The Friedman Archives Newsletter August 2008
In this issue:
Latvia Photo Expedition - Trip Report
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Well, what can we say? The Photo Expedition to Latvia occurred on July 13-20th and boy did you miss a memorable trip! The weather wasn't always agreeable (it rained during our first day in Riga; however this only served to challenge us some more on "how to get compelling shots when the light isn't always agreeable"). In addition to beautiful countryside and a highly-refurbished downtown, Monika Ronit (our guide and hostess) also got us a meeting with the mayor of the village of Lapmezciems. That was the beginning of a week where we were treated like royalty - they treated us to a guided walking tour, a personalized tour of the local cultural museum, and (a great feat for me) a return to one of the performance halls that I had been to 20 years earlier as I documented a historic US-USSR cultural exchange. A magazine article is even in the works regarding the arrival of the Americans (only Americans signed up for this tour for some reason) and my reflections as a 2-time visitor. So what changed in 20 years? Well, there are actually an abundance of products on store shelves now, and you only have to stand in ONE line to buy an item (see historic note below), there are lots of cars on the roads now (many of them quite expensive due to the immigration of wealthy Russians). There are no longer Abacus' everywhere - they have been replaced by computerized cash registers. (Historic note: in Soviet times, three lines were the norm to purchase one item: First you stand in line to tell the person what you'd like to buy; she writes it down on a piece of paper and hands it to you. Then you stand in LIne #2 to pay for it, at which time you receive a claim check. The third line is so you can submit your claim check and pick up your item.) We had our own private Mercedez van for most of the trip, which whisked us off to the far-flung areas of the country each day, free to roam around and take pictures, challenge each other creatively, and getting impromptu technical tips in the field. In short, it was definitely the opposite of your typical tourist experience, and a great time was had by all! More pictures will be posted soon. (I still have a tremendous backlog of images to add to the webiste, which need descriptions and keywords - including pictures I took of Polar Bears back in October 2007!)
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Another Way to Use Dynamic Range Optimization
On this trip for the first time I experimented with combining DRO (Dynamic Range Optimization, which on the A700 you can actually invoke manually) with Sunset Mode during an actual sunset. Wow! Recall that DRO will automatically lighten some of the dark parts of an image while leaving the lighter parts untouched. In the example above and below I used DRO Level 3 (which is the most I ever use - pictures tend to look to strange if you use levels 4 or 5).
This technique was also responsible for the shot below, which needed no post-processing at all - it looked phenomenal right out of the camera! It is one of my favorite shots from the trip (and definitely one I can sell!)
Gary Fong’s Lightsphere II Diffuser - Cloud – Personal Experience
Last month I talked about Gary Fong’s light diffuser and that I would try it out, and now, finally, my report is in. In principle the diffuser is a great idea - not only does it soften the light, it also distributes it everywhere. If you're in a small room with low, white ceilings and light-colored walls, this has the potential to make the lighting look much more natural. Plus, there are so many variables regarding where the light goes! You can shoot with the "top" (the "cloud") off or on, or you can point the entire assembly forward for a full-on, diffused light. I like having choices.
But how does it compare to my old standard, the piece-of-paper-strategically-placed-on the flash (as described in my books) which is essentially FREE? Click here to read the whole review and find out!
Tweak to A700 Remote Control Behavior
Michael White, a reader of my Alpha 700 ebook, writes in with this tip:
"Dear Gary,
When you talk about the remote control in Chapter 2, you state: "Despite what Sony's user manual says, when you press either the "Shutter" or "2 sec." button, the camera WILL autofocus first before taking the shot!". That is not quite true: it will only autofocus if you set the camera to AutoFocus Priority mode. If it is in Release Priority mode... it will take the pic right when you press the button [without autofocusing first]."
Michael is right, and I'm extremely impressed at his attention to detail! As soon as I get a spare minute I'll update the book, but in the meantime, now you know. Thanks, Michael!
Rural China - The Next Photo Expedition
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the mother of all Photo Expeditions is being planned for March, 2009, as we venture into the rapidly disappearing and pictorially exotic rural China. If you’ve ever wanted to go on a National Geographic-like assignment to a strange and wonderful place, and experience it the way on-assignment photographers do (instead of the way tourists do), then this is an opportunity you should not pass up.
The Friedman Archives Photography Expeditions offer the best of both worlds – you will be taken care of from start to finish, with a local guide (and photographer) who knows the area well and understands the unique needs of photographers. What you won’t get is the intense pressure to Get The Shot (being a professional photographer has its pressures – if you don’t get the shot you won’t eat and you won’t get future assignments!), nor will you feel a competitive pressure that real professionals can sometimes push onto one another. The trip will be comprised of advanced amateurs just like you who are in it to experience and document another culture, broaden their horizons, challenge themselves creatively, and to help one another be their best and build lifetime friendships.
Does this catch your interest and stimulate your imagination? I thought it would. :-) Read more about the itinerary and trip details at www.FriedmanArchives.com/expeditions/china and start accumulating vacation time for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
(Side note: We are also considering putting together a Photo Expediton for Southern California late in 2009. Send me an email if this piques your interest!)
One of My Clients Gets His 15 Minutes of Fame
Skateboarding stunts fall into and out of fashion, but interestingly there is one stunt that has never caught on: doing a handstand on a skateboard. Like most skateboard stunts, such work looks easy but is very difficult, and one of my clients, Brad Hauser, has been doing this stunt for many years. He hired me to take publicity pictures of him (like the image on the right, taken just inches away using an ultra-wide-angle lens) last year, and on July 18th, 2008, he was featured on the Late Night with David Letterman show. You can see his performance via the YouTube link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iva9qAPE8VU
Mazel Tov, Brad! :-)
New Canon XSi / 450D Book Out
That's right; another Canon title is out, and it can be
yours by going to www.FriedmanArchives.com/rebelxsi
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW BOOK
Q: "Dude! I thought you were a Minolta / Sony guy!"
A: As anyone who has ever attended my seminars knows, I believe in light and composition and don't think that one camera brand is significantly better than another.
Q: "Why is this book in a vertical format?"
A: It's a long story. I was approached to write this book by a real publisher (who could "get it into bookstores worldwide and in multiple languages!") who not only insisted on the vertical format, but also insisted on "improving" my writing style. Said publisher (who shall remain nameless) backed out of the deal after the book was finished (thankfully before any editing or style changes had taken place) and so the book is being released in an Amazon-friendly format.
As many of you know, I rely completely on word-of-mouth for the marketing of my products. And so, for those of you who hang out in online discussion forums, I would be personally indebted to you if you could kindly help spread the word for this new title! :-)
The Next Seminars - Boston and San Francisco
The next Friedman Archives High-Impact Photography Seminar will take place in Boston on October 18-19, 2008, and you can learn more about it here. San Francisco is our next destination, and we're making arrangements for February 2009. Fire off an email to seminars@FriedmanArchives.com if you think you'd be interested in attending.
The High-Impact Photography Seminars are designed to be the shortest path to traverse the digital imaging learning curve. One attendee even mentioned that it was, for him, "the onramp to dpreview.com" (meaning it gave him enough technical understanding to participate in the forum's discussions). I kind of like that characterization. :-) You can learn more and register interest in your city by going to www.FriedmanArchives.com/seminars . (Go ahead! You know you want to learn more! :-) )
Next Time
As many of you may remember, we're expecting our first grandchild in the 3rd week of August. So I'm intentionally slowing down starting in a couple of weeks (although I'm sure my portable studio using multiple 5600 flashes will be getting a workout! :-) )
Sometime in September I'll share pictures, plus the lighting secrets of how I got these maternity shots:
I hope you all have a wonderful month!
Yours Truly,
Gary Friedman
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