Saving the World One Pixel at a Time

“Success is hard by the yard, but is a cinch by the inch”—Don Feltner

I’ve often said that success is hard but failure is easy but you can stack the odds in your favor by providing competition-crushing customer service. While this may sound like tactics from Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” it’s more like common sense and common courtesy. The only problem with both of these commodities is that they’re not so common anymore, which is part of the reason why customer service for most consumer and even b-to-b goods and services has all but evaporated in today’s economy. That sounds bad, but is really the good news. The best way to make your customer service work better is to turn your last personal customer service experience around 180 degrees. Now, you’re off to a good start.

Nobody like angry customers and a verbally abusive client can be difficult for some photographers or their employees to deal with. When faced with such situations the only thing to do is ask in a calm voice: “What would you like me to do?” At that point, if they insist on being an idiot, there’s really nothing more you can do for them. One of the realities of life is that some individuals find it impossible to go through life without making everything difficult for themselves and all those about them. Sooner or later, you’re going to run into one of these customers and the best thing you can did is bid them adieu as politely as you can and send them on their way.

After you ask that million-dollar question, most reasonable people will want to work with you and, more often than not, what they really want is simple and easy for you to provide. Sure, sometimes you may have to eat a little of your profit and perhaps they may never come back again but the odds are in your favor because a happy customer only tells one or two people if they have a favorable business experience, unhappy clients tell ten people.

What’s more, you will find that when you ask that question, most customers are so amazed that you actually want to work with them and solve their problems—and don’t be naive, some problems are inevitable—that they will not only spend more money with you but will become life-long customers. One irrefutable business truth is that the manner in which customer complaints are handled is the mark of a company that has respect for their customers and themselves and are not the tactics of a fly-by-night, take-the-money-and-run operation that only cares about short term profits. Remember that you started your studio because of your passion for photography, don’t let it evaporate because of the failure to ask a simple question.

Joe is co-author of “Better Available Light Digital Photography” published by Focal Press. His self-published books can be seen at Blurb.com.

The classic definition of macro photography is that the image projected onto the digital sensor (or film plane) should be the same size as the subject. At a 1:1 ratio, an SLR with a full-sized chip should have the ability to produce life-size magnification and focus on an area as small as 24×36 mm. Lens manufacturers sometimes describe a lens’s close-focusing capabilities as “macro” even if it doesn’t quite meet that definition and over time it has gradually come to mean being able to focus on a subject close enough so the image is life-size or larger when viewing a 4×6 inch print, which only requires a magnification ratio of approximately 1:4.

I made this flowerbox photo in the shade with a Canon EOS 20D and a used EF 50mm f/1.8 lens.

Conventional wisdom is that close-up photography requires lots of expensive, specialized equipment and while it’s true you can spend lots of money I order to make macro shots, you don’t have to break your piggy bank to shoot macro, no matter how you choose to define it. Here’s why…

A Tiffen Close-Up +4 filter was attached to that same EF 50mm f/1.8 lens allowing me to get closer to the flower.

Most filter and camera manufacturers offer what are sometimes called close-up “filters.” Although not really filters in the traditional sense, they pass the duck test: They look like filters, work like filters and quack like filters, so I’ll call’em filters like everybody else. But close-up filters are really supplementary lenses that shorten your camera lens’ close-focusing distance allowing you to get closer to the subject.

Close-up filters, such as the ones used to shoot the above example, are available in different strengths (or diopters) as a set usually includes versions labeled Close-up +1, Close-up +2, and Close-up +4. A diopter is a unit of measurement that’s used to describe the power of a lens and is expressed as the reciprocal of the focal length in meters. Tip: Close-up lenses are double-threaded so they can be used in combination with one another but to get the sharpest results it’s a good idea to place the strongest filter closest to the lens’s front element. For macro shooters on a budget, a complete set of really good close-up filters in 52mm threads should cost about $50.

They don’t make’em like they used to.”—old photography cliché

Well, maybe they do. Photographers who have been around a while may fondly remember the Vivitar 283 and 285 speedlights. They were simple, full adjustable manual speedlights and I made many photographs with them back in the day. Now as photographers embrace speedlights for on-location lighting I keep wishing that I had one of my old 285’s. Sure you can buy used Vivitar 285s on eBay but wouldn’t it be nice to have a new one.

The Cactus KF36 has the same functions as 285HV. The Vari-Power Module that was optional on the 283 was standard on the 285 lets you to adjust the light intensity at full, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/16 power without diving into LED menus. Just turn a dial and you’re set just as I do in the studio with my monolights. The Guide Number is 120 (feet) and it has four auto f-stop settings and an automatic exposure range up to 70 feet. You don’t have to change the f-stop on your camera lens when you move closer to a subject or father away as long as your subject is within the automatic operating range of the flash for that f-stop. OK, I know all the new speedlights do that too but that was a big deal back then.

It has the familiar Calculator Dial for determining flash exposures. Former 285 shooters know that the color mode settings translate into apertures and make for speedy setting when working under fast changing situations. The Sufficient Light Indicator lets you know whether the light output is sufficient for a proper exposure. That’s especially useful for bounce lighting because you can tilt the head at 0°, 45°, 60°, 75° or 90°. One of the big differences between the 283 and 285, besides the built-in Vari-Power Module, was a Zoom/Bounce Flash Head that lets you to match the flash coverage with the coverage of your lens. The Cactus KF36  has a thyristor circuit that saves excess energy for proper exposure and enables fast recycling times. Here’s a YouTube video about the KF36 made by Denis Rule of The Camera Store, in Western Canada.

The kit includes a nylon carrying case, 28mm (full frame) Wide Angle Diffuser, detachable synch cord. You can read the full specs here where there is also pop-up menu to find dealers in Canada. When I find out where you can purchase a Cactus KF36 in the USA, I’ll post an update. In the meantime, the Cactus KF36 is either a product you’re excited about (I am) or you’re not. But for now, I can’t wait to put one to work with one of Booth Photo’s Cameron Large Beauty Dish. Look for a test soon.

Exposure in Shutter Priority mode was 1/160 sec at f4/7 and ISO 400

caption: This photograph of these two pals and their dog was made on one of the girl’s front lawn and the photographer was lying on her stomach to get the shot. This puts the camera on their level and helps minimize background clutter. Shot with Olympus E-420 and FL-50R flash  (with diffuser in place.) ©2011 Mary Farace

Some digital point and shoot cameras even have a “kids” mode some of which boils down to the same advice I’m gonna give you:

• Keep shutter speeds approaching or matching the highest flash synch mode your camera offers. Your small subjects are not going to stay still all that long and a fast shutter speed will freeze those few moments of repose or capture action.
• Use flash. That’s the second reason for keeping the shutter speed at or near the camera’s synch speed. Flash adds some additional sparkle and illumination to have the kids “pop” out from the background and fill in shadows because you won’t always be in the most perfect position to catch that special moment The small pop-up flash built into digital SLRs is a good place to start, but don’t be afraid to use a larger speedlight that’s part of your camera system.
• Pick a modest aperture. Select one that’s closer to wide open to minimize depth-of-field and soften the background. I always say that “if you take care of the background, the foreground will take care of itself,”
•  Select an ISO that’s a bit higher than you might otherwise for the conditions. An ISO of 400 is going to give you more flexibility with choosing shutter speed and aperture as well as squeeze a little more output from a pop-up flash.
• Choose Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority mode. Program mode, while tempting to use, might not be a good choice since it tends to favor increased shutter speed over aperture and by selecting either Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority mode you will be able to manage which of these two controls seems more appropriate for a given lighting and shooting situation.
•  Get down on you subject’s level to shoot at them not down on them. You’ll get better pictures and your small subjects will relate better to you if you get down on their level. That’s means you might have to sit on the grass or get down on the ground so be sure to wear your grungies.
• Don’t pose your subjects. Let them be themselves. They’ll put themselves in this position, often for only for the briefest moments so you’re gonna have to work fast and capture the image the microsecond you see it. Sometime you will only be able to get two frames and sometime just one. Don’t wait! Snap the shutter now.

Image made with EF 135 f/2.5 SF lens at f/3.5 with 1/200th and ISO 200 using natural light using no reflectors.

Models Don’t Have to Look at the Camera: To show a model how I want her to stand, I put myself in the pose but let her give me her interpretation, which is always much better. 

I occasionally get calls and e-mails from models and aspiring models requesting tests shoots but there’s only so much time available. To streamline the process, I e-mail them a Model Data form before an interview or shoot. The form asks their name, address, and what hours and days she’s available for photography sessions. I also ask what kind of modeling styles she’s available for during the test shoot—not later. The following styles are listed on the form: Maxim-style, Fashion, Lingerie, Swimwear, Business, Artistic Nude, Casual, and Glamour. Potential models are requested to check all that apply

I have found the Model Data form to be indispensable but it’s not perfect. If you need a swimsuit model and she isn’t interested in posing for those kinds of images or her availability and your schedule aren’t compatible, you save time and effort by not scheduling an interview or test shoot. It’s a good idea to look for inconsistencies in the answers. One model I interviewed checked Maxim-style but not Lingerie and when I asked her why, she said the magazine she saw didn’t have lingerie shots in it. Maybe she though I meant Popular Mechanics. One model checked ”nude” but during the interview when I asked her how comfortable she was posing for these kinds of images, she said “not today!” I never did find out what day, so it’s important you ask that models answer all questions honestly. Yet only about 60% of the models who call or e-mail ever return the Model Data form.

You can’t rely on forms to do all the work and during an interview I’ll spend time with the model talking with her about the kind of photographs I like to make but more importantly what she kind that she in interested in. When you find an overlap in these interests is when you’ll have the possibility of creating great images together.

Joe is the author of “Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography.”