Professional Uses For A Rubber Band
The top of my list as a working professional was to use them to protect my knees. How can that be, you ask? Let me explain:
You may not relate to this if you were born A.D. (After digital), but most film cameras had this very powerful little thing called an “M/X” switch. So, the clever person that I am, I wrapped a rubber band around my Mamiya lens and hooked it to the switch holding it on “X”.
Why did I do this and what is the true meaning of that little “M/X” switch?
Well, it is one of those meanings that is not written, and is passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. My interpretation is that “X” marks the spot the little lever must stay, and NEVER move, while “M” stands for MAD, VERY MAD, somebody is going to be very mad! Any working professional that’s been around a few years, can tell you “M” also stands for “money your might be spending for a lawyer”.
I have seen many professionals humbled by that little switch, dropping to there knees chanting in agony “How long has that been on there, How long has that been on M……..”, thus my little rubber band saved my knees.
FYI the M setting is a flash sync delay to allow flash bulbs to reach full intensity.
What’s your use for a rubber band (professionally speaking)? Let us know!
Calumet 7500 Tripod - Review
I recently went hunting for tripod that I can use in the studio and on location. My main concerns were quality and sturdiness. With kids bumping into it, and constantly moving it around from job to job, I wanted to be sure that it wasn’t going to fold under pressure.
Tony Sr. currently uses a Bogen Manfrotto 3211V with a Bogen Manfrotto 3047 3-way head. I really like this tripod, so I decided to base my comparison shopping to it.
Of course the obvious choice was to try and buy the same one, but as luck would have it, Bogen no longer makes the 3211V, and have since replaced it with the Bogen Manfrotto 055XB. Naturally I headed out in search of the replacement model and found that Manfrotto actually makes a few variations of the 055, depending on what features you need, one of these variation may be the solution you are looking for.
I headed over to Calumet Photo in Escondido, CA to check out the various models in person. What I found was not only the Bogen Manfrotto 055XB (and variations), but also several Calumet branded models. One in particular that caught my eye was the Calumet CK7500. This tripod at first glance looks nearly identical to the Bogen Manfrotto 055XB line. Complete with flip-up style locking leg clamps, and leg-warmers padded leg covers.
Upon further inspection, I found the Bogen tripod and the Calumet tripod to be very similar in size and stature. The Calumet 7500 does have a hook for attaching extra weight (sandbag) for added stability, which the Manfrotto lacked, although I doubt I’ll ever use this feature.
They both featured three-section legs, with spring loaded quick-release leg locks, leg-angle adjustments, a split-shaft center column that allows for low-angle shooting, and 3/8″ tripod-head mount. Here’s Calumet’s description:
Part of Calumet’s 7000 Series, this mid-sized tripod provides solid camera support for all camera formats up to medium format and can be used in the studio or out in the field. The 7500 tripod features three-section legs with convenient quick-release leg locks for fast setups, three-position leg-angle adjustments with spring-loaded locks to facilitate different height requirements, a split-shaft center column that allows for low-angle shooting and three foam leg covers that offer over-the-shoulder carrying comfort. It also comes with a weight hook at the bottom of the column for attaching sand bags or weights for additional stability. The 7500 is topped of with a 3/8″ tripod-head mount that will accommodate a wide range of different tripod heads. Also built into the tripod is a spirit level for quick and easy leveling on uneven terrain. The 7500 requires a tripod head.
Priced at only $129, the Calumet CK7500 deserves some serious consideration if you’re in the market for a new tripod.
Don’t give up the ship!
Since photography has developed so fast to a computerized medium, I have no digital technical knowledge to share with anyone . . . but, I could recall situations that may be helpful to a budding photographer.
As a young man, I lived in a ship building town, and I was very busy photographing new ship’s interiors and exteriors.
One particular ship had a gigantic cargo area below deck, which I had to photograph. I set up my tripod and the heavy camera (8×10 format) with wide angle lens. Since there was very little light, I figured a time exposure of about four minutes should do it. Just when I started the exposure, all hell broke loose!
With a big BANG the deck started to shake violently, and the tripod with the camera started to move around like some sort of ritual dance. Realizing that somebody had started the huge engines, I ran up three decks to the bridge and yelled ”Stop the engines!” Now, they were testing the engines and in no mood to comply, but after some arguments, they gave in and provided me half an hour of calm, so I could finish my job.
Lesson: Let people know what your plans are!
Background on Backgrounds
Choosing a backdrop is a tough choice, there are so many things to consider. Color, width, length, portability, versatility, durability, affordability, likeability, photographability, howtoholditupability and the list keeps going. Objective is getting the right combination of all these variables for your use.
POPUPS: If you are shooting only head and shoulders, half-length and a few three quarter lengths the popups are a good choice. Look at the Twistflex available through Denny Mfg. or my personnel choice, the Botero line available from B&H Photo. A size around 5’x7’ will do for 1 or 2 people. Theses backgrounds setup in a second with no obnoxious wrinkles and are hung from a stand (I prefer two stands). Word of advice: Practice folding these things up before you’re seen in public. I didn’t, and ended up stuffing the thing in my van like an accidentally inflated lifeboat, as my customer looked on.
FULL LENGTHS: If you are doing full lengths, the biggest issues involve width of background and wrinkles. For estimating the width for a fixed location background, set up your camera with a normal lens (not a wide angle), and backup to your anticipated maximum shooting distance. From there, note the side-to-side width of your frame coverage on your reference wall. Measure the width of the reference wall visible in your view finder. This will be your required background size. Note: Changes to your lens mm, will affect the required background size. When shooting a large group or bride, you never can have too much background.
Consider the wrinkle factor if you’re using them on location. If the wrinkled look is not what your after,consider the Freedom Cloth Background from Denny Mfg., or my personnel favorites, Backgrounds-In-A-Bag available at PhotekUSA.
COLOR: This of course is a matter of taste. You will find that it is easier to lighten up a darker background, than it is to darken a light background. A darker background can be lit with varying degrees, and gels added to achieve different effects (as I have done on this background).
PRICE: Buy only what you need. It’s a nightmare to take a 12 by 20 foot background out on location when you’re only doing a head and shoulders portrait. Consider having more choices of smaller backgrounds, rather than one huge background.
Also check out Calumet Photo and Knowledge Backgrounds for other selections.
Create a Coffee Table Book (Portfolio)
Here’s a quick tip for putting together a professional presentation of a like-kind collection. Lets say you want to promote your “Seniors” sitting packages. Get together about 20 or 30 of your best Senior images and turn them into a hard-cover coffee table style book!
Most photographic printers, such as MPIX, offer this service for around $30-$50. Applications like Apple Aperture (and iPhoto) will let you order books right from the application.
You can create a custom cover, and even have a little promotional blurb on some of the pages. Most printers offer a choice of paper and cover styles, as well as sizes (5×5, 10×10, 8.5×11). Mix it up a little and use an 8×10 on one page, with a couple of smaller images on the facing page.
This is a great way to display your collection in a unique format, that you can leave out in your sitting area of the studio, or take with you to meet a client.
Think about using this for Publicity Photos, Modeling Headshots, Commercial Products, etc.
If you have any other unique formats for promotional items, let us know!
The Aliens Have Landed! (Alien Bees - Review)
From the maker of the popular White Lightning strobes, Paul C. Buff has another offering, which should be a serious 
contender if you’re considering a new set of monolights. We recently tested the “bullet-proof” AlienBees monolights, and were pretty happy with the results.
If you’re new to photography and/or strobes and aren’t sure what a monolight is, basically it’s a self contained strobe light, with built-in power unit. Many manufacturers offer strobes in either a monolight version, or one that requires an additional power supply.
Alien Bees are not only easy to use, but also a breeze to setup and take down (weighing only 2.5 lbs each). Available in 3 watt-second ratings (400, 800, 1600) and 5 colors (yellow, black, green, pink, white) they’ve really got your options covered. The nice thing about these different WS ratings, is that regardless of which AB you choose, they are all the same size! This is especially convenient when packing your Pelican 1650s for location shoots.
ABs offers a selection of stands, softboxes, wireless triggers, and other add-ons that will connect right up to these monolights, but just about any mainstream accessory manufacturer’s products will work. The one thing (as with any strobe) that you’ll need if you plan on using softboxes, are speedrings fitted for these particular lights.
We got our hands on a few of the B800s for testing, and propped them on a couple of Avenger A635B light stands, which were especially sturdy, but easily adjusted when necessary.
We used them for shooting photographing school kids. We’re talking roughly 500 kids, multiple exposures, nearly 2,500 total shots (shooting with 3 setups of 3 lights each), if my math is correct, that’s about 7,500 strobe pops . . . all without any failures! That’s pretty impressive. Not convincing enough? They handle this almost everyday.
The B800s produce 320 true wattseconds and 800 effective wattseconds of power, with 14,000 lumenseconds of output. Each light is independently adjustable over a 5 f-stop range (full power to 1/32).
The Alien Bees all have a built-in cooling fan, ready for heavy all-day shooting conditions, and depending on the model, you get recycle times to full power in as little as 0.5 seconds (B400). The bees also feature “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” modeling lamps, which can be set as recycling indicators (which we didn’t use, but to each his own).
ABs can also be portably powered with the Vagabond Portable Power System, if you find yourself in an area without power (here’s that external power supply we mentioned earlier, except this one is optional).
I can’t seem to find it now, but I recall seeing something about a “trade-up” program, where you can receive credit and trade up your lower rated (B400 for example) monolight for a more powerful model (B800 for example).
Alien bees come with a reflector, a case, sync cord, power cord, gel clips, and an owners manual. Oh, and don’t forget the 2-Year Warranty!
The manufacturer website offers discounts to students (10% off), and accessory discounts for everyone else, which increase with the more lights you buy.
With a price of only $225 for the B400, $280 for the B800, $360 for the B1600, and a 60-day satisfaction guarantee . . . you’re sure to be “abducted” by another hit from Paul C. Bluff, Inc. In fact, we’ve decided to buy a couple sets!