Like drunken pirates looking to conquer new territory, our crew is loading up an arsenal of gear, some pretty models, and setting a course straight to Marquette, MI. We will plant our flag at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. in downtown and quickly overtake the entire upper level. Arrrr!

This workshop will be geared towards beginner shooters wanting to dramatically improve their skills, and intermediate photographers who want to build on basic skills and shoot in challenging light. Bring your camera, and an appetite for learning and enjoying some great food and drinks with others. Bring that new SLR that you’ve never taken off of Auto-Mode. Discover the holy trinity of aperture, shutter, and ISO – you know… those names and icons that you still have no idea what they do. Refine the skills you’ve been practicing all winter and test them out in a full studio with subjects more interesting than your cat.

We confess that we sacrificed a scouting party to the Ore Dock, and not only is the beer pretty damn good, but the upper level is a playground of lighting, props, and scenes to shoot in. We couldn’t think of a better location or friendlier folks. Nice job, Marquette.

Between our photog, and assistants, you’ll have lots of one-on-one guidance to help you transform your shooting from underexposed square shots, to well-lit artistic creations. There will be laughing. There will be learning. There will be Dia de los Tacos. There will be beer. All of it on us…

We’ll start at 10AM and go to 3PM for $250 If you’re a high school or college student – we’ll give you a 20% discount. Same applies for any of our current or past clients. Yay for you!

This requires signup and is first come, first serve. A deposit will be due when we confirm your enrollment, so get signed up by June 6!

Signup and learn more here. See you soon!

See you on Saturday, June 8th, Marquette! 10AM – 3PM

MQT workshop poster

We get asked a couple times a week for our recommendations on equipment. Cameras mostly. We love talking gear, and while we’re not going to be one of those tireless camera reviewing blogs, we thought we’d put together a quick, honest, summary of answers to a few of the most typical questions we get. Okay? Here it goes, starting with pocketable point & shoots to entry-level SLRs as of winter 2013, and deliberately avoiding phones and pro-bodies. We’ll update both content, and announce anyone that gets de-throned from the list. Image links will take you to the OEM’s site. Recommendations are based on personal experience with the company, their equipment, and our gut. Alternatives are listed to mitigate any bias we have toward brands.

The ‘nice point & shoot’

What is it? A compact, generally retractable lens body that fits nicely in a jacket pocket, purse, or man bag. Simple controls and the ability to capture a shot as quickly and with as minimal fuss as possible. A very popular category though seeing signs of weakness with the ubiquity of cellphones with very competent cameras. A huge category too – compact, travel, superzoom, etc. We generally are asked about “something that will fit in my pocket” so we’re focusing on the compact size here. Look to spend $300-400 for something that will have a good interface, optics, and design aesthetics. The top pick here is Fujifilm’s $400 XF1, and it hits all three of those components. A great attribute for us and our loathing of flashes / strobes is its very open aperture of f/1.8 (at least at the wide end of the lens) which will be great for low-light and the ability to avoid that blue, non-flattring, tiny flash that plagues this category. A manual zoom, great optics, and  a snappy response from controls and focus make it very, um… not frustrating. Aesthetically, its classic, kind of sexy looking in structure and in color, sturdy, and easy to hold. Canon has an S110 that is a nearly equivalent (price and features) alternative if you’re more of an introvert.

FujiFilm XF1 is $400 of pocketable, stylish, point & shoot.

The ‘UltraZoom’

What is it? A medium’ish camera with integrated lens that typically protrudes disturbingly far. We’re not going to talk about them. They’re dumb. If you think you need anything more than a 300mm equivalent (roughly ~5x on point & shoots) then you just need to climb over that fence…

The ‘$500 SLR’

First, can we please just start saying ‘SLR’ instead of ‘DSLR?’ It’s still an SLR, and unless it’s owner is Chris-Kluwe-cool, smoking American Spirits, or has money to burn on processing film, it’s probably digital. This is a tight range that can be frustrating or really satisfying. We advise one of two entry-level bodies in the $600-900 range that come as kits (a basic lens included) from Nikon. The D3200 at around $600, and the D5200 for under $900. Both are be very good camera bodies with easy controls, light weight, and excellent quality. The lens with either kit will be basic and slow, and we always recommend a 50mm lens with an aperture of f/1.8 which is inexpensive enough ($200 for Nikon’s new G version) that buying one of these cameras as a body-only (no cheap lens) will not only save you money, but give you better shots and a better experience. You can add lenses or use older ones if they’re compatible. The more expensive 5200 will have better focus, lower noise at higher ISO sensitivities (ie; less grain) and a nicer screen. Don’t get the red one though. We’ll tease you forever. And really, these bodies are pretty much as good or only slightly better than Canon’s offerings, we simply have more experience with Nikon and we really like Paul Simon. For comparison though, Canon has similar kits for a Rebel T4i for ~$800 if you’re going to be all Canon vs. Nikon snobby.

Nikon’s entry-level D3200 and D5200 are perfect for beginners and point & shoot upgrades.

The ‘something different’

As a tangent, you might want to consider a SLR-stlye camera that has interchangeable lenses but is in a compact package and a digital interface vs. more optical. They are popular, referred to as ILC (interchangeable lens cameras) and a good alternative if someone is used to holding a camera out in front of them instead of up to their face look at Nikon’s updated “Nikon 1″ system. The J3 is powerful, compact, and comes with none, one, or a Timbuk2 bag full of lenses in a kit for $600-850. Sony has some very refined models in their NEX line too. Similar ranges, though not as cute as Nikon’s…

Nikon’s “1″ series are mirror-less, compact, interchangeable lens bodies.

 Finally, if you’re looking for a retro’ish camera that does it all in one chunky yet very handsome package (if you can find one in stock) it’s hard to beat FujiFilm’s X20 for $600. Its in a newer category called the ‘enthusiast compact sector’ though it’s not pretentious enough to demand that you know what all the dials on the top do. It’s larger than a compact point & shoot but could be more satisfying and the image quality and speed (f/2.0 – 2.8 across its modest zoom lens) and will surpass them in image quality. You also don’t have to change lenses or wear a slouchy beanie hat with thick-rimmed glasses to be cool with this camera, so there’s that… Shooters more comfortable with brands like Microsoft, LL Bean, and Starbucks should look at a very competent alternative in this field: Sony’s Cyber-shot RX100.

Film-shooting Hipsters will be jealous of this does-everything-well camera.

Hope this helps your gift shopping, your impulse buying, and fosters your love of taking photos. Bring it to one of our workshops and we’ll show you how to master it.

We recently had a private, ‘professional-level-beginner’ workshop in our studio that made a number of spouses jealous – so in the name of equality, we’re hosting a beginner workshop on Saturday, April 7th. This will be no different than our other beginner sessions – which means an intensive, hands-on workshop with live models, catered deliciousness, and fun things to drink. We keep the class sizes capped at 10 to ensure lots of one-on-one attention, so be sure to reserve your spot! See you there!

*** SIGNUP, FAQ, PHOTOS ***

Our revolving gallery in the Keweenaw Brewing Co. in downtown Houghton is ready to revolve – just in time for Winter Carnival. Between tattooed bottoms, embalming tables, and photos of our favorite scenic vistas, we’ve found ourselves apologizing a lot lately… SO – here is your chance to absolve us from any near-future “we’re sorry” posts by telling us what you want us to print at 30″. Imagine yourself in the KBC drinking an IPA, stepping on peanut shells, and wondering where you put your overpriced ski gloves. What do you want to be gracing the wall above your head? A beautiful bride on the Lake Superior shoreline? An elegant shot featuring long legs and tall boots? Aerials of the Keweenaw? Sled dogs racing through the night? Zombies? Alpacas? Look through recent content on Tumblr (NSFW), Facebook , or the website and let us know. Final selections (we can usually cram about 10 into the taproom) will be posted with a tag that says for example: “Zombies in an El Camino – selected by Adam Griffis.” Fun fun. Get your selections in by the weekend before the bartenders get irritated with us for the blank walls in there. Enjoy and thanks!

1/1600 sec at f / 1.4 ISO 1600, 50mm 2:35PM

We’ve got a fair number of fans who are pretty geeky when it comes to photography, and we get asked many questions about ‘how’ we shot something. You know us – we don’t like post-processing. We can’t remember the last time we opened up actual Photoshop, and we (and our clients) tend to think that processed / filtered photos belong on Instagram (though we’re admitted addicts!) and not in a wedding album. So – we chose this photo this afternoon to simply give the technical aspects behind the art.

This beautiful Chicago bride did her bridal prep in a very dim cabin, and even in the early afternoon, the light was quite low. The camera was set with a high ISO to be safe, in this case, 1600 on a Nikon D3. The D3 is famous for low noise at high ISO, so even pushing this higher would not have been too much of a noise-risk. The lens in this shot is a Nikkor 50mm that is opened up all the way to f/1.4 – again, because it was so dark, but also because it is a compact lens, and gives a super-pleasing depth of field – buttery almost. Its not the most cost-effective lens, and we recommend the f/1.8 for most beginner / intermediate shooters, but ANYWAY…

This shot was unplanned. The previous shot was a feature shot at 1/100 of a second in a dark part of cabin (thus the high ISO!) and when we quietly ran into the bedroom for this single, fleeting moment – the sunshine in the window forced a scroll of the shutter wheel up to 1/1600 to not blow out the whole thing. The shot was so fleeting in fact, that there are only two shots of this moment, so thanks to Nikon for the fast focus and good metering. Even if the camera had been in a non-manual mode however, the electronics would have forced an exposure that would have darkened the image more than what was intended. Much like a point & shoot trying to capture a portrait against a bright window, flagship bodies are susceptible to the same flaws. Just like the ability to drive fast in the winter requires disabling the traction control system, a camera needs to be completely controlled by the photographer to get the result they want.

In terms of post-processing, the image history on this shot includes:

- import
- a profile assignment – which includes a lens profile, some noise reduction, and black clipping
- a preset assignment – which includes a caramel tone and a contrast tweak

Vignetting is not added and is deliberately removed from the lens profile to keep the flaw in the shot. The 50mm is a film lens and the D3′s sensor is FX, which is the same footprint as 35mm film – so the effect is natural.

(And what a dress!)

Email us with questions, or if this has piqued your interest in photography, join us for a workshop!

Remember our secret project this past November? This is it. We were honored to be able to provide footage for our new friends at Palace Sports and Entertainment in Auburn Hills – covering their project at Horner Flooring. Over the course of a week and a half, we spent some quality time with King from StandUP Media and an arsenal of gear – covering the process of the final stages of the creation of a new floor for the Detroit Pistons. Using a trio DSLRs and an x100, we captured panning shots, features, and interviews in multiple locations – (which is why we chose King for this job!) A neat trick was mounting a Nikon D700 with a 17mm lens to a scissor lift to capture a single shot, every 5 minutes, for 24 hours, for 5 days. No room for error once it was setup either: manual everything from focus, to white balance to make every shot for 5 days identical. The real trick however was trying to get down from the top of a 15′ high platform once we were in place. Um, yeah… hindsight… Doug and his team at Horner were great to work with, and running the interviews was a highlight of this job. Stan and his media team at the Palace were equally fabulous, and produced this 3:22 video. Can’t wait to see the floor with some players on it. Fun!

one shot every 5 minutes, 24 hours for 5 days