How Was It Done? Yearbook (The Ultimate Strobist Test?) Introduction

It's nearing the end. High school is nearly over. Exams and then university is just around the corner. And of course, there's the yearbook. So what happens if you are the one of the few students who is an active photographer with camera gear built up from savings and Christmas gifts?

"Hey, I was just wondering if would take a picture of me, for the yearbook? I have this idea..."

And that's where it started.

After one shoot, it became two, and then several bookings followed after that. I knew this was to be a busy week.So over the next few days, weeks, months (probably), I will reveal the secrets behind each of the photoshoots I did in a new set of "How Was It Done?" articles.

So now, a primer.

Lets go over my gear first. I shoot with a Pentax *ist DS, the kit 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 lens, and the Tamron 70-300 f/4-5.6 lens. For the strobist gear, I have a Metz 50 AF-1, Cactus V4 flash triggers, an umbrella (and bracket), and a bunch of DIY bounce cards, snoots, etc. I'm proof that its possible to make awesome photos despite the gear you shoot with. (Softbox made from a pie box and some printer paper, anyone?)

If you haven't already done so, visit the Strobist blog to get some heads up info on shooting with manual, off camera flash as the yearbook shoots which i did were primarily strobist style. Additionally, visit DIYPhotography.net to learn about some DIY strobist gear you could make with just a few bits of cardboard and lots of duct tape.

This yearbook was my first set of large-scale strobist shoots. The only other strobist shoot i had done was the commercial type photo of a Remy Martin VSOP Cognac bottle. Additionally, this was a chance for me to build a portrait portfolio without having to pay for models, and subsequently meant I didnt make any money off of it either. But this is a critical part of photography, building a portfolio, especially for portraits. Start with some close friends and work your way up. Soon, you may even get some paying clients!

As a well practiced photographer, i tend to be very technical, so in order to understand the lingo, make sure to brush up on some key photographic terms (such as aperture, f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, etc.). I will be writing the following articles as if i was talking to another well-practiced photographer.

The first behind the scenes of the photoshoots will be coming up soon. So stay tuned...

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How Was It Done? HDR Trains

It's one of the main methods of inter-country travel in Europe. In the United States, they're diesel burning goliaths that pull freight from state to state. In China, they are beating world records, running from province to province in ever lessening times. They are trains and to a photographer, they are a perfect subject to photograph in HDR.

The following photos were taken at Maastricht Central Station which is a fairly busy train station at the heart of the Limburg region.



So, how was it done? Firstly, this photo is an HDR photo. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, which essentially increases the amount of dynamic range that can be put in an image. What is dynamic range? Well, it is the range from bright light (highlights) to dark ones (shadows). A camera's sensor has much less range than the human eye (or even film) so a method called local tone mapping is employed to blend the light, dark, and midtones of several photos (each differently exposed) into one photo. This can be done one of two ways, dedicated HDR software, or tone blending with Photoshop (or similar software). I personally use Photomatix software for HDR.

This photo is an HDR composite of three photos, one underexposed by 2 stops, one properly exposed, and one 2 stops overexposed. This can be done with the "bracketing" feature of your camera or by manually changing the exposure of each.

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Note: Using this technique in a busy scene may result in some strange artifacts as objects move around in the scene. This can be remedied with a different technique of HDR. This involves taking one RAW photo and creating three new photos from that RAW file, one over, under, and properly exposed. Finally, merge these photos with your software. This may introduce some image noise as you push a properly exposed image too high or low.

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So now the image itself. The image was taken with a Pentax *ist DS with the 18-55mm kit lens. This is my primary setup as it is lightweight and the focal length range is flexible. I shot in Aperture Priority (Av, or A) so I could control the aperture and let the camera do the rest. The base exposure (the middle exposure) was at f/4, 1/10 sec., ISO-400, at 28mm. The camera bracketing took care of the 2 stop under/overexposure.

The HDR was created by merging the three photos in Photomatix and lastly the resulting HDR TIFF file was edited in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. HDR is a very subjective style of photography. Since there are so many different settings, the best way to get a good HDR is to experiment with all the different sliders and settings until you arrive at a photo you like!

There's a catch. HDR works best with RAW files. RAW files inherently have more data than JPEGs (which have been compressed). The above shot was made with three JPEGs. Below is a shot made with three RAW files:



Notice the difference? Photomatix was able to extract more detail from the RAW files and hence you get a richer, more detailed HDR with less noise artifacts. Look at the photo of the NS VIRM (the yellow train), see that weird spot on the window? That's a compression artifact from developing an HDR photo from JPEGs. Of course this is not a fair test (different subjects/conditions/etc.) but believe me, if you're not shooting RAW yet, you're missing out on the capabilities of your camera.

In terms of composition, what do you see? Yup, with images like these, I like to use wide-angle lenses and strange angles. Of course this is subject dependent, but with trains, I want to create this image of raw power and using extreme angles gives you a bold, powerful result. Just look at portraits of CEOs, low angles are almost always key to demonstrate authority. Below is an example of using a telephoto lens (which tends to compress a photo) and a standing position:



Because the train is decommissioned, I chose to use a "weaker" angle. Additionally, this is the type of subjects I like to photograph in HDR. HDR tends to bring out the dirt and grime (details!) in a subject and this shot is a perfect example. This is why HDR is suited to buildings, vehicles, etc. and not [usually] for portraits, animals, etc.

So the images above are what came out as the final results! If you need any help understanding some of the terms here, would like to comment or suggest new features, or add your own personal thoughts, comment or contact me!

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New Feature of Metz Flashes for Pentax!

Just got word of a new firmware update for Pentax mounted Metz flashes (so far i know the 48 AF-1, 50 AF-1, 58 AF-1 & 2) that allows for optical servo mode with pre-flash suppression. In other words, your P-TTL pop up flash can now work as a trigger.

Ok, ok, i know that Pentax bodies (the newer ones) already support wireless flash with P-TTL control, but for us *ist users (we are becoming a rare species) it means optical slave for all of us. Additionally, the servo mode is full manual, so under/overexposure is your own fault, not the camera's anymore. :) More control = more creativity anyways.

So head on over to the Metz website, break out your USB cables and let the updating begin!
Metz Flash Units: Firmware Downloads

Ok, so now that you've updated, to enable this mode, cycle (using +/- buttons) through the options till you reach SL (stands for "slave"). Now press the + button until you see "M" (manual) and beneath that, "SERVO". Now set your flash power, pop up your DSLR's flash and shoot away!

But (yes there is a "but"), optical slaves are line of sight only so therefore range is limited by current optical laws. And secondly, the flash will fire when other flashes in the vicinity (including non-Pentax) fire. Here is when radio slaves (such as the Cactus V4 or new V5's) have an advantage. But this means that even your little point and shoot can become a studio camera too! (tested and confirmed with a Sony DSC P&S)

And you can have some fun with other people's pictures... (imagine the look on their faces when all their pics come out white!)

Also check out:
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Opening the 2011 Portfolio

Finally! I had the inspiration (and time) to take a photo! This time it was of a Remy Martin VSOP Champagne Cognac in a strobist style shoot (one wireless Metz 50 AF-1 flash).

The setup consisted of a pane of glass from a china cabinet, some t-shirts, a lamp, and most importantly, a Metz 50 AF-1 flash triggered with a Cactus V4 wireless trigger.

I think its a great way to start my portfolio for 2011! If only Remy Martin would hire me to do photos for them...[/dream]

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2011 Portfolio, What a Great Start...

You may be able to sense my sarcasm enthusiasm in that title. Tomorrow is February 1st. That means that I have gone 1 month without taking a single photo to add to my portfolio despite the fact that I purchased a new Metz 50 AF-1 flash and a set of wireless triggers.

Well, thats the life of a photographer who is also an IB victim student (or the other way around i suppose).

Maybe the weather here in the Netherlands will warm up soon so i can get out and start shooting. Or maybe I'll have my head buried in my Math HL book until May.

Either way...

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Welcome to the Site!

Hi everyone,

Finally got a blog going (in association with Facebook, DeviantArt, and Flickr) to expand the ways that everyone can get updates on my photography.

Websites are:
DeviantArt
Facebook
Flickr

Hope you enjoy the new blog and my websites!

Cheers,

Andrei

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If you like this, please share with your fellow photographers! Not only will this information be spread out to help more photographers, user feedback will improve the content posted to the website!

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