The Funnel

Odd name for a blog posting but let me explain..............

A little while ago I shot a series of historical re-enactments of the life of Queen Elizabeth the first

We shot this in Penshurst Place

It seems like a dream assignment, indeed it was in many ways apart from one, yes you guessed it-budget!

By the time we had paid for all the locations, costume ,props, and crew we had not very much money left for talent

So, how does one make nine actors and a sparsely filled table seem like a full on Elizabethan banquet?

The Funnel

I first heard of it in relation to a critically acclaimed BBC docudrama called 'Culloden' by Peter Watkins made in 1964

Peter Watkins was faced with the same problem

Not enough talent and a HUGE area to fill

It simply means putting more talent at the front and filling in the gaps with talent progressively further off in the background



I used the same technique for my shoot




I used Elinchrom Rangers, with the main light in a Chimera Large Softbox on a Redwing boom(the Flash centre have one going second hand here!)

Shot on a Canon 1ds 28mm lens 1.3 sec at F14, a long exposure to pick the candles up, so VERY little ambient in the room which meant movement was not an issue

Note also that by shooting diagonally across the table I'm making it seem like there is much more food on it than there actually is.

All a case of making less seem like more

Something I have made a career out of...................

Total Recall...Not quite

I love Canon cameras, they have been my DSLR of choice, and before that I bought my first 'proper' camera , a Canon A1 with my paper round money in 1980.

I use the stunning 5d Mk2 at the moment, a camera I LOVE

As followers of this blog will know, I'm an advocate of good prime lenses, but sometimes a zoom just hits the spot

My 'standard' zoom lens is the Canon 24/105mm F4 'L' Series, a good all rounder

Particularly useful for this type of classic slow shutter speed zoom

3.2sec at F16 on a tripod of course and then zooming slowly in.

Perfect for a simple dynamic shot which the client loved

But this shot has been enhanced by a quirk of a lens defect

Check out this weird striped flare from the headlamp



Early Canon 24/105 lenses were afflicted by a strange type of flare which only occurs under a certain type of light

In fact Canon issued a 'Lens flare advisor note'


If you sent your lens to Canon they would fix it for you, free of charge

Needless to say, I like the unique effect and have chosen NOT to send it back

I'm just aware of it and choose when to exploit this quirk

vive la différence!

Insight into the industry.

I'm fascinated by the shifting sands of the photographic industry

I came across this great piece by Michele McNally, assistant managing editor of the 'New York Times'

If you want to know where we are going and just a little bit more about where we have come from, do read it

I have learned a lot and it has sparked some interesting and lively debate.

And my Favorite lens is....

I hankered for one of these for just about ever but I never really understood just how good it was until I got one

When you shoot at F1.2 with this baby it elevates your work to a different level

In fact I know a photographer who has been asked to pitch for a major ad campaign based on pics he shot with this lens

When I was chatting with my photographer mates who own this lens we came up with a rather irreverent nickname for it

We call it the 'jesus' lens

It is nothing short of magical, super smooth bokeh

Frequently it is the only lens i walk out of the door with, if I could have one lens to use for the rest of my life this would be it, despite the drawbacks...

Drawbacks?

1. Cost £1800+ in the UK

2. Slow autofocus, great for portraits but sports would be a challenge

3. Size and weight, big and heavy (but I actually like that! it gives me much more stability in low light)

4. Shallowest depth of field ever. At F1.2 means that you can have someone's eyelashes sharp and their eyeball will be out of focus

5. As brilliant as the optics are, they do start to be somewhat challenged at full aperture, leading to a softness(which I like!) and dreaded purple fringing

Purple fringing is a type of chromatic aberration which occurs in high contrast areas (metallic objects are particularly prone to it)

I have found a very quick and easy way of correcting this though, or should I say those clever people at Phase One have

Using the lens correction tool in Capture One Pro, you simply click the purple fringing box and it is done!

Not using endless sliders like other software I could mention......

Check out the before.....note the nasty purple fringe around her face and on her earring



And the after....



And here is the final result

'The Descendants' LATEST!

I must admit keeping all of my many personal projects going as well as the the day job (commercial photography) is a bit of a challenge right now.

Very recently I shot the latest set of images in 'The Descendants' series

It was a first for me as it included Helen Pankhurst, the direct descendant of Emeline Pankhurst, the founder of the Suffragettes movement.

Helen is the first woman in the series.

This is not ideal at all.

I want to feature MANY more women but they seem to be very difficult to find

If anyone has any suggestions I would be most grateful.

When a descendant walks into the room I always hold my breath, as you never know just how much of a resemblance there will be.

When I saw Helen, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

She looked very, very similar indeed.

As you can see.



I shot the image in a daylight studio without flash

1/15th sec at F4,120mm macro on my Phase One P45+

I try to use similar photographic techniques as in the original

It is real fun reflecting and blocking light with polyboards

Additive and subtractive fill

Opening and closing blinds so the light hits just the right parts of Helen and the set

Here is a short video of the shoot




Hope you find it interesting

I'm cramming my life in a bag right now, heading to Austria for a shoot which I will tell you about in a little while.....

Watch this space

Perfect ending to the week

Ok,the sun is shinning in the UK but what has put an even bigger smile on face in this delightful gallery in the New York Times

On tuesday they ran a story about how a group of enthusiasts are trying to resurrect the Polaroid factory, they requested readers send in their own Polaroids.

The result is fantastic

Here are 3 which leaped off the page at me, go and choose your own from the site?



Exciting news as though I love digital I did mourn the loss of THE instant photographic medium which was with us through the second half of the 20th century

It was finicky mad stuff, faded but oh so BEAUTIFUL

I dearly hope the guys trying to bring instant film back to life do succeed

I have one request fro them though.

Please restart production of type 55, a unique Polaroid which gives you a print AND a beautiful black and white negative

Beauty in heritage go hand in hand with type 55, it was developed with the help of Ansell Adams

My good friend Lucinda Marland has shot two series on it, including the 'Lebensborn' project



A stunning powerful image which I don't think would have had the same resonance if it were shot in any other way.

'Quite Possibly The Best Two Days of Photography and Learning Ever'

Well I'm not quite sure about that guys! But you get the picture, it does sound VERY interesting!

The Flash Centre are having a two day course of Photo Festivities at Studely Castle near Birmingham
(UK!)

An interesting line up of experts including Bjorn Thomassen whom has taught me SO much.Big name in wedding photography Mike Larson....all this and surfing too. Peter Geller owner of California Sunbounce, winner of the World Press Photo, a man with a burning passion for photography (great bloke too!). Hopefully Jim Marks and Richard Jobson, movie director too.

Others too just check out the Flash Centre link

I would be going to this show even if I had not been invited.(I'm set to be there on the 3rd and for a little time on the morning of the 4th)

As it represents significantly GREAT value in these challenging times

One of the best things about events like this is to just hang out with other photographers at the bar, sharing ideas and techniques

Check it out