FIT 361 Logistics of Location: March 2012

Monday, March 26, 2012

Assignment #3 Ad/Editorial SL + Location

Assigned: Week #8 3/26/12
Location Contacts Due: Week #9 4/9/12

4 Final Prints Due (min. 8"x10"): Week #11 4/23/12

This assignment is to be an advertisement or editorial magazine story and the only requirement is that it have photographs of the two separate elements. Two total photographs of a person in an environment (inside or outside, but on location and not in studio) and the other two shots are to be still life shots of an object, shot in the same location or environment, that relates to the concept of the advertisement or editorial.

It’s up to you to brainstorm what it is that you are marketing or telling an editorial story about. The advertisement/editorial can be selling the tangible item (such as the still life object itself), or it can be selling an idea, which is shown through the person coupled with the object (such as an add for an insurance company, bank, or airline).

The still life can be by itself, or it can be on the person (what's called "on-figure") as long as the shot concentrates on the object and is shot in the location/environment you've shot the person in. Basically, you're not shooting the still life in a clean studio environment, but rather in the same location/environment you shot the model. In can be a tight, cropped, close up of the item sitting on the ground, or it can be a photo zoomed in a bit of the item on-figure, so long as it concentrates on the item.

For those of you still confused, here are some examples:

Advertisement for Louis Vuitton purses:

1. One shot of a construction worker holding the purse on a construction site (just cause it’s funny to see!)

2. Second shot of just the purse on a pile of construction materials at the same location

Advertisement for some electronic gizmo:

1. One shot of a man staring at a cement wall with a crack in it where a paper airplane is sticking out of the wall.

2. Second shot of a new electronic gadget laying on a matching background with the tagline “It does amazing things” (you don’t need to put the headline in - just gave it to you for conceptual reference!)

Week #8: 3/26/12 Critique A2

"I have never taken a picture for any other reason than that at that moment it made me happy to do so." - Jacques-Henri Lartigue

"Don't undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible." - Edwin Land

AIPAD Photography Show

Friday, March 30 @ 2:30pm

$10 with Student ID

*Please meet me inside at 2:30pm (or 3pm depending on how long it takes to travel after Curtis's class). Directions below:

to 68th Street or

to Lexington Ave./63rd St.

Park Avenue Armory

643 PARK AVENUE

NEW YORK, NY 10065

Bonni Benrubi Gallery - © Karine Laval

Joseph Bellow Gallery - © Charles Johnstone

Yancey Richardson Gallery - © Laura Letinsky

Critique of A2 Industrial Portrait

P2 Grades - *Maybe next week?
P3 - Hand in
A3 Advertising/Editorial Still Life And Location

Chase Jarvis Digital Workflow

P3: Lighting an Environment

Project 3: Lighting an Environment (Studio Sets)

Assigned: Week #7 3/19/12

Due: Week #8 3/26/12

***To be completed in class on Week #7 3/19/12***

Details: Break into teams of 2. Each team shoots digitally per the instructions and produces at least 8"x10" @ 72dpi minimum JPEG files to be submitted before the start of next week's class. Prints are not necessary and post production is not required.

Inverse Square Law: 1 Mobilelight

The following shots need to be completed, all with Daylight White Balance setting:

· 1 light about 6’ away reading f11 @ 1/125

· 1 light about 3’ away (take a new light meter reading and set camera accordingly)

· 1 light about 9’ away (take a new light meter reading and set camera accordingly)

· 1 light about 6’ away reading f11 @ 1/125

· 1 light about 3’ away (reduce power intensity to get a reading of f11 and shoot)

· 1 light about 9’ away (reduce power intensity to get a reading of f11 and shoot)

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Lighting Ratios: 2 Tungsten Lights

The following shots need to be completed, all with Tungsten White Balance setting:

· 2 side lights at 1:1 ratio (same light meter reading, lights about 4’ away)

· 2 side lights at 1:2 ratio (Move 1 light about 2’ away so that it reads -1 stop)

· 2 side lights at 1:4 ratio (Move 1 light another 2’ away so that it reads -2 stop)

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Lighting Ratios and Color Balancing: Tungsten + Caselight

The following shots need to be completed, with White Balance settings per instructions:

· 1:1 lighting ratio (same light meter reading for both lights) - camera at Daylight White Balance (use preset, or set manually between 5000˚K and 5500˚K). *Hint, rather than backing the caselight off to read the same as the lamp, simply turn 1 or more of the bulbs off at the head.

· 1:1 lighting ratio (same light meter reading for both lights) - camera at Manual White Balance to match tungsten light (or closest you can get as your ˚K may be as low as it can go!) *Use the color meter to read only the tungsten lamp’s exact color temperature.

· 1:1 lighting ratio with CTO on case light to match overhead tungsten color temperature (*you’ll have to move caselight closer because the color correction gel will reduce the intensity. Use color meter to match caselight’s color temperature with color correction gels)

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Lighting Ratios + Inverse square Law + Color Temp: Tungsten + Strobe

The following shots need to be completed, with White Balance settings per instructions:

· Ambient only shot with WB set to tungsten

· Strobe over camera - Explore! Choose to match ratios, overpower by +1 stop, or underpower -1 stop. *Hint, underpowering by -2 stop may be nice, but to accomplish this you may want to move the light way back, or to the right so half of the intensity is blocked by the corner of the V flat since it will be hard to lower the power enough to -1 stop from the tungsten light. Or, this is an ideal situation for a Neutral Density Gel over the head!

· *Optional = Choose to balance the lights by adding a gel to either the strobe (CTO) or the tungsten light (CTB) and take the same photograph

· *Optional = Try moving the strobe light back 2x the distance and use the same ratio (increase strobe power intensity so that you have the same f-stop reading as before according to light meter)

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Creative Lighting: Transform the environment (*Time permitting)

Simply take one photograph that transforms the space. Explore lighting options and utilize whatever you can to enhance the environment that has been setup for you!

There has been a multitude of lighting kits and accessories set out for you to explore and use to create an interesting photograph of an imitation location. Maybe use some of the existing light, or completely transform the situation by controlling the light and camera settings.

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Equipment List

· 3x Pocketwizard Transceivers

· 1x umbrella

· 4x Folding stands

· 1x Caselight

· 1x Profoto AcuteB pack (with sync cord)

· 1x Profoto AcuteB head with Beauty Dish

· 1x Profoto Acute 1200 kit (with 2 heads and 2 stands - for Set E if there is time)

· Small Softbox (with profoto speedring)

· 1x Broncolor Mobilite battery pack (with sync cord + Pocket Wizard cord as well just in case)

· 1x Broncolor Mobilite head with beauty dish

· 1x Travelite (just to show them multiple portable lighting options - I didn't use it on set though)

· 4x Autopoles (with Super clamps and J Hooks)

· 6x medium A-clamps

· 2x small A-clamps (for the CTO gel on caselight - easier than the caselight clips)

· color meter

· light meter

· Mathews mini boom (to be put onto Avenger roller in studio cage)

· 2x extension cords

C414 Studio - P3 Sets Layout

Monday, March 19, 2012

Week #7: 3/19/12 Lighting Part 2

"I never have taken a picture I've intended. They're always better or worse." - Diane Arbus

"And no photograph is taken with the aid of flash light, either, if only out of respect for the actual light - even when there isn't any of it." - Henri Cartier-Bresson


© Antony Crossfield

Copy Project #2 final images to my Hard Drive

Shoot Project #3: Lighting Sets

Please break into groups of 2 to explore the various lighting sets. Work as a team to complete the instructions associated with each set. Spend about 10 minutes at the most exploring the set environment and lighting requirements before moving on to the next set. Although you are working in groups, each student is to arrive to next class with the completed images ready to download to the computer (JPEG or RAW, but no post-production editing is necessary).

Please label your images as such "P3_A_Nobles_1.jpg"

Lighting Ratios:

Ratio: 1:1 = 0 stop difference between lights = flat lighting
Ratio: 1:2 = 1 stop difference between lights = some dimension
Ratio: 1:3 = 1.5 stop difference between lights = more dimension
Ratio: 1:4 = 2 stop difference between lights = dramatic lighting
Ratio: 1:8 = 4 stop difference between lights = very dramatic lighting

How to use Lighting Ratios in Photography

Monday, March 12, 2012

Production Materials

Call Sheet Sample

Property and Model Releases

link to ASMP sample and information

Location Scouting Contact Sheet

Equipment and Location Kit sample lists

Week #6: 3/12/12 Lighting Part 1

"I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself..." - Edward Steichen

Grade Folders
A1 and P1 grades

Redo for better grade before end of semester
HW = A1 only - submit missing production materials for better grade. See "Assignment Guidelines" blog post for pertinent information. Also see "Production Materials" blog post for samples.
Extra Credit - Submit work to any contest for +4 Assignment or +2 Project points! (Up to 3 contests max).

Project #2

HW = To be completed in class and/or as homework due next week.
Refer back to Week #3 Notes on light triggering options if necessary

Property and Model Releases

HW = Create your own releases with your business name and logo
See blog post for my samples, or
ASMP sample and information

Property and Model Releases

HW = Get my approval for a final project and begin location scouting!

Lighting Review - Part 1
* A2 is now due Week #8 3/26/12 *

Article on Aperture.com about Gregory Crewdson and his process
along with very informational crew interviews

Properties of Light: Direction | Intensity | Quality | Color

Direction

Use any triggering system (regular sync cord, TTL cord, pocket wizards, etc.) to place flash off-camera in order to light from up/down/left/right/front/back/etc.

Intensity

Power
Distance: Inverse Square Law = light falls off at the square distance of the distance from the subject. 2x distance = 1/4 intensity
Bounce Fill gives the perception of reduced intensity!
Or smaller lighting Ratios reduces perception of intensity

Quality - Hard vs. Soft or Specular/Direct vs. Diffused

To diffuse the lighting use a modifier like softbox/umbrella, or diffusion material like Rosco 3000/toughspun/silk/plexi, or bounce off card/flex fill/wall.
Quality Rule: Larger light source = Softer light (more wrap on subject). *Real secret is close = soft and far = hard because the farther away the light is, the smaller the light source which yields a more focused, direct, and harder quality of light! (Think about how far away the sun is and how small it is relative to the sky).

Color

+ 5000˚ Kelvin = Cool Light (- 5000˚K on camera for cooler effect though!)
- 5000˚ Kelvin = Warm Light

Below is a slew of article/video links that I've collected related to location lighting (especially with portable speedlights). Please check them out at your convenience.

Article on 3 ways to light a quick portrait

Video instruction on how to creatively light with multiple Nikon SB-800 speedlights

Video on the basics of the Nikon SB-900 Speedlight

Video about Off-camera flash photography - Part 1

Video about Off-camera flash photography - Part2