Photography: Festival Mode & Design - Montreal

The following are tips for shooting the runway shows at the Montreal Festival Mode & Design

Since 2006, I've noticed a steady increase of photographers at this annual festival of fashion and design. Whether that's because the digital age has brought upon more affordable DSLRs or simply more shows like Canada's Next Top Model or Project Runway have brought fashion even more into the mainstream we may never know. In any case, the Montreal Festival Mode & Design is certainly attracting more photographers each year from the curious shutterbug to the die-hard wannabe paparazzi. We Montrealers are privileged to have free open fashion runway shows.



So for all you willing to test your skills out on the battlefield, here now are some tips and tricks for the festival.

(The following is modified from the New York Institute of Photography)

Study the Field
Consider what framing/composition ideas will work best for these runways. Notice the amount of room left below shoes and above the models heads in the full length photographs, and notice the relationship of model to background.

Position is Key
Expect a crowd fighting over the best positions to photograph from, and realize that you'll need to get there early. It is a free event so definitely first come first serve. If you get a great spot, do your best to keep it and maintain enough room to do your work. Before throwing any elbows or harsh words at the other photographers, though, remember you may see the same group at other events. Probably better to make some new friends. Remember we're all there to enjoy the show too.

Check the Lighting and White Balance
In the biggest fashion shows, you'll be working with the lighting that's provided. Remember to check your white balance, as you may need to switch to a "tungsten" or "indoor" setting. Also, taking some test shots early and checking the histogram — the graphic representation of the tones in the image — will let you know if you have your exposure right. Using spot metering will help you get faster exposures since you'll want to meter only for the available lights. Remember your metering may dramatically change as the model is walking until she finally stops.

Fast Lenses
You won't be controlling the light level, and may find this is a situation where a fast lens — a lens with a widest aperture of F1.4, F2.0, or F2.8 — may help you keep a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. Also, shooting at an aperture like F2.8 or F4 can let you create an image with the model sharply focused and the background thrown out of focus — a good effect in some situations.

Take Verticals
Runway photography means vertical shots. You are framing the model from shoes to hat, so turn your camera sideways. As well, this suits the pages of fashion magazines, especially if your goal is the cover. Most DSLR cameras have the option to add a vertical grip — which will make it easy to operate your camera in a vertical position. (Usually, they also let you add a second battery, which may be useful as well. It wouldn't be a good idea to run out of power in the middle of the fashion show.)


Remember, shooting off 10000000+ frames doesn't mean you'll get the shot you want! Get there early, study the runway, the lighting and anticipate what kind of shot you'll be getting.

And while you're looking through the lens, don't forget to look at the models :P!

Photo Tip: Better Beach Photography

The following is from popphoto.com

The best time to enjoy the beach is one of the worst times to take pictures. Harsh midday sunlight can ruin your shots, so experimentation is key. Prevent your camera from automatically under exposing your pictures by keeping it in manual mode. Cameras with spot metering will also allow you to quickly adjust the amount of light you want to capture. When photographing people, try using your flash to get rid of shadows—use a weak flash setting if your camera allows it.

For more tips, check out Digital Photography School’s list of beach photography tips by Darren Rowse.

Be Interesting... but be alone.

The other day a customer came in with hope in her eyes. She was looking to get a Pentax so that she could use the many lenses she had. She was gleaming when I mentioned the current line-up for Pentax. But then I had to break to her the terrible news: very few if any K20D/K200D were available from our stores. We had one K-m that remained.

As I had done with a few customers in the past several weeks, I checked our nationwide inventory and very few K20D/K200D remained. I found out that we would not be ordering anymore from the warehouse in the Philippines (meaning we will slowly stop carrying them in store).

So I went to check other big stores:
- L.L. Lozeau has a few K20D but no K200D for a few months
- Simons Cameras no longer lists either camera
- Forget Future Shop/Best Buy
- Photoservice.ca still has them listed

Nationwide:
- Henry's has the K20D & K-M listed
- TheCameraStore.com is the same story

I'm a big Pentaxian and I know for Pentax to continue to grow, they'll have to cut costs in these economic times in order to stay viable.

Sometimes we get smaller to get bigger

So as I see it, they are putting a lot of marketing into the fantastic K-7 to gain new market share, new and convert clients and that the profits gained will aid in new K30D/K300D down the line. But to do so, they'll have to stop or limit production of the K20D/K200D. They maybe don't have enough funds to fully promote and simultaneously run 4 different lines of cameras as the big 2 (Canon/Nikon) has.

However, if this is isn't the case, and if the K20D/K200D aren't officially discontinued, then I'm very upset at the above retailers. They would prefer to carry brands people know rather than provide all the tools they need.

Up until last week, we had the Nikon D300 & and K20D. Neither camera has sold in months yet we still have plenty in warehouse and probably would order another D300 if they sold out yet for Pentax we have few left and would will not order more should it become sold out (which it did for lucky customer last week).

This doesn't necessarily mean Pentax is on the out. By all accounts, Pentax worldwide is on the rise with their game-changer K-7, their lens line-up increasing, more people discovering and re-discovering the brand and their digital presence on the net with the ever growing www.pentaxphotogallery.com.

David Vs. Goliath
However it seems North Americans are hell bent on having competition as 1 vs. 1 mentality. BMW vs. Mercedes, Canon vs. Nikon, David vs. Goliath, evil vs. good. This I see is strongly reflected in our buyers at head office. In Asia & Europe, you can see much more brand diversity. In France, there are especially many more Pentax owners.

Pentax hopefuls are a unique breed; they love their cameras but they love the passion of photography more. And often they should alone (single Pentaxian among thousands of Canikonians).

In the last 4 weeks, I've upset a couple looking to get the K20D by not having anymore. A student asked my advice and was planning to get the K200D but could not find any in Montreal. A friend got the K-m but due to higher forces is being bullied into getting a Nikon.

And what about that photographer I started with? She can't and won't be able to find any Pentax cameras and though she was happy to see my vested interested in the brand, it ultimately was useless to convince her to stay with a brand that, although to many industry watchers is on the rise with the new K-7, seems to be interesting but alone.

*The comments and opinions are solely those of the writer and do not reflect the opinions and decisions of the above mentioned companies.

Festival Mode & Design - Montreal

Montreal is one of the fashion meccas of the world and is known for its diverse looks and multi-talented designs. To the world, Montreal is known for it's many wonderful festivals including the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Just for Laughs festival. The Festival Mode and Design is no exception.

This festival showcases many fashions of well known brands and labels including Bedo, Dom Rebel and Foxy Jeans. It also features local designers, schools of design and now more integrated music performances including a performance by K-OS. The festival has also been expanded to reach from De Maisonneuve to Cathcart and the Place Ville Marie esplanade. The major highlight will be Saturday Night with the festival's lingerie and music performance.

Photographers are definitely allowed on the site but be warned, if you want the best shots, be ready to bunker down hours ahead and to deal with the immensely large crowds. I've shot freelance style at the festival for a few years and I can share with you a few tips:

• Depending on lighting, be ready to use a monopod for stability. I tried this once and found it more got in the way of my shots, so a Shake Reduction of image stabalization system will make it easier.
• Bring an 18-50, 17-70, 18-135, 50-135 or ideally 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for those runway shots.
• Although regular lenses will work with high ISO (800-1600), F/2.8 lenses will work best.
• Bring a portable strobe (flash).
• Use Av if you aren't comfortable with manual, set you WB and remember to use the selectable focus point on the eyes of the models.

With all that in mind, this is one of the few events of the year that many amateurs DSLR owners come to play photographer and practice their skills. It's certainly been a great testing ground for myself. Although many will be out and about trying to get THE SHOT (as I will be once again), please do try to be considerate and respectful of others. That way, we can all enjoy the fun and excitement of the Montreal Festival Mode & Design.

The festival is free to attend and will run from June 17-20 on McGill College.
The schedule of the runway shows is available downtown at the Eaton Center or online. Click the title for the link.

What Lens Should I Buy?

Click Title for Link

Summer time in Montreal is a great time to be taking pictures. There are many festivals, sports, events, concerts and places to see and find in our wonderful salad-bowl of a city. And when we are out, we want to make sure we have the right lens for the right type of shot. A common question I get is "what lens I should buy?" You already have your 18-55mm kit lens and now want to expand. The typical choice would be to get a zoom lens. Although it may be the natural second lens, it may not always be the right choice. Below I will cover two very important aspects of lens selection, conversion and range.

Is my 18-55mm lens the same as film? Do I see the same thing?

When you have a digital SLR, the lens range (focal length) on the digital body is not the same number. Let me explain. 35mm film had a very large surface area. With modern DSLRs, this area now being used by either a CCD or CMOS sensor is much smaller. As a result, the light entering the lens covers a smaller area. This means basically that you will get more zoom than what is marked on the lens but less wide-angle. So for Pentax, Sony and Nikon DSLRs, you must multiply the focal length by a factor of 1.5 (x1.5 crop factor). So if you put a 50mm lens on these DSLRs, it will give an equivalent-to-film lens of 75mm. This means that when you take a picture, it look like what a 75mm lens did on a film camera. So your 18-55 lens gives you the look of a 27-83mm or the old 28-80 mm lenses from a film camera. For Canons the crop factor is 1.6 and for Olympus it is 2.

So Who Cares What It Looks Like In Film!?!

Well this actually has an affect on what lenses we choose to use. Let's have a look at the ranges and their uses:

Lens Focal Length*	Terminology	Typical Photography
Less than 21 mm	Extreme Wide Angle	Architecture
21-35 mm	Wide Angle	Landscape
35-70 mm	Normal	Street & Documentary
70-135 mm	Medium Telephoto	Portraiture
135-300+ mm	Telephoto	Sports, Bird & Wildlife

The above are focal lengths for film cameras.

These are the ranges used for the different types of shots. Once you consider the crop factor, theri usefulness changes dramatically.
For instance, the 50mm prime lens is becoming a newly found favorite amongst digital photgraphers. It was popular in the days of film because it saw the same thing as what our eyes saw. Now on digital, it doesn't serve the same purpose because it gives a look that is more zoomed than what our eyes see.
The same can be said for wide-angle lenses; traditionally wide-anlge (despite above) cut-off was 28mm. Now with say a Pentax, having a 28mm lens is really like shooting with at 42mm film lens.
Even the most popular telephoto lens today, the 70-200 has changed. With a 105-300mm, it can be a little strong for traditional protraiture.

The factors that may be affected include the depth-of-field look and the perspective. If you are like me and want that traditional look, the way in how the picture was meant to be seen, think of the focal length after the conversion. For instance, I shoot portraits and I use PENTAX DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 because after the conversion, it's like using a 70-200. The way the DOF (bokeh) looks and the perspective it gives for my portraits is how it has always loked. I have used the SIGMA 70-200 f/2.8 and it was too strong for portraits, expecially in studio having to stand farther back.

Although many have only been shooting in digital and don't know what film would give as a result, it really depends on the end users preference to the final look of the picture. In retrospect, the landscape of digital photography will forever change. The purpose of one film lens will now change to suit a new look for a new generation. It has been partially the manufacturer's faults for not considering this. Pentax is one of the few that has taken this to heart early on. There is also Olympus that has factored this in and even Nikon with their new 35mm DX lens that gives the traditonally loved 50mm look.

Anyway you look at it, as long as you get your shot and "be interesting", the only question you need to ask yourself, "am I suffering from LBA - Lens Buying Addiction?"

Eye On Photographers - Vincent Versace

In the first of several segments in my new series on photographers entitled "Eye On Photographers", I will be introducing to you photographer Vincent Versace.

Vincent Versace is a passionate portrait, celebrity and landscape photographer, Nikon sponsored "Legend Behind the Lens". For you gear nuts, he is one of the first to test new upcoming Nikon DSLRs like the D300 in a trip he had to Vietnam. He is also the founding member of the Epson Stylus Pros. His list of credentials and bio sees no bound; you can see it detailed here.

I first heard about Vincent Versace when I was listening to a podcast from 'Inside Digital Photo Radio' (available for free on iTunes). It was part of Epson's Passion of Photography. In the podcast, he talks a bit about being given the Nikon D300 to test in Vietnam and later talks about what makes a good photographer and photographing the moment and people.

One of the first things that I stress to people when wanting to take better pictures, and subsequently what Vincent goes on to mention, is to know your gear! If you are in the field and or at an event and you see a moment you want to capture, if you don't know your camera and have to tell the person "oh wait just a sec. I have to set my aperature, wait the wb is not right, the focus point..." you'll probably lose that moment! Knowing you gear and equipment is like driving a high performance car in a race. You may have to make a split second decision and if you hesitate, you may lose the race. Be comfortable and enjoy using your equipment. A camera should never impeded your ability to take the pictures you want.

One of the questions posed to Vincent is what makes a good photographer. He states that people are searching for that magical formula that will give them great pictures. Of course this would be naive to think in such mathematical terms for art. One of the most important and last of concerns to people is not the equipment used or the technical understanding but to live the moment. Many people say "I want a camera that takes great pictures". As I've mentioned before, that would be like pots and pans that cook great food.

On vacations, many get so caught up with "living the vacation through the lens" that they often miss some key moments by fiddling with their camera or more often that they will miss out on the experience of that vacation because they were so busy taking pictures. Don't live your vacation through what the camera sees. Instead let the camera see what you see; live and seize the moment. If you feel the moment, then take a picture and that emotional experience will then translate to the image. If the person looking at the picture can feel what you felt at the time, then it will have that much more of an impact.

Next time I'll continue on Vincent and more of his thoughts on photography and people.