foto Priority

"Central Park, 1992" - Lee Friedlander

“I always wanted to be a photographer. I was fascinated with the materials, but I never dreamed I would be having this much fun. I imagined something much less elusive, much more mundane.” – Lee Friedlander

Lee Friedlander Links

If you have never tried to recreate an iconic image from the past, then you’re probably missing out on a great way to push yourself out of your photographic comfort zone. The process of pulling apart a shot, working out how it was done and then dealing with the technical aspects of recreating it can often lead to nice little boost to your learning curve.

Here’s how one of our Photographing People Workshop students Tina Fiore tackled her flash phobia, by jumping straight in at the deep end on a paid gig.

We think she did a fabulous job!

FABBA - Tina Fiore

ABBA tribute band FABBA recently asked if I could recreate an iconic ABBA album cover for their promotional material.  After reviewing the image, I thought “Oh just like the shoot we did at SPW.  Sunset in the background, light on the face and…., Voila we will have it!!”

We even found an exact match for the helicopter used on the album cover at Sydney Helicopters in Paramatta, with the only catch being that we could only shoot between 11.30am – 1.30pm.  I thought, “Great… the worst time for creating a dusk look.”.

On the day it was a clear blue sky and strong sun, not a cloud in the sky, so I set off with every piece of equipment I owned, which isn’t really that much.  I thought of using an umbrella on each side of the set for 2 exposures with the camera locked off on a tripod, and then blending the two exposures together to get both sides balanced with my one flash. As we arrived, the band got dressed in their jumpsuits and the pilot flew the helicopter from the tarmac to the grass area I had previously selected.  As a little sign, the blades stopped in the exact position as the album cover. So far everything was going well!

I set up my tripod and umbrella with flash on one side, getting ready for my first exposure when the pilot asked if he could watch.  “Of course!!” I said, immediately deciding to put him to good use, holding the reflector on the second couple.

So we got it all set up.  I took a bunch of practice shots with just one person to get the exposure the best I could.  Constantly repeating to myself…., “Aperture = Flash Exposure.”.  Finally when I got exposure and lighting as good as I could the cast moved into place.  We did a series of shots and then swapped the umbrella and the pilot with the reflector and took another series of shots.  We then reviewed the shots and changed composition a little and repeated.  We did three series of shots and it was looking good.  I knew however I had some work in photoshop to get it looking like dusk.

Original capture

At home I masked in a red sunset that I had on file and went to work. In the end I did not need to use two photos for the people  The reflector had done a good job reflecting some sun and some flash.

Here is the final image next to the original we were trying to recreate.

by Tina Fiore

Tina Fiore Photography

Image on FABBA site

ABBA Original

FABBA - Tina Fiore

“A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know.” – Diane Arbus

Portfolio of 28 Photographs

Link to movie “Fur”

by Chris Belyea

A big thanks to Chris Belyea again for this contribution to foto priority. This time Chis brings us an Amateurs ‘How To’ Guide to the Homebush Bay Shipwrecks!

Quite often when you mention Homebush as a venue for a photo shoot, the typical response is not that enthusiastic …. ‘yeah, the Stadium and Acer Arena … boring !’

Not so, as most people are quite surprised to hear about the shipwrecks located in and around Homebush Bay and they can prove quite challenging to capture, but very rewarding when it all comes together.

Then main wreck is perhaps the most photogenic, however the other wrecks can prove rather interesting as well.

Ask any good photographer and they’ll quickly point out that its ‘all about the light’ and so it goes at Homebush Bay, but its one of those places that can change quite dramatically given certain weather conditions … sunrise is always a winner, but when its cloudy and storms are threatening, it’s the place to head to !

About this shot
Canon EOS 5D Mk II, ISO100, f/14 at 15 s, Manual mode,0EV, Evaluative metering, Daylight WB
Manfrotto tripod, mirror lockup, cable release, ND Grad filter (1 stop)
EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM at 24 mm

I set up on the small bridge just to the rear of the apartment blocks making sure that I had everything level, and then focused on the rear of the wreck, selected f/14 to try and get as much of the scene in sharp focus. This also made sure that I was shooting through the axis of the lens so as to avoid and weird distortions.

The long exposure time helped ensure that great glass smooth appearance on the water, but admittedly, the morning this was taken the was no wind at all – you just need to pick your times I guess

The lighting was fairly ‘even’ (nothing too bright or dark) as you’re facing almost due east, I went for Evaluative metering as the spotlight from the apartments illuminated the main wreck rather well and I wasn’t overly concerned about the rear shoreline being in silhouette. I fitted an 1 stop ND Grad filter to darken the sky down slightly and then waited for the sun to co operate.

Bearing in mind that the 5D Mk II is a full frame camera, to get this angle/perspective with a crop camera you’ll need to have a wide angle lens of around say 10 – 15 mm. Canon shooters with the EF-S 18-55 lens should be OK and I’m presuming Nikon has a similar lens in this range

The RAW files was processed in Lightroom to get the basic image to where I wanted it, and then used Nik Software plugins in Photoshop to finish things off.

Things to Consider
1 – You’ll need to time your visit quite carefully if you planning a sunrise shoot as the main wreck is illuminated by spotlights from the nearby apartment blocks and these turn off around (or appear to) 6:00 am. After that you’ll be relying on natural light and if there’s no clouds about the wreck can remain quite dark whilst the sky gets very ‘right’
2 – The wrecks are a roosting ground for sea gulls, and they get quite active around sunrise, so you’ll need to be patient. They also make a lot of noise

Equipment
The main wreck faces due east so at sunrise you will be shooting directly at the sun so graduated neutral density filters can help if its particularly bright.

Needless to say, a tripod is essential as the shutter speeds can get rather low, and I’d suggest you get familiar with how to put your camera into Mirror Lockup if that facility is available.

A remote shutter release is also a great asset, however if you don’t have one, simply put your camera into self timer mode

Best Time to Shoot
I’ve found the best time to shoot is definitely pre dawn and sunrise, however when its gray and overcast can also prove to be ‘rewarding’

How to get there
Park in the car park on Bennelong Road and then make your way along the path adjacent to the apartments and just beside the bridge. Just follow the path and you can’t miss the shipwreck.

If you’ve got the time, there are two other wrecks but can be difficult to find and are very easy to miss.

To find the Hidden Shipwreck, proceed over the bridge and enter the gates on your left, follow the path until you come to the first path on your left … keep your eyes peeled … the wreck is on your left !
View Larger Map

To get to the third wreck, get back onto the main path and follow it around past the observation tower and its about 200 metres past there but its also screened by the mangroves, so you’ll need to be observant

Google Maps and Google Earth both show all three wrecks quite well

Have fun !

TIP #1 – Flickr
Flickr is a great place to find some inspiration with millions of photos available and thousands more being uploaded each minute. There is a place on the site which presents the most interesting things posted in the last 7 days. To be honest, it’s an amazingly good way to kill half a day as wonderful images just keep coming.

TIP #2 – Start taking your camera with you (if you don’t have a camera on your phone
Have at least one camera with you at every waking moment so that whenever you feel inspired or see a photo opportunity you’ll be ready to photograph.

This tip is much easier these days now that 99% of us have camera phones.

Also, make sure ‘everywhere’ really means everywhere. This means taking your camera along to work, going to the shops, or in the car. Seeing the perfect photo opportunity but not having a camera with you is a horrible feeling.

TIP #3 – Enter Competitions
Entering a competition is a great way to get motivated and stay focused on photography, we often post information about upcoming and current competitions so keep an eye out!

TIP #4- Make Prints of Your Photographs
If you’ve never made prints of your work, then now is the time to start. Whether it’s making prints of your negatives using an enlarger in a darkroom, or sending your digital files to a photo printer, printing is a huge part of photography that most people underestimate.

If you think printing is as easy as uploading your images to a photo kiosk, then you’re missing out on all sorts of exciting and painful things. Things like:

-Color management
-Choosing what kind of paper to print on
-Matting, mounting, and framing

In addition to all the things you’ll learn through the process, you’ll end up with tangible photographs that you can proudly hang on your wall, or give to family and friends.

TIP #5 – Tell us how you stay inspired?

Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow - David LaChapelle

“People say photographs do not lie, mine do” – David Lachapelle

LaChapelle Studio

Many photographers say it, it’s written in blogs, in books and in magazines, one photographer named Chase Jarvis has taken it to the next level. Chase has reinvented the term “The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You” and has created a iPhone app, a website and a book dedicated to inspire people all around the world to shoot with any camera, in particular the iPhone.

From the iPhone app you can upload your photos directly to the photosharing website Chase has also put together the best camera book which is available to pre order at Amazon – It’s the world’s first photo book featuring exclusively images from a mobile phone.

I have already installed the iPhone application, uploaded photos from my iPhone which then seconds later appear on the website and purchased the book from Amazon – I have pre-ordered the book and may have to wait 4-6 weeks for it to arrive! (yes I was excited about the whole concept)

If you don’t have an iPhone then don’t worry, I’m sure you have a phone with a camera in it!

Join the revolution

by Jose

You can see more of my iPhone pics on my Flickr page

Georgia O'Keeffe, 1956 - Yousuf Karsh

“Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can.” – Yousuf Karsh

Karsh – A Retrospective

Hi all, Milton Gan attended last weekends Photographing people workshop, Milton has written up a great review of the days events, check it out here as well as some photos from the day.

Don’t forget you can read all about the workshops run by Sydney Photo Workshops on their website as well as future workshop dates and pricing.

Jose Fernandez

Self-Portrait, 1986 - Andy Warhol

“Photographers feel guilty that all they do for a living is press a button” – Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol Museum