PHOTONews Canada Winter 2010

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YOUR SOURCE FOR CANADIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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VOLUME 19, NO. 4 · WINTER 2010-2011 · $ 6.98

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MICHEL ROYThe Magic of Winter

DR. WAYNE LYNCHTraveller’s Camera

Serengeti Safari

PETER BURIANZooming into 2011

Choosing The Three-Lens Kit

ELI AMON Lighting On Location

DARYL BENSONPhoto Inspiration!

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National Geographic's net proceedssupport vital exploration, conservation,

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© 2010 National Geographic Society. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and Yellow Border Design are trademarks of the National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.

Visit our website: www.nationalgeographic.comExperience the National Geographic Channel. Call your cable or satellite provider for availability.

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4 | PHOTONews

InFocus VOLUME 19, NUMBER 4wiNtER 2010-2011

New

s

manfrotto.ca

Manfrotto Products are Marketed and Distributed in Canada by Amplis Foto Inc. Visit www.manfrotto.ca to learn more.

· Now with safe, load-adjustable friction control and separate pan lock on models for heavier cameras· Featuring a selection of quick release plate systems or screw fittings· 8 models available to cover all camera/lens weights from 2kg to 8kg (4.5 to 18lbs)· For further technical details check www.manfrotto.ca for model numbers 492, 494, 494RC2, 498, 498RC2, 498RC4· Created, designed and engineered in Italy, New models for 2010

NewsMICHEL ROY

The Magic of Winter DR. WAYNE LYNCH

Traveller’s CameraSerengeti Safari

PETER BURIANZooming into 2011

Choosing The Three-Lens Kit

ELI AMON Lighting On Location

DARYL BENSONPhoto Inspiration!

VO

LUM

E 19

, NO

. 4 ·

WIN

TER

201

0-20

11

FREE COPY!


PM40040669 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 22 Telson Road, Markham, ON, L3R 1E5

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VOLUME 19, NO. 4 · WINTER 2010-2011 · $ 6.98

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Your Holiday Gift Guide!

Cover Photo by Michel Roy ©

PublisherJacques Dumont [email protected]

EditorNorm Rosen [email protected]

Graphic DesignJean-Denis Boillat [email protected]

Contributing writers/photographersDr. Wayne Lynch; Peter K. Burian;

Daryl Benson; Michel Roy; Eli Amon

[email protected]

Published by

Zak Media189 Rue Alfred-Desrochers

Saint-Augustin, QC, Canada G3A 2T1Tel: 418 871 4294 Fax: 418 871 4295

www.zakmedia.ca

PHOTONews is published four times a year (Spring; Summer; Autumn; Winter) by Zak Media for Amplis

Foto, and distributed to 50,000 photography and video enthusiasts throughout Canada.

All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material appearing in this magazine in any form is forbidden

without prior consent of the publisher.

SUBSCRIPTIONS – ADDRESS ChANGEvisit www.photonews.ca or contact Amplis Foto,

22 Telson Road, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 1E5 Tel: 905 477 4111 Fax: 905 477 2502

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When the crisp autumn air gives way to the first frost of winter, it is time to pre-pare for Canada’s most challenging photo-graphic season.

While friends and family huddle in the warmth of their homes, I pack my cameras and head out into the snow, searching for the subtle nuances of light and shadow that make winter photography so rewarding.

Eccentric? Perhaps, but until you master the art of metering winter light, and sur-mount the many obstacles of cold weather photography, you haven’t really explored the full spectrum of the Canadian photo-graphic experience.

This issue is dedicated to the art of photographing winter. To showcase the magnificence of the season, we turned to Michel Roy, our Digital Darkroom specialist, who enjoys winter more than anyone I have ever met – his spectacular portfolio focuses on the technique of capturing the subtle nuances of winter light. When it is so cold that the snow squeaks, Michel heads out to capture images that portray the Canadian winter, and he returns with photographs that convey the pioneer spirit and sense of humour that define our unique relationship with the season.

Of course, not everyone looks forward to the blistering cold of the season, so we asked Dr. Wayne Lynch to take us along on a Serengeti Safari… the trip of a life-time for many photo enthusiasts. Wayne’s in-depth knowledge of the animals and their habitat adds perspective to this fas-cinating destination.

We try to blend the content of each issue of PHOTONews to match the interests of all levels of photographers. In this issue, Peter Burian discusses the selection of your first DSLR lenses in “Zooming into 2011”. Eli Amon describes his technique for profes-sional location lighting, and our newest

team member, Daryl Benson, explains how images can be enhanced through the art of visual presentation.

With the holiday season almost here, we have provided a special Holiday Gift Guide, showcasing some of the most exciting new products for photo enthusiasts. Why not put a few “Post-It” notes on the appropriate pages, and leave the issue where friends and family can see it… think of this subtle hint as a public service for friends and family.

One of our goals at PHOTONews is to bring the thrill of photography to Canadians from sea to sea. Our interactive flickr® group – www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/ provides a forum for all readers to share pic-tures and stories of their photographic adventures. The PHOTONews Gallery is where readers post their submissions for the quarterly challenge, and we select our Reader’s Gallery images from the photos posted to the flickr® group pool. The group is open to all Canadian photographers, it’s FREE, and it’s fun!

PHOTONews issues are available on-line in our digital editions – visit www.photon-ews.ca for your links to the recent issues!

Don’t let the most interesting of Canada’s seasons slip by – dress warmly, grab your camera, and enjoy the best view of the Canadian winter through the lens of your DSLR!

Norm Rosen, [email protected]

Visit the website at www.photonews.ca

Join the flickr® group at www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/

Questions or comments? Please send me an e-mail – [email protected]

Let it Snow!

The Ultimate All-In-One Zoom: Longest, Steadiest Lens On Earth

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The Ultimate All-In-One Zoom: Longest, Steadiest Lens On Earth

World record Tamron 18-270mm Zoom has incredible 15X wide-to-super-tele coverage plus advanced VC anti-shake!A triumph of advanced optical engineering, the new Tamron AF18-270mm Di II VC is the first 15X (28-419mm-equivalent) zoom lens for consumer digital SLRs with advanced Vibration Compensation (VC). Its best feature: It will bring your picture taking to an entirely new level.

18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VCModel B003 Fully compatible with Canon and Nikon Digital Cameras

Tamron - Manufacturer of precise and sophisticated optical products for a broad range of industries.TAMRON PRODUCTS MARKETED AND DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA BY AMPLIS FOTO

www.tamron.ca

Wayne Lynch takes us on safari to the wildlife jewel of East Africa.

The Three-Lens Kit. How to choose them, how to use them. By Peter Burian.

Great gifts for photo enthusiasts!

6 | PHOTONews

Serengeti 22 Zooming Into 2011 34

Holiday Gift Guide 39

Eli Amon takes the studio on the road – here’s how he “travels light”.

A selection of new products for photo enthusiasts.

Moving up to larger prints. By Peter Burian.

Lighting on Location 48 What’s New? 52

Printers and Papers 56

Winter 2010-2011 | 7

16 Winter Photography You’ve got to love it! Michel Roy shoots Canada’s coolest season.

Introducing the Sony NEX-5 compact interchangeable lens camera. Amazing DSLR quality photos and HD video. Interchangeable lenses. In a tiny camera that’s incredibly easy to use. The Sony NEX-5. Be inspired. Go where no DSLR has gone before.

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Compact interchangeable lens camera

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10 | PHOTONews

One of the highlights of Photokina 2010 was the introduction of the new Broncolor Senso and Litos system. Compact and robust, this new design is ideal for the professional shooting on location, or for studio situations.

The Senso power pack is available in two power classes: 1200 J* (A2) and 2400 J* (A4). With two channels and 3 outlets you can select symmetry or asymmetry modes. The wide range of 6.5 f/stops in symmetry mode is comparable to the well-known Grafit system, and there is a 5-f/stop range in asymmetry mode. The power pack is intended for studio or location applications on AC supply. With recycle times of 1.5s for the A2 and less than 3 seconds for the A4.

Design follows functionality in this new power pack. The front of the Senso displays a clear arrangement of the oper-ating controls. Two digital LED displays allow very accurate power control, and you can switch display modes between f-stops and Joules.

With capacitor switch-off it is possible to control the power pack over 3 f-stops with

constant colour temperature. Over the whole range you have colour temperature con-sistency of +- 100 K. A sophisticated cooling system works when required, assuring long lifespan for the unit.

Senso is small but tough. Rubber gaskets absorb shocks in location situations. The bot-tom plate is closed, so even in wet surround-ings the power pack can be used. Senso can be operated worldwide thanks to a switch-able voltage selector.

Senso delivers fast flash durations. On the A2 you reach full power at 1/600, with A4 1/300. The modelling light supports up to three 650W tungsten lamps. Triggering the flash is possible over synchro, a photocell and new radio triggering system. There are 99 studio and unit addresses for maximum flexibility in plan-ning and controlling your studio equipment.

The Litos lamp is compact, modern, and delivers outstanding performance in a multifunctional unit. The design is durable and versatile. The housing protects lamp heads during transport, and it can be used as a standard reflector.

The housing is heat resistant and break-proof due to a fibreglass reinforced polyamid material. With one 2400 J flashtube and a 300 W modelling light you will hold a powerful lamp head in your hand. A pan/tilt head is inte-grated in the design. When you need a hard light – the Litos standard reflector is ideal. If you need a soft light use the optional Flex 70by70. If you plan to shape the light, no prob-lem – the bayonet mount offers you access to the whole range of Broncolor accessories.

Litos is intended to work with Senso only. Compatibility with Broncolor accessories offers substantial flexibility for long-term use.

The Senso and Litos will be offered in four different Kits, including power packs, lamp heads, flex 70by70 and synchro cables.

For more information on the Broncolor line, please visit www.bron.ca.* Joules are approximately equivalent to Ws.

PhotokinaHighlights

New from Broncolor Senso and Litos

Winter 2010-2011 | 11

Canadian photo enthusiasts – for a free subscription to PHOTONews visit the website at www.photonews.ca

and click on the “subscribe now” button!

News

PM40040669 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 22 Telson Road, Markham, ON, L3R 1E5

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VOLUME 19, NO. 3 · AUTUMN 2010 · $ 6.98

NewsFREE COPY!

DR. WAYNE LYNCH

Traveller’s Camera

Arctic Adventure

PETER BURIAN

How to Pick

the Perfect Bag

NORMAN PILUKE

Autumn Leaves,

Autumn Light

THE MAGIC OF MICHEL ROY

Autumn Eyes

PLUS:

The Three-Light Portrait Studio

12 | PHOTONews

AutumnContest

Back roads of the Bar River area.Frank De Simon, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, captured this pastoral image with a Nikon D90 and a 18-105mm lens polarized @ 48mm. shooting at 1/180 second and f4.8, ISO 200. “I Used PhotoShop to create a -2 and +2 exposure and Dynamic Photo HDR to tweak the image. This image is one of over 300 shot while on a photo tour with 2 friends. We spent the day cruising the back roads of the Bar River area east of Sault Ste Marie. The sun was just starting to set causing the fall colours in the trees to pop. What an end to a gorgeous fall day!”

Miner’s Path. Thane Vanderaegen of Lethbridge, Alberta, captured this image of the Miner’s Path Bridge in Coleman, Alberta with a Canon 5D MK II and

a 17-40 mm Canon lens. This shot was taken as a 3-shot bracketed exposure at f/22 with ISO 50 and the zoom set to 23mm. “I hoped to

retain details in both the leaves in the foreground and the bridge in the background, with the added benefit of “slowing-down” the water

in the creek.By shooting low I hoped to bring the viewer in towards the bridge following the leaves on the side of the creek.”

Vortex of colour.Bruce Gunion, of Kingston, Ontario shot this photo with a Canon EOS D60, zooming during the exposure to create a vortex of colour.

Congratulations to the winners of the quarterly PHOTONews Challenge!

Winter 2010-2011 | 13

Cool Autumn morning.Sue Thompson, of Chatham, Ontario, was out bright and early on a cool Autmn morning to capture these beautiful dew drops using her Rebel XSi and Hoya close up lens set shooting at 1/125 sec. and f 5.6 ISO 200. “I was lying on my stomach facing the into the direct sun to capture the light on each drop.”

Gravel country road.Ivan Sorensen composed this idyllic image for our PHOTONews Autumn Challenge. “I love capturing light and shadows and will cruise the countryside looking for the right shot. I found it here on this gravel country road and by using medium zoom to make the journey into the light, I was able to recreate the the image that was left in my mind. Nikon D90, 1/180 sec. @ f/9.5, ISO 200 +2 EV. 150mm.”

Color juxtaposition of green.Harris Hui of Vancouver took this picture with a Nikon D300 and Nikon 18-200mm VR lens, mounted on a tripod, in the Van Dusen Garden Vancouver. The settings were ISO 200 f/13 and 1/80 second. “It was a bright sunny afternoon. There was not much fall color yet in that weekend but I managed to find this spot with great colour juxtaposition of green, red and white fall colours. I was happy at the end of the day!”

Iconic Maple Leaf.This photo of the Iconic Maple Leaf was taken by Monica de Moss of Dalhousie New Brunswick. “I used the Canon 7D with 18-55mm kit lens fully extended, f5.6, 1/30s and ISO 100. I selected a manual white balance so that the light and colour wouldn’t be blown out on the leaf but still allows detail on the log background. I really liked the way the colours and the morning light showed the details of the dew on the leaf.”

Don’t miss the Winter PHOTONews Challenge – see page 58 for details, and post your best shot at the PHOTONews flickr® group – www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/

Reader’sGallery

14 | PHOTONews

Abandoned Thane Vanderaegen, of Lethbridge, Alberta, captured this image of an old delivery truck on an abandoned

homestead south of Foremost, Alberta. It was shot with a Canon 5D MK II and Sigma 50-500mm lens at 98mm.

This shot was exposed at 1/5 of a second at f/2.8 with hopes of blurring the grain in the foreground and still showing some detail to the old farmhouse in

the background.

Blaze Barna Tanko, of Calgary, captured this image of his dog Blaze (Hungarian Vizsla), on January 18, 2010 in the midday sun with a Canon 5D and 24-70 f2.8 L lens, set at 24 mm, shutter speed 1/500 second, aperture f/5.6 and ISO 100, evaluative metering. Photo processed in Adobe Photoshop CS5. The fresh snow acted like a giant reflector screen bringing up the details on the dog.

Scarborough Bluff Arindam Bhattacharya of Toronto captured this image of Scarborough Bluff with a Canon 450D and 15-85mm IS Lens, shooting at 1/40 sec. and f/16, ISO 100.”It was a cloudy day and a bit disappointing until I observed that the sky colour was changing in the east.I decided to head for to Scarborough Bluff, where I knew that I could find a location with a clear view ofthe sky and some interesting foreground.”

Winter 2010-2011 | 15

PHOTONews Magazine is delighted to recognize the work of the following Canadian photographers, whose vision and creativity brightens our Reader’s Gallery this issue.

Our new website now includes a special gallery section, where all readers can view the work submitted and post com-ments… we encourage you to post your favourite image, no larger than 600 pixels wide – a selection of the best of the images will be published in each issue of PHOTONews!

Readers participating in the pub-lished gallery will receive a special gift. Photographers will retain all copyright to the images shown in the gallery, both on-line and in print.

Take a few minutes to review your favourite images, and visit http://www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgal-lery/ for complete instructions for sub-mitting photo files to the PHOTONews Reader’s Gallery!

Alia Andreas Schneider, of Wellesley, Ontario, captured this image at the

Digital Imaging show in Mississauga. A handheld Canon 7D with a 70-200 f2.8L IS lens at 90mm was used. Bowens lighting using a 5’

Octo softbox and 4’ soft strip softbox activated with a wireless trigger provided the perfect light with settings of ISO100 at f6.0 and 1/125. The telezoom lens was used to get closer and have flexibility

to concentrate on the feature of the model’s face. “The unique opportunity to photograph the live art of Natasha

Kudashkina in the perfect setting just needed to be taken. (Model: Alia) In conversion from RAW into Photoshop I adjusted the Clarity setting down to -42 to smooth the edges of the colors and reduce

the texture of the skin.”

Reflection of a window Jim Forrest of Barrie, Ontario captured this image of Fall colours in the reflection of a window at the Cemetary Chapel at the Barrie Union cemetary. Nikon D300s and Nikon 10.5 Fisheye lens, shooting at 1/250 second and f/5.6, ISO 400. “The reflection in the window caught my interest of an interesting image to shoot.”

16 | PHOTONews

BY M

ICH

EL R

OY WInTER PHOTOGRAPHY

you’ve got to love it! Don’t spend the winter waiting for the first day of spring! Taking photos on a cold, crisp winter day is a great way to enjoy one of Canada’s most photogenic seasons.

SpecialFeature

Winter 2010-2011 | 17

18 | PHOTONews

I love winter. I can’t wait for the first snowstorm to blanket the landscape with a frosting of magic crystals… and I take great pride in being able to overcome the many challenges of cold weather photography to capture images that cause my friends and clients to say “WOW!”

The most important element of winter photography is obviously to be well prepared. This preparation starts with a wise choice of clothing. Warm and comfortable are the two key goals. If you are cold and wet, your winter photography adventures will be short and unproductive.

To succeed in recording the majesty of the Canadian winter, you have to second-guess your camera meter. Conceived and manufac-tured in much warmer environments, the cam-era meter always tries to achieve an average exposure corresponding to blue skies, green grass, and an overall reflectance of 18% grey – about the shade of a well-travelled asphalt road. Obviously, this won’t work between november and March! That is why the photog-raphy of snowscapes often results in under-exposed images. Winter subjects rarely match

WinterPhotography [ by Michel Roy ]

Winter 2010-2011 | 19

20 | PHOTONews

WinterPhotography [ by Michel Roy ]

the camera’s programmed target exposure of medium grey – many winter photos will be too dark if the camera is set on any of the auto-matic exposure modes. The solution is to take a meter reading of a Kodak 18% Grey Card, then set the exposure manually, or dial-in the appropriate exposure compensation factor.

Once you are confident that you can tackle the winter exposure challenges, you are ready to explore the great outdoors for photo opportunities. Winter provides a var-iety of unique subjects, look for ice forma-tions, newly fallen snow, reflections, animals in their winter habitat – the possibilities are endless once you leave the warmth of your home to explore the winter wonderland.

Some of the most striking winter images can be captured more easily in winter than during the warmer seasons – for example, sunrise is a breeze in winter, because you don’t have to wake up at 3h30 in the mor-ning! So get out and catch that great light of the first hour of the day!

“Some of the most striking winter images can be captured more easily in winter than during the warmer seasons.”

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22 | PHOTONews

PhotoDestinationsBY

WAY

nE

LYn

CH

Wildlife Jewel of East Africa

As I write these words I’m parked in a Toyota Land Cruiser above the muddy banks of the Mara River in southern Kenya, just a few kilo-metres north of the Tanzanian border. Less than an hour ago, the horizon released the flaming eye of the rising sun and I’m bathing in the warm embrace of the sun’s first rays. As I wait, I’m not alone. A small cluster of white-backed vultures, roosting in the nearby trees, is also wait-ing, but waiting is what vultures do best. A swirl in the water catches my eye and I recognize the languid sweep of a crocodile’s tail. When I look closer, I count five of the scaly beasts drifting between the riverbanks like guests at a recep-tion, waiting for the buffet to be served. On the far side of the river, less than two hundred metres away, hundreds of wildebeests, along with some zebras, shuffle around in a thick cloud of amber dust. The wildebeests and the zebras are also waiting; waiting for one or

more among the throng to be hungry enough, impatient enough, or naive enough to plunge across the river to reach the green flush of oat grass all of them can see, and probably smell. I try not to take my eyes off the herds for more

than a few moments at a time because I know from past experience that a river crossing can begin without warning: the action changing suddenly from milling to mayhem.

In an instant it happens. A trio of adult zebras leaps into the coffee-colored wat-

ers and swims powerfully across the river. The suddenness of the event and the splashing and braying of the zebras seems to immediately infuse the waiting wildebeests with courage-ous resolve, and wave after wave of their ranks plunge into the river. The noise, the dust, the determination, and the wildness in the animals’ eyes imbues the moment with a primal feel and I purposefully stop photographing to fully savour the beauty of this ancient natural event. When the

AThe name Serengeti is derived from the Masai language and means a wide open space.

Winter 2010-2011 | 23

24 | PHOTONews

knobby head of a crocodile erupts from the foam I snap back into action but the resulting photograph fails to capture the flailing legs of the drowning wildebeest or the underwater struggle that precedes it. The crossing is over in less than ten minutes. Several wildebeests have been captured by the crocodiles, but hundreds have escaped, and the survivors will fatten on the fresh green grass around me. Before the morning concludes I photograph a gaggle of vultures squabbling over a carcass, a pair of male giraffes wielding their heads like sledgehammers in a contest of neck

wrestling, a newborn Thomson’s gazelle nurs-ing on shaky legs, and a stately secretary bird stomping a fleeing cobra, then swallowing the battered serpent in a single gulp. Such is a day in the Serengeti, one of the greatest wildlife locations on the planet.

The name Serengeti is derived from the Masai language and means a wide open space. nowhere else on Earth can a person see such an incredible array of wildlife: 1.3 million wildebeests, 200,000 plains zebras, 440,000 Thomson’s gazelles, 100,000 impala, 200,000 topi, hartebeests, and

African buffalo, plus scores of a dozen other kinds of hoofed mammals. Then there are the predators: 7,500 spotted hyenas, 3,000 lions, 1,000 leopards and several hundred cheetahs. When I was in East Africa this past September the density of predators had attracted film crews from the British Broadcasting Corporation, Disney nature and national Geographic: all striving to capture the visual splendour of the Serengeti.

The Serengeti ecosystem, at 25,000 square kilometres (9,600 sq. mi), is just a bit larger than the combined size of Jasper, Banff,

PhotoDestinations [ by Wayne Lynch ]

Winter 2010-2011 | 25

Kootenay, Yoho and Waterton national Parks in Canada’s Rocky Mountains. This rich eco-system is a mixture of open plains, acacia woodlands, and forest-rimmed rivers. Eighty-five percent of the Serengeti is located in Tanzania, centred around Serengeti national Park; the remainder is in southern Kenya, mainly in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

The Serengeti is best known for its annual migrations of wildebeests, zebras and Thomson’s gazelles in numbers that defy the imagination. The animals move around in response to geographical

differences in rainfall, which produces dif-ferences in the amount of fresh green grass available for them to eat. From December to March, the great herds are clustered in the southern Serengeti in Tanzania, and then from August to October they concentrate in the north in the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. Outside of these months the ani-mals are in transit, migrating between the two key areas.

Most visitors to the Serengeti travel as part of an organized safari. As a photographer, your number one consideration is whether

the safari is a general interest tour or a spe-cialized photo tour. In the past year, at least half a dozen people have asked me why they should travel to East Africa on a photo tour instead of a general nature tour. They asked. “Doesn’t every tour focus on the streaming herds, elephants and lions?” “Why are photo tours generally more expensive than standard tours, and do you need to be an expert pho-tographer to join a photo tour?” Here are four compelling reasons why a photo tour is the only way to visit the Serengeti if you’re an avid shutterbug.

26 | PHOTONews

1 Optimal Scheduling of Daily Programs

Every photographer knows that early morning and late day are the times when the light is most appealing for capturing everything from landscapes to leopards. That often means early wake up calls, breakfast in a box, and late evening dinners. On many of the general interest safaris the daily schedule revolves around dining room hours at the whim of the lodges. Little consideration is given to when the light is optimal for photography.

2 Extra Room in the Vehicles

To reduce the cost of a tour, many safari oper-ators assign just one seat for each passenger. Typically, the brochure simply states that the tour features “modern, comfortable, mini-buses” or “spacious 4-wheel drive vehicles”.

What they don’t tell you is that you will be packed inside like sardines, each person crad-ling his or her camera gear on their lap with their water bottle jammed between their knees. In the Serengeti, the standard mini-bus or Land Cruiser holds eight passengers, squeezed shoul-der to shoulder, half of whom must photograph through the grime of a dusty window.

On a specialized photo tour each vehicle generally carries only three or four passengers. In this way, everyone has elbow room to photograph all at once, and fewer photographs are ruined by people jumping up and down from their seats, jiggling the vehicle. In short, on most photo tours you get at least two seats for every person, one for your bottom and another for your camera bag.

3 Time Spent With the Subjects

Photographers are generally very patient people who never mind waiting, sometimes for hours, to capture exciting light or unusual behaviour with their cameras. A tourism study done in Kenya in the 1980s determined that the average tourist spent just three minutes watching the first lion they saw on a safari, and once they had seen three lions they didn’t stop to watch any others. You can imagine the frus-tration a photographer would feel being trapped in such a vehicle because every encounter has something different to offer.


Winter 2010-2011 | 27

28 | PHOTONews

4 Leaders Who Are Photographers

Tour leaders who do not photograph cannot appreciate the difference that a bend in the road can make to the strength of a compos-ition, the importance of the last 30 minutes of light at the end of the day, or the patience needed to wait for a catch light in the eye of an eagle. Many years ago, I co-led a photo tour to Costa Rica with a local leader who was reputed to be one of the finest naturalists in

the country. Indeed, this pleasant man knew his birds, his plants, and his beetles, but he knew nothing about photography and the interests of photographers. When we stopped for a pleasing shot of a tropical landscape he argued that the parking lot around the next corner was better. It never was. When we stopped for the twentieth time in a day he protested that we would be late arriving at our daily destination. We never were. And when we stopped to photograph some cowboys, he said it wasn’t safe, yet their smiles and

laughter told us that it was. Without my inter-vention, this skilled and knowledgeable local guide would have turned our photo tour into a photo failure.

A question that everyone has before a photo tour to Africa is “what equipment will I need?” Bring at least two camera bodies, three is better, in case one breaks or fails. For wildlife, the most useful lenses are medium telephotos in the 100 to 300mm range. If you like to photograph birds then you will need something bigger, in the 400 to 600mm range. Wide angle lenses are also a must to


capture landscape scenes. (Tip: If you own backup lenses, bring them along in case your primary lenses get broken or malfunction). Surprisingly, an electronic flash is also very handy to have. With the development of low-noise digital sensors which permit the use of high ISO settings I end up using an electronic flash to fill the shadows many times during a typical safari. Generally, tripods and/or mono-pods are useless in the cramped confines of the vehicles from which you will do the vast majority of your shooting. The best way to sta-bilize your camera is to use a bean bag.

Storing images is another issue that plagues every travelling photographer. On my last safari to the Serengeti I polled 20 photog-raphers to see how many images they had shot on a two-week photo tour. The average was between 75 and 100 gigabytes, with one fellow shooting a remarkable 325 gigabytes. He confessed that he had shot over 17,000 images. I was happy it was him who had to edit those photographs and not me. My usual storage routine is to download everything onto a laptop and then back up all the images on a small external hard drive.

A safari to the Serengeti will be one of the most expensive photo trips of your life. With good advance planning and careful tour selec-tion I can guarantee it will be also be one of your greatest photographic experiences.

Winter 2010-2011 | 29

On the NetFollow Wayne’s adventures at his web-site – www.waynelynch.ca and don’t miss his latest book - Planet Arctic - Life at the Top of the World - now available online and through better bookstores everywhere.

Holds a laptop up to 15.6” in a padded pocket

Converts to a briefcase with the removable

shuttle

Plenty of space to carry

lenses like a 70-200 F2.8

PiggyBack Pocket slides on to rolling

luggage

Quick access to camera through

The Quick Access Top

SHOOT WITHTHE MESSENGERDO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER,

Evolution Messenger 4

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Tamrac’s Evolution Messenger Series - The perfect choice for mobile photographers

Tamrac products are marketed and distributed by Amaya Foto, a division of Amplis Foto Inc. Visit tamrac.ca for more details.

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Winter 2010-2011 | 31

PhotoInspiration

After 30 years in any business a person tends to get jaded. I love what I do but it’s gotten more and more difficult to be pleased by my images or inspired by the work of others. I’m rarely impressed now by a single image. What I do enjoy seeing and what I respond to is imagery where I can recognize a mind at work behind the camera, keyboard, pen or paintbrush - not just the flawless execution of technology and technical proficiency, but an actual idea well communicated, a human mind working!

One of the areas in photography where this idea is still ripe for exploration is “Image Presentation”. Creating the initial photograph is often just the first step in a much larger creative process. This is what I want to communicate in words and images with my new column in PHOTONews.

Visual Design & Image PresentationBY

DAR

YL B

EnSO

n

32 | PHOTONews

PhotoInspiration [ by Daryl Benson ]

DARYL BEnSOn was born on the Canadian prairies and has spent a good portion of his life travelling and photographing on every continent. From penguin colonies surrounded by glaciers in Antarctica to aromatic fields of lavender in Provence, France; from the dragon’s teeth lime-stone mountains of Guilin, China to the arid, red nullarbor Plain of the Australian outback; and from the wind-tortured mountains of Patagonia in South America to mass wildlife migrations on the Serengeti Plains of Africa.

After seeing, experiencing and photographing at all of these exotic locations Daryl claims to get his best photographs here along the coasts, prairies, mountains and forests of Canada. It is the place he knows best – it’s home!

MEET DARyL BENSON

The newest member of the Photo News Team!

Winter 2010-2011 | 33

34 | PHOTONews

In fact, I recently did a great deal of shooting with focal lengths from 10mm to 300mm, covering the angles of view from 103º to 5º degrees, primarily with a nikon D90. Subjects included classic British cars, birds of prey and costumed characters at a festival, a fall fair, as well as go-kart and cycle race action. The three lenses would have been ideal for other applications too of course, such as landscape and travel photography.

Zoominginto2011BY

PET

ER K

. Bu

RIAn Add an Ultra Wide

and a Tele Zoom for the

Ideal Three Lens KitVirtually all digital SLR cameras are sold with an inexpensive kit lens, typically an 18-55mm model that provides focal lengths from moderately wide angle to short telephoto. That’s a suitable range for some purposes - roughly equivalent to 28-85mm in 35mm film photography - and high-grade models are also available (such as the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC Di II). But this type of zoom is not an all-purpose model by any means. For most travel, event and landscape photography, I definitely want two additional lenses, including an ultra wide and a telephoto zoom.

Winter 2010-2011 | 35

The Ultra Wide LensAny DSLR owner who is frustrated by the inability to make ultra wide photos would def-initely appreciate a lens such as the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF zoom (roughly a 15-36mm equivalent). It’s very useful for including large groups of people in a single shot but also for more cre-ative images: dynamic wide angle perspec-tives with a powerful near/far relationship and extensive depth of field.

Designed specifically for DSLRs with the typical sensor size (not full-frame or 24x36mm), this lens covers a 103º field of view. That’s more than our two eyes can see without scanning. The Tamron designers specified an impressive optical formula to minimize aberrations and distortion: glass-molded aspherical element, three hybrid aspherical elements, two pieces of Low Dispersion glass plus a High-refractive Index glass element. This design also controls light fall-off (darkening) at the edges, while exten-

sive use of multi-layer BBAR coatings mini-mizes flare.

This 10-24mm lens features Tamron’s micro-motor for autofocus with Canon and nikon mount DSLRs. This ensures that AF is available with all of the cameras, including nikon bodies without their own focus motors. The focus ring does rotate but the

lens barrel is adequately long for a comfort-able grip without impeding the ring’s move-ment. Autofocus is fast and responsive for a lens of this type and the motor produces a gentle hum that is certainly not distracting. Particularly at f/8 in the 10-18mm range, this lens produces stunning sharpness across the entire frame.

SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di-II LD Aspherical [IF]

36 | PHOTONews

The Telephoto Lens While some shooters prefer a “fast” zoom such as a 70-200mm f/2.8 model, I find a longer lens more useful for racing events, distant vignettes in a landscape or city scene. It’s great to be able to fill the frame with a 105-450mm equivalent lens that’s smaller and lighter than the f/2.8 model. The lens I used - Tamron’s new SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC uSD - is par-ticularly noteworthy because it is the first to employ the company’s proprietary ultrasonic Silent Drive autofocus motor. naturally, it’s also equipped with the Vibration Compensation system that provides image stabilization.

The uSD technology is complex but the performance benefits are far more important: very fast and nearly silent autofocus. Full-time manual focus override is available, great for slight focus touch-up without switching out of AF mode. This feature is useful in close-up photography for example, when the camera might insist on focusing on an owl’s beak, instead of the eyes. Thanks to internal focus-ing, the lens barrel does not rotate, so the

effect of a polarizing filter never changes. Note: unlike the Di II lenses, this Di model is suitable for all types of cameras: DSLRs with the typical small sensor, full-frame models with the huge 24x36mm sensor and also 35mm cameras. now available in nikon and Canon mount, it will soon be available in Sony mount as well.

Build quality is excellent, including a high-grade polycarbonate barrel and a solid stain-less steel mount. The minimum focus distance of 1.5 metres provides a maximum magnification of 0.25x (a 1:4 magnification ratio) at 300mm; that’s fine for close-ups of large blossoms, small pets or icons that you find in a market while traveling.

The optical formula is especially impres-sive, including a sophisticated Extra Low Dispersion element plus a conventional Low Dispersion element. The combination is said to be very effective in providing high resolu-tion and contrast and in eliminating chromatic aberration, also called purple fringing. And finally, Tamron employs new BBAR (Broad-Band Anti Reflection) multilayer coatings. The latter - plus the very deep lens hood

(included) - minimized flare even in extreme side lighting during an early morning race.

With the VC switch set to ”on”, I was con-sistently able to get sharp photos at 300mm (a 450mm equivalent on the nikon D90) at 1/60 sec. in a dark cathedral while hand-hold-ing the camera. Roughly half of my images made at 1/30 sec. were adequately sharp for nice 8x10" glossies. By comparison, with the VC set to ”off”, I had to use 1/400 sec. for a high success ratio. When bracing the camera on a solid object, I got a few sharp images even at a 1/6 sec. shutter speed.

Performance and QualityIn my Review of this Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF lens in a previous issue of Photo news, I made the following comments. ”All ultra-wide zooms produce some light falloff at the edges of the frame, but that was well controlled, barely visible by f/5.6-6.3. At the most commonly used aper-tures of f/8 to f/16, edge brightness almost matches central brightness. Linear distortion is

Zoominginto2011 [ by Peter K. Burian ]

Winter 2010-2011 | 37

surprisingly low for a lens with such extremely short focal lengths. In fact, I have experienced more barrel distortion (bowing outward of lines near the edge of the frame) with some 18-55mm zooms.”

”With a short focal length lens such as this, the most frequently-used apertures are f/8 to f/16. At these f/stops image quality is superb, especially in the 10-18mm range. My technic-ally best JPEGs made 13x19" prints that look outstanding when matted and framed.”

The SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC uSD was impressive in many aspects. Linear dis-tortion is surprisingly low and flare is very well controlled. This brand new lens can produce high resolution in the central 60% of the frame at most apertures and focal lengths; it’s outstanding at 70mm to 135mm even at f/4. Stopping down to f/10 provides very high edge-to-edge sharpness.

At longer focal lengths, centre sharpness is still good at f/5.6 and very good at f/8. And again, the best performance across the frame is provided at f/10 with no apparent colour

fringing around subject edges. Light falloff (corner darkening) was noticeable in wide aperture photos that included the sky but this was virtually eliminated by f/8. Of course, slight corner darkening is very easy to correct with imaging software that includes a tool designed for this purpose.

ultrasonic autofocus - with a nikon D90 and especially with a D700 - was quick and suitable for tracking the motion of costumed characters and cyclists approaching my pos-ition. At longer focal lengths, the maximum aperture shrinks to f/5.6 (typical with a 70-300mm lens) reducing the amount of light reaching the camera’s AF sensor. That did cre-ate some autofocus issues during the go-kart race, with competitors moving erratically: slow-ing or accelerating rapidly. For better tracking AF performance, I moved closer to the action and used shorter focal lengths; this tactic increased my success ratio of sharply focused images.

It’s also worth noting that the SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC uSD received the Best Zoom Lens 2010-2011 award from the

European Imaging and Sound Association, a group of 50 European magazines. The EISA panel praised its ”razor-sharp image quality that makes full-frame photos look like medium-for-mat images ... near-silent autofocus system ... and superb image stabilization”.

Final AssessmentWhen considering my entire portfolio of images, I’d estimate that only 10% of them were made with focal lengths outside the 10mm to 300mm range, usually with super telephotos. Granted, a true Macro lens is also an essential tool. But in other respects, a three lens kit should meet just about every need a photo enthusiast will encounter. So if you’re still using only a kit lens or other ”standard” zoom, I can strongly recommend adding an ultra wide and a telephoto zoom. Start with the one that you’re likely to use most often, adding the third lens as your budget allows, and you can zoom into 2011 with a three-lens kit that will meet the challenges of your photographic adventures.

Tamron 70-300mm USD specifications

Focal length 70-300mm

Diagonal Angle of view 34° 21’-8° 15’

Maximum aperture F/4 – 5.6

Minimum aperture F/32-45

Lens Construction • 17 elements/12 groups

number of diaphragm blades 9

Minimum focus 1.5m (59.1in.)

Maximum magnification 1:4 (at 300mm: MFD 1.5m)

AF motor type ultrasonic Silent Drive (uSD)

Image stabilization Yes

Filter thread 62mm

Weight 765 Grams

Dimensions 81.5 x 142.7 mm (3.2 x 5.3 in)

Compatible Mount Canon, nikon and soon, Sony

HolidayGIFTGuide • Winter 2010-2011 | 39

1

2 3

Holiday Gift Guide

AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di-ii Ultra wide-Angle Zoom Lens

Designed exclusively for your DSLR with a smaller-sized sensor, this ultra-wide focal length will enhance you your landscape and travel photography. Fully compat-ible with Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony DSLRs.

$590 www.tamron.ca

11

AF 70-300mm VC f/4-5.6 Di VC USD telephoto Zoom Lens

Ideal for your action, portrait and landscape shots, it uses both an Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) for fast, quiet autofocusing, and Vibration Compensation (VC) for sharp, hand-held images that would not be possible with a non-VC lens. Fully com-patible with Canon and Nikon DSLRs with full-frame and smaller-size sensors.

$510 www.tamron.ca

22

AF18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di-ii VC wide to telephoto Lens

With a 15x zoom ratio and designed exclusively for DSLRs with smaller-sized sensors, this is the perfect all-in-one travel lens. The Vibration Compensation (VC) feature allows for shooting at slower shutter speeds, such as low-light scenes. Fully compatible with Canon and Nikon DSLRs.

$670 www.tamron.ca

33

40 | PHOTONews • HolidayGIFTGuide

Metz 50AF-1

Power, Simplicity & Compatibility. The Metz 50AF-1 can be used wirelessly with any camera with its unique servo mode or as a wireless TTL remote flash.

$261.99 www.metzflash.ca

21

Metz 58AF-2

Professional power for less money. The Metz 58AF-2 is perfect for any event/wedding photographer with its unique secondary fill flash to eliminate shadows when bouncing flash.

$649.99 www.metzflash.ca

12

1 2

Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly 724 (Super Bright)

Equipped with 2 super bright LEDs, the Arctic Butterfly 724 makes sensor cleaning a breeze. The built in motor means no canned air required, perfect for traveling.

33

Visible Dust BriteVue Sensor Loupe 7x

Featuring 6 Super Bright LEDs and High Quality Optical Glass, the BriteVue Sensor Loupe 7x reveals the smallest dust particles on your DSLR sensor.

44

LumiQuest Mini Softbox

This small softbox will improve the quality of light from a dedi-cated flash. It attaches in seconds with velcro and folds flat for easy transport.

$41.99 www. lumiquest.ca

55

LumiQuest Soft Screen

To improve the quality of light from your built in flash, the soft screen will reduce the harshness of your flash. It folds flat and can be set up in seconds.

$25.99 www. lumiquest.ca

66


Sony A33 DSLR camera with 18-55mm lens

($799.99 for A33)

Change the way you shoot pictures with Sony’s award-winning camera with Translucent Mirror Technology. Shoot 7 frames per second or HD video with the fastest movie autofocus of any DSLR on the market.

www.sonystyle.ca/dslr

11

Sony NEX Compact interchangeable Lens cameras

(NEX-5 for $799.99, NEX-3 for $699.99)

Go where no DSLR has gone before with Sony’s game-changing NEX cameras. They offer an APS-C sized HD CMOS sensor and interchangeable lenses for DSLR caliber quality, but with the size and simplicity of a compact camera. Be inspired to shoot HD movies and holiday photos with beautifully defocused backgrounds like a professional.

www.sonystyle.ca/NEX

22

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www.sonystyle.ca

2


Kata DL-H-531-B D-Light Hybrid-531 DL Shoulder Bag

Made from lightweight durable Ripstop nylon and designed to carry a still camera and a video camcorder in a single bag that can be split in two. Includes shoulder straps and detachable rain cover.

$64.99 www.kata-bags.ca

33

Kt PL-Lt-317

The LighTri is uniquely designed to keep your DSLR in quick-draw position at all times, and the top flap features both a right and left "pull to shoot" opening. Carry your gear either on your back or on your torso and simply switch from one position to the other by swinging the bag from back to front to grab your camera for shooting. Four sizes available for a variety of equipment!


11

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Kata Ultra-Light Bumblebee-222 Backpack

The lightest and most techno-logically advanced photo back-pack on the market! Featuring dual compartment design for a DSLR with multiple lenses and accessories, and plenty of space for personal items.


22


MODO 785B tripod with Photo/Video Head

A compact tripod for both photo and video use, it folds down to 17“ and reaches 59” high. Ideal for your compact or bridge camera, as well as small camcorder.

$99 www.manfrotto.ca

11

MODO 797 Pocket

A table-top pod that folds up completely flat to stay attached to your compact digital camera. Very useful for self-timer, low-light and long-exposure shots.


44

MODO 790B Monopod

A full height 5-section monopod folding down to 15½” , offering stable support for your compact digital camera or DSLR with kit lens.


22

Canon G12

The G12 is loaded with powerful technologies. Canon’s HS SySTEM, 2.8” Vari-angle LCD, and RAW + JPEG image modes. Plus, new upgrades like HD Video, multiple aspect ratios and High Dynamic Range.

$569.99

33

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National Geographic NG A2560 Africa Series Medium Satchel

Made from water-repellent 100% cotton, and designed to carry and protect a D-SLR or camcorder with media accessor-ies. It also holds a laptop computer with a screen up to 15.4”.

$129 www.geographicbags.ca

11

National Geographic NG A5270 Africa Series Medium Rucksack

Designed to carry and protect a D-SLR camera or camcorder with media and accessories, plus a laptop computer with a screen up to 15.4”. An upper storage compartment holds personal necessities. It is made from water repellent 100% cotton with a padded interior.

$165 www.geographicbags.ca

22

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BRno white Balance Caps

These lens caps are the easiest solution to get perfect white balance in seconds. Since it’s a lens cap, it’s easy to carry and will always be with you.

$62.99-83.99 www.balens.ca

33

Genus ND Fader

The Genus ND Fader is a variable neutral density filter that offers 2-8 stops of light reduction with a simple twist of your wrist.

$104.99-198.99 www.genustech.ca

44


Gt1541t traveler Series 6X Carbon Fiber tripod Legs

Ideal for your DSLR with zoom lens, miniDV camcorder or spotting scope. It uses light-weight 6x carbon fiber construction, a unique 180O folding leg system for compact carrying, while offering a standard working height tripod. Ideal for photographers on the move or when space and weight are key factors. Tripod head not included.

$674 www.gitzo.ca

11

Gt2840C Series 2 Basalt Compact tripod Legs

Made of basalt rock, this lightweight tripod is a great choice for your DSLR using long telephoto lenses. It can be set-up from eye-level to as low as 1.5 ft. from the ground for all types of shooting. Tripod head not included.

$599 www.gitzo.ca

22

GH2750QR Series 2 Off-Center Magnesium Ball Head

An off-set ball head for versatile camera positioning, offering smooth rotation, strong locking knobs and quick release plate. An independent rotating base makes your panoramic shooting easy!

$299 www.gitzo.ca

33

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ilford Galerie

Offering excellent colour repro-duction, high sharpness and a finish that eliminates glare and finger prints, Galerie Smooth Pearl is the perfect inkjet paper for printing your favourite images! 5 Bonus Sheets of double-sided Lustre paper included!

$26 www.ilfordgalerie.ca

11

HMwRAP3

Gallery Wrapped images on canvas are the hottest display product on the market and now you can do it at home. The kit contains everything you need to print and wrap an 8 1/2 x 11 image, including two sheets of canvas and one wrap kit.

$28.50 www.hahnemuhle.ca

22

HMCARD1

The perfect way to remember that Special Occasion. 30 sheets of Hahnemühle FineArt paper in 4" x 6" format complete with a storage tin embossed with the timeless Hahnemühle Rooster logo.

$25.60 www.hahnemuhle.ca

33

HMALBUM4

The luxury of leather and stun-ning Hahnemühle Photo Rag Duo double sided inkjet paper com-bine to give you an album of images that anyone would be proud to own and display.

$283 www.hahnemuhle.ca

44

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Evolution 6

More than a sling bag or a backpack. Tamrac's Evolution 6 can be used as a very comfortable backpack or as a fast access right/left shoulder sling bag with capacity for up to a 70-300 lens. Features built-in tripod holder. Available in Brown/Tan or Black/Grey.

$135.99 www.tamrac.ca

11

Evolution 8

More than a sling bag or a backpack. Tamrac's Evolution 8 can be used as a very comfortable backpack or as a fast access right/left shoulder sling bag with capacity for up to a 70-200 F2.8 lens. Features built-in tripod holder. Available in Brown/Tan or Black/Grey.

$177.99 www.tamrac.ca

22

MultiDisc Kit

Five surfaces in one package! Improve your lighting in your images with a MultiDisc. This kit comes with a 42" MultiDisc, LiteDisc holder and a stand.

$209.99 www.photoflex.ca

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48 | PHOTONews

Shooting professional portraits on location is always an interesting break from my studio work. Whether it is a corporate profile, a wed-ding or engagement session, or school pho-tography, the assignment always presents an opportunity to create images that will bring a smile to the face of the client, and everyone who sees the pictures.

In the studio, I have access to a wide range of lighting and backdrops – on loca-tion, I have to consider the logistics of the assignment, the setting, and the desired

results. My subjects often have a limited amount of time, and that means I have to travel light, with equipment that sets up quickly, packs up even faster, and delivers professional quality.

I have a portable lighting kit that lets me set up a portrait studio on location. Even in a tight space with no electrical outlets, I can get the pro-fessional look without compromising on quality.

Going downtown with very heavy equip-ment can be a challenge – just hiking from the parking lot to the client’s office can be

exhausting! That’s why I go on location with my camera bag, a bag with three Qflash units and Turbo batteries, a portable backdrop, and three Manfrotto 1052BAC light stands.

Portability is the key, but your location lighting has to be professional caliber – you have to arrive on site, set up, and start shoot-ing right away.

For location assignments, I use my Canon 1D Mark IV, and a selection of portrait prime lenses – the 135mm f/2.8 is a favour-ite, but for fast-moving assignments I often

BY E

LI A

MO

n

TechTips

Lighting on Location

With an LED battery charge indi-cator, you always know how much power you have to work with - I typically get 1200 shots per charge.

“I Use the Qflash Trio and two additional Qflash units for most of my location assignments.”

– Eli Amon

Winter 2010-2011 | 49

pick a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom. I arrive on loca-tion and usually set up all three Qflash units. I mount the main Qflash on a Custom Bracket. I am left-handed, so the provision to adjust the bracket to the “wrong” side of the camera is a big help. When you power the Qflash with a Quantum Turbo battery on a shoulder strap or on your belt, the camera, flash, and bracket actually weigh less than your camera with a 580 EX II flash and bat-teries. The bracket lets you separate the flash from the lens axis to prevent red-eye, and

mounting the flash higher above the lens axis angles the light down enough to reduce or eliminate shadows behind your subject.

I power each of my Qflash units with Quantum Turbo 2x2 batteries, and I generally get 1200 shots per charge. The new Q3 bat-tery is smaller and more powerful, which is a major plus. Most of my Quantum Turbo bat-teries are five years old or more, and they just keep on working, year after year, with no loss of power or capacity

All of the Quantum batteries have an

LED read-out, showing how much battery power is left. The Quantum batteries also recycle very fast, especially when you shoot in TTL flash mode. The QFlash is made to handle rapid shooting over a long session.

Standard shoe-mount flashes tend to overheat when used in a professional situa-tion - take too many shots in too short a time frame and the standard flashes will shut themselves down until they cool off. The QFlash just keeps on working.

I have several Qflash units, of different vintages, and they all work together as a team. I use a Qflash Trio as my main light, for the remote flash I use the T5d because it is more powerful, and gives one full aperture over my older Qflash, which I use as a back-ground light - every now and then I turn it around to act as a rim light to separate the subject from the background.

Light management in the studio gener-ally involves softboxes and umbrellas, but these can be a problem when shooting out-doors, or in tight spaces. On location, I prefer the halo softbox as my main light, and I use the diffusers provided by Qflash.

What I like about the Qflash system is that even if the second flash is in the softbox, I have full control over the slave flash from the on-camera flash. While I use the flashes in manual mode most of the time, they work very well in TTL mode – I find the Qflash automatic modes to be more accurate than

For the executive portrait of David Ellison, from Ellison Law, I used a Canon 1D Mark IV with a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens. The camera was set to Manual - ISO 400, 1/80s to 1/125s @ f/4.0. I used a Quantum TRIO on-camera, set at QTTL minus 1 stop. The secondary flash was a Quantum Q-T5d-R with FW7Q FREE - X –WIRE Receiver set to QTTL, in a small soft box mounted on a light stand, fully controlled and triggered by the on-camera flash.For most of those shots, the secondary flash was positioned at 45 degrees to the subject, just outside of the frame. I chose a low angle of view to empower the image of the subject. I shot at wide-open aperture (for shallow depth of field) to eliminate distracting background detail and draw the attention to the subject.Please note that these shots are straight out of the camera images without post processing or retouching.

50 | PHOTONews

the camera’s TTL flash system, and you can limit the sensor on the Qflash – you can “tell” the flash how far you are from the main subject, and it will ignore the background light and other ambient lighting that would skew the exposure. This is a real plus when you have strong backlight situations that defeat the camera TTL sensor readings. The Qflash is very versatile – and when you only need a little bit of fill, you can dial down the power to shoot at f/1.4 at 800 ISO.

There are excellent videos on the Qflash website, where Will Crockett explains the Qflash products, and shows you how to set up your location lighting studio – you can find the videos at www.quantum-flash.ca

The parabolic reflector of the Qflash gives you a much better quality of light than the small shoe mount flash units from the various camera manufacturers. The surface area of the Qflash reflector is about four times the size of the typical shoe mount flash, and you get a circular catch light in the subject’s eyes, which I prefer to the rectangu-lar catch light from conventional flashes. You

can also remove the parabolic reflector and use the Qflash as a bare bulb light, which gives 360° light.

Lighting TechniquesMy preference in portrait photography is to use flash in a subtle manner to light the sub-ject, I like the natural look, with just the right amount of fill-in flash. I have a formula that works for me – I underexpose the subject by about 1/3 of a stop, and I set the flash to –1, and that adds just enough flash to balance the flash and ambient light. It is a balancing act – you subtract light from the ambient exposure, and add light from the flash. This lets me con-trol the quantity of the light and the quality – the accuracy and colour consistency of the Qflash makes this technique very successful.

Because I shoot weddings, where the col-our of the bridal gown is critical, and exposure is always a concern, I like to set custom white balance with a gray card, but for general sub-jects you don’t really have to go to this extent to get excellent results - the Qflash system communicates the colour temperature of the

flash to the camera, so even if you shoot using auto white balance, the images will be very good right out of the camera.

When you are just starting out, you have to second-guess your camera system – when you are shooting dark subjects, like a bridegroom in a black tuxedo, you have to cut the flash power 1 stop to 2 stops, and when you shoot a bride in a white gown you set the flash to + 1/3 or + 2/3 to keep the details in the dress.

For location shots, I like to set up my sub-jects in the shade with a well-lit background. I balance my flash with the ambient light for great exposures. The direction of the light can make or break the shot – you want to have your flash coming from the same

LightingonLocation [ by Eli Amon ]

Winter 2010-2011 | 51

general direction as the sunlight so you don’t have conflicting shadows.

If there are no shaded areas available, I sometimes shoot against the sun, letting the ambient light provide a natural rim light, and I balance the light with flash. You want the face to be in the shade so that when you add flash you don’t get too harsh a lighting effect.

The secret of good flash in portraiture is to make it look like there was no flash at all – the flash is there to help the lighting – you want to balance ambient light with fill light, although in some situations, like theatrical poses, you may want the more dramatic “look”.

When I shoot people against a landscape background I set the Qflash to HSS (High Speed Synchronization) and I shoot at a very high shutter speed to capture the background, and the Qflash illuminates the subject. Without the fill-in flash, the subject would be almost a silhouette against the background.

With the new firmware, the Qflash can be used for HSS, and as soon as you drop

the shutter speed of the camera the flash automatically switches to normal flash mode – increase shutter speed and the Qflash goes into HSS mode – so you don’t have to stop and reset the flash.

Take a look at the technical data accom-panying the photos, and use this as a starting point to develop your own location lighting style – make notes on the position and settings of each piece of equipment so you can dupli-cate the results, and before long you will be the master of your own location lighting system!

Location lighting for the avid photographerCan the photo enthusiast produce similar results with conventional equipment?

Absolutely! The modern shoe mount flashes, like the new Metz 58 AF2 and 50 AF1 work beautifully in wireless TTL mode, giving you lots of creative potential. You can set up a three-flash portrait using any of the mid-range to top-level DSLR cameras. You

may not have the output of the Qflash units that I use, but you can certainly work within the specs of the smaller flashes – the tech-nique is the same, the position of the lights is the same, and you can manage the flash output with a range of accessories like the Lumiquest Softbox II and the Pocket Bouncer.

The Metz 58 AF 2 flash has an advantage when you shoot in a small room – you can bounce the flash off the ceiling, and the sec-ondary flash gives you a nice catch light in the subject’s eye. The latest Metz models have repositioned the slave sensors, giving you excellent communication between the wireless master and slave units.

I like to use the Metz flashes in settings where speed and mobility are essential – I soften the light with a Lumiquest Softbox II and the results are excellent. If you use more than one camera system ask your photo retailer to show you the Metz units that have dedicated modules for each of the major camera brands.

For the location shots in the park, I used a Canon 1D Mark IV with a Canon 70 –200mm f/2.8L IS lens, or a Canon 50mm f/1.2 L. The camera was set to AV (aperture priority) minus 1/3 of a stop, ISO 200 @ f/4.0. My flash was a Quantum TRIO, on camera, set at “Auto Fill” minus 1 stop, with the sensor limited to the subject distance.

52 | PHOTONews

Lumiquest LTp and Ultra strap

The LumiQuest SoftBox LTp is roughly twice the size of the SoftBox III. Designed for off-camera use, the surface area is 120 sq. in. – that is over 40 times that of the flash itself, producing the softest shadows of any LumiQuest SoftBox.Ideal for those who have a laptop pocket in their camera bag/backpack and wish to use this feature to conveniently carry a larger SoftBox.

The ultraStrap is the most secure, non-adhesive flash accessory mounting strap available. The neoprene and Velcro® loop design applies a constant 3 lb. tension to the flash with a non-skid surface. use the ultraStrap to attach LumiQuest accessories without sticking anything to the flash!

See the full LumiQuest line, including video tutorials, at www.lumiquest.ca

Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL

Check out the Kata line at www.kata-bags.ca

Kata has a new backpack for a Pro DSLR with up to 300mm lens and battery grip attached, plus an extra body and 4-5 lenses, accessories and a 15.4” laptop.The Pro-Light Bug-203 PL is a multi-featured professional back-pack designed to provide quick access to your main DSLR. Lightweight and protective, it has a specially formed foam encased spring steel Spine Guard that runs down the front of the bag for ultimate structural protection. Light yet durable RipStop fabrics and meshes, Aeriform foams and Spider Webbing straps and fantastic modularity allow you to adapt the bag to your specific needs.The Bug-203 PL has an advanced ergonomics Gecko harness system to provide extra cushioning where it counts, a shapely contour to fit your body, and a soft molded 3D foam back for comfort, support and ventilation.

NewProducts

Winter 2010-2011 | 53

Three New Metz Flashes!

There are three exciting additions to the Metz flash lineup, available for Canon, Nikon, Olympus/Panasonic, Pentax and Sony cameras.

The 24AF-1 is the perfect TTL compact flash for a compact camera. With a pivoting head for bounce flash, and an AF assist beam for low light focusing performance, this compact unit has a guide number 24 for ISO 100/21° and 35 mm.

The 36 AF-5 digital is simple to operate, with flash readiness indicator and correct exposure display on the back of the flash and in the camera viewfinder (subject to camera). The vertically tilting swivel reflector affords creative illumination options and bounce flash. Manually adjust-able zoom reflector adjusts coverage for 28/50/85mm. A wide-angle diffuser is suitable for focal lengths from 18 mm (135 format). With a guide number 36 for ISO 100/21° and 85 mm, the 36 AF-5 delivers up to 450 full flashes with alkaline-magnesium batteries.

The 44 AF-1 digital is a perfect balance of performance and price. Compact size, full TTL functions and the ability to be used off camera in a servo mode manually (for cameras without flash commander units) or as a remote wireless TTL flash (with a wireless TTL commander flash) make this an excellent high performance flash for amateur photographers. numerous features such as fully automatic zoom, integrated wide-angle diffuser for 12 mm illumination, a flip-out reflector card and a uSB interface for rapid software updates complete the system flash unit.

Metz flashes are always current with firmware upgrades – so your investment lasts a long time! For more information visit www.metzflash.ca

54 | PHOTONews

In the last issue of PHOTO news, we dis-cussed the technology of home photo printers, papers and ink, focusing on the

letter size machines that are available in Canada. Readers who may have missed the article can read the full text in our digital edi-tion archive, at www.photonews.ca.

In this issue, we will take the big step up to the larger format home printers that bring gal-lery format photos to your digital darkroom.

13x19-inch Format PrintersAt one time, printers of this format were very expensive and primarily targeted professional studios. These days however, some of the machines are downright affordable, so they’re very attractive even to scrapbookers who need 12x12” prints. And even the high-end models with the most sophisticated technology and pro features sell for under $1000. Let’s take a look at the best of these, and briefly consider some more affordable alternatives.

Canon Pixma Pro9500 Mark II: This 4800 x 2400dpi machine employs the Full-photolithography Inkjet nozzle Engineering (FInE) technology and a 7,680 nozzle print-head firing microfine droplets. It also boasts many features: RAW file printing from Canon pro software, 16-bit per channel printing, a dedicated Monochrome mode and Ambient Light Correction. The latter should ensure that a print will look similar in all types of lighting conditions.

The flat media path can handle a vast range of fine art media of several brands,

including thick papers (up to 1.2mm) such as Baryta and canvas. (Roll paper cannot be used.) While the Pro9500 Mark II is not super fast, this pro-oriented machine makes gallery quality colour prints using a full ten Lucia pig-ment inks, including gray, black and matte black for neutral and gorgeous monochrome prints. Estimated print permanence is 100 years, on display, when using certain media. (Street Price, $900)

The more affordable Canon Pixma Pro9000 Mark II ($500) features the FInE technology too, and supports thick media, but it’s faster and employs eight ChromaLife 100 dye-based inks. Colour prints are vibrant and absolutely stunning; monochrome prints are highly acceptable. Estimated print perma-nence is 100 years in an archival album or 50 years on display.

Epson Stylus R2880: Suitable for professionals who need exhibition-quality prints, this 5760x1440dpi machine is just as popular among serious photo hobbyists. Employing a high-performance Advanced

Moving Upto Larger

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MicroPiezo AMC print head with 1440 noz-zles firing micro fine droplets, it uses eight ultraChrome K3 inks – with two blacks simultaneously – and ships with an incred-ibly versatile driver software. The R2880 can produce superlative results: richly sat-urated colour prints of gallery-quality with a wide colour gamut and consistency when viewed under any type of light.

Advanced Black-and-White mode is very useful too for perfectly neutral (or warm, cool or sepia if desired) prints that satisfy the most demanding traditionalist. The front paper path is suitable for fine-art media as thick as 1.3mm in cut sheets or rolls; it can make prints as large as 13x44”. The estimated on-display perma-nence is 200 years, when made with certain media. While the printer and the inks are expensive, the R2880 is the leader in the 13x19” category. (Street price, $900).

Selling for about 50% less ($600), the fast enthusiast-level Epson Stylus Photo R1900 employs a similar print head to spray even smaller droplets of six ultraChrome

Hi-Gloss2 pigments, including red and orange and Photo Black or Matte Black. When using certain media, the printer also sprays a Gloss Optimizer. It can provide stunning prints with a wide colour gamut and very good mono-chrome outputs. This machine also accepts thick fine-art media (to 1.2mm), in cut sheets or rolls for sizes up to 13x44”. Depending on the media used, the on-display permanence rating is up to 150 years.

HP Photosmart Pro B8550: Quite afford-able for a 13x19” format photo printer ($350) with up to 9600x2400 optimized dpi resolu-tion, this one is particularly popular. It’s equipped with versatile printer software for cre-ative projects plus extras such as Photo Fix, Auto Sharpening, Adaptive Lighting and Auto Red-eye Removal. Other useful features include a 2.4” LCD screen, slots for direct print-ing from memory cards and uSB keys, plus Bluetooth compatibility with an optional adapter. This 13x19” format machine can make fully saturated colour outputs using four Vivera dyes, including black, in individual tanks.

It also accepts a larger black pigment cartridge that’s used when printing documents.

While the Pro B8550 accepts only cut sheets, it can use media longer than 19 inches (up to 44”) in weights up to 252 g/m² (or “24 pound bond”). The print permanence rating is impressive for a machine using dye inks: 100 years on display and 200 years in an archival album, when using certain papers. It’s not super fast but does make beautiful col-our photos and good monochrome outputs with a decent tonal range.

Use Genuine Inks It may be tempting to use aftermarket inks to save money and that approach may be acceptable when printing Web pages using a cheap second printer. (Of course, some ink cartridges include a feature that renders them inoperable if re-filled.) But the machine you use for photo printing should remain pure, employing the manufacturer’s cartridges with the inks required to optimize the Micro Piezo, FInE or other technology.

Canon pixma pro9000.

HP Photosmart B8550.

56 | PHOTONews

The suitable inks are also formulated for maximum consistency so you won’t experi-ence unpleasant surprises when printing the same image in the future. And it will also ensure the optimal print permanence; some aftermarket inks are simply not very resistant to fading and colour shifting.

A couple of years ago, PC World maga-zine commissioned the prestigious Wilhelm Imaging Research lab to conduct durability and image quality tests with Epson and aftermarket cartridges. Epson cartridges offered overall bet-ter durability, image quality and reliability. (This finding is likely to be similar with Canon and HP inks too.) And reliability is a significant fac-tor as the magazine indicates. “Judging from our experience, finding a reasonably priced substitute for brand-name ink can be a risky business… you may have to spend a lot of time cleaning clogged print heads.”

More recently Wilhelm Imaging Research conducted a study of many aftermarket ink jet cartridges and refilled cartridges and found that they did not meet the same stan-dards as genuine inks in light-fading stability.

While the aftermarket inks vary, there’s sim-ply no way to know which might be accept-able and which might lead to fading after a couple of months.

Try New Types of MediaMany inkjet photo printers -- particularly the high-end 13x19” models -- accept a wide var-iety of media, from bond paper to photo paper to specialty paper such as watercolor or canvas. Most people tend to use only a few types, especially the standard photo glossy and photo matte and they’re fine for getting started. Of course, there’s a wealth of other inkjet media in top-rated brands such Hahnemühle FineArt and Ilford Galerie Professional. You may be amazed at the results you’ll get on inkjet can-vas, watercolor, Photo Rag, Baryta, Gold Fibre Silk and etching papers. Textured papers espe-cially add a tactile element that draws the viewer into the image.

Compatibility: Both the Hahnemühle.com and Ilford.com sites provide ICC profiles for downloading as well as and advice re: suit-able settings for Media (an essential item) in

the printer drivers of specific inkjet machines. nearly all of the inkjet papers of both brands (except Ilford Classic) are pigment compatible so they’re suitable with virtually any high-end or pro-calibre inkjet printer.

Do note however that certain media are available only in wide format: 17-inch rolls, suitable only for the larger machines such as Canon’s imagePROGRAF and Epson’s Stylus Pro wide format models. But there’s a wide range of media in cut sheets too. I strongly recommend buying a starter pack including at least eight different types of inkjet paper.

Ilford Galerie: The Professional Inkjet Photo Range includes many options that most photographers would love, available in four distinct series, Gold (best with pigment inks), Smooth, Classic (only for dye based inks) and Graphic (in wide format rolls only). The Ilford Galerie sample pack that I tried provides Smooth Pearl, Smooth Gloss, Gold Fibre Silk, Smooth Heavyweight Matte, Smooth Lustre Duo, Smooth Fine Art, as well as Classic Gloss and Classic Pearl. My favourite was the Gold Fibre Silk, a baryta coated fibre base paper

Epson R2880.

Winter 2010-2011 | 57

(recommended especially for pigment inks) with a slightly warm tone, a subtle stipple fin-ish and a wide colour gamut for very vivid photo prints with high sharpness.

Hahnemühle Fine Art: This German company has been making high-grade papers for 426 years. Their media for digital printing includes a superior ink receptive coating that’s perfect for use with either pigments or dyes. This brand particularly targets photographers who make and print fine art images, with a wide range of very traditional inkjet-compat-ible media and some unique products.

I tried two of the Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet sample packs, providing an opportunity to be more adventuresome with media such as Daguerre and Monet Canvas, Baryta Fibre Base, various types of Photo Rag, both Sugar Cane and Bamboo as well as really gorgeous gallery and museum style paper including German Etching (100% Cellulose) and William Turner (100% Cotton). Since I had not tried canvas previously, I really appreci-ated working with Daguerre Canvas with high white brightness that provides clean colours

and snappy contrasts; it’s also highly suitable for monochrome reproductions.

Experiment: Even if you follow the tech-nical advice provided by the paper manufac-turer’s Web site, be prepared for some artistic experimentation. Adjust the color balance, saturation, sharpness, and contrast to achieve the perfect effect for any type of subject. Make test prints until you find just the right combination of settings that pro-vide the optimum results. An import-ant part of the creative process, the paper that you select - and your printing techniques - can make a major difference. A willingness to go beyond basic techniques will pay dividends, helping to enhance your best images.

Genuine Canon inks.

58 | PHOTONews

FinalFrame

Ridgetop View. – Andy Zeltkalns of Bracebridge, Ontario captured this image using a Nikon D300, shooting at 1/10 second at f/9 and ISO 200, using a zoom lens at 16mm. “ I was part way up a ridge during my winter hike. The evening sun created a nice hue on the snow. I used spot metering to expose for the mid-range shadow.” Andy can teach you to take pictures like this! Check out his website at www.zelcamphotography.com

Our PHOTONews Challenge for Winter 2010/2011 is “Snow Day!” – a theme that is open to a wide variety of interpretations. Look for subjects that represent friends and family enjoying winter activities – or any image that you feel is really “cool” in every sense of the word!

To participate in the PHOTONews Challenge, please visit our flickr® group at www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/ and click on the discussion thread titled “PHOTONews Winter Challenge”. Post a 600 pixel wide version of your entry in this thread – please include your name, your location, a description of how you took the photograph, and why you feel it is a special image. Full instructions on how to join the flickr® group, and how to post photos, can be found at the flickr® site.

The photo pool at our flickr® group will also be used to select images for our Reader’s Gallery – so take a look, sign in, post a few of your favourite photos, and enjoy our interactive photo-graphic adventures!

COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE:

Spring 2011Our next issue will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of PHOTONews Magazine – now Canada’s largest circulated photo enthusiast publication. We have planned a very special issue, filled with help-ful hints and fantastic photos from some of Canada’s finest pho-tographers, plus a selection of the best images from our readers!

For in-depth information on the equipment and techniques featured in this issue, please visit the website www.photonews.ca.

To participate in our flickr® group, please visit www.flickr.com/groups/photonewsgallery/ where you can sign up to exchange ideas and display your favourite photographs – it’s fun, it’s free, and it’s a friendly environment for photographers of all ages and skill levels.

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