greg gorman seminar
i had the opportunity to attend a greg gorman seminar today at the photo plus expo here in nyc. if you don't know him, you should, imo. his work is amazing. he's primarily a bw portraitist.
overriding cool theme: "i so totally dig digitial, becuase i control every aspect of everything - shooting, lighting, and finishing - i'm not at the mercy of someone else to interpret my vision, i do it myself - the finished print."
it was a really fun two hours, and then i spent about another 1/2 hour with him afterwards. great guy, has the ability to impart knowledge very easily. his assistant just went out on his own, after 22 years of working for gorman. 22 years as an assistant! man that's dedication and it also says a lot about the photographer.
some random points that i noted:
overriding cool theme: "i so totally dig digitial, becuase i control every aspect of everything - shooting, lighting, and finishing - i'm not at the mercy of someone else to interpret my vision, i do it myself - the finished print."
it was a really fun two hours, and then i spent about another 1/2 hour with him afterwards. great guy, has the ability to impart knowledge very easily. his assistant just went out on his own, after 22 years of working for gorman. 22 years as an assistant! man that's dedication and it also says a lot about the photographer.
some random points that i noted:
- likes shooting at iso 1600 and 1000 on his canons, becuase "it's so much like film"
- uprezzes with software from pixel genius
- he recommends his own techiques but also likes fredmiranda's bw actions
- his favorite ligthing: window light
- don't answer all the questions in the photograph - leave something unanswered for the viewer
- lighting should not be the focus - gorman's signature is tight, and the eyes / face are the focus of his portraiture
- he feels shadow detail is "nearly irrelevant" and forces a lot of black in his work
- he lights "stronger" when shooting for b & w
- his most used portrait lens: canon 70-200L f/2.8 IS
- he works exclusively in the prophoto colorspace
- download his pdf from his website (look under "learn" for the contrast enhancement tricks and the toning techniques
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Interesting that he doesn't shoot at the lowest ISO, and in a studio he certainly has the latitude to shoot slower.
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oh i'm sure he uses iso 100 plenty. he just made a point, several times, that he totally loves iso 1000 and 1600 on the canon cameras. he blasted pixelpeepers and measurebators, too, several times. i got a huge laugh out of that.
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He was featured in The Epson Online Print Academy last year as a featured artist along with Jay Maisel. Epson's online academy was the best $39 I've spent in some time. It might have been $49 - I've slept since last winter
That is where I first learned Gorman's B&W conversion technique that is also posted on his website. And yes, his B&Ws tend to be dramatic with heavy shadows - kind of like some of the older B&W work was originally. Very interesting post Andy.
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:nono pathfinder, you forgot his most important staff member: a full-time caterer.
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I also sarted using Pixel Genius a couple of months ago. I highly recommend it to anyone. It's money well spent. They allow for a 14 day free trial. Check it out.
Since he likes the high ISO for the film look, I wonder if he uses the grain part of pixel genuis much?
I'm checking out his site now.
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I think the smaller, black lenses like the 85s and the 135s are much better for candids. Less noticeable - NOT WHITE, looks small.
Conversely, if you are spending 4 figures for a portrait, you kind of expect the photographer to have a big, impressive heavy expensive looking lens. The 70-200 is perefect for that. It is also optically excellent too, but that may be only part of it value to Mr Gorman.
I SUSPECT the appearance of the big white lens barrel is an assett for his work, but for candid portaits for mereimage and I, it is a disadvantage. It is very hard to use the big zoom without the subject being aware of it, whereas the 85 or the 135 f2 L is not nearly as noticeable by unaware subjects. I really like the 135 f2 L too!
I would also mention that Gorman is using a full frame camera( 1DsMkll), not an APS sensor camera, so he does not get the mag effect you would get with the 20D. You get almost exactly the same image in the viewfinder with a 20D with a 135 prime, that a full frame camera sees with a 200mm lens. Smaller, less intimidating, sneakier
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gorman's the second pro in 2 weeks i've watched work with that lens. douglas kirkland also favors it. remember, too, these guys have big studios, so the like the flexiblity of the zoom range maybe. i could see it, but i tell ya, with a big studio like gorman's got, i wonder why he doesn't use the 135L - fast focus and not real heavy. i think it's a movement issue. he probably doesn't want to be sneaker-zooming back and fro all the time. the zoom allows him to stay stationery. i know that kirkland uses boxes to change his perspective on the subject, so that may be a factor, too.
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So for me, I have to stop and work something else until the subjects stop paying attention to me. Do this enough over the course of time and they learn to ignore you and you can get a lot more done.
"Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
I wonder if this may partly explain M Reichman's attachment to the 70-300 DO IS. Small, inconspicuous, black, with a lot of non-obvious reach.
Certainly, the remove you get with the 200mm on a 20D does allow you to be even farther away for candids. Would 400mm be even better then? Paparazzi anyone? DSFDF
Maybe the 70-300 DO IS even
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"Failure is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions." - fortune cookie
I agree with liking avoiding using the sneaker zoom with primes. But for carrying on my shoulder all day long, the big heavy 70-200 f2.8 IS L is quite a load on a full frame camera. A 20D with a 135 is a LOT more pleasant to carry and just as good optically. Maybe I'm just getting old and weak
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Don't forget that the 70-200 F4L is a great lens and a lot lighter than the 2.8IS. Still big and white, but not as big or heavy and the 2.8.
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That's what spray paint and helium baloons are for.
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I suppose it depends on who does the paint job and if s/he signs it.
Step 15, create a new layer--okay. An empty layer?
Step 16: "While holding the Option button, go to the popup menu and select Merge Visible." Ur, what is the Option button here? Is the point here to merge the other layers (since changing the blending options would probably be difficult if you've merged all the layers).
Yes, you're making an empty layer. When you option-select merge visible you are putting all the visible layers into this new layer, flattened (sort of, it's not true flattening). You're making one layer that is all the work you've done before.
If you're not on a Mac, then it's alt instead of option, and Nikolai had trouble because for some reason the PC works slightly diff. here. In any case, you need to opt(alt) merge visible.
I've written the steps into an action for CS2. If you want it, let me know.
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OK. The action has stops in it, but no explanation of what you're to do, so you have to have a basic understanding of how the action works. For instance, it stops to allow you to choose the color of the duotone, and it stops to give you a chance to work the curves...
Anyway, you (or anyone) can download the action here.
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In brief, the scheme (for 6 mp capture) is,
"It is a magical time. I am reluctant to leave. Yet the shooting becomes more difficult, the path back grows black as it is without this last light. I don't do it anymore unless my husband is with me, as I am still afraid of the dark, smile.
This was truly last light, my legs were tired, my husband could no longer read and was anxious to leave, but the magic and I, we lingered........"
Ginger Jones