On Location

I recently took students from my Portrait Photography class to the sculpture studios at SCAD Atlanta. We did three shots in a little over two hours and had a great time. Susan Krause and Steve Jarvis were kind enough to let us take over their facility, as well as pose for us. We did three shots- one with four lights, one with two, and one with only one that also incorporated the available light. My Elinchroms worked perfectly and had plenty of juice to light such a large space. And the Skyports once again were flawless, both triggering and adjusting the strobes remotely.

If you'd like to see what it looked like, you can see a web gallery here.

Jonathan Saunders

I recently came across the work of Jonathan Saunders. His still work is very good. Solid editorial portraits for the usual suspects like People, Time, and The LA Times Magazine. But it's his video/multimedia work that really got my attention. It's beautiful, touching, disturbing, and baffling by turns. They're odd and tricky and straight forward and remarkable. Well worth the time spent viewing.

Metz Shoe Mount Flash

The back-up strobe in my backpack was the Metz 58 AF-2 for Canon. I really like this flash. Metz makes them compatible with both systems that I use- Nikon and Canon. (They also make versions for Pentax, Sony, and Olympus) I'll admit, I'm not a power user of small flashes- I don't so complex system set-ups, or high speed sync, or commander/slave uses, but the Metz does do all that stuff. I use these things as an off camera and manual lighting source most of the time. In the backpack system, this means using it as a light somewhere in the background (there's one on low power in the shot above) and knowing that if the batteries on my Elinchroms died, I could still light a portrait. I've also used them as a direct handheld flash. They've performed perfectly in all these situations. And the best part? They cost about $100 less than the comparable Canon 580 or Nikon SB strobes. Nice.

I added the Metz P76 battery to power the 58, too. This is similar to the Quantum batteries a lot of people use. It's high capacity and high voltage, so you don't have to rely on AA's. I actually hate using this kind of flash with AA's. The recycle time is too long and they wear out way too quickly. You plug the 58 into the P76 and you can shoot hundreds of pictures and have the flash recycle much much faster than it does with AA's. And by using the Metz battery, you don't have to worry about compatibility and warranty issues that sometimes arise with Quantums.

In a week or two, I'll be posting a full review of the Elinchrom Ranger Quadra that is the centerpiece of my "Studio in a Backpack".

A Nice Quote from Consulting

A little over a year ago, I was contacted by Jonathan Zufi who was trying to create a web site called The Shrine of Apple. I was gratified to read what he wrote about our experience together:

"When I started planning for my web site, "The Shrine of Apple", I knew I wanted photographs of my collection of Apple products that had a similar look and the same high quality of those on the official Apple site. I struggled and failed to do that for almost a year before I was referred to Forest. We spent one session planning the equipment I needed and another with Forest training me how to use it and now the photography is perfect. I wish I had found him a year earlier- it would have saved me a lot of frustration! His knowledge of photographic technique, equipment, and software is amazing. We continue to work together as needed."

Thanks, Jonathan!

Ten Things I Learned in 2011

1.     That I learn as much from my students as I teach them.

2.     That persistence pays off. Eventually.

3.     That gray hair is really OK after all.

4.     That Atlanta is the best possible place for me to be.

5.     That losing ten pounds isn’t really that hard. And it makes a big difference.

6.     That my children never stop amazing and impressing me with their intelligence, talent, and humanity.

7.     That new friends are just as wonderful as old friends- they just have less history.

8.     That old dogs really can learn new tricks.

9.     That great photography can still take my breath away.

10. That just when I thought I couldn’t love my wife Andrea any more- I do.

Light Meters

Sometimes I wonder if I'm old school and a borderline dinosaur. But then I think about it and I realize that sound technique is critical to fine photography. It's not a substitute for a keen eye and interesting content, but when combined with those attributes, a photograph sings and encourages the viewer to spend time and linger.

I've been a diligent user of handheld light meters for a very long time. My first serious meter was a Gossen Luna Pro. It was the industry standard for decades- if you wanted the most accurate results, you owned a Luna Pro. As I started using flash, my meter use became even more important. When I light a scene, I can do it faster because I've taken meter readings all over and I know exactly what things will look like.

Now, many years later, I still use Gossen meters. In my Studio in a Backpack I carried the Gossen Digisky. It's a very full featured meter with a huge range of f/stops, shutter speeds, and ISO settings available. It's always on the money and consistently repeatable. And the nicest thing is that it has a wireless transmitter built in. The Elinchrom strobes I use (stay tuned- there will be an in depth article about them in next week or two.) have a wireless system built in, too. The Skyport system (also to be reviewed in coming weeks) is a small and powerful radio slave and having it inside my Digisky makes things simpler and more convenient. My Skyport can stay connected to the camera while I walk around reading the strobe exposures. Nice.

Now, if you don't need the extensive features contained in the Digisky, you might want to look at the Digipro F. I carried it as my back up and I've found it to be a perfect complement to the more expensive unit and available for a price that the budget conscious photographer will find attractive.

The Lastolite Tri Flip Kit Reflector

When you open my Kata backpack, the first thing you see is a large flat compartment with a 33" Lastolite TriGrip Reflector in it. This is a fairly indispensable item to own. It's relatively small, light, and can be used in a bunch of different ways.  The primary way I use it is as a fill for my portraits. When I light, I almost never use a second light to fill shadows. The fact is I love shadows- they give faces shape and character. But I want to control just how dark they are. In some situations they need to be inky dark, in others barely there, and, most of the time, somewhere in between. Using a reflector to bounce a little light into those shadows gives me the control I need.

Generally, I use the TriGrip with the Trigrip bracket . Although this bracket includes an arm so you can attach a shoe mount strobe, I took this off. The arm made it a little bulky to carry in my backpack and I figured if I needed to use the Tri Grip as a diffuser, I had other options. I generally put one end of the bracket on a light stand and on the other I attached the reflector with a Super Clamp . The bracket has a double ball joint which makes it infinitely adjustable, so I can place the reflector in any position I need.

The TriGrip has some features I really like. Unlike other collapsible reflectors, it has a  built in handle with a velcro strap. If I'm working with an assistant, this makes it really easy for them to hold wherever I need it. The kit also comes with two reversible covers with different surfaces. These include black, silver, gold, half silver, half gold, and others. They slip over the translucent white stock surface and essentially give you 8 tools in one. The black can be especially useful if you want to put an outdoor subject in the shade and then light them with a strobe. Or the silver can be used to bounce a little sparkle into your subjects face on a cloudy day or when you have to shoot under florescent lights in an office situation. And using the translucent white as a diffuser on a sunny day to soften that hard (and often hideous) light can allow you to make an attractive portrait in less than opportune conditions.