Kodachrome Motion Picture tests from 1922

Ah Kodachrome.

Canon Cinema Caravan

I'm not sure why but I love this video. It always makes me want to go out and shoot.

canon cinema caravan promo film from stillmotion on Vimeo.

Thoughts On Full Frame - The 5D Mark 2

The last two weeks have been absolutely draining. On top of working 9-5 and taking photos for Mammoth Printshop, I shot and edited a wedding reception for a friend of mine, shot and edited a full wedding for another friend, shot and edited engagement photos, shot Rush Week at Auburn for FlipFlop Foto, and shot Bid Day as well as another full wedding for another friend that same day, and shot photographs for The War Eagle Reader at Auburn's Fan Day on Sunday.

I've been busy, and I've needed a little help from my friends.

Specifically, the Canon 5D Mark 2. I've been shooting with the 5D for two weeks, and I'm blown away. I don't think I'll ever be able to move back to cropped sensor cameras.

Shooting full frame gives you a wider angle of view, so when you're used to using a lens from a certain distance you'll have to move in a good bit closer to achieve the same composition. That also means your depth of field will be more shallow because you've moved closer to your subject.



I’ve run into some subtle vignetting when shooting wide open, but it hasn’t been enough to bother me. Actually, I rather like the effect. It’s a very subtle way of bringing the viewer’s eye towards the center of the image. And, if I don’t like it for a certain photo, I can easily take it into Lightroom or Photoshop and adjust accordingly.


This camera's high ISO/low noise performance is INCREDIBLE. Coming from the cropped sensor Rebel XT and 7D, the 5D is just a beast. A very clean, quiet, awesome beast. High ISO looks great, but the expanded low ISO setting of 50 is another awesome feature perfect for really bright sunny days and long, virtually noise free exposures.





(No noise reduction applied in post)

In addition to having great noise performance (even without in camera/post processing noise reduction), the sharpness straight out of camera is fantastic. I'm constantly being shocked to find that the images I've shot even from a distance are crisp, which I was not used to while shooting with the 7D, even when using the same lenses. I was very disappointed in the 7D's SOOC sharpness, but the 5D gives me a breath of fresh air. A lot of people will say that every camera's RAW file needs a certain amount of sharpening before its usable. This may be true, but its great having most of the work done for you before you even get into post.





(Taken at f/1.8)


The 5D's 3.9 frames per second shooting speed won't win any races. Compared to the 7D's 8fps its just downright slow. That being said, the 5D isn't geared towards sports/wildlife shooters. I was reading a few 5D Mark II user posts on http://dpreview.com/ and saw a great comment that compared the 5D Mk 2 to a truck, and the 7D to a sports car. The 5D is great for landscape and portrait work where resolution and dynamic range are crucial. The 7D is more geared towards sports photographers who need to be sure they get the shot in a short amount of time.

Something else that’s different with the 5d compared to the other cameras I’ve used in the past is the need for speed in the cards you use. Even shooting in the sRAW size it takes forever to write files to the CF card if I’m using a standard speed. The two 4 gig 30mb/s cards I have do the trick fine.

In that same vein, the file sizes are MASSIVE. I haven’t even used the full resolution RAW file yet because my computer would simply tell me to go screw myself. Thank goodness for the sRAW file sizes, effectively using 10 or 5 megapixels.

Something I really do miss from the 7D is the electronic level which is absent on the 5D. This made it easy to be 100% on your leveling in camera instead of finding later that it was slightly crooked, forcing you to sacrifice image area for straightening. Another thing I'm not a fan of is the on/off/scroll wheel on/off button placement. Its really awkward to have to shift your grip to turn the camera off, and the actual lever isn't really the easiest thing to move. I also don't understand why Canon makes turning off the back scroll wheel an option. Why would anyone want that feature disabled while shooting? When I first opened the box and started playing with the camera I thought I had a dud because the aperture wouldn't change when I moved the scroll wheel in Manual mode. There's got to be a reason, so if you know it, tell me.

Another thing I miss from the 7D is its AutoFocus. AF on the 5D is slow and has to search for objects in low light. The AF points (the few there are) are clustered in the center and would be better served scattered throughout the viewfinder.

Video on the 5D is everything I want and nothing I don't.

Mammoth Shop Tour from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

BTS Video

So fstoppers.com had a behind the scenes video contest. I wanted to submit something, but I also wanted to wait on the 5Dmk2 to film it. As the deadline drew near for submissions, I realized that I was just making excuses. So, instead of sitting and doing nothing, I called Tiffany and we made a quick and dirty BTS video for the latest installment in the T-shirt Fashion series. Its nothing special, and I feel like I look super goofy, but I felt lazy not making it so here it is.

BTS Video from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

Behind the scenes video for F/Stoppers.com

More Video

I had some spare footage lying around on my HD and so I thought I'd make another video.

Shot for Mammoth Printshop

Mammoth Clips from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

Shot on a Canon 7D with a 50mm 1.8II
Time lapse segments were shot with a Canon Digital Rebel XT using a graphing calculator as an intervalometer.

New Fashion Photo

Another fashion shoot down. Several more to go. I wasn't 100% on this one, but I've grown to like it more with time.




The 5D mk2 still hasn't shipped yet. I ended up buying a demo from Adorama instead of a brand new body. This should be interesting because I'll be able to express thoughts about not only the 5D, but also about buying demo products.

From what I've gathered a "demo" camera/product is basically one that has been taken out of a box and used by employees to demonstrate how the product works. This does mean that the camera has been used, but should be in much better condition than a previous owner would have put it through.

Adorama has not received the new demos from Canon as of yet, but the person I've been talking to at Adorama assures me it should be here before the 7th of August.

High Fashion T-Shirts

I'm working on a T-Shirt fashion shoot for Mammoth Printshop that merges the simple T-shirt with high fashion photography.

Basically the idea is that I'll be shooting models done up with high fashion makeup, hair, etc, as well as a large production feel for the sole purpose of advertising a T-shirt. This past weekend Tiffany (my model of choice + my fiance) and I shot a test image for the series. Right now its waiting to be approved by the owner, so we'll see if he goes for it or if he wants something a little more down to earth.

Here is a short short video of us setting up. You may notice us putting tin foil on the outside of an umbrella. This was just an experiment to see what it would look like if the light from the flash goes through the umbrella fabric, bounces off of the foil, and then travels back through the umbrella fabric onto the model. I'm not sure how much of a difference it made. I don't know why I didn't shoot a comparison shot. Anyway, the two shots in the studio below were shot with that umbrella as the key.

5D Mark II Wide Angle

Thought this video had some great wide angle footage. Normally I'm not one for snowboarding videos, but its hard not to like this one.

Ti-83 TIme Lapse

I was asked to shoot a time lapse video for Mammoth a while back. I have never shot a time lapse video in the past, and so I was at a loss for how I was to get started. Fortunately, the internet exists. I found a couple pages about how to set up and edit, as well as information on exactly how to take the photos on a regular schedule. The main consensus on the websites I found was to buy an intervalometer which would attach into the camera's 2.5mm remote port and control the camera's shutter. I did not, however, want to spend $60.

Then, I found this website that instructed users how to program their TI-83 series graphing calculator to enable it to trip the shutter for the camera. I was skeptical, thinking there would be some hidden modification somewhere in the process that I wouldn't be smart enough to figure out. Wrong. Its easy. The tutorial on that site is fantastic, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in time-lapse that also owns a TI-80something.

I would also suggest Photojojo's guide to time-lapse. They've got a great explanation and step by step process regarding the planning of the video.

To test it out, I set up my Canon Rebel XT on a boom and attached the calculator to a clamp on the stand. After I made sure everything was the way I liked, I executed the program and voila, hundreds of still frames just waiting to be put together in a video.

TI-83 TIME LAPSE from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

I was asked to shoot a time lapse video for Mammoth. I had never done it before, and so I searched around the net for tutorials. I came across a website that showed users how to program their Ti-83 graphing calculator so that it could be used as a timer for DSLRs enabling time lapse photography. Obviously I got it to work! This is just a test.



http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-a-TI-Graphing-Calculator-into-an-Intervalomet/



Music: Zero, by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Video

Ok, so I just had to share. This video is ranking up at the top of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

Truly, truly impressed.

Give it some time. You should have to pick your jaw up off the ground.

Solitude from robin risser on Vimeo.

Solitude

A universal feeling



A long journey in solitude searching for hope.

A film that communicates in a esthetic pictures poetry and emotion, to explore a new experience in Cinemato Graphy.



Created and directed by Robin Risser

www.robndesign.com



Entierly filmed with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II





http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2009/08/24/qa-with-robin-risser-solitude/

Making the move...

Yeah, thats right.

I'm making the switch to full frame.

Some of you (probably no one) might be familiar with some of my first posts regarding the 7D and its performance. I got the 7d and loved it, but as I started shooting I began to realize that this camera was not made for someone of my shooting style. I do a lot of low light and shallow dof work, and the noise put out by the 7d did not make life easy. I have a problem with a camera having features that I shouldn't use, (iso 12,800 being completely unacceptable).

I wanted a camera that was able to record video, but I didn't care as to the quality so much as long as the still capture was good.

Well, the 7D ended up being a camera that was great at shooting video, but only ok at taking stills. I needed a camera that was great at taking stills, and ok at taking video. Enter the Canon 5D mark II.



The full frame sensor allows for greater image quality, higher resolution, less noise, greater dynamic range, and a more shallow dof. Not to mention there no longer being a need to multiply the focal length. The 5D Mark II does shoot video, but there is not as much effort put into it than in the 7d. I haven't received the 5d yet, but it should be here within the next couple of weeks. I'm having to sell my 7D as well as my Hasselblad (croak) to pay for it, but in the end I think its worth it.

Keep checking up on the blog to see my review/thoughts on the switch to full frame.


---I should note that the 7D is more than ok at taking stills. It has great resolution, but there was softness in the images that I didn't appreciate. The 8fps was great, but I think I used it in the field once. It has great features, but just wasn't for me.

Weekly

So yeah, I haven't been posting much of anything lately. Gotta do that. I'm thinking of setting a goal to post weekly. Ok its past thinking. I'll be posting weekly.

I've been working a lot and so I haven't had a whole lot of time to sit down and write a full post. Wheels are churning though and I have been shooting. Here are some of the latest.





A friend of mine also showed this to me and I thought it was pretty impressive.



Until next time.

New Lights

Had a quick shoot with Tiffany earlier last night. This was the result. Not 100% happy but pretty pleased with the end product.

Will post lighting info later

Mammoth Media

New videos I've made for Mammoth Printshop!

Mammoth Style from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

Printing Anamanaguchi from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

Fashion and Summertime

Well then,

School is out and Summer is here. I've started 365 again on my birthday, so thats a project I'll be working on for the Summer. Year.

I've got some other photographic prospects lined up that should hopefully keep me busy. In addition to 365 I'm going to work with a model friend of mine to build her portfolio with some fashion modeling. On top of that I'll be shooting a wedding in August, working and photographing at Mammoth, photographing at FlipFlop, and photographing for The War Eagle Reader.

BUT, before I left Savannah I helped a friend of mine, Dave Sweeney, shoot a fashion collection. Here's a short video.

Dave Sweeney Shooting Behind the Scenes from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

New House and new photos.

Hello all.

So, as the title suggests, three of my friends and I have closed the deal on a new house for Summer and next year at SCAD. We're pretty psyched about the enormous amount of space we'll be having. Its going to be a massive leap forward as far as quality of living is concerned, and we can't wait to get everything moved in. So, partly to celebrate and partly to educate, I've put together a quick video tour of the house so friends and fam' can see the awesome. Enjoy.

House Tour from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

Meddin Studios Video

Intro and Meddin Studios from Zac Henderson on Vimeo.

It was late when I made this video, and apparently I was quite confused because I kept referring to Meddin studios as Metter. The studio is in fact named Meddin Studios.

South Magazine And Other Happenings.

It always seems like I begin every blog post with a statement about how long its been since I've posted last. This time is no different. Its been a while.

Anyway, things have been happening and I'm eager to share them with you!

I've been shooting for The South Magazine for a couple months now and have been enjoying it greatly! Most of what I do for them is "scenes" photographs, which is essentially going to parties, dinners, events, and fundraisers to photograph whoever is there so that The South can put them up on their website. This is The South's way of staying up to date on who is attending what, while also allowing the public to do the same in addition being able to purchase prints. If you follow that previous link you can look through the galleries and find several that I've photographed. On top of working scenes, I was able to photograph my first editorial piece just the other day. I can't give out any specifics about what the article is about, but I'm excited to see it in print.

Classes have been going well for the most part. I'm still loving the heck out of Large Format. I'll definitely have to buy a 4x5 outfit whenever I have the money. I'm looking at Horseman and Toyo, but its so far in the future it doesn't really matter what I'm looking at at this point. Midterms have come and gone, and I need to start thinking about my final. And when I say I need to start thinking about my final, I mean I need to start really racking my brain because I have a one page formal proposal due Monday.

In Project seminar I'm working with the 4x5 Fujifilm instant films FP 100-C and FP 100-B. The tones the FP 100-C put out are beautiful and I love 'em to death, but the film is ridiculously expensive. I've already spent over $100.00 on just a few packs of film. The results are fantastic, though. Here is an example self portrait. I think I'll be shooting similar portraits for the rest of the quarter. The only problem is that I need new people! If you're in the Savannah area and wouldn't mind posing for a hot second send me an E-Mail. I can't promise you the print but I'll surely scan it and give you a digi copy.

As it turns out, my light meter has been giving me false readings. I've had a Sekonic L-398A meter for the past year and a half(?). It would be a great meter if it would work. Its an analog meter with a amorphic silicon photo cell so that it never needs batteries. It doesn't do flash readings but it does do incident and reflected readings. Its easy to read and its relatively inexpensive, especially when considering how much one would be saving without having to buy batteries. But, of course, the unavoidable problem here is that it doesn't work. I've had two of these meters and have experiences problems with both. The first one I got had an issue with the needle. It had WAY too much play, so if moved the meter at all the needle would shift dramatically. And no, I wasn't moving the meter from pitch black to direct sunlight. The second one I got I've had for a while. I think it was working fine for several months, but I never did truly test it to see if it was giving me accurate readings. I guess this would have been a good idea, but its a light meter and I'm supposed to trust it, right? Anyway, I was noticing significant underexposure on my LF negatives and it turns out the meter was giving me false readings. Boo.

I tried to order a Sekonic L-308S Flashmate from Mac-On-Campus, but little did I know it was on back order, so I've been waiting for a while. BTW, if you're a student and you need to buy any kind of photographic equipment, check out MOC. Their prices are pretty impressive.

I guess I'll go ahead and wrap things up. Feels good to be writing again. Expect more posts more often. 'Till next time.

War Eagle.

Auto Draft

Gettin' Busy and Photoshop's Black Magic

Spring quarter has started for me here at SCAD and things are in full swing. I'm taking Project Seminar 1, Large Format (SWEET), and 20th Century Art. Large Format looks to be really awesome, but I'm nervous about Project Seminar and I'm not sure quite yet what to think of 20th Century Art. I'm uneasy about Project Seminar because we have SO MANY CRITIQUES. We have to have around 12 new prints every week and I'm not used to shooting that many images in that time frame. What's worse is that the project and process I'm working on is quite time consuming. So yes. Scary. I'm loving Large Format and I really think I'd like to use view cameras after the class. I guess my biggest problem is staying proactive and not wasting time, 'cuz that's something I do so very well.

Anyway, on to the Industry. Adobe announced Photoshop cs5 a few days ago. This is planned obsolescence at its finest, but hey. Whatever.  The new version has cool stuff like 3d brushes and a few other cool features, but the most notable of which is the Content Aware feature. Just watch the video.

Insane, right? Apparently now if a photographer missed a shot he can wake up content aware which will then read his mind and compose a completely new photograph. That's a little far fetched, but this is some of the craziest stuff I've seen. The algorithms and mathematics behind this has got to be immensely complicated.

On another note, Adobe also released a second beta version of Lightroom 3. Here's hoping its going to be awesome.

Fujifilm's new baby. GF670

This is why I love Fujifilm. This is Fujifilm's new FILM camera, the GF670. The medium format camera is obviously a folding model, and is aimed at professional photographers. Fujifilm plans to release it at PMA this year.

Two thumbs up for Fujifilm for going against the "grain". This is a great pillar for holding film up as still being available in the near future. Its wonderful that a MAJOR player in the photo industry is still  manufacturing and developing film, but is also making NEW film cameras for PROFESSIONALS. This camera isn't some Polaroid replacement for the hipster masses, although Fuji does have one of those (which is cool in and of itself), but this is a brand new classic style film camera aimed at working professionals. If this isn't a bold statement about how film still has a role in the professional workplace, I don't know what is.  Fujifilm has also been taking out whole page adds in high end photography magazines advertising film and posing the question, "In a digital age, is it possible to have a renaissance in film?". Fujifilm certainly thinks so, and I'm one hundred percent behind them.

More Home Studio Tips- Black Background

Yes, I believe this is going to be the second of several home studio posts.

When I first started, I saw all of these great studio photographs that I wanted to imitate, but I really had no idea how to do it. I had to play a while before I really understood how to efficiently achieve a completely black background without underexposing. Sure, anyone can take a picture of anything and Photoshop a black completely around it, and I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but getting it right or at least MOSTLY right in camera will look MUCH better than the 'shopped version, guaranteed. So, here are a few simple steps to achieve what looks to be difficult.

Obviously, the first thing you need is space. There isn't an end all be all space requirement, but you need enough to be able to place your subject as far away from the black background as possible. Some people may need more space than others depending on what they intend to be photographing. Lets just say that putting this in a walk in closet would be a bit difficult unless your photographing watches or other small objects.

After space, the next logical step would be a black fabric to photograph. Professional grade backdrops can be quite expensive because they are made of a special material that is essentially a black hole. Black felt or muslin is probably just as good, and its cheap. Again, the amount of fabric you need depends on what you're photographing. If you're shooting small objects, then you probably only need a couple yards. If you're photographing people, then you would need a lot more fabric. Ideally, when the fabric is on the wall, it needs to be about 7.5 ft tall to accommodate for a taller individual and so that it leaves a little headroom. In addition, it needs to come out from the wall on the floor so if you want to do a full-length shot there isn't an abrupt background change at the subject's feet. Now, if you're only planning on doing headshots you don't need this much, but, again, its not expensive.

Mounting the fabric can be done in several different ways. The way that I've always done it is simply tack it to the wall. Not hard. If you don't want to do that, you can build a background stand out of PVC pipe. You can get that for cheap at your local hardware store.

When shooting, place the subject as far in front of the background as practically possible. Reason being, you want as little light as possible hitting the background. Yes its felt and yes its black but it is a physical object and it will reflect light. You can shoot the subject close to the background if you want, but that does come with some lighting limitations, so usually its just easier to move away.

You can do all this, or simply buy a simple setup like this one. This is actually a really good deal, but doing it yourself is even less expensive.

Next up... Completely white background!

After a short hiatus I am back in business. Classes have started and I'm getting into the swing of things. This quarter I'm taking Color Technique, Shakespeare, and Survey of Computer Arts Applications.

And now, on to the post!

My Fiance has decided to try her hand at photography, and is very interested in studio lighting. Usually, when people hear the words "studio lighting" they start to shake their heads because they know that the equipment used is so expensive. Well, they're right, but it doesn't HAVE to be. I'm sure many of you have heard of Strobist. For those of you that haven't, Strobist is a blog that is dedicated to wireless off camera flash photography. The people that subscribe to this blog and utilize such equipment call themselves "Strobists". Generally, the Strobist starter kits, which can be found at a great online store called Midwest Photo Exchange are fantastic multi purpose systems, and will work with most any camera with a hotshoe. The starter kits include 1 Lumopro LP120 flash, an air cushioned light stand, umbrella, wireless radio trigger system, and a gaggle of other goodies that will help along the way. This is a GREAT way to get started using off camera lighting and is relatively inexpensive at around $200.00.

BUT, neither my Fiance nor I wanted to spend that money so early on in the game, so we decided to go a different route and use hotlights. Hotlights are so named because of the amount of heat they emit when left on for an extended period of time. These can be lamps or clip lights, or anything of that persuasion. Cliplights are great because they can be mounted almost anywhere, and are ideal for things like hairlights. Hotlights are a great alternative to flashes because they are much MUCH less expensive, they are quite versatile, and chances are there are several usable ones already in your home!

Because we didn't have many already, and we wanted to have a lot of options, Tiffany set out to Walmart to find a few utility cliplights and bulbs for those lights. The bulbs are immensely important because the temperature of the light will change dramatically depending on the bulb you buy. A standard Tungsten bulb will emit a very orange light, while an LED bulb (looks like alien technology) will emit a very cool (temperature) white light. These can be used independently from one another or in unison to create some very interesting results.

This brings me to the original purpose of this post. I am a TWIP (This Week In Photography) listener, and on one of the shows I heard mention of a homemade LED light panel. Apparently, LED based continuous light is increasing in popularity due to the amount of light emitted, and the power saving efficiency of the bulbs, which makes these systems also ideal for video use. As of right now, professional LED light systems are quite expensive, but are coming down in price quite quickly. Even so, making a homemade light panel will cost pennies compared to the real thing, and they can change your lighting in an instant. The best part is that its mind numbingly easy.

Here's what you need

-2 large, white, foam core presentation boards

-2 or more strands of LED Christmas lights

-1 roll of Duct Tape

-1 screw driver

The first step is to poke holes through one of the boards with the screwdriver. They don't have to be perfect, so long as the led bulb can be pushed through. The most efficient arrangement is in rows, but there's nothing wrong with getting creative. After all of the holes are punched, simply push the led bulbs through the holes. After that's finished, its a good idea to make sides for your panel so the light is being led in one direction instead of being lost out to the sides. This is where the duct tape comes in. Cut the other board in to long pieces and tape them to the edges of the light panel so that they are protruding in the same direction as the bulbs are facing.

The finished product should look something like this.



Putting tin foil on the sides helps to reflect light with greater efficiency.

Here is an example image taken with the panel. The panel was on a painting easel camera right with a reflector behind the pineapple camera left.


And there you have the homemade light panel. I think there will be more posts to come about home studios...

I also may upload a video in a few days to demonstrate.

Homemade Light Panels

A little lax at the moment

Happy New Year everyone!

So I haven't posted in a while, what with the holidays and spending time with the fam. I've got a couple posts in the works, but it will be a day or two before I am able to finalize them because classes have started.

In the meantime, I have started the 365 project and am on day 4 (started Jan1). You can find them on flickr here http://www.flickr.com/photos/nach0o/

or on the actual 365 website here http://365project.org/nacho/365

Until next time.