Wilmarco Imaging

Ricochetrider, I read many of the negative reviews, and decided to do the class. It was the best investment in my photography in many years. Annie states clearly she is not a technical photographer. If you take the class, do not expect much information on f/stops, shutter speed, camera brands, ISO, strip box vs soft box discussion, etc. Annie talks about the creative process and bringing out the persona of the subject in the photograph. If you want something equipment-related, do not take this course. If you want to improve your creative expression in portraits, take this course. There are several assignments in the course. One is to take a series of photographs of someone close to you, while the subject is showing the photographer photographs of him/herself. I did this with my father, it was a great assignment. You mention people skills in your original post. This is a big part of portrait photography. If the photographer is fiddling with the camera, lighting and other things, the subject loses interest and the emotion of boredom and disinterest is recorded in the portrait. Alternatively, the subject can feign interest and the result is a portrait with a wooden, feigned emotion. If the photographer has mastered the equipment, and puts emphasis on connecting with the subject, this is how better portraits are created in my view.

Google Leibovitz MasterClass trailer. It's a 2 minute video (advertisement) with Annie narrating. It sums it up for me. I did the MasterClass a year ago and it was the best thing I have done for my photography in years.

I'm not seeing barrel distortion. Bring the image into Ps or similar, and drag some guides into the image. It appears that subject and camera were not plumb, level and normal relative to each other. Additionally, a characteristic of wider lenses is that what may appear to be distortion, is in fact the true effect of perspective at a short camera to subject distance. The effect is more pronounced with wider lenses and shorter camera to subject distances. In summary, I don't see any equipment flaws in the images.

Thanks for posting. So we are looking at the same thing, what in the images are examples of barrel distortion and falloff? What aperture were the photos taken with? Handheld, or tripod?

I don’t have specific recommendations. One suggestion is to search on Instagram. Lots of iPhone images. Lots of them can be inspiring depending on how one gets inspired.

Purchased: a used Minolta 7000 Maxxum with Minolta 28-85 Borrowed (prior to purchasing a camera): a Kodak Instamatic for a photography course while in primary school, and my father’s Canon FX

The OP mentions strobes and modifiers. To me this implies studio photography. Portrait photography is also mentioned. Lots of subjectivity and aesthetic preference here. Softness, or lack of it, is a strong component of "quality". Look at portrait paintings from the early Renaissance until today. Soft light from a close-to-subject large emitter is common through the centuries. One of many examples is Vermeer. Then there is small emitter lighting, a la Caravaggio with a single candle. Many examples are in place today, of portrait photography that parallels the portrait painters. "Rembrandt lighting" is used today. Vermeer-style lighting is used today with large north-facing windows. Search the internet and examples of Caravaggio-style lighting can be found. Strobes to me are just the engine to generate the light which is to be modified. Modifiers produce the aesthetic. Umbrella, softbox, strip box, grid, snoot, etc. all produce different effects, or "qualities". Take for example a large soft box, and mount it with the appropriate speedring to a Speedotron and a Profoto strobe of equivalent output. The light "quality" will not be much different between the powerpacks because the emitter, the softbox, is the same. Color of the flashtubes will have an effect; the aesthetic effect I am emphasizing here is falloff and modeling. All of the above in my view applies equally to still life photography.

Tape on the emulsion side of the film doesn't sound like a great idea, if you are referring to the parts of film with images on them. On the leader, I don't see an issue. What is the purpose of the blue tape? To pull the 35mm film from the metal canister? Could you use a piece of tape just long enough to wrap one time around the take up spool, and also adhered to the 35mm leader tongue?

Google came up with this: ETRS Cable release help!

Lens flare, specular reflections off the subject or refraction from the hair. Background light is too hot. See what it looks like when the background light is reduced by 2 stops.

Henricvs, have a look at: http://www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/fuji-gw-gsw-690iii-service-manual-en.pdf Section 4 on page 14 describes disassembly of the lens barrel, page 15 shows an exploded view. Step 4-5 mentions the hood.

Brown line appear to be 5 pin Amphenol connectors. You should be able to see the molded-in Amphenol part number if you look closely with a bright light. Take a very close photo under very bright light, and post it here. For reference, Blackline connectors: The Speedotron Blackline male connector from strobe to power pack is an Amphenol 18-8PF. Below is an 18-8P insert, it looks identical to what I have on my Blackline system. Amphenol Industrial - 97-18-8P - connector comp; insert only; size 18; blueinsul; 1#12 & 7#16 solder cup pin cont - Allied Electronics & Automation The Blackline female connector on the power pack is an Amphenol 18-8S. 97-18-8S Amphenol | PEI-Genesis

The lens maximum (largest) aperture is 4.5. The 45(dot) marking is adjacent to the f/8 marking. Is the conclusion that the 45(dot) marking is for f/4.5? Try actuating the aperture ring while looking through the front element.

iansurita that is great.

Is a fresh battery installed? To which speed is the shutter speed dial set?

Jonathan, I use a small level to achieve level and plumb with an RB67. Not sure where you are located. In the US these are commonly called "torpedo levels." Place the level on the camera body, ensuring the rotating adapter is securely in position.

Indiana Canon AE-1 Program Canon FD 28mm f/2.8 Kodak Portra 400 at EI800

Bubble levels are not as accurate as the other levels mentioned, for example a three bubble level. I use an inexpensive 3 bubble “torpedo” level and also use the grid lines and frame edges in the viewfinder or ground glass. I shoot 35mm, 6x7 and 4x5 using the above approach. PP fixes anything overlooked at time of exposure.