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Saturday, 14 November 2009

Waiting for the light

Last week I checked out the coastline by the new Terranea resort in Palos Verdes. Oceanscape photography has always been one of my favorites, but it can be hit-or-miss, depending on the weather, the tides, and the season. There's also the general unpredictability of the ocean, which usually means I get my legs totally drenched in the ocean, along with the risk of having all the gear instantly put out of commission by the corrosive sea water. There's also the issue about all the condensation from the ocean mucking up the lenses after the shoot. And my mother likes to tell me the story about the wedding photographer who got swept out to sea on a portrait assignment, never to be heard from again...

For the shoot, I brought my 7D + Canon 15 mm fisheye + Tamron 11-18 mm, a pair of Cokin graduated neutral density (ND) filters (the cheapest ones I could afford), and my tripod (the cheapest one I could get from Best Buy, as I have a habit of losing tripods on a semi-monthly basis). Did a minimal amount of hiking and came about an area that looked promising (facing westward, with a bunch of rocks/tidepools that would give a nice turbulence pattern with a long exposure) and set up base.

Here are the details on a couple of shots...

From the EXIF: 11 mm at 1s, f/20, ISO 100, WB 6200k, circular polarizer + handheld hard-edged graduated ND filter. The sun was blocked by some of the clouds, which helped to cut down the intensity of the skylight.

15 mm fisheye at 0.3 s, f/18, ISO 100, 6400k, graduated ND filter.

15 mm, 2s, f/20, 5700k, graduated ND filter. The sun was just above the horizon and I was able to catch a bit of sparkle.

12mm, 2.5 s, f/20, 7200k, ISO 640, graduated ND filter. The sun had just dipped below the horizon and the undersides of the clouds had lit up in an intense red (called the 'alpenglow').

Post-production involved boosting the color temperature about 500 kelvin, boosting the contrast and highlights on the RAW editor, and some minor curve adjustments on Photoshop.

Things that I'd advise bringing for a shoot like this:
- a very sturdy tripod, preferably with a ball head
- boots (nothing like walking around with your socks and shoes totally drenched)
- a shutter cable release
- a decent filter system (like the Lee series) with ND and hard- and soft-edged graduated ND filters.
- a mix of wide and long lenses
- plenty of lens wipes (to get the salt water mist off the lenses)
- patience -- I've gone multiple times without any decent shots. Also, the light can sometimes change from dreary to spectacular within minutes, so it's best not to give up and pack up your kit until about 30-60 minutes after the sun has set
- a flashlight (to help you navigate your way back after the sun has set)
- an empty bladder (there are often no restrooms conveniently located)
- an assistant (to help carry all this stuff, and possibly to rescue you or call for help if you get caught by the tide)

It's also a good idea to look up the schedule of the tides. I wouldn't recommend bringing the most expensive gear, since there's a risk of getting completely sprayed by the ocean water or having your equipment swept out to sea. Dropping lenses can also be hazardous -- if they don't shatter immediately, the sand can be particularly troublesome to clean up, especially if it gets into the mechanics of the lens.

Thursday, 12 November 2009

Going for the jugular

The Harbor-UCLA chief residents and fellows put together an inservice on central line placement for the medicine housestaff. I got a chance to do some documentary-style shooting of the residents in action practicing their skills on some sophisticated simulation devices. Shot these mostly with my 7D + 15 mm fisheye and my 5D2 + 50 mm, both with 580 EX-IIs mounted.

Sunday, 08 November 2009

The U.S. Grant Hotel

Just got back from San Diego, where I checked out Mat Kearney at the House of Blues (one of my favorite concerts this year!). Couldn't help taking a photo of one of the landmark buildings in the Gaslamp district. Sort of a rush job, had five minutes to get the shot, and was traveling light, so I shot it handheld with my fisheye and my 16-35. If I had more time, I'd bring a tripod and cable release to get a longer exposure and some decent traffic trails) along with a graduated ND (to get more details in the sky).

Tuesday, 03 November 2009

Marié Digby at the Hotel Café

The extraordinarily talented singer-songwriter Marié Digby completed her second residency at the Hotel Café this week, and it was an amazing show, featuring songs from her new album, rarities and b-sides, and some of my favorite singles (including ‘Say it again’ and ‘Stupid for you’).

The Hotel Café is one of my favorite venues in southern California and a wonderfully intimate place for checking out up-and-coming artists.

I was pleasantly surprised to catch Curt Smith (of Tears for Fears), who performed earlier in the night.

I took these with my 85 f/1.8 and 7D at around f/3, 1/200th, ISO 3000-4000, WB at 2800k.

Sunday, 01 November 2009

Fullerton, CA

I took a much-needed study break and road-tested my 7D with the fisheye in downtown Fullerton. I found a lot of nooks and crannies that would make for killer backdrops for an outdoor portrait session. I absolutely love the autofocus on the 7D, although the image quality doesn't come close to my 5D Mark-II. Most of these were taken at ISO 5000-6400, and even though the images have been down-sized, the noise is fairly apparent.