An evolving methodology for using the Leica Q2. Different than what I expected.

 

When I first started using the Leica Q2 I think my brain was adamant in telling me that the thing in my hand was a glorified point-and-shoot camera and would be most effectively used as an "automatic" and "auto-focus only" device. A mental pigeon-holing of the camera into the "toy" column of cameras rather than the "working tool" category. 

From the outset I used the camera that way. I would set it for aperture preferred mode, set an aperture that I "knew" would deliver nice results, and then rely on the camera's autofocus to quickly nail focus for me. While the photographs generally turned out well and the camera was a breeze to operate I missed a bit of the friction I generally like to have attendant in a camera to make its use more...fun. 

I think it was the arrival of the M series cameras (M240, M240 ME) I've been buying over the last year that switched my thinking about the Q2. At some point, maybe just a few weeks ago, I started using the Q2 in a different way. I started setting my exposures manually. I started using smaller f-stops for exterior work and larger f-stops for interior work. (Yes, I know that makes complete sense, but for me it was a move away from just setting and then forgetting what I believed was the optimum aperture. I was living my life at f4.0 or f5.6). 

But the biggest change has been moving from depending on AF to relishing MF. Manual Focus. 

What I discovered when I really plunged into manual focusing on the camera was how good the entire system actually is for providing a near perfect manual focusing experience. And how convenient it is, in some cases, to rely more on zone focusing (or hyper-focal distance focusing) for quicker work. 

But I should back up and explain the camera I think. The Leica Q2 is the second camera of three in Leica's evolution of a full frame, fixed lens (28mm) take everywhere camera. It's compact, the external interfaces are very minimalistic and the camera and lens are very well built. The lens autofocuses and also has a traditional aperture ring near the front. It's lovely. The finder is an EVF and like other Leica cameras the optical configuration/construction of the eye level finder is superior to any other compact camera on the market. The camera has a leaf shutter which is mostly silent, but more importantly for flash shooters, it provides flash sync at all shutter speeds. Perfect for fill flash in full sun. 

The lens features a complete set of focusing distances etched (not just painted!) onto the lens barrel. This is an important aid for those who want or need to zone focus!!! The lens barrel also features an etched depth of field scale for the 28mm lens. Also a nice aid for zone focusing fans who don't want to carry around a book full of depth-of-field measurements. But the best thing about all this is that the lens, when switched into the manual focus mode, is a real manual focus instead of a focus-by-wire type where the focusing ring can turn and turn and turn. When you are in MF there is a hard stop at both ends of the focusing range. A hard stop at infinity and a hard stop at the closest focusing distance. That's an incredible relief for all manual focusing aficionados. It also means that when you set a specific distance in MF the focus point stays there until you move it somewhere else. You are completely in control. 

Of course none of this would matter if you had a hard time focusing with your eyes. Right? 

As soon as you touch the focusing ring the image in the finder is magnified by 4 - 12X and, if it's set in the menu, focusing peaking is also engaged. Combined, this makes focusing with your eye incredibly easy and incredibly accurate. As soon as you let go of the ring the full image shows in the finder. 

It's an elegant system and I'm now using it nearly all the time instead of depending on the autofocusing capabilities of the camera. 

While the image magnification and focus peaking are nearly foolproof for getting sharp images with most subjects there are times when I'll encounter a fast moving subject or I want to photograph in the street or in a crowd without bringing the camera to my eye. That's when I default to zone focusing. After all, it's a 28mm wide angle lens so why not?

If I'm walking down the sidewalk in a city and want to grab quick, candid shots I depend on an aperture like f8.0 or even f11, prefocus in the range I think I'll want to cover and find a shutter speed that gives me the third leg of the exposure triangle I want; along with the ISO. With the camera focused at a bit past six feet on the  focusing ring, and the camera set at f11, I can be reasonably sure that I'll have good focus on everything within a zone of about 4.5 feet to infinity. Since I'm generally photographing people from about eight feet away that set up means that eight feet is nearly the exact point of focus and so will be quite sharp and in focus. With a safety margin on either side.

One of the reasons I sold the two Fuji X100V cameras I owned was my frustration with the manual focusing set up with those cameras. There was no indication of focus distance on the lens barrel and one had to consult a small, linear scale in the EVF to watch while rotating the focusing ring. Turn the camera off or let it go to sleep and you lose the focus point. It's not an optimal camera with which to pursue zone focusing. Maybe Fuji has changed that on the X100VI. I haven't worked with one so I don't know.

One more note about using the Q2 professionally. I now have several of the Leica SCL-6 batteries and the difference between them and the previous SCL-4 battery that came with the Q2 is significant. Working with the camera in manual focus, and setting a power saving mode, I'm finding that I can get through a full, casual day of photography with one battery and an intensive day of commercial photography with just two batteries. The added bonus being that the new batteries are also less expensive. Win-win. 

I like the Q2 very much now. It's also changed my taste in focal lengths and I'm much more inclined to use wider focal lengths like the 28mm now. That's a change for me. 

The Q2 and the SL2 are both cameras I have absolutely no regrets about buying. They both fill their photographic categories quite well. And they travel well together. The larger camera for exacting work with longer focal length lenses and the smaller camera for quicker and more discreet work. 

In taking the camera down to its essentials: manual focusing and manual exposure, it works just like the cameras I grew up with and learned to work with. It's a comfortable way to work because you have at least the idea of being in complete control. And you'll likely feel more engaged in the process. 

The Q3 offers some things that many photographers might like. The flipping rear screen being one. But if I were to add another camera to the Q mix it would most likely be a lightly used Q2 as a back up or, for the novelty of it, a Q2 Monochrom. I seem to nearly always buy stuff one model back from the current newcomers. When I finally do pick up a Q3 a year or two from now it will still seem like a big revelation. 

Oh dear. No skyscrapers. No mannequins. No soliloquy to my desk chair or my filing cabinets. Just writing about how I personally use a popular camera.

The pluses and minuses of using a Leica SL2 and a Leica 24-90mm zoom lens for event work.

 

Kirk by Alan Pogue.

Early event work. Back in the 1970s.

Austin style.

I've covered corporate events with all kinds of cameras. In the film days my favorite cameras for event coverage were the Nikon F5 and the Nikon F100. They did AF very well and their dedicated flashes were amazing for their accuracy. Sure, they were big and heavy. Especially the F5 with a lens like an 80-200mm f2.8 on the front. But we were young and spry then and it didn't seem to be a big deal.

In the digital arena I've worked with early Olympus 4:3 cameras, Olympus m4:3 cameras, Nikons, Sonys, Canons and now Leicas. All of them were usable and some were quite good. But for one reason or another the Leicas seem to be stickiest for me. They are the ones I've hung on to the longest. 

But it's interesting to me to actually use the Leica SL system for events since I started buying into the L mount system in 2019 and then Covid struck and we really didn't do any big event gatherings for a couple of years. When the economy and our general (collective) health risk recovered I found that many of the events that had been perennials for me had either ceased altogether or it had been decided that photographic coverage just wasn't as relevant. I got a lot of other use out of the L mount system, and the SL2 camera in particular, shooting advertising assignments and portraits. But that camera and its giant zoom lens didn't see the kind of event work that previous cameras handled. Until this week. 

I spent three long days shooting a nicely produced conference in San Antonio and, except for an afternoon's shoot at two Whiskey Distilleries, the SL2 and the big 24/90mm lens were the only tools I used for the project. 

Here are my observations about the gear: 

First of all we can all agree that with the SL2 fully configured for event work, with a large zoom and a traditional flash, it's a heavy combination. It tips the scales at something like five pounds. That doesn't sound like much and if you were lifting weights it would seem to be nearly nothing. Unless you were lifting weights all day long and into the night... I wasn't used to the physicality of carrying around a package of that size and weight for three days straight. By the third day it became a bit fatiguing. 

Instead of letting the camera package dangle from a neck or shoulder strap (which puts a lot of stress on the lens mount) I tend to hold the lens, with the camera attached, in my left hand, my arm slightly bent at the elbow. For the most part it's a comfortable hold on the system. It's just a bit heavy when handled that way for a long spell. 

On the flip side the mass of the camera and lens lends more stability when handholding the package and actually shooting. Couple that with image stabilization in both the lens and the body and you'll be able to pull off stable handholding down to about 1/15th of a second in the real world. Your ability to achieve sharp images though really depends on the magnitude of subject movement more than camera shake for most situations that include people. 

Miles of type have been wasted describing the SL series of cameras (but not the SL3...) as being very slow to focus. Add in internet hyperbole and the SL2 becomes incapable of focusing. And, of course, none of that is true. The camera, with the latest firmware, is very quick and accurate for a contrast detection AF camera. The only time I thought the camera would have trouble focusing was in some shots of people on a dance floor which was not well lit for photography. And in a situation where I don't want to disrupt the social flow by activating an AF flash assisting red beam. But in the same situations in the past all the other cameras I've used had an equal amount of trouble focusing in the near darkness. 

My solution was to use the camera's innovative zone focusing feature. On most focus-by-wire lenses there is no distance scale and no depth of field scale. And that's not good if you want to use those lenses via zone focusing. If you are using a Leica SL type camera and an L system AF lens you are in luck. If you put the system into manual focusing mode and push down on the shutter release, just to the first stage, you can see, on the top info screen, three numbers stacked one above the other. The middle number is the exact focus distance you've set, manually on the lens. If you want the point of sharpest focus at ten feet you can turn the focusing ring while watching the info changing on the top screen. Hit ten feet and it shows up as numbers on the screen. The number on the top is the furthest distance that will be in focus and the camera knows this because it's calculating depth of field using both the focal length setting, the accurate focus point and the set aperture. The bottom number is the closest point at which you'll get acceptable focusing. A neat feature and very useful when working in near darkness. 

Using zone focusing for fast moving situations or dark scenes is made very easy. Even with the fly-by-wire lenses. Add in a TTL flash or GN flash and you'll have a high percentage of keepers. I have not seen this feature on other cameras but it may be out there. 

A feature that works well in concert with more traditional manual focusing is the quality of the EVF and the EVF optics. On the SL2 the EVF "screen" is nearly 6 megapixels of resolution but more importantly the precision, glass optics of the finder yield an images that makes manual focusing easier than any other mirrorless camera I have owned. In addition, all the function buttons on the camera are programmable. You can choose the buttons you'd like to make accessing features such as exposure compensation and image magnification second nature for you. There are two buttons on the front of the camera, well above the lens release button, that I've programmed for the way I like to work. The top button activates the exposure compensation control while the button just below it activates focusing magnification. This makes manual focusing very, very accurate. Add in focus peaking and it's a piece of cake. 

One point of friction with the more niche cameras systems is the (un)availability of useful accessories. In the Leica SL system that shows up most (at least for me) in the scarcity of dedicated flashes. Leica lists two current flashes. Both are re-badged Nissin flashes and, for what they offer they are extremely pricey. 

Not that it matters because, at least here in the USA, they are generally always on back-order. 

Several weeks out from my project I decided I'd just bite the bullet and buy their top of the line flash. But it was out of stock everywhere. I knew I could use an automatic (non-TTL) flash but I also knew from experience that there were many situations in which TTL and TTL/HSS would come in handy. I'd read about it in a book somewhere...

So I started the research dive into compatible Leica flashes that have been discontinued but might be available used. I finally zero'd on on the 2010 version of their top line flash, the SF58. Over the course of a week I found two that were in pristine condition and bought them for less than the asking price of one out of stock lower-end offering of new product. My only misgiving with the SF58 is the plastic foot that attaches the flash to the camera. Most makers, including Leica, have moved on to metal feet --- which inspire much more confidence. Even Godox's $60 TT600 flash uses a metal foot. But sadly, not the SF58. 

Having a back-up was reassuring but, in reality, neither flash suffered any kind of failure through the week. Again, I was worried about something that might happen and didn't. A waste of time. 

The SF58s, when attached to the SL2, were accurate and easy to use. When in the hot shoe the flash turns off manual setting preview which means even in dark situations the finder maintains a bright image which allows you to see the frame for composition, etc. But in a neat touch once you trigger a full power or nearly full power flash the manual preview kicks back in and the finder becomes darker (accurately reflecting the actual manual exposure setting) until the flash fully recycles, at which time the preview is turned off and the bright finder image returns. In this way you always have an obvious cue to wait for full recycle.

I used the SF58 flash with the SL2 for the outdoor reception shots and was happy with how easy it was to shoot in TTL/HSS and have more control over the backgrounds of the images via quick rotation of the dial that controlled shutter speed. I was also happy with the consistency of the flash when used indoors in a banquet area with high, dark ceilings, when being forced to use some direct flash on the subjects. The flash was also good with power savings settings and quick wake ups. 

There are two things about the SL2 that annoy me. One is that you can't use different resolutions with the raw files. If you shoot in raw you're going to get the full 47 megapixel file (about 90 Mb) every time. The SL3 fixes that by offering three different raw resolution settings. That pushed me into shooting everything except the (vital) board of directors groups shots with the camera set to Jpeg. 

In an interesting design decision you don't have many choices in the Jpeg menu either. Sure, you can shoot in different image sizes (47 Mb, 22 Mb, or 10 Mb) but unlike most other modern cameras there is no ability for the user to set different compressions or qualities of the Jpeg files. No "super fine" or "fine" or "standard" or "basic." You get what you get. And, as I'm sure you know, the grainier or more detailed the Jpeg file the larger the size of the file. Some of my medium resolution Jpegs were clocking in at around 18 Mb; which is a lot, relatively speaking. 

In the "old days" I defaulted to using Raw files for most shoots because the review abilities of cameras just weren't precise enough to show problem areas with color balance and contrast. With the SL2 finder and rear screen I find the images a near perfect match with final computer files and so I've moved to doing events with Jpegs. After all, when shooting 1500-2000 images, I don't want to spend a lot of time making post production corrections if I can get the images right in the camera. With good custom white balances and accurate profile white balances it's so much easier to get as close as possible to perfect these days. In either format. 

One thing that's always irked me about the SL and SL2 cameras is the lack of fine control over ISOs. ISO values are presented only in full stops. 100, 200, 400, etc. On nearly every other camera I've used one can set ISOs in 1/3rd stop increments. 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, etc. I like the ability to get one third to two thirds of the way in between the full stops. Probably just a habit but at one point I read that the 160 and 320 settings were really low noise, comparatively. Might just be urban legend. But it still seems like a such a simple thing to offer...

Most SL system users have complained about the short battery life in these cameras and I have to admit that it's true. True but requiring historical context. In early days of digital 100 shots from a fully charged battery was pretty darn good. Now I'm getting 400-500 shots, or half a day, out of the newest Leica batteries (which added power and dropped in price by $85 here in the USA). I have four cameras that take the same format batteries. All of the cameras work with the SCL4 as well as the newer SCL6 batteries so I've started stocking in (gradually) the newer batteries. But I have a bunch of the last generation batteries too. And they still have long lives ahead of them. The EVF takes more power than the rear screen. If battery life is vital the "power saving" setting shuts the camera off quickly between shots and comes back with the touch of the shutter release. It's a mixed blessing because it takes a couple seconds for the camera to come back to life. 

In working with cameras everything is a system. Including the lenses. I wish the 24-90mm lens was half the size and weight that it is but I'm pretty sure that overall performance (optical performance) would take a hit. As it is, if you don't carry around the back up body (instead keeping it close by with the AV guys...) or any other lenses then the camera and the one lens are probably less weighty than a more extensive system in a camera bag. 

In my experience, borne out by thousands and thousands of images, the 24-90mm is the equivalent of having a whole set of Leica quality prime lenses all in one lens. I use the lens most of the time at the widest aperture and have never seen an image that took a sharpness hit as a result. It's an impressive optical system. And it perfectly integrates with the bodies. And, aside from overall image quality, the range of focal lengths available to me fits the way I shoot nearly perfectly. I wish the lens was 10mm longer on the long end but with 47 megapixel files you have lots of resolution with which to crop. 

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had scouted a location for a group shoot but on the morning of the shoot we had rain and drizzle and I had to move around quickly and find a dry location that still allowed us to shoot a photograph with a lush, outdoor background. I went out for a quick scout with the camera and lens, both of which are highly weather resistant. I came back in with a soaked camera and lens but I was confident that they would be fine. I looked on the bottom of the camera and noted the IP54 rating for the camera. A direct, gentle rain should be no match for the camera's dust and moisture sealing. And it wasn't. 

Now to the idea that the camera brand is somehow impressive to clients. Here, I laugh with gusto. In a ballroom filled with professional guys over 50 years old not a single person gave either of the Leicas I was using a second look. No one asked a single question about the cameras. No one raised an eyebrow. Since the internet assumption is that the "red dot" is like a highway flare of brand notoriety I presumed that I would entertain at least some interest in my "Veblen" camera choice I was curious. Here's what I figured out: bankers and shareholders in the 8th largest banking organization in the USA are well off enough not to think of price or brand for devices in which they have little or no interest. To them these cameras are a workman's tools. Nothing more and nothing less. They trust the craftsperson to choose tools that help them do a job. That's the whole of it. The only people who ever note the presence of a "red dot" are other photographers. 

At the end of the week I found myself absolutely comfortable with the camera and lens. I guess I should be since I've been shooting projects, jobs and mannequins with the gear since 2020. We're nearly four years in now.  I would hope that all the operational stuff would be second nature by now. Right?

What will I likely change when I do this project again in 2025? Over the course of the year I'll keep working on finding the perfect flash to use with the SL system. I'll most likely add an SL3 to the camera bag to take advantage of the variable raw file sizes. I like shooting at 24 megapixels. It's a great compromise. There are some really dark areas in which I'd like to continue shooting without resorting to flash or other artificial lighting and being able to do so with a reasonably sized raw file means I can use Adobe Lightroom's A.I. DeNoise feature to clean up noisy files. The SL3 is also supposed to be faster at focusing and slightly less weighty/bulky. 

On the other hand I may be just as well off buying one of the SL2-S cameras since it's supposed to be a low light champ, has the 24 megapixels I like, and is starting to show up on the used markets for around $3,000 --- for a really clean copy. 

Finally, I would like to find a really nice 135mm f2.8 lens for the L mount system (come on Sigma, you can do it...) that I can use for tight close ups of speakers at podiums. That would be icing on the cake. 

When I do my next event I am already making a resolution to pack less. Much less. Winnowing down to two flashes only, two camera bodies only and one main zoom plus a back up zoom, only, would be the great way to proceed. That and my ThinkTank roller case and I'm set. 

We're trying something new. I'm testing out how well eliminating comments altogether works. The consensus was: keep comments/moderate out the assh@les. Okay.

I've just gotten worn down moderating caustic and unhelpful comments. Since I won't have to read complaints or "suggestions" .....

More swimming coming up: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/is-swimming-the-ultimate-workout

It's behind a paywall. TLDR: best exercise for physical and mental health. By a long shot.

Never mind. There will be comments. The work around is, a la MJ, all of the comments will be moderated before seeing the light of day... Thanks for your time.

successful project. Back home in Austin.

 

The event in San Antonio was successful. The hotel did a great job with the banquets and the meetings. The audio/staging/video company, Palladium, did their usual perfect job. The clients were happy and kind. The cameras I selected performed well. The electronic flashes didn't explode in my hands. No issues erupted. Everyone went home happy.

Not a very interesting story...

Home. Now working on post production of event images.

This is an image I shot two years ago. The person on the left, in front, is 

Texas governor, Gregg Abbott. He is seated next to one of the top 

executives from Samsung. Texas and Samsung penned a deal to 

drop in a facility of a couple million square feet just north of Austin.

I include this image because it's one of many event photo shoots I've

done utilizing the Leica SL2 camera and the 24-90mm lens.

I wanted to show that the combo is highly capable as event gear.

The image above is NOT from this week's event!!!

I left Austin after lunch on Monday. I checked into the Marriott Hotel at River Center in San Antonio in the middle of the afternoon. The porter helped me get four cases of photo gear and one case of clothes up to my room. Half an hour later I was location scouting for outdoor settings that we could use to make several board of directors photographs for my banking client the next morning. 

I brought extra photo gear with me for two reasons. One reason is that it's ill advised to embark on a three day photography project, for a client, without a bit of back-up gear. Just in case. I packed a back-up body (SL) for the SL2 and then included a smaller, lighter secondary camera, the Q2, in case I wanted to go lower profile for any of the sub-events I would be documenting. All three cameras use the same SD cards and the same batteries. I brought along six of the previous generation Leica batteries and two of the newer, longer lasting, and cheaper batteries. The second reason to bring two cameras is to make the days more interesting. Choice is fun.

In addition to the cameras and lenses I also brought along five flashes. Two were Godox V1 flashes. I used those just for one part of the job; the exterior shots of the board of directors; a series of group shots of the eight members. The session was scheduled for 10:30 a.m Tuesday morning. The weather report the night before was reassuring. Reality was different. It misted and drizzled all morning long. We went with a second, pre-scouted and close by location which provided cover over the top of the group while delivering a nice view, behind them, of gardens, trees and the River Walk. The two Godox flashes were used with 45 inch umbrellas on very portable light stands. The subjects and the commissioning client were pleased with the results.

Those two flashes and the light stands went back into a stand bag, got dropped back by my hotel and were never used again during this trip. But in that one session they were exactly what I needed to be able to have maximum location flexibility coupled with reliable performance. And their batteries last almost forever. 

The rest of the day was filled with executive breakout sessions and the taking of many atmospheric shots to fill in the edges in our visual story. In the late afternoon 250+ bankers and major shareholders attending the event headed up to the rooftop plaza of the Hyatt Regency, overlooking the River Walk, the Alamo and downtown. The weather had changed for the better and there was a light breeze which made the humidity tolerable. I used the SL2+24/90mm to capture small groupings and I added the Leica SF58 flash, used in TTL/HSS, to add fill light and catchlights for the people in the photographs. 

The attendees split up after the reception and were treated to various great restaurants all over the city. The head meeting planner is a San Antonio native whose family had been in the restaurant business for generations, in the city, so she was very familiar with all the best and most iconic dining venues. I spent the evening eating a room service salad and editing the images from the reception. I edited down to 60 files and resized them to 16:9 for the production company which was tasked with cobbling them into a slide show to play on the two 20 foot screens in the main ballroom the next morning, when the attendees arrived for the general session. The new, M3 MacBook Pro made short work of both the editing and the post processing required. 

Breakfast started at seven on Wednesday morning and the "main tent" session began right at eight o'clock on the dot. I photographed each of the presenters, hosts and guest speakers from a table near the stage. To get tight shots of each person (waist up) I set the camera to shoot at the APS-C file crop and, when set to 90mm, the lens emulated a traditional 135mm. Or at least the same angle of view. As always, I arrived early and made a custom white balance for the stage lighting which I used on both Wednesday and Thursday's general sessions. The color out of camera was pretty much perfect. And the staging company, Palladium, designed the lighting for the stage in such a way as to make it easy on me and the camera. 

The afternoon offered the attendees a choice of activities. A Bourbon tasting (the most popular), a visit to the historic missions of San Antonio, skeet shooting, and one more that was a basic bus tour of  downtown historic locations such as the Alamo, the Mercado etc. We sent two other photographers out with two of the groups and I went along on the visit to the distilleries. We divided up photographic resources based on the popularity of the events. The Bourbon Tasting and Distillery tour was the hot ticket. I had dibs on that.  I ditched the SL2 and just took along the Q2 and an automatic flash.

Back to my hotel for a shower, some downtime and a change of clothes. Then back to the Hyatt Regency for another reception, a lovely dinner, and a great show by Austin legend, Ray Benson, and his band, Asleep at the Wheel. We were able to get on the band's schedule but the very next day they'd be in Phoenix as the opening band for Willie Nelson, on a U.S. tour. The band wrapped up around 10:15 and the client and I sat down to go through the day's images to make a new selection of images for the next morning's walk in. I finally got back to my room around 12:30 a.m., packed all my cases. Charged batteries for everything. 

This morning was, as usual, breakfast at 7:00 a.m. with the event starting at 8:00 a.m. The first part of today's meeting was an hour long "state of the economy, the bank, and the mission targets." Lots of charts, graphs and math.  The second half was a presentation by Sixty Minutes TV correspondent, Scott Pelly. The presentation was great. And duly documented via the SL2 and the 24/90mm. Five minutes after Pelly wrapped up his presentation I was back over at my hotel, just across the street, getting one of the hotel porters to deliver my luggage down to the valet stand, and five minutes after that I was in transit back to Austin. I arrived in time to unload the car and then get lunch. 

I'd forgotten how much fun it is to socialize, to wear a coat and tie, to hang out with experts in a field, and to play endlessly with a fun camera. I think the feeling is contagious because my client has already booked me for their show next year; back in Santa Fe, NM. I'm looking forward to it.

On my return I find that a different client has requested that I do a project for them next week. Environmental portraits. Another favorite activity. Another favorite client. And so it goes. 

No mannequins were harmed in the execution of this week's job. The Leicas proved once again that they are not just toys for dentists and doctors. The biggest disappointment of these last four days is....you guessed it... no swimming. So sad. I know you were anxious to read about aquatic sports again. 

Also, no skyscrapers. Just the way it was. 

 

 

On Topic: Colorizing my past work. A short break from an endless posting of skyscrapers and mannequins.

Russian model on the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy

 I find it very interesting to see what PhotoShop's Neural Filter "Colorize" picks for color and tonality. For example it seems to have a very limited repertoire for lip color, a very pleasing but narrow palette for skin/tone skin color and a tendency in an open air scene such as this to push blue tones into the background. The steps, as most people who have toured Rome know, are neutral to warm in color and have no blue component. But on the other hand I like the deep blue jacket on the out of focus woman just to our left of the main subject's head. And I especially like that the programming paid attention to the woman just over our main subject's shoulder; again, to our left, making sure the coloration was pleasing on her face. 

I find it odd that the grouping of three people in the upper left of the frame are rendered in black and white/grayscale. 

This image conversion was done in one click. I did not make any changes to the machine selections. It's impressive, at least to me, that the filter does such a good job on a first try. 

So, what are the ethics involved in colorizing old black and white work? I think it all depends on how transparent you are willing to be and what the final use of the images will be. We didn't think of the implications when we were photographing these scenes in black and white in 1995 because we didn't really imagine that a conversion to color from our black and white film stock could be so simple and so convincing. 

If I were submitting images to news magazines I wouldn't step over the line and convert a black and white file to color but for my own enjoyment I think it's fun to take an "image by image" approach. And as one blogger often says, "As long as no one is getting hurt...."

I'd be interested in your comments about this subject. While I no longer shoot black and white film I do have a tens of thousands of black and white negatives from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s that I'd like to pore through and perhaps scan in enough for a portrait show at my favorite gallery. What are your thoughts?

Iterations are (or should be) an important part of the artistic/photographic practice. How will you know the "best" treatment for an image until you knuckle down and experiment?

 

I came back to this image of Lou this morning after having posted one version yesterday. I didn't like the automatic colorization of the background in the last image so I selected my subject, Lou, made a duplicate layer with a layer mask, selected the background layer and reduced the color saturation of the background. By eliminating most of the color in the background I think the background is less distracting, and without the color contrasts it also looks smoother. The smoothness of the background accentuates the foreground/subject detail without requiring an increase in subject contrast or sharpening. 

Once I got the image in the ballpark, for me, I also pulled out some of the saturation from the foreground subject/Lou. 

There is sometimes a misconception here that I operate the blog as an art gallery. A place where I show final images to an audience that is here to ruminate together solely about images. It's not. It's really a place where I discuss the nuts and bolts of making photographs and, by showing the progression of post production on an image, I also talk about how perceptions of style change and morph either when my tools change or my tastes change. My idea for the blog, from the very beginning, is that the thoughts and the descriptions about how I work and what I'm trying to accomplish; the words, are more important than the photographs. The photographs exist here because I like them but also because they are examples that reflect what's covered in the written ideas. 

A reader of another blog took a stab at VSL today/this morning by implying, in comments appended to another off topic post about tennis, that the bulk of what I show here is photographs of mannequins in store windows. I wondered if this was statistically true so I went back and checked at my VSL Google Photo Archive that's filled to the brim with images I've posted over the course of the blog's life; since, actually, 2008. 

Turns out that I've posted nearly 20,000 photographs over the course of writing the blog. Of those fewer than 100 have mannequins showcased in them. You can do the math. 20,000 images means you have a lot to choose from besides fun photos of mannequins. Some are work photos, some are from hundreds of live theater shoots, many are portraits done for both myself and my clients, while some are personal images. Travel photos.  And yes, some are of mannequins. 

Traditional photographic blogs are few and far between these days. I'm still trying to deliver meaningful content about the real working life (and hobbyist pursuits) of a commercial photographer working in Austin, Texas. Not London or New York City but certainly not the sticks either. We still discuss which cameras and why. I post images to show concepts and sometimes, as in the image above, just because I like the way the photograph looks to me. I'd hate for the VSL blog to decline into a review site for bidets and a showcase for bowling. 

Yes, you have seen this image in one form or another 9 times over the course of the blog's life. In each showing there were either small or large changes to the image, or both. My work has nothing to do with hewing to straight documentation. The work here is rarely, rarely journalism. Rather it's constructed unreality made to please me or you or clients. Or all three. 

Today's iteration is a case in point. I made a few subtle changes in addition to the colorization and subsequent toning down of the background. I also removed a small skin tag from Lou's right/lower eyelid. It may change the feel of the image for some and maybe not for others but it caught my attention this morning and I used Photoshop to remove it. Were I a strict journalist and if this image was to be presented as "fact" I would not have done so. But it's not. So I did.

My firm belief, once again reinforced by quotes from the Avedon bio book I discussed earlier in the week, is that progress in the quality of both seeing and of also hitting technical targets comes from constant practice. Constant photographing and by extension the frequent revisiting and modifying of the results of one's work. Everything is a work in progress. Everything. 

If you ask a swim coach how to get better the short answer is: time in the water. But the long answer should be: time in the water + the constant practice of correct form (technique). It's one thing to get wet every day but quite another to concentrate on continuing to improve a mindfulness toward, and practice of, your best form. Why bother to practice bad form?

I'll slow down on posting next week because I will be engaged then as a working, professional photographer. We start in earnest on Tuesday. Over the course of the three days of photography I'll have the opportunity to have a constant feedback loop of images going right in front of my eyes. I'll photograph, assess, improve, photograph, assess and so on. And I'll write about it after I get back...

One would think that having done hundreds of similar projects over the years that there's nothing more to learn. But that's a dangerous way to think about a discipline that's always been a moving target. The exercise of photographing hundreds or thousands of photographs in a week is just one more layer of experience in the bank. And it gets mixed with previous understandings about work.

The post production I'll do on the new images from the event will incorporate new capabilities delivered in the past year. Things like A.I. Denoise, new presets, improved firmware in cameras and lenses, new selection tools in post. Everything informs everything else ---- if you let it.

If you walk into a project cold you have to cover all your potential bases. Be ready for an unknown mix. But if you come back to a project having done the same event structure for the same client before you get to fine tune more. You look to refine the project this time around instead of inventing it from the ground up.

Seems like fun to me. Like revisiting this older image of Lou. It's a time to overlay new capabilities and to see how it affects your work. Both commercial work and personal work. 

On Topic: Jennifer. Brilliant Hydro Engineer. Former Assistant and....Ben's Favorite Babysitter.

 

Like a lot of other fortunate occurrences in my life I met Jennifer at a swimming pool. She was one of two talented swimmers who taught my kid to swim well. He was about two years old when they got started. I met J. at a time when she was an engineering student at UT who also competed in triathlons. She needed some part time income and pretty soon she was working freelance alongside my first assistant, Renae, on photography projects; like the big events we used to do for clients like Dell, Motorola and IBM. Both my assistants were much more competent than I but neither of the them was particularly interested in actually becoming photographers. 

Working in tandem there was nothing that they could not handle. I never had to entertain a second thought about them dealing directly with clients, solving logistics problems or taking care of the talents who came through the studio. 

That both of my former assistants moved on to successful careers, happy marriages and the raising of beautiful children always makes me happy. 

One bonus of having them in the studio was that I had a constant source of people willing to sit for portraits while I experimented with lighting and new lenses. This image was a black and white test for a new Hasselblad lens. At least that's what the notes on the file tell me. Probably that 180mm that was nice and sharp but had such lousy out-of-focus rendering on detailed backgrounds. 

 

On Topic: I'm always a bit amazed at how well 35mm film holds up in the days of 48+ Megapixel Digital times.

 

I seem to have been on a jag the last day or two. I've spent time "scanning" older negatives with my film photographing set-up (which consists of a light source, a 70mm Macro Sigma Art lens and a Panasonic S5 body) getting them exactly where I want the tonalities, etc. and then going into the Neural Filters in PhotoShop and applying the "Colorize" command which has the software create colors for the images. And, so far, I have to say that the program does a really good job at hitting color palettes that I would agree with. 

This image struck me in a different way. It started life as a 35mm black and white negative. The film stock was Agfapan APX 100. It was developed in Rodinal with a dilution of 1:50. I have printed the image previously and liked the paper version so I thought I'd try it as a newly revived and adapted digital file. 

But what struck me was the basic detail and image sharpness of the 100+ Megapixel file that resulted from using a multi-shot "scan" from the negative. What you are seeing here is a version of the file that's been reduced from 12,000+ pixels on the long edge to a more manageable (for Blogger) size of 3200 pixels on the long side. And from 16 bits to 8 bits of color information. And from an initial Raw file to a Jpeg file. But it still maintains the sense of detail and sharpness that I saw when reviewing the initial scan. 

One often wonders when looking at images from the latest, high dollar, digital camera sensors, just how well film might have competed with --- basically --- thirty year newer technology. In the past most of the film to digital comparisons I've made were between digital and medium format film scans. It's eye-opening for me to see just how well 35mm film stands up. A reminder that film was, in the mid-1990s, a very advanced and evolved medium. 

Of course it doesn't hurt that this negative was birthed from one of the top lenses of the day and additional created in a camera with an exceptionally flat film plane. And under highly controlled electronic flash lighting. It's hard to compare apples to apples when things like motion and speed of use are also involved. But for static portraits I think film was close to being comparable to new digital. And certainly better at holding highlight detail --- tenaciously. 

Sometimes, generally after making and image like this from older negatives, I wish I had the patience and budgets to switch back to a workflow completely centered around black and white film, medium format cameras and traditional studio lighting. But, I guess doing enough of anything all the time would be boring. 

I keep remembering that what makes a photo succeed or fail nearly always depends on what you and the subject were able to accomplish together. A shared rapport. An interaction. A performance. 

ON TOPIC: Job prep took a break for the "big" eclipse. The planning now revolves around "which camera and lenses to take" intersecting with "what's my flash strategy?" and bolstered by "what clothes should I pack?"

 

It's just about impossible to go wrong with a white, cotton, long sleeve button down Oxford shirt.

There was an eclipse yesterday. We were in the path of "totality." We are currently working on a pop song called, "Totality." I hope to have it performed by Lady Ga-Ga and produced by Pharrell Williams. But that's a whole different thing (yes, joke). We watched the "totality" from the swimming pool, alternating with a pleasant and unhurried workout swim. We did pause from time to time to look at the partial eclipse and then we paused for a few minutes when the moon totally blocked the sun and everything got dark....for about four minutes. The folks in Montreal probably had the best shot at seeing a nice eclipse. 

But then I got back to pre-shoot logistics. 

My client added a day to the  event schedule for next week. It's a conference for a major banking group. The board of directors is converging at the event and there was a request for a board of directors group shot. We'll shoot that in the morning on the day when all the attendees arrive. The schedule originally called for just a reception that day, from five to seven pm, and my plan was to drive in from Austin in the mid-afternoon, get situated in my hotel and then meet up with the production team and marketing team in the late afternoon. Photography to follow.

With the new request added to the schedule I requested a hotel room for the night before so I could scout for locations well in advance and also to get a decent night's sleep and not have to worry about early morning traffic both in Austin and San Antonio. It's a good idea not to have to rush into the B.O.D. shots at the start of the whole event. Nothing like a sweaty and anxious photographer running late to ruin the vibe...

Now my schedule is M-T-W and a half day on Thursday. I'll head back to Austin after the event wraps around one p.m. on Thursday. Unless...  If the client needs a lot of files right away, instead of being able to wait a few days, I'll ask to add a Thursday night hotel stay and go straight from the show back to the hotel to dive into file editing, post production and fast delivery. More fun to do that at my hotel with availability of room service. And no distractions.

The event is an upscale mix of meetings, speeches and receptions but also includes some light-hearted social events and entertainment. As well as one afternoon of activities outside the scope of the core conference. Like skeet shooting. So wardrobe needs to be varied. Coat and tie for the B.O.D. group portrait session. Just to get things off to a good start. Those participants will all be in suits and the women in formal business wear. I figure I should look like I belong. Dressing well always worked for Richard Avedon...

 Then business casual for the opening reception in the evening. 

I'm packing a navy blue suit, a blue sport coat, a black sport coat and lots of nice dress shirts to match. Pants? Of course!

I think we have this all covered and since I've worked with this client over the past few years I have very good idea of the vibe and also of what the prevailing dress codes will be. 

Photographing event stuff requires a pleasant smile, a camera you don't mind having in your hands for a long day, a medium/standard zoom lens and a good flash. My primary camera will be a Leica SL2 fitted with a 24-90mm zoom lens. I've sourced two very good condition Leica SF-58 flashes and I've been testing them with the camera and lens most of the week. Fresh Eneloop batteries arrived last week and are on their third round of discharge/recharge to properly form them. There are also a couple of Metz Mecablitz 58 AF-2 flashes in the back-up bag; just in case. Same form factor. Similar menus. Same batteries. As well as two off camera connecting cords.

I like being able to bounce flash off ceilings. Even really high ceilings. If it's a big reach I'll go as high as ISO 1600 coupled with f4.0 to make it work. Depending on the color of the existing, ambient light, I'll lightly filter the flash to get at least halfway from daylight to the color source of the ambient.  And I'll make the flash color the dominant color balance. The background aim point is usually 2/3rds of a stop darker than my main subject's proper exposure. 

As back up for the zoom lens I'm packing a trio of Sigma L mount lenses. The 35mm f2.0, the 50mm f2.0 and the 90mm f2.8. I'm also taking one of the original SL cameras as a back-up for the SL2. The third camera I'm taking along will be the Leica Q2. I hope to use it for several exterior events where the leaf shutter and high shutter speed flash sync are just the right thing. Bonus! All three cameras take the same batteries!!

I'm packing a separate light kit for the B.O.D. group shots. Two light stands, two Godox V1 flashes, a Godox/Leica flash trigger, two white umbrellas and a small but quite handy tripod. I'll use that gear on Tuesday morning, repack it and then leave it in the secure backstage gear area for the rest of the show.

I thought about taking a longer lens for shots of speakers at the podium but at the last show for the same client I was able to get close enough to the stage to get the shots I wanted. My usual plan for podium shots (always with NO flash!!) is to use the the zoom at 90mm and set the camera to shoot in APS-C mode. I end up with a 135mm focal length and the resulting file (Jpeg) is still a healthy 22+ megapixels. 

All of the active event photographs, small groups shots and live entertainment will be well taken care of with the zoom and a good flash mostly bouncing off the ceilings. I'll bring along the Q2 for those times as well and try it out with some "odd characters" from my collection of zanier flashes; more for entertainment value than need. 

The nice thing about working in a good hotel, and only 70 miles from home by car, is that I can bring along a lot of stuff, make good use of bellmen and essentially make my hotel room an office away from home for three or four days. With someone else to straighten up after me. 

Back-up cameras, back-up flashes, back-up clothing choices and a pocket full of batteries. A shiny new laptop.  Just right for a nice event project.