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EXPERIENCE NATURE
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PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF AMERICA INC.
VOL. 145 • NO. 2471
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©ALAN ROSS
62
©STEFAN FORSTER
©LEVON BISS
44 54
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DO IT YOURSELF
THE GLORY OF EARNED KNOWLEDGE
LEADING LINES
EDITOR’S NOTE
u Here’s the thing about experience: It’s nontransferable. We can talk, explain,
describe, but we can’t simply gift our earned experience to others and spare them
their own arduous journey toward understanding. If only we could. Imagine how
far along the human race would be if each of us didn’t have to duplicate what
millions of others had already learned firsthand. Think of the hours we all prac-
ticed standing on two feet just to prepare
ourselves for our first wildly out-of-con-
trol steps. Let alone memorizing multi- Any skill would be
plication tables and committing prayers, cheap if we could
poems, and soliloquies to heart.
It’s both the heartbreak and the glory
just acquire it for
of being human that we cannot bestow the asking.
experience on others. Our children have
to chip their own teeth in unbalanced bi-
cycle falls, suffer their unique disappointments, and feel the pains that we’d love
to spare them. Our friends must mend regrettable moments of poor judgment. On
the other hand, how drab our lives would be if we each didn’t have the opportuni-
COMING NEXT MONTH ty to experience the exhilaration of finally driving a five-speed car without killing
What’s holding you back the engine. It’s the failed attempts—the stalls and jerky gear changes—that give
It might be you the accomplishment value to us.
The storied career of internationally acclaimed photographer Alan Ross is en-
A system for sales
viable. He spent years under the mentorship of such illustrious photographers
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as William Garnett, Milton Halberstadt, and Ansel Adams. Ross learned the craft
from some of the most accomplished and noteworthy photographers of the day.
While he claims his career is the result of “a little bit of talent, a little bit of chutz-
pah, and a little bit of luck,” (page 62) we know there’s an essential ingredient he
©HUDSON’S PORTRAIT DESIGN
doesn’t mention: the experience earned by working through every detail himself.
We can only imagine how his learning by doing played out over the hours and the
years of his professional journey.
The value of learning by doing is also expressed in this issue by photographer
Levon Biss (page 44). His career path is far different from Ross’. But he points
out that he gets frequent requests from his peers to detail the method and equip-
ment he uses to photograph his tiny subjects in meticulous detail. “But half the
beauty of these things is learning the process, coming up with the vision in your
All the possibilities own head,” he explains. Any skill would be cheap if we could just acquire it for
Explore the potential of tilt-shift lenses the asking.
Experience is nontransferable, but even if we could accept an experience trans-
fer, would we really want to miss out on the all the doing that’s needed to gain
meaningful knowledge? All the trials and errors and small achievements and
STAY IN TOUCH hours and setbacks and milestones and thrilling aha moments? I don’t know if
I’d even trade a chipped tooth. •
editors@ppa.com twitter.com/ppmagazine
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Jane Gaboury
instagram.com/professionalphotographer_mag Director of Publications
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FOREGROUND
by Amanda Arnold
CATCHING AIR
KNOWING HIS NICHE
Omar Z. Robles captured this street portrait in Cuba, where a stray before taking up photography—inspired him to delve into an
Chihuahua nipped at the subject’s feet as he posed and performed ongoing street photography series featuring dancers leaping
dance moves. and posing in urban environments. He credits his dance exper-
tise for his photographic success, which has led to recent jobs
“When I travel, I try to use the elements that are around me,” New for Jaguar, The Gap, and Pottery Barn. Knowing how a dance
York-based Robles says. The dog was not part of the plan. But it movement should look—the proper lines—and snapping at
“would just not go away. So we said, just use it and keep going.” just the right moment is important, as is selecting superior
dancers as subjects. “I’m very meticulous about the people I
Robles’ background in dance—he worked as a mime for 10 years work with.”
©OMAR Z. ROBLES
12 PPM AG.COM
THE PLAN: Milstein maps a flight plan for particular structures he’d
like to photograph. Having such a plan is especially important in
big cities like New York and Los Angeles, where a flight clearance
may be required ahead of time. He always flies at the end of the day,
usually planning for two hours of air time, making photographs
during the golden hour and just as the sun goes down and the city
lights go up.
u Wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas’ Passing the time, Eszterhas and Cliffe
new book “Sloths: Life in the Slow Lane” was hatched a plan for a joint journey through
dreamed up while lying on the rainfor- Central and South America, with Cliffe con-
est floor with researcher Rebecca Cliffe, ducting research and Eszterhas making
founder and director of the Sloth Conserva- photographs of the sloths—all culminating
tion Foundation. in a book.
Eszterhas was photographing orphan The work took place over three years and
sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica included sloth jaunts in Costa Rica, Panama,
rescue center for a story. In a nearby for- and Brazil. One of the most challenging ad-
est, a mother sloth turned up with a new- ventures for Eszterhas was photographing
born. Hoping for photos of the pair, Esz- swimming sloths in Panama. “I had never
terhas spent two weeks tracking them taken an underwater photo in my life,” she
with Cliffe. “I just fell in love with sloths,” says, and half-overwater, half-underwater
says Eszterhas. “I learned a lot from Becky photos are the most challenging. Before the
[Cliffe] about what we do and do not trip, she practiced in a pool by photograph-
know about sloth behavior.” ing a teddy bear wearing floaties.
Locating and photographing sloths is chal- When the day came to photograph the
lenging and tedious work. It requires slow, swimming sloth, the water kept streaking
quiet walking, craning one’s neck to search over the dome of the camera, so she had
the trees above. Sloths perch very high in to dunk it between shots to keep it clear, all
the vegetation and are camouflaged by both while trying to follow the sloth. “I was so
their coats and languid movements. absorbed in the technique and trying to keep
Once she and Cliffe located the mother in up with the sloth that I got into the jellyfish,”
the trees each day, they’d lie down on the which were lurking in the water, she says.
forest floor to keep watch. “You spend most The stings were worth it, though—anything
of the day hoping they come lower, and for a moment with these “enchanting little
many days, they don’t,” Eszterhas admits. creatures.” •
IMAGES ©SUZI ESZTERHAS
14 PPM AG.COM
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PHOTOGRAPHY AFTER DARK
SEASONED NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHERS SERVE UP TIPS
TOP OF MIND
FOREGROUND
16
the many challenges of both film and digital night photography and processing. To keep busy, Cook and Jenshel run one exposure while
offer advice. they scout out their next location, so they have staggering exposures
• MAKE SURE YOUR TRIPOD LEGS ARE SCREWED IN FIRMLY AND set up at all times throughout the night.
STANDING ON SOLID GROUND. As the air gets colder during the night, • TWEAK YOUR SCREEN BRIGHTNESS. The longer you’re out in the
tripod leg sections may slip. dark, the more your eyes will adjust to the darkness. So what you
• USE A REMOTE RELEASE. Don’t touch the camera to release the see on your LCD screen may appear brighter than it actually is. To
shutter. That introduces the risk of camera movement during long compensate, set your screen brightness to minus one.
exposures. • ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES. During an overnight session in a gar-
• MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR TIME. It takes a digital camera the den, Cook set up one exposure and was looking for her next when
same amount of time to run its noise reduction processing as it does she heard “the dreaded sound of sprinklers.” She rescued her camera
to make an exposure. So if you make a 20-minute exposure, your quickly enough, she says. “But I was freezing after running through
camera will be out of commission for an additional 20 minutes for the sprinklers!” •
©MICHAEL KNUDSEN
17
ON THE
COVER
IMAGES FROM THE PPA LOAN COLLECTION
MERITED
PPM AG.COM
18
Exceptional Images
Deserve an Exceptional Presentation
Image by: Kitfox Valentiń
Images courtesy of ©Adriana Bocanegra, ©Alex the Photo Guy, ©Doris Long, @Jessica Renwick, ©Tara Ruby
FAMILY DINNER
• CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens
• EXPOSURE: 1/640 second at f/7.1, ISO 1000
• LIGHTING: Natural light
• POST-CAPTURE: She began with Adobe Lightroom, making global adjustments to
white balance and clarity. In Photoshop CC, distracting branches were removed with the
clone tool and the background was desaturated to draw the viewer’s eye to the subject.
Google Nik Color Efex Pro was used to add a hint of detail to the feathers.
21
WALK AMONG THE GIANTS
Laura Bennett, M.Photog.Cr., was
IMAGES FROM THE PPA LOAN COLLECTION
MERITED
22 PPM AG.COM
Focal length: 60mm Exposure: F/2.8 , 1/100th sec, ISO 200
©Erik Valind
SP24-70 F/2.8 G2
Exquisite performance. Meticulous details.
Introducing the new high-speed
standard zoom lens SP 24-70mm F/2.8 G2.
Ask for
information. Ask for
Forget about your own
business.
needs momentarily Always ask a closing
and focus on sincerely question that will produce
helping the person a Yes or No answer:
you’re talking to. Can we schedule your
session now?
Ask for
Ask to referrals.
renegotiate. Getting referrals
There’s the potential can dramatically increase
to save a lot of money your income. Get in the
if you ask to negotiate habit of asking every
or renegotiate client for a referral
with companies you or introduction.
buy from. Ask for
more business.
What else do you have
to offer after the initial
sale? New services?
Seasonal items?
Don’t leave money Source: “The Power of Focus,” by Jack Canfield,
on the table. Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt (Ebury Publishing, 2001)
PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME
ADD $50K OR MORE TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE Terry Bateman
by Jeff Kent
u “Once you’ve been involved in perform- school music programs. He excelled at the Since his first year in business, he’s earned
ing arts, it gets in your blood,” says Terry work, and within a few years he was able to solid six-figure incomes every year and ex-
Bateman, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, a veteran of purchase that business line from the lab and panded his reach nationwide.
performing arts and music programs in his strike out on his own. Since then, he’s grown Bateman believes that a skilled profes-
school days. “It’s something that stays with Indianapolis-based Performing Arts Photog- sional photographer who follows a few
you, becomes part of you.” raphy by Bateman into one of the nation’s fundamental best practices could generate
In 1979, Bateman was able to translate leading studios specializing in the perform- an additional $50,000 to $60,000 annually
his affinity for the performing arts into a ing arts. He photographs marching bands, working with two or three good-sized school
budding photography career when a local color guards, dance schools, school music music and performing arts programs, or
lab hired him to photograph some nearby program participants, orchestras, and more. more than $100,000 by expanding the busi-
26 PPM AG.COM
ness line and investing more into the per-
forming arts community.
WHERE TO START
“I would always suggest that anyone com-
ing into this line of work should start with a
passion for the activity,” says Bateman. From
there, if you’re familiar with performing arts
from personal experience, he suggests using
that background. If you’re new to the field
but interested, educate yourself so that you
can demonstrate your knowledge of how to
photograph these groups in the most effi-
cient, artistic manner possible.
The next step, says Bateman, is to build
relationships with local music programs and
dance organizations. Like so many specialty
markets, the performing arts revolve around
personal relationships—and a deep under-
standing of their unique space. Start with
neighbors and relatives, and ask them about
their involvement in local organizations,
school programs, and private performing
arts groups. Get to know administrators at
these organizations.
OPPORTUNITIES
“There is plenty of need for this kind of pho-
tography,” says Bateman. “The key is match-
ing the need with your talents.”
Schools with music departments, march-
ing bands, or color guards are a great place
to start. That said, don’t overlook indepen-
dent groups. They often have a different set
of requirements than schools, so you’ll need
to be flexible and listen to groups’ expec-
tations and needs—and also how they can
assist you in creating the best possible expe-
rience and highest-quality product.
“It needs to be a win-win opportunity for
you and the client,” says Bateman. You need to
provide a high level of quality, and they need
to support you and provide you what you
need. If you can establish that sort of symbi-
otic relationship, then you have the basis for
a partnership that could last for years.
WORKFLOW
Depending on the engagement, Bateman may
photograph on his own or bring an entire
team. For dance, color guard, and indoor per-
cussion competitions, he might have a cou-
PPM AG.COM
ple photographers shooting the action with
another out front doing portraits in front of
a background. An additional assistant helps
with logistics. The team could swell to up
to six photographers for larger events, like
state marching band competitions, which of-
ten produce more than 40,000 images.
The key to efficient processing, says Bate-
man, is good photo day planning backed by
efficient, well-exposed captures. With good
files to work with, his production team can
quickly categorize image files for easier re-
view and ordering. He describes the work-
flow system as similar to what a high-vol-
ume sports photography outfit might use.
“Everything depends on how you handle
the job on location,” he says. “If you’re not
efficient or accurate on location, that creates
tremendous disorganization on the backend
production.”
SALES
“The whole concept of this business is pho-
tographing one image and selling it multiple
times,” explains Bateman. This approach is
best illustrated when working with marching
bands. Bateman photographs 200 to 400 par-
ticipants, depending on the size of the band,
in a series of large group shots, which he
then composites. He can then sell a few doz-
en to a couple hundred of that composite.
For products, Bateman sells a variety
of prints as well as specialty products that
consumers can’t generally get on their
own—like action collages, composites, group
composites with each section of a band (tu-
bas, flutes, trombones, etc.), and smaller
keepsakes like buttons, magnets, and mugs.
He custom-designed his order form so that
it encourages upsells to multiple products.
For example, he’ll offer an add-on photo of
just the senior members of a band or dance
team, priced so that it’s a discount from an a
la carte purchase and an easy add-on.
Of course, to make these groupings and
add-on products effective, Bateman has to
capture all the key groups during the photo
shoot. That means photographing the entire
band, orchestra, or choir, then photograph-
ing the seniors as a group as well as each
of the sections. This gives parents access to
any combination of images they might want
to purchase.
batemanfoto.com
30 PPM AG.COM
NEED HELP MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS?
Before you say, “Excuse me?”… An explanation: As a professional copyright ownership information and many other reforms”
photographer, you have no viable means for recovering damages including a small-claims process for copyright infringement.
for most infringements of your work. High-volume, small-business “The Copyright Office should host a small claims system
photographers are left out of the justice system that is currently consistent with the report on the issue released by the Copyright
only protecting the famous or wealthy. Office.” These are the goals PPA has long worked for and now it
looks like copyright reform has bipartisan support in the House
As of today, there is no small-claims process for copyright of Representatives.
protection. The only legal process for seeking damages for a
copyright infringement is to file a claim in federal court. Think “The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act
about that. Most copyright infringements result in the loss of what of 2017 (CASE)/ H.R. 3945” is the name and number
represents $1,000-$3,000. It doesn’t take a law degree to know of the bill calling for a small-claims process and it’s something
that it is not feasible to sue someone in federal court over an to cheer about! “CASE” is here and is expected to come up for
amount any less than that. What might be worse is that very few a vote this year (see sidebar). This is bipartisan legislation that
professional photographers can afford to invest time and money could finally present photographers with a legal recourse in the
into a federal claim even when damages are higher. case of theft of their images. With this bill heading to the floor,
On the other hand… independent of the Judiciary Committee’s proposal, copyright
reform in America is finding its way to becoming law.
…You know that $1,000-$3,000 make a big difference to your
small business. In the best scenario, it determines if you can take Members of PPA will no longer be left out of the copyright
that next vacation, and in more extreme cases, it can determine system that has ignored them for generations! PPA’s fighting for
whether or not your studio can keep its doors open. photographers’ legal rights to protect and defend your work’s
value. PPA helps its members be more informed about copyright
Together, we can change this. After decades of lobbying from and provides resources to help protect their work.
groups led by PPA, new ground is being broken on copyright law in
the U.S. and 2018 may be the year the law finally gets a makeover. What can photographers & artists do to help? Now is the
PPA’s goals for copyright reform have been heard and the cause time for ALL of us who care about visual arts to help in this
has been officially taken up by the House Judiciary Committee. fight. We must update the rights of small creators and adjust
These goals include: the copyright system to the 21st century. PPA is always helping
professional photographers be more empowered. You can
1. Creation of a small-claims option for copyright enforcement send a letter urging your congressperson to support H.R. 3945
at PPA.com/SmallClaims.
2. Modifications to the copyright registration process to create
a more functional system
Last year the House Judiciary Committee released the first policy This is important to ALL photographers
proposal to come out of the committee’s recent review of U.S. and visual artists alike! It’s only if 30,000+
copyright law. The proposal includes “granting the Copyright
Office autonomy with respect to the Library of Congress, requiring
of us ask for change that we will be heard.
the [U.S. Copyright] Office to maintain an up-to-date digital, Show your support and demand action at
searchable database of all copyrighted works and associated PPA.com/SmallClaims
©F22 Studio
• A DV E R T I S E M E N T •
Your copyright
is your business.
Protect it.
Protected PPA.com/Copyright
THE GOODS
PRODUCTS, TECHNOLOGY & TECHNIQUE
LITTLE SLUGGER
Coming up on its sixth year in business, No. 2 Willow
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©PATTY OTHON PHOTOGRAPHY
UNCONVENTIONAL SENSOR
The Quattro H is a lightweight mirror-
less interchangeable lens camera with an
APS-H (1.3X crop) 25.5-megapixel sensor.
The Foveon X3 sensor it employs, howev-
er, is a departure from conventional sen-
sors, and the Quattro H delivers resolution
far exceeding what you’d expect from a
25-megapixel camera. The Foveon sensor
is both the greatest asset and biggest dis-
advantage of the Quattro H.
The Foveon X3 sensor is what sets the
Quattro H apart from other digital cameras.
A typical 24-megapixel digital camera with
a Bayer array fi lter captures 24 megapixels
of luminance information, 12 megapixels of
green information, and 6 megapixels each of
red and blue. Demosaicing software does the
IMAGES COURTESY SIGMA
math, resulting in a 24-megapixel RGB image.
The Foveon chip layers photo sites on top
of one another. In the X3 sensor, the top
layer captures 20 megapixels of blue in-
formation, while the bottom layers capture
about 5 megapixels each of green and red.
Though this is a simplified description of
complex technology, the result is increased
sensitivity due to the lack of a Bayer array
fi lter and somewhat simplified image pro-
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it finally possible to process Foveon chip 143MB 12-bit raw files. Sigma claims the There are downsides to the Foveon sen-
files in non-Sigma software. I found no dif- image quality rivals that of 50-megapixel sor, however. The greatest of these is noise.
ference in quality between the proprietary Bayer array cameras, and the Quattro H I found that at any ISO setting other than
the base of ISO 100, noise is an issue. Apply-
ing noise reduction at higher ISOs negates
the advantages of the increased resolution.
You need to approach this camera as you
would an SLR loaded with ISO 100 film. It
is capable of delivering remarkable quality
landscape images and gorgeous studio still
lifes and portraits with controlled lighting,
especially with Sigma Art lenses mounted.
Portrait resolution with the 85mm f/1.4 Art
lens on this camera is so high that every
eyelash and pore is sharply rendered.
Another downside to the sensor and im-
aging system is slow autofocus. The new
dual-mode autofocus system combines
phase detection for speed and contrast de-
tection for accuracy. There are a variety
of focus modes, including face detection,
movement prediction, focus peaking, and
more, but none measure up to the focusing
speed of even a mid-level digital camera.
A straight DNG capture with the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens This is not an issue for its target use as a
landscape, portrait, or still life camera.
UNUSUAL DESIGN
It’s not only the Quattro H sensor that’s un-
conventional, so too is the camera design.
Rather than taking advantage of the poten-
tial space and weight savings of a mirror-
less camera, Sigma has added an extended
tube on which the lens mounts to the front
of the body. The tremendous advantage of
this approach is the ability to mount DSLR
lenses, in particular those available in Sig-
ma’s Contemporary and Art lines. Because
of this feature, the Quattro H has the most
extensive line of available lenses of any
mirrorless camera.
IMAGES ©STAN SHOLIK
38 PPM AG.COM
The Most
A studio portrait with the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG
HSM Art lens (left). The Quattro H managed to
Powerful
render sequins with highlights exceeding the
dynamic range of the sensor while still holding Album Design
Suite
detail in the underlying fabric. A 1:1 crop of the
portrait shows the high resolution of the camera
with the Sigma 85mm f1.4 lens (above).
24mm F1.4 HSM and 35mm F1.4 DG HSM was somewhat disappointed in the dynam-
Art lenses I had available. Only with the ic range. However, you can increase the ALBUM
85mm F1.4 DG HSM mounted did the sys- dynamic range considerably by selecting DESIGN
tem feel unbalanced but still easy enough the Super Fine Detail (SFD) mode in the
to hold with my left hand supporting the shooting menus. SFD is similar to HDR,
lens despite the lack of image stabilization. capturing seven bracketed exposures in
The grip holds the large battery that Sigma the aperture priority or manual exposure WALL ART
specs with a battery life at about 190 cap- modes. The Quattro H saves the captures as
tures. I didn’t come close to capturing that a proprietary 475MB X3I fi le. It’s necessary
DESIGN
in one session, but it seems optimistic. Re- to use Sigma Photo Pro software to decode
charging time from an exhausted battery is them and output a fi nal TIFF or JPEG. As
close to 3.5 hours. with HDR photography, you should mount
The top and rear plates contain a mini- the camera on a tripod and should not
IN-PERSON
mal number of dials and buttons. The QS shoot a moving subject. I did a fair amount SALES
button on the top plate behind the release/ of my testing in SFD mode, and the dynam-
front setting dial provides access to the ic range issue vanished. I was often disap-
quick settings menu. You can customize pointed, though, that Photo Pro didn’t seem
the QS menu to display any of 23 functions, to have the anti-aliasing or ghost elimina-
eight at a time, covering most any func- tion algorithms that all modern HDR soft-
tion you would want quick access to. Other ware provides. Nevertheless, with the right
functions are available through a menu subjects, the dynamic range increase is
structure that seems minimalist compared enormous.
to a digital SLR, yet every important func- Color reproduction is pleasant, with 10
tion is available. possible presets from which to choose, al-
though five are not available with DNG cap-
IMAGE QUALITY ture. When shooting an X-Rite ColorCheck-
The real test is the image quality, and the er and correcting the gray balance, I didn’t
Quattro H delivers, at least at the base ISO fi nd the color reproduction to be accurate.
of 100. Resolution is excellent, although I I confi rmed this by shooting artwork in my
FREE TRIAL
PROFE S SION A L PHOTOGR A PHER | APRIL 2018 FUNDY.COM
Images © Imagine Photography
copy setup without being able to match the
original art accurately. That said, the col-
or rendition reminded me again of shoot-
ing with a particular transparency film to
PRO REVIEW
THE GOODS
STRAIGHTFORWARD TOOL
In creating the sd Quattro H, Sigma didn’t
seem interested in making a camera for the
mass consumer photo market. Rather it has
created a straightforward and cost-effec-
tive tool that should appeal to landscape,
portrait, and still life photographers will-
ing to accept the camera’s strengths and
weaknesses.
For photographers already invested in
the Sigma SA system, the sd Quattro H is a
must-have camera. For others, the addition
of the DNG file format will broaden its ap-
peal. And the MSRP of $1,199 makes the sd
Quattro H an interesting system addition
for anyone looking for a high-resolution
color, monochrome, and infrared camera
With the Quattro H set for monochrome capture and the IR filter in place, the camera produces gorgeous
images equal to low ISO black-and-white film. rolled into one. •
40 PPM AG.COM
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and Matt always wanted a great flash bracket to eliminate pods in our product lineup to support and mount these products.
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42 PPM AG.COM
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LEVON BISS’
LARGER-THAN-LIFE
BUG PORTRAITS
BY AMANDA ARNOLD
Levon Biss
t was a ground beetle. Levon Biss’ son
Sebastian brought the ordinary bug
in from the garden on a spring day,
and Biss placed it under Sebastian’s
microscope. “There was nothing spe-
cial about this insect,” explained Biss
in his 2017 TED Talk. “It’s a common
species.” And yet, under the micro-
scope, its glowing green back looked
gorgeously speckled as if with stars.
“When I first saw it, it reminded me of
a galaxy,” Biss says. “And all the time,
this had just been outside our window.”
Biss made an image of the insect
for Sebastian. It turned out to be the
first in a long series of macro insect
portraits, “Microsculpture,” he’s made
since that serendipitous day in 2014.
In truth, at the time, Biss was looking
for new direction and had already been
researching macro photography, he
says. Based in the United Kingdom,
Biss was a successful commercial pho-
tographer, making images of sports
and celebrity icons worldwide (see
page 82). But 18 years into that spe-
cialty, he was beginning to see his
workload decline. “The way we con-
sume images now is in a different form
than when I started in advertising,”
he says. “Everything we look at these
days is digital. Ads go through digital
billboards or the internet. You don’t
need a giant 100 megapixel camera
and files for that.”
Hoping to shed his reliance on com-
mercial work, Biss craved a specialty
that would put him in high demand.
“You make yourself the best in this one
very particular area, find something
that is so niche that you don’t have any
competition,” he says. After Biss made
the photograph of Sebastian’s beetle,
he realized the possibilities of macro
photography trained on tiny subjects.
“That’s how it came about. That was
the thing I was looking for.”
SCALING UP
When Biss began making insect por-
traits in earnest, he reached out to the
Oxford University Museum of Natural
History, asking for access to its collec-
tion of insect specimens. Impressed by
his work and realizing the potential im-
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pact of large-scale prints of tiny insects oth-
erwise tucked away in drawers, the muse-
um permitted Biss to take its insects back
to his studio for photography sessions. Over
two and a half years, Biss made images of
37 specimens. Those works led to a website
(microsculpture.net), a book (“Microsculpture:
Portraits of Insects”), and a traveling exhibi-
tion of the enormous 3-meter-plus prints at
natural history museums and public spaces
around the world, including the Oxford Uni-
versity Museum of Natural History itself. The
works have been exhibited at museums in
the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, and
the United Kingdom, with upcoming shows
scheduled for Denmark, Germany, and the
United States.
“I have not really done any PR on the proj-
ect,” says Biss. “It’s just had its own little
legs.” Within the first seven days of Oxford
University posting a behind-the-scenes video
about the photo series on its Facebook page,
the Vimeo video had accumulated 14.7 mil-
lion hits. “That kickstarted it, and it’s been
going around the world ever since.”
IN MICRONS
Biss frequently receives emails from pho-
tographers inquiring about his technique,
48 PPM AG.COM
searching for a particular formula for mak- increments—between 8 and 10 microns,
ing such crystal clear, microscopic images. about 1/8 the width of a human hair. Biss
“But half the beauty of these things is learn- photographs each insect in 25 sections,
ing the process, coming up with the vision snapping hundreds of shots of the same
in your own head,” says Biss, who taught section (the eye, the leg, the antenna) as the
himself macro photography by reading on- camera creeps incrementally forward on the
line forums and through an abundance of rails. After all the shots are made, he uses
trial and error. No macro photographer’s Zerene Stacker software to flatten the photo
system is like another’s, he says. “You look layers into one fully focused image. The pro-
at some of the systems [photographers] have cess takes two to three weeks, and the final
built, and it’s like something NASA would image might be made up of 8,000 individual
create—a beautiful structure that looks in- shots, he says.
credible. Mine is made up of wood and cable The final step is committing the image to
ties and things like that because my system physical form, which is handled by a company
changes with every insect I photograph.” in London. Since Biss’ works travel to muse-
What makes microscopic photography of ums all over the world, they must be sturdy
insects so difficult is the very shallow depth reproductions. “When your print is 3 meters,
of field, Biss explains. To make one image you can’t ship it as a framed print with glass.
that’s fully focused front to back, he captures So we do aluminum prints,” he explains.
then stacks thousands of individual images
made at incremental distances. NEW WORKS
To that end, he uses a microscope ob- Thanks to his experience with Oxford, Biss
jective lens attached to a DSLR body that’s recently earned a new commission with the
placed on electronic rails. The rails automat- National Museum of Qatar (currently under
ically move the camera forward in minute construction) to photograph 20 specimens of
50 PPM AG.COM
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NATURAL SELECTION
People love gazing at Biss’ gigantic prints of
miniscule beings, he says. “I think the works
are successful for a number of reasons: The
images are beautiful—people like it from
that point of view. People like natural histo-
ry and nature. And people like the process.
Once they understand how the images were
created, the blood, sweat, and tears that goes
into making these images, that hooks them
on the project.”
The blood, sweat, and tears have hooked
Biss as well. It’s this labor of love he thirst-
ed for when he decided to leave commercial
photography. “When I was growing up, we
were shooting film, and each roll of film cost
money. These days a photograph doesn’t
mean so much. We snap away and there is
no expense to it. I wanted to produce some-
thing that had a sense of worth.”
Biss’ most prized insect image is the one
he made of Oxford’s shield bug collected by
Charles Darwin in the 1800s. That the muse-
um allowed him to take this historical spec-
imen to his studio spoke volumes, he says.
“That showed me they thought my images
had value and worth. And for that reason
alone it is my favorite image.” •
52 PPM AG.COM
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54
IMAGES ©STEFAN FORSTER
GLOBE-TROTTING
STEFAN FORSTER’S
RELENTLESS
QUEST
BY ROBERT KIENER
55
56 PPM AG.COM
s landscape photographer Stefan Forster remembers it, it was just before
midnight last April when he was sleeping soundly inside a four-wheel
drive SUV on a remote mountain pass in northeastern Chile when “All
hell broke loose.”
The Swiss photographer had been in Chile and Bolivia for several
weeks on a private photographic expedition. He’d made dramatic
images of sunrises over expansive dunes, crystalline lakes, and
other lowland features but wanted to get higher into the Andes Mountains for even more spec-
tacular landscapes. Driving along the little-traveled Paso de Sico, a 15,000-foot-high moun-
tain pass on the border between Chile and Argentina, he spotted a picturesque valley he
wanted to photograph the next morning. He pulled off the gravel road to camp for the night.
After a walk he prepared a modest dinner then tucked himself into his sleeping bag inside
the rented Nissan Patrol, where he drifted off to sleep.
Several hours later he was violently awakened by a massive lightning bolt followed by a
deafening crash of thunder, like someone cracking a whip. “Lightning bolts were striking
everywhere, POW, POW, POW, just yards away from me,” remembers Forster.
Disoriented as the thunder boomed and lightning flashed outside the vehicle, he wrestled
his way out of his sleeping bag and grabbed a flashlight. He was shocked to discover the
windows caked with snow. Flurries had half-buried the vehicle as he’d slept. “I was trapped
inside as lightning bolts flashed all around me and the snow pelted down. I’d never seen so
severe a storm.”
Worse was yet to come.
The lightning waned and Forster began driving to the nearest mountain village, which
was more than 40 miles away, but the SUV quickly became buried by the raging blizzard.
Trapped and afraid of driving off the mountain pass in the blinding snow, he shut off the
engine and climbed into his sleeping bag. The temperature dropped to 10 below zero.
Morning dawned and the storm was still intense. He spent more than an hour getting the
SUV started. His GPS was not working and the battery on his satellite phone was weak. He
could see no more than a few feet in front of him as he began creeping forward in the SUV along
the mountain pass. The road disappeared ahead of him. He was exhausted, cold, and frightened.
57
Suddenly he spotted a light flickering in the
distance. “It was like something out of a Hol-
lywood movie—a miracle,” he remembers.
He had chanced upon a remote Chilean mili-
tary minesweeping outpost high in the Andes.
The five-soldier team were amazed to see
Forster stumbling toward them. They wel-
comed him into their remote barracks for
three days until the skies cleared and the
road re-opened. “Those men saved my life,”
he says. “Someone was watching over me.”
58 PPM AG.COM
B+W
EXPOSURE
Photographer Mandy Lea graces us with another uniquely stunning moment,
this time in Death Valley, California.
“It is rare for the dry, desert basin in Death Valley to fill with water, so when
I saw rain in the forecast I acted fast. I wanted to capture the grace of the
human form as if she was standing on water. I wanted the drama and rich
color from a polarizing filter but also needed enough light that the model
could hold still for the shot. The B+W HTC polarizer hit the spot.”
Shot by Mandy Lea
www.mandyleaphoto.com
Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: Nikon 24-70 at 50mm
ISO: 400 1/60 second
Filter: B+W HTC-POL MRC
w w w. s c h n e i d e ro p t i c s . c o m Model: @cirquebea
which he first photographed 13 years ago really stand out as a photographer you have
and has returned to more than 40 times. to come back with something different.”
“When I first went to Iceland there were Looking through Forster’s portfolio of dra-
fewer than 300,000 tourists a year going matic landscapes that include icebergs shim-
there. Last year there were nearly 2 million. mering under the Northern Lights, rarely-
Now it can be difficult to find a spot there captured desert rainstorms, and breathtaking
that isn’t packed with other photographers.” drone shots of the Grand Canyon, you can see
To get off the beaten track he typically that Forster’s idea of “something different”
rents an off-road vehicle and usually brings means finding and capturing a scene bathed
along a kayak as well as 80 pounds of hiking, in the perfect light.
camping, and camera gear. “I’m a loner and “Light! Yes, that’s it. That’s what I am al-
I love exploring new areas—the more isolat- ways after,” says Forster as he smiles and
ed the better—on multi-week hikes,” he says. admits that he titled his first book, “Chasing
He’s kayaked along the coasts of Greenland Light” to reflect his twin passions. He ex-
and Norway, in Louisiana’s alligator swamps, plains, “I’m restless (my photographer friends
and in Alaska and the Pacific. He’s visited say it’s as if I drink too much Red Bull) and
many African countries and photographed am not the type of photographer who is con-
active volcanoes in Indonesia. “There are tent to wait for the perfect moment or scene.
enough pictures of the Eiffel Tower. Get out I’d rather go hunting for that moment. I am
to the backcountry,” says the 31-year-old. “To always chasing after every sunbeam I can.”
60 PPM AG.COM
THE HUNT sunset or sunrise. “There are surely many Kingdom of Light,” that feature his photogra-
He explains that he rarely uses a tripod be- better photographers than I am, but I have phy and videos. The lectures help him mar-
cause it slows him down: “I’m never satisfied a knack for knowing how different weath- ket his popular (and lucrative) photo tours.
with a spot and keep moving.” He confesses er conditions will affect the light,” he says. Only two of 2018’s 10 tours were not fully
to having taken 100 different photos of the He often tells his students, “Never trust the booked by the end of 2017.
same sunrise from 85 different spots on one weather forecast. The most amazing light What’s next for this peripatetic Swiss
trip. “Even when I’m taking a picture from comes when bad weather is predicted.” photographer who’s worked so hard to get
a certain location I’m always looking to the While his book “Chasing Light” was a so far off the beaten path? “There are still
right or left thinking, There’s another hill or great success—the first printing sold out in so many places left to visit on my to-do list,”
small dune over there that may make a three weeks—some critics accused Forster he says with a broad smile. He begins reel-
better foreground. I am anxious to see what’s of altering or enhancing his photographs. ing off a long list of places such as Mongo-
over the next hill.” “That bothered me,” he says. “They had no lia, Alaska’s Katmai National Park, Cambo-
Forster admits he has an advantage in idea that I don’t manipulate my work and dia, and other remote destinations when he
hunting for dramatically lit scenes: He leads that the 160 pictures in that book were cho- stops and confesses, “I used to think that it
as many as 10 photography tours a year sen from the more than 500,000 in my li- was a bad thing to always be frustrated, al-
to destinations such as Namibia, Iceland, brary and were shot over three, four, five or ways wanting to find that next—even more
Greenland, and Norway in addition to trav- more visits to those locations.” dramatic—destination. But I have come to
eling widely on his own personal assign- Forster stopped selling his work via stock realize that when you are chasing the light
ments. “If I find a breathtaking scene and the photo agencies because, as he explains, “I fi- it’s good never to be fully satisfied. There’s
light isn’t perfect I know I can always return nally refused to accept the ridiculously low always that next picture. The one just over
again to photograph it when the light may be prices they were offering,” He sells prints via the next hill.” •
magical,” he says. his website. “I’d rather sell 10 pictures a year
He’s a keen amateur meteorologist and is at a price I am proud of than sell hundreds
usually able to read the weather (his Andes for next to nothing,” he says. In addition to stefanforster.com
misadventure notwithstanding) well enough his photo tours, he offers photography class-
to know what factors will produce a startling es and presents multimedia lectures, “The Robert Kiener is a writer in Vermont.
by Image3D
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‘‘
Alan Ross
’’
a little bit of talent,
a little bit of chutzpah,
and a little bit of luck.
An unpretentious icon
shares the greatest
lessons of his career
BY JEFF KENT
62
IMAGES ©ALAN ROSS
63
’
64 PPM AG.COM
lan Ross describes his career progression as “a little bit of talent, a little bit of chutzpah,
and a little bit of luck.” It’s a humble characterization of a career that has included an
impressive array of experiences, from working with Ansel Adams to creating com-
mercial images for some of America’s biggest brands. Yes, Ross has had an un-
canny ability to be in the right place at the right time. However, what he did with
those opportunities has made all the difference. His painstakingly built career
has progressed by carrying the legacy of his mentors through his own lens.
During Ross’ early professional days, a trio of mentors helped shape and
refine his career. They were aerial photographic pioneer William Garnett,
Ross’ photography professor at the University of California, Berkeley; San
Francisco fine art and commercial photographer Milton Halberstadt, who
gave Ross his first job as a photographic assistant; and the legendary
65
Do what it takes. “Ansel Adams was a
consummate professional,” says Ross of his
mentor. “When he decided to dedicate him-
self to photography, he went at it full bore
with the goal of supporting a family. He
wasn’t always a world-famous landscape
photographer. At first, he photographed Chi-
nese kindergarten classes, portraits, archi-
tecture—anything he could get paid to do.
One of his first books was on artificial light-
ing. It was his occupation, and he did what it
took to make a living.”
Ordinary can lead to extraordinary. Prac-
tice makes perfect. Sometimes that means
creating decidedly mundane images en route
Ansel Adams, with whom Ross worked for “That’s one of my most important pieces of
more than a decade and who eventually en- advice. Make photographs that interest you.
trusted him to be the exclusive printer of the When you’re passionate about what you’re
Ansel Adams Yosemite Special Edition print doing, it shows in the work.”
collection. (Ross continues this work today, But be practical about your passion.
still printing from Adams’ original negatives.) Passion inspires, but at the end of the day,
Most photographers would be thrilled just everyone needs to make a living. It’s import-
to meet three such Wikipedia-worthy pho- ant to apply your passion to work that pays.
tographers. Ross made the most of his oppor- “Doing paying work doesn’t mean we have
tunities, working under the tutelage of these to shut off our creativity or our enthusiasm,”
photographic icons for more than 15 years, says Ross. “I can say from experience that
uncovering invaluable insights into the world taking on assignments that you may never
of professional photography. Ross eventually have considered may open up new doors for
used that knowledge to create a commercial you. Accept the challenge, see the creativity
photography studio in San Francisco, which in what may not seem inspiring at first.”
he ran for more than a dozen years. These Assist your way to independence. There
days, he enjoys a peaceful pace of life in Santa is much to be learned by assisting an estab-
Fe, New Mexico, where he teaches, does lished pro. Assisting can also open doors in
commercial photography, and creates fine terms of connections and access to a network
art for galleries and dealers around the coun- of established pros. “Assisting someone is a
try and in Europe and Asia. fabulous way of getting into the field,” com-
It’s been an interesting ride, marked by les- ments Ross. “Any opportunity to work in an-
sons learned from some of the industry’s best other studio is time well spent. So much of
minds. Ross shares some of those lessons here. my career was built upon the experiences I
Follow your passion. “Make photographs had working for Halberstadt and Adams and
because you want to make them,” says Ross. the many connections I made through them.”
66 PPM AG.COM
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©THETFORD PHOTOGRAPHY
Golfer Tom Watson carries on despite a downpour.
74 PPM AG.COM
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Mid-Atlantic Regional School of
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Great Lakes Institute of Photography
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Florida School of Photography
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76 PPM AG.COM
person where you just learned how they do
things. It was a collective effort by so many
generous photographers.” FOUR STEPS TO SUCCESS
APPLYING THE LESSONS 1. CREATE A BUSINESS MODEL THAT 3. UNDERSTAND CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS.
Michael Boatright had a career in technolo- WORKS. The first step of the Business Photography is not about the image; it’s
gy while operating his Atlanta photography Challenge is to define what success about what you do with the image. Devel-
studio as a secondary business until 2016, looks like for you. Use the Square One op products your target customer wants,
when a corporate reorganization left him tool (ppa.com/squareone) to determine products they can’t create themselves.
without his day job. He took it as an oppor- your pricing for profitability and sustain-
tunity to dive into professional photography ability. The goal is to pay yourself. 4. DO THE WORK. It’s an easy concept
full-time. “Coincidentally, the PPA Business to understand, but who doesn’t look
Challenge was firing up just when I needed 2. USE YOUR TIME WISELY. Time is fi- for shortcuts? Part of the success of
it,” he says. nite. Use PPA’s Benchmarks (ppa.com/ the Business Challenge is that partici-
Boatright notes that the Challenge pre- businessguide) to see how your studio pants are accountable to each other,
sented him with the business coaching he compares to PPA’s benchmarks of suc- which keeps everyone motivated to do
needed: “Even though I had managed bud- cess. Use that data to prioritize your work. the work. It’s not easy, but it’s rewarding.
gets of millions of dollars for major technol-
ogy corporations over multiple decades, the
prospect of building a business plan, pricing
strategy, marketing, in-person sales, and the right says discussions on theLoop offered proposition is based on a lot more than price.”
like was intimidating and, honestly, frighten- wisdom from both mentors and peers. This was one a-ha moment in a series of
ing. By breaking this down into manageable “Very early on in the program,” he says, “one them throughout the year. “There wasn’t a
steps with a group of peers at various levels of the speakers on one of our Challenge calls single Challenge call, webinar, discussion
of business, technical, and creative experi- said, ‘You will never be able to compete solely thread, or exercise that I didn’t get something
ence, I realized that I wasn’t alone in this.” on price.’… That changed everything. Until of value,” Boatright recalls. “Merchandising,
The Business Challenge is presented on that moment, I hadn’t understood that what pricing, and marketing were the hardest things
theLoop, PPA’s members-only online network, I was offering to my potential clients was my for me to work through. I tried a variety of
which helps participants stay on task. Boat- creativity and hard work and that the value ways to get people into the studio. Some
worked, some didn’t. But perhaps the hard-
©MICHAEL BOATRIGHT
78 PPM AG.COM
LABS
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404-522-8600, x230
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80 PPM AG.COM
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