Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
EDDA TAYLOR
Explorations of Light
TERRI WARPINSKI
Interview with Landscape’s Narrative
Tech:
Phototrap Captures
CS5 Brushes
Flash Power
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pg. 25
Contents Feature
29 An Interview with
Julieanne Kost
Personal works by an
Portfolios Adobe Evangelist
Paul Schranz
15 Explorations of Light
Elegant portraits using ambient light
Commentary
Edda Taylor
5 Working with Abstraction
25 Vanishing Points – in Photography
Landscape’s Narrative Defining and capturing abstract
Photographs as unique objects photographic images
created in the darkroom and on Bruce Barnbaum
the drawing board
Terri Warpinksi Perspectives
40 360˚ Panorama 19 Dover’s History Trip–Part 1
Photographing architecture from Insights into great photographs in
above and within history, starting with Daguerre
Thomas Schiff David Vestal
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Sept./Oct. 2010 Vol. 31 No. 5
Subscription Service In the next issue, photo technique magazine will open submissions
NCS Fulfillment Inc. for an upcoming juried exhibition of works by 24 of our readers
P.O. Box 567, Selmer, TN 38375
that help us define the very essence of The Photographic Experience.
Subscriptions: Every process, from non-silver through silver-based to digital
U.S. - 1 Yr/$29.99; 2 Yr/$49.99; 3 Yr/$69.99 collage, is open for submission to this exhibition.
For new subscriptions, renewals or change
of address call 866-295-2900 or email at We will be looking for photographically based images that define
circulation@phototechmag.com.
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be ordered with VISA, Mastercard, or
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__________________ A portion of the exhibition will be published in an upcoming issue
See ______________
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of photo technique and the remainder will be featured online. Some
instructions and restrictions for editorial entries will also be awarded prizes that I think you will find are
submissions to photo technique. worthy of this juried show.
Mention of any photographic formula/ product does
not constitute endorsement by photo technique. Look in late October for the ads for The Photographic Experience in
photo technique (ISSN 1083-9070) is published the Nov/Dec issue of photo technique and online announcements
bimonthly by Preston Publications, Div. Preston with submission details and deadlines.
Industries, Inc., 6600 W. Touhy Ave., Niles, IL
60714-4516. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago,
IL and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2010;
reproduction without permission strictly prohibited. Paul Schranz, Editor
Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40030346 photo technique magazine
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station
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pg. 40
Innovations
23 Sony NEX-5 w/18-55mm Lens
An Instant Panorama Camera
Pro applications at an amateur
camera price
24 Archival Methods
pg. 23 Quality portfolios at a great value
Tech pg. 44
11 Strobe Power
Best methods for using strobe units
John Siskin
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Working with
Abstraction
in Photography
Bruce Barnbaum
exceptional demonstration of the power of photo- easy to understand, not representational and in the
graphy when it’s done really, really well. realm of art may be characterized by design and
form. That’s a good start. To me, it is also something
My recognition of the futility of trying to “capture” that is not easily recognizable upon first viewing.
things via photography came slowly, over many The mountains, forests, canyons and rivers that
years. But along with that realization came a wider brought me into photography did not fall into the
appreciation of the possibilities of photography category of abstraction. But my interests gradually
phototechmag.com 5
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COMMENTARY:
expanded to encompass abstraction. It is now a may often overlook, even those things that you see
major part of my photography. on a daily basis, but never consider as subject mat-
ter for your photography. Or it may come from
Though I was already moving in that direction, the using entirely different procedures when exposing
most dramatic transition in my thinking came in the negative or when enlarging the negative. It
two stages. The first was in October, 1979 when could even come from a bizarre invention or
John Sexton, Ray McSavaney and I, as workshop thought process on your own part. For example,
co-instructors, took students to Brett Weston’s the renowned photographer Frederic Sommer
home, where he showed us a number of his images, produced a stunning series of abstracts by letting
all of which were exceptional, most of which were smoke from a hearth fire accumulate on sheets of
amazingly abstract. It fully opened the door of ab- 8x10 glass that he had first coated with Vaseline,
straction to me, a door that I had been knocking then using those sheets of smoke-encrusted glass
on, but now Weston’s work told me that I could as negatives for enlargement. No camera was in-
unhesitatingly go through that door. volved in the process, nor any silver, except for that
of the final prints. Yet the metallic tones achieved
Five months later I walked into Antelope Canyon. in those prints were stunning, compelling, exciting.
Instantly and instinctively I saw the lines and His comment about the process: “Soot beats silver
forms as forces in nature. (See portfolio in photo any day!”
technique, Jan/Feb 2010). I didn’t look upon it as a
sandstone canyon, but as a visual representation Very few photographers, or artists in any medium,
of forces from the subatomic realm to the cosmic start out producing abstract work. Those who pro-
Above Left
The Crystal Ball realm. So I used the walls of the canyonɎthe duce abstraction tend to work toward it over a
actual subject matterɎas representations of those period of time, as I did. I find that my students who
Above Middle forces in nature. It was not my intent to “show” dislike abstracts are certain not to produce any
Dream Distortions the canyon, but to “use” the lines and forms of the themselvesɎat least not now, but maybe later in
canyon walls to express my ideas about forces. time as their own thinking evolves. Students who
Above Right respond favorably to abstracts are probably ready
Crystalline Light-
Black Star
With those two experiences, I was fully into to produce them.
abstraction. Minor White said, “You photograph
something for two reasons: for what it is, and for Through my workshops and gallery exhibits I
what else it is.” When you’re into abstraction, you have found that abstraction cleaves the viewing
photograph for what else it is. audience in two: some people enjoy it immensely;
others dislike it intensely. There tend to be few
For those producing photographs, this generally people whose thoughts lie between those two ends
means keeping your eyes open to things that you of the spectrum.
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TECH:
Dan Moughamian Next select the Mixer Brush, grouped with the
Brush tool, Pencil tool and Color Replacement
This spring, Adobe introduced new tools for tool (shortcut B or Shift-B to cycle through them).
digital painting in Photoshop CS5. The new Mixer Then, from the Brush panel, click one of the icons
Brush goes a long way towards creating a realistic that looks like a real paint brush (Figure 1), rather
simulation of how paints mix and blend with each than the traditional brush outline. These are the
other on a canvas and with textures on the doc- Bristle Tips.
ument canvas. The other side of the equation is
the new Bristle Tips, which simulate the physics of Once selected, the Brush panel displays the para-
real paintbrushes. While it is impossible to cover meters for defining the look of a Brush Tips stroke
every facet of these impressive tools in the span (Bristle Qualities), as well as a preview of the brush
of a single article, I can focus on how to quickly stoke. Photoshop ships with two types of Bristle Tip
get started with these tools, so that you can begin to reflect the real-world options: brush tips with a
experimenting with your own photos. rounded set of bristles and those with a flattened set
of bristles. Both round and flat have five subtypes
One benefit of using the new Mixer Brush workflow (found in the Shape pop-up menu): Point, Blunt
is that it can breathe new life into shots we may Curve, Angle and Fan.
have otherwise discarded. Good composition, good
light, but maybe the exposure was off or the focus Figure 2 shows a simple brush stoke made with each,
too soft in spots to be recovered. Those photos using a 40 pixel brush size. Customize these
shapes by changing the Bristle Quality settings,
which control things like the bristle density
(Bristles slider), bristle length and thickness, and
how flexible the bristles are (Stiffness). Watch the
preview to see how the settings interact. As with
other brushes, the Bristle Tip parameters can be
customized and saved as a preset.
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Brush Cleaning
Photoshop provides the ability to clean the Mixer
Brush each time you pick up the stylus. After each
stroke, click the Clean Brush button. Most of the
(Figure 5) When loading the Mixer Brush with paint, you
time I use this feature in combination with no load can load after every stroke by clicking the Load button, or
or a very light load; this way when I paint over you can leave the button off, and load manually from the
pop-up (pictured). You can also choose to manually clean
photos, each brush stroke is interacting with the the brush using this pop-up, and whether loads should use
solid colors only.
pixels under the brush. For a more organic looking
phototechmag.com 9
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TECH:
painting, leave Clean Brush off. Figure 6 shows one
area of the photo painted with a load, a neighboring
area with no load (otherwise similar settings), and
the final area with a load and no cleaning.
Wet
The Wet setting describes how wet or dry the
canvas and paint are. Like real paintings, the less
dry the paint, the more it can be spread across the
canvas, mixing with other colors and textures. The
(Figure 6) Area 1 was painted with a load and cleaned after each stroke; area 2 was easiest way to use the Load, Wet settings (as well
painted with no load and cleaned after each stroke; and the third area was brushed as the Mix settingɎdiscussed next) in combination
with no preset load and no cleaning (meaning after each stroke, more and more load
is picked up based on the pixels under the stroke. Paint layer used 90% opacity, is to work with the Blending Brush Combinations
normal blend. pop-up menu (left of the Wet slider in the Options
bar). Adobe created several combinations that can
(Figure 7) The best way to help you to relate the settings of the Mixer brush to
get a head start with the
Mixer Brush is to use the working with a particular kind of paint you might
Blending Brush be used to (such as oil paints). Most often I find the
Combinations pop-up to
help you set all three of Moist presets (or slight variations) to be the most
Load, Wet and Mix in useful when painting over a photo, as it makes the
combinations that roughly
mimic real painting process of maintaining the general outlines and
scenarios.The higher the
wet and mix values, the
details easier. Blending Brush Combinations menu
more easily the paint will options are shown in Figure 7.
spread and mix.
Mix
This setting defines how readily the brush will mix
the colors on the canvas to create new colors and
blends. When using real paints, certain types mix
to create new colors, while others tend to cover
up underlying colors, depending on the mediums
being used and other variables.
Flow
The Flow defines the amount of paint that’s being
added to the canvas. The higher the value, the
denser the paint will be, and the colors and details
underneath will show through less. Figure 8 shows
a different photo in its finished, painted state.
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Strobe Power
John Siskin
phototechmag.com 11
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TECH:
lighting design, I wouldn’t have used as much the light, as well as the quality. This is one of the
power, but the light wouldn’t have had the same advantages of monolights and studio strobes: they
quality. Large light sources illuminate the subject allow you to use many light modifiers.
from more angles, making softer light with more
gradual transitions. I used a second light with a I decided to do another test that used a 3x3 soft box
beauty dish to give the subject more definition and to read the strobes with the same modifier, which
a good catch light in the eyes. essentially changes the light output. Studio strobes
are usually measured in watt-seconds, which are
This article will provide information about the rel- a measurement of power consumption, rather than
ative power and coverage of some strobes. This is light output. So two units can have the same num-
helpful because strobes are currently measured in ber of watt-seconds and provide very different
at least two different ways, which makes it impos- amounts of light.
sible to compare their relative light output or power.
When I started doing the tests for this article I had
The light was measured with a Sekonic L-508 light certain basic assumptions about strobe power: first
meter at 10 feet from the light. The meter was set that the manufacturers’ guide numbers are often
to ISO 100. This is how guide numbers are figured, inaccurate. Second, I reasoned that studio strobes
and it makes sense to use this way of measuring and monolights are much more powerful than hot-
with strobes that have built in reflectors, such as shoe mount strobes, like the Canon 580EX II. As
hot-shoe mounted strobes. The guide number of the data will show, both these assumptions were
these strobes is the measured aperture, multiplied found to be inaccurate.
by 10, at 10 feet from the light, usually at ISO 100.
So guide numbers work like aperture numbers: a I did have one assumption about strobe power that
rating of 110 is twice as powerful as a rating of 80. was accurate: when you cut the watt-seconds in half
When you measure monolights or studio strobes in you have reduced the power of the strobe by one
this way, you measure the light and the reflector. stop. So if the meter reads f/11 at 200 watt-seconds,
Changing the reflector will change the quantity of it will read f/8 at 100 watt-seconds.
Published
Unit Soft Box Reflector Guide Number
Canon 580EX II f/2.8.8 f/11.2 138@ 50mm
Vivitar 283 f/2.8.1 f/8.0 120
Calumet Travelite 750 f/8.0 f/11.4 N/A
N/A
Norman 200B f/2.8.9 f/8.8 N/A
AlienBees B1600 f/5.6.6 f/16.3 N/A
Norman LH2400 @ f/11.1 f/16.3 N/A
200 w-s
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I chose strobes from several different manufacturers photographers manipulate strobe light, the power
and of several different types for this test. The first test results would change, as well as the coverage,
thing I wanted to know was if the Canon strobe with different modifiers. For tighter coverage, use
was really producing as much light as it was rated snoots, or grid spots, to control light. For more
to do. As previously mentioned, it produced a lot coverage I could use a different reflector or um-
of light when it was used without any modifier. brella or other tool.
Then I wanted to examine some new technology
moonlights, so I looked at the AlienBees B1600 and I used the 6 to 8-inch reflectors on the monolights
the Calumet Travelite. These are contemporary and studio strobes and looked at the light they
monolights, the type I use in many circumstances. produced. These are the reflectors most frequently
sold with these units. The Calumet Travelite has
Finally, I wanted to check some older lights so I broad coverage. The light is much brighter in the
could find out more about the progress of lighting center than the sides. The Canon 580EX II has
technology. This was why I wanted to look at a
Vivitar 283, introduced in about 1977. This was a
great strobe at that time. While the Vivitar is about
the same size as the Canon 580EX II, it is about
half the power. I also wanted to know about the
power of the Norman LH2400 head with a 2000
watt-second power pack. This was my standard
gear for decades, and I wanted to know how its
power compared to the monolights. In this case,
the Norman was significantly more powerful with
the soft box, and the difference in power was much
less with just the reflector. In the end it appears
as though the reflector enables some of the small
strobes to perform like the powerful units. This Calumet Travelite 750
is particularly true with the AlienBees and the
Canon. When you use a device that encloses the
strobe, like the soft box, the power rating of the
strobe seems to be more indicative of the amount
of light from the unit.
phototechmag.com 13
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PORTFOLIO:
coverage with a rapid fall-off. I think that broad Finally, there is cost. An AlienBees B1600 costs less
even coverage is an advantage, but the amount of than a Canon 580EX II, without a battery pack.
advantage changes if you use different modifiers.
I think there is tremendous advantage in having
For years I recommended studio lights and mono- a dedicated strobe. It does a beautiful job with
lights because of the power they provide a photo- flash fill outdoors and is your best friend if you
grapher. Now I’m not at all sure that there is as photograph events. However, I use monolights and
much advantage in power. So why would I keep studio strobes for most of my work. I feel that I can
using studio lights? They recycle quickly all day shoot all day and get better control with these units.
and all night; most recycle in about two seconds.
You can get external battery packs for a dedicated John Siskin is a commercial and fine art photographer who
strobe, but they add extra cost, and there is a limit specializes in making architectural images, as well as macro,
portraiture and product photographs. He has taught photography
to how many shots you can take. for more than 20 years and is currently teaching photographic
lighting at BetterPhoto.com online. His web site is ______
www.siskin-
photo.com. His first book, Understanding and Controlling Strobe
______
In addition, modeling lights, which are on studio Lighting, A Guide for Digital Photographers, will be published this
fall by Amherst Media.
strobes and monolights, are very important for
designing light. Another concern is how easy is it to To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our
online Forum: www.phototechforum.com
control the strobe. This is subjective. I prefer man-
ual control, with a continuous power range of sev- Product Resources
eral stops. Through teaching classes I have become Lighting: Canon 580EX II strobe, Norman LH2400 powerpack,
aware that many people would prefer the camera Calumet Travelite, AlienBees B1600, Vivitar 283, Norman
200B; Meter: Sekonic L-508.
to be in control, which requires a dedicated unit.
______________________________________
_______________________________
________________________________________
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Explorations of Light
Edda Taylor
phototechmag.com 15
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PORTFOLIO:
graphs in high sun because of the problem of high Photographing outside at different times of the day
contrast. However, it is one of my favorite times to and in different seasons, one can observe how light
shoot when I can create photographs with shadows works on objects. It provides a surprisingly fresh
Previous Page and drama in their composition. perspective on the way we see composition. We
Joanne 2009 can create soft images in the morning, dramatic
As the quality of light changes, we find opportunities and lengthy shadows at noon, cool images in the
Above to create moods and styles. Light then becomes afternoon and warm compositions at sundown.
Ballet 2009 an effective compositional tool in its own right. Using rake lighting (light striking the subject at
Through exploration we learn to use its basic ele- a slant giving form and depth), we can create
ments: direction, quantity and quality. I continue interesting and artistic compositions. When the sun
to observe light and take advantage of its countless sends angled shafts of light, it’s the perfect time to
possibilities in creating beautiful photographs. collect or rake light across a subject’s face or the
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I start by taking in the whole scene with the zoom I photographed a ballerina standing in the corner
set to wide angle, then view the perspectives at of a green-walled room. In her black tutu she ap-
each focal length. Zooming back and forth helps peared like a graceful spider going up the wall. Above
me see different angles of cropping until I see the Working on another image of ballerinas in a group, Cara 2009
image that I had created in my mind. I attempt to as I was zooming I noticed the little ballerina
duplicate what I see and feel, in other words, make peeking from a door. I told her to stand still, and I
the camera an extension of me. Almost all of my got my image. Working in New Mexico, I created
location images were taken with that lens. In one an image inspired by the weathered face of a man
instance, I took a photo of a musician with guitar who was sitting peeling red peppers against a grey
and his grandson. As I was zooming, I noticed the wall, drying just like the red peppers in the hot
phototechmag.com 17
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PORTFOLIO:
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David Vestal
Dover Publications has published a special version invented by Niépce, who died before Daguerre
of the history of photography under the title, Great invented his own entirely different method.
Photographs from Daguerre to the Great Depression.
What’s special is that, with no written text, it pre- Written histories tell of three men, each of whom
sents 139 Royalty-Free Designs in a CD-ROM & Book invented his own form of black-and-white photo-
as part of its large series, “Dover Electronic Clip graphy. They all announced their methods in 1839:
Art for Macintosh® and Windows®.” Hippolyte Bayard and Louis-Jacques-Mandé
Daguerre, both in Paris, and William Henry Fox
Much is included; more is left out. Oddly, there is Talbot in England. Bayard made and exhibited
nothing from Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, Daguerre’s direct positive pictures on paper; Talbot, using
early collaborator, who made the first existing some of the same chemicals, made paper negatives
photograph that we are sure of in 1826. It’s in the that could be used to make any number of positive
Gernsheim Collection at the Humanities Research prints; and Daguerre made direct positives on
Center of the University of Texas at Austin. It is not silver-plated copper plates that were developed in
a daguerreotype, but used a much slower process mercury vapor. Talbot’s negative-positive method
phototechmag.com 19
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Haystack, from The Pencil of Nature, 1844, William Henry Fox Talbot
nique is also called salted-paper photography, but accurately only on equally distant points inside a
that is a general term that also applies to other spherical surface, not on all of a flat plane. Another
early processes, including Bayard’s direct-positive problem was solved later by color-corrected
method. Talbot patented his process in 1841 and lenses. Simple lenses focus light of different colors
wanted to license people and charge them fees to at different distances. “Chemical focus” involved
use it. That didn’t last, and later such photographs a need to shift the focus from what’s seen on the
were, and still are, called calotypes. This is no groundglass to get a critically sharp picture. We
haystack, it’s a hay monument: great construction, focus on a groundglass by all visible light, but early
wonderful photograph. photographic plates were sensitive only to blue light
and ultraviolet, which focus at a slightly different
Daguerre himself. Five years after his process was distance behind the lens. Some early cameras had
announced, L. J. M. Daguerre was photographed marks showing the shift required to get from visual
by Jean Baptiste Sabatier-Blot. Note the scratches focus to “chemical focus.” The difference was attri-
and what looks like a generous sprinkling of white buted to “chemical rays.” No one knew about the
dust. The daguerreotype is vulnerable. If you touch electromagnetic spectrum.
its surface you will probably leave a mark. The
daguerreotype was slow, and its photos were made It took hours of spotting with Photoshop to clean
with simple lenses used wide open to keep the up this picture’s scratches and spots, a task I took
exposure time short—a few seconds in very bright on to see how it looked when new. But so much
light. This portrait is blurred around its edges. retouching takes away some of the photo’s bite
Only the center is sharp. Simple lenses focus and character and makes a severe portrait look
phototechmag.com 21
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PERSPECTIVES:
bland. For me it works better with all its scars and all versions; CD-ROM drive.” The price of the book and CD-
ROM is $16.95. To use more than ten of these photos in one
blemishes than when they are smoothed over, but project requires special permission from Dover, which was
finding that out was worth the effort. granted to photo technique for this series of articles.
Now look at Daguerre trying to appear relaxed. David Vestal is a photographer, critic and teacher whose publica-
tions include The Art of Black & White Enlarging (1984) and The
How firmly he’s braced on his arms, how stiffly he Craft of Photography. His photographs are exhibited internationally
holds his head, how rigidly he stares. There’s a hint and are found in numerous collections, among them the Museum of
Modern Art (NYC) and the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY.
of desperation. He’s working hard to hold his pose, Vestal’s wit and wisdom have long earned him a strong following
among photo technique readers who can look forward to additional
surely with a brace (not a clamp) behind his head. installments of this Dover History article series.
These pictures on the CD are in jpeg format: “System require- To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
ments: Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista or Macintosh, Forum: www.phototechforum.com
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INNOVATIONS:
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INNOVATIONS:
Archival Methods
The portfolios have a three-sided internal tray with a folddown cover for
easy access. The 13 ¼"x19 ¼" inside dimensions allow for easy removal
of the set onto the clean cover interior for viewing and a clean, easy
return into the box. The box interior is lined with white archival paper.
The 13"x19" box is one inch deep and it holds approximately 70
fiber-based sheets.
The 13"x19" Accent Gray portfolio is charcoal gray with a black tray.
Boxes of smaller formats (9"x12"x1" or 9"x12"x 2") offer trays in a
variety of other colors to identify specific portfolios.
Most pros have more than one bag because of the for easy access from the back opening. Of particular
extensive equipment needed for a variety of jobs. note is the way the ICU separations are made. Not
They usually end up packing an array for the type only does the Velcro attach to the sides, but also to
of applications they anticipate. F-Stop’s Tilopa the bottom making a firm separation between camera
backpack offers a unique approach with a modular equipment. When using one of the smaller ICU’s there
equipment pod design. is also internal space on the top for additional lens
cases, clothing, food, etc.
First, lets talk about the backpack itself. The Tilopa
is 12"x 24"x 10" and has a solid metal support The Tilopa with one ICU sells for $295.00 with free
rack (an uncommon addition to the normal camera shipping. For more information, contact
backpack) that allows for comfortable back support www.fstopgear.com.
______________
and equipment protection. It is made of Rip-stop
Nylon and has numerous outer and inner pockets,
an internal padded section for most 15 inch laptops,
and straps and a cup on the outside for carrying a
tripod and other gear. It also has numerous straps for
attaching additional accessory cases. Access to the
camera gear is from the back and it has a larger base
allowing it to stand freely in most conditions. The
Tilopa fits within the size for airline carry-on.
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Vanishing Points–
Landscape’s Narrative
Terri Warpinski
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PORTFOLIO:
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common to archaic 19th Century photo processes of the image. This is accomplished by limiting the
than to those of the 21st Century. Although I make preliminary bleach bath so that it reduces only the
a limited set of prints from each negative, the end lightest areas of the print. I control this by visual Above
result is not an edition, but in works that are one- inspection rather than by time. After a rinse, the re- Storm,
Harney Basin,
of–a–kind. The variation of the graphite marks on development bath is used in much the same way. sepia toned silver
the surface described earlier is one feature of their Always working with a fresh sulphide re-devel- gelatin print with
graphite text
individuality; another is the split tonality of the opment solution creates more predictable results
print achieved with a sulphide sepia toner. This Prior to making final prints, I do an extensive set
toner converts bleached metallic silver to silver of test exposures with variations in contrast and
sulphide, changing the neutral quality of the density using a step scale method. I tone these
monochrome black-and-white print to a warm tone tests, studying them to determine the range of ef-
that can range from a soft peach color cast to an fect I want in the final prints. Just as every moment
overall deep brown. I use the process selectively, in the landscape is different, each print is a unique
limiting the effect to mid-tones and highlight areas combination of light, time and interaction.
phototechmag.com 27
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PORTFOLIO:
Camera notes
Twenty years ago my long-time friend and mentor,
the late Jerry Dell, had the hunch that my vision
and ideas might be better served by a 6 x 9cm
format rather than the 2 1/4 square I was using at
the time. He pressed his Fujica SW 690 into my
hands and encouraged me to use it for a few days.
The next week I purchased my own. I continue to
rely on that same model to this day. After 14 years
and 19,000 exposures I retired my original and re-
placed it with another of the same. It could be
that the only place I respond well to change is in
the landscape. Beyond its initial affordability and
its outstanding reliability, other aspects of this
particular camera are well suited to my needs.
It focuses with a rangefinder rather than TTL
(through the lens) system, resulting in a camera
that is mechanically simpler and substantially
lighter. The fixed 65mm lens that the SW (super
wide) is equipped with freed me from the burden
of carrying lenses I never put into use, allowing
more room to carry filmɎan excellent trade-off
for working in remote locations.
using photography in my art practice in 1979. To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
Conventional black and white photo paper, with its Forum: www.phototechforum.com
Above
Decomposition, gelatin emulsion, creates a very smooth surface that
Summer Valley,
Product Resources
sepia toned silver holds the graphite and withstands vigorous erasure, Camera: Fujica GSW–690; Film: Kodak TMax 400; Filter:
gelatin print with acting much the same as a prepared gesso base. Tiffen Yellow 8; Meter: Gossen Luna–Pro; Tripod: Manfrotto
graphite text 694 magfiber monopod with Manfrotto 234RC head;
This characteristic of traditional silver gelatin photo Darkroom: Besseler 45MXT enlarger, El–Nikkor 105mm 5.6,
paper as a drawing surface is the primary reason Peak 2000 (model 1) Enlarging Focuser, Saunders 4 Blade
I continue to use conventional black and white Easel, Gralab 450R Timer, Gravity Works Archival Print
Washer; Paper: Bergger VCCM; Chemistry: Kodak Xtol
filmɎas surprising as that may seem. Developer, Sprint–Print Developer, Stop Bath, Fixer, Fixer
Remover, Edwal LFN Wetting Agent, Kodak Sepia Toner;
Incidentals: Giotto Rocket Blaster Air Blower, PrintFile
Creating photographs in the way that I do is to WorkBox, PrintFile Archival Preservers, Marshall's Spot-
openly admit their mutability and to accentuate the All Spotting Dyes, Schwan Stabilo mico 9000 8 B Graphite
subjective capacity of the medium. The landscape, Pencil, Silver Prismacolor Pencil, Pink Pearl Eraser.
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An Interview with
Julieanne Kost
Paul Schranz
When it comes to aesthetic digital collage and technical expertise with Photoshop, few can
equal Julieanne Kost. Professionally a Digital Imaging Evangelist for Adobe, Kost not only
knows her tools, but she incorporates her skill into some of the most sensitive narrative
collages exhibited today. I recently had the opportunity to spend time with Julieanne, and
she answered some pertinent questions and offered insights into her artwork and her
life at Adobe.
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FEATURE:
PS: You were originally a psychology major. Tell me I also contribute to several publications and speak
how you went from earning that degree into a career at conferences and industry events, photography
in photography. workshops and fine art schools. I am the founder
of jkost.com, publisher of the Daily PS Tip (blogs.
____
JK: I have always been interested in photography adobe.com/jkost), and author of Window SeatɎ
and grew up in a household that had the perfect The Art of Digital PhotographyɎwhich all help me
combination of left and right brain influences. My reach a broad and diverse number of Adobe users.
father is an engineer: very logical, pragmatic and To complete the circle, I constantly gather customer
disciplined in his work and he always encouraged requests and provide product feedback to the team.
me to master the technology necessary for a part-
icular field of study. We had a darkroom set up in PS: I know that you do analytic singular photographs,
the laundry room and he taught me how to develop but you are best known for your collage work. Which
and print my images. My mother is a creative, imag- of these styles do you prefer and why?
inative and free thinking artist who encouraged me
to explore different ways to express myself and JK: The two styles of image-making are so fund-
communicate through many channels including amentally different that I can really only speak to my
music, drawing and photography. preference of certain aspects of one style over the
other. For example, when working on the Window
During college I continued taking both art and photo- Seat project, all of the images were photographed
graphy classes along with the required psychology from commercial airlines as I flew from one event to
units. Upon graduation, I took a position at a medical another. It was a very passive project, as I would sit
imaging company where I was responsible for the in my seat and look out of the window hoping that
capture, editing (in Photoshop 2.0) and archiving something in the land/sky-scape would catch my
a large library of medical images while I pursued eye. I had no control over the speed and route of
photography at a local community college. the flight, the lighting or weather, or even which side
of the plane my seat was on (although I do try to
In 1992, I learned of an opening for a Technical choose the shady-side).
Support specialist at Adobe Systems and jumped at
the opportunity. I have been with Adobe ever since. My current personal project is photographing
My early study of human behavior still helps me landscapes while sitting in the passenger seat of a
find ways to simplify complex techniques and pro- moving vehicle (train, car, bus). I have some control,
cedures as I present seminars and workshops in such as the f-stop and speed at which I pan, but
Photoshop and Lightroom. the route is determined by the driver, the time of day
and the lighting is dependent on my travel schedule,
PS: What does an “Evangelist” do at Adobe, and and my self-imposed rule is that I can’t go back to
how did you attain that rank? capture something that I didn’t see, or wasn’t fast
enough to capture the first time. I appreciate giving
JK: The primary goal of any evangelist at Adobe is up control in order to allow myself permission to
Previous Page to help keep our customers informed with regards to simply experiment and take chances with my ima-
Prison Walls,
Digital Print
our applications and technologies by demonstrating gery. It’s the spontaneity and coincidence of this
the actual products, as well as by showing examples type of work that results in the gift of capturing a
of extraordinary and imaginative images created with vision that would otherwise remain unseen.
the applications. Evangelism also includes serving
Right as the liaison between the engineering team and The collage work is on the other end of the spectrum.
Twilight, the individual user of the productɎmaking sure that I am able to control the exact elements that I want
Digital Print
features of Photoshop and Lightroom are under- to merge together to form a cohesive message. As
stood by people who use them. The range of indi- a result, I am able to create a composite image more
viduals who use Photoshop on a daily basis is powerful than its individual parts. The interactive
extensiveɎfrom web, print and motion designers to process of selecting and assembling images is one
law enforcement officers, artists, scientists, photo- of the most challenging and thought-provoking as-
journalists, wedding and portrait photographersɎall pects of my creative exploration. Although overall,
of whom have different needs. An evangelist should the images may appear serene and calm, the act
be able to recognize what features and components of creation is anything but passive. I begin with a
of an application are most beneficial to a specific concept in mind, yet I may not know exactly how
group of users. the pieces will fit together at the end. As the image
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takes on its own life, I often allow myself to explore scapes, to scans of found objects, to encaustic
additional directions, sometimes finding that the final paintings and charcoal drawings. When I am photo-
image only faintly resembles the one first imagined. graphing (or painting or gathering) these ingredients,
The composite images mentally challenge me the I do not know exactly what I will use them for. At this
most. point, the photograph is not at all a final piece of
work; instead they are waiting to take their position
PS: Your collages are personal narratives. How are as a component of a larger message. The common
your ideas conceived and what is the process thread is that as I photograph each individual ele-
you use for gathering image information for the ment, it must evoke an emotional response. What
assemblages? that response might be (positive or negative, com-
forting or confrontational) is not important at the
JK: I have created libraries of individual elements capture stage, because how the image will be used
ranging from photographs of textures and land- at that point is not clear.
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FEATURE:
In order to keep track of the individual elements, I library of elements. If, in the beginning, I want to try
import and keyword all of my images in Lightroom, several wildly diverse options, I will roughly sketch
allowing me to quickly filter and find the images that these differing ideas and concepts (I am faster with
I need. I have also created collections of supporting a pencil than with a computer). And of course, many
Above backgrounds, textures, color palettes, etc. from times I will photograph any necessary component(s)
Illusive, which I draw components to build images and required to complete the image.
Digital Print
convey my idea.
Then begins the process of working in Photoshop.
I don’t begin assembling any composite until I have I believe that the most significant recommendation
an idea/concept/statement that I want to make. After that I can give is to master your tools. And since
deciding on an initial topic, I move forward to select Photoshop is the single most important tool that I
the primary image to be the subject of the illustration. use to create my digital composites, I know that it is
Then I build the supporting scene, drawing from my vital that I master features such as layers, masking,
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the pen tool, blend modes and smart objects. Once Because the photographer’s tool set is always
I am proficient in these techniques, the “tool” be- evolving, I give myself assignments based on a word
comes invisible, and my mind is free to create or concept such as “Drifting” or “Twilight.” It will be
without hesitating and stumbling over the tech- a topic that I am free to take in any direction, there
nical process. Look at the masters in any field and is no right or wrong. I give myself permission to ex-
you will see a beautiful relationship between the plore all of the different possibilities that the software Above
tool and the creativityɎfrom the musicians and might have to offer, and the computer allows me Isostacy,
Digital Print
their instruments to the painters and their brushes. to discover what is possible in no other medium.
These experts of both the left and right side of the However, because the digital realm is so forgiving,
brain have a tremendous advantage over those offering so many options for exploration, discipline
who have to guess at one or the other. Knowing becomes part of the challenge. The paint is never
the technical behaviors behind any tool will set dry, the exposure is never fixed, and the print is
you free. never finalɎall components can be done differently
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FEATURE:
at any point. Here the real art form is knowing when JK: I believe that because I am not only a software
to stop and realizing when you’ve said what you set trainer, but also a working artist, I can relate to many
out to say. of the challenges that Adobe customers face both
as creative image-makers and as businessmen
PS: You told me that you seldom use third-party and women. It can be difficult to keep up with
software in creating your work. Is this true, and if technology in this rapidly evolving industry, so I try
so, why? to make certain that the concepts I demonstrate
have a direct relationship to the work done by each
JK: I rarely feel the need to leave Lightroom and specific audience. With every lecture, my goal is
Photoshop to create my imagesɎincluding both to make sure that every single person leaves with
the individual stills and/or composites. However, I’m a new understanding of either a feature, a concept
not against adding tools to my repertoire. For ex- or a technology. I try to make learning the software
ample, I have been learning Premiere Pro in order to fun and appealing and to remove obstacles. With
Above edit some of the digital video that I have been ex- every new release, I try to demonstrate a technology
Whisper, perimenting with. What’s more important to me that might ignite the imagination or give insight into
Digital Print
is that I won’t incorporate any imagery in my work a new and more productive way of creating the
that I didn’t take or make (through photography, photographer’s vision.
painting, scanning, etc). I require my images to
be entirely my creations and not a derivative of Julieanne Kost is an accomplished digital artist, as well as an
someone else’s work. internationally recognized teacher, presenter, writer and creative
representative of Adobe. She was selected by Fast Company
as one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business.” More of
PS: Give me a discussion of this body of work in Julieanne's work can be see on her website www.jkost.com.
terms of an overall theme. What permeates the work, To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
other than the fact that you created all of them, what Forum: www.phototechforum.com
holds this body of work together so tightly?
Product Resources
Cameras: Canon 5D Mark II ; Lenses: Assorted Canon L
JK: In my work I try to construct a visual world Lenses; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 3.
realistic enough to appear familiar, yet obviously an
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(Figure 1) Tractors and Distant Catskills, New York. Stitched (Auto Stitch App) from 12 Captures on the iPhone 3GS
Dan Burkholder
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TECH:
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(Figure 3) Using Photo Transfer App to wirelessly move images from the iPad to a desktop computer. On the left is
the screen you see on your iPad; on the right is your computer's browser window.
a few of the most useful, cheap (as in free), easy seven images about to be moved from the iPad to
and designed to work with wifi, Bluetooth, and the Mac. Photo Transfer App is amazingly simple,
sometimes either. fast and easy, but for it to work as advertised, all
devices must be on the same wifi network. What if
Wifi or Bluetooth for Photo Transfers you’re in the field where a wifi network is missing
Our two current (and non-ATT) wireless protocols in action? This is where Bluetooth comes into play.
are wifi and Bluetooth. Without going into the
geek-speak details of how they compare, be aware Bluetooth might not be as fast as wifi, but as a peer-
of two things: to-peer sharing protocol, it can come in handy as
1. Wifi will be a faster photo-moving method in an image transferring method.
almost all situations (it has more bandwidth).
2. Bluetooth is peer-to-peer, meaning it will be A Couple of My Favorites
available even when you don’t have a wifi IFiles ($0.99, www.ifilesapp.com). This app blows
network to tap into. me away every time I use it. Think of it as the Swiss
Army Knife of iPhone/iPad transfer tools. Using
When shopping for apps that let you move images either Bluetooth or wifi, you can send photos and
from your iPhone (where your camera is after all) other files to and from other i-devices or your Mac
to the iPad, think about the situations in which or PC. You can even create zip files to email a
you’ll be shooting. If you’ll be surrounded by a group of images in a tidy package. At press time
friendly (and open) wifi network, it’s hard to beat this app had not been optimized for the iPad, but it
Photo Transfer App ($2.99, www.PhotoTransfer works just fine for me.
App.com). You can transfer up to 50 images at once
_______
from iPhone to iPad, iPad to Computer, iPhone to Bluetooth Photo Share (www.nathanpeterson.com)
computer, Computer to iPad, or any combination is a no-nonsense and free app using Bluetooth to
of the bunch. Figure 3 shows Transfer App in action, shuttle files between your iPhone and iPad. (Note:
in this case being used to send images from an iPad usable only with 3G or later iPhones.) And it pro-
to a desktop computer. On the left in figure 3 you mises to keep all your resolution with no lossy com-
see Photo Transfer App on the iPad, and on the pression. If Bluetooth is your weapon of choice,
right is a browser window on a Mac, showing the this free app can’t be beat.
phototechmag.com 37
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TECH:
iPhone and iPad as a shooting team 4 with its higher resolution camera may “break” the
Fasten your seat belts! The Camera for iPad app iPhone’s photo editing apps. Surely a temporary
($0.99, http://headlightinc.com/camera.php) not condition (app developers are chomping at the bit
only lets you fire the iPhone shutter remotely (from to have new versions of their software), it’s still
your iPad), it also instantly sends the image to your likely that we’ll go through a dry spell with reliance
iPad so you can start editing on the larger screen on some of our most trusted iPhone photo editing
right away. That would be cool enough, but when apps. The iPad apps, on the other hand, are ready
you learn Camera for iPad can also be configured to take on larger images with aplomb.
to use the iPad as a fill flash (take the picture with
your iPhone and the iPad screen will light-up to A Couple of Typical Editing Tasks
provide fill)Ɏgood grief, how can you not want to My purpose isn’t to overwhelm you with a smorg-
spend all of $0.99 for this app? asbord of iPad apps to lust after and purchase. Rest
assured, future photo technique features will take care
Editing Photos on the iPad of that. But I can’t resist teasing you with a couple
You’ve heard me rave about the gorgeous LCD on very sweet photo apps I’m using on the iPad.
the iPadɎa good reason for doing your post-pro-
cessing on the iPad. Let’s explore other rationales. Figure 4 shows Photogene ($3.99, www.mobile-
_________
pond.com) and Filterstorm ($1.99, www.filterstorm.
_______
Sidebar: com) in action on the iPad. Photogene has been a
___
But first, a warning: be very careful with using best-selling iPhone app, offering a wide selection
iPhone apps on the iPad. I was shocked the first of controls with an intuitive interface. When they
time I edited a 3mp image on iPad only to discover ported it to the iPad, they added Curves, Red-
the resolution had been trashed because I used Eye removal and lots of other useful techniques.
one of my favorite iPhone apps. Splurge and get Filterstorm is a newcomer and is iPad-only. This
photo apps specifically made for the iPad. Not only app cleverly gives us Color Range, Gradients and
will you preserve your resolution, you’ll probably locally brushed filter effects using a powerfully easy
discover additional features that were not included approach. On the right side of figure 4, I’m using
with the iPhone version. Filterstorm to vignette the image. Simply dragging
the two circles on the image locates where the
Upgrades is an important reason to consider editing vignette starts and stops. When I use Filterstorm to
on the iPad instead of the iPhone. The new iPhone demo certain image processing techniques, students
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I’ve often said, “If you don’t like change, Photo- Dan Burkholder has been teaching digital imaging workshops for
15 years at venues including The School of the Art Institute,
graphy’s not the place to be.” My wife constantly Chicago; The Royal Photographic Society, Madrid; The International
cautions me that not everyone is as enchanted with Center of Photography, NY, Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops, NM
and many others. Dan’s latest book, The Color of Loss (University of
this change as I am. She could be right, though I’ll Texas Press, 2008), documents the flooded interiors of post-Katrina
New Orleans and is the first coffee table book done entirely using
never understand how that can be. Photography HDR methods. His award-winning book, Making Digital Negatives
is such an exciting field of play. It keeps our minds for Contact Printing, has become a standard resource in the fine-
artphotography community. Dan’s iPhone images can be seen at
alert and our wallets empty. And in six months or www.iPhoneArtistry.com/.
so, you might reread this article to remember how
To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
things were “in the beginning.” Forum: www.phototechforum.com
_________________
phototechmag.com 39
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PORTFOLIO:
360° Panorama
Thomas Schiff
Although I have always owned a 35mm camera, me to elevate the camera 15 or 20 feet into the air.
I have never been comfortable with the small Since there are often many obstructions at ground
format and have preferred the medium and large level, elevating the camera allows me to get above
format cameras, the 4x5 and 8 x10. Not only did stop signs, fireplugs, parked cars, sewer lids, etc.
the large negatives provide more detail and greater You get a much purer picture from my elevated
range, they forced me to slow down and think point of view.
more about the process of making a photograph.
As a result, the tedious nature of working with I prefer to shoot color negative film because it is
large format cameras has helped me in making a easier to deal with lighting variations you get by
logical transition to making photographs with the pointing the camera in all different directions.
Hulcherama panoramic camera. Sometimes the light will change in an exposure
when the sun comes out or goes in, and that
The camera is based on the old circuit camera from is easier to correct because of the use of color
the turn of the last century, but the Hulcherama negative film. Due to economic considerations,
uses 220 roll film, which is easier to work with camera manufactures have not developed digital
than the enormous rolled film used in the circuit panoramic cameras to the same degree that they
camera. I have a custom-made tripod that allows have developed point and shoot cameras, so I
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phototechmag.com 41
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PORTFOLIO:
the opposite. When you take the opposite approach, architects is very interesting. The variety of styles:
not only do you get a view in a 360 degree circle, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, Philip Johnson,
but I prefer to use a wide angle lens which allows Richard Meier and many other architects, intrigues
me to capture more of an image above and below me more than what I see in nature. So many arch-
the horizon line. So instead of cropping out the itectural photographs concentrate on the exterior of
images, I have something that allows me to look in the building, but I find that the panoramic camera
all directions. works equally well when defining interiors. Log-
istically interiors are more challenging because you
The challenge in doing 360° photography is to find are required to acquire permission with the building
an ideal vantage point, that is, the right tripod owners and tenants, so a lot of coordination needs
placement and camera height in order to get the to be worked out prior to the visit to make this hap-
best photograph. I want to transform 3-D space into pen. But the extra effort is worthwhile because of
a 2-D image. With exterior shots, I have to choose the results obtained.
the right time of day to get the right sun reflection
on building surfaces. Obviously, when dealing with the transportation
of cumbersome equipment and the necessity of
I have always been drawn to man made struc- scouting out locations, it is easier to make photos in
tures. I think the work that has been done by great your own backyard. It’s also easier to revisit nearby
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locations under different conditions, seasons, and the campus architecture of Northern Kentucky
times of day. But as you exhaust that subject matter, University. I’m working on all these projects simul-
you have to spread out. I did a book on Cincinnati in taneously because they take many years to plan,
1998 and one on the state of Ohio in 2003. Currently execute and publish. Consequently, the work is on-
I have been shooting the large variety of American going and seemingly never ending. Being immer-
architecture in numerous locations. So as I travel sed in a number of projects gives me the flexibility
across the country to each site, I make photographs to photograph in great variety of locations, which is
on different book projects that are in various stages how I like to work.
of completion. I soon hope to have books out on
Thomas R. Schiff is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, OH. Although his
Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings, the architecture of professional life has been in the insurance business, photography is
American theatres, American libraries, Columbus, his passion; he's been shooting with the Hulcherama 360 Panoramic
Camera since 1994. The results of his panoramic work have appeared
Indiana, religious architecture and art museums. in gallery exhibitions and in books which include Vegas 360, 2008,
BrightCity Books. www.brightcitybooks.com.
I like to assign myself projects from ideas that cap- To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
Forum: www.phototechforum.com
ture my imagination. The projects listed above are
among those I have taken on myself, but I have Product Resources
also enjoyed projects that I have been invited to Camera: Hulcherama panoramic; Lenses: Mamiya 35mm,
Nikor PC 28mm; Film: Kodak, Fujicolor Pro.
do, such as a book on the parks of Cincinnati and
phototechmag.com 43
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Outdoor Studio Many iconic images are the result of pure seren-
dipity, but just as many are staged or at least
anticipated. Consider the original clouded leo-
pard images produced by National Geographic in
Scott Linstead 2000. They were camera trap images and they
looked the part; the subject was flashed straight
on, the retinas glowing with reflected flashlight.
The images were nonetheless iconic because
they represented the first time that the species
was documented to celluloid. But “documented”
is the word that worries the purist. The clouded
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The occurrence of the unexpected produces a Barn Owl and Mexican Free Tail Bat–Nikon D3 with 60mm Nikkor Macro lens
stunning image. The photographer carefully chose and four flashes.
focal lengths, lighting approaches and camera
positions just like any other photographer would. and detector is 42" maximum. (More technical
His images were no more defined or limited information is available at www.phototrap.com.)
by the camera trap than by any other piece Suffice to say that the approach affords the
of technology. user a degree of user-friendliness and intuitive
operation that betray any preconceived notions
The technology that I employ is somewhat differ- of the excessively technical nature of this kind
ent than the simple trail camera. I am not limited of photography. I overcome the limitations of
to tripping a camera when a large subject goes human reaction time and endurance for photo-
lumbering by. Using the Phototrap, I can photo- graphing phenomena that occur once a day and
graph not only the elusive, but also the unimag- on no particular schedule. This is the domain that
inably quick. The Phototrap is a device that inter- is popularly known as high-speed photography.
faces with either your camera or your flash. In the
most basic sense, the trap is intended to trigger the During a five-week shoot in South Texas, I made
shutter of your camera when the photographic extensive use of the Phototrap. Shown here are a
subject passes through a defined position in handful of images revealing “behind the curtain.”
space. The two most obvious cases where the trap The barn owls on the ranch build nests in any
is essential is when the photographer cannot be man-made structure that they can get access to.
there to trip the shutter or when the event occurs My first effort involved installing a 60mm macro
so quickly that it is beyond the practical reaction lens inside a turkey hunting blind to photograph
time of the photographer. the barn owls from the inside-the-nest perspective
as they returned from their nocturnal hunts.
Unlike the majority of what is currently available Thinking in terms of flash as the singular source
on the market, the Phototrap employs a diver- of light takes some getting used to. Two flashes
ging, infrared beam, as opposed to lasers to were positioned outside the blind: one overhead
define the trigger point in space. An infrared and a lower-powered flash fired from below to
emitter and detector face each other. As soon avoid letting the undersides of the owl to fall into
as activity breaks the beam, the camera shutter complete shadow. An incoming owl trips the
is tripped. The unit has variable sensitivity, beam on the way into the blind and effectively
and the working distance between the emitter creates a self portrait.
phototechmag.com 45
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Barn Swallow–Nikon D3 with 150mm Sigma Macro lens and three flashes. At a deer hunting blind, where one of those
windows had been left open, a barn owl couple
used this entrance to set up a nest inside. In this
case, I installed a 24mm lens at the opening and
tried not to include the edges of the window in
the final image. Two flashes, set up identically to
those used in the turkey blind, were triggered as
the owl flew in. To avoid the black backgrounds
that plague night photography, I left the shutter
open for another 30 seconds after the initial flash
exposure. This allowed traces of the available
light to creep in and produce an image with
greater depth, showing the deep blues and subtle
oranges of the night sky.
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was employed to produce the moth-to-a-bulb Surely the camera trap and high-speed photo-
image. Leaving an asthetically pleasing bulb graphy are not for everyone. Admittedly, my
hanging in space with the invisible beam ex- initial foray into high-speed photography was
tending vertically and to the left of the bulb pro- largely motivated by economics. It seemed fru-
duced a variety of poses, some out of focus. But gal to produce captivating images close to home
an illuminating albeit rhetorical question is to rather than constantly traveling to exotic loca-
ask how the results may have differed if I had tions. Now, the trap follows me to locations exotic
been there to trip the shutter myself. and otherwise. From a commercial perspective,
the Phototrap helps me to further distinguish
The leaping leopard frog was a matter of recog- my work from the masses. But from an artistic
nizing a scene that always occurred outside the perspective, it tears down the walls put in place
reach of a camera. In daylight, the frogs are next by technological and practical limitations.
to impossible to approach and invariably leap
into the pond well before I could get within
camera’s range. Capturing a number of frogs Scott Linstead is an internationally published, freelance wildlife
photographer/writer who worked as an aerospace engineer and
and building a convincing pond set seemed only a high-school teacher before moving on to professional wildlife
somewhat less daunting than stalking the frogs photography. His clients include Natural History Magazine,
endlessly and perhaps fruitlessly. The pond was Hewlett Packard, Ranger Rick Magazine and a number of
wildlife publications in North America and Europe. His column
a four by twelve foot affair, lined with garbage on the techniques of bird photography appears in every issue
bags and sprinkled with the local sand. Front of Outdoor Photography Canada.
lighting was accomplished by the soft box and To ask a question or comment on this article, visit our online
the snoot provided the backlighting to illum- Forum: www.phototechforum.com
inate the semi-transparent extremities of the
Product Resources
amphibian. It turned out that placing the frog on
Cameras: Nikon D300, D3; Lenses: 60mm Nikkor
the muddy shore and waiting till it felt the need Macro, 150mm Sigma Macro; Lighting: 4X Nikon SB-
to jump was a much more reasonable exercise in 800 Flashes; Tripod: Manfrotto 090 and 486 ballhead;
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Nikon Capture NX2;
patience than the hopeless stalking of the frogs Phototrap.
at the real pond.
phototechmag.com 47
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Marketplace Ad Index
Adorama Camera, Inc. C3
LimitedEdition www.adorama.com
HP Marketing Corp 7
www.hpmarketingcorp. om
_________________
6XEVFULEH See portfolios, prices and ordering
information at www.phototechmag.com photo technique Magazine 48
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PDJD]LQH Phototrap 14
www.phototrap.com
Sto-Fen Products 48
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847-647-2900 ext. 1303
6600 West Touhy Ave. Niles, IL 60714 Book of Palms 3060, 11" x 14", Tom Millea
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