Video shooters have a specific use for external digital recorders/monitors. Not only can they see the flow of images larger and with more focusing and exposure tools, they can also record higher quality video instead of video that has compromise baked in by the camera processors. It makes sense. But why would photographers want to use high quality external monitors on their shoots?
We just wrapped up a second day of photography for a biotech company. We were shooting in a large conference room and we were trying to make sure everyone was safely distanced from each other. In the olden days of photography, while shooting still life images, we might have tethered our camera to a laptop so that clients could see the images we were making at a bigger size. But I always found tethering to a laptop to be far from satisfying. Sure, instead of gathering around to see the screen on the back of the camera people would gather close together to see the photographs come up on the laptop. And laptops were slower, kludgier to use, etc. than just blazing away with one's camera....
But it dawned on me one day that we could press a high quality, external monitor into photographic service with ease. All we have to do is plug one into the HDMI socket on our camera and we instantly have access to a big, bright, and low latency monitor for our clients. The screens can also run a long time on standard Sony-type batteries. The generics versions are dirt cheap.
I can run a cable to a monitor up to 30 feet from the camera. But the more interesting thing about using an HDMI monitor instead of a laptop is that external HDMI monitors can be "daisy chained" and you can provide multiple viewing stations on a location. All you need is the cabling and monitors that have compatible HDMI "in" and "out" ports.
Lately I've taken to bringing along two Atomos monitors. They are also made to record video but I don't even bring along SSDs for them since they don't write Raw photography files. I use them strictly as monitors.
Today I got a wild idea. I remembered that we bought an Aputure monitor a few years back just to show clients stuff in the field. This monitor is smaller and lighter than a laptop and since it was so cheap I have no qualms about tossing it into the camera bag or rolling case and dragging it along everywhere. And....wouldn't you know it...you can put it into a daisy chain with the Atomos monitors as well.
So today, in addition to the camera's rear screen we had three viewing stations staged around the room in order to give any member of the marketing team their own, distanced viewing solution. It was a great way to keep everyone in the approval chain engaged while keeping the space around the camera open and relatively safe.
Since it was strictly a still life shoot we were adamant that everyone wear their masks at all times. No exceptions. And since it was 80° in the great outdoors today we ate lunch outside, on the grass, under some big shade trees.
All good.
7 comments:
I would call that smart project management Kirk. Thank you for keeping this blog filled with interesting content. Stay safe.
Henk
I bet if you're in a client's workplace, you could ask them to bring in a couple of normal 24 or 27 inch monitors that you could easily plug in to AC and daisy-chain via HDMI. We often brought a large monitor to video shoots; it gives clients a nice easy image to see and they can stand back to view it. All this might be academic to you, going forward, but perhaps useful to other readers.
Hi Greg, It's hard enough to get them to show up with the products we need to shoot! I'd never depend on most of my clients to follow through on a logical request like that. Seriously, most of the businesses have the bulk of their employees working remotely so there are fewer folks on hand to help out with special requests. Everything seems to take a lot longer these days.
I could buy a couple of bigger monitors but there's something fun and almost intimate about letting a couple of the lead clients hold a small monitor in their hands as we shoot. They seem to get more focused on the project and have a greater sense of collaborative enthusiasm. While bigger monitors are more logical the smaller monitors, handheld or on small stands, are more emotionally connective. Just my point of view.
Emotionally connective--call it the iPhone effect.
Kirk - Good points, especially about no one being on-site now. I hear that my former workplace feels quite deserted. And I totally agree that the successful dynamic of the group overrules logical any day. My only concern would be that the alphas in the group would be hogging the monitors and the quiet people might be less likely to speak up.
Hi Greg, If I did this kind of work a lot (and God knows I'm trying to wind it down...) I'd probably figure out a wireless network solution and give each participant access via their ubiquitous cellphones. We'd have a couple really big monitors; one in the shooting location and one out in the 'safe' hallway so people who needed to could see images large. But I'd rather not become too entrenched in this kind of work. Delivering good results while not making it too much fun for clients is a good way to balance demand.
There's always going to be an "Alpha" in the room fucking it up for everyone else. You can count on it.
But as my assistant replied when I made that statement: "yeah...but if you look around the room and can't find that alpha it may just be you....."
Kirk -
My assistants/colleagues might well have thought the same thing. In fact, I'm sure they did.
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