Pentax K3 Exhibition Tokyo
A couple of my shots taken with the new Pentax K3 camera will be on display in an exhibit at the Ricoh Imaging Square in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The event takes place from March 26th to April 7th 2014, so if you’re in the area drop in and check out the photographs.
If you’d like to see some images from previous exhibitions click on the Exhibitions tab above.
Narihiro Shinjo – Uechi Ryu Karate, Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan.
Narihiro Shinjo, Uechi Ryu karate master, and younger brother of Kiyohide Shinjo. He has won the kata section of karate championships so many times, James and I are having trouble working out the exact number. Just like his brother he is fast, conditioned beyond belief, and very very strong. He is also a lovely man, and has great control, which is a relief when a foot that could probably pass through concrete flies towards your camera.
Narihiro Shinjo – Uechi Ryu Karate, Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan.
Narihiro Shinjo – Uechi Ryu Karate, Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan.
Narihiro Shinjo – Uechi Ryu Karate, Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan.
Kevin models for a five light studio setup
Great fun was had by all at the first studio lighting intro workshop. After talking about the different types of equipment available we spent the rest of the weekend taking studio portraits. We began with a single light, added a reflector, and eventually got up to shooting with numerous strobes.
Things got comical as we got dressed up for our hospital staff portraits. Individual images were composited together to get the group shot of all six people.
Thank you Kathy, Molly, Lemont, Kevin and James!
I’ll put dates of future workshop up on the Photography Workshops page. If you’re waiting for a specific workshop, or wanting 1 to 1 training, please send me an email.
The Studio Lighting Into Workshop Class of Feb 2014!
Humpback Whale , Okinawa, Japan
It’s whale watching season in Okinawa. I’m doing some research and taking pics for a future article. Choppy seas, dark skies, and subjects that don’t respond to direction (Excuse me, if you would be so kind as to breach in front of the boat.) make getting decent shots a bit of a lottery.
I have one keeper from the first trip, and hopefully I’ll get some more interesting pics over the next few weeks.
Firefighter Mac
Firefighter Mac dropped by the studio and brought his gear so I could shoot some portraits. The black turnout gear about is for structural fires while the silver suit is for aviation fires
Firefighter Mac
I started shooting on a clean white background and then slowly transformed the studio and lighting to give a more atmospheric look to the images.
Firefighter Mac
Lighting – Charcoal background. Small Smoke Machine. Beauty dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. Medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
Firefighter Mac
All images shot with the Pentax 645D and the HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S
Firefighter Mac – Job Done!
Smile! Photos are now on 500px!
I’ve just set up a 500px account, as another way for people to find and browse through my images. I had imagined that having a website, a blog, Flickr, Facebook and Google+ was more than enough exposure, but other professional photographers said that 500px would be a useful tool in reaching new markets.
A more significant change is that on Flickr and 500px I will now start uploading images that are 900 pixels wide on the short edge. Posting larger images on the web is always a conundrum. Too large and you could have people stealing your photos and using them commercially without receiving payment, they also they take longer to load on webpages. Too small and the viewing experience for web surfers is diminished.
As the resolution of screens has increased, and data transfer speeds have improved, some images on my website and blog were starting to look very small. The new larger images will still be watermarked and the copyright information is still embedded in the metadata, but hopefully people will enjoy the upgrade!
See the new larger photos on 500px.
Profoto B1 (Profoto Image)
What is it?
The Profoto B1 500 AirTTL, a powerful flash you can take on location. It’s like a cordless version of the Profoto D1 monolight. Power comes from a lithium battery pack. 500Ws makes it approximately 10 times more powerful than a speedlight. Clever electronics allow you to control the output accurately over 9 stops (full to 1/256). The lithium battery gives enough power for 220 full power shots. It’s also capable of operating in TTL mode with certain cameras. Flash duration is also rapid. A Profoto radio trigger is integrated into the head. Accepts Profoto’s light shaping modifiers.
Umi & Ryota ( The shot)
Why did you buy one?
Power and a fast recycle time so that on location I can balance ambient light with flash to create both the shot I want, and also capture the moment after.
The high capacity of the lithium battery means I’m not going to run out of juice during a standard shoot.
As with all Profoto equipment the head is designed around a cylinder approximately 10cm in diameter. This means all my heads from an ancient ProPact, through Compacts, to my ProHeads can use the same light modifiers. For Umi & Ryota’s couple shoot, I used the beauty dish I’d normally shoot with in the studio. I could have brought out the Magnum reflector, a small softbox, or even a giant octabox.
Umi & Ryota (The moment after)
The B1 is small enough to fit in my Pelican 1520 case along with most of the other gear I need for a simple location shoot. For the shoot with Umi & Ryota, a beauty dish was carried separately, and I also used a voice activated light stand (aka David). I purchased a Profoto Air Remote to trigger the light, and I could also control the power with this trigger on the camera. ( I could also have used my PocketWizards on both camera and head.)
The Away Team – Profoto B1, Pentax 645D, K3, trigger, &l light meter in Pelican 1520.
The B1 worked perfectly, giving me enough power to darken down the cloudy sky at F18 and yet still recycling quickly. I also liked the color temperature of the flash, in fact on this shoot it was just right, slightly warmer than the daylight.
Umi & Ryota
Any other considerations?
Cost is an obvious issue. At close to 2000 dollars, it’s a significant amount of money. I’m not saying it’s more expensive than its worth, but there are cheaper options.
It weighs about three kilos. This is obviously much heavier than a speedlight, but it’s also heavy compared to most monolights, and far heavier than a head attached to a power pack. This is important, and might be a deal breaker, if you’re used to run and gun, solo location shooting with a speedlight on a light stand. The B1 without any modifiers is going to make an unweighted light stand top heavy. There are obvious remedies; a heavy light stand, sand bags, someone always holding the light stand, or foregoing the stand and having an assistant holding the light. The B1 is actually perfect for handholding with the chunky integrated handgrip. Balancing a 2000 dollar strobe on a stand outdoors and leaving it unattended is just asking for trouble.
Shooting in TTL. This is currently only possible with Canon camera, and you also have to purchase the new Air Remote TTL-C. I don’t shoot strobes in TTL mode so this isn’t an issue for me, but if you’re a Nikon shoot and want to shoot in TTL you’re going to have to wait. If you use Pentax, or any other brand you might be waiting a long while. I do however really like the look of the new remote that shows the power of the B1 on the remote. I’d actually like it if Profoto offered a slightly cheaper non-TTL version then you don’t feel like you are paying for something you’re not using.
Durability of a new product is an unknown. Profoto gear is renown for being able to withstand the rigors of professional use, and is a staple of rental studios. But this is usually indoors. From the safety instructions included with the B1: “Generator, lamp heads and accessories are only intended for indoor photographic use. Do not place or use the equipment where it can be exposed to moisture, extreme electromagnetic fields or in areas with flammable gases or dust!” However, the promotional images for the product show the B1 used on location for a skateboarder shoot. The outdoors where the B1 seems to be suited has wind, moisture and dust in varying degrees. Obviously shooting in the rain is a bad idea, but what about simply shooting on cliff tops at the coast. Will those sea breezes make the working life of the B1 as transient as cherry blossom .
Ryota with jibe drum (B1 and beauty dish.)
In Summary
In the past I’ve shot on location using speedlights, or with a Profoto compact monolight plugged into a bulky Innovatronix battery pack. Speedlights sometimes do not offer enough power, while the battery pack option is cumbersome.
The B1 offers an elegant solution, particularly for those already invested in the Profoto system. I’ll use it more in the coming weeks, but right now the future is looking bright both in the studio and outdoors.
Available from B&H, Amazon U.S.
Fodor’s Travel JAPAN 21st Edition
The 21st edition of the Fodor’s guidebook to Japan will be released March 18, 2014. I updated the Okinawa and Kyushu chapters of the book which is why I spent part of 2013 whizzing around the country. It’s available on pre-order from Amazon
Okinawan Woman – Pentax K3 with Pentax smc DA* 55mm 1:1.4 SDM
Last weekend, while teaching my Fundamentals Workshop, I talked about the advantages of a fast prime lens for portraits. I often recommend the f1.8 or f1.4 50mm lenses to Nikon and Canon shooters. Pentax has the 55mm 1.4 which is one of their pro-grade DA* lenses. Fantastic quality, and priced as such at US$799
I used the K3 with the 55mm on the second day of the class as we explored the Yomitan area, and the combination produces a bright clear viewfinder with the ability to get a lovely shallow depth of field and nice bokeh.
In many ways the results are similar to my 645D with the 90mm macro lens. Not the same resolution (however 24 MP is more than enough for most applications), but it is from a smaller, lighter, cheaper package.
I often hear new photographers chatting about wanting to upgrade to 35mm full frame, with the notion that they can’t produce professional shots (either artistically or commercially) with an APS sensor camera. The reality is that APS sensor cameras can give you stunning images, and that in most cases it is vision and lack of practice rather than gear holding a person back.
Of course this may sound preachy and hypocritical, coming from a person who A) wants you to take his workshops B) hopes you buy more gear using his affiliate links (right of the page) and C) plans to get a 645D II as an upgrade to an already amazing 645D.
So after several posts all about gear, remember the most important thing is just to pick up your camera, take some photos, and enjoy it.
Okinawan Man – Pentax K3 with Pentax smc DA* 55mm 1:1.4 SDM
Pentax 645D II ?
Images (not verifiable) have now begun to appear on the internet of a new Pentax 645D II to be revealed at the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show in Tokyo next week.
No news of the exact sensor, but a tilt screen would suggest live view, which would mean CMOS not CCD.
The Pentax K3 is arguably the best APS sensor DSLR on the market, and it looks like the new 645D will rewrite the rules for medium format digital. For Pentaxians we live in exciting times.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 