Messages

1

Software & Accessories / Re: Stop Using Instagram

« on: December 19, 2012, 12:21:34 AM »

Here's an interesting view: Is deleting Instagram going to be the new deleting Facebook?
Google Trends definitely looks like it. I'm a statistical maths nerd, so I'll be watching these lines over the next few days once it's had a while to sink in and for the numbers to come through.

Interesting that a spike already happened in April, coincidentally when FB bought IG, and it's been climbing ever since...

But Google Trends are very misleading and useless IMO. They only tell you the results as a percentage so, for all we know, they could have had only 10 searches for that term in April and now they have 20... 

2

Portrait / Re: Food pics - help required

« on: December 18, 2012, 11:48:00 PM »

I have often done all the things you are tasked to do as a working professional, so I do know quite a bit about it. Other than advising your friend to hire a really competent professional and then being at the shoot yourself to observe and learn for a possible second opportunity, there is very little you can do to help create consistently first class pictures for your friend, unless you spend about six months practicing first. As others have suggested, your request covers such a broad range of subject matter - interiors, people and/or people with food, and food itself - that giving you any specific advice is really either a "fool's errand" or a full-time job.

As to cameras and lenses, you already have whatever you need if you would be just as creative as you need to be. Hey, just look through that little viewfinder thingy in the back of the camera and observe. Does it look right? Then it is. Lighting is what you need most and need to, above all, learn.

Instead, in an effort to be helpful, I will give you the same advice which served me so well over 30 years ago when the very talented pro I occasionally assisted for gave it to me. Buy, or preferably rent, yourself some very cheap "hot lights" - two or three tungsten halogen powered focusing floods or broad lights (i.e., TotaLights or Mole or Arri true focusing floods or "nook" or broadlights) in the 500 watt range and a couple of small (200 watts) Fresnel lensed focusing spots (sometimes called "midgets" in the industry). You'll need some barndoors for the true floods and perhaps a snoot or two for the spots. For most non-quick-melting food subjects, these lights, plus some B&W foamcore, some c stands, arms with gripheads, a mini boom, clothespins, A-clamps and Mafer clamps and some gaffer tape, a sheet or two of diffusion plastic, maybe a few colored lighting gels, plus 5 or 6 sandbags, will be all you need to do such a job properly. Generally, use reflected (off foamcores or ceilings/walls) or diffused (through plastic sheeting) light for soft lighting effects, the harder direct lighting mostly with the small Fresnel's. Most inexperienced amateurs would wonder if my suggestion sounds so "old school" as to be stupid. Why hotlights when you can also do such a job with flash which seems so much more "modern" and high-tech? Well, there are lots of reasons:
1) The ambient lighting in most quality restaurants is primarily tungsten (for now - until the EPA succeeds in ruining even our nights out to dinner), so that you will have a near color-match balance between your photo lights and the ambient background lighting. Life is simpler this way.
2) You can see exactly what your picture will look like (except for contrast/DR issues) with your own eyes and very quickly adjust and change your lighting until it simply looks good; flash modeling lights are never as effective at previewing your actual pictures for many technical reasons. This concept is true for both the food and the restaurant interiors.
3) Flash (except for truly ridiculously expensive - and not quite as "accurate" - Fresnel-lensed flash units)  and other economically feasible lighting sources, like controlled photo fluorescents, just can't duplicate the control and effectiveness of a simple, cheap 200 watt Mole midget Fresnel spot, which makes it possible to make your food go from OK to great looking when you learn how to use it with precision and subtlety.
4) If, when taking your people shots, you don't have enough "shutter speed" with your tungsten, you can add a little supplemental pop to the people with a simple tungsten gelled potable flash unit, which, along with today's higher ISO possibilities, makes this use quite effective.
5) Once you know how best to light things with your tungsten experience, you can later use that knowledge with the harder to use (for this subject matter) flash lighting that you see so often. Or maybe just stick with tungsten. Whatever suits you best.

Last, per what you said in your OP, you don't always need very great depth of field in your shots, especially in your food shots, as, for the past 15 years or so, very narrow depth of field has been the more usual approach, perhaps even originally created out of necessity, but nonetheless still the current norm. Think small. Think mainly out-of-focus.

I hope all this advice helps, but I still think you ought to have your friend hire an experienced and talented pro the first time.

Regards,
David

David, just like the OP I also happened to be looking for advice for food and product photography and specially for lighting when I stumbled on this thread and saw your post. Really helpful stuff. Thanks!

3

Abstract / Re: Goofing around could lead to $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

« on: December 03, 2012, 08:41:52 AM »

The first one looks like street lights shining through a wet window (it definitely looks like something wet).  The second one looks to me like a cork (from a wine or beer bottle), although someone mentioned a nail head, which is also a good guess.

Now that you mention it, it does like like a cork.

4

Abstract / Re: Goofing around could lead to $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

« on: December 03, 2012, 06:36:57 AM »

Whilst we're debating the pros and cons of what makes "art", I can't help noticing that in the 7hrs or so since I posted the images, the thread has been read almost 1000 times and the images opened almost 900 times each and yet no one has asked what the images are of. I'd have thought abstract images would have caused at least one person to ask, "what is it?". Maybe they're too obvious. Maybe I'm over-analysing the minds of the people who view this site. Maybe I should get out more. 

Well, the first one is obviously some sort of light source but I don't know what.

The second one looks to me like a macro close-up of the head of a nail.

5

EOS Bodies / Re: EOS 6D manual is ready to download

« on: November 28, 2012, 05:36:52 AM »

Heyj Volks and hi, i´m new. 
I don´t know if u noticed it, but in the German Manual is the talk about a "EOS 6D N"!!! This Version will have no GPS and no Wlan, and thats the Point of Interesst for me!!! Did anyone noticed that too or does anyone know something about that?!? Thx in advance

You're right. The 6D is actually being offered in at least two versions and possibly a third version too but I don't have the info on pricing for each model or details on the third version if it does exist. I'm also not sure if any of those other versions will be coming to N. America either.

If you go to the Canon Asia website and look up the 6D it will say "there is also a 6D variant model without built-in WiFi and GPS." On the same page click on "Full Specifications" and look at the weight of the camera and it will say this:

Dimensions and Weight   
Dimensions (W x H x D)   Approx. 144.5 x 110.5 x 71.2mm / 5.7 x 4.4 x 2.8 in.
Weight (EOS 6D (WG))   Approx. 755g / 26.7oz. (CIPA Guidelines)
Approx. 680g / 24.0oz. (Body only)
Weight (EOS 6D (N))   Approx. 750g / 26.5oz. (CIPA Guidelines)
Approx. 675g / 23.8oz. (Body only)
Weight (EOS 6D (WG))   Approx. 750g / 26.5oz. (CIPA Guidelines)
Approx. 675g / 23.8oz. (Body only)

Notice how it lists the 6D (WG) twice but the last one has the same weight as the N model... could simply be an overlooked typo though.

http://www.canon-asia.com/personal/products/interchangeable-lens-camera/dslr-eos/eos-6d

6

HDR - High Dynamic Range / Re: Post your HDR images:

« on: November 17, 2012, 07:56:35 PM »

Nice shot waterdonkey.

This is my first ever HDR photo. Handheld with XSi and 18-55mm.


Morikami by Iris Chrome, on Flickr

7

Canon General / Re: Amazon policies.

« on: November 07, 2012, 02:20:00 AM »

I thought Amazon has a large warehouse but I think it is only virtual.

Forget a bit about the possibility of fraud and all that. Once Amazon sells any product they will want to get it out of their warehouse and shipped ASAP. This is because they're basically losing money on their inventory space. Space that could be cleared out and have new inventory come in to replace it and be sold in turn. You'll probably say that you're only one person or they could spare a bit of their space to accomodate their customers. But in reality they can't. The whole business of Amazon is built on the principle that it is a warehouse that depends on clearing its inventory in record times so as to accomodate the newest products and continue the cycle again.

8

Lenses / Re: Canon Announces New Lens Caps!

« on: November 06, 2012, 12:02:35 AM »

Wow!

Sorry but looks like a Nikon cap... only ugly 

What the hell is Canon thinking?! 

That pinch caps are largely viewed as functionally superior?  They could have been thinking that... ;-)

I couldn't care less how they look. A more secure cap that I can use with a hood on?  I think I'll be purchasing a few of these.

Functionally, I see why this is a good design. Visually though, I think Canon could have afforded to distinguish their lens caps just a tad better since it is sort of an image for the company.

9

Lenses / Re: Canon Announces New Lens Caps!

« on: November 05, 2012, 11:42:26 PM »

Wow!

Sorry but looks like a Nikon cap... only ugly 

What the hell is Canon thinking?! 

10

Technical Support / Re: This Cant be Correct? Huge AFMA.

« on: October 18, 2012, 06:53:11 PM »

just bought Fo Cal pro and see it doesnt work on mac. is thr a mac version?
sucks to be me!

From FoCal's FAQs page:

When will the Mac version be released?

This is another question we’ve been asked a lot. We had hoped to have the Mac version released in June, but due to the release of the Nikon D800, Canon 5Dmk3 and Canon 1D-X and a few issues with their introduction the Mac version has been somewhat delayed.

We also recently took the decision to make the user interface of the Mac version better than our original intention which has slowed things a little but will produce a better product when it’s released.

We’ve taken the decision not to state any more dates for the release of the Mac version of FoCal, but it is our top priority, is moving along quickly now we’ve ironed out some issues and we’ll be reporting progress shortly.

11

Lighting / Re: my desert softbox solution

« on: August 31, 2012, 03:12:46 AM »

Nice!! 

What was position of your "flash box" (aka car) during the shoot?

I'm guessing slightly camera left but could be wrong.

12

Street & City / Re: Night Skyline

« on: August 30, 2012, 11:41:07 PM »

Seems underexposed and a little out of focus. Try varying shutter to 1 sec or more and you might want to try to manual focus at or near infinity. Also, lots of empty space. Maybe zoom in a little bit - 10mm is REALLY wide and can sometimes have an effect opposite than what was originally intended.

Sorry to be only criticizing your shot. It seems like it could have some potential but I think you need to address above issues first. Good luck! 

13

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Best Camera Advertising ever !!!!

« on: August 17, 2012, 09:32:05 AM »

That is sooo craptastic!

14

Lenses / Re: Soviet lens for video

« on: August 13, 2012, 06:10:35 PM »

MC Helios 44m-5 2/58mm f2/58 *IN U.S.* m42 screw pentax
CHROME Mir-1 2.8 37 f2.8 37mm m39 m42 screw pen...
EXPORT Industar 61 L/Z 2.8/50mm Soviet Close Focus
Mir Arsat 26B 26V 3.5 45 f3.5 45mm Kiev 88 Screw

In Soviet Russia lens screws you! 

Sorry! Couldn't resist! 

15

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Canon are you listening...?? NIKON D600

« on: August 07, 2012, 10:31:41 AM »

Rumored D600 top LCD panel....



Lots of nice features there.

Actually that's the middle section of the D800's rear display.