Rangefinder April 2015

THELIGHTING

ISSUE

APRIL 2015

R A

N G

E F

I N D

E R

TH

E LIG

HT

ING

ISS

UE

AP

RIL 2

01

5/V

OLU

ME

64

• NO

. 4

PHO

TO ©

NIC

K F

AN

CH

ER

Run-and-GunLighting Setupswith Nick Fancher

8 Tips forIlluminating Video

Testing the Profoto B2

Cool Product Debuts from WPPI 2015

Rf_TEST_COVER_APRIL.indd 1 3/19/15 1:17 PM

We tell stories, we chase ideas, we make our own rules.

A force to be reckoned with – we are makers.

metal mural

acrylic

miller's signature album

MILLERSLAB.COM

MAKER Shawn Lee with Shawn Lee Studios

E m p o w e r i n g S p i r i t E d g y S t y l e E n e r g e t i c L e a d e r

IFC_001_RF_0415_Millers_sprd.indd 2 3/10/2015 2:07 PM

We tell stories, we chase ideas, we make our own rules.

A force to be reckoned with – we are makers.

metal mural

acrylic

miller's signature album

MILLERSLAB.COM

MAKER Shawn Lee with Shawn Lee Studios

E m p o w e r i n g S p i r i t E d g y S t y l e E n e r g e t i c L e a d e r To request more information see page 111

IFC_001_RF_0415_Millers_sprd.indd 3 3/10/2015 2:08 PM

THAT SHOTHOW I GOT

PH

OT

O©

BE

N A

ND

ER

IN C

HR

ISM

AN

Profoto_0415.indd 2 3/18/15 11:11 AM

ADVERTISEMENT

Opposite page: The final shot of Brandon and Katrina Wong in Old San Juan. Above: Erin

angles the OCF Softbox 2x3 for Ben as he photographs the Wongs. Ben says, “Erin and I

prefer shooting without assistants for a number of reasons, so small, lightweight battery-

powered flash units are invaluable for us.”

UNDEREXPOSE THE AMBIENT LIGHT. To create a sense of mood, use your Air

Remote TTL to find the “right” exposure,

then adjust to the scene in front of you.

HAVE THE PERSON HOLDING YOUR LIGHT INTERACT WITH YOUR SUBJECTS.

Make sure they have good expressions

and don’t look stiff.

WE LOVE LARGE LIGHT MODIFIERS, LIKE THE OCF SOFTBOX 2X3. They have helped us bring studio-quality

lighting to our outdoor portraits.

LOOK TO PAINTING FOR INSPIRATION. For centuries, the great Masters

have been illustrating light that rivals

contemporary lighting equipment.

TIPS & TRICKS TURNING CHALLENGES INTO AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKEBEAUTIFUL IMAGES.

1

2

3

4

SUBJECTS

LIGHTING SETUPPROFOTO B1,

BARE BULB

(BELOW)

CAMERA

www.profoto.com

Brought to you by

BEHIND THE SCENES

THIS PAST NEW

YEAR’S DAY,

Erin and I were

attending a

wedding in San

Juan, Puerto Rico

with two other photographer friends,

Brandon and Katrina Wong. We asked

them to join us one night in Old San Juan

to photograph them in the charming

historic district.

Our original plan was to photograph

Brandon and Katrina at sunset with a

big view of the city or ocean to really

show that we were in Puerto Rico, but

with the holiday traffic, we didn’t get set

up until after dark on one of Old San

Juan’s cobblestone streets. We found

some Christmas lights still strung around

someone’s door and used them to frame

Brandon and Katrina. When you place

tiny lights up close against the lens, the

constant twinkling of the tiny bulbs affects

the photo in all sorts of wonderful ways.

To light Brandon and Katrina, we set

up a B2 Off-Camera Flash with an OCF

Softbox 2×3 in the vertical position. We

found the exposure using the Air Remote

TTL, then switched to manual mode in

order to maintain a constant light on them

from the handheld B2 head while allowing

the twinkling foreground lights to fill the

rest of the image field.

When we light a subject, we are

generally trying to replicate natural light,

or use a flash to create a sense of drama.

Good light rarely means an abundance of

light for us. It’s usually the absence of light

that we like best, and we’ll use artificial

light to fill in the gaps.

Improvising this shoot was nothing

new for us. The shoot was very much like

a typical wedding because plans never go

as scheduled, and because of that, we’re

always searching for portrait locations all

night long at a reception instead of only

the allocated time the wedding planner

has arranged. It’s rare that our favorite

photos are ever taken in the time we’re

officially given to take portraits. The

challenge is always to have an idea in the

hardest conditions.

BEN AND ERIN CHRISMAN IMPROVISE WITH THE PROFOTO B2 ON THE STREETS OF OLD SAN JUAN.

Profoto_0415.indd 3 3/18/15 11:11 AM

4 RANGEFINDER APRIL 2015

PHO

TO ©

CH

RIS

TIA

N L

ALO

ND

E

CONTENTSApril 2015 Vol. 64 No. 4

T HE L IGH T ING ISSUE

46Bright Lights, Big Impact

Four photographers explain how they lit on-location flash, added film noir drama,

used video light and bumped up daylight.BY RF STAFF

62Recipes for Wedding Day

A step-by-step guide to making brides shine. BY SCOTT KELBY

668 Tips for Illuminating Cinematography

Filmmaker Adam Forgione shares his secrets.BY JACK CRAGER

7010 Lights for Any Occasion

A lineup of lighting gear to cover your bases.BY JOSH ROOT

74Inside the Profoto B2

Reviewing the high-octane performer.BY GREG SCOBLETE

76Tools to Light the Way

Hands-on with three lights for stills and video.BY GREG SCOBLETE AND DAVID PATIÑO

FE AT UR E S

32WPPI Report

Hot products from the show.BY GREG SCOBLETE AND JOHN RETTIE

34Photographer You Should Know

Nick Fancher’s run-and-gun lighting. BY LIBBY PETERSON

42Tips & Tricks

Pricing for profit.BY BRYAN CAPORICCI

79

Best Friends Contest Winners’ Gallery

46

RF_0415_TOC_Vs2.indd 4 3/18/15 4:18 PM

UNCOMPROMISING.Quality, reliability and versatility.

The 17-70mm F2.8-4 lens, designed for

APS-C format cameras, delivers stunning

images in a lens 30% smaller than

conventional models.

SIGMA Corporation of America | 15 Fleetwood Court | Ronkonkoma, NY 11779, U.S.A. | Tel: (631) 585-1144 | www.SigmaPhoto.comFollow us Twitter @sigma_photo and Facebook.com/sigmacorporationofamerica

Case and Hood LH780-03 included.*OS is not available for Pentax and Sony mountUSA 4 Year Service Protection

17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM

SIGMA USB DockUpdate, adjust & personalize. Customization never thought possible. Sold separately.

SIGMA_17_70_RangeFinder.indd 1 8/27/13 11:05 AM

To request more information see page 111

005_RF_0415_Sigma.indd 1 3/10/2015 2:11 PM

CONTENTS

“Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity” is a new comprehensive exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography

in Chicago, highlighting the young men who are mixing Victorian-inspired fashion with traditional African sensibilities.

PHOTO © RUSSELL K. FREDERICK

PHOTO © JOSHUA KANE WOOD

20

28

111Ad Index/Coming Next Month May is all about filmmaking!

112On My Radar Pari Dukovic’s color crunch. BY DAN HAVLIK

FOCUS

18 News, Products and Exhibits Love Reunited, studies of Dandyism and portraits of America. BY LIBBY PETERSON

24What’s in Your Bag? Tamara Lackey’s go-to gear. BY TAMARA LACKEY

26Light ReadingBlack-and-white, journey into womanhood and Mario Testino. BY JIM CORNFIELD

28Rf Wedding of the MonthTropical matrimony in South Florida. BY JESSICA GORDON

COLUMNS

08From the EditorBY JACQUELINE TOBIN

10From the WPPI DirectorBY JASON GROUPP

12Rf ConversationsCOMPILED BY RF STAFF

14Editor’s Pick: Sam HurdBY JESSICA GORDON

30From the Cubicle A WPPI 2015 Rundown. BY JASON GROUPP

94Product Roundup Wide-angle lenses. BY THEANO NIKITAS

100Digital Guru Dead memory cards get another chance at life. BY JOHN RETTIE

104First Exposure Reviewing ACESee Ultimate 8.1. BY STAN SHOLIK

108DSLR Video Testing the K5600’s Evolution Kit.BY IBARIONEX

PERELLO

RF_0415_TOC_Vs2.indd 6 3/30/15 2:03 PM

To request more informationsee page 111

007_RF_0415_ExpoImaging.indd 1 3/10/2015 2:17 PM


®

FROM THE EDITOR

—jacqueline tobin, [email protected] | rangefinderonline.com

The calendar may say April, but in reality I am writing this in early March, fresh off the successes of a truly incredible WPPI show and conference in Vegas. And while it’s now time for show director Jason Groupp and company to start planning the next best week of our lives (March 3-10, 2016), we

do have the current task of bringing you a jam-packed Lighting Issue, complete with video lighting tips from cinematographer Adam Forgione; recipes from Scott Kelby on making the bride look even more glowing on her wedding day; ten tools for every occasion (including motion-freezing and continuous output), and some of the functional, fashionable and just plain fun products that made a big splash at WPPI because, after all, what trade show is complete without a Bobbleshop kiosk or an Instagram printer? For your viewing pleasure, we bring you the Winners’ Gallery from our Best Friends animal photography contest, featuring a lineup of extremely photogenic dogs, cats, goats, penguins and even a couple of snakes. Enjoy!

PHO

TO ©

SU

E B

RYC

E

PHOTOGRAPHER: Nick Fancher CAMERA: Canon 5D Mark II LENS: 24-70mm f/2.8L FOCAL LENGTH: 58mm EXPOSURE: f/13 at 1/200th of a second ISO: 100

LOCATION: Spindle Studios (now Blackletter), Columbus, Ohio

PHO

TO ©

NIC

K F

AN

CH

ER

ON T HE COV ER

“I had the idea to wrap [hip-hop artist John Reuben] from head to toe in tin foil, including his sunglasses, thinking it would make for a graphic album cover,” Nick Fancher explains. “The concept actually worked rather well with his album title ‘Sex, Drugs, and Self-Control’ in a ‘hear no evil, see no evil’ kind of way; it’s fun, but with a dash of paranoia, as in, ‘I’m going to cover myself in foil so the outside world can’t contaminate me.’ ”

See more images by Nick Fancher starting on page 34, and discover his “Nitty-Gritty Lighting Tips” on page 40.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jacqueline Tobin SENIOR EDITOR Jessica Gordon ASSOCIATE EDITOR Libby Peterson SENIOR TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Greg Scoblete CONTRIBUTING EDITOR John Rettie CREATIVE DIRECTOR Adana Jiménez GROUP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Daniel Ryan PRODUCTION MANAGER Gennie Kiuchi CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bryan Caporicci, Jim Cornfield, Jack Crager, Dan Havlik, Scott Kelby, Jason Groupp, Tamara Lackey, Theano Nikitas, Ibarionex Perello, John Rettie, Josh Root, Stan Sholik

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GIFT & HOME, PHOTO AND JEWELRY Christopher McCabe SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PHOTO AND JEWELRY GROUPS John McGeary (646) 668-3736 VICE PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER, PHOTO+ Lauren Wendle (646) 668-3762 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Mark Brown (646) 668-3702 SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Lori Reale (858) 204-8956 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Jon McLoughlin (646) 668-3746 Noah Christensen (646) 668-3708 DIRECTOR OF SALES, PHOTO+ SHOWS

Mike Gangel (646) 668-3717 [email protected]

For subscription information and customer service, call: (866) 249-6122 or locally, (847) 763-9546

Rangefinder, P.O. Box 2198, Skokie, IL 60076 [email protected]

For list rental information contact: Mike Gangel (646) 668-3717

OPERATIONS MANAGER Neeta Lakhani MARKETING DIRECTOR Michael Zorich

A PUBLICATION OF

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT David Loechner CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND TREASURER Philip Evans CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Bill Charles VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL AND SECRETARY David Gosling SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Lori Jenks SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL Teresa Reilly VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING SERVICES Joanne Wheatley VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Eileen Deady VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE OPERATIONS Denise Basham

Rangefinder is a trademark owned exclusively by Emerald

Expositions, LLC Copyright © 2015 Emerald Expositions, LLC.

All rights reserved.

Rangefinder Magazine 85 Broad Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10004 (646) 668-3700

RF_0415_EdLett.indd 8 3/18/15 2:30 PM

SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD[Model A012] for Canon, Nikon, and Sony* mount

Introducing the world’s first** fast full-frame ultra-wide-angle zoom with image stabilizationPush your vision even wider with the new Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD zoom — the world’s first in its class with image stabilization. The latest addition to Tamron’s line-up of SP (Super Performance) lenses, designed for both for full frame and crop-sensor DSLRs, is built to the highest standards, and enables you to capture images of expansive vistas free of annoying lens aberrations thanks to Tamron’s use of proprietary XGM eXpanded Glass Molded Aspherical lens element technology. This bold new zoom delivers superb corner-to-corner resolution—equal to a prime lens—at every focal length and a bright F/2.8 aperture throughout its 15-30mm zoom range. Its rugged design features a fluorine-coated front element—which sheds water and repels dirt—and enhanced moisture resistant construction. Fast. Ultra-wide. Image stabilized. Powerful from any perspective.

*Sony mount without VC **For F/2.8 ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for full-frame DSLR cameras (Source: Tamron)

Focal length: 15mm Exposure: F/11 0.6 sec ISO400 © Ian Plant

www.tamron-usa.com

Perspectives of power

TAM-A012_sunsetlake_9x10.875_RFad.indd 1 1/26/15 9:50 AM


029_RF_0315_Tamron.indd 1 2/5/2015 6:06 PM


Wait, what—it’s April already? This year is flying by, and after a brutal winter here in New York, I’m definitely having a major case of spring fever! This morning I took the “long way” to work and spent some time shooting tulips breaking through the soil. It was so good to bask in the warmth of the sun and feel a camera in my hand. I’m so inspired by all of you, especially after returning from WPPI, and my joy continues as I sift through your prints that we’re starting to send back from Print Comp.

Just as each year brings a new patch of flowers and green grass, we renew our challenge to you with the opening of this year’s First Half Members Only Print Competition. Your growth in 2015 starts now, and I wish you luck! As always, I’m here to serve if you have any questions. You can email me at [email protected].

FROM THE WPPI DIRECTOR

JASON GROUPPWPPI Director of Education and Membership

[email protected] (646) 668-3722


MITROS+

FLASH TRIGGER

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

omega-adF.pdf 1 2/27/2015 12:52:15 PM

PHO

TO ©

PET

ER H

UR

LEY

Rf_FROM DIRECTOR.indd 10 3/18/15 1:28 PM

Millers Rangefinder Product MARCH15.indd 1 2/13/15 9:56 AM


011_RF_0415_Millers1p.indd 1 3/11/2015 11:58 AM


RF CONVERSATIONSSHARING THE ONLINE BUZZ...

Bedtime Shenanigans #Repost from @rachelvos: How my #wppi roomie @michellenewellphotography relaxes after a long day of exploring Vegas. #rfwppi

May I take just a moment to thank you? Seriously, I realize there are ads throughout your magazine

to pay for its distribution, but my goodness, even the ads are helpful! I love Rangefinder. I tell every photographer I know about it and am surprised every time when I hear myself saying it’s a free subscription because it doesn’t feel like a free magazine. It has taught me, motivated me and inspired me. Many, many thanks.

—Lisa ArnoldLisaArnoldPhotography.com

I must take issue with you over the photo you choose to show on page 20 in the January 2015 issue under “Senior Shoots for All.” As a photography teacher of high school students I am not only teaching them about photography but also safety when taking photos. This includes not going on private property and staying off train tracks. Whether these were dead tracks shown in the photo or not, my impressionable students do not know the difference. This is an irresponsible photo to run. Please do a future article on railroad photography and safety/legality.

—Wendy McElfishCapistrano High School

Mission Viejo, CAEDITOR’S RESPONSE: You are absolutely right, Wendy, and we applaud your students for asking the tough questions, and for calling us out on our poor judgment and regrettable decision to run the image in the first place. We’ve addressed this (after we published the image) both online and in print (RF March 2015) and are glad to keep this important dialogue going. Thank you!

—MICHELLE NEWELL@MICHELLENEWELLPHOTOGRAPHY

PHO

TO @

RA

CH

EL

VO

S

mayrafiori: The most impacting moment at #wppi2015 for me was

when @jeremycowart was on the @canonusa stage and shared about his experience photographing John Schneider right after he received the news that his father passed away. These images have left a lasting impression on me…

—MAYRA E. FIORI @MAYRAFIORIPHOTO @ MAYRA FIORI

WPPI (wedding and portrait photographers international) 2015, pool

party! #iphoneography #wppi2015 #mgmgrand #lasvegas

—ONLY K PHOTOGRAPHY@ONLY_K_PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO @ ONLY K PHOTOGRAPHY

Photoforward—In response to “Why Wedding Photographers Shouldn’t Provide Cost Breakdowns to Justify Their Fees”

Steve: I understand the desire to respond to “Why are you so expensive?” but it is unnecessary. If I walk into Nordstrom’s [sic] I do not ask why it is expensive, I KNOW it will be expensive. The quality of the experience, the store, the service and the product tell me if the price is justified. Generally, I do not get this question because I create a great experience and sense of VALUE. If someone asks me this question they are not my target client.

RF_0415_RFconvo.indd 12 3/18/15 1:29 PM

Leather Gallery Wraps

16” x 16” $39.99 | 16” x 20” $44.99 | 16” x 24” $49.99

.comExclusively at

Phot

ogra

phy

by K

atel

yn Ja

mes

Introducing

Available in three introductory sizes

Printed on European Bonded Leather


025_RF_0415_CircleGraphics_lr.indd 1 3/11/2015 8:42 AM


RF_0415_Edpick.indd 14 3/14/15 7:07 PM

RANGEFINDERONLINE.COM 15

PHO

TO ©

SA

M H

UR

D

EDITOR’S PICK

Rainbow Connection

By Jessica Gordon

I’m all about finding creative ways to spice up wedding portraits, particularly those shot at night, where it’s so easy to

repeat a wellworn concept. The magic of this photo by Sam Hurd (who happens to be a 2013 Rangefinder Rising Star) is that Hurd used a 6-foot-long strip of rainbow

LED lights in a way that’s not corny or cliché. This image, of couple Lindsay and

Greg, could easily serve as an album cover or movie promo. “I set the LED light to show a sequence of rainbow

colors and had my assistant hold it up and behind the couple,” Hurd explains. “The light is bright enough that no fill light was necessary—they’re being lit

completely by the LEDs.” Because it was the first time Hurd experimented with the light strip, he kept the shot—taken a few

feet from the couple’s reception venue in Northern Virginia—relatively basic: “I got a couple images that looked like unicorn

horns, so it’s a fine line between what worked and what didn’t,” he says. Also relevant is Hurd’s camera of choice—his Nikon D750 with live view and swivel screen, he says, allowed him to see in

real time what the image would look like before he even hit the shutter. ”I use that

feature a lot and manual focus everything so I know exactly where I

want it to be, settings-wise. It kind of acts as an iPhone screen, but with all

the qualities of a DSLR.”

+ www.samhurdphotography.com

RF_0415_Edpick.indd 15 3/14/15 7:07 PM

Choose our Wood Prints to lend a warm, natural feel to your images, or MetalPrints infused on

aluminum for a vibrant, luminescent, modern look. Both options provide exeptional durability

and image stability, for a gallery-worthy display that will last a lifetime. Available in a wide

range of sizes, perfect for anything from small displays to large installations.

Display Your Images in Their Element

Learn more at bayphoto.com/pro-products

Quality. Service. Innovation.

We’re here for you!

25%OFFYour First Order!

*Get 25% of your frst order with Bay Photo Lab! For instructions

on how to redeem this special ofer, fll out the New Customer

Account Request form at bayphoto.com.

Imag

es b

y: S

tep

hen

Oac

hs,

Sal

Cin

cott

a, A

nn

ie K

. Ro

wla

nd

, Su

zett

e A

llen

, G

alle

r.ee,

Jim

Gar

ner

, Han

son

Fo

ng

, Art

Su

wan

san

g, D

ou

g G

ord

on

, Co

ttag

e K

ids,

Tam

ilan

d, S

teve

Har

rin

gto

n, M

ax S

eig

al, T

eres

a Le

e, N

ico

le S

epu

lved

a, J

essi

ca Q

uin

tal,

Sco

tt R

ob

ert

Lim

, Nei

l Sim

mo

ns

on Natural Wood or High Definition MetalStunning Prints

Exceptional ImagesDeserve an Exceptional Presentation

016_017_RF_0415_BayPhoto_lr.indd 2 3/11/2015 11:36 AM

Choose our Wood Prints to lend a warm, natural feel to your images, or MetalPrints infused on

aluminum for a vibrant, luminescent, modern look. Both options provide exeptional durability

and image stability, for a gallery-worthy display that will last a lifetime. Available in a wide

range of sizes, perfect for anything from small displays to large installations.

Display Your Images in Their Element

Learn more at bayphoto.com/pro-products

Quality. Service. Innovation.

We’re here for you!

25%OFFYour First Order!

*Get 25% of your frst order with Bay Photo Lab! For instructions

on how to redeem this special ofer, fll out the New Customer

Account Request form at bayphoto.com.

Imag

es b

y: S

tep

hen

Oac

hs,

Sal

Cin

cott

a, A

nn

ie K

. Ro

wla

nd

, Su

zett

e A

llen

, G

alle

r.ee,

Jim

Gar

ner

, Han

son

Fo

ng

, Art

Su

wan

san

g, D

ou

g G

ord

on

, Co

ttag

e K

ids,

Tam

ilan

d, S

teve

Har

rin

gto

n, M

ax S

eig

al, T

eres

a Le

e, N

ico

le S

epu

lved

a, J

essi

ca Q

uin

tal,

Sco

tt R

ob

ert

Lim

, Nei

l Sim

mo

ns

on Natural Wood or High Definition MetalStunning Prints

Exceptional ImagesDeserve an Exceptional Presentation


016_017_RF_0415_BayPhoto_lr.indd 3 3/11/2015 11:36 AM


PHO

TO ©

TO

NE

E L

AW

RE

NC

E

Operation: Love ReunitedWith the goal of giving treasured portraits while boosting morale to deployed service members, Operation: Love Reunited

provides free photo sessions to military families facing periods of deployment. Colorado photographer Tonee Lawrence founded the nonprofit in 2006, sending volunteer photographers around the country to take photos of the often-emotional farewell and

welcome-home moments between military members and their loved ones. “It’s all made possible by artists wanting to give something back to those who make our country what it is,” Lawrence writes, “and ask for nothing in return but for these brave men and women to come back home.” Photographers interested in volunteering their skills (and who have been in business for at least

one year) can apply on the website. The nonprofit now pays for all photographers’ session prints.

+ www.oplove.org

ABOVE: Master Sargent Craig Lawrence partakes in tea time with his daughter, Natalie, in their backyard in Little Rock, Arkansas.

PHIL A N T HROPY

FOCUSBY L IBBY PE TERSON

RF_0415_Focus_AJ.indd 18 3/16/15 4:26 PM


019_RF_0415_AcrylicPress.indd 1 3/11/2015 12:10 PM


PHO

TO ©

RO

SE C

ALL

AH

AN

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Barima Owusu-Nyantekyi at the King’s Head Club, London, 2013; Kingsley, 2010; Ubiquitous SWAG, 2010.

The Return of DandyismTracing the idea of the “Black Dandy” phenomenon through the esthetics of the Harlem Renaissance to some of the contemporary celebrity reincarnations like Andre 3000, this cultural movement has come to encapsulate sartorial style. A new comprehensive exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago is highlighting the young men who are mixing Victorian-inspired fashion with traditional African sensibilities, thus challenging the stereotypical understanding of Black masculinity. “Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity” is featuring work from both emerging and established photographers from around the world—including collodion shooter Jode Ake and fashion photographer Rog Walker—and will run from April 6 to July 12.

+ www.mocp.org

PHO

TO ©

HA

NIF

AB

DU

R-R

AH

IM

PHO

TO ©

RU

SSE

LL K

. FR

ED

ER

ICK

FOCUS

E XHIBI T ION


RANGEFINDERONLINE.COM 21RANGEFINDERONLINE.COM 21

Logmar Revives the Super 8 It’s been over 20 years since an updated 8mm video camera has hit the market, but the Dutch company Logmar Camera Solutions has caught on to the film fascination among photographers and videographers, releasing the Logmar S-8 in response. With a promise to fix the jolting footage so often associated with Super 8 film, this video camera features a fixed pressure plate and pin to lock film firmly during exposure, a C-mount for interchangeable lenses and a flip-out LCD. Powered by an ARM Cortex M3 processor, the Logmar S-8 records time and date-stamped, lip-synchronous audio files onto an SD card, allowing for easier sound-syncing in post. The camera is outfitted with a USB port and has built-in WiFi (plans are brewing to release a WiFi remote-control app, too).

price: $5,500 (body only)+ www.logmar.dk


V IDEO

Panasonic HC-WX970The WX970 not only captures 4K footage but also delivers the first high dynamic range mode for camcorders at this price, enabling users to soak up more detail in the shadows and highlights. The device also sports a second camera on the LCD display that can be angled to simultaneously record a different vantage point than the main camera, with a tilt of +/- 20 degrees. The second camera’s footage is stored, picture-in-picture style, alongside video recorded from the main camera. The WX970 sports an 8.29-megapixel back-illuminated image sensor and runs the company’s Crystal Engine 4K image processor. A built-in 20x optical zoom lens is kept steady using Panasonic’s five-axis optical stabilization. If you like the WX970’s specs but could do without the second camera, try the VX870.

prices: $999 (wx970); $899 (vx870)+ www.shop.panasonic.com

www.platypodpro.com

“the world’s most compact base for a professional tripod head”

compact

tripod head”



A Portrait of AmericaWith a photojournalism background, Linnea Bullion—a Minneapolis native who released a photo book of European skateboarders called …And For a Moment, Time Stops—turned her lens on the United States during a nearly 20,000-mile journey around the country last summer. “The United States is a country whose vastness is complemented by its diversity,” writes Bullion, who is also a shooter of quirky and humorous self-portraits. “I wanted to show this diversity while simultaneously acknowledging its continuity.” After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Bullion self-published the documentary photo book American this year. The 10 x 8-inch hardcover is packed with 132 pages of photos that unfold thematically. Portraits of the people and landscapes from around the country include a farm in Boulder, Colorado; Times Square street vendors in New York City; a barbershop in Raleigh, North Carolina; a theme park in Ocean City, Maryland, and more.

price: $50+ www.linneabullion.com

PHO

TOS

THIS

PA

GE

© L

INN

EA

BU

LLIO

N

FOCUS

BOOK OF T HE MON T H

TOP LEFT: Larry. Raleigh, North Carolina.BOTTOM LEFT: Collon, a.k.a. “Barbershop Boy.” Grand Forks, North Dakota. “I’m the smallest in my class,” Collon says to the photographer, “but with the loudest voice.”BELOW: American book cover, taken in New Mexico.



Panasonic Lumix 42.5mmPanasonic will add a new portrait lens to its Micro Four Thirds lineup in May. The Lumix G 42.5mm is equivalent to an 85mm lens on a full-frame camera. It has a bright maximum aperture of f/1.7 and features a focusing distance of 12.2 inches, letting you get up nice and close to your subjects. The 10 lens elements feature multi-coated glass to reduce flare and ghosting while Panasonic’s Power O.I.S. stabilizes the lens to keep blur at bay. It also utilizes the company’s high-speed, 240 frames per second Drive AF system to keep moving objects crisply in focus.

price: tba+ www.shop.panasonic.com


www.rosco.com

Thanks to its unique edge-lit, LED technology, Rosco’s LitePad Axiom produces the indirect, diffused light that photographers desire. LitePad Axiom creates flattering, soft shadows as it wraps around the subject – without needing additional diffusion fabric or gels.

Phot

o by

: Jua

n W

yns

Stunning Soft LightFor Shaping Your Shot

LitePad Axiom – it’s like lighting with a softbox

that’s less than an inch thick.

LitePad Axiom is the lightweight, portable, lighting solution for

portrait, beauty, and studio photographers around the globe.

LENS

Off-Roading with Manfrotto For photographers who like to venture a bit off the beaten path. Manfrotto has released a new line of tripods called Off Road, touted for their compactness as well as their quick and easy setup. Measuring 5 cm in diameter and weighing 5.5 pounds, the tripod has a universal camera attachment with a quick wheel, allowing for speedy attaching and detaching. The Off Road—available in red, green or blue—comes with a built-in aluminum ball head with a single adjustment knob, an integrated leveling bubble and spiked bases on the feet for some added stability.

price: $150+ www.manfrotto.us

T R IPOD



As much as I like to keep things as simple as possible, it’s extraordinarily helpful to have the right gear on

hand when needed. I do most shoots with at least two different cameras and typically work through three to four lenses on each shoot—and that’s the least of what I’ll travel with. I’m a big fan of letting the lenses help me vary things up a bit while I stay focused on the subjects and, specifically, the interaction. I really care about expression and authenticity in the images, so I try to “stay” with my subject and not get lost in the gear.

When I travel outside of client work, I like to keep things way lighter and will often travel with just one camera (D810), one lens (24-70mm f/2.8) and a very light, portable tripod (Sirui T-2205X tripod and ballhead).

Tamara Lackey runs a busy studio focused on portrait, commercial and editorial work. Her lifestyle photography—from children’s portraits to celebrity portraits—has been featured in a myriad of media outlets, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Parenting Magazine, Town & Country, Vogue, Food & Wine, Men’s Journal, Nikon World, Professional Photographer Magazine, Photoshop User Magazine, NBC’s The Martha Stewart Show, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, PBS’ Need to Know and

NBC’s The Today Show. She is 1 of only 20 selected Nikon Ambassadors and was the recipient of the 2014 WPPI Adorama Inspire Award as well as the 2015 Rangefinder/WPPI Humanitarian Award. Tamara, her husband and three children, along with their three dogs, live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

PHOTO © TAMARA LACKEY

Pictured:• Nikon D4s• Nikon D4• Nikon D810• Nikon D800• Nikon D750• Nikon 1 V3

• Nikkor 85mm f/1.4• Nikkor 35mm f/1.4• Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8• Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8• Nikkor 105mm f/2.8• Nikkor 50mm f/1.4

Not Pictured: • Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 and

14-24mm f/2.8• Nikon SB 910 x2• Reflector (quite a

few—Glow and Westcott)

• Profoto portable strobes• Ice Light • Light stand• Gepe Extreme card

cases• G Drive 1TB

thunderbolts

• 15-inch MacBook Pro • iPhone• Sirui T-2205X tripod

and ballhead • Westcott Spiderlites

in studio

Tamara Lackey

TAMARA’S GO-TO GEAR:

ABOVE: Lackey’s gear, along with her Australian Shepherd/Boxer mix, Dasher, who likes to sit at her feet whenever possible. “He loves editing time, is a very patient lighting model,” she says, “and has never peed on any of my equipment, ever.”

FOCUS

W H AT ’ S IN YOUR BAG?


NEW:THE PROFOTO OFF-CAMERAFLASH SYSTEM

“I hadn’t enjoyed using flash for many years. The ones I tried were either too bulky or too restraining. The Profoto Off-Camera Flash System has changed that. Now, I can move around freely, follow the inspiration and control the light in whatever situation I may find myself. For me, it feels like the beginning of something new.” - Australian wedding photographer Yervant

Profoto US | 220 Park Avenue, Florham Park NJ 07932 | PHONE (973) 822-1300, profoto.com/us

© YERVANT

See the world’s best photographers using Profoto Off-Camera Flash on profoto.com/offcameraflash

NEW:THE PROFOTO OFF-CAMERAFLASH SYSTEM

“I hadn’t enjoyed using flash for many years. The ones I tried were either too bulky or too restraining. The Profoto Off-Camera Flash System has changed that. Now, I can move around freely, follow the inspiration and control the light in whatever situation I may find myself. For me, it feels like the beginning of something new.” - Australian wedding photographer Yervant

Profoto US | 220 Park Avenue, Florham Park NJ 07932 | PHONE (973) 822-1300, profoto.com/us

© YERVANT

See the world’s best photographers using Profoto Off-Camera Flash on profoto.com/offcameraflash


025_RF_0415_Profoto.indd 1 3/10/2015 2:21 PM


I Heart Girlby jessica yatrofsky powerhouse books | 96pp

In a collection of frank, simply staged portraits, Jessica Yatrofsky asks viewers to examine a new paradigm in the look and cultural mannerism of modern young womanhood. The subjects are posed in scant clothing, some nude, individually and in pairs, all with neutral expressions that suggest both the power of this new interpretation of femaleness and

vulnerability. There are hints of counter-culture vernacular—tattoos, piercings, a lock of candy-colored hair here and there—and overriding the whole series is a kind of adamant resistance to conventional, sexualized norms of style and attitude. Yatrofsky is a New York-based filmmaker and fashion photographer who concentrates on what her publicist lists as “body politics, beauty and gender.” Here, she intentionally allows her imagery to walk a thin line between cool, forthright works of art and slightly raw, clinical studies. That balancing act alone is reason enough to add this bold little book to your photographic library.

price: $30 + www.powerhousebooks.com

The Cool and the ColorlessBY J IM CORNFIELD

Sirby mario testino with patrick kinmonth and pierre borhan | taschen | 456pp

Publisher Taschen brings us the work of superstar fashion photographer Mario Testino in this elegant book that examines the changing facets of male identity over the last three decades. With text by Patrick Kinmonth—who first commissioned a young Testino to shoot for British Vogue—the images of film stars, rock musicians and athletes are heightened by Testino’s acute

sensitivity to the nuances of contemporary masculinity, which Testino says has “changed in recent years.” This limited-edition autographed version slip-cased in metal will no doubt be followed by a more affordable edition for us common folk. price: $700 + www.taschen.com

Everything: The Black and White Monograph by christopher makos, edited by peter wiseglitterati incorporated | 352pp

There’s a cautionary subtext in this diverse amalgamation of portraits, travel shots, street photography, abstracts and more: do not allow our collective universal fixation on color imaging stifle your inner black-and-white shooter.

Judging from this interesting collection, widely published veteran Christopher Makos has never even heard of color. Of course, that’s not the case, but he launched a successful career back in the analog era, and his brash approach to every imaginable subject is an eloquent reminder of the power of the medium. Three of the book’s 250 images almost demand

treatment in color—a shirtless, clearly bronze male figure, a bright Cadillac against the blue-black sky of Palm Beach, Florida, and the parallel rows of creamy pink marble statuary atop Milan’s great cathedral, the Duomo. Yet Makos treats these subjects quite successfully as graphic shapes, familiar to us but abstracted by the dramatic, reductive power of black and white.

Shooters from any era will find inspiration in this versatile photographer’s ability to transition seamlessly from the studio to the street, from artificial to natural lighting, from people and puppies to garish automotive grillwork—all in living black and white.

price: $85 + www.glitteratiincorporated.com

PHOTO © 2014 CHRISTOPHER MAKOS/GLITTERATI INCORPORATED

ABOVE: Christopher Makos’ book reminds us that color isn’t necessarily the vital ingredient in the imagery of an era.

FOCUS

L IGH T R E A DING


H&H Color Lab I www.hhcolorlab.com I 1-800-821-1305

stunning metalsimpressive

Recently awarded recognition by Chromaluxe at 2015 Imaging USA

as an industry leader in innovation and vision for printing on metal.

Innovative. Incredible prices. New sizes and finishes.

Imag

e b

y TR

Ph

oto

gra

ph

y

Rangefinder_2015_April_FINAL.indd 1 2/26/2015 11:07:31 AM


027_RF_0415_X.indd 1 3/10/2015 2:21 PM

ALL PHOTOS © JOSHUA KANE WOOD


PHOTOGRAPHER: Joshua Kane Wood, joshuakanephotography.com COUPLE: Janeane and Adam LOCATION: Ann Norton Sculpture Garden, West Palm Beach, Fla. CAMERAS: Canon 5D Mark II and III LENSES: Canon 50mm f/1.2 L, Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART and Canon 135mm f/2.0 L COMMENTS: “The groom is a musician, the bride an artist; they understood that what’s important

about a wedding day is the people, emotion and the atmosphere, not so much the details and décor,” says Wood.

Tropical MatrimonyA South-Florida sculpture garden comes alive with understated love.

BY JESSIC A GORDON

FOCUS

R F W EDDING OF T HE W EEK



How do you redirect the bride and groom’s creative vision?

Joshua Kane Wood says the original ceremony spot was “far less intimate, visible from the street,

and had terrible light.” So he “very carefully” asked during the rehearsal if the couple would consider

using a section of the garden that was more secluded, and offered symmetry with the red brick sculpture

serving as the altar. “I felt terrible changing the minds of the couple,” Wood says. “But they trusted me

enough and liked my explanation of why it would be better for photography, and had no problems

moving their ceremony site. After that, everything went swimmingly.”

+ View more at www.photoforwardblog.com Category: Wedding of the Week



WPPI 2015: The RecapIt’s official—WPPI show No. 35 is one for the books, and it was a year of evolution and more varied experiences than any previous year.

CONFERENCE LEARNINGS We began the week with Photo Walks and intimate, 25-person PLUS classes; this year saw the addition of six PLUS classes, and every one sold out. I’ve had nothing but great feedback on each one and expect to add even more next year. On Saturday, The University had a full-day program to help new photographers kick off their businesses and give them the tools they needed to cultivate a healthy studio. KEYNOTE KUDOS Another show highlight was our keynote speaker Joe McNally’s presentation. Joe delivered a heartfelt look at his years of shooting and had us glued to our seats laughing and crying the whole time. I cannot thank him enough for taking us through this journey and sharing his own growth over the years!

PRINT COMP CONGRATS The Annual Print, Album and Filmmaking competition began its two-day live journey, judging more prints than we’ve ever seen before. Sixty-three judges, 23 print handler assistants, eight proctors, and countless others came together with our Print Competition directors Jerry and Melissa Ghionis as we witnessed a growth of nearly 60 percent over the last two years. Most amazing was the quality of the work that has grown along with it. There were nearly 30 percent more awarded prints (80 and above) this year than in 2014. I’ll admit, I was absolutely elated by this! Bravo to all of you who did well, and the same goes to everyone else who put yourselves out there! It takes guts, and I can’t thank you enough for making the Annual so great.

On the last night, we gathered to award achievements made throughout the year at our annual awards ceremony. Delivering an awards ceremony two days after Print Comp was an epic task, but kudos to everyone who helped us put it together. There were many memorable moments, but Danny Dong’s tribute to his wife after receiving the Canon Excellence in Print Award had us all spouting tears of joy.

FROM THE CUBICLE BY JASON GROUPP

PHO

TO ©

CO

LLIN

PIE

RSO

N

Rf_FROM THE CUBICLEVs2.indd 30 3/18/15 10:25 AM

ABOVE: “Spring Growth,” my monthly installment of #mypicrfwppi—looking forward to seeing yours!

CERTIFICATION STATUS I was also excited during the awards ceremony to announce the official launch of WPPI-C! This review course and certification will be setting a new standard for wedding and portrait photographers all over the world. See more info at www.nyip.edu/courses/wppi-certification. SHIMMERING SHOW FLOOR Did I mention we had an incredible trade show, too? The energy across the two floors was electric this year, with vendors from around the world showing their latest offerings, new gear and great workflow solutions. I love how much creativity and thought go into the booths at WPPI—there really is no place like it anywhere in the world. GRATITUDE Finally, thank you to our sponsors who give so much each year and to our educators, judges and the crew who worked into the wee hours of the night. So many familiar faces and so many new ones as well; high- fives filled the halls from sun up to sundown. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in us.

So, who’s ready for next year?! Dates are: March 3 to 10, 2016. Mark your calendars!

“I’ve met so many amazing photographers from across the globe

and got to meet some of the most inspirational photographers in the industry. I am so fortunate to have heard about WPPI, and I’m already

looking forward to next year! ” —Charmaine Mallari, Winnepeg, Canada


No power? No problem! ION Portable Power

for Studio Lights

• Reliable, durable and compact

• Compatible with most monolights

• Standard USB port

• LED Power Monitor

• Dual 3-prong AC outlet

• Produces over 1000* fl ashes and recharges quickly

(800) 682.7668 • photogenic.com

Reliable, durable and compact

PHOTOGENIC®

CHECK OUT LATEST

REBATES * Based on performance of 320 WS Monolight per charge

Imag

e ©

Pet

e W

rig

ht

Lithium ION Pure Sine Wave Inverter

Make remote shots as convenient as studio work with

the new Photogenic ION...


PHO

TO ©

JA

SON

GR

OU

PP

Rf_FROM THE CUBICLEVs2.indd 31 3/18/15 2:32 PM


Didn’t make it to WPPI this year? Not to worry. Here’s a glance at some of the products that caught our eye, including Profoto’s B2,

which we review separately on page 74.

BY JOHN RETTIE AND GREG SCOBLETE

Display ChangeThe stylish BenQ SW2401PT display, with a thin black bezel, is specifically aimed at photographers and costs only $499. It hits all the right specs with a color gamut that matches 99 percent of the Adobe RGB color space and a 14-bit 3D LUT (look up table), which delivers a much larger pal-

ette of colors than most monitors costing less than $1,000.

BenQ claims this 24-inch monitor, with a 2560 x 1440 native resolution, is the world’s first professional photography monitor that includes a special black-and-white mode for exact proofing of monochrome or grayscale photos. It features a built-in SD card reader and three USB 3.0 ports.

W PPI R EPOR T

Fresh IceFJ Westcott’s Ice Light 2 is 50 percent brighter than the original with a total output of 1,740 lumens of daylight-balanced light. The color accu-racy has also been improved: the new Ice Light has a Color Rendering Index (CRI) value of 96. The second-generation Ice Light (now featuring Bluetooth and priced at $550) is dimmable in 18 steps, and sports a digi-

tal display and a removable battery that’s good for about an hour or more of continuous use. The battery itself recharges in two hours, and you can also operate the Ice Light when connected directly to an AC outlet.

SHOW PRODUCTS

Print On SiteIf you’re into producing prints at events, the newest dye sub printer from DNP might be just the ticket. The flagship DS620A, priced at $995, is smaller and faster than other models in the manufacturer’s range. It can print a variety of different sizes, ranging from a photo-booth fun strip of 2 x 6 inches to up to 6 x 8 inches. Since it prints from a roll of paper, different sizes can easily be made without changing media. It’s speedy, too; you can print up to 400 4 x 6-inch prints on a single roll at just 8.3 seconds per printing. At WPPI, DNP also showed a Wireless Print Server that enables event photographers to produce prints directly from a Wi-Fi-enabled camera without using a computer.

Canon News: Showgoers also had their first chance to see output from Canon’s forthcoming 50-megapixel monsters, the EOS 5DS and 5DS R (slated to ship in June) and hear a panel discussion of photographers sharing their thoughts on the

new cameras prior to their ship dates. Get the full scoop at http://bit.ly/1BtAmCJ.

WPPI Wrapup Images_vs2.indd 32 3/17/15 3:36 PM


Upper Echelon BagsThis three-piece Echelon luxury series from LowePro includes a roller, attaché and laptop brief-case (no cameras fit in this one, though). The entire series features custom-cast metal hardware and saddle-stitched, premium leather handles. Each piece is wrapped in 840 denier black nylon fabric and sports YKK RC-Fuse locking zippers and TSA-approved locks, plus a removable, black all-weather cover.

The $800 roller holds two pro DSLRs, six to eight lenses (up to 300mm), flash and lighting gear, a 15-inch laptop and additional accessories. The $420 attaché holds a DSLR, two to three lenses (up to 70-200mm f/2.8), a flash, a 13-inch laptop and accessories. The $340 briefcase can fit a 15-inch laptop, tablet and portable hard drives. It also has an integrated memory card holder and organizer.

Touch-Based ControlAdmit it, you hate your mouse. But after checking out the CTRL+Console demo at WPPI’s Launchpad, we may have found a more intuitive replacement, at least for video editing and photo organiz-

ing. The CTRL+Console app runs on iPads and offers a series of custom-ized controls for Adobe Premiere. It syncs with your computer over Wi-Fi and offers touch-based controls that replace mouse hunting around menus and keyboard shortcuts. The app itself is free but you’ll pay up to $30 for in-app purchases to unlock editing functionality (depending on the version of Premiere you’re using). The company is also finalizing a Lightroom Sorter that turns your iPad into remote control for Lightroom or-ganizing. Quickly scroll through your catalogue with a swipe of your finger, rate images, delete them and save them. Goodbye, mouse!

Flash Happy The Phottix Indra 360TTL is a powerful-yet-por-table package and the baby brother to Phottix’s

more powerful Indra500 TTL (introduced last fall). The Indra 360 delivers 360W/s of power with built-in TTL triggering for Canon

and Nikon cameras. It also offers manual and strobe modes, second-curtain sync and high-speed sync up to 1/8000 of a second. You can adjust the Indra 360’s power over eight stops from 1/128 to full in 1/3 increments.

The flash will use a small Li-ion battery good for up to 300 flashes at full power. The Indra 360TTL is due out this month for $880 for a single light and battery kit. Additional configurations will include a two-light, two-battery kit with a Phottix Odin controller for $1,760. A three-light, three-battery kit with the Odin controller will set you back $2,570.

Nikon UpdateAn update to the D7100, the Nikon D7200 boasts a 24.2-megapixel APS-C-sized CMOS sensor with a no optical

low-pass filter. It can also shoot at six frames per second for up to 18 14-bit RAW

files, 27 12-bit RAW images, or 100 JPEGs. You’ll also enjoy a native ISO range of 100 to 25,600 (and as high as ISO 102,400 when shooting in black and white). With both Wi-Fi and NFC, you can quickly pair the camera with your mobile devices.

On the video front, the D7200 records 1080p video at up to 30 fps or up to 60 fps when in 1.3x crop mode. The D7200 ships this month for $1,200 (body only) or $1,700 (with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens).

Hashtagging PrintsA wedding isn’t a wedding if it doesn’t have it’s own hashtag, right? With HootBooth’s #Hashtag Printer, you can monetize those impulsive Instagrams with the touch of a screen. The #Hashtag Instagram printer features a 12-inch touch-screen display and connects to Instagram and Twitter to print images based on selected hashtags. You can use templates to

ensure your own branding also appears on any printed image. The printer, a Sinfonia CS2, spits out a print in about 11 seconds and can produce 300 4 x 6-inch prints on a single roll of media. The total package weighs 78 pounds but the printer and stand can be separated. The unit costs $5,499, but WPPI members can shave $200 off with the promo code WPPI2015.

BobbleShopIn this age of affordable, high-quality 3D printing, one company taking advantage of the technology is Digiteyezer. Its BobbleShop is a photo kiosk where customers can have their faces photographed from nine angles in a mere 10 seconds and

then transformed, via the magic of 3D scan-ning, into a figurine or, yes, a bobble head. The $9,900 BobbleShop license entitles you to send your 3D image files to the company’s 3D printer partner where figurines, and other 3D objects are produced with an approximate ten-day turnaround. After the license, you’re on the hook for buying blank figurines and Digiteyezer suggests tacking on a 50 percent margin to recoup your investment. Party favors never looked this surreal.

WPPI Wrapup Images_vs2.indd 33 3/17/15 3:36 PM


PYSK: NICK FANCHER

LIGHTINGON THE

Portrait and commercial photographer Nick Fancher has garnered an impressive clientele (The New York Times and Forbes

Japan among them) from his native Columbus, Ohio. He’s sharing his lighting tips and other lessons in a book released this month called Studio Anywhere: A Photographer’s Guide to Shooting in Unconventional Locations (Peachpit Press). $35 | www.nickfancher.com

How Nick Fancher’s run-and-gun shooting style, studio-less savvy and unique application of color and shadow have given him an edge.BY LIBBY PETERSON

WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW HIM

ALL

PH

OTO

S ©

NIC

K F

AN

CH

ER

RF_0415_PYSK_Vs2.indd 34 3/23/15 2:31 PM


THIS SPREAD: A commissioned shoot for New York City-based dancer Katie Stehura’s portfolio in Detroit’s abandoned Lee Plaza hotel. “We both love abandoned spaces,” Fancher says. “She wanted to do a shoot in one, and I couldn’t think of a better spot than here.”

RF_0415_PYSK_Vs2.indd 35 3/23/15 2:31 PM


PYSK: NICK FANCHER

Nick Fancher is a busy guy—as most photographers are, but this Ohioan might be a bit busier than most—

especially this year. Having just returned from Tanzania shooting for non-profit organization Help-Portrait, the portrait and commercial photographer has moved on to preparing for this month’s release of his new book (and accompanying workshop series), Studio Anywhere, featuring lighting tips and other advice that he’s picked up along the way in his self-propelling career.

The idea for the book came to Fancher last April when he was in New York consulting for the e-commerce menswear startup JackThreads, wanting to do some test shoots with models on his own time. Booking a studio would cost him $1,000 a day, so to save money, he decided not to have a studio at all.

“I wondered what it would be like if I just met the models wherever they were,” he says, “just carrying a small amount of gear so I could travel by subway.” Fancher met one in a small apartment in Long Island City, another at a “crazy artist loft” in Williamsburg, and another just on the sidewalk. “Each space was equally amazing in very different ways, and I realized that I was kind of onto something,” he says, wondering to himself, “What would it look like to have a book for photographers who, like myself, don’t really have the need or the means to have a regular studio, can walk into a space with minimal tools and transform it into whatever they want?”

This has become Fancher’s creed, and the premise of Studio Anywhere. In it, he explores a variety of difficult lighting scenarios and provides accompanying explanations of esthetic choices (why he positioned which light, why it was gelled,

RIGHT: Model Halle Sobiech wears a geomatrix hat from Dream Shoot Rentals that can be styled in different ways. FAR RIGHT: Fancher complements model Melissa Koch’s black outfit with the clean-cut Columbus architecture, and a high-contrast, monochromatic treatment.

RF_0415_PYSK_Vs2.indd 36 3/16/15 3:05 PM

“The hardest thing is to get perspective on your portfolio. I see all that was put

into it, and it’s hard to remove the outdated stuff. But less is more.”


RF_0415_PYSK_Vs2.indd 37 3/16/15 3:05 PM


CAMERA: Canon 5D Mark III LENSES: Canon 35mm f/1.4L, 70-700mm f/4L LIGHTING: 3 LumoPro LP180 flashes, 4 PocketWizard PlusX transceivers, Promaster variable ND filters, Honl flash grid, Westcott white/silver umbrella, Rosco strobist

gel collection, LumoPro light stands OTHER: 82GB of SanDisk CF cards

PYSK: NICK FANCHER

hard, etc.), lighting diagrams, Lightroom screenshots, plus tips on marketing to editorial clients, scouting locations remotely, editing online portfolios and even quizzes on how to deconstruct lighting situations.

THE BEGINNINGThinking back, it’s almost amazing to Fancher that he’s teaching others about what he’s learned in becoming a professional portrait and commercial photographer, considering he’s using hardly any of what he was taught in school.

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Fancher’s fascination with the still image was originally piqued as a junior in high school when he saw the work of Annie Leibovitz and David LaChapelle, inspiring him to enroll in film photography classes and spend most of his study hours holed up in the darkroom. Having been offered a full scholarship, he earned a fine-art degree upon graduating in 2005 from Ohio State University, where he says (much to his chagrin) he was mostly taught concepts over esthetics and getting galleries over getting published.

With dreams of shooting for publications like Interview and The New York Times Magazine, he immediately traded in his rolls of film for a Canon 20D, and for several years, he says, he was scanning blogs like Strobist and books like Joe McNally’s The Moment It Clicks to soak up any knowledge he could on digital photography. Having gotten married and settled down in Columbus, it wasn’t in the cards for him to uproot and move to a hub like New York City (though he did assist NYC-based photographer George Lange whenever he swung through Columbus for shoots, getting the chance to work on bigger commercial productions and learning how to set up large octabanks, tether equipment and practice file management).

He began his LLC in 2007 and dove into it full-time in 2009 (when he finally quit his job at Starbucks), shooting lifestyle photography for JackThreads (one of his wedding clients

“My goal isn’t to become a fashion photographer, but I reach out to models anyway and try to

come up with the most innovative way of shooting them, because I feel like it’s the closest thing

to what I’d ultimately like to be doing: shooting actors and musicians for places

like Interview and Rolling Stone.

LEFT: A portrait of singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe—one of Fancher’s favorite musicians—shot at Sargent House, her Los Angeles record label (and an actual house where bands stay from time to time).

RF_0415_PYSK_Vs2.indd 38 3/16/15 3:05 PM

THIS PAGE: Model Chelsea Weller at her apartment for a Studio Anywhere shoot. Finding a blank wall, Fancher moved her bed and stacked four sheets of foam core for her to stand on to mask the carpet and baseboards.


RF_0415_PYSK_Vs2.indd 39 3/16/15 3:05 PM


PYSK: NICK FANCHER

happened to be the company’s creative director), portraits for Ohio State (he shot a personal project of dancers, which lead to jobs shooting for the school’s dance and music department) and then products for the eco-friendly apparel site Zulily. Once he built a diverse, yet focused portfolio, Fancher pursued editorial gigs and landed shoots for The New York Times and ESPN the Magazine as well as some banking and internal publications.

THE ENLIGHTENMENTFor Fancher, his quasi-DIY instruction in digital photography wound up benefiting him most. “That, right out of the gate, helped me to do things my own way,” he says. “I tried to set myself apart by doing things differently, focusing on lighting and being creative.” It included developing a sensibility to color usage and lighting that has become his signature—he plays with opposing warmth and coolness, his shadows taking on

a certain creaminess.Fancher realized with time—after using

Photoshop and Bridge, only to find the workflow to be “a bit chunky”—that Lightroom best accommodates his vision, which he now uses exclusively for post work. Because he didn’t have any formal digital training, Fancher fiddled his way through the sliders and came to understand some amazing potential after seeing a tutorial on Fstoppers that showed how much control he has in Lightroom’s Curves, just by playing with the blacks and the midtones.

“That really opened my mind to wondering, ‘What if I go into the red channel and set the shadow point higher, or the green channel,’ so then I could add these tri-layers of color tones,” Fancher says, who does all of his editing by hand, using his own actions and presets. “I have about 20 or 30 that I’ve made and often use one as a starting point to then tweak it to fit that specific photo.”

THE DREAMEven with Fancher’s busy schedule this spring (he estimates his clientele grows by about 10 to 15 percent every year), he’s always got his eye on what’s next. It’s a good bet, for instance, that he’ll be doing some test shooting while he’s in Iceland next month documenting a wedding. (While Fancher considers himself a portrait and commercial photographer first, he’s seen a recent uptick in his wedding coverage, having shot about 10 weddings last year compared to the one or two weddings in previous years.)

“I’ll definitely hop on the Interwebs and see if any models would be interested in doing some shooting,” Fancher says. “My goal isn’t to become a fashion photographer, but I reach out to models anyway and try to come up with the most innovative way of shooting them, because I feel like it’s the closest thing to what I’d ultimately like to be doing: shooting actors and musicians [like Chelsea Wolfe, page 38] for publications like Interview and Rolling Stone.”

NICK’S NITTY-GRITTY LIGHTING TIPS

1. Un-modified, hard light can be made to look softer when combined with a balanced ambient light, mindful subject positioning (avoid nose shadows) and a shallow depth-of-field. Shooting this way allows for quick setup and no light modifiers, which means you don’t need an assistant or sandbags.

2. By zooming the flash head in or out, you can quickly shape the spread of the light, allowing for reduced output and less modifiers.

3. By cutting a lens-sized hole in a disc reflector, you can shoot without the need of an assistant or reflector stand—not to mention you can light head on, rather than from below or from the side.

4. Any lighter-toned, neutral-colored wall, both indoors or out, can be used as a bounce surface for your light. This means soft light with modifiers.

5. Want to combine outdoor, lit portraits with a soft depth-of-field? Use a neutral density filter, rather than high speed sync. It’s cheaper, quicker and more effective.

RIGHT: For this test shoot, Melissa Koch “took on this femme fatale persona,” Fancher says, “reminding me of Laura Dern in a Lynch film. So I used this really dramatic light to play that up a bit.”

RF_0415_PYSK_Vs2.indd 40 3/16/15 3:08 PM


041_RF_0415_Chimera.indd 1 3/16/2015 8:35 AM


To make a living from photography, your business must be profitable. The foundation of a successful business

is rooted in knowing and understanding how to price your services to ensure that you are profiting each and every time you show up to a shoot. We asked photographer Bryan Caporicci, who recently hosted a webinar with ShootDotEdit and WPPI, to simplify the pricing process for photographers. Here are some basics to get you started. (For access to the full presentation, visit content.shootdotedit.com/wedding-photographer-pricing-for-profit.)

1. Your Pricing Must Be ProfitableLet’s talk about the most basic element of pricing: it must ensure that you make money. To set it up so that you and your business make a profit, you must understand the numbers. How much income does your business need to generate each year? How many shoots do you need to do each year, and how much do you need to make on each shoot?

Note: Pricing for profit is not gouging your clients or being unreasonable, overly expensive, pushy and sales-y, bait-and-switch-y, charging more so you can do less, raising your prices for no reason, or artificially inflating your prices. Instead, it is being reasonable, sustainable, enjoying long-term success, having happy clients, putting in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, charging what you’re worth and giving great value in return, knowing why you charge what you charge and making smart, strategic and calculated decisions.

T IPS AND TRICKS

Pricing for ProfitSHOOT DOT EDI T W EBIN A R E XCER P T

BY BRYAN CAPORICCI AND JARED BAUMAN

Rf_Tips.indd 42 3/16/15 1:27 PM


Pricing for Profit

PHO

TO ©

BR

IAN

CA

POR

ICC

I

2. Calculate Costs for Time and ServicesStart by looking at your time and costs on a per-shoot basis. Write down each and every time-investment you make when fulfilling a shoot. Take a portrait session, for example. Perhaps you spend a total of 385 minutes on a portrait session, which can include the time to book it, draw up a contract and invoice, prep gear, drive to and from the location, shoot the session, do post production and proofing, and meet with the client.

Multiply the total time by your per-minute wage ($.50 per minute based off of $60,000 a year—read on to see how we arrived at this amount), which gives you a total of $192.50. This means that your labor costs for a 1-hour portrait session to pay yourself $60,000 per year is $192.50.

Next, add in your material costs. Let’s say that for every portrait client you have, you give them a $10 gift card to Starbucks, spend $2 in gas and $2 in refreshments when you have them over for their meet-and-greet. If those are your actual

expenses for your material costs, your total is $14. When you add your labor and material costs, you get a total of $206.50. That is what it will cost you to actually do that 1-hour portrait session. If you charge anything less than this, you will actually be losing money!

3. Determine the VariablesNow that you know how much each shoot costs in time and materials, we need to look at how much you want to make. There is a proven calculated formula called “The Cost of Goods” method, which means you look at everything that goes into a particular product or service, break it down and mark it up by an appropriate amount. The markup I suggest is 2.85 percent. (This is based off a 35 percent Cost of Sales model, recommended by the PPA in its Benchmark survey.)

Let’s consider that we are employees of our own businesses, and we want to make $60,000 a year ($.50 per minute). We can calculate our per-minute wage divided by 52 weeks in a year, divided by 40 hours in a week,

divided by 60 minutes in the hour. If you want to make $60,000 per year, do the calculations with that in mind. Before you plan the route, you must know the destination. You can always adjust as you go, but the best place to start is by determining how much you want to make.

4. Set your PriceWe’re almost there! The final calculation is to multiply the total cost you determined ($206.50 per hour) by the markup you determined (2.85 percent), which leaves you with a suggested price of $588.52 for a 1-hour portrait session.

Is this what you should actually be charging? That’s completely up to you. Perhaps you now want to adjust the price to account for your local market, your experience level, and so on.

Understanding the basics behind how much your services cost you and how to determine a starting point for pricing is key. Once you adjust and find the perfect price, you can have confidence that you created pricing that will keep your business profitable.

There is a proven calculated formula called “The Cost of

Goods” method, which means you look at

everything that goes into a particular product or service, you break it down, and you mark it up by an appropriate

amount.

Rf_Tips.indd 43 3/16/15 1:27 PM

GRAND PRIZE (ONE WINNER): $2,000 cash awardA $500 B&H gift card

FIRST-PLACE (FIVE WINNERS):A $100 B&H gift card

GRAND PRIZE AND FIRST PLACE: A Holdfast Moneymaker Multicamera Strap A Full Conference Pass to WPPI 2016A PHOTO+ membership

BRIDE/GROOM PORTRAITS • BRIDAL PARTY • WEDDING RECEPTION • DESTINATION WEDDINGS • WEDDING DETAILS

RECEIVE A 30% DISCOUNT WITH

A PHOTO+ MEMBERSHIP

All winning images will be featured on Rangefinderonline.com and in the September issue of Rangefinder magazine, which will be seen by over 60,000 readers.

ENTRY FEES: Professional: $35/image or series

DEADLINE: June 25, 2015www.rangefinderweddingcontest.com

PH

OT

O ©

MA

NT

AS

KU

BIL

INS

KA

SSPONSORED BY

CELEBRATING THE BEST IN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY!

2015 PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

v3_RF Wedding 15 CFE.indd 1 3/18/15 9:51 AM


Its time to tackle the most important aspect of photography: light! But if you’re one of those shooters who sticks to the sun, fear not—this is your guide to trying new things, from fl ash to softboxes to video light. On the following

pages, photographers divulge their illuminating techniques and we show you the gear you need for any dark circumstance.

46 BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG IMPACT | 62 WEDDING DAY RECIPES | 66 8 TIPS FOR ILLUMINATING CINEMATOGRAPHY

70 10 LIGHTS FOR ANY OCCASION | 74 INSIDE THE PROFOTO B2 | 76 TOOLS TO LIGHT THE WAY

RF_Lighting_Opener.indd 45 3/18/15 9:09 AM


In this special, extended edition of our Fully Lit feature, four different photographers break down the processes behind their signature lighting styles, from indoor strobe and tabletop, to fi lm noir to video lighting for stills to fl ash-fi lled snowy scenes.

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

CHRISTIAN LALONDE

BUMPING UP DAYLIGHT

While commercial photographer Christian Lalonde (of Photolux Studio in Ottawa, Ontario) is well-known for his extensive composites,

layered images and vibrant pops of color, sometimes a more straighforward image like this one (at right), can be just as challenging. Shot in the lobby of the Trump Hotel & Residence in Toronto, this image was part of a series depicting a week in the life of living at Trump. This particular shot, Lalonde explains, was used to illustrate the couple heading out for a day of shopping and enjoying what Toronto has to offer. “It was shot in the late afternoon but lit to look like it was mid-morning on a bright sunny day,” he says. To achieve a fi nal look of what Lalonde refers to as “more natural, balanced lighting,” a main light P

HO

TO ©

CH

RIS

TIA

N L

ALO

ND

E

LIGHTS,BRIGHT

BIG IMPACT

RF_0415_FullyLitvs2.indd 46 3/18/15 12:25 PM



BOTTOMS UPFor this shot of a specialty drink that ran as part of a feature on different restaurants in Ottawa Magazine, Lalonde backlit the image by building a light table and using three different lights on the ground, as well as semi-transparent Plexiglas over the top of the table. “I also used a ring light on the camera, just over the lens, and a little strip box on the side to get a bit of directional lighting,“ he explains. “The ring light helps create the highlights over the drink, and a silver refl ector creates more highlights within it.”

As part of his signature style, Lalonde shot each element separately and then they were individually processed in Capture One and assembled in Photoshop, with just a bit of fi nal processing in Camera Raw as a fi nal touch. “It may seem like kind of an odd way of doing it,” Lalonde says, “but that’s just how I do most of my images.”

PHO

TO ©

CH

RIS

TIA

N L

ALO

ND

E

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

was placed behind the metal curtain (and desk clerk), another light behind the couple left of the piano, and yet another light was set up to the right of them, illuminating the piano bench. “There’s a strip light coming in on the man’s right side and then another strip light coming in on the left of his female partner, and then there is a beauty dish up top and a silver fi ll card on the ground, just to make the eyes pop a bit and create a little bit of fl aring off the ground,” Lalonde explains. “There’s also an extra fi ll light just above the left side of the camera. And because the walls where all white, I was able to use my environment, especially the elevator wall behind the camera, as a natural fi ll.“

Another challenge in an image like this, he adds, is to have a natural interaction between the couple. “Because we’re using strobe, the challenge is creating movement with a frozen image,” says Lalonde. “Like with the woman’s red jacket and the way it falls behind her, you see and feel a bit of movement coming into it. In terms of the lighting, it all comes down to creating that drama and movement, even subtly. “

—Jacqueline Tobin

LOCATION: Trump Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada CAMERA: Nikon D800 LENS: 24-70mm EXPOSURE: f/8 at 1/125 ISO: 100

LOCATION: Toronto, Ontario, Canada CAMERA: Hasselblad H2D-40 LENS: Hasselblad HC 80mm with closeup adapter EXPOSURE: f/11 at 1/250 ISO: 50




DIMMABLE • FLICKER-FREE • SILENT OPERATION • CONSISTENT POWER 50,000+ HOUR LEDs • MULTI-VOLTAGE • CE CERTIFIED

Continuous LED LightingCUTTING-EDGE INNOVATIONS FOR PHOTOGRAPY & FILMMAKING

FJWESTCOTT.COM

©F.J. WESTCOTT CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

ICE LIGHT™ 2 PORTABLE HANDHELD LED

1,740 lumens, 96 CRI, 5500K Removable li-ion battery Digital output display Diffused 73° light spread Sleek 1.2 lb. design Patented technology

SKYLUX™

STUDIO-STYLE LED

3,350 lux, 94 CRI, 5600K Durable solid metal housing Diffused front with 120° spread Built-in tilter & umbrella mount Regulated power ballast Fits standard modifiers

FLEX™ DAYLIGHT MAT 1,900 lux, 95 CRI, 5600K

FLEX™ TUNGSTEN MAT 1,600 lux, 98 CRI, 3200K

NEW

FLEX™

COMPACT & BENDABLE LED

Moldable 1/4" thin design Weighs a mere 7 ounces IP 64 water-resistant Dynamic light spread Patented technology

NEW

057_RF_0415_Westcott.indd 1 3/17/2015 9:46 AM


PETE WRIGHT

BRIDE FATALE

LOCATION: Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel CAMERA: Canon 5D Mark III LENS: 24-70mm f/2.8L EXPOSURE: f/5.6 at 1/40th of a second ISO: 100

LEFT: Wright’s upcoming book will be released this June by Amherst Media.

Drawn to the classic look of black-and-white photography, Pete Wright’s love for George Hurrell’s

1930s and ‘40s Hollywood glamour shots propelled him into a curious genre: fi lm noir portraits.

The Richmond, Virginia-based wedding and portrait photographer—with a book set for release in June called Cinematic Portraits (Amherst Media)—doesn’t hesitate to point to Hurrell’s timeless work as profound inspiration for his own endeavor into fi lm noir, which he began shooting back in 2007 for a personal project (before receiving various requests from wedding parties).

Dramatic lighting and elegant posing is how it’s done, Wright says. This image (right, shot for Wedding Planner Magazine) called for a three-light setup with Bowens Gemini 1000Pro strobes and built-in PocketWizards. Two Bowens Fresnel 200 modifi ers were placed in front of the femme fatale bride: Wright set the main light on her wide open and the other one, shining on the table next to her, closed “way down,” he says, “for a small, controlled beam of light that won’t affect the rest of the scene.” Wright installed a barndoor light with a honeycomb grill behind her and opposite the main light to illuminate the crown of her head. “Because of the nature of the chair having a high and enclosed back,” Wright explains, “the bride is sitting closer to the edge of the front of the chair so that the hair light can hit her. When I fi red, I dragged the shutter at 1/40th of a second to pick up more of the scene.”

—Libby Peterson

THE LIGHTING ISSUE


PH

OTO

© P

ETE

WR

IGH

T




PH

OTO

© P

ETE

WR

IGH

T

THE DARK SECRETS: FILM NOIR TIPS 1. STEER CLEAR OF SOFTBOXES. The lighting’s got

to be hard and purposeful to get those theatrical shadows.

2. PLACE YOUR MODELS IN THE SCENE FIRST, AND THEN BUILD THE LIGHT AROUND THEM. Wright likens the process to having an oil painting done—

the lighting is so precise that reposing subjects means repositioning everything.

3. PRACTICE PATIENCE. “Photographers tend to want to fi re off thousands of images, but fi lm noir portraits take time,” Wright says. “Get used to the idea of only getting a few images per hour.”

THE LIGHTING ISSUE



How would you light this?

Jeremy Saffer shares how he got the lighting results he wanted, at dynalite.com.

Your creativity, our lighting.

dynalite.com 908.687-8800jeremysaffer.com

Dyna_Jerem.indd 1 3/1/15 8:47 PM


059_RF_0415_Dymalite.indd 1 3/10/2015 2:23 PM


PHO

TO ©

CA

LLA

WA

Y G

AB

LE

THE LIGHTING ISSUE



BRIAN AND ALLISON CALLAWAY VIDEO LIGHTING STILLS

To capture this picture-perfect detail shot of a reception site at dusk, Los Angeles photographers Brian and Allison Callaway of

Callaway Gable quickly assessed the difficult lighting situation and came up with a plan.

The sun had already set behind the location they needed to shoot for their clients, and for the wedding planner. The natural light was muddy and the couple had expressed disappointment over yellow patches in the grass that they thought would show up in the pictures.

In response, the Callaways decided to use their Switronix Torch LED video light and take five separate images that could be seamlessly stitched together in post production.

First, Brian mounted his Canon 5D Mark III camera with a 16-35mm lens on their Benro aluminum tripod. Wanting to shoot at the lowest ISO possible to get crisp results, and needing to shoot at a mid-range aperture or higher to get the scene in focus from front to back, he set his f-stop to 7.1, his ISO to 1600, and his shutter speed to 1/25 of a second.

Meanwhile, Allison matched the ambient light using the variable temperature feature on their Switronix and lit each table separately, as Brian lined up the photos for stitching together later. Total time from concept to execution? Just three minutes.

Once back in their studio for post production, the Callaways say, “We layered the five images on top of

LOCATION: Sandacre Estate, Palm Springs CAMERA: Canon 5D Mark III LENS: 16-35mm AT TK EXPOSURE: f/7.1 at 1/25th of a second ISO: 1600

“We layered the five images on top of each other in Photoshop, and

painted in each lit table to the main image using masks. Then we turned

the yellow grass to green and the sky to a deeper blue using channels and

selective coloring.”



PHO

TOS

THIS

PA

GE

© C

ALL

AW

AY

GA

BLE

each other in Photoshop, and painted in each lit table to the main image using masks. Then we turned the yellow grass to green and the sky to a deeper blue using channels and selective coloring. The fi nal step was a quick run through AlienSkin Exposure to give the image some warmth and depth.” In less

than 15 minutes—including post production—they created an image that their clients appreciated and the wedding planner was able to use for publication.

—Blair DeLaubenfels

ABOVE: Four separate images show how Callaway Gable lit sections of the reception site, which they then stitched together in post.

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

THIS IMAGE: Another example of using video light for stills, this time a GL-1 Hotlight for a reception portrait of musician Davey Detail, at his wedding to actress and director Rose McGowan.

STITCHED TOGETHER COMPOSITESHOOTING PLAN• Create fi ve images in which each table

was lit separately • Expose with lowest ISO possible

and mid-range aperture

POST-PRODUCTION PLAN• Composite the fi ve photos together • Remove distractions • Enhance the sky • Turn the grass green



051_RF_0215_Fundy.indd 1 3/10/2015 2:22 PM


DAVE AND QUIN CHEUNG

FLASHAHOLIC CONFESSIONS

Dave and Quin Cheung of DQ Studios call themselves “Flashaholics” whose particular specialty is “guerilla lighting”— or as Dave explains it, “working quickly with minimal gear in

any scenario—whether indoor or outdoor—with lights to create magic.” That means traveling with their lighting gear around the world (half of their shoots are international), so they can access it immediately upon landing.

This two-light shoot was no exception. A New Year’s Day wedding near the Cheungs’ home base in Calgary, Alberta, the couple and wedding party showed super-human strength in -13 degrees Fahrenheit on a farmland close to their venue.

First, Dave set a strobe behind the bride, just below shoulder level and aimed toward the couple. Added warming gel made the sky bluer. Quin took her place behind the camera while Dave held a low-powered light with a 19-inch softbox (which goes with the team everywhere) just out of frame from the top right to get warmth on the couple’s skin. “We love that softbox because instead of using bare fl ashes that produce hard light, shadows fall really beautifully on subjects’ faces,” Quin says.

The Cheungs say the cool part about the image was the fi ne, unexpected snowfl akes that showed up in the frame: “The snow was almost undetectable in person,” Dave says, “but because the light was fl ashing from behind, it lit up the snow.” Adds Quin: “We love when the light creates images that you can’t necessarily see.”

—Jessica Gordon

LOCATION: Farmland near venue in Alberta, CanadaCAMERA: Nikon D700 LENS: 50mm

EXPOSURE: f/1.4 at 1/250th of a second ISO: 100 PH

OTO

© D

Q S

TUD

IOS

THE LIGHTING ISSUE





ABOVE: Another on-location fl ash set-up, in which DQ Studios warmed their fl ash with a gel.

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

ON LOCATION FLASH TIPSLEAVE THE GEL ON. “We always keep a warming gel on our fl ashes, even indoors,” Dave says. “It balances nicely against tungsten light for that warm glow and reduces post processing time because skin-tones are already warm.”

HAVE SOFTBOX, WILL TRAVEL. The Cheungs never

leave home without a softbox; it allows them to shape light and soften shadows.

LIGHT WITH LITHIUM. When using fl ash in cold weather (as Canadians, the Cheungs are all-to-familiar) use Lithium AA batteries, which are not as affected by cold and will last longer than other batteries.

PHO

TO ©

DQ

STU

DIO

S


About my photography business: My company is divided into 2 main parts. �e �rst is eSportsPhoto, which specializes in sports and event photography with onsite printing. Our customers call on us to take great pictures, brand them, and have them printed and ready for participants right there in the �eld. �e durability and versatility of the Mitsubishi CP-K60DW-S Photo Printer is the best solution for us to accomplish this goal. I chose the CP-K60DW-S printers for lots of reasons. We don't work all day inside a studio, in fact, many times we aren't inside at all. As a full service sports imaging company, our o�ce is beside the �eld, near the docks, or around the track. �ese printers are durable and portable. Even though they are light enough to easily transport and set-up where needed, the printer bodies are made of steel not plastic. Also, the design prevents dust from getting inside the front of the printer. �at is important.

Four years ago, eSportsPhoto expanded to o�ering photo booths. �e Photobooth by eSportsPhoto brings a fun photo experience to a variety of business and social events. Again, the versatility of the Mitsubishi CP-K60DW-S Photo Printer lets us make dual photo strips in seconds as people are leaving the booth. Guests always have a great time in the photo booth. �en they are treated to photo strips that print quickly, look great, and are durable

enough to survive guests purses and pockets

throughout the event. �e operators love being sent on assignment with the CP-K60DW-S also. Operators enjoy the long rolls of paper that lasts for hours. When they do run out, the media and paper gets changed at the same time. In a minute they have the ribbons changed out and have a new roll of paper fed into the paper path, and are quickly back to business.

As a small business, operational excellence plays directly to the bottom line. With my old printing solution, I had to keep rolls of di�erent size papers, and di�erent width ribbons in stock and sometimes have 3 boxes of di�erent media in use at the same time. Mitsubishi's CP-K60DW-S prints my dual cut 2x6 photo strips for the photo booth, 4x6 event photos, 6x6 photos for Instagram hashtag printing,and the nice 6x8 team and event portraits all from the same media - and it does it at 40% lower cost of a 4X6 than I paid before. With my Mitsubishi CP-K60DW-S, I can now enjoy o�ering a larger 6X8 print output at more than 50% lower cost than the previous 5X7. Also, the printer reduces waste by rolling back unused portions of media and using them in the next print as needed.

Aside from the equipment, what are my tips for having a successful photo shoot? Engage the

subjects. Make them look their best, and make them look at you. �is seems very obvious when you do headshots, portraits, or formals - but it is as important in team pictures, red carpet walks, and even athletes crossing the �nish line. eSportsPhoto does our best to not have to "sneak" the shot. We aim to have our subjects aware and participating in making even great event candid photos. �e �rst reaction is for someone to tell me they hate pictures of themselves. I still ask them to smile and tell them, "I do the rest." After I shoot it, they see it on the monitor, and by the time they convinced themselves they actually do look good - I'm handing them the print to take home and admire forever.

Byron Faudie Owner / Photographer

eSportsPhoto.net

- Byron Faudie

Smile, I do the restSmile, I do the restTaking event photography printing to the next level with Byron Faudie

- Byron Faudie

"Our customers call on us to take great pictures, brand them, and have them printed and ready right there in the field."

www.mitsubishi-imaging.comTOLL FREE 888.307.0388

www.mitsubishielectric.caPHONE 905.475.7728

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

ESportsPhoto-Advertorial__9-25x11-125fb copy.pdf 1 3/17/15 11:28 AM


xxx_RF_0415_Mitsubishi.indd 1 3/17/2015 11:47 AM


THE LIGHTING ISSUE

THIS SPREAD: A bridal portrait using a one-light setup (shown at right).

ALL

PH

OTO

S ©

SC

OTT

KE

LBY

RF_THEME_Scott Kelby Book.indd 62 3/18/15 11:02 AM


A step-by-step guide to making brides shine.BY SCOTT KELBY

WEDDING DAY RECIPES

Scott Kelby has an impressive list of credentials, including award-winning author, photographer,

CEO of KelbyOne, and editor and publisher of Photoshop User and Light It magazine, among many other things. Here, he shares some excerpts from his book, The Digital Photography Book, Part 5: Photo Recipes (Peachpit Press).

ONE-LIGHT SETUP

Behind-the-ScenesYou only need one flash for this look, and we place it behind the bride and at a 45-degree angle (so it’s behind her and off to the side). The softbox is a small one (24 x 24 inches) on a light stand held up by an assistant. That’s pretty much it—simple.

Camera Settings Since we’re shooting with a flash, we’re in manual mode on the camera (that way we can dial in the exact settings we need). My f-stop is f/5, and my shutter speed is 1/60 of a second. (Anything under 1/200 of a second will work. If you go much higher than that, you’ll probably see a dark gradient start to appear across the bottom of your image.) I’m shooting with a 70–200mm lens zoomed all the way out to 70mm, and I’m at 100 ISO (my lowest, cleanest ISO).

TIP: The Advantage of a Light Stand vs. a MonopodMounting your flash on the end of a monopod is super convenient because it’s very light weight. There are no legs hanging off, etc., but holding up a light stand does have one big advantage over a monopod: when your helper holding the flash gets tired, they can simply extend the legs of the light stand, put it down, and take a rest (or just use the light stand, in some cases). With the monopod, when they need to take

a rest, they have to find a place to put the light where it won’t tip over and crash to the ground. (I’ve seen it happen. When it does, the flash is usually dead.)

FINAL IMAGE

Thought ProcessLight bounces off whatever it hits and if it hits something red, like that red door she’s leaning against (below), it’s going to bounce a lot of red light back onto her. I pretty much knew this was going to need to be either black and white or a duotone, like you see at left. This shot is all about the shadows, which is why I put the light behind her, but we’re going to need some post processing to make it as dark as we want it. As far as the lighting goes, we’re aiming for that rim light along the edges of her hair, shoulders, arms and dress, so keep the power of the flash pretty low. If you turn the power of the flash up too high, it will bounce off of

everything and overlight it so you’ll lose all those nice, dark shadow areas. Post Processing To make the shot more dramatic, I used Lightroom’s Develop module (or Camera Raw) and darkened the overall exposure by dragging the Exposure slider to the left quite a bit. To make the lighting brighter, I dragged the Highlights slider to the right quite a bit as well. Then, I converted the image to black and white (by clicking on Black & White at the top right of the Basic panel; in Camera Raw, turn on the Convert to Grayscale checkbox in the HSL/Grayscale panel) and applied a duotone look in the Split Toning panel by increasing just the Shadows Saturation slider to 20 and Hue slider to 32. I also used the Adjustment Brush to brighten her face a little bit, darken the bouquet some, and darken the far-right side of the wall (it was reflecting too much of the light).

BOOK E XCER P T



THE LIGHTING ISSUE

What makes this shot look so elegant, besides the light, is the pose. First, her body is turned away from the

light. When the bride tilts her head toward her back shoulder, it’s a more casual look. When she tilts her head to the front

shoulder (below), it gives a more elegant look.



DRAMATIC LIGHTING

Behind-the-Scenes Here, you can see the simple one-light setup (below): it’s a 24-inch softbox on a lightweight light stand. It’s to the left of the camera, a few feet in front of our subject, up high and aiming down. All the lights are on in the church.

Camera SettingsI’m shooting in manual mode on my camera, but to create the drama, I’m shooting with a higher shutter speed than my normal 1/125 of a second. In this case, to intentionally darken the area around my subject, I raised the shutter speed to 1/200 of a second. (That’s about as high as I can go with a studio strobe, which is what I’m using here with an Elinchrom Ranger Quadra flash head and its portable battery pack. If you’re using a Canon or Nikon speed light, then you can go up to 1/250 of a second before you have a flash sync problem, where you see a dark gradient across the bottom of the image.) I stood way back from our bride and used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens at f/6.3 zoomed out to around 82mm to capture some of the pews and the stained glass windows behind her in the shot.

FINAL IMAGE

Thought Process The idea for this look is to keep the light really soft and subtle, and let the background pretty much fall to black, which is why I raised the shutter speed to 1/200 of a second. What makes this shot look so elegant, besides the light, is the pose. First, her body is turned away from the light. When the bride tilts her head toward her back shoulder, it’s a more casual look. When she tilts her head to the front shoulder (as seen here), it gives a more elegant look.

Post Processing To make the light appear more focused, add a dark edge vignette around the edges of the image. You can do this in the Effects panel in Lightroom’s Develop module (or Camera Raw), under Post Crop Vignetting: drag the Amount slider to the left and, if it doesn’t extend inward far enough, drag the Midpoint slider to the left as well (the farther to the left you drag it, the farther in the edge darkening extends).

This article is an excerpt from The Digital Photography Book, part 5: Photo Recipes by Scott Kelby. For more information on Scott Kelby, visit his daily blog at ScottKelby.com.

THIS SPREAD: Another one-light setup (shown at lower right), this time to achieve dramatic lighting.



ABOVE: The setup for a RØDE Microphones commercial shoot using Kino Flo 4Bank and Diva-Lite 201 lights.

What are the best methods for lighting video at events? Filmmaker Adam Forgione shares his secrets.

BY JACK CRAGER

TIPS FOR ILLUMINATING 8

CINEMATOGRAPHY

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

ALL

PH

OTO

S C

OU

RTE

SY P

EN

NY

LAN

E P

RO

DU

CTI

ON

S

RF_8 TipsVs2.indd 66 3/23/15 2:33 PM


TOP: An example of a dramatic shot using hard light (a Dedolight DLH-4 150W spotlight with hard edges. ABOVE: Available window light acts as a softbox. “Notice the soft shadows between light and dark on her face,” Forgione says.

In a perfect world, a cinematographer at a wedding or event would have total control over the lighting of their work. But there is no such perfect world, says Adam Forgione, creative director of Pennylane

Productions, a wedding and event film company based in Commack, New York.

“Lighting a room from a design standpoint—for the human eye—and lighting for a film or photography standpoint are two different animals,” Forgione says.

Usually videographers have no control over ceremony lighting, and must contend with entertainment and venue illumination that is less than filmworthy. Thus Forgione advises adaptation and cooperation. “The goal for every vendor—whether it’s a photographer, a cinematographer, a makeup artist or a limo driver—is to do the best job they can for their client, and to work as a team so the client gets the best collaboration,” he says. “You’re in charge of your part.”

Here are Forgione’s eight tips for mitigating those video light challenges with creative solutions.

PLAN AHEADSize up lighting options when you arrive at a venue to shoot.“Right away, I look around at all the lights in the room, and all the windows,” Forgione says. “It’s an art in itself to tweak the environment to make it look better for [the clients] on film—and at the same time not affect their experience in a negative way. It helps to communicate about your goals with the other vendors.”

MASTER AVAILABLE LIGHTLocate areas where outdoor lighting can be used.“A window is like a softbox with the purest light on Earth—the sun is bouncing down from space, hitting the ground, lighting the world outside the room, and the light is softly coming in,” Forgione says. “If we shut every single light off in the room, we can sculpt the light and work with it. You can’t move the window, but you can ask your subjects to turn and face more toward or away from the natural light.”

RF_8 TipsVs2.indd 67 3/18/15 9:16 AM


PAY ATTENTION TO COLOR TEMPERATUREChoose between cooler and warmer tones.“Outdoor lighting, around 56K, is a cooler, bluer look,” Forgione says. “Indoor lighting that is incandescent, like a 32K, gives you a warmer look. When you mix the warm and the cool together on skin tones, it looks bad, especially in cinematography. The only time I purposely use mixed lighting is if I light part of a scene and also use another source—let’s say a window—and then I adjust my light’s white balance accordingly, so we are even in neutral.”

TRY THREE-POINT LIGHTINGWhen you can control your lights, go for the classic look.“Your key light, on the majority of the subject or object, is the brightest light in front,” Forgione says. “The fill light, usually on the opposite side, brings in the shadows—it gives a little lift to the other side. And then you have the hair light or back light, behind the subject, either 180 degrees from the key light or 180 from the fill light, which lights the outline of the body. The three together give you more structure.”

3UTILIZE ARTIFICIAL LIGHTAdapt to interior lights being used at the event.“We’re talking about actual lights in the room—the lamps, the overheads,” Forgione says, “because you can’t always set up your own lights. So you start to shape the room so your images look better, mainly by avoiding ‘mixed lighting’—both available and artificial combined. You want to stay with one or the other.”

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

ABOVE: A single Dedolight DLH-4 150W spotlight was used to create a dramatic war scene effect. “Because it was a re-enactment, we didnt want to see his face clearly, so we only used a hair light to illuminate his shape,” Forgione says..

RF_8 TipsVs2.indd 68 3/18/15 9:16 AM


7

LEARN HOW TO SOFTEN LIGHTFor a softer look, push the light source back or diffuse it.“The closer the light is to the subject, the harder the light is going to look,” Forgione says. “If you can’t push your light away from the subject, you can diffuse it—with expensive items or cheap ones. You can use diffusers and softboxes that cost thousands of dollars [at right: Rosco filters of varying thicknesses diffusing lights]; you can also take a bed sheet and put it over a light, and it’s a beautiful diffusion. Or you can bounce it: If you have a white ceiling, hit the light off the ceiling and let it bounce down, so it reflects and sprays with a softer look.”

CREATE THE DRAMATIC LOOKUse contrast and shadows to your advantage.“If I knew I was going to score a film to a grand, epic, Hollywood-traileresque song, I would go for a dramatic look, with harder lines between light and shadow,” Forgione explains. “The way to create is to get the light to come in at one narrow angle, hitting one side of the face, so one side is illuminated and the other side is darker. You can intensify the light or bring it closer to the subject, and you’ll see the line between light and shadows getting sharper and sharper.”

STEER THE SPOTLIGHTHighlight key moments with a direct projection.“The bigger the light, the broader and softer the look. The smaller the light, the more direct and spottier the look,” Forgione says. “You want one or the other. With speeches, such as the toast to a couple, you can put a tight spotlight in the corner of the room and light up the speaker. I’ll say to them, ‘Don’t wander from this circle. If you stay in this area, I’ll make you look like a rock star!’ And they always smile. ‘Of course, I want to be a rock star—I’ll do what you say.’ ”

RF_8 TipsVs2.indd 69 3/18/15 9:16 AM


From motion-freezing to continuous output—this lineup of lighting gear will cover your bases. BY JOSH ROOT

Adorama Zoom Li-on FlashNeed a speed light that won’t break the bank? Make sure to check out Adorama’s Flashpoint Zoom Li-on lineup. The flashes offer full power recycle times of less than 1.5 seconds and batteries capable of delivering up to 650 full-powered flashes before tapping out. The flash heads rotate 360 degrees and tilt over 90 degrees to work with any type of bounce or modifier. The heads also zoom from 24mm to 105mm and deliver TTL for Canon and Nikon cameras, high-speed sync, exposure bracketing and more. You can also opt for a manual flash with no TTL to save a few bucks.

prices: $180 (ttl); $100 (manual) + www.adorama.com

10 LIGHTS FOR ANY OCCASION

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

RF_0415_Lighting_JoshRoot.indd 70 3/18/15 9:17 AM


Broncolor Siros 400 Wi-FiWith 400 joules of power adjustable in 1/10-stop increments over a nine-stop range, the Broncolor Siros 400 Wi-Fi has enough creativity for any studio pro. A stylish and functional hi-fi-stereo-style knob and blue LCD offer easy adjustment on the unit itself, while a full-featured app allows multi-unit remote control from a Wi-Fi-connected smartphone or tablet. It uses all the current Broncolor light shapers, too.

price: $1,359 + www.bron.ch

Interfit Strobies Pro-Flash 360Speed lights are versatile tools, but sometimes you need a little more oomph from an on-camera unit. With more than five times the power of an average speed light, the Interfit Strobies Pro-Flash 360 certainly qualifies. It offers 360W of power with eight stops of adjustment in 1/3-stop increments. It can be triggered by its optical slave, a sync cable, or your camera’s hot shoe. The battery pack will give up to 450 full-power flashes on a 3-hour charge with a 4.5-second recycle time. With an additional cable, the pack can be used for up to 1400 full-power flashes with select Canon, Nikon, Sony or Metz speed lights.

price: $526 + www.interfitphotographic.com

Dynalite Baja B4With no wires or battery packs to fumble with, the Dynalite Baja B4 may just be one of the most portable studio strobes produced today. Its internal battery will give you more than 500 full-power flashes on a single charge, and its LED modeling light is far more power- efficient than standard lamps. Extra batteries are available and are easily swapped out. With one battery on the charger and one in the unit, you can have hours of continuous shooting. The Baja B4 offers 400W of power with six stops of adjustability in 1/10 stop increments. The 2.4GHz wireless triggering system has a range of over 500 feet. The

transmitter is hot-shoe mounted and allows full control of up to six different flash groups. A standard Bowens S mount

gives photographers access to a huge variety of light- shaping tools.

price: $599 + www.dynalite.com



Lowel PRO Power LEDLooking for a continuous lighting source that is bright, compact and flexible? The Lowel PRO Power LED might fit the bill. It matches the power of a 200W halogen lamp with cool running temperatures, color-stable dimming and flicker-free output. With an 8:1 focusing range, you can shift from wide and even to tight and bright. The basic PRO Power LED unit runs on AC power, but a battery kit is available. Combined with the built-in fold-down handle, it is perfect for run-and-gun location shooting.

price: $579 + lowel.tiffen.com

Hensel Expert D 250 SpeedTrue to its name, the Hensel Expert D 250 Speed was designed to be fast. With extremely quick recycle times of 0.22-0.045 seconds and flash durations of 1/4000 to 1/10000 of a second, it is a fine match for fast-moving subjects. Offering a 300W modeling light and power ad-justable from 1 to 250W/s across nine stops, the Expert D 250 Speed is at home in the studio. In addition, the in-tegrated radio trigger capability and the optional Hensel Power Max L battery cuts the cord, giving it on-location flexibility.

price: $1,225 + usa.hensel.eu

Hive Wasp Plasma ParPlasma bulbs are far less common than halogen for constant lighting, but with the power and features that units like the Hive Wasp Plasma Par can offer, that may change. Hive’s plasma bulbs are electrode-less, filament-free and unpressurized. The result is a vibration-, impact- and weather-resistant lamp. Plasma is also highly efficient; the Wasp offers the equivalent of a 400W halogen bulb but only draws 280W of power, and bulbs can last for 30,000 hours.

price: $3,350 + hivelighting.com

THE LIGHTING ISSUE


Bowens Creo 1200 Generator and Creo HeadsThe Bowens Creo 1200 Generator and Creo heads offer photographers power, control and reliability. With two head channels with individual power adjustments in 1/10-stop increments across nine stops, the 1200 watts can be assigned to a single channel for high output or split into 600 watts per channel. The Creo 1200 has a quick full-power recycle time of 0.56 seconds and offers short flash durations between 1/2400 to 1/5000 of a second; the 300W modeling light offers proportional power output. Built-in optical triggers allow the Creo to sync to another strobe and optional IR or radio transmitters allow remote triggering. Designed for heavy use, the Creo 1200 Generator has a robust cooling system that can handle up to 1,000 full-power flashes per hour.

prices: head $1,135; generator $4,839 + www.bowensusa.com

Zylight F8 LED FresnelFor all its useful advantages, constant lighting is hot, particularly at high power levels. The Zylight F8 Fresnel uses LED technology to provide all of the power with none of the heat. Lightweight and compact at 9 pounds and with a water-resistant IP54 rating, the F8 performs just as well in the studio as it does on location. It has a high-quality 8-inch Fresnel lens offering the equivalent output of a traditional 1,000W unit, but uses just 100W. An optional battery frees you from AC power and DMX or ZyLink options allow remote control.

price: $2,400 + www.zylight.com

Photogenic PLR1000DRC Monolight When you need a lot of light, there is no replacing a powerful monolight. The Photogenic PLR1000DRC offers speed, power and control. With 1000W of power, adjustable in 1/10-stop increments over an eight-stop range, 3-second full-power recycling, a proportional 250W modeling light, and bracketing ability, the PLR1000DRC has the capacity to handle any professional assignment. An integrated optical trigger and PocketWizard receiver provide remote triggering options.

price: $1,260 + www.photogenic.com




A high-octane performer for location shooters.BY GREG SCOBLETE

INSIDE THE PROFOTO B2

Tech journalists have a well-worn cliché we use to describe products that shake up a

market. We call them “disruptive.” We think it’s safe to say that Profoto’s B1 earned the moniker in 2013 by bringing an entirely new level of mobility to high-powered flash photography. For its next act, Profoto has doubled down on the promise of greater mobility, delivering a smaller, battery-powered flash, the B2, which can be used on or off camera.

Like the B1, the B2 features TTL metering for Nikon and Canon

cameras via Profoto’s Air Remote. Unlike the B1, the B2 requires an external battery pack, a design concession that makes the head small enough to be used as an on-camera flash—like a speed light on steroids. This 250W/s flash offers a recycle time of 1.35 seconds when shooting at full power or as quick as .03 seconds at the lowest power setting. Flash output is adjustable over a range of nine f-stops in 1/10th f-stop increments with flash durations as short as 1/15,000 of a second. High-speed sync is also available up

to 1/8000 of a second. There’s a 9W LED modeling light (equivalent to a 50W halogen source) on the flash head as well.

The B2 will be sold in two main configurations. A B2-To-Go Kit will

TOP: When asked for feedback on the B2, wedding photographer JP Elario admits this image would have been “flat and boring” without it. He adds, “The portability and size of the B2 is what I’ve been looking for to create that specialty image for my clients with ease.”

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

PHO

TO ©

JP

ELA

RIO

RF_THEME_Lighting_Profoto B2.indd 74 3/18/15 9:14 AM


bundle the fl ash, battery, charger, a location bag and carrying bag for $2,195. A B2 Location Kit features all of the above, plus an extra fl ash head and battery for $2,995. The Air Remote is sold separately for $395.

We partnered with photographer and director David Patiño to give a pair of B2s a trial run, and also got insight from wedding photographer JP Elario (opposite page).

DESIGNThe industrial design on the B2 fl ash head is fi rst

class. It’s sleek, attractive and well constructed. The head (excluding the stand adapter) weighs 1.5 pounds, while the battery pack with a lithium ion battery inside weighs 2.2 pounds. It’s a very portable package.

If you want to use the B2 as an on-camera fl ash, you’ll need a bracket as Profoto’s Air Remote will be sitting on your hot shoe. It’s not terribly cumbersome to use the B2 on camera, but it’s not as plug-and-play as your typical speed light. If you don’t already own a fl ash bracket, you’ll need to tack on that cost to the B2’s price tag.

WHAT WE LIKEDThe B2 is a rock-solid performer, delivering

consistent output at all power settings. Patiño used it on a total of six jobs totaling over 3,000 frames, and told us the experience was “fl awless.” The battery was a marathon performer. Patiño shot a 4-hour headshot session between f/2.8 and f/3.2 and didn’t drain the battery. At full power, Profoto claims you’ll enjoy 215 fl ashes or up to 90 minutes of continuous modeling light. It takes about 45 minutes to recharge a completely drained battery.

For a large group portrait in a conference room, Patiño was originally set to use a pair of 800W monolights, but they failed on him (we’ll spare you the gory details). He had been using the B2s for individual headshots in smaller spaces, so he turned to them in the pinch, bouncing the fl ashes off a white

drop ceiling at a 45-degree angle. “It wasn’t a remotely ideal situation,” he says, but the B2s enabled him to shoot at f/11 at ISO 800 while maintaining sharpness front to back.

The B2 works with Profoto’s existing range of modifi ers but there are several new ones designed for the B2 that easily snap into place. Speaking of easy, we were also impressed with how easy the system is to operate. Even if you’re not intimately familiar with the B1, the D1 or the Air Remote, you’ll be up and shooting quickly. The battery pack features a display for viewing and adjusting power settings and checking battery status; it proved very intuitive to operate.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKEThe B2 will set you back $2,195, or about the

same as the twice-as-powerful B1 monolight. That’s a hefty price tag, especially when you consider that other needed accessories—like the Air Remote and a bracket—aren’t included. If you’re just starting into the Profoto system, your entry costs are fairly steep. Also, the battery used in the B2 generator is different than the removable battery on the B1. We understand why this was done—for one thing, it keeps the B2’s battery

pack nice and small—but it also means that B1 owners adopting the B2 will have a second set of batteries to purchase and keep track of.

HOW IT COMPARESThe B2 competes with battery-powered fl ashes

like Elinchrom’s Quadra and Quantum’s Qfl ash, which function in a similar dual-role off or on camera. The B2 is slightly heavier but more powerful and faster than most of the models in the Qfl ash lineup. The B2 is also more expensive than the Qfl ash, which can be bundled with the CoPilot Wireless TTL fl ash controller (Canon or Nikon varieties) for less than the cost of an entry-level B2 kit without an Air Remote. Stacked next to the Quadra, the B2 battery is lighter, though not as powerful. On the fl ip side, you’ll be able to exercise far greater control over the B2’s output than the Quadra, and enjoy faster recycle times—and the Quadra lacks TTL. Price-wise, the B2 again commands a premium, albeit a smaller one than compared with the Quantum.

Profoto is lightyears ahead of the competition when it comes to building products that look as good as they operate. Taken together with the B1, the B2 broadens Profoto’s ability to bring high-powered strobe lighting to the fi eld in a very compelling fashion.

RF_THEME_Lighting_Profoto B2.indd 75 3/18/15 9:14 AM


We go hands-on with three lighting solutions for stills and video. BY GREG SCOBLETE WITH DAVID PATIÑO

TOOLS TO LIGHT THE WAY

DESIGNThe design of the Flex is its obvious selling point.

Once you’ve bent it, the wire frame retains its shape. You can, however, also mount it to a light stand with the X-Bracket mount that affi xes to the four corners of the light and clamps onto a stand. Photographer and fellow product tester David Patiño said he would have liked a traditional

light stand mount as an option, too. Nevertheless, the .4 pound Flex is super light, so you can clamp it just about anywhere. It’s slender, too, at just .25 inches. “If you’re traveling, it’s super easy to drop one or two of these in a bag,” Patiño observed.

WHAT WE LIKEDThe Flex does a very nice job holding its shape. Its

power cord is extendable via a series of threaded extension cords that are tough to accidentally pull apart so you won’t worry about someone tripping over them on a set. We also like that it’s water resistant so it can take the occasional coffee spill or spritz of rain in stride. The light is also surprisingly powerful despite its small size and thin dimensions.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE For all its versatility, there’s not yet a battery option

for the Flex. Westcott says one is in

the works but details and pricing on that option weren’t fi nalized at press time. Also, for $700, you’re still getting a fairly small LED, even if it does bend in interesting ways. You’d have to really prize the Flex’s portability and bendability to justify the investment.

HOW IT COMPARESThe most direct competitor to the Flex

(at press time) is a product called the RagLite, which ended a successful crowdfunding campaign at the end of last year. We don’t know the fi nal price yet, so drawing a direct comparison is diffi cult. Still, if the Flex concept intrigues you, the RagLite promises to do much the same, but also has a battery and is available in more than one size. Westcott has also promised additional sizes and battery options for the Flex, so we’re only at the beginning of what looks like a novel and exciting evolution in lighting technology.

THE LIGHTING ISSUE

FJ WESTCOTT FLEX LED LED lights have many virtues, including that they’re low power and stay cool even after hours of non-stop use. They can also be manufactured in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. We’re only just beginning to scratch the surface of what LED lights can look like—and do.

The Westcott Flex is a good example. This 10 x 10-inch light features 256 LED diodes on a frame that can be bent and shaped in a variety of ways. Need a circular light tube? Roll the Flex. Need a curved light source mounted in a hard-to-reach angle? Bend the Flex and clamp it where it’s needed. Need an inconspicuous light source on a set? Pop the Flex into just about any nook or cranny.

The Flex LED mat will be available in both tungsten and daylight versions producing 55W of illumination. Opt for tungsten and you’ll enjoy 1,600 Lux output at 1 meter with a 98 Color Rendering Index (or CRI, which measures a light’s ability to accurately render all the colors of its spectrum with 100 being the highest possible score). The daylight-balanced version of the Flex, which we tested, delivers 1,900 Lux at 1 meter with a slightly lower CRI of 95. The light is dimmable from 5 to 100 percent brightness.

The Flex kit includes a dimmer module, X-Mount bracket, 1/4-stop front diffusion cloth and dimmer extension cable. It retails for $720.

RF_THEME_3 More Lighting Reviews_Scoblete.indd 76 3/18/15 9:27 AM

The Index to Advertisers is provided as a courtesy to Rangefinder advertisers. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

AcrylicPress.com ............................................................................................................57Adorama .............................................................................................................. 107, 109American Color Imaging ..................................................................................................9Animoto..........................................................................................................................67Anthropics ....................................................................................................................101B&H Photo-Video ................................................................................................ 102, 103Bay Photo Lab .................................................................................................. 16, 17,110Black River Imaging .....................................................................................................8, 9BuzzHunter Creative ....................................................................................................106Chimera Lighting ............................................................................................................73Drivesavers .....................................................................................................................21Dynalite Inc. ...................................................................................................................79Emerging Photographer Call for Entries ...................................................................... IBCExpo Imaging ...................................................................................................................5F.J. Westcott ...................................................................................................................77Fujifi lm ...........................................................................................................................13Fundy Software Inc. .......................................................................................................55G Technology ..................................................................................................................25H&H Color Lab................................................................................................................63Hahnemuhle ...................................................................................................................23Holdfast ..........................................................................................................................93Ideal Portrait Lite ..........................................................................................................105Interfi t ............................................................................................................................91KG Digital .......................................................................................................................81Lowell .............................................................................................................................30Media Booth Pro ...........................................................................................................105Membership ...................................................................................................................96Miller’s Professional Imaging ..............................................................................IFC, 1, 47Moab by Legion Paper ...................................................................................................20Mojo Photo Booth .........................................................................................................31New York Institute of Photography................................................................................19Palm Springs Photo Festival ...........................................................................................88Photogenic .....................................................................................................................37Platypod Pro ...................................................................................................................22Profoto................................................................................................................11, 27, 49 Queensberry ..................................................................................................................26Seeing the Light Competition Call for Entries ...............................................................50Schneider Optics ............................................................................................................10Shutterlove ...................................................................................................................110Sigma ...............................................................................................................................3StickerYou ......................................................................................................................95Tamron............................................................................................................................29Tenba ............................................................................................................................. BCUline .............................................................................................................................100WPPI Members Only 1st Half Online Competition Call for Entries ...............................97Zenfolio ..........................................................................................................................61

AD INDEX

DESIGNThe Axiom is housed in a very sturdy steel and aluminum frame. You won’t worry about

knocking it around, but it’s also fairly heavy at just shy of 4 pounds. In the box you’ll get a 1/4-20 baby pin and a 1/4-20 Axiom bracket, but you’ll have to shell out about $35 to get the Swivel Arm attachment. The back of the Axiom has a quick-release mounting system so you can use a variety of hardware to mount the light to a stand, wall plate or more.

WHAT WE LIKEDDuring his time with the Axiom, Patiño found it to be an excellent all-purpose light source,

casting a pleasing illumination over his subjects. It’s not powerful enough for still photography at ISO 100 unless you want to place it super close to your subject, he told us, but it is ideal for video. The ability to easily slide the full range of Rosco fi lters and gels into the light is another useful feature—Patiño frequently turned to the Photo Lighting kit to modify his LitePad.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKEThere’s no on/off switch for the Axiom. It’s powered on the minute you plug it in, which

can be a hassle because it’s not always convenient to work your way to an outlet. Fortunately, the light stays cool and LEDs are long-lasting so we found it easier to keep it plugged in during use. Also, there’s no dimming capability in the standard package, so you’re stuck with a single output setting and can’t dial it up or down based on your needs. You can buy an optional dimmer for $105 and Rosco sells certain Axiom kits that include dimmers, but many competitive panels include built-in dimming.

HOW IT COMPARESThere is no shortage of LED light panels these days and the Axiom fares very well on

price. However, many of its competitors include dimming capability and if that’s important to you, the price of the Axiom will go up. The ability to slide in Rosco gels is a nice value-add, the performance is consistent, and the mounting hardware worked well for us.


ROSCO LITEPAD AXIOMRosco has over a century’s worth of experience with lighting gels and fi lters. While LED technology can’t claim such a long ancestry, the company’s Axiom line of LED light panels channels Rosco’s heritage with a housing designed to accept the company’s Roscolux and Cinegel fi lters and gels.

The LitePad Axiom is available in either tungsten or daylight color temperatures in sizes ranging from 3 x 6 inches up to 24 x 24 inches. We kicked the tires on a 12 x 12-inch daylight version, which has a CRI of 90 and retails for $649.


DESIGNThe QT-600 weighs in at 6.6 pounds and is

enclosed in a solid hard shell that reminded us of the more expensive Elinchrom ELC Pro HD 500. While Godox is pitching value, the QT-600 doesn’t feel cheap. The menu and control buttons on the back of the light are straightforward, with two dials, four buttons and a small LED to read out your power setting. We did have one design quibble though: The wireless transmitter has four channel settings that you set by moving tiny sliders up or down. These are quite small and bunched together and it wasn’t

always easy to set the channel we desired. Also, the fl ash tube bulb is not completely enclosed like other monolights we’ve used. There’s a circular opening to make room for the modeling lamp bulb. That means you are one clumsy umbrella poke away from buying extra fl ash bulbs ($69 a pop) or modeling lamp bulbs.

WHAT WE LIKEDWe enjoyed a consistent performance from

the fl ash in the studio and were pleasantly surprised by the shot-to-shot performance in burst mode. We used the QT-600 with the new Canon 7D Mark II, and while it couldn’t keep

up with the 7D Mark II at full power, we saw consistent results from the lowest power setting to 7.5. We appreciated how easy it was to set up the strobe, and the price is most defi nitely right.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKEWireless reception isn’t built into the fl ash, which

isn’t surprising given the price, but this proved to be a hassle since the USB dongle that delivers wireless capability doesn’t fi t very well. A slight bump will cause the wireless receiver to lose its connection with the transmitter—sometimes we’d lose just the ability to control the power setting, at other times it dropped the connection completely.

HOW IT COMPARESStacked against Paul C. Buff’s Einstein light,

the QT-600 is heavier, larger and doesn’t offer as much control at the lower power settings, plus advertises slightly less color consistency shot-to-shot. It’s also sturdier and slightly less expensive than the Einstein. Not only that, but it bundles an S-Mount refl ector for adding modifi ers and includes the wireless transmitter/receiver, both of which aren’t included when you spring for the Einstein. The Godox QT-600 is not the absolute cheapest 600W/s strobe on the market, but it’s defi nitely the most capable for the price.

GODOX QT-600Godox is attempting to stake a claim in the U.S. market by carving out territory held by lower-cost lighting manufacturers like Paul C. Buff. The QT-600 nicely encapsulates their pitch: it’s a highly functional studio strobe at a price that won’t bring tears to your eyes.

The strobe, priced at $439, is capable of fi ring up to 10 fl ashes per second with a fl ash duration between 1/5000 and 1/800 of a second (depending on your power

setting). Recycle times range from .05 at low power to 1.2 seconds when fi ring at full power. You’ll also fi nd a 150W modeling lamp. Power is adjustable from full to 1/128 in 50 steps, although not uniformly. Power is adjustable in 1/10th-stop increments down to 1/32 power and then in 1/3-stop increments over the last three stops. Godox promises you’ll maintain a consistent color temperature of 5600K plus or minus 100K over the entire power range.


THE LIGHTING ISSUE


The ultimate animal photography contest

Rangefinder presents...


PH

OT

O ©

SH

EL

LY M

OS

MA

N

“Capturing of the Hounds,” from the “Animal Child” series shot by Minneap-olis-based photographer Shelly Mosman.

BEST FRIEND GALLERY_Final.indd 79 3/17/15 3:55 PM


In this winners’ gallery for the 2015 edition of Best

Friends, you’ll � nd paws, claws, tails and scales.

Congratulations to grand-prize winner Natalia Martinez, who

will receive a $1,500 award for her photograph of a Great

Dane puppy, Claire; � rst-place winners Kevin Dyer, Sophie

Gamand, Michael Hanson and Shelly Mosman; and the

other talented photographers who appear in this gallery. You

can see the extended online gallery with additional images

from winning series at www.bestfriendsphotocontest.com

The ultimate animal photography contest

Rangefinder presents...

DAVID J. CAROL is a photographer and the director of photogra-phy at Outfront Media. Carol is a frequent contributor to Range-fi nder and judge to PDN and Rangefi nder competitions, and he also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Alternative

Photography. He is the author of three monographs and has also completed a trilogy of books with Café Royal Books, London.

SUZANNE DONALDSON is a marketing and visual consultant and founder of the hot new luxury pet-based website mrssizzle.com, which focuses on art and photography to inspire a conversation about animal awareness. Prior to its launch, Donaldson spent 12

years as the executive photo director of Glamour, and has held positions at Arnell Group, Wieden+Kennedy, Luhring Augustine Gallery and Robert Map-plethorpe’s studio.

CLAUDIA KAWCZYNSKA is the editor-in-chief of The Bark, the award-winning dog culture magazine that she co-founded in 1997. Her expertise on dog culture has appeared in Esquire, NPR, Men’s Journal and Washington Post, and she has been recog-

nized by The New York Times as a leading “thinker and innovator” on the bond between humans and canines.

ROBIN SCOFIDIO is currently a senior photo producer for Discov-ery Communications, working with Animal Planet and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Before joining Discovery, she taught fi ne-art photography at the University of Cincinnati and Northern Ken-

tucky University and worked for Getty Images in New York City.



NATALIA MARTINEZ A Great Dane puppy named Claire,

photographed on medium-format film at Dillon Beach, California. Published by

Belle Lumière magazine Vol. VI.



MICHAEL HANSONIn a fi eld at dusk, six deer

pause for an instant.

BEST FRIENDS



SOPHIE GAMANDImages from Gamand’s “Wet Dog” series.



SHELLY MOSMANFrom the “Animal Child” series.

BEST FRIENDS



KEVIN DYERA boy and his best friend in Soweto, South Africa.



JANY TREMBLAYTremblay’s series emphasizes Cleo’s comic attitude in order to bring out human character.

CELESTE GIULIANO Echo Tango-Foxtrot Eckert explores space with model Stephanie for the “Agents of Adventure”-themed Pinups For Pitbulls 2014 calendar.

CAROL SAHLEYPortrait of a majestic goat.

BEST FRIENDS

Runners-Up



TERRAN BAYERA friend to lean on.

BEATRIZ POSADATwo Pantherophis guttatus interacting with each other and creating a beautiful pattern.



NATALIA MARTINEZCommissioned by Bark magazine for its online shop, Bark Goods.

HOLLY DONOVANWelcome, Oscar, the newest member of the family.

BEST FRIENDS



JOHN STURDYA champion Cane Corso named Paradiso, shot for the March 27, 2014 Chicago Reader cover.

MARC FBlack magic woman.

REBECCA YALE A group of

penguins huddle together on one

side of an iceberg in Antarctica.



ALICE VAN KEMPENClaire’s home is her castle.

CARLOS COELLOMs. November in the 2014 Liberty Tails

calendar for the Liberty Humane Society.

BEST FRIENDS



to the 2015 Rangefi nder Best Friends judges and entrants.

TEGAN KELLERA pug’s party.

AMBRE PEYROTTYCusco, the not-Cheshire cat.


Questions? [email protected]

FIRST 1/2MEMBERS ONLY ONLINE COMPETITION

v1.indd 98 3/18/15 9:45 AM

RANGEFINDER • MARCH 201199

Questions? [email protected]

COMPETITION NOW OPEN! DEADLINE: MAY 26TH

www.wpp iawards . com

PH

OT

O ©

JE

NN

IFE

R T

AL

LE

RIC

O

v1.indd 99 3/18/15 10:18 AM


PRODUCT ROUNDUP BY THEANO NIKITAS

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE A wide-angle lens may not be at the top of your list when packing a gear bag, but it’s great for adding a unique perspective to your images. Perhaps more importantly, wide-angle lenses are ideal when shooting in tight spaces and provide a broad field of view for capturing a wedding venue or ceremony. And when you have to fit everyone into a frame—from the bride and groom to the 25 family members who traveled thousands of miles to attend the wedding—you’ll need to go wide to make the shot work. We’ve pulled together an assortment of wide-angle lenses in this roundup for just about every brand, size and type of camera imaginable. Whether you’re shooting with a DSLR or medium-format camera or traveling light with a mirrorless model, there’s a wide-angle lens to match.

Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WRFujifilm’s flagship 16-55mm zoom lens delivers a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 24-85mm, providing more than enough of an angle of view for wide shots at 24mm. With its water-resistant build, this lens is a perfect match for the weather-resistant X-T1 camera. Equally as beneficial to photographers, especially when shooting in low light conditions, is the lens’ constant f/2.8 aperture. Featuring 17 elements in 12 groups, including three aspherical and three extra-low dispersion elements, this lens weighs 1.44 pounds and measures 3.28 x 4.17 inches with the lens retracted to its wide-angle position. With its quiet and fast autofocus, the lens won’t draw unnecessary attention.

price: $1,200 + www.fujifilmusa.com

W IDE- A NGLE LENSE S

RF_0415_Product Roundup_TNikitas_vs2.indd 94 3/14/15 7:40 PM


PRODUCT ROUNDUP

Leica Summilux-M 21mm f/1.4 ASPHSuper wide and super fast, the manual focus Leica Summilux-M 21mm f/1.4 ASPH lens offers superior low-light performance and shallow depth-of-field. With a minimum aperture of f/16, the lens provides plenty of leeway for brighter conditions and broader depth-of-field. A focusing range of 0.7mm to infinity offers additional versatility for this lens. It’s designed around ten lenses in eight groups, promising high levels of vignette and distortion correction, and weighs approximately 1.28 pounds.

price: $7,650+ www.us.leica-camera.com

Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USMThis ultra-wide zoom lens is Canon’s latest edition to its EF line and, at 11-24mm, it’s also the widest zoom the company has ever made. To minimize distortion, the lens is built around four aspheric elements and features Super UD and UD lenses to correct chromatic aberration. And, thanks to Subwavelength Coating (SWC) and Air Sphere Coating (ASC), flare and ghosting is minimal. The lens promises fast and quiet operation, with a minimum focusing distance of 11 inches and a nine-blade circular aperture diaphragm for lovely bokeh. It’s dust- and water-resistant, compatible with full-frame and cropped sensor cameras and, at 4.3 x 5.2 inches and 41.6 ounces, nicely compact.

price: $2,999+ www.usa.canon.com

Hasselblad HCD 24mm f/4.8Billed as the most extreme wide-angle lens currently available for medium format, Hasselblad’s HCD 24mm f/4.8 prime lens delivers a 104-degree angle of view and a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 18mm. Designed for, and compatible with, the H4X, H2D, H3D, H4D and H5D, the lens offers an aperture range of f/4.8 to f/32. Compact and portable, the lens measures 3.9 x 3.94 inches and weighs about 1.8 pounds with the lens shade. It’s bundled with front and rear lens caps and while the lens can accommodate 95mm threaded filters, 105mm and 112mm filter adapters are included with your purchase.

price: $6,830+ www.hasslebladbron.com

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPHThis wide-angle zoom lens has been around for a couple of years, and the pro-level 12-35mm (with a 24-70mm equivalent focal range) is a solid option if you want a moderate wide-angle lens with the versatility to extend to 70mm. This metal-bodied lens is sealed against moisture and dust, and it features Ultra ED (UED) glass to help reduce chromatic aberration along with extra-low refractive index Nano Surface Coating to minimize ghost and flare. Equipped with power OIS (optical image stabilization), you’ll have nearly silent zooming—which is particularly critical when shooting video. Measuring 2.9 inches in length and weighing a mere 10.76 ounces, you’ll maintain the benefits of a small mirrorless camera with this lens attached.

price: $1,000 + www.panasonic.com



PRODUCT ROUNDUP

Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO Last year, Olympus announced the development of the first wide-angle zoom lens in the M.ZUIKO PRO series. The 7-14mm f/2.8 lens—with a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 14-28mm—isn’t available yet, but we’re looking forward to this lens as it promises to be fast, compact and lightweight. Better yet, the 7-14mm will be dust-proof and splash-proof, making it a perfect match for the equally durable Olympus OM-D E-M1, E-M5 and the brand new E-M5 Mark II. Also, look for a new M.ZUIKO Digital ED 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye Pro lens later this year.

price: tbd+ www.getolympus.com

Pentax SMCP-FA 645 35mm f/3.5If you’ve jumped on the Pentax 645Z medium-format bandwagon, the 35mm f/3.5 is a great wide-angle lens to add to your kit. This model offers a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 27.5mm and a minimum aperture of f/32. The lens is built around ten elements in seven groups, with a minimum focusing distance of 1 foot. Compact at 3.46 x 3.54 inches, the lens weighs in at a comfortable-to-hold 20 ounces and comes with a lens caps, soft case and lens hood.

price: $1,600 + www.ricoh-imaging.com

Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VROne of my favorite wide-angle zooms, the Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4 is perfect for full-frame cameras but is compatible with DX (24-50mm equivalent focal range) and 35mm film models as well. Its fixed f/4 aperture is available throughout the zoom range, with a minimum aperture of f/22. Extra-low dispersion glass (ED) and aspherical elements, along with Nano Crystal Coating help correct chromatic and lens aberrations as well as eliminate reflections. Equipped with Nikon’s Vibration Reduction technology, the 16-35mm delivers up to 2.5 stops of image stabilization. This quietly focusing lens measures 3.2 x 4.9 inches and weighs about 1.5 pounds.

price: $1,260+ www.nikonusa.com



PRODUCT ROUNDUP

Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMCRegardless of what camera you use, Rokinon has your back. With full-frame coverage, the fast, 24mm f/1.4 lens is available in Canon, Nikon, Pentax K, Sony Alpha, Sony E, Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds mounts. Constructed around 13 elements in 12 groups, this lens features aspherical (ASP) and extra-low dispersion (ED) glass along with ultra multi-coating for control over chromatic aberration as well as flare and ghosting. Other features include a minimum aperture of f/22, an eight-bladed circular diaphragm and internal focusing, along with a removable petal-shaped lens hood. Weight and angle of view vary according to mount and range from 19.9 ounces to 21 ounces, with the angle of view covering from 47.6 degrees to 84.1 degrees. If you’re shooting a lot of video, check out Rokinon’s 24mm T1.5 Cine DS lens version.

price: $599 ($899 for cine ds lens)+ www.rokinon.com

Samsung 16mm f/2.4 So slender, you’ll hardly know there’s a lens mounted on your NX camera. At f/2.4, this lens is fast, too, and it offers a minimum aperture of f/22. Given the NX’s APS-C sensor and 1.5x crop factor, you’ll get a 24mm-equivalent focal length, which works just fine for those get-everybody-and-everything-in-the-frame photos. Need detail shots? No problem. This lens focuses as close as 7 inches. Constructed of seven elements in six groups (including two aspherical lenses), the 16mm is a featherweight at 2.5 ounces, measuring 0.94 inches in length. It’s as light on your budget as it is on your camera.

price: $350+ www.samsung.com

Schneider Kreuznach LS 55mm f/2.8 Phase One 645 DF+ camera platform users will appreciate the speed of the Schneider Kreuznach LS 55mm lens. In addition to a maximum aperture of f/2.8, the LS 55mm also delivers flash sync speeds of up to 1/1600 of a second. Measuring 3 x 3.4 inches and weighing 1.3 pounds, the lens fits easily into any gear bag. Constructed with seven elements in six groups, the 55mm lens offers a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 34mm with a 64-degree angle of view—wide enough to photograph small groups but also capable of capturing images as close as 1.47 feet.

price: $4,690+ www.phaseone.com

Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Sigma received accolades for its 50mm Art lens so we have high expectations for the company’s latest addition to the Art line, the new 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM. Designed for full-frame cameras, but compatible with APS-C size sensors as well, this new lens is available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts, with other options via Sigma’s Mount Conversion Service. This prime lens is built around 15 elements in 11 groups, including aspherical lens elements and FLD and SLD glass for optimal image quality, as well as minimal chromatic aberration and distortion. The lens has a minimum aperture of f/16 and is compatible with Sigma’s USB dock for updating and customization. It measures 3.3 x 3.6 inches and weighs in at 23.5 ounces.

price: $849+ www.sigmaphoto.com



PRODUCT ROUNDUP

Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA Sony and Zeiss have enjoyed a good relationship, so it’s no wonder that one of my favorite full-frame Sony FE-mount lenses proudly wears the Carl Zeiss badge. The lens is sharp and, with its constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, works well in low light conditions. Its seven-bladed circular aperture delivers a nicely blurred background but can also be stopped down to its minimum aperture of f/22. Dust- and moisture-resistant, this 35mm prime lens features internal focusing along with seven elements in five groups. A compact size—2.5 x 1 7/16 inches and a weight of only 4.3 ounces—makes it ideal to carry with you anywhere and everywhere.

price: $800 + www.sony.com

Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USDNew from Tamron, the SP 15-30mm lens offers a number of appealing features including an f/2.8 maximum aperture, f/22 minimum aperture and, unique for this class of lens, image stabilization (VC/Vibration Compensation). Built around 18 elements in 13 groups, the design includes an XGM (eXpanded Glass Molded Aspherical) lens element in the front group that, in combination with the remaining optics, helps correct various aberrations including geometrical distortion and lateral color. The lens is designed for full-frame cameras from Canon, Nikon and Sony A mounts (the latter without VC), but also is compatible with cropped sensor cameras. The lens weighs approximately 38.8 ounces and measures between 5.6-5.7 inches in length, depending on the mount.

price: $1,199+ www.tamron-usa.com

Tokina AT-X 11-20mm f/2.8 Pro DXDesigned specifically for APS-C-sensor-size cameras from Canon and Nikon, Tokina’s new AT-X 11-20mm lens delivers a focal range of 16.5-30mm. Fast with a constant f/2.8 aperture, the lens can be stopped down to f/22 as needed. Tokina has also utilized a new proprietary optical design, which includes a trio of lens elements to deliver a high level of sharpness, contrast and spherical aberration correction. Three SD (super-low dispersion) glass elements are also used to control chromatic aberrations. With its One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism, switch between AF and manual focus by snapping the focus ring forward and back. This affordable lens weighs 1.2 pounds and measures 3.5 x 3.6 inches.

price: $599+ www.tokinalens.com

Zeiss Loxia 2/35Sony a7-series shooters will love the Zeiss Loxia 35mm lens. Not only is it designed specifically for the full-frame A7 series cameras and is constructed of nine elements in six groups, but benefits from an almost-symmetrical lens design for minimal distortion. When capturing video, the Loxia 35mm lens has a special declick feature that disengages the locking mechanism (a small tool comes with the lens to take advantage of this feature). This allows you to quickly, smoothly and quietly adjust exposure from f/2 to f/22 during video recording. This manual focus, E-mount lens is nicely compact at 2.6 inches and weighs just shy of 12 ounces.

price: $1,299+ www.zeiss.com


1-800 928-8314PALMSPRINGSPHOTOFESTIVAL.COM

REGISTER NOW

I N S P I R A T I O N E D U C A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y

M A R K S E L I G E REdi tor ia l Por t ra i tureW I L L I A M A L B E R T A L L A R DDocumentar y Pho tographyF R A N K O C K E N F E L S 3The S ignature Por t ra i tC A F F E RY / M O D I C AThe Long - Term F ine Ar t Pro jec tJ U L I E B L A C K M O NThe F ine Ar t Nar ra t iveT I M G R I F F I T HArch i tec tura l Pho tographyJ E F F F RO S TWatch ing T ime: T ime LapseV I N C E N T L A F O R E TGet t ing In to Mot ionT R A C Y K A H NPhotographing Models Under waterB E N L OW YThe Pa lm Spr ings Walk - About

M A RY E L L E N M A R KPor t ra i t & Repor tage

DA N W I N T E R SInsp i red Por t ra tureK E I T H C A R T E RF ind ing Your VoiceJ O C K S T U RG E SThe F ine Ar t Nude

RO N H A V I VPhoto journa l i sm

G RO U P P / W H I TA K E RWedding Pho tography

DA V I D M U E N C HThe Deser t Landscape

A R T S T R E I B E REdi tor ia l Pho tography

I A N R U H T E RWet P la te & Col lod ion

P E T E R H U R L E YBeyond t he Sof tbox

WORKSHOPS PORTFOLIO REVIEWSSEMINARS SYMPOSIUMS NETWORKING EVENTSEVENING PRESENTATIONS SLIDE SHOW CONTEST

P A L M S P R I N G S P H O T O F E S T I V A L

A P R I L 2 6 - M A Y 1P S P FP S P FP S P FXP S P F

The Palm Springs Photo Festival Portfolio Review is the nation's most comprehensive program for both commercial and fine-art photographers. We will offer over 1200 PORTFOLIO REVIEWS with the industry's most important influencers, including museum curators, gallery directors, magazine editors, picture editors & art directors, advertising agency creatives and more. This is the opportunity to have face time with people who can not only offer you expert advice, but can influence your career choices as well. Register Today!

OUR 2015 WORKSHOPS

079_RF_0415_PSPF.indd 1 3/10/2015 2:23 PM

BY JOHN RETTIE DIGITAL GURU

There are few things photographers dread more than losing images to a dead memory card. We have

all been there—after a 15-year run of good luck, gone is everything you’ve shot during the past several months. Lucky for you, my misfortune is your gain: my memory card misadventures gave me a chance to test several image recovery programs.

WHEN GOOD CARDS GO BADYou can lose images on a card for several reasons. The problem can be software-based, in which the card’s indexing has been corrupted, but the images are still there.

The worst case is when there is a hardware failure in the card. In that case, all you can do is send your card off to a service that specializes in retrieving data from damaged cards and hope for the best.

You can also use recovery software to retrieve images that have been accidentally deleted, and—unless you do a low-level or secure reformatting—you can even retrieve images after reformatting before new images overwrite the old ones.

Most of these programs have a free trial, which can be used to see if you can retrieve images, at which point you’ll have to pay for the software to actually retrieve them.

SECOND CHANCESWith the right software, images from dead memory cards can frequently be brought back to life.


PICTURE RESCUE 2I was one-third of the way through a boudoir shoot when a 16GB SD card went bad. I had taken about 30 photos, so I switched to another card for the remainder of the shoot with no further problems. When I inserted the bad SD card into my computer it said it was unreadable and offered to initialize it. Instead, I loaded Picture Rescue 2. The SD card showed up as readable, so I clicked on the scan button and it started to scan every block of information looking for readable files containing images. After about 20 minutes, the software showed thumbnails of all the intact images it had found.

I then chose which images I wanted to recover, and Picture Rescue saved them to a folder on my iMac. My images were safe, and I was breathing normally again.

pros: Simple to use; allows choice of images to savecons: Noneprice: $20+ www.prosofteng.com

SANDISK RESCUEPROWhen you purchase a high-performance SD or CF card from SanDisk, it includes one year’s use of RescuePRO. Originally the program was supported by SanDisk, but now LC Technology publishes it, and it works for any brand of memory card.

RescuePRO found the card and scanned it, which took about 20 minutes. It then showed thumbnails of the images that it had found and saved them to a new folder on my iMac. When I opened the folder in Photo Mechanic, I found that there were duplicates of every image. It turns out that the program saves the full file, whether it’s a JPEG or RAW, as well as the separate thumbnail image that’s automatically created when you capture an image. In all, there were over 900 images, and only two were toast.

The standard RescuePRO works for cards with up to 64GB of storage capacity. If you need to recover images from higher-capacity cards or images taken on a medium-format camera you’ll need to spring for RescuePRO Deluxe.

pros: Automatically saves all viewable images to a folder on your computercons: Only includes a one-year subscriptionprices: $39.99 one-year sub, $59.99 deluxe+ www.lc-tech.com

RF_0415_DigitalGuru.indd 100 3/16/15 3:57 PM

DIGITAL GURU


PHOTORECOVERYThis recovery program is similar to RescuePRO, which is not surprising, as the same company publishes it. One difference is that you can make a duplicate of the storage card on your PC or external hard drive, then use that disk image to run PhotoRecovery. It’s an added level of safety that alleviates putting more stress on the card. Another difference is that it allows you to only retrieve images from a selected model of camera should there be images from more than one make on the card.

Out of curiosity, I re-scanned a card after re-formatting it in my camera, and I was still able to retrieve all the images. When I did a low-level format in my Canon 6D, PhotoRecovery could not find any images. (It’s an important reminder that a simple formatting only erases the index, not the actual images on a card!)

pros: Ability to make exact duplicate image of a corrupted card for added safetycons: Only includes a one-year subscriptionprices: $40 for one-year subscription, $60 for deluxe + www.lc-tech.com

LEXAR IMAGE RESCUE 5Image Rescue ships with all Professional-series memory cards from Lexar, but is also sold separately for both Mac and Windows users, and will work with any brand of memory card. The software promises to recover a range of still file formats, including TIFF and RAW files, but video file support is less comprehensive (it covers just MP4 and AVI files for now). In addition to retrieving images, Image Rescue

can also reformat memory cards or permanently wipe them clean.

pros: Automatic software updatescons: Limited file support for video; no free-trial optionprice: $34 + www.lexar.com/imagerescue

DRIVESAVERSIf your card cannot be opened by your camera, computer or any retrieval software, it probably means there’s something wrong with the hardware itself (as was the case with one of my two problem SD cards).

I sent it to DriveSavers, a company that prides itself on being able to retrieve data from just about any storage device. I was impressed by how well they kept me informed by email and phone on their progress, from sending me a pre-paid FedEx shipping label to letting me know that even after disassembling my card, they were unable to retrieve any files. The card’s main controller had failed and the card was worthless.

It turns out that getting data off a damaged solid-state drive, such as an SD or CF card, is not as easy as a regular hard drive, because you’re dealing with tiny slivers of silicone instead of larger magnetic platters.

pros: Ability to retrieve data from badly damaged drives and card; you only pay for successful recovery cons: Can be really expensive prices: free to send card in, but if files are retrieved, costs range from $500-$1,000 and up, depending on the number of images recovered.+ www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com.

You can make an exact duplicate of the storage card on your PC or an external

hard drive, and use that disk image to run PhotoRecovery. It’s an added level of safety that alleviates putting more stress

on the card itself.



New Surface!

Mid-Gloss MetalPrints

Not Too Glossy, Not Too Matte

Just Right!

Ha

nso

n F

on

g

Learn more at bayphoto.com/metalprints

RF_0415_DigitalGuru.indd 101 3/16/15 3:57 PM

Prices, specifications, and images are subject to change without notice. Manufacturer rebates are subject to the terms and conditions (including expiration dates) printed on the manufacturers’ rebate forms. Not responsible for typographical or illustrative errors. © 2000-2015 B & H Foto & Electronics Corp.

When in New York, Visit our SuperStore

420 Ninth Ave.Corner of 34th Street

New York, N.Y. 10001

Over 70,000 square feet of the latest gear

The most knowledgeable Sales Professionals

Hands-on demos

Convenient free parking available

The Professional’s Source™

Subscribe to our free CatalogBandH.com/catalog212-444-6633

Page 1

www.BandH.com

18-200/3.5-5.6 DX G AF-S ED-IF VR II Digital Lens

• Exclusively designed for Digital SLRs• 35mm equiv.

27-300mm• VR II Vibration Reduction• SWM (Silent

Wave Motor)• 3.5-22 f/Stop Range• Focus 1.6' to Infinity• Weight 19.8 oz

SB-910 Speedlight i-TTL Shoe Mount Flash

• Tungsten & Fluorescent Filters Included• Guide No. 111.5'• Simplified Graphic

User Interface (GUI) • Bounce, Swivel

& Zoom Head (17-200mm)

• Wireless Controller• Weight 14.8 oz

10-22/3.5-4.5 EF-S USM Digital Lens

• Exclusively designed for Digital SLRs• 35mm equiv.

16-35mm• 3 aspherical

lens elements • 3.5-27 f/Stop Range • Minimum focus 9.5"• 77mm filter diameter• Weight 13.6 oz

600 EX-RT 600 EX-RT Shoe Mount Flash

• Dust and water resistance• Guide No. 197' • Wireless Radio

Multiple Flash System• Bounce and

Swivel Head• Zoom Head (20-200mm)• 18 Custom Functions• Weight: 15 oz

EOS-60D DSLR• 1920 x 1080 HD Video Capture• DIGIC 4 Image Processor• SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot• Works with all Canon EF & EF-S Lenses• Vari-Angle Clear View 3.0" Flip-Out LCD• 5.3 fps Continuous Shooting• ISO 6400 - Expandable to 12800• HDMI Output to HDTVBody Only #CAE60D ��

18MegaPixels

EOS-70D DSLR• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with Live View• DIGIC 5+ Image Processor• SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot• Uses Canon EF & EF-S Lenses• 3.0" Vari-Angle Touchscreen• 7 fps Continuous Shooting• Full HD 1080p Video

Body Only #CAE70D�� 1,199.00Kit with 18-55mm STM #CAE70D1855 ��1,349.00

20MegaPixels

AF FlashesSB-300 ...........146.95SB-500 ...........246.95

SB-700 ...........326.95SB-910 ...........546.95

R1 Wireless Twin Flash ........................................R1C1 Wireless Twin Flash System ........................

DX ED-IF Lenses for Digital Only10.5/2.8 Fish-Eye ...............................................35/1.8 G AF-S (52ø) ................................ 196.9540/2.8 G AF-S Micro (52ø) ....................... 276.9585/3.5 G ED VR Micro (52ø) ..................... 526.9510-24/3.5-4.5 G AF-S (77ø) ................................12-24/4 G AF-S (77ø) .........................................16-85/3.5-5.6 G AF-S VR (67ø) ...........................17-55/2.8 G AF-S (77ø) ......................................18-55/3.5-5.6 G AF-S II (52ø) .............................18-55/3.5-5.6 G AF-S VR (52ø) ................ 196.9518-105/3.5-5.6 G AF-S VR (67ø) .............. 396.9518-200/3.5-5.6 G AF-S VR II (72ø) ........... 596.9518-300/3.5-5.6 G AF-S ED VR (77ø) ................ 996.9555-200/4-5.6 G AF-S (52ø) .................................55-200/4-5.6 G AF-S VR (52ø) ................. 246.9555-300/4.5-5.6 G AF-S VR (58ø) .............. 396.95

D-Type AF Lenses14/2.8 D ED ............... 24/2.8 D (52ø)............16/2.8 D (39ø) with Hood ....................................24/3.5 D ED PC-E (77ø) ......................................28/1.8 G AF-S (67ø) ................................ 696.9528/2.8 D (52ø)............ 35/2.0 D (52ø)............45/2.8 D ED PC-E Micro (77ø) .............................

D-Type AF Lenses50/1.8 D (52ø)............ 50/1.4 D (52ø)............50/1.8 G AF-S (58ø) ................................ 216.9550/1.4 G AF-S (58ø) ...........................................60/2.8 D Micro (62ø) (1:1) ..................................60/2.8 G AF-S ED Micro (62ø) .............................85/1.8 G AF-S (67ø) ................................ 496.9585/1.4 D IF (77ø) ................................................85/1.4 G AF-S (77ø) ...........................................105/2.8 G AF-S ED-IF VR Micro (62ø) ..................105/2.0 DC D with Hood (72ø) ............................180/2.8 D ED-IF (72ø).........................................200/4 D ED-IF Micro w/Case (62ø) ......................200/2 G AF-S ED-IF VR II (52ø) ............................300/4.0 D AF-S ED-IF (77ø) ................................14-24/2.8 G AF-S ED-IF ......................... 1996.9516-35/4.0 G AF-S ED VR (77ø) ............... 1256.9517-35/2.8 D AF-S ED-IF (77ø) .............................18-35/3.5-4.5 G ED (77ø) ........................ 746.9524-70/2.8 G AF-S ED-IF (77ø) ................ 1886.9524-85/2.8-4.0 D IF (72ø) ....................................24-120/4.0 G AF-S ED VR (77ø) ................... 1296.9528-300/3.5-5.6 G AF-S ED VR (77ø) .............. 1046.9570-200/2.8 G AF-S ED-IF VR II (77ø)................ 2396.9570-300/4.5-5.6 G-AFS VR (67ø) ............... 586.9580-200/2.8 D with Collar (77ø) ............................80-400/4.5-5.6 D VR (77ø) .................................200-400/4 G AF-S ED VR II (52ø) .........................TC-14E II (1.4x) Teleconverter ..............................TC-17E II (1.7x) .......... TC-20E III (2x) .............

EOS Flash System (USA)270EX II ..........169.99320EX ........................320EX ........................320EX

430EX II ..........299.99600 EX-RT.......549.99

MR-14EX Ringlight ...................................549.99MT-24EX Twin Flash .................................829.99

EF-S Lenses for Digital Only (USA)(Not compatible with full frame cameras)

60/2.8 USM Macro (52ø) ..........................469.9910-22/3.5-4.5 USM (77ø) ........................649.9915-85/3.5-5.6 IS USM (72ø) ....................799.9917-55/2.8 IS USM (67ø) ...........................879.9917-85/4-5.6 IS USM (67ø) .......................599.9918-135/3.5-5.6 IS (67ø) ..........................499.9918-200/3.5-5.6 IS (72ø) ..........................699.9955-250/4.0-5.6 IS USM (58ø) ..................249.99

EF Lenses (USA)20/2.8 USM (72ø) ....................................539.9924/2.8 IS USM (58ø) ................................599.9928/2.8 IS USM (58ø) ................................549.9935/2 IS USM (67ø) ...................................599.9950/1.8 II (52ø) .........................................125.9950/1.4 USM (58ø) ....................................399.9950/2.5 Macro (52ø)..................................299.9985/1.8 USM (58ø) ......................................419.99100/2 USM (58ø) .....................................499.99100/2.8 USM Macro (58ø) ........................599.9928-135/3.5-5.6 IS USM (72ø) ..................479.9970-300/4-5.6 IS USM (58ø) .....................649.9970-300/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM (58ø) .................1399.0075-300/4.0-5.6 III (58ø) ...........................199.9975-300/4.0-5.6 III USM (58ø) ...................234.99

TS-E MF Lenses (USA)17/4.0 L ........2249.0045/2.8 ..........1399.00

24/3.5 L II .......1999.0090/2.8 ..........1399.00

EF “L” Lenses (USA)14/2.8 USM II ........................................2249.0024/1.4 II (77ø) .......................................1649.0035/1.4 USM (72ø) ..................................1479.0050/1.2 USM (72ø) ..................................1549.0085/1.2 USM II (72ø) ...............................2099.00100/2.8 IS USM Macro (67ø) ....................949.99135/2.0 USM (72ø) ................................1049.00180/3.5 USM Macro (72ø) ......................1499.00200/2.0 IS USM (52ø) ............................5999.00300/4.0 IS USM (77ø) ............................1449.00300/2.8 IS USM II (52ø rear) ...................6599.00400/5.6 USM (77ø) ................................1339.008-15/4.0 Fish-eye USM ..........................1349.0016-35/2.8 USM II (82ø) ..........................1699.0017-40/4.0 USM (77ø) ..............................839.9924-70/4.0 IS USM (77ø) ...........................999.9924-70/2.8 USM II (82ø) ..........................2099.0024-105/4 IS USM (77ø) ..........................1149.0028-300/3.5-5.6 IS USM (77ø) ................2549.0070-200/4.0 IS USM (77ø) .......................1299.0070-200/2.8 USM (77ø) ..........................1449.0070-200/2.8 IS II USM (77ø) ....................2299.0070-300/4.0-5.6 IS USM (67ø) ................1449.00100-400/4.5-5.6 IS USM (77ø) ..............1699.001.4x III Tele .......449.99 2x III Tele .........449.99

Call for Available Rebates & Promotions on Select Bodies, Lenses and Flashes!

Call for Available Rebates & Promotions on Select Bodies, Lenses and Flashes!

EOS-5D Mark III D-SLR• 3.2" Clear View High Resolution LCD• DIGIC 5+ Image Processor • 61-Point

High Density AF • Uses Canon EF Lenses• Dual CF, SD Card Slots • Up to 6.0 FPS• Full HD 1080/30p and 720/60p Formats• Built-In HDR and Multiple

Exposure Modes

Body Only #CAE5D3* ��3,099.00Kit with 24-105mm L IS #CAE5D324105��3,699.00

22MegaPixels

EOS-1Dx D-SLR• Dual DIGIC 5+ Image Processors • Magnesium Alloy Body • Eye-Level Pentaprism Viewfinder• 3.2" LCD Monitor • Uses Canon EF Lenses • Dual CF card slots• 1920 x 1080 HD Video Capture • Live View Still and Video Recording• 61-Point High Density Auto Focus

Body Only #CAE1DX*�#CAE1DX*�#CAE1DX* �� 5,999.00

18MegaPixels

EOS-6D DSLR• Full-Frame CMOS Sensor • 3.0" LCD• DIGIC 5+ Image Processor • Uses Canon EF Lenses• SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot• Built-In Wi-Fi and GPS Connectivity• Full HD 1080p with Manual Controls• Built-In HDR and Multiple

Exposure Modes

Body Only #CAE6D ��1,799.00Kit with 24-105mm f/4 L #CAE6D24105 ��2,399.00

20MegaPixels

OM-D E-M1 Mirrorless System Camera• 3.0" Tilting LCD Touchscreen• Micro Four Thirds System• SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot• Full HD 1080p Video• Built-In Wireless Connectivity• Dust/Splash/Freezeproof

Magnesium Alloy Body

#OLEM1* 16MegaPixels

Lumix DMC-GH4 4K Mirrorless System Camera

• DCI 4K 4096x2160 at 24p• UHD 4K 3840x2160 at 30p/24p• 3.0" LCD • Live View Finder • Full HD

up to 60p • High-Speed 49-Point AF• Support for 59.94p, 23.98p, 50p, & 24p• 4:2:2 8-Bit or 10-Bit HDMI Output• Magnesium Alloy, Weather-Sealed Body

Body Only #PADMCGH4* 16MegaPixels

EOS-7D Mark II DSLR• 3" Clear View II LCD • Native ISO 16000• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with Live View• Dual CF and SDHC/XC Card Slots• Built-In GPS Receiver & Digital Compass• Full HD 1080p/60 Video

Body Only #CAE7D2��1,799.00EOS 7D Body Only #CAE7D��EOS 7D Kit with 18-135mm IS #CAE7D18135 ��EOS 7D Kit with 28-135mm IS #CAE7D28135��

20MegaPixels

Page 2


800-947-9963212-444-6663

Fax:

212-239-7770

Store & Mail Order Hours:

Sunday 10-5 • Mon.-Thurs. 9-7Friday 9-1 EST/9-2 DST

Saturday Closed

Over 300,000 products,at your leisure

www.BandH.com

Used Equipment

NYC DCA Electronics Store Lic. #0906712; NYC DCA Electronics & Home Appliance Service Dealer Lic. #0907905; NYC DCA Secondhand Dealer – General Lic. #0907906



New York, N.Y. 10001* FREE! Roll of

White Paper w/ Purchase

24MegaPixels

24MegaPixels

16MegaPixels

24MegaPixels

24MegaPixels

36MegaPixels

24MegaPixels

24MegaPixels

102_103_RF_0415_BH.indd 102 3/10/2015 2:23 PM

042015

Page 2


800-947-9963212-444-6663

Fax:

212-239-7770

Store & Mail Order Hours:

Sunday 10-5 • Mon.-Thurs. 9-7Friday 9-1 EST/9-2 DST

Saturday Closed

Over 300,000 products,at your leisure

www.BandH.com

We Buy, Sell, and TradeUsed Equipment

NYC DCA Electronics Store Lic. #0906712; NYC DCA Electronics & Home Appliance Service Dealer Lic. #0907905; NYC DCA Secondhand Dealer – General Lic. #0907906



New York, N.Y. 10001

Qflash TRIO Qflash TRIO Parabolic Reflector Flash

• Guide No. 110'• Bounce and

Swivel Head• Built-In FreeXwire• Radio Wireless TTL• High Speed Sync• USB Port • TTL compatible

#QUQF8* ...........................................875.00

285HV Professional Auto Shoe Mount Flash

• Guide No. 120'• Automatic exposure

range to 70'• 4 auto f/stop settings • Removable sensor• Bounce Head • Zoom Head (28-105) • Weight 14.9 oz

#VI285HV ...........................................84.95

58 AF-2 TTL 58 AF-2 TTL Shoe Mount Flash

• Guide No. 58'• Full TTL Mode • Zoom Head (24-105)• Bounce & Swivel Head• Update via USB Port• Weight: 12.8 oz

#ME58AF2* ..................................... 399.99

622 Super Pro TTLHandle Mount Flash

• Requires Head• TTL with appropriate module• Guide No. 200• Bounce & swivel • Auto f/Stops f/2.0, 2.8,

4.0, 8.0, 5.6, 11 & 16• Vari-Power

#SU622S* ........................................ 179.95

Flash SystemFL-300R Flash .............136.00FL-600R Flash .............299.95

FL-50R Flash ...............499.95RF-11 Ring Flash .........249.95

Zuiko 4/3 System Digital Lenses35/3.5 Macro ED (52ø) .....................................................229.9550/2.0 Macro ED (77ø) .....................................................499.957-14/4.0 ED (72ø) .........................................................1,799.9511-22/2.8-3.5 ED (72ø) ....................................................799.9512-60/2.8-4 ED SWD (72ø) ...............................................999.9514-42/3.5-5.6 ED (58ø) ....................................................249.9518-180/3.5-6.3 ED (62ø) ..................................................499.95EC-14 1.4x Teleconverter ..................................................439.95

AF Flash SystemAF-360FGZ ........................ AF-540FGZ II ..............................

DA Digital AF Lenses21/3.2 AL Limited “Pancake” (49ø) ...............................................40/2.8 Limited “Pancake” (49ø) ....................................................70/2.4 Limited HD (49ø) ...............................................................10-17/3.5-4.5 ED IF (77ø) ...........................................................16-50/2.8 ED AL IF SDM (77ø) .....................................................50-135/2.8 ED IF SDM (67ø) ........................................................50-200/4-5.6 ED WR (52ø) ..........................................................55-300/4-5.8 ED (58º).................................................................

Flash SystemHVL-F20M............... 149.99 HVL-F20S .........................149.99HVL-F43M............... 398.99 HVL-F60M ........................548.00

Digital Lenses 24/2 Carl Zeiss (72ø) ......................................................1399.9950/2.8 Macro (55ø).. 599.99 50/1.4 (55ø) .....................449.99100/2.8 Macro (55ø).........................................................799.9911-18/4.5-5.6 DT (77ø) ....................................................799.9916-80/3.5-4.5 DT Carl Zeiss (62ø) ....................................999.9916-105/3.5-5.6 DT (62ø) ..................................................699.9918-250/3.5-6.3 DT (62ø) ..................................................649.9970-200/2.8 G APO (77ø) .................................................1999.99

Octacool Light Kitwith 29.5" Octobox

• Octacool 6 or 9 Lamp Fixture

• Removable Aluminum Reflector

• 28w Lamps• Internal Diffusion Baffle

Octacool-6 #IMOC6SB .................................................199.95Octacool-9 #IMOC9SB .................................................259.00

Background System

Background StandsEconomy .................................74.95Port-A-Stand ....................... 114.95*Multi 3 Polevault .................217.99

Paper BackgroundsAvailable in 48 Colors

53" x 12 yds............................24.95107" x 12 yds w/Core ..............45.95

Octacool-6 Octacool-6 FrontFront

Octacool-9 Octacool-9 Back

* FREE! Roll of

White Paper w/ Purchase

D7100 DSLR• Magnesium Alloy Body • Moisture Resistant• EXPEED 3 Image Processor • 3.2" LCD• Built-In Flash with Commander Function• Accepts Nikon AF Lenses (1.5x factor)• 1080p Full HD Video Capture• Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slots• Nikon Inc. limited warranty included

Body Only #NID7100.................................................... 1,199.95Kit with 18-105mm VR #NID710018105.......................1,599.95

Alpha A7 DSLR• Full Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor• Direct Compatibility with E-mount Lenses• 3.0" Tiltable TFT LCD • Multi-Interface Shoe• SD/SDHC/SDXC, MS Pro Duo/

Pro HG-DuoCard Slots• Full 1080/60p with Uncompressed Output• Built-In Wi-Fi and NFC • Direct Access Interface

Body Only #SOA7BKit with 28-70mm Lens #SOA7KB

24MegaPixels

D3300 DSLR• EXPEED 4 Image Processor • Full HD 1080p

Video Recording • 3.0" LCD • 5 fps Shooting• Uses Nikon AF Lenses (1.5x factor)• SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot• Available in Black, Grey or Red• Nikon Inc. limited warranty included

Kit with 18-55mm VR II #NID33001855*.........................#NID33001855*.........................#NID33001855* 646.95D3200 Kit Black w/18-55mm VR #NID32001855* .......529.95

24MegaPixels

Panel Frame Reflector KitsZebra Gold / Zebra Silver

• Reversible Two Sided Fabric• Collapsible

Aluminum Alloy Frame

• Tool-Free Assembly• Padded Shoulder

Bag Included

43 x 67" #IMFPK436ZGZS ............................................299.9559 x 82" #IMFPK598ZGZS ............................................464.95

#IMFPK436ZGZS

59x82" Silver

43x67" Gold

D4s DSLR• FX-format (full-frame) CMOS Sensor• 14-Bit RAW Files & 12-Bit RAW S Format• EXPEED 4 Image Processor • ISO 50-409600• Full HD 1080p Video at 60 fps • 3.2" LCD• Compatible with Most Nikkor Optics• 11 fps Shooting for 200 Shots with AE/AF• CF Type 1 & XQD Compatible• Nikon Inc. limited warranty included

Body Only #NID4S........................................................6,496.95 16MegaPixels

Alpha A6000 Mirrorless System Camera

• Uses Sony E-mount Lenses• 3.0" Tilting LCD• SD, SDHC, SDXC,

MS Pro Duo, MS PRO HG Duo Card Slot• Full HD 1080i/p AVCHD Video at 24/60 fps• Up to 11 fps Shooting and ISO 25600• Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC• Available in Black or Silver

Kit with 16-50mm OSS Lens #SOA6000*

24MegaPixels

D810 D-SLR• FX-Format CMOS Sensor • Optical Low-Pass Filter• EXPEED 4 Image Processor • CF & SD Dual Card

Slots • Nikon F Mount Lens Mount • 3.2" LCD • Multi-CAM 3500FX AF Sensor w/51 Points• Continuous Shooting to 5 fps in FX Mode• Full HD 1080p Video at 60/30/24 fps• External Mic and Headphone Inputs• Nikon Inc. limited warranty included

Body Only #NID810......................................................3,296.95

D750 DSLR• FX-Format (Full-Frame) CMOS Sensor• Uses Nikon AF Lenses • 3.2" Tilting LCD• SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot • Built-In Wi-Fi • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps• Nikon Inc. limited warranty included

Body Only #NID750......................................................2,296.95Kit with 24-120mm VR #NID75024120.........................3,596.95D610 Body Only #NID610 ..........................................1,996.95D610 Kit with 24-85mm VRt #NID6102485...............2,596.95

24MegaPixels

Handle Mount Flash

TTL with appropriate module

Auto f/Stops f/2.0, 2.8, 4.0, 8.0, 5.6, 11 & 16

179.95

• TTL compatible

36MegaPixels

24MegaPixels

D5500 DSLR• EXPEED 4 Image Processor • ISO 100-25600• Full HD 1080p Video at 60 fps • Built-In Wi-Fi• 3.2" Vari-Angle Touchscreen• Uses Nikon AF Lenses (1.5x factor)• SD/SDHC/SDXC Card Slot• Nikon Inc. limited warranty included

Kit with 18-55mm VR II (Black or Red) #NID55001855*.......999.95D5300 Kit w/18-55mm VR II #NID53001855*..............896.95D5200 Kit with 18-55mm VR #NID52001855*.............799.95 24Mega

Pixels


102_103_RF_0415_BH.indd 103 3/10/2015 2:24 PM


FIRST EXPOSURE BY STAN SHOLIK

Don’t be fooled: while ACDSee calls this program Ultimate 8, it’s actually the first version (and it’s been

updgraded since its release). Naming aside, version 8.1 resides as the top program in the ACDSee imaging line, above the recently updated ACDSee Pro 8 and ACDSee 18.

Ultimate 8.1 combines the image-editing capabilities of Pro 8.1 with the digital asset management (DAM) capabilities of ACDSee 18 and adds the ability to create a layer-based imaging workflow. With these attributes, Ultimate 8.1 is clearly designed to take on Adobe Bridge, Lightroom and

BELOW: I tested the new layers function and pixel targeting on this original image (taken during a visit to the Ancient Bristle cone Pine Forest) by replacing the clear sky with a cloudy sky (left).LEFT: In order to add saturation and deepen the blue color in the sky, I used Pixel Targeting to brighten and lower the contrast in the living trees in the background.

ACDSEE ULTIMATE 8.1 Can this first-version’s image-editing capabilities compete with the likes of Adobe? We put it to the test to find out.

SOF T WA R E R E V IE W

RF_0415_FirstExposure.indd 104 3/14/15 7:59 PM

FIRST EXPOSURE

LEFT: Pixel Targeting is an effective tool for adjusting exposure, lighting, color and detail adjustments without having to resort to masking. Here, I increased the saturation and darkened the blue in the sky. The targeted tones are shown in the high-contrast monochrome thumbnail.


many of the photographic talents of Adobe Photoshop, as well as onOne Perfect Photo Suite 9. While ACDSee provides Mac Pro 3 for Apple computers, Ultimate 8.1 is available only for 64-bit Windows machines and is priced at $149.99. Online storage is offered for an additional $39 to $129 per year depending on storage size. There are also subscription lifetime Family Plans for a suite of ACDSee programs with or without online storage ranging from $79 to $199 per year.

WHAT’S NEWThe biggest news with the release of Ultimate 8.1 is the addition

of the ability for users to add layers to a program that also combines DAM, non-destructive RAW fi le processing and advanced image editing. Layers allow you to merge photos together, add text, apply effects and edit each layer individually.

Ultimate 8.1 layers include the ability to use blending modes, adjust layer opacity and create layer masks for compositing.

USER-FRIENDLINESS While all of the tools are there, the Layers mode itself is less

responsive than it is in other programs (even on my fast Windows 7 computer). For example, when drawing a layer mask, the drawing lagged my brush stroke by a considerable margin—but keep in mind, I was compositing two 12-megapixel RAW images. Interestingly, this is the fi rst program I have used that allows direct compositing of RAW fi les. Ultimate 8.1 was more responsive with JPEG and TIFF fi les. You can save the composite image with its layers intact in ACDSee’s proprietary fi le format, or save it as a fl attened PSD or TIFF fi le, and in a number of other fl attened bitmap formats. While Ultimate 8.1 supports layers, it cannot

open layered PSD or TIFF fi les created in other programs, and can only open layered ACDSee fi les in the Edit mode.

While the interface is attractive and highly confi gurable, with tabs for the fi ve modules accessible from the menu bar, it will take some time for both new users and those migrating from non-ACDSee software to work effi ciently in Ultimate 8.1. With a full range of image adjustment tools, the interface is fairly daunting for both groups. For instance, discerning when to adjust images in the Develop mode versus the Edit mode takes some time because both have a Lighting tab, but with different functions. And those used to Adobe keyboard shortcuts will be at a loss even when trying to learn what the keyboard shortcuts are in Ultimate 8.1.

Other tools, such as White Balance, are also hard to fi gure out: there’s a Strength slider that backs off a percentage of the



change you make in the color temperature. If you have overcorrected a change in color temperature, why would you not simply back it off altogether rather than reduce it by some percentage with a separate slider?

WHAT WE LIKEDAs you become comfortable with the interface, you discover

many pleasing things about the software. Unlike with Lightroom, images do not need to be added into a catalogue to be visible. Ultimate 8.1 works like Adobe Bridge in this regard: you can view any compatible image fi le on your computer and import any on your camera card. ACDSee is still rolling out support for more RAW formats (but be sure to check the website for compatibility fi rst—there are still some gaps as this went to press). Browsing and navigating is fast, and there are tools for rating and tagging images.

There’s no lack of image-processing tools in Ultimate 8.1. A Develop Brush lets you brush on exposure, saturation, fi ll light, contrast and clarity. The White Balance tool helpfully displays RGB readouts next to the eyedropper, saving you from looking back and forth to the histogram for values. There are hue, saturation and brightness slides, and curves adjustments. There are even cross-processing, split-toning and post-crop vignette tools in the Develop mode.

Another feature we liked was Pixel Targeting for the Exposure/Lighting, Color and Detail tools. It allows you to limit adjustments to targeted tones and colors. A high-contrast monochrome thumbnail of the image shows the targeted values. Once you are satisfi ed with the mask, you move the appropriate sliders to make the necessary adjustment. It’s a very slick way to adjust color, tonality, sharpening, blur and more without manual masking.

change you make in the color temperature. If you have overcorrected a change in color temperature, why would you not simply back it off altogether rather than reduce it by some percentage with a separate slider?

WHAT WE LIKEDAs you become comfortable with the interface, you discover

many pleasing things about the software. Unlike with Lightroom, images do not need to be added into a catalogue to be visible. Ultimate 8.1 works like Adobe Bridge in this regard: you can view any compatible image fi le on your computer and import any on your camera card. ACDSee is still rolling out support for more RAW formats (but be sure to check the website for compatibility fi rst—there are still some gaps as this went to press). Browsing and navigating is fast, and there are tools for rating and tagging images.

There’s no lack of image-processing tools in Ultimate 8.1. A Develop Brush lets you brush on exposure, saturation, fi ll light, contrast and clarity. The White Balance tool helpfully displays RGB readouts next to the eyedropper, saving you from looking back and forth to the histogram for values. There are hue, saturation and brightness slides, and curves adjustments. There are even cross-processing, split-toning and post-crop vignette tools in the Develop mode.

Another feature we liked was Pixel Targeting for the Exposure/Lighting, Color and Detail tools. It allows you to limit adjustments to targeted tones and colors. A high-contrast monochrome thumbnail of the image shows the targeted values. Once you are satisfi ed with the mask, you move the appropriate sliders to make the necessary adjustment. It’s a very slick way to adjust color, tonality, sharpening, blur and more without manual masking.

FIRST EXPOSURE

There’s no lack of image processing

tools in Ultimate 8.1. A Develop Brush lets

you brush on exposure, saturation, fi ll light, contrast and clarity.


Alpha Joker Bi-ColorEvolution

Evolution is the ideal on-the-go Kit. K5600 makes it even more versatile by including our new 3200K lamp in addition to the existing 5600K lamp. Completely customizable, the Kit combines the Joker Bug 200 and/or the Alpha 200 Fresnel for fi ve confi guration options. Learn more at www.K5600.com

“There’s an intangible magic that comes from shooting with HMI. It’s as much about texture as it is about shape & color. The sparkle, punch and effi ciency of the K5600 Evolution Kit is as good as it gets.“

Scott Nathan – Award Winning Photographer & Director

Mod

el: @

jess

egol

den

Bring Hollywood Home

PDN Classified Evo3.indd 1 3/10/15 4:30:52 PM



FIRST EXPOSUREFIRST EXPOSURE

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKEFor us, the masking function is the weakest link in the program.

The competition has extremely strong masking tools, while those in Ultimate 8.1 are outdated. Using layers creatively requires the ability to mask precisely, and Ultimate 8.1 simply does not have that ability. Once created, there is no way to refine the mask. And there’s no way to easily invert a mask either, though it can be done with some menu digging. As a RAW image developer, there are plentiful tools in the Develop mode, even if some of them I can’t understand. I couldn’t find an image where the LightEQ and Advanced panes of the Lighting tool did anything to improve the image that couldn’t be done with other tools. I was also disappointed in the actions of the Shadows, Midtones and Highlights sliders in the Basic panel of the Lighting panel; their adjustments changed values far outside of the tonal range they should have been adjusting with the Shadows slider, lightening and darkening midtones and highlights as well as shadows, while the Highlights slider ranged into the shadows with its adjustments. Yes, there are other tools in Ultimate 8.1 to make more targeted adjustments, but these tools should work better.

One fi nal quibble I have with Ultimate 8.1 is how it takes over your computer without asking. When installing the program, it changes all of the fi le associa-tions without notice so that Ultimate 8.1 becomes the default program for opening images. It also installs PicaView, a little app that appears when you right-click on an image fi le, along with other options, in the right-click menu. While some users might fi nd these additions useful, I did not.

HOW IT COMPARESACDSee Ultimate 8.1 is unquestionably a powerful

digital asset manager, RAW file converter, and image editor. The inclusion of layers puts it in competition with the latest Adobe CC imaging programs and onOne Perfect Photo Suite 9. Ultimate 8.1 makes a good run at these well-established programs with this initial release, incorporating features into one program that the competition sells separately. But if its selling point is layers, it needs some serious masking tools added to become truly competitive.

ADORAMA WANTS TO BUY

YOUR USED PHOTO & VIDEO GEAR

Get a fast, free quote online at Adorama.com/used or in our Manhattan, NY store.

< Scan Here to see how easy it is to sell and trade up!

Whether consumer level, professional gear or even vintage cameras, your used equipment can easily be turned into

cash or upgraded equipment.

ITS WORTH MORE THAN YOU EXPECT!

42 W 18TH ST NYC 800.223.2500adorama.com

42 W 18TH ST NYC

800.223.2500

adorama.comSAME DAY SHIPPINGon most orders till 8PM

SHOP RENT PRINT LEARN TRADE

FREE 1-3 DAY SHIPPINGon most orders over $49*

*details at adorama.com/shipping



BY IBARIONEX PERELLO


BY IBARIONEX PERELLO

RE V IE W

EVOLUTION LIGHTING KITWe wanted to know: Does the Alpha 200 and Joker 200 meet

the video lighting needs of a busy fi lmmaker?

During the years my team and I have been producing multimedia content, we have become increasingly

attentive to the quality of the light we work with. Though much of our work is shot in a documentary style, we are often called on to produce content that requires introducing and controlling the light.

We have tried a variety of lights including

inexpensive tungsten solutions, LEDs and Kino Flos. Though each has its virtues, we’ve never settled on a singular system that would provide a satisfactory quantity and quality of light along with being readily modifi ed and compact.

Enter K5600’s Evolution Kit—a system that seems tailor-made to address these concerns; I was excited to test it out.

The kit is available in several confi gurations. The one we received for review included the Alpha 200, a Fresnel light source that is modeled after the larger K5600 Alpha fi xtures. It can be used with either a Quartz Metal Halide lamp (HMI) or a Ceramic Discharge

DSLR VIDEO

ABOVE: The Joker 200 with a bare bulb that can output either 3200K or 5600K.

Rf_DSLR_R.indd 108 3/16/15 3:44 PM


lamp to produce 5600K or 3200K color temperatures. The other light was the Joker 200, which offers the ability to use

200W Ceramic and HMI lamps to produce a daylight or tungsten color temperature. The unit features a parabolic refl ector.

The kit also includes power supplies, light stands, four-leaf barn doors and a soft case.

LIGHT QUALITYDespite their small form factor, the Alpha 200 and Joker 200 provided ample light. Our biggest concern was with

the quality of the light and our ability to modify it to achieve the look we were going for. With the light source used bare, we were able to achieve a good, hard quality of light. However, we were looking for

DSLR VIDEO

TOP: The Joker 200 with barn doors, which can help cut and shape the path of the light. ABOVE: The Alpha 200 with a bare bulb produces high output with the fl exibility and control of larger Fresnel-style lights.

when you’re behind the camera,

is behind you.

Your go-to resource for professional tools, in-depth knowledge and production support.

42 W 18TH ST NYC

800.223.2500adorama.com

LEARN TRADEPRINTSHOP RENT



42 W 18th ST NYC • 888.582.3900 • adorama.com



Rf_DSLR_R.indd 109 3/16/15 3:44 PM


DSLR VIDEO


DSLR VIDEO

more control when we wanted to not only soften the light, but also shape it. Attaching the Fresnel lens and the supplied barn doors to the Alpha 200 defi nitely helped. We were then able to achieve a nice hard light that we easily shaped to fall on our subject. When we needed to soften the light, we simply positioned a small scrim between the light and the subject. The results were pleasing and exactly what we were looking for.

We fi rst used the Joker as a fi ll light diffused with a scrim, but quickly switched to bouncing it off a large refl ector board positioned to the subject’s right to simulate window light and bring out background details.

The resulting illumination delivered accurate and consistent color for the subject.

DESIGNAnyone who has had experience using traditional Fresnel light

sources knows how bulky and heavy they can be. So, we were really pleased to see that type of design in a light that weighed just 4 pounds.

The design of both lights made bulb replacement easy. Getting the Fresnel lens and barn doors on and off the Alpha was similarly a breeze. Optional modifi ers are also available for the Joker series for Profoto and Broncolor light modifi ers to further control the look and feel of the lighting.

The construction on both units felt solid and well built; though they are smaller than their big brothers, we didn’t feel that compromises were made with construction and durability. These units are more than capable of handling the heavy use we put our equipment through.

WHAT WE LIKEDOf the two light sources we tried, I found myself particularly drawn to

the Alpha 200. Its ability to control the light in a variety of ways straight out of the box made it the versatile tool that I often need for my multimedia work. The ability to easily control the spread or narrowness of the light and to use modifi ers allows this single light to be virtually anything we would need it to be.

However, the Joker 200 has its advantages as well, especially when used with one of four lenses, including a frosted Fresnel. Capable of outputting the equivalent of up to 1000W, it’s a great general purpose light with just enough capability to keep it fl exible.

The small size and weight of the the entire kit makes it especially easy to transport when working with a limited crew of two or three

people. The inclusion of roller wheels on the base of the case was especially appreciated.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKEAs with any light source of this type, you have to contend with

heat. And while the temperature in the small room in which we were conducting interviews was not problematic, we had to be careful handling the body of the lights when making modifi cations. So, a good set of work gloves in your kit is essential. The lights’ small size can easily mislead you into

thinking you don’t need them, but the tips of my fi ngers would attest otherwise.

HOW IT COMPARESThough LED light sources appear to be of huge interest to

DSLR fi lmmakers—especially those on the go—they often lack the ability to shape the light in ways that still photographers are accustomed to. The Evolution Kit provides that versatility in a relatively small form that doesn’t skimp on the quality of the build or the light.

ABOVE: The Alpha 200 with the Fresnel lens provides versatility for customizing the look and feel of the light when used in combination with barn doors or another traditional light source. Weighing 4 pounds, it provides a compact design and can accommodate Profoto and Broncolor light modifi ers using optional adapters.

Rf_DSLR_R.indd 110 3/16/15 3:44 PM

ONLINE NOWRead our PhotoForward blog for Weddings of the Week, Tech Tuesdays, video tutorials, breaking news and events. photoforwardblog.com

IN MAY:Focus on Filmmaking! We bring you everything you need to know about shooting motion, from expert techniques to special gadgets to finding the right score. Plus, packaging your brand with self-promotional videos.

COMING

AD INDEX

The Index to Advertisers is provided as a courtesy to Rangefinder advertisers. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

AcrylicPress.com ............................................................................................................19

Adoramsa ............................................................................................................ 107, 109

B&H Photo-Video ................................................................................................ 102, 103

Bay Photo Lab ................................................................................................. 16, 17, 101

Chimera Lighting ............................................................................................................41

Circle Graphics ...............................................................................................................13

Dynalite Inc. ...................................................................................................................53

Expo Imaging ...................................................................................................................7

F.J. Westcott ...................................................................................................................49

Fundy Software Inc. .......................................................................................................57

H&H Color Lab................................................................................................................27

K5600 Lighting Inc. ......................................................................................................106

Miller’s Professional Imaging ..............................................................................IFC, 1, 11

Mitsubishi Electric ..........................................................................................................61

Omega Brandess Distribution ........................................................................................10

Palm Springs Photo Festival ...........................................................................................99

PDN PhotoPlus Expo .................................................................................................... IBC

Photogenic .....................................................................................................................31

Platypod Pro ...................................................................................................................21

Profoto....................................................................................................................2, 3, 25

Rosco Labs ......................................................................................................................23

Sigma ...............................................................................................................................5

Tamron......................................................................................................................9, 101

Tenba ............................................................................................................................. BC

Wedding Contest Call for Entries ...................................................................................44

WPPI Members Only 1st Half Online Competition Call for Entries .........................92, 93

RF, RANGEFINDER IS A MONTHLY PUBLICATION dedicated to the ad vance ment of photographers. Features encompass all phases of professional photography, including: solutions to technical problems, business practices, handling assign ments, equipment test reports, processing techniques and future trends.Acceptance of advertising does not carry the endorse ment of the publishers.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Free to qualified subscribers within the U.S. For nonqualified subscribers the cost is $20.00 for 1 year, $38.00 for 2 years and $55.00 for 3 years. For Canada the cost is $45.00 for 1 year, $85.00 for 2 years and $128.00 for 3 years. For all other countries the cost is $55.00 for 1 year, $105.00 for 2 years, or $155.00 for 3 years. All fees are payable in advance in U.S. dollars. Change of Address: Please allow four weeks for uninterrupted service. Tear off the address label of the magazine and send it with new address to Circulation Department, RF, RANGEFINDER, PO Box 2198, Skokie, IL 60076, or send e-mail to: [email protected] of the material appearing herein can be reprinted without the permission of RF, RANGEFINDER. Un so licited material will not be returned unless sufficient postage is provided. Material submitted for pay must carry “Submitted At Your Usual Rates.” The publishers and editors shall not be responsible for loss or injury of any submitted manuscripts and/or art. The ac ceptance of advertising in RF, RANGEFINDER does not imply endorsement of the publishers. Publishers re serve the right, without giving specific reason, to refuse advertising if copy does not conform with editorial policy.

RF, RANGEFINDER (USPS 768-880, ISSN 0033-9202) is published monthly except bi-monthly in July/August plus a special issue in September by Emerald Expositions, 85 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Please send changes of address to RF, RANGEFINDER, PO Box 2198, Skokie, IL 60076.

Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40798037. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Emerald Expositions, c/o P.O. Box 2601, 915 Dixie Rd., Mississauga, ON L4TOA9.

© Copyright 2015 by Emerald Expositions. Volume 64, Number 4


Rf_AD_INDEX.indd 111 3/18/15 11:03 AM

PHO

TO ©

PA

RI D

UK

OV

IC

Color CrunchBy Dan Havlik, Editor-in-Chief, Shutterbug Magazine

I’m really into Pari Dukovic’s work lately. He gets a terrifi c crunchy, color-saturated look from shooting fi lm and using continuous lighting (as shown in this image, a portrait of Seattle musician Mike Hadreas of Perfume Genius, photo-graphed for The New Yorker’s September 22, 2014 issue). It’s really refreshing because so many portraits have more of a fl at-color look these days, which I fi nd kind of dull. Pari’s photos, by contrast, burn bright.

+ www.paridukovic.com

ON MY R ADAR


RF_0415_EndPage.indd 112 3/14/15 7:10 PM

SAVETHE

DATECONFERENCE:

OCTOBER 21–24, 2015EXPO:

OCTOBER 22–24, 2015

www.photoplusexpo.com

JAVITS CONVENTION CENTER, NEW YORK CITY

fOllOW uS

@photoplusexpo /PhotoPlusExpo @photoplusexpo

V1.indd 1 2/17/15 10:06 AM

Accessorize. But Never Compromise.

Tenba Switch.

Our new Switch Collection with interchangeable cover faps raises the bar for

mirrorless camera bags in terms of quality, durability and versatility. The only thing

we can’t say with absolute defnitiveness is which fap goes best with your ensemble.

We never compromise. Neither should you. TENBA.COM · 914.347.3300

Tenba_switch_sumo_Rangefinder.indd 1 12/16/14 4:01 PMOBC_RF_0215_MacTenba.indd 2 1/13/2015 10:45 AM

Documents

Rangefinder April 2015