Putting your skills to good use

I should clarify the title of this article. I'm not in any way suggesting that photographers and graphic designers don't put their talents to good use every day in the workplace. I simply want to discuss using your talents to help others and doing so on a volunteer basis.

Many photographers are familiar with Help Portrait and similar efforts, but you can use your talents in other ways as well. I often volunteer to shoot and design for local non-profit organizations. I recently designed a few banners for a local Cub Scout pack for their holiday parade float and shoot images for my local church regularly.

Recently, a student-athlete at the university were I work asked me to help with a poster design for an upcoming mission trip. She needs to raise more than $15,000 to sponsor 11 months of work in 11 countries on her World Race. She really just wanted a decent photo and some text next to it so she'd have something to get peoples' attention. Being a person that's either full speed or stop, I couldn't let it just be a boring image. My opinion was simple: even if people don't like the concept, they won't be able to say that no effort was put into it. And away I ran with the idea.

The concept was to mimic the film Book of Eli. I won't spoil the film if you haven't seen it, but the premiss is that a man has been called by God to travel across the American wasteland (post nuclear war) to fulfill a specific mission. Nesya, the student taking the trip, will do much of the same. She will spend nearly a year visiting impoverished countries and communities and working with a variety of people groups on countless aid projects and in teaching ministries. She'll be living out of a backpack the entire time. Again, if you've seen the film, this was a perfect fit for a theme.

Step one was to conceptualize the final piece and how it would be used. We decided that it would be good to have some business cards with her information to send out in letters and to hand out to people she may happen on by chance. We also wanted to make 11x17 posters to present some of the basic information and encourage viewers to find out more about the work.

The concept was an open desert - were much of the Book of Eli film takes place. I didn't have any good images of the desert, despite living in Arizona for several years so, I resorted to stock images which I purchased, retouched and composited. Here are the two images that we decided on:

The above images was chosen as the major background piece. Even the sky would work perfectly for the look we were after, especially after a few tweaks in Photoshop.

The image above would be used for the road only. I had to alter the perspective to work with the horizon line in the top photo and it required lengthening and tapering to gain a vanishing point.

Here is what the background looked like after some composite work in Photoshop.

The film is shot in desaturated tones to convey the drab and desolate world that remains. So, I punched up the drama in the sky, desaturated the setting and boosted the contrast.

Next we had to shoot Nesya. In the film, Mila Kunis' character is dressed in clothing that remains. She has a plaid long sleeve shirt, vest, hip pouch and aviators. At the end of the film, she carries a backpack and inserts a pair of Dr. Dre Beats headphones as she begins her journey. So, we echoed this the best we could with what we had.

I photographed her in the parking lot outside my office so that I could use the sun as a hair light and so I'd have plenty of ambient. I ended up shooting at ISO 400 at 1/200th at f/11 or so, though I did make some changes depending on the pose. I photographed her looking in various directions. We'd check them on the background later and decide which image we felt worked best.

Here is the selected image right out of the camera.

I did a poor job of keeping her in front of the original background which was a light colored building in the distance. We had no clear view of the sky from an angle that would work for the point of view, so we just, well, winged it.

I lit her with a single Alien Bees 800 strobe shot through a 51" translucent PLM umbrella with the Spill Kill fabric installed on the back so, it was basically a brolly box. This threw a broad, but diffused light and the Kill fabric allowed maximum efficiency by forcing all light through the front of the umbrella face. I set it to just under 1/4 power to fill the unlit portion of her face. You can see the reflection in her sunglasses. The PLM was approximately 5 feet off the ground and 5 feet away and powered with a Paul C. Buff Vagabond pack.

The final lighting setup is shown below and is a classic cross-light setup using the sun as the hair light.

After we had the shot, I removed her form the background, removed the light reflection from the sunglasses, did very minor retouching to the skin and then added some contrast and desaturation work to echo the background environment.

Once she was added to the frame it was simply a matter of adding a shadow to the ground behind her, bringing in some gradients to allow the text to stand out and placing the text in the appropriate areas. Here is the final composite.

I hope you found this breakdown helpful, but more importantly, I hope you take away the principle of helping others with your craft. There's no harm in charging for your services, but donating your time is hugely rewarding to those you help, and perhaps more so, for you individually.

Until next time, be safe and happy shooting.

BTS Look at the 2010 Faulkner Football Poster Shoot

Here is a behind the scenes look at the development of the 2010 Faulkner University football poster. The end result is shown below and the video beneath that shows the photographic process and the compiling of the final product. I hope to have a video showing my work for the 2010 football media guide cover soon, so stay tuned.

Here is the youtube video showing the behind the scenes work...



Enjoy

- R

Apple Magic Mouse review

After waiting over a week for the Apple Magic Mouse to arrive, I finally received it over the weekend and had the opportunity to start working with it a few days ago. And in that time I've concluded that for the non-gamer it just might be the best mouse ever designed.

What makes the Magic Mouse so much better than its predecessor, the Mighty Mouse, is, well, everything.

In the previous rendition Apple added sensitivity to the click "buttons" and eliminated the actual need for an independent button for each side of the mouse.

That same philosophy carries over to the Magic Mouse with the entire device being really a single clicking button. The sensitive technology is still built in and though there are a few little hiccups that do carry over from its Mighty brother, the device overall is much better built and with a significantly more redefined sensitivity system.

Let's talk about the little issues that do carry over from the first generation all white mouse. For starters, as I've mentioned, there is only a single clicking surface. The mouse uses touch sensitivity to identify the intended task, e.g. the left or right click function. The one drawback of this - if it can be defined as such - is that for right-handed users you must raise your index finger in order to right click with your middle finger. If you don't the unit cannot distinguish your command and if anything will usually default to the standard left button click.

The mouse is ambidextrous programmable and because of its symmetrical design it is identical in use for both the left and right and, just tell the program (under system preferences) your desired orientation.

The mouse loses the twin side click surfaces found on the previous mouse. My opinion on that is - Thanks! They always activated undesirable features of the OS because I would accidentally grab them while working on a project or surfing the web. I finally deactivated those controls in the preferences menu. If you liked that feature, more power to you, but if you want the Magic you have to sacrifice that feature of the Mighty.

Though the most notable feature of the new mouse is the touch sensitivity, which I will discuss in a moment, one of the best features that I think new users will notice is the improved bottom design. The bottom is now almost entirely aluminum and smaller. The on off switch is very simple and the green light gives a clear indication of the connection - or lack there of. All of these nice design features out of the way however, and you'll notice what I think is one of the best features of this mouse - the sled base.

The previous base glided, and sometimes stuck, on a glossy plastic ring that ran the circumference of the mouse base. This would easily get covered in dirt and grime and you'd have to scrape it of with you nail or other hard instrument. Even then it never really "glided" to me.

The magic mouse rests on a pair of sled-like skis. These provide much smoother motion in my opinion and are better suited for extended use.

I have not idea if Apple redesigned the optical guide or not, but it seem more accurate and responsive.

Finally, we come to the touch sensitivity feature and the best feature not on the Magic mouse at all. The most improved feature of the mouse is without question the track ball. The previous version did let you do 360 degree navigation, but the ball would easily become dirty over time and it was virtually impossible to clean because Apple didn't make it user cleanable. I had both a wired and Blutooth version of the Mighty Mouse and both of them ran into this problem. One of them - the wired version - finally quit scrolling up all together.

The Magic Mouse eliminates this problem by incorporating Apple's touch technology to the mouse surface. Just like an iPhone or iPod Touch or the newer track pads on the MacBooks, the surface can respond to finger gestures. The sensitivity works effortlessly and is superb in both internet browsing and visual applications like iPhoto and Photoshop.

You will likely use it most often for scrolling up and down internet pages and for browsing through photos (left and right flicks), but you can also navigate around a large page or photo by simply directing your finger along the top of the surface. In addition, you can two finger flick to progress forward and back through pages in a single navigation window (i.e. you can two finger flick from right to left to view the previous page instead of clicking the "Back" button). You can also use the two finger gesture in other applications, but I find it really unnecessary at this time. Also, depending on your finger dexterity, you might actually find this task slightly complicated. Unlike a laptop track pad that stays still, allowing you to raise and lower your hand as a whole, you have to hold the mouse while doing it. I typically control the mouse with my thumb and little finger with my ring finger resting. When I try to two-finger flick, it is not exactly comfortable and the results can be interesting - depending on use - if you're not great at it like me.

So, if your a hand gymnast then you'll love this feature, but the two-finger flick is not my favorite part of the mouse and I rarely use it. Overall though, the scroll functionality is awesome, though sensitive and can cause unwanted moving in Photoshop at full screen or on the web.

In summary, the Magic Mouse is a more than worthy upgrade from the often problematic Mighty Mouse. The setup and functionality are very easy and the touch interface is incredibly useful and leave no more worry about dirt getting in the guide toggle. If you prefer more of an organic design with a higher rise to rest your palm or are a gamer who wants lots of buttons or a massive track ball, then look elsewhere. If you want a simple, elegant and well designed mouse that is likely to be maintanance free then the Apple Magic Mouse just might be for you.

Wacom Intuos4 review

I have been using a Wacom Intuos3 medium size graphics tablet for several years now. I have long been a fan of the benefits that the tablet provides, namely the pen/paper ergonomics for a more natural editing approach that a mouse, or worse, a track pad simply cannot duplicate.

The new Intuos4 offers more sensitivity, an elegant charcoal gray finish, illuminated task button indicators, a navigation wheel and convenient ambidextrous layout, an improved pen holder with multiple tips housed within and a thinner overall footprint.

The most notable improvement is the button layout and indicator lights. Previously, you had to remember which button did what and there were only four really. There where eight total, but only four could be used by the free hand on the appropriate side of the tablet while the other hand did the pen work. The new model offers eight buttons all on the same side of the device and the blue lit LEDs to the right of each button tell you what that button is designated for - a very helpful feature. The illumination can be adjusted to four different levels of brightness ranging from off to fully bright - also a great feature.

Images are from Wacom. Click on any image to go to the Wacom website.

The other thing missing from the previous generation is the touch sensitive slide groove that zoomed in and out of images and up and down pages and the like. It has been replaced by a rotary dial with a center select wheel. This not only zooms in and out of images, but also acts as a jog dial when accessing extended options with some of the other button sets. For example, in Photoshop CS4, when you select the first of the four jog indicator lights (there are four), the scroll wheel zooms in and out of the image. When you select the last jog dial indicator light, the scroll wheel rotates the image. The wheel is touch sensitive and does not actually move. The wheel also scrolls up and down on web pages. Each of the settings is fully customizable as is the touch sensitivity and speed.

I use the default settings, but the buttons are customizable to a wide variety of settings. The default are a question mark which gives you a heads up display on the computer monitor of the button configurations. The second button down brings up a virtual navigation menu on the monitor that features options for "command," "www", "media" and "e-mail". These will give you quick access to some of the most used sources on your computer. The latter three are pretty straight forward, but the Command feature might not be. It basically gives you quick access to features like save, cut, paste, undo, etc. Personally I don't use this button. I prefer keyboard shortcuts, well, on the keyboard.

The next button down is "Precision Mode" followed by "Display Toggle". The former, when activated, makes for more precise and less figity movements on-screen. This can help tremendously when drawing or outlining in a graphics program as it slows down the pointer for more control. This function only works while holding down the button and is not designed for prolonged use - it would tremendously slow down your work flow.

The later is a toggle that can be used when using multiple displays. This is hugely beneficial. If you have ever worked with multiple displays you know that the Wacom mapping stretches both screens by default. So, if you are working on a large display for example and want to move over to a palate on another screen, you could drag all the way back and forth. This can cause problems because you effectively change the range of motion when you spread the mapping over two monitors. The Toggle button can jump your mapping between screens and eliminates this problem. working on one display and want to access tools on another, just hit the button and the mapping jumps over to the other monitor. Press it again to jump back. The previous version might have offered something a little similar, but I never used it and it certainly was not this simple.

Below the wheel is another set of four function buttons that default to your most used options: shift, option, command (Apple) and move (hand). I leave my tablet to the default setting (but increased the brightness of the LEDs all the way up) and I have no problems with the standard setup. If you are used to the previous version the button layout will take a little getting used to, but will be better - I think you'll find - in the long run.

Other differences are in the actual sensitivity area. The surface is more of a matte finish and less smooth and glossy than the previous version - which I really liked. It might take some getting used to and I'd recommend trying all of the different pen tips to figure out which is best for you. I found that the standard black tip works best for me. You get on in the pen itself and five replacements. It also comes with three gray tips, one spring-loaded white tip and a slightly rubberized tip. They fit conveniently in the base of the pen holder so they wont get lost and the tip removal tool is there as well.

The pen is excellent and is over an inch shorter than the previous pen. The grip is not as slick as the version 3 pen and provides a more secure fit. The pen is fully customizable as well when it comes to the buttons and the grip cover. The Intuos4 also comes with a variety of ring colors that can be added to the tip area of the pen. This not only gives a color splash, but if you purchase additional pens and keep each supplied with a different tip, then you could color code which pen is which. Just a thought.

The unit also includes a mouse, but I never use it. It functions much like a normal mouse on the Wacom surface. I prefer just using the pen for everything or using my Apple Magic Mouse. I put mine back in the box.

Moving back to the tablet, there are a few other features that many users will really like. For one, the USB cord is REMOVABLE! On the Intuos three, you could not do this and had to wrap the cord around the tablet when you wanted to transport it. The new version is completely separate and you plug it in when you need it. Another great feature is the ability to choose your USB connection port. The tablet has two separate USB outlets that are selected by sliding a trap door up or down to reveal the appropriate port. This is excellent since right and left-handed users can now have the SAME tablet set up. For example, right-handed users will place the buttons and scroll wheel to the left and select the upper right USB port and choose the right-handed option in the system preferences menu. For left-handed users it's the opposite. The buttons are to the right and switching the trap door now allows the USB cord to be at the top on the left side of the unit. Selecting left-handed use from the preferences menu will tell the tablet to flip the LED icons properly.

Overall this is an exceptional tablet and superior in every way to the Intuos3. Does that make the previous version obsolete? Absolutely not. But it does make jumping to the newer version more worth the investment. At $350-400 for the medium size unit, the Wacom tablets are by no means cheap, but if you've never used one and do any type of photographic retouching or graphics work, you'll quickly wonder how you every worked without one. If you have an aging Intuos3 and are considering the upgrade, it is, in my opinion very much worth the cost. If you have no issues with your current unit and don't need the increase sensitivity or the increase button layout, then stick with what you have.

Conclusion: This is a wonderful accessory that is simply a must-have for professional photographers and graphic designers. It's feature set is the most complete of any tablet I've ever worked with and there are no drawbacks to mention save the slight difference in surface texture - which you get used to. The medium version is the perfect size for most users and the unit quickly pays for itself through precise selections and time saved. I wholeheartedly recommend the Wacom Intuos4 series graphics tablet.

More beauty lighting with a pair of strobes

Eden Harris

It's been a bit since my last post, needless to say, I've been crazy busy. This will be a relatively short post and will take the topic of the last post on two source beauty lighting in a different direction.

Last time, I talked about "clam shell" lighting. Basically, it consists of a diffused light source at 45 degrees above and below the subject in the portrait environment. Here, I've moved the sources into a cross-lighting setup. The interesting thing about this particular setup is that it incorporates no diffusion. The main light is positioned to camera left at about 45 degrees. The light is an Alien Bees 800 series strobe with a standard reflector and a 30 degree honeycomb grid attached. This concentrates the light, allowing for both limited spill and less power. One could use a beauty dish in this setting as well, though, without a grid, it will produce a larger light cast.

Erin Pierce

The second light is also and Alien Bee's 800 fixed with a standard reflector and a set of barn doors. The vertical doors are closed down allowing only about a two inch beam of light. The top and bottom flaps (the horizontal doors) are wide open. I find this allows more directional light over a longer plane than, say, a snoot or honeycomb grid. I wanted the light to travel from the head down the back and arm to provide a more complete rim light.

The lighting setup was the same for both models, but arranged in opposite directions for each subject. Eden (top picture in the post and last) was shot using the setup shown below. Erin (above) was photographed with the main light to the right and the rim light to the left. Note how much coverage the barn doors allow down the back of the subject. It is especially evident in the pictures of Eden as I have her positioned at a harder angle to the camera. Both models have easy-going and bright personalities which makes working with them easy and fun. The poses were done from a run of the mill  school chair. The glare that the legs and back of the seat produced in some of the images was removed in post.

Cross-lighting setup

I failed to record the power output settings on the strobes, but it was significantly less power than required with diffusion. The images were shot with a Nikon D700 in RAW mode with a 70-200mm lens at f/8 at 1/250th. They were rotated and a few minor tweaks were performed in Aperture before dumping them off to Photoshop CS4.

The great thing about this setup is that it introduces virtually no light spill onto the backdrop. That is further controlled by the fast shutter speed. I have to admit, this was an improvised scenario. We began the shoot with the clam shell configuration - but this time in the vertical orientation (i.e. the lights were 45 to the left and right than from above and below). That setup produced some wonderful images, but I really wanted to go a different route, so for the last 30 minutes I decided to try this setup and loved it.

Eden Harris

When you have photogenic subjects, more than half the work is done for you, and when you throw in a talented makeup artist like Wendy Riley (whom I also had the pleasure of working with on the previous shoot on beauty lighting) things get even easier.  But even the world's top models have their images retouched (heavily) for print and advertising work. These images needed some attention, but nothing super serious. Mostly I just removed a few distracting flyaway hairs and then evened out the skin tones. This was done using Photoshop CS4 with the healing brush, the clone stamp tool and layer blending with the blur filter, etc. I'm not a Photoshop expert, I just try to learn the techniques that best serve my style of photography and work with them. Photoshop geniuses like Scott Kelby and others are the defacto source for learning better Photoshop skills. Give them a Google to learn more tips and tricks.

This is a super simple lighting setup that is capable of producing some magnificent results. You have to be more careful with you r light placement and subject position when dealing with non-diffused lighting as it drastically increases shadows as well light hardness. The end results are worth the extra attention to detail as it produces a classic Hollywood sort of elegance, perfect for less traditional beauty lighting.

Until next time, be safe and happy shooting.

- R

Two Light Beauty Lighting

Shirley DeArmas

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of working with two models on an independent photo shoot. With nearly every click of the shutter going toward university work or wedding events lately, I have had little time to work on shooting for my portfolio - and perhaps more importantly, just for fun.

Shirley DeArmas and Nikki Jagt were kind enough to trade half of their Saturday in exchange for some free images. I in turn gained two models and a collection of beautiful images. We opened the studio doors around 9 a.m. and we wrapped about 2 p.m. I hauled lighting gear and worked on the setup and calibration while the girls were in makeup, courtesy of the very talented Wendy Riley. The actual shoot went about 2-2.5 hours and the shot selection produced was incredible.

Nikki Jagt

For more than half of the shoot, I used a classic beauty lighting setup that provided smooth, elegant lighting. All of these shots were focused on the waist up. For the final third of the shoot I adjusted the lighting to a four light setup to cover more full body shots. The four light scenario may be discussed in a future post, but for now I'd like to focus on beauty lighting.

Beauty lighting is a general title assigned to shooting scenarios where the main purpose is to provide even illumination from top to bottom, and at times, from left to right. It can be used for a variety of subjects, but is typically used on females in 2/3 portrait or tighter. You'll see it in advertisements for makeup and skin cleansers as well in model portfolios.  This can be achieved in numerous ways and different photographers favor different approaches. Some setups include a beauty dish over head with a fill card below the face, a ring light with diffuser and what is referred to as clam shell lighting - which is the setup discussed here.

Shirley DeArmas

Clam shell lighting consists of a pair of diffused light sources positioned above and below the model and tilted about 45 degrees toward the subject. The setup looks like an open clam shell, hence the name. The lights will obviously be in front of the model, and the tilt of the lights will cast overlapping light on the subject, providing a nice, smooth, even illumination. To further enhance the setup I added a pair of white reflectors, one on either side of the model, to kick some light back into the sides of the face and body.

Nikki Jagt

The diagram below shows the setup from the side. As you can see, the softboxes are positioned about 45 degrees above and below the model with the two reflectors on either side. Note that the closest reflector has a reduced opacity to allow for a more three dimensional look at the scenario. The setup works best if the upper light is placed on a boom because the images are actually shot throw the opening between the softboxes and the obstruction of a light stand will prove extremely frustrating. It is worth noting that this same setup can be achieved with off-camera strobe like your Nikon, Canon or other portable flashes. Keep in mind, it will be harder to parallel the power of the studio strobes, but you can certainly compensate for this by adjusting your exposure settings. These images were shot using a pair Alien Bees 800 lights in the foldable medium and large softboxes. The reflectors can be anything from poster board to foam core to collapsible reflectors. I used a pair of Photoflex light panels with the diffusion surfaces to bounce the light. The images were shot at ISO 50 at 1/250th at f/8. The lights were set to approximately one quarter output, but were adjusted using the Alien Bees LG4X wired remote control for the variation in skin tones and wardrobe color and materials.

A little retouching was done in Photoshop. The basics apply here. I removed the blemishes not concealed by the makeup, improved contrast a bit around the eyes and softened the skin. Ta-da! It's really the same thing you would do for any portrait retouching, with the exception (maybe) of the skin softening. It's really just a  duplicated layer with 2-2.5 pixel Gaussian blur added. Then the layer opacity is reduced to 30-40 percent and then the important features - i.e. everything but the skin - are erased, revealing the original layer, and then the layers are flattened. Presto. You may use other methods for this, but I'm not a Photoshp expert. I just use what seems to work for me.

As you can see, the lighting is breathtaking, but having beautiful models certainly doesn't hurt. This is a relatively simple lighting setup and it can produce spectacular results. Combine this method with elegant subjects and a laid back, fun atmosphere and the results will certainly not disappoint.

Until next time, happy shooting.

- R