Renting Underwater Photography Gear

I recently had a friend email me asking advice on where to rent an underwater housing for a DSLR. Since this is something I have often thought about using, I figured I would investigate. I first checked a local rental house and was unsuccessful. The next place I looked was a larger rental house, that had been around for quite a bit longer. So I expected them to have the housing since they have an expanded range of products available for rent.

What I found was a bit surprising. They didn't rent any specific underwater housing rigs either. Instead, they rented an underwater kit or 2 that would provide customers a lesser camera for a cheaper price.
In their defense, they had a great explanation as to why they don't invest into this kind of accessory.

"About twice a month we get a call asking us to carry underwater housings. This is a much bigger deal than people realize. Each SLR camera requires a specific housing, and each housing requires several lens covers, all of which become immediately useless in two years when that model is replaces. When we do the numbers , we'd end up charging about a third of the purchase price for a rental."

Here is the scary part:

"More importantly, underwater housings have a very real failure rate, and when they fail, the camera inside is toast... no repair possible. Logic tells us that if you can afford to ruin your camera, you can afford to buy an underwater housing. So for those of us who can't we've provided in the DX-2G kit."

DX-2G 12MP @ $140

What a fantastic business decision! They took the smart way out, yet still provided the customer with a solution. The rate for the model mentioned was about $140 for 2 weeks. Far less than the specific housing I finally found for the camera my friend asked about which was $660 for the same amount of time, not including the underwater housing required for the specific lens that would be used. At that price for 2 weeks, I would almost rather bite the bullet, and spend the $2,000 on a kit in case it was needed for further shoots.
I guess the big thing to consider here is that the "lesser" camera at the cheaper price in the first kit I mentioned is only a 12MP camera. While the more expensive kit will allow much more camera control and will bump the resolution up to 21MP. Now, you just have to ask yourself if that is worth the extra 500 or so dollars, and does the shoot require as large a resolution as possible?

Aquatech Camera Body Housing
possible 21MP @ $ 660
cost of lens housing not included.

Please visit the links below to take a closer look at the kits I mentioned above.
AquaTech DX5 Underwater housing for 5DMkII
Sea & Sea DX-2G Underwater kit

Picking the right location

Occasionally there is a place I will see around town and immediately think to myself "I would love to do a photo shoot there." The problem is that most of the time these places are a bit eccentric and unique, requiring a subject with a very distinct look, an elaborate costume, or some creative makeup that links the subject to the location or is in high contrast to the feel of the location.

Sure, I will be the first to agree that these things will enhance the quality of a photo, I just lack the financial backing to pull off something of the sort at the moment. Luckily, every once in a while, schedules will line up and I will have the opportunity to make something happen without all the fancy production that can go into a shoot. So, I was pleased when a friend of mine contacted me and was interested in doing a shoot at one of these locations.  As it turned out, a location I came across several months ago, and remembered well, would work perfectly with the look of the model I was to shoot. After all, it doesn't really get any better than street art and pink hair.  

This is the first time I have had the chance to put to use some of the off camera flash techniques I have started learning from the fabulous Speedlighter's Handbook by Syl Arena. Some of the techniques that are touched upon are off camera flash using Master flash/slave flashes. For the majority of the photos here, I disabled my on camera flash so that it would only send a "pre-flash" to the slaves that were off camera, telling them what to do and triggering them so that they would be just strong enough to fill in some shadow areas that were being cast by the overpowering sun. In order to learn more, I highly recommend visiting the pixsylated blog, you are certain to come away with something helpful when it comes to shooting both on location or in the studio with Speedlights. 

My Business Plan Evolution

Since originally posting about business plans and experts in the field, I have taken into account what I've learned and this has changed the way I want to communicate my business plan to investors.
One of the simple things that Tim Berry mentions in his blog is to review your business plan often, and keep it "fluid and flexible." I have found this advice extremely helpful, and since becoming a reader of his blog, I have changed some very important things in my plan.
With the business I plan to start being in the photography industry and serving professionals in that field, I feel that the operations section is one of the most important areas to communicate. The business is heavily centered around building loyal customer relationships and providing quality products to clients in a timely manner. So communicating  how this will be done efficiently and differentiate from competitors is essential to getting investors on board and securing start up capital.

Business Plan expert Tim Berry 

The Management and Organizational structure in the plan has also changed dramatically since reading the words of business plan experts. Originally the business staff was quite large, but after doing more research and making calculated assumptions, it was clear that daily operations could be handled by a much smaller group or employees.
"Knowing your numbers." is another thing Berry stresses. In my case this strongly relates to budgeting for employees labor and management salary. Needless to say, this is a section in the budget that will continue to change over time as the business grows and the commitment to clients and the quality service is in greater need.
Perhaps the most important advice that I have taken from researching experts in the field is another thing Berry mentioned in a recent blog that plays off of what I just noted.  "Your business plan is not a document, it's a plan." It is a living thing, that doesn't survive on paper but lives on your computer where it can evolve to better help your businesses future.

Referenced sources include :
http://timberry.bplans.com/2012/03/what-you-think-you-know-about-business-planning-can-hurt-your-business.html ; from Tim Berry's blog

http://articles.bplans.com/writing-a-business-plan/common-business-plan-mistakes/31 from Bplans.com

Business Plan Development: From the Experts

Tim Berry

Recently while researching small business start ups I decided to look for some experts on business plan development. The first person I came across was Tim Berry, founder and chairman of Palo Alto software , and bplans.com. Tim has many ventures and has essentially dedicated his life to helping entrepreneurs plan for their businesses. He does this through his software, speaking engagements and his fantastically helpful blog.

As I read through Tim's blog, a post entitled 10 Tips for Starting a Service Business, really stood out to me. This is especially important because the photography business, in my opinion, is a service based business where you work very closely with clients. Among the helpful tips Tim provides are

•  Understand that your first client is twice as hard to get as your second. 
• Customer service is essential, so don't ever lose a client. 
• Know your numbers. (The difference between sales and money in the bank) 

I like this blog because Tim provides important business plan advice in a way that anyone can understand. One of the other outstanding things about Tim's blog is that you can send him specific questions about your business here, in his "Ask Me" section. 

Daymond John

Another business plan expert I came across who interested me was Daymond John. He is the founder of the FUBU clothing company, turned angel investor who can be seen on the Shark Tank television series. I found a few posts highlighting some of his insight through another blog by Kristoffer Howes. In the blog I am referencing here, Howes mentions how John stresses the importance of knowing your competition, and gaining insight on your industry and marketplace through in depth research. John says to "do your homework" and learn everything you possibly can about the consumers and competitors that surround your business. He continues, saying that it is also important to include a detailed description of your business, including your products and services, as well as your teams talents and professional abilities that relate to the business. 

Posing Techniques by Billy Pegram: Book Review

In Posing Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios, author Billy Pegram caters to photographers who are looking to make their pictures better outside of the usual aspects of in-camera settings and lighting configurations.
Let me start off by saying, as a mid-level photographer I found this to be one of the more helpful books on posing techniques that I've had the opportunity to read. This is especially important because posing techniques are often overlooked as new photographers can become preoccupied with camera settings and positioning subjects (in reference to light) or lights accordingly.  This results in neglect of the model's pose, and forgetting about giving them feedback on what would work better towards achieving the desired outcome. Now take into account that many who are new to photography won't be working with experienced models. Now you begin to see a real need for a book like this. Pegram's structure of the book is easy to follow as he provides clear examples of the different variables that make up each posing technique. The result is an interesting and extremely educational experience.

There are also several posing techniques explained that can help more experienced photographers as well. I have seen some of the posing mistakes mentioned, committed by photographers whose work I follow and admire greatly. Obviously you will have to buy the book to get the full details, but I'd like to share some of the areas of the book I found most helpful.

Key points covered include :

• changing small elements per shot. (no dramatic posing changes.) 
• creating flow and directing the eye, yet stopping the gaze of the viewer.
• 3 Rules of posing: taking into account the spine shape, shoulder level, and hip position 
• paying close attention to the position of feet, hands, fingers, and proper bending of the wrists. 
• lip placement and helping nervous models by using a few tricks and providing plenty of positive feedback

The elements mentioned which are covered in Posing Techniques might seem minute when thinking about them alone, but when the variables are combined, the difference they make can change the entire dynamic of a photograph. Pegram provides plenty of great examples to make sure these points come across clearly as pictured examples make up a good portion of the book. This is in no way a negative mark on the title, but the main reason I recommend it. [If for no other reason than the value of the second read being just as helpful as the first.]  Posing Techniques is an asset every photographer will want to have on their bookshelf to revisit when examining photos and critiquing their own posing techniques when practicing with models. 

Take a look inside Posing Techniques and other great photography books by clicking on the links below, and remember to check back soon for more reviews on books I've found helpful. 

           

Location portraits with the Westcott 6 in 1 Illuminator

As a new photographer it is easy to forget about the basic elements of lighting a portrait on location. There are already several things to consider, and many new photographers get caught up in their camera with getting the proper exposure or focus instead of also taking light quality into account. This added attention one should give to the quality of light is what I believe hurts many new photographers.
I am referring to the quality of light falling onto your subject. This includes the direction of light in relation to your subject or whether they are in direct sunlight or a shaded area.

These factors can be used to your advantage, but are often overlooked by new photographers when at a location filled with distractions. They are also extremely important to understand before moving onto adding a flash for fill, or in an attempt to over power existing light with flash. As you can imagine these things just add to the variables and make the balancing act of a photographer even more difficult.

So let's start from scratch with just our camera, the subject, and our light source. In the picture below I wanted my subject backlit by the setting sun as it came through the trees of the park. This seemed like an obvious choice since my only other option was to face him in the opposite direction facing the sun. This would result in a "squinty" unnatural look from the direct sun in his eyes. Not to mention an unhappy model.

Richard Ducat is the drummer for the progressive metal band NACIREMA.
 Click on the picture above for more information . 

I then told Rich to angle his body towards me. Now, rather than having him completely backlit by the sun, it is wrapping around his face and onto his nose. By doing this I was using the sun as a backlight and what is referred to as a "kicker."

Now I brought in another light source. The rest of the light was still provided by the sun, yet redirected by a reflector or "bounce". I use the Westcott Illuminator 6 in 1. This is a priceless piece of gear that I always carry with me on location. Reflectors require virtually no set up time. Great results can be as easy as directing an assistant where to stand while holding it at the appropriate angle. In this case we used it as a fill to avoid a lot of shadows on the left side of the photograph (the right side of his face). It also provided a unique catch light and lessened the shadows under the eyes and chin. You can see this catch light at the 8 o' clock position in the subject's eyes. 

So don't make things more difficult than they already are, and don't underestimate the value of a reflector. There are many other uses for reflector kits like the Westcott Illuminator. With this kit you have the option of 2 diffusers to soften the light falling onto a subject. It also includes 3 covers for reflective surfaces, as well as a black surface that can be used as a flag to block light. You can learn more and order the 52" Westcott Illuminator kit at B&H Photo. 

Blockposters; An interesting medium

I've always been interested in photography outside of the digital medium. In my opinion, there is something special about a print. Whether hanging on the wall of a gallery, or the door of a dorm room, there seems to be something a bit more personal about analyzing the art of a photograph when it is actually in front of you and not backlit on a monitor. So, since watching the street art documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" over the holidays, I've had a growing itch to find an interesting tool that will allow me to display my photos outside of the digital medium. How ironic that I found that tool online.

While scanning through some photography websites and blogs I came across a site called blockposters.com. The site allows users to upload a picture of their choice and then breaks the picture ip into several large page sized pieces. The pages, now in pdf form, act as puzzle pieces when printed out and fit together to form a much larger poster sized image.  I used a picture from the previous post for comparison.

The website gives the option of printing landscape or portrait, as well as the number or desired rows and columns.

Now all I had to do was print the pdf file generated by the site and trim the edges.

Important note: I chose to shrink the images to fit within the print margins for fear that the pictures would not print properly. This resulted in me having to trim a good amount of white edge around each of the pieces. Next time I will take a chance and forego the "shrink to fit" option when printing.

Although I found this to be an excellent and unique way to display photography there can be some cons to the process. One of the biggest things I found less than perfect about the process was that the maximum file upload is 1MB. I initially thought this would kill the clarity of the end product,  but in the end it didn't seem to matter much at all. You can see for yourself in the image below as the pages cover the floor or my living room. The final dimensions of the printed and trimmed block poster were 5' 3" x 3' 6".

The 36  printed "blocks" of the poster as I trimmed their edges.

Coloring with Totally Rad Photoshop Actions and Plugins

   Over the past months I have devoted a good amount of my free time to exploring photography styles and developing it into an art that I can call my own "style."  Along with a a recent studio lighting class, this is another of my efforts in an attempt to stand out from the entry level DSLR owners and growing population or photography hobbyists.
   I have adopted a method many artists use in developing their own style. I closely examine and deconstruct the work of other photographers, and incorporate things that I like with techniques I already know. This doesn't only apply to the shoot, but also to the way others go about post processing. So, my efforts led me to post processing and coloring. Ever since, I've been using tools like Rad Lab by the Totally Rad company to give my photos that "little something extra."

Here, I've colored some pictures I shot of a friend Amanda St. Pierre, a beautiful and extremely talented artist herself.

Check out Amanda's cover of Ingrid Michelson's Die Alone, and download it free from Soundcloud.