Monthly Archives: February 2010

Why oh why!

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Michael Willems

Why, some people ask, should I pay a photographer hundreds of dollars for some shots that Uncle Fred can do for free? A fair question. It is clearly not that the photographer is getting rich. So what do you get … Continue reading →

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KISS – Keep It Simple, S.

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Michael Willems

This picture shows that you do not need a studio with much equipment, necessarily. I used a Canon 1D Mark IV camera with a 580 EX II speedlite. And that’s it. Really. I had the camera on 400 ISO, manual, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Learning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Me in 1982

Posted on February 27, 2010 by Michael Willems

In Nineveh… At the spiral minaret in Samara… And after a ministry in Baghdad was bombed: That picture, taken from my room at the al-Mansour Melia hotel, got me interrogated by security… but they were kind enough afterward to actually … Continue reading →

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Lightroom Tips

Posted on February 27, 2010 by Michael Willems

Two Lightroom performance tips for you today: Optimize your library regularly. On a Mac, go to “Lightroom”, “Catalog Settings..”, and select “Relaunch and Optimize”. Increase your Camera RAW Cache size to at least 10 GB (if your hard disk has … Continue reading →

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Posted in Digital Darkroom | Tagged | Leave a comment

New toy

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Michael Willems

Just received the new Honl Photo bounce card/speed snoot. It is like the previous ones in that it is small, sturdy, and conveniently attaches to the Speed Strap. What’s different? This one has not a white but a gold reflector … Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear, Light | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Portrait lenses

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Michael Willems

Lenses for portraits, you ask? Which ones to use? I usually suggest: Prime 50mm on crop camera, or 85mm on a full frame camera, for head and shoulder shots. A prime lens is good for this while being fast, sharp, … Continue reading →

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One light

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Michael Willems

You do not always need many lights. Sometimes, one light is enough: That is just one studio light, fired through a pocketwizard (but I could have used a cable) – and a reflector on the other side. This leads to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Light, Technique | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Travel Tip

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Michael Willems

When you travel with a suitcase, bring two camera bags. A small one and a large one. The trick: one of these bags goes into your suitcase, filled with underwear, socks and other things you were going to bring anyway. … Continue reading →

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Distillery

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Michael Willems

I was in Toronto’s historic Distillery District today: So here are my obligatory truck shots! A photographer’s paradise. Do check out The Kodiak Gallery there (and check out my exhibited work there – “IV” in March!)

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Posted in Picture of the day | Leave a comment

Camera Needs?

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Michael Willems

I shot a school Sunday: “Photo Day” portraits at a music school. My colleague Anita and I used strobes, backdrops, and Canon cameras: 40D, a 7D and a 1D Mark IV. A few interesting observations: The 7D produced the same … Continue reading →

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