A couple of shots of Ursula channeling the spirit of Grace Jones (I am aware that Ms. Jones is not actually dead). It became clear in this shoot why Profoto describe their equipment as light shaping tools. By using a zoom reflector with a grid for  the hair light (positioned behind the model)  I could shape the light until it created the highlights on the neck and jaw. (Of course you can do this with any lighting brand, Profoto just have the cleverest tagline.)

Having sold off a few of the lenses I wasn’t using regularly, I just acquired the 35mm wide angle  for my 645D. After really regretting not having this lens at the Okayama Hadaka Matsuri  it had become a priority purchase. Although not a super wide angle  (it’s field of view on the 645D is equivalent to around 27mm on a FF 35mm camera),  it does allow you to be quite creative. Normally you don’t use wide angles for fashion or portraits, as they can easily have a House of Mirrors effect on people. Occasionally, however, they can be used to good effect to accentuate a model’s physique. I shot the above image with a new lighting set up, and a Panton chair I got for 75% off on Amazon Japan. More info on the lights in a future blog. Big thanks to Ursula for modeling in this shot.

Now taking bookings for  April / May / June 2011. Current fees for a standard location / studio portrait session are: Standard Portrait Image Package Session plus 3 fully edited high definition images for personal printing – $250 Additional edited images files $50 each. Standard Portrait Image & Print Package Session plus 3 fully edited high definition images for personal printing, plus an 11″x16″ fine art print of each image – $400 Additional edited images files $50 each. Additional edited image plus fine art print $100 each. 16”x22” fine are prints are also available on request. Prints are made using the same archival materials used for my limited edition prints (cotton rag photo paper and pigment inks). Suitable for framing or modeling portfolios. Standard session usually lasts between 1 and 2 hours. Studio shoots are done in Ishikawa, Uruma City.  Location shoots take place at a mutually agreed upon location. Session fees do not include makeup / hair / wardrobe. To make a booking contact Chris on 090 1367 9198 or chris@travel67.com

Mark Segal and Nick Devlin recently did a comparative review of the  Pentax 645D versus the Phase One P40+. You can read the full review on the website Luminous Landscape.  An interesting read, with the overall conclusion being that very little separates the two beasts with regards to image quality. This might be expected as you’re comparing two medium format cameras with 40 megapixels sensors, but the price difference between the cameras is significant. The Pentax seems the far better option as a field camera, while the ability of the Phase One to shoot tethered gives it the advantage in a studio.

“Chimping” is the act of gazing at the back of your camera after taking a shot. It is easy to fall into the trap of concentrating on the screen and missing everything else that is going on around you, but instant feedback does have many advantages. Chimping allows you to immediately check the framing, focus, exposure and color balance so you can either confidently move on knowing that the shot is in the can or adjust and reshoot. Here’s an interesting bit of information about the 645D. On most modern cameras, there is not much of a delay between taking a photo and the image appearing on the LCD screen. Not sure what the technical name for this time is but let’s call it Image Processing Time. The 645D, due to it’s 40 megapixel sensor, is dealing with huge files. What this means is that the Image Processing Time on the 645D is around 11 to 13 seconds. If you take a shot and immediately glance at the screen, you will be greeted by an …