When being prepared isn't enough

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 250, ƒ/8, 1/250

This week I have been covering the grand opening of the brand new Chick-fil-A in Birmingham, Alabama.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/80 ***4:13 a.m. EST***

One of the fun and yet not so fun things is waking up to capture Dan Cathy playing Reveille, which is a bugle call, trumpet call or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. It was used to wakeup all the First 100 overnight campers.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/5, 1/20

People lined up 24 hours earlier and then because there were so many they had a raffle drawing to pick the first 100 customers.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 3200, ƒ/5, 1/60—Off camera fill-flash using the Nikon SB-900 & SB800.  The Flash is on the Pocketwizard TT5 and being triggered by the Mini TT1 on the Camera with the AC3 to control the output of the flash. 

People played all types of games to fill the time. Here some are playing corn hole.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/25

Most everyone at some time took their selfie with the Chick-fil-A Cow. 

My gear for this event:

• 2 – Nikon D4 Cameras
• 1 – Nikon D750
• AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, Nikon D750
• AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
• Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G
• Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM
• Nikon SB800
• Nikon SB900
• Pocketwizard kit, TT1, AC3, 2–TT5
• 2 – Interfit Metal Umbrella Bracket with Adjustable Flash Shoe
• 2 – Manfrotto 5001B Nano Black Light Stand - 6.2' (1.9m)
• 2 – CowboyStudio 43-Inch Black and White Umbrella for Photography and Video Lighting Reflective
• Røde Video Pro microphone
• Shure FP15/83 Lavalier Wireless System
• ExpoDisc
• Eneloop XX batteries
• Gitzo GT-0531 Mountaineer 6X Carbon Fiber tripod
• ProMaster XC525 Tripod
• ThinkTank Airport Security™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag
• Zacuto Z-Finder, Gorilla Plate V2, and Z-Finder 3.2” Mounting Frame for Tall DSLR Bodies
• Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD On-Ear Compact Folding Headphones

Nikon D750, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 720, ƒ/1.8, 1/250

Some Tips:

This is event photography. Generally speaking, you don’t need a ton of fancy equipment to do event photography. I use two DSLR cameras as a bare minimum (Nikon D4), a wide angle lens (14-24mm f/2.8), a general zoom lens (28-300mm f/3.5-5.6), and external flash units (Nikon SB800 & SB900). I am able to have two cameras by my side, eliminating the need to pause and change lenses.

I was carrying more gear than many since I was also shooting video and creating a multimedia package.

Be Prepared – Do your best to get the run of the show. The run of show is a timeline of what is happening next. Most event planners have one and you should ask for it. By the way two times someone needed a pocket knife and like a good boy scout, which I was, I had one for them to use.

Ask Questions – Be sure to ask the even planner are their any planned surprises. You would be surprised how often this happens and it just isn't included in the official run of show just in case it fell into the wrong hands. If they are doing something for someone's birthday you need to know.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/2.8, 1/60

Slow down and remain calm – "Hey photographer can you come and capture this for us?" is asked so often at events that this is what I call planning for the unexpected.

This is when being prepared is still not enough. It isn't on the run of show and requires you to adjust. Be sure you are fully aware of the timeline and your main objective. Be sure that by getting this quick grab shot doesn't risk meeting the primary objective.

The single most thing that gets under my skin the most is the unexpected. The reason is pretty simple. The difference between good and bad photography lies in the preparation.

What often happens is I am in the middle of setting up for something that requires me to put my cameras into special setup. The best example is doing video with my Nikon D4 cameras. There are so many setting changes that I have them now memorized and saved in the Shooting Memory Bank as VIDEO.

I am in manual mode and the autofocus is changed to manual are two things I can think of right away that is not how I would shoot stills.  Cameras have microphones on them and they are on tripods. If someone were to ask me to shoot something right in the middle of this setup I have to explain it will take me a good five minutes to be ready and then I will need more time to set up once again for the video interview I am doing.

Most of the time when this happens it isn't the client but someone else who thinks I am there to capture everything anyone will want.

"I would love to get that photo for you, can you give me just one minute to make some changes with my gear?" I typically try to say when asked for the unexpected. I am only saying this when I do need a moment to make some changes to the gear. "I am sorry but I need to be getting what I am working on right now for _____________ [insert client's name] that I was contracted to do for them. I have a shot list I am working on and will miss some of those to capture that for you." is also just as appropriate.

If you are hiring a photographer give them a shot list before you sign the contract. Remember that when you ask for those last minute photos the professional photographer needs some time to adjust–this is why you hired them remember. If it were that easy then your smart phone would have sufficed.

Now back to the photographer. Be sure when you are saying no that the reason is that you cannot meet your primary objective versus just being unwilling to be inconvenienced.  Do this too much and you will not appear to be there doing all you can to help the client.

My third camera is often setup for quick reaction to just about anything. Auto White Balance, Auto ISO and auto focus settings for face recognition. I typically use the Nikon D750 for this camera. It has a popup flash just in case I need it.

Remember when people ask you do something at the spur of the moment do your best to accommodate them, but also let them know you may need a moment to get ready.

Nikon D750 Settings

I was asked what my settings were for the Nikon D750. Here are most of those settings, but I want to be sure you know up front these are not what I use every time. I do modify these based on situations.

However this is how I generally leave the camera set.

• Aperture Priority
• Slow Flash Sync
• Auto Focus - Single
• Auto Focus - Auto set to find faces
• White Balance A1
• RAW
• Matrix Metering
• Auto ISO
• Lowest ISO 100
• Highest ISO 12800
• Shutter Speed 1/500

I am post processing all images through Adobe Lightroom 5.7.

The number one thing I am changing first on these settings is White Balance. I will Custom White balance most of the time using the ExpoDisc.

The second thing I am changing is the Auto Focus. I will choose single point using the 51 pts to move the small box around the viewfinder where I put it most of the time on the subject's eyes.

Cross Culture experience is similar to a night at the Opera

Fuji X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/10, 1/20

This is a photo of my wife Dorie with 1991 graduate of The Citadel, and opera stand out, Morris Robinson. We were able to go backstage after seeing Rigoletto due to invitation by Morris and meet some of the cast.

Fuji X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/10, 1/25

Here Dorie is with Todd Thomas who played the lead role of Rigoletto.

The opera Rigoletto was sung entirely in Italian with subtitles in English above the stage. I quickly realized that the opera was so similar to my overseas coverages when I am working in a language that I do not speak.

The first few minutes is difficult because I am not quite getting the story due to the translation taking a while.

You find yourself relying more and more on the acting and the music to help bring you into the mood of the moment. I find I am also relying heavily on the body language and visual cues when I am shooting overseas.

When people look at my photos the photos don't have audio or text for the most part. If the opera was relying heavily on the words to tell the story I was more or less not getting it very well. Hard to read subtitles and pay attention to the acting at the same time.

This helped to remind me of who words and pictures do need each other. Many times the visuals will do a much better job telling the story and other times the words must carry the heavily load of the storytelling.

Neither one alone did a great job without the other.

I recommend going to an opera for visual storytellers, especially if you don't know the language. You will be forced to see how much visuals can do and also see the limits and how important words are as well to the complete package.

Little bit of red better than a lot

Fuji X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/8, 1/320

Just a dash of red in this otherwise very monochromatic photo gives it the pop necessary to grab your attention.

Notice how the same photo in Black & White just doesn't have the same 'POP' as the color photo.

Fuji X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/8, 1/320

Red is one of the colors that draws the most attention in a scene. This is why stop signs like on this school bus are red–your eye is drawn to it in a scene. Also this is why the lights are red on the bus. Same as the tail lights of a car. You want them to be red when you hit the brakes so that those following will be alerted.

The lesson is simple, when there is just a splash of red in the photo your eye will be drawn to that area of the photograph. If you don't want that to happen then don't include it in the photo.

Lovin' Nikon D750 @ High ISO

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 5000, ƒ/5, 1/250

I have been looking through my photos from the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference shot on my Nikon D750. I was really surprised at the quality of the images.

The EXPEED 4 Image-Processing Engine and 24.3 MP FX-format CMOS sensor is a major jump over my Nikon D4.

Years ago when ADOBE improved the main processing software engine for PhotoShop you could go back to older files and get better results due to the software improvements.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/8, 1/40

I think this is what happened with the new Nikon processor and new sensor. While at first I thought the images were sharper and cleaner due to the 24 MP versus the 16 MP, I think it has more to do with the chip quality for dynamic range and the new processor combination.

The pixels are spaced at a pitch of 7.3 microns on the Nikon D4 and 5.97 microns on the Nikon D750. This spacing improves clarity and definition. Rich and smooth tonal gradations. Dramatic character and texture.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 8000, ƒ/5.6, 1/30

Size Matters

One thing that I think is important is to look at the photos the size you would be using them–not zoomed in to 1:1.

So when I compare the images as they will most likely be used then there is a big notice of quality with the Nikon D750. When you go to 1:1 there is still an advantage.

I recommend looking at images the sizes you normally will use for comparison. Zooming in to a 1:1 will have you cropped really tight comparing a 24 MP to a 16 MP.

If you are comparing Nikon cameras unless you need 11 fps or 36 MP buy the Nikon D750.

Southwestern Photojournalism Conference wraps up in Fort Worth, Texas

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

I had a lot of fun the past few days at the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference and student practicum in Fort Worth, Texas. The time started off right with me helping a student at Leddy's. M.L. Leddy's is truly a legend in the handmade boot and saddle industry. Since 1922 they have provided “made by hand” products for discriminating customers all over the world.

The student's assignment on Thursday night was to capture an environmental portrait.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/200

Ana Cláudia D' Carlos holding the Sony camera is talking to Jody the model at Leddy's. Ana is from Brazil and came to the conference by way of School of Photographic Communications at the University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1600, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

Kaylee Kaybay Walding found this street photographer in downtown Fort Worth, Texas for her environmental portrait.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1600, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

The one thing all the students were initially struggling with is their fear of people. Getting them to talk to people to find a subject was difficult, but as the deadline to stop approached they were overcoming that fear.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 10000, ƒ/8, 1/250

On the far right and left front of the photo is Justin and Ashley Veneman. They are photographers in Memphis, Tennessee and were helping the students learn how to set their camera here as others looked on.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/8, 1/50

I have blogged a few times about Dave Black. After we introduced all the instructors Dave asked to speak to everyone for just a minute. "I want to see everyone's portfolio that is here this weekend. No matter how long it takes. So come and see me," Dave said to the group.

Dave lived up to that promise and stayed up to 2:00 am the first day and 3:00 am the second day sitting right here on this couch reviewing portfolios. He encouraged people to gather around so they could hear his comments so they could learn from each other.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/4.8, 1/250

Here is Dave Black reviewing Susanne Childer's work. Everyone around them is Susanne's class from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/4.5, 1/25–off camera flash with the Neewer T850 triggered with the Neewer radio remote

One speaker we love to have back over and over again at Southwestern Photojournalism Conference is Dave Black. He is always prepared with great content and always delivered in an entertaining way.

Here are some of the many expressions that Dave had in just a few minutes. We were laughing and crying with Dave.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/200

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/125

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

Put on your calendar February 26 – 28, 2016 for the conference and if you are a student be sure and attend the student practicum that precedes the event on February 25 – 26.

The Culling of Photographers

When populations of deer get to great they can start to destroy the land due to the lack of resources. There are Wildlife Management Programs around the country to control the population of deer.

Without management you can overharvest and it will take a long time for the population to recover and if you underharvest there is crop damage and deer-vehicle accidents may increase.

This process is called culling of the herd or the thinning of the herd.

There have been natural disasters that have helped nature to correct itself without any culling.

Humans used to have more natural culling of our population. If you did something stupid on your bike when I grew up then you didn’t survive. Today helmets are keeping more of us around. Some could argue that lack of helmets helped us thin the herd.

Weld Founder Austin Mann says, “Many people are calling photography a profession and moving away from a 9-to-5 job.” Just the other day on Facebook an advertising headline read “Understand your camera in 10 minutes.”

Today the market is flooded with photographers and since we do not cull the population [some may wish they could] nature has it’s own way of natural selection or the survival of the fittest surviving in today’s marketplace.

There are just only so many jobs and more photographers than needed, so sooner or later many of these photographers will have to move on to another career to pay their bills.

It is said in sailing the pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell

I played trumpet for many years and even through college. I was pretty good and enjoyed playing. However I did not have what it takes to make it as a professional musician. I did not enjoy practicing for hours each day.

When I discovered photography things changed. I discovered I was spending unusual amount of time shooting or in a darkroom. I would lose track of time. I never remember losing track of time playing my trumpet.

The first clue that you might be culled out from the herd of photographers is if you really lose your sense of time with photography. This lets you know this is not just fun but your passion.

Jay Maisel, Bernie Boston, Hugh Morton and George Tames.  Four famous photographers in my book. I took this at the Southern Short Course in the 1980s.

Jay Maisel tells his students to “always carry your camera.” He goes on to say to them he can tell who will not make it—those not carrying their cameras all the time.

“In this world you're either growing or you're dying so get in motion and grow,” said Lou Holtz.

Time to assess

Where are you now and where do you want to go? How are you going to get from here to there?

I know many photographers who wanted to go from no video skills to adding these to their skill set. They took the NPPA Multimedia Immersion Workshop.  I want to invite you to join me in Romania this summer in a Multimedia Immersion Workshop and here is the link to Storytellers Abroad Workshop.

I will be glad to help you see the way from here to there if this is the path you want to choose.

I believe that better than having a passion for photography is having a passion for the story. Eugene Richards went from being a social worker to a social activist and then finally realizing that photojournalism was the most powerful way for him to help those he cared so much about.

Discover your passion and it will help give you the answers to the big questions of Why go there? AND Why not stay here?

You may also find out that you don't have a passion for this and that is a good discovery. Just move on to your passion and you will be successful–if you nurture it.

Guest Blog: Story is King!

Robin Rayne is an Atlanta-based photojournalist for international and domestic magazines and newspapers. Robin is also producing a documentary film on people with significant disabilities who have been mandated to relocate from state hospitals into community.

---

It was only 96 hours on an island in the middle of the Pacific, but the joy and rewards that came from leading a class of young, passionate student storytellers will rank high on my list of life experiences -- even though I learned as much for myself as I likely taught them.

I was apprehensive when the University of the Nations first asked if I would consider flying to Kona, Hawaii to teach for a week at its School of Photographic Communication (SoPC) on the Youth With a Mission campus. I was one of a handful of journalists recruited as instructors.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

I know some photographers for whom teaching, coaching and counseling seem almost effortless. They are full of knowledge and experiences that just cry to be shared.

I'd never taught a photo class before. But I pushed through my anxiety and said yes anyway. For weeks I pondered what I'd have to offer.  What could I share that was different from the others?

What kept coming back to me was 'the story.' Because what we do is really is all about the story, or narrative, or whatever we're calling it these days.

Without journalistic depth, all those creative, artful and technically brilliant images in the world will remain nice pictures for a gallery or photo magazine, but they fall short as real journalism.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 4000, ƒ/8, 1/100

In 2015, our culture has become one of viewers – on our laptops, iPads, tablets and smartphones – than readers of the printed page.

As journalists, we need to use all the tools available to communicate: still photos, cinema, text, audio and design.

Photojournalists are first of all journalists. The world is brimming with photographers,  but it's our job to tell stories. Sometimes we have editors who direct us to specific people or situations to capture, but much of the time it's up to the photojournalist to find someone that moves a story forward.

Everyone has a story if we dig deep enough.  Too often we take the easy way, the low-hanging fruit. We don't dig. We don't get names, or if we do, we only get the top layer.  We often don't get the rich story because we don't ask the right questions, or we don't know how to ask questions and really listen to the answers.

Students interview coffee grower in downtown Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. [photo by Robin Rayne]

So that's what our class worked on for several days. As an exercise, I asked the students to pair off and interview each other, digging for something  that that was interesting, curious, unique -- or that had conflict.

We split into two production 'crews' and talked about a common narrative that had conflict. The students shaped and refined their questions for a handful of  prospective subjects and then left the campus in search of a multimedia story that could be told in two minutes.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 180, ƒ/4.5, 1/100

A few learning moments quickly surfaced as the crews approached their mission.

Rule Number One: The story is king.

Other things to remember:

2. Do your research and think hard about what the story really is. Answer the question: What's the conflict? Why should the viewer care about your subject or the story?
3.Don't fall in love with your original idea. Have a "Plan B.' and a 'Plan C, D, E and F' if necessary.
4. Be willing to dig for the real story and follow wherever it goes.
5. Look for emotional, spontaneous moments, establishing shots and appropriate b-roll.
6. You can never have enough b-roll.
7. Know your equipment. f4 at 125th sec. outside on a bright day is probably going to be overexposed. And make sure the record button is 'on' when it is supposed to be.
8. Watch your monitor. Know your camera, microphones and cables.
9. Always bring a reflector, tripod and fresh batteries.
10. Listen to the subject's answers. If they're stiff, ask the subject to say it a different way.
11. Delegate responsibility so each crew member knows her/his job.
12. Watch out for things other crew members might have missed.
13. Mediocre images can be forgiven if the audio is solid and clean. Bad audio will lose viewers even if the images are stellar.
14. Kona coffee is awesome.

Students learn how to use microphones with their DSLRs to interview subjects. [photo by Robin Rayne]

Watching the crews learn by doing was the best way to teach. All the things I knew to be true were hammered home to me as we watched the final pieces together. We learn from screwing up more than we learn by our successes.

I hope the students learned some things they might not have known before. Sitting among them rather than in front of them was a great equalizer. Because none of us has 'arrived' and knows everything. We ought to be learning until the day we die.

Students talk to a local shop employee in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. [photo by Robin Rayne]

Now I have a few more friends who will go on to do amazing things in their lives.  I'm deeply blessed to know them. I really liked what we accomplished together that week.
They all rocked, and I hope we'll stay connected.

Aloha,

robin rayne nelson
http://assignmentatlanta.com/

How to capture "Golden Light"

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.3, 1/30

While most people are facing towards the sunset on the beaches of Hawaii, I like to turn around 180º and face the beach.

Guess what you will find?

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/4.5, 1/25

You will find the Golden Light that you often hear National Geographic Photographers talk about. I just love this warm light for portraits.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/4.5, 1/40

Now to the naked eye it was a lot darker than it appears in these photos. The sun had set and was just below the horizon.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 1000, ƒ/2.8, 1/25

Here I captured the look back towards the sun. All these photos are taken within a 5–minute window of time.

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 8000, ƒ/4.5, 1/100

How do you capture this light? Well while you see this sunset just turn around and the Golden Light is everywhere you see. I think it looks best by having subjects not quite looking straight at the sunset. Have them turn slightly 45º to 90º to the light. If you have the camera 90º to the sunset then you have some of the most beautiful light I know of capturing.

I think it beats window light. By the way if you don't want to stay up for the sunset you can get up early and capture the sunrise and get similar results.

Plan ahead for great Prom Pictures

Nikon D3S, 24-120mm, ISO 200, ƒ/9, 1/60

The key to a great photograph of any kind has a great deal to do with the location. This is the time to start checking with your friends to see about possible locations for the photos before all the kids go off to the prom.

Here one of the parents had a lovely backyard with steps that made for wonderful "natural" risers.

Nikon D3S, 14-24mm, ISO 200, ƒ/9, 1/60

At some point this is the photo that will be made–the crew is all together for one big photo. Now this will most likely be the last photo since some will be running late.

I recommend using lights to be sure that you can see everyone's face without racoon eyes. Racoon eyes are from the overhead sun or even worst a backlit photo.

Here is the setup I did for all the photos:

I had six Alienbees B1600 lights. Four are in front with 65" umbrellas and two in the back pointed up to be sure the trees didn't go black. So many trees in the backyard actually created a dark canopy and using the strobes in the back helped to open up the shadows.

Nikon D3S, 24-120mm, ISO 200, ƒ/9, 1/60

Plan for the lens choice as well. I needed to move quickly so for all the photos except the huge group photo I used the Nikkor 24-120mm. This let me do couple shots and then quickly have a small group photo.

You see the evening of the prom they are not wanting to do photos all night long. They want to go to the prom. Pick a great location, put up your lights and then have a lens like the 24-120mm or multiple cameras with different lenses ready to go.

Proms are just a couple months away, but the best photos are the ones where the photographer takes the next two months to plan. You can rent lights if you don't have them. If you have never done this before then do a test run before the date.

Nikon D3S, 24-120mm, ISO 200, ƒ/9, 1/60