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.