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Ansel Adams wrote, "You don't take a photograph, you make it." This wisdom is important for both beginning and experienced photographers to remember. It's easy to let the camera or your camera habits go into Cruise Control. In this issue of EXPOSURE, lab instructor B.J. Badyk talks about experimenting with his Speedlight, our Photoknowhow feature explores the creative side of blur, and we dug up an old gem by Richard about the history of flash. (It's not at all an attempt to encouage you to check out Alberto Trevino's new flash class, which starts this Thursday!) If you or someone you know is interested in classes, don't forget to print this email for a 10% discount. Keep shooting!
Karen Sheets, Editor
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Class Schedule
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 Classes start the week of February 16.- FREE Basic Camera 90-minute workshop - Sunday, February 15, 2009 at HIGH NOON. Bring your camera!
- FREE Basic Camera 90-minute workshop - Sunday, February 22, 2009 at HIGH NOON. Bring your camera!
- Photo II - Mondays at 7 PM. To register call or text: (312) 671-7717. Instructor: Cara Frison
- Photo I- Tuesdays at 7 PM. Instructor: Richard Stromberg.
- Photo I - Wednesdays at 7 PM. Instructor: Richard Stromberg.
- On-Camera Flash - Thursdays at 7:00 PM. To register call or text: (312) 671-7717. Instructor: Alberto Trevino
Call or text (312) 671-7717 with any questions or to register for classes.
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 Photo Knowhow: Using Blur
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David
Joel, a Chicago commercial photographer and writer, created, with his
father, photographer Yale Joel, a series of images with text which has
been adapted into the online instructional series Photo Knowhow.
These photographs illustrate a visual concept which
is usually quite straightforward, but can nevertheless be difficult to accomplish.
Each text provides short commentary and hints to help the photographer look for and create an effective image on the same theme.
We
have included three Photo Knowhow images and text at the links below.
Consider printing out the page from your browser and bringing it with
you for reference as you take photos.
 1. Panning with ActionMost of us get an exhilarating
sense of speed and movement on an amusement park ride. How do you capture
those feelings in a still photo? The first reaction of most photographers
is to freeze the action with a fast shutter speed. My preference is
to use a more suggestive pictorial approach. I use a slow shutter speed
and pan with the action.... Read this article
 2. Reflection BlurTake a walk around town with
your camera and treat yourself to the reflection blur. These distorted,
wavy blurs are found in reflections of windows, in curved metal bumpers,
or on the sides of shiny skyscrapers. Some reflections will be slightly
distorted. Others will be so blurry they will look almost abstract.... Read this article 3. Blur as Visual AdditiveHow long did it take you to
identity the blurry center of the picture here? Not long, I'II bet.
The scene is obviously set in a cathedral and it's crystal clear that
the blur is a procession moving down the aisle. Yet not one head or
body is visible within the blur. That was my visual idea--to
create an abstract blur that would catch the viewer's eye and still
be understood. The blur is a "visual additive" that makes
for a photograph with impact way out of the ordinary.... Read this article
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| FREE Professional, Live Critique Sessions
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 David Joel, who is a career professional corporate photographer and an experienced critiquer of photographers at all levels, is offering a FREE CRITIQUE SESSION for up to 7 people on selected Sunday afternoons. The exact dates are yet to be determined.
David has developed a theory of visual literacy and has critiqued hundreds of students both online and in person. His style is very verbal: lots and lots of information quickly. It is also non judgmental--no "thumbs up" or "thumbs down".
Come to these sessions looking for information from a pro--not for a pat on the back. If interested, please email David at david@photoknowhow.com and include a short comment about the level of photography you believe you have reached, and a sample (under 300k) of a photo of yours you like. He will get back to you with some possible dates.
Note:
Students who are already enrolled or who have in the past enrolled at
Chicago Photo Classes (beyond Photo I) will be given precedence for
these sessions--but all are welcome depending on space available. |
Letter from Richard Stromberg
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 Welcome to the "People's Program"
Most of the schools teaching art and photography tend to turn out
people who become "Elitist." You know the kind; they somehow think
they're a little better than the rest of us. They send out the message,
"I'm superior." or I'm "too good" for the rest of you.
I've always thought that some of what goes on in these "schools" has
done a disservice to their students as well as the rest of us. I have
seen grown men and women reduced to helplessness and tears because of
needlessly cruel critiques. I've seen teachers insult and demean
students just for the sport of it.
Many people have told me "after I got my MFA in photography I never
picked up a camera again" and "now, I know that I was abused." When I
was a younger teacher, just starting out I inadvertently may have hurt
students because of my ignorance and inexperience. Never Again.
In this new place I've decided to use the name "Richard Stromberg's
Chicago Photography Classes." I've done that to help distinguish the
classes at "Chicago Photography" from the crowd. After 39 years of
teaching, 44 years in the business and more than 10,000 students, my
ego doesn't need any more help.
I think of the program at Chicago Photography as the "People's
Program." No "attitude" or "elitism" permitted here. Chicago
Photography is about learning and work and personal growth and
mentoring and teaching and using your skill and talent to enrich life,
yours and others. The only accent here is on learning.... Continue reading
Richard Stromberg, Director
Chicago Photography Classes
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| A Little History of On-Camera Flash |
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 For most of the last century, on-camera flash photography was relegated
to either a flash bulb that was only one brightness (power) or later in
the century to electronic flash that was at first only one power (later
versions had switches that allowed for full power, half power, and
quarter power).
To give you an idea of how primitive the use of flash was,
photographers used to lick the base of the flash bulb just before they
put it into the flash bulb socket, in hopes of improving the connection
(flash bulbs were notorious for not going off). In the 1960s flash
manufacturers started to make electronic flashes with a sensor in them
that was designed to measure the light that was reflected back to the
camera/flash from the subject. The idea was that when the sensor on the
flash received enough light, it would tell the flash to shut off. The
flash duration, the length of time the flash is on, can vary from about
1/1,000 of a second to 1/20,000 of a second, well beyond a person's
ability to perceive the difference. Just a note: if you actually hear a
flash talking to a camera call me; if you hear the camera answer the
flash, stop what you're doing and call a doctor.
In the 1980s, manufacturers of 35 mm SLR cameras started to introduce
cameras and flashes that used TTL (Through The Lens) technology. With
the introduction of TTL flashes came the term "dedicated." A camera
designed to be used with a dedicated flash has internal sensors capable
of reading the amount of light reaching the film. This ensures proper
exposure of the film. A dedicated flash can usually be identified by
the number of contacts on the bottom of the flash shoe (e.g., Nikon has
4 contacts, Canon has 5 contacts). If you have a flash that has only
one contact in the middle of the shoe it is not a dedicated flash.
Most flash photographs look like they were made using a flash. The
brightness of the flash overpowers the existing light. The exposure is
fine for the people, but the surroundings are dark. Most of the indoor
photographs made of you in your life were made with a camera and a
flash strong enough to have overpowered the existing light.
The best example I have of this phenomenon is found in wedding
photographs. A wedding photographer (during the wedding day) will be in
many different kinds of indoor light. The simplest way to cope with the
different kinds of light is to use a flash that will be powerful and
bright enough to overcome the existing light. As you look at your
family's wedding photographs, please notice that the pictures are sharp
(the result of using a small aperture) and the light is just right, on
the people. Also notice that the surroundings are dark. This technique
has been the tried and true method for over 75 years. But the times
they are a changing (sorry, I just couldn't resist).
In the 1990s camera and flash design started to get interesting. Nikon
Camera, as well as the other camera manufacturers, figured out a way to
control the flash by putting a computer chip in the lens that told the
camera and flash how far away the lens was focused. The theory is that
if the camera and flash know how far away the lens has focused, then
they can tell the flash to turn off after the point-of-focus has
received enough light, thus ensuring proper exposure at the
point-of-focus. WOW.
Many serious photographers avoid using flash. For some, the traditional
way of using flash is not artful enough, for others using flash is just
too uncertain. The flash's duration (time) is just too short to see
what's going on with the light (remember flash times vary from about
1/1,000 of a second to 1/20,000 of a second). The newest equipment has
reached a sophistication that older photographers never even dreamed
of. It is now possible to balance the light from flash with existing
light in such a way that no one can tell a flash was used. You can now
use a flash to help correct color, or to fill in a shadow just enough
so you don't have to jump through hoops in the traditional or digital darkroom to make a good
print. The newest Nikon flash even has a flash preview button.
Richard Stromberg
January 2000
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| Flash Q&A with B.J. Badyk |
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 One of the things I loved about teaching labs with photographer B.J. Badyk is that afterward I could always pick his brain about his use of flash. I twisted B.J.'s arm into answering a few questions for EXPOSURE.--KS
This photo was taken inside, in the dark, at night--a situation that mystifies beginning photographers. What settings did you use to expose this properly?
If you want to shoot something mixed with ambient light (like the apple logo on that laptop), you've got to find the right exposure for the logo, lock it down, then add your own light, set to the correct power level.
So for that shot, I shot my friend until I was able to expose the logo, but not his face. Then we stuck a blue gel on a vivitar 285, set it on the keyboard and pointed it at his face. Then we just adjusted the power level on the speedlight until his face was exposed correctly.
How did you light this bus interior?
 I was really impressed with this one guy's work, and wanted to try to light in the same way he did. Of course, he's amazing, so I wasn't expecting his results, just something hopefully similar.
Basically you're just tossing out a couple speedlights, gelled with whatever colors you want in, and firing them off. Pick a reasonable ISO, F-stop (base this on the depth-of-field you want) and set shutter speed to something like 1/60th, since you wont be shooting moving objects. Once youve got that locked, just adjust the levels of the lights until it looks good (you can look at the previews and histogram for reference). Again, flash photography is all about using your camera and lights fully manual so you have to gain a good understanding of exposure.
How did you set up this self-portrait and lighting?
I had just a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight from Helix and had no idea what I was doing. So I "messed around," moving it to different spots in the room and remotely triggering and adjusting power levels using the Nikon wireless system. Here's the photo setup:
"70 degrees, pointed towards green wall, sitting on top of bookshelf above and to left of subject"
So basically I'm just bouncing it off the wall, using the wall as the diffuser. Make a stupid face and it's exaggerated like 20 times over in a photo... Ha!
Benjamin (B.J.) Badyk is a former student of Richard Stromberg's photography classes. View his stunning online portfolio here.
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Richard Stromberg's Chicago Photography Classes4001 N. Ravenswood Ave., 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60613 (Map)(312) 671-7717 | www.chicagophotoclasses.com
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