Author Archives: Michael Willems

Old habits die hard

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I just looked in my wallet. In spite of the fact I have not traveled much in the past year, I found this:

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European, British, Hong Kong, Chinese, and Israeli money. And it’s all been sitting in my wallet, losing money, Unlike my investments, which… oh wait. Never mind.

Missing: US dollars. But since I plan to put on an “Advanced Flash” workshop for Pros in Phoenix, AZ in early December, perhaps I’d better change some of that money into greenbacks. (Tip: always do this in the country the money is from, or that you are changing the money into. Doing it in Canada for instance would necessitate first going to the in-between step of C$ – you lose twice.)

Handbook

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You all read these. Right?

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Your camera manuals. You read them.

Or not?

If not, I do not blame you. Photography is not complicated, but these manuals do a very good job at making it seem so. Plus, they are written in a 6-point thin font that makes it very tough to read anything if you are over the age of 25.

My advice: please do not be put off by these overly complex manuals, and take a course instead. In a few hours I can teach you what you would take years to learn reading manuals.

I spend a lot of time working out why this is – why these manuals are so complex. I think it is a combination of:

  • They are aimed at people who know photography already.
  • They fail to distinguish between what is simple and what is complex.
  • The writers do not share your experiences.

Much of it is that last point. Why, for instance, do they call “continuous focus” (where the camera keeps trying) by the name “AI Servo”? Most people think the “AI” is pronounced “AL”, like the name. But it is short for Artificial Intelligence. “Servo” means an accurately controlled motor with feedback. How on earth would normal people know that? They wouldn’t, is the answer.

So rest assured. It’s not you, and it’s not that photography is complicated.

Free: a 580EX MkII flash

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I taught some wedding pros Advanced Flash last night. I used my 7D:

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And I was struck again by one major reason I bought a 7D: I can now, just like the Nikon users, drive my external flashes from the popup. That means my 580, which used to sit on top of the camera, is now my off-camera key light instead.

This is pretty major – it reduces the price of the 7D by $500+, because essentially I now get an extra 580EX flash free of charge.

And you can set separate ratios for built-in vs. external, and much more. This is a very major overhaul of the flash system – I can now use the 7D whenever I uses multiple strobes, since the 1D MKII and 1Ds MKIII do not have a popup flash. And no other Canon offers the option to drive TTL flashes from the popup.

Self portrait

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How do I take one of these with my new 7D?

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I set the camera on a tripod and use pocketwizards to fire one flash into an umbrella. One flash gives me that severe look, but to slightly lessen that, I have a reflector on the other side (camera left). I used a 35mm f/1.4L lens on the 7D, meaning an effective lens length of about 50mm. The “Nifty fifty”!

I set my camera to 100 ISO – best quality, and background light does not upset the shot. And I am in manual mode, at f/8 (enough DOF) and 1/125th second. I use autofocus where the camera selects a focus point, This time. I will – because as the subject I cannot see what I am doing.

Finally, I use the timer of course. So I can press the shutter while I hold my hand out; then sit down as the camera beeps.

And then I check: sharp enough? Nice graduated tones from dark to light? Catchlights in the eyes? Check!

I'm a sharp freak.

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Here I stand before you: I cannot deny it. I like sharp. Really sharp.

So when I go do some street shots, such as this portrait I shot outdoors after I shot a bookstore yesterday, I am delighted when the 7D, equipped with the 35mm f/1.4 lens, gives me this (and you should click and then view it at original size: don’t let your PC or Mac downsize it):

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(1/125th sec, f/4.5, 200 ISO)

That’s what a good camera and a good lens does. And shooting that street stuff yesterday, I was impressed with how sharp the focus is in most of my images – the focus system really is better tan that on my 1Ds3/1D3. Here’s another example:

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Nice car.