Photography – Page 26 – Journeys of a Hybrid

January 14, 2010January 14, 2010

The Future and Video

Video seems to be the hot topic these days amongst still photographers. Their clients are coming to them and asking them if they shoot video and many are starting to incorporate video into their still photography businesses to be able to fill their clients’ needs.

We all spend more and more time getting our information and communicating electronically. When you analyze that, you quickly realize that there has been a shift in the way that we as a culture communicate, and that has changed our industry – still photography. Not because a still photograph is obsolete or has lost it’s impact, but because the traditional outlets for still photography are slowly disappearing – print newspapers and magazines.

We can debate which medium – still photography or video – delivers a visual message better – but it would be a pointless debate. Truth is, a viewer is meant to linger on still images, while motion mediums are meant to hit us with the added dimensions of movement and sound. Neither medium is better than the other and neither medium is going away. At least not as far as I can see.

The real debate shouldn’t be which medium is better, because there isn’t a one size fits all answer. Some things are visually communicated better in stills and some things are better in motion. The real question we should all be asking ourselves from a business point of view is – What are our clients asking for? And – Are we in a position to fill our clients’ needs?

I see a future where I shoot still images and video. Some jobs will call for still photography and some will call for video depending on the message or the story that our clients want us to tell. I want to position my business to be able to solve my clients’ needs with whatever medium does that best.

January 11, 2010January 11, 2010

Talking Techy – New Video Gadgets

As far back as I can remember, ever since being the only woman in my graduating class at Brooks Institute, I’ve been in a male dominated business. Along with that comes a lot of tech talk and I’d like to think that I can hold my own “talking techy”.

Lots of new gadgets and tools have been announced in the last couple of weeks. The much-anticipated Scarlet camera has been formally announced for spring – early summer 2010. Check out the 3K Scarlet prototype along with some other new gadgets from the RED folks, and you too will be amazed. And the proposed price – less than $3000 for a 3K video camera that shoots RAW.

Another interesting camera to debut is the Panasonic full HD 3D camcorder camera. Pretty cool, but I wondered how one will look at their 3D footage? Panasonic thought of that as well, and introduced 5 new 3D HD TV sets.

Check out MacVideo’s blog on CES 2010 predictions for digital cameras – smaller, video, interchangeable lenses and wifi enabled are all new features to watch for this year.

And Skype enabled HD televisions are coming so Skype users will now be able to make HD video (phone) calls as long as they have an HD web cam and plenty of bandwidth.

I played around with the popular hybrid cameras, the Canon 7D and Canon 5DMarkII over the holidays. I absolutely love the visuals that these cameras create but they felt clumsy to me, being the street shooter that I am, because I couldn’t look through the viewfinder to focus while shooting. I had to use the LCD monitor on the back of the camera to focus, which was tough outdoors and it also made the camera hard to stabilize because it wasn’t braced up against my eye. I do realize that there are 3rd party viewfinders available that attach to the back of the camera which help with focusing in bright sunlight but also helps with camera stabilization.

Lastly, I wanted to check out a company I heard about called Animoto.com. They provide a subscription based service where one can upload still images, video clips and text and a video is automatically created from your assets (or theirs) in a matter of minutes. They also have an interesting selection of licensed music to choose from, which you can use in your videos. I literally spent less than an hour of my time to register, upload my video clips, choose a piece of music and create a short 30-second video.

2010 has just begun and I’m already overwhelmed by all the new toys and gadgets.

December 31, 2009December 31, 2009

Closing out 2009

I walk every morning and regardless of the weather I go outside even for a few minutes, to get my bearings in nature. Today’s there’s a soft snow falling and as I stepped outside I saw a herd of 8 deer passing quietly through the woods.

Most days I take this time to think about the upcoming day but this morning I started to think about the past year.

Like most people I talk to, I can’t say this year has been the greatest financially, but I managed and I’m grateful for all the opportunities I had. And rather than stress too much about the down time, I channeled my energy into creating new work and a new website. The redesign of the website consumed more time than anticipated but things like that usually do. And to some extent it continues to be a work in progress.

The Delta Blues Exhibit — The Delta Blues Project

2009 was very rewarding for me in terms of my personal projects. My Delta Blues Project, which opened in 2008 at the Fullerton Museum, in California, was shown locally. Finally my friends and neighbors, who have heard me talk about my work over the years, could now come and see it on exhibition. Freedom’s Ride, a documentary about two diverse group of high school students who traveled from New Jersey to Alabama, retracing the Civil Rights movement, aired on various PBS stations and continues to be shown at educational venues.

I started writing – for myself and on commission. I have discovered that I love to write. I never would have expected that because I’ve always struggled with words and usually defaulted to communicating visually. But it’s the things that I struggle with that seem to give me the most rewards.

Locally in my town of 5000 people. I have become part of a small grass roots group called TAG. We are a non-partisan group that seeks transparency and accountability in our local government. My husband and I trained a small army of volunteers on how to operate a video camera so that they can shoot town meetings. Since May, our town meetings have been televised on our local public access station, MendhamTV. What a difference that has made as far as how the citizens of my town have become more involved in their community. I’m really proud of being a part of that.

It’s been a year of change and growth. Now on to 2010. Tomorrow is the start of a new year and along with that new hopes and dreams. But it’s really just another day – a day we can shape any way we want to.

December 17, 2009December 18, 2009

The Family Story

This time of year we all try to spend more time with our families and loved ones. It’s also a time when we reflect on the people who are no longer with us. For the most part we rely on our memories and some scattered photographs or home movies.

Mooney Family Easter. — Mooney family dressed up for Easter. I'm the child smiling.

Some of the fondest memories I have of my mother, father and grandparents are of us sitting around the dinner table, long after the meal was over and listening to the family stories. Of course each person would tell the same story in an entirely different way – the way they remembered it.

Every family has stories – mine certainly does and I have started to collect information, photographs and even recordings of family members while they are still around to tell them. It’s such an easy thing to do with all the tools that technology has provided in the way of cameras and audio recorders.

I often think that as photographers and filmmakers we are not only the keepers of our own family stories but we are documenting the stories for other families through our images, recordings and videos. Here’s a recording of my Uncle Dorlen talking about fishing in Northern Michigan in the winter.

Frenchys_Memorial_July2009 — Family gathering at my Uncle "Frenchy's" memorial.

Essentially, we are creating an archive of our loved ones and the memories. And that is the most precious gift that I can give someone through the talents of my craft.

I was recently looking at someone’s vacation snapshots and it occurred to me just how precious those images are, certainly for the people in them and the people they know. I have always taken the family snapshots and have recently started video recording my relatives telling their stories through their own voices, preserving them for future generations.

So think about that – even if you just take out your iPhone or Flip this holiday season, start capturing life’s moments. You’ll be glad you did.

December 15, 2009March 30, 2010

Mistakes Still Photographers Make When Shooting Video With a DSLR

They don’t understand the importance of audio and don’t use external microphones. Audio is everything in video.
They think in “moments in time” and start shooting video too late or stop shooting too soon. You need to let the camera linger longer.
They don’t shoot sequences with a beginning, middle and end.
They don’t think in “storyboard mode” – You should ask yourself “How will I get into and out of a shot and what’s next in the story?”
They don’t shoot enough B-roll with variations in angles and focal lengths – very important in the editing process.
They move the camera instead of letting the motion take place in front of the camera.
They turn the camera vertically. There aren’t too many vertical TV sets and monitors.
They don’t use a tripod forgetting that video is “time in motion”. It’s one thing to hold a camera steady for 1/60^th of a second and quite another to hold the shot steady for 10 seconds.
They don’t consider the frame rate and how that will affect workflow and editing.
Aren’t careful keeping their sensors clean from dust. Retouching video is a lot more involved than spotting still images.
They “throw” some video clips in with the still photography job, not putting an added value on them and thus setting a bad precedent with clients.
They don’t consider the output and the type of file to be delivered. There are dozens of formats and codecs in video. Choose according to your target audience and viewing platform or device.

December 6, 2009December 14, 2009

And Me Without My Camera

I flew out to LA on Friday and had a free afternoon before giving a seminar the next day. I had packed light. I was only in town for a short stay and most of it devoted to my presentation. So I left my cameras at home.

I was staying in Santa Monica so when I got into LA that Friday afternoon I headed to the Santa Monica Pier. It was the quintessential California day – weather wise bringing back a lot of memories from when I used to live in Santa Barbara. For anyone who has ever been to the pier you’ll understand when I say it was like a circus of vibrant visuals. Within a matter of minutes I was regretting the fact that I didn’t have a camera. And then a funny thing happened – I started recording the visuals in my head and using words instead.

Colorful bumper cars against a bright green wall that vibrated in the late afternoon light.
Two men crossing paths each recording their own observations with their mobile devices silhouetted against the glare of the sun on the water.
Garry King “on the scene” the street musician doing his own thing pumping out smooth sounds that drifted off in the wind.
A man who looked like Santa Claus and sounded like Cat Stevens singing the House of the Rising Sun, quickly followed by I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.
A fisherman weathered and alone.
A 400 lb mime painted silver and pulling his pedestal down the pier behind him.

Today as I headed to the airport in my rented hybrid car an old flatbed pick up, era 1920’s pulled up beside me at the light. For an instant I locked eyes with the old Mexican gentlemen who gave me a quick smile and I thought to myself – and me without a camera.

Maybe it’s time for me to get an iPhone. If only the phone part was better.

December 3, 2009December 14, 2009

Print vs Electronic – What Is The Future?

Just yesterday I was talking about the good and bad of social media and the potential pitfalls with time management. My routine each morning is to check for any news items on Twitter or Facebook or bookmarked blogs after catching up on my email. This morning there was one post on Facebook that caught my eye and was definitely worth the click through.

Via Mashable.com was Time Inc. Show Us Their Idea of The Future of Magazines [Video]. It was about how publishers are preparing digital versions of their magazines for the Apple Tablet. Apple hasn’t even officially confirmed they are working on this device. Embedded in the post was a pretty sophisticated demo of Sports Illustrated.

Amazing as the demo was – it had its critics. Check out Gizmodo’s post Time’s Manhattan Project Will Explode Like the Atomic Bomb It Is. The article questions how it’s any different from a web page and at ten times the cost. They state it’s pretty packaging but still stale and dead.

The future of publishing is an interesting debate. I suppose it really all comes down to how we the consumers want our information. What do you think?

December 1, 2009December 14, 2009

Wipe Your Knees Before Entering

Back in the eighties when I was starting out, every six months or so I made the pilgrimage to Washington DC to see Bob Gilka, The Director of Photography at the National Geographic Magazine. He was the guy who decided if you would shoot for the magazine. He was accessible, answered his own phone and made appointments to look at work. How times have changed.

Gilka was a man of few words and because of that seeing him was always a bit intimidating. If all you had were images to show – and nothing to say, you’d pretty much be in and out of his office in the amount of time it took to click through your slides. Knowing this, I did my homework prior to the appointment. I’d come up with about 10 query ideas, research back issues of the magazine to make sure they hadn’t been done before and have at least one idea written up in a story proposal.

I’ll never forget the first time I went to Gilka’s office. His secretary met me in the lobby, and led me to a small area just outside his office. There on his door was a doormat –with words that read “Wipe Your Knees Before Entering”. Talk about feeling intimidated – as if it wasn’t intimidating enough just to be meeting with the Director of Photography at the National Geographic.

So every six months or so I would show my images and pitch my ideas. This went on for about two years. Each time I went I would almost test myself to see how long I could stay in his office. I would do my best to sell my story pitches that I felt the strongest about and he would reply – “done it –doing it – or – don’t want to do it”. This coupled with a few words of encouragement in regards to some of my photographs would pretty much be it as far as feedback.

Then one day he kept me waiting. He had been detained in a meeting. I had scheduled a pretty tight day to maximize my trip to Washington – so the delay had thrown a wrench into me keeping my other appointments that I had scheduled. When Gilka did show up and apologized, I was already feeling quite anxious and showed it. I told him that I didn’t have much time because I had to be across town at the Smithsonian in 20 minutes. He picked up the phone, called Declan Haun, the picture editor I was headed to see at Smithsonian Magazine and explained that Gail Mooney was running late due to his tardiness. Then he proceeded to look at my pictures and hear me out.

When I did get to the Smithsonian, it was amusing to see how curious Declan Haun was to find out who this Gail Mooney was that got Bob Gilka to call ahead for her. The very next month, I got a call from Bob Gilka offering me my first assignment. Guess I just needed to show my real self. I had sufficiently shown my interest and determination in wanting to shoot for them. And I had demonstrated my photographic ability through my images. But it was when I showed my true spirit that he knew that I could shoot for them. I just had to get over my fright.

November 12, 2009March 30, 2010

More Convergence – DSLR’s + Video = VSLR

It seems like this has been the year of the video capable DSLR or VSLR. Not only are manufacturers continuing to roll out new models but third party companies have made a big business out of selling attachments or add-ons for these cameras.

Dabblers as well as professional still photographers have gotten into video because the entry level has become easier and more affordable with the advent of these cameras. While traditional news crews haven’t embraced the new hybrid cameras yet, filmmakers have created a cult around them. I must confess that although technically I have had my hands on these cameras, I have not done any test runs using them in the field. But it is on my list of things to do.

What’s Out There Now

The Nikon D90 shooting 720p was the first DSLR camera to shoot video in HD. Canon followed with its impressive 5D Mark II which raised the bar by shooting full frame 1080p with external mic input and recently rolled theyout the Canon 7D with variable frame rates for under $2000!

The most attractive features of these hybrid cameras besides the price, is the ability to change lenses, have controllable depth of field and large sensors that work phenomenally in low light situations. However there are limitations that traditional video cameras that come at a higher price don’t have. Camera stability is one problem due to how the shooter needs to hold the camera because they are designed to shoot in video mode with the mirror up. Since the camera operator must see and focus using the LCD monitor instead of steadying their eye up against the viewfinder, it’s harder to stabilize the camera when hand holding it. Audio capture is very basic as well and must be supplemented in some way.

Third Party Options

Because of these limitations, third party manufacturers have gotten in the game by designing add-ons. Zacuto

has come up with a few interesting items. One item is the Z-Finder DSLR Viewfinder, which is a device that fits over a 3” LCD and provides magnification for better focusing. It runs around $400. Hoodman provides a lower cost version called the Hoodloupe without the same optics but at a quarter of the cost.

An added benefit to using these viewfinders is that it provides another contact point with the shooter’s body and therefore provides more stability. There are also camera support systems available that help remedy the need for better stability in “run and gun”

situations where the shooter can’t use a tripod. Zacuto makes two stabilization devices, the DSLR Rapid Fire and the Quick Draw each designed with a different type of shooting situation in mind. In addition a Cavision has come up with a shoulder mount device the RS5DM2SET-S.

Package for 5DII-8 — Cavision shoulder mount

As far as audio is concerned, if you want to move beyond a supplemental external mic that’s plugged into the camera and use a more professional audio solution you’ll need balanced XLR inputs which will also enable you to use multiple external mics off the camera. Beachtek makes the DXA-5D for around $375 and juiceLink has come up with the juicedLink CX231 for about $300.

Or you can capture your audio with a stand-alone recorder like the Samson Zoom H4n, also around $300 and sync it later in post.

Regardless of how you ultimately “trick out” your VSLR (video single lens reflex) you can be sure that there will continually be newer models and solutions as technology keeps moving forward. Pro Video Coalition puts out a great newsletter online keeping us abreast of the latest tools. Check out their DSLR Shootout where they test these hybrids and adaptors. Take Dirck Halstead’s Platypus Workshop now incorporating the new DSLR’s in the program. And become a Facebook fan of From Still to Motion for ongoing information and updates. It’s an exciting time with loads of possibilities.

November 10, 2009December 14, 2009

If the Idea Just Won’t Quit Ya – Take Notice

If anyone’s been paying attention to my last few posts you would have noticed that I’ve been very introspective of late. That’s usually what happens to me when I’m about to make a change or embark on a personal project. '60's psychedelic VW van I have found that when unexpected and random events happen in my life and I take notice and then question why – I’m ready for my next chapter.

I have a friend who is a freelance writer and lives nearby. We frequently take long walks through the miles of preserved natural open land that lie within our community. We are both creatives and we’ve discovered that it’s a wonderful environment for conversation and bouncing ideas off of one another. On a recent walk I was talking about an idea that just won’t leave my head and another thought that’s just starting to morph into a more concrete plan.

At one point she questioned that perhaps I should segway the ideas into assignments from magazines or online publishers – like that would somehow legitimize my effort. I told her that if I have an idea that I feel so strongly about that I’m ready to proceed on my own – then I didn’t feel the need to get validation from someone else. That my passion for the subject matter usually carried me through and was all the validation I needed.

I’ve worked on a quite few personal projects over the years, both still photography and video as well as combinations of both. There hasn’t been one project that hasn’t been rewarding on many levels. Of course there’s the personal satisfaction and growth that I initially receive. And there’s the incredible feeling I get from knowing my work has touched someone or had an impact on them. And there are always the residual rewards that lead to new connections and future projects or jobs.

Someone once told me “pay attention to those thoughts in your head that just won’t quit ya”. So I think I will.

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