DIY Floor Light

The moment I read a twit about Phlite I knew I had my holidays DIY project cut out for me!
So I started with a $10 eBay umbrella adapter I already had and went to IKEA to pick the rest components.  Click the image on the left for more step-by-step pictures.
I settled for a Rodd table lamp base (a cheaper and shorter version would be better but I never realized it existed!) and an Ollsta shade (you decide which size - I picked a larger one.)  I liked how the wire is routed in the Rodd base - it goes out to the side and the switch is at the very top.  Thus removing the base and replacing it (somehow) with an umbrella adapter should not interfere with wiring.  BTW this shade can be installed with wider opening down OR up.  I though it was a nice touch.
So the first step is to remove the cold shoe from the umbrella adapter.  This exposed a nice hole.  I then went back to Rodd lamp base.  The base itself has a tube adapter which I removed. Now I had to figure out how to attach this lamp tube adapter to the umbrella adapter.  An M6 bolt which I already had looked like something which can do the trick.  A visit to a big box store brought me Irwin Metric Tap and Die Set.  I tapped an M6 thread in the umbrella adapter.  I cut of half of the lamp tube adapter and I drilled a hole and tapped the same M6 thread there. Then I cut off an M6 bolt head and screwed it both into the umbrella and lamp tube adapters.
And that was it!

Monitor Calibration

I bet you've heard this before: "Thou Shalt Calibrate Your Monitor".  So how often did you act on this?  Aha!
I was always confused not only by the complexity of the procedure but also by the fact that it can be done on so many layers - you can adjust your monitor knobs, your graphics card driver has calibration controls, e.g. gamma, Windows (and I suspect others) offers some procedures, and, finally, there are dedicated hardware/software packages designed to do just that.
So today I am doing all of the above!

TheaterYou production of Aktrisa

An amazing production by a local amateur theater.  Duo of actors in a 3-part play.  Performed without a hitch.  I feel privileged to have an opportunity to capture it.
Technically it was a challenge.  Low light, multiple cameras (Nikon D600 and Canon HF S200) which required matching color and sensitivity.

What worked:

• Limiting video AGC on Canon HFS200 to 10db, sometimes even to 6 or 3db.  Zebra pattern helps a lot! I wish Nikon D600 had it.
• Nikkor 24-85 proved to be a good video lens! AF was almost silent.  Used it at 35mm, F5.6 for wide shots.
• Sonya did a good job operating D600 - I used a lot of her slow pans instead of my close shots - I do have a tendency to rush - need to slow it down.
• Sony Vegas 12 Pro multi-track editing proved to be very efficient.  Loved it!
• Sony Vegas 12 Pro color-matching plugin is awesome!

Made no difference or worse:

• Connecting recorder to video camera offered no tangible benefits.  I set the camera audio level manually.  That of the recorder was on auto.  I still used sound file from the recorder.  Video camera track was adequate.
• Setting DSLR and camcorder sensitivity to the same level was tough.  I had D600 ISO on 1600 to avoid high noise.  It proved to be too much although histogram of a shot I took seemed to be adequate.  I wish zebra was there on Nikon.
• DSLR was set on constant AF with face recognition.  Worked OK although on few occasions focus was on a wrong person.  Call it operator error.
• My efforts to set custom white balance on both HF S200 and D600 failed.  the Scene light had so many colors the balance on D600 and HFS200 never matched.  Next time I will just set it to one Kelvin value.
• Overall I am not happy with D600 footage.  To prepare I read these reviews and was concerned about noise and moire.  Yet the resulting footage lacks...dynamic range.  I see blobs of colors with not enough details (when compared to HF S200!) in either highlights or shadows.  This makes no sense.  At all.  Oh and I forgot to reset picture style to totally neutral - I think I had it on Standard, but the effect could not be that bad!

This Year Photowalk..

... it is ON!  Can't wait to see old friends and meet new ones!
http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/campbell-ca-united-states-campbell-downtown/

Blackmagic Design DeckLink Mini Recorder - PCIe Capture Card for 3G-SDI and HDMI

Originally submitted at Adorama

Blackmagic Design DeckLink Mini Recorder - PCIe Capture Card for 3G-SDI and HDMI

Blackmagic Design DeckLink Mini Recorder - PCIe Capture Card for 3G-SDI and HDMI

Good bang for the buck

By AVS from Campbell, CA on 9/10/2013

4out of 5

Pros: Smooth Instalation, Video Quality, Price
Cons: Not Plug-n-play For Hdmi
Primary use: Business
Computer Platform: PC

Installation went smoothly with no hickups. I use it with HDMI for live HD streaming with UStream Producer. You really need to understandthe format of the signal coming in and set it manually in the software preferences. Oh and it defaults to SDI! There is no plug-and-play in this respect. E.g. my DSLR outputs 1080i and I need to set it in preferences to see the picture. If I change DSLR to 720p, corresponding change has to be made as well.
I intend to investigate its use for recording.

(legalese)

Photobooth. Where Do I Start?

My college reunion is coming.  Again.  So I thought I need to come up with something different this time.  How about automating picture taking as much as possible?  Photobooth seems to be popular, so why not? The good thing is that the event is in the park and I own a 10'x10' shelter (with walls!) ,which, I made sure, comes in neutral white, so it can be used as a light tent.  So, here is the  plan:

• DSLR shoots tethered into laptop running Lightroom.  My thinking it will be triggered remotely.  Not sure the standard Nikon IR trigger will work in the sun.
• A wired SB800 plays role of a CLS master triggering flashes mounted in the shelter.  Looks like two flashes firing in the upper front will be enough to create nice light.  Two more flashes will be firing into the back wall to create a high key background.  I am now thinking about mounting CLS master into a beauty dish for a better catchlight.
• Lightroom applies development preset upon import.  I intend to offer customers live view on a big monitor
• Given a non-profit nature of the event, I intend to charge for printing only.  Post event online delivery will be free.

This past weekend I tested the light with MK's help.  Now I need to develop the Lightroom preset, test printing and decide on pricing of prints!
Oh!  And here are the articles I read about the photobooth:

• Mark Wallace is consistently good on topics I am interested in - should keep an eye on this guy.
• Rob Lim. How To Create A Simple Photo Booth.

Also need props:

• paper moustache, 
• tiara, crown, hat
• boa
• oversized glasses
• boxer gloves

Things to bring:

• shelter,including canvas roof and walls
• 4 slave flashes, 1 master
• extra batteries
• battery chargers
• umbrella adapters
• 1 stand for master flash
• TTL cord
• camera
• tripod
• AC adapter for camera
• usb cable
• laptop
• laptop power supply
• laptop mouse
• laptop hood
• 24" monitor
• monitor hood
• 1 stand for monitor
• clamps to hold monitor
• HDMI cable
• printer
• usb cable
• photo paper
• extra ink
• gaffer tape
• table
• UPS
• generator
• props
• business cards
• knife, scissors

Carolyn and Her Car. And Sonya.

My friend Carolyn is proud of her car.
And asked me to take few pictures.  This is I did with not so little help from Sonya.
Allegedly the car received more pampering than its gorgeous owner.
The shoot had to be done in the middle of the day.  Sonya pointed to a nice location which worked really well.

Tenba Messenger Large and ThinkTank Retrospective 20

Tenba messenger is my day-to-day bag for the last three years.
Pros:

• Discreet - does not look like a photo bag
• Quick access top zipper
• Large enough for a day trip
• Packs large laptop, camera, 2 more lenses and a flash. Nanostand can be attached externally
• Fit and finish of decent quality
• Durable - no signs of tear after 3 years

Cons:

• Exterior is too busy to my taste - exterior pockets are not really needed

Zeikos ZE-260F Deluxe DSLR Soft Case Review

Here is my old video review which I managed to publish on YouTube only recently.


In a nutshell this is a great value case offering little to no protection from the elements.  I use it to store and transport my video camera and audio recorder with accessories.

Seamless White

Recently I did my first full length portrait on a seamless white.  I like simplicity and uplifting spirit offered by seamless white.  I hope it will offer my customers a timeless look which is not likely to go out of fashion anytime soon.  It is also simple to implement.  I wish I had seamless paper roll.  In that case grey would be in option as well.  In my case I just used a king-size bedsheet - good enough if you want to just overexpose it, but not for anything else.
But first about my model.   Leif Hansson was pretty awesome - bright, inventive, easy to work with.  Extremely easy to direct.  I look forward to opportunity to shoot more images of Leif.
Now back to technique.  Here is Zack Arias' definitive Seamless White Tutorial.  Almost immediately I ran into the need to prevent  background flashes (2xSB800) from lighting the subject directly.  Zack uses folding doors for that.  I used the same material I used on the floor to create a V-flat which I used for this purpose.
My key light was a small flash (SB600) in a beauty dish - I discussed the dish in this blog before. For a catchlight I used another SB800 which also driving other flashes through CLS.

Videoshoots for ACM

I was fortunate enough to shoot San Francisco Bay Area ACM events.  Here are some of them.