Winning With ‘Exciting Light’
March 29, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
Russ Byrne, a commercial shooter near San Francisco, won the PixSylated ‘Exciting Light’ Contest with the following shot. His prize is a seat at David Ziser’s ‘Digital Wake Up Call’.
There are a number of aspects that I enjoy about this photo. First, it turns an otherwise boring MRI machine into a bold geometric pattern (thanks to the red gel over the camera-mounted 580EX flash). Second, my eye is drawn through the machine to the subject’s face and held there. Russ spotlighted Dr. Patels’s face by snooting a 430EX Speedlite on his right. The falloff is lovely – as is Dr. Patel’s expression and gesture. The third (or is it fourth?) aspect of the photo that caught me is the subtle contrast between the cool blue on Dr. Patel’s hair and the warmth of his face and the red machine. The blue cast was created by another 430EX gelled blue on the subject’s left. Russ did a great job demonstrating that a few Speedlites and gels can turn an ordinary assignment into the extraordinary.
To see all of the ‘Exciting Light’ entries, go to the PixSylated group on Flickr (feel free to join the group while you are there) and then put “DWC09″ into the search box.
There were many other entries that I enjoyed. Here are some of my other favorites:
^ Curtiss Bryant’s two-light shot of a bride against a Florida sky at twilight just glows (thanks to the 580EX II at 1/4 power behind the bride and another 580EX II pushed through an umbrella at 1/2 power). For me, the exciting part is the crisp contrast between the bride’s luminous dress, her dramatic gesture and the soft, pastel sky.
^ ‘Bosco’ was the first entry in the Px ‘Exciting Light’ contest. The shot, by Jeff Lynch (a freelance shooter in Oak Forest, Illinois) was lit with a single SB600 shooting through a Lumiquest Softbox III . I kept coming back to the photo – not because the light is exciting – rather because it is simply beautiful. Proof once again that just about anything can become attractive if the light is right. Way to go Jeff!
‘Our Superhero’ is truly iconic and yet remains completely innocent at the same time. Although I am usually not a fan of black-and-white photography, this image captivates me. It may have been shot recently. It could have been shot 50 years ago. The effect of the single strobe and the boy’s gaze combine magnetically.
Thanks to all who entered the Px ‘Exciting Light’ Contest. David’s 58-city ‘Digital Wake Up Call’ tour is about to get on the road. Here is the schedule and details on how you can save $20 on admission.
Random Bits - No. 3
March 27, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
You need to take a look at DoubleTruck Magazine. Launched 5 years ago, it is not widely known outside the world of photojournalism. That needs to change. Photographers of all genres should subscribe. DoubleTruck presents an incredible selection of news photography once a quarter. In fact, all the pix in each issue were taken since the publication of the last issue. Any photographer may submit images for consideration (details here). As the name suggests (a ‘double truck’ is a photo that runs across two pages) each photo is presented individually as a full bleed spread. Think of ‘DoubleTruck’ as a coffee table book coming to you in installments. The images are world-class. The printing is top notch. These are definitely collectors items. Check out ‘DoubleTruck’ here.
ASMP continues to provide more benefits for emerging pro shooters than any other photo organization. ‘Strictly Business 2′ was a day-long series of seminars on the business of photography that toured the country in 2008. ASMP has just launched the ‘Strictly Business Blog’ – described as “… business tips, thought provoking ideas, useful resources, videos and podcasts all focused on professional photography. Our team of contributors are ASMP educators who will share posts you can enjoy with your morning coffee, on a break or a commute.” The initial installments are insights shared by Chase Jarvis, Paula Lerner, Lou Jones and others. Check it out here.
The Annenberg Space For Photography opens to the public today. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, the space focuses on “celebrating the human condition as seen through the lens of some of the world’s most renowned photographers.’ With an interior design inspired by the inner workings of a camera, the space celebrates both traditional print photography as well as electronic images. The schedule for the lecture series makes me wish I lived a bit closer to LA (which is the first time I’ve said that in many years). More info here.
Have you reset the clocks on your cameras? For most of us, Daylight Savings Time started a couple of weeks ago. While I reset the clocks around the house and in the cars, I discovered this week that I had not reset the clocks in my cameras.
Random Bits - No. 2
March 20, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
There is one week left for entries in the PixSylated ‘Exciting Light’ photo contest. The winner will receive a free ticket to any stop on David Ziser’s 58-city ‘Digital WakeUp Call’ tour. Entries will be judged next Friday (March 27). Read the details on how to enter at the end of this article. Not feeling competitive? Still want to save $20 on admission? Get the PixSylated discount code here.
The tug-o-war between copyright and the public domain continues. Creative Commons, which serves as ground-zero for free thinking about the interface of copyright and the public domain, recently wrote: “Creative Commons has spent a lot of time over the past year or so strategizing, and worrying, about the current state of the public domain and its future. In particular, we’ve been thinking about ways to help cultivate a vibrant and rich pool of freely available resources accessible to anyone to use for any purpose, unconditionally…. Our copyright licenses empower creators to manage their copyright on terms they choose. But what about creators who aren’t concerned about those protections, or who later want to waive those rights altogether? Unfortunately, the law makes it virtually impossible to waive the copyright automatically bestowed on creators.” Read the entire article here.
Chris Orwig launched a blog recently. You’ll find ‘Flipside‘ here. If you don’t know Chris, you should. He is one of the most insightful instructors I’ve ever met. Fortunately, you don’t have to attend Brooks Institute to get Chris’ pearls of wisdom and latest techniques. His tutorials on Photoshop and Lightroom at Lynda.com are fantastic. You should also check out his monthly newsletter – which I’d consider a must-read if you’re journeying in the realm of Ps and Lr (who isn’t?). What I really admire about Chris are his insights about creativity and living life as a photographer.
PixSylated recently joined the legions of blogs on photography at Alltop. [Warning: clicking here will cost you a lot of time. You'll be zoomed over to Alltop's Photography News page which carries the lastest five headlines from dozens of blogs on photography. If you go looking for PixSylated, you'll find it way at the bottom. Along the way, you'll come upon loads of great blogs on photography that you've never heard of. You'll click links. You'll read great articles. You'll see great photos. After a few hours, you'll wonder "how did I get here?" Hopefully, you'll remember that it all started because you clicked something on PixSylated marked "here".]
Joe McNally’s latest exposé, ‘The Hot Shoe Diaries’ was published last Friday, The 13th ( …) < fill in your own snide comment ’bout that. A few days later it rose to #9 for all books sold on Amazon. (O.K. now take back your snide comment…). If you’ve just got out of solitary or recently crash landed on our planet, you should know that I’ve gone on record as saying this is the best book on flash photography ever. It’s pure McNally. Beautiful images. Great stories. Loads of “how-to” info. If you still need to order your copy, click here.
Work with Joe McNally in person. Paso Robles Workshops still has a few seats available for the Joe McNally and David Hobby workshops in April. McNally will teach ‘The Hot Shoe Diaries’ workshop April 20-24. Hobby will teach a ‘Strobist’ 5-day workshop April 27 - May 1. Px has confirmed that the mayor of Paso Robles will order extra bulbs for the bat-signal during those two weeks. Head to the Paso Robles Workshops site for more details (on the workshops, not the mayor).
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Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 22–27
March 18, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
This Week’s LIDLIPS
22. There is nothing more interesting to us than photographs of other people.
23. Be the director. Your lens gives you that authority (and responsibility).
24. There is no I in “personal”, but there is one in “personality”.
25. Your client has her own problems. She doesn’t want to hear about yours.
26. Make up a story if your model does not have one.
27. Ultimately your career as a photographer, amateur or professional, will be defined by the lives you touch through the images you make.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 22–27
22. There is nothing more interesting to us than photographs of other people.
We are voyeurs at heart. We are curious about each other. When it comes to photography, there is nothing more interesting to us that photographs of people. If you want to increase your chances of earning a living as a photographer, you have to learn to photograph people. For many, this is an obstacle that drives them towards landscape, nature or still life photography. On the journey to becoming a people photographer, you may start off making candids because you’re shy. If you don’t push through, your photographs will shout that you are timid. The people pix that viewers connect with are the ones where the sitter connected with the photographer through the lens. In this way, photography is just like life. It ultimately gets down to connections.
23. Be the director. Your lens gives you that authority (and responsibility).
Every sane person fears looking bad in a portrait. If your sitter looks worried, it’s because he doesn’t know what to do with his hands, or how to stand, or where he should look. Be the director. Encourage. Reassure. Demonstrate. It’s up to you. Your sitter sees a piece of glass at the end of a black tube. You see what the camera sees. Even if you haven’t a clue, conveying a sense of confidence is key.
24. There is no I in “personal”, but there is one in “personality”.
It’s a common chant that “every photographer needs to shoot personal work.” I agree. Yet, I think that a lot of personal work, mine included, can be really boring. If it’s too personal or too subtle, your personal work becomes a visual secret. Personal work is about pushing your creative boundaries. Rather than create images that are personal to me, I now shoot personal work that reflects my personality.
25. Your client has her own problems. She doesn’t want to hear about yours.
It really doesn’t matter if your client is a turbo-stressed advertising exec, a nervous bride-to-be or your mother’s second-cousin. No one deserves to hear about your problems on a shoot. Yes. It’s tough to keep a calm demeanor when you’ve just screwed up royally or your gear has gone on the fritz. If you want to be a pro, then be a pro. Keep your problems to yourself – all the while smiling and chatting as if everything is perfect.
26. Make up a story if your model does not have one.
True confession time. I have a really hard time making photographs of people if I don’t know their story. When I’m photographing a model in a workshop or another set-up situation, I need a connection. So, if I don’t have a relationship or a purpose (making a photograph is not enough), I create a storyline in my head. Try it. Next time you’re stalled on a model shoot – create some story about the sitter, a bit of history, a perspective, an attitude. I bet your pix will start to flow after that.
27. Ultimately your career as a photographer, amateur or professional, will be defined by the lives you touch through the images you make.
And chances are good that you’ll never know the final score on your report card.
Previous Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School
LIDLIPS 1–12
The Wait Is Over… ‘Hot Shoe Diaries’ Now Shipping
March 16, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
Just received word from Amazon that they have shipped my copy of Joe McNally’s new book, ‘The Hot Shoe Diaries‘. Man it’s been a long wait. I first wrote about ‘THSD’ last July (8 months ago).
This is the book that the yokels who criticized Joe’s first book, ‘The Moment It Clicks‘, expected to get. What they thought was missing from ‘TMIC’ is exactly what ‘THSD’ is –– a book filled with how-to advise from Joe. He talks about light, about gear, about exposures and settings. Joe takes you from the basics of the how and why of a single speedlite onto wrangling a pair of speedlights and then into my favorite jungle — using lots of speedlites. Of course, the text is pure McNally. A bit irreverant. A bit New Yorker. A bit mad scientist. Never, ever dull.
You can check out the details and even download excerpts of ‘THSD’ on the Peachpit site. If you’ve not yet ordered your copy, there’s a much better price over on Amazon.
And “Yes”. If you’ve been reading PixSylated for a while, you can be sure that I’ll pimp The Hot Shoe Diaries just like its big brother. You should plan on Pimping Your McNally too.
Random Bits - No. 1
March 13, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
What’s the point of having a gillion-dollars of camera gear and a lousy monitor? As a digital photographer, where to you spent most of your time – behind the lens or in front of your monitor? I thought so. My friend, JP Caponigro, recently published an insightful online interview with Will Hollingworth, the Senior Manager for Product Development at NEC Display Solutions. (And I thought I knew a lot about monitors before…)
Loads of photographers these days think that “traditional photography” means black-and-white, silver-based prints. I’ve argued that there really is no such thing as “traditional photography” because “traditional” is always relative to one’s perspective. As a counterpoint to all of the electron-wrangling done by digital shooters, it’s great to know that The Photographer’s Forumulary in Montana offers supplies and workshops for those looking to explore “alternative” photography. Carbon prints anyone?
CanonProfessional Services USA is on it’s way to catching up with CPS Europe in terms of providing informative materials to its pro members (finally). CPS is a program for professional photographers that provides an express lane for repairs, the opportunity to borrow gear for evaluation and a couple of other benies. For quite a while, I’ve subscribed to the CPS Europe online newsletter because CPS-USA had nothing to offer. If you are a Canon-based, pro shooter click here for information on the revamped CPS program in America. You might also want to check out the Canon Pro Network in Europe for some great photography and interesting articles.
Blurb recently announced the 2nd Photography Book Now competition. The grand prize is $25,000. Categories are open for Fine Art, Editorial and Commercial books. Deadline for entry is July 16, 2009. Complete details can be found on the Photography Book Now site. When you win, how about comping me a copy of your book, please?
Photoshop World will descend upon Boston in a couple of weeks. The three-day event features over 100 programs taught by 40 luminaries of the photo world. Learn the latest about Photoshop and Lightroom or just hang with friends from across the country. There’s still time to register and get a cheap airline ticket. The Photoshop World site has all the details. (Watch the intro video even if you’re not going. You’ll see me in the crowd shots three or four times if you look real close. Really.)
Aaron Johnson proves that he’s not superstitious. The mad genius behind the hilarious, photo-centric comic strip, What The Duck, proves that he’s not afraid of numbers by issuing strip #666 on Friday the 13th. Appropriately the panel has to do with wedding photography. Aaron lets readers suggest the titles for every strip. I pitched in “Tempting Fate” as my suggestion. Check out the latest WTD humor at WhatTheDuck.com.
Paso Robles Workshops still has a few seats available for the Joe McNally and David Hobby workshops in April. McNally will teach ‘The Hot Shoe Diaries’ workshop April 20-24. Hobby will teach a ‘Strobist’ 5-day workshop April 27 - May 1. No word yet on whether the mayor of Paso Robles will activate the bat-signal during those two weeks. Head to the Paso Robles Workshops site for more details.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 18–21
March 11, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
This Week’s LIDLIPS
18. Make tons of mistakes and fail frequently.
19. Don’t worry about “having a defined look”.
20. Understand that owning a photograph is different than owning the right to reproduce it.
21. MTV has changed the way we look at and digest images.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 18–21
18. Make tons of mistakes and fail frequently.
If you don’t make a lot of photographs that you didn’t intend, then you’re not working hard enough or, maybe, you’re working too hard. Either way, one of the gateways to being truly successful is not being afraid of failure. A friend laughed at me long ago and said “Syl, you won’t make that mistake again. You’ll make a new and bigger mistake.” I’ve been practicing this mantra for years. Much of my creative growth has emerged from the ashes of my efforts. Study your “mistakes” and use them to expand your vision and understanding of photography life.
19. Don’t worry about “having a defined look”.
My only consistent look is that I have a head of crazy, red hair that does just about whatever it wants each day. As for my photography, I’ve gone on record as saying “if I were a tool instead of a photographer, I’d be a Swiss Army knife.” Art directors in New York, Los Angeles and the other major media markets, want to hire commercial shooters who have a very defined style. I think it’s because they need to eliminate the possibility of making a mistake. They want to know that when they hire a certain photographer, they’ll get the certain look that they’ve already sold to their client. A high-dollar shoot is definitely not the place to re-invent yourself. Of course, the vast majority of us don’t live in or shoot for people in NY or LA. For us, the danger of having a defined look is that it will become that comfy place that deteriorates into a creative rut. Actually that’s a huge danger for NY and LA shooters too. If your look is defined, start unraveling it before your look morphs into a rut.
20. Understand that owning a photograph is different than owning the right to reproduce it.
At the moment of creation, a photograph is intellectual property and the ownership of the copyright for that photograph belongs with the photographer*. Unlike real property (your home for instance) and personal property (the items in your home), you cannot touch intellectual property. Intellectual property is also different than real and personal property in that it can be reproduced easily (many exact copies can be made). A photographic print is a physical object and a type of personal property. However, owning a photographic print does not necessarily give the owner the right to reproduce the photograph. This right of reproduction remains with the copyright owner — a right than can be licensed many times. As a commercial photographer, I do not sell my photographs. Rather I license specific rights of reproduction to clients. As a fine art photographer, I sell my photographs (as prints). The difference between the photograph and the photograph is something that you’ll explain to clients for the rest of your life. [*Work For Hire is the exception to the rule about the photographer owning the copyright at the moment of creation. Read the basics of WFH if you don't know what this means.]
21. MTV has changed the way we look at and digest images.
The generation of kids weaned on MTV are now in their 20s and 30s. They are the creatives and decision-makers who shape much of our modern media. When they were babies, slide shows were contemplative and slow-paced. Today, images are swapped out in a fraction of a second. Don’t believe this? Watch a commercial on TV and count it out. Or go to the website of a young wedding photographer and watch the intro gallery. Two seconds has become an eternity. Several thoughts come to mind. First, the number of images offered up for our consumption has gone way up (I think digital cameras are only the facilitator and not the cause). Second, the machine-gunning of images has blurred the boundaries between images. What we think about one image is greatly influenced by the images that are presented just before and after it. Lastly, images that would not stand on their own in a static presentation (think “magazine ad” or “gallery wall”) are often applauded when wrapped up in a cascade of images. If we can only look at something for a split-second, do we really see what’s there?
Previous Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School
LIDLIPS 1–12
PixSylated 2.0 – The Web Magazine
March 9, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
PixSylated 2.0 is here. The site has been redesigned as a web magazine. What’s the difference? A complete overhaul of the home page makes it much easier to cruise the content. Rather than see a handful of posts, the site now presents snippets of dozens of articles. First-time visitors will immediately get a sense of the breadth of content on PixSylated. There is also a cool feed of the latest photos from the PixSylated group at Flickr.
If you received this article via your web reader, click through to PixSylated and take a drive around. I bet you’ll find several articles that you missed earlier.
Joe McNally ‘Hot Shoe Diaries’ Workshop To Be Held In Paso Robles
March 5, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
PixSylated is very proud to announce that Joe McNally will teach the ‘Hot Shoe Diaries’ workshop in Paso Robles April 20–24, 2009. The week-long workshop will cover many of the small-flash techniques presented in Joe’s newest book of the same name.
The ‘Hot Shoe Diaries’ workshop will be the inaugural workshop hosted by Paso Robles Workshops. PRW was announced last September by PixSylated’s host, Syl Arena. “It’s fitting that Joe will teach our first workshop” said Syl. “In addition to being a great friend and mentor, it was Joe’s encouragement that helped me carry the PRW dream across the chasm that started with the October financial melt-down. Without Joe’s unyielding support, PRW would likely have fallen into the abyss.”
For complete details on the workshop, click here.
Digital WakeUp Call – A Must Attend
March 5, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
David Ziser’s Digital WakeUp Call 2009 Tour will get underway on March 30. I consider this 4-hour event to be a must-attend. You’ll learn a ton about photography and the business of photography.
I had the great fortune to sit in on a mini-version of the Digital WakeUp Call at WPPI in Vegas last month (proof here). For those that don’t know David, he’s a popular instructor at Photoshop World, a prolific blogger (DigitalProTalk), and a fantastic wedding photographer who has taught tens of thousands around the world.
Weddings? Wait! Don’t change the channel! Even if you’re not a wedding shooter (and never want to be), you should read on. As I’ve written elsewhere, cross-pollination is so important for photographers. I’ve come to understand that the pressure under which wedding photographers must shoot creates valuable lessons for the rest of us. As I see it, if you can create beautiful lighting when your #1 subject is wearing white from head to toe, your #2 subject is dressed in full black and there’s a lady on the sideline insisting that “#1 and #2 are 15-minutes late to the party already”, then you’ve got something to share. [Still not convinced? I'll tell you below how you can save $20 on admission and maybe even get in for free.]
Amazingly, David will bring DWC to 58 cities across the country. I bet he’s heading to a town near you. Here’s the schedule and registration page. I’ll be at the San Jose event on May 13th. If you see a guy with crazy red hair, come up and introduce yourself.
David made a special offer for PixSylarians. Enter code ZSADWC09 to get in for $59 – a savings of $20. That’s an incredible deal considering that you’ll go home with materials worth $250 more than you paid to get in:
- Tour Handbook including: program notes, photography, marketing and more
- 2 Hour DVD with extended program content
- $100 Rebate from American Color Imaging
- 1 year membership to WPPI and Rangefinder magazine, a $99 value
- FREE 3 month membership to DigitalProTalkPlus.com, a $45 value
- FREE 3 month subscription to PPA Magazine, a $15 value
- FREE PPA Indemnification (no-fault) insurance for all new PPA members, a $50 value
- Over $2,500 in door prizes awarded each evening
- And a chance to win 1 of 4 Grand Prizes worth over $5,000
Bonus For Canon Shooters: David is a Canon shooter too. His demos are based on Canon gear.
Want to get in for free?
Enter PixSylated’s “Exciting Light” contest on Flickr.
Deadline: Friday, March 27, 2009 5:00pm PDT.
How To Enter
1. You’ll need a Flickr account. It’s easy and free to join.
2. Join the PixSylated Flickr Group.
3. Upload 1, 2, or 3 of your photos that represent “Exciting Light” to your Flickr account.
4. Tag the photo(s) with “dwc09″ (how to tag here). Please, no more than three entries per person.
5. Add your photo(s) to the PixSylated Flickr Group (help here).
6. Promise to tell 4,327 people about PixSylated.
Judging / Fortune & Fame
Friday evening, March 27th, I’ll unilaterally decide on my favorite. Extra credit points will be awarded for photos illuminated with flash photography. “Exciting light” is the key.
I’ll notify the winner by email on Saturday morning, March 28. Be sure to check the e-mail account you use for Flickr. I’ll also post the announcement on the PixSylated forum at Flickr. The winner will get the secret handshake that opens the door to his or her choice of any Digital WakeUp Call 2009 session across the country! I’ll also post the winning photo on PixSylated and the reasons that I selected it. Now that’s a bit of fortune and fame!