The live version of the Mark Wallace US Meetup Tour sponsored by PocketWizard begins at 1:00PST February 6th, 2010. You can watch the live version (and the replay if you missed it) in the window below.
If you’re tuning in live you can tweet your questions to: @jmarkwallace. Use the hashtag #mwtour so everyone can see your tweet.
We mentioned earlier that we are working on 150 new videos, here’s a quick update on our progress.
I’m excited to announce that Snapfactory is partnering with Adorama.com to bring you a new series of Digital Photography One on One videos, product reviews, and a brand new show that will debut next month.
We began talking five months ago and agreed early on that we wanted to do something big. Really big. Here’s what we have in store for you this year.
Digital Photography One on One is now a weekly show. That’s right – weekly. Adorama is sponsoring the show for a full year (50 episodes). We’ve decided to release a new episode every Monday beginning in mid-February. The episodes will be available on YouTube, Vimeo, Blip.TV, Adorama.com, Snapfactory.com, StudioLighting.net, and other sites on the web.
You told us you wanted to be able to download the episodes and we listened. Digital Photography One on One will be available for download on iTunes! These will be full HD episodes that you can download to your computer and watch at your convenience.
Adorama and I both agreed that it’s crucial to keep the show true to the original intent, showing you how to do things with your camera, and we plan to do just that. Adorama is dedicated to education and we’re happy to partner with them because it means that we get to keep making the videos and offer them to you free of charge. There is NO CHARGE for these videos.
We are also creating a brand new series called How’d They Do That? This series will go behind the scenes to show you how the Pros create stunning images and videos. We’ll show you the techniques and gear they use and show you how you can get similar results with the gear you own.
How’d They Do That? is also a weekly show. There will be a new episode every Tuesday and just like Digital Photography One on One it will be available on YouTube, Vimeo, Adorama.com, Snapfactory.com and (of course) iTunes – free of charge.
But wait, there’s more! We’re just getting warmed up here. I’ll also be doing product reviews every week. Every Wednesday you’ll get a dose of cool gadget reviews. I’ll be taking a look at cameras, tripods, printers, video gear, meters, post-production tools, filters, lenses, and… well you get the point. If it has anything to do with Photography we’ll be talking about it at some point.
Ok, so you’re catching on now. You’ve probably guessed (correctly) that these product reviews will also be available on numerous websites and (yep) iTunes.
But we aren’t stopping there. We’ll be adding our own behind the scenes videos throughout the week as we brainstorm, shoot, travel, edit, and create all of this content. It’s going to be a LOT of work and we want to show you how we do it as we do it. We’ll be posting at least three videos a week that show you what we’re doing behind the scenes.
All of our videos will encourage viewer participation. We want you to write in and ask us questions, make suggestions, post photos and videos you created using the techniques you learned from the videos.
And when I say “we” I’m talking about myself and Diane and our two brand spanking new employees. When we agreed to create all of these videos we knew we’d need to hire a couple of people to help us make it a reality. We think we got the best. Let me introduce them to you now.
Kelsey Hazlewood is our new Producer. She’s responsible for all of the logistics of these new videos. She’ll be working hard to get equipment in for reviews, scheduling models, finding locations, following up with artists for interviews, updating our newsletter, shipping gear all over the US, booking travel, making coffee runs, and a million other things I’ve forgotten to mention.
Kelsey recently graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. After graduation she went to work for Wired Magazine. Have you read their cool gadget reviews in recent months? Kelsey helped create those reviews. In fact she was so good at it we executed a perfect coup d’etat and hired her to work for us. Yep – we’re patting ourselves on the back for a job well done. Kelsey is a rock star and we’re honored to have her working with us.
Elizabeth Shell is our new Video Editor/Camera Operator and Director. Yes, it’s a long title but I’m not sure how else to describe what she’ll be doing. She’ll be setting up the lighting for our videos, shooting editing and posting videos, keywording, brainstorming, animating, storyboarding, scouting, and a million other things I forgot to mention. Hmmm, maybe her title isn’t long enough.
Elizabeth graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism last year with a Master of Mass Communication, Journalism and Multimedia. Elizabeth has worked as a journalist for News 21 (Phoenix, AZ) and Cronkite News Service. She was the Managing Editor and Producer for Election 2008: Who Won and Why, Inside San Carlos, and many other documentary and multimedia productions.
Elizabeth is an avid reader, film buff, and has an impressive understanding of current events and the world around her. Did I mention she studied the Middle East in 2005 through the American University in Cairo, Egypt? Oh yeah, she also has a degree in Political Science and Economics from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI.
I can’t tell you how excited we are to welcome Elizabeth and Kelsey to the team at Snapfactory. Kelsey begins tomorrow and Elizabeth will begin February 1st after she returns from a couple of weeks in London.
We’ll be posting more information about our partnership with Adorama as the days go by. We’ve been keeping a tight lid on this project for months (it seems like years) but now that the cat is out of the bag we’ll be giving you regular updates.
The Mark Wallace US Meetup Tour sponsored by PocketWizard continues to be a blast. We’ve been to Miami and Seattle and are headed to NY tomorrow. At each of the stops I’m encouraging participants to upload their shots to the Mark Wallace Tour Flickr Group. Follow the link to see all of the shots (or upload your own).
We’ve had some pretty amazing shots along the way. Here are a few that give you a hint at the type of fun we’re having at the event. We even have a bonus stop action video shot by Adrian Collier (click the photos for credit and Flickr info):
SPA Studio & Mark Wallace from adriancollier on Vimeo.
I had a blast in Miami this past weekend and I’d like to say “Thank You” to all of you who made it to the Meetup. MAPS Studios was a terrific location.
The evening before the meetup a few of us went to Books & Books Cafe’ to have some coffee and chat about photography. I really enjoyed hanging out and meeting a few new friends:
The next day we were all in the studio having a blast. Here are a few shots from the event taken by some of our participants:
A few of the attendees posed for a group shot. This was lit using a single Profoto AcuteB 600R head.
Mark Demonstrating the PocketWizard FlexTT5 with Model Jocelyn Binder.
Mark outside demonstrating High Speed Synch with the PocketWizard Mini and Flex.
Mark demonstrating the Xrite ColorChecker Passport Lightroom plug-in. Perfect skin tones!
Mark walks the group through the steps of using high speed synch to get great bikini shots. Our Model, Izabela S, was freezing in the white robe behind Mark.
And the shot by photographer Armando Orraca
Here are a few behind-the-scenes videos from a recent shoot for iGo. We shot 6 videos for the iGo product line, one of the finished videos is at the bottom. We were honored to be chosen by our good friends at SiteWire to shoot these videos.
Last month I shot a short video of Greg Gorman for Xrite. Here’s a short breakdown of the production.
The video was all shot on a Canon XH A1. This is a great little camera and perfect for shooting on location when you need to keep things simple. I only had a few hours to shoot everything so speed and mobility were key.
I used a modified Zacuto newsman kit to help keep things moving along. When shooting on a tripod I used basic Zacuto baseplate and Zamerican arm with a Marshall HD Monitor. When I needed to shoot handheld it only took about 3 minutes to rig the camera for a shoulder mount kit.
The Zacuto rig and Marshall Monitor. The indoor interview was lit using natural light.
Shooting the studio session.
The Zacuto rig in action.
A closer look at the newsman rig.
I used a Rode NG-3 shotgun mic with a Dead Cat wind screen for all of the audio. I was very impressed at how well the Dead Cat worked so close to the ocean. It was pretty windy and the Rhode gear handled everything perfectly.
The Rode NG-3 and Dead Cat.
Everything was edited in Final Cut Pro and then converted to H.264 for the web using Compressor. And here’s how it all turned out:
If you’d like the Mark Wallace US Meetup Tour to come to your city here’s your chance. The rules are simple:
It’s official, I’m hitting the road in just a couple of weeks and coming to a city near you! The Mark Wallace US Meetup Tour sponsored by PocketWizard begins in Miami, FL on November 14, 2009.
To register in your city click on one of the links below:
My “Disgusting” photo of James Nachtwey.
Yesterday I was very excited to have the opportunity to hear James Nachtwey speak at Photo Plus Expo in New York City. James Nachtwey is no ordinary photographer and for me to see him speak, and even have a remote chance of shaking his hand, was a dream come true. James Nachtwey is one of my heroes and a source of inspiration. When asked, “If you could meet anyone in history?” I usually answer, “James Nachtwey.”
When the door opened for his Keynote address I pushed my way through the crowd and somehow got a seat on the front row right in the center. James was on stage trying to get his computer working and the crowd waited. I decided to pull out my camera and shoot a few frames.
The light was very low so I put a flash on my camera. I decided to use my 200mm lens so I could get a decent shot. I took a few photos and then something totally unexpected happened. The guy next to me began to critique my skills.
He began by shaking his head and then said (with a very strong German accent), “No, no. I’m sorry but that picture is horrible. It’s disgusting. It’s not even average.”
Excuse me?
“It’s disgusting. You need to use wide angle lens, you need to get right up to him and use a spot meter and figure out the proper exposure. Do you have a light meter? Your photo tells no story, why are you even shooting?”
I didn’t know how to even respond to this guy, so I said the first thing that came to my mind, “Who are you?” I mean if this was Shaul Schwarz or Damon Winter I’d certainly want to hear what they had to say. But it wasn’t either of those guys or even anyone I’d heard of, although he did make sure I knew he “commuted from Munich to New York regularly.” Good for you dude.
He continued, “You need to frame your shot totally differently. You need to get Mr. Nachtwey and his photos at the same time, nobody will want to see your photo. Turn off your flash, why are you shooting like this?” Still amazed I replied, “It’s for my blog.”
“Your blaahg.” He drew out the “aaaah” sound for dramatic effect. “Nobody will want to see your blaaahg.”
At this point I was not a very happy camper. But I understood what the dude was saying. In the context of James Nachtwey it made sense. Nachtwey has made a career out of getting closer. I’ve even written about it on this blog. The light from my flash would be flat, the shot unflattering, no context, no story.
But I didn’t care.
I just wanted a damn shot of James Nachtwey to document the fact that I’d been in his presence, to put a visual stamp on the memory of the moment. What Mr. Munich didn’t know was that I planned on shooting many more shots during the presentation. He had no idea what my blog was about or how I’d display the photo.
When I’m shooting it’s very important to me to know the context of the presentation. It changes the way I make a photo. I don’t shoot family vacation shots the same way I shoot a scenic photography. The intent is totally different. One shot is to capture a memory and the other is to create art.
I happen to like my disgusting photo of James Nachtwey. He’s isolated and looks very introspective. He’s just as I imagined he would be.
After the lights dimmed and James began to speak I was consumed by his imagery and inspired by his message. I was moved by his passion and desire to change humanity through photography.
After the event James was besieged by hundreds of photographers who wanted to get a shot or meet the legend.
And somehow I got close…
…and talked to…
… Mr. James Nachtwey.
My friend Zowie Stapleton was there to record it all with my iPhone camera. The pictures are all wrong, average and disgusting.
I’ll cherish them for the rest of my life.
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