Picturography - by Clear Imagery Photographer Eric Chan

New Love: Film

2011-02-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I've gone backwards. I'm shooting a lot of film for personal enjoyment lately, and I'm loving it. Digital is nice and convenient, but when it comes down to it, it's almost too easy. Digital files are clean, easy to manipulate, and you can tell instantly if your shot turned out well or not. You can shoot thousands of photos within a few minutes and you won't even care. You get home to hundreds if not thousands of photos, and you don't even know what to do with them. They end up being archived somewhere in your computer and you'll never really see them again.

So why film?

I've been shooting medium format film for a couple of reasons:
1. bigger negatives
2. using a completely mechanical camera, no electronics whatsoever.
3. expensive per shot.

These three are all equally important to me. I love the bigger negatives as it records a ton of detail. With a good scanner I can get a good ~40mp out of the negative. The fact that my camera, a Hasselblad 503CX is a completely mechanical camera means I don't have any batteries to switch out or charge on a trip. Lastly, being more expensive per shot, I'm forced to be a lot more careful about taking shots. I won't just go around, shoot a couple hundred shots and load them onto my computer when I get home.

Number 2 and 3 actually work really well together. Manual focus and exposure means it takes me a lot of time to adjust each setting before I can take a shot. It takes careful planning, and on average it takes me at least 30 seconds to a minute or so before I'm willing to fire the shutter. Being forced to control each aspect of a frame slows you down to think about each aspect of the photo. Do I need more depth of field? Do I need to freeze the action or do I need to drag my shutter? What is the focus of my shot? What does my background look like? How bright do I want the scene to be?

If you learned photography with digital camera and haven't touched film yet, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Film makes photography fun and exciting again. I know I can't wait to get my roll of Velvia 100 back from the lab. For black and white film, I do my own developing. It's a great feeling when you finish developing the film and you pull it from the reel for the very first time.

Here are some shots from the Hasselblad:

hello friend

2010-10-06T16:10:00.001-07:00

Little grasshopper friend.

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Self Portrait

2010-03-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

Cherry Blossoms!

2010-03-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

Spring is here! I love cherry blossoms, they are such a nice "pop" to all the green around here. I love driving by and seeing all the pink pops between the trees. Absolutely beautiful.

Wordpress

2009-12-13T00:01:00.001-08:00

I've moved the official blog to http://clearimagery.com/blog. Blogger was just a little too rigid in terms of customization. Wordpress has a gazillion themes that do 90% of what I need, so I switched over to that.

Now, prepare to suffer the endless ramblings of ... ME!

Modern Tech + Weddings = Magic.

2009-11-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

The D700 is my favorite camera of all time. Although, I've always used older Nikon glass with it. I use the 35mm f/2 and 85mm f/1.4 as my walkaround lenses, and the 80-200mm f/2.8 AFS as my main telephoto. Not that there's anything wrong with that, they are great lenses.

But they lack that special something.

At the wedding I shot this weekend, I finally rented and spent some time with the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8. I must say, they blew my mind on how good they were. I never knew lenses could focus so fast, and stay so sharp. They are very resistant to flare as well.

Here are some samples of what I'm talking about in terms of sharpness.

100% crop

D700 + 24-70mm 2.8 @ 2.8, 1/500, ISO 2000 +1.10 EV in post.

Look at the micro-contrast! It's insane!

I am thoroughly impressed, definitely a keeper.

Note: I'm not advocating that sharpness or lens is a determinant of how good a photo is. It's totally not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I can take the same shot with a Holga and it would still look hawt (at least to my eyes).

Wedding Prep

2009-11-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

A common question people ask is, what does it take to shoot a wedding? There are so many different answers to this question, but I'll give it my best shot.

1. Knowledge. First of all, you've got to know what you're going to be up against. The timeline, the venue, possible weather conditions, etc. Visualize in your head how the day will play out, and then strategize where you should be standing while each event in the timeline is going on (you should also account for possible tardiness). Scope out the venues ahead of time, look for good portrait areas when the wedding party has time for photos. Plan out some shots, and plan out what kind of photos you're going to shoot.

2. Gear. Now that you have the knowledge, or at least have taken a good stab at it, you should be able to list the lenses and flashes that you will need to in order to get the planned shots. Try to pack light and bring what you need, don't bring your entire arsenal if you don't have to. For example, if you know the reception is going to be very dim and you can't use flash, bring a nice set of primes and leave the zooms in the car/at home. Bring at least two bodies so you don't have to change lenses. If you can't afford the gear you need, rent. If you can't rent, buy and sell used.

3. Back up gear. What happens if one of your bodies hits the ground? What if it malfunctions? Always bring AT LEAST two camera bodies, and some duplicate focal length lenses if you can. For example, if you bring a 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200, if your 24-70 stops working, you can still use the 24mm and 70mm of the other two lenses. A bit heavy and inconvenient, but you can still use 'em in a pinch.

4. Be Active, not reactive. Anticipate the moment. Continually play out what's going to happen next in your head so you know where to stand to get a good shot (angle and height wise). For example, if the room is pretty bland, but happens to have a large window, you don't really want to show the context of the room, but want some good shots of the bride getting ready. So you know you want to use the window to blow out the background to isolate the bride. You would change your camera to spot metering, meter off the bride's face, and anticipate the moment for a good expression or what you deem as a good photograph/scene.

Things happen very fast on wedding days, even those 12+ hour weddings. So be active in finding your shots. You should be able to walk into the room, and have an idea of what's going to happen, and where to get the best shot.

5. Practice/Experience. You've got to have experience in shooting portraits. People are counting on you to make them look good. You've got to know some basics on how to flatter the subject. You've got to be able to give direction when needed. The bride and groom are most likely not professional models, so they need a lot of direction.

You should also be able to walk anywhere and think to yourself, "Hm, this would be an awesome place for a portrait!" and have a billion ideas bouncing around your head on different photographs. This takes a lot of practice, a good exercise is Street Photography. Studying a lot of different photographers' work also helps. Not necessarily stealing though, but taking the concept and applying your own style to it.

6. Be relaxed, be confident. The last thing the bride and groom want is to be more stressed out. Being nice, fun, and confident really relaxes them.

These are what I think are the necessities to have before shooting a wedding. If you think you are lacking in certain areas, practice. Get friends, family, pets, and PRACTICE!

Ace Hotel Portraits

2009-11-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

My good photographer friends and I went to the Ace Hotel in Portland, Oregon today to practice shoot portraits for Michelle and John's wedding in two weeks. None of us are comfortable on the other side of the lens, so the expressions can be a little.. uncomfortable :)

I'd say it was a good practice run. Out of 12 frames at the Ace Hotel I had 5 keepers, which is not bad!

First time at Street Photography!

2009-10-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

My good friends Steve and Lloyd went out for a shoot at the waterfront this weekend. Our challenge was to take photographs of complete strangers! We are lucky we live in such a friendly city, two out of three of the people we asked were willing to give us their time to take some lovely photographs of themselves. Each of these sessions were about 5-10 minutes each, so it was good practice doing impromptu shooting.

First couple was Tim and Leah, a very nice and lovely couple that were waiting for a group of friends. We managed to snatch them for a few shots:

Then we saw Denise and Cameron enjoying the last sunshine before the rainy season kicks in.

Thanks everyone for allowing us to take these beautiful portraits of you! If you would like to get the full resolution pictures for printing, please contact me and I will send them to you, free of charge.

Til next time, when the weather is nice again, we shall meet again. Good night Portland, Oregon, USA, World, Universe.

Penelope needs your help!

2009-10-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

Penelope's proud parents want to enter her into GAP kids, and I'm having trouble deciding which one I like best. Please help me out by choosing your favorite of the bunch in the comments!

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Robin and Nathan get sealed!

2009-08-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

I've photographed many weddings, but this was the first sealing I've shot at. For the uninformed such as myself before I was invited to come photograph the event, "sealing" is being married, forever! This is a big step as weddings end with "til death do you part". Here, you are married even after you die! Pretty sweet.

Anyway, here are the photos from Portland Oregon Mormon (LDS) Temple:

Phuong and Tony

2009-06-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

Meet Phuong and Tony, they are such a cute couple! We went to the lovely Pearl District for an engagement shoot. We walked everywhere, climbed every wall, they are troopers! It was a great session though, I cannot get enough of them - they make every picture look great!

I shot all of them in natural light, occasionally using a reflector as shade when there is too much sun. Kept it simple with my 35mm, 85mm, and 80-200mm. Nothing too fancy, but fantastic results.

Shutter Happy Wedding Guest - Part 2

2009-06-23T00:35:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of attending Lori and Sikhiu's Wedding this past weekend at the Embassy Suites. I wanted to be more of a guest than a shooter, so I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible again. The good news is, I didn't shoot as much as Julie and James' wedding so I got to mingle a bit more instead of hiding behind my camera. The bad news is, my definition of a simple set up was a D700 + 80-200 2.8 AFS... not exactly small - but it is the only zoom lens I own and I can safely grab shots from a distance. I even left my camera bag in the car! Highly pocketable combo if you fancy MC Hammer pants.

Anyway, it was a beautiful wedding at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Portland.

Without further ado:

Michelle + John = Fun!

2009-06-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

Many of you may remember Michelle and John from my previous posts. They loved their pictures so much that we went out on another shoot! This time it was night time at the Rose Festival. We had a blast, I even got to use off camera flash quite extensively.

They are such a fun couple, their personalities really shine through in every picture. I'm looking forward to shooting their wedding in October!

Last of my Canon gear

2009-06-03T23:23:00.001-07:00

Any Canon shooters out there looking for a wide angle lens and/or flash?

I've got a Canon EFS 10-22mm 3.5-4.5 and a 430ex mark I for sale. Let me know if you are interested! Both items come with box, papers, original packaging, everything. The next few weeks I will be swamped, please help a brutha out!

430ex not pictured.

Happy 6 Months Penelope!

2009-05-17T23:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's already been 6 months since little Penny came into the world. She has grown up so fast! She is also adorable as ever. Thankfully the proud parents broke her in so she's not camera shy at all. In fact, she smiles for the camera!

The camera loves her. She is truly the sweetest thing:

Her grandmother made this bonnet for her, SO CUTE!

Julie and James!

2009-04-28T22:37:00.001-07:00

Our good friends Julie and James tied the knot on April 25th, 2009. I was only a guest at their wedding, so I got the best shots I could without getting into the main photographer's way. I didn't run around like I normally would :-P It was a beautiful wedding held at Kindred Community Church in Anaheim, California.

In some ways, shooting as a guest (namely, bridal party) is actually better than being the main photographer. For instance, you are on the inside, grabbing the real emotions as things happen rather than running around trying to find the best angle. You also have the capability to shoot wide and up close at certain moments. As the main photog, you have to try to be invisible at times, forcing you to use a telephoto - and that can be sometimes limiting.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the pictures from the bridal party guest gone wild!

Be patient, lots of pictures below!

Michelle and John

2009-04-19T21:29:00.001-07:00

These are my very good friends that recently got engaged! I had the pleasure of shooting their engagement pictures, aren't they super cute together? Thanks to both of them for climbing that wall, even though they were impaled with splinters on the way up. That's dedication right there!

Meet the Perrys

2009-04-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of shooting with the Perrys yesterday. I'm a sucker for casual lifestyle family portraits, so when I found out I had the opportunity to do them, I was stoked! Their son Luke is adorable, he was so smiley the entire time.

All shot with my favorite lens, D700 + 85mm 1.4 with natural light.

Modeling in China

2009-04-01T10:32:00.001-07:00

Modeling in China, originally uploaded by blister gone.

Eric has decided to quit his job, quit photography, quit Oregon, and move to China to do modeling.

"Opportunity comes a knocking, and I'm a going." says Eric. "I'm mostly excited about going to McDonald's overseas to try some FANtastic!"

Fan, which means rice in Chinese, replaces the standard buns on the burger, giving it an Asian flare. It is a play on words.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

"This particular picture of me shows the deep side of me, because it shows that I know how to read. The reading of my empty hands are symbolic in that I really don't know how to read, but only pretending."

The Chinese characters directly above Eric are the characters for Read Art. The picture as a whole is a paradox.

Eric will be moving to China next month to teach modeling and bring bungee jumping to the masses.

"It's good for the kids and their pets."

Penny at Nostrana

2009-03-29T23:05:00.001-07:00

Penny at Nostrana, originally uploaded by blister gone.

Had the pleasure of having dinner with Joe, Sammy, Penny, Vinh, Nikki, and my partner in crime, Audrey at Nostrana the other day. Fantastic food by the way, but that's not nearly as fun as photographing Penny.

She is the sweetest baby ever, just look at that adorable face! These are more or less casual shots, but the light was nice and the subject was cute so I can't complain.

Doing portraits of babies is really prompting me to get back to the basics. I need to stop being so lazy with Auto ISO on my new camera - 1/80th sometimes is just not fast enough for moving babies. I can handhold sharp shots at 1/80th, but it's definitely not a one size fits all setting!

Audrey at The Nines

2009-03-26T23:08:00.001-07:00

Audrey, originally uploaded by blister gone.

Our friends are in town this weekend, and they just happened to be staying at the Nines, a place we've been looking at for wedding photos. We ended up going up a bit to check it a bit.

We went into the library, and I immediately thought of a shot done by Parker Pfister, one of my favorite wedding/portrait photographers. I had Audrey be my wonderful model on the leather couch for me. It turned out quite good!

Natural/dim light, 35mm f/2, ISO 6400.

My Super Heroes

2009-03-13T20:27:00.001-07:00

My Super Heroes, originally uploaded by blister gone.

Well, it's been a while since I posted. A couple of my friends have asked me about how to do macro/product photography. Naturally, I pointed them to the Strobist Macro photography entry. Not having tried it myself, I decided to give it a go tonight.

The only difference here is, I have a black background, and slightly more control over my light in the lightbox. Of course, I was too lazy to actually construct one with a cardboard box, so I just winged it.

I used the black cloth that was used to ship my drobo in as the backdrop. I used tissue paper to surround the set so light will bounce around inside the area and provide even fill light. However, I didn't want that much fill light because of the nature of the scene. So I grabbed a piece of foam that was used to package my computer case in, and put it on top of a couple CD/DVD spindles for height. Then I used another tissue paper on top of that to soften it out a bit more. Then aimed my sb-800 down on one of the foam piece openings and fired a couple shots. That's it!

Here are the setup shots:

Maisie

2009-02-25T21:27:00.001-08:00

Maisie, originally uploaded by blister gone.

Maisie was a wonderful model and a pleasure to shoot. She is fun, playful, nice, and single. I'm not sure where the line starts, but you better find out and get in it!

Shot with D700 + 85mm 1.4 with a sb-800 on camera left with the dome diffuser. I tried to cover up the flare with my hand, but I was unable to block all of it. Overall it looks pretty cool though.

Make up was done by Audrey.

Mason

2009-02-24T00:48:00.001-08:00

Mason, originally uploaded by blister gone.

Come on ladies, how can you resist? Mason is a MD... Master Director of Human Resources. He herds sheepish people like you and me onto the road of success.

He is seriously one of the nicest people I've met; his kind, gentle, and playful spirit really shines through.

Shot with D700 + 85 1.4, natural light.

By the way, I've always thought the Nikon 85mm 1.4 to be not very sharp at f/1.4. Boy was I wrong. I think my previous attempts at using this lens were full of fail due to insanely low light, crazy high iso (talking iso 4000+), and barely passable shutter speeds (1/80s). Shooting in broad daylight at 1.4 was a treat.