2012 Gear Review - Lenses

This is part two of my Gear Review for 2012. The first part regarding Camera Bodies can be found here.  This is mostly notes for my future self.  It lets me know what I need and don't need.  It should also set my 2013 path, in regards to gear.

PRIMES

Canon EF 35mm f/2 - This is my favorite prime. I use it a lot for shooting video. I like the cinematic perspective.  This lens and my 5D Mark II is a good match for daily use as well.  It's a tad slow, in terms of AF, but I'm ok with it.  I have no desire to upgrade to the f/1.4L. Unless I find a ridiculously good deal on it, of course.

Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro - This is my go-to lens for product work. I use this mostly on the 40D or the 60D.  It's also a tad slow and noisy, just like my 35mm f/2. I don't like the fact that the barrel extends when focusing.  I am tempted to buy the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro, except that I can't use that lens on a 5D. 

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - This is the fastest lens in my arsenal.  I think I pretty much only used it for video in 2012, even then, it wasn't used a whole lot.  

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM - My second favorite lens (behind the 35mm f/2).  I use this for headshots, portraits, and most of my lookbook work. People always recommend the 85mm f/1.2L to me, but I'm not really inclined to upgrade my 1.8.  I'd rather spend that money on a trip somewhere.

Promaster 100mm f/3.5 Macro - This is my go-to lens for product work on the 5D (Classic or Mark II). It is tack-sharp!  It produces great images. BUT! But ... the AF is really slow and noisy. It hunts a lot, too.  The build feels flimsy and cheap too.  There are a lot of negatives for this lens.  This one is up for an upgrade in 2013.  The obvious choice is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro.  I think that one will suffice and there will be no need for the L-version, which is double the price.  I will also look at similar offerings from Tamron, Sigma, or Tokina.

Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye - A lens I've hardly used in the past year.  I actually forgot to include it in the photo.  I might end up selling this in 2013. You can read more about this lens here.

Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 Soft-Focus - This one I am pretty sure it never got mounted on a camera in this calendar year.  This will definitely get sold in 2013. Just like the 15mm, I actually forgot to include it in the photo.

Canon EF 1.4x Extender - I didn't use it in 2013 either.  I needed it on a job once only to find out that I forgot to bring it.  I'll hold on to this one as there are uses for it.

Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L - This one was also heavily used in 2012.  Not for landscape or architecture photography but for product work.  I used this mostly for T-Shirts shot flat on the ground.  I'm very happy with this lens.  No reason to upgrade to the Mark II in my opinion, although I am tempted to spring for the 45mm version or the 90mm.  You can read more about this lens here.

ZOOMS

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM - I am not sure why I still have this.  It used to be my favorite walk-around lens, but these days I only use it for video and only in handheld situations for the Image Stabilization.  This may end up getting sold in 2013.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM - I used this for the all of the events that I shot in 2012.  I rarely used it for other jobs though.  With this and the 24-105, one of them is redundant.  I think I am keeping this one and selling the 24-105. I have no desire to upgrade to the Mark II as it is ridiculously expensive.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM - This used to be my favorite lens for portraits and headshots.  I've gone to the 85mm f/1.8 instead lately.  It is still an essential part of the arsenal.  It is my longest lens. Since the uses of this lens has been limited for me lately, I do not see the need to upgrade to any of the IS versions.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM - My widest lens aside from the fisheye.  This has been fantastic for me.  I'm really quite happy with it. Although for the video for Dirty Little Billy's Palm Trees and Concrete,  I rented a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L (Mark I) which was fantastic! I am on the look out for a deal on that lens. I'm not even interested in the Mark II version of the 16-35 because it uses 82mm filters, i think.  But even if I don't find a 16-35mm Mk I, I'd be happy to keep the 17-40.

PRODUCT WORK LENSES

As I mentioned earlier, the Promaster 100mm is due for an upgrade. I am definitely doing that in the coming year. I'm on the fence about the 50mm, but I'm also on the fence about the potential replacement, the 60mm EF-S.  If there is a third party 50mm or 60mm Macro option from either Sigma, Tamron, or Tokina, I would definitely consider that.  And I do want a 45mm or 90mm TS-E lens.  That is another option that I'm looking at - instead of upgrading the Promaster 100mm to the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, I should probably just go with the Canon EF 90mm f/2.8 TS-E.

TWO FAVORITE LENSES

I am curious to find out if these two will still hold the top two spots at the end of 2013.  If I could only have two lenses, it would be these two.  If I had options outside what I own already, those two lenses would be the L-versions of these.

2013 GEAR ROAD MAP

In 2012, I ended up selling off a lot of lenses. I've sold my Contax Mount Zeiss lenses and all my M42 lenses.  I also sold off the Nikon 14mm f/2.8 AF-D ED lens (see photo above).  That was the only significant lens sale this past year.  I didn't really buy any lenses either. Funds from these sales were mostly used on grip equipment.

I am pretty much set on lenses.  I don't really need anything. I could survive with what I have.  If there is an upgrade to be made, it is for the 100mm Macro range.  As I've discovered by writing this post, the two options are the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM or the Canon TS-E 90mm.  I could fund this upgrade by selling the 135mm Soft-Focus, the 24-105L, and the Promaster 100mm.  Actually, I could probably buy the TS-E for the money from the 24-105L and the Promaster.  That way, I can give the 135mm another chance during the year.

If I were to buy lenses in 2013 other than the 100mm Macro or the 90mm TS-E, the only two other lenses that I want are the 45mm TS-E and the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM.  The latter only because it is cheap.

Thank you for reading. Happy New Year!

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2012 Gear Review - Camera Bodies

Time to review my gear and how I used them for the past year and to try and figure out what to do with them for 2013. This week (or post), I will cover camera bodies.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II - This is my workhorse and primary camera. It is my main stills and video camera.  No complaints here.  I'm quite sure it will be around for the whole of 2013 barring any unfortunate incidents. Whether it will be as my main camera or a back-up remains to be seen.  It's not a bad camera and it certainly didn't go bad overnight with the release of the Mk III.

Canon EOS 60D - I bought this primarily because I found a great deal.  I needed a second video camera anyway as I have been offering video services as of late. It is primarily a video camera for me.  I've installed Magic Lantern on it and it has unleashed the better camera that quietly resided deep inside it prior to the ML upgrade.   I have also used this body for my product work as the flip-out screen has proven handy for certain shots.  This will probably be around in my arsenal for the whole of 2013. I don't see any reason to upgrade this body.

Canon EOS 5D - The classic. I used this for volume work.  I've pretty much used this for most of my product e-commerce work where the megapixels do not matter.  I also use this for my time-lapse work for Graffiti House LA.  Other than that, this 5D Classic is pretty much just an incaseshithappens camera.  I have plans of selling it if I find the need for another camera body.

Canon EOS 40D - Another incaseshithappens camera. I like it keeping it around though as it is my only "fast" camera at 5 frames per second in burst mode. The 60D shoots at the same rate, but I don't have a grip for the 60D.  I also use this for my eBay photos. At 10 megapixels, shot in small jpg, I don't have to resize my photos.  It shows up fine on eBay and greatly reduces upload time.  I also use this for time-lapses. This will get sold to fund another camera body should I find that camera.

Fujifilm X100 -  I love this camera.  It is my favorite camera. I do not carry a Canon body as a walk-around anymore.  For daily use, this is the only camera I need.  I just love everything about this camera.  Well, almost everything.  The autofocus has a lot to be desired, but other than that, it is the perfect camera for me.  I have even used the X100 to shoot a whole lookbook for a Mens fashion line.  I also keep it on me as a second camera on the few events that I shoot. Rumors are that there is an X200 in the works, but I'll probably hold off until 2014 for that.

Hasselblad 500c - My only film camera at this point. I've sold off everything else.  I used to have a Canon EOS Elan II, Bronica ETRS, Mamiya C3, and various 35mm film bodies (Nikon, Minolta, etc).  I hardly used this in 2012.  I shot a roll of 120 film every time I did a portrait or a headshot for somebody.  It was not part of the package I offered, but I just did it for fun.  I like having the square prints and sticking them on my wall.  I rarely shoot film now, but if I do, it will be with the Hassy.  That reminds me ... I have a 4x5 camera somewhere. I haven't seen it in the last two years, I think.

My gear path in 2013 is still unclear.  I can probably just keep all the cameras mentioned above and I'll do just fine.  There is no immediate need for upgrades, however, who doesn't want new gear?  If I do find a good deal, I will probably upgrade one or two of the cameras mentioned earlier.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is actually tempting.  Ultimately, I don't really need it but I do WANT it.  The new auto-focus system alone is enough justification.  Too bad it is too expensive.  The less expensive alternative, the Canon EOS 6D does not appeal to me at all.  Yes, it is newer technology, but the sticking points to me are the old-style focusing system and the 1/180th flash sync speed.  Those two reasons make it a non-starter for me.

I am also tempted to make a jump to digital medium format.  I came really close to buying a Mamiya ZD recently.  It is the only affordable system for me in this category.  In the end, the old technology swayed me away from it.  I still want "that look" though. Who knows? A good deal on craigslist or eBay, I just might give in.

In terms of video, I am highly intrigued by the Digital Bolex.  Somehow, while everybody is excited about the Black Magic Cinema Camera, it just doesn't do it for me.  Not interested.  However, should the Digital Bolex become available, and if my finances let me, I think I'll jump in.  Maybe. Not really. But still.

Next post will be about lenses. Hopefully next week.

(I'm going to hashtag that ... #incaseshithappens )


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Self-Portrait: The Return of The King

No, I do not refer to myself as The King, but it was a fairy tale that motivated me. Today, the Ninth of January in the year 2012, Thierry Henry played scored the match winner against Leeds United in his first match for the Arsenal since leaving in 2007. It was a Hollywood ending and it left me a bit teary-eyed. Anyhow, it was enough to inspire to make a self-portrait afterwards.

No, that was not an Instagram shot. The idea for this shot is from Jeremy Cowart's CreativeLive session a year or two ago. My version was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II through this old Kodak Duoflex II camera.

And this is how it was lit:

The key light was a White Lightning X1600 with a 36" Octa on it, located camera left. The rim light is an Alien Bees AB800 with a 10 degree grid on it. These are all Paul C. Buff products.

This is what it looked like straight out of the camera:

Since the Kodak is a Twin Lens Reflex camera, the image is reversed. There was hardly any post-processing on my final image other than reversing the photo, cropping, and I pushed up the greens a little bit.

Thank you for the taking the time to read my post. Should you be interested in more of my musings on photography and/or Arsenal, you can follow me on twitter at: @geraldgonz

THE KING IS BACK!

CHOICES - My Help-Portrait Story

When Jeremy Cowart introduced Help-Portrait in 2009, I had originally planned on getting involved. Something happened and I was unable to do it. I heard about the amazing and often heart-wrenching stories of the people involved.

Last October, I had an opportunity to be involved in a mini Help-Portrait event with Jeremy Cowart himself. Jeremy offered me the opportunity to shoot, but I declined. I thought I should give the people the opportunity to be shot by a top photographer instead of a hack like me. I was in awe of the effect of the portraits. I was not going to miss this year's.

Fast-forward to December 8, 2011 at the Union Rescue Mission in an area of Los Angeles that we call Skid Row. So while we did not have stories as compelling as the ones I've heard, there was a small series of events that I still think about, almost two weeks after the event.

I met this man named James. We got off on the wrong foot. I introduced myself had a 30 second conversation about the URM and we proceeded to our shooting station. He was wearing a black jacket and a red button down shirt underneath. He asked me if he should take off his jacket and I said yes since we were shooting against a dark background. He replies with a scowl "What a waste, I really wanted the jacket ..." So we ended up shooting with his jacket on.

We were having problems with printers at URM and James was getting impatient. It was quite a tense situation. I was not in the good graces of this man. Then I noticed he had an old Sports Illustrated magazine from 1986 with Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden on the cover. I tried to make small talk about it. He says he has another one - with Len Bias on the cover. Len Bias was a very talented basketball player who overdosed and passed away shortly after getting drafted by the Boston Celtics. I remember those events quite clearly as they were hyping him as the next great one. I thought it was a very sad story. So I said it ... "That's a sad story, the kid had everything". James empathically replied "ain't nothing sad about that, he made a choice. Every choice has a consequence. I made choices, I don't think I'm a sad story."

That statement stuck with me. So much that I spent an awkward minute or two in silence with him while we waited for an available printer.

Unfortunately for me, he declined to write his story on his printed portrait. I guess I will never know. He has, however, changed the way I look at my daily choices.

* If you would like to learn more about Help-Portrait, please visit www.help-portrait.com

Let's Go Hair

So this ...

turns into

to produce:

Off Camera Flash

These days, I don't get excited about shooting something unless I can light it. It's a matter of preference, but whatever it is, I like it better when its lit.

So, with a bit of free time today, I had to test a lens that I'm selling on eBay. This should enable me to show the difference between lit and natural light shots.

For today's exercise, I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with the Contax Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* f/2.8 lens. It's actually a fantastic portrait lens, but I didn't have anybody around, so I'd have to settle for some object.



Here is the natural light shot:


And here are two shots that were lit by a single light. That was a Vivitar 285 at 1/4 power coming from camera left.





These shots were processed the same way. Not a whole lot into it, but I shot these in RAW, so it needed some sharpening and a little tiny bit of adding fill light to bring out some details. I kept the amounts the same though.

So while the natural light shot is not bad (or at least, I think), I prefer the punch of the lit shot and that the background is not blown out.

But that's just me.

Ooh to Be A Gooner ...

Somebody asked me before what my dream job would be. My reply was quick and simple: in-house photographer for my beloved Arsenal Football Club. I pictured it in my head ... taking photos of new signings, shooting portraits for the Annual, editorial type photos for the magazine and matchday programmes, etc. I was mostly likely smiling during the brief silence when I daydreamed all of that. I was then asked if I orgasmed from thinking about it. Actually, yes ... twice.

I am active member of the L.A. Gooners, which is the Los Angeles Arsenal Supporters club. I was tasked to shoot our initial shirts for the 2010-2011 season. The first shirt is a take on the logo of Arsenal Football Club. The second one features fan favorite, Emmanuel Eboue. There will be more as the season progresses.

You can support the cause and be in style by purchasing a shirt or two at: http://lagooners.bigcartel.com/




The shirts were shot on white seamless with the following lighting set-up:


My key light was a Calumet Travelite 750 with a Calumet Soft-Lite Reflector, on camera axis, and high. My two rim lights were Calumet Travelite 750s with strip softboxes. One was bigger than the other. There was no science to this, it's just that I only have two strip softboxes and they were not of the same size. For the background, I used an Alien Bee AB400 with a 20 degree grid. Camera-wise, it was a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 lens.

This was a quick, simple set-up which provides me with good separation, even with the white shirt on a white backdrop. The lighting was primarily for a portrait. In hindsight, I probably needed an on-axis fill such as a ringflash or a speedlite with an umbrella. The light fall-off is discernible around the chest area.

Anyhow, if you're an Angeleno or visiting Los Angeles and wish to catch a match, visit LAGooners.com or our Facebook page for our match fixtures and venues. You can also follow @LAGooners on Twitter. Enjoy the early morning pint (or two) and sing with us as we cheer on the mighty rip-roaring reds!

You can follow me on:
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Questions?

I regularly shoot Marianela for her portfolio. I lit this set of photos with a Calumet Travelite 750 with a large (32" x 40") softbox as my key light from camera right. I cross lit her with another Calumet Travelite 750. The rim light had a strip softbox (9" x 36") with a grid. For the background, I used an Alien Bee AB400 with a 20 degree grid.

This was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 85mm f/1.8. Lately, I've only been using the 85mm lens and my Canon EF 35mm f/2. Right now, I feel like all my needs can be met by those two lenses.

Here is the pull-back shot:


And a diagram:


I set up the lights before I knew I was going to shoot her in lingerie. She didn't mention this beforehand. If I knew, I would've set up the lights differently. I would've gone for a darker, more dramatic, and hopefully sexier feel. I don't really know how to handle a situation like that. She takes a bit of time to relax and I didn't want to unsettle her by re-structuring my lighting set-up. I was afraid she might lose confidence in me, so I stuck with this lighting set-up.

Lesson learned: asking thorough questions is part of pre-planning.

5D Mark II Video Test

A few months ago, Canon offered an Instant Rebate of $100 for the purchase of a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It's not much, but coupled with a Bing! Cashback of 12%, I got a pretty good deal on a the 5D2. I managed to sell my Canon EOS 5D for $1100, so pretty much I upgraded to the 5D2 for about $1000. This upgrade is pretty much for higher ISO capabilities and video. Other than those two, I find nothing else has improved from my old 5D. Anyhow, three months in, I've hardly shot any footage of video.

But earlier today, inspired by the Chase Jarvis' road test of the Nikon D7000, I managed to get off my butt and do something simple. I looked at my camera gear and looked for what has gathered the most dust. I found the Kirk Enterprises Window Mount and a Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens. This will also give me a chance to test my recently purchased PhotoFast G-Monster 16GB 533x Plus Compact Flash card.

This is what the set-up looked like:

The lens is a Pentax screw-mount lens (M42). I have an adapter that lets you mount M42 lenses to Canon EOS bodies. Since this is a non-Canon EOS lens, there is no auto-focus and the aperture is set using the aperture ring on the lens. For this video, I set the aperture to f/2.8 and focused the lens to infinity. The camera was set to ISO 6400 and the white balance was set to Tungsten.

The movie was "edited" via iMovie. All I did was cut it down to 90 seconds. I have no idea how to post process these video files. Oh ... and I had to remove the audio to hide my road rage and filthy language. Just kidding. I was all smiles throughout this drive. Anxious and excited to see the results.

But alas, the end product ... is less than stellar. Its boring, although the fisheye effect is quite surreal in video.

As far as the equipment goes, I am impressed about the low light capabilities. I figure this is quite difficult for video cameras to achieve. The noise was quite visible though. I thought it would be cleaner. I shot three clips. The first one was a minute long. The second one was almost nine minutes long and the third, which contained the original footage in this movie, was a little over five minutes long. There were no pauses or any lag. I guess that means that the PhotoFast compact flash card also performed admirably. The window mount seemed solid. The Saab did quite well too. I was expecting the footage to have a lot more shake or vibration.

It's a lot better than the garbage that my Sony Webbie PM1 produced:



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NYC Gear Recap

Here is my report card for the gear that I packed for my New York trip:

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS - This proves my point that f/2.8 will always be better than f/4 + Image Stabilization (IS). It was fine in the daytime, but proved limiting shooting handheld at night. I should've taken a f/2.8 lens. The reach was nice though, but I did carry a longer lens and changing lenses would not have been much of a bother. I might end up selling this lens and just stick to my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L as my mid-range lens.

Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L - No regrets here. I shot a lot of bridges and it was quite nice having this lens handy. I didn't get a chance to shoot a time-lapse with it though.

Canon EF 17-40 f/4L - I also shot a lot of cityscapes. Always good to have an ultra-wide angle lens around. No complaints here.

Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye - While it is a novelty lens, it never wears off on me. Shot a lot of random fun shots with this - wide open at ISO 800 or 1600. Good Stuff.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 - I hardly used it, as I opted for the fisheye for shots that I would usually use the 50 for. Still, you can never go wrong with one of these in your bag.

Canon EF 80-200mm f/4-5.6 - As suspected, I wouldn't need it much. I'm glad I took this lens instead of my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L. Lugging that big white lens around for eight days would not have been fun if I didn't get to use it much. I'm actually tempted not to sell this lens anymore. It fetches around $100, but for that much, I might just keep it for traveling purposes.

Canon EF Extender 1.4x - I actually forgot I took this. I only saw it when I was unpacking. For the size and weight vs. purpose, I think I would bring it on my next trip too.

The speedlight and other things ... didn't see much action either. Batteries on the other hand, were quite useful. With the cold weather dropping down to the 20s (with the wind-chill factor), batteries didn't last long. I'm glad I took four with me.

While I'm at the subject of gear, I paid a visit to the Mecca - B&H. I had no shopping agenda, but I didn't want to walk out empty handed, so I bought a Black Rapid RS5 strap. Its fantastic.

Thanks for reading, my next post will include photos from this trip (other than iPhone photo).

Gearing Up

So, I'm on my way to New York City in about 12 hours. I always pack last minute, be it for clothes, necessities, and/or photo gear. While packing clothes and sundries is almost a brainless matter, photo gear is a one whole different animal.

What do I bring? I WANT to bring it all! I can't. Won't fit. Too Heavy. Will I need this? This would be fun to have. So many decisions and sacrifices to make. Here's an account as I go through these choices.

(For those of you that don't know, I run a small eBay store. This presents a wide array of photography equipment at my disposal, aside from what I own. While I technically own these, I treat them as my eBay store's property. I think of the store as a separate entity.)

First and foremost, the camera. This is an easy one - it will be my Canon 5D (Mark I). Aside from the 30D that I use for my eBay photos, there is no other choice.

Now for the lenses. Starting with the easy one - for low light, I'm taking my Canon EF 50mm f/1.4. The other lenses that came into consideration were: Canon EF 35mm f/2, Canon EF 85mm f/1.8, and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Mk II from the store. 35 is too wide, and 85 is too long. The 50/1.8 came into consideration for five seconds, only because it was smaller and lighter than the 50/1.4, but not by much.

An automatic selection would be my favorite lens - Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L. I'd love to be able to go on an elevated area and create a time lapse video.

The toughest decision to make was for my walk-around lens. Usually, I use my Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L for this. But it is heavy and bulky. The alternatives available from the store are:
• Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L - Lighter, longer reach but its not a f/2.8. Hmmm.
• Tamron SP 28-75mm f/2.8 - Lighter, pretty darn sharp. The problem is that it has a 67mm filter ring and I don't own any 67mm filters.
• Tokina AT-X Pro SV 28-70mm f/2.8 - This is almost as big and heavy as the Canon 24-70mm. That alone puts it out of contention already.
Hmm .. I think I'll go back to this later.

For an ultra wide lens, I only have the Canon 17-40mm f/4L. The only other alternative would be my Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye. This is a no contest. For functionality, its the 17-40mm, hands down. Although, I can still take the Fisheye if there's space.

Ever since I bought my Canon 5D, my most used lens has been my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L. For work and other local events, this is a staple in my bag. But for this trip, I'm on the fence with it. Same reasons as the 24-70mm, its pretty heavy and bulky. I think I'll decide on this together with the mid-range lens last.

Then there's the flash. I have a really good friend over there who is a fellow strobist enthusiast. So if I needed it, I'll have access to some Alien Bees B800s, Alien Bees Cybersyncs, and more Speedlights. For my own, I'll stick to the lighter and smaller one on this. Its the Canon 430EX (Mk I) over my Canon 550EX.

Other necessities in the bag and are getting packed - batteries, compact flash cards, business cards, printed copy of Photographer's Rights, filters, Canon Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2, and Canon TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller. Since this is the bag that I'm carrying on the plane with me, the front pocket /sleeve of the bag contains my 15" MacBook Pro. Top pouch will carry earphones, iPhone charger and cord, and MacBook Pro charger. Side pocket will carry my small video camera, the Sony MHS-PM1 Webbie HD.

Now for the tough decision, the mid-range lens. Considering this bag will be on my back for the better part of eight days. I've decided to take the 24-105mm. I lose the 2.8, but if ever I need it, I'll just slap on the 50/1.4.

This doesn't leave me any space for the 70-200mm f/2.8L. I can live without it, but I'd rather not. So, I decided to borrow a Canon EF 80-200mm f/4-5.6 from the store. This lens is also called the Pocket Rocket. It looks like a 28-80mm kit lens from Canon film camera bodies. I'm probably not going to need it, but for its size and weight, it doesn't bother me. The 70-200/2.8L will bother me though if I carried it around and not use it much.

Going with the Pocket Rocket, leaves me with a bit of space, so I've also taken my Canon EF Extender 1.4x Mk II and the Fisheye.



For in-flight entertainment, I bought VisionMongers by David duChemin. Thank you for interest. I should be having entries soon for my review of the book and a look back into my trip.

PhotoBlog

I've started a Wordpress photo only blog at http://geraldgonz.wordpress.com. I intend to update it daily on weekdays.

Cheers!

Photographing a Photographer

A few months ago, I assisted for Eugene Biscardi. It was a great learning experience. Most of the knowledge gained from that day was how a fairly large production works. The crew consisted of the photographer, his personal assistant, an assistant, two photo interns (assistants to the assistant?), stand-in model, stylist, and three people for hair and make-up. I've never worked in a crew this big before. That's 10 people to photograph one person!

The shoot encountered some technical problems, and we ended up using my gear. Eugene was very grateful for this and kept saying I saved that shoot. I never saw the end product of this shoot, and I couldn't remember the name of the actress either.

Eugene contacted me last week since he needs a recent photo to be used in a ... I forgot. Somebody else's website. Anyhow, I readily agreed although it was quite intimidating. Photographing a photographer can not be easy. He knows what I'm doing coupled with the fact that I have worked for him before, I did not want him to control the shoot. Upon showing up my fears were confirmed. He already had the shot and location in mind. What I didn't want to do was show up and just press a button. There was a bit of role reversal - I, the photographer, was the stiff one while he, the subject, was relaxed. However, when I started prepping the gear - camera, lens, lights, etc., he eased up on the coaching and let me do my thing. I'm glad he gave me freedom with the lighting, which boosted my confidence.

Since the location required a half a block walk, I decided to use one light. I used the Alien Bees ABR800 Ringflash with the 30" Moon Unit, powered by a Vagabond II. This has been my go-to light as of late. It is compact and light (as opposed to my Calumet Travelites - which ironically, does not travel light) and it gives me two options - use it as a ringflash or as an off-camera flash. Plus, I can use it on a boom. I'm quite fearful about using the Travelite 750 on a boom. The Moon Unit's light has been compared to a beauty dish. I don't use a beauty dish much, so I can't really tell.

Here is the lighting set up:



It was 4pm and we were chasing light, so I decided to go with a natural light look. I learned a lot throughout this shoot in terms of posing and interacting with the subject. Its a great help as I always thought that was my weak point. This was our end product:



He was really happy with the photo ... from a crew of one.

The Fly Pelicans

This newly formed group needed a photo for a promo quickly. I agreed to an impromptu shoot at one of the member's home. It was pretty much a quick set-up using a black velour backdrop created for me by My Friend Glen. I love this "backdrop" - its actually two pieces of 4' wide velour fabric seamed together. It will photograph as black as long as the light/s do not reach it.

Lighting set-up:


The key light was the Calumet Travelite 750 with the medium softbox. The Alien Bees ABR800 Ringflash was the fill light and was set up at a very low power level. The other Travelite 750 with a gridded stripbox provided a little bit of separation from the backdrop.

I shot the members individually as well using almost the same set-up, except that the strip light was moved to camera-left behind the subject/s.

Mr. Hal Bergman

Between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, I had an opportunity to shoot with Hal Bergman. Hal, a fantastic photographer, does a lot of industrial stock photography.

Hal at work:

Hal was using my Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L, so I had to use another version of a shift camera - camera on a tripod on top of a picnic table.

Hal suggested bracketing, so I did. With three exposures, I dabbled with HDR:


Few other shots from the rest of the night:

Downtown Los Angeles

With the holidays unleashing its wrath, I had little to none when it came to photography projects. My hands were itching to handle a camera. So, on a chilly Los Angeles night, I braved the cold and drove around to take photos of the Downtown L.A. skyline. It always looks nice and clean on the day after it rains. I guess the rain washes the smog away? Interestingly and appropriately, LA by Milky Soul was the first song that came on the iPod when I headed out.

First stop was the top of the hill in my neighborhood. This is located on top of White Knoll Street (I might be wrong).





With the above photo (as well as the header photo), I used the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L tilt-shift lens. I figured I would practice on my selective focusing and didn't take it off for the rest of my expedition that night.

Then, I drove down the hill to Beaudry where it crosses 3rd to 6th. You can walk to 3rd, 4th, and 6th on the freeway overpasses. This overlooks the 110 Freeway. With these photos, I played around with the white balance and took advantage of the mixed ambient light to produce funky colors.







Thank you for looking, I hope you appreciate my work. You can find more of my stuff on Flickr!