Wednesday, August 29, 2012
I like making my quick black and white conversions in SnapSeed.
It's quick and efficient and I can add in some grain as well as some "structure" to my files. I don't have a workflow. I just jump in and look at what I can get using the color filter presets and the three sliders. I love a crisp black and a higher value skin tone. Generally, it takes about a minute to get everything the way I want it. Quicker than opening up Photo Shop and doing it in there. The trade off is that PS has more controls and more fine-tune-ability.
SnapSeed is my favorite "cheap" app. It's playful.
The charming characteristics of color negative films.
I don't want anyone to think that I've abandoned digital photography just because I've been discussing Hasselblad cameras lately. As far as business goes film is just a small side issue. But it's interesting when you come across older work and you evaluate it next to a newer, different working technology. For instance, the image above was shot on color negative film. It is a scan from the negative. I originally shot this image with a medium format camera, a longer lens and Kodak film.
It seems quite different to me from the images I get from my digital cameras. One parameter that's obvious is the much lower color saturation in the skin tones. Another difference is the long roll up from the mid tones to the highlights in the image. But the think that struck me when I blew up the original, high res scan to 100% was the difference in the way film and digital render sharpness. It may just be that the defaults in the programs we use to "develop" raw files are set at much higher levels or it may be that film has so much more information that it doesn't have the same sort of high edge acutance that seems to come from digital sharpening algorithms.
While I'm reasonably sure that I could dial down the edge sharpness of digital and work in PhotoShop to match the look of film I am not convinced that I can change the highlight roll off of a digital camera file to match the almost endless range of highlight tones in negative films. It's an interesting subject.
It was fun to go back into the archives, judge images from color contact sheets and then slide strips of negatives onto a scanner. With current scanner software there is a wide range of control for fine tuning scans. While it's a slower process working with negative film does give one a different look and feel than other methods.
The Best Book I've Ever Read On An iPad. (Food Photography).
Today I'm reviewing a book that knocked my socks off. It's a book I stumbled across on Amazon.com while looking around for books about food photography. The book is written and illustrated by an immensely talented food photographer named, Nicole S. Young. This will sound crazy but the book is accessible on a number of levels, from almost rank beginner to, well, me.
Young writes in an engaging manner, is not too technical but not to "not technical." She writes with an inclusive voice, welcoming both the casual photographer who is interested in making snapshots of his or her restaurant meals look more polished but she provides more than enough high quality information to keep pros thoroughly engaged. And as good as the writing is the ample illustrations are even better. She has a very modern, light and airy approach to food that works very well for a wide range of food subjects. Everything she discusses is richly illustrated and most of the "beauty shots" are supplemented with good lighting diagrams.
I bought the book because I was impressed with her suggestions about food styling and lighting and wanted to keep the book around as a reference. I have the strange habit of buying books about subjects that I've just photographed. I recently did a job food job for one of the world's largest hotel chains and I wanted to see how my approach stacked up. I was impressed by Nicole's approach and I'll be incorporating a lot of her tricks and techniques going forward.
This is the first book on photography and lighting that taught me valuable new tricks in a long time.
But....the thing that compelled me to write this review is how damn good the book looks when I read the Kindle version on my iPad 2. Unlike many books that seem to lose their formatting and cohesion when converted to digital this one just flat out sings on an iPad. I bought the Kindle version because it was only $9 and I wanted to see if I liked it before I committed to the print version. Now I'm in a quandary. I like the way the Kindle version works so well I'd probably just be happy with that but...it's such a good book I really want to see the illustrations in all their glory. Oh, the hell with it, I'll be back in a second...
I'm back. I just had to hit the "One Click" for the paper back. It's too good a book NOT to own.
If you are at all interested in food photography this one is a must own.
One note: Don't be put off by the first third of the book. There are very beginner sections about Raw versus Jpegs, rudimentary equipment, etc. Just ignore it. The meat of the book is worth subsidizing the front sections for rank amateurs... the good stuff is in the second half.
One note: Don't be put off by the first third of the book. There are very beginner sections about Raw versus Jpegs, rudimentary equipment, etc. Just ignore it. The meat of the book is worth subsidizing the front sections for rank amateurs... the good stuff is in the second half.
Full disclosure: If you buy the book from the links here I'll get a commission from Amazon. You won't pay more. Further disclosure: I don't know Nicole S. Young, I don't work with her publisher and we have no "quid pro quo" in place. Final disclosure: This book is so ragingly good that I'm jealous as both a writer and photographer.
Here's the link for the print version:
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Mamiya 6 Adventures in Rome.
Cruising along the streets with my Mamiya 6 in my right hand just snapping away. As I walked up the Spanish Steps this young woman stood up just in front of me and billowed out her scarf. Being usually prefocused around ten feet I lifted the camera to my eye, framed and pressed the shutter. I kept walking up the stairs. I wound on to the next frame. She sat back down.
The Mamiya 6 rangefinder camera is a medium format rangefinder (a true rangefinder, not just a body that's gussied up to look like one...) and it was available with the holy trinity of medium format square lenses: the 50mm f4, the 75mm f3.6 and the 150mm f4.5. It is one of the ultimate street shooting/documentarian/reportage cameras ever made. The rangefinder was nice and bright, the camera was like love in your hands and the ultra quiet snick of the in lens leaf shutter was....ultimately discreet.
I took two Mamiya 6 cameras and the three lenses with me on a trip to Rome, along with several hundred rolls of Kodak T-max CN-400 film. The camera was far better a camera than I was a photographer at the time. So much so that it contrived to change owners during the bloody purge to digital and its sale stands to this day as one of my all time stupid decisions. I didn't know just how good that camera was until I looked into the rearview mirror of time and dug into the folder of juicy, sharp negatives. The CN-400 was never my favorite film to print but once you throw it in a scanner it's a revelation. I only wish I had already been scanning my film back then....
There are really only four cameras I regret selling, the Mamiya 6 is one, my original Leica M6 .85 ttl is another, my Linhof TechniKarden (because it signalled the end of big format film for me) and my Hasselblad 201F (because it worked with the 110 f2 Planar lens). All the other cameras come and go but those were different. Like a girlfriend you broke over with over something silly and have come to realize just what you lost...and it haunts you from time to time.
If you have a Mamiya 6 don't sell it. You will regret it. If you had handled some of the premier film cameras of their day you might understand the constant search by digital camera buyers today. You don't miss what you've never had but you sure miss your water when you well runs dry...
Holding tightly to my Hasselblads and shooting till the film runs out..
Just pausing to reflect for a moment.
Someone once told me to be sure and celebrate my victories, triumphs and even little accomplishments. I pop open a bottle of Champagne each time a carton of new books arrives. I get a chocolate croissant the morning after I wrap a nice job. I buy a new pair of goggles every time I hit a big goal in my swimming. I have to think of a new way to celebrate today. The Visual Science Lab blog just hit the 8,000,000th pageview today. How fun. Seems like we're honing in on the million a month club. Not bad for the mad ramblings of a neurotic photographer in a small town. I think I'll celebrate by inviting over one of my favorite subjects and shooting a few rolls of 120mm Tri-X. Yes. That sounds about right. Thanks for keeping me company.
Kirk
Monday, August 27, 2012
Documenting tradition with a snapshot taken with the Sony Nex 7.
Family traditions: Every year, at the start of school in the Fall, I take a snapshot of Ben at the front door, heading off to school. This will be his junior year at high school. He is now on the varsity cross country team and he's a really good student. He shoots (mostly video) with a Sony a57 camera and a small handful of lenses. He uses a Gitzo tripod with an offset center column and a Manfrotto fluid head. He edits in Final Cut ProX.
I took my very amateur snapshot with a Sony Nex 7 and the kit lens.
It's the start of what I hope will be another great year!
Thanks for reading the blog.
Kirk
post note: For all those who find Capcha (word verification) daunting when trying to post. It has been disabled. We'll see how the spam goes but for right now you post with abandon. KT
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