Moving!!

Howday!! I'm moving to a new blog!

Please follow me at JohnCudal.net to keep in touch and read about tips, behind the scenes, and what other crazy i can put on there :)

Foolprame does Video too?

Yep, It's been a while, but I have done videos for the fun of it... I'm still figuring out how far I'd like to take it but I suppose that it is good advantage to have over my competition.

I'm literally one of the very first owners of the D90 in southern california. So technically I've had access to HDSLR's  alot longer than most people. I have no excuse in NOT trying it out.

Please View this on as big as screen as you can. (pc or mac hooked up to HDTV if possible)
carwash from john lawrence on Vimeo.

*this was something I put together in less than 15 minutes and edited in an hour.  Do let me know what you think.

There were no stills as it was a self project. I used the Nikon D90 with 50mm 1.8 AF, on a cheap tripod.  Manual Override techniques were used to achieve control over exposure. (there is no manual exposure control on the d90, so you just have to override the automatic settings.) The clips were edited in Pinnacle and music was added in the same software.

What happens when?? tips for safe shooting.

Not becoming a victim

So you've got thousands of dollars worth of gear in your bag and you've a shoot in a shifty place.

what now??

There are numerous ways of shooting safer.

Depending on what you prefer, as usual. (hopefully you've learned so far that doing what works for you is the best way ever.)

I, myself, like to shoot in numbers. I will rarely ever shoot by myself. Not only is it more fun to shoot with a group but there's always safety in numbers.

I, myself, try not to look like a victim. In a sense, I try not to look lost. I get to a location early and learn the layout of your surroundings. Scout it out first. That way you won't have to ask around for directions.

Watch your back. There's no substitute for situational awareness. As a photographer, you should know your surroundings. Lest you want a football to fly into your family jewels as you peer into the viewfinder.

Don't make yourself a target. Don't look vulnerable. There's a knife in my pocket(sometimes), it's visible next to the guy without one- I'm a harder target.

Conceal your equipment. Use camera bags that don't look like camera bags.

Insure your equipment. For the cost of a movie date per month, you can ensure your gear. In case you something does happen, you won't be inclined to resist. Reduce your worrying.

Marking your images...

I don't see alot of people watermarking images nowadays. I didn't use to, but I do now.

You never know what someone's gonna do with your photos. Don't submit your photos to someplace where you know where they're gonna have a large number of viewers with some sort of obvious representation.

If your work is displayed next two different photographers' photos and their is printed largely name is on both the work- but your's is on their on a small scale= do you think people will bother to check if it's yours?

Watermark your work. It's about your self worth.

If they really gotta have it, have them purchase the file or the print. For web use- make sure it's obvious that it's yours.

watermarks should be clean and should be placed where they would attract some attention.

Changing my photography. Primes only.

Why primes?


Primes, for the most part will be sharper than any zoom lens out there.

They allow for a wider aperture than most zooms.

But they don't zoom!

At this point, I've done some events, several portrait sessions, and product sessions- and I've come out with great results for the most part.

I like walking back and forth and around the scene. It allows me to fully delve into my creative aspect by focusing on what I can get in frame.

Every prime I've got gets an equal amount of use, except for the 85mm. Since I've added it to my bag, it hasn't been left at home.

the 1.4 aperture and the 85mm focal range is a great choice for almost everything. the only thing I wished it could do was macros.

In this particular photo, I used the 105mm macro. Not the widest aperture, but it's an insanely sharp lens.

It should be remembered that just because primes are at a fixed focal range, it doesn't mean we can't capture wide shots with telephotos. This was with the 85mm, but I shot wide and showed more of the background.


This was with the 35mm. It's a wider lens, but still allowed for a thin depth of field.

Point is. Don't discount prime lenses. They're super sharp and can be pretty versatile when in the right mindset.

UPDATESS!!!(Mac Mini 2010 review included!!)

Sorry Readers!

I've been super busy catching up on my backlog as well as starting some new projects here and there.

Also, the Foolprame is now equipped with a mac! HOORAY!

The necessity to have to reformat my hard drives kept me from switching over for a while, but I found that I don't have to thanks to some fantastic mac friendly software that will allow me to use NTFS format drives.

this saves me alot of time in reacquainting myself with the new system,

but...onto the actual unit.

I already had a good monitor so I picked up a 2010 mac mini. (not the largest investment,)in case I don't this operating system.

The mini had been out for a while and for a few years, the only system they had that had not been revamped.
This year they introduced the Mac Mini 2010- faster, smaller, and more efficient.

My mini came with 2.4ghz of blah and 4gb of blah upgradeable to 8gb of blah blah blah...

so far so good. it's quick with Lightroom, quick with photoshop and is wonderful at multitasking.

The addition of wireless accessories allows me to save USB ports for useful gadgets like my card readers, hard drives, monitor calibrator, and printer.

The mac wireless keyboard- super tiny. I'm used to having a full sized keyboard with a right side number pad. But I'm getting used to it pretty quickly.

The magic mouse (this thing really sold me to Apple.) It makes things soooo simple. No middle click- but I don't miss it.



Final Verdict(s):

Mac Mini-
Pros-
- Artistic Design
- great fit for small workspaces
- efficient- easy ram upgrade (it's as easy as changing a card on your camera)
- Mac OSX runs super smooth.
- Fewer viruses on Apple's side.
- hdmi port

Cons-
- the least expensive computer Apple offers, yet is still expensive.
- ships with a hdmi to mini display adapter. I think we should be able to get a choice.
- requires extra programs to use NTFS formatted hard drives.'

Thanks for reading!

Loving it... rain in california

So what happens when you take a photographer, bury him in photos to edit, put him in college classes, and then you throw in some rain....

wet photos... lol.

Now Back inside:

Enjoying a cold Raging Bull (espresso+red bull from My Coffee Studio in Cerritos)

My Epiphany.

Note to any photographer.

Your equipment isn't what gets you gigs. It's not your lenses that gets you into places. Most people could care about the new Nano-crystal equipped lens or that red ring around your glass.


It's not the 8 frames you capture in one second, It's about the moment caught in your pixels.

Haley's comet comes around every 75 years. This October is a month with 5 fridays, saturdays, and sundays, this happens every 873 years.

But certain events... they don't ever happen again. This is when you snap, click, actuate, whatever. Someone can replicate the angle. the aperture, the shutter speed, the camera/lens combination. someone can have a better exposure. heck. someone can have a 150 megapixel camera and they wouldn't be able to touch the lives you just did by capturing a fleeting moment that'll never repeat itself.

When's the next time their whole family will shower them with confetti like this??

As a photographer, don't ever forget to enjoy the moments that you're able to take part in. To this day, I haven't photographed one wedding where I didn't laugh and get all mushy.

I'm a Photographer because my 3rd eye is Hungry.

There are a million reasons as to why I photograph people, things, events, and connections. But it's really hard to nail down what it is that I love most about photography. 

But if someone held a grenade to my face, I guess I'd have to say that I'm a photographer for myself.

I can easily go out and do something else. Something more "cookie cutter" that'll require me to spend decades in a cubicle calculating figures and so on... But, I can't imagine myself being confined to a box with a computer. It's like putting a leash on a beaver, like pulling a lion's teeth out. Instead of calculating statistics, I'd much rather  be cooking up a special mix of ISO, aperture and light. 

I thrive on the emotions, the moments, the connections that I capture through the lens. My lens is my third eye. I can see things that most people look past and not admire. Many psychics have what they call a third eye, but it's not anything they can prove to you. But my third eye can be visible for anyone who is interested enough to check out my work. 

Maguyverin' it til you make it.

Maguyver wasn't cheap, he was a genius.

If you're looking for tips on what gear to buy, let the FoolPrame help you save thousands of dollars.

I'm super long winded and I like the sound of keyboards tapping, so I'm gonna color the more important parts RED if you don't like the fixin's and just prefer the main course.

First off, my system- I shoot Nikon. It's no biggie, we can spend hours trying to bash canon, pentax, leica, and olympus blah blah blah.. but it won't get us anywhere... I shoot Nikon so I can save money. They've had the same mounts for the longest time and I can pick up lenses from the 80's and still use them with most of their bodies.  

I shoot with a Nikon D700 and my spare body is a d90. Both are somewhat the first of their classes. The d90 was the first dslr out in the market with video mode and the d700 was the first to factor in full frame goodiness with sports speed in a smaller, body.  They're great bodies, the d700 is weather sealed and the d90... well, i've submerged mine in saltwater (I thought the camera was too sweet so i dipped it in a tidepool...joking) and it still runs very well. You'd be good to go with any body nowadays, I've even considered shooting panasonic just because of the size- use what's comfortable for you. We can go on about megapixels, frames per second, and high iso, viewfinder size, full frame, mini four thirds, film, blah blah blah, but all those things go out the window if you really take the time to learn your equipment.

Essentials

Lenses... I don't have the budget to have all Nikkor Lenses- I wish I did, but I don't. Sometimes I rent, if it's something I'm gonna need. Before buying any lens I suggest renting it and seeing how you like it. Make sure you've enough time for the lens to arrive for your event.

Nikkor 50mm 1.8, I no longer have this lens but it deserves an honorable mention-- I got mine for 27$ at a garage sale. I suggest driving slower when driving around these-- you might find some sort of photographical gem. these tend to go for 80-120$ onliine or craigslist. After I got tired of it, I sold mine for $100 and bought a 50mm 1.4.  But there's not much difference really, they both get that creamy bokeh and can shoot very well in super low light. the advantage of 1.8? It goes all the way up to f22.

Photo using the Nikkor 50mm

Sigma 24-60mm 2.8. This lens, well this lens is the cheaper alternative to the Nikkor 24-70 2.8 N. It doesn't have N or the extra 10mm but it's fine, it's got that 2.8 and it zooms. what more could you want? Only 300$ as opposed to $1450 for the N-glass. Another advantage of this lens? It's cheap, and it comes with an aperture ring- shooting movies with the d90 gets easier if you use an aperture ring. Oh and this thing is fricken sharp even at 2.8. Only downside? The hood is too small, the huge front glass gets flared easily (again, learn how to use it and you can get those cool flarey photos you see on flickr so much)

Photo using the Sigma 24-60mm 2.8 

Sigma 105mm 2.8 Macro- These are great for getting those detailed photos of wedding rings, spiders, and when you're bored enough the bottom of your shoes. All Joking aside, these go for about 300$ as well, have the same magnification ratio of the Nikkor 105mm VR-N. downside? Well... none really, don't be fooled by the Nikkor lens during macro the VR is pretty much useless during macros. It doesn't help when your body is swaying back and forth. Again, 2.8 and 105mm with 1:1 magnification.  Btw, I know I could've bought the 60mm 2.8 macro but I don't like getting too close when taking photos with this, I'm an idiot and I sometimes tend to get in the way of my own light when taking macro shots.

Photo using the Sigma 105mm 2.8 Macro

Nikkor 80-200 2.8, push pull version. This lens is a monster. Pretty much used for tight photos and when I want to look like the terminator, just kidding.  I prefer this to the nikkor, sigma, and tamron 70-200. Why? because mine was only 500$ and it takes the same photos those other lenses can. Better Image quality than the sigma and tamron and doesn't vignette like the nikkor 70-200 vr1. It's a bit slower than the 70-200 hsm and af-s but for now, it does the job. very well.

Photo with Nikkor 80-200 2.8 Push Pull Model

Nikkor 16mm 2.8 Fish Eye- Fun little lens. I don't suggest buying the nikkor because it's soooo expensive. I got mine fairly cheap because it's been modified for time lapse (homeboy shaved off the aperture lever- what a genius) anywho, he sold it for 300$. these go for 800$ used. Use this for portaits for people with small noses. It'll bring their schnozz up to par.

Photo using the Nikkor 16mm Fisheye

Lensbaby Muse 2.0... This lens is a more difficult thing to use. But if you're prone to  getting brainblocked on shoots, I suggest busting this out and letting it kickstart your creative juice machine. There are more expensive tilt-shift lenses available but this goes for $100 and is VERY compact. 

Photo using the Lensbaby Muse

That's it for lenses... Now onto the other stuff.

Nikon Sb600, Sb900 and SC29. I like strobing when I get the chance, TTL if I've got time to play, and manual when the going is tough so I gotta get going. "But Fool Prame, you gotta worry about Line of sight!"... ahh.. that's what I use the SC-29 for, this allows me to shoot around obstacles with the sb900. I'm still trying to find a cost effective way to hire a popping wizard to trigger them. Gels, I was dumb enough to buy the nikon packets, don't. These are a great way to make uninteresting venues look interesting.

Powerex 2700mah, 7 En-El3e's ,and the 2 En-El4's. These go into the battery grips, I never have to switch, but another thing I learned from the legendary photographer is that "the more redundant you are, the safer". I get so redundant that I bring four chargers, two for the 3e's and one for the 4's and the last ones go for the powerex's. Use rechargeables for the flashes, these'll save you money in the long run and they last much longer with your flash than alkalines.

Straps- I make my own straps. It barely costs me a thing and it keeps my hands busy when I'm watching Dual Survival. While they don't look like much, I've hung from trees with these straps, not that I'm heavy but they'll hold up to 550lbs each chord.

the Fool Prame Survival Strap with Quick detach Buckle

Memory Cards- I use 4gb ones. Each one fits 261 or 130 depending on which body. Sometimes I shoot Jpeg and never need to change ever. CF cards have never failed on me, but I've had 4 SD card failures. Be wary of what brand you use. This can cost you a whole shoot if one fails you.

Gaffer tape. I have a roll, and there's some stuck on every lens i've got, use whenever needed.

Imagine how much easier Maguyver's life would've been if he always had tape. These shouldn't leave a residue, if you're smart enough to not leave it in your car when it's 108 degrees outside. 

Lenspen- Best way to dust your lens off without scratching it. I just fully learned how to use this last night, apparently you can adjust firmness...funny, I learn something new everyday. 

Giotto's Rocket blower. useful for getting that dust around your sensor, make sure you hold the camera in an awkward position, otherwise you'll just move the dirt around.

Baller ID bracelets- "WHAT THE F-STOP Fool Pramer?! What'll you use these for?!" I put this around my lenses aperture rings. It's a cheap way to semi-weatherproof your glass and mirror box. Another 1000$ saved. Does it really work? Remember when I wrote about dipping my D90 in a tidepool cause everyBody needs a little sodium? It kept most of the water out of the body. 

Flashlight- never know when you're gonna need to look in your bag with the lights turned out.

The bag itself: I use a number of bags from Domke, Tenba and US Army 3-Day packs. It's job specific to say the least, depending on what I have to bring.  I've got a tenba rolling backpack and the storage insert transfers over to my 3 day pack.

optional mumbo jumbo-

Tripod: So very rarely do I ever bring this with me. Personally, I hate them, but if you're gonna cover an event with the d700, grip, and the 80-200, you probably should bring one. 

Dell 1500 Vostro & Huey Pantone Monitor Calibrator. If i need to upload/edit on the go, I bring these with me. I know... I know... I don't use apple, but my Dell cost me 300$ and works just as well.  I use Lightroom 3 for Events. and CS5 for portraits or single photos. Keeps me entertained at starbucks as well. hehe.

Getting my work while gettin' my coffee on!

Visit my flickr collection here  to see more photos of gear and how I've used them in the past. 

Hopefully you got something useful from this entry. Look forward to more posts from your friendly neighborhood FoolPramer.

is Bird really the word?

late one wednesday,after spilling a bottle of sprite on my Pool Prame Camera (lesson here) I was able to converse with a Legendary photographer whose legendary photos were the images of legend. 

He held a book in his hand, filled with classical art. not photos, well photos of classical art, but you get the point. He explained how light and balance existed in each portrait that the classical painter.

Later on in the week, I was able to enjoy the movie "Eat Pray Love" with that one lady with the teeth, you know the one with the eyes? Anywho, the movie was about finding her "word." Which brings me to the question, "what's my 'word?'" well first off, I should explain what the "word" is. It's a term (doesn't have to be just one word) that describes you, your life, or something philosophical like that. it's pretty much you in a sentence. As the movie rolled, I pondered about what my word is- not too deeply cause I was trying to figure out what other movie her male lead was in.

Before I ramble. my word. as geeky, trendy, or stupid, as much as I don't want to seem like a fanboy or obsessed; is "photograph." 

With a mixture of what I learned from that movie and speaking with the legendary photographer I figured that this word best represents my life. Just like in any photograph, my life has its lights and darks, positive space and negative space. It's got a foreground, a background, things happening about within the frame, events that take place that you'll never know about outside the image, and a subject.  It's an image, sometimes it's ugly, sometimes it's got beauty-- an image with happy accidents and disastrous mishaps. Sometimes I look at it with a telephoto when I should be looking through a wide. I may shoot high while I'm missing the events that happen in the below. It's sometimes 9 frames per second, and others set at 1 frame a second.  It's under constant development while sometimes it's backlogged on Lightroom.  Sometimes I run out of space on the my life's CF card for everything and that leaves me missing moments... Someday the shutter will stop clicking and someone will see the images on the card and notice the accomplishments, the failures, the lessons, the cheesy smiles, the contrasty drama that was my life.