site: Black Star Rising

Six Tips to Help Your Photography Business Survive in a Struggling Economy

Written by Sean Cayton
Wednesday, 24 September 2008


...good advice, and an interesting site.

Leica S2 frame size vs 35mm

Gold is the Kodak 50MP sensor in the H3DII50 (49.1mm x 36.8mm). White is full-frame 35mm (36x24mm). Blue is the Leica S2. (45x30mm, $45,000 for the body only. Yes, you got that right.)

As Kurt Steir once said, "that's a lot of f*@kin pictures, Ted."

diversion: he was RIGHT!! AGENTS of DISINFORMATION

right HERE. on the INTERNETS!!!



oh. uh. never mind.

(how could advertising be so, uh, misleading???!? gosh. gee.)

CS4- Camera RAW Adjustment Brush, update

So, I said the color adjustments were limited. They're not.

Click on the color patch and you get this. Everything you could ever want.

(Straight out of Lightroom 2, btw, no surprise there.)

site: Alex Majoli (via Galbraith)

Alex Majoli points and shoots
Friday, June 3, 2005 | by Eamon Hickey

...old story, but I keep losing it. A great testament to how these cameras allow a completely new way of photographing a subject. With RAW-enabled cameras like the G9, now the G10 and others, it's even better now, just 3 years later.

Alex's site on Magnum here.

site: ted.com. (what the hell?)

yeah ok i wanted this domain from day one. actually looks like a good site...

bah!

oh right, link here.

File delivery standards- proposal

There is always a lot of discussion about file delivery in commercial photography - how to prep files, how to deliver files, what format, color space, bit depth, it goes on.

What follows is a list I've complied for developing a strategy. These are based on the closest thing to an industry standard I can get to, and constant discussion with everyone from photographers right to the guy on press.

After you get your own house in order, the first step? Talk to the client. Of course, right? We are in the communication business, after all...

The second biggest issue, in my opinion, is to determine if you want to "Early Bind" or "Late Bind". That is, do you want to dedicate the file to a specific purpose when you deliver it, or do you want to deliver the most data and allow the file to be "purposed" by the production guys. Again, communication.

Here, for what it's worth, is my guideline. (ducks, runs away...)

Step 1: Workstation setup and standards

Good color-accurate calibrated display
General purpose calibration settings: 6500K, 2.2 Gamma, Luminance ~120
Standardized Color Settings in Photoshop- NA Prepress Defaults

Step 2: Communication with client

Determine client use and preferences for file delivery
Negotiate fees for preparation to those requests
Establish reasonable client expectations for color accuracy and proofing processes

Step 3: Determine processing "mode", ie, "Early Binding" or "Late Binding".

Early Binding- Files are processed for specific use as specified by client.
Examples: Offset printing, web/multimedia, fine reproduction
Late Binding- Files are processed to accommodate reasonable forseeable usage, allowing editing in post for specific applications.

Suggested procedures: (all presuming "unless otherwise requested by client")

Early Binding:

Communication with Prepress or web developers is a prerequisite.

Obtain profile for proofing device

Adjust RGB to fit within proofing gamut and convert to CMYK under strict parameters of prepress requirements.

Include RGB files with CMYK as well as a "readme" explaining parameters of conversion.
(RGB can be "backwards converted", that is, converted to RGB from the CMYK to assure displayed colors can be printed.)

Files are delivered at final size with USM applied as per the prepress request.

TIFF format, JPEG only if compression needed (FTP or email, Level 10 or above)

SWOP certified proofs accompany image files, signed by client.

Inclusion of "Limits of Liability" in contract, or with "readme" on disk.

Late Binding:

Files are adjusted and "soft proofed" to keep within gamut for forseeable usage

Files are delivered in AdobeRGB in 8-bit

TIFF format, JPEG only if compression needed (FTP or email, Level 10 or above)

Files are delivered in native resolution.

Files are "pre-sharpened", but not "final-sharpened".

Where applicable files are delivered with sample "Colorchecker target" image prepped to the same standards.

Guidelines and instructions are included with files in "readme" attachment.

I think these guidelines are general enough to give a good strategy, a roadmap, for any photographer, but specific enough to be of value... Responsible handling of files, in any case, demands an understanding of the issues, and a thoughtful approach to how to best protect yourself as well as your client, in fulfilling the assignment.

Ultimately the goal is a good job, a happy client, and more work, right?

site: 360 pano shots at 'kina

at www.panoramas.dk, here. (Hans Nyberg)

thanks for your support!

breakin da 10K!

CS4- Camera RAW Adjustment Brush

Here it is, guys... This is a Brush tool that, in Camera RAW, allows you to selectively apply limited color and fairly decent tone and density corrections.

VERY cool stuff, and exactly what I, for one, was looking for!

Photoshop CS4 new features videos

I got one word.

Camera Raw Adjustment Brush.

well... ok. four words.

Cheyenne Diner CLOSED??!?

Report here. Is it TRUE??
(411 9th Ave
New York, NY)

UPDATE:

yes.

great sadness.

West Side's Cheyenne Diner set to close after 68 years in business

Photoshop CS4

Adobe page here.

...some interesting stuff (but what does it mean?):

Smoother panning and zooming and fluid canvas rotation

Efficient file management with new Adobe Bridge CS4

Tighter integration with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

More powerful printing options

Superior performance on very large images

time lapse: holy crap

time lapse for class

site: imants

Peripatetic Cow The ...... Imants Melbourne Exhibition.

Slideshow here.

diversions: the printer repaircat

Advice: to assistants

How to Open a Beer Bottle With a Dollar Bill

I would count this among the skills that would endear any assistant to me for life.

(That, and not eating Cheetos and drinking Grape soda.)

Advice: to young photographers (photojournalists)

Like I said, good groups are few and far between, and Lightstalkers vacillates between the extremes of really good and, well, complete noise. Just when I get fed up, though, I see a post like this: Advice for young photographers.

Canon 5d MII

via DP Review, here.

Nikon D90

site: Luminous Landscape

Good "groups" are hard to find... I've hung out on LL for quite some time, and become a little more active lately. It's great, there are over 30,000 members, the discussion is civil and respectful, and there are a whole bunch of informed, diverse viewpoints.

You can sit in and watch much of it without becoming a member, but I'd encourage you to join, and make a contribution.

My landing page is here.

Profile of a Photographer: Paris Visone

Let no one say my students do not take photography seriously.

Paris: "HAHA its not just a camera. its an f3."

Paris' site here.


I guess my tattoo isn't so bad then... (and no, you can't see it)

site: early digital marketing (Leaf DCB)

In researching the history of the Leaf digital backs, notably the DCB, aka the Brick, I stumbled on this story by Andy Clarke, of "And All That Malarky", "Taking a Leaf out of an old book", here.

I don't know about you, but I remember, as I was struggling along trying to keep my studio afloat back in the'90s, reading in PDN and all about how I was supposed to invest multiple tens of thousands of dollars in a digital camera. I never could quite figure out how, when I could barely afford a computer, Photoshop a scanner and the first Epson Stylus Photo printer. It always seemed like the industry was totally out of touch with the photographer in the street. The working guy with a gaggle of corporate clients, trying to pay the bills.

I felt a huge disconnect. Either they were clueless, or I was completely out of touch.

Well, this story pretty much explains it... the DCB was sold using a "top-down" marketing strategy. Sell it to the top feeders, the big production clients and do it on a "return on investment" pitch, based on the speed and efficiency of the shoot-to-press workflow. Once the big boys adopt it, you've sold the rank and file photographer.

If, of course, they can stay alive.

PDN was merely feeding their advertiser's marketing strategy, and of course, leaving it's grassroots customer base, uh, me, in the dust.

It wasn't until the Nikon D1, in 1999, that I started to think that maybe there was something for us guys who weren't working with a budget of $50K.

Funny how cameras have progressed... I was installing a Canon 20D (as a web product station) and they had a Leaf DCBII. We did a little quick side-by-side, and this cute little DSLR, at a few thousand bucks, blew that DCBII (at around $40K if memory serves...) clean out of the water.

Course starting 9/15 - NEU DM3302 Workflow in Digital Imaging

At Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, this is going to be a start-to-finish class on RAW shooting and processing, with a special concentration of the Smart Object workflow.

(...but you probably guessed that.)

Class info here. Hope you can join us!

TOTAL gossip- Sony A900 Ad Leaked

Copy from that:

"The new a900 has arrived. A new height in the “a” revolution is now within reach. Engineered with the exclusive 24.6 Mega Pixel Full Frame Exmor CMOS sensor, an industry breakthrough from Sony, this powerhouse integrates only the best imaging technologies from the world’s leading image sensor manufacturer. A work of art for the truly discerning individual.

24.6 Mega Pixel Full Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor – Dual BIONZ Image Processing Engine – Intelligent Preview – 100% Viewfinder, 0.74x Magnification – 3.0”, 921K-out Hybrid LCD – 9-point Centre Dual-cross AF (with f2.8 sensor and wide-area 10-point assist) – 5 fps Continuous Shooting – SteadyShot INSIDE"

(via Photography Bay)

I think I 'been spending too much time on Perez Hilton. 'tis the season I guess.

CS4 release for 9/23- more info, not gossip this time

Adobe will be having a CS4 release webcast on their site, (link) on 9/23, 9AM EST. (The link ain't live yet, and nods to Rob Galbraith).

CS4 release for 9/23- more info

More details, scant though they are, on CNET, here.

"Adobe on Tuesday said it will release an update to its flagship Creative Suite software bundle on September 23.

The company has offered few details of the planned CS4 release. The current iteration of the suite, CS3, is offered in several configurations that include various combinations of the company's core applications, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Acrobat and InDesign.

As for Photoshop CS4, Adobe has said publicly that it will make available a 64-bit version of the photo-editing software, but only for Windows and not for Mac OS X."

Photoshop CS4 Sneak Peak

...from the Orlando Photoshop show, apparently. Masking, Dodge/Burn tools improvements. TOTAL gossip is an announcement is due on Sept 4, product release is 9/23. TOTAL gossip.

Hey Ted,

Its 130 AM and I just got back from a shoot. During the shoot a two-bit hack putz photographer that I was working with damaged my 5D.Without my permission (I was shooting video and stepped away from my camera bag) the photographer grabbed my camera because his stopped working. Apparently he changed CF cards and his stopped working, he then took my card out and put his in. My camera then stopped working
as well. Turns out a pin in the CF card slot was bent by a fucked up card. He jammed the cards in trying to get them to work. I can see the bent pin in my card and could see his as well. My camera will not read cards. His one redeeming factor is he took responsibility and another assistant will back me up in that it is his fault and that he took my camera without permission.

I realize Im in a slight panic right now. I'll take a breath.


Anyway, what would you recommend I do next?

...you mean AFTER you kill the bastard, right?

(email from one of my ex-students... you know, in any garage or machine shop in the land, if you TOUCH another mechanic's tools, it will be the last tool you touch, with that hand anyway... )

"Print Size" Zoom not matching up? Go to your Prefs!

Thanks to Kevin M, on the Luminous Landscape forum for solving a Mystery of the Ages for me!

When you're sharpening or retouching, I always like to look at the image at "Print Size", but it never actually goes to an accurate print size. My solution has always been to turn my Rulers on and estimate the Zoom until they looked like they were right. One inch on screen displaying at about an inch, actual...

Go to Photoshop Prefs, to Units and Rulers. Set the screen res to your ACTUAL resolution, not the default of 72. (Find that simply by looking at your System Profiler, shown here. Measure the bottom edge of your display, divide that into your horizontal pixel dimension. In my case, it's 1280/12.5", or 102.4 ppi. OR, go here, to enter your diagonal dimension and your "resolution", to get actual ppi.)



Bingo. Game over.