Ian Sitren Goes Light

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Induro Blogger

We first reported on Ian Sitren for the Mamiya blog. Sitren has made a photographic career of his interest in bodybuilding, and is considered a top shooter for magazines and sites catering to those interested in pumping iron.

©Ian Sitren

After testing out his new Induro gear at a recent bodybuilding event, Sitren sent us the following text and photos describing his shooting. Normally used to heavy lifting behind the camera and when he’s pumping his own iron, things have changed for him. Here’s the report he sent to catch up with his admirers at MAC Group.

©Ian Sitren

I just returned from the 2010 Mr. Olympia competitions in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena. This is the most prestigious event in professional bodybuilding and, of course, I would not shoot an event like this without planning on creating the finest photos possible. But this was the lightest and most convenient gearing up I have ever done for the Olympia made possible by the Induro MC25 Monopod and the DM23 Ballhead.

©Ian Sitren

In my relatively small shoulder bag, I carried two bodies, two lenses, a lens extender, a few CF cards and my Induro support right across it in once convenient small and light package. Setup in the confined space of the press area was simple and convenient. The monopod in combination with the ball-head gave me quick and easy fluid movements to accommodate all of the action across the whole stage. As you can see, even in the press section, we were not that close to the stage, so shooting long was a requirement. My Induro support system was solid and reliable even when the action was flying!

©Ian Sitren

I was even able to go out to a nice restaurant after the show with a magazine publisher and friends without being encumbered by huge bags and equipment.

©Ian Sitren

Wonderful images and great packing, Ian. Thanks for the update!

Ian Sitren Photography

Ian Sitren blog

Capturing Drift, Controlling Vibration

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Induro Blogger

D.C. Chavez posted a great story chronicling his commercial work with Formula Drift drivers for an energy drink sponsor. He mounted a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and a 16-35mm f/2.8L lens on an Induro BHD3 ballhead inside champion Chris Forsberg’s car. Despite a tremendous amount of torque in drift driving, Chavez writes, “the BHD3 is the only ballhead I have used so far that has not loosened up after a lap or two with the 5D MK II.”

Known for his blog, where he documents putting off-the-shelf commercial photographic gear through real world production experience, Chavez also provides detailed accounts of how to use equipment which can baffle some mere mortal photographers.

The footage Chavez shot so impressed the director, he asked to incorporate is into the commercial. See the Canon and Induro rig’s results at :10, :13, and :24 in the below video.

Chavez also details work for another drift team sponsored by Hyundai. He documents how he eliminated vibration his in-car camera suffered by applying a Magic Arm. As always, a deeply informative piece. He even closes with a shout-out for the Induro CT313 tripod, which he hiked with over four days at elevations of 10,000 to 14,110 feet. Hooray for Induro Carbon Fiber!

Scott Bourne’s Photographic Diversity

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Ron Egatz

Indiana native Scott Bourne has called the Pacific Northwest his home for fifteen years, but his passion for photography boasts an impressive 37 year history. In the early seventies as a high school student in the Midwest, his half-sister’s husband was the editor of the Bloomington Herald Tribune in Bloomington, Indiana. Young Scott was given press credentials to photograph the Indianapolis 500, and was assigned as a stringer for the Associated Press. Racer Tom Sneva crashed and Bourne was fortunate enough to capture a photo—complete with airborne engine hurtling at him—that ran on front pages around the country the following day. He was paid $2000. Scott Bourne was a photographer.

After high school, Bourne became a political science major, but took photos his entire college career. For six years after that, he professionally shot motor sports, largely based on his Sneva-crash photo. He also spent years in Europe photographing Formula One races. Returning to the U.S., he worked in New York and San Francisco. “I did some portrait work. I tried my hand at fashion photography and failed miserably,” says Bourne. “I didn’t like fashion. I got back into portrait and wedding work—really enjoyed it, and found a niche. I did that for about fourteen years, owning a studio in Minneapolis, and later, Seattle.”

©Scott Bourne

Bourne sold his wedding practice fifteen years ago and dedicated himself to his new photographic passion: nature and wildlife. “In order to avoid being burned out, sometimes it’s good to try different genres,” he explains. “When I describe myself now, I say I’m a portraitist. I just take portraits of animals. Catch light is catch light, whether it’s on a bride or a wolf. My goal is to have people understand these creatures. When the public sees an animal, it’s typically for a few fleeting seconds. I try to show these animals up close and personal. When you see a bird, they’re fast and flighty. You don’t really think much of it because you don’t get the opportunity to study it. When you see the detail in a portrait like this, it’s hard to discount these animals as something you might run over with your car, or ignore.”

©Scott Bourne

The passion Bourne feels for photography is equal to the passion he feels as an educator of the public on behalf of the animals he’s captured with his cameras. “A wolf may live seven or eight years in the wild,” he says. “They’re not going to be around forever, so taking their picture sort of preserves that wolf’s story. I try to take the approach every animal I photograph might be the last picture of that particular animal anyone ever sees.”

©Scott Bourne

Subject knowledge is what informs Bourne, aiding him to make the best possible photograph he can. “Ninety percent of being a good portraitist is knowing a lot about your subject, whether your photographing a rock band, a CEO, or a bear.” Accordingly, Bourne has an encyclopedic knowledge of a range of wildlife he’s interested in photographing, including habitat locations, migratory timetables, and feeding patterns. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of knowing where your subject’s going to be,” he continues. “In the wildlife photography world, a lot of it is just patience. Taking your time is critical.”

©Scott Bourne

The gravity of the combined mindset of historical importance and patience applies to Bourne’s feelings toward photography in general. “I take photography very seriously. It’s a sacred job,” he cautions. “When people’s homes are burning, they don’t take the video game console. They take the wedding album or the box of family photos. We’re documenting family history, wildlife history, national history. We look at old photos from the first days of photography—native American Indians and some of the work done during the Civil War, for instance. There will be times in the future when people will look at our photos with the same interest.”

There is no end of equipment Bourne regularly uses in the field. “I have a lot of gear,” he says. “I shoot both Nikon and Canon. I shoot Canon primarily for video, Nikon primarily for stills, although I have started to shoot Canon for some stills because of the beautiful new 800mm f/5.6 lens. In bird photography, there’s never too much lens. My main bodies are a Nikon D3s and a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. I use an Induro tripod for landscape work.”

©Scott Bourne

Tripods are critical to his wildlife photography. “I use a tripod almost 100% of the time, unless it’s flight shots,” he says. “If you want to try the most difficult shooting in the world, it’s getting flight shots,” he laughs. “But a tripod is essential. Sometimes I’m standing in a lagoon, sometimes I’m standing in the ocean. I beat that little Induro to death and it hasn’t burped once. I’m hard on my gear. It’s a tool for me, not a museum piece. I’ll run a little water on it, and that’s it. I’ll get it wet every day for six weeks at a time and it’s never caused me any trouble.”

©Scott Bourne

When shooting’s done, Bourne uses both Apple Aperture and Adobe Lightroom. Photoshop is also used, when necessary. Promise hard drives with 16 terabyte RAID arrays store his images. A remote server in Minnesota backs up his data.

Many photography enthusiasts don’t know Bourne by his impressive wildlife photography, but by the site he runs, photofocus.com. Founded in 1998, photofocus.com is a magazine devoted to photo advocacy and the education of photographers. It achieves this by reviewing photo-related products with a high degree of independence, journalistic integrity, and clearly-defined editorial ethics. Photographers can regularly visit this site and gain knowledge from product reviews, inspirational how-to articles, info on upcoming events and musings on new technology. The site gets 1.5 million page views per month and at the present growth rate, will top 2 million per month this year. Defying conventional wisdom, after choosing to concentrate on content rather than police comments and spam submitted to every article, site traffic has tripled. His Twitter feed has over 66,000 followers.

“It’s rewarding to get mail every day from people saying how much this post or that post meant to them; that it changed their photography, or helped them,” says Bourne. “Sometimes it’s a little thing I’ve written, and I didn’t think it would mean much to anyone, and I’m surprised by the response.”

©Scott Bourne

Bourne continues to teach, and is often on the road. As he sees his career winding down, he’ll also keep writing for photofocus.com while managing his stock photography collection. His latest big news announced at this month’s WPPI is the book he’s co-authoring with industry giant Skip Cohen entitled Going Pro, to be published by Random House. It will be more than a book and include a podcast, a conference, and a blog. An exciting project, for sure, but it seems to be just one more outlet for Scott Bourne’s deep passion for all things photographic. We’ll keep reading and learning, Scott. Thank you.

Scott Bourne

Scott Bourne’s PhotoDiary

Scott Bourne on Flickr

Scott Bourne on Twitter

Scott Bourne on Vimeo

Scott Bourne on NatureScapes

Photofocus

Storytelling with Erin Nicole Johnson.

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Rachel Hulin

Today we have an interview with Erin Nicole Johnson, a photographer I find really thoughtful and funny and interesting. I think you will too.

Give me the 411 on yourself- education, background, image-making philosophy; your work is so wonderfully full of life.

I’ve been in too many and not enough places. I grew up in Niles, Michigan, then moved to southern Illinois, then moved back to Michigan in a suburb of Flint when I was 15. I attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD—which I graduated from in 2007) but also went to the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto for a semester. After my exchange was over, I took the overnight greyhound bus down from Canada and moved in with a friend in New York. We shared a room (literally—a room) in Washington Heights for a summer and would split the two stacked mattresses apart every night.

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erin8

My work is heavily based on stories, and the main bulk of my photographic portfolio (and a project which I’m actually returning to) is from a series actually called “Short Stories”. It was initially inspired by finding some of my mother’s old journals in high school, and finding some parallels between what she felt and what I had felt in high school. By combining some of the passages from her journals, as well as mine, I started to make up the skeleton of the work. So, the first step for me when it comes to creating is research, research, research. Taking the time to feel inspired by many different sources, taking loads of notes, and drawing lots of sketches.

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I like that you have a bit of everything going on in your portfolio- travel, portraits, some personal documentary- have you fallen into this path, is there one you’ll pursue more in the future?

What I have on my website currently is kind of an archive of what I’ve done so far. I’ve experimented a lot to see what I like best, but truthfully they’re all basically “personal work”!

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client-based-work_tendercakes-millzbillz-slap__20090120_0251-mollyportrait

With the project (Short Stories) that I’m picking back up on—the bulk of which is in the “Personal Work 1” portfolio—I’m hoping to refine my work and mostly focus on personal/fine art. Its basis is somewhat “recreating memories,” but I wanted the newer photographs to focus on “creating” memories: the people you see in a grocery store that make you wonder about their life (what they do, what their family is like, what they think about), or something caught out of the corner of your eye: a flash of a person standing on their front lawn, etc.

What type of commercial/editorial projects have you been up to lately? What type of editiorial/commercial projects would you like to be up to?

The most recent project was the 2008 Annual Report for Fraser, a Minnesotan non-profit that offers a myriad of resources for people with autism (www.fraser.org). My photograph “Coney Island” was also published on the cover of the Water~Stone Review #12, “In the Frame” this year. After I finished my internship, I took off for two months in Europe when I was photographing what would later become “Live Like This,” so photography jobs have been fairly quiet since I returned, which is fine. I’ve started a fairly interesting new day job, marketing sustainable insulation for houses (crazy, eh?).

erinnicolejohnson_published_fraser1

erinnicolejohnson_published_waterstone1

I always love working with non-profits and would love to continue shooting portraiture or still-lives for periodicals. I’ve also always wanted to shoot a look-book for a fashion designer, and I’m hoping to work something out once I can find more designers nearby.

What is your favorite picture?

I think it might be “Golden Eagle Motel, Golden Arches” because it’s so ridiculous. Attempted sanctity on a motel sign that’s all but shouting, “Go America!” (not to mention motels are not particularly known for being the holiest of places). And what looms in the distance but the Golden Arches themselves? Rather than the gates of heaven, we get burgers. It’s incredibly macabre, but what are the chances of finding this bizarre scene in real life?

How does a tripod assist you in your image-making?

erin10

Quite a bit of the photographs are either 4×5 or medium format, so a tripod was definitely necessary.

Additionally, having the camera stationary makes it possible for me to compose the scene before I take the photograph, as if I were directing a film.

Thanks, Erin!

It’s a Week of Reviews! Eric Brown Weighs in on the CT314.

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Rachel Hulin

Wow, this week has a theme- great Induro reviews by real folks. Eric Brown of Photography Minute wrote to say he’s pleased with his new CT314, and thought I’d share a bit of his review. Complete with pictures! Take it away, Eric:

I’ve been looking for a good carbon fiber tripod. What I found was the Induro CT314 Carbon Fiber 8X Tripod….and I’m glad I found it.

Initial Thoughts on The Induro CT 314:

This tripod is solid! The legs are solid. The leg locks are solid. The center column lock is solid. Everything is solid on this tripod. The tripod is rated to hold 39.6 lbs, which should be enough to hold any tripod head + camera / lens combo. I found no slipping or wavering on this tripod like I had on my previous tripod. The leg locks are solid and, while not the same design as some other well regarded leg locks, they feel just as solid.

Height

The tripod will get tall (for you tall folks) and will get low for those of you who are into macro and/or if you are looking to change the perspective of your photographs.

I took a few minutes to run the tripod through all of its configurations so you can see how low and high it can go..take a look at the photographs below:

Induro CT314 8X Tripod at its lowest point

Induro CT314 8X Tripod after unfolding

Induro CT314 Tripod with all legs extended

Induro CT314 Tripod all legs and center column extended

Changing Leg Angles

One of the interesting features of this tripod is the locking mechanism for changing the angle of the legs. The locking mechanism is easy to use and provides great support. Below is a photo of the locking mechanism pulled out in preparation for changing the angle of the leg. To change the angle of the leg, you pull the leg in a bit and then pull the leg angle lock out and place the leg at the predetermined angle (24 degrees, 55 degrees and 80 degrees) and then push the leg angle lock back into place. This approach seems much more stable (and easier to use) then the one on my old tripod.

Induro CT314 Tripod leg angle lock

Column Locking Mechanism

While I’ve never been a huge fan of columns on tripods (I’ve always thought they took away from the stability), the column on the CT 314 is solid and the column lock is as solid and easy to untighten/tighten as I’ve seen (a photo is below). The center column is grooved, which keeps it from turning while using the tripod.

Induro CT 314 Center Column Lock

I’m told that there is a short column for use with this tripod but I’m pretty happy with this one so far.

Features

Wide Stance Cross-braced Magnesium Alloy Spider provides ultimate core system stability

Extra Long Grooved Center Column extended camera positioning without unwanted column rotation

Full Width Leg Locks maximum support at any angle

Dust and Moisture Resistant Ergonomic Rubber Grip Leg Locks ensure an easy positive 1/2 turn all-weather lock

Interchangeable Rubber Feet and Stainless Steel Spikes in Carbon Fiber mount provide the right contact on any surface or terrain

Slip Resistant Top Plate with Reversible Tripod Head Mounting Screw assures compatibility with virtually any tripod head

Spring Loaded Weight Hook allows additional weight mounting stability during windy conditions

Oversized Center Column Lock adds vibration reducing structural support

Non-Rotating Carbon Fiber Leg Sections offer quick and easy setup

Reversible Locking Center Column allows low angle shooting (optional ballhead not included)

Adjustable Leg Angles with Lock accommodates uneven surfaces and awkward shooting situations

Integral Bubble Level allows adjustment to prevent uneven pans and tripod head movements

Triple Closed Cell Comfort Grip provides comfortable handling during cold or hot outdoor conditions

Double Threaded Accessory Mount fits wide range of accessories (optional PocketWizard and bracket not included)

Weight     5 lbs (2.3 kg)
Includes     Deluxe carry case, strap, toolkit
Warranty     2 years (+3 Online = 5 total)

Conclusion

This is a great tripod for anyone looking for a sturdy professional level carbon fiber tripod. I would easily recommend this tripod (or any other Induro tripod) to any photographer out there…great tripods and great prices.

Thank you so much for this thorough review, Eric! Let’s check out some of your bird pictures, they’re fab (I especially love this cardinal.)

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See more!

Induro’s GH Series Gimbal Heads, and Sports Photography with Shizuka Minami.

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Rachel Hulin

I have to tell you, I am really excited about Induro’s new series of Gimbal Heads. Gimbal Heads are fantastic for sports or nature photography, when you’re using a long telephoto lens, and need extensive freedom of movement. They make tracking a breeze, and give you total control and flexibility. Have a look.

I thought we’d check in with a photographer who’d do great with a gimbal head- sports photographer Shizuka Minami. Her background is in documentary photography, so she often gets a unique perspective. Here are some of her images.

Induro's gimbal heads allow for fast horizontal and vertical tracking. Looks like that would be useful here!

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ouch

ouch x 2

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Sports can sometimes be painful, but at least the sports photographer can use Induro equipment and make shooting it a pleasure.

See more of Minami’s work, here.

Induro Interview: Nelson Chan

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Rachel Hulin

Today we are lucky to have a highly interesting interview with Nelson Chan, folks. Chan has been steadily making personal projects that deal with his heritage and relationships. Also he loves Induro! Without further ado….

Nelson Chan

I love the way your heritage informs your imagery- with your photographs in China, your Feng Shui-inspired pictures, and especially your portraits. How has your identity shaped your practice, and do you have difficulty bridging the gap between the two cultures?

Heritage and identity definitely inform the work that I do, and to a certain degree, I can say that they are usually the underlying crux of where my imagery comes from. At first, I never considered these concepts to be a part of my vision; it wasn’t until after college when I started to figure it all out. The past 3 1/2 years were spent traveling between New Jersey, Hong Kong, and China; photographing an ongoing project about my family titled, ‘my Da Lu’. During this time I never felt more mentally alone and it was because of this that a sense of self-recognition occurred with the work that I was making.

from the project ‘my Da Lu’

from the project ‘my Da Lu’

from 'portraits in China'

from 'portraits in China'

Though there was always a cultural connection with what I was photographing, I wasn’t interested in bridging the gap of my two identities as Chinese/American. It took me a very long time to understand that it’s the ‘gap’ itself, where I exist, which interests me the most. Children of immigrant parents always end up having an identity crisis and it’s this tension that creates a yearning to belong to something. This sense of longing has become what heritage and identity mean in my work. Knowing that I will never be 100% to the right or left of this cross-cultural spectrum has given me a lot of comfort and inspiration. Studying the differences rather than the commonalities seems to be more interesting to me.

Your stark, face-on portraits are really wonderful. They remind me a bit of Richard Renaldi’s work. I’m especially drawn into the frame when you are shooting someone with whom you’ve had a relationship of some kind. How did you start making portraits, and what do they mean to you?

It’s funny you should say Richard Renaldi. I just had lunch with him and his partner Seth. In regards to the portraits of people who I have relationships with, the environment is always something that is important to me. Like how clothing can inform one’s own personality, their personal space does the same either physically in the picture or emotionally in the expression of the subject’s body or face. They become more comfortable with themselves and in turn, let me be a little more interactive with them. I’ve brought a few people to specific locations, but they are always of places that inform who they are to me.

from 'for the love of...'

from 'for the love of...'

from 'for the love of...'

from 'for the love of...'

I always took portraits because I’m attracted to people, but by nature, I’m an extremely shy photographer. A lot of times, the portraits were very fleeting. It wasn’t until I started shooting with a view camera that I was directly sitting down with my subject for a prolonged period of time. There are a lot of pictures I missed and wish I took; photography has introduced both regret and courage into my life quite well. The only way to combat my shyness is when regret is pounding stronger in my gut. I’ve compared making these portraits to asking someone out on a date. So I guess you can say that the portraits I take is the product of a feeling I decide to confront. I hope that answers your question.

Tell me a bit more about the Feng Shui series. These homes are all in violent areas? How did you find them and shoot them? They’re so stark, and make me want to know their stories…

My series, ‘Wind, Water, and Bullets’ came about from my mother, who is a practitioner of Feng Shui, and an article I read about a violent neighborhood on Staten Island. In this project, I wanted to talk about issues of violence in our society, but didn’t want to be extremely heavy handed or clichéd with my imagery. All the images were taken with an 8×10 view camera so that the owners of the homes knew what my intentions were. Smaller cameras can seem to feel a little sneaky.

from 'wind, water and bullets'

from 'wind, water and bullets'

from 'wind, water and bullets'

I met the owner of the first house I photographed at a friend’s wedding in Iowa. Their home was located in South Central, LA, where I was also staying as a guest. The house is alongside a park that turns into a very dangerous place at night. My first night sleeping there was filled with anxiety, but to feel this was imperative to the project, so I could understand the environment better. A bullet had entered one of the rooms in the upstairs portion of the house in the past. And shortly after I left LA, a nextdoor neighbor whom I had conversed with was shot and killed on the street. He was 24.

Void of artificial light, when looking at these interiors, I decided that I wanted to photograph towards the daylight that was entering through the windows. I want to use the flare of the sunlight to occupy the same space that a potential bullet could pass through. This created a certain dynamic between safety and danger in the photograph on a subconscious level.

What projects are you working on now, and what’s in store for you in the future? Are you able to make a living as a photographer at this point? Do you ever shoot for clients, or do you generally make personal projects?

I am still working on the current projects talked about above, but not shooting any new ones at the moment. I am however still making new pictures that don’t yet belong anywhere. My next move is to make a book dummy of ‘my Da Lu’ and figure it out as a sequence of images. I do not make a living off of being a photographer at this point, but I do make a living in the photography industry. I manage a fine art printing studio in Brooklyn, NY called Ken Allen Studios. I’m a highly skilled and competent craftsman specializing in inkjet printing. Before this, I was freelancing as a digital consultant/technician to artists. This past spring, I along with my friend Gerard Franciosa of My Own Color Lab, I carried out the scanning and digital post-production to photographer, Gina LeVay’s debut monograph from Power House Books, Sandhogs. Though I’m not opposed to photographing commercially and would welcome it, the most important thing for me is to continue working on personal projects.

from the project ‘my Da Lu’

from 'portraits in China'

What has been your experience with Induro tripods? Is there a specific model you’re a fan of, and why?

The camera has become a tool to help position myself in the world. It makes me interact with the environments I am in and gets me thinking about my relationship with what was in front of my lens; whether it is a person or a place. Though my vision is what ultimately makes me an artist, the tools that I use are what carry out that vision. In regards to extensive traveling and shooting with an 8×10 field camera, I appreciate a tripod with three leg sections for set-up speed and weight. With these specific guidelines, the CT313 has been a great performer for me. It’s extremely stable and I can easily extend the bottom sections and raise the center column to quickly have the camera be at the perfect height. If I need to have a higher vantage point, I can easily extend the second leg sections. The foam grips are also much welcomed because it really helps to ease the handling of my 8×10. With shooting a view camera, the legs it sits on is just as important as the lens or any other component and the CT313 is it.

Thanks, Nelson!

Bodybuilding with Induro and SecondFocus.

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Rachel Hulin

I know I got all excited about new stuff in the last post, but I just can’t help myself. These new Carbon CT Series 8X Tripods are too rad. Here are the stats, lest you didn’t check them out on the website.

carbonct8x-induro

I thought it would be fun to demonstrate the strength of this gear by utilizing the imagery of Ian L. Sitren, who provided a super duper interview for us a few months back.

To recap, Ian told told us his story of finding (and loving) Induro:

Tripods were always an annoyance to me. Then I found Induro and I was transformed. It became a convenience.

So many guys in the front row of the press pit where I was working fought tripods with flimsy legs and non-secure locking mechanisms. Even the lightweight expensive brands got mangled in airline luggage and had extension leg systems that just failed. I found the Induro to be solid and reliable. Locking mechanisms and ball heads that are sound and smooth.

When I fly I typically would check my Induro tripod and head and toss an Induro monopod and head in my luggage. So if I lost the tripod I would have a back up. But when both arrived I would always use the tripod even when a monopod would do, Lightweight and convenient, having that Induro tripod really so very often made my job just easier and let me just make better photos.

Cool! SO, here are the several models of CT 8X tripods that are available- from smallest to largest. Illustrated, you see, by some of Sitren’s bodybuilders, from smallest to largest. Please don’t take offense, bodybuilders!

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CT014

Excellent for point & shoots and SLRs.

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CT113 and CT114

Excellent for point & shoots and SLRs.

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CT213 and CT214

Excellent for SLRs and Medium Format.

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CT313 and CT314

Excellent for Medium Format and SLRs with long lenses.

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CT414

WHOA! That’s big!

This tripod is excellent for SLRs with long lenses and Large Format cameras.

Thanks for helping us illustrate, Ian! See more of his work, here.

Induro Interview: Elizabeth Weinberg

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Rachel Hulin

Something fun today on this dreary Thursday: an interview with up-and-comer Elizabeth Weinberg, who has a very versatile fast and loose style that has allowed her to shoot all sorts of editorial and commercial projects. From concert shoots for Rolling Stone to fashion for NYLON to product work for Sony Ericsson, she has a very interesting career. Let’s have a chat!

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Hi, Elizabeth! I’ve been a fan of your work for ages, so I’m very excited to do a little interview. First, some background info– how did you start shooting?

I started shooting as a teenager, taking pictures of my youngest sister, who was born when I was a freshman in high school. It was sort of crazy having a baby in the house while I was doing algebra homework. I started documenting her growing up and running to the hour photo lab to get the film processed as soon as I finished a roll. I sort of fell in love with the suspense. At the same time, I became heavily interested in music and would shoot live at concerts I attended, mainly as an excuse to get up front. I’m not quite sure when photography became an addiction, but that’s the closest I can pinpoint!

Abigail Weinberg

Lifestyle work

Flaming Lips in Concert

What subject matter did you start with? You seem to have several specialties (music, fashion, lifestyle). Did one get the ball rolling on the others?

Music was always first, and portraits of my friends were a constant as well. The lifestyle stuff has come about more recently, when I realized I could funnel the real-life type photography I do on a regular basis into a specific market that has the possibility for commercial appeal.

Budos Band / RE:UP Magazine

We’ve been talking a lot on the blog lately about film versus digital. I would never guess a large portion of the work on your site is digital. It’s so filmlike. Tell us all your processing secrets! Okay, maybe just a tip or two?

I won’t divulge all of my processing secrets, but I will give some advice: Shoot RAW. Pay attention to the color of light; in the late afternoon shade, peoples’ skin looks almost cyan! Highlights and shadows have different colors at different times of the day or under different kind of light. Film yields deep blacks, so emulate that in your digital processing.

(film!)

(digital!)

I’d prefer to shoot film all the time but it simply isn’t practical, financially or time-wise. The pain is lessened by the fact I’m often told my digital photos look like film!

What’s the best/most enjoyable editorial assignment you’ve had?

Hmm, this is a hard one. One that sticks out is recent: I just shot the Mighty Boosh for the September issue of NYLON. I knew little to nothing about them so I went to their Bowery Ballroom show the night before the shoot to get a sense of what they were all about, then I watched a bunch of stuff on YouTube. It was their first American performance so shooting them the next day was pretty sweet. They were really hungover and exhausted so we bought them a bunch of beer and we shot out on the street in SoHo as they heckled passers-by. I didn’t realize they had such a rabid following here in the States, so I’m glad I got a chance to shoot them when they first got here. They took direction really well and just ran with it.

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boosh
Best commercial?

Earlier this year I did a campaign for Sony Ericsson in Los Angeles and Mammoth Mountain. The product was a new 8 megapixel cameraphone, and they wanted me to shoot the entire thing with the phone itself, to prove that it was superior image quality. So here you have an assistant, art directors, account managers, models, the client, etc. all standing around me while I’m holding one phone in each hand, running around and shooting them alternately, side by side. Not your typical advertising job. There was little to no production involved: just me, the phones and a reflector. The entire experience was so freeing and really really fun. I had a huge amount of creative control. They hired me for my lifestyle eye and I just went to town.

What’s next for you, what work are you hoping to make in 2010?

I would love to shoot more documentary projects and assignments. I just did a reportage series on the Michael Jackson birthday celeration that Spike Lee put on in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It’s on my blog. I went to school for photojournalism, and that itch for reportage has stuck with me since I started my career. I’d also love to work on more lifestyle campaigns, be it for catalogs or print advertising.

Michael Jackson birthday celeration

Thanks Elizabeth!

Michael Reichmann, Antarctica and Induro’s C413

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Rachel Hulin

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My googling paid off to great effect yesterday, and I came across an Induro review from 2007 on Luminous Landscape. It was site author Mr. Michael Reichmann who borrowed the Induro C413 for his trip to Antarctica, and he came away with some interesting thoughts and a whole lot of beautiful pictures.

Here’s the C413, below:

indc413

You can read all about it, here.

But here’s the gist:

INDURO CARBON 8X C-Series carbon fiber tripods offer the ultimate in strength, light weight, fast action, and reliable performance. They’re ideal for Backpackers, Nature, Wildlife, Landscape, Photojournalist, Travel and On-location Photographers. C-Series tripods are made of the latest generation of high quality 8-layer carbon fiber tubing which is 60% stronger overall than conventional carbon fiber material. Each leg lock has a specially designed dust and moisture-resistant seal and most tripods include interchangeable rubber feet and stainless steel spikes.

C413 Height: 29.9″ Folded / 76.8″ Extended

Here’s some of what Reichmann had to say about the C413:

The 413 certainly comes well equipped – more so than any tripod I’ve yet seen. It ships in a sturdy nylon zippered case with a carry handle and attachment points for a shoulder strip. A shoulder strap is also included, and there is a swivel attachment point built on at the top of the tripod. On the strap is a small pouch containing a set of leg wrenches as well as a set of stainless steel leg spikes, which screw into the end of the legs as replacements for the normal rubber tipped feet. Just the thing for working on ice.

The new Induro Carbon Fibre tripods are a very worthwhile addition to the marketplace. Professional photographers now have a strong alternative to the Gitzo line, and Induro will likely garner some significant marketshare.

Read the full review here! And now for the fun part: Reichmann’s images!