Behind the Scenes at Profoto: Tommy Sundström

©Andrea Belluso Profoto is more than a brand and a line of products. It is also the place where some us work and spend our weekdays. Have you ever wondered who we are or what the thinking was behind the design of this or that piece of equipment? Then join us behind the scenes at [...]

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Troubleshooting Printer Problems

Screen Shot 2013-05-13 at 3.18.54 PMEdmund Ronald published a very interesting post recently on his blog Edmund Ronald’s Color News.  The post outlined a workflow for troubleshooting printer problems using the Vendor Color mode instead of using your professional workflow that utilizes your custom profiles. A similar thing actually happened to me recently.  I was about to leave on an extended business trip and realized I had not printed a couple of images I needed for the trip. I jumped on my computer, turned on my trusty Epson 4800, loaded it up with some ILFORD GALERIE Prestige Smooth Pearl inkjet photo paper and hit print. After finishing my packing, I went back to fetch the print and “OUCH!” it was green as a ripe zucchini! As you might imagine I make custom printer profiles with the i1Photo Pro 2 and use a professional workflow that involves choosing the correct printer profile in Photoshop and disabling color management in the printer driver.  I didn’t know if I had made a mistake, perhaps chosen the wrong paper profile, or what.

Ultimately I discovered that one of my print nozzles was clogged (clearly a magenta one!) and once I had done a head cleaning all was beautiful in my color managed world again.  But what to do when something goes terribly wrong? Where do you begin to try to unravel the mystery?

Mr. Ronald’s article suggests going back to Vendor Color to begin the troubleshooting. Now you’ll have to be using one of the printer manufacturers papers to make this troubleshooting workflow useful and you’ll also need to be using the printer manufacturer’s ink. Here’s an excerpt from Edmund Ronald’s post “Debugging Profiled Inkjet Printing Issues.”

Screen Shot 2013-05-13 at 3.23.33 PMDiagnosing Profiled Printing Issues: The Procedure

1. Set up the vendor workflow with “Printer Manages Colors” and make a nice colorful test print on vendor paper, making sure to choose the right paper type in the print driver dialog. If the print made with the vendor workflow looks ok, then your hardware is working well. If the print is  bad then  you might have a hardware issue eg. a clog, or you might have inappropriately chosen, fiddled with or otherwise corrupted the paper and color settings, so you need to clean the print heads and need to reset the default values for the print system and then make another test print.

Read the entire article here : Debugging Profiled Inkjet Printing Issues along with other blogs at Edmund Ronald’s Color News. We certainly do suggest that you use custom profiles made with X-Rite color managment solutions like ColorMunki Photo, i1Photo Pro 2, and i1Publish Pro 2 to ensure that you’re getting the very best possible prints from whatever color printer and inkjet paper you use for your digital photo prints.

X-Rite Color Perfectionists Unite!Learn more about X-Rite color management solutions for digital workflows at www.xritephoto.com.  Thanks for reading the X-Rite Photo blog. Be sure to follow @xritephoto on Twitter, X-Rite Photo on Facebook, and find us now on Google+. We want to hear from you so leave us a comment or share a photo with us on any of these social media options.

 

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Jay and Varina: Shooting the Moon at Twilight

This post is part of a series of educational posts from photographers Jay and Varina Patel. If you like what you see, take a look at their eBooks. Discount code for Induro blog readers at the end of this post!

© Varina Patel

© Varina Patel

The moon is a gorgeous subject, but it can be tough to get the shot you want. Have you ever taken a photograph of the moon at night only to discover that it is so bright in your photograph that it appears as a bright, white spot? Do you want to capture a landscape photograph with objects in the foreground and the moon in the sky as well? The trick is to capture the scene at twilight. When the light is low, you can capture the moon and the foreground with a single exposure – without blowing out the moon or leaving the foreground pitch dark.

I took this shot at Sandy Beach on Oahu early this week. Here are a few useful tips that helped me get the shot I wanted.

1. I used an Induro tripod (a CT113 and BHL1 ballhead) to hold my camera steady. A 1/5 sec shutter speed let me blur my moving subjects in the foreground for a bit of motion without blurring my moon.

2. I took a couple of test shots to make sure I had the focus I wanted both in the foreground and in the sky. I zoomed in to check the photo on the back of my camera to be sure the details in the moon were sharp.

3. I stood well back from my foreground and used a long lens – 70-200mm with a 1.4x extender – which let me zoom in to show the large size of the moon as it rose. A wide angle lens will leave you with a tiny, little moon that gets lost in the frame.

Do have any more tips for shooting the moon? Please share them in the comments so that others can learn! And then, get out there and shoot the moon, everyone! It’s such a beautiful subject!

To learn more about photography check out our eBooks.

Use the code induro6022 when you checkout and you’ll receive 10% off any order over $20.

the-workflow-series the-apprentice-series

(via Photography by Varina)

 

All images and quotes in this post are used with permission and ©Varina Patel, all rights reserved; story is ©Induro. Please respect and support photographers’ rights. Feel free to link to this blog post, but please do not replicate or re-post elsewhere without written permission.

The post Jay and Varina: Shooting the Moon at Twilight appeared first on Induro Blog.

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Moving Fast with Melody Hood

©Melody Hood

©Melody Hood

Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Melody Hood has been taking photographs since she was ten. Growing up with two uncles who were professional photographers, one gave her a Nikon FM and plenty of lessons. Soon she was metering and building skills toward her life’s calling of becoming a pro shooter herself.

Although she does commercial photography, Hood is primarily known as a wedding photographer, and those clients have made the bulk of her business. Her first wedding gig came when a friend’s photographer died two days before the ceremony. Hood couldn’t refuse when asked. She shot the entire event with a fully-manual camera.

©Melody Hood

©Melody Hood

Now employing six people at her studio, Innamorata, Hood’s fast-paced shooting of weddings keeps the energy moving when every second of the bride’s and groom’s attention is being sought by their friends and loved ones.

Claiming she thrives on high stress, Hood shoots almost everything, and rarely turns work away. “I know people who are asked to do that and they turn those jobs down because they can’t control everything,” she says. “You have to learn to adapt to changing situations. I thrive on that, too.”

©Melody Hood

©Melody Hood

All the years of practice have refined her vision of light and her ability to make aperture decisions. “I have a light meter in my head,” she says. “I can just look at a subject. I can just literally stand there, look at it, and tell you what settings to use. I know what I want from that particular scene, in terms of lighting.”

For lighting gear, Hood uses the AlienBee Vagabond II, B400, B800, B1600 strobe heads, and “the world’s cheapest umbrellas,” she explains. “I buy them in bulk because I always break them. Always. They’re $11.99, shipped from China. I went through eleven in a particularly windy month,” she says, laughing.

©Melody Hood

©Melody Hood

To trigger her lights, Hood previously used PocketWizard Plus II radios for years. For studio work these days, she has a system of MiniTT1’s, FlexTT5’s, and AC3 ZoneControllers. “I adjust more lights in the studio,” she says. She also employes two AC9 AlienBees Adapters.

“I use the Plus III for wedding work,” Hood says. “It’s so easy. I can turn off and on every light. At a reception, I have an assistant set up three to four lights: two or three on the dance floor, and one on the main table. I can pick which zones I want from the Plus III on my camera. I used to accidentally turn off settings with my face on the Plus II. The Plus III is aimed sideways, so that accident doesn’t happen now.”

©Melody Hood

©Melody Hood

With six people working for her, she brings an assistant or two to most weddings. They also shoot part of the time, while Hood is also shooting. “We can all use the same lights at the same time and never move them,” she says. “Shots can look completely different from different cameras. This is ideal! The whole PocketWizard system just works for me. There’s less cables than ever before. It’s fast and easy. You know: plug it in and go.”

©Melody Hood

©Melody Hood

Hood shoots a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. Shooting digitally only since 2006, she now feels it complements the speed which she photographs everything from fashion jobs to weddings. She considers her strengths to be improvisation, and the ability to move fast. “Probably my biggest skill is being able to take any location and make it something beautiful,” says Hood. “That’s what I’ve had to do most of the time. I started out just like everybody else did with the weddings that were not so great—the ones in a dark church with a gross-looking reception hall—and you had to be creative. You had to find a way to take good pictures, if it was going outside in a parking lot and lighting it where it didn’t look like a parking lot, or something completely different. I did an entire group of wedding photos in a parking garage a couple of months ago because it was pouring down rain and there was nowhere else to do it.”

©Melody Hood

©Melody Hood

Getting multiple looks quickly—all of great quality—is what clients keep returning to Melody Hood for. If you need impressive images of a critical event that will only happen once, it’s good to know Hood and her team travel. They pack light and bring their own umbrellas. Use the links below to follow Melody as she continues to prove impressive imagery can be shot almost anywhere.

 

Destination & Local Wedding and Portrait Photography: www.innamorata.com
Innamorata Photography on Facebook

Written by Ron Egatz

The post Moving Fast with Melody Hood appeared first on PocketWizard Blog | Radio Triggers for Photographers.

Posted in Melody Hood, Plus III, wedding photography | Comments Off

Fstoppers Pushing the Pro-B4

©Nick Fancher Here’s something we don’t see very often. When was the last time you saw two different types of water frozen in a photograph? Not frozen because of temperature, but frozen by incredibly fast flash duration? Our friends at Fstoppers are at it again. They’ve published a post by Nick Fancher detailing his test drive [...]

The post Fstoppers Pushing the Pro-B4 appeared first on Profoto Blog.

Posted in Fstoppers, Nick Fancher, portrait photography, Pro-B4, Videos | Comments Off

ILFORD GALERIE Goes to School | Santa Monica College

Santa Monica College has a vibrant Photography Department that believes in teaching inkjet printing as an integral part of its curriculum. This two year community college, started in 1946, offers an Associates Arts degree with a wide variety of course offerings to students who are often working full time and putting themselves through school. Professor

The post ILFORD GALERIE Goes to School | Santa Monica College appeared first on ILFORD Blog | Inkjet Photo Paper News, Tips, and Tricks.

Posted in Ford Lowcock, Gold Fibre Silk, ILFORD GALERIE, Santa Monica College | Comments Off

Win a 30 Minute Personalized Training Session in Spanish | Coloratti Joan Boira

X-Rite Coloratti Joan Boira Offer

Coloratti Joan Boira is making a special offer to his blog subscribers for a 30 minute training session in Spainish. He will draw one name each month from all of his subscribers for one lucky winner.

Joan Boira began studying digital photography in the 1990’s. He continues to learn and grow today. While working for Arpi as a digital photography technician in 2000 he began to specialize in  color management and started speaking in classes and seminars on the topic.

Now you could win the opportunity to have a personalized training session with Joan including Lightroom, Photoshop, file management, file backup and archiving, and color management. Joan also offers assistance with WordPress, advice on social networking, Skype, and more.

To participate in this “Win a 30 Minute Training Session in Spanish with Joan Boira” drawing simply register as a subscriber to his blog JoanBoira.com. Each month he will select one person from among all his subscribers as the winner.

Training can be scheduled between 10:00 and 16:00 CET (Barcelona), Monday through Friday.

When you enter your email to register you will receive a verification email. Be sure to click the link in the email sent to you confirming that you are signing up as a subscriber to Joan Boira’s blog. That’s it! You will be entered in all future drawings.

We asked Joan a couple of questions about color management specifically:

Clizia Capecchi: What is the most important thing about color management that an aspiring photographer should know?

Joan Boira: Every photographer needs to have precise control over color. For this we must maintain good communication between all aspects of the process including light, camera monitor, soft proofing, printer, and lab.

Clizia Capecchi: Do you view color management as money saving advantage?

Joan Boira: Without a doubt. My customers who don’t know about color management waste time and money because they have to make more prints to get a good one. Not only do they risk poor quality work they have no idea where the problem is originating so there’s no way to correct the problem.

Don’t miss your opportunity to win and learn from Joan’s experience.  Enter the contest and good luck!

X-Rite Color Perfectionists Unite!Joan Boira uses ColorMunki Photo, i1Display Pro, and ColorChecker Passport color management solutions from X-Rite. Learn how you can stop guessing and start knowing with X-Rite color management solutions from X-Rite at www.xritephoto.com.

Get the latest news, special offers, webinar notifications and much more by reading the X-Rite Photo Blog and following @xritephoto on Twitter, “Like” X-Rite Photo on Facebook. Now check us out on Google +. Start saving time and money with color management solutions from X-Rite. Visit www.xritephoto.com for information on all color management solutions for video and still photography.

 

 

Posted in color consulting, Color Management, Coloratti News, Joan Boira, personalized training | Comments Off

Tutu Project Event Starts Pink Plus III Auctions

Here’s today’s press release regarding last weekend’s Tutu Project event in New York City, and the start of several exciting auctions to benefit the Carey Foundation.

 

Auction Begins for PocketWizard® Plus® III Radios in Support of the Carey Foundation’s “Tutu Project”

Twenty “Tutu Pink” Limited Edition Radio Triggers Helping to Raise Funds and Awareness for the Breast Cancer Community

©Bob Carey

©Bob Carey

South Burlington, VT – May 10, 2013 – LPA Design, manufacturers of PocketWizard Photo Products, the world leader in wireless control of cameras, flash lighting and light meters, announced today that bidding has begun for twenty, very special edition radio triggers, molded in “tutu pink” and signed by photographer Bob Carey.

The first pink PocketWizard Plus III radio trigger to be auctioned was sold for seven hundred and fifty dollars during a May 3 New York City reception, co-sponsored by LPA Design to benefit the Carey Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, in celebration of its first anniversary.

Linda and Bob Carey at far right address Tutu Project fans at their gallery show in New York City.

Linda and Bob Carey at far right address Tutu Project fans at their gallery show in New York City.

The fully-functional PocketWizard Plus III radios feature a bright pink molded plastic exterior and in keeping with breast cancer awareness, they even incorporate a pink backlight display panel. Production is limited to only 20 radios leaving just 19 additional, limited edition radio triggers to be auctioned. Each unit is signed and numbered by Bob Carey. Details about bidding and more information can be found at the eBay auction.

One of only 20 pink Plus III PocketWizard radio triggers made for Bob Carey's Tutu Project and The Carey Foundation. Photo ©Bob Carey

One of only 20 pink Plus III PocketWizard radio triggers made for Bob Carey’s Tutu Project and The Carey Foundation. Photo ©Bob Carey

In addition to the twenty PocketWizard Plus III radio triggers, LPA Design will also offer a limited edition (five hundred), G-Wiz Squared gadget bags in the same Tutu Pink color. This special edition of the PocketWizard G-Wiz Squared bag will be available for purchase in limited quantities via the Tutu Project site beginning in June. All net proceeds for these special-edition gadget bags will also benefit the Carey Foundation.

The Tutu Project event in New York City, featuring the actual tutu on display. ©Bob Carey

The Tutu Project event in New York City, featuring the actual tutu on display. ©Bob Carey

“The amazing photographs in Bob Carey’s Tutu Project collection demonstrate the healing power of photography and have captured the hearts, minds and spirit of so many people,” said Dave Schmidt, LPA Design’s VP of Marketing. “PocketWizard is inspired by Bob’s unique vision as well as his belief that each of us can make important positive contributions to the lives of others. PocketWizard is proud to support Bob and the great work being done by the Carey Foundation.”

Bob Carey is a commercial photographer from Arizona with decades of photography experience. Carey’s wife Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer nine years ago. A self-portrait enthusiast who had previously transformed himself in several series of artistic images, Bob began photographing himself in a pink tutu following his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis. Linda shared these images with her fellow patients while they were receiving cancer treatment. Soon the Tutu Project was born, and all proceeds from the prints go to the non-profit Carey Foundation, which provides transportation, meals, and other daily needs to women undergoing breast cancer treatment. Images from the Tutu Project have been collected in the recently self-published book Ballerina.

Ballerina, the photographs of The Tutu Project by Bob Carey. ©Bob Carey

Ballerina, the photographs of The Tutu Project by Bob Carey. ©Bob Carey

Images and prints from the Tutu Project can be found at the Tutu Project site.  His book Ballerina, other Tutu Project gear, and donation information can be found here. Bob Carey’s photography can be seen at his site. In addition, a short film written and directed by Ron Egatz for PocketWizard, can be seen on Vimeo and YouTube.

Carey uses PocketWizard Plus III radios to execute his self-portraits taken on location around the United States.

If you have any questions regarding the Tutu Project or Ballerina, please contact Linda Carey at linda@bobcarey.com; Phone: 917-502-9343.

The post Tutu Project Event Starts Pink Plus III Auctions appeared first on PocketWizard Blog | Radio Triggers for Photographers.

Posted in ballerina, Bob Carey, news, Plus III, The Tutu Project | Comments Off

X-Rite Webinars for May 2013 | International

International webinars in Italian, English, Spanish, and German are a part of the X-Rite Photo webinar lineup this month.  We look forward to seeing you there! 
X-Rite Photo Coloratti Webinars

Italian“Photo to Video” – anteprima del workshop di PS school

14/05/2013 – (14.00 Londra / 15.00 Roma)
Alessandro Bernardi e il Coloratti Claudio Lodi ci presenteranno questo webinar a due voci dal tema COLOR CORRECTION PHOTO to VIDEO. La lezione online è solo una piccola anteprima degli eventi che avranno luogo a Milano e Roma il 18 e 25 maggio prossimi. Sapevate che con l¹integrazione

tra Photoshop e Premiere è possibile costruire un un flusso di lavoro calibrato e controllato? Registrati e impara direttamente da due esperti del settore.

Dettagli »   | Registrati »

Volete vedere di nuovo i webinar dei mesi passati? Controllate l’ARCHIVIO

EnglishWedding & Portraits Tips and Techniques for Shooting with Kevin Wilson

15/05/2013 – (14.00 London / 15.00 Rome / 16.00 Istanbul)

Join X-Rite in this exclusive webinar presented by the The Fox Talbot Awarded Photographer Kevin Wilson: this award is not given every year, but only given in special circumstance and only to professionals who have made a difference in the photographic medium. And Kevin has done it. In this one hour session, he will share some of his works, analyzing techniques used for the shooting and giving precious tips on wedding and portraits photography. Be sure to attend this one session only webinar with Coloratti Kevin Wilson, and learn from his secrets.

Details »  |  Register »

Would you like to watch past webinars? Check our ARCHIVE

SpanishControl tonal de la escena con ColorChecker Passport

22/05/2013 – (13.00 Londres / 14.00 Roma)

Presentado por nuestro Coloratti José Pereira

A lo largo de este webminar se profundizará en el uso de la carta de color Colorchecker para el control y ajuste tonal de la escena además del ajuste colorimétrico. Este proceso es imprescindible para que, junto a los Perfiles de Cámara (DCP) alcanzar un alto grado de fidelidad con la escena durante nuestros revelados raw.

|   Registro»

¿Quieres ver nuevamente los webinar de los meses anteriores? Visita nuestro ARCHIVO.

GermanBildbearbeitung von Aufnahmen mit Mischlicht

23/05/2013 - (16.00 London / 17.00 Frankfürt)

In diesem Webinar wird Fotograf Jürgen Nobel auf nachfolgende Dinge eingehen und Tipps & Tricks dazu liefern:

• Grundlegende Technik bei Aufnahmen mit Mischlicht (Tageslicht plus Blitzlicht)

• Unterschiede der Farbtemperatur ausgleichen

• RAW Konvertierung der Aufnahme

• Bildkorrekturen und Effekte mit Photoshop

• Softproof

• Voraussetzungen, Technik und Empfehlungen

Dettails »   | Anmelden »

Interessieren Sie sich für vergangene Webinars? Werfen Sie einen Blick ins ARCHIV

Please note the time zones carefully and be sure to register for these webinars and note your time zone
X-Rite

 

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Carol Weinberg on Halo Lighting

©Carol Weinberg Peter Kolonia has just published an impressive how-to piece on PopPhoto.com featuring the photography of portrait shooter Carol Weinberg. Wanting to shoot something special for her new site, Weinberg wound up with a dramatic portrait featuring halo lighting. A Profoto Pro Head was utilized from behind to create the halo effect. The main light [...]

The post Carol Weinberg on Halo Lighting appeared first on Profoto Blog.

Posted in Carol Weinberg, lighting tips, Peter Kolonia, Pop, PopPhoto.com, portrait photography | Comments Off