Month: May 2014

Covering a concert with Fuji X-E2

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5, 1/80

Fujifilm X E-2 Firmware 2.00, XF 55-200mm Firmware 1.11

No Flash

First, you will not be allowed to use a flash in most venues. This is because in theaters, for the most part, if it is a decent venue, then the lighting will look better than what we can do with a flash.

In this wide shot, I captured the performer’s name and the concert tour name on the wall with the singer on stage. In general, I find the super wide shots are seldom unless you are right up on the stage down the front.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5, 1/200, 57mm

You will most likely be in the audience and away from the stage. So I recommend a longer zoom lens like the Fujinon 55-200mm lens. Even in this photo, I am not as tight as I usually like to shoot. The wide shots, if they have an excellent light setup, can capture that, but the stage lights shift colors for the most part.

White Balance

The biggest mistake you can make shooting a concert is AWB when it comes to color. The stage lighting will be every color you can imagine, but on AWB, your paint when it comes to skin tones will be very rarely on target.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 2500, ƒ/4.8, 1/200

You can do a few things that give you a good skin tone. For example, I would love to go onto the stage and get a white balance reading using the ExpoDisc, and when the promoters hire me to shoot the concert, this is what I do.

In this case, we had tickets like everyone else in the room. So no way were they going to let me on stage. So this is where some of the presets your camera has will give you a close white balance that will not shift all around due to them changing the color gels on the lights.

There are two places to start. I usually start with the Tungsten setting. In the Quick Menu, it is in the top far right corner and looks like a light bulb. Tungsten is the setting that I used for this concert.

Occasionally the setting is the daylight setting. There are a few occasions where you might find that setting the Kelvin to a color temperature might work. The color temperature for the LED lights tends to be 2,700 to 10,000 range. If you are doing this from your seat, I can tell you a great place to see if your light is close.

Here I am zooming in on the photo.

Zoom in until you see a microphone. Many of the microphones are close to 18% gray. So if the microphone looks good, then you are pretty close.

You must set the color temperature and then leave it through the show. As the lighting guys change the color temperature of the lights to create different moods, will your images be very close to the color they were trying to achieve?

I love the Fujinon XF 55-200mm lens for shooting a concert. I can keep mainly this lens on the camera for most of the shooting and occasionally get some overall shots with a wider lens like the Fujinon XF 18-55mm.

Here are my Quick Menu Settings that I use for the concert:

I am shooting RAW and Fine JPEG for a reason. First, I love to use the Wi-Fi on the Fuji X-E2 and send a few photos while I am shooting to my phone and up to social media like Facebook or Twitter, and you can only do this when you shoot JPEG. Second, I prefer working with a RAW file when I edit in Lightroom, and this is what I want to use later for anything beyond a quick Facebook post.

Here you can see a more detailed setup of my AUTO ISO for the concert. I have the range of ISO 200 to 6400 and the minimum shutter speed of 1/200 selected. The only time the camera will drop below 1/200 is if it is more significant than ISO of 6400 and there still is not enough light; it will go below 1/200. With the first picture on top, the camera dropped to 1/80 to capture the light in the whole theater.

Big Plus of Fuji X-E2

When shooting a concert like this with my Nikon D4, I must shoot a shot and then look at the photo to see if the results are what I am looking for in the final image. I may use the histogram, but the LCD will let me see a good ballpark idea of if the performer’s face is overexposed or not.

With the Fuji X-E2, I see, for the most part, precisely what the final image will look like with the viewfinder since it is an Electronic ViewFinder EVF.

As I look through the viewfinder, I am turning the Exposure Compensation Dial down to -1 EV, and sometimes I was down to -2 EV.

Here are more photos for you with the settings listed below for each image from the concert.

http://www.stanleylearystoryteller.com/SpencerDay/index.html

Photographers you will lose clients

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 

Sometimes you will feel like this UNC football player struggling against LSU. Your competition seems to have the upper hand; no matter what you do, nothing seems to be working.

No matter which plays you run, you feel that you have it in for you. But, unfortunately, your competition is taking you down day after day.

You then try to take them out in some way, and they seem to be just beyond your reach, and you cannot catch them at all.

Why the sports analogy?

How many teams this year will have a losing season? How many teams pack it up and get out of the game?

It would help if you acknowledged first that you would lose occasionally. For example, the Super Bowl Champions this year were the Seattle Seahawks. They lost three games last year and were the best team in the league. However, the Super Bowl Champions rarely have a perfect record if they do the year before or after losses.

It would help if you were realistic about how often you lose a client. It happens for a variety of reasons. Most of the reasons you fail a client are often out of your control. You played your best possible game, and the other team had some advantage that day.

Do you have cheerleaders?

One of the best things I have going for me is my family that cheers me on every day. I even have some clients that sell me to their friends, and that helps me get new clients.

Sometimes it is just one person that helps keep you going, but that is what you need. Be sure you have people around you that are your cheerleaders.

Do you have a coach?

Also, it would help if you had a coach. A coach is watching what you are doing and talking to you about your strategy. You can have people cheering you on that want you to succeed, and without the coach to give you a reality check, you will soon disappear from the industry.

Take the time to do like every football team and review the games’ tapes. Then, analyze your actions and see if there is something you can do to improve your game.

Another thing that all sports teams do before playing a team is to analyze their game footage. Remember, those who are beating you all the time know your game. They beat you because they can see your weakness and exploit that with the client.

Did you see the NFL draft?

Last night the NFL teams picked new talent and traded talent off their teams. They have analyzed their weaknesses and are making changes for next season.

This summer, they will have more workouts and refine their team than today.

What are you doing today that you need to stop? What are you not offering your clients that you need to add to your skills?

If you have been through a losing season, this is the time to rebuild. Maybe you need to go to a workshop like the NPPA Multimedia Immersion Workshop, where you learn how to tell stories using audio, video, and stills.

Call me and take a one-day personal workshop on lighting or business practices. A workshop is a capital investment. Like the teams that pay a lot to get the first-round pick, you need to invest in your business, or you may have another losing season.

Sometimes your competition has an advantage over you.

by Stanley LearySocial Media

Some people are easy on the eyes; no matter what I do, many potential clients will never see me as compared to some of my competitors. No amount of plastic surgery will make me Brad Pitt or Adam Levine. 

In 1993, John Gray wrote the trendy book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. One great quote from the book is, “Men are motivated when they feel needed, while women are motivated when they feel cherished.” Sometimes, you are not the right person based on your gender. So yes, some people break this rule for anything you can mention. The point is, if someone is looking for a woman because of their comfort level for this particular job and I try to get it, I will have a difficult road ahead to get them to see me as capable of doing the job. I could go on and on, giving many examples of things that are just out of your control. So, what is a better use of our time? What can you do that you can control? 

If we listened to our doctors and cared for ourselves, we would all look healthy. We may need to lose some weight or gain a few pounds instead. Everyone can also control their grooming. The hairstyle [if you have hair] can significantly affect your appearance. 

How you look

Newell Rubbermaid Analysts Day 2010

Your wardrobe can speak volumes about you. If you are doing business for yourself, you must know that people are watching you. Business attire is expected in many industries; you must fit into those situations if you manage your appearance. 

Ring Weekend for the seniors at the Citadel

Just be aware of the unofficial uniform of the industry you are trying to work with regularly. 

Dave Black speaking at PhotoShop World

Photographer Dave Black has a casual, youthful style when working. 

Social Media footprint 

A couple of my photography friends have done an excellent job maximizing their social media channels. I think of Esther Havens, who has over 50,700 Instagram followers and 4,774 Facebook friends. She has so many followers because Esther has many things going for her. At the core of all those qualities is her excitement. People like to know what she is up to and want to be entertained by Esther. Zack Arias is an Atlanta-based photographer who has over 90,300 Instagram followers.  

Zack has another set of qualities that has people following him. One thing that keeps people listening to Zack is he is authentic.

Zack Arias speaking at Photoshop World

Back in 2009, Zack posted a guest blog on Scott Kelby’s blog, revealing much of why he is such a popular speaker. People can relate to him; he is pretty transparent, as seen in this post.  

Zack and Esther compete against many other great photographers in their disciplines. One thing is for sure: many clients will reach more people by hiring Esther or Zack if they tweet about their photoshoot than if they hire another great shooter who doesn’t see the importance of Twitter or Facebook. In addition to social media, you can connect with people through networking events and being part of your community. 

Personality 

Frankly, one of the biggest turn-offs with some photographers is their attitude; at the same time, it is so attractive to other photographers. They are just excited about life and make everyone enjoy their day by being around them. “Fake it till you make it” is a common catchphrase that suggests that if you do this, you will succeed and, in the process, gain the confidence to do even more. A self-fulfilling prophecy is what you think is what you will become. If you feel you are a failure, then you will become one. If you think you are successful, then you become successful.

Take Control

  1. Take care of your body and health
  2. Practice the best grooming and hygiene
  3. Wardrobe—Be very intentional in the clothes you wear
  4. Maximize your network—know where your audience lives and works. Use social media or attend networking events.
  5. Smile—maintain a positive can-do attitude.

My Packing Tips For Photographers And Assistants Flying.

by Stanley LearyPhotography

My international kit goes into three bags. 1) ThinkTank Airport TakeOff™ Rolling Camera Bag, 2) ThinkTank Urban Disguise® 60, and 3) Travelpro Luggage Crew 9 26-Inch Expandable Rollaboard Suiter Bag [not shown] 

Flying internationally puts stress on the most seasoned photographers. One of the main reasons is preparing for the travel to your location with Murphy’s Law driving your decisions.

Assistants Tip #1

Interior of ThinkTank Airport TakeOff™ Rolling Camera Bag fully packed.

If you are a photo assistant, your priority is keeping track of all the photographer’s gear and packing it precisely how the photographer packed it. Please take photos of the bag to reference it later to repack it.

You may ask why you put it exactly back where you started. A typical photographer will have a lot of little stuff they may use on any job. When the assistant cannot put their hands on it, the photographer will go first to where they last put it.

Photographers Tip #1

Everything you carry should have a home spot—[a home when not in use]. Having a home for gear will help you quickly find it when you need it, and also, when you are packing up to go, you can easily see what is not in place to know you are missing something.

Having a system will help you and every assistant that works for you.

International Travel with Credit Cards

Call your credit card companies before you travel. Let them know what countries you are going to and the travel dates. Connecting with the credit card company will keep your card from being frozen and you not being able to use it while traveling.

I often find that using a credit card gives me the best purchase exchange rate.

Telephone and Data Plans

Contact your provider and find the best plan for your travel. Verizon, for example, has a few different methods to keep you from getting stuck with a high bill.

The most important reason for contacting them is to know the situation rates while not in your home country. You generally want to review phone call rates, Text Rates, and Data rates.

For the most part, you are better off finding a local Wi-Fi, using it, and connecting with family and friends through emails and Skype over phone calls.

I recommend having an auto-email response that lets people know you may take a little longer to respond, and the same goes with a voicemail saying you are in meetings and will respond as soon as possible.

My International Kit

Packing for a road trip or domestic travel is much easier than international travel. However, domestic travel is a piece of cake if you can pack and travel internationally.

I usually travel alone with no assistance when I travel. The type of work clients typically hire me to do is a one-person band operation. I provide stills, video, and audio from my coverages. I am combining these mediums into a package. For example, this is a typical package I might produce on an overseas range.

So, I carry enough gear to do this in the smallest possible way to fly by myself.

I am constantly checking my TravelPro bag. Typically, what I carry in this bag:

  • Clothing that is all wick-away material that can be easily washed in a sink even and air-dried
    • Four shirts
    • Four pants
    • Four sets of underwear/socks
    • Safari hat
    • Windbreaker with a hoodie
  • Toiletries
  • Camera Gear
    • two tripods
    • two small light stands
    • two LED light sources 

I am carrying on the plane my 1) ThinkTank Airport TakeOff™ Rolling Camera Bag and 2)  ThinkTank Urban Disguise® 60. The rolling bag is my carry-on luggage that must meet international standards. The maximum safe size is 45”, in the form of a 22” x 14” x 9” bag. Some airlines allow up to as much as 55”, but most do not. The Airport TakeOff Exterior Dimensions: 14” W x 21” H x 8” D.

Airport Security™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag

When I fly internationally and know an airline like Delta, I will fly with the Airport Security™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag. I can get more gear into this bag. Both rolling bags convert into a backpack, which comes in handy when you are in places where you cannot roll your bag.

The Interior of my Airport Security™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag is fully packed.

While on the plane, my ThinkTank Urban Disguise® 60 carries a lot of stuff, and when I arrive, I change things around to use this as my working bag.

Inside the ThinkTank Urban Disguise® 60

  • MacBook Pro 15”
  • Two exterior hard drives
    • Mirror backup of hard drive
    • Exterior for all images and video
  • Headphones for video, but also to use on the plane
  • iPad 
  • Power cords for
    • Mac
    • iPad
    • Phone
  • Computer peripherals
    •  XQD Card Reader
    • Compact Flash Card Reader

Packing your gear with ThinkTank organizers

Think Tank Cable Management is excellent for all your cables
Think Tank Power House is designed for the Apple line of products to organize those charges and power supplies.
ThinkTank Red Whips come with an organizing bag, but you can buy them individually to keep your cables wrapped.

We often talk about Digital Workflow and think mainly of digital capture to post-production, but just as important is thinking of your entire workflow. For example, researching the airlines and knowing everything about your travel can help you prepare for Murphy’s Law.

Last Tip

Since I have traveled overseas, I have always visited the U.S. Customs office and registered my gear using the CBP Form 4457. CBP Form 4457 records personal items before you travel abroad to clear customs quickly when you bring those personal effects back to the United States. CBP Form 4457 shows that you had the things before leaving the U.S., allowing a duty-free re-entry back to the U.S. Items may include watches, laptop computers, or firearms  – those with serial numbers or other unique permanent markings and other descriptions.

I have never had to use or show this form, but I always fill one out for the sole reason that Murphy’s Law exists.

Remember Murphy’s Law states: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. So be prepared.

Here is a quick video showing how I pack for carry-on when traveling internationally.

White balance 2.0: Saving even more time in post-production

by Stanley LearyDigital Workflow / White Balance
 

I just recently upgraded my ExpoDisc. The upgrades come with the Portrait Warming Filters. This little addition saves me more steps in Adobe Lightroom and gives me more time to enjoy life.

I have been using ExpoDisc since 2005. George Wallace invented ExpoDisc to help his students at San Jose State to get better exposure to Kodachrome 25. He studied with Ansel Adams and Minor White, where he learned to master the zone system.

I wrote about how to use the ExpoDisc a while back, but here is the basic idea of how it works.

ExposDisc goes in front of the lens, and then you use it to get an incident reading rather than a reflective reading of the light.
Notice the direction of the light hitting the subject. Next, you move to the same position to get the light reading below.
Point the camera toward the direction of the light falling on the subject.

The latest upgraded version has introduced the warming filters you place before the ExpoDisc.

 
 
In Adobe Lightroom in the Develop Module, you can adjust the color temperature; this is where I often warm up my photos.
 
Now I no longer need to do this. I currently use the +1 warming filter, which introduces just a little warmth into all my photos.
 
The cool thing is if you don’t want to do this for any reason, you don’t have to use the filter. Instead, if you want it even warmer, just use the +2 or start stacking the filters.
 
The Auto White Balance [AWB] setting on your camera is looking at the scene in front of the lens, and then it will read all the colors it sees and try to make it 18% gray. So if you have a red wall you photograph, the camera will all cyan to make this red wall appear gray.
 
If someone is in that photo, their skin will have a cyan color cast.
 
The problem with 18% gray cards depends on the angle you hold them. You can get a glare which will shift the camera color settings. I have found that every other system I have tried that uses reflective light reading [you point the camera at the device] is not as accurate as when the camera is put into the light, making an incident reading.
 
 
The second benefit of the newer ExpoDisc V 2.0 is it comes with a carrying case. When I first bought my ExpoDisc years ago, it came in the standard filter case, like all other filters you purchased. This new case you can put on your belt if you like and have it readily available.
 
When I first bought my ExpoDisc, I paid more than $120 for the device. Today it comes with more options and only costs $49.95.
 
If you consistently use ExpoDisc, I promise you that you will notice a consistency in skin tone with all your images that will make people see.

Make your photos “DIFFERENT” at events, or don’t get hired.

by Stanley Learyfill-flash / Off Camera Flash
 
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 100, ƒ/10, 1/100, off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash & Neewer 433MHz Wireless 16 Channel Flash Remote Trigger

I get hired a great deal to cover events. Of course, everyone with a camera could cover these events, but I make my photos look different every chance.

Here in these photos, I am using off-camera flash to help improve the images. The sun is behind the lady on the left in this first photo, hitting the man’s face. The sun behind puts them in a silhouette, and the way I fixed this was to have my assistant hold the flash on a monopod up high, pointing down at them.

Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 100, ƒ/7.1, 1/50, off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash & Neewer 433MHz Wireless 16 Channel Flash Remote Trigger

The flash is off to my right, pointing at the ladies on the left. You can see again that I would be creating a silhouette of their faces without this flash. Had I used a flash on the camera, I would have flattened the features. However, by having the assistant hold the light up high, I still get some shape to the cheekbones of the ladies.

Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 640, ƒ/5.6, 1/200, off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash & Neewer 433MHz Wireless 16 Channel Flash Remote Trigger

Here the assistant is bouncing the flash off the ceiling inside the room. I am just raising the light level inside so that the outside is balanced and not washed out with no details.

Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/40, off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash on S2 [slave setting] with the Nikon SB900 and SB800 on Pocketwizard TT5 triggered by the TT1 and AC3 to control their output. 
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 1250, ƒ/5.6, 1/100, off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash on S2 [slave setting] with the Nikon SB900 and SB800 on Pocketwizard TT5 triggered by the TT1 and AC3 to control their output. 
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 800, ƒ/5.6, 1/100, off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash on S2 [slave setting] with the Nikon SB900 and SB800 on Pocketwizard TT5 triggered by the TT1 and AC3 to control their output. 

The room has three flashes, all syncing with the camera. I have the Nikon SB-900 and Nikon SB-800 working on TTL and triggered by the PocketWizard system. The Neewer TT850 has a 2nd flash setting to work with TTL flashes. The light in the room was so mixed with different color temperatures that I wanted to clean this up with the flash.

Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/7.1, 1/100, off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash & Neewer 433MHz Wireless 16 Channel Flash Remote Trigger 
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 640, ƒ/2.8, 1/25, off-camera flash using the Neewer TT850 flash & Neewer 433MHz Wireless 16 Channel Flash Remote Trigger

With all these photos, the camera was on Aperture priority, and I am winking the flash slightly brighter than the ambient light. Often the same light value or +  1/2 stop is more incredible to clean up the color and give a little pop to the images.

I know that if anyone were shooting with the iPhone or point-and-shoot camera, they would not be getting this quality of images. They are different. Having your photos look better than a smartphone camera is very important if you want to be working, because if my pictures didn’t look other than what they can make with their cameras, why hire you?

Fuijifilm X-E2 firmware upgrade 2.00 is major for me

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.4, 1/55

The firmware update Ver. 2.00 from Ver. 1.20 has made a massive difference in my experience when it comes to focusing. While nowhere in the information about the changes is the focusing improvement mentioned, I noticed considerably better performance.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/150

Frankly, I was getting quite frustrated with the camera when it came to focusing, which was then screwing up my ability to capture “the moment.” Last night at my daughter’s Spring Orchestra concert, I could grab moments like the peak consistently when the conductor had their arms up and where I could capture what reads much more accessible than where you cannot see her arms.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5, 1/200

The upgraded information said:

The firmware will shorten the display lag** for X-E2’s Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) to less than 1/10 compared to that of the current firmware to the world’s fastest 0.005 seconds for ultimate performance which has been invented as Real Time Viewfinder, featured in X-T1. Also it enhances the frame rate of the viewfinder and the highest frame rate is maintained even in low light conditions or night-time photography, providing smooth live view images through the lens.

My experience before the firmware upgrade was a great deal of focus hunting to lock in on a focus point.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/550

The camera would take the photo, and then when I would press the shutter again, keeping the same composition and just wanting a second photo, the camera would hunt again to lock in on the focus point. Now the camera was no longer hunting, and the moments were much easier to obtain.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.7, 1/180

The framerate was impacting my focus, and I didn’t know this was the problem. However, now I cannot see a good reason to buy the X-T1 since I purchased it to have a smaller profile, which meets that standard.

Fuji is doing what other manufacturers are afraid to do because the other manufacturers fear a loss in sales. For the most part, the firmware upgrade makes the differences between the X-T1 and X-E2 minor and makes me want another X-E2.