Please, don’t be a bad photographers!

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are too many bad pro photographers. How do I know? Simple: their clients come to me for a reshoot. This is a bit annoying because I wished the client came to me the first time instead.

And you know what the most annoying part of this is? Most of the time, these photographers are technically better than me, have better lights and don’t have to borrow their backdrop from their neighbor (thank you Simon!). The reason they failed to satisfy their client is that they can’t listen to their client’s needs.

I am serious! Here is a recap of my last shoot: the clients just got their second baby and hired a photographer to shoot her and have some family portraits. The client wanted the focus to be on their new girl but the photographer decided to focus on their first daughter because she was older, ridiculously cute and loves to play the model.

The result? The clients did not get what they wanted. They are happy with the pictures they got, but their expectations were not completely filled, which is why they came to me.

While I had a lot of fun doing the shoot, photographer #1 could easily have prevented this by asking about the client expectations and listening for the answer.

I have many similar stories: photographers who over-process images (heavy skin airbrushing should be discussed with the client first!), don’t shoot pictures of guests or are too “artistic” for the clients tastes.

Asking about expectations takes a few minutes and ensures you will be working toward your client satisfaction.

Don’t be a bad photographer, ask the client!

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Camera captures 1 trillion frames per second

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This is just a public interest post, if you are a geek like me, I am sure you will like this video. It over simplify the process and the title is a bit misleading but it is still impressive technology. The question is: when will the 5DMrkII be able to shoot more than 30fps? :-)

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Free FCPX plugin: ShrinkRay X

November 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Want to create a convincing tilt-shift miniature effect for your video but don’t have the budget for a TS-E lens? Fear not, our friends at Crumple Pop have the solution: the ShrinkRay X plugin!

Super easy to use, it gives a result as convincing as what you can get with post-production miniature effect. The big improvement over the old version (for FCP) is that you get realtime playback. No more waiting for the render to finish to see the end result, yay!

And you know what the best part is? IT IS FREE FOR ONE WEEK! So hurry up and download it now before the price goes up!

 

ShrinkRay X from CrumplePop on Vimeo.

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Filed Under: Video

Introducing: Find a Shooter.com

November 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever been in one of these situations:

  • You need an assistant for a shoot but can’t find one?
  • Your backup shooter just called to say that he wont be able to make it because he drank too much the day before?
  • You won a bid for a project that is just too big for you and need help?
If you ever answered yes to one of these questions, chances are that you will love FindAShooter!

The goal is simple: matching shooters who need help with those who want to provide the help, based on location, skills and interests.

The feature set is kept minimal (for the moment) and designed to be friendly: it is super easy to browse the shooters list and registering takes around 2 minutes.

As you are all aware of, the usefulness of a site like this is directly proportional to its number of members. So take a moment to register!

Beta?

The site is still in beta, which means it is not officially launched yet. As far as I know, everything is rock stable but I am still working on a few additional features to improve the user experience. I did not put any invite code so feel free to tell your friends about it too (Twitter is our friend here!), the server should handle the load and the more we are, the better it is for all of us.

Why this site?

FindaShooter.com was created because of real world need: I am often contacted by studios asking me to provide them with names of people they could hire for short or long time gigs. This is how I referred some work to friends for local gigs but I could not help them when it was outside the Montreal area.

This is when I realized the importance of a site like FindAShooter.

For Shooters, by a shooter

I don’t see Find A Shooter as a reversed Model Mayhem. Maybe in times it will, but this is not the initial goal: I want shooters to contact shooters for (professional) collaboration no model/clients interactions.

Nearly 80% of the money I have made with my photo/videography gigs was from other shooters asking me to help them out in one way or the other. The bulk of the money is not coming from clients, and I am convinced the site could do the same for you.

Conclusion

I think I made my point clear: if you want to take your shooting to the next level, you have to put your name on the list and/or find people to shoot with (or let them find you!).

What are you waiting for? Register and tell your friends about it!

Notes 1: If you want to follow the site evolution, you can follow @findashooter. I will only use this account  to post about new features.

Note 2: If you have any ideas regarding the site, please contact me. I would love to read them! Same if you think you can participate in its development.

Note 3: Expect a lot of content about the importance of networking with other shooters in the coming weeks ;-)

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Slider review: The Cinemover

October 23, 2011 By

As long time readers will know, I have been trying to build a slider rig for a while with varying level of success. This is in this context that I was approached by Move Your Camera to do a review of their product. Priced under 90$, it really looked like a deal. Lets see how well it performs.

Setup

As you can see in the picture above (next to my RigWheels slider, for size comparison), the rig is quite adjustable, this mean that there are a lot of screws and nuts you can adjust to get a perfect fit on your rails. This is great because it gives you a lot of flexibility but it also means a longer setup time compared to prebuilt solutions.

Setup is easy, just put the slider on top of your rails and push the side parts until they are flat on the side surfaces. The difference between this rig and the others is that you have 8 wheels to check instead of 4. Tighten everything up and move the slider around to make sure none of the moving parts are loose. This is the rig with the longest setup time I have played with but it is still very manageable. The biggest issue is if you have to move the central camera plate. In this case, you will have to unscrew/screw 4 more bolts.

Also note that you can reverse the camera plate and use the slider on a flat surface (ex: table, ground, etc), without the side wheels. I have a lot of fun playing with it this way on my quartz counter top.

Smoothness

This has to be  the slider strongest point: thanks to its big wheels and 8 points of contact, it is nearly impossible to get a rough slide. In fact, your biggest limitation wont be the slider but the rails you will set it on. It will have to be perfectly straight with a a constant width.

Build quality

Lets be honest, the slider does not have the polished look of something made by Kessler or Cinevate. It is all screws and nuts. Then again, we are not in a beauty contest! We want something durable and in this department, the all metal construction of the MYC slider fits the bill. While you may have to tighten the nuts once in a while, this thing is build to last.

One of the big plus of this slider is that it can be used for timelapses. While you can technically used a video slider to shoot stills, most of these are too small or have too much drag which is not a desired feature when working with time lapses where you have to be able to move the slider fractions or millimetres between shots.

Conclusion

I like it! On top of being one of the cheapest slider solution, it gives great results. Its only flaw is its size and setup time which make it a bad choice for event videography. But for films, real estate, concerts, etc.. It is a great tool.

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Could an Oscar winning film be shot on a 5DMrkII?

October 20, 2011 By

Yes it could happen! The French film, “La guerre est declaree” which is representing France in the “foreign” category was shot on a 5DMrkII and, from what I have read, a single camera!

This is pretty huge when you come to think about it. Vincent Laforet said a few years ago how the HDSLR where game changers. I think we all agree that they are, but having an Oscar finalist (and potential winner) shot on a HDSLR confirms it.

This is the best example of how HDSLR have leveled the playing field for film maker. Big budget is no longer a requirement for the ‘film look’.

I have not seen the film yet and don’t know if I will since it is a very touchy subject that I am no trying to think about as a father of a small baby. But, from what I have heard/read, it is quite moving.

Note: as far as I know, this is the first Oscar nominee shot on a HDSLR (hence the news, if I am wrong, correct me!)

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Canon ESO-1DX review

October 18, 2011 By

The news is out and I wont bother retyping all the specs as I am sure you read them already. Instead, I would like to go over some of the points to see what this announcement really means for both photographer and videographers.

As a photographer

Nothing surprising here: improved ISO, shutter speed, less noise, more and faster focus points Spock would not be impressed. They call it the best camera Canon ever made, of course! It is their latest flagship product! Did you really expect them to step backward?

Actually, they did in some regard: the pixel count is going down in the name of bigger pixels. It is interesting to see Canon following the approach Nikon did with the D3. Problem is: Nikon came out later with a 24mp sensor which offered an even better sensor. So it is possible to get high ISO, low noise, high dynamic range while keeping a high pixel count.

Now the stupid feature: in camera HDR! The guy who had the idea to put this in the camera should be fired! I don’t know a single person who shoots HDR who would accept that a computer does all the composition automatically. There is one exception to this: if the end product is a RAW image, but from what I understand it is going to be a compressed JPEG.

As a videographer

Instead of taking another leap forward, the 1Dx is more of a refinement. While a lot of wedding and sport videographers will complain about the lack of 60fps@1080, anyone who really cares about image quality will be happy about the moire and jello effect improvements.

The addition of time code and edit friendly compression formats are nice but not quite what people would have expected. Especially since the newest version of Premiere and FCPX can edit native H.264 now. Why didn’t they get their inspiration from what is done with Magic Lantern? There is a reason why most non Canon sponsored filmmakers use it!

I have not been able to find anything about the video out capabilities but I would be highly surprised if it was a clean HD feed while recording. But hey, we can always hope!

Will history repeat itself?

The 1Ds MrkIII will be remembered as the camera which, while providing some decent incremental gain, did not gain a lot of traction because it was quickly made obsolete by its (cheaper) alternative: the 5DMrkII.

Will it be the case with the ESO 1D X vs the 5DMrkIII? A lot of people were expecting more significant improvements in the video department from a pro level camera, especially since the 5DMrkIII is expected any time soon.

This put us in an interesting situation: Canon has to make the 5DMrkIII significantly better than the MrkII version while keeping it under the ESO 1D-X. I have a few theories about this but I will leave them for an upcoming post.

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J-Cube Review

October 16, 2011 By

What I love about the HDSLR world is how people come up with a very niche product to solve a specific problem then build a small business around it. One of these problem that a lot of people are having is how to put a mic + receiver on the camera WITHOUT resorting to using a rig.

Lets face it, while rigs look cool, they are not always the most practical solution. I have talked about my new love relation with using a monopod instead of a rig and it is not like you have any room on it for a light or microphone.

This is where the J-Cube comes in. It is an adapter you put on your camera hot shoe adapter which gives you 3 slots to fit your gear in. These slots are cold, which means they can’t trigger a flash. But if you want to power a pocket wizard, you can always plug it in the PC sync.

J-Cube

Sorry for the bad product picture, this thing is quite hard to photograph and I could not use my white tent…

Product review

When I got my review unit, I was quite surprised to see how heavy it was. I was expecting a cheap plastic gizmo. I was in for a surprise: this thing is metal solid and all the adapter slots are made in metal which is a nice change from all the chinesse stuff I have tested recently.

How heavy? Heavy enough for you to notice but nothing to worry about.

I have to admit that I could not fully test the product since I dont have any receiver or light that could fit on the hot shoe adapter. So my test procedure was to put a flash on top of it with two pocket wizard on the side. Result: something totally ridiculous but the important thing to remember is that the J-Cube held very well and there was no slack in the system, even after I shook it a few times.

Should you get one?

If you have to record audio + use a light and require everything to fit on the camera (ex: monopod or tripod), this product is going to be a god send. It works as advertised and its build quality means it will stay with you for a while.

If you never had to plug anything else than a mic in your hotshoe, this product is not for you.

You can buy it straight from BH PhotoVideo.

Notice: j-Cude is a site sponsor so maybe you should not trust me… or maybe you should! ;-)

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Filed Under: Review, Video Tagged With: ,

Protect your Canon 5D mini-HDMI input & cable

October 3, 2011 By

One of the problem of shooting with the 5D and other members of its family is the mini-HDMI port. While it is technically usable, when you are in the field, you quickly realize how precarious the wire is plugged into the mini-HDMI slot. I worked on a prototype product that was supposed to solve this issue a while ago but unfortunately, with my failure to find a decent CNC shop, I gave up. Fortunately, for us, some people have better connection than me!

The Solutions

Zacuto released the pincher a few weeks ago which solves the issue and now it is Lock Circle which is coming up with their proposal: the LockPort. I really like their solution. While Zacuto went for the ‘you will never have to worry about this ever again‘, the LockPort went for the practical solution.

Look at this beauty.

Lock Port on a 5DMrkII

Note: you can find more images on the website.

There is a lot to love about this product, here is what the press release has to say:

  • Fits the RedRock Micro DSLR Baseplate with original screws and pads.
  • Saves the “expensive to repair” mini HDMI port on your 5D camera.
  • Full-Size HDMI output allows you to use stronger standard cables.
  • Standard size HDMI plugs locks securely in the socket – no signal loose!
  • 90° FRONT or REAR output editions.
  • Gold plated contacts.
  • Rock solid clamp.
  • Better cable layout on your rig set-up.
  • Fits the RedRock Micro DSLR Baseplate with original screws and pads.
  • Instant reverse output direction set-up.
But the one thing I really like about this product is its price: 99$. Ok, it is not cheap but it is cheaper than the Pincher and if you ever had to deal with the mini-HDMI port of the 5D, you know how valuable this little gizmo is.
Note: There is also a 7D version.
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Building a DIY slider: advices

September 14, 2011 By

Last week, I decided it was time for me to get back into my workshop and (finally) build a slider using my RigWheels. Right off the bat, I knew this was a prototype; the goal was to figure out the various pitfall of such a project so my next one would be perfect since I would have learned from my mistakes.

The materials

  • 4 sets for RigWheels
  • 8 foot long aluminium tube (1 inch diameter) cut in half
  • 2x 4 foot long wood stick
  • 2 small wood plank and 4 screws

The idea was simple: put the stick inside the tube so I could screw them to the wooden planks. I would then put a camera plate under each wood plank and attach these to a tripod. If I wanted to use the slider directly on the ground, I just had to put the slider upside down. Here is the result. DIY Slider

Comment on the design

My initial idea was to use the slider on the ground, without any tripods. The goal was to use it to shoot clips of my baby girl walking around the house so it had to be at ground level. It is also why I did not mind its ridiculous length: it would give me more room to follow her. For this, it worked perfectly. It stood flat on the ground and only needed a very light push to start sliding.

The mistakes

The problem started when I had the genius idea to use it on a tripod. Because of its length, it required two tripods. I knew a 4 foot long slider was too much but I thought it would be cool nevertheless so I went forward. Big mistake. Half that length would have been much easier to manage, move around and would have been soooo much more stable! Using two tripods also means that it was harder to level the slider and move it around. Moral of the story: never use a six legged slider if you ever plan to move your slider around!

The other issue I had was with the camera center of gravity. Since I was out of ballheads, I borrowed one from my friend. It pushed the camera up about 3 inches on top of the rails. With such a high center of gravity, it was hard to move the slider without generating any shake. If I pushed the slider while holding the camera, the sliding effect would be jerky because wheels would not carry the weight evenly and if I pushed the slider by the base, the camera ran the risk of wiggling.

My final issue had to do with my choice of rails (tube). I picked them too small. As you can see in the picture below, not all the wheels are touching the rails at the same time. Surprisingly, this is not that much of an issue regarding the smoothness of the slide, but it does affect the centre of gravity since the camera + head + carriage weight is not evenly distributed.

Next version

Of course there is going to be a next version! But this time I will do the following improvements:

  • Make the slider 24 inches long
  • Spread the rails further apart so I have enough room to put the camera between them to decrease the centre the gravity
  • Use a single tripod design
  • Have the rails about 1/4 inch wider
I will keep you updated once version 2 is out!
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