Disqus - Friends of ebohling

Re: 7 lighting setups

SnapFactory — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:55:36 -0000

We have a homemade Dolly that Jeff, our video camera operator, made. We're going to make another video showing how to build one soon. You can actually see the dolly at 4:58 in the video. It's leaning against the wall.

Re: Twitter shoot

SnapFactory — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:49:12 -0000

Excellent Idea Rich. I'll see if I can figure out how to roll up the tweets in a blog format. I'm sure I could do it manually or #tag the items to do it automatically. I'll see if I can figure it out.

Re: Twitter shoot

SnapFactory — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:49:16 -0000

Update: You can see some of the iPhone shots from the shoot here: http://twitpic.com/zhnm

Re: Everything is inspiration: Part One

SnapFactory — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:28:39 -0000

I couldn't agree more. The more things that can act as stimulus the better. I also forgot to mention physical exercise. Hiking, riding my mountain bike, taking a walk around the block with Luka - all good mental exercises.

I'm adding The Element of Style to my book buying list.

Re: DVD series in pre-production

SnapFactory — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:10:58 -0000

Wow, I'm honored to get a comment from you! Bill is such a terrific guy and he speaks so highly of you. I'll miss our conversations over coffee now that he's up in the rainy northeast. Put reality on hold and go visit him. I'm sure it would be worth it!

Re: 7 lighting setups

SnapFactory — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:15:54 -0000

Good question Simon. That setup uses several lighting ratios so you'd meter both to the lights and directly toward the camera. First meter from the models position to the lights to get the ratios correct, then meter towards the camera to get the final reading.

Take a look at this video for a better explanation. http://www.vimeo.com/1707023

Let me know if that helps, if not I'll try to do a better job explaining it for you.

Re: Inspired by: James Nachtwey

SnapFactory — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:25:39 -0000

Nachtwey's Credo:

There has always been war. War is raging throughout the world at the present moment. And there is little reason to believe that war will cease to exist in the future. As man has become increasingly civilized, his means of destroying his fellow man have become ever more efficient, cruel and devastating.

Is it possible to put an end to a form of human behavior which has existed throughout history by means of photography? The proportions of that notion seem ridiculously out of balance. Yet, that very idea has motivated me.

For me, the strength of photography lies in its ability to evoke a sense of humanity. If war is an attempt to negate humanity, then photography can be perceived as the opposite of war and if it is used well it can be a powerful ingredient in the antidote to war.

In a way, if an individual assumes the risk of placing himself in the middle of a war in order to communicate to the rest of the world what is happening, he is trying to negotiate for peace. Perhaps that is the reason why those in charge of perpetuating a war do not like to have photographers around.

It has occurred to me that if everyone could be there just once to see for themselves what white phosphorous does to the face of a child or what unspeakable pain is caused by the impact of a single bullet or how a jagged piece of shrapnel can rip someone’s leg off - if everyone could be there to see for themselves the fear and the grief, just one time, then they would understand that nothing is worth letting things get to the point where that happens to even one person, let alone thousands.

But everyone cannot be there, and that is why photographers go there - to show them, to reach out and grab them and make them stop what they are doing and pay attention to what is going on - to create pictures powerful enough to overcome the diluting effects of the mass media and shake people out of their indifference - to protest and by the strength of that protest to make others protest.

The worst thing is to feel that as a photographer I am benefiting from someone else’s tragedy. This idea haunts me. It is something I have to reckon with every day because I know that if I ever allow genuine compassion to be overtaken by personal ambition I will have sold my soul. The stakes are simply too high for me to believe otherwise.

I attempt to become as totally responsible to the subject as I possibly can. The act of being an outsider aiming a camera can be a violation of humanity. The only way I can justify my role is to have respect for the other person’s predicament. The extent to which I do that is the extent to which I become accepted by the other, and to that extent I can accept myself.

Re: Inspired by: James Nachtwey

SnapFactory — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:29:07 -0000

I think that's part of it. There is definitely a desire by many to suppress images of war. One of the most interesting works I've seen about this is the book Unembedded. If you haven't seen it then I highly suggest giving it a look.

http://www.unembedded.net/m...

Re: DVD series in pre-production

SnapFactory — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:55:15 -0000

I'm talking to some designers but none locked in yet. With our giant budget I may end up being the designer myself. ;)

Re: DVD series in pre-production

SnapFactory — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:09:30 -0000

Yep, you can put your name on our list right here:

http://classes.snapfactory....

Re: Studio In A Box

SnapFactory — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:18:40 -0000

The recycling time is pretty slow, sometimes it's a couple of seconds. The Tronix is reliable though. If you're looking for the best battery pack I'd recommend the Acute 600B. If budget is your concern than then Tronix will work out. :)

Re: Come along for the ride…

SnapFactory — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:38:40 -0000

Update: The day of the shoot is February 19, 2009. 8:00-4:00 PST.

Re: Twitter shoot

SnapFactory — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:12:29 -0000

There is no Photoshop at all. We desaturated a bit in Lightroom but that's it. You can see the setup here: http://twitpic.com/zeop and us reviewing the photos here: http://twitpic.com/zexu and the raw files in LR here: http://twitpic.com/zeyn. The difference is a shallow DOF and a professional Makeup Artist.

Re: PocketWizard MiniTT1 & FlexTT5: My Experience

SnapFactory — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:18:14 -0000

Yeah, it's totally possible. Check out this video of Tom Munoz getting great stuff in bright sunlight. http://www.pocketwizard.com...

Re: PocketWizard MiniTT1 & FlexTT5: My Experience

SnapFactory — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:53:03 -0000

Use an umbrella bracket like this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com... Make sure you use an umbrella bracket with a metal shoe. I've found the plastic can wear down over time and won't hold your flash or PW securely.

Re: PocketWizard MiniTT1 & FlexTT5: My Experience

SnapFactory — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:02:44 -0000

Yes, that's right. One on bottom and one on top. You can stack 'em up for storage.

Re: PocketWizard MiniTT1 & FlexTT5: My Experience

SnapFactory — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:10:06 -0000

Size is the main difference for me. I really like the small form factor of the MiniTT1. But you can chose what works best for you. :)

Re: PocketWizard MiniTT1 & FlexTT5: My Experience

SnapFactory — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:10:51 -0000

Yep, they worked with the 550 EX. The range was just limited a bit. Still beat the line of site setup hands down.

Re: PocketWizard MiniTT1 & FlexTT5: My Experience

SnapFactory — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:29:55 -0000

The older PocketWizards simply tell the flash to fire, they don't communicate any TTL information to the flash. You can use the MiniTT1 with a PocketWizard Plus II or Plus (or any PW) but only the Flex and MiniTT transmit and receive TTL information.

Using the MiniTT1 or FlexTT5 will allow you to use the hypersync speeds (up to 1/8000th of a second) and the benefit of TTL metering. If you mix the MiniTT1 with an older PocketWizard you won't be able to take advantage of these features.

Re: Twitter Interactive: Episode One

SnapFactory — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:33:50 -0000

Just a note: The Air Remote also works with the new D1 strobes by Profoto. Very cool gadgets.

Re: Twitter Interactive: Episode One

SnapFactory — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:27:06 -0000

I think we used about 1 bolt of tule. The stands were about 25 feet apart. Tule is cheap and you can buy it at any fabric store: http://www.onlinefabricstor...

Re: How Much Should I Charge?

SnapFactory — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:04:14 -0000

You may need to spend a small amount of time educating your clients. Do they know the difference between an out-of-camera image and one that's been color corrected, sharpened, sized, dust spots removed, etc? You may want to show them the difference in the quality of your work and the quality of your competition's work. Then let them decide if they want to pay for the post-production. That way you can give them a choice, a lower price with no post production or a "normal" price with the post production.

You may also need to figure out ways to cut your costs so you can be more competitive. Are you using all of your camera's features to sharpen and enhance your photos in camera so you can skip post? Have you tweaked your workflow so you can produce the same amount of high quality photos in less time (Lightroom or Aperture will really help here)?

In the end the customer will decide. The laws of supply and demand are real and you can't change that. Look for ways that give you a competitive edge and exploit it. What do you provide that nobody else does? And remember - it has to be valuable to the client. If your clients can't tell the difference between what you do and your competition then the perceived value of all your post production is zero. In other words, it has no value to the customer and they won't pay you more when the can get the "same thing" from someone else.

Re: How Much Should I Charge?

SnapFactory — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:11:44 -0000

For new clients we charge a deposit of 50% to be on the calendar (refund policy is negotiated in advance, usually no refund 7 days before shoot). They have to pay the session fee before the shoot begins. No photos are delivered until balance is paid in full.

Would Target let you walk out the door without paying for your products? We don't either.

For established clients or clients that are larger we have other payment options.

Re: How Much Should I Charge?

SnapFactory — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:14:04 -0000

You bring up a very good point. You can learn a lot by looking at other businesses. I regularly read graphic design magazines because the business principles apply to design houses as well as studios. There is so much good information out there. My favorite is HOW magazine. It's fantastic.

http://www.howdesign.com

Re: Cool New Pocket Wizard stuff.

SnapFactory — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:41:24 -0000

Absolutely. You can see an example here: http://blog.snapfactory.com...