Marc Muench - SmugMug Artist-in-Residence

Marc Muench

It has been several months since I was graced with a visit from John, Tracy and Kelsey. During that time I have been learning the complex program of Final Cut Pro. Having this on my list of new years resolutions, I had made a self assignment out of their visit, with the plans of interviewing them with video about their amazing adventures. Their very popular thread has been gracing the pages of Smugmug on the Journeys thread since they left Alaska back in Sept 08. They did start the trip with five, but by the time they rolled through Santa Barbara in November there were three left. I wanted to make the shoot simple as I knew we would climbing and did not want to take too much time messing with equipment so I only brought a Canon G10 with a home made steady cam<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/eek7.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" > Yes the quality of the video is not perfect nor HD but it was all I needed for my assignment and to capture a bit of the blood pumping climbing that makes their hearts tick and their minds free<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/wings.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

I hope you enjoy


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or the bigger one
http://muenchphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/7395385_dyde5/1/#476377812_oMveo-A-LB

ian408

Very nice Marc!

Tango

wowow Marc that was pretty cool. loved the drive over the G10 scene...hahaha

Prezwoodz

Thanks a ton Marc, that was awesome. I loved the vid and it makes me want to go out and get a little camera like that too. Also I am really glad that the driving over the car shot worked heh. I was scared!

Mike Lane

Wow, Marc, that was great.

One suggestion, though. You should set the keyframe of the video in SmugMug. You can make it whatever you want by using the replace tool and then using an image that matches the exact size of the video.

If you need help, let us know.

pathfinder

What a cool video, Marc. A G10 no less, even better.

What cool guys they are too!

Marc Muench

Prezwoodz wrote:

Also I am really glad that the driving over the car shot worked heh. I was scared!

At least I didn't have to be with the camera

Glad you enjoyed it.

Mike Lane wrote:

You can make it whatever you want by using the replace tool and then using an image that matches the exact size of the video.

Got it done Thanks for the hot tip.

pathfinder wrote:

What a cool video, Marc. A G10 no less, even better.

What cool guys they are too!

Thank you Jim, how many point and shoots do you own now:D

DavidTO

Mike Lane wrote:

One suggestion, though. You should set the keyframe of the video in SmugMug. You can make it whatever you want by using the replace tool and then using an image that matches the exact size of the video.

If you need help, let us know.

That doesn't work for the embedded video? Looks great in the gallery, though!

coldclimb

Hahaha awesome Marc! You know, I've been kind of disappointed that my Lowepro is wearing through in some spots. Might have to coat the thing in something beefier in the future.

Mike Lane

DavidTO wrote:

That doesn't work for the embedded video? Looks great in the gallery, though!

It does work in the embedded vids too. The embed in the thread looks the same as the gallery. Maybe clear your cache or do a shift refresh and you'll see it?

Marc Muench

Andy and I took a quick trip out to Death Valley or The Valley of Death, depending on your state of dyslexia

We had a great time as the temp was perfect making the normal light enjoyable HOWEVER, we did manage to solve one of the 21 centuries greatest mystery, why the sailing stones on the Race Track Playa "move"


This was captured while abruptly turning around in supersonic speed during broad daylight and no one has ever scene this before

What I am about to show you next was even more shocking and NO never before scene either. It appears that not only are there stones sailing across the playa...............





I hope no one replies to this post until they have witnessed the scene personally:D


Oh and we did get a few normal shots as well

schmoo

Marc Muench wrote:

And the photo with the stars is breathtaking. Amazing how you got the playa to look exactly the same at night as during the bright light of day.

I Simonius

Marc Muench wrote:

This was captured while abruptly turning around in supersonic speed during broad daylight and no one has ever scene this before

Did you use the 1Dmk3 at full burst to capture this elusive scene? (don't answer that - it's not a serious question)

Great shot - will probably sell too as it's the most original Ive seen of that place

The real mystery is how you got that shadow in but kept yours out OR how did you make that shadow and mamage to take the pic at the same time?

Marc Muench

schmoo wrote:

And the photo with the stars is breathtaking. Amazing how you got the playa to look exactly the same at night as during the bright light of day.

Thank you Schmoo, yes it was amazingly bright out with the full moon.

I Simonius wrote:

The real mystery is how you got that shadow in but kept yours out OR how did you make that shadow and mamage to take the pic at the same time?

If I told you I would have to kill you glad you enjoyed it:ivar

I Simonius

Marc Muench wrote:

If I told you I would have to kill you glad you enjoyed it:ivar

aha! SO you admit it was a good question then?

coscorrosa

I Simonius wrote:

aha! SO you admit it was a good question then?

My guess would be a low tripod and remote timer (could be wrong).

Great stuff Marc - creative and funny. I'm surprised Death Valley put up with you and Andy both

Tango

camera handheld against chest

I Simonius

AaronNelson wrote:

camera handheld against chest

how would that remove shadows from the sun?

I Simonius

coscorrosa wrote:

My guess would be a low tripod and remote timer (could be wrong).

sounds about right to me

Tango

I Simonius wrote:

how would that remove shadows from the sun?

the shadow is cast is from the photog holding the camera... with one hand the camera against chest... and the other arm is held out as to if be moving the rock....


am i way off?

Tango

Marc,

topic: Canon 17mm T/S L

Im total ears to as what you have to say about this new lens from Canon.
Would it be a lens you would reach for as a landscape photog?...
~ good, bad, & the ugly.

thanks, Aaron

Marc Muench

AaronNelson wrote:

Marc,

topic: Canon 17mm T/S L

Im total ears to as what you have to say about this new lens from Canon.
Would it be a lens you would reach for as a landscape photog?...
~ good, bad, & the ugly.

thanks, Aaron

I have not tried it yet but...

I do not believe I will. Because I am blending multiple exposures to create larger files for one image, I now use slightly longer focal length lenses to create the same field of view as a 17mm. The one caveat could be greater depth of field for the near - far type of images

Tango

Marc, again thank you for the advice.

here is a quote i wanted to bump and ask you if ya got the chance to do any of these head to heads?:

Marc Muench wrote:

Thank you for the compliment. I use a 17 -40 Canon for most work when I am not stitching a pano. However, the one I will be getting soon, when released is the new Contax 21mm. The results are mind blowing, just how much sharper a lens it is, even compared to the new Nikon. I really don't know where Canon is? There is also a Zeis 18mm which I would rec as it would replace the zoom. I dont often use the other focal lengths except for on occasion about 20mm, and I do that to just exclude the soft corners which occur at 17mm.
BTW I plan on testing these wides soon once the Contax is out

Marc Muench wrote:

However, it is not about the lens but more about the way you fill the frame. If you consider the shapes in composition ALL THE TIME, you will begin to understand composition more. Light is the juice that makes the composition

Marc Muench wrote:

I do believe composition is a balance between experience and talent. We all have unique talents so it really comes down to how much time you are willing to give to gain the experience.

There are many rules of composition and learning them is first base. Breaking them would be something like rounding second, capturing a great composition in camera would be about third, and for the home run, being able to repeat it over and over

getting all the necessary actions preformed with needed efficiency besides the obvious things like composition is always an amazement to me in how much has to happen and how much can go wrong when trying to work within the period the "Juice" is really good.... that’s why I was asking about that 17mm T/S...maybe i am looking for one easy way to get DOF....

Marc, what about focus stacking for landscape images? maybe i could manual focus to get DOF and blend using layers? and also do exposures for highlights and shadow while im at it too.... and, all within the 20 seconds of good Juice".......

Marc Muench

AaronNelson wrote:

Marc, again thank you for the advice.

here is a quote i wanted to bump and ask you if ya got the chance to do any of these head to heads?:

getting all the necessary actions preformed with needed efficiency besides the obvious things like composition is always an amazement to me in how much has to happen and how much can go wrong when trying to work within the period the "Juice" is really good.... that’s why I was asking about that 17mm T/S...maybe i am looking for one easy way to get DOF....

Marc, what about focus stacking for landscape images? maybe i could manual focus to get DOF and blend using layers? and also do exposures for highlights and shadow while im at it too.... and, all within the 20 seconds of good Juice".......

Ya that is the problem, TIME.

How little there usually is during good moments can limit the options available such as focus and exposure blending with bracketed exposures. I do bracket focus as well as exposures when I can. However, if there is only time for one or the other, I bracket exposure so I have detail:ivar

If you really want to simply increase DOF I suggest using a "G10" the smaller chip makes that possible, of course it is a sacrifice but that is always the case in photography:cry I know you are after nice looking large prints so I would stick with the larger sensor cameras and focus on becoming as efficient as possible at farming a scene. I mean, set up a scenario that requires you to bracket for everything. Shoot all intended exposures in as little time as possible and than do all the post, make a perfect file without worring about the subject. Once you do this 10 or 20 times you will deffinetley become more efficient at your quest

I Simonius

Marc Muench wrote:

Ya that is the problem, TIME.

How little there usually is during good moments can limit the options available such as focus and exposure blending with bracketed exposures. I do bracket focus as well as exposures when I can.

I know you are after nice looking large prints so I would stick with the larger sensor cameras and focus on becoming as efficient as possible at farming a scene. I mean, set up a scenario that requires you to bracket for everything. Shoot all intended exposures in as little time as possible and than do all the post, make a perfect file without worring about the subject. Once you do this 10 or 20 times you will deffinetley become more efficient at your quest

I predict: that eventually you will be able to make your own 'action' as you can in photoshop, but for camera exposure/focus bracketing etc
i.e. one up on custom modes, you will be able to initiate a sequence e'g' AEB PLUS focus bracketing etc, and record it and save it as a custom mode. Or similar.

Gotta happenwink

I Simonius

and another thing....

talking of the 17mmTS-E, I was also musing how it might or might not improve the landscapers lot, having just bought ( and returned) the Canon 14mmmk2. Nothing wrong with that lens, fantastic lens actually, but just not that much wider than the 17-40 at 17, I had hoped it would get more in ( there was a meandering mud channel I had in mind to take in one shot but it wouldnt do it). Plus you can use polariser on the 17-40 and the 14's lots more money. just Couldn't justify the expenditure really for so little difference to the 17-40 (even though the edges are MUCH better )

Big problem for me with the 17-40 is the edges are ghastly if there's any real detail to be had in scene at the very edge and focussing closer makes no difference to that.. Now with the 17TS-E I imagine one could noit only get the edges good but also blend exposures of left and right shift with middle shot to get more land in, giving a semi pano.

that could be worth the doshivar

Marc Muench

I Simonius wrote:

and another thing....

talking of the 17mmTS-E, I was also musing how it might or might not improve the landscapers lot, having just bought ( and returned) the Canon 14mmmk2. Nothing wrong with that lens, fantastic lens actually, but just not that much wider than the 17-40 at 17, I had hoped it would get more in ( there was a meandering mud channel I had in mind to take in one shot but it wouldnt do it). Plus you can use polariser on the 17-40 and the 14's lots more money. just Couldn't justify the expenditure really for so little difference to the 17-40

I believe architectural photographers will really get the benifits Here is why. On a recent shoot I used both the 24 T/S for panos in the vertical position and in the horizontal position for shift left and right stitches. The difference is the amount of distortion.

this first image was a pano of about 7 frames with the camera in the vertical position, notice the curved lines


This image was taken with only two frames and not moving the camera at all, WHICH MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. The two frames were stitched together for about a 25% wider field of view left to right. With a 17mm rather than the 24mm, one would have that much more field of view for less distortion compositions.


If I shot more architecture like this I would most definitely get one

I Simonius

Marc Muench wrote:

If I shot more architecture like this I would most definitely get one

I think you hit the nail on the head there Mark

All the same I still think it will benefit landscapers too

Marc Muench

Following a photography workshop here in Santa Barbara, I made a resolution to go back up to Figueroa Mountain and photograph the unusual spread of poppy flowers. As usual things change<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/deal.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" > oh the flowers were still there but just closed up like ostrich's with their heads in a hole, it was only 43 degrees at 5:30AM when I arrived and the clouds had rolled in over night covering the mountain top in a veil of fog. What happened next will be in my memory book for many years. In the car with me were two friends Phil Hutson and Tom Dietrich, who could not resist the temptation from dragging themselves out of bed at 4:30 to meet me for the drive up. We did see the thick layer of clouds from the moment we began our hour drive, which was yet more evident by the drops of mist on the windsheild. However, full of hope we kept driving and driving and driving. Thinking the whole time WHERE IS THE COFFEE! Nothing was open:cry So it was in a daze that we rounded the turn way up on the steep slopes of Figeuroa Mountain that we litterally jumped out of the car and whitnessed this.......


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and here larger one

Tango

Marc, congrats, amazing, simply amazing....

i hate drives like that when you sense something but are not there yet...its a agony of sorts......
anyway, loved it.