We can all make a difference :)

I came across this video by chance and it touched my heart...we can all make a difference, here is one example:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

If you know of other people or places that are making a difference do share it with us here :)

What can each of us do (using photography maybe) to spread a little piece of sunshine? Call it out & I know others will answer the call!

Get Creative!

Some of you may remember the cute cards I made for the holiday season just before XMS. I want to share with you just how easy and simple it is to build a base with almost infinite possibilities of different cards that you can use any time, for any occasion with family, friends and clients.




to see the cards click here

I think most of you are familiar with an excellent company called OnOne software, to create the cards I used one of their products called PhotoFrame 4.6

Photoframe transformed from offering decorative ways to frame your prints and art work using computer software to a valuable design tool any photographer and digital artist should have.

Here are a few screen captures of the frame library, there are TONES of styles to chose from, they are customizable in all direction, you can layer them to create an infinite number of different looks to tailor to any event or individual you want.





Change the color, shape and opacity or simply use as is - it's up to you, make one quickly or take your time creating a unique masterpiece (that you can save for multiple uses in the future) all of which you do in real time on an image you select (can be done with blank canvas as well).

In addition to frames, there are also lots of textures you can use as background or design elements in your work:




In Photo Shop, you can add even more components (like I did with my cards) and truly enjoy the freedom that comes with no limitations; also, since it's vector based, you can make big prints easily :)



To see what I mean go to PhotoFrame 4.6 and download the free trial, take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the application (see the online demo) and start playing :)

I highly recommend the bundle, it includes all of OnOne products in an amazingly affordable price, a well worth investment.

Would love to see what you did so feel free to share it with me here :)

Stabilizer first test

I'm back after a long vacation & some work related travel, not complaining but it's good to be home :)

Right before I left I had a great time working at Adorama camera store as a Canon rep , doing the Canon end of year sales event (great deals!) & I brought my little Hague DMC Camera stabilizer along. It got a bunch of attention, especially with a 5D mounted on top of it.(Canon 5DII + 28 f2.8 )

After spending some time (...) balancing the thing I took it for a quickie test drive inside the store.



Need to remember - this is the FIRST time I ever did this, I was randomly walking about & whipping the camera/stabilizer around with no specific plan or caution just to see what happens...

What I learned - need to practice "steady cam walk" - I saw how pros do it & they look like a cat stalking a bird :)

Need to learn to stabilize the thing better to avoid that side to side swag you might notice in the clip (especially when coming out of a turn).
Also, turning to fast makes you dizzy :)...

As a side note, I recently got a killer laptop, the Asus G73JW-A1 (read the specs if you want to experience laptop envy ;) ) & installed Sony Vegas pro10. The point was to have a dedicated computer for video editing (& photo processing) that is also portable (don't start w/the Mac thing please)- I haven't had a chance to work with it much yet but the little I did do is pretty sweet :)

Slider show and tell

Here is a quick look at the Igus camera slider DIY project:

Igus camera slider DIY project from vered koshlano on Vimeo.

As I said in the video, you get what you pay for and I'm pretty happy with it :)
Here are two of my favorite alternatives, they work great but will set you back a nice chunk of $$$...

This is the one I like...
kessler CineSlider
A smaller version:
kessler Pocket Dolly
Another great product:
Cinevate Atlas

I will post footage using it as soon as I get back from vacation (mid Jan).

Be safe and warm, have a wonderful holiday season and a great beginning to the new year!

~Vered

Sony UWP-V1 lavalier mic

Recording sound in my studio using the built in Canon Vixia HF S10 (mini HD video cam) microphone was not great, the studio has bare concrete floor and brick walls that caused a noticeable echo...so before I sound proofed the studio I decided to try a lavalier. There is no "cheap" good lavalier from what I understand, there are cheaper ones but they don't work so well... I ended up getting the Sony UWP-V1, the package includes a lavalier mic, one transmitter and one receiver plus some hardware and connecting cables. I did a first test at Adorama camera store (NYC) and here is the result :) I'm pretty happy with the way it worked great right out of the box - I did read the manual...the sound is natural with room tone (some lav mics can feel too "isolated") and easy to operate!
Sony UWPV1 Lavalier Microphone

Sony UWP-V1 lavalier mic from vered koshlano on Vimeo.

You can get it here:
Adorama-Sony UWPV1 Lavalier Microphone

BH-Sony UWPV1 Lavalier Microphone

Camera stabilizer - first look

This is the Hague DMC Camera stabilizer, after looking at what's available in the area of Camera Stabilizers I decided to go with this one, it's supposed to be a great product for the money (about$250 w/shipping). (another one is the Merlin for about $800...)

When looking online for people's reviews on other stabilizers there was a mix notion of opinions, seems like everyone has their own favorite and there were arguments (online threads) about which is the better one (almost like Mac vs. PC, lol!)

Since I have zero experience with this gear I can only evaluate weather I like it or not and if I feel it's doing a good job at the task it's suppose to fill.

It shipps from England so before I ordered it I called the company (at 4am Est) to make sure it's legit - they were very nice on the phone, offered some input and useful online links and said to call back anytime if I have more questions.

So here is a first look at what's in the box and a quick try at stabilizing a Canon 5D2...(3 segment video).

Hague DMC Camera stabilizer - first look from vered koshlano on Vimeo.

Hanukka

I made this enchanting little tree-light using a Halloween "tree" I found at Michael's art store as a base & decorated it with crystal beads & tea candles.
Looks beautiful on my table as a Hanukkah Menorah!
I love Michael's, all you need to do is think outside the box & spend a little money... :)
(Taken with Canon Vixia HF S20)

Hanukah from vered koshlano on Vimeo.

Alternative to camera strap

I found this gadget at photo Plus 2010 (NYC) and wasn't sure about it at first but after doing a test drive, this in now my preferred way of carrying the camera while shooting.

Spider holster from vered koshlano on Vimeo.

You can get more detailed information, specs as well as prices here:Spider Holster Camera System

If the vimeo link takes to long to load you can see it on You Tube here:
Spider Holster Camera System

Igus DIY camera slider project - part I

I finally got the main component for my DIY camera slider project! (actually shipped pretty fast).

As you can see it came pre-scored with 3 threaded holes (one in the center, two on each side) and the carriage is also scored and threaded (all 3/8th)- I requested that specifically & paid a bit extra - if you have a machine shop or know someone that does, you can save about $40 & do it yourself.

The next step is a visit to the local Home Depot - I'm not sure what I'm looking for so I'll have to just browse around & think creative thought...I want to put "stops" on the ends of the rail to prevent the carriage from sliding off of it (especially with my camera on it) and also some kind of a low profile leg on either side to hoist it an inch or so off the ground.
You can check out Igus products here:Igus DryLin line



To be continued...

New Toys!

Guess what - answered!

Here is the answer to my previous question - what is the background in this picture?
Well, I had some wonderful suggestions from you guys, some I'm actually going to try out for myself just to see if they work :) but the truth is much simpler and far easier to implement (and cheaper as well!)

What you see in the background is actually a piece of iridescent fabric. It's fairly inexpensive and easy to get in any decent fabric store. To get the beautiful colors, I used one head to light the background in a sweeping pattern (sweeping light across it, NOT spotting) & outfit it with a warming gel.
This type of fabric comes in a great array of colors and speckle sizes, pick the ones you like and experiment :)

The trick is to make sure you render the background out of focus (either distance it from your subject or use a shallow depth of filed) in order to achieve that Bokeh look!

The following photos were also shot using this type of fabric:





This image was taken with a bead curtain in the background/foreground (Jeremy actually suggested that as one of the possible solutions :))



I would love to see your own creations so feel free to share it here with us!

Farmageddon!

Those of you who know me, know how passionate I am about my health (& yours as well!) - I eat organic foods whenever possible & support sustainable agriculture by buying fresh, organic products such as raw milk, eggs, veggies, cheese, etc from local farmers (they deliver!).
I use herbs to ward off simple-to-deal-with health conditions and avoid "Big Pharma" as much as I can (& I can :))

I'm not sure how familiar you are with what our government, who we trust with our live and the lives of our children, is actually doing for the sole purpose of making rich people rich-er (& taking nice cuts on the way) at the expense of YOUR health & YOUR rights as an American citizen, not to mentions a human being...

I came across this trailer to a movie (due in 2011) that I think you deserve to know about.

Now I understand that you might not be an activist so I'm not telling you to take any action but I DO think it's YOUR RIGHT to KNOW about what is happening in your own back yard.

(movie will takes a few seconds to load, worth it!)

Farmageddon Trailer from Kristin Canty on Vimeo.

To your health!
Do tell me what you think!

Guess what?

Hi Guys(that means boys & girls...), here is a challenge question for you:

Can you guess where or what is the background in the picture below? right or wrong, take a shot at it and let your creative brain have fun!



I'm curious to see what you think & maybe get some fresh ideas...

Light Setup part II

This is the second part of the shoot, as you remember we had a 3 light setup plus a reflector to illuminate our model, the background was white seamless paper.
There is a lot of versatility in using a "plain" white background, you can gel it with colors, underexpose it to get a gray background or even black if you move the model far enough away. With that said, a trip to a local fabric store produced an interesting piece of material, I liked the elegant print & the gold/black tones - it cost about $20 :)




First I just added the fabric as the new background, since the model was seated I didn't care that it wasn't reaching the floor - if I wanted to do a longer form I would have hung it vertically & had the model very close to it.

The light setup stayed the same.



I love the regal feel this new background gives to the photo!



Then I decided to spice things up - I moved the main light away & replaced it with the two strip lights I had pointed at the background before, I used a single flash head with grid to spot the background right behind the model, you can see it in the picture below, at the low right corner.




If you compare the two light patterns on the model's face you can see that both produce a nice effect - the first one is a little more "glowing" & has a slight highlight on the model's forehead compared with the more even & a bit flat look of the second - both work well.



The prop on her head is actually a girl's Tutu skirt I found in a costume store, another $20 well spent! so you don't need a big budget to have fun and get great images, just be creative and the most important thing - just do it! lol!

Here is a little video of behind the scenes:

Behind the scenes

Light Setup part I

Here is a simple light setup that is great for beauty photography.

The equipment you see here is simple to use, relatively inexpensive & very versatile.

There are three different light sources at work, all are flash heads that are outfitted with a light modifier.

Two of them are seated inside a Strip Light, a narrow version of a traditional soft box & are directed in a 45 degree angle (more or less) at the background (white seamless paper).

The third light is inside an Octodome, a more rounded version of the square softbox & a bit shallower as well.
The front of the Octodome is fitted with a Grid, the Grid provides for a more directional light output & controls the angel of the light as well as minimizes light spill.

This is my main light & is placed in front & above the model's head (I'm using a boom arm to be able to shoot without having to deal with a light stand in the way but if you only have light stands than just make sure you shoot very close to it in order to be under the light & in front of your model).

As oppose to a beauty dish (great for other applications) this main light source gives me more flexibility when posing the model & gives the model more freedom to move around (Beauty dish is more "spot on").
I love the partial softness of this type of light source as well as the round, natural catch-light it creates in the subject's eye.



The reflector - To complete the look you will need some kind of reflector to bounce the light back onto the model's face & fill in any shadows, it helps to create that "perfect" porcelain skin look.
I'm using a Tri-Flector here but any bounce card or reflector will do, the Tri-Flector gives a bit more control & helps shape the face with a little more precision, it also has a silver & a gold side for even more control over the look you want.

Below are a few photos of the set up, if you look at the model's eyes you can see the light set up - a useful trick to help you figure out what lights were used in a photo (unless they were removed/added in PS...)



In part II of this shoot (coming soon) I'll show you how a few simple changes produce a very different look!

Do try this at home kids :)

Photo Plus - Free Registration!

Photo Plus is coming up Oct 28-30, come check out all the new toys photo companies have for you!
There will be equipment, software, print products & a few surprises...

Make sure to step by the Canon booth & say hello - I'll be at the Canon center stage working with models every day :)

To get your FREE pass click on the link below: only good through 10/15/2010

FREE REGISTRATION

See you soon!

Canon 5D mark II

If you read the post about the Canon Expo 2010, you know I had the wonderful opportunity to contribute to this show(an event that takes place once every five years in which Canon sets up a glamorous display of all its new & futuristic technology).

I was contracted to do a photo shoot that will provide content for a bound book to be printed at the show by a very large & impressive machine that can print books on demand(!).

Later it was decided a bunch of those images were to be enlarged (& I mean big!) & printed to decorate the design studio space at the show.



I did all the pre-press & file handling & learned one important thing - files from the Canon 5DII can be blown up extremely big, extremely well!!!

I didn't think they would hold up the way they did so beautifully - even when I stood right on top of the print (some were 12' H & some 20' H, at 200 PPI!) It was a very pleasant realization.



The 5D mark II also captures wonderful videos in full HD & since it's recording to a full size, 35mm CMOS, you get that gorgeous "Cinema" look & feel.
Check out a test I did in the studio:Hennessey

Macro workshop

Last week I was invited to work an event presented by Canon and hosted at the Adorama learning facility in NYC.

The theme was Macro Photography and so we set up seven station around the room with different items and situations that land themselves as cool Macro photography subjects.

Every station was equipped with Canon's latest Macro lenses, flashes and various camera bodies, attendees could mount the lenses on their own Canon cameras or use the ones provided.

After a short & enlightening PowerPoint presentation given by the incredibly knowledgeable Rudy Winston, a long time Canon educator, the students divided into seven groups & started experimenting with the different lighting & subject combinations, moving from one to another until they had a chance to try out all seven.
Even though none was particularly experienced in Macro photography I was thrilled to see the beautiful images they easily produced by just having a keen eye, great gear and access to an environment where they could spend time experimenting! (or we must be great instructors!)

Here are a few photos taken by Laura Meyers www.laurameyers.com

















Check out Adorama learning Center as well as Adorama TV - lot's of easy to follow equipment reviews, awesome tips and "how to" videos.
Adorama Learning Center
Adorama TV

Come play with us at the next workshop!

Workshop was taught by Rudy Winston, Rick Berk and myself :)

Canon Expo 2010 video

A little souvenir from the Canon Expo 2010 that took place in NYC Sep 1 to 3.
A great team of talented & professional people made this fashion show a smashing success!
See you all in 2015 at the next Canon Expo :)

note:I took these little video clips between shows with my little Canon P&S, keep that in mind :)



fashion show - Click here

Canon Expo 2010

I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of the Canon Expo, an event that takes place once every five years in which Canon sets up a glamorous display of all its new & futuristic technology.

I was totally impressed by the new 4K & 8K cameras that were shown (as prototype) & it seems that the future of still & video photography may in the future be joining together into one splendid way of capturing our vision.

My part this time was to produce & orchestrate a fashion show that went on all day/ every day of the 3 days of the show, I had put together an incredible team of models & artists (see credit below) with great energy & talent! every one of them is responsible for the fashion show being a great success - thank you guys!

I was also contracted to do a photo shoot that will provide content for a bound book to be printed at the show by a very large & impressive machine that can print books on demand(!).

Later it was decided a bunch of those images where to be enlarged (& I mean big!) & printed to decorate the design studio space at the show.

I did all the pre-press & file handling & learned one important thing - files from the Canon 5DII can be blown up extremely big, extremely well!!!

I didn't think they would hold up the way they did so beautifully - even when I stood right on top of the print (some were 12' H & some 20' H, at 200 PPI!) :)
It was a very pleasant realization.

We also had a "studio" section where two great photographers were shooting a fashion/beauty oriented live demo, they both produced stunning images all day long.

Here are just two out of many striking photos taken by one of them, an amazing photographer & artist Michel Tcherevkoff, make sure you check out his inspiring body of work :)

Michel Tcherevkoff

model-Catherine Frances Scott

It was great to see a lot of you there, feel free to let me know what are some of the things you liked best about the show :)

Here are two links, one for a few shots from the fashion show & another so you can see how big the BIG posters were:


posters

fashion show
Close up photos by Benjamin Hayon

Make up: Amy Park, ChiChi Saito, Jiyeon Kim
Hair: Naoko Suzuki, Griselle Rosario, Mayumi Maeda
Styling: Aris Tapia
Models:Naoumie, Ulla, Kashmir, Stephanie, Lorenzo & Jon.
Gorgeous dresses by: Jovani

Did you ever dream about being able to shoot a movie? I'm talking about the look & feel of motion pictures, big-complicated-expensive gear that requires a bunch of coordinated people just to turn it on?
Well, now you can & it's pretty easy too :) even practicing to get it right is fun!

Check out the two clips I shot using the Canon 5D II, I love the way they came out - look at the shallow depth of field, beautiful sparkling blown out highlight! The colors are rich & creamy...I think I'll keep it, LOL!

You get the hang of it after a few short trials, I thought it was going to be very complicated & cumbersome (having worked w/film before) so I was pleasantly surprised at the ease the camera let me control the look of the shot & the actual recording.

Both clips were shot using the canon 5D II on a video tripod w/fluid head & Westcott Spider Light kit.

I want to hear about your own experience so do let me know ;)

Before you click, make sure you have your music on, it adds a lot to the finished product. (check out Magnatune for a great selection & variety of downloadable & affordable music )

Video - Avon perfume

Video - Hennesey

New book - out September 2009!

I had the pleasure of working on a book together with the talented Rick Sammon - Canon Explorer of Light & a gifted teacher of photography & the photo biz!

This full-color resource book is aimed at skilled amateur photographers who are interested in learning the basics of studio lighting as well as learning how and when to apply certain lighting effects or intermediate photographers who are looking for some fresh new ideas or inspiration. It's packed with more than 200 top studio lighting tips and secrets. It also compares available camera equipment, accessories, software, and printing options; suggests an efficient work flow process; and is packed with superb photos, including those that have been digitally manipulated to include impressive effects!
Click on the book image to get started :)

For more creative photo tips check out Rick's website & blog - www.ricksammon.com & there
& there are fun DVDs as well...

Easy look change

I recently had a chance to work with two talented women for the first time - make up artist Josephine P & model Julia S. we were planning a simple beauty test that should be easy, fun & not take too long to accomplish.

I asked Josephine to do a "clean" look for the first set & she gave Julia a beautiful glow while keeping the make up looking fresh & barely noticeable (harder to do then you may think).




Julia has long, healthy hair but I wanted a simple look & didn't want the hair to take attention away from her beautiful features. After I was happy with the clean look I tried wrapping the ponytail around Julia's neck which did for a sophisticated feel :)




For the following photos very little was changed - Josephine added a bit of eye shadow around Julia's eyes to give them a subtle "smoky" look & we let the hair loose & sprayed it with water.

I got rid of the under fill reflector & moved my 3 ft Octodome from an over head position to camera left. I also swapped the white background paper for a gray one.



Julia, being a pro, knew what to do to give that wild beauty feel I was looking for!