Chiaroscuro Portraits by Alex Huff

I was recently inspired by a recent series of portraits by our very own Alex Huff. Titled “Chiaroscuro Portraiture,” it features these gorgeous close-up portraits of the men and women in her life, each one of which is a study in how to render the interplay between light and shadow.

Alex takes these images in front of a grey background, and through a combination of getting in close to her subjects and using one light, sends what little you might see of that grey to almost pitch black. I began to think of what I could do if I didn’t have a backdrop to shoot against, if I needed to make a portrait in a relatively brightly-lit area. In theory, it could be done; a basic understanding of the Inverse-Square Law reveals that much.

But what if all you had was a basic modifier and a couple of speedlights, not a big studio strobe? Could you still do it? I had to give it a try. (more…)

Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: any time Joe McNally talks, everyone should listen. This latest video will only be only till Feb 20, 2013, so make sure you watch it before then.
  
• Here’s another photographer you should always listen to/watch/study with if you get the chance: Gregory Heisler. From the guys over at the Profoto Blog comes a recounting of Greg’s shoot with Yasser Arafat.
• Yet another photographer we love is back with his series of image critiques. Here’s Episode 15 of Zack Arias’ “Photography Critiques.”
• Budding auto photographers should head over to Scott Kelby’s blog and take a look at his detailed post on how he shot details on an Aston Martin Vantage. Mmm…. car porn!
• And finally, from our friends over at PetaPixel, classified in the “Oh, Iran!” category: another Photoshop blunder from that country makes us chuckle all over again.

That’s it for this week’s Cool Stuff! As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.

Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• There are a few foodies here at BL, and one of them brought this series of videos from world-famous food photographer David Loftus and chef Jamie Oliver to our attention. Food and photography? Um, yeah! You’re welcome, internet!
• We love out timelapse movies as well, and Jess Dunlap has created an absolutely spectacular one called “Monolation.”
  
  Monolation from Jess Dunlap on Vimeo.
• And since we’re talking about timelapse, there’s a great article over at Philip Bloom’s website talking about things to consider when making a timelapse film.
• Nikon has a neat film out showing how their lenses are made, in time for their 80th anniversary.
• And finally, a bit of solid, no-nonsense advice from one of our favorite photographers, Zack Arias: If I Had to Start My Photo Business Today.
  Zack Arias: If I had to start my photo business today from PhotoShelter.com on Vimeo.

 And now, for the BorrowLenses.com Roundup!

That’s it for this week’s Cool Stuff. As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.

Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• We love it when one of our own gets a nod from someone we admire. Our very own Alex Huff was mentioned in this week’s episode of Photography Tips and Tricks, by none other than R.C. Concepcion. Have a look at the end of the video below.
  
• The Sony RX1 has become a favorite around these parts; check out this Russian-made turret universal optical viewfinder that seems to work perfectly with it.
• Any time Philip Bloom does a gear review, we tend to drop everything and listen. Here, he breaks down the Canon 1DC for you. As usual, it’s a thorough, full-featured review.
  
• This one’s for the retouchers among you. The guys at PhotoShelter have established a reputation not just for being a great photo hosting service, but also for bringing you some fantastic original content via their blog. In this webinar, they talk to veteran retoucher Amy Dresser about her process and technique – and it’s worth watching every second.
  
• And finally, from the “If he opens his mouth to talk, you should be quiet and listen department,” the Phillipines’ 24/7 cable news network, ANC, sat down with Joe McNally for a really good interview.
  

 And now, for the BorrowLenses.com Roundup!

That’s it for this week’s Cool Stuff. As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.

Not too long ago, I switched to the Nikon D800E with a series of prime lenses for all of my primary photography. I love the Nikon, and it’s proved to be a fantastic system, capably handling just about everything I’ve thrown at it.

The downside is that it is, truly, a system. A big, heavy system. I quickly found myself looking for a smaller, carry-around camera for some of my more photojournalistic endeavors, and immediately turned to the family of mirrorless cameras out there for an answer.

Of these, there is no shortage. You have the awesome Sony NEX-6, which I’ve raved about in the past. There’s also the Sony RX-1, the Panasonic GF3C, the Fuji X-Pro1, and the subject of this article, the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

Olympus OM-D

I’ve had the Olympus OM-D E-M5 for the past few weeks now, and have been using it as my primary “take everywhere” camera. It’s small size, lens selection, and great image quality combine to provide a system that’s flat-out my favorite in this category. In this article, I’ll present my experience shooting with this little thing, rather than a full-on technical review.

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Hasselblad H4D60

This is something we’ve been considering adding to our inventory for a long time now, and I’m pleased as punch to let you all know that we’re now going to be carrying our very first Medium-Format system.

We’ve got two cameras for rent – the H5D40, a 40MP body, and the H5D60, a 60MP body. The H5D60 has a slightly larger sensor, too, and both cameras produce 16-bit RAW files that’ll weigh in between 60 to 80MB each. For comparison, the D800′s 36MP RAW files come in at about 35-40MB.

On a side note: Lightroom users, rejoice! Hasselblad has been working closely with Adobe to further integrate the images from these monster cameras into your workflow. That lowers the bar for photographers looking to dip their toes into Medium-Format.

Of course, we’re going to be carrying a nice compliment of lenses as well, ranging from a 300mm f/4.5 to a super-wide 24mm f/4.8 (which equates to about an 18mm lens on your full-frame DSLR).

Hasselblad cameras and lenses

The cameras are still unreleased, however, and while we anticipate getting the gear at the end of March/April, please bear in mind that it may be later. We look forward to seeing what our customers do with this outstanding system.

Welcome to Cool Stuff, a weekly feature where we post our favorite links from the past week, including our favorite articles and how-tos, videos, images and more.

• We begin this week’s Cool Stuff with photographer and teacher Zack Arias’ guest entry on Scott Kelby’s blog. Four years ago, Zack made a similarly awesome and inspiring video for Scott; this one is, I think, even better. Check out the video below, then head over to the article for some solid advice.
  
• This one’s for the video geeks out there. Dale Grahn has been a color timer on a variety of different films, including Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan and The Lion King. Now he has an iPad app out that helps teaches color grading to aspiring video pros.
• Speaking of one for the video geeks out there, this one’s also for you – and for the time-lapse fans as well. Omni-Tracker is a San Jose-based company that recently started a Kickstarter campaign for their new product, called the L’il Mule. Check it out here (the campaign already has 200% funding), and watch the video below, which features footage from BorrowLenses.com alumni Seventh Movement.
  
• From our friends over at the Profoto blog comes an outstanding behind-the-scenes look at Gregory Heisler’s portrait of Michael Phelps. Check out the video below, then head over to Profoto’s Master Series page for more videos from the master of portraiture.
  
• Here’s something a bit more philosophical for image makers of all ilk. Daniel Milnor, whose blog Smogranch is one of our favorites, lays out some first-rate inspiration in a recent post called, “Blurb tip: Learn from Bruce Lee.” Though on the surface it’s about the company he works for, there’s a fantastic message there about following your heart.

 And now, for the BorrowLenses.com Roundup!

That’s it for this week’s Cool Stuff. As always, questions and feedback are welcome in the comments below.