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My equipment/software list:

• Nikon D700
• Lens as needed
• Dell 13″ Studio_XPS
• 500 gb external HD
• 15′ USB cable
• Gitzo 1258 Tripod
• ProLine GMS80A Conductor Sheet Music Stand
• Nikon Camera Control Pro 2
  • * Just bought TetherPro
• And of course the studio light gear

So here is the basic setup: Simple and useful.

Tethered setup overview

The above image is from a catalog shoot I did for Jane Burch, see “The Transformation” article.

Tethered shooting allows me to view the images in real time on a 13 inch calibrated monitor, allows me to zoom into the images to check focus and detail.

I rarely show the monitor to the model, unless I need to show them something specific – good or bad. I do, however, encourage the client, in this case the MUA, to review and comment as the photographs are taken to ensure they are getting what they want and need.

Client reviewing images as shot

I don’t know if it’s the same with Canon equipment but Nikon software places the images onto the computer’s hard-drive not the CF card. I do not edit, much, on the laptop so I have the download directory on an external hard-drive for easy transfer to my desktop editing machine.

A final image

While this setup isn’t exactly ‘high end’ it works well for my needs.

A specials thanks to Tom Thompson for the behind the scenes shots.

Nikon D700 - Exposure 1/200 - Aperture f/13.0 - Focal Length 70 mm - ISO 200

Nikon D700 - Exposure 1/160 - Aperture f/20.0 - Focal Length 55 mm - ISO 200

Nikon D700 - Exposure 1/250 - Aperture f/8.0 - Focal Length 24 mm - ISO Speed 200

But the truth is on my D700, I really appreciate the versatility of the AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 G ED in the studio.

What’s your favorite studio lens?

I have found the iPad to be much more useful than I had expected in my photography work. I use several Photo apps now at most every session.

So, for you is the iPad use in your photography a tool, toy or prop?

Come join the Flickr group and show your stuff: Flicker iPad and Photography Group

During a recent Strobist meetup I was doing a boudoir demonstration to show dramatic lighting using speedlights. I was shooting tethered and projecting the resulting images. 97.3% of the time I let Nikon tell/show me how it sees the scene first and how it thinks it should be lit. I almost always make adjustments to the resulting mechanically conjured lighting.

See setup photo here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/byrkdauph/4613328383/in/set-72157621832784087/

As I was changing the lens from the Nikkor 24-70 2.8 to the Nikkor 85 1.4 I was asked if I ever used the largest aperture for portraits. The three images were shot in front of the group to demonstrate how to use depth of field to change the tone or focus withing a portrait.

The top image was taken at f/16
The middle one at f/5.6
The bottom at f1.4

The effect is dramatic but I’d like to point out another aspect of the photos that I failed to highlight for the group. I was showing the effect of change f /stops and did not adjust the speedlights throughout the large aperture changes for the DOF demo.

I had adjusted them to get the lighting I wanted in the beginning as stated above but not after making the f/stop adjustments. Nikon’s CLS system adjusted – on the fly- the power outputs of three speedlights for the entire range of lens -  f/1.4 through f/16 with NO adjustments from me.

Had I been shooting manual I would have spent easily 3 or 4 times the effort to show something that took me literally less than 5 minutes using the CLS.

I love the Nikon CLS system.

More photos from the session here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/byrkdauph/sets/72157623950994863/detail/

Makeup by Marie-Térese MM#1317488

As a people/model photographer I spend time looking for locations with an interesting background, lighting or feel. Once I have the opportunity to shoot at the location I work through in my head where and how within the location I will setup or design the scene to get the image I want. A lot of it depends on the person’s looks, wants and vision of the session. I am always open to ideas and really enjoy the collaborative process when working with talented  people or a least someone who knows what they want to portray in the portrait. Always with the goal of getting the shoe box picture.

There are basically three types of pictures;  there are setup or designed shots, candid shots but many times a third type of ‘design’ comes into play for me and I see a ‘target of opportunity’ shot I hadn’t planned or noticed when I scouted the location. In the this image of model Lady Dori Belle, by the way if you get a chance to work with her – jump on it, she’s a class act. We were shooting in a large motorcycle warehouse as we were walking from one side of the warehouse to the other I noticed the light from the skylight.

I placed Susan into the shaft of sunlight screaming brightly through the roof onto the warehouse floor. I had a single Nikon SB-900 Speedlight on an 8′ Cheetah stand with 40″ Wescott white shoot-through umbrella. I used the sun to back light her by changing her position until I had the light where I wanted it and used the SB900 to fill the harsh shadow. An unplanned shot for sure, a target of opportunity you bet – but impossible to pass up when noticed.

Any Questions?

When I do use them I try to either use the natural light to compliment the flash or the flash to compliment the natural light.

An example of each:

flash to compliment the natural light

natural light to compliment the flash

Last weekend our DFW Midcities Strobist Meetup Group had a fun and interesting strobist outing shooting a few local WWII re-enactors. Lynn and Dean are long time players while Zack and Zane were a member’s teenage sons were conscripted into the German Army for the event.

As a photographer I thought I had a lot of gear; man these guys had more toys than any man should be allowed to own. A full sized anti-tank canon, land mines, machine guns, pistols , camouflage nets, manikins, road signs, barbed wire and on and on and on.

10 strobists, 4 actors, 5 acres of land and toys! We had a blast.

See more of my photos, including behind the scenes shots, here. To see all the uploaded photos by members of the groups go here.

While in VA on business for 2 days I decided to walk over to the metro station one evening. Boring stuff, but I was bored.

I had always hesitated taking photographs of strangers on the street. I’m not sure what I expected by way of reaction from people but the truth is no one really seemed to notice. People would watch me take pictures of others, but when they thought I might take their photograph, they ignored me.

People are funny.

Response (Kevin J.)

11/15/2008 06:26 PM

Dear Ray,
This does in fact look like a banding issue and unfortunately there is nothing I can do over the phone.
I am sorry to say you will in fact have to send your D700 into our facility for evaluation:
Again, Thank you
The Nikon Team

I FedExed my D700 to California today ($87 overnight); Kevin, the Nikon rep I spoke to, tells me it’ll be 3-4 weeks to get it back. I purchased the camera in Albany, GA on September 26, 2008 while visiting my folks, so the camera is, what, 2 months old.

I first saw some vertical banding a couple of photographs I took at a local airport. The red (pink) vertical lines were in the gray overcast sky of two pictures. The sky was a bit overexposed and I ignored it, thinking it was something I did wrong.

Last Saturday I was asked to take a team photograph of my daughter’s (See “My Daughter the Ax Murder” article) high school girls LaCrosse team for their website. The coach was there with her young daughter and I took the opportunity to grab a couple of pictures of her with her little girl. (See attached photo – full sized). The banding was intense, bright and undeniable.

The banding was intense, bright and undeniable.

I checked the Nikon website, saw the support office was open and called. I spoke to Kevin who actually told me ‘he’ had not seen any red banding from a D700. I pushed and asked was there a known issue with banding; he again said he had not seen any banding or heard of many at all. We discussed the problem, he opened a trouble ticket, I uploaded the Jpeg to him. Well, I wish I had recorded him when he opened my file; “Wow, I’ve never seen red banding before; it’s usually gray.” No, I didn’t go there.

I have got to tell you: my camera bag full of lenses sure looks empty.

Only 3-4 weeks to go.

UPDATE: November 27: After speaking to a Nikon manager on Tuesday about the problem and possible solutions I arrived home yesterday to find a brand new D700. They replaced the camera.