Tom Bol Photo Blog

I’m on the road a lot, and packing for a trip turns into an exercise in keeping my weight to a minimum.  I think of it as packing for a backpacking trip, every ounce counts even though I won’t be carrying it all on my back.  I’ll run down my camera gear in another post, but one item that I get a lot of questions about is my laptop, a 13 inch Macbook Air.

I struggled over getting a traditional laptop with a disk drive and standard (non SSD) hard drive.  For the same price I could get more drive space, more external ports and faster processors.  But in the end I went with a 13″, 1.7 dual core i5 with 256GB solid state drive and 4GB of memory….in a slim computer under 3 pounds.  It was the right choice.

My biggest concern was performance running CS5 and Lightroom.  For my needs, this computer is much faster than my old dual 2.0 intel machine, and the solid state drive means boot up time and opening applications happens in mere seconds.  I have worked on 200MB files on this machine in photoshop, and even heavy processing using liquify and lens correction happen in a snap.  The keyboard is backlit, and the battery lasts for hours, much longer than my old machine.

One consideration was 256GB of drive space.  For some photographers, this may not be enough.  But for me, this is more than enough.  I only store a few 1000 jpegs on my laptop I use teaching workshops, so I don’t need gigs of space for my images.  I will use my machine to backup my images on a shoot, which can be around 150 gigs on a big shoot.  But I still have plenty of room for images, plus all my applications.  Once I am back in the office , I backup my assignment images, and delete them from my laptop.  I have found a few times I needed a DVD drive to install a program, so I bought the external drive to go with the laptop.  I doubt I will use this external drive again.  If you are doing heavy duty photoshop work and want a larger screen, then the Air might not be for you.  But I have to say, I just got back from two weeks in Chile and the Air performed like a charm.  And it was so trim and light I didn’t even know it was in my photo backpack.

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I try a ton of new software as it comes out, either for reviews in articles I write or because something looks really good.  Topaz Adjust 5 is better than just good, it is fantastic!  This plugin offers a variety of actions and effects, but what I  really like is the effect it has on my landscape shots.

Here is an example.  This image was taken last week in Yellowstone.  We had a lot of overcast skies, so there wasn’t much contrast and pop to the images.  I ran the ‘heavy grunge’ HDR effect on this shot, and one click I had a much nicer image (the image at top).  This program is inexpensive, and a great way to spice up your image with one click.  I also use Alien Skin Exposure 3 to add effects.  My favorite is their Velvia action.

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Winter in Yellowstone is one of my favorite places.  The crowds are gone, the landscape is serene, and snow hangs in the trees.  Some years we have average snow levels on this workshop, …and then there was this year.

We arrived with scattered snow showers and some sun, and left 6 days later with 3 feet or more of snow on the ground.  Roads closed, avalanches fell, and the shooting was fantastic!  While it would have been nice to have had more sun, I always look at “bad weather as good weather” when it comes to photography.  We were presented with a unique shooting situation, and the participants capitalized on the situation.

We found a dead elk in the river, which attracted a lot of predators including eagles, wolves and this coyote. The coyote swam the Firehole River multiple times, and was very comfortable with photographers nearby. Our group created incredible  coyote images!

A few tips on winter shooting. 1) Autofocus will not work in blowing snow, expect to use manual focus. 2) Lens hoods are critical in keeping snow from accumulating on your front glass, use them. 3) Grabber heat packs keep fingers and toes warm. 4) Lenses squeak when it gets below zero, but work just fine.  5) Push your histogram to the right to capture white snow, not gray snow.

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Sometimes it is good just to turn off the phone and disconnect from WiFi. Mission accomplished.  I just returned from St. John in the Virgin Islands, this trip was part vacation and part work.  I shot a few stories while I was here, including a really fun surfer portrait that will be in an upcoming issue of Light It magazine, stay tuned!

The colors are hard to imagine in this area, a tapestry of aquas and greens. And the clouds are always interesting as well and help fill in the skies.  I use a Singh-Ray LB Color Polarizer regularly, and it really helps the colors pop in scenes like this.  This filter is both polarizer and enhancing filter, and my go-to polarizing filter.

This filter also helps eliminate water glare. Scenes like this really come to life using this filter.

I was also using my AquaTech housing for my D300s and 24-70mm lens. This housing lets me use longer lenses since they make ports for lens like the 24-70mm.  Another thing I really like about this housing is it is much smaller than many dive housings, much easier to carry it on the plane.  This sea turtle swam underneath as I was snorkeling, but my longer lens allowed me to get a close shot.

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I’m still cleaning out the dust from my shoot in the desert near Las Vegas.  I was shooting with strobes in 30+ mph winds, and using an octabank.  I shoot in a lot of windy places, and have developed a few tricks that help dealing with the wind.  Give these a try on your next windy shoot.

1.  Work with a model who can take the punishment!  The wind in vegas was strong enough to blow someone over.  Most models wouldn’t get out of the car.  But Priscilla was tough, she had no problem belly dancing with a python in a dust storm.  Honestly, I was thinking of calling it quits, and I’m the crusty mountaineer from Alaska.

2. Use two stands for one light.  After adding 40 pounds of sand to my 39 inch deep octabank, it still was blowing over and the light was twisting in the wind.  To solve this problem, I added another stand with the bar pressing tight against the light.  This kept the light from twisting.

3. Use your packs as sandbags.  I often use my Rangers as weights on my light stands, just hook them off a knob on the stand.  Or twist the strap around the stand.  Without Rangers weighting the other stand down it would have blown over.

4. Use the wind to your advantage.  If the wind is really strong, it will determine your shooting angle, don’t fight it.  Priscilla had long veils that were blowing in the wind, so I had to shoot from an angle that the veils would stretch across the frame.  This shot wouldn’t work straight into the wind.

5. Use cars as a wind break.  If you have two vehicles, park them at 90 degree angles and create a calm shooting space in the lee of the cars.  This works pretty well at reducing the wind.

6. Have you model get low to the ground.  Priscilla tried some poses on the desert floor, and these worked well and eliminated the blowing hair and veil.  Once again the wind directed the shoot.

In the end you have to work with the conditions you are given.  The last thing to do on a windy day is call it quits.  Who knows what unexpected angle will happen.  Good images are made in the field, not in the coffee shop wishing the wind would stop. Go out and shoot, you may find the wind isn’t all that bad.

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A number of readers have been asking about my experience with the updated Hypersync utility and performance.  In earlier posts I recommended setting the tab bar to -1900.  This is no longer necessary with the new utility, although you still have this option if you choose Manual Hypersync in the utility.  Based on some brief testing, I think around -1300 or -1400 is where I would get the best performance.  The new software automates much of this process with similar results to the previous Hypersync utility software. I use the ‘Hypersync Only’ option, and set the flash duration to ”10-SLOW” to match the slower duration ‘S’ Elinchrom heads I use.  Make sure to set the ST4 to ‘S-Head’ too. The image above was taken at 1/8000, F4 at ISO 100 using a Nikon D300s and Elinchrom Ranger pack set at around 900 watts. I had minimal flash clipping even at 1/8000, which was easily cropped out. Results will vary depending on your camera system, flash system, and flash head duration.

I am finding I use higher sync speeds for creative apertures and moody lighting as much as I use it for freezing the action.  The shot above is a good example.  I was photographing a climber the other day at around noon, bright overhead light.  This shot shows what a normal shot would look like.  Nothing out of the ordinary, just a guy bouldering on a sunny afternoon.

But then add an overhead strobe, darken the background and use a wide open aperture like F4 and things really change.  Without Hypersync and the ability to shoot very fast shutter speeds with flash, this image couldn’t have happened.  In the final shot above I took out the overhead light.  A 20 degree grid was used to reduce the light spilling onto the rock. Speaking of grids, I just shot another assignment for Light It magazine the other day, and grids saved the day.  We shot a basketball player indoors using strip banks on the sides.  To control the spill on the gym floor, we used Lighttools 40 degree grids.  If you need a grid for your softbox, check these guys out.

I’ll be speaking at Pictureline in Salt Lake City on Nov. 17 talking more high speed sync technique, stop in if you can!

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I recently was able to try out a new lighting tool, a 59″ deep rotalux octabank.  The smaller version, the 39″ deep octabank is one of my favorite softboxes ever.  This box has  a deep profile and adds just a little more edgy look to the light, somewhere between a softbox and beauty dish. While the new version has the same profile in a bigger box, it also rigs the light to shoot into the back of the softbox before it projects through the front of the box.  If you have ever used the famous 74″ Elinchrom Octabank, you know how soft this light is.  I first used the 59″ inverse octa for a mountain biking portrait, and was very impressed with the light. Softer than the 39″ direct deep octa, but still retaining the specular quality I like in this light.  Nikon D300s, 14-24mm, 1/250 at f14.

Going from outdoor to indoor settings, I used the inverse octa in a clam shell beauty set up.  This was a great light to add soft wrap around light from above, but still add some edge to the shot.   This new light is going to be very versatile in where I use it. Nikon D3, 85mm 1.4, 1/200 at f16.

Also did a basketball image using a familiar style I like for edgy portraits.  I used a 27″ square rotalux softbox with a grid on it for the light.  This was positioned on an overhead boom arm to cast strong shadows from above.  A slower shutter speed and high ISO was used to burn in the dim light in the gym. Nikon D3, 24-70mm, 1/160 at F7.1.  ISO 400

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We all have things we do good as photographers, and things we don’t do so well.  I’m on the road for two weeks right now teaching workshops around the fall color.  In Ouray right now, the Tetons last week.  I was teaching a composition class last week talking about exploring new ideas and techniques, and shooting outside the box.  But when was the last time I really experimented with my own landscape photography?  At String Lake we found the perfect F16 vertical shot, a familiar angle and technique to me.  So I took the shot, and felt good with it.

But then I started to experiment.  I knew the f16 approach, what about the F4 approach?  I started shooting everything wide open, and started making a lot of ‘trash can’ shots. But it was liberating just to shoot on a whim, put technique aside (mostly), and see what happened.  I found a backlit aspen leaf I liked.

Then I went off the deep end.  I put my tilt-shift lens on, and started shooting wide open with the lens tilted various directions.  Now everything seemed to be a delete photo.  I had one shot that you could also make out Mt Moran…I wouldn’t send it to a client, but I liked the mystical feel of the shot.

And then I got it.  Even though I was making a lot of ‘bad’ images, the process was way more important than the end result.  I think this is very important for photographers.  If we never experiment, make mistakes or try new things, how can we advance our craft and vision?  Get the shot you want, then try for something else.  In the end, the process is more important than the final image.

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I have been continuing to use Hypersync and my Rangers to get creative results shooting high speed sync.  Sometimes it is about freezing action with fill flash, other times it is using F4 with flash during the day.  Since I can use shutter speeds over 1/1000 depending on the camera I’m using, I never have to worry about sync speed.

The first image was shot using my D300s and 1/2500, F11 and ISO 400.  I leaned out the back of my truck while the cyclist pedaled about 25 miles an hour for this shot.  I used a fisheye lens and small aperture opening to get a good sun star effect.

The next shot was a rock climbing image shot at dusk.  I used a Ranger with sports strobe, F4 at 1/2500 using my D300s and 45mm tilt-shift lens.  In this case HSS allowed me to use a wide open aperture for the blurry background.

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Just returned from Photoshop World in Las Vegas, this is the 3rd year in a row I have gone.  I get a lot of questions on workshops asking ways to learn new technique and creativity.  How about spending 3-4 days with some of the best photographers and photoshop gurus in the business?  Every year I learn some great new techniques, and get inspired to try new creative ideas in my shooting.

Here are a few of the ideas from this year’s conference that stuck with me.

1. “80 percent of my portfolio images come from personal shooting.”  I have long preached this, and it was great to hear other pros saying the same thing.  You have to get out and shoot, even if you don’t have an assignment, whenever you can.  I’ve found that shooting on my personal time is more important in developing my style than shooting on assignment.  You have to continue to experiment and explore your creativity to develop your visual acuity.  If you don’t shoot personal projects, your creative progression slows down.

2. It’s all about the light.  It was really fun to hear a landscape shooter,  a fine art shooter, a sports shooter and a portrait shooter all focus in on how they see light and use it to their advantage in their photography.  What was interesting is how each of the shooters approached lighting differently to get the results they wanted in their images.  This reaffirmed that lighting is key is determining your photographic style, and you never stop learning new lighting techniques.

3. Social Media is growing rapidly.  We’ve all heard how Facebook is so popular, but it was interesting to learn how major companies are not directing you to their corporate website, they are directing you to their Facebook page.  This is what America turns on in the morning like TV, and having a presence there is more important than ever if you want find new leads.

4. New gear.  I’ll admit I love walking around and checking out the new gear.  One item that caught my attention this year was a Lastolite bracket that will hold 4 speedlights and allows mounting a Pocket Wizard transmitter on the bracket.  The best part is the bracket ships with a splitter cord allowing you link up 4 flashes to one receiver.  Very cool!

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