tjfuss

<p>I can't complain about the Bokians Les, my lens sales on fleabay have never been better!</p>

<p>It's often neglected but the more subtle aspect of bokeh is not just in how the way-out-of-focus areas are rendered but it's the entire transition from sharp to out-of-focus... including the main subject. It's a valid consideration in choosing a lens. This particular professional does use the term (if only occasionally).</p>

<p>Great background, Alan. And all this time, I thought it was firmly rooted in the average sky color here in Rochester.</p>

<p>In my experience, very few independent artists / artisans can afford exquisite photographs of all of their work. The few that command very good prices can use professionally made images for selling individual pieces. The rest select representative pieces and use images of those to apply to juried shows or to use on a website. Shooting everything is more of a catalog approach and it's important to standardize the set-up (including background and lighting) to be efficient.</p>

<p>I don't know any photographer that works on a percentage basis. The work is done and the value delivered, you aught to be paid then - not after the item sells.</p>

<p>Sometimes, the data recorded with the image is even mis-leading. Lately, a lot of my commercial shots have been done with a Canon 5DII grafted onto a Cambo Ultima 2x3 view camera with a variety of lenses (none are recorded by the camera's data).</p>

<p>It all comes down to the timing of the pre-flash relative to the exposure. From my years in Kodak camera design engineering, I remember a group studying pre-flash in terms of something like 300 to 500 milliseconds. They quantified (and patented, IIRC) the best timing to cause pupils to constrict but less time than it took for the eyelids to blink.</p>

<p>I haven't added it up yet but it's quite a lot... again this year and likely the next few years as well. This is my profession, so it's important for me to regularly evaluate my equipment and how well it delivers what my clients need. Making more efficient use of my time is often a big factor. I'm also planning ahead for the kinds of work I want to grow into and equip for that.</p>

<p>Yes, xenon flash lamps do have a specific life. It depends on the design characteristics of the tube, operating voltage, cycling frequency and even the design of the flash head (mainly factors that affect the retention of heat generated by the lamp).</p>

<p>I'd check the battery contacts inside the flash. If they're dirty, the resistance <em>will</em> affect the recycle time.</p>

<p>I've seen examples where the tilt effect is used quite well and these tend to be where it was integral to the posing or scene. Too often, it's just a bad crutch.</p>

<p>Boy, this brings back memories of a family portrait session from a few years ago. I'd already applied a fair bit of slimming and wrinkle reduction in the proofs. The customer came back with a selection and asked about taking 10 years and 10 pounds off! I almost busted out lauging with thoughts of <em>"another 10 years and 10 pounds?"</em> It worked, but I had to pull out a few different techniques.</p>

<p>I have the big PLM from Buff and have both the ring (for mounting to the Einstein & Alien Bees flashes) and the shaft for a more traditional umbrella mount. I mostly use the ring/monolight arrangement but I did have occasion to use the PLM with a couple of Vivitar 283s for a quick location shoot. Not sure about interchangeability... a chart like that would be useful!</p>

<p>May I be among the first to offer this? It depends. The nature of your subject will determine the better macro lens for your situation. What size objects? What sort of working distance?</p>

<p>For the portraits, 100mm on a crop sensor strikes me a rather long (equivalent to 150mm or so on a full frame camera). If you want a longer working distance or tight framing, the longer focal length is fine although it will have a more compressed feel. With a shorter lens, you'll be in closer to your subject and that leads to a different kind of relationship during the shoot.</p>

<p>I'd start with the 60mm for both uses. The crop factor will make this feel like a 90mm on full frame and that's a pretty common choice for portrait use. Then, if it's not enough, add the 85mm... unless the L Series cachet is important!</p>

<p>I would consider shooting at an angle to the glass with a large sheet of black foam-core placed where it is what's reflected by the glass. Then, place whatever lighting you're using outside of the family of angles that are "seen" by the taking lens - including all the reflected angles. The closer your lens is to the glass, the easier it will be to control the reflections.</p>

<p>Here's the beautifuly thing about shooting those old lenses - they're still less expensive than the new lens so get them both! Live with them for a while and keep the one that works for YOU. And then sell the other one. I've gone through countless lenses in this way... I have adapters for Nikon, M42 and Olympus to use with my 5DII. I've also resorted to an old bellows unit and gaffer's tape to pay with the lenses off various antique cameras!</p>

<p>ASMP (American Society of media Photographers) has a directory of members here:<br>

<a href="http://asmp.org/find-a-photographer">http://asmp.org/find-a-photographer</a></p>

<p>Congratulations... on getting the title right: <em>first</em> Leica! Fair warning, they're habit forming.</p>

<p>I should think that the answer depends on the desired outcome. Are you (or the project manager) looking for a time-line based documentation such as the time-lapse sequences or something that documents key points or milestones in the project which would require a greater variety of points of view?</p>

<p>Will you be covering the changes in the physical state of the facilities or key people and what they do?</p>

<p>Absolutely! At 10 yrs old, my daughter started using my old Canon 20D (now my backup). Shortly after, she won an award for an image of hers entered in a juried show at our local gallery. It was a blind judging so they had no identity information. Chalk up one proud papa!</p>

<p>See the review of her image "Orange twist" here: <a href="http://imagecityphotographygallery.com/Shows/201001show/201001-Picks.htm">http://imagecityphotographygallery.com/Shows/201001show/201001-Picks.htm</a></p>

<p>This summer, at age 12 she's been my assistant / second shooter at a couple of weddings and did very well.</p>

<p>Based on the limited photos, it looks real to me. The features are consistent with the 1933 Model II (D) indicated by the serial number. The area around the viewfinder window rules out the very cheap Fed/Zorki conversions.</p>

<p>Sarah makes a good observation: look at formats smaller than 120! There are loads of small folding cameras out there with 75mm lenses that used 127 rollfilm. The lenses range from the simple one element meniscus found in the lesser Kodak Vest Pocket cameras on up to Tessar formula lenses in Balda and Zeiss cameras. I'd bet that a lens from one of the cheapest Vest Pocket Kodak or Vest Pocket Hawkeye would give a distinctive look. If you want to go further, open up the shutter housing and take out the aperture, allowing the lens to go beyond its designed maximum aperture, introducing lots of uncorrected aberrations.</p>

<p>I've got a 75mm Tessar f/4.5 sitting on my desk right now that came from an old Contessa Nettel. It's still waiting it's turn on the bellows to see how it performs on the DSLR. I suspect it's too good to emulate the Petzval.</p>

<p>I'm working on adapting a Rodenstock Imagon 200mm to use on my 5DII. Of course, it will be a pretty severe center crop of the entire field but with the flexibility in adjusting the softness, I expect that I'll be able to find something useful!</p>

<p>stobist.com</p>

<p>Does it do this without such a strong highlight right in the middle of the frame? That looks like flare to me and doesn't seem too surprising given the amount of light coming in through those windows.</p>

<p>If it does happen with other (more evenly lit) scenes, then check out the glass for scratches, pits or internal haze. Use magnification and a strong light source.</p>

<p>I'm not familiar with the Skyport, so I don't know its capabilities but typically, in wireless systems each flash requires a receiver (either built into the flash or an add-on accessory). The optical slave triggers are wireless too but they respond to the flash output of another strobe instead of a radio signal. It's just a dumb trigger with no other communication ability.</p>