snapfactory Blog

My Worlds Finally Unite!

Mark — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:28:04 +0000

liveBooks has announced a terrific feature that I’ve been testing for the past month; it’s the integration of Vimeo and liveBooks. This means that you can have all of the ease of use of liveBooks for showing video on your liveBooks site. Once your site is Vimeo enabled it’s a breeze to add videos, change their display order and styling. And the nice part – everything plays right on the same page. No new pages appear to play the videos.
This is a terrific feature for someone like me. I create between 5 and 10 videos every single week. I’m very excited about the ability to show the “best of” videos as liveBooks portfolios. Finally I have one site to host all of my content.

To see the integration in action check out my liveBooks site.

On Location Flash

Mark — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:09:51 +0000

I know, it’s been a while since we last updated the blog. We’ve been busy creating lots and lots of content for AdoramaTV. We’ve created 44 new videos. Ten of those have been new Digital Photography One on One episodes. We’ve been getting a lot of feedback and we’re working hard to keep the videos fresh and useful.

Last week we released Episode 20: On Location Flash and have seen more activity on this episode than most, so I thought I’d post it here as well as a few of the photos we shot for the video.

Model Katherine Lee. In this shot I overexposed the background and used a medium softbox to add some fill light on Katherine.

This image was shot using strong backlight. I used the softbox to balance the light. I adjusted colors in Lightroom before exporting.

This is an example of a balanced fill flash. Katherine was standing in the shade and without the fill flash she would have been almost completely underexposed. By matching the flash exposure to the ambient light I was able to create an image that looks like 100% natural light event though I used a flash.

New Videos: Now on iTunes!

Mark — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:19:20 +0000

Since we started making videos about photography people have been asking us to make them available for download. We also had many requests for our shows to be posted to iTunes. Well now, thanks to AdoramaTV, you can do both!

All of our new Digital Photography One on One videos, the new How’d They Do That? videos, behind the scenes videos and product reviews are now posted on iTunes. Everything we create for AdoramaTV is available for you to see in iTunes and download for viewing later.

You have three options. You can get the low, medium or high resolution (full HD) copies of our videos. Click one of the links below and then use iTunes to subscribe to the video feed of your choice. All three feeds have the same videos but they are in different file sizes. The higher the resolution the longer it will take to download (but they’ll look much better).

Happy downloading!

How’d They Do That? Matt Hill – stop motion video

Mark — Tue, 04 May 2010 04:48:58 +0000

Well today we officially launched a new video series called How’d They Do That? It’s a show where we explore the world of professional photographers and share their techniques with you. Our first episode features photographer Matt Hill. We talk about his recent short film Available Night.

You can see more of Matt’s work on his website: www.MattHillPhoto.com

And here’s the video Available Night by Matt Hill:

Equipment used in this video:

Digital Photoraphy One on One: Episode 12, Depth of Field

Mark — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:54:31 +0000

In this episode I’m talking all about Depth of Field. Three things impact Depth of Field:

Aperture
Focal Length
Distance from subject

After posting this video to YouTube a few people commented that I left out sensor size. Well the truth is that sensor size does not determine depth of field… but it does influence it. Let me explain.

If you have a smaller sensor and a full frame sensor both shooting at the same distance with the same aperture and focal length the DOF will be the same for both. Therefore, sensor size does not determine DOF. The problem is that with a small sensor you’ll need to use a wider angle lens or shoot farther from the subject to get the same scene as a larger sensor – and that will impact DOF because you’ve changed one of the three deciding factors.

So does sensor size impact DOF? No. But it does change how you have to shoot and that in turn does impact DOF. So yes, sensor size ultimately impacts DOF.

Gear used in this video

Introducing AdoramaTV

Mark — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:24:11 +0000

We’ve been working hard and now the AdoramaTV videos are starting to roll out. Here’s a first look at a few videos that we published yesterday. New videos will be showing up at least three times a week for 50 weeks! Hang on to your hats, it’s going to be a fun ride.

PocketWizard + Nikon – first look

Mark — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:37:03 +0000

Yesterday I was able to play with a prototype of the new PocketWizard FlexTT5 for Nikon. Yes, that’s right, Nikon. I was able to shoot with two strobes, an SB900 and SB800 while triggering from a Nikon D3. I shot in normal and High Speed Sync mode. Everything I tested worked without a hitch.

PocketWizard is planning on doing the first phase of extensive testing soon, this is known as Alpha testing. They’ll be working with the new PocketWizards on as many different types of Nikon cameras as possible in as many different shooting situations possible. This will enable them to lock down the features and eliminate the majority of glitches.

After the Alpha Testing is complete a private Beta test will be announced. From talks I had with the guys over at PocketWizard they will be inviting a wider range of photographers to test their gear to make sure everything works before the final release.

You can stay up to date on all the details by visiting PocketWizard.com. Of course I’ll post any news I have as soon as I’m able to do so.

Update: Get the latest official word from PocketWizard by clicking here.

iPhone Inspiration

Mark — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:02:05 +0000

Some photographers get it. They know that what’s in their head is much more important than what’s in their hand. I’m impressed with photographers like Andre of Striped Shirt or Michael Seneschal who take iPhone photos two an entirely new level.

These guys, and many like them, are a constant source of inspiration to me. Unfortunately you may have never seen their work before. Well, Adorama is trying to change that by giving everyone a place to post their best iPhone shots. For the next two weeks you can post your best work on their iPhone Photo Contest site. They have a panel of judges ready to look at your work and then hand out some very groovy prizes.

The thing I love about iPhone photography is that it lets you concentrate on the story that you’re telling without worrying about the technical aspects of the shot. It also allows you to build your skills at making images instead of simply taking images. If you’ve been a reader of our blog for a while you know that I’m a big fan of the iPhone and it’s abilities. Here are a few of my favorite iPhone lessons:

Inspiration in the Rocks

A couple of years ago I challenged a friend of mine to a photo duel. He was having a tough time finding things to shoot with his new super fancy camera. So we took his camera and my iPhone out to a pile of rocks (literally) and started shooting. Before long he was able to forget about all the technical barriers and free his mind to simply shoot. You can read all about it by clicking here.

Capturing the Moment

My trusty iPhone was also the camera I used to capture some of the images that are most memorable to me. I recently had the privilege of meeting James Nachtwey. His work has had a huge impact on my photography and how I approach life. Without my iPhone I would have no documentation of our meeting. Read more about my experience of creating a “disgusting” photo.

Getting Closer

Last year I took a very close look at what photography meant to me on a personal level. I discovered that my iPhone helped me document and process events that were very close to my heart, like my dog Luka undergoing treatment for an unknown illness. Later we discovered he had Cancer. The thousands of iPhone photos we took during his lifetime helped us remember him after his death.

“Photography is an extension of who I am. Photography is a way for me to document, remember, share, and quantify my experiences. It’s the way I tell my version of the story.” – Mark Wallace

With my iPhone I am able to get closer, physically as well as emotionally, to my subjects. Read more about getting closer and how it may impact the way you see life.

What about you?

So what about your iPhone shots? Do you have a story to tell? Are you looking for inspiration? If you do then visit the Adorama iPhone Contest site and get involved. Sure you can win a bunch of great prizes, but more importantly you can inspire someone to try something new.

What are you waiting for?

The Mark Wallace Meetup Tour: Live

Mark — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:56:40 +0000

The live version of the Mark Wallace US Meetup Tour sponsored by PocketWizard begins at 1:00PST February 6th, 2010. You can watch the live version (and the replay if you missed it) in the window below.

If you’re tuning in live you can tweet your questions to: @jmarkwallace. Use the hashtag #mwtour so everyone can see your tweet.

Webcam chat at Ustream

A quick video update

Mark — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:20:02 +0000

We mentioned earlier that we are working on 150 new videos, here’s a quick update on our progress.