review | Random Panderings

Making the move from Mouse to Tablet

15-03-2012

Bamboopen

Anyone that’s done even minor amounts of skin retouching will tell you that using a mouse is a great way to get RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury). Ultimately a Pen and Tablet is a much better way. Generally the barrier to entry is price. Wacom are the king of this brand, with the Intuos Touch hitting almost €500.

That’s not an ideal starting price, but there are other options, and from the same company too. Wacom have a starter series called the ‘Bamboo’ range. I became familiar with them from their older Bamboo Fun. With a mix of speaking arrangements made, I felt that I really needed something for travel, rather than dealing with the frustration of using a trackpad on my older Macbook Pro.

The best option for price and size was the Bamboo Pen, which cost €65 from my local Mac store Galmac. The tablet is reasonably large, but the working area is smaller. The pen can be stored with it too, sliding into a luminous green cloth retainer on the side-perfect for travel. The USB cable is a slightly more obscure variety, so needs looking after though.

In use the Bamboo Pen feels right and is comfortable to use. Bearing in mind that I was doing 4 different talks at Focus on Imaging each day, and setting up and breaking down in 2 minutes, it performed flawlessly. It doesn’t weigh much either, so it doesn’t impact on travel weight, always a concern with low cost airlines.

The sensitivity is not as high as an Intuos, but is still more than enough to get going. You can overcome this a little by zooming in more though. Going from mouse/trackpad to tablet use takes practice. It’s key that you set the tablet to tablet mode in preferences or it can be a struggle to learn properly. In tablet mode the working area represents the whole screen (or multi screen) area. Moving to a point on the tablet corresponds to that part of the screen.

The Bamboo Pen comes with the ‘Bamboo Dock’ app, which has widgets to help you practice using the pen and getting proficient with it. Personally I rarely use a mouse these day and prefer the pen and tablet for everything. Would I recommend the Pen as a starter or travel product? Yes, without hesitation.

Bessel Incline Arm Stand

By: Sean McCormack

17-01-2012

Equipment, review

I recently made an order with Bessel in the UK. I needed a few bits, and have been hankering for a boom arm to use for hairlights/overhead light. I do have an Enlichrom Polystand, which is pretty amazing. I use that for my main light though. As much as I love it, I couldn’t ever justify buying a 2nd one. Bessel do a boom they call the Incline Arm Stand. There’s no direct link, it’s in the middle of the stands page at a cheap £49.99 plus VAT. Over 1/4 of the price of the Polystand, albeit with no wheels.

Making The Print: Review

By: Sean McCormack

17-01-2012

Print, Resources, review

It’s always a nice surprise when someone you’ve been following on Twitter launches an eBook. And even better when it’s with Craft and Vision. Martin Bailey (@martinbailey), who’s just got an all clear from surgery, is obviously getting on with his life. Today marks the launch of ‘Making The Print‘, his ebook on the print process. As one begins to read the book, you might be forgiven for thinking it’s a beginner only book. Martin starts the book really easy, introducing the process of home printing to the new user. It doesn’t end there though and extends all the way into print calibration, large format printing, and even creating, laminating and mounting gallery wrap canvas prints.

This 65 page book is beautifully laid out. Martin’s photographs don many of the page backgrounds as well as being visible in the photos of the printing process. They’re simply wonderful and prove Martin the master printer. He breaks the print process down in steps that you take, each one bringing you closer to a great print. From explaining how to preview prints vs monitors, monitor brightness, paper selection, to sharpening your prints, Martin covers the software process to getting good prints in Lightroom, Aperture and Photoshop. Other software choices covered include Perfect Resize from onOne Software and Sharpener Pro from Nik.

Stepping it up, Martin takes use through both monitor and print calibration, and talks about the variety of tools to do it, in every price bracket. He also covers camera calibration, to give you entire control of the colour process right through from capture to print. Soft proofing gets explained in detail for Photoshop (Lightroom 4 Beta’s soft proof gets a mention in-blog posts will fill in the detail).

The final sections of the book cover large format printing, how to make your own gallery wraps, and printing for exhibition. With the gallery wraps, we get a detailed look at cleaning, laminating, stretching mounting canvas. The photos of the laminating process are worth the price of the book for those that have never done it. The final section on printing for exhibition is interesting. I like the advice and will try it myself next time I exhibit.

All in all, the book is well written and surprisingly comprehensive for its size. At less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee, it’s a no brainer for those interested in improving printing at home. In fact Martin even suggests at times that if you don’t want to go through the process, to seek out a lab to work with. That can be worth the price too!

As always with Craft and Vision books, there’s an intro promo. For the next five days only, use the promotional code PRINT4 when you checkout so you can have the PDF version of Making the Print for only $4 OR use the code PRINT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5+ PDF eBooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST January 21, 2012.

LCDVF review

By: Sean McCormack

09-10-2011

Equipment, review

Everyone is on the Zacuto band wagon these days, with their finally crafted and almost jeweler like attention to detail and looks. Unfortunately that comes at a price, and for me, I simply couldn’t justify it. Fellow photographer Corin Bishop was raving about his new LCDVF, so I asked where he got it and ordered.

I’ve been familiar with the LCDVF since it was pie in the sky, with nice mockups and post on various forums. I’d put it to the back of my mind, but a recent, very low light, gig led me to reconsider my needing one. Most people get these viewfinders for video, to give a better view of the screen, and to act as an additional point of support. While the support is indeed a boon, I really wanted it so I can manually focus in entirely backlit gigs. Yes I shoot video too, but not seriously, so it wasn’t a prime motivator-but a factor nevertheless.
As part of the Galway Arts Festival, And So I Watch You From Afar played in the Roisin Dubh. Lighting was primarily from the LED parcans at the back and in the end I had to manually focus on moving people, as autofocus simply did not work. Nightmare. I’m sure there’ll be Nikon D3/s users saying it’d be a breeze for them, but I’ve a 5DII and that’s that.

I’ve been playing around with the LCDVF since it came, and I really like it. I’ve used it to do some video work and an ambeint light day shoot. It’s really bright and really clear. So bright that I have compensate in my head for what I’m seeing! Some of the images that looked okay on the screen are underexposed: Usually I can trust the screen without it. As the day was really bright, having the viewfinder made reviewing a breeze.

Verdict: I really like it. While it doesn’t have a diopter like the Zacuto, the magnification is perfect as is focus. Hard to beat for the money.

The Inspired Eye 3: A Review.

By: Sean McCormack

20-09-2011

review

How the hell do you say a bad thing about a David DuChemin book? I’ve seen people try, but all it looks like, is sour grapes. With his new print book ‘Photographically Speaking’ on the way, it’s a great time to get an ebook out. And boy has he. The Inspired Eye 3 is like boot in the ass to get moving. When any author starts to quote Stephen Pressfield’s from The War of Art, you know it’s gonna be a help. And this certainly is. The title gives away that this is the third in the Inspired Eye series. It’s also the final book in the series, wrapping up David’s thoughts on inspiration.

Even though there’s no doubt in my mind about the calibre of Craft and Vision ebooks, it’s a different ball game when the founder chooses to write. There’s just something about David’s writing that’s hard to put down. I really loved reading this book… and having it point out all my excuses to me.

In this book David is talking about the imagination and how to flex it. Of course having ideas counts for nothing without execution. And so we get shown how to make it happen. And how’s that? By starting of course. As Pressfield and a whole host of others would say, the muse is waiting on us. We need to jump in the water for her to appear. Standing on the bank will get us nowhere.

InspiredEye3 Spread1

There’s also the concept of working to get better. We can understand and read as much as we like about photography, composition, lighting and art, but until we actually shoot, it’s all pointless knowledge. Our creative muscles need to be trained, like an athlete, to get us to the top. Of course this is the nature of craft. The repetitious process of practice. Like a musician practicing scales, we need to get our fundamentals ingrained, so it’s all second nature. Some of this process is shown as ‘Sketch Photographs’, where we get to see David’s process as he works towards what became his Venice monograph cover.

Another thing that creatives need is solitude. David quotes from many greats on this, with wonderful encouragement. I’m not here to give the game away, but suffice to say his detail on it is insightful. Next he talks about slowing down in our work. Take time with our photos. Even to the point of limiting what we shoot. These exercises are all to help us improve.

InspiredEye3 Spread3

Next we get to the topic of Play. And here we have a great connection to the photo art in this book. It’s nearly all iPhone photography. David wants us to put aside our serious photography and play. Have fun, shoot with no consequences. He even has quotes to show it’s good for you.

Getting towards the end, and we look at the process of imitation to improve ourselves. The key though is to move on once we’ve done it. Our natural inclination is to move on anyway, but we’re encouraged not to fall into the rut of merely copying. Of course, this isn’t a required way to grow, but it is tried and true in the art world. The imitation can help build our process. David encourages us to trust our process. It’s unique to each of us, and even if it’s messy, it’s still us. The final part of the book is on Talent. Or rather forgetting it. This brings us back to simple fact, it’s all about the work. No amount of talent equals anything without work.

The conclusion to the book sums it up well, with a beautiful quote from Todd Henry.

Personally I love this kind of book. It’s like the half time speech in the dressing room, rallying the team to press on in the face of adversity. It’s about making us crack the shell to get to the nut. Worth reading? You betcha.

You can get via this affiliate link: The Inspired Eye 3 or indeed any or the other ebooks from David at Craft and Vision. As usual, there’s an offer for the first few days: Use the promotional code EYETHREE4 on checkout to get the PDF version of The Inspired Eye III for only $4 OR you can use the code EYETHREE20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST September 24th, 2011.

Making Light

By: Sean McCormack

17-08-2011

craft and vision, ebook, review

Piet Van den Eynde has just released his 2nd book for Craft and Vision, called Making Light. It’s a shift in direction too, going from software to hardware, this time in the form of small flash. The book mixes theory and case studies to cater for the thinkers and the visual learners.

The theory part covers the basics. Things like sync speeds, mixing flash with ambient and inverse square law. We get examples of this showing how moving away from a background, but keeping the flash to subject distance the same, makes the background darker. Next we get a buyers guide to flashes. Piet explains the difference between choosing manual and TTL flash, along discussing branded vs 3rd party options. One excellent bit of advice is to buy all the same flashes. All well as flash types, he also covers what you might want in a flash, such as thermal protection, optical triggers, PC sync jack, tilt and swivel, size, high speed sync, and upgradeable firmware. It’s a pretty comprehensive list. It also includes accessories such as the StoFen style cap and gels, but to me these are cheaply available and shouldn’t influence a purchase. Piet is also in the frame of mind as myself on TTL vs Manual. Use them both, but where appropriate.

Your Creative Mix

By: Sean McCormack

28-07-2011

Book, review

There was a joke going around Twitter about this eBook from Craft and Vision. I said I would review it, and the response was ‘Don’t take as long as Corwin did to write it!’. I think it must have jinxed me, because this has taken a while. My Bad. Your Creative Mix, by Corwin Hiebert, is essentially a look at making ways for your creativity to grow, along with getting involved in collaborative work. It does this by starting with your internal creative process. First it looks at what you do, and then throws in great ideas like having creative hobbies that are removed from your work as a photographer. These low stress additions to your life help keep your creativity going, adding to your main work.

In some ways it’s a hard book to read because Corwin is really coming in from the left field with his ideas. One comment that struck me early on was in the Pitfalls of Creative Work section. I see this and can be guilty of it: ‘It’s easier to criticize than it is to actually produce creative work’. Really, we need to think more on our own work and less on that of others. And when we look at others it should be for inspiration, not fault finding. Logs in the eye and all that. Corwin also warns about selfcenteredness and the defensive that can come from it.

The rest of the first half of the book focuses on process to grow your creativity, from establishing a workflow and a workspace, to creating curiosity.

Part two of the book is on external creative process, specifically collaboration. It begins by talking about what collaboration isn’t, a wise start. As creatives we tend to be loners, so sharing and working together is a process that has to be learned. I think some people fear that collaboration is something where others can steal your ideas, but in truth working in collaboration can yield ideas you’d never have come up with, both in the collaboration itself, and outside it.

There is solid and practical advice for getting involved in collaborative work, from working with someone else’s project initially, to your own. Even the types of groups, like single person led, or all equal get covered. None of these are good or bad, they just are, and once the people involved are happy, then that’s all that’s required for it to work.

Throughout this section we see the process in action, by way of example. From an interview with Heather Morton, to the work of Ramberg & Roth, and even Craft and Vision author Dave Delnea, we get to see their thoughts on collaborative process.

By way of overview, this book is 39 spreads long, and wins at being the ebook I’ve taken the longest to read recently. There’s a lot to absorb, and while I don’t necessarily agree with all of Corwin’s ideas, they all do one really important thing. They make me think. And that is the value in this book. Because Corwin is only a fledgling photographer, most of the photos in this book come from other people, meaning that there is a large and varied style of imagery in the book. Itself a joy. As well as having great content, Craft and Vision books have another thing going for them: great design.

I’ve taken so long to write this that the discount period is over… sorry. But at $5, it’s a bargain anyway! Get Your Creative Mix by Corwin Hiebert.

Fashion Photography: a Pocket Tutorial

By: Sean McCormack

02-07-2011

Book, review

NewImage

Diego Indraccolo is a London based fashion photographer, working for many magazines, designers and fashion houses. With Fashion Photography – A Pocket Tutorial
, he’s taking time out to give us the advice that he wishes he had starting his career. This is my first kindle book too, so I’m sure that affects my reading of the book, but more on that later. The book is aimed at those interested in shooting fashion photography (beginners and advanced), but that have a grasp of lighting and exposure.

The book is spilt into 3 sections: Before the Shoot, The Shoot and The Business. Before the Shoot talks about what we need to do to get the work, and how to find who to work with. Let me say that before I go any further, that Diego’s take on this is very different than a host of books I’ve read, as well as online views. It also makes a ton of sense to me too, based on recent experience. He doesn’t advocate finding a Makeup Artist straight off the bat, but shows a different route to building your team. In fashion photography, it’s not about the photographer, it’s very much about the team with the photographer, so direction in this is vital to success.

As part of the ‘Before the shoot’ section, Diego discusses creating themes and stories for the shoot, and your portfolio, as well as the things they have in common. He especially advocates that there are no bad tests, because even the ones that didn’t work teach you something. Even if you shoot everything you plan, only use the best. His advice here is both frank, and possibly a little painful. We all know from personal experience that we get emotionally attached to our work. Here is where we need to make precise cuts to get the best results. It’s funny as I read this, because I can see myself making the errors being pointed out in the book.

In the middle section, ‘The Shoot’, we get advice on the mechanics of the fashion shoot. First up is Lighting. Here the emphasis is on using one or two lights to get the most effect. The use of one light is promoted and the mastery thereof. It’s not a lighting primer, but a concise treatise on the matter. While Diego doesn’t use reflectors in his work, he doesn’t discourage it. Next he talks about directing the model. Again there’s a frank note about how many models work and why you need to be actively involved. One key take out from the whole book is that fashion photography is about the clothes, so our directing is to make the clothes look the best.

As part of the shoot we should always be looking for the tasteful. Anything else is essentially ‘a varying degree of vulgar’. Diego tells a wonderful tale of how we see during a shoot, and what happens when we see the files in the cold light of day. His telling is so true, it’s almost uncanny. He then pushes us to find our own style, and even though it’s all been done, not to merely emulate others. Finally Diego talks about use of Photoshop and gives solid counsel on deciding what to do. This isn’t a tutorial on retouching, but rather direction on it’s use. The final part of this section is about ‘Taste & Style’, which discusses what makes a shoot different.

The ultimate section of the book is ‘The Business’. Here we get a look into submitting shoots, getting clothes and the most important thing in a professional photographers life: getting paid. Here the words of wisdom revolve around the catch 22 of getting published and getting good brands for your shoots. There’s also pointers on why a shoot may not get accepted and what you can to to help yourself. We also get a look at the excuses made by businesses in the hope of a free shoot, and the answers to them. The section finishes up with a discussion of fashion week and specializing.

My aim in all my reviews is to try and give a sense of the work, but at the same time not reveal the innermost secrets. After all, the author deserves recompense if the work is good. So now that I’ve looked at the overview of the book, what did I think? First up, the book is written in a very conversational style. It’s really easy to read. Secondly, it’s quite short, but that means that each section is actually gold. Unlike a lot of books that have a load of fluff, this is all good stuff. That said, I think some of the text could be a little more expanded. When talking about the team, there could be more detail on the jobs of the team members. Not everyone coming to fashion photography knows about teams, even though they should!

Despite that niggle, I really like this little book. Being written for Kindle, it’s text only and while I feel that photos would add weight to the text, it really does stand on its own. If your interested in shooting fashion photography, this is definitely worth the read. Diego does occasional workshops too, something I’m considering if there is the amount of gold that exists in this little book.

A Deeper Frame

By: Sean McCormack

27-06-2011

Book, review, Uncategorized

Not too long ago, we nearly lost a jewel in the photo training crown. Fortunately David duChemin is on the way to recovery after a bad fall a few months ago. While he has been working on a new print book (‘Photographically Speaking’), he’s also taken time out to write a new eBook for the company he helped found, Craft and Vision.

Entitled ‘A Deeper Frame‘, the book covers depth in photography. While depth can often refer to emotional depth, David says he’s not referring to ‘artsy photographs’ for the ‘art-nic crowd’. Here he’s discussing creating the third dimension in the 2D world of the photograph.

David goes through 7 methods to enhance depth in photography. It’s not the longest of books (23 double spreads), but the photographs are beautiful, and demonstrate the points really well. I’d be remiss to repeat each of the methods, because that would give away the entire plot! Suffice to say that David goes into detail covering each method, both in the text and visually. By way of example, the first method is Perspective, where David shows how to use lines in the image draw the ‘reader (vs the ‘viewer’) into the focal point. He also demonstrates moving from a flat image to a deep image using the example of trees on a river bank. Other topics include more shots with people, so this book is not aimed as a landscape or travel book, but the techniques applicable across genres of photography.

While the book is short, the content is still filling. David keeps the focus on enhancing depth, and steers clear of his trademark ‘vision’ for this ebook. It’s all technique. As with most of David’s writing, the book is accessible, interesting and definitely inspiring. For that reason, I’d highly recommend it.

There’s the usual slew of first week discounts: For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code DEEP4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of A Deeper Frame for only $4 OR use the code DEEP20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST July 2nd, 2011.

“The DEEPER” Blow-out Offer
There’s also the deepest discount ever! 12 eBooks for $40. That’s about 34% off the already ridiculous price. That’s $3.33/book! Fill your shopping cart with 12 ebooks and use discount code DEEPER12 to get $20 off!

Go to Craft and Vision and get it!

Extreme Perspectives: A Review

By: Sean McCormack

14-05-2011

Book, review

Craft and Vision books are always a delight. Cheaper than a magazine, and with far more depth, they always bring something good and interesting. Extreme Perspectives is a little like that. It’s certainly not your middle of road travel book, nor is it a book on landscapes. But it does have some of each, as well as people photography. While the premise of the book is photography for climbers and mountaineers, it certainly covers the gamut of lessons needed for extreme or adventure photography.

Alexandre Buisse presents a book of advice mixed with some stunning and sometimes frightening photography. While the tone is light, there are plenty of safety warnings in the book. Alexandre begins with a little about his work and his paper and ink book ‘Remote Exposure’, before diving into Gear and Technique. He explains in great detail about his choice of camera equipment and why it works best for him. I’m not here to spoil it, but his reasoning for what he uses is sound, and is excellent as a basis for any photographer thinking about their equipment. There’s plenty of advice on looking after the gear and getting the most of it in the field too.