Day: March 12, 2014

Missions Storytelling Workshop in Lisbon, Portugal

by Stanley Learyvisual storytelling

The Missions Storytelling Workshop is an excellent opportunity for you, but you need to move quickly. They will accept up to only 11 people. Deadline is 3/18/2014

Host: ABWE is an unaffiliated, independent Baptist missions agency providing like-minded churches with vital services to expedite their Great Commission ministry.
Where: Lisbon, Portugal
Dates Needed: 5/14/14–5/28/14
Cost: $2,800
Duration: 15 Days

Go here to register

http://www.abwe.org/serve/opportunities/photo-workshop

For questions, check with Jeff Raymond @ mailto:[email protected].

Your Teachers

• Jeff Raymond, ABWE Director of Visual Communications
• Stanley Leary, Visual Storyteller
• James Dockery, ESPN Video Editor

Requirements:

Requirements are that you know your way around your camera. We will consider you if you have been a freelancer or shooting on staff and have no college background. So this experience will count for your college requirement.

While we would prefer that you know your software, this will not keep you out of our selection. We expect you to understand how to get the pictures off your camera and your computer. We recommend that you have photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. Also, you will need some software to put together a complete package. Most PCs and Macs come with a basic editing video package. For the Mac, it is iMovie.

You can also use the more advanced Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere if you like.

You can also use software like Soundslides, ProShow Gold, or FotoMagico to put your package together.

Gear

Bring your laptop computer with the photo editing software and some video/slide show software.

I recommend the camera gear for moderate wide-angle to moderate telephoto lens coverage. This would be like 28mm to 200mm on a full-frame camera. Also, a flash that you can bounce or take off the camera will sometimes be necessary for your coverage.

Who are the subjects?

You will be working with ABWE missionaries. Some might be doctors, evangelists, teachers, and many other roles. We will assign you a person for your story. You will be working alone on a story, with our coaching you all the way.

You will meet the people you will be covering and then spend some days capturing their lives and the people they come into contact with.

The Audience for the story

These missionaries will use your stories to help them communicate with their supporters. The Audience may also include the larger ABWE Audience of churches and supporters.

Stanley’s Thoughts on this opportunity

I have gone on many mission trips and grew up on the field. When people go on a mission trip, they go with a group. This makes for terrible photos, in my opinion. You are tagging along with the group and often do not have time to capture the everyday life of people.

This is one of the best opportunities I know of where you can get in-depth coverage without your group rushing you to the next timed event.

If you feel called to do mission photography and are unsure how to do it, this is a perfect opportunity.

If you already enjoy shooting and want the opportunity to shoot missions and don’t know how to hook up with missionaries, then this is also perfect for you. This way, ABWE people can get to know you, and then you can understand their requirements. The workshop can lead to more opportunities for you.

Comparing “Bokeh” on Nikon, Sigma and Fuji lenses

by Stanley LearyNikon D4

Which camera and lens took this first photo? Here are the choices

  1. Nikon D4, Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-D [Lens $969]
  2. Nikon D4, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM [Lens $1249]
  3. Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300 mm f/2.8 DG EX APO IF HSM [Lens $2500]
  4. Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300 mm f/2.8 DG EX APO IF HSM, with Sigma 1.4 converter [converter $249]
  5. Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR [Lens $897]
  6. Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS [Lens $699]
  7. Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS Zoom [Lens $694]
It might surprise you. For this exercise, I shot each lens wide open at the most extended focal length and the closest distance the lens would focus. There is a slight focus issue due to my skills in placing the tripod and subject, but you can see for yourself and pick the photo that matches the above image.
Nikon D4, Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-D
Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300 mm f/2.8 DG EX APO IF HSM
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300 mm f/2.8 DG EX APO IF HSM, with Sigma 1.4 converter
Nikon D4, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS Zoom Lens
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS Lens
If you had difficulty figuring out the top photo, it is the Fujifilm X-E2 with the FUJINON XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS Lens.
When photographing people for portraits, I love the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-D. While I can get closer with many other lenses, as you can see above, any closer with the 85mm, you are too tight.
I hope this exercise also points out that using a longer lens can give great “BOKEH” if you back up a little and zoom in all the way.
The one lens that wasn’t all that great was the FUJINON XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS Zoom because it zoomed all the way in at 55mm; the ƒ/4 is just too much depth of field. So If I had the Fujinon XF 55mm ƒ/1.2, I would see something similar to the 85mm ƒ/1.4.
The lesson I hope is that you might try some longer lenses for portraits to get some smooth, silky “Bokeh.”