Catchy, huh?

So, I haven’t posted in a while, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy.  If you’ve been following my Facebook or Twitter, you’ve probably seen the updates regarding my test shoots.  And now, here’s a download.

Memorial Day weekend, I decide to take out a Hasselblad H3DII-31mp camera just for kicks.  I got a free rental from Calumet after demo-ing the camera with Bob Tamura back in April.  Instead of just taking the camera out and about, I had the crazy idea for something bigger and badder.   So, I call up friends, scour Model Mayhem, book some equipment with Pro Camera, and spec out a few locations.  Without further ado, here are some quick teasers/proofs and production shots from the weekend.

Tennesse Valley, Marin

Embarcadero, San Francisco

The Clift Hotel

Behind the scenes photos by Jenny, here.

I want to thank all the wonderful people that made this weekend possible.  Without you guys, all this would just been a pile of equipment and ideas in my head.  You guys helped make it a reality.

Talent/Models:
Hong Nguyen - Runner extraordinaire
Brandon Quan - Crazy guy on a bike
Colleen Gomez - Superfab Joan of Arse

Hair Stylist:
Jennifer DeFiglio

Make-up Artist:
Joanne Hinh

Crew (in alphabetical order):
Josh Bobb
Diana Chow
Alex Chun
Jennifer Lindbloom
Quin O’Hara
Kim Olson
René Paik
Linda Park
Van Phan
Wes Ronquillo
Chia Wen

Equipment:

Calumet Photographic
Pro Camera Rentals

***Warning:  Read on for further production/photo geekiness***

Learnings and thoughts over the weekend:

Hasselblad H3D

NOT an action camera.  There is considerable shutter lag and the fps is slower than a crawl.  The AF doesn’t hold a candle to Nikon or Canon DSLRS.  However, there is incredible detail to be had with it.  The ability to flash sync up to max shutter speed of 1/800s is impressive as well.  Just make sure you have Pocket Wizard Multimaxes with the fast mode firmware.

Lighting

For the outdoor stuff, I used a Hensel Porty 1200 with either a gridded reflector or an XS Chimera for some fill or pop from the nuked ambient.  Plenty of power, plenty portable.  Only deal is that the recycling time was a touch slow.  No matter, since the camera wasn’t exactly sprinting.   I guess the other option would have been a Profoto 7b, but I wanted a more portable kit.

For the indoor shoot, I had two Profoto Acute 2400 packs with a dish, strip, and bare/reflected heads.  Too much power.   There were times we were dialed down all the way on the packs.  Then we had to stop down the lens and slow down the shutter speed to maintain our ambient.  Ain’t no kill like overkill?  Maybe not next time.  Especially in such a small space.  Or, remember to pack ND gels.  Oh, and it’s a pain to control lighting in a hotel room.

Crew

One cannot expect to know how everything works.  I certainly didn’t.  Over the weekend I had help from a lot of talented people.  Key learning: find people that are good at the skills you require, and entrust them wholly with the tasks.  It’ll allow you to focus on the tasks that you’re good at, instead of worrying about doing everything yourself.

Speaking of doing everything yourself…I produced/arranged all logistics of the shoots myself.  And in doing so, I value the role of a good producer even more.  Equipment spec-ing, location scouting, crew calling, talent searching, food/catering…it’s quite a daunting task.  Now, I have a better idea of the kind of person I’d hire if I needed a producer.

New Favorite tools:

Hoodman HoodLoupe - Glare-free LCD viewing on location.  I don’t know how I worked without it.

Magliner Production Cart - Just the sickness.  Load ‘em up and go.

Stay tuned for more images!

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