I did... I didn't even look at my photos... I walked home from there (doing more photography) and by the time I got home, I was exhausted. I'll start looking tonight.
stompyq
Well-known
Where are the photos damn it!!!
People have to work and a lot of photos were made. Since when do you show photos the same day you made them?
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
John,
Maggie woke up exhaused. For her the show started in December. Last night I was too wired, and we got home late after 10:30 even though the event ended a little after 8.
I'm kinda hammered today.
As far as the instagram mentality... my solution is not to post, but there are some exceptional images I truely love that are just plain great images. Of course these are the images one hopes for, but they are few.
Maggie thought we overcovered the shooting in the green room, but I had to point out that we started around 3:00 PM and most of the shooting for 3 hours was backstage, while the fashion show was only perhaps 40 minutes.
Cal
stompyq
Well-known
Yeah, I got the feeling she felt that way, but that is where the good photos were (and there wasn't much going on elsewhere). I think she will be satisfied when she has everyone's photos and can really pick the really great ones and put together a time line of the day. I have a few "runway" ones that are usable for sure. My legs are aching from bending down a lot too. I'm going to start going through mine tonight.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
John,
Thanks for being part of this. Pretty much chaos that is somewhat exciting, challenging, and sometimes stressful.
Behind the scenes further our first stop was to Staples on 86th and Lex to make photocopies that were a supplement to the program. There were mucho broken machines and the only copier that worked had a dying toner cartridge. Ed finally helped us out and printed them out in the back for us on a private machine. We bought a case of water for the models and guess who carried it on the subway. We got to Lincoln Center via Grand Central, the shuttle, and the 1 train.
Anyways I think you will find some interesting "art shots" like I did that made the event good for you. I'm very happy with the few gems I have. Kinda learned a lot about how to utilize my flash. The D3X really is a studio camera and because it has crappy high ISO due to pixel size (24MP) it really benefits from using a flash as this was intended.
I also have this huge flash for the Pentax 67II (biggest) that I can use as a slave.
Cal
Range-rover
Veteran
Sorry about that Cal, I'm going to try to make the Feb meet you could bring
it then, I see you took my Train adventure that I do everyday going to work
it's a pain sometimes but I walk across 42nd street which isn't to bad. Glad
to hear Maggie had a great show.
I looked through everything last night. I didn't get anything amazing, but I did get a lot of decent ones for Lyn. She's right though....a lot of make-up!
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
John,
I got up close in "Calzone" mode with the 28/1.4 AF-D and somehow didn't blind too many people with my flash. LOL. Anyways I have mucho cool shots.
Last night I printed two shots that I converted to B&W. Does not seem as sharp as my Monochrom, but I think I will have to add sharpening to overcome the blurring caused by the Bayer Filter Array. Understand that because I'm a lazy slacker, I like that the images from the Monochrom can ride on whatever that default setting is in LR5. Basically I'm that lazy, or perhaps it is just being spoiled.
I'll see what the baseline looks like when I print the gloss overcoat tonight. One image is of this lanky Afro-American girl backstage setting up the audio. Something very urban and gritty about that shot, and what I like most about it you would not know that it is backstage in a theater. Basically it can pass as a street shot.
The other shot is another African-American girl that had crazy big hair sitting by herself. It can also pass as another street shot.
I wonder how this will all fit in with my other work because it is with a different system/camera/sensor and taken with a flash. Anyways call me Mini-Wee-Gee. LOL.
Now you see the difficulties with trying to shoot fashion. I can tell you first hand Creative Directors in the fashion industries are mighty picky, and they don't care about technical difficulties. They just want the perfect shot no matter what. Glad I'm not a pro.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Bob,
I'll bring the scarf then. I have to alert you that Baby-Dog has been eyeing your scarf.
Lately he has become more rowdy and aggressive. My dog is a wack job.
I was walking him on Madison Avenue and this middle aged family looked at this luxury dog sporting a Burberry inspired coat wearing a muzzle. The woman engaged me of why the muzzle, and I explained that he is a vicious dog that was first abused by one owner and neglected by another and that if he gets reported one more time for biting it would be the third strike and he would be taken away and put down. The woman says, "He's so cute," and Baby-Dog sits and wags his tail right on cue making me look like a liar. LOL.
My dog knows he is good looking, and sometimes I think he thinks he is Brad Pitt. I have grown tired of hearing women on a street corner say to their girlfriend, "He's so cute," knowing they are talking about my dog and not me. LOL. I know that if he was not so good looking and cute that he would of gotten the lethal injection a long time ago.
Anyways he likes pooping on Madison and Fifth Avenue because he is a luxury dog. When I cross 96th Street leaving Spanish Harlem behind you can see the change in character in Beagle-Face. Basically the tough 14 pound ghetto-dog gets left behind, and a new dog emerges that acts all entitled and privel-lidged. Anyways Beagle-Face has good instict.
Cal
It's not that I don't have cool shots, and I will use some for my personal work...but I think I could have done better. That's all. I don't mind them not being street since they weren't on the street. Nothing wrong with cool make-up photos. I'm not necessarily a street photographer anyway. It's too confining.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
John,
I think you nailed the challenge aspect in fashion photography. I always feel I could have done better.
I also think the situation is kinda challenging, crowded, hot dressing room. On one hand like a live show and a perhaps a bit studio with some improve. I frequently left to cool off because all those lights were baking me.
I found the make-up artists as interesting as the models.
Cal
Range-rover
Veteran
I'm not surprised the the 28mm f1.4 lens was not sharp, for one hate to
say it, it's for film and did you adjust the AF control in the menu so the
lens matches the camera, I did that with the little 28mm I have and bingo
it looks a lot sharper. If you want I can adjust it for you at the meet and see
if that improves things.
NY_Dan
Well-known
Any word on the date of meet? Sorry if it was mentioned and I missed it.
Range-rover
Veteran
I think it's the 21st Dan.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Bob,
The lack of sharpness I mention is relative in comparing two cameras: one without an anti-alias filter and Bayer Filter Array (Monochrom); and a CMOS 24 MP camera with an anti alias filter that uses a Bayer Filter Array for processing color (D3X).
I checked the AF and found it to be spot on, and I had no need to trim in the lens.
The anti alias filter effectively defocuses the image to avoid these interference patterns that manifest themselves as moray. Also all the extra math involved in a color camera I believe slurs the image.
The Monochrom creates a much more crisp image that does not require any sharpening other than the default setting in LR5. What I'm reporting is how the D3X will likely require sharpening. I made prints to gauge a baseline without any sharpening which is totally new to me. Call me a lazy spoiled slacker, but I prefer not to add sharpening because it can so easily be overdone.
BTW the 28/1.4 AF-D is mucho sharp even wide open. The images definitely look a lot different than my Monochrom images. Some of this is the flash, but the rendering is pretty different. Not sure converting color to B&W is so great.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Muji frame update: So here is the good, the bad, and the ugly. I really like the minimalist look, but most of all I love the price. There is kinda a reverse engineering involved to optimize print and border size for the best presentation to avoid a kludgey look. What is ugly is that the two sheets of acrylic is a major dust magnet. This is an unintended consequence. If you want to create a class 10,000 clean room all you need is to hang enough Muji frames and you will have a dustless enviornment. The film of dust that gets deposited looks like a water stain, almost like a residue left over from dried condensation.
Perhaps there is some way to get rid of all those stray ions that collect on the acrylic to create a static charge. Perhaps there is an electronic countermeasure where I can attach a grounding wire to get rid of excess electrons.
I run a dehumidifier and try to maintain a 50% relative humidity in my luxury apartment because of acoustic guitars (wood), because Jon Cone recommends a 50% relative humidity to prevent print heads getting dried and clogged, and to maintain my boyish looks by preventing dry skin.
Not sure if this will be an issue when it is summer, but in the winter these frames are not the best.
Cal
Perhaps there is some way to get rid of all those stray ions that collect on the acrylic to create a static charge. Perhaps there is an electronic countermeasure where I can attach a grounding wire to get rid of excess electrons.
I run a dehumidifier and try to maintain a 50% relative humidity in my luxury apartment because of acoustic guitars (wood), because Jon Cone recommends a 50% relative humidity to prevent print heads getting dried and clogged, and to maintain my boyish looks by preventing dry skin.
Not sure if this will be an issue when it is summer, but in the winter these frames are not the best.
Cal
Particular
a.k.a. CNNY, disassembler
Cal,
Two anti-static measures that work for me are a Milty Zerostat gun. These are used by DJ's, and neutralise the static by blasting charged particles.
The other thing is to use a pec pad or some soft cloth and just mist it (not wet it) with isopropyl alcohol, and wipe the surface. Somehow the evaporation zaps the static very effectively.
Two anti-static measures that work for me are a Milty Zerostat gun. These are used by DJ's, and neutralise the static by blasting charged particles.
The other thing is to use a pec pad or some soft cloth and just mist it (not wet it) with isopropyl alcohol, and wipe the surface. Somehow the evaporation zaps the static very effectively.