It’s been quite some time since I last posted on this blog and I can only attribute it to searching for and finding a new perspective on my own photography. If I had to characterise this new “perspective” I would probably describe it as relaxed, chilled and content!

I found that I can get by with less equipment, fewer technical gizmo’s and I find myself shooting more and more with my humble Canon 1100D and a 18-135 STM kit lens, focusing (excuse the pun) more on the subject and the moment than what I have in my hands. Sure I would love a brace of the new 5D3′s or the latest Canon L lens, but for now what I have is still plenty good enough. This has freed me from the techno-rat-race and where I used to scour the web every day for new innovations,  now I often find out about the latest releases months after the event. In the process I had a hard look at the cupboard of lights, modifiers and accessories and thinned it out considerably – I still have a few items that I know I absolutely have to have (although I have hardly ever used them) such as a battery pack / strobe combination that I will need for a location shoot some day, but mostly I have made peace with the fact that I probably don’t need every umbrella/softbox/reflector in every size and shape on the market to be a good photographer.

The next element may be controversial and I in no way imply any disrespect to all my hard working friends who are making a business of photography (its damn hard work and they are great photographers) – but for me and where I am in my photographic journey, I made the decision to take a break from the business side of photography. Fortunately I have a day job and so have the luxury of not having to rely on the income from photography. I just think that a lot of people make the mistake of jumping into the commercial side of photography to early under the premise that being paid for the work makes them a recognised professional and a good photographer. Not that I turn all paying jobs down mind you! Anyway enough of that.

The third aspect was to include photography in my other pursuits so that it complemented other dimensions of my life rather than being a singular obsession. As a result my photographic output has probably declined somewhat in terms of quantity, but I still have got in a few good shoots this year so far, from studio to events to action – and I am happy with the results both in terms of the photos and the balance.

But as with different perspectives of a subject, not all perspectives will work for all photographers and I in no way claim to have found the nirvana of photography – its just what work for me at this time.

I took the photo below of William, one of the regulars at the Centurion Community Centre & Soup Kitchen, he is a colourful character but always willing to pitch in and help. I shot the photo with the Canon 1100D and kit lens, printed it in colour and laminated it for him, sort of Ubuntu Help-Portrait style. He was so overwhelmed with the photo the day that Joanne gave it to him that he left immediately without even taking soup and bread. The following week he told us that he had taken the photo to his mother. Now that’s a good day shooting

The plan started to hatch to take it off camera in a rugged, easily portable solution. I am sure that you can empathise with location shoots where you spent most of the time trying to secure your lights against gusting winds and with umbrellas doing the Mary Poppins thing

I came across a couple of videos on You-tube where they were using it quite effectively as a side light to great effect – triggered remotely. A robust mounting solution was once more the challenge as I didn’t fancy pivoting the weight of the system on the bottom fixing screw – a disaster waiting to happen.

I also wanted a solution that would include the trigger as an integral part, leaving me the option of firing it via the TTL cord or the trigger. That way I could still use it in conjunction with an off axis flash as a fill light, manipulating the ratios via my Pixel Knights – which by the way I can’t recommend enough.

Anyway, a few minutes at the work bench and a 1/4″ tap and I have a very viable and simple solution! Going to try and put it to use with Dominique when we shoot the wolves this weekend. I think it will be the ideal solution for fast run and gun location scenarios with less than ideal environmental conditions

Click on the photo’s for a larger version:

My original modification.

The new mods.

Trigger mounting - still allows use of the TTL cord when required and easier to adjust.

Off-axis mode.

Probably part of the problem is defining what “progress” really is and I suppose that for photographers at different stages of their development it is sure to have different meanings. I have focused on shooting a lot of different stuff of late, from studio to events, commercial to casual, glamour to street. Shooting a wide range of subjects in differing circumstances stretches you as a photographer and really exercises your photographic thought process. I am convinced that tackling a variety of assignments is what gets you on top of your game – the funny thing is the more I shoot the more I hunger to shoot.

For me, the true measure of progress, is when you look at your images and you can say truthfully that some you like and some you don’t – and why. Being able to analyse what worked and what went wrong – and how to correct it next time. To be comfortable to grab a camera and be shooting in seconds, without too much deliberation on what mode you should be in or what your settings should be or how you are going to balance the light. Finally, the liberating realisation that equipment doesn’t play that big a role in the intrinsic quality of your images and that buying more technologically advanced equipment is probably only going to have a small incremental impact on your images.

I added a second Canon 1D2 to my kit this week. I needed a robust camera that could survive the rigours of shooting off-road driver training whilst having snappy focus and superb responsiveness. Introduced in June 2004 it would hardly get a second glance by many and at 8mb resolution would probably be disregarded by most. But at under R9 000 investment for two bodies, I have two superb professional grade cameras that can take everything a tough shoot can throw at them and still report for work the next day. The realities are that to print an A4 you need 5mb and can get away with a lot less if you have to – as long as you nailed the exposure. Most clients are after small, low res images for web use anyway and even the ID2 is like taking a sledge hammer to drive in a panel pin.

Anyway, I just love shooting with them and find I more often than not I grab one of the 1D2′s  – much to the relief of my PC drives groaning under the weight of thousands of massive high res images from my newer bodies. I can get around 1200 shots to a full battery charge and 8gb cards seem to last forever – not to mention the convenience of having dual card slots to handle both CF and SD with the option of a real time back-up. Its got a terrible LCD, but I am finding I am relying less on the LCD and more on the grey matter to nail the shots.

To paraphrase McNally – shoot what you love – and to add my 5c’s worth, shoot more and debate less – that way the chances are you will definitely show more progress

By enjoying the images I don’t mean a cursory “that’s nice” in passing, but rather totally devouring the image, marvelling at the way the shadows fall, the details in the highlights, wonderful depth of field and the transitions in contrast. All too often its about getting a quick turnaround in images so you can be off to the next great shoot. There is probably no quicker way to kill the passion and turn it into just another job. When I feel that coming on I normally grab a short prime and an old body and head off for some quality photography time – normally I find myself wandering around the Irene Dairy in search of that inspiration that got me behind a camera to start with. Its always been a special place for me but more so since Joanne gave me a pictorial history of the place for my last birthday, stretching back to its beginnings in the late 1800′s. Strangely enough (but then again perhaps not so) the output of these excursions almost always land up in black & white.

These days you have to watch out that you don’t spend too much time on Face Book (and other social media sites) talking about photography and not actually shooting anything that makes you feel good. I think that most forums and Face Book pages featuring photography quickly degenerate into a showcase of “look how good I am”. I think that its ok to look for the affirmation that your images are good when you are starting out, but I think we should strive for the point where we can evaluate our own images and decided what’s rubbish and what’s good. I still maintain that one day I want to shoot an image that is so good that I don’t feel that I have to show it to anyone to confirm that opinion. I suppose that as photographers we all have an inherent insecurity and hunger for that affirmation from others.

So do yourself a favour, grab a camera and a single lens (preferably a prime) and head off somewhere to shoot without any agenda. No massive camera bag stuffed with the latest goodies, no complex portable lighting rigs, no assistant to carry all the kit – just back to basics. If you are going to keep your edge as a photographer, you need to “wow” yourself every now and then and to be able to sit back and say “Hey, I made that image and its actually quite good!”

Take a breath. . . . . . . and shoot your own moment in time.

Irene Dairy – 20 May 2012

I think that sometimes we are so driven to produce the goods that it becomes an obsession – and the frustration of not living up to our own expectations is quickest way to become disillusioned and pack the cameras away. Not that I think that its bad to want to excel and make a success of it – its just that sometimes its good to just relax and enjoy the outing – you’ll probably find you come away recharged and full of enthusiasm again.

One of the scenarios that really lead to this kind of pressure is when you are traveling and you feel that you have to capture every moment on camera – but you miss out on most of the trip. You don’t always have to have your big guns (read cameras) deployed  and sometimes a small pocket compact is all you need. When you look at an image from a trip it should evoke the smells and sounds of that particular moment and not leave you wondering “where did I take this?”.

We spent some time work-shopping what makes a good photo at the studio today and one of the pics we reviewed was the “Afghan Girl” – if you haven’t seen this iconic image do your self a favour and look it up – it will leave you feeling inspired!

I only took about 20 pics today and only one appealed to me when I downloaded them – even then the focus is a bit soft but what the heck I like it. I reckon that if you get one image that appeals to you out of a batch, then it was a memorable outing.

I cropped this in the 1:1 ratio as it seemed to suit the composition best. I tend to stick to the 2:3 ratio normally as this is the norm for printing, but sometime you have to look for the photo within the photo and try some other cropping ideas.

“Sharing a moment”

I recently joined the Ubunthu Help-Portrait team of volunteers and the first shoot convinced me that I needed a robust, yet agile lighting solution for these events and the Orbis came to mind – if it was endorsed by Strobist Guru David Hobby, then it must have merit  – so I gritted my teeth at the price and ordered one from the States over e-Bay.

I don’t know of anyone stocking them here in South Africa yet and with the way the Rand is going I don’t think that is going to happen soon. As I have become to expect from the USA suppliers, the service was stunning and it was not long and the greatly anticipated package was waiting for me at the Post Office.

My every fear became a reality as I unpacked the Orbis, it was big, unwieldy and even with the custom bracket, it did not inspire confidence when it came to robustness. I had visions of me stumbling around at the Ubunthu events with my flash and Orbis trailing behind me on an overstretched TTL cord in the dirt……… The first few pics with the Orbis did however convince me that it had merit and I set about “ruggedising” the set-up. I suppose it pays at time to be in the business of military system engineering

I considered all sorts of solutions from gaffer tape to ball bungees and then I decided to get serious – some 12mm flat bar, a selection of 5mm stainless bolts, washers and wing-nuts and I had my solution. I haven’t had the opportunity to field test it yet but I am sure it has merit. All I have to do is put in some serious weight training and I’ll be ready for the next event

Here are a few pix of the modification.

Orbis with Canon 7D and EF 24-70 F2.8 L

Rear view of the same set-up.

Close-up of the stabilising bracket mod.

I’ll post a follow-on once I have  had chance to test it out.

Digging around in the dark recesses of a cupboard some time ago, I came across an old friend – my first SLR a Ricoh XR-2S body, minus any lenses. Not being functional without a lens, it was moved to a shelf on one of my bookcases as an oddity to show my son.

Recently however I came across an article where the author was writing about using old Pentax K mounts on modern Canon DSLR’s using an adapter …………and I thought why not – find a lens that I could use on the Ricoh and on the Canon’s whilst having a bit of manual lens fun! A quick search on e-Bay resulted in many potential candidates but one which grabbed my attention was a mint Rikenon XR 50mm F2.0 and in a blink of the eye it was paid for and on its way.

The lens arrived today, in pristine condition, and was quickly fitted to the body. All I have to do now is find some film and someone to process it and we’ll be off!

There is something familiar about the setup and the clack-clack of the shutter is somewhat comforting. Not that I am advocating that old film SLR’s are better than today’s crop of digital super-hero cameras – they are just different. In fact they are difficult to operate (I forgot how difficult split screen focusing is – or perhaps its my eyes that aren’t what they were) and rudimentary by comparison – but its what I cut my teeth on and the fundamentals I learnt then, I still apply today.

In an age of relatively “easy” photography this is going to become a bit of a project of mine – we quickly lapse into a “sameness” in our endeavours – comfortable lighting set-ups and tried and tested solutions. I’d like to find some old B&W film and shoot some portraits in the studio – and it’ll be fun to take my 14 year-old son, who thinks cell-phones have always been around, through the rigours of real manual photography. Once the adapter arrives I’ll mount the diminutive Ricon on a Canon and take it for a walk.

I’ll keep you posted

Now I understand what the buzz is around the 1D series and even the 7 year old 1D2 has left me craving for more. The speed and accuracy of focus, bright viewfinders and beautiful handling are enough to leave me suitably impressed and eyeing the rest in the stable – I’ll have to keep an eye on the prices of the 1D3′s!

But as in most things words are cheap, but the images are the real proof :

As you can see this was taken with the EF-50 1.4 and auto white balance.

Here is a 100% crop of the image:

I can hear the gasps – “But its only 8Mp” – I think I am going to have fun with this camera!

I have been fortunate to shoot quite a few of Canon’s cameras and of late the 5D Mk II and 7D are probably my top guns – both very special and yet totally different in their application. The 5D2 shines at every opportunity that is not moving fast and the 7D excels when it comes to high speed shooting with a snappy auto focus. I also have kept a 40D which provides good clean 10 Meg files as a backup and more recently I purchased a 450D for next to nothing  that produces stunning files with great resolution and vibrant colour – a great travel companion.

I also recently replaced my reliable G9, a veteran of two trips to India and Nepal, with the G12 (also second hand and for a song) and it has now become my constant companion. I think it is going to be brilliant for street photography, travel photography and photojournalism in the ilk of the Leica M series that the greats used to shoot. The files that it produces are imminently usable and  not to mention the 720p video to capture those special memories. I know that Canon is probably going to bring out a mirror-less marvel that will blow it out of the water before then end of the year – but for now it’ll be the G12 that I take with me everywhere. I am planning to really give it a good work out at the next Joburg Photowalkers outing on the 1st October.

I had a gap in my line-up however for something that could shoot fast  for events, produce good low light files in dim churches and be environmental proof – a mix of the 5D2 and 7D if you like – something you could use at the track and at a wedding with equally good results. The obvious choice would be the latest 1D – the unobtain-ium that I think most Canon shooters lust after but most of us will never be able to afford.

As luck would have it and after much deliberation, I picked up an “old” 1D Mk II for less than any of the low-end Canon entry models. What did I get – a stunning camera that fits exactly what my needs are (vs. my wants) that could probably withstand a direct hit from a RPG (figuratively speaking, lest my reputation as a tog and a soldier take a knock ) – 8.2 fps, 45 autofocus points, good noise management to ISO 1600 – but I can see the frowns already only 8.2 mega-pixel (?)

The realities are however, that if I asked myself on  how many occasions of late I really needed those huge files from the 5D2 and 7D that I tried to squash on a disk for a client vs. a good clean 5 meg file that will easily carry an A4 print, not to mention the low res 72 dpi images needed for online use – the the answer is probably far less than I actually needed. Its akin to that old golf adage “driving for show and putting for dough”.

The moral of the blog? Make peace with the advancement of technology vs. what you actually need and a whole new world of possibilities will open up. I can already see a 1Ds Mk II on my shelf and think of all those 1D Mk IV’s that are going to given away in three years time!

f/8 and be there!

Recent additions have included a set of vertical rails to mount the lights on towards the front of the studio and the two overhead booms (reviewed here) that I got from CameraStuff. It also has two ladders (short and long), shooters table, make-up area, bathroom/change-room, a selection of narrow and wide iso-boards with black and white surfaces. There is also a station to accommodate tethered shooting.

Modifiers include a selection of soft boxes, a large Rotolux Elinchrom Octa (135cm), strip light, large beauty dish (70cm) and an assortment of grids, snoots, umbrellas etc.

Last challenge is to build some sort of discreet pulley system for the black/white PVC backdrop in front. Its 3.2m wide and 7m long so its a considerable weight and I want to be able to pull it down and roll it up without too much hassle every time.

The studio is for hire and we conduct regular training courses and workshops……..but feel free to pop in for a cup of coffee and a chat!

Studio Interior - Shooting Area