the Z-Finder first came out, you had to physically glue it to the back of your DSLR. It could be detached, but it was an awkward setup. Now they’ve designed it with a mounting frame and base plate that screws into to your tripod mount socket. You can adjust the Z-Finder to the left or right depending on the camera, and you can even add plastic extenders to push the Z-Finder farther out from the back of the camera, allowing you to adjust the focus on the Z-Finder itself to match your eyesight.

I found it very easy to use and extremely effective at monitoring focus. Of all the optical viewfinders on the market, it is the one chosen by high-profile DSLR filmmakers such as Vincent Laforet and Philip Bloom. If you’re doing a lot of moving around, it will be a key accessory in your tool kit.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 6, 2011 10:00 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

KeyPad Pro: Turn Your iPad Into a Keyboard of Shortcuts

Continue reading "KeyPad Pro: Turn Your iPad Into a Keyboard of Shortcuts" »

Today there are many items available for you to speed up your workflow. Just look at all the great keyboards that come pre-programmed with shortcuts to your favorite software programs such as Motobodo, X-Keys, and RPG Keys. If you own an iPad, you might already have one of these great time-saving keyboards in your hand. The KeyPad Pro app ($4.99 in the iTunes App Store) allows you to turn your iPad into an extra keyboard with your own customized buttons. It allows you to make your own “keypads” for any software program, with each keypad having its own set of custom shortcut buttons. KeyPad Pro communicates with your computer via your local wi-fi network.

Part of the power of KeyPad Pro is the ability to customize and share your keypads. You’re free to create your own keypads from scratch, and the developers of KeyPad Pro provide some pre-made keypads for $0.99 each. I highly recommend purchasing the Photoshop keypad, not only because it’s a great starting point for customizing your own Photoshop keypad, but it’s also a great way to learn advanced ways to setup keypads for other software programs. I purchased the Photoshop keypad as a starting point and added buttons to run my favorite actions. Any keypads you make can be shared on the KeyPad Pro forum, where you can also download keypads from others. Or e-mail your favorite keypad directly to a friend—it can all be done from within the KeyPad Pro app itself.

There are so many options for creating your own keypad, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The help menus within the app itself are a must-read—they will explain each type of button and how it functions. There are buttons for sliders (great for managing Photoshop brush sizes), buttons that will perform a bunch of steps (great for Photoshop Actions with multiple steps!), and buttons that will display a menu. Each button can have multiple keystrokes assigned to it as well: one for tapping the button once, one for holding down the button, and one for double-tapping the button. The possibilities are endless!

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 5, 2011 3:34 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Book Review: "Skin" by Lee Varis

By Betsy Finn

As portrait and wedding photographers, it's important we understand how to retouch our subjects’ skin in a realistic manner, and that we understand the concepts behind achieving believable skin tone. "Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies," by Lee Varis, is a book that sets out to help photographers achieve this goal.

While Varis covers the techniques he uses to achieve a color balanced workflow (and how to get realistic color), he does note that “accurate color is often boring color … most people say they want ‘accurate’ color, but what they prefer (and what clients buy) is ‘pretty’ color.”

While the writing was somewhat technical, I stayed interested and followed along easily. If you’re the type who learns best by doing rather than just reading about something, you will find Varis’ companion website resources to be invaluable. Varis has graciously made available a number of image files that he uses as examples in the book, so you can experiment with the techniques yourself after reading how Varis achieves a particular look. Varis’ website also offers video and PDF tutorials, which may be helpful if you need further instruction.

The book includes a review of the basics in order to set a good foundation for Varis’ theories on color managing skin tones, but unlike some other books I’ve read, this book was able to do so without losing my interest.

I appreciated Varis’ discussion of the digital zone system, managing skin tones via RGB and CMYK, and how he uses the eyedropper tool to gauge what specific adjustments need to be made to an image. As he notes in the text, the eyes tend to compensate for adjacent colors, so relying on hard numbers in addition to your intuition is the best way to achieve the desired color.

Continue reading "Book Review: "Skin" by Lee Varis" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 5, 2011 10:18 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A look at Lexar's new SDXC Extended Capacity Card

Continue reading "A look at Lexar's new SDXC Extended Capacity Card" »

Currently, the two most wide spread “flavors” of SD cards are plain SD and SDHC. SD cards can hold up to 2GB of data, whereas SDHC cards can hold 4GB to 32GB of data. They are based on the FAT32 file system. FAT stands for File Allocation Table and it is a computer architecture structure upon which most computer operating systems and smaller memory devices are based. It is the FAT32 system that limits video clips captured on SD and CF cards to just 4GB each (approximately 12 minutes of time for most cameras).

A couple of years ago, the SDXC (secure digital extended capacity) format was introduced. This new system was based on the SD Association’s 3.0 specification and created an entirely new structure that is based on exFAT file system (also known as FAT64). These cards are NOT backwards compatible with older SD host devices. The benefit of this new format is extended data capacity and transfer buffer speeds.

Lexar has come out with its Professional SDXC card that is 64GB and 128GB with bus transfer speed of 133x, or 20MB/s. (To put this in perspective, the cards I normally shoot my gigs on are 16GB SDHC cards with 30MB/s speeds). The SDXC format is designed to hold up to 2TB of data!

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 5, 2011 9:07 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: iPad Mediapad Pro 1.2

Continue reading "Pro Review: iPad Mediapad Pro 1.2" »

Creating a digital portfolio on the iPad should be on the front burner of any studio’s marketing plan. Mediapad Pro (Version 1.2, $11.99) aims to streamline that process while balancing it between clean and flashy to remain appealing as possible today’s discerning clients.

The design comes from Craig Orsini who wanted the app to be the ultimate portfolio tool. Setup appears as a screen full of pre-designated slots within a template to fill in. Backgrounds can be customized, existing brand logos can be used and there’s even a spot for a scanned business card.

The galleries can support video, photos, audio and external web content through the built-in browser, giving photographers the most flexibility in the presentation of their work. Unfortunately, music is not yet incorporated as a soundtrack to the portfolio, but this feature will come soon. In the meantime, it’s possible to play music through the iPod app.

The app works best with specific image sizes and formats, working from within this template should not add too much time to one’s workflow and allows for additional page design through manually composited images (diptychs, triptychs and so forth). For photographers who have already designed printed books, importing the pages as JPGs becomes an easy option. This is similarly useful with tearsheets, often a cumbersome media to present.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 10, 2011 2:33 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: Capture One PRO 6

Continue reading "Pro Review: Capture One PRO 6" »

With the release of Capture One 6, Phase One continues to add value to the software for commercial, portrait and wedding photographers, while adding a new feature for architectural photographers.

Like earlier releases, Capture One 6 (C1-6) comes in three versions: Capture One Express 6, DB 6 and PRO 6. Express 6 is the basic version, with only the essential raw processing and image adjustment tools. DB 6 is for digital camera backs from Phase One, Mamiya and Leaf. The PRO 6 version integrates a full-featured raw file converter with image editing, browsing and output features.

Besides the wealth of new features, all of these new versions share several operational upgrades. The software is now a native 64-bit application for both Mac and Windows computers, and 32-bit Windows operating systems as well. The OpenCL/GPU acceleration feature transfers some of the image processing from the CPU to a compatible graphics card, allowing additional features such as a new full-screen mode. These upgrades result in a noticeable boost of speed, plus access to additional RAM to process large image files.

Here, we’ll concentrate on the other major changes in the PRO version that relate to professional photographers. Some of them are unavailable in the other versions; for a comparison of the features in the Pro and Express programs, go to phaseone.com/comparison.

Architectural photographers are a principal beneficiary of the new keystone correction feature (below). You can make the processing semi-automatic by selecting the keystone correction icon from the Tools menu and adjusting the overlay lines. You can also access the tool for semi-automatic or manual correction in the Crop tab.

In semi-automatic mode, the verticals are taken 80 percent of the way to perfectly vertical; Phase One finds that this slight under-correction is more natural than a full 100-percent correction. The results look good to me. You can correct vertical keystoning, horizontal convergence or both by selecting the appropriate keystone correction tool.

Keystone correction is a simple matter of aligning guides with the principal lines of the subject then clicking the Apply button in the center of the screen. The resulting image refreshes with a suggested crop. The correction is available for horizontal as well as vertical keystoning and for a combination of both. ©Stan Sholik

All users will benefit from other new features, including non-destructive local adjustments, black-and-white conversion plus toning, sophisticated token-based image naming, the Capture Pilot iPod/iPad app, and more.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 8, 2011 11:47 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: Rogue FlashBenders

By Allison Earnest

I’m a huge fan of small speedlights. Used properly with the right light modifier, speedlights rival most traditional studio lights. I spent almost two years testing virtually every small hot shoe flash modifier on the market for my second book, “Light Modifiers: A Digital Guide to Sculpting with Light” (Amherst Media), so I looked forward to testing the new ExpoImaging Rogue FlashBenders, which promised to be a groundbreaking innovation.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the Rogue kit comes with three FlashBender modifiers, small, medium and large. I typically use at least three Nikon Speedlights for location portraits, so that’s a big plus for me. These little gems have several unique features:

• A convenient built-in strap that fits around the hot shoe flash eliminates the need for auxiliary Velcro. That’s a benefit: Like many photographers, I’ve been living with permanently affixed Velcro on my flashes and other modifiers won’t fit over it.
• The repositionable internal rods allow you to shape the modifier to create the desired lighting pattern.
• The modifiers are both durable and flexible, and lie flat for easy storage. The Velcro strap won’t stick to the side of your camera case, either.

I put the Rogue FlashBenders to the test in three separate location shoots. You can see the results in the images here, which I captured with a Nikon D300 or D700 with professional Nikkor lenses and Nikon SB800 and SB900 Speedlights. I’m old-school, so I use Photoshop only minimally—the light should speak for itself.

Shooting headshots for an aspiring Los Angeles model, Vance Garcia, proved to be an ideal test for the Rogue. The setting was a shaded area next to a graffiti-covered metal wall, with little reflective light or contrast. The main illumination, placed camera right, was an off-camera Nikon Speedlight with the small FlashBender. I shaped the large FlashBender modifier to mimic a snoot, and placed it behind the model, creating nice texture on the wall and separating the subject from the background. I used the sparse reflective ambient light as edge light on the model’s right cheek, and controlled it with my shutter speed. The FlashBender modification of the speedlights produced a bright light quality and with great color rendition (above).

Continue reading "Pro Review: Rogue FlashBenders" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 7, 2011 2:13 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: Kubota Creative Tools Lensbaby Pak

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

The Kubota Creative Tools Lensbaby Pak, a set of Actions for Photoshop offered by Kubota Image Tools, offers photographers an easy way to enhance images created with the Lensbaby lens system. The effects were designed by Kevin Kubota specifically to complement the soft focus effects captured by various Lensbaby Optics.

The Lensbaby Pak comes with 15 different actions, or effects, that you can apply to your images. You’ll also get Kubota Dashboard 3, a floating toolbar palette that makes it extremely simple to select and apply various action effects. The palette features a search bar that allows you to quickly find your actions (particularly helpful if you own more than one Kubota Action Pak).

The Kubota Action Paks make adding and removing filters very simple. Rather than running the action on your base layer in Photoshop, it creates a new layer (usually an adjustment layer) for each action or filter that you choose to apply. Then you can fade out the opacity at will, or even remove a particular effect from the image entirely, just by deleting the layer. I appreciated this design feature, as I am all for non-destructive image editing.

While not a Lensbaby lens owner myself, I was able to get my hands on a few lenses long enough to create some test images for this review. I started out by creating a few images using the soft focus lens, and then with the fisheye lens.

For this first image, I just applied one action: Fisheye Lens - Spectacle. In the before/after comparison, you’ll see that the action added nice contrast, and the image gained overall sharpness, but it does not do any favors for close-up skin tones and texture.

Continue reading "Pro Review: Kubota Creative Tools Lensbaby Pak" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 2, 2011 2:30 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: Fundy Software (Album Builder & Workflow)

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

If you’re like most photographers, you prefer to rely on Adobe Photoshop for the bulk of your image retouching and album design workflow. But you may have noticed that Adobe Photoshop doesn’t exactly make your workflow all that efficient—at least on its own. Fundy Software has designed several products that work within Photoshop to help you streamline your retouching and design workflow. In this review, I’m going to look at two products available within Fundy’s Pro Studio Pack that can enable you to speed up your editing, and also your album designing.

Both Workflow and Album Builder run as palettes within Adobe Photoshop, and work harmoniously with other Adobe applications such as Bridge. Let’s take a peek at Workflow first .

The Workflow panel, once installed, can be placed anywhere you would dock a typical Photoshop Palette. The panel has several sections: Get Started, Image Navigation, Action Control, Recently Used Actions, and Personal Action Buttons. To get started using Workflow, you first click the folder setup button. A setup window will open (see below) that allows you to customize how Workflow will operate.

While you can simply select a folder to process, I found it easier to select my files in Bridge and process from there. You can specify how the files will be saved (e.g. 4x6 proofs, web copies, full sized PSDs), and even run an action when each file is opened and again before each file is closed. I have an action that creates a retouching layer on every file I retouch, so Workflow was the perfect way to automatically perform this action on every image. Once you click the Process button, Workflow will begin loading the selected images sequentially for you as you click the Save and Next button. Depending on what settings you enabled during the setup screen, various sized copies of the file will be created in the appropriate subfolder as the edited image is saved.

Continue reading "Pro Review: Fundy Software (Album Builder & Workflow)" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 25, 2011 12:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Photorecovery Software

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

It’s a photographer’s worst nightmare—the dreaded “ERR–” message. And it only happens after you’ve wrapped up that once-in-a-lifetime photoshoot. At one point or another, we’ve all scrambled to find a way to recover those images that would otherwise be lost forever. And that’s where Photorecovery Professional 2010 can help.

In addition to restoring many different types of files from your memory cards, the professional version of Photorecovery includes Digital Media Doctor, which you can use to test the performance of a specific memory card (i.e. how well it reads/writes).

Now, that sounds great in theory, but how well does Photorecovery actually work? I ran several tests with different media cards to find out. My first test involved a CompactFlash card that had malfunctioned during a studio shoot. The camera gave me an “ERR–” message, and the card was unable to be loaded or recognized when inserted normally into my computer’s card reader (inserting this card into my computer has even caused the system to freeze up). Using Photorecovery, I started a sector scan of the 4GB card at 11 a.m. It completed, with errors, around 6 p.m. that evening, and Photorecovery failed to recover any data. I then ran Digital Media Doctor on the 4GB card, which unsurprisingly, did not pass any of the tests. While it might be inferred from these results that the software is to blame, I’m more prone to lay the guilt on the card being completely corrupted. I have sent it out to the manufacturer to confirm this, and I’ll update this report if I hear otherwise.

Screen capture of Digital Media Doctor while running diagnostics on the corrupted 4GB compact flash card.

Since my first test only proved what happens when Photorecovery is unable to recover data, this next test shows what Photorecovery can recover. This time, I used an 8GB CompactFlash card that has been in use at my studio for numerous years. Photorecovery completed diagnostics on the 8GB card without any problems. When initially viewed using my computer’s file browser, the 8GB card did not show any files present, but Photorecovery was able to recover image files (both .jpg and .nef, Nikon’s raw format). I started the scan at 9:26 p.m., and it finished at 9:44 p.m., recovering 760 files.

Screen capture of Photorecovery scan at 85-percent completion, 655 files recovered so far.

Continue reading "Review: Photorecovery Software" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 25, 2011 9:24 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Book Review: "Marketing for Solos"

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

On the recommendation of a friend, I recently ordered a copy of the newly released book, “Marketing for Solos,” by Jeanna Pool. After reading the book cover to cover in a single weekend, I thought to myself: “this book could be really helpful to photographers!” As small business owners, we often find ourselves overwhelmed with various facets of running our business (usually a one-person show). In her book, Jeanna Pool cuts through the philosophical jibber jabber of marketing, and offers real world advice and practical suggestions for the solo business owner.

The tenets of marketing aren’t new to me. I came away from college with a degree in both Studio Art and Business Management, so I know the theories of marketing. I know what we all, as small business owners, should be doing to market our businesses. But I also know that, too often, we get caught up in the day-to-day operations of running our studios and forget to devote time to our marketing tactics.

That’s where Pool’s book comes in. More than just a book to read once and add to your library, “Marketing for Solos” is designed to help you work through some of the important cornerstones of your marketing plan. Pool walks you through how to determine or find your niche market, why you need to focus your marketing efforts on prospects with specific traits, and how to develop effective marketing pieces that will yield results. Additionally, the book focuses on strategically diversifying your marketing efforts so that you don’t end up with all your eggs in one basket.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Pool about how this book could be particularly useful for photographers. Pool said, “It's one of the only books of its kind that teaches the solo photographer how to market their business successfully. It can be really hard to market your business when you can't be in two places at once … [‘Marketing For Solos’] makes marketing manageable.” I also asked Pool what one most useful tidbit of information photographers might take away from her book. She said, “The biggest thing photographers need to do is pick a focused niche. It separates the successful photographers from those who are just ‘getting by.’”

I really took to heart one of Pool’s comments from the book: “Most small businesses struggle, fumble, and ultimately fail for one simple reason—lack of clients. And a lack of clients is a result of one thing—a lack of marketing” (p. 20). There are many artistically competent photographers whose businesses are walking a fine line between failure and survival simply because they don’t know how to market. Waiting for clients to fall into your lap is not an effective way to stay in business. You may be the one “doing it all” at your studio, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice when it comes to marketing. “Marketing for Solos” will help you to market yourself, and your business, in a way that is sustainable for the one-person small business.

“Marketing For Solos” is available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Solos-Ultimate-How-Successfully/dp/0976996278) for $19.95. For more information about the book, visit Jeanna Pool’s website: marketingforsolos.com.

Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP, has a portrait studio in Dexter, Michigan (BPhotoArt.com); she shares tips and ideas for photographers at LearnWithBetsy.com.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 23, 2011 10:16 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: FireFly Sensor Cleaner

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

On first glance, the FireFly sensor cleaner might not look different from any other device that shoots puffs of air onto your sensor. But don’t let that fool you. NRD, the company that designed this product, specializes in static elimination. In theory, the FireFly works much like those ionizing air purifiers that you can buy at the gadget store in your mall. When you have the FireFly unit turned on, any air that passes through the device will be ionized. And when you use the ionized air to clean your sensor, it’s basically neutralizes the static charge, allowing dust particles to “fall” off your sensor.

The FireFly sensor cleaner ships in two pieces, which I found allows for more convenient storage. The air chamber portion comes with a yellow rubber cap, which you can see is still on in the image below. It goes without saying that before assembling the FireFly, you’ll want to remove the cap.

To assemble the FireFly, simply insert the air chamber unit’s connector piece into the appropriate receptacle on the other half of the FireFly, and then twist to lock into place. Once assembled, the FireFly looks something like a stage two rocket ready for takeoff.

To use the FireFly, you will need to lock up the mirror in your camera, and place the camera body in a face-down position. This will allow gravity to take care of any dust that is dislodged when you begin cleaning your sensor. The directions that come with the FireFly recommend mounting your camera body on a tripod, but if you’re out in the field, you could always have your assistant hold it for you. Once the camera is in position, you simply depress (and hold) the power button on the air ionization device, and then squeeze the air chamber several times to send a few puffs of air onto the sensor.

Continue reading "Pro Review: FireFly Sensor Cleaner" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 22, 2011 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Craig's Actions and Beauty Bar

Continue reading "Review: Craig's Actions and Beauty Bar" »

When my recent article “Two Paths to Retouching” went live in Professional Photographer magazine and online, photographers called, sent me e-mails and posted comments regarding other retouching software options. One of the most intriguing contacts came from Craig Minielly.

Minielly is a Vancouver-based photographer and author of Craig’s Actions. Craig asked me if I was familiar with his actions, because, using them, he was able to accomplish in less than five minutes what had taken me 22 minutes in Portrait Professional and 48 minutes in Adobe Photoshop CS5.

I hadn't tried them, so Craig sent me a link to download Craig’s Actions Toolkit and Craig’s Beauty Bar to test. Here’s what I found.

After I downloaded and opened the zip files I was confronted with a bunch of files and folders, so I went back to the Craig’s Actions website to the Tutorials ‘n Tips drop-down list in the menu bar to watch a video about installation. All you have to do to get started is find the actions (*.atn) files and double-clickon them. They then load automatically into the Actions palette of Photoshop CS2 to CS5 on both the Mac and Windows platforms.

I watched the tutorials to decrease the slope of my learning curve, and they are very well done with a nice sense of humor. They helped immensely in getting me started quickly.

I opened a copy of my original file and ran a number of actions that Craig thought I might use and some others that I was curious about. There are many actions to choose from, and some are duplicated in both the Toolkit and Beauty Bar sets. I settled on using BlemishBuster, which is found in both sets but with more options in Beauty Bar; ColorGenie Warm, Tinted Contacts Blue, and PowderPuff from the Toolkit; and Eye Color/Whites & Teeth, Lip Gloss and Lipstick from Beauty Bar.

I started with the BlemishBuster Strong from the Beauty Bar set. When you run any of the Craig’s Actions, the action flattens previous steps, sets up your Layers palette and blending modes, selects brushes, creates adjustment layers and masks if needed, and stops to instruct you how to proceed.

This screen capture shows the steps in the BlemishBuster Strong action from the blue highlight to the bottom of the Actions palette. However, the only thing I needed to do was to brush over first the dark blemishes, then the light blemishes and press the action Play button a couple of times. The action handles all the rest automatically. Image ©Stan Sholik

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 14, 2011 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Kodak Professional Portra 400

A Perfect Film for the Hybrid Workflow

Continue reading "Review: Kodak Professional Portra 400 " »

Film is not dead. Brilliant technical advances in the forum of film creation have brought about Kodak Professional’s newest film, Portra 400. Kodak touts it as having the “world finest grain at 400 speed,” and I do believe that claim to be true.

I trialed the Portra 400 film in the 35mm format. Kodak has always been known for their consistent and smooth reproduction of all skin tones, and I couldn’t wait to use this film in my comfort zone—children’s photography. I trialed several rolls of the brand new Portra 400 film using my trusty Canon EOS Elan 7 and a variety of Canon L glass, using manual settings for all my exposures. I shot with my favorite Canon lenses: the 50mm 1.2L, the 135mm 2.0L and the 24-70mm 2.8L. I hoped the combination of the L lenses with Kodak’s track record for smooth skin tones would prove to be a winner. It was.

The wait and see nature of film sort of forces you to finish the process of taking the photos—not to stop and check the back of the camera LCD after taking a shot and second guess yourself. I took photos of a variety of child subjects utilizing natural light. I took some photos outdoors (no easy feat in the Midwest December cold!), on location in my home and indoors at a client’s home. Once I finished shooting came the patience part. I sent my rolls off to Burrell Colour Imaging in Crown Point, Ind. (one of my pro labs of choice), and waited. Patiently. Their turn around was pretty good; I had proof images and scans in about a week.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 1, 2011 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Photodex ProShow Web

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Photodex, the creator of ProShow Gold and Proshow Producer, has released a new option for photographers wanting to create custom slideshows—ProShow Web. A subscription-based service, ProShow Web allows you to pick a slideshow theme, upload your content (both photo and video), choose music (or upload your own), and even watermark your slideshow.

In order to use ProShow Web, the first thing you have to do is create an account. There are free and paid user options. In brief, the free account allows you to create mini-slideshows, while the paid options offer more features, flexibility, and download options. Once you have an account, it’s really easy to make your first slideshow. Clicking on the Create button will take you to the slideshow creation interface. There are five tabs: Theme, Imagery, Music, Details, and Watch.

In the Theme tab, you’ll get to select the style of slideshow you’d like to create. There are almost 40 different themes to choose from, and they range from classic and simple to wedding and baby themed designs.

The next step is at the Imagery tab, where you’ll upload your images and even videos. You can also add text frames if you'd like. Once your content has been uploaded, you can drag and drop to rearrange, shuffle all slides, or even create duplicate slides. During this step, you can add optional special effects to various images in your show. Just click on the Creative Palette to display a variety of effects you can drag and drop on a particular slide.

Continue reading "Review: Photodex ProShow Web" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 31, 2011 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Superfocus, One Pair of Glasses for All Prescriptions

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Images ©Don Chick

Imagine one pair of glasses that enabled you to eliminate every other pair of glasses you own! One pair that lets you see through the entire lens, not just a slice on the bottom or a slice in the middle, but the entire lens in the prescription you need at that moment. Enter Superfocus, the glasses that have a revolutionary lens design incorporating every prescription you need into one adjustable lens. With the Superfocus design the entire lens is clear, not just a portion of it.

The magic behind this amazing lens design is accomplished via a liquid sandwiched inside the lens. The wearer makes adjustments with a tiny slider built into the connecting piece over the bridge of the nose (below). By moving this slider to one side or the other, you adjust the lenses to match your prescription to whatever you need at that moment. For example, when I need to focus up close to read, I adjust the slider to the right until my subject is in perfect focus. If I then want to see something in the distance, I adjust the slider to the left and I have perfect focus for subjects far away.

The Superfocus lenses can incorporate a range of prescriptions because the lens is actually made up of several key components. Your distance prescription is in a removable lens on the front, held on with a set of powerful magnets. Removing this front lens exposes a transparent distensible membrane that, along with the rear lens, actually holds an optically clear liquid inside the chamber. The adjustment of the slider serves to compress the back lens into the liquid which changes the magnification and enables you to see clearly at different distances.

In a conversation with company CEO Adrian Koppes, I was told that idea of using a flexible membrane and a liquid to achieve a range of prescriptions from a single pair of glasses is actually over one hundred years old. The current Superfocus glasses are actually the 14th generation in the making and 20 years in development. It has taken a lot of research and prototypes to make this design commercially available.

Continue reading "Review: Superfocus, One Pair of Glasses for All Prescriptions" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 31, 2011 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Setting Up a Color-managed Workflow with the Epson Stylus Pro 4900 Printer

By David Saffir

You’ll get the best image quality from your inkjet printer using a color-managed workflow. This includes a calibrated and profiled display, correct software setup, and image-editing software that can handle application-managed color when printing. (In this article I’m referring to color, RGB-oriented workflow.)

This might sound like a lot of work, but once you get your color locked down and you’ve had a chance to practice a bit, you’ll find that color managed workflow requires little time in execution. And the results are worth it!

I have been working with a demo unit of the new Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer at the Santa Clarita Valley Center for Photography near Los Angeles, and so far it has been a positive experience.

Out of the box, setup is logical and relatively easy. Image quality on photographic-style and fine-art media, in color and black and white, has been very good. Paper handling has improved from earlier models; the roll paper feeder, paper tray, the upper single sheet feeder, and the lower single sheet feeder all work well. The roll feeder accepts both 2- and 3-inch cores. The Stylus Pro 4900 can handle cut sheet media up to 17x22, and 1.5mm thickness.

The Stylus Pro 4900 has eleven 200ml ink cartridges using the Epson UltraChrome HDR Ink; this includes both photo and matte black. A switch from photo black to matte black ink requires the operator to push a button on the printer control panel. Switching takes a couple of minutes, and seems to use a small amount of ink.

The instructions regarding the hands-on operation of the printer are straightforward and clearly illustrated. Overall, a flexible, pro-level machine.

Continue reading "Setting Up a Color-managed Workflow with the Epson Stylus Pro 4900 Printer" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 31, 2011 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Eye-Fi Pro X2

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Wireless downloading from your digital camera to computer for under $150 sounds unimaginable, right? Then you haven’t seen the Eye-Fi Pro X2 (SDHC) card. This card, which has the transmitter device built in will enable you to connect to your wireless network and do just that—download from your digital camera directly to your computer! There are limitations, however, as the card will not work using a CF adaptor in a camera that has only CompactFlash (CF) slots.

I recently had the opportunity to check out the Eye-Fi Pro X2 card in a Canon G11 and was quite impressed with the speed and ease of use. After following a few simple directions for installing the software on my laptop, I was ready to connect to my wireless network. When prompted during the installation, I provided the network information and password and it connected. I then inserted the card into the G11 and began taking pictures. As long as the camera was on and within range of the laptop it would automatically download the images to a user-specified directory. I did have to lengthen the standby time setting on the camera so that the camera wouldn’t go to “sleep” before completing a download. It was simply amazing that the transfer occurred whenever there were images on the camera that hadn’t been downloaded and the camera was on!

Eye-Fi has several models of media cards that are compatible with many makes and models of compact cameras. The best thing to do is check their website for compatibility. If you don't capture raw files, or you can use the card in a second media slot to which you save only jpg files, then you may be able to use a model other than the Pro X2 version and save some money. If, however, you want to transfer raw files, then you’ll need the Pro X2 as it is the only card that will transfer raw files.You may also want to keep a spare charged battery on hand because extended use may affect the battery life. While I didn’t test the range limit of the card, the company publishes that indoors the card should have range of approximately 45 feet, with a 90 foot range outside.

If your camera has an SD slot, check out the Eye-Fi website for compatibility. It’s possible that you could be shooting and downloading wirelessly in the very near future!

Editor's note: Eye-Fi announced their new Direct Mode on Jan. 4, which enables users to send their digital images directly to a smart phone or tablet using the card and a free Eye-Fi app. Look for a review of this new technology in an upcoming post here in Web Exclusives.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 4, 2011 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Two Paths to Retouching

By Stan Sholik

Is portrait retouching software worth the investment or should you stick with what you have? We compared the process, advantages and limitations, comparing Anthropics Portrait Professional and Adobe Photoshop CS5 (and a subsequent comparison using Craig's Actions).

Portrait retouching is far more art than science. Even with a firm intent in your mind for the final form of a project, there are many paths to that end. This article will explore two popular portrait retouching paths, Anthropics Portrait Professional v9 and Adobe Photoshop CS5. I hope when we are finished that you will see the advantages and disadvantages of each technique and maybe learn a few tricks along the way.

The image I have chosen is a capture I made in the studio of a high school student. She’s a California girl with freckles and skin issues that will make the retouching interesting. My intent is not to produce a poreless high-fashion portrait, but rather one that is faithful to reality while minimizing any skin issues. Admittedly, once I was into it, I did take liberties to tweak reality. My goal was to complete the retouching using Portrait Professional and Photoshop in the same amount of time, though I doubted it could be done. I’ll start with Portrait Professional.

But before we get started I want to have the original image correctly color balanced. I had the model hold an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport for one of the captures (above, click image for large view). After importing the RAW files into Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, I used the eyedropper to select a neutral balance with one of the gray patches. Then using the exposure slider I adjusted the lightest patch (red circle) to 95%/95%/95% and the darkest patch (blue circle) to 10%/10%/10%. But neutral color balance is always too cool for a portrait in my opinion, so I selected the eyedropper again and clicked on one of the warming patches (orange circle) for my final color balance. I then processed the portrait to an 8-bit RGB TIFF.

Continue reading "Two Paths to Retouching" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 4, 2011 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Nikon D7000's Video Capabilities

Continue reading "Review: Nikon D7000's Video Capabilities" »

In the fall of 2008, the world of professional photography was introduced to the world of professional video in a way that it never had been before. Nikon released the very first DSLR capable of shooting high definition video, the D90. It was a camera that had the potential to revolutionize the pro photo world. There was one problem: a pre-production camera in the works by another little Japanese company by the name of Canon. That camera was the EOS 5D Mark II. There was also this award-winning photojournalist by the name of Vincent Laforet who was in the right place at the right time and got access to the aforementioned pre-produciton camera. Vincent spent $5,000 of his own money to make a short film called “Reverie.” From that moment on, Canon was the hands down winner in the video DSLR world, a full six months before the camera would even be available for purchase. Today the 5D is synonymous with video DSLR filmmaking. So much so that there are video forums about DSLR filmmaking named after the 5D (e.g. Planet5D.com, cinema5D.com, and 5DFilmmaking.com).

So what went wrong? Why didn’t the D90 become the defacto winner despite the fact that it was out first, and had the backing and video work of another well-known, heavily followed photographer by the name of Chase Jarvis? I think the most commonly accepted answer is twofold. First, the D90 used an inferior video compression scheme (Motion JPEG vs. Apple’s h.264). Second, and perhaps even a bigger deal, it only shot 1,280x720p, as opposed to full sized HD at 1,920x1,080p.

Since the release of the 5D Mark II, Canon has come out with four more amazing video-capable DSLRs—the 1D Mark IV, the 7D, the 550D/T2i and now the 60D). People have wondered what Nikon would do to play catch-up. Nikon has finally answered that call and released the Nikon D7000: a mid-level prosumer camera that finally shoots 1080p and uses the h.264 codec. But is it enough to give the Canon line of video DSLRs a run for their money? Let’s see.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on January 3, 2011 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Optoma PK201 Pocket Projector

By Kirk R. Darling

I’ve been conducting sales sessions in my clients’ homes for four years using a tabletop digital projector. There are significant advantages to in-home sales sessions, but the disadvantage is that my “sales room” is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates: I never know what I’m going to get.

That demands great flexibility, which until recently for me has meant being prepared to show images on my laptop, on my clients’ own home theater screens, or with my projector. Using the projector usually meant projecting on the client’s wall with the projector on a tripod-mounted platform, but I also kept a collapsible 50-inch tabletop screen handy. It took more set-up time than I liked, but compared to showing paper proofs, the time and trouble had been worth it.

That was the past. Now I have a new tool that has eliminated the set-up, reduced my gear load, and improved sales. I replaced my tabletop projector with a pocket-sized pico projector a few months ago, and the reception from my clients has been enthusiastic—and profitable.

My new projector is the Optoma PK201 Pico Pocket Projector ($270-$300 street price), a battery-powered projector more compact than an exposure meter.

Image ©Kirk Darling

I like using this pocket projector, but I’ll tell you the bad news first. The Optoma PK201 is rather dim (20 lumens output from its 20,000-hour LED light source), it has harsh contrast (2000:1), and its color accuracy can be slightly off. In addition, the fixed focal length lens has a “throw ratio” of 1:2.2, which means that I sometimes have to stand farther than I’d like from the wall.

Continue reading "Review: Optoma PK201 Pocket Projector" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 9, 2010 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Think Tank Photo Sling-O-Matic 30

Continue reading "Review: Think Tank Photo Sling-O-Matic 30" »

In general I haven’t been a fan of the sling type camera bags I’ve tried so far. Either there is trouble with accessibility, feeling comfortable, or both. One issue is that all of the ones I’ve tried before were designed to be carried all of the time over only just one shoulder. The Think Tank Photo Sling-O-Matic bags differ because they're more of a case-like design instead of being based on the messenger bag design, and you can switch the load from the left to right shoulder with no fuss. When you’re carrying a heavy load over just one shoulder, you want to be able to switch sides periodically to balance out the wear and tear on your body.

This is essentially a rigidly framed top-loading, rectangular dual-compartment camera and laptop case with a single permanently attached body sling strap. The front, sides and bottom are rigid with a little padding; the top is padded but soft. It's equally suitable for electronics or small lighting and grip gear. On the outside there are two large flat document compartments, one on the front and one on the back, and a narrower one on the top of the main compartment. On the inside of the top flap there is a fourth flat zippered compartment with a clear window. There are are two handles as well. A bag this compact should fit with no problems in the overhead bin of a puddle jumper commuter jet, but I haven't actually tried it.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 8, 2010 2:55 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Alien Skin Bokeh 2

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Controlling the areas of an image which are in focus and out of focus is a powerful aesthetic tool in the hands of a skilled artist. There are times, however, when it’s not always possible to obtain the exact amount of focus while capturing the image (in camera) due to the limitations of your equipment. That’s where Alien Skin Bokeh 2 Photoshop plug-in may come in handy. As defined in Alien Skin’s manual, “bokeh (derived from the Japanese ボケ味) refers to the visually distinctive character of the out-of-focus areas of a photograph. Alien Skin’s Bokeh plug-in is a realistic lens simulator that allows you to alter the focus characteristics of a photograph after it has been taken. It also lets you creatively focus the viewer’s attention to any part of your photograph by applying a combination of blurring and vignettes.”

The Bokeh interface is laid out in an easy to understand, easy to navigate way. It is so easy, in fact, that I was able to launch the software and begin applying it to images without reviewing the manual. Figure 1, below, shows the settings tab with many of the factory settings displayed. For the image of Erica, I’ve chosen to apply the effect of a Canon 50mm f/1.8. There are many, many looks available, including fast lenses such as the popular Canon 85mm f/1.2 and the Nikon 300mm f/2.8. In addition to traditional lens blurring, there are a whole host of creative blur possibilities. The Setting tab also includes creative apertures that produce heart-shaped highlights. If hearts are not your fancy, you can choose from diamonds, triangles or stars. Several motion blurs, grains and vignettes are also possible.

Figure 1. (click for large view)

Continue reading "Review: Alien Skin Bokeh 2" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 8, 2010 1:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Adobe Press Learn By Video, Lightroom 3

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

If you have trouble keeping on top of all the new software developments as they roll out, you may want to consider video training. Last month, I reviewed an Adobe Press training video on Photoshop CS5, and in this review, I’m going to evaluate their training video on Lightroom 3.

Learn Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 by Video contains 10 hours of high-quality training, as well as a printed reference book. Together, these resources cover the fundamentals of using Lightroom, as well as highlight what’s new since Lightroom 2.

When you insert the DVD into your computer, you’ll see an easy-to-understand welcome interface:

This welcome page of the DVD provides you with easy access to the table of contents, a shortcut to “play all” videos, an introduction video featuring your instructors (Tim Grey and Mikkel Aaland), and even links to the “extras” contained on the DVD.

Continue reading "Review: Adobe Press Learn By Video, Lightroom 3" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 8, 2010 11:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Zoom H4N

If you want to be a serious DSLR filmmaker, it’s imperative that you capture high-quality audio to a separate device, like the Zoom H4N, one of the most widely used digital audio recorders by DSLR filmmakers.

The H4N records to the popular SD/SDHC card format and comes with a 1GB card. It can record up to four separate channels of audio in formats from low-quality .mp3 or high-quality 96k, 24-bit .wav files for true audiophiles. If you’re using it for video, record at the 48k/16-bit setting. That is the sample rate and bit-depth of digital video, and a 1 GB SD card can hold just under 90 minutes of audio at that setting.

The Zoom is not a device you can just pick up and start using. I am pretty adept at gizmos and gadgets, but even I had to pick up the manual to figure out how to access and use the various menus. Give yourself 30 minutes to an hour to peruse the main parts of the manual and get familiar with the H4N. Once you’ve done that, using it will be a breeze.

The H4N has built-in mics at its top and is designed to take two XLR audio inputs at the bottom for higher quality microphones. It also has a mini-jack mic connection. I use the Sennheiser Evolution G2 (or G3) series microphone. It’s rugged, with a metal casing, and a favorite among my colleagues.

What’s great about the H4N is that you can connect headphones to monitor sound. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. Always monitor your audio to make sure everything sounds okay. Sometimes mics short out, or the recording level dips in and out, and you need to hear that. Also, you have to hit the H4N record button twice: once to get it in standby mode (the red record button will blink and you’ll be able to hear audio) and once again to actually start recording. If you’re not hearing anything in your headphones, it could be you forgot to hit the record button. Once you do start recording, double check the screen to make sure you see the time counter progressing and that you are actually in record mode and not just standby mode.

The H4N has a great form, too. At 6 inches long and just under 2.5 inches wide, it's easy to handle and is compact enough to attach to your DSLR shooting rig. It’s powered by either two AA batteries, or with the AC adaptor that comes with it. WARNING: if you are using the device to capture a long, uninterrupted event like a bar/bat mitzvah, corporate speech, or seminar, make sure you have plenty of power. If the power runs out before you stop recording, the audio file won’t write to the card. For lengthy recording, use the AC adapter if at all possible. If you must use batteries, use fresh ones.

I absolutely love my Zoom H4N and won’t go to a gig without it. At just under $300, it’s a great investment.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 1, 2010 2:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Audio Acquisition for Photographers

Continue reading "Audio Acquisition for Photographers" »

Have you ever seen “The Greatest American Hero?” It was an ’80s television show in which a mild-mannered teacher is visited by aliens and given a suit that gives him super-human powers, but he doesn’t know how to use it. Instead of looking heroic when he flies, he flops and flails as he zooms through the air.

As a filmmaker who does quite a bit of work in the professional photography industry, I get to see a lot of videos shot by aspiring photographers-cum-filmmakers. But like the hero, they have this powerful filmmaking tool in their hands, but they aren’t quite “flying right.”

With the flood of HD DSLR cameras, many of you have taken on the role of capturing video segments to enhance your artistry. This article will help you with one of the most crucial aspects of video production: audio acquisition.

AUDIO CAPTURE: Perhaps the single most prevalent issue I’ve seen with HD DSLR videos by newbies is poor audio acquisition—the audio recorded and used in the final production. Many photographers are using only the on-camera microphone for audio acquisition. The resulting end product sounds echo-y, or there’s significant obtrusive ambient noise (air conditioners, traffic noise, extraneous conversations). Even if you use a directional microphone like the Rode (a popular choice), you don’t always get the best results.

The reason is that the audio captured by DSLR cameras is highly compressed, and in many models there is no way to control the audio recording level. Many DSLRs are set to auto-gain, which means the volume of audio you record will go up and down depending on how loud the source is. If the source is very soft, the camera will automatically boost the levels and you get a hissing background sound, which is to audio what visual noise is to a high ISO setting. Some of the cameras (like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II) have released firmware updates that at least allow you to set your audio levels. But even so, you still get the compressed audio issue and that echo-y sound.

The Zoom H4N is a popular video recorder choice
for filmmakers and videographers.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 1, 2010 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: Nik Software HDR Efex Pro

Continue reading "Pro Review: Nik Software HDR Efex Pro" »

Equipment and software suppliers are continually providing photographers with a wide array of tools. The best photographic tools can point us in new directions by opening our minds to possibilities we had never considered before. Nik HDR Efex Pro is such a tool.

Nik is late in entering the HDR arena. There are a number of HDR programs with varying capabilities already available.

But not being first has allowed Nik to overcome many of the shortcomings of these early programs. HDR Efex Pro incorporates a number of tone mapping algorithms where most other HDR programs include only one. It offers a wide range of presets and quickly produces thumbnail previews of the presets using the image on which you are working. It includes a wide range of user adjustments to the built-in presets including the ability to save custom presets. And it incorporates Nik Software’s proprietary U Point technology that allows you to target HDR options to specific areas of the image. These features plus responsive operation, an elegant interface and more, make HDR Efex Pro the most powerful yet most user friendly HDR software currently available.

HDR Efex Pro incorporates Nik’s U Point tool that allows you to target adjustments to particular areas of the image. Here I used it to add additional structure to the clouds and to decrease the warmth of the clouds that was added by my choice of preset. Image ©Stan Sholik

Nik recommends installing HDR Efex Pro as a plug-in for 64-bit Adobe Photoshop and Bridge CS4 through CS5, or as a 32-bit or 64-bit plug-in for Lightroom 2.6 (or later) or Apple Aperture 2.1.4 (or later). While it will open as a stand-alone application, this is not recommended.

How you access HDR Efex Pro varies slightly depending on the host application you are using and whether you want to merge a series of images or work with a single image. In Photoshop, when merging single or multiple images, the best path is from the File>Automate menu. In other host software you can find the program in Aperture’s Photos>Edit with Plug-in menu, in Bridge it is found in the Tools menu and in Lightroom in the File>Export with Preset menu. The HDR Efex Pro multiple image Merge dialog is compatible with all 8- or 16-bit or RAW file formats supported by Photoshop. You can apply HDR Efex Pro to a single 8-, 16-, or 32-bit image from the File>Automate menu.

There are a number of ways to access HDR Efex Pro to merge images. I recommend right/Option-clicking on the series of exposures in Bridge and selecting “Merge to HDR Efex Pro” from the Nik Software dropdown menu. Selecting Nik Software>Merge to HDR Efex Pro from the Tools menu in Bridge accomplishes the same thing.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 30, 2010 4:02 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Alien Skin Exposure 3

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

The name Exposure doesn’t seem to adequately describe all the capabilities of Alien Skin’s Exposure 3 Photoshop plug-in. When I think of exposure, what comes to my mind is whether an image is properly exposed and if any adjustment, such as color saturation, brightness and contrast is needed. Alien Skin Exposure3, however, is all that and much more!

Figure 1

Looking at the upper left of Figure 1 (click for large view) you can see that there are six tabs for the Color Films interface. In Figure 2 you can see that the separate Black and White interface has seven tabs. The extra tab in the B&W interface is for infrared adjustments. Looking again at Figure 1, you can see that the user interface is laid out in a logical manner with a minimalist approach. Don’t let the simplicity of the interface fool you; Exposure 3 has many powerful adjustments available to the user.

I appreciate the option to divide the viewing screen so that one portion of the screen shows the original while the other shows the enhancement applied. This allows me to see exactly what results my adjustments will yield. I also enjoyed how easy it is to engage the various settings. Selecting one of the + symbols on the list expands the tree, revealing the many film effect options.

I was amazed at the quantity of factory settings. On the Alien Skin website they claim that this software has more than 500 analog techniques! That combined with the ability to make custom adjustments offers the user a tremendous amount of variety. And being in business to make a profit and not just take pretty pictures, you know that the more variety you can offer your client, the more potential sales you have!

Continue reading "Review: Alien Skin Exposure 3" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 2, 2010 11:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Photodex ProShow Producer and Gold v4.5

By Kirk R. Darling

I’ve had a longstanding love-hate relationship with Photodex ProShow Gold. I love the degree of control it gives me over the slideshows I create as sales tools and final products; I hate the time and effort it takes to create even simple slideshows. I tried Animoto, which is quite quick and easy, but those slide shows always left me with a desire to tweak them just a bit here and there. I wished for something that would give me push-button ease with as little or as as much control as I wanted.

Photodex has released version 4.5 of ProShow Gold and ProShow Producer with a great deal of hoopla over their new Instant Show wizard. (If you're not familiar with the term, a wizard is software application feature that guides you through a process.) So I downloaded the upgrades and was off to see if Photodex's wizard could grant my wish.

The wizard operates the same way in both Gold and Producer. It opens with a default dialog box providing a choice of the Instant Show wizard, opening an existing show, or creating a new show manually (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Creating a new show with the wizard is a four-step process. The first step is to add the images to the show. If you want a text-only title slide, click first on the Text button and type the text you want. You cannot format the text; the wizard will select a text format and style according to the show theme you'll select later. Press Add, and a navigator window opens to search for images. In the wizard window, you can drag images to the sequence you want or click the "Randomize button to let the wizard decide the order. The Rotate button allows you to rotate an image.

Continue reading "Review: Photodex ProShow Producer and Gold v4.5" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 25, 2010 3:06 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: iPad Portfolio Apps

By Joan Sherwood, Senior Editor
Images ©Cheryl Pearson

This supplement includes additional interface illustrations along with the iPad portfolio app review published in the November 2010 issue of Professional Photographer magazine.

The clear, gorgeous display screen of the Apple iPad makes it an ideal mobile presentation device for photographers—it can really draw a crowd. The iPad’s native Photos app, though, with only a simple slideshow function, doesn’t offer much for professional branding, utility and customization.

The iPad was released in April, so apps designed for it are relatively new as well. Because new apps tend to be updated frequently, we contacted the developers of the four reviewed here to get the scoop on what features to expect in upgrades planned for release before November.

With all four, you have to add images one at a time from a photo picker to the app’s library; a tap on the thumbnail loads the image. The current iPad OS doesn’t support a select-all function to import a folder of images from your iPad photo albums. The new iOS4 might have improvements, but it will be awhile before it’s available for iPad. The iPad also has a RAM fragmentation problem. If you’ve been using it with lots of different apps, any crashes you get are likely due to the iPad, not one of these apps. Just restart.

It’s best to downsize your photos before transferring them to the iPad. Syncing a folder of full-res photos takes its own sweet time, and large images will likely clog the system’s memory anyway. Find out if your portfolio app has a recommended image resolution; you’ll probably be safe with 1,024 pixels on the long side.

FLEXFOLIOS

Flexfolios v 1.33 has a simple interface and a helpful reference manual accessible from the home menu. The app can be used to transfer documents between iPad and computer (music, video, pdfs, text files). You can “associate” one or more of these files with any image in your portfolio, but, for instance, you cannot play a single music file while you display a slideshow.

You can touch-and-drag up to 36 images in each portfolio. The most efficient way to build a portfolio is bottom-up, so start with the images you want to appear last. As you build, you’ll see only four images at a time; the rest are pushed offscreen to the right. To rearrange images, move them back to the picture library, slide the portfolio images to the new insertion spot, then move the image back in. You could also move the four images in view. Reordering images in the picture library is easy.

There’s currently no auto-play slideshow option; instead, you advance the images by swiping left or right. You can select a background color or custom image. You can choose to view vertical images side-by-side when they’re next to each other in the collection. You can also set up 700x400- pixel e-cards to send out to prospects.

In the works: a slideshow mode and VGA compatibility to connect the iPad to a projector or display.

Price: $9.99. flexfolios.com

Flexfolios Info setup interface

Continue reading "Review: iPad Portfolio Apps" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 13, 2010 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Black Rapid Women's Strap (RS WS-1)

Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Being a female photographer has its disadvantages when carrying things over your shoulder. Before trying out Black Rapid's new Women's strap (RS WS-1), I would sling my "normal" strap over my head and shoulder with the strap crossing my body diagonally. This presented a few challenges. Aside from having to struggle to get my camera up from my hip to shooting position, I also struggled with the strap smashing me uncomfortably across the bustline.

The Black Rapid’s WS-1 strap has eliminated both of these problems for me. I can sling the camera to my side easily now, and the unique design of the WS-1 (compared to the RS4, for example) allows the strap to be worn comfortably without squishing my bust. If you take a peek at the image below, you'll see what I mean. There's a little curve on the padded part of the strap that guides the strap to fall comfortably around a woman's curves rather than traveling directly over them (which can cause discomfort!).

As an added bonus, if you are pregnant and need to find a strap that doesn't have your camera rest on your ever-growing belly, the WS-1 is great for that as well!

If you're not familiar with how the Black Rapid strap system works, basically, you have a strap worn over the shoulder, and the camera is free to slide up and down the strap so you can let it hang at your hip, or quickly pull it up to shooting position. The strap has a D ring that screws shut and attaches either to the included camera mount ring, or simply clips onto the ring of the mounting plate for your tripod. I chose the latter method, as it makes it easy to switch between tripod work and on-the-go shooting.

I did find one caveat: the unique curve that makes this strap what it is also restricts which shoulder you can wear your camera on. Meaning the strap will work if you want your camera to fall at your right hip, but not so well for left hip. Obviously most photographers will want the camera on their right side, but just in case you're one of the minority, this is your fair warning. It's not a flaw, just something to be aware of!

The Women's Black Rapid strap can be ordered directly from Black Rapid's website and retails for $59. A great deal if you ask me.

Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP, has a portrait studio in Dexter, Michigan (BPhotoArt.com); she shares tips and ideas for photographers at LearnWithBetsy.com.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 12, 2010 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Adobe Press Learn By Video, Photoshop CS5

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

I am a fan of learning how to use software to its fullest extent. By learning shortcuts and efficiency tricks, you can speed up your workflow and reduce the time you spend in front of a computer.

With that goal in mind, I decided to see what I could learn by watching the Adobe Photoshop CS5 Learn By Video DVD offered by Adobe Press. The video is the only approved video courseware for those individuals looking to become an Adobe Certified Associate, and packs in 21 hours of visual training. It is packaged with a printed book that contains supplemental information such as the DVD table of contents, what’s new in CS5, keyboard shortcuts, a glossary and more.

The DVD contents greet you with an easy-to-understand interface:

The welcome page of the DVD is divided into three sections. On the left is an overview of the DVD contents. You can choose to play all videos, or navigate to specific sections and watch videos based on your learning needs. The center area introduces you to your instructors (Kelly McCathran, Scott Citron and Ted LoCascio), while the right sidebar informs you that the DVD also comes equipped with extra content:

• Tutorials to Go: videos formatted for viewing on your mobile device. If you’re using an iPhone, you’ll want to copy the .mov files to your device; if you’re an Android user, copy the .3gp files to your device.
• Assets: various files are provided in case you want to work alongside the instructors using the same images they are using. This can be helpful if you are someone who learns by doing.

Continue reading "Review: Adobe Press Learn By Video, Photoshop CS5" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 12, 2010 11:17 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Joby Ballhead X for Gorillapod Focus

Continue reading "Review: Joby Ballhead X for Gorillapod Focus" »

Joby Gorillapods are a weird animal. They’re short, ungainly, weird looking and often impractical. At the same time, they’re expertly designed for those specialized, rare instances when a regular tripod won’t do. For the last three years or so, I’ve struggled to figure out what one might be. After spending a week with this one, I know what it is: macro photography.

Having just spent some time with a normal tripod, trying to get good angles, I learned that hovering over a black widow spider in the middle of the night is hard enough without having to worry about tripod legs and balance. The Gorillapod Focus really proved itself in this situation. Its legs are short, but tall enough to get my camera above the arachnid. They’re flexible enough to let me get the camera as close to the ground as I want, but stiff enough to eliminate camera shake. With an overall height of 11.4 inches, it’s not going to work for everything, but for this, it’s a champ.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 12, 2010 10:25 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Unified Color 32 Float Photoshop Plug-in

Continue reading "Review: Unified Color 32 Float Photoshop Plug-in" »

Interest in high dynamic range (HDR) imaging has spawned a number of new and innovative software products for photographers, including Unified Color’s HDR Expose software, reviewed here earlier this summer. But these HDR solutions are all standalone programs, and many photographers are so comfortable with the available tools in Adobe Photoshop that they are reluctant to purchase software that requires them to leave Photoshop and open another program. For casual HDR users this may be especially true now that Merge to HDR PRO is included as part of Photoshop CS5.

For these photographers, Unified Color’s introduction of the 32 Float plug-in for Photoshop offers a solution. 32 Float expands the limited Photoshop 32-bit toolset and allows the user to perform advanced image editing in the 32-bit workspace. While the tools in 32 Float are identical to those in HDR Expose, 32 Float lacks the ability to merge captures into a 32-bit HDR image—Photoshop Merge to HDR or another HDR program must be used for this task.

Once you open a 32-bit file in Photoshop, you open 32 Float from the Filter>Unified Color drop-down menu (above). Your image reopens in a separate window. The interface is virtually identical to that of HDR Expose but with a smaller toolset since it does not need to handle the image merging functions.

The Preferences dialog box allows you to select the option of saving your result as a separate layer in your original image. This is useful for many HDR images.

The HDR Brightness Histogram show the full range of values in the 32-bit image. The lighter gray section of the histogram shows the range of values that would be present in the lower bit image with the current settings. For this image, some shadow values at the tail of the curve and lots of highlight values at the right of the curve will be clipped. Note the valley where midtones should be that make this a particularly difficult image to correct.

The top of the tool panel on the right is dominated by the interactive HDR histogram (above). This visual aid shows the full range of values in the 32-bit image with a lighter gray area representing the subset of these values that would be present in an 8-bit or 16-bit (lower bit range) image. 32 Float gives you the tools to adjust your image so that the values you want to reproduce in a lower bit value image lie within the lighter gray range of the histogram. The zoomable preview image that dominates the center of the interface allows you to preview the visual effect of your adjustments.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 30, 2010 1:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Kubota Lightroom Presets Vintage Delish

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Photographers often turn to presets and actions to help them save time during the editing phase of their workflow, but sticking to the same effects job after job can be stifling. Vintage Delish is the latest Lightroom preset bundle from Kubota Imaging Tools. This set of 42 presets provides you with a variety of options to enhance your images, ranging from subtle aged image effects and warming tones to cross-processing and strong vignettes.

If you are tired of ordinary image effects, then look into these Vintage Delish effects as a way to spice things up. I tested these presets out on some of my portraits and discovered that, while I’m not a fan of every last preset in the set, there are definitely some that I enjoy, and they add a subtle enhancement to the image. Some of the more dramatic and drastic preset effects may be useful for particular types of images, so I understand the necessity for a range of presets.

It would be impractical to show you examples of all 42 presets, so I’ve chosen four effects that I think work well. Take a peek at the before and after versions I created using Lightroom 3 and the Kubota Vintage Delish presets.

The first preset is called “Zero it Out.” It adds contrast, pop, and color saturation to help an average image transform into something with a little more oomph.

©Betsy Finn

Continue reading "Review: Kubota Lightroom Presets Vintage Delish" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 30, 2010 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Supplement: Mamiya RZ33 Kit

This post shows additional product illustrations for Stan Sholik's review of the Mamiya RZ33 Kit, published in the October issue of Professional Photographer magazine.

Continue reading "Supplement: Mamiya RZ33 Kit" »

All images ©Stan Sholik

Professional photographers want reliable equipment they can count on long-term, that won’t be rendered obsolete by the next new thing. PhaseOne (through its Mamiya and Leaf operations) has stepped in to help provide that for owners of Mamiya RB67 and RZ67, as well as newcomers to mediumformat digital photography.

The RZ33 digital camera kit upgrades those cameras for cordless digital operation. RZ67 users can still use all their existing accessories, including the film backs and power winder, on the upgraded body. RB67 owners can use the kit to upgrade to a digital system that will feel totally familiar, although they’ll need to get RZ lenses. And the newcomers get yet another digital camera option that includes a broad range of superb leaf-shutter-equipped lenses.

The RZ33 kit comprises an updated Mamiya RZ67 Pro IID body and Mamiya DM33 digital back. All you need do is attach a lens, load a CF card, charge the DM33 battery, and start shooting. The RZ33 body looks identical to the RZ67, but the body in the RZ33 kit has updated communications boards and a new digital integration plate between the body and the back. These enable the body and back to communicate without external cables, thus making setup simpler and operation more reliable.

The RZ33 kit with the bellows slightly extended.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 30, 2010 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Five Great Things About Adobe Photoshop CS5

Continue reading "Five Great Things About Adobe Photoshop CS5" »

1. The Content Aware Spot Healing Brush. It works great on faces and makes many of the retouching techniques I used prior to PsCS5 obsolete. On the down side, while it’s a marked improvement over the Spot Healing Brush in Photoshop CS4, it doesn’t always do a perfect job, especially if your output is going to be large in size and high resolution. You still sometimes need to do some basic area selection or masking to limit the active area and prevent edge explosions when the spot you're retouching is up against a well defined area of different tone and color. And you still need to do a little cleanup work for a more invisible blend of the area you’ve spot healed with its surroundings.

2. Content Aware Fill. I do a lot of stitched panoramic work where the edges of the composite are an irregular shape. For the foreground, I generally just crop, but boy, oh, boy does this work like magic for filling in the missing areas at the top and sometimes along the sides. Here’s how you do it: Shoot your over lapping frames (50-60% overlap works best, but sometimes 25-30% works, depending on the subject content) and then stitch them using your favorite stitching program. You may notice that some areas around the edges are empty. Rather than crop into the composite, try this: Select the Wand tool, click on an empty area to select it, and hit Delete. A dialog box (see below) will pop up and ask if you want to fill in the area using Content Aware Fill (yes). As with Content Aware Spot Healing, it’s not perfect yet but it's getting there.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 7, 2010 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Digital Anarchy Beauty Box

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

While I love creating images for my clients, I admit that the retouching phase of my workflow can be a little tedious. The key to turning a profit is minimizing the time you spend behind the computer. But you also want to turn out an amazing final product. We all struggle with finding that a fine line between perfection and “good enough no one else will notice but you.” Fortunately, Digital Anarchy has developed Beauty Box to help you accomplish practical retouching without spending hours fine tuning things for minimal improvement.

After using Beauty Box on a few images, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this Photoshop Plug-in was able to approximate the skin smoothing techniques I desired, while maintaining adequate detail for my taste. Prior to Beauty Box, all the automation techniques I’d tried made my subjects appear to have plastic skin (due to the loss of detail).

The Beauty Box plug-in operates within Photoshop (see interface below):

I appreciated the simplicity of the interface layout, as well as the easy access to all controls (and any presets you choose to save). The plug-in starts with a default smoothing control, but you can tweak three variables to achieve your personal preference for smoothness: smoothing amount, smoothing radius, and skin detail amount.

Below the smoothing controls you'll find the masking controls. When you have “auto mask” selected, Beauty Box will automatically mask every image you open. I found it did a decent job of isolating the skin tonal ranges, but you can easily select “show mask” to confirm whether it has rendered the mask properly for a given image. Everything masked in white will have the Beauty Box filter applied to it; shades of gray will have the filter partially applied, and anything masked in black will remain untouched by the filter.

Continue reading "Review: Digital Anarchy Beauty Box" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 7, 2010 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

PocketWizard ControlTL Update

Continue reading "PocketWizard ControlTL Update" »

Shortly after turning in my review of the PocketWizard ControlTL system, I took delivery of a PocketWizard PowerST4 receiver and had a chance to try it out with an Elinchrom Style RX300 monolight, courtesy of the rental department at Professional Photographic Resources in Atlanta.

Before we proceed, I want to quickly recap the difference is between the two ISO standards for flash duration measurement and why these numbers are important to you, especially if you want to use a high-power flash at settings faster than your camera’s X-Sync limit.

An electronic flash works by releasing stored electrical energy into light and heat during a very brief period of time, but unless it is an IGBT-controlled flash (most hot-shoe-mounted speedlights are IGBT controlled, as is the Paul C. Buff Einstein 640, the Photogenic Solaires, and the Broncolor Grafit and Scoro pack and head systems), the light intensity varies varies during the time the flash is firing. The rise and dropoff of the energy release resembles the cross section of a powerful wave: there’s a near vertical upward slope rising to the peak output level, followed by a trailing tail of declining force. With IGBT-controlled lights at any setting below full power, the light cuts off sharply, depending on the flash's programming.

When a flash manufacturer advertises or provides specs for its lights, they can use either of two ISO standards for measuring the flash duration. The most commonly used standard is t0.5, which measures the length of time the flash is producing light at or above 50 percent of peak intensity at a given power setting. The other standard is t0.1, and it tells you how long the flash is emitting light at or above 10 percent of peak intensity. Another way to think about this is to think of the t0.1 measurement as being equivalent to a shutter speed setting’s ability to freeze motion. If you want to know how well a flash can freeze motion, unless t0.1 is specified, multiply the advertised F.D. by 3. In other words if the advertised F.D. is 1/900, the t0.1 will be close to 1/300.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 7, 2010 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Sigma APO 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG HSM Lens

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

The new Sigma APO 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens with its 10X zoom range is one impressive lens. Sigma pitches this lens as the “all-in-one” dream lens, especially for nature photographers. It’s also suitable for landscape photography and has enough zoom for photographing wildlife. I have to agree with Sigma.

This lens is designed for full-frame DSLRs, but also functions with cameras with APSC- size sensors. Using the 50mm setting (a 35mm focal-length equivalent to 80mm on my Canon 40D), I photographed a nuthatch in a tree (Figure 1). As you would expect, it’s tough to even find the bird in the image. Zooming to the telephoto end of the range, 500mm (the equivalent of 800mm on my Canon 40D), I was able to capture the nuthatch in great detail (Figure 2).

Continue reading "Review: Sigma APO 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG HSM Lens" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 13, 2010 10:48 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: "Inside Contemporary Children's Photography"

Continue reading "Review: "Inside Contemporary Children's Photography"" »

Educational materials for children’s photographers are a common sight these days and with good reason … there seems to be big business in showcasing the in’s and out’s of this specialty in photography. With so many photographers opening up shop, an equal number of established pros are getting in on the teaching game. It can be tough to know where to turn for good, solid, usable information.

I’ve seen some good, some bad (ok, awful) and some overpriced educational materials. I have heard horror stories about poorly produced DVDs and instructional materials. I admit I may be particularly picky as I do some teaching as well, and I'm particular when it comes to my business and the art and skill involved with photographing children. When you adheres to stringent rules about your own work and what you produce, you tend to be equally hard on others.

“Inside Contemporary Children's Photography” with Tamara Lackey displays impressive quality. Once you begin, you are immediately sucked into Tamara’s world. Her speaking style is effervescent, friendly and instructional. This DVD is unique, in my opinion, because it’s filmed in an infomercial-like style; it’s the very why of how this DVD pulls you in and keeps you watching. Who can resist a good infomercial? Not me!

Though I was a bit leery to review a photo-education DVD because there’s so much out there that falls short, I’ve only heard good things about Tamara Lackey’s presentations, so I was excited to see what she had to share. Being confident in my own business and experience children’s photography, I was doubtful that I’d get anything new out of watching it. On this point, I was wrong because she gave some great tips.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 2, 2010 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Unified Color HDR Expose

Continue reading "Review: Unified Color HDR Expose" »

Photographers actively involved in high dynamic range (HDR) imaging often use different HDR programs for different images since each program has its own algorithm for tone mapping the multiple exposures into an image. Many of these programs are complex and non-intuitive and don’t accurately portray the final image until processing is complete.

HDR PhotoStudio from Unified Color Technologies, LLC, was different, offering a more intuitive and user-friendly approach. Unified Color has replaced that program with a much-improved one, HDR Expose, which is suitable for HDR beginners and advanced users alike.

The user interface in Expose has undergone major revisions from the PhotoStudio version, and all for the better. It now boasts the visual styling of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture and other imaging programs, although the keyboard shortcuts are generally different. HDR Expose allows the export of source images from Lightroom and Aperture directly to the program. And when you have completed your HDR composite, Expose exports the image back to whichever program you used to send them for processing.

But the biggest change and the greatest improvement lies in the addition of a Brightness Histogram at the top of the Tool Panel. The Brightness Histogram displays not only the tonal distribution of the entire 32-bit image, but also, with a lighter toned gray region, the section of the curve that will display in the final image.

This is the final result of combining five exposures in HDR Expose and going for a “natural” look. The exposures were bracketed one stop apart. No exposure even came close to having the balance of foreground and sky exposure that is present in this final image. ©Stan Sholik

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 2, 2010 10:19 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: ViewfinderMasks

A custom viewfinder mask to save time and money

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Every now and then you encounter a product that falls into the category of “nice to have,” but for one reason or another, it just doesn’t make your priority list. Initially for me, a custom viewfinder mask was such a product. I could see the reason to own one and the potential value, but higher priorities and price kept me from making the investment of $195. Boy, was I wrong to delay!

Now that I have a custom viewfinder mask from ViewfinderMasks in my camera, I am convinced that it is one of those must-have products that will make your post-production life easier and pay for itself in both time and money.

A custom viewfinder mask helps because a DSLR, or 35mm camera creates a 3:2 ratio image area, which translates to 4x6 or 8x12 image formats, while most professional portrait photographers print 4x5 or 8x10 images using a 4:5 ratio. The composition and cropping problem happens when you fill the frame with your 8x12 subject (Figure 1) and attempt to print the image on 8x10 media.

Figure 1: Composing your image without a viewfinder mask,
you tend to fill the frame with your subject …

Part of the image must be cropped off at one or both ends (Figure 2). It is especially difficult to create a pleasing portrait when some of the head and body has to be cropped and the frame is filled mostly with the subject’s face.

Continue reading "Review: ViewfinderMasks" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 30, 2010 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: SimpleViewer Pro and svManager

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

You might be familiar with SimpleViewer already. The SimpleViewer product family is the brainchild of web developer Felix Turner of Airtight Interactive and offers user-friendly Flash galleries that you can download and use for free (or upgrade to the Pro version for more features). I'm familiar with the free versions, and I wanted to find out if the added Pro Features, or svManager, might be worth it in the long run.

First off, let me do a run through of all the SimpleViewer products. Then I’ll discuss the benefits of the Pro options and dig a little deeper into using svManager.

SimpleViewer, TiltViewer, AutoViewer, and PostcardViewer are all Flash image-viewing galleries (templates of a kind). Each one has a slightly different feel and look, but all are designed with simplicity in mind. svManager is an interface that allows you to easily create galleries with any of the four gallery templates.

SimpleViewer

Continue reading "Review: SimpleViewer Pro and svManager" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 16, 2010 11:02 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: DigiLabs Pro Software

Continue reading "Review: DigiLabs Pro Software" »

An efficient workflow is only a dream for most portrait and wedding photographers. Too little time is spent behind the camera relative to the time spent in front of a computer monitor. Preparing proofs for client review, creating albums, taking and fulfilling print orders and making online web galleries are far more time intensive than the photography itself, yet are not billable hours.

So it wasn’t surprising that, at the PMA trade show this year, the largest category of products I saw were offerings designed to create an efficient workflow for photographers, labs and retail outlets. One of the foremost among these offerings is DigiLabs Pro software.

DigiLabs is a market leader in creating online front-end ordering systems for photo labs. Several of the leading labs are using DigiLabs software, but with the lab’s own branding so that you are unaware of the actual origin of the software.

DigiLabs Pro software is a combination and major upgrade of their previous My Photo Books and My Photo Calendar & Cards software that were licensed to private-label partners and the previous DigiLab application used by professional photographers.

Using DigiLabs Pro software, photographers can create studio-branded web galleries and a wide range of photo products. The web galleries allow studio customers to view and order photo products online from their computer or iPhone. Available photo products include flush mount albums, coffee table books, proof books, calendars, greeting cards, and canvas gallery wraps, as well as photo prints and enlargements.

Digilabs offers a a number of calendar options, including custom design; a range of products including greeting cards, event cards and announcements; and photo books are available in a range of sizes and cover treatments, printed on digital presses on heavy paper stock. Photos courtesy of DigiLabs.

What sets DigiLabs Pro apart from other competing software is how fast and easy it is to use. With a common, clean interface for all available products and wizards included to guide you through the more complicated products such as photo books, it is quick to learn and easy to navigate.

DigiLabs has created an iPhone app that is available at no charge from the Apple iTunes store. This allows your clients to view their web gallery and order prints on their iPhone. Images courtesy of DigiLabs.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 6, 2010 5:00 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Feature: An iPad In New York

By Bob Zimmerlich, CPP

A few days after picking up the new iPad with 3G service at a local Apple store here in Phoenix, I was on my way to New York unexpectedly for a funeral of a close family friend. Since I was packing light, I thought this would be a good test to see if the iPad could replace my heavier MacBook Pro on a short trip since I wasn't planning on any photography related work.

Just after I arrived at JFK my sister asked if I could do a headshot of her for her new startup business. My judgment must have been thrown off by the red-eye flight, because I said, “Sure, absolutely,” without a second thought. Problem was, I didn't have any of my gear, not even a camera. That's OK she said, she had a Canon Elph point-and-shoot. Now I'm thinking, oh, golly, gee whiz, sis—that will be swell (thinking in 1950s terms being the more civil alternative to cussing).

Since I wanted to use natural light, I downloaded an app called PhotoCalc onto the iPad to see when sunset on Long Island would be, then checked the local radar with the WeatherBug app's visible satellite radar loop. Seeing that clouds would be rolling in from the west by 5 p.m., and knowing the limitations of her camera, I knew we would want to finish the shoot inside with window light before then. With some proper positioning, a sheet of white foam board as a reflector and a rigged tripod, the shoot went well considering the situation.

Now for a little post processing, but without my trusty MacBook Pro what could I do? I thought, let's put this iPad to a real test.

Continue reading "Feature: An iPad In New York" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 1, 2010 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: onOne Software Genuine Fractals

By Cheryl Pearson

Photographers today are always looking for products that will provide them with a quicker, more efficient way of streamlining certain tasks. I recently tried out onOne Software’s Genuine Fractals 6 plug-in, which is designed to resize and enlarge images up to 1,000 percent without losing sharpness or detail.

A lot of photographers use Adobe Photoshop’s Bicubic Interpolation method in the Image Size dialogue box to resize images, but there can be a noticeable loss of fine detail or sharpness. Some use an incremental upsizing process that is reported to produce a better result than enlarging with a single step. You can create an action that will enlarge the image in 5-percent increments until the desired size is achieved. Although this approach may work, I’d prefer a tool that does it for me, to any size I need, and produces a great result. Genuine Fractals does that by enlarging and optimizing images for high resolution output, and has a few additional tools that make it worth looking into.

I re-scaled a 5x7 image to 25x35 using Image Size dialogue in Photoshop, set to Bicubic Smoother. I engarged the same 5x7 image using Genuine Fractals. I viewed both at 100 percent and focused in on one aspect of the image. While the difference is more difficult to see in this screenshot, the image on the right was re-scaled in Photoshop and the image on the left was upsized in Genuine Fractals. Photoshop’s Bicubic Interpolation method produced acceptable results, but I felt the image resized in Genuine Fractals was slightly sharper with more crisp detail and less noise. (Click image for large view.)

Genuine Fractals can be accessed in Photoshop in two ways: from Photoshop via File > Automate or from the onOne drop-down, next to Help, in Photoshop’s menu bar. With Photoshop CS5 you can have the onOne plug-ins in a floating menu palette that can be docked in with the other Photoshop palettes.

Continue reading "Review: onOne Software Genuine Fractals" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 1, 2010 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Tenba Bags Trifecta (Messenger, Ultralight, Daypack)

Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to test out three Tenba camera bags in the field.

• Messenger Camera Bag
• Shootout Ultralight Photo Backpack
• Messenger Photo Daypack

Each has its own advantages, and best uses.

Tenba’s Messenger Camera Bag is a typical over-the-shoulder bag with plenty of pockets and lots of organization. I found this bag fit best with my everyday working habits. I was able to pack two camera bodies, three lenses (including telephoto), and three speedlights, with plenty of room to spare for my light meter, keys, and even some other gadgets. I found one of the end pockets to be just the right size to hold my three speedlights (though not padded, this pocket allowed for easy access and stowing).

The top flap has a quick-access zipper, as well as a “silent mode” flap that you can use to cover the Velcro closure. If you ever work in environments where being quiet is a necessity, you’ll really enjoy not having to worry about the invasive sound of Velcro pulling apart when you go into this bag. The bag has a front organizer with six compartments, as well as more organization for memory cards, keys, etc in the zippered pocket on the flap.

Finally, if you need to pick up this bag and don’t want to use the shoulder strap, there is a hand-carry strap as well. I have no complaints about my time spent using the Tenba Messenger Camera Bag – my camera may well have found a new “everyday” home!

The Tenba Messenger Camera Bag (above) retails for $129.95.

Continue reading "Review: Tenba Bags Trifecta (Messenger, Ultralight, Daypack)" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 1, 2010 1:19 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: ExamDiff Pro, A Visual Directory and File Comparison Tool

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

The time finally came this year for me to replace both hard drives on my PC. No, I didn’t experience a data loss, and there was no catastrophe … It’s just that after five years of wear and tear, I could tell that my hard drives were no longer up to speed with the latest technology. Plus, I was running out of storage room.

So, my Tech Department (a.k.a. my husband) ordered the new parts for my computer, and I began the tedious process of backing up my data onto my external hard drives.

Now, when you’re working with a blank drive, it’s easy to copy all the files from the old location to the new location. But in this case, I already had some of the data backed up onto the external hard drive and needed to make sure that when my copying spree was over, I hadn’t missed anything in the process.

The tedious way of doing this involves manually opening each folder, counting the number of files, and cross-checking creation/modification dates. With 900+ GB of data, I knew there had to be a better, more efficient way.

Enter ExamDiff Pro. A friend had recommended the program to me, so I decided to check it out. And I can tell you, this program was a huge time saver!

Continue reading "Review: ExamDiff Pro, A Visual Directory and File Comparison Tool" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 1, 2010 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Flash Demo: Einstein 640 Monolight

In the June issue of Professional Photographer magazine, Ellis Vener reviewed the Einstein 640 monolight from Paul C. Buff. In this test, Ellis pushed the limits of the Einstein’s recycle speed. He captured 145 frames at 10 frames per second with the Einstein set to 18.7 watt-seconds. The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV exposures were set for 1/250 second at f/8, ISO 400, capturing large JPEGS recorded to a Lexar Professional 600X CompactFlash card. Ellis compiled the frame animation using Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended.

Continue reading "Flash Demo: Einstein 640 Monolight" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on June 1, 2010 9:26 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Nissin Professional Di866 Flash

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

The impressive Nissin Di866 flash is an economical flash option that deserves serious consideration from pro photographers. I tried it out at our annual NHPPA Conference in April and am excited to say that I was more than pleased with the results. I also found the backlit menu was easy to read in low-light conditions and, as a whole, the flash unit menu was easy to navigate while making any necessary changes on the fly.

©Don Chick

I spoke with photographer Steve Sedman about his experience with the Nissin flash on a recent job. Using fast lenses and the appropriate ISO settings, Steve was able to get several hundred flashes from the unit during the course of his event. He also found the ETTL wireless feature worked very smoothly. Comparing notes from our experiences, Steve and I agreed on many reasons photographers may want to purchase this flash. Our only notable negative comment was about the level of noise the flash makes as you adjust zoom settings.

On top of good performance, the reasonable $299 street price makes the Di866 a great buy. That’s nearly 40 percent less expensive than the street price of a Canon Speedlite 580EX II at $475.

Continue reading "Review: Nissin Professional Di866 Flash" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 28, 2010 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: The Polester from Longshot Camera Systems

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

I recently had the chance to try out The Polester, created by Longshot Camera Systems. It’s a “camera-on-a-stick” device that allows you to photograph things from a drastically different angle than you could achieve with your own reach (unless, of course, you are Stretch Armstrong).

The rig consists of a camera mount, triggering device with a retractable string (like an extendable dog leash) that extends down to the base of the pole. As you extend the pole, the triggering string remains slightly taut. When I received my review unit, I got a crash course on assembly. In short, you want the vertical portion of the trigger to hug the camera body as closely as possible. The little arm at the top of the trigger is meant to hover over the shutter, and by pulling on the string lightly, you can focus before pulling harder to take the shot.

The camera mount portion of the setup attaches to a double-action locking telescoping pole, which is very nifty. The pole has a handle with a release button, and it allows you to swiftly and easily extend the pole to the height you need.

Components of the Polester assembly.

Here’s what it looks like when you have everything assembled. I have to say, the trigger mechanism is a very clever invention. ©Betsy Finn

Continue reading "Review: The Polester from Longshot Camera Systems" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 3, 2010 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Abie Camera Straps

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Finding the perfect camera strap is no easy feat. A number of elements go into this decision, including comfort, capability, and of course, style. Usually, you can find a strap with one or maybe two of these qualities, but it’s rare to find one that has all three. If you’re tired of sacrificing your fashion sense for comfort, or are ready for a camera strap that is comfortable to wear during long shoots, you may want to give Abie Camera Straps a chance.

Abie Camera Straps are both practical and fashionable. When you first hold one of these straps in your hand, you can feel the difference—I was impressed with the amount of padding in the strap, as well as the suppleness of the material. I fell in love with two designs in particular: subtle brown suede with an embossed motif, and a lighthearted yellow floral woven design.

The straps come in more than 20 styles, so whether you are looking for something whimsical, elegant, or subtle, you’ll have multiple options to choose from. Guys, don’t worry—there are some more masculine designs you will not be ashamed to wear out in public. If you’re looking for something more you, custom straps (even showcasing your logo) can be designed upon request. Unless you decide you want to add your logo, though, Abie Camera Straps come delightfully free of branding. You won’t be promoting a camera company or any business aside from your own.

Continue reading "Review: Abie Camera Straps" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on May 3, 2010 10:03 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Phase One 645DF

Continue reading "Review: Phase One 645DF" »

Since the introduction of the Phase One camera in 2009, the company has promised us leaf shutter lenses so that we can sync our strobes at shutter speeds higher than 1/125 sec. Their follow-up announcement later last year of a strategic alliance with famed optics manufacturer Schneider Kreuznach confirmed that the promised lenses would be soon forthcoming.

The new lenses are now here or on their way and along with them is a new camera body, the Phase One DF. Apparently the Phase One/Mamiya/Schneider group decided that the venerable Mamiya 645 body needed an update to efficiently incorporate the latest technology, and so the Phase One 645DF and its sister camera, the Mamiya 645DF, were born. While the two bodies are identical in nearly every way, the Phase One version is the one to have if you are a Phase One P40+ or P60+ user, as we shall see.

While the Phase One 645DF (DF) offers significant improvements over any previous 645 generation, one major loss is the inability to mount a film back on the camera. It’s always good to have a backup camera around anyway, so that could be any older Mamiya 645 body that would also take a film backs. Unfortunately, you couldn’t use the new leaf shutter lenses with this body.

While compatibility with film backs is lost, compatibility in other areas is improved. Unlike the latest Hasselblad cameras, the Phase One 645DF remains an open platform. This means that should there be a problem with the DF body, you can send it off for service and use your backup body or a rental until it returns. It also means that you can mount any Phase One or Leaf digital back that is compatible with a Mamiya body on the DF. As an aside, because Leaf is now a Phase One company, you can even use Capture One software with the Leaf backs.

At first glance the Phase One 645DF looks identical to the previous Phase One 645 body, but numerous changes have been made, some of them significant for professional photographers. ©Stan Sholik

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 30, 2010 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: ProPhotoApps - An iPhone App for Your Studio

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

For the past month or so, I’ve been testing out my very own personalized iPhone app. ProPhotoApps is the company that created my app; they specialize in iPhone apps specifically for photographers and photography studios. Once completed and approved for the iTunes store, your studio's app will be available for download at no charge to maximize its distribution to your clients and potential clients.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Sounds cool, but what if I don’t have an iPhone?” No problem. ProPhotoApps has an administrative web interface where you manage all the details; you can customize your app completely without ever having to touch an iPhone.

When the app-creation process begins, you will log into the admin interface, and begin adding your custom data. There are a few fields that you cannot change once you submit your app to iTunes for approval, so make sure to fill out those fields wisely. Most everything else, from images to news blurbs, you will be able to update and change freely over the life of your app (Pics, Social, Contact Us, and Specials).

Continue reading "Review: ProPhotoApps - An iPhone App for Your Studio" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on April 1, 2010 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: ColorRight Pro and PostRight White Balance Devices

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

When the topic of white balancing files comes up, there are usually two big questions. The first is “Why should I be concerned about white balance since my camera can automatically do that for me?” Once the value of white balancing is understood, the next question is “Which method is best?” Answering the question of why is simple.

As a portrait photographer, I especially want the flesh tones of my subject to look healthy and alive, therefore correct white balance or color balance in an image is essential to its success. A green color cast from grass or trees on my subject’s skin will not convey that he or she is healthy, nor will it convey that I, the professional, know how to properly present my finished work. A professional is expected to be in control of the entire process, and understanding white balance and incorporating professional tools makes it possible to accomplish the task with a minimum of effort.

When you set your camera to Auto White Balance, the camera tries to guess what the best white balance setting should be.

Using a calibrated white balance device eliminates any guesswork on the part of the camera. Deciding which method to choose takes a bit more consideration. If you capture raw files you can non-destructively make white balance adjustments in-camera or in post processing. If you capture in JPEG mode, it’s best to do an in-camera custom white balance for each lighting situation. I choose to do my white balancing in Adobe Lightroom during post-production. White balance devices take many forms, from the multi-functional X-Rite ColorChecker Passport, to the odd looking but practical SpyderCube from Datacolor, to the prism texture and diffusion discs of the ExpoImaging ExpoDisc. An accurate white balance device needs to be spectrally neutral. By that I mean that it has no inherent color bias. The material the device is composed of must not influence the light in any way.

The ColorRight ($89) or ColorRight Pro ($129) by ColorRight is an excellent device for either in-camera or post-production white balancing. For simplicity it’s tough to beat. During a recent portrait session, I had the opportunity to try a ColorRight Pro (below). The advantage of the Pro version is that the unique shape, according to their website, “gathers light from multiple angles ensuring you are getting the whole color picture.” The unique shape even allows light from a hot shoe mounted flash to strike the device and influence the final white balance.

The ColorRight Pro (above, shown with Canon camera and lens) is a device designed for in-camera or post-production white balancing. Image ©Don Chick

Continue reading "Review: ColorRight Pro and PostRight White Balance Devices" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 31, 2010 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: BodaV3 Weatherproof Lens Bag

By Cheryl Pearson

Professional photographer Jim Garner set out to create a different kind of camera bag, one not just for storage but designed instead for easy access and carrying while you’re actively shooting. I found that the Boda V3 lens bag worked best for its intended purpose as an on-shoot working bag. Hundreds of photographers testing this bag during development, and Boda reconstructed it to correct the biggest flaws uncovered by working professionals. The Boda V3 strives to be the best active-shooting option on the market, so I wanted to test just how well it stands up to that goal.

I tested the bag during a wedding, evaluating how comfortable the bag was to carry for long periods of time and how easy it was to access gear throughout the day. You can carry the Boda V3 in two different ways, as a waist belt or over your shoulder. Since I’m just over 5 feet tall with a petite frame, I find that wearing bags on my waist is rarely an option that provides enough security or comfort when I’m working. I prefer to be as mobile as possible, so I opted to carry the bag on my shoulder.

The bag was easiest for me to carry on one shoulder with the strap draped across my body and the bag resting on the opposite hip. While I was shooting, I could shift the bag slightly toward my back, keeping it comfortably out of the way, or swing it around to the side when I needed to grab a piece of equipment. The adjustable shoulder strap allowed me to choose where the bag fell at my hip. Shoulder straps have not always been comfortable with other bags I’ve tested, but even though this one was a bit stiff and did not bend around my shoulder the way I would have liked, the Boda V3 remained comfortable enough to get through a day of shooting.

Continue reading "Review: BodaV3 Weatherproof Lens Bag" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 18, 2010 12:31 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: "Photo Video Fusion" ProShow Workshop DVD

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

While already familiar with Photodex Proshow Gold, after getting to review Proshow Producer for Professional Photographer (review scheduled for April issue), I have to admit I felt a little out of my element. Creating slideshows is easy for me, but integrating still images with video? That’s another thing.

Fortunately, I was also able to get my hands on one of Photodex’s training videos: Photo Video Fusion. The DVD contains 1.5 hours of video tutorials (split into 11 chapters). The average video is about 15 minutes long, so you’ll be able to squeeze your learning sessions in when you have a spare moment.

The training sessions begin by explaining the concept of “fusion”—the blending of video and images to create a complete slideshow production. The DVD does a thorough job of explaining concepts, and I’m pretty sure you’ll find it easy to understand.

If you’re someone who learns best by doing, rather than just hearing or watching things, you will love this workshop DVD. Photodex has included video and image files so that you can follow along with the tutorial and actually do the exercises yourself.

After you learn about fusion, the DVD will help you get a good foundation in editing videos with Photodex. You’ll learn how to work with video, how to trim video files and create video clips, and most important—that videos behave pretty much like individual images (so far as layers, masks, and styles go).

Continue reading "Review: "Photo Video Fusion" ProShow Workshop DVD " »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 4, 2010 12:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: The Orbis and Orbis Arm, Ring Flash On a Budget

By Curtis Joe Walker

The orbis ring flash from Enlight Photo is a modifier for hot shoe flashes that allows them to emulate the functionality of a studio ring flash. Fitting onto the end of a hot shoe flash, it takes the light and bounces it through a highly reflective inner chamber, outputting diffused, characteristic light through its ring.

The high-impact-plastic unit has been expertly designed for maximum efficiency, using the brightest chrome finished plastic available. By adding translucent material to the bottom of the ring and a series of baffles inside, the light output from the ring is evenly distributed and creates flawless specular highlights. Inside, a series of spring hinges ensure a snug fit on the end of your flash. It isn’t designed to permanently marry the two devices, though. In other words, take care to hold the device in a way that protects both units from an unintended free fall.

So, how does it hold up in use? Pretty good, within its limitations. For one thing, it’s limited by the output of the flash that’s going into it, and it loses about 4 stops of light in the translation. That means there’s no way this light is going to light a whole set, but for portraits and very carefully composed full body shots, it’ll work. The instructions suggest bumping the ISO setting to 400, so depending on the camera and lens, it could be possible to get more out of the flash. With the ring flash, portraits show the characteristic wraparound shadow and the highlights are perfect donut shapes. Despite the limited efficiency, it is possible to overpower daylight if you’re able to shoot your subject from a few inches away.

Continue reading "Review: The Orbis and Orbis Arm, Ring Flash On a Budget" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 1, 2010 3:23 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Album DS Design Software

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

If you’re looking for an album design solution that integrates with Photoshop, then you need to give Album DS Design Software a shot. Let’s just say there’s a reason that Professional Photographer's Hot One Award judges picked Album DS (version 6.1.1) as the winner for Album Design/Layout. Before trying out Album DS, I hadn’t found a program that would fit my needs. I tried various programs, but resorted to Photoshop since the programs couldn’t render my envisioned design properly. After giving Album DS a shot, I think I finally found a program with enough flexibility for me.

When you first install Album DS, the installer will ask you which of the templates (700+), masks (200), frames (570+), backgrounds (326) and clipart you want to install. You can install a sampling of the resources, or install everything at once. Despite the large resource library, you’re not limited to the included templates. Album DS lets you convert templates you already have, or even make your own on the fly.

Continue reading "Review: Album DS Design Software" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on March 1, 2010 2:52 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Canon’s new EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens (MSRP $1,049) is quite a lens! Even though it has a fixed focal length, the image stabilization, speed (f/2.8) and life-size close-up capabilities without an adapter, (1:1 maximum magnification) make it a very desirable lens to own. Quoting from Canon’s website, “the lens was developed to expand users' photographing range and allow a wider range of users to easily enjoy macro photography.” I recently had the opportunity to evaluate this new lens from while photographing a wedding as well as creating macro images at my leisure.

Of all the features and capabilities, the feature that impressed me most is the life-size, 1:1 maximum magnification factor. With the 100mm mounted on a Canon EOS 40D, I borrowed the bride’s bouquet as well as the newlyweds’ rings. Using only afternoon window light and the bouquet, I proceeded to capture images to see just what this lens was capable of doing. The first few images were captured from a more “normal” distance (Figure 1).

My initial idea for the image was to incorporate flowers and rings into a “vignette” image. Images like these are important for recording wedding day details for the bride and groom, as well as to increase the variety of images in their final album. After several images at a lower magnification factor, I began to move closer and closer to the rings until I was at the lens’s minimum focusing distance and maximum magnification factor (Figure 2).

I was very impressed with the lens stabilization feature—none of these images were taken with a tripod-mounted camera. It is worth noting, however, that in order to minimize camera shake, I had my elbows propped on the table and held the camera tightly while releasing the shutter. Because I was using the camera’s TTL metering capability when photographing the subject from such a close distance, I didn’t have to make any exposure compensation.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Continue reading "Review: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 3, 2010 1:29 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Checkout: RedCart, Photo Cart, Lightbox

Supplement

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

In this month’s print edition of Professional Photographer magazine, I discussed my experiences with three web cart systems for photographers: RedCart, Photo Cart, and Lightbox Photo Gallery. While each cart system is different, they do all accomplish the same end goal—that is, to allow you to sell your images and products online.

To help you get an idea of what each cart will (and will not) do, I’ve compiled features into categories: investment, interface, pricing, products, and setup. With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the features these web carts have to offer.

Investment: With a one-time investment upfront for a single domain license, all three carts allow you to benefit from commission-free sales. Depending on which interface you choose, you’ll end up investing anywhere from $329 to $1,099 (see end of article). Photo Cart includes lifetime free upgrades, Lightbox includes free upgrades for one year, and RedCart includes minor upgrades unless you spring for their monthly investment … and then you’ll receive all upgrades.

Interface: All three carts have the capability to display public galleries (or keep them private), e-mail invoices, save client favorites, and even display images in a slideshow. RedCart is the only cart to operate on a Flash-based front end—the other two are HTML-based. Photo Cart and Lightbox both have integrated batch uploading, watermarking, and auto thumbnail generation; the upcoming version of RedCart (soon to be released) relies on a desktop application to accomplish these tasks. Since Lightbox is geared to commercial/stock photography, it has several unique features, including SEO URLs, a multi-photographer manager, and even a keyword search log. Both Photo Cart and Lightbox can display IPTC metadata if that information is present in your image files.

Above: Lightbox Photo Gallery configuration interface and the gallery view for clients. (Click for large view.)

Above: Photo Cart's client gallery. (Click for large view.)

Above: RedCart's client gallery. (Click for large view.)

Continue reading "Checkout: RedCart, Photo Cart, Lightbox" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on February 1, 2010 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Zenfolio

Continue reading "Review: Zenfolio" »

Zenfolio has been offering easy, affordable, attractive online galleries for photographers for the last four years. Previously, photographers would have to build and host their own website elsewhere, linking externally to Zenfolio galleries to handle sales and client proofing. With their new release, to be launched at Imaging USA (Jan. 10-12), sites can be hosted entirely with Zenfolio. This eliminates the cost of two hosting accounts and greatly improves the visual presentation of the site thanks to comprehensive and customizable theme packages.

We recently had a chance to sit down with Zenfolio CEO Alex Peyzner to walk us through the upcoming features.

With the new release comes a whole new set of options for building pages. Foremost of these is theming. At launch, 10-15 themes will be available, but because the themes are customizable and downloadable, many more will quickly appear once the Zenfolio community gets their feet wet. Themes control the look and feel of the entire site from the main page to the individual galleries.The pages are Flash-free except for gallery slideshows. This move will satisfy mobile users, but at the cost of a completely designer-controlled viewing experience. Also included with Premium accounts is the ability to upload PDF files natively—a handy feature for publishing printable price/service menus.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 31, 2009 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: "The Changing Range of Light"

By Thea Dodds, GreenerPhotography.org

“The Changing Range of Light: Portraits of the Sierra Nevada” combines art and science in a book of landscape photography, employing imagery to inspire action. It features gorgeous landscapes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range by Elizabeth Carmel, and text vignettes outlining the effect of global climate change in the Sierras by Robert Coats, PhD. and Geoffrey Schladow, PhD.

Carmel is an acclaimed landscape photographer based in Trukee, Calif. This volume is a follow-up to her book, “Brilliant Waters,” also featuring photographs from the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Contributing author Robert Coats has a B.S. and M.S. in Forestry and a PhD. in Wildland Resource Science from the University of California at Berkeley. Contributing author Geoffrey Schladow holds a B. Eng. and PhD. in civil engineering from the University of Western Australia, and a M. Eng. in hydraulic engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

The release of this 136 page, full color book was well timed with the December convening of the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the largest conference of its kind in history. Carmel is courageous for publishing a book that combines grassroots education with contemporary landscape photography. She risks taking the reader away from her art with the addition of scientific commentary that is heavy both in content and technical in its language. It is striking how well the images lead the reader to the text, and the text takes the reader back to the images with additional information and appreciation. The climate change vignettes are interrupted by poetry at well-timed intervals to give the reader a needed breath of lighter content.

Continue reading "Review: "The Changing Range of Light"" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 30, 2009 9:50 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

Continue reading "Review: X-Rite ColorChecker Passport" »

What is better color worth to your photography business? That is the $99 question posed by the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. But the underlying question is whether you can trust your camera, no matter which make or model you use, to automatically deliver its best possible color rendition. “Best” is obviously a subjective term. What most of us really want is what is known as “pleasing color”—blue skies rendered as a natural shade of blue without a magenta cast, grass that meets our perception of what grass should look like, skin tones that match the subjects’ complexion, and red hair that looks like red hair. (Sometimes we don’t want realistic color, but it is the best place to begin customizing from.)

Every camera model from every manufacturer interprets color differently due to differences in sensor technology, camera processor technology and programming. You may have even encountered slight color rendering differences between individual cameras of the same model. With little effort, profiling your cameras eliminates these color rendering differences.

To get there, we have to make all parts of the photographic process work harmoniously. That is the ultimate goal of color management. By now, most professionals and serious amateurs understand that calibrating and profiling our displays is essential, even if we aren’t working on high-end Eizo and NEC monitors. Those involved in making prints understand the necessity of using good profiles for printers, papers, and inks or lab-produced prints. Even if you choose to work only with JPEGs in the small sRGB color space, you are passively engaged in color management.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 2, 2009 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Nexto eXtreme ND-2700

By Mark Levesque, CPP

The digital age has brought with it the benefits of rapidly improving technology that simultaneously becomes more capable and less costly. As a consequence of more and better megapixels, photographers are generating ever increasing quantities of data. The recent trend in DSLRs to add HD video capability compounds the problem: how to contend with all the data generated on a shoot. The solution has been to take advantage of a similar trend in the flash memory market: more memory for less money. Larger memory cards notwithstanding, photographers often find themselves on location and running out of memory, or simply looking to quickly create the peace of mind that having your data safely backed up can bring.

Enter the Nexto eXtreme ND-2700 from Nexto DI. Touting “on the go” backups, this device is the essence of simplicity. Plug in your card, and press the button. The embedded hard drive springs to life and the copying of your data commences. It’s that easy to create reliable backups. In short order you have a copy of your data, along with status indicating its integrity.

©Mark Levesque

Continue reading "Review: Nexto eXtreme ND-2700" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 2, 2009 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Kubota RPG Speedkeys for Lightroom 2

Continue reading "Review: Kubota RPG Speedkeys for Lightroom 2" »

When Adobe Lightroom was formally introduced in 2006, it was applauded as a great tool for enhancing photographers’ workflows. Now there’s another tool on the market that can further speed your work in Lightroom: Kubota RPG Speedkeys for Lightroom 2.

Kubota RPG Speedkeys for Lightroom 2 was designed to help you work faster in Lightroom by combining the popular RPG Keys product with Kevin Kubota’s Lightroom workflow. It’s a small wireless keyboard that is pre-programmed to run time-saving adjustments in Lightroom, such as increasing or decreasing exposure, and shortcuts to perform popular Kubota Lightroom Presets. (The product includes Kubota Lightroom Presets v3.) With just a press of the button, you can adjust things like the exposure and color temperature of an image—a great time savings over manually adjusting the Lightroom sliders with a mouse.

Installation of the Speedkeys goes quickly, but it is very important that you follow the instructions. Install the software before plugging the keyboard’s USB receiver into your computer, and when the software asks you to choose a directory for installation, make sure you choose the correct Adobe directory. It’s also important that you do not restart your computer with the USB Receiver connected, as it does affect how your computer starts if left plugged in.

To use the Speedkeys, you simply plug in the USB Receiver, start the Kubota RPG Speedkeys application, and open Lightroom. If you’re using a Macintosh, take you need to open all the little menus in the Quick Develop area of the Library module for the keys to work. Then you are ready to process away!

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 1, 2009 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Tenba Small Photo/Laptop Roadie

By Betsy Finn, CPP

I recently had the opportunity to try out Tenba’s Small Photo/Laptop Roadie. In addition to cramming it chock-full of equipment, I was curious to see if it would really fit under the seat on an airplane.

©Betsy Finn

The Small Roadie has a lot of features and enough compartments to satisfy most pocket fanatics. According to Tenba, the Small Roadie holds 1 or 2 SLRs with 5 to 6 lenses (up to 300mm 2.8). Your mileage may vary, but here’s a list of the equipment I was able to cram (in an organized manner) into this functional studio on wheels (see photo below).

• 15-inch widescreen laptop, power cord, and travel surge protector
• Nikon D3 body with 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens
• Nikon D200 body
• Nikon 55mm f2.8 micro lens
• Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens
• Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 lens
• Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 lens
• Two Nikon SB-800 Speedlights
• Light meter
• Battery + CF card cases

©Betsy Finn

Continue reading "Review: Tenba Small Photo/Laptop Roadie" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 1, 2009 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Serif MoviePlus X3

By Adam Boozer

The latest version of Serif’s video editing tool, MoviePlus X3, is a solid evolution in this software’s almost 10 year history. Easily usable by both the novice video editor as well as the more seasoned professional, this application provides a wide range of tools that can enable almost anyone to deliver a high quality end product.

Full disclosure, I am a Final Cut Pro user and a Mac guy, so I approached the review of this application with the attitude of “how good could this little PC-only app really be?” I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the application incredibly easy to use, I actually found it fun to import my video assets and play with the wide range of tools available to me.

The interface for MoviePlus X3 is well organized and is actually centered around an integrated “How To” system. This instructional system removes the barrier found in more complex video applications by approaching the user with a series of common tasks. I like the idea of asking the user what it is they want to do and then walking them through the necessary steps to accomplish the task. Of course, more sophisticated users can disable this function, or new users can simply wean themselves off of it over time.

The feature that most impressed me was the manner in which MoviePlus X3 handled the native video files from my Canon EOS 5D Mark II. The h.264 compressed files that the 5D Mark II creates are processor-intensive to play back, and I find that most users transcode the video into other formats to edit. When I imported my clips into MoviePlus X3 to test, I was excited to see that it immediately made lower resolution proxy files for me to edit with. This allowed for very speedy playback within the application and gave me the flexibility to play with effects, titles, etc. without the lag time associated with the original h.264 files. The best part is that this is automatic. When I was ready to export my final project, the application referenced my original high resolution files.

Continue reading "Review: Serif MoviePlus X3" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 1, 2009 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: EzMats Designer

By Don Chick

Every once in a while a product comes along that is easy to use and has tremendous features and potential. EzMats Designer is one such product. The software is Mac/PC compatible and is available to purchase and download off the Web. After watching a brief tutorial and downloading about 40MB with an easy installation, I was off on my own creating custom mats in about an hour.

EzMats Designer is not a plug-in or simply a bunch of templates, but rather a stand-alone program that works within Photoshop (CS3 & CS4) when Photoshop is running. Once the software is installed, you can launch the program via a desktop icon or shortcut (Windows). The tool palette is easy to use and the layout is well thought through with only 11 buttons. Figure 1 (below) shows the palette as well as a double mat created from one of the 149 Ready to Use Templates (Software Driven Digital Mat Layouts) and a texture overlay that comes with the EzMats software.

Figure 1

Kevin Truax, the genius behind EzMats Designer, has created several online videos that take you step-by-step through the very quick learning curve. I found it worth the time investment to watch the video and simultaneously create mats as Kevin talked me through the process. Soon after watching the tutorial videos I was making the more advanced multi-opening mats. My mind was buzzing with ideas for new products that I could offer my clients as well as using these as upgrade options for existing products.

Continue reading "Review: EzMats Designer" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on December 1, 2009 9:06 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Roundup: New Matte/Watercolor Inkjet Papers

By Andrew Darlow

As digital photography and printer technologies evolve, so the development of new and innovative matte/watercolor papers for inkjet printing moves forward. And there is certainly no shortage of these papers. Over the last 12-18 months, more than 20 new fine-art matte/watercolor inkjet papers have been released. And unlike digital cameras and printers, many matte/watercolor inkjet papers introduced five or even 10 years ago stay on the market, just as useful as the day they were introduced. What makes these papers special is that even though they are coated with an inkjet-receptive layer, they retain an organic look similar to a watercolor painting or fine print made on hand-made Japanese paper. The coating improves the density, sharpness, and in many cases, the longevity of the paper and ink combination.

Many photographers choose inkjet matte/watercolor papers for fine-art gallery prints, client portrait prints, wedding albums, commercial portfolios, cards and promotional pieces. In this article, I give an overview of six companies whose matte/watercolor papers have impressed me, with some specs to help you determine if their offerings might be right for you. At the end of the article is a list of companies that produce and/or distribute matte/watercolor papers under their brand name.

Prices vary considerably from vendor to vendor, so I recommend using search engines to find retailers for specific products (always consider shipping costs, as well as a vendor’s reputation and return policy). Also, virtually all the papers described here are available in sample packs, which can save you money in the long run by allowing you to experiment with several different papers before purchasing larger amounts of one or two favorites. Often, papers are available in both rolls and sheets. My preference for most uses is sheets, primarily because the papers are fragile and sheets generally stay flat and need far less handling or cutting.

Also, the number that follows most paper names stands for its basis weight in grams per square meter (gsm). Most matte/watercolor inkjet papers are between 190-350gsm. Keep this in mind because every printer has a maximum paper thickness that it will accept.

Among the new matte and watercolor papers are Hahnemühle Sugar Cane (far left), Pictorico ART Kenaf Paper UNRYU (68) (top, center), Epson Signature Worthy Cold Press Bright (far right), and Canson Rag Photographique 210 (bottom). Photo ©Andrew Darlow. Click image for larger view.

Continue reading "Roundup: New Matte/Watercolor Inkjet Papers" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 30, 2009 9:59 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Nikon D3S High ISO

Continue reading "Review: Onlinephotofix.com" »

In the gallery linked below you will find full resolution 1,000 x 1,000-pixel crops shot at the Nikon D3S Big Apple Circus event on October 20, 2009. The gallery shows images at all full-stop ISO settings from ISO 100 to 102,400. The final image is an uncropped view.

Exposure and processing information is included with the images. The camera was set for lossless 14-bit NEF mode and High ISO noise reduction was set to Low.

I viewed the files in Nikon ViewNX and then used Photoshop for cropping, captioning, conversion to the sRGB color space and saved at level 12 (minimal) compression.

There is no sharpening applied in the NEF processing or in post processing. Active D-lighting was turned off in the camera, and D-Lighting was turned off in Nikon ViewNX. Beyond what is described above, no other processing was done. The HTML Web gallery was created in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.5

View Nikon D3S images.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 2, 2009 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Onlinephotofix.com

By Zack Davis

Like many photography studios, I get my share of calls and requests each year about restoring an old or damaged family photograph. That’s where Onlinephotofix.com comes in. Offering a range of services geared toward image restoration for consumers and professionals. Professional Photographer magazine sent me to see if this service could be valuable to studios as a cost-effective alternative to keeping the work in house.

I wanted to challenge Onlinephotofix.com in several ways, as they are a restoration service and not a retouching firm. Though for this review I did use images from sessions that had real-world exposure and composition issues to get a better idea of the quality of their work.

With wholesale account discounts of 50% off their retail service, the Onlinephotofix.com restoration service is priced quite reasonably. Taking the cost of time into consideration, this service could open up a new revenue stream for your studio or free up your time for additional appointments.

Since the goal of using a service like this is to lighten your workload, the amount of time it takes to prepare and send the files is important. For this review I had one very important question, “Can I submit an image to them in less than 15 minutes?”

On my first visit to the image submission portion of the site, my total time investment to send in an image for a quote was 9 minutes, and I was pleased. A client could come in with an image, and in less than 15 minutes I could have it scanned, saved and uploaded for a free quote.

There are no strict size requirements. The full-size file goes directly to the server without any need for manipulation on your part. This immediately removes 90 percent of the work you have to do. As far as fee structure goes, it’s simple.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 2, 2009 10:16 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Sanho HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA

By Andrew Rodney

I am the first to admit I’m paranoid about my data, especially digital captures I shoot on location. I strive to keep at least two copies of all my raw files at any one time. When shooting on location for extended periods, that means having a hefty supply of flash cards and a means of copying them to an external hard drive, and only reformatting the cards when I have two backups. Usually that means taking a laptop, card reader and an external hard drive with me on location. There is another solution that I recently investigated—the HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA photo backup device.

The HyperDrive Colorspace is essentially a self-contained, battery powered storage device that quickly copies contents of my flash cards directly to a huge hard drive, and has a large 3.2-inch external LCD display to view and edit (if I choose) the images. Measuring 5.25 x 2.95 x 1 inches and weighing only 10.5 ounces, this is a lightweight, portable solution that at the very least, allows me to quickly download contents of my flash cards in the field without the need of a laptop. With its fast USB 2.0 connectivity, I can copy the contents of the Colorspace to my laptop’s external drive each evening if I decide it’s worth taking all that extra equipment with me on a shoot. Now I have two copies of my images and can safely reformat the flash cards and continue to shoot. There are a number of advantages to taking such a device on location such as:

Data verification: As data from a flash card is copied to the internal drive inside the Colorspace, it uses what is called CRC copy verification. I’d be very hard pressed to format a flash card on location, at least until I know the one backup I’ve made has been verified. The product provides three differing verification schemes. Real Time Verify is the default and does not affect copy speed. If an error in the camera file is detected when it copies to the hard drive, I’m alerted immediately. Verify HDD and Verify Card use a slower checksum verification scheme that compares each file copied to the data on the card or drive. Knowing that the image data on the Colorspace is readable and has been copied from the flash card with data integrity provides a lot of peace of mind.

Continue reading "Review: Sanho HyperDrive Colorspace UDMA" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on November 2, 2009 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Eneloop Batteries

By Betsy Finn, CPP

Sanyo’s Eneloop batteries are a new twist on the traditional rechargeable battery; they can retain 85 percent of their capacity over a year’s time. Because of this unique characteristic, Sanyo is able to package Eneloop batteries so they’re ready to use when you need them. The question is: Does this convenience factor come at a cost in performance? Can professional photographers really rely on a battery that is only rated at 2,000 mAH (compared to the more typical 2650 mAh or 2900 mAh)?

I was curious to see how Eneloop batteries compared to standard Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. To compare their performance, I used three Nikon Speedlights with four batteries each, set on manual flash power (one as the on-camera master, the other two as remotes). One of the remote Speedlights would be powered by Eneloop batteries, the other by standard Ni-MH batteries. After doing some research online, I discovered that my Nikon SB-800 Speedlights, at full manual power, should have a recycle time of four seconds when using Ni-MH batteries, and allow for 150 shots to be fired (Source: KenRockwell.com). With that in mind as a guideline, I set out to test the 150-shot theory and see how the Eneloop batteries compared to the standard Ni-MH batteries.

Continue reading "Review: Eneloop Batteries" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 29, 2009 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Benro Travel Angel Tripod

Big leg support with a small footprint

By Michael J. McNamara

A tripod is either a must-have accessory or a necessary evil, depending on what you’re shooting and how far you have to carry one. For travel and location shoots, a sturdy tripod gives you the support needed to maintain low-noise ISO settings, creatively blur motion with slower shutter speeds, or maximize depth-of-field with smaller apertures. If you’re on a tight budget, “sturdy” usually equates to heavy, and the benefits you get from a heavy tripod must be weighed against the hassle of carrying it, the space it takes up and the extra price you may incur for shipping it to various locations. On the other hand, smaller, lightweight tripods made of carbon fiber offer a superior weight-to-support ratio than metal models, but a decent one can cost you an arm and three legs.

A more affordable, compact and sturdy alternative is the Benro Travel Angel. This innovative aluminum model folds down to a mere 14.9-inch length, yet can be extended up to 59.6 inches tall. It’s also rated to hold a typical medium-sized DSLR with a zoom lens up to 8.8 pounds. For a recent overseas assignment, I paired the aluminum version with a Benro B-series Ballhead B-0 (this combo available as kit TRAB169 for $231, and holds up to 17.6 pounds) as the support system for a new Panasonic DMC-GH1 camera system. Since the GH1 is one of the lightest interchangeable-lens cameras on the market (and one of the best dual-media cameras with full 1080P HD recording), I didn’t need the extra weight capacity of a larger tripod or the carbon fiber version of the Travel Angel (model TRCB169, $440 street, folds to 14.1 inches, extends to 58 inches high, and can support up to 17.6 pounds).

Continue reading "Review: Benro Travel Angel Tripod" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on October 29, 2009 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: onOne Software PhotoTools 2

Continue reading "Review: onOne Software PhotoTools 2" »

PhotoTools 2 is a Photoshop plug-in from onOne Software that allows you to quickly apply a variety of Photoshop effects to your photos and video clips. PhotoTools 2 provides an extensive library featuring multiple effects created by onOne and Photoshop Gurus Kevin Kubota and Jack Davis.

I was concerned that PhotoTools 2 would not compare to my own vast library of Photoshop Actions (My name is Kim, and I am a Photoshop Action-holic). But after using PhotoTools 2 for one month, I realized that the power of PhotoTools is not the effects themselves, but really the way the effects are organized and applied.

Finding the Right Effect

With PhotoTools 2, finding the effect you want to apply to your photo is extremely simple because you can search for it in multiple ways. I am very impressed with how well-organized the effects library is. If you’re looking for an effect that applies specifically to eyes, simply do a search for “eyes” and you’ll see a list of effects meant to enhance eyes. If you’re looking to apply a moody effect to your photo, you can select “moody” from the keywords list. A good description and sample before-after photo is provided with each effect, so it is easy to pick out the one you want!

The PhotoTools 2 Library provides a very organized and keyword-searchable set of effects, making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. (Click image for larger view.)

Stack, Unstack, Modify, Repeat

PhotoTools 2 allows you to apply effects in a stack. You can take up to 16 effects and apply them to your image at once, and you can go back to modify, hide, or remove individual effects at any time. This is a great advantage over using multiple Photoshop actions because typically when you apply multiple actions to an image, you cannot go back and modify the first actions. With PhotoTools 2, you’re free to go back and edit the first effect without destroying the effects you applied after it.

You can modify any layer of the stack without changing the other layers.

When you find a combination of effects you like, you can save them as a preset, and can then apply them to other photos with one click. You can import and export presets from PhotoTools to share them with friends. You can even post them on the onOne Exchange site, where many people have already shared their favorite presets.

PhotoTools 2 also lets you apply the effects to multiple photos in a batch from Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and Apple Aperture.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 30, 2009 2:12 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Sigma APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX II DC HSM

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

As a passionate portrait photographer, I prefer to use a zoom during a session for the flexibility and range that a zoom lens has to offer. In order to minimize distortion, much of my portrait work is done in the 85mm or greater range. So when given a chance to evaluate the Sigma APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX II DC HSM I jumped at the opportunity. This lens seemed to combine the ideal features that any portrait photographer could ask for, i.e., range, speed and price.

©Don Chick

The 50-150mm has a fast fixed f/2.8 aperture, which comes in handy when you’re working in low-light conditions or looking to capture images with a very shallow depth of field. I believe the look of a shallow depth of field is essential for the professional today as a way to differentiate your work from the plethora of non-professionals. And while I don’t often work wide open at f/2.8 due to the extremely shallow depth-of-field at that aperture, being able to stop the lens down to f/3.5 or f/4.0 is an advantage.

This lens does not have built in image stabilization, which may be a deal breaker for some photographers at this price (current street price, $775). But because this lens doesn’t incorporate image stabilization, it weighs in at only 27.5 ounces, making it a relative lightweight compared to other f/2.8 lenses with image stabilization. The Canon and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses each weigh in at 51.8 ounces, nearly double the weight of the Sigma. The lighter weight makes it easier to hand-hold the lens and is less likely to cause fatigue when you carry it around for long periods of time.

Continue reading "Review: Sigma APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX II DC HSM" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 30, 2009 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Guide to Quantum Instruments Trio QF8 System Situational Setups

Continue reading "Guide to Quantum Instruments Trio QF8 System Situational Setups" »

The Quantum Instruments Trio QF8/Pilot QF9/Qflash T5d-R equipment forms a powerful and versatile wireless system that can handle many of the tasks that up until now have required larger, less portable lighting equipment. I found that the system will perform extremely well when it has been set up properly. But I also encountered a fairly steep learning curve in setting the units up to perform the way I wanted.

For others who may be trying to work out settings for some common photographic situations, here is what I have found.

1) How to set up a Trio on the camera hot shoe and a T5d-R as a remote to use the camera’s built-in TTL system to determine the exposure.

The T5d-R remote flash must be set to the same Wireless Group and Channel as the Trio, in this case Wireless Group R1 and Channel 1. The remote flash must ALWAYS be set up before the on-camera Trio is turned on.

On the Trio, you set the mode to QTTL, the first setting in the menu bar at the top of the LCD.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 17, 2009 10:51 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Preliminary Review: StudioPlus Overview

[Editor's Note: Because studio management software serves many purposes and performs dozens of functions, this article provides an overview of StudioPlus Software in advance of a review of its accounting-specific function and integration with QuickBooks, which will appear in a forthcoming issue of Professional Photographer magazine.]

By Betsy Finn, CPP

Managing day-to-day operations can be a complicated task, and finding the right piece of software to manage your studio’s data can be equally challenging. StudioPlus has been around for 11 years and was developed specifically for photographers. The company emphasizes that StudioPlus is more than just a piece of software, it’s a studio management system to help photographers efficiently manage clients from the first phone call, to image capture, and to order pickup. While StudioPlus has too many features to review in a single article, this overview should give you an idea of its capabilities and how it might help your studio.

StudioPlus provides customer support during the setup phase so that you can learn how to use the software most efficiently—and I made sure to take advantage of this offer. After familiarizing myself with the software’s default settings, and changing the preferences to fit my studio’s operation, I began to explore the main areas of StudioPlus. Each section of StudioPlus is optimized for a specific function. For example, the Home Page gives you a snapshot of studio activities, including upcoming appointments/sessions, to dos, phone calls, financial figures, and even the weather.

[Click on interface images for a larger view.]

Continue reading "Preliminary Review: StudioPlus Overview" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 2, 2009 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Animoto, Custom Video Slideshows

Animoto productions aren't really slideshows; they're professional looking music videos created with your images.

By Betsy Finn, CPP

SPECIAL OFFER EXTENDED: Purchase a three-month Professional pass using Coupon Code: PPAnov09 and get an extra month free. Offer ends Nov. 30, 2009.

Animoto blends video and music with still images to create a dynamic, interactive video. A relative newcomer to the photographic industry, Animoto has only been around since 2006. If you’re curious to find out why Animoto has been hailed as the “end of slideshows,” keep reading as I examine the movie-making process.

When creating a new video, Animoto prompts you to choose short or full-length video options, if you’re a paid user (a basic account is free, but you’re limited to creating 30-second videos). After you select video type, you tell Animoto where to get your images. You can upload from your computer, or retrieve from sites like Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket, etc.

Animoto will then begin uploading your images. While movie length will ultimately depend on the tempo of your music selection, Animoto recommends 12-15 images for a 30 second video. You can rearrange the image order by clicking and dragging on an image (or set of images). The spotlight button lets you choose images you want to feature, and the text button lets you add a slide with two lines of text.

Continue reading "Review: Animoto, Custom Video Slideshows" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 1, 2009 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: LensAlign PRO

Calibrating your camera’s autofocus system for best performance with individual lenses

Continue reading "Review: LensAlign PRO" »

Every now and then a specific autofocus lens and body combination just do not work perfectly. You may not even be aware that one or more of your lens/body combinations do not perform as well as it might if it were properly tuned, or maybe you require above average performance and want assurance that is what you are getting for your money. Several manufacturers now include a function for fine-tuning autofocus performance in their newest top-of-the-line bodies. (As of early August 2009 these include: Canon EOS-50D, 5D Mark II, 1D Mark III, and 1Ds Mark III models; Nikon D300, D300s, D700, D3, and D3X; Olympus E-30 and E-620; Pentax K20D; and Sony A900.) If your camera has that option, we now have a good reliable tool from rawworkflow.com for finding out exactly how out of whack a lens /body combo might be and what AF micro-adjustment setting is needed to maximize performance.

The LensAlign PRO kit consists of three pieces: a target to focus on, a steel Depth of Field Display Ruler, and a settings Enumerator to keep track of your settings in the photo. There are two other versions available as well; a Lite version, which is less fully featured, and the PRO PLUS, which features a larger target and a 47-inch long ruler.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on September 1, 2009 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home, Cork And Fork

Two (or three) bags to get you there

By Curtis Joe Walker

8 Million Dollar Home

Crumpler’s $170 8 Million Dollar Home is a handy, versatile shoulder bag for photographers on the go. With a bevy of inserts included, the bag can handle anything from two pro DSLRs with long lenses, or a DSLR, laptop and accessories. As tested, a DSLR body with lens, two medium-sized lenses, three hotshoe flashes, 15-inch laptop and miscellaneous accessories fit in perfectly.

The interior is all Velcro compatible, so the guts can be customized as desired. As with most Crumpler bags, there will be leftover inserts once the inside is customized. The bright green interior helps make loose items stand out. A mesh pocket in the top flap is great for batteries and small items, while a pair of pockets on the front of the bag provide a total of three slim compartments for organizing gear and paperwork.

On each side of the bag are a pair of loops through which you can slip tripod legs. That can be easier said than done, depending on the size of the legs and the material they’re covered with. Rubberized legs are particularly tough to deal with. In any case, the loops hold securely enough, but require two hands to insert and remove the tripod in most cases.

Continue reading "Review: Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home, Cork And Fork" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 12, 2009 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Tryout: Canon Selphy as a Reception Add-On

Continue reading "Tryout: Canon Selphy as a Reception Add-On" »

I had been struggling for a while to find unique ways to set me apart from my local competition, so when PPA gave me the opportunity to try out the Canon Selphy ES3 printer at a wedding reception I jumped at the opportunity—could this be exactly what I was looking for?

SETUP

Although I could have just used the Selphy printer to print off a few photos from the day’s wedding ceremony to display at the reception for guests to enjoy, I decided to do something different. With just about everyone owning point-and-shoot digital cameras now, I decided to put the printer on display at the reception so people could print off their own photos. I allowed everyone free access to the printer, with the ability to print photos for the bride and groom, or even themselves if they desired.

To set up the table for the printer, I used a small 24x48-inch folding table and a white floor-length tablecloth. I arranged scrapbook photo corners on white posterboard to display some of the printed photos and left room for simple instructions on how to re-fill the printer should it run out of paper. I also put up a sign in an 8x10 photo frame that announced the bride and groom’s “photobooth,” and a box where people could put the printed photos to give to the bride and groom.

Supplies

Canon Selphy ES3 Printer: $199 (MSRP)
Printer Ink/Paper Refill Cartridges (100 prints): $30
24x48 Folding Table: $49
Tablecloth: $10
Posterboard and Scrapbooking supplies: $15
Box to hold bride and groom’s photos: $5
8x10 frame: $5

THE PRINTER

The Canon Selphy ES3 printer is the perfect printer for this kind of work. It is not heavy, so it is easy to transport to the reception with its built-in handle. You do not need a computer to use it, and it will accept most digital camera cards. My favorite feature of this printer is the lack of ink cartridges. Because the ink is actually built into the paper cartridge, you never have to worry about replacing ink. This makes it incredibly easy for guests at the wedding reception to manage the printer themselves. The instructions are simple: When the printer is out of paper, you just open the paper door, slide out the used paper cartridge and slide in a new one!

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 12, 2009 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

First Look: StudioPlus Software

It’s a photographer’s dream to be able to create art day in and day out. Only problem? As professionals, we have to do more than photograph; the books need balancing, and finances need tracking. Since its inception, my studio management software has been Intuit QuickBooks. QuickBooks is a versatile tool, adaptable to any industry, yet it’s just not made for photographers.

So, for the past year, I’ve been on the lookout for a good solution to my studio management needs. StudioPlus Software is designed specifically for the photographic industry and includes a range of features that aim to satisfy the needs of both the small boutique studio and the multi-location megastudio. The best part? I’ve been told it integrates with QuickBooks, so I should be able to enhance my current system, instead of starting over.

If you’re considering switching software, but are worried about getting overwhelmed, the staff at StudioPlus seems to understand it’s a big task to implement their software. Customers typically receive one-on-one support and training during the StudioPlus installation process. These training sessions are completed on a timeframe that allows you to learn at your own pace. I recently completed my first training session, which consisted of installation of the software, an overview of its features, and a step-by-step walk-through of real-life use. I asked a lot of questions, but left the training session feeling very optimistic about integrating StudioPlus into a typical studio workflow.

—Betsy Finn, CPP
Learnwithbetsy.com

Finn will report on her experience in implementing and working with StudioPlus Software an upcoming issue of Professional Photographer magazine and in PPmag.com Web Exclusives.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 12, 2009 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Lowepro Pro Roller x200

By Curtis Joe Walker

Roller bags are all about maximum capacity, since there’s no concern about breaking the user’s back. The primary design challenge is making the bag small enough to use as a carry-on, yet large enough to hold everything while maintaining enough padding to keep things secure while traveling. The Lowepro Pro Roller x200 manages to meet every requirment. The new Pro Roller x-Series features x100, x200 and x300 sizes, with the x100 and x200 being small enough to meet carry-on restrictions.

This bag sports a number of innovative features, but the most interesting is the ability to zip out the entire camera organization compartment for use as a backpack. The Reserve Pack is convenient not only for lugging gear on location, but also for making the outer case available to use as a normal piece of luggage. Of course, the backpack is only a backpack in the barest sense of the word. Ergonomics are limited, and the straps are quite thin. It’s not meant to replace a dedicated backpack, but to add some functionality in a pinch or for hiking to a location where a roller bag would be inconvenient or impossible to use. It also allows for a second suitcase to magically appear should souvenirs unexpectedly overwhelm the rest of your luggage.

A TSA-approved Lock & Go System combination cable lock ensures that the contents of the bag won’t be swiped by a quick-fingered zipper maestro, but doesn’t have enough slack to chain the bag to a luggage cart or other suitcase.

On the extending handle grip, there’s a set of hidden threads for the impromptu tripod mount to attach to. Using the handle as a tripod isn’t ideal, but it’s a nice touch that might save the day. It also has potential for use as a light stand.

Continue reading "Review: Lowepro Pro Roller x200" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on August 11, 2009 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Lensbaby 0.42x Super Wide Angle Lens

By Corey Shelton

Before adding the 0.42x Super Wide Angle Angle Conversion Lens to your camera bag, let me first suggest that you purchase a large bib to catch your own drool as you shoot with this new Lensbaby family addition.

When I was first handed the lens, I knew nothing of its specs, so abiding by man-law, I immediately regressed into my “I don’t read manuals” self and began to play, easily screwing the adapter into the 50mm Composer via its 37mm metal thread.

After a quick view of how wide the now 21mm Composer seemed, I was then taken aback by the discovery of the lens’ macro capability, which Lensbaby claims to be up to 2.75 (7cm) inches. So, with the ability to now go wider and closer, along with Lensbaby’s inherent sweet spot and blurring features, it was fairly easy to get the creative juices flowing with thoughts of using the accessory for both product and food photography. Hence, the drool.

One noticeable contrasting element of this lens is its construction. Compared to the Composer, which is made of plastic and aluminum components, the 0.42x Super Wide Angle is a compact metal accessory with a nice weighty feel (nearly two-thirds the weight of the Composer).

Continue reading "Review: Lensbaby 0.42x Super Wide Angle Lens" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 23, 2009 11:23 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Tenba Black Label Camera Bag Collection

A line that complements your best professional attire and even fits a petite body size

By Cheryl Pearson

Tenba has a new Black Label line of premium camera bags that consists of two handcrafted shoulder bags and three photo satchels, all representing Tenba’s innovative design and constructed with the highest quality materials.

I tested the Medium Photo Satchel, the mid-size bag in the collection, intended to fit a medium-size DSLR body and 2-3 lenses with a flash. With an interior that’s 13.5W x 9.5H x 6D inches, the medium satchel was able to perfectly fit my Canon EOS 5D camera body, 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses, as well as flash. Although it was a tighter fit, there was even room for a third small lens. To adequately fit three lenses in the bag comfortably, however, they would need to be small to medium focal length.

The movable padded dividers make custom configuration easier, allowing you to arrange the camera and lenses the way you would prefer. To test if a larger DSLR would fit in the bag, I attached the battery grip to my Canon 5D. After rearranging the equipment I found I could comfortably fit the camera body with grip, flash and either two smaller lenses or one larger focal length lens if needed. While the items fit in the satchel, it is probably best to pack what Tenba recommends for the bag’s design, as it seemed to provide the most optimal fit.

Continue reading "Review: Tenba Black Label Camera Bag Collection" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 17, 2009 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Review: Gitzo Series 2 Carbon Fiber 6X Traveler Tripod Kit

By Curtis Joe Walker

Gitzo's new Traveler Series 2 tripod kit (GK2580TQR) aims to please shooters who weren't satisfied with the stability of the original Traveler series. Though undoubtedly rigid, the original had limited capacity, a modest ball head and relatively skinny legs.

This new model aims to accommodate larger cameras, while remaining exceptionally portable and light. When folded, the 4-pound tripod with head measure just under 17 inches, but opens to 60 inches and is built to support DSLRs with up to 300mm lenses. The sturdiness lends itself well to medium-format cameras as well.

The tripod has four section legs that lock solidly with Gitzo's twisting G-Lock joints. Unlike the previous design, this improved engineering actually makes the legs lock firmer when weight is applied, eliminating the need for a herculean grip to open and close the locks. They require only about 1/4 turn to open and close and are designed to resist the elements. When closed, all three of the locks fall within a one-handed grip and you can unlock them simultaneously with a single motion. The tripod can go from fully closed to fully set up in about 2 seconds with practice. At the end of each leg is a removable rubber foot. These can be replaced with spikes or snowshoes if desired.

Continue reading "Review: Gitzo Series 2 Carbon Fiber 6X Traveler Tripod Kit" »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 22, 2009 11:29 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Review: 120 Format Kodak Professional Ektar 100

By Curtis Joe Walker

As choices for film dwindle, especially in medium format, any new entrant to the market is greeted with open arms. Kodak Professional has introduced a medium-format version of their new Ektar 100 film, and it’s pretty great. Like the 35mm version, this film is exceptionally fine grained and colorful in an attempt to bridge the gap between analog and digital photography. While the priciest DSLRs are now shooting full-frame 35mm photos, full-frame medium-format sensors are still out of reach. The exceptional depth of field of pro cameras is still a film-only feature. Some pros are even using film with toy cameras to give a vintage imperfection to their images.

For this round of testing, I used a Mamiya RB67 with 50mm and 150mm lenses and a Holga 120S with open sunglight, overcast sunlight and studio lghting as the main sources of light. The film was lab scanned.

In the Mamiya, Ektar performed flawlessly and maintained detail in the highlights and shadow areas. It is hard to imagine a film better suited to a sunny day at the car show. This shot was taken at the Viva Las Vegas car show in Las Vegas, Nev.

Continue reading "Review: 120 Format Kodak Professional Ektar 100 " »

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 21, 2009 6:02 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

First Look: Creative Light

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

“You get what you pay for” is an adage you’ll often hear amongst any group of photographers. They’ll discuss quality, service and price and how it pertains to either their business or that of a competitor. High quality products and great service don’t typically accompany a low price; you can have two of the three factors but not all three. Creative Light (www.creativelight.com), distributed by the MAC Group in the U.S., has a new line of lighting accessories that are definitely worth taking a second look. They have done a great job providing a quality product at a very fair price.

I recently had the opportunity to review their new 90x120 (3’x4’) soft box in both the flat front (FF) and recessed front (RF) models. I must say that I am impressed. The soft box I got for review is well made. Not only does the fabric have a quality feel to it, but the actual stitching and construction of the soft box do too. Combine a well made product with very competitive pricing and I think you’ll find many satisfied customers. I’ll have more to say in an upcoming review for Professional Photographer magazine.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 13, 2009 2:16 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Correction: Phase One P65+ Review

In the July issue of Professional Photographer, information in the Phase One P65+ review (p. 48) regarding Sensor+ technology should have read:

"Sensor+ technology was developed under the guidance of Phase One—holder of the proprietary rights to its use—by Dalsa, one of the two companies producing sensors for use in medium-format backs."

For a detailed explanation of Sensor+ technology, download "Phase One Patent Pending Sensor+ Explained."

The incorrect information was inadvertantly introduced in editing and should not be attributed to the reviewer. We regret the error.

Posted by Joan Sherwood on July 6, 2009 11:24 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Pro Review: Datacolor SpyderCube