tommy_z.

November 27, 2000

hahahaha, thanks Altaf! That was precious man :) I'd have the way you

said that no other way.

Well...sanity was never one of my strong points (as many people over

here would attest).

As to when I'd be flying up there, I'd probably have to fly up to

Toronto first, probably sometime next year. I understand it's only a

short drive south to get to NY from there.

Asides from the food, I was thinking to get tickets to live

performances by the Dave Matthews Band and Fiona Apple (if they still

perform somewhere :).

November 27, 2000

Hi Altaf,

Very nice =) I like the textures, the clash of the purple/violet dress

with the green background cloth (both fabrics seemingly having the

same texture) and the shimmer on the skin of the model (you had them

deliberately put shimmer/gloss on?). The colors and textures of dress,

background, and skin do evoke a nice, mysterious bohemian feel to it.

Nice poses, far away looks, and diagonal composition as well. I really

like the candid-looking intimacy of the second.

Actually Altaf (or Shawn), I'd appreciate how the NYC (or Toronto)

scene feels to you guys, indivudual lapses in accuracy or perception

(we all have them anyway...what is reality?!?) and all. I'd just like

to hear an honest non-beauty-pageant-like, non-politically correct

opinion.

November 26, 2000

</CENTER> </CENTER></CENTER>While I'm killing the centering, I might

as well credit the model, Amanda Griffin, the stylist, Pierra

Calasanz, who works for my client, Meg Magazine in the Philippines.

November 26, 2000

I'd like to say hello again to this forum after being away for some time. In line with the previous out-of-focus background shot, here's a fashion shot of mine.

I'd also like to ask what the fashion scene is like in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver) or NY...Altaf, John K., Shawn?

Tommy

November 5, 2000

Actually, no, or very little at all.

I used to use a Mamiya 645, which is perfect for editorial work. I now use an RZ 67 PII since I also do some advertising/people illustration work which gets blown up to 30x40 posters. Art directors seem to like 6x7 polaroids, and the fact that they can look into the waist-level finder and see the groundglass with both eyes seems to please them. :)

Of course, when I do editorial (particularly fashion on location) work for magazines I'm about half as fast as when I was using the 645. The fact that I have to cock the camera for every shot, wind the film at the beginning and end of the roll, have 10 shots instead of 15, worry about vertical and horizontal back positions, and that focusing (not to mention 'carrying' the camera) is harder all contribute to this.

Cropping options with the larger 6x7 neg are better of course. But there are occassions when I do miss the 645. I have had to modify my approach considerably, paying more attention to getting the angle, lighting, and other pre-prod stuff right from the beginning, so as to make the most of the 10 shots and the relative 'immobility' of the camera (you don't just carry, dance, and compose with this thing like you can with a 645).

Hope this helps.

Tommy

September 29, 2000

Jay,

I would think you got the basics pretty well covered. In addition, definitely bring the following;

- really long extension cords, better even two or three which you can connect together.

- spare sync cords

some optional stuff that might come in handy;

- a 50mm lens (an expensive option)

- a reflector and honeycomb grid set

- a set of barndoors and gels

Probably overkill for location portraits of automotive workers, but good additions to any system. This is speaking from experience (I've resolved to get the above mentioned stuff myself if I havn't gotten them already)

BTW, when are you guys getting together again? Might be able to drop by next time.

July 13, 2000

I'd actually find it harder to list names of 35mm photographers I personally admire, but here's two more for the MF list;

1) Ellen Von Unwerth (Mamiya 645 among others)

2) Sante D'Orazio (Pentax 67)

July 11, 2000

Hello Jay,

The methods for pricing and packaging a model portfolio can vary so much between NYC and the Phils., and even between photographers in the Phils. themselves. FWIW, I did a lot of this last year and only used a Mamiya 645, but then depending on the type of shots you are after (studio?, location?, static poses?, dynamic action poses?) then use the most appropriate tool. AS for pricing, depends on production value and your own professional fee, so if you are doing elaborate set-ups with several poses, clothes, and hair/make-up changes then charge higher. (I do advice you to charge a professional fee on top of your fixed costs & not per shot or enlargement orders ala a mall portrait operation).

Going more in depth with poses/set-ups/clothes/hair/make-up, what kind of model is she? A commercial model (cute, hair-teeth, shiny white smile ala Close-up ot Palmolive) would (for me) require a different approach if you are shooting an aspiring ramp/fashion where you would

typically use a very fashion oriented approach.

Saw your web site BTW. TLRC huh? (just kidding :) Nice shots. I shoot fashion ed for Mega, Meg, and Preview.

Anyway, I'm glad I got to answer a problem closer to home.

July 9, 2000

Can't say I have extensive hands-on experience with the Mobil, but I did do an in depth comparison between the Mobil, 7b, and Hensel Porty (which I own). After having played with one in a store, what I like about the Mobil is that it is compact, relatively light, and the Mobilites (heads) look cool and compact like softdrink cans (which would definitely help you in packing and transporting them). All in all, if I had to do it over again, I would very much likely go with the Broncolor Mobil.

June 5, 2000

What I do see is a sense of wonder or mystery in the subject, which

the viewer/taker of this shot feels alienated/obscured from.

May 12, 2000

I read somewhere that Minolta screens are already brighter than most other brands, thus companies like Beattie do not produce screens for Minolta cameras. I doubt installing a Maxwell screen will improve brightness, and whether it would make focusing easier (to a degree that would warrant the trouble of installing one). But then, wouldn't hurt to try ('cept for the cost if it doesn't pan out ;).

May 10, 2000

Thanks for the invaluable info CWLee. Now I know why, when we faxed

New Sankyo for a quote for a Toyo 45C a few months back, the guy

quoted us a Master Technika :) The shops and prices you mentioned is a

lot of help.

What are the good deals on brands and specific camera bodies over

there now? Is Arca-swiss available at good prices? Between a 45c and a

Sinar f1, how are the prices and what are better values?

(I have sufficiently too little knowledge of individual cameras to

have developed a preference still, but am confident enough in my

abilities that as long as the camera is capable of what I need to do

(table-top, arhitecture, people in the studio), I will be able to use

it, with practice, with some proficiency).

May 9, 2000

Thanks Finnegan and C.W.Lee for the responses.

FW, I have done a fair bit of research into the pitfalls of camera

shopping in Hong Kong and intend to come prepared, that's why I'm

asking you guys :) I'll be there for only a limited amount of time

(effectively one day for camera shopping when I factor in the fight

schedules and the other things I have to do) with a fixed budget at

hand and want to plan my itinerary as effectively and specifically as

possible.

I'm originally going there to acquire a Mamiya RZ system (with a

tilt-shift adapter) since I'm after projects which would almost

surely need PC adjustments. However, I'm also looking into LF systems,

the limiting factor being I do not know the range and good prices from

bad of this type of gear in HK, and thus cannot plan/balance a budget

for it along with my requirements. I'm hoping you guys can hep me with

that. Prices of a Toyo 45c or an A-S Disovery with a range of Nikkor

lenses and backs (4x5 and roll-film) would be greatly appreciated.

The shops I definitely will go to would be Kwong Tai, New Sankyo, Man

Shing, as well as other shops in the Central area. Are these the ones

to go to for LF gear as well?

Thanks again.

May 8, 2000

" .....on a practice picture one of the pictures came back with the subject totally black"

If it's just one frame, my GUESS is that you shot before the flashes were able to recycle, thus under-exposing your subject. The further away walls and floors probably had some ambient (existing) light falling on them and registered on the film causing your subject to silhouette.

Meter properly, stay within your sync speed (meaning at it or slower - 1/60 or 1/125 if you have the AF model), and make sure that your flash recycles before you shoot, and you should be OK.

May 8, 2000

Can anyone recommend a shop in Hong Kong where they have a good selection and good prices for large format equipment? I am interested in something like a Toyo 45C with a 210 Nikkor lens along with a polaroid and roll film back to go along with it. Please advice.

March 24, 2000

hmmmm...forgive me for asking, but regarding what the last poster said about Pop photo publishing manufacturer MTF results, and not having MTF testing equipment, with Zeiss being the only manufacturer who MTF tests actual production units; aren't those figures published above from a line-pair/mm test and not results of an MTF test? I believe the two are not the same, and have seen lp/mm results posted here by individals who do their own testing.

In any case, if the results from the Pop Photo test aren't erroneous, I wouldn't be surprised at all. 'Course if they are...I wouldn't be surprised either. <g>

March 17, 2000

Auto-focus no. However, I am (somewhat wildly) speculating that a meter-lens-coupled 500 series camera will come out soon. All this because of the article of Danny Gonzales in Robert Monaghan's (sp?) Medium format site and reading about a "top-secret" Hasselblad (looks like a 500 series camera, darkened so as not to show any details) prize to be given away by the UK magazine Practical Photography to its over-all contest winner.

I seriously (and understandably) doubt our contributors from Zeiss and Hasselblad would care to confirm nor deny anything about this matter though.

March 5, 2000

Some of the advantages of the 6x4.5 format for certain professional applications are obvious:

a) Polaroid proofing on some cameras (not with the Fuji though)

b) Larger contact prints which make a world of difference in image evaluation

c) Some clients require the output to be on 120 film

As to whether there would be a discernible difference in a print:

a) you said "At 11x14, I see no difference in the pictures

except that there is a little grain in the sky on the 35mm shots", with TMAX 100. This difference would become much more discernible as your print size increases, and if you used a film with not as fine grain structure as TMAX 100, wherein the difference at 11x14 would be very obvious.

b) "discernible difference" can vary from person to person, and under different viewing conditions.

I actually use 645 95% of the time and 6x7 (rented) for almost everything else. I haven't seriously used a 35mm camera in years. By contrast, a lot of people I know who use 6x7 also have 35mm systems, the latter being pulled out when the 6x7 becomes too cumbersome to use. In the end, I'd say it becomes a qestion of both intended usage and personal preference.

February 12, 2000

Edward Kang wrote; "...and there are very few women who can pull

both off."

Some follow-up questions I would like to ask is:

What exactly does it mean to "pull off" the fashion look?

Is it the model?

Is it the way the shot is made?

I am interested in this since I have struggled with the same

questions, and as I look back at the shots in my portfolio I've

realized that much of it borders between portraiture and fashion.

(well maybe this couldn't be helped since the bulk of my work last

year was shooting model portfolios for aspiring fashion models)

The partial answers I have come up with are

1) EYE CONTACT...this isn't as critical in a fashion shot as it is in

portraiture.

2) In a fashion shot, the model is practically "acting", and the

photographer is the director as opposed to the "trying to

capture the essence of the person" approach of portaiture (though if

you look at the celebrity shots of Mark Seliger, then the lines get

very, very blurred don't they?)

3) In the fashion shot, the emphasis is on the clothes - the forms,

lines, and color they create along with the body of the model, or, in

the absence of any - the attitude.

4) Richard Avedon says "Sell the dream" when it comes to fashion

photography. so maybe 'pulling it off' means making a viewer think "I

want to look like that. I want to live the life she lives. What else

does she do (given the context of the picture and the fantasy built

around it)"

Question is: can this be pulled off with a model not incredibly tall,

shapely, and beautiful? Does it have to do with the percieved image of

what a fashion model should look like?

Oddly enough, I AM sure of is that a lot of it has to do with the

skill of the model in "projecting" or "acting", the clothes she's

wearing, how she's posed and how the light/environment interplays with

her, and the skill of the stylist/make-up/hair artist.

It would be interesting to see someone like Avedon tasked to shoot

Versace with a "glamour type model" and see how he does it.

February 10, 2000

I second the "Making Faces" book recommendation. That's exactly (and

the only) make-up book I use. Reading it, you will at least become

literate in the make-up jargon. So instead of looking silly and trying

to play charades with the make-up artist on what effect you want, you

can impress her with your knowledge of concealers, blush-ons, matte

vs. gloss, kohl pencils, eye shadows, blending etc (speak passionately

about these things as well as pretend you knew this stuff all your

life, and you can probably raise some eyebrows... as the people around

you try to quietly assess your sexual orientation ;).

...actually buying yor own make-up kit and trying the techniques hands

on, well, that's another matter. It's not easy and sometimes downright

scary (try applying eyeliner with a Kohl pencil). The more I know

about make-up, the more respect I have for those who do it well. The

flipside to this is that since you're into fashion (as am I), being

able to do this stuff yourself would be a tremendous advantage.

January 2, 2000

Happy New Year as well. My first thought on it was "this would be a cool back-up to my Pro TL". The inability to use interchangeable backs seems rather limiting to me though, since you can hardy go through a professional shoot where I come from without showing polaroids of every lay-out to an art director. If pola backs are not a priority for you, I would say go for it and spend what you save on getting some of the excellent lenses available in the system.

November 24, 1999

darn! my apologies David. its 5:30 in the morning where I am and in my hazy vision read 'doing infant portraits' in your post as 'dog infant portraits'. i must stop scanning these threads so early in the morning.

everything I said still applies though, just take out the dog references. Again, my mistake, I'm sorry.

November 24, 1999

I would think so. Though it depends if the puppies are female and are particularly beauty conscious, in which case you could stick a Tiffen soft f/x or zeiss softar on the lens to minimize the blemishes and wrinkles ;). This might be important for close-ups. And with the puppies being as tiny as they are, the 120 macro which goes 1:1 would be the perfect lens for tight snout, head, and front leg shots. I must be going mad.

November 15, 1999

John,

About the only thing I wouldn't do with an 80 is a head-on, tight framed head and shoulder shot. Everything else (and under some conditions- even that) is fair game depending on the 'effect' or 'look' you are going for. I sometimes shoot an entire set of model portfolio shots (from close-ups to full body and everything in between), spending the better part of the day, without dismounting a 150 from the camera. However, there are times when I like to go for an interesting angle (not straight on, and much closer than most people would consider for a 'normal' lens) and find that the 80 gives me the perspective I'm looking for. Some shots I've done like this I like much better than the 'conventional flattened perspective look'.

Thinking in terms of rules and conventions will get you bored. What's more important is you get strong visuals, wherein lighting, pose, props, and gesture have to interplay with your lens selection.

Good luck.

November 14, 1999

With an 80mm, you are definitely far away enough to maintain good proportions for some full body poses (this depends on the proportions on the model herself and whether the pose calls for her to put a part of her body forward). In fact, you can get closer for some interesting angles or some poses, if you are willing to put traditional 'flattering perspective' on the back seat. The problem I see with an 80 for full body shots vs. the 120 and 150 is that you get more of the background area - so if you work with seamless paper in a studio, you have to watch the edges of the papers more as well as legs of your backlight or background stands. This means that while an 80 will allow you to work in a shorter space, everything has to be relatively wider and higher.

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Posts posted by tommy_z.