Category: photography

I didn’t think I would feel comfortable in the commercial studio. But I do. The subjects talk back, but not like people. Arthur Tress had the same experience and the same discovery.

President Obama’s official portrait marked the first time a digital image was used to document his taking office. I want to have the opportunity, at some point in my photographer life to improve the image. The image, done right, should make him look Presidential, highlighting the Washingtonian smile, hiding his flapping ears. Not very imaginative.

Here is another, taken recently, of Mayor Bloomberg. A hand sticks out behind his head. His mouth is skewed. The upper left barks a texture, wasting space within which some useful information could have been included. He has red-eye, what looks like a razor nick and its broad lit. I just cannot believe that this is the best shot the shooter could have captured.

 

Ron Wyatt bills himself as an editorial photographer, but it is clear his first love is sport. He has shot MLB and NFL and been to the the last two Olympics, earning shot of the day two times. He would like to go to London for the upcoming event, but, so far, all his irons are still in the fire. Doing what he does now, which is make a living shooting events and people, keeps him closer to home where he can watch his son, a high-school sports star.

After graduating high school, he took up photography to avoid the lines at a local GM plant. Mostly self taught from workshops and magazines, he started with film and is now struggling to conquer digital, like the rest of us. His Keynote presentation didn’t support his assertions that he lacked the skills to make a quality show, a display that earned him some whistles and cheers, albeit for deft, if rudimentary moves.

While calling his business a matter of luck and being in the right place, he tells a story of how hard he worked to be in a position to take advantage of opportunities. He has an easy manner, obviously gets along well with others and finishes the jobs he starts. All theses qualities are essential for the business of photography. One of his breaks got him a job leading tours to China, shoots that give him the opportunity to use his camera and share his knowledge of the art and craft.

Borrowing from a scene from My Cousin Vinnie, he urged everyone to read the manuals that come with the camera. More a suggestion to learn the equipment to be able to take advantage of its full potential, he challenged mostly unwilling students to use the focus button on the back of the camera, rather than the shutter. Amazing, how few use this technique, which he says is the preferred way to click of photojournalists worldwide.

He said he had nothing against Canon and stated that his favorite lens is a Nikon 200-400. Though the lecture wasn’t sponsored by Sigma and a Sigma logo appears on his project Ron Wyatt site, he tried to be impartial as he urged everyone to try cheaper lenses. He did the math, showing that for the price of a telephoto Canon lens, you could buy a Sigma lens and an additional body. The quality of his shots with the lower priced lens seemed pretty good on the screen.

And he raffled off Peachpit and Wiley books on lighting, along with Black Rapid straps. I had to stand up to model my strap, an act that led several students to ask me about its usefulness. I seemed to be the only person in the entire school who used this piece of equipment which is pretty unbelievable considering it has been around for a while and the strap is revolutionary.