New York Portraits

Mergers and Acquisitions

2011-10-12T14:43:00.001-04:00

Wait ... you're looking at this blog? You really should be looking at my other blog.

Strobox

2011-07-08T19:14:00.000-04:00

How many times has this happened to you: you need to communicate your ideas on how to create the perfect lighting set up, but you have a fear of both paper and pencils. Finally, there's a solution. The Strobox iPhone App. It's free, it's fast, it's preloaded with images of gear you're not even sure you can name, let alone use, afford or store. Just click and drag a background, a camera, about 7

Using the Metz 58 Second Reflector Well

2011-06-25T16:42:00.001-04:00

Let's start with this: the Metz 58 AF-2 is a great hotshoe flash. In my opinion, it's the smartest flash out there. I do, of course, understand why a photographer might choose the top-of-the-line flash from their specific camera brand. I think it's worth comparing, though, before a purchase -- it has some features that photographers might not even realize they need or realize are left out of

Like A Felon

2011-05-29T13:03:00.000-04:00

Recently, I've had to use gels on my flash for both color correction and for effects. It occurred to me that, if someone is interested in gelling their flash, they may easily be led astray by the "advice" they find on photo forums. You know, those same people who tell you to use the bottom of a 2-liter soda bottle instead of a Gary Fong diffuser. They're out there, in the forums, and telling

Riverside, Riverrun

2011-05-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

Sant Khalsa explains her photographic practice while California Museum of Photography Director Colin Westerbeck listens during the opening reception for "Riverrun: Sant Khalsa's 20-year Journey with the Santa Ana River" in Riverside, Calif. on Saturday, May 7, 2011. The exhibition will be on display until August 13, 2011.

Bounce Flash Examples

2011-02-23T16:06:00.001-05:00

Flash pointed directly at the subject. Notice the glare on the books and the hard flash shadow under the stool. Flash tilted up to 45 degrees. Now the light comes from above (rather than hitting straight in the center of the orange, a really unnatural look). This is giving a more natural look with softer light coming from above -- but we still see glare on the books and little flash shadow

Manfrotto 790B

2011-02-23T00:53:00.001-05:00

Monopods are cool. A little bit of camera support when you need it, without having to carry around a clunky, three-legged thing. I have a few. In my search to find small and light stuff, I ran into the Manfrotto 790B. It's particularly cool because it folds up to 15 inches in length -- but expands to be just fine for a six-foot tall photographer. Really lightweight, and well-made. Don't put a

Exposure & White Balance with a Lastolite Ezybalance

2011-02-10T15:32:00.001-05:00

Camera Decision This shot used camera metering and Auto White Balance. ISO 320, f/1.7, 1/160th Here the white wall behind the apples fooled the meter, so the shot is underexposed. Camera Decision Applied I used the settings from the "default" shot. ISO 320, f/1.7, 1/160th When I put a grey card -- I used a Lastolite Ezybalance -- into the shot and used the same settings, I could clearly

Photography in the News, No Pictures Please Edition

2011-01-02T13:48:00.000-05:00

I watched Smash His Camera last night, so I blame Ron Galella for this: Banned at Birth: Maryland Hospital Bars Delivery Room Pictures and Video'Shifler, who works as a photographer, feels like the ban on picture taking encroaches upon her family's rights. Many of her children have been in the delivery room as their new sibling was added to the family, snapping pictures of their new brother or

New Documentary Photography Blog

2010-12-01T12:02:00.000-05:00

I've started a new blog on Documentary Photography, and the first post asks the inevitable question: What Would Walker Evans Do?

Aye Aye IMDb

2010-11-03T18:09:00.000-04:00

Watch more free documentaries Here's an interesting update on our film Blind Faith: A Film About Seeing. More precisely, on how IMDb works and why independent filmmakers might want to consider the importance of the least important thing: the credits. Back in 2007, I worked with five of my pals in the brand-new Documentary Certificate program at The New School to create a 7-minute documentary on

Best ... Bargain ... Ever: Panasonic GH1 at $500

2010-10-31T08:13:00.006-04:00

The Panasonic GH2 will be released soon. It will probably be a little tough to get at first, but it will be on camera store shelves soon enough. So stores that still have the Panasonic DMC-GH1 available have dropped the price to an unbelievable bargain level. It's a heck of a camera for the price, especially if your interest is working with DSLR video. (I've shot several projects with the GH1,

Backgrounder on 12th and 3rd

2010-10-07T12:13:00.000-04:00

Ah, the Web is a funny place. Things come and go. A while back our short documentary 12th and 3rd in Brooklyn screened at the ASU Art Museum Short Film and Video Festival. This lead to an interview about the film with Arizona-based writer Cassandra Nicholson. I was happy about the interview, as it gave a bit of background into how the film came to be and the process we followed to make it.

When is a Film Finished?

2010-10-01T13:45:00.001-04:00

Watch more free documentaries So here's one of the problems of the digital era: when is a film finished? In 2009, my co-filmmakers and I shot and edited Hoop Springs Eternal in five days as part of the International Documentary Challenge. We were disappointed the film didn't make it to the finals (we made it to the finals in 2007 and 2008) but were basically happy with the film. Apparently,

"Hoop" Screens This Sunday at Coney Island

2010-09-21T20:08:00.002-04:00

Our short documentary Hoop Springs Eternal -- about two people who came to New York hoping to act who became professional Hula Hoopers along the way -- will screen this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Coney Island Film Festival. Buy your $6 advance tickets now, since the festival -- named one of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals by Moviemaker Magazine -- will probably sell out. The film shows in

Hint, Hint

2010-09-20T16:18:00.000-04:00

Well, first there was New York Portraits. Then there was Los Angeles Portraits. Above: a clue to the next site.

Coney Flix Picks Pics, Sells Tix

2010-09-10T13:43:00.000-04:00

THE FAUX REAL: TRAILER! from Suzanne Hillinger on Vimeo.New Yorkers: is it too early to buy your tickets to the screening of our short doc Hoop Springs Eternal at the Coney Island Film Festival? No: I'm hearing it's likely to sell out. But wait: there's more.... The film is showing in Program 12 -- Sunday, September 26th at 1 p.m. -- with a fun block of films. Among the highlights: Suzanne

Labor Day? Time for Brooklyn's Best

2010-09-06T08:00:00.006-04:00

12th and 3rd in Brooklyn from Ted Fisher on Vimeo.This film was shot four years ago on Labor Day.

Hoop Goes to Coney Island Film Fest

2010-09-04T13:37:00.000-04:00

Our short documentary Hoop Springs Eternal will screen at the Coney Island Film Festival on Sunday, September 26th at 1 p.m. in Program 12. Last year, Moviemaker Magazine named the festival one of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals. If you'll be screening a film, attending the fest, or are just interested, I've started a Twitter list to follow filmmakers screening at the festival this year as

"Hoop" To Visit Coney Island Film Festival

2010-08-21T10:55:00.000-04:00

Just found out: our short doc Hoop Springs Eternal will screen in September at the Coney Island Film Festival. Details soon.

Four Years Ago

2010-08-19T20:26:00.000-04:00

Four years ago I made my first post on this blog with Beginnings and Endings. I then marked the 1839 anniversary of the announcement of the invention of photography with Happy 167th Birthday. Now, I've moved from Manhattan, so -- while I'll keep this blog, after a bit of repurposing -- you can follow my California posts on Los Angeles Portraits. One more city will be in the news, very soon,

Goodbye to Some of That

2010-07-24T02:02:00.000-04:00

Last night we had a bit of a going away gathering. One issue leaving the city raises: Will I need to change the name of this blog? Above: an iPhone snapshot on Thompson near Bleecker.

A Profile in Profiles

2010-07-18T13:23:00.000-04:00

Was packing books into boxes for our move to California when I ran into this.

43rd Street

2010-07-16T20:43:00.000-04:00

Shot a mini-documentary this week, near Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler Building. It will be a long while before I get to putting it together, but it was a good time. Details sooner or later. Above: an iPhone snapshot of the Chrysler Building, taken after a quick visit to 99-Cent Pizza.

Two Turntables, No Microphone

2010-07-11T11:22:00.000-04:00

Went to see the Christian Marclay: Festival exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. It was entertaining enough, and we happened to catch it during "Screenplay" -- a performance with two turntabilists performing with a video work. Not sure I see enough of a distinction from an organist playing with a film -- or a pianist, or a theremin player -- on this one. There's just not enough