A quick look at one lens that fits into a popular mould. The Sony 70-200mm f4.0 G.

Sony's answer to Nikon and Canon's 70-200mm f4.0 lenses.

I bought a new camera on Friday but you know that no one really buys into a new camera system without grabbing some new lenses to go along for the ride. I bought two. In this blog I will write about the one that makes me most happy; the 70-200mm f4.0 G zoom. It actually has more letters in its name but I can't keep up with all the abbreviated garble. 

For the last two years I have been using one of Nikon's 80-200mm f2.8 zooms. It's an earlier, push-pull design and I have absolutely no complaints about the optical performance I got from it. It's really sharp! Even though we now require lenses to be sharp from corner to corner, wide open to consider them passable, that lens from the 1990's was a very competent optical system for use in the real world. 

The thing that bothered me about the lens was the weight and the lack of a tripod collar. Given the design and the operational target of that lens there's really not much Nikon could have done about the weight. Their reasoning for not including a tripod collar was a bit disingenuous though. They suggested that the lens was aimed at photojournalists who would rarely ever want to use a tripod and who needed fast, handheld operation. The time spent removing a collar might mean precious seconds that could spell the difference between winning that Pulitzer or not....

But it was a disaster for a studio/tripod shooter. I liked the

Recently evaluated cameras for an upcoming video project. My first choice? A Sony A7R2. But why?

Sony A7R2. Want one? Buy it here. 

Video production is a weird thing. You have a lot of people who came up through traditional video production pathways. For them the over the shoulder camcorder, with all the right connections, is the preferred equipment combination for just about any project. And it makes perfect sense. You have a package that combines good video codecs with all the things traditionalists want: Zebras for exposure control, focus peaking for accurate focusing, XLR connectors for balanced microphones, as well as power zooms, and a camera body that can be balanced over one shoulder. Sounds cool, right?

But not to me. I like the idea of shooting to a form factor that's familiar to me. I came up through a different set of gear traditions. To me, something like a DSLR or mirrorless camera seems more practical and familiar. And a camera on a tripod is even more familiar.

I've been watching the maturation of the Sony A7 series for a couple of years now and that's a form factor that I'm more comfortable with. But it was only with the upgrade to the recent firmware 3.x  for the A7r2 (reduces overheat incidents) that made me feel more confident about using the camera for my clients' projects. The cameras have finally come together in relatively robust packages that make sense, and in a build quality tha

My photo shoot with Kinky Freidman.

Kinky Freidman ©1992 Kirk Tuck

I was working in the old studio off east 5th street, just east of the freeway in downtown. I'd won the assignment to photograph novel writer and musician, Kinky Freidman, for the cover of a Texas lifestyle magazine. The art director wanted a white background so I set up the studio and tested my lighting design. At the time we delivered only medium format transparency film to the magazines so I took time to load six film backs for my Hasselblad camera. 

Mr. Freidman (who would later run for Governor in Texas) was scheduled to arrive at 6 pm. He came into the studio and we introduced ourselves. I went over the plan for photographs. He lit up a cigar and started smoking. I explained that the building had a strict "no smoking" policy. Didn't phase him and he went on puffing away --- which, in hindsight, was a good thing because the image the magazine loved and used was of him partially covered with a plume of cigar smoke. 

After I felt that we'd nailed the cover shot I picked up a Leica R camera and shot a few 35mm slides, just for something different. 

When we finished Mr. Freidman announced that it was protocol for the photographer to take the celebrity photo subject out for dinner and I decided to go along with the program. This was a time in which publicists and entourages were not yet pandemic in the business so it was just the two of us who headed over to Serrano's Mexican Food Restaurant.

Mr. F. was a well-known regular there and had his own table. He order his favorite beverages and we ordered our meal. He had some sort of custom beef creation which he asked to have covered in serrano peppers. I ordered a plate of enchiladas verdes con pollo (chicken  enchiladas with a mild green sauce) which prompted Mr. F. to say, "That's a dish for women. Don't be a pussy. Get something with some kick!" 

It was an interesting photo shoot and an entertaining dinner. I have run into Mr. F. occasionally around Austin and he's still got that ineffable charm. Anyway, this is my visual take away from that encounter...

The lazy man's way of shooting decent slide copies for use on the web. No expensive tools or workshop experiences needed.

Venice. ©1986 Kirk Tuck

From ancient Kodachrome to modern screen. 

Yesterday evening I remembered having shot an image a long time ago that I wanted to show. I went into the studio and rummaged through the beige filing cabinet next to my messy desk for five or ten minutes and was able to locate the original image. It existed only as a Kodachrome slide in its little cardboard mount.

I have changed computers several times since I last had a scanner hooked up and I didn't relish the process of digging out said scanner, connecting it the current computer and making sure that it would, (a). work with the latest operating system. And, (b). need new software installed to drive the machine, along with the inevitable learning curve and trouble shooting that goes with any scanning adventure.

I opted to take the easy way out. Essentially I shot a photograph of the original slide with my Sony camera. Done.

That's the simple version but here's a quick but more detailed look at a simple process:

I took a Fotodiox 512 AS LED panel and placed it face up on a rolling tool cabinet. I used the barn doors on the light unit to support a 10 x 12 inch piece of white Plexiglas over the LEDs. I placed the slides on top of the Plexi and used a slide holder from a discarded scanner to both keep the slides in position, and to block excessive backlight from causing flare. Before inserting the color slides I took a custom white balance directly from the white Plexiglas. Might as well have a known starting point...

I positioned the camera (Sony a6300) on the horizontal arm (side arm) of a Gitzo tripod. I used a cheap bubble level to level the Plexiglas, and then the camera (after finding the camera height needed for magnification).  I used a Nikon 55mm f2.8 Micro-Nikkor lens with an inexpensive Fotodiox, Sony Nex to Nikon lens adapter. 

I set the drive mode to a 5 second delay so the minute vibrations of the tripod/arm combination would not degrade sharpness. Focusing was easy with focus magnification and I could actually use the focus peaking lines to gauge how long it took for the tripod and arm to become fully stationary; the focus peaking outlines would stop actively aliasing when all movement stopped...

Now I could shoot, then slide the holder over, shoot the next slide, slide the holder over, shoot the next slide....  I made small exposure adjustments to taste and used a low DRO setting to add some openness to the shadow areas. I shot in raw so I could use whatever adjustments I might need in Lightroom. 

After the initial set up the process was quick and easy. I was able to "scan" about 20 images in fifteen minutes and then spent a couple of minutes at the computer for each slide, as a find touch up. 

I shot the set up images for you this morning with light coming through the window but I guess it's pretty obvious that you'll want to block out ambient light as much as possible while you are actually shooting so you get the best contrast, and no reflections or added color casts.

If I were hellbent on making giant prints from the slides I'd send them to Holland Photo and have them make meticulous scans. But when you want to make quick transitions from film to screen this is a workable method. Just don't over-think it. 

Kinky Friedman. ©1992 Kirk Tuck

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A link to my Studio Portrait Lighting Class with $25 Off.

Food Photography. by Andrew Scriviani

Off Camera Flash Photography. by Neil van Niekirk

One of the original Craftsy Photo Classes and 

still one of the best! 

Night Photography. by Lance Keimig

I met Lance a couple of weeks ago in Denver

and found him to be really fun and knowledgeable 

this class reflects what he teaches in hands-on

workshops in Ireland and Iceland, as well as 

cool places around the U.S.

Narrative Photography: Storytelling with Photo

Essays. by Mike Hill.

How to make what we shoot into a cohesive

train of visual thought.

Perfecting Photoshop Portraits. by Lesa Snider

I was sitting around watching the Fellini movie, "La Dolce Vita" and it reminded me of this photograph...

©1985 Kirk Tuck, All Rights Reserved.

.... It was taken on a vaporetto in Venice on a cold day in April of 1985. I paused the movie and headed out to the office to see if I could find the slide. I did.


I was too lazy to scan it so I set up my copy stand and shot a copy with the a6300, using a Nikon 55mm macro lens with an adapter. I used a Fotodiox LED as a light box.

This shot was taken with a 35mm Minox camera. 35mm lens. f2.8. Kodachrome 64. Amazing what was possible with such "primitive" equipment....

comments most  welcome.

An Anniversary Post. 31 years as a tolerant model. And Partner. A state-of-the-art spouse.

At the Louvre. Leica M4+50mm Summicron.

At the Metropolitan Museum, NY. Original Canon Rebel (film) + 50mm f1.8 lens.

Home studio on Elm St. Leica M3+90 Summicron.

Venice. Leica M3+ 50 Summicron.

Paris. Leica M4+ 50 Summicron.

Camera being carried by subject: Olympus Pen F (classic)+50-90mm zoom lens.

A quick nod to Austin film maker, Richard Linklater. This is from my Elle Magazine assignment back in 1992.

©1992 Kirk Tuck, All Rights Reserved.

A quick "thank you" to Richard Linklater for helping to make Austin the "third coast" for movies. Nice work. I'm looking forward to seeing "Everybody Wants Some!!"

Showing off some work I am proud of. I love clients who are in sync with my portrait style.

Last Fall I had the privilege of photographing the attorneys at Dubois, Bryant and Campbell; a law firm here in Austin, Texas. I worked with Envision Creative Group to create a portrait style that worked well for all three entities.

Here is the webpage from DB&C's website that showcases the photographs. Please click on the individual images to see them in their true, horizontal format. Attorney Portraits by Kirk Tuck.

All of the portraits were done on location at DB&C's offices. I used a Nikon D810 with either the 105mm f2.5 ais or the 135mm f2.0 ais lenses. The lighting was a combination of existing light and up to four, high density, LED lights --- modified by a combination of scrims and diffusers.

It was pretty much a dream project for me. Great people, a beautiful environment and a great, supportive advertising agency. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

Which portraits do I like best? The ones that have meaning for me. Connection. A reason to exist.

B.Y. ©2012 Kirk Tuck, All rights reserved.

Twenty years in in which to grow more beautiful. A side by side comparison of two black and white images taken twenty years apart.

2012.

1992.

The earlier one taken on a Hasselblad with a 150mm lens. 

The later one taken with a Nikon using a Hasselblad 150mm lens with an adapter. 

The early one scanned from a print the later one a digital file.

My continuing opinions about the use of stock photography for corporate advertising.

Here is something I wrote a while back to run on LinkedIn. It's my honest appraisal of the use of stock photography for branding by major ad agencies. I get that mom and pop operations may be budget restricted but given the cost of doing "real" branding ads and ad placement......

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stock-photography-lost-imagination-kirk-tuck?trk=pulse_spock-articles

An image from an annual report project last year.

In a hospital lobby. Talking about energy.

I love photographing annual report projects. We used to do a lot of them but many companies opt not to print the big, four color brochures that used to be more or less standard. Now they print the financials on plain paper with black ink and depend on their web content to fill in the emotional blanks. 

One of the projects I handled last year was for an electric utility company. They serve residential consumers but they also serve enterprise and corporate customers. One of the images the marketing department wanted was a discussion between a hospital engineering person and a representative from the utility. They wanted the image to say, "Hospital." 

We located a customer facility and got permission. While the image does not look lit we did use a 60 inch umbrella near camera position to create enough fill light so the faces "read" well.  The light came from a small, battery powered electronic flash, used at a low power. I feathered it as well as I could so that it didn't spill light all over the floor. I was helped by intentionally cropping out (in camera) the part of the ceiling effected by my fill light. 

I used a Nikon D810 and the 85mm f1.8 G lens, set to f2.8, to make the shot, which wound up being used as a spread in the finished report.

I was going to remove the exit sign in the top, middle of the frame because I have photographed for many architects and interior designers and they hate exit signs in their photographs. Hospital people like to make sure they are always seen to be in compliance and so having the sign show was not an issue.

Just another day out of the office with cameras...

Procrastination. I always want to work on stuff that promises nearly immediate gratification, not the mirage of riches down the road...

Rush Hour at Swim Practice.

I pretend to be pretty disciplined where work is involved but I have to admit that I have a weak spot. I hate writing long proposals for projects that won't be taking place for weeks or month from now. I'd rather go swimming, drink coffee, and discuss photography or video production with friends in the industry, or just go for a walk. 

Today is one of those dangerous days. I've been invited to create a proposal and budget for a high production value video by a Texas based utility. The video needs to be five to seven minutes long and, given the subject matter, it should be a fun and challenging project. But before I get the contract and the go-ahead I have to go through the process of concepting, discussing methodology, and budgeting. Yes, I have to write a proposal.

Most of the content for the piece needs to be shot outside and that carries with it a host of possible issues that can be tough to budget for and tough to schedule. We'll need to do interviews outside on remote locations (meaning, with no electrical power).  We may need to fight the sun with big diffusers, a portable generator and HMI lights. That means we need some crew. But then again the days may be overcast and perfect. We may be able (as I will optimistically propose) to schedule four interviews per day over the course of two days but, then again, people's schedules seem to be in constant flux these days. 

We'll need to schedule a segment with the CEO. Those sessions are always subject to change; both in content and schedule, right up until the very final edit.

Then we'll need some stock footage and some music, along with a narrator. I can plug in prices very approximately but I always fear that some committee, lurking behind the curtains, will scuttle all our first choices for various highly subjective reasons and send me back to look for more. Again and again. 

So much easier to get up and go into the house for another cup of coffee. So much more fun to sit here and write this blog. Even more fun to head to the pool for some spirited swimming, but it's Monday and the pool is closed. 

The simplest cure for work procrastination? Run out of money. That's always an effective whip to motivate even a jaded procrastinator like myself....

The sooner we start the sooner we're done....