BRYON
By Bryon Summers
BRYONMay 30, 2015
How I Made It Out Of An Abandoned Hospital at The Golden Hour
Exploring an abandoned sanitarium was the last thing on my list to do. Somehow, after avoiding it for almost 30 years, photography presented a reason to walk the halls of the decaying building that used to house people with tuberculosis.
Watch The Full Visual Episode https://youtu.be/QmKBoRHe-QE
YouTube www.youtube.com/bryonsummers
www.SUMSBrand.com Use code 'SUMS' for 10% off your entire order
The First Shot on My Fuji X100s Was of Bobby Shmurda... and Then It Died
The first images I shot on my Fuji X100s was Bobby Shmurda. It was my first mirrorless camera and I almost missed my shot because I didn't fully charge the 3 batteries it came with! Here's the story behind the 3 photos I was able to capture.
Watch The Full Visual Episode
https://youtu.be/wBsCDJ9CzSg
YouTube
www.youtube.com/bryonsummers
www.SUMSBrand.com
Use code 'SUMS' for 10% off your entire order
How Taj Gibson and New York City Streetball Helped a Brooklyn Community
After shooting the Taj Gibson Family day basketball event in 2019, I was looking forward to shooting NYC streetball this year. Unfortunately, just like all of the major sports, the Summer tournaments were shut down. This set of images tells a story of a community coming together through sports and giving back. This was also my first streetball event.
Watch The Full Visual Episode
https://youtu.be/TuzhumcthJw
YouTube
www.youtube.com/bryonsummers
Equipment used
Photos shot on Fuji x100s and Sony A7
Edited in Adobe Lightroom
SUMSBrand.com
Use code 'SUMS' for 10% off your entire order
The Dancer in Dapper Dan Clothing, Gabe Stone Shayer - One Thousand Words
Sometimes you have to show the world before they believe it.
Gabe Stone Shayer is one of a handful of black dancers in the American Ballet Theater. He told me how hard it was for a black person to be cast for a prominent role like a prince. He was told that he did not look the part. So he got a little help from the legendary Dapper Dan of Harlem to make him look royal. Gabe would show up to the ABT fall Galla a king.
More about Gabe Stone Shayer www.instagram.com/gabestoneshayer
Equipment used
Photos shot on Fuji x100s and Sony A7
Edited in Adobe Lightroom
SUMSBrand.com
Use code 'SUMS' for 10% off your entire order
BryonSummers.com
1000 Words - A Photo Story Series
This series originally aired on youtube but with quite a few requests, it’s here in podcast format. You can still watch the full visual series on my youtube.com/BryonSummers
Full Visual Episode
https://youtu.be/OD9vY9i1ecQ
My Dad's Stories - New Boots and Plaid Pants
This particular story took place in Mt. Vernon, New York in the '60s and involved his brother Freddy, an abandoned car, and kid breaking in his new boots.
We're Getting Better - Episode 206: Christina Bright
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Instagram.com/ChrisMiss_
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
www. Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Photographer Spotlight:
Dawoud Bey
Bey, born in New York in 1953 holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University School of Art and is currently Professor of Art and a Distinguished College Artist at Columbia College Chicago, where he has taught since 1998.
but before all of that he credited a 1969, visit to the exhibition Harlem on My Mind at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for his determination to become an artist. Ten years later, in 1979 he exhibited his first one-person show at the Studio Museum in Harlem.
Bey has held numerous exhibitions worldwide, at institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Barbican Centre in London, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA, the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Whitney Museum of American Art among many others.
In 2012 the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago organized Dawoud Bey: Picturing People, a survey exhibition of his work from 1981-2012. Harlem, USA was published by Yale University Press in conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago in May 2012, where the work was exhibited in its entirety for the first time since it was first shown at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1979. He recently completed a project with the Birmingham Museum of Art that commemorates the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, Dawoud Bey: The Birmingham Project.
Bey’s works are included in the permanent collections of numerous museums, both in the United States and abroad.
In addition to his photographs, Bey’s writings have appeared in publications throughout Europe and the United States, including High Times Hard Times: New York Painting, 1967-1975, The Van DerZee Studio, and David Hammons: Been There Done That. He has curated a wide range of exhibitions at museums and institutions.
For more on Dawoud Bey check out Rena Bransten Gallery dot com
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Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 205: Whats your lane?
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
www. Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Photographer Spotlight:
Roy DeCarava.
Born December 9th,1919 in Harlem, Roy DeCarava would grow up to be a renowned master photographer. He began his career as a painter and later turned to photography by the 1940s. His photographs were initially used as references for what would eventually end up on the canvas as paintings but by 1952, DeCarava was all in. He embraced photography as his new medium and was even the 9th photographer to receive the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. He considered his images artistic expressions - serious, artistic, and universally human. He worked for Columbia, Prestige, ABC Paramount, and Atlantic records as well as Sports Illustrated and Scientific American until the 1970s when he became a professor of art at Cooper Union. He’s received several honorary degrees from Rhode Island School of Design, Maryland Institute of Art, The Parsons School of Design and the Art Institute of Boston for contributions to American Art. In addition to his many accolades, DeCarava was awarded the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the National Arts Club and the Master of Photography Award of the International Center of Photography. In 2006, he was awarded the National Medal of Art from the National Endowment for the Arts, presented by President George W. Bush. Decarava died of natural caused October 27, 2009.
For more of Roy DeCarava visit decarava.org/
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Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 204: Who Are You Trying To Impress
I’ve been extremely geeked about the success so far of the We Love You project. I’ve talked about it in almost every episode of Shooting with Shooters and of course posting flyers all over social media for every city we visited. The goal is to take a the individual portrait of 1000 Black men ranging from babies to great grandfathers. So far we’ve hit 4 cities and now have had over 500 participants.
Rewind to earlier this year. A month before my 30th birthday. I’m packing up my Brooklyn apartment and getting ready to move back to Maryland. I’m moving back home… for 2nd time. 5 years prior, I had made a similar move from Norfolk, Virginia back home to regroup. It’s great to have family that lets you come back and embraces you… but at some point you start to feel like you failed. After all, you’re not following the expected path to adulthood. You graduate high school, go to college. Four years later you start your career and find a wife or a husband then start a family. You work for about 30 years retire and enjoy life as a grandparent after watching your own kids follow the same path to adulthood.
… yea, that wasn't and still isn’t my path.
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
www. Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Photographer Spotlight:
Coreen Simpson
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Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 203: Mike Meadows
_
www. Instagram.com/SirMeadows
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
www. Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Photographer Spotlight:
Jamel Shabazz
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Shabazz started documenting friends and peers at the age of 15. Shabazz’s work in the 1980s covered the fashion, lifestyle, environment, and social conditions of African Americans. He’s noted as a pioneer of street photography and is responsible for hundreds if not thousands of images at the beginning of the hip hop era. You can find his work in over 5 books compiled with collections of curated images in addition to collaborative projects. To date, Shabazz has taught with the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, the Bronx Museum, The International Center of Photography, and the Studio Museum in Harlem’s Expanding the Walls Project.
For more on Jamel Shabazz, visit JamelShabazz.com and watch for a quick reference to his work in episode 2 of Luke Cage on Netflix.
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Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 202: Antwon Maxwell
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website: www.AntwonMaxwellPhotography.com
www. Instagram.com/AntwonMaxwellPhotography
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
www. Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Photographer Spotlight:
James Van Der Zee
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Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 201: Brian Freeman
We also introduce a new segment for season 2!
_
website: www.BFree.co
www. Instagram.com/TheRealBFree
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
www. Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Photographer Spotlight:
Gordon Parks,
Known for his images of Harlem gangs, civil rights leaders, and work with publications such as Life magazine is a iconic name in the world of photography. Parks, who was born in Kansas, November 30th, 1912
His work covered American culture from the 1940s up until the early 2000s focusing on race, poverty, civil rights, and urban life. He bought his first camera at a pawn shop as a young man and taught himself the craft. Parks landed a job with the Farm Security Administration capturing the nation’s social conditions. After the FSA closed, Parks began to freelance working for fashion magazines, and eventually became the first African American staff photographer for Life Magazine after a photo essay about a Harlem gang leader. In his 20 years at Life, Parks photographed celebrities and political figures like Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Stockily Carmichael to name a few. Today it’s almost impossible to think about the American civil rights movement and not come across one of Park’s images.
He’s also know as an author as well as the first African American to write and direct a Hollywood feature with his film, The Learning Tree followed by his 1971 film, Shaft.
Parks died March 7th 2006 but his work can be found in numerous books and ongoing exhibitions in museums around the world.
For more information about Gordon Parks, visit GorfonParksFoundation.org
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Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 043: Watch What You Say
In this episode, we discuss a few misused phrases and preventing your friends (and yourself) from sounding crazy. "We all have areas of expertise or at least a thing or two we may know better than someone else - even if it’s the grammatical difference between their, there, and they’re ..."
Blow up vs Enlarge This one is common. If you blew an image up, it would no longer exist… because you destroyed it - being blown up and all. If you’re looking to make an image bigger, you mean to enlarge it. Although you’ll hear it said a lot, once you think about it, it’s actually quite clear. Really, what sense does it make to blow an image up? Is it a balloon? Nope. But, if you had a negative and were in a darkroom creating prints, you would use an enlarger to do so. Crop in vs Crop “Crop” implies that you’re removing an unwanted outer area of an image. Therefore, when someone suggests you “crop them in” a photo, they’re asking an impossible task. They may actually be thinking of the many capabilities you have when using Adobe Photoshop. It’s pretty common for someone who is not familiar with your area of expertise to know one overarching tool to program and abuse that term when attempting to relate to what you do. When this happens, don’t be a jerk about it - but seize this opportunity to provide a quick lesson. “Oh, well if I crop, you won’t be in the image. I think you mean add you in the photo, right?” You don’t have to say that exact phrase but find your smooth, subtle, or even quirky way to pass on some knowledge. Just don’t be rude about it. Portrait vs Self Portrait This one is simple. A portrait can be of anyone. A SELF-portrait has 2 requirements: 1) It needs to be a portrait of YOU. 2) It needs to be created by YOU. So if someone takes your picture, that my friend, is a portrait. True, it is of you, but YOU didn’t do it yourself. Apply this logic to biography and autobiography - autobiography being your life story written by you and a biography being just a life story about anyone, written by anyone.
Fun link http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/25-common-words-that-youve-got-wrong.html
Book Complete Photography by National Geographic Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 042: Planning and Scouting
PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS
www.eventbrite.com/e/were-getting-better-photography-workshop-with-bryon-summers-tickets-23211432018
****NEWSLETTER LINK****
eepurl.com/bPhpLz
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Website: www.BryonSummers.com
www. Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Phocabulary:
Scrim
Translucent materials such as plastics or cloth places between the light source ad the subject to diffuse the light
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Tech Briefs
Adobe Camera Raw 9.5 is here and the user interface is up to date! The newest version of Camera Raw no longer looks like you’re using Photoshop 5. They’ve ditched the ugly white box and have upgraded to the current charcoal gray aesthetic. Users should be happy and more likely to use the program now that it actually looks like a part of the current Creative Suite.
You can download version 9.5 now in Photoshop CC and Creative Cloud.
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Book
A Journal.
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 041: Running Your Marathon
In this episode, we revisit a metaphor that James Anthony suggested in episode 006
Comparing your career path to a marathon.
Phocabulary: Artifact A visible defect in a digital image, produced by the electronic imaging process.
Tech Briefs http://www.parachut.co
Book The Creative Fight: Create Your Best Work and Live the Life You Imagine 1st Edition by Chris Orwig Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 040: The Josh Craig
In this episode, we talk to, musician, DJ, actor, model, and photographer, The Josh Craig about balancing multiple talents and staying on the grind.
Phocab Short Lighting Lighting a portrait subject so that the main illumination falls on the side of the face turned away from the camera. Makes the face appear narrower. Also called narrow lighting. _ Tech Briefs This week in Tech Briefs, Profotos drops a Collapsible Beautify Dish. The OCF Beauty Dish is a collapsible 24-inch beauty dish that you can use with the Profit B1 and B2 heads. Since the dish is soft and capable of breaking down, it’s also very convenient to pack and travel with. The modifier offers the same high-quality light you’ll get from a standard dish and seems to be the move for portability since it only weighs about 1.3 pounds. In addition to the packing perks, you don’t have to worry about denting an awkward piece of equipment. The OCF Beauty Dish is available in silver and white and comes with a deflector plate, front diffuser, carrying case, and requires a speed ring. You can take advantage of Profoto’s special offer now and get a free Beauty Dish when you buy a B1 or B2 light.
Source: https://fstoppers.com/gear/profoto-releases-collapsible-beauty-dish-118997
Book Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs of People By Henry Carroll
Music: The Josh Craig @TheJoshCraig KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 039: Procrastination and Scheduling
In this episode we talk about procrastination and scheduling and ways to stay ahead of the game.
****NEWSLETTER LINK****
eepurl.com/bPhpLz
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Website: www.BryonSummers.com
www. Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Phocabulary:
Stop
1) Originally, the plates with holes that were used as apertures in early optical experiments. 2) A measure of change in exposure. One stop is a change in exposure by a factor of two. Opening up one stop means doubling the exposure. Closing down one stop means halving the exposure.
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Tech Briefs
If you shoot with a Nikon D750 you may have been experiencing a flare banding issue or possibly a shutter issue.
Nikon has issued a service advisory stating that they’ve received indications from users that the when photographing a scene with a bright light source like the sun or high intensity lighting, at a certain position along the top border of the frame, flare with an unnatural shape sometimes occurs in the the images captured with D750 DSLR camera.
Now this isn’t the first advisoryl on this particular model. The original shutter advisory was found in cameras manufactured between October and November of 2014 but the recent issues have been found in one made from December 2014 to June 2015.
To find out if you’re D750 may be affected check the show notes for a link to Nikon’s Service Advisory page. You’ll need to enter the serial number and if you’re eligible for repair, the site will collect your info, provide you with a printable UPS label and you can send out your camera body asap.
www.nikonusa.com/en/service-and-support/service-advisories/i4xzkqns/Technical-Service-Advisory-for-Users-of-the-Nikon-D750.html
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Book
Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind (The 99U Book Series)
By Jocelyn K. Glei
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 038: Austin Willis
****NEWSLETTER LINK****
eepurl.com/bPhpLz
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www.VisualsbyWillis.com
Instagram.com/VisualsbyWillis
www.BryonSummers.com Instagram.com/WereGettingBetter
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Phocabulary
Vignetting
The blocking of image-forming light around the edges of the image in a specific pattern. This can be done intentionally for aesthetic reasons, or may happen accidentally when the wrong lens shade or filters are attached to a lens.
Source: Photography Second Edition By Bruce Warren
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Tech briefs
Lightroom on Android 2.0 has made it possible to shoot and edit RAW images. Yes you heard that right, you can now shoot raw on your smartphone. Now when you use Lightroom’s built-in camera app, you’ll see a 6th icon on the row of camera functions directly above the shutter release button. Located on the far right and clearly labeled “RAW”.
The editing functions are the same but of course since these are now RAW images, the capabilities are broader and non destructive. Meaning you can always go back to the original file if need be. So Android smartphone users rejoice… In the meantime, I’ll be waiting for the iPhone upgrade.
Source: petapixel.com/2016/02/22/lightroom-android-2-0-worlds-first-end-end-mobile-raw-app/
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Book/film
Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People
In this film, director Thomas Allen Harris explores how photography has both positively and negatively affected Black Americans. The film covers photography of slaves portrayed as less than human all the way to present day images that instill a sense of self worth and humanity. Definitely a great documentary and historical reference filled with Black photographers and imagery.
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Music:
KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 037: Gratitude for Exposure
In this episode, we talk about acknowledging praise, gratitude for exposure, and reaching out for more.
Phocabulary: Pull To overexpose and decrease the amount of development of a roll of film, for an apparent decrease in film speed. (Less contrast. Less grain.) Push To underexpose and increase the amount of development of a roll of film, for an apparent increase in film speed. (More contrast. More grain.) Source: Photography Second Edition By Bruce Warren — Tech Briefs Panasonic released the new Lumix GF8, a follow-up to last year’s the GF7. The GF8 is a mirrorless camera geared toward selfies, with even more selfie-focused features than its predecessor. The GF8 is almost identical to the GF7 with a 16MP CMOS sensor, a Venus Engine image processor, a 3.0-inch 1.04M-dot touchscreen tilt LCD, and built-in Wi-Fi. The difference is in the upgrades - new software features. Pretty much a firmware upgrade. The camera has a new beauty retouch capability to apply virtual make-up while reviewing and editing your photos in-camera. Aesthetic Retouch can apply various effects to a face, including clearing up skin texture, digital facelifts, whitening the teeth, and more. Make-up Retouch lets you choose foundation color, lip color, cheek color, and eye-shadow. The Panasonic GF8 will be available in silver, brown, pink, and orange. Check back with F-Stoppers for pricing and availability but note that Panasonic currently doesn’t plan to release the camera in the United States.
Source: http://petapixel.com/2016/02/15/the-panasonic-gf8-is-basically-a-selfie-crazy-gf7/
Book 2016 Photographer’s Market: How and Where to Sell Your Photography 39th Edition by Mary Burzlaff Bostic
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 036: Lessons Learned
In this episode, we talk about lessons learned from a few years of shooting, learning, and building a career in photography.
www.BryonSummers.com
Phocabulary: Tonal Value The visual perception of the luminance of a specific area in a subject or the reflectance of an area in a print (lightness and darkness).
Source: Photography Second Edition By Bruce Warren
Tech Briefs Source: https://fstoppers.com/news/adobe-releases-bridge-cc-62-offers-useful-new-features-113949
Book What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell -- Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 035: Josh Cortez
We're Getting Better - Episode 034: Ashleigh Bing
In this episode, we talk to natural light photographer Ashleigh Bing about learning from each other, community over competition, and capturing milestones. ShootHappensPhotography.com instagram.com/aambing Website: www.BryonSummers.com Instagram.com/BryonSummers Phocabulary: Ambient Light The available, or existing, the light that naturally surrounds a scene. Source: Creative Lighting: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques by Harold Davis - Tech Brief Good and bad news… The Good news: Film is still around. The Bad news: The price is going up. If you shoot film, specifically Fujifilm, the US price will be increasing by 10% as early as this month. The price increase, although it sucks, is understandable due to the decline in demand for the analog method. You’ll see prices increase across the board on color negative, color reversal, black and white, and QuickSnap disposable cameras. A suggestion for all my film shooters, if you’re not already doing this - if you still want to shoot film, invest in a film scanner or find a place or equipment to develop yourself.
Suggested developing materials: Photoflex Changing Room, Light Tight Film Changing Tent.
http://www.adorama.com/PFCR.html?hotlink=t&svfor=5m&gclid=Cj0KEQiAz5y1BRDZ4Z_K_eGa84cBEiQAtQkeaNitHhzTmQe-WLrxq2sHlz7Qn-R0AhQOSu7LtQF_xI0aAnqv8P8HAQ
Paterson Universal tank and 2 reels-#115
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000BZMIH/ref=s9_top_hd_bE3D1_g421_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-2&pf_rd_r=17B0Z7RYEDK6VBGV6678&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2223182282&pf_rd_i=3348931
Beseler Printmaker Darkroom Kit
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=87279&gclid=Cj0KEQiAz5y1BRDZ4Z_K_eGa84cBEiQAtQkeaA7PLgH7h-77HgsrwNifRnjUh0Fftmnlj4_T54feuFAaAoPV8P8HAQ&is=REG&ap=y&Q=&A=details
Source: http://petapixel.com/2016/01/22/fujifilm-announces-big-worldwide-price-hike-on-film/ - Book Creative Lighting: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques by Harold Davis -
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 033: Fall Back but Don't Quit
In this episode, we talk about falling back when you need to regroup. Stay consistent and don't quit.
Phocabulary: Reflex A reflex camera is one that utilizes a mirror system to reflect the light (the image) coming through the lens, to a visible screen. The image seen in the camera's viewfinder is the same image that strikes the camera's imaging sensor (or filmplane). This system provides the most accurate framing and focusing. The reflex system avoids the parallax problem that plagues most direct view cameras. Reflex cameras are also called SLRs, or DSLRs. Source: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/Product_Resources/digital_glossary.jsp Tech Brief This week in Tech Briefs, Fujifilm releases the flagship model X-Pro2 compact system camera. The X-Pro2 is a mirrorless camera with the option for interchangeable lenses. The camera has a 24megapixel X-Trans CMOS III sensor, ISO sensitivity up to 51,200, and a hybrid multi viewfinder. Compressed Raw is also available, which a first for the X-series. The new focal plane shutter maxes out at 1/8000 sec and flash sync up to 1/250 sec. The camera supports dual SD memory cards all housed in a weather-resistant body. The X-Pro2 retails at $1700 (body only)
Source: http://www.dailycameranews.com/2016/01/fujifilm-x-pro2/
Book Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 032: Natasha Campos
In this week's episode, we talk to lifestyle photographer Natasha Campos about how she got started and how a non-profit background brought her closer to fine art photography.
Website: www.BryonSummers.com Instagram.com/BryonSummers Phocabulary: Histogram The histogram is a graph showing the number of pixels in a digital image from darkest to lightest. A luminosity histogram reflects tonality; single-channel histograms indicate the number of pixels of a given color at each tone from darkest to lightest. Source: 30-Second Photography - Tech Brief Nikon’s not playing around. The new D5 DSLR scheduled to drop in March was previewed at CES with a gang of specs that’ll leave you drooling. The full-frame camera has a 20.8 megapixel CMOS sensor, a native ISO range from 100 - 102,400, and extended ISO settings of 50 to (you ready for this?) 3,280,000! Crazy! It also totes 153 autofocus points and 99 cross sensors with continuous shooting at 12 frames per second. The D5 boasts a 3.2 inch, 2.36 million-dot touchscreen LCD, dual memory card slots that will either hold XQD or CF cards and a USB 3.0 connection If that’s not enough, it’s the first Nikon DSLR to include 4k video recording. Still interested? Well, you can pre-order yours now for $6,500. Body only of course.
Source: http://www.macworld.com/article/3020218/hardware/the-coolest-camera-gear-of-ces-2016.html#slide3
Book Pantone The 20th Century in Color by Leatrice Eiseman & Keith Recker
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 031: Andre D Wagner
In this episode, we talk to Andre D. Wagner about how he ended up in New York, capturing photos full-time, shooting with a Leica camera, developing film, The Purist, and other adventures. www.AbstractElements.com
Phocabulary: Rangefinder Camera A rangefinder camera gets its name from the rangefinder focusing system built-in (or on much older cameras, attached to the hot shoe as an accessory. The system is typically a split-image rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject's distance and take sharp photographs. Most varieties of rangefinder cameras show two images of the same subject, one of which moves when a calibrated wheel, usually on the lens is turned; when the two images coincide and become one your image is in focus. The distance can be read off the wheel or lens in feet as well as meters. Older, non-coupled rangefinder cameras display the focusing distance and require the photographer to transfer the value to the lens focus ring; cameras without built-in rangefinders could have an external rangefinder fitted into the accessory shoe. Earlier cameras of this type had separate viewfinder and rangefinder windows; later the rangefinder was incorporated into the viewfinder. Tech Brief The rumored Fuji X-Pro2 has leaked online with detailed specs.
Book Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting - 5th Edition by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, and Paul Fuqua
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 030: The Return of James Anthony
In this episode, James Anthony is back in NY and returns as a guest on WGB. We’re back live from the Adorama Event Space and talking about how your lifestyle can enhance your work ethic, new ventures, plans for LA, and sliding in celebrity DMs.
Phocabulary: Aberration A distortion of image quality or color rendition in a photographic image caused by optical limitations of the lens used to capture the image. Aberrations commonly show up in the form of halation around contrasty portions of the image or “smearing” of color toward the edges of the frame. Aspheric lens surfaces and advanced lens coatings are often used in more expensive or complex lenses as a means of reducing aberrations. Source: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/glossary-digital-photography-terms Book The War of Art Steven Pressfield The hardest thing for some of us to do is start. The War of Art talks about how to avoid creative roadblocks whether you’re a writer, painter, or photographer. Pressfield identifies the enemy we must face, outlines a plan to battle it, and pinpoints how to achieve success. I’ve been hearing a lot about this book. Actually thumbed through it at Barnes & Noble recently. Guess I’ll be going back to pick up.
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 029: Amon Focus
In this episode, we talk to photographer, Amon Focus about successfully funding a Kickstarter campaign, travel, and more.
Phocabulary: Street Photography Popularized by photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lee Friedlander, and Garry Winograd, street photography looks to the terrain of the urban landscape. Defined by the energy and chaos found in urban cultures, it came into prominence in the 1930s with the emergence of small-format cameras, which allowed photographers to shoot discreetly. Source: 30-Second Photography Book: The Print and the Process: Taking Compelling Photographs from Vision to Expression David duChemin
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 028: Annoying Questions aka Don't Ask
In this episode, we address a few annoying questions that should be rethought before asked. Don't think of it as a venting session but more of a client etiquette lesson.
Phocabulary: Watermark Traditionally, a watermark is an image or icon that is embedded into paper for security purposes (American paper money has a watermark). In digital photography, a watermark refers to information that is embedded in the image data to protect the copyrights of the image. Metadata is data that describes other data. Meta is a prefix that in most information technology usages means "an underlying definition or description." Metadata summarizes basic information about data, which can make finding and work with particular instances of data easier. For example, camera/lens/exposure information, time/date/ are examples of very basic document metadata. Having the ability to filter through that metadata makes it much easier for someone to locate a specific document.
Sources: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/metadata
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/Product_Resources/digital_glossary.jsp
Book New York Said by Amon Focus New York Said is a photo series by Amon Focus that explores the subtle messages hidden in plain sight around New York City. www.kickstarter.com/projects/amonfocus/new-york-said-volume-two-photography-by-amon-focus
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 027: Kevin Spence
In this episode, we talk to Kevin Spence about his very non-traditional road to success and what he's STILL doing to reach his goals. Would you believe he commutes from Philly to NY for a 9-5? vimeo.com/lampshadeproductions
Instagram.com/the_constantine_lens
Phocabulary: Hard Light A direct source of light, not diffused. The sun is the hard light with which everyone is most familiar, but our experience of it is always somewhat diffused through the atmosphere surrounding the earth. The degree of diffusion changes dramatically with weather conditions. Hard light creates harsh contrast and crisp, hard-edged shadows. Source: 30-Second Photography Book 2016 Photographer’s Market: How and Where to Sell Your Photography 39th Edition by Mary Burzlaff Bostic Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 026: Matteo Scaglione
In this episode, London based photographer Matteo Scaglione stops by to talk to us about how he got started in photography and eventually working and traveling the world.
Phocabulary: Diffusion The scattering of light, which otherwise travels in a straight line into myriad different directions. Each beam continues to cast a shadow, but the many shadows are all in slightly different positions. Soft light results, with its shadow being a gradual transition rather than a distinct line. Accomplished by passing light through translucent material (or atmospheric particulate like smoke, fog, clouds, or rain), or bouncing it off a matte surface. Source: 30-Second Photography Book: Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 025: A Story About Progression
In this week’s episode, it's storytime. When was the last time you noticed progress? I mean a real evolution in your quality of work? How will you know when you've gotten better?
Phocabulary: Minimalism A style known for its precise and pared-down aesthetic. Minimalism advocates an essential quality of geometric abstraction and often uses a monochromatic or a highly reduced array of colors. With influences from Zen philosophy and the Japanese sense of beauty, essential forms, order, materials, and simplicity are advocated. Minimalism can be seen as a reaction against expressionism, ornamentation, and even consumerism. Source: 30-Second Photography Book: Back in the Days Jamel Shabazz A body of work from the 80s in New York. You can look at Jamel’s work and see how NY used to be and in many ways still is. I recommend you check out this book and note the progress of time let along with Mr. Shabazz’s work.
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 024: Bianca Carosio
In this week’s episode, we talk to Retoucher and Creative Director, Bianca Carosio about how she chose her creative path, women in the industry, and multiple tangents.
Phocabulary: Color Space The range of colors that can be reproduced on a computer monitor or in print. The most commonly used color spaces for digital imaging are the baseline sRGB or Standard RGB, created in 1996, and a wider-gamut, Adobe RGB later in 1998.
Source: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/glossary-digital-photography-terms
Book: This week I’m suggesting you head to your local book store check out a few magazines that catch your eye. Pay attention to the model or subject on the cover and analyze the editing. Try to figure out how much retouching was involved to create that finished product. I’m a fan of tangible things so I would actually go to a brick and mortar book store but you can also find a wide range of magazines on Issuu.com.
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 023: Daniel Vasquez
In this episode, we talk to photographer Daniel Vasquez about shooting with Sony cameras, new technology, and being in the right place at the right time with your camera.
Phocabulary: Catchlight The reflection of light sources in the human eye. Catchlights indicate the direction from which the light is coming, and help give eyes a sense of life. The size of the catchlight has a particularly dramatic impact, but large catchlights require very large sources, or sources placed extremely close to the face. Reflectors or additional sources are sometimes used just to create catchlights in portraiture. Source: 30-Second Photography
Tech Brief: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/
Book: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer http://amandapalmer.net
Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 022: Cristopher Schafer
In this episode, we travel to Hampton, VA to talk to photographer and filmmaker Cristopher Schafer about starting as an IT specialist to eventually traveling the world with DJ Jazzy Jeff.
www.CristopherSchafer.com
Instagram.com/cristopherschafer
www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram.com/BryonSummers
Phocabulary: Magic Hour Sunrise and sunset, the time when the sun is closest to the horizon, the rays becoming much warmer in color than normal because we are viewing them through the denser atmospheric particulate closest to the surface of the earth, and the cool blue of the sky makes a startling juxtaposition against the warm sunlight. White clouds also act as reflectors and pick up a wide range of dramatic colors as they receive the last or first rays of sunlight. Source: 30-Second Photography Tech Briefs source: https://fstoppers.com/gear/fujifilm-announces-fujinon-xf-35mm-f2-r-wr-lens-and-14x-teleconverter-93440 Book: Die Empty by Todd Henry Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 021: Thomas Wilson
In this episode, we talk to Portrait and food photographer, Thomas Wilson. We also try a new beer.
www.ThomasAWilson.com
https://instagram.com/thomaswilson2
www.BryonSummers.com
https://instagram.com/BryonSummers
Phocabulary: Overexposure The result of recording too much light when taking a picture, which results in a light image. In digital imaging, overexposure can usually be corrected to a certain extent by the use of image-editing software, depending upon how overexposed your image is. RAW files offer more latitude than JPEGs and TIFFs for correcting overexposure. Source: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/glossary-digital-photography-terms Book: Jab Jab Jab Right Hook How to tell your story in a noisy world by Gary Vaynerchuck Music: KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 020: Presentation is Everything
We're Getting Better - Episode 019: Organization Is Your Friend
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram: @BryonSummers
Phocabulary:
Compositing
Combining multiple images together using masking and/or transparency. Modern digital imaging software uses a multi-layer model, where each image layer can have a mask as well as many degrees of overall transparency. Photorealistic compositing relies on matching lighting, vantage points, focal length, focus, palette, and precise edge masking.
Source: 30-Second Photography
Book:
The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene
Music:
KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 018: A 9 to 5 for your 5 to 9
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram: @BryonSummers
Phocabulary:
Bokeh
An English transliteration of a Japanese word that means “haze” or “blur.” Pronounced boh-keh, it refers to the out-of-focus areas in a photograph with limited depth of field, particularly around, but not limited to, the highlight areas. Bokeh appears as little circles in the unsharp areas. Depending upon the shape of the opening formed by the blades of the lens’s aperture, the circles appear either more or less circular. Good bokeh, which has a more “natural” appearance, is most commonly defined by smoother, round-shaped highlights that blend smoothly into the darker shadow areas, an effect that’s directly attributed to the degree of roundness of the lens aperture.
Source: www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/glossary-digital-photography-terms
Music:
KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 017: Consistency is Key
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram: @BryonSummers
Phocabulary:
Firmware is a software program permanently etched into a hardware device such as a keyboards, hard drive, BIOS, or video cards. It is programmed to give permanent instructions to communicate with other devices and perform functions like basic input/output tasks. Firmware is typically stored in the flash ROM (read only memory) of a hardware device. It can be erased and rewritten.
Firmware was originally designed for high level software and could be changed without having to exchange the hardware for a newer device. Firmware also retains the basic instructions for hardware devices that make them operative. Without firmware, a hardware device would be non-functional.
Source: www.techopedia.com/definition/2137/firmware
Book
Music:
KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 016: Dayo Kosoko
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram: @BryonSummers
Phocabulary:
Hot Shoe - A “live” accessory shoe, usually located on the top of the camera prism housing, which enables you to mount and trigger an electronic flash or wireless transmitter. Hot shoes can also be used to support external microphones, electronic viewfinders, GPS devices and field monitors.
Source: www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/glossary-digital-photography-terms
Book
2015 Photographer's Market
by Mary Burzlaff Bostic
Music:
KB @push-music
LIVE FROM THE BEACON @bobbygenericmusic
We're Getting Better - Episode 015: Natural vs Studio Lighting LIVE from Adorama
We're Getting Better - Episode 014: Digital vs Print LIVE from Adorama
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram: @BryonSummers
Phocabulary:
Resolution - The degree of detail an imaging system is capable of capturing. In the case of digital photography, this is a function of how many pixels an image sensor records, or the number and density of pixels within a physical print. The physical size of a sensor places limitations on how many discrete pixels can be fit onto it. With respect to a print, resolution is more flexible, as the larger the print, the farther away viewers typically stand. Billboards, for instance, typically have 10-15 pixels per inch. Prints intended to be viewed at arm’s length in a publication are commonly printed around 300 pixels per inch.
Recommended Sites:
tv.adobe.com
VSCO.com
Phlearn.com
Music:
KB @push-music
Live Show Presentation
www.slideshare.net/BryonSummers1/we-gb-adorama1
We're Getting Better - Episode 013: Design Helps Photography
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram: @BryonSummers
Phocabulary:
Harmony - When the different elements within a photograph in terms of color, size, and placement play well together within the composition.
Book
How to shoot video that does’t suck by Steve Stockman
Music:
KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 012: Finding Calm In The Chaos
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram: @BryonSummers
Phocabulary:
Contrast- The range of tones in an image from darkest to lightest. A high contrast image has a wider range of tones than a low contrast image. Raising the contrast pushes the midtones apart toward black and white. Lowering the contrast does the opposite.
Book
Show Your Work x Austin Kleon
Music:
KB @push-music
We're Getting Better - Episode 011: Its Not The Camera Its The Shooter
Website: www.BryonSummers.com
Instagram: @BryonSummers
Phocabulary:
Raw Format - A file format created by digital cameras or scanners designed to capture as accurately as possible the physical intensity and color of light. Sometimes referred to as “digital negatives”, RAW files are not quite images, as they must be interpreted through a number of software algorithms to become viewable, editable or printable. RAW files have no permanent commitment to white balance saturation, or contrast. In comparison to any other file format currently available, they are significantly larger than JPEG anreven TIFF files. The quality is far greater as well. They are never permanently changed by processing because a copy is always extracted while the original remains untouched.
Book
Steal Like An Artist x Austin Kleon
Music:
KB @push-music