Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 56–60
May 27, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
This Week’s LIDLIPS
56. Hollywood is waiting to teach you how to light.
57. Sometimes it is more important to look like you know what you’re doing than to actually know what you’re doing.
58. Sincerity, humility and gentle persistence can open closed doors.
59. The future is moving.
60. Analysis Paralysis and the Right Pursuit
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 56–60
56. Hollywood is waiting to teach you how to light.
If you really want to learn how to light, go to the movies and think about the light you see. As still shooters, we think in terms of lighting one spot for a fraction of a second. On the set of a motion picture, they have to light a broad area such that the actors can move through it without casting unwanted shadows or walking out of the light. Put another way, grips and gaffers do their jobs with intention – there is a look the director wants and their task is to deliver that vision through lighting. Virtually every lighting tool we still shooters think of as new or unique has been used in Hollywood for decades. Gels, scrims, shiny boards, flags, gobos – they all came to us from the movies. Even the newest lighting tools – like LED panels and banks of CFLs – were adopted by the movie guys first. Hollywood understands that film (or tape) records light and shadow differently than we see it. They don’t fight physics. Rather they’ve invented tools and techniques that change one reality into another. Learn what they do and how they do it. Your vision as a photographer will expand accordingly.
57. Sometimes it is more important to look like you know what you’re doing than to actually know what you’re doing.
Maintaining the confidence of your client is key – even when your shoot is crashing. Once I was on a wedding shoot with the bride and three attendants staring right into my lens when my camera mysteriously locked up. Rather than change the mood and say I had a problem, I went through the motions of taking a few more frames – even though nothing was happening. As the group moved to the next spot, I went to my gear bag and changed camera bodies. Stopping to figure out the problem (a bad CF card) would have appeared as if I didn’t know what was going on (which I didn’t at the time). Problems happen during shoots. How you respond is a measure of your professionalism. Maintaining an air of confidence and control in front of your clients is key. Have an SOS phrase in the back of your head. Something like “I see an new opportunity here. Let’s break for a few minutes so that we can set up for it.”
58. Sincerity, humility and gentle persistence can open closed doors.
Across the decades of my professional life, I have had a number of mentors. Not surprisingly, none walked up to me and said “I want to give you my time and my expertise and I don’t want to charge you anything for it.” I’ve long wanted to believe the old saying “when the student is ready the teacher will appear.” Sure, he may appear. But getting his attention is a completely different matter. My experience is that the three keys to opening up a relationship with a mentor are sincerity, humility and gentle persistence. If you are not sincere in your desire to be the best photographer you can be (if you still think it’s the gear that makes the photograph), then there’s no point in having a mentor. Being humble means you respect yourself and your mentor. It means being honest about what you don’t know and haven’t done. It means understanding the definition of “sycophant” and not going there. Even when your head and your heart are in the right place, you’ll still need to convert your hero into your mentor. Typically, this happens slowly over time. It comes through persistence – gentle persistence. Remember that you are not and never will be critical to the success of your mentor’s career. That he has taken you on is more a testament to the gifts he received from his mentors than it is of you. Still, if you are worthy, do not hesitate to knock and to come back and knock again. Eventually your persistence will open the right door.
59. The future is moving.
While I’m not ready to say that the death of still photography is at hand, it is apparent that the future of photography is in motion. Observe how the rapid growth of the Internet as an advertising channel has caused widespread devastation in the newspaper and magazine industries. As access to broadband continues to spread and as mobile tools like Apple’s iPhone and Amazon’s Kindle continue to evolve, there’s an ever-increasing opportunity to use motion over still photography. No too many years ago, the moving photographs on the walls, desks and newspapers of Harry Potter’s world seemed quaint. Now, I see them as an insightful glimpse into our future. If you are young, photographs that move and speak and sing are your future. If you are an old-school shooter, like me, now is not the time to put your head in the sand about how the world has once again changed it’s expectations of what photographers do.
60. Analysis Paralysis and the Right Pursuit.
An earnest dad came up to me a while back and asked my thoughts on which DSLR was best suited for photographing his children playing soccer. He had boiled his options down to one that shoots 3.6 frames-per-second and another that could shoot 6.2 FPS. Oh, and there was the possibility that one was coming out “soon” that would shoot close to 10 FPS. He’d been looking into cameras for the entirety of his kids’ soccer season. I offered two suggestions. The first was to get over his Analysis Paralysis. The second was to buy the best camera he could afford at the moment – regardless of specs like frames-per-second. I came away from the conversation wondering how many great shots he’d missed because the pursuit of the camera had overtaken the pursuit of the photo.
Previous Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School
The LongArm and MetalHead – Taking Your Speedlite To New Heights
May 21, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
How do you convert a painter’s pole into a professional lighting tool that can carry your Speedlite to various heights above your subjects and then collapse it down so that you can maneuver through a crowd? I want you to meet the LongArm and the MetalHead. When used together, this $50 dynamic duo has quickly become a favorite tool in my gear bag for location lighting.
The LongArm – Extendable Painter Pole
My 11-year old son Tony discovered the LongArm on a recent expedition to Home Depot. I was checking out the sandpaper and he walks over with this painter’s pole zipping in and out several feet. “Put that thing away” I barked. Then “Hey, wait a minute, bring it here.” Tony was playing with a Shur-Line Easy Reach extendable paint pole. The cool thing about the Easy Reach (aka: the LongArm) is that it’s a 3-section pole that collapses into itself with the push of a button. It has detents every six inches so that you can extend it out to the length you need in a second and then lock it in place. You (and your assistant) will absolutely love how quickly the LongArm stretches out to just the length you need and how quickly it retracts. Zip. Snap. Zip.
Shur-Line Extendable Paint Pole (aka: the LongArm) - Push the black button, slide to the length you want, release the button, and it's locked.
Unlike other painter’s poles that look like a broomstick or something used by the pool guy, you won’t be embarrassed to carry the LongArm right into the country club for the big wedding. It’s a sleek-looking combination of black foam, red plastic and aluminum.
The Shur-Line Easy Reach comes in two lengths. Model 06570, the short version, extends from 30″ to 60″. Model 06572, the real LongArm, extends from 45″ to 108″ – think “just under four-feet to nine-feet”. I have both models and have found the long version to be indispensable. The short version is an easy carry but… just a bit too short most times. You can find them at Home Depot, Lowe’s and the like. You can also buy them through Amazon. [At Amazon: long version and short version.]
The MetalHead – Kacey Pole Adapter™
The MetalHead is the magic wand that converts the LongArm into a professional tool. If you’ve ever tried to bolt a piece of lighting gear onto a painter’s pole, you know that the threads are too fat and too short to fit into an industry standard fixture. Thanks to a tip from Gregg Zivney, who makes the great Wizard Brackets and a cool Dual Flash Bracket, I found the Kacey Pole Adapter. After showing it to David Hobby during his Strobist workshop in Paso Robles, it was dubbed “The MetalHead”.
The MetalHead (aka: Kacey Pole Adapter) converts a painter pole into a useful lighting tool.
The MetalHead provides a standard-sized pin onto which you can securely bolt a variety of lighting fixtures. It is robustly machined from solid aluminum and provides a solid base for your gear. Order the MetalHead for $19 from MPEX – MidWest Photo Exchange or $22 from the manufacturer.
The LongArm and MetalHead In Action
The LongArm-MetalHead combo can carry your Speedlite to the top of a party tent for a nice bit of bounce light. It can also carry your Speedlite over the top of table for a bit of fill light. If you need to move through a crowd, just zip it down and slide through. It used to be that we’d carry a mini-lightstand for this job. Our new rig is much better looking, easier to use, and a good bit longer.
The LongArm extends from just under 4' to 9' – enough to carry a Speedlite up to the top of this party tent.
The LongArm-MetalHead combo carries a Speedlite over the top of a table.
The MetalHead is where you start building your lighting rig. You’ll need an Umbrella Swivel Adapter so that you can control the angle of your light. (Don’t skimp here – buy a strong one.) A Speedlite with a Stofen Diffuser or Honl Grid is an easy carry. An umbrella – either shoot-through or silver – is also an easy carry (unless it’s windy). The Lastolight EzyBox (one of my favorite Speedlite modifiers) definitely pushes the boundary – of my assistant’s willingness to hoist the rig overhead for minutes on end. The good news is that the LongArm, as shown in the pic at the opening of this article, is long enough so that you can extend it to full length and set the end on the ground. Then, the EzyBox is relatively easy to loft up to six feet or so.
Thanks again to my son Tony for being the curious rascal that he is, to Gregg Zivey for pointing me to the Kacey Pole Adapter, to David Hobby for giving it a cool name and to my son Tom (in the pix above) for fully endorsing the LongArm-MetalHead as the assistant on a number of recent shoots.
[About the photo at the top: You're looking at a Canon 580EX in a cabled hotshoe attached to the hotshoe bracket on the Lastolite EzyBox (the 24" model) that's bolted into an umbrella swivel adapter clamped onto the MetalHead at the end of the LongArm. Wow, that's a mouthful. The little box hanging from the EzyBox bracket is an Elincrom Skyport receiver. The cable runs from the Skyport into the hotshoe that holds the flash. I'm a big fan of the Skyports as they are smaller and more affordable than Pocket Wizards. Click on the photo below to see a larger photo of the rig.]
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 51–55
May 20, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
This Week’s LIDLIPS
51. If your camera was a pencil or a crayon it would be easy to understand its limitations..
52. There are times when you have to hang it all out there – without any understanding of where you are headed or whether it will work..
53. Sometimes going to sleep is the most creative thing you can do.
54. If you want something way more than the person on the other side of the deal – be wary.
55. No matter how much you know, you’ll never know it all. So don’t let not knowing hold you back.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 51–55
51. If your camera was a pencil or a crayon it would be easy to understand its limitations.
No one expects a pencil or a crayon or a box of watercolors to produce photo-realistic images (yet in the hands of a truly skilled artist they can). On the other hand, we often look at our photos and think “that doesn’t look like what I saw”. You have to embrace the fact that cameras, even the most modern cameras, still can only record a fraction of the colors and tonal range that we can see. Once you come to that understanding, you’ll also quickly understand why you have to learn to light – even if it’s just with a sheet of watercolor paper that you’re using as a fill card. Embrace the limitations of technology and you’ll soon find ways to fly over those boundaries.
52. There are times when you have to hang it all out there – without any understanding of where you are headed or whether it will work.
Being a creative means that you’ll often find yourself racing down paths that you’ve never ventured onto before. Without knowing why, you’ll respond to the breath of inspiration by doubling your efforts. As you race forward without any understanding of what lies ahead, a touch of panic will try to sneak in. You’ll think “where am I going”. You’ll briefly worry “what if this doesn’t work”. Push those questions aside and continue charging ahead blindly – continue charging ahead creatively. The moment you start to deal with these fears is the moment that your creativity evaporates.
53. Sometimes going to sleep is the most creative thing you can do.
On any number of occasions, I’ve reached the end of a creative session absolutely exhausted. Thinking, feeling, believing that I had nothing more to give, I figured the job complete, finished, done. Time and time again, I’ve woken up in the morning with a deep pool of energy and enough new ideas to fill a warehouse.
54. If you want something way more than the person on the other side of the deal – be wary.
I once met a fellow who I thought could make a huge difference to the arc of my career. Call him a “rainmaker” or a “center of influence” or a “master networker”. This guy had experiences and contacts that I could only dream of. Turns out that I wanted a friend with these contacts so much that I ignored the warning signs: the never-ending stream of stories, the nonstop talk about himself, the inconsistencies between the first and second time that I’d hear a story. It unraveled when I came upon someone else’s byline on a famous photo that I thought my friend had made. We had discussed his being at the event and the capture of the iconic image. The moment I realized that he had let me believe he had made another shooter’s photo was the moment that I also realized I wanted to be his friend way more than he wanted to be mine.
55. No matter how much you know, you’ll never know it all. So don’t let not knowing hold you back.
Don’t let thoughts like “I have so much more to learn” or “I’m not ready yet” hold you back. The truth is that if you wait until you’re ready, you’ll never start. The digital evolution in photography has been a great leveler. No one understands every detail of Photoshop – not even the guys who invented it. No one understands every control option of the latest DSLR – not even the guy who sell them. Get used to the idea that you’ll have to ask others for help. Get used to the idea that you should offer help freely. When it comes to technology, every one of us is ignorant to some degree or anothery. Accept your weaknesses and keep shooting.
Previous Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School
Join Me In Paso Robles For The Worldwide Photo Walk – July 18, 2009
May 18, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
On Saturday July 18, 2009, thousands of photographers in hundreds of cities and towns around the world will participate in the Second Annual Worldwide PhotoWalk. I’m organizing the local event in Paso Robles and heartily invite all PixSylarians to head to Paso and join in. If you can’t make it to Paso, there’s probably a PhotoWalk near you (or you can apply to lead one). Check out the Worldwide PhotoWalk site here.
Here’s how I describe the event on the official Paso Robles Photo Walk page.
“Our Paso Robles Downtown Photo Walk will begin at the historic gazebo in our downtown park (12th Street at Park). We’ll stroll through the nearby Saturday Farmer’s Market – and graze on the delicious summer fruits offered there. As we circumnavigate the park, we’ll visit the gardens at the historic Paso Robles Inn, walk Paso’s downtown alleys (where we’ll find many bits of hidden history), and eventually end up on the doorstep of Studios on the Park – Paso’s brand-new collection of artists’ studios. After the walk, we’ll pile into the Downtown Brewing Co. to compare photos and continue the reverie over lunch.”
The event is free (but limited to the first 50 registrants). It will run from 9:00a to 11:00a. If you’re interested in heading to Paso, check out my About Paso Robles pages over at Paso Robles Workshops. You’ll find loads of info about how to get here, where to stay and places to eat.
To register for the Paso Robles PhotoWalk, click here.
To find locations of other PhotoWalks (or apply to lead one) head over to the Worldwide PhotoWalk site.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 46–50
May 13, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
This Week’s LIDLIPS
46. Creativity comes as a breeze before it comes as a gale.
47. When a prospect says “It’s a simple job, don’t worry”, then it’s time to worry.
48. There’s no direct connection between the amount of time it takes to do a shoot and the amount the photographer should charge.
49. Daylight comes in many colors.
50. When NASA launches a rocket, it does not go straight up.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 46–50
46. Creativity comes as a breeze before it comes as a gale.
Inspiration, the creative breath, comes when it wants to – not when you beckon it. Creativity often starts softly – like a gentle breeze. And, like a breath of spring air, creativity may stop suddenly and then change directions before returning. As you open yourself to the creative flow, its intensity will build until it seems like you are being swept along in a gale. Then, without warning, the storm will pass and you’ll be left standing – alone, uninspired again.
47. When a prospect says “It’s a simple job, don’t worry”, then it’s time to worry.
It always cracks me up when a prospect (or a client) says that he has a “simple job” for me. Simple? How would he know? If he were a pro photographer, he wouldn’t be calling me. The fact that he says the word “simple” just before describing a complex set of shots, tells me that he hasn’t a clue. If he hasn’t a clue, then he’s going to think my fees are outrageous. If I want the job, it’s up to me to help him understand that simple is not always simple. Figuring out how to convince him of that is when I start worrying.
48. There’s no direct connection between the amount of time it takes to do a shoot and the amount the photographer should charge.
With the exception of event photography (where I agree to shoot for a certain number of hours), I never allow clients to think that I charge a certain rate per hour. This is something that every photographer should avoid. As I see it, my clients hire me to create images that fit their needs. Time on the shoot or in post-production is not a direct component of the value of those images. I’ve invested heavily in training and gear over the years. If I can get a job done in an hour when it takes a less-experienced shooter three hours, does that mean that my work has less value?
49. Daylight comes in many colors.
To use the term “Daylight” when describing the white balance on a digital camera or the color balance of a film stock is a misnomer. Lay in bed and watch the color of your walls change as the sun rises. Walk through a forest and observe how daylight changes as it is filtered and reflected by the canopy of leaves. Think about how daylight is changed when it bounces off the surface of the moon or cascades through clouds. Get to know daylight in all its colors. Then come to understand how to use light modifiers so that you can change the light that’s available to you into the daylight that you want.
50. When NASA launches a rocket, it does not go straight up.
We all want to think that when NASA launches a huge rocket that it goes straight up into space. The truth is that the contraption begins to fall sideways as soon as it leaves the launch tower. As it gathers speed, it continues to arc over. By the time it leaves Earth’s gravity, the spaceship has actually traveled much farther horizontally than it has vertically. It’s also important to consider the fact that the vast majority of the fuel used to launch the rocket is expended in the first couple of minutes after the launch. Seems to me that getting a career started as a photographer is a lot like launching a rocket.
Previous Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School
‘Making The Transition To Digital Tech’ – Image Mechanics Workshop
May 12, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
How do you capture and process 3,000 to 5,000 shots and hand your client the image disk in a single day? Is a workflow that shoots tethered into Lightroom robust enough for professional work? How do you transport studio-quality gear to shoots across the country? These were many of the questions covered recently at the Image Mechanics workshop “Making the Transition to Digital Tech Part 1“.
I’ve long been a fan of the workshop’s instructor, Michael Britt – the managing partner at Image Mechanics. Michael wrote the original manual for Lightroom. He’s consulted for Apple on Aperture. His company has been responsible for managing literally millions of captures on professional shoots around the globe. The Image Mechanics client list reads like a Who’s Who of high-end editorial and advertising photographers.
For a guy, like me, who does not work in that realm, I could say that’s a lot of rah-rah. What’s made me a fan is that Michael does not hesitate to share what he knows about digital capture. This was the second time that I’d spent a day with Michael. (The first time was two years ago at the nearby Julia Dean Workshops.) Any industry leader who is willing to share the details of his entire workflow with anyone who is interested, gets my sincere appreciation and respect.
An Image Mechanics digital capture studio ready to roll.
Taking The Digital Capture Studio Wherever It Needs To Go
There are many benefits to shooting tethered. The first and foremost reason to shoot tethered is that you can make precise decisions about exposure. Another is that if your client is on-set, he or she can see large-scale images to confirm that you’re delivering what’s needed from the shoot. (For a detailed discussion of these and other benefits, read this Px article.)
An Image Mechanics field kit for digital capture includes an Apple 30″ Cinema Display, a G5 Tower, a MacBook Pro laptop, external drives (with multiple ways to connect to a computer), UPS battery backup and several sets of USB and Firewire cables for tethering a wide range of cameras to the computer. All of this is moved around on a special cart that converts into a computer stand.
Redundancy is the key to surviving the challenges that will inevitably pop-up in the field. Michael discussed redundancy in ways that I had never considered before (such as carrying a copy of your software and other essential files on a thumb drive in case your computer gear disappears – rent a computer in that distant city and you’re back in business).
Michael Britt talks about getting a 30" Apple Cinema Display and G5 Tower out to location shoots.
The Image Mechanics digital tech studio in action.
Using Lightroom As The Backbone Of A Digital Capture Workflow
I was surprised to learn that Lightroom is the backbone of the digital capture workflow at Image Mechanics. I figured they would use a proprietary capture system or one of the programs that costs twice the price of Lightroom. As digital capture technicians, they have to be ready to handle literally any gear that their professional clients throw at them – Canon, Nikon, Phase, Leaf, Hassy… Aside from using the manufacturer’s camera control software (like EOS Utility) to get the image from the camera to the computer, the rest of the Image Mechanic’s workflow is handled entirely in Lightroom.
One of the favorite debates among Lightroom users is whether to manage your images in one catalog or several. Given the volume of captures they manage and their need to efficiently archive their clients’ shoots, Image Mechanics creates a unique catalog for each shoot and stores that catalog with the captures. Michael shared the exact details of their folder structure for a shoot. I followed along on my laptop and headed home with a new workflow to deploy.
Demonstrating how to shoot tethered into Lightroom
Managing The Digital Archive
I shot 40,000 or so images last year. The Image Mechanics have to manage more than that every month. I’m one guy. They have to manage images for a long list of clients. Their average shoot generates more than 50 gigs of data. So, when Michael talked about their archiving system, I really paid attention. You can read the details about their approach here.
Image Mechanics stores one copy of their archive disks in custom-made, anti-static file cabinet inserts. A set of matching disks are kept off-site for data redundancy.
More From Image Mechanics
To get a sense of what professional digital capture is about, check out the Image Mechanics site.
Death To Film, their original blog, as been retired. Fortunately it remains online as it has a ton of great info.
Counter Intelligence is their new blog. It continues the IM tradition of sharing valuable insights.
Shoot Stories is where you can read the details of Image Mechanics in action on pro shoots.
Organizing External Drives with Adobe Lightroom is a great value. You can buy the PDF download for only $5.95.
Canon Instant Rebates – Summer 2009
May 8, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
If you’re in the market for a new Canon lens, Speedlite or DSLR, the Canon Summer Instant Rebate program can save you up to $500. (If you save the $500, call me. I’d like to borrow your new 200mm F/2L IS for a day or two.) The cool thing about this deal is that, unlike regular rebate programs, you get the savings up front at the time of purchase rather than as a check several months later. The program runs through July 11, 2009.
Because you should be out shooting rather than hunting around for pricing details, I’ve collected links from the three major online Canon resellers to every item in the program. So, in a few minutes, you’ll be able to find the best price, get your new gear ordered and get back to making great photos.
One thing to know about this promotion, if you don’t see the rebate amount up front, you won’t get it. Here is how the deals show up on Amazon, B&H and Adorama.
Canon rebate at Amazon
Canon rebate at B&H
Canon rebate at Adorama
Of course, the promotion is not limited to online sources. (I just happen to live near the middle of nowhere.) Your local Canon dealer can offer the same discounts.
Rebates on Canon Prime Lenses
EF 50mm f/1.2L USM – save $100 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM – save $130 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM – save $35 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 200mm f/2L IS USM – save $500 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Rebates on Canon L-Series Zoom Lenses
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM – save $100 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 17-40mm f/4L USM – save $50 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM – save $80 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM – save $200 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM – save $75 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM – save $40 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM – save $100 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Rebates on Canon Zoom Lenses
EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM – save $20 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM – save $30 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Rebates on Canon EF-S Lenses
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM – save $50 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM – save $70 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM – save $50 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS – save $15 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM – save $30 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Rebates on Canon Speedlites
Speedlite 580EX II – save $50 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Speedlite 430 EX II – save $30 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Speedlite 220EX – save $30 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX – save $70 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX – save $50 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Rebates on Canon 50D Kits
EOS 50D + EF-S 18–200mm f/3.5–5.6 IS – save $300 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EOS 50D + EF 28-135mm IS + EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS – save $150 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Rebates on Canon Rebel Kits
EOS Rebel XSi EF-S 18-55IS + EF-S 55-250mm F/4-5.6 IS Kit – save $200 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
EOS Rebel XS + EF-s 18-55mm IS + EF 75-300mm F/4-5.6 IS Kit – save $100 – Adorama, Amazon, B&H
Complete details from Canon can be found on their site here.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 41–45
May 6, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
This Week’s LIDLIPS
41. Light is like water – both are boring until you put something in them.
42. There will be times when you should take a long break and other times when you should push on.
43. There is nothing to see in a world filled entirely with light or entirely with darkness.
44. “No” is the most powerful word in photography.
45. Often the highest calling of a photographer is to create memories.
Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 41–45
41. Light is like water – both are boring until you put something in them.
Pure distilled water is odorless, colorless and tasteless. Pure white light is about as interesting. For water, it’s the minerals and other “impurities” that give it taste. For light it’s the atmosphere – natural or created – that gives it character. We love the light at sunrise and sunset because of the warmth. We shiver at the blue light when snow falls at noon. As a photographer, know that you don’t have to take light as it comes straight from the sun or straight from the flash. Gel it. Scrim it. Filter it. Bounce it. Add the impurities you need to get the flavor you want.
42. There will be times when you should take a long break and other times when you should push on.
As a creative you will frequently get to the brink: the brink of total exhaustion, the brink of losing all confidence in your work, the brink of deciding that you’ve been on the wrong path for a while. There will be times when you just have to put it all down and do something else – for a short bit or a long while. There will be other times when you just have to power through and get the job done. Fatigue, self-doubt and losing the way are recurring parts of the creative journey. Not knowing if you should take a break or push on is also part of the path. Between the two, stopping and continuing, there’s a 50/50 chance that you’ll make the right choice. Those are probably the best odds a creative gets.
43. There is nothing to see in a world filled entirely with light or entirely with darkness.
Can you see anything on a page that is pure white or pure black? Of course not. Understand that it is the intersection of light and dark that creates the images we see. Sometimes this intersection is subtle. Other times it is violent. Contrast – the merging of light into darkness – is what makes light interesting. Shadow is just as important as highlight. Color is several flavors of light and dark dancing together. Learn to see this way.
44. “No” is the most powerful word in photography.
Somewhere in the unsearched part of human DNA there must be two bits of code that say “Photographers are all the same” and “Photographers like to work for free”. Virtually all non-photographers believe one or the other and a vocal minority believe both. Learn to say “No” without hesitation. Learn to say “No” gently and with authority. Practice phrases like, “No, I won’t shoot your wedding. I am a still life photographer.” Or, “No, I don’t see how your diminishing reader base means that I should work for free.” You don’t have to be rude about it. The sense of confidence behind your “No” tells people volumes about the strength of what you will do.
45. Often the highest calling of a photographer is to create memories.
Many photographers feel that they have to make a statement – that they have to show or tell the world something not known before. Many critics feel that without this statement a photograph has no value. The truth is that, relative to human history, there is little that has not been said or shown before. Yet memory remains one of the most transient bits of human existence. Memories are the only time machine we have to transport us into the past. Often, the power of a photograph is that it stimulates memories. This power may serve an audience of only one: one person, one family or one community. Capturing moments that stimulate memories is one of the greatest gifts a photographer can offer.
Previous Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School
LIDLIPS 36–40, LIDLIPS 32–35, LIDLIPS 28–31, LIDLIPS 22–27, LIDLIPS 18–21, LIDLIPS 13–17, LIDLIPS 1–12
Getting Back In The Game
May 5, 2009 by Syl Arena · Comments Off
There are times when you fall off the wagon and immediately try to climb back on. April was not one of those times for me. I fell off the wagon and found plenty of reasons to stay off.
Thanks to the support of Joe McNally and David Hobby, the Paso Robles Workshops morphed from being a dream into a dream come true. Both workshops sold out. More importantly, both workshops were filled with great students from across the US – plus a pair from Brazil and one ex-pat who came from Japan. There’s now a PRW group on Flickr. Check it out to see the great student work and behind-the-scenes shots of the workshops in action. My long-time partner in crime, MD Welch, came down from Reno to work as Joe’s first assistant for the week. MD launched a spirited blog, Notes From The Field, and wrote about his adventures in Paso. McNally posted a pure-Joe look on the week here. David had a great time during his first-ever, week-long Strobist workshop and wrote about it here. I have loads more info to share and will do so soon on the PRW site.
As for PixSylated, well… despite my best intentions, I fell victim to the glow of Paso’s wine and great restaurants while the workshop gang was in town. Now that the party has left, I’m writing more and eating less.
Speaking of eating, they say that the best way to stay motivated while dieting is to tell your friends about it. So, here it is. I’m weighing in at 236.6. Now that the PixSylnation knows about it, I’ve told pretty much everyone I know. To add to the motivation, I have a sparring partner across the country who jumped on the scale today. Not that it’s a competition or anything, but I’m typing this as I jog from my hot yoga class across town to the midnight cardio-pilates workout. We’ll see who the real heavyweight is sometime around Labor Day. So the game is on and I’m getting back in.