Welcome to a brand new feature — the Weekly Wrap-Up — a compendium of some of the articles published this week on Photofocus. This week, we got you ready for the holidays with plenty of Black Friday deals as well as our favorite gifts for photographers in our Holiday Gift Guide. Still looking for some savings and ideas? Check it out!
2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts under $250 - With Black Friday and Cyber Monday only days away, we wanted to compile some of our favorite gifts that you can buy your favorite photographer (or send to friends and family to buy you!). Below are a few gift ideas that are under $250. Want to see the latest gift ideas for the 2021 holiday season? Check out our Holiday Shopping Guide! Vanguard Alta Access 33X Shoulder Bag Recommended by Bryan Esler This is my go-to event photography bag, as it holds my camera body, speedlight and my four lenses. It’s professional-looking with its black color and has a ton of different storage compartments both inside and outside. $129.99; available via B&H Miops MOBILE Remote Recommended by Scott Wyden Kivowitz The Miops MOBILE Remote gives any camera intelligent wireless control with numerous triggering styles. $125; available via B&H BlackRapid Double Breathe Camera Harness Recommended by Michèle Grenier This has to be my personal favorite. I ALWAYS use it on my photoshoots ever since I bought it last year. It’s ideal for sports photography, or any other type of photography that requires two camera bodies at the same time. $134.95; available via B&H Hoodman Steel 64GB 2000x SDXC UHS-II Memory Card Recommended by Tracie Maglosky This steel plated memory card supports 4K Ultra HD video and features a read speed of up to 300 MB/s and a write speed of up to 260 MB/s. $119.99; available via B&H MagMod Professional Flash Kit Recommended by Bryan Esler Light your subjects effectively and easily with MagMod’s Professional Flash Kit. Fitting most on-camera speedlights, the kit features the MagSphere, MagBounce, MagGrid, MagGe, MagGrip and a creative gel set. $189.95; available via B&H Spider Camera Holster SpiderPro Single Camera System v2 Recommended by Bryan Esler As an event photographer, I often feel the aches and pains of carrying a massive amount of gear all day. The SpiderPro Holster helps ease that burden, letting you carry one or two cameras on your waist. It’s comfortable, secure and has a ton of accessories that can make your life as a photographer a little less painful. $150; available via B&H Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens Recommended by Michèle Grenier My favorite go-to lens. There’s nothing I haven’t done with it and it stills serves me well after all these years. Lightweight, fast, affordable, this 50mm is a great addition to a beginner’s camera bag! $216.95; available via B&H Adobe Creative Cloud Photographers’ Plan Recommended by Lauri Novak, Bryan Esler and Chris Anson We all need access to some great photo editing software, and a year’s subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photographers’ Plan is a great place to start! Get access to Photoshop, Lightroom CC, Lightroom Classic, Adobe Spark and Adobe Portfolio. $119.88; available via adobe.com Sew Trendy Gift Card Recommended by Tracie Maglosky Be inspired by the amazing fashion-forward looks by Sew Trendy Accessories. These designer handmade gowns will have you swooning! Choose any denomination for this gift that keeps on giving. Recommended amount of $150-200; available via sewtrendyaccessories.com CamRanger Mini Wireless Transmitter Recommended by Michael Muraz Control your Nikon or Camera camera with the CamRanger Mini, a wireless remote control transmitter and app. $199.99; available via B&H B&W XS-Pro Kaesemann High Transmission Circular Polarizer Recommended by Bryan Esler Eliminate reflections, haze and glare with this high-quality circular polarizer. Featuring a multi-resistant nano coating, the XS-Pro line is constructed from Schott glass for optical clarity. $109.95; available via B&H Vallerret Ipsoot Photography Gloves Recommended by Bryan Esler Living in the arctic tundra of Michigan means that, once November hits, I need to bundle up. And usually this means taking a hat, scarf and photography gloves. This offering from Vallerret features a 100% Merino Wool liner to keep you warm and cozy, as well as finger caps on both the index finger and thumbs. It even features a pocket to hold an SD card, key or cloth. $109.95; available via B&H Looking for more gift ideas? Check out our Photofocus Gift Guide on the B&H website.
Creative lighting with Lume Cubes - Now that my Lume Cube Photographer’s Pack was unboxed, it was time for me to go in the field and give it a try! I got out from my comfort zone as I wanted to force myself to work in a different way than I was used to. What did I end up photographing and how did I like working with my new lighting system? Inspiration First, I needed to get some inspiration. As I really wanted to give all the attention to the Lume Cubes, I thought it could be a really cool idea to take the pictures in the dark. Then, I had to find a place I could make those ideas a reality. Luckily, a good friend of mine owns a yoga studio. She was kind enough to lend it to me for a couple of hours. My friend Krystina and her friend Kathia — two dancers — were my models. Getting ready Now that I had a setup in mind, I knew what I had to bring for my photoshoot: A black fabric background, my Lume Cube Photographer’s Pack, a tripod, a Platypod and two light stands. Image 1 – Duality Krystina and Kathia were sitting on the floor. I placed the Lume Cubes straight on the floor, on either side of them. The right one had a blue gel on and both had a diffusion bulb to soften the light. This was taken with a shutter speed of 1 second. I asked the girls to look at the camera and then quickly turn toward each other. This is what creates the duplication effect. Image 2 – Sketched silhouette For the sketched silhouette image, I asked my model to choose a comfortable pose. I knew she would have to hold it for several seconds. Still with my camera on a tripod, I asked Krystina to take both Lume Cubes in her hand and move it right behind Kathia. Both had a diffusion bulb on and the left light had a blue gel as well. With trial and error, we found that a 10-second exposure was best for the effect we wanted. I really like this image, as the light sketching makes it eye-catching and powerful. Image 3 – Reflection I’ll be dead honest: This image was underexposed. I thought it looked good on the back of my camera but once I imported it on my computer, it was like if Kathia’s body was merged into the background. Since I was in a creative mood, I decided to go all in with my post-processing just to see what I could end up with. I opened the picture in Luminar 2018 (as I did with all the other images in this article) and played with all kind of filters. Of course, I bumped up the exposure, exaggerating it in a way I’d never do in my regular images. It was for creativity’s sake so I was fine with it! I added even more grain/noise and decided to duplicate the dancer’s body in a mirror effect. Both lights were placed on a Platypod on either side of the dancer. I put them on the top of the studio’s shelves close to the background wall. I angled them towards the floor with the ball head mounts. Kathia was backlit and this is what created the silhouette effect (the light was coming from behind her). Image 4 – Free As the photoshoot was going on, the first Lume Cube took its last breath. I enjoyed using the blue gel and forgot that the battery wasn’t lasting super long when used at full power. I had to change position to continue with my only one left. I chose to have a lot of negative space since the studio was completely dark. I decided to put a CTO warming gel on my Lume Cube topped with a honeycomb grid. I wanted to light only Katia and didn’t want the light to spill all over the place. CTO gel gave me a nice sepia tone and the negative space inspired freedom. Must all good things come to an end? As you can see, the only small downside I’ve experienced is the relatively short battery life when the device is turned on full power. If you plan on needing a very powerful light for an extended period of time, I suggest you might either get a couple extra devices (so you can switch and recharge along your photoshoot) or consider another lighting alternative. The devices are also very small which gives a pretty narrow light beam. For my next experiment, I will either find a way to bounce the light to make it broader or use it as an accent light instead of the main light. I had a lot of trial and error through this photoshoot. I wasn’t in my comfort zone, but that made me stop and think and a lot more than usual. This has been a great challenge and I am glad I did it. Even if it took longer than expected and I got less good shots than I hoped for, this was a highly educative experiment. Sometimes, I tend to get too comfortable at things I repeatedly do. I forget all the different aspects of photography and how technique changes from a style to another. I encourage you to do the same once in a while. It keeps us on our toes and reveals ideas we might never have otherwise. Grab a few friends, a couple Lume Cubes and get creative!
Modifying light with versatile, extremely portable V-flats - A set of V-flats is one of the most versatile — but not often talked about — light modifiers a photographer can have in their studio or home studio. Usually constructed of foam core, V-flats can be used to block light (known as flagging), to bounce or absorb light, or as a background. Most studio photographers use them so much, they forget to talk about them because they assume all photographers know their value. I admit I fell into this trap until a set of V-Flat World’s portable V-Flats appeared on my doorstep. I called my buddy Richie and a few hours later we collaborated on a shoot with Florida based model Erika Megan to try out the V-flats in Richie’s home studio. Here are a few examples of how we use V-flats and how V-Flat World’s portable V-flats compare with our older V-flats. Flag the light to prevent light spill on the background Placing a light next to your subject and background can cause unwanted light spill on the background. To prevent this, move the subject about 10 feet from the background. If this isn’t possible, position a black V-flat between the background and the light. Turn on the light’s modeling lamp to see if the light is spilling onto the background. Adjust the V-flat until the background isn’t affected. This technique is known as flagging or blocking the light. It modifies the light by controlling the direction and where it falls. Using the black side of the V-flats will prevent light from bouncing all over. More options with a black/white V-flat When I first created my V-flats, I had to create two sets of white and black because I could only find either white or black flats. Other than the obvious extra cost, you would think to have four V-flats wasn’t that big of a deal. For a large studio, storage isn’t an issue, but for a home studio, it is. Plus, changing the flats from white to black in the middle of the shoot disrupted the flow of the session. V-Flat World made a very smart choice by having one side black and the other side white. This gives photographers more options when shooting. Use the white side to bounce light into the scene and the black side to absorb or take away light. Taking away the light is known as negative fill. Portability comes at the cost of smaller size, but does it matter? In my larger studio, space isn’t an issue, but in a home studio like Richie’s every inch counts. V-Flat World’s portable V-flats are smaller than traditional 48″ x 96″ (4′ by 8′) flats, measuring in at 40″ x 80″ x 1/2″ with white on one side and black on the other. They fold to a 40″ x 40″ square making them easy to store and carry to a location in a car. After shooting with both sizes, I don’t feel the smaller size is a disadvantage at all. The only need I can see for the extra height of the 8-foot V-flat is when you want to use it as a background for a full length or three-quarter shot. Setting up a quick background In the past, I’ve used a single V-flat — or combined two together — for a quick background. The 4′ x 8′ V-flat is tall enough for a 6-foot person and wide enough for an average person. The smaller 40″ x 80″ would have difficulty. I didn’t use the portable V-flat as a background on our shoot because of the lines caused by its ability to fold. These lines would appear in the photo and I would have to edit them out. Not a big deal for one image, but editing a series from a shoot would add extra time to my editing workflow. For me, this isn’t a big deal. I would opt to use a normal background for a full length or 3/4 portrait and the portable V-flat just for a headshot. Price: $195 ($379 for two) plus free shipping If you’re new to V-flats or on a tight budget, just buy one and incorporate it into your workflow. Since V-Flat World offers free shipping you can buy the second at a later date without it costing too much more. If you have a studio — especially a home studio — invest in two. If you would prefer to buy the flats and build a set on your own, check out “How to Construct the Most Versatile Studio Gear: V-flats.” They are simple to make, but I strongly suggest paying a little extra for quality and portability from V-Flat World. Either way, get a set of V-flats and start upping your lighting skills.
Photographing through glass - Photographing through glass sometimes can’t be helped. In some instances, photographing through glass is the only way you’re going to get the image. An example I encounter pretty regularly is photographing at observatories like One World Observatory in New York City or the Skydeck in Chicago. In a lot of observatories (the Top of the Rock and the Empire State Buildings are notable exceptions), you have to photograph the view through glass. Other situations where you might encounter glass are photographing from a car, a train or an airplane. Dealing with reflections If you’ve ever been in a situation with glass, you know how hard it is to photograph without getting bad reflections. It gets even worse at night. So, let’s talk about how to avoid reflections when photographing through glass. Before you even deal with reflections, make sure you’re photographing through a clean area. Glass can often be dirty, especially on buildings. Make sure there aren’t too many dirty spots in your frame. There are a few ways to mitigate reflections. If you’re at home, in your car or in any situation where you control the lights, turn all the interior lights off. That should help tremendously. If you can’t turn off the lights, then I still have some solutions for you. The solutions below are the ones I used to photograph the Northern Lights from a plane. First, put your camera as close to the glass as possible. If you can photograph straight and have the lens (the plastic part) touch the glass, even better. If you have a lens hood, try using it, especially if it’s perfectly round (like on a telephoto). In most cases, you’ll still have reflections. The goal is to cover the area around your lens. Your hands can work in some cases. I have used a dark jacket or sweater successfully. You look a little weird but it can do the job. Take your time to put it around the lens and check it’s covering all the reflections. Enter the Lenskirt But wrapping around a jacket or sweater isn’t ideal, and can be somewhat tedious to deal with. Enter Lenskirt, the best solution to avoid reflections when photographing through glass. It’s a hood with four suction cups. It’s easy to use: You attach the Lenskirt to the glass with the suction cups and your lens goes into the opposite end. I recommend the XL version, as it allows you to shoot with larger lenses and wide-angle lenses. The regular version is a little cheaper and will work great with smaller cameras like micro four-thirds. It’s a little bit of an investment but it’s worth it if you travel regularly or like to photograph in situations with glass.
Traveling with non-photographers - Whether you’re a serious hobbyist, semi-pro or pro, traveling and going on outings are part of our lives with our friends and loved ones. As a photographer, this can sometimes hinder our efforts to get the shots we want but it doesn’t have to. Here are some things you can do to ensure you all have a successful trip. Plan your travel One of the easiest ways to alleviate the stress that sometimes happens when traveling with non-photographers is to plan. When you plan your travel itinerary, sit down with your fellow travelers and discuss what everyone would like to accomplish. Talk about the sites to see, restaurants to check out and touch on what everyone’s expectations might be. As plans are made you may find that there are people who have different itineraries in mind. It’s going to happen, trust me. You, as a photographer probably already have a list of what you want to photograph. Your family and friends have their own ideas and may even be worried that your photography will hold them up. Discussing this upfront will help considerably to make the trip a little more stress-free. Map it all out. Break up into groups if need be. Make sure you also leave free time for everyone. Don’t schedule and map out every single detail and minute or you’ll end up stressed while trying to keep to the schedule. Allow time for just wandering or lingering in a cafe. One of the best things about traveling is being in the location you are. This allows you to get a feel for the place, the people and the culture. It’s hard to do that if you have tours and sightseeing planned every moment. Create a travel shot list For your own sanity, create a list of the places you want to take images. Having this list as a base will help in the planning process. This way you’ll know locations, distances and whether or not it will be possible to actually get to everything you want to. If not, prioritize your list. What shots are most important for you to come away with and tell your travel story? Make sure you are able to get those or you may come home disappointed. If you are taking any sort of tour on your trip let the tour guide know ahead of time that you are a photographer. Ask them, if at all possible, would they be able to make sure you have time to get to the right location for the images you want to take. Can they do this without interrupting the planned route and time schedule? Better yet, if you are able, take a private tour as a group or even on your own. This is a fantastic way to be able to suggest and guide your own itinerary while still learning and seeing the local area. Take time to be on your own I know it seems counterintuitive to go on a trip with friends and/or family and take time for yourself but it’s necessary and will benefit everyone on the trip. Go off on your own strictly to take photos. You won’t have to feel rushed or be aware of those who constantly wander in front of you and are getting in your shots. Plan a morning or afternoon where the rest of the group is on a tour, at a museum or heading off for some other planned activity. Spend some time winding down and going through the day’s images in a quiet cafe or your room. This helps you not feel so overwhelmed with all the images you have to go through when you get home. Include fellow travelers Make sure to include “vacation” photos. Take images of your friends and family. For one, you’ll be expected to have some of these as the photographer of the group. Secondly, you’ll be glad when you are sharing and going through vacation photos years down the road that you recorded the people you shared the trip with as well. Don’t forget to hand the camera or phone to someone else to make sure you also have photos of yourself from your trip. Another way to include them is to help them with their own photos (if they are open to it and want help). Share some tips for better photos, phone shots or otherwise. Maybe they have a new camera they need help with, do what you can to make them more comfortable using it. You may find they might be too intimidated to ask you questions because you are the expert. Show them how just moving two steps to the right might make a little bit better image. Again, be careful with this so you’re not telling them what to do, just little bits of advice to help them come home with better images. Play Step out of your photographer role and relax. Yes, you can still take photos but put the camera on auto, let it do the work or just use your phone at times. Take fun shots on the fly and maybe out of your norm. Doing this allows you to also loosen up and just enjoy the trip without the worry of making the perfect shots at all times. Give yourself a break. If you’re traveling with children, even better. Give them cameras, and phones and take them under your wing. Let them take photos of whatever they want, you’ll be amazed by the images they come back with, and what and how they see. Traveling with friends and family doesn’t have to be strictly non-photography for you. Communicating and planning make it work for everyone involved to make a successful trip for everyone. Safe travels!
Portrait tips: Holiday portraits - Holy cow, it’s the holiday season once more. Yeah, crept right up on me. With family and friends getting together, you could have a golden opportunity to make terrific portraits. If you don’t blow it. Another picture? The problem is that these people know you are crazy about making portraits and they’ve suffered you for years — or maybe only this year if you’re new to this marvelous game. They may be a little tired of feeling compelled to participate in your hobby (no matter how much your peers realize it’s a passion, it’ll always be a hobby to family. Sigh.). Especially that one brother-in-law… Even if they do agree to a picture, they’ll likely give you two fake grins and want to get back to the game. You may be the only obstacle between them, a whipped cream-covered piece of pie and a La-Z-Boy. The solution: A project The key to getting family to be in pictures for you is to beg their help in a little project. Everybody likes to help with a project — it’s intriguing, and it gives them something to talk about at the water cooler next Monday. No one wants to be the brother-in-law who is unhelpful. Try some of these suggestions: Are you seeing a trend? Make sure it’s fast and easy to say yes and then follow through on that short time. If you need more time, use that niece who loves to be in pictures, or maybe that cousin who has a crush on you. Share the results No matter how badly your pictures turn out, you’ve got to share them with your family. If they weren’t great, they’ll use it as a road marker for your progress. They’ll be happy to do it again next time and see that you’ve improved. You can say, “I promise it’ll be better than last time!” and everyone will have a laugh and make a better picture. Here are some pictures I made on the front porch during Thanksgiving. I used the, “I got a film camera!” line and they all went for it. It’s Kodax T-Max 400 in my Pentax 67 medium format camera with a 200mm lens. But absolutely don’t… The one thing you mustn’t do is make it not fun. Don’t shame anyone about their smile, don’t pick on anything to try to get a smile, don’t mention that time last year when that embarrassing thing happened — you may be ready to laugh about it, but they may not be. The most important thing is to spend a minute together and make a memory. It’s really not important that the picture be stunning, it’s just important that it happens. Happy Holidays!
