Filter Photo Chicago Kickoff

I'm excited that Harrington got to play host to Kelli Connell tonight for the kick-off lecture to this years Filter Photo Festival.  Here are some pictures from tonights sellout lecture, come out and partake in this years fantastic Filter programming! 

Friday Night Lights reprise

A couple of weeks ago I checked out the Strobist an hour or so before heading out for my very first high school football game since the late 80's.  Please don't do the math but I can tell you that both my wife and I were scared to death 10 minutes after walking through the RB gates.  I really hate to sound like my parents (sorry mom and dad) but WOW have things changed since we were in high school.  I really miss 'the U' and all the fun that high-school brought.  

While I wasn't going to shoot from the sidelines, David's article about shooting high-school football after 30 years coaxed me to bring a MKII and a couple of 'real' lenses instead of my G1x that normally accompanies me on outings like this.  While I didn't get anything as cool as Mr. Hobby (remember Kate and I were in shock after all) I did get a cool shot of our Bulldogs heading to the locker room at halftime...  

Thanks for the inspiration David, keep it coming!

Say Cheese, Classic non-formal portraits

Spent yesterday with one of my favorite clients shooting some casual corporate portraits. Simply using LED panels and modifiers, coupled with black and white, really made for an enjoyable shoot.  The client requested the black and white and I have to say I love its timeless quality.

Instantly old

A couple weeks back I took my trusty Polaroid 250 Land Camera and the leftovers of a pack of (very) outdated tungston film on a walk to Blick.  Here is what caught my eye.

Paris France

Jetlaged students after landing in Paris

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit Paris for my first time.  The trip was brief, almost as much time was spent in airports and airplanes as was on the ground. I went to get our international students settled for a semester in the 'City of Love.'  I did manage a little bit of time to wander as a tourist, visiting attractions as time permitted including spending Fathers Day walking up the northwest leg of the Eiffel Tower, which I have to say, if I wasn't at home with family wasn't a bad way to wake up!

Helsinki Finland 

saying goodbye, my 'Julieanne Kost' at Charles de Gaulle

Brittney and Zaid!

If you have been watching ABC's Windy City Live, you know who Brittney and Zaid are. Winners of the Summer Dream Wedding which was last night at the breathtaking Hotel 71 in downtown Chicago. Brittany is also the only one at Harrington that can keep all four Department Chairs out of trouble!  It was amazing to attend the big day...congrats to the Bride and Groom!

Tune in to Windy City Live on Tuesday morning to see the official photographer Julia Franzosa's  pictures of the happy couple.  

The new Tamron 24-70 f/2.8Di VC USD

As a die hard Canon fanatic this is a bit tough to write.  For quite some time my normal working set up was two 5D MKII's, one fitted with a 24-70 L and the other with the remarkable new version of the 70-200 f/2.8 II.  This lens is hands down the sharpest lens I’ve ever used on a digital camera body.  This includes the wide array of Mamiya lenses we have in the cage for the students and faculty at the school. 

While shooting Chicago Ideas Week last fall, I used the new 70-200 for some formal portraits and I actually ended up softening them just a tad before delivering them as the level of detail is incredible and to be perfectly honest a bit rude!  You can click here to see some of these images.

When Canon announced a replacement for the 24-70 f/2.8 L, I quickly got my ducks in a row as I wanted to be first in line for a full range ‘normal’ zoom on the same level as the new version of the 70-200 in sharpness, contrast and focus speed.  I even sold off my 24-70 and one of my 5D MKII camera bodies before the official announcement of the new zoom and the MKIII.

And right after the announcement, came the price…..

Keep in mind I have an amazing wife (married 18 years yesterday!) two kids, a house and am already driving a 17 year old Saturn…there was no way I would be able to swing the $2300.00 price tag.  I was encouraged a couple weeks prior to Canons announcement when Tamron announced they would be replacing the widely popular (and honestly quite sharp, especially for the price tag) 28-75mm f/2.8.  The replacement would be a 24-70, boast a constant f/2.8 aperture and VC, something that Canon and Nikon have not been able to provide in this focal length and speed at any cost.

My lens came a couple weeks ago and I have to say I am quite impressed.  While this isn't a technical review, DxOmark and Lensrental.com already do a fantastic job reviewing, I'm hoping to give some valuable insight from several shoots.  I have been toting the lens with my on everything from formal shoots to trips to the grocery store and here are my thoughts.  

1) The damn focus and zoom rings are both reversed in placement and direction. Thanks Tamron!  At times I feel like I'm getting seasick!  It is getting better but it's tough to go between two lenses if I'm shooting at an event.

2) The zoom ring (once it is going in the right direction) is stiff, but not unusable and I probably wouldn't mention it, except everyone who plays with it has said something about it so I thought I better.

3) The 82mm filter ring - I know, I know, the more glass the merrier -  but it sure would have been nice for my big 'ole 77mm multicoated B+W polarizer to work on this lens.  The 82mm B+W is more then my Saturn is worth, so I think I'm going to have to rely on post production for this one.

Honestly, this is all the bad news, not a whole lot.  With the exception of Zeiss, I have not been a fan of third party lenses much, but this one is an exception.  The build quality, while not quite up to that of the 24-70 f/2.8 Canon, is remarkable robust and solid.  I would not think twice about throwing it over my shoulder for a week or two, in and out of cars, and even to the grocery store and dry cleaners.  The shade fits on tightly and is not prone to knocking off, although it could stand to be a tad deeper just for physical protection for the massive front element. 

Another improvement over the original Canon version is the weather sealing, I've never thought it was that much of a necessity but dust itself is such a killer in this digital world that an extra tight seal is welcomed.  If you check out my test photos, it is very handy for a sudden and unexpected downpour as well.

While all of this is important, it is how the lens looks that justifies its price tag. Using my original Canon 24-70 as a benchmark, this lens is an improvement.  There is some chromatic aberration mostly in high key/high contrast, it is managable in Lightroom though.  At the wide end they seem to be closely matched to the Canon version but the long end is where I was always looking for an improvement and the Tamron really delivers.  Sharp and contrasty through the entire range, solid f/2.8 is nice and and VR is a welcomed addition.  

I just got back from a week in Paris (France...not Paris IL) and I took this lens, my G1x and a half frame Canon Demi, look for more images and thoughts about this lens soon.

Nicely done Tamron!

*I should mention that all these images are pretty much straight out of the camera, shot raw and exported from Lightroom as a sRGB jpeg, click on the image to see it larger.  

MCA AKA Adam Yauch RIP

I was as bummed (and shocked frankly) to learn of Beastie Boy, Adam Yauch, passing last Friday at 47.  There are only two recording artists whose entire library I always have on my iPhone,

Moby and the Beastie Boys.

I carry the Beasties not because I'm stuck in my high school days when the Beasties ruled both the airways and the hallways, but because their music is timeless.  Every track is as engaging today as it was pouring from the darkened windows of my 1977 Volkswagon Rabbit. 

Their music is a perfect blend of classic and new sounds with lyrics that are as colorful as are they are visual.  If you are unsure of what I'm talking about, just take Paul's Boutique for a spin.

Aside from music, the Beasties were on the top of their game with a keen understanding of a fan base and dare I say, social media.  That's right, twenty years before the buzzword became mainstream, they realized the potential of engaging and energize a fan base.  'Awesome; I Fucking Shot That!' is a prime example foreshadowing todays marketing techniques.  By handing 50 loyal fans a consumer high8 video camera to capture a 2004 concert at Madison Square Garden the resulting film went viral before anybody even knew what that meant.  Here is a link to an absolutely amazing 9 minute excerpt from the film as Mix Master Mike is introducing the Beasties.

So rock on Beasties, Adam, you will be missed, but your music will continue to be enjoyed for generations.  I felt like I was being Punked or a victim of Howie Mandel when I was driving my son home from Boy Scout summer camp and he asked me with with wide-eyed excitement, 'Dad...have you ever heard of the Beastie Boys?'

210mm lens, 4x5 100vs Transparency

I made this picture when I was the photographer at the Museum of Science and Industry and we were hosting the 2002 Hip Hop exhibit.  I got to photograph pop icon artifacts that included Slick Rick's throne, Herbie Hancock and Public Enemy's turntables and yes, the yellow rubber boots and white tyvek jumpsuits from the fantastic Interglatic music video, still one of my favorites.  I'm not sure whose I grabbed for the picture, all three pairs were in my studio.  I like to think I grabbed the boots that Adams wore as he both starred in and directed the video under his alias Nathanial Hornblower.  The video won MTV's Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop video award in 1999 when it was released. 

Digital Pinhole Photography

In honor of (and in prep for) Worldwide Pinhole Day (which was last Saturday the 4/28 in case you missed it) I spent last Friday at Lenox Laser nestled in the lovely rolling hills of Maryland just outside of Baltimore.  I was invited to present my work in the 1st Annual Pinhole Photography Seminar, “Rediscovering the Art of Pinhole Photography”

This all started in 2001 when I won first place in their pinhole contest.   My winning shot is now included in the Daystar logo.  Since then, optical engineer (guru and all around nice guy) Greg Solyar and I have been in contact and visited back and forth all while comparing notes about their photographic pinholes and slits. 

Owner Joe d’Entremont, Gary, Rachel and Tom run a fantastic operation and produce, hands down, the very best photographic pinholes available. 

I am eagerly looking forward to some forthcoming products as well!

Below is a sample of the work that was shown in my lecture using the Daystar dSLR Pinhole cap on a Canon 5DmkII.

tryptic of final approach streaks at Midway International Airport, I hand carried a 15 foot long print of this shot to the seminar!

Titanic, 100 years today

A recreation of The Promenade Deck from the 2002 New Exhibition, complete
with a recreation of the moonless star field the 1912 passengers saw that night  

Telegraph Top, used to transmit orders 

between Titanic's Bridge and Engine Room  

Skylight with prisms used to illuminate storerooms on the Titanic

In 2000 and again in 2002 I had the pleasure of photographing hundreds of artifacts and room recreations when I was the photographer at The Museum of Science and Industry.  
It was quite haunting at times as it was often just an artifact preparator and myself photographing into the wee hours.  
If these items could talk... 

High and Tight.

I spent Saturday night working with some friends from 9:23 films shooting in an amazing old school barber shop called Joe's Barber Shop for a film called Hogtown.  


Even though the film is in black and white, I couldn't help but shoot in color as it really adds to the fantastic look and feel of the production stills I made for them.

Big in Milwaukee!

Well its not Japan but its close!  I was interviewed for a couple of articles recently which can be found here.  I'm not exactly sure what a low-light 'optimized' sensor is...but hey, what can you do?!

Let me know what you think!


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