Mark answers several questions about street photography, with urban street portraiture as a focus. Watch as Mark walks through the process of capturing images while out and about in the city.
Gear used in this video
All posts by Mark Wallace
The 60 Minute Challenge
Mark explains how to get outside and shoot a self-assignment in order to expand your photographic skills. He gives himself two assignments and spends an hour taking pictures and SEEING things that most people would just walk by.
Gear used in this video
Setting your camera correctly
If you’re new to photography, two of the most important things to learn are aperture and shutter speed settings as these will give you a lot of creative control. If you’re not sure what settings to use Mark has an easy to follow spreadsheet to help you determine the right settings. A lot of people have been asking where they can find the spreadsheet in today’s Digital Photography One on One video. You can download the spreadsheet by clicking here.
Gear used in this video
Free Photography Workshop with Mark Wallace + Big Announcement!
Join Mark Wallace and special guests at Levi’s Photo Workshop on Thursday, October 28th at 7:00pm in New York City.
Bring your camera! We’ll have high-end Profoto Pro-8 gear for you to use in the studio. Mark and others will be giving pointers on studio lighting and photography in general.
Once the shooting is finished Mark will be sharing his thoughts on making photos that have an impact and how you can stand out in the crowded photography marketplace.
Mark will also be making a big announcement about events in 2011 that you could be a part of. You’ll be the first to know about our exciting big secret!
This is an evening of fun, networking and inspiration that you won’t want to miss.
This event is FREE!
The Levi’s® Photo Workshop is a resource for the photographers of New York City. Whether it’s to take classes, rent cameras, stock up on film, make stupid faces in their photo booth with your best guy or gal [ note – you may end up in our Yearbook project with Hamburger Eyes! ], or just to pop in and see what’s being shot in our studio space, the Workshop will be all things to all photographers, be they point-and-shooters or professionals.
My Worlds Finally Unite!
liveBooks has announced a terrific feature that I’ve been testing for the past month; it’s the integration of Vimeo and liveBooks. This means that you can have all of the ease of use of liveBooks for showing video on your liveBooks site. Once your site is Vimeo enabled it’s a breeze to add videos, change their display order and styling. And the nice part – everything plays right on the same page. No new pages appear to play the videos.
This is a terrific feature for someone like me. I create between 5 and 10 videos every single week. I’m very excited about the ability to show the “best of” videos as liveBooks portfolios. Finally I have one site to host all of my content.
To see the integration in action check out my liveBooks site.
On Location Flash
I know, it’s been a while since we last updated the blog. We’ve been busy creating lots and lots of content for AdoramaTV. We’ve created 44 new videos. Ten of those have been new Digital Photography One on One episodes. We’ve been getting a lot of feedback and we’re working hard to keep the videos fresh and useful.
Last week we released Episode 20: On Location Flash and have seen more activity on this episode than most, so I thought I’d post it here as well as a few of the photos we shot for the video.
Model Katherine Lee. In this shot I overexposed the background and used a medium softbox to add some fill light on Katherine.
This image was shot using strong backlight. I used the softbox to balance the light. I adjusted colors in Lightroom before exporting.
This is an example of a balanced fill flash. Katherine was standing in the shade and without the fill flash she would have been almost completely underexposed. By matching the flash exposure to the ambient light I was able to create an image that looks like 100% natural light event though I used a flash.
Gear used in this video
- Profoto Acute-B 600R w/ lamphead
- Photoflex Litedome Platinum, Large 36″ x 48″ Softbox
- Sekonic L-758DR DigitalMaster, Programmable Digital Flash & Ambient Exposure Meter
- Canon EOS-5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera Body
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM AutoFocus Telephoto Zoom Lens with Case & Hood
- Manfrotto 055XPROB Black Tripod Legs
- Manfrotto Midi Ball Head 498 with RC2 Rapid Connect Plate
- PocketWizard MultiMAX Transceiver, Remote Control Radio Slave.
How’d They Do That? Matt Hill – stop motion video
Well today we officially launched a new video series called How’d They Do That? It’s a show where we explore the world of professional photographers and share their techniques with you. Our first episode features photographer Matt Hill. We talk about his recent short film Available Night.
You can see more of Matt’s work on his website: www.MattHillPhoto.com
And here’s the video Available Night by Matt Hill:
Equipment used in this video:
Depth of Field
In this episode I’m talking all about Depth of Field. Three things impact Depth of Field:
- Aperture
- Focal Length
- Distance from subject
After posting this video to YouTube a few people commented that I left out sensor size. Well the truth is that sensor size does not determine depth of field… but it does influence it. Let me explain.
If you have a smaller sensor and a full frame sensor both shooting at the same distance with the same aperture and focal length the DOF will be the same for both. Therefore, sensor size does not determine DOF. The problem is that with a small sensor you’ll need to use a wider angle lens or shoot farther from the subject to get the same scene as a larger sensor – and that will impact DOF because you’ve changed one of the three deciding factors.
So does sensor size impact DOF? No. But it does change how you have to shoot and that in turn does impact DOF. So yes, sensor size ultimately impacts DOF.
Gear used in this video
- Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Digital SLR Camera Kit
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM AutoFocus Telephoto Lens
- Canon Speedlite 580EX II, Shoe Mount Flash
- Canon EF 16 – 35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM AutoFocus Telephoto Zoom Lens with Case & Hood
- Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM AutoFocus Wide Angle Telephoto Zoom Lens with Case & Hood
iPhone Inspiration
Some photographers get it. They know that what’s in their head is much more important than what’s in their hand. I’m impressed with photographers like Andre of Striped Shirt or Michael Seneschal who take iPhone photos two an entirely new level.
These guys, and many like them, are a constant source of inspiration to me. Unfortunately you may have never seen their work before. Well, Adorama is trying to change that by giving everyone a place to post their best iPhone shots. For the next two weeks you can post your best work on their iPhone Photo Contest site. They have a panel of judges ready to look at your work and then hand out some very groovy prizes.
The thing I love about iPhone photography is that it lets you concentrate on the story that you’re telling without worrying about the technical aspects of the shot. It also allows you to build your skills at making images instead of simply taking images. If you’ve been a reader of our blog for a while you know that I’m a big fan of the iPhone and it’s abilities. Here are a few of my favorite iPhone lessons:
Inspiration in the Rocks
A couple of years ago I challenged a friend of mine to a photo duel. He was having a tough time finding things to shoot with his new super fancy camera. So we took his camera and my iPhone out to a pile of rocks (literally) and started shooting. Before long he was able to forget about all the technical barriers and free his mind to simply shoot. You can read all about it by clicking here.
Capturing the Moment
My trusty iPhone was also the camera I used to capture some of the images that are most memorable to me. I recently had the privilege of meeting James Nachtwey. His work has had a huge impact on my photography and how I approach life. Without my iPhone I would have no documentation of our meeting. Read more about my experience of creating a “disgusting” photo.
Getting Closer
Last year I took a very close look at what photography meant to me on a personal level. I discovered that my iPhone helped me document and process events that were very close to my heart, like my dog Luka undergoing treatment for an unknown illness. Later we discovered he had Cancer. The thousands of iPhone photos we took during his lifetime helped us remember him after his death.
“Photography is an extension of who I am. Photography is a way for me to document, remember, share, and quantify my experiences. It’s the way I tell my version of the story.” – Mark Wallace
With my iPhone I am able to get closer, physically as well as emotionally, to my subjects. Read more about getting closer and how it may impact the way you see life.
What about you?
So what about your iPhone shots? Do you have a story to tell? Are you looking for inspiration? If you do then visit the Adorama iPhone Contest site and get involved. Sure you can win a bunch of great prizes, but more importantly you can inspire someone to try something new.
What are you waiting for?
The Mark Wallace Meetup Tour: Live
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.