The Show is in the feed or you can download it at Pixelcorps.TV

This week: Snow Leopard in the wild, Canon's 7D specs leaked, and an interview with photographer David Tejada

Hosts: Alex Lindsay, Aaron Mahler, Frederick Van Johnson, Steve Simon

Bandwidth provided by Cachefly. Intro Music by Scott Cannizzaro

Show producer Aaron Mahler at www.halfpress.com or www.twitter.com/halfpress

Show notes by Bruce Clarke at www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke

This episode is brought to you by SquareSpace.com. The fast and easy way to publish a high quality web site or blog. For a free trial and 10% off your new account go to www.squarespace.com/twip

NEWS & DISCUSSION

Apple Releases Snow Leopard
Alex has a test machine with Snow Leopard and is still testing it with the applications they use and also trying to figure out how they are going to take advantage of services and how they will affect their workflows. The other big advantage of Snow Leopard is how it will take advantage of Open CL. Older applications like Photoshop may not take advantage of it right now but applications down the road will certainly be written with Open CL in mind. For Alex and the work he does, services will be very important moving forward and he recorded some videos on MacBreak weekly demonstrating how to take advantage of these features in Snow Leopard.

Fred asks Alex if there is anything compelling in Snow Leopard for photographers. Alex thinks people should hold off for now as there has been some fallout with certain products. For instance, Adobe has announced that they are not going to support CS3 in Snow Leopard. Both Aaron and Steve were impressed with the increase in speed they noticed after installing Snow Leopard and feel that it's a worthwhile upgrade. According to Diglloyd programs like Aperture, Photoshop and Lightroom seem to run faster in 64-bit. Another big change in Snow Leopard that affects photographers is the switch in Gamma from 1.8 to 2.2.

Canon's 7D Specs Leak
According to several sources, the new 7D from Canon features an 18 MP APS-C sensor, Dual processors for 8 fps, 100% viewfinder, 19 auto focus points, 63 metering zones, digital level, wireless flash master and it will be capable of shooting HD video.

Sony launches the new full-frame A850 digital SLR
The new 850 model shares the same 24.6 megapixel sensor and most features of the flagship α900 camera. Fred asks the guys if this camera is a game changer. Alex thinks that this does put pressure on Canon and Nikon to release a full-frame camera for under $2000 but he is worried about the low-light performance given the increased mega pixels and thinks Sony is going in the wrong direction. Steve really sees his investment being in lenses first and then getting new bodies as they come out but he doesn't see himself moving to another brand anytime soon. Aaron also likes to see the increased competition but does not see himself switching to another brand at this point and particularly not to a brand that doesn't quite have the chops in the marketplace that Nikon and Canon have. Another thing that surprised Alex was that this camera doesn't shoot video and he can't see ever buying a DSLR now that doesn't. Video is becoming more popular and to see another great example of how wedding photographers are taking advantage of this, be sure to check out www.stillmotion.ca. They used to use video cameras but are now shooting with 5D Mark IIs to create some stunning wedding videos.

PHOTO ASSIGNMENT & CURRENT POLL

Last week's question was: "If you end up with a flawed photo (blur, excessive grain, etc) do you toss it or rescue it with creative editing. The results were A) If it's not tack sharp and noise free, in the dumper it goes - 37% B) If I end up with a lemon I make lemonade - 63%. This week's poll question is: "Have you ever had a memory card fail on you? Choices are A) No B) Yes, and I lost everything! or C) Yes, but I managed to get some or all pictures off with a rescue program.The poll is up now so head on over to twiplog.com and look for the poll on the left hand side.

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID TEJADA

Steve: Hello David and thank you for taking the time to chat with me today. David is a corporate photographer and is an expert in the use of small strobes.

David: My pleasure Steve and I'm happy to speak with your listeners today.

Steve: How long have you been in photography? What are some of your first remembrances of photography and how did you get started in the business?

David: It's quite an unusual story. I actually got into photography because of Ansel Adams. I started out as a big Ansel Adams fan. I taught myself the zone system. I worked as a flight attendant for a major airline back in the late 70's and I had a passenger come on one of my flights who changed my life. He was a working professional based out of Houston Texas. I had my portfolio with me full of Ansel Adams type work that I used to sell to fellow flight attendants during the Christmas season and the rest of the crew told me that this guy seems pretty important and encourage me to go sit down with him and visit with him. I spent the next 1:45 chatting with him and his name is Joe Baraban and he is a commercial photographer from Houston. We struck up a friendship and being a flight attendant I was able to get time off to do some black and white printing for him and assist him on various jobs. I'd never been in a studio before and I had never seen strobes or anything and I just fell in love that you could make a living taking pictures so that's what I decided to do.

Steve: At that time I gather you were just an amateur photographer?

David: Yes, just purely amateur. I was on the yearbook staff in high school and also on the newspaper staff and really just did photography for the love of it.

Steve: Those are the right reasons. So previous to that fateful day when you met Mr. Baraban you hadn't thought about doing this professionally?

David: One of my neighbors saw my eye for capturing things and recognized I had an eye for composition and encourage me to go to school. I eventually wound up attending the Pasadena School of Design in California but decided that the academic thing just wasn't my thing and wound up just being self taught and apprenticing under Joe for almost 2 years.

Steve: In the film days you were working the tradition of Ansel Adams zone system which was very meticulous way to work for outstanding results. Do you think there is an advantage to come from that tradition as you moved into digital photography?

David: I believe there is a benefit. It gives you a clear understanding about metering and what to meter for although nowadays these digital cameras get you in the ballpark and you see your results instantly in the camera. To zero in quickly into some sort of correct metering is really a no brainer today but having that background has helped me with the digital.

Steve: There's been a huge interest in using small strobes for big results and I think there are certain people like David Hobby, Joe McNally and yourself leading the charge in this. Why do you think there is this sudden popularity in using small strobes?

David: I think it's the popularity of the Strobist website by David Hobby that has pushed this to such a popular aspect of lighting with these small strobes. I started in digital quite early - around 2000 and I moved into these small strobes about 4 years ago. I realized I was working Dynalights which were heavy and I was only able to power down my strobes so much so I was constantly having to put neutral density filters over my strobe heads in order to get the power that I wanted for a creative shot. I come from the days of film shooting at ISO 40 so shooting at ISO 200 is a really big number for me and I don't need as much power as I did in the past. I was finding myself with the digital that I was having to put neutral density filters on all of my strobes just to get the power knocked down enough to creatively use certain f-stops that I wanted to. I realized that I could use my small strobes the same way I was using my studio strobes. I'm a Nikon shooter so with cameras like the D3, the files are extremely clean when you crank up the ISO so these small strobes are like miniature mono blocks.

Steve: Do you use some of the bigger studio strobes at all anymore?

David: I do only when I need them. Obviously the one big benefit to studio strobes is that they have modeling lights. Even though smaller strobes like the SB-800 have a built-in modeling light, it's not like a continuous light source you would get with larger studio strobes. I recently did a shot using every head I owned and I needed modeling lights to see what I was doing so sometimes you just need the proper tools for the job but nowadays I'm traveling with 5 SB-800s, my grip equipment and the modifiers that I would typically use on any other assignment.

Steve: What is your philosophy when it comes to lighting and how do you approach your assignment when you get it?

David: What I pack for a given assignment is determined by pre-production meetings and knowing what I'm getting myself into. I do a lot of heavy industry work so for example if I'm going into a control room situation I might bring certain types of grip equipment and small mini lights that are not typically used on a shoot to light up behind computers, etc. I might even bring stick and click lights to put accent lights under bookshelves, etc to spiff up the appearance of the room. Good pre-production work with your client will determine what kind of gear I'm taking with me. My philosophy is trying to produce lighting that is subject driven. I don't want to draw attention to the lighting just because it's cool lighting. I want to make the lighting look like it's believable and fits the situation. Head over to http://www.tejadaphoto.com/index.html for examples of David's work.

Steve: Do you set the main light first and take a look at the result and then add light as you need it or at this stage in your career can you pretty well asses the scene and know what you're going to use right away?

David: Typically I will do a location assessment first. I will walk in and take a look at the scene to determine the type of light that is available. Is there natural light available? What type of light? What color is the light? I typically look for my background first and then I'll start lighting in layers. I use my key light first and then based upon the subject that I'm photographing I add or subtract light. For example, do I need to hide the room? Is it an ugly room? Am I lighting with grids or soft boxes? Do I need to photograph the subject in their environment? If it's a large space that might entail the use of a very large umbrella. I have a lot of things that run through my mind by typically I will walk in, see what's there, determine what I can use in terms of the room and then go from there.

Steve: There are so many bits and pieces involved in using this equipment and I think some of our listeners might feel a bit overwhelmed by that. Would you suggest for those who are interested in taking their flash out of their hot shoe and using off camera flash - how should they begin? Should they start out with just one flash off-camera or perhaps two flashes? What would be your recommendation to someone just starting out with off-camera flash?

David: I would certainly recommend two flashes for sure. Two flashes are going to give you the ability to light your main subject and then the second light can be used to either light the background or to separate your subject from the background by using it as a rim light. I would go with an umbrella. I'd recommend something like a 60-inch convertible umbrella which has a black cover that you can remove. Then you can use the umbrella to bounce light into it and back everywhere or you can remove the cover and use it as a shoot through. Typically with an umbrella people open it up all the way but there is no reason why you can't use that umbrella collapsed so that it's just a smaller opening to channel the light into a certain shape that your designating by the shape of the umbrella.

Steve: These small flashes are so moveable; you can bend them and turn them to bounce them off of walls, etc. Are these things you are using a lot in your shoots?

David: Absolutely. The whole thing is that these small strobes are small. The actual flash tubes are quite small which is actually a very harsh light source. My goal is to make that light source as large and as soft as possible so that it's beautiful light so by bouncing that light off a wall or bouncing it into a larger umbrella we have have increased the size of the light source and the larger the light source, typically the softer it is. Now that depends how far the light is away from the subject your photographing. The sun for example is actually a soft light source if you were able to get close to it but because it's so far away, that is what makes it a hard light source. If you took a 60 inch umbrella and placed it close to your subject, it would be a soft light source. If you took that same 60 inch umbrella and moved it across the street, the light would become a smaller light source and thus it becomes a very hard light source. It depends upon how large the light source is relative to the size of the subject you are photographing and that is really the key to using these small strobes. I embrace the Nikon CLS method and I use the built-in commander or sometimes I use the Nikon SU800 commander. Using this system, I can raise or lower the power of my strobes right from my camera position which is a great asset. You don't have cords attached to the strobes. I can hang them from different places or put them up on light stands.

Steve: I think those listeners who have worked with the CLS system can attest to the fact that it makes it much easier to work with off-camera lighting. You can work so much faster and spend more time engaging with your clients.

David: For sure however there are some disadvantages as well. You have an invisible leash of sorts which means you can only use your strobes at a certain distance. I know that Pocket Wizard is working on a new technology but they are having some issues with distance. I recently came across Radio Popper's TX1 system and I'm blown away by this. I have been able to control my strobes remotely at a distance of approximately 1500 feet using these devices.

Steve: For those who have worked with CLS, they know that it is based upon infra-red technology so there can be situations where line of sight issues prevent the flash from firing so you're saying that the Radio Popper system helps to overcome that limitation?

David: It eliminates it completely and I've never seen a product quite like it.

Steve: Because you carry a lot of bits and pieces in your lighting setup and the equipment you bring, what advice do you have to stay organized when bringing equipment with you on a shoot?

David: I use 2 roller cases. The largest one allows me to carry a 42 inch collapsed stand. I like to carry various modifiers and octoboxes. I use panels, umbrellas, and recently started using a new product called the Four Square. It's made by the folks that make Lightware and it's a 30 inch soft box with a hub that allows you to mount four individual speedlights inside of the soft box. The great thing about it is that it collapses down into a small 19 inch tube. A lot of people using the small strobes are looking to decrease the amount of equipment they have to carry and this is one way to do that.

Steve: One of the major advances in photography has been the ability to shoot at high speed sync up to speeds of 1/8000 of a second using strobes. Is this high-speed sync capability something you've used in your photography and what are the advantages of using it?

David: Actually I just did a shoot last week where I used high speed sync. I was shooting for a client down at a chemical weapons plant that is being built in Colorado and one of the parameters around the assignment is that I can't show any of these chemical igloos around the plant so I have to use minimal depth of field. So what I ended up doing was placing my subject matter (the plant safety manager) in shade behind an electrical panel and used the four square with two strobes to light him. My assistant Eric held the Four Square very close to my subject and I was able to shoot wide open at f2.8 at 1/8000 and throw the construction site completely out-of-focus to where you can recognize that it is an construction site with the girders and such but it obliterated any kind of view that you might have had of these chemical weapon igloos that were around the site. For those who are not familiar with high-speed sync, most of our cameras have a native sync speed of around 1/250 of a second. There are actually two curtains running in our camera. The first curtain runs up and exposes the sensor and then a second curtain follows behind and closes. At 1/250 is when the first curtain is completely open and the second curtain hasn't started to move yet. Therefore your strobes at 1/250 of a second will give you an evenly illuminated image. At high speed sync, as soon as you click that shutter the first curtain takes off and the second shutter is right behind it revealing just a little slit so how do we get this whole scene illuminated? The strobes are actually firing continuously as that small slit in the curtains are traveling across the sensor so instead of one big pop of the strobe it's actually producing a series of pops as the slit moves along the sensor resulting in an evenly illuminated image.

Steve: This high-speed sync capability has definitely opened up possibilities for people photographing outdoors on very sunny days.

David: For sure and one tip I can give people working outdoors in bright sunlight is to try and use the sun as your second light source. Let it be your hair light and rim light over the shoulders to separate your subject from the background and then use your strobe as your main light so you have quality light.

Steve: As we wind down here let me ask you this. We are going through uncharted waters as photographers. How has the business changed in recent years and where do you see things going?

David: It is a tough time right now. My commercial assignments are fewer than they have been but when I started my business in 1983 we were in an economic period similar to this and I found that to be a very good time to start a business. I say so because if you can make it during hard times now, it will seem a lot easier as the economy improves. When I started in 1983 we were in very tough times with high unemployment, high interest rates, etc and it made me work very hard. All I needed back then was one job a month. When you're starting off in a bad economy, your first job is one more than you had and your second job is twice as many as you had after your first job so you can only go up. It's very hard for people starting off in this business to accept rejection. You may have to make 10 or 20 phone calls before you actually get your first job. You have to remain optimistic and remain persistent in this business.

Steve: What are your plans for the future? I know you've been working with Nikonians doing "Small Strobes Big Results" workshops. Where can people reach you and find out more about these workshops?

David: You might want to check out my blog which is located at www.davidtejada.blogspot.com. My web site is at www.tejadaphoto.com and for my workshops you can go to www.smallstrobesbigresults.com. I'm also working with Nikonians and I have my first workshop with them in August and then in September I'll be doing a workshop at Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine. In Philadelphia I'm going to be giving a workshop for the Mentor Series from October 30th - November 1st and we're going to be photographing at the Eastern State Penitentiary. I also teach at Santa Fe Workshops and I'll be teaching this upcoming winter for them. I'm also looking for new locations to conduct my Small Strobes Big Results Workshop so if you're interested in sponsoring and hosting a workshop, get in touch with me. One of the things I look for are unique locations to photograph at.

Steve: Thanks again for taking the time to talk with us today David.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Alex - Targus travel card reader

Aaron - Snow Leopard for the Mac

Steve - Elinchrom Ranger Quadra Head Pro Set

Fred - two web sites: Joe McNally Photo & Strobist

WRAP UP

Aaron Mahler - www.twitter.com/halfpress or www.halfpress.com

Alex Lindsay - www.twitter.com/alexlindsay or www.pixelcorps.tv

Frederick Van Johnson - www.twitter.com/frederickvan or www.frederickvan.com

Steve Simon - www.twitter.com/stevesimon or www.stevesimonphoto.com

Show notes by Bruce Clarke at www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke

Visit the blog at www.twiplog.com and the Flickr critique group.