Sekonic and FridayPhotoSchool are proud to present this FREE learning opportunity for you THIS FRIDAY!
The first in a series of educational video seminar series!
Will Crockett from ShootSmarter.com has created some great content on how to dial in a correct exposure for one of the age-old problems photographers face. Too dark or too light? Crockett solves the problem, and has created some free online video seminars showing you the answers. Why not get it right in camera, instead of trying to doctor your photos on your computer for hours afterwards?
Crockett is hosting a free FridayPhotoSchool.com seminar. Focusing on turning off some of the automated systems in your camera, and exploring manual exposure controls, Crockett aims to empower shooters by mastering their cameras, instead of the other way around. Be sure to check out his 80-minute free seminar this Friday. Set a calendar reminder!
Too Dark? Too Light? Just Right!
CONTROLLING THE BRIGHTNESS OF YOUR PHOTOS
With Will Crockett
FRIDAY AUGUST 20 around lunchtime at 1pm ET. 12n CT. 11am MT. 10am PT on www.fridayphotoschool.com
See you there! Note: the presentation is free, but registration for FridayPhotoSchool.com is required to watch the seminar.
Thirty years isn’t much in plate tectonics, evolution, or changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. In the world of freelance professional photography, thirty years is a significant achievement. Bobbi Lane has been involved with serious photographic pursuits since her undergraduate days at Emerson College and New England School of Photography. After graduation, she started an apprenticeship with Bill Sumner in Boston. In 1979 she became a freelance photographer and has been self-employed ever since.
Being an assignment photographer is not her only accomplishment for the past three decades. She is almost as equally well-known as a photographic educator, teaching seminars and workshops around the world in places such as Dubai and Costa Rica. In the United States, she’s often lecturing or teaching in Los Angeles, Santa Fe, New York City, Boston, Chicago and Rockport, Maine. Five books, two DVDs, over a dozen exhibits, and many industry awards are a testament to her talent as a photographer and her instructional abilities.
No stranger to preproduction, Bobbi often sketches her lighting design ideas before shoots. Arriving prepared is key to her methodology. This was employed in her most recent shoot: guitarist Will Hanza on a Manhattan rooftop. The objective in this shoot was to get that magic time of sunset when interior lights of buildings come on, but the sky still naturally lit. To help accomplish this, she used a SekonicL-758DR meter. “There were several reasons why I needed to have a light meter during this shoot,” says Bobbi. “First, I was using two light sources—two strobes: a beauty dish and a strip light for the edge effect. I had to get the right balance between the two. I used the Incident mode to measure the main light. I placed the strip light in relation to the main light. In most circumstances I would put the background light about a full-stop less than the main light. In this case, I did it about one half-stop less. I wanted it to be a little stronger because I wanted more drama and edge-feel. We used the spot meter to read the sky in the background. You can’t take an incident reading of the sky because an incident meter measures the light falling on a subject. The sky is a light source. You have to have a reflective meter to take the reading off the sky. That worked perfectly.”
The L-758DR came through on all fronts for Bobbi. “The meter was so good. I always look at my histograms to double check everything and make sure I’m getting the amount of light I need—not losing shadow detail or not blowing out highlight detail. This meter was so absolutely right on. I didn’t have to adjust or compensate for anything.”
A contributor to stock photography agencies for twenty-five years, she recently left Getty Images for a small agency which was bought by Corbis. Although she describes the state of stock photography business “dismal,” There are still a few bright spots. “Most of what I sell from stock agencies is Travel, and most of that is American cities. No one is really interested in buying stock photos unless you have full model releases on all the people in the photo. Because of the royalty-free stock and these micro-stock sites, the value of rights-managed stock has really come down quite a bit.” The news is not all dismal, though. “I still think there’s room for photographers making high-quality images in rights-managed stock, but no one’s making the money they used to. I know several photographers who shot stock exclusively, and their income is half of what it was ten years ago. That said, I don’t think stock photography is going away. No matter how many people put their images on the Web for free, if someone needs a high-quality image, they’ll pay for it.”
Client-direct assignments for corporate photography, particularly on a local level, has become the majority of her jobs these days. Small advertising agencies and design firms fill out her work week, with environmental portraits, formal portraits, and related work for companies’ Web sites. “It’s very similar to corporate annual report photography,” Bobbi explains. “You’re doing people, facilities, and products. Every client is different, so I try to create a different look for each company I work for.”
The clients have come and gone and come again. The face of the stock photography business has changed radically with the advent of the Internet. Digital technology steadily replaces film. Through it all, Bobbi Lane continues to earn a living on her own terms as a freelance photographer, an educator, and through stock photo sales. Photographers everywhere can learn much from this talented pro shooter.
Calumet Photographic at 22 West 22nd Street, New York City, hosted Bobbi Lane’s Metering Video Premiere Event on Wednesday, December 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. Educator and photographer Bobbi Lane premiered of her new video for Sekonic on metering techniques. The video features guitarist Will Pino on a rooftop in Manhattan during an incredible sunset. Lane will be in attendance to talk about her insights on the creation of these dynamic images using Sekonic meters and Calumet Travelites.
For the second year running, Hanson Fong and John Woodward are touring the USA for their Beauty and the Beast seminar tour, and we’re proud to be part of it. It’s a full day of learning (10am-6pm) for the amazing price of $79.99 (web) or $99 (at the door). Check out what you’ll learn:
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Lighting Ratio Demonstrations
Metering Techniques
The Art of Posing Family Groups
The Wheel of Self-Assessment
Compositional Study Guide
Facial Analysis
Portrait, Glamour and Modified
Glamour Lighting Forms
Digital and the Power of Raw
Color Management and Its Importance
10 Basic Poses
Flow Posing
Register now! Here are the dates/locations:
7/30 Portland, OR
8/10 Waltham, MA
8/13 New York, NY
9/14 Indianapolis, IN
9/24 Grand Rapids, MI
9/28 Houston, TX
10/1 Los Angeles, CA
10/5 Nashville, TN
Sekonic is proudly sponsoring the “Beauty and the Beast” seminar tour with portrait and lighting superstars Hanson Fong and John Woodward. At only $59.95, we think this is a real deal for an all-day seminar. Plus, you get to see Sekonic in action 😉 We like that, too.
First date on this 6-city tour is Secaucus, NJ on August 18. We hear seats are selling out fast, so sign up quickly!
Program highlights include:
Lighting Ratio Demonstrations
Metering Techniques
The Art of Posing Family Groups
The Wheel of Self-Assessment
Compositional Study Guide
Facial Analysis
Portrait, Glamour and Modified
Glamour Lighting Forms
Digital and The Power of Raw
Color Management and its Importance
10 Basic Poses
Flow Posing
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