Tag Archive for: rogue

Exciting news from BenQ

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Hardware calibration using BenQ’s Palette Master Ultimate (PMU)

We have some exciting news to share about the AQCOLOR ecosystem! The BenQ SW series can be hardware calibrated using the Palette Master Ultimate software. Now the PD series is also able to be software calibrated with PMU

The importance of calibration

When we capture our images you might expect that the camera will do everything just fine. But in reality, the camera just “guesses” and not all cameras, lenses, and sensors are the same.
Of course, we all know the Rogue ExpoDisc and the Calibrite ColorChecker series for white balance. And we must not forget the light meter.

de nieuwe ExpoDisc v3 voor de lens van een camera

Of course, it’s also important to make sure that the display you use can show you the colors as accurately as possible.
To make sure this is done as accurately as possible you have to calibrate your monitor with a so-called color analyzer.
This is a small metering device you put in front of your monitor and just follow the steps the software asks.

More ways to calibrate

As with most things, there are different ways to do this.
One of the things most people will do is follow the operating system. Often you are shown different patterns and squares and you have to adjust some sliders till they look right. In essence, there is nothing wrong with this. And if it’s the only thing you are willing to do, please do this at least.

But it doesn’t really make your screen more accurate for proper color judgment, it just takes out some clipping and major problems.

For a proper calibration, we can’t trust our eyes.

To calibrate you need tools

I’ve been doing high-end calibrations since 1997. And can say that even with all that experience, and spotting problems almost immediately, I’m not able to do a perfect calibration without using tools.

But also when doing it right there are several options

When we look at the calibration of your monitor we roughly have two options:
1. The first one is calibration via software.
This is where you use the software delivered with your hardware analyzer. By the way  if you want something really simple but that works like a charm check out the new Calibrite123.
When you use the software the calibration is done via the operating system, it will create a so-called ICC profile. The profile is loaded when the OS starts. And is used when the software supports the use of color management.

There is nothing wrong with software/OS-based calibration, but there is a way to make it even better.
2. As an alternative, we also have something called Hardware calibration.

With hardware calibration, we use the software that is delivered with your monitor. In the case of the BenQ, this software is called Palette Master Ultimate and has recently been revamped to be easier and much much faster, and more accurate. The main difference is that the calibration is not done via the OS but inside the monitor.

In practice both calibration methods are great.
With the hardware calibration you are working with the monitor software aimed at that monitor and the calibration is in essence done inside the monitor. This means that the results will be slightly better in gradients and the whole process is more streamlined for that specific screen yielding faster and often better results.

The disadvantage of hardware calibration

The main disadvantage is price.
To get hardware calibration you need for high-end screens. It’s hardly ever found on the screens that are one step below the top-line. Or it’s a limited version of the high-end line. So for hardware calibration, you do need to spend a little bit extra in most cases.

BenQ Palette Master Ultimate

But now we have a great in-between option: BenQ Palette Master Ultimate

As the topic title probably already spoiled it, BenQ has now released the news that now not only does the SW series support Palette Master Ultimate but also the PD series is now able to use Palette Master Ultimate. Which is a huge update for these already very attractive monitors. This means a workflow that is fine-tuned for your monitor and is familiar if you already own a SW series monitor.

When someone asks me which monitor to buy I’m always honest in my reply, we have been working with BenQ for many years and every monitor I review is very nicely priced and has a great performance. With the PD series now also supporting Palette Master, I think my advice to check out BenQ can be changed to “don’t look further get the SW or PD” 😀

Oh and by the way, if you live in the EU region we have a cool discount for you.

BenQ has been supporting Digital Classroom almost since season 1. So,  every year we have some nice deals for you guys. And this year it’s the best yet. If you live in the EU region and drop me an email we have a 10% discount coupon for the BenQ photography/video/design monitors. And with this new update, I think BenQ will sell a lot of new screens to starting photographers because the PD series is I think one of the best ways to get into the more professional monitors.

 

 

 

The most amazing deal of the year

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It’s time for the 5DayDeal again

If you want to get the most amazing deal for your photography, I think the 5daydeal is exactly that.
Every year they deliver the goods and also this year the deal is jam-packed with awesome tutorials, e-books, filters, presets and software.

We made a special page for the 5 day deal.
If you use our link you also support our work.

This year you will also find 2 of my new tutorials in the deal.
Did you know… Lightroom
And
A full length lighting tutorial for portraiture and fashion.

Add those two together and you already have the value of the total package 😀
So head on over to the page and order your 5daydeal today and start learning for.. well at least another year (yep it’s that jam-packed).

A step by step workshop with Nadine and using Geekoto strobes outside

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Workshop outside with Geekoto strobes

What do you teach?

Probably one of the first questions people ask when they want to know more about my workshops.
And let’s immediately take the bull by the horns. It sometimes seems everyone is teaching workshops and the quality is often not what people expect. A guided photo shoot is NOT a workshop. I’ll teach you lighting with Geekoto strobes (but any brand will do). Continue reading more about using Geekoto strobes in a workshop outside.

For me, there are a few things important during the workshop.

  1. A small group
    I love to work with groups varying from 3-12 attendees. This way I can give a 1:1 experience to all the attendees and we all have enough time to shoot portfolio material.
  2. Theory
    Knowing how the light works is essential and will immensely help you understand what happens during a shoot. How to place the lighting quickly and solve problems. In essence, lighting isn’t that hard (no really), it’s the creativity and getting the right shot that’s an everlasting journey of learning.
  3. Creativity
    The theory is essential, but after that, it’s all about creativity, how to style a set, how to find the right angles, how to coach the model, etc., etc. this is in essence what makes or breaks the shot
  4. How to work with the model
    You can’t take a perfect shot (if that’s even possible) if the model doesn’t feel at ease, so during the workshop, there is always attention to coaching the model and also how to prepare for the shoots.
  5. Workflow
    Understanding your gear and software takes away so much stress and means you can focus 100% on the session and your subject.
  6. Q&A
    Believe it or not, I hardly prepare my workshops, but I’ve taught a lot of them over the years, and at the moment I start all the workshops with a Q&A. In this part, the attendees can ask whatever they want. I will answer the questions immediately for the theory part and create a set (or make it part of the set) during the workshop. Do you have a problem with a white background? Then we create one set with a white background. This way attendees always get what they want and expect.

Themes of our workshops

All the workshops do have a theme.
For example, Cosplay, Classical Masters, Glamour, Gels, etc. but the content will be different every single time due to the Q&A which keeps it fresh and challenging for me but also for the attendees that visit several workshops a year.

One of the themes a lot of photographers struggle with is using strobes on location effectively.
So let’s take a look at the workshop “On location in Emmeloord” with Nadine.

All shots were done during the workshop outside with Geekoto strobes

During the workshop, we worked with the Geekoto GT200 and a large metal reflector for most shots.
These reflectors add some extra light output to the strobe which helps a lot outside when it is really bright.
On the second Geekoto GT200 I used the Rogue magnetic system for some added color or a grid with the reflector for color.

The Geekoto strobes support ETTL and HSS but for the workshops, I have to limit the strobes to full manual mode.
The reason for this is that all cameras operate via a different radio system. This means that if you use a camera that is not supported you cannot shoot which of course is not the idea of a workshop. So we are using so-called “dumb” triggers that work on all cameras. The only limitation is that I have to shoot at a max shutter speed of 1/125 which means we shoot with rather small apertures. When I shoot commercially or for myself I’m using HSS for a much shallower depth of field. As you can see in some images.

Outside with Geekoto Strobes, set 1

After the Q&A it was time to go outside.
The idea of this workshop is that the attendees have to find interesting locations around our studio. In other words, you don’t have to travel far to find awesome locations. And always remember, seeing it through the lens and with strobes it’s a totally different scene.

The first set was right next to our studio.
Our neighbors use a closed fence. The clothing Nadine was wearing worked flawlessly with the fence.
I started using the reflector straight on the model but to create a more interesting look I added a blue gel from the side.
By experimenting with angles and the balance between the strobes you can quickly change looks on location. Even without the client noticing.

outside with Geekoto Strobes. with on the left a blue magnetic gel

Outside with Geekoto strobes, set 2

For the second set, we found a few large onion boxes that were stacked up and Nadine had the perfect outfit for this.
I started out with just the reflector on Nadine. But soon we switched this over for a Rogue grid as the main light on Nadine’s face and the reflector with a blue gel top opened up the shadows with a blue tint for a totally different look. And of course, as you can see you can change the output of the blue strobe to create totally different looks without losing the focus on the face of your subject.

outside with the geekoto strobes

Outside, set 3

You probably will notice it with these shots but….
Nadine is pregnant. So for the next set I wanted to shoot her pregnancy shots. Well some of them at least, because I think we will do some more at a later stage.

For this set I wanted something a bit more bright and airy.
In front of our studio there was an old building. Great for photography (one of my signature series backgrounds is actually from that wall) but they recently demolished it. And now there is a large field right in front of the studio… not a disaster 😀

I used the Geekoto GT200 with the large reflector for a harsher quality of light.
This is the set I also shot on HSS as you can see 😀
The part of this shoot was to not only find the location but also find the right angles. And how you can change the look of a scene and shot by changing your perspective, using material in front of the lens and of course maybe angling the camera slightly or…. Well let’s take a look at the different options I chose from this set.

Oustide with Geekoto strobes, creating a lens flare with a second strobe Workshop outside with Geekoto Strobes, shooting from a very low angle Workshop outside with Geekoto Strobes, photographing from a higher angle

Outisde, set 4

This location was at the edge of Set 3. and the last one in the workshop outside with Geekoto Strobes
I used the Geekoto GT200 as main light and the reflector with a blue gel in the back.
Choosing a lower angle gave me a cool triangle in the back which I feel gives the image a nice flow.
And of course a more close up shot is part of the setup. This was the time we changed batteries on Geekoto Strobes.

Workshop outside with Geekoto Strobes and making day to night images

Also want to visit a workshop?

Today I showed you the results and different sets we did during the workshop outside with Geekoto strobes “on location in Emmeloord” with Nadine.
During the workshops I always try to use 3-4 different setups explaining different techniques and of course it’s a great way to get a good addition to your portfolio.

If you think “that’s for me”
Than visit photography-workshops.eu for the Dutch workshops.
But if you are not living in the Netherlands or don’t speak Dutch we also have other options.
If you let is know 2 weeks in advance I can teach the workshop you want to visit in English.
Or if you can’t travel to our studio we also now offer the option to get a full 1:1 experience with 5 different camera angles, lightroom/Photoshop view and a talkback channel, you also get all the raw files and retouched results from the workshop. Visit our online workshops page for more info.

Geekoto softboxes compared: results from the Digital Classroom with Jannaika

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Geekoto Softboxes

 

In today’s blog the results from the Digital classroom episode with Jannaike in which I explained the differences between Geekoto softboxes.

Remember that these were shot during a live broadcast with loads of ambient light so it’s a bit harder to set the light perfectly.
But I’m very happy with the results.

Geekoto softboxes compared, ditigal classroom with model Janaika Geekoto softboxes compared: Quicky20 Geekoto Softboxes compared, this is whit a striplight (SQ36) Geekoto softboxes compared, result of the Digital Classroom with Janaika

 

If you missed the episode, here it is in full.

the Geekoto Softboxes

Living in the US? and interested in Geekoto? check this Frank Doorhof Geekoto link

Read this post about our first shoot with Janaika 

In the Previous Digital Classroom, we shot Claudia with a Harley Davidson 

Sometimes 15 minutes is enough for a commercial photoshoot. Because our Geekoto flashes have a pistol grip, Annewiek can hold them easily (this is with the S26, if we should do it again, we probably take the even smaller Quicky20)