Equipment

What’s are the three most important pieces of equipment for available light, performance photography? Fast glass. Fast glass. And, more fast glass.

It’s that easy. In low or changing light, it’s best to use fast glass. Both Alan and Scott try to shoot lenses no slower than F/2.8. Each carries at least one lens in the F/1.4-1.8 range. So do I.

Why? Because we face a dilemma when shooting in low light. We want to get a proper exposure without running the risk of capturing a lot of noise. Although there have been great improvements in the ability of our chips to capture data in low light while limiting the amount of noise, the general rule of thumb — the higher the ISO the more noise, generally proves true.

Here’s the challenge: the three variables that control the amount of light to reach our sensor are: ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. Because we are shooting hand held, often with long lenses and subjects that move, most of us want to shoot higher shutter speeds; Scott and Alan often shoot at 1/250. For sports and color guard performances (where they toss flags, rifles and sabers), I often start at 1/500. These faster shutter speeds are a must.

And, to avoid noise, with even the best cameras, most people want to shoot at ISO 1600, or less (although with the newer cameras, people are getting good results at ISO 6400).

So, starting with a fast shutter speed, and constrained by the ISO, the best way to avoid noise and get more light to the sensor is with a fast lens. An aperture of F/2.8 lets four times more light reach the sensor than an aperture of F/5.6. Assume for the moment that we can get a proper exposure at 1/250, F/2.8, ISO 800. To get that same exposure using a lens at F/5.6, we would have to bump the ISO to 3200. That’s a huge difference — one that with many sensors will introduce serious noise.

Zoom lenses play an important role. I wasn’t surprised to find that Scott and Alan, both Nikon shooters as am I, carry the same lenses I take to most performance shoots, the 24-70 F/2.8,  and the 70-200 F/2.8. In addition, we usually carry a faster prime lens — I carry the 50 F/1.8 which is an incredible bargain and can be purchased for less than $150. Sometimes, to capture something different, I carry my 16mm FishEye which is also a F/2.8.

Why the zooms? Because, when we are stuck in one place and cannot move to or from our subjects we rely on the zoom lenses  to frame our images. In the studio or in a space I control, I choose where on the lens I want to be, and walk to and from my subject to frame it. That does not work during performance photography. Zooms are helpful.

But, fast zoom glass, though nice, is not essential. The best camera and lenses to use are the cameras and lenses you own. Some of my best shots were made with my Canon G11 point and shoot; in fact, it’s so good that I sometimes carry it as a back-up instead of my Nikon D2x. Want to shoot performances? Do it. Don’t let your perceived lack of equipment discourage you.

And, fortunately, there are post-production/processing work arounds for equipment imposed limitations. For example, there is some excellent noise reduction software that is quite effective; I use both Imagenomic’s Noiseware and NIK’s Dfine.

Another technique I share with Scott and Alan is to “take advantage” of noise by converting to black and white. Voila! The noise becomes “grain” and gives the image a nostalgic, old world “film look”. There are a lot of great ways to convert to black and white. My favorite is Silver Efex Pro 2.

What you carry in your bag will be defined by your style. Unlike Scott and Alan, I carry two meters, a Sekonic 758, and a Sekonic C500R Color Meter. I’ll talk about using both in a moment. The key is to travel light and self contained; everything should fit on our back or belt. Large, dark, crowded venues are not the place to leave unattended gear cases.

My favorite equipment tip from Alan? Carry ear plugs — lots of them — ear damage is an occupational risk for concert photographers. Why lots of them? Alan makes friends of his fellow photographers AND the security folks by passing them out. Hard not to like a guy who comes with “freebies”. (Actually, Alan and Scott are two of the most likeable guys I’ve met on the “photo teaching circuit”; both are self-effacing and unassuming. It’s hard not to like them and I think that goes a long way in their getting and maintaining access.)

The oddest thing I carry?  Knee pads. Often, we have to stay low, on our knees, to stay out of the spectators’ line of sight. Do that for a few hours, or in the case of a tennis tournament for several days, and you will hurt. The pads may look dorky — but it’s hard to make a fashion statement draped in camera gear, anyway.

So much for what we carry — let’s talk about how we use it.

Step 1. Location Scout — Locking In On The Lighting

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. — John Wooden

Be it in a studio or on location, we all share a common goal — to get a perfect exposure, one that captures what we are seeing with our eyes. It’s a lot easier to do in the studio where we can control all of the variables. It’s much more difficult to do on location where we cannot.

So, to close the preparation gap, when possible, I scout a location before a shoot. Be it a stadium, church, auditorium or club, I want to know as much about the lighting as I can — particularly the quantity, quality, location and color temperatures of the sources of light.

More often than not, these venues  do not create  lighting schemes for each performance. They tend to have preset lights in place that they modify in intensity and change with gels and some times diffusion. By switching lights on and off, they control which parts of the stage are lit. However, there are situations where there is no one “switching” between lights — and the lighting pattern at the start of the performance is the same pattern that exists for the entire performance. Or, the exact opposite may occur; the lights may be programmed to randomly change, in every way — intensity, quality, color and duration. In either situation, with a couple of steps a performer can move out of the light, completely, or the light can change so significantly that we must adjust our exposures or lose the shot.

My protocol is simple: I draw the location, put symbols to represent the lights — their location, type (including color temperature for white balance purposes) and intensity. I also note how the light sources are modified — be it by barn doors, gels or diffusion.

To check the quantity of the light,  I use my light meter to take a series of readings — I walk across the stage, metering every couple of feet, marking my diagram to indicate every spot in which the light either increases or decreases by a full stop; if I cannot get onto the stage, I use the spot metering function of my Sekonic L-758 to grab my readings from a distance; the “spot meter” gives me a “reflective”  as opposed to the preferred “incident” reading. (“Reflective” reads the light bouncing off the subject and is less accurate than an “incident” reading which reads the light before it hits the subject. The meters inside of our cameras take reflective readings. So, one might do a scout metering with the camera — but it is a lot more difficult to get precise, consistent readings that way.)

To assess the quality of the light, I look at the modifiers; diffusion will soften it, bare bulbs will throw hard light, the closer the light to the subject, the broader the shadow transition line. More often than not, there is little or no diffusion on the lights; and, the light placement is controlled with something like barn doors which stay constant throughout the performance.

The next thing I do is figure out the White Balance setting for the shoot. This is usually the greatest challenge. Many venues mix light sources — we find tungsten, halogen and fluorescent and daylight all in the same space. This is particularly true in churches and reception halls. There are a couple of things I do to minimize the risk of color cast.

I take a reading with my Sekonic C-500R. This is by far the best way to deal with the situation. The meter gives me a specific color temperature reading, in degrees Kelvin. I then set a “custom white balance” in my camera to that number. Perfect.

Uh, except for the great Photoshop Gotcha. We cannot assume that Photoshop recognizes the Kelvin temperature settings we use in our cameras — either those that use a preset or those that use “custom” readings. For Nikon shooters, there appears to be a discrepancy at every setting. Nikon’s “Flash” setting is 5400K. When I use Photoshop, it opens those images in the 6000K range. It’s not a big deal; I simply batch correct all of the images to 5400; but if you don’t know to do that, you will have a color cast when none should exist. (As one might expect, Nikon’s own Capture NX2 reads the files, perfectly, and opens the images to the exact Kelvin setting used.)

If I can’t get a meter reading, I try to take a reference shot using a Gray Card or an X-Rite Color Checker Passport. This gives me an accurate starting point for post production. (And, when I can’t do that, either, in post production I’ll use teeth or the whites of eyes to set the WB point.)

OK, I’m a bit anal. I over prepare which may be especially foolish because I cannot control ANY of the variables I’m researching. But, it gives me confidence and, when necessary,  helps me make informed guesses.

Stadiums and gyms add another wrinkle.

When shooting sports, outdoors, in the early fall, we usually start in daylight and then must make the transition to artificial light when the sun goes down. For a time during the transition, we are in a mixed lighting situation — and, as the light changes, we have to adjust our settings accordingly.

Indoors, I’ve been running into some odd, off the chart lights — like those I found in a new, beautiful, high school gym in Bryant, Texas. Looking up at them, one would swear that they were tungsten bulbs. But, they were not. And, that became clear when I looked at images shot in “bursts”; adjoining images had different color casts. When the camera was set at “tungsten”, none looked good. So, out came the C-500R. I got a series of readings, all around 4150K. The set my D3 to 4170 for the shoot, which was the closest I could come. And, I shot bursts — figuring that some in each sequence would be right. It proved to be a good move. When I got home, I did some research on 4150K and found out that the lights were Xenon Arc’s — and that they “cycled” between two adjacent color temperatures at a very fast rate. With my custom setting, in post-production my starting point was close enough to make all of the images useful. Bottom Line: We cannot assume things are what they appear to be; there are all kinds of new, “green” lights out there and we’ll have to learn how to master them.

A. Virtual Scouting — We don’t always have the time or opportunity to do on site location research. Fortunately, there are great Internet resources to allow us to scout with our computers. One of my favorite online communities — The Texas Photo Forum — has a section in which lists gyms and playing fields and photographers set forth the type of lighting and conditions one can expect on a shoot. I’m sure similar resources exist elsewhere.

B. Thou Shalt Honor the Lighting Director’s Artistic Vision — In his Kelby Training session, Scott Diussa makes a very important point: Our job is to work to maximize the impact of the lighting director’s artistic vision. Our job is not to overpower or neutralize it. If the lighting scheme calls for a purple cast, our job is to get an exposure that best reflects that purple cast. Our job is not to neutralize it or replace it with a choice of our own — which we can easily do with camera settings or post-production.

(To me, it’s like a client taking one of my images into Photoshop and changing it. That may not bother some people, but it bothers me. That’s why I don’t “sell” my images, I “license” them; and, my licensing agreement makes clear that my images are not to be altered, in any way, without my written permission.)

At the end of the day, we are trying to get a perfect exposure. I find that I do a better job when I am well prepared, and scouting is a part of that preparation.

Winter Guard Concert: PrairieFire Productions, Inc. © 2010

Perhaps, the most difficult venue I’ve photographed was the stage upon which Jenny’s Winter Guard gave its annual performance. There just was not enough light. And, what light existed lit only very few small portions of the stage. This was one of those times where a performer would go from light to dark in a couple of steps. To make matters worse, group shots were almost impossible because some of the group members were in the black hole while others were lit. Why was it like this? Because the lighting was set to maximize the performance, not my photography. The performers were tossing things into the air; they had to look up to catch them and did not want to be blinded by the lights. To the audience, it looked great. And, that’s what mattered. Me? I got enough shots to fill in their yearbook.

Some times, that’s the best we can do.

Step 2. Camera Settings

A. Shoot RAW

This seems to be a universal practice amongst all sports and performance shooters. RAW gives us the ability to use post-production to overcome the limitations discussed above.

B. Exposure Mode

There are many people who choose to shoot in one of the Priority Modes — Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority. By doing so, they use the computing power in the camera to try to get a perfect exposure.

In low light situations, in an attempt to maximize the light to the sensor, many shoot in Aperture Priority mode; they set the camera to the greatest aperture the lens affords and tell it “Never stray. Stay here, no matter what”. And, the camera will. The risk in this setting? To get a shot in very low light, the camera will have to go to a very slow shutter speed — one that cannot be successfully hand held — thereby resulting in movement and out of focus shots.

Scott, Alan and I shoot in Manual Mode. We choose our shutter speed and aperture; they remain constant until we change them; the responsibility is ours, not the camera’s.

Our starting settings are discussed above. Scott and Alan are so good at doing this that they can get their initial settings by instinct and experience. They will look at the situation, tweak the shutter and aperture settings, shoot a frame or two, and then tweak again to optimize the exposure.

I’m not that good. I start with a meter reading from my diagram.

In manual mode, when the lighting changes — either because a performer moves to a darker or brighter spot, or because the lights themselves change —  we have to start twisting dials. To maintain proper exposure, we change either the shutter, the aperture, or both. With experienced shooters like Alan and Scott, this is fluid and seamless. It’s more difficult for me; I’m embarrassed to say that in the heat of the moment I’ve moved the wrong dial, or the right dial in the wrong direction; I am haunted by a series of flag performance images of Jenny, shot during a half time performance, that were so underexposed as to be unsalvageable, because I moved the aperture dial in the wrong direction.

There are a couple of “cheats” that help those of us who shoot in Manual Mode but are at risk of making mistakes.

First, even though we are in control of the camera, the internal meter continues to function. We can glance at it to make sure our settings are not too far off. To use it effectively, I set the camera to the “spot metering mode”; if I want to take a quick reading make sure to meter the face of the performer.

And, second, my favorite “cheat” — setting the camera to use manual settings while activating Auto ISO. As we’ve discussed, there are three variables we can use to get a perfect exposure — Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO. Most of the time, while shooting in manual, the ISO remains constant. We usually choose a value that gives us the greatest sensitivity while minimizing the risk of noise. Alan and Scott start with a very safe ISO in the 1600-2000 range.  I do, too.

However, in situations where I’ve not scouted, or in situations when I know that the light intensity will vary beyond a range I can control with shutter and aperture adjustments, I’ll use Auto ISO. In essence, I tell the camera to internally adjust the ISO to get a proper exposure using my selected shutter and aperture settings. In some ways, this is a “priority mode”; the camera can take some control away from me. But, I see it as an Negative Priority Mode. I’m telling the camera, “I don’t care about ISO, do what you want, but leave my shutter and aperture alone.” In the Nikon, I can limit the camera’s discretion. I can tell it that it cannot adjust ISO above a chosen setting — for me usually 6400.

Using Auto ISO has risks. One must be diligent because, like pure manual mode, we have set limits and unless we adjust them, when exceeded, we will not get proper exposures. And, if we set the ISO range too high, we will be be capturing noise. But, I don’t worry about noise. My noise reduction software takes care of it.

C. White Balance

Although most shooters, like Alan, use Auto White Balance, I do not. I prefer to use a Custom setting, as discussed above; if I cannot get a custom reading, I use the Programmed setting that most closely matches the source; most often, that is a “tungsten” setting. In the newer cameras, Auto White Balance does a very good job. However, I do not use it because one of my favorite instructors, Jim DiVitale, taught me that it is easier and more effective to correct the white balance of a batch of images all shot at the same color temperature than it is to run a batch process when all of the images have been shot in Auto — at different temperatures. Auto works and it’s easy. I’m stubborn. I never use Auto.

D. Continuous Servo Auto Focus Mode — Spot or Dynamic

There is a lot of movement in performance photography. Our subjects rarely stand still. Therefore, most of us use the Continuous focus mode. Once we initiate the focus mechanism (either with the shutter button or a programmable button on the camera), when the subject moves, the camera follows it and tries to keep it in focus.

Depending on the amount of movement, we have to decide how big an area we want the camera to read in establishing focus. We can use a Spot, or a Dynamic area. If the subject is somewhat still, or does not move too erratically or far, spot works well. If there will be greater movement, we can use more focus points in what Nikon calls a “Dynamic Area”.  Autofocus on modern cameras works so well that I don’t think the choice between spot or dynamic is critical in what we do.

E. Continuous Release Mode — Shooting Bursts

When I first started shooting sports, I had a film camera without an auto advance mechanism. I learned to shoot a camera the same way I learned to shoot a gun. One shot at a time. Aiming carefully, taking a deep breath, becoming still and at one with my tool of choice — making each shot count.

When I switched to my first digital camera, I retained my one-at-a-time shooting style. What a dolt. The failure to take advantage of the ability to shoot bursts, when appropriate, was just plain dumb. (And, a bit arrogant. I used to look down my nose at photographers who, at sporting events, were shooting bursts with so many frames that I thought they were shooting movies. My thought: if you can’t get it in frame with one frame, you don’t belong here. Arrogant. And, very wrong.)

Shooting bursts allows us to capture the nuance and subtlety that are the essence of an artistic performance. Things change in portions of a second and burst let us capture them.

For sports and color guard, I set my camera to shoot what Nikon calls “Continuous High Speed” (Ch on the dial) at 9 frames per second.

However, just because I can shoot 9fps, does not mean I use them all. I’m at my best when I use my film camera/gun training and use the trigger sparingly and carefully.

Final Thought: The most important thing to take on a performance shoot?

The answer is simple: Reasonable Expectations.

With so many variables beyond our control, it is unreasonable to expect that all or most of our frames will be keepers. They won’t be. And, we should not feel bad because of that.

The truth is that most of the great photographers I know throw a lot of images away. We see their work in magazines or winning contests and we assume that all of their images always turn out right. They don’t.

The key is to continually push ourselves to learn and get better — to increase our ratio of “keepers”. And, to never let unreal expectations take the fun out of what we do.

Thriller (©PrairieFire Productions, Inc. 2009)

This image was shot under some terrible conditions — strong backlight and movement made finding a shooting angle difficult. But, it is the strong backlight that makes the image.Images on either side of this one were not useable. But, this one was and, on that night, that was good enough for me.

But Wait! There’s More!

Kelby Media Group has graciously given me permission to incorporate a portion of one of the segments from  Alan and Scott’s Concert Photography course. I chose this sample because it represents a few of the things that make these guys such great teachers: (1) they are practical and to the point; (2) their images rock; and (3) they are really nice guys. I’ve watched these lessons a few times and have learned quite a bit from them. This is copyrighted material, to be used for personal use and not to be distributed in any way.

Note: Depending on the speed of your computer connection to the ‘net, you may want to allow a moment for the video to load before playing it; with slower connections, it will stop and “buffer” while streaming, only  to start up again; I find this very frustrating and prefer to wait until I can see that at least a third has loaded before I Double Click the arrow button.

Thanks, Kelby Media for allowing me to show this.

Note: My screen shots are captured in IShowU HD Pro. I tried several programs that capture screen action and found that this was both easy to use and offered  more bang for the buck. Although I have a YouTube channel, I don’t publish most of my  videos. I make a lot of them to capture “odd” things I’m doing in post production  so that if I later, if have a grey moment and can’t recall how I did something, I have a video that shows me each step. I’ll do a full review of iShowU, and explain more about why I got it, in an upcoming post.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2011)

Theme from Mission Impossible playing in the background. Cut to a pair of hands taking a cassette tape out of an envelope and placing it in a tape deck. (For those of you too young to remember  what a cassette tape is, it was the predecessor of the CD and DVD). Bring down the music and cut to reveal that we are in a photography studio. We see the photographer push the playback button. As the wheels on the cassette turn, we hear:

“Good morning, Photographer. Imagine a situation where you cannot control the placement, amount or intensity of the light, where you cannot add to or modify what is there. Imagine mixed light sources that are constantly changing colors — a white balance and capture nightmare. Imagine a very limited space from which to shoot — in a place so crowded you cannot move. And, imagine subjects that are moving quickly in a very dynamic situation; what you want to capture will happen once, and then, in a moment, it will be gone; there will be no retakes or do overs; get it right or go home. Imagine rigorous time limits enforced by troops known as Security. And, finally, imagine the ultimate restriction — do not interfere, in any way, with what is going on around you, or block anyone’s view or enjoyment of the proceedings.”

Cut Away to Tight Shot of Tape Recorder

“Your mission, Photographer, should you decide to accept it — is to capture a performance. As always, should you or any of your crew fail, you will be up S. Creek without a paddle. Good luck. This tape will self destruct in ten seconds.”

Cut Away to a Shot of the Tape Recorder Going Up in Smoke

Performance Photography — The Common Challenges

A while back, I set out to learn about “concert photography” — that magic blend of passion and energy that explodes when band meets photographer. I took some classes at Photoshop World from two of the genres best, Alan Hess and Scott Diussa, interviewed Alan personally, and watched their superb series of lessons on Kelby Training.

What did I learn? That the challenges they face are no different than those I face when I photograph sports, or when I did my daughter’s band and color guard performances. In fact, they are the same challenges many of us face in doing everyday events like dance, theater and weddings. In essence, we are capturing live performances — in venues that, though they may differ, share the same issues.

Of course, it’s those issues that get the adrenaline flowing, that get our hearts beating, that put us into “fight or flight mode” — that make this type of photography both exciting and rewarding. Doing it right is a rush, and that’s why most of us do it.

And, as Alan and Scott point out, most of the people doing it are in it for the “rush” for their love of music, for their passion for photography — because very few can make a living at it. The economics just don’t work. But, that’s an article for another time.

Drawing on my own experience and what I’ve learned from Alan and Scott, I thought I’d work through some of those challenges and write about strategies for dealing with them.

Getting In

When shooting performances, access is everything. Getting in. Getting the right to shoot. Getting the right to use our images. Those are the first challenges we face.

Although they differ by genre and venue, there are some common issues.

First, be it a concert, club, or athletic performance, to get to into the photo pit, or on the field, you need someone’s permission — usually in the form of a “pass”.

A. To get a concert pass, Alan and Scott tell us to look to the performers, the owners of the venue, and/or the publicists for both. With professional sports like football, I’ve gotten my passes through the teams. With auto racing, the teams and sanctioning bodies. With high school sports or performances, the passes, in my area, are controlled by the school districts — although the initial contacts are made through the schools teams or bands; getting to  know the coach, the band director, or someone on the staff is often the first step in getting a pass. Don’t know anyone? Make an appointment, introduce yourself, and show some of your images.

Some times, it’s easy to get a pass. Some performers and venues are flattered. Often, they will barter access for prints. The smaller the venue, the less known the performers, the greater the chance of getting our first chance to shoot.

B. Because “press pass” access is so cool, and so many people want it, with bigger events, it’s often much more difficult to get a pass. Big events have “press coordinators” who dole out a limited number of credentials to those who can prove they are “professional”. And, they don’t define professional by reference to the quality of our work. They want “working press”  – photographers whose images are being “published” in some recognized media — be it a newspaper, magazine, a stock photo house, or a strong online presence. Often, their applications for a pass require a letter from the media outlet for whom we are shooting.

It’s Catch 22. To shoot a concert or event, you need a publisher. And, you can’t get a publisher until you’ve shot enough concerts and events to prove your mettle.

PrairieFire Productions, Inc. © (2007)

I faced that challenge when I wanted to shoot The United States Men’s Clay Court Championships at a local tennis venue. The application for a pass was rigorous — I had to have a letter from the editor of a publication that was “commissioning” my work. Hmm. OK, the Houston Chronicle had a staff full of photographers; they wouldn’t need me. The tennis magazines used the same people tournament after tournament. So did the strong online tennis sites. None of them were going to sponsor me. I was having a hard time figuring out who was.

One night, the answer showed up on my front lawn — in the form of a “throw away” newspaper. You, know, the kind that deal with local stuff and a lot of advertising. The kind that we normally put on the recycling pile without first reading it. But, this time I opened it up and noticed that it had a sports page. Local school sports but sports none the less.

So, I called the sports editor and made him a deal he could not refuse. If he would sponsor me, I’d give him a license to use whatever images I shot — but I’d keep the copyright. It was a good deal for both of us; he got images he’d not normally get and I got in and got to keep my copyright. We met, I showed him a portfolio of tennis shots I had captured, over the years, as a “spectator”. (The access to practice sessions is often unlimited. Those times are great for capturing some portfolio shots.)

The sports editor signed on. With his support I filled out my application. The tournament sponsor demanded some “sample shots”, too. I guess mine were good enough. I got my pass. And, based upon my work at that tournament, I got a pass for the next one, too.

I got access to shoot for the Texans by working as an assistant to one of their regular free lancers. He generously told me to bring my camera and encouraged me to shoot with him. I gave him my images and he turned them over to the Texans. Why did I give him my images? Because, this was his job; I was not going to compete with him in any way; I was there and shooting because he was being generous. A year later, he could not make a game and suggested they use me; unfortunately, I had a scheduling conflict. But, they know who I am and where I am should they ever need me, again.

The bottom line is that for many of us, getting that first press pass is the toughest challenge we will face. Our photography is good. We just need the access to the events that will take us to the next level. Two things got me where I wanted to go: a portfolio of the types of images I wanted a credential to shoot; and, finding an “off the beaten path” sponsors willing to work with me to our mutual advantage.

Want to break in — get those first portfolio shots? Don’t forget small clubs, high school bands,  minor league or high school sporting events. They are a great place to develop skills and techniques.

I learned more about shooting performances by shooting under the Texas Friday Night Lights than I had shooting pro-football, big time auto racing, or the tennis tournaments. My access? My kid. For four years, Jen marched with the Memorial High School Band or performed with the Color Guard. They were thrilled to have me capturing their performances. Over those years, I shot thousands of images — learned to conquer the lighting issues, learned to cope with the speed with which things moved around me, and learned to hone my post production processing so as to do it right, quickly. And, there was something very special about being there. As good as the movie and TV series were — and they were very good — Friday Nights in Texas are bigger than life. You really have to experience it to understand it. And, if you can experience it, you should.

Staying In

So, now we’re in the door. How do we stay in? Three things — follow the rules, play nice, and use common sense.

Every pass comes with a set of rules. Depending on the venue and/or event, we are usually told where we can be, how long we can be there, what we can shoot, and how we can use the images.

A. It appears that the concert photographers like Scott and Alan are the most severely restricted. First, and foremost is the “3 song rule” — the rule that says “You can shoot the first three songs of the concert and then you must pack up and leave.” This rule is not always in effect — but it usually is. What it means is simple — you shoot the first three songs of the concert, pack up and leave. You do not try to stretch the time limit by one note. If you do, security will usually remove you and you will get a reputation that makes it difficult to get another pass.

Copyright: Alan Hess Photography (2011) -- Thanks Alan

When you are shooting a sports event, there are almost always strict “location” restrictions that keep you a set distance away from the playing field or, in auto racing, places on the track where you can and cannot be. Strict location rules are enforced for two reasons — first and foremost safety (yours and the players) and, second, protecting the audience’s view of the event. Similar rules apply in concert venues where photographers share a “pit” — a small area right in front of the stage.

B. Another strict rule — we can only shoot “available light”. No flash. No enhancement. Camera only. The reason is obvious — yet I’ve seen people using flashes shot directly at players’ eyes; fortunately, most are shot from distances so great that, with the “fall off” of light, they have no impact on the players (or the image). Mounting a flash on your camera usually sends the message “I don’t belong here” a message that will get one noticed and excluded. (That does not mean you should leave your flash at home — just don’t use it during the performance. If you get lucky enough to be invited back stage, or end up covering a press conference or interview, you may be able to use it.)

C. A “Gotcha”: We cannot assume that we own the images we shoot. Or, that we can do as we please with them. Alan and Scott make clear that to get access to shoot a concert, many photographers sign away all of their intellectual property rights to the images. And, sometimes the restrictions are more severe. It is possible to shoot a concert and walk away completely empty handed — without an image to post on one’s own website. So, it is essential to read all of the documents that are associated with getting the permit and to understand the promises you are making. Because, those promises are a binding contract.

Want to own the copyright and/or have images to use? Often, the smaller venues and less known performers do not have the more restrictive agreements. In those cases, we can use our own “releases” to create the relationships.

It is very important that we not confuse the right to “access” with the “releases” we need to use the images of people or places. The right to be there is different from the right to exploit the images. The person who controls the “pass” does not always control the performer, player, or audience members’ right to the exploitation of their person. Sometimes, the players/performers sign releases to the promoters who can assign them to us. Other times, they don’t. And, those crowd shots that we love? We may need releases to exploit them. Buying a ticket or attending a performance does not always constitute a release for our purposes.Finally, the club owners may have a right to control the exploitation of images of the venue. Actually, the right to privacy and to control the use of one’s image or property is a topic far beyond this post. But, I wanted to raise the topic. We all have to think about it and seek the proper advice before we start publishing our images shot at events.

D. So much for the formal rules. Perhaps, the greatest rule is Play Nice. Cooperate with the other people shooting the event. Scott and Alan make clear the concert ethic — work around people without interfering AND once you get your shot, move so that others can get the access and angle they need. One of the great things on their video is a segment where we see the almost dance like “choreography” as they photographers seamlessly work around each other — each moving to open a spot for another.

Nothing says “Amateur” more than someone who just grabs a spot and hogs it for the entire performance. One of my favorite Texas sayings: “Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.” This is a cooperative effort. If we are hogs, if we do not cooperate and play nice — we won’t get a chance to make the effort again.

Another part of “playing nice” is to make sure we do not become a part of, or interfere with, the event.

Inadvertently, I’ve stumbled a bit here. Jen’s band was in a district competition. I shot the “dress rehearsal” which was being recorded on audio tape. I tried to be as unobtrusive as I could. I found a spot that put me out of the line of sight of the kids and their teacher. I had my long lens — so I was an appropriate distance so as not to block the audience’ view. But, I didn’t look up. I should have. Because 5′ above my head was a one of the recording microphones. A chagrined Jenny told me during the break before their real performance: “Daddy, we can hear your shutter on the tape!” Ugh! My bad. Learned my lesson — whenever I’m shooting in an environment with recording equipment, I look for the microphones and stay away from them.

And, then there was the time that I was out on the field during the band and guard’s half time performance. Jenny told me that I got in the way of the drum line and made them break formation by a step to get around me. I did not make that mistake, again, either. How did I avoid it? Research.

Research and Preparation:

One of the strongest points that Alan and Scott make is that we have to do our homework.

They listen to the band they will be shooting — know the music, and how it is performed. They watch videos, read interviews, do whatever they can to totally understand how the songs will be played and how the stage will be used. One of the things I found most fascinating about their lessons was the detail to which they go to set themselves up to use those three songs productively. By knowing the music, they will know where a guitar player’s hands will be during a riff — which will often allow them to get a coveted “two hand” shot. The microphone is the enemy of most concert shooters. It blocks the face or casts ugly shadows. But, they’ve learned that some singers pull away from the mic when they hold long notes — a great time to get that close head shot; knowing when the long held notes will come, they are in position and ready to get the shot. How do they get so much done within the short time period delimited by the “three song rule”? Research and preparation. They know what they want and when they are likely to get it.

After my “Daddy! You made the drum line move!” event, I started doing the same thing. I had Jenny teach me the choreography — where people would be and when. From that point on, every time I stepped on that field with my camera I knew exactly what I wanted to get and where I could go to get it WITHOUT interfering with the performance. I got better shots and Jenny got to relax.

In a like manner, we have to prepare to shoot sports. It’s not by happenstance that the same photographers always seem to get the “money shots”. It’s preparation. They know their sports and the people who play them. On a tennis court, there are very limited places where we can sit or kneel to shoot. Knowing the players, whether they play a “net” or “baseline” game makes a huge difference. On most race tracks, there are very few places where cars can actually pass each other; to capture the excitement of that competition, one must be able to get those places in the frame. In football, knowing what a team is likely to do on a 3rd and 5 will improve the odds of getting a great shot. But, even with the best preparation, there is still a great bit of luck involved in being in the exact right place at the right time. Preparation narrows the risks but does not guarantee a result. But, I’ll go along with one of my trial lawyer friends who likes to say “Isn’t it funny that the people who prepare the most are always the “luckiest”.

Because this post is running long, I’m breaking it into two parts. Part II will focus on equipment and lighting issues. To get to Part II, click here.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2011)

The basic concept was simple — to show that contrary to what glossy magazines and movies may tell us, beauty does not necessarily bring happiness. And, that for some, external beauty can be a trap because it blinds many an eye to the internal picture that really defines who we are.

I had been carrying the concept around for quite a while. It was in my “self assignment” list, a notebook I keep with ideas for shoots. I first started focusing on giving myself assignments while attending Photoshop World. During The Art of Digital presentation, I saw many of the world’s great photographers showing the results of their ventures into uncharted waters. I realized then that in order to grow I had to challenge myself to go off the beaten path to create images that were not a part of my every day creative life. For me, everything starts with a “story”. So, in my notebook, I started to outline a bunch of different shoots — some stories stimulated by moods, others by music, the news or whatever was running through my my head. And, I waited for the ideas to ripen.

A few key fortuitous events pushed this concept to fruitiion.

First, was an episode of American Idol — the only episode of that show I’ve ever watched. It was on a disk of shows I was watching as an Emmy voter. Anyway, one of the finalists, Adam Lambert, sang a song, Mad World, (written by Roland Orzabal.) Dark. Very dark. I was totally blown away. One line haunted me:

I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad, the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.

I could not get that song out of my head.

And, then, I met model Stephanie Vostry. She came to my studio to model for one of my students, Tom Folger. During a break, I was telling Tom about how I was in the final conceptual stages of my “No More Pretty Pictures” project and that soon I’d start looking for a model brave enough to shoot it. Stephanie, who had heard the conversation jumped right in, and said something like,  ”I’ll do it. I want to do it. I’ve been trying to get a photographer to shoot something like that …  but no one will. All they want is pretty pictures.”

I could not have found a better partner.

The Plan

For a week or so, in a series of emails, texts and occasional phone calls, we started to develop our story for the shoot. I had Stephanie listen to Mad World. As we started to trust each other — trust is the essential component in a shoot like this, one that cuts to raw emotions and exposes vulnerability (on both sides of the camera) — a plan was set in place.

Stephanie planned her wardrobe, make up and props. And, she set out to get her head in the right place for the shoot.

I had a “story” locked in my mind. So, I focused on the technical side, the set and lighting patterns I would use to capture it.

My technical plan was simple: In my mind, the story was that the model was trapped or cornered by her beauty. So, I decided to shoot into one of the corners of my camera room. I had two choices — an 18% gray corner, or a corner formed by two of my faux brick walls.

The best light for the shoot? My Profoto Ring Flash. It would give me the coverage and edge that I wanted — a somewhat hard and stark look but with a funky shadow on the backdrop. No soft, wraparound, flattering light here. I wanted a hard look at a troubled subject. And, I anticipated a very fluid situation. None of the “pose it, light it, shoot it” syndrome. Most important — with the Ring Flash surrounding my lens, I knew that no matter where the shoot took us, the light would be in the right place.

Setting Up

When Stephanie and Tom arrived (I had asked him to assist me) my dark side was in full force. There were no happy “Hello’s”. There was no cordial conversation. Stephanie, too, was in her game day head.

Stephanie -- Getting Her Head Into the Shoot

First task — finalize the set. I had Stephanie sit, quietly in each of the corners. We both agree that the brick corner felt “better”.

To set the mood, I started a loop of Mad World, the Gary Jules version. (Although one does not need an ASCAP license for the “non-commercial” use of music, I ordered one just to stand in solidarity with other artists who are trying to protect their creative rights.)

I almost never shoot with music, I prefer to talk with my models — explain what I’m doing and what I want. But, that day,  we never turned that loop off. For an hour and a half, Mad World played over and over.

I let Stephanie sit there, lost in her own thoughts for quite a while.

Quietly, Tom and I set up for the shoot.

In a while, on her own, Stephanie got up, when into the dressing room, and got ready.

The Shoot

Without doubt, this was the most intense photo-shoot of my life. And, I have Stephanie to thank for that. She brought her “A” game. She left it all in the camera room. There was absolutely nothing held back. Stephanie’s emotions were real — drawn from deep inside her young life — nothing hidden, nothing masked. My job was to capture it. And, I did my best.

From the moment she stepped on set, it was clear that Stephanie got it. The theme was No More Pretty Pictures and she wasn’t going to pull back one bit from showing the vulnerability, suffering and pain that was below her beautiful surface.

She started out standing. Arms full of a wine bottle and pill containers — symbols of the lengths to which people go to mask over their inner feelings. (See the shot above.)

Tom took a quick meter reading for me and we did our first and only adjustment of the Profoto D4 Generator that was powering the Ring Flash; I wanted to shoot at 5.6 so we set it there. (I was shooting my D3, with a prime lens, 85mm f1.8; truth be told, it’s a little difficult to use a zoom lens and Ring Flash at the same time; I’ve done it, but didn’t want to add another layer of difficulty to the challenging conditions of this shoot.)

Slowly, without saying a word, as Stephanie became more “despondent” she began a slow “slide” to the floor. I kept shooting. No break. No new set up. I just tried to stay with her. Within several minutes, she was on the floor — and so was I, lying on my stomach, trying to keep her in frame and lit correctly.

One thing about shooting the Ring Flash: With set lights, the distance to the subject remains somewhat constant and it does not matter where the photographer takes the camera. If the light is 8′ from the subject and the meter says 5.6, you shoot at 5.6 whether you are 4′ from the subject or 8′; the only time you need to re-meter is when the distance between the subject and the light changes.

But, the way I was shooting the Ring Flash, mounted around my lens, it did not remain a constant distance from Stephanie. If she moved, I moved. And, when I moved, the light moved with me. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was trying to pay attention to the distance between Stephanie and the light. When conscious that we were no longer in the same spatial relationship, I’d adjust the Aperture setting to compensate for whether I was farther away (wider aperture because less light was hitting her) or closer (smaller aperture because more light was hitting her.) But, I’d be lying if I said I did it right. After the shoot, when looking at the metadata, I realized that several times I turned the wrong wheel on the Nikon and made a meaningless adjustment to the shutter speed (meaningless because in a situation like this, the Shutter speed controls the ambient light to the sensor which was not significant; this shoot was all about the Ring Flash and the amount of the light from it to hit the sensor was controlled by the Aperture.) Brain farts not withstanding, because I was shooting RAW, there was no real problem created by being slightly off on some of the frames.

After what seemed like forever, we took a break. We put some images up on the computer — just to make sure we were getting what we wanted. We were. There were a couple of quick smiles, but the dark mood remained. Stephanie had a couple of things she wanted to try. So, back on set we went. And, we kept shooting.  As soon as I can, I’ll edit more of the images and post them in a portfolio on this site.

And, then, it was over.

Well sort of.

I was completely worn out. Flat beyond belief.

The other day, Tom told me that he left depressed and stayed depressed for a day.

Stephanie? Having gone through a profoundly cathartic session, she was the most upbeat of the three of us. And, as the days passed, she felt better and better about what we had done. And, so did I.

In many ways, this shoot meant a lot to both of us. To me, it was the first of my self-assignments to go through the full process. And, I think this really put Stephanie on solid footing as a model. Before this shoot, she had had at most three other studio experiences — none of which challenged her to be anything other than her pretty self. This was, in many ways, the coming out party for a very strong model.

But Wait! There’s More! — The Aftermath

As profound and interesting as the shoot was, in many ways, the aftermath was more interesting.

These images provoked very different responses.

Stephanie was so proud of her work that she put one of the pictures up as her “avatar” on her Model Mayhem site. And, she left it there for quite a while. The traffic to her site fell. People wanted pretty avatars. Stephanie is strong and was going to leave it there. But, I counseled her to switch it out, and she did. More bookings followed.

My friends had mixed reactions.

Many felt that these images were some of the best work I’ve ever done.

But, many more were “scared” by them. Scared. Really afraid of the work.

Right after this shoot, one of my software sponsors sent a letter asking if I had some images that they might use at trade shows or in ads to demonstrate their product. Being the wise ass that I am, I sent some of these images. The truth be told, their filters had been critical in the post-production process. With very good humor, they told me that these were not exactly the types of pictures for which they were looking. I’ll stand my ground. One of these images was made by the simple application of one of their filters. But, I can see how these images might not help sell their products.

Hanson Fong was also among those who were scared. I sent him these pictures of Stephanie to let him know who would be modeling for him during his “Busman’s Holiday”. His exact words “She scares me.” But, if you haven’t already done it, read the article and look at the images that he shot. The “pretty” Stephanie shines and Hanson brought out the best in her.

The best part of this for me? I’ve found a fierce model who I can trust. Together, we are going to take on some more topics from each of our “self assignment” lists.

And Even More!

People often ask me what I mean when I say “I always start with a story” — no matter the shoot, be it a simple portrait or an editorial piece, I always start with a story.

What that means, to me, is that I have a message that I want to convey with images. I don’t wait until my clients come into the studio — I plan ahead how to best capture what they want and how to deliver their messages. The first step is almost always a “get to know each other session”. I try not to shoot someone with whom I’ve not met previously — even if the meeting is by phone. Because some of my shoots are intense, I really need to start working on developing trust and comfort before the day of the shoot.

And, I plan like crazy. I want the model to know the story — to contribute to how we tell it, to be sure it’s a story he or she wants told, and to understand what we will use for a set, wardrobe, make up, and props. Often, I’ll do drawings ( stick men, I can’t draw a lick). And, I’ll always have an initial lighting plan in mind; usually, if the shoot is complex,  I set up and test the lights to make sure they will do what I think is needed a day or so before the shoot.

On the day of the shoot, I start with a “team meeting”. Whoever is involved — model, grip, MUA — whoever. We discuss what we are going to do and I get input from all before we start.

And, then we shoot — and more likely than not, at some point after we’ve got the initial vision in the computer, we go off road and see what we can find.

People talk about “happy accidents” —  amazing shots that just “show up” unexpected. I see this a bit differently. I have a good friend who is one of America’s best trial lawyers. He’s fond of saying, “Isn’t it funny how the people who are the luckiest are the people who are the best prepared.” Most “happy accidents” are the result of hard work and planning.

With all of that in mind, I’m including a video from a great photographer/story teller — Jensen Walker. The video probably does a better job than I just did in explaining what it means to go into the shoot with a story plan.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UiBB7DVJvo

Update: Just A Little Bit More

In response to some email requests,  I’ve put some more pictures from this shoot on the site. You can find them here.

Unfortunately, I’m still wrestling with the plug-in that creates these galleries. It tends to distort some images and take away the descriptions from others. Some of the posts are different versions of the same shot; I put them in to highlight some post-production options — especially two filters from Nik, the Bleach Bypass from their Color Efex Pro series and the black and white conversions from their Silver Efex Pro software. (If you hover your mouse over the thumbnail you should get a one line description of what I did in processing each image.)

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2009)

In the onOne review I wrote:

The upside of shooting tethered is: (1) the ability to control the camera without having to work through the menus on the small LCD screen and turning the dials on the camera; (2) the ability to see a much more accurate display of the image on the computer screen; (3) the ability to focus and fire the camera without touching the camera or looking through the viewfinder; (4) the ability to view the actual image on a real screen, not the faux image on the camera’s LCD screen; and, (5) with live view, the ability to get feedback as to what the image will look like BEFORE the shot is taken.

For many, one of the downsides has been finding the right software package. Some cameras come with free software; my Canon G10 did and I’m pretty sure all of the Canon DSLR’s do too.  My Nikon’s didn’t. So I bought and use both Nikon’s Camera Control Pro 2 and DSLR Remote Pro. Both are strong performers and to me worth the investment.

But, not everyone can use DSLR Remote Pro; it is an iPhone application. If you don’t have an iPhone — you are missing out on what I believe to be the best software bargain in photography and one of my favorite tools.

Some who are not sure that they will find benefit in tethering, or use it that often, are not ready to purchase Nikon’s Camera Control Pro 2 which has a list price of $180 (to Nikon’s credit, it has a free try it before you buy it, full function, 60 day trial period).

On the Windows side, there appear to be some some solid free programs and some  low cost alternatives like TetherPro. I’m a Mac guy so I’ve not been able to try any of them but from what I’ve read they appear to be worth trying.

On the Mac side, low cost alternatives have been hard to find. And, that’s why I was so pleased to stumble onto Sofortbild. It is a “shareware” program. What’s “shareware”? It’s a program we can download and use for free. But, we are strongly encouraged to “donate” to the developer to reward and encourage his efforts. Try it. If you like it, send him some money.

So what does it do? Quite a bit. Let’s take a quick run-through the set up and features:

Step 1: Create a file on the desktop for the captured images. Depending on what you want to do there are a few alternatives. I open that folder in Adobe Bridge. When the images are captured, they are immediately available in Bridge for evaluation or adjustment. Others use the similar, but a bit more complicated, procedure I wrote about in the newsletter to send them into Lightroom. Sofortbild will also open up and send the images to either iPhoto or Aperture.

Step 2: Connect the camera to the computer.

Most of us will use a USB cable.

Caution: If you want to extend the USB cable beyond 16′ so that you have freedom to roam, you should not use an ordinary USB extension. You should use what is known as a “USB repeater cable” which has some form of signal amplification built in. The range of an ordinary USB cable is 16′. The danger when tethering is that with a weak signal, we may drop off the computer and your images will not get to the hard drive — and most of us will not notice until it is too late.

Step 3: Launch the Software and turn on the camera.

Step 4: Go to the Preferences Panel, seen here, and adjust the settings:

First we identify our desktop file for the captured photos.

We name them. I’ve stopped using DSC and started using my initials; that’s how file naming is set in my camera.

The drop down menu shows that you can import into “None”, Aperture or iPhoto. Since I’m using Bridge, I choose “None”

Even though Sofortbild has a very good viewing window, I probably would not use “Show pictures after capture” because I view and evaluate them in Bridge.

I really like the optional  ”Inspector” panel.

It includes an RGB histogram to let us see whether we are having serious clipping problems. (We must remember that this is based on a .jpeg image, because there are no RAW histograms; if we are shooting RAW we have some room for recovery and probably have not “lost” the data.

There is a “Nikon” section with some camera data. I found a big bonus here — it gives me a frame count for all of the shots on my D3. There are a lot of programs that do this for Nikon owners using Windows, but this is the first I’ve found that let’s me do it, easily, on my Mac. The read out tells me that I’ve activated my shuter 8,495 times.

The EXIF and TIFF menus present just what we’d expect them to present. Nothing new here — and not stuff I’d probably need to see when shooting tethered.

But, there is one menu that fascinates me.  I love all things technical whether they are helpful or not —  the GPS/Google map is one of them. If your camera is enabled for GPS — each time you take a shot the exact location coordinates are entered and a pin shows up on the map. Now, that’s cool.

Step 5: Control Your Camera and Shoot Away — It’s that easy.

Warning: I went a little nuts here — playing in Photoshop to make a composite out of Sofortbild’s main window to show you all of the drop down menus at once. I once heard Jullieanne Kost say that if you are working in Photoshop on a Saturday night — you need a life. Uh. Hmm.

So, here is the main window:

The red bar across the top is what I call a “status bar”; it tells us things about the camera, the lens and some of the settings that must be made on the camera or in its menus. The settings are “dynamic”; as the camera or lens changes, the read out changes.

The red bar across the bottom contains a series of drop down menus that allow us to change shutter speed, aperture, white balance, ISO, and image quality. Note that I had my camera set in “Manual” mode; If I had chosen other modes, I would not have all those choices — for example in Aperture Priority I can choose the aperture but not the shutter speed (because it is set by the camera to maintain the aperture; the opposite would happen if I were in Shutter priority.)

The buttons above the top red bar control camera functions and invoke special settings.

The camera icon activates the shutter. The clock, the Self Timer. The BKT is for Bracketing. The last one is for Interval Shooting. The last three include a lot of easily set options. And, one last thing, as seen on the preferences menu above, Sofortbild has a built in HDR program.

That’s a lot of functionality in a “shareware” program.

As good as this program is, I’m going to stick with Camera Control Pro 2 because it does a couple of things that I need.

Both CCP2 and DSLR Remote allow me to shoot in Live View — which I’m doing a lot, lately.

CCP2 lets me set the camera menu items using the computer; and then it lets me save a set just in case I need to reload them.

However, if you don’t need those functions, or are hesitant to invest a lot of money in tethering software Sofortbild is the right place to turn. It’s simple. And, it works. What more can you ask?

Oh, one last thing. If you do end up using it, send the developer a donation. Let’s support the people who are developing top end programs and “selling” them at reasonable prices.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2009)

A couple of weeks ago, my good friend Hanson Fong, fresh off an appearance at the Houston stop on the Beauty and Beast tour, took a day off and hung out with me. So, how did we spend our holiday? Go fishing? Visit one of Houston’s great museums? Take a hike? No. We spent the day in my studio lighting and shooting with a great model, an up and coming MUA, and my new Profoto D1 500 Airs.

Hanson is no stranger to Houston or my studio. He’s taught several of my Hands on Seminars.

Known around the world for his ability to make ordinary people look great — either during weddings or family sessions, Hanson has spent years mastering the art and science of lighting and posing us normal folks, the people who never get on magazine covers or do fashion spreads. No one can bring elegance to the ordinary like Hanson Fong. That’s what he knows, that’s what he does and that’s what he teaches.

So, how did I lure him into the studio on his day off?

I promised him something different — something he rarely gets to do. I promised him we’d do a fashion/glamour shoot. My goal was for both of us to stretch our horizons. Hanson would get a chance to shoot model Stephanie Vostry. I’d get a chance to turn the tables — to light for the man who taught me so much about lighting. But, this time things would be different. I was going to throw out the tried and true and go to the other side — the side where there are no rules or established lighting patterns, the side where in the words of one of my heroes, Joe McNally you try things just to “… see what happens.”

And, I was going to do it with my new lights — lights I had used just a few times before. With a master like Hanson behind the camera I knew that both my D1′s and I would be tested.

The Profoto D1 500 Airs

I did not part with my Profoto ComPact 600′s easily. They were, and are, outstanding lights — true, consistent and rugged.

But, because I try to stay on the cutting edge for both my writing and studio work, I felt it necessary to make the change. And, with Hanson, one of the world’s best shooters in my studio, I would test whether I had made the right decision. I am pleased to report — the D1′s more than passed the test.

Rather than simply parrot back to you technical specifications, I thought I’d discuss some of the D1 Air’s main features and let you know how I think they help us become better photographers.

Why I Chose the 500 ws Version: Less Is Often More

The D1′s come in 250, 500 and 1000ws versions. I’ve written a lot about how I think the important thing, when choosing lights, is not the maximum output but, rather, the power range — or the number of f/stop adjustments available. My main point: we often buy too much power, use the lights in spaces so small that even when dialed down to their minimum output the lights don’t allow us to shoot at the lower f/stops, like 2.8 or 4, that we want to use to throw our background out of focus. An 800ws light, with but 4 stops of range, will go no lower than 100 ws. That’s a lot of light, especially in a small space.

When buying lights — less is often more. That’s why I look at minimum output more than I look at maximum output.

All of the D1 lights have a range of 7 stops. The 500 best fit my needs, offering: 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.62, and 7.8ws. The 7.8 is what grabbed me most. My ComPact 600′s had a respectable 5 stop range which bottomed out at 37.5. For my use, in a studio that is 34×22, that’s a significant difference.

One other thing, a feature I wrote about here: The D1′s have 300w modeling lights. That’s a lot of power and will be increasingly important to us as our DSLR’s morph into “video” cameras.

The Digital Read Out

I’ve never felt the need for digital read outs — but, if you do, you’ll be pleased to know that the D1′s have a nice, big, clear digital read out on the back of the light.

Once we understand the way the digital read out works, it can be a very useful tool. Some think that if you dial your light to 5.6, the output at your subject is 5.6. Said another way, they think the readout is “absolute” or “the reality”. It is not and cannot be. Why?  Because, we all know that, because of the “fall off” of light, the distance of the light from the subject controls the quantity of light on the subject. Let’s assume that you meter your subject and that, by luck, when the digital read out is 5.6 the meter reads 5.6. So far, so good. But, if you move the light forward the amount of light on the subject will increase; if you move it back, the amount of light on the subject will decrease. That’s a law of physics that no digital light can overcome. But, the digital readout will stay the same — it will say 5.6 although the quantity of light on the subject is either more or less.

In essence, the digital read out is “relative”. Its sole function is to help you move from one stop to another.

So, once one understands the nature of that relativity, the digital read out is an advantage.

Let’s say you take a meter reading at f/8. The dial on the light may say 4. Why? Because the reading is “relative”.  The light simply knows its output. It does not know how far away from the subject it is.

Now, let’s say you want to shoot at f/11 — so you need one more stop of light. All you have to do is turn the dial from 4 to 5. One stop — the difference between f/8 and f/11.

The key to “relativity”? The numbers on the digital read out are not the equivalent of f/stops. They are power range numbers. Going from 4 to 5 is the equivalent of one f/stop (doubling the light).

Once we understand this, we can take full advantage of the digital read out. Up one stop, push in the knob and turn it one click and the read out will go up 10/10ths. Or, click your way up 1/10 of a time by just turning the knob without pushing it in.

To their credit, the D1′s are dead on in their incremental adjustments. If I went from 4.2 to 5.2, I got a full stop. From 6.3 to 7.3, a full stop. They were so accurate that I stopped metering between changes. I trusted the digital readout and it did not fail me.

And, to make things better, as you will see next, I never had to go to the lights to adjust them — I did it wirelessly.

The “Air” System: Wireless Control — A Big Advantage

Simply stated, the Profoto “Air” system allows us to wirelessly control and trigger our Air equipped lights through a camera mounted “Profoto Air Remote” transmitter. You never have to touch the lights — all you have to do is touch the remote. Sort of like sitting in a comfy chair in a media room.

As the owner of a Profoto D4 generator I am addicted to the “remote control” of my lights. On the D4, I accomplish this by tethering to my Mac (written about, here.) Once I started tethering, I never wanted to go back. Walking over to the generator or to each head to adjust it, while good for my fitness, often took me out of my creative flow.

With the Air system, I have the wireless equivalent of “tethering”. I can turn on my lights and adjust them, either individually or in groups, from the transmitter. That is a huge savings in time, focus and energy. And, to be honest, I find myself much more willing to make changes in order to seek perfection — because the changes are so easy to make.

A couple of notes: The D1′s are fairly light and compact and will work well mounted out of reach (like up on the ceiling as a hair light.) Being able to change their output without climbing a ladder to reach them is a big advantage. Apparently, the early production models did not allow one to turn them on remotely; but, once on, they were infinitely adjustable. From what I understand, there is a firmware upgrade that deals with this. New models can be turned on from the remote. Older ones, like mine, can be upgraded, for free, by the factory to meet this new spec.

Triggering and Metering — Dual Option

Profoto has given us the freedom to choose between two options for triggering our D1 Airs.

First, is the Air system itself.

And, second, is through the use of a Pocket Wizard.

I’ve set mine up to do both. I have a lot of Pocket Wizards — I use them both in the studio and to control my off camera flash units. So, when I switched from my ComPacts to the D1′s, I simply left a Wizard attached to each light stand. All I had to do was get a new cable to go from the Wizard to the D1. So, any time I want to use the Wizards, I can.

I thought I would use them a lot. But, truth be told, I haven’t used them at all. I’m not saying I never will — there may be situations where they will do something I can’t do with the Air system, but I haven’t run into that situation yet.

I mention this because when the D1′s first came out, there were wails of angst from many on the ‘net claiming that Profoto had abandoned the Wizard group and that the Wizards could not be used with the D1′s. That statement is categorically false and no one who had ever seen a D1 Air would have ever said such a dumb thing.

(BTW — if you are totally convinced that you will never use the Air system, you can buy the D1′s without it. But, I truly think the wireless remote system is worth the extra cost.)

The second false rumor was that you could not use a Sekonic meter with the D1 Airs. Again, not true.

Here’s the deal: You can meter using your Sekonic meter but you cannot use a built in Pocket Wizard transmitter to do so. Instead, you put your Sekonic meter into the “flash receive” mode, fire the lights with the Air transmitter, and read the setting on the meter.

Ambient/"Lonely"/Corded/Transmitter

Step 1: Put your meter in the receiving mode  ( I call it the Lonely mode because it is unattached to anything and not hooked up) — it’s the lightning bolt without an initial and not  the lightning bolt with the “c” (which is for a cord connection) or the “t” (which is the transmitter mode).  (In this image, the box is around the PW transmitter mode. When over the Lonely lightning bolt, it looks the same.)

Step 4: Push the “Test” button on the Air transmitter. The lights fire. Voila! A reading.

I’ll admit that this is not as easy as it is to meter a pure Wizard based system in which you only need push one button on the meter. But, once used to it, I had no trouble doing it.

And, the payoff for the extra button push is significant: We don’t have to move to adjust the light we just measured; we can adjust it from that very same transmitter, stay in our spot and meter again.

(For those who just want to push one button, you can connect the Air Remote to the meter, use the “C” setting and, when you push the button, you’ll get a reading on the meter.)

Integrating My Non-/Air D4 Generator

One of the reasons I thought I’d use the Wizards on the D1 heads was that my D4 generator was triggered by a built in Wizard. I figured that during the times I used lights from both systems, I’d use the PW’s to trigger them all. But, I haven’t. Instead, I got a Profoto Air Sync, plugged it into the generator and used it to trigger the lights. To be clear, the Air Sync will not allow me to control the lights from the Air Remote. To control the lights, I use my Mac running Profoto Studio Software (which is free and flawless). I hook my D4 to the Mac using a USB cable. If I want to work without the cable, I can use the Profoto Air USB, a dongle that replaces the cord and establishes a wireless connection.

Some General Impressions

Like all Profoto lights, the D1′s are consistent — both in color temperature and flash duration. I’ve measured the output of every Profoto head in my studio (4 D1′s, 4 Acute heads for the D4 generator, 1 Acute head for the 600BR, and one Ringflash) and they are all within 30-50 Kelvin degrees of each other. (I measured without any modifiers on the head. Often, different diffusion materials can affect the Kelvin output of a light — and if you are having color mismatch problems, that might be the place to look first.)

I like the new “build” of the D1′s. They are lighter and have a convenient, built-in handle. They are built to reflect at 77 Degrees without the addition of a reflector — one less thing to carry around. And, though light, they feel rugged.

But, what I like most is that they are wickedly fast — they recycle quickly and match the times of my D4 generator. For anyone who has used other mono-light systems, this speed bump serves us well when trying to capture fluid movements in things like fashion/glamour sessions. (I have the “beeps” set on all of my lights to let the model know not to move until he or she gets the audible signal that the lights are ready for the next pose. With these lights, that beep comes in within a second or so.)

OK, so much for the lights — it’s on to the Busman’s Holiday.

Hanson Fong In the House

The basic plan was to try some new things — lighting patterns I had thought about but never really used. Here are a few of the things we did.

High Key Head Shot

I almost never shoot high key — I’m a moody, low key kind of guy. But, with high key in such great demand, I figured I ought to shoot some. And, inspired by a post on Scott Kelby’s blog, I decided to try a new lighting pattern.

Simply stated, instead of using white paper as a back drop and lighting it carefully to avoid shadows from the subject, I used a Photoflex 7′ OctoDome and a D1 head. The dome became the backdrop. I metered it to f/6.3.

To light Stephanie’s face, I chose a Paramount or Butterfly “glamour” pattern.

The main light was a D1 with a Profoto Softlight Reflector on it. Instead of using a reflector for the fill, I used another D1 head, this time in a CreativeLight soft box. Both lights were mounted on the same Matthews Magic Stand — the Softlight Reflector on the built in boom and the Creative Light on the first riser of the stand. (This set up is the subject of my post here.)

Why the two lights on the same stand? Because, I’m used to working alone. I don’t have someone to hold a reflector, I have reflector stands. But, because the light placement in  Paramount lighting requires precise placement — miss by an inch and it won’t look good — every time the model moves the lights have to be moved. By putting everything on one stand, I can easily make the adjustments by simply pushing the wheeled stand to its new position.

The main light was set to f/11 and the “fill” to f/4.

One thing about this lighting pattern: As Scott points out, because the light from the OctoDome wraps around the face from behind, out of the camera, the image will look faded or wiped out. Don’t worry. The solution is easy. In your post production, you simply use the “Blacks” slider to bring back in the full range of facial color.

I fired off a couple of test shots. This headshot is one of them. From that point on, I put down my camera and became a grip. All of the remaining images in this post are Hanson’s.

Derivations On A Theme: Using the Light As a Structural Element

(You can double click the image to enlarge it.)

With Hanson shooting, we decided to get one more use out of the OctoDome before putting it away. We decided to use it as an element  in the image itself.

To do so, we lowered the light to floor level, moved Stephanie forward, and adjusted the lights, accordingly. We used the same main light on the Magic Stand and, to add some sparkle on the floor and fill in Stephanie’s face and eyes used a 6′ Profoto strip box as a fill, placed well behind the stand and angled up at 45 Degrees. One of the things I like best about this image is the is the reflection on my cement floors and the shadow it throws forward.

I’m going to try this pattern again and, to capture more of the reflection, I’ll shoot with a wider lens.

This short, down and dirty video,show the set up. (I’ve been either doing videos or making drawings of set ups to cover for my “grey moments”.  I keep them all on my computers in an interactive NoteBook from Circus Ponies Software.)

A Couple More Images

We didn’t stay on the odd side of lighting for the entire shoot.

The last part of the shoot focused on what I would call “fusion posing” — Hanson mixing his traditional, elegant portrait and wedding poses with the world of high fashion. We continued to use the Profoto Softlight Reflector and Creative Light soft-box set up discussed earlier. For the low key shots, we added a hair light (indirect lighting from a strip box 14′ up and with the sides parallel to the floor). And, for the “Blue Dress” shot, we added a purple gel and allowed it to spill over a bit onto Stephanie.

All in all, a perfect Busman’s Holiday.

Contact Information:

Hanson Fong

Stephanie Vostry

Christina Duran

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2009)

Simply stated, DSLR Remote Pro allows me to shoot tethered into my computer and to use my iPhone to  control several key camera functions. For many of us, it will replace the need to buy “tethering” software AND a wireless remote camera/shutter control. It’s an incredible bargain at $19.99. What do you need to use DSLR Remote Pro? A computer (Mac or Windows) with a wireless card, an iPhone 3G or 3GS, and one of the Canon or Nikon cameras from this list.

In this post: (1) I’ll discuss how and why I use DSLR Remote Pro ; and (2) show you how to set it up and get it running on your iPhone and computer.

Shooting Tethered:

When I can, I shoot tethered. There are lots of advantages and a few minor disadvantages — all of which I’ve discussed in a previous newsletter article.

The upside of shooting tethered is: (1) the ability to control the camera without having to work through the menus on the small LCD screen and turning the dials on the camera; (2) the ability to see a much more accurate display of the image on the computer screen; (3) the ability to focus and fire the camera without touching the camera or looking through the viewfinder; (4) the ability to view the actual image on a real screen, not the faux image on the camera’s LCD screen; and, (5) with live view, the ability to get feedback as to what the image will look like BEFORE the shot is taken.

The downside is the need to be near the computer to preview the image, make adjustments and fire the camera AND the fact that if one allows the “wow” of shooting tethered to break one’s focus, the shoot becomes about technology and not about using images to tell stories. Said another way, we can’t let shooting tethered lead us to become “large screen chimpers”. (“Chimping” is the name given to the process of shooting a frame or two and then looking at it on the LCD and going “OOOH, AHHH, OOOH OOOH”).

As you’ll see from the newsletter article, to shoot tethered you need software to allow your camera and computer to communicate with each other. (In writing this I realize that, in essence, DSLR Remote Pro creates one of those French things — what do they call it? A “menage a trois”? A three way relationship between the camera, the computer and the iPhone.)

Some camera companies give you the software to shoot tethered. Some don’t. Nikon is one of the “don’ts”.  You have to buy it. For my Nikon D3, I use their Camera Control Pro 2, a great program; but it costs $180.00 and that’s on top of what I paid for my D3.

OK, so now we know a bit about shooting tethered. Time to move on.

DSLR Remote Pro’s Feature Set:

So, what does DSLR Remote Pro bring to the table — for $19.99? A very versatile alternative to the factory software that allows us to do most all of what we want to do on a tethered shoot and then some.

DSLR Remote Pro iPhone Screen Shot

Above, is The Main Screen from my iPhone, showing the basic feature set. There’s more; that little wheel in the left hand corner brings up an “Options” menu that we’ll discuss in a moment.

Wireless Remote Trigger: Push the “FIRE” button on the lower right, and the camera takes a shot.

There are many times we want to fire the camera without touching it.

Most obvious are those times when the mere act of touching the camera may induce movement and ruin the exposure. Long exposures are particularly susceptible to movement. And there are times when we need perfect alignment between the frames we are shooting — like when we are shooting HDR. In the past, in these situations,  I’ve used a dedicated trigger system. All it did was fire the camera. But, now, because DSLR Remote Pro does so much more, it will be my go to triggering system (when I can shoot tethered, which is a prerequisite of using the iPhone application.)

But, perhaps the best use of triggers is when we are shooting people. For me, one of the key variables in getting the “story” out of the person I’m shooting is the rapport I create during the session. The key to good communication? Studies tell us that it is eye contact; the more eye contact we make with our subjects the more they trust us, relax and hear what we are saying. Don’t think so? Have someone look down or away from you and try to have a conversation. So what do most of us do in a shoot? We put the camera in front of our faces — making it impossible to have eye contact with our subjects. In my experience, and that of many of my friends, it is so much easier to get good results when we are using remote triggers that we rarely shoot any other way.

If this were all DSLR Remote Pro did, it would be a lot. And, it would be a very cost effective solution.

But, it does a lot more.

Control Over Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, White Balance and Image Quality:

As you can see from the remaining buttons on the screen, DSLR Remote Pro allows us to control the basic parameters of our shots — from the iPhone. Want to change or adjust WB, push the button and get a set of choices. Want to go from RAW to .jpeg or RAW + .jpeg (and all different levels of .jpeg), push the screen button. Light changing — need to up the ISO, push a screen button. You get the idea.

The grayed out buttons:

Some settings have to be made on the camera; but DSLR Remote Pro keeps track of them for you and lets you see them on your iPhone. I’m shooting in “Manual” mode and the screen tells me. The screen also tells me that I’m shooting in AutoFocus S mode, another function I have to set on the camera. The other grey symbols — the 0.0 — is for exposure compensation, something else that must be set on the camera but will be tracked on the iPhone.

The Screen Area:

The blank/black area above the buttons is where: (1) the picture shows up when I take it; and, (2) my Live View image shows up should I be shooting in LV mode (more on this later.) The cool thing about image playback is that we can zoom in to check on focus and we can flip between the images we’ve already taken.

So, DSLR Remote Pro isn’t just a trigger — it’s actually a fairly comprehensive camera control system. If all it did were to control those functions, that would be enough for most of our shoots. Sold?

But Wait. There’s More! The Options Menu is the gateway to several sophisticated and useful function controls.

Live Preview — I’m starting at the bottom of this menu because this is the feature that blows me away. If you have a camera that has a “live view” feature, you can turn LV on and you can see the live preview on your iPhone!

Big deal? Yes, very big deal.

Let’s talk about a product shoot where meticulous light placement and careful framing are the name of the game. Without the iPhone, you go to the set, make the change, and then come back to your computer screen to see the impact. With DSLR Remote Pro, you can make the change, stay where you are, view the result, in real time, and modify it if necessary. That is huge.

I’m excited about using it on model shoots, too. Not getting the expression you want? Show the model what he or she is doing without having them leave the set. I know that this ability to on-the-spot coach will enhance my ability to direct a subject to get the very most possible from each shot.

Once I get that immediate adjustment in the pose or attitude, I simply have to move out of the frame and push the “FIRE” button. Talk about creating an intimate conversation/collaboration, I can’t wait to use the iPhone in my next shoot.

Intervalometer — is a fancy phrase for what we used to call “timed exposures”. From my iPhone I can set:

This feature allows us to do both “delayed shutter” or “self-timer”  activation — if we want to get into the picture, or “time lapse” photography — taking a series of images over a defined time span. In either mode, the image taken comes up on the phone screen so that we can view it; if we’ve taken a sequence of images, we can flip through them.

Auto Bracket: Useful to guarantee proper exposure and a staple in HDR photography, it is great to be able to set this feature remotely. There are a couple of features that are very helpful here.

HDR photographers will see that everything we need to vary our captures can be controlled from this screen. [I've done a very complete discussion of High Dynamic Range (HDR)  photography here, so I won't go back into the specifics, again.]

First, we choose how many stops above and below our center exposure we need. Then we can decide how far apart they will be. The slider “Full Stop” will also allow us to go to 1/3 stops. When we do HDR, we never change the aperture setting; we don’t want to risk changing the depth of field. But, there are times, when bracketing, that we want to change the exposures by varying the aperture or the ISO setting — and the slider set to “Aperture” now can also be set to those other variables. Finally, we can choose whether we want a delay between firing or not.

When this is all set, to shoot a bracket, we simply push the “FIRE” button and the camera takes over. Very cool.

Summary: This is a full featured application that replaces some expensive hardware and software for a very reasonable price. (BTW– If all you want is a wireless remote trigger, onOne sells a “lite” version of the app for $1.99)

Setting It Up and Getting It Going:

This is really a simple process. You buy the App and load it on your phone. You download the free “server” application and put it on your computer. First, you make sure that your iPhone and Computer are on the same network. You hook your camera up to the computer by USB or FireWire. You start the server application on the computer and you turn on the camera. You will get this start up screen.

The screen is telling me that the computer is communicating with my D3.

The first thing we have to do is choose a “Download Location” a folder on our computers to receive the images we’ll be shooting. In my case, I chose a folder on my desktop called “Test”. I’ve also got the option to set up a copy to be imported into Lightroom. In my tethering tutorial that’s just what I did.

But, lately, I’ve been tethering into Bridge, instead. I find Bridge to be less complicated and less fussy than Lightroom. Just my personal choice. I then open Bridge and open the location folder — in this case “Test”. All of the images I shoot will be opened into Bridge.

The final step, turn on the iPhone DSLR Remote Pro application. It will let you pick your network and then immediately go to the start up screen.

You’re in business. That’s all it takes.

onOne’s Tutorials: Usually, I’d do an in depth tutorial on the steps I just laid out. But, with onOne’s stuff, I don’t have to. They are so deeply committed to making sure we learn how to use their products quickly and efficiently, that they’ve created a series of video tutorials that walk us through the steps.

Here are a couple of them:

How to Get Started:

Using the Ad Hoc Network Setting:

Just because you’re not near a WiFi network does not mean you can’t use DSLR Remote Pro. All you need to do is set up an “Ad Hoc” network, as the video below shows you.

One thing — I had trouble setting up an Ad Hoc network in an area where there was a WiFi network, but one I could not get on. Here’s a trick Mike Wong — an onOne technical guru and all around great guy — taught me. Put you iPhone in Airplane mode; that will lock out the competing WiFi networks. Then, set up your Ad Hoc network. Works like a charm.

That said, here’s a video on setting up the Ad Hoc. It’s really easy:

A couple of things to watch for: (1) Ad Hoc networks are volatile and not stored in your computer; each time you need one you will have to set it up — but that takes less than a minute; and (2) When you start the iPhone DSLR Remote Pro app, the server screen will come up and it will, most likely show the name of your computer — not the network you just created; no big deal, just select the computer and you are done.

One Last Video — A Location Shoot:

Funny, the guy shooting the hoop looks an awful like Brian Kraft, the VP of Sales for onOne. I’m not sure I’d hang my D3 up there while he’s shooting.

Bottom Line: A very cool tool!

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2009)