Lighting and Photography Class

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A week before this past Tuesday, I attended the penultimate session of my latest photography class. The class concentrated on lighting, and it was perfect timing for me. Lighting was the missing piece in my skill set — well, besides the need to improve my artistic eye. We invited a model to the class in order to practice our lighting technique for portraits. While my classmates spent a lot of time snapping photos with 35mm cameras, my process was much slower because I was using the Mamiya RZ67 for the most part.

I started the session with the Polaroid back to test the exposure before switching to the 120 medium format film. I also got a few shots in using the Canon 1D Mark III. (It’s wonderful that I was able to find all of this equipment used. The only piece of equipment I purchased new was the Sigma 24-70mm lens I mentioned earlier.) Out of everything, the Polaroid “test shots” turned out the best, despite losing one exposure when I removed the back before replacing the dark slide. With the Polaroid back on, I also tried shooting with the f-stop halfway between f/22 and f/32, and that didn’t work so well. It resulted in the shutter not opening much at all, which you can see in the most underexposed shot in the group.

It’s interesting how, despite using the same settings, the Kodak Ektar film responded completely differently to the light on the seamless backdrop.

The next class starts in May, but I think I’ll be taking a break from classes until at least the fall. I need to spend more time shooting.

Here is the full set on Flickr, and if you continue reading this article, you’ll see a gallery of just the Polaroids and one 6×7.

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Where is Today’s Counterculture in Music?

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Sir Bob Geldof was Craig Ferguson’s guest on The Late Late Show last night. I watched the interview earlier today. Craig had seen Bob perform with the Boomtown Rats in 1977, at a time and in a location featuring social unrest. Young people, particularly young musicians, had an opportunity to react to popular culture and its musical interpretation (disco, pop) with punk music. Throughout the twentieth century, after the technology for performing and recording music became accessible, the younger generation used it to rebel against the status quo. Punk rock, and particularly the thoughtful punk rockers like Bob Geldof and John Lydon, shaped this counterculture.

In the interview, Bob and Craig agree that we are experiencing a formative period in history, one that will be viewed by historians centuries in the future. Thanks to social unrest throughout the world, money flowing into emerging markets, and dominant global power shifting away from the United States, society may be at a tipping point. I don’t think anyone can properly identify what history will choose to focus on until well after the fact, but assuming it’s true, where is today’s counterculture? Specifically, where is the music that can be identified as representative of today’s social change? Why does no one have anything to say about this?

Commercialism is quick to latch onto anything new these days, and that may be why none of today’s music seems revolutionary. A counterculture is commercialized so quickly — take hip-hop, for example — that it doesn’t have time to stand for something and no longer means anything. With artists concerned about making a living in this country, there isn’t a lot of opportunity to do something untested. Maybe we need to start looking elsewhere to find the next social movement to become representative of a generation, perhaps the Middle East, north Africa, or China.

Bob mentions how terrible the popular music was at that time, and there had to be a change. Today’s pop music should generate the same sort of reaction, but where are today’s music rebels? Watch the interview with Bob Geldof after the break.

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Catherine Short de Arce at The Grand

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Last Tuesday, I ventured back into my college state of Delaware for the first time in many years. After broadcasting a request for models among my friends on Facebook several months ago, one of the gracious responses was from Catherine Short de Arce, a friend of mine from the University of Delaware. Cathy was a vocal music major when we attended, and she followed this passion and is now a successful opera singer. At the bottom of this post, I’ve included one of her recordings.

We scheduled the photo shoot in Wilmington’s Grand Opera House, a great venue for dramatic images featuring an opera singer. The Sarah Bernhardt room, where we set up and shot almost all of the photographs, was a perfect location. Cathy came fully prepared with a team to help with her hair and make-up, as well as a representative from the department store Boscov’s to help with the various outfits provided by the store.

This was my first attempt bringing my portable equipment on location. I traveled with a Canon 1D Mark III, with an XTi for emergency back-up, and two Bowens Gemini monolights with umbrellas. For lenses, I brought a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro, and Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM AF, but used the 24-70mm almost exclusively. I also had a variety of accessories to help with the shoot, like PocketWizards for triggering the strobes and a white/silver reflector.

I learned quite a bit from the seven hours I spent at the Grand Opera House. Here are a few of my take-aways.

  • The details are important. Some problems, like a fire alarm on the wall, can’t always be cropped out of the frame. I need to keep my eyes open. Even a piece of tape to hold fabric on a couch can ruin a shot.
  • I need to watch angles and proportions when using wider angles. On camera, it could look like an interesting perspective, but once I can really look at the image, I might be distracted by feet or hands in the corner of the frame.
  • It’s important for the model to feel at ease. I probably could have done more to help Cathy feel comfortable and relax.

Post-processing is an important part of modern photography. Film purists often don’t like PhotoShop because they believe the skill of a photographer is in getting the best picture in camera. It’s always good to strive for getting the best capture, but even the best film photographers worked creatively with chemicals and dodged and burned the exposure when printing. In PhotoShop, I take the time to reduce the appearance of shiny skin, make sure there is the level of contrast I expect, and make sure the colors most accurately reflect the colors as seen by human eyes — all things even the best digital sensor doesn’t do well.

Update! I have finished finalizing the photographs from this shoot. You can see a select set of photographs in my portfolio, and here’s a slideshow. Following the slideshow are a few photographs from the shoot prior to processing.

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Converting Dining Room to Studio

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I don’t have much extra space in my living room, so as I’ve become more involved with photography, I’ve had to made some decisions. I’m currently taking a Light and Photography class at the Arts Council of Princeton, and my goal for the next few months is to increase my experience dealing with light. On Sunday, I picked up some lighting equipment, and the only suitable location in my apartment for setting up the equipment is the dining room.

B&H Photo and Video is now richer, while some items formerly in their store now find their home in my apartment. I purchased inexpensive floodlights, a two-strobe kit (Bowens brand, 800 watt-seconds total, with umbrellas), three PocketWizards, and a backdrop set-up.

As part of assignments for the class, I spent some time experimenting with different placements of the floodlights and strobes. I’ve been using this as a chance to get used to using the equipment for the first time. I discovered that I don’t want to use the strobes at full power, particularly when the space I have available for the “studio” is about eight feet by eight feet.

I chose three photos from this first session to share. The set is on Flickr and I’m including the photos below, as well.

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Back to City Streets With TheGoodLife

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I found myself trekking through the snow back to East Windsor last night to listen to TheGoodLife and relax with my friends. With the blessing of Bryan Douglas, keyboardist extraordinaire, I brought my new-but-used Canon 1D Mark III for its first legitimate shoot. (While I did resolve to have two shoots a month, the weather in January has been foiling my plans.) The night was not without challenges.

As I mentioned last time I wrote about TheGoodLife at City Streets, this cafe-slash-bar is not the best location for producing flattering photographs, particularly when colored spotlights flash unpredictably. I have found, however, that my own flash will overpower the spotlights, even when the flash is bounced off the ceiling. It’s this bounce that helped product some of the better photographs from the night.

I stayed only for the first set this time, and managed to produce about twenty images that I consider publishable. I’m including a selection here, and the rest are available in this Flickr set.

In previous shoots, with the Canon Digital Rebel XTi, I got the best images by setting the aperture to f/1.4 to allow the fastest shutter speeds at a high ISO, leaving off a flash entirely. I didn’t feel I was getting the same results with the 1D Mark III last night, so I opted to mount a flash on the camera, the Canon 430EX Speedlite Flash. In a more perfect setting, I would have positioned the flash differently, but to increase maneuverability in a crowded bar with drunk dancers dangerously close, I kept it simple by mounting the flash directly on the hot shoe. The most flattering images came from bouncing the flash off the ceiling.

Of course, I’d prefer not to use a flash at all if there were any chance it would distract the performers.

A few non-flash shots were acceptable, as well, but the 1D Mark III did not want to grab focus as easily as the XTi, making non-flash shooting slow.

Some post-processing work was required. For the non-flash shots, I adjusted the white balance and improved the color levels. For the flash shots, not much color correction was necessary, but I did a little work to remove the “shiny skin” effect. One of the most difficult aspects of photographing a singer is trying to avoid making someone appear as if they are preparing to eat the microphone. I’ll have to try to convince Reid Sound to provide the singers with wireless headset microphones.

All shots were taken with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens. Continue reading this article to see a selection of the photographs.

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Dar Williams in Princeton

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Amy and I visited Nassau Presbyterian Church to see Dar Williams to perform in support of the thirtieth anniversary of Isles, Inc. Isles is a non-profit community development organization with a mission to foster sustainability. I’ve been enjoying Dar’s singing and songwriting since 1995 or so. Her songs were frequently played on WXPN 88.5 and I quickly became a fan.

I first saw Dar live at the Columbia Folk Festival in Columbia, Pennsylvania, on June 15, 1996. (Thank you to Internet Archive Wayback Machine for helping me figure that out!) For those unfamiliar with Dar Williams, she is easily the best contemporary singer-songwriter, with poetry rivaling Bob Dylan and intricate music, complex for “folk” but with simple chord progressions that are only obvious after the fact. Most importantly, Dar understands how to connect with an audience, and as a result, has a strong community of devoted fans. I returned to visit Dar’s performances several times each year through 2002.

In those last few years, Dar Williams came to Princeton, New Jersey several times to perform at the Nassau Presbyterian Church in support of the Coalition for Peace Action and Isles, Inc. During one of these concerts, I met Dar again back stage. We’ve met a few times, and almost every time Dar has mentioned that she recognized me — even, strangely enough, the time we met after that first concert in 1996. Here’s a photograph I snapped with my first digital camera in 2000.

Now, more about last night’s interesting performance.

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EMI and Pink Floyd Together for Five More Years

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Pink Floyd will never die, even if Roger “Syd” Barrett and Rick Wright have already left this planet. The Pink Floyd musical business entity, which I imagine still has David Gilmour making the decisions, has agreed to partner with with music company, EMI, for another five years. Yes, EMI describes itself as a “music company,” which seems to encompass production, but in Pink Floyd’s case, all that’s left may well be distribution. The four continuing members of Pink Floyd since Syd left assembled and performed together for the last time for Live 8, which amazingly is now five years in the past.

If EMI believes there is still money to be made on the Pink Floyd brand, let’s hope it will be with something fresh. There will be no new Pink Floyd music, even if David Gilmour does manage to spit out a new album. EMI will probably take the safe route and simply remaster the released albums yet again and package a new “best of” compilation. Another Dark Side of the Moon release, or perhaps Blu-ray remasters of already-released concert videos, would be welcome and commercially successful. What I — and possibly many fans — would like to see is the release of high quality recordings of some of Pink Floyd’s more interesting works.

The Man and the Journey

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Holding Myself Accountable For My Physical Activity

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One of my resolutions for this year is to get in shape, like I mentioned earlier. It may be one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, and perhaps the resolution most likely to be abandoned with a month, but with more time on my hands, I have some freedom to make it happen.

I’m a fan of technology, so I was excited to see that there’s an Android app that seems to be perfect for what I need to keep me organized and motivated while giving me the ability to evaluate my progress over time. This is what worked for me in other areas of my life, so I think I have a good chance of being successful.

With RunKeeper, I downloaded a routine that should, if I can handle it, have be completing a 5K within seven weeks. After applying the routine to the app on my phone, I run with my phone with guidance about when to slow down or speed up in accordance with the routine.

Like most modern applications, the information can be linked to Facebook; my friends have already seen my progress. One thing missing is the ability to add widgets to websites. I’d like to be able to track my progress here as well.

On my RunKeeper profile, you can see the statistics for each outing, including distance, calories burned, and pace. I’m still slow now, particularly when running in this cold weather, but if I keep it up I’m sure my stats will improve. The current routine I’m following, 5K training for beginners created by Olympian Jeff Galloway, calls for outings consisting of alternating running and walking periods three days each week. I finished my second outing yesterday and I survived. On Saturday I’ll venture outside, perhaps in the snow, for the final outing of the week.

The key for me will be holding myself accountable and not letting myself get lazy. When I post something publicly, it becomes real. If I don’t keep it up, I will feel like a liar. This is the process that has worked for me in other areas of my life, so I’m hoping that this type of self-motivation will work for me.

Resolutions for 2011: Health and Photography

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I realize there’s a certain level of futility to making New Year’s resolutions. It has probably been between five and ten years that I’ve continually resolved on December 31 to lose weight and get in shape the following year. Lest this year be an exception, I’ve resolved the same yet again.

There may be an advantage this year, however. I have the time to make it work. I’m working for myself, so although I’m still very busy, I make my own hours and decide how to spend my time. Even though the weather is unwelcoming to outdoor exercise, I will be starting a routine that will get me outside an active, running and walking. At the end of seven weeks, the plan dictates I will be ready to complete a 5K. That is my goal.

I’ll be tracking my progress using the RunKeeper Pro application on my phone. You may see my updates on social media linked to the application. I’ve already begun eating healthier, with more fruits and vegetables and less red meat (despite being treated to a dinner at The Melting Pot to celebrate my independence recently).

Another plan for the new year is to keep my apartment in better shape for entertaining company. I’m in the process of looking for a cleaning service, so if you have any recommendations, let me know.

In a few weeks, I’ll be starting a new photography class at the Arts Council of Princeton. Through this class and my goal to have two photography shoots a month, I will be working on building a portfolio of work. The shoots will most likely be like some of the others I’ve done, walking around Princeton or local parks. I won’t be advertising myself as a photographer, but I do plan on book a few paying gigs through friends for portraiture or event photography. If you’re interested, let me know!

I happened to find a great deal on a used Canon EOS 1D Mark III so my equipment is now more professional than I am — but I’m getting there.

New Year’s resolutions often receive a lot of criticism: Why wait until January 1? Why bother setting goals that almost no one ever meets and most people forget within 30 days? I think it’s always good to set aside time to self-evaluate, determine how you want to be a better person, and take some steps in that direction — even if you don’t make it all the way to your goal. Life is a process.

Reflections After Day One

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Yesterday was my first day working as a full-time business owner, without a day-job to distract me. I’ve been a full-time business owner for a while, but having two full-time jobs can only result in less than excellence in both. When it came time to choose, I selected to dedicate myself fully to the work that has been more rewarding — both in personal and financial satisfaction.

I don’t have a proper place to work. My desk in the loft is apparently furniture designed for children. Right now, it’s configured with my photography computer, so I use that area for hobby time rather than work time. In fact, I took what could be the lazy way out this morning and worked for a few hours from my bed on my notebook computer. A headache from bad posture was the expected and delivered result.

This coming weekend, besides wrapping gifts and spending time with friends, I will need to spend some time aligning my apartment to be more friendly to working permanently from home. I’m looking at other options to allow me to get out of the house once in a while, such as working one day a week from a café with free WiFi or a shared office environment. But for now, the magic will happen here, and I need to design a space that facilitates that.

It will get lonely here, spending the day with no one other than my cat, Rupert. it will be important for me to get out of the house. I plan to get in the habit of getting exercise outdoors every day (once the weather is more favorable, or possibly in a gym before then) and meeting friends for lunch occasionally. I didn’t get out of the house yesterday, but I am excusing myself for taking a bit of a break during the transitional period lasting the rest of the week.

I shot the photograph of Rupert using a Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG IF HSM APO Telephoto Zoom Lens borrowed from a friend (and former co-worker at Prudential) in low light. It’s a little blurry, and I had to hit the noise reduction pretty hard.