Sunday, December 2, 2018

Godox TT350S

I've been looking for a while for a solid small flash to add to my arsenal. After a few years of just using OCF (Off Camera Flash - radio controlled). I felt I needed some on-camera flash to supplement my OCF flashes like the AD200 with some light bouncing from the ceiling onto people's faces.
I tried using My TT865s but it was too bulky and heavy for my style, especially when turning my A99ii sideways for vertical photos. Yes, I know some people have very large Canon/Nikon cameras with big flashes mounted, but I like to be very agile and flexible, especially in crowded events.
Once I got the TT350S I actually fell in love with it. It's nice to only have to use two AAs, and it's light weight makes it perfect to mount anywhere, to put in my pockets, and to give it to people to hold.


Here it is mounted on a railing above to provide a bit more subtle light.

 Here it is fist bumping the AD200 for a new style of photos I'm trying out, developed out of my Heroines of Light project.




And here is held in a demonstration/vigil in the Oregon Zoo.


It just shows how versatile that small flash is, and surprisingly enough unlike many other small to medium flashes it also tilts to the side in case you want to bounce some light from the wall, which surely will be useful once weddings season starts.

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Tips for Family and Portrait Photoshoots

A lot of what I do is portrait photography so I thought I might share some tips with y'all. I will update this post periodically as more tips come in :)

1. Don't put people in direct sunlight. It is too bright and people will be squinting. Some people cannot even handle ANY sunlight, even if it's backlighting them. You can try to tell them to close their eyes and then open them when you shoot, but for some people that doesn't even work, especially if they have narrow or sensitive eyes. In any session I would recommend taking at least some photos in the shade and if possible using flash strobes to augment your shot.
2. Avoid shooting in weird shadows, like the ones produced by tree leaves. Otherwise you'll spend a lot of time in photoshop trying to fix it and often still having weird results. If you have too, use an off camera flash to even out the light on face. 
2. Shoot in different apertures. That way you'll have different options for the final edit. For example, I just shot this man and the eyes and hair were in focus but the nose was slightly out of focus. Luckily I could easily paste a nose for other photos while still retaining a nicely blurred background.
3. Small children tend to like putting their fingers in their mouth during photo sessions. To avoid that, ask the parents to bring a toy, a doll, a ball or anything that they would like to hold and be cute in the photo.
4. Most children do NOT have a long attention span. If possible, set your camera to high frame rate mode and take as many photos possible at the start of any group photo that includes kids.
5. When shooting more than one person, always switch sides and relative positions. That will help you immensely in editing in case someone accidently casts a shadow on the other person or if the light quality looks different for some reason.
6. When shooting in forests, have people wear colors that stand out. I would especially recommend avoiding greys, greens, browns and blacks. Any red, purple or blue will stand out in that situation and probably in any location.
7. Ask people to smile and then not to smile. If you do this a few times you might get a more genuine smile, just from them having to switch rapidly.
8. Ask families to sing. It loosens them up sometimes, choose a main person in the family and have them sing to that person. If they don't know any songs, pick the "A B C" song.
9. A lot of people tend to automatically put their hands in their pockets. Kids tend to put their hands in their mouth or worse, nose. One way of dealing with this is to ask people to clap before the shot is taken. This will sometimes also help with stiffness of body.
10. A lot of kids have oral fixations, which means that they put their hands or other objects in their mouth and do not want to pull them out. I've seen many parents pull their kids' fingers out violently. While that might work, the kids seem to be in a bad mood once that happens. Other parents start negotiating with their kids, even bribing. That also works sometimes but takes a lot of precious time out of the photoshoot time and other members of the family might lose interest at that time. One trick that I've used is to tell a posed family clap their hands. Hrd mentality seem to make kids magically pull their fingers out of their mouth and put down the stick they picked up that just doesn't fit in the photo. You don't necessarily have to take the photo where the family is clapping. With a bit of practice, tell the family  to stop clapping and then take the photo.




Monday, September 17, 2018

The Competition

So, as you know I really like my A99ii and being able to crop from 42 megapixels really saved me a few times and really helps when you're only shooting with primes. That said, in some ways I am looking forward to switching to e-mount sometimes in the future as a-mount seem to be winding down and mirrorless seem to offer better features.
That said, the e-mount camera that I would want does not exist yet. While the A7rIII is okay and will probably do, I will probably wait for its successor to be a year at least on the market before commiting to a purchase so it might still be two-three years in the future before I start considering a new purchase.
I remember a few months ago we had a discussion on a Sony Facebook group about which camera would we buy if Sony didn't make stills cameras anymore. Nothing really good was available at that point, hitting the sweet spot in terms of price/features.
However, now both Nikon, Canon and soon Panasonic are finally coming out with full frame mirrorless cameras packed with features.
As the Internet is packed with reviews and opinions about the new cameras, I'm only going to be discussing one feature, the two slots. That feature was missing from early mirrorless cameras but of course was available in both the A99 and the A99ii. It is currently missing from both Nikon and Canon's offering and might not even come in a future model by these companies in the next two years. I am still hoping Panasonic will make it happen in it's upcoming release.

Why do we need it? People keep talking about what would happen if a card gets corrupted which is a valid concern, but there are actually more uses for dual slots:

1. Same day editing/slideshow - Sure you can setup Wifi or Bluetooth to transfer jpegs to a laptop or phone, but with current technology that might still be slow and prone to failures. Nothing faster than taking a fast SD card from your camera and putting it in the laptop slot.
2. Second photography - There are a lot of second photographers are out there who as part as their contract are allowed to use the photos for their own portfolio and all of them would be served well by writing RAW files to two cards, one given to them by their employer, the other, their own to take home.
3. Fast card switching - with current SD card sizes you don't need to fish in your bag for a change of card. Even if you need to switch right before an the throwing of the bouquet, it's much easier just switching to the other card than looking through your bag,
4. Emergency card - even if you never ever ever will write to both cards, it is a comforting thought to know that you always have another card there in case your card fails on you, in case you forgot your card in the reader, really any sort of issue.
5. Sorting - I honestly never used writing stills to one card and video to the other. That said, it is one of these features you never ever need until you have a project where it is needed.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Shooting a promo with the A99ii and the RX10IV

A recurring client asked me if I had access to a camera that does 240fps. He had this idea of doing an Avengers inspired promo for a Municipal Broadband campaign that required some major slow mo running.
The A99ii only does 120fps and I was tempted to a moment to just shoot 120fps and extend it to 240fps in Adobe Premiere Pro or After Effects. There are also some specialized and pretty expensive pro slow motion cameras out there that I could rent. However, since the Sony Pro service allows me to get some loaner equipment to test (that they send through LensRentals) I decided to go with the RX10IV, one of the better point and shoots that Sony has made, kind of a go to camera if you need 600mm or 240fps in a small affordable camera.
Because I didn't how how the RX10IV would work, just to be on the safe side, I also got a 70-400mm lens for my A99ii. Generally I don't use zoom lenses, but I wanted to try perhaps doing some zooms. That was a mistake as I soon realized that hand held  zooming and focusing at the same proved impossible. Next time I will probably get an FS5 some other "true" video camera for this.
That said, both cameras worked well. The RX10IV is really light and the 70-400mm lens is surprisingly easy to use on the A99ii and not heavy at all. All the shots were handheld to convey a sense of urgency and action so it was great to have something light but not too light to work with.
I used the A99ii on 400mm for most of the non slow-mo shots of the people hanging in the park, switching to my 20mm prime lens to shoot the greedy corporation owners. I did use my 85mm lens for a few of the shots when necessary, like the chess game, because it had an Over the Shoulder aspect that I didn't want to lose.
I used the RX10IV exclusively for slow motion shots, as Sony calls them, HFR (High Frame Rate) mode. It only shoots 4 seconds of quality 1080p/24fps that makes it 40 second shot for use in editing. Once you're finished with shot, it renders it out to file in front of your eyes. So you need to be well planned to shoot in this mode and wait a little between takes.  A few good youtube videos about this helped be to be somewhat prepared for that. The footage though looks really really good, I guess that's the important part.
Since it's summer here and the shoot was to be held between 11am and 4pm, we had to deal with some really bright sun and/or strong contrast. I decided to shoot in S-Log 3, also after watching a few videos about this. Both cameras have the same menus to activate this. These menus are poorly designed and difficult to figure out. MENU → (Camera Settings1) → [Picture Profile] → PP8 should get you there though.  You should also set MENU → (Setup) → [Gamma Disp. Assist] to S-Log3, so you could properly see what the end result could look like.
That said, S-Log3 works really well in contrasty shots. It forces you to shoot in ISO 800, but it looks good. That said, in situations where there is less contrast I would not advise you to shoot in that mode as it hinders the ability to focus, either manually o with Auto focus.
Editing was kind of easy, I found a free preset to use. That said, color correction proved challenging at times as the bright colors provided by S-Log were sometimes really different from one another, depending on where we shot and what colors were in the scene.
Would I but the RX10IV? Probably not. I hope usable 240fps come to the Alpha family soon, perhaps on the A7iii that is out soon? I also hope for better control of the camera while shooting slow motion, as the current RX10IV option is to be stuck on auto throughout the shot. I would also hope for something longer than 4 seconds, just in case it is needed.
That said, the tools I were using were sufficient to make the promo. We complemented them with some drone footage to provide even more drama. I think at this point I still would rather hire a drone operator for these shots rather than buy one myself. I guess I am still in fear of crashing a drone :)



Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Adventures in 85mm

I purchased my Sigma 85 1.4 lens second hand. At the time I wasn't doing much auto focusing, especially with tele lenses, due to to my specific cinematic style. Because of that I'm not sure if when I got it the AF was already broken or if it got that way later on. What is this cinematic style that I speak of? I guess it's a style that lets me in video change focus from one person to another or even choose to go from out-of-focus to focus if a shot requires it. Even on stills shots it allows you to select which person or what object will be in focus. I know some current cameras do it with touch screens, but these don't always work well for for focus pulling and I would rather change focus while using the viewfinder.
So for a long time I was using my sigma lens only in manual mode, but it fast became my go-to lens. I spend a LOT of money to buy Zeiss 50mm 1.4 and used it practically for everything but soon after getting the 85mm I found myself more and more drawn to using it. As I mostly shoot people the 85mm seemed like a great solution for weddings in small to medium venues, producing "beauty" shots without the hassle that comes with shooting with the 200mm in a room with a large crowd. The 85nn just seemed perfect for isolating a person while still retaining a sense of the room that person is in and the people next to that person.
I still use the 50mm if I want a few people in the shot and for formals. I also use the 20mm lens but RARELY.
Even shooting in nature, where I know the 200mm is popular I would rather use the 85mm because I feel that I can get more of the actual nature rather than just a blur a person floats in.
That said, since I got the A99ii I started experimenting with Eye-AF options. While not as great as in the latest Sony A7/9 models it is still worth using. However, it requires a working AF, so I waited for the right time to send my lens to Sigma.
As I am a working photographer, I decided to get a loaner lens courtesy of Sony PRO services. It actually comes from LensRantals.com.
At first they told me that due to their Kando 2.0 event that I wouldn't be able to get a loaner at the time I wanted it, but a few e-mails later they realized that they didn't actually need any A-Mount lenses so I could actually get the loaner. Sometimes it pays to be the underdog I guess. So I got the Sony Zeiss 85mm 1.4 lens that week and sent my Sigma 85 1.4 lens to Kurt's Camera Repair In San Diego, an authorized service center of Sigma, after confirming with them that they can fix it.
Once it got there they realized that they didn't have the right equipment to fix A-Mount lenses. I guess sometimes it doesn't pay to be the underdog. So they sent it to the main Sigma lab in upstate NY.  As to be expected it took a while for it to be shipped there and back so my two weeks with the loaner were over so I get left without the 85mm and had to to a family photoshoot with just the 50mm and 200mm lenses.
The good news was that though I had no proof of purchase whatsoever Sigma decided to fix my lens for free. So I only had to pay around 60$ for shipment which was cool.
The Sony Zeiss 85mm 1.4 was okay, and did the job on a small wedding where I used it extensively.




That said without and scientific or even extensive testing I find the Zeiss lens to be a kind of bland lens when compared to the Sigma lens that has better colors and bokeh as far as I could tell.
So I was happy to finally, after three and a half weeks to get my Sigma lens back which I plan to use on Sunday for my next fire dancing photoshoot.

Monday, March 26, 2018

It's Video Time!

I haven't done a lot video projects since I got the A99ii so I was excited to make this video for the non-profit bike shop Bikes for Humanity, promoting bike maintenance and use in the community.
Sometimes the bike shop can be a bit hectic, busy with volunteers fixing bikes and having fun, so initially I thought that would be a good style for the promotional video, explaining about how they were moving next door. So I did an hour or so of test shooting using the auto-focus options of the A99ii, because I needed to also ask questions in the interview while handholding the camera and moving it around. I figured that manual focusing while doing all that would be a bit much. As you might now by now if you own the camera, it goes into P mode and locks the aperture to 3.5. It's not too bad if the lighting is okay but can be quite bothersome and inflexible in some scenarios. Auto focusing seem to work well at times, but miss the mark at other times, switching from a person's face to the computer monitor in front of him for example. Also i had some bike mechanics show me some equipment, bringing it forward, but the camera would not lock on it, always seemingly preferring a face.
I realized that style wasn't really doing it for me, especially considering the limitations on the A99ii. So instead I decided to switch to a completely different style, inspired by the film director Wes Anderson.
That involved putting the camera on a tripod and shooting very static shots. I also decided not to have the main shop operator talk to the camera but add his voice as narration which simplified both production and the post process. 
The movie was planned to be edited in 1080p but I did shoot the opening exterior shots with the new 4K capabilities. That allowed me to stand at the opposite side of the street, shooting two storefronts and having Andrew, the Bikes for Humanity administrator, walk from one storefront to the other while the "camera" is tracking him. Without 4K I would have had to rent an expensive dolly and spend a lot of time trying to make the movement perfect. Instead I just zoomed into the footage and did pan and scan instead in Premiere Pro CC2018, changing the position of the footage.
This kind of trick shows the advantages of new technology. Sure, you could have made the same shot 40 years ago, but it would have been much more costly, requiring a crew of at least 6 people. Instead I could do this for no cost with just me and Andrew.
For the rest of the shoot I really utilized focus peaking to manage how much of the frame is in focus and where it is. I set it to medium and the color to red, a color that really pops out, shooting in 1080p 60p, except for one shot that had a bike spinning where I used S & Q slow motion in 120p. I also took some drone shots with a non-Sony camera :)
The trickiest shot for me was the one for the end credits. I wanted the feel of a dolly but didn't have one. So I used the Minolta 200mm 2.8 and just panned across the mural. I adjusted in post by scaling the shot a little bit and rotating it to compensate for the changing horizon.  Pans are tricky shots, especially if you plan to add text in post by tracking the shot. I ended up shooting in 1080 120pfs with a shutter speed of 1/250. This meant I had double the amount of frames I needed to edit in 60p for smooth tracking which I did with Imagineer Mocha and After Effects. After tracking the movement (using the full 120fps) and attaching the text, I slowed the footage down. The important thing to remember is NOT to use frame blending or any other optical frame estimation in either After Effects or any software you might use. Your footage should already have extra frames to allow for smooth slow motion.
I like the video in the A99ii much better than the so-so video that the A99 had. It is much cleaner with a better codec and improved bitrate. Though I wasn't really using the recorded sound, the internal microphone provided much better clearer usable sound than the original sound did in the indoor scene
That said, the new specs on the Sony e-mount camera makes me wish I had one so that I could have things like video eye-AF, AF in M mode and higher frame rate slow motion.