X-Rite Photo Blog

Creative Pro Show SUMMER SPECIAL EVENTS | Rome and Milan

Clizia Capecchi — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:47:13 +0000

After the successful fifth edition of Creative Pro Show, held in Rome last April, X-Rite Coloratti Martin Benes has already started organizing new exiting and exclusive workshops for the coming months.

The first date to note is June 16, 2013. You’ll learn how to get over your shyness and take the situation in your hand with “The Art of Empathy and Shooting” workshop. Alessandro Rabboni will explain what to say and how to have more charisma to get those spectacular images and create the right atmosphere including tricks and tips on how to pose the model, and much more.

Location of the event is Villa Ada – Rome, Italy – and the workshop is limited to only 8 participants so that each person gets personalized instruction.

After the summer break, get ready for the arrival of another international guest on September 21^st: Lyubomir Sergeev, Advertising Photography & Compositing. This is an incredible and unique Master Class in which Lyubomir Sergeev, one of the best photographers in the trend advertising business, will explain how to make an image from capture to post production with a strong visual impact.

In the first part of the day he will shoot two subjects including a model, using techniques of high speed shooting. In the second part of the day he will move on to post-production and finalizing images in Photoshop.

This Master Class is dedicated to professional photographers who want to improve their knowledge of shooting and post production and also to amateur photographers who want to up their game in a decisive way. This Master Class is also recommended to digital artists who want to discover and learn how you shoot and prepare an image in post production including important techniques for compositing in Photoshop.

Location of the event is again beautiful Rome, Italy. More info CLICK HERE.

Just one week later, September 28^th, Martin has organized another intensive Master Class with one of the best professionals in European digital imaging, Uli Steiger. This Master Class is for all those who are interested in 3D modeling and its integration with Photoshop. You will learn how to work with Cinema 4D; open to only 20 participants to ensure a “personal” approach and create a situation of total hands-on learning, establishing a relationship “one by one”.

We thank Martin Benes who puts together unique opportunities to learn from professionals working in the field. Events are presented in Italian language, but all presentations will be translated live into English by an interpreter.

Martin Benes uses ColorMunki Photo for profiling his monitor and projector. And he uses ColorChecker Passport for camera profiling. Learn how you can stop guessing and start knowing with X-Rite color management solutions from X-Rite at www.xritephoto.com.

Get the latest news, special offers, webinar notifications and much more by reading the X-Rite Photo Blog and following @xritephoto on Twitter, “Like” X-Rite Photo on Facebook. Now check us out on Google +. Start saving time and money with color management solutions from X-Rite. Visit www.xritephoto.com for information on all color management solutions for video and still photography.

Create a Custom White Balance for HDSLR Video

Aimee Baldridge — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:00:34 +0000

How do you capture natural and accurate colors in your HDSLR video footage, and keep them consistent when you’re shooting with multiple cameras? Keep a white balance target stashed in your bag, and it will take you just a few minutes to nail the color for your shoot—and save yourself hours of postproduction time later. Victor Ha explains how in this tip from HDSLR Video Bootcamp for Photographers.

Use an X-Rite White Balance Target to Create a Custom White Balance for HDSLR Video

by special guest Victor Ha

At this point in the evolution of digital photography, setting a custom white balance should be in our blood. In fact, it should be such an ingrained part of our workflows that it should take no more than a few seconds to set. Unfortunately, as cameras become more automated and their manufacturers tout their “automatic” features, we are fooled into thinking that setting custom white balances in our cameras is no longer needed.

While using automatic white balance can produce some marginal results in a photographic workflow, relying on it when creating video with an HDSLR can add hours to a project or, even worse, destroy footage you have taken the time to record. This is why it’s more important than ever to set custom white balances when capturing footage on your HDSLR.

Setting a custom white balance is easy to do and will save you hours of work in post production. Just follow these simple steps or watch the video below:

Place the white balance target of an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport or ColorChecker White Balance in the scene you are filming. Make sure the light falling on the target is even; pay special attention to make sure no shadows are cast on the target.
Use a light meter, like a Sekonic L478-D, to determine the proper exposure of the scene.
Set the exposure on your camera to the metered value and switch your lens to manual focus.
Capture a still photograph of the white balance target, making sure that it is captured as close to the size of the frame as possible. The target does not need to be in focus. It’s more important to have it as large as possible in the frame.
Access your camera’s menus and set its custom white balance to reference the image you just captured.
Change the white balance setting on your camera to the custom setting.
Capture your footage.
Repeat steps 1-6 any time the lighting changes.

In lieu of setting a custom white balance, some HDSLR video shooters prefer to capture footage using a particular Kelvin temperature. I lean away from this technique because every camera records color differently, and it’s virtually impossible for two cameras set to 5600K to capture color that looks the same. This is a huge problem on multi-camera shoots and can be a massive time-sink in post, so I simply avoid all of the heartaches by setting a custom white balance on all the cameras in my shoot. It literally takes seconds to do and makes a world of difference!

Want to learn more? Register for HDSLR Video Bootcamp for Photographers.

Color Tip is a monthly column in the X-Rite Photo Newsletter. Be sure your copy is delivered to your email box each month. Sign up today on the right side of this page.

Discover how you can start using the ColorChecker White Balance target in your video and photo workflow today. Visit www.xritephoto.com.

Webinar Archive: Bildbearbeitung von Aufnahmen mit Mischlicht

Clizia Capecchi — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 05:00:43 +0000

Jürgen Nobel

Processing Images Shot in Mixed Lighting

We are happy to present the webinar archive for Coloratti Jürgen Nobel’s program on processing images shot in mixed lighting. Jürgen works as a commercial photographer in Germany. In addition to his work for commercial and photo agencies, he offers professional workshops both for beginner and advanced photographer for fashion, portrait and beauty photography. He presented a webinar at the end of May 2013 exclusively for X-Rite.

Missed the German language webinar with X-Rite Coloratti Jürgen Nobel presented on May 23rd, 2013? Watch the presentation again, and enjoy the question & answer session from webinar participants, both in English and German.

In this webinar German language webinar, photographer Juergen Nobel provides the following tips and tricks:

• Basic techniques for shooting with mixed lighting (daylight plus flash)
• How to compensate for differences in color temperature
• Conversion of RAW capture
• Image adjustments and effects with Photoshop
• Softproofing
• Tech requirements and recommendations

In diesem Webinar wird Fotograf Jürgen Nobel auf nachfolgende Dinge eingehen und Tipps & Tricks dazu liefern:

• Grundlegende Technik bei Aufnahmen mit Mischlicht (Tageslicht plus Blitzlicht)
• Unterschiede der Farbtemperatur ausgleichen
• RAW Konvertierung der Aufnahme
• Bildkorrekturen und Effekte mit Photoshop
• Softproof
• Voraussetzungen, Technik und Empfehlungen

View the webinar recording -German language:

Hier können Sie sich die Webinar-Aufzeichnung anschauen:

Here are some questions asked by webinar attendees and Juergen’s answers:

Question: My Nikon camera was mistakenly set to Vivid when shooting portraits. Can I change this in post production? I shoot RAW.

Jürgen Nobel: I use Canon and Hasselblad. In the Canon cameras I use some optimization settings are also possible before capture. Almost anything can be undone in RAW.

I am not familiar with how the Nikon camera uses the Vivid setting since I do not have a Nikon camera at hand. Just try it in the RAW converter. To my knowledge Vivid is a picture style that makes certain color and contrast corrections. While this setting may affect the preview, it does not affect the RAW file itself on Canon.

Question: Can you five a sample calculation for exposure?

JN: A sample calculation for an exposure does not exist actually. When shooting with mixed lighting (flash, daylight and artificial light) I look first to the daylight and then to artificial light sources. At this point I decide which sources of which are meaningful for the subject. If daylight is not sufficient in order to “standardize” 1/200 second to produce a nice bright light at an aperture of 10, I extend the exposure time using the shutter speed. It is best to go with a light meter to check exposure, in this case at f 10 I set in my camera in manual mode to set the shutter speed. If you have no meter at hand, one can also measure with the camera. Simply select aperture 10 in the aperture priority and see what the camera says for shutter speed. The same goes for artificial light.

Question: Why is there no motion blur when photographing a person at 1/20 of a sec? Is that due to the flash duration stopping the action?

JN: Yes, the flash lit the person. At 1/20 and longer the camera should be on a tripod. How long you can extend the shutter speed depends on some additional factors:

The rule is the lower the power setting on the flash, the shorter the flash duration. However, it does not necessarily follow that 250ws setting on one brand will have a shorter flash duration than a 1000ws setting on another manufacturer’s flash. There can be huge differences in performance from brand to brand, manufacturer to manufacturer. And the kind of flash you’re using is also critical. Usually compact flast units have a longer flash duration than pack and head systems.
The brightness of the ambient light in the room or environment. If the space or place is very bright even without flash then the possiblity of motion blur increases.
How fast the person is moving has an impact. A quiet sedentary person will allow for a longer shutter speed without the risk of motion blur versus a sprinter running through the image.

My suggestion is to use the lowest power setting possible on the flash to ensure a shorter flash duration, increase the ISO setting on the camera 2-3 stops (as long as quality does not suffer), ask your subject to be as still as possible, use a tripod, and utilize the mirror lock up function on your camera if possible.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In diesem Webinar wird Fotograf Jürgen Nobel auf nachfolgende Dinge eingehen und Tipps & Tricks dazu liefern:

Nachfolgend finden Sie die Antworten auf die Fragen die während des Webinars gestellt wurden:

Webinar Participant: Ich hab bei meiner Nikon Irrtümlich die Einstellung VIVID ,bei Porträtaufnahmen gelassen , kann ich diese Einstellung nachträglich verändern? ich fotografiere in RAW.

Jürgen Nobel: Ich selber nutze Canon und Hasselblad. Bei der aktuellen Canon sind auch einige Bildoptimierungseinstellungen im Setup möglich. Bis auf eine können bei RAW Aufnahmen im RAW Konverter alle rückgängig gemacht werden.
Inwieweit die Funktion VIVID betrifft kann ich Dir nicht sagen, aber ich gehe davon aus dass es möglich ist. Da ich aktuell keine Nikon zur Hand habe, würde ich Dich bitten dies doch einfach mal im RAW Konverter auszuprobieren. VIVID ist meines Wissens eine reine Picturestyle Einstellung, die bestimmte Darb- und Kontrastkorrekturen vornimmt. Im eigentlich RAW File wird diese für eine spätere Konvertierung zwar mit abgespeichert und auch für die Vorschau verwendet, hat aber keine veränderliche Wirkung auf die RAW Daten selbst. So ist es zumindest bei Canon.

WP: Können Sie ein Rechenbeispiel für eine Belichtung geben?

JN: Ein Rechenbeispiel für eine Belichtung gibt es eigentlich nicht. Bei Aufnahmen mit Mischlicht (Blitz-, Tages- und Kunstlicht) sehe ich mir erstmal das Tageslicht und eventuelle Kunstlichtquellen an. Dabei entscheide ich mich, welche Quellen davon aussagekräftig für das Motiv sind. Ist das Tageslicht nicht ausreichend um bei “Standard” 1/200 Sekunde bei Blende 10 ein schönes helles Licht zu erzeugen, verlängere ich die Belichtungszeit. Am besten geht man mit einem Belichtungsmesser zum Tageslicht und überprüft die gemessene Zeit, in diesem Fall bei Blende 10. Diese Zeit stelle ich im manuellen Modus bei meiner Kamera ein. Hat man keinen Belichtungsmesser zur Hand, kann man auch mit der Kamera messen. Einfach Blende 10 in der Blendenvorwahl vorwählen und schauen was die Kamera in der Belichtungszeit einstellt. Das gleiche gilt für Kunstlicht. Soll zum Beispiel der Lichtschweif eines Lampe zu erkennen sein, muss die Belichtungszeit entsprechend verlängert werden. Bleibt man hier auf 1/200 Sekunde, wird der Lichtschweif “tot geblitzt”.

WP: Wieso kommt es nicht zu einer Bewegungsunschärfe bei Personen, wenn ich mit einer 1/20sec fotografiere? Liegt das rein an der Abbrennzeit des Blitzes?

JN: Ja, der Blitz friet die Person ein. Optimal sollte bei 1/20 Sekunde oder noch länger die Kamera auf einem Stativ stehen. Bis wie lange man die Belichtungszeit bei Personenaufnahmen jedoch verlängern kann hängt von mehreren Faktoren ab:

Abrennzeit des Blitzlichtes: Hier gilt die Regel, je weniger Leistung desto kürzer die Abrennzeit. Dies bedeutet jedoch nicht automatisch, dass 250 Ws vom Hersteller A eine kürzere Abrennzeit hat, als 1000 Ws vom Hersteller B. Hier gibt es große Leistungsunterschiede. Auch der Typ des Blitzlichtes ist entscheidend. In der Regel haben Kompaktköpfe eine längere Abbrennzeit als Blitzköpfe an Blitzgeneratoren. Damit steigt aber auch der Anschaffungspreis.
Helligkeit des Raumes bzw. der Umgebung: Ist der Raum oder die Umgebung schon ohne Blitzeinsatz sehr hell, besteht natürlich die Gefahr, dass man trotz kurzer Abrennzeiten Bewegungsunschärfen hat.
Geschwindigkeit der Person: Für eine still sitzende Person kann die Belichtungszeit ohne Gefahr einer Bewegungsunschärfe länger gewählt werden als bei einem Sprinter der durch das Bild laufen soll.

Mein Tipp wenn die Abrennzeit des Blitzes nicht kurz genug ist um Bewegungsunschärfe zu vermeiden: Geringere Leistung des Blitzes wählen – ISO Empfindlichkeit um 2-3 Stufen hoch (so lange die Qualität nicht leidet) – Person bitten recht still zu sitzen – Stativ und ggf. Spiegelvorauslösung nutzen um Kamerabewegungen zu minimieren.

Jürgen Nobel uses i1Publish Pro 2 in the studio to achieve the accurate colors required in his workflow. Learn how you can stop guessing and start knowing with X-Rite color management solutions from X-Rite at www.xritephoto.com.

The Complete Digital Photography Process with Coloratti Jim DiVitale

Brenda K. Hipsher — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 05:00:25 +0000

Digital Photography is about quality control in your image making. Photographers all have the same goal in digital photography, to create beautiful images with precision tonal control, and simplify the production workflow with predictable and repeatable results. In this program, Jim will demonstrate problem-solving techniques using digital capture and Photoshop to streamline both the creative and production of the digital imaging workflow to improve quality and save time. Topics will include calibration and custom profiling of the camera, monitor and printer to achieve a closed loop of controlled color management, using Wacom products to streamline your work, and a start to finish approach to digital photography using several photographic elements to create multi-image photographs for commercial photo-illustrations.

Jim DiVitale has been an Atlanta commercial advertising photographer and instructor for over 30 years specializing in computer photo illustration. He is a PPA Master Photographer, Master of Electronic Imaging, Photographic Craftsman, Fellow of the American Society of Photographers, X-Rite Coloratti, Team Nik and OnOne Master, and a Canon “Explorer of Light.” Jim also serves as Director of Education for the Digital Imaging Institute for Science and Medicine and has lectured on digital photography before audiences at Photoshop World, Imaging USA, Seybold, Photo Plus Expo, MAC Design, HOW Design, Photo Fusion, APA, ASMP, WPPI, SWPP and World Council of Professional Photographers. View Jim’s portfolio and digital imaging Blog DiVitalePhotography.com

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 12 pm EDT

START TIMES: 12 PM Eastern, 11 AM Central, 10 AM Mountain, 9 AM Pacific

Coloratti Jim DiVitale uses i1Display Pro, i1Publish Pro 2 and ColorChecker Passport in his color workflow. Learn how you can stop guessing and start knowing with X-Rite color management solutions from X-Rite at www.xritephoto.com.

Coloratti Art Wolfe NEW Art of Composition Tour North America

Brenda K. Hipsher — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:57:23 +0000

Our good friend Coloratti Art Wolfe is again offering his very popular Art of Composition Tour in cities across North America this summer. I’ve attended this all day, education and inspiration packed presentation twice before and found it to be enlightening, entertaining, and always a great time with the great Art Wolfe.

Check out these options:

SEMINAR LOCATIONS

Click on a city for information and registration

BOSTON – JUNE 15

FAIRFIELD, NJ – JUNE 16

MIAMI, FL – JULY 13

AUSTIN, TX – JULY 14

Drawing from 36 years of international travel, Art will delve into a vast range of subjects; from discovering the subject to elements of design and even new works such as time lapses. Imagery of nature, wildlife and the world’s varied landscapes will round out the curriculum to provide the most comprehensive and imaginative class available. This is a four hour workshop that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Art Wolfe uses X-Rite color management solutions for digital photographers. Discover why the world’s photography and video professionals depend on X-Rite for color accuracy in their digital workflow at www.xritephoto.com.

X-Rite Color IQ Test Checks Your Color Vision

Brenda K. Hipsher — Tue, 28 May 2013 21:19:20 +0000

There’s a fun tool on the X-Rite Photo website under the learning tab called X-Rite Color IQ Test that you will want to check out. In fact, you’ll want to check it out at various times of the day, when you’re fatigued, hungry, or the light has changed dramatically in your environment so you can see the difference these things can make in your color vision and color perception.

Clearly you must begin with a calibrated and profiled monitor. This gives you the opportunity to really see what is actually in the file you’re examining on your computer monitor. Without calibrating and profiling your monitor with a device and software solution you’re simply guessing at whether what you’re seeing on your monitor bears any resemblance to what is actually in your file.

Your eyes are important for color correction. And your monitor is your viewfinder for editing. So it’s vital that you know the status of BOTH your color vision and the standardization of your monitor. Learn about options for monitor calibration and profiling like ColorMunki Display and i1Display Pro at www.xritephoto.com. And then take the X-Rite Color IQ Test and leave us a comment to let us know YOUR score. This is like golf… the lower, the better! Have fun!

Learn how you can stop guessing and start knowing with all the X-Rite color management solutions from X-Rite at www.xritephoto.com.

The Art of Visual Storytelling Tour with Alex Buono

Brenda K. Hipsher — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:00:23 +0000

The Art of Visual Storytelling Tour delivers an intense educational overview of the artistic elements and core principles of cinematography. Taught by Oscar nominee and DP of the Saturday Night Live Film Unit Alex Buono, this all-day class features training that will dramatically increase the impact of your films. Whether you’re a filmmaker or a photographer, you will learn advanced principles for enhancing the appeal of both moving and still images.

Find out more about using i1Display Pro and ColorChecker targets in video workflow at www.xritevideo.com. Learn how you can stop guessing and start knowing with all the X-Rite color management solutions from X-Rite at www.xritephoto.com.

X-Rite is proud to be a sponsor of the The Art of Visual Storytelling with Alex Buono Tour.

Coloratti Scott MacQuarrie New X-Rite Webinar

Brenda K. Hipsher — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:00:09 +0000

Coloratti Scott MacQuarrie presented a new X-Rite webinar in May 2013. The title of the webinar is Travel and Landscape Photography: Working in the Field with Scott MacQuarrie. Click the title to enjoy an archive of the webinar for you to watch on demand at your convenience.

Scott is a brand new X-Rite Coloratti member in Canada. He has been a photographer for about a decade and has traveled to every continent in the world in his lifetime. We caught up with Scott to talk about his love of photography and why he is particularly fond of photographing polar regions like Antarctica. I asked him how taking pictures in these environments is different than shooting in more temperate climates.

“You have to step back and think about our composition a bit,” he said. “Sometimes the subject you’re trying to capture is the color as opposed to the thing that is in front of you. Somebody made a quote that [says] ‘at some point in your photography you’re taking a picture of the light not the subject.’ In some of my compositions I was trying to capture the color of aqua blue.”

Scott talked at length with us about the “difficult light” in polar regions and how he controls the light at the end of the world. “In my work I try to capture the emotional effect of actually being there,” he says. “Good photography made up of a thousand little things that all come together to make a difference.”

To continue his work in polar regions, particularly Antarctica, Scott has started in Indigogo campaign called “Life in the Extreme.” He is offering limited edition prints of the work he will shoot during his next exhibition. Funds raised will help finance the expedition. In addition, 10% of all funds raised will go to the David Suzuki Foundation to support a variety of environmental and climate initiatives.

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest, highest and most extreme continent on this planet. It has only been in the last 100 years or so that humans have had the technology to travel and explore Antarctica. It is still poorly understood even though it’s the subject of almost continuous study. It is Life in the Extreme. CLICK HERE to learn more about “Life in the Extreme” and how you can participate.

Scott MacQuarrie uses i1Display Pro, i1Publish Pro 2 and ColorChecker Passport in his color workflow. Learn how you can stop guessing and start knowing with X-Rite color management solutions from X-Rite at www.xritephoto.com.

Eddie Adams Workshop Application Deadline May 31, 2013

Brenda K. Hipsher — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:06:52 +0000

The application deadline is May 31, 2013 for the 26th annual Eddie Adams Workshop. Applicant selection happens in July and the event will be held October 11-14, 2013 in New York. The Workshop is one of the premier photojournalism events for students and young professionals, and the only one that is tuition-free.

The Eddie Adams Workshop is an intense four-day gathering of the top photography professionals, along with 100 carefully selected students. The photography workshop is tuition-free, and the 100 students are chosen based on the merit of their portfolios. The weekend offers an excellent opportunity to meet the top photojournalists in the world, and to work alongside the best photo editors in the business.

To apply to the Eddie Adams workshop, you must be either a student or a professional with less than 3 years of experience. Get your application in NOW for a an opportunity that could change the course of your career. Find out more at www.TheEddieAdamsWorkshop.com.

The application process is easy. Click here to submit your application.

See the work from the 2012 Eddie Adams Workshop at www.TheEddieAdamsWorkshop.com. Here’s one example of telling stories in pictures from Team Turquoise.

About Eddie Adams

With his signature hat, ponytail and unassuming disposition, one might not realize that photographer Eddie Adams covered 13 wars, beginning with a stint as a Marine Corps combat photographer in Korea in the early 1950s and ending in Kuwait in 1991.

He did three tours of Vietnam with the Associated Press and won the Pulitzer Prize for photography for his shot of a Viet Cong lieutenant being executed at close range on a Saigon street by a South Vietnamese general. In his more than five decades as a working photographer, Adams received more than 500 awards honoring his work, including World Press, New York Press, National Headliners and Sigma Delta Chi Awards. He said he likes getting them; that they’re nice. But he didn’t display them. He didn’t display that famous photo from Vietnam, either. If he’d had his way, that photo would never be released for publication again.

Adams photographed some of the most celebrated people in the world: Ronald Reagan, Fidel Castro, whom he liked, and Pope John Paul II; Jerry Lewis, Clint Eastwood and Bette Davis; Big Bird and Mickey Mouse. All of them, and many more, have looked into Adams’ lens. He remains one of the most published photographers in the U.S., with his work gracing the pages of newspapers and magazines like TIME, VOGUE, VANITY FAIR and PARADE. His career spanned journalism, corporate, editorial, fashion, entertainment and advertising photography. He photographed leaders in all fields, from politics to the superstars of film, television, sports and high fashion. His portfolio includes one-on-one sessions with seven U.S. Presidents and sixty-five Heads of State.

“Eddie’s genius is his talent for capturing tension in every photo, whether it be the still of a murder or the animation in the eyes of a movie star,” says PARADE Chairman Walter Anderson. “He is eclectic, incomparable and cantankerous. He is unyielding in the pursuit of excellence.”

It’s not the war photos or the celebrity photos or the awards that define what’s most important about Adams’ work. It’s the photos that have moved and inspired people to do good; the photos that have led to important change in government policy and people’s lives. He was proud of his 1979 shot “Boat of No Smiles,” depicting 50 Vietnamese on a 30-foot fishing boat fleeing their homeland. It was such a dire time for them, not even the children on board could find pleasure in a boat ride. It was Adams’ photo of these “boat people” that ultimately led Congress and President Jimmy Carter to open the door to the U.S. to more than 200,000 Vietnamese refugees.

In 1995, Adams created a photo essay for PARADE of some of “the most amazing, most beautiful children in America.” One image — that of a 3-year-old with leukemia, who was photographed with her security blanket — moved one woman so much that she started an organization. Project Linus, founded by Karen Loucks, is a non-profit that provides security blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need through the gifts of blankets and afghans created by volunteers. Today, there are more than 300 chapters of Project Linus in the U.S. and abroad.

Adams began his photography career as a high school student in Kensington, Pa., shooting weddings and other events for $20. He eventually got a job with the New Kensington Daily Dispatch. From there, he went to the Enquirer & News in Battle Creek, Mich., and the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. In 1962, he joined the Associated Press. After a decade, Adams left the AP for TIME magazine and freelance work. He rejoined the AP in 1976, where he was the first and only photographer to hold the title of special correspondent. In 1980, Adams became a PARADE magazine photographer and, from 1982-2004, was a special correspondent to PARADE, which has featured more than 350 of Adams’ photos on its cover over the years.

Eddie Adams passed away on September 19, 2004. His legacy continues in the annual photojournalism workshop, Barnstorm: The Eddie Adams Workshop, which he created in 1988, and is still running strong today.

Federico Chiesa joins X-Rite Coloratti Community

Clizia Capecchi — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:31 +0000

We are delighted to welcome Coloratti Federico Chiesa to the X-Rite Coloratti community. Federico is an Italian photographer and retoucher. He mainly shoots advertising, but also loves street photography and fashion. Based in Rome, he usually spends a few months each year in the US.

His youth has not kept him from working with big name companies like Mercedes, Universal, TBWA, Saatchi &Saatchi, Vanity Fair, Grazia, and GQ. In addition to his creative abilities, Federico is also a great speaker and knows how to turn complex concepts into easy to understand topics.

If you Google the name Federico Chiesa, most probably you will find images taken from his personal project “Horror Vacui”, which portrays horror icons of all time as they would be at the present today: Darth Vader of Star Wars sitting in front the TV with a blanket; The Shining twins immortalized in a Kubrick movie , now old, in a supermarket corridor doing shopping with a sad trolley. From this personal project to the highest end advertising campaigns, Federico does it all.

Today he shares with us one of his latest projects, conceptualized for the cosmetic company called Bios Line for the Young & Rubicam agency, in the short interview below. Take a few moments to get to know Federico Chiesa.

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Clizia Capecchi: Ciao Federico, so let’s get started. Who are you? It’s hard to find a portrait picture of you on the Internet. Are you too tall to be captured in a photograph?!

Federico Chiesa: This is one of the coolest questions I’ve ever been asked. Actually, I’m a really big guy. I don’t have many pictures of myself around, I don’t know why. I don’t like to do self portrait and no one has ever asked me to pose for photograph (and that’s strange, because I’m also a very handsome boy).

CC: Can you share with us the workflow approach used during the development of an advertising campaign?

FC: It all starts with a layout given to me by an art director. The first step is the production of the image. With my collaborators I start to gather props, scout for location, look for the right model and so on. I also start to develop the image in my mind because I always want to be really prepared when I’m going to shoot with the clients.

For Bios Line campaign I did a lot of location scouting in many Rome parks. The background is made by a compositing of 5 different places. Once I had a rough idea of the environment I photographed the model. I did it in open space using sunlight and 2 flashes to fill the shadows and create some nice highlights.

After that I started compositing all the images into one final image, adding color correction and mixing all the different parts. The last step is wait for the client feedback, make adjustments, and send to printer.

Final Composite Image

CC: How important are the latest color management tools in your workflow?

FC: Since I started as a photographer and retoucher I’m always concerned about color management . Many young photographers don’t pay any attention to this critical part of the workflow. I like to follow my picture from capture to the printing and using the right tool to calibrate your monitor is the first thing you should care about for obtaining a good result.

Many years ago we didn’t have affordable and powerful tools like ColorMunki Photo, and some would skip the calibrating phase, but today you really shouldn’t. When you are in the professional market it’s really important to have a screen to print match. If you don’t calibrate your monitor you’ll never know who did what wrong if it doesn’t match.

CC: What advice would you give young photographers who are entering the world of work?

FC: My advice is to have a clear idea about what you want to do. You should create a consistent portfolio and try to specialize in some kind of photography. Try to work with other professionals as MUAs, stylists, assistants. Have every day a camera with you all the time. Be curious.

CC: I’ll let you tell us what else you would like us to know about you!

FC: I have so many things to say that I don’t know where to start. I could discuss how can I be so smart and good-looking, but the answer could be very very long. So… I’ll ask myself: “Why do you like photography?”

Thanks for the beautiful question.

I love photography because it is about instant emotion. You don’t need to understand or spend a long time with a good picture, it just explains itself.

I think that sometimes a picture is even more powerful and exciting than a movie. I can show you a story in a split second and let you use your imagination to fill the gaps. A good photograph could be a punch in your stomach or a gentle caress. And I love how I can turn my vision into a “real” image with a camera and some software.

Thanks Federico for your time! Have a look at Federico’s portfolio at www.federicochiesa.com. He will be in Canada for some special projects over the next three months, but you can always get in touch with him by email: info@federicochiesa.com. Enjoy this video of Federico at work.

Federico Chiesa uses ColorMunki Display and ColorMunki Photo when traveling and i1Publish Pro 2 in the studio to achieve the accurate colors required in his workflow. Learn how you can stop guessing and start knowing with X-Rite color management solutions from X-Rite at www.xritephoto.com.

Federico Chiesa uses ColorMunki Display & ColorMunki Photo when traveling and i1 Solutions in studio to achieve the accurate colors that is needed in his workflow.

Visit www.xritephoto.com for more info on all the color management solutions available to photographers and videographers.