Comments for Patterns of Light n' Dark

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Steve Weeks

Steve Weeks — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:01:44 +0000

So Chris, have you changed the parameters on you 5D to somewhat match his ideas? I did a quick menu check on mine and no starting point jumped out as a match for Vivid. Same on the 7D.
Also if memory serves, shooting raw+jpg (with parameters set) and you bring both into Canon’s DPP, the software also applies the jpg parameters to the raw file. I noticed this when I had the jpg parameters set to Monochrome when I was one a B&W kick. Helped me visualize what potential the file had.
Steve

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Mike Peters

Mike Peters — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:31:48 +0000

Not cropping, one of the big things I got from a small book about Jay many years ago, On Assignment. Between Jay and HCB, and many others, I deduced it was best to make it happen in the camera.

As far as color, I’m not a fan of Vivid or super saturation, it just doesn’t jive with my ideas of what I want photos to look like, so I don’t. My point is, if what he says makes sense for YOU, than try it on, and if it works, it’s now yours too.

Also, as someone who shot color slide film on assignment for years, I’ve always felt that the right exposure is the best exposure and I do my darnedest to get what I want at the moment of exposure, especially now whether shooting color negatives or digital.

However, I’ll be damed if I’ll ever shoot a jpg. There’s just so much more available with RAW, and besides, I shoot in all types of weird light, no way it’s gonna ever be right in the camera. And, my subtle changes make the image all my own and unlike any image made by anyone else. I guess my years of darkroom work instilled that idea in me. Jay always shot Kodachrome, so he was imprinted with the idea that once the film was exposed, kodak did the rest. Now, for Jay, once it the image is shot, nikon does the rest. I don’t want a nikon (canon, leica, pentax, whatever…) image, I want an image that looks the way I decided it was going to look.

As far as gesture, yes, gesture equals life. No gesture, no connection to the subject, no reason to look at the photograph. Simple.

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Ed

Ed — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:22:47 +0000

I second Ray up there, I’m envious too that you got to see and hear him. The Kelby Group have a great video “A Day with Jay Maisel” that I could just keep watching over and over. Another great interview is the one on the Candid Frame podcast. No matter how many times I hear him say the same thing it is always good to hear it. From those I knew about most of the stuff you mention, including shooting RAW+jpeg but hadn’t got the implication he shot for the jpeg. It makes sense knowing how much he talks about avoiding the tech. Ever since I got my dSLR and looked through the Magic Lantern book I have shot RAW+jpeg and had it on a Velvia-like setting too. I love that look. And to respond to Eric I believe one of the other things Jay likes to say is “Bracket the Hell out of it!” He always brackets for exposure and I have to say that when I am shooting on the streets of New York I have found that the best way to get by. The most important thing I learned this summer though, through listening to people like Jay and the mentorship program I took, is finding the gesture. A great photograph will always have gesture and while I love the colours in your photo above it is the expressions and poses of the people in it that make it for me.

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Chris Klug

Chris Klug — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:44:45 +0000

I agree Earl, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the statement after seeing hundreds of stunning images. But it certainly all made sense given the way the images looked. Interestingly, I went into the room early (I couldn’t wait) and Jay and his assistant were hard at work calibrating the projectors (well, his assistant was, anyway). Given how he strives for a particular look, that makes sense. And thanks for the comment on the image!

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Chris Klug

Chris Klug — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:41:08 +0000

Well, Eric, I AM at a Photoshop conference, after all. And the gent I heard say that was well-meaning in his intent, which is to give a photographer the ability to salvage a critical image which was captured with some issues. And I was reacting to the juxtaposition, after all. But I shoot film and one of the things I like about it is how it encourages me to commit at the moment of capture. Joe McNally talked about how if he’s doing a b&w shoot, he commits, and turns off the color image in the camera and doesn’t want to SEE the color image in his software because it muddies the issue. Jay is saying the same thing, really.

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Chris Klug

Chris Klug — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:36:56 +0000

Your thoughts are well put, and I am in complete agreement with them. It is clear Jay knows exactly whether an image does or noes not fit into his vision. End of story. And since the gesture is so important to him, fiddling with shadow detail, etc., isn’t gonna fix an image where the gesture is wrong to his eye.

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Tweets that mention Velvia @ ISO 1600 – Patterns of Light n' Dark -- Topsy.com

Tweets that mention Velvia @ ISO 1600 – Patterns of Light n' Dark -- Topsy.com — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:33:02 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Olwick, Mark Krajnak. Mark Krajnak said: Interesting post here. RT @patternsoflight: New blog post: Velvia @ ISO 1600 http://bit.ly/bYYI3m [...]

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Earl

Earl — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:07:40 +0000

Jay is definitely an artist at heart with a keen eye for composition. I love hearing him speak of his methods and I have a huge amount of respect for him and his work.

I don’t believe there’s only one right way, one method, one correct photographic workflow and I tend to “turn-off” when anyone starts trying to argue there is. Jay works the way jay works because it’s what he knows and is comfortable with, it works for him. Someone else may shoot RAW and post-process in Photoshop because that’s what works for them. I believe we each have to develop our own methodology to suit our own style. But we should definitely be open to how others work…harvesting those relevant bits of knowledge we may use as our own.

Chris, great post photo. Man, did it ever pop out of the screen at me and I love the couple — current Americana! Have a great weekend!

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Eric Jeschke

Eric Jeschke — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:12:17 +0000

Now that’s a guy I can relate to. Really it’s no different than the old days shooting kodachrome–you need to understand how to control your exposure (and with digital, white balance–although many RAW processing programs are happy to white balance a JPEG just as well as a RAW file). You can exposure bracket if you want and 3 jpegs will still take less space than 1 RAW file. And most RAW files don’t have as much exposure latitude as people think–my Panasonic GH1 has less than 1 stop RAW headroom.

RAW capture benefits are way overblown.

Of course if you want to manage a bazillion disks and terabytes and terabytes of backups, go right ahead. I’ve got ten years of shooting digital stored in under 100 Gb and I never delete anything.

Sorry, I’m just a little sensitive because of this mantra that you must be a fool if you are not shooting RAW.

Comment on Velvia @ ISO 1600 by Ray K

Ray K — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:25:18 +0000

I have known about Jay’s workflow and process for sometime. I admire the hell out of him and is take on what photography is and isn’t. Jay also will tell you he doesn’t do tech of any sort. I don’t think he even did darkroom work when he shot film. (don’t know for sure though) He is still working digital just like he did when he only shot film and he does it really well. The one thing he does know is what he wants in an image and how to get it. That is pretty much the same for anyone who know what they want and how to get it, whether they get there by working a raw file or shooting like he does.

I envy you getting to sit through this as I have only seen him and on video and in sound. One of the most amazing photographers and all about the art not the tech.