This week: Photographing the Olympians. Popular Photography magazine asks “What is a photograph?” Plus a discussion with Syl Arena on big lighting with small speed lights.
Hosts: Frederick Van Johnson, Alex Lindsay, and Joseph Linaschke
NEWS & DISCUSSION
TWiP Workshop at Joshua Tree
Fred and Joseph led the first ever TWiP workshop at Joshua Tree. Read more about it on Fred's blog
2010 Winter Olympics Discussion
With the winter Olympics coming to a close last week, we wanted to chat a couple of our regular panel members about photographing the games. Unfortunately Steve couldn't join us this week and Lisa was having technical difficulties so Fred, Alex, and Joseph discuss the winter Olympics and what would be involved as a photographer covering an event of this size. Both Alex and Joseph mention the importance of having backup gear and/or knowing where you can acquire gear in the event that something happens to it.
Are Cell Phones Hurting the Digital Camera Market?
Alex thinks that cell phones are hurting sales of the point and shoot market but not the DSLR market. He would like to see someone build a sensor and removable lens that we can slip our iPhone into and control.
Photoshop and Photography: When Is It Real?
In the March issue of Popular Photography magazine, the editor's note, by Miriam Leuchter, is called “What Is a Photograph?” Alex, Fred, and Joseph discuss what is a photograph.
Website Technician Slams City's Use of Stock Photography on Infinitehorizons.ca
A Regina website technician says he doesn't think the City of Regina should use photos of people who aren't from Regina on its new promotional website. The guys share their thoughts on the subject and whether this practice is misleading.
INTERVIEW WITH SYL ARENA
This week, Fred interviews Syl Arena who is quickly becoming the Joe McNally of Canon Speedliting. Syl talks about the strobist movement, his new site devoted to Canon Sspeedlites, and shares his thoughts on working with off-camera flash. You can learn more about Syl by visiting his website, following him on Twitter, and checking out his new site devoted to Canon Speedliting.
LISTENER QUESTIONS
Question #1
Hans J. Hansen asks: I'm currently shooting with a Canon 400D and I'm thinking about upgrading. I've been looking at the 7D mainly because of the price, but lately I've kinda gotten the impression that full frame is a must if you're taking photography seriously and therefore I've been thinking about sticking with my old camera for a while and save up for the 5D mark II. I understand that a cropped camera is, well, cropped, but can't I just make up for that by using a wider lens? Or is it also a question of image quality?
Alex: If I really want is an SLR that does video, then the 7D has better video controls. If you are more concerned with stills, the 5D Mark II has much better image quality, particularly in low-light situations. If you plan to move up to a full-frame sensor, stick to good quality lenses that are not for cropped sensor cameras.
Question #2
John Bradley writes: I'm re-discovering photography after 15+ years out and having fun moving from film SLR to digital SLR. I am sensing that post processing is 50% of producing pictures that will sell in this digital age. Do you agree and what customizations (besides watermarks) do you recommend?
Joseph: It really depends on where you are trying to sell it. Manipulation is a big part of photography and it's not new. If you're trying to sell into the world of illustration then there might be more digital manipulation needed. 100% of being able to sell and image is having a good image to sell in the first place.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
Alex: LitePanels Micro Pro
Joseph: Hon-L Photo Light Modifiers
Frederick: Portraiture 2 (a portrait retouching plug-in)
WRAP UP
Visit the blog at www.twiplog.com and the Flickr critique group. We also have a new Facebook group so be sure to check it out.
Joseph Linaschke – www.apertureexpert.com or www.twitter.com/apertureexpert or www.photojoseph.com
Frederick Van Johnson – www.frederickvan.com or www.twitter.com/frederickvan
Alex Lindsay – www.pixelcorps.tv or www.twitter.com/alexlindsay
Bandwidth provided by Cachefly. Intro Music by Scott Cannizzaro
Show producer Aaron Mahler at www.halfpress.com or www.twitter.com/halfpress
Show notes by Bruce Clarke at www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke
TWiP is brought to you by Audible.com – the leading provider in spoken word entertainment. Audible has over 60,000 titles to choose from to be downloaded and played back anywhere. Visit Audiblepodcast.com/twip for a free audio book of your choice.
TWiP is also brought to you by SquareSpace – the fast and easy way to publish a high-quality web site or blog. For a free trial and 10% off your new account, go to – Squarespace.com/twip, offer code TWiP.
