exposing light notes I

See the photographs on LED screens on all 7 continents :
New York City • London • Los Angeles • Hong Kong • Sydney
Toronto • Port Elizabeth • Rio de Janeiro • Istanbul • Seoul
Berlin • Amsterdam • Milan • Zurich • Montevideo
Antarctica, and more…

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http://xdrtb.org/

See my previous post of 15 September

Of course I got distracted at the fair…

Photokina is overwhelming, there is much to see and to test.  I could spend two or even three days to browse all. But crowd, queues, noise and impressions take energy. (I ended up leaving an hour earlier than planned).

Before I left I managed to briefly visited the “print” section to look at the size of the ’smallest’ pro-printer that I have on my wish list. I got a bit disappointed as it is not small but fairly large and I doubt if I can fit in the office/studio. I need to chew on this one. I wanted to look at studio lightning, but did not manage.

Here are some of my highlights/activities:

- a brief test with the Hasselblad 31 (the kit that’s heavily promoted now) at Hasselblad’s quality statement try out area : a “non-babe” model* in an extraordinary wintery scenery for the testing photographers.  (* i assure you that’s a true relief for a female photographer – jätte fint, tack ska du ha!)
- making some shots with the Canon 5D mark II and testing the video option
- testing the ringflash adapter and the expodisc
- stepping into the “begehbare kamera” (accessible camera)
- seeing some exhibitions
- last but definitely not least : visiting the Lomo stand. I loved it and the enthusiasm of the people promoting the analog plastic medium format camera (its success must give a boost to the film industry).  Lomography is apparently a synonym for a fun and spontaneous style. Indeed Lomography is inviting and in no way intimidating. I would describe Lomo as the “fate of the art” camera opposite to the “state of the art” and high end quality camera and the professionals that are so uptight about their photography. I would not mind if the Lomo style rubs off a bit. Because, where’s the line between snapshot and snapshot aesthetic?

“Photography is high and low culture all in one” | Martin Parr
“Art is what you can get away with” | Andy Warhol

Photos by Judith den Hollander

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

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DP Review sample gallery Canon EOS 5D Mark II

“Metadata are critical to photo business by providing important information about the image and by describing it properly. The maximum added value will only be achieved if the metadata are precise and reliable. But how can we apply metadata to avoid ambiguity and misunderstandings among our customers?”

“Identifying photos. Every photographer and photo librarian wants to clearly indicate: “This is my photo”. In the interests of copyright protection, copyright owners want unique identifiers in the image helping to locate it on the world wide web. At what stage should these be produced, and what are the options for protecting this information?”

“Metadata Working Group
The Metadata Working Group (MWG) was formed in 2006 as a consortium of leading companies in the digital media industry, focused on the following goals:

Preservation and seamless interoperability of digital image metadata
Interoperability and availability to all applications, devices, and services”.

http://www.metadataworkinggroup.com/

“Lack of metadata interoperability has led to significant frustration for both consumer and pro photographers, and our companies have spent considerable resources trying to deal with the problem,” said Josh Weisberg, chairman and founder of the Metadata Working Group and director of Microsoft’s Rich Media Group. “Getting these industry leaders together to rally around metadata interoperability is a real turning point, one that we believe will result in technology that’s easier for photographers to use. We’ve been working very hard to produce guidelines that are compatible across all applications, devices and services and that provide best practices for how, when and where metadata should be changed in popular file formats.”

photometadata.org /  Stock Artists Alliance also provides a guideline.

Although I’m not one that upgrades gear whenever new is marketed or one that follows latest electronic innovations and visits trade fairs, I ordered a train ticket and e-ticket for the photo fair in Cologne.

Photokina is an international fair for the photographic / imaging sector that offers an interesting programme for many photographers : all sorts of presentations (the list of exhibitors is overwhelming), demonstrations  and few exhibitions.

And although I’m not interested in the (latest) technology (that part of photography never did/does go well and easy with me…*, I am making an effort to learn the specifics of a product that I need and to compare brands. So, I’m traveling up to Germany.

Anticipating the queues (often men, bigger, taller and more eager than me), I do intend to see, feel (try) and learn  more about the things that I need -to take my photography further- and to make it to the counters and/or demos and to pose my questions.

I need to invest in :

- a monitor (priority);
- a printer (orientations at the fair and then a workshop as i need to see if own digital printmaking is doable. Honestly, there are days that I seriously contemplate the alternative photographic printing processes : cyanotype, salt print etc. btw,  is a gelatin silver printing an old method nowadays?);
- a studio flash set (probably just a quick orientation at the fair – as there is no rush for a new set);
- a zoom lens.  It would be my very first zoom lens ever **. (I have been postponing buying a digital zoom lens as I find them so huge and heavy compared to my favorite small prime 50 mm).

Photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron | 1867 | Sir John Herschel, an English mathematician, astronomer, chemist, and experimental photographer/inventor cyanotype process (when the word digital did not exist and things were chemical and mechanical)

I do hope however that i will not be too distracted by for instance photo books or the supporting programmes.

On the supporting programmed list I saw “web-to-print”. Unfortunately I will miss this Thursday workshop as I am visiting on the Friday. But I could have a look at the forum “Digital storage – film-based archiving”.

* example : “10-bit Look-Up Table (LUT), to produce a monitor gamma value of 2.2. Should the user prefer a different value, the LUT can be used to calculate for values ranging from 1.8 (the standard for the printing industry) up to 2.6″.
I doubt if I will ever be able to find the need for different values. And if i am/do, i would probably get lost in trans-calculations.

** or perhaps …

So, what do I need to learn to make digital fine art prints? Here’s info I compiled from the internet

Topics include…

Topics Include

• Digital Printing Technologies
• Monitor Calibration
• Color Management and Profiles
• Profile Creation
• Fine-Art Papers
• Print Aesthetics in a Digital World
• Fine-Tuning the Print to Beauty
• Print Lighting

Using Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom for Digital Camera Files
Getting the best results from Digital Camera Files
Scanning
Color Management (covered in depth)
How to insure consistent results from monitor to final print
How do I color-profile my own monitor, scanner, and printer?
Image Processing
Recommended techniques for working on files
The Master File and adjustment layers
Photoshop selection tools—tips and techniques
Setting density and color balance
Retouching, burning and dodging
Preparation of files for output to various printers
Sharpening
Using the “Sharpen Only Edges” action (included)
Equipment Selection
Printers for proofing and final output
Storage for large image files, CD and DVD writers
Presentation
Archival methods of mounting and matting digital prints

explore the recent technological developments in fine art digital printmaking. By combining the latest digital printmaking and image editing technology with traditional fine art photographic printmaking techniques, students will learn how to efficiently optimize their digital images. Participants will learn methods that will enhance their ability to create high quality digital input and output either with their own equipment, or in conjunction with an outside service provider. The class will focus on developing a personal image optimization workflow that encourages a non-destructive and efficient approach to enhancing one’s images. Additional in-depth discussions will include color calibration, color management, advanced imaging techniques, output options, substrate choices, and permanence issues.

Topics covered include:

• Photoshop CS techniques
• Digital Workflow & Output
• Monitor Calibration
• Choosing the right papers and inks
• Sharpening
• Dodging and burning
• And much, much more

(See also Books and courses BA – fine art printmaking – pro printers)