Category: Photography

PR Case Study with Musical Into the Woods

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 

Great News!!

The PR effort my wife and a few other parents put into the musical Into the Woods helped to sell more tickets.

We put this poster up in front of the school, and we had a family driven by the school from Habersham County for the play. So that is almost 2 hours one way for the play.

My parents were in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and ran into people talking about the musical from just seeing the banner.

We made 8.5″ x 11″ postcards with photos on the front that businesses could display in town and the rates for buying an ad in the program on the backside.

Nikon D4, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 2500, ƒ/6.3, 1/5000–HSS with Alienbees and Pocketwizard TTL system

When we shot the banner, we also did individuals we could use on social media.

We kept this in front of our students and parents all the time and then did what we could to impact the community and our social media connections worldwide.

Nikon D4, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/160

We did headshots of all the cast and crew, which we then put in the program and the auditorium’s lobby.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 14400, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

The production quality was going up in every way. I believe that as we brought our “A” Game, it challenged everyone to do their very best.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.3, 1/400

The reviews were great for everything. Each night the word got out that this was a great show to see. I believed if they had done it the following weekend that the word getting out would have sold even more tickets.

Our ticket sales were 123% higher than our goal. So I think the percentage jump of actual attendance over the previous year was much more than 20%.

Time to take a bow

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 4500, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

Moral of this story

Marketing works, and if it can work for this musical, it can work for your business, nonprofit, or event that you are involved in doing. Are you putting in your best effort to promote your project?

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

Fuji X-E2 the camera system for Live Theater

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/4.8, 1/100

For the last performance of Into The Woods, I shot with my Fuji X-E2. I was shooting with the electronic shutter mode, so it was utterly silent. I also learned from earlier tests that I needed to shoot below 1/100 with this stage lighting to avoid blurring the image.

The spotlight is tricky lighting, but I could tweak the image before I shot it. I was seeing the results I would be getting and in theater the lighting changes so much that this is a blessing to shoot with the mirrorless Fuji X-E2.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 1250, ƒ/4.2, 1/100

I dialed in the best white balance using the Kelvin settings. I knew from a past custom white balance that the Kelvin was around 2900º K, so I just set the camera to it.

I had confirmation because I could see the results before shooting in the viewfinder.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.8, 1/100

Silence Your Phones & No Texting

During theater productions, texting will light up your face to everyone around you. So to avoid this problem with the camera’s LCD, I turned that off, just used the EVF, and had it set only to work when my eye was at the viewfinder.

Since I had done the latest firmware upgrade for the Fuji X-E2, I now had the electronic shutter, which allowed for to shoot in total silence.

I also put a small piece of gaffer tape over the light showing the files written on the SD card.

I wanted to not draw any attention to me shooting the performance.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.8, 1/100

I am convinced that I can shoot this setup in any theater and also due to fully silent use this on movie sets in the future. So there is no need to use a Blimp to put your DSLR in to remain silent.

The Fuji X-E2 is my go-to camera for live theater.

Are you preserving your stories and the stories of your family?

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

Last night I enjoyed watching my daughter playing the Witch in the musical Into the Woods at her high school.

It made me think of my high school musical Lil’ Abner thirty-four years earlier. 


Here is one of two photos I have of me from that performance. I gave my camera to a friend and asked them to take some photos. They took maybe three photos total. When shooting a film, people were careful because each time you pushed the button, it was like spending a dollar.

It is just a copy of the print from that show that I could find.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/125

The main characters in the musical Into the Woods are Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and several others. Into the Woods ties all those other stories into a story of a baker and his wife. But, unfortunately, the Witch cast a spell on the couple.

It makes you think about the next generation. As I am watching this, I realize I am now watching the next generation as actors on the stage as my friends, and I did years ago. Some of my friends went on to Broadway from that cast in high school.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 7200, ƒ/4, 1/80

My daughter has our family flying in from all over the country to see her as the Witch. I hope that in thirty-four years, all these photos and videos I have been making of my daughter will help her tell her story to her children.

What I hope to do with my photos of our family is to help preserve the story of our family so that the generations to come will be able to look back and see the legacy.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-1401 2x, ISO 7200, ƒ/4, 1/400

What are you doing to help preserve your family’s story? Are you capturing some moments you can share in the future?

Today’s cameras let us capture situations that were so challenging to capture on film when I was in high school.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-1401 2x, ISO 7200, ƒ/4, 1/400

Tips

  • Take photos of live performances and events of your family
  • Share the images now through social media
  • Store images – have the pictures of at least three places. With today’s Cloud solutions, I recommend putting the photos here as one way to preserve them.
  • Create hard copies
    • Prints
    • Photo Books
  • Include Text!!!!! Take the time to write down things like who is in the picture and what is happening. Think of writing a caption as you would see in a newspaper or magazine. Could you attach it to the photo? [metadata]
  • Have a plan on how you will pass your photos to future generations for them to have and cherish.

Nikon D5 shooting Theater

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 4000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

There are specific lighting situations where the latest and most excellent camera will not make all that much difference.

Whenever the ISO is around 3200, I believe the differences are not as noticeable at first glance as when your ISO is, say at ISO 16000, for example.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 16000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

There are moments like this when the stage during the theater performance is dark, and the ISO 16000 gives me a spotless file.

If you shoot a lot of stage performances, then you know, sometimes the lighting isn’t all that great. A lighting tech forgets a lighting cue, and the light isn’t correct, but you still need a photo. Hey, the Nikon D5 will now let you get those moments.

Now, if you are shooting studio strobes like these headshots, there is minimal difference.

 
Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/200

The headshot here is a great film, but so was the Nikon D4 file I shot earlier.

Nikon D4, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/200

By the way, I shot the Nikon D5 after the actor went to the beach last week.

If you are in situations with good light, you will not necessarily see a big difference in the camera upgrade.

 
 
Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1100, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

I shot this photo in the Flat Picture Control setting. I think the dynamic range is much better over earlier Nikon models. Shooting a dress rehearsal gave me some pretty extreme situations because I didn’t set the lighting for the witch to make her as visible to the audience as Rapunzel in the tower. So you can see that is quite a range.

Now I can say that the results using the Highlight-weighted metering mode compared to the Nikon D750 aren’t giving me the same results.

Nikon D5, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 2800, ƒ/4, 1/400

In this situation where there was a lot of black, the Nikon D5 Highlight-weighted metering mode worked great. But the exposures were way underexposed unless the frame is mainly black with a spotlight.

I think I trust the Nikon D750 Highlight-weighted metering mode more than the Nikon D5 at this moment. First, however, let me say that this is just a preliminary comment. I believe every new camera takes a little while to run through all the situations many times before I can rule out my errors using the new tool.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

Conclusion

Unless you need those higher ISOs, then in general, you will not benefit from the Nikon D5 say over the Nikon D4. However, as you can see for theater, you will see a noticeable difference.

If you are primarily a studio shooter, then I hadn’t seen any significant differences except when it came to a resolution. Higher resolution will let you make more oversized prints, and as we know, you can sell a giant print for a lot more money.

Nikon D5, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.3, 1/400

I included this last photo to highlight how much background can impact an image. The first night I shot the dress rehearsal, they didn’t have the woods background. I think the background made a HUGE difference and helped to visually take the level of production of the musical to a different level.

Just like in real estate LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION makes a big difference. For photography, it is often the same thing, but we say it this way: BACKGROUND, BACKGROUND, BACKGROUND.

Tested the Nikon D5 shooting event: The Citadel’s Recognition Day for the Class of 2019

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1100, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Today I was covering The Citadel’s Recognition Day for the class of 2019. I love the Nikon D5 for covering events.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 16000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

I was just blown away by the quality of higher ISOs for just simple event photography. The colors look great at ISO 16000 in this photo. And the noise is very acceptable for this type of photography.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 32000, ƒ/9, 1/100

I enjoyed shooting with ISO 32000 for people just sitting around a table.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 900, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

However, I enjoyed shooting at 1/4000 and nailing the razor-sharp photos due to eliminating the camera movement.

I was also enjoying the dynamic range of the files as well.

The files are a significant improvement over the Nikon D4. The Nikon D5 has a 20-megapixel camera, and the Nikon D4 is a 16-megapixel camera.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/4, 1/800

Hopefully, these are just a taste of what the camera does. I hope to continue to understand more of its capabilities and how they can help me do things not possible before with the Nikon D4.

Why ƒ/1.4 isn’t always best or one angle the best

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 320, ƒ/4, 1/250

How often do you photograph the same subject but try and mix it up?

I find many young photographers with lenses apertures glued to the wide open to give a shallow depth of field photos.

Maybe just closing down the aperture to ƒ/14 versus ƒ/4 can give your photos a little more relevant to what is going on in the photograph.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 4000, ƒ/14, 1/250

Notice how the greater depth of field helps you know this is outside a church. Well trying to say this is a photo about Easter Sunday that needed, in my opinion, a little more depth of field.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/140

I was photographing Tenebrae: Service of Darkness on Good Friday at my church. Now because I sat down near the front, I ended up with the microphone on the minister’s nose. Not all that flattering.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/6.4, 1/250

On Easter Sunday, I sat on the balcony and got a much better photo of the minister at the podium.

Remember to move around and find those perspectives that help keep the photo on message with little few distractions as possible.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 4000, ƒ/4.8, 1/250

Now no matter where you choose to shoot from and at what aperture, you still need to pay attention to the best moment.

Here I think the photo with the minister’s arms open wide is much better than the one below.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/4.4, 1/250

Seeing her hands here takes a little while, and the message isn’t as straightforward.

Tips to remember:

  • Shoot a variety of apertures–not just wide open or closed down
  • Look for different camera angles
  • Work the aperture/angle that you picked for the best moment

Fuji X-E2 4.00 Firmware Upgrade

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.7, 1/200–Electronic Shutter

As promised, I shot the same theater show as last night and my previous blog post after I updated the firmware.

Electronic Shutter

Well, one of the first things I fell in love with was the electronic shutter. So I turned the camera to this and shot a few images out my window of the backyard. Overall looked OK. Then I even turned the sound off on the shutter, and I mean, it is silent.

You can see in the top photo that the right wall should be straight. However, looking at the actor’s lips, you can see a softness that shouldn’t be there. My friend Gary Chapman warned me about this banding effect.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.6, 1/500–Electronic Shutter

Here you can see the banding effect. To compare this to one without the electronic shutter, I reset the camera quickly when I noticed this, and here is the one I shot after changing the setting.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.5, 1/300–Regular Shutter

Now I went back and read the upgrades in the PDF by Fujifilm:

High-speed electronic shutter with a maximum speed of 1/32000sec. (*) 

The FUJINON XF Lens series lineup includes a number of fast fixed focal length lenses which boast very high sharpness with the aperture wide open, producing excellent out of focus “bokeh”. However, fast apertures are difficult to use if the light is too bright, so to ensure users can create shallow depth-of-field effects, the camera is now equipped with a fully electronic shutter offering a maximum shutter speed of 1/32000sec. The mechanical shutter will not operate at all when any speed for the electronic shutter is selected, which also delivers a completely silent shooting experience; perfect for shots of sleeping children, pets, weddings, and more. In addition, it is possible to set the electronic shutter in 1/3 steps from a range of 1sec to 1/32000sec. 

Notes: Shutter Sound 

The shutter sound can be muted if desired. Use the new “SHUTTER SOUND” and “SHUTTER VOLUME” options in the setup menu to choose the type and volume of the sound made when the shutter is released. 

I believe from my tests that you can get the banding effect if you are inside and shooting at a pretty fast shutter speed. However, I think the electronic shutter is better for shooting outside in bright light where you may want to shoot at ƒ/1.2 and need the super fast shutter speeds.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/180–Firmware 3.10

This photo is from the first night’s performance with the older firmware 3.10

 
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/250
The main difference in the shooting was the AF locked on faces better than before. So since the autofocus and face recognition was better, the exposures were better because once the camera recognized the face, the exposure was based on them.
 
Here are the notes about the improved AF

New AF System

(1) New AF system with Zone and Wide/Tracking modes for effortless capture of moving subjects. 

The AF System complements the fast and accurate 49-single-point autofocus system with new Zone and Wide/Tracking modes, which use 77 autofocus points across a wider area to substantially improve the camera’s ability to capture moving subjects.

(2) Improvement of AF accuracy. 

Single-point AF divides the focus area into smaller sections to more accurately determine the distance to the subject for even greater focusing accuracy. The built-in phase detection pixels have the detection range of 0.5EV, an improvement from the previous 2.5EV, delivering phase detection AF performance that enables fast focusing in low-light conditions and on low-contrast subjects.

(3) Eye Detection AF. (*) 

The firmware update provides Fujifilm’s Eye Detection AF, which automatically detects and focuses on human eyes. 

The function allows you to easily focus on the eyes even in difficult conditions, e.g. when shooting a portrait wide open to obtain a beautiful bokeh background.

My hopes of using the Electronic Shutter were dashed; the firmware upgrade significantly improved the performance of the Fuji X-E2, and I like buying a newer model camera. So thanks, Fuji!

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.6, 1/400

I had to post one photo of my daughter’s performance tonight.

Love how the Fuji X-E2 is for Theater

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/5, 1/125

NEWS UPDATE!!!

This morning I went to Fujifilm.com and discovered there was a firmware update on the Fuji X-E2. Go here if you need to upgrade to the latest Firmware, 4.00.

Due to the upgrade and having the opportunity tonight to reshoot the same play, I will write a new follow-up post on Monday about the firmware upgrade and how it helped improve my experience. Well, that is what I anticipate.

One huge update is an electronic shutter release that you can make silent. The camera, on default, actually plays a recorded sound that you can change to different noises, just like ring tones, or turn it off completely. So, in essence, a silent camera. So this I can tell you already will be better than last night.

Observations from last night’s photoshoot

When shooting a theater performance, you can quickly hear how quiet the auditorium will get so everyone can appreciate the dialogue. However, in a high school play like the one, I shot last night, the actors’ ability to all project like professionals is not the same.

Some of the actors required the audience to work hard to hear them, which is when you quickly realize how loud a camera can be in this environment.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.5, 1/280

The Fuji X-E2 is a pretty quiet camera. One of the main reasons it is silent compared to other DSLR cameras is the lack of a mirror.

Do you get the same quality if you get rid of the mirror? Well, in this case, it does help. However, because you have no mirror, you are also eliminating one of the things that often affects the sharpness of DSLR cameras–the mirror. In a DSLR, a mirror lets you see through the lens, and when you press the shutter release, the mirror goes up, the shutter opens, and then the mirror goes back down. In addition, moving mechanical parts introduces some vibration in the camera, which often can add just enough vibration to make your images not quite as sharp.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.4, 1/110

The second thing that helped with the photo quality was the Fujinon XF 55-200mm ƒ/3.5–4.8 lens. It has built into the lens optical image stabilization for effective 4.5 stops improvement. So if you breathe a little in the photo, the camera will, in essence, take care of the vibration you introduce into the camera.

The 55-200mm lens is quite sharp for zooms. Fuji makes some of the world’s best lenses.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.4, 1/150

One of the best attributes of shooting mirrorless is seeing what you are shooting before you shoot. Before you shoot, you are visiting the processed image in terms of exposure and white balance in the viewfinder or on the LCD. Therefore, you can see if the color or exposure is off and correct it before shooting.

With the DSLR, you can REVIEW, but you cannot PREVIEW. This ability to PREVIEW an image helps you know if you will be getting the image correct before you push the shutter.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/8, 1/80

While shooting this scene where the one actress on the floor is quite far from the other actors, I knew I wanted both of them in focus. So I cranked the aperture to ƒ/8. So now I could see everyone was in focus.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4.8, 1/45

The 55-200mm at 200mm is the same as a full-frame camera with a 300mm lens. The rule would be to have the shutter speed at 1/300 to avoid motion blur, but the camera and lens did a great job at almost 3-stops lower than the recommended shutter speed for this lens.

Side Note

Since downloading the new Firmware this morning, I am again falling in love with the Fuji X-E2. You see, Fuji is doing what Nikon nor Canon is doing with their cameras. When the ability to write better software comes along, other manufacturers save this for the new cameras. Therefore manufacturers are forcing you to buy a new camera.

Tune in Monday for my new CAMERA review due to Fuji upgrading the Fuji X-E2 with new Firmware.

Great BOKEH with Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art on Fuji X-E2

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Fujifilm X-E2, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art, Nikon G AFS lens to Fujifilm X, ISO 6400, ƒ/1.4, 1/300

I wanted to test the Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art with Nikon mount on my Fuji X-E2. With the help of the Nikon G AFS lens to Fujifilm X converter I shot some of our Christmas ornaments we just put up.

This is shooting as close as the lens will focus.

Fuji also added magnification options for fine tuning focus, which is great. You simply press the rotary dial on the back of the X-E2 and the camera switches to zoom mode. In magnified mode, autofocus still works and you can see it much better.

Fujifilm X-E2, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art, Nikon G AFS lens to Fujifilm X, ISO 2500, ƒ/1.4, 1/500

Now the Nikon G AFS lens to Fujifilm X makes the depth-of-field is even more shallow because the lens isn now further from the sensor.

Fujifilm X-E2, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art, Nikon G AFS lens to Fujifilm X, ISO 4000, ƒ/1.4, 1/500

As you can see this combination of the Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 with the Fuji X-E2 will give you some great BOKEH!!

Fujifilm X-E2, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 DG Art, Nikon G AFS lens to Fujifilm X, ISO 2500, ƒ/1.4, 1/500

 

Fixing a Macbook Pro that crashes

by Stanley LearyPhotography

My computer crashed many times the past month and I was attributing this to the new El Capitan Mac Operating system.

After reading the crash log report I kept noticing similar crashes no matter what programs I had open. One thing in common was the programs that were crashing were using a lot of memory like Lightroom and Final Cut Pro X.

After reading around on different forums I discovered this cool APP to test your MacBook Pro’s memory. Rember is free and is a great way to just test your RAM to see if this is the culprit. Rember says on their website:

Defective memory can cause computers to malfunction, crash, and behave in a variety of ways which can sometimes baffle end users and computer technicians alike. Apple provides hardware test CDs with most of their products, and there are some third-party utilties for Mac OS X which perform memory testing. In my experience, these tools have not always been able to quickly and efficiently diagnose memory problems. Rember has been designed to simplify the testing, and diagnosis of these problems.

I downloaded the APP and ran it and it alerted me to the fact that this was indeed what was crashing my computer.

Ran to my Fry’s store and bought replacement memory and put it in myself in about 5 minutes.

How to replace the memory is super simple. Here are the directions for my Macbook Pro 15″ Midyear 2012 laptop.

Now not only is my computer not crashing like it was doing the computer is a lot faster. Bad memory can do more than just crash your computer.

Software can get corrupted as did my Microsoft Outlook yesterday. I had to rebuild the database. Microsoft Outlook message popped up and I followed the directions and it was fixed. This is just one of many other things that bad RAM can do to your computer.

CONCLUSION: Too many times people will blame software when sometimes you computer is just wearing out. It is similar to an automobile. Some of the parts just break down over time. You don’t need to go and buy a new computer every time the computer starts to have problems. If you don’t want to self diagnose the computer then just take your computer to the store. If it is a Mac they will diagnose it in the store and if under warranty fix it for free.

Those who like to shoot film might also like classic cars for similar reasons.

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
DROID TURBO by Motorola 64GB in Black Ballistic Nylon, ISO 50, ƒ/2, 1/307

Whenever I see a classic car like this Duesenberg 1935 SJ LaGrande Dual-Cowl Phaeton, I, too, would love to have one.

Very few classic cars can compare to most modern vehicles for performance. However, there are cult followings for these classic cars.

I love the Fuji X-E2 because it has a lot of the feel and design qualities of the Leica M6 that I used to shoot with years ago.

I am finding those who are all about shooting film today are very similar to those who buy classic cars and love driving them. It is about nostalgia more than if it is genuinely better than digital.

All the research today shows that digital’s dynamic range, sharpness, and resolution are superior to film.

You can even shoot digital and then, in post-processing, make it look like you shot it on film. You can even buy those presets for Adobe Lightroom if you don’t want to learn how to create the effect.

Why you might want to shoot film

Creativity requires you to get into a zone and think beyond the boundaries. If you need to shoot film to be your best creatively, then you need to shoot film.

You may even need to shoot film every once in a while to get those creative juices flowing. Whatever the reason, it is OK to shoot film.

Why I shoot with Nikon D4

As soon as the new Nikon D5 comes out, I will most likely upgrade for the same reason I upgraded from the earlier pro-Nikons The new camera will give me some new capabilities to do things I could not do before.

The Nikon D3 was the game changer for low-light photography. First, I could quickly shoot at ISO 6400, and then the Nikon D4 gave me one stop more to ISO 12800. The Nikon D5 will have a native high ISO of 102,400 and 4k video  This would be a 3–stop increase in ƒ-stops.

The last time I had a jump in IOS like this was when I went from the Nikon D2x to the Nikon D3. The D2Xs ISO 100—800, but the Nikon D3 ISO 200—6400. Those 4—stops were making all of the lenses in my bag increase by 4—stops.

Getting the same ƒ–stop gains would require you to spend an incredible amount of money just to increase those lenses would 3 to 4 times what the present lens I own, and most of those lenses don’t exist.

My creativity comes when I don’t have to shoot because there isn’t enough light. So if film gave me the advantage to do this over digital, I might be interested in shooting film.

How I solved the problem of providing prints on location

by Stanley LearyPhotography

Crisis Situation

“Can you provide prints onsite?” was a client’s question to me. I hated making prints with inkjet printers through the years, and some of the other solutions were just too expensive to justify.

Suppose you owned one and did any amount of printing; you most likely have had to clean the heads due to getting banding across prints. Making prints just was so time-consuming for me.

When I had this request, the very first thing was feeling the emotions of stress.

Solution

I first went to my friend for the past 20+ years Pete Casabonne. Pete manages PPRPix. In the past, I did my printing with in-house labs that I managed. When this got in the way of me shooting more assignments, we outsourced that at Georgia Tech to PPRPix.

Talking with Pete and then doing some research on my own, I found the Epson PM225 PictureMate Charm Compact Photo Inkjet Printer for $199.

To set up the Charm the first time, you slide the four-color ink cartridge into the slot in the back of the Printer. Next, you rotate the handle back and out of the way, open the top cover to turn it into an input tray and open the front cover to turn it into an output tray. Then load paper in the paper tray, plug in the power cord, and you’re ready to print from a memory card, using the control panel and tiltable LCD on the top of the Printer or from a PictBridge camera.

If you want to print from a computer instead (or also), run the automated installation from the supplied disc and plug in a USB cable. When you open the box, you should be ready to print your first photo within 10 minutes—or less if you don’t need to install the driver on a computer.

For glossy photos, the cost works out to just 25.3 cents each, based on the $37.99 (direct) price for a print pack with enough ink and paper for 150 photos. The cost is 32.3 cents per photo for matte images, based on a $32.29 (direct) price for enough ink and paper for 100 photos.

The combination of fast speed, low cost per page, and high-quality prints earned it a spot as PC Magazine Editors’ Choice for 4- by 6-inch dedicated photo printers.

I will be writing my review of its performance after using it in a Photo Booth in a couple of weeks.

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

  • 5760 x 1440 dpi
  • Print 4.0 x 6.0″ Photo in 37 Seconds
  • Print from Memory Cards
  • Borderless Prints
  • 2.5″ Color LCD Preview Display
  • Portable, Weighs only 7.9 lb
  • Dry, Scratch, & Water-Resistant Prints
  • Grab the handle and take PictureMate Charm to parties, events, the office, and even your vacation getaway.
  • Smudge, water, and fade-resistant photos
  • With on-board photo editing, you can crop, enhance, remove red-eye, and more.
  • Choose from various layouts and print in black-and-white, color, or sepia
  • Print stacks of photos at an everyday, low print price
  • Compatible with any digital camera
  • The Charm operates for hours on a single battery charge (with an optional rechargeable battery)
  • Print wirelessly with the optional Bluetooth adapter

 

This screenshot of the Epson Easy Photo Print software will let you print from your computer. 

 

Once you select your images, you can crop and make minor adjustments and choose if you want index print [contact sheet], borderless or bordered prints, and more adjustments. I prefer shooting RAW and editing all my images using Adobe Lightroom. Once you install the printer driver, you are just picking the Epson PictureMate as your Printer. 

 

In Adobe Lightroom Print Module, go to the Print Job tab and select Printer. 

 

On the lower left, pick the “Print Settings,” and then this will pop up where you choose the EPSON PictureMate PM 225. 

Tethered Shooting

I will use my Nikon D4 to shoot photos of people at a Photo Booth wireless. I will use my CamRanger to sync to my Macbook Pro. Here is an earlier blog post on how that works.

Here is how you set up Lightroom to automatically have those images appear so you can immediately edit/print the photos.

Simple Photo Frame Effect – Add a Custom Border with Text or Image

Here is a great video to help you create text. To add logos and text, I make those in PhotoShop and select graphics instead of text. Little practice, and you will be doing this with ease. Watch this video for a walk-through of the steps.