News about StudioFD, Frank Doorhof, and more.

First images with the Sony A7RV and it’s a huge upgrade

During the Photodays 2023 I got the chance to shoot with the new Sony A7RV.
I’m still using the Sony A7RIV which is a great camera, but to be honest I was shocked with the upgrade.
Because I was shooting demos 3 days almost back to back and I used the A7RV only during the last day it really caught my eye how much more “depth” there seems to be in the images.

I’m not saying the A7RIV images are flat, but the A7RV does seem to be a little but more 3D, probably due to a different way of sensor processing, it’s subtle but clear when you know your camera. Now that wouldn’t be worth an upgrade, but the much faster and MUCH better (accuracy) autofocus is without any doubt. Much better with eye detection and now also with a load of AI options for trains, planes, animals and even chosing the correct eye. YES SONY, now I can use the eye focus (probably, still testing this). Also the display is a huge upgrade, tethering speed is faster and the display is now finally fully adjustable (I really missed that).

I’ll be using the A7RV a lot more so if you have any questions let me know.
I can confirm that tethering to the iPad Pro with Cascable works.

Today in the blog some of the results from the last day at PhotoDays 2023 Brussels.
Models : Nadine and Felisa.
Do remember that these kind of images are shot during a trade show on our booth during demos, so short time periods where I have to pay more attention to explaining what I do and the crowd than taking the photo, so there are often far from perfect, but I just love the styling Nadine did, so I had to share them.

Strobes : Geekoto GT400/GT250/GT200
Modifiers : Geekoto small softbox, Rogue magnetic system and Flashbender
Backgrounds : ClickBackdrops
Tethering : IQ Wire 10mtr to iPad Pro running Cascable

 

Shooting models in the sun with Geekoto Off-Camera Flash

Geekoto is the perfect off-camera flash to get full control over your light. In the studio and on location!  Read more about shooting models in the sun with Geekoto Off-Camera Flash.

 

During the location in Emmeloord workshop with Claudia, it was the first time I used the Geekoto GT200 and GT250 during a workshop. I only shot the first set with the set with Geekoto and after that, we switched over to the powerful Hensel Porty System which images I will upload tomorrow. The weather was great. So, we had to shoot model Claudia in the bright sun with Geekoto Off-Camera Flash.

Yes, the Hensel Porty system is with its 1200W and large reflectors a lot more powerful, but for those small strobes, the Geekoto’s surprised all the attendees including myself.

We started with just using the Geekoto and a reflector on the Bowens mount.
Now I have to add it was very sunny.

As you can see it’s pretty easy to push away the ambient light, and it’s easy shooting models in the sun with Geekoto Off-Camera Flash. And this was not even on full power but actually on almost the lowest setting, adding a reflector with highly reflective material really helps a lot.

For the next set, Claudia only moved to another angle where the sun was a bit more challenging especially because I decided to also add a red gel and our Rogue dome to the setup, now you have to realize that adding a gel will take away a considerable amount of light, but as you can see in the results, the system had no problem keeping the mood I wanted.

Now the original idea for us was to use the Geekoto system as a replacement for our Nissin system making it easier for me to demonstrate our Rogue products during trade shows and workshops/events on location where you would normally need speedlights. But the Geekoto’s impressed us so much for the price that we decided to go a few steps further.

Starting next week we will be the official distributor for the Benelux for them.
We are building the website and will add the products to our shop this weekend, so if you want to order please send us an email or wait till we add them to the shop in the coming days.

For the time being, we have built the pages on:www.geekoto.nl

Register for the free webinar about capturing stunning colours and achieve a accurate workflow

Register for the free webinar about capturing stunning colours and achieving an accurate workflow

One of the most important things about photography and a reliable workflow is calibration.
In essence, by calibrating your workflow, you make sure you get the results you need. Not just colours but also black/shadow and white/highlights detail. So register now for the free webinar about capturing stunning colours and mor. And if you cannot attend live, you will receive a recording.

In all the workshops I teach it always shocks me how many people don’t use ColorCheckers, white balance tools, or even take the time to calibrate their monitor. And it’s not hard, it’s in fact such an important part of the workflow that the software/hardware is designed to be fast and easy to use.

In this free webinar in cooperation with our friends from Calibrite I talk about :
Calibration of the monitor
Using the ColorChecker Duo
The differences between the ColorCheckers

How colours interact
Why we use light meters
Using calibration when working with gels

You also get to see 2 “live” photoshoots where I talk about lens flares, filling in shadows with color, and using gels for extra impact to your shots.

And that’s not all.
We end the broadcast with several color manipulation tips and tricks in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Register via the link below.
You don’t want to miss this one.

free webinar about capturing stunning colours and achieve an accurate workflow

click on the image to register for the free webinar

My K&F Concept filter pack for beautiful lens flares

I’ve been using the K&F concept filters for a while now and although I never really used filters I was blown away from the start by the extra possibilities the black diffusion filters give. As you know I love to play with moods in my work. Color evokes emotion but just adding colors or extra lights is often cool and eye-catching. But for me adding some subtle or over-the-top lens flares,  just adds the final piece of magic so to say ;). So I was over the moon with distributor Movidis making a special K&F Concept filter pack.  The official name is K&F Concept Frank Doorhof edition Filter Kit

Why do you need a filter?

The problem with most modern lenses is that they are trying to prevent lens flares from happening. And in most cases that is great. But sometimes… Well, not. It can still be done but it is not that nice glowing and smooth lens flare we all love from movies and older photos.

A great alternative is to use old vintage lenses or lenses like Lensbaby or TTartisan but you also sacrifice a lot in normal usage when using those lenses. They are primarily primes and manual focus.

Having a filter like the black diffusion gives you the opportunity to work with your normal lenses and just leave the filter on all the time (unless you work with strong backlight and you don’t want the effect at that moment). In normal lighting situations, you don’t see the filter. But as you use strong backlighting it seems to jump into action.

The thing I like the most about the filters is exactly that fact. You can just leave it on the camera and it doesn’t make everything look soft or glowing. As you can see in the examples everything is razor sharp except the smoothness and strength of the lens flare. It’s an insanely usable filter.

The other thing I love about their system is that it’s all magnetic. We all know the problems with screw-on filters. If you are not careful (even when you are) putting them on slightly angled or with just a dust speck on the thread it can be a pain to take them off.

With this system, you mount the main ring and just leave that on all the time. When you want to use a filter just click it on there and you’re good to go. You can even stack filters.

K&F Concept Frank Doorhof edition Filter Kit

Because I was pretty enthusiastic about the filters (understatement) we worked together with the Dutch distributor Movides to create a special bundle.

The bundle contains the 1/4 and 1/8 black diffusion filters, which you can use separately or stacked. But we also included a variable ND filter (also magnetic) for those moments you want to have smooth water or skies or… When you shoot with strobes outside they don’t support HSS and you still want to be able to shoot wide open and fight the sun.

All the filters are stored in a limited edition recycled leather pouch, hand-made in the Netherlands.

Currently, the K&F filter pack is only sold via our webshop and dealers in the Benelux that sell K&F Concept.

Of course, I couldn’t resist taking some fun shots with Claudia and Nadine 😉