One of the more interesting WPPI debuts was ICE Light, a hand-holdable daylight LED wand that makes it easier for the portrait photographer to hold the light source and shoot at the same time. The ICE Light is the result of a big name partnership: Designed by photographer Jerry Ghionis, and manufactured and distributed by Westcott lighting.
Two women holding ICE Lights making the rounds through the expo hall area at WPPI.
When set to full output, this device delivers 150 watts at 5200~5400k. It is bright indeed. It is also expensive. If you buy online, the kit sells for $499.
You hear video shooters say time after time, the best way to get great audio for your movies is to record it with a separate device, then sync it with the video in post. But sometimes that's easier said than done. Now, thanks to Dual Eyes by Singular Software, this process is easy.
For this video, I recorded audio with both my Rode VideoMic Pro mounted on a Canon 60D, and with a lapel mic connected to my M-Audio Microtrack recorder. I then used Dual Eyes to substitute the M-Audio track for the onboard recording. The sound was very much improved.
I learned about Dual Eyes during our recent recording of TWiP where Frederick Van Johnson remarked that he likes it. Since I had to shoot a video for Lowepro that next morning, I thought this would be the perfect test for it. The improvement was quite noticeable.
Basically, you record audio with both your camera and the separate recorder. Then, you use Dual Eyes as a standalone app to replace the audio tracks before importing into Final Cut Pro (or your favorite editor). The application compares waveforms of the two audio tracks and is able to sync perfectly.
I have to shoot in a very noisy expo hall this week for my WPPI assignment in Las Vegas. I'm certainly going to be using the separate recorder and Dual Eyes to milk the best sound possible from my interviews.
Dual Eyes isn't cheap: $150. But they do offer a 30-day free trial to give you a chance to test the software. If it works for me this week in Las Vegas that way it did for the Pro Messenger video I initially tested it with, I'm darn sure I'm going to buy it.
I touched down in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon to cover WPPI 2012 at the MGM Grand.
An Olympus E-PL2 set to 1/2 second at f/16 at dusk. I wanted the traffic in the foreground to add motion to the image.
The Wedding & Portrait Photographers International event is enjoyable because of the stars it attracts and the energy generated by its youthful audience. In addition to blog posts and photos, I'll also record this week's TDS Podcast here in Las Vegas and share some of that great energy to those of you who are back home.
Attendees leaving class up the escalators from the Conference Center. I set the Olympus E-PL2 to f/8 at 1 second, ISO 200.
It's one thing being able to connect your iPad to a projector and show your work. It's another being able to do it wirelessly. If you have a WiFi Epson projector, such as the PowerLite 1775Wthat I use for our TDS Photography Workshops, then you can use the free iOS app iProjection to display photos and presentations directly from your mobile device.
Imagine being able to walk around the room with iPad in hand, showing images from your camera roll and Photo Stream, or documents in the PDF, Keynote, PowerPoint or Microsoft Word format.
And what I really like about the Epson PowerLite projectorsis that they're about the size of a laptop. So you can transport the projector and the iPad in a standard size messenger bag... and be a very nimble presenter.
The trick to this system is that the Epson projector actually creates its own WiFi network. The module is built in to the unit. So, on your iPad (or iPhone for that matter), go to Settings > WiFi and select the adhoc network. Once you do that, iProjection will detect your iPad or iPhone, and display the content on the screen.
There is a setting in the menu system for the Epson Projector that allows you to name the network it creates. This makes it easy to find it if there are many other WiFi networks in your location. I do carry the iPad VGA adapter with me just in case. But so far, I haven't had to use it.
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The Loupe tool in Aperture was one of the first "oh wow" features that caught photographers' attention. What's interesting, however, is that it's also quite useful, especially if you know the basic ins and outs.
By spending just a few minutes with this video from my Aperture 3 Essential Training on Lynda.com, you just might fall in love with the Loupe tool all over again.
My next open Aperture Workshop is scheduled for Nov. 2012, in Santa Rosa, CA. You can get on the pre-registration list, plus learn about all the other photography workshops offered this season by visiting the TDS Workshops page.
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"Danger, Will Robinson; danger, Will Robinson!" You look down at your camera and see Err 01 on the LCD. What does that mean? Why isn't it taking pictures?
Thanks to Rudy Winston over at the Canon Digital Learning Center, you can now have some clue as to what is going on. His article, Canon EOS Error Messages: An explanation and understanding, provides lots of insights about activity under the hood, and what many of those error messages actually mean.
If you shoot Canon, you'll definitely want to store this article on your mobile device.
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What a great month for Compact System Cameras (CSC). First, Sony announces its lens roadmap for the NEX series that includes some tantalizing glass. Sony promises 15 lenses for the system by the end of 2013. Then Olympus reintroduces the beloved OM series, but this time in digital form with the OM-D E-M5. And it's a beauty: 16 MP sensor, 5-axis image stabilization, 9 fps burst mode, and a built-in electronic viewfinder to augment the 3" tilting LCD. Panasonic just received a solid thumbs up on its latest, the GX1. Meanwhile, Samsung continues to push the envelope with its entries in the race. This week I take another look at this exciting category of cameras, with special attention given to the new Olympus OM-D series.
Rule of Thirds is the Feb. 2012 Photo Assignment. Entries must be adhere to a Rule of Thirds composition. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Feb. 29, 2012.
When trying to decide which Compact System Camera (CSC) is the best for you, one to consider is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1,our current favorite of the Panasonic offerings. And DP Review seems to like it too, giving it a "Strong Silver" award in their recent review of the GX1.
Features such as the 16 MP sensor, compact form quality, and robust build construction impressed reviewer Amadou Diallo. It's a handsome little guy too. Our own Ed Shields published his field test of the GX1 citing, "It feels great in the hand, has lots of external controls, an intuitive menu system, and excellent RAW image quality."
As you survey the world of CSCs, certainly this one is worth consideration.
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I've talked a great deal about how much I like the Epson R2000 13" fine art printer. Now, thanks to their mobile app, Epson iPrint, I can send jobs directly from my iPad to the R2000 over a WiFi network. (The R2000 has built-in WiFi.)
And unlike some other free printing apps I've tried, iPrint gives me a variety options including paper size up to 11" x 17", quality setting, color vs monochrome, brightness, contrast, and saturation.
If you have an R2000, or any number of other WiFi enabled Epson printers, take a look at this free app.
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I saw this latest top-of-the-line DSLR from Nikon at the CES event in Las Vegas last month. And I can say, for those who need it (and want it), it should be worth the wait.
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Two women holding ICE Lights making the rounds through the expo hall area at WPPI.
that I use for our 
our current favorite of the Panasonic offerings. And DP Review seems to like it too, giving it a "Strong Silver" award in their 
