Real World Workflow

A photographer contacted me today looking for a freelance retoucher to work in-house for a few days doing some retouching. Its minor color and retouching work, but it doesn’t pay very much. I told him I’d get him some names so please email me directly if you are interested in it.

I just read this very interesting report on 4 Camera RAW applications – Capture One is one of them. I’d be interested to hear your responses on it.

There were a few things that bugged me about this report. #1 – the report focused on industry standard professional applications yet used a consumer DSLR camera – the Sony Alpha. #2 – the reviewers seemed to miss the boat when it came to key features of Capture One Pro, like the way files are organized, but perhaps that is more of an issue of Capture One not being the most intuitive software when it comes to organization. I know that in workshops that I have taught, we spend a lot of time on File Organization/Management than on any other subject.

Anyway, check out the article and let me know what you think.

With one of my steady clients we have come up with a great way of keeping the clients away from the camera and my digital cart. I have a total of 3 systems that I use on studio shoots. My capture station, a processing station (sometimes piloted by a second tech), and I bought a shiny new 24″ iMac that is designated as the “client station”. I set it up the lounge area of the studio with the couches and the TV. Then I mirror my capture station to the iMac. No, I do not use a 100′ DVI monitor cable, but instead use a great piece of software called “ScreenRecycler”. First you have to use a network hub for all three stations so they are linked via ethernet. Once they are talking to each other you launch ScreenRecycler on the Capture system, then you walk over to the iMac and launch JollyVNC (the secondary software for the second system), then you walk back to the Capture station and set the display to “mirror” and viola! both screens are showing the same thing. What is even more wonderful about this is that the clients cannot do anything on this computer-only watch. The keyboard is locked and I have to turn off ScreenRecycler for it be usable again. The only other thing this computer is ever used for on set is the client checking their email. Natch.

Many many people have asked me about this so I thought it was time to share my secret with the world. LOL!

Although, I LOVED the suggestion about using the Wacom tablet and pen instead of mouse. I’m planning to try that out. But I would be a little hesitant to put “Go Away” on my mousepad.

Cheers!
Amy Goalen
ProDigital Consulting

http://prodigitalconsulting.com

310-590-5844

Hey All, while Eric I. is in Greece studying the light on the Parthenon I’m sweating it out here in NYC and wanted to show my latest laptop capture station, and what to do when the location “studio” can’t even provide a table.

First, is the laptop station. As Eric mentioned, alot of people are using the Gitzo plate to hold their laptop. I was nosing around B&H the other day and found a Bogen monitor plate/table #3290 that was a whopping 40 bucks, and mounted an Arca QR to it. It goes right on the ballhead. A quick trip to the hardware store netted some of that rubbery non-skid shelf liner stuff which I cut out to fit the plate and the laptop feels like it’s glued there. I’m sure someone will eventually knock it off, so I’m looking into some kind of strap arrangement for a positive lock, but the shelf stuff works great for now. After that I used heavy duty velcro to mount the card reader underneath the plate where I can just slide the card in like an ATM machine. Still working on a pocket drive mount. I did rig something up with a superclamp and a j-hook, but it was way too bulky and overkill. After that I plopped a screen-shade on it and was ready to roll. I used it a few days ago on location at a hospital, and it was a godsend not having to figure out where to set up. Also the Phase One pelican case makes an awesome 20K seat. Besides the external HD mount future plans include external battery power and a way to mount hot/cold packs under the plate for those extreme weather jobs like GREECE and PARIS! Right Eric I.? Hope your toes are getting cracked from walking in the sand all the time you lucky bastard.

Anyway, the last thing I wanted to share was my “Ultimate Ghetto Capture Cart Setup” Which is what you do when you don’t have anything around but boxes and Gaffer tape.

“Can I get a table or something”

“Uhh, maybe. Let me see if my neighbor has one…”

“WTF?”

Arrived in Greece last night and recieved an interesting rumor that there will be a 5D Mark II coming out at some time. Gizmodo.com broke the story but sad to say there isn’t much more information out there. You can read the article here. There is a possibility that this was entirely fabricated and the images doctored to look like a new camera that doesn’t exist, but who knows? I really wish there would be a 1DS Mark III, something like a 22MP DSLR. Even a rumor would be nice.

Speak with you soon,

E. Isaac

It is kind of funny that Eric Z. was writing his tech connectivity kit while I was writing my Tech Toolkit. I swear this wasn’t planned.

Over the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to learn by doing and trial by error. I’ve built up an arsenal of tools that I find useful to have on shoots and so I think it is only fitting to compile a list online for everyone. And if you all have something to add please do. We’ll have one long list of tools that people find useful. This isn’t a complete list so feel free to add to it, just as Eric Z. said:

• A separate case for accessories – I used to have a camera bag that not only carried my cameras but all the accessories to go with them. What I found was that it was best to keep all these items separate from the camera items. Especially if they weren’t being used frequently. Cleaning supplies, chargers, batteries, etc. I also carry a compact printer with me so to me, the best solution was to lump all these odds and ends into another bag that I can check at the airport or carry on if I need to. My accessories bag carries: Cleaning supplies, chargers, batteries, tether lock, backup FireWire cables, blank DVDS/CDS and jewel cases, my portable printer and paper, 2 backup portable hard drives, 2 larger external hard drives and extra cables. I highly recommend getting a bag with wheels as it tends to get pretty heavy carrying it through an airline terminal, unless you check it. I recommend something like a small Tenba air case.
• The Tether Lock – Especially if you are using the Canon Cameras and you want the connection to last longer than a day. It diverts tension to the lock instead of the port on the camera and keeps you connected. If you don’t use this (especially with the use of the boot for the 1DS Mark II) you’re almost guaranteed to have connection issues all day long. Honestly, the 1DS Mark II has been a breeze to shoot tethered with since the tether lock came out and now I am not apprehensive about renting my equipment out for tethered use. There are even tether locks for medium format DB’s. A smart idea as repair costs on medium format FW connections are well beyond that of the Canon.
• iPod connections – no one every remembers to bring one but if you put it in your toolkit today, you’ll be everyone’s hero tomorrow.
• A Synchronization program – Backup’s are critical for some. Others are playing with fire when they fail to backup regularly. These are the people who don’t work very often. But backups take time and art directors can be impatient. Using a synchronization program will actually save you time as you are not backing up everything every time you use the program, you just backup what has changed since the last backup. So if you use them regularly you can be fully backed-up just a few minutes after the shoot is over. There are many synchronizations programs out there but the best for the money is, hands-down, Chronosync. This program gives you all the benefits of synchronization program – exclusion of certain folders/files, the option to synchronize deletions or not, and is only $30 for a one user license – $120 for a 5-user license.
• Compact Printer – I prefer the Canon Selphy 710. It prints a postcard size print (with an actual postcard template on the back). The color isn’t all that great though and I find that more and more clients are expecting better color (which isn’t all that surprising). The best part about the Selphy is that you can get a battery for it and run the printer completely portable. However, if you are trying to achieve good color and compact size, the best option is the Canon IP90. However you have to make your first print and adjust in the printer controls to reduce Magenta/Green and brighten the print. You’ll receive better color and quality, but not perfect. The controls require a bit of finagling, but eventually it produces acceptable color. For great color, I recommend the Epson R800, but it is not compact.
• Backup FireWire cables – I prefer granite cables, as they are the best for the money. I’ve found that even though I don’t always have my own camera equipment on every job, its best, for my own piece of mind to have extra cables on set.
• Epson Portable Media Viewer – P4000 – This comes in handy for two reasons: #1 – Quick viewing of images from CF cards onto viewer. Simply eject the card from the camera and put it in the viewer. Within seconds you are viewing files just shot. As always, the viewer is hard to see in the direct light. However you can build a little contraption to cut out the light (careful for claustrophobic art directors…I’m not joking) #2 – it also provides a backup for your RAW files, so if you are out on location and have a station setup back on the RV, you can just download to the Epson viewer and then upload them to the capture computer after the shot (preferred for security) or periodically throughout the day. However, please note that the Epson viewer does not work with Phase RAW files as of yet.
• The Gitzo Plate – a while back Gitzo started making a plate to hold 17” laptops on tripods. Since then its made location capture so much easier as the tech no longer has to hold a laptop while the photographer shoots. However wind loves to knock these things over, so its good to sandbag the thing. There are also several options for cutting out sunlight. I love the Lastolite “Cube” as the computer sits inside of it and cuts out the light better than other solutions. However this option, while not heavier is quite bulking sitting on top of the tripod setup.
• Other accessories – I want to mention these although I am sure they are already in your kit – Batteries, cleaning supplies, DVD/CDs & cases, backup FireWire cables and card readers.

I don’t know a typical tech day goes for the rest of you, but at some point in the day I always get called on to deal with peripheral issues that while not exactly in my job description are part and parcel of a tech’s life…like connectivity. Either the wireless network has crashed, the server has gone down or the AD can’t log into their VPN to get their email. One way or another I get to tackle these things and I’ve come up with a little list of connection items that make my life easier and the shoot run that much smoother. In no particular order, they are:

• 5ft and 100ft ethernet cables. For those times when a server b/u is available I love plugging in and syncing my sessions. It’s another layer of redundancy in my multiple back up world.
• 4-5 port switch so I can run both a wireless network and my hardwire to the server if I choose.
• Apple Airport Express. What’s not to like about being able to set up an instant wan when the studios’ Linksys thingy is blinking all kinds of error codes and the AD needs to be online?
• FW400 and 800 Cables, 3ft. I already have 15′ and 30′ FW400’s in my capture bag, but those are for one purpose only and it ain’t hooking up pocket drives or anything else. (If you don’t know what that purpose is, why would you be reading this?)
• The magical FW400 to FW800 cable. It’s a pigtail. It’s saved my piggy butt on many occasions. I love it.
• The boring USB cable. I carry two. For some reason these things can be more flighty than the FW’s. Don’t forget the USB to mini connector either, lots of pocket drives run on these.
• USB piggy cable. Allows two USB ports to power one hungry pocket drive. Real techs carry FW800 pockets that don’t need no stinkin’ piggy.
• USB extension cable. Some pocket drives need more power than one USB port can provide and the pigtail cable they come with will invariably be too short.
• The RJ-11 dialup modem cable. For remote locations, and as a last resort, but hey when you need it, it’s golden.

I tie all these up with those small case logic cable ties and secure the end with a small teeny tie-wrap. Everything then goes into my LowePro backpack and sits quietly until I come running. As always, if any of you have anything to add, please do so as this is by no means a complete list, and we all have our special connection peeves.

Hey everyone, have a happy fourth. I will be leaving tonight for Paris. I’ll be posting when I can from both Paris and Greece. Au revoir and adio!

I’ve always been fascinated by the business end of how things work, just as I’m fascinated by how things work technically. I understand the idea of a bottom line, everyone has one and everyone is always scrambling to keep it as low as possible – preferably in the squatting position. In the photography world, the demand to cut costs is so high that the people making the monetary decisions have their bottom lines exposed for all to see. With catalog photography I’ve seen and heard a large array of budgetary restrictions. $20/day per diems, sketchy lodging, lunch but nothing to eat it with and worst of all, low day rates and no overtime.

Back when I was in college and I started to learn more about the business (my degree was actually in graphic/web design) we started to talk more about our rates. At some point we were shown a diagram of a triangle with the words cheap, fast and good, each word on one side of the triangle. The idea is that you can only choose two. You can have it cheap and you can have it good but it is going to take a lot longer, and you can have it cheap and you can have it fast but you have to sacrifice quality. But more to the point of what seems to be a trend in the photo industry – Fast and Good, but you have to pay for it. You can attempt to have it all, but the reality is that, naturally, you only get two.

This leads to a very high turnover rate among the crew. It is also true that a lot of photographers are afraid of loosing a very good client and the assistants want continued work with the photographer. Most likely though, this will be their first and last shoot with this client, as they don’t like the idea of putting in 15+ hour days with no overtime. And the tech is putting in more hours than that doing the post work. After all the photographer is making upwards of $5000 a day doing this work, with the art director coming in slightly below that. Stylists, makeup, hair, etc make less, but they still aren’t doing that bad in the end. But their support staff are the ones that suffer the most. The good one’s may be better appreciated by their employers so they offer a cut of their rate to the assistant to cover OT. It is worth it to them to keep the people around that make their lives easier. But sadly, there are few photographers that would do the same.

At the time that this first horrid catalog job came up, I’d done few catalog jobs, and when I had I’d always had the good fortune of being with higher paying clients that like shorter days, so it was a breeze. Half of me wanted to just be thankful for the easier jobs, suck it up and just get through the two weeks of 18-20 hour days. But I started calculating the actual hourly rate and I saw myself back in Ohio, working at the factory where I worked s summer during college making widgets for a comparable rate. I saw no difference between what I was doing there and what I was doing here. This made me bitter and resentful. Resentful of the photographer who refused me overtime, resentful of the client who was very willingly taking advantage of me, resentful of all the other people who play this cutthroat game that continues to drive down our rates. And then that job ended and the second job that immediately followed was nearly as bad. It was at this point that I just decided to let it all go, do my job and never look back. I told the photographer that while I was happy to work with him on other jobs, I wasn’t interested in this type of work unless I was compensated appropriately for it. I don’t work with him anymore. There are plenty of other warm bodies ready to take my place and maybe it’s a good starting place for lesser-experienced techs to gain the knowledge that they need to feel confident in charge higher day rates. Perhaps others would disagree, I am not even sure I believe it myself. I guess I am just trying to justify what I find to be completely insane from a business standpoint – Company X invests hundreds of thousands of dollars in production costs for a shoot only to hand the sole responsibility of the product to someone who makes very little money and could quite possibly cause large-scale irreparable loss? I believe in common sense, above all else. Now Company X is just getting it cheap and fast, not good (maybe not even at all).

I remember during the first job, creative director decides to have a little talk with me in front of everyone, “Now Eric, why can’t you seem to get your contact sheets in at 6am.”

“Because they haven’t finished printing?” 20-40 selects per shot x 12 shots x 5 copies + 1 IP90 printer (10 sheets at a time, runs out of ink only when I stop paying attention) = an entire night of printing.

I also had an art director who had to spend 30 seconds per frame during her editing after the shoot and a photographer who fires more than 300 captures per shot; sometimes more than 400. Put these combinations together and it’s a disaster for the tech. However, the editing process after the shoot, the contact sheets, the processing, etc: That is all a different rate as it adds to the length of the day. My lack of sleep makes me less productive and I become the low paid person responsible for the integrity of all those files. And I know myself pretty well – lack of sleep (say 3-4 hours a night for two weeks straight) usually leads to me screwing up and forgetting things. Cheap & Fast!

After the meeting with the client who loved killing trees with contact sheets I remember feeling like I was going crazy. Could they not understand that I had been working really hard? Was there any appreciation for it? Did they understand that what they were asking was unreasonable? Possibly illegal? Did they care?

For the second shoot we did, we found out after a few days that our editing process didn’t matter as they were not even using Capture One to edit RAW files so they’d have no idea what we tagged. The art director’s solution: no more editing. She chose one file from each shot, took it down, said here is what we did today. She was my hero. Meanwhile, 2 other techs on the job lucked out as I did, but a 3rd was slaving away all night processing, printing, backing up, etc.

Since then the person responsible for that horrid two week adventure has been let go. She acted with regard to producing results for her bosses only and not to the idea that the people doing the work need to be treated right as well. In the end, producing results requires more than simply demanding them. People need compensation for their hard work and lack of appreciation only breed’s resentment and bitterness. If you work people too hard too fast and expect amazing results, there will always be disappointment. People aren’t that committed and if they are…if they are good and they are cheap they only thing they’ll be fast at is getting the hell away from you.