Black Diamond Productions

Archive for March, 2010

Divini Rae – Re-edit from an older shoot….

So I dove into Lightroom 3 beta 2 and other than the aforementioned weird color issues i am having that I must say are both strange and annoying… I guess I like the changes. I really need to take some time to really look at the changes. I will say I have heard great things about noise reduction.

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Paul C Buff Introduces the E640 Einstein Studio Flash

This will be a great solution for many of us none full time “professional” photographers. Matching this with the Cyber Commander Light control system will more than likely be my perfect lighting setup for single and dual light work in the very near future. These are available for pre-order now with about a 3000 light waiting period as of this month.

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Link to their website: http://www.paulcbuff.com/pcb2009/einstein.html

Download the Pro-Lim Manual .pdf

THE NEW PAUL C. BUFF EINSTEIN

Einstein 640  Einstein 640

EINSTEIN 640 – PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS

Read more

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Lightroom 3 Beta 2 – Color cast across Library & Develop Modules? Are you seeing this issue?

Are you seeing the severe color cast issues in your copy of LR3 Beta 2?

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Library is on the left and Develop is on the right. As I recall the Library module is supposed to show all settings applied to an image in that module. My copy is clearly not doing this.

Anyone else seeing this issue?

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Paul C Buff and Alien Bees – New Light Modifiers

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PLM SYSTEM™ PRINCIPLES

Parabolic reflectors are often misunderstood by photographers. A common response to the PLM™ system is: "That looks like an umbrella – it can’t possibly perform the function of those gigantic deep parabolic reflectors offered by other manufacturers." In a conventional deep parabolic reflector (see fig. 1) only a portion of the available light is directed to the parabola and is directed as a focused beam toward the subject. The remainder (shown in red) escapes as unfocused spill light. In the PLM™ system (see fig. 2) the special 7" reflector directs all of the light onto the 16 segment parabolic surface in an exact 180° field. 100% of the light is focused by the parabola and none escapes as direct spill light. The result is higher output than a deep parabolic system, virtually no spill light, extremely even coverage and a lightweight, portable system that can be mounted on standard light stands and easily transported and set up.

PLM

By positioning the light unit at the exact focal point, the silver PLM™ light modifiers produce an extremely high-output narrow shaft of light with smooth coverage and feathered edges. This results in very large, virtually round light sources that produce intense yet soft lighting due to the vast f-stop increase in subject illumination over softboxes or conventional umbrellas. Moving the light unit into the parabola slightly defocuses the beam to produce a wider pattern at slightly lower output. The optional front diffuser converts the Silver PLM™ into an exceedingly efficient softbox with exceptional evenness across the face and moderately wide illumination patterns. PLM™ umbrellas with white satin fabric form virtually round bounce or shoot-through light sources with extremely even surface brightness and wide smooth lighting patterns. Optional black covers and front diffuser panels offer a wide array of lighting styles.

The PLM Umbrella Reflector should be used in all configurations with Paul C. Buff, Inc.™ lights for optimal performance

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  • Silver 16 Rib Parabolic Umbrella: Silver inside, black outside. Projects a soft but narrow beam of light with a pattern and high output similar to a 40° reflector. Two to three f-stops more output than a typical softbox. Available in 86”, 64” and 42” sizes.
  • White 16 Rib Parabolic Umbrella: White satin diffusion/bounce fabric. Projects a wide, soft beam for soft studio lighting with uncontrolled spill. Available in 86”, 64” and 42” sizes.

 

Optional:

Black Outer Cover Fabric: Eliminates unwanted back spill-light when used with the white umbrella, further maximizing the output in bounce mode.  Also ideal for use with White Front Diffusion Fabric.  (note: this cover is not needed with the silver umbrella).

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Link for more information: http://www.alienbees.com/plm.html

 

The best part of this release is the pricing – most large umbrellas are much more expensive – I will probably have to give one of these a try in the white with black outer cover setup.

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Lots of Changes….

Just a heads up as the site is changing around and i am cleaning it up to make it a bit more readable and also to be able to add more sections as our upcoming podcast approaches.

If you have topics you would like to see covered please just email me and i can get them added in the queue.

I will also be adding an equipment section to better explain what i use and how my workflow works.

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Itunes + Iphone = Two Model Release Applications for you to look at:

 

Application #1 – mRelease

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Model Releases, Talent Releases, and more for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

Designed for filmmakers and photographers, mRelease makes getting releases easier than you ever thought it could be. Appearance Release (a.k.a. Model Release or Talent Release), Property Release, Location Release, and Crew Release are all included.

Once you have entered basic information about your shoot, for each release you just add some quick details about your subject, an image from the built-in camera or photo library, and get a touch-screen signature – it is that easy! The app creates, stores, and emails you a pdf file of the signed release, including the embedded photo of your subject.

mRelease is paperless (not to mention pen-less). Forget about bringing a stack of printed releases to your shoot, as well as the frustration of not having them with you when a once-in-a-lifetime shot appears. With mRelease, if you have your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you have your releases. Easily organize your completed releases by shoot, production, date, name, and type. Send pdf releases to anybody in your contact list.

Create any of these forms:

  • Appearance Release: Often referred to as a Model Release by photographers, and a Talent Release by filmmakers. This form gives you permission to use images, video, or sound recordings of an adult or a minor.
  • Property Release: Gives permission to use recorded media of property: objects, artwork, animals, etc.
  • Location Release: Gives permission to use recorded media of a location, as well as permission to bring equipment and crew onto the location.
  • Crew Release: Gives permission to use media recorded by adult or minor crew members on your shoot, as well as their own appearance in any recordings.

If you are a professional filmmaker or photographer, student, hobbyist, or anybody else who needs a release, mRelease is designed to make your life easier so you can focus on creating the content you love.

http://www.mreleaseapp.com/

 



Application #2 – Easy Release

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  • Professional-grade releases, created and signed, right on your iPhone.
  • Wizard style interface guides you step-by-step.
  • 12 language translations.
  • Same format and legal language used by the world’s leading photo agencies!
  • PDF format (and optional JPEG) – emailed right to you!
  • Includes a picture of the model or property right on the release.
  • Sign on the touch screen using your finger or optionally using this*special stylus (*stylus sold separately)
  • So easy to use you can’t make a mistake!

http://www.applicationgap.com/apps/easyrelease/

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