CameraTalk » Adam Bolt

Back Light for Beauty

Adam Bolt — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:13:01 +0000

If you shoot studio style portraits then you know the importance of backlighting to separate your subject from the background.

Rim lighting is another form of highlighting the back edge of your subject to make your image POP from the background.

You can see with the first four images shot indoors with studio lights how a light in the background defines your image.

You may not have the money to go and buy yourself studio lights to get these sorts of results but you know that the little pop-up flash on your camera certainly doesn’t cut the mustard (do the job for you), so to speak.

So you go out and buy yourself a nice new shoe-mounted flash with plenty of oomph (power) to get better flash results. But sadly the results can still look a little underwhelming.

So how, with one flash, do you get results that will make people take notice of your images?

Well first you need to understand how flash works. I won’t get too complicated here but the first thing you need to know is that there are basically two exposures happening at the one time.

The first exposure is of your ambient light which generally comes from the sun. The second is from your flash (a short burst of light of around 1/1000 sec).

This is vitally important to know because you now need to take control of your camera and take it out of AUTO MODE and go into fly solo mode in MANUAL. By doing this you can control the amount of ambient light that is exposing your scene. And this is where your flash comes in.

Get that flash off camera and use some sort of diffuser to soften the shadows and light your subject. You will generally use the flash to fill in the shadows of your subject but by putting your flash in manual mode you can also control the amount of light that is exposing your subject to create your image.

It is really like adding salt to taste… play with these settings until you get a good natural balance between your flash and your ambient light.

So what is this Back Light for Beauty?

Well… We only have one flash to light our subject, so where do we get the second light to create that studio style where we back light our subject to make them POP in our image?

Use that big FLAMING yellow thing in the sky called the SUN. This is the best light you can use for back or rim lighting. And best of all, it is FREE!!

The sun gives nice distinct hard edge lighting that highlights the back edge of your subject. Place your subject, with this sucker behind, to get that lovely glow around them and use your flash to light the shadow side of your subject and help pull the two exposures together to make an image with plenty of impact.

You can see some of my results here and with only using one shoe-mounted flash on and off camera. Go ahead and give it a try… Back Light for Beauty.

On a final note, I highly recommend the flagship flashguns from Canon and Nikon. Both the Canon 580EX II and Nikon SB900 have plenty of power for you to balance the hard edge ambient light of the sun with your flash.

Cheers, Adam

If you build it, they will come

Adam Bolt — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:09:52 +0000

You’re trying to build your client base while still learning the ropes of photography… You need to practice your techniques and build yourself a strong portfolio before you can get the work. Well, what to do?

Why not offer your services for free? I’ve done it a number of times knowing it will help me get some much needed exposure (for free). It also allows me to build a strong portfolio and to practise my techniques without the pressure of failing on the job for the customer. The customer doesn’t lose because they’re not paying.

This is exactly what I did for these interior shots for Lightwave Yachts.

I originally helped them out earlier in the year as judge for the photo competition they run every year for their customers. I mentioned that I’d like to practise my off-camera flash techniques and asked if I could come aboard one day to practise taking some images.

They were strictly told they could have the images at no charge on the proviso that:

My name would be credited for any images,
I would select the images to be provided,
I retain all copyright and usage approval of the photos, and
For further shoots, my normal fees would apply.

The customer agreed and I got to enjoy a great day out on the water on a luxury yacht, food and drinks supplied, while getting to do something I love.

A further upside of all this was that a reporter who writes for Club Marine and The Courier Mail came along as well. He was taking shots of the yacht from the water line. When he came on board to shoot the interiors, he saw my images and asked if they were available for use in the publications.

From nothing, I ended up having my images credited and published, receiving exposure to a huge audience. The icing on the cake was getting paid for the work as well… got to love that!

So I encourage you to think about something you can do to gain experience and build your portfolio with the aim of gaining exposure for yourself and your images.

Cheers Adam

“Waiter! There’s a bee in my bonnet”

Adam Bolt — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:31:34 +0000

As a photographer, there are two fallacies I’d like to touch on briefly:

The idea that if images are modified after capture, they somehow have less artistic merit;
A good photographer doesn’t need a good camera.

Artistic Value

There’s a purist school of thought that says modifying an image is somehow a dishonest way of showing it or it can never be as artistic as an “untouched” image.

I look at it this way, photography is about recording a two dimensional “snapshot” or a thin sliver of time.

Whether you like it or not, your snapshot is only going to be an “interpretation” of a particular viewpoint in a particular space, in a particular orientation, over a particular time period, beginning at a particular time.

In the same way that no person can lay authoritative claim to “The Truth”, there is no such thing as a “True” interpretation of a particular viewpoint in a particular space, in a particular orientation, over a particular time period, beginning at a particular time.

In the same way a witness at the scene of a crime might recount their version of events to an investigating officer, a photographer can only recount their experience of a particular viewpoint in a particular space, in a particular orientation, over a particular time period, beginning at a particular time.

In other words… it is all interpretive!

Art has always been about interpreting and conveying some kind of experience.

It is my opinion that, in photography, image interpretation uses the camera as only one component of the process.

A great deal of freedom of expression is given to us in the form of post-processing tools. Using them to ANY degree is neither here nor there in terms of “honest” art or artistic value.

Science and Engineering

There is something to be said for accuracy of an interpretation which is relevant if you are an engineer or a scientist. In the application of science and engineering, the camera can be thought of as a parameterised measuring instrument. But the value of accuracy in interpreting a particular viewpoint in a particular space, in a particular orientation, over a particular time period, beginning at a particular time, is very subjective in its relevance to an artist.

The interesting thing is that any artist needs to have certain skills for implementing their art. A painter needs to have good knowledge and experience with paints and canvases in order to exercise any amount of control over their art. Great artists master their tools in the lead up to producing compelling interpretations of experience (art).

It is true that a great artist can do more with less resources at their disposal. But it is not true that the amount of resources at their disposal is irrelevant.

When it comes to photography, camera hardware and, these days, computer software, are important resources. The better the resources, the more the photographer’s skills can be unleashed. To that extent, I would argue that the tools DO matter.

The two issues in this article can be related thusly: the more accurate an interpretation you have to begin with, the more raw materials you have for artistic interpretation.

Good resources mean having a great lens and a great camera with which you can do more to capture a data-rich scene. Having good software means greater interpretive latitude.

Of course these resources mean nothing if you have neither the skills or the imagination to use them well. But it’s fair to say that a good artist needs to have good tools in order to more closely approach their artistic potential.

So the idea that a good photographer doesn’t need a good camera is therefore a fallacy.

That’s my two cents’ worth on a subject particularly relevant to me at the moment. I hope it provides some food for thought next time the topic is discussed.

Photos make the world go round

Adam Bolt — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:49:07 +0000

Rotorua New Zealand July 09

The great thing about photos and the world we live in is that we can now share our images with millions around the world…. family, friends… in fact anyone that has a computer. There is also software that makes putting together a slide show of your images and publishing it to the world incredibly easy. I like using Proshow Gold from Photodex http://www.photodex.com/ So go do a slide show for others to view and share your images with family and friends around the world. Enjoy.

Cheers Adam

One of my strongest influences

Adam Bolt — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:07:35 +0000

I’ve known Garry Schlatter from Brisbane for just over a year now. He is an amazing guy — really well-adjusted with a great spirit and a child-like sense of wonder about the world. His business name “Vision and Imagination” is really a description of his personal values.

I met Garry through flickr. Moved by his beautiful imagery, I asked him to be involved in a photographic project I was running. Ever since then we’ve been great friends and I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from him in person.

I put Garry’s work up on a pedestal and now I am putting it here on CameraTalk.

Please take the time to check his stuff out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/garry61

http://VisionAndImagination.com

http://Imagination.smugmug.com

Stock Photography – Play the game don’t let the game play you

Lambency vs Gary Fong

Adam Bolt — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:59:17 +0000

Photographers who use the Gary Fong Lightsphere seem to love the damn things. If you haven’t heard of them, then the best way to learn about them (without having one in your hot little hands), in my experience, is to check out some youtube videos…

Gary explains his product

Enter the cheaper clone

So here’s the thing… Someone else has come up with a product which is basically a cheaper clone. It’s called a Lambancy Flash Diffuser. The main purpose of this article is to show a comparison between the two competing products. This is done through a series of not-so-confusing test shots.

Set-up for the test

The Gary fong system offers two different types of lighspheres, the half-cloud and the full cloud. The full cloud offers more diffusion and a slightly warmer colour. We are testing the Gary Fong half-cloud unit up against the Labency system pictured above.

There are 3 modes of use for each product that I wanted to test:

the product with no dome
the product with the standard white dome
the product with the amber dome

So basically there are 2 x 3 shots to be taken as each product is configured in each of these modes. I included one extra shot which was to use the flash with neither of the products but used in the same intended position as with the products (bare flashed bounced off the ceiling). This bare flash shot sets a baseline to which all the other shots can be compared.

The test was conducted using a Canon 580 EX II (hotshoe flash) mounted on a Canon EOS 400D camera. The lens was a 50mm set at an aperture of 1.8 with a shutter speed of 1/200. The white balance was set to “flash”. The flash was manually set to 1/16 power. I left it at this fixed setting so you could get an idea of how much lighting power the different products absorb. To that extent, it is important to realise that we didn’t aim for optimum exposure settings for each test shot. The room was kept dark as I wanted the lightsource to be only the flash unit. We just want to note the differences between the products.

As it turns out, the portrait subject was configued with a hoodie. This also helps to show how the products can help to light the eyes of someones face if they are wearing a hat or something similar or if they are simply blessed with having deep inset eyes.

There is an additional shot I will talk about at the end.

Result shots

Okay so now you know what the aim of the game for this product is, lets have a look at some results. Let me start by

The baseline shot with no product highlights at least one problem of not having either of the units, and that is relatively strong shadowing. On that note, big tick for having ANY of the products to improve the situation.
Moving onto the lambency diffuser with no dome, there is not much difference in the result from using a bare flash.
Things start to improve dramatically when the white dome is added to the lambancy diffuser as now we can see the model’s eyes. This goes to show how much the dome reflects some of the light back down into the unit and back out the sides. The rest of the light that passes through the dome is also spread out more creating a softer light.
When we add the so-called amber dome for the Lambancy system, we see that they really didn’t take photographers seriously in their attempts to copy the Gary Fong functionality. The orange colour that they used is really a joke and no photographer in their right mind would use that peice of equipment to warm up a portrait.
Given that you purchase the Gary Fong Amber dome separately, I see no reason why a Lambency owner might not go buy a Gary Fong dome since they still fit perfectly. As you can see, the hue given off by the Gary Fong unit is capable of producing an acceptable result using the Lambency Light Diffuser.
The Gary Fong Lightsphere with no dome actually goes some way towards lighting up the model’s eyes. It does a much better job of this than the Lambency unit did with no dome attached.
When we add the white Gary Fong dome to the Gary Fong lightsphere, we get the improved softness as we expected. We also get the expected drop in power.
Last but not least, the Gary Fong Lightsphere with the Gary Fong Amber dome really warms up with lighting with a pleasing hue that is appropriate for portraiture.

Overall, it is worth noting that the Gary Fong unit seems to absorb slightly less light and it seems to give off a slightly different hue.

This product shot sports the new attachment design.

Other factors to consider

Handling the product during usage is also an important performance factor – something that is not demonstrated by our results shots.

In one of the videos on the Gary Fong website, where he is explaining the difference between the cloud and the “clear”, you notice that the design is almost identical to the new clone unit. I think the design must have been updated because the unit I tested was like the main product shot shown on the right. The new design has a velcro strap and a rubber sheath. I had no idea how I was supposed to set it up on first glance and I found this youtube video helpful. I am informed that the Gary Fong system ships with an instructional DVD but I had not seen it.

Conclusion

It’s possible that you could save a little money and buy the Lambency solution. Although if you wanted to warm up the light, you would need to purchase an original Gary Fong amber dome anyway. Put it this way, I did this test with a 400D because that is the only camera I could afford at the moment, but I plan on spending the money on the Gary Fong unit anyway since it is a better buy. I figure I will take thousands of photos with it, so even if the improvement is only slight, over time the slightly extra investment will prove worth it. On the other hand if it was touch and go as to whether you would get any of these two at all, the Lambency unit would be better than nothing at all, and it is very cheap. It depends how much you value your results.

Video manuals

Adam Bolt — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:55:11 +0000

I don’t know about you, but my attention is not easily retained by a user-manual written by an engineer. I was one of those kids at school who hired the video for the book I was supposed to study in English class.

These days I am still cheating. I get a lot of my knowledge from sources such as youtube. Being an audio-visual centric learner, I can retain knowledge much more quickly and have better retention this way.

Of course the quality of videos on the internet varies a lot and it can be really time-consuming sifting through the time-wasters.

Blue Crane Digital makes a series of DVDs for photographers, including DVDs dedicated to a specific camera model.

The camera-specific DVDs are the ideal replacement for the user-manuals, as they cover all of the machine’s functionality with the addition of visual examples and explanations about usage.

I’ve watched Blue Crane’s Nikon D90 Vol 1 DVD and was impressed with the way the production was put together.

Even as a professional photographer, I find it useful to go through and fill in any knowledge gaps I might have on a particular topic.

These Volume 1 product DVDs assume no prior knowledge and are perfect for anyone getting to know their new camera.

Blue Crane also makes other photography DVDs on more advanced topics. I found the Through The Eyes Of A Pro DVDs covering the various aspects of being a professional photographer, to be particularly edifying. And I found the conversational approach enjoyable.

In summary, a high-quality educational production for barely more than the price of a movie DVD is insane value for anyone who has just forked out hundreds, or perhaps thousands of dollars on camera equipment.

Canon Speedlite owners should know that Blue Crane’s Understanding the Canon Speedlite 580EX/430EX DVD is pure gold because it actually explains all the features on those units… UNLIKE THE USER MANUAL!

I will be watching this one more than once. It has made all the difference for me, even though I already had a good understanding of strobing. The extra product knowledge has enabled me to use the flash in ways I hadn’t previously considered.

So if you too loath reading user manuals written by engineers, then these DVDs are definitely worth your time and money. Y0u’ll also enjoy the extra stuff that is not included in the regulation manuals.

Have you considered Picasa?

Adam Bolt — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:12:11 +0000

What is Google Picasa?

It is a image cataloguing and previewing software tool available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X platforms. It could be loosely compared to iPhoto on the Mac.

So What?

There are plenty of other reviews on the tool around the internet but I thought a quick introduction, directed at professional photographers, might be useful.

I’m impatient… and in a hurry

Picasa brings instant preview of RAW files to your Windows platform. As a professional photographer, you will already have software for previewing your RAW files. But oftentimes, you need to quickly preview or find a file, and you don’t want to sit there waiting for some behemoth program to load into memory just to see an image. In this regard, the Picasa tool has some something to contribute to us impatient folk.

A pleasure to use

The new version of Picasa has a very nice little preview program that instantly pops up when you double-click an associated image file.

The interface is akin to many Flash Slideshow tools like the one flickr employs, with iconised images down the bottom and the main image filling the rest of the screen.

I like that you can use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out on an image.

My only complaint is that the image looks quite soft when you first launch it in the preview tool. However, if you double-click the image, it will fill the screen and render a sharper version for you.

For the clients

The fact that Picasa is free means you can recomend it to clients when you distribute images to them on file – particularly if those files are RAW image files. You’ll need to check the licence to see if you can include it on disks you send out.

No payment restrictions -
install anywhere

Users of older versions of Picasa will be familiar with the main program which is a cataloguing and image management tool. As well as that, it supports basic adjustment of images.

It’s not impossible to imagine using Picasa to make quick lightweight adjustments to a set of photos to get them out quickly – particularly if you’ve commandeered a friend’s or client’s computer for the purpose (and they don’t have your favourite version of Lightroom installed).

I carry Picasa around with me on a USB thumb drive attached to my keyring.

Clusters to go…

Another boon to the professional is its collage facility. You can quickly crank out a nifty collage to use on your website or blog post with very little effort. I’ve even used it to produce the main graphic for a promotional leaflet.

So there you have it, a short teaser to get you thinking outside the box about how you might use a non-professional tool in a professional context.

Here is an intro to the latest version (by google)

Introducing Picasa 3