Hold The Eye Images

DSLR Video Workshop Coming!!

Kim Kominich will be teaching a DSLR Video Workshop on video techniques, lighting for video, and audio for video. All three of these are critical for quality video, and who better to do this than a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist and faculty member at San Jose State. Kim has shot, edited, and produced award winning videos, taught video, editing, lighting in the classroom and will be giving  limited classes at Hold the Eye Images Studio in Campbell CA. On March 24 & 25, Kim will teach video technique, lighting and audio, limiting the class to 10 students. The following weekend, March 31 & April 1, Kim will teach video editing using iMovie and or Final Cut X. Again the class is limited to 10 students.

The pricing is $399/weekend or $650/ for both weekends. It is Mac only and the editing will be taught on iMovie and Final Cut X. For those attendees at weekend one, shooting a video of your own following the first class will allow you to edit in the second class. For those not shooting or attending the first class, video and audio files will be provided for editing.

The registration will be posted shortly at HTEIW.com, so stay tuned and see you there.

 

What's your best picture of 2011

That's a politically correct question to ask this time of year, it begs a bigger issue, do you have a favorite picture for a whole year? I don't have a favorite picture for more than a week, so either I'm strange, or you are not taking enough pictures. I grow weary of old images, they lose their magic for me, and I move on. Sorta like teenagers and girlfriend/boyfriends.....not going to add more. I like a look, or a lighting set-up, a scene, or a composition, but shortly thereafter, I move on. I enjoy having a favorite while it lasts, but ultimately like the search for a new favorite more. That means I take a lot of pictures, and I do. I love finding pictures, that is discovery just before the camera gets involved. Sometimes it is a place, a person, or anything that makes me say "OMG, get my camera". Sometimes it's even just in my head, I think of an image I want to find. That's the process I go through, so the discovery is special, the outcome has a special but short lived time to enjoy, then I move on to the process again. When I read this, I think maybe I need photo therapy, I should cherish images, love them for long periods of time, it's human nature to do that, maybe I need help. But then again, living in the past is boring, finding new things makes photography interesting to me, keeps my juices going and is what I love most. Even when I repeat photo experiences I'm looking for something new. Often the new is not as good as the "old" but it doesn't matter, because ultimately the search will improve my photography. I know that intuitively, as well as from experience. I'm a better photographer in 2012 than I was any day in 2011 if for no other reason, I have added to my skill set since 12/31. That's right, continuing to learn makes me a better photographer. I learn from everywhere, not just better photographers. I can learn something special from someone who has just picked up a camera, and says something that catches me immediately. It is all part of the process. Now there are images that more people like than others, but I'm likely focused on the next image or one just taken.

So let's start over, "What's your best picture of 2011?". Mine was the last image I took on 12/31, which was the culmination of a years worth of learning. And I really do like it for what it captured and more importantly what it implied. It took a lot of work, experimenting, and failure to be able to light this particular venue and a lot more work to be accepted to shoot freely. If you will recall, it was my personal project from last year. So in a way, I'm still on the journey from last year, but oh, so much wiser and better at what I do.

The end of 2011 is a time to reflect, but keep moving. I will be shooting tomorrow night, this image will fade into the depths of my hard drive, likely not showing up again until maybe Halloween, if ever. But the process will yield it's replacement, maybe an unusual landscape or street scene, and it will be my favorite of all time, for a short time and I will move on.

What is Photo Santa thinking about for Christmas?

It's a difficult question because like any passion, the technical level of understanding for gift giving is steep without hints. So here are some ideas that will not "break the bank".

1. A Book of Photographs by an important historical photographer. You pick the photographer, preferably one within the last 20 years. Why you ask? You learn so much from looking at bodies of work by gifted photographers. Believe me it really helps improve the "eye", puts "style" in perspective and should be studied. It is a great gift.

2. Any of the "how to" DVD's by Scott Kelby's Professional Photoshop Users/NAPP. Pick photoshop, lightroom, lighting, or any other subject  and it will always be winner.

3. A one-on-one with William Neil. He lives in Oakhurst CA, is a protege of Ansel Adams, and worth spending the day with. He looks at your images, gives you tips, great experience for that photog loved one. He does the one-on-one in his studio.

4. Give him the gift of location? Wrap a letter that allows him to pick the next vaction destination with photography in mind. You go along, but will help him get that beautiful image(s). Sounds funny, but many photographers feel guilty spending time photographing or going to that special place towing the family off to some remote place.

5. Tell him or her, you would like one of their photographs for Xmas. Yep, ask for a gift, will make your photog loved one feel proud. It's recognition and important to all photographers.

6. Give the gift of a Light Workshops. Hal and Victoria always put on terrific workshops, and best yet, your photog loved one will learn something in beautiful Morro Bay.

7. Milk Duds! All good photographers love Milk Duds, it's a test. You can tell I have a weakness.

8. Give the gift of encouragement. Sounds odd but encouragement is a great gift, doesn't have to be wrapped, feels good, works well, and is always appreciated. Complements works hand in hand with encouragement.

9. Gift certificate to REI. Your photog can always find something useful at REI.

10. A good headlamp, always needed since most photographers begin early, and are out late. Lots to choose from and most work really well regardless of price.

So there you have some ideas not on the "normal photog list". If you want gear, check out an earlier blog and podcast on items for Xmas. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Channeling Bill Cunningham

Bill Cunningham is the photographer for the New York Times who photographs people for the Sunday Edition. His photographs run in two places within the paper. "On the Street" in the Style Section features photographs of people on the street from a fashion point of view. Today's edition was entitled "Frosty" which features what outerwear people are wearing.  The second location for his photography is entitled "Evening Hours"also in the Style Section, where he documents events in the evening around New York City.

Recently, Bill was the subject of a documentary which can be purchased here. So what is the big deal, you might ask? Well to start with he has been doing this for nearly a half century, and his "ride" is a bicycle. That's right, he rides around New York photographing people on the street, and interpreting fashion trends from what he sees, from a bicycle. A very shy, unassuming personality has become one of the top 100 influences in fashion. Lives alone in New York, doing his daily photography for the paper, and if I'm not mistaken, with film. I have seen his column for years, but only understood the depth of his influence when I watched the documentary and learned of his style, recognition, and reclusive lifestyle. For example, he has had 28 bicycles stolen over the years, knows all of the major players in fashion, is respected for his eye, and recognized for his gift of seeing fashion on the street. Here is today's example.

So the other day, I decided to channel Bill and do some street photography and see what I came up with. I really shouldn't publish this blog, since it is disgustingly poor compared to Bill. Granted I stayed in one spot, but it ain't easy making sense out of what goes by. But the important thing, it was fun for a short period and a good exercise in observation.

 

 

 

 

Ok, it has no resemblance to the NY Times or Bill Cunningham's work, but people do wear coats when it's cold, add scarves, and even write their own words on their outerwear. Not conclusions that would have people running to buy or make a certain types of clothing. I may be poor at this but I did enjoy the active participation/sense of purpose in photographing people. Bill Cunningham is a rare bird in the ecosystem of photography, gifted in ways that are difficult to understand, driven to a pursuit that benefits others from his sheer talent. All in all, something very special.  And bye the way, blue jeans are in style.

It's 6AM and I'm Photographing the Golden Gate Bridge

Don Schremp, noted local photographer, had called me and said let's "do" the Marin Headlands. Now how many times have you seen photographs of the Golden Gate Bridge? Gag, gag, ugh! But Don's a great photographer so I thought, "what the hell might learn something", so I agreed. Now no small commitment,  since we are talking about an 0415 wake up time! The outcome of yesterday's shoot proves the point, you can never go back too many times to a great place because one of the characteristics of a great place, it gives you something different every time. And, it is always magic to be in the presence of a great place. Just remember, always, always, bring a camera. So here are some of the images of the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday morning beginning just before sunrise. I have already posted this one on Facebook, the first of many "looks".

 

A more traditional look, but a beautiful morning begins.

This one below is one of my favorites? Double click and you will see why. A boat crosses underneath the GG Bridge, heading out to sea. The Pacific Ocean is not friendly outside the GG, tough water. It gives you some perspective on the magnitude of this scene. Details like this determine the difference between a "pretty" picture and a great image.

 

The two images below are different renditions of a similar scene, the actual sun in the sunrise. These images are difficult, normally get a bit of lens flare, and require neutral density graduated filter.

In the second one, I stopped down for the sun but had enough light to bring out detail in Photoshop. This step is tricky since you are balancing the control of the sun not being too bright but the bridge can't be too dark so as to loose detail. Rather than attempt to do this in one image, I could have bracketed the scene, and merged with HDR or just painted in the from stacked layers. I did bracket several times but not for this one. I may post a bracketed image later, they are obviously more work in post processing.

 

I have more renditions of the morning on the Marin Headlands but thought I would post these while they are fresh. I used a Nikon D3s, a 24-70mm/2.8 lens and a 70-200mm/.2.8 lens. The graduated ND was Singh Ray and all of these are shot off a Gitzo Traveler Tripod with a cable release. The Gitzo Tripod is very small and the 70-200mm is the limit of what it can reasonably hold. In the early morning hours auto focus is difficult so I manually focused. I shot in manual, simply because I'm most comfortable in that mode. I did use a -.3 to one full stop of exposure compensation most of the time to control the impact of the light's dynamic range. In other words, I wanted it darker vs. overexposed and losing the detail. Dark(not to dark) means you can recover detail in Lightroom.

This is just the morning, from here to downtown San Francisco and more shooting including some interesting designs in photography along with another run in with the Occupy Wallstreet Gang as well as Mayor Lee. Ending the day shooting the Bay Bridge from a unique location, so stay tuned.

Gifts for the Photographer in your Life

I recorded a podcast giving some recommendations for the photographer in your life. The pricing ranges from expensive(relatively speaking) to inexpensive, hardware to books and software. I hope it is helpful in making useful decisions for your holiday purchases. All of the items can be studied on line, here are the useful website links:

VestedInterest.com

Amazon.com

Reallyrightstuff.com

BHphotovideo.com

onOnesoftware.com

Niksoftware.com

Adobe.com

In addition, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals has an excellent training platform which provides video tutorials on a wide variety of photographic subjects at a reasonable cost for the active learner.

To listen to the Podcast entitled "Gifts for the Photographer in your life" click on the link following this sentence(s) or in the side bar of this blog. Additionally you can find the Podcast in iTunes under Hold the Eye Images Podcasting.

 

Christmas Ideas for the Photographer in your life

 

Happy Holidays to All!

 

What to take on a Photo Safari in addition to rain gear?

In this podcast, I talk about what photo gear to pack and what bags to use on a Photo Safari. The joke of the podcast, I didn't mention rain gear. It can rain on you so pack light weight rain gear. The sun can be hot so head gear and something around your neck to keep you cool. I know, you will look like an old school TV jungle Jim or Jane but that's life. The other piece of gear is a "photo coat/vest" for carrying those small things or an extra lens.

I can't emphasize enough dust and the problems it can cause. Limiting any way you can the changing of lenses is important. BUT, not important enough to miss a shot for a clean sensor. Some things are important and some things are critical. APS sensor cameras help with telephoto lenses, so keep that in mind. 

Some people wear sandals but I recommend boots the entire time. Get a good light weight bird/animal book, study it before you go, pays off big time.

Finally keep a journal, think of 
Stanley or Livingston. I know I have forgotten something important, if you see it, just put in the comments section. Have a great time on your trip of a lifetime, stay safe, and become active in wildlife preservation. To listen to the podcast, click below, or in the right hand column of this blog. You can also find the blog in iTunes under Hold the Eye Images Podcasting.

What to take on a Photo Safari in addition to rain gear!

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.guragear.com/

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/

Todd-Pod

Wimberley Heads

Really Right Stuff

The California Trolley & Railroad Corporation?

Why the question mark, well what do they do? I spent some time Saturday with photographer Don Schremp figuring this out. The short answer, they volunteer their time to restore old trains. To be specific, they are restoring Locomotive 2479 in San Jose. They rely on donations and are very open to talking with photogs. You can find them at 2479 Healy Avenue in San Jose, California. How do two photographers approach a subject like this, well here it is. First let's look at Don's perspective;

Now here are my choices of images from the same location;

The point of this is not to have a competition, but to illustrate how photographers are attracted to different parts of a scene. Don is one of the best photographers I know at finding unique images almost anywhere. He is a walking learning experience, and very much fun to shoot with. He and I are planning a workshop on composition which should be fun for everyone including us. The blog is not to hype the workshop but to illustrate different "eyes".

One last image(s) which we collaborated on, since I'm the model. He had seen the first image and asked me to pose. Here is the outcome. I love this idea!

Now we talked through the following images, but he framed it so nicely.

And the next one is another variation.

These are images from a couple of photographers walking around. I did get one more normal image, sort of street photography, which I "grabbed".

I wrote this blog to illustrate two points. First, it's fun to shoot with fellow photographers, you will learn something, and it will expand your point of view. The key is to share the photos. Secondly, it is fun and instructive to shoot with different styles and points of view.

Photography is a matter of taste. There are rules, but in the end, we all strive for style and voice. By shooting with others, you benchmark your point of view, learn something, and make progress.

Remember, photography is a full contact sport so get out there and take some pictures!

A Man of Reflection, John Garcia

John Garcia played the Grand Dell Saloon last night. What I didn't know, was that the day of my interview(see the sidebar), his father died. His wife did not tell him, not wanting to interrupt the interview until he had left the studio. She filled me in last night. He put down his guitar after his father's death, and last night is the first time he has picked it back up. So last night was special, had an energy both from the band which was terrific, The John Garcia Band, and from the crowd. The first set lasted over 2 hours before a break, which is unusual. Here is my favorite image from the evening, which gave rise to the title of this blog.

John clearly had energy, wanted to crank it up and the crowd reacted!

They danced on the dance floor, and in every corner of the Grand Dell, and when John sang one of those old blues, love songs, well a picture is worth a thousand words.

And the band, they are something else. Wally Schnalle, jazz legend on drums.

Steve Smith on bass.

John Garcia is a bundle of energy, showmanship, talent, and blues chops. Everybody moves when he plays, and as he said when I interviewed him, the blues is more than playing the guitar or an instrument, it is attitude, experience, emotion, and feeling, put to music in such a way that the listener feels he is being spoken to. John Garcia spoke the blues last night! If you want to learn more about John, his blues journey, and his music, listen to the podcast which can be accessed on the right side of this blog.

12 Hours of Shooting today!

Three different things, fashion show early in the day, shooting in the studio with Don Schremp through the middle of the day, then with Bluesman John Garcia in the evening. I will just focus this piece on the fashion shoot. A local store Bettina's has an annual fashion show where Leslie, the owner, shows off the new fashions for the coming year. About 100 ladies attend, it is always in a top eatery, catered with plenty of lubrication and food. This year was no exception, she feeds everyone, then parades her models through describing the clothes, what is "hot", has plenty of "give aways", and then everyone is off to her shop for a sale before the season begins. Leslie is terrific at marketing and buying the right clothes although I profess to knowing very little about women's fashion.

The photography piece is sort of a "make do". Bye that I mean I scout the place with Leslie, I pick a place to shoot within the venue, set up lights and usually after they walk through the crowd, they stop off with me before changing into the next set of clothes. Today's venue was new and a bit crowded. The backdrop is really the curtain to the men's changing room and the staging area for the women. So it was a bit congested. Nonetheless, with a little lightroom magic, it looks fine. I used two Nikon SB900's, one high and to the right bounced from an umbrella and a second shot through an umbrella to light the background. Both were shot on manual not TTL. I used the camera F-stop to control the light. Both lights were triggered with pocket wizards. The camera was a Nikon D3s with a 24-70mm lens. Two issues cropped up, one the music was so loud, I could not really communicate with the models, and secondly, they stood in different places each time because they were in a hurry to change. They stopped only for one shot. I don't believe I have ever had a shoot of this nature without problems or issues of some sort. Something always crops up, but I go with the flow. My job is simple, "get the clothes". Remember these are not portraits of people but of clothes. But at least one of the models added a bit of spunk to the posing effort.

Some had killer poses!

Some were all the above, and having a lot of fun!

There are many more, so this is just a sample of the clothes and posing. One last image, that is in a category all by itself, directly from the changing room.

So I went from this event to the studio where I spent the rest of the day with photographer Don Schremp. Then, on to photograph Blues legend John Garcia who I interviewed a couple of weeks ago. I learned from his wife tonight that his Dad died the day of the interview, and his wife waited until the interview was over to tell him. Tonight is the first time he has played since the death of his father several weeks ago. He tore the house up! More on this later with photos.