My First Photograph With The Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite

April 07, 2012 in Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 600EX-RT, photo workshops

Croton-on-Hudson painter Eddi Flemming. Photographed © Rick Sammon

In gearing up for my Master Your Flash workshop here in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, I upgraded my speedlites to the new Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT and Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT. I also upgraded to the new Canon 5D Mark III.

To test the new gear, I set out to make a photograph of a person with a very discerning eye: local painter Eddi Flemming. Yes, I wanted to test and get familiar with my new camera and speedlites, but I also wanted Eddie to be 100 percent happy with the environmental portrait - a picture of the artist in her environment.

Hey! Did you notice how I framed Eddi in the red canvas in the background . . . just as a painter would frame his or her subject.

Above is the result of the shoot. Eddi not only loved the color, but she also commented on the sharpness of the image. I had the same comments. But for you photographers out there, I'll add that the new speedlites and transmitter are super easy to use - and the ETTL is super accurate.

I used two speedlites for the shoot - one set on channel A and the other on B. Both were set on ETTL.

My main speedlite, positioned to camera left in a Westscott Apollo Orb soft box, was set, via the on-camear transmitter, to 0EV exposure compensation.

My fill light, hand-held by my wife, Susan, was positioned to camera right and was set, via the transmitter, to -2EV for just a touch of fill light.

Adjusting the power output of the speedlites is a fast and easy, "touch-of-a-buttons and twirl-of-a-dial process."

I know a lot of pros who set their speedlites on the Manual mode. However, I have found that ETTL works perfectly for me. As my dad used to say, "To each his own."

Above is a behind-the-scenes shot taken by Susan. She was using a 5D Mark III and Canon 14mm lens. For my shot, I used my Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 17-40mm lens.

My camera was tethered to my MacBook Pro with a Tether Tools kit.

One of my favorite Eddi Flemming paintings.

I think Eddi is having a good effect on my photography. Now, when I make a picture, I try to think like a painter - which is something I cover on all my workshops. I think more about shadows, and how important they are in a photograph. See the image below.

You'll find lots of lighting tips in my apps.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Believe it or not, Rick "Raw Rules" Sammon shot at the RAW+ Large JPEG setting. The image you see here was from the Large JPEG settings. I'll process my RAW file when I get the ACR plug-in.

Why Take a Workshop - Any Workshop?

April 07, 2012

"Chef" Sammon at work. No worries: Not giving up my day job.

Last night, my wife and I took a Thai cooking class at The Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. A first for us.

The class of 18 food lovers was led my Chef Loren Banco - who masterfully, along with his assistant Eric, coordinated the creation of 12 dishes in four hours.

I think coordinating the invasion of Normandy must have been easier. Not only were the dishes (some with more than a dozen ingredients) fantastic, but the three teams completed their dishes at the same time . . . so we could all sit down and enjoy dinner together.

Although I was in charge of the steamed fish, the Summer Rolls and Pad Thai were my favorites.

Thai beer and Thai food. What could be better?

Anyway....

Being a student, as opposed to assuming my usual role as a workshop instructor, was a humbling - and most interesting - experience. Throughout the class I imagined what some of my first-time workshops student must feel like, because I felt the same way about the class:
– a bit apprehensive about signing up,
– somewhat intimidated about working along side a pro,
- kinda nervous about showing the end result.

Speaking of feeling that way, I was also nervous about being Chopped, as in the TV show on the Food Network of the same name.

Yummy Summer Rolls.

Well, like all good class/workshop leaders, Chef Loren make us all feel good about what we were doing - in a no-nonsense way. Here was there to help: 100 percent.

Chef Lorne's demeanor reminded me of the importance of an instructor's role. No easy task, especially when it comes to cooking, which is much harder than learning Photoshop, HDR or daylight fill-in flash!

I know Chef Loren cares, which echoes my philosophy: People (students) want to know how much you care before they care how much you know.

Preparing lunch in Laos. Talk about a fun workshop location. © Rick Sammon

On the way home, listening to the Santana station on Pandora in the car, I thought about why people take workshops:

1) To learn;
2) To have a new experience;
3) To meet new people;
4) To grow as a person;
5) To change their reality for a while (be a chef or a pro photographer).

All good reasons, which is why I suggest you take a workshop - any workshop. Yes, you might be shy and nervous and intimidated and apprehensive and so on. But make the leap. I am sure you'll be glad you did.

A shot from my Mexico Workshop. We make pictures, we just don't take pictures.

I hope to see you on one of my workshops, group or private. Shoot me an email if you are interested.

Also: I hope to see you sometime at The Institute of Culinary Education. Italian is next for us!

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Chef Loren: What's your critique on how the man in Laos is preparing lunch? :-)

The Other Side of 60 . . . and iAARP?

April 05, 2012 in 60, AARP. retirement

Being on the other side of 60 is not so bad. Been there for almost two years. Sometimes, it's actually cool, especially when younger dudes like Trey Ratcliff call you the "Godfather of the Photo Industry."

With my 62nd birthday coming up next month, I've been thinking about the "Other Side of 60," which is the title of a song my brother, Bob, wrote. Please take a listen - and then come back.

At this stage of the game (well past half time), some of my friends are talking about retiring.

Me? Never. In fact, I have never been busier and more exacted about photography . . . and life. So excited, in fact, that I think I need to start iAARP: International Association of Adventurous and Rockin' Photographers.

I think photography keeps one young - and young at heart. I also think keeping up with technology keeps one young, which is why I keep developing apps - or should I say why I work with talented app developers who develop my apps with me.

I still feel the same as when I was at Woodstock in 1969.
That's me with the fro on the hood of the car.

My friend and fellow Canon Explorer of Light Eddie Tapp, who created the opening image for this post with Jane Conner Ziser, agrees with me that the other side of 60 can actually be kinda cool: "They say life starts at 50, and you really start to enjoy it at 60. I have to say that I agree with that. They also say that your eye sight is the third thing to go, your memory is second, and right at the moment I don't remember what the first one is, but I do remember that I fell in love with photography when I was 7 years old. My dad took me to see the movie, South Pacific which preceded a Wind Jammer, Fighter Jet, Roller Coaster you're in the seat kind of movie, what we would consider iMax today. It took me a few years to realize what I had fallen in love.with but today that love is far more ingrained.

"A quote from Ansel Adams… 'In my mind's eye, I visualize how a particular sight and feeling will appear on a print. If it excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph. It is an intuitive sense, an ability that comes from a lot of practice.'

"Tomorrow will bring much more to explore and create… and I will continue to practice."

My friend Parish Kohanim, also a Canon Explorer of Light, agrees: "I am thankful for the extraordinary journey that I have been able to take through life and photography, enabling and expanding my visionto all beauty and life. I continue in my commitment to continue, enjoy life and take photos that resonate beauty."

My friend Alex Morley, who is co-leading our Oregon Coast Photo Caravan later this year, also agrees: "Rick, it's amazing that any photographer these days would say we've learned all. I'm 60, soon to be 61 years old, and I cannot find enough time to explore all I want to learn. And it just keeps getting more and more interesting!"

Traveling and photographing is still my passion.
I can rest when I'm dead. © Rick Sammon

Click here to see me backing up my brother Bob.

Click here for more thoughts on the other side of 60.

Please leave your comments here in the Comments section if you have some thoughts on being over 60.

Here's a closing thought for the younger photographers who are reading this blog post:

You are now where I once was. I am now where you one day will be.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Here are the words to Bob's song. He's a poet, too.

The Other Side of 60

From the other side of 60

20 Don't look too bad

Thinking back to younger days

and all the friends we had.

Singing, playing, loving,

Testing our new wings.

Taking reckless chances

on damn near anything.

From the other side of 60

30 looked like it should.

That's when I married her

and life ahead looked good.

Sure, there were some trade offs.

Things settled down too much.

But kids and work were all we had

and slowly we lost touch.

And you never see it coming

No matter how you try

To gaze into the future

And let imagination fly

There's always something coming

You can't anticipate.

So take a breath and hold it in

And learn to laugh at fate.

From the other side of 60

40 was much the same.

Days turned into endless days.

But no one bore the blame.

And when she got real restless

She just got up and left.

The kids and me just sat there,

Stunned and left adrift.

[Chorus]

From the other side of 60

Fifty was a blur.

Kids had grown, gone on their own

And I never heard from her.

Some things sure looked different

And some were just the same.

But somewhere deep down in my soul

was that ever burning flame.

[Chorus]

So from this side of 60

It's looking good again.

All the pain we suffered through

has vanished with the wind.

There's music, friends and family

to fill up each new day.

And every step, each gain and loss

Was a price I gladly paid.

[Chorus]

In Celebration of Spring, Butterfly Wonders is Now .99

April 03, 2012 in butterflies, iPad apps, moths

In celebration of spring, I've reduced the price of my Butterfly Wonders iPad app to .99.

Butterfly Wonders includes:
- my favorite photographs of butterflies from my worldwide travels;
- names and descriptions of each butterfly by butterfly expert Alan Chin Lee;
- detailed close-up photography tips, giving you an intro to close-up photography;
- camera/lens info for each shot, so you can see how I got the shot;
- before and after shots, which show the wonders of butterflies.

The app is a mini-course in close-up photography and more.

If you like Mother Nature, I think you'll also like my iPad app, Life Lessons We Can Learn From Mother Nature, which is also .99. It feature my favorite nature photographs along with inspirational quotes.

Click here to see all my apps.

All photographs in both apps were taken with my Canon digital SLR and lenses. Click here to see my gear.

Explore the light,
Rick

iStuff Sunday #2 - Is That D-76 I Smell?

April 01, 2012 in Camera Awesome, New Croton Dam, apps for iPad, apps for iPhone

iStuff Sunday is a regular feature that I'll link to here on my blog. It's written by my friend David "The iMan" Leveen, who shot all the videos for our Light It! iPad and iPhone apps - as well as for the videos for our Wiley Publishing DVDs.

Click here to see all my apps.

Each week David will cover some cool techniques and fun stuff for your iPad and iPhone - and maybe even for iLife and iWork users.

If you want to suggest a topic, let us know in the Comments section here.

Also let us know if you'd be interested in an iPhone workshop by the iMan.

Take it away, David.

This week: Is That D-76 I Smell, Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

Thank you David for sharing your awesome tips!

And speaking of awesome, below is a picture I took of the New Croton Dam that I took with my iPhone and enhanced with SmugMug's Camera Awesome app.

Explore the light,

Rick

P.S. David is also a certified Mac Consultant. If you live in Westchester, NY and have a Mac Attack problem, shoot David an email. David has saved the day for me on many, many occasions.