Life Of Stew Photography

Explanation of the Basic mechanics of a camera, in 8 Glorious bits

stew — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:05:51 +0000

Photographer Matthew Gore put together this wonderful video for beginning photographers, it allows them to understand the mechanics of a camera in a visual way, since of course, photographers are visual people, Please check out the video and be sure to check out Matthew Gore’s website for some of his fine work.

[ Matthew Gore via Light and Matter via PetaPixel via Gizmodo ]

What should I use? 35mm? 50mm? 100mm? Focal lengths and Faces

stew — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:56:38 +0000

Often while working with beginning photographers I am asked the question, what lens is best? I always respond “The one that will allow you to make the image you want” Photography is all about choices and as my Photo professor used today, a true photographer doesn’t take pictures, they make pictures. When choosing a lens for a portrait we have many things to consider. but the one that should be at the top of our list is “What lens
will allow me to make the models face pleasing?” The human eye sees

between 50mm and 80mm so if you want the face to look “realistic” choose a lens in that range (Remember to take into account crop factor if you are shooting on a DSLR that has asmaller sensor, usually a 1.6x crop factor, if that is the case so multiply your focal length by your crop factor to get your true focal length) On the right are 3 images taken by photographer Stephen Eastwood using different focal lengths on the same model and the same light. Please check out the link for the technical info but take a look

at the 350mm photo, notice how the face is very flat, it is very flattering but the model takes on this almost too perfect look, whereas the same model shot with the 25mm looks almost Cruella de Ville -esque I have referred to this chart many times and have also sent others to look at this article as well

[Stephen Eastwood via PetaPixel]

Exposure off? well then evaluate this!

stew — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:40:19 +0000

Friends of old technology. The internet is just a wealth of information these days! I was digging around and found this nifty exposure value chart. Any photographer worth his salt knows about exposure values. and once we recall that aperture and shutter speed are directly related once we figure out the exposure value [EV] we can determine the best shutter speed or the best aperture for our exposure. With this handy dandy item you can quickly guesstimate your exposure. I have made one of these and it works pretty well. If you head on over to Squit Photo’s website be sure to check out both versions, the mini one is great to throw in the bag and the larger one is a bit easier to use.

[ Exposure Meter via Squit ]

Back on the film wagon

stew — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:10:38 +0000

Having another day off from my real job, I decided to bum around one of the local neighborhoods affectionately known as Maplehood [Maplewood] and I brought my trusty Hasselblad along with me. I dug out some old 120 film and decided to swing for the fences. I wandered up and down Manchester in search of textures and basically anything that caught my eye. I found a few interesting things, some weather worn wood on a bench (try saying that 10 times fast), an Old cracked and peeling fire hydrant and of course some wooden doors that had seen some wear. With my subjects being static I was able to really concentrate on exposure, focus and to a lesser extent composition. [I was really just trying to get my “Camera Hands” back since I had been shooting on a DSLR for such a long time. I am rather pleased with an interior shot from this restaurant called Boogaloo, A local Cuban, Caribbean, Cajun restaurant with some good food and swings at the bar. I was standing outside and the place was empty and they have what can only be described as a garage door for the front that they had opened up for the pleasant day. I am excited to scan that specific negative and see how it comes out, Judging from the contact sheet I am going to be happy with the result.

On to the Tech Specs
Equipment:
Camera: Hasselblad 500C/M 2.8 80mm T* lens with a Metering viewfinder
Film: 1 Roll Fuji Acros 100 film and 1 Roll Kodak 125PX film

Development:
Ilford Ilfosol 3 1:14 Dilution @ 68 degrees F

Back to the Film

stew — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:15:00 +0000

Having the day off, I decided to go back to my roots and break out my old Hasselblad film camera and shoot some medium format 120 Black and white film, as you can see by the contact sheet I didn’t move around too much, I was just getting a feel for my camera again.

Some Shooting notes
Film: Ilford FP4 ISO 125
12o Format
12 Exposures

Exposure:
Mostly 1/60th at F 5.6

Subject(s)
My wife and my Akita “Alaska”
Mostly Sunny day with clouds in the sky.

Development: in my kitchen sink.
Ilfosol at a ratio of 1:14 Developed for 5min at 75 degrees
Scanned as a whole sheet with an epson V700 Scanner with no adjustments

I am decently happy with this set. It is the first time in a long time that I have shot film and using the waist level viewfinder on my Hasselblad was a bit disorienting because everything is reversed and it takes a few minutes to remember that you have to move the camera in the opposite direction of what you see in the viewfinder. I hope to take it out again real soon and get some portraits. Until then…

Time Lapse makes you crazy

stew — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:12:28 +0000

Time Lapse photography is nothing new. for those that don’t know, it involves taking a series of pictures over a length of time and then compiling them together in a video format to show the gradual change of time. Recently photographers have taken this one step further, using rails and motors that can precisely control speed, they can introduce something into time lapse photography that used to be undesirable…. Movement, by being able to control the amount of movement between shots photographers have been able to create movements that are smooth and purposeful instead of random mistakes made by bumping the camera.

Washington Times Video Producer Drew Geraci, used this and other techniques combining over 35,000 individual images, to provide an awesome video taken over 7 months inside and abandoned state mental hospital. The result is reminiscent of cut scenes from the creepy video games that I used to play as a kid.

Opened in the early 1920s, the Asylum closed down and was abandoned decades ago. Rooms remain untouched – left as they were when the last of the employees departed. These buildings stand as a testament to the horrors and miss treatment that patients had to endure during the time of its operation.

Our 7 month journey into the Asylum led us on many adventures; from dodging security vehicles, ghostly figures and even a meth head. This is no place for the faint of heart. Asbestos blanketed every room we entered like new winter snow, so shooting was sometimes difficult.

[via PetaPixel via Gizmodo via Fstoppers ]

Make your DSLR like a camcorder…

stew — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:05:23 +0000

Let’s face it, DSLR cameras are awesome at what they are designed to do and that is shoot photos. The SLR camera has evolved into a body style that is designed to be held up to our eye, make the necessary adjustments then snap a photo. The results are amazing. Then one day Canon decided “Hey since we have a huge mega sensor, can we make this shoot video. The end results were stunning but it presented a problem for DSLR videographers. “How do i hold it, adjust it and shoot with it at the same time?

The DSLR video rig was born, but it is often an expensive rig that takes the relativly compact size of the DSLR and straps it onto a larger frame.

Enter the HandiZoom

it is this nifty little gadget that will attach onto your DSLR and give you back your control that you were used to using with a Prosumer camcorder. its still in development phase but I think that once it is out there, it will fill that gap that aamature/prosumer DSLR videographers are falling into.

HandiZoom from VizTools

[Via PetaPixel]

DSLR Quadracopter

stew — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:39:03 +0000

Yes you read that correctly… A couple of guys have mounted a DSLR to a quadracopter drone and have used it to get some awesome arial footage on the cheap. All together depending on the DSLR that you put in (This was shot with a canon t2i) you could have a near pro quality rig for small scale arial footage for under $3000.00 (more if you drop a high quality DSLR on the rig)

pretty amazing and it really opens up the story telling possibilities for the Indi filmmakers..

Story [HeliPOV via Gizmodo]

Freelance doesn’t mean free

stew — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:18:44 +0000

Over the past few years I as well as many other freelance professionals have heard it all.

We don’t have a budget.
we were hoping you could do (job duties) and we would pay you next time
This is a good portfolio building experience for all of us.
Could you show us how you did this?

This presents a problem for us, on one hand it is a job, income, and a chance to produce. On the other hand, it is an insult to our talent and our profession.

So where is the line?
For me, each job comes down to 3 components:

Is the client good (are they going to be a pleasure to work with?

Does the job have good compensation?

Will I be producing any portfolio quality work?

For me to accept any job at least 2 of the 3 aforementioned criteria have to be met. If I am doing portfolio quality work and the pay is good, then the client can be difficult. If the work is portfolio quality and the client is awesome then maybe this job is for free.

The biggest thing to remember is if you don’t assign value to your work then your client will not value your product.

Below is an example of what would happen in the non freelance world if our clients tried to pull some of the stuff they try with us

Portraits getting all Street up in here…

stew — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:57:44 +0000

lets face it, Portrait photography either is or isn’t in your comfort zone. If it is, you usually shoot in controlled conditions or at least know your subject. If it isnt, well, you fumble around and hope you get something that is usable. We all have levels of comfort when we are working with others, our goal as portrait photographers should be to be as comfortable as possible, because as we all know, if you are comfortable then your subject will be comfortable.

In order to achieve this level of comfort we must push our comfort zone beyond what we normally do. to dothis, I ran across a great article on PhotoJoJo about impromptu street photography. -

Just follow these simple steps!

Select a neighborhood. (The more unfamiliar the better!)

Find a photo partner to accompany you on your mission.

Bring: camera, lenses, notebook, pen, paper, masking tape, a seasonally appropriate form of barter (candy canes, candy hearts, candy corn, etc.)

Run to nearest drug store and buy brightly colored poster board. We chose yellow, but grab whatever is in stock. It’s usually about $1 per sheet. Buy 2, one to make a sign and one as a back drop. Or, get creative, and set up multiple back drops.

Setup on a busy block or corner and act like a car salesman would. Chat with all who pass by–the young, the old, the serious, the jovial. (Tips: Just strike up a conversation! Where are they from? Where are they going? How do they feel? Where did they get that hat? Do they like candy canes?)

Ask each subject to stand in front of the posterboard at a pose of their choice. Meanwhile, take down their name and email address as well as any idiosyncratic facts.

Shoot until you run out of candy or the sun goes down.

The result? A series of great and varied portraits from the street, many great conversations, and a number of new friends. Try it out!

Doing this will push your comfort zone beyond what you are used to and force you to interact with people that you normally wouldn’t. all leading you to be a better photographer.

How to shoot Impromptu Street Portraits via PhotoJoJo