Gear envy

(Fair warning, I'm feeling a bit preachy tonight.)
It's been an eventful few weeks here at Unconventional Studios. It seems like we have had a non-stop parade of gorgeous women through lately. Trust me, no complaints here. We have had lots of fun making some magic with them and I think the images speak to that.

I wanted to take a minute to expand on a conversation I recently had with a good friend that is just starting her journey into the wonderful world of photography. She approached me very frustrated with her image quality, nearly ready to sell all of her gear and give it up. "Maybe I just need to take out a loan and buy some newer, nicer gear that works better." she said. Anyone that knows me is aware of the hairs that stand up on my neck when I hear this statement. I think I've gone on a tangent about this topic before, hell if I know. Apologies if I have because I'm going there again.

Yes, there is a definite point at which you have outgrown your current gear. Either you've exceeded its capabilities, or you are just ready to make a change (permissible in my eyes if done for the right reasons), or maybe you've just simply worn stuff out. It happens.

A very common assumption and misconception among new and, unfortunately many seasoned photographers, is how much of the work is done by the camera. It is just a stupid box that does what you tell it to. No amount of processors or autofocus points will make YOU a better shooter. They might increase the chances that you get a lucky keeper, but they are irrelevant to the process of making the image happen. Again, it's just a stupid box. It records what you tell it to in the way you tell it to do it. That's not skill, that's buying skill in a box. If you want to improve, shoot everything. Figure out what you did wrong and then go shoot everything again. Rinse and repeat.One of my favorite quotes in this world is by Mark Twain: "You can teach any man to write, but you cannot teach him what to write" The very best camera in the world is still useless in the hands of a person unwilling to learn to use it. Rant over, time to get a little technical.

I fell into this trap of new gear equals better photography. I bought what, at the time, was one of the best bodies you could get. I did it because I was in a rut and I was sure new gear would reinvigorate me and get the creative juices flowing. So I went to the nearest camera shop and did some haggling. Got a pretty good deal, so I bought it. And I hated it. Really no fault of the camera, we just simply didn't mesh. I spoke of this a while back, the importance of having a good relationship with your gear. On a whim, I bought a very well used Canon 1Ds Mark 2. Very old from a technological point of view, but I had always wanted one since they are set up very much like my last film slr was before I made "the switch" It was a Canon 1V. I regret selling that beast almost daily. The 1D line is very expensive, which is why I got a very well used body. Admittedly it took a little while to get used to again. The controls are completely different from anything I had used since switching to digital but it was more or less like riding a bike. I'm going to leave this topic there before your eyes glaze over with boredom and get where I was going.

Back to technique. I wanted to share a couple images with you. Rather one image and a pretty small crop of it...

I shot this photo just last night and it seems to be a pretty popular one. For once I am really happy with one. The reason I'm sharing it though is to make a point about gear.

Here is a pretty close crop of the same image. (Forgive the makeup smudges, I left them to validate my case).


Note the amount of detail retained in the image. Now consider I made it with a 10 year old camera body (the release date on it was Dec 1, 2004). I can't remember, but I think it's on its 3rd shutter assembly. While I'm a big proponent of using excellent glass, I use what I can afford. This was shot with a 50mm f1.4 lens, a good lens but by far not the best.

My point being: no amount of dollars spent on gear will replace good skill. Learn to accurately focus, study valuable things such as depth of field and the exposure triangle, learn the capabilities and limitations of your gear, and shoot. I give you as an example my best friend Heather. She used a very low-end Nikon body, the D40, for years and cranked out some exceptional images. Man, I miss that girl. Again I know I've spoken of her before, but she insists I taught her almost everything she knows while at the same time she taught me to see things again, To notice the details in things. I guess you truly never stop learning, and it's never too late to relearn.

An interview with an artist. And blood. Lots of blood.

I'll warn you now, this post is not for the faint of heart.

I met James Taylor (who goes by Gook) several years back when I was working for The Hype Weekly. His unique medium for his paintings is somewhat of an urban legend around Manhattan and K-state and I never really had a chance to check it out for myself. Gook only did it on his birthday and Christmas which just hadn't fallen into line with my schedule in the past. then I got an invitation to attend one of his sessions that he was doing out of his normal set dates, and it actually worked out for me to be there for once (with some rearranging of course).

So what exactly is it that he does that's so much different from all of the other artists I have shot in the past? What made it so attractive to me to move my crazy week around to not miss this one? Well in a nutshell, Gook paints with his own blood. That in itself was captivating. Then when I learned that this portly Korean man (I don't know why I always try to call him Vietnamese) was going to be wearing a dress. And a Mask. On top of the whole blood painting thing. As odd and intriguing as it all sounded, the first thing I had always thought to myself was that it had to be some uber attention seeking plea. It just doing something so different and disturbing that it instantly separated him from other painters. Then he sent out a message describing his inspiration for this particular painting and my rushed instinct was put away. I have said it many times, I am not a writer. But I will do my best to do this some justice. I'm going to be quoting a bit from an interview that was going on while I was there by Charles McVey, as well as adding my own observations. So this should be a bloody mess, no pun intended. Rather than quote the whole interview though, I will sum up the parts that I can.

Gook has been making art pretty much as long as he can remember, drawing inspiration from all over and working through various mediums over the years. He mentions his "bar art", which is pretty famous as well, just simple drawings on a coaster or napkin. He says very profoundly that the medium is always secondary to the idea.

The inspiration for this painting...

"I'm doing this painting based off the story of Tyler Clementi, a young gay kid who came out before he went to college, his dorm roommate video cast him with a guy and he jumped off the George Washington Bridge to kill himself."

His explanation was way more elaborate and defined than I am skilled enough to transcribe accurately so I will include the video I made during the interview itself.

A message that comes across in both the interview and just from knowing and talking with Gook is that his art is a direct interpretation of his life and mind. I relate so well with that, in that my own art is very cathartic and connected to my mood and state of mind. My own struggles with depression and thoughts of suicide have always affected my work. If only I had the depth to be so affected by outside forces, but I am not. He talks about how his art is a reflection of his own battles with depression and suicide, and why he chooses blood as the medium versus the things he himself has experienced.

"When I talk about depression and suicide, on a personal note for me it was always about me overdosing on pills. So it never made sense, if I did a painting about pills on a painting it would be about me being a druggie. That's how the majority of the public would interpret it."

The slitting of his wrists was a much more distinctive and obvious metaphor. That's basically how the blood painting evolved for him. As time went on, the performance aspect became an important part of the process itself, and this was my chance to help by documenting it. So here it is, my brief documentation of the most moving (and strangest) interview with an artist that I have attended to date. Enjoy.

(Side note: when I'm shooting I get very into what I'm doing and I'm not really affected by the subject. After we had finished, I actually got a little queasy!)

Here is the link to the video of the interview:

interview with gook

I'm back. Finally.

   This could be interpreted in so many ways. From the fact that I have not made a blog post in close to a year, to me finally feeling connected to my gear, to me feeling like I'm back in my head again in respect to shooting and making images I am happy with. There are many reasons I'm making this post and I've really only touched on a few of them here. First, let me insert the image that really gave me the feeling that I needed to write.

   It's not often that a client comes to me and says "so I have a truck I would like photographed, and I think 

I'd like my plane in the shots as well. Do you know any models that do good pinup work?" It just so happens that I do yes. So I started to put together all the details that are required for a good sized shoot. Made all the contacts, found a time that would work for everyone involved, etc.. etc..., Little did I know that this shoot would prove to be a personal rejuvenation. 

   First off, it's been a really weird couple of years personally with a bunch of life changes. That itself is more than enough to throw a guy off his game for shooting and it most certainly did. Much better now, thanks for asking. In fact, for those that don't know, I'll be getting married in about a week and a half. That part has actually done a fair share to straighten my head. And I just love saying it.

   The next hurdle I've faced for a while is some major gear changes. Major ones. A few years back I decided I wanted to go full frame. I ended up with a Canon 5D mark2. It and I never really meshed. I know, I know, how could I not have made some great work together right? We just didn't. I have no idea why, but I just did not care for it. So we made an amicable split and it found a new home. Replaced by a very old (in terms of electronics anyway) Canon 1Ds mark2. It was love at first click and we had a great time, but it had some issues. Or I did. One of the two. I stumbled on an identical body that had none of the problems, so I snagged it. Again it was love at first click. 

   Along with changing bodies, I also got the messed up notion that I feel more in touch with prime lenses than zooms and sold all but one, my trusty 70-200 f4 L. You'll have to pry that one from my cold dead hands, and in case of a zombie apocalypse, I'm still coming back for it. I love my primes (fixed focal length vs. zoom for all you non-photo peeps) and I won't be going back. But this adds yet another hitch to my funk I was already in. I hadn't shot with many primes for over a decade and getting used to the "foot zoom", moving forward and back instead of just turning a ring on the lens, was tough. But well worth it. 

   After all these changes, I got an opportunity to take a job I had always dreamed of. I had the chance to start shooting for my local newspaper, who shall not be named. I absolutely hated it. I never want to shoot another high school sporting event q2qrw (the last word was brought to you by our bunny, Steg, who felt it needed a bunny touch) for as long as I live. That was a big disappointment to me and I momentarily lost my will to live... errr... shoot. (It wasn't that serious people) 

   Around the same time, I ended up meeting a young (really young) woman that expressed an interest in maybe possibly shadowing me and learning a bit along the way. Yeah sure, whatever. I really have no desire to shoot anything but if and when I do, you can tag along. I hadn't really entertained the idea of taking on a squire since Heather moved away (which I will be forever bitter about (not really)). Michelle and I met a few times, talked some... and it quickly became apparent that I needed this more than I knew. I really love teaching. Maybe it's the masochist in me that just loves challenging others with the vast amount of useless knowledge I've gained, tossed in with the really pertinent information, and watching their little heads melt as they try to sort out which is which. (ask either of them, I'm not kidding one bit about this). 

   Back to the point. The awesome truck/plane/girl shoot thingy. It was a full house, or pasture more like. Myself, Michelle, the other girl I have started to mentor, slowly, Miss Christine, and then of course the most amazing model, Miss Shanon (complete with hair stylist!). Beautiful skies, plenty of wind, way too much wind in fact. But it was a great night either way. I think we got some pretty great stuff and the client agrees. I don't think he and his wife had any idea what we would go through to make the images we did.

   So here's what we did right and what we did wrong. On the above image I'm breaking several of the hard and fast rules of portrait photography. The first one that would be pointed out by many is that Shanon is centered, ignoring the rule of thirds and leaving too much negative space on the right side. So what. It's also way too bright on the left and your eyes may tend to go there first. If your eyes go to the bright area first and not to either Shanon or that amazing truck, you should maybe check out your priorities. These rules are meant to be broken, don't let others tell you any different. The next big faux pas with this photo, I shot it with a 20mm lens. Big mistake according to some, I think I did ok. The full info, in case anyone hasn't fallen out of their chairs yet: Canon 1DS mk2, 20mm lens, iso 50, 1/250th at 2.8. Two snooted yongnuo yn-560 flashes at her, one more open at the side of the truck. no light mods. Next one...

Love this one. Same setup except iso went to 320. 1Ds, 20mm, 1/250th at 2.8. Two lights in front, one behind her in the cab. And one lovely assistant on the other side of the truck holding the translucent disc from my ancient (seriously maybe older than you) reflector to the passenger side window to tame down the direct sun.

Back to iso 50 with no other changes. In love with this conversion.

The only change in this one is the kicker flash got moved to under the dash. Damn.

Ok better hold on tight to those barf bags if you're a big rules lawyer. This one might kill you. This image was shot with a Rokinon 8mm fisheye. (I'll give you a minute to let the room stop spinning... one one thousand, two one thousand...) So, 1Ds, 8mm, iso 125, 1/250th at 5.6. Same two snooted lights looking over the left front wheel. 

This may be the only somewhat correct photo I have for you. Shot with a respectable 50mm. 1/250th at f4.

   In short, (as if I can be brief, come on) this shoot was a great test for me, my gear,and my assistants. If there is one thing I would love to impart on anyone that's either just starting out or feeling stagnant, it would be to shoot everything. And shoot it in every way you can. Learn the fundamentals, and then ignore them every chance you get. The best thing I feel I've done for myself is to stop listening to what others have to say. Input is great, but take it for what it is, another person's opinion. When you start letting that change the way you shoot or WHAT you shoot, you are no longer working to satisfy your own artistic need and creativity. Fuck conformity. As always, I love you guys. I hope you enjoy these and please feel free to share your thoughts with me. Just don't be offended when I don't change.