The James Douglas Studio

There are a few things I would like to do with a Leica...

Wed, 18 May 2011 15:00:06 -0400

There are a few things I would like to do with a Leica lens… but cutting one in half didn’t really occur to me. Now that I can see it though… it still doesn’t really appeal to me. I’ll say that the lens better have had some sort of defect cuz doing that to a perfectly functional Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm should land you in some sort of photography shame based prison. Now pretty much any Nikon lens I’d be fine with but $4,500 Leica… come on guys!!

chiam: I’m submitting a fucking portfolio to Magnum Photos. I...

Tue, 10 May 2011 12:59:33 -0400

chiam:

I’m submitting a fucking portfolio to Magnum Photos. I don’t think I’ll win, but what the hell, right? If you want to submit also, click here. I’ve been working on this for a couple of weeks. It feels good to be finally done. The above represents my ‘statement about your work, resume, bio and current contact information”.

Karma Builders...

Fri, 06 May 2011 16:43:06 -0400

Before I left for Montana and Utah I had just completed a shoot for Karma Builders. KB is an organization dedicated to the reintegration of formerly incarcerated men and women back into society and transition them from the life they once led to the life they hope to have in the future. Their mission is to break the cycle of unemployment and re-incarceration. They hire, train, and pay these individuals to provide a range of services for local sustainable companies. There is a holistic approach to what they do designed to instill a positive long-term shift in confidence, dignity and mental attitude that will ultimately drive those who work within the program to a much brighter future.

The photography that I had created for them was designed to illustrate this transition. Setting up a studio on location has been something of a hobby of mine and I’ve always loved photography where you can clearly see pieces of the set or studio. Annie Leibovitz would probably be the most notable example of someone who has used this technique extensively. You can see some of her stuff here… We set up shop in the space that would later be converted from an abandoned loft into the KB headquarters, but for now it was a simple and huge open space. When dealing with a lot of space drawing attention to your subject can be a challenge but it’s important to bring the focus clearly to that person or group. There are many ways to accomplish this, you can use depth of field, lighting, and converging lines among many others techniques. I decided rather to build a set that would simplify the background on which the subjects would stand. Simple and effective especially when dealing with such a large space. The two photographs below were created through a fairly simple lighting setup that I’ll explain a bit later in the post.

By setting everything up and having the entire set locked down with either sandbags, clamps or duct tape we were able to have the “models,” who in this case were actual Karma Builders employees, change not only their clothes but their mindset as well without disturbing the set. This aspect of the shoot was very important as the client wanted to have a “before and after” effect and this needed to be conveyed in a very positive manner. Having previously asked the karma crew revisit a dark time in their life for the first photograph, it was a very tricky process bringing them back out from that for the second shot, as those times can vary from one individual to another. But a lunch break and some good conversation can do wonders for your subjects.

Below are a couple shots of the lighting set up I used for this project. Nothing too ground breaking here but a few technical aspects are worth noting. When photographing a large group of subjects it’s pretty important to have a large light, otherwise you can get odd shadows and it’s easy to lose people in those shadows. To the left is my Paul C Buff 86” parabolic reflector hooked up to a X1600 (sorry guys but it’s not a Profoto 8a and Giant Reflector) that was softened even further with a diffuser. Centered in the frame is another X1600 shot through a simple Photoflex softbox that I used to mimic the daylight that was coming in through the windows directly behind the camera. And the small ground flash is a background light with a simple 7” reflector used to bring up the background behind the seamless. As usual I shot with my trusty Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II and the 24-70mm f2.8 hanging off of it.

This setup is fantastic for shooting groups or individuals on any number of scales and best of all was that everything fit into the back of our trusty rental car. My studio manager Erica was a champ in dealing with all the logistics of prepping the gear, renting cars, and coordinating castings, pretty much making me look like a rock star out there on shoot day. My stylist Kate Powell brought her talents to further help visualize the transition of the Karma Crew from one place to another. When you take the time to do all the tedious bits of preparation any shoot will go so much smoother and will help you deal with sudden changes or obstacles that may arise.

I had a blast working with all of these guys and you can see more of the work being done at www.Karmabuilders.org

- JD

As always you guys can check out the WEBSITE here… www.JamesDouglasStudio.com

Follow me on TWITTER here… www.twitter.com/TheJamesDouglas

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Canon Destroys Nikon in DSLR Marketshare for 2010

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:00:05 -0400

Canon Destroys Nikon in DSLR Marketshare for 2010:

As if we didn’t already know this… But Canon is killing Nikon in almost every aspect of consumer and “prosumer” camera market share. The HDSLR capabilities of the 5D and 7D are knocking Nikon to the mat and they’re down for the count. They have no answer for everything Canon is pushing out and it doesn’t look like they’ll be catching up anytime soon.

This is funny…

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:00:06 -0400

This is funny…

Big thanks to my main man Chris Dowsett (@Chris_Dowsett) sent me...

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:58:41 -0400

Big thanks to my main man Chris Dowsett (@Chris_Dowsett) sent me this nice little homepage option for creatives to get inspired. (www.goodfuckingdesignadvice.com) It’s worked for me and I found this one to be particularly relevant to our times. Just thought I’d share… Thanks Chris!!

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to punch someone in...

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 12:26:06 -0400

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to punch someone in the face as bad as Yuri Arcurs, but that’s just the jealousy talking. Check out what an unlimited budget can get you when outfitting a Photography studio with Profoto gear. Fstoppers posted this up a couple days ago and I thought I’d share so we can all feel a bit more inadequate.

ESPN Feature... SSL Shootout...

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:08:44 -0400

Had a little feature in ESPN a while back when I was shooting the Ski Salt Lake Shootout that I hadn’t yet posted up. I’m sure plenty of you had seen it but for those of you who have been living under a ROCK!! Here’s a couple screen grabs of the action that I shot and the link to the article in ESPN. And I didn’t really think of myself as the “dark horse entry” but I guess the description fit!!

I would love to drop all the technical jargon on here about each of these individual shots but this is just a quick little post. I will be writing a much more in depth post about the whole Ski Salt Lake Shootout experience in the coming weeks. Being gone on assignment for 6 weeks in Montana and then 3 more in the Dominican Republic has put me a little behind on my blog… but it’s coming… I promise.

- JD

As always you guys can check out the WEBSITE here… www.JamesDouglasStudio.com

Follow me on TWITTER here… www.twitter.com/TheJamesDouglas

And LIKE something decent for once… www.Facebook.com/TheJamesDouglasStudio

Having a model release might still get you a lawsuit... but you probably deserve it.

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:00:06 -0400

Having a model release might still get you a lawsuit... but you probably deserve it.:

Great little debate about what rights you really give away when you sign a model release. Read the fine print and make changes if you really need to. But there is the moral line to be crossed when dealing with sensitive issues such as 9/11… I think the ad agency/law firm should suck it up, realize they made a huge mistake and admit fault in creating such an heinous ad. But that’s just me.

Quickie: Ashley Granata of Fashism...

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:10:26 -0400

During my days as a photographer I’ve managed to meet people from all walks of life, which seems to be pretty standard for those of us living the photographer lifestyle and is also one of my favorite parts of this job. One of those people was Ashley Granata of Fashism. I met Ashley a while back though a mutual connection and we have been friends ever since. She asked me recently if I could shoot her in a dress she had just received from Ralph Lauren to wear out and make the rounds during the holiday party season. She needed this fast and it was pretty last minute (AKA can I come over at 6pm). Obviously this wasn’t going to be any national campaign or a huge fashion ad somewhere on 5^th avenue… but rather me helping out a good friend in a pinch. She’s gonna owe me one, or at least a 12er of beer. She popped into my downtown studio right on time, looking as fabulous as ever and we started shooting.

Since these photos were to be used on misc blogs and publications we also thought we’d add a bit of atmosphere and had a quick shoot on the couch.

I love Ashley and the work she’s been doing, I think Fashism deserves every bit of the success that they’re enjoying right now. Check out what all the fuss is about over at www.Fashism.com

As far as the gear for this shoot is concerned… ended up using my trusty Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II with the 24-70mm f2.8. Lighting was achieved through my permanent overhead White Lighting X1600 shot through a Chimera Softbox attached to the ceiling of my studio. Also I used my 8ft parabolic umbrella with soft white diffuser on it as my main light. For the seated portrait it was my X1600 again shot through a simple 4ft softbox slightly overhead held in place by a Matthew C-Stand with no other light source. All in all for a unplanned and impromptu shoot, we nailed it and Ralph Lauren was very pleased none the wiser that it was pulled off in under 20min.

- JD

As always you guys can check out the WEBSITE here… www.JamesDouglasStudio.com

Follow me on TWITTER here… www.twitter.com/TheJamesDouglas

And LIKE something decent for once… www.Facebook.com/TheJamesDouglasStudio

I truly love clever ad campaigns and this one from Jobsintown.de...

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:26:08 -0400

I truly love clever ad campaigns and this one from Jobsintown.de is no exception. Creating a campaign to show you exactly how crappy a job can be difficult but these guys have done it in such a humorous and simple way. Maybe those agency brutes really do know what they’re doing after all.

F. Scott Schafer Photography: Long Live the Print Portfolio!

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:30:31 -0400

F. Scott Schafer Photography: Long Live the Print Portfolio!:

fscottschafer:

As we all know by now, the iPad 2 is being released today. I’m planning on picking one up this weekend so I can show my video work to potential clients during portfolio meetings. But even though photographs look pretty good on the iPad, I still think that a print portfolio is extremely important…

This is not a movie…

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:19:51 -0500

This is not a movie…

Of course National Geographic would come out with a Photography...

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:52:11 -0500

Of course National Geographic would come out with a Photography based app for the iPad. This thing actually shows you the story behind some of Nat Geo’s most iconic images from where, how, and under what circumstances they were made. Might give some of you a better idea of what it really takes to “get the shot.”

9gag: Disney Dream (Feating Olivia Wilde, Penelope Cruz and...

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 13:52:07 -0500

9gag:

Disney Dream (Feating Olivia Wilde, Penelope Cruz and more)

Being the deep powder snow skier that I am… there’s...

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 12:26:07 -0500

Being the deep powder snow skier that I am… there’s no way these sticks aren’t gonna their way into my quiver. There’s just something about skiing on Audi designed carbon fiber skis that makes my heart skip a beat. I don’t know how much these cost but my first child’s college tuition is officially on hold…

So many people don’t have a clue as to what they should be...

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:00:07 -0500

So many people don’t have a clue as to what they should be charging for photography. Part of that is the fault of every secretive photographer out there playing it close to the chest. The other part of that is just sheer ignorance, and this should help clear a little of that up. This is PLUS… a universal system to create licensing agreements in a standard format the world over. Using language your clients and you should both be proficient in. Read it… learn it… love it.

startupquote: You never want to be completely alone at what you...

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:00:07 -0500

startupquote:

You never want to be completely alone at what you do. Competition is good for everyone.

- Marc Benioff

John Harington talks business for photographers...

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:37:50 -0500

John Harington talks business for photographers... :

Highlights from John Harrington’s speech at Fotoweek 2010. If you want to be in the business of photography you should watch all 5 of the clips and check out his book Best Business Practices for Photographers , a must read for any photographer who wishes to stay in business

Propelling industry further… with a kite?? Who wouda...

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:18:07 -0500

Propelling industry further… with a kite?? Who wouda thought that you’re next car or pair of jeans could make a trans pacific crossing with the help of the wind! Cutting fuel costs by up to as much 35% how could this sort of alternate energy source not have been utilized till now??