Chimera Window Patterns Adds Life to Backgrounds

I like to sometimes use a light pattern (cucalorus or cookie) to add a little life to a solid background or imitate a natural light pattern.  The great thing about cookies are you have a controllable constant pattern that can be anywhere from a sharp to a very soft pattern.   I tend to like a softer pattern when projecting onto a solid background and a sharper pattern on a subject or busy background.  You can see the soft pattern I used behind Katie-Britt Greenway, Miss South Miami Beach, in the image below and the video clip.

Katie-Britt Breenway with Chimera Window Pattern projected on background

Chimera has a new window pattern system that makes having a small, versatile and portable set of cookie patterns available to you on location or in the studio.  Like the entire Chimera, line the window pattern system is sturdy and well thought out. This was evident from the moment I opened the box and found the kit comes in a heavy-duty long zippered bag.

One of the problems of the traditional cookie is that it is usually a full size 48 X 48 or larger pattern made out of wood. This makes it hard to take it with you.  Another problem is that even if you do have that kind of space, you are still limited to one pattern unless you have a grip truck with room for multiple 48 x 48 boards.

Chimera Window Pattern projected on background

Chimera has gotten around that by starting with a collapsible metal frame with a very smart pin system that works with standard grip head to hold it securely and prevent the frame from twisting.  Then there is a black matte to control light spill that fits to the frame with elastic at each corner and is flexible so it rolls up.  The patterns then attach by Velcro to fill the center open square.  The patterns are black and white designs on what looks like a litho film.  One of the beauties of this is that you have a choice of number patterns with the same frame and matte.  If you don’t like one pattern, in seconds you can have a different one installed.  Since there are Velcro tabs on both sizes of the matte, you can combine two patterns.  Note in the image showing the pattern a second pattern is hanging from the Velcro ready to be put in place instantly.

Terry of Chimera told me of a way he uses the system where he attaches the frame to a c-stand and then an arm to the c-stand to hold a light in an open-faced Chimera softbox. This allows for easy movement of the complete light/pattern system together and even more control of light spill.

Chimera Window Pattern in Foreground with Lee White Shooting Video

Depending on your needs, the frame/matte combinations come in three sizes 22X22, 42X42 and 48X48.  For more info go to www.chimeralighting.com

Upcoming new Video Production Products from NAB

My first day at NAB in Vegas brought into perspective just how quickly the world of video production has changed.  The number of new and innovative products that deal with making video with HDSLRs has increased dramatically.   At the same time, the video cameras are starting to have advancements that are going to blur the line between video and DSLR cameras.

Litepanels by Manfrotto is bringing out a new hybrid LED with a flash function.  Panasonic has a new 4/3 video camera that accepts a variety of still camera lenses.  RedRock Micro has a number of new products for follow focus and cine lenses.  Carl Zeiss has a whole set of new Compact rime CP.2 cine lenses. Hoodman has a number of new recording cards and focusing assists.

These are just a few of the new products I have seen at NAB that in some way will make producing videos easier or slicker.  I will be reviewing these new products I have been shown as they actually become closer to being available.

Atlanta “Secrets of Video Production for Photographers”

There was another big turn out for my Atlanta “Secrets of Video Production for Photographers” given for APA Atlanta.  Along with gear I had from my sponsors Apple, Manfrotto, Zeiss, Panasonic, SmartSound, RedRock Micro, Beachtek, Marshall Electronics, Sennheiser, LaCie and Hoodman, Apple was there showing Final Cut Studio and gave away a $1000.00 Final Cut Studio suite of video editing software.  The Zeiss representative showed their special Canon and Nikon mount lenses with long focus barrels and color-matched glass.

Showcase camera store of Atlanta, a beautiful fully stocked professional camera store, also supplied additional gear from the above mentioned sponsors to give attendees a chance to see the various pieces of equipment up close and personal.

Big Studio, 404-874-6111, was a wonderful host of both the Thursday evening event and Saturday workshop.  It is a great studio to work in and Megan the studio manager was both gracious and professional.

Below are pictures Lindsay Lewis the director of APA Atlanta took during my evening presentation.  The first is me talking about the false color filter of Marshall Electronics V-LCD70P-HDMI monitor.  The second is me talking about the Sonicfire Pro program and five royalty-free multi music tracks.   I have arranged for every attendee to either of my events to get the music tracks for free.

Lee White with Marshall Electronic false color filter

The Saturday workshop was especially interesting for me, as I got to really delve into shooting video with stills then editing.   We talked about planning and equipment in the morning and after the lunch I provided from a tasty deli nearby, we got into the gear.

Everyone had a chance to try some hands on using a complete video rig.  I did a couple of lighting demos and shot a short commercial.  The picture below shows me shooting the commercial using a Reckrock Micro rig with a microFollowFocus geared to a Zeiss ZE 50mm F1.4 lens, on Manfrotto  sticks (tripod) and fluid head with a Beachtek 5d audio adapter cabled to a Sennheiser ME66 microphone.  On top of the rig, you can see the Marshall monitor showing the camera feed.  In the foreground is a Litepanels MicroPro LED light and in the background a medium Lastolite Skylite diffuser.

After shooting the video, I took it into Apple’s Final Cut Studio and showed how to transcode the files into a more edit friendly format using Compressor onto a LaCie rugged drive.  A step you can bypass when using video cameras from Panasonic.   Then I show everyone how to get the files into Final cut Pro, edit them into a commercial and output several distribution formats.  I ended the workshop by showing how easy it is to match music from SmartSound’s Sonicfire Pro with video or pictures.

Dates: Secrets of Video Production for Photographers

There will be a copy of Apple’s Final Cut Studio raffled off.

More giveaways from LaCie and Hoodman.

The latest equipment and software by Apple, Panasonic, Zeiss, Redrock Micro, SmartSound, Beachtek, LaCie and Hoodman among others will be at the event for photographers to see.

Los Angeles information for Thursday January 14
6pm-9pm Dinner 6-7 pm Presentation starts 7:15 pm

5th and Sunset Studios,12322 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 900064

How much: APA MEMBERS ARE FREE! Full time students $20 with id all others $35 RSVP Call 323-933-1631 or email director@apa-la.com

LA Thursday evening event

Non-member $35.00 Student with ID $20.00

Denver information for Thursday January 28

6pm -9pm Dinner 6-7 pm Presentation starts 7:15 pm

Stage 3 at Denver Pro Photo,235 South Cherokee Street,Denver, CO 80223

How much: APA MEMBERS ARE FREE! Full time students $10 with id all others $25 RSVP Call 323-933-1631 or email director@apa-la.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Denver Thursday evening event

Non-member $25.00 Student with ID $10.00

Atlanta information for Thursday February 4

BIG Studio, Suite E, 887 West Marietta Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30318
www.bigstudiorental.com

Registration:
$10 for APA members – $15 at the door
$20 for AIGA or ASMP members – $25 at the door
$25 for non-members – $35 at the door
FREE for student & assistant APA members
$5 for students or assistants
Join the APA and your admission is free!
Contact Lindsay Lewis APA Atlanta Director
director@apaatlanta.com

Please check back for New York February 11 and Chicago March 4

Saturday Workshops

10am-5pm

Now is the point in time when photography and video come together. In the last year, the idea of photographers producing video has exploded and photographers are now gearing up to take advantage of this interest.   As advertisers and magazines turn to video on the web, cable and mobile devices to get out their message, there are more opportunities than ever for you to do video in tandem with your photography to capture new clients and sell video services to existing clients.

Producing video creates a fundamental change in your workflow, so you need new tools and techniques to take the step from photography to video.  You need to learn what the new technologies mean to you from a photographer’s point of view.  This is why Lee White has created an intensive all day workshop to help guide you into video. This workshop will go in depth about each step of video production so you can start producing your own video.

The Saturday subjects will include:
- The importance of workflow including recording formats
- Estimating and planning combined photography and video shoots
- Understanding lighting, filming and sound techniques for video
- Camera, lighting and grip equipment demonstrations
- Editing demonstrations

FREE SOFTWARE: SmartSound will give each attendee a free copy of their Sonicfire Pro 5 software along with free royalty-free music.

More giveaways from LaCie and Hoodman.

The latest equipment and software by Apple, Panasonic, Zeiss, Redrock Micro, SmartSound, Beachtek, LaCie and Hoodman will be demonstrated.

Los Angeles information for Saturday January 16

Helms Daylight Studio

3221 Hutchin Ave. #E

Los Angeles, CA 90034

Cost: $149.95 per person, APA members will receive a 10% discount refund* on confirmation of valid membership.

*Please put membership number in special instructions to seller and the discount refund will be given at the workshop as the APA member enters.

Denver information for Saturday  January 30

Stage 3 at Denver Pro Photo,235 South Cherokee Street, Denver, CO 80223

Cost: Early registration until Jan. 8 $99.95 regular registration after Jan. 8 $129.95 APA members 10% discount.

*Please put APA membership number in special instructions to seller, discount refund will be given at the workshop as the APA member enters.

Atlanta information for Saturday February 6

Where: BIG Studio, Suite E, 887 West Marietta Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30318, (404) 874-6111 www.bigstudiorental.com

Cost: Early registration until Jan. 22 $129.95 regular registration after Jan. 22 $149.95 per person, APA members will receive a 10% discount refund* on confirmation of valid membership.

*Please put membership number in special instructions to seller and the discount refund will be given at the workshop as the APA member enters.

Please check back for New York February 13 and Chicago March 6

SECRETS OF VIDEO PRODUCTION FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

In the last year, the idea of photographers producing video has exploded and photographers are now gearing up to take advantage of this interest. As advertisers and magazines turn to video on the web, cable and mobile devices to get out their message, there are more opportunities than ever for you to do video in tandem with your photography to capture new clients and sell video services to existing clients.

Producing video creates a fundamental change in your workflow, so you need new tools and techniques to take the step from photography to video. You need to learn what the new technologies mean to you from a photographer’s point of view. This is why Lee White has created two events to help guide you into video. The first is a two–hour evening event that will go over the steps you as a photographer need to know to create video productions. The second is a one-day workshop that will go in-depth about each step so you can start producing your own video.

The Thursday evening will include:

Companies showing the latest in video equipment and software for video suitable for photographers getting into video.

A raffle for a copy of Apple’s Final Cut Studio editing software

FREE SOFTWARE: SmartSound will give each attendee a free copy of their Sonicfire Pro 5 software along with free royalty-free music.

A presentation that covers:

- The photographer’s unique position for this new market

- The creative planning stage and new concepts photographers need to think about

- Pre-production considerations when planning a video shoot

- Understanding lighting, filming and sound techniques for video

- Post-production in the photographer’s studio

The Saturday workshop will include:

- How photographers can apply their present skills to video

- The importance of workflow including recording formats

- Estimating and planning combined photography and video productions

- Tools and techniques of video production

- Camera, lighting and grip equipment demonstrations

- Editing demonstrations

For more information on the workshop visit: Video Workshop

LEE WHITE is presently instructing two college classes on HD video production for photographers at Santa Monica College. One is an intensive six-week class for professionals and the other is a sixteen-week class for photography students at the college. Lee has been a professional advertising photographer for more than thirty years. While still a student at Art Center, College of Design, he shot images for movie posters for Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount. Shortly after starting his professional career, he became involved with photomatics for companies such as Mattel plus shooting on set and so began his career-long adventure with narrative imaging. Over a decade ago, Lee started shooting digital video for clients and has experienced video production on all levels from feature films to simple web content.

Los Angeles events:

Thursday, January 14 evening presentation

6pm-9pm

5th and Sunset Studios

12322 Exposition Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 900064

Saturday, January 16 workshop

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Helms Daylight Studio

3221 Hutchin Ave #E,

Los Angeles, CA 90034

For more information on the workshop visit: Video Workshop

Denver events:

Thursday, January 28 evening presentation

6 pm – 9 pm

Saturday, January 30 workshop

10 am – 5 pm

Sponsored by:

Advertising Photography and Video Together

Now that the Canon 7d is out, can new video from Nikon and Panasonic be far behind?   Some more interesting new products are out to help photographers move into doing short form video.  One of the problems that photographers got away from long ago was the need to use constant lights with the advent of strobes.  The constant lights were hot both to handle and on the subject, it took a lot of wattage to get a decent exposure, and were 3200 K so had to be gelled to balance with daylight which brought down the power even more.  Well, as wonderful as strobes are and I’m a big advocate of using them whenever possible except for a very few highly specialized stop motion systems, they are useless for video.

If you want to shoot video, now there are a number of choices beyond the old tungsten lights.  One type that is finding favor with cinematographers is the new LED light.  As a light source, they are powerful (for their size), small, sturdy, draw little power and a are daylight-balanced source that run very cool.  As of now, to light large areas you still might need a number of 1 x1 panels that can cost quite a bit but that will surely change in the near future.  For now you can start by trying one of the smaller battery powered on camera LED lights like the Litepanels Mirco or MicroPro.   Powerful enough to light small scenes or use as a fill in some cases, it can be dimmed with little color change.  I have found them useful off camera for interviews or as a kicker and on camera for an eye-light and run and gun situations.  I wish I had had some when filming in the catacombs of Paris a few years ago.  The quarters were cramped with no place for stands and these LED lights could have been hand held right where I needed them. Image by © Lee White

Litepanels Micro LED

Zeiss continues to grow their line of Canon mount manual focus lenses that are especially suited for the DSLRs with video capabilities.  The latest is the ZEISS Distagon T* 2/28 ZE which is a moderate wide-angle lens designed for full-frame (D)SLR cameras, delivering a 74-degree field of view. Like the other Zeiss ZE lenses, it incorporates a CPU and data contacts for communication with the camera body and long focus pull.  This lens is meant to be used on the Canon cameras such as the 5d Mark II and the new 7d.  As I have mentioned before, Zeiss already has a line of Nikon lenses for video capable DSLRs.

Zeiss Distagon F2 28mm lens for Canon

Dom DeLuise dies, we lose a great talent and gracious man.

Dom DeLuise died today and the world lost a very funny comic and a wonderfully kind man.  As a Los Angeles advertising photographer, I had the privilege of working with Dom recently, possibly his last commercial photography session.  I have included one of my favorite photographs from that shoot.

Dom DeLuise last photography session with Los Angeles professional photographer Lee White

I was doing advertising photographs for his house ware – cookware line.  Many of the shots involved food as props and you guessed it, Dom being the connoisseur that he was insisted on bringing the props.  He showed up at my Los Angeles studio with a limo full of fine cheeses, marvelous smoked meats and fish, luscious fruits and vegetables.  The shoot was incredibly fun.  There was Dom in each shot surrounded by one of the things he loved, great food, happy as could be.  As we finished each shot, Dom always the gracious host, even in my studio, would make everyone sit down and eat all the food from that shot.  It was like being in an Old Italian movie where the cast and crew would shoot then take a meal break together then back to shooting.  All the while, Dom would be telling stories of working with Hollywood’s elite.  I think I had at least a ten-course meal that day and loved every minute of it.

I will never forget that last enchanting day I spent with this kind and loving man, a very funny man and a man who lived life to the fullest.  I will always appreciate the gentleness he showed my daughter and niece when they stopped by and he insisted on have them take a picture with him and his beloved bird.

Video class for photographers starting very soon.

Ready to expand from still photography to HD video? Before you take the plunge, sign up for a highly informative class at Santa Monica College designed to take the photographer through all the steps of preproduction, production and postproduction while building on the skills he already has given by Los Angeles advertising photographer Lee White. By the end of the class, an experienced photographer should be able to start producing short form videos.

The class will cover DSLRs with HD video capabilities as well as traditional video cameras , workflow, treatments, estimating, planning, digital formats, camera techniques, lighting equipment and techniques, sound equipment and techniques, narrative techniques, editing with Final Cut Pro and output. At the first class, equipment from Canon, Panasonic, Redrockmicro, Marshall monitors, and Bogen are scheduled for discussion and viewing.

Photographers are particularly well place to learn the video skills that will add value to their services and a new creative outlet.

You need to act fast as there is limited enrollment contact lee@leewhitephoto.com

Advertising photography – On a cold winter’s morning

It was dark and cold in the predawn hours as I left my studio in Los Angeles for an assignment to do a beauty shoot in San Diego in tandem with a TV Commercial shoot. I arrived just as the sun broke over the distant horizon and started to warm the crew that had gathered at the production studio entrance. I have done a number of these shoots and it is always interesting to see how the Director of Photography is going to light the same talent. Besides the fact, I love to light for video when I do web interview content in conjunction with my editorial photography. Undoubtedly, sometime during my part of the shoot, some of the production crew will come by to see what I’m doing and, when I get a chance, I get to do the same on their set. For these photos, I used my Canon 5d in raw mode to give the client options for both print and broadcast use.

This time the cinematographer was Stuart Asbjornsen, who has worked on a number of feature films and TV series such as Baywatch. I had to finish my portion of the shoot before the talent could move on to Stuart’s commercial set. This meant I had to wait until I was done to see just how he was going to handle the beauty lighting for film. Would it be similar to how I light my commercial photography or vastly different?

When I finally got a chance to get over to the other set, I was pleasantly surprised how much his set up was like the set up I often use to light women. A large soft light from the side to give contouring to the face, broad front fill to soften the skin, and rims to give sparkle to the hair and make the face glow. In this case, I was using strobes and the film crew hot lights but once again it brings up the fact that it is about the craft and not the equipment. The above shot is not from the San Diego shoot but uses the same type of lighting. The San Diego images have not been published yet, so I cannot release them in my blog.

Knowing how to make attractive lighting for women is useful in all types of commercial photography whether it is for an advertising photo, editorial photo or corporate photo.

Portrait Photo-Drama at sunset

Editorial portrait

Again, this is location photography with direct light used for impact. I photographed this portrait on the beach at sunset with dramatic clouds in the background, so I wanted to keep the crisp outdoor feel to the picture using direct light. Photographing with direct light can be challenging, but in this case it makes the woman stand out nicely from the powerful background. The portable lighting system I use allows me to adjust to the quickly changing light at sunset and move about without dealing with generators or power cords. This time I used a Canon 5D and Canon EX580. I plan ahead and always think about keeping it simple, so I can concentrate on the picture.